Skandham-5 Chapter-1. Slokam-38.

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 should be fully Krishna
conscious, thinking of Krishna, as He Himself advises (man-mana bhava
mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]). This should be our only
business. One whose heart is not clean cannot think of the transcendental
pastimes of the Supreme Lord, but if one can once again place the Supreme
Personality of Godhead in his heart, he very easily becomes qualified to
renounce material attachment. Mayavadi philosophers, yogis and jnanis try to
give up this material world simply by saying, brahma satyam  jagan mithya:
"This world is false. There is no use of it. Let us take to Brahman." Such
theoretical knowledge will not help us. If we believe that Brahman is the real
truth, we have to place within our hearts the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, as
Maharaja Ambarisa did (sa vai manah krishna-padaravindayoh [SB 9.4.18]). One
has to fix the lotus feet of the Lord within his heart. Then he gets the strength
to be freed from material entanglement.



Maharaja Priyavrata was able to give up his opulent kingdom, and he also
gave up the association of his beautiful wife as if she were a dead body.
However beautiful one's wife and however attractive her bodily features, one is
no longer interested in her when her body is dead. We praise a beautiful
woman for her body, but that same body, when bereft of a spirit soul, is no
longer interesting to any lusty man. Maharaja Priyavrata was so strong, by the
grace of the Lord, that even though his beautiful wife was alive, he could give
up her association exactly like one who is forced to give up the association of a
dead wife. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:




"O Almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire
beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your
causeless devotional service birth after birth." For one who desires to advance
in spiritual life, attachment to material opulence and attachment to a beautiful
wile are two great impediments. Such attachments are condemned even more
than suicide. Therefore anyone desiring to cross beyond material nescience
must, by the grace of Krishna, be freed from attachment to women and money.
When Mahraja Priyavrata became completely free from these attachments,
he could again peacefully follow the principles instructed by the great sage
Narada.