29 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, in Kimpuruṣa-varṣa the great devotee Hanumān is always engaged along with the inhabitants of that land in devotional service to Lord Rāmacandra, the elder brother of Lakṣmaṇa and dear husband of Sītādevī.
Hanumān, along with Arṣṭiṣeṇa, constantly hears with rapt attention the most auspicious glories of his master, sung by Gandharvas. Hanumān chants the following mantras.
Hanumān hears the glories of the Lord, his master. This indicates that he does not even hear the glories of other forms of the Lord, unlike Nārada and others.
I offer respects to the Supreme Lord, most praiseworthy, who is the personification of the best markings, qualities and vows. I offer respects to the Lord who accepted teachings from others, and who is worshipped by all types of people. I offer respects to the Lord who makes all good qualities the most excellent. I offer respects to the Lord worshipped by the brāhmaṇas, who is the great personality, the great king.
I offer respects the Lord who has marks worthy of worship, such as flag and thunderbolt on his feet, qualities like wisdom and vratas like being fixed in dharma (arya-lakṣaṇa-śīla-vratāya), to the Lord who took teachings from guru and brāhmaṇas. Because you thought, All people down to the washer man should be satisfied with my conduct you are respected by all people, not just Brahmā. Therefore I offer respects to you, worshipped by all (upasita-lokāya). You establish the highest excellence (nikaṣaṇāya) of reputation as being kind to brāhmaṇas, true to your promise and being merciful. People are attracted by those qualities. On attaining Rāma all good qualities reach their perfection. Just as the best gold is proved to be excellent by the testing stone, so all good qualities are proved to excellent when placed in Rāma.
I surrender with certainly to the Lord who is one alone, who is devoid of māyā by the power of his form, who is invisible, peaceful, realized by the intelligent, and who has no material form and name.
Will not some people doubt that Rāma is God since he does not hold the conch and cakra and does not ride Garuòa or display extraordinary powers? Let those who doubt continue to doubt! But I realize personally Rāma as the supreme Brahman. I surrender to Rāma who is a state devoid of māyā. But even a purified jīva is devoid of māyā. His form is devoid of māyā by the power of his form (sva-tejasā). He is thus invisible (pratyak). Na cakṣuṣā paśyati rūpam asya: one cannot see his form by the eye. (Katha Upaniṣad 6.8) Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṁ svām: he reveals his form to that person whom he chooses. (Muṇòaka Upaniṣad 3.2.3) He is thus devoid of all disturbances (praṣāntam). Does that mean that Rāma cannot be seen? He can be realized by a person having fine intelligence, because he is without material name and form. Etās tisro devatā anena jīvenātmanānupraviśya nāmarūpe vyākaravāṇi: entering the three devatās as jīva, I will reveal name and form. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.3.2) The three devatās means fire, water and earth. I surrender to the Lord with certainty (niḥ). Or I surrender without ahaṇkāra (niraham). The devotee thinks, Surrender is accomplished by the Lord by his mercy, not by me, who have false identity as the doer.
The appearance of the Lord in this world as a human was not only for the purpose of killing Rāvaṇa, but to teach the human beings. Otherwise, why would the Lord, the enjoyer who is satisfied in himself, suffer in separation from Sītā?
How does Rāma appear in the material world? He appeared in the world with a human form (martyāvatāraḥ), not only for killing Rāvaṇa (rakṣas) but to teach human beings. These humans were of two types: those who followed dharma and the devotees. Rāma appeared in order to teach dharma by showing his nature of following dharma and to teach prema by showing how he was controlled by prema. Otherwise why would the Lord, the enjoyer, the Paramātmā (ātmanaḥ), in his svarūpa (sve), experience suffering caused by separation from Sītā? A follower of dharma would never ignore his chaste wife and would tolerate suffering because of her. To teach this, he showed suffering in himself. That is the first point (teaching dharma).
How could he lament in separation from Sītā? These symptoms which only have the appearance of suffering arise from the taste of vipralambha-rasa (love in separation), in the sthāyībhāva of prema. This rasa is actually the highest bliss. It would be a contradiction if suffering were present in someone who is ātmārāma, self-satisfied. One should not say If Rāma is self-satisfied how can he enjoy Sītā? Sītā is part of himself since she arises as his svarūpa-śakti. If Sītā is part of his svarūpa, then why should he experience separation? By a particular function of the cit-śakti, by the great power known as prema, the one supreme tattva remains divided in two parts without beginning in time: one part is bliss with six powers and the other part is pure bliss. The first part is called the Supreme Lord and the second is called the devotee. Then again, by, by four functions of his prema, the second tattva divides into four: servants, friends, elders and lovers. The first tattva, the Lord, is established in terms manifestation of these different types of bhāvas of the devotees.
When jīvas of the material world by good fortune begin practicing this type of bhakti and their bhakti becomes mature, prema appears on its own. Placing the jīvas into those moods as servant, friend, parent or lover, prema then brings them to the eternal world at the appropriate time with these bhāvas such as dāsya and pervades them with these four types of love. By prema, they attain a sthāyibhāva, and by vibhāvas, anubhāvas and sañcāri-bhāvas, which arise by the power of prema alone, prema becomes rasa. Then prema makes the two tattvas experience their natures as viśaya and āśraya, and by meeting and separation occurring by the will of prema, a person experiences happiness and sorrow. The devotees experience the most astonishing bliss by tasting the unparalleled, most extraordinary sweetness of prema. Those who are not devotees however will say that Rāma and Kṛṣṇa experienced great suffering. Others will say that Rāma imitated suffering for teaching the jīvas. In this way they are bewildered.
Rāma, Paramātmā, the best friend of the devotees, full of six qualities as Bhagavān, Vāsudeva, is not attached to the three worlds. Otherwise, he should not have become bewildered by a woman, and should not have given up Lakṣmaṇa.
All this was accomplished by the Lords spiritual qualities such as being controlled by prema, being true to his word, and being generous to brāhmaṇas and nothing else. He is never attached to the three worlds because he is Paramātmā (ātmā). He is the best friend of those for whom the Lord is the object of service (ātmavatām), because he is full of the six qualities (bhagavān). If one does not accept that the Lord is controlled by prema, then he should not have fallen under illusion created by a woman, like an ordinary person. If one does not accept his spiritual qualities, he should not have given up Lakṣmaṇa. The advisor Devadūta informed Rama that Rāma should kill anyone who came in the room at that time (since they were having a private talk.) Lakṣmaṇa, situated at the door as the guard, then came to inform Rāma that Durvāsa had come. Rāma (in anger) was ready to kill him. Vasiṣṭha said, Give him up. (And Rāma did so.) Therefore, by this pastime Rāma taught prema and dharma. The previous verse correctly said that Rāma appeared in this world to teach human beings.
The Lord is not pleased by ones birth in a great dynasty, by wealth, by eloquence, by intelligence or by bodily features, because Rāma, the older brother of Lakṣmaṇa, accepted as his friends us forest dwellers, who are devoid of those assets.
This verse explains the causeless mercy of Rāma, full of all good qualities. Janma mahataḥ means birth in a great family. Or mahataḥ can be related to tośa-hetuḥ: a cause of satisfaction of Rāma. Rāma, the older brother of Lakṣmaṇa, who has all good qualities in full, accepted Lakṣmaṇa as a servant. But Rāma has accepted us as friends, though we have no good qualities, and are devoid of good birth (taiḥ visṛṣṭān). The speaker is Sugrīva.
Whether one is a devatā, demon, monkey or man, one should worship by all methods excellent Rāma, in the form of a human, who accepts worship easily, and who took all the inhabitants of Ayodhyā to Vaikuṇṭha.
Among all the avatāras worthy of worship, Rāma is the ocean of mercy, the most worthy of worship. In worshipping him, all persons are qualified without distinction. Everyone should worship Rāma by all methods (sarvātmanā). Rāma took all the inhabitants of Ayodhyā (uttarān kośalān) in those very bodies to Vaikuṇṭha (divam).
In Bhārata-varṣa, the Lord in the form of Nara-Nārāyaṇa, whose glories are inconceivable, to favor to the jñānīs, mercifully performs austerities till the end of the yuga, which included realization of ātmā, abundant dharma, knowledge, renunciation, powers, sense control and freedom from false ego.
Nara-nārāyaṇa perform penance by which one realizes ones ātmā, and in which there is control of the senses (upaśama) and absence of ahaḍkāra (uparama). He showed mercy (anugrahāya) to the jñānīs. He showed mercy by giving teachings about austerity. Therefore performing austerities was necessary. Performing austerities was his mercy also (anukampayā). The two words for mercy are therefore not repetitive.
The great sage Nārada, while teaching Sāvarṇī Manu1 descriptions of realization of God by Sāḍkhya and yoga as spoken by the Lord, worships Nara-Nārāyaṇa with the greatest bhakti along with the inhabitants of Bhārata-varṣa, who are followers of varṇāśrama. He chants the following mantras.
The description of realization of the Lord is found in Pañcarātra scriptures. He taught Pañcarātra along with Sāḍkhya and yoga. Sāvarṇeḥ means sāvarṇim.
I offer respects to the Lord who has controlled senses, who has no attachment to persons not interested in ātmā, who is the treasure for persons possessing nothing, who is the best of sages, the supreme guru of the paramahaṁsas, and the leader of the ātmārāmas.
The person who thinks that knowing about ātmā is not necessary is called anātmā. Anātmya is the condition of being like that. The Lord is indifferent to the anātymya.
Nārada sings: I offer respects to the witness who is unattached and separate from the body, who is not attached to the creation of this universe, who is not overcome by bodily needs though appearing in a body, and whose sight is not polluted by māyā though he sees everything.
This verse explains that the Lord is the crest jewel of ātmārāmas. Since he is not attached to the creation he is called asakta. Since he is not overcome by hunger and thirst (daihikaiḥ) he is called vivkta, separate from the body. Though he is the witness, his sight is not contaminated by seeing māyā. Thus he is an unattached (asakta) witness and a pure (vivikta) witness, an uncontaminated witness.
O my Lord, master of all mystic yoga! Lord Brahmā has explained that expertise in yoga means that at the time of death, the mind, giving up bodily identification, becomes fixed with devotion in you who are beyond the guṇas.
This verse explains the secret of yoga practitioners. The fickle (yat present particle of yā, to go) mind should be fixed on you. Ujjhita, a past participle has a present meaning.
The learned man who worries in this way has wasted his energy in this life. He is like a man attached to enjoyment in this world and the next who worries about his wealth, wife and children and fears the loss of his miserable body,
Otherwise, yoga practice is useless. Worried about his wealth, wife and children, a person becomes afraid of the loss of the material body. He thinks, When I die, how will my sons survive? Even if one is learned, if he worries like this, he has wasted his endeavors in life.
O Lord! May we give up the conception of me and mine concerning this miserable body, so difficult to give up. Please give us concentration on you, which is rati for you. O transcendental Lord!
You should make our minds give up other things and make our minds absorbed in you. What is yoga? It is our individual (sva) rati or bhāva for you. Or, it should be natural, just as attraction for material objects is natural for others.
In the tract of land known as Bhārata-varṣa, jus as in Ilāvṛta-varṣa, there are many mountains and rivers. Some of the mountains are Malaya, Maḍgala-prastha, Maināka, Trikūṭa, Ṛṣabha, Kūṭaka, Kollaka, Sahya, Devagiri, Ṛṣyamūka, Śrī-śaila, Veḍkaṭa, Mahendra, Vāridhāra, Vindhya, Śuktimān, Ṛkṣagiri, Pāriyātra, Droṇa, Citrakūṭa, Govardhana, Raivataka, Kakubha, Nīla, Gokāmukha, Indrakīla and Kāmagiri. Besides these, there are many other hills, with many large and small rivers flowing from their slopes.
As in Ilāvṛta so also in Bhārata (api) there are many mountains and rivers.
The inhabitants of Bhārata-varṣa contact these pure rivers by their minds, body and utterance of their names. Two of the riversthe Brahmaputra and the Śoṇaare called main rivers. These are other great rivers that are very prominent: Candravasā, Tāmraparṇī, Avaṭodā, Kṛtamālā, Vaihāyasī, Kāverī, Veṇī, Payasvinī, Śarkarāvartā, Tuḍgabhadrā, Kṛṣṇāveṇyā, Bhīmarathī, Godāvarī, Nirvindhyā, Payoṣṇī, Tāpī, Revā, Surasā, Narmadā, Carmaṇvatī, Mahānadī, Vedasmṛti, Ṛṣikulyā, Trisāmā, Kauśikī, Mandākinī, Yamunā, Sarasvatī, Dṛṣadvatī, Gomatī, Sarayū, Rodhasvatī, Saptavatī, Suṣomā, Śatadrū, Candrabhāgā, Marudvṛdhā, Vitastā, Asiknī and Viśvā.
They touch by mind and body (ca). Andhaḥ means Brahmaputra River.
In Bhārata-varṣa, many destinationsheavenly, human and hellishare prescribed for all people, because people take birth according to actions in sattva, rajas and tamas. All these destinations are prescribed for the self according to the quality of their actions, as indicated in the Vedas. Liberation is then achieved.
This takes place only in Bhārata-varṣa, and only in an area whose dimension is a thousand yojanas. Viṣṇu Purāṇa says:
bhāratasyāsya varṣasya nava-bhedān niśāmaya
indra-dvīpaḥ kaśeruś ca tāmra-varṇo gabhastimān
nāga-dvīpas tathā saumyo gāndharvas tv atha vāruṇaḥ
ayaṁ tu navamas teṣāṁ dvīpaḥ sāgara-saṁbhṛtaḥ
yojanānāṁ sahasrantu dvīpo yaṁ dakṣiṇottarāt
Hear about the nine division of Bhārata: Indradvpia, Kaśeru, Tāmravarṇa, Babhasimān, Nagadvpiā, Saumya Gandarva, Vāruṇa, and the ninth, bordering the ocean, which is a thousand yojanas from north to south.2
Sāgara-saṁbhṛtaḥ means situated at the edge of the ocean, according to Śrīdhara Svāmī. Though the ninth division is not mentioned by name it is understood to be called Navadvīpa. This place is further described in the same work:
pūrve kirātā yasyānte paścime yavanāḥ smṛtāḥ
pūrva-deśādikāś caiva kāma-rūpa nivāsinaḥ
oṭrāḥ kaliḍgā magadhā dākṣiṇātyāśca kṛtsnaśaḥ
mārukā mālavāśca
In the east are the Kirātas, in the west are the Yavanas. The inhabitants in the east are the residents of Kāmarūpa, Orissa, Kaliḍga, Magadha. The inhabitants in the south are Marukas and Mālavas.
catvāri bhārate varṣe yugānyatra mahāmune
kṛtaṁ tretādvāparañca kaliścānyatra na kvacit
O great sage! In Bhārata-varṣa there are Satya, Treta, Dvāpara and Kali yugas, which do not exist elsewhere.
Vāyu Purāṇa says:
bhāratasyāsya varṣasya nava bhedān nibodhata
sāgarāntaritā jñeyās te tv agamyāḥ parasparam
Hear about the nine divisions of Bhārata. They border the ocean and one cannot go from one to the other.
Many goals are undertaken by the individual according to prescribed actions in sattva, rajas and tamas (śukla-lohita-kṛṣṇa-varṇena), because (hi) all these goals will manifest for all people according to the qualities of action (yathā varṇa-vidhānam) -- caused by dharma and adharma. This takes place unavoidably, as prescribed in the Vedas (ānupūrveyṇa). And if one cannot accomplish liberation, liberation (bhakti) appears on its own. The word ca indicates that merging in Brahman is also achieved.
That liberation, whose essential nature is unmotivated bhakti-yoga to the Lord full of qualities, who attracts the minds of all beings, who is not the object of merging, who is not described by material words, who remains beyond destruction of the universe, who is the most excellent ātmā, who is the son of Vasudeva, takes place by destruction of the knot of ignorance which causes various material goals, when there is association with devotees of the Lord.
What is the nature of this liberation and when does it occur? This verse answers. The Lord is full of all wonderful qualities such as auspiciousness and beauty (bhagavān). He thus attracts the mind of all beings (sarva-bhūta-ātmani). Therefore in the Lord there is no oneness with the jīva, only oneness by service (anātmye). His glories cannot be described by material words like attraction (anirukte). Even at the destruction of the universe, his form and qualities remain (anilayane). He has no destruction like the elements of matter. Since he is the abode of prema he is the soul of all beings, but he is also the supreme soul (paramātmā). Because of his special qualities he is the most worthy of worship. He is Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva. Bhakti-yoga, without material cause (ananya-nimitta) is the svarūpa of apavarga. Apavarga by conventional usage means liberation. That is true. But liberation, destruction of ignorance, is included in bhakti. Therefore bhakti can also be called liberation. This liberation is achieved by destruction of the knot of ignorance, which causes many goals. When does this take place? It takes place when there is association with the devotees of the Lord.
The devatās sing: What pious acts did these residents perform, or was the Lord simply pleased with them, by which they attained a birth suitable for service to Mukunda in the area of Bhārata, whereas we can only desire this, but not attain it?
What pious acts did these residents perform? Or spontaneously, without their doing anything, the Lord was pleased with them, by which they get birth in the area (ajire) of Bhārata? It is not possible that they get such fortune just by pious acts. But we see sinful people taking birth there also. That birth is suitable for service to Mukunda. It is good fortune because (hi) we desire it and cannot attain that birth.
What is the use of our performing difficult sacrifices, vows of austerity and acts of charity on earth, or attaining transient residence in heaven, where there is no remembrance of the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa or where the memory is carried away by excessive enjoyment of the senses?
But if you attain birth in Bhārata, by performing your rituals you will again enjoy the happiness of heaven. No, such a birth is useless. Those activities are useless. Attainment of heaven is useless. That happiness is useless. That is expressed in this verse. What is the use of attaining Svarga (dyujayena)? There is no good result there. Why? In Svarga there is remembrance of the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa, but remembrance is carried away by excessive enjoyment of the senses.
A moments stay in Bhārata is better than living for a kalpa on Brahmaloka, since on Brahmaloka one must take birth again. Those who fix their minds on the Lord in Bhārata in a body subject to death, on giving up all pious and impious acts, attain Vaikuṇṭha.
Bhārata is more attractive than even Brahmaloka. A moments residence in Bhārata is better than a life time of two parārdhas on Brahmaloka, because on Brahmaloka one is again reborn. Living so long in that place makes one take birth again. Those who have fixed their minds on the lotus feet of the Lord (manasvinaḥ) for a moment in a body subject to death (martyena) in Bhārata, placing their feet on the top of Brahmaloka, attain Vaikuṇṭha (abhayam padam), giving up all pious and sinful acts (kṛtam).
Even Brahmaloka should not be accepted as a residence if there are no rivers of sweet topics about the Lord, no devotees who take shelter of those topics, and no great festivals or sacrifices of chanting the name of the Lord.
The intelligent person concludes as follows. There should be rivers (āpagāḥ) of nectar of the Lords topics. The topics should be plentiful and tasty like rivers, not flowing meagerly like topics of the jñānīs and yogīs. There should be persons who depend on the Lord (bhāgavatāḥ), who take shelter of those rivers of topics (tad-āśrayāḥ) and not persons who depend on Paramātmā, who depend very little on those topics to gain their jñāna and siddhis. There should sacrifices dedicated to the Lord of sacrifices. Among all the different types of sacrifices belonging to sages like Āḍgirasa and Brhaspatisava, there are the sacrifices belonging to the Lord (īśa-makhāḥ). These are saḍkīrtaṇa sacrifices. The proof is yajñaiḥ saḍkīrtanaprāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ: in Kali-yuga the intelligent people worship the Lord by chanting. (SB 11.5.32) There should be great festivals with abundant chanting, singing, dancing, instrumental music, and worship of devotees. If these items are not present, even the planet of Brahmā should not be accepted as a shelter.
Those who attain birth as humans in Bhārata, who are fully endowed with proper sense devatās, senses, and sense objects, but who do not endeavor for bhakti-yoga are again bound up, like birds trapped by a hunter.
Those who attain this Bhārata, and do not utilize it properly, are most lamentable, like a farmer, who, on attaining a cintāmaṇi stone, continues to farm. Human life in Bhārata is fully endowed with (sambhṛtām) adhidaiva (jñāna), adhyātma (kriyā) and adhibhūta (dravya).3 This means the human is endowed with all the senses, so that it is possible to hear and chant the holy name. Apunar-bhāvaya means bhakti-yogāya. Those who do not strive for bhakti-yoga are like birds. Though the birds are freed by the hunter, if they are again inattentive in the tree and play about, they get caught again.
The Lord is one only, but called by different names. Though complete in himself, he is the master of blessings, and thus he happily accepts the pure offering of sacrifice along with materials, methods and mantras which are offered to various devatās¸ because of the bhakti.
Gītā says ekatvena pṛthaktvena bahudhā viśvato mukham: they worship me in many different forms, and worship me as the universe in many ways. (BG 9.15) Those who worship the universal form thinking of that form as a power of the Lord are also fortunate. That is explained in this verse. In sacrifice, the Lord, though complete in himself, accepts the pure (iṣṭam) sacrificial materials (haviḥ) with methods, mantras and materials, offered (niruptam) with allotted portions while saying Indrāya svāhā, agnaye svāhā since he is the master of blessings. He accepts because of bhakti. Though one, he is called by separate names such as Indra.
The Lord certainly gives desired objects to devotees who request them, but he does not give those objects in such a way that the devotee will ask again after finishing his enjoyment. In other words, he gives his lotus feet, which include all desirables, to those worshippers who do not even desire them.
The practitioner of pure bhakti, even if he has desires, becomes successful. He becomes equal to the niṣkāma-bhakta. Being requested by worshippers (nṛṇām) for desired objects (arthitam), the Lord gives those objects. He does not give the object (na arthadaḥ) in such a way that object is again requested, after enjoyment. What does this mean? He gives himself to those who do not desire his lotus feet, such as Dhruva. By mercy he gives his lotus feet, which include all desires (icchāpidhānam). Or another meaning is He forcibly (svayam) gives his feet, which destroy all other desires. Just as a father gives the child sugar candy though the child does not want it, and that way makes the child give up eating dirt, so the Lord gives the devotee his lotus feet, and that way the devotee gives up material endeavors. Therefore one should worship the Lord without a mixture of jñāna or karma. Tivreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣām param. (SB 2.3.10) However, the attainment of the lotus feet of the Lord by niṣkāma or sakāma bhaktas should not be considered the same in all ways. That which is pure by nature and that which is purified by force do not have the same value. Thus the excellence of Hanumān is greater than that of Dhruva.
If we have pious credits remaining from performing sacrifices, chanting the Vedas, or performing charitable acts, may those credits give us birth with remembrance of the Lord in Bhārata, since the Lord distributes happiness to his devotees.
Therefore the devatās pray. If there exists any remaining good results after enjoying the happiness of Svarga arising from properly performed sacrifices, by that pious result let us have birth with eager remembrance of the Lord in Bhārata (ajanābhe), where, having attained association of the devotees, we will worship the Lord, since the Lord gives happiness to the devotees.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King! In the opinion of some learned scholars, eight smaller islands surround Jambūdvīpa. When the sons of Mahārāja Sagara were searching all over the world for their lost horse, they created eight islands by digging the earth. The names of these islands are Svarṇaprastha, Candraśukla, Āvartana, Ramaṇaka, Mandara-hariṇa, Pāñcajanya, Siṁhala and Laḍkā.
O best of the descendants of Bharata Mahārāja! I have thus described to you, just as I have been taught, the divisions of varṣas in Jambūdvīpa.
Thus ends the commentary on the Nineteenth Chapter of the Fifth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Nineteenth Chapter describes the form of Rāma in Kimpuruṣa-varṣa and Nārāyaṇa in Bhārata-varṣa, and the excellence of Bhārata-varṣa.