Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

NlNETEENTH CHAPTER
Appearance of Sukadeva Goswami
Suta Uvacha :
Mahipatis tu atha tat karma garhyam
Vichintayan atmakritam sudurmanah.
Aho maya neecha anarya vat kritam
Niragasi brahmani gudha tejasi.
Mahipati—the king, Tu—but, Atha—thus ( while coming back home ) Tat—
that, Karma—act, Garhyam—abominable, Vichintayan—thus thinking,
Atmakritam—done by himself, Sudurmanah—very much depressed, Aho—
alas, Maya—by me, Neecha—heinous, Anarya—uncivilised, Vat—like,
Kritam—done, Niragasi—unto one who is faultless, Brahmani—unto a
Brahmin, Gudha—grave, Tejasi—unto the powerful.
Thus while coming back to his home the king felt within him self that the
act, done by him on the faultless Brahmin who was gravely powerful, was
heinous and uncivilized and thus he was distressed within himeelf.
The pious king regretted the accidental improper action done by him on the
gravely powerful Brahmin who was faultless. Such repentance is natural for a
good man like the king and such repentance only delivers a devotee from all
kinds of sins accidentally committed by the devotee. The devotees are
naturally faultless. Accidental fault committed by a devotee is sincerely
regretted and by the Grace of the Lord, all sins unwillingly committed by a
devotee, are burnt into ashes in the fire of repentance.
Dhruvam tato me kritadeva helanat
Duratyam vyasanam na ati deerghat
Tad astu kamam hi agha niskrifaya me
Yatha na kuryam punar evam addha.
Dhruvam—sure and certain, Tato—therefore, Me—mine, Kritadevahelanat—
on account of disobeying the orders of the Lord, Duratyayam—very difficult,
Vyasanam—calamity, Na—not, Ati—greatly, Deerghat—far off, Tad—that,
Astu—let it be, Kamam—desire without any hitch, Hi—certainly, Agha—
sins, Niskritaya—for getting free, Me—mine, Yatha—so that, Na—never,
Kuryam—shall I do it, Punar—again, Evam—as I have done, Addha—
directly.
On account of my neglecting the injunctions of the Supreme Lord
certainly I must expect something very difficult to over come in the near
future. So I desire to have it directly without any hitch for getting myself
freed from the sinful action so that I may not do so again.
The injunction of the Supreme Lord is that the Brahmins and the cow must be
given all protection. The Lord is Himself very much inclined to do good to the
Brahmins and the cows at the first instance (Go brahmana hitaya cha.)
Maharaj Parkahit knew all these very wisely and thus he concluded that his
insulting a powerful Brahmin was certainly to be reacted by the Laws of the
Lord and as such he was expecting, something very difficult to overcome was
awaiting him, within very near future. He therefore desired the imminent
calamity directly on him and not on the persons of his family members. For a
man's personal misconduct affects the whole faimly members and therefore
Mahraj Parikshit desired it directly upon him. He was certain that some
calamity was pending upon them and thus desired without any hitch to get it
himself. And by such sufferings personally be would be restrained from doing
such nonsense in future and at the same time the sin which he had committed
would be counteracted so that his descendants may not be suffering. That is
the way of thinking for a responsible devotee. The family members a of
devotee also share the effects of a devotee's service unto the Lord. The
evidence is Maharaj Prahlad who saved his demon father by his personal
devotional service. A devotee son in the family is the greatest boon or
blessing of the Lord.
Adya eva rajyam valamriddha kosham
Prakopita brahmakula anale me
Dahatu abhadrasya punar na me abhut
Papiyasi dheer dwija deva gobhyah
Adya—this day, eva—on the very, Rajyam—kingdom, Valam-riddha—
strength and the riches, Kosham—treasury, Prakopita—ignited by,
Brahmakula—by the Brahmin-community, Anala—fire, Me Dahatu—let it
burn, Abhadrasya—inauspiciousness, Punar—again, Na—not, Me—unto me,
Abhut—may occur, Papiyasi—sinful, Dheer—intelligence, Dwija—
Brahmins, Deva—the Supreme Lord, Gobhyah—and the cows.
Because I am uncivilized and sinful on account of my obstructive
intelligence towards brahminical culture, God-consciousness and
protection of cows, therefore I wish that my kingdom full with strength
and opulence may immediately be burnt up by the fire of wrath of the
Brahmin that in futnre, I may not be conducted in such inauspicious
intelligence.
Progressive human civilization is based on three principal advancement of
knowledge namely brahminical culture, God consciousness and protection of
cows. All economic development of the state by trade, commerce, agriculture
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and industries, must be fully utilised in the matter of above principles
otherwise all the so called economic development, becomes the source of
degraded civilization. Cow protection means feeding the Brahminical culture
which leads towards God-consciousness and thus perfection of human
civilization achieved. The age of Kali aims at killing the above higher
principles of life and although Maharaj Parikshit strongly resisted the
domination of the personality of Kali within the world, the influence of the
age of Kali infiltered in an opportune moment and even a strong king like
Maharaj Parikshit was induced to disregard the Brahminical culture by slight
provocation of hunger and thirst. Maharaj Parikshit lamented the accidental
incidence and he desired that all his kingdom strength and accumulation of
wealth may be bunrt up for not being engaged in the above mentioned three
cultural affairs.
Providentially also where wealth and strength are not engaged in the
advancement of Brahminical culture, God consciousness and cow protection,
such state or home is surely doomed. If we want at all peace and prosperity in
the world, we may take lessons from this verse; every state and every home
must endeavour to advance the cause of brahminical culture for self
purifiaction, God-consciousness for self-realisation and cow-protection for the
matter of getting sufficient rnilk and derive the best food value thereof, and to
continue a perfect civilization.
Sa chintayan ittham atha asrinod yatha
Muneh sutokto nirritis takshak akhyah
Sa sadhu mene na chirena takshaka
Analam prasaktasya virakti karanam
Sa—he the king, Chintayan—thinking, Ittham—like this, Atha—now,
Asrinod—heard, Yatha—as as, Muneh—of the sage, Sutokto—uttered by the
son, Nirritis—death, Takshkakhya—in relation with the snake bird, Sa—he
the king, Sadhu—well and good, Mene—accepted, Na—not, Chirena—very
long time, Takshaka—snake-bird, Analam—fire, Prasaktasya—for one who is
too much attached, Virakti—indifference, Karanam—cause.
While the king was repenting like this at that time he received the news
about his imminent death from the bitting of a snake bird, as it was
spoken by the son of the sage. He however, accepted the news as well and
good for its being the cause of his indifference towards worldly
attachments.
Real happiness is achieved by spiritual existence or by cessation of the
repetitions of birth and death. Such repetitions of birth and death can be
stopped only by going back to home back to Godhead. In the material world
even by attaining the living conditions in the tomost planet (Brahmaloka)
planet, no body can get rid of the conditions of repetitions of birth and death.
We want to stop the repetitions of birth and death but we do not accept the
path of attaining the perfection. The path of perfection is that one must be
freed from all material attachments and thus be fit for entering into the
spiritual kingdom. Therefore, those who are materially poverty-stricken,—are
better candidates than those who are materially prosperous. Maharaj Parikshit
was a great devotee of the Lord and bonafide candidate for entering into the
kingdom of God but even though he was so, his material environments as the
great emperor of the world, was a setback in the perfect attainment of his
rightful status as one of the associates of the Lord in the spiritual sky. As
devotee of the Lord he could understand that the cursing of the Brahmin boy,
although unwisely, was a blessing upon him being the cause of detachment
from worldy affairs both political and social. Samik Muni also after regretting
the incidence of his son's cursing upon the king, conveyed the news to the
king as a matter of duty so that the king would be able to prepsre himself for
going back to Godhead. The Samik Muni sent news to the king that the
foolish Srighee his son, although a powerful Brahmin boy, unfortunately had
misused his spiritual power by cursing the king unwarrantedly. The incidence
of the King's garlanding the Muni was not sufficient case for being cursed to
death by the foolish boy but as there was no remedy to retract the curse, the
king was informed for preparation of death within a week. Both Samik Muni
and the king were self realised souls. Samik Muni was a mystic and Maharaj
Parikshit was a devotee. Therefore there was no difference between them in
the matter of self realisation and none of them were afraid of meeting death.
Maharai Parikshit could have gone to the Muni for begging his pardon but the
news of his death was conveyed to the king with so much regret by the Muni
that the king did not like to put the Muni into further ashamed position by his
presence there. He decided to prepare himself for the imminent death and find
out the way of going back to Godhead.
The complete span of life of a human being is meant for preparing himself
for going back to Godhead or to get rid of the material existence made of the
repetition of birth and death. As such in the system of Varnashram Dharma
every man and woman is trained up for this purpose of eternal life and in
other words the system of Varnasharm Dharma is known also as Sanatan
Dharma or eternal occupation. The system of Varnasharam Dharma prepares
a man for going back to Godhead and thus a householder is ordered to go to
the forest as Vanaprastha to acquire complete knowledge and then to take
Sanyas prior to the inevitable death. Parikshit Maharaj was fortunate to get the
notice of seven days for meeting the inevitable death, but for the common