Conversation Between Narada and Vyasadeva
1.6.1
suta uvaca
evam nisamya bhagavan
devarser janma karma ca
bhuyah papraccha tam brahman
vyasah satyavati-sutah
SYNONYMS
sutah uvaca—Suta said; evam—thus; nisamya—hearing; bhagavan—the powerful incarnation of God; devarseh—of the great sage among the gods; janma—birth; karma—work; ca—and; bhuyah—again; papraccha—asked; tam—him; brahman—O brahmanas; vyasah—Vyasadeva; satyavati-sutah—the son of Satyavati.
TRANSLATION
Suta said:
O brahmanas, thus hearing all about Sri Narada’s birth and activities, Vyasadeva, the incarnation of God and son of Satyavati, inquired as follows.
PURPORT
Vyasadeva was further inquisitive to know about the perfection of Naradaji, and therefore he wanted to know about him more and more.
In this chapter Naradaji will describe how he was able to have a brief audience with the Lord while he was absorbed in the transcendental thought of separation from the Lord and when it was very painful for him.
1.6.2
vyasa uvaca
bhiksubhir vipravasite
vijnanadestrbhis tava
vartamano vayasy adye
tatah kim akarod bhavan
SYNONYMS
vyasah uvaca—Sri Vyasadeva said; bhiksubhih—by the great mendicants; vipravasite—having departed for other places; vijnana—scientific knowledge in transcendence; adestrbhih—those who had instructed; tava—of your; vartamanah—present; vayasi—of the duration of life; adye—before the beginning of; tatah—after that; kim—what; akarot—did; bhavan—your good self.
TRANSLATION
Sri Vyasadeva said:
What did you (Narada) do after the departure of the great sages who had instructed you in scientific transcendental knowledge before the beginning of your present birth?
PURPORT
Vyasadeva himself was the disciple of Naradaji, and therefore it was natural to be anxious to hear what Narada did after initiation from the spiritual masters.
He wanted to follow in Narada’s footsteps in order to attain to the same perfect stage of life.
This desire to inquire from the spiritual master is an essential factor to the progressive path.
This process is technically known as sad-dharma-prccha.
1.6.3
svayambhuva kaya vrttya
vartitam te param vayah
katham cedam udasraksih
kale prapte kalevaram
SYNONYMS
svayambhuva—O son of Brahma; kaya—under what condition; vrttya—occupation; vartitam—was spent; te—you; param—after the initiation; vayah—duration of life; katham—how; ca—and; idam—this; udasraksih—did you quit; kale—in due course; prapte—having attained; kalevaram—body.
TRANSLATION
O son of Brahma, how did you pass your life after initiation, and how did you attain this body, having quit your old one in due course?
PURPORT
Sri Narada Muni in his previous life was just an ordinary maidservant’s son, so how he became so perfectly transformed into the spiritual body of eternal life, bliss and knowledge is certainly important.
Sri Vyasadeva desired him to disclose the facts for everyone’s satisfaction.
1.6.4
prak-kalpa-visayam etam
smrtim te muni-sattama
na hy esa vyavadhat kala
esa sarva-nirakrtih
SYNONYMS
prak—prior; kalpa—the duration of Brahma’s day; visayam—subject matter; etam—all these; smrtim—remembrance; te—your; muni-sattama—O great sage; na—not; hi—certainly; esah—all these; vyavadhat—made any difference; kalah—course of time; esah—all these; sarva—all; nirakrtih—annihilation.
TRANSLATION
O great sage, time annihilates everything in due course, so how is it that this subject matter, which happened prior to this day of Brahma, is still fresh in your memory, undisturbed by time?
PURPORT
As spirit is not annihilated even after the annihilation of the material body, so also spiritual consciousness is not annihilated.
Sri Narada developed this spiritual consciousness even when he had his material body in the previous kalpa.
Consciousness of the material body means spiritual consciousness expressed through the medium of a material body.
This consciousness is inferior, destructible and perverted.
But superconsciousness of the supramind in the spiritual plane is as good as the spirit soul and is never annihilated.
1.6.5
narada uvaca
bhiksubhir vipravasite
vijnanadestrbhir mama
vartamano vayasy adye
tata etad akarasam
SYNONYMS
naradah uvaca—Sri Narada said; bhiksubhih—by the great sages; vipravasite—having departed for other places; vijnana—scientific spiritual knowledge; adestrbhih—those who imparted unto me; mama—mine; vartamanah—present; vayasi adye—before this life; tatah—thereafter; etat—this much; akarasam—performed.
TRANSLATION
Sri Narada said:
The great sages, who had imparted scientific knowledge of transcendence to me, departed for other places, and I had to pass my life in this way.
PURPORT
In his previous life, when Naradaji was impregnated with spiritual knowledge by the grace of the great sages, there was a tangible change in his life, although he was only a boy of five years.
That is an important symptom visible after initiation by the bona fide spiritual master.
Actual association of devotees brings about a quick change in life for spiritual realization.
How it so acted upon the previous life of Sri Narada Muni is described by and by in this chapter.
1.6.6
ekatmaja me janani
yosin mudha ca kinkari
mayy atmaje ’nanya-gatau
cakre snehanubandhanam
SYNONYMS
eka-atmaja—having only one son; me—my; janani—mother; yosit—woman by class; mudha—foolish; ca—and; kinkari—maidservant; mayi—unto me; atmaje—being her offspring; ananya-gatau—one who has no alternative for protection; cakre—did it; sneha-anubandhanam—tied by affectionate bondage.
TRANSLATION
I was the only son of my mother, who was not only a simple woman but a maidservant as well.
Since I was her only offspring, she had no other alternative for protection: she bound me with the tie of affection.
1.6.7
sasvatantra na kalpasid
yoga-ksemam mamecchati
isasya hi vase loko
yosa darumayi yatha
SYNONYMS
sa—she; asvatantra—was dependent; na—not; kalpa—able; asit—was; yoga-ksemam—maintenance; mama—my; icchati—although desirous; isasya—of providence; hi—for; vase—under the control of; lokah—everyone; yosa—doll; daru-mayi—made of wood; yatha—as much as.
TRANSLATION
She wanted to look after my maintenance properly, but because she was not independent, she was not able to do anything for me.
The world is under the full control of the Supreme Lord; therefore everyone is like a wooden doll in the hands of a puppet master.
1.6.8
aham ca tad-brahma-kule
usivams tad-upeksaya
dig-desa-kalavyutpanno
balakah panca-hayanah
SYNONYMS
aham—I; ca—also; tat—that; brahma-kule—in the school of the brahmanas; usivan—lived; tat—her; upeksaya—being dependent on; dik-desa—direction and country; kala—time; avyutpannah—having no experience; balakah—a mere child; panca—five; hayanah—years old.
TRANSLATION
When I was a mere child of five years, I lived in a brahmana school.
I was dependent on my mother’s affection and had no experience of different lands.
1.6.9
ekada nirgatam gehad
duhantim nisi gam pathi
sarpo ’dasat pada sprstah
krpanam kala-coditah
SYNONYMS
ekada—once upon a time; nirgatam—having gone away; gehat—from home; duhantim—for milking; nisi—at night; gam—the cow; pathi—on the path; sarpah—snake; adasat—bitten; pada—on the leg; sprstah—thus struck; krpanam—the poor woman; kala-coditah—influenced by supreme time.
TRANSLATION
Once upon a time, my poor mother, when going out one night to milk a cow, was bitten on the leg by a serpent, influenced by supreme time.
PURPORT
That is the way of dragging a sincere soul nearer to God.
The poor boy was being looked after only by his affectionate mother, and yet the mother was taken from the world by the supreme will in order to put him completely at the mercy of the Lord.
1.6.10
tada tad aham isasya
bhaktanam sam abhipsatah
anugraham manyamanah
pratistham disam uttaram
SYNONYMS
tada—at that time; tat—that; aham—I; isasya—of the Lord; bhaktanam—of the devotees; sam—mercy; abhipsatah—desiring; anugraham—special benediction; manyamanah—thinking in that way; pratistham—departed; disam uttaram—in the northern direction.
TRANSLATION
I took this as the special mercy of the Lord, who always desires benediction for His devotees, and so thinking, I started for the north.
PURPORT
Confidential devotees of the Lord see in every step a benedictory direction of the Lord.
What is considered to be an odd or difficult moment in the mundane sense is accepted as special mercy of the Lord.
Mundane prosperity is a kind of material fever, and by the grace of the Lord the temperature of this material fever is gradually diminished, and spiritual health is obtained step by step.
Mundane people misunderstand it.
1.6.11
sphitan janapadams tatra
pura-grama-vrajakaran
kheta-kharvata-vatis ca
vanany upavanani ca
SYNONYMS
sphitan—very flourishing; jana-padan—metropolises; tatra—there; pura—towns; grama—villages; vraja—big farms; akaran—mineral fields (mines); kheta—agricultural lands; kharvata—valleys; vatih—flower gardens; ca—and; vanani—forests; upavanani—nursery gardens; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
After my departure, I passed through many flourishing metropolises, towns, villages, animal farms, mines, agricultural lands, valleys, flower gardens, nursery gardens and natural forests.
PURPORT
Man’s activities in agriculture, mining, farming, industries, gardening, etc., were all on the same scale as they are now, even previous to the present creation, and the same activities will remain as they are, even in the next creation.
After many hundreds of millions of years, one creation is started by the law of nature, and the history of the universe repeats itself practically in the same way.
The mundane wranglers waste time with archaeological excavations without searching into the vital necessities of life.
After getting an impetus in spiritual life, Sri Narada Muni, even though a mere child, did not waste time for a single moment with economic development, although he passed towns and villages, mines and industries.
He continually went on to progressive spiritual emancipation.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the repetition of history which happened some hundreds of millions of years ago.
As it is said herein, only the most important factors of history are picked up to be recorded in this transcendental literature.
1.6.12
citra-dhatu-vicitradrin
ibha-bhagna-bhuja-druman
jalasayan chiva-jalan
nalinih sura-sevitah
citra-svanaih patra-rathair
vibhramad bhramara-sriyah
SYNONYMS
citra-dhatu—valuable minerals like gold, silver and copper; vicitra—full of variegatedness; adrin—hills and mountains; ibha-bhagna—broken by the giant elephants; bhuja—branches; druman—trees; jalasayan siva—health-giving; jalan—reservoirs of water; nalinih—lotus flowers; sura-sevitah—aspired to by the denizens of heaven; citra-svanaih—pleasing to the heart; patra-rathaih—by the birds; vibhramat—bewildering; bhramara-sriyah—decorated by drones.
TRANSLATION
I passed through hills and mountains full of reservoirs of various minerals like gold, silver and copper, and through tracts of land with reservoirs of water filled with beautiful lotus flowers, fit for the denizens of heaven, decorated with bewildered bees and singing birds.
1.6.13
nala-venu-saras-tanba-
kusa-kicaka-gahvaram
eka evatiyato ’ham
adraksam vipinam mahat
ghoram pratibhayakaram
vyaloluka-sivajiram
SYNONYMS
nala—pipes; venu—bamboo; sarah—pens; tanba—full of; kusa—sharp grass; kicaka—weeds; gahvaram—caves; ekah—alone; eva—only; atiyatah—difficult to go through; aham—I; adraksam—visited; vipinam—deep forests; mahat—great; ghoram—fearful; pratibhaya-akaram—dangerously; vyala—snakes; uluka—owls; siva—jackals; ajiram—playgrounds.
TRANSLATION
I then passed alone through many forests of rushes, bamboo, reeds, sharp grass, weeds and caves, which were very difficult to go through alone.
I visited deep, dark and dangerously fearful forests, which were the play yards of snakes, owls and jackals.
PURPORT
It is the duty of a mendicant (parivrajakacarya) to experience all varieties of God’s creation by traveling alone through all forests, hills, towns, villages, etc., to gain faith in God and strength of mind as well as to enlighten the inhabitants with the message of God.
A sannyasi is duty-bound to take all these risks without fear, and the most typical sannyasi of the present age is Lord Caitanya, who traveled in the same manner through the central Indian jungles, enlightening even the tigers, bears, snakes, deer, elephants and many other jungle animals.
In this age of Kali, sannyasa is forbidden for ordinary men.
One who changes his dress to make propaganda is a different man from the original ideal sannyasi.
One should, however, take the vow to stop social intercourse completely and devote life exclusively to the service of the Lord.
The change of dress is only a formality.
Lord Caitanya did not accept the name of a sannyasi, and in this age of Kali the so-called sannyasis should not change their former names, following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya.
In this age, devotional service of hearing and repeating the holy glories of the Lord is strongly recommended, and one who takes the vow of renunciation of family life need not imitate the parivrajakacarya like Narada or Lord Caitanya, but may sit down at some holy place and devote his whole time and energy to hear and repeatedly chant the holy scriptures left by the great acaryas like the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana.
1.6.14
parisrantendriyatmaham
trt-parito bubhuksitah
snatva pitva hrade nadya
upasprsto gata-sramah
SYNONYMS
parisranta—being tired; indriya—bodily; atma—mentally; aham—I; trt-paritah—being thirsty; bubhuksitah—and hungry; snatva—taking a bath; pitva—and drinking water also; hrade—in the lake; nadyah—of a river; upasprstah—being in contact with; gata—got relief from; sramah—tiredness.
TRANSLATION
Thus traveling, I felt tired, both bodily and mentally, and I was both thirsty and hungry.
So I took a bath in a river lake and also drank water.
By contacting water, I got relief from my exhaustion.
PURPORT
A traveling mendicant can meet the needs of body, namely thirst and hunger, by the gifts of nature without being a beggar at the doors of the householders.
The mendicant therefore does not go to the house of a householder to beg but to enlighten him spiritually.
1.6.15
tasmin nirmanuje ’ranye
pippalopastha asritah
atmanatmanam atmastham
yatha-srutam acintayam
SYNONYMS
tasmin—in that; nirmanuje—without human habitation; aranye—in the forest; pippala—banyan tree; upasthe—sitting under it; asritah—taking shelter of; atmana—by intelligence; atmanam—the Supersoul; atma-stham—situated within myself; yatha-srutam—as I had heard it from the liberated souls; acintayam—thought over.
TRANSLATION
After that, under the shadow of a banyan tree in an uninhabited forest I began to meditate upon the Supersoul situated within, using my intelligence, as I had learned from liberated souls.
PURPORT
One should not meditate according to one’s personal whims.
One should know perfectly well from the authoritative sources of scriptures through the transparent medium of a bona fide spiritual master and by proper use of one’s trained intelligence for meditating upon the Supersoul dwelling within every living being.
This consciousness is firmly developed by a devotee who has rendered loving service unto the Lord by carrying out the orders of the spiritual master.
Sri Naradaji contacted bona fide spiritual masters, served them sincerely and got enlightenment rightly.
Thus he began to meditate.
1.6.16
dhyayatas caranambhojam
bhava-nirjita-cetasa
autkanthyasru-kalaksasya
hrdy asin me sanair harih
SYNONYMS
dhyayatah—thus meditating upon; carana-ambhojam—the lotus feet of the localized Personality of Godhead; bhava-nirjita—mind transformed in transcendental love for the Lord; cetasa—all mental activities (thinking, feeling and willing); autkanthya—eagerness; asru-kala—tears rolled down; aksasya—of the eyes; hrdi—within my heart; asit—appeared; me—my; sanaih—without delay; harih—the Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
As soon as I began to meditate upon the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead with my mind transformed in transcendental love, tears rolled down my eyes, and without delay the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna appeared on the lotus of my heart.
PURPORT
The word bhava is significant here.
This bhava stage is attained after one has transcendental affection for the Lord.
The first initial stage is called sraddha, or a liking for the Supreme Lord, and in order to increase that liking one has to associate with pure devotees of the Lord.
The third stage is to practice the prescribed rules and regulations of devotional service.
This will dissipate all sorts of misgivings and remove all personal deficiencies that hamper progress in devotional service.
When all misgivings and personal deficiencies are removed, there is a standard faith in transcendental matter, and the taste for it increases in greater proportion.
This stage leads to attraction, and after this there is bhava, or the prior stage of unalloyed love for God.
All the above different stages are but different stages of development of transcendental love.
Being so surcharged with transcendental love, there comes a strong feeling of separation which leads to eight different kinds of ecstasies.
Tears from the eyes of a devotee is an automatic reaction, and because Sri Narada Muni in his previous birth attained that stage very quickly after his departure from home, it was quite possible for him to perceive the actual presence of the Lord, which he tangibly experienced by his developed spiritual senses without material tinge.
1.6.17
prematibhara-nirbhinna-
pulakango ’tinirvrtah
ananda-samplave lino
napasyam ubhayam mune
SYNONYMS
prema—love; atibhara—excessive; nirbhinna—especially distinguished; pulaka—feelings of happiness; angah—different bodily parts; ati-nirvrtah—being fully overwhelmed; ananda—ecstasy; samplave—in the ocean of; linah—absorbed in; na—not; apasyam—could see; ubhayam—both; mune—O Vyasadeva.
TRANSLATION
O Vyasadeva, at that time, being exceedingly overpowered by feelings of happiness, every part of my body became separately enlivened.
Being absorbed in an ocean of ecstasy, I could not see both myself and the Lord.
PURPORT
Spiritual feelings of happiness and intense ecstasies have no mundane comparison.
Therefore it is very difficult to give expression to such feelings.
We can just have a glimpse of such ecstasy in the words of Sri Narada Muni.
Each and every part of the body or senses has its particular function.
After seeing the Lord, all the senses become fully awakened to render service unto the Lord because in the liberated state the senses are fully efficient in serving the Lord.
As such, in that transcendental ecstasy it so happened that the senses became separately enlivened to serve the Lord.
This being so, Narada Muni lost himself in seeing both himself and the Lord simultaneously.
1.6.18
rupam bhagavato yat tan
manah-kantam sucapaham
apasyan sahasottasthe
vaiklavyad durmana iva
SYNONYMS
rupam—form; bhagavatah—of the Personality of Godhead; yat—as it is; tat—that; manah—of the mind; kantam—as it desires; suca-apaham—vanishing all disparity; apasyan—without seeing; sahasa—all of a sudden; uttasthe—got up; vaiklavyat—being perturbed; durmanah—having lost the desirable; iva—as it were.
TRANSLATION
The transcendental form of the Lord, as it is, satisfies the mind’s desire and at once erases all mental incongruities.
Upon losing that form, I suddenly got up, being perturbed, as is usual when one loses that which is desirable.
PURPORT
That the Lord is not formless is experienced by Narada Muni.
But His form is completely different from all forms of our material experience.
For the whole duration of our life we go see different forms in the material world, but none of them is just apt to satisfy the mind, nor can any one of them vanish all perturbance of the mind.
These are the special features of the transcendental form of the Lord, and one who has once seen that form is not satisfied with anything else; no form in the material world can any longer satisfy the seer.
That the Lord is formless or impersonal means that He has nothing like a material form and is not like any material personality.
As spiritual beings, having eternal relations with that transcendental form of the Lord, we are, life after life, searching after that form of the Lord, and we are not satisfied by any other form of material appeasement.
Narada Muni got a glimpse of this, but having not seen it again he became perturbed and stood up all of a sudden to search it out.
What we desire life after life was obtained by Narada Muni, and losing sight of Him again was certainly a great shock for him.
1.6.19
didrksus tad aham bhuyah
pranidhaya mano hrdi
viksamano ’pi napasyam
avitrpta ivaturah
SYNONYMS
didrksuh—desiring to see; tat—that; aham—I; bhuyah—again; pranidhaya—having concentrated the mind; manah—mind; hrdi—upon the heart; viksamanah—waiting to see; api—in spite of; na—never; apasyam—saw Him; avitrptah—without being satisfied; iva—like; aturah—aggrieved.
TRANSLATION
I desired to see again that transcendental form of the Lord, but despite my attempts to concentrate upon the heart with eagerness to view the form again, I could not see Him any more, and thus dissatisfied, I was very much aggrieved.
PURPORT
There is no mechanical process to see the form of the Lord.
It completely depends on the causeless mercy of the Lord.
We cannot demand the Lord to be present before our vision, just as we cannot demand the sun to rise whenever we like.
The sun rises out of his own accord; so also the Lord is pleased to be present out of His causeless mercy.
One should simply await the opportune moment and go on discharging his prescribed duty in devotional service of the Lord.
Narada Muni thought that the Lord could be seen again by the same mechanical process which was successful in the first attempt, but in spite of his utmost endeavor he could not make the second attempt successful.
The Lord is completely independent of all obligations.
He can simply be bound up by the tie of unalloyed devotion.
Nor is He visible or perceivable by our material senses.
When He pleases, being satisfied with the sincere attempt of devotional service depending completely on the mercy of the Lord, then He may be seen out of His own accord.
1.6.20
evam yatantam vijane
mam ahagocaro giram
gambhira-slaksnaya vaca
sucah prasamayann iva
SYNONYMS
evam—thus; yatantam—one who is engaged in attempting; vijane—in that lonely place; mam—unto me; aha—said; agocarah—beyond the range of physical sound; giram—utterances; gambhira—grave; slaksnaya—pleasing to hear; vaca—words; sucah—grief; prasamayan—mitigating; iva—like.
TRANSLATION
Seeing my attempts in that lonely place, the Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental to all mundane description, spoke to me with gravity and pleasing words, just to mitigate my grief.
PURPORT
In the Vedas it is said that God is beyond the approach of mundane words and intelligence.
And yet by His causeless mercy one can have suitable senses to hear Him or to speak to Him.
This is the Lord’s inconceivable energy.
One upon whom His mercy is bestowed can hear Him.
The Lord was much pleased with Narada Muni, and therefore the necessary strength was invested in him so that he could hear the Lord.
It is not, however, possible for others to perceive directly the touch of the Lord during the probationary stage of regulative devotional service.
It was a special gift for Narada.
When he heard the pleasing words of the Lord, the feelings of separation were to some extent mitigated.
A devotee in love with God feels always the pangs of separation and is therefore always enwrapped in transcendental ecstasy.
1.6.21
hantasmin janmani bhavan
ma mam drastum iharhati
avipakva-kasayanam
durdarso ’ham kuyoginam
SYNONYMS
hanta—O Narada; asmin—this; janmani—duration of life; bhavan—yourself; ma—not; mam—Me; drastum—to see; iha—here; arhati—deserve; avipakva—immature; kasayanam—material dirt; durdarsah—difficult to be seen; aham—I; kuyoginam—incomplete in service.
TRANSLATION
O Narada (the Lord spoke), I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me anymore.
Those who are incomplete in service and who are not completely free from all material taints can hardly see Me.
PURPORT
The Personality of Godhead is described in the Bhagavad-gita as the most pure, the Supreme and the Absolute Truth.
There is no trace of a tinge of materiality in His person, and thus one who has the slightest tinge of material affection cannot approach Him.
The beginning of devotional service starts from the point when one is freed from at least two forms of material modes, namely the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance.
The result is exhibited by the signs of being freed from kama (lust) and lobha (covetousness).
That is to say, one must be freed from the desires for sense satisfaction and avarice for sense gratification.
The balanced mode of nature is goodness.
And to be completely freed from all material tinges is to become free from the mode of goodness also.
To search the audience of God in a lonely forest is considered to be in the mode of goodness.
One can go out into the forest to attain spiritual perfection, but that does not mean that one can see the Lord personally there.
One must be completely freed from all material attachment and be situated on the plane of transcendence, which alone will help the devotee get in personal touch with the Personality of Godhead.
The best method is that one should live at a place where the transcendental form of the Lord is worshiped.
The temple of the Lord is a transcendental place, whereas the forest is a materially good habitation.
A neophyte devotee is always recommended to worship the Deity of the Lord (arcana) rather than go into the forest to search out the Lord.
Devotional service begins from the process of arcana, which is better than going out in the forest.
In his present life, which is completely freed from all material hankerings, Sri Narada Muni does not go into the forest, although he can turn every place into Vaikuntha by his presence only.
He travels from one plane to another to convert men, gods, Kinnaras, Gandharvas, rsis, munis and all others to become devotees of the Lord.
By his activities he has engaged many devotees like Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva Maharaja and many others in the transcendental service of the Lord.
A pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, follows in the footsteps of the great devotees like Narada and Prahlada and engages his whole time in glorifying the Lord by the process of kirtana.
Such a preaching process is transcendental to all material qualities.
1.6.22
sakrd yad darsitam rupam
etat kamaya te ’nagha
mat-kamah sanakaih sadhu
sarvan muncati hrc-chayan
SYNONYMS
sakrt—once only; yat—that; darsitam—shown; rupam—form; etat—this is; kamaya—for hankerings; te—your; anagha—O virtuous one; mat—Mine; kamah—desire; sanakaih—by increasing; sadhuh—devotee; sarvan—all; muncati—gives away; hrt-sayan—material desires.
TRANSLATION
O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires.
PURPORT
A living being cannot be vacant of desires.
He is not a dead stone.
He must be working, thinking, feeling and willing.
But when he thinks, feels and wills materially, he becomes entangled, and conversely when he thinks, feels and wills for the service of the Lord, he becomes gradually freed from all entanglement.
The more a person is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the more he acquires a hankering for it.
That is the transcendental nature of godly service.
Material service has satiation, whereas spiritual service of the Lord has neither satiation nor end.
One can go on increasing his hankerings for the loving transcendental service of the Lord, and yet he will not find satiation or end.
By intense service of the Lord, one can experience the presence of the Lord transcendentally.
Therefore seeing the Lord means being engaged in His service because His service and His person are identical.
The sincere devotee should go on with sincere service of the Lord.
The Lord will give proper direction as to how and where it has to be done.
There was no material desire in Narada, and yet just to increase his intense desire for the Lord, he was so advised.
1.6.23
sat-sevayadirghayapi
jata mayi drdha matih
hitvavadyam imam lokam
ganta maj-janatam asi
SYNONYMS
sat-sevaya—by service of the Absolute Truth; adirghaya—for some days; api—even; jata—having attained; mayi—unto Me; drdha—firm; matih—intelligence; hitva—having given up; avadyam—deplorable; imam—this; lokam—material worlds; ganta—going to; mat-janatam—My associates; asi—become.
TRANSLATION
By service of the Absolute Truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in Me.
Consequently he goes on to become My associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material worlds.
PURPORT
Serving the Absolute Truth means rendering service unto the Absolute Personality of Godhead under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, who is a transparent via medium between the Lord and the neophyte devotee.
The neophyte devotee has no ability to approach the Absolute Personality of Godhead by the strength of his present imperfect material senses, and therefore under the direction of the spiritual master he is trained in transcendental service of the Lord.
And by such training, even for some days, the neophyte devotee gets intelligence in such transcendental service, which leads him ultimately to get free from perpetual inhabitation in the material worlds and to be promoted to the transcendental world to become one of the liberated associates of the Lord in the kingdom of God.
1.6.24
matir mayi nibaddheyam
na vipadyeta karhicit
praja-sarga-nirodhe ’pi
smrtis ca mad-anugrahat
SYNONYMS
matih—intelligence; mayi—devoted to Me; nibaddha—engaged; iyam—this; na—never; vipadyeta—separate; karhicit—at any time; praja—living beings; sarga—at the time of creation; nirodhe—also at the time of annihilation; api—even; smrtih—remembrance; ca—and; mat—Mine; anugrahat—by the mercy of.
TRANSLATION
Intelligence engaged in My devotion cannot be thwarted at any time.
Even at the time of creation, as well as at the time of annihilation, your remembrance will continue by My mercy.
PURPORT
Devotional service rendered to the Personality of Godhead never goes in vain.
Since the Personality of Godhead is eternal, intelligence applied in His service or anything done in His relation is also permanent.
In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that such transcendental service rendered unto the Personality of Godhead accumulates birth after birth, and when the devotee is fully matured, the total service counted together makes him eligible to enter into the association of the Personality of Godhead.
Such accumulation of God’s service is never vanquished, but increases till fully matured.
1.6.25
etavad uktvopararama tan mahad
bhutam nabho-lingam alingam isvaram
aham ca tasmai mahatam mahiyase
sirsnavanamam vidadhe ’nukampitah
SYNONYMS
etavat—thus; uktva—spoken; upararama—stopped; tat—that; mahat—great; bhutam—wonderful; nabhah-lingam—personified by sound; alingam—unseen by the eyes; isvaram—the supreme authority; aham—I; ca—also; tasmai—unto Him; mahatam—the great; mahiyase—unto the glorified; sirsna—by the head; avanamam—obeisances; vidadhe—executed; anukampitah—being favored by Him.
TRANSLATION
Then that supreme authority, personified by sound and unseen by eyes, but most wonderful, stopped speaking.
Feeling a sense of gratitude, I offered my obeisances unto Him, bowing my head.
PURPORT
That the Personality of Godhead was not seen but only heard does not make any difference.
The Personality of Godhead produced the four Vedas by His breathing, and He is seen and realized through the transcendental sound of the Vedas.
Similarly, the Bhagavad-gita is the sound representation of the Lord, and there is no difference in identity.
The conclusion is that the Lord can be seen and heard by persistent chanting of the transcendental sound.
1.6.26
namany anantasya hata-trapah pathan
guhyani bhadrani krtani ca smaran
gam paryatams tusta-mana gata-sprhah
kalam pratiksan vimado vimatsarah
SYNONYMS
namani—the holy name, fame, etc.; anantasya—of the unlimited; hata-trapah—being freed from all formalities of the material world; pathan—by recitation, repeated reading, etc.; guhyani—mysterious; bhadrani—all benedictory; krtani—activities; ca—and; smaran—constantly remembering; gam—on the earth; paryatan—traveling all through; tusta-manah—fully satisfied; gata-sprhah—completely freed from all material desires; kalam—time; pratiksan—awaiting; vimadah—without being proud; vimatsarah—without being envious.
TRANSLATION
Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all the formalities of the material world.
Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are benedictory.
So doing, I traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble and unenvious.
PURPORT
The life of a sincere devotee of the Lord is thus explained in a nutshell by Narada Muni by his personal example.
Such a devotee, after his initiation by the Lord or His bona fide representative, takes very seriously chanting of the glories of the Lord and traveling all over the world so that others may also hear the glories of the Lord.
Such devotees have no desire for material gain.
They are conducted by one single desire: to go back to Godhead.
This awaits them in due course on quitting the material body.
Because they have the highest aim of life, going back to Godhead, they are never envious of anyone, nor are they proud of being eligible to go back to Godhead.
Their only business is to chant and remember the holy name, fame and pastimes of the Lord and, according to personal capacity, to distribute the message for others’ welfare without motive of material gain.
1.6.27
evam krsna-mater brahman
nasaktasyamalatmanah
kalah pradurabhut kale
tadit saudamani yatha
SYNONYMS
evam—thus; krsna-mateh—one who is fully absorbed in thinking of Krsna; brahman—O Vyasadeva; na—not; asaktasya—of one who is attached; amala-atmanah—of one who is completely free from all material dirt; kalah—death; pradurabhut—become visible; kale—in the course of time; tadit—lightning; saudamani—illuminating; yatha—as it is.
TRANSLATION
And so, O Brahmana Vyasadeva, in due course of time I, who was fully absorbed in thinking of Krsna and who therefore had no attachments, being completely freed from all material taints, met with death, as lightning and illumination occur simultaneously.
PURPORT
To be fully absorbed in the thought of Krsna means clearance of material dirts or hankerings.
As a very rich man has no hankerings for small petty things, so also a devotee of Lord Krsna, who is guaranteed to pass on to the kingdom of God, where life is eternal, fully cognizant and blissful, naturally has no hankerings for petty material things, which are like dolls or shadows of the reality and are without permanent value.
That is the sign of spiritually enriched persons.
And in due course of time, when a pure devotee is completely prepared, all of a sudden the change of body occurs which is commonly called death.
And for the pure devotee such a change takes place exactly like lightning, and illumination follows simultaneously.
That is to say a devotee simultaneously changes his material body and develops a spiritual body by the will of the Supreme.
Even before death, a pure devotee has no material affection, due to his body’s being spiritualized like a red-hot iron in contact with fire.
1.6.28
prayujyamane mayi tam
suddham bhagavatim tanum
arabdha-karma-nirvano
nyapatat panca-bhautikah
SYNONYMS
prayujyamane—having been awarded; mayi—on me; tam—that; suddham—transcendental; bhagavatim—fit for associating with the Personality of Godhead; tanum—body; arabdha—acquired; karma—fruitive work; nirvanah—prohibitive; nyapatat—quit; panca-bhautikah—body made of five material elements.
TRANSLATION
Having been awarded a transcendental body befitting an associate of the Personality of Godhead, I quit the body made of five material elements, and thus all acquired fruitive results of work (karma) stopped.
PURPORT
Informed by the Personality of Godhead that he would be awarded a transcendental body befitting the Lord’s association, Narada got his spiritual body as soon as he quitted his material body.
This transcendental body is free from material affinity and invested with three primary transcendental qualities, namely eternity, freedom from material modes, and freedom from reactions of fruitive activities.
The material body is always afflicted with the lack of these three qualities.
A devotee’s body becomes at once surcharged with the transcendental qualities as soon as he is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.
It acts like the magnetic influence of a touchstone upon iron.
The influence of transcendental devotional service is like that.
Therefore change of the body means stoppage of the reaction of three qualitative modes of material nature upon the pure devotee.
There are many instances of this in the revealed scriptures.
Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja and many other devotees were able to see the Personality of Godhead face to face apparently in the same body.
This means that the quality of a devotee’s body changes from material to transcendence.
That is the opinion of the authorized Gosvamis via the authentic scriptures.
In the Brahma-samhita it is said that beginning from the indra-gopa germ up to the great Indra, King of heaven, all living beings are subjected to the law of karma and are bound to suffer and enjoy the fruitive results of their own work.
Only the devotee is exempt from such reactions, by the causeless mercy of the supreme authority, the Personality of Godhead.
1.6.29
kalpanta idam adaya
sayane ’mbhasy udanvatah
sisayisor anupranam
vivise ’ntar aham vibhoh
SYNONYMS
kalpa-ante—at the end of Brahma’s day; idam—this; adaya—taking together; sayane—having gone to lie down; ambhasi—in the causal water; udanvatah—devastation; sisayisoh—lying of the Personality of Godhead (Narayana); anupranam—breathing; vivise—entered into; antah—within; aham—I; vibhoh—of Lord Brahma.
TRANSLATION
At the end of the millennium, when the Personality of Godhead Lord Narayana lay down within the water of devastation, Brahma began to enter into Him along with all creative elements, and I also entered through His breathing.
PURPORT
Narada is known as the son of Brahma, as Lord Krsna is known as the son of Vasudeva.
The Personality of Godhead and His liberated devotees like Narada appear in the material world by the same process.
As it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, the birth and activities of the Lord are all transcendental.
Therefore, according to authorized opinion, the birth of Narada as the son of Brahma is also a transcendental pastime.
His appearance and disappearance are practically on the same level as that of the Lord.
The Lord and His devotees are therefore simultaneously one and different as spiritual entities.
They belong to the same category of transcendence.
1.6.30
sahasra-yuga-paryante
utthayedam sisrksatah
marici-misra rsayah
pranebhyo ’ham ca jajnire
SYNONYMS
sahasra—one thousand; yuga—4,300,000 years; paryante—at the end of the duration; utthaya—having expired; idam—this; sisrksatah—desired to create again; marici-misrah—rsis like Marici; rsayah—all the rsis; pranebhyah—out of His senses; aham—I; ca—also; jajnire—appeared.
TRANSLATION
After 4,300,000,000 solar years, when Brahma awoke to create again by the will of the Lord, all the rsis like Marici, Angira, Atri and so on were created from the transcendental body of the Lord, and I also appeared along with them.
PURPORT
The duration of a day in the life of Brahma is 4,320,000,000 solar years.
This is stated also in the Bhagavad-gita.
So for this period Brahmaji rests in yoga-nidra within the body of the Garbhodakasayi Visnu, the generator of Brahma.
Thus after the sleeping period of Brahma, when there is again creation by the will of the Lord through the agency of Brahma, all the great rsis again appear from different parts of the transcendental body, and Narada also appears.
This means that Narada appears in the same transcendental body, just as a man awakes from sleep in the same body.
Sri Narada is eternally free to move in all parts of the transcendental and material creations of the Almighty.
He appears and disappears in his own transcendental body, which is without distinction of body and soul, unlike conditioned beings.
1.6.31
antar bahis ca lokams trin
paryemy askandita-vratah
anugrahan maha-visnor
avighata-gatih kvacit
SYNONYMS
antah—in the transcendental world; bahih—in the material world; ca—and; lokan—planes; trin—three (divisions); paryemi—travel; askandita—unbroken; vratah—vow; anugrahat—by the causeless mercy; maha-visnoh—of the Maha-Visnu (Karanodakasayi Visnu); avighata—without restriction; gatih—entrance; kvacit—at any time.
TRANSLATION
Since then, by the grace of the almighty Visnu, I travel everywhere without restriction both in the transcendental world and in the three divisions of the material world.
This is because I am fixed in unbroken devotional service of the Lord.
PURPORT
As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, there are three divisions of the material spheres, namely the urdhva-loka (topmost planes), madhya-loka (midway planes) and adho-loka (downward planets).
Beyond the urdhva-loka planes, that is to say above the Brahmaloka, are the material coverings of the universes, and above that is the spiritual sky, which is unlimited in expansion, containing unlimited self-illuminated Vaikuntha planes inhabited by God Himself along with His associates, who are all eternally liberated living entities.
Sri Narada Muni could enter all these planes in both the material and spiritual spheres without restriction, as much as the almighty Lord is free to move personally in any part of His creation.
In the material world the living beings are influenced by the three material modes of nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance.
But Sri Narada Muni is transcendental to all these material modes, and thus he can travel everywhere unrestricted.
He is a liberated spaceman.
The causeless mercy of Lord Visnu is unparalleled, and such mercy is perceived by the devotees only by the grace of the Lord.
Therefore, the devotees never fall down, but the materialists, i.e., the fruitive workers and the speculative philosophers, do fall down, being forced by their respective modes of nature.
The rsis, as above mentioned, cannot enter into the transcendental world like Narada.
This fact is disclosed in the Narasimha Purana.
Rsis like Marici are authorities in fruitive work, and rsis like Sanaka and Sanatana are authorities in philosophical speculations.
But Sri Narada Muni is the prime authority for transcendental devotional service of the Lord.
All the great authorities in the devotional service of the Lord follow in the footsteps of Narada Muni in the order of the Narada-bhakti-sutra, and therefore all the devotees of the Lord are unhesitatingly qualified to enter into the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha.
1.6.32
deva-dattam imam vinam
svara-brahma-vibhusitam
murcchayitva hari-katham
gayamanas caramy aham
SYNONYMS
deva—the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Sri Krsna); dattam—gifted by; imam—this; vinam—a musical stringed instrument; svara—singing meter; brahma—transcendental; vibhusitam—decorated with; murcchayitva—vibrating; hari-katham—transcendental message; gayamanah—singing constantly; carami—do move; aham—I.
TRANSLATION
And thus I travel, constantly singing the transcendental message of the glories of the Lord, vibrating this instrument called a vina, which is charged with transcendental sound and which was given to me by Lord Krsna.
PURPORT
The musical stringed instrument called the vina, which was handed to Narada by Lord Sri Krsna, is described in the Linga Purana, and this is confirmed by Srila Jiva Gosvami.
This transcendental instrument is identical with Lord Sri Krsna and Narada because all of them are of the same transcendental category.
Sound vibrated by the instrument cannot be material, and therefore the glories and pastimes which are broadcast by the instrument of Narada are also transcendental, without a tinge of material inebriety.
The seven singing meters, namely sa (sadja), r (rsabha), ga (gandhara), ma (madhyama), pa (pancama), dha (dhaivata) and ni (nisada), are also transcendental and specifically meant for transcendental songs.
As a pure devotee of the Lord, Sri Naradadeva is always fulfilling his obligation to the Lord for His gift of the instrument, and thus he is always engaged in singing His transcendental glories and is therefore infallible in his exalted position.
Following in the footsteps of Srila Narada Muni, a self-realized soul in the material world should also properly use the sound meters, namely sa, r, ga, ma, etc., in the service of the Lord by constantly singing the glories of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita.
1.6.33
pragayatah sva-viryani
tirtha-padah priya-sravah
ahuta iva me sighram
darsanam yati cetasi
SYNONYMS
pragayatah—thus singing; sva-viryani—own activities; tirtha-padah—the Lord, whose lotus feet are the source of all virtues or holiness; priya-sravah—pleasing to hear; ahutah—called for; iva—just like; me—to me; sighram—very soon; darsanam—sight; yati—appears; cetasi—on the seat of the heart.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, whose glories and activities are pleasing to hear, at once appears on the seat of my heart, as if called for, as soon as I begin to chant His holy activities.
PURPORT
The Absolute Personality of Godhead is not different from His transcendental name, form, pastimes and the sound vibrations thereof.
As soon as a pure devotee engages himself in the pure devotional service of hearing, chanting and remembering the name, fame and activities of the Lord, at once He becomes visible to the transcendental eyes of the pure devotee by reflecting Himself on the mirror of the heart by spiritual television.
Therefore a pure devotee who is related with the Lord in loving transcendental service can experience the presence of the Lord at every moment.
It is a natural psychology in every individual case that a person likes to hear and enjoy his personal glories enumerated by others.
That is a natural instinct, and the Lord, being also an individual personality like others, is not an exception to this psychology because psychological characteristics visible in the individual souls are but reflections of the same psychology in the Absolute Lord.
The only difference is that the Lord is the greatest personality of all and absolute in all His affairs.
If, therefore, the Lord is attracted by the pure devotee’s chanting of His glories, there is nothing astonishing.
Since He is absolute, He can appear Himself in the picture of His glorification, the two things being identical.
Srila Narada chants the glorification of the Lord not for his personal benefit but because the glorifications are identical with the Lord.
Narada Muni penetrates into the presence of the Lord by the transcendental chanting.
1.6.34
etad dhy atura-cittanam
matra-sparsecchaya muhuh
bhava-sindhu-plavo drsto
hari-caryanuvarnanam
SYNONYMS
etat—this; hi—certainly; atura-cittanam—of those whose minds are always full of cares and anxieties; matra—objects of sense enjoyment; sparsa—senses; icchaya—by desires; muhuh—always; bhava-sindhu—the ocean of nescience; plavah—boat; drstah—experienced; hari-carya—activities of Hari, the Personality of Godhead; anuvarnanam—constant recitation.
TRANSLATION
It is personally experienced by me that those who are always full of cares and anxieties due to desiring contact of the senses with their objects can cross the ocean of nescience on a most suitable boat—the constant chanting of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
The symptom of a living being is that he cannot remain silent even for some time.
He must be doing something, thinking of something or talking about something.
Generally the materialistic men think and discuss about subjects which satisfy their senses.
But as these things are exercised under the influence of the external, illusory energy, such sensual activities do not actually give them any satisfaction.
On the contrary, they become full with cares and anxieties.
This is called maya, or what is not.
That which cannot give them satisfaction is accepted as an object for satisfaction.
So Narada Muni, by his personal experience, says that satisfaction for such frustrated beings engaged in sense gratification is to chant always the activities of the Lord.
The point is that the subject matter only should be changed.
No one can check the thinking activities of a living being, nor the feeling, willing or working processes.
But if one wants actual happiness, one must change the subject matter only.
Instead of talking of the politics of a dying man, one might discuss the politics administered by the Lord Himself.
Instead of relishing activities of the cinema artists, one can turn his attention to the activities of the Lord with His eternal associates like the gopis and Laksmis.
The almighty Personality of Godhead, by His causeless mercy, descends on the earth and manifests activities almost on the line of the worldly men, but at the same time extraordinarily, because He is almighty.
He does so for the benefit of all conditioned souls so that they can turn their attention to transcendence.
By doing so, the conditioned soul will gradually be promoted to the transcendental position and easily cross the ocean of nescience, the source of all miseries.
This is stated from personal experience by such an authority as Sri Narada Muni.
And we can have the same experience also if we begin to follow in the footsteps of the great sage, the dearmost devotee of the Lord.
1.6.35
yamadibhir yoga-pathaih
kama-lobha-hato muhuh
mukunda-sevaya yadvat
tathatmaddha na samyati
SYNONYMS
yama-adibhih—by the process of practicing self-restraint; yoga-pathaih—by the system of yoga (mystic bodily power to attain the godly stage); kama—desires for sense satisfaction; lobha—lust for satisfaction of the senses; hatah—curbed; muhuh—always; mukunda—the Personality of Godhead; sevaya—by the service of; yadvat—as it is; tatha—like that; atma—the soul; addha—for all practical purposes; na—does not; samyati—be satisfied.
TRANSLATION
It is true that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this (satisfaction) is derived from devotional service to the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
Yoga aims at controlling the senses.
By practice of the mystic process of bodily exercise in sitting, thinking, feeling, willing, concentrating, meditating and at last being merged into transcendence, one can control the senses.
The senses are considered like venomous serpents, and the yoga system is just to control them.
On the other hand, Narada Muni recommends another method for controlling the senses in the transcendental loving service of Mukunda, the Personality of Godhead.
By his experience he says that devotional service to the Lord is more effective and practical than the system of artificially controlling the senses.
In the service of the Lord Mukunda, the senses are transcendentally engaged.
Thus there is no chance of their being engaged in sense satisfaction.
The senses want some engagement.
To check them artificially is no check at all because as soon as there is some opportunity for enjoyment, the serpentlike senses will certainly take advantage of it.
There are many such instances in history, just like Visvamitra Muni’s falling a victim to the beauty of Menaka.
But Thakura Haridasa was allured at midnight by the well-dressed Maya, and still she could not induce that great devotee into her trap.
The whole idea is that without devotional service of the Lord, neither the yoga system nor dry philosophical speculation can ever become successful.
Pure devotional service of the Lord, without being tinged with fruitive work, mystic yoga or speculative philosophy, is the foremost procedure to attain self-realization.
Such pure devotional service is transcendental in nature, and the systems of yoga and jnana are subordinate to such a process.
When the transcendental devotional service is mixed with a subordinate process, it is no longer transcendental but is called mixed devotional service.
Srila Vyasadeva, the author of Srimad-Bhagavatam, will gradually develop all these different systems of transcendental realization in the text.
1.6.36
sarvam tad idam akhyatam
yat prsto ’ham tvayanagha
janma-karma-rahasyam me
bhavatas catma-tosanam
SYNONYMS
sarvam—all; tat—that; idam—this; akhyatam—described; yat—whatever; prstah—asked by; aham—me; tvaya—by you; anagha—without any sins; janma—birth; karma—activities; rahasyam—mysteries; me—mine; bhavatah—your; ca—and; atma—self; tosanam—satisfaction.
TRANSLATION
O Vyasadeva, you are freed from all sins.
Thus I have explained my birth and activities for self-realization, as you asked.
All this will be conducive for your personal satisfaction also.
PURPORT
The process of devotional activities from the beginning to the stage of transcendence is all duly explained to satisfy the inquiries of Vyasadeva.
He has explained how the seeds of devotional service were sown by transcendental association and how they gradually developed by hearing the sages.
The result of such hearing is detachment from worldliness, so much so that even a small boy could receive the death news of his mother, who was his only caretaker, as the blessing of God.
And at once he took the opportunity to search out the Lord.
A sincere urge for having an interview with the Lord was also granted to him, although it is not possible for anyone to see the Lord with mundane eyes.
He also explained how by execution of pure transcendental service one can get rid of the fruitive action of accumulated work and how he transformed his material body into a spiritual one.
The spiritual body is alone able to enter into the spiritual realm of the Lord, and no one but a pure devotee is eligible to enter into the kingdom of God.
All the mysteries of transcendental realization are duly experienced by Narada Muni himself, and therefore by hearing such an authority one can have some idea of the results of devotional life, which are hardly delineated even in the original texts of the Vedas.
In the Vedas and Upanisads there are only indirect hints to all this.
Nothing is directly explained there, and therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam is the mature fruit of all the Vedic trees of literatures.
1.6.37
suta uvaca
evam sambhasya bhagavan
narado vasavi-sutam
amantrya vinam ranayan
yayau yadrcchiko munih
SYNONYMS
sutah—Suta Gosvami; uvaca—said; evam—thus; sambhasya—addressing; bhagavan—transcendentally powerful; naradah—Narada Muni; vasavi—named Vasavi (Satyavati); sutam—son; amantrya—inviting; vinam—instrument; ranayan—vibrating; yayau—went; yadrcchikah—wherever willing; munih—the sage.
TRANSLATION
Suta Gosvami said:
Thus addressing Vyasadeva, Srila Narada Muni took leave of him, and vibrating on his vina instrument, he left to wander at his free will.
PURPORT
Every living being is anxious for full freedom because that is his transcendental nature.
And this freedom is obtained only through the transcendental service of the Lord.
Illusioned by the external energy, everyone thinks that he is free, but actually he is bound up by the laws of nature.
A conditioned soul cannot freely move from one place to another even on this earth, and what to speak of one plane to another.
But a full-fledged free soul like Narada, always engaged in chanting the Lord’s glory, is free to move not only on earth but also in any part of the universe, as well as in any part of the spiritual sky.
We can just imagine the extent and unlimitedness of his freedom, which is as good as that of the Supreme Lord.
There is no reason or obligation for his traveling, and no one can stop him from his free movement.
Similarly, the transcendental system of devotional service is also free.
It may or may not develop in a particular person even after he undergoes all the detailed formulas.
Similarly, the association of the devotee is also free.
One may be fortunate to have it, or one may not have it even after thousands of endeavors.
Therefore, in all spheres of devotional service, freedom is the main pivot.
Without freedom there is no execution of devotional service.
The freedom surrendered to the Lord does not mean that the devotee becomes dependent in every respect.
To surrender unto the Lord through the transparent medium of the spiritual master is to attain complete freedom of life.
1.6.38
aho devarsir dhanyo ’yam
yat-kirtim sarngadhanvanah
gayan madyann idam tantrya
ramayaty aturam jagat
SYNONYMS
aho—all glory to; devarsih—the sage of the gods; dhanyah—all success; ayam yat—one who; kirtim—glories; sarnga-dhanvanah—of the Personality of Godhead; gayan—singing; madyan—taking pleasure in; idam—this; tantrya—by means of the instrument; ramayati—enlivens; aturam—distressed; jagat—world.
TRANSLATION
All glory and success to Srila Narada Muni because he glorifies the activities of the Personality of Godhead, and so doing he himself takes pleasure and also enlivens all the distressed souls of the universe.
PURPORT
Sri Narada Muni plays on his instrument to glorify the transcendental activities of the Lord and to give relief to all miserable living entities of the universe.
No one is happy here within the universe, and what is felt as happiness is maya’s illusion.
The illusory energy of the Lord is so strong that even the hog who lives on filthy stool feels happy.
No one can be truly happy within the material world.
Srila Narada Muni, in order to enlighten the miserable inhabitants, wanders everywhere.
His mission is to get them back home, back to Godhead.
That is the mission of all genuine devotees of the Lord following the footsteps of that great sage.