Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 5: “The Creative Impetus”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Twelve
SB5.12.10
TEXT 10
evaṁ kṛśaṁ sthūlam aṇur bṛhad yad
asac ca saj jīvam ajīvam anyat
dravya-svabhāvāśaya-kāla-karma-
nāmnājayāvehi kṛtaṁ dvitīyam
SYNONYMS
evam—thus; kṛśam—skinny or short; sthūlam—fat; aṇuḥ—tiny; bṛhat—big; yat—which; asat—impermanent; ca—and; sat—existing; jīvam—the living entities; ajīvam—inanimate, lifeless matter; anyat—other causes; dravya—phenomena; sva-bhāva—nature; āśaya—disposition; kāla—time; karma—activities; nāmnā—only by such names; ajayā—by material nature; avehi—you should understand; kṛtam—done; dvitīyam—duality.
TRANSLATION
Since this universe has no real ultimate existence, the things within it—shortness, differences, grossness, skinniness, smallness, bigness, result, cause, living symptoms, and materials—are all imagined. They are all pots made of the same substance, earth, but they are named differently. The differences are characterized by the substance, nature, predisposition, time and activity. You should know that all these are simply mechanical manifestations created by material nature.
PURPORT
The temporary manifestations and varieties within this material world are simply creations of material nature under various circumstances: prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇa-ni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. The actions and reactions carried out by the material nature are sometimes accepted as our scientific inventions; therefore we want to take credit for them and defy the existence of God. This is described in Bhagavad-gītā (3.27), ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate: due to being covered by the illusory external energy, the living entity tries to take credit for the differentiated creations within the material world. Actually all these are being created automatically by the material force set in motion by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the ultimate cause is the Supreme Person. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā:
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
[Bs. 5.1]
He is the cause of all causes, the ultimate cause. In this regard Śrīla Madhvācārya says: evaṁ sarvaṁ tathā prakṛtvayai kalpitaṁ viṣṇor anyat. evaṁ prakṛtyādhāraḥ svayam ananyādhāro viṣṇur eva ataḥ sarva-śabdāś ca tasminn eva. Actually the original cause is Lord Viṣṇu, but out of ignorance people think that matter is the cause of everything.
rājā goptāśrayo bhūmiḥ
śaraṇaṁ ceti laukikaḥ
vyavahāro na tat satyaṁ
tayor brahmāśrayo vibhuḥ
Things are contemplated on the ephemeral or external platform, but actually this is not the truth. The actual protector and shelter of everyone is Brahman, the Supreme, not the king.
goptrī ca tasya prakṛtis
tasyā viṣṇuḥ svayaṁ prabhuḥ
tava goptrī tu pṛthivī
na tvaṁ goptā kṣiteḥ smṛtaḥ
ataḥ sarvāśrayaiś caiva
goptā ca harir īśvaraḥ
sarva-śabdābhidheyaś ca
śabda-vṛtter hi kāraṇam
sarvāntaraḥ sarva-bahir
eka eva janārdanaḥ
The actual protectress is the material nature, but Viṣṇu is her Lord. He is the Lord of everything. Lord Janārdana is the director both externally and internally. He is the cause of the function of words and what is expressed in all sound.
śirasodhāratā yadvad
grīvāyās tadvad eva tu
āśrayatvaṁ ca goptṛtvam
anyeṣām upacārataḥ
Lord Viṣṇu is the resting place of the entire creation: brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham (Bg. 14.27). On Brahman, everything is resting. All the universes are resting on the brahmajyoti, and all the planets are resting on the universal atmosphere. In each and every planet there are oceans, hills, states and kingdoms, and each planet is giving shelter to so many living entities. They are all standing on the earth of feet and legs, torso and shoulders, but actually everything is resting ultimately on the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore He is known ultimately as sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1], the cause of all causes.
SB5.12.11 TEXT 11 jñānaṁ viśuddhaṁ paramārtham ekam anantaraṁ tv abahir brahma satyam pratyak praśāntaṁ bhagavac-chabda-saṁjñaṁ yad vāsudevaṁ kavayo vadanti SYNONYMS jñānam—the supreme knowledge; viśuddham—without contamination; parama-artham—giving the ultimate goal of life; ekam—unified; anantaram—without interior, unbroken; tu—also; abahiḥ—without exterior; brahma—the Supreme; satyam—Absolute Truth; pratyak—inner; praśāntam—the calm and peaceful Supreme Lord, worshiped by the yogīs; bhagavat-śabda-saṁjñam—known in the higher sense as Bhagavān, or full of all opulences; yat—that; vāsudevam—Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva; kavayaḥ—the learned scholars; vadanti—say.
TRANSLATION What, then, is the ultimate truth? The answer is that nondual knowledge is the ultimate truth. It is devoid of the contamination of material qualities. It gives us liberation. It is the one without a second, all-pervading and beyond imagination. The first realization of that knowledge is Brahman. Then Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is realized by the yogīs who try to see Him without grievance. This is the second stage of realization. Finally, full realization of the same supreme knowledge is realized in the Supreme Person. All learned scholars describe the Supreme Person as Vāsudeva, the cause of Brahman, Paramātmā and others. PURPORT In Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said: yad advaitaṁ brahmopaniṣadi tad apy asya tanu-bhā. The impersonal Brahman effulgence of the Absolute Truth consists of the bodily rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ya ātmāntaryāmī puruṣa iti so ’syāṁśa-vibhavaḥ. What is known as ātmā and antaryāmī, the Supersoul, is but an expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sad-aiśvaryaiḥ pūrṇo ya iha bhagavān sa svayam ayam [Cc. Ādi 1.3]. What is described as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, complete with all six opulences, is Vāsudeva, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is nondifferent from Him. Great learned scholars and philosophers accept this after many, many births. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (Bg. 7.19). The wise man can understand that ultimately Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is the cause of Brahman, and Paramātmā, the Supersoul. Thus Vāsudeva is sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1], the cause of all causes. This is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The real tattva, Absolute Truth, is Bhagavān, but due to incomplete realization of the Absolute Truth, people sometimes describe the same Viṣṇu as impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas From the very beginning, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi: we meditate on the supreme truth. The supreme truth is explained here as jñānaṁ viśuddhaṁ satyam. The Absolute Truth is devoid of material contamination and is transcendental to the material qualities. It gives all spiritual success and liberation from this material world. That Supreme Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa’s inner self and outward body. Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa, the complete whole. There is no distinction between His body and soul as there is between ours. Sometimes so-called scholars, not knowing the constitutional position of Kṛṣṇa, mislead people by saying that the Kṛṣṇa within is different from the Kṛṣṇa without. When Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru, so-called scholars advise the reader that it is not the person Kṛṣṇa to whom we must surrender but the Kṛṣṇa within. So-called scholars, Māyāvādīs, cannot understand Kṛṣṇa with their poor fund of knowledge. One should therefore approach an authorized person to understand Kṛṣṇa. The spiritual master has actually seen Kṛṣṇa; therefore he can explain Him properly.
tad viddhi praṇipātena (Bg. 4.34)
Without approaching an authorized person, one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa.
SB5.12.12 TEXT 12 rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti na cejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam SYNONYMS rahūgaṇa—O King Rahūgaṇa; etat—this knowledge; tapasā—by severe austerities and penances; na yāti—does not become revealed; na—not; ca—also; ijyayā—by a great arrangement for worshiping the Deity; nirvapaṇāt—or from finishing all material duties and accepting sannyāsa; gṛhāt—from ideal householder life; vā—or; na—nor; chandasā—by observing celibacy or studying Vedic literature; na eva—nor; jala-agni-sūryaiḥ—by severe austerities such as keeping oneself in water, in a burning fire or in the scorching sun; vinā—without; mahat—of the great devotees; pāda-rajaḥ—the dust of the lotus feet; abhiṣekam—smearing all over the body.
TRANSLATION My dear King Rahūgaṇa, unless one has the opportunity to smear his entire body with the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees, one cannot realize the Absolute Truth. One cannot realize the Absolute Truth simply by observing celibacy [brahmacarya], strictly following the rules and regulations of householder life, leaving home as a vānaprastha, accepting sannyāsa, or undergoing severe penances in winter by keeping oneself submerged in water or surrounding oneself in summer by fire and the scorching heat of the sun. There are many other processes to understand the Absolute Truth, but the Absolute Truth is only revealed to one who has attained the mercy of a great devotee. PURPORT Actual knowledge of transcendental bliss can be bestowed upon anyone by a pure devotee. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. One cannot attain the perfection of spiritual life simply by following the directions of the Vedas. One has to approach a pure devotee: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam [Madhya 19.167]. By the grace of such a devotee, one can understand the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa, and one’s relationship with Him. A materialistic person sometimes thinks that simply by executing pious activities and remaining at home one can understand the Absolute Truth. That is denied in this verse. Nor can one understand the Absolute Truth simply by observing the rules and regulations of brahmacarya (celibacy). One only has to serve the pure devotee. That will help one understand the Absolute Truth without fail.
SB5.12.13 TEXT 13 yatrottamaśloka-guṇānuvādaḥ prastūyate grāmya-kathā-vighātaḥ niṣevyamāṇo ’nudinaṁ mumukṣor matiṁ satīṁ yacchati vāsudeve SYNONYMS yatra—in which place (in the presence of exalted devotees); uttama-śloka-guṇa-anuvādaḥ—discussion of the pastimes and glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prastūyate—is presented; grāmya-kathā-vighātaḥ—due to which there is no chance of talking of worldly matters; niṣevyamāṇaḥ—being heard very seriously; anudinam—day after day; mumukṣoḥ—of persons who are very serious about getting out of material entanglement; matim—meditation; satīm—pure and simple; yacchati—is turned; vāsudeve—unto the lotus feet of Lord Vāsudeva.
TRANSLATION Who are the pure devotees mentioned here? In an assembly of pure devotees, there is no question of discussing material subjects like politics and sociology. In an assembly of pure devotees, there is discussion only of the qualities, forms and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is praised and worshiped with full attention. In the association of pure devotees, by constantly hearing such topics respectfully, even a person who wants to merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth abandons this idea and gradually becomes attached to the service of Vāsudeva. PURPORT The symptoms of pure devotees are described in this verse. The pure devotee is never interested in material topics. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has strictly prohibited His devotees to talk about worldly matters. Grāmya-vārtā nā kahibe: one should not indulge in talking unnecessarily about news of the material world. One should not waste time in this way. This is a very important feature in the life of a devotee. A devotee has no other ambition than to serve Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started to engage people twenty-four hours daily in the service of the Lord and in His glorification. The students in this institution engage in the cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness from five in the morning to ten at night. They actually have no opportunity to waste their time unnecessarily by discussing politics, sociology and current events. These will go their own way. A devotee is concerned only with serving Kṛṣṇa positively and seriously.
SB5.12.14 TEXT 14 ahaṁ purā bharato nāma rājā vimukta-dṛṣṭa-śruta-saṅga-bandhaḥ ārādhanaṁ bhagavata īhamāno mṛgo ’bhavaṁ mṛga-saṅgād dhatārthaḥ SYNONYMS aham—I; purā—formerly (in my previous birth); bharataḥ nāma rājā—a King named Mahārāja Bharata; vimukta—liberated from; dṛṣṭa-śruta—by experiencing personally through direct association, or by getting knowledge from the Vedas; saṅga-bandhaḥ—bondage by association; ārādhanam—the worship; bhagavataḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva; īhamānaḥ—always performing; mṛgaḥ abhavam—I became a deer; mṛga-saṅgāt—because of my intimate association with a deer; hata-arthaḥ—having neglected the regulative principles in the discharge of devotional service.
TRANSLATION In a previous birth I was known as Mahārāja Bharata. I attained perfection by becoming completely detached from material activities through direct experience, and through indirect experience I received understanding from the Vedas. I was fully engaged in the service of the Lord, but due to my misfortune, I became very affectionate to a small deer, so much so that I neglected my spiritual duties. Due to my deep affection for the deer, in my next life I had to accept the body of a deer. PURPORT The incident herein described is very significant. In a previous verse it is stated, vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekam: one cannot attain perfection without smearing the dust from the lotus feet of an exalted devotee on his head. If one always follows the orders of the spiritual master, there is no question of falling down. As soon as a foolish disciple tries to overtake his spiritual master and becomes ambitious to occupy his post, he immediately falls down. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi **. If the spiritual master is considered an ordinary man, the disciple surely loses his chance to advance further. Despite a very rigid life in devotional service, Bharata Mahārāja did not consult a spiritual master when he became overly attached to a deer. Consequently he became strongly attached to the deer, and, forgetting his spiritual routine, he fell down.
SB5.12.15 TEXT 15 sā māṁ smṛtir mṛga-dehe ’pi vīra kṛṣṇārcana-prabhavā no jahāti atho ahaṁ jana-saṅgād asaṅgo viśaṅkamāno ’vivṛtaś carāmi SYNONYMS sā—that; mām—me; smṛtiḥ—remembrance of the activities of my previous life; mṛga-dehe—in the body of a deer; api—although; vīra—O great hero; kṛṣṇa-arcana-prabhavā—which appeared because of the influence of sincere service to Kṛṣṇa; no jahāti—did not leave; atho—therefore; aham—I; jana-saṅgāt—from the association of ordinary men; asaṅgaḥ—completely detached; viśaṅkamānaḥ—being afraid; avivṛtaḥ—unobserved by others; carāmi—I go here and there.
TRANSLATION My dear heroic King, due to my past sincere service to the Lord, I could remember everything of my past life even while in the body of a deer. Because I am aware of the falldown in my past life, I always keep myself separate from the association of ordinary men. Being afraid of their bad, materialistic association, I wander alone unnoticed by others. PURPORT In Bhagavad-gītā it is said: svalpam apy asya dharmasya (Bg. 2.40). It is certainly a great fall to go from human life to animal life, but in the case of Bharata Mahārāja or any devotee, devotional service to the Lord never goes in vain. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (Bg. 8.6): yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram. At the time of death, by nature’s law the mind is absorbed in a certain type of thinking. This may lead one to animal life, yet for a devotee there is no loss. Even though Bharata Mahārāja received the body of a deer, he didn’t forget his position. Consequently, in the body of a deer he was very careful to remember the cause of his downfall. As a result, he was given a chance to be born in a family of very pure brāhmaṇas. Thus his service to the Lord never went in vain.
SB5.12.16 TEXT 16 tasmān naro ’saṅga-susaṅga-jāta- jñānāsinehaiva vivṛkṇa-mohaḥ hariṁ tad-īhā-kathana-śrutābhyāṁ labdha-smṛtir yāty atipāram adhvanaḥ SYNONYMS tasmāt—for this reason; naraḥ—every person; asaṅga—by detachment from the association of worldly people; su-saṅga—by the association of devotees; jāta—produced; jñāna-asinā—by the sword of knowledge; iha—in this material world; eva—even; vivṛkṇa-mohaḥ—whose illusion is completely cut to pieces; harim—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tad-īhā—of His activities; kathana-śrutābhyām—by the two processes of hearing and chanting; labdha-smṛtiḥ—the lost consciousness is regained; yāti—achieves; atipāram—the ultimate end; adhvanaḥ—of the path back home, back to Godhead.
TRANSLATION Simply by associating with exalted devotees, anyone can attain perfection of knowledge and with the sword of knowledge can cut to pieces the illusory associations within this material world. Through the association of devotees, one can engage in the service of the Lord by hearing and chanting [śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam]. Thus one can revive his dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness and, sticking to the cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, return home, back to Godhead, even in this life. PURPORT To become liberated from material bondage, one must give up the association of worldly people and accept the association of devotees, positive and negative processes are mentioned in this regard. Through the association of devotees, one develops Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is dormant within. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving this chance to everyone. We are giving shelter to everyone who is serious about progressing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We arrange for their lodging and board so that they can peacefully cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness and return home, back to Godhead, even in this life.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Twelfth Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled, “The Conversation Between Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata.” THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://causelessmercy.com/SB5.12.1.htm
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ