62 verses
Maitreya said: While the people were praising Pṛthu, whose fame was wide-spread, four sages, shining like the sun, arrived there.
Pṛthu and his followers saw the lords of mystic power descending from the sky, purifying all the people, and recognized them as the Kumāras by their effulgence.
They were known as the Kumāras by their effulgence (arcisā lakṣitān). Acaṣṭa means he saw.
Pṛthu, along with the assembly and his followers, rose to his feet, as if eager to regain his life airs which had exited his body on seeing the Kumāras, as eager as the jīva following sense objects.
An analogy is given to illustrate Pṛthu standing up. Pṛthu rose up as if to regain his life airs which had left his body on seeing the effulgence of the Kumāras. Smṛti says:
ūrddhvaṁ prāṇā hy utkrāmanti yunaḥ sthavira agate
praty utthānābhivādābhyāṁ punas tān pratipadyata
When elders approach the life airs of the young move upwards out of the body. By standing up in respect and greeting the elders, the life airs return to the body. Mahābhārata 13.107.32
Thus if one does not rise up when elders approach ones life span decreases. Pṛthus eagerness is shown by an example: the jīva follows after sense objects (guṇān) like smell.
Under the control of the Kumāras greatness, with shoulders lowered in humility, Pṛthu immediately worshipped them according to the scriptures, by offering them items and seats.
He sprinkled water that had washed their feet on his head. He acted according to the conduct of the well-bred, as if teaching others.
He acted like the well-bred people. Mānayan means announcing to others. Man means to know.
With respect and restraint, and very pleased, Pṛthu then addressed the Kumāras, the elder brothers of Śiva, who sat on seats made of gold, and who resembled fires in sacrificial fire pits.
They were elder brothers of Śiva, and thus to be respected.
Pṛthu said: Roads to good fortune! What pious act have I performed so that I have received your audience, rare for the yogīs?
What cannot be achieved in the world and the next by a person who gains the grace of the brāhmaṇas, Śiva and Viṣṇu along with their followers?
People do not see you, though you travel in all the planets, just as all people, and even Brahmā and other creators of the universe, do not see Paramātmā, the witness of all things.
This verse describes the difficulty in meeting the Kumāras. People do not see them (laksayate), just as they do not see the soul who is the witness in everyone. What to speak of ordinary people, even causes of the universe like Brahmā and Marīci cannot see you.
Poor but saintly householders whose houses give worthy reception to devotees with water, grass, earth, husband and family, are fortunate.
They should offer at least water if food is not available. If water is not available, they should offer grass to sit on. If that is not available, they should clean the earth and offer that as a seat. If that is not available, then they offer themselves, by saying kind words and folding their hands. If they cannot even do that, they should give their sons and wife, who should offer respects on the ground with tears in their eyes.
The houses of those who have all wealth but which are devoid of water for washing the feet of Vaiṣṇavas and which give shelter to sharp-tongued wives and sons are like trees giving shelter to snakes.
Houses in which the sons and wife shower sharp words like a snakes poison are like trees which are the home of snakes. No one, out of fear, touches even the shadows of such householders. Though they have abundant wealth, if their houses are devoid of water for washing the feet of Vaiṣṇavas (tīrtha-pādīya), those houses are like trees where snakes reside.
Welcome to you! You are the best of the brāhmaṇas because, desiring liberation, you have undergone brahmacārī vows with faith, and though you are boys, you have achieved liberation.
You are the best of brāhmaṇas because (yat), desiring liberation you underwent vows of brahmacārya with faith, and being just boys, you have achieved liberation. You did undergo the difficulties of brahmacārya and the practices for gaining liberation.
Is there hope for fallen persons like us who only know the goal of sense gratification, and who have fallen into saṁsāra which produces only suffering?
Is there hope for us who only know the goal of happiness of sense objects (indriyārthārtha-vedinām), who have fallen in saṁsāra (etasmin), which gives rise to suffering (vyasanāvape)?
There is no need to ask about your welfare since you are enjoying in the self and never think about good and bad.
One should ask who the guest is feeling. No, that is not necessary for them. Since one must ask about the welfare of guests, and since it is improper to ask about your welfare, I will ask about my own welfare.
Therefore, with confidence, I ask you well-wishers by what means will there be immediate benefit for those suffering in this world.
I have understood that you have come with the purpose delivering us. Therefore it is suitable to ask questions about myself. Kṣemaḥ should be kṣemam.
It is clear that the unborn Supreme Lord, who reveals himself to the world, who is the object of affection for the devotees, moves about the universe in his spiritual form to show mercy to his devotees.
I know you to be the Lord, Nārāyaṇa, the object of my worship. The Lord is exists as the object of affection (ātmā) for the devotees (ātmavatām), those who possess (vatām) the Lord (ātma) as the object of service. Svānām means for the devotees. He reveals himself (ātma-bhāvanaḥ). Imām means the earth.
Hearing the words of Pṛthu, which were logical, deep in meaning, concise, and sweet, the Kumāras, with joyful faces, answered with affection.
The words were logical (sāram), deep in meaning (suṣṭhu), concise (mitam), and sweet. They had joyful faces (svayamāna iva).
Sanatkumāra said: O King!, You, who are learned and who think of the welfare of all beings, have asked well. The minds of devotees are of this nature.
The assembly of devotees, of hearers and listeners, is desirable, because the discussion and answers spread benefit to both parties.
O King! Just as you desire our association, we desire your association. The association of two parties of men meeting together is desirable (sammataḥ). It spreads benefit to allthe hearers and the speakers.
O King! You have rare, fixed attachment to discussing about the qualities of the lotus feet of the Lord. That washes away the contamination of lust within the mind.
You ask what is beneficial for yourself. But you already have what is most beneficial, fixed attachment to the Lord. Lust is like a mineral dye (kaśāyam) which cannot be removed. But attachment to chanting the Lords qualities removes that dye completely. Since you have that attachment, contamination is impossible in you.
It is determined in the scriptures through thorough deliberation that the only cause of benefit for the human being is detachment from the body and attachment to the Supreme Lord who has no material qualities.
Therefore I must answer your question. Hear the cause of benefit. Many scriptures have been reviewed, so that there can be no opposition to the conclusion. Scriptures not thoroughly examined will be opposed by someone or other. Iyān eva means that the final conclusion has been definitely reached and one need not again review many scriptures for this purpose. Asaḍgaḥ means detachment and dṛòhā ratiḥ means firm attachment. Benefit means merging in Brahman, śānta-rati, and prema according to ones qualification.
Attachment for the Lord takes place by faith, by being inquisitive about the process of bhakti, by steadiness in ātmā-yoga, by worship of the great yogīs, and by pure discussions about the Lord on a daily basis.
Four verses speak about the prominence of bhakti first. The sentence continues for four verses. Rati (sā) appears by pure discussions about the Lord (puṇya-śravaḥ).
Attachment to the Lord takes place by disgust with material friendship related to persons who accumulate wealth or enjoy the senses, by not accepting those goals, and by a taste for solitary living, with satisfaction in the self, as long as one cannot relish the nectar of the Lords qualities.
One should have no attraction for associating with persons desiring to accumulate wealth or who are attached to material enjoyment. If one attains a taste for hearing about the Lord, one gives up living alone and being self-satisfied. One desires to go to gatherings to relish Kṛṣṇas pastimes in the presence of other speakers.
Attachment to the Lord appears by non-violence, by practices leading to a peaceful mind, by tasting the sweetness of the excellent pastimes of the Lord, by practicing yama and niyama with no material desires, by not criticizing others, by living simply and by tolerating dualities.
Rati appears by practices leading to peace (pāramahaṁsya-caryayā) and by relishing the sweet, excellent pastimes of the Lord according to the conduct instructed by guru.
Attachment to the Lord who has no material qualities and detachment from the good and bad of the material world quickly appear by constantly discussing with increasing bhakti the Lords qualities which are pleasing to the devotees ear.
Discussing about the Lord has already been mentioned, but because it is essential to bhakti, it is again mentioned. Tatpara means devotees. Karṇapūra means the ornament of the ear. Detachment (asaḍgaḥ) from the auspicious and inauspicious aspects of the world (sad-asat), which are not spiritual (anātmani) and attachment to the Lord arise by these methods.
When fixed attachment (rati) to the Lord appears, a person with devotion to guru burns up the subtle body made of ahaḍkāra with its five kleśas, which covers the jīva, by means of the power of knowledge and detachment arising from that attachment to the Lord, just as fire arising from wood burns wood.
Then what happens? One who has devotion to guru (ācāryavān) burns up the powerless (avīryam) subtle body composed of ahaḍkāra covering (kośam) the jīva by the influence of jñāna and vairāgya which have arisen by attachment to the Lord. That subtle body is composed of five kleśas: ignorance, ego, attachment, hatred and absorption (fear of death). Just as fire arising from the kindling stick burns the stick, so attachment for the Lord which arises in the material subtle body, intelligence and senses burns up the subtle body. The logical structure should be: one burns up the subtle body by attachment to the Lord, just as one burns up wood by fire.
When the subtle body and all its effects have been destroyed, one no longer sees external sense objects, internal disturbances, or the obstacles to seeing Paramātmā that previously existed, just as on waking up, a person no longer sees objects experienced in his dream.
Then what happens? When the subtle body has been destroyed, the person who is freed of all its effects, such as identifying himself as the doer, no longer sees sense objects for pleasure (bahiḥ) for the self (ātmanaḥ) or lamentation, illusion and other internal effects. He no longer sees the obstacles between the Paramātmā and ātmā that previously existed. In other words he sees Paramātmā with no obstacles, just as one does not what one saw in the dream when wakes up from a sleeping condition.
When the subtle body covers the jīva, one sees the jīva as an enjoyer, the objects of enjoyment and the result of thesehappiness and distress. But when the subtle body is absent, one sees Paramātmā.
The subtle body is an imposition on the jīva. That is the obstacle mentioned in the previous verse. When the subtle body exists, one sees that subtle body, and when that is absent, one sees Paramātmā. That is explained in this verse. When the subtle body (āśaye) is an obstruction (upādhau), one sees the jīva covered by the subtle body as an enjoyer (ātmānam), objects of enjoyment, and happiness and distress arising from that (param). If the subtle body is absent, then one sees Paramātmā alone (na anyadā).
In the presence of substances with different qualities like water, a mirror or the eye, a person sees differences in the bodies of himself and others. This is not so when that subtle body is absent.
When the subtle body is present, there is imposition of the qualities of the subtle body on the jīva. The subtle body gives rise to bodies of men, devatās and animals through the influence of karma. But this does not take place in the absence of the subtle body. An example is given. Using different mediums such as water, oil, a mirror or the eye, a person sees himself and others differently, corresponding to an average, good or poor medium. Just as one sees an image of onseself or others with distorted ripples in water, flawlessly in a mirror, or with contamination in the eye, one sees good and bad in the bodies of men, good only in the bodies of devatās and bad only in the bodies of animals (because of subtle bodies). But when the subtle body is destroyed by jñāna, one does not see like that. One sees Paramātmā alone. But when the subtle body is destroyed by bhakti, the pure jīva attain a body of pure knowledge and bliss by the power of rati. He then tastes the beauty of the Lord with a body of knowledge, bliss, powers and sweetness, such as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, by his eyes and other senses. That is the principle result for the devotee. That is understood from a previous statement:
evaṁ tadaiva bhagavān aravinda-nābhaḥ
svānāṁ vibudhya sad-atikramam ārya-hṛdyaḥ
tasmin yayau paramahaṁsa-mahā-munīnām
anveṣaṇīya-caraṇau calayan saha-śrīḥ
At that moment, the Lord, with lotus navel, who appears within the hearts of the deserving, understanding that his servants had offended the Kumāras, came to the seventh gate with Lakṣmī, moving his feet which should be sought by the great renounced sages. SB 3.15.37
The mind of a person thinking of sense objects is bewildered by the senses attracted to those objects. Then the mind takes away the discriminating power of the intelligence, just as grass takes away water from a lake.
Attachment to things other than ātmā is the cause of saṁsāra. This is explained in four verses. The senses of a man who does not want to think of sense objects, but, controlled by habit, thinks of sense objects even while standing in the forest, become first attracted by sense objects like sound and touch arising from memories related to sons and wife. Then the mind becomes bewildered by the senses attracted to sense objects. The bewildered mind than takes away the intelligences ability to discriminate (cetanām). The invisible nature of this theft is shown in an example. The grass on the bank of the river takes the water from the lake by its roots.
When ability to discriminate is lost, memory becomes destroyed. With loss of memory, knowledge is destroyed. The wise say that destruction of knowledge is called destruction of the self.
When the ability to discriminate is stolen away remembrance, the sequence of past experiences is destroyed. The destruction of knowledge is called the destruction of the self.
Since there is nothing dearer than the ātmā, there is no greater harm to the self in this world than this destruction of knowledge occurring on its own.
Since there is nothing dearer than (adhi) the ātmā, there is no greater harm to oneself than the spontaneous destruction of the ātmā. Or where there is no power of reflection (adhīḥ), and other things become dear, there is no greater harm to oneself than the spontaneous destruction of the ātmā. There is no other cause than this destruction, as it appears on its own (sva). This means that the jīvas association with ignorance is without beginning. It has been accomplished in the past spontaneously. Therefore devotion to the Paramātmā, the shelter of the jīva is suitable. For that purpose it is recommended to perform bhakti.
Always thinking of wealth and sense objects is the destruction of all goals, and by this, after having destroyed jñāna and vijñāna, one attains immovable life forms.
Always thinking of wealth (artha) and sense objects is the destruction (apahnavaḥ) of all goals, by which, having destroyed jñāna and vijñāna, one attains immovable life forms (mukhyatām).
Those who desire to cross over the intense ignorance of saṁsāra should never have attachment to things which completely obstruct dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa.
Association with sense objects means association which is forbidden in the dharma-śāstras. This does not mean all attachment to material objects is forbidden, since according to qualification, artha, dharma and kāma are prescribed in the scriptures. This is the opinion of some. Others say all association is forbidden, including artha, dharma, and kāma. Only mokṣa is acceptable.
dharmasya hy āpavargyasya nārthorthāyopakalpate |
nārthasya dharmaikāntasya kāmo lābhāya hi smṛtaḥ ||
The material results are not suitable as the goal for the person dedicated to higher spiritual goals. The desire of the person dedicated to the higher path is not for attainment of material assets. SB 1.2.9
Among them, liberation alone is recommended as the goal because of its excellence, because the objects attained from the other three are always linked with fear of destruction.
Among them (tatra) liberation is preferred. Traivargyaḥ means arising from artha, dharma and kāma.
There is nothing auspicious for those whose goals are destroyed by time, and who only come into existence as Brahmā or Indra after the agitation of the guṇas.
This verse explains about being linked to fear of destruction. There is no auspiciousness for those existences such as Brahmā (pare) and those inferior to him (avare) such as Indra, which appear after the agitation of the guṇas.
O King! Therefore, for liberation, know the Paramātmā who shines in the hearts of all moving and non-moving beings covered by bodies, senses, life airs, intelligence and false ego, and who appears everywhere as the controller of the jīva. One should meditate, I am he.
This exclusive liberation without the qualities of bhakti is achieved by perfecting impersonal brahma-jñāna, Therefore (tat) know the Paramātmā who is revealed or who shines (cakāsti) in the hearts of the moving and non-moving beings covered by bodies, senses, life airs, intelligence and false ego. The method of knowledge is explained. I am he (so smi). Just as the ray of the sun is also the sun in one sense, so I, a pure ray of Paramātmā, am also the Paramātmā. I am not material. Another version has He exists alone (so sti), and no other. But the jīva also is revealed in the heart. The Lord is then differentiated. He is revealed everywhere (viśvak āviḥ) and acts as the controller of the jīva (kṣetravit-tapatayā), as antaryāmī. How does he manifest or shine? He shines in reverse (pratyak). (He shines inwardly, into the jīva, unlike the sun which shines outward with it rays.)
I surrender to Paramātmā who defeats material energy contaminated by karma, who is ever liberated, completely pure, the highest truth, and within whom māyā manifests this universe as cause and effect, superior and inferior, but which can be dissolved by discrimination. Some claim the world is an illusion, like thinking a garland is a snake, and that this illusion is dissipated by knowledge of oneness.
This verse rejects the idea that the Lord becomes contaminated by being present in the hearts of all living beings. In him, māyā lights up this universe (idam) situated with high and low forms, effect and cause (sad-asat). The cause of the universe is māyā. The universe is destroyed by discernment (viveka-vidhutiḥ).
This discernment gives realization of non-difference. The universe arises from māyā, and being māyā, it is thus the external energy of Paramātmā. The jīva is the taṭastha energy of the Paramātmā. The energies and the possessor of the energies, Paramātmā, are non-different. Thus the universe, jīvas and Paramātmā are non-different (but not illusory). Difference is compared to thinking that a garland is a snake. The word vā indicates that undifferentiated realization which claims that all different is illusion is the opponents viewthat of the vivartavādīs. The Lord is ever-liberated because he is completely pure, because he is truth (viśuddha-tattvam). He defeats (pratyūòha) prakṛti contaminated by karma. I surrender to him. Without bhakti to Paramātmā in the form of surrender, liberation is not possible. The secondary role of bhakti, as an aḍga of jñāna, is shown.
Worship Vāsudeva, the shelter. By devotion to his lotus toes possessing ever-increasing beauty, the devotees untie the knot of false ego filled with impressions of karma, which the foolish sannyāsīs who try to stop the senses flowing like a river cannot untie.
Jñāna-miśra-bhakti, having predominance of bhakti, culminating in śānta-rati, was explained starting with verse 22. Verses 37 and 38 explained bhakti-miśra-jñāna, with a predominance of jñāna, with the goal of sāyujya-mukti (merging). Understanding Pṛthus distaste of the words Know that Lord, I am he mentioned in verse 37, since he had pure bhakti in the mood of a servant and nothing else, Sanatkumāra now speaks of pure bhakti, by which one achieves prema, in which liberation is a secondary effect. He glorifies that bhakti as the best process in two verses.
Palāśa (petal) refers to the Lords toes in this verse. Vilāsa means distinctive sport or movement with distinction (viśeṣena lāsa)in other words, beauty increasing at every moment. Thus the phrase means by bhakti to the Lords lotus toes whose beauty increases at every moment. Bhakti has two forms, sādhana (practice) and sādhya (perfection).1 Karmāśayam means ahaḍkāra filled with impressions of karma. This is tightly knotted (grathitam). (This is equated with avidyā. The hṛdaya-granthi refers to the same.) Or another meaning is by bhakti to the Lords toes, endowed with various astonishing skills (vilāsa), such as massaging, putting perfumes on the Lords body, bathing him, and dressing his hair. Or it can mean by remembrance of the beauty of the Lords toes.
Please worship Vāsudeva, the shelter. The Vaiṣṇavas (santaḥ) untie the knot of ahaḍkāra filled with impressions of karma, tied tightly by the jīvas previous actions, by now performing actions to the Lord which have the opposite effect--by the process of bhakti, progressing from sādhana to sādya, which is offered to his lotus-petal toes whose beauty increases at every moment. Ascetics (yatayaḥ) cannot do the same. Why? Their minds are without objects of thought (rikta-matayaḥ); they are without intelligence. Like persons without wealth, they are without intelligencecontemptible persons (asantaḥ). Santas (commendable persons) on the other hand have their minds concentrated on the Lord. They have good intelligence. The ascetics have attempted to stop the group (gaṇa) of senses which flow like rivers (srotas). But just as it is impossible to stop the flow of a river, this attempt to stop the senses is a sign of their foolishness. On the other hand, the santas engage their eyes and other senses in the sweetness of the Lords beauty and other qualities. They are very intelligence and happy. Araṇam means shelter. Worship the son of Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Araṇam can also mean without battle. If you do not surrender, then you will have to battle the senses, and you will be defeated.
There is great suffering for people lacking a boat to cross the ocean of saṁsāra filled with the crocodiles of the six senses, since they desire to cross but cannot, using a difficult process. Therefore, cross the ocean of saṁsāra, difficult to cross, by making a boat out of the lotus feet of the Lord, worthy of worship.
Crossing saṁsāra is difficult for the sannyāsīs and yogīs. Aplaveśām means those not having ability or means to cross. The root īṭ means to be able to. Or the word can mean with the Lord, who enables one to cross. There is great suffering (kṛcchraḥ) for those who do not have the means of crossing, because they desire to cross, but cannot cross, the ocean of saṁsāra filled with the crocodiles of the six senses. If they are not killed by the waves of lust, or devoured by the crocodiles of the six senses, and if they are strong, though tired, and do not give up, after a long time, somehow or other, by using the arms of jñāna and vairāgya, among them, one may with difficulty cross the ocean. Therefore, you should cross the ocean of saṁsāra, difficult to cross (vyasanam), by making a boat out of the Lords lotus feet. Taking shelter of the boat of the Lords feet to cross saṁsāra easily, which becomes the size of calfs hoof print, is expressed in the following verses:
samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām
For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda, or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf's footprint. The place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life. SB 10.14.54
tvayy ambujākṣākhila-sattva-dhāmni
samādhināveśita-cetasaike
tvat-pāda-potena mahat-kṛtena
kurvanti govatsa-padaṁ bhavābdhim
O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one's meditation on your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of great saints. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoof print of a calf. SB 10.2.30
What difficulty is there in this? There should be no fear in getting on that boat.
Maitreya said: Pṛthu, having been thoroughly shown all about ātmā by Sanatkumāra, the son of Brahmā, who was well-versed in knowledge of the Lord, spoke in order to praising him.
Ātma-medhasā means by one who knows about ātmā. .
The King said: Previously the Lord, compassionate to the distressed, was merciful to me. O brāhmana! O Lord Sanatkumāra! You have come to fulfill that mercy.
Pṛthu addresses Sanatkumāra since he is the head of the four Kumāras. He addresses them all with yūyam (you in the plural.)
Everything here comes from the merciful devotees. How can I give anything I possess, since it is all remnants, including my body?
I do not see anything to give you as guru-dakṣiṇa. This kingdom was given to me by the devotees such as you and Bhṛgu out of mercy. How can I give it back? Thus he calls it sādhu-ucchiṣṭam, remnants from the devotees. It is inappropriate to give back to the father betel my father chewed and gave me.
O brāhmaṇa! I offered everythinglife airs, wives, sons, houses, furniture, kingdom, strength, the earth, and the treasury.
How did the devotees remain independent in the kingdom? After the horse sacrifice, I gave everything such as life airs to them. They again gave me their remnants.
The knower of Vedic scriptures should accept to be head of the army, leader of the country, the punisher, and ruler of all planets.
What result will the brāhmaṇa get by accepting armies and kingdom? Let me get the result by giving these things. Because the brāhmaṇa is a worthy recipient of charity, he should accept out of mercy.
Since the brāhmaṇa enjoys, wears and gives what is his, the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras enjoy food by the mercy of the brāhmaṇa alone.
The structure of the sentence is one of cause and effect: because . therefore. Vaste means he wears.
The truth concerning the Supreme Lord has been completely presented to us by knowers of the Vedas with deliberation on the ātmā. These saints of unlimited mercy should always be satisfied with their acts of uplifting the fallen. Who can repay them for their service? One can only offer water with folded hands.
This being so, it is not possible to repay the guru even by offering everything. Ātma-vāde means considering the ātmā. Nigamibhiḥ means by the knowers of the Vedas. May they be satisfied by their acts of uplifting the suffering (sva-kṛtena)! Who can repay then? No one can, except by offering water with folded (vinā uda-patram) hands. Therefore I fold my hands. The phrase may also be taken as vinoda-pātram, the object of joking. A person who tries to repay you is simply the laughing stock of the people.
Maitreya said: The masters of ātma-yoga, after being worshipped by Pṛthu, and praising his character, went to Satyaloka through the sky while the people watched.
Khe abhavan means they went to Satyaloka by the way of the sky.
Pṛthu, chief of the great souls, considered himself almost satisfied by the complete teachings about ātmā, but he remained situated in his nature of pure bhakti.
He considered himself as if fully satisfied (āpta-kāmam iva) by the complete limits of teachings on ātmā. However he was not fully satisfied. Since he was a pure devotee, he could be fully satisfied only by pure bhakti. He had previously asked about the ātmā just as he had asked about other scriptures from knowers of the Vedas. That inquiry was now complete. The word iva indicates that now that part was complete. He was still situated in his nature (ātmani). By the teachings about ātmā, his nature as of pure bhakti did not disappear.
He also (besides bhakti) performed prescribed varṇāśrama duties according to time, place, qualified person, and wealth, as suitable to his bhakti, thinking that brāhmaṇas were doing the actions.
The word ca indicates that he also did karmas, prescribed duties. For the pure devotees like Pṛthu, though they are above doing karmas, to teach the people, or to avoid lapses in following the rules of varṇāśrama, or to avoid criticism of the path of bhakti, or to hide pure bhakti because it is confidential, the householders, without being attached, following previous conduct, either personally or by agents, can do a few karmas without being contaminated. This is what the followers of the sampradāya say. However, if they have no faith in those karmas, acts done without faith are as good as no acts at all. There is no harm if the pure devotees do not do them. And because these karmas are only done according to suitable time, place and recipient, all karmas are not performed. The karmas should be done as suitable. Because doing karmas are not suitable for pure devotees, being done only to show the public, their performance of karmas is not actual karma at all. One should do them in such a way that it is the brāhmaṇas action. He thinks, Brāhmaṇas are performing these karmas. In this way, he is not affected by the performance of karmas.
gṛheṣu vartamāno 'pi sa sāmrājya-śriyānvitaḥ nāsajjatendriyārtheṣu niraham-matir arkavat
Offering all results to Brahman, being unattached, attentive, recognizing the antaryāmī as the controller of prakṛti, being free false ego, like the sun, he was not contaminated by sense objects, though he remained a householder with kingdom and wealth
Nirviṣaḍgaḥ means without attachment. Ātmānam means the antaryāmī.
Performing his karmas without attachment, he produced five sons in his wife Arci, who were esteemed like him.
He performed his karmas without attachment (adhyātma-yogena) or being situated in ātmā (not the body). By that special power of enjoying without attachment, he produced sons. He had no agitation caused by producing sons and no lust related to his wife.
The sons were Vijitāśva, Dhūmrakeśa, Haryakṣa, Draviṇa and Vṛka. Pṛthu embodied all the qualities of the devatās.
Just as previously, at his birth, he was praised by the bards, at all times he was praised. That is shown in the following verses.
Always thinking of the Lord in order to protect the created universe according to time, he pleased the citizens by his attractive qualities, words and mind.
Gopīthāya means for protecting.
Thus he took the name King2 and was like another moon or chief of the gods. Shining like the sun, he extracted wealth and water from the earth and returned it.
Soma-rāja means he was like the moon (soma) and the chief of the devatās (raja). Vasu means wealth and water.
Like Agni he had unconquerable influence, and like Indra unconquerable strength. He had tolerance like the earth, and gave desirables to men like the Svarga.
Dyauḥ means Svarga.
Like Parjanya, god of rain, he showered whatever was desired. Like the ocean he was unfathomable. He was steady like Sumeru.
Sattvena means by steadiness. Acala-raṭ is Sumeru.
He was like Yamarāja in applying punishment and like the Himalayas in astonishing everyone. He was like Kuvera in wealth. He was like Varuṇa in hiding things.
He was like Mātariśvā, pervading everywhere with his bodily, mental and sense strength. He was intolerant like Lord Śiva.
Sarvātmā means spreading everywhere.
He was beautiful like Cupid and fearless like a lion. He was affectionate like Manu and powerful like Brahmā.
He was knowledgeable of Brahman like Bṛhaspati, and in control of his senses like Viṣṇu himself. In his devotion to cows, elders, brāhmaṇas, and devotees and in helping others with bashfulness, humility and cheerfulness, he was like Pṛthu.
Ātma-vattve means in controlling the senses. There was no one to equal him in devotion and helping others.
His fame, declared loudly by the public through the three worlds, entered the ears of women just as Rāmas fame entered the ears of the devotees.
Thus ends the commentary on the twenty-second Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Twenty-second Chapter, Sanatkumāra, after explaining jñāna, teaches bhakti to Pṛthu. Pragṛnatsu means praising.