The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata

Offering respects to guru and Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of mercy, I take shelter of Śrī Śukadeva, the eye for the universe, and master of the worlds. I offer myself and everything I possess to Kṛṣṇa, the life of the gopīs, the controller, for service to his dear devotees.

Three chapters tell the stories of Priyavrata, Āgnīdhra and Nābhī. Three chapters describe Ṛṣabha, and eight chapters describe Bharata. One chapter describes the story of King Gaya. Four chapters describe Jambudvīpa, its mountains and trees. One chapter describes the other islands with their mountains and rivers. Two chapters describe the zodiac and one chapter describes Dhruvaloka. Two chapters describe the many places below the sun. One chapter describes hell. In this Canto, the geography of the universe (or sthāna ) where the devatās men and demons reside and its protection by the devatās are described.

This First Chapter described how Priyavrata, following the order of Brahmā, ruled the kingdom, and then, after giving it up, attained the Supreme Lord. Hearing that Priyavrata first renounced and then accepted material enjoyment (SB 4.31.26_27), Parīkṣit was surprised. He thus asks a question. He was a devotee and an ātmārāma like you. How could he enjoy family life, which is a cause (yan-mūlaḥ) of bondage to karma and defeats even a pure person like him?

Being a great devotee, such attachment is not possible.

The reason s is that they are attached to the Lord. Those whose minds, constantly engaged in meditation on the Lord, are blissful because of the shade of the Lord’s lotus feet, which extinguish saṁsāra, do not have the ignorance (amatiḥ) of desires for family.

How is it that though, because of some aparādha, he became attached to household life, he still attained perfection and his attention did not waver from Kṛṣṇa.

Śukadeva accepts the question but refutes it. It is true that it is not possible for the ātmārāma to become attached to household life and for the person attached to household life to be attached to Kṛṣṇa. But you should not think that the great devotees of inconceivable character would ever, even temporarily, become attached to material things. That is expressed in this verse. Those whose minds are absorbed in the Lord do not reject the topics of the Lord which are most dear to the paramahaṁsas, persons related to the Lord (bhāgavata), though the topics are somewhat interrupted. Those topics are the path (padavīm) giving happiness to the devotees, since by that path the devotee attains the Lord. But does the following verse not show there is an obstacle?

tathā na te mādhava tāvakāḥ kvacid

bhraśyanti mārgāt tvayi baddha-sauhṛdāḥ

tvayābhiguptā vicaranti nirbhayā

vināyakānīkapa-mūrdhasu prabho

O Mādhava, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord of the goddess of fortune, if devotees completely in love with you sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like nondevotees, for you still protect them. Thus they fearlessly traverse the heads of their opponents and continue to progress in devotional service. SB 10.2.33

True, the devotee does not have any obstacle arising from time and karma. However there are two types of obstacle for the devotees: that caused by great offense and that caused by the Lord’s desire. Great offense is pacified over a long time after undergoing appropriate difficulties, or is quickly removed by the mercy of great devotees. Examples are Dvividha and Rahūgaṇa. “The Lord’s desire” means to teach proper conduct to the devotee, and the obstacle arising from the Lord’s desire only increases prema in the devotee. An example is Bharata. Since Priyavrata did not commit offense, his obstacle arose by the desire of the Lord. The Lord taught his devotees by showing through adoration for a deer that the devotees should not have attachment, though they may think such attachment is a good quality. It should be understood in the case of Priyavrata that the Lord taught that the devotees should follow the order of superiors though it is not suitable for bhakti, by showing how Priyavrata followed the order of Brahmā.

Priyavrata’s status as an ātmārāma was natural. By the mercy of Nārada, he had become the greatest among devotees. Only by the order of Brahmā did he take up household life. That is stated in this verse. Vāva means certainly. When (yarhi), ordered by his father to do this for protecting the earth, he did not welcome the order, Brahmā made his appearance from his own abode. The sentence continues for two verses. By serving Nārada he quickly (añjasā) became fully knowledgeable of the highest goals and truths, and attained initiation though meditation on ātmā (brahma-satreṇa). Then he became eager to limit himself with determination to experience only the Supreme Lord full of eternity, knowledge and bliss, and not any material object. At that moment, because he steadily manifested all the qualities mentioned in the scriptures for ruling the kingdom, his father Manu asked him to rule the world. “O Priyavrata! Now you must protect the world.” He did not welcome that request. He did not desire to do so because he thought it was not beneficial for him. Why? He was constantly engaged in concentrating without break on the Lord with all his senses and activities. Though what his father said could not be rejected, he protested saying “I will not rule the kingdom.” Why? He considered that he would be affected by improper qualities like lust and anger (asataḥ) in ruling the kingdom.

Then (atha ha), Brahmā (ādi-devaḥ), always engaged in contemplating the prosperity (paribṛṁhana) of the creation of the universe (guṇa-visargasya), while determining the intentions of all the living beings, just as the king determines the intentions of all his subjects though his servants, surrounded by Marīci and others, as well as the personified Vedas, appeared on earth from Satyaloka to show proof of the dharma to be taught to Priyavrata.

Knowing that Priyavrata, detached since childhood, would leave the house and go to the forest, Manu appointed his younger brother to rule the kingdom. His descendents up to the Pracetās ruled the kingdom. In this way, half of Svāyambhuva Manvantara passed. Dakṣa was born a second time as the son of the Pracetās during Svāyambhuva Manvantara, but with a desire to attain his previous powers, he went to perform austerities. Since there was no king, Manu, seeing no alternative, wanted to bring Priyavrata back from the forest. When he was not able to bring him back, Brahmā came and made Priyavrata rule the kingdom. Priyavrata’s descendents ruled until the fifth Manvantara. Since the third, fourth and fifth Manus, Uttama, Tāmasa and Raivata were the sons of Priyavrata, with only the second Manu Svārociṣa intervening (he was the son of Agni), the sons and grandsons of these Manus ruled as kings over the earth as descendents of Priyavrata’s line. Then at the beginning of the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, giving up his austerities, Dakṣa (in Uttanapāda’s line) became the King and engaged in producing population.

cākṣuṣe tv antare prāpte prāk-sarge kāla-vidrute

yaḥ sasarja prajā iṣṭāḥ sa dakṣo daiva-coditaḥ

His previous body had been destroyed, but he, the same Dakṣa, inspired by the supreme will, created all the desired living entities in the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara. SB 4.30.49

Since Cākṣuṣa was in the line from Uttānapāda,1 it should be understood that Svāyambhuva’ descendents reigned until that time.

This verse describes Brahmā’s spectacular appearance on earth. Saḥ refers to Brahmā. He was worshipped by the chief (parivṛddhaiḥ) devatās who had fleets of airplanes.

Nārada recognized him by the swan carrier. Pitāputrābhyām means by Manu and Priyavrata.

It should be understood that Nārada had been giving instructions to Priyavrata at that time, and Manu had come to bring Priyavrata home. Lord (bhagavān) Brahmā, who was presented offerings by Nārada, Manu and Priyavrata, who was glorious for having descended to show affection to his progeny, described profusely by worship of the Vedas, then spoke to Priyavrata. Brahmā had a merciful glance. “I have interrupted his bhakti, jñāna and vairāgya, but even in household life, may his bhakti should increase!” He looked at his grandson with a smile. “To refuse the kingdom is your stubbornness. I will make you rule the kingdom. That is my stubbornness. I will see whose stubbornness will prevail.”

Do not hate me, thinking that my words fixed on active life are intolerable to you. I am also dependent on your Lord. I will speak about what he wants you to do. Consider this with your intelligence (nibodha). O son! This implies “I am not your enemy who will make you suffer.” I speak the truth. I am not deceiving you. I speak as Brahmā, and am not to be taken as a person without authority, like your father. What is the truth? I, Śiva and your father Manu, and Nārada, your guru, carry out the order of the Lord. Whatever he instructs in the heart of any of us, we must follow. By his order I am engaging you in ruling the kingdom. Do not find fault with your Lord, thinking that the Lord whom you worship him with all my heart has cast you into the ocean of saṁsāra. Do not hate him. He cannot be estimated. He quickly delivers one person whom he engages in actions in this world, and he does not quickly deliver another person who is in the forest. No one knows his activity.

One should not show one’s strength of austerity, knowledge or yoga in order to protect one’s stubbornness. One cannot avoid what is decided by the Lord by performing austerity and other actions. “But just as the Lord makes me take up the kingdom through you, he makes me renounce through Nārada. Which do I decide?” By thinking in this way, you desire to conquer me, the Lord, by your intelligence. Considering both of these orders of the Lord, while ruling the kingdom, at the same time you can practice renunciation by being unattached to those duties. Do not try to rule by making someone a substitute representative by giving him sufficient wealth (artha). And do not desire to cross these difficulties by many pious acts or taking shelter of other’s strength (paraiḥ) or one’s own strength.

One should not lament about this, because all embodied souls, dependent on the Lord, tolerate all auspicious and inauspicious conditions by their own desire or others’ desire. All jīvas (janatā) always accept a combination with bodies given by the Lord (avyakta) for performing actions for repeated birth and death. They accept bodies earned by their actions only by the order of the Lord, just as the citizens accept certain results such as agricultural land or prison according to their actions only by the order of the king. The king alone can do otherwise. Therefore because of him you should obey.

Just as the jīvas are dependent on the Lord for accepting bodies, they are dependent for doing activities. Dear child! We are all bound firmly to actions according to the guṇas and to designations such as brāhmaṇa by the rope of injunctions of the Lord. To that Lord we offer tribute. We perform actions as he orders. An example is given. We are like oxen, who, bound by their noses, in carrying loads given by humans and moving about without independence, receive punishment.

We are dependent even in enjoying the results of karma. O Priyavrata (aḍga)! We receive happiness and distress as given by the Lord. But this is not some fault in the Lord. It arises from our attachment to actions connected to the guṇas. Among all oxen which are equal as far as common characteristics are concerned, according to the amount of good or bad actions, their master gives them rice with milk and ghee and puts them the best stables, or gives them rough chick peas and dhal, or grass and corn. Or he may put them outside in the mud and sun without food, beat them and scold them, and feed them straw and leaves. In what manner should we accept these results? Whatever the master gives as good or bad results, only according to our good and bad qualities, we should accept (āsthāya). What fault is there in the master? We should accept this with faith. One should see this as a good quality in the Lord. An example is given. Will the blind man scold the man with vision who, while leading him on the path, takes him on the path full of burning sun instead of on the shady path because he sees thorns on the shady path? The man with sight is the well-wisher of the blind man. The person with faith will praise the Lord.

“But this applies to action of an ignorant person, not to a jñānī who knows ātmā, who is above the knots of karma.” This verse answers. As long as prārabdha-karmas continue the liberated person maintains his body, just as a person remembers what he experienced in a dream without false identity when he wakes up. “But because of desires for enjoyment, he must take another birth.” But he does not accept the guṇas, actions or desires for attaining another body.

“Though I am dependent on the Lord, if I leave my present position in the forest and take up household life, it will be harmful to me.” This verse replies to that worry. Bhayam means saṁsāra. The six enemies are the six senses who are enemies. for one who has intelligence—who sees there is no difference between the house and the forest, for one who is ātmārāma, for one has controlled his senses, what faults such as attachment are there?

There are three types of people in the world: those without sense control, those with senses control and those who desire to control the senses. There is no fault if the first two types enter household life. And there is praise for the person in householder life who desires to conquer the senses. Desiring to conquer the senses, after first situating himself in household life, one should endeavor to control them by restricting them, because an intelligent person, taking shelter of a fort, can conquer strong enemies. He can act in household life or elsewhere as he likes when the enemy has been minimized. An alternative version has yudhyeta: he can assail the depleted enemy.

But you are not among these three types of persons. Tu indicates difference. And the fort you take shelter of is not like the material household. Your shelter is the lotus feet of the Lord. You are not like others who have controlled the senses because you have given up enmity with the senses which you have conquered (nirjita). Your six senses are the best of friends, since they are attached to the beauty of the Lord. Enjoy the objects given especially by your master. Enjoyment arising from karma is a cause of bondage, but not enjoyment given by the Lord. Then later hand over the kingdom to your son, go to the forest and remain there, worshipping the Lord (prakṛtim).

Priyavrata considered himself inferior, since he was the grandson of Brahmā.

Manu worshipped Brahmā suitably (yathāvat) according to time and place. It is possible that Nārada would have been a little disturbed since the desire of his disciple was destroyed and Priyavrata would be disturbed since his vow was broken. But that was not so. They did not see this as improper (aviṣamam). Brahmā departed while remembering (pravartayan) in his heart the form of Paramātmā (ātmasam avasthānam), who cannot be approached by material words or mind and who is the supreme abode (kṣayam), since he is the shelter of all other abodes. Or in an alternate version (avāk-manasaḥ kṣayam) the Paramātmā is the abode of the mind which is beyond the words of the Vedas dealing with the three guṇas and rules and regulations. The Lord is also beyond normal dealings (avyavahṛtam). Or the sentence also mean “Engaging (pravartayan) Priyavrata who was not previously engaged in ruling, who was devoid of material words and mind (avāk-manasam), since he was ātmārāma, Brahmā then went to Satyaloka (kṣayam), his own place (ātmasam avasthānam).”

Accomplishing (pratisandhitaḥ) his desires through Brahmā (pareṇa), Manu established his son for maintaining proper conduct on earth. He became disinterested in the desiring to enjoy the ocean of poison in the form of disturbing sense objects.

This verse answers the question posed in the first verse, “How did Priyavrata enjoy household life?” Iti ha vāva means thus. He meditated on the lotus feet of the Lord who had clear power to destroy the bondage of the whole world. Priyavrata had burned up all impurities in the heart (parirandhita-kaṣāya āśayaḥ). Though he was most pure (avadātaḥ), he increased his respect by following the order of Brahmā.

He produced sons who were abundant (udarān) in conduct and qualities.

In the paramahaṁsa-āśrama (tasmin), being free from perception of difference caused by covering of body (aviśeṣeṇa), the sons realized oneness of the self (tādātmyam) with the Lord who is perceived (adhigate) within the heart purified (paribhāvita) by the power (anubhāvena) of bhakti-yoga which is fixed (avigalita) in remembrance of the Lord’s lotus feet.

According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, an arbuda is 100 million. According to Jīva Gosvāmī an arbuda is a period 10 million years. Thus Priyavrata ruled the earth for 110,000,000 years. Among his necessary qualities of power, enjoyment and influence as a famous king, first his power is described. He conquered all opposers of dharma without even a fight, by the sound of his bow drawn by his two arms full of strength arising from his continuous prowess. Next his enjoyment is described. It seemed that his sense of discrimination was destroyed by the ever-increasing joy of his wife seeing him approach, by her rising up, changing of her ornaments and going to other places (prasaraṇa), by her feminine qualities (yauṣiṇya) such as glancing, raising her nose and scratching her ear, indicating her service attitude, by her smiling glances restricted by her shyness on seeing her husband’s boldness, and by her attractive, joking words. By these things he appeared to have lost his discrimination and forgotten his own self because of material attachment. This indicates that his conduct was difficult for ordinary people to understand, since his discrimination and intelligence actually remained intact. The reason is given. He had a great mind (mahāmanāḥ). He had an inconceivable mind because simultaneously he was attached and detached from material affairs.

This verse describes his influence. Priyavrata reigned at the time when the sun would shine, lighting up half the earth up to Lokāloka mountain as daytime, as it rotates around Meru, while covering half the surface of the earth with darkness, which experienced night. By his worship of the Lord he surpassed all humans in influence. Discontent with half the earth’s surface being covered by darkness, he followed the movement of the sun (taruṇim), so that when the sun set, he would light up that area. He followed the sun, not to compete with the sun, but to give happiness to the inhabitants of earth. Because of this arrangement also, in months like Jyeṣṭhya (hot months) the sun made by Priyavrata was cooler than the moon, and in cool months like Mārgaśīrṣa (cold months), the sun made by Priyavrata was warmer than the other sun at dawn and dusk.4 This means that by the power of yoga of sages like Saubhari, Priyavrata had two bodies, one as the King and one as the sun.

The movement of the wheel of his chariot produced troughs which became seven oceans. This means that he had seven chariots each with one wheel, by the power of his yoga. Their movement was higher than the sun’s, and they circled around the plane of the earth. Jīva Gosvāmī says in the Sandarbha that one should understand that the chariots were successively larger and larger in size, since the outer circles were larger and larger. Some say that he made larger and larger chariots in succession, each one twice the size of the previous one, traveling higher and higher so that the inhabitants of his city in Āryāvarta could see his chariot even at a great distance. Because the wheels of each chariot were broader than the previous ones, the oceans were successively broader. He rode in each of these seven chariots for twenty-five days and forty-five and a half ghaṭikas each (totaling half a year), starting with the summer equinox, with the sun gradually descending until Pauṣa month. Then again starting from the winter equinox, he would travel until the cycle was completed, with the same number of days fixed, but with the opposite order of chariots, with the sun gradually ascending until Aṣaòha month. As the sun traveled around Meru clockwise along with the dependent zodiac, it gradually increased in speed,5 and thus the days after the summer equinox become shorter each month, and from the winter equinox the sun gradually slowed down and the days become longer. In order to decrease the night, Priyavrata by his own will circled Meru, but slowing down his chariot increased the length of the days after the winter equinox, and then decreased the length of the days according to his will by speeding up his chariot. By the power of yoga, his chariots were visible or invisible according to the time.6 Thus “seven times” in the previous verse means that he traveled in seven chariots in the manner described above. There is no contradiction, since it is not proper to say that Priyavrata stopped pursuing the sun after only seven days, and some say he did not give up this activity. Because of these seven oceans (yataḥ), seven continents formed.

Please hear about the dimensions of the continents. Outside of each ocean, the next continent is twice the breadth of the previous, in all directions.

Outside of each ocean is a continent, and outside each continent is another ocean. Within the ocean of churned yogurt is a continent of equal breath to the ocean. Similarly the other oceans and continents have equal breath. Outside each continent is another ocean. They are not limited by being inside the continent, but are rather outside of each successive continent.

Such prowess or influence is not surprising for those who conquer the six senses, hard to conquer, by the dust from the lotus feet of the Lord. Rajasā also means rajoguṇa. Thus there is virodhālaṁkāra, ornament introducing contradiction. Even the outcaste at the moment uttering the name of the Lord gives up bondage. Alternate versions accepted by Śrīdhara Svāmī are tanvam and tattvam instead of bandham. Bandham means the bondage of karma. Tanvam means the body. However, one does not see a person immediately give up his body on chanting once. Thus the sentence means that the karmas that are experienced in the body are destroyed. Tattvam means that the elements from mahat-tattva to earth, the gross and subtle bodies of the jīva are destroyed. But the body remains by the inconceivable influence of the name of the Lord, since there is no alternative.

This verse shows his withdrawal from material enjoyment and the increase in strength of renunciation. He appeared to get no satisfaction from contact with the material world after having surrendered to the feet of Nārada, offering respects to him as guru (anuśayana). Even though he felt inner bliss, since he was unattached to ruling the kingdom, he felt disgust with the kingdom. That is the significance of the word iva.

Vinoda-mṛgam means monkey.

He regained (adhigata) his sense of discrimination (ātma-prayavamarśeṇa), by the mercy of the Lord and again followed the path instructed by Nārada, after dividing the earth among his obedient sons. He realized the pastimes of the Lord in his heart, and shed tears of joy, with hairs standing on end.

Verses previously composed are quoted. Chāyām means night.

He arranged the earth with continents, and made boundaries by rivers and mountains for the happiness of the leaders of the people, so they could exist without quarrelling.

Bhaumam means lower planets. Divyam means Svarga. Mānuṣam means humans on hearth. Mahitvam means wealth.

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