Vidura inquired from Maitreya: O brāhmaṇa, you formerly spoke about the sons of Prācīnabarhi and informed me that they sat isfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead by chanting a song composed by LordŚiva. What did they achieve in this way? (1) My dear Bārhaspatya, what did the sons of King Barhiṣat, known as the Pracetās, obtain after meeting Lord Śiva, who is very dear to the Su preme Personality of Godhead, the bestower of liberation? Certainly they were transferred to the spiritual world, but apart from that, what did they obtain within this material world, either in this life or in other lives? (2) The great sage Maitreya said: The sons of King Prācīnabarhi, known as the Pracetās, un derwent severe austerities within the seawater to carry out the order of their father. By chant ing and repeating the mantras given by Lord Śiva, they were able to satisfy Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (3).
At the end of ten thousand years of severe austerities per formed by the Pracetās, the Supreme Personal ity of Godhead, to reward their austerities, ap peared before them in His very pleasing form. This appealed to the Pracetās and satisfied the labor of their austerities (4).The Personality of Godhead, appearing on the shoulder of Garuḍa, seemed like a cloud resting on the summit of the mountain known as Meru. The transcenden tal body of the Personality of Godhead was covered by attractive yellow garments, and His neck was decorated with the jewel known as Kaustubha-maṇi. The bodily effulgence of the Lord dissipated all the darkness of the uni verse(5). The Lord’s face was very beautiful, and His head was decorated with a shining hel met and golden ornaments. The helmet was dazzling and was very beautifully situated on His head. The Lord had eight arms, which each held a particular weapon. The Lord was sur rounded by demigods, great sages and other as sociates. These were all engaged in His service. Garuḍa, the carrier of the Lord, glorified the Lord with Vedic hymns by flapping his wings. Garuḍa appeared to be an inhabitant of the planet known as Kinnaraloka (6).
Around the neck of the Personality of Godhead hung a flower garland that reached to His knees. His eight stout and elongated arms were decorated with that garland, which challenged the beauty of the goddess of fortune. With a merciful glance and a voice like thunder, the Lord ad dressed the sons of King Prācīnabarhiṣat, who were very much surrendered unto Him (7). The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear sons of the King, I am very much pleased by the friendly relationships among you. All of you are engaged in one occupation devotional service. I am so pleased with your mutual friendship that I wish you all good for tune. Now you may ask a benediction of Me (8).The Lord continued: Those who remember you every evening of every day will become friendly with their brothers and with all other living entities (9).Those who will offer Me the prayers composed by Lord Śiva, both in the morning and in the evening, will be given ben edictions by Me. In this way they can both ful fill their desires and attain good intelligence (10).
Because you have with pleasure accepted within your hearts the orders of your father and have executed those orders very faithfully, your attractive qualities will be celebrated all over the world (11).You will have a nice son, who will be in no way inferior to Lord Brahmā. Con sequently, he will be very famous all over the universe, and the sons and grandsons generated by him will fill the three worlds (12). O sons of King Prācīnabarhiṣat, the heav enly society girl named Pramlocā kept the lo tus-eyed daughter of Kaṇḍu in the care of the forest trees. Then she went back to the heavenly planet. This daughter was born by the coupling of the Apsarā named Pramlocā with the sage Kaṇḍu (13). Thereafter the child, who was left to the care of the trees, began to cry in hunger. At that time the king of the forest, namely the king of the moon planet, out of compassion placed his finger, which poured forth nectar, within the child’s mouth. Thus the child was raised by the mercy of the king of the moon (14).Since all of you are very much obedient to My orders, I ask you to immediately marry that girl, who is so well qualified with beauty and good qualities. According to the order of your father, create progeny through her (15).
You brothers are all of the same nature, being My devotees and obedient sons of your father. Similarly, that girl is also of the same type and is dedicated to all of you. Thus both the girl and you, the sons of Prācīnabarhiṣat, are on the same platform, being united on a common prin ciple (16).The Lord then blessed all the Prace tās, saying: My dear princes, by My mercy you can enjoy all the facilities of this world as well as the heavenly world. Indeed, you can enjoy all of them without hindrance and with full strength for one million celestial years (17). Thereafter you will develop unadulterated de votional service unto Me and be freed from all material contamination. At that time, being completely unattached to material enjoyment in the so-called heavenly planets as well as in hell ish planets, you will return home, back to God head (18). Those who are engaged in auspicious activ ities in devotional service certainly understand that the ultimate enjoyer or beneficiary of all activities is the Supreme Personality of God head. Thus when one acts, he offers the results to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and passes life always engaged in the topics of the Lord. Even though such a person may be par ticipating in family life, he is not affected by the results of his actions (19).
Always engaging in the activities of devotional service, devotees feel ever-increasingly fresh and new in all their activities. The all-knower, the Supersoul within the heart of the devotee, makes everything in creasingly fresh. This is known as the Brahman position by the advocates of the Absolute Truth. In such a liberated stage [brahma-bhūta], one is never bewildered. Nor does one lament or become unnecessarily jubilant. This is due to the brahma-bhūta situation (20). The great sage Maitreya said: After the Personality of Godhead spoke thus, the Prace tās began to offer Him prayers. The Lord is the bestower of all success in life and is the su preme benefactor. He is also the supreme friend who takes away all miserable conditions expe rienced by a devotee. In a faltering voice, due to ecstasy, the Pracetās began to offer prayers. They were purified by the presence of the Lord, who was before them face to face (21).
The Pracetās spoke as follows: Dear Lord, You relieve all kinds of material distress. Your magnanimous transcendental qualities and holy name are all-auspicious. This conclusion is al ready settled. You can go faster than the speed of mind and words. You cannot be perceived by material senses. We therefore offer You re spectful obeisances again and again (22).Dear Lord, we beg to offer our obeisances unto You. When the mind is fixed upon You, the world of duality, although a place for material enjoy ment, appears meaningless. Your transcenden tal form is full of transcendental bliss. We therefore offer our respects unto You. Your ap pearances as Lord Brahmā, Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Śiva are meant for the purpose of creating, maintaining and annihilating this cosmic mani festation (23).Dear Lord, we offer our respect ful obeisances unto You because Your exist ence is completely independent of all material influences. Your Lordship always takes away the devotee’s miserable conditions, for Your brain plans how to do so. You live everywhere as Paramātmā; therefore You are known as Vāsudeva. You also accept Vasudeva as Your father, and You are celebrated by the name Kṛṣṇa. You are so kind that You always in crease the influence of all kinds of devotees (24).
Dear Lord, we offer our respectful obei sances unto You because from Your abdomen sprouts the lotus flower, the origin of all living entities. You are always decorated with a lotus garland, and Your feet resemble the lotus flower with all its fragrance. Your eyes are also like the petals of a lotus flower. Therefore we always offer our respectful obeisances unto You (25).Dear Lord, the garment You have put on is yellowish in color, like the saffron of a lotus flower, but it is not made of anything ma terial. Since You live in everyone’s heart, You are the direct witness of all the activities of all living entities. We offer our respectful obei sances unto You again and again (26). Dear Lord, we conditioned souls are always covered by ignorance in the bodily conception of life. We therefore always prefer the misera ble conditions of material existence. To deliver us from these miserable conditions, You have advented Yourself in this transcendental form. This is evidence of Your unlimited causeless mercy upon those of us who are suffering in this way. Then what to speak of the devotees to whom You are always so favorably disposed? (27) Dear Lord, You are the killer of all inaus picious things. You are compassionate upon Your poor devotees through the expansion of Your arcā-vigraha. You should certainly think of us as Your eternal servants (28).
When the Lord, out of His natural compassion, thinks of His devotee, by that process only are all desires of the neophyte devotee fulfilled. The Lord is situated in every living entity’s heart, although the living entity may be very insignificant. The Lord knows everything about the living entity, including all his desires. Although we are very insignificant, why should the Lord not know our desires? (29) O Lord of the universe, You are the actual teacher of the science of devo tional service. We are satisfied that Your Lord ship is the ultimate goal of our life, and we pray that You will be satisfied with us. That is our benediction. We do not desire anything other than Your full satisfaction (30).Dear Lord, we shall therefore pray for Your benediction be cause You are the Supreme, beyond all tran scendence, and because there is no end to Your opulences. Consequently, You are celebrated by the name Ananta (31).Dear Lord, when the bee approaches the celestial tree called the pārijāta, it certainly does not leave the tree, be cause there is no need for such action. Simi larly, when we have approached Your lotus feet and taken shelter of them, what further bene diction may we ask of You? (32)
Dear Lord, as long as we have to remain within this material world due to our material contamination and wander from one type of body to another and from one planet to another, we pray that we may associate with those who are engaged in discussing Your pastimes. We pray for this benediction life after life, in different bodily forms and on different planets (33).Even a mo ment’s association with a pure devotee cannot be compared to being transferred to heavenly planets or even merging into the Brahman ef fulgence in complete liberation. For living en tities who are destined to give up the body and die, association with pure devotees is the high est benediction (34).Whenever pure topics of the transcendental world are discussed, the members of the audience forget all kinds of ma terial hankerings, at least for the time being. Not only that, but they are no longer envious of one another, nor do they suffer from anxiety or fear (35).
The Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa, is pre sent among devotees who are engaged in hear ing and chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Nārāyaṇa is the ultimate goal of sannyāsīs, those in the re nounced order of life, and Nārāyaṇa is wor shiped through this saṅkīrtana movement by those who are liberated from material contami nation. Indeed, they recite the holy name again and again (36).Dear Lord, Your personal asso ciates, devotees, wander all over the world to purify even the holy places of pilgrimage. Is not such activity pleasing to those who are actually afraid of material existence? (37) Dear Lord, by virtue of a moment’s associa tion with Lord Śiva, who is very dear to You and who is Your most intimate friend, we were fortunate to attain You. You are the most expert physician, capable of treating the incurable dis ease of material existence. On account of our great fortune, we have been able to take shelter at Your lotus feet (38).
Dear Lord, we have studied the Vedas, accepted a spiritual master and offered respect to brāhmaṇas, advanced devotees and aged personalities who are spirit ually very advanced. We have offered our re spects to them, and we have not been envious of any brother, friends or anyone else. We have also undergone severe austerities within the water and have not taken food for a long time. All these spiritual assets of ours are simply of fered for Your satisfaction. We pray for this benediction only, and nothing more (39 40).Dear Lord, even great yogīs and mystics who are very much advanced by virtue of aus terities and knowledge and who have com pletely situated themselves in pure existence, as well as great personalities like Manu, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, cannot fully understand Your glories and potencies. Nonetheless they have offered their prayers according to their own capacities. In the same way, we, although much lower than these personalities, also offer our prayers according to our own capability (41).
Dear Lord, You have no enemies or friends. Therefore You are equal to everyone. You cannot be contaminated by sinful activi ties, and Your transcendental form is always beyond the material creation. You are the Su preme Personality of Godhead because You re main everywhere within all existence. You are consequently known as Vāsudeva. We offer You our respectful obeisances (42). The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, the Supreme Personality of God head, who is the protector of surrendered souls, being thus addressed by the Pracetās and wor shiped by them, replied, “May whatever you have prayed for be fulfilled.” After saying this, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose prowess is never defeated, left. The Pracetās were unwilling to be separated from Him be cause they had not seen Him to their full satis faction (43).
Thereafter all the Pracetās emerged from the waters of the sea. They then saw that all the trees on land had grown very tall, as if to obstruct the path to the heavenly planets. These trees had covered the entire sur face of the world. At this time the Pracetās be came very angry (44).My dear King, at the time of devastation, Lord Śiva emits fire and air from his mouth out of anger. To make the sur face of the earth completely treeless, the Prace tās also emitted fire and air from their mouths (45).After seeing that all the trees on the sur face of the earth were being turned to ashes, Lord Brahmā immediately came to the sons of King Barhiṣmān and pacified them with words of logic(46).
The remaining trees, being very much afraid of the Pracetās, immediately deliv ered their daughter at the advice of Lord Brahmā (47).Following the order of Lord Brahmā, all the Pracetās accepted the girl as their wife. From the womb of this girl, the son of Lord Brahmā named Dakṣa took birth. Dakṣa had to take birth from the womb of Māriṣā due to his disobeying and disrespecting Lord Mahādeva [Śiva]. Consequently he had to give up his body twice (48).His previous body had been destroyed, but he, the same Dakṣa, in spired by the supreme will, created all the de sired living entities in the Cākṣuṣa manvantara (49).After being born, Dakṣa, by the superex cellence of his bodily luster, covered all others’ bodily opulence. Because he was very expert in performing fruitive activity, he was called by the name Dakṣa, meaning “the very expert.” Lord Brahmā therefore engaged Dakṣa in the work of generating living entities and maintain ing them. In due course of time, Dakṣa also en gaged other Prajāpatis [progenitors] in the pro cess of generation and maintenance (50-51).
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