SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM - Prabhupada

ALL GLORY TO 5Rl GURU AND GAURANGASRIMADBHAGAVATAMofKSNA-DVAIPAYANA VYASAsri-prahrada uvdcasravar;tarit kirtanarit vi§smarar;tarit pada-sevanamarcanarit vandanarit diisyaritsakhyam iitma-nivedanamiti puritsarpitd vi§r:wubhaktiS cen nava-laa7J.dkriyeta bhagavaty addhatan manye 'dhitam uttamam (p. 246)

SRIMADBHAGAVATAMSeventh Canto"The Science of God"(Part One-Chapters 1-5)With the Original Sanskrit Text,Its Roman Transliteration, Synonyms,Translation and Elaborate PurportsbyHis Divine GraceA.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaFounder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna ConsciousnesseTHE BHAKTIVEDANT A BOOK TRUSTNew York· Los Angeles· London· Bombay

Readers interested in the subject matter of this bookare invited by the International Society for Krishna Consciousnessto correspond with its Secretary.International Society for Krishna Consciousness3764 Watseka AvenueLos Angeles, California 90034© 1976 Bhaktivedanta Book TrustAll Rights ReservedLibrary of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 73-169353International Standard Book Number: 0-912776-86-2First printing, 1976: 50,000 copiesPrinted in the United States of America

Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionIX.xmCHAPTER ONEThe Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 1Summary of the ChapterVi:Q.u Is Extremely Dear to Everyone 2Topics of the Lord Counteract Material Miseries 6An Expert Thinker Can Perceive the Lord's Presence 13Living Entities Act Within the Limits of Time 18Sisupala Merged into the Body of the Lord 22The Conditioned Soul Is Subjected to Dualities 30Thinking of the Lord Frees One from SinAtheists Cannot Attain SalvationJaya and Vijaya Are Cursed by the Sages 51CHAPTER TWOffirai.lyakaSipu, King of the Demons 59Summary of the Chapter 59Hira:Q.yak.a8ipu Laments His Brother's Death 60Hira:Q.yak.asipu Vows to Kill Lord Vi:Q.u 65The Assembled Demons Are Instructed by Hira:Q.yak.a8ipu 68The Demons Engage in Disastrous Activities 75The Demigods Wander the Earth Unseen 78Hira:Q.yak.a8ipu Pacifies His Nephews 80The Soul Is Eternal and Inexhaustible 83The History of King Suyajiia 89Yamaraja Advised the King's Widows 96l3944v

VtSrimad-BhagavatamThe Material Creation Is the Plaything of the Lord 101The Encaged Living Entity Is Separate from the Body 106Yamaraja Tells the Story of the Two Kuliilga Birds 114Hirat;tyak?a's Wife and Mother Forget Their Grief 126CHAPTER THREEHiryakaSipu's Plan to BecomeImmortal 129Summary of the Chapter 129Hira1;1yakasipu Begins His Severe Austerities 131The Demigods Inform Brahma of Hirat;tyakasipu'sIntentions 135Brahma, Struck with Wonder, Addresses Hirat;tyaka8ipu 143Hira1;1yakasipu's Body Is Revitalized by Brahma 149Hirat;tyaka8ipu Prays in a Humble Mood 154The Benediction Asked by Hira1;1yakasipu 165CHAPTER FOURHiryakaSipu Terrorizes the Universe 169Summary of the Chapter 169Brahma Benedicts Hira1;1yaka8ipu 170Hirat;tyaka8ipu Conquers the Entire Universe 174The Opulence of lndra's Residence 177Hirat;tyka8ipu Is Worshiped by Everyone 180Hira1;1yakasipu Remains a Servant of His Senses 185The Universal Rulers Surrender to Vii?I;lU 187The Voice of the Lord Drives Away All Fear 190The Glorious Qualities of Prahlada Maharaja 197Ecstatic Symptoms Manifest by Prahlada 206Hirat;tyaka8ipu Torments His Own Son 210

Table of ContentsvnCHAPTER FIVEPrahlada Maharaja, the Saintly Son ofHiryakaSipu 215Summary of the Chapter 215The Demons Accept Sukracarya as Their Priest 217Prahlada Instructs the King of the Demons 221Prahlada Is Faithful to His Father's Enemies 223The Priests of the Demons Pacify Prahlada 226Prahlada Is Chastised by His Teachers 237Vi!?QU Is the Axe for Cutting Down Demons 240The Nine Processes of Devotional Service 247HiraQyaka8ipu Becomes Angry at His Son 263Materialists Repeatedly Chew the Chewed 267HiraQyaka8ipu Orders the Death of Prahlada 274The Demons Begin to Torture Prahlada 279Prahlad.a Is Unaffected by the Treacheries of HisFather 283Prahlada Instructs His Class Friends 292Appendixes 295The Author 297References299Glossary 301Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide 307Index of Sanskrit Verses 309General Index 317

PrefaceWe must know the present need of human society. And what is thatneed? ·Human society is no longer bounded by geographical limits to particularcountries or communities. Human society is broader than in theMiddle Ages, and the world tendency is toward one state or one humansociety. The ideals of spiritual communism, according to Srimad­Bhiigavatam, are based more or less on the oneness of the entire humansociety, nay, on the entire energy of living beings. The need is felt bygrat thinkers to make this a successful ideology. Snmad-Bhiigavatamwill fill this need in human society. It begins, therefore, with the aphorismof Vedanta philosophy (jannu'idy asya yata/:£) to establish the ideal ofa common cause.Human society, at the present moment, is not in the darkness of oblivion.It has made rapid progress in the field of material comforts, educationand economic development throughout the entire world. But there isa pinprick somewhere in the social body at large, and therefore there arelarge-scale quarrels, even over less important issues. There is need of aclue as to how humanity can become one in peace, friendship andprosperity with a common cause. Srimad-Bhiigavatam will fill this need,for it is a cultural presentation for the re-spiritualization of the entirehuman society.Srimad-Bhiigavatam should be introduced also in the schools and colleges,for it is recommended by the great student devotee PrahladaMaharaja in order to change the demonic face of society.kaumara acaret prajfiodharman bhiigavatdn ihadurlabham manaril janmatad apy adhruvam arthadam(Bhiig. 7.6.1)Disparity in human society is due to lack of principles in a godlesscivilization. There is God, or the Almighty One, from whom everythingemanates, by whom everything is maintained and in whom everything islX

XSrimad-Bhagavatammerged to rest. Material science has tried to find the ultimate source ofcreation very insufficiently, but it is a fact that there is one ultimatesource of everything that be. This ultimate source is explained rationallyand authoritatively in the beautiful Bhagavatam or Srimad­Bhiigavatam.Srimad-Bhiigavatam is the transcendental science not only for knowingthe ultimate source of everything but also for knowing our relationwith Him and our duty towards perfection of the human society on thebasis of this perfect knowledge. It is powerful reading matter in theSanskrit language, and it is now rendered into English elaborately so thatsimply by a careful reading one will know God perfectly well, so much sothat the reader will be sufficiently educated to defend himself from theonslaught of atheists. Over and above this, the reader will be able to convertothers to accept God as a concrete principle.Srimad-Bhiigavatam begins with the definition of the ultimate source.It is a bona fide commentary on the Vedanta-sutra by the same author,Srila Vyasadeva, and gradually it develops into nine cantos up to thehighest state of God realization. The only qualification one needs to studythis great book of transcendental knowledge is to proceed step by stepcautiously and not jump forward haphazardly as with an ordinarybook. It should be gone through chapter by chapter, one after another.The reading matter is so arranged with its original Sanskrit text, itsEnglish transliteration, synonyms, translation and purports so that one issure to become a God realized soul at the end of finishing the first ninecantos.The Tenth Canto is distinct from the first nine cantos, because it dealsdirectly with the transcendental activities of the Personality of GodheadSri l(rQ.a. One will be unable to capture the effects of the Tenth Cantowithout going through the first nine cantos. The book is complete intwelve cantos, each independent, but it is good for all to read them insmall installments one after another.I must admit my frailties in presenting Srimad-Bhiigavatam, but stillI am hopeful of its good reception by the thinkers and leaders of societyon the strength of the following statement of Srimad-Bhiigavatam.tad-vag -visargo janatagha-viplavoyasmin pratiSlokam abaddhavaty api

PrefaceXlniimany anantasya ya.So 'nkitani yacch!\1-vanti gayanti nti siidhava(Bhiig. 1.5.11)"On the other hand, that literature which is full with descriptions of thetranscendental glories of the name, fame, form and pastimes of theunlimited Supreme Lord is a transcendental creation meant to bringabout a revolution in the impious life of a misdirected civilization. Suchtranscendental literatures, even though irregularly composed, are heard,sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest."om tat satA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Introduction"This Bhagavata Purar:w is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisenjust after the departure of Lord I,la to His own abode, accompanied byreligion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to thedense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from thisPurar:w." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.43)The timeless wisdom of India is expressed in the Vedas, ancientSanskrit texts that touch upon all fields of human knowledge. Originallypreserved through oral tradition, the Vedas were first put into writingfive thousand years ago by Sri:la Vyasadeva, the "literary incarnation ofGod." Mter compiling the Vedas, Vyasadeva set forth their essence inthe aphorisms known as Vedan'ta-sutras. Srimad-Bhagavatam isVyasadeva's commentary on his own Vedanta-sutras. It was written inthe maturity of his spiritual life under the direction of Narada Muni, hisspiritual master. Referred to as "the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedicliterature," Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and authoritativeexposition of Vedic knowledge.After compiling the Bl!f'igavatam, Vyasa impressed the synopsis of itupon his son, the sage Sukadeva GosvamL Sukadeva Gosvami: subsequentlyrecited the entire Bhagavatam to Maharaja Pari:kit in an assemblyof learned saints on the bank of the Ganges at Hastinapura (nowDelhi). Maharaja Pari:kit was the emperor of the world and was a greatrajar$i (saintly king). Having received a warning that he would diewithin a week, he renounced his entire kingdom and retired to the bankof the Ganges to fast until death and receive spiritual enlightenment.The Bhagavatam begins with Emperor Pari:kit's sober inquiry toSukadeva Gosvami::"You are the spiritual master of great saints anddevotees. I am therefore begging you to show theway of perfection for all persons, and especially forone who is about to die. Please let me know what aman should hear, chant, remember and worship,and also what he should not do. Please explain allthis to me."xm

xwSrrrnad-BhagavabunSukadeva Gosvami:'s answer to this question, and numerous otherquestions posed by Maharaja Pari:kit, concerning everything from thenature of the self to the origin of the universe, held the assembled sagesin rapt attention continuously for the seven days leading to the King'sdeath. The sage Siita Gosvami:, who was prsent on the bank of theGanges when Sukadeva Gosvami: first recited Srimad-Bhiigavatam, laterrepeated the Bhiigavatam before a gathering of sages in the forest ofNaimiarai,J.ya. Those sages, concerned about. the spiritual welfare of thepeople in general, had gathered to perform a long, continuous chain ofsacrifices to counteract the degrading influence of the incipient age ofKali. In response to the sages' request that he speak the essence of Vedicwisdom, Siita Gosvami: repeated from memory the entire eighteen thousandverses of Snmad-Bhiigavatam, as spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami: toMaharaja Pari:kit.The reader of Srimad-Bhiigavatam hears Siita Gosvami: relate thequestions of Maharaja Pari:kit and the answers of Sukadeva GosvamLAlso, Siita Gosvami: sometimes responds directly to questions put bySaunaka i, the spokesman for the sages gathered at Naimiarai,J.ya. Onetherefore simultaneously hears two dialogues: one between MaharajaPari:kit and Sukadeva Gosvami: on the bank of the Ganges, and anotherat Naimiarai,J.ya between Siita Gosvami: and the sages at Naimiarai,J.yaForest, headed by Saunaka &i. Furthermore, while instructing KingPari:kit, Sukadeva Gosvami: often relates historical episodes and givesaccounts of lengthy philosophical discussions between such great souls asthe saint Maitreya and his disciple Vidura. With this understanding ofthe history of the Bhiigavatam, the reader will asily be able to follow itsintermingling of dialogues and events from various sources. Sincephilosophical wisdom, not chronological order, is most importan! in thetext, one need only be attentive to the subject matter of Srimad­Bhiigavatam to appreciate fully its profound message.It should also be noted that the volumes of the Bhiigavatam need notbe read consecutively, starting with the first and proceeding to the last.The translator of this edition compares the Bhiigavatam to sugarcandy-wherever you taste it, you will find it equally sweet andrelishable.This edition of the Bhiigavatam is the first complete English translationof this important text with an elaborate commentary, and it is the

IntroductionXVfirst widely available to the English-speaking public. It is the product ofthe scholarly and devotional effort of His Divine Grace A. C. BhaktivedantaSwami Prabhupada, the world's most distinguished teacher ofIndian religious and philosophical thought. His consummate Sanskritscholarship an'd intimate familiarity with Vedic culture and thought aswell as the modern way of life combine to reveal to the West a magnificentexposition of this important classic.Readers will find this work of value for many reasons. For those interestedin the classical roots of Indian civilization, it serves as a vastreservoir of detailed information on virtually every one of its aspects.For students of comparative philosophy and religion, the Bhiigavatamoffers a penetrating view into the meaning of India's profound spiritualheritage. To sociologists and anthropologists, the Bhiigavatam reveals thepractical workings of a peaceful and scientifically organized Vedicculture, whose institutions were integrated on the basis of a highlydeveloped spiritual world view. Students of literature will discover theBhiigavatam to be a masterpiece of majestic poetry. For students of psychology,the text provides important perspectives on the nature of consciousness,human behavior and the philosophical study of identity.Finally, to those seeking spiritual insight, the Bhiigavatam offers simpleand practical guidance for attainment of the highest self-knowledge andrealization of the Absolute Truth. The entire multivolume text, presentedby the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, promises to occupy a significantplace in the intellectual, cultural and spiritual life of modern man for along time to come.-The Publishers

His Divine GraceA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaFounder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

PLATE ONEThe great Rajasuya sacrifice performed by Maharaja Yu,dhihira wasattended by all the exalted demigods, the most expert briihmar:ws andsages, and kings from different parts of the world. When all the respectablemembers of that assembly began worshiping Lord .i(rQ.a as the mostexalted personality, King Sisupala became very angry. From the verybeginning of his childhood, when he could not even speak properly,Sisupala, the most sinful son of Damagha, began blaspheming theLord. Thus, not being able to tolerate such honor to .i(rQ.a and glorificationof His qualities, he stood up suddenly and began speaking verystrongly against Lord .i(rQ.a. All the kings present in the assembly becamevery angry and immediately took up their swords and shields to killSisupala, but when Lord .i(rQ.a saw that they were going to fight in thearena of the auspicious Rajasuya sacrifice, He personally pacified all ofthem. Out of His causeless mercy, He Himself decided to kill Sisupala.While Sisupala abused the kings who were about to attack him, Lord.i(rQ.a took up His disc, which was as sharp as the blade of a razor, andimmediately separated Sisupala's head from his body. In the presence ofall the ealted persons in the assembly, Sisupala's spirit soul merged intothe transcendental body of the Supreme Lord, .i(rQ.a. (pp. 21-26)

PLATE TWOOnce, when the four sons of Lord Brahma named Sanaka, Sanandana,Sanatana and Sanat-kumara were wandering throughout the threeworlds, by dint of mystic yoga they came to ViQuloka. Although thesefour great sages were older than Brahma's other sons, they appeared likesmall naked children only five or six years old. After passing through thesix entrances of VaikuQha Puri, the Lord's residence, they saw at theseventh gate two shining beings, armed with maces and adorned withmost valuable jewelry, earrings and diamonds. The two gatekeepers weregarlanded with fresh flowers which attracted intoxicated bees and whichwere placed around their necks and between their four blue arms. Whenthe gatekeepers, Jaya and Vijaya, saw the sages trying to enterVaikuQhaloka, they thought them ordinary children and forbade themto enter. Thus Sanandana and the other great sages, who were by far thefittest persons, having realized the truth of the self, very angrily cursedJaya and Vijaya. "You two foolish doorkeepers," they said. "Being agitatedby the material qualities of passion and ignorance, you are unfit tolive at the shelter of the Lord's lotus feet, which are free from suchmodes. It would be better for you to go immediately to the material worldand take birth in a family of most sinful asuras. " (pp.45-52)

PLATE THREEThe demoniac King Hiral).yakasipu wanted to be unconquerable andfree from old age and dwindling of the body. He wanted to gain all theyogic perfections, to be deathless, and to be the only king of the entireuniverse, including Brahmaloka. In the valley of Mandara Hill,Hirai:Iyakasipu began performing his austerities by standing with his toeson the ground, keeping his arms upward and looking toward the sky.This position was extremely difficult, but he accepted it as a means to attainperfection. From the hair on Hirai:Iyakasipu's head there emanatedan effulgent light as brilliant and intolerable as the rays of the sun at thetime of dissolution. Because of Hirai:Iyakasipu's severe austerities, firecame from his head, and this fire and its smoke spread throughout thesky, encompassing the upper and lower planets, which all became extremelyhot. Because of the power of his severe austerities, all the riversand oceans were agitated, the surfaces of the globe, with its mountainsand islands, began trembling, and the stars and planets fell. All directionswere ablaze. (pp.130-133)

PLATE FOURLord Brahma, who is carried by a swan airplane, at first could not seewhere Hirayakasipu was, for Hirayakasipu's body was covered by ananthill and by grass and bamboo sticks. Because HiraQyakasipu had beenthere for a long time, the ants had devoured his skin, fat, flesh andblood. Then Lord Brahma spotted him, resembling a cloud-covered sun,heating all the world by his austerity. Struck with wonder, Lord Brahmasmiled and then addressed him as follows: "0 son of Kasyapa Muni,please get up! I have been very much astonished to see your endurance.In spite of being eaten and bitten by all kinds of worms and ants, you arekeeping your life air circulating within your bones. Certainly this is wonderful.Who within these three worlds can sustain his life for onehundred celestial years without even drinking water? 0 best of thedemons, I am now prepared to give you all benedictions, according toyour desire." Lord Brahma, the original being of this universe, who isextremely powerful, then sprinkled transcendental, infallible, spiritualwater from his waterpot upon HiraQyakasipu's body, which had beeneaten away by ants and moths. HiraQyakasipu arose, endowed with a fullbody with limbs so strong that they could bear the striking of a thunderbolt.With physical strength and a bodily luster resembling molten gold,he emerged from the anthill a completely young man. (pp. 142-150)

PLATE FIVEAfter receiving benedictions from Lord Brahma, Hirar:tyakasipu conqueredthe rulers of all the planets in the three worlds, seizing theirpower and influence. He thus began residing in heaven in the most opulentpalace of lndra, the celestial King. The palace was as beautifullymade as if the goddess of fortune of the entire universe resided there.Being situated on lndra's throne, HiraQyakasipu severely controlled theinhabitants of all the other planets.Once HiraQyakasipu affectionately seated his young son PrahladaMaharaja on his lap and inquired what he had learned from his teachers.Prahlada replied with exalted VaiQava philosophy describing how oneachieves the perfection of life by dedicating everything to the service ofthe Supreme Lord, KrQa. After Prahlada Maharaja had spoken in thisway, HiraQyakasipu, blinded by anger and hatred for the Supreme Lord,threw the boy off his lap and onto the ground. Indignant and angry, hisreddish eyes like molten copper, HiraQyakasipu said to his servants, "0demons, take this boy away from me! He deserves to be killed. Kill himas soon as possible!" (pp.l74-178, 245-274)

PLATE SIXAfter being ordered by Hirai)yakasipu to kill Prahlada .Maharaja, hisservants, the demon Rakasas, began striking the tender parts ofPrahlada Maharaja's body with their tridents. The demons all had fearfulfaces, sharp teeth and reddish, coppery beards and hair, and they appearedextremely threatening. Making a tumultuous sound, shouting,"Chop him up! Pierce him!" they began striking Prahlada Maharaja,who sat silently, meditating upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Prahlada Maharaja was a great devotee, undisturbed by material conditionsand fully engaged in meditating upon and serving the SupremePersonality of Godhead. Thus the weapons of the demons had no tangibleeffects upon him. (pp. 279-280)

PLATE SEVENWhen the attempts of the demon Rak?asas to kill Prahlada Maharajawere futile, the King of the demons, HiraQyakasipu, being most fearful,began contriving other means to kill him. HiraQyakasipu thought,"Although Prahlada is only five years old, even at this young age he hasgiven up his affectionate relationship with his father and mother.Prahlada is so treacherous that he has become a devotee of Vii?QU, whokilled his uncle HiraQyakl?a. If a limb of one's body is poisoned by disease,it must be amputated so that the rest of the body may live happily.Similarly, even one's own son, if unfavorable, must be rejected, althoughborn of one's own body." Thus HiraQyakasipu planned a campaign to killPrahlada Maharaja. He thought he would kill his son by throwing himbeneath the feet of big elephants, throwing him among huge, fearfulsnakes, employing destructive spells, conjuring up illusory tricks, administeringpoison, starving him, exposing him to severe cold, winds,fire and water, throwing heavy stones to crush him, or hurling him fromthe top of a mountain. But Prahlada Maharaja, who was completely sinless,could not be harmed in any way. (pp. 276-278, 282)

CHAPTER ONEThe Supreme Lord Is Equal to EveryoneIn this chapter, in response to a question by Maharaja Parik?it, SukadevaGosvami gives his conclusions concerning how the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, although the Supersoul, friend and protector of everyone,killed the Daityas, the demons, for the sake of lndra, the King of heaven.In his statements, he totally refutes the arguments of people in generalwho accuse the Supreme Lord of partiality. Sukadeva Gosvami provesthat because the body of the conditioned soul is infected by the threequalities of nature, dualities arise such as enmity and friendship, attachmentand detachment. For the Supreme Personality of Godhead,however, there are no such dualities. Even eternal time cannot controlthe activities of the Lord. Eternal time is created by the Lord, and it actsunder His control. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore, is alwaystranscendental to the influence of the modes of nature, maya, theLord's external energy, which acts in creation and annihilation. Thus allthe demons killed by the Supreme Lord attain salvation immediatelr.The second question raised by Parik?it Maharaja concerns how Sisupala,although inimical toward .Kr!?Qa from his very childhood and alwaysblaspheming Kr!?Qa, attained salvation in oneness when .Kr!?Qakilled him. Sukadeva Gosvami explains that because of their offenses atthe feet of devotees, two attendants of the Lord in VaikuQtha named Jayaand Vijaya became HiraQyakasipu and HiraQyiik?a in Satya-yuga, RavaQaand KumbhakarQa in the next yuga, Treta-yuga, and Sisupala and Dantavakraat the end of Dvapara-yuga. Because of their fruitive acts, Jayaand Vijaya agreed to become the Lord's enemies, and when killed in thatmentality, they attained salvation in oneness. Thus even if one thinks ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead in envy, he attains salvation. Whatthen is to be said of devotees who always engage in the Lord's servicewith love and faith?1

2 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Ch.lTEXT 1,fi'(l;#fiif/"*1: fir{: ij I...,.. ..._Mltr ifitr l91"iqU8_'i'\l ll1n " "sri-rajovacasamab, priyab, suhrd brahmanbhutaniim bhagavan svayamindrasyarthe katham daityanavadhid vamo yathiisri-raja uvdca-Mahiiriija Parikit said; samab,-equal; priyab,beloved;suhrt-friend; brahman-0 brahmar:w (Sukadeva);bhlltiiniim-toward all living entities; bhagamn-the Supreme Lord,Vim; svayam-Himself; indrasya-of lndra; arthe-for the benefit;katham-how; daityan-the demons; avadhit-killed; vamab,-partial;yathii-as if.TRANSLATIONKing Parikit inquired: My dear braa, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, Vi:r;tu, being everyone's well-wisher, is equaland extremely dear to everyone. How, then, did He become partiallike a common man for the sake of lndra and thus kill lndra'senemies? How can a person equal to everyone be partial to someand inimical toward others?PURPORTIn Bhagavad-gitii (9.29) the Lord says, samo 'ham sarva-bhuteu name dveyo 'sti na priyab,: "I am equal to everyone. No one is dear to Me,nor is anyone My enemy." In the previous canto, however, it has beenobserved that the Lord sided with lndra by killing the demons on his account(hata-putra ditib, sakra-parr:ti-graher:ta VTJunii). Therefore, theLord was clearly partial to lndra, although He is the Supersoul in everyone'sheart. The soul is extremely dear to everyone, and similarly the

Text 2] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 3Supersoul is also dear to everyone. Thus there cannot be any faulty actionon the part of the Supersoul. The Lord is always kind to all livingentities, irrespective of form and situation, yet He took the side of lndrajust like an ordinary friend. This was the subject of Parikit Maharaja'sinquiry. As a devotee of Lord Kra, he knew very well that Kra cannot.be partial to anyone, but when he saw that Kra acted as the enemyof the demons, he was somewhat doubtful. Therefore he posed this questionto Sukadeva Gosvami for a clear answer.A devotee cannot accept that Lord Viu has material qualifications.Maharaja Parikit knew perfectly well that Lord Viu, being transcendental,has nothing to do with material qualities, but to confirm his convictionhe wanted to hear from the authority Sukadeva Gosvami. SrilaVisvanatha Cakravarti 'fhakura says, samasya katham vaamyam:since the Lord is equally disposed toward everyone, how can He be partial?Priyasya katham asure§u prity-abhava/:1.. The Lord, being theSupersoul, is extremely dear to everyone. Why, then, should the Lorddisplay unsympathetic behavior toward the asuras? How is this impartial?SuhrdaS ca katham te§v asauhardam. Since the Lord says that He issuhrdam saro.a-bhiiianiim, the well-wisher of all living entities, howcould He act with partiality by killing demons? These questions arose inthe heart of Parikit Maharaja, and therefore he inquired from SukadevaGosvami.TEXT2'f : : f'l:t(1kW\': IcCitJ .. g ft: II IIna hy asyarthab, sura-gar:w.ibsak§an nib,Sreyasatmanab,naivasurebhyo vidve§onodvega§ cagur:w.sya hina-not; hi-certainly; asya-His; arthab,-benefit, interest; suragary,aib,-withthe demigods; sak§at-personally; nib,Sreyasa-of thehighest bliss; atmanab,-whose nature; na-not; eva-certainly;asurebhyab,-for the demons; vidve§ab,-envy; na-not; udvegab,-

Srbnad-Bhigavabun(Canto 7, Ch. Ifear; ca-and; aguya -who possesses no material qualities; hi-certainly.TRANSLATIONLord Vir:tu Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is thereservoir of all pleasure. Therefore, what benefit would He derivefrom siding with the demigods? What interest would He fulfill inthis way? Since the Lord is transcendental, why should He fear theasuras, and how could He be envious of them?PURPORTWe should always remember the distinction between spiritual and material.That which is material is infected by material qualities, but thesequalities cannot touch that which is spiritual, or transcendental. .Krt?a isabsolute, whether He is in the material world or spiritual world. Whenwe see partiality in .Krt?a, this vision is due to His external energy.Otherwise how could His enemies attain salvation after being killed byHim? Everyone who deals with the Supreme Personality of Godheadgradually acquires the qualities of the Lord. The more one advances inspiritual consciousness, the less he is affected by the duality of materialqualities. The Supreme Lord, therefore, must certainly be freed fromthese qualities. His enmity and friendship are external features presentedby the material energy. He is always transcendental. He is absolute,whether He kills or bestows His favor.Envy and friendship arise in one who is imperfect. We fear ourenemies because in the material world we are always in need of help. TheLord, however, does not need anyone's help, for He is dtmdrdma. TheLord says in Bhagavad-gitii (9.26):patram pU§pam phalam toyamyo me bhaktya prayacchatitad aham bhakty-upahrtama.Sniimi prayatdtmanab,"If a devotee offers Me with devotion a little leaf, a flower, fruit orwater, I shall accept it." Why does the Lord say this? Is He dependent on

Text 3] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 5the offering of the devotee? He is not actually dependent, hut He likes tohe dependent upon His devotee. This is His mercy. Similarly, He does notfear the asuras. Thus there is no question of partiality in the SupremePersonality of Godhead.TEXT3 Wf: @4(1'1111 -noorgon'i, 3ffir 1•: ij1(ij¥h0'E14l( II II-.:»iti na!z, su17Ulhii-bhdgandraya-gul)dn pratisaritSaya!z, su17Ulhiin jatastad bhavaritS chettum arhatiiti-thus; na!z,-our; su-17Ulhii-bhdga-O glorious one; narayagul)dn-thequalities of Narayru;ta; prati-toward; saritSaya!z,-doubt;su-17Ulhiin-very great; jata!z,-born; tat-that; bhavan-Your Lordship;chettum arhati-please dispel.TRANSLATION0 greatly fortunate and learned briluna, whether Niriy ispartial or impartial has become a subject of great doubt. Kindlydispel my doubt with positive evidence that Niiriya is alwaysneutral and equal to everyone.PURPORTSince Lord Narayai;}a is absolute, His transcendental qualities are describedas one. Thus His punishments and His offerings of favor are bothof the same value. Essentially, His inimical actions are not displays of enmitytoward His so-called enemies, hut in the material field one thinksthat KrI;la is favorable to devotees and unfavorable to nondevotees.When KrI;la finally instructs in Bhagavad-gitd, saroa-dharman parityajyarndm ekam saram vraja, this is meant not only for Arjuna but forevery living entity within this universe.

6 Srbnad-Bhigavabun(Canto 7, Ch. 1TEXTS 4-5r41'11fiiti if I"' 'it ¥1(10 I ll111'ti{IRi tFtf II II;fRij 1Rli : I f)QJtlq ;;R wd : II IIsn-rir uvacasadhu pmam maharajahares caritam adbhutamyad bhiigavata-miihiitmyarhbhagavad-bhakti-vardha!Wmgiyate paramarh pur_tyamribhir naradadibhinatva kmliiya munayekathayye hare kathiimsn-ri uvaca-the sage Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; sadhu-excellent;pmam-inquiry; mahii-raja-0 great King; hare-of theSupreme Lord, Hari; caritam-activities; adbhutam-wonderful; yatfromwhich; bhiigavata-of the Lord's devotee (Prahlada); mahiitmyam-theglories; bhagavat-bhakti-devotion to the Lord;vardhanam-increasing; giyate-is sung; paramam-foremost;pur_tyam-pious; ibhi-by the sages; n.arada-adibhib.-headed by SriNarada Muni; natva-after offering obeisances; kr_ttiya-to .KrQaDvaipayana Vyasa; munaye-the great sage; kathafo.ye-1 shall narrate;hare-of Hari; kathiim-the topics.TRANSLATIONThe great sage Sukadeva Gosvimi said: My dear King, you haveput before me an excellent question. Discourses concerning theactivities of the Lord, in which the glories of His devotees are alsofound, are extremely pleasing to devotees. Such wonderful topics

Text 6] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 7always counteract the miseries of the materialistic way !lf life.Therefore great sages like Nirada always speak upon Srimad­Bhagavatam because it gives one the facility to hear and chantabout the wonderful activities of the Lord. Let me offer my respectfulobeisances unto Srila Vyasadeva and then begin describingtopics concerning the activities of Lord Hari.PURPORTIn this verse Sukadeva Gosviirni offers his respectful obeisanceskmmya munaye, which means to l(rQa Dvaipayana Vyasa. One mustfirst offer one's respectful obeisances to one's spiritual master. SukadevaGosviirni's spiritual master is his father, Vyasadeva, and therefore hefirst offers his respectful obeisances to l(rQa Dvaipayana Vyasa and thenbegins describing topics of Lord Hari.Whenever there is an opportunity to hear about the transcendental activitiesof the Lord, we must take it. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends,kirtaniyab, sada harib,: one should always engage in krr:uz-kathaby chanting and talking about l(rQa and hearing about Him. That is theonly occupation of a l(rQa conscious person.TEXT6sfq sott:it ¥t•l641( : : I(CC¥il*41gul¥i1NW t JRr: II IInirgur:w 'pi hy ajo 'vyaktobhagavan prakrteb- parab,sva-maya-gur:uzm aviSyabadhya-badhakatarh gatab,nirgur:uzb,-without material qualities; api-although; hi-certainly;ajab,-unborn; avyaktab,-unmanifest; bhagavan-the Supreme Lord;prakrteb,-to material nature; parab,-transcendental; sva-maya-ofHis own energy; gur:uzm-material qualities; tiviSya-entering;badhya-obligation; badhakattim-the condition of being obliged;gatab,-accepts.

8 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch.lTRANSLATIONThe Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vi!}J}U, is always transcendentalto material qualities, and therefore He is called nirgul}a, orwithout qualities. Because Be is unborn, Be does not have a materialbody to be subjected to attachment and hatred. Although theLord is always above material existence, through His spiritualpotency He appeared and acted like an ordinary human being, acceptingduties and obligations, apparently like a conditioned soul.PURPORTSo-called attachment, detachment and obligations pertain to the materialnature, which is an emanation from the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, but whenever the Lord descends and acts in this materialworld, He does so in His spiritual position. Although His activities materiallyappear different, spiritually they are absolute and nondifferent.Thus it is an imposition upon the Supreme Lord to say that He is enviousof anyone or friendly to anyone.In Bhagavad-gita (9.11) the Lord clearly says, avajananti mammiii)hii manim tanum asritam: "Fools deride Me when I descend in ahuman form." l(r!}Qa appears on this earth or within this universe withoutany change in His spiritual body or spiritual qualities. Indeed, He isnever influenced by the material qualities. He is always free from suchqualities, but He appears to act under material influence. This understandingis aropita, or an imposition. Therefore l(r!}Qa says, janmakarma ca me divyam: whatever He does, being always transcendental,has nothing to do with material qualities. Evam yo vetti tattvatab,: onlydevotees can understand the truth of how He acts. The fact is that l(r!}Qais never partial to anyone. He is always equal to everyone, but because ofimperfect vision, influenced by material qualities, one imposes materialqualities upon l(r!}Qa, and when one does so he becomes a miii)ha, a fool.When one can properly understand the truth, one becomes devoted andnirgw:za, free from material qualities. Simply by understanding the activitiesof l(r!}Qa one can become transcendental, and as soon as one istranscendental he is fit to be transferred to the transcendental world.Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna: one who under-

Text 7] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 9stands the activities of the Lord in truth is transferred to the spiritualworld after he gives up his material body.TEXT7 Sliwtiwtt !1GJ1: IWI •NS::I m Cll II IIsattvarh rajas tama itiprakrter natmarw gub,na te$(1.rh yugapad rdjanhrdsa ulldsa eva vasattvam-the mode of goodness; rajab,-the mode of passwn;tamab,-the mode of ignorance; iti-thus; prakrteb,-of materialnature; na-not; atmanab,-of the spirit soul; gub,-qualities; nanot;te$iim-of them; yugapat-simultaneously; rajan-0 King;hrasaft-diminution; ulldsab,-prominence; eva-certainly; vii-or.TRANSLATIONMy dear King Parikit, the material qualities-sattva-gur_ta, rajogur_taand tamo-gur_ta-all belong to the material world arid do noteven touch the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These threegur_tas cannot act by increasing or decreasing simultaneously.PURPORTThe original position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is one ofequality. There is no question of His being influenced by sattva-gu1)(l.rajo-gur:w or tamo-gu1)(l. for these material qualities cannot touch theSupreme Lord. The Lord is therefore called the supreme vara. lsvarab,paramab, kr$7J-ab-: He is the supreme controller. He controls the materialqualities (daivi hy e$(1. gur:wmayi mama maya). Mayadhyak$er:wprakrtift suyate: material nature (prakrti) works under His order. How,then, can He he under the qualities of prakrti? KrI).a is never influencedby the material qualities. Therefore there is no question of partiality inthe Supreme Personality of Godhead.

10 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7' Ch. 1TEXTSijm1 «II IIjaya-kdle tu sattvasyadevar§in rajaso 'surantamaso yak§a-rak§amsitat-kiilanugu'{W 'bhajatjaya-kiile-in the time of prominence; tu-indeed; sattvasya-ofgoodness; deva-the demigods; r§in-and the sages; rajasa!t-of passion;asuran-the demons; tamasa!t-of ignorance; ya/cya-ra/cyamsitheYakas and Rakasas; tat-kiila-anugu!t-according to the particulartime; abhajat-fostered.TRANSLATIONWhen the quality of goodness is prominent, the sages anddemigods flourish with the help of that quality, with which theyare infused and surcharged by the Supreme Lord. Similarly, whenthe mode of passion is prominent the demons flourish, and whenignorance is prominent the Y$ and Rakasas flourish. TheSupreme Personality of Godhead is present in everyone's heart,fostering the reactions of sattva-guJ.18, rajo-gua and tamo-gua."PURPORTThe Supreme Personality of Godhead is not partial to anyone. Theconditioned soul is under the influence of the various modes of materialnature, and behind material nature is the Supreme Personality of Godhead;but one's victory and loss under the influence of sattva-gu. rajoguand tamo-15U: are reactions of these modes, not of the SupremeLord's partiality. Srila }iva Gosvami, in the Bhagavata-sandarbha, hasclearly said:sattvadayo na santiSeyatra ca prakrta gul)ii!tsa suddha!t saroa-suddhebhya!tpumiin adya!t prasidatu

Text 8]The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone11hladini sandhini samvittvayy ekii. sarva-sarilsthitauhlada-tapa-kari miSratvayi rw gu1Jn-varjiteAccording to this statemenr of the Bhiigavata-sandarbha, the SupremeLord, being always transcendental to the material qualities, is neveraffected by the influence of these qualities. This same characteristic isalso present in the living being, but because he is conditioned by materialnature, even the pleasure potency of the Lord is manifested in the conditionedsoul as troublesome. In the material world the pleasure enjoyed bythe conditioned soul is followed by many painful conditions. For instance,we have seen that in the two great wars, which were conducted bythe rajo-gu1Jn and tamo-gu1Jn, both parties were actually ruined. TheGerman people declared war against the English to ruin them, but theresult was that both parties were ruined. Although the Allies were apparentlyvictorious, at least on paper, actually neither of them were victorious.Therefore it should be concluded that the Supreme Personalityof Godhead is not partial to anyone. Everyone works under the influenceof various modes of material nature, and when the various modes areprominent, the demigods or demons appear victorious under the influenceof these modes.Everyone enjoys the fruits of his qualitative activities. This is alsoconfirmed in Bhagavad-gitii ( 14.11-13):sarva-dvareu dehe 'sminprakii.Sa upajayatejnanarh yada tada vidyadvivrddham sattvam ity utalobha/:t pravrttir ammbha/:tkarmal).dm a.Sa1na/:t sprhiimjasy etani jayantevivrddhe bharatarabhaapmkiiSo 'pmvrttiS capmmiido moha eva ca

12 Srbnad-Bhigavabun(Canto 7, Ch. 1tamasy etani jayantevivrddhe kuru-nandana"The manifestations of the modes of goodness can he experiencedwhen all the gates of the body are illumined by knowledge."0 chief of the Bharatas, when there is an increase in the mode of passion,the symptoms of great attachment, uncontrollable desire, hankering,and intense endeavor develop."0 son of Kuru, when there is an increase in the mode of ignorance,madness, illusion, inertia and darkness are manifested."The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone'sheart, simply gives the results of the increase in the various qualities, butHe is impartial. He supervises victory and loss, but He does not take partin them.The various modes of material nature do not work all at once. The interactionsof these modes are exactly like seasonal changes. Sometimesthere is an increment of rajo-gur:m, sometimes of tamo-gur:m and sometimessattva-gur:m. Generally the demigods are surcharged with sattvagur:m,and therefore when the demons and the demigods fight, thedemigods are victorious because of the prominence of their sattva-gur:mqualities. However, this is not the partiality of the Supreme Lord.TEXT9(tRf«t'IIM ('lfliji"Sf AA INf( .. ·¥41'11 mql itf: II

Text 9] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 13TRANSLATIONThe all-pervading Personality of Godhead exists within theheart of every living being, and an expert thinker can perceivehow He is present there to a large or small extent. Just as one canunderstand the supply of fire in wood, the water in a waterpot, orthe sky within a pot, one can understand whether a living entity isa demon or a demigod by understanding that living entity's devotionalperformances. A thoughtful man can understand how mucha person is favored by the Supreme Lord by seeing his actions.PURPORTIn Bhagavad-gita (10.41) the Lord says:yad yad vibhii.timat sattvamsrimad urjitam eva vdtat tad evavagaccha tvammama tejo- 'msa-sambhavam"Know that all beautiful, glorious and mighty creations spring from buta spark of My splendor." We have the practical experience of seeing thatone person is able to do very wonderful things whereas another cannotdo those same things and cannot even do things that require only a littlecommon sense. Therefore, how much a devotee has been favored by theSupreme Personality of Godhead can be tested by the activities the devoteehas performed. In Bhagavad-gitd (10.10) the Lord also says:team satata-yuktaruimbhajatam priti-puroakamdaddmi buddhi-yogam tamyena mdm upayanti te"To those who are constantly devoted and who worship Me with love, Igive the understanding by which they can come to Me." This is verypractical. A teacher instructs the student if the student is capable of takingmore and more instructions. Otherwise, in spite of being instructedby the teacher, the student cannot make strides in his understanding.

14 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch.lThis has nothing to do with partiality. When l(rI;ta says te§drit satatayuktanambhajatdrit priti-puroakaml dadami buddhi-yogarit tam, thisindicates that l(rI).a is prepared to give bhakti-yoga to everyone, but onemust be capable of receiving it. That is the secret. Thus when a personexhibits wonderful devotional activities, a thoughtful man understandsthat l(rI).a has been more favorable to this devotee.This is not difficult to understand, but envious persons do not acceptthat l(rI;ta has bestowed His favor upon a particular devotee in accordancewith his advanced position. Such foolish persons become enviousand try to minimize an advanced devotee's activities. That is notVaiI).avism. A VaiI;tava should appreciate the service rendered to theLord by other VaiI).avas. Therefore a V aiI;tava is described in Srimad­Bhiigavatam as nirmatsara. V aiI).avas are never envious of otherVaiI;tavas or of anyone else, and therefore they are called nirmatsan'imsatdm.As Bhagavad-gitd informs us, one can understand how one is saturatedwith sattva-gulJa, rajo-gury,a or tamogury,a. In the examples givenherewith, fire represents the mode of goodness. One can understand theconstitution of a container for wood, petrol or other inflammable substancesby the quantity of the fire. Similarly, water represents rajo-gur:m,the mode of passion. A small skin and the vast Atlantic Ocean both containwater, and by seeing the quantity of water in a container one canunderstand the size of the container. The sky represents the mode of ignorance.The sky is present in a small earthen pot and also in outer space.Thus by proper judgment one can see who is a devatd, or demigod, andwho is an asura, Yaka or Rakasa according to the quantities of sattvagury,a,rajo-gury,a and tamo-gury,a. One cannot judge whether a person is adevatd, an asura or a Rakasa by seeing him, but a sane man can understandthis by the activities such a person performs. A general descriptionis given in the Padma Purar:m: vu-bhaktab, smrto daiva dsuras tadviparyayab,.A devotee of Lord ViI).u is a demigod, whereas an asura orYaka is just the opposite. An asura is not a devotee of Lord ViI).u; instead,for his sense gratification he is a devotee of the demigods, bhiltas,pretas and so on. Thus one can judge who is a devatd, who is a Rakasaand who is an asura by how they conduct their activities.The word dtmdnam in this verse means paramdtmdnam. The

Text 9) The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 15Paramatma, or Supersoul, is situated in the core of everyone's heart (antatatt}.This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gitti (18.61). lsvarab, saroabhuttintirithrd-de5e 'rjuna !hati. The iSvara, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, being situated in everyone's heart, gives directions to everyonein terms of one's capabilities in taking the instructions. The instructionsof Bhagavad-gitti are open to everyone, but some peopleunderstand them properly, whereas others understand them so improperlythat they cannot even believe in the existence of !?. althoughreading !?Qa's book. Although the Gitti says sri-bhagavtinuvtica, indicating that !?Qa spoke, they cannot understand !?Qa. Thisis due to their misfortune or incapability, which is caused by rajo-gur:taand tamo-gur:ta, the modes of passion and ignorance. It is because ofthese modes that they cannot even understand !?Qa, whereas an advanceddevotee like Arjuna understands Him and glorifies Him, saying,pararit brahma pararit dhtima pavitrarit paramarit bhavtin: "You are theSupreme Brahman, the supreme abode and purifier." !?Qa is open toeveryone, but one needs the capability to understand Him.By external features one cannot understand who is favored by !?Qaand who is not. According to one's attitude, !?Qa becomes one's directadviser, or !?Qa becomes unknown. This is not !?Qa's partiality; it isHis response to one's ability to understand Him. According to one'sreceptiveness-whether one be a devatti, asura, Yak!?a or Rak!?asa­!?Qa's quality is proportionately exhibited. This proportionate exhibitionof !?Qa's power is misunderstood by less intelligent men to be!?Qa's partiality, but actually it is no such thing. !?Qa is equal toeveryone, and according to one's ability to receive the favor of !?Qa,one advances in !?Qa consciousness. Srila Visvanatha CakravartiThakura gives a practical example in this connection. In the sky there aremany luminaries. At night, even in darkness, the moon is extremelybrilliant and can be directly perceived. The sun is also extremelybrilliant. When covered by clouds, however, these luminaries are notdistinctly visible. Similarly, the more one advances in sattva-gur:ta, themore his brilliance is exhibited by devotional service, but the more one iscovered by rajo-gur:ta and tamo-gur:ta, the less visible his brilliance, forhe is covered by these qualities. The visibility of one's qualities does notdepend on the partiality of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; it is due

16 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 1to various coverings in different proportions. Thus one can understandhow far he has advanced in terms of sattva-gur:w and how much he iscovered by rajo-gur:w and tamo-gur:w.TEXT 10 mm: 3'ffiq;{:qU: " 'P-iq), FNI I f4t ftW\'eR:ftl\'llut t 11 o IIyada sisrk$u pura atmaTUl paroraja srjaty ea prthak sva-mayayasattvam vicitrasu rirarilsur i.Svarasayamar:ws tama irayaty asauyadd-when; sisrk$u-desiring to create; pura-material bodies;atmaM-for the living entities; para-the Supreme Personality ofGodhead; raja-the mode of passion; srjati-manifests; ea-He;prthak-separately, predominantly; sva-mayaya-by His own creativeenergy; sattvam-the mode of goodness; vicitmsu-in various types ofbodies; rirarilsu-desiring to act; i.Soora-the Personality of Godhead;sayi$.yamarya-being about to conclude; tama-the mode of ignorance;irayati-causes to rise; asau-that Supreme.TRANSLATIONWhen the Supreme Personality of Godhead creates differenttypes of bodies, offering a particular body to each living entity accordingto his character and fruitive actions, the Lord revives allthe qualities of material nature-sattva-gur.u-, rajo-gu:t;a and tamogu:t;a.Then, as the Supersoul, He enters each body and influencesthe qualities of creation, maintenance and annihilation, using sattva-gu:t;afor maintenance, rajo-gu:t;a for creation and tamo-gu:t;afor annihilation.

Text ll) The Supreme Lonl Is Equal to Everyone 17PURPORTAlthough material nature is conducted by the three qualities -sattvagur:m,rajo-gur:m and tanw-gur:m-nature is not independent. As theLord says in Bhagavad-gitd (9.10):mayiidhyak$er:m prakrtiltsilyate sa-caracaramhetuniinena kaunteyajagad viparivartate"This material nature is working under My direction, 0 son of Kunti,and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule thismanifestation is created and annihilated again and again." The differentchanges in the material world take place as actions and reactions of thethree gur:ms, but above the three gur:ms is their director, the SupremePersonality of Godhead. In the various types of bodies given to the livingentities by material nature (yantrarW;lhiini mayaya), either sattva-gur:m,rajo-gur:m or tanw-gur:m is prominent. The body is produced by materialnature according to the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Therefore it is said here, yada sisrk$ult pura atmanalt paralt, indicatingthat the body is certainly created by the Lord. Karma1Jii daiva-netrer:m:according to the karma of the living entity, a body is prepared under theSupreme Lord's supervision. Whether the body is of sattva-gur:m, rajogur:mor tanw-gur:m, everything is done by the direction of the SupremeLord through the agency of the external energy {prthak sva-mayaya). Inthis way, in different types of bodies, the Lord (iSvara) gives directionsas Paramatma, and again, to destroy the body, He employs the tanwgur:m.This is the way the living entities receive different types of bodies.TEXT llm ro anPi '"l(j trfffl: II IIkdlam carantarh srjatiSa asrayarhpradhiina-pumbhyarh nara-deva satya-krt

18 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 1kalam-time; carantam-moving; srjati-creates; 00-theSupreme Personality of Godhead; asrayam-shelter; pradhiina-for thematerial energy; pumbhyam-and the living entity; nara-deva-0ruler of men; satya-true; krt-creator.TRANSLATION0 great King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controllerof the material and spiritual energies, who is certainly thecreator of the entire cosmos, creates the time factor to allow thematerial energy and the living entity to act within the limits oftime. Thus the Supreme Personality is never under the time factornor under the material energy.PURPORTOne should not think that the Lord is dependent on the time factor. Heactually creates the situation by which material nature acts and by whichthe conditioned soul is placed under material nature. Both the conditionedsoul and the material nature act within the time factor, but theLord is not subject to the actions and reactions of time, for time has beencreated by Him. To be more clear, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti 'fhakurasays that creation, maintenance and annihilation are all under thesupreme will of the Lord.In Bhagavad-gitti (4. 7) the Lord says:yada yada hi dharmasyagliinir bhavati bhiirataabhyutthiinam adharmasyatadatmanam srjamy aham"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, 0 descendantof Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time Idescend Myself." Since KrQa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, isthe controller of everything, when He appears He is not within thelimitations of material time (janma karma ca me divyam). In this versethe words kalam carantam srjansa asrayam indicate that although theLord acts within time, whether sattva-gury,a, rajo-gury,a or tamo-gury,a isprominent, one should not think that the Lord is under time's control.

Text 12] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 19Time is within His control, for He creates time to act in a certain way; Heis not working under the control of time. The creation of the materialworld is one of the Lord's pastimes. Everything is fully under His control.Since creation takes place when rajo-gur.m is prominent, the Lordcreates the necessary time to give facilities for rajo-gur.m. Similarly, Healso creates the necessary times for maintenance and annihilation. Thusthis verse establishes that the Lord is not under the limitations of time.As stated in the Brahma-samhita, iSvarab, paramab, krr.mb,: K.rQa isthe supreme controller. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahab,: He possesses ablissful, spiritual body. Aniidib,: He is not subordinate to anything. Asthe Lord confirms in Bhagavad-gitii (7.7), mattab, parataram niinyatkiiicid asti dhanafijaya: "0 conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is notruth superior to Me." Nothing can be above K.rQa, for He is the controllerand creator of everything.The Mayavadi philosophers say that this material world is mithya,false, and that one should therefore not bother about this mithyii creation(brahma satyam jagan mithya). But this is not correct. Here it is said,satya-krt: whatever is created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,satyam param, cannot be called mithyii. The cause of the creation issatya, true, so how can the effect of the cause be mithya? The very wordsatya-krt is used to establish that everything created by the Lord is factual,never false. The creation may be temporary, but it is not false.TEXT 12 tijfiitftt t Wl-.l'tifit(f: Iwr-t. wf'Sflll'fili. swf;ruit(it: I I I Iya ea riijann api kala iSitdsattvam suriinikam ivaidhayaty atab,tat-pratyanikiin asuriin sura-priyorajas-tamaskiin pramity uru§raviib,·yab,-which; eab,-this; riijan-0 King; api-even; kiilab,-time;iSitii-the Supreme Lord; sattvam-the mode of goodness; sura-

20 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 1anikam-numbers of demigods; iva-certainly; edhayati-causes to increase;ata(l-hence; tat-pratyanikan-inimical to them; asuran-thedemons; sura-priya(l-being the friend of the demigods; raja(l­tamaskan-covered by passion and ignorance; prami!Wti-destoys; urusrava(l-whoseglories are widespread.TRANSLATION0 King, this time factor enhances the sattva-gu:t;ta. Thus althoughthe Supreme Lord is the controller, He favors thedemigods, who are mostly situated in sattva-gu1,1a. Then thedemons, who are influenced by tamo-guJ.18, are annihilated. TheSupreme Lord induces the time factor to act in different ways, butHe is never partial. Rather, His activities are glorious, thereforeHe is called Urusravi.PURPORTThe Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (9.29), samo 'ham sarva-bhuteu name dveyo 'sti na priya(l: "I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I amequal to all." The Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be partial; Heis always equal to everyone. Therefore when the demigods are favoredand the demons killed, this is not His partiality but the influence of thetime factor. A good example in this regard is that an electrician connectsboth a heater and a cooler to the same electrical energy. The cause of theheating and cooling is the electrician's manipulation of the electrical energyaccording to his desire, but factually the electrician has nothing todo with causing heat or cold, nor with the enjoyment or suffering thatresults.There have been many historical incidents in which the Lord killed ademon, but the demon attained a higher position by the mercy of theLord. Putana is an example. Putana's purpose was to kill KrJ).a. Ahobaki yam stana-kala-kU!am. She approached the house of NandaMaharaja with the purpose of killing KrJ).a by smearing poison on herbreast, yet when she was killed she attained the highest position, achievingthe status of KrJ).a's mother. :l

Text 13] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 21Lord's impartiality. He is suhrdam saroa-bhutiiruim, the friend of everyone.Therefore partiality cannot apply to the character of the SupremePersonality of Godhead, who always maintains His position as thesupreme controller. The Lord killed Putanii as an enemy, but because ofHis bein g the supreme controller, she attained an exalted position as Hismother. Srila Madhva Muni therefore remarks, kiile kiila-vaye 'piSitii.dehadi-kiirar:uztvat suranikam iva sthitam sattvam. Ordinarily a murdereris hanged, and in the Manu-samhita it is said that a king bestowsmercy upon a murderer by killing him, thus saving him from variouskinds of suffering. Because of his sinful activities, such a murderer iskilled by the mercy of the king. Kt!?J.la, the supreme judge, deals withmatters in a similar way because He is the supreme controller. The conclusion,therefore, is that the Lord is always impartial and always verykind to all living entities.TEXT 1331citG\Uf;(f: "ftrnn tJdifon 1sWtn 'R i{ R11'1 ll IIatraivodiihrtab, puroamitihasab, surarir:uipritya maha-kratau rajanprcchate 'jata-satraveatra-in this connection; eva-certainly; udahrtab,-was recited;pllroam-previously; itihasab,-an old story; sura-rir:uJ,-by the greatsage Narada; pritya-with joy; maha-kratau-at the great Riijasftyasacrifice; rajan-0 King; prcchate-to the inquiring; ajata-satrave­Mahiiraja Yudhi!?thira, who had no enemy.TRANSLATIONFormerly, 0 King, when Maharaja Yudhi!hira was performingthe Rijasiiya sacrifice, the great sage Nirada, responding to his inquiry,recited historical facts showing how the Supreme Personalityof Godhead is always impartial, even when killing demons.In this regard he gave a vivid example.

22 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 1PURPORTThis relates to how the Lord exhibited His impartiality even when killingSisupala in the arena of the Rajasuya yajiia performed by MaharajaYudhithira.TEXTS 14-15q mn mt 11 ¥t•lii4M : nRft;f tit;wJJiJ mn ((: ml ftffHt¥twtl u;ft;d s.rotN('( 1111dr§!vii mahiidbhutam riijiiriijasilye mahii-kratauviisudeve bhagavatisiiyujyam cedibhu-bhujab,tatriisinam sura-rimriijii piir.u},u-sutab, krataupapraccha vismita-maniimuniniim srovatiim idamdmva-after seeing; mahii-adbhutam-greatly wonderful; riijii-theKing; riijasilye-called Rajasiiya; mahii-kratau-at the great sacrifice;viisudeve-into Vasudeva;bhagavati-the Personality of Godhead;siiyujyam-merging; cedibhu-bhujab,-of Sisupala, the King of Cedi;tatra-there; iisinam-seated; sura-rim-Narada Muni; riijii-theKing; piir.uJ,u-sutab,-Yudhithira, the son of PaQ.QU; kratau-at thesacrifice; papraccha-asked; vismita-maniib,-being struck withwonder; muniniim-in the presence of the sages; srovatiim-listening;idam-this .TRANSLATION0 King, at the Rajasftya sacrifice, Maharaja YudhiHhira, the sonof Maharaja Piil;l«;iu, personally saw Sisupala merge into the body ofthe Supreme Lord, J].a. Therefore, struck with wonder, he inquiredabout the reason for this from the great sage Narada, who

Text 16] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 23was seated there. While he inquired, all the sages present alsoheard him ask his question.sri-yudh!hira uvacaaho aty-adbhutam hy etaddurlabhaikiintinam apivasudeve pare tattveprdptiS caidyasya vidvi§aftsn-yudh!hiraft uvdca-Maharaja Yudhithira said; aho-oh; atiadbhutam-verywonderful; hi-certainly; etat-this; durlabha-difficultto attain; ekiintinam-for the transcendentalists; api-even;vdsudeve-in Vasudeva; pare-the supreme; tattve-Absolute Truth;prdptift-the attainment; caidyasya-of Sisupala; vidaft-envious.TRANSLATIONMahja Yudhithira inquired: It is very wonderful that thedemon Sisupila merged into the body of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead even though extremely envious. This sayujya-mukti isimpossible to attain even for great transcendentalists. How thendid the enemy of the LOrd attain it?PURPORTThere are two classes of transcendentalists-the jfliinis and the bhaktas.The bhaktas do not aspire to merge into the existence of the Lord,but the jfliinis do. Sisupala, however, was neither a jnanr nor a bhakta,yet simply by envy of the Lord he attained an exalted position by merginginto the Lord's body. Certainly this was astonishing, and thereforeMaharaja Yudhithira inquired about the cause for the Lord's mysteriousmercy to Sisupala.

24 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. ITEXT 17'«

Text 19] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 25Sri Kr!?Qa; dantavakra-Dantavakra; ca-also; durmati-evilminded.TRANSLATIONFrom the very beginning of his childhood, when he could noteven speak properly, Sisupila, the most sinful son of Damagho,began blaspheming the Lord, and he continued to be envious ofSri I,la until death. Similarly, his brother Dantavakra continuedthe same habits.TEXT 19ijqffl(Qf)(i''!J G 'R'i0i(4'( If "iiffiit N1'1tti Pf Nld\kUt: n sapator asakrd VTJUrhyad brahma param avyayamsvitro na jato jihvayamniindham viviSatus tamasapato-of both Sisupala and Dantavakra, who were blaspheming;asakrt-repeatedly; vi§fJum-Lord Kr!?Qa; yat-which; brahmaparam-the Supreme Brahman; avyayam-without diminution;svitra-white leprosy; na-not; jata-appeared; jihvciyam-on thetongue; na-not; andham-dark; viviSatu-they did enter; tamahell.TRANSLATIONAlthough these two men-Sisupala and Dantavakra-repeatedlyblasphemed the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord ViI,lU[1,1a], the Supreme Brahman, they were quite healthy. Indeed,their tongues were not attacked by white leprosy, nor did theyenter the darkest region of hellish life. We are certainly mostsurprised by this.PURPORTKr!?Qa is described by Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita (10.12) as follows:pararh brahma param dhama pavitrarh paramam bhavan. "You are the

26 Srbnad-Bhigavabun (Canto 7, Ch.lSupreme Brahman, the supreme abode and purifier." Herein this is confirmed.Vi$r:turil yad brahma param avyayam. The Supreme ViQU isQa. Qa is the cause of ViQU, not vice versa. Similarly, Brahman isnot the cause of Qa; Qa is the cause of Brahman. Therefore Qais the Parabrahman (yad brahma param avyayam).TEXT 20il ¥tICIM ImR 'INQ(("I II o IIkatharit tasmin bhagavati. duravagrahya-dhiimanipa.Syatiirit saroa-lokiinaritlayam iyatur anjasakatham-how; tasmin-that; bhagavati-in the Supreme Personalityof Godhead; duravagrahya-difficult to attain; dhiimani-whosenature; pa.Syatiim-looked on; saroa-lokiinam-while all the people;layam iyatu-became absorbed; anjasd-easily.TRANSLATIONHow was it possible for Sisupila and Dantavakra, in the presenceof many exalted persons, to enter very easily into the body ofI_la, whose nature is difficult to attain?PURPORTSisupala and Dantavakra were formerly Jaya and Vijaya, thedoorkeepers of VaikuQtha. Merging into the body of Qa was not theirfinal destination. For some time they remained merged, and later theyreceived the liberations of sanlpya and salokya, living on the sameplanet as the Lord in the same bodily form. The sastras give evidencethat if one blasphemes the Supreme Lord, his punishment is to remain inhellish life for many millions of years more than one suffers by killingmany brahmar:tas. Sisupala, however, instead of entering hellish life, immediatelyand very easily received sayujya-mukti. That such a privilegehad been offered to Sisupala was not merely a story. Everyone saw it hap-

Text 22]The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone27pen; there was no scarcity of evidence. How did it happen? MaharajaYudhihira was very much surprised.etad bhriimyati me buddhirdiparcir iva vayundbrnhy etad adbhutatamambhagavan hy atra kiiraJ-ametat-concerning this; bhriimyati-is flickering; me-my; buddhift-intelligence;dipa-arcift-the flame of a candle; iva-like;viiyuna-by the wind; brnhi-please tell; etat-this; adbhutatamammostwonderful; bhagavan-possessing all knowledge; hi-indeed;atra-here; kiiraJ-am-the cause.TRANSLATIONThis matter is undoubtedly very wonderful. Indeed, my intelligencehas become disturbed, just as the flame of a candle is disturbedby a blowing wind. 0 Narada Muni, you know everything.Kindly let me know the cause of this wonderful event.PURPORTThe Siistras enjoin, tad-vij iinartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: whenone is perplexed by the difficult problems of life, to solve them one mustapproach a guru like Narada or his representative in the disciplic succession.Maharaja Yudhihira therefore requested Narada to explain thecause for such a wonderful event.TEXT 22(lq !Uitictl"'(l(t(ij§l an ;nW : Iijt: St!G:fJ.41ffi

28 Srunad-Bhigavabun(Canto 7, Ch. 1sri-badarayair uvacarajfuls tad vaca aka yaniirado bhagavan r$itU$ta praha tam abha$yasvatyiis tat-sada kathasri-badarayai uvaca-Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; rajna-of theKing (Yudhithira); tat-those; vaca-words; akaya-after hearing;narada-Narada Muni; bhagavan-powerful; f$i-sage;tU$!a-being satisfied; praha-spoke; tam-him; abha$ya-after addressing;svatya tat-sada-in the presence of the assembly members;katha-the topics.TRANSLATIONSri Sukadeva Gosviimi said: After hearing the request ofMaharaja Yudhihira, Niirada Muni, the most powerful spiritualmaster, who knew everything, was very pleased. Thus he replied inthe presence of everyone taking part in the yajria.TEXT 23"iff{M;((Wlii1(11(3NIWlq(ill uifiiil('( Itrn IIsri-niirada uvacanindana-stava-satkaranyakkiirarthamkalevarampradhana-parayo rajannavivekena kalpitamsri-niirada uvaca-Sri Narada Muni said; nindana-blasphemy;stava-praise; satkara-honor; nyakkara-dishonor; artham-for thepurpose of; kalevaram-body; pradhana-parayo-of nature and theSupreme Personality of Godhead; rajan-0 King; avivekena-withoutdiscrimination; kalpitam -created.

Text 24] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 29TRANSLATIONThe great sage Sri Niiradaji said: 0 King, blasphemy and praise,chastisement and respect, are experienced because of ignorance.The body of the conditioned soul is planned by the Lord forsuffering in the material world through the agency of the externalenergy.PURPORTIn Bhagavad-gitii (18.61) it is said:iSvarab, sarva-bhutaniimhrd-dese 'rjuna !hatibhramayan sarva-bhutaniyantrariil},hani mayaya"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, 0 Arjuna, and isdirecting the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on amachine, made of material energy." A material body is manufactured bythe external energy according to the direction of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. The conditioned soul, being seated on this machine,wanders throughout the universe, and because of his bodily conceptionof life he only suffers. Actually the suffering of being blasphemed andthe enjoyment of being praised, the acceptance of a good welcome or ofchastisement by harsh words, are felt in the material conception of life;but since the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not materialbut sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, He is unaffected by insults or greetings,blasphemy or prayers. Being always unaffected and complete, He doesnot feel extra pleasure when offered nice prayers by the devotee, althoughthe devotee benefits by offering prayers to the Lord. Indeed, theLord is very kind to His so-called enemy because one who always thinksof the Personality of Godhead as an enemy also benefits, although hethinks of the Lord adversely. If a conditioned soul, thinking of the Lordas an enemy or a friend, somehow or other becomes attached to the Lord,he receives great benefit.TEXT 241m U6qlt'' I4ttRiflt' +{+{lf{flda- 'flfflci

30 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Ch. Ihirit.sa tad-abhimanenadar.uf,a-piiru§yayor yathiivaamyam iha bhataniimmamiiham iti parthivahirit.sa-suffering; tat-of this; abhimiinena-by the false conception;dar.uf,a-paryayo-when there is punishment and chastisement;yathii-just as; vaamyam-misconception; iha-here (in this body) ;bhataniim-of the living entities; mama-aham-mine and I; iti-thus;parthiva-0 lord of the earth.TRANSLATIONMy dear King, the conditioned soul, being in the bodily conceptionof life, considers his body to he his self and considers everythingin relationship with the body to he his. Because he has thiswrong conception of life, he is subjected to dualities like praiseand chastisement.PURPORTOnly when a conditioned soul accepts the body as himself does he feelthe effects of chastisement or praise. Then he determines one person tobe his enemy and another his friend and wants to chastise the enemy andwelcome the friend. This creation of friends and enemies is a result ofone's bodily conception of life.TEXT 25qf\l'litsfill;itStial\iflc:stlfUiwti : 1 ;p.fetlfluw.itsftct: 1m.r •«fi rm "yan-nibaddho 'bhimiino 'yamtad-vadhiit prar:tiniim vadhatathii na yasya kaivalyadabhimano 'khilatmanaparasya dama-kartur hihirit.sa keniisya kalpyate

Text 25] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 31yat-in which; nibaddhab,-bound; abhimanab,-false conception;ayam-this; tat-of that (body); vadhat-from the annihilation; pra­inam-of the living beings; vadhab,-annihilation; tatoo-similarly;na-not; yasya-of whom; kaivalyat-because of being absolute, onewithout a second; abhimanaf,.-false conception; akhila-atmanab,-ofthe Supersoul of all living entities; parasya-the Supreme Personality ofGodhead; dama-kartub,-the supreme controller; hi-certainly;himsa-harm; kena-how; asya-His; kalpyate-is performed.TRANSLATIONBecause of the bodily conception of life, the conditioned soulthinks tht when the body is annihilated the living being is annihilated.Lord Vim, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is thesupreme controller, the Supersoul of all living entities. BecauseHe has no material body, He has no false conception of "I andmine." It is therefore incorrect to think that He feels pleasure orpain when blasphemed or offered prayers. This is impossible forHim. Thus He has no enemy and no friend. When He chastises thedemons it is for their good, and when He accepts the prayers of thedevotees it is for their good. He is affected neither by prayers norby blasphemy.PURPORTBecause of being covered by material bodies, the conditioned souls, includingeven greatly learned scholars and falsely educated professors, allthink that as soon as the body is finished, everything is finished. This isdue to their bodily coneeption of life. _KrQa has no such bodily conception,nor is His body different from His self. Therefore, since .Krr:ta hasno material conception of life, how can He be affected by materialprayers and accusations? _KrQa's body is described herewith as kaivalya,nondifferent from Himself. Since everyone has a material bodily conceptionof life, if _KrQa had such a conception what would be the differencebetween _KrQa and the conditioned soul? .KrQa's instructions inBhagavad-gitii are accepted as final because He does not possess a materialbody. As soon as one has a material body he has four deficiencies,but since _KrQa does not possess a material body, He has no deficiencies.He is always spiritually conscious and blissful. lsvarab, paramab, krb.

32 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 1sac-cid-ananda-vigrahab,: His form is eternal, blissful knowledge. Saccid-ananda-vigrahab,,ananda-cinmaya-rasa and kaivalya are the same.l

Text 26] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 33when the soul becomes completely pure, the Lord takes him back toGodhead.TEXT 26411l(l'l--ir.l f en 1tlllrWi C09;S::WI( -IItasmad vairanubandhenanirvairel)a bhayena vdsnehdt kdmena va yunjyatkathancin nete prthaktasmdt-therefore; vaira-anubandhena-by constant enmity; nirvairel)a-bydevotion; bhayena-by fear; vd-or; snehat-from affection;kdna-by lusty desires; m-or; yunjyat-one should concentrate;kathancit-somehow or other; na-not; ilate-sees; prthaksomethingelse.TRANSLATIONTherefore by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by affectionor by lusty desire-by all of these or any one of them-if aconditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind uponthe Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of Hisblissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship.PURPORTFrom this verse one should not conclude that because Qa isunaffected by favorable prayers or unfavorable blasphemy one shouldtherefore blaspheme the Supreme Lord. This is not the regulative principle.Bhakti-yoga means dnukulyena kmuinu.Silanam: one should serveQa very favorably. This is the real injunction. Here it is said that althoughan enemy thinks of Qa unfavorably, the Lord is unaffected, bysuch antidevotional service. Thus He offers His benedictions even to Sisupalaand similarly inimical conditioned souls. This does not mean,however, that one should be inimical toward the Lord. The stress is givento the favorable execution of devotional service, not purposefulblasphemy of the Lord. It is said:

34 Srbnad-Bhigavabun[Canto 7, Ch. 1nindiirit bhagavatab, sro-varitstat-parasya janasya vatato niipaiti yab, so 'piyaty adhab, sukrtac cyutab,One who hears blasphemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or Hisdevotees should immediately take action or should leave. Otherwise hewill be put into hellish life perpetually. There are many such injunctions.Therefore as a regulative principle one should not be unfavorable towardthe Lord but always favorably inclined toward Him.Sisupala's achievement of oneness with the Supreme Lord was differentbecause Jaya and Vijaya, from the very beginning of their materialexistence, were ordained to treat the Supreme Lord as an enemyfor three lives and then return home, back to Godhead. Jaya and Vijayainwardly knew that K.rI).a is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, butthey purposely became His enemies to be delivered from material life.From the very beginning of their lives they thought of Lord K.rI).a as anenemy, and even though blaspheming Lord K.rI).a, they chanted the holyname of K.rI).a constantly along with their inimical thoughts. Thus theywere purified because of chanting the holy name of K.rI).a. It is to beunderstood that even a blasphemer can be freed from sinful activities bychanting the holy name of the Lord. Certainly, therefore, freedom isassured for a devotee who is always favorable to the service of the Lord.This will be clear from the following verse. By rapt attention fixed uponK.rI).a, one is purified, and thus one is delivered from material life.Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has very nicely explained theword bhayena, which means "by fear." When the gopis went to K.rI).a inthe dead of night, they certainly feared chastisement by their relativestheirhusbands, brothers and fathers-but nonetheless, not caring fortheir relatives, they went to K.rI).a. There was certainly fear, but thisfear could not check their devotional service to K.rI).a.One should not mistakenly think that Lord K.rI).a must be worshipedby an inimical attitude like that of Sisupala. The injunction isanukulyasya grahaJarit pratikulyasya varjanam: one should give upunfavorable activities and accept only favorable conditions in devotionalservice. Generally, if one blasphemes the Supreme Personality of Godheadhe is punished. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gitti (16.19):

Text 26]The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone35tan aharit dvi§ata knlninsarilsareu naradhamanipamy ajasram a5ubhanasuv eva yoni§uThere are many such injunctions. One should not try to worship Kr!Hlaunfavorably; otherwise he must be punished, at least for one life, to bepurified. As one should not try to be killed by embracing an enemy, atiger or a snake, one should not blaspheme the Supreme Personality ofGodhead and become His enemy in order to be put into hellish life.The purpose of this verse is to emphasize that even the enemy of theLord can be delivered, not to speak of His friend. Srila Madhvacarya alsosays in many ways that one should not blaspheme Lord Vigm throughone's mind, words or actions, for a blasphemer will go to hellish lifealong with his forefathers.karma manasa meayo dvyad V1Jum atyayammajjanti pitaras tasyanarake sasvati samaIn Bhagavad-gita (16.19-20) the Lord says:tan aharit dvata knlransarilsareu naradhamdnipamy ajasram a5ubhanasurv eva yoni§uasurirh yonim apannamik},ha janmani janmanimam aprapyaiva kaunteyatato yanty adhamam gatim"Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest amongmen, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into variousdemoniac species of life. Attaining repeated birth amongst the species ofdemoniac life, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink

36 Srbnad-Bhigava (Canto 7, Ch.ldown to the most abominable type of existence." One who blasphemesthe Lord is put into a family of asuras, in which there is every chance offorgetting the service of the Lord. Lord i?Q.a further states inBhagavad-gita (9.11-12):avajananti mam mfl4hiimiin!.L§iril tanum asritamparam bhiivam ajanantomama bhUta-mahesvaramMJJ4has, rascals, blaspheme the Supreme Lord because He appears exactlylike a human being. They do not know the unlimited opulence ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead.moghasa mogha-karmamogha-jnana vicetasatJ,rak$asim asurim caivaprakrtim mohinim sritiitJ,Anything done by those who have taken the attitude of enemies will beba:ffied (mogha.sab}. If these enemies try to be liberated or to merge intothe existence of Brahman, if they desire to be elevated to the higherplanetary systems as karmis, or even if they desire to return home, backto Godhead, they will certainly be ba:ffied.As for HiraQ.yakasipu, although he was extremely inimical toward theSupreme Personality of Godhead, he always thought of his son, who wasa great devotee. Therefore by the grace of his son, Prahlada Maharaja,HiraQ.yakasipu was also delivered by the Supreme Personality ofGodhead.hirar:tyakaSipu§ capibhagavan-nindaya tamatJ,vivak$ur atyagat sunotJ,prahladasyanubhiivatatJ,The conclusion is that one should not give up pure devotional, service.For one's own benefit, one should not imitate HiraQ.yakasipu or Sisupala.This is not the way to achieve success.

Text 27]The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone37TEXT 27 f:¥4q61fltqnt: I;r Rhtilit .. fijitf.l re-: 11\911yathii vairanubandhenamartyas tan-mayatam iyatna tathii bhakti-yogenaiti me niScita matib,yathii-as; vaira-anubandhena-by constant enmity; martyab,-aperson; tat-mayatam-absorption in Him; iyat-may attain; na-not;tathii-in a like manner; bhakti-yogena-by devotional service; itithus;me-my; ni.Scita-dennite; matib,-opinion.TRANSLATIONNirada Muni continued: By devotional service one cannotachieve such intense absorption in thought of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead as one can through enmity toward Him. Thatis my opinion.PURPORTSriman Narada Muni, the topmost pure devotee, praises Kn>Qa'senemies like Sisupala because their minds are always completely absorbedin .KrQa. Indeed, he thinks himself deficient in the inspiration ofbeing feelingly absorbed in .KrQa consciousness. This does not mean,however, that the enemies of .KrQa are more elevated than .KrQa's puredevotees. In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 5.205) .KrQadasa KavirajaGosvami also thinks of himself in such a humble way:jagai madhiii haite muni se papi§!hapuera ki!a haite muni se laghi§!ha"I am a worse sinner than Jagai and Madhai and am even lower than theworms in the stool." A pure devotee always thinks himself more deficientthan everyone else. If a devotee approaches Srimati RadhiirliQi tooffer some service to .KrQa, even Srimati Radharli.Qi thinks that the devoteeis greater than She. Thus Narada Muni says that according to his

38 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch.lopinion the enemies of !?Qa are better situated because they are fullyabsorbed in thoughts of !?Qa in terms of killing Him, just as a verylusty man always thinks of women and their association.The essential point in this connection is that one should be fully absorbedin thoughts of !?Qa, twenty-four hours a day. There are manydevotees in raga-marga, which is exhibited in V:rndavana. Whether indiisya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vatsalya-rasa or madhurya-rasa, all the devoteesof !?Qa are always overwhelmed by thoughts of !?Qa. When!?Qa is away from V:rndavana tending the cows in the forest, the gopis,in the madhurya-rasa, are always absorbed in thoughts of how !?Qawalks in the forest. The soles of His feet are so soft that the gopis wouldnot dare keep His lotus feet on their soft breasts. Indeed, they considertheir breasts a very hard place for the lotus feet of !?Qa, yet those lotusfeet wander in the forest, which is full of thorny plants. The gopis areabsorbed in such thoughts at home, although !?Qa is away from them.Similarly, when !?Qa plays with His young friends, mother Yasoda isvery much disturbed by thoughts that !?Qa, because of always playingand not taking His food properly, must be getting weak. These are examplesof the exalted ecstasy felt in !?Qa's service as manifested inV:rndavana. This service is indirectly praised by Narada Muni in thisverse. Especially for the conditioned soul, Narada Muni recommends thatone somehow or other be absorbed in thoughts of !?Qa, for that willsave one from all the dangers of material existence. Full absorption inthought of !?Qa is the highest platform of bhakti-yoga.TEXTS 28-29m: q:ijf!Wtl : te:41ttf ij+i('{ I4

Text 29)The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone39evam krl)e bhagavatimiiya-manuja i:Svarevairer:uz pilta-piipmiinastam apur anucintayakitaft-the grassworm; pesaskrta-by a bee; ruddhaft-confined;ku4yayam-in a hole in a wall; tam-that (bee); anusmaran-thinkingof; samrambha-bhaya-yogena-through intense fear and enmity; vindate-attains;tat-of that bee; sva-rilpatam-the same form; evamthus;krl)e-in Qa; bhagavati-the Personality of Godhead; miiyamanuje-whoappeared by His own energy in His eternal humanlikeform; i:Svare-the Supreme; vairer:uz-by enmity; pilta-piipmiinaftthosepurified of sins; tam-Him; lipuft-attained; anucintaya-bythinking of.TRANSLATIONA grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinksof the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply becauseof such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned soulssomehow or other think of a, who is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha,they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him astheir worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinkingof Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.PURPORTIn Bhagavad-gita (4.10) the Lord says:vUa-raga-bhaya-krodluiman-maya miim upasritaftbahavo jfiiina-tapasdpilta rnad-bluivam agataft"Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed inMe and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past becamepurified by knowledge of Me-and thus they all attained transcendentallove for Me." There are two ways of constantly thinking of Q.a-as a

Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 1devotee and as an enemy. A devotee, of course, by his knowledge andtapasya, becomes free from fear and anger and becomes a pure devotee.Similarly, an enemy, although thinking of Kr!? inimically, thinks ofHim constantly and also becomes purified. This is confirmed elsewhere inBhagavad-gita (9.30), where the Lord says:api cet suduracarobhajate mam ananya-bhaksadhur eva sa mantavyab,samyag vyavasito hi sab,"Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he engages indevotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properlysituated." A devotee undoubtedly worships the Lord with rapt attention.Similarly, if an enemy (suduracarab,) always thinks of Kr!?r;ta, he also becomesa purified devotee. The example given here concerns thegrassworm that becomes beelike because of constantly thinking of thebee that forces it to enter a hole. By always thinking of the bee in fear,the grassworm starts to become a bee. This is a practical example. LordKr!?r:ta appears within this material world for two purposes-paritrclyasadhunam vinasaya ca dU$krtam: to protect the devotees and annihilatethe demons. The sadhus and devotees certainly think of the Lord always,but dU$krns, the demons like Karilsa and Sisupala, also think of Kr!?r:ta interms of killing Him. By thinking of Kr!?r;ta, both the demons and devoteesattain liberation from the clutches of material maya.This verse uses the word maya-manuje. When Kr!?r;ta, the SupremePersonality of Godhead, appears in His original spiritual potency(sambhavamy atma-mayaya), He is not forced to accept a form made bymaterial nature. Therefore the Lord is addressed as iSvara, the controllerof maya. He is not controlled by maya. When a demon continuouslythinks of Kr!?r:ta because of enmity toward Him, he is certainly freedfrom the sinful reactions of his life. To think of Kr!?r:ta in any way, interms of His name, form, qualities, earaphernalia or anything pertainingto Him, is beneficial for everyone. Srr;tvatiim sva-kathab, kr$1J.ab. pu1Jyasrava'(W-kirtanab,.Thinking of Kr!?r;ta, hearing the holy name of Kr!?r:ta orhearing the pastimes of Kr!?r;ta will make one pure, and then he will becomea devotee. Our Kr!?r;ta consciousness movement is therefore trying

Text 30) The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 41to introduce the system of somehow or other letting everyone hear theholy name of KTQa and take KTQa's prasada. Thus one will graduallybecome a devotee, and his life will be successful.TEXT 30 itti'Atl€\iuq q;(: 1311 W{ Cf(affl ;m: II o IIkiimdd dvedd bhayat snehi.idyathii bhaktyesvare manattavesya tad-agham hitvaIbahavas tad-gatim gatattklimat-from lust; dvedt-from hatred; bhayat-from fear;snehiit-from affection; yathii-as well as; bhaktya-by devotion;vare-in the Supreme; manatt-the mind; dvesya-absorbing; tatofthat; agham-sin; hitoo-giving up; bahavatt-many; tat-of that;gatim-path of liberation; gatatt-attained.TRANSLATIONMany, many persons have attained liberation simply by thinkingof 1';\a with great attention and giving up sinful activities. Thisgreat attention may be due to lusty desires, inimical feelings, fear,affection or devotional service. I shall now explain how onereceives ''.la's mercy simply by concentrating one's mind uponHim.PURPORTAs stated in S rimad-Bhiigavatam (10.33.39):vikrU;litam vraja-vadhubhir idam ca vQ.Ottsraddhiinvito 'nu5rouyad atha van:r.ayed yattbhaktim pardm bhagavati pratilabhya kiimamhrd-rogam aSv apahinoty acirelJ.CL dhirattIf a bona fide listener hears of KTQa's pastimes with the gopis, whichseem to be lusty affairs, the lusty desires in his heart, which constitute

42 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 1the heart disease of the conditioned soul, will be vanquished, and he willbecome a most exalted devotee of the Lord. If one who hears of the gopis'lusty behavior with _KrQa becomes free from lusty desires, certainly thegopis who approached _KrQa became free from all such desires.Similarly, Sisupala and others who were very much envious of _KrQa andwho constantly thought of _KrQa became free from envy. NandaMaharaja and mother Yasoda were fully absorbed in _KrQa consciousnessbecause of affection. When the mind is somehow or other fully absorbedin _KrQa, the material part is very soon vanquished, and the spiritualpart-attraction to _KrQa-becomes manifest. This indirectly confirmsthat if one thinks of _KrQa enviously, simply because of thinking of_KrQa he becomes free from all sinful reactions and thus becomes a puredevotee. Examples of this are given in the following verse.TEXT 31: Chlitl'i(4lif '11QIG\ttl : I:i«eAmntt''gopya/:t kiimdd bhayat karil.sodveiic caidyadayo nrpa/:tsambandhiid vmtaya/:t snehiidyuyam bhaktya vayam vibhogopya/:t-the gopis; klimat-out of lusty desires; bhayat-out of fear;karil.sa/:t-King Karhsa; dveat-out of envy; caidya-adaya/:t -Sisupalaand others; nrpa/:t-kings; sambandluit-out of kinship; vmtaya/:t-theV:rQis or the Yadavas; sneluit-out of affection; yilyam-you (the PaQc.lavas);bhaktya-by devotional service; vayam-we; vibho-0 greatKing.TRANSLATIONMy dear King Y !l dhi!hira, the gopis by their lusty desires,Kamsa by his fear, Sisupila and other kings by envy, the Yadus bytheir familial relationship with a, you P"avas by your greataffection for ' and we, the general devotees, by our devotionalservice, have obtained the mercy of a.

Text 32] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 43PURPORTDifferent persons achieve different types of mukti-sayujya, salokya,sdrilpya, sdmipya and sdr$#-according to their own intense desire,which is called bhava. Thus it is described here that the gopis, by theirlusty desires, which were based upon their intense love for .KrQa, becamethe most beloved devotees of the Lord. Although the gopis atV:rndiivana expressed their lusty desires in relationship with a paramour(parakiya-rasa), they actually had no lusty desires. This is significant ofspiritual advancement. Their desires appeared lusty, but actually theywere not the lusty desires of the material world. Caitanya-caritamrtacompares the desires of the spiritual and material world to gold and iron.Both gold and iron are metal, but there is a vast difference in their value.The lusty desires of the gopis for .KrQa are compared to gold, and materiallusty desires are compared to iron.Karhsa and other enemies of .KrQa merged into the existence of Brahman,but why should .KrQa's friends and devotees have the same position?.KrQa's devotees attain the association of the Lord as His constantcompanions, either in V:rndavana or in the VailmQha planets. Similarly,although Narada Muni wanders in the three worlds, he has exalted devotionfor NiirayaQa (aiSvaryamdn). The V:rQis and Yadus and the fatherand mother of .KrQa in V:rndiivana all have familial relationships with.KrQa; .KrQa's foster father and mother in V:rndiivana, however, aremore exalted than Vasudeva and Devaki.TEXT 32sfq WI itwf: Rq srRr I rt;ucql'lR: f.mrllilkatamo 'pi na venal! syatpaiicdndrh purn$arh pratitasmdt kenapy upayenamanab, kf$1J.e nivesayetkatamab, api-anyone; na-not; venab,-the atheistic King Vena;syat-would adopt; paiicdndm-of the five (previously mentioned);purn$am-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prati-in regard to;

44 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 1tasmdt-therefore; keruipi-by any; upayena-means; manab,-themind; kr-in f?Qa; nivesayet-one should fix.TRANSLATIONSomehow or other, one must consider the form of KrI;Ul veryseriously. Then, by one of the five different processes mentionedabove, one can return home, back to Godhead. Atheists like KingVena, however, being unable to think of :r;ta's form in any ofthese five ways, cannot attain salvation. Therefore, one must somehowthink of :r;ta, whether in a friendly way or inimically.PURPORTlmpersonalists and atheists always try to circumvent the form off?Qa. Great politicians and philosophers of the modern age even try tobanish f?Qa from Bhagavad-gitii. Consequently, for them there is nosalvation. But f?Qa's enemies think, "Here is f?Qa, my enemy. I haveto kill Him." They think of f?Qa in His actual form, and thus they attainsalvation. Devotees, therefore, who constantly think of f?Qa'sform, are certainly liberated. The only business of the Mayavadi atheistsis to make f?Qa formless, and consequently, because of this severeoffense at the lotus feet of f?Qa, they cannot expect salvation. SrilaVisvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says in this connection: tena siSupaladibhinnab,pratikiila-bhavam didhur yena iva narakam yiititi bhavab,.Except for Sisupala, those who go against the regulative principles cannotattain salvation and are surely destined for hellish life. The regulativeprinciple is that one must always think of f?Qa, whether as a friend orenemy.TEXT 33'llt'iil ctq) f(W{t'4Sfi Iqlti(sa'4a ftq{tfcisrIN h:q(Jl II IImatr-vasreyo va5 caidyodantavakra5 ca paTJ4,avapaada-pravarau vr:wrvipra-sapat pada-cyutau

Text 34]The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyonematr-svasreya-the son of the mother's sister (Sisupala); vayour;caidya'-King Sisupala; dantavakra-Dantavakra; ca-and;pii1J4ava-O Pa1.1

Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Ch. ITRANSLATIONMaharaja Yudhi!hira inquired: What kind of great curse couldaffect even liberated vi':lu-bhaktas, and what sort of person couldcurse even the Lord's associates? For unffinching devotees of theLord to fall again to this material world is impossible. I cannotbelieve this.PURPORTIn Bhagavad-gitii (8.16) the Lord clearly states, mdm upetya tu kaunteyapunar janma na vidyate: one who is purified of material contaminationand returns home, back to Godhead, does not return to this materialworld. Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gitii (4.9) l(r:Qa says:janma karma ca me divyamevam yo vetti tattvata!ttyaktvii deham punar janmanaiti mdm eti so 'rjuna"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activitiesdoes not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this materialworld, but attains My eternal abode, 0 Arjuna." MaharajaYudhithira, therefore, was surprised that a pure devotee could return tothis material world. This is certainly a very important question.TEXT 354JP..I9119tf ·IM9tli( I(4+ilw-lif(4¥41«6«J II '-\11dehendriyasu-hinanamvaikur:t!ha-pura-viisiniimdeha-sambandha-sambaddhametad akhyatum arhasideha-of a material body; indriya-material senses; asu-lifebreath; hiniiniim-of those devoid; vaikur:t!ha-pura-of Vaiku:Qtha;vasiniim-of the residents; deha-sambandha-in a material body; sambaddham-bondage;etat-this; akhyatum arhasi-please describe.

Text 35] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 47TRANSLATIONThe bodies of the inhabitants of VaikuJ.l!ha are completelyspiritual, having nothing to do with the material body, senses orlife air. Therefore, kindly explain how associates of the Personalityof Godhead were cursed to descend in material bodies likeordinary persons.PURPORTThis very significant question would be difficult for an ordinary personto answer, but Narada Muni, being an authority, could answer it.Therefore Maharaja Yudhihira inquired from him, saying, etadiikhyiitum arhasi: "only you can explain the reason." From authoritativesources it can be discerned that associates of Lord ViI).u who descendfrom Vaikul).ha do not actually fall. They come with the purpose offulfilling the desire of the Lord, and their descent to this material worldis comparable to that of the Lord. The Lord comes to this material worldthrough the agency of His internal potency, and similarly, when a devoteeor associate of the Lord descends to this material world, he does sothrough the action of the spiritual energy. Any pastime conducted by theSupreme Personality of Godhead is an arrangement by yogamiiyii, notmahiimiiyii. Therefore it is to be understood that when Jaya and Vijayadescended to this material world, they came because there was somethingto be done for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise it is a factthat no one falls from Vaikul).ha.Of course, a living entity who desires siiyujya-mukti remains inl

Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7' Ch. 1point of liberation by dint of severe penances and austerities, they aresure to fall down again into material existence, for they do not takeshelter at Your lotus feet." The impersonalists cannot reach theVaikuQ.!ha planets to become associates of the Lord, and therefore, accordingto their desires, .Kr?Q.a gives them sayujya-mukti. However,since sayujya-mukti is partial mukti, they must fall again to this materialworld. When it is said that the individual soul falls from Brahmaloka,this applies to the impersonalist.From authoritative sources it is learned that Jaya and Vijaya were sentto this material world to fulfill the Lord's desire to fight. The Lord alsosometimes wants to fight, but who can fight with the Lord but a very confidentialdevotee of the Lord? Jaya and Vijaya descended to this world tofulfill the Lord's desire. Therefore in each of their three births-first asHiraQ.yiik?a and HiraQ.yakasipu, second as RavaQ.a and KumbhakarQa,and third as Sisupala and Dantavakra-the Lord personally killed them.In other words, these associates of the Lord, Jaya and Vijaya, descendedto the material world to serve the Lord by fulfilling His desire to fight.Otherwise, as Maharaja Yudhit!hira says, a.Sraddheya ivabhdti: the statementthat a servant of the Lord could fall from V aikuQ!ha seems unbelievable.How Jaya and Vijaya came to this material world is explainedby Narada Muni as follows.TEXT 36 QOf: $ IQ¢+41 I(1Wlwtl(til iiPI tlctwt!llf44( IIsri-niirada uvacaekada brahmalJll putrdvu-lokam yadrcchayasanandaniidayo jagmu§caranto bhuoona-trayamsri-narada uvaca-Sri Narada Muni said; ekada-once upon a time;brahma"{U1-of Lord Brahma; putrd-the sons; vu-of LordVi?Q.U; lokam-the planet; yadrcchaya-by chance; sanandana-

Text 37] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 49adaya-Sanandana and the others; jagmu-went; caranta-travelingabout; bhuvana-trayam-the three worlds.TRANSLATIONThe great saint Narada said: Once upon a time when the foursons of Lord Brahma named Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana andSanat-kumara were wandering throughout the three worlds, theycame by chance to Viuloka.TEXT 37q--'fiiW\1¥flm: 'fi1W{ t: I««:qqm Q: 161'( ll \SIIpaiica-$a44,hiiyanii,rbhiibhiipilroe$(im api purvajadig-viisasa siSun matvadva-sthau tan pratyU$edhatampaiica-$a!-dhii-five or six years; ayana-approaching; arbhaabhii-likeboys; pilrve$lim-the ancients of the universe (Marici andthe rest); api-even though; pilrva-ja-born before; dik-viisasabeingnaked; siSiln-children; matvd-thinking; dva-sthau-the twogate guards, Jaya and Vijaya; tan-them; pratyU$edhatam-forbade.TRANSLATIONAlthough these four great sages were older than Brahma's othersons like Marici, they appeared like small naked children only fiveor six years old. When Jaya and Vijaya saw them trying to enterV aikuthaloka, these two gatekeepers, thinking them ordinarychildren, forbade them to enter.PURPORTIn this regard, Srila Madhvacarya says in his Tantra-sara:dva-sthiiv ity anenadhikara-sthatvam uktam

50 Srbnad-Bhigavabun(Canto 7, Ch. 1adhikiira-sthitii.S caivavimuktiiS ca dvidha janii/:1.v7Ju-loka-sthitiis teamvara-sapadi-yogina/:1.adhikiira-sthitam muktimniyataril prapnuvanti cavimukty-anantaram teamvara-sapadayo nanudehendriyasu-yuktaS capurvam pa§can na tair yuta/:1.apy abhimanibhis teamdevai/:1. sviitmottamair yuta/:1.The purport is that the personal associates of Lord Vi!?I).U inVaikul).thaloka are always liberated souls. Even if sometimes cursed orblessed, they are always liberated and never contaminated by the materialmodes of nature. Before their liberation to V aikul).thaloka theypossessed material bodies, but once they come to V aikul).tha they nolonger have them. Therefore even if the associates of Lord Vi!?I).U sometimesdescend as if cursed, they are always liberated.TEXT 38w;r:ll-1(f d fir: I 'lln ,(1 .. ,: "a§apan kupitii evarilyuvam vasam na carhatha/:1.rajas-tamobhyam rahitepada-mule madhudva/:1.pap!ham asurim yonimbaliSau yatam asv ata/:1.

Text 39] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 51a5apan-cursed; kupitab,-being full of anger; emm-thus;yuvam-you two; vdsam-residence; na-not; ca-and; arhathab,deserve;rajab,-tamobhyam-from passion and ignorance; rahite-free;pada-mule-at the lotus feet; madhu-dvab,-of ViQU, the slayer ofthe Madhu demon; pap!ham-m'ost sinful; dsurim-demoniac;yonim-to a womb; baliSau-0 you two fools; yatam-go; iiSuquicklyhereafter; atab,-therefore.TRANSLATIONThus checked by the doorkeepers Jaya and Vijaya, Sanandanaand the other great sages very angrily cursed them. "You twofoolish doorkeepers," they said. "Being agitated by the materialqualities of passion and ignorance, you are unfit to live at theshelter of Madhudvia's lotus feet, which are free from suchmodes. It would be better for you to go immediately to the materialworld and take your birth in a family of most sinful asuras."TEXT 39 m tt'11d\ q t;qlijfln Ifi '1J'"'4fiNl f:1f+tJi4il ilm614( IIemm §aptau sm-bhamnatpatantau tau krpalubhib,proktau punar janmabhir romtribhir lokaya kalpatamevam-thus; saptau-being cursed; sva-bhavanat-from theirabode, VaikuQ!ha; patantau-falling down; tau-those two (Jaya andVijaya); krpalubhib,-by the merciful sages (Sanandana, etc.); proktau-addressed;punab,-again; janmabhib,-with births; rom-your;tribhib,-three; lokaya-for the position; kalpatam-let it be possible.TRANSLATIONWhile Jaya and Vijaya, thus cursed by the sages, were falling tothe material world, they were addressed as follows by the same

52 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch.lsages, who were very kind to them. "0 doorkeepers, after threebirths you will he able to return to your positions in Vaikulha,for then the duration of the curse will have ended."TEXT 40a it AA': €ii4\'"'*•P«o6i 1MW44iNtm f((Wit\its«t6: 11\lolljajnate tau dite/:1. putraudaitya-diinava-vanditauhira')-yakaSipur jye!hohiral)-ydk{;o 'nujas tata/:1.jajnate-were born; tau-the two; dite/:1.-of Diti; putrau-the sons;daitya-danava-by all the demons; vanditau-being worshiped;hira')-yaka.Sipu/:1.-Hirru;tyakasipu; jye!ha/:1.-the elder; hira')-yd/:1.­HiraQyaka; anuja/:1.-the younger; tata/:1. -thereafter.TRANSLATIONThese two associates of the Lord-Jaya and Vijaya-later descendedto the material world, taking birth as the two sons of Diti,Hiryak&Sipu being the elder and Hirayilqa the younger. Theywere very much respected by the Daityas and Dinavas [demoniacspecies].TEXT 41m fC(WOIEiiNtftun ffl«'{qun 1fwql\it l4U'll NRm : 11\l IIhato hira')-yakaSipurhari')-d simha-rapi')-dhira1)-yak$o dharoddharebibhratd Sa.ukararh vapu/:1.hata/:1.-killed; hi ra')-yakaSipu/:1.-HiraQyakasipu; hari')-d-by Hari,ViQu; simha-rapi')-d-in the form of a lion (Lord Narasimha);

Text 43] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 53hirayak:saft-HiraQyak.a; dhara-uddhare-to lift the earth;bibhratd-assuming; saukaram-the boarlike; vapuft-form.TRANSLATIONAparing as N:rshhhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,Sri Hari, killed Hiryaka8ipu. When the Lord delivered theplanet earth, which had fallen in the Garbhodaka Ocean,Hirar;t.yik tried to hinder Him, and then the Lord, as V araha,killed Hirar;t.yik.KMEhN: · 'TEXT42hirayakaSipuft putraril ifi\Jctfil( I'lt

54 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 1bhagavat-tejasii spmamnii.Saknod dhnntum udyamaitam-Him; sarva-bhuta-iitma-bhutam-the soul in all entities; prasiintam-peacefuland without hatred, etc.; sama-darsanam-equal toeveryone; bhagavat-tejasii-with the power of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead; sprtam-protected; na-not; a§aknot-was able; hnntum-tokill; udyamai-by great attempts and various weapons.TRANSLATIONThe Lord, the Supersoul of all living entities, is sober, peacefuland equal to everyone. Since the great devotee Prahlada was protectedby the Lord's potency, Hiryaka8ipu was unable to killhim, in spite of endeavoring to do so in various ways.PURPORTIn this verse the word saroa-bh!ltiitma-bhutam is very significant.lsvara saroa-bhutiiniirh hrd-dese 'rjuna tthnti: the Lord is equallysituated in the core of everyone's heart. Thus He cannot be envious ofanyone or friendly to anyone; for Him everyone is the same. AlthoughHe is sometimes seen to punish someone, this is exactly like a father'spunishing his child for the child's welfare. The Supreme Lord's punishmentis also a manifestation of the Lord's equality. Therefore the Lord isdescribed as pra5iintarh sama-darsanam. Although the Lord has to executeHis will properly, He is equipoised in all circumstances. He isequally disposed toward everyone.TEXT44 \1ffiT faJi :wit I: t'+tifioi riit'«

Text 45] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 55tata-thereafter; tau-the two doorkeepers (Jaya and Vijaya); rak­asau-demons; jatau-born; kesinyam-in the womb of Kesini;viSrava-sutau-the sons of Visrava; rava-RavaJ;.a; kumbhakar­-Kumbhakarl).a; ca-and; saroa-loka-to all people;upatapanau-giving misery.TRANSLATIONThereafter the same Jaya and Vijaya, the two doorkeepers ofLord Vit;tu, took birth as Rivat;ta and Kumbhakart;ta, begotten byVisravi in the womb of Kesini. They were extremely troublesometo all the people of the universe.TEXT 45 ) ;:qi4JiqU'ffi I(lqcftq '11 ttlli&I(CII( rif 11\l'-\11tatrapi raghavo bhutvanyahanac chiipa-muktayerama-viryam sroryasi tvammarkaTJ4eya-mukhiit prabhotatra api-thereupon; raghava-as Lord Ramacandra; bhutoomanifesting;nyahanat-killed; sapa-muktaye-for freedom from thecurse; rama-viryam-the prowess of Lord Rama; sroyasi-will hear;tvam-you; markaTJ4eya-mukhat-from the lips of the sage Marka.J;l­

56 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 1TEXT 46mvr fltqolk4\ilt€itll11 (ICf 1 \ttqf9IU'ffil iJ)WI"4¥((1il 11\llltiiv atra k§atriyau jataumatr-vasriitmajau tavaadhunii sapa-ninnuktaukmta-cakra-hatiimhasautau-the two; atra-here, in the third birth; k§atriyau-k§atriyas orkings; jatau-born; matr-svasr-atma-jau-the sons of the mother'ssister; tava-your; adhunii-now; sapa-ninnuktau-freed from thecurse; krr:ra-cakra-by the disc weapon of Qa; hata-destroyed;amhasau-whose sins.TRANSLATIONIn their third birth, the same Jaya and Vijaya appeared in afamily of katriyas as your cousins, the sons of your aunt. BecauseLord K.rJ;ta has struck them with His disc, all their sinful reactionshave been destroyed, and now they are free from the curse.PURPORTIn their last birth, Jaya and Vijaya did not become demons or Rak­asas. Instead they took birth in a very exalted k§atriya family related toQa's family. They became first cousins of Lord Qa and were practicallyon an equal footing with Him. By personally killing them with Hisown disc, Lord Qa destroyed whatever sinful reactions were left inthem because of the curse of the brahmar:ras. Narada Muni explained toMaharaja Yudhithira that by entering Qa's body, Sisupala reenteredVaikuQthaloka as the Lord's associate. Everyone had seen this incident.TEXT47(I'IJliur \14Ui\wt1'691{1QI€+1{11'( I;ffii\ : mf iil;fldf4qll ll'd\SII

Text 48] The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone 57vairiinubandha-tivredhyiineniicyuta-siitmatiimnitau punar hare/:1. par§varitjagmatur u-piiradauvaira-anubandha-bond of hatred; tivre -consisting of acute;dhyiinena-by meditation; acyuta-siitmatiim-to the effulgence of theinfallible Lord; nitau-attained; puna/:1.-again; hare/:1.-of Hari;piirsvam-the proximity; jagmatu/:1.-they reached; vu-piiradauthegatekeeper associates of Vi?QU.TRANSLATIONThese two associates of Lord ViJ.lu-Jaya and Vijaya-maintaineda feeling of enmity for a very long time. Because of alwaysthinking of r,ta in this way, they regained the shelter of theLord, having returned home, back to Godhead.PURPORTWhatever their position, certainly Jaya and Vijaya always thought ofl

58 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch.lsn-yudh!hira uvaca-Maharaja Yudhi!hira said; vidve$0-hatred;dayite-for his own beloved; putre-son; katham-how; dsittherewas; maha-atmani-the great soul, Prahlada; bruhi-please tell;me-unto me; bhagavan-0 exalted sage; yena-by which;prahladasya-of Prahlada Maharaja; acyuta-to Acyuta; atmatagreatattachment.TRANSLATIONMaharaja Yudhithira inquired: 0 my lord, Niirada Muni, whywas there such enmity between Hirm;ayaka8ipu and his beloved sonPrahliida Maharaja? How did Prahliida Maharaja become such agreat devotee of Lord .Kn;l}.a? Kindly explain this to me.PURPORTAll the devotees of Lord KrQa are called acyutatma because theyfollow in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja. Acyuta refers to the infallibleLord ViQu, whose heart is always infallible. Because the devotees areattached to the Infallible, they are called acyutatma.Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, FirstChapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "The Supreme Lord IsEqual to Everyone. "

CHAPTER TWOHiryakaSipu, King of the DemonsAs described in this chapter, after the annihilation of HiraQyiika,HiraQyiika's sons and his brother HiraQyakasipu were very much aggrieved.HiraQyakasipu reacted very sinfully by trying to diminish thereligious activities of people in general. However, he instructed hisnephews about a history just to diminish their aggrievement.When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as the boar andkilled HiraQyakasipu's brother HiraQyiika, HiraQyakasipu was verymuch aggrieved. In anger, he accused the Supreme Personality of Godheadof being partial to His devotees and derided the Lord's appearanceas Varaha to kill his brother. He began to agitate all the demons and Rak­asas and disturb the ritualistic ceremonies of the peaceful sages andother inhabitants of earth. For want of the performance of yajna,sacrifice, the demigods began wandering unseen on earth.After finishing the ritualistic funeral ceremonies of his brother,HiraQyakasipu began speaking to his nephews, quoting from the sastrasabout the truth of life. To pacify them, he spoke as follows: "My dearnephews, for heroes to die before the enemy is glorious. According totheir different fruitive activities, living entities come together withinthis material world and are again separated by the laws of nature. Weshould always know, however, that the spirit soul, which is differentfrom the body, is eternal, inadjustable, pure, all-pervading and aware ofeverything. When bound by the material energy, the soul takes birth inhigher or lower species of life according to varying association and in thisway receives various types of bodies in which to suffer or enjoy. One'sa:ffiiction by the conditions of material existence is the cause of happinessand distress; there are no other causes, and one should not be aggrievedupon seeing the superficial actions of karma."HiraQyakasipu then related a historical incident concerning a KingSuyajiia who resided in the country named Usinara. When the King waskilled, his queens, overwhelmed with grief, received instructions, which59

60 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2HiraQyakasipu quoted to his nephews. HiraQyakasipu related an accountof a kulinga bird pierced by the arrow of a hunter while lamenting forhis wife, who had also been shot by the same hunter. By narrating thesestories, HiraQyakasipu pacified his nephews and other relatives andrelieved them of lamentation. Thus having been pacified, Diti andRuabhanu, HiraQyakasipu's mother and sister-in-law, engaged theirminds in spiritual understanding.TEXT 1,.,'1Rt'if4 RfZIA man silsa{Mwtl IK(WI4iN\ qtMQ4g11 II IIsri-ndrada uvdcabhriitary evam vinihatehari krcx)a-murtindhirar:tyakaSipu riijanparyatapyad r!L$ii suciisri-naradab. uviica-Sri Narada Muni said; bhratari-when thebrother (HiraQyaka) ; evam-thus; vinihate-was killed; hari-byHari; kra;la-murtind-in the form of the boar, Varaha; hirar:tyakaSipub,-HiraQyak.asipu;riijan-0 King; paryatapyat-was afflicted;r!L$ii-by anger; sucii-by grief.TRANSLATIONSri Narada Muni said: My dear King Yudhithira, when LordViu, in the form of Varaha, the boar, killed Hiryaka,Hiryaka's brother Hiryaka8ipu was extremely angry andbegan to lament.PURPORTYudhithira had inquired from Narada Muni why HiraQyakasipu wasso envious of his own son Prahlada. Narada Muni began narrating the

Text 3) Hiryaka.Sipu, King of the Demons 61story by explaining how Hiral)yakasipu had become a staunch enemy ofLord Vi!?IJU.TEXT2q tuf: (1;:a:e

62 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2karala-dari!.§!ra-with terrible teeth; ugra-dr!ya-and fierce glance;dpreya-horrible to see; bhru-ku!i-with frowning eyebrows;mukhab,-whose face; sa/am-trident; udyamya-raising; sadasi-inthe assembly; danavan-to the demons; idam-this; abravit-spoke.TRANSLATIONExhibiting his terrible teeth, fierce glance and frowningeyebrows, terrible to see, he took up his weapon, a trident, andthus began speaking to his associates, the assembled demons.TEXT 4-5 ¥If «J"'CIqJ I 11\lllASIM '111 : ''"''"': IST!J(II"'RI i Mtf61ill@l '11 II IIbho bho danava-daiteyadvimurdharils tryaa sambarasatabaho hayagnvanamuce paka ilvalavipracitte mama vacab,puloman sakunadayab,sroutanantararit sarvekriyatam asu rna cirambhob,-0; bhob,-0; danava-daiteyab,-Danavas and Daityas; dvimurdhan-Dvimurdha(two-headed); tri-aa-Tryak?a (three-eyed);sambara-Sambara; sata-ooho-Satabahu (hundred-armed); hayagnva-Hayagriva(horse-headed); namuce-Namuci; paka-Paka; iltiala-Ilvala;vipracitte-Vipracitti; mama-my; vacab,-words; puloman-Puloma;sakuna-Sakuna; adayab,-and others; srouta-justhear; anantaram-after that; sarve-all; kriyatam-let it be done;asu-quickly; ma-do not; ciram-delay.

Text 6] Hiral_lyaka8ipu, King of the Demons 63TRANSLATION, 0 Danavas and Daityas! 0 Dvimiirdha, Tryaa, Sambara andSatahahu! 0 Hayagriva, Namuci, Pika and llvala! 0 Vipracitti,Puloman, Sakuna and other demons! All of you, kindly hear meattentively and then act according to my words without delay.TEXT6(1qitRHt: i\1 it : Iqtf'uisn'(tq (1WIICf4m: II IIsapatnair ghiitita/:1. udrairbhrata me dayita/:1. suhrtpar$TJ-i-grahe1Jll hariT}-dsameoopy upadhiivanai/:1.sapatnai/:1.-by the enemies•; ghiitita/:1.-killed; udrai/:1.-insignificantin power; bhrata-brother; me-my; dayita/:1.-very dear; suhrtwell-wisher;pdi"$TJ-i-grahe1J(L-attacking from the rear; hariT}-d-by theSupreme Personality of Godhead; samena-equal to everyone (both thedemigods and demons); api-although; upadhiivanai/:1.-by theworshipers, the demigods.TRANSLATIONMy insignificant enemies the demigods have combined to kill myvery dear and obedient well-wisher, my brother Hiral_lyika. Althoughthe Supreme Lord, Vir.tu, is always equal to both of usnamely,the demigods and the demons-this time, being devoutlyworshiped by the demigods, He has taken their side and helpedthem kill Hiral_lyika.*Both the demons and demigods understand the Supreme Personality ofGodhead to be the supreme master, but the demigods follow the masterwhereas the demons defy Him. Thus the demigods and demons are comparedto the two co-wives of one husband. Each wife is the sapatni (cowife)of the other, and therefore the word sapatnai/:1. is used here.

64 Srimad-Bhiigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2PURPORTAs stated in Bhagavad-gitii (9.29), samo 'ham saroa-bhiiieu: theLord is equal to all living entities. Since the demigods and demons areboth living entities, how is it possible that the Lord was partial to oneclass of living beings and opposed to another? Actually it is not possiblefor the Lord to be partial. Nonetheless, since the demigods, the devotees,always strictly follow the Supreme Lord's orders, because of sinceritythey are victorious over the demons, who know that the Supreme Lord isVi!?I.J.U but do not follow His instructions. Because of constantly rememberingthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vi!?J')U, the demonsgenerally attain siiyujya-mukti after death. The demon HiraQyaka.Sipuaccused the Lord of being partial because the demigods worshiped Him,but in fact the Lord, like the government, is not partial at all. Thegovernment is not partial to any citizen, but if a citizen is law-abiding hereceives abundant opportunities from the state laws to live peacefullyand fulfill his real interests.TEXTS 7-8 .. ·61 'tiwn4ift: 1 'IRf.tl(l

Text 8] Hiryak&Sipu, King of the Demons 65everyone); ghrrJeb-most abominable; maya-under the influence ofthe illusory energy; vana-okasab,-behaving exactly like an animal inthe jungle; bhajdntam-unto the devotee engaged in devotional service;bhajamanasya-being worshiped; balasya-a child; iva-like; asthiraatmanab,-whois always restless and changing; mat-my; sula-by thetrident; bhinna-separated; gnvasya-whose neck; bhuri-profuse;rudhire1Jil-by blood; vai-indeed; asrk-priyam-who was fond ofblood; tarpayye-I shall please; bhrataram-brother; me-my; gatavyathab,-becomingpeaceful myself.TRANSLATIONThe Supreme Personality of Godhead has given up His naturaltendency of equality toward the demons and demigods. AlthoughHe is the Supreme Person, now, influenced by maya, He hasassumed the form of a boar to please His devotees, the demigods,just as a restless child leans toward someone. I shall therefore severLord Vil).u's head from His trunk by my trident, and with theprofuse blood from His body I shall please my brother Hiryak,who was so fond of sucking blood. Thus shall I too be peaceful.PURPORTThe defect of the demoniac mentality is expressed in this verse veryclearly. HiraQyakasipu thought that Vif?I)U also becomes partial, like achild whose mind is not steady or resolute. The Lord can change Hismind at any time, Hiral)yakasipu thought, and therefore His words andactivities are like those of children. Actually, because the demons areordinary human beings, their minds change, and being materially conditioned,they think that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is conditionedalso. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (9.11), avajananti marilmiiiJ,ha mamJ.$iril tanum asritam: "Fools deride Me when I descend in ahuman form."Demons always think that Vif?QU can be killed. Therefore, being absorbedin thoughts of Vif?Qu's form to kill Him, at least they have the opportunityto think of Vif?QU unfavorably. Although they are not devotees,their thinking of Vif?QU is effective, and thus they generally attain sayujya-mukti.Because the demons consider the Supreme Lord an ordinary

66 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2living being, they think that they can kill Lord Vi!?QU as one might killan ordinary person. Another fact disclosed herein is that demons arevery much fond of sucking blood. Indeed, all of them are meat-eatersand bloodsuckers.HiraQyakasipu accused the Supreme Lord of having a restless mindlike that of a small child who can be induced to do anything if simplyoffered some cakes and /ii44us. Indirectly, this indicates the true positionof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who says in Bhagavad-gita(9.26):patram ppam phalam toyamyo me bhaktya prayacchatitad aham bhakty-upahrtama.Snami prayatatmana}:t"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, Iwill accept it." The Lord accepts the offerings of devotees because oftheir transcendental love. Because they are in love with the SupremeLord, they do not eat anything without offering it first to the Lord. TheLord does not hanker for a small leaf or flower; He has enough to eat. Indeed,He is feeding all living entities. Nonetheless, because He is verymerciful and is bhakta-vatsala, very favorable to the devotees, He certainlyeats whatever they offer Him with love and devotion. This qualityshould not be misjudged to be childish. The highest quality of theSupreme Lord is that He is bhakta-vatsala; in other words, He is alwaysextremely pleased with His devotees. As for the word maya, when usedin reference to the dealings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead andHis devotees, this word means "affection." The actions of the Lord tofavor His devotees are not disqualifications but signs of His naturalaffection.As for.rudhira, or the blood of Lord Vil?QU, since there is no possibilityof severing Lord Vil?Qu's head from His body, there is no question ofblood. But the garland that decorates Vil?QU's body is as red as blood.When the demons achieve sayujya-mukti and leave behind their sinfulactivities, they are blessed by Vil?Qu's garland, which is red like blood.Mter attaining sayujya-mukti, the demons are sometimes promoted tothe VaikuQtha world, where they receive the reward of the Lord's garlandprasiida.

Text 10]Hirw.tyaka8ipu, King of the Demons67TEXT9• WI! qwtqffll Cf?!'qf.:a ASIIUII f«

68Srbnad-Bhigavabun[Canto 7, Ch. 2sudayadhvam tapo-yajfiasvadhyaya-vrata-daninatdvat -as long as (I am engaged in the matter of killing Vi!?QU);yata-go; bhuvam-to the planet earth; yuyam-all of you; brahmak$atra-ofthe brahmaT)lJS and k$atriyas; samedhitdm -madeprosperous by the activities (brahminical culture and Vedic government);sudayadhvam-just destroy; tapa-the performers ofausterities; yajfia-sacrifices; svadhyaya-study of Vedic knowledge;vrata-the regulative vows; danina-and those giving charity.TRANSLATIONWhile I am engaged in the business of killing Lord Viu, godown to the planet earth, which is ftourishing due to brahminicalculture and a katriya government. These people engage inausterity, sacrifice, Vedic study, regulative vows, and charity.Destroy all the people thus engaged!PURPORTHiraQyakasipu's main purpose was to disturb the demigods. Heplanned first to kill Lord Vi!?QU so that with Lord Vi!?QU's death thedemigods would automatically weaken and die. Another of his plans wasto disturb the residents of the planet earth. The peace and prosperity ofthe residents of earth, and all the other planets, were maintained by thebrahmaT)lJS and k$atriyas. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gitd (4.13), ciiturvayammaya smam gur:w-karma-vibhaga.Sa: "According to the threemodes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisionsof human society were created by Me." On all the planets there aredifferent types of residents, but the Lord recommends, referring especiallyto the planet earth, which is inhabited by human beings, thatsociety be divided into four va-brahmar:w, k$atriya, vai.Sya andsudra. Before the advent of Lord Kr!?Qa on this earth, it is understoodthat the earth was managed by the brahmaT)lJS and k$atriyas. The duty ofthe brahmaT)lJS is to cultivate sama (peacefulness), dama (selfcontrol),titik$a (tolerance), satyam (truthfulness), saucam (cleanliness)and arjavam (simplicity), and then to advise the k$atriya kings how to

Text 10) Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 69rule the country or planet. Following the instructions of the brahmar:w.s,the atriyas should engage the populace in austerity, sacrifices, Vedicstudy and adherence. to the rules and regulations established by Vedicprinciples. They should also arrange for charity to be given to thebrahmar:w.s, sannyasis and temples. This is the godly arrangement ofbrahminical culture.People are inclined to offer yajiia because unless sacrifices are offeredthere will be insufficient rain (yaj iid bhavati parjanya]J,), which willhamper agricultural activities (parjanyad anna-sambhavaM. By introducingbrahminical culture, therefore, a atriya government shouldengage people in performing yajiia, studying the Vedas and givingcharity. Thus the people will receive their necessities for life very easily,and there will be no disturbances in society. In this regard, Lord Kt1.1asays in Bhagavad-gita (3.12):,an bhogan hi vo devadasyante yajiia-bhavitab,tair dattan apradiiyaibhyoyo bhurikte stena eva sab,"In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being satisfiedby the performance of yajiia [sacrifice], supply all necessities to man.But he who enjoys these gifts, without offering them to the demigods inreturn, is certainly a thief."The demigods are authorized supplying agents who act on behalf ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vif.lu. Therefore, they must besatisfied by the performance of prescribed yajiias. In the Vedas, there aredifferent kinds of yajiias prescribed for different kinds of demigods, butall are ultimately offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For onewho cannot understand what the Personality of Godhead is, sacrifice tothe demigods is recommended. According to the different materialqualities of the persons concerned, different types of yajiias are recommendedin the Vedas. Worship of different demigods is also on the samebasis-namely, according to different qualities. For example, the meateatersare recommended to worship the goddess Kali, the ghastly form ofmaterial nature, and before the goddess the sacrifice of animals is

70 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2recommended. But for those in the mode of goodness, the transcendentalworship of Vi!;!QU is recommended. Ultimately, all yajiias are meant forgradual promotion to the transcendental position. For ordinary men, atleast five yajiias, known as paiica-mahii.yajna, are necessary.One should know, however, that all the necessities of life that humansociety requires are supplied by the demigod agents of the Lord. No onecan manufacture anything. Consider, for example, all the eatables ofhuman society. These eatables include grains, fruits, vegetables, milkand sugar for persons in the mode of goodness, and also eatables for thenonvegetarians, such as meats, none of which can be manufactured bymen. Then again, take for example, heat, light, water and air, which arealso necessities of life-none of them can be manufactured by humansociety. Without the Supreme Lord, there can be no profuse sunlight,moonlight, rainfall or breeze, without which no one can live. Obviously,our life is dependent on supplies from the Lord. Even for our manufacturingenterprises, we require so many raw materials like metal,sulphur, mercury, manganese and so many essentials-all of which aresupplied by the agents of the Lord, with the purpose that we should makeproper use of them to keep ourselves fit and healthy for the purpose ofself-realization, leading to the ultimate goal of life, namely, liberationfrom the material struggle for existence. This aim of life is attained byperformance of yajiias. If we forget the purpose of human life andsimply take supplies from the agents of the Lord for sense gratificationand become more and more entangled in material existence, which is notthe purpose of creation, certainly we become thieves, and therefore weare punished by the laws of material nature. A society of thieves cannever be happy, for they have no aim in life. The gross materialistthieves have no ultimate goal of life. They are simply directed to sensegratification; nor do they have knowledge of how to perform yajiias.Lord Caitanya, however, inaugurated the easiest performance of yajna,namely the saitkirtana-yajna, which can be performed by anyone in theworld who accepts the principles of .i(r!;!Qa consciousness.Hirat;tyakasipu planned to kill the inhabitants of earth so that yajnawould stop and the demigods, being disturbed, would die automaticallywhen Lord Vi!;!QU, the yajnesvara, was killed. These were the demoniacplans of HiraQyakasipu, who was expert in such activities.

Text II)Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons71TEXT 11fciflf4ttl'{il tt : 'IF{ Iwd =if 011(1111vi§JJ-ur dvija-kriya-muloyajno dharmamayab, pumandeva1'$i-pitr-bhiltdnamdharmasya ca parayaJJ-amvi§JJ-ub.-Lord ViJ;Iu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dvija-ofthe brahma1J.llS and atriyas; kriya-mulab,-whose root is the performanceof yajiia and the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas;yajiiab,-personified yajiia (Lord ViQU, who is known as the yajiiapur!L$a);dharma-mayab,-full of religious principles; pumdn-theSupreme Person; deva-ri-of the demigods and great ris likeVyasadeva and Narada; pitr-of the forefathers; bhiltdnam-and of allother living entities; dharmasya-of the religious principles; ca-also;parayaJJ-am-the shelter.TRANSLATIONThe basic principle of brahminical culture is to satisfy LordViI).u, the personification of sacrificial and ritualistic ceremonies.Lord ViI).U is the personified reservoir of all religious principles,and He is the shelter of all the demigods, the great pitas, and thepeople in general. When the brilnnal).as are killed, no one will existto encourage the katriyas to perform yajiias, and thus thedemigods, not being appeased by yajiia, will automatically die.PURPORTSince ViJ;Iu is the central point of brahminical culture,Hira.t;J.yakasipu's plan was to kill ViQu, for if Vi.t;J.u were killed,naturally the brahminical culture would also be lost. With brahminicalculture lost, yajiia would no longer be performed, and for want of yajiiathe regular distribution of rainfall would cease (yajfli.id bhavati parjanyab,}.Thus there would be disturbances all over the world, and

72 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2naturally the demigods would he defeated. From this verse we get a clearindication of how human society is disturbed when the Vedic Aryancivilization is killed and the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies performed bythe brahma7J.a5 are stopped. Kalau sudra-sambhava/:l: because thepopulation of the modern world consists mostly of sudras, the brahminicalculture is now lost and is extremely difficult to reestablish in a properway. Therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended the chanting of the holyname of the Lord, which will revive brahminical culture very easily.harer nama harer namaharer niimaiva kevalamkalau nasty eva nasty evanasty eva gatir anyathaBecause of the increment in demoniac population, people have lostbrahminical culture. Nor is there a k:;atriya government. Instead, thegovernment is a democracy in which any sudra can he voted into takingup the governmental reigns and capture the power to rule. Because of thepoisonous effects of Kali-yuga, the §astra (Bhag. 12.2.13) says, da.syuprayeurajasu: the government will adopt the policies of dasyus, orplunderers. Thus there will he no instructions from the brahma1).a5, andeven if there are brahminical instructions, there will be no k:;atriyarulers who can follow them. Aside from Satya-yuga, even formerly, inthe days when demons were flourishing, Hira1.1yaka8ipu planned todestroy the brahminical culture and the k:;atriya government and thuscreate chaos all over the world. Although in Satya-yuga this plan wasvery difficult to execute, in Kali-yuga, which is full of sudras anddemons, the brahminical culture is lost and can he revived only by thechanting of the maha-mantra. Therefore the 1.1a consciousness movement,or the Hare 1.1a movement, has been inaugurated to revivebrahminical culture very easily so that people may become happy andaceful in this life and prepare for elevation in the next. In this regard,Srila Madhvacarya quotes this verse from the Brahma1J4a Purar:w:vipra-yajiiiidi-mulam tuharir ity asuram matamharir eva hi saroasyamulam samyan mato nrpa

Text 12] Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 73"0 King, the demons think that Hari, Lord Vi?QU, exists because of thebriihma1J-(JS and yajfi.a, hut factually Hari is the cause of everything includingthe brahmalJaS and yajna." Therefore, through the popularizingof hari-kirtana, or the sankirtana movement, the hrahminical cultureand k§atriya government will automatically come hack, and people willhe extremely happy.TEXT 12'JI•diti4C:ij ij Q1q4ij IIyatra yatra dvija gavoveda van:ulSrama-kriyatam tam janapadam yatasandipayata vrscatayatra yatra-wherever; dvija-the brahma1J-(JS; gaoo-the protectedcows; vedti-the Vedic culture; 0011Ul-tiSrama-of the Aryancivilization of four varlJaS and four asramas; kriya-the activities; tamtam-that; jana-padam-to the city or town; yata-go; sandipayatasetfire; vrscata-cut down (all the trees).TRANSLATIONImmediately go wherever there is good protection for the cowsand hrihmai].as and wherever the Vedas are studied in terms of thevarrama principles. Set fire to those places and cut from theroots the trees there, which are the source of life.PURPORTThe picture of a proper human civilization is indirectly describedhere. In a perfect human civilization there must he a class of men fullytrained as perfect brahmalJaS. Similarly, there must he atriyas to rulethe country very nicely according to the injunctions of the sdstras, andthere must he vaiSyas who can protect the cows. The word gava indicatesthat cows should he given protection. Because the Vedic civilizationis lost, cows are not protected, hut instead indiscriminately killed inslaughterhouses. Such are the acts of demons. Therefore this is a

74 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2demoniac civilization. The van:uJ.Srama-dharma mentioned here is essentialfor human civilization. Unless there is a brahmarJa to guide, ak§atriya to rule perfectly, and a perfect vaiSya to produce food and protectthe cows, how will people live peacefully? It is impossible.Another point is that trees also should be given protection. During itslifetime, a tree should not be cut for industrial enterprises. In Kali-yuga,trees are indiscriminately and unnecessarily cut for industry, in particularfor paper mills that manufacture a profuse quantity of paper for thepublication of demoniac propaganda, nonsensical literature, huge quantitiesof newspapers and many other paper products. This is a sign of ademoniac civilization. The cutting of trees is prohibited unless necessaryfor the service of Lord ViQu. Yaj iirthat karmar:w 'nyatra loko 'yamkarma-bandhana/:t: "Work done as a sacrifice for Lord ViQu must beperformed, otherwise work binds one to this material world." But if thepaper mills stop producing paper, one may argue, how can our ISKCONliterature be published? The answer is that the paper mills shouldmanufacture paper only for the publication of ISKCON literature becauseISKCON literature is published for the service of Lord ViQu. Thisliterature clarifies our relationship with Lord ViQU, and therefore thepublication of ISKCON literature is the performance of yajiia.Yaj iirthat karmar:w 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhana/:t. Yajiia mustbe performed, as indicated by the superior authorities. The cutting oftrees simply to manufacture paper for the publication of unwantedliterature is the greatest sinful act.TEXT 13 ij JM(ij'ili(l 1((1ltiU I : i(wtfilt: II IIiti te bhartr-nirdesamadaya sirasadrta/:ttatha prajanarit kadanamvidadhu/:t kadana-priya/:titi-thus; te-they; bhartr-of the master; nirdesam-the direction;adiiya-receiving; sirasa-with their heads; adrta/:t-respecting;

Text 14] Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 75tathii-so also; prajaniim-of all the citizens; kadanam-persecution;vidadhub,-executed; kadana-priyab,-who are expert in persecutingothers.TRANSLATIONThus the demons, being fond of disastrous activities, tookHiryaka8ipu's instructions on their heads with great respect andoffered him obeisances. According to his directions, they engagedin envious activities directed against all living beings.PURPORTThe followers of demoniac principles, as described here, arethoroughly envious of the general populace. In the present day, scientificadvancement exemplifies such envy. The discovery of nuclear energy hasbeen disastrous to people in general because demons all over the worldare manufacturing nuclear weapons. The word kadana-priyab, is verysignificant in this regard. The demoniac persons who want to kill theVedic culture are extremely envious of the feeble citizens, and they act insuch a way that ultimately their discoveries will be inauspicious foreveryone (jagato 'hitab-). The Sixteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita fullyexplains how the demons engage in sinful activities for the destruction ofthe populace.TEXT 14OII+tqitf:ll;$nl+ll-'ff : q•nf;rpura-grama-vrajodyanak$etraramiiSramakarankhe!a-kharva!a-ghms cadadahub- pattaniini capura-cities and towns; grama-villages; vraja-pasturing grounds;udyana-gardens; k$etra-agricultural fields; anima-natural forests;asrama-hermitages of saintly persons; akaran-and mines (that producevaluable metals to maintain brahminical culture); khe!a-farm

76 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2villages; kharva!a-mountain villages; ghl)§dn-the little villages ofcowherds; ca-and; dadahub,-they burned; pattanani-the capitals;ca-also.TRANSLATIONThe demons set fire to the cities, villages, pasturing grounds,cowpens, gardens, agricultural fields and natural forests. Theyburned the hermitages of the saintly persons, the important minesthat produced valuable metals, the residential quarters of theagriculturalists, the mountain villages, and the villages of the cowprotectors, the cowherd men. They also burned the governmentcapitals.PURPORTThe word udyana refers to places where trees are especially grown toproduce fruits and flowers, which are most important for human civilization.Krr:ta says in Bhagavad-gita (9.26):patram ppam phalam toyamyo me bhaktya prayacchatitad aham bhakty-upahrtam·a.snami prayatatmanab."If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, Iwill accept it." Fruits and flowers are very much pleasing to the Lord. Ifone wants to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can simplyoffer fruits and flowers, and the Lord will be pleased to accept them. Ouronly duty is to please the Supreme Godhead (sarilsiddhir hari-tormm).Whatever we do and whatever our occupation, our main purpose shouldbe to please the Supreme Lord. All the paraphernalia mentioned in thisverse is especially meant for the satisfaction of the Lord, not the satisfactionof one's senses. The government-indeed, the entire societyshouldbe structured in such a way that everyone can be trained to satisfythe Supreme Personality of Godhead. But unfortunately, especially inthis age, na te vidub. svartha-gatim hi vi§JJ-um: people do not know thatthe highest goal of human life is to please Lord ViQU. On the contrary,like demons, they simply plan to kill ViQU and be happy by sensegratification.

Text 15]HiraJ;lyaka8ipu, King of the Demons77TEXT 15ifiM«ctPtf.ffilt: qsnl(•fl(l-l 1311oqfftf-ifiM(WfiUIt: I '(OII;:il' 51;ri reJlC!: II IIkecit khanitrair bibhidut£setu-prakara-gopuriinajivyams cicchidur vrankecit para.Su-par:rayat£pradahan sarany ekeprajanam jvalitolmukait£kecit-some of the demons; khanitrait£-with digging instruments;bibhidut£-broke to pieces; setu-bridges; priikiira-protective walls;gopuran-city gates; ajiryan-the source of livelihood; cicchidut£-cutdown; vran-trees; kecit-some; para.Su-par:rayat£-taking axes inhand; pradahan-burned down; sarani-the dwellings; eke-otherdemons; prajaniim-of the citizens; jvalita-blazing; ulmukait£-withfirebrands.TRANSLATIONSome of the demons took digging instruments and broke downthe bridges, the protective walls and the gates (gopuras] of thecities. Some took axes and began cutting the important trees thatproduced mango, jackfruit and other sources of food. Some of thedemons took firebrands and set fire to the residential quarters ofthe citizens.PURPORTThe cutting of trees is generally prohibited. In particular, trees thatproduce nice fruit 'for the maintenance of human society should not becut. In different countries there are different types of fruit trees. InIndia the mango and jackfruit trees are prominent, and in other placesthere are mango trees, jackfruit trees, coconut trees and berry trees. Anytree that produces nice fruit for the maintenance of the people should notbe cut at all. This is a slistric injunction.

78 Srimad-Bhagavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 2TEXT 16 R!IA itifi ir s:: •a: .. If : qq fem: II IIevam viprakrte lokedaityendranucarair muhub,divam devab, parityajyabhuvi cerur alak§itiib,evam-thus; viprakrte-being disturbed; loke-when all the people;daitya-indra-anucaraib,-by the followers of HiraQyakasipu, the Kingof the Daityas; muhub,-again and again; divam-the heavenly planets;devab,-the demigods; parityajya-giving up; bhuvi-on the planetearth; cerub,-wandered (to see the extent of the disturbances); alak­itiib,-unseen by the demons.TRANSLATIONThus disturbed again and again by the unnatural occurrencescaused by the followers of Hirm;tyaka8ipu, all the people had tocease the activities of Vedic culture. Not receiving the results ofyajiia, the demigods also became disturbed. They left their residentialquarters in the heavenly planets and, unobserved by thedemons, began wandering on the planet earth to see the disasters.PURPORTAs stated in Bhagavad-gitii, the performance of yajfia brings reciprocalgood fortune for both the human beings and the demigods. When theperformances of yajfia were stopped by the disturbances of the demons,the demigods were naturally bereft of the results of yajfia and hamperedin executing their respective duties. Therefore they came down to theplanet earth to see how people had become disturbed and to considerwhat to do.TEXT 17R('N44ir\J: :: I WG\4ilt:.1Pt Wilta:_ll "II

Text 19]Hirtu;yak&Sipu, King of the Demons79hiraTJyakaSipur bhratub,samparetasya dub,khitab,krtvd ka!odakadinibhratr-putran asantvayathira7JyakaSipub,-Hirru;tyaka8ipu; bhratub,-of the brother; samparetasya-deceased;dub,khitab,-being very much distressed; krtvdperforming;ka!odaka-adini-ceremonies observed after a death;bhratr-putran-the sons of his brother; asantvayat-paci:fied.TRANSLATIONAfter performing the ritualistic observances for the death of hisbrother, Hirtu;yak&Sipu, being extremely unhappy, tried to pacifyhis nephews.TEXTS 18-19 \ijijaq;f I•e•u4 "11'(1111tl .. 'iltl( I'll :;:r I ·('\ 1111sakunim sambaram dhmimbhiiJasantapanam vrkamkalanabham mahanabhamhariSma§rum athotkacamtan-mataram ru¢,bhanumditim ca jananim giraslak$Jaya de5a-kala-jnaidam aha janesvarasakunim-Sakuni; rombaram-Sambara; dhr#m-Dhr!i; bhutasantapanam-Bhutasanta.pana;vrkam-V:rka; kalanabham-Kalanabha;mahanabham-Mahanabha; hariSma§rum-Harismasru;atha-as well as; utkacam-Utkaca; tat-mataram-their mother;abhanum-Ruabhanu; ditim-Diti; ca-and; jananim-his own

80 Srnnad-Bhigavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 2mother; gira-by words; slar:w-ya-very sweet; desa-kiila-jna-whowas expert in understanding the time and situation; idam-this; ahasaid;jana-iSvara-0 King.TRANSLATION0 King, Hiryak.a8ipu was extremely angry, but since he was agreat politician, he knew how to act acoonling to the time andsituation. With sweet words he began pacifying his nephews,whose names were Sakuni, Sambara, Dti, Bhiitasantipana,Vrka, Kilanibha, Mahanibha, Hari.Sma8ru and Utkaca. He alsoconsoled their mother, his sister-in-law, Rhinu, as well as hisown mother, Diti. He spoke to them all as follows.TEXT 20IJ{t tl( 0ll 'hfit9J'(i

Text 21]Hiryak&Sipu, King of the Demons81bhiltaniim iha samvasab,prapayam iva suvratedaivenaikatra nitaniimunnitdniim sva-karmabhib,bhUtaniim-of all living entities; iha-in this material world; samvasab,-theliving together; prapayam-in a place for drinking coldwater; iva-like; su-vrate-0 my gentle mother; daivena-by thesuperior arrangement; ekatra-in one place; nitdniim-of thosebrought; unnitaniim-of those led apart; sva-karmabhib,-by their ownreactions.TRANSLATIONMy dear mother, in a restaurant or place for drinking coldwater, many travelers are brought together, and after drinkingwater they continue to their respective destinations. Similarly, livingentities join together in a family, and later, as a result of theirown actions, they are led apart to their destinations.PURPORTprakrteb- kriyama{Uinigu1Jnib- karmai sarva.Sab,ahankara-vimilljhatmakartaham iti manyate"The bewildered soul, under the influence of the three modes of materialnature, thinks himself the doer of activities, which are in actuality carriedout by nature." (Bg. 3.27) All living entities act exactly accordingto the directions of prakrti, material nature, because in the materialworld we are fully under a higher control. All the living entities in thismaterial world have come here only because they wanted to be equal to

82 Srbnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2K:r?t;ta in enjoyment and have thus been sent here to be conditioned bymaterial nature in different degrees. In the material world a so-calledfamily is a combination of several persons in one home to fulfill theterms of their imprisonment. As criminal prisoners scatter as soon astheir terms are over and they are released, all of us who have temporarilyassembled as family members will continue to our respective destinations.Another example given is that family members are like straws carriedtogether by the waves of a river. Sometimes such straws mixtogether in whirlpools, and later, dispersed again by the same waves,they float alone in the water.Although Hirat;tyakasipu was a demon, he had Vedic knowledge andunderstanding. Thus the advice given to his family members- his sisterin-law,mother and nephews-was quite sound. The demons are consideredhighly elevated in knowledge, but because they do not use theirgood intelligence for the service of the Lord, they are called demons. Thedemigods, however, act very intelligently to satisfy the Supreme Personalityof Godhead. This is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.13)as follows:atab, pumbhir dvija-sre{hiivan:zii§rama-vibhaga5ab,svanthitasya dharmasyasarilsiddhir hari-tlJ$aJ.Q.m"0 best among the twiceborn, it is therefore concluded that the highestperfection one can achieve, by discharging his prescribed duties[dharma] according to caste divisions and orders of life, is to please theLord Hari." To become a demigod or to become godly, whatever one's occupation,one must satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.TEXT 22A 3fq: m:: tt: ('(q(: I\-lsmmq;ft f f!JUI"{ II llnitya dtmiivyayab, suddhab,sarvagab, sarva-vit parab,

Text 22]Hir81}yaka8ipu, King of the Demons83dhatte 'sav iitrrulno lirigarhmayaya visrjan gur.liinnityaft-eternal; atma-spirit soul; aryayaft-inexhaustible; suddhaft-withno material tinge; sarva-ga-qualified to go anywhere inthe material or spiritual worlds; sarva-vit-full of knowledge; parafttranscendentalto material conditions; dhatte-accepts; asau-thatatma, or living being; atmanaft-of the self; lirigam-a body;mayaya-by the material energy; visrjan-creating; gun-variousmaterial qualities.TRANSLATIONThe spirit soul, the living entity, has no death, for he is eternaland inexhaustible. Being free from material contamination, he cango anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds. He is fully awareand completely different from the material body, but because ofbeing misled by misuse of his slight independence, he is obliged toaccept subtle and gross bodies created by the material energy andthus be subjected to so-called material happiness and distress.Therefore, no one should lament for the passing of the spirit soulfrom the body.PURPORTHiraQyakasipu very intelligently described the position of the soul.The soul is never the body, but is always completely different from the,body. Being eternal and inexhaustible, the soul has no death, but whenthe same pure soul desires to enjoy the material world independently, heis placed under the conditions of material nature and must therefore accepta certain type of body and suffer the pains and pleasures thereof.This is also described by KrJ)a in Bhagavad-gita (13.22). KaralJllrhgulJll-sarigo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu: the living entity is born in differentfamilies or species of life because of being infected by the modesof material nature. When conditioned by material nature, the living entitymust accept a certain type of body, which is offered by nature underthe direction of the Supreme Lord.iSvaraft sarva-bhutanarhhrd-dese 'rjuna !hati

84Srimad-Bhigavatam(Canto 7, Ch. 2bhramayan sarva-bhutaniyantrarii4hani mayaya"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, 0 Arjuna, and isdirecting the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on amachine, made of the material energy." (Bg. 18.61) The body is justlike a machine, and according to the living entity's karma, he is offered aparticular type of machine to move here and there under the control ofmaterial nature. This continues until he surrenders to the Supreme Personalityof Godhead (mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etdril taranti te).Until he surrenders, the conditioned soul is carried from life to life bythe arrangement of material nature.TEXT 23 sr ijffis{q I:q ;r : 1111yathambhasa pracalatdtaravo 'pi cald ivacak§U§d bhramyamdl)enadrsyate calativa bhu/:1.yatha-just as; ambhasa-by water; pracalatd-moving; tarava/:1.­the trees (on the bank of the river); api-also; cald/:1.-moving; iva-asif; cak§U§a-by the eye; bhramyamdl)ena-moving; drsyate-is seen;calati-moving; iva-as if; bhu/:1.-the ground.TRANSLATIONBecause of the movements of the water, the trees on the hank ofa river, when reflected on the water, seem to move. Similarly,when the eyes move because of some mental derangement, theland aopears to move also.PURPORTSometimes, because of mental derangement, the land appears to bemoving. A drunkard, for example, or a person with heart disease, some-

Text 24) Hirayak&Sipu, King of the Demons 85times feels that the land is moving. Similarly, the reflections of trees in aflowing river also appear to move. These are the actions of maya. Actuallythe living entity does not move (sthar:tur acalo yam). The livingentity does not take birth or accept death, but because of the transientsubtle and gross bodies, the living entity appears to move from one placeto another or be dead and gone forever. As the great Bengali V aiQ.avapoet, Jagadananda Par:tQita, has said:piSiici paile yena mati-cchanna hayamdya-grasta jivera haya se bhava udayaAccording to this statement from the Prema-vivarta, when a living entityis conditioned by material nature, he is exactly like a person haunted bya ghost. One should therefore understand the fixed position of the spiritsoul and how he is carried away by the waves of material nature to differentbodies and different situations under lamentation and hankering.One achieves the success of life when he understands the constitutionalposition of his self and is undisturbed by the conditions created by materialnature (prakrte kriyamdTJdni gur:tai karmdr:ti saroa.SaM.TEXT 24 gumi+tt¥4101 N-: 1 +ttf mt(l tr.R 11\lllevam gur:tair bhramyamdr:temanasy avikala pumdnyati tat-samyatam bhadrehy alingo lingavan ivaevam-in this way; gur:tai-by the modes of material nature;bhramyamdr:te-when shaken; manasi-the mind; avikala-changeless;pumdn-the living entity; yati-approaches; tat-samyatam-thesame condition of agitation as the mind; bhadre-0 my gentle mother;hi-indeed; alinga-without a subtle or gross body; linga-vanpossessinga material body; iva-as if.

86 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2TRANSLATIONIn the same way, 0 my gentle mother, when the mind is agitatedby the movements of the modes of material nature, the living entity,although freed from all the different phases of the subtle andgross bodies, thinks that he has changed from one condition toanother.PURPORTAs stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.84.13):yasydtma-buddhib, kur:wpe tri-dhatukesva-dhib, kalatrddi§u bhauma-ijya-dhib,yat-tirtha-buddhib, salile na karhicijjane abhifiieu sa eva go-kharab,"A human being who identifies the body made of three elements as theself, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, whoconsiders the land of his birth worshipable, and who goes to a place ofpilgrimage simply to bathe rather than to meet men of transcendentalknowledge there, is to be considered like a cow or an ass." AlthoughHiral).yakasipu was a great demon, he was not as foolish as the populationof the modern world. Hiral).yakasipu had clear knowledge of the spiritsoul and the subtle and gross bodies, but now we are so degraded thateveryone, including the exalted scientists, philosophers and otherleaders, is under the bodily conception of life, which is condemned in thesiistras. Sa eva go-kharab,: such persons are nothing but cows and asses.Hiral).yakasipu advised his family members that although the grossbody of his brother Hiral).yiik?a was dead and they were aggrieved becauseof this, they should not lament for the g reat soul of Hiral).yiik?a,who had already attained his next destination. Atma, the spirit soul, is alwaysunchanged (avikalab, pumiin). We are spirit souls, but when carriedaway by mental activities (manodharma), we suffer from so-calledmaterial conditions of life. This generally happens to nondevotees. Haravabhaktasya kuto mahad-gw;iib,: nondevotees may possess exalted materialqualities, but because they are foolish they have no good qualifications.The designations of the conditioned soul in the material world are

Text 26) Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 87decorations of the dead body. The conditioned soul has no information ofthe spirit and its exalted existence beyond the effects of the materialcondition.TEXTS 25-26u fSP:nfsA A': : IIFf;n : : I31 f "e$a at-Vi]Hldsohy alirige liriga-bhavaniie$a priyapriyair yogoviyogab, ka-saritsrtib.sambhava.S ca viniiSa.S casokaS ca vividhab, smrtab.aviveka§ ca cinta cavivekdsmrtir eva caesab,-this; a-vipadsab,-bewilderment of the living being;hi-indeed; alirige-in that which does not possess a material body;linga-bhavanii-accepting the material body to be the self; e$ab,-this;priya-with those who are very dear; apriyaib,-and with those who arenot dear (enemies, those not in the family, etc.); yogab,-connection;viyogab,-separation; ka-the fruits of action; saritsrtib,-the materialcondition of life; sambhavab,-accepting birth; ca-and;viniiSab,-accepting death; ca-and; sokab,-lamentation; ca-and;vividhab,-varieties; smrtab,-mentioned in scripture; avivekab,-lackof discrimination; ca-and; cinta-anxiety; ca-also; viveka-ofproper discrimination; asmrtib,-forgetfulness; eva-indeed; ca-also.TRANSLATIONIn his bewildered state, the living entity, accepting the body andmind to be the self, considers some people to be his kinsmen and

88 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2others to be outsiders. Because of this misconception, he suffers.Indeed, the accumulation of such concocted material ideas is thecause of suffering and so-called happiness in the material world.The conditioned soul thus situated must take birth in differentspecies and work in various types of consciousness, thus creatingnew bodies. This continued material life is called sarllsira. Birth,death, lamentation, foolishness and anxiety are due to such materialconsiderations. Thus we sometimes come to a proper understandingand sometimes fall again to a wrong conception of life.TEXT 273bii'"9Aiftfqf !RI;ri ijatrapy udiiharantimamitihasam purdtanamyamasya preta-bandhunamsamvadam tam nibodhataR1'1( Id fYtq'l\fa atra-in this connection; api-indeed; udiiharanti-they cite;imam-this; itihasam-history; purdtanam-very old; yamasya-ofYamaraja, the superintendent of death, who gives judgment after death;preta-bandhunam-of the friends of a dead man; samoodam-discussion;tam-that; nibodhata-try to understand.TRANSLATIONIn this regard, an example is given from an old history. This involvesa discourse between Yamarija and the friends of a deadperson. Please hear it attentively.PURPORTThe words itihasam puratanam mean "an old history." The PuraT)aSare not chronologically recorded, but the incidents mentioned in thePuraT)aS are actual histories of bygone ages. Srimad-Bhagavatam is theMaha-purar:w., the essence of all the Pumr:w.s. The Mayavadi scholars do

Text 31] HiraJ.Iyaka8ipu, King of the Demons 89not accept the Puriiryas, but Srila Madhvacarya and all other authoritiesaccept them as the authoritative histories of the world.TEXT 281 :1mffll ijl€f{ijaq•Q€1 u.Sinarev abhud rajasuyajiia iti vi.Srutattsapatnair nihato yuddhej iitayas tam upa.satau.Sinareu-in the state known as Usinara; abhat-there was; raja-aking; suyajnatt-Suyajiia; iti-thus; vi.Srutatt-celebrated; sapatnaittbyenemies; nihatatt-killed; yuddhe-in war; jiiiitayatt-the kinsmen;tam-him; upa.sata-sat around.TRANSLATIONIn the state known as Usinara there was a celebrated king namedSuyajfta. When the King was killed in battle by his enemies, hiskinsmen sat down around the dead body and began to lament thedeath of their friend.TEXTS 29-31Ptnoi«tw..+i 1:tid;.f4;s( IIw€tuf aj ««¥( I:'!oil .. idqffl' : :ftcm:m:mu Q(ijqit(iq lq€1 II t l I

90 Srnnad-BhigavaUun[Canto 7, Ch. 2viSin:ra-ratna-kavacaritvibhra:;!(ibhara7J-a-srajamsara-nirbhinna-hrdayamSa.yanam asrg-avilamprakin:ra-kesam dhvastak§amrabhasa da:>ta-dacchadamraja/:t-kur:t!ha-mukhambhojamchinnayudha-bhujam mrdheu5inarendram vidhina tatha krtampatim mahi§ya/:t prasamik§ya du/:tkhita/:thata/:t sma natheti karair uro bhr§amghnantyo muhus tat-padayor upapatanviSin:ra-scattered here and there; ratna-made of jewels;kavacam-protective armor; vibhra:;ta-fallen off; abhara1J-Q.-ornaments;srajam-garlands; sara-nirbhinna-pierced by arrows;hrdayam-the heart; saydnam-lying down; asrk-avilam-smearedwith blood; prakin:ra-kesam-his hair loosened and scattered; dhvastaak§am-hiseyes obscured; rabhasa-with anger; da:>!a-bitten; dacchadam-hislips; raja/:t-kur:t!ha-covered with dust; mukha-ambhojam-hisface, which had formerly resembled a lotus flower; chinnacutoff; ayudha-bhujam-his arms and weapons; mrdhe-on the battlefield;u5inara-indram-the master of the state of Usinara; vidhinabyprovidence; tatha-thus; krtam-forced into this position; patimthehusband; mahi§ya/:t-the queens; prasamik§ya-seeing;du/:tkhitd/:t-very much aggrieved; hata/:t-killed; sma-certainly;natha-0 husband; iti-thus; karai/:t-with the hands; ura/:t-thebreast; bhr§am-constantly; ghnantya/:t-pounding; muhu/:t-againand again; tat-padayo/:t-at the feet of the King; upapatan-fell down.TRANSLATIONHis golden, bejeweled armor smashed, his ornaments and garlandsfallen from their places, his hair scattered and his eyeslusterless, the slain King lay on the battlefield, his entire body

Text 32] Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 91smeared with blood, his heart pierced by the arrows of the enemy.When he died he had wanted to show his prowess, and thus he hadbitten his lips, and his teeth remained in that position. Hisbeautiful lotuslike face was now black and covered with dust fromthe battlefield. His arms, with his sword and other weapons, werecut and broken. When the queens of the King of Usinara saw theirhusband lying in that position, they began crying, "0 lord, nowthat you have been killed, we also have been killed." Repeatingthese words again and again, they fell down, pounding theirbreasts, at the feet of the dead King.PURPORTAs stated here, rabhasa !a-dacchadam: the dead King, while fightingin anger, bit his lips to show his prowess, but nonetheless he waskilled by providence (vidhirui). This proves that we are controlled byhigher authorities; our personal power or endeavor is not alwayssupreme. We must therefore accept the position offered to us by theorder of the Supreme.TEXT 32 ri-""m q: Ul:: Q>iil atltfi;:((wtl Nrq' rudatya uccair dayitanghri-parikajamsificantya asrai!t kuca-kurikumarur:wi!tvisrasta-kesabharatr. sucam nf1ldmsrjantya akrandanaya vilepirerudatya!t -crying; uccai!t-very loudly; dayita-of their belovedhusband; anghri-parikajam-the lotus feet; sificantya!t-moistening;asrailt-with tears; kuca-kurikuma-arur:wi!t-which were red from thekurikuma covering their breasts; visrasta-scattered; kesa-hair;abhara!t-and ornaments; sucam-grief; nf1ldm-of the people in

92 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2general; sdantya!t-creating; akrandanaya-by crying very pitiably;vilepire-began to lament.TRANSLATIONAs the queens loudly cried, their tears glided down theirbreasts, becoming reddened by kmikuma powder, and fell uponthe lotus feet of their husband. Their hair became disarrayed,their ornaments fell, and in a way that evoked sympathy from thehearts of others, the queens began lamenting their husband'sdeath.TEXT 33 mt=;tl'$(i0l-r 91:!flit 3loffift t41tft'ili Iijhfuon'lf« : it;{ : IIaho vidhatrakarur:tena nalt prabhobhavan prar:tito drg-agocararil da.Samu.Sinara¢m asi vrttidalt purakrto 'dhuna yena sucam vivardhanaltaho-alas; vidhatra-by providence; akarur:tena-who is merciless;na!t-our; prabho-0 lord; bhavan-Your Lordship; prar:titalt-takenaway; drk-of sight; agocaram-beyond the range; daSam-to a state;u.Sinara¢m-to the inhabitants of the state of Usinara; asi-youwere; vrtti-da!t-giving livelihood; pura-formerly; krtalt-finished;adhuna-now; yena-by whom; sucam-of lamentation;vivardhanalt-increasing.TRANSLATION0 lord, you have now been removed by cruel providence to astate beyond our sight. You had previously sustained the livelihoodof the inhabitants of Usinara, and thus they were happy, butyour condition now is the cause of their unhappiness.

Text 34]Hirw;tyak&Sipu, King of the Demons93TEXT 34 WI cpf ft;n mt:q;w I em: f tfiRowll\/11tooya krtajiiena ooyam mahi-patekatham vina syama suhrttamena tetatranuyanam tava vira pddayo/:tsu.ST"'i4atinam diSa yatra yasyasitooya-you; krtajiiena-a most grateful personality; ooyam-we;mahi-pate-0 King; katham-how; vind-without; syama-shall exist;suhrt-tamena-the best of our friends; te-o£ you; tatra-there;anuyanam-the following; tava-o£ you; vira-0 hero; pddayo/:t-ofthe lotus feet; su.ST"'i4atinam-o£ those engaging in the service; diSapleaseorder; yatra-where; yasyasi-you will go.TRANSLATION0 King, 0 hero, you were a very grateful husband and the mostsincere friend of all of us. How shall we exist without you? 0 hero,wherever you are going, please direct us there so that we mayfollow in your footsteps and engage again in your service. Let usgo along with you!PURPORTFormerly, a atriya king was generally the husband of many wives,and after the death of the king, especially in the battlefield, all thequeens would agree to accept saha-marar:m, dying with the husband whowas their life. When Pac;lu Maharaja, the father of the Pac;lavas, died,his two wives-namely, the mother of Yudhi!?!hira, Bhima and Arjunaand the mother of Nakula and Sahadeva-were both ready to die in thefire with their husband. Later, after a compromise was arranged, Kuntistayed alive to care for the little children, and the other wife, Madri, was

94 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2allowed to die with her husband. This system of saha-rniirar_ta continuedin India even until the time of British rule, but later it was discouraged,since the attitude of wives gradually changed with the advancement ofKali-yuga. Thus the system of saha-rniirar.w has practically beenabolished. Nevertheless, within the past fifty years I have seen the wifeof a medical practitioner voluntarily accept death immediately when herhusband died. Both the husband and wife were taken in procession in themourning cart. Such intense love of a chaste wife for her husband is aspecial case.TEXT 35rrci f?ieqffi .. f • 131PI;tf M6:i(¥4" 4W04ctt, IIevarit vilapatinii;rit vaiparigrhya mrtarit patimanicchatiniirit nirhiiramarko 'starit sannyavartataevam-thus; vilapatiniim-of the lamenting queens; vai-indeed;parigrhya-taking on their laps; mrtam-the dead; patim-husband;anicchatiniim-not desiring; nirhiiram-the carrying out of the bodyfor the funeral ceremony; arkalJ-the sun; astam-the setting position;sannyavartata-passed away.TRANSLATIONThe time was appropriate for the body to be burned, but thequeens, not allowing it to be taken away, continued lamenting forthe dead body, which they kept on their laps. In the meantime, thesun completed its movements for setting in the west.PURPORTAccording to the Vedic system, if a person dies during the daytime it iscustomary for his funeral ceremony to be performed before the sun sets,regardless of whether he is burned or buried, and if he dies at night thefuneral must be completed before the next sunrise. Apparently the

Text 36] Hiryak&Sipu, King of the Demons 95queens continued lamenting for the dead body, the lump of matter, andwould not allow it to be taken away for burning. This illustrates thestrong grip of illusion among foolish persons who consider the body theself. Women are generally oonsidered less intelligent. Because of ignoranceonly, the queens thought of the dead body as their husband andsomehow or other thought that if the body were kept their husbandwould remain with them. Such a conception of the self is certainly for gokhara-cows and asses. We have actually seen that sometimes when acow's calf has died the milkman cheats the cow by presenting before herthe dead body of her calf. Thus the cow, who would not otherwise allowmilking, licks the dead body of the calf and allows herself to be milked.This substantiates the description of the sdstra that a foolish man in thebodily concept of life is like a cow. Not only do foolish men and womenconsider the body the self, but we have even seen that the dead body of aso-called yogi was kept for days by his disciples, who thought that theirguru was in samadhi. When decomposition began and a bad smell unfortunatelybegan to overwhelm the yogic power2 the disciples allowed thedead body of the so-called yogi to be burned. Thus the bodily concept oflife is extremely strong among foolish persons, who are compared to cowsand asses. Nowadays, great scientists are trying to freeze dead bodies sothat in the future these frozen bodies may again be brought to life. Theincident narrated by Hirayakasipu from history must have taken placemillions of years ago because Hiryaka8ipu lived millions of years agoand was even then quoting from history. Thus the incident occurredbefore Hiryakasipu's lifetime, but the same ignorance in the bodilyconcept of life is still prevalent, not only among laymen but even amongscientists who think they will be able to revive frozen corpses.Apparently the queens did not want to deliver the dead body for burningbecause they were afraid of dying with the dead body of theirhusband.TEXT 36 qf(4J{11( I {11if.rif t111: : II IItatra ha preta-bandhunamtiSrutya paridevitam

96 Srimad-Bhagavatam(Canto 7, Ch. 2aha tan balako bhiltvayamal; svayam upagatal;tatra-there; ha-certainly; preta-bandhunam-of the friends andrelatives of the dead King; asrutya-hearing; paridevitam-the loudlamentation (so loud that it could be heard from the planet of Yamaraja);aha-said; tan-unto them (the lamenting queens); balakal;-a boy;bhiltva-becorning; yamal;-Yamaraja, the superintendent of death;svayam-personally; upagatal;-after coming.TRANSLATIONWhile the queens were lamenting for the dead body of the King,their loud cries were heard even from the abode of Yamariija.Assuming the body of a boy, Yamarija personally approached therelatives of the dead body and advised them as follows.PURPORTSometimes the living entity is forced to give up his body and enteranother one according to the judgment of Yamaraja. It is difficult,however, for the conditioned soul to enter another body unless the presentdead body is annihilated through cremation or some other means.The living being has attachment for the present body and does not wantto enter another, and thus in the interim he remains a ghost. If a livingbeing who has already left his body has been pious, Yamaraja, just to givehim relief, will give him another body. Since the living being in the bodyof the King had some attachment to his body, he was hovering as a ghost,and therefore Yamaraja, as a special consideration, approached thelamenting relatives to instruct them personally. Yamaraja approachedthem as a child because a child is not restricted but is granted admittanceanywhere, even to the palace of a king. Besides this, the child was speakingphilosophy. People are very much interested in hearing philosophywhen it is spoken by a child.TEXT 37 IJcl1"'Pfq{!df Jlctiftlt\1 fcr: I

Text 37]Hira1,1yaka8ipu, King of the Demons97Sf lildSf iRi f.{ M 31N it*tq 11\911sri-yama uvacaaho ami$(im vayasadhikdruimvipruyatam loka-vidhim vimohab,yatragatas tatra gatam manyamsvayam sadharma api socanty apdrthamsri-yamab, umca-Sri Yarnarlija said; aho-alas; amf$am-of these;vayasa-by age; adhikdnam-of those advanced; vipruyatam-seeingevery day; loka-vidhim-the law of nature (that everyone dies);vimohab,-the bewilderment; yatra-from where; agatab,-came;tatra-there; gatam-returned; manyam-the man; svayam-themselves;sa-dharmab,-similar in nature (prone to die); api-although;socanti-they lament; apartham-uselessly.TRANSLATIONSri Yamarija said: Alas, how amazing it is! These persons, whoare older than me, have full experience that hundreds and thousandsof living entities have taken birth and died. Thus theyshould understand that they also are apt to die, yet still they arebewildered. The conditioned soul comes from an unknown placeand returns after death to that same unknown place. There is noexception to this rule, which is conducted by material nature.Knowing this, why do they uselessly lament?PURPORTThe Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (2.28):avyaktadini bhutanivyakta-madhyani bharataavyakta-nidharuiny evatatra ka paridevarui"All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in theirinterim state, and unmanifest again when they are annihilated. So whatneed is there for lamentation?"

98 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2Accepting that there are two classes of philosophers, one believing inthe existence of the soul and the other not believing in its existence,there is no cause for lamentation in either case. Nonbelievers in the existenceof the soul are called atheists by followers of Vedic wisdom. Yeteven if for argument's sake we accept the atheistic theory, there is stillno cause for lamentation. Apart from the separate existence of the soul,the material elements remain unmanifested before creation. From thissubtle state of unmanifestation comes manifestation, just as from ether,air is generated; from air, fire is generated; from fire, water is generated;and from water, earth becomes manifested. From the earth, manyvarieties of manifestations take place. For example, a big skyscraper ismanifested from the earth. When it is dismantled, the manifestation becomesagain unmanifested and remains as atoms in the ultimate stage.The law of conservation of energy remains, hut in the course of timethings are manifested and unmanifested-that is the difference. Thenwhat cause is there for lamentation, in either manifestation or onmanifestation?Somehow or other, even in the unmanifested stage,things are not lost. Both at the beginning and at the end, all elementsremain unmanifested, and this does not make any real materialdifference.If we accept the Vedic conclusion as stated in the Bhagavad-gitii (antavantaime dehiiM that these material bodies are perishable in duecourse of time (nityasyoktiib, saririM but that the soul is eternal, thenwe must remember always that the body is like a dress; therefore whylament the changing of a dress? The material body has no factual existencein relation to the eternal soul. It is something like a dream. In adream we may think of flying in the sky or sitting on a chariot as a king,but when we wake up we can see that we are neither in the sky norseated on the chariot. The Vedic wisdom encourages self-realization onthe basis of the none:lf:istence of the material body. Therefore, in eithercase, whether one believes in the existence of the soul or one does notbelieve in the existence of the soul, there is no cause for lamentation forloss of the body.In the Mahiibhiirata it is said, adarSa.niid ihiiyatab, puna§ ciidarsanarhgatab,. This statement could support the theory of the atheistic scientistthat the child in the womb of the mother has no life but is simply a lump

Text 38] Hiryak.a8ipu, King of the Demons 99of matter. To follow this theory, if the lump of matter is aborted by asurgical operation, no life is killed; the body of a child is like a tumor,and if a tumor is operated upon and thrown away, no sin is involved. Thesame argument could be put forward in regard to the King and hisqueens. The body of the King was manifested from an unmanifestedsource, and again it became unmanifested from manifestation. Since themanifestation exists only in the middle-between the two points of nomanifestation-whyshould one cry for the body manifested in theinterim?TEXT 38 \:lT tl: fqq:+qf ;r RM41¥i! I3( 3N ·fit:« mJijt N qif IIaho vayarh dhanyatamd yad atratyaktii/:t pitrbhyam na vicintayama/:tabhayamdT)ii abala vrkiidibhi/:tsa raitii rak§ati yo hi garbheaho-alas; vayam-we; dhanya-tamd/:t-most fortunate; yat - because;atra-at the present moment; tyaktii/:t-left alone, without protection;pitrbhyam-by both father and mother; na-not; vicintayama/:t-worry;abhayamdT)ii/:t-not being eaten; abala/:t-veryweak; vrka-iidibhi/:t-by tigers and other ferocious animals; sa/:t-He(the Supreme Personality of Godhead); raitii -will protect; rak§a,tihasprotected; ya/:t-who; hi-indeed; garbhe-within the womb.TRANSLATIONIt is wonderful that these elderly women do not have a highersense of life than we do. Indeed, we are most fortunate, for althoughwe are children and have been left to struggle in materiallife, unprotected by father and mother, and although we are very

100 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2weak, we have not been vanquished or eaten by ferocious animals.Thus we have a finn belief that the Supreme Personality of Godhead,who has given us protection even in the womb of themother, will protect us everywhere.PURPORTAs stated in Bhagavad-gitii (18.61), iSvarat£ sarva-bhutiirulm hrd-dese'rjuna ti$thati: the Lord is present in the core of everyone's heart. Thusthe Lord gives protection to everyone and gives the different types ofbodies the living entity wants to enjoy. Everything is done by the orderof the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not lamentthe birth and death of a living being, which have been arranged by theSupreme Lord. Lord l(rQa says in Bhagavad-gitii (15.15), sarvasyaciiham hrdi sannivto mattat£ smrtir jfiiinam apohanam ca: "I amseated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledgeand forgetfulness." One must act according to the direction of the Lordwithin the heart, but because the conditioned soul wants to act independently,the Lord gives him the facility to act and experience the reactions.The Lord says, sarva-dharmiin parityajya miim ekam Sara7J-amvraja: "Give up all other duties and simply surrender unto Me." Onewho does not abide by the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godheadis given the facility to enjoy this material world. Instead of restrictinghim, the Lord gives the conditioned soul the opportunity to enjoy so thatby mature experience, after many, many births (bahurulm janmarulmante), he will understand that surrender to the lotus feet of Vasudeva isthe only duty of all living beings.TEXT 39 --u q\ifijl'itll iifPi

Text 39]HiraJ;Iyaka8ipu, King of the Demons101tasyabalab, krU)anam ahur iSituScaracararh nigraha-sarigrahe prabhub,yab,-who; icchaya-by His will (without being forced by anyone);i.Sab,-the supreme controller; srjati-creates; idam-this (materialworld); aryayab,-remaining as He is (not having lost His own exisencebecause of having created so many material manifestations); yab,-who;eva-indeed; rak$

102 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2to us concerning why He does something and why He does not, Hissupremacy would be curtailed.TEXT 40qf't f P4wt"44Rr Iiiftct4wtllsA ffl sfllgHI rn WI llo IIpathi cyutarh t!hati d!a-raitarhgrhe sthitarh tad-vihatam vina.Syatijivaty aniitho 'pi tad-iito vanegrhe 'bhigupto 'sya hato na jivatipathi-on the public road; cyutam-some possession dropped;!hati-it remains; d!a-raitam-protected by destiny; grhe-athome; sthitam-although situated; tat-vihatam-struck by the will ofthe Supreme; vina.Syati-it is lost; jivati -remains alive; aniitha apialthoughwithout a protector; tat-iita-being protected by the Lord;vqne-in the forest; grhe-at home; abhigupta-well hidden and protected;asya-of this one; hata-struck; na-not; jivati-lives.TRANSLATIONSometimes one loses his money on a public street, where everyonecan see it, and yet his money is protected by destiny and notseen by others. Thus the man who lost it gets it back. On the otherhand, if the Lord does not give protection, even money maintainedvery securely at home is lost. H the Supreme Lord gives one protection,even though one has no protector and is in the jungle, oneremains alive, whereas a person well protected at home by relativesand others sometimes dies. no one being able to protect him.PURPORTThese are examples of the supremacy of the Lord. Our plans to protector annihilate do not act, but whatever He thinks of doing actually hap-

Text 41] Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 103pens. The examples given in this regard are practical. Everyone has hadsuch practical experiences, and there are also many other clear examples.For instance, Prahlada Maharaja said that a child is certainly dependenton his father and mother, but in spite of their presence, the child isharassed in many ways. Sometimes, in spite of a supply of good medicineand an experienced physician, a patient does not survive. Therefore,since everything is dependent on the free will of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, our only duty is to surrender unto Him and seek Hisprotection.TEXT41 fll­ if llClf' : Ii( erN -gq) ft 11\l IIbhutiini tais tair nija-yoni-karmabhirbhavanti kale na bhavanti sarva5ab,na tatra hatma prakrtav api sthitastasya gury,air anyatamo hi badhyatebhatani-all the bodies of the living entities; taib, taib,-their own respective;nija-yoni-causing their own bodies; karmabhib,-by past activities;bhavanti-appear; kale-in due course of time; na bhavantidisappear;sarva5ab,-in all respects; na-not; tatra-there; ha-indeed;dtmd-the soul; prakrtau -within this material world; api -although;sthitab,-situated; tasydb,-of her (the material energy);gury,aib,-by different modes; anya-tamab,-most different; hi-indeed;badhyate-is bound.TRANSLATIONEvery conditioned soul receives a different type of body accordingto his work, and when the engagement is finished the body isfinished. Although the spirit soul is situated in subtle and grossmaterial bodies in different forms of life, he is not bound by them,

104 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2for he is always understood to be completely different from themanifested body.PURPORTHere it is very plainly explained that God is not responsible for the livingentity's accepting different types of bodies. One has to accept a bodyaccording to the laws of nature and one's own karma. Therefore theVedic injunction is that a person engaged in material activities should begiven directions by which he can intelligently apply his activities to theservice of the Lord to become free from the material bondage of repeatedbirth and death (sva-karma{U} tam abhyarcya siddhim vindatimdnava). The Lord is always ready to give directions. Indeed, Hisdirections are elaborately given in Bhagavad-gitd. If we take advantageof these directions, then in spite of our being conditioned by the laws ofmaterial nature, we shall become free to attain our original constitution(mdm eva ye prapadyante mdyam etdm taranti te). We should have firmfaith that the Lord is supreme and that if we surrender to Him, He willtake charge of us and indicate how we can get out of material life andreturn home, back to Godhead. Without such surrender, one is obliged toaccept a certain type of body according to his karma, sometimes as ananimal, sometimes a demigod and so on. Although the body is obtainedand lost in due course of time, the spirit soul does not actually mix withthe body, but is subjugated by the particular modes of nature with whichhe is sinfully associated. Spiritual education changes one's consciousnessso that one simply carries out the orders of the Supreme Lord and becomesfree from the influence of the modes of material nature.TEXT42 ri nitRI4ft4ij Iw: i(: A'141

Text 43]Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons105yathaudakai/:1. parthiva-taijasair jana/:1.klilena jiito vikrto vina.Syatiidam-this; sariram-body; pur!.l.§asya-of the conditioned soul;moha-jam-born of ignorance;yatha-just as; prthak-separate;bhautikam-material; ry"ate-is seen; grham-a house; yathd-just as;udakai/:1.-with water; parthiva-with earth; taijasai/:1.-and with fire;jana/:1.-the conditioned soul; kdlena-in due course of time; jata/:1.­born; vikrta/:1.-transformed; vina.Syati-is vanquished.TRANSLATIONJust as a householder, although diH'erent from the identity ofhis house, thinks his house to be identical with him, so the conditionedsoul, due to ignorance, accepts the body to be himself, althoughthe body is actually diH'erent from the soul. This body isobtained through a combination of portions of earth, water andfire, and when the earth, water and fire are transformed in thecourse of time, the body is vanquished. The soul has nothing to dowith this creation and dissolution of the body.PURPORTWe transmigrate from one body to another in bodies that are productsof our illusion, but as spirit souls we always exist separately from material,conditional life. The example given here is that a house or car isalways different from its owner, but because of attachment the conditionedsoul thinks it to be identical with him. A car or house is actuallymade of material elements; as long as the material elements combinetogether properly, the caror house exists, and when they are disassembledthe house or the car is disassembled. The spirit soul, however,always remains as he is.vu;witTEXT 43 'Rf: : I:;r rigun: tR: 11\111

106 Srimad-Bhiigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2yathanalo OOrti.§U bhinna iyateyathanilo deha-gata prthak sthitayatha nabha saroa-gatam na sajjatetatha pumiin saroa-gul}iiSraya parayatha-just as; anala-the fire; OOrtl.§u-in wood; bhinnaseparate;iyate-is perceived; yatha-just as; anila-the air; dehagata-withinthe body; prthak-separate; sthita-situated; yathajustas; nabha-the sky; saroa-gatam-all-pervading; na-not; sajjate-mix;tatha-similarly; pumiin-the living entity; saroa-guasraya-althoughnow the shelter of the modes of material nature;para-transcendental to material contamination.TRANSLATIONAs fire, although situated in wood, is perceived to be differentfrom the wood, as air, although situated within the mouth andnostrils, is perceived to be separate, and as the sky, although allpervading,never mixes with anything, so the living entity, althoughnow encaged within the material body, of which it is thesource, is separate from it.PURPORTIn Bhagavad-gita the Supreme Personality of Godhead has explainedthat the material energy and spiritual energy both emanate from Him.The material energy is described as me bhinna prakrtir !adha. theeight separated energies of the Lord. But although the eight gross andsubtle material energies-namely, earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligenceand false ego-are stated to be bhinna, separate from the Lord,actually they are not. As fire appears separate from wood and as the airflowing through the nostrils and mouth of the body appear separate fromthe body, so the Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearsseparate from the living being but is actually separate and notseparate simultaneousl r . This is the philosophy of acintya-bhedabhedatattvapropounded by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. According to the reactionsof karma, the living being appears separate from the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, but actually he is very intimately related with the

Text 44] Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 107Lord. Consequently, even though we now seem neglected by the Lord,He is actually always _alert to our activities. Under all circumstances,therefore, we should simply depend on the supremacy of the SupremePersonality of Godhead and thus revive our intimate relationship withHim. We must depend upon the authority and control of the SupremePersonality of Godhead.TEXT 44 lf 'lft"i.lt I: Sct:ffi'fiRJ 11\l\lllsuyajtwnanv ayam setemlii;lha yam anu§ocathaya srota yo 'nuvaktehasa na dr§yeta karhicitsuyajna-the king named Suyajiia; nanu-indeed; ayam-this;sete-lies; mlii;lha-0 foolish pfiople; yam-whom; anu§ocatha-youcry for; ya-he who; srota-the hearer; ya-he who; anuvakta-thespeaker; iha-in this world; sa-he; na-not; dr§yeta-is visible;karhicit-at any time.TRANSLATIONYamarija continued: 0 lamenters, you are all fools! The personnamed Suyajiia, for whom you lament, is still lying before you andhas not gone anywhere. Then what is the cause for your lamentation?Previously he heard you and replied to you, but now, notfinding him, you are lamenting. This is contradictory behavior,for you have never actually seen the person within the body whoheard you and replied. There is no need for your lamentation, forthe body you have always seen is lying here.PURPORTThis instruction by Yamaraja in the form of a boy is understandableeven for a common man. A common man who considers the body the self

108 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2is certainly comparable to an animal (yasyatma-buddhi!J kur:wpe tridhatuke... sa eva go-khara!l}. But even a common man can understandthat after death a person is gone. Although the body is still there, a deadman's relatives lament that the person has gone away, for a common mansees the body but cannot see the soul. As described in Bhagavad-gitd,dehirw 'smin yatha dehe: the soul, the proprietor of the body, is within.After death, when the breath within the nostrils has stopped, one canunderstand that the person within the body, who was hearing and replying,has now gone. Therefore, in effect, the common man ooncludes thatactually the spirit soul was different from the body and has now goneaway. Thus even a common man, coming to his senses, can know that thereal person who was within the body and was hearing and replying wasnever seen. For that which was never seen, what is the need oflamentation?TEXT45;{ '1\n ;ud:t'ffilti SQft : 1·qiWfl¥{1 {{: ihll\lllna srotd ndnuvaktayammukhyo 'py atra mahan asu}J,yas tv ihendriyavdn atmasa canya}J, prar:w-dehayo!Jna-not; srotd-the listener; na-not; anuvakta-the speaker;ayam-this; mukhya!J-chief; api-although; atra-in this body;mahan-the great; asufJ-life air; ya!J-he who; tu-but; iha-in thisbody; indriya-vdn-possessing all the sense organs; dtmd-the soul;safJ-he; ca-and; anya}J,-different; prar:w-dehayo!J-from the lifeair and the material body.TRANSLATIONIn the body the most important substance is the life air, but thatalso is neither the listener nor the speaker. Beyond even the lifeair, the soul also can do nothing, for the Supersoul is actually thedirector, in cooperation with the individual soul. The Supersoul

Text 46] Hiral}yak&Sipu, King of the Demons 109conducting the activities of the body is different from the bodyand living force.PURPORTThe Supreme Personality of Godhead distinctly says in Bhagavad-gitii(15.15), saroasya caham hrdi sanniv!o mattab, smrtir jnanamapohanarit ca: "I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me comeremembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." Although the dtmd, orsoul, is present in every material body (dehino 'smin yatha dehe), he isnot actually the chief person acting through the senses, mind and so on.The soul can merely act in cooperation with the Supersoul because it isthe Supersoul who gives him directions to act or not to act (mattab, smrtirjnanam apohanam ca). One cannot act without His sanction, for theSupersoul is upadra:;!{i, and anumantii, the witness and sanctioner. Onewho studies carefully, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master,can understand the real knowledge that the Supreme Personality of Godheadis actually the conductor of all the activities of the individual soul,and the controller of their results as well. Although the individual soulpossesses the indriyas, or senses, he is not actually the proprietor, for theproprietor is the Supersoul. Consequently the Supersoul is calledllt?ikesa, and the individual soul is advised by the direction of theSupersoul to surrender to Him and thus be happy (saroa-dharmanparityajya mdm ekarit 5ara7Jarit vraja). Thus he can become immortaland be transferred to the spiritual kingdom, where he will achieve thehighest success of an eternal, blissful life of knowledge. In conclusion,the individual soul is different from the body, senses, living force andthe airs within the body, and above him is the Supersoul, who gives theindividual soul all facilities. The individual soul who renders everythingto the Supersoul lives very happily within the body.TEXT46:ct¥t;flfetl1. Cli§*'Uq:ql .. : Ihl'5tf6 -.«•lfq IIbhii.tendriya-mano-lirigandehan uccdvacdn vibhub,

110 Srimad-Bhiigavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 2bhajaty utsrjati hy anyastac capi svena tejasabhiita-by the five material elements;indriya-the ten senses;mana?z,-and the mind; lirigdn-characterized; dehdn-gross materialbodies; ucca-avacdn -high class and low class; vibhu?z, -the individualsoul, which is the lord of the body and senses; bhajati-achieves; utsrjati-gives up; hi-indeed; anya?z,-being different; tat-that; caalso;api-indeed; svena-by his own; tejasd-power of advancedknowledge.TRANSLATIONThe five material elements, the ten senses and the mind all combineto form the various parts of the gross and subtle bodies. Theliving entity comes in contact with his material bodies, whetherhigh or low, and later gives them up by his personal prowess. Thisstrength can be perceived in a living entity's personal power topossess different types of bodies.PURPORTThe conditioned soul has knowledge, and if he wants to fully utilizethe gross and subtle bodies for his real advancement in life, he can do so.It is therefore said here that by his high intelligence (svena tejasa), bythe superior power of superior knowledge achieved from the rightsource-the spiritual master, or dcarya -he can give up his conditionallife in a material body and return home, back to Godhead. However, if hewants to keep himself in the darkness of this material world, he can doso. The Lord confirms this as follows in Bhagavad-gitii (9.25):yiinti deva-vratd deviinpitfn yiinti pitr-vrata?z,bhiitiini yiinti bhiitejyayanti mad-yajirw 'pi mdm"Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods;those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings;

Text 47) Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 111those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worshipMe will live with Me."The human form of body is valuable. One can use this body to go tothe higher planetary systems, to Pitrloka, or he can remain in this lowerplanetary system, but if one tries he can also return home, back to Godhead.This prowess is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead asthe Supersoul. Therefore the Lord says, matta/l smrtir jnanamapohanarit ca: "From Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness."If one wants to receive real knowledge from the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, one can become free from bondage to repeatedacceptance of material bodies. If one takes to the devotional service of theLord and surrenders unto Him, the Lord is prepared to give one directionsby which to return home, back to Godhead, but if one foolishlywants to keep himself in darkness, he can continue in a life of materialexistence.TEXT 47NfltiMffl m- f.tii"Wlf( Im : ... t.·n yavallinganvito hy atmatavat karma-nibandhanamtato viparyaya/l klesomaya-yogo 'nuvartateyavat-as long as; linga-anvitaft,-covered by the subtle body; hiindeed;dtmii-the soul; tavat-that long; karma-of fruitive activities;nibandhanam-bondage ; tataft,-from that; vipa.ryaya/1-reversal(wrongly thinking the body to be the self); klesaft,-misery; mayayoga/1-astrong relationship with the external, illusory energy; anuva r­tate-follows.TRANSLATIONAs long as the spirit soul is covered by the subtle body, consistingof the mind, intelligence and false ego, he is hound to theresults of his fruitive activities. Because of this covering, the spirit

ll2 Srimad-Bhiigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2soul is connected with the material ene.:gy and must accordinglysuffer material conditions and reversals, continually, life after life.PURPORTThe living entity is hound by the subtle body, consisting of the mind,intelligence and false ego. At the time of death, therefore, the position ofthe mind becomes the cause for the next body. As confirmed inBhagavad-gitd (8.6), yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty antekalevaram: at the time of death the mind sets the criteria for the spiritsoul's being carried to another type of body. If a living being resists thedictation of the mind and engages the mind in the loving service of theLord, the mind cannot degrade him. The duty of all human beings,therefore, is to keep the mind always engaged at the lotus feet of theLord (sa vai manab. kmw.-padaravindayob.}. When the mind is engagedat the lotus feet of l(rQa, the intelligence is purified, and then the intelligencegets inspiration from the Supersoul (dadami buddhi-yogamtam). Thus the living entity makes progress toward liberation from materialbondage. The individual living soul is subject to the laws offruitive activity, but the Supersoul, Paramatma, is not affected by thefruitive activities of the individual soul. As confirmed in the VedicUpan, the Paramatma and the jivatmii, who are likened to two birds,are sitting in the body. The jivatmii is enjoying or suffering by eating thefruits of the bodily activities, but the Paramatma, who is free from suchbondage, witnesses and sanctions the activities of the individual soul asthe individual soul desires.TEXT 48:1 : : "' 'll1 11\lllvitathabhinive5o yamyad gu$V artha-drg-vacat£yatha manorathat£ svapnat£saroam aindriyakam mr$iivitatha-fruitless; abhinivesat£-the conception; ayam-this; yatwhich;gue$u-in the modes of material nature; artha-as a fact; drk-

Text 48] HiraJ,lyak8Sipu, King of the Demons ll3vaca-the seeing and talking of; yatha-just as; manoratha-a mentalconcoction (daydream); svapna-a dream; sarvam-everything;aindriyakam-produced by the senses; mr$11-false.TRANSLATIONIt is fruitless to see and talk of the material modes of nature andtheir resultant so-called happiness and distress as if they were factual.When the mind wanders during the day and a man begins tothink himself extremely important, or when he dreams at nightand sees a beautiful woman enjoying with him, these are merelyfalse dreams. Similarly, the happiness and distress caused by thematerial senses should be understood to be meaningless.PURPORTThe happiness and distress derived from the activities of the materialsenses are not actual happiness and distress. Therefore Bhagavad-gitaspeaks of happiness that is transcendental to the material conception oflife (sukham atyantikarh yat tad buddhi-grahyam atindriyam). Whenour senses are purified of material contamination, they becomeatindriya, transcendental senses, and when the transcendental senses areengaged in the service of the master of the senses, H:fikesa, one canderive real transcendental pleasure. Whatever distress or happiness wemanufacture by mental concoction through the subtle mind has noreality, but is simply a mental concoction. One should therefore notimagine so-called happiness through mental concoction. Rather, the bestcourse is to engage the mind in the service of the Lord, H:fikesa, andthus feel real blissful life.There is a Vedic statement apama-somam amrta abhilma apsarobhirviharama. With reference to such a conception, one wants to go to theheavenly planets to enjoy with the young girls there and drink somarasa.Such imaginary pleasure, however, has no value. As confirmed inBhagavad-gita (7.23), antavat tu phalarit te$drh tad bhavaty alpamedhasam:"Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and theirfruits are limited and temporary." Even if by fruitive activity or worshipof the demigods one is elevated to the higher planetary systems for senseenjoyment, his situation is condemned in Bhagavad-gita as antavat,perishable. The happiness one enjoys in this way is like the pleasure of

114 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2embracing a young woman in a dream; for some time it may he pleasing,hut actually the basic principle is false. The mental concoctions of happinessand distress in this material world are compared to dreams becauseof their falseness. All thoughts of obtaining happiness by using the materialsenses have a false background and therefore have no meaning.TEXT493N f.t¥4fit€4 rNMI : 1 q ¥{N: it4lletlf'IRt 11\lllatha nityam anityam mneha socanti tad-vida/:£niinyathii sakyate kartumsva-bhiiva/:1. socatiim itiatha-therefore; nityam-the eternal spirit soul; anityam-the temporarymaterial body; va-or; na-not; iha-in this world; socantitheylament for; tat-vida/:1.-those who are advanced in knowledge of thebody and soul; na-not; anyathii-otherwise; sakyate-is able; kartum-todo; sva-bhiiva/:1.-the nature; socatiim-of those prone to lamentation;iti-thus.TRANSLATIONThose who have full knowledge of self-realization, who knowvery well that the spirit soul is eternal whereas the body is perishable,are not overwhelmed by lamentation. But persons who lackknowledge of self-realization certainly lament. Therefore it is difficultto educate a person in illusion.PURPORTAccording to the mimarilsa philosophers, everything is eternal, nitya,and according to the Sankhya philosophers everything is mithya, oranitya-impermanent. Nonetheless, without real knowledge of atma,the soul, such philosophers must he bewildered and must continue tolament as sadras. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami therefore said to ParikitMaharaja:

Text 50)Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons115srotavyadini rajendranroam santi sahasra5ab,apa§yatam atma-tattvamgrheu grha-medhinam"Those who are materially engrossed, being blind to knowledge of theultimate truth, have many subjects for hearing in human society, 0 Emperor."(Bhiig. 2.1.2) For ordinary persons engaged in material activitiesthere are many, many subject matters to understand because suchpersons do not understand self-realization. One must therefore be educatedin self-realization so that under any circumstances in life he willremain steady in his vows.TEXT 50pK\qUJf Mf4ijt: I fi fi · 11'-\ o IIlubdhako vipine ka.Scitpaim nirmito 'ntakab,vitatya jalam vidadhetatra tatra pralobhayanlubdhakab,-hunter; vipine-in the forest; ka.Scit-some; pak­im-of birds; nirmitab,-appointed; antakab,-killer; vitatyaspreading;jalam-a net; vidadhe-captured; tatra tatra-here andthere; pralobhayan-luring with food.TRANSLATIONThere was once a hunter who lured birds with food and capturedthem after spreading a net. He lived as if appointed by deathpersonified as the killer of the birds.PURPORTThis is another incident from the histories.

ll6 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2TEXT 51tWfll Q5l' :q(ffl+ttij I: tfef\ i¥'44iwt stelN€11 II t IIkuliriga-mithunam tatravicarat samadr§yatatayo/:t kulirigi sahasalubdhakena pralobhitakuliriga-mithunam-a pair of (male and female) birds known askuliriga; tatra-there (where the hunter was hunting); vicarat-wandering;samadrsyata-he saw; tayo/:t-of the pair; kuliizgi-the femalebird; sahasd-suddenly; lubdhakena-by the hunter; pralobhitaallured.TRANSLATIONWhile wandering in the forest, the hunter saw a pair of kulhigabirds. Of the two, the female was captivated by the hunter's lure.TEXT 52«R{ij nt:q(ij .. sqf : Rf.-.stdllfef(ijj ijJ :f: Iq: : 111t sasajjata sicas tantryammahya/:t kala-yantritakulirigas tam tathapanndmnink$ya bhrsa-du/:tkhita/:tsnehad akalpa/:t krpar:ta/:tkrpa1Jii,m paryadevayatsd-the female bird; asajjata-trapped; sica/:t-of the net;tantryam-in the rope; mahya/:t-0 queens; kdla-yantrita-beingforced by time; kuliriga/:t-the male kuliriga bird; tam-her; tatha-inthat condition; dpanndm-captured; nirik$ya-seeing; bhrsa-

Text 54] Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 117dukhita-very unhappy; snehat-out of affection; akalpa-unahleto do anything; krpa-the poor bird; krpam-the poor wife;paryadevayat-began to lament for.TRANSLATION0 queens of Suyajiia, the male kulbiga bird, seeing his wife putinto the greatest danger in the grip of Providence, became veryunhappy. Because of affection, the poor bird, being unable torelease her, began to lament for his wife.TEXT 53 31€tion: f(!AIWII: Im ¥U44\ll:q fa' IIaho akarur:w devastriyakaruya vibhukrpam mdm anu.Socantyadinaya kim kari$yatiaho-alas; akaru-most unkind; deva-providence; striyawithmy wife; akaruya-who is fully compassionate; vibhu-theSupreme Lord; krpam-poor; mdm-me; anu.Socantya-lamentingfor; dinaya-poor; kim-what; kari$yati-shall do.TRANSLATIONAlas, how merciless is Providence! My wife, unable to be helpedby anyone, is in such an awkward position and lamenting for me.What will Providence gain by taking away this poor bird? Whatwill be the profit?TEXT 54ew:i ¥d : FfiWil¥1;{1 it I;r :;r l!tfl 11\lllkdmam nayatu mdril devakim ardhenatmano hi me

118 Srimad-Bhagavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 2dinena jivata du/:r.khamanena vidhurii)1.L$iikamam-as He likes; nayatu-let Him take away; mam-me;deva/:1.-the Supreme Lord; kim-what use; ardhena-with half; atmana/:1.-ofthe body; hi-indeed; me-my; dinena-poor; jioota-living;du/:r.kham-in suffering; anena-this; vidhura-aya-having alifetime full of affliction.TRANSLATIONIf unkind Providence takes away my wife, who is half my body,why should He not take me also? What is the use of my living withhalf of my body, bereaved by loss of my wife? What shall I gain inthis way?katham tv ajata-paarits tanmatr-hinan bibharmy ahammanda-bhagya/:1. pratianten'Uje me mataram praja/:1.katham-how; tu-but; ajata-paan-who have not grown wings tofly; tan-them; matr-hinan-bereft of their mother; bibharmi-shallmaintain; aham-1; manda-bhagya/:1.-very unfortunate; pratiantetheyawait; n'Uje-in the nest; me-my; mataram-their mother; praja/:1.-babybirds.TRANSLATIONThe unfortunate baby birds, bereft of their mother, are waitingin the nest for her to feed them. They are still very small and havenot yet grown their wings. How shall I be able to maintain them?PURPORTThe bird is lamenting for the mother of his children because themother naturally maintains and cares for the children. Yamaraja,

Text 56) Hirm:tyaka8ipu, King of the Demons 119however, in the guise of a small boy, has already explained that althoughhis mother left him uncared for and wandering in the forest, the tigersand other ferocious animals had not eaten him. The real fact is that if theSupreme Personality of Godhead protects one, even though one bemotherless and fatherless, one can be maintained by the good will of theLord. Otherwise, if the Supreme Lord does not give one protection, onemust suffer in spite of the presence of his father and mother. Anotherexample is that sometimes a patient dies in spite of a good physician andgood medicine. Thus without the protection of the Lord one cannot live,with or without parents.Another point in this verse is that fathers and mothers have protectivefeelings for their children even in bird and beast society, not to speak ofhuman society. Kali-yuga, however, is so degraded that a father andmother even kill their children in the womb on the plea of their scientificknowledge that within the womb the child has no life. Prestigious medicalpractitioners give this opinion, and therefore the father and motherof this day kill their children within the womb. How degraded humansociety has become! Their scientific knowledge is so advanced that theythink that within the egg and the embryo there is no life. Now these socalledscientists are receiving Nobel Prizes for advancing the theory ofchemical evolution. But if chemical combinations are the source of life,why don't the scientists manufacture something like an egg throughchemistry and put it in an incubator so that a chicken will come out?What is their answer? With their scientific knowledge they are unable tocreate even an egg. Such scientists are described in Bhagavad-gitd asmdyayapahrta-f iina, fools whose real knowledge has been takenaway. They are not men of knowledge, but they pose as scientists andphilosophers, although their so-called theoretical knowledge cannot producepractical results.TEXT 56 irew weq'imQ.fir;n .. hlid(qib64(ij' m: f est : 11'-\11

120 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 2evam kulingam vilapantam ardtpriya-viyogaturam a.Sru-kar:t!/&amsa eva tam sakunikab, sarer:tavivyiidha kiila-pmhito vilinab,evam-thus; kulingam-the bird; vilapantam-while lamenting;drat-from a distance; priya-viyoga-because of the loss of his wife;aturam-very aggrieved; a.Sru-kar:t!ham-with tears in the eyes; salthe(that hunter); eva-indeed; tam-him (the male bird); sakunikab,whocould kill even a vulture; sarer:ta-by an arrow; vivyiidhapierced;kiila-pmhitab,-being moved by time; vilinab,-hidden.TRANSLATIONBecause of the loss of his wife, the kuliilga bird lamented withtears in his eyes. Meanwhile, following the dictations of maturetime, the hunter, who was very carefully hidden in the distance,released his arrow, which pierced the body of the kuliilga bird andkilled him.TEXT 57• q 3flql¥i4;:tr: I W+tt: q·dq 11\911evam yuyam apa.Syantyaiitmiipayam abuddhayab,nainam prdpsyatha socantyab,patim vaa-satair apieoom-thus; yuyam-you; apa.Syantyab,-not seeing; atmaapayam-owndeath; abuddhayab,-0 ignorant ones; na-not; enamhim;priipsyatha-you will obtain; socantyab,-lamenting for; patimyourhusband; vaa-sataib,-for a hundred years; api-even.TRANSLATIONThus Yamaraja, in the guise of a small hoy, told all the queens:You are all so foolish that you lament but do not see your own

Text 58] Hiryak&Sipu, King of the Demons 121death. AfBicted by a poor fund of knowledge, you do not knowthat even if you lament for your dead husband for hundreds ofyears, you will never get him back alive, and in the meantime yourlives will be finished.PURPORTYamaraja once asked Maharaja Yudhithira, "What is the most wonderfulthing within this world?" Maharaja Yudhithira replied(Mahiibhiirata, Vana-parva 313.ll6):ahany ahani bhutiinigacchantiha yamalayamse¢-t& sthiivaram icchantikim ascaryam atat& pararitHundreds and thousands of living entities meet death at every moment,but a foolish living being nonetheless thinks himself deathless and doesnot prepare for death. This is the most wonderful thing in this world.Everyone has to die because everyone is fully under the control of materialnature, yet everyone thinks that he is independent, that whateverhe likes he can do, that he will never meet death but live forever, and soon. So-called scientists are making various plans by which living entitiesin the future can live forever, but while they are thus pursuing suchscientific knowledge, Yamaraja, in due course of time, will take themaway from their business of so-called research.TEXT 5815/tf& Oq

122 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 2sn-hirar:tyakaSipu}J. uvaca-Sri Hiryaka8ipu said; bale-whileYamaraja in the form of a boy; evam-thus; pravadati -was speakingvery philosophically; saroe-all; vismita-struck with wonder;cetasa}J.-their hearts; jfidtaya}J.-the relatives; menire-they thought;saroam-everything material; anityam-temporary; ayathii-utthitam-arisenfrom temporary phenomena.TRANSLATIONHiryaka8ipu said: While Yamarija, in the form of a small hoy,was instructing all the relatives surrounding the dead body ofSuyajiia, everyone was struck with wonder by his philosophicalwords. They could understand that everything material is temporary,not continuing to exist.PURPORTThis is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (2.18). Antavanta ime dehiinityasyokta}J. saririr:taiJ.: the body is perishable, but the soul within thebody is imperishable. Therefore the duty of those advanced in knowledgein human society is to study the constitutional position of the imperishablesoul and not waste the valuable time of human life in merely maintainingthe body and not considering life's real responsibility. Everyhuman being should try to understand how the spirit soul can be happyand where he can attain an eternal, blissful life of knowledge. Humanbeings are meant to study these subject matters, not to be absorbed incaring for the temporary body, which is sure to change. No one knowswhether he will receive a human body again; there is no guarantee, foraccording to one's work one y get any body, from that of a demigod tothat of a dog. In this regard, Srila Madhvacarya comments:aham mamabhimanaditva-yathouhamanityakammahadadi yathottham canitya capi yathotthitaasvatantraiva prakrtiiJ.sva-tantro nitya eva ca

Text 60]Hirai].yaka8ipu, King of the Demons123yathartha-bhilta§ ca paraeka eva janardana}:tOnly Janardana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ever existing,but His creation, the material world, is temporary. Therefore everyonewho is captivated by the material energy and absorbed in thinking "I amthis body, and everything belonging to this body is mine" is in illusion.One should think only of being eternally a part of Janiirdana, and one'sendeavor in this material world, especially in this human form of life,should be to attain the association of Janiirdana by going back home, backto Godhead.TEXT 59 ql414 Sft;:ij(4 Isft w;r «l'q(IMCfil( IIQ,IIyama etad upakhyayatatraiviintaradhiyatajnatayo hi suyajiiasyacakrur yat samparayikamyama}:t-Yamariija in the form of a boy; etat-this; upakhyaya-instructing;tatra-there; eva-indeed; antaradhiyata-disappeared;jnataya}:t-the relatives; hi-indeed; suyajiiasya-of King Suyajiia;cakru}:t-performed; yat-which is; samparayikam-the funeralceremony.TRANSLATIONMter instructing all the foolish relatives of Suyajiia, Yamaraja,in the form of a boy, disappeared from their vision. Then the relativesof King Suyajiia performed the ritualistic funeralceremonies.

124 Srimad-Bhagavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 2atab, socata mii yayamparam cdtmdnam eva ooka atmii kab- paro viitrasviyab, parakya eva oosva-parabhinivesenavinajnanena dehinamatab,-therefore; socata-lament for; ma-do not; yayam-all ofyou; param-another; ca-and; litmlinam-yourself; eva-certainly;vii-or; kab,-who; dtmii-self; kab,-who; parab,-other; oo-or;atra-in this material world; sviyab,-one's own; parakyab,-for others;eva-indeed; vii-or; sva-para-abhinivesena-consisting of absorptionin the bodily concept of oneself and others; vina-besides; ajnanenathelack of knowledge; dehinam-of all the embodied living entities.TRANSLATIONTherefore none of you should be aggrieved for the loss of thebody-whether your own or those of others. Only in ignorancedoes one make bodily distinctions, thinking "Who am I? Who arethe others? What is mine? What is for others?"PURPORTIn this material world, the conception of self-preservation is the firstlaw of nature. According to this conception, one should be interested inhis personal safety and should then consider society, friendship, love,nationality, community and so on, which have all developed because ofthe bodily conception of life and a lack of knowledge of the spirit soul.This is called ajnana. As long as human society is in darkness and ignorance,men will continue to make huge arrangements in the bodilyconception of life. This is described by Prahlada Maharaja as bharam. Inthe materialistic conception, modern civilization makes enormous arrangementsfor huge roads, houses, mills and factories, and this is man'sconception of the advancement of civilization. People do not know,however, that at any time they themselves may be kicked out of the sceneand forced to accept bodies that have nothing to do with these enormoushouses, palaces, roads and automobiles. Therefore when Arjuna was

Text 60] HiraJ.lyaka8ipu, King of the Demons 125thinking in terms of his bodily relationships with his kinsmen, K:rJ;taimmediately chastised him, saying, kutas tva ka.Smalam idam vamesamupasthitam andrya-j[am: "This bodily conception of life is befittingthe andryas, the non-Aryans, who are not advanced in knowledge."An Aryan civilization is a civilization advanced in spiritual knowledge.Not merely by stamping oneself an Aryan does one become an Aryan. Tokeep oneself in the deepest darknss concerning seiritual knowledge andat the same time claim to he an Aryan is a non-Aryan position. In thisconnection, Srila Madhvacarya quotes as follows from the BrahmavaivartaPurar:w:ka atma ka para iti dehady-apeyana hi dehadir atma syanna ca satrur udiritaato daihika-vrddhau vak$aye va kim prayojanamyas tu deha-gato jivasa hi nasam na gacchatitata satru-vivrddhau casva-nase socanam kutadehadi-vyatiriktau tujivesau pratijanataata atma-vivrddhis tuvasudeve rati sthira5atru-nasas tathajfiiinanasondnya kathaiicanaThe purport is that as long as we are in this human form of body, ourduty is to understand the soul within the body. The body is not the self;we are different from the body, and therefore there is no question offriends, enemies or responsibilities in terms of the bodily conception oflife. One should not he very anxious about the body's changing fromchildhood to boyhood, from boyhood to old age and then to apparent

126 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2annihilation. Rather, one should be very seriously concerned about thesoul within the body and how to release the soul from the materialclutches. The living entity within the body is never annihilated;therefore one should surely know that whether one has many friends ormany enemies, his friends cannot help him, and his enemies cannot dohim any harm. One should know that he is a spirit soul (ahambrahmiismi) and that the constitutional position of the soul is unaffectedby the changes of the body. In all circumstances, everyone, as a spiritsoul, must be a devotee of Lord Vi!?QU and should not be concerned withbodily relationships, whether with friends or with enemies. One shouldknow that neither we ourselves nor our enemies in the bodily conceptionof life are ever killed.TEXT 61{q if?IRWt qijqtfl fij61"oq 'fl I-.!)it' R"t14ili41(4( II IIsri-narada uvacaiti daitya-pater rokyarilditir iikan:tya sasniiputra-sokam ar:ult tyaktrotattve cittam adhiirayatsn-narada/:t uroca-Sri Narada Muni said; iti-thus; daitya-pate/:t­of the King of the demons; viikyam-the speech; diti/:t-Diti, the motherof HiraQyak.a8ipu and HiraQyak!?a; iikan:tya-hearing; sa-snii-withthe wife of HiraQyak!?a; putra-sokam -the great bereavement for herson, HiraQyak!?a; r:ult-immediately; tyaktro-giving up; tattve-inthe real philosophy of life; cittam-heart; adhiirayat-engaged.TRANSLATIONSri Narada Muni continued: Diti, the mother of Hiryaka8ipuand Hiryak, heard the instructions of Hiryak&Sipu alongwith her daughter-in-law, Ruhanu, Hiryaka's wife. She thenforgot her grief over her son's death and thus engaged her mindand attention in understanding the real philosophy of life.

Text 61] Hiryaka8ipu, King of the Demons 127PURPORTWhen a relative dies one certainly becomes very much interested inphilosophy, but when the funeral ceremony is over one again becomesattentive to materialism. Even Daityas, who are materialistic persons,sometimes think of philosophy when some relative meets death. Thetechnical term for this attitude of the materialistic person is smaSiinavairagya,or detachment in a cemetery or place of cremation. AP. confirmedin Bhagavad-gitii, four classes of men receive an understandingof spiritual life and God-arta (the distressed),jijnasu (the inquisitive),artharthi (one who desires material gains) and jfiiini (one who is searchingfor knowledge). Especially when one is very much distressed by materialconditions, one becomes interested in God. Therefore Kuntidevisaid in her prayers to l(rl).a that she preferred distress to a happy moodof life. In the material world, one who is happy forgets }(rl).a, or God,but sometimes, if one is actually pious but in distress, he remembersl(rl).a. Queen Kuntidevi therefore preferred distress because it is an opportunityfor remembering l(rl).a. When l(rl).a was leaving Kuntidevifor His own country, Kuntidevi regretfully said that she was better off indistress because l(rl).a was always present, whereas now that the Pal).­

CHAPTER THREEHiral).yakaSipu' sPlan to Become ImmortalThis chapter describes how HiraQ.yakasipu performed a severe type ofausterity for material benefit, thus causing great distress throughout theuniverse. Even Lord Brahrna, the chief personality within this universe,became somewhat disturbed and personally went to see whyHiraQ.yakasipu was engaged in such a severe austerity.HiraQ.yakasipu wanted to become immortal. He wanted not to be conqueredby anyone, not to be attacked by old age and disease, and not to beharassed by any opponent. Thus he wanted to become the absolute rulerof the entire universe. With this desire, he entered the valley of MandaraMountain and began practicing a severe type of austerity and meditation.Seeing HiraQ.yakasipu engaged in this austerity, the demigods returnedto their respective homes, but while HiraQ.yakasipu was thus engaged, akind of fire began blazing from his head, disturbing the entire universeand its inhabitants, including the birds, beasts and demigods. When allthe higher and lower planets became too hot to live on, the demigods,being disturbed, left their abodes in the higher planets and went to seeLord Brahma, praying to him that he curtail this unnecessary heat. Thedemigods disclosed to Lord Brahma HiraQ.yakasipu's ambition to becomeimmortal, overcoming his short duration of life, and to be the master ofall the planetary systems, even Dhruvaloka.Upon hearing about the purpose of HiraQ.yakasipu's austere meditation,Lord Brahma, accompanied by the great sage Bllrgu and great personalitieslike Dak, went to see HiraQ.yakasipu. He then sprinkledwater from his kamar:u;lalu, a type of waterpot, upon HiraQ.yakasipu'shead.HiraQ.yakasipu, the King of the Daityas, bowed down before LordBrahma, the creator of this universe, offering respectful obeisances againand again and offering prayers. When Lord Brahma agreed to give himbenedictions, he prayed not be killed by any living entity, not to be killedin any place, covered or uncovered, not to die in the daytime or at night,129

130 Srnnad-Bhagavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 3not to be killed by any weapon, on land or in the air, and not to be killedby any human being, animal, demigod or any other entity, living or nonliving.He further prayed for supremacy over the entire universe and requestedthe eight yogic perfections, such as aima and laghima.TEXT 1ft(UttilfiN'l (M'ii!Jltr'NI(I'l(t( I311€4ilifflsmta .. 6\il(l'3i

Text 3) Hiryaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 131in the future he would be able to conquer Lord Brahma's abode.Similarly, another demon received a benediction from Lord Siva but laterwanted to kill Lord Siva through that same benediction. Thus selfinterestedpersons, by demoniac austerity, want to kill even theirbenedictors, whereas the VaiQava wants to remain an ever-existing servantof the Lord and never to occupy the post of the Lord. Through sayujya-mukti,which is generally demanded by asuras, one merges into theexistence of the Lord, but although one sometimes thus achieves the goalof the theory of monism, one falls down again to struggle in materialexistence.TEXT2 'l;:(((si\IUff q: WI I\Ji: qllfBImR: II IIsa tepe mandara-dro7Jyamtapab, parama-daru7Jamurdhva-bahur nabho-drtib.pada!/&iisritavanib,sab,-he (HiraQyakasipu); tepe-performed; mandara-dro1Jyam-ina valley of Mandara Hill; tapab,-austerity; parama-most; ooru7Jamdifficult;urdhva-raising; bahub,-arms; nabhab,-toward the sky;dr!ib,-his vision; pada-a!ha-with the big toes of his feet;asrita-resting on; avanib,-the ground.TRANSLATIONIn the valley of Mandara Hill, Hiryaka8ipu began performinghis austerities by standing with his toes on the ground, keeping hisarms upward and looking toward the sky. This position was extremelydifficult, but he accepted it as a means to attain perfection.TEXT3i;t!lc{lRr4T 4*1Nl flt.: If(dq(dQ4'11 : f;r II II

132 Srimad-Bhigavatam(Canto 7, Ch. 3ja!d-didhitibhi rejesamvartarka ivarilSubhi/:ttasmims tapas tapyamanedeva/:t sthanani bhejireja!d-didhitibhi/:t-by the effulgence of the hair on his head; reje-wasshining; samvarta-arka/:t-the sun at the time of destruction; iva-like;arilSubhi/:t-by the beams; tasmin-when he (HiraQ.yakasipu); tapa/:t­austerities; tapyamdne-was engaged in; deva/:t-all the demigods whowere wandering throughout the universe to see HiraQ.yakasipu'sdemoniac activities; sthanani-to their own places; bhejire-returned.TRANSLATIONFrom the hair on Hirm;Iyaka.Sipu's head there emanated aneffulgent light as brilliant and intolerable as the rays of the sun atthe time of dissolution. Seeing the performance of such austerepenances, the demigods, who had been wandering throughout theplanets, now returned to their respective homes.TEXT4 : : Sfil(ijql'fii: I

Text 6] Hiryaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 133encompassing the upper and lower planets, which all became extremelyhot.TEXTS-;::t;:ij': (1(\ql& \{: I: (114il(ijm II IIcuubhur nady-udanvantafi,sadvipi.idriS caciila bhufi,nipetub, sagrahas tarajajvalu5 ca diSo da.Sacuubhufi,-became agitated; nadi-udanvantafi,-the rivers andoceans; sa-dvipa-with the islands; adrib,-and mountains; cacalatrembled;bhufi,-the surface of the globe; nipetufi,-fell; sa-grahafi,withthe planets; tarafi,-the stars; jajvalufi,-blazed; ca-also; diSafi,da.Sa-the ten directions.TRANSLATIONBecause of the power of his severe austerities, all the rivers andoceans were agitated, the surface of the globe, with its mountainsand islands, began trembling, and the stars and planets fell. Alldirections were ablaze.TEXT6 m €4@t ""' : ijU: 1 qn•u« 1qij• ijm AAm ;rq: 11 11tena tapta divarh tyaktvabrahmalokarh yayub, surafi,dhatre vijnapayam asurdeva-deva jagat-patedaityendra-tapasa taptadivi sthaturh na saknumafi,

134 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 3tena-by that (fire of austerity); taptd-burned; divam-their residentialquarters in the upper planets; tyaktva-giving up; brahmalokam-tothe planet where Lord Brahma lives; yayu-went; suriithedemigods; dhiitre-unto the chief of this universe, Lord Brahma;vij iipayiim iisu-submitted; deva-deva-0 chief of the demigods;jagat-pate-0 master of the universe; daitya-indra-tapasii-by thesevere austerity performed by the King of the Daityas, Hirat;1yakasipu;taptii-roasted; divi-on the heavenly planets; sthiitum-to stay; nanot;saknuma-we are able.TRANSLATIONScorched and extremely disturbed because of Hir8J.1yaka8ipu'ssevere penances, all the demigods left the planets where theyreside and went to the planet of Lord BrahmS, where they informedthe creator as follows: 0 lord of the demigods, 0 master ofthe universe, because of the fire emanating from Hir8J.1yaka8ipu'shead as a result of his severe austerities, we have become so disturbedthat we could not stay in our planets hut have come to you.TEXT7 •(NI4 I6WitICI'itfif mm: II \911tasya copa§amarit bhumanvidhehi yadi manyaselokii na yiivan nan/cyyantibali-hiiriis tavabhibhutasya-of this; ca-indeed; upa§amam-the cessation; bhuman-0great personality; vidhehi-please execute; yadi-if; manyase-youthink it right; lokii-all the inhabitants of the various planets; nanot;yavat-as long as; nan/cyyanti-will be lost; bali-hiirii-who areobedient to the worship; tava-of you; abhibhu-0 chief of all theumverse.

Text 10] Birau.tyakaSipu's Plan to Become Immortal 135TRANSLATION0 great person, chief of the universe, if you think it proper,kindly stop these disturbances, meant to destroy everything,before all your obedient subjects are annihilated.TEXTS q-it ijq: I fck WI r:a.61'4rA fwtr:a.d4( II

136 Srimad-Bhagavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 3tad aham vardhamanenatapo-yoga-samddhiookiilatmanos ca nityatvatsiidhayi§ye tatluitmanaiJ,smoo-creating; cam-moving; acaram-and not moving; idamthis;tapaiJ,-of austerity; yoga-and mystic power; samddhioo-bypracticing the trance; adhyaste-is situated in; sarva-dhyebhyaiJ,thanall the planets, including the heavenly planets; parame!hi-LordBrahma; nija-asanam -his own throne; tat-therefore; aham-1;vardhamanena-by dint of increasing; tapaiJ,-austerity; yoga-mysticpowers; samddhioo-and trance; kala-of time; atmanoiJ,-and of thesoul; ca-and; nityatvat-from the eternality; siidhayye-shallachieve; tatlui-so much; atmanaiJ,-for my personal self.TRANSLATION"The supreme person within this universe, Lord Brahmi, hasgotten his exalted post by dint of severe austerities, mystic powerand trance. Consequently, after creating the universe, he has becomethe most worshipable demigod within it. Since I am eternaland time is eternal, I shall endeavor for such austerity, mysticpower and trance for many, many births, and thus I shall occupythe same post occupied by Lord Brahmi.PURPORTHiraQyakasipu's determination was to occupy the post of LordBrahma, but this was impossible because Brahma has a long duration oflife. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (8.17), sahasra-yuga-paryantamahar yad brahmar:w viduiJ,: one thousand yugas equals one day ofBrahma. The duration of Brahma's life is extremely great, and consequentlyit was impossible for HiraQyaka8ipu to occupy that post. Nonetheless,his decision was that since the self (atma) and time are botheternal, if he could not occupy that post in one lifetime he would continueto execute austerities life after life so that sometime he would beable to do so.

Text 11] HirllJ}.yaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 137TEXT 1131rl4 mtS,'itf'-11\ I .: : Cf4iNI flt:ll IIanyathedam vidhii.sye 'hamayathii pilroam ojasakim anyai kiila-nirdhutaikalpante vai$r:mvadibhianyathii-just the opposite; idam-this universe; vidhii.sye-shallmake; aham-1; ayathii -inappropriate; pilroam-as it was before;ojasa-by dint of the power of my austerity; kim-what use; anyaiwithother; kiila-nirdhuta*-vanquished in due course of time; kalpaante-atthe end of the millennium; vai$r:mva-adibhi-with planetslike Dhruvaloka or Vaikm_l!haloka.TRANSLATION"By dint of my severe austerities, I shall reverse the results ofpious and impious activities. I shall overturn all the establishedpractices within this world. Even Dhruvaloka will he vanquished atthe end of the millennium. Therefore, what is the use of it? I shallprefer to remain in the position of Brahmii."PURPORTHira.Q.yakasipu's demoniac determination was explained to LordBrahma by the demigods, who informed him that Hira.Q.yakasipu wantedto overturn all the established principles. After executing severeausterities, people within this material world are promoted to theheavenly planets, but Hira.Q.yakasipu wanted them to be unhappy,suffering because of the diplomatic feelings of the demigods, even in theheavenly planets. He wanted those who were harassed in this world bymaterial transactions to be unhappy for the same reason, even in theheavenly planets. Indeed, he wanted to introduce such harassmenteverywhere. One might ask how this would be possible, since the universalorder has been established since time immemorial, but Hira.Q.yakasipu

138 Srimad-Bhiigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 3was proud to declare that he would be able to do everything by the powerof his tapasya. He even wanted to make the VaiQavas' position insecure.These are some of the symptoms of asuric determination.TEXT 12 : q'I•Ufu:l(l: IA((11'1'{1( 1111iti su.Sruma nirbandhamtapa) paramam iisthitabvidhatsvanantararhyuktarhsvayarh tri-bhuvanesvaralh-in this way; su.Sruma-we have heard; nirbandham-strongdetermination; tapa}J.-austerity; paramam-very severe; iisthital) -issituated in; vidhatsva-please take steps; anantaram-as soon as possible;yuktam-befitting; svayam-yourself; tri-bhuvana-iSvara-0master of the three worlds.TRANSLATION0 lord, we have heard from reliable sources that in order to obtainyour post, Hirayaka.Sipu is now engaged in severe austerity.You are the master of the three worlds. Please, without delay, takewhatever steps you deem appropriate.PURPORTIn the material world, a servant is provided for by the master but is alwaysplanning how to capture the master's post. There have been manyinstances of this in history. Especially in India during the Mohammedanrule, many servants, by plans and devices, took over the posts of theirmasters. It is learned from Caitanya literature that one big Zamindar,Subuddhi Raya, kept a Mohammedan boy as a servant. Of course, hetreated the boy as his own child, and sometimes, when the boy wouldsteal something, the master would chastise him by striking him with acane. There was a mark on the boy's back from this chastisement. Later,

Text 13]HiraJ.IyakaSipu's Plan to Become Immortal139after that boy had by crooked means become Hussain Shah, Nawab ofBengal, one day his wife saw the mark on his back and inquired about it.The Nawab replied that in his childhood he had been a servant of SubuddhiRaya, who had punished him because of some mischievous activities.Upon hearing this, the Nawab's wife immediately became agitated andrequested her husband to kill Subuddhi Raya. Nawab Hussain Shah, ofcourse, was very grateful to Subuddhi Raya and therefore refused to killhim, but when his wife requested him to turn Subuddhi Raya into aMohammedan, the Nawab agreed. Taking some water from his waterpot,he sprinkled it upon Subuddhi Raya and declared that Subuddhi Rayahad now become a Mohammedan. The point is that this Nawab had beenan ordinary menial servant of Subuddhi Raya but was somehow or otherable to occupy the supreme post of Nawab of Bengal. This is the materialworld. Everyone is trying to become master through various devices, althougheveryone is servant of his senses. Following this system, a livingentity, although servant of his senses, tries to become master of thewhole universe. HiraQyakasipu was a typical example of this, andBrahmii was informed by the demigods of his intentions.TEXT 136'41Q;f flf ql(gti ·qij I fqtlltl "taviisanaril dvija-gavarilparame!hyaril jagat-patebhavaya sreyase bhutyaiemiiya vijayaya catava-your; iisanam-position on the throne; dvija-of thebrahminical culture or the brahma1J-as; gavam-of the cows;parame!hyam-supreme; jagat-pate-0 master of the whole universe;bhavaya-for improvement; sreyase-for the ultimate happiness;bhutyai-for increasing the opulence; emiiya-for the maintenanceand good fortune; vijayaya-for the victory and increasing prestige;ca-and.

140 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 3TRANSLATION0 Lord Brahma, your position within this universe is certainlymost auspicious for everyone, especially the cows and hrahmas.Brahminical culture and the protection of cows can be increasinglyglorified, and thus all kinds of material happiness, opulence andgood fortune will automatically increase. But unfortunately, ifHiryakllSipu occupies your seat, everything will be lost.PURPORTIn this verse the words dvija-gavarh parame!hyam indicate the mostexalted position of the brahmary,as, brahminical culture and the cows. InVedic culture, the welfare of the cows and the welfare of the brahmary,asare essential. Without a proper arrangement for developing brahminicalculture and protecting cows, all the affairs of administration will go tohell. Being afraid that HiraQyakasipu would occupy the post of Brahma,all the demigods were extremely disturbed. HiraQyakasipu was a wellknowndemon, and the demigods knew that if demons and Rakasas wereto occupy the supreme post, brahminical culture and protection of cowswould come to an end. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (5.29), the originalproprietor of everything is Lord :Kr1.1a ( bhoktararh yajfia-tapasarhsarva-loka-mahesvaram). The Lord, therefore, knows particularly wellhow to develop the material condition of the living entities within thismaterial world. In every univers there is one Brahma engaged on behalfof Lord :Kr1.1a, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (tene brahma hrdaya adi-kavaye). The principal creator in each brahmar.u)a is LordBrahma, who imparts Vedic knowledge to his disciples and sons. Onevery planet, the king or supreme controller must be a representative ofBrahma. Therefore, if a Rakasa, or demon, were situated in Brahma'spost, then the entire arrangement of the universe, especially the protectionof the brabminical culture and cows, would be ruined. All thedemigods anticipated this danger, and therefore they went to requestLord Brahma to take immediate steps to thwart HiraQyakasipu's plan.In the beginning of creation, Lord Brahma was attacked by twodemons-Madhu and Kaiabha-but :Kr1.1a saved him. Therefore :Kr1.1ais addressed as madhu-kai!abha-hantr. Now again, HiraQyakasipu wastrying to replace Brahma. The material world is so situated that even the

Text 14) Hir81,lyaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 141position of Lord Brahma, not to speak of ordinary living entities, issometimes in danger. Nonetheless, until the time of HiraJ).yakasipu, noone had tried to replace Lord Brahma. Hiral)yakasipu, however, was sucha great demon that he maintained this ambition.The word bhutyai means "for increasing opulence," and the wordsreyase refers to ultimately returning home, back to Godhead. Inspiritual advancement, one's material position improves at the same timethat the path of liberation becomes clear and one is freed from materialbondage. If one is situated in an opulent position in spiritual advancement,his opulence never decreases. Therefore such a spiritual benedictionis called bhilti or vibhilti. l

142 Srimad-Bhiigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 3daitya-iSvara-of HiraQyakasipu, the King of the Daityas; asramam-tothe place of austerity.TRANSLATION0 King, being thus informed by the demigods, the most powerfulLord Brahm&, accompanied by Bhrgu, Daka and other greatsages, immediately started for the place where Hirlll,lyak&Sipu wasperforming his penances and austerities.PURPORTLord Brahma was waiting for the austent1es performed byHiraQyakasipu to mature so that he could go there and offer benedictionsaccording to HiraQyakasipu's desire. Now, taking the opportunity ofbeing accompanied by all the demigods and great saintly persons,Brahma went there to award him the benediction he desired.TEXTS 15-16 stRI;;uasi 1•q:u•'l:q:fqqlfwtil firuoi it cui('li1 toRPt(fq;d ijqm- : t('II(Wi:IIIII IIna dadar§a praticchannamvalmika-tf':Ul-kicakai/:1.pipilikiibhir acirry,ammedas-tvan-mamsa-sor:titamtapantam tapasa lokiinyathiibhrapihitam ravimvilaya vismita/:r. prahahasams tam hamsa-vahana/:r.na-not; dadarsa -saw; praticchannam-covered; valmika-by ananthill; tf':Ul-grass; kicakai/:r.-and bamboo sticks; pipilikiibhi/:r.-bythe ants; ticirry,am-eaten all around; meda/:r.-whose fat; took-skin;

Text 16] Hiryak&Sipu's Plan to Become Immortal 143marilsa-the flesh; soitam-and blood; tapantam-heating; tapasiibya severe type of penance; lokiin-all the three worlds; yathii-justas; abhra-by clouds; apihitam-covered; ravim-the sun; vilayaseeing;vismita-struck with wonder; priiha-said; hasan-smiling;tam-to him; harilsa-viihana-Lord Brahma, who rides a swanairplane.TRANSLATIONLord Brahma, who is carried by a swan airplane, at first couldnot see where Hiryakasipu was, for Hiryak&Sipu's body wascovered by an anthill and by grass and bamboo sticks. BecauseHiryak&Sipu had been there for a long time, the ants haddevoured his skin, fat, flesh and blood. Then Lord Brahmii and thedemigods spotted him, resembling a cloud-covered sun, heatingall the world by his austerity. Struck with wonder, Lord Brahmiibegan to smile and then addressed him as follows.PURPORTThe living entity can live merely by his own power, without the helpof skin, marrow, bone, blood and so on, because it is said, asarigo yampua-the living entity has nothing to do with the material covering.Hira1.1yakasipu performed a severe type of tapasya, austerity, for manylong years. Indeed, it is said that he performed the tapasya for onehundred heavenly years. Since one day of the demigods equals six of ourmonths, certainly this was a very long time. By nature's own way, hisbody had been almost consumed by earthworms, ants and other parasites,and therefore even Brahma was at first unable to see him. Later,however, Brahrna could ascertain where Hira1.1yakasipu was, and Brahmawas struck with wonder to see Hira1.1yakasipu's extraordinary power toexecute tapasya. Anyone would conclude that Hira1.1yakasipu was deadbecause his body was covered in so many ways, but Lord Brahma, thesupreme living being in this universe, could understand thatHira1.1yakasipu was alive but covered by material elements.It is also to be noted that although HiraQyakasipu performed thisausterity for a long, long time, he was nonetheless known as a Daitya andRak!?asa. It will be seen from verses to follow that even great saintly personscould not perform such a severe type of austerity. Why then was he

144 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 3called a R:tlq;asa and Daitya? It is because whatever he did was for hisown sense gratification. His son Prahlada Maharaja was only five yearsold, and so what could Prahlada do? Yet simply by performing a littledevotional service according to the instructions of Narada Muni,Prahlada became so dear to the Lord that the Lord came to save him,whereas Hira1.1yakasipu, in spite of all his austerities, was killed. This isthe difference between devotional service and all other methods of perfection.One who performs severe austerities for sense gratification isfearful to the entire world, whereas a devotee who performs even a slightamount of devotional service is a friend to everyone (suhrdam sarvabhiltiiniim).Since the Lord is the well-wisher of every living entity andsince a devotee assumes the qualities of the Lord, a devotee also acts foreveryone's good fortune by performing devotional service. Thus althoughHiraJ.lyakasipu performed such a severe austerity, he remained aDaitya and a Rakasa, whereas Prahlada Maharaja, although born of thesame Daitya father, became the most exalted devotee and was personallyprotected by the Supreme Lord. Bhakti is therefore called sarvopiidhivinirmuktam,indicating that a devotee is freed from all material designations,and anyiibhiitii-silnyam, situated in a transcendental position,free from all material desires.TEXT 17'J{tiffllfq'R\iMetMJ31{j :fu4)sfu q IOOsmR fir:rffl1ftit : II \911sri-brahmoviicautti§!hotti§!ha bhadram tetapa/:1--siddho 'si kiiSyapavarado 'ham anupriiptovriyatiim ipsito vara/:1sri-brahmiiuviica-Lord Brahma said; utti§!ha-please get up; utti§tha-get up; bhadram-good fortune; te-unto you; tapa/:1-­siddha/:1--perfect in executing austerities; asi-you are; kiiSyapa-0

Text 18) Hirm;tyaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 145son of Kasyapa; vara-daft-the giver of benediction; aham-1;anupriiptaft-arrived; vriyatiim-let it be submitted; i'psitaft-desired;varaft-benediction.TRANSLATIONLord Brahma said: 0 son of K.aSyapa Muni, please get up, pleaseget up. All good fortune unto you. You are now perfect in the performanceof your austerities, and therefore I may give you abenediction. You may now ask from me whatever you desire, and Ishall try to fulfill your wish.PURPORTSrila Madhvacarya quotes from the Skanda Purar:rn, which says thatHiraQyakasipu, having become a devotee of Lord Brahma, who is knownas Hira1.1yagarbha, and having undergone a severe austerity to pleasehim, is also known as Hira1.1yaka. Rak!?asas and demons worship variousdemigods, such as Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, just to take the post ofthese demigods. This we have already explained in previous verses.TEXT 18'itilrd I $fl1Jf1U IIadrak$am aham etam tehrt-siiram mahad-adbhutamdari!Sa-bhak$ita-dehasyaprii1}ij hy asthi§u serateadrak$am-have personally seen; aham-1; etam-this; te-your;hrt-siiram-power of endurance; mahat-very great; adbhutam-wonderful;damsa-bhak$ita-eaten by worms and ants; dehasya-whosebody; prii1}iift-the life air; hi-indeed; asthi§u-in the bones; serateistaking shelter.TRANSLATIONI have been very much astonished to see your endurance. Inspite of being eaten and bitten by all kinds of worms and ants, you

146 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 3are keeping your life air circulating within your bones. Certainlythis is wonderful.PURPORTIt appears that the soul can exist even through the bones, as shown bythe personal example of Hira.Qyakasipu. When great yogis are insamadhi, even when their bodies are buried and their skin, marrow,blood and so on have all been eaten, if only their bones remain they canexist in a transcendental position. Very recently an archaeologistpublished findings indicating that Lord Christ, after being buried, wasexhumed and that he then went to Kashmir. There have been many actualexamples of yogis' being buried in trance and exhumed alive and ingood condition several hours later. A yogi can keep himself alive in atranscendental state even if buried not only for many days but for manyyears.TEXT 19 €fifiij Iit:llllnaitat pilroar$aya.S cakrurna kari$yanti ciiparenirambur dhiirayet priiT}iinko vai divya-samiib, satamna-not; etat-this; pilroa-r$ayab,-the sages before you, such asBbrgu; cakrub,-executed; na-nor; kari$yanti-will execute; caalso;apare-others; nirambub,-without drinking water; dhiirayetcansustain; priiT}iin-the life air; kab,-who; vai-indeed; divyasamiib,-celestialyears; satam-one hundred.TRANSLATIONEven saintly persons like Bh:rgu, born previously, could notperform such severe austerities, nor will anyone in the future beable to do so. Who within these three worlds can sustain his lifewithout even drinking water for one hundred celestial years?

Text 21] Hiryaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 147PURPORTIt appears that even if a yogi does not drink a drop of water, he canlive for many, many years by the yogic process, though his outer body beeaten by ants and moths.TEXT 20oq;r ij;r 'ihlll ;rf IijcflM311 ¥Pm f Rre11;:a:;r llollvyavasayena te 'nenadkare manasvinamtapo-ni$!hena bhavatajito 'ham diti-nandanavyavasayena-by determination; te-your; anena-this; dkare-difficultto perform; manasvinam-even for great sages andsaintly persons; tapa/:t-ni$!hena-aimed at executing austerity;bhavata-by you; jita/:t -conquered; aham-I; diti-nandana-0 son ofDiti.TRANSLATIONMy dear son of Diti, with your great determination and austerityyou have done what was impossible even for great saintly persons,and thus I have certainly been conquered by you.PURPORTIn regard to the ord jita/:t, Srila Madhva Muni gives the followingquotation from the Sabda-nin_taya: parabhutarh va.Sa-stharh ca jitabhiducyate budhai/:t. "If one comes under someone else's control or is defeatedby another, he is called jita/:t." HiraQyakasipu's austerity was sogreat and wonderful that even Lord Brahma agreed to be conquered byhim.TEXT 21mm 3Ttf: "4 1• ij m

148Srimad-Bhagavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 3tatas ta iiSab sarvadadiimy asura-purigavamartasya te hy amartasyadarsanam niiphalam mamatatab,-because of this; te-unto you; ii.Sab,-benedictions; sarvab,all;dadiimi-1 shall give; asura-purigava-0 best of the asuras; martasya-ofone who is destined to die; te-such as you; hi-indeed;amartasya-of one who does not die; darsanam-the audience; nanot;aphalam-without results; mama-my.TRANSLATION0 best of the asuras, fo this reason I am now prepared to giveyou all benedictions, according to your desire. I belong to thecelestial world of demigods, who do not die like human beings.Therefore, although you are subject to death, your audience withme will not go in vain.PURPORTIt appears that human beings and asuras are subject to death, whereasdemigods are not. The demigods who reside with Lord Brahma inSatyaloka go to Vaikuthaloka in their present bodily constructions atthe time of the dissolution. Therefore although Hirayakasipu had undergonesevere austerities, Lord Brahma predicted that he had to die; hecould not become immortal or even gain equal status with the demigods.The great austerities and penances he had performed for so many yearscould not give him protection from death. This was foretold by LordBrahma.TEXT 22q ljffl!i€

Text 23]Bir81,lyaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal149kamar:u}alu-jalenauaddivyenamogha-radhasasri-narada/:1. uvaca-Sri Narada Muni said; iti-thus; uktoo-saying;adibhava/:1.-Lord Brahmli, the original living creature within this universe;deva/:1.-the principal demigod; bhaita-arigam­Hirayak.asipu's body, which had been almost completely eaten;pipilikai/:1.-by the ants; kamar:u}alu-from the special waterpot in thehands of Lord Brahmli; jalena-by water; auat-sprinkled;divyena-which was spiritual, not ordinary; amogha-without fail;radhasa-whose power.TRANSLATIONSri Nirada Muni continued: After speaking these words toHir81,lyaka8ipu, Lord Brahma, the original being of this universe,who is extremely powerful, sprinkled transcendental, infallible,spiritual water from his kamBI,l.,.alu upon Hir81,lyaka8ipu's body,which had been eaten away by ants and moths. Thus he enlivenedHir81,lyaka8ipu.PURPORTLord Brahmli is the first created being within this universe and is empoweredby the Supreme Lord to create. Tene brahma hrda ya adikavaye:the adi-deva, or adi-kavi-the first living creature-was personallytaught by the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the heart.There was no one to teach him, but since the Lord is situated withinBrahma's heart, Brahmli was educated by the Lord Himself. LordBrahmli, being especially empowered, is infallible in doing whatever hewants. This is the meaning of the word amogha-radhasa. He desired torestore Hiryakasipu's original body, and therefore, by sprinkling transcendentalwater from his waterpot, be immediately did so.TEXT 23 6eh\:q 3llitilet: 1(iqtqtJq(i¥Oq'il) ;it Ii3Rq6(ijftt'il :

150 Srimad-Bhagavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 3sa tat kicaka-valmikiitsaha-ojo-baliin vital},sarvavayava-sampannovajra-sarhhanano yuvautthitas tapta-hemabhovibhavasur ivaidhasal},sai},-Hiral')yakasipu; tat-that; kicaka-valmikiit-from the anthilland bamboo grove; sahal},-mental strength; ojal},-strength of thesenses; bala-and sufficient bodily strength; anvital},-endowed with;sarva-all; avayava-the limbs of the body; sampannal},-fullyrestored; vajra-sarhhananal},-having a body as strong as a thunderbolt;yuva-young; utthital},-arisen; tapta-hema-abhal},-whose bodilyluster became like molten gold; vibhavasuiJ,-fire; iva-like; edhasal},­from fuel wood.TRANSLATIONAs soon as he was sprinkled with the water from Lord Brahma'swaterpot, HiraJ;Iyaka8ipu arose, endowed with a full body withlimbs so strong that they could bear the striking of a thunderbolt.With physical strength and a bodily luster resembling moltengold, he emerged from the anthill a completely young man, just asfire springs from fuel wood.PURPORTHiral')yakasipu was revitalized, so much so that his body was quitecompetent to tolerate the striking of thunderbolts. He was now a youngman with a strong body and a very beautiful bodily luster resemblingmolten gold. This is the rejuvenation that took place because of hissevere austerity and penance.TEXT 24 f;rq t("(CfiRq I;r;nqf : 1111

Text 24]HiryakaSipu's Plan to Become Immortal151sa niriyambare devamharilsa-vaham upasthitamnanama sirasa bhumautad-darsana-mahotsavab.sab,-he (HiraQyakasipu); niriya-seeing; ambare-in the sky;devam-the supreme demigod; hamsa-vaham-who rides a swanairplane; upasthitam-situated before him; nanama-offered obeisances;sirasa-with his head; bhumau-on the ground; tat-darsanabyseeing Lord Brahmii; maha-utsavab,-very much pleased.TRANSLATIONSeeing Lord Brahma present before him in the sky, carried byhis swan airplane, Hirat;yaka.Sipu was extremely pleased. He immediatelyfell Hat with his head on the ground and began to expresshis obligation to the lord.PURPORTLord l(rQa says in Bhagavad-gita (9.23-24):ye 'py anya-devata-bhaktayajante sraddhayanvitab.te 'pi mam eva kaunteyayajanty avidhi-pilroakamaham hi saroa-yajnanambhokta ca prabhur eva cana tu mam abhijanantitattvenata5 cyavanti te"Whatever a man may sacrifice to other gods, 0 son of Kunti, is reallymeant for Me alone, but it is offered without true understanding. I amthe only enjoyer and the only object of sacrifice. Those who do not recognizeMy true transcendental nature fall down."In effect, l(rQa says, "Persons engaged in the worship of demigodsare not very intelligent, although such worship is indirectly offered to

152 Srbnad-BbagavaUun [Canto 7, Ch. 3Me." For example, when a man pours water on the leaves and branchesof a tree without pouring water on the root, he does so without sufficientknowledge or without observing regulative principles. The process ofwatering a tree is to pour water on the root. Similarly, the process of renderingservice to different parts of the body is to supply food to thestomach. The demigods are, so to speak, different officers and directorsin the government of the Supreme Lord. One has to follow the laws madeby the government, not by the officers or directors. Similarly, everyone isto offer his worship to the Supreme Lord only. That will automaticallysatisfy the different officers and directors of the Lord. The officers anddirectors are engaged as representatives of the government, and to offersome bribe to the officers and directors is illegal. This is stated inBhagavad-gita as avidhi-puroakam. In other words, i(rf?Qa does not approvethe unnecessary worship of the demigods.In Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that there are many types of yajnaperformances recommended in the Vedic literatures, but actually all ofthem are meant for satisfying the Supreme Lord. Yajna means Vif?QU. Inthe Third Chapter of Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that one shouldwork only for satisfying Yajiia, or Vif?QU. The perfectional form ofhuman civilization, known as va17)1]Srama-dharma, is specifically meantfor satisfying Vif?QU. Therefore, i(rf?Qa says, "I am the enjoyer of allsacrifices because I am the supreme master." However, less intelligentpersons, without knowing this fact, worship demigods for temporarybenefit. Therefore they fall down to material existence and do notachieve the desired goal of life. If, however, anyone has any materialdesire to be fulfilled, he had better pray for it to the Supreme Lord(although that is not pure devotion), and he will thus achieve the desiredresult.Although HiraQyakasipu offered his obeisances unto Lord Brahma, hewas strongly inimical toward Lord Vif?QU. This is the symptom of anasura. Asuras worship the demigods as being separate from the Lord, notknowing that all the demigods are powerful because of being servants ofthe Lord. If the Supreme Lord were to withdraw the powers of thedemigods, the demigods would no longer be able to offer benedictions totheir worshipers. The difference between a devotee and a nondevotee, orasura, is that a devotee knows that Lord Vif?QU is the Supreme Personalityof Godhead and that everyone derives power from Him. Without

Text 25] Hir8J.lyaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 153worshiping the demigods for particular powers, a devotee worships LordViIJ.u, knowing that if he desires a particular power he can get thatpower while acting as Lord ViIJ.u's devotee. Therefore in the siistra(Bhag. 2.3.10) it is recommended:akiima/:1. sarva-kiirrw varrwkja-kiima udiira-dhi/:1.tivre bhakti-yogenayajeta purwjarh param"A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of materialdesires, free from material desires, or desiring liberation, must by allmeans worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead." Even ifa person has material desires, instead of worshiping the demigods heshould pray to the Supreme Lord so that his connection with the SupremeLord will be established and he will be saved from becoming a demon ora nondevotee. In this regard, Srila Madhvacarya gives the followingquotation from the Brahma-tarka:eka-sthiinaika-kiiryatvadv/:1. pradhiinyatas tathiijivasya tad-adhinatvanna bhinnadhikrtam vaca/:1.Since ViQU is the Supreme, by worshiping ViIJ.U one can fulfill all one'sdesires. There is no need to divert one's attention to any demigod.TEXT 25 sud: I=Rf flm 411%\d\l•lull IIutthiiya praiijali/:1. prahvaikjamii drsa vibhumhar$dSru-pulakodbhedogird gadgadayiigroiit

154 SrUnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 3utthaya-getting up; pranjalib,-with folded hands; prahvab,-in ahumble manner; ik,samab,-seeing; drsa-with his eyes; vibhumthesupreme person within this universe; har$a-of jubilation; a5ruwithtears; pulaka-with hairs standing on the body; udbhedab,-enlivened;gira-by words; gadgadaya-faltering; agroat-prayed.TRANSLATIONThen, getting up from the ground and seeing Lord Brahmabefore him, the head of the Daityas was overwhelmed by jubilation.With tears in his eyes, his whole body shivering, he beganpraying in a humble mood, with folded hands and a falteringvoice, to satisfy Lord Brahmi.TEXTS 26-27'1{1(€(01./tflfirijaiwtMT 13Tfl404wt•l Rr: II... fsmn f Rr 1:('I+:Ht'il N WA: II \911sri-hiralJ.yakaSipur uvdcakalpante kdla-sf$!enayo 'ndhena tamasavrtamabhivyanag jagad idamsvayanjyotib, sva-roci§aatmana tri-vrta cedamsrjaty avati lumpatirajab,-sattva-tamo-dhamneparaya mahate namab,sri-hiraTJ.yakaSipub, uvaca-Hira1.1yakasipu said; kalpa-ante-at theend of every day of Lord Brahma; kdla-smena-created by the time factor;yab,-he who; andhena -by dense darkness; tamasa-by ig-

Text 27] Hiryak&Sipu's Plan to Become Immortal 155norance; avrtam-covered; abhivyanak-manifested; jagat-cosmicmanifestation; idam-this; svayam-jyoti-sel£-effulgent; sva-roci§abyhis bodily rays; atmana-by himself; tri-vrta-conducted by thethree modes of material nature; ca-also; idam-this material world;srjati-creates; avati-maintains; lumpati-annihilates; raja-of themode of passion; sattva-the mode of goodness; tama-and the modeof ignorance; dha:mne-unto the supreme lord; paraya-unto thesupreme; mahate-unto the great; nama-my respectful obeisances.TRANSLATIONLet me offer my respectful obeisances unto the supreme lordwithin this universe. At the end of each day of his life, the universeis fully covered with dense darkness by the influence oftime, and then again, during his next day, that self-effulgent lord,by his own effulgence, manifests, maintains and destroys the entirecosmic manifestation through the material energy, which isinvested with the three modes of material nature. He, LordBrahma, is the shelter. of those modes of nature-sattva-gut:J.a,rajo-gut:ta and tamo-gut:ta.PURPORTThe words abhivyanag jagad idam refer to he who creates this cosmicmanifestation. The original creator is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,l(rQ.a (janmady asya yataM; Lord Brahma is the secondary creator.When Lord Brahma is empowered by Lord l(rQ.a as the engineer tocreate the phenomenal world, he becomes the supremely powerfulfeature within this universe. The total material energy is created byl(rQ.a, and later, taking advantage of all that has necessarily been created,Lord Brahma engineers the entire phenomenal universe. At the endof Lord Brahma's day, everything up to Svargaloka is inundated withwater, and the next morning, when there is darkness in the universe,Brahma again brings the phenomenal manifestation into existence.Therefore he is described here as he who manifests this universe.Trin gun vnwti: Lord Brahma takes advantage of the three modesof material nature. Prakrti, material nature, is described here as tri-vrtii,the source of the three material modes. Srila Madhvacarya comments in

156 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 3this connection that tri-vrta means prakrtya. Thus Lord _KrI;ta is theoriginal creator, and Lord Brahma is the original engineer.TEXT28 Slltilf;os::q41Wilf4\f?llfui IInama adyaya bijayajfiiina-vijfiiina-milrtayeprar:wrulriya-mano-buddhivikarairvyaktim iyenamatt-I offer my respectful obeisances; adyaya-unto the originalliving creature; bijaya-the seed of the cosmic manifestation; jfiiina-ofknowledge; vijfiiina-and of practical application; milrtaye-unto thedeity or form; prary,a-of the life air; irulriya-of the senses; manattofthe mind; buddhi-of the intelligence; vikaraitt-by transformations;vyaktim-manifestation; ry-e-who has obtained.TRANSLATIONI offer my obeisances to the original personality within this universe,Lord Brahmi, who is cognizant and who can apply his mindand realized intelligence in creating this cosmic manifestation. It isbecause of his activities that everything within the universe is visible.He is therefore the cause of all manifestations.PURPORTThe Vedanta-sutra begins by declaring that the Absolute Person is theoriginal source of all creation (janmady asya yatatt}. One may askwhether Lord Brahma is the Supreme Absolute Person. No, the SupremeAbsolute Person is _KrI;ta. Brahma receives his mind, intelligence, materialsand everything else from _KrQa, and then he becomes the secondarycreator, the engineer of this universe. In this regard we may notethat the creation does not take place accidentally, because of the explosionof a chunk. Such nonsensical theories are not accepted by Vedic students.The first created living being is Brahma, who is endowed with

Text 29] Hir&J,lyaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 157perfect knowledge and intelligence by the Lord. As stated in Srimad­Bhagavatam, tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye: although Brahmli is thefirst created being, he is not independent, for he receives help from theSupreme Personality of Godhead through his heart. There is no one butBrahmli at the time of creation, and therefore he receives his intelligencedirectly from t,he Lord through the heart. This has been discussed in thebeginning of Srimad-Bhiigavatam.Lord Brahmli is described in this verse as the original cause of the cosmicmanifestation, and this applies to his position in the material world.There are many, many such controllers, all of whom are created by theSupreme Lord, Vi!?J:.lU. This is illustrated by an incident described inCaitanya-caritamrta. When the Brahmli of this particular universe wasinvited by !?J:.la to Dvarakli, he thought that he was the only Brahmli.Therefore when !?J:.la inquired from His servant which Brahmli was atthe door to visit, Lord Brahmli was surprised. He replied that of courseLord Brahmli, the father of the four Kumliras, was waiting at the door.Later, Lord Brahmli asked !?J:.la why He had inquired which Brahmlihad come. He was then informed that there are millions of otherBrahmlis because there are millions of universes. !?J:.la then called allthe Brahmlis, who immediately came to visit Him. The catur-mukhaBrahmli, the four-headed Brahmli of this universe, thought himself avery insignificant creature in the presence of so many Brahmlis with somany heads. Thus although there is a Brahmli who is the engineer ofeach universe, !?J:.la is the original source of all of them.TEXT 29m iil•a€1mQt;r tffir: 3fiilr-11 Ifm*rw«aulf1ffint ij!JUIIijU tvam iSe jagatas tasthU§aS caprdr:tena mukhyena pati/:1. prajanamcittasya cittair mana-indriyal)iimpatir mahan bhuta-guT)ii.Sayesa/:1.

158 Srimad-Bhiigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 3tvam-you; iSe-actually control; jagata}:t-of the moving being;tastha}:t-of the being that is dull or stationed in one place; ca-and;priiJena-by the living force; mukhyena-the origin of all activities;patiJ:r,-master; prajaniim-of all living entities; cittasya-of the mind;cittai}:t-by the consciousness; mana}:t-of the mind; indriyam-andof the two kinds of senses (acting and knowledge-gathering); pati/:t-themaster; mahan-great; bhuta-of the material elements; guJa-andthe qualities of the material elements; asaya-of desires; iSa/:t-thesupreme master.TRANSLATIONYour Lordship, being the origin of the life of this materialworld, is the master and controller of the living entities, both movingand stationary, and you inspire their consciousness. You maintainthe mind and the acting and knowledge-acquiring senses, andtherefore you are the great controller of all the material elementsand their qualities, and you are the controller of all desires.PURPORTIn this verse it is clearly indicated that the original source of everythingis life. Brahma was instructed by the supreme life, l

Text 30]Hiyaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal159tvam sapta-tantiln vitarwi tanviitrayya catur-hotraka-vidyayii catvam eka iitmiitmavatiim anadirananta-para}J, kavir antariitmiitvam-you; sapta-tantun-the seven kinds of Vedic ritualisticceremonies, beginning from the agn!oma-yajna; vitanO§i-spread;tanva-by your body; trayya-the three Vedas; catu}J,-hotraka-of thefour kinds of Vedic priests, known as hotii, adhvaryu, brahma andudgiitii; vidyaya -by the necessary knowledge; ca-also; tvam-you;eka]J,-one; dtmii-the Supersoul; iitma-vatiim-of all living entities;anadi]J,-without beginning; ananta-para}J,-without end; kavi}J,-thesupreme mspuer; antal},-iitmii-the Supersoul within the core of theheart.TRANSLATIONMy dear lord, by your form as the Vedas personified andthrough knowledge relating to the activities of all the yajiiicbrahmru;tas, you spread the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies of theseven kinds of sacrifices, headed by agni!oma. Indeed, you inspirethe yajiiic brahmru;tas to perform the rituals mentioned in thethree Vedas. Being the Supreme Soul, the Supersoul of all livingentities, you are beginningless, endless and omniscient, beyondthe limits of time and space.PURPORTThe Vedic ritualistic ceremonies, the knowledge thereof, and the personwho agrees to perform them are inspired by the Supreme Soul. Asconfirmed in Bhagavad-gitii, matta}J, smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: fromthe Lord come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. The Supersoulis situated in everyone's heart (sarvasya cdham hrdi sanniv!aiJ.,i.Svara}J, sarva-bhatiiniirh hrd-dese 'rjuna t!hati), and when one is advancedin Vedic knowledge, the Supersoul gives him directions. Actingas Supersoul, the Lord gives inspiration to a suitable person to performthe Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. In this connection, four classes ofpriests, known as rtvik, are required. They are mentioned as hotii,adhvaryu, brahma and udgiitii.

160 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 3TEXT 31if sPtf'lwil ;n;n-Q: fA' I 3ffilT q(g'lt#t qU- =i:1 R 31mn II IItvam eva kalo 'nimi§o jananamayur lavady-avayavai /cyiikuta-stha atma paramethy ajo mahiimstvam jiva-lokasya ca }iva atmatvam-you; eva-indeed; ka/a-unlimited time; animi.§aunblinking;jananam-of all living entities; ayu-the duration of life;lava-adi-consisting of seconds, moments, minutes and hours;avayavai-by different parts; /cyii-reduce; kuta-stha-withoutbeing affected by anything; atma-the Supersoul; paramethi-theSupreme Lord; aja-the unborn; mahan-the great; tvam-you; jivalokasya-ofthis material world; ca-also; jiva-the cause of life;dtma-the Supersoul.TRANSLATION0 my lord, Your Lordship is eternally awake, seeing everythingthat happens. As eternal time, you reduce the duration of life forall living entities through your different parts, such as moments,seconds, minutes and hours. Nonetheless, you are unchanged,resting in one place as the Supersoul, witness and Supreme Lord,the birthless, all-pervading controller who is the cause of life forall living entities.PURPORTIn this verse the word kuta-stha is very important. Although theSupreme Personality of Godhead is situated everywhere, He is thecentral unchanging point. Isvara sarva-bhiitanam hrd-dese 'rjunati§thati: the Lord is situated in full in the core of everyone's heart. As indicatedin the Upani§ads by the word ekatvam, although there are

Text 32] Hiryak&Sipu's Plan to Become Immortal 161millions and millions of living entities, the Lord is situated as the Supersoulin every one of them. Nonetheless, He is one in many. As stated inthe Brahma-samhita, advaitam acyutam aniidim ananta-nlpam: He hasmany forms, yet they are advaita-one and unchanging. Since the Lordis all-pervading, He is also situated in eternal time. The living entitiesare described as parts and parcels of the Lord because He is the life andsoul of all living entities, being situated within their hearts as the antaryami,as enunciated by the philosophy of inconceivable oneness anddifference (acintya-bhedabheda). Since the living entities are part ofGod, they are one in quality with the Lord, yet they are different fromHim. The Supersoul, who inspires all living entities to act, is one andchangeless. There are varieties of subjects, objects and activities, yet theLord is one.TEXT 32: qt wtN(+itm-· f.t'il?{ ffhfi+iM IAliT: wrtf((U•tsftt VRf'm: 1111tvattab, pararh niiparam apy anejadejac ca kiiicid vyatiriktam astividyab, kaliis te tanatxl.S ca sarviihirar:tyagarbho 'si brhat tri-pmhabtvattab,-fromyou; param-higher; na-not; aparam-lower;api-even; anejat-not moving; ejat-moving; ca-and; kiiicit-anything;vyatiriktam-separate; asti-there is; vidyab,-knowledge;kaliib,-its parts; te-o£ you; tanavab,-features of the body; ca-and;sarvab,-all; hirar:tya-garbhab,-the one who keeps the universe withinhis abdomen; asi-you are; brhat-greater than the greatest; tripr!hab--transcendentalto the three modes of material nature.TRANSLATIONThere is nothing separate from you, whether it be better orlower, stationary or moving. The knowledge derived from the

162 Srnnad-Bhagavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 3Vedic literatures like the Upaniads, and from all the sub-limbs ofthe original Vedic knowledge, form your external body. You areHirru;tyagarbha, the reservoir of the universe, but nonetheless,being situated as the supreme controller, you are transcendental tothe material world, which consists of the three modes of materialnature.PURPORTThe word param means "the supreme cause," and aparam means"the effect." The supreme cause is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,and the effect is material nature. The living entities, both moving andnonmoving, are controlled by the Vedic instructions in art and science,and therefore they are all expansions of the external energy of theSupreme Personality of Godhead, who is the center as the Supersoul. Thebrahma, the universes, exist during the duration of a breath of theSupreme Lord (yasyaika-niSvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti lomavilajajagad-a1J4a,-nathab-}. Thus they are also within the womb of theSupreme Personality of Godhead, Maha-ViQu. Nothing, therefore, isseparate from the Supreme Lord. This is the philosophy of acintyabhedabheda-tattva.TEXT 33 R ( SIIOI'iwttgtJJi@4'{u mm qj{ttgil3fo'li 3lmfT : on IIvyaktarh vibho sthulam idam sarirarhyenendriya-prar:w-mano-gu1Jiirhs tvambhwik§e sthito dhamani paramethyeavyakta atma pua/:1. purar:w/:1.vyaktam-manifested; vibho-0 my lord; sthulam-cosmicmanifestation; idam-this; sariram-external body; yena-by which;indriya-the senses; praa-the life air; mana/:1.-the mind; gu1Jiin-

Text 34] Hiryaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal 163transcendental qualities; tvam-you; bhune-enjoy; sthita-situated;dluimani-in your own abode; parame!hye-the supreme;avyakta-not manifested through ordinary kfiowledge; atma-thesoul; purua-the supreme person; pura-the oldest.TRANSLATION0 my lord, being changelessly situated in your own abode, youexpand your universal form within this cosmic manifestation, thusappearing to taste the material world. You are Brahman, the Supersoul,the oldest, the Personality of Godhead.PURPORTIt is said that the Absolute Truth appears in three features-namely,impersonal Brahman, localized Supersoul and ultimately the SupremePersonality of Godhead, .i(rQa. The cosmic manifestation is the grossmaterial body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who enjoys thetaste of the material mellows by expanding His parts and parcels, the livingentities, who are qualitatively one with Him. The Supreme Personalityof Godhead, however, is situated in the VaikuQha planets,where He enjoys the spiritual mellows. Therefore the one AbsoluteTruth, Bhagavan, pervades all by His material cosmic manifestation, thespiritual Brahman effulgence, and His personal existence as the SupremeLord.TEXT 3431WCW'6 lott'ffiqu1 ffil If-itf'f.li:SRlitffil l{tf.{ : 11\lllanantavyakta-rilpeyenedam akhilam tatamcid-acic-chakti-yuktayatasmai bhagavate namaananta-avyakta-rilpe-by the unlimited, unmanifested form;yena-by which; idam-this; akhilam-total aggregate; tatam-expanded;cit-with spiritual; acit-and material; sakti-potency; yuk-

164 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 3taya-unto he who is endowed; tasmai-unto him; bhagavate-untothe Supreme Personality of Godhead; TUJmab,-I offer my respectfulobeisances.TRANSLATIONLet me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, who inhis unlimited, unmanifested form has expanded the cosmicmanifestation, the form of the totality of the universe. Hepossesses external and internal energies and the mixed energycalled the marginal potency, which consists of all the livingentities.PURPORTThe Lord is endowed with unlimited potencies (parasya saktirvividhaiva srilyate), which are summarized as three, namely external,internal and marginal. The external potency manifests this materialworld, the internal potency manifests the spiritual world, and themarginal potency manifests the living entities, who are mixtures of internaland external. The living entity, being part and parcel of Parabrahman,is actually internal potency, but because of being in contact withthe material energy, he is an emanation of material and spiritual energies.The Supreme Personality of Godhead is above the material energyand is engaged in spiritual pastimes. The material energy is only an externalmanifestation of His pastimes.TEXT 35 G>lflt4iIW{ wlf 4{ I\(1.-qfA:- IIyadi dasyasy abhimatanvaran me varadottamabhiltebhyas tvad-visr$tebhyomrtyur rna bhun mama prabhoyadi-if; dasyasi-you will give; abhimatan-the desired; varanbenedictions;me-unto me; varada-uttama-0 best of all benedictors;bhiltebhyab,-from living entities; tvat-by you; visf$!ebhyab,-who are

Text 36] Hiryak.Mipu's Plan to Become Immortal 165created; mrtyu-death; rna-not; bhut-let there be; mama-my;prabho-0 my lord.TRANSLATION0 my lord, 0 best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindlygrant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet deathfrom any of the living entities created by you.PURPORTMter being created from the navel of Garbhodakasayi ViQu, LordBrahma, the original created living being within the universe, createdmany other different types of living entities to reside in this universe.Therefore, from the beginning of creation, the living entities were bornof a superior living entity. Ultimately, l(rQa is the supreme living being,the father of all others. Aham bija-prada pita: He is the seed-givingfather of all living entities.Thus far, HiraQyakasipu has adored Lord Brahma as the SupremePersonality of Godhead and has expected to become immortal by thebenediction of Lord Brahma. Now, however, having come to understandthat even Lord Brahma is not immortal because at the end of the millenniumLord Brahma will also die, HiraQyakasipu is very carefully askinghim for benedictions that will be almost as good as immortality. His firstproposal is that he not be killed by any of the different forms of livingentities created by Lord Brahma within this material world.TEXT 36 w:ll411fq- :q'l: I" ;M 1111nantar bahir diva naktamanyasmiid api ciiyudhaina bhumau nambare mrtyurna narair na mrgair apina-not; anta-inside (the palace or home); bahi-outside thehome; diva-during the daytime; naktam-during the night; anyasmat-fromany others beyond Lord Brahma; api-even; ca-also;

166 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 3ayudhaib,-by any weapons used within this material world; na-nor;bhurnau-on the ground; na-not; ambare-in the sky; mrtyub,death;na-not; naraib,-by any men; na-nor; mrgaib,-by anyanimal; api-also.TRANSLATIONGrant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence,during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in thesky. Grant me that my death not he brought by any being otherthan those created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any humanbeing or animal.PURPORTHiral).yakasipu was very much afraid of Vil).u's becoming an animalto kill him because his brother had been killed by ViQU when the Lordtook the shape of a boar. He was therefore very careful to guard againstall kinds of animals. But even without taking the shape of an animal,ViQu could kill him by hurling His Sudarsana cakra, which can go anywherewithout the Lord's physical presence. Therefore Hiral).yakasipuwas careful to guard against all kinds of weapons. He guarded against allkinds of time, space and countries because he was afraid of being killedby someone else in another land. There are many other planets, higherand lower, and therefore he prayed for the benediction of not beingkilled by any resident of any of these planets. There are three originaldeities-Brahma, ViQu and Mahe8vara. HiraQyakasipu knew thatBrahma would not kill him, but he also wanted not to he killed by LordViQU or Lord Siva. Consequently, he prayed for such a benediction.Thus HiraQyakasipu thought himself securely protected from any kindof death caused by any living entity within this universe. He alsocarefully guarded against natural death, which might take place withinhis house or outside of the house.fA4ijfctlwtfqtTEXTS 37-38t\(lij(+t(\(il: I i q4 :q ffi:l'( 11\SIIq1f.rt 14 WI:riPit 1111I

Text 38]Hiryaka8ipu's Plan to Become Immortal167vyasubhir vii.sumadbhir oosuriisura-mahoragai/:Lapratidvandvatarit yuddheaika-patyarit ca dehiniimsaroeam loka-paliiniiritmahimanam yathatmana/:Ltapo-yoga-prabhaoorityan na yati karhicitvyasubhib,-by things that have no life; vii-or; asumadbhib,-by entitiesthat have life; oo-or; sura-by the demigods; asura-thedemons; maha-uragaib,-by the great serpents who live on the lowerplanets; apratidvandvatam-without a rival; yuddhe-in battle; aikapatyam-supremacy;ca-and; dehiniim-over those who have materialbodies; saroeam-of all; loka-paliiniim-the predominating deities ofall planets; mahimanam-the glory; yatha-just as; iitmanab,-ofyourself; tapab,-yoga-prabhaoom-of those whose power is obtainedby austerities and the practice of mystic yoga; yat-which; na-never;yati-is destroyed; karhicit-at any time.TRANSLATIONGrant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving.Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod ordemon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no onecan kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore,grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me solelordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and giveme all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give meall the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practiceof yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time.PURPORTLord Brahma obtained his supreme position due to long austerities andpenances, mystic yoga, meditation and so on. HiraQ.yakasipu wanted asimilar position. The ordinary powers achieved by mystic yoga,

168Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 3austent1es and other processes are sometimes vanquished, but thepowers obtained by the mercy of the Lord are never vanquished.Hira:r:tyakasipu, therefore, wanted a benediction that would never bevanquished.Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, ThirdChapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Hirar:tyakaSipu 's Plan toBecome Immortal. "

CHAPTER FOURHiryaka8ipu Terrorizes the UniverseThis chapter fully describes how Hirayakasipu obtained power fromLord Brahma and misused it by harassing all the living entities withinthis universe.By severe austerities, Hiryakasipu satisfied Lord Brahma and obtainedthe benedictions he desired. Mter he received these benedictions,his body, which had been almost entirely consumed, was revived withfull beauty and a luster like gold. Nonetheless, he continued to be enviousof Lord Viu, unable to forget Lord Viu's having killed hisbrother. Hirayakasipu conquered everyone in the ten directions and thethree worlds and brought all living entities, both demigods and asuras,under his control. Becoming the master of all places, including the residenceof lndra, whom he had driven out, he began enjoying life in greatluxury and thus became mad. All the demigods but Lord Viu, LordBrahma and Lord Siva came under his control and began serving him,but despite all his material power he was dissatisfied because he was alwayspuffed up, proud of transgressing the Vedic regulations. All thebrahmar:ms were dissatisfied with him, and they cursed him with determination.Eventually, all the living entities within the universe, representedby the demigods and sages, prayed to the Supreme Lord for relieffrom Hirayaka8ipu's rule.Lord Viu informed the demigods that they and the other living entitieswould be saved from the fearful conditions created byHirayakasipu. Since Hirayakasipu was the oppressor of all thedemigods, the followers of the Vedas, the cows, the brahmar:ms and thereligious, saintly persons, and since he was envious of the Supreme Lord,he would naturally be killed very soon. Hiryakasipu's last exploitwould be to torment his own son Prahlada, who was a maha-bhiigavata,an exalted Vaiava. Then his life would end. When the demigods werethus reassured by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everyone wassatisfied, knowing that the miseries inflicted upon them byHirayakasipu would come to an end.169

170 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 4Finally, Narada Muni describes the characteristics of PrahladaMaharaja, the son of HiraQ.yakasipu, and describes how his father enviedhis own qualified son. In this way the chapter ends.TEXT 1'J/1

Text 3]HiraJ;tyaka.Sipu Terrorizes the Universe171sri-brahmovacatateme durlabha/:t purhsarhyan vro-f$e varan mamatathapi vitaramy arigavaran yadyapi durlabhansri-brahma uvaca-Lord Brahma said; tata-0 dear son; ime-allthese; durlabha/:t-very rarely obtained; purhsam-by men; yanthosewhich; vro-f$e-you ask; varan-benedictions; mama-from me;tathapi-still; vitarami-1 shall deliver; ariga-0 Hiral)yakasipu;varan-the benedictions; yadyapi-although; durlabhan-notgenerally available.TRANSLATIONLord Brahmi said: 0 Hir&J;lyaka.Sipu, these benedictions forwhich you have asked are difficult to obtain for most men. Nonetheless,0 my son, I shall grant you them although they aregenerally not available.PURPORTMaterial benedictions are not always exactly worthy of being calledbenedictions. If one possesses more and more, a benediction itself maybecome a curse, for just as achieving material opulence in this materialworld requires great strength and endeavor, maintaining it also requiresgreat endeavor. Lord Brahma informed HiraQyakasipu that although hewas ready to offer him whatever he had asked, the result of the benedictionswould be very difficult for HiraQyakasipu to maintain. Nonetheless,since Brahma had promised, he wanted to grant all the benedictionsasked. The word durlabhan indicates that one should not take benedictionsone cannot enjoy peacefully.TEXT3m iift1lll "·••+t1•ait fen!: 1\ftlfflst\('E4iful 4+n: : II II

172 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Cb. 4tato jagama bhagavanamoghiinugralw vibhupujito 'sura-varye{Ulstuyamiina prajesvaraitata-thereafter; jagama-departed; bhagavan-the most powerful,Lord Brahma; amogha-without failure; anugraha-whosebenediction; vibhu-the Supreme within this universe; pujita-beingworshiped; asura-varye{la-by the most exalted demon (HiraQyakasipu);stayamiina-being praised; praja-iSvarai-by manydemigods, the masters of different regions.TRANSLATIONThen Lonl Brahma, who awards infallible benedictions,departed, being worshiped by the best of the demons,HiraJ;tyaka8ipu, and being praised by great sages and saintlypersons.TEXT4evam labdha-varo daityobibhrad dhemamayam vapubhagavaty akarod dve$arhbhratur vadham anusmaranevam-thus; labdha-vara-having obtained his desired boon;daitya-Hirar;tyakasipu; bibhrat -acquiring; hema-mayam-possessingthe luster of gold; vapu-a body; bhagavati-unto Lord Vil]QU, theSupreme Personality of Godhead; akarot-maintained; dve$am-envy;bhratu vadham-the killing of his brother; anusmaran-always thinkingof.TRANSLATIONThe demon HiraJ;tyaka8ipu, having thus been blessed by LordBrahma and having acquired a lustrous golden body, continued to

Text 7) Hiryaka.Sipu Terrorizes the Universe 173remember the death of his brother and therefore be envious ofLord Vi:Q.u.PURPORTA demoniac person, in spite of acquiring all the opulences possible toobtain in this universe, continues to be envious of the Supreme Personalityof Godhead.TEXTS 5-7Q fit: n;ft;J.:1*flt\(¥4•1 .. 1iftiWl(tli II "\ IIfet(=cti(OItlllwrft (iqJiW( I:II II IItt*fq

174 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 4indra-the kings; gandharoa-the Gandharvas; garU(ia-the Garur;l.as;uragan-the great serpents; siddha-the Siddhas; cdra-theCArar;tas; vidyadhran-the Vidyadharas; r§in-the great sages andsaintly persons; pitr-patin-Yamaraja and the other leaders of the Pitas;manan-all the different Manus; yak§a-the Yakas; rak§a-the Rak­asas; pi.Saca-oon-the leaders of Pisacaloka; preta-of the Pretas;bhata-and of the Bhutas; patin-the masters; api-also; sarva-sattvapatin-themasters of all the different planets; jitoo-conquering;va.Sam ani"ya-bringing under control; viSva-jit-the conqueror of thewhole universe; jahara-usurped; loka-palanam-of the demigods whomanage the universal affairs; sthanani-the places; saha-with;tejasa-all their power.TRANSLATIONHiryaka.Sipu became the conqueror of the entire universe. Indeed,that great demon conquered all the planets in the threeworlds-upper, middle and lower-including the planets of thehuman beings, the Gandharvas, the Garu«;las, the great serpents,the Siddhas, Csras and Vidyadharas, the great saints, Yamaraja,the Manus, the Yaks, the Rakasas, the Pisacas and their masters,and the masters of the ghosts and Bhiitas. He defeated the rulers ofall the other planets where there are living entities and broughtthem under his control. Conquering the abodes of all, he seizedtheir power and inftuence.PURPORTThe word garU(ia in this verse indicates that there are planets of greatbirds like Garur;l.a. Similarly, the word uraga indicates that there areplanets of enormous serpents. Such a description of the various planetsof the universe may challenge modern scientists who think that allplanets but this earth are vacant. These scientists claim to have launchedexcursions to the moon, where they have found no living entities butonly big craters full of dust and stone, although in fact the moon is sobrilliant that it acts like the sun in illuminating the entire universe. Ofcourse, it is not possible to convince modern scientists of the Vedic informationabout the universe. Nonetheless, we are not very much impressed

Text 8) Hiryaka.Sipu Terrorizes the Universe 175by the words of scientists who say that all other planets are vacant andthat only the earth is full of living entities.TEXTS :ge+t'41a f,leq( 1 fct"di!fi4uu 1a1iHel4(19fifl(11ef.t+td\ II IIdevodyana-sriya j!amadhyiiste sma tri-pi.§!apammahendra-bhavanarit siinnirmitarit viSvakarmatrailokya-lamy-ayatanamadhyuviisakhilarddhimatdeva-udyana-of the famous garden of the demigods; sriya-by theopulences; j!am-enriched; adhyiiste sma-remained in; tripi.§!apam-thehigher planetary system, where various demigods live;mahendra-bhavanam-the palace of lndra, the King of heaven;siiat-directly; nirmitam-constructed; viSvakarma-by thefamous architect of the demigods, Visvakarmli; trailokya-of all thethree worlds; lami-ayatanam -the residence of the goddess of fortune;adhyuvasa-lived in; akhila-rddhi-mat-possessing the opulenceof the entire universe.TRANSLATIONHiryaka.Sipu, who possessed all opulence, began residing inheaven, with its famous Nandana garden, which is enjoyed by thedemigods. In fact, he resided in the most opulent palace of lndra,the King of heaven. The palace had been directly constructed bythe demigod architect Visvakarma and was as beautifully made as ifthe goddess of fortune of the entire universe resided there.PURPORTFrom this description it appears that all the heavenly planets of theupper planetary system are thousands upon thousands of times more

176 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 4opulnt than the lower planetary system in which we live. Visvakarma,the famous heavenly architect, is known as the constructor of many wonderfulbuildings in the upper planets, where there are not only beautifulbuildings, but also many opulent gardens and parks, which are describedas nandana-devodyana, gardens quite fit to be enjoyed by the demigods.This description of the upper planetary system and its opulences is to beunderstood from authoritative scriptures like the Vedic literatures.Telescopes and the other imperfect instruments of scientists are inadequatefor evaluating the upper planetary system. Although suchinstruments are needed because the vision of the so-called scientists isimperfect, the instruments themselves are also imperfect. Therefore theupper planets cannot be appraised by imperfect men using imperfectman-made instruments. Direct information received from the Vedicliterature, however, is perfect, We therefore cannot accept the statementthat there are no opulent residences on planets other than this earth.TEXTS 9-12 Ag+«lqi•U 'i(l'ii(CMII ijCJ: I "'QiGillf.\ : II II 5161wtl q1f0411QwtiA :q 1:\wtf.l'it: JHl'ffii!:J'iqR«I: II o IIif51Uoq: \14.,4 :I((l((liJ\! qitl :II II6f4r .. q«Wli1'4Wt +nu1'lCI'lwtl fl6e1Eh "'sftlq;tllt 9;¥t: ij(IR:"'Sl6164tvliSIQwt: II IIyatra vidruma-sopaniimahii-marakata bhuvab,yatra sphii#ka-kwj,yanivaidurya-stambha-pariktayab,

Text 12]Hirm.tyaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe177yatra citra-vitananipadmaragiisanani capaya/:1.-phena-nibhii/:1. sayyamuktiidiima-paricchada/:1.kujadbhir nupurair devya/:1.sabda-yantya itas tata/:1.ratna-sthali{;u pa§yantisudati/:1. sundararh mukhamtasmin mahendra-bhavane mahii-balomahii-mana nirjita-loka eka-ra!reme 'bhivandyarighri-yuga/:1. suradibhi/:1,pratapitair urjita-car:u}a-siisana/:1.yatra-where (the residential quarters of King lndra); vidrumasopana/:1.-stepsmade of coral; ma/ui-marakata/:1.-emerald; bhuva/:1,­floors; yatra-where; splui#ka-crystal; kyani-walls; vaidurya-ofvaidurya stone; stambha-of pillars; pariktaya/:1,-lines; yatra-where;citra-wonderful; vitanani-canopies; padmaraga-bedecked withrubies; ii.sanani-seats; ca-also; paya/:1.-of milk; phena-the foam;nibhii/:1,-just like; sayya/:1,-beds; muktadama-of pearls;paricchada/:1,-having borders; kujadbhi/:1.-jingling; nupurai/:1,-withankle bells; derya/:1,-celestial ladies; sabda-yantya/:1,-making sweetvibrations; ita/:!, tata/:1,-here and there; ratna-sthali{;u-in placesbedecked with jewels and gems; pa§yanti-see; su-dati/:1.-having niceteeth; sundaram-very beautiful; mukham-faces; tasmin-in that;mahendra-bhavane-the residential quarters of the heavenly King;mahii-bala/:1.-the most powerful; ma/ui-mana/:1.-highly thoughtful;nirjita-loka/:1,-having everyone under his control; eka-rat-the powerfuldictator; reme-enjoyed; abhivandya-worshiped; mighri-yuga/:1,­whose two feet; sura-adibhi/:1,-by the demigods; pratapitai/:1,-beingdisturbed; urjita-more than expected; car:u}a-severe; sii.sana/:1,­whose ruling.TRANSLATIONThe steps of King lndra's residence were made of coral, theO.oor was bedecked with invaluable emeralds, the walls were of

178 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 4crystal, and the columns of vaidlirya stone. The wonderfulcanopies were beautifully decorated, the seats were bedecked withrubies, and the silk bedding, as white as foam, was decorated withpearls. The ladies of the palace, who were blessed with beautifulteeth and the inost wonderfully beautiful faces, walked here andthere in the palace, their ankle bells tinkling melodiously, and sawtheir own beautiful reflections in the gems. The demigods,however, being very much oppressed, had to bow down and offerobeisances at the feet of Hirlll,lyak8Sipu, who chastised thedemigods very severely and for no reason. Thus Hirlll,lyaki!Sipulived in the palace and severely ruled everyone.PURPORTHiraQ.yakasipu was so powerful in the heavenly planets that all thedemigods except Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and Lord Vi!)U were forced toengage in his service. Indeed, they were afraid of being severelypunished if they disobeyed him. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti has comparedHiraiJyakasipu to Maharaja Vena, who was also atheistic andscornful of the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas. YetMaharaja Vena was afraid of some of the great sages such as Bhgu,whereas HiraQ.yakasipu ruled in such a way that everyone feared him butLord Vi!)u, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. Hira!)yakasipu was so alertagainst being burnt to ashes by the anger of great sages like Bhgu thatby dint of austerity he surpassed their power and placed even themunder his subordination. It appears that even in the higher planetarysystems, to which people are promoted by pious activities, disturbancesare created by asuras like Hira!)yakasipu. No one in the three worlds canlive in peace and prosperity without disturbance.TEXT 13 'Ri t*I(IIWI! I341(1al41Wi41f0l«etillilillilei II I I

Text 13]Hira1,1yaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe179tam anga mattarit madhunoru-gandhiniivivrtta-ttimrtik$am a§ea-dh4r:Lya-pa/:tupasatopayana-pii"(Libhir viniitribhis tapo-yoga-balaujasarit padamtam-him (Hirru;tyakasipu); anga-0 dear King; mattam-intoxicated;madhunii-by wine; uru-gandhinii-strong-smelling; vivrttarol!ing;tdmra-ak$am-having eyes like copper; a§ea-dh4TJya-pa/:t­the principal men of all the planets; upasata-worshiped; upayanafullwith paraphernalia; piir:Libhi/:t-by their own hands; vinii-without;tribhi/:t-the three principal deities (Lord ViQU, Lord Brahma and LordSiva); tapa/:t-of austerity; yoga-mystic power; bala-bodily strength;ojasdm-and power of the senses; padam-the abode.TRANSLATION0 my dear King, Hira1,1yaka8ipu was always drunk on strongsmellingwines and liquors, and therefore his coppery eyes werealways rolling. Nonetheless, because he had powerfully executedgreat austerities in mystic yoga, although he was abominable, allbut the three principal demigods-Lord Brahmii, Lord Siva andLord Vi1,1u-personally worshiped him to please him by bringinghim various presentations with their own hands.PURPORTIn the Skanda Purti"(La there is this description: upayanarit dadu/:tsarve vinii devan hira"(Lyaka}:t. HiraQyakasipu was so powerful thateveryone but the three principal demigods-namely Lord Brahma, LordSiva and Lord ViQu-engaged in his service. Madhvacarya says, adityavasavo rudras tri-vidha hi sura yata}:t. There are three kinds ofdemigods-the Adityas, the Vasus and the Rudras-beneath whom arethe other demigods, like the Maruts and Sadhyas (marutaS caiva viSve casadhyas caiva ca tad-gatal:t}. Therefore all the demigods are called trip4!apa,and the same word tri applies to Lord Brahrna, Lord Siva andLord ViQu.

180 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 4TEXT 14i5tlWi\IQWf¥{tQ I ftr•ell':t tid'!i!G> IG>H se}t1s .. a­\llljagur mahendriisanam ojasa sthitamviSvavasus tumburur asmad-iidaya/:tgandharva-siddha r$ayo 'stuvan muhurvidyadharas cdpsarasa.S ca paTJ4,avajagu/:t-sung of the glories; mahendra-iisanam-the throne of Kinglndra; ojasa-by personal power; sthitam-situated on; viSvavasu/:t­the chief singer of the Gandharvas; tumburu/:t-another Gandharvasinger; asmat-iidaya/:t-including ourselves (Narada and others alsoglorified HiraQyaka8ipu); gandharva-the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka;siddha/:t-the inhabitants of Siddhaloka; f$aya/:t-the great sagesand saintly persons; astuvan-offered prayers; muhu/:t-again andagain; vidyadhara/:t-the inhabitants of Vidyadhara-loka; ca-and;apsarasa/:t-the inhabitants of Apsaroloka; ca-and; paTJ4,ava-O descendantof PiiQQU.TRANSLATION0 Maharaja Yudhihira, descendant of PiiJ;I9u, by dint of hispersonal power, HiraJ,lyak&Sipu, being situated on the throne ofKing lndra, controlled the inhabitants of all the other planets. Thetwo Gandharvas Visvavasu and Tumburu, I myself and theVidyiidharas, Apsariis and sages all offered prayers to him againand again just to glorify him.PURPORTThe asuras sometimes become so powerful that they can engage evenNarada Muni and similar devotees in their service. This does not meanthat Narada was subordinate to HiraQyakasipu. Sometimes, however, itso happens in this material world that great personalities, even great devotees,can also be controlled by the asuras.

Text 16)Hiryaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe181TEXT 15::1-¥11wft m ·mllsa eva van:uJ.Sramibhi/:tkratubhir bhuri-dair:uzi/:1.ijyamdrw havir-bhiiganagrahit svena tejasasa/:t-he (HiraQyakasipu); eva-indeed; varr:uz-asramibhi/:1.-by personswho strictly followed the regulative principles of the four varr:uzsand four asramas; kratubhi/:t-by ritualistic ceremonies; bhuri-abundant;dair:uzi/:1.-offered with gifts; ijyamdna/:t-being worshiped;havi/:t-bhiigan-the portions of the oblationsi agrahit-usurped;svena-by his own; tejasii-prowess.TRANSLATIONBeing worshiped by sacrifices offered with great gifts by thosewho strictly followed the principles of varf}.a and iiSrama,Hiryaka8ipu, instead of offering shares of the oblations to thedemigods, accepted them himself.TEXT 16'f)li'l)i41 (11416: (1fta_1qi!4Jt ¥1lJ I(t1ll Efil¥11 ;lfcil ;n;n : II IIakma-pacya tasyasitsapta-dvipavati mahitathii kiima-dughii gavonanascarya-padam nabha/:takrta-pacya-bearing grains without being cultivated or plowed;tasya-of HiraQyakasipu; iisit-was; sapta-dvipa-vati-consisting ofseven islands; mahi-the earth; tathii-so much so; kiima-dughii/:t-

182 Srimad-Bhagavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 4which can deliver as much milk as one desires; gava-cows; nandvarious;ascarya-padam-wonderful things; nabha-the sky.TRANSLATIONAs if in fear of Hir81,lyaka8ipu, the planet earth, which consistsof seven islands, delivered food grains without being plowed.Thus it resembled cows like the surabhi of the spiritual world orthe kama-dugha of heaven. The earth yielded sufficient foodgrains, the cows supplied abundant milk, and outer space wasbeautifully decorated with wonderful phenomena.TEXT 17«tiCMI OOI:fl(ijqfli: Itil«•I: II IIratniikaras ca ratnaugharhstat-patnya.S cohur armibh*ara-sidhu-ghrta-audradadhi-iramrtodakiiratnakara-the seas and oceans; ca-and; ratna-oghan-variouskinds of gems and valuable stones; tat-patnya-the wives of the oceansand seas, namely the rivers; ca-also; ahu-carried; urmibhi-bytheir waves; lira-the salt ocean; sidhu-the ocean of wine; ghrtatheocean of clarified butter; udra-the ocean of sugarcane juice;dadhi-the ocean of yogurt; ira-the ocean of milk; amrta-and thevery sweet ocean; uda-water.TRANSLATIONBy the flowing of their waves, the various oceans of the universe,along with their tributaries, the rivers, which are comparedto their wives, supplied various kinds of gems and jewels forHir81,lyaka8ipu's use. These oceans were the oceans of salt water,sugarcane juice, wine, clarified butter, milk, yogurt, and sweetwater.

Text 18] Hira:r_1yaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 183PURPORTThe water of the seas and oceans of this planet, of which we have experience,are salty, but other planets within the universe contain oceansof sugarcane juice, liquor, ghee, milk and sweet water. The rivers arefiguratively described as wives of the oceans and seas because they glidedown to the oceans and seas as tributaries, like the wives attached to theirhusbands. Modern scientists attempt excursions to other planets, butthey have no information of how many different types of oceans and seasthere are within the universe. According to their experience, the moon isfull of dust, but this does not explain how it gives us soothing rays from adistance of millions of miles. As far as we are concerned, we follow theauthority of Vyasadeva and Sukadeva Gosvami, who have described theuniversal situation according to the Vedic literature. These authoritiesdiffer from modern scientists who conclude from their imperfect sensualexperience that only this planet is inhabited by living beings whereas theother planets are all vacant or full of dust.TEXT 18 ituftOSbi gtJfl'l: I lifNII"'Iit II IIsaili.i dror:tibhir iikrU}amsarvartU§u guTJ-iin drumii/:tdadhiira loka-piili.iniimeka eva prthag guTJ-iinsaili.i/:t-the hills and mountains; dror:tibhi/:t-with the valleys betweenthem; iikrU}am-pleasure grounds for Hiral)yakasipu; sarva-all;rtU§u-in the seasons of the year; guTJ-iin-different qualities (fruits andflowers); drumii/:t-the plants and trees; dadhiira-executed; lokapiiliiniim-ofthe other demigods in charge of different departments ofnatural activity; eka/:t-alone; eva-indeed; prthak-different;guTJ-iin-qualities.TRANSLATIONThe valleys between the mountains became fields of pleasurefor Hira:r_Iyaka5ipu, by whose influence all the trees and plants

184 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 4produced fruits and flowers profusely in all seasons. The qualitiesof pouring water, drying and burning, which are all qualities ofthe three departmental heads of the universe-namely lndra, Viyuand Agni-were all directed by Hir&l}yaka8ipu alone, withoutassistance from the demigods.PURPORTIt is said in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam, tejo-vari-mrdiimyathii vinimayab,: this material world is conducted by fire, water andearth, which combine and take shape. Here it is mentioned that the threemodes of nature {prthag gur:uln) act under the direction of differentdemigods. For example, King lndra is in charge of pouring water, thedemigod Vayu controls the air and dries up the water, whereas thedemigod controlling fire burns everything. Hiracyyaka8ipu, however, bydint of his austere performance of mystic yoga, became so powerful thathe alone tookdemigods.charge of everything, without assistance from theTEXT 19 P-tll'itCii'm._f,l( I4Nlq:Jiq ;{IC{Q(I'{R!ij: IIsa ittham nirjita-kakubeka-rtl(I vi§ayan priyanyathopajom bhuiijanonatrpyad ajitendriyab,sab,-he (Hiral')yakasipu); ittham-thus; nirjita-conquered;kakub-all directions within the universe; eka-rat-the one emperor ofthe whole universe; vayan-material sense objects; priyan-verypleasing; yatha-upajam-as much as possible; bhuiijanab, -enjoying;na-did not; atrpyat-was satisfied; ajita -indriyab,-being unable tocontrol the senses.TRANSLATIONIn spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and inspite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as

Text 20] Hir81].yaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 185possible, Hir81].yaka8ipu was dissatisfied because instead of controllinghis senses he remained their servant.PURPORTThis is an example of asuric life. Atheists can advance materially andcreate an extremely comfortable situation for the senses, hut becausethey are controlled by the senses, they cannot he satisfied. This is theeffect of modern civilization. Materialists are very much advanced in enjoyingmoney and women, yet dissatisfaction prevails within humansociety because human society cannot he happy and peaceful without!?I).a consciousness. As Jar as material sense gratification is concerned,materialists may go on increasing their enjoyment as far as they canimagine, hut because people in such a material condition are servants oftheir senses, they cannot he satisfied. HiraQyakasipu was a vivid exampleof this dissatisfied state of humanity.TEXT 20l(q\lhrl ta«l'f.01ijM:rt: I 04J\qpt iltllqiq9;1: llollevam aiSvarya-mattasyadrptasyocchastra-vartinattkiilo mahan try"atiyayabrahma-sapam upey!.L§attevam-thus; aiSvarya-mattasya-of one who was intoxicated by opulences;drptasya-greatly proud; ut-sastra-vartinatt-transgressing theregulative principles mentioned in the siistras; kiilatt-duration of time;mahan-a great; vyatiyaya-passed; brahma-sapam-a curse by exaltedbrahmar:ws; upey!.L§att-having obtained.TRANSLATIONHir81].yaka8ipu thus passed a long time being very much proudof his opulences and transgressing the laws and regulations mentionedin the authoritative Sistras. He was therefore subjected to acurse by the four Kumaras, who were great brihmlll].as.

186 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 4PURPORTThere have been many instances in which demons, after achievingmaterial opulences, have become extremely proud, so much so that theyhave transgressed the laws and regulations given in the authoritativeSdstras. Hiral).yakasipu acted in this way. As stated in Bhagavad-gitii(16.23):ya/:t siistra-vidhim utsrjyavartate kiima-kiirata/:tna sa siddhim aviipnotina sukham na pariirh gatim"He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his ownwhims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supremedestination." The word siistra refers to that which controls our activities.We cannot violate or transgress the laws and regulative principles mentionedin the siistras. Bhagavad-gitii repeatedly confirms this.tasmiic chiistrarh pramiir:ram tekiiryiikiirya-tyavasthitaujnatvii siistra-vidhiinoktarhkarma kartum ihiirhasi"One should understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulationsof the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one shouldact so that he may gradually be elevated." (Bg. 16.24) One should actaccording to the direction of the siistra, but the material energy is sopowerful that as soon as one becomes materially opulent, he begins totransgress the sastric laws. As soon as one transgresses the laws of siistra,he immediately enters upon the path of destruction.TEXT 216!4G>OQf'€t\41: : (1418Cf;l: I31W44'31 18•\tti((OU: 9)

Text 21]HirayakaSipu Terrorizes the Universe187tasyogra-da1J4,a-samvigrui/:l.saroe lokii/:1. sapalakii/:1.an yatralabdha-sara¢/:1.saral)-am yayur acyutamtasya--;of him (Hiral).yakasipu); ugra-daTJ4,a-by the very fearfulchastisement; samvignti/:1.-disturbed; saroe-all; lokii/:1.-the planets;sa-palakii/:1.-with their principal rulers; anyatra-anywhere else;alabdha-not obtaining; sarar:W/:1. -shelter; saral)-am-for shelter;yayu/:1.-approached; a

188 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 4will be no cause of danger. It is said that if a dog is swimming in thewater and one wants to cross the ocean by catching hold of the dog's tail,certainly he is foolish. Similarly, if in distress one seeks shelter of ademigod, he is foolish, for his efforts will be fruitless. In all circumstances,one should seek shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Then there will be no danger under any circumstances.TEXTS 22-23m wtq1s4Sllc:IU &ftSQ:;rf.lq:4'"41rtl;fls+tet: 4trelc:+llwt: Q+llf1(1Rfs¥t81! I:gq(f\(-ftQ - : IIItasyai namo 'stu ka$thayaiyatratrna harir iSvaraftyad gatva na nivartantesiintdft sannyiisirw 'maliiftiti te samyatatrnanaftsamiihita-dhiyo 'maliiftupatasthur hrikesamvinidrii vayu-bhojaniifttasyai-unto that; namaft-our respectful obeisances; astu-let therebe; ka$thayai-direction; yatra-wherein; iitmii-the Supersoul;harift-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; iSvaraft-the supremecontroller; yat-which; gatvd-approaching; na-never; nivartantereturn;siintdft-peaceful; sannyiisinaft-saintly persons in therenounced order of life; amaliift-pure; iti-thus; te-they; samyataiitmiinaft-havingcontrolled minds; samiihita-steadied; dhiyaft-intelligences;amaliift-purified; upatasthuft -worshiped; hrike5amthemaster of the senses; vinidriift-without sleeping; vayu-bhojaniifteatingonly air.

Text 24] Hirm;tyaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 189TRANSLATION"Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto that directionwhere the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated, wherethose purified souls in the renounced order of life, the greatsaintly persons, go, and from which, having gone, they neverreturn." Without sleep, fully controlling their minds, and livingon only their breath, the predominating deities of the variousplanets began worshiping ike8a with this meditation.PURPORTThe two words tasyai !hayai are very significant. Everywhere, inevery direction, in every heart and in every atom, the Supreme Personalityof Godhead is situated in His features as Brahman andParamatmli.. Then what is the purpose of saying tasyai !}uiyai-"inthat direction where Hari is situated"? During HiraiJ.yakasipu's time, hisinfluence was everywhere, but he could not force his influence into theplaces where the Supreme Personality of Godhead had His pastimes. Forexample, on this earth there are such places as V:rndavana and Ayodhya,which are called dhamas. In the dhama, there is no influence from Kaliyugaor any demon. If one takes shelter of such a dhama, worship of theLord becomes very easy, and resultant spiritual advancement quicklytakes place. In fact, in India one may still go to V:rndavana and similarplaces to achieve the results of spiritual activities quickly.TEXT 24tti¥41PI'{GJUft : Iij'Cit:> : 11\lllteiim iivirabhud miarilpii megha-nib,svaniisanniidayanti kakubha/:1.siidhilniim abhayarikariteiim-in front of all of them; avirabhut-appeared; roi-a voice;arilpii-without a form; megha-nib,svanii-resounding like the sound of

190 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 4a cloud; sannadayanti-causing to vibrate; kakubha-all directions;sadhunam-of the saintly persons; abhayankari-driving away thefearful situation.TRANSLATIONThen there appeared before them a transcendental sound vibration,emanating from a personality not visible to material eyes. Thevoice was as grave as the sound of a cloud, and it was very encouraging,driving away all fear.TEXTS 25-26 : +tfld : I ft IIdi!t G_l(l 441q« tt1{ IctiRt44tftl m 61C1dc«t rna bhai§!a vibudha-srethdsarve$('im bhadram astu vamad-darianam hi bhutanamsarva-sreyopapattayejnatam etasya dauratmyamdaiteyapasadasya yattasya santim kari§yamikalam tavat pratitarna-do not; bhai§ta-fear; vibudha-srethd-0 best of learned persons;sarveam-of all; bhadram-the good fortune; astu-let there be;va-unto you; mat-dar§anam-the seeing of Me (or offering of prayersto Me or hearing about Me, all of which are absolute); hi-indeed;bhatanam-of all living entities; sarva-sreya-of all good fortune;upapattaye-for the attainment; jnatam-known; etasya-of this;dauratmyam-the nefarious activities; daiteya-apasadasya-of thegreat demon, HiraQyakasipu; yat-which; tasya-of this; santimcessation;kari§yami-1 shall make; kalam-time; tdvat-until that;pratiata-just wait.

Text 27] Hiryaka.Sipu Terrorizes the Universe 191TRANSLATIONThe voice of the Lord vibrated as follows: 0 best of learned persons,do not fear! I wish all good fortune to you. Become My devoteesby hearing and chanting about Me and offering Me prayers,for these are certainly meant to award benedictions to all living entities.I know all about the activities of Hirayaka.Sipu and shallsurely stop them very soon. Please wait patiently until that time.PURPORTSometimes people are very much eager to see God. In considering theword mad-darianam, "seeing Me," which is mentioned in this verse,one should note that in Bhagavad-gitd the Lord says, bhaktya miim abhijanati.In other words, the ability to understand the Supreme Personalityof Godhead or to see Him or talk with Him depends on one's advancementin devotional service, which is called bhakti. In bhakti there arenine different activities: sravar:wm kirtanam TJ-0 smarar:wm padasevanam/arcanam vandanam diisyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam. Becauseall these devotional activities are absolute, there is no fundamentaldifference between worshiping the Deity in the temple, seeing Him andchanting His glories. Indeed, all of these are ways of seeing Him, foreverything done in devotional service is a means of direct contact withthe Lord. The vibration of the Lord's voice appeared in the presence ofall the devotees, and although the person vibrating the sound was unseento them, they were meeting or seeing the Lord because they were offeringprayers and because the vibration of the Lord was present. Contraryto the laws of the material world, there is no difference between seeingthe Lord, offering prayers and hearing the transcendental vibration.Pure devotees, therefore, are fully satisfied by glorifying the Lord. Suchglorification is called kirtana. Performing kirtana and hearing the vibrationof the sound Hare KtQa is actually seeing the Supreme Personalityof Godhead directly. One must realize this position, and then one will beable to understand the absolute nature of the Lord's activities.TEXT 27 \i{il+t :am! R-.4 11\911

192 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Cb. 4yada deveu vedeugu vipreu siidhudharme mayi ca vidveab,sa vd iiSu vina§yatiyada-when; deveu-unto the demigods; vedeu-unto the Vedicscriptures; gu-unto the cows; vipreu-unto the brahmar:ws;siidhu-unto the saintly persons; dharme-unto religious principles;mayi-unto Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ca-and;vidve!J,-envious; sab,-such a person; vai-indeed; iiSu-very soon;vina§yati-is vanquished.TRANSLATIONWhen one is envious of the demigods, who represent theSupreme Personality of Godhead, of the Vedas, which give allknowledge, of the cows, brahmBI).as, V ai![i:r;tavas and religious principles,and ultimately of Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,he and his civilization will be vanquished without delay.TEXT 28-(N SIIRII4 ((4ij(U4 '4(1'4 ISICI(14 ai(S aij¥( IInirvairaya pra.Siintayasva-sutaya mahatmaneprahradiiya yada druhyeddhanye 'pi varorjitamnirvairaya-who is without enemies; pra.Santaya-very sober andpeaceful; sva-sutaya-unto his own son; maha-iitmane-who is a greatdevotee; prahradiiya-Prahlada Maharaja; yada-when; druhyet-willcommit violence; hanye-I shall kill; api-although; vara-arjitamblessedby the boons of Lord Brahma.

Text 29] ffirllt;J.yaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 193TRANSLATIONWhen ffirllt;J.yaka8ipu teases the great devotee Prahlida, his ownson, who is peaceful and sober and who has no enemy, I shall killffirllt;lyaka8ipu immediately, despite the benedictions of Brahmi.PURPORTOf all sinful activities, an offense to a pure devotee, or VaiQava, is themost severe. An offense at the lotus feet of a Vaisnava is so disastrousthat Sri Caitanya Mahaprahhu has compared it to a ad elephant that entersa garden and causes great havoc by uprooting many plants and trees.If one is an offender at the lotus feet of a brahmaTJ-(l or VaiQava, hisoffenses uproot all his auspicious activities. One should therefore verycarefully guard against committing vaTJ-(lva-aparadha, or offenses atthe lotus feet of a VaiQava. Here the Lord clearly says that althoughHiraQyakasipu had received benedictions from Lord Brahma, thesebenedictions would be null and void as soon as he committed an offenseat the lotus feet of Prahlada Maharaja, his own son. A VaiQava likePrahlada Maharaja is described herein as nirvaira, having no enemies.Elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.25.21) it is said, ajata-Sa.travab,santab, sadhavab, sadhu-bhi4ab,: a devotee has no enemies, he ispeaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics aresublime. A devotee does not create enmity with anyone, but if someonebecomes his enemy, that person will be vanquished by the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, despite whatever benedictions he may have receivedfrom other sources. HiraQyaka8ipu was certainly enjoying the fruitfulresults of his austerities, but here the Lord says that as soon as he committedan offense at the lotus feet of Prahlada Maharaja he would beruined. One's longevity, opulence, beauty, education and whatever elseone may possess as a result of pious activities cannot protect one if onecommits an offense at the lotus feet of a VaiQava. Despite whatever onepossesses, if one offends the lotus feet of a VaiQava he will bevanquished.TEXT 29 Jl•g(iUU (f S(1J1'R{ ciiChtt: I.. 414 •1(1)(•11 II

194 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 4sri-ndrada uvacaity uktii loka-gurur:uJ,tarit praT_ULmya divaukasa!lnyavartanta gatodvegiimenire ciisurarit hatamsri-narada!l uviica-the great saint Narada Muni said; iti-thus;uktii!l-addressed; loka-gurur:uJ,-by the supreme spiritual master ofeveryone; tam-unto Him; praT_ULmya-offering obeisances;divaukasa!l-all the demigods; nyavartanta -returned; gataudvega!l-relievedof all anxieties; menire-they considered; ca-also;asuram-the demon (HiraQyakasipu); hatam-killed.TRANSLATIONThe great saint Narada Muni continued: When the SupremePersonality of Godhead, the spiritual master of everyone, thusreassured all the demigods living in the heavenly planets, theyoffered their respectful obeisances unto Him and returned, confidentthat the demon Hiryaka8ipu was now practically dead.PURPORTThe less intelligent men who are always busy worshiping the demigodsshould note that when the demigods are harassed by the demons, theyapproach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for relief. Since thedemigods resort to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why should theworshipers of the demigods not approach the Supreme Lord for whateverbenefits they desire? Srimad-Bhiigavatam (2.3.10) says:akiima!l sarva-kiimo oomoa-kiima udiira-dhi!ltivreT_UL bhakti-yogenayajeta pun.L{'arit param"Whether one desires everything or nothing, or whether he desires tomerge into the existence of the Lord, he is intelligent only if he worshipsLord l(rQa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by rendering tran-

Text 30) Hiryaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 195scendental loving service." Whether one is a karmi, jnani or yogi, if onewants a particular benediction fulfilled, even if it be material, one shouldapproach the Supreme Lord and pray to Him, for then it will be fulfilled.There is no need to approach any demigod separately for the fulfillmentof any desire.TEXT 30 : : q(IU'gU: I.. qt{j .. j g.Jtt{g_ql('l! II oil!l&l(iSl(tasya daitya-pate/:t putrascatvara/:t paramddbhuta/:tprahriido 'bhun mahams teamguJair mahad-upasaka/:ttasya-of him (HiraQyaka5ipu); daitya-pate/:t-the King of theDaityas; putra/:t-sons; catvara/:t-four; parama-adbhuta/:t-veryqualified and wonderful; prahrada/:t-the one named Prahlada; abhutwas;mahan-the greatest; team-of all of them; guJai/:t-with transcendentalqualities; mahat-upasaka/:t-being an unalloyed devotee ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead.TRANSLATIONHiryaka8ipu had four wonderful, well-qualified sons, ofwhom the one named Prahlada was the best. Indeed, Prahliida wasa reservoir of all transcendental qualities because he was anunalloyed devotee of the Personality of Godhead.PURPORTyasyiisti bhaktir bhagavaty akincanasarvair guJais tatra samiisate sura/:t"In one who has unflinching devotional faith in KtQa, all the goodqualities of KtQ.a and the demigods are consistently manifest."

196 Srimad-Bhagavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 4(Bhag. 5.18.12) Prahlada Maharaja is praised herein for having all goodqualities because of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Therefore, a pure devotee, who has no motives, has all good qualities,material and spiritual. If one is spiritually advanced, being a staunch,liberal devotee of the Lord, all good qualities are manifest in his body.On the other hand, harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gu1Jii/:t: if one is not adevotee, even if he has some materially good qualities, they have novalue. That is the verdict of the Vedas.TEXTS 31-32:ik«Pi'st: QQ .. ij: I3ll'lii4€Qtt'(al'11lr4ifltqij(ij+\: II II1Qii4Q'1{114tft: fqqoii4(hti!4ffiij: Ilqoi4ffi( +llii4'1: Ifittnq'3(;:ql@il +\1'1(ij"4tii4{1: IIbrahmar:tya/:t sila-sampanna/:tsatya-sandho jitendriya/:tatmavat sarva-bhiltaniimeka-priya-suhrttama/:tdasavat sannatdryanghri/:tpitrood dina-vatsala/:tbhratrvat sad,.Se snigdhoguv iSvara-bhavana/:tvidyartha-rilpa-janmal}.hyomdna-stambha-vivarjita/:tbrahmar:tya/:t-cultured as a good brahmar:ta; sila-sampanna/:t­possessing all good qualities; satya-sandha/:t-determined to understandthe Absolute Truth; jita-indriya/:t-fully controlling the senses andmind; atma-vat-like the Supersoul; sarva-bhutaniim-of all living entities;eka-priya-the one beloved; suhrt-tama/:t-the best friend; dasavat-likea menial servant; sannata-always obedient; arya-anghri/:t­at the lotus feet of great persons; pitr-vat-exactly like a father; dina-

Text 32) Hinu;tyaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 197vatsala-kind to the poor; bhratr-vat-exactly like a brother; sadrsetohis equals; snigdha-very affectionate; gul'U$u-unto the spiritualmasters; iSvara-bhavana-who considered exactly like the SupremePersonality of Godhead; vidya-education; artha-riches; nlpabeauty;janma-aristocracy or nobility; d4hya-endowed with;mana-pride; stambha-impudence; vivarjita-completely free from.TRANSLATION(The qualities of Mahirija Prahliida, the son of Hir8J,lyaka8ipu,are described herewith.] He was completely cultured as a qualifiedhrah:nuu:ta, having very good character and being determined tounderstand the Absolute Truth. He had full control of his sensesand mind. Like the Supersoul, he was kind to every living entityand was the best friend of everyone. To respectable persons heacted exactly like a menial servant, to the poor he was like a father,to his equals he was attached like a sympathetic brother, and heconsidered his teachers, spiritual masters and older Godbrothersto he as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He was completelyfree from unnatural pride that might have arisen from hisgood education, riches, beauty, aristocracy and so on.PURPORTThese are some of the qualifications of a VaiQ.ava. A VaiQ.ava is automaticallya brahmar:ta because a VaiQ.ava has all the good qualities of abrahmar:ta.samo damas tapa saucarhk$antir arjavam eva cajnanam vijnanam astikyambrahma-karma svabhava-jam"Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty,wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness-these are the qualities by whichthe brahmalJaS work." (Bg. 18.42) These qualities are manifest in thebody of a VaiQ.ava. Therefore a perfect VaiQ.ava is also a perfectbrahmar:ta, as indicated here by the words brahma{l-ya sila-sampanna.A VaiQ.ava is always determined to understand the Absolute Truth, and

198 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 4to understand the Absolute Truth one needs to have full control over hissenses and mind. Prahlada Maharaja possessed all these qualities. AVaiI).ava is always a well-wisher to everyone. The six Gosvamis, for example,are described in this way: dhiradhira-jana-priyau. They werepopular with both the gentle and the ruffians. A V aiI).ava must be equalto everyone, regardless of one's position. Atmavat: a VaiI).ava should belike Paramatma. lsvara saroa-bhutaniim hrd-dese 'rjuna t4!hati.Paramiitma does not hate anyone; indeed, He is in the heart of abrahmar:uz, but he is also even in the heart of a pig. As the moon neverrefuses to distribute its pleasing rays even to the home of a car:u)ala, aVaiI).ava never refuses to act for everyone's welfare. Therefore aVaiI).ava is always obedient to the spiritual master (arya). The wordarya refers to one who is advanced in knowledge. One who is deficient inknowledge cannot be called arya. At the present, however, the wordarya is used to refer to those who are godless. This is the unfortunatesituation of Kali-yuga.The word guru refers to the spiritual master who initiates his discipleinto advancement in the science of .KrIJ.a, or _KrI).a consciousness, asstated by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti 'fhakura (sri-bhagavanmantropade§akegurav ity art haM.TEXT 33f§:qPt:Jt o(1 ..!fwr:m: "ri! q ... I·\': sr1'"

Text 34] Hiryaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 199cause of pious activities); dr!eu-as well as in temporal things seen;guu-the objects of sense gratification under the modes of materialnature; avastu -drk-seeing as if insubstantial; danta-controlling; indriya-thesenses; pra-the living force; sarira-the body; dhi/:1.­and intelligence; sadd-always; praSanta-quieted;kamab,-whosematerial desires; rahita-completely devoid of; asurab,-demoniacnature; asurab,-although born in a demoniac family.TRANSLATIONAlthough Prahlida Maharaja was hom in a family of asuras, hehimself was not an asura but a great devotee of Lord ViI!U· Unlikethe other asuras, he was never envious of V ail!avas. He was notagitated when put into danger, and he was neither directly nor indirectlyinterested in the fruitive activities described in the Vedas.Indeed, he considered everything material to be useless, andtherefore he was completely devoid of material desires. He alwayscontrolled his senses and life air, and being of steady intelligenceand determination, he subdued all lusty desires.PURPORTFrom this verse we discover that a man is not qualified or disqualifiedsimply by birth. Prahlada Maharaja was an asura by birth, yet hepossessed all the qualities of a perfect brahma (brahmarJyab. silasampannab.).Anyone can become a fully qualified brahma under thedirection of a spiritual master. Prahlada Maharaja provided a vivid exampleof how to think of the spiritual master and accept his directionscalmly.TEXT 344lfllqun mf: Iwt wttfq-4\ yasmin mahad-guTJd rajangrhyante kavibhir muhub.na te 'dhuna pidhiyanteyatha bhagavatiSvare II \?II

200 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 4yasmin-in whom; mahat-gu!l-exalted transcendental qualities;rajan-0 King; grhyante-are glorified; kavibhi!l-by persons who arethoughtful and advanced in knowledge; muhu!l-always; na-not; tethese;adhuna-today; pidhiyante-are obscured; yatha-just as;bhagavati-in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; iSvare-thesupreme controller.TRANSLATION0 King, Prahlada Maharaja's good qualities are still glorified bylearned saints and VaiJ.lavas. As all good qualities are always foundexisting in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they also existforever in His devotee Prahlida Maharaja.PURPORTFrom authoritative scripture it is learned that Prahlada Maharaja stilllives in Vaikm:tthaloka as well as within this material world on the planetSutala. This transcendental quality of existing simultaneously in differentplaces is another qualification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuta!l: the Lord appears in thecore of everyone's heart, yet He exists on His own planet, GolokaV:rndavana. A devotee acquires qualities almost the same as those of theLord because of unalloyed devotional service. Ordinary living beingscannot be so qualified, but a devotee can be qualified like the SupremePersonality of Godhead, not in full but partially.TEXT 35 •11?.41Q«J sfq- WI q I1;i sr;a FqR lm: II "\IIyam sadhu-gatha-sadasi. '.-npavo pz sura nrpapratimanaril prakurvantikim utanye bhatxidrsa!lyam-whom; sadhu-gatha-sadasi-in an assembly where saintly personsgather or exalted characteristics are discussed; ripava!l-persons

Text 36] Hir8I}.yak.a8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 201who were supposed to have been Prahlada Maharaja's enemies (evensuch a devotee as Prahlada Maharaja had enemies, including even hisown father); api-even; sura-the demigods (the demigods areenemies of the demons, and since Prahlada Maharaja was born in afamily of demons, the demigods should have been his enemies); nrpa-0 King Yudhi!?!hira; pratimanam-a substantial example of the bestamong the devotees; prakuroanti-they make; kim uta-what to speakof; anye-others; bhavadrsa-exalted personalities such as yourself.TRANSLATIONIn any assembly where there are discourses about saints and devotees,0 King Yudhi!hira, even the enemies of the demons,namely the demigods, what to speak of you, would cite PrahladaMaharaja as an example of a great devotee.TEXT 36g(e'ilt'fi(I

202 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 4devotional service. Although his good qualities cannot be enumerated,they prove that he was a great soul [mahatma].PURPORTIn his prayers to the ten incarnations, Jayadeva Gosvami says, kesavadhrta-narahari-rilpa jaya jagad-iSa hare. Prahlada Maharaja was a devoteeof Lord N:rsirhha, who is Kesava, Kr1.1a Himself. Therefore whenthis verse says vasudeve bhagavati, one should understand that PrahladaMaharaja's attachment for N:rsirhhadeva was attachment for KrQa,Vasudeva, the son of Vasudeva. Prahlada Maharaja, therefore, is describedas a great mahatma. As the Lord Himself confirms in Bhagavadgita(7.19):bahii.niim janmandm antejnanavan mam prapadyatevasudeva sarvam itisa mahatma sudurlabha"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrendersunto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is.Such a great soul is very rare." A great devotee of KrQa, the son ofVasudeva, is a great soul very rarely to be found. Prahlada Maharaja'sattachment for Kr1.1a will be explained in the next verse. Krr.w-grahagrhitatma.Prahlada Maharaja's heart was always filled with thoughts ofKrQa. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja is the ideal devotee in Kr1.1aconsciOusness.TEXT 37)!') ifTif Ci4 ttfltilqt I WI tf{R 1111nyasta-kriljanalro balojcu;lavat tan-manastayakr.w-graha-grhitatmana veda jagad idrsamnyasta-having given up; krf4anaka-all sportive activities or tendenciesfor childhood play; oola-a boy; jcu;la -vat -as if dull, without

Text 37] Hira:r.tyakasipu Terrorizes the Universe 203activities; tat-manastaya-by being fully absorbed in "Kr!?I.la; kmtagraha-by"Kr!?I)a, who is like a strong influence (like a graha, or planetaryinfluence); grhita-atma-whose mind was fully attracted; nanot;veda-understood; jagat-the entire material world; idrsam-likethis.TRANSLATIONFrom the very beginning of his childhood, Prahlida Maharajawas uninterested in childish playthings. Indeed, he gave them upaltogether and remained silent and dull, being fully absorbed in:r.ta consciousness. Since his mind was always affected by Kr:r.taconsciousness, he could not understand how the world goes onbeing fully absorbed in the activities of sense gratification.PURPORTPrahlada Maharaja is the vivid example of a great person fully absorbedin "Kr!?I.la consciousness. In Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 8.274)it is said:sthavara-jarigama dekhe, na dekhe tara milrtisarvatra haya nija !a-deva-sphilrtiA fully "Kr!?I)a conscious person, although situated in this material world,does not see anything but "Kr!?I)a, anywhere and everywhere. This is thesign of a maha-bhiigavata. The maha-bhiigavata sees "Kr!?I)a everywherebecause of his attitude of pure love for "Kr!?I)a. As confirmed in theBrahma-samhita (5.38):premaiijana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanenasantab, sadaiva hrdaye$U vilokayantiyam syamasundaram acintya-gur:ta-svarilpamgovindam iidi-puffi$arh tam aham bhajami"I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devoteewhose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternalform of Syamasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee." Anexalted devotee, or mahatma, who is rarely to be seen, remains fullyconscious of "Kr!?I.la and constantly sees the Lord within the core of his

204 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 4heart. It is sometimes said that when one is influenced by evil stars likeSaturn, Rahu or Ketu, he cannot make advancement in any prospectiveactivity. In just the opposite way, Prahlada Maharaja was influenced byQ.a, the supreme planet, and thus he could not think of the materialworld and live without Q.a consciousness. That is the sign of a mahiibhagavata.Even if one is an enemy of Q.a, a mahii-bhagavata seeshim to be also engaged in Qa's service. Another crude example is thateverything appears yellow to the jaundiced eye. Similarly, to a mahiibhagavata,everyone but himself appears to be engaged in Qa'sservice.Prahlada Maharaja is the approved mahii-bhagavata, the supreme devotee.In the previous verse it was stated that he had natural attachment(naisargik;; ratiM. The symptoms of such natural attachment for Qaare described in this verse. Although Prahlada Maharaja was only a boy,he had no interest in playing. As stated in Sri:mad-Bhagavatam(11.2.42), viraktir anyatra ca: the symptom of perfect Q.a consciousnessis that one loses interest in all material activities. For a small boy togive up playing is impossible, but Prahlada Maharaja, being situated infirst-class devotional service, was always absorbed in a trance of Qaconsciousness. Just as a materialistic person is always absorbed inthoughts of material gain, a mahii-bhagavata like Prahlada Maharaja isalways absorbed in thoughts of Qa.TEXT 3831tm: 't?lif.: I QT tiffij-: 1111iisi:nab. parya!ann a§nansayanab, prapiban bruvanndnusandhatta etdnigovinda-parirambhitab.iisi:nab,-while sitting; parya!an-while walking; a§nan-while eating;sayanab,-while lying down; prapiban-while drinking; bruvanwhiletalking; na-not; anusandhatte-knew; etdni-all these ac-

Text 39] Hiryaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 205tivities; govinda-by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who enlivensthe senses; parirambhita!t-being embraced.TRANSLATIONPrahlada Maharaja was always absorbed in thought of t;ta.Thus, being always embraced by the Lord, he did not know howhis bodily necessities, such as sitting, walking, eating, lying down,drinking and talking, were being automatically performed.PURPORTA small child, while being cared for by his mother, does not know howthe needs of the body for eating, sleeping, lying down, passing water andevacuating are being fulfilled. He is simply satisfied to be on the lap ofhis mother. Similarly, Prahlada Maharaja was exactly like a small child,being cared for by Govinda. The necessary activities of his body wereperformed without his knowledge. As a father and mother care for theirchild, Govinda cared for Prahlada Maharaja, who remained always absorbedin thoughts of Govinda. This is KrQa consciousness. PrahladaMaharaja is the vivid example of perfection in KrQa consciousness.TEXT 39'fiMM f"&NIil: I'fif=qm lei

206 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 4TRANSLATIONBecause of advancement in a consciousness, he sometimescried, sometimes laughed, sometimes expressed jubilation andsometimes sang loudly.PURPORTThis verse further clarifies the comparison of a devotee to a child. If amother leaves her small child in his bed or cradle and goes away to attendto some family duties, the child immediately understands that his motherhas gone away, and therefore he cries. But as soon as the mother returnsand cares for the child, the child laughs and becomes jubilant. Similarly,Prahlada Maharaja, being always absorbed in thoughts of l(rQa, sometimesfelt separation, thinking, "Where is l(rQa ?" This is explained bySri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sunyayitarh jagat sarvarh govinda-viraher:uzme. When an exalted devotee feels that l(rQa is invisible, having goneaway, he cries in separation, and sometimes, when he sees that l(rQa hasreturned to care for him, he laughs, just as a child sometimes laughsupon understanding that his mother is taking care of him. Thesesymptoms are called bhava. In The Nectar of Devotion, various bhavas,ecstatic conditions of a devotee, are fully described. These bhavas arevisible in the activities of a perfect devotee.TEXT 40'ffq_lmW '1 Pi'ffirit4lsd=qiifil( II o IInadati kvacid utkar:t!hovilajjo nrtyati kvacitkvacit tad-bhavana-yuktastanmayo 'nucakara hanadati-exclaims loudly (addressing the Lord, "0 l(rQa"); kvacitsometimes;utkar:t!hab.-being anxious; vilajjab,-without shame;nrtyati-he dances; kvacit-sometimes; kvacit-sometimes; tatbhavana-with thoughts of l(rQa; yuktab,-being absorbed; tatmayab,-thinkingas if he had become l(rQa; anucakara-imitated;ha-indeed.

Text 41] Hiryaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 207TRANSLATIONSometimes, upon seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead,Prahlida Maharaja would loudly call in full anxiety. He sometimeslost his shyness in jubilation and began dancing in ecstasy, andsometimes, being fully absorbed in thoughts of a, he felt onenessand imitated the pastimes of the Lord.PURPORTPrahlada Maharaja sometimes felt that the Lord was far away fromhim and therefore called Him loudly. When he saw that the Lord wasbefore him, he was fully jubilant. Sometimes, thinking himself one withthe Supreme, he imitated the Lord's pastimes, and in separation from theLord he would sometimes show symptoms of madness. These feelings ofa devotee would not be appreciated by impersonalists. One must gofurther and further into spiritual understanding. The first realization isimpersonal Brahman, but one must go still further to realize Paramatmaand eventually the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is worshipedby the transcendental feelings of a devotee in a relationship of santa,dasya, sakhya, vatsalya or miidhurya. Here the feelings of PrahladaMaharaja were in the mellow of vatsalya, filial love and affection. As achild cries when left by his mother, when Prahlada Maharaja felt that theLord was away from him he began to cry (nadati). Again, a devotee likePrahlada sometimes sees that the Lord is coming from a long distance topacify him, like a mother responding to a child, saying, "My dear child,do not cry. I am coming." Then the devotee, without being ashamed dueto his surroundings and circumstances, begins to dance, thinking, "Hereis my Lord! My Lord is coming!" Thus the devotee, in full ecstasy, sometimesimitates the pastimes of the Lord, just as the cowherd boys used toimitate the behavior of the jungle animals. However, he does not actuallybecome the Lord. Prahlada Maharaja achieved the spiritual ecstasies describedherein by his advancement in spiritual understanding.TEXT 41'fieEh ijqijf.t{{f: 1am"'(sco•t•6ree•fij: mn 11

208 Srimad-Bhigavatam(Canto 7, Ch. 4kvacid utpulakas tll§rtimaste sarilspar5a-nirortabaspanda-prartayanandasalildmiliteartabkvacit-sometimes; utpulakab,-with the hairs of his body standingon end; t!J§rtim-completely silent; dste-remains; sarilsparsanirortab,-feelinggreat joy by contact with the Lord; aspanda-steady;prartaya-ananda -due to transcendental bliss from a relationship oflove; salila-filled with tears; ami/ita-half-closed; iartab-whoseeyes.TRANSLATIONSometimes, feeling the touch of the Lord's lotus hands, he becamespiritually jubilant and remained silent, his hairs standing onend and tears gliding down from his half -closed eyes because ofhis love for the Lord.PURPORTWhen a devotee feels separation from the Lord, he becomes eager tosee where the Lord is, and sometimes when he feels pangs of separation,tears flow incessantly from his half-closed eyes. As stated by Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhu in His Sici§!aka, yugayitam nime$erta caU$0.pravr$ayitam. The words caU$ii pravr$iiyitam refer to tears falling incessantlyfrom the devotee's eyes. These symptoms, which appear inpure devotional ecstasy, were visible in the body of Prahlada Maharaja.TEXT 42ij' sifq)qtffl'4I fit;:!iA 'Ri f;rifc.U Uii:«:4 "sa uttama-sloka-padiiravindayorni$evayakincana-sanga-labdhayatanvan pararil nirortim atmano muhurdub,sanga-dinasya manab, samaril vyadhat

Text 43] Hir&J,lyak&Sipu Terrorizes the Universe 209sa?t-he (Prahlada Maharaja); uttama-sloka-pada-aravindayo?t-tothe lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is worshipedby transcendental prayers; nevaya-by constant service; akincana-ofdevotees who have nothing to do with the material world; sanga-in theassociation; labdhaya-obtained; tanvan-expanding; pardm-highest;nirvrtim-bliss; atmana?t-of the spirit soul;muhu?t-constantly;dunga-dinasya-of a person poor in spiritual understanding due tobad association; mana?t-the mind; samam-peaceful; ryadhat-made.TRANSLATIONBecause of his association with perfect, unalloyed devotees whohad nothing to do with anything material, Prahlada Maharaja constantlyengaged in the service of the Lord's lotus feet. By seeinghis bodily features when he was in perfect ecstasy, persons verypoor in spiritual understanding became purified. In other words,Prahlada Maharaja bestowed upon them transcendental bliss.PURPORTApparently Prahlada Maharaja was placed in circumstances in whichhe was always tortured by his father. In such material conditions, onecannot have an undisturbed mind, but since bhakti is unconditional(ahaituky apratihata), Prahlada Maharaja was never disturbed by thechastisements of HiraQyakasipu. On the contrary, the bodily symptomsof his ecstatic love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead turned theminds of his friends, who had also been born in atheistic families. Insteadof being disturbed by the torments of his father, Prahlada influencedthese friends and cleansed their minds. A devotee is nevercontaminated by material conditions, but persons subjected to materialconditions can become spiritually advanced and blissful upon seeing thebehavior of a pure devotee.TEXT 43(I:Tllltfetij 'tiil'flit '*'l'tf.i IfCii '14iU'41¥t\;\ II 'l II

210 Srimad-Bhigavatam(Canto 7, Ch. 4tasmin maha-bhagavatemaha-bhage mahatmanihiral)-yakaSipil rajannakarod agham atmajetasmin-unto him; maha-bhagavate-an exalted devotee of the Lord;maha-bhage-most fortunate; maha-atmani-whose mind was verybroad; hiral)-yakaSipub,-the demon HiraJ;Iyakasipu; rajan-0 King;akarot -performed; agham-very great sin; atma-je-to his own son.TRANSLATIONMy dear King YudhiHhira, the demon HiraJ.lyak&Sipu tormentedthis exalted, for tunate devotee, although Prahlida was hisown son.PURPORTWhen a demon like HiraJ;Iyakasipu, despite his elevated position due tosevere austerities, begins to tease a devotee, he begins falling down, andthe results of his austerities dwindle. One who oppresses a pure devoteeloses all the results of his austerities, penances and pious activities. SinceHiraJ;Iyakasipu was now inclined to chastise his most exalted devotee son,Prahlada Maharaja, his opulences began dwindling.TEXT 44tt'Jf(g{ if'i R=ii0•ait u 14tt+t>511 Niji

Text 45] Hirayaka8ipu Terrorizes the Universe 211wish; veditum-to know; tava-from you; su-vrata-having the determinationfor spiritual advancement; yat-because; iitma-jaya-unto hisown son; suddhiiya-who was pure and exalted; pita-the father,Hira!)yakasipu; adiit-gave; siidhave-a great saint; hi-indeed;agham-trouble.TRANSLATIONMaharaja Yudhi!hira said: 0 best of the saints among thedemigods, 0 best of spiritual leaders, how did Hiryaka8ipu giveso much trouble to Prahlada Maharaja, the pure and exalted saint,although Prahlada was his own son? I wish to know about this subjectfrom you.PURPORTTo know about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the characteristicsof His pure devotee, one must inquire from authorities likeDevari Narada. One cannot inquire about transcendental subject mattersfrom a layman. As stated in Srimad-Bhiigavatam (3.25.25), satiiritprasangiin mama virya-saritvido bhavanti hrt-ka17_U1-rasiiyanii/:t kathii/:t:only by association with devotees can one authoritatively understand theposition of the Lord and His devotees. A devotee like Narada Muni is addressedas suvrata. Su means "good," and vrata means "vow." Thus theword suvrata refers to a person who has nothing to do with the materialworld, which is always bad. One cannot understand anything spiritualfrom a materialistic scholar puffed up with academic knowledge. Asstated in Bhagavad-gitii (18.55), bhaktyii miim abhijiiniiti: one must tryto understand Qa by devotional service and from a devotee. ThereforeYudhihira Maharaja was quite right in wanting to learn further aboutPrahlada Maharaja from Sri Narada Muni.TEXT 45 ft{(R:ccfflt:laql'f .. MJT CCN'lq(l q1f111\lllputriin vipratikuliin sviinpitara/:t putra-vatsaliift

212 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 4upalabhante sirthamnaivagham aparo yathaputran-sons; vipratikilldn-who act against the will of the father;svdn-their own; pitarafJ-fathers; putra-vatsaldfl-being very affectionateto the children; upalabhante-chastise; sik$a-artham-to teachthem lessons; na-not; eva-indeed; agham-punishment; aparaflanenemy; yatha-like .TRANSLATIONA father and mother are always affectionate to their children.When the children are disobedient the parents chastise them, notdue to enmity but only for the child's instruction and welfare.How did HiraJ;Iyaka8ipu, the father of Prahliida Mahiiriija, chastisesuch a noble son? This is what I am eager to know.TEXT 46{'qijt*'l1 {ijltl1. g«octijl1_ I ilill'il411 SilO I: '(l( rn sttilij: 11\lllkim utiinuva5an sadhumstadrsan guru-devatanetat kautilhalam brahmannasmakam vidhama prabhopitufl putraya yad dve§omaraya prayojitaflkim uta-much less; anuvaSiin-to obedient and perfect sons;sadhun-great devotees; tad,.San-of that sort; guru-devatiin-honoringthe father as the Supreme Personality of Godhead; etat-this;kautilhalam-doubt; brahman-0 brahmaT)a; asmakam-of us;vidhama-dissipate; prabho-0 my lord; pitufl-of the father;putraya-unto the son; yat-which; dve§afl-envy; maraya-forkilling; prayojitafl -applied.

Text 46] Hiryak&Sipu Terrorizes the Universe 213TRANSLATIONMaharaja Yudhilhira further inquired: How was it possible fora father to be so violent toward an exalted son who was obedient,well-behaved and respectful to his father? 0 brahm, 0 master,I have never heard of such a contradiction as an affectionatefather's punishing his noble son with the intention of killing him.Kindly dissipate our doubts in this regard.PURPORTIn the history of human society, an affectionate father is rarely foundto chastise a noble and devoted son. Therefore Maharaja Yudhithirawanted Nlirada Muni to dissipate his doubt.Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, FourthChapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled, "Hirar:tyakaSipu Terrorizesthe Universe. "

CHAPTER FIVEPrahlada Maharaja,the Saintly Son of Hir81}yaka8ipuPrahlada Maharaja did not carry out the orders of his teachers, for hewas always engaged in worshiping Lord Vif?QU. As described in thischapter, HiraQyakasipu tried to kill Prahlada Maharaja, even by having asnake bite him and by putting him under the feet of elephants, yet hewas unsuccessful.HiraQyakasipu's spiritual master, Sukracarya, had two sons namedSaQ9a and Amarka, to whom Prahlada Maharaja was entrusted foreducation. Although the teachers tried to educate the boy Prahlada inpolitics, economics and other material activities, he did not care for theirinstructions. Instead, he continued to be a pure devotee. PrahladaMaharaja never liked the idea of discriminating between one's friendsand enemies. Because he was spiritually inclined, he was equal towardeveryone.Once upon a time, HiraQyakasipu inquired from his son what the bestthing was that he had learned from his teachers. Prahlada Maharajareplied that a man engrossed in the material consciousness of duality,thinking, "This is mine, and that belongs to my enemy," should give uphis householder life and go to the forest to worship the Supreme Lord.When HiraQyaka8ipu heard from his son about devotional service, hedecided that this small boy had been polluted by some friend in school.Thus he advised the teachers to take care of the boy so that he would notbecome a Krf?Qa conscious devotee. However, when the teachers inquiredfrom Prahlada Maharaja why he was going against their teachings,Prahlada Maharaja taught the teachers that the mentality of ownership isfalse and that he was therefore trying to become an unalloyed devotee ofLord Vif?QU. The teachers, being very angry at this answer, chastised andthreatened the boy with many fearful conditions. They taught him to thebest of their ability and then brought him before his father.HiraQyakasipu affectionately took his son Prahlada on his lap and theninquired from him what the best thing was that he had learned from his215

216 Srnnad-Bhagavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 5teachers. As usual, Prahlada Maharaja began praising the nine processesof devotional service, such as srava1Jllm and kirtanam. Thus the King ofthe demons, Hirai).yakasipu, being extremely angry, chastised theteachers, $aQ.a and Amarka, for having wrongly trained PrahladaMaharaja. The so-called teachers informed the King that PrahladaMaharaja was automatically a devotee and did not listen to their instructions.When they proved themselves innocent, Hira.Q.yakasipu inquiredfrom Prahlada where he had learned vJJu-bhakti. Prahlada Maharajareplied that those who are attached to family life do not develop Kr.Q.aconsciousness, either personally or collectively. Instead, they suffer repeatedbirth and death in this material world and continue simply chewingthe chewed. Prahlada explained that the duty of every man is to takeshelter of a pure devotee and thus become eligible to understand Kr.Q.aconsciOusness.Enraged at this answer, Hirai).yakasipu threw Prahlada Maharaja fromhis lap. Since Prahlada was so treacherous that he had become a devoteeof Vi.Q.u, who had killed his uncle Hirai).yaka, Hira.Q.yakasipu asked hisassistants to kill him. The assistants of Hira.Q.yakasipu struck Prahladawith sharp weapons, threw him under the feet of elephants, subjectedhim to hellish conditions, threw him from the peak of a mountain andtried to kill him in thousands of other ways, but they were unsuccessful.Hira.Q.yakasipu therefore became increasingly afraid of his son PrahladaMaharaja and arrested him. The sons of Hirai).yakasipu's spiritualmaster, Sukraciirya, began teaching Prahlada in their own way, butPrahlada Maharaja did not accept their instructions. While the teacherswere absent from the classroom, Prahlada Maharaja began to preachKr.Q.a consciousness in the school, and by his instructions all his classfriends, the sons of the demons, became devotees like him.TEXT 1'J/AT{q t{lijlttlf•li411 tQ: : t!{: Itto1qq1f ijffl \iftz(t II II

Text 2]Prahlid the Saintly Son of Hiryaka.Sipu217sri-ndrada uvdcapaurohityaya bhagavanvrtab kavyab, kildsuraib,ar:u/iimarkau sutau tasyadaitya-raja-grhantikesri-naradab, uvaca-the great saint Narada said; paurohityaya-towork as , priest; bhagavan-the most powerful; vrtab,-chosen;kavyab,-Sukracarya; kila-indeed; asuraib,-by the demons; a1J4a,­amarkau-.$ar;u,la and Amarka; sutau-sons; tasya-of him; daityaraja-ofthe King of the demons, Hirai).yakasipu; grha-antike-near theresidence.TRANSLATIONThe great saint Nirada Muni said: The demons, headed byHiryaka.Sip, accepted Sukricirya as their priest for ritualisticce remonies. Sukricirya's two sons, a and Amark lived nearHirai.J.yaka.Sipu 's palace.PURPORTThe beginning of the life story of Prahlada is recounted as follows.Sukracarya became the priest of the atheists, especially Hiral).yakasipu,and thus his two sons, Sai).Qa and Amarka, resided near Hiral).yakasipu'sresidence. Sukracarya should not have become the priest ofHiral).yakasipu because Hiral).yakasipu and his followers were allatheists. A brahmar:w should become the priest of a person interested inthe advancement of spiritual culture. The very name Sukracarya,however, indicates a person interested in obtaining benefits for his sonsand descendants, regardless of how the money comes. A real brahmar:wwould not become a priest for atheistic men.TEXT2 snAd ;rtititMa:'{ Iql&tllltl«d: qll'1;:tti"l1 II II

218 Srimad-Bhagavatam(Canto 7, Ch. 5tau rajfiii prapitarh biilamprahliidam naya-kovidampiithayam asatuft. piithyananyaritS casura-balakdntau-those two (SaQ.Qa and Amarka); rajfiii-by the King;prapitam-sent; bdlam-the boy; prahliidam-named Prahlada; nayakovidam-whowas aware of moral principles; parhayam dsatuft.-instructed;parhyan-books of material knowledge; anyan-other; caalso;asura-biilakdn-sons of the asuras.TRANSLATIONPrahlada Maharaja was already educated in devotional life, butwhen his father sent him to those two sons of Sukriciirya to beeducated, they accepted him at their school along with the othersons of the asuras.yat tatra gurul).d proktarhsu§ruve 'nupapii!ha cana sadhu manasa menesva-parasad-grahaSrayamyat-which; tatra-there (in the school); gurul).d-by the teachers;proktam-instructed; su§ruve-heard; anupapiitha-recited; ca-and;na-not; sadhu-good; manasa-by the mind; mene-considered;sva-of one's own; para-and of others; asat-graha-by the bad philosophy;asrayam-which was supported.TRANSLATIONPrahlada certainly heard and recited the topics of politics andeconomics taught by the teachers, hut he understood that politicalphilosophy involves considering someone a friend and someoneelse an enemy, and thus he did not like it.

Text 4] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hiryaka8ipu 219PURPORTPolitics involves accepting one group of men as enemies and anothergroup as friends. Everything in politics is based on this philosophy, andthe entire world, especially at the present, is engrossed in it. The publicis concerned with friendly countries and friendly groups or enemy countriesand enemy groups, but as stated in Bhagavad-gitii, a learned persondoes not make distinctions between enemies and friends. Devotees, especially,do not create friends and enemies. A devotee sees that every livingbeing is part and parcel of f?Qa (mamaivdmso jiva-bhatatt}.Therefore a devotee treats friends and enemies equally by trying to educatethem both in f?Qa consciousness. Of course, atheistic men do notfollow the instructions of pure devotees, but instead consider a devoteetheir enemy. A devotee, however, never creates a situation of friendshipand enmity. Although Prahlada Maharaja was obliged to hear the instructionsof $aQQa and Amarka, he did not like the philosophy offriends and enemies, which forms the basis of politics. He was not interestedin this philosophy.TEXT4l('f41tJHI, ¥tt+u(lc qJO I Cffif ¥1-= m q'(W{ II IIekadiisura-rii! putramankam aropya par:u)avapapraccha kathyatarh vatsamanyate sadhu yad bhavanekadii-once upon a time; asura-nit-the Emperor of the asuras;putram-his son; ankam-on the lap; aropya-placing; par:u)ava-0Maharaja Yudhir?hira; papraccha-inquired; kathyatam-let it be told;vatsa-my dear son; manyate-considers; sadhu-the best; yat-thatwhich; bhavan-your good self.TRANSLATIONMy dear King Yudhithira, once upon a time the King of thedemons, Hiryaka8ipu, took his son Prahlada on his lap and very

220 Srbnad-Bhigavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 5affectionately inquired: My dear son, please let me know what youthink is the best of all the subjects you have studied from yourteachers.PURPORTHiral).yakasipu did not ask his young son anything that would be verydifficult for him to answer; instead, he gave the boy a chance to speakplainly about whatever he thought might be best. Prahlada Maharaja, ofcourse, being a perfect devotee, knew everything and could say what thebest part of life is. In the Vedas it is said, yasmin vijnate sarvam evarilvijnataril bhavati: if one properly understands God, he can understandany subject matter very nicely. Sometimes we have to challenge bigscientists and philosophers, but by the grace of Krl).a we emerge successful.It is impossible, practically speaking, for ordinary men tochallenge scientists or philosophers concerning genuine knowledge, but adevotee can challenge them because the best of everything is known to adevotee by the grace of Kr1,1a. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gitii (l 0.11):teiim eviinukampiirthamaham ajnana-jaril tama/:1.ruiSayiimy iitma-bhiiva-sthojnana-dipena bhiisvatiiKr1,1a, who is situated in the core of everyone's heart as the Supersoul,dissipates all the ignorance from the heart of a devotee. As a specialfavor, He enlightens the devotee with all knowledge by putting beforehim the torch of light. Prahlada Maharaja, therefore, knew the best ofknowledge, and when his father inquired from him, Prahlada gave himthat knowledge. Prahlada Maharaja was able to solve the most difficultparts of problems because of his advanced Kr1,1a conscwusness.Therefore he replied as follows.TEXTSt 6Jlfi:1tq(q(1{JI(h{ I

Text 5]Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hir8J)yaka8ipufmt¥{qtd tRIT 'lR'Il II II221sri-prahliida uvacatat siidhu manye 'sura-mrya dehinamsadd samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahiithitvatma-patam grham andha-kupammnam gato yad dharim asrayetasri-prahliida uviica-Prahlada Maharaja replied; tat-that; siidhuverygood, or the best part of life; manye-I think; asura-varya-0King of the asuras; dehinam -of persons who have accepted the materialbody; sadd-always; samudvigna-full of anxieties; dhiyamwhoseintelligence; asat-grahiit-because of accepting the temporarybody or bodily relations as real (thinking "I am this body, and everythingbelonging to this body is mine"); hitvii-giving up; iitmapatam-theplace where spiritual culture or self-realization is stopped;grham-the bodily concept of life, or household life; andha-kupamwhichis nothing but a blind well (where there is no water but one nonethelesssearches for water); vanam-to the forest; gata-going; yatwhich;harim-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; asrayeta-maytake shelter of.TRANSLATIONPrahlida Mahirija replied: 0 best of the asuras, King of thedemons, as far as I have learned from my spiritual master, any personwho has accepted a temporary body and temporary householdlife is certainly embarrassed by anxiety because of having fallen ina dark well where there is no water but only suffering. One shouldgive up this position and go to the forest [vana]. More clearly, oneshould go to Vpdivana, where only consciousness is prevalent,and should thus take shelter of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead.PURPORTHirar:tyakasipu thought that Prahlada, being nothing but a small boywith no actual experience, might reply with something pleasing but

222 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5nothing practical. Prahlada Maharaja, however, being an exalted devotee,had acquired all the qualities of education.yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincaniisarvair gur:z,ais tatra samiisate surahariiv abhaktasya kuto mahad-gumanoratheniisati dhiivato bahi"One who has unflinching devotional faith in K:rQ.a consistentlymanifests all the good qualities of K:rQ.a and the demigods. However, hewho has no devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead has no goodqualifications because he is engaged by mental concoction in material existence,which is the external feature of the Lord." (Bhag. 5.18.12) Socallededucated philosophers and scientists who are simply on the mentalplatform cannot distinguish between what is actually sat, eternal, andwhat is asat, temporary. The Vedic injunction is asato mii jyotir gama:everyone should give up the platform of temporary existence and approachthe eternal platform. The soul is eternal, and topics concerningthe eternal soul are actually knowledge. Elsewhere it is said, apa§yatamiitma-tattvam grhe§u grha-medhiniim: those who are attached to thebodily conception of life and who thus stick to life as a grhastha, orhouseholder, on the platform of material sense enjoyment, cannot see thewelfare of the eternal soul. Prahlada Maharaja confirmed this by sayingthat if one wants success in life, he should immediately understand fromthe right sources what his self-interest is and how he should mold his lifein spiritual consciousness. One should understand himself to be part andparcel of K:rQ.a and thus completely take shelter of His lotus feet forguaranteed spiritual success. Everyone in the material world is in thebodily conception, struggling hard for existence, life after life. PrahladaMaharaja therefore recommended that to stop this material condition ofrepeated birth and death, one should go to the forest ( vana).In the va17J-d.Srama system, one first becomes a brahmacari, then agrhastha, a vanaprastha and finally a sannyasi. Going to the forestmeans accepting vanaprastha life, which is between grhastha life andsannyasa. As confirmed in the Vi§ry,u Puriir:z,a (3.8.9), va17J-d.Sramaciiravatapuru§er:uz para pumiin vi§ry,ur ariidhyate: by accepting theinstitution of varr:z,a and iiSrama, one can very easily elevate himself to

Text 6] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of HiraJ.lyaka.Sipu 223the platform of worshiping ViQu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Otherwise, if one remains in the bodily conception, one must rot withinthis material world, and his life will be a failure. Society must have divisionsof briihmaiJ-ll, /cyatriya, vai.Sya and sudra, and for spiritual advancementone must gradually develop as a brahmaciiri, grhastha,viinaprastha and sannyiisi. Prahlada Maharaja recommended that hisfather accept viinaprastha life because as a grhastha he was becoming increasinglydemoniac due to bodily attachment. Prahlada recommended tohis father that accepting viinaprastha life would be better than goingdeeper and deeper into grham andha-kii.pam, the blind well of life as agrhastha. In our .i(rQa consciousness movement we therefore invite allthe elderly persons of the world to come to V:rndavana and stay there inretired life, making advancement in spiritual consciOusness, .i(rQaconsciOusness.TEXT6 \1

224 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5faithful to the camp of his father's enemies, Birat;tyaka8ipu, theKing of the demons, heard Prahlida's words and he laughinglysaid, "Thus is the intelligence of children spoiled by the words ofthe enemy."PURPORTHirayakasipu, being a demon, would always consider Lord Viu andHis devotees to be his enemies. Therefore the word para-paa ("on theside of the enemy") is used here. Hirayakasipu never agreed with thewords of ViQU, or Kra. Rather, he was angered by the intelligence of aVaiava. Lord ViQU, Lord Kra, says, saroa-dhannan parityajyamdm ekam sara1J.(Lril vraja -"Give up all other duties and surrenderunto Me" -but demons like HiraQyakasipu never agree to do this.Therefore KrQa says:na mdril dl.L$krtino m!Uj,hab,prapadyante naradhamab,mayayapahrta-jnanadsuraril bhavam asritab,"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind,whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheisticnature of demons, do not surrender unto Me." (Bg. 7.15) The asurabhava,the atheistic nature, is directly represented by HiraQyakasipu.Such persons, being m!Uj,ha and naradhama-fools and rascals, thelowest of men-would never accept ViQu as the Supreme and surrenderto Him. HiraQyakasipu naturally became increasingly angry that his sonPrahlada was being influenced by the camp of the enemies. He thereforeasked that saintly persons like Narada not be allowed within the residentialquarters of his son, for otherwise Prahlada would be further spoiledby V aiQava instructions.TEXT7 iflit ffiml: INq: ms firQ ?.11 II II

Text 7]Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hira1,1yaka8ipu225samyag vidhdryatdm baloguru-gehe dvi-jatibhiflVTJ.u-aifl praticchannairna bhidyetdsya dhir yathdsamyak-completely; vidhdryatdm-let him be protected;balafl-this boy of tender age; guru-gehe-in the guru-kula, the placewhere children are sent to be instructed by the guru; dvi-jatibhifl-bybriihma1J.aS; VTJ.u-paifl-who are on the side of ViQu;praticchannaifl-disguised in different dresses; na bhidyeta-may notbe influenced; asya-of him; dhifl-the intelligence; yathd-so that.TRANSLATIONHir&J,lyak&Sipu advised his assistants: My dear demons, givecomplete protection to this boy at the guru-kula where he is instructed,so that his intelligence will not be further influenced byV aiJ,18Vas who may go there in disguise.PURPORTIn our Qa consciousness movement, the tactic of dressing oneselflike an ordinary karmi is necessary because everyone in the demoniackingdom is against the V aiQava teachings. l(rQa consciousness is not atall to the liking of the demons of the present age. As soon as they see aVaiQava dressed in saffron garments with beads on his neck and tilakaon his forehead, they are immediately irritated. They criticize theVaiQavas by sarcastically saying Hare Qa, and some people also chantHare K:rQa sincerely. In either case, since Hare Qa is absolute,whether one chants it jokingly or sincerely, it will have its effect. TheVaiQavas are pleased when the demons chant Hare Qa because thisshows that the Hare Qa movement is taking ground. The greaterdemons, like HiraQyakasipu, are always prepared to chastise theVaiQavas, and they try to make arrangements so that VaiQavas will notcome to sell their books and preach Qa consciousness. Thus what wasdone by HiraQyaka8ipu long, long ago is still being done. That is the wayof materialistic life. Demons or materialists do not at all like the advancementof Qa consciousness, and they try to hinder it in many ways. Yet

226 Srimad-Bhagavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 5the preachers of l(rQa consciousness must go forward- in theirVaiQava dress or any other dress-for the purpose of preaching.caQakya PaQQita says that if an honest person deals with a great cheater,it is necessary for him to become a cheater also, not for the purpose ofcheating but to make his preaching successful.TEXT8tt!C'u;ftq•e: 3f qNf: 1 'MOl I CO "tz-.:.0 :11 IIgrham iinitam ahilyaprahriidam daitya-yajaka/:1.pra.Sasya slaTJ-lLYii vacasamaprcchanta siimabhi/:1.grham-to the place of the teachers (SaQQa and Amarka); iinitambrought;ahilya-calling; pmhriidam-Prahlada ; daitya-yajaka/:1.-thepriests of the demon HiraQyakasipu; pra5asya-by pacifying;slaTJ-lLyii-with a very mild; viicii-voice; samaprcchanta-they questioned;samabhi/:1.-by very agreeable words.TRANSLATIONWhen Hiryaka8ipu's servants brought the boy Prahlida backto the guru-kula (the place where the brihmal}.as taught the boys),the priests of the demons, a

Text 10] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hir8J).yaka8ipu 227TEXT9«'111'IRI91M iil\'d+4'f : II IIvatsa prahrii.da bhadram tesatyam kathaya rna mr$abalan ati kutas tubhyame$a buddhi-viparyayab,vatsa-0 dear son; prahrii.da-Prahlada; bhadram te-all blessingsand good fortune unto you; satyam-the truth; kathaya-speak; rnadonot; mr$d-a lie; balan ati-passing over the other demon boys;kutab,-from where; tubhyam-unto you; e$ab,-this; buddhi-of theintelligence; viparyayab,-poll uti on.TRANSLATIONDear son Prahlida, all peace and good fortune unto you. Kindlydo not speak lies; just reply with the truth. These boys you see arenot like you, for they do not speak in a deviant way. How have youlearned these .instructions? How has your intelligence beenspoiled in this way?PURPORTPrahlada Maharaja was still a boy, and therefore his teachers thoughtthat if they pacified the little boy he would immediately speak the truth,revealing the secret of how the V ail?Q.avas came there to teach him lessonsin devotional service. It was surprising, of course, that in the same schoolthe other boys of the Daityas were not polluted; only Prahlada Maharajawas supposedly polluted by the instructions of the Vail?Q.avas. The mainduty of the teachers was to inquire who those V aiQ.avas were that cameto teach Prahlada and spoil his intelligence.TEXT 10: Slll. " . .ffl Efil'fiWiT T te;w;a:;w II o II

228 Srimad-Bhigavatam(Canto 7, Ch. 5buddhi-bhedat£ para-krtautaho te svato 'bhavatbhaJ-yatdm srotu-kamdndritgurilTJ,dm kula-nandanabuddhi-bhedat£-pollution of the intelligence; para-krtat£-done bythe enemies; utdho-or; te-o£ you; svatat£-by yourself; abhavatwas;bhaJ-yatdm-let it be told; srotu-kamdndm-to us, who are veryeager to hear about it; gunl1J-dm-all your teachers; kula-nandana-0best of your family.TRANSLATION0 best of your family, has this pollution of your intelligencebeen brought about by you or by the enemies? We are all yourteachers and are very eager to hear about this. Please tell us thetruth.PURPORTPrahlada Maharaja's teachers were astonished that a small boy couldspeak such exalted VaiQava philosophy. Therefore they inquired aboutthe V aiQavas who stealthily taught it to him, in order that theseVaiQavas might be arrested and killed in the presence of Prahlada'sfather, HiraQyakasipu.TEXT 11..,sri-prahrdda uvdcaparat£ sva§ cety asad-grahat£puritsam yan-mdyaya krtat£vimohita-dhiyarit dr§!astasmai bhagavate namat£sri-prahradat£ uvdca-Prahlada Maharaja replied; parat£-an enemy;svat£-a kinsman or friend; ca-also; iti-thus; asat-grahat£-materialconception of life; puritsam-of persons; yat-of whom; mdyaya-by

Text 11] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of HiraJ.lyak.a8ipu 229the external energy; krtall-created; vimohita-bewildered; dhiyamofthose whose intelligence; d!all-practically experienced; tasmaiuntoHim; bhagavate-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; namalJmyrespectful obeisances.TRANSLATIONPrahliida Mahirija replied: Let me offer my respectful obeisancesunto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose externalenergy has created the distinctions of "my friend" and "myenemy" by deluding the intelligence of men. Indeed, I am now actuallyexperiencing this, although I have previously heard of itfrom authoritative sources.PURPORTAs stated in Bhagavad-gita (5.18):vidya-vinaya-sampannebrahmaJJ£ gavi hastinisuni caiva svapake capaTJ4,italJ sama-darsinalJ"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision alearned and gentle brahma7Ja, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater[outcaste]." PaTJ4italJ, those who are actually learned-the equipoised,advanced devotees who have full knowledge of everything-do not seeany living entity as an enemy or friend. Instead, with broader vision,they see that everyone is part of _Kr1;1a, as confirmed by Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhu (jivera 'svarapa' haya-kJJ£ra 'nitya-dasa?. Every livingentity, being part of the Supreme Lord, is meant to serve the Lord,just as every part of the body is meant to serve the whole body.As servants of the Supreme Lord, all living entities are one, but aVaiJ;tava, because of his natural humility, addresses every other livingentity as prabhu. A VaiJ;tava sees other servants to be so advanced thathe has much to learn from them. Thus he accepts all other devotees ofthe Lord as prabhus, masters. Although everyone is a servant of theLord, one VaiQava servant, because of humility, sees another servant as

230 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5his master. Understanding of the master begins from understanding ofthe spiritual master.yasya prasadiid bhagavat-prasadoyasyaprasadiin na gatib, kuto 'pi"By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction ofl(r1,1a. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make anyadvancement."sak$00-dharitvena samasta-sastrairuktas tathii bhiivyata eva sadbhib,kintu prabhor yab, priya eva tasyavande gurob, sri-cara1J.tiravindam"The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord becausehe is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This isacknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities.Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such aspiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Sri Hari [l(rl,la]."The spiritual master, the servant of God, is engaged in the most confidentialservice of the Lord, namely delivering all the conditioned soulsfrom the clutches of maya, in which one thinks, "This person is myenemy, and that one is my friend." Actually the Supreme Personality ofGodhead is the friend of all living entities, and all living entities are eternalservants of the Supreme Lord. Oneness is possible through thisunderstanding, not through artificially thinking that every one of us isGod or equal to God. The true understanding is that God is the suprememaster and that all of us are servants of the Supreme Lord and aretherefore on the same platform. This had already been taught toPrahlada Maharaja by his spiritual master, Narada, but Prahlada wasnonetheless surprised by how a bewildered soul thinks one person hisenemy and another his friend.As long as one adheres to the philosophy of duality, thinking one persona friend and another an enemy, he should be understood to be in theclutches of maya. The Mayavadi philosopher who thinks that all livingentities are God and are therefore one is also mistaken. No one is equal to

Text 12] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hirm;Iyak&Sipu 231God. The servant cannot be equal to the master. According to theVaiQava philosophy, the master is one, and the servants are also one,but the distinction between the master and servant must continue evenin the liberated stage. In the conditioned stage we think that some livingbeings are our friends whereas others are enemies, and thus we are induality. In the liberated stage, however, the conception is that God is themaster and that all living entities, being servants of God, are one.TEXT 12U &J3tHt: m q?A1f4:ftff I 6'-U94{lfffftr C(•I(tltc II IIsa yadanuvrata purilsaritpa§u-buddhir vibhidyateanya ea tathiinyo 'hamiti bheda-gatasatisa-that Supreme Personality of Godhead; yadd-when;anuvrata-favorable or pleased; purilsam-of the conditioned souls;pa§u-buddh*-the animalistic conception of life ("I am the Supreme,and everyone is God"); vibhidyate-is destroyed; anya-another;ea-this; tathii-as well as; anya-another; aham-1; iti-thus;bheda-distinction; gata-having; asati-which is disastrous.TRANSLATIONWhen the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased with theliving entity because of his devotional service, one becomes a4ita and does not make distinctions between enemies, friendsand himself. Intelligently, he then thinks, "Every one of us is aneternal servant of God, and therefore we are not different fromone another."PURPORTWhen Prahlada Maharaja's teachers and demoniac father asked himhow his intelligence had been polluted, Prahlada Maharaja said, "As faras I am concerned, my intelligence has not been polluted. Rather, by the

232 Srrrnad-Bhagavauuu (Canto 7, Ch. 5grace of my spiritual master and by the grace of my Lord, Kra, I havenow learned that no one is my enemy and no one is my friend. We are allactually eternal servants of Kra, but under the influence of the externalenergy we think that we are separately situated from the SupremePersonality of Godhead as friends and enemies of one another. Thismistaken idea has now been corrected, and therefore, unlike ordinaryhuman beings, I no longer think that I am God and that others are myfriends and enemies. Now I am rightly thinking that everyone is an eternalservant of God and that our duty is to serve the supreme master, forthen we shall stand on the platform of oneness as servants."Demons think of everyone as a friend or enemy, but Vaiavas saythat since everyone is a servant of the Lord, everyone is on the same platform.Therefore a Vaiava treats other living entities neither as friendsnor as enemies, but instead tries to spread Kra consciousness, teachingeveryone that we are all one as servants of the Supreme Lord but areuselessly wasting our valuable lives by creating nations, communitiesand other groups of friends and enemies. Everyone should come to theplatform of Kra consciousness and thus feel oneness as a servant of theLord. Although there are 8,400,000 species of life, a Vaiava feels thisoneness. The lsopani$ad advises, ekatvam anupa.Syatab,. A devoteeshould see the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be situated in everyone'sheart and should also see every living entity as an eternal servantof the Lord. This vision is called ekatvam, oneness. Although there is arelationship of master and servant, both master and servant are one becauseof their spiritual identity. This is also ekatvam. Thus the conceptionof ekatvam for the Vaiava is different from that of the Mayavadi.Hirayakasipu asked Prahlada Maharaja how he had become antagonisticto his family. When a family member is killed by an enemy, allthe members of the family would naturally be inimical to the murderer,but Hirayakasipu saw that Prahlada had become friendly with the murderer.Therefore he asked, "Who has created this kind of intelligence inyou? Have you developed this consciousness by yourself? Since you are asmall boy, someone must have induced you to think this way." PrahladaMaharaja wanted to reply that an attitude favorable toward Viu candevelop only when the Lord is favorable (sa yadiinuvratab.}. As stated inBhagavad-gitii, l(rQa is the friend of everyone (suhrdam sarvabhiltiiniimjfiiitva miim santim rcchati). The Lord is never an enemy to

Text 12] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hirlll).yak&Sipu 233any of the millions of living entities, but is always a friend to everyone.This is true understanding. If one thinks that the Lord is an enemy, hisintelligence is paS!-£-buddhi, the intelligence of an animal. He falselythinks, "I am different from my enemy, and my enemy is different fromme. The enemy has done this, and therefore my duty is to kill him." Thismisconception is described in this verse as bheda-gatasati. The actualfact is that everyone is a servant of the Lord, as confirmed in Caitanyacaritiimrtaby Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (jivera 'svarilpa' hayakn;T)era'nitya-ddsa. As servants of the Lord, we are one, and there canbe no questions of enmity or friendship. If one actually understands thatevery one of us is a servant of the Lord, where is the question of enemyor friend?Everyone should be friendly for the service of the Lord. Everyoneshould praise another's service to the Lord and not be proud of his ownservice. This is the way of VaiI).ava thinking, V aikui).tha thinking.There may be rivalries and apparent competition between servants inperforming service, but in the Vaikui).tha planets the service of anotherservant is appreciated, not condemned. This is Vaikui).tha competition.There is no question of enmity between servants. Everyone should beallowed to render service to the Lord to the best of his ability, and everyoneshould appreciate the service of others. Such are the activities ofVaikui).tha. Since everyone is a servant, everyone is on the same platformand is allowed to serve the Lord according to his ability. As confirmed inBhagavad-gitii (15.15), sarvasya ciiham hrdi sanniv!o mattab, smrtirjfiiinam apohanam ca: the Lord is situated in everyone's heart, givingdictation according to the attitude of the servant. However, the Lordgives different dictation to the nondevotees and devotees. The nondevoteeschallenge the authority of the Supreme Lord, and therefore theLord dictates in such a way that the nondevotees forget the Lord's service,life after life, and are punished by the laws of nature. But when adevotee very sincerely wants to render service to the Lord, the Lord dictatesin a different way. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gitii (10.10):teiim satata-yuktiiniimbhajatiim priti-pilrvakamdadiimi buddhi-yogam tamyena miim upayiinti te

234 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I givethe understanding by which they can come to Me." Everyone is actually aservant, not an enemy or friend, and everyone is working under differentdirections from the Lord, who directs each living entity accordingto his mentality.TEXT 13 31R'It ((tq{€CIN- .. tt!stilfllit IIV {;( (IR:;{tit flU!() f¥r.ff lt I IIsa ea titmd sva-parety abuddhibhirduratyayanukramar:w nirapyatemuhyanti yad-vartmani veda-viidirwbrahmiidayo hy ea bhinatti me matimsalt-He; eaft-this; iitmii-Supersoul situated in everyone's heart;sva-para-this is my own business, and that is someone else's; iti-thus;abuddhibhift-by those who have such bad intelligence; duratyayaverydifficult to follow; anukramaft-whose devotional service;nirapyate-is ascertained (by scriptures or the instructions of thespiritual master); muhyanti-are bewildered; yat-of whom;vartmani-on the path; veda-viidinaft-the followers of Vedic instructions;brahma-adayaft-the demigods, beginning from Lord Brahma;hi-indeed; eaft-this one; bhinatti-changes; me-my; matim-intelligence.TRANSLATIONPersons who always think in terms of "enemy" and "friend"are unable to ascertain the Supersoul within themselves. Not tospeak of them, even such exalted persons as Lord Brahma, who arefully conversant with the Vedic literature, are sometimesbewildered in following the principles of devotional service. Thesame Supreme Personality of Godhead who has created this situationhas certainly given me the intelligence to take the side of yourso-called enemy.

Text 14] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hiryak&Sipu 235PURPORTPrahlada Maharaja admitted frankly, "My dear teachers, you wronglythink that Lord ViQU is your enemy, but because He is favorable towardme, I understand that He is the friend of everyone. You may think that Ihave taken the side of your enemy, ·but factually He has bestowed a greatfavor upon me."TEXT 14Jll*'tfq iiSI'{ ((ttt¥tl4itlQNt I(l1fl it *fifiqiUltft;sttl yathii bhramyaty ayo brahmansvayam akar$a-sannidhautathii me bhidyate ceta5cakra-piiTJ.er yadrcchayayathii-just as; bhramyati-moves; ayaft-iron; brahman-0brahmaT)aS; svayam-itself; iikar§a-of a magnet; sannidhau-in theproximity; tatoo-similarly; me-my; bhidyate-is changed; cetaftconsciousness;cakra-piiTJ.eft-of Lord ViQU, who has a disc in His hand;yadrcchaya-simply by the will.

236 Srimad-Bhagavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 5the other cowherd boys, the gopis like Srimati RadharaQi and Her associates,and even the birds, beasts, cows and calves are attracted. Theflowers and fruits in the gardens are attracted, the waves of the Yamunaare attracted, and the land, sky, trees, plants, animals and all other livingbeings are attracted by KrJ.la. This is the natural situation of everythingin V:rndavana.Just contrary to the affairs of V:rndavana is the material world, whereno one is attracted by Kr1.1a and everyone is attracted by maya. This isthe difference between the spiritual and material worlds. HiraQyakasipu,who was in the material world, was attracted by women and money,whereas Prahlada Maharaja, being in his natural position, was attractedby KrJ.la. In replying to HiraQyakasipu's question about why PrahladaMaharaja had a deviant view, Prahlada said that his view was notdeviant, for the natural position of everyone is to be attracted by KrJ.la.HiraQyakasipu found this view deviant, Prahlada said, because of beingunnaturally unattracted by KrJ.la. HiraQyakasipu therefore neededpurification.As soon as one is purified of material contamination, he is again attractedby Kr1.1a (saroopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam). Inthe material world, everyone is contaminated by the dirt of sense gratificationand is acting according to different designations, sometimes as ahuman being, sometimes a beast, sometimes a demigod or tree, and so on.One must be cleansed of all these designations. Then one will benaturally attracted to KrJ.la. The bhakti process purifies the living entityof all unnatural attractions. When one is purified he is attracted by Kr1.1aand begins to serve Kr1.1a instead of serving maya. This is his naturalposition. A devotee is attracted by l(rQa, whereas a nondevotee, beingcontaminated by the dirt of material enjoyment, is not. This is confirmedby the Lord in Bhagavad-gita (7 .28):ye$arh tv anta-gatam papamjananam puTJya-karmaT)dmte dvandva-moha-nirmuktabhajante mam drl}.ha-vrata/:1."Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whosesinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the

Text 15] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hirau;tyaka.Sipu 237duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination."One must be freed from all the sinful dirt of material existence.Everyone in this material world is contaminated by material desire. Unlessone is free from all material desire (anyabhiitd-sunyam), onecannot be attracted by KrJ.la.TEXT 15 \1

238 Srbnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5the brahminical g ualities. The briihmar:ms SaJ;I(,la and Amarka, beingseminal sons of Suk.racarya, did not actually possess real brahminicalqualifications, for they engaged as servants of HiraJ;Iyakasipu. An actualbriihmary,a is very much satisfied to see anyone, not to speak of his disciple,become a devotee of Lord Kr!?J;Ia. Such briihmar:ms are meant tosatisfy the supreme master. A briihmary,a is strictly prohibited from becominga servant of anyone else, for that is the business of dogs andsadras. A dog must satisfy his master, but a briihmary,a does not have tosatisfy anyone; he is simply meant to satisfy Kr!?J;Ia (iinukulyenakr$nu5ilanam). That is the real qualification of a briihmary,a. BecauseSaJ;I

Text 17] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hir8J,lyaka8ipu 239pacification, the offer of a post, or, finally, weapons. When there are noother arguments, he is punished. In logic, this is called argumentum adbaculum. When the two seminal brahmar:ws SaQ.Qa and Amarka failed toextract from Prahlada Maharaja the cause for his having opinions differentfrom those of his father, they called for a stick with which tochastise him to satisfy their master, HiraQ.yaka.Sipu. Because Prahladahad become a devotee, they considered him to be contaminated by badintelligence and to be the worst descendant in the family of demons. As itis said, where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise. In a society orfamily in which everyone is a demon, for someone to become a Vai!?Qavais certainly folly. Thus Prahlada Maharaja was charged with bad intelligencebecause he was among demons, including his teachers, who weresupposedly brahmar:ws.The members of our !?Qa consciousness movement are in a positionsimilar to that of Prahlada l\faharaja. All over the world, ninety-ninepercent of the people are godless demons, and therefore our preaching of!?Qa consciousness, following in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja, isalways hampered by many impediments. Because of their fault of beingdevotees, the American boys who have sacrificed everything for preaching!?Qa consciousness are charged with being members of the CIA.Moreover, the seminal brahmar:ws in India, who say that one can becomea brahma1J-ll only if born in a brahma1J-(l family, charge us with ruiningthe Hindu system of religion. Of course, the fact is that one becomes abrahmar:m by qualification. Because we are training Europeaqs andAmericans to become qualified and are awarding them brahminicalstatus, we are being charged with destroying the Hindu religion. Nonetheless,confronting all kinds of difficulties, we must spread the !?Qaconsciousness movement with great determination, like that of PrahladaMaharaja. In spite of being the son of the demon HiraQ.yakasipu,Prahlada never feared the chastisements of the seminal brahma1J-ll sonsof a demoniac father.TEXT 17+.1+4 ijfTffiStf'{: I1lcMw:¥teq(iffcfttJnwtf: 11 \911daiteya-candana-vanejato 'yam kar:t!aka-druma}J,

240 Srimad-Bhagavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 5yan-millonmilla-para§orv4r:tor niilayito 'rbhaka}J,daiteya-of the demoniac family; candana-vane-in the sandalwoodforest; jata}J,-born; ayam-this; kar:t!aka-druma}J,-thorn tree; yatofwhich; mula-of the roots; unmilla-in the cutting; para§o}J,-who islike an axe; v4TJOIJ--of Lord ViQ.u; niilayita}J,-the handle;arbhaka}J,-boy.TRANSLATIONThis rascal Prahlada has appeared like a thorn tree in a forest ofsandalwood. To cut down sandalwood trees, an axe is needed, andthe wood of the thorn tree is very suitable for the handle of suchan axe. Lord Viu is the axe for cutting down the sandalwoodforest of the family of demons, and this Prahlada is the handle forthat axe.PURPORTThorn trees generally grow in deserted places, not in sandalwoodforests, but the seminal brahmar.ws SaQ.

Text 18] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hiryak&Sipu 241prahradam grahayam dsatri-vargasyopapadanamiti-in this way; tam-him (Prahlada Maharaja); vividha-upayai/:t­by various means; bhayan-threatening; tarjana-ddibhi/:t-bychastisement, threats, etc.; prahradam-unto Prahlada Maharaja;grahayam dsa-taught; tri-vargasya-the three goals of life (the pathsof religion, economic development and sense gratification);upapadanam-scripture that presents.TRANSLATION«;;a and Amarka, the teachers of Prahlida Maharaja, chastisedand threatened their disciple in various ways and began teachinghim about the paths of religion, economic development and sensegratification. This is the way they educated him.PURPORTIn this verse the words prahradam grahayam dsa are important. Thewords grahayam dsa literally mean that they tried to induce PrahladaMaharaja to accept the paths of dharma, artha and kama (religion,economic development and sense gratification). People are generallypreoccupied with these three concerns, without interest in the path ofliberation. Hiral).yakasipu, the father of Prahlada Maharaja, was simplyinterested in gold and sense enjoyment. The word hirar:tya means"gold," and kaSipu refers to soft cushions and bedding on which peopleenjoy sense gratification. The word prahliida, however, refers to onewho is always joyful in understanding Brahman (brahma-bhata/:tprasanndtmd). Prahliida means prasanndtmd, always joyful. Prahladawas always joyful in worshiping the Lord, but in accordance with the instructionsof Hiral).yakasipu, the teachers were interested in teachinghim about material things. Materialistic persons think that the path ofreligion is meant for improving their material conditions. The materialistgoes to a temple to worship many varieties of demigods just to receivesome benediction to improve his material life. He goes to a sddhu or socalledsvdmi to take advantage of an easy method for achieving materialopulence. In the name of religion, the so-called sddhus try to satisfy the

242 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5senses of the materialists by showing them shortcuts to material opulence.Sometimes they give some talisman or blessing. Sometimes theyattract materialistic persons by producing gold. Then they declare themselvesGod, and foolish materialists are attracted to them for economicdevelopment. As a result of this process of cheating, others are reluctantto accept a religious process, and instead they advise people in geeral towork for material advancement. This is going on all over the world. Notonly now but since time immemorial, no one is interested in mok§a,liberation. There are four principles-dharma (religion), artha(economic development), kama (sense gratification) and mok§a (liberation).People accept religion to become materially opulent. And whyshould one be materially opulent? For sense gratification. Thus peopleprefer these three margas, the three paths of materialistic life. No one isinterested in liberation, and bhagavad-bhakti, devotional service to theLord, is above even liberation. Therefore the process of devotional service,Kn>Qa consciousness, is extremely difficult to understand. This willbe explained later by Prahlada Maharaja. The teachers $aQQa andAmarka tried to induce Prahlada Maharaja to accept the materialistic wayof life, but actually their attempt was a failure.tata enarft gurur jfidtvajfidta-jiieya-catayamdaityendram dariayam lisamatr-mr$m alarikrtamtataft-thereafter; enam-him (Prahlada Maharaja); guruft-histeachers; jnatva-knowing; jnata-known; jiieya-which are to beknown; cah.l.$ayam-the four diplomatic principles (siima, the processof pacifying; dana, the process of giving money in charity; bheda, theprinciple of dividing; and dar:uja, the principle of punishment); daityaindram-untoHira.Qyakasipu, the King of the Daityas; dar5ayiim lisa-

Text 20] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of HiraJ;Iyaka.Sipu 243presented; matr-mr!am-being bathed by his mother; alarikrtamdecoratedwith ornaments.TRANSLATIONAfter some time, the teachers aJ;I4a and Amarka thought thatPrahliida Maharaja was sufficiently educated in the diplomaticaffairs of pacifying public leaders, appeasing them by giving themlucrative posts, dividing and ruling over them, and punishingthem in cases of disobedience. Then, one day, after Prahliida'smother had personally washed the boy and dressed him nicely withsufficient ornaments, they presented him before his father.PURPORTIt is essential for a student who is going to be a ruler or king to learnthe four diplomatic principles. There is always rivalry between a kingand his citizens. Therefore, when a citizen agitates the public against theking, the duty of the king is to call him and try to pacify him with sweetwords, saying, "You are very important in the state. Why should you disturbthe public with some new cause for agitation?" If the citizen is notpacified, the king should then offer him some lucrative post as a governoror minister-any post that draws a high salary-so that he may beagreeable. If the enemy still goes on agitating the public, the king shouldtry to create dissension in the enemy's camp, but if he still continues, theking should employ argumentum oo baculum-severe punishment-byputting him in jail or placing him before a firing squad. The teachers appointedby HiraQyakasipu taught Prahlada Maharaja how to he adiplomat so that he could rule over the citizens very nicely.TEXT 20: qmf !If: Iq RcctiAI R q(+ii'uq f.ftf II o IIpiidayo/:l patitam balampratinandyasasura/:l

244Srbnad-Bhigavabun[Canto 7, Ch. 5pari§vajya ciram dorbhyamparamiim apa nirvrtimpadayob,-at the feet; patitam-fallen; oo/am-the boy (PrahladaMaharaja); pratinandya-encouraging; asi§a-with blessings ("My dearchild, may you live long and be happy" and so on); asurab,-the demonHirayakasipu; pari§vajya-embracing; ciram-for a long time due toaffection; dorbhyam-with his two arms; paramiim-great; apa-obtained;nirvrtim-jubilation.TRANSLATIONWhen Hiryaka8ipu saw that his child had fallen at his feet andwas offering obeisances, as an affectionate father he immediatelybegan showering blessings upon the child and embraced him withboth arms. A father naturally feels happy to embrace his son, andHiryaka8ipu became very happy in this way.TEXT 21311Ucttlt'4lllmt t.=tel'ifq: 131Tftfil'{ mQSII .. stf Nm II IIaropyarikam avaghroyamurdhany a.Sru-kalambubhib,asincan vikasad-vaktramidam aha yudh!hiraaropya-placing; arikam-on the lap; avaghraya murdhani-smellinghis head; a.Sru-of tears; kala-ambubhib,-with water from drops;dsincan-moistening; vikasat-vaktram-his smiling face; idam-this;aha-said; yudh!hira-0 Maharaja Yudhithira.TRANSLATIONNarada Muni continued: My dear King Yudhithira,Hiryaka8ipu seated Prahlada Maharaja on his lap and begansmelling his head. With affectionate tears gliding down from his

Text 22] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hiyak.a8ipu 245eyes and moistening the child's smiling face, he spoke to his son asfollows.PURPORTIf a child or disciple falls at the feet of the father or spiritual master,the superior responds by smelling the head of the subordinate.TEXT 22Ulffir'J.i!fr1Sltliji mr d Fiffll¥4'( I-

246 Srimad-Bhagavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 5SaQQ.a and Amarka, the sons of Sukracarya in the seminal disciplic succession,were the gurus appointed by his father, but his other guru wasthe exalted Narada Muni, who had instructed Prahlada when Prahladawas within the womb of his mother. Prahlada Maharaja responded to theinquiry of his father with the instructions he had received from hisspiritual master, Narada. Thus there was again a difference of opinionbecause Prahlada Maharaja wanted to relate the best thing he hadlearned from his spiritual master, whereas HiraQyakasipu expected tohear about the politics and diplomacy Prahlada had learned from SaQQ.aand Amarka. Now the dissension between the father and son became increasinglyintense as Prahlada Maharaja began to say what he hadlearned from his guru Narada Muni.TEXTS 23-24f'f...• n..t.: c.. '"'ur .('1-. .q .. UJT: • qfa>qwt1JI. 1 q A 1111 ijlfiRIJ R llhfilitqeun 1frR6 l14(f:C4(1 s'RJ IIIJIIsri-prahrada uvacasravar:wm kirtanarh Vtwb.smarar:wm pada-sevanamarcanarh vandanam dasyamsakhyam dtma-nivedanamiti purhsiirpitd VTJ-D.UbhaktiS cen nava-laa1}iikriyeta bhagavaty addhiitan manye 'dhitam uttamamsn-prahradab. uviica-Prahlada Maharaja said; sravar:wm-hearing;kirtanam-chanting; vwb.-of Lord Vi!?QU (not anyone else);smarar:wm-remembering; pada-sevanam-serving the feet;arcanam-offering worship (with Ol}aSopaciira, the sixteen kinds of

Text 24] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hirm:tyak&Sipu 24 7paraphernalia); vandanam-offering prayers; dasyam-becoming theservant; sakhyam-becoming the best friend; atma-nivedanam-surrenderingeverything, whatever one has; iti-thus; purilsa arpitaofferedby the devotee; ci$u-unto Lord ViQU (not to anyone else);bhaktift-devotional service; cet-if; nava-laa-possessing ninedifferent processes; kriyeta-one should perform; bhagavati-unto theSupreme Personality of Godhead; addha-directly or completely; tatthat;manye-I consider; adhitam-learning; uttamam-topmost.TRANSLATIONPrahlada Maharaja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendentalholy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimesof Lord ViJ.IU, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of theLord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types ofparaphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant,considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everythingunto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mindand words)-these nine processes are accepted as pure devotionalservice. One who has dedicated his life to the service of J.lathrough these nine methods should be understood to be the mostlearned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.PURPORTWhen Prahlada Maharaja was asked by his father to say somethingfrom whatever he had learned, he considered that what he had learnedfrom his spiritual master was the best of all teachings whereas what hehad learned about diplomacy from his material teachers, SaQQ.a andAmarka, was useless. Bhaktift paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca(Bhiig. 11.2.42). This is the symptom of pure devotional service. A puredevotee is interested only in devotional service, not in material affairs.To execute devotional service, one should always engage in hearing andchanting about KrQa, or Lord ViQU. The process of temple worship iscalled arcana. How to perform arcana will be explained herein. Oneshould have complete faith in the words of KrQa, who says that He is thegreat well-wishing friend of everyone (suhrdarh sarva-bhutanam). Adevotee considers KrQa the only friend. This is called sakhyam.

248 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5Pumsarpita vr:wu. The word purilsa means "by all living entities."There are no distinctions permitting only a man or only a brahmar:w tooffer devotional service to the Lord. Everyone can do so. As confirmed inBhagavad-gitti (9.32), striyo vaiSyas tatha sudras te 'pi yanti paramgatim: although women, vaiSyas and sudras are considered less intelligent,they also can become devotees and return home, back to Godhead.After performing sacrifices, sometimes a person engaged in fruitiveactivity customarily offers the results to ViQu. But here it is said,bhagavaty addha: one must directly offer everything to ViQu. This iscalled sannyasa (not merely nyasa). A tridaT:U;li-sannyasi carries threedar:u)as, signifying kaya-marw-vakya -body, mind and words. All ofthese should be offered to ViQu, and then one can begin devotional service.Fruitive workers first perform some pious activities and then formallyor officially offer the results to ViQu. The real devotee, however,first offers his surrender to :l

Text 24] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hiryaka8ipu 249One's sincere endeavor to perform these nine processes of devotionalservice is technically called bhakti. The word addhii means "directly."One should not be like the karmis, who perform pious activities and thenformally offer the results to KrJ.la. That is karma-ka'J4a. One should notaspire for the results of his pious activities, but should dedicate oneselffully and then act piously. In other words, one should act for the satisfactionof Lord ViJ).U, not for the satisfaction of his own senses. That is themeaning of the word addhii, "directly."anyabhiita-silnyamjnana-karmiidy-anavrtamanukillyena kn;'fJiinusilanarilbhaktir uttamd"One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme LordKrJ.la favorably and without desire for material profit or gain throughfruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotionalservice." One should simply satisfy l(rJ).a, without being influencedby fruitive knowledge or fruitive activity.The Gopala-tapani Upan says that the word bhakti means engagementin the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,not of anyone else. This Upani§ad describes that bhakti is the offering ofdevotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To performdevotional service, one should be relieved of the bodily conception of lifeand aspirations to be happy through elevation to the higher planetarysystems. In other words, work performed simply for the satisfaction ofthe Supreme Lord, without any desire for material benefits, is calledbhakti. Bhakti is also called ni§karma, or freedom from the results offruitive activity. Bhakti and ni§karma are on the same platform, althoughdevotional service and fruitive activity appear almost the same.The nine different processes enunciated by Prahlada Maharaja, wholearned them from Narada Muni, may not all be required for the executionof devotional service; if a devotee performs only one of these ninewithout deviation, he can attain the mercy of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. Sometimes it is found that when one performs one of theprocesses, other processes are mixed with it. That is not improper for adevotee. When a devotee executes any one of the nine processes (nava-

250 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5laIJ-d), this is sufficient; the other eight processes are included. Nowlet us discuss these nine different processes.(1) Sravar:uzm. Hearing of the holy name of the Lord (sravar:uzm) isthe beginning of devotional service. Although any one of the nine processesis sufficient, in chronological order the hearing of the holy name ofthe Lord is the beginning. Indeed, it is essential. As enunciated by LordSri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ceto-darpar:uz-mdrjanam: by chanting theholy name of the Lord, one is cleansed of the material conception of life,which is due to the dirty modes of material nature. When the dirt iscleansed from the core of one's heart, one can realize the form of theSupreme Personality of Godhead - iSvara parama krr:uz sac-cidananda-vigraha.Thus by hearing the holy name of the Lord, onecomes to the platform of understanding the personal form of the Lord.Mter realizing the Lord's form, one can realize the transcendentalqualities of the Lord, and when one can understand His transcendentalqualities one can understand the Lord's associates. In this way a devoteeadvances further and further toward complete understanding of theLord as he awakens in realization of the Lord's holy name, transcendentalform and qualities, His paraphernalia, and everything pertaining toHim. Therefore the chronological process is sravar:uzrh kirtanarh vi$o.This same process of chronological understanding holds true in chantingand remembering. When the chanting of the holy name, form, qualitiesand paraphernalia is heard from the mouth of a pure devotee, his hearingand chanting are very pleasing. Srila Sanatana Gosvami has forbiddenus to hear the chanting of an artificial devotee or nondevotee.Hearing from the text of Srimad-Bhagavatam is considered the mostimportant process of hearing. Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of transcendentalcanting of the holy name, and therefore the chanting and hearingof Srimad-Bhagavatam are transcendentally full of mellows. Thetranscendental holy name of the Lord may be heard and chanted accordinglyto the attraction of the devotee. One may chant the holy name ofLord 1\r:ga, or one may chant the holy name of Lord Rama orN:rsirhhadeva (ramadi-murti$u kala-niyamena ti$!han). The Lord hasinnumerable forms and names, and devotees may meditate upon a particularform and chant the holy name according to his attraction. Thebest course is to hear of the holy name, form and so on from a pure devoteeof the same standard as oneself. In other words, one who is attached

Text 24) Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hir8J,lyaka8ipu 251to !?J;ta should chant and hear from other pure devotees who are also attachedto Lord !?Q.a. The same principle applies for devotees attractedby Lord Rama, Lord N:rsirhha and other forms of the Lord. Because!?Q.a is the ultimate form of the Lord (kf$r;a.s tu bhagavan svayam), itis best to hear about Lord !?Q.a's name, form and pastimes from arealized devotee who is particularly attracted by the form of Lord !?Q.a.In Srimad-Bhdgavatam, great devotees like Sukadeva Gosvami havespecifically described Lord !?Q.a's holy name, form and qualities. Unlessone hears about the holy name, form and qualities of the Lord, one cannotclearly understand the other processes of devotional service.Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that one chant the holyname of !?Q.a. Param vijayate sri-kmUl-sankirtanam. If one is fortunateenough to hear from the mouth of realized devotees, he is veryeasily successful on the path of devotional service. Therefore hearing ofthe holy name, form and qualities of the Lord is essential.In Srimad-Bhdgavatam (1.5.11) there is this verse:tad-vag-visargo janatiigha-viplavoyasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty apiniimany anantasya ya5o- 'nkitdni yat5ntvanti gayanti gntanti sadhava"Verses describing the name, form and qualities of Anantadeva, the unlimitedSupreme Lord, are able to vanquish all the sinful reactions of theentire world. Therefore even if such verses are improperly composed,devotees hear them, describe them and accept them as bona fide andauthorized." In this connection, Sridhara Svami has remarked that apure devotee takes advantage of another pure devotee by trying to hearfrom him about the holy name, form and qualities of the Lord. If there isno such opportunity, he alone chants and hears the Lord's holy name.(2) Kirtanam. The hearing of the holy name has been describedabove. Now let us try to understand the chanting of the holy name, whichis the second item in the consecutive order. It is recommended that suchchanting be performed very loudly. In Srimad-Bhdgavatam, NaradaMuni says that without shame he began traveling all over the world,chanting the holy name of the Lord. Similarly, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhuhas advised:

252 Srimad-Bhigavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 5trr:uid api sunicenataror api sah{tundamanina manadenakirtaniyab sadd haribA devotee can very peacefully chant the holy name of the Lord by behavingmore humbly than the grass, being tolerant like a tree and offeringrespects to everyone, without expecting honor from anyone else. Suchqualifications make it easier to chant the holy name of the Lord. The processof transcendental chanting can be easily performed by anyone. Evenif one is physically unfit, classified lower than others, devoid of materialqualifications or not at all elevated in terms of pious activities, the chantingof the holy name is beneficial. An aristocratic birth, an advancededucation, beautiful bodily features, wealth and similar results of piousactivities are all unnecessary for advancement in spiritual life, for onecan very easily advance simply by chanting the holy name. It is understoodfrom the authoritative source of Vedic literature that especially inthis age, Kali-yuga, people are generally short-living, extremely bad intheir habits, and inclined to accept methods of devotional service that arenot bona fide. Moreover, they are always disturbed by material conditions,and they are mostly unfortunate. Under the circumstances, theperformance of other processes, such as yajna, dana, tapab and kriydsacrifices,charity and so on-are not at all possible. Therefore it isrecommended:harer nama harer namaharer namaiva kevalamkalau nasty eva nasty evanasty eva gatir anyatha"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance ischanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is noother way. There is no other way." Simply by chanting the holy name ofthe Lord, one advances perfectly in spiritual life. This is the best processfor success in life. In other ages, the chanting of the holy name is equallypowerful, but especially in this age, Kali-yuga, it is most powerful.Kirtanad eva kr{taSya mukta-sangab pararh vrajet: simply by chanting

Text 24] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of HiraJ;Iyak&Sipu 253the holy name of K.rt;ta, one is liberated and returns home, back toGodhead. Therefore, even if one is able to perform other processes ofdevotional service, one must adopt the chanting of the holy name as theprincipal method of advancing in spiritual life. Yajnaib, sarikirtanaprayairyajanti hi sumedhasab,: those who are very sharp in their intelligenceshould adopt this process of chanting the holy names of the Lord.One should not, however, manufacture different types of chanting. Oneshould adhere seriously to the chanting of the holy name as recommendedin the scriptures: Hare K.rt;ta, Hare K.rt;ta, K.rt;ta K.rt;ta, HareHare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.While chanting the holy name of the Lord, one should be careful toavoid ten offenses. From Sanat-kumara it is understood that even if aperson is a severe offender in many ways, he is freed from offensive lifeif he takes shelter of the Lord's holy name. Indeed, even if a humanbeing is no better than a two-legged animal, he will be liberated if hetakes shelter of the holy name of the Lord. One should therefore be verycareful not to commit offenses at the lotus feet of the Lord's holy name.The offenses are described as follows: (a) to blaspheme a devotee, especiallya devotee engaged in broadcasting the glories of the holy name,(b) to consider the name of Lord Siva or any other demigod to be equallyas powerful as the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (noone is equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, nor is anyonesuperior to Him), ( c) to disobey the instructions of the spiritual master,(d) to blaspheme the Vedic literatures and literatures compiled in pursuanceof the Vedic literatures, (e) to comment that the glories of theholy name of the Lord are exaggerated, (/) to interpret the holy name ina deviant way, (g) to commit sinful activities on the strength of chantingthe holy name, (h) to compare the chanting of the holy name to pious activities,(i) to instruct the glories of the holy name to a person who hasno understanding of the chanting of the holy name, 0) not to awaken intranscendental attachment for the chanting of the holy name, even afterhearing all these scriptural injunctions.There is no way to atone for any of these offenses. It is thereforerecommended that an offender at the feet of the holy name continue tochant the holy name twenty-four hours a day. Constant chanting of theholy name will make one free of offenses, and then he will gradually beelevated to the transcendental platform on which he can chant the pure

254 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5holy name and thus become a lover of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead.It is recommended that even if one commits offenses, one should continuechanting the holy name. In other words, the chanting of the holyname makes one offenseless. In the hook Nama-kaumudi it is recommendedthat if one is an offender at the lotus feet of a VaiQ.ava, heshould submit to that VaiQ.ava and he excused; similarly, if one is anoffender in chanting the holy name, he should submit to the holy nameand thus he freed from his offenses. In this connection there is thefollowing statement, spoken by Daka to Lord Siva: "I did not know theglories of your personality, and therefore I committed an offense at yourlotus feet in the open assembly. You are so kind, however, that you didnot accept my offense. Instead, when I was falling down because of accusingyou, you saved me by your merciful glance. You are most great.Kindly excuse me and he satisfied with your own exalted qualities."One should he very humble and meek to offer one's desires and chantprayers composed in glorification of the holy name, such as ayi muktakulairupa.sya manam and nivrtta-tarair upagiyamaniid. One shouldchant such prayers to become free from offenses at the lotus feet of theholy name.(3) SmaralJ-O.m. After one regularly performs the processes of hearingand chanting and after the core of one's heart is cleansed, smaralJ-O.m,remembering, is recommended. In Snmad-Bhagavatam (2.1.11)Sukadeva Gosvami tells King Parikit:etan nirvidyamananamicchatam akuto-bhayamyoginam nrpa nin:titamharer namanZLkirtanam"0 King, for great yogis who have completely renounced all materialconnections, for those who desire all material enjoyment and for thosewho are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge, constantchanting of the holy name of the Lord is recommended." According todifferent relationships with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thereare varieties of namanukirtanam, chanting of the holy name, and thusaccording to different relationships and mellows there are five kinds of

Text 24] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hir8J.1yaka8ipu 255remembering. These are as follows: (a) conducting research into theworship of a particular form of the Lord, (b) concentrating the mind onone subject and withdrawing the mind's activities of thinking, feelingand willing from all other subjects, (c) concentrating upon a particularform of the Lord (this is called meditation), (d) concentrating one'smind continuously on the form of the Lord (this is called dhruvanusmrti,or perfect meditation), and (e) awakening a likening for concentrationupon a particular form (this is called samiidhi, or trance). Mental concentrationupon particular pastimes of the Lord in particular circumstancesis also called remembrance. Therefore samiidhi, trance, can bepossible in five different ways in terms of one's relationship. Specifically,the trance of devotees on the stage of neutrality is called mentalconcentration.(4) Pada-sevanam. According to one's taste and strength, hearing,chanting and remembrance may be followed by p&la-sevanam. One obtainsthe perfection of remembering when one constantly thinks of thelotus feet of the Lord. Being intensely attached to thinking of the Lord'slotus feet is called p&la-sevanam. When one is particularly adherent tothe process of p&la-sevanam, this process gradually includes other processes,such as seeing the form of the Lord, touching the form of theLord, circumambulating the form or temple of the Lord, visiting suchplaces as Jagannatha Puri, Dvaraka and Mathura to see the Lord's form,and bathing in the Ganges or Yamuna. Bathing in the Ganges and servinga pure V ait;tava are also known as tadiya-upa.sanam. This is also piidasevanam.The word tadiya means "in relationship with the Lord." Serviceto the V ait;tava, Tulasi, Ganges and Yamuna are included in piidasevanam.All these processes of p&la-sevanam help one advance inspiritual life very quickly.(5) Arcanam. After pada-sevanam comes the process of arcanam,worship of the Deity. If one is interested in the process of arcanam, onemust positively take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and learn theprocess from him. There are many books for arcana, especially Naradapancaratra.In this age, the Pancartitra system is particularly recommendedfor arcana, Deity worship. There are two systems of ar,canathebhagavata system and pancartitriki system. In the Srimad­Bhagavatam there is no recommendation of pancartitriki worship becausein this Kali-yuga, even without Deity worship, everything can be

256 Srbnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5perfectly performed simply through hearing, chanting, rememberingand worship of the lotus feet of the Lord. Rupa Gosvami states:sri-vb. sraval)-e parik$id abhavad vaiyasakib. kirtaneprahladab- smaral)-e tad-anghri-bhajane lak$miiJ, prthuiJ, pujaneakrii.ras tv abhivandane kapi-patir diisye 'tha sakhye 'rjunaiJ,sarvasvdtma-nivedane balir abhii.t kr:ulptir earil param"Parikit Maharaja attained salvation simply by hearing, and SukadevaGosvlimi attained salvation simply by chanting. Prahlada Maharaja attainedsalvation by remembering the Lord. The goddess of fortune,Lakmidevi, attained perfection by worshiping the Lord's lotus feet.P:rthu Maharaja attained salvation by worshiping the Deity of the Lord ..Akriira attained salvation by offering prayers, Hanuman by renderingservice, Arjuna by establishing friendship with the Lord, and BaliMaharaja by offering everything to the service of the Lord." All thesegreat devotees served the Lord according to a particular process, butevery one of them attained salvation and became eligible to return home,back to Godhead. This is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam.It is therefore recommended that initiated devotees follow theprinciples of Narada-paiicaratra by worshiping the Deity in the temple.Especially for householder devotees who are opulent in material possessions,the path of Deity worship is strongly recommended. An opulenthouseholder devotee who does not engage his hard-earned money in theservice of the Lord is called a miser. One should not engage paidbrahma7Jas to worship the Deity. If one does not personally worship theDeity but engages paid servants instead, he is considered lazy, and hisworship of the Deity is called artificial. An opulent householder can collectluxurious paraphernalia for Deity worship, and consequently forhouseholder devotees the worship of the Deity is compulsory. In ourl(:rl).a consciousness movement there are brahmacaris, grhasthas,vanaprasthas and sannyas£s, but the Deity worship in the temple shouldbe performed especially by the householders. The brahmacaris can gowith the sannyas£s to preach, and the vanaprasthas should preparethemselves for the next status of renounced life, sannyasa. Grhastha devotees,however, are generally engaged in material activities, andtherefore if they do not take to Deity worship, their falling down is

Text 24] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hirau:tyaka8ipu 257positively assured. Deity worship means following the rules and regulationsprecisely. That will keep one steady in devotional service. Generallyhouseholders have children, and then the wives of the householdersshould be engaged in caring for the children, just as women acting asteachers care for the children in a nursery school.Grhastha devotees must adopt the arcana-vidhi, or Deity worship accordingto the suitable arrangements and directions given by thespiritual master. Regarding those unable to take to the Deity worship inthe temple, there is the following statement in the Agni Pura. Anyhouseholder devotee circumstantially unable to worship the Deity mustat least see the Deity worship, and in this way he may achieve successalso. The special purpose of Deity worship is to keep oneself always pureand clean. Grhastha devotees should be actual examples of cleanliness.Deity worship should be continued along with hearing and chanting.Therefore every mantra is preceded by the word namab- In all themantras there are specific potencies, of which the grhastha devoteesmust take advantage. There are many mantras preceded by the wordnamab,, but if one chants the holy name of the Lord, he receives theresult of chanting namab, many times. By chanting the holy name of theLord, one can reach the platform of love of Godhead. One might ask,then what is the necessity of being initiated? The answer is that eventhough the chanting of the holy name is sufficient to enable one toprogress in spiritual life to the standard of love of Godhead, one is nonethelesssusceptible to contamination because of possessing a materialbody. Consequently, special stress is given to the arcana-vidhi. Oneshould therefore regularly take advantage of both the bhiigavata processand piiiicaratriki process.Deity worship has two divisions, namely pure and mixed with fruitiveactivities. For one who is steady, Deity worship is compulsory. Observingthe various types of festivals, such as Sri ]anrnii§!ami, Rama-navamiand Nrsimha-caturda.Si, is also included in the process of Deity worship.In other words, it is compulsory for householder devotees to observethese festivals.Now let us discuss the offenses in Deity worship. The following areoffenses: (a) to enter the temple with shoes or being carried on a palanquin,(b) not to observe the prescribed festivals, (c) to avoid offeringobeisances in front of the Deity, (d) to offer prayers in an unclean state,

258 Srbnad-Bhagavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 5not having washed one's hands after eating, (e) to offer obeisances withone hand, (/) to circumambulate directly in front of the Deity, (g) tospread one's legs before the Deity, (h) to sit before the Deity while holdingone's ankles with one's hands, (i) to lie down before the Deity, {j) toeat before the Deity, ( k) to speak lies before the Deity, (0 to addresssomeone loudly before the Deity, (m) to talk nonsense before the Deity,( n) to cry before the Deity, (o) to argue before the Deity, (p) to chastisesomeone before the Deity, (q) to show someone favor before the Deity,(r) to use harsh words before the Deity, (s) to wear a woolen blanketbefore the Deity, (t) to blaspheme someone before the Deity, ( u) to worshipsomeone else before the Deity, ( v) to use vulgar language beforethe Deity, (w) to pass air before the Deity, (x) to avoid very opulentworship of the Deity, even though one is able to perform it, (y) to eatsomething not offered to the Deity, (z) to avoid offering fresh fruits tothe Deity according to the season, (aa) to offer food to the Deity whichhas already been used or from which has first been given to others (inother words, food should not be distributed to anyone else until it hasbeen offered to the Deity), (bb) to sit with one's back toward the Deity,( cc) to offer obeisances to someone else in front of the Deity, (dd) not tochant proper prayers when offering obeisances to the spiritual master,(ee) to praise oneself before the Deity, and (jJ) to blaspheme thedemigods. In the worship of the Deity, these thirty-two offenses shouldbe avoided.In the Variiha Puriir:w the following offenses are mentioned: (a) toeat in the house of a rich man, (b) to enter the Deity's room in the dark,(c) to worship the Deity without following the regulative principles,(d) to enter the temple without vibrating any sound, (e) to collect foodthat has been seen by a dog, (/) to break silence while offering worshipto the Deity, (g) to go to the toilet during the time of worshiping theDeity, (h) to offer incense without offering flowers, (i) to worship theDeity with forbidden flowers, {j) to begin worship without havingwashed one's teeth, (k) to begin worship after sex, (l) to touch a lamp,dead body or a woman during her menstrual period, or to put on red orbluish clothing, unwashed clothing, the clothing of others or soiledclothing. Other offenses are to worship the Deity after seeing a deadbody, to pass air before the Deity, to show anger before the Deity, and toworship the Deity just after returning from a crematorium. Mter eating,

Text 24] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hiryaka8ipu 259one should not worship the Deity until one has digested his food, norshould one touch the Deity or engage in any Deity worship after eatingsaffiower oil or hing. These are also offenses.In other places, the following offenses are listed: (a) to be against thescriptural injunctions of the Vedic literature or to disrespect within one'sheart the Srimad-Bhagavatam while externally falsely accepting itsprinciples, (b) to introduce differing sdstras, (c) to chew pan and betelbefore the Deity, (d) to keep flowers for worship on the leaf of a castoroil plant, (e) to worship the Deity in the afternoon, (j) to sit on the altaror to sit on the floor to worship the Deity (without a seat), (g) to touchthe Deity with the left hand while bathing the Deity, (h) to worship theDeity with a stale or used flower, (i) to spit while worshiping the Deity,(j) to advertise one's glory while worshiping the Deity, (k) to applytilaka to one's forehead in a curved way, ((J to enter the temple withouthaving washed one's feet, (m) to offer the Deity food rooked by anuninitiated person, (n) to worship the Deity and offer bhoga to the Deitywithin the vision of an uninitiated person or non-VaiQava, (o) to offerworship to the Deity without worshiping VaikuQ!ha deities like GaQe8a,(p) to worship the Deity while perspiring, (q) to refuse flowers offeredto the Deity, (r) to take a vow or oath in the holy name of the Lord.If one commits any of the above offenses, one must read at least onechapter of Bhagavad-gita. This is confirmed in the Skanda-Purar:uz,Avanti-kha. Similarly, there is another injunction, stating that onewho reads the thousand names of ViQu can be released from alloffenses. In the same Skanda-Purar:uz, Reva-kha, it is said that onewho recites prayers to tulasi or sows a tulasi seed is also freed from alloffenses. Similarly, one who worships the salagrama-sila can also berelieved of offenses. In the Brahma Purar:uz it is said that one whoworships Lord ViQU, whose four hands bear a conchshell, disc, lotusflower and club, can be relieved from the above offenses. In the AdivarahaPurar:uz it is said that a worshiper who has committed offensesmay fast for one day at the holy place known as Saukarava and thenbathe in the Ganges.In the process of worshiping the Deity it is sometimes enjoined thatone worship the Deity within the mind. In the Padma Purar:uz, Uttarakha,it is said, "All persons can generally worship within the mind."The Gautamiya Tantra states, "For a sannydsi who has no home,

260 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5worship of the Deity within the mind is recommended." In the Naradapaiicaratrait is stated by Lord Narayat;ta that worship of the Deity withinthe mind is called miinasa-piljii. One can become free from the four miseriesby this method. Sometimes worship from the mind can he independentlyexecuted. According to the instruc!ion of Avirhotra Muni, one ofthe nava-yogendras, as mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam, one mayworship the Deity by chanting all the mantras. Eight kinds of Deities arementioned in the §astra, and the mental Deity is one of them. In thisregard, the following description is given in the Brahma-vaivartaPuriilJ,a.In the city of Pratithana-pura, long ago, there resided a brahmar:wwho was poverty-stricken hut innocent and not dissatisfied. One day heheard a discourse in an assembly of brahma1J-(lS concerning how to worshipthe Deity in the temple. In that meeting, he also heard that the Deitymay he worshiped within the mind. After this incident, the brahmar:w,having bathed in the Godavari River, began mentally worshiping theDeity. He would wash the temple within his mind, and then in hisimagination he would bring water from all the sacred rivers in goldenand silver waterpots. He collected all kinds of valuable paraphernalia for ·worship, and he worshiped the Deity very gorgeously, beginning frombathing the Deity and ending with offering arati. Thus he felt great happiness.After many years had passed in this way, one day within his mindhe cooked nice sweet rice with ghee to worship the Deity. He placed thesweet rice on a golden dish and offered it to Lord l(rt;ta, hut he felt thatthe sweet rice was very hot, and therefore he touched it with his finger.He immediately felt that his finger had been burned by the hot sweetrice, and thus he began to lament. While the brahmar:w was in pain, LordVit;tu in Vaikut;ttha began smiling, and the goddess of fortune inquiredfrom the Lord why He was smiling. Lord Vit;tu then ordered His associatesto bring the brahmar:w to V aikut;ttha. Thus the brahmar:w attainedthe liberation of samipya, the facility of living near the Supreme Personalityof Godhead.(6) Vandanam. Although prayers are a part of Deity worship, theymay he considered separately like the other items, such as hearing andchanting, and therefore separate statements are given herewith. TheLord has unlimited transcendental qualities and opulences, and one whofeels influenced by the Lord's qualities in various activities offers

Text 24] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hirau;tyakaSipu 261prayers to the Lord. In this way he becomes successful. In this connection,the following are some of the offenses to be avoided: (a) to offerobeisances on one hand, (b) to offer obeisances with one's body covered,(c) to show one's back to the Deity, (d) to offer obeisances on the leftside of the Deity, ( e) to offer obeisances very near the Deity.(7) Dasyam. There is the following statement in regard to assistingthe Lord as a servant. Mter many, many thousands of births, when onecomes to understand that he is an eternal servant of !?Qa, one candeliver others from this universe. If one simply continues to think thathe is aneternal servant of !?Qa, even without performing any otherprocess of devotional service, he can attain full success, for simply bythis feeling one can perform all nine processes of devotional service.(8) Sakhyam. In regard to worshiping the Lord as a friend, theAgastya-samhita states that a devotee engaged in performing devotionalservice by sravam and kirtanam sometimes wants to see the Lord personally,and for this purpose he resides in the temple. Elsewhere there isthis statement: "0 my Lord, Supreme Personality and eternal friend, althoughYou are full of bliss and knowledge, You have become the friendof the residents of V:rndavana. How fortunate are these devotees!" Inthis statement the word "friend" is specifically used to indicate intenselove. Friendship, therefore, is better than servitude. In the stage abovedasya-rasa, the devotee accepts the Supreme Personality of Godhead as afriend. This is not at all astonishing, for when a devotee is pure in heartthe opulence of his worship of the Deity diminishes as spontaneous lovefot the Personality of Godhead is manifested. In this regard, SridharaSvami mentions Sridama Vipra, who expressed to himself his feelings ofobligation, thinking, "Life after life, may I be connected with !?Qa inthis friendly attitude."(9) Atma-nivedanam. The word iitma-nivedanam refers to the stageat which one who has no motive other than to serve the Lord surrenderseverything to the Lord and performs his activities only to please theSupreme Personality of Godhead. Such a devotee is like a cow that iscared for by its master. When cared for by its master, a cow is not inanxiety over its maintenance. Such a cow is always devoted to its master,and it never acts independently, but only for the master's benefit. Somedevotees, therefore, consider dedication of the body to the Lord to beatma-nivedanam, and as stated in the book known as Bhakti-viveka,

262 Srnnad-Bhigavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 5sometimes dedication of the soul to the Lord is called atma-nivedanam.The best examples of atma-nivedanam are found in Bali Maharaja andAmbaria Maharaja. Atma-nivedanam is also sometimes found in thebehavior of Rukmi¢devi at Dvaraka.TEXT 25{;(®' ft:f4ii Iqffi 31: 11'-\11niSamyaitat suta-vacohirar:tyakaSipus tadiiguru-putram uvdcedarha prasphuritadharal)niSamya-hearing; etat-this; suta-vacal)-speech from his son;hirar:tyakaSipui)-Hiraf.1yaka8ipu; tadii-at that time; guru-putramuntothe son of Sukracarya, his spiritual master; uvdca-spoke; idamthis;-with anger; prasphurita-trembling; adharal)-whose lips.TRANSLATIONMter hearing these words of devotional service from the mouthof his son Prahlida, HiraJ;tyaka8ipu was extremely angry. His lipsremhling, he spoke as follows to m;tc1a, the son of his guru,Sukricirya.TEXT 26 f?h€1 nmn 1an:m !IT illil mtr II IIbrahma-bandho kim etat tevipaarh srayatdsatdasararh grahito halomdm anadrtya durmatebrahma-bandho-0 unqualified son of a brahmar:ta; kim etat-whatis this; te-by you; vipaam-the party of my enemies; srayatd-tak-

Text 27] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hirm:tyaka8ipu 263ing shelter of; asatd-most mischievous; asdram-nonsense;grahita-taught; oola-the boy; mam-me; aruidrtya-not caringfor; durmate-0 foolish teacher.TRANSLATION0 unqualified, most heinous son of a brahmai_Ul, you have disobeyedmy order and taken shelter of the party of my enemies.You have taught this poor boy about devotional service! What isthis nonsense?PURPORTIn this verse the word asaram, meaning, "having no substance," issignificant. For a demon there is no substance in the process of devotionalservice, but to a devotee devotional service is the only essentialfactor in life. Since HiraQ.yakasipu did not like devotional service, theessence of life, he chastised Prahlada Maharaja's teachers with harshwords.TEXT 276 HU1:fcit ifi il;nFfur: I ... atj m Uti: qadMilfqq 11\911santi hy asadhavo Jokedurmaitras chadma-vesir:uzteam udety agham kaleroga patakinam ivasanti-are; hi-indeed; asadhava-dishonest persons; loke-withinthis world; durmaitrd-cheating friends; chadma-vesir;uz-wearingfalse garbs; team-of all of them; udeti-arises; agham-the reactionof sinful life; kale...:..in due course of time; roga-disease;patakinam-of sinful men; iva-like.TRANSLATIONIn due course of time, various types of diseases are manifest inthose who are sinful. Similarly, in this world there are many

264 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5deceptive friends in false garbs, but eventually, because of theirfalse behavior, their actual enmity becomes manifest.PURPORTBeing anxious about the education of his boy Prahlada, Hira.I).yaka8ipuwas very much dissatisfied. When Prahlada began teaching about devotionalservice, Hira.I).yakasipu immediately regarded the teachers as hisenemies in the garb of friends. In this verse the words rogab patakinamiva refer to disease, which is the most sinful and miserable of the conditionsof material life (janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi). Disease is thesymptom of the body of a sinful person. The smrti-sastras say,brahma-ha k:}aya-rogi syatsurapab syavadantakabsvan:w-hari tu kunakhidu5carma guru-talpagabMurderers of brahma1J11S are later a:ffiicted by tuberculosis, drunkardsbecome toothless, those who have stolen gold are a:ffiicted by diseasednails, and sinful men who have sexual connections with the wife of asuperior are a:ffiicted by leprosy and similar skin diseases.TEXT285(WI stonij WI tRSIOft

Text 29] Prahlida, the SaintlY. Son of Hir&l).yaka8ipu 265sri-guru-putra/:1. uvaca-the son of Sukracarya, Hirat;1yaka8ipu'sspiritual master, said; na-not; mat-pra{litam-educated by me; nanor;para-pra{litam-educated by anyone else; suta/:1.-the son(Prahlada); vadati-says; e/:1.-this; tava-your; indra-satro-0enemy of King lndra; naisargiki-natural; iyam-this; mati/:1.-inclination;asya-of him; rajan-0 King; niyaccha-give up; manyumyouranger; kad-fault; adii/:1.-attribute; sma-indeed; mii-do not;na/:1.-unto us.TRANSLATIONThe son of Sukricirya, Hirayaka8ipu's spiritual master, said: 0enemy of King lndra, 0 King! Whatever your son Prahlida hassaid was not taught to him by me or yone else. His spontaneousdevotional service has naturally developed in him. Therefore,please give up your anger and do not unnecessarily accuse us. It isnot good to insult a brihm&l).a in this way.TEXT 29ifTR \ffi'il 31t \{tf : 1;r €\' ifflsR'tit : II IIsri-niirada uviicaguruivarit pratiproktobhuya ahasura/:1. sutamna ced guru-mukhiyarit tekuto 'bhadriisati mati/:1.sri-narada/:1. uvaca-Narada Muni said; guru-by the teacher;evam-thus; pratiprokta/:1.-being answered; bhuya/:1.-again; ahasaid;asura/:1.-the great demon, Hirat;1yaka8ipu; sutam-unto his son;na-not; cet-if; guru-mukhi-issued from the mouth of your teacher;iyam-this; te-your; kuta/:1.-from where; abhadra-0 inauspiciousone; asati-very bad; mati/:1.-inclination.

266 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5TRANSLATIONSri Narada Muni continued: When Hir&I].yaka8ipu received thisreply from the teacher, he again addressed his son Prahlada.Hir&I].yaka8ipu said: You rascal, most fallen of our family, if youhave not received this education from your teachers, where haveyou gotten it?PURPORTSrila Visvanatha Cakravarti 'fhakura explains that devotional serviceis actually bhadra san, not abhadra asati. In other words, knowledge ofdevotional service can be neither inauspicious nor contrary to etiquette.To learn devotional service is the duty of everyone. Therefore the spontaneouseducation of Prahlada Maharaja is supported as auspicious andperfect.TEXT 30" a: i't f'Pifsfij (!HIIP( I

Text 30] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hirar_tyak&Sipu 267TRANSLATIONPrahliida Maharaja replied: Because of their uncontrolledsenses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progresstoward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which hasalready been chewed. Their inclinations toward I;ta are neveraroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts,or by a combination of both.PURPORTIn this verse the words matir na kmJ.e refer to devotional service renderedto Kra. So-called politicians, erudite scholars and philosopherswho read Bhagavad-gita try to twist some meaning from it to suit theirmaterial purposes, but their misunderstandings of Kra will not yieldthem any profit. Because such politicians, philosophers and scholars areinterested in using Bhagavad-gita as a vehicle for adjusting things materially,for them constant thought of Kra, or Kra consciousness, isimpossible (matir na km:te). As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.55),bhaktya mam abhijaniiti: only through devotional service can oneunderstand Kra as He is. The so-called politicians and scholars think ofKra as fictitious. The politician says that his i(rQa is different fromthe i(rQa depicted in Bhagavad-gita. Even though he accepts Kra andRama as the Supreme he thinks of Rama and i(rQa as impersonal becausehe has no idea of service to i(rQa. Thus his only business is puna/:tpuna§ carvita-carvaniim -chewing the chewed again and again. Theaim of such politicians and academic scholars is to enjoy this materialworld with their bodily senses. Therefore it is clearly stated here thatthose who are grha-vrata, whose only aim is to live comfortably with thebody in the material world, cannot understand Kra. The two expressionsgrha-vrata and carvita-carvaniim indicate that a materialisticperson tries to enjoy sense gratification in different bodily forms, lifeafter life, but is still unsatisfied. In the name of personalism, this ism orthat ism, such persons always remain attached to the materialistic way oflife. As stated in Bhagavad-gitd (2.44):bhogaiSvarya-prasaktaniimtayapahrta-cetasam

268 Srbnad-Bhigavabun[Canto 7, Ch. 5vyavasayatmika buddhittsamadhau na vidhiyate"In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and materialopulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolutedetermination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not takeplace." Those who are attached to material enjoyment cannot be fixed indevotional service to the Lord. They cannot understand Bhagavan,.Kr1.1a, or His instruction, Bhagavad-gitd. Addnta-gobhir viSatdmtamisram: their path actually leads toward hellish life.As confirmed by J:{abhadeva, mahat-sevdm dvaram ahur vimuktett:one must try to understand .Kr1.1a by serving a devotee. The word mahatrefers to a devotee.mahatmanas tu mam parthadaivim prakrtim asritattbhajanty ananya-manasojfiiitva bhiltiidim aryayam"0 son of P:rtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are underthe protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotionalservice because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead,original and inexhaustible." (Bg. 9.13) A mahatma is one who isconstantly engaged in devotional service, twenty-four hours a day. Asexplained in the following verses, unless one adheres to such a great personality,one cannot understand .Kr1.1a. Hira1.1yakasipu wanted to knowwhere Prahlada had gotten this .Kr1.1a consciousness. Who had taughthim? Prahlada sarcastically replied, "My dear father, persons like younever understand .Kr1.1a. One can understand .Kr1.1a only by serving amahat, a great soul. Those who try to adjust material conditions are saidto be chewing the chewed. No one has been able to adjust material conditions,but life after life, generation after generation, people try andrepeatedly fail. Unless one is properly trained by a mahat-a mahatma,or unalloyed devotee of the Lord-there is no possibility of one's understanding.Kr1.1a and His devotional service."

Text 31] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of HirBI;Iyaka8ipu 269TEXT 31Wf ft§:: ft fqf it itfWf: I31 ll'fr•irtrqr.r-sqhr

270 Srbnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5Maharaja, should not have been surprised that Prahlada Maharaja differedfrom his way of life. Nonetheless, HiraQyakasipu was extremelyangry and wanted to rebuke his son for deriding his teacher or spiritualmaster, who had been born in the briihmar:m family of the great iiciiryaSukracarya. The word sukra means "semen," and iiciirya refers to ateacher or guru. Hereditary gurus, or spiritual masters, have been acceptedeverywhere since time immemorial, but Prahlada Maharajadeclined to accept such a seminal guru or take instruction from him. Anactual guru is srotriya, one who has heard or received perfect knowledgethrough paramparii, the disciplic succession. Therefore PrahladaMaharaja did not recognize a seminal spiritual master. Such spiritualmasters are not at all interested in Vi!?QU. Indeed, they are hopeful ofmaterial success (bahir-artha-miininah). The.word bahih means."external," artha means "interest," and miinina means "taking veryseriously." Generally speaking, practically everyone is unaware of thespiritual world. The knowledge of the materialists is restricted within thefour-billion-mile limit of this material world, which is in the dark portionof the creation; they do not know that beyond the material world isthe spiritual world. Unless one is a devotee of the Lord, one cannotunderstand the existence of the spiritual world. Gurus, teachers, who aresimply interested in this material world are described in this verse asandha, blind. Such blind men may lead many other blind followers withouttrue knowledge of material conditions, but they are not accepted bydevotees like Prahlada Maharaja. Such blind teachers, being interested inthe external, material world, are always bound by the strong ropes ofmaterial nature.naiim matis tavad urukramiirighrimsprsaty anarthiipagamo yad-arthal;

Text 32) Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hir81,lyaka8ipu 271mahiyasam piida-rajo- 'bhekamnkincaniiniim na vro-ita yavatna-not; e$iim-of these; matiQ-the consciousness; tiivat-thatlong; urukrama-anghrim-the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, who is famous for performing uncommon activities; sprsatidoestouch; anartha-of unwanted things; apagamaQ-the disappearance;yat-of which; arthaQ-the purpose; mahiyasiim-of thegreat souls (the mahiitrniis, or devotees); piida-rajaQ-by the dust of thelotus feet; abhekam-consecration; nkincaniiniim-of devotees whohave nothing to do with this material world; na-not; vro-ita-may accept;yavat-as long as.TRANSLATIONUnless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet ofa V ai:r_1ava completely freed from material contamination, personsvery much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached tothe lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities.Only by becoming :Kr:r.ta conscious and taking shelter atthe lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from materialcontamination.PURPORTBecoming Kr1.1a conscious brings about anartha-apagamal}., thedisappearance of all anarthas, the miserable conditions we have unnecessarilyaccepted. The material body is the basic principle of these unwantedmiserable conditions. The entire Vedic civilization is meant torelieve one from these unwanted miseries, but persons bound by the lawsof nature do not know the destination of life. As described in the previousverse, iSa-tantryiim uru-diimni baddhiiQ: they are conditioned bythe three strong modes of material nature. The education that keeps theconditioned soul bound life after life is called materialistic education.Srila Bhaktivinoda 'fhakura has explained that materialistic educationexpands the influence of maya. Such an education induces the conditionedsoul to be increasingly attracted to materialistic life and to strayfurther and further away from liberation from unwanted miseries.

272 Srbnad-Bhigavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 5One may ask why highly educated persons do not take to .i(rI;ta consciousness.The reason is explained in this verse. Unless one takes shelterof a bona fide, fully .i(rQa conscious spiritual master, there is no chanceof understanding .i(rQa. The educators, scholars and big political leadersworshiped by millions of people cannot understand the goal of life andtake to .i(rI;ta consciousness, for they have not accepted a bona fidespiritual master and the Vedas. Therefore in the Mw:u)aka Upanad(3.2.3) it is said, nayam dtmd pravacanena labhyo na medhaya nabahuna srutena: one cannot become self-realized simply by having anacademic education, by presenting lectures in an erudite way(pravacanena labhya/:l), or by being an intelligent scientist who discoversmany wonderful things. One cannot understand .i(rQa unless oneis graced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only one who has surrenderedto a pure devotee of .i(rJ;ta and taken the dust of his lotus feetcan understand .i(rQa. First one must understand how to get out of theclutches o.f maya. The only means is to become .i(rJ;ta conscious. And tobecome .i(rQa conscious very easily, one must take shelter of a realizedsoul-a mahat, or mahatma-whose only interest is to engage in the serviceof the Supreme Lord. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gitii (9.13):mahiitmdnas tu mdril parthadaiviril prakrtim asritabbhajanty ananya-manasojiiiitva bhatadim aryayam"0 son of Ptha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are underthe protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotionalservice because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead,original and inexhaustible." Therefore, to end the unwanted miseries oflife, one must become a devotee.yasyiisti bhaktir bhagavaty akiiicanasaroair gulJ.llis tatra samiisate suriib"One who has unflinching devotional faith in .i(rQamanifests all the good qualities of .i(rJ;ta and the(Bhag. 5.18.12)consistentlyemtg od s. "d .

Text 33] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hiru;tyaka8ipu 273yasya deve para bhaktiryathii deve tathii gurautasyaite kathitii hy arthiil_tpraka.Sante mahiitmanal_t"Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord andthe spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automaticallyrevealed." (Svetd.Svatara Upan 6.23)yam evaa vro.ute tena labhyastasya atma vivro.ute tanum svam"The Lord is obtained only by one whom He Himself chooses. To such aperson He manifests His own form." (Mu1J4a,ka Upanad 3.2.3)These are Vedic injunctions. One must take shelter of a self-realizedspiritual master, not a materially educated scholar or politician. Onemust take shelter of a nkilicana, a person engaged in devotional serviceand free from material contamination. That is the way to return home,back to Godhead.TEXT 33)q«i sf \I31 qtf.t ¥t()6 II IIity uktvoparatam putramhirayakaSipu aandhikrtiitmd svotsmigannirasyata mahi-taleiti-thus; uktvii-speaking; uparatam-stopped; putram-the son;hirayaka.Sipu/.t-HiraQ.yakasipu; a-with great anger; andhikrtaiitmii-madeblind to self-realization; sva-utsangat-from his lap;nirasyata-threw; mahi-tale -upon the ground.TRANSLATIONMter Prahlida Maharaja had spoken in this way and becomesilent, Hiru;tyaka8ipu, blinded by anger, threw him off his lap andonto the ground.

274 Srimad-Bhagavatam[Canto 7, Ch. 5ahiimaa-11L§av!a!layi-bhilta-locana!tvadhyatam asv ayarh vadhyoni!tsarayata nairrta!taha-he said; amaa-indignation; 71L§d-and by severe anger;a!a!t-overpowered; yi-bhilta-becoming exactly like red-hotcopper; locana!t-whose eyes; vadhyatam-let him be killed; asu-immediately;ayam-this; vadhya!t-who is to be killed; ni!tsarayatatakeaway; nairrta!t-0 demons.TRANSLATIONIndignant and angry, his reddish eyes like molten copper,HiraJ.1yaka8ipu said to his servants: 0 demons, take this hoy awayfrom me! He deserves to be killed. Kill him as soon as possible!TEXT 35ariit mftmS\1'1:1ij: · N....rtittRI ayarh me bhratr-hii so yarhhitva svan suhrdo 'dhama!tpitrvya-hantu!l p&lau yor:wr dasavad arcatiayam-this; me-my; bhratr-hii-killer of the brother; sa!t-he;ayam-this; hitoo-giving up; soon-own; suhrda!t-well-wishers;adhama!t-very low; pitrvya-hantu!t-of He who killed his uncle

Text 36] Prahliida, the Saintly Son of Hirlll,lyaka8ipu 275Hiral).yaka; padau-at the two feet; ya-he who; vo-of LordViI).u; dasa-vat-like a servant; arcati-serves.TRANSLATIONThis boy Prahliida is the killer of my brother, for he has givenup his family to engage in the devotional service of the enemy,Lord ViJ;lU, like a menial servant.PURPORTHiral).yakasipu considered his son Prahlada Maharaja to be the killerof his brother because Prahlada Maharaja was engaged in the devotionalservice of Lord ViI).U. In other words, Prahlada Maharaja would be elevatedto siirilpya liberation, and in that sense he resembled Lord ViI).U.Therefore Prahlada was to be killed by Hiral).yakasipu. Devotees,VaiI).avas, attain the liberations of siirilpya, salokya, Siir$# and siimipya,whereas the Mayavadis are supposed to attain the liberation known assayujya. Siiyujya-mukti, however, is not very secure, whereas siirilpyamukti,siilokya-mukti, siir#-mukti and siimipya-mukti are most certain.Although the servants of Lord ViI).u, Narayal).a, in the Vaikul).!haplanets are equally situated with the Lord, the devotees there know verywell that the Lord is the master whereas they are servants.vi§r vii siidhv asau kim nukayaty asamafijasasauhrdam dustyajam pitrorahiid ya pafica-hiiyanavi§-unto ViI).u; vii-either; siidhu-good; asau-this; kimwhether;nu-indeed; kayati-will do; asamafijasa-not trustworthy;sauhrdam-affectionate relationship; dustyajam-difficult to

276 Srnnad-Bhigavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 5relinquish; pit ro-of his father and mother; ahlit -gave up; ya-hewho; panca-hayana-only five years old.TRANSLATIONAlthough Prahlida is only five years old, even at this young agehe has given up his affectionate relationship with his father andmother. Therefore, he is certainly untrustworthy. Indeed, it is notat all believable that he will behave well toward Viu.TEXT 37quscq ftc:.,;qt{1,SI'iCC€ijJtsfur: IfI\'IC(ft {c:tk&4eifsfFmr ''"''paro 'py apatyam hita-krd yatha.L§adhamsva-dehajo 'py amayavat suto 'hitachindyat tad angam yad utlitmano 'hitamSe$arh sukham jivati yad-vivarjanatpara-not belonging to the same group or family; api-although;apatyam-a child; hita-krt-who is beneficial; yatha-just as;af.L§adham-remedial herb; sva-deha-ja-born of one's own body;api-although; amaya-vat-lik.e a disease; suta-a son; ahita-whois not a well-wisher; chindyat-one should cut off; tat-that; angampartof the body; yat-which; uta-indeed; litmana-for the body;ahitam-not beneficial; .Se$am-the balance; sukham-happily; jivatilives;yat-of which; vivarjanat-by cutting off.TRANSLATIONAlthough a medicinal herb, being born in the forest, does notbelong to the same category as a man, if beneficial it is kept verycarefully. Similarly, if someone outside one's family is favorable,he should be given protection like a son. On the other hand, if alimb of one's body is poisoned by disease, it must be amputated so

Text 38] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hirayaka8ipu 277that the rest of the body may live happily. Similarly, even one'sown son, if unfavorable, must be rejected, although born of one'sown body.PURPORTSri Caitanya Mahiiprabhu has instructed all devotees of the Lord to behumbler than the grass and more tolerant than trees; otherwise therewill always he disturbances to their execution of devotional service. Hereis a vivid example of how a devotee is disturbed by a nondevotee, eventhough the nondevotee is an affectionate father. The material world issuch that a nondevotee father becomes an enemy of a devotee son. Havingdetermined to kill even his son, Hiral).yakasipu gave the example ofamputating a part of one's body that has become septic and therefore injuriousto the rest of the body. The same example, of course, may also heapplied to nondevotees. Ciil).akya Pai).Qita advises, tyaja durjanasarhsargambhaja sadhu-samagamam. Devotees actually serous aboutadvancing in spiritual life should give up the company of nondevoteesand always keep company with devotees. To he too attached to materialexistence is ignorance because material existence is temporary andmiserable. Therefore devotees who are determined to perform tapasya(penances and austerities) to realize the self, and who are determined tobecome advanced in spiritual consciousness, must give up the companyof atheistic nondevotees. Prahlada Maharaja maintained an attitude ofnoncooperation with the philosophy of his father, Hiral).yakasipu, yet hewas tolerant and humble. Hiral).yakasipu, however, being a nondevotee,was sopolluted that he was even prepared to kill his own son. Hejustified this by putting forward the logic of amputation.:tJ(f8tl:R:TEXT 38;oo: I\l?!Uitf'A II IIsarvair upayair hantavyasambhoja-5ayandsanaisuhrl-linga-dhara §atrurmuner dm ivendriyam

278 Srnnad-Bhagavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5saroaift-by all; upayaift-means; hantaryaft-must be killed;sambhoja-by eating; sayana-lying down; asanaift-by sitting; suhrtliriga-dharaft-whohas assumed the role of a friend; satruft-anenemy; muneft-of a great sage; d!am-uncontrollahle; iva-like;indriyam-the senses.TRANSLATIONJust as uncontrolled senses are the enemies of all yogis engagedin advancing in spiritual life, this Prahliida, who appears to be afriend, is an enemy because I cannot control him. Therefore thisenemy, whether eating, sitting or sleeping, must be killed by allmeans.PURPORTHiraQyakasipu planned a campaign to kill Prahlada Maharaja. Hewould kill his son by administering poison to him while he was eating, bymaking him sit in boiling oil, or by throwing him under the feet of anelephant while he was lying down. Thus HiraQyakasipu decided to killhis innocent child, who was only five years old, simply because the hoyhad become a devotee of the Lord. This is the attitude of nondevoteestoward devotees.TEXTS 39-40%f1 m qqaUN:4i(lll(ijiR: II·n fRtcn:l31Rft;( 'ql(wt61 : ij+f 11\/olf"'nairrtas te samad!dbhartrii vai sula-par:wya/:1.tigma-dara-karaldsyastamra-sma.Sru-siroruhaltnadanto bhairavam niidamchindhi bhindhiti vadinaftasinam cahanan sulailtprahradam sarva-marmasu

Text 41] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hirm;tyaka.Sipu 279nairfld-the demons; te-they; samad!d-being fully advised;bhartra-by their master; vai-indeed; sula-pii{Ulya-having tridentsin their hands; tigrna-very sharp; dariz§!ra-teeth; karala-and fearful;asyd-faces; tamra-sma5ru-coppery mustaches; siroruha-andhair on the head; nadanta-vibrating; bhairavam-fearful; nadamsound;chindhi-chop; bhindhi-divide into small parts; iti-thus;vadina-speaking; asinam-who was sitting silently; ca-and;ahanan-attacked; sulai-with their tridents; prahradam-PrahladaMaharaja; sarva-marmasu-on the tender parts of the body.TRANSLATIONThe demons [Rikasas] , the servants of Hirm;tyaka.Sipu, thusbegan striking the tender parts of Prahlida Mahirija's body withtheir tridents. The demons all had fearful faces, sharp teeth andreddish, coppery beards and hair, and they appeared extremelythreatening. Making a tumultuous sound, shouting, "Chop himup! Pierce him!" they began striking Prahlida Maharaja, who satsilently, meditating upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead.TEXT41 ;(iii1A4ftt CIf'lfir I'ffil'lT 31RhiIA4Cf SRI: II IIpare brahmar:ty anirdesyebhagavaty akhilatmaniyuktatmany aphalii asannapur:tyasyeva sat-kriyapare-in the supreme; brahmar:ti-absolute; anirdesye-who is notperceivable by the senses; bhagavati-the Supreme Personality of Godhead;akhila-atmani-the Supersoul of everyone; yukta-atmani-on hewhose mind was engaged (Prahlada); apha/ii-without effect; dsanwere;apur:tyasya-of a person who has no assets in pious activities;iva-like; sat-kriya-good activities (like the performance of sacrificesor austerities).

280 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5TRANSLATIONEven though a person who has no assets in pious activities performssome good deed, it will have no result. Thus the weapons ofthe demons had no tangible effects upon Prahliida Maharaja becausehe was a devotee undisturbed by material conditions andfully engaged in meditating upon and serving the Supreme Personalityof Godhead, who is unchangeable, who cannot be realizedby the material senses, and who is the soul of the entire universe.PURPORTPrahlada Maharaja was constantly and fully engaged in thought of theSupreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said, govinda-parirambhitab­Prahlada Maharaja engaged himself always in meditation, and thus hewas protected by Govinda. Just as a small child on the lap of his father ormother is fully protected, a devotee, in all conditions, is protected by theSupreme Lord. Does this mean that when Prahlada Maharaja was attackedby the demons, the Rak?asas, Govinda was also attacked by thedemons? This is not possible. There have been many attempts by thedemons to hurt or kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He cannotbe injured by any material means because He is always in transcendence.Therefore the words pare brahmaJi are used here. The demons,the Rak?asas, can neither see nor touch the Supreme Lord, although theymay superficially think that they are striking the Lord's transcendentalbody with their material weapons. The Supreme Personality of Godheadis described in this verse as anirdesye. We cannot understand Him to bein a particular place, for He is all-pervasive. Moreover, He is akhiliitma,the active principle of everything, even material weapons. Those whocannot understand the position of the Lord are unfortunate. They maythink that they can kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotee,but all their attempts will be futile. The Lord knows how to dealwith them.TEXT 42sm • : qf(ft(f: 1 (f($illqp•nAt

Text 44] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of HyakaSipu 281prayiise 'pahate tasmindaityendra!J, pariSarikita!J,cakiira tad-vadhopdydnnirbandhena yudhi$!hiraprayase-when the endeavor; apahate-futile; tasmin-that;daitya-indra!J,-the King of the demons, HiraQyakasipu; pariSarikita!J,­very much afraid (considering how the hoy was protected); cakdraexecuted;tat-vadha-updydn-various means for killing him;nirbandhena-with determination; yudhi$!hira-O King Yudhi!hira.TRANSLATIONMy dear King Yudhilll!hira, when all the attempts of the demonsto kill Prahlida Mahirija were futile, the King of the demons,Hir8J;lyaka8ipu, being most fearful, began contriving other meansto kill him.TEXTS 43-44n"

282 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5dik-gajaitt-by big elephants trained to smash anything under theirfeet; danda-suka-indraitt-by the biting of the King's poisonous snakes;abhicara-by destructive spells; avapatanaitt-by causing to fall fromthe top of a mountain; mdyabhitt-by conjuring tricks; sannirodhaittbyimprisonment; ca-as well as;gara-danaitt-by administeringpoison; abhojanaitt-by starving; hima-by cold; vayu-wind; agnifire;salil.aitt-and water; parvata-akramaJUitt-by crushing with bigstones and hills; api-and also; na waka-was not able; yada-when;hantum-to kill; apapam-who was not at all sinful; asuratt-thedemon (HiraQ.yakasipu); sutam-his son; cintam-anxiety; dirghatamdm-long-standing;praptatt-obtained; tat-kartum-to do that;na-not; abhyapadyata-achieved .TRANSLATIONHiryaka8ipu could not kill his son by throwing him beneaththe feet of big elephants, throwing him among huge, fearfulsnakes, employing destructive spells, hurling him from the top ofa hill, conjuring up illusory tricks, administering poison, starvinghim, exposing him to severe cold, winds, fire and water, or throwingheavy stones to crush him. When Hirm_tyaka8ipu found that hecould not in any way harm Prahlida, who was completely sinless,he was in great anxiety about what to do next.TEXT 45 it trl qm f;fffl(tt: Iijroti: ·cr 11\lllea me bahv-asadhuktovadhopayas ca nirmitatttais tair drohair asad-dharmairmuktatt svenaiva tejasaeatt-this; me-of me; bahu-many; asadhu-uktatt-ill names;vadha-upayatt-many varieties of means to kill him; ca-and;nirmitatt-devised ; taitt-by those; taitt-by those; drohaitt-treach-

Text 46] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of HiraJ.lyaka8ipu 283eries; asat-dhannai/l-abominable actions; mukta/l-released; svenahisown; eva-indeed; tej asa-by prowess.TRANSLATIONHiraJ.lyaka8ipu thought: I have used many ill names in chastisingthis boy Prahlada and have devised many means of killing him, butdespite all my endeavors, he could not be killed. Indeed, he savedhimself by his own powers, without being affected in the least bythese treacheries and abominable actions.TEXT 46iitm 1wt RUQ lts;rpf : tr q: vartamarw 'vidure vaibiilo 'py ajatJ,a-dhir ayamna vismarati me 'rulryamsuna/J sepa iva prabhu!Jvartamana/l-being situated; avidure-not very far away; val-mdeed;biila!J-a mere child; api-although; ajat)a-dhi/l-completefearlessness; ayam-this; na-not; vismarati-forgets; me-my;arulryam-misbehavior; suna/J sepa/l-the curved tail of a dog; ivaexactlylike; prabhu/l-being able or potent.TRANSLATIONAlthough he is very near to me and is merely a child, he is situatedin complete fearlessness. He resembles a dog's curved tail,which can never be straightened, because he never forgets mymisbehavior and his connection with his master, Lord ViJ.lu.PURPORTThe word suna/J means "of a dog," and sepa means "tail." The exampleis ordinary. However one may try to straighten a dog's tail, it is never

284. Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5straight but always curved. Suna sepa is also the name of the second sonof Ajigarta. He was sold to Hari8candra, but he later took shelter ofVisvamitra, Hari8candra's enemy, and never left his side.TEXT4731404 i¥4leilSflf_6fSR:wt9t6fiilil ;{ iO 11\911aprameyanubhavo yamakuta.Scid-bhayo 'marananam etad-virodhenamrtyur me bhavita na roaprameya-unlimited; anubhava-glory; ayam-this; akutaScitbhaya-havingno fear from any quarter; amara-immortal;nzlnam-definitely; etat-virodhena-because of going against him;mrtyu-death; me-my; bhavita-may be; na.-not; va-or.TRANSLATIONI can see that this boy's strength is unlimited, for he has notfeared any of my punishments. He appears inimortal. Therefore,because of my enmity toward him, I shall die. Or maybe this willnot take place.TEXT 48 6N41f I-t.ml A"f'ffi Wr it: 11\/11iti tac-cintaya kincinmlana-sriyam adho-mukhamSa.1J{Iamarkav au§anasauvivikta iti hocatuiti-thus; tat-cintaya-with full anxiety because of PrahladaMaharaja's position; kincit-somewhat; mlana.-lost; sriyam-bodilyluster; adha-mukham-his face downward; sa-amarkau-Sa.Q.cJ.a

Text 49] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of HiyakaSipu 285and Amarka; au§anasau-sons of Sukracarya; vivikte-in a secretplace; iti-thus; ha-indeed; llcatulJ-spoke.TRANSLATIONThinking in this way, the King of the Daityas, morose and bereftof bodily luster, remained silent with his face downward. Then_,a and Amarka, the two sons' of Sukricirya, spoke to him insecret.TEXT 49f ifiWf ·ldlti -'.:!11.;r f:q WW.f ;r ffi__;d !jOIG_l'1tfl: ll'dlljitam tvayaikena jagat-trayam bhruvorvijrmbha1J.Q.-trasta-samasta-dhi§7J-yapamna tasya cintyam tava niitha cavahena vai siSunam gu1J.Q.-do§ayolJ padamjitam-conquered; tvaya-by you; ekena-alone; jagat-trayam-thethree worlds; bhruvolJ-of the eyebrows; vijrmbha1J.Q.-by the expanding;trasta-become afraid; samasta-all; dhi§7J-yapam-the chiefpersons in every planet; na-not; tasya-from him; cintyam-to beanxious;· tava-of you; niitha-0 master; cavahe-we find; na-nor;vai-indeed; siSuniim-of children; gu1J.Q.-do$llyolJ-of a good quality orfault; padam-the subject matter.TRANSLATION0 lord, we know that when you simply move your eyebrows, allthe commanders of the various planets are most afraid. Withoutthe help of any assistant, you have conquered all the three worlds.Therefore, we do not find any reason for you to be morose and fullof anxiety. As for Prahlida, he is nothing hut a child and cannot bea cause of anxiety. Mter all, his bad or good qualities have novalue.

286 Srimad-Bhagavatam(Canto 7, Ch. 5TEXT 50. (' ij qm:nul iRit WI q If{ t !!4(11 g¥thl::f 11'-\ollimam tu pasair varuya baddhvanidhehi bhito na palayate yathabuddhiS ca purilso vayasarya-sevayayavad gurur bhargava agami§yatiimam-this; tu-but; pasaib-by the ropes; varuya-of thedemigod known as VaruQ.a; baddhva-binding; nidhehi-keep (him);bhitab-being afraid; na-not; palayate-runs away; yatha-so that;buddhib-the intelligence; ca-also; purilsab-of a man; vayasa-byincrease of age; arya-of experienced, advanced persons; sevaya-bythe service; yavat-until; gurub-our spiritual master; bhargavab­Sukracarya; agami§yati-will come.TRANSLATIONUntil the return of our spiritual master, Sukracarya, arrest thischild with the ropes of Varua so that he will not ftee in fear. Inany case, by the time he is somewhat grown up and has assimilatedour instructions or served our spiritual master, he will change inhis intelligence. Thus there need be no cause for anxiety.TEXT 51ij l'ffi+tl I --Nf!oql f II'-\ IItatheti guru-putroktamanuj iiyedam abravitdharmo hy asyopade$!avyoraj iim yo grha-medhinam

Text 51] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hir8J.lyaka.Sipu 287tathii-in this way; iti-thus; guru-putra-uktam-advised by Sar:t

288 Srnnad-Bhigavabun (Canto 7, Ch. 5is a spiritual identity, and therefore his occupational duty is alsospiritual. The real dharma is that which is advised in Bhagavad-gitd:saroa-dharman parityajya mam ekarh Sa.ra'!UJrh vraja. One must give upone's material occupational duties, just as one must give up his materialbody. Whatever one's occupational duty, even according to thevarama system, one must give it up and engage in one's spirit alfunction. One's real dharma, or occupational duty, is explained by SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu. ]ivera 'svanlpa' haya-km;era 'nitya-dasa ':every living being is an eternal servant of f?r;ta. That is one's real occupationalduty .dharmam artharh ca kamarh canitararh canupilrvaSa.prahradiiyocatil rajanpra5ritdvanatdya cadharmam-mundane occupational duty; artham-economic development;ca-and; kamam-sense gratification; ca-and; nitaramalways;ca-and; anupilroa.Sa -according to order, or from the beginningto the end; prahradaya-unto Prahlada Maharaja; ilcatu-theyspoke; rajan-0 King; pra5rita-who was humble; avanatdya-andsubmissive; ca-also.TRANSLATIONThereafter, «Ja and Amarka systematically and unceasinglytaught Prahlida Maharaja, who was very submissive and humble,about mundane religion, economic development and sensegratification.PURPORTThere are four processes for human society-dharma, artha, kamaand moh$a-and they culminate in liberation. Human society must

Text 53] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hirlll,.lyakaSipu 289follow a process of religion to advance, and on the basis of religion oneshould try to develop his economic condition so that he can fulfill hisneeds for sense gratification according to the religious rules and regulations.Then liberation from material bondage will be easier to attain.That is the Vedic process. When one is above the stages of dharma,artha, kama and mok$a, one becomes a devotee. He is then on the platformfrom which he is guaranteed not to fall again to material existence(yad gatva na nivartante). As advised in Bhagavad-gita if one transcendsthese four processes and is actually liberated, one engages indevotional service. Then he is guaranteed not to fall to material existenceagam.TEXT 53W 'HI¥tit ro IWI l l .. :i.i(lffil( 11'11yathii tri-vargam gurubhirdtmane upa5ik$itamna sadhu mene tac-chik$dmdvandvaramopavaitdmyathii-as; tri-vargam-the three processes (religion, economicdevelopment and sense gratification); gurubhi-by the teachers;dtmane-unto himself (Prahlada Maharaja); upa5ik$itam-instructed;na-not; sddhu-really good; mene-he considered; tat-sik$am-theeducation in that; dvandva-ardma-by persons taking pleasure induality (in material enmity and friendship); upavaitdm-which isprescribed.TRANSLATIONThe teachers 4a and Amarka instructed Prahlida Mabirija inthe three kinds of material advancement called religion, economicdevelopment and sense gratification. Prahlida, however, beingsituated above such instructions, id not like them, for such instructionsare based on the duality of worldly affairs, which involveone in a materialistic way of life marked by birth, death, oldage and disease.

290 Srnnad-Bhigavabun [Canto 7, Ch. 5PURPORTThe entire world is interested in the materialistic way of life. Indeed,practically 99.9 percent of the people in the three worlds are uninterestedin liberation or spiritual education. Only the devotees of theLord, headed by such great personalities as Prahlada Maharaja andNarada Muni, are interested in the real education of spiritual life. Onecannot understand the principles of religion while staying on the materialplatform. Therefore one must follow these great personalities. Asstated in Srimad-Bhiigavatam (6.3.20):svayambhur niiradab, sambhub,kumiirab, kapilo manub,prahliido janako bhi$mobalir vaiyasakir vayamOne must follow in the footsteps of such great personalities as LordBrahma, Narada, Lord Siva, Kapila, Manu, the Kumaras, PrahladaMaharaja, Bhima, Janaka, Bali Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami andYamaraja. Those interested in spiritual life should follow PrahladaMaharaja in rejecting the education of religion, economic developmentand sense gratification. One should be interested in spiritual education.Therefore the I).a consciousness movement is spreading all over theworld, following in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja, who did not likeany of the materialistic education he received from his teachers.TEXT 54:qpt: qmir Iri m: : uyadacaryab, paravrttogrhamedhiya-karmasuvayasyair balakais tatrasopahiltab, krta-aib,yada-when; acaryab,-the teachers; paravrttab,-became engaged;grha-medhiya-of household life; karmasu-in duties; vayasyaib,-by

Text 55] Prahlada, the Saintly Son of Hir8J,lyaka8ipu 291his friends of the same age; balakaib.-boys; tatra-there; sa(t.-he(Prahlada Maharaja); apahata(t.-called; krta-ai(t.-obtaining anopportune moment.TRANSLATIONWhen the teachers went home to attend to their householdaffairs, the students of the same age as Prahlada Maharaja wouldcall him to take the opportunity of leisure hours for play.PURPORTIn tiffin hours, the hours when the teachers were absent from theclassroom, the students called Prahlada Maharaja, wanting to play withhim. _AB will be seen from the following verses, however, PrahladaMaharaja was not very much interested in playing. Instead, he wanted toutilize every moment for advancing in l(rQa consciousness. Therefore,as indicated in this verse by the word krta-ai(t., at the opportunemoment when it was possible to preach about l(rQa consciOusness,Prahlada Maharaja used the time as follows.TEXT 553N T SJT{q if\:l: I:q- f!f rot smrl' 11atha tan slaya vdcapratyahuya maha-budha(t.uvaca vidvams tan-nthamkrpaya prahasann ivaatha-then; tan-the class friends; slaya-with very pleasing;vdcd-speech; pratyahuya-addressing; maha-budha(t.-PrahladaMaharaja, who was highly learned and advanced in spiritual consciousness(maha means "great," and budha means "learned"); uooca-said;vidvan-very learned; tat-ntham-the path of God realization;krpaya-being merciful; prahasan-smiling; iva-like.TRANSLATIONPrahlida Maharaja, who was truly the supreme learned person,then addressed his class friends in very sweet language. Smiling,

292 Srimad-Bhigavatam (Canto 7, Ch. 5he began to teach them about the uselessness of the materialisticway of life. Being very kind to them, he instructed them asfollows.PURPORTPrahlada Maharaja's smiling is very significant. The other studentswere very much advanced in enjoying materialistic life through religion,economic development and sense gratification, but Prahlada Maharajalaughed at them, knowing that this was not actual happiness, for realhappiness is advancement in K:rQa consciousness. The duty of those whofollow in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja is to teach the entire worldhow to be K:rQa conscious and thus be really happy. Materialistic personstake to so-called religion to get some blessings so that they can improvetheir economic position and enjoy the material world through sense gratification.But devotees like Prahlada Maharaja laugh at how foolish theyare to be busy in a temporary life without knowledge of the soul'stransmigration from one body to another. Materialistic persons areengaged in striving for temporary benefits, whereas persons advanced inspiritual knowledge, such as Prahlada Maharaja, are not interested in thematerialistic way of life. Instead, they want to be elevated to an eternallife of knowlege and bliss. Therefore, as K:rQa is always compassionateto the fallen souls, His servants, the devotees of Lord K:rQa, are also interestedin educating the entire populace in K:rQa consciousness. Themistake of materialistic life is understood by devotees, and thereforethey smile upon it, considering it insignificant. Out of compassion,however, such devotees preach the gospel of Bhagavad-gitd all over theworld.te tu tad-gauravat saroetyakta-krujii-paricchadab,

Text 57] Prahlida, the Saintly Son of Hir8J}yaka8ipu 293bald adita-dhiyodvandvarameritehitai/:lparyupasata rajendratan-nyasta-hrdayer:ui/:ltan aha karuJJ-O maitromaha-bhagavato 'sura/:lte-they; tu-indeed; tat-gauravat-f1'om great respect for the wordsof Prahlada Maharaja (due to his being a devotee); saroe-all of them;tyakta-having given up; krit;/ii-paricchada/:l-toys for playing;biild/:t-the boys; adita-dhiya/:l-whose intelligence was not aspolluted (as that of their fathers); dvandva-in duality; drama-ofthose taking pleasure (the instructors, namely SaQQa and Amarka);irita-by the instructions; ihitai/:l-and actions; paryupasata-sat downaround; raja-indra-0 King Yudhithira; tat-unto him; nyasta-havinggiven up; hrdaya-ir:ui/:l-their hearts and eyes; tan-unto them;aha-spoke; karu1J.(J./:t-very merciful; maitra/:l-a real friend; mahabhdgavata/:l-amost exalted devotee; asura/:t-Prahlada Maharaja, althoughhorn of an asura father.TRANSLATIONMy dear King Yudhithira, all the children were very muchaffectionate and respectful to Prahlida Mahirija, and because oftheir tender age they were not so polluted by the instructions andactions of their teachers, who were attached to condemned dualityand bodily comfort. Thus the boys surrounded Prahlida Maharaja,giving up their playthings, and sat down to hear him. Their heartsand eyes being fixed upon him, they looked at him with great earnestness.Prahlida Mahirija, although born in a demon family,was an exalted devotee, and he desired their welfare. Thus hebegan instructing them about the futility of materialistic life.PURPORTThe words bald adita-dhiya/:l indicate that the children, being of atender age, were not as polluted by materialistic life as their fathers.

294 Srimad-Bhigavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5Prahlada Maharaja, therefore, taking advantage of the innocence of hisclass friends, began teaching them about the importance of spiritual lifeand the insignificance of materialistic life. Although the teachers SaQI;laand Amarka were instructing all the boys in the materialistic life ofreligion, economic development and sense gratification, the boys werenot much polluted. Therefore, with great attention they wanted to hearfrom Prahlada Maharaja about !?Qa consciousness. In our !?I}.a consciousnessmovement, the guru-kula plays an extremely important partin our activities because right from childhood the boys at the guru-kulaare instructed about !?Qa consciousness. Thus they become steadywithin the cores of their hearts, and there is very little possibility thatthey will be conquered by the modes of material nature when they areolder.Thw end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, FifthChapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Prahliida Maharaja, theSaintly Son of Hirar:tyakaSipu. "

Appendixes

The AuthorHis Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prahhupada appeared inthis world in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master,Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. BhaktisiddhantaSarasvati, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder ofsixty-four Gaud.iya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated youngrpan and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge.Srila Prabhupada became his student, and eleven years later (1933) atAllahabad he became his formally initiated disciple.At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bh;lktisiddhanta Sarasvati'fhakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledgethrough the English language. In the years that followed, Srila Prahhupadawrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gitd, assisted the Gaud.iyaMatha in its work and, in 1944, Without assistance, started an Englishfortnightly magazine, edited it, typed the manuscripts and checked thegalley proofs. He even distributed the individual copies freely and struggledto maintain the publication. Once begun, the magazine neverstopped; it is now being continued by his disciples in the West.Recognizing Srila Prabhupada' s philosophical learning and devotion,the Gaud.iya V ai1.1ava Society honored him in 194 7 with the title"Bhaktivedanta." In 1950, at the age of fifty-four, Srila Prabhupadaretired from married life, and four years later he adopted thevdnaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing.Srila Prabhupada traveled to the holy city of Vrndavana, where helived in very humble circumstances in the historic medieval temple ofRadha-Damodara. There he engaged for several years in deep study andwriting. He accepted the renounced order of life (sannyasa) in 1959. AtRadha-Damodara, Srila Prabhupada began work on his life's masterpiece:a multivolume translation and commentary on the eighteen thousandverse Snmad-Bhiigavatam (Bhagavata Purar:ta). He also wroteEasy Journey to Other Planets.Mter publishing three volumes of Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupadacame to the United States, in 1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritualmaster. Since that time, His Divine Grace has written over forty volumesof authoritative translations, commentaries and summary studies of thephilosophical and religious classics of India.297

298 Srimad-BhigavatamIn 1965, when he first arrived by freighter in New York City, SrilaPrabhupada was practically penniless. It was after almost a year of greatdifficulty that he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousnessin July of 1966. Under his careful guidance, the Society hasgrown within a decade to a worldwide confederation of almost onehundred asramas, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities.In 1968, Srila Prabhupada created New V:rndavana, an experimentalVedic community in the hills of West Virginia. Inspired by the success ofNew V:rndavana, now a thriving farm community of more than one thousandacres, his students have since founded several similar communitiesin the United States and abroad.In 1972, His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary andsecondary education in the West by founding the Gurukula school inDallas, Texas. The school began with 3 children in 1972, and by thebeginning of 1975 the enrollment had grown to 150.Srila Prabhupada has also inspired the construction of a large internationalcenter at Sridhama Mayapur in West Bengal, India, which is alsothe site for a planned Institute of Vedic Studies. A similar project is themagnificent l(:rQa-Balarama Temple and International Guest House inV:rndavana, India. These are centers where Westerners can live to gainfirsthand experience of Vedic culture.Srila Prabhupada's most significant contribution, however, is hisbooks. Highly respected by the academic community for their authoritativeness,depth and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks innumerous college courses. His writings have been translated into elevenlanguages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 exclusivelyto publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become theworld's largest publisher of books in the :field of Indian religion and philosophy.Its latest project is the publishing of Srila Prabhupada's mostrecent work: a seventeen-volume translation and commentary-completedby Srila Prabhupada in only eighteen months-on the Bengalireligious classic Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.In the past ten years, in spite of his advanced age, Srila Prabhupadahas circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have taken him tosix continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupadacontinues to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable libraryof Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.

ReferencesThe purports of Snmad-Bhagavatam are all confirmed by standardVedic authorities. The following authentic scriptures are specificallycited in this volume.Adi-varaha Purar.w, 259Agastya-sarhhita, 261Bha gavad-gita, 2, 4, 5, 8, 11-12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25-26, 29, 32,34-36,39,40,46,64,65,66,68,69, 76, 78,81,83,97,98, 100,106,108, 109, 110-111, 112, 113, 119, 122, 127, 136, 140, 141, 151, 158,159, 186, 191, 197, 202, 211, 219, 220, 224, 229, 232, 233-234,236-237, 248, 267-268, 272, 288Bhagavata-sandarbha, 10-11Bhakti-viveka, 261-262BrahmaTJ4a Purar:uz, 72-73, 259Brahma-sarhhita, 19, 161, 203Brahma-tarka, 153Brahma-vaivarta Purar:uz, 125, 260Caitanya-caritamrta, 37, 43, 157, 203Gautamiya Tantra, 259-260Gopala-tapani Upani§ad, 249299

300 Srimad-Bhagavatamlsopani§ad, 232Mahiibhiirata, 98, 121Mur:u;k!ka Upani§ad, 272, 273Manu-samhita, 21Nama-kaumudi, 254Narada-paficaratra, 260Padma Purar:w, 14, 259Prema-vivarta, 85Si!aka. 208Skanda Purar:w, 145, 179, 259Smrti-sastras, 264Snmad-Bhiigavatam, 41-42, 47-48, 72, 82, 86, ll5, 153, 157, 184, 193,194-195, 204, 211, 222, 247, 251, 254, 256, 272, 287, 290Svetasvatara Upani§ad, 273Upani§ads, 112, 160-161Varaha Purar:w, 258Vedanta-sutra, 156Vedas, 220, 222Vi§u Purar:w, 222-223

GlossaryAAcirya-a spiritual master who teaches by example.Acintya-bhedibheda-tattva-the Supreme Lord is inconceivably,simultaneously one with His material and spiritual energies and differentfrom them.Al}.imi-yogic power to become as small as an atom.Antaryimi-the expansion of the Supreme Lord situated in everyone'sheart (Supersoul).Arati-a ceremony for greeting the Lord with offerings of food, lamps, fans,flowers and incense.Arcana-the devotional practice of Deity worship.Asrama-a spiritual order of life.Asuras-atheistic demons.Atmirima-one who is self-satisfied, free from external material desires.Avatira-a descent of the Supreme Lord.BBhagavad-giti-the basic directions for spiritual life spoken by the LordHimself.Bhakta-a devotee.Bhakti-yoga-linking with the Supreme Lord in ecstatic devotional service.Bhiva-the preliminary stage of ecstatic love of God.Bhiiti -opulence.Brahmacarya-celibate student life; the first order of Vedic spiritual life.Brahman-the Absolute Truth; especially, the impersonal aspect of the Absolute.Brihm8J.la-a person in the mode of goodness; first Vedic social order.Dasya-rasa-the servitor relationship with the Lord.DDhima-ahode, place of residence; usually referring to the Lord's abodes.Dharma-eternal occupational duty; religious principles.Dulq-tis-miscreants.301

302 Srimad-BhagavatamEEkada8i-a special fast day for increased remembrance of K{Qa, whichcomes on the eleventh day of both the waxing and waning moon.GGoloka (K"t;taloka)-the highest spiritual planet, containing K{Qa's personalabodes, Dvaraka, Mathura and Vrndavana.Gopis-K{Qa's cowherd girl friends, His most confidential servitors.Grhastha-regulated householder life; the second order of Vedic spirituallife.Guru-a spiritual master or superior person.Guru-kula-school of Vedic learning; boys begin at the age of five and liveas celibate students, guided by a spiritual master.HHare t;ta mantra-See: Maha-mantraJivatma-the minute living entity, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.Jiva-tattva-the living entities, who are small parts of the Lord.JKK.ali-yuga (Age of K.ali)-the present age, which is characterized by quarrel.It is last in the cycle of four, and began five thousand years ago.Karatalas-hand cymbals used in kirtana.K.arma-fruitive action, for which there is always reaction, good or bad.Karma-kiit;t4a-the section of the Vedas describing fruitive activities forelevation to a higher material position.K.armi-one ho is satisfied with working hard for flickering sensegratification.K.irtana-chanling the glories of the Supreme Lord.t;taloka-See: Golokaatriyas-a warrior or administrator; the second Vedic social order.

Glossary303LLaghimi-the yogic power to become as light as a feather.MMidhurya-rasa-conjugal love relationship with the Lord.Mahi-bhagavata-a pure devotee of the Lord.Mahi-mantra-the great chanting for deliverance: Hare l}.a, Hare l}.a,l}.a l}.a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, HareHare.Mahimiyi-the illusory material energy of the Lord.Mantra-a sound vibration that can deliver the mind from illusion.Mathuri-Lord !}.a's abode, surrounding V:rndavana, where He tookbirth and later returned to after performing His V:rndavana pastimes.Mauala-lili-pastime of the Yadu dynasty's departure from the earth.Miyi-(ma-not; yd-this), illusion; forgetfulness of one's relationshipwith l}.a.Miyividis-impersonal philosophers who say that the Lord cannot have atranscendental body.Mrdailga-a clay drum used for congregational chanting.pPaiica-mahiyajiia-the five daily sacrifices performed by householders tobecome free from unintentionally committed sins.Parakiya-rasa-the relationship between a married woman· and herparamour, particularly the relationship between l}.a and the damselsof V:rndavana.Parampari-the chain of spiritual masters in disciplic succession.Pralq-ti-the energy of the Supreme Lord.Prasida-food spiritualized by being offered to the Lord.Purii;J.as-Vedic histories of the universe in relation to the Supreme Lordand His devotees.RRiga-mirga-the path of spontaneous love of Godhead.Rik-man-eating demons.

304 Srimad-BhigavatamsSac-cid-inanda-vigraha-the Lord's transcendental form, which is eternal,full of knowledge and bliss.Sidhu-a saintly man.Sakhya-rasa-friend relationship with the Lord.Silokya-mukti-the liberation of residing on the same planet as the Lord.Samadhi-trance; mind :fixed on the Supreme.Simipya-mukti-the liberation of becoming a personal associate of theLord.Saritsira-the cycle of repeated birth and death.Sankirtana-public chanting of the names of God, the approved yoga processfor this age.Sannyisa-renounced life; the fourth order of Vedic spiritual life.!i-mukti-the liberation of having the same opulences as the Lord.Sirupya-mukti-the liberation of getting a form similar to the Lord's.Sastras-revealed scriptures.Siyujya-mukti-the liberation of merging into the existence of the Lord.Sravm;uuil k.irtanam viol;t-the devotional processes of hearing andchanting about Lord ViJ}.u.Sudra-a laborer; the fourth of the Vedic social orders.Sviimi-one who controls his mind and senses; title of one in the renouncedorder of life.TTapasya-austerity; accepting some voluntary inconvenience for a higherpurpose.Tilaka-auspicious clay marks that sanctify a devotee's body as a temple ofthe Lord.vVaikutha-the spiritual world, where there is no anxiety.Vaiva-a devotee of Lord ViI}.u, KtJ}.a.VaiSyas-farmers and merchants; the third Vedic social order.Vinaprastha-one who has retired from family life; the third order of Vedicspiritual life.

Glossary 305VarJ,liSrama-the Vedic social system of four social and four spiritual orders.Vitsalya-rasa-parental relationship with the Lord.Vedas-the original revealed scriptures, first spoken by the Lord Himself.Vibhiiti-the opulence and power of the Supreme Lord.Vi!1J,1U, Lord-l(rJ;ta's first expansion for the creation and maintenance ofthe material universes.Vi!1J,1Uloka-the abode of Lord Vi!i!J;tU, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Vrndivana-:f

Sanskrit Pronunciation GuideVowels3la alTa .:i ii 3'u u=5flrfl q: e Q: ai an 0 it au..:.. Ih (anusvdra) : Q. (visarga)ConsonantsGutturals: Cfi ka kha if ga 't:1 ghaPalatals: ca cha \ifja "jhaCerebrals: eta ?) tha Qa G haDentals: ata '-1 tha da dha.Labials: qpa q) pha i( ba l{ bha Iia5JiiafJl I,la;{ na'I rnaSemi vowels: ya ra la qvaSibilants: sa q' a saAspirate: ha S ' (avagraha) - the apostropheThe vowels above should be pronounced as follows:a - like the a in organ or the u in but.a - like the a in far but held twice as long as short a.- like the i in pin.i- like the i in pique but held twice as long as short i.u - like the u in push.ii - like the u in rule but held twice as long as short u.307

308 Srimad-Bhiigavatamr -like the ri in rim.f - like ree in reed.-like Hollowed by r (lr).e -like the e in they.ai -like the ai in aisle.o -like the o in go.au -like the ow in how.Ih (anusvdra) -a resonant nasal like the n in the French word bon.\:1 (visarga) - a final h-sound: a is pronounced like aha; i like ihi.The consonants are pronounced as follows:k -as in kitekh-as in Eckhartg -as in givegh-as in dig-hardil -as in singc -as in chairch - as in staunch-heartjh -as in hedgehogii - as in canyon! - as in tub!h - as in light-heart«;; - as in dovec;lha- as in red-hotJ.l -as rna (prepare to sayJ -as IDJOY the r and say na) .Cerebrals are pronounced with tongue to roof of mouth, but thefollowing dentals are pronounced with tongue against teeth:t -as in tub but with tongue against teeth.th -as in light-heart but with tongue against teeth.d - as in dove but with tongue against teeth.dh-as in red-hot but with tongue against teeth.n - as in nut but with tongue between teeth.p -as m pme l - as in lightph- as in uphill (not/)b - as in birdbh-as in rub-hardm - as in mothery - as myesr -as in rnnv - as in vines (palatal) -as in the s in the Germanword sprechens (cerebral) -as the sh in shines -as insunh -as in homeThere is no strong accentuation of syllables in Sanskrit, only a Bowingof short and long (twice as long as the short) syllables.

Index of Sanskrit VersesThis index constitutes a complete listing of the first and third lines of each of the nskritpoetry verses and the first line of each Sanskrit prose verse of this volume of Srimad-Bluigavatam, arranged in English alphabetical order. In the first column the Sanskrit trans-!iteration is given, and in the second and third columns respectively the chapter-versereference and page number for each verse are to be found.Aasaram grahito balo 5.26 2624sin.a/l paryalann a.fnan 4.38 2044sinam cahanaii sulai/1 5.40 278abhayama aba/4 vrkadibhi/1 2.38 99 4silican vikasad-vaktram 5.21 244abhivyanag jagad idam 3.26 154 aspanda-pra(lllyiinanda- 4.41 207adiinta-gobhir viSaliim tamisram 5.30 266adhunii Sdpa-nirmuktau 1.46 56 a.Sroddheya iviibhiiti 1.34 45adhyiiste sarva-dhl).yebhya/1 3.9 135 asrk-priyam tarpaye 2.8 64ata/1 5ocata rna yuyam 2.60 123adriiam aham etam te 3.18 145 atha nityam anityam vii 2.49 ll4dha cedam ru¢ plln;l.a/1 2.2 61 atha tan sla(lllya vaca 5.55 291dhdma-civ!a/1 5.34 274aha tan balako bhulva 2.36 95 dtmiinam apratidvandvam 3.1 130aho akaru(IO deva/1 2.53 ll7 atmanii tri-vrta cedam 3.27 154atmavat sarva-bhutciniim 4.31 196aho amf$iim vayasadhikanam 2.37 96 atraivodahrta/1 purvam l.l3 21aho aty-adbhutam hy etad l.l6 23 atrdpy udaharantimam 2.27 88aho vayam dhanyatama yad atra 2.38 99aho vidhatrcikarul).ena na/1 prabho 2.33 92 avesya tad-agham hitva 1.30 41ajivyams cicchidur vn 2.15 77 avivekaS ca cintd ca 2.26 87ayam me bhratr-hii so 'yam274ak!a-pacyd tasyiisit 4.16 181ambamba he vadhu/1 putn'i 2.20 80Banantdvyakta-riipe(lll 3.24 163andha yathandhair upaniyamdnas 5.31 269 ba/4 ita-dhiyo 5.56 292andhikrtatmll svotsarigcin 5.33 273 bala evam pravadati 2.58 1215.35ba/an ati kutas tubhyam 5.9 227anicchatinam nirhiiram 2.35 94aniyatdm are vetram 5.16 238 bhagavan-nindayii vena l.l7 24anya e tathanyo 'ham 5.12 231 bhagavat-tejasd sp!am 1.43 53anyathedam vidhiisye 'ham 3.ll 137 bhagavaty akarod dvem 4.4 172anyatrdlabdha-5ara/l 4.21 186 bhajantam bhajamcinasya 2.7 64aprameyanubhcivo 'yam 5.47 284 bhajaty utsrjati hy anyas 2.46 109apratidvandvatam yuddhe 3.37 166 bhal).yatam srotu-kiimiinam 5.10 227arcanam vandanam dasyam 5.23 246 bhaviiya sreyase bhatyai 3.13 139aropyarikam avaghroya 5.21 244 bho bho danava-daiteyci 2.4 62a.fapan kupitd evam 1.38 50 bhrotary evam vinihate 2.1 60309

310 SrUnad-Bhagavabunbhrdtrvat sadr§e snigdho 4.32 196 dig-gajair dandaSilkendrair 5.43 281bhurik§e sthito dhamani parame!hye 3.33 162 dig-vtisasa/l siSun matvd 1.37bhutaruim iha saritvtisa/l 2.21 81 dinena jivatd du/lkham 2.54 117bhilltini tais lair nija-yoni-karmabhir 2.41 103 divam deva/l parityajya 2.16 78bhutebhyas tvad-vis!ebhyo164 dmva mahadbhutam rdjd 1.14 22bhatendriya-mano-lirigdn 2.46 1093.35brahma-bandho kim etat te 5.26 262brahmar.tya/l sila-sampanna/l 4.31 196 ekadti brahmar.ta/l putrd 1.36 48brUhi me bhagavan yena 1.48 57 ekadtisura-rdl putram 5.4 219bhuhy etad adbhutatamam 1.21 27 a dtma-viparydso 2.25 87buddhi-bheda/l para-krta 5.10 227 e me bahv-asddhukto 5.45 282buddhiS ca purilso vayasdrya-sevayd 5.50 286 ea priydpriyair yogo 2.25 87c;tad bhrdmyati me buddhir 1.21 27etad veditum icchama/l 1.17 24cakdra tad-vadhopaydn 5.42 280 etat kauruhalam brahmann 4.46 212ca bhramyamdr.tena 2.23 84 etdvad brdhma1_tdyoktvd 5.15 237chindydl tad angam yad utdtmano 5.37 276 evam aiSvarya-mattasya 4.20 185cid-acic-chakti-yuktaya 3.34 163cintdm dirghatamam prdptas 5.44 281 evam gur.tair bhrdmyamdr.te 2.24cittasya cittair mana-indriyd(tdm 3.29 157 evam kr.te bhagavati 1.29 38cuubhur nady-udanvanta/l 3.5 133 evam kulingam vilapantam drdl 2.56 119evam labdha-varo daityo172D evam saptau sva-bhavandt 1.39 51dadhara loka-pdldruim 4.18 183 evam vilapatiruim vai 2.35 94daiteya-candana-vane 5.17 239 evam viprakrte Joke 2.16 78daityendram dariaydm dsa 5.19 242 evam vrta/l 5ata-dhrtir 4.1 170daityendra-tapasd taptd 3.6 133 evam yayam apa5yantya 2.57 120daivenaikatra nitdruim 2.21 81Gdamaga-suta/l papa 1.18 24darilSa-bhaita-dehasya 3.18 145 gandharva-siddha ayo 'stuvan muhur 4.14 180ddntendriya-prdr.ta-sarira-dhi/l sadd 4.33 198 giyate paramarit pU1_tyam 1.5 6ddsavat sannatdrydrighri/l 4.32 196 gopya/l kdmdd bhaydt kamso 1.31 42deha-sambandha-sambaddham 1.35 46 grham dnilam ahUya 5.8 226gur.tair a/am asmikhyeyair 4.36 201dehendriydsu-hiruiruim 1.35 46 gurur.taivam pratiprokto 5.29 265devaa etad icchamo210 guru-putram uvdcedam 5.25 262devai-pitr-bhutanam 2.11 71devtisura-manyendra- 4.5 173 Hdevodyana-sriya j!am 4.8 175haru-pulakodbhedo 3.25 1534.44dharmam art ham ca kdmam ca 5.52 288 hatd/l sma ndtheti karair uro bhr§am 2.31 89dharme mayi ca vidve/l 4.27 191 hato hira1_1yakaSipur 1.41 52dharmo hy asyopade!avyo 5.51 286 hima-vdyv-agni-salilai/l 5.44 281dhatre vijnapaydm dsur 3.6 133 himsa tad-abhimdnena 1.24 29dhatte 'sdv dtmano lirigam 2.22 82 hirar.tyakaSipu/l putram 1.42 53E4.44985

Index of Sanskrit Verses 311hirayakaSiprl rdjan 2.1 60 KhirayakaSiprl rdjann130hirayakaSiprl rdjann 4.43 209 ka dtmd kaft para vdtra 2.60 123hirayakaSipur bhratu/:1 2.17 78 Ira/am carantam srjatiSa asrayam 1.11kiilanabham mahdnabham 2.18hirayakaSipur jye!ho 1.40 52 kiildtmaiWS ca nityatvdt 3.10 135hiraydo dharoddhdre 1.41 52 kiilenaitdvatdyman 5.22 245hitvatma-pdtam grham andha-kapam 5.5 220kiilo mahan vyatiydya 4.20 1853.1I kalpante kiila-s1ena 3.26 154kiimdd dve bhayat snehdd 1.30 41idam 5anram puasya mohajam 2.42 104 kiimam nayatu mdm devaft 2.54 ll7ijyamdno havir-bhdgan 4.15 181 kamar:u;lalu-jalenauad 3.22 148imam tu pasair vaya baddhva 5.50 286indrasyarthe katham daityan 1.1 2 kardla-da.trogra-d!yd 2.3 61katamo 'pi na venaft sydt 1.32iti daitya-pater vakyam 2.61 126 katham tasmin bhagavati 1.20 26iti naft sumahd-bhdga 1.3 5 katham tv ajata-pams tan 2.55 ll8iti purilsdrpitd vu 5.24 246 kecit khanitrair bibhiduft 2.15iti su§ruma nirbandham 3.12 138khe!a-kharva!a-ghosdms ca 2.14 75iti tac-cintayd kiii.cin 5.48 284 kidr§a!t kasya vd sdpa 1.34 45iti tam vividhopayair 5.18 240 kim anyaih kiila-nirdhataift 3.lliti te bhartr-nirde5am 2.13 74 kim utdnuva5dn sddhrlrils 4.46 212iti te samyatdtmdnaft 4.23 188 ki!a!l pe5askrta ruddhaft 1.28 3817794377137iti vijMpito devair 3.14 141 kopojjvaladbhyam caurbhyam 2.2 61ity uktd loka-guru 4.29 193 kriyeta bhagavaty addhd 5.24 246ity uktvddi-bhavo devo 3.22 148 krpam mdm anu5ocantyd 2.53 ll7ity uktvoparatam putram 5.33 273 k-graha-grhltdtmd 4.37 202Jkrtva ka/odakddini 2.17 78dra-sidhu-ghrta-udra- 4.17 182krljadbhir nrlpurair devyaft 4.11 176jagur mahendrdsanam ojasd sthitani 4.14 180 kuldngarasya durbuddhes 5.16 238jahdra loka-paldnam173jahdsa buddhir bdldnam 5.6 223 kuliirga-mithunaril tatra 2.51 ll6jajMte tau diteft putrau 1.40 52 kulingas tdm tathdpanndm 2.52 ll6ja!ii.-didhitibhi reje 3.3 131 krl!a-stha dtmd parame!hy ajo mahdrils 3.31 160kvacid dhasati tac-cintd-205jaya-kiile tu sattvasya 1.8 10jighdrilsur akaron nand 1.42 53 kvacid rudati vaikuha-205jitam tvayaikena jagat-trayam bhruvor 5.49 285 kvacid utpulakas im 4.41 207jivaty andtho 'pi tad-iito vane 2.40 102 kvacit tad-bhdvana-yuktas 4.40 2064.74.394.39jMtam etasya daurdtmyaril 4.26 190jMtayo hi suyajnasya 2.59 123Ljnatayo menire sarvam 2.58 121 lokii na ydvan nayanti134jyotir-ddir ivdbhdti 1.9 12 lubdhako vipine kaScit 2.50 1153.7

312 Srimad-Bhagavatamnatvd k!Jijya munaye 1.5M6na vismarati me 'rulryam 5.46 283rna bhafa vibudha-sre!l.a 4.25 190 nindana-stava-satkara- 1.23 28mac-chala-bhinna-gnvasya 2.8 64 nipe sagraMs tdni133mad-darianam hi bhutiirulm 4.25 190 nirambur dharayet pniiJiin 3.19 146mahendra-bhavanam sa 4.8 175mahiyasdril pada-rajo-'bkam 5.32 270 nirgu1_10 'pi hy ajo 'vyaklo 1.6 7niroairdya pra54nldya 4.28 192manda-bhdgya pratinte 2.55 ll8 niSamyaitat suta-vaco 5.25 262martasya te hy amartasya 3.21 148 nitau punar hare par5vam 1.47 56matir na kr;u parata svato tid 5.30 266 nitya dtmdvyaya suddha 2.22 82matr-reyo va5 caidyo 1.33 44mayabhi sannirodhaiS ca281 nodvigna-citto vyasaneu niprha 4.33 198muhyanti yad-vartmani veda-vadino 5.13 234 mlnam etad-virodhena 5.47 284nyasta-krit;lanako bdlo 4.37 202N nyavartanta gatodvega 4.29 1935.43na bhumau rulmbare mrtyur 3.36 165 pna ced guru-mukhiyam te 5.29 265na dadaria praticc hannam 3.15 142 padayo patitari1 bdlam 5.20 243nadanto bhairavam ruidam278 pafica-hdyarulrbhdbhd 1.37 49nadali kvacid uJka(IJho 4.40 206 piiptham dsuriril yonim 1.38 sopapraccha kathyatam vatsa219na hy asy4rtha sura-gal)ai 1.2 3 papraccha vismita-marul l.lS 22nainam propsyatha 5ocantya 2.57 120nairrtas te sa!d278 para sva§ cety asad-groha S.ll 228nam matis tavad urukramanghrim 5.32 270 parasya dama-kartur hi 1.25 30naisargikiyam matir asya rojan 5.28 264 pare brahy anirde§ye 5.41 279pavajya ciram dorbhyam 5.20 243naitat pU11Jaya5 cakrur 3.19 146 parito bhrgu-dayair 3.14 141naivdsurebhyo vidve 1.2 3nama 4dyaya bijdya 3.28 156 para ' py apatyam hita-krd 5.37 276na mat-praJ.ilam na para-pTa{titaril 5.28 264 piiT$ada-parvarau v1_10r 1.33 44narulma sirasd bhiimau 3.24 150 pii1"$(1i-grdhel)a hariJij 2.6 63paryupdsata nijendra 5.57 293rulntar bahir diva naktam 3.36 165 pa§yatam saroa-lokarulm 1.20 26rulnusandhatta etdni 4.38 204rulnyathd 5akyate kartum 2.49 ll4 pii!hay4m dsatu pii!hydn 5.2 217na s4dhu manasd mene 5.3 218 pathi cyutam hati fa-itam 2.40 102na s4dhu mene tac-chim 5.53 289 paurohityaya bhagavan 5.1 216paya-phena-nibhd 5ayya 4.10 176na Sa§dka yadd hantum 5.44 281 pipilikabhir dciTI)aril 3.15 142na §rota rulnuvakldyam 2.45 108na tasya cintyaril lava ndlha che285 pitara putra-vatsa/4 4.45 2llna tatha bhakti-yogena 1.27 37 pitrvya-hantu padau yo 5.35 274na tatra hdtmd prakrtav api sthitas 2.41 103 pitu pulniya yad dve 4.46 212na te 'dhund pidhiyante 4.34 199 prddahali 5ara!Jijny eke 2.15 77na te yugapad rdjan 1.7 9 pnidat tat-tapasa prilo 4.1 170na te vid svartha-gatim hi v(Wril 5.31 269 pradhdna-parayo Tlijann 1.23 285.405.395.493.55.4

Index of Sanskrit Verses 313prahradam grahayam asa 5.18 240 samsayaft sumahdii jcitas5prahnidanUc:yalaril tdta 5.22 245 samyag vidhdryatam balo224prahradaya yada druhyed 4.28 192 sanandaruidayo jagmu5 1.36 48prahnidayocatu rajan 5.52 288 markau sutau tasya 5.1 216prahrado 'bhU!t mahdrils te¢m 4.30 195 5amarkav au5anasau 5.48 284sa niriyambare devam 3.24 ISOpraki-ke5am dhvasta 2.30 89pral)endriya-mano-buddhi 3.28 156 sanruidayanti kakubhaft 4.24 189pra.Sasya slanaya vaca 5.8 226 santi hy asadhavo loke 5.27 263pratimiinam prakurvanti 4.35 200 sapatnair ghdtitaft udrair 2.6 63praycise 'pahate tasmin 5.42 280 sapatnair nihato yuddhe 2.28 89sapator asakrd v41J.um l.l9 25pritya mahd-kratau rajan l.l3 21proktau punar janmabhir vam 1.39 51 5ara-nirbhinna-hrdayam 2.29 89piljito 'sura-varyeJ.Q 4.3 171 sarvair uptiyair hantavyaft 5.38 277pura-grama-vrajodyana- 2.14sarva-sattva-patiii jitva 4.7 173putra-5okam tyaktvci 2.61 126 sarvcivayava-sampanno 3.23 149saroe¢m loka-palanam 3.38 166Rsasajjata sicas tantryam 2.52 116rajaft-k!UJ.!ha-mukhdmbhojaril 2.30 89 Salabaho hayagriva 2.4 62rajaft-sattva-tamo-dhdmne 3.27 154 sa tat kicaka-valmikat 3.23 149rajas-tamobhyam rahite 1.38 50 sa tepe mandara-drol).yam 3.2 131rajiias tad vaca akaTI).ya 1.22 27 sattvam rajas tama iti 1.7 9rama-viryam §roryasi tvaril 1.45 55sattvam vicilrasu rirarilsur iSvaraft l.lO 16ratnakartiS ca ratnaughdrils 4.17 182 sauhrdaril dustyajam pilror 5.36 275ratna-sthalu pa§yanti 4.11 176 sa uttama-sloka-padaravindayor 4.42 208rdvaJ.Qft kumbhakaTI).a§ ca 1.44 54 sa vijitya diSaft sarvci 4.5 173reme 'bhivandydr'rghri yugaft surddibhift 4.12 176 sa yadanuvrataft purilsdm 5.12 231ripor abhimukhe sliighyaft 2.20 80rudatya uccair dayital'rghri-pankajam 2.32 91 siddha-caraJ.Q-vidyadhran 4.6 173slaJ.Qya de5a-kala-jiia 2.19 79ssnehad akalpaft krpaJ.Qft 2.52 116snehdt kamena va yuiijyat 1.26sadhu p!aril maharaja 1.4 6 sraval).aril kirtanam v41J.O!t 5.23 246sa e dtmii sva-parety abuddhibhir 5.13 234sa eva tam sakunikaft sarel).a 2.56 119 Sr!J.utdnantaram saroe 2.5 62sa eva vaTI).d§ramibhift 4.15 181 smva cardcaram idam 3.9 135srutva putra-giro daityaft 5.6 2235aila drol).ibhir akru;lam 4.18 183 sroyatdril kim na viditas135sa ittham nirjita-kakub 4.19 184 sudayadhvam tapo-yajiia- 2.10 675akunim 5ambaram dhim 2.18 79samaft priyaft suhrd brahman l.l 2 suhrl-lil'rga-dharaft satrur 5.38 277slllam udyamya sadasi 2.3 61sambandhad vl).ayaft snehad 1.31 42 suyajiio nanv a yam §ete 2.44 107sambhava§ ca vinasa§ ca 2.26 87 sva-miiya-guJ.Qm aviSya 1.6 7sampraty amai govinde l.l8 24 sva-parabhinive§ena 2.60 123samrambha-bhaya-yogena 1.28 38 §vitro na jato jihvayam l.l9 25751.35.73.833

314 SrUnad-BhagavabuniiTtalo jagdmo. bhagavdn 4.3 171talo viparyaya!J kle5o 2.47 Illtad aham vardhamdnena 3.10 135 tat-pratyanikdn asurdn sura-priyo 1.12 19tais tair drohair asad-dharmair 5.45 282 talra ha preta-bandhiindm 2.36 95tam anga mattam madhunoru-gandhinii 4.13 178 tatrdnuyanam tava vira padayo!J 2.34 93tamaso yo-rak$4rilsi 1.8 10tatrdpi raghavo bhiilvd 1.45tam sannibhartsya kupitafJ 5.15 237 lalrdsinaril sura-r;>im 1.15 22tam sarva-bhUldtma-bhiilam 1.43 53 tal sddhu mo.nye 'sura-varya dehindm 5.5 220tam tam janapadam yata 2.12tau raj prapitam bdlam 5.2 217tdn aha karur:w mo.itro 5.57 293 tavad ydta bhuvam yuyam 2.10 6773tan-mdtaram ru¥ibhdnum 2.19tavdsanaril dvija-gavdm 3.13tanvan pardm nirvrtim dtmo.no muhur 4.42 208 tdv atra triyau jdtau 1.46 56tapantam tapasd lokdn 3.16 142 tayo!J kulitigi sahasa 2.51 116tapo-!hena bhavatd 3.20 147 tena taptd divam tyaktva 3.6 133tem avirabhii.d vdi 4.24 189tapo-yoga-prabhdvam166tasmdd vairanubandhena 1.26 33 tem udety agham kale 5.27 263tasmdt kendpy upayena 1.32 43 te tu tad-gauravdt sarve 5.56 292tasmirils tapas tapyamdne 3.3 131 tigma!ra-kardldsyds 5.39 278tiryag ii.rdhavam adho lokdn132tasmin kii.!e 'hite !e67tasmin mo.hd-bhagavate209 trailokya-lamy-ayatanam 4.8 175tasmin mo.hendra-bhavane mo.hd-balo 4.12 176 !all prdha tam abya 1.22 27tasyabald!J krf4anam ahur i.Situ5 2.39 100 tvam eka dtmdtmo.vatdm anddir 3.30 158tvam eva kdlo 'nimo jandniim 3.31 160tasya copa§amo.m bhii.mo.n 3.7 134tasya daitya-pate!J putrdS 4.30 195 tvam iS jagatas tast ca 3.29 157tasyai namo 'stu !hdyai 4.22 188 tvam sapta-tantii.n vita110$i tanvd 3.30 158tasya mii.rdhna!J samudbhiila!J 3.4 132 tvatta!J param ndparam apy anejad 3.32 161tvaya krtajnena vayam mo.hi-pate 2.34 93tasya santim kayami 4.26 190tasya tyakta-svabhdvasya 2.7 64tasyayam kila satikalpa§ 3.8 135utasyogra-dal)l;ia-samvignd!l 4.21 186 upalabhante sik$artham 4.45 211tala enam gurur j iitvd 5.19 242 upasatopdyana-pa(libhir vind 4.13 178upatasthur hr;>ike5am 4.23 188/alas Ia as!J sarvd 3.21 148 ii.rdhva-bdhur nabho#!J 3.2 131/alas tau rdau jatau 1.44 54tdleme durlobhd!J purilsdril 4.2 170 u$inard asi vrttida!J purd 2.33 92tathd kdmo.-dughd gavo 4.16 181 u5inarendram vidhind tathd krtam 2.31 89tathd me bhidyate cetaS 5.14 235 u5inare abhii.d rdjd 2.28 89utthdya praiijalifJ prahva 3.25 153tathd na yasya kaivalydd 1.25 30tathdpi vitardmy atiga 4.2 170 utthitas tapta-hemdbho 3.23 149tathd prajdndm kadanam 2.13ut!!ha bhadram te 3.17 144tatheti guru-putroktam 5.51 286 uvdca vidvdms tan-!hdm 5.55 2913.382.94.4379743.455139

Index of Sanskrit Verses 315'vyadd sisu pura dtmana paro 1.10 16yad iitmajdya suddhdya 4.44 210vadhyatdm asv a yam vadhyo 5.34 274 yad bhdgavata-mahdtmyam6vairanubandha-tivn?(Ul 1.47 56 yad gatvd na nivartante 4.22 188vaire(Ul prlta-pdpmdnas 1.29 38 yadi diisyasy abhimatan 3.35 164vaamyam iha bhiiliindm 1.24 29varado 'ham anupropto 3.17 144 ya e rojann api kala iSitd 1.12ya srotd yo 'nuvakteha 2.44 107vartamdno 'vidare vai 5.46 283 ya icchaye5a[l srjatidam aryayo 2.39 100vasudeve bhagavati 1.14 22 ya-[1-pi.Sdcesan173vasudeW bhagavati 4.36 201vas'fuieve pare tattve 1.16 23 yama etad upakhyaya 2.59 123vatsa prahrdda bhadram te227 yamasya preta-bandhUntim 2.27 88yam sddhu-gathd-sadasi200vayasyair bdlakais tatra 5.54 290 yan-mu.lonmula-para5or 5.17 239vidanty dtmdnam dtma-stham12vidhatsvanantaram yuktam 3.12 138 yan-nibaddho 'bhimdno yam 1.25 30vidve$o dayite putre1.48yasmin mahad- rojan 4.34 199vidya kalds te tanava5 ca sarvd 3.32 161 yas tv ihendriyavdn dtmd 2.45 108yathd bhromyaty a yo brahman 5.14 235vidyartha-rilpa-jan.mdt/.hyo 4.32 196 yathd manoratha svapna 2.48 112vilak$ya vismita praha 3.16 142vimohita-dhiyam dtas 5.11 228 yathdmbhasa pracalata 2.23 84vipracitte mama vaca[l 2.S 62 yathd nabha sarva-gatam na sajjate 2.43 lOSviSir(Ul-ratna-kavacam 2.29 89 yathdna/Q dd bhinna ate 2.43 lOSyathd tri-vargam gurubhir S.S3 289v(Wr vd sddhv asau kim nu S.36 275 yathaudakaifl pdrthiva-taijasair jana 2.42 104vu-pai praticchannair S.7 224r dvija-kriya-muw 2.11 7l yathd vairdnubandhena 1.27 37visrasta-kesabhara sucam nf(ldrh 2.32 91 yathopam bhurijano184vi.tapd iva 5U$yanti5.91.92.9571.44.64.354.1967 ydti tat-sdmyatdrh bhadre 2.24 85yatra citra-vitdndni 4.10 176vitathdbhinive5o yam 2.48 112vitatya jdlam vidadhe 2.SO llS yatragatas tatra gatam manU$yam 2.37 96ryaktam vibho sthalam idam 5ariram 3.33 162 yatra sphd,tika-kzu!,yani176ryasubhir vasumadbhir vd 3.37 166 yatra vidruma-sopdnd176ryavasayena te 'nena 3.20 147 yatra yatra dvijd gavo 2.124.94.91973y yat tatra gurul)li proktam 5.3 218yaddcarya paravrtto S.S4 290 yaval liriganvito hy titmd 2.47 lllyadd deve$U vede$U 4.27 191 yuktdtmany aphala dsann S.4l 279

General IndexNumerals in boldface type indicate references to translations of the verses of Srimad­Bhagavatam.AAbhyutthiinam adharmasyaverse quoted, 18Absolute Truthas acintya-bhediibheda-tattva, 162devotee's determination to understand,197-198features of, three listed, 163Acintya-bhediibheda-tattva, 106, 161,162Activitiesas gauge of character, 13-15of Lord independent, 101-102sastra controls, 186Supersoul governs, 1109uncommon, Lord glorified by, 271witnessed by Lord, 107Activities, fruitivebondage by reactions of, 111-112Prahlada not interested in, 199Activities, material, devotee loses interest in,204Activities, sinfulof demons, 73-74offense to devotee as worst, 193Activities of devotional service, nine listed,191Acyutiitmd, 58Adiinta-gobhir viSatdm tamisramquoted, 268Adarsaruld ihiiyataquoted, 98Adhikara-sthitdm muktimverse quoted, 50Adhikara-sthitdS caivaverse quoted, 50Adhvaryu, 159Adityas as demigods, one of three kinds, 179Adi-vardha Purd cited on Deity worship,259Advaita, defined, 161Advaitam acyutam anddim ananta-rilpamquoted, 161Agastya-samhitd, cited on worship, 261Age of Kali. See: Kali-yugaAgni, fire controlled by, 184Agn!Oma, 159Ahaituky apratihatdquoted, 209A ham bija-prada pitaquoted, 165Aham brahmasmi, 126Aham hi sarva-yajnandmverse quoted, 151Aham mamabhimanddiverse quoted, 122Ahankara-vimU4hiitmdverse quoted, 81Ahany ahani bhutdniverse quoted, 121Aho baki yam stana-kala-kuJa,mquoted, 20Airorigin of, 98Vayu controls, 184Air in mouth, living entity in body comparedto, 106Ajata-satrava santaquoted, 193Ajigarta, 284Akama sarva-kamo vdverse quoted, 153Akruras tv abhivandane kapi-patir diisye 'thasakhye 'rjunaverse quoted, 256317

318 Srimad-BhagavatamAmanina manadenaverse quoted, 252AmarkaHiraJ;yakasipu instructed by, 285-287Prahlada instructed by, 288-289, 294Ambaria Maharaja, atma-nivedanam exemplifiedby, 262Amputation, rejection of bad son compared to,276-277Ananda-cinmaya-rasa, 32Angerdevotees free of, 39-40of HiraJ;yakasipu, 60-62, 80, 262, 270,Animals273-274sacrifice of, 69-70slaughter of, demoniac, 73Yamaraja undisturbed by, 119See also: names of individual animalsAnimals, foolish compared to, 86, 95 107-108Annihilation of the universe, Lord's omnipotenceproven by, 101-102Antavanta ime deha.IJquoted, 98, 122Antavat tu phalam temquoted, 113Anukulyasya grahaT}mh priitikulyasya varjanamquoted, 34Anukulyena kmwnuquoted, 33, 238verse quoted, 249Anyabhila$ita-sunyamquoted, 144, 237verse quoted, 249Apama-somam amrta abhuma apsarobhirvihariimaquoted, 113Aparam, 162Apa§yatam iitma-tattvamquoted, 222verse quoted, 115Api cet suduriiciiroverse quoted, 40Appearance of QaBhagavad-gitii quoted on, 8, 18, 46Appearance of Qapurposes of, 40as transcendental, 40, 46-47AprakiiSo 'pravrttiS caverse quoted, 11-12Arcanii See: Deity worship of the LordArjuna, 93chastised by Qa, 124-125Qa understood by, 15Aropita defined, 8Arta, 127Artha. See: Economic developmentArtharthi, 127Aryan as spiritually advanced, 125Asarigo yam pur/Jquoted, 143Asat defined, 222Aruhya krcchre param padam tatabverse quoted, 47Asuras. See: Demons, all entriesAsurim yonim apannaverse quoted, 35Asvatantraiva prakrti/Jverse quoted, 122-123Ata iitma vivrddhis tuverse quoted, 125Atab pumbhir dvija-sre!hiiverse quoted, 82Atheistsdoomed, 36lamentation by, condemned, 98-99priest of, 217salvation escapes, 44senses control, 185surrender to Qa shunned by,224See also: Mayavadis, Lord's form ignoredby, Pur rejected byAtmiidefined, 136Atma-nivedanam (surrendering everything)as devotional process, 24 7examples of, 262fully explained, 261-262Atmariima, Supreme Lord as, 4-5Ato daihika-vrddhau viiverse quoted, 125

General Index 319Austeritybenefit of, 137demoniac and devotional, 144by demons, 130-131of Hira1_1yakasipu, 131-138, 142-143,144,146-147,148,150Hira1_1yakasipu loses results of, 193Authority, Lord known through, 211Avajananti mam mii4hiiquoted, 8, 65verse quoted, 36Avidhi-pilroakam, 152Avirhotra Muni, cited on Deity worship, 260Avyaktddini bhataniverse quoted, 97Avyakta-nidhanany evaverse quotedAyodhya as holy dhiima, 189&havo jiiiina-tapasaverse quoted, 39B&hunam janmanam antequoted, 100verse quoted, 202Bali Maharaja, 290dtma-nivedanam exemplified by, 262Bhagavad-bhakti defined, 242Bhagavad-gitacited on energies emanating from 1_1a,106cited on pious men, four kinds of, 127cited on wise man, 219cited on yajna, importance of, 78Lord's directions given in, 104misinterpreted by politician, etc., 267misunderstood because of influence ofmodes, 15misunderstood by modern man, 44misunderstood by sense enjoyers, 268preached all over the world, 292Bhagavad-gitii, quotations fromon brahmar:ws, qualities of, 197on Brahma's day, 136on created beings manifested temporarily,97Bhagavad-gitii, quotations fromon demigod worship as meant for 1_1a,151on demigods worshiped by men of small intelligence,113on demons' defeat, 32,34-36on destinations of different worshipers,110-111on devotees enlightened by Lord, 220,233-234on devotional service as means to understand1_1a, 191, 211, 267on devotional service of great souls, 268,272on devotional service open to all, 248on devotional service spoiled by sense enjoyment,267-268on devotional service's purifying power,40on disregarding scripture, 186on duty, understanding, 186on fools' deriding 1_1a, 8, 36, 65on happiness, transcendental, 113on 1_1a, absorption in, 39on 1.1a's appearance and activities,46on 1_1a's splendor in creation, 13, 141on 1.1a's supremacy, 19,25-26, 158on Lord as director, supreme, 29on Lord as proprietor and well-wisher, 140,232on Lord in everyone's heart, 15, 29, 32,100,109,159,233on Lord's appearance, 18on Lord's equal disposition, 2, 20, 64on material birth of living entity, 83on material body as perishable, 98, 122on mind's position at death, 112on modes of nature, 11-12on nature controlling activities, 81on nature under 1_1a, 17on offerings to 1_1a, 4, 66, 76on purification, 236-237on sacrifice to demigods, 69on sage's vision, 229on society, divisions of, 68on soul as separate from body, 108

320 Srimad-BhagavatamBhagavad-gitii, quotations from (continued)on surrender by one in knowledge, 202on surrender to J;la absent in demons,119,224on Supersoul, 32on surrender to J;la, 5, 288on understanding given to devotees,13Bhiigavata-sandarbha quoted on Lord's transcendence,10-11Bhajanty ananya-manasoverse quoted, 268, 272Bhaktas, See: Devotees of the Supreme Lord,all entriesBhakta-vatsala, 66Bhakti defined, 249Bhakti. See: Devotional service to the SupremeLordBhakti/:t paresanubhavo, 247Bhaktim param bhagavati pratilabhya kiimamverse quoted, 41Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, cited ondevotional service, nine processes of,248Bhaktivinoda Thakura, cited on materialisticeducation, 273Bhakti-viveka, cited on surrender to J;la,261-262Bhaktya mam abhijanatiquoted, 191,211,267Bhava defined, 43Bhava examples of, 206BhogaiSvarya-prasaktanamverse quoted, 267-268Bhoktiiram yajna-tapasamquoted, 140verse quoted, 187Bhramayan sarva-bhii.taniBbrguverse quoted, 29, 84Hir3l;lyakasipu's austerities attracted, 142Vena feared, 178Bha.tani yanti bhutejyaverse quoted, 110Bhutas, Hir3l;lyakasipu conquers, 174Bhu.tasantapana, 80Bhii.tyai defined, 141Birds, kulinga, example of, 115-120BlasphemyBirds in tree, Paramatma and jivatma comparedto, 112condemned, 32-36by Dantavakra, 25, 34the Lord unaffected by, 29, 31, 32-33penalty for, 26, 32-36redmption from, 34by Sisupala, 25, 34by Vena Maharaja, 24Blind leading blind, materialists compared to,269-270Boar, Lord, HiraJ;lyakasipu's brother killed by,166Bodily conception of lifeconditioned souls suffer, 29, 30-31doom in, 222-223Supreme Lord free from, 31-32See also: MaterialismBody, materialcompared to machine, 84during samadhi (trance), 146as earth, water, fire, 105giving up by prowess, 110-111karma causes, 104the Lord awards, 100the Lord controls, 16-17, 29the Lord doesn't have, 31as machine, 29as miserable, 271mistaken as self, 87-88soul differs from, 83, 108, 143Supersoul differs from, 108-109temporary, 122-123Body, spiritual, from thinking of J;la, 39Brahma, Lordas administrator of universe, 140benedictions from, counteracted, 193birth of, 165as creator, empowered, 149, 155-157day and night of, 155destiny at end of life of, 148first and foremost in universe, 149,156-157

General Index 321Brahmii, LordHiraiJyakasipu a "devotee " of, 145, 151,154-156,165-167Hirayakasipu benedicted by, 170-172HiraQ.yakasipu's body restored by,149-150Hiral).yaka8ipu's death foretold by, 1

322 Srimad-BhagavatamChanting the Lord's holy namesas absolute, 225, 250Caitanya Mahaprahhu recommends, 7, 72as devotee's occupation, 7fully explained, 247,251-254in humility advised, 252initiation essential for, 257Jaya and Vijaya purified by, 34for Kali-yuga, 252-253offenses in, 253-254qualifications, material, unnecessary for,252and seeing Lord as nondifferent, 191Chewing the chewed, material life comparedto, 267Child, Prahlada compared to, 205, 206Childreninnocence of, 293-294killing of, in womb, 119Lord's activities compared to those of,65-66philosophy from, appreciated, 96protection of, by Lord alone, 103, 118-119Child unaware of source of bodily necessities,devotee compared to, 280Christ, Lord, "resurrection" of, 146CIA, devotees said to work for, 239Citraketu Maharaja's liberation as example ofthe Lord's mercy, 32Compassion, preaching as, 292Cosmic manifestation. See: Brahma engineers;Duration of; Universe, as Lord's body.Cow protection, society must provide, 73140-141Creation, theby Brahma through i(rJ;Ja, 149, 156elements manifested during, 98as Lord's pastime, 18-19as Lord's plaything, 101purpose of, not known by materialists, 70Creator, subordinate, Brahma as, 136, 149,156DDadami buddhi-yogam tamquoted, 14, 112Dadami buddhi-yogaril tamverse quoted, 13, 233Daityas, 52, 63HiraJ;Jyakasipu as King of, 285HiraJ;Jyakasipu as one of, 143-144, 154philosophize over death, 127Daivl hy ea gur:uzmayiquoted, 9 ,a, quoted on Siva, 254Dak visits HiraJ;JyakaSipu, 142Damaghoa, 25Danavas, 52, 63Dantavakrathe Lord liberates, 26not ordinary demon, 45Diisyam, 24 7Dasyu-prayeu rajasuquoted, 72Deathbodies change at,96cause of, 88certain for everyone, 97demigods don't experience, like humans,148of demons generally means their liberation,64funeral after, 94-95of hero as glorious, 80humans subject to, 148mind's position at, 112preparation for, neglected, 121soul has none, 83soul realized at, 108of Suyajiia, 89of wife with husband, 93-94Dehadi-vyatiriktau tuverse quoted, 125Dehendriyasu-yukta.S caverse quoted, 50Dehino 'smin yatha dehequoted, 108, 109Deity worship of the Lord (arcana)fully explained, 247, 255-260householders require, 256-257offenses in, 257-259spiritual master· essential for, 255

General Index 323Demigodsas deathless, 148demons and Rakas worship, 145earth visited by, 78envier of, is vanquished, 192Hirai;yakasipu chastised, 178Hirai;yakasipu disturbed, 132, 134, 138,140as Hiral)yalq;a's enemies, 63-64kinds of, several named, 179the Lord as life and soul of, 67the Lord as shelter of, 71Lord satisfied by, 82the Lord's favoring, 4as Lord's representatives, 152Lord worshiped by, 194in mode of goodness, 10, 12, 20modes of nature controlled by, 184opulence of, described, 175-178qualities of, manifested in faithful, 272sacrifices offered to, 69-70symptoms of, 13-15worship of, as fruitless, 188worship of, condemned, 113-144,151-153See also: names of individual demigodsDemigods, quotations fromon brahminical culture and cow protection,140on Hirai;yaka8ipu, 134-135, 138, 140Demonsanimals and trees killed by, 73-74austerity by, 130-131, 144death certain for, 148demigods differ from, 67as demigod worshipers, 145vs. devotees, 224, 225, 226devotees sometimes controlled by, 180devotional service destroys civilization of,240devotional service not appreciated by, 263duality besets, 234-235enviousness of, 61, 75heavenly planets disturbed by, 178holy places unaffected by, 189intelligence of, 82DemonsJ.la consciousness movement opposedby, 225-226J.la punishes, 2, 32, 34-36Lord can't be hurt by, 280Lord envied by, 173the Lord's mercy on, 5, 20-21, 23, 24, 25,29,32,33, 34the Lord thought mortal by, 65-66material world as 99%, 239in mode of ignorance, 20in mode of passion, 10, 12Prahlada's family as, 299pride of, 186sayujya-mukti attained by, 64, 65,66society destroyed by, 140-141surrender to J.la shunned by, 224symptoms of, 13-15worship in ignorance, 152See also: AtheistsDesires, materialdevotees above, 144of Hiral)yakasipu, 130, 136-138,139-142Lord fulfills, 195vs. spiritual, 43worship of the Lord for, preferred todemigod worship, 153Detachment. See: RenunciationDetermination of Prahlada, 199Devaki, contrasted to Yasoda, 43Devotees of the Supreme Lordanger and fear absent in, 39-40association with nondevotees rejected by,277contamination absent in, 209vs. demons and nondevotees, 152, 224,225, 226, 278demons sometimes control, 180determination needed by, 239devotional service as life of, 131, 263in disguise, 225-226envier of, is vanquished, 192envy absent in, 14equal vision of, 219, 220, 231, 232-233hear and talk of J.la, 7

324 Srimad-BhagavatamDevotees of the Supreme Lord (continued)humility, 229-230know everything, 220as 1.1a's enemies, 48liberation, impersonal, rejected by, 23liberation attained by, 275the Lord enlightens, 220, 233-234the Lord protects, 280the Lord's favoring, 13the Lord understood by, alone, 8material desires absent in, 144nondevotees' attitude toward, 278offerings by, 66spiritual education sought by, 290spiritual world understood only by, 270success assured for, 34-35suffering ceases for, 272symptoms of, 13-14as transcendental, 144, 287well-wishers of everyone, 144worship by, 152-153See also: Pure devotees of the SupremeLord; names of individual devoteesDevotional service to the Supreme Lord(bhakti)demoniac civilization cut down by, 240for everyone, 248favorable vs. unfavorable, 33-34, 36goodness heightens, 15-16Q.a understood through, 191, 211, 267liberation certain from, 275materialists avoid, 242vs. mystic power, 167-168nondevotees disturb, 277perfectional examples of, 256of Prahlada Maharaja, 195-209process of, nine fully described, 247,248-262pure, as desireless, 249pure, no falldown from, 289by qualification, not favoritism, 13-15Sa1.1«Ja accused of teaching about, 263as service always, 231as supreme perfection, 144unconditional, 209Devotional service to the Supreme Lord(bhakti)Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quoted onauspiciousness of, 266Vfi!davana epitomizes, 38Dhdmas, spiritual advancement can be easy in,189Dharmam tu saad bhagavat-pra{titamquoted, 287Dhira.dhira-jana-priyauquoted,198Dhri,80Dhruvaloka,13 7Disciplic succession, guru appears in,270Disease as sinful reaction, 263-264Diticeases lamentation, 126Hiral}.yakasipu consoles, 80Dog's curved tail, Prahlada compared to,283-284Dog's help in crossing ocean, demigod worshipDreamcompared to, 188bodily existence compared to, 98material happiness compared to, 113Dress, body compared to, 98Duality, materialconditioned souls suffer, 29-30demons beset by, 234-235See also: Bodily conception of lifeDutyBhagavatam quoted on, 287of brahmaT:U and atriya, 68-69, 73Caitanya Mahaprabhu quoted on, 288devotional service as, 266of engaging mind in I}.a, 112to know self within the body, 122,125-126to preach in footsteps of Prahlada, 292sdstra explains, 186surrender to I}.a as, 100, 103Dva.-sthdv ity anenddhikara-sthatvam uktamquoted, 49Dvimiirdha, 63

General Index 325Earth (element)Eas element of body, 105origin of, 98Earth planetdemigods visit, 78Hiral}.yakasipu feared by, 182prosperity of, 68-70time for, vs. demigod's time, 143Economic development (artha), Prahlida instructedon, 288-290, 294Ecstatic symptoms of Prahlada, 206-208Educationmaterialistic, mdydexpanded by, 273of Prahlada, spontaneous, 266spiritual, only devotees seek, 290Eka-sthdnaika-kdryatvadverse quoted, 153Ekatvam anupa.Syataquoted, 232Elements, material, as part of body, 110Energies of Supreme Lord, 164Energy, law of conservation of, 98Energy, materialbodies created by, 83conditioned soul connected with, 111-112duality created by, 229the Lord creates, 155-156power of, 186 ·as separate and not separate from the Lordsimultaneously, 106-107Energy, spiritual, Lord and devotee descendEnvyby,47devotees free of, 14the Lord free of, 4-5,8liberation possible by, 23, 39-40, 42,57penalty for, 32Etan nirvidyamdndndmverse quoted, 254Ether, origin of, 98Evam yo vetti tattvataquoted, 8FFaith in J}.a, good qualities follow, 195False ego as part of subtle body, 111-112Feardevotees free of, 39-40gopis unchecked by, 34of Hiral}.yakasipu, by Earth, 182of J}.a can purify, 39-40, 41the Lord free of, 4-5Lord's voice drives away, 190Prahlada free of, 283-284FireAgni controls, 184as element of body, 105goodness represented by, 13-14origin of, 98Fire in wood, living entity in body comparedto, 106Foodstuffs offered to the Lod, 66Foolishness, cause of, 88Friends, false, Prahlada' s teachers regardedas,263-264Friendship with the Lord, as devotional process,261GGandharvas, 174Garbhodaka8ayi VQu, Brahmi born of,165Garuc;las, 174Gautamiya Tantra, cited on Deity worshipwithin mind, 259-260Ghost(s)Hiral}.yaka8ipu conquers, 174Suyajiia as, 96God. See: Supreme LordGod realizationall knowledge follows, 220chronological process of, 250See also: J}.a consciousnessGoloka eva nivasaty akhildtma-bhrltaquoted, 200Goloka Vp1davana. See: Vrndavana

326 Srimad-BhagavatamGoodness, mode of (sattva-g)body maintained via, 16in demigods, 10, 14-15,20devotional service aided by, 15symptom of, 12worship in, 70Gopa.la-tapan'i Upan cited on pure devotionalservice, 249Gop 'isfear couldn't check, 34purity of, 41-43Gosvanus, six, as well-wishers, 198Governmentby brahi'Tia{UJS and atriyas, 68-69, 72in Kali-yuga, 72saintly vs. materialistic families in, 287Government, impartial Lord compared to,64Govinda, as Prahlada's protector, 205, 280Grhastha-asrama (householder life)danger in, 221, 222-223Deity worship essential for, 256-257Gu. See: Modes of material natureGuru. See: Spiritual masterGuru-kuladefined, 226importance of, 294HappinessHas Q.a consciousness, 292material, as concoction, 88, 113-114material, as trouble, 11material, Q.a forgotten in, 127of soul should be understood, 122by surrender to Supersoul, 109thieves can't achieve, 70Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guiJ.(iquoted, 86, 196verse quoted, 222Harer nama harer nama·verse quoted, 252Harir eva hi sarvasyaverse quoted, 72Hari8candra, 284Harisma8ru, 80Hata-putra diti sakraquoted, 2Hearing about the Supreme Lord (sravam)as devotional process, 24 7from pure devotees recommended,250-251fully explained, 250-251and seeing Lord as nondiflerent, 191value of, 6-7, 40-42Heavenly planetsvia austerities, 137demons disturb, 178opulence of, 175-178Hell, materialists go to, 267,268Herb, protection for, protection of friend comparedto, 276Hetundnena kaunteyaverse quoted, 17Hindu religion, Q.a consciousness movementaccused of destroying, 239HiraQ.yagarbha, Supreme Lord as, 162HiraQ.yaka, 145HiraQ.yaka8ipuanger of, 60, 62asks Brahmi for benediction, 165-167,168as atheist like Vena, 178austerities by, 131-138, 142-143, 144,145-147, 148, 150austerities by, length of, 143, 146austerities of, Brahma won by, 147-148benedictions gran ted to, 170-172body of, Brahmi restored, 149-150Brahma addressed as supreme by,155-156,158-165Brahmi foretells death of, 148as Brahma's devotee, 145, 151, 154-156,165-167as Daitya, 143-144, 154-delivered, 36demigods disturbed by, 132, 134, 138,140,187demoniac ambitions of, 130, 136-138,139-142

General Index 327HiraJ;yaka8i puas demon number one, 2I7, 2I9, 22I,223-224desires of, compromised, I65destruction by order of, 7 5-78diplomatic training for Prahliida asked by,287falldown of, 2IOKumiiras curse, I85Lord accused of partiality by, 63-66name, meaning of, 24Inephews pacified by, 79-80offerings madeto,I80-I84Prahliida as best son of, I95Prahliida offended by, I93Prahliida thrown off lap of, 273Prahlada tortured by, 53-54Prahliida's death planned by, 274-278Prahliida undisturbed by, 209, 282prayers of, to Brahmii, I55-I56,I58-I67as Rasa, I43-I44J;!Qa chastised by, 262-265senses of, uncontrolled, I85soul described by, 83soul understood by, 86time of appearance of, 95universe conquered by, I74Vi?Q.U envied by, I72-I73Vi!?Q.u's death planned by, 65-7IHiraQ.ykaSipu, quotations fromon conquering universe, I36-I37on devotees as enemies, 223-225HiryakaSipu.S cdpiverse quoted, 36HiraQ.ya killed by the Lord, 53, 60,63llkuLa-Uipa-karinlraverse quoted, IIHladini sandhini sanlvitverse quoted, IIHoly name of the Lordas absolute, 225See also: Chanting the Lord's holy namesHotii, I59Householder identifying with house, conditionedsoul identifying with body comparedto, I 05Householders. See: Grhastha-asranJaike8apleasure from serving, II3predominating deities worship, I89Supersoul as, I09Human beingsdeath certain for, I48demoniac, 76in Kali-yuga, 252Humility, Caitanya Mahiiprabhu instructs on,277Hunter of birds, example of, II6-II7Ignorancebodily concept as, 95, I24-I25Iof conditioned soul, I05demons worship in, I 52Lord dispels, 220material attachment as, 277Ignorance, mode of (tarno-gu!Ul)body destroyed via, I6-I7in demons, 20devotion covered by, I5misunderstanding caused by, I5Riik!?asas and Yak!?as in, I 0symptoms of, I2Illusionbodies products of, 105bodily concept as, 95, I23education difficult due to, II4-ll5See also: MayaIlvala, 63lmpersonalists. See: MayaviidisIncarnations of the Supreme Lord. See: Boar,Lord; other nanles of individual incarnationsIndiasaha-mdr in, 94trees of, prominent, 77lndraHiraJ;yakaSipu occupies throne of, I75,I80

328 Srimad-Bhagavatamlndra (continued)the Lord favors, 2palace of, 177-178Intelligenceconditional life abandoned through, llOof demon as inferior, 95of demons, 82as part of subtle body, 1ll-ll2of Prahlada as steady, 199Supersoul inspires, 112Intoxication by Hira_yaka8ipu, 179lsopani$ad, quoted on devotee's equal vision,232l$!dn bhogiin hi vo deviiverse quoted, 69lsvarab, paramab, kmwb.quoted, 9, 19, 31lsvarab, sarva-bhii.tiiniirilquoted, 15,54,159-160,198verse quoted, 29,83-84, 100JJagadananda Pa_ta, quoted on haunted conditionedsoul, 85Jagai and Madhai, 37]agiii madhiii haite muiii se piipi$haverse quoted, 37Janaka, 290Janardana, Kr1.1a as, 123]anmady asya yatab,quoted, 156]anma karma ca me divyamquoted, 8, 18verse quoted, 46]anma-mrtyu-jarii-vyiidhiquoted, 264Jaya and Vijayabirths of, 48, 52,55-56"fall" of, as the Lord's pastime, 47-48Kumaras bless, 51-52Kumaras checked by, 49Kumaras curse, 51liberated by the Lord, 26, 34, 56Jayadeva Gosvami, quoted on Prahlada's attachmentfor Nrsimhadeva, 202Jijnasu, 127]itab,defi.ned, 147)iva Gosvami, quoted on Lord's transcendence,lO-ll]ivasya tad-adhinatviinverse quoted, 153]ivera 'svarilpa' hayaquoted, 229, 233, 288Jnanam vijnanam astikyamverse quoted, 197Jnanam yadii tadii vidyiidverse quoted, 11]nan isimpersonal liberation desired by, 23the Lord approached by, 127]ii.dtvii Siistra-vidhiinaktamverse quoted, 186KKa iitmii kab, para iti dehiidy-apeayiiverse quoted, 125Kaivalya defined, 31-32Kalanabha, 80Kalau nasty eva nasty evaverse quoted, 252Kalau sudra-sambhavab,quoted, 72Kali (goddess), worshi {l of, 69-70Kali-yuga (Age of Kali)abortion in, ll9chanting recommended for, 252-253dhiimas unaffected by, 189godless called iiryans in, 198government of sudras in, 72symptoms of, 252tree cutting in, 74wives' attitudes change in, 94Kama. See: Sense gratificationKamsa liberated by the Lord, 42-43Karanam gu!la-saligo 'syaquoted, 83Karmabody according to,l6-17,84, 104See also: Activities, fruitive, bondage byreactions of

General Index 329Ka17110J)ii. daiva-netrequoted, 17Karmal)ii manasa vacaverse quoted, 35Karmis, benedictions of, fulfilled by Lord, 195Ka.Syapa Muni, son of, 145Kesava dhrta-narahari-ni.paquoted, 202Ke8ini, 55Ketu, 204Killingof birds by hunter, 115-120of briihmar:w, penalty for, 264of child in womb, scientific theory on,98-99of HiraQYakasipu assured by Lord, 193of HiraJ;J.yaka, 60, 63of Suyajii.a, 89Killing, attempted, of Prablada byHiraJ;J.yakasipu, 282Killing, plan for, of Prahlada byHiraJ;J.yakasipu, 274-278Killing, plan for, of ViQU, by HiraJ;J.yakaSipu,65-71Kintu prabhor ya priya eva tasyaverse quoted, 230Kirtaniya sadd hariquoted, 7Krishna: See: Qa, Lord; Supreme Lord, allentriesQa,Lordas Godhead's original form, 251maha-bhagavata sees, 203-204name, meaning of, 235Prahlada's attachment to, 201-202quoted on non-Aryans, 125remembered in distress, 127sense enjoyers can't understand, 268spiritual master reveals, 272-273Vrndavana residents attracted by, 235-236See also: Appearance of Qa; SupremeLord, all entriesQa consciousnessabsolute value of, 33, 37, 38, 39, 40,41-42, 43, 44equal vision of, 232J;ta consciousnesshappiness in, 292lust purified by, 41-42material contamination vanquished by,271-273materialists can't achieve, 267mind purified by, 42necessity of, 185, 221Prahlada preaches, 291-294Prahlada's absorption in, 203-09Prahlada's perfection in, 205purifying power of, 39-40wisdom via, 220See also: Devotional serviceJ;ta consciousness Movementbrahminical culture revived by, 72-73demons oppose, 225-226,239guru-kula, importance to, 294literature of, 74members of,likened to Prahlada, 239purpose of, 40-41spiritual education advanced by, 290Qadasa Kaviraja, humility of, 37Qa Dvaipayana Vyasa. See: VyasadevaKr-katha

330 Srnnad-BhagavauuuKunndevi (continued)P31).9avas cared for by, 93LamentationLcaused by taking body as self, 88for death, condemned, 80, 83of Hiral).yakasipu, 60of kulinga bird, 11 7-120of queens condemned by Yamaraja,120-121self-realized don't engage in, 114.for Suyajiia, 89-96Yamaraja condemns, 97-99,107-108Land, apparent moving of, soul acceptingbodies compared to, 84-85Liberationof Dantavakra and SiSupala, 26of demons, 4, 40, 4.1-42of demons and devotees differ, 43impersonal, jfiiinis want, 23of Jaya and Vijaya, 56-57materialists uninterested in, 290Mayavadis fail at, 44, 4 7-48religion's goal, 288-289types of, five listed, 43, 275by understanding J?.a, 8-9worship of Lord for, 153See also: Mayavadis, sayujya-muktiLife airattained byinferior to soul, 108of Prahlada controlled, 199Living entitiesall planets contain, 174-175,183as antimaterial, 143bodies accepted by, 83-84controlled by nature, 81-82death surprises, 121delusion in, 139devotional service purifies, 236-237duty of, 100, 229, 233family ties among, 81-82- father of, J?.a as, 165Living entitiesas J?.a's servants, 231, 232-233Lord as supreme among, 158, 160-161Lord in heart of all, 13, 29, 32, 54Lord's equality toward, 2-3, 54as Lord's external energy, 162Lord's impartiality to, 64as Lord's marginal potency, 164.Prahlada 's kindness to, 197-198See also: Soul; Souls, conditionedLobha!J pravrttir iirambha!Jverse quoted, 11Lotus feet of the LordLustby mercy of devotee, 271mind engaged at, ll2Prahlada serves, 209of gopis not material, 43J?.a consciousness purifies, 41-42Prahlada free of, 199MMachine, body compared to, 84Mad elephant offense, 193Madhudvi\Jll, name of l}.a, 51Madhu-kai!abha-hantr, 140Madhvacaryacited on blasphemy, 35cited on demigods, three kinds of, 179cited on material nature, 155-156Puriil),as accepted by, 89Madhvacarya, quotations fromon going back to Godhead, 122-123on Hari as ultimate cause, 72-73on liberated souls, 49-50on soul, understanding of, 125Madri, 93Mahii-bhiigavata sees only KrJ?.a everywhere,203-204Mahiibhiirata, quotations fromon soul as mystery, 98on world's most wonderful thing, 121Mahadiidi yathottham caverse quoted, 122

General Index 331Mahamantra. See: Chanting the Lord's holynamesMahanabha, 80Maha.trnaPrahlada as, 202service to, 268Mahdtmanas tu mam parthaverse quoted, 268, 272Mahat-sevaril. dvaram ahur vimukte/:lquoted, 268Majjanti pitaras tasyaverse quoted, 35Mam aprapyaiva kaunteyaverse quoted, 35Mama tejo- 'ril.Sa-sambhavamquoted, 141Mam eva ye prapadyantequoted, 84, 104Miinasa-pujii defined, 260Mandara Hill, 131Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktoquoted, 248Manu-samhitii, cited on capital punishment,21Marklll}.eya, 55Marriage, of k$atriyas, 93Maruts, 179MaterialismPrahlada criticizes, 292-294principles of, four listed, 242See also: Bodily conception of lifeMaterialistsas blind leading blind, 269-270devotional service shunned by, 242Gltamisunderstood by, 15hell-bound, 267, 268Qa consciousness as remedy for,271-272life's goal escapes, 70Lord to be worshiped by, 153"partiality" in Qa seen by, 4-5, 8Prahlada contrasted to, 204satisfaction lacking in, 185spiritual education avoided by, 290worship by, 241-242MaterialistsSee also: DemonsMaterial nature. See: Nature, materialMaterial nature, modes of. See: Modes of materialnatureMaterial worldausterity advances one in, 137demoniac, 99%, 239demons control in, 180devotees avoid, 211devotees vs. nondevotees in, 277as dog-eat-dog, 138-141enjoyment attempted in, 100family members in, 82fire, water, and earth conduct, 184Qa consciousness spoiled by enjoymentin, 267-268Qa forgotten in, 127Lord controls, 18-19,101,157as Lord's external potency, 164Lord's incarnation in, 8, 18materialists' knowledge restricted to, 270Mayavadis negate, 19pleasure as pain in, 11Prahlada resides in, and also VaikuQha,200purified souls never return to, 46self-preservation in, 124suffering from thinking body to be self, 88Supreme Lord above, 162vs. Vrodavana, 236Matta/:l paratararil. nanyatquoted, 19, 158Matta/:l smrtir jfiiinam apohanaril. caquoted, 159Maya"affection" as another meaning of, 66as "all-attractive," 236dualism as, 230living entity's apparent movement as, 85materialistic education expands, 271monism as, 230-231Mayiidhyak$e prakrti/:lquoted, 9verse quoted, 17

332 Srimad-BhagavatamMiiyii-grasta jlvera haya se bhiiva udayaverse quoted, 85Mayavadis (impersonalists)Lord's form ignored by, 44negate world, 19PuriiJ:!as rejected by, 88-89salvation eludes, 44,47-48siiyajya-mukti attained by, 275See also: Liberation, jiidnls want impersonalMayayapahrta-jiidniiquoted, 119verse quoted, 224Meat eatingas demoniac, 66sacrifice recommended for, 69-70Me bhinna pralqtir !adhiiquoted, 106Meditationmetamorphosis in, 39-40of Prahlada, undisturbed, 279-280Mellows, types of, five listed, 207Mercy of the Lord obtained many ways, 42-43Merging with Supreme. See: Liberation ofDantavakra and Sisupala, of demons;]naniS, impersonal liberation desired byMimiirilsii philosophers bewildered, 114Mindat death, 112of Diti engaged in philosophy, 126-127illusion from, 86J.la consciousness purifies, 42of Lord compared to child's, 65-66of Prahlada, controlled, 197-198self accepted as, 8 7-88subtle body includes, 110, 111-112Mithyii defined, 19Modes of material nature (gu(UJS)Bhagavad-gitii quoted on, 11-12birth according to, 83Brahma engineers via, 155demigods control, 184devotees' children won't be conquered by,294Lord above and beyond, 8-10, 11, 51, 162Modes of material nature (gu(UJS)materialists bound by, 273Prahlada above, 287soul under, 104symptoms of, 12as unreal, 113See also: individual modes (goodness, passion,and ignorance)Moghii.Sa mogha-karmii'(Wverse quoted, 36Moa. See: Liberation, all entriesMoney, Lord alone can protect, 102Monismgoal of, 131Mayavadi vs. VaiJ.lava, 232Moon, brightness of, compared to devotionalbrilliance, 15Moon rays, devotee's magnanimity comparedto, 198Mother Ya8odaabove Devald, 43J.la enchants, 42J.la worries, 38Mllt;lha defined, 224Mukti. See: Liberation, all entriesMur.u;laka Upanad, quotations fromon Lord's revelation, 273on self -realization, 272Mystic power vs. power of devotional service,167-168NNa hi dehadir iitmd syiinverse quoted, 125Nakula, 93Niima-kaumudi, cited on offenses, 254Na miiril dU$krtino mllt;lhaverse quoted, 224Namiiny anantasya ya.So-'rikitiini yatverse quoted, 251Namuci, 63Nanda Maharajaabove Vasudeva, 431.1a enchants, 42

General Index 333Nandana garden, 175, 176NiradaMunicited by Sukadeva as speaker on f{nl}.a, 7,21cited on chanting Lord's holy names, 251Hiral}.yakasipu served by, 180humility of, 37-38as Niriyal}.a's devotee, 43as Prahlida's spiritual master, 246questioned about HiraQyakaSipu's violence,2ll-213as spiritual master, 27-28, 47, 211, 246Narada Muni, quotations fromon bodily conception of life, 29-31on Brahmi and Hiral}.yakaSipu, 14.9-151,154.on Hiral}.yakaSipu, 130-134., 14.2-14.3on f(nl}.a consciousness, absolute value of,33-37,39,4.1,4.2,4.4.Narada-pancariitracited on Deity worship within mind,260as Deity worship guide, 255-256Naradhama defined, 224Niriyal}.aas Nirada Muni's Lord, 43See also: Supreme LordNa sa siddhim avdpnotiverse quoted, 186Nasayamy atma-bhiiva-sthoverse quoted, 220Na te vidufl svartha-gatim hi vumquoted, 76Na tu miim abhijanantiverse quoted, 151Nature, material (prakrti)devotees above, 144Kali as form of, 69living entities controlled by, 81-82, 97Lord controls, 16-17,40the Lord free of, 8, 9, 40time controls, 18-19See also: Body, materialNawab Hussain Shah as material success,138-139Nayam iitmii pravacanena labhyoquoted, 272Nectar of Devotion, The, bhiiva described in,206Nindaril bhagavata!l svamsverse quoted, 34Nirgur:w. the Lord and devotees as, 8NirmatsariirJ.jjm satiim, devotees as, 14Nkarma defined, 249Nityasyo/da!l 5aririquoted, 98Nityo nityiiniim cetana5 cetaniiniimquoted, 158Non devoteesvs. devotees, 152, 236, 278devotees to avoid, 277good qualities lacking in, 86, 222Nrsirilhadeva, Lordchanting His name recommended,250-251Hiral}.yakasipu killed by, 53as Knl}.a, 2020Oceans, seven kinds of, named, 182-183Offenses to pure devotee, penalty for, 193Opulencesof heaven described, 175-178of Hiral}.yakaSipu dwindle, 210maintaining, difficulty of, 171pride resulting from, 185-186pPada-sevanam. See: Serving the Lord's lotusfeetPadmaPurcited on Deity worship within mind, 259quoted on devotees and demons, 14Paka, 63P3.Qavas, 4.2P3.Qudeath of, 93Yudhihira a descendant of, 180

334 Srimad-BhagavatamParakiya-rasa, lust absent in, 43Param, 162Paramatma. See: SupersoulPararh bhavam ajarw.ntoverse quoted, 36Pararh brahma pararh dhamaquoted, 15, 25Param vijayate sn-kr-sankirtarw.mquoted, 251Parasya Saktir vividhaiva sruyatequoted, 164Parikf?it Maharaja, quoted on "partiality" ofLord, 2, 4, 5ParitriilJ,iiya sadhunarhquoted, 40Parjanyad anrw.-sambhava/:1quoted, 69Passion, mode of (rajo-gu)body created via, 16creation facilitated by, 19in demons, 10devotion covered by, 15Lord above, 51misunderstanding caused by, 15symptoms of, 12Pastimes of Q.aPrahliida imitates, 207pure devotees assist, 45, 47-48Patrarh pparh phalam toyarhverse quoted, 4, 66, 76Philosophy of devotion, 231PiSaci piiile yerw. mati-cchanrw. hayaverse quoted, 85Pitas, ViQ.U as shelter of, 71Pleasure. See: HappinessPoliticsas diplomacy, four levels of, 238-239, 243"friends-and-enemies" philosophy of,218-219Prahlada disliked, 218-219Power, mystic vs. devotionalPrabhu defined, 229Prahlada Maharajabodily necessities of, 205cited on Lord as sole protector, 103compared to dog's curved tail, 283-284Prahlada Maharajademigods cite, as great devotee, 201ecstatic symptoms of, 206-208family ties abandoned by, 275, 276guru, seminal, rejected by, 270HiraQ.yakasipu offends, 193HiraQ.yakasipu plans to kill, 274-278as HiraQ.yakaSipu's best son, 195as HiraQ.yakasipu's enemy, 278HiraQ.yakasipu throws from lap, 273Q.a consciousness movement memberscompared to, 239Q.a consciousness of, 203-209meditation of undisturbed, 279-280modes of nature transcended by, 287name, meaning of, 241Nrsimhadeva worshiped by, 202playing doesn't interest, 291purifies others, 209qualities of, 197-199Riikf?8sas strike, 279religion, etc., instructed to, 288-290, 294residences of, 200as $aQ.4a and Amarka's student, 218-219,228saved, 282-284spiritual masters of, 245-246teachers of, "chastise," 238, 239,240-242tied up, 286tortured by HiraQ.yaka8ipu, 53-54wisdom of, 220Prahlada Maharaja, quotations fromon body, planning for, 124on Q.a consciousness, necessity of, 221on pure devotional service as king ofknowledge, 24 7on Supreme Lord, equal vision via, 229,231,234-235Prahliido janako bhmoverse quoted, 290Prakrtefi kriyamaiJiiniverse quoted, 81, 85PrakrtiLord above, 9See also: Nature, material

General Index 335Prasada, demons sometimes rewarded with,66Pra.Stintam sama-dar5anam, Lord as, 54Praying (vandanam)as devotional process, 24 7fully explained, 260-261Preaching of J?.a consciousness by Prahlida,291-294Premiiii.jana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanenaverse quoted, 203Prema-vivarta, quoted on haunted conditionedPridesoul, 85Prahlada devoid of, 197due to opulence, 185-186Prisoners, joining and scattering of, familyProtectionties compared to, 82of Prahlada by Govinda, 280by Lord, 100, 102-103, 119Puloman, 63Punishment for thieves, 70Puriir_las as authoritative histories, 88-89Pure devotees of the Lorddescend, not fallgood qualities of, 195-196humility of, 37J?.a understood through, 268material world never returned to by, 46offenses against, penalty for, 193Prahlada's association with, 209satisfied, 191surrender to, 271, 272vision of, 203-204in Vrndavana, 38Purificationby J?.a consciousness, 39-40, 236-237See also: Qa consciousnessPurera ki!a haite mulii se laghhaverse quoted, 37Piitana, KrJ?.a liberated, 20-21RRahu, 204Rajari, Prahlada wants to become, 287Rajasiiya sacrifice, 21-22Rajasy etani jayanteverse quoted, 11Rajo-gu7J.a. See: Passion, mode ofRalqwa(s)as demigod worshipers, 145HiraJ?.yaka8ipu as, 143-144in mode of ignorance, 10Prahlada struck by, 279society destroyed by, 140-141Raslm tisurlril. caivaverse quoted, 36Rima, Lord, chanting name of, recommended,250-251Ramtidi-muru kala-niyamena than, 250Rasas (Relationships with J;a) inVrndavana, 38, 43RivaJ?.a and KumbhakarQa, 55Regulative principles, penalty for disobeying,44Religionmaterialistic, 242, 290, 292Prahlida instructed on, 288-290, 294Remembering the Lord (smarll{lam)as devotional process, 24 7fully explained, 254-255Renunciationin cemetery, 127Prahlida had no instructions on, 287See also: SannytisaRitualistic ceremoniesbrtihmaiJ.(lS perform, 159purpose of, to satisfy Supreme Lord, 152Vena scorned, 178ViQU as personification of, 71Rivers, jewels supplied by, 182-183abhadeva, quoted on serving devotees, 268tvik, 159Rudras, 179RukmiJ;ii, titma-nivedanam exemplified by,262Ruhinu, 80, 126sSac-cid-ananda-vigraha, Lord as, 29, 32, 39

336 Srimad-BhagavatamSacrificeHirliJ;lyakaSipu abolishes, 68-72HirliJ;lyakaSipu as object of, 181ISKCON literature publication as, 74Siidhur eva sa mantavya/.1verse quoted, 40Sidhyas, 179Sahadeva,93Saha-marar:w, 93-94Sahasra-yuga-paryan.tamquoted, 136Sa-dharitvena samasta Siistrair, verse quoted, 230Sak.una, 63Sakuni,80Salagrama-slla, offenses relieved by, 259Salokya-mukti, devotees attain, 275Salvation. See: LiberationSamadhi (trance)body during, 146as personal relationship, 255soul in, 146yogis in, 146Sambara, 63, 80Sambhavamy atma-mayayaquoted, 40Sam&pya defined, 260lpya-mukti, devotees attain, 275Sarno damas tapa/.1 Sa.ucamverse quoted, 197Sarno 'ham sarva-bhuteuquoted, 2, 20, 64Sanatana Gosvimi, pseudo-devotee's chantingcondemned by, 250$11J;l«JaHirliJ;lyakaSipu chastises, 262-264HirliJ;lyakaSipu instructed by, 285-287Prahlada instructed by, 218-219,228,288-289, 294$a1.1Q.a and Amark.a"chastise " Prahlada, 238, 239, 240-242father of, 217Prahlada as student of, 218-219,228quoted on Prahlada's "pollution,"227-228as so-called brahmcu:ws, 237-238Sinkhya philosophers bewildered, 114Saliklrtana, brahminical culture revived by,73Sannyasa (renounced life)duty in, 248in var!ldSramasociety, 222-223Sar#-mukt devotees attain, 275Sarupya-mukti, devotees attain, 275Sarva-dharman parityajyaquoted, 5, 100, 109, 224, 288Sarva-dvareu de he 'sminverse quoted, 11Sarvasya caham hrdi sanniv4!a/.lquoted, 100,109,159,233Sarvatra haya nija !a-deva-sphartiverse quoted, 203Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam, 144, quoted, 236Sastra, HirliJ;lyak.asipu disregards, 185-186Sa suddha/.1 sarva-suddhebhya/.1verse quoted, 10Sat defined, 222Satahahu, 63Satam prasailgdn mama vlrya-samvidoquoted, 211Satru-nasas tathajnanaversequoted, 125Sattvadayo na.sannseverse quoted, 10Sattva-gu See: Goodness, mode ofSaturn as evil star, 204Satyalok.a, residents of, destiny of, 148Sa vai mana/.1 kma.-padaravindayo/.1quoted, 112Sayujya-muktidanger in, 131defined, 23Jaya and Vijaya surpass, 57Mayavadis attain, 275as partial liberation, 47-48Science, enviousness exe!llplified in, 75Scientistsabortion rationalized by, 98-99as fools, 119freeze dead bodies, 95heavenly planets beyond, 176

General Index 337Scientistsignorance of, 183life on planets, theory on, 17 4-175Yamaraja interrupts research of, 121Self-preservation, 124Self-realizationbasis for, according to Vedas, 98Bhagavatam quoted on materialists' blindnessto, 115lamentation stopped by, 114See also: Krsna consciousnessSense gratificatin (kama)austerities for, demoniac, 144devotional service spoiled by, 267-268Hiryaka8ipu enjoys, 184-185in material world, 203Prahlada instructed on, 288-290, 294as religion, 242Sensesof body, ten, 110happiness derived from, 113-114Hiryaka8ipu as servant of, 185Lord not realized by, 280of materialists, uncontrolled, 267of Prahlada, controlled, 197-198, 199as yogi's enemies, 278Separation from the Lord, ecstatic symptomsin, 206-208Serving the Lord (dasyam)as devotional process, 247fully explained, 261Serving the Lord's lotus feet {pada-sevana)as devotional process, 247, fully explained, 255Se sthavaram icchanti, verse quoted, 121Si!aka, quoted on ecstatic symptoms, 208Sisupalaenvied the Lord, 23father of, 25liberated by the Lord, 22-24, 26, 33-34,40, 42, 44, 48, 56as no ordinary demon, 45Siva, Lordbetrayed, 131Oak praises, 254Siva, Lordas great personality, 290Hiryakasipu not served by, 178, 179Skan.da-Purdl)acited on offenses in Deity worship, 259quoted on HiryakaSipu, 145quoted on Hiryakasipu's power, 179Sky, ignorance represented by, 13-14Sky, unmixed with anything, living entity inbody compared to, 106Smaram. See: Remembering the LordSmrti-sdstras, quoted on disease as sinful reaction,264Society, humanbrdh and cows to be protected by,140-141in danger this age, 72, 141Qa consciousness required in, 185organization of, 223, 288-289perfection of, 152prosperity of, 68-70varama-dharmaessential in, 74Soulbody differs from, 103-104, 105covered by subtle body, 111-112Hiryaka8ipu understands, 86lamentation not dependent on existence of,98-99qualities of, 83realized at death, 108in samddhi (trance), 146Supersoul superior to, 108understanding position of, 122, 125-126Souls, conditionedbodies accepted by, 103-104body accepted as self by, 96, 105enjoyment facility given to, 100ignorance of, 86-87QB above, 31Qa to be remembered by, somehow orother, 33, 34-36,37, 38, 39, 40,41-42,43,44Lord's mercy on, 29, 32-33as manifest and unmanifest, 97suffering of, 29-31thinking by, 230-231

338 Srimad-BhagavatamSouls, conditioned (continued)time controls, 18See also: Living entities, delusion in, asSouls, liberatedLord's external energydescend, not fall, 47-48, 50See also: Pure devotees of the SupremeLordSpecies of life calculated, 232Spirit as distinguished from matter, 4Spiritual life, opulence in, 141Spiritual master (guru)above disciple, 244-245, 197-198bogus,241-242Deity worship requires, 255knowledge received from, 109, 1101.1a understood via, 230, 272-273Lord as, 194as necessary, 27Prahlada follows, 199respect for, 7seminal, Prahlada rejects, 270Spiritual worldcompetition in, 233demons sometimes enter, after liberation,66devastation of, planned, 61as land of no return, 46-47as Lord's internal potency, 164materialists unaware of, 270Prahlada exists in, 200relationship between Lord and servants in,275soul travels through, 83See also: VrndavanaSraval)am. :Hearing about the SupremeLordSraval)am kirtanam v4r.w, quoted, 191Sreyase defined, 141Sridhara Svami, cited on hearing about theLord, 251Srimad-Bhagavatamessential to hear, 250facility of, for spiritual topics, 7as Mahapuriir.w, 88Srimad-Bhagavatam, quotations fromon bodily conception befitting cows andasses, 86on chanting Lord's holy names, 254on creation, process of, 157on devotees, sublime characteristics of, 193on devotional service, perfectional examplesof, 256on duty, material and spiritual, 287on elements of material world, 184on government in Kali-yuga, 72on great personalities, following infootsteps of, 290on hearing about Lord, 251on impersonal liberation, 47-48on 1.1a consciousness, symptom of, 204on 1.1a's pastimes, purifying power ofhearing,41-42on Lord understood through authority, 211on materialist's blindness to selfrealization,115on pure devotional service, 247on qualities of devotee, 195on satisfying Lord as perfection, 82, on worshiping 1.1a, 194-195o/imati Radhara1.1i, humility of, 37Sri-v4r.w sra pariid abhavadvaiyasaki/.J kirta, verse quoted, 256Srr:r-vatam sva-katha krl)a, quoted, 40Srotavyiidini riijendraverse quoted, 115Sthar.r.ur acalo yamquoted, 85Sthavara-jarigama dekhe,verse quoted, 203Straws carried by waves, family memberscompared to, 82Strength, spiritualconditional life given up by,ll0-111of Prahlada, unlimited, 284Striyo vaiSyas tatha sadrasquoted, 248Subtle body, soul covered by, 111-112SubuddhiRaya,138-139

General Index 339udar8ana cakra, potency of, 166Sudrasphilosophers as, 114world predominated by, 72Sufferingof conditioned soul, 29-31devotional service ends, 272friend sought by one in, 187Kuntidevi prefers, 127of materialists, inevitable, 269misconception as cause of, 88Suhrdam sarva-bhatanamquoted,21, 144,232,247, verse quoted, 187Suk.adeva Gosvanuas authorityquoted on discussing the Lord, 6-7quoted on materialists' blindness to selfrealization,114-115Sukham atyantikam yat tad, quoted, 113Sukra defined, 237Suk.racaryaatheists' priest, 217as Hira.I:yakasipu's spiritual master, 262,265name of, 217, 270sons of, 217, 285Sun, brightness of compared to devotionalbrilliance, 15Suni caiva svapake ca, verse quoted, 229Sanyayitam jagat sarvamquoted, 206Supersoul (Paramiitmii)body, within yet aloof, 32, 112devotees and nondevotees directed differentlyby, 233equally disposed, 2-3, 54function of, 160-161Lord as, 163, 189material body controlled by, 16-17as one and different from living being, 106Prahlada compared to, 197-198prowess given by, 111realization of, 207Supersoul (Paramatma)as supreme director, 14-15, 108-109wise guided by, 159Supreme Lordas absolute and transcendental, 4-5, 8, 29,31-32,162accepting position given by, 91as all-pervading, 160-161, 163, 189, 200appearance of. See: Appearance of !}.aapproaching, for benedictions, 194-195authorities give knowledge of, 211authority of, depending on, 107bodies not awarded by, 104Brahma empowered by, 149, 155-158Brahmii saved by, 140as brahminical culture's center, 71-73as creator and controller, 9, 18-19, 21, 29,31,140,157,160,162dear to all, 2-3, 144, 187, 247demigods represent, 152demons envy, 173devotee of, everyone must he, 126distress reminds one of, 127energies of, 164envy of, penalty for, 192as father of all, 165favor of, how known, 13-14fights with devotees, 48in heart of every being, 13, 29, 32, 54,159-161Hirai:IyakaSipu accuses, of partiality,63-66Hiral}.yakasipu envies, 172-173ignorance dispelled by, 220impartiality of, 2-5, 8, 9, 10-11, 12, 15,20-21, 29, 33, 54, 63-64,232-233as impersonal Brahman, 163killing of, Hirai:IyakaSipu planned, 65-71living entities as servants of, 83-84, 231,232-233material body awarded by, 16-17material energy created by, 155-156as materially seen, 4-5, 8merciful to demons, 5, 20-21, 23, 24, 25,29, 32-33, 34, 39-40, 41-42

340 Srimad-BhagavatamSupreme Lord (continued)mercy of, Knl}.a understood by, 272nature controlled by, 10, 17omnipotency of,101-l02as one in many,160-161"partiality" of, questions on, 2-5, 8pastimes of. See: Pastimes of Knl}.aPrahliida never forgets, 283Prahliida saved by, 144Prahliida serves, 275Prahliida's faith in, 201-202as protector, 40, 54, 100, 102-103, ll9,280punishes demons, 2, 32, 34-36, 40reciprocates one's attitude, 15relationships with, 207sacrifice to be offered to, 69-70, 74satisfaction of, as pure devotional service,249seeing, as nondifferent from devotional activities,191seminal spiritual masters not interested in,270spiritual master represents, 197, 230supervisory capacity of, 10, 12,29as supreme living entity, 158, 160-161as supreme truth, 158as time, 160-161time controlled by, 18, 19, 20as V ariiha, 60, 63ViJ}.U caused by, 26voice of, compared to cloud, 190in V:rndiivana, 38weapon of, 166worship of, essential, 153worship of, materialists urged to, 153as Yajii.a, 152Supreme Lord, form ofas cosmic manifestation,163Mayiiviidis ignore, 44as spiritual, 8, 29, 31-32Vedas as external, 161-162Surrender to Supreme Lord, I 00Bhagavad-gitaquoted on, 100,202demons never, 224Surrender to Supreme Lordas devotional process, 261-262examples of, 262material life ended by, 104as only duty, 103as only shelter,187-188transmigration stopped by, 84See also: Atma-nivedanamSutala, Prahliida lives on, 200Suyajiiadescription of, at death, 90-91lamentation at death of, 89lamentation for, condemned by Yamariija,107-108Suyajii.a, queens oflamentation of, 91-96lamentation of, condemned,120-121Yamariija advises, 97-121Suyajiia, relatives of, funeral performed by,123Sva-kanna tam abhyarcyaquoted, 104Svan!hitasya dharmasyaverse quoted, 82Svargaloka, 155Svayambhur ntirada sambhu, verse quoted, 290Sveta5vatara Upani$ad, quoted on Vedicknowledge revealed to faithful,273Syiimasundara, devotee sees, 203TTad aham bhakty-upahrtamverse quoted, 4, 66, 76Tadiya::Ypa.sanam, 255Tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavoverse quoted, 251Tad-vijiian.iirtham sa gurum evabhigacchetquoted, 27Tair dattan apradayaibhyoverse quoted, 69

General Index 341Tamasy etani jayanteverse quoted, ll-12Tamo-gu See: Ignorance, mode ofTan aham dvi¥zta/:l krilranverse quoted, 32, 35Tapa.sya defined, 143Tasmiic chdstram prarniiJ:!.am teverse quoted, 186Tasyaite kathita hy artha/:lverse quoted, 273Tata/:l satru-vivrddhau caverse quoted, 125Tato ndpaiti ya/:l so 'piverse quoted, 34Tat tad evavagaccha tvamverse quoted, 13Te dvandva-moha-nirmuktdverse quoted, 236Tejo-vdri-mrdam yathd vinimaya/:lquoted, 184Tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavayequoted, 149, 157Te 'pi mdm eva kaunteyaverse quoted, 151Team evdnukamparthamverse quoted, 220Team satata-yuktandmTimequoted, 13, 14, 233in higher planets vs. earth planet, 143as eternal, 136funeral rites subject to, 94-95the Lord creates and controls, 18-19Supreme Lord as, 160-161TivreJ:UL bhakti-yogenaverse quoted, 153, 194Tolerance, Caitanya Mahaprahhu instructs on,277Trance. See: SamadhiTranscendentalists. See: Devotees of theSupreme Lord; ]iiiinlsTransmigration of the soul, mechanics of,16-17Tree, uprooted, mourning demigods comparedto, 67Treesimportance of, 76protection of, 74, 77Trees reflected on moving water, soul acceptingbodies compared to, 84-85Tridar:u#-sannydsl, 248Trr:uW api sunlcenaverse quoted, 252Tryakf?3., 63Tyaja durjana-samsargamquoted, 277Tyaktva de ham punar janmaquoted, 8verse quoted, 46Udgata, 159UniverseuBrahma engineers, 155-156Brahma first and foremost in, 149,156-157deities within, three original, 166duration of, 162Hirai;yakasipu conquers, 174Hira1.1yaka8ipu disturbed, 132-134as Lord's body, 163Upanad, cited on Lord as Supersoul, 112,160-161Upayanam dadu/:l sarvequoted, 179Urusrava, name of J.la, 20Usinara, 89, 92Utkaca, 80vVaiku1.1tha. See: Spiritual world, all entriesVaJ:Javas. See: Devotees of the SupremeLord, all entriesVaiSyas, duties of, 73VanaprasthaHirai;yakasipu recommended for, 223invitation to, 223

342 Srimad-BhagavatamVanaprastha (continued)in varrama society, 222-223Vandanam. See: PrayingVaraha, Lord, Hiryak!?ll killed by, 53, 60Variiha Pu.ra. cited on Deity worship, 258Varramlicliravata purU$equoted, 222Varrama-dharmain Aryan system, 287life cycle in, 222-223necessity of, 73-74purpose of, 152See also: names of individual ordersVarul)a, ropes of, 286Vasudeva, contrasted to Nanda Maharaja, 43VasudevaiJ, sarvam itiverse quoted, 202Vasus, 179Vatsalya rasa, 207Vayu, 184Vediinta-srltra, cited on creation's cause, 156Vedasenvier of, vanquished, 192Hiryakasipu knows, 82I

General Index 343Worshipby demons and Rakas, 145by demons ignorant, 152by devotees, 152-153in dhamas, ease of, 189of HiraJ;yakasipu, by demigods, 179, 181of ikesa by predominating deities,189of Lord, good qualities come from, 196of Lord by demigods, 194of Lord fulfills all desires, 153by materialists, 241-242by qualities, 69-70of Supreme Lord essential, 153yYada yada hi dharmasyaverse quoted, 18Yad gatva na nivartantequoted, 289Yad yad vibhutimat sattvamquoted, 141verse quoted, 13Ya{l sastra-vidhim utsrjyaverse quoted, 186Yajna. See: Ritualistic ceremonies, purpose of,to satisfy Supreme LordYaj iid bhavati parjanya/:1.quoted, 69,71Yajnai{l sarikirtana-priiyairquoted, 253Yasyaika-niSvasita-kiilam athiivalambyaquoted, 162Yajnarthat karmao 'nyatraquoted, 74Yajnesvara, ViJ;u as, 70Yakin mode of ignorance, 10in modes of ignorance and passion, 14Yamarajacited on occupational duty, 287-288HiraJ;yakaSipu conquers, 174Lord protects, 118-119queens advised by, 97-121Yamarajaqueens' lamentation condemned by,120-121Suyajiia's relatives left by, 123Yudhihira questioned by, 121Yam evai$a vrute tena labhyasquoted, 273Yam syamasundaram acintya-gu-svarupamverse quoted, 203Yam yam vapi smaran bhavamquoted, 112Yanti deva-vratii devanverse quoted, 110Yantrara4hani mayayiiquoted, 17Yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijliiitam bhavatiquoted, 220Yasoda. See: Mother YasodaYas tu deha-gato jiva/:1.verse quoted, 125Yasya deva para bhaktirverse quoted, 273Yasya prasiidiid bhagavat-prasiidoquoted, 230Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincaniiquoted, 195, 272verse quoted, 222Yasyiitma-buddhi/:1. kupe tri-dhatukeverse quoted, 86, 108Yathartha-bhuta5 ca paraverse quoted 123Yat-tirtha-buddhi/:1. salile na karhicijverse quoted, 86Ye 'nye 'ravindaa vimukta-miininasverse quoted, 47Ye 'py anya-devatii-bhaktiiverse quoted, 151Ye$iim tv anta-gatam piipamverse quoted, 236YogaGod-centered vs. mystic, 167-168by HiraJ;yakasipu, 179power from, 184Yogi, dead, foolish compared to disciples of, 95Yoginiirh nrpa niritarhverse quoted, 254

344Srimad-BhiigavatamYogisbenedictions of, fulfilled by Lord, 195endurance of, 146-147in samadhi (trance), 146senses, uncontrolled, as enemies of, 278Yudhihira inquires about Hira.QyakaSipu,211-213Yudhihira Maharaja, guotations fromon Dantavakra and Sisupala, 25-26Yudhihira Maharaja, quotations fromon Hira.Qyakasipu and Prahlada Maharaja,58on most wonderful thing in world, 121on Sisupala, 23-24on spiritual world's inhabitants, 46-47Yugayitarit nimeequoted, 208

SRlMADBHAGAVATAMSrimad-Bhagavatam, an epic philosophical andliterary classic, holds a prominent position inIndia's voluminous written wisdom. The timelesswisdom of India is expressed in the Vedas, ancientSanskrit texts that touch upon all fields of humanknowledge. Originally preserved through oral traditionthe Vedas were first put into writing by SrilaVyasadeva, the "literary incarnation of God." Aftercompiling the Vedas, Srila Vyasadeva was inspiredby his spiritual master, to present their profoundessence in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Knowns "the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic literature,"Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and authoritativeexposition of Vedic knowledge.After wyiting the Bhagavatam, Vyasa taught it tohis son, Sukadeva Gosvami, who later spoke theBhagavatam to Maharaja Parik?it in an assembly ofsages on the bank of the sacred Ganges River. AlthoughMaharaja Parik?it was a great rajari (saintlyking) and the emperor of the world, when hereceived notice of his death seven days in advance, herenounced his entire kindgom and retired to thebank of the Ganges to seek spiritual enligh,tenment.The questions of King Parik?it and SukadevaGosvami's illuminating answers, concerning everythingfrom the nature of th,e self to the origin of theuniverse, are the basis of Srimad-Bhagavatam.This edition of Bhagavatam is the only completeEnglish translation with an elaborate and scholarlycommentary and it is the first edition widely availableto the English-reading public. This work is theproduct of the scholarly and devotional effort of HisDivine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,the world's most distinguished teacher ofIndian religious and philosophical thought. HisSanskrit scholarship and intimate familiarity withVedic culture combine to reveal to the West a magnificentexposition of this important classic.With its comprehensive system of providing theoriginal Sanskrit text, Roman transliteration, preciseword-for-word equivalents, a lucid English translationand a comprehensive commentary, it will appealto scholars, students and laymen alike. The entiremultivolume text, presented by the BhaktivedantaBook Trust, promises to occupy a significant place inthe intellectual, cultural and spiritual life of modernman for a long time to come.

What the reviewers say about the Srimad­Bhagavatam, by His Divine Grace A. C. BhaktivedantaSwami Prahhupada:"It has, been my great pleasure recently to haveread the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the superb editionauthorized by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.I am sure this monumental work will go far tobring the sublime message of the Bhagavatam tonumerous Westerners who otherwise would miss thisopportunity."Dr. Alex WaymanProfessor of SanskritColumbia University"Srimad-Bhagavatam is a valuable source materialfor several categories of readers. With its exhaustiveplan of providing the original Sanskrit text,its Roman transliteration, English synonyms,English translation and elaborate commentary by ascholar and practitioner of philosophy, it cannot butbe attractive to serious students and schoLars ofreligion and philosophy. I recommend this series toanyone as an important and useful reference work."Professor C. P. AgrawalChairmanDepartment of HumanitiesUniversity of Michigan"The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust editions offamous religious classics of India with new translationsand commentaries are an important addition toour expanding knowledge of spiritual India. The newedition of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is particularlywelcome."Dr. John L. MishChief, Oriental DivisionNew York Public Library