64 verses
Nārada said: Then the boy heard the benedictions offered by Nṛsiṁhadeva he considered them impediments on the path of devotional service. Thus he smiled and spoke as follows.
Please do not tempt me, attached by my inborn nature to material enjoyment, by offering these benedictions. Detached from material life, fearing association with those desires, and desiring freedom from material desire, I have taken shelter of you.
By my nature (utpattyā) I am attached. Do not lure me by offering benedictions. Fearing association with desires, I desire liberation from those desires.
Curious about the symptoms of your devotee, you have sent me into a world of enjoyment, the seed of saṁsāra, which creates the knot in the heart.
Do I actually tempt my devotees? No. You simply show the world the highest steadiness of your devotee. Your intention is to show the quality of your devotee when you say to him Why do you not accept the benedictions I offer? O Lord (most capable)! Since you are omniscient, you do not need to know anything and you cannot be curious. Rather you are making everyone else know.
O guru of the world! Being merciful, it could not be otherwise. The person who desires benedictions is not your devotee. He is a merchant.
O guru of the whole world! You teach for everyones benefit, including that of Brahmā, Śiva and others. Tell me the qualities of the devotee. I will tell you the qualities of the master and the servant. Te stands for tvattaḥ, from you. He who desires from you is a merchant. Giving you a leaf, flower or food, he wants to have the wealth of Brahmā or Indra, or become the possessor of elephants, horses and chariots.
He who desires benefit for himself from the master is not a servant. The person who, desiring to maintain his position as master, gives benedictions to the servant, is not a real master.
This supports the meaning of the previous verse. He who, desiring power from having servants, gives to the servant, is not a master.
I am your servant, not desiring benefits, and you are my master, without dependence on service. Our relationship should not be anything else--such as that of a material king and servant.
Our real relationship is master and servant. You not take shelter of power which is dependent on servants. Our relationship should not be anything else. Though the relationship of master and servant with desires is well known in the material world, it is impure. Our relationship should not be like that. Material relationships are criticized.
O best of the givers of benediction! If you at all want to bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from you that within my heart material desires will never grow.
Please accept something to please me. I ask for the benediction that desires will not arise in my heart.
By the appearance of desire, the functions of one's senses, mind, life, body, dharma, determination, intelligence, shyness, wealth, strength, memory and truthfulness are destroyed.
By the appearance of desire (yasya), the senses are vanquished. This means that the senses go astray, and cannot experience your sweetness.
O lotus-eyed Lord! When a human being gives up all desires for a sthāyi-bhāva with you in his mind, he becomes eligible for merging into you.
If you do not desire benedictions, then why do you desire service to me, saying that you want to be my servant. (SB 7.9.17) When a person is extremely free of all desires situated in the mindis free from the sthāyi-bhāvas of dāsya, sakhya etc., then he is qualified for sāyujya (bhagavattvāya). I do not desire merging.
tuṣṭe ca tatra kim alabhyam ananta ādye
kiṁ tair guṇa-vyatikarād iha ye sva-siddhāḥ
dharmādayaḥ kim aguṇena ca kāḍkṣitena
sāraṁ juṣāṁ caraṇayor upagāyatāṁ naḥ
What is not attained if the unlimited original Lord is satisfied? Since we glorify and relish the lotus feet of the Lord, what is the need of dharma, artha and kāma which are achieved automatically by the transformations of the guṇas? What is the need of liberation? SB 7.6.25
Thus I ask for the spiritual benediction of being your servant in dāsya-rasa. Śrīdhara Svāmī says bhagavattvāya means having the same powers as the Lord.
I offer respects to the Lord, full of six qualities, the puruṣa, the great soul, the killer of all miseries, the wonderful lion and man, who is Brahman and Paramātmā.
Merging with me is revered by the sages who are ātmārāma. Why do you, just a little demon boy, criticize it? Thinking himself defeated by these words of the Lord, Prahlāda offers respects.
The Lord said: O Prahlāda! A devotee like you never desires any kind of material benedictions, either in this life or in the next. Nonetheless, I order you to enjoy the luxuries of the demons until the end of the Manvantara.
Not only you, but all my devotees have this nature. I will give this for only this Manvantara, not longer. Do not be angry.
Continuously hearing topics about me and always being absorbed in me in your mind, worship me, the Lord of sacrifice, situated in all beings, by bhakti-yoga, while giving up karma-yoga.
Because of what offense are you throwing me in the hole of material life? Worship me, the Lord of sacrifices, by bhakti-yoga. By this, all sacrifices will be performed without doing horse sacrifices. Give up all karmas, Vedic and secular, since the person qualified for bhakti should not do karmas.
Having given up piety by enjoyment and sin by pious actions, and having giving up the previous body by the passing of time, having spread your pure glory praised even in Svarga, and being already free of bondage, you will come to me.
Do not be afraid of bondage by karma by enjoyment. In your previous birth all karmas were destroyed. By experience of enjoyment, the prārabdha puṇyas will be exhausted. By pious acts, prārabdha sins will be exhausted. Giving up your previous body, you attain me now. You are already liberated from bondage in this life. You are jīvanmukta. It should be understood that Prahlāda, like Nārada and others, was partly sādhana-siddha and partly nitya-siddha.
And the person who always remembers your activities and my activities, and who chants the prayers you have offered to please me, becomes free from the bondage of karma in due course of time.
Not only you are free of bondage, but others who remember you become free of bondage as well. Please listen. Mahyaṁ tvayā gītam means the song you sung to please me.
viddhāmarṣāśayaḥ sākṣāt sarva-loka-guruṁ prabhum bhrātṛ-heti mṛṣā-dṛṣṭis tvad-bhakte mayi cāghavān
tasmāt pitā me pūyeta
durantād dustarād aghāt
pūtas te 'pāḍga-saṁdṛṣṭas
tadā kṛpaṇa-vatsala
O bestower of blessings! O great Lord! Please grant this boon. My father, his heart filled with anger, out of ignorance of your power and glory, thinking that you killed his brother, criticized you, the guru of all the planets. He thus committed violence to me. May my father be purified! O Lord, affectionate to the wretched! He has been purified of his great sins, difficult to remove by your glance.
Previously I prayed at your lotus feet for the deliverance of all people suffering in this world. Now, if you have given such good fortune to me, then I pray also that you free one great sinner. This is expressed in three verses. My fathers heart was contaminated with anger (viddhāmarṣāśayaḥ). Even if he is already purified by your glance, I pray out of humility to hear words of mercy from your mouth.
The Lord said: O sinless Prahlāda! Your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. As a devotee, you purify the family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified.
What to speak of your father being purified in this life, twenty-one generations of his ancestors have been purified. How do you purify the forefathers? You, the devotee, have purified the fathers and mothers lineage.
Peaceful, equipoised devotees who are well behaved and decorated with all good qualities purify even their place of residence, even if it is condemned.
What to speak of purifying a family, my devotees purify the place in which they live. Pūyanti means are purified.
bhavanti puruṣā loke mad-bhaktās tvām anuvratāḥ bhavān me khalu bhaktānāṁ sarveṣāṁ pratirūpa-dhṛk
King of the demons! Having given up all material desires because of love for me, the devotees do not commit violence to any living entity, whether high or low.
Those who follow your example will naturally become my devotees. You are the best example for all of my devotee.
The greatness of those devotees is not astonishing to me. But I am not like that. Those men who follow you become my devotees. How? Having given up all desires by prema for me (mad-bhāva), they come completely (sarvātmanā) non-violent. Why can your glory not be expressed? You are a model for all the devotees, an example, since you are the best.
My dear child! Perform the funeral rites for your father, already purified completely by the touch of my body. Having the best son, he will achieve the best planets.
Since your father has been purified by the touch of my body, do not fear for his sins. But do the funeral rites simply for maintaining custom.
O son! Take charge of your father's kingdom as directed by the brāhmaṇas. Fixing your mind upon me, dedicated to me, perform your duties.
Though you as my devotee are not supposed to do karmas, by my order do karmas to maintain the custom, but be dedicated to me, without faith in those karmas (mat-paraḥ). By thinking of me, even if you do not do the karmas, they are performed. So do not worry.
Nārada said: Thus, as the Lord ordered, Prahlāda performed the death rites for his father. O King Yudhiṣṭhira! He was then by the brāhmaṇas.
Nārada said: Surrounded by the devatās, Brahmā, seeing the joyful face of Narasiṁha, praising the Lord, began speaking with pure words.
Brahmā said: O Supreme Lord of all lords! Proprietor of the entire universe! O Lord, born previous to the creators of all living entities! By good fortune you have now killed this sinful demon, who was giving trouble to the entire universe.
Bhūta-bhāvana-pūrvaja means the Lord who existed previous to the creators of the living entities such as Brahmā and Marīci.
This demon received from me the benediction that he would not be killed by any living being within my creation. Proud of his austerity, powers of yoga and strength, he destroyed the system set up by Vedas.
By great fortune, his great devotee son, a mere child, has now been released from death. By good fortune, now he has met you.
O Lord! You are the protector from all fear and destructive death for the person who meditates upon the form of Paramātmā.
You are the protector (goptṛ) from death (mṛtyoḥ).
The Lord said: O powerful Brahmā born from the lotus! Just as it is dangerous to feed milk to a snake, so it is dangerous to give benedictions to demons, who are by nature cruel. Do not give them such benediction in the future.
Nārada said: O King Yudhiṣṭhira! The Supreme Lord, who is normally invisible to all beings, after speaking in this way and being worshiped by Brahmā, disappeared from that place.
Prahlāda, a portion of the Lord, then worshiped the Prajāpatis, Brahmā, and Śiva, and bowed down with his head.
Thereafter, along with Śukrācārya and other great saints, Brahmā made Prahlāda the king of all the Daityas and Dānavas.
O King Yudhiṣṭhira! After all the devatās headed by Lord Brahmā were properly worshiped by Prahlāda Mahārāja, thanking him, they offered Prahlāda their highest benedictions and returned to their respective abodes.
Thus the two associates of Lord Viṣṇu who had become the sons of Diti, thinking of the Lord as their enemy, were killed by the Lord who was situated in their hearts.
The question had been asked how it was possible for Śiśupāla and Dantavakra to attain sāyujya. Thus the story of their previous birth was told. Now the story is concluded.
Being cursed by the Kumāras, the same two associates took birth again as the Rākṣasas Kumbhakarṇa and the ten-headed Rāvaṇa, and were killed by Lord Rāmacandra's prowess.
Pierced by the arrows of Lord Rāmacandra, both Kumbhakarṇa and Rāvaṇa lay on the ground and left their bodies, thinking of Rāma, just as they had in their previous births as Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu.
They again took birth again in human society as Śiśupāla and Dantavakra with enmity toward the Lord. They merged into the body of the Lord in your presence.
Many other kings who acted as enemies of Kṛṣṇa destroyed their previously committed sins while taking a spiritual body at the time of death, just as worms captured by a wasp obtain the same type of body as the wasp by meditation on it.
Enaḥ means offense, such as criticizing Kṛṣṇa. They, by thinking of the Lord and absorbing their minds in the Lord, destroyed the sins previously committed. An example of absorption is given. A worm by meditation on a wasp becomes a wasp.
Just as, devotees receive bodies similar to the Lords form by bhakti, which is higher that other processes, Śiśupāla, Dantavakra and other kings, by thinking of Kṛṣṇa, also achieved the same result.
Just as by bhakti, devotees with a mixture of jñāna,1 by thinking of non-difference (abhidā), attained similar bodies as the Lord, so Śiśupāla and others by thinking of the Lord, attained the Lord. What type of bhakti was it? It was the highest (paramayā), higher than jñāna and vairāgya. Later it will also be said that these enemies finally attained the Lord:
nibhṛta-marun-mano-'kṣa-dṛòha-yoga-yujo hṛdi yan
munaya upāsate tad arayo 'pi yayuḥ smaraṇāt
striya uragendra-bhoga-bhuja-daṇòa-viṣakta-dhiyo
vayam api te samāḥ sama-dṛśo 'ḍghri-saroja-sudhāḥ
Simply by constantly thinking of him, the enemies of the Lord attained the same Supreme Truth whom sages fixed in yoga worship by controlling their breath, mind and senses. Similarly, we śrutis, who generally see you as all-pervading, will achieve the same nectar from your lotus feet that your consorts are able to relish because of their loving attraction to your mighty, serpentine arms, for you look upon us and your consorts in the same way. SB 10.87.23
Everything you asked me about how Śiśupāla and others attained bodies like the Lords although they were inimical has now been explained to you by me.
This narration about the avatāras of the great soul, Kṛṣṇa, worshipped by the brāhmaṇas, which relates the story of the killing of the two demons, is purifying.
sarga-sthity-apyayeśasya guṇa-karmānuvarṇanam parāvareṣāṁ sthānānāṁ kālena vyatyayo mahān
I have explained the story of the great and exalted devotee Prahlāda, as well as bhakti, jñāna and vairāgya, and the svarūpa of the Lord, as it is. I have described the creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe and the qualities and activities of the Lord. I have described the great destruction of the various habitations of the higher and lower creatures by time.
These verses are connected with the words the story has been described in verse 41 and concludes in the next verse. Harer yathārthyam means the svarūpa of the Lord, without going beyond it. The suffix ya indicates for that subject. Creation, maintenance and destruction have also been described. The great destruction (vyatyataḥ) of the various places of the higher and lower creatures has also been described.
The path of the devotees by which the Supreme Lord is understood and also adhyātmā-jñāna have been described in this narration.
One who, after faithfully hearing, chants this narration filled with the omnipotence of Viṣṇu is certainly liberated from material bondage.
One who reads this story of Nṛsiṁha killing the king of the demons with attention, after hearing the pure love of Prahlāda, greatest of devotees, attains the planet of no fear.
You Pāṇòavas are most fortunate in this world. Sages who purify the planets come and visit your houses because the Supreme Brahman personally resides your houses in a human form.
Oh! Prahlāda was fortunate to see the Lord. But we are unfortunate! In this way Yudhiṣṭhira lamented. Nārada replied. You are more fortunate than Prahlāda, than me, his guru, than other devotees, than previous members of your dynasty like Yadu and Puru, than the sages like Vaśiṣṭha, Marīci and Kaśyapa, and than Brahmā and Śiva. You are most fortunate among all jīvas. The sages who purify the planet by showing themselves come to your house to make themselves successful (abhiyanti), because secretly, taking the human form, the Param Brahman always resides (āvasati) in your houses without your calling him, because he is attracted to you. He does not personally live in human form in the houses of Prahlāda and others. And the sages do not come to see him in order to become successful.
Kṛṣṇa definitely expands as the Brahman, the realization of bliss without qualities, which is sought by great sages. He also resides in your house as the object of affection, a friend, a cousin, as your soul, as a person worthy of worship, as a servant and as a guru.
One should not say that the Param Brahman has become the human form of Kṛṣṇa. Rather Kṛṣṇa becomes the Param Brahman. This famous human form of Kṛṣṇa (saḥ ayam) is Brahman, sought by the great saints, a realization of supreme bliss without distinctions or qualities. One should explain it as a statement of confirmation like kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. The proof is brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham: I am the basis of Brahman. (BG 14.27) The word vai indicates certainly about this. Not only does he live in your house, but he is dear: he gives you great bliss. He is a friend: he does things for your benefit. He is your cousin: his is obedient to you because of a family relationship. He is your ātmā: he thinks of you as his own body. He is worthy of worship: he protects you by his mercy. He is your servant: he places himself at your disposal as a charioteer. He is guru: he gives you good advice. He does reside in the houses of Prahlāda and others acting as a servant or guru.
The truth about Kṛṣṇa is not perceived as it actually is by Brahmā or others by their intelligence. May the Lord of the devotees, who is worshipped by vows of silence, bhakti and control of the mind, be pleased with us!
Why does the basis of Brahman act as a servant for the vision of material people like us? I, being a fool, cannot understand the truth about his great powers and his being controlled by the devotees prema, since Brahmā and others do not understand. The truth about him (rūpam) is not directly described in truth, as it is (vastutayā), by intelligence, since intelligence cannot approach him. We pray for his mercy by silence and other processes. You pray for his mercy by being servants. That is the difference between you and us.
O King Yudhiṣṭhira! Previously the Lord restored the fame of Śiva, which was ruined by the demon named Maya, who had unlimited powers.
Brahmā may not understand but Śiva definitely can understand. Actually Śivas power is given by the Supreme Lord. To explain this, another story is told.
Yudhiṣṭhira said: Please explain how the demon Maya Dānava destroyed Lord Śiva's reputation and how Kṛṣṇa restored his reputation.
Rāja refers to Yudhiṣṭhira. Explain how Maya destroyed the reputation (noun is missing) of Śiva.
Nārada said: When the demons were defeated by the devatās in battle, made powerful by Kṛṣṇa, the demons took shelter of the demon Maya, their supreme teacher.
Anena means by Kṛṣṇa.
tābhis te 'sura-senānyo lokāṁs trīn seśvarān nṛpa smaranto nāśayāṁ cakruḥ pūrva-vairam alakṣitāḥ
Powerful Maya Dānava prepared three residences made of gold, silver and iron, equipped with uncommon instruments, whose coming and going could not be seen, and gave them to the demons. O King! Because of these three dwellings, the commanders of the demons, remembering their previous enmity, without being seen, destroyed the three worlds and their leaders.
The houses coming and doing could not be seen. He made the houses and gave them to the demons.
Thereafter, the rulers of those planets approached Lord Śiva and fully surrendered unto him. They said: Dear Lord, we have been destroyed by the three abodes. Kindly save us, your followers.
Iśvaram means Śiva.
Powerful Lord Śiva, showing favor to them, said, "Do not be afraid." Fixing his arrows to his bow, he released them toward the three residences of the demons.
The arrows, the color of fire, emanating from Śiva like rays emanating from the sun, reached the abodes. Because of the arrows they could no longer be seen.
Like rays from the sun, the arrows emanated from Śiva. Because of the arrows (yataḥ) the abodes could not be seen.
Touched by those arrows, all the demoniac inhabitants of those three dwellings fell down lifeless. Then the great mystic Maya Dānava took the demons and dropped them in a well of nectar.
He put them in a well of nectar to restore their life.
When the dead bodies of the demons came in touch with the nectar, their bodies became strong like thunderbolts. Endowed with great strength, they got up like fiery lightning which penetrates the clouds.
They were like fiery lightning piercing clouds. Just as lightning derides the beauty of clouds, the warriors derided the beauty of the dark airplanes.
Seeing Lord Śiva aggrieved and disappointed, the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu found a solution for that.
Lord Brahmā became a calf and Lord Viṣṇu became a cow. At noon they entered the residences and drank all the nectar in the well.
Kale means at noon.
Though the demons saw the calf and cow, because of bewilderment, they did not stop them. Knowing this, the great mystic Maya Dānava, surprised but not lamenting, and understanding the will of fate, spoke to the demons guarding the nectar, who were lamenting.
What has been destined by fate for oneself, for others, or for both oneself and others, cannot be prevented by a devatā, a demon, a human being or anyone else.
No one is capable (īśvaraḥ) of counteracting what is decided by fate for oneself, or another, or both.
rathaṁ sūtaṁ dhvajaṁ vāhān dhanur varma-śarādi yat sannaddho ratham āsthāya śaraṁ dhanur upādade
Thereafter, Lord Kṛṣṇa, equipped Śiva with all the necessary paraphernalia, such as a chariot, a charioteer, a flag, carriers, a bow, a shield and arrows, which were empowered by the Lords potency consisting of religion, knowledge, renunciation, prosperity, austerity, education and activities. When Lord Śiva was fully equipped in this way, he sat down on the chariot and took up his arrows and bow.
Asau means Kṛṣṇa. Prādhānikam means articles for battle such as a chariot. The Lord empowered the articles with his various energies. Since the Lords śaktis are eternal and victorious, the articles of war also became similar. Śiva on the chariot was also endowed with bhakti-yoga, the Lords quality, and those on the chariot like the driver were also endowed with knowledge and other qualities that take shelter of bhakti.
O King! Powerful Lord Śiva, stringing the arrows to his bow, burned down three residences of the demons at noon.
Abhijit means noontime.
Drums sounded in the sky. Seated in hundreds of airplanes, the devatās, sages, Pitṛs, Siddhas and various great personalities showered flowers to wish him victory, and the Apsaras began to chant and dance with great pleasure.
O King! After burning these dwellings to ashes, Śiva, destroyer of the three cities, praised by the devatās headed by Lord Brahmā, returned to his own abode.
What more can I say about such astounding acts, which are glorified by sages, and which purify the world, performed by the Supreme Lord who bewilders humans by his māyā?
The Lord bewilders people by his māyā so that they do not worship him, out of bewilderment.
Thus ends the commentary on the Tenth Chapter of the Seventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Tenth Chapter describes how the Lord gave benedictions to Prahlāda and then disappeared, and also tells how Śiva, on the order of the Lord, burned Tripura. Tat-sarvam means everything concerning the benedictions. Prahlāda smiled. He thought, Tempting an ignorant boy, the Lord is testing me.