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

Slokam-25 The ten sons of Maharaja Priyavrata were named Agnidhra, Idhmajihva, Yajnabahu, Mahavira, Hiranyareta, Ghrtaprstha, Savana, Medhatithi, Vitihotra and Kavi. These are also names of Agni, the fire-god. Slokam-26. Three among these ten—namely Kavi, Mahavira and Savana—lived in complete celibacy. Thus trained in brahmacharya life from the beginning of childhood, they were very conversant with the highest perfection, known as the paramahamsa-asrama. The word urdhva-retasah in this verse is very significant. Urdhva-retasah refers to one who can control sex life and who instead of wasting semen by discharging it, can use this most important substance accumulated in the body to enrich the brain. One who can completely control sex life is able to work wonderfully with his brain, especially in remembering. Thus students who simply hear Vedic instructions once from their teacher could remember them verbatim without needing to read books, which therefore d

Thereafter, Maharaja Priyavrata married Barhismati, the daughter of the prajapati named Visvakarma. In her he begot ten sons equal to him in beauty, character, magnanimity and other qualities. He also begot a daughter, the youngest of all, named UrjasvatiMaharaja Priyavrata not only carried out  the order of Lord Brahma by accepting the duties of government, but also married Barhismati, the daughter of Visvakarma, one of the prajapatis.  Since Maharaja Priyavrata was fully  trained in transcendental knowledge, he could have returned home and  conducted the business of government as a brahmacari. Instead, however,  when he returned to household life, he accepted a wife also. The principle is  that when one becomes a grahastha, he must live perfectly in that order, which  means he must live peacefully with a wife and children. When Caitanya  Mahaprabhu's first wife died, His mother requested Him to marry for a second  time. He was twenty years old and was going to t

Following the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Maharaja Priyavrata fully engaged in worldly affairs, yet he always thought of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are the cause of liberation from all material attachment. Although Priyavrata Mahäräja was completely freed from all material contamination, he ruled the material world just to honor the orders of his superiors. The words mana-vardhano mahatäm ("just to show honor to superiors") are very significant. Although Maharaja Priyavrata was already a liberated person and had no attraction for material things, he engaged himself fully in governmental affairs just to show respect to Lord Brahma. Arjuna had also acted in the same way. Arjuna had no desire to participate in political affairs or the fighting at Kurukshetra, but when ordered to do so by the Supreme Lord, Krishna, he executed those duties very nicely. One who always thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord is certainly above all the cont

Svayambhuva Manu, with the assistance of Lord Brahma, thus fulfilled his desires. With the permission of the great sage Narada, he delivered to his son the governmental responsibility for maintaining and protecting all the planets of  the universe. He thus achieved relief from the most dangerous, poisonous ocean  of material desires. Svayambhuva Manu was practically hopeless because such a great personality as Narada was instructing his son Priyavrata not to accept household life. Now he was very pleased that Lord Brahmahad interfered by inducing his son to accept the responsibility for ruling the government of the universe. From Bhagavad-geeta we get information that Vaivasvata Manu was the son of the sun-god and that his son, Maharaja Iksvaku, ruled this planet earth. Svayambhuva Manu, however, appears to have been in charge of the entire universe, and he entrusted to his son, Maharaja Priyavrata, the responsibility for maintaining and protecting all the planetary

Lord Brahma was then worshiped by Manu, who respectfully satisfied him as well as he could. Priyavrata and Närada also looked upon Brahmä with no tinges of resentment. Having engaged Priyavrata in accepting his father's request, Lord Brahmä returned to his abode, Satyaloka, which is indescribable by the endeavor of mundane mind or words. Manu was certainly very satisfied that Lord Brahmä had persuaded his son Priyavrata to take the responsibility for ruling the world. Priyavrata and Närada were also very satisfied. Although Brahma had forced Priyavrata to accept the management of worldly affairs, thus breaking his vow to remain brahmacari and completely engage in devotional service, Narada and Priyavrata did not look upon Brahmä with resentment. Narada was not at all sorry that he had been frustrated in making Priyavrata a disciple. Both Priyavrata and Narada were exalted personalities who knew how to respect Lord Brahma. Therefore instead of looking up

Sri Sukadeva Mahrishi  continued: After thus being fully instructed by Lord Brahma, who is the spiritual master of the three worlds, Priyavrata, his own position being inferior, offered obeisances, accepted the order and carried it out with great respect. Sri Priyavrata was the grandson of Lord Brahma. Therefore according to social etiquette, his position was inferior. It is the duty of the inferior to carry out the order of the superior with great respect. Priyavrata therefore immediately said, "Yes, sir. I shall carry out your order." Priyavrata is described as a Mahabhagavatham,  a great devotee. The duty of a great devotee is to carry out the order of the spiritual master, or the spiritual master of the spiritual master in the paramparä system. As described in Bhagavad-geeta (4.2), evam  parampara  praptam : one has to receive the instructions of the Supreme Lord through the disciplic chain of spiritual masters. A devotee of the Lord always cons

Lord Brahmä continued: My dear Priyavrata, seek shelter inside the opening in the lotus of the feet of the Lord, whose navel is also like a lotus. Thus conquer the six sense organs [the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses]. Accept material enjoyment because the Lord, extraordinarily, has ordered you to do this. You will thus always be liberated from material association and be able to carry out the Lord's orders in your constitutional position. There are three kinds of men within this material world. Those who are trying to enjoy the senses to the utmost are called karmés, above them are the Jnanies, who try to conquer the urges of the senses, and above them are the yogés, who have already conquered the senses. None of them, however, are situated in a transcendental position. Only devotees. who belong to none of the above-mentioned groups, are transcendental. As explained in Bhagavad-gétä (14.26): Mam  ca  yo  vyabhicarena   bhakti-yogena sevate sa  gunan

One who is situated in household life and who systematically conquers his mind and five sense organs is like a king in his fortress who conquers his powerful enemies. After one has been trained in household life and his lusty desires have decreased, he can move anywhere without danger. The Vedic system of four varnas and four äsramas is very scientific, and its entire purpose is to enable one to control the senses. Before entering household life (grhastha-äsrama), a student is fully trained to become jitendriya, a conqueror of the senses. Such a mature student is allowed to become a householder, and because he was first trained in conquering his senses, he retires from household life and becomes vänaprastha as soon as the strong waves of youthful life are past and he reaches the verge of old age at fifty years or slightly more. Then, after being further trained, he accepts sannyäsa. He is then a fully learned and renounced person who can move anywhere and everywhe

Even if he goes from forest to forest, one who is not self-controlled must always fear material bondage because he is living with six co-wives—the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses. Even householder life, however, cannot harm a  self-satisfied, learned man who has conquered his senses. Sréla Narottama däsa Thäkura has sung, gåhe vä vanete thäke, 'hä gauräìga' bale däke: whether one is situated in the forest or at home, if he is engaged in the devotional service of Lord Chaitanya, he is a liberated person. Here this is also repeated. For one who has not controlled his senses, going to the forest to become a so-called yogé is meaningless. Because his uncontrolled mind and senses are going with him, he cannot achieve anything, even by giving up household life and staying in the forest. Formerly many mercantile men from the up-country of India used to go to Bengal, and thus there is a familiar saying, "If you go to Bengal, your fortune will go with yo

Even if one is liberated, he nevertheless accepts the body he has received according to his past karma. Without misconceptions, however, he regards his enjoyment and suffering due to that karma the way an awakened person regards a dream he had while sleeping. He thus remains steadfast and never works to achieve another material body under the influence of the three modes of material nature. The difference between a liberated and conditioned soul is that the conditioned soul is under the concept of bodily life, whereas a liberated person knows that he is not the body but a spirit, different from the body. Priyavrata might have thought that although a conditioned soul is forced to act according to the laws of nature, why should he, who was far advanced in spiritual understanding, accept the same kind of bondage and impediments to spiritual advancement? To answer this doubt, Lord Brahmä informed him that even those who are liberated do not resent accepting, in the