33 verses
The King said: Hearing the statements of his servants who were obstructed by the order bearers of Viṣṇu, who controls the world, what did Yamarāja, whose orders were thwarted, say to his servants?
O sage! Previously it has not been heard from anyone that the punishment of Yama can be avoided. I have concluded that, other than you, no one can eradicate this doubt.
O sage! From no one (kutaścana) has it been heard previously. Etat should be enam.
Śukadeva said: O King! Their efforts thwarted by the servants of the Lord, the servants of Yama informed their master, the lord of Saṁyamanī.
The servants of Yama said: O master! How many controllers of the jīvas are there in this world, who are causes of manifesting results for action for the jīvas performing action in the three guṇas?
Though we defeat all others in the world, we have suffered defeat from the four persons with four arms. After punishing them, we will then bring Ajāmila to hell. If we cannot do so, we are servants of a fire fly. After this, we can no longer serve. Thinking in this way internally, with choked syllables, they then challenged Yamarāja. Traividyam means three types.
If there are many controllers who will carry out the punishment, then who will award results for sin and piety and who will not?
If there are many controllers, what is the problem? There are two results for action: hell (mṛtyuḥ) and heaven (amṛtam). Among all the rulers who desire to give these two results, which one will award these results? If there is disagreement, then no one will award results (since opposite results must be awarded). If somehow there is agreement, there will be no question of who awards the results, but all will award results since they are all in agreement. But then again there is a problem (since the award cannot be given many times).
For managing many people performing actions, there may be many rulers. However, their sense of control is metaphorical, like the control of district leaders in comparison to the control of a king.
Let there be many rules for handling many people performing actions. There is no fault in that. Among all the controllers their sense of being the chief controller is metaphorical. For example the controlling power of the regional leaders (maṇòala-vartinām) is metaphorical, since they do not have independence.
You are the one controller and punisher of all living beings including the devatās. You alone decide the happiness and distress of all humans.
But now the punishment ordained by you no longer exists in this world. Your order has been thwarted by four astonishing, perfect beings.
Vipralambhitā means cheated or thwarted.
Those persons forcibly cut the knots of the ropes and freed the sinful person we were bringing to hell in pursuance of your order.
This verse explains how it happened. If you, the controller, can bring those four persons here and punish them, then our fire of grief will be extinguished.
If you think it beneficial for us, we would like to know about these persons. When Ajāmila cried out Nārāyaṇa they quickly came and said Do not fear.
They have gone back to the abode of their master. Who can bring them so I can punish them? We want to know about them from you, since you have great knowledge. Whose servants are they? Where do they reside? We will bring them here. If you think it beneficial then tell us. Otherwise, we will die, not being able to tolerate defeat. Please tell me what they did, so I can understand who they are. They were very bold! They said to that sinful person Do not fear. How improper this is!
Thus being questioned, Yamarāja, the controller of the living entities, was very pleased and replied to his order carriers while remembering the lotus feet of the Lord.
Just by hearing the name of Nārāyaṇa from his servants he was pleased and began to remember the Lord.
Yamarāja said: There is a Lord of all moving and non-moving beings superior to me, whose portions create, maintain and destroy this universe, in whom this universe exists like cloth with interwoven threads, and by whom all people are controlled like oxen tied by the nose.
You are great offenders! What nonsense you are speaking! Hear the truth. There is a controller superior to me, though you think I am the controller. He is superior to all the devatās as well. I am the lord only of those who moving beings who commit sin. But I am his servant. He is the Lord of all of us. Who is he? Within him exists the universe, like a cloth with threads woven lengthwise and crosswise. From his expansions, Viṣṇu, Śiva and Brahmā, arise creation, maintenance and destruction. All exist under his control like a bull with a rope in his nose.
As one ties up bulls by a rope, the Lord binds people to the words of the Vedas emanating from himself. All the people, bound by the chains of names and actions, offer tribute to the Lord in fear.
This verse elaborates. Vaci refers to the Vedas. All people are bound by the chains of names such as brāhmaṇa and actions such as sacrifice.
anye ca ye viśva-sṛjo 'mareśā bhṛgv-ādayo 'spṛṣṭa-rajas-tamaskāḥ yasyehitaṁ na viduḥ spṛṣṭa-māyāḥ sattva-pradhānā api kiṁ tato 'nye
I, Yamarāja, Indra, Nirṛti, Varuṇa, Candra, Agni, Lord Śiva, Vāyu, Lord Brahmā, Sūrya, the Viśvadevas, the eight Vasus, the Sādhyas, the Maruts, the Rudras, the Siddhas, Marīci and the other great sages engaged in maintaining the affairs of the universe, as well as the best of the devatās headed by Bṛhaspati, and the great sages headed by Bhṛgu, all certainly freed from the influence of passion and ignorance, though situated in the mode of goodness, cannot understand the activities of the Supreme Lord, since we are touched by māyā. What, then, is to be said of others?
The Lord is not only superior to me, but he is superior to everyone including Brahmā. Though we know everything, we do not know when or what the Lord will do. Īhitam means what he wants to do. Thus it is said:
na hy asya karhicid rājan pumān veda vidhitsitam |
yad vijijñāsayā yuktā muhyanti kavayopi hi ||
O King! No one can understand the plan of Kṛṣṇa because even those engaged in reasoning and scripture are bewildered by that inquiry. SB 1.9.16
Though we are not influenced by rajas and tamas we are touched by sattva, which is also māyā.
As forms cannot know the eye, the living entities cannot know the Supreme Lord, who is situated as the Supersoul in everyone's heart, by the knowledge senses, by the mind, by the action senses, by consciousness without thought, or by words.
We cannot know him because he is beyond sense perception. Gobhiḥ means the knowledge senses, manasā means by thoughts, asubhiḥ means by the action senses. Hṛdā means by consciousness without thought (nirvikalpa). One does not know him by these means. He is the one soul situated in all souls. Similarly forms (ākṛtayaḥ) cannot know the eye. The revealer is superior to the forms (ākrṭayaḥ) it reveals.
The very attractive servants of the independent Supreme Lord, the supreme soul, the master of material energy, having natures, qualities and forms similar to the Lords, move about this world.
Let the Supreme Lord be. We will not ask about him. Who are those persons who scolded us and protected the sinner? Prāyena mahoharāḥ means very attractive. This implies that the servants of Yama are not attractive.
The order carriers of Lord Viṣṇu, worshiped even by the devatās, possessing wonderful bodily feature, but very rarely seen, protect the devotees of the Lord on earth from the hands of enemies and from me, as well as from natural disturbances.
O fools! They are worshipped even by the devatās. You are not worshipped by anyone and you have offended them. They protect the devotees from me. How low I am!
The great sages, the devatās, the chief Siddhas, the demons and humans, what to speak of Vidyādharas and Cāraṇas, cannot ascertain dharma established by the Lord.
If they protect the devotees, why are they favoring adharma? How can fools like you understand the truth about dharma? Even great sages cannot understand.
dvādaśaite vijānīmo dharmaṁ bhāgavataṁ bhaṭāḥ guhyaṁ viśuddhaṁ durbodhaṁ yaṁ jñātvāmṛtam aśnute
My dear servants! Lord Brahmā, Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila, Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know bhāgavata-dharma, which is confidential, pure, and difficult to comprehend. Knowing this, one attains immortality.
If no one knows dharma, then what is the proof of its existence? We know dharma but have not clearly indicated this in the smṛti-śāstras we have written. Why? It is secret. Because of being the supreme truth, it is established, but in a covered way. It is explained in the ninth chapter of Gītā and later with sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaṁ śṛṇu me: hear from me the most secret knowledge. (BG 18.64) This dharma is beyond the guṇas (viśuddham). It is difficult to understand because it is not to be mentioned in the smṛti-śāstras dealing with the guṇas and because it is difficult to understand by a mind contaminated with the faults like interpreting the meaning (arthavāda), committed by people following karma.
Pure bhakti to the Supreme Lord, beginning with the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is the real dharma, the supreme object for the human living in this world.
Then you should teach us that dharma and deliver us servants! In spite of many varieties of dharma existing, bhakti is actually the real dharma (etāvān). The word paraḥ is here a noun meaning the highest thing. This bhakti-yoga excludes bhakti mixed with the guṇas, such as offering karmas. This is the abhidheya-tattva of the Bhāgavatam. It has been said dharmaḥ projhita-kaitavo tra paramaḥ: the highest dharma rejects cheating dharma. (SB 1.1.2) Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ: bhakti-yoga is the supreme dharma for humanity. (SB 1.2.6)
O sons! See the glories of chanting the name of the Lord, by which even Ajāmila was freed from the ropes of death.
One does not have to search for proof. We have a direct example.
The attentive chanting of the names, pastimes and qualities of the Lord destroys the sins of man. But even attentive chanting is not necessary. Sinful Ajāmila, crying out for his son, uttered Nārāyaṇa while dying and still attained liberation.
How can chanting only once nāmābhāsa destroy all sins? Now you are saying tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ. This means that by chanting, hearing and other processes of bhakti, all sins are destroyed and a person attains liberation, not just chanting once. Chanting intently (sankīrtaṇam) the names and qualities of the Lord destroys sins of man. The word alam indicates that even this is not necessary. If one chants only one among all the Lords names, and not perfectly, all sins are still destroyed, because Ajāmila cried out, not perfectly chanting, and he called for his son named Nārāyaṇa, not to the Lord. He was sinful, not pure. He was an infamous sinner, not just some śūdra sinner. He chanted while suffering the pains of death, not with controlled mind. And he attained liberation, not just destruction of sins. This is the meaning of tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ.
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ dhyānaṁ harer adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ
janma-karma-guṇānāṁ ca tad-arthe 'khila-ceṣṭitam
One should always chant and hear about the extraordinarily wonderful activities of the Lord, one should meditate upon these activities, and one should endeavor to please the Lord. SB 11.3.27
tasmāt saḍkīrtanaṁ viṣṇor jagan-maḍgalam aṁhasām
mahatām api kauravya viddhy aikāntika-niṣkṛtam
O descendent of the Kurus! Please understand that intense chanting the Lords name, auspicious for the universe, is the ultimate atonement for the greatest sins.
SB 6.3.31
anudinam idam ādareṇa śṛṇvan
pṛthu-caritaṁ prathayan vimukta-saḍgaḥ
bhagavati bhava-sindhu-pota-pāde
sa ca nipuṇāṁ labhate ratiṁ manuṣyaḥ
Whoever, with great reverence and adoration, regularly reads, chants and describes the history of Mahārāja Pṛthu's activities will certainly increase unflinching faith and attraction for the lotus feet of the Lord. The Lord's lotus feet are the boat by which one can cross the ocean of nescience. SB 4.23.39
These statements show that in many aḍgas of bhakti one should have complete faith. This is stated to increase the prema in those who have no offenses, and to destroy the offenses of those who have offenses.
evaṁ dharmair manuṣyāṇām uddhavātma-nivedinām
mayi sañjāyate bhaktiḥ ko 'nyo 'rtho 'syāvaśiṣyate
These constitute actual religious principles, by which those human beings who have actually surrendered themselves to me automatically develop love for me. What other purpose or goal could remain for my devotee? SB 11.19.24
In the last verse bhaktiḥ means prema. By saying what other purpose he excludes liberation.
nāmāparādha-yuktānāṁ nāmāny eva haranty agham
aviśrānti prayuktāni tāny evārthakarāṇi ca
The names of the Lord destroy the sin of those who have committed offenses to the name. By tireless chanting of the names prema will appear.
pāpakṣayaś ca bhavati smaratān tam ahar-niśam
One can become free from all sinful reactions and attain prema, simply by remembering the lotus feet of the Lord day and night.
The word ca in the above quote means prema as well as destruction of sin. This story shows that by chanting nāmābhāsa once, one attains destruction of sin, the desire for sin, and the root of desireignorance, as well as attains sāyujya, sālokya and other types of liberation.
Other persons, bewildered in intelligence by very powerful māyā, having material intelligence, engaging in great rituals with elaborate arrangements mentioned in the Vedas with flowery language, generally do not know this dharma.
Why is it that the learned do not generally teach the best of all dharmas, which easily gives liberation--worshipping the Lord by chanting his name? Rather they teach and perform karma-yoga. Great persons like Jaimini do not know. How is it that writers of scripture do not know? The powerful and learned are bewildered by powerful māyā, what to speak of the fools being bewildered. Their intelligence is without discrimination, because of absorption in the three Vedas, which produce flowers of exaggerated results which are very sweet. Therefore they become involved in great sacrifices like darśa-pauṇamāsa with great effort, with elaborate materials, mantras and performance (vaikānike). There is no chanting of the name, which is easily done.
Considering in this way, the intelligent people accept bhakti-yoga to the infinite Lord with their whole mind. They cannot be punished by me. If they happen to commit sin, chanting the Lords name destroys that sin.
Brahmā has said:
athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan
My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of your personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know you, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years. SB 10.14.29
Thus, the knowers of scripture do not know the truth about the Lord, but those who do not know scripture, by obtaining the mercy of the Lord and becoming purified in intelligence, developing discrimination, worship the Lord. Such persons worship the Lord with all their minds (sarvaṭmanā), not for the purpose of performing daily or occasional rites, not even occupying one part of his mind with these ideas. They are not to be punished for avoiding performance of daily or occasional rites of karma-yoga. If by accident they commit some forbidden act, kīrtana (vādaḥ) destroys the sin.
Do not approach those who have surrendered to the Lord, who see everything equally, who have proper conduct and who are praised with pure narrations by the devatās and Siddhas, since they are protected by the club of the Lord. We, including Brahmā and time, do not have the power to punish them.
Whatever you have done up to this time can be left as it is by good fortune. From now on, please listen to what I instruct. Gāthāḥ means narrations. Their pure narrations are recited by the devatās. They see equally the happiness and suffering of themselves and others. They are protected by the club of the Lord. I think the servants of Viṣṇu have forgiven you for your one offense today. But if you again approach the devotees, then you will be crushed by the club of the Lord situated in their hands. We, including even Brahmā and time (vayaḥ), the controller of Brahmā, cannot punish them.
Bring to me the non-devotees, thirsty for household life, the path to hell, who are opposed to the taste of honey from the lotus feet of Mukunda which are served by the devotees detached from material life who are practicing pure bhakti.
What type of people should we bring to you? Bring the non-devotees. They are described. They are averse to the taste of honey from the lotus feet of the lord, and the method to attain it, bhakti-yoga. These persons do not practice bhakti-yoga. Because they are opposed to bhakti, they have no desire for the taste of the Lordṣ sweetness. What is that taste? It is served by persons with devotion as the principle means, pure bhakti (niṣkñcanaiḥ). The non-devotees are greedy for householder life, which leads them to hell.
Bring to me the non-devotees who have never served Viṣṇu, whose heads have never once bowed to Kṛṣṇa, whose tongues have never pronounced the name and qualities of the Lord, whose minds have never remembered his lotus feet.
Those are called sat, or devotee, who have even once chanted the name of the Lord or remembered him. Bring persons other than those. Bring those who have not chanted once the name, and even if their tongues are not active, bring those whose minds have not once remembered the Lord. If their minds are disturbed, then at least bring those who have not once bowed their heads to the Lord. The word once should be understood for all the statements. Bring those who have not done any service to Viṣṇu, either purely or at least as the predominant process. These are non-vaiṣṇavas. Once can be interpreted as once in a lifetime, once in a year or once in a day according to different opinions.
May Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord, the most ancient person, along with his servants, forgive me and my servants who are ignorant and who are folding our hands in humility, for improper treatment of the devotees. Forgiveness is befitting of the greatest person. I offer respects to the great Lord.
According to the reasoning punish the master for the offense of the servant1 Yamarāja considers his servants offense to be his own and humbly offers respects to the Lord. Therefore (tat) may the Lord forgive me along with me followers who are very bad persons (su apuruṣaiḥ) for acting improperly (asat-kṛtam). Ah! Out of ignorance they have done this. They are folding their hands now. But one forgives only those who cannot be punished. No, forgiveness is the quality of the greatest person. Another version has svānāṁ mahaḥ: my servants did not know the greatness of Viṣṇus servants.
O descendent of the Kurus! Please understand that intense chanting the Lords name, auspicious for the universe, is the ultimate atonement for the greatest sins.
On the evidence of the statements of Yama and Viṣṇus servants, a small amount of chanting destroys all sins. Then how much more can be accomplished by intense chanting (saḍkīrtaṇam)? Śukadeva speaks this verse.
One who constantly hears and chants about the activities of the Lord, which can destroy sin, purifies his soul by that bhakti. One cannot achieve such purification merely by observing vows and performing Vedic ritualistic ceremonies.
Even for devotees how chant with offense, bhakti becomes perfect. It is said:
nāmāparādha-yuktānāṁ nāmāny eva haranty agham
aviśrānti-prayuktāni tāny evārtha-karāṇi ca
Even those who chant with offense destroy their sins. By continuous chanting they attain prema. In that state of bhakti the jīva becomes purified, what to speak of the mind. Though bhakti purified the jīva from the contamination of ignorance, atonements cannot achieve this result. Though by vows and atonements performed by the karmīs there is destruction of sinful reactions, the seed of sin, desire is not destroyed. The mind becomes only a little purified at that time. O King! It is true when you said Atonement is like an elephant taking a bath. The devotees destroy the root of sin by bhakti. They do not go to hell but attain the Lord. The karmīs however under the control of sinful and pious results go to hell and heaven again and again. This truth is indicated by this story.
The person who licks the honey from the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa does not again enjoy the rejected material objects which bring distress. Any other person however, defeated by lust, performs atonement to purify the sin in the heart. From that atonement again contamination appears.
Devotees with or without offense should perform only bhakti, and not atonements. Those who have no faith in bhakti, the smārtas, arthavādis, and those subject to false arguments and harsh opinions, perform atonements and not chanting the Lords name. The bee which licks the honey from the lotus feet of the Lord is not attached to the food of men or cows (grass etc.) even if dying of hunger. Similarly the devotee does not enjoy material objects which he has rejected, though he enjoyed them in his previous condition, since he is situated in bhakti. This meaning is derived from the use of the verb ram: to enjoy. Though the kaniṣṭha-bhaktas engage in material actions, they do not enjoy them:
tato bhajeta māṁ prītaḥ śraddhālur dṛòha-niścayaḥ
juṣamāṇaś ca tān kāmān duḥkhodarkāṁś ca garhayan
My devotee should remain happy and worship me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, my devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activities. SB 11.20.28
The smārta however performs atonements (karma) to purify his sin (rajaḥ). And again he commits sin like an elephant which has taken a bath sprinkling itself with dust again. This is because of committing offenses to the name.
O King! Remembering the extraordinary glories of the Lord told by their master, the hesitant Yamadūtas, struck with wonder, do not approach the devotees and fear even seeing them from that time.
To the phrase naivācyutāśraya-janaṁ the verb gacchanti should be added: they do not approach the devotees. Another version has tena acyutāśraya-janam: they became astonished by hearing the glories of the Lord, and fear even seeing his devotees.
The sage Agastya, the son of Kumbha, residing in the Malaya Hills and worshiping the Lord, spoke this confidential story to me.
Kumbha-sambhavaḥ means the sage Agastya. Living on Malaya Mountain indicates he was undisturbed. Worshipping the Lord means he touched the Lords feet again and again to show his faith. This is Śrīdhara Svāmīs explanation.
Thus ends the commentary on the Third Chapter of the Sixth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Third Chapter, the servants of Yama relate to Yama how the servants of Viṣṇu disrespected him, and Yama teaches them the astonishing power of bhakti. Though Yama was disrespected by the servants of Viṣṇu and his own servants, he did not become angry but rather repented that he had not taught his servants about Viṣṇu. The Third Chapter confirms the statements of the servants of Viṣṇu through the mouth of Yamarāja. It was mentioned in the last chapter that the servants of Yama told their master what had happened. (SB 6.2.21) Yamarāja asked and they replied. Parīkṣit then asks about this. The servants of Yama were obstructed by the order bearers of Viṣṇu. Thus Yamas order was thwarted.