Krishna Consciousness

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 1 Video and Cover

 

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 1 Plate 1

Chapter One
Genealogical Table of the Daughters of Manu

TEXT 21
tapyamānaṁ tri-bhuvanaṁ
prāṇāyāmaidhasāgninā
nirgatena muner mūrdhnaḥ
samīkṣya prabhavas trayaḥ
SYNONYMS
tapyamānam—while practicing austerities; tri-bhuvanam—the three worlds; prāṇāyāma—practice by breathing exercise; edhasā—fuel; agninā—by the fire; nirgatena—issuing out; muneḥ—of the great sage; mūrdhnaḥ—the top of the head; samīkṣya—looking over; prabhavaḥ trayaḥ—the three great gods (Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara).
TRANSLATION
While Atri Muni was engaged in these severe austerities, a blazing fire came out of his head by virtue of his breathing exercise, and that fire was seen by the three principal deities of the three worlds.
PURPORT
According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the fire of prāṇāyāma is mental satisfaction. That fire was perceived by the Supersoul, Viṣṇu, and thereby Lord Brahmā and Śiva also perceived it. Atri Muni, by his breathing exercise, concentrated on the Supersoul, or the Lord of the universe. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord of the universe is Vāsudeva (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]), and, by the direction of Vāsudeva, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva work. Therefore, on the direction of Vāsudeva, both Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva perceived the severe penance adopted by Atri Muni, and thus they were pleased to come down, as stated in the next verse.
TEXT 22
apsaro-muni-gandharva-
siddha-vidyādharoragaiḥ
vitāyamāna-yaśasas
tad-āśrama-padaṁ yayuḥ
SYNONYMS
apsaraḥ—heavenly society women; muni—great sages; gandharva—inhabitants of the Gandharva planet; siddha—of Siddhaloka; vidyādhara—other demigods; uragaiḥ—the inhabitants of Nāgaloka; vitāyamāna—being spread; yaśasaḥ—fame, reputation; tat—his; āśrama-padam—hermitage; yayuḥ—went.
TRANSLATION
At that time, the three deities approached the hermitage of Atri Muni, accompanied by the denizens of the heavenly planets, such as the celestial beauties, the Gandharvas, the Siddhas, the Vidyādharas and the Nāgas. Thus they entered the āśrama of the great sage, who had become famous by his austerities.
PURPORT
It is advised in the Vedic literatures that one should take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Lord of the universe and the master of creation, maintenance and dissolution. He is known as the Supersoul, and when one worships the Supersoul, all other deities, such as Brahmā and Śiva, appear with Lord Viṣṇu because they are directed by the Supersoul.
TEXT 23
tat-prādurbhāva-saṁyoga-
vidyotita-manā muniḥ
uttiṣṭhann eka-pādena
dadarśa vibudharṣabhān
SYNONYMS
tat—their; prādurbhāva—appearance; saṁyoga—simultaneously; vidyotita—enlightened; manāḥ—in the mind; muniḥ—the great sage; uttiṣṭhan—being awakened; eka-pādena—even on one leg; dadarśa—saw; vibudha—demigods; ṛṣabhān—the great personalities.
TRANSLATION
The sage was standing on one leg, but as soon as he saw that the three deities had appeared before him, he was so pleased to see them all together that despite great difficulty he approached them on one leg.
TEXT 24
praṇamya daṇḍavad bhūmāv
upatasthe ’rhaṇāñjaliḥ
vṛṣa-haṁsa-suparṇa-sthān
svaiḥ svaiś cihnaiś ca cihnitān
SYNONYMS
praṇamya—offering obeisances; daṇḍa-vat—like a rod; bhūmau—ground; upatasthe—fell down; arhaṇa—all paraphernalia for worship; añjaliḥ—folded hands; vṛṣa—bull; haṁsa—swan; suparṇa—the Garuḍa bird; sthān—situated; svaiḥ—own; svaiḥ—own; cihnaiḥ—by symbols; ca—and; cihnitān—being recognized.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter he began to offer prayers to the three deities, who were seated on different carriers—a bull, a swan and Garuḍa—and who held in their hands a drum, kuśa grass and a discus. The sage offered them his respects by falling down like a stick.
PURPORT
Daṇḍa means “a long rod,” and vat means “like.” Before a superior, one has to fall down on the ground just like a stick, and this sort of offering of respect is called daṇḍavat. Atri Ṛṣi offered his respect to the three deities in that way. They were identified by their different carriers and different symbolic representations. In that connection it is stated here that Lord Viṣṇu was sitting on Garuḍa, a big aquiline bird, and was carrying in His hand a disc, Brahmā was sitting on a swan and had in his hand kuśa grass, and Lord Śiva was sitting on a bull and carrying in his hand a small drum called a ḍamaru. Atri Ṛṣi recognized them by their symbolic representations and different carriers, and thus he offered them prayers and respects.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 1 Plate 2

Chapter One
Genealogical Table of the Daughters of Manu

TEXTS 54–55
divy avādyanta tūryāṇi
petuḥ kusuma-vṛṣṭayaḥ
munayas tuṣṭuvus tuṣṭā
jagur gandharva-kinnarāḥ
nṛtyanti sma striyo devya
āsīt parama-maṅgalam
devā brahmādayaḥ sarve
upatasthur abhiṣṭavaiḥ
SYNONYMS
divi—in the heavenly planets; avādyanta—vibrated; tūryāṇi—a band of instruments; petuḥ—they showered; kusuma—of flowers; vṛṣṭayaḥ—showers; munayaḥ—the sages; tuṣṭuvuḥ—chanted Vedic prayers; tuṣṭāḥ—pacified; jaguḥ—began to sing; gandharva—the Gandharvas; kinnarāḥ—the Kinnaras; nṛtyanti sma—danced; striyaḥ—the beautiful damsels; devyaḥ—of the heavenly planets; āsīt—were visible; parama-maṅgalam—the highest good fortune; devāḥ—the demigods; brahma-ādayaḥ—Brahmā and others; sarve—all; upatasthuḥ—worshiped; abhiṣṭavaiḥ—with respectful prayers.
TRANSLATION
In the heavenly planets, bands began to play, and they showered flowers from the sky. The pacified sages chanted Vedic prayers, the denizens of heaven known as the Gandharvas and Kinnaras sang, the beautiful damsels of the heavenly planets danced, and in this way, at the time of the appearance of Nara-Nārāyaṇa, all signs of good fortune were visible. Just at that time, great demigods like Brahmā also offered their respectful prayers.
TEXT 56
devā ūcuḥ
yo māyayā viracitaṁ nijayātmanīdaṁ
khe rūpa-bhedam iva tat-praticakṣaṇāya
etena dharma-sadane ṛṣi-mūrtinādya
prāduścakāra puruṣāya namaḥ parasmai
SYNONYMS
devāḥ—the demigods; ūcuḥ—said; yaḥ—who; māyayā—by the external energy; viracitam—was created; nijayā—by His own; ātmani—being situated in Him; idam—this; khe—in the sky; rūpa-bhedam—bunches of clouds; iva—as if; tat—of Himself; praticakṣaṇāya—for manifesting; etena—with this; dharma-sadane—in the house of Dharma; ṛṣi-mūrtinā—with the form of a sage; adya—today; prāduścakāra—appeared; puruṣāya—unto the Personality of Godhead; namaḥ—respectful obeisances; parasmai—the Supreme.
TRANSLATION
The demigods said: Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the transcendental Personality of Godhead, who created as His external energy this cosmic manifestation, which is situated in Him as the air and clouds are situated in space, and who has now appeared in the form of Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi in the house of Dharma.
PURPORT
The universal form of the Lord is the cosmic manifestation, which is an exhibition of the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In space there are innumerable varieties of planets and also the air, and in the air there are variously colored clouds, and sometimes we see airplanes running from one place to another. Thus the entire cosmic manifestation is full of variety, but actually that variety is a manifestation of the external energy of the Supreme Lord, and that energy is situated in Him. Now the Lord Himself, after manifesting His energy, appeared within the creation of His energy, which is simultaneously one with and different from Himself, and therefore the demigods offered their respects to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who manifests Himself in such varieties. There are some philosophers, called nondualists, who because of their impersonal conception think that varieties are false. ln this verse it is specifically stated, yo māyayā viracitam. This indicates that the varieties are a manifestation of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus because the energy is nondifferent from the Godhead, the varieties are also factual. The material varieties may be temporary, but they are not false. They are a reflection of the spiritual varieties. Here the word praticakṣaṇāya, “there are varieties,” announces the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared as Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and who is the origin of all varieties of material nature.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 1 Plate 3

Chapter Four
Satī Quits Her Body

TEXT 2
suhṛd-didṛkṣā-pratighāta-durmanāḥ
snehād rudaty aśru-kalātivihvalā
bhavaṁ bhavāny apratipūruṣaṁ ruṣā
pradhakṣyatīvaikṣata jāta-vepathuḥ
SYNONYMS
suhṛt-didṛkṣā—of the desire to see her relatives; pratighāta—the prevention; durmanāḥ—feeling sorry; snehāt—from affection; rudatī—crying; aśru-kalā—by drops of tears; ativihvalā—very much afflicted; bhavam—Lord Śiva; bhavānī—Satī; aprati-pūruṣam—without an equal or rival; ruṣā—with anger; pradhakṣyatī—to blast; iva—as if; aikṣata—looked at; jāta-vepathuḥ—shaking.
TRANSLATION
Satī felt very sorry at being forbidden to go see her relatives at her father’s house, and due to affection for them, tears fell from her eyes. Shaking and very much afflicted, she looked at her uncommon husband, Lord Śiva, as if she were going to blast him with her vision.
PURPORT
The word apratipūruṣam, used in this verse, means “one who has no equal.” Lord Śiva has no equal in the material world in regard to equality towards everyone. His wife, Satī, knew that her husband was equal towards everyone, so why in this case was he so unkind to his wife that he did not allow her to go to her father’s house? This distressed her more than she could tolerate, and she looked at her husband as if she were ready to blast him with her vision. In other words, since Lord Śiva is the ātmā (śiva also means ātmā), it is indicated here that Satī was prepared to commit suicide. Another meaning of the word apratipūruṣa is “the personality who has no rival.” Since Lord Śiva could not be persuaded to give her permission, Satī took shelter of a woman’s last weapon, weeping, which forces a husband to agree to the proposal of his wife.
TEXT 3
tato viniḥśvasya satī vihāya taṁ
śokena roṣeṇa ca dūyatā hṛdā
pitror agāt straiṇa-vimūḍha-dhīr gṛhān
premṇātmano yo ’rdham adāt satāṁ priyaḥ
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—then; viniḥśvasya—breathing very heavily; satī—Satī; vihāya—leaving; tam—him (Lord Śiva); śokena—by bereavement; roṣeṇa—by anger; ca—and; dūyatā—afflicted; hṛdā—with the heart; pitroḥ—of her father; agāt—she went; straiṇa—by her womanly nature; vimūḍha—deluded; dhīḥ—intelligence; gṛhān—to the house; premṇā—due to affection; ātmanaḥ—of his body; yaḥ—who; ardham—half; adāt—gave; satām—to the saintly; priyaḥ—dear.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter Satī left her husband, Lord Śiva, who had given her half his body due to affection. Breathing very heavily because of anger and bereavement, she went to the house of her father. This less intelligent act was due to her being a weak woman.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic conception of family life, the husband gives half his body to his wife, and the wife gives half of her body to her husband. In other words, a husband without a wife or a wife without a husband is incomplete. Vedic marital relationship existed between Lord Śiva and Satī, but sometimes, due to weakness, a woman becomes very much attracted by the members of her father’s house, and this happened to Satī. In this verse it is specifically mentioned that she wanted to leave such a great husband as Śiva because of her womanly weakness. In other words, womanly weakness exists even in the relationship between husband and wife. Generally, separation between husband and wife is due to womanly behavior; divorce takes place due to womanly weakness. The best course for a woman is to abide by the orders of her husband. That makes family life very peaceful. Sometimes there may be misunderstandings between husband and wife, as found even in such an elevated family relationship as that of Satī and Lord Śiva, but a wife should not leave her husband’s protection because of such a misunderstanding. If she does so, it is understood to be due to her womanly weakness.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 1 Plate 4

Chapter Four
Satī Quits Her Body

TEXT 27
tataḥ sva-bhartuś caraṇāmbujāsavaṁ
jagad-guroś cintayatī na cāparam
dadarśa deho hata-kalmaṣaḥ satī
sadyaḥ prajajvāla samādhijāgninā
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—there; sva-bhartuḥ—of her husband; caraṇa-ambuja-āsavam—on the nectar of the lotus feet; jagat-guroḥ—of the supreme spiritual teacher of the universe; cintayatī—meditating; na—not; ca—and; aparam—not other (than her husband); dadarśa—saw; dehaḥ—her body; hata-kalmaṣaḥ—taints of sin being destroyed; satī—Satī; sadyaḥ—soon; prajajvāla—burned; samādhi-ja-agninā—by fire produced by meditation.
TRANSLATION
Satī concentrated all her meditation on the holy lotus feet of her husband, Lord Śiva, who is the supreme spiritual master of all the world. Thus she became completely cleansed of all taints of sin and quit her body in a blazing fire by meditation on the fiery elements.
PURPORT
Satī at once thought of the lotus feet of her husband, Lord Śiva, who is one of the three great personalities of Godhead in charge of the management of the material world, and simply by meditating on his lotus feet she derived such great pleasure that she forgot everything in relationship with her body. This pleasure was certainly material because she gave up her body for another body that was also material, but by this example we can appreciate the devotee’s pleasure in concentrating his mind and attention on the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. There is such transcendental bliss in simply meditating on the lotus feet of the Lord that one can forget everything but the Lord’s transcendental form. This is the perfection of yogic samādhi, or ecstasy. In this verse it is stated that by such meditation she became free from all contamination. What was that contamination? The contamination was her concept of the body derived from Dakṣa, but she forgot that bodily relationship in trance. The purport is that when one becomes free from all bodily relationships within this material world and simply places himself in the position of an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord, it is to be understood that all the contamination of his material attachment has been burned by the blazing fires of transcendental ecstasy. It is not necessary for one to manifest a blazing fire externally, for if one forgets all his bodily relationships within this material world and becomes situated in his spiritual identity, it is said that one has been freed from all material contamination by the blazing fire of yogic samādhi, or ecstasy. That is the topmost perfection of yoga. If one keeps his bodily relationships within this material world and poses himself as a great yogī, he is not a bona fide yogī. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.15) it is stated, yat-kīrtanaṁ yat-smaraṇaṁ. Simply by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, simply by remembering the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, simply by offering prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is immediately freed from material contamination, the material bodily concept, by the blazing fire of ecstasy. This effect takes place immediately, without a second’s delay.
According to Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, that Satī quit her body means that she gave up within her heart her relationship with Dakṣa. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura also comments that since Satī is the superintendent deity of the external potency, when she quit her body she did not get a spiritual body but simply transferred from the body she had received from Dakṣa. Other commentators also say that she immediately transferred herself into the womb of Menakā, her future mother. She gave up the body she had received from Dakṣa and immediately transferred herself to another, better body, but this does not mean that she got a spiritual body.
TEXT 28
tat paśyatāṁ khe bhuvi cādbhutaṁ mahad
hā heti vādaḥ sumahān ajāyata
hanta priyā daivatamasya devī
jahāv asūn kena satī prakopitā
SYNONYMS
tat—that; paśyatām—of those who had seen; khe—in the sky; bhuvi—on the earth; ca—and; adbhutam—wonderful; mahat—great; hā hā—oh, oh; iti—thus; vādaḥ—roar; su-mahān—tumultuous; ajāyata—occurred; hanta—alas; priyā—the beloved; daiva-tamasya—of the most respectable demigod (Lord Śiva); devī—Satī; jahau—quit; asūn—her life; kena—by Dakṣa; satī—Satī; prakopitā—angered.
TRANSLATION
When Satī annihilated her body in anger, there was a tumultuous roar all over the universe. Why had Satī, the wife of the most respectable demigod, Lord Śiva, quit her body in such a manner?
PURPORT
There was a tumultuous roaring all over the universe in the societies of the demigods of different planets because Satī was the daughter of Dakṣa, the greatest of all kings, and the wife of Lord Śiva, the greatest of all demigods. Why did she become so angry that she gave up her body? Since she was the daughter of a great personality and wife of a great personality, she had nothing to desire, but still she gave up her body in dissatisfaction. Certainly this was astonishing. One cannot attain complete satisfaction even if one is situated in the greatest material opulence. There was nothing Satī could not achieve either from her relationship with her father or from her relationship with the greatest of the demigods, but still, for some reason, she was dissatisfied. Therefore, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6) explains that one has to achieve real satisfaction (yayātmā suprasīdati), but ātmā—the body, mind and soul—all become completely satisfied only if one develops devotional service to the Absolute Truth. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Adhokṣaja means the Absolute Truth. If one can develop his unflinching love for the transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead, that can give complete satisfaction, otherwise there is no possibility of satisfaction in the material world or anywhere else.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 1 Plate 5

Chapter Six
Brahmā Satisfies Lord Śiva

TEXT 33
tasmin mahā-yogamaye
mumukṣu-śaraṇe surāḥ
dadṛśuḥ śivam āsīnaṁ
tyaktāmarṣam ivāntakam
SYNONYMS
tasmin—under that tree; mahā-yoga-maye—having many sages engaged in meditation on the Supreme; mumukṣu—of those who desire liberation; śaraṇe—the shelter; surāḥ—the demigods; dadṛśuḥ—saw; śivam—Lord Śiva; āsīnam—seated; tyakta-amarṣam—having given up anger; iva—as; antakam—eternal time.
TRANSLATION
The demigods saw Lord Śiva sitting under that tree, which was competent to give perfection to mystic yogīs and deliver all people. As grave as time eternal, he appeared to have given up all anger.
PURPORT
In this verse the word mahā-yogamaye is very significant. Yoga means meditation on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and mahā-yoga means those who engage in the devotional service of Viṣṇu. Meditation means remembering, smaraṇam. There are nine different kinds of devotional service, of which smaraṇam is one process; the yogī remembers the form of Viṣṇu within his heart. Thus there were many devotees engaged in meditation on Lord Viṣṇu under the big banyan tree.
The Sanskrit word mahā is derived from the affix mahat. This affix is used when there is a great number or quantity, so mahā-yoga indicates that there were many great yogīs and devotees meditating on the form of Lord Viṣṇu. Generally such meditators are desirous of liberation from material bondage, and they are promoted to the spiritual world, to one of the Vaikuṇṭhas. Liberation means freedom from material bondage or nescience. ln the material world we are suffering life after life because of our bodily identification, and liberation is freedom from that miserable condition of life.
TEXT 34
sanandanādyair mahā-siddhaiḥ
śāntaiḥ saṁśānta-vigraham
upāsyamānaṁ sakhyā ca
bhartrā guhyaka-rakṣasām
SYNONYMS
sanandana-ādyaiḥ—the four Kumāras, headed by Sanandana; mahā-siddhaiḥ—liberated souls; śāntaiḥ—saintly; saṁśānta-vigraham—the grave and saintly Lord Śiva; upāsyamānam—was being praised; sakhyā—by Kuvera; ca—and; bhartrā—by the master; guhyaka-rakṣasām—of the Guhyakas and the Rākṣasas.
TRANSLATION
Lord Śiva sat there, surrounded by saintly persons like Kuvera, the master of the Guhyakas, and the four Kumāras, who were already liberated souls. Lord Śiva was grave and saintly.
PURPORT
The personalities sitting with Lord Śiva are significant because the four Kumāras were liberated from birth. It may be remembered that after their birth these Kumāras were requested by their father to get married and beget children in order to increase the population of the newly created universe. But they refused, and at that time Lord Brahmā was angry. In that angry mood, Rudra, or Lord Śiva, was born. Thus they were intimately related. Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, is fabulously rich. Thus Lord Śiva’s association with the Kumāras and Kuvera indicates that he has all transcendental and material opulences. Actually, he is the qualitative incarnation of the Supreme Lord; therefore his position is very exalted.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 1 Plate 6

Chapter Eight
Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest

TEXT 14
maitreya uvāca
mātuḥ sapatnyāḥ sa durukti-viddhaḥ
śvasan ruṣā daṇḍa-hato yathāhiḥ
hitvā miṣantaṁ pitaraṁ sanna-vācaṁ
jagāma mātuḥ prarudan sakāśam
SYNONYMS
maitreyaḥ uvāca—the great sage Maitreya said; mātuḥ—of his mother; sa-patnyāḥ—of the co-wife; saḥ—he; durukti—harsh words; viddhaḥ—being pierced by; śvasan—breathing very heavily; ruṣā—out of anger; daṇḍa-hataḥ—struck by a stick; yathā—as much as; ahiḥ—a snake; hitvā—giving up; miṣantam—simply looking over; pitaram—his father; sanna-vācam—silently; jagāma—went; mātuḥ—to his mother; prarudan—weeping; sakāśam—near.
TRANSLATION
The sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, as a snake, when struck by a stick, breathes very heavily, Dhruva Mahārāja, having been struck by the strong words of his stepmother, began to breathe very heavily because of great anger. When he saw that his father was silent and did not protest, he immediately left the palace and went to his mother.
TEXT 15
taṁ niḥśvasantaṁ sphuritādharoṣṭhaṁ
sunītir utsaṅga udūhya bālam
niśamya tat-paura-mukhān nitāntaṁ
sā vivyathe yad gaditaṁ sapatnyā
SYNONYMS
tam—him; niḥśvasantam—heavily breathing; sphurita—trembling; adhara-oṣṭham—upper and lower lips; sunītiḥ—Queen Sunīti; utsaṅge—on her lap; udūhya—lifting; bālam—her son; niśamya—after hearing; tat-paura-mukhāt—from the mouths of other inhabitants; nitāntam—all descriptions; sā—she; vivyathe—became aggrieved; yat—that which; gaditam—spoken; sa-patnyā—by her co-wife.
TRANSLATION
When Dhruva Mahārāja reached his mother, his lips were trembling in anger, and he was crying very grievously. Queen Sunīti immediately lifted her son onto her lap, while the palace residents who had heard all the harsh words of Suruci related everything in detail. Thus Sunīti also became greatly aggrieved.
TEXT 16
sotsṛjya dhairyaṁ vilalāpa śoka-
dāvāgninā dāva-lateva bālā
vākyaṁ sapatnyāḥ smaratī saroja-
śriyā dṛśā bāṣpa-kalām uvāha
SYNONYMS
sā—she; utsṛjya—giving up; dhairyam—patience; vilalāpa—lamented; śoka-dāva-agninā—by the fire of grief; dāva-latā iva—like burnt leaves; bālā—the woman; vākyam—words; sa-patnyāḥ—spoken by her co-wife; smaratī—remember; saroja-śriyā—a face as beautiful as a lotus; dṛśā—by looking; bāṣpa-kalām—weeping; uvāha—said.
TRANSLATION
This incident was unbearable to Sunīti’s patience. She began to burn as if in a forest fire, and in her grief she became just like a burnt leaf and so lamented. As she remembered the words of her co-wife, her bright, lotuslike face filled with tears, and thus she spoke.
PURPORT
When a man is aggrieved, he feels exactly like a burnt leaf in a forest fire. Sunīti’s position was like that. Although her face was as beautiful as a lotus flower, it dried up because of the burning fire caused by the harsh words of her co-wife.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 1 Plate 7

Chapter Eight
Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest

TEXT 62
ity uktas taṁ parikramya
praṇamya ca nṛpārbhakaḥ
yayau madhuvanaṁ puṇyaṁ
hareś caraṇa-carcitam
SYNONYMS
iti—thus; uktaḥ—being spoken; tam—him (Nārada Muni); parikramya—by circumambulating; praṇamya—by offering obeisances; ca—also; nṛpa-arbhakaḥ—the boy of the King; yayau—went to; madhuvanam—a forest in Vṛndāvana known as Madhuvana; puṇyam—which is auspicious and pious; hareḥ—of the Lord; caraṇa-carcitam—imprinted by the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
TRANSLATION
When Dhruva Mahārāja, the son of the King, was thus advised by the great sage Nārada, he circumambulated Nārada, his spiritual master, and offered him respectful obeisances. Then he started for Madhuvana, which is always imprinted with the lotus footprints of Lord Kṛṣṇa and which is therefore especially auspicious.
TEXT 63
tapo-vanaṁ gate tasmin
praviṣṭo ’ntaḥ-puraṁ muniḥ
arhitārhaṇako rājñā
sukhāsīna uvāca tam
SYNONYMS
tapaḥ-vanam—the forest path where Dhruva Mahārāja executed his austerity; gate—having thus approached; tasmin—there; praviṣṭaḥ—having entered; antaḥ-puram—within the private house; muniḥ—the great sage Nārada; arhita—being worshiped; arhaṇakaḥ—by respectful behavior; rājñā—by the King; sukha-āsīnaḥ—when he comfortably sat on his seat; uvāca—said; tam—unto him (the King).
TRANSLATION
After Dhruva entered Madhuvana Forest to execute devotional service, the great sage Nārada thought it wise to go to the King to see how he was faring within the palace. When Nārada Muni approached, the King received him properly, offering him due obeisances. After being seated comfortably, Nārada began to speak.
TEXT 64
nārada uvāca
rājan kiṁ dhyāyase dīrghaṁ
mukhena pariśuṣyatā
kiṁ vā na riṣyate kāmo
dharmo vārthena saṁyutaḥ
SYNONYMS
nāradaḥ uvāca—the great sage Nārada Muni said; rājan—my dear King; kim—what; dhyāyase—thinking of; dīrgham—very deeply; mukhena—with your face; pariśuṣyatā—as if drying up; kim vā—whether; na—not; riṣyate—been lost; kāmaḥ—sense gratification; dharmaḥ—religious rituals; vā—or; arthena—with economic development; saṁyutaḥ—along with.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Nārada inquired: My dear King, your face appears to be withering up, and you look like you have been thinking of something for a very long time. Why is that? Have you been hampered in following your path of religious rites, economic development and sense gratification?
PURPORT
The four stages of advancement of human civilisation are religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, for some, the stage of liberation. Nārada Muni did not inquire from the King about his liberation, but only regarding the state management, which is meant for advancement of the three principles religiosity, economic development and sense gratification. Since those who engage in such activities are not interested in liberation, Nārada did not inquire from the King about this. Liberation is meant for persons who have lost all interest in religious ritualistic ceremonies, economic development and sense gratification.
TEXT 65
rājovāca
suto me bālako brahman
straiṇenākaruṇātmanā
nirvāsitaḥ pañca-varṣaḥ
saha mātrā mahān kaviḥ
SYNONYMS
rājā uvāca—the King replied; sutaḥ—son; me—my; bālakaḥ—tender boy; brahman—my dear brāhmaṇa; straiṇena—one who is too addicted to his wife; akaruṇā-ātmanā—one who is very hard of heart and without mercy; nirvāsitaḥ—is banished; pañca-varṣaḥ—although the boy is five years old; saha—with; mātrā—mother; mahān—great personality; kaviḥ—devotee.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 2 Video and Cover

 

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 2 Plate 1

Chapter Nine
Dhruva Mahārāja Returns Home

TEXT 2
sa vai dhiyā yoga-vipāka-tīvrayā
hṛt-padma-kośe sphuritaṁ taḍit-prabham
tirohitaṁ sahasaivopalakṣya
bahiḥ-sthitaṁ tad-avasthaṁ dadarśa
SYNONYMS
saḥ—Dhruva Mahārāja; vai—also; dhiyā—by meditation; yoga-vipāka-tīvrayā—on account of mature realization of the yogic process; hṛt—the heart; padma-kośe—on the lotus of; sphuritam—manifested; taḍit-prabham—brilliant like lightning; tirohitam—having disappeared; sahasā—all of a sudden; eva—also; upalakṣya—by observing; bahiḥ-sthitam—externally situated; tat-avastham—in the same posture; dadarśa—was able to see.
TRANSLATION
The form of the Lord, which was brilliant like lightning and in which Dhruva Mahārāja, in his mature yogic process, was fully absorbed in meditation, all of a sudden disappeared. Thus Dhruva was perturbed, and his meditation broke. But as soon as he opened his eyes he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally present, just as he had been seeing the Lord in his heart.
PURPORT
Because of his mature position in yogic meditation, Dhruva Mahārāja was constantly observing the form of the Personality of Godhead within his heart, but all of a sudden, when the Supreme Personality disappeared from his heart, he thought that he had lost Him. Dhruva Mahārāja was perturbed, but upon opening his eyes and breaking his meditation he saw the same form of the Lord before him. In the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38) it is said, premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: a saintly person who has developed love of Godhead by devotional service always sees the Lord’s transcendental form of Śyāmasundara. This Śyāmasundara form of the Lord within the heart of a devotee is not imaginary. When a devotee becomes mature in his prosecution of devotional service, he sees face to face the same Śyāmasundara he has thought of during the entire course of his devotional service. Since the Supreme Lord is absolute, the form within the heart of a devotee, the form in the temple and the original form in Vaikuṇṭha, Vṛndāvana-dhāma, are all the same; they are nondifferent from one another.
TEXT 3
tad-darśanenāgata-sādhvasaḥ kṣitāv
avandatāṅgaṁ vinamayya daṇḍavat
dṛgbhyāṁ prapaśyan prapibann ivārbhakaś
cumbann ivāsyena bhujair ivāśliṣan
SYNONYMS
tat-darśanena—after seeing the Lord; āgata-sādhvasaḥ—Dhruva Mahārāja, being greatly confused; kṣitau—on the ground; avandata—offered obeisances; aṅgam—his body; vinamayya—prostrating; daṇḍavat—just like a rod; dṛgbhyām—with his eyes; prapaśyan—looking upon; prapiban—drinking; iva—like; arbhakaḥ—the boy; cumban—kissing; iva—like; āsyena—with his mouth; bhujaiḥ—with his arms; iva—like; āśliṣan—embracing.
TRANSLATION
When Dhruva Mahārāja saw his Lord just in front of him, he was greatly agitated and offered Him obeisances and respect. He fell flat before Him like a rod and became absorbed in love of Godhead. Dhruva Mahārāja, in ecstasy, looked upon the Lord as if he were drinking the Lord with his eyes, kissing the lotus feet of the Lord with his mouth, and embracing the Lord with his arms.
PURPORT
Naturally, when Dhruva Mahārāja personally saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, he was very much agitated in awe and respect, and it appeared as if he were drinking the entire body of the Lord with his eyes. The devotee’s love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so intense that he wants to kiss the lotus feet of the Lord constantly, and he wants to touch the tips of the toes of the Lord and constantly embrace His lotus feet. All these features of Dhruva Mahārāja’s bodily expression indicate that upon seeing the Lord face to face he developed the eight kinds of transcendental ecstasy in his body.
TEXT 4
sa taṁ vivakṣantam atad-vidaṁ harir
jñātvāsya sarvasya ca hṛdy avasthitaḥ
kṛtāñjaliṁ brahmamayena kambunā
pasparśa bālaṁ kṛpayā kapole
SYNONYMS
saḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tam—Dhruva Mahārāja; vivakṣantam—wanting to offer prayers describing His qualities; a-tat-vidam—not experienced at that; hariḥ—the Personality of Godhead; jñātvā—having understood; asya—of Dhruva Mahārāja; sarvasya—of everyone; ca—and; hṛdi—in the heart; avasthitaḥ—being situated; kṛta-añjalim—situated with folded hands; brahma-mayena—just consistent with the words of the Vedic hymns; kambunā—with His conchshell; pasparśa—touched; bālam—the boy; kṛpayā—out of causeless mercy; kapole—on the forehead.
TRANSLATION
Although Dhruva Mahārāja was a small boy, he wanted to offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in suitable language. But because he was inexperienced, he could not adjust himself immediately. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being situated in everyone’s heart, could understand Dhruva Mahārāja’s awkward position. Out of His causeless mercy He touched His conchshell to the forehead of Dhruva Mahārāja, who stood before Him with folded hands.
PURPORT
Every devotee wants to chant the transcendental qualities of the Lord. Devotees are always interested in hearing about the Lord’s transcendental qualities, and they are always eager to glorify these qualities, but sometimes they feel inconvenienced by humbleness. The Personality of Godhead, being situated in everyone’s heart, specifically gives a devotee intelligence to describe Him. It is therefore understood that when a devotee writes or speaks about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his words are dictated by the Lord from within. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, Tenth Chapter: to those who constantly engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the Lord, from within, dictates what to do next in order to serve Him. When Dhruva Mahārāja felt hesitant, not knowing how to describe the Lord for want of sufficient experience, the Lord, out of His causeless mercy, touched His conchshell to Dhruva’s forehead, and he was transcendentally inspired. This transcendental inspiration is called brahma-maya because when one is thus inspired, the sound he produces exactly corresponds to the sound vibration of the Vedas. This is not the ordinary sound vibration of this material world. Therefore the sound vibration of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, although presented in the ordinary alphabet, should not be taken as mundane or material.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 2 Plate 2

Chapter Nine
Dhruva Mahārāja Returns Home

TEXT 15
tvaṁ nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-vibuddha ātmā
kūṭa-stha ādi-puruṣo bhagavāṁs try-adhīśaḥ
yad-buddhy-avasthitim akhaṇḍitayā sva-dṛṣṭyā
draṣṭā sthitāv adhimakho vyatirikta āsse
SYNONYMS
tvam—You; nitya—eternally; mukta—liberated; pariśuddha—uncontaminated; vibuddhaḥ—full of knowledge; ātmā—the Supreme Soul; kūṭa-sthaḥ—changeless; ādi—original; puruṣaḥ—person; bhagavān—the Lord, full with six opulences; tri-adhīśaḥ—master of the three modes; yat—whence; buddhi—of intellectual activities; avasthitim—all stages; akhaṇḍitayā—unbroken; sva-dṛṣṭyā—by transcendental vision; draṣṭā—You witness; sthitau—for maintaining (the universe); adhimakhaḥ—enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices; vyatiriktaḥ—differently; āsse—You are situated.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, by Your unbroken transcendental glance You are the supreme witness of all stages of intellectual activities. You are eternally liberated, Your existence is situated in pure goodness, and You are existent in the Supersoul without change. You are the original Personality of Godhead, full with six opulences, and You are eternally the master of the three modes of material nature. Thus, You are always different from the ordinary living entities. As Lord Viṣṇu, You maintain all the affairs of the entire universe, and yet You stand aloof and are the enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices.
PURPORT
An atheistic argument against the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead states that if God, the Supreme Person, appears and disappears and sleeps and awakens, then what is the difference between God and the living entity? Dhruva Mahārāja is carefully distinguishing the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead from that of the living entities. He points out the following differences. The Lord is eternally liberated. Whenever He appears, even within this material world, He is never entangled by the three modes of material nature. He is known, therefore, as try-adhīśa, the master of the three modes of material nature. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā: the living entities are all entangled in the three modes of material nature. The external energy of the Lord is very strong, but the Lord, as the master of the three modes of material nature, is ever liberated from the action and reaction of those modes. He, therefore, is uncontaminated, as stated in the Īśopaniṣad. The contamination of the material world does not affect the Supreme Godhead. Kṛṣṇa therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā that those who are rascals and fools think of Him as an ordinary human being, not knowing His paraṁ bhāvam. paraṁ bhāvam refers to His being always transcendentally situated. Material contamination cannot affect Him.
Another difference between the Lord and the living entity is that a living entity is always in darkness. Even though he may be situated in the mode of goodness, there are still so many things which are unknown to him. But it is not the same for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He knows past, present and future and everything that is happening in everyone’s heart. Bhagavad-gītā confirms this (vedāhaṁ samatītāni). The Lord is not part of the soul—He is the unchangeable Supreme Soul, and the living entities are His parts and parcels. The living entity is forced to appear in this material world under the direction of daiva-māyā, but when the Lord appears, He comes by His own internal potency, ātma-māyā. Besides that, a living entity is within the time of past, present and future. His life has a beginning, a birth, and in the conditioned state his life ends with death. But the Lord is ādi-puruṣa, the original person. In the Brahma-saṁhitā Lord Brahmā offers his respect to the ādi-puruṣa, Govinda, the original person, who has no beginning, whereas the creation of this material world has a beginning. The Vedānta says, janmādy asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1] everything is born from the Supreme, but the Supreme has no birth. He has all the six opulences in full and beyond comparison, He is the master of material nature, His intelligence is not broken under any circumstances, and He stands aloof, although He is the maintainer of the whole creation. As stated in the Vedas (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13), nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. The Lord is the supreme maintainer. Living entities are meant to serve Him by offering sacrifices, for He is the rightful enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices. Everyone, therefore, should engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord with his life, his riches, his intelligence and his words. This is the original, constitutional position of the living entities. One should never compare the sleeping of an ordinary living entity to the sleeping of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Causal Ocean. There is no stage at which the living entity can compare to the Supreme Person. The Māyāvādī philosophers, being unable to adjust to all this, come to the conclusion of impersonalism or voidism.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 2 Plate 3

Chapter Nine
Dhruva Mahārāja Returns Home

TEXT 16
yasmin viruddha-gatayo hy aniśaṁ patanti
vidyādayo vividha-śaktaya ānupūrvyāt
tad brahma viśva-bhavam ekam anantam ādyam
ānanda-mātram avikāram ahaṁ prapadye
SYNONYMS
yasmin—in whom; viruddha-gatayaḥ—of opposite character; hi—certainly; aniśam—always; patanti—are manifest; vidyā-ādayaḥ—knowledge and ignorance, etc.; vividha—various; śaktayaḥ—energies; ānupūrvyāt—continually; tat—that; brahma—Brahman; viśva-bhavam—the cause of material creation; ekam—one; anantam—unlimited; ādyam—original; ānanda-mātram—simply blissful; avikāram—changeless; aham—I; prapadye—offer my obeisances.
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, in Your impersonal manifestation of Brahman there are always two opposing elements—knowledge and ignorance. Your multienergies are continually manifest, but the impersonal Brahman, which is undivided, original, changeless, unlimited and blissful, is the cause of the material manifestation. Because You are the same impersonal Brahman, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
PURPORT
In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the unlimited impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of the transcendental body of Govinda. In that unlimited effulgent aura of the Supreme Personality of Godhead there are innumerable universes with innumerable planets of different categories. Although the Supreme Person is the original cause of all causes, His impersonal effulgence, known as Brahman, is the immediate cause of the material manifestation. Dhruva Mahārāja, therefore, offered his respectful obeisances unto the impersonal feature of the Lord. One who realizes this impersonal feature can enjoy the unchangeable brahmānanda, described here as spiritual bliss.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura describes that this impersonal feature, or Brahman manifestation, of the Supreme Lord is meant for persons who are essentially very advanced but still not able to understand the personal features or variegatedness of the spiritual world. Such devotees are known as jñāna-miśra-bhaktas, or devotees whose devotional service is mixed with empiric knowledge. Because the impersonal Brahman realization is a partial understanding of the Absolute Truth, Dhruva Mahārāja offers his respectful obeisances.
It is said that this impersonal Brahman is the distant realization of the Absolute Truth. Although apparently Brahman seems to be devoid of energy, factually it has different energies working under the headings of knowledge and ignorance. On account of these different energies, there is continually a manifestation of vidyā and avidyā. Vidyā and avidyā are very nicely described in Īśopaniṣad. It is said there that sometimes, due to avidyā, or a poor fund of knowledge, one accepts the Absolute Truth as ultimately impersonal. But in fact the impersonal and personal realizations develop in proportion to the development of devotional service. The more we develop our devotional service, the more closely we approach the Absolute Truth, which, in the beginning, when we realize the Absolute Truth from a distant place, is manifest as impersonal.
People in general, who are under the influence of avidyā-śakti, or māyā, have neither knowledge nor devotion. But when a person who is a little advanced and is therefore called a jñānī advances even more, he is in the category of a jñāna-miśra-bhakta, or a devotee whose love is mixed with empiric knowledge. When he is still further advanced, he can realize that the Absolute Truth is a person with multienergies. An advanced devotee can understand the Lord and His creative energy. As soon as one accepts the creative energy of the Absolute Truth, the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are also understood. Devotees who are still further advanced, in full knowledge, can understand the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. Only on that platform can one fully enjoy transcendental bliss. An example is given in this connection by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura of a person proceeding towards a destination. As he approaches, he sees the destination from a distant place, just as we see a city from a distance. At that time he simply understands that the city is situated at a distance. When, however, he comes still nearer, he sees the domes and flags. But as soon as he enters the city, he sees various paths, gardens, lakes, and marketplaces with shops, and persons buying. He sees varieties of cinema houses, and he sees dancing and jubilation. When a person actually enters the city and personally sees the activities of the city, he becomes satisfied.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 2 Plate 4

Chapter Eleven
Svāyambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Mahārāja to Stop Fighting

TEXT 1
maitreya uvāca
niśamya gadatām evam
ṛṣīṇāṁ dhanuṣi dhruvaḥ
sandadhe ’stram upaspṛśya
yan nārāyaṇa-nirmitam
SYNONYMS
maitreyaḥ uvāca—the sage Maitreya continued to speak; niśamya—having heard; gadatām—the words; evam—thus; ṛṣīṇām—of the sages; dhanuṣi—upon his bow; dhruvaḥ—Dhruva Mahārāja; sandadhe—fixed; astram—an arrow; upaspṛśya—after touching water; yat—that which; nārāyaṇa—by Nārāyaṇa; nirmitam—was made.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Maitreya said: My dear Vidura, when Dhruva Mahārāja heard the encouraging words of the great sages, he performed the ācamana by touching water and then took up his arrow made by Lord Nārāyaṇa and fixed it upon his bow.
PURPORT
Dhruva Mahārāja was given a specific arrow made by Lord Nārāyaṇa Himself, and he now fixed it upon his bow to finish the illusory atmosphere created by the Yakṣas. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.14), mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. Without Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no one is able to overcome the action of the illusory energy. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also given us a nice weapon for this age, as stated in the Bhāgavatam: sāṅgopāṅgāstra—in this age, the nārāyaṇāstra, or weapon to drive away māyā, is the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in pursuance of the associates of Lord Caitanya, such as Advaita Prabhu, Nityānanda, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa.
TEXT 2
sandhīyamāna etasmin
māyā guhyaka-nirmitāḥ
kṣipraṁ vineśur vidura
kleśā jñānodaye yathā
SYNONYMS
sandhīyamāne—while joining to his bow; etasmin—this nārārayaṇāstra; māyāḥ—the illusions; guhyaka-nirmitāḥ—created by the Yakṣas; kṣipram—very soon; vineśuḥ—were destroyed; vidura—O Vidura; kleśāḥ—illusory pains and pleasures; jñāna-udaye—upon the arising of knowledge; yathā—just as.
TRANSLATION
As soon as Dhruva Mahārāja joined the nārāyaṇāstra arrow to his bow, the illusion created by the Yakṣas was immediately vanquished, just as all material pains and pleasures are vanquished when one becomes fully cognizant of the self.
PURPORT
Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and māyā, or the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa, is like darkness. Darkness means absence of light; similarly, māyā means absence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness and māyā are always there, side by side. As soon as there is awakening of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all the illusory pains and pleasures of material existence are vanquished. Māyām etāṁ taranti te: [Bg. 7.14] constant chanting of the mahā-mantra will keep us always aloof from the illusory energy of māyā.
TEXT 3
tasyārṣāstraṁ dhanuṣi prayuñjataḥ
suvarṇa-puṅkhāḥ kalahaṁsa-vāsasaḥ
viniḥsṛtā āviviśur dviṣad-balaṁ
yathā vanaṁ bhīma-ravāḥ śikhaṇḍinaḥ
SYNONYMS
tasya—while Dhruva; ārṣa-astram—the weapon given by Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi; dhanuṣi—on his bow; prayuñjataḥ—fixed; suvarṇa-puṅkhāḥ—(arrows) with golden shafts; kalahaṁsa-vāsasaḥ—with feathers like the wings of a swan; viniḥsṛtāḥ—sprang out; āviviśuḥ—entered; dviṣat-balam—the soldiers of the enemy; yathā—just as; vanam—into a forest; bhīma-ravāḥ—making a tumultuous sound; śikhaṇḍinaḥ—peacocks.
TRANSLATION
Even as Dhruva Mahārāja fixed the weapon made by Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi onto his bow, arrows with golden shafts and feathers like the wings of a swan flew out from it. They entered the enemy soldiers with a great hissing sound, just as peacocks enter a forest with tumultuous crowing.
TEXT 4
tais tigma-dhāraiḥ pradhane śilī-mukhair
itas tataḥ puṇya-janā upadrutāḥ
tam abhyadhāvan kupitā udāyudhāḥ
suparṇam unnaddha-phaṇā ivāhayaḥ
SYNONYMS
taiḥ—by those; tigma-dhāraiḥ—which had a sharp point; pradhane—on the battlefield; śilī-mukhaiḥ—arrows; itaḥ tataḥ—here and there; puṇya-janāḥ—the Yakṣas; upadrutāḥ—being greatly agitated; tam—towards Dhruva Mahārāja; abhyadhāvan—rushed; kupitāḥ—being angry; udāyudhāḥ—with upraised weapons; suparṇam—towards Garuḍa; unnaddha-phaṇāḥ—with upraised hoods; iva—like; ahayaḥ—serpents.
TRANSLATION
Those sharp arrows dismayed the enemy soldiers, who became almost unconscious, but various Yakṣas on the battlefield, in a rage against Dhruva Mahārāja, somehow or other collected their weapons and attacked. Just as serpents agitated by Garuḍa rush towards Garuḍa with upraised hoods, all the Yakṣa soldiers prepared to overcome Dhruva Mahārāja with their upraised weapons.
TEXT 5
sa tān pṛṣatkair abhidhāvato mṛdhe
nikṛtta-bāhūru-śirodharodarān
nināya lokaṁ param arka-maṇḍalaṁ
vrajanti nirbhidya yam ūrdhva-retasaḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he (Dhruva Mahārāja); tān—all the Yakṣas; pṛṣatkaiḥ—by his arrows; abhidhāvataḥ—coming forward; mṛdhe—in the battlefield; nikṛtta—being separated; bāhu—arms; ūru—thighs; śiraḥ-dhara—necks; udarān—and bellies; nināya—delivered; lokam—to the planet; param—supreme; arka-maṇḍalam—the sun globe; vrajanti—go; nirbhidya—piercing; yam—to which; ūrdhva-retasaḥ—those who do not discharge semen at any time.
TRANSLATION
When Dhruva Mahārāja saw the Yakṣas coming forward, he immediately took his arrows and cut the enemies to pieces. Separating their arms, legs, heads and bellies from their bodies, he delivered the Yakṣas to the planetary system which is situated above the sun globe and which is attainable only by first-class brahmacārīs, who have never discharged their semen.
PURPORT
To be killed by the Lord or by His devotees is auspicious for nondevotees. The Yakṣas were killed indiscriminately by Dhruva Mahārāja, but they attained the planetary system attainable only for brahmacārīs who never discharged their semen. As the impersonalist jñānīs or the demons killed by the Lord attain Brahmaloka, or Satyaloka, persons killed by a devotee of the Lord also attain Satyaloka. To reach the Satyaloka planetary system described here, one has to be elevated above the sun globe. Killing, therefore, is not always bad. If the killing is done by the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee or in great sacrifices, it is for the benefit of the entity killed in that way. Material so-called nonviolence is very insignificant in comparison to killing done by the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotees. Even when a king or the state government kills a person who is a murderer, that killing is for the benefit of the murderer, for thus he may become cleared of all sinful reactions.
An important word in this verse is ūrdhva-retasaḥ, which means brahmacārīs who have never discharged semen. Celibacy is so important that even though one does not undergo any austerities, penances or ritualistic ceremonies prescribed in the Vedas, if one simply keeps himself a pure brahmacārī, not discharging his semen, the result is that after death he goes to the Satyaloka. Generally, sex life is the cause of all miseries in the material world. In the Vedic civilization sex life is restricted in various ways. Out of the whole population of the social structure, only the gṛhasthas are allowed restricted sex life. All others refrain from sex. The people of this age especially do not know the value of not discharging semen. As such, they are variously entangled with material qualities and suffer an existence of struggle only. The word ūrdhva-retasaḥ especially indicates the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, who undergo strict principles of austerity. But in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.16) the Lord says that even if one goes up to Brahmaloka, he again comes back (ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino ’rjuna). Therefore, actual mukti, or liberation, can be attained only by devotional service, because by devotional service one can go above Brahmaloka, or to the spiritual world, wherefrom he never comes back. Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are very proud of becoming liberated, but actual liberation is not possible unless one is in touch with the Supreme Lord in devotional service. It is said, hariṁ vinā na sṛtiṁ taranti: without Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, no one can have liberation.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 2 Plate 5

Chapter Eleven
Svāyambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Mahārāja to Stop Fighting

TEXT 25
sa eva viśvaṁ sṛjati
sa evāvati hanti ca
athāpi hy anahaṅkārān
nājyate guṇa-karmabhiḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He; eva—certainly; viśvam—the universe; sṛjati—creates; saḥ—He; eva—certainly; avati—maintains; hanti—annihilates; ca—also; atha api—moreover; hi—certainly; anahaṅkārāt—from being without ego; na—not; ajyate—becomes entangled; guṇa—by the modes of material nature; karmabhiḥ—by activities.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead creates this material world, maintains it, and annihilates it in due course of time, but because He is transcendental to such activities, He is never affected by ego in such action or by the modes of material nature.
PURPORT
In this verse the word anahaṅkāra means “without ego.” The conditioned soul has a false ego, and as a result of his karma he gets different types of bodies in this material world. Sometimes he gets the body of a demigod, and he thinks that body to be his identity. Similarly, when he gets the body of a dog he identifies his self with that body. But for the Supreme Personality of Godhead there is no such distinction between the body and the soul. Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, certifies that anyone who thinks of Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary human being is without knowledge of His transcendental nature and is a great fool. The Lord says, na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti: He is not affected by anything He does, because He is never contaminated by the material modes of nature. That we have a material body proves that we are infected by the three material modes of nature. The Lord says to Arjuna, “You and I had many, many births previously, but I remember everything, whereas you do not.” That is the difference between the living entity, or conditioned soul, and the Supreme Soul. The Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no material body, and because He has no material body, He is not affected by any work He executes. There are many Māyāvādī philosophers who consider that Kṛṣṇa’s body is the effect of a concentration of the material mode of goodness, and they distinguish Kṛṣṇa’s soul from Kṛṣṇa’s body. The real situation, however, is that the body of the conditioned soul, even if he has a large accumulation of material goodness, is material, whereas Kṛṣṇa’s body is never material; it is transcendental. Kṛṣṇa has no false ego, for He does not identify Himself with the false and temporary body. His body is always eternal; He descends to this world in His own original, spiritual body. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā as paraṁ bhāvam. The words paraṁ bhāvaṁ and divyam are especially significant in understanding Kṛṣṇa’s personality.
TEXT 26
eṣa bhūtāni bhūtātmā
bhūteśo bhūta-bhāvanaḥ
sva-śaktyā māyayā yuktaḥ
sṛjaty atti ca pāti ca
SYNONYMS
eṣaḥ—this; bhūtāni—all created beings; bhūta-ātmā—the Supersoul of all living entities; bhūta-īśaḥ—the controller of everyone; bhūta-bhāvanaḥ—the maintainer of everyone; sva-śaktyā—through His energy; māyayā—the external energy; yuktaḥ—through such agency; sṛjati—creates; atti—annihilates; ca—and; pāti—maintains; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supersoul of all living entities. He is the controller and maintainer of everyone; through the agency of His external energy, He creates, maintains and annihilates everyone.
PURPORT
There are two kinds of energies in the matter of creation. The Lord creates this material world through His external, material energy, whereas the spiritual world is a manifestation of His internal energy. He is always associated with the internal energy, but He is always aloof from the material energy. Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) the Lord says, mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ: “All living entities are living on Me or on My energy, but I am not everywhere.” He is personally always situated in the spiritual world. In the material world also, wherever the Supreme Lord is personally present is to be understood as being the spiritual world. For example, the Lord is worshiped in the temple by pure devotees. The temple is therefore to be understood as being the spiritual world.
TEXT 27
tam eva mṛtyum amṛtaṁ tāta daivaṁ
sarvātmanopehi jagat-parāyaṇam
yasmai baliṁ viśva-sṛjo haranti
gāvo yathā vai nasi dāma-yantritāḥ
SYNONYMS
tam—unto Him; eva—certainly; mṛtyum—death; amṛtam—immortality; tāta—my dear son; daivam—the Supreme; sarva-ātmanā—in all respects; upehi—surrender; jagat—of the world; parāyaṇam—ultimate goal; yasmai—unto whom; balim—offerings; viśva-sṛjaḥ—all the demigods like Brahmā; haranti—bear; gāvaḥ—bulls; yathā—as; vai—without fail; nasi—in the nose; dāma—by a rope; yantritāḥ—controlled.
TRANSLATION
My dear boy Dhruva, please surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the ultimate goal of the progress of the world. Everyone, including the demigods headed by Lord Brahmā, is working under His control, just as a bull, prompted by a rope in its nose, is controlled by its owner.
PURPORT
The material disease is to declare independence from the supreme controller. Factually, our material existence begins when we forget the supreme controller and wish to lord it over material nature. Everyone in the material world is trying his best to become the supreme controller—individually, nationally, socially and in many other ways. Dhruva Mahārāja was advised to stop fighting by his grandfather, who was concerned that Dhruva was adhering to a personal ambition to fight to annihilate the whole race of Yakṣas. In this verse, therefore, Svāyambhuva Manu seeks to eradicate the last tinge of false ambition in Dhruva by explaining the position of the supreme controller. The words mṛtyum amṛtam, “death and immortality,” are significant. In Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says, “I am ultimate death, who takes away everything from the demons.” The demons’ business is to continually struggle for existence as lords over material nature. The demons repeatedly meet death after death and create a network of involvement in the material world. The Lord is death for the demons, but for devotees He is amṛta, eternal life. Devotees who render continuous service to the Lord have already attained immortality, for whatever they are doing in this life they will continue to do in the next. They will simply change their material bodies for spiritual bodies. Unlike the demons, they no longer have to change material bodies, The Lord, therefore, is simultaneously death and immortality. He is death for demons and immortality for devotees. He is the ultimate goal of everyone because He is the cause of all causes. Dhruva Mahārāja was advised to surrender unto Him in all respects, without keeping any personal ambition. One may put forward the argument, “Why are the demigods worshiped?” The answer is given here that demigods are worshiped by less intelligent men. The demigods themselves accept sacrifices for the ultimate satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Part 2 Plate 6

Chapter Twelve
Dhruva Mahārāja Goes Back to Godhead

TEXT 34
tatra tatra praśaṁsadbhiḥ
pathi vaimānikaiḥ suraiḥ
avakīryamāṇo dadṛśe
kusumaiḥ kramaśo grahān
SYNONYMS
tatra tatra—here and there; praśaṁsadbhiḥ—by persons engaged in the praise of Dhruva Mahārāja; pathi—on the path; vaimānikaiḥ—carried by different types of airplanes; suraiḥ—by the demigods; avakīryamāṇaḥ—being covered; dadṛśe—could see; kusumaiḥ—by flowers; kramaśaḥ—one after another; grahān—all the planets of the solar system.
TRANSLATION
While Dhruva Mahārāja was passing through space, he gradually saw all the planets of the solar system, and on the path he saw all the demigods in their airplanes showering flowers upon him like rain.
PURPORT
There is a Vedic version, yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati, which means that by knowing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everything becomes known to the devotee. Similarly, by going to the planet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can know all the other planetary systems on the path to Vaikuṇṭha. We should remember that Dhruva Mahārāja’s body was different from our bodies. While boarding the Vaikuṇṭha airplane, his body changed to a completely spiritual golden hue. No one can surpass the higher planets in a material body, but when one gets a spiritual body he can travel not only to the higher planetary system of this material world, but even to the still higher planetary system known as Vaikuṇṭhaloka. It is well known that Nārada Muni travels everywhere, both in the spiritual and material worlds.
It should be noted also that while Sunīti was going to Vaikuṇṭhaloka she also changed her body into spiritual form. Like Śrī Sunīti, every mother should train her child to become a devotee like Dhruva Mahārāja. Sunīti instructed her son, even at the age of five years, to be unattached to worldly affairs and to go to the forest to search out the Supreme Lord. She never desired that her son remain at home comfortably without ever undertaking austerities and penances to achieve the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Every mother, like Sunīti, must take care of her son and train him to become a brahmacārī from the age of five years and to undergo austerities and penances for spiritual realization. The benefit will be that if her son becomes a strong devotee like Dhruva, certainly not only will he be transferred back home, back to Godhead, but she will also be transferred with him to the spiritual world, even though she may be unable to undergo austerities and penances in executing devotional service.
TEXT 35
tri-lokīṁ deva-yānena
so ’tivrajya munīn api
parastād yad dhruva-gatir
viṣṇoḥ padam athābhyagāt
SYNONYMS
tri-lokīm—the three planetary systems; deva-yānena—by the transcendental airplane; saḥ—Dhruva; ativrajya—having surpassed; munīn—great sages; api—even; parastāt—beyond; yat—which; dhruva-gatiḥ—Dhruva, who attained permanent life; viṣṇoḥ—of Lord Viṣṇu; padam—abode; atha—then; abhyagāt—achieved.
TRANSLATION
Dhruva Mahārāja thus surpassed the seven planetary systems of the great sages who are known as saptarṣi. Beyond that region, he achieved the transcendental situation of permanent life in the planet where Lord Viṣṇu lives.
PURPORT
The airplane was piloted by the two chief associates of Lord Viṣṇu, namely Sunanda and Nanda. Only such spiritual astronauts can pilot their airplane beyond the seven planets and arrive in the region of eternal blissful life. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā also (paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyaḥ [Bg. 8.20]) that beyond this planetary system begins the spiritual sky, where everything is permanent and blissful. The planets there are known as Viṣṇuloka or Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Only there can one get an eternal blissful life of knowledge. Below Vaikuṇṭhaloka is the material universe, where Lord Brahmā and others in Brahmaloka can live until the annihilation of this universe; but that life is not permanent. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ). Even if one goes to the topmost planet, one cannot achieve eternal life. Only by arriving in Vaikuṇṭhaloka can one live an eternally blissful life.
TEXT 36
yad bhrājamānaṁ sva-rucaiva sarvato
lokās trayo hy anu vibhrājanta ete
yan nāvrajañ jantuṣu ye ’nanugrahā
vrajanti bhadrāṇi caranti ye ’niśam
SYNONYMS
yat—which planet; bhrājamānam—illuminating; sva-rucā—by self-effulgence; eva—only; sarvataḥ—everywhere; lokāḥ—planetary systems; trayaḥ—three; hi—certainly; anu—thereupon; vibhrājante—give off light; ete—these; yat—which planet; na—not; avrajan—have reached; jantuṣu—to living entities; ye—those who; ananugrahāḥ—not merciful; vrajanti—reach; bhadrāṇi—welfare activities; caranti—engage in; ye—those who; aniśam—constantly.
TRANSLATION
The self-effulgent Vaikuṇṭha planets, by whose illumination alone all the illuminating planets within this material world give off reflected light, cannot be reached by those who are not merciful to other living entities. Only persons who constantly engage in welfare activities for other living entities can reach the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
PURPORT
Here is a description of two aspects of the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The first is that in the Vaikuṇṭha sky there is no need of the sun and moon. This is confirmed by the Upaniṣads as well as Bhagavad-gītā (na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ [Bg. 15.6]). In the spiritual world the Vaikuṇṭhalokas are themselves illuminated; there is therefore no need of sun, moon or electric light. It is in fact the illumination of the Vaikuṇṭhalokas which is reflected in the material sky. Only by this reflection are the suns in the material universes illuminated; after the illumination of the sun, all the stars and moons are illuminated. In other words, all the luminaries in the material sky borrow illumination from Vaikuṇṭhaloka. From this material world, however, people can be transferred to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, if they incessantly engage in welfare activities for all other living entities. Such incessant welfare activities can really be performed only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no philanthropic work within this material world but Kṛṣṇa consciousness that can engage a person twenty-four hours a day.
A Kṛṣṇa conscious being is always engaged in planning how to take all of suffering humanity back home, back to Godhead. Even if one is not successful in reclaiming all the fallen souls back to Godhead, still, because he is Kṛṣṇa conscious, his path to Vaikuṇṭhaloka is open. He personally becomes qualified to enter the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, and if anyone follows such a devotee, he also enters into Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Others, who engage in envious activities, are known as karmīs. Karmīs are envious of one another. Simply for sense gratification, they can kill thousands of innocent animals. Jñānīs are not as sinful as karmīs, but they do not try to reclaim others back to Godhead. They perform austerities for their own liberation. Yogīs are also engaged in self-aggrandizement by trying to attain mystic powers. But devotees, Vaiṣṇavas, who are servants of the Lord, come forward in the actual field of work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness to reclaim fallen souls. Only Kṛṣṇa conscious persons are eligible to enter into the spiritual world. That is clearly stated in this verse and is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, wherein the Lord says that there is no one dearer to Him than those who preach the gospel of Bhagavad-gītā to the world.
TEXT 37
śāntāḥ sama-dṛśaḥ śuddhāḥ
sarva-bhūtānurañjanāḥ
yānty añjasācyuta-padam
acyuta-priya-bāndhavāḥ
SYNONYMS
śāntāḥ—peaceful; sama-dṛśaḥ—equipoised; śuddhāḥ—cleansed, purified; sarva—all; bhūta—living entities; anurañjanāḥ—pleasing; yānti—go; añjasā—easily; acyuta—of the Lord; padam—to the abode; acyuta-priya—with devotees of the Lord; bāndhavāḥ—friends.
TRANSLATION
Persons who are peaceful, equipoised, cleansed and purified, and who know the art of pleasing all other living entities, keep friendship only with devotees of the Lord; they alone can very easily achieve the perfection of going back home, back to Godhead.
PURPORT
The description of this verse fully indicates that only devotees are eligible to enter into the kingdom of Godhead. The first point stated is that devotees are peaceful, for they have no demands for their personal sense gratification. They are simply dedicated to the service of the Lord. Karmīs cannot be peaceful because they have immense demands for sense gratification. As for jñānīs, they cannot be peaceful because they are too busy trying to attain liberation or merge into the existence of the Supreme. Similarly, yogīs are also restless to get mystic power. But a devotee is peaceful because he is fully surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thinks of himself as completely helpless; just as a child feels complete peace in depending on the parent, so a devotee is completely peaceful, for he depends on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
A devotee is equipoised. He sees everyone on the same transcendental platform. A devotee knows that although a conditioned soul has a particular type of body according to his past fruitive activities, factually everyone is part of the Supreme Lord. A devotee sees all living entities with spiritual vision and does not discriminate on the platform of the bodily concept of life. Such qualities develop only in the association of devotees. Without the association of devotees, one cannot advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, we have established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Factually, whoever lives in this society automatically develops Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Devotees are dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is only dear to devotees. On this platform only can one make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or devotees of the Lord, can please everyone, as is evident in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We invite everyone, without discrimination; we request everyone to sit down and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and take as much prasāda as we can supply, and thus everyone is pleased with us. This is the qualification. Sarva-bhūtānurañjanāḥ. As for purification, no one can be more pure than devotees. Anyone who once utters the name of Viṣṇu immediately becomes purified, inside and outside (yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣam). Since a devotee constantly chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, no contamination of the material world can touch him. He is, therefore, actually purified. Muci haya śuci haya yadi kṛṣṇa bhaje. It is said that even a cobbler or person born in the family of a cobbler can be elevated to the position of a brāhmaṇa (śuci) if he takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Any person who is purely Kṛṣṇa conscious and who engages in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the purest in the whole universe.
TEXT 38
ity uttānapadaḥ putro
dhruvaḥ kṛṣṇa-parāyaṇaḥ
abhūt trayāṇāṁ lokānāṁ
cūḍā-maṇir ivāmalaḥ
SYNONYMS
iti—thus; uttānapadaḥ—of Mahārāja Uttānapāda; putraḥ—the son; dhruvaḥ—Dhruva Mahārāja; kṛṣṇa-parāyaṇaḥ—fully Kṛṣṇa conscious; abhūt—became; trayāṇām—of the three; lokānām—worlds; cūḍā-maṇiḥ—the summit jewel; iva—like; amalaḥ—purified.
TRANSLATION
In this way, the fully Kṛṣṇa conscious Dhruva Mahārāja, the exalted son of Mahārāja Uttānapāda, attained the summit of the three statuses of planetary systems.
PURPORT
The exact Sanskrit terminology for Kṛṣṇa consciousness is here mentioned: kṛṣṇa-parāyaṇaḥ. parāyaṇa means “going forward.” Anyone who is going forward to the goal of Kṛṣṇa is called kṛṣṇa-parāyaṇa, or fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. The example of Dhruva Mahārāja indicates that every Kṛṣṇa conscious person can expect to reach the topmost summit of all three planetary systems within the universe. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person can occupy an exalted position beyond the imagination of any ambitious materialist.