Before Verses
Devanagari
Verse Text
Synonyms
Translation
Purport
CHAPTER FIVE
Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s Final Instructions to Mahārāja Parīkṣit
This chapter explains how King Parīkṣit’s fear of death from the snake-bird Takṣaka was averted by Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s brief instructions on the Absolute Truth.
Having in the last chapter described the four processes of annihilation that act in this material world, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī now reminds Parīkṣit Mahārāja how he had previously, in the Third Canto, discussed the measurement of time and of the various millennia of universal history. During a single day of Lord Brahmā, constituting one thousand cycles of four ages, fourteen different Manus rule and die. Thus death is unavoidable for every embodied being, but the soul itself never dies, being entirely distinct from the material body. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī then states that in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam he has repeatedly chanted the glories of the Supreme Soul, Lord Śrī Hari, from whose satisfaction Brahmā takes birth and from whose anger Rudra is born. The idea “I will die” is simply the mentality of animals, because the soul does not undergo the bodily phases of previous nonexistence, birth, existence and death. When the body’s subtle mental covering is destroyed by transcendental knowledge, the soul within the body again exhibits his original identity. Just as the temporal existence of a lamp comes about by the combination of oil, the vessel, the wick and the fire, the material body comes about by the amalgamation of the three modes of nature. The material body appears at birth and displays life for some time. Finally, the combination of material modes dissolves, and the body undergoes death, a phenomenon similar to the extinguishing of a lamp. Śukadeva addresses the king, saying, “You should fix yourself in meditation upon Lord Vāsudeva, and thus the bite of the snake-bird will not affect you.”
Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
अत्रानुवर्ण्यतेऽभीक्ष्णं विश्वात्मा भगवान् हरि: ।
यस्य प्रसादजो ब्रह्मा रुद्र: क्रोधसमुद्भव: ॥ १ ॥
अत्रानुवर्ण्यतेऽभीक्ष्णं विश्वात्मा भगवान् हरि: ।
यस्य प्रसादजो ब्रह्मा रुद्र: क्रोधसमुद्भव: ॥ १ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
atrānuvarṇyate ’bhīkṣṇaṁ
viśvātmā bhagavān hariḥ
yasya prasāda-jo brahmā
rudraḥ krodha-samudbhavaḥ
atrānuvarṇyate ’bhīkṣṇaṁ
viśvātmā bhagavān hariḥ
yasya prasāda-jo brahmā
rudraḥ krodha-samudbhavaḥ
Synonyms
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; atra — in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; anuvarṇyate — is elaborately described; abhīkṣṇam — repeatedly; viśva-ātmā — the soul of the entire universe; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hariḥ — Lord Hari; yasya — of whom; prasāda — from the satisfaction; jaḥ — born; brahmā — Lord Brahmā; rudraḥ — Lord Śiva; krodha — from the anger; samudbhavaḥ — whose birth.
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has elaborately described in various narrations the Supreme Soul of all that be — the Personality of Godhead, Hari — from whose satisfaction Brahmā is born and from whose anger Rudra takes birth.
Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has given a very elaborate summary of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in his commentary on this verse. The essence of the great ācārya’s statement is that unconditional loving surrender to the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, as described by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, is the highest perfection of life. The exclusive purpose of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to convince the conditioned soul to execute such surrender to the Lord and go back home, back to Godhead.
Devanagari
त्वं तु राजन् मरिष्येति पशुबुद्धिमिमां जहि ।
न जात: प्रागभूतोऽद्य देहवत्त्वं न नङ्क्ष्यसि ॥ २ ॥
न जात: प्रागभूतोऽद्य देहवत्त्वं न नङ्क्ष्यसि ॥ २ ॥
Verse text
tvaṁ tu rājan mariṣyeti
paśu-buddhim imāṁ jahi
na jātaḥ prāg abhūto ’dya
deha-vat tvaṁ na naṅkṣyasi
paśu-buddhim imāṁ jahi
na jātaḥ prāg abhūto ’dya
deha-vat tvaṁ na naṅkṣyasi
Synonyms
tvam — you; tu — but; rājan — O King; mariṣye — I am about to die; iti — thus thinking; paśu-buddhim — animalistic mentality; imām — this; jahi — give up; na — not; jātaḥ — born; prāk — previously; abhūtaḥ — nonexistent; adya — today; deha-vat — like the body; tvam — you; na naṅkṣyasi — will not be destroyed.
Translation
O King, give up the animalistic mentality of thinking, “I am going to die.” Unlike the body, you have not taken birth. There was not a time in the past when you did not exist, and you are not about to be destroyed.
Purport
At the end of the First Canto (1.19.15) King Parīkṣit stated:
taṁ mopajātaṁ pratiyantu viprā
gaṅgā ca devī dhṛta-cittam īśe
dvijopasṛṣṭaḥ kuhakas takṣako vā
daśatv alaṁ gāyata viṣṇu-gāthāḥ
gaṅgā ca devī dhṛta-cittam īśe
dvijopasṛṣṭaḥ kuhakas takṣako vā
daśatv alaṁ gāyata viṣṇu-gāthāḥ
“O brāhmaṇas, just accept me as a completely surrendered soul, and let mother Ganges, the representative of the Lord, also accept me in that way, for I have already taken the lotus feet of the Lord into my heart. Let the snake-bird — or whatever magical thing the brāhmaṇa created — bite me at once. I only desire that you all continue singing the deeds of Lord Viṣṇu.”
Even before hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, King Parīkṣit was a mahā-bhāgavata, a great and pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. There was actually no animalistic fear of death within the King, but for our sake Śukadeva Gosvāmī is speaking very strongly to his disciple, just as Lord Kṛṣṇa speaks strongly to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā.
Devanagari
न भविष्यसि भूत्वा त्वं पुत्रपौत्रादिरूपवान् ।
बीजाङ्कुरवद् देहादेर्व्यतिरिक्तो यथानल: ॥ ३ ॥
बीजाङ्कुरवद् देहादेर्व्यतिरिक्तो यथानल: ॥ ३ ॥
Verse text
na bhaviṣyasi bhūtvā tvaṁ
putra-pautrādi-rūpavān
bījāṅkura-vad dehāder
vyatirikto yathānalaḥ
putra-pautrādi-rūpavān
bījāṅkura-vad dehāder
vyatirikto yathānalaḥ
Synonyms
na bhaviṣyasi — you will not come into being; bhūtvā — becoming; tvam — you; putra — of children; pautra — grandchildren; ādi — and so on; rūpa-vān — assuming the forms; bīja — the seed; aṅkura — and the sprout; vat — like; deha-ādeḥ — from the material body and its paraphernalia; vyatiriktaḥ — distinct; yathā — as; analaḥ — the fire (from the wood).
Translation
You will not take birth again in the form of your sons and grandsons, like a sprout taking birth from a seed and then generating a new seed. Rather, you are entirely distinct from the material body and its paraphernalia, in the same way that fire is distinct from its fuel.
Purport
Sometimes one dreams of being reborn as the son of one’s son, in the hope of perpetually remaining in the same material family. As stated in the śruti-mantra, pitā putreṇa pitṛmān yoni-yonau: “A father has a father in his son, because he may take birth as his own grandson.” The purpose of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is spiritual liberation and not the foolish prolonging of the illusion of bodily identification. That is clearly stated in this verse.
Devanagari
स्वप्ने यथा शिरश्छेदं पञ्चत्वाद्यात्मन: स्वयम् ।
यस्मात् पश्यति देहस्य तत आत्मा ह्यजोऽमर: ॥ ४ ॥
यस्मात् पश्यति देहस्य तत आत्मा ह्यजोऽमर: ॥ ४ ॥
Verse text
svapne yathā śiraś-chedaṁ
pañcatvādy ātmanaḥ svayam
yasmāt paśyati dehasya
tata ātmā hy ajo ’maraḥ
pañcatvādy ātmanaḥ svayam
yasmāt paśyati dehasya
tata ātmā hy ajo ’maraḥ
Synonyms
svapne — in a dream; yathā — as; śiraḥ — of one’s head; chedam — the cutting off; pañcatva-ādi — the condition of being composed of the five material elements, and other material conditions; ātmanaḥ — one’s own; svayam — oneself; yasmāt — because; paśyati — one sees; dehasya — of the body; tataḥ — therefore; ātmā — the soul; hi — certainly; ajaḥ — unborn; amaraḥ — immortal.
Translation
In a dream one can see his own head being cut off and thus understand that his actual self is standing apart from the dream experience. Similarly, while awake one can see that his body is a product of the five material elements. Therefore it is to be understood that the actual self, the soul, is distinct from the body it observes and is unborn and immortal.
Devanagari
घटे भिन्ने घटाकाश आकाश: स्याद् यथा पुरा ।
एवं देहे मृते जीवो ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते पुन: ॥ ५ ॥
एवं देहे मृते जीवो ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते पुन: ॥ ५ ॥
Verse text
ghaṭe bhinne ghaṭākāśa
ākāśaḥ syād yathā purā
evaṁ dehe mṛte jīvo
brahma sampadyate punaḥ
ākāśaḥ syād yathā purā
evaṁ dehe mṛte jīvo
brahma sampadyate punaḥ
Synonyms
ghaṭe — a pot; bhinne — when it is broken; ghaṭa-ākāśaḥ — the sky within the pot; ākāśaḥ — sky; syāt — remains; yathā — as; purā — previously; evam — similarly; dehe — the body; mṛte — when it is given up, in the liberated condition; jīvaḥ — the individual soul; brahma — his spiritual status; sampadyate — attains; punaḥ — once again.
Translation
When a pot is broken, the portion of sky within the pot remains as the element sky, just as before. In the same way, when the gross and subtle bodies die, the living entity within resumes his spiritual identity.
Devanagari
मन: सृजति वै देहान् गुणान् कर्माणि चात्मन: ।
तन्मन: सृजते माया ततो जीवस्य संसृति: ॥ ६ ॥
तन्मन: सृजते माया ततो जीवस्य संसृति: ॥ ६ ॥
Verse text
manaḥ sṛjati vai dehān
guṇān karmāṇi cātmanaḥ
tan manaḥ sṛjate māyā
tato jīvasya saṁsṛtiḥ
guṇān karmāṇi cātmanaḥ
tan manaḥ sṛjate māyā
tato jīvasya saṁsṛtiḥ
Synonyms
manaḥ — the mind; sṛjati — produces; vai — indeed; dehān — the material bodies; guṇān — the qualities; karmāṇi — the activities; ca — and; ātmanaḥ — of the soul; tat — that; manaḥ — mind; sṛjate — produces; māyā — the illusory potency of the Supreme Lord; tataḥ — thus; jīvasya — of the individual living being; saṁsṛtiḥ — the material existence.
Translation
The material bodies, qualities and activities of the spirit soul are created by the material mind. That mind is itself created by the illusory potency of the Supreme Lord, and thus the soul assumes material existence.
Devanagari
स्नेहाधिष्ठानवर्त्यग्निसंयोगो यावदीयते ।
तावद्दीपस्य दीपत्वमेवं देहकृतो भव: ।
रज:सत्त्वतमोवृत्त्या जायतेऽथ विनश्यति ॥ ७ ॥
तावद्दीपस्य दीपत्वमेवं देहकृतो भव: ।
रज:सत्त्वतमोवृत्त्या जायतेऽथ विनश्यति ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
snehādhiṣṭhāna-varty-agni-
saṁyogo yāvad īyate
tāvad dīpasya dīpatvam
evaṁ deha-kṛto bhavaḥ
rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-vṛttyā
jāyate ’tha vinaśyati
saṁyogo yāvad īyate
tāvad dīpasya dīpatvam
evaṁ deha-kṛto bhavaḥ
rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-vṛttyā
jāyate ’tha vinaśyati
Synonyms
sneha — of the oil; adhiṣṭhāna — the vessel; varti — the wick; agni — and the fire; saṁyogaḥ — the combination; yāvat — to which extent; īyate — is seen; tāvat — to that extent; dīpasya — of the lamp; dīpatvam — the status of functioning as a lamp; evam — similarly; deha-kṛtaḥ — due to the material body; bhavaḥ — material existence; rajaḥ-sattva-tamaḥ — of the modes of passion, goodness and ignorance; vṛttyā — by the action; jāyate — arises; atha — and; vinaśyati — is destroyed.
Translation
A lamp functions as such only by the combination of its fuel, vessel, wick and fire. Similarly, material life, based on the soul’s identification with the body, is developed and destroyed by the workings of material goodness, passion and ignorance, which are the constituent elements of the body.
Devanagari
न तत्रात्मा स्वयंज्योतिर्यो व्यक्ताव्यक्तयो: पर: ।
आकाश इव चाधारो ध्रुवोऽनन्तोपमस्तत: ॥ ८ ॥
आकाश इव चाधारो ध्रुवोऽनन्तोपमस्तत: ॥ ८ ॥
Verse text
na tatrātmā svayaṁ-jyotir
yo vyaktāvyaktayoḥ paraḥ
ākāśa iva cādhāro
dhruvo ’nantopamas tataḥ
yo vyaktāvyaktayoḥ paraḥ
ākāśa iva cādhāro
dhruvo ’nantopamas tataḥ
Synonyms
na — not; tatra — there; ātmā — the soul; svayam-jyotiḥ — self-luminous; yaḥ — who; vyakta-avyaktayoḥ — from the manifest and the unmanifest (the gross and subtle bodies); paraḥ — different; ākāśaḥ — the sky; iva — as; ca — and; ādhāraḥ — the basis; dhruvaḥ — fixed; ananta — without end; upamaḥ — or comparison; tataḥ — thus.
Translation
The soul within the body is self-luminous and is separate from the visible gross body and invisible subtle body. It remains as the fixed basis of changing bodily existence, just as the ethereal sky is the unchanging background of material transformation. Therefore the soul is endless and without material comparison.
Devanagari
एवमात्मानमात्मस्थमात्मनैवामृश प्रभो ।
बुद्ध्यानुमानगर्भिण्या वासुदेवानुचिन्तया ॥ ९ ॥
बुद्ध्यानुमानगर्भिण्या वासुदेवानुचिन्तया ॥ ९ ॥
Verse text
evam ātmānam ātma-stham
ātmanaivāmṛśa prabho
buddhyānumāna-garbhiṇyā
vāsudevānucintayā
ātmanaivāmṛśa prabho
buddhyānumāna-garbhiṇyā
vāsudevānucintayā
Synonyms
evam — in this way; ātmānam — your true self; ātma-stham — situated within the bodily covering; ātmanā — with your mind; eva — indeed; āmṛśa — consider carefully; prabho — O master of the self (King Parīkṣit); buddhyā — with intelligence; anumāna-garbhiṇyā — conceived by logic; vāsudeva-anucintayā — with meditation upon Lord Vāsudeva.
Translation
My dear King, by constantly meditating upon the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva, and by applying clear and logical intelligence, you should carefully consider your true self and how it is situated within the material body.
Devanagari
चोदितो विप्रवाक्येन न त्वां धक्ष्यति तक्षक: ।
मृत्यवो नोपधक्ष्यन्ति मृत्यूनां मृत्युमीश्वरम् ॥ १० ॥
मृत्यवो नोपधक्ष्यन्ति मृत्यूनां मृत्युमीश्वरम् ॥ १० ॥
Verse text
codito vipra-vākyena
na tvāṁ dhakṣyati takṣakaḥ
mṛtyavo nopadhakṣyanti
mṛtyūnāṁ mṛtyum īśvaram
na tvāṁ dhakṣyati takṣakaḥ
mṛtyavo nopadhakṣyanti
mṛtyūnāṁ mṛtyum īśvaram
Synonyms
coditaḥ — sent; vipra-vākyena — by the words of the brāhmaṇa; na — not; tvām — you; dhakṣyati — will burn; takṣakaḥ — the snake-bird Takṣaka; mṛtyavaḥ — the agents of death personified; na upadhakṣyanti — cannot burn; mṛtyūnām — of these causes of death; mṛtyum — the very death; īśvaram — the master of the self.
Translation
The snake-bird Takṣaka, sent by the curse of the brāhmaṇa, will not burn your true self. The agents of death will never burn such a master of the self as you, for you have already conquered all dangers on your path back to Godhead.
Purport
Real death is the covering of one’s eternal Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For the soul, material illusion is just like death, but Parīkṣit Mahārāja had already destroyed all those dangers that threaten one’s spiritual life, such as lust, envy and fear. Śukadeva Gosvāmī here congratulates the great saintly king, who, as a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa homeward bound to the spiritual sky, was far beyond the reach of death.
Devanagari
अहं ब्रह्म परं धाम ब्रह्माहं परमं पदम् ।
एवं समीक्ष्य चात्मानमात्मन्याधाय निष्कले ॥ ११ ॥
दशन्तं तक्षकं पादे लेलिहानं विषाननै: ।
न द्रक्ष्यसि शरीरं च विश्वं च पृथगात्मन: ॥ १२ ॥
एवं समीक्ष्य चात्मानमात्मन्याधाय निष्कले ॥ ११ ॥
दशन्तं तक्षकं पादे लेलिहानं विषाननै: ।
न द्रक्ष्यसि शरीरं च विश्वं च पृथगात्मन: ॥ १२ ॥
Verse text
ahaṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
brahmāhaṁ paramaṁ padam
evaṁ samīkṣya cātmānam
ātmany ādhāya niṣkale
brahmāhaṁ paramaṁ padam
evaṁ samīkṣya cātmānam
ātmany ādhāya niṣkale
daśantaṁ takṣakaṁ pāde
lelihānaṁ viṣānanaiḥ
na drakṣyasi śarīraṁ ca
viśvaṁ ca pṛthag ātmanaḥ
lelihānaṁ viṣānanaiḥ
na drakṣyasi śarīraṁ ca
viśvaṁ ca pṛthag ātmanaḥ
Synonyms
aham — I; brahma — the Absolute Truth; param — supreme; dhāma — the abode; brahma — the Absolute Truth; aham — I; paramam — the supreme; padam — destination; evam — thus; samīkṣya — considering; ca — and; ātmānam — yourself; ātmani — in the Supreme Self; ādhāya — placing; niṣkale — which is free from material designation; daśantam — biting; takṣakam — Takṣaka; pāde — upon your foot; lelihānam — the snake, licking his lips; viṣa-ānanaiḥ — with his mouth full of poison; na drakṣyasi — you will not even notice; śarīram — your body; ca — and; viśvam — the entire material world; ca — and; pṛthak — separate; ātmanaḥ — from the self.
Translation
You should consider, “I am nondifferent from the Absolute Truth, the supreme abode, and that Absolute Truth, the supreme destination, is nondifferent from me.” Thus resigning yourself to the Supreme Soul, who is free from all material misidentifications, you will not even notice the snake-bird Takṣaka when he approaches with his poison-filled fangs and bites your foot. Nor will you see your dying body or the material world around you, because you will have realized yourself to be separate from them.
Devanagari
एतत्ते कथितं तात यदात्मा पृष्टवान् नृप ।
हरेर्विश्वात्मनश्चेष्टां किं भूय: श्रोतुमिच्छसि ॥ १३ ॥
हरेर्विश्वात्मनश्चेष्टां किं भूय: श्रोतुमिच्छसि ॥ १३ ॥
Verse text
etat te kathitaṁ tāta
yad ātmā pṛṣṭavān nṛpa
harer viśvātmanaś ceṣṭāṁ
kiṁ bhūyaḥ śrotum icchasi
yad ātmā pṛṣṭavān nṛpa
harer viśvātmanaś ceṣṭāṁ
kiṁ bhūyaḥ śrotum icchasi
Synonyms
etat — this; te — to you; kathitam — narrated; tāta — my dear Parīkṣit; yat — which; ātmā — you; pṛṣṭavān — inquired; nṛpa — O King; hareḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; viśva-ātmanaḥ — of the Soul of the universe; ceṣṭām — the pastimes; kim — what; bhūyaḥ — further; śrotum — to hear; icchasi — do you wish.
Translation
Beloved King Parīkṣit, I have narrated to you the topics you originally inquired about — the pastimes of Lord Hari, the Supreme Soul of the universe. Now, what more do you wish to hear?
Purport
In his commentary on this text, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has elaborately demonstrated, by citing many Bhāgavatam verses, the exalted devotional position of King Parīkṣit, who was fully determined to fix his mind upon Lord Kṛṣṇa and go back home, back to Godhead.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Twelfth Canto, Fifth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s Final Instructions to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.”