The Sacrifice Performed by Dakṣa

In the Seventh Chapter, Dakṣa and the priests glorify Śiva, and Viṣṇu appears and becomes satisfied. The sacrifice is completed. Śiva (bhavena) was pleased by Brahma (ajena) who had made his request (anunītena).

O Brahmā (prajeśa)! Sometimes pareśa is seen instead. I have punished the children in order to teach them.

Dakṣa would get the head of a goat, because he had the words and intelligence of a goat. Bhaga got the use of Mitra’s eyes since his eyes were contaminated with fault. He could only enjoy his portion of sacrifice with those eyes, since his own eyes were useless, being devoid of spiritual vision.

Let Pūṣā, when alone eat ground meal. If others are present he can eat through their teeth, since he should not have teeth, having shown his teeth at the devotees and laughed at them. The devatās who did not give the best share to Śiva had received injuries because of taking their share at the sacrifice of Dakṣa. Let them have all their limbs back, since they did not side with Dakṣa when Dakṣa criticized me.

Those priests who favored Dakṣa, raising their arms and shouting, had their arms broken. Let them us the Aśvinis’ arms and Pūṣā’s hands. Bhṛgu’s moustache had been torn off. Since he was the chief advisor of Dakṣa, he got the moustache from a goat’s head.

Mīòhustama means “one who gives most plentifully.” Those hearing the words of Śiva spoke.

The devatās (śunāsīrāḥ) requested him, saying “The sacrifice can only be completed in your presence.” They went along with Śiva and Brahmā (sa-mīòhva-vedhasaḥ).

They did what Śiva said. This implies they also gave the eyes of Mitra to Bhaga, and carried out the recovery all persons. Kasya means “of Dakṣa.”

Kalilātmā means “even though contaminated.”

Though I criticized (pralabdhaḥ) you, you punished me and taught me, thinking of me as your relative, not being indifferent to me. That was proper. You and Viṣṇu do not neglect even the corrupt brāhmaṇas.

This verse gives the reason. You, becoming Brahmā, created (asrāk) the brāhmaṇas in order to protect the Vedas. Or you created the brāhmaṇas to protect the Vedas (brahma) and knowledge of the ātmā. Therefore (tat), O supreme one, you protect the brāhmaṇas. We are like animals and you are the protector of the animals.

I cannot atone properly. You, abused by me, who have no knowledge of the truth, did not consider it significant (vigaṇayya). You saved me, who had fallen down (arvāk), by your compassionate glance. Otherwise I could not be delivered from hell. You should be satisfied by the mercy you give others. I have no ability to satisfy you.

He undertook the sacrifice with the priests and teachers (upādhyāya).

For performing the sacrifice the brāhmaṇas offered the puroòāśa related to Viṣṇu (vaiṣṇavam), in order to purify it from the touch of Vīrabhadra and others.

Āttahaviṣā means “with the oblations of the adhvaryu (yajur-veda) priest.” O Vidura (viśāmpate)! Dakṣa concentrated in such a way that the Lord appeared.

Viṣṇu arrived, diminishing the effulgence of Brahmā and others. The winds of Garuòa were the Bṛhat-rathnantara mantras. Śruti says bṛhadrathantare pakṣau: the wings are the Brhād-rathantara verses.

The Lord is described in two verses. He had a belt of golden bells (niraṇya-raśanaḥ). Raśanā can also include cloth, with the meaning that he had yellow cloth, since it is not stated elsewhere. He had a crown as brilliant as the sun. His face was decorated with black locks like bees and with earrings. There is a comparison of the face to a lotus, hair to the bees, and the earrings to the sun, which comes to make the lotus blossom.

His arms were golden with bracelets, arm bands and rings, and he was holding different weapons to protect the devotees. With this, he appeared like a flowering karṇikāra tree, or like a lotus with eight petals, since he was holding eight weapons. Karṇikāra is defined as “that which produces (ra) a pericarp (karṇika).” Or it can be derived from karṇika, pericarp, using the rule arśādibhyo ‘c (Pāṇini 5.2.127).

On his chest was Lakṣmī (vadhūḥ). He gave pleasure to the whole universe by the skill of his smiling eyes raining jewels of sweetness (udāra). What then to speak of the sweetness those eyes give to the devotees? The fan and cāmara by his sides were like two swans. Above was a white umbrella like the moon. Below that was his crown, like the sun. Beneath that was his face like a lotus. Beside his face on both sides were two more suns in the form of his earrings. At his sides were two swans. Below his face was Lakṣmī, like lightning. Everything together was like one eight-petalled lotus. Dakṣa saw Viṣṇu, who was astonishing with moon, sun, lightning, bees, swans, conch, cakra, club, lotus, bow, arrow, and shield.

Brahmā, Indra and Śiva were the leaders.

Sanna-jihvāh means choked voices. Sasādhvasāh means “in an agitated state.” They placed their hands on their heads.

Mahī means “in comparison to his glory.” Their senses were meager in comparison to his glory.

Sādana means vessel. The Lord accepts the offerings in the best vessels. Another reading has gṛhītvā. The meaning is then “Dakṣa, taking the best vessels and offerings, praised the Lord and surrendered.”

You are pure consciousness alone, devoid of māyā, situated in your svarūpa (sva-dhāmni). Taking the role of a human you appear to be impure, contaminated with material attachment within māyā, when taking forms like Kṛṣṇa or Rāma. You alone are the Lord and take the covering of knowledge. Others, taking coverings of ignorance, like Śiva, though playing human roles, do not know how to act. Śiva manifested himself as self-satisfied and indifferent to me, his father-in-law, in the assembly. However, hearing of the death of Satrājit, your father-in-law, you went to Satyabhāmā with Balarāma and began crying:

tad ākarṇyeśvarau rājann anusṛtya nṛ-lokatām

aho naḥ paramaṁ kaṣṭam ity asrākṣau vilepatuḥ

When Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma heard this news, O King, They exclaimed, "Alas! This is the greatest tragedy for us! "Thus imitating the ways of human society, they lamented, their eyes brimming with tears. SB 10.57.10

Did your nature as ātmārāma disappear? Bhagavān alone is expert in all arts. Or another meaning is that Dakṣa by glancing scornfully at Śiva, committed offense, and thus, even after the offense was annulled, he had a material conception of the Lord’s form. Thus he says the Lord takes a human form.

However the real meaning should be understood as follows. Situated in Vaikuṇṭha (sva-dhāmni) you accept the form of the puruṣa, creator of mahat-tattva along with māyā, and reside within the living entities in māyā (tāsyām) as the antaryāmī.

viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi puruṣākhyāhany atho viduḥ

ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ dvitīyaṁ tv aṇòa-saṁsthitam

tṛtīyaṁ sarvabhūta-sthaṁ tāni jñātvā vimucyate

The wise know the three forms of the puruṣa of Viṣṇu. The first is the creator of mahat-tattva, the second resides within the universe, and the third resides within all living entities. One who knows them becomes liberated. Sātvata-tantra

The Lord appears to be impure but is not. Though he is situated within māyā, he is pure since he has no relationship with it. This is the real meaning.

O Lord beyond the contamination of māyā (anañjna)! By the curse of Nandīśvara we are absorbed in karma, and do not know you. How can Dakṣa know you? They glance at Dakṣa. “What do you know?” We know your form as the sacrifice which yields artha, dharma and kāma (trivṛt), commonly known as dharma. The result of this sacrifice is that thre is an arrangement of shares for the devatās according to their qualification.

On the path of saṁsāra (utpatti adhvani) devoid of rest (aśaraṇe), which has holes of happiness and distress (dvandva-śabhre), where there is fear of fierce (khala) animals like tigers, with a forest fire of lamentation, when will the ignorant come to your lotus feet? They will never attain your feet. Dakṣa and the priests are made the object of this comment. Glancing at them, the assembly speaks. O giver of shelter! If he does not surrender to you, then what can you do? He is thirsty for material sense objects (mṛga-tṛṣi), and thus thinks of his body as himself, and takes on the load of house and other objects. He is afflicted with lust.

Āśiṣā mans “because of desire.” Although those feet bestow all benedictions, they should be served by persons without desire. I have become absorbed in those feet. Those who do not have knowledge, such as Dakṣa, say that I have broken the rules of good conduct. That is only gossip. Because of your great mercy, or because of the merciful of the devotees, I do not become disturbed by that.

Mentioning Brahmā and others, Bhṛgu also hints at Śiva. They are afflicted by ignorance (tamasi svapantaḥ). Even now they do not know the truth about you, who are self revealing (ātmānuśritam). Afflicted by ignorance they say “I know.” The ignorant speak of something else. Be kind to them. I also am an offender, according to what I said. You are not the friend of Brahma or persons like me, but are the friend of those who sincerely offer respects and have nothing. Still, please be kind to us. Please forgive my offense.

As long as one does not see your form, one is the shelter of the presiding deities of the senses (jñānasya), the gross organ and sense object (arthasya), and the subtle sense organ (guṇasya).1 When one sees the Lord directly, one is no longer under the shelter of the sense deities, gross organs or sense organs. One will have non-material perception, since you have a spiritual form different from the material factors such as sense devatās. You cannot be perceived by those material factors. That much we know. Those with material senses who think they see the Lord do not see the Lord’s real form. This is a statement directed to Bhṛgu and others.

By your mercy your body makes this universe (idam) auspicious. This eight-armed form for destroying the demons is seen by us even with our material senses, by your indescribable mercy, and gives us bliss. This is proof that there is no other way in which we can be blissful. This statement is directed to Brahmā.

Kena means by Brahmā. Śava means water. Thus śava-śaya-nābha means lotus navel. O lord with a lotus navel! Purify the sacrifice in which animal sacrifice had stopped (śānta-medham) with your eyes. Without your presence, nothing can be accomplished even with all the present efforts. This is addressed to everyone.

Ananvitam means “impossible for others.” Your activities are astounding because (yat) you perform them by yourself alone, and you are not attached to them. All other performers of action are attached to the result. This comment is directed to Brahmā and others. Whereas (yataḥ) others worship Lakṣmī for wealth (vibhūtaye) you do not accept her. Yataḥ can also stand for yām. You do not accept Lakṣmī whom others worship for wealth.

Siddhā here means those perfected in bhakti, with prema. The mind immersed in the river of pure nectar of your pastimes does not remember the fire of saṁsāra (dāvam). The mind does not come out of that river, as if having attained oneness with Brahman. Let us submerge ourselves in the nectar of the Lord’s pastimes without considering what duties we should do nor not do, with contamination or without contamination. This statement is directed to the sages.

Prasūti speaks this verse. You have been very merciful to me, daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu, as you were to Devahūti. Since you have brought your wife Lakṣmī to my house, please deliver us who have been destroyed by the offense to Śiva. Without you, the sacrifice is not complete. This statement is directed to all the devatās and Brahmā.

We cannot see you by senses which perceive material sense objects (asad-grahaiḥ). But you can be seen (pratyag draṣṭā) by your mercy. Asada-grahaiḥ stays in the masculine form as an adjective in this case. You, the sixth, beyond the five elements, seem to have a material body by means of the five elements. That is your māyā. Those who think that your form is material, such as Jarāsandha, do not see you, since they do not realize your sweetness. This is directed to dry jñānīs, sages and devatās.

There is no one dearer than those who do not see the jīvas as different from you since there are your śakti, who know the jīvas to be not different from you. You have said:

teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate

priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ

Of these four types, the jñānī, who is constantly engaged in thinking of me, who is practicing bhakti alone, is the best. I am cherished by that jñānī, and he is cherished by me. BG 7.17

However, please favor us with the pure bhakti (ananya-vṛttiḥ) of persons serving with the notion of “I am your servant, and you are my master.” We are the most fallen. How could we obtain the state of non-difference? By praising it, they condemn impersonal realization. The servants of the Lord are most dear. This is directed to the jñānīs. You have said:

na tathā me priyatama ātma-yonir na śaḍkaraḥ

na ca saḍkarṣaṇo na śrīr naivātmā ca yathā bhavān

My dear Uddhava, neither Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Lord Saḍkarṣaṇa, the goddess of fortune nor indeed my own self is as dear to me as you are. SB 11.14.15

nāham ātmānam āśāse mad-bhaktaiḥ sādhubhir vinā

śriyaṁ cātyantikīṁ brahman yeṣāṁ gatir ahaṁ parā

O best of the brāhmaṇas, without saintly persons for whom I am the only destination, I do not desire to enjoy my transcendental bliss and my supreme opulences. SB 9.4.64

This is understood by the word vatsala. You are most affectionate to the devotee. This is heard everywhere in the scriptures. It is never said that you are affectionate to the jñānīs.

Some say that the parabrahman takes on form by being mixed with māyā. In that state there is the state of servant and lord, and consequently the affection of the Lord for his devotee. Such persons are mistaken. That is explained in this verse. I offer respects to the Lord who creates different mentalities for creation, maintenance and destruction, in Brahmā and other beings by his material energy composed of guṇas divided up variously because the jīva’s karmas. I offer respects to he whose intelligence is not deluded by the guṇas because of being situated in his svarūpa. Ātmā can mean effort, determination, and intelligence, according to Amara-koṣa.

Brahma here means the Vedas which explain karma suitable to that situation. According Amara-koṣa the word brahma means Vedas, truth and austerity. Sattva-guṇa takes shelter of the Lord. He is the source of dharma, jñṇaa, vairāgya and aiśvarya which take shelter of the Lord. I and the other Vedas teaching jñāna do not know the truth. What to speak then others present here! This is directed to the followers of karma and jñāna.

Fire of the sacrificial fire speaks. I just carry the offering in the best sacrifice, but I do not know the truth about you. This statement is directed to the sacrificers who think they have knowledge. You are beneficial to the sacrifice (yajñiyam). In the Aitareya the five types of sacrifice are mentioned: agnihotra, darśa-paurṇamāsa, cāturmāsya, paśu and soma. (Śata-patha-brāhmaṇa) You are worshipped by five types of mantras. Śruti says āśrāvayeti catur-akṣaraṁ astu śrauṣaò iti catur-akṣaraṁ yajeti dvābhyāṁ ye yajāmaha iti pañcākṣaraṁ dvyakṣaro vaṣaṭkāra: there is the four syllable mantra āśrāvaya, the four syllable mantra astu śṛauṣaṭ, the two syllable mantra yaja, the five syllable mantra ye yajāmahe, and the two syllable mantra vaṣaṭ. (Śata-patha-brāhmaṇa 12.3.3.3) Smṛti says:

caturbhiś caturbhiś ca dvābhyāṁ pañcabhir eva ca

hūyate ca punar dvābhyāṁ sa me viṣṇuḥ prasīdatu

May Viṣṇu be pleased with me by the four syllable mantra, the four syllable mantra, the two syllable mantra, the five syllable mantra and the two syllable mantra.

Yajñaḥ means the form of sacrifice.

You placed in your abdomen what you created and transformed (vikṛtam). You are the path of knowledge (adhyātma-padaviḥ) upon whom the perfect beings meditate. You protect your servants. You are seen by us. These two statements indicate that you are seen by your servants whom you protect. You are known by them and not by others. This verse is directed to the sacrificers and jñānīs.

Let us offer respects to you. We, entering the assembly, praised Dakṣa as the Supreme Lord but actually we praise you alone, since all others are portions of your portions. They think they are the Lord but they are not. This is directed to Brahmā and others.

Attaining sense objects, and identifying with me and mine, the ignorant person, bewildered by his sons, desiring temporary objects, can completely reject illusions about himself by serving the nectar of your topics. This is directed towards dry jñānīs.

Sadaysa and ṛtvijaḥ are two separate items.

O form of the Vedas (trayī-gātra)! This explains the Lord as the form of sacrifice.

If chanting your name destroys obstacles, then how much more will your very presence destroy obstacles! The obstacles to the sacrifice were the followers of Śiva. This statement is directed towards them. When the various speakers put blame on various persons, it indicates that there is no fault in the devotees of the Lord, since their position is generally made superior.

Bhadra can refer to Vidura and can be part of a compound with Rudra. Then it refers to Vīrabhadra who spoiled the sacrifice. Sanninye means “he started the sacrifice.”

As Bhagavān. the Lord is complete in his bliss and does not need anything, and as the soul of all beings, he is the enjoyer of all the portions of the sacrifice. However, he appeared pleased (iva) with his own particular share of the sacrifice. Actually he was not pleased, because of the offense to Śiva. O sinless Vidura (anagha)! You are without offense. Therefore the Lord is pleased with you. You indeed are the example of a proper person.

Do not again commit offense! The Lord gives instructions. Svayaṁdṛk means self revealing. There is no difference between the three of us (aviśeṣaṇaḥ).

“But the Supreme Lord is only one person. According to the scriptures that is you.” That person who is situated in the material world but is famous for being beyond the guṇas is I alone. According to the activity of creation, maintenance or destruction, I take the names of the creator, maintainer or destroyer.

“But how are Brahma who is a jīva taking the form of Hiraṇyagarbha, and Śiva who is touched by the guṇas even though being īśvara, non-different from you?” This is explained through kaimutya-nyāya. The ignorant person sees differences even between jīvas and me, what to speak seeing difference between Brahmā or Śiva and me. But the wise person does not. The jīvas are non-different from me because they are my tataṣṭha-śakti, and śakti is non-different from śaktimān. Brahmā and Śiva are non-different from me because they are guṇāvatāras.

The devotee sees himself as non-different from all beings. The devotee’s seeing non-difference is taking others’ happiness and distress as his own.

The result of seeing non-difference is stated.

Prajāpati-patiḥ is Dakṣa. Ubhayataḥ means “by secondary and primary sacrifices.”

Udavasānam means “that which completes.” After finishing with these concluding rites, he took bath.

The devatās gave blessings to Dakṣa, who had attained perfection (avāpta-rādhase).

Menāyām means menakāyām.

Āvṛḍkte means chose. She had love for no one else (ananya-bhāvā). Śiva was her only goal (eka-gatim). At the time of devastation, the sleeping śakti takes shelter of the Supreme Lord who is awake (and then she becomes revived).

He heard it from Uddhava, the disciple of Bṛhaspati.

Thus ends the commentary on the Seventh Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.