Nārada Instructs the Pracetās

In the Thirty-first Chapter, the Pracetās, detached from the kingdom, leave for the forest and by bhakti described by Nārada attain Kṛṣṇa. The Lord said in SB 4.30.18 that they would become disgusted with the kingdom and attain him.

Brahma-satreṇa means by discussion about the meaning of the Vedas, for it is said svāyambhuva brahma-satraṁ jana-loke 'bhavat purā: O son of self-born Brahmā, once long ago on Janaloka, wise sages who resided there discussed the meaning of the Veda. (SB 10.87.9) Amara-koṣa says that brahma means the Vedas, truth and austerity. Sarva-bhutātma-medhasā means “with the thought that all beings are equal to oneself.” They attained perfection on the shore of the ocean where the sage Jājali resided.

The Lord was described in Śiva’s song as having a dark complexion like a rain cloud. Dadṛśe should be dadarśa

Yathādeśam means according to rule.

Just as, by seeing the sun, fear of thieves disappears, by seeing you, fear of saṁsāra disappears.

Adhyātma-jñāna means knowledge concerning (adhi) the ātma. Enlighten us about the necessary knowledge of the jīva that we previously knew.

Pracetasām should be pracetobhiḥ.

Whatever things the jīva obtains while in the body should be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is adhyātma-jñāna. This is explained in thirteen verses. The meaning is that one’s birth becomes real birth when the Lord is served. Karmas are real karmas when they serve the Lord. Also one can add intelligence, senses, strength, austerity, scriptural study, yoga, sāḍkhya, sannyāsa, brahmacarya, and other items. This should be understood from the later verses. Humans are mentioned because human life is suitable for service to the Lord. But if he does otherwise, then his life is like an animal’s life.

The first birth (śaukram) means birth from a pure mother and father. Sāvitram means birth by taking the sacred thread (Vedic initiation). Yājñikam means by initiation. With service to the Lord, these three, and even birth as Brahmā are equivalent to a pig’s birth, since the results are similar. Birth as an outcaste with service to the Lord is a proper human birth, because it enables one to attain the Lord. The other items should be understood in the same way. If Vedic actions are useless, what to speak of secular actions? Devatā life span is useless, and even Brahmā’s lifespan is useless, without service to the Lord.

Śrutena means “hearing Vedānta and other scriptures.” Vacobhiḥ means “expert explanations of scripture.” Citta-vṛttibhiḥ means “ability to understand the meaning of various scriptures.” Rādhasā means sharpness.

Yoga means aṣṭāḍga-yoga. “Other auspicious acts” include vows and vairāgya. What is the use of these things in which the Lord does not give realization of himself? The yogīs and others do not attain realization of Paramātmā by yoga and other processes. The Lord does not give himself except by bhakti. Because the other processes lack bhakti and do not produce bhakti, they are useless. On the other hand, if bhakti is present, by being mixed with bhakti, these processes become successful. They are not successful on their own.

This verse explained the logic for saying that all processes are useless without bhakti. The goal of all sādhanas of auspiciousness is the ātmā, since their purpose is to satisfy the ātmā. But the Supreme Lord is the ātmā of all beings, since all jīvas are his taṭastha-śakti. If the Lord is pleased by pure bhakti, then he gives himself. The śruti says nāyamātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā nā bahudhā śrutena. yamevaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyastasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām: the Lord cannot be attained by discussion, intelligence or study of the Vedas, but rather reveals himself to that person whom he chooses. (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23)

“Just as karma and jñāna must be mixed with bhakti to get results, bhakti also should be mixed with karma and jñāna to get results, since the scriptures say that one must make atonement if one omits to perform nitya-karmas (daily obligatory rituals) aimed at pleasing the devatās, sages and Pitṛs.” This verse answers. The first division from the trunk of a tree is called the skhandha. When that divides it is called bhuja. When the bhuja divides it is called an upaśākha. Leaves and flowers are also implied in this analogy. All these parts of the tree are satisfied by watering the root. They cannot be satisfied by pouring water on the branches or the leaves. Worship of the Lord is all worship (sarvārhaṇam). This means that by the worship of the Lord everyone is worshipped. “Well, this is acceptable if one cannot worship everyone, but if one can, then one should worship the Lord, and also the devatās, sages and Pitṛs. There is no fault in watering the root, branches and leaves. Rather, that is better.” An example is given to refute this argument. From nourishing the life air all the senses are satisfied. If one tries feeding food to each sense, they cannot be satisfied at all. Rather the eye will become blind and the ear deaf. It is a fault.

Two examples are given to show that the Lord is root of everything. Just as water comes from the sun during the monsoon season and enters in the sun during the summer seasons, and just as the living beings arise from the earth and return to the earth, the world made of guṇas (guṇa-pravāhaḥ) arises and returns to the Lord.

“How can the Lord who is beyond the guṇas of the universe be the cause of the universe made of guṇas? The material cause of the pot is cannot be something which is not earth. And how can the Lord be without change as the material cause of the universe?” Clouds, darkness and light appear and disappear in the sky by the power of the sun. “From the sun” should be understood from verse 15. In another verse, snow is used as an example. Snow also appears because of the sun. Prāṇādibhiḥ sva-bhavair upagūòha-manyo manyeta sūryam iva megha-himoparāgaiḥ: ordinary persons think that the Lord is covered by his own creations of prāṇa and other material elements, just as one may think that the sun is covered by clouds, snow or an eclipse.( SB 10.84.33) The word uparāga (eclipse) refers to the covering of ignorance on the sinful jīva.

O King! Though the sun is beyond the clouds and the snow, it is their material cause, and remains unchanged. Similarly, the Lord, though beyond the guṇas, is the cause of the universe and unchanging. And just as the sun, though different from the clouds and snow, is also the clouds and snow because of being their cause, so the Lord also, though different from the world, is also the world. In this manner, the world appears and disappears. Just as clouds and darkness, and even the contaminated light situated far from the sun, are not the svarūpa of the pure, shining sun, so rajas, tamas and even sattva are not the svarūpa of the Lord who is pure knowledge. According the Nārada, the Supreme Lord is the material cause of the universe made of guṇas and is also unchanging.

duravabodha iva tavāyaṁ vihāra-yogo yad aśaraṇo 'śarīra idam anavekṣitāsmat-samavāya ātmanaivāvikriyamāṇena saguṇam aguṇaḥ sṛjasi pāsi harasi.

It is difficult to understand that you, though engaged in pastimes in the spiritual world, without a material shelter, without actions in a material body, without the assistance of the devatās, without material guṇas, create, maintain and destroy the universe made of guṇas, without transformation of your svarūpa, though you are the material elements. SB 6.9.34

The personified Vedas says:

bṛhad upalabdham etad avayanty avaśeṣatayā

yata udayāstam-ayau vikṛter mṛdi vāvikṛtāt

ata ṛṣayo dadhus tvayi mano-vacanācaritaṁ

katham ayathā bhavanti bhuvi datta-padāni nṛṇām

This perceivable world is identified with the Supreme because the Supreme Brahman is the ultimate foundation of all existence, remaining unchanged as all created things are generated from it and at last dissolved into it, just as clay remains unchanged by the products made from it and again merged with it. Thus it is toward you alone that the Vedic sages direct all their thoughts, words and acts. After all, how can the footsteps of men fail to touch the earth on which they live? SB 10.87.15

namo namas te 'khila-kāraṇāya niṣkāraṇāyādbhuta-kāraṇāya

sarvāgamāmnāya-mahārṇavāya namo 'pavargāya parāyaṇāya

I offer repeated respects to the cause of everything, who has no cause, who is the astonishing cause without change, who is the great ocean of Pañcarātra and Vedas proving his nature, who is the very form of liberation and the shelter of the greatest devotees. SB 8.3.15

According to Gajendra, the astonishing nature of the Lord as creator is that though he is the material cause, he remains unchanged. If one accepts that he does change, then it would not be astonishing, since it would a logical condition. Śrīdhara Svāmī, commenting on the words adbhūta-karaṇāya says that though the Lord is the cause, he does not accept transformations such as earth.

Because the Lord is the cause of everything, he is also time, which is the indirect cause, pradhāna or prakṛti which is the material cause, and puruṣa (jīva) who is the doer. Therefore please worship directly (addhā) this Supreme Lord, the cause of all causes. This becomes worship of all the devatās and Pitṛs. By your mind (ātmanā), with full concentration, or by the mind with one particular bhāva, worship him. Jīva Gosvāmī says that one should worship with one mood such as dāsya unmixed with other bhāvas.

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He mentions a few favorable qualities in worshipping the Lord.

By this method of bhakti the Lord gives himself to the devotees. This has been concluded previously. Now the characteristics of the Lord are described. The devotee should have a pure mind (ātmani), devoid of all material desires (apahata sakala eṣana). The Lord is constantly called by the increasing devotion (edhita-bhāvana) in the pure minds devoid of material desires. The devotee calls “O Hari! O Govinda! Sole object of my life!” The Lord (akṣaraḥ), being called, brought close, does not leave, just as space (chidravat) does not leave one’s presence. Knowing that his nature is to be controlled by the devotees, to preserve his own conviction he stays with them.

Though controlled by the devotees, the Lord does not accept the worship offered by those with no devotion. The Lord has dear devotees who have no wealth, but who have the Lord as their wealth (ātma-dhana). Or he has devotees who are dear treasures for himself, being without material desires ((adhana). Giving up attachment to wealth and sons, they place their possessive feelings in the Lord alone. The Lord knows the prema-rasa of his devotees (rasajñāḥ). Persons of wrong mentality are described. They commit sin towards the devotees by their pride in education, wealth, and family, and various actions like sacrifices.

śriyā vibhūtyābhijanena vidyayā

tyāgena rūpeṇa balena karmaṇā

jāta-smayenāndha-dhiyaḥ saheśvarān

sato 'vamanyanti hari-priyān khalāḥ

With pride in wealth, power, good birth, education, renunciation, beauty, strength, and performance of rituals, they become foolish and cruel, and disrespect the devotees along with the Lord. SB 11.5.9

Just as the devotees have possessiveness of the Lord and no one else, the Lord has possessiveness of the devotees. This dependence on the devotee is described here. The Lord does not care for the personification of all wealth (śriyam) who is followed by persons desiring increase in their wealth (anucaratīm), or for those who want a little wealth, or kings or devatās. This is because, though he is complete in himself (sva-pūrṇaḥ), in his svarūpa, he is dependent on his devotees. This dependence of the Lord on the devotee is actual, not a show. How can one reject this Lord even a little? Just as it has been mentioned that the Lord knows the prema-rasa of the devotee, the devotee also knows the prema-rasa of the Lord. 1 These two are knowers of rasa in this world. “It is proper that the Lord should control the devotee. However, when the devotee controls the Lord, such rasa just a show, something artificial?” No, not at all. Rasa is a sthāyi-bhāva, accompanied by elements such as vibhāva. It is called sthāyi or permanent. It is also called prema or rati. With a desire to please the Lord who is the object of intense, natural possessiveness, that prema takes shelter of the devotees. Because that desire to please the Lord is without motive, though the Lord is complete in his happiness, that desire to please the Lord gives great satisfaction to the Lord. The causeless nature of prema is well known in the śrutis and smṛtis. How can rasa be artificial? Thus it should be concluded that the Lord’s nature of being controlled by prema is intrinsic to him. Prema accepts the devotee as its shelter. Thus the Lord is controlled by the devotee.

Tamasaḥ means the ocean of saṁsāra. On the other side of the ocean resides the Lord attains his devotee. It goes without saying that the devotee attains the Lord.

Svānām means his relatives.

Thus the commentary on Thirty-first Chapter of the Fourth Canto has been completed to give pleasure to the hearts of the devotees in accordance with the views of the ācāryas.