Chapter Two
The Lord in the Heart
TEXT 22
yadi prayāsyan nṛpa pārameṣṭhyaṁ
vaihāyasānām uta yad vihāram
aṣṭādhipatyaṁ guṇa-sannivāye
sahaiva gacchen manasendriyaiś ca
SYNONYMS
yadi—however; prayāsyan—maintaining a desire; nṛpa—O King; pārameṣṭhyam—the governing planet of the material world; vaihāyasānām—of the beings known as the Vaihāyasas; uta—it is said; yat—what is; vihāram—place of enjoyment; aṣṭa-ādhipatyam—lording it over with eightfold achievements; guṇa-sannivāye—in the world of three modes of nature; saha—along with; eva—certainly; gacchet—should go; manasā—accompanied by the mind; indriyaiḥ—and the senses; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
However, O King, if a yogī maintains a desire for improved material enjoyments, like transference to the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, or the achievement of the eightfold perfections, travel in outer space with the Vaihāyasas, or a situation in one of the millions of planets, then he has to take away with him the materially molded mind and senses.
PURPORT
In the upper status of the planetary systems there are facilities thousands and thousands of times greater for material enjoyments than in the lower planetary systems. The topmost planetary systems consist of planets like Brahmaloka and Dhruvaloka (the polestar), and all of them are situated beyond Maharloka. The inhabitants of those planets are empowered with eightfold achievements of mystic perfection. They do not have to learn and practice the mystic processes of yoga perfection and achieve the power of becoming small like a particle (aṇimā-siddhi), or lighter than a soft feather (laghimā-siddhi). They do not have to get anything and everything from anywhere and everywhere (prāpti-siddhi), to become heavier than the heaviest (mahimā-siddhi), to act freely even to create something wonderful or to annihilate anything at will (īśitva-siddhi), to control all material elements (vaśitva-siddhi), to possess such power as will never be frustrated in any desire (prākāmya-siddhi), or to assume any shape or form one may even whimsically desire (kāmāvasāyitā-siddhi). All these expediencies are as common as natural gifts for the inhabitants of those higher planets. They do not require any mechanical help to travel in outer space, and they can move and travel at will from one planet to any other planet within no time. The inhabitants of the earth cannot move even to the nearest planet except by mechanical vehicles like spacecraft, but the highly talented inhabitants of such higher planets can do everything very easily.
Since a materialist is generally inquisitive to experience what is actually in such planetary systems, he wants to see everything personally. As inquisitive persons tour all over the world to gain direct local experience, the less intelligent transcendentalist similarly desires to have some experience of those planets about which he has heard so many wonderful things. The yogī can, however, easily fulfill his desire by going there with the present materialistic mind and senses. The prime inclination of the materialistic mind is to lord it over the material world, and all the siddhis mentioned above are features of domination over the world. The devotees of the Lord are not ambitious to dominate a false and temporary phenomenon. On the contrary, a devotee wants to be dominated by the supreme predominator, the Lord. A desire to serve the Lord, the supreme predominator, is spiritual or transcendental, and one has to attain this purification of the mind and the senses to get admission into the spiritual kingdom. With the materialistic mind one can reach the best planet in the universe, but no one can enter into the kingdom of God. Senses are called spiritually purified when they are not involved in sense gratification. Senses require engagements, and when the senses are engaged totally in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they have no chance to become contaminated by material infections.
TEXT 23
yogeśvarāṇāṁ gatim āhur antar-
bahis-tri-lokyāḥ pavanāntar-ātmanām
na karmabhis tāṁ gatim āpnuvanti
vidyā-tapo-yoga-samādhi-bhājām
SYNONYMS
yoga-īśvarāṇām—of the great saints and devotees; gatim—destination; āhuḥ—it is said; antaḥ—within; bahiḥ—without; tri-lokyāḥ—of the three planetary systems; pavana-antaḥ—within the air; ātmanām—of the subtle body; na—never; karmabhiḥ—by fruitive activities; tām—that; gatim—speed; āpnuvanti—achieve; vidyā—devotional service; tapaḥ—austerities; yoga—mystic power; samādhi—knowledge; bhājām—of those who entertain.
TRANSLATION
The transcendentalists are concerned with the spiritual body. As such, by the strength of their devotional service, austerities, mystic power and transcendental knowledge, their movements are unrestricted, within and beyond the material worlds. The fruitive workers, or the gross materialists, can never move in such an unrestricted manner.
PURPORT
The materialistic scientist's endeavor to reach other planets by mechanical vehicles is only a futile attempt. One can, however, reach heavenly planets by virtuous activities, but one can never expect to go beyond Svarga or Janaloka by such mechanical or materialistic activities, either gross or subtle. The transcendentalists who have nothing to do with the gross material body can move anywhere within or beyond the material worlds. Within the material worlds they move in the planetary systems of the Mahar, Janas, Tapas and Satya lokas, and beyond the material worlds they can move in the Vaikuṇṭhas as unrestricted spacemen. Nārada Muni is one of the examples of such spacemen, and Durvāsā Muni is one of such mystics. By the strength of devotional service, austerities, mystic powers and transcendental knowledge, everyone can move like Nārada Muni or Durvāsā Muni. It is said that Durvāsā Muni traveled throughout the entirety of material space and part of spiritual space within one year only. The speed of the transcendentalists can never be attained by the gross or subtle materialists.
TEXT 24
vaiśvānaraṁ yāti vihāyasā gataḥ
suṣumṇayā brahma-pathena śociṣā
vidhūta-kalko 'tha harer udastāt
prayāti cakraṁ nṛpa śaiśumāram
SYNONYMS
vaiśvānaram—the controlling deity of fire; yāti—goes; vihāyasā—by the path in the sky (the Milky Way); gataḥ—by passing over; suṣumṇayā—by the Suṣumṇā; brahma—Brahmaloka; pathena—on the way to; śociṣā—illuminating; vidhūta—being washed off; kalkaḥ—dirt; atha—thereafter; hareḥ—of Lord Hari; udastāt—upwards; prayāti—does reach; cakram—circle; nṛpa—O King; śaiśumāram—named Śiśumāra.
TRANSLATION
O King, when such a mystic passes over the Milky Way by the illuminating Suṣumṇā to reach the highest planet, Brahmaloka, he goes first to Vaiśvānara, the planet of the deity of fire, wherein he becomes completely cleansed of all contaminations, and thereafter he still goes higher, to the circle of Śiśumāra, to relate with Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
The polar star of the universe and the circle thereof is called the Śiśumāra circle, and therein the local residential planet of the Personality of Godhead (Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu) is situated. Before reaching there, the mystic passes over the Milky Way to reach Brahmaloka, and while going there he first reaches Vaiśvānara-loka, where the demigod controls fire. On Vaiśvānara-loka the yogī becomes completely cleansed of all dirty sins acquired while in contact with the material world. The Milky Way in the sky is indicated herein as the way leading to Brahmaloka, the highest planet of the universe.
TEXT 25
tad viśva-nābhiṁ tv ativartya viṣṇor
aṇīyasā virajenātmanaikaḥ
namaskṛtaṁ brahma-vidām upaiti
kalpāyuṣo yad vibudhā ramante
SYNONYMS
tat—that; viśva-nābhim—navel of the universal Personality of Godhead; tu—but; ativartya—crossing over; viṣṇoḥ—of Lord Viṣṇu, the Personality of Godhead; aṇīyasā—due to mystic perfection; virajena—by the purified; ātmanā—by the living entity; ekaḥ—alone; namaskṛtam—worshipable; brahma-vidām—by those who are transcendentally situated; upaiti—reaches; kalpa-āyuṣaḥ—a period of 4,300,000,000 solar years; yat—the place; vibudhāḥ—self-realized souls; ramante—do enjoy.
TRANSLATION
This Śiśumāra is the pivot for the turning of the complete universe, and it is called the navel of Viṣṇu [Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu]. The yogī alone goes beyond this circle of Śiśumāra and attains the planet [Maharloka] where purified saints like Bhṛgu enjoy a duration of life of 4,300,000,000 solar years. This planet is worshipable even for the saints who are transcendentally situated.
TEXT 26
atho anantasya mukhānalena
dandahyamānaṁ sa nirīkṣya viśvam
niryāti siddheśvara-yuṣṭa-dhiṣṇyaṁ
yad dvai-parārdhyaṁ tad u pārameṣṭhyam
SYNONYMS
atho—thereupon; anantasya—of Ananta, the resting incarnation of Godhead; mukha-analena—by the fire emanating from His mouth; dandahyamānam—burning to ashes; saḥ—he; nirīkṣya—by seeing this; viśvam—the universe; niryāti—goes out; siddheśvara-yuṣṭa-dhiṣṇyam—airplanes used by the great purified souls; yat—the place; dvai-parārdhyam—15,480,000,000,000 solar years; tat—that; u—the exalted; pārameṣṭhyam—Satyaloka, where Brahmā resides.
TRANSLATION
At the time of the final devastation of the complete universe [the end of the duration of Brahmā's life], a flame of fire emanates from the mouth of Ananta [from the bottom of the universe]. The yogī sees all the planets of the universe burning to ashes, and thus he leaves for Satyaloka by airplanes used by the great purified souls. The duration of life in Satyaloka is calculated to be 15,480,000,000,000 years.
PURPORT
It is indicated herein that the residents of Maharloka, where the purified living entities or demigods possess a duration of life calculated to be 4,300,000,000 solar years, have airships by which they reach Satyaloka, the topmost planet of the universe. In other words, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives us many clues about other planets far, far away from us which modern planes and spacecraft cannot reach, even by imaginary speeds. The statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are accepted by great ācāryas like Śrīdhara Svāmī, Rāmānujācārya and Vallabhācārya. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu specifically accepts Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the spotless Vedic authority, and as such no sane man can ignore the statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when it is spoken by the self-realized soul Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who follows in the footsteps of his great father, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the compiler of all Vedic literatures. In the creation of the Lord there are many wonderful things we can see with our own eyes every day and night, but we are unable to reach them equipped by modern materialistic science. We should not, therefore, depend on the fragmentary authority of materialistic science for knowing things beyond the range of scientific purview. For a common man, both modern science and Vedic wisdom are simply to be accepted because none of the statements either of modern science or of Vedic literature can be verified by him. The alternative for a common man is to believe either of them or both of them. The Vedic way of understanding, however, is more authentic because it has been accepted by the ācāryas, who are not only faithful and learned men, but are also liberated souls without any of the flaws of conditioned souls. The modern scientists, however, are conditioned souls liable to so many errors and mistakes; therefore the safe side is to accept the authentic version of Vedic literatures, like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is accepted unanimously by the great ācāryas.
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