Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

Srimad Bhagawatam, First Canto, Volume Three
pacified, Asit—it so became, Vimala—without any tinge of material
contamination, Matih—mind.
Suta Goswami said, "Thus being deeply absorbed in thinking of the
instructions of theLord in great intimacy of friendship and of His Lotus
feet Arjuna's mind became pacified and free from all contamination of
material tinges."
The Lord being Absolute, thinking about Him in deep meditation is as good as
trance of the Yogins. The Lord is non-different from His Name, Form,
Quality, Pastimes, Entourage, and specific actions. Arjuna began to think of
the Lord's instructions to Him in the battlefield of Kurukshetra and those
instructions only began to eliminate the tinges of material contaminations in
the mind of Arjuna. The Lord is like the sun and the sun's appearance means
dissipation of darkness at once. Material contamination is like darkness or
ignorance and the Lord's appearance within the mind of the devotee in any
category as above mentioned can at once drive away the miserable material
effects. Lord Chaitanya has, therefore, recommended constant chanting of the
Name of the Lord and thus be protected from all contamination of the material
world. The feelings of separation from the Lord is undoubtedly a sorry plight
of the devotee but because it is in connection with the Lord it has got a
specific transcendental effect which pacifies the heart. Such feelings of
separation is also a source of trancendental bliss and it is never equal to
contaminated material feelings of separation.
Vasudevanghra anudhyana paribringhita ranghasa
Bhaktya nirmathita asesha kashaya dhisana Arjuna.
Vasudevanghra—the lotus feet of the Lord, Anudhyana—by constant
remembrance, Paribringhrita—expanded, Ranghasa—with great velocity,
Bhaktya—in devotion, Nirmathita—subsided, Asesha—unlimited, Kashaya—
trashes, Dhisana—conception, Arjuna—of the name.
Arjuna's constant remembrances of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna
expanded his devotion with great velocity and as a result of this all
trashes of his conception became subsided.
Material desires of the mind are trashes of material contamination. By such
contaminations the living being is faced with so many compatible and
incompatible things that upsuge the very existence of spiritual identity. Birth
after birth the conditioned soul is entrapped with so many pleasing and nonpleasing
elements which are all false and temporary. They accumulate on
account of our reaction of material desires but when we get into touch with
the transcendental Lord in His variegated energies by devotional service the
naked forms of all material desires become manifest and the intelligence of
the living being is pacified in its true colour. As soon as Arjuna turned his
attention towards the instructions of the Lord as they are inculcated in the
Bhagwat Geeta, his true colour of eternal association of the Lord became
manifest and thus felt freed from all material contaminations.
Geetam bhagawata jnanam yat tat samgramamurdhani
Kalakarma tomaruddham punaradhyagamat prabhuh.
Geetam—instructed, Bhagawata—by the Personality of Godhead, Jnanam—
knowledge, transcendental, Yat—which, Tat—that, Samgramamurdhani—in
the midst of battle, Kalakarma—time and actions, Tomaruddham—
enwrapped by such darkness, Punaradhyagamat—revived them again,
Prabhuh—the Lord of his senses.
On account of the Lord's pastime and activities thereof and the sense of
separation from the Lord it so appeared that Arjuna forgot the
instructions left by the Personality of Godhead: but factually it did not so
happen and again he became the Lord of the senses.
A conditioned soul is enwrapped in his fruitive activities by the force of
eternal time. But the Supreme Lord when He incarnates on the earth, His
activities are not enforced by Kala or the material conception of past present
and future significances. Such activities of the Lord are eternal and they are
manifestation of His Atmamaya or internal potency. All such pastimes or
activities of the Lord are spiritual in nature but to the laymen they appear to
be on the same level of material activities. It so appeared that the Arjuna and
the Lord were engaged in the battle-field of Kurukshetra as the other party
was also engaged: but factually the Lord was executing His mission of
incarnation in association with His eternal friend Arjuna. Therefore such
apparent material activities of Arjuna did not drive him away from his
transcendental position but on the contrary revived his consciousness about
the songs of the Lord as He sung it personally. This revival of consciousness
is assured by the Lord in the Bhagwat Geeta as follows: [Bg. 18.65]
Manmana bhava madbhakto madyaji mam namaskuru
Mameva aisyasi satyam te pratijane priosi me.
One should become in the mood of thinking the Lord always and the mind
may not be void of His thinking. One should, therefore, become a devotee of
the Lord and offer obeisances unto Him. One, who lives in that fashion,
becomes undoubtedly endowed with the blessing of the Lord by achieving the
shelter of His lotus feet. There is nothing to be doubtful about this eternal
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truth and because Arjuna was His confidential friend the secret was disclosed
to him.
Arjuna had no desire to fight with his relatives but he fought on the mission
of the Lord. He was always engaged in the execution of His mission only and
therefore after His departure he remained in the same transcendental position
even though it appeared that he forgot all the instructions of the Bhagwat
Geeta. One should, therefore, adjust the activities of life in pace with the
mission of the Lord and by doing this one is sure to return back to home
return back to Godhead the highest perfection of life.
Visoka brahmasampatya samchhinna dwitasamsayah
Leena prakriti nairgunyat alingatwat asambhavah.
Visoka—free from berievement, Brahmasampatya—by possession of spiritual
assets, Samchhinna—being completely cut off, Dwitasamsayah—from the
doubts of relativity, Leena—merged in, Prakriti—material nature,
Nairgunyat—due to being in transcendence, Alingatwat—on account of being
void of material body, Asambhavah—free from birth and death.
On account of possessing spiritual assets the doubts of duality was
completely cut off. Thus being freed from the three modes of material
nature and placed in transcendence there was no more any chance of
birth and death being freed from material form.
Doubts of duality begins from the misconception of the material body which
is accepted as self by less intelligent persons. The most foolish part of our
ignorance is when we identify this material body as self and every thing in
relation with the body is ignorantly accepted as our own. This doubts of
misconception as myself and mine, in other words my body, my relatives, my
properity, my wife, my children, my wealth, my country, my community, and
hundreds and thousands of such illusory contemplations, are different
bewilderment for the conditioned soul. By assimilating the instructions of the
Bhagwat Geeta one is sure to become released from such bewilderment
because real knowledge is to know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Vasudeva Lord Krishna is everything including myself. Everything is a
manifestation of His potency as part and parcel and the potency and the potent
being nondifferent the conception of duality is at once mitigated by attainment
of perfect knowledge. As soon as Arjuna took himself to the instructions of
the Bhagwat Geeta, expert as he was, he could at once eradicate the material
conception of Lord Krishna his eternal friend. He could realise that the Lord
was still present before him by His instruction, by His Form, by Pastimes, by
His Qualities and everything in relation with Him. He could realise that Lord
Krishna his friend was still present before him by His transcendental presence
in different non-dual energies and there was no question of attainment of the
association of the Lord by another change of body under the influence of time
and space. By attainment of Absolute knowledge one can be in association of
the Lord constantly even in the very present life simply by hearing, chanting,
thinking and worshipping the Supreme Lord. One can see Him, one can feel
His presence even in the present life simply by understanding "the adwaya
jnan" Lord or the Absolute Lord through the processes of devotinal service
which begins with hearing about him. Lord Chaitanya says that simply by
chanting the holy Name of the Lord one can at once wash off the dust on the
mirror of pure consciousness and as soon as the dust is removed one is at once
freed from all material conditions. To become free from material conditions
means liberation of the soul. As soon as one is, therefore, situated in the
Absolute knowledge his material conception of life becomes removed or
becomes emerged out from such false conception of life and the function of
the pure soul is revived in spiritual realisaion. This practical realisation of the
living being is made possible on account of his becoming free from the
reaction of the three modes of material qualities namely goodness, passion
and ignorance. By the Grace of the Lord a pure devotee is at once raised to the
plane of the Absolute and there is no more chance of the devotee to become
materially entangled called by the name conditioned life. No body is able to
feel the presence of the Lord at all circumstances untill one is not endowed
with the required transcendental vision made possible by devotional service
prescribed in the revealed scriptures. Arjuna attained this stage long before in
the battlefield of Kurukshetra and as he apparently felt the absence of the
Lord he at once took shelter of the instructions of the Bhagwat Geeta and thus
again he was placed in his original position. This is the position of Visoka or
the stage of being freed from all berievement and anxieties.
Nisamya bhagawat margam samstham yadukulasya cha
Swah pathaya matim chakre nibhritatma yudhisthirah.
Nisamya—deliberating, Bhagawat—in the matter of the Lord, Margam—the
ways of his appearance and disappearance, Samstham—end, Yadukulasya—
of the dynasty of King Yadu, Cha—also, Swah—the abode of the Lord,
Pathaya—on the way of, Chakre—gave attention, Nibhritatma—lonely and
alone, Yudhisthirah—the king of the name.
Just hearing about Lord Krishna' s returuing back to His abode and on
understanding of the end of Yadu dynasty's earthly manifestation,
Maharaj Yudhisthir decided alone for going back to Home back to
Godhead.