Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.1.38. The Inner Meaning of the Story about Maharaja Priyavrata
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Dubai · 2016
Chapters
Recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam text
Omna mo Bhavateva Sudevaya, no Bagwateva Sudevaya, Omna mo Bhagavate Sudevaya no bagva. So we're reading Srimad Bhagavatam, Kent of 5, Chapter 1, The Activities of Maharaja Priya Rat, Text thirty eight.
Naray nam srity, naam sritam, naram chivana rootamam naram seotam, devim sarasvati yasam, devim sas svati ja sam Tatojaya Mudhiraya, Nashtapraya Sva Bhadrisu, Vitam Bhagavata Sevaya, Bhagawa tutta mašlo, Bhakti Bhavati, na Stiki, Yamprajanta Manupe Kritam dwai payana, virahakatara, Juhava putreitan, mayata yotobinedus, tam sarva butyam muni manatos mic.
So it's prose Paradevata Prasadigatma, Pratyavam sena Anu Anupravri tebya putrebya mamyatadayam vibhaya bhukta bhogamcha mahishim mritakam iva saha mahavibutim aphaya swayam nihita nirvedu hridi grihita hari viraha Anubhabaha Bhavata Hana Radasya Padavimpunareva Anuasara.
By the grace of Supreme Personality of God, Hit Maharaja Priyavratari awakened 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 opulent kingdom, and he completely renounced all attachments. His heart have 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 Greek Anony
Apni Sari Sampati Apni Agyakari Putonko Bardhi Apni Patni Jaskesat and One Indriasuk Bhavaka Posey or Prabhup Ashwara Shali Rajya Sahit Sabkus Yakar Khai, Savivra Khaki, Asakti Se Rhithuve. Vimalhojani se Ukarade, Shivawanki, Lilanka, Estarbandya, Israqarve, Krishna Bhavamratha, Path Parpanha Lord I or Maha Moni Naratke Anuguha say Jispatko Prattyata Usko first say the Harankya purport as
enunciated by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in his Shikshashtakam, Chaitadharpanamarjanam Bhava Mahadavagni Nirvapanam, 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. Manmanabhava Mad Bhaktoma Yajimam Namaskuru.
Is Katat Badiah Jesus Bhavane Swam Obdesh Diyahe, Manmana, Bhamat Bakto, Madiajimanskuru, Mashivai, Kiva Shikishna Gash and Tankare. This should be our only business.
One whose heart is not clean cannot think of the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Lord.
Fixing Krishna's lotus feet within the heart
But But uh if one can at once uh if but if one can once again place the supreme personality of Godhead in his heart he is very easily uh he very easily becomes qualified to renounce material attachment.
Philosophers, yogis and jnis try to give up this material world simply by saying Brahmasatyam Jagat Mitya. Mayavadi Darshanik Yogi Dhagyani is Bhauti Santarku Keval Yahakarka Brahmasatyam Yeah.
This world is false. There is no use of it. Let us take to Brahman. He is ahead of me.
Such theoretical knowledge is not will not help us if we believe that Brahman is real true is the real truth we have to place within our hearts
the lotus feet of Sri Krishna as Maharajam Bharisha did Savai Manah Krishna Padaravinda Vishvas Vayati Brahmahi Vasta One
has to fix the lotus feet of the Lord within his heart. Then he gets the strengths 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 at this but the same body when bereft of spirit soul is no longer interesting to any lusty man.
Maharaja Priyavata 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 Chaitanya Mavravu said Nadhanam na Janam Nasundarim Kavitam Vajagadhisaka Maya Mama Janmani Jan Manishwari Bhavatad Bhakti Rahitu kitvai.
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.
Hey Sarashakti Man, Nata Muje Dhan, Sangra Karnigi Kam Nahe, Nasundar Istrioki, Nahi Muje, Anuya Yogi Avashektahe, Matojan Majarmanta, Aki ahe to ki bhati, kam Nakartaho.
For one who desires the advance of sp in spiritual life, attachment to material opulence and attachment to a beautiful wife are two great impediments. Such attachments are condemned even more than suicide.
Therefore, anyone desiring to cross beyond material nations must by the grace of Krishna be freed from attachment to women and money.
When Maharaja Priyavati became completely free from this attachment, he could again peacefully follow the principles instructed by the great sage Narada.
No, you already done that because there was a line missing here in Hindi. I see. Okay.
Namam Vishnupadya Krishna Prashtaya Bhalaya Sri Mate Bhaktividanta Swami Nitinamini Namaste Sraswati Devi Gurawani Pracharini, Nirvi Shesha Sunyavadi, Paschatade Shatari, Vanchakalputar Beschakri Pasindu Bacha Patiam Pavane Byo Vaishnava Bionamon Maha Jai Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunita Sriadvaita Gadhat Hara Srivastura Bhakta Vrinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Understanding the internal purpose of Bhagavatam stories
So Mamma Bachima Prasubtam Sanjay Vaya takila sakti darhsvadam na nyamshahasti charana sravana bhaga dimanda bhagavati purus So we're reading this story about Maharaja Priyavrata in the fifth cant of Srimad Bhagavatam.
And um to understand all the stories of Shimad Bhagavatam uh the real internal meaning of the stories we have to really understand one line from the second canto of Shimad Bhagavatam.
It is said in the ninth chapter of the second Kanto of Srimad Bhagavatam that That uh among the ten topics of Shimad Bhagavatam, nine are there to describe the tens one.
Ultimately, uh Shilavyasadev or Shukadev Gaswami, they want to explain only one thing, Krishna. And even this is not true. Ultimately they want to explain love of Krishna and loving relationship with Krishna.
But uh love is very difficult to understand. Not a preem uh uh mushele some One uh one devotee he said that you know when Lord manifests his opulence is it's easy to understand.
Bhaktani Gadaya Bh Bhagwan, Upni I should you object. When Lord wants to manifest his power, he just gets one finger and sudarsana chakra is there. Pff. That's it. So to manifest his power, he needs only one finger.
To play on a flute he needs ten. So basically the the idea here is that love is more difficult. Muskill yeah. Kathin Kathin. Mushkin is actually Urdu. Muskia brothers are Muslims or something. So and uh and therefore uh it's
uh you know Silovyasadev could have started from the 10th canto and explaining Krishna's pastimes. But he wants to prepare his readers for understanding of real meaning of love.
And therefore he describes so many different stories before he comes to the tenth
Exploring sthiti and levels of human consciousness
can. And if we specifically take this story, then the topic which is being described as I said there are ten topics, out of which one is Krishna Ashraya, and the and the rest is subordinate topics, which help
to describe āśraya. So this particular topic is sthiti. Yeah. So this is the ten topics of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, out of which sthiti is atra. Sarga, visarga, sthānaṁ—sthānaṁ is the third one.
Sarga matlāb, yeah, the first creation, creation of the elements. Visarga is the secondary creation, creation of the planets and the species of life and then stanam means the different planetary systems.
But uh we shouldn't take it literally that Bhāgavatam is interested in describing the astronomical facts about different planetary systems, how it is, whether there is life in Mars or not.
Actually, when stanam is being described, it's different levels of consciousness of human beings which are there in this material universe.
And um therefore, ultimately, when it is described in the second Kanto, what is sthānaṁ, it is said sthitir vaikuṇṭha-vijayaḥ. Stitir vaikuntha vijaya, the explanation which is given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī himself in the second canto of this sthānaṁ, what is the meaning of sthānaṁ? It's Vaikuṇṭha-vijaya. Okay.
But basically, he wants to say that the highest possible state of consciousness is the state of Vaikuṇṭha. That we can understand the Supreme Lord and enter into relationship with the
Supreme Lord if we have this Vaikuṇṭha consciousness. We cannot really relate with the Supreme Lord if we have bhau-ma consciousness.
What to speak about having durvai consciousness. So Dubai gives you an agitable battery.
Maharaja Priyavrata's power and underlying detachment
So basically, uh, the highest possible development
of consciousness is this Vaikuṇṭha consciousness. And therefore the story of Mahārāja Priyāvrata is to illustrate this fact. The inner meaning of this story is that look what Mahārāja Priyavrata has achieved in his life.
He had the highest possible enjoyment in his life. Enjoyment. Not aiśvarya. Aiśvarya will be the next. Indriya-tṛpti.
He had the highest possible power in his life, aiśvarya, or jetunā bi sampa ho sake unchi so which right? Yes. He was so powerful that he was even able to kind of make a different sun.
It is explained that by his yogic power he divided himself and one form of himself became like a second sun. So uh Bata Yopni Shakti say Yvang Vajan Yo or unga ek hisaj Suran Vindya.
Yeah, he remained Maharaj Priya Vrata ruling uh It's very difficult for us to understand. It's impossible for us to understand. Actually we have to understand the point which is being made.
Not this literally thing, because i you know, if if we try to figure out how you can make another son out of s of yourself, you know, it will be your life will become very difficult. But the point is he was very powerful.
He was extremely powerful. But but it's me, some I mean, and usually when people have some power they enjoy this power. Why all these big, big rich people they want to become richer and richer and richer.
They need enough money for their roti every day, you know. They will not eat one hundred roti. So no matter how much they try. But they want because money is power.
Like in both honey streets, I think it's Hanmi Shakti. They they want to have more money, um that they have more power. And they enjoy, you know. I did this. Look how powerful I am.
Or is Kavu Hogarth thinking they go Mari Pasa Putchahead? That's the enjoyment of people. Therefore, by explaining this story, they say, look how powerful Mari But
because he had exposure to Krishna consciousness and he had little taste of Krishna consciousness in his early life.
Uh therefore uh he always uh he he he was not peaceful while doing all these things while ruling the planet. He had always this thought in the background, I'm just wasting my time here.
So that was his uh his understanding and this story is for us, not it's not about Maharaja Priyavrat, it's for us.
How about this masking? Uh because uh we become attached to our little power and our little enjoyment and our little kingdom within little apartment in Dubai. And we we think I'm very nicely situated.
My Thanam is very nice. Because ultimately why stanam is there?
Because why this topic is there in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Because you can get stuck in any level of consciousness, meaning you can get stuck in any sthāna, in any planetary system, so to speak. And uh mm but ultimately this is not the highest, this is not the happiness uh which which we deserve.
The real situation is go higher and higher and higher until we reach Vaikuṇṭha. And therefore, in the very beginning, when we start Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa gives us a little taste of what it means to have real Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
And in the beginning we feel very great, you know, yeah, yeah, I'm poof, I am pure devotee now. And it's just a causeless mercy of Krishna. It's not yet your pure devotee. You are as impure as you always were.
It's just for you to remember this state of consciousness and to always strive for this state of consciousness because it will be finished soon. Don't worry about this.
You will come to your normal state of consciousness and you will struggle to chant one mala of japa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.
But uh it's just for us to understand that this is the highest that the highest possible goal is to achieve uh spiritual consciousness or Krishna consciousness.
And um therefore, because this story is describing that because in the beginning he had this interaction with Nārada Muni and he achieved this spiritual state of consciousness, he was not satisfied even. And
at one point, as it is said here, at one point, by the mercy of the Lord, he remembered all his experiences at one point.
It is it works like this that you know for some time we may lead certain life because the Lord wants us to live a certain life and to get certain experience in life.
But if we meet devotees sooner or later our consciousness, which state of consciousness we achieved, um just by meeting with devotees will come back to us.
Even the Guzati or Krishna Giasi Pushhutaha Kindjamaturasa Bhaktasangakia to ek some ayadayada or skip is a fairy. And when this happened to Maharaja Priyavrata, he started to lament.
Or you Maharaja Priyavrata Sadiba Sahua, Tabu Shokarne.
Impact of material activity on spiritual awareness
He started to say, you know, why did I spend so much time in this material affairs why I I almost forgot uh the Lord while doing all this thing.
There are too many important le two important lessons in this part of the story. Two important lessons.
One important lesson is that uh you know Maharaja Priya Vrata was a devotee, he was doing it as a service, but still he said that while doing this service I almost forgot the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Because this is the nature of active of of very active you know activity in this world when we very actively engage in something then our consciousness becomes clouded.
Uh ye both uh prapati I niam hegam boyada is makriashit who jatah moti karume, the homari chitana praduci who I missed a point permanent And before this the first point that you didn't mind?
No, I am I'm explaining the first lesson. First lesson first lesson is that even Lord Brahma says that I cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead perfectly because I'm too passionate.
Yeah, because uh to act in this world you have to employ the mode of passion. And the mode of person makes your consciousness somewhat clouded. And uh after so much passionate activities, k tamagun comes.
Or both other a job, bad Tamugun Habihuat. Therefore, when we ac actt, act, at the end, we just want to sleep. And therefore Lord Brahma has such a long night. He has to really sleep nicely So, so uh and that's one lesson.
Maharaja Preyavrat, even though he was a devotee, he was ruling as a devotee, that was his devotional service, still he says, no, no, no, I I have to be little detached. Even though he was not attached, still he says I I I want to be detached to concentrate completely on the Supreme Lord.
It's sometimes uh I can very much relate to this particular point. Maharaj we is uh particular amigu castu shikshasi abnasambanajati.
Because when we're preaching, you know we have to do so many things and we have to interact with so many people.
And even though it's all service uh still uh sometimes you feel that you forget about the Lord while doing this.
And therefore, even Śrīla Prabhupāda, who was very strong about this and he was, you know, pushing this point that everyone should be actively engaged in devotional service because he knew that we're not capable of doing this lonely meditation, so to speak.
Still, he said towards the end of the life you should just be absorbed in bhajan. And uh uh that's exactly what Maharaja Priyavrat is doing.
He says, you know, I had enough, I did what I'm supposed to do. Now the Lord from within the heart is calling me that I have to be totally detached and absorbed in Krishna.
Accepting personal responsibility for spiritual progress
Second very important lesson of this lamentation of Maharaja Priyavrat is also we have to understand very clearly. So do three Mahatopunusha Maharaj Priyavrat Kikathas?
You know, when he became remorseful about his life, uh he started lamenting, uh but he didn't try to find faults in anyone else. Uh Jabukas uh Joe engagement.
Because sometimes when something goes wrong with our life, we are trying to find who is the responsible for that my life went in the wrong track. And they can always find somebody, my wife is responsible for this.
Oh my crazy children are guilty in this. Oh yeah, married but You know, so many reasons our uh very you know mind fertile mind can come up with you know he's guilty and he's guilty
and you know but no Maharaj Prierat says I'm responsible for this. Is counterai who very carican a marimanme as he both see karm uh upa sati yeah karne bo carnage carnamanika saca.
He says nobody's nobody is guilty, I am responsible. Why it is so important to have this sort of consciousness because in this way you will be able to correct the situation.
If you think that somebody else is responsible for this, then you cannot do anything. You will just lament and you will be just very angry at this person.
It's it's actually very difficult to see Swayamdosh that I'm I am responsible, my own fault. Yeah, Bahati Katana they canaki may uh but that's the only correct attitude in our life.
Mano uh uh because only uh with this sort of mentality uh one can uh improve the situation or correct the situation. Otherwise you will just feel that I am a victim.
Victim nine I'm just forgetting I victims. It's a nice word in a forgetting it. Victim Madh J Shikar. Shikanana. Shikada say yes shikar. Thank you. I don't know. Shikar. Shikari.
So like uh like I uh I'm dealing with one situation now and uh the person is you know he's he's trying to find faults in different people.
You know, he he's in a very difficult situation and he is trying to uh see who is responsible for this. is ka doshi hemendar. And if I you know when I try to tell him you are responsible for this, he becomes very angry.
Or miras had usko kurodaika. Because he thinks when I say this that I just want to absolve somebody else from responsibility or do this or do that. But I want to help him.
Because if he feels that he is responsible, he can change this. If he feels that somebody else is responsible, he is just helpless. He cannot do anything.
Because in any situation, uh even though usually uh what is the problem? Usually uh when we create the situation, we don't understand how uh what is our input in the situation. We always feel that i it's it's this situation which is wrong but we don't understand how we uh contributed for the creation of this If you have a good idea So this is a very important lesson from this attitude of Maharaja Priyavrat.
That he didn't say, you know, my wife, he had two wives, he said oh my two wives they are responsible for this. No, I'm responsible.
Renunciation as an opulence and Vedic monarchy
And therefore, to correct the situation, he developed the third opulence here, which is described in this story because basically this story illustrates that Maharaj Priyavrata had three opulences.
One was his enjoyment because he was very opulent. His his opulence means wealth. Another one was his power, how he was really powerful. But now he is manifesting the sort of opulence which is renunciation.
So and uh this particular verse is ex is describing his vairāgya, how he immediately when he realized what should be done, he just turned away from all his opulences and gave it up.
So this shloka, Abhi tisri vairāgya-ka-nibandha yahan upar as it was, uh, yahan upar hua ki kahan sankalpa yahan, to immediately.
Again, this is this is a lesson for us because we uh while achieving something we become very attached to our achievements.
Prabhupāda used to laugh, he said uh all these rulers of uh the age of Kali they are so attached they just want to die while ruling. In Russia there was this ruler Brezhnev. Russia may be ruled.
At the end of his life, he became so senile he couldn't understand anything, still he was the ruler.
People would put him on the stage and he would he he couldn't even speak, you know, and for four hours he had to pronounce his speech and he couldn't understand what's going on.
He had to read it and it was so funny, but uh still he was the ruler. Yeah. No problem.
So Prabhupāda he would give the example of Vedic kings because Vedic kings they knew, you know, I ruled, now my son is uh grown up, I have to go to the forest. And that's that's example for all of us.
Yes, we have to be actively engaged, but at one point my son is grown up, I have to go to to the forest to Vrindavan.
Otherwise we shouldn't be attached to the last moment of our life to our little kingdom which we which we achieved.
And uh therefore this verse is there it is said that he turned away from his wife as if she was a dead body, Mritikam, Britikaiva. It may sound very cruel. May sound really pff my goodness.
But it's again description of his mentality. Because uh uh when you get the higher taste, basically that's what it is, uh everything else becomes like dead for you.
Yeah, y you know, you you might have enjoyed in this and that, but if if the higher taste is there, then all these things And it's like you know if if the small child is here, he is playing with his dolls, dolls.
He has little car and he's you know very absorbed, oh yes, nice car. Yeah, but uh uh you know when you're grown up you you can't understand how you can play with these things.
So you you're not playing with little cars, now you're playing with big cars. But big car or little car is the same.
It's just a play when you become Krishna conscious. You just look at the big cars in the same way as as you as an adult look in the small cars of toy cars of of of uh children.
So that's exactly what is being described here, his state of consciousness that he just you know he he became all of a sudden uh completely uninterested in this consciousness
Purifying the heart through the holy name
And that's only possible if you have real Krishna consciousness. And therefore Prabhupada explains this na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā.
Yes, so it's a certain state of consciousness which is again Vaikuṇṭha consciousness when you are not interested in anything else. And it's not an artificial consciousness.
You su you you you cannot really invoke this consciousness artificially in yourself. It's a natural result of the purification of the heart.
Yeah, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ. śreyaḥ-kīraṇa-candrikā-vitaranaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam. Therefore, in the beginning, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ. Nirva Panam.
And when you chant this holy name of the Lord, then gradually the uh you know your heart will become cleansed from all other desires which are not really desirable. Which are like the forest fire in your heart.
And then at one point you will feel like na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ. kavitam. And at that point, as it is explained in this verse, your heart will become
vihara-krīḍā. Because it is said specifically here hṛdaye hari-vihāra.
And uh in in this condition which is natural condition when the Lord is always in our heart, we become very happy because the source of all happiness is within our heart.
So therefore it is said when when he again remembered the Lord and his heart became the place of past times of the Supreme Personality of God it very easily he gave up everything and went And
that's ultimately the point of this pastime because uh we will have to realize that this should be our highest aspiration to make our heart the pastime place of the Lord. Thank you very much.
Reasons behind the loss of early spiritual taste
Okay, you can put one only. Thank you for wonderful.
I just want to know that initially you said Krishna gives us little drop of Krishna consciousness and then it takes away and then you have to struggle to chant you and learn about it. So as you give my if you get once, then why does it take away?
It's not that he takes away, it's just it's being covered over by our anarthas. Because anarthas are still there, and uh in the beginning we behave in a very humble way, we are very humble, everyone is just a great devotee, I am just the last one.
And therefore, Krishna being merciful, he gives us some experience. But then we become senior devotees, very proud, and we say, Oh, they're all inferior to me. So Kṛṣṇa says, okay, you know, you try to be a senior devotee.
It's very hard. It's very easy to be a junior devotee. It's very hard to be a senior devotee. Believe me, I know it.