A Summary of the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapuranam ( 04/04/2013. )

O best among those performing austerities, where did you get this wonderful beauty that dismantles the austerities performed by others? Where have you learned this art? What austerity have you undergone to achieve this beauty, my dear friend? I desire that you join me to perform austerity and penance, for it may be that the creator of the universe, Lord Brahmä, being pleased with me, has sent you to become my wife. Agnidhra appreciated the wonderful beauty of Purvacitti. Indeed, he was surprised to see such exceptional beauty, which must have been the result of past austerities and penances. He therefore asked the girl whether she had achieved such beauty just to break the penances and austerities of others. He thought that Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, might have been pleased with him and might therefore have sent her to become his wife. He requested Purvacitti to become his wife so that together they could perform austerities and penances in family lif

My mind is already restless, and by playing with a ball, moving it all about with your lotuslike palm, you are also agitating my eyes. Your curling black hair is now scattered, but you are not attentive to arranging it. Are you not going to arrange it? Like a man attached to women, the most cunning wind is trying to take off your lower garment. Are you not mindful of it? The girl Purvacitti was playing with a ball in her hand, and the ball seemed like nothing but another lotus flower captured by her lotuslike palm. Because of her movements, her hair was loose, and the belt holding her cloth was giving way, as if the cunning wind were trying to make her naked. Yet she paid no attention to arranging her hair or fixing her dress. As Agnidhra tried to see the girl's naked beauty, his eyes were very agitated by her movements. Continues...

My dear friend, what do you eat to maintain your body? Because you are chewing betel, a pleasing scent is emanating from your mouth. This proves that you always eat the remnants of food offered to Vishnu. Indeed, you must also be an expansion of Lord Vishnu's body. Your face is as beautiful as a pleasing lake. Your jeweled earrings resemble two brilliant sharks with unblinking eyes like those of Vishnu, and your own eyes resemble two restless fish. Simultaneously, therefore, two sharks and two restless fish are swimming in the lake of your face. Besides them, the white rows of your teeth seem like rows of very beautiful swans in the water, and your scattered hair resembles swarms of bumblebees following the beauty of your face. The devotees of Lord Vishnu are also His expansions. They are called vibhinnamsa. Lord Vishnu is offered all kinds of sacrificial ingredients, and because devotees always eat prasadam, the remnants of His food, the scent of sacrificial

O best friend, will you kindly show me the place where you reside? I cannot imagine how the residents of that place have gotten such wonderful bodily features as your raised breasts, which agitate the mind and eyes of a person like me who sees them. Judging by the sweet speech and kind smiles of those residents, I think that their mouths must contain nectar. Still bewildered, Agnidhra wanted to see the place from which the brähmaëa boy had come, where the men had such raised breasts. Such attractive features, he thought, must be due to the severe austerities performed there. Agnidhra addressed the girl as suhåttama, the best friend, so that she would not refuse to take him there. Not only was Agnidhra captivated by the girl's raised breasts; he was also attracted by her sweet speech. Nectar seemed to emanate from her mouth, and therefore he was increasingly surprised. Continues...

Agnidhra then praised Purvacitti's raised breasts. He said: My dear brahmana your waist is very thin, yet with great difficulty you are carefully carrying two horns, to which my eyes have become attracted. What is filling those two beautiful horns? You seem to have spread fragrant red powder upon them, powder that is like the rising morning sun. O most fortunate one, I beg to inquire where you have gotten this fragrant powder that is perfuming my asrama, my place of residence. Agnidhra appreciated Purvacitti's raised breasts. After seeing the girl's breasts, he became almost mad. Nevertheless, he could not recognize whether Purvacitti was a boy or a girl, for as a result of his austerity, he saw no distinction between the two. He therefore addressed her with the word dvija, "O brahmana." Yet why should a dvija, a brahmana boy, have horns on his chest? Because the boy's waist was thin, Agnidhra thought, he was carrying the horns with great

Skandham-5.  Chapter-2. (Maharaja Agnidhara) Slokam-9. Seeing the bumblebees following Purvacitti, Aganidhra said: My dear Lord, the bumblebees surrounding your body are like disciples surrounding  your worshipable self.  They are incessantly chanting the mantras of the Sama  Veda and the Upanishads, thus offering prayers to you.  Just as great sages resort   to the branches of Vedic literatures, the bumblebees are enjoying the showers of  flowers falling from your hair. Slokam-10. O brahmana, I can simply hear the tinkling of your ankle bells. Within those bells, tittiri birds seem to be chirping among themselves.  Although I do not see  their forms, I can hear how they are chirping. When I look at your beautiful  circular hips, I see they are the lovely color of kadamba flowers, and your waist  is encircled by a belt of burning cinders. Indeed, you seem to have forgotten to  dress yourself. With lusty desires to see Purvacitti, Agnidhra especially ga

Skandham-5. Chapter-2. Slokam-8. Then Agnidhra observed the glancing eyes of Purvacitti and said: My dear friend, you have two very powerful arrows, namely your glancing eyes. Those arrows have feathers like the petals of a lotus flower. Although they have no shafts, they are very beautiful, and they have very sharp, piercing points. They appear very peaceful, and thus it seems that they will not be shot at anyone. You must be loitering in this forest to shoot those arrows at someone, but I cannot understand whom. My intelligence is dull, and I cannot combat you. Indeed, no one can equal you in prowess, and therefore I pray that your prowess will be for my good fortune. Agnidhra thus began appreciating Purvacitti's powerful glance upon him. He compared her glancing eyes to very sharp arrows. Although her eyes were as beautiful as lotuses, they were simultaneously like shaftless arrows, and Agnidhra was therefore afraid of them. He hoped that her glances upon

Skandham-5. Chapter-2. Slokam-7. The Prince mistakenly addressed the Apsara: O best of saintly persons, who are you? Why are you on this hill, and what do you want to do? Are you one of the illusory potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? You seem to be carrying two bows without strings, What is the reason you carry these bows? Is it for some purpose of your own or for the sake of a friend? Perhaps you carry them to kill the mad animals in this forest. While undergoing severe penances in the forest, Agnidhra was captivated by the movements of Purvacitti, the girl sent by Lord Brahma. As stated in Bhagavad-geeta kamais tais tair hrta jnanah: [Bg. 7.20] when one becomes lusty, he loses his intelligence. Therefore Agnidhra, having lost his intelligence, could not distinguish whether Purvacitti was male or female. He mistook her for a muni-putra, the son of a saintly person in the forest, and addressed her as muni-varya. Because of her personal beauty, h

Like a honeybee, the Apsarä smelled the beautiful and attractive flowers. She could attract the minds and vision of both humans and demigods by her playful movements, her shyness and humility, her glances, the very pleasing sounds that poured from her mouth as she spoke, and the motion of her limbs. By all these qualities, she opened for Cupid, who bears an arrow of flowers, a path of aural reception into the minds of men. When she spoke, nectar seemed to flow from her mouth. As she breathed, the bees, mad for the taste of her breath, tried to hover about her beautiful lotuslike eyes.  Disturbed by the bees,she tried to move hastily, but as she raised her feet to walk quickly, her hair, the belt on her hips, and her breasts, which were like water jugs, also moved in a way that made her extremely beautiful and attractive. Indeed, she seemed to be making a path for the entrance of Cupid, who is most powerful. Therefore the prince, completely subdued by seeing he

Slokam-4. The Apsara sent by Lord Brahma began strolling in a beautiful park near the place where the King was meditating and worshiping. The park was beautiful because of its dense green foliage and golden creepers. There were pairs of varied birds such as peacocks, and in a lake there were ducks and swans, all vibrating very sweet sounds. Thus the park was magnificently beautiful because of the foliage, the clear water, the lotus flowers and the sweet singing of various kinds of birds. Slokam-5 As Purvacitti passed by on the road in a very beautiful style and mood of her own, the pleasing ornaments on her ankles tinkled with her every step. Although Prince Agnidhra was controlling his senses, practicing yoga with half-open eyes, he could see her with his lotuslike eyes, and when he heard the sweet tinkling of her bangles, he opened his eyes slightly more and could see that she was just nearby. It is said that yogés always think of the Supreme Personal

Skandham-5. Chapter-2. Slokam-3. Understanding King Agnidhra's desire, the first and most powerful created being of this universe, Lord Brahma, selected the best of the dancing girls in his assembly, whose name was Purvacitti, and sent her to the King. In this Slokam, the words bhagavan Adi-purushah are significant. Bhagavan Adi-purushah is Lord Krishna. Govindam Adi-purushah tam aham bhajami **. Lord Krishna is the original person. In Bhagavadgeeta, He is also addressed by Arjuna as purusham adyam, the original person, and He is called Bhagavan. In this slokam, however, we see that Lord Brahma is described as bhagavan Adi-purushah. The reason he is called bhagavan is that he fully represents the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is the first-born creature in this universe. Lord Brahma could understand Maharaja Agnidhra's desire because he is as powerful as Lord Vishnu. As Lord Vishnu, situated as Paramatma, can understand the desire of the living entit

Skandham-5. Chapter-2. Slokam-2. Desiring to get a perfect son and become an inhabitant of Pitruloka, Mahraja Agnidhra once worshiped Lord Brahma, the master of those in charge of material creation. He went to a valley of Mandara Hill, where the damsels of the heavenly planets come down to stroll. There he collected garden flowers and other necessary paraphernalia and then engaged in severe austerities and worship. The King became pitrulokam-kama, or desirous of being transferred to the planet named Pitrulokam. Pitrulokam is mentioned in Bhagavad-geeta (yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah [Bg. 9.25]). To go to this planet, one needs very good sons who can make offerings to Lord Vishnu and then offer the remnants to their forefathers. The purpose of the Sraddha ceremony is to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, so that after pleasing Him one may offer prasadam to one's forefathers and in this way make them happy. The inh

Skandha-5.  Chapter-2:  The Activities of Maharaja Agnidhra - Slokam-1. Sri Sukadeva Maharishi continued:  After his father, Maharaja Priyavrata, departed to follow the path of spiritual life  by undergoing austerities, King Agnidhra completely obeyed his order.  Strictly observing the principles of religion, he gave full protection to the inhabitants  of Jambudvipa as if they were his own begotten sons. Following the instruction of his father, Maharaja Priyavrata, Maharaja Agnidhra ruled the inhabitants of Jambudvipa according to religious principles. These principles are exactly contrary to the modern principles of faithlessness. As clearly stated here, the King protected the citizens the way a father protects his begotten children. How he ruled the citizens is also described here—dharmaveksamanah, strictly according to religious principles. It is the duty of the executive head of a state to see that the citizens strictly follow religious principles. Th

Skandham-5. Chapter-1. Slokam-41. "As a great follower and devotee of the sage Narada, Maharaja Priyavrata considered hellish the opulence's he had achieved by dint of fruitier activities and mystic power, whether in the lower or heavenly planetary systems or in human society." Sri Rupa Gosvami has said that the position of a devotee is so super excellent that a devotee does not consider any material opulence worth having. There are different types of opulence's on earth, in the heavenly planets and even in the lower planetary system, known as Patala. A devotee, however, knows that they are all material, and consequently he is not at all interested in them. As stated in Bhagavadgeeta, param drstva nivartate [Bg. 9.59]. Sometimes yogis and Jnanis voluntarily give up all material opulences to practice their system of liberation and taste spiritual bliss. However, they frequently fall down because artificial renunciation of material opulenc

Skandham-5.  Chapter-1.  Slokam-40. "To stop the quarreling among different peoples, Maharaja Priyavrata marked boundaries at rivers and at the edges of mountains and forests so that no one would trespass upon another's property." The example set by Maharaja Priyavrata in marking off different states is still followed. As indicated here, different classes of men are destined to live in different areas, and therefore the boundaries of various tracts of land, which are described here as islands, should be defined by different rivers, forests and hills. This is also mentioned in relation to Maharaja Prthu, who was born from the dead body of his father by the manipulation of great sages. Maharaja Prthu's father was very sinful, and therefore a black man called Nisada was first born from his dead body. The Naisada race was given a place in the forest because by nature they are thieves and rogues. As animals are given places in various forests

Skandham-5. Chapter-1. Slokam-39. There are many famous slokams regarding Maharaja Priyavrata's activities: "No one but the Supreme Personality of Godhead could do what Maharaja Priyavrata has done. Maharaja Priyavrata dissipated the darkness of night, and with the rims of his great chariot, he excavated seven oceans." There are many excellent verses, famous all over the world, concerning the activities of Maharaja Priyavrata. He is so celebrated that his activities are compared to those of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sometimes a sincere servant and devotee of the Lord is also called bhagavan. Sri Narada is called bhagavan, and Lord Siva and Vyasadeva are also sometimes called bhagavan. This designation, bhagavan, is sometimes conferred upon a pure devotee by the grace of the Lord so that he will be very highly esteemed. Maharaja Priyavrata was such a devotee. Continues...

Skandham-5 Chapter-1. Slokam-38. By the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Maharaja Priyavrata reawakened to his senses. He divided all his earthly possessions among his obedient sons. He gave up everything, including his wife, with whom he had enjoyed so much sense gratification, and his great and opulent kingdom, and he completely renounced all attachment. His heart, having been cleansed, became a  place of pastimes for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he was able to  return to the path of Krishna consciousness, spiritual life, and resume the position he had attained by the grace of the great saint Narada. As enunciated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastaka, ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-bavagni-nirvapanam: [Cc. Antya 20.12] as soon as one's heart is cleansed, the blazing fire of material existence is immediately extinguished. Our hearts are meant for the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This means that one shou

Skandham-5. Chapter-1. Slokam-37. The King thus began criticizing himself: Alas, how condemned I have become because of my sense gratification! I have now fallen into material enjoyment, which is exactly like a covered well. I have had enough! I am not going to enjoy any more. Just see how I have become like a dancing monkey in the hands of my wife. Because of this, I am condemned. How condemned is the advancement of material knowledge can be understood from the behavior of Maharaja Priyavrata. He performed such wonderful acts as creating another sun, which shined during the night, and creating a chariot so great that its wheels formed vast oceans. These activities are so great that modern scientists cannot even imagine how such things can be done. Maharaja Priyavrata acted very wonderfully in the material field of activities, but because he was dealing in sense gratification—ruling his kingdom and dancing to the indications of his beautiful wife—he personally

Skandham-5. Chapter-1. Slokam-36. While enjoying his material opulences with full strength and influence, Maharaja Priyavrata once began to consider that although he had fully surrendered to the great saint Narada and was actually on the path of Krishna consciousness, he had somehow become again entangled in material activities. Thus his mind now became restless, and he began to speak in a spirit of renunciation. "One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything." If one somehow or other comes to the shelter of a great Vaishnava, takes to Krishna consciousness because of sentiment or realization, but in course of time falls down because of immature understanding, he is not actually fallen, for his having

Skandham-5.  Chapter-1. Slokam-34. King Priyavrata then gave his daughter, Urjasvati, in marriage to Sukracarya, who begot in her a daughter named Devayani. Slokam-35. My dear King, a devotee who has taken shelter of the dust from the lotus feet of the Lord can transcend the influence of the six material whips—namely hunger, thirst, lamentation, illusion, old age and death—and he can conquer the mind and five senses. However, this is not very wonderful for a pure devotee of the Lord because even a person beyond the jurisdiction of the four castes—in other words, an untouchable—is immediately relieved of bondage to material existence if he utters the holy name of the Lord even once. Sukadeva Gosvami was speaking to Maharaja Parikshit about the activities of King Priyavrata, and since the King might have had doubts about these wonderful, uncommon activities, Sukadeva Gosvami reassured him. "My dear King," he said, "don't be doubtful about

Slokam-31. When Priyavrata drove his chariot behind the sun, the rims of his chariot wheels created impressions that later became seven oceans, dividing the planetary system known as Bhu-mandala into seven islands. Sometimes the planets in outer space are called islands. We have experience of various types of islands in the ocean, and similarly the various planets, divided into fourteen lokas, are islands in the ocean of space. As Priyavrata drove his chariot behind the sun, he created seven different types of oceans and planetary systems, which altogether are known as Bhu-mandala,   or Bhuloka. In the Gayatri mantra, we chant, om bhur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam. Above the Bhuloka planetary system is Bhuvarloka, and above that is Svargaloka, the heavenly planetary system. All these planetary systems are controlled by Savita, the sun-god. By chanting the Gayatri mantra just after rising early in the morning, one worships the sun-god. Slokam-32. The

While so excellently ruling the universe, King Priyavrata once became dissatisfied with the circumambulation of the most powerful sun-god. Encircling Sumeru Hill on his chariot, the sun-god illuminates all the surrounding planetary systems. However, when the sun is on the northern side of the hill, the south receives less light, and when the sun is in the south, the north receives less. King Priyavrata disliked this situation and therefore decided to make daylight in the part of the universe where there was night. He followed the orbit of the sun-god on a brilliant chariot and thus fulfilled his desire. He could perform such wonderful activities because of the power he had achieved by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is a Bengali saying which describes that someone is so powerful that he can make the night day and the day night. That saying is current because of the prowess of Priyavrata. His activities demonstrate how powerful he became by w

After Kavi, Mahavira and Savana were completely trained in the paramahamsa stage of life, Maharaja Priyavrata ruled the universe for eleven arbudas of years. Whenever he was determined to fix his arrow upon his bowstring with his two powerful arms, all opponents of the regulative principles  of religious life would flee from his presence in fear of the unparalleled prowess  he displayed in ruling the universe. He greatly loved his wife Barhismati, and  with the increase of days, their exchange of nuptial love also increased. By her  feminine behavior as she dressed herself, walked, got up, smiled, laughed, and  glanced about, Queen Barhismati increased his energy. Thus although he was a  great soul, he appeared lost in the feminine conduct of his wife. He behaved  with her just like an ordinary man, but actually he was a great soul. In this slokam, the word dharma-pratipakshah ("opponents of Dharmic principles") refers not to a particular faith, but to varna

Slokam-28. In his other wife, Maharaja Priyavrata begot three sons, named Uttama, Tamasa and Raivata. All of them later took charge of manvantara millenniums. In every day of Brahma there are fourteen manvantaras. The duration of one manvantara, the lifespan of one Manu, is seventy-one yugas, and each yuga is 4,320,000 years. Almost all the Manus selected to rule the manvantaras came from the family of Maharaja Priyavrata. Three of them are particularly mentioned herein, namely Uttama, Tämasa and Raivata. Slogam-29. After Kavi, Mahavira and Savana were completely trained in the paramahamsa stage of life, Maharaja Priyavrata ruled the universe for eleven arbudas of years. Whenever he was determined to fix his arrow upon his bowstring with his two powerful arms, all opponents of the regulative principles of religious life would flee from his presence in fear of the unparalleled prowess he displayed in ruling the universe. He greatly loved his wife Barhismati