Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

Srimad Bhagawatam, First Canto, Volume Three
opportunity of advanced intelligence is verily condemned and put into
different types of miseries either in this present life or in the future. That is the
way of Supreme control over everyone.
Yatha gava nasi protas tantyam baddhas cha damabhih
Vaktantayam namabhir baddha bahanti balim isutuh.
Yatha—as and as, Gava—cow, Nasi—by the nose, Protas—woven,
Tantyam—by thread, Baddhas—bound up by, Cha—also, Damabhih—by
ropes, Vaktantyam—in the net work of vedic hymns, Namabhir—by
nomenclatures, Baddha—conditioned, Bahanti— carry on, Balim—orders,
Isituh—for being controlled by the Supreme Lord.
As the cow being woven by threads in the nose and bound up by long
rope is conditioned, so also human being is tied up by different
nomenclatures of Vedic injunctions and conditioned to obey the orders of
the Supreme.
Every living being either a man or an animal or a bird etc every one thinks
that he is free by himself but actually no body is free from the severe laws of
the Lord.* That is the condition of material existence. All living beings in the
maerial world have taken up the risk of conditioned life by their own selection
and have thus been entrapped by the laws of material nature. The human form
of life is meant for understanding this conditioned life and thus become free
from the clutches of material existence and the only means for getting out of
the entanglement is to agree to obey the Supreme. But instead of becoming
free from the clutches of Maya or illusion, the foolish human being becomes
bound up by different nomenclatures of being designated as Brahmins,
Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Sudras, Hindus, Mussalmans, Indians, Europeans,
Americans, Chinese, and many others and thus carry on the orders of the
Supreme Lord under the influence respective scriptural or legislative
injunctions.* Such scriptural injunctions are made by liberated representative
of God in consideration of different conditions of living and by carrying on
such orders of the Lord gradually the conditioned living beings become free
from the clutches of material existence. The factual position of the living
being is, however, that he is eternally servitor of the Supreme Lord. In his
liberated state he renders service to the Lord in trascendental love and thus
enjoys a life of full freedom even sometimes on the equal level with the Lord
or sometimes more than the Lord. But in the conditioned state of material
world every living being wants to be the Lord of other living beings and thus
by the illusion of Maya such mentality of lording it over, becomes a cause of
further extention of conditional life. So in the material world the living being
is still more conditioned till he surrenders unto the Lord by reviving his
original state of eternal servitorship. That is the last instruction of the
Bhagwat Geeta and all other recognised scriprures of the world.
Yatha kridopaskaranam samyoga vigamabiha
Ichhaya kriditum syatam tatha eva isha ichhaya nrinam
Yatha—as much as, Kridopaskaranam—playthings, Samyoga—union,
Vigamou—disunion, Iha—as much as, Ichhaya—by the will of, Kriditum—
just for playing part only, Syatam—takes place, Tatha—so also, Eva—
certainly, Isha—the Supreme Lord, Icchaya—by the will of, Nrinam—of the
human being.
As by the sweet will of the player the playthings are set up and again
dispersed, so also by the Supreme will of the Lord men are associated
with other particular men and again they are separated.
We must know it for certain that the particular position in which we are now
set up is an arrangement of the Supreme will in terms of our own act in the
past. The Supreme Lord is present as the localised Paramatma in the heart of
every living being as it is said in the Bhagwat Geeta (Bg. 13.22) and therefore
He knows everything of our activities in any stage of our life. The reactions of
our actions are rewarded by Him by placing us in some particular place. A
rich man gets his son born with silver spoon in the mouth of the rich man but
the child who comes as the rich man's son is a particular living being who
deserved such place and therefore he is placed there by the will of the Lord.
And at a particular moment when the child has to be removed from that place,
is also carried by the will of the Supreme even the child or the father does not
wish to be separated from the happy relation. The same thing happens in the
case of a poor man also and either the rich man or the poorman no body has
any control over such amalgamation or separation of living beings. The
example of player and the playthings may not be misunderstood. One may
argue that the Lord is bound to award the reactionary result of our own action
and as such the example of a player cannot be applied. But it is not so. We
must always remember that the Lord is the Supreme will and He is not bound
up any law. Generallythe law of Karma is that one is awarded the result of
one's own actions but in special cases by the will of the Lord such resultant
actions are changed also. But this change can be effected by the will of the
Lord only and no other else. Therefore, the example of the player cited in this
verse in quite appropriate and the Supreme will is absolutely free to do
whatever He likes; and because He is all perfect there is no mistake in any of
His action or reaction. This change of resultant actions are specially done by
the Lord when a pure devotee is concerned. This is assured in the Bhagwat
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Geeta (Bg. 9.30–31) that the Lord saves a pure devotee who has surrendered
unto Him without any reservation, from all sorts of reactions of sins and there
is no doubt about this. There are hundreds of examples of this changed
resultant actions by the Lord in the history of the world. When the Lord is
able to change the resultant reaction of one's past deeds then certainly He is
not Himself also bound up by any action or reaction of His own deeds. He is
perfect and transcendental to all laws.
Yat mannase dhruvam lokam adhruvam va na cha ubhayam
Sarvatha na hi sochyaste snehat anyatra mohajat.
Yat--eventhough, Mannase--you think, Dhruvam--absolute truth, Adhruvamnonreality,
Va--either, Na--or not, Cha--also, Ubhayam--pr bothwise,
Sarvatha--in all circumstances, Na--never, Hi--certainly, Sochyaste--subject
for lamentation, Snehat--due to affection, Anyatra--or otherwise, Mohajatdue
to bewilderment.
Oh the King ! in all circumstances either you consider the soul as eternal
principle or the material body as perishable or everything in the
impersonal Absolute Truth or the whole thing as inexplicable
combination of matter and spirit, feelings of separation is due only to an
illusory affection and nothing more.
The actual fact is that every living being is an individual part and parcel of the
supreme Being and his constitutional position is subordinate co-operative
service. Either in his conditional material existence or in his liberated position
of full knowledge and eternity, the living entity is eternally under the control
of the Supreme Lord. But those who are not conversant with the factual know
ledge, they put forward many speculative propositions about the real position
of the living entity. It is admitted, however, by all schools of philosophy that
the living being is eternal and the covering body of five material elements is
perishable and temporary. The eternal living entity trnsmigrates from one
matreial body to another by the law of Karma and material body is perishable
by its fundamental structure. Therefore there is nothing to be lamented in the
case of the soul's being trnasferred into another body or the material body
being perished at a certain stage. There are others also who believe in the
merging the spirit soul in the Supreme spirit being uncovered by the material
encagement, and there are others also who do not believe in the existence of
spirit or soul but believe in tangible matter. In our daily experience we find so
many transformations of matter from one form to another but we do not
lament for such changing features. In either of the above cases, the force of
Divine Energy is uncheckable; no body has any hand upon it and as such there
is no cause of grief.
Tasmat jahi anga klaivyam ajnana kritam atmanah
Katham anatha kripanah varterans te cha mam vina.
Tasmat—therefore, Jahi—give up, Anga—oh the King, Klaivyam—disparity
of the mind, Ajnana—ingnorance, Kritam—due to, Atmanah—of youself,
Katham—how, Varterans—be able to survive, Cha—also, Mam—me, Vina—
without.
Therefore give up your disparity of mind on account of ignorance of
yourself as you are thinking of how they, who are helpless poor creatures,
shall exist certainly without you.
When we think of our kith and kin who are out of sight as helpless and
dependant on us, it is all due to ignorance only. Every living creature is
allowed all protection of living conditions by the order of the Supreme Lord
in terms of every one's acquired position in the world. The Lord is known as
Bhutabhrit one who gives protection to all living beings. One should
discharge his duties only otherwise except the Supreme Lord nobody can give
any protection to any body else. This is explained more clearly in the
following verse.
Kala karma guna adhino deha ayam pancha bhoutikah
Katham anyans tu gopayet sarpagrasto yatha aparam.
Kala—eternal time, Karma—action, Guna—modes of nature, Deha,—
material body and mind, Ayam—this, Pancha—five, Bhoutikam—made of
the five elements, Katham—how, Anyans—others, Tu—but, Gopayet—give
protection, Sarpagrasto—one who is bitten by the snake, Yatha—as such as,
Aparam—others.
This gross material body made of five elements is already under the
control of eternal time, actions and the modes of material nature. How
then it can protect others already being under the jaws of the serpent.
Freedom movement of the world by political, economical, social, cultural
propaganda can do no benefit to the beneficiary on account of being
controlled by superior power. A conditioned living being is under the full
control of material nature represented by eternal time and activities under the
dictation of different modes of nature. There are three material modes of
nature namely goodness, passion and ignorance. Unless one is not situated in
the modes of goodness one can not see things as they are. The passionate and
the ignorant cannot even see things as they are. Therefore a person who is
passionate and ignorant can not direct his activities on the right path. Only the