Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.1–11

Prabhupāda: [sings Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka, with devotees singing responsively]

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau kṛṣṅotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are always engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṅa and dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Caitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe.]

[03:03]

Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau.

The six Gosvāmīs, they are directly recipient of the causeless mercy of Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu; therefore they were empowered to diminish the sinful burden of the world. Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau. When people become too much sinful, the heart becomes overburdened. At that time, paritrāṅāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg 4.8],

[In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.]

the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes.

So Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu, personally Kṛṣṅa, came and involved[?] His disciples, and they diminished the overburden of this earth.

niśamya devaḥ sva-bhaṭopavarṅitaṁ pratyāha kiṁ tān api dharmarājaḥ evaṁ hatājño vihatān murārer naideśikair yasya vaśe jano 'yam [SB 6.3.1]

[King Parīkṣit said: O my lord, O Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Yamarāja is the controller of all living entities in terms of their religious and irreligious activities, but his order had been foiled. When his servants, the Yamadūtas, informed him of their defeat by the Viṣṅudūtas, who had stopped them from arresting Ajāmila, what did he reply?]

Atyāścaryam etad ity āha, yamasyeti. He ṛṣe, yamasya daṅḍa-bhaṅgaḥ kutaścana kasmāccid api śruta-pūrvo nāsīt. Etad eva etasminn arthe. Yad vā na śruta-pūrvaḥ. Etad yama-dūta-nirākaraṅaṁ cāsīt. Ataḥ sarvasyāpi lokasya saṁśayo vartate taṁ ca tvatto 'nyo na cchinattīti me niścitamataḥ kathayeti śeṣaḥ [Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.2].

[O great sage, never before has it been heard anywhere that an order from Yamarāja has been baffled. Therefore I think that people will have doubts about this that no one but you can eradicate. Since that is my firm conviction, kindly explain the reasons for these events.]

The purport of this verse is that Mahārāja Parīkṣit became astonished how it was possible to surpass the order of Yamarāja. Just like in our ordinary experience, if there is a warrant issued by the magistrate, nobody can check it. There is no power by law. The man who is ordered to be arrested, the police force must arrest him, because the warrant order is there.

So similarly, Yamarāja is the police chief on account of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his business is to arrest all the criminals and give them proper punishment. In the atmosphere of the Yamaloka, such sinful persons are taken there and put into the different types of hellish condition of life, and when one is practiced to that, little, immediately a particular type of body is offered, and he begins his karma again with that body.

So in this case, in the case of Ajāmila, there is exception. He was ordered to be arrested by Yamarāja, but Viṣṅudūta released him. In one sense it is unlawful, but Viṣṅudūta or Viṣṅu can do everything; that is the Almighty. Even though in the material world there was no power to check the order, or to stop the order, of Yamarāja, but it was possible only by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

niśamya devaḥ sva-bhaṭopavarṅitaṁ pratyāha kiṁ tān api dharmarājaḥ [SB 6.3.1]

So enquiring, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, that after hearing the statements of the assistants, what the Yamarāja, the superintendent of death, reply?

evaṁ hatājño vihatān murārer naideśikair yasya vaśe jano 'yam [SB 6.3.1]

yamasya devasya na daṅḍa-bhaṅgaḥ [SB 6.3.2]

Murārer naideśikaiḥ kiṅkarair evaṁ vihatān. Ata eva hatā ājñā [part of Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.1]. Murārer naideśikaiḥ means the followers of the order of Murāri, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṅa's another name is Murāri, because He killed one demon of the name Mura. So, murāreḥ naideśikaiḥ, the followers of the order of Murāri. Vaśe jano 'yam. So the janaḥ ayam, this population of this material world, they are under the control of the Yamarāja, and how it was possible that the servant of Murāri could check?

yamasya devasya na daṅḍa-bhaṅgaḥ kutaścanarṣe śruta-pūrva āsīt [SB 6.3.2]

Ṛṣe. "My dear ṛṣi," because Sukadev Goswami is a great ṛṣi. He is addressing, "My dear ṛṣi, I have never heard such incidences before." Yamasya devasya na daṅḍa-bhaṅgaḥ. "Whenever Yamarāja has given order of punishment to anyone, it was never baffled. I have never heard like this."

kutaścanarṣe śruta-pūrva āsīt etan mune vṛścati loka-saṁśayaṁ na hi tvad-anya iti me viniścitam [SB 6.3.2]

"It is a great doubt in my mind how it is possible. But that doubt can be disseminated simply by you." Na hi tvad-anya iti me viniścitam. "Besides yourself, nobody can drive away this doubt in my mind."

śuka uvāca bhagavat-puruṣai rājan yāmyāḥ pratihatodyamāḥ patiṁ vijñāpayām āsur yamaṁ saṁyamanī-patim [SB 6.3.3]

[Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied: My dear King, when the order carriers of Yamarāja were baffled and defeated by the order carriers of Viṣṅu, they approached their master, the controller of Saṁyamanī-purī and master of sinful persons, to tell him of this incident.]

Bhagavat-puruṣai. By the assistants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the associates, bhagavat-puruṣai. Puruṣa means men, and bhagavat-puruṣa, the men who are engaged in the service of the Vaiṣṅavas, they are also bhagavat-puruṣa. They have no other business than to execute the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So in Vaikuṅṭha there are such devotees, servants of lord. So bhagavat-puruṣai rājan yāmyāḥ pratihatodyamāḥ. Śukadeva Goswāmī…, yāmyāḥ, the servants of Yamarāja, their attempts were baffled by the bhagavat-puruṣai.

bhagavat-puruṣai rājan yāmyāḥ pratihatodyamāḥ patiṁ vijñāpayām āsur yamaṁ saṁyamanī-patim [SB 6.3.3]

Saṁyamanī-patim. There are many directors within this world who control the activities, exactly just like the magistrate, the commissioner, the governor. They are called rāṣṭra-pati, rājya-pāla. We hear also saṁyamanī-patim. Those who keep everything in regular way, they are called saṁyamanī.

So Yamarāja is the supreme saṁyamanī-patim. Here in this material world we have experience, many persons who are keeping things in order, they are called saṁyamanī. Saṁyamanī means restriction. Just like the police officer restricts, "You cannot enter this way. You cannot this, that." They are called saṁyamanī-patim. And the Yamarāja is the supreme saṁyamanī-patim, supreme controller of this law and order.

Then the Yamadūtas, after approaching Yamadūta, they being baffled in the matter of being unable to arrest Ajāmila, they returned and immediately enquired from the Yamarāja as follows:

kati santīha śāstāro jīva-lokasya vai prabho trai-vidhyaṁ kurvataḥ karma phalābhivyakti-hetavaḥ [SB 6.3.4]

[The Yamadūtas said: Our dear lord, how many controllers or rulers are there in this material world? How many causes are responsible for manifesting the various results of activities performed under the three modes of material nature [sattva-guṅa, rajo-guṅa and tamo-guṅa]?]

Kati santīty ākṣepoktiḥ [part of Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.4]. Immediately, they simply are…, they were under the impression that Yamarāja is the supreme superintendent or supreme controller of the criminal department, but "How is that—we are checked, we are baffled to do our duty?" So therefore they were inquiring, "My dear lord, how many controllers are there? Are you single, or there are many other controllers?" Because they were under the impression, just like alpa-medhasām, the less intelligent, they think that a particular type of demigod is all in all.

Just like here there are so many constables, you are seeing they control the crowd, and the village men, sometimes they think they are the supreme controller. They cannot think that above these constables there are many, many other higher officers, up to the commissioner of police or the minister of law and order and governor. They do not know the constitution.

Here, similarly, the Yamadūtas, they were executing the order of Yamarāja all along. This is the first incident in their life that they were stopped in executing the order. Therefore they are asking, kati santīha śāstāro. Śāstāraḥ. Śāstāraḥ means those who keep things in law and order. This Sanskrit word śāstāraḥ, it comes from the verbal root śās dhātu. So from śās dhātu, sāśana. Śāśana means controlling, governing, and from śās dhātu, śāstra. Śāstra means scripture. That is also controlling. But śāstra is meant for gentlemen. But those who are not gentle, for them there is no śāstra, there is śastra. Śastra means weapon.

The police force, the military force, they wear weapon with sword, the bullet, so many; they are called śastra. Śastra, śāstra, śāsana, coming from the same root. And from the same root also, śiṣya. Śiṣya means one who voluntarily accepts the controlling of the principle. Now just see how in Sanskrit one verbal root creates so many words. The Sanskrit grammar is therefore so wonderful. You can create hundreds of words from one root.

So here the word is śāstārah. Śāstārah means who takes the śastra, weapon, and just like the police force, military force they have got weapons and they control—not by book. Those who are gentle, they are controlled by the scriptures, śāstra, and those who are not gentle, they are controlled by śastra. So, śāstāro jīva-lokasya vai prabho trai-vidhyaṁ [SB 6.3.4]. Yathā bhavati yad vā trai-vidyaṁ yathā bhavati tathā karma kurvataḥ. Tathaiva karma-phalasyābhivyakti-hetavaḥ kati santīti [part of Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.4].

Now, trai-vidhya. When here in the material world a person is contaminated by either of the three qualities of this material world—the modes of goodness, the modes of passion, the modes of ignorance—they are called trai-vidhyaṁ.

trai-vidhyaṁ kurvataḥ karma phalābhivyakti-hetavaḥ [SB 6.3.4]

And according to the association of different qualities of the modes of nature, those who are under the influence of tamo-guṅa, their symptoms are laziness, sleeping. Those who are under the modes of passion, they want to rule over; and those who are under the control of goodness, they, to them everything is revealed in its proper way. But that is called… Goodness means one who knows things as they are. Ignorance means they do not know things as they are; and passion, they try to control over everything.

So the Yamadūtas enquired whether there are three departments for the three kinds of men.

yadi syur bahavo loke śāstāro daṅḍa-dhāriṅaḥkasya syātāṁ na vā kasya mṛtyuś cāmṛtam eva vā [SB 6.3.5]

[If in this universe there are many rulers and justices who disagree about punishment and reward, their contradictory actions will neutralize each other, and no one will be punished or rewarded. Otherwise, if their contradictory acts fail to neutralize each other, everyone will have to be both punished and rewarded.]

Santu bahavaḥ ko virodhas tatrāhuḥ, yadīti. Mṛtyur duḥkham amṛtaṁ sukham. Teṣāṁśāstṝṅāṁ vipratipattau te ubhe kasya syātāṁ na kasyāpi. Paraspara-virodhenobhayor api pratibandhāt. Aika-matye tu kasya vā na syātām. Ekaḥ sukhaṁ kartum icchati duḥkhaṁ cānyaḥ. Aika-matye ca tayoḥ paraspara-kāryānumodanenobhayor api prāpte kasya vā te ubhe api na syātām ity arthaḥ [Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.5]. Now they are suggesting that yadi syur bahavo loke śāstāro daṅḍa-dhāriṅaḥ—if there are many controllers, daṅḍa-dhāriṅaḥ. Daṅḍa, perhaps you know, the king has a rod—what is called? Scepter?

Devotee: Scepter.

Prabhupāda: Eh? Scepter. So that is called daṅḍa, daṅḍa-dhāriṅaḥ. Just like police, they have got a daṅḍa. That means the sign of ruler. The king has got a scepter, the police force has got a revolver or baton, like that. So everyone who is meant for ruling over the persons, they are called daṅḍa-dhāriṅaḥ. Dhāriṅaḥ means one who holds a daṅḍa.

Yadi syur bahavo loke śāstāro daṅḍa-dhāriṅaḥ. "If there are many controller, and many holders of daṅḍa," kasya syātāṁ na vā kasya mṛtyuś cāmṛtam eva vā, "so who is controller of the person about to die, and who is controlled? Who is the controller of the persons who are not to die?"

kintu śāstṛ-bahutve syād bahūnām iha karmiṅām śāstṛtvam upacāro hi yathā maṅḍala-vartinām [SB 6.3.6]

[The Yamadūtas continued: Since there are many different karmīs, or workers, there may be different judges or rulers to give them justice, but just as one central emperor controls different departmental rulers, there must be one supreme controller to guide all the judges.]

[Śrīdhara Svāmī commentary] "Now, it may be that there are many controllers, but who is the chief controller, and how his actions are done?" That was their enquiry.

atas tvam eko bhūtānāṁseśvarāṅām adhīśvaraḥśāstā daṅḍa-dharo nṝṅāṁśubhāśubha-vivecanaḥ [SB 6.3.7]

[The supreme judge must be one, not many. It was our understanding that you are that supreme judge and that you have jurisdiction even over the demigods. Our impression was that you are the master of all living entities, the supreme authority who discriminates between the pious and impious activities of all human beings.]

"So far we know, that you are the only controller," tvam eka. Eka means one. "You are the only bhūtānāṁ of all living entities." Seśvarāṅām adhīśvaraḥ. "Those who accept the control of the supreme controller, you are the chief of them."

seśvarāṅām adhīśvaraḥ śāstā daṅḍa-dharo nṝṅāṁ śubhāśubha-vivecanaḥ [SB 6.3.7]

Śubha means auspicious, and aśubha means inauspicious. "You judge over the auspicious and inauspicious activities of the living entities, and you are therefore supreme controller, daṅḍa-dharo, the holder of the scepter." In this way they began to address.

tasya te vihito daṅḍo na loke vartate 'dhunā caturbhir adbhutaiḥ siddhair ājñā te vipralambhitā [SB 6.3.8]

[But now we see that the punishment ordained under your authority is no longer effective, since your order has been transgressed by four wonderful and perfect persons.]

"But at the present moment we think that your power of controlling is now finished, because we were checked in executing our duty by four very nice looking personalities," caturbhir adbhutaiḥ. Adbhutaiḥ means very wonderful. Caturbhir adbhutaiḥ siddhair ājñā te vipralambhitā, that "We have been checked."

Yasmād evaṁśāstṛ-bahutvaṁ na ghaṭate 'tas tvam eka eva śāstā. Śubhāśubhe vivinaktīti tathā [Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.7]. "So we know that you are the only controller, but because we have been checked, we have been baffled in executing your order, and some wonderful men, four wonderful men, checked us; therefore it is to be understood that your control is now over."

nīyamānaṁ tavādeśād asmābhir yātanā-gṛhān vyāmocayan pātakinaṁchittvā pāśān prasahya te [SB 6.3.9]

[We were bringing the most sinful Ajāmila toward the hellish planets, following your order, when those beautiful persons from Siddhaloka forcibly cut the knots of the ropes with which we were arresting him.]

"While we are attempting to arrest this person, Ajāmila," nīyamānaṁ, "by your order," tavādeśād asmābhir yātanā, "we were trying to bring him in the yātanā-gṛha." Yātanā-gṛha means cell where punishment is offered. Just like in the prison house there are different types of cells for different kinds of punishment. So, "We were trying to bring him to the control room in order to give him punishment, but we were thus checked."

Vyāmocayan pātakinaṁ chittvā pāśān prasahya te. Yasmād evaṁśāstṛ-bahutvaṁ na ghaṭate [part of Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.7]. Vipralambhitā vañcitā. Laṅghitety arthaḥ. Tad evāhuḥ, nīyamānam iti [Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.8 and SB 6.3.9]. "So we have been baffled, so we think your control is now over."

tāṁs te veditum icchāmo yadi no manyase kṣamam nārāyaṅety abhihite mā bhair ity āyayur drutam [SB 6.3.10]

[As soon as the sinful Ajāmila uttered the name Nārāyaṅa, these four beautiful men immediately arrived and reassured him, saying, "Do not fear. Do not fear." We wish to know about them from Your Lordship. If you think we are able to understand them, kindly describe who they are.]

Now, tāṁs te veditum icchāmo, "Now what is the actual fact? Please let us know." Yadi no manyase kṣamam. If you think this is the way of asking superior some force checked, this is the way, not that challenging, "Please answer me. Please tell me like this."

You find always the Parīkṣit Maharaja or Arjuna or anyone, this is the process of submission. Here the Yamadūtas says, "We want to…, we wish to learn from you what is the actual fact in this incident, and you can tell me," yadi no manyase kṣamam, "if you think that we can be able to understand."

The purport is that if you put a question to a superior, to your master, so it is not that he is bound to answer it. Because sometimes a particular question is put forward, the answer is not understandable by the questioner, so the superior, the master, may refuse, that "This answer is not to be given to you." For that reason, you cannot demand that "You answer. You must answer." No. This is the way.

In the… Parīkṣit Mahārāja also, whenever he put a question to Śukadeva Goswāmī, he very submissively says, "If you think that I am capable of understanding, please answer this question." Arjuna also said like that. Here also the Yamadūtas, they are also putting forward very submissively, yadi manyase kṣamam. Yadi no manyase: "If you think us competent to understand the answer, then please inform."

bādarāyaṅir uvāca iti devaḥ sa āpṛṣṭaḥ prajā-saṁyamano yamaḥ prītaḥ sva-dūtān pratyāha smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ [SB 6.3.11]

[Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus having been questioned, Lord Yamarāja, the supreme controller of the living entities, was very pleased with his order carriers because of hearing from them the holy name of Nārāyaṅa. He remembered the lotus feet of the Lord and began to reply.]

Now Yamarāja will reply very interesting reply. So before replying, prītaḥ sva-dūtān pratyāha smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ. This is the Vaisnava behavior. As the subordinate puts the question very submissively, similarly, the superior also is not proud, that "I can answer you." No.

He immediately remembers the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and also begs. Because these answers and questions are not ordinary. They are all authorized. Therefore the master also remembers the lotus feet of the Lord, that "Whatever You help me to speak, I learn." He is not also proud, and they are not disobedient or puffed up, impudent.

This is the process of questioning-answering. The enquirer should be very submissive, and the answer-giver also should always remember the lotus feet, so the right answer can be given. This is the way of spiritual enquiry and spiritual answer. This is called sva-goṣṭhī. Goṣṭhī. Goṣṭhī, this is called sva-goṣṭhī.

Amongst the society, the answers and questions should be dealt in that spirit. The one who is questioning, he should be submissive, not in a challenging mood; and one who is answering, he should remember the lotus feet of the Lord so that right answer can come from Him.

Thank you very much. [end]

Photos from those days in Allahabad3

CT24-1901971 · Allahabad · Kumbha-mela

CT24-1911971 · Allahabad · Kumbha-mela

CT24-1921971 · Allahabad · Kumbha-mela

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.1–11

Referenced verses