SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 3

(1-2) Devahûti said: 'The complete reality of the material and the personal nature has been described. The true nature of them was explained in analytic terms. Please dear master explain to me now at length the path of bhakti-yoga, that one calls the ultimate end of it. (3) Dear Lord, give, for me and for the people in general, the description of the manifold repetition of birth and death, by which a person may become completely detached. (4) And oh, what about Eternal Time, that form which, representing the Supreme Ruler, of Your nature has the lead over all the other rulers and under the influence of which the people in general act piously? (5) With the intelligence to the material activities, that delude the attached living entities by false ego and leaves them - blinded for a long time - without shelter fatigued in the dark, You have indeed appeared like the sun of the yoga system.

(6) Maitreya said: 'Welcoming the words of His mother, o best of the Kurus, said the great and gentle sage, pleased and moved by compassion, the following. (7) The Supreme Lord said: 'Devotion in yoga, in its appearance divided, has many paths, o noble lady, proving the way in which people follow their own course according their natural qualities. (8) What out of love for Me he, who is of violence, pride and envy or in truth being angry as a separatist may do, is considered to be in the mode of ignorance. (9) He in worship of Me who is out for material things, fame and opulence, may worship deities; he in his preference to go against, is in the mode of passion. (10) When acting to the Supreme with the purpose of freeing oneself from fruitive activities or to offer the results, one may worship, as such be worshiped or be of another conviction; such a one is in goodness. (11-12) Just hearing about My transcendental qualities, has one towards Me, who resides in the heart of everyone, the continuing on the course of the heart, the way the water of the Ganges flows towards the sea. The manifestation of unadulterated devotional yoga verily exhibited without separation and ulterior motives, is the devotion going for the Supreme Personality. (13) Without being of My service, will pure devotees not even when being offered these, accept to be living on the same planet, to have the same opulence, to be a personal associate, to have the same bodily features or to be in oneness [the so-called five forms of liberation of sâlokya, sârshthi, sâmîpya, sârûpya and ekatva]. (14) Truly this devotion in yoga, as I explained, is called the highest platform, by which, overcoming the three modes, one attains to My transcendental nature. (15) One's own duty executed without attachment to the results is glorious in the doing of yoga and auspicious being of regular performance without unnecessary violence. (16) In respect of the benevolent of Me, in touch with the ritual about My form, in praise and offering obeisances and thinking of Me as present in all living beings, one lives by the mode of goodness and detachment. (17) Of sense-control and proper regulation [yama and niyama, the does and don'ts of yoga] is one with the greatest respect for the great souls, compassionate with the poor and certainly as a friend to equals. (18) From hearing about spiritual matters and from chanting My holy names is one, being straightforward and of association with the civilized, thus without false ego. (19) Of a person is with these qualities of the duty towards Me the consciousness completely purified; he by simply hearing of My excellence no doubt instantly approaches Me. (20) The way the sense of smell catches the aroma when it is carried by means of the air from its source, similarly catches the consciousness by means of yoga the Supreme Soul which is unchanging.

(21) A mortal man who is always in disregard of Me, the Supersoul situated in every living being, is, worshiping the deity, just imitating. (22) One who worships the deity and is disregarding Me as the Supreme Ruler and Supersoul present in all beings, is out of ignorance only offering oblations into the ashes. (23) He who offers Me his respects being envious of the presence of others, lives inimical in opposition towards others and will never attain to a mind in peace. (24) O sinless one, I am certainly not pleased when those, who accomplished to worship Me in My deity form with all attributes, are not of respect for other living beings. (25) One should begin worshipping the deity of Me, the Supreme Ruler, for the time that one does not do one's prescribed duties, until one realizes that I reside in one's heart and in the hearts of all. (26) To the one who discriminates between himself and another, having a different outlook to his body, I, as death, will cause great fear. (27) Therefore should one, through charity and respect and in friendship, seeing one another as equals, propitiate Me as abiding in the Self of all beings.

(28) Living entities verily are better than inanimate objects, better than entities with life symptoms, o blessed one, are entities with a developed consciousness and better than them are those with developed senses. (29) Moreover, among them are those perceptive to taste better than those who are after touching and better than them are those who are in favor of smelling; the better of whom again are the ones perceptive to sound. (30) Better than them are the ones who are perceptive to differences of form and better than them are those who have teeth in both their jaws. The better of them are those with many legs. Of them are the four legged the better ones and better than them are the two-legged ones [the human beings]. (31) Among them is a society with four classes the better one and to those is the brahmin the best. Moreover among the brahmins is certainly the one who knows the Vedas the better one and better than him is the one who knows of its purpose [to know the absolute of the truth in three phases: brahman, paramâtmâ and bhagavân]. (32) Better than the one knowing of the purpose is the one who puts all doubts to an end and better than him is the one who does the duties set for him. Of the ones free from worldy attachment with that is the righteous one who doesn't do it for himself the best one. (33) Therefore I know of no greater being than a person who with a dedicated mind has offered all of his actions, wealth and life unreserved unto Me, working with no other interest and not separating himself. (34) Mindful does such a one show respect for all these living beings, thus regarding the Supreme Lord, the Controller of the individual soul, as having entered them by His expansion as the Supersoul [the paramâtmâ].

(35) Of the devotional service and yoga I described, o daughter of Manu, can by either one of the two alone a person achieve the Original Person. (36) This form of the Supreme Lord of brahman [the Supreme Spirit] and paramâtmâ [the personalized local aspect] is the transcendental Original Person of the primal reality [pradhâna] whose activities are all spiritual.

(37) The divinity of time, as the cause of the transformation thus known of the forms of the living entities originating from the Supreme Spirit, is the reason because of which those who see themselves as separate live in fear. (38) He who from within enters the living entities, annihilates by living entities and of everyone is the support; He is named Vishnu, the enjoyer of all sacrifices who is that time-factor which is the master of all masters. (39) There is no one who is specially favored by Him nor is He bound or averse to anyone; He cares for those who are attentive and of persons inattentive He is the destroyer. (40-45) Of whom out of fear the wind blows and out of fear this sun is shining, of whom out of fear rains are sent by the Godhead and of whom out of fear the heavenly bodies are shining, because of whom the trees and the creepers do fear and the herbs each in their own time bear flowers as also fruit appears, the fearful rivers flow and the oceans do not overflow, because of whom the fire burns and the earth with its mountains doesn't sink out of fear for Him, of whom the sky gives air to the ones who breathe, under the control of whom the universe expands its body of the complete reality [mahat-tattva] with its seven layers [the seven kos'as or also dvîpas with their states of consciousness at the level of the physical, physiological, psychological, intellectual, the enjoying, the consciousness and the true self], out of fear for whom the gods in charge of the modes of nature of this world concerning the matters of the creation carry out their functions according to the yugas [see 3-11], of whom all this animated and inanimate is under control; that infinite final operator of beginningless Time is the unchangeable creator creating people out of people and ending the rule of death by means of death.'

Devahûti said: ' The complete reality of the material and the personal nature has been described. The true nature of them was explained in analytic terms. Please dear master explain to me now at length the path of bhakti-yoga, that one calls the ultimate end of it.

Devahûti inquired: My dear Lord, You have already very scientifically described the symptoms of the total material nature and the characteristics of the spirit according to the Sânkhya system of philosophy. Now I shall request You to explain the path of devotional service, which is the ultimate end of all philosophical systems. (Vedabase)

Text 3

Dear Lord, give, for me and for the people in general, the description of the manifold repetition of birth and death, by which a person may become completely detached.

Devahûti continued: My dear Lord, please also describe in detail, both for me and for people in general, the continual process of birth and death, for by hearing of such calamities we may become detached from the activities of this material world. (Vedabase)

Text 4

And oh, what about Eternal Time, that form which, representing the Supreme Ruler, of Your nature has the lead over all the other rulers and under the influence of which the people in general act piously?

Please also describe eternal time, which is a representation of Your form and by whose influence people in general engage in the performance of pious activities. (Vedabase)

Text 5

With the intelligence to the material activities, that delude the attached living entities by false ego and leaves them - blinded for a long time - without shelter fatigued in the dark, You have indeed appeared like the sun of the yoga system.

My dear Lord, You are just like the sun, for You illuminate the darkness of the conditional life of the living entities. Because their eyes of knowledge are not open, they are sleeping eternally in that darkness without Your shelter, and therefore they are falsely engaged by the actions and reactions of their material activities, and they appear to be very fatigued. (Vedabase)

Text 6

Maitreya said: 'Welcoming the words of His mother, o best of the Kurus, said the great and gentle sage, pleased and moved by compassion, the following.

S'rî Maitreya said: O best amongst the Kurus, the great sage Kapila, moved by great compassion and pleased by the words of His glorious mother, spoke as follows. (Vedabase)

Text 7

The Supreme Lord said: 'Devotion in yoga, in its appearance divided, has many paths, o noble lady, proving the way in which people follow their own course according their natural qualities.

Lord Kapila, the Personality of Godhead, replied: O noble lady, there are multifarious paths of devotional service in terms of the different qualities of the executor. (Vedabase)

Text 8

What out of love for Me he, who is of violence, pride and envy or in truth being angry as a separatist may do, is considered to be in the mode of ignorance.

Devotional service executed by a person who is envious, proud, violent and angry, and who is a separatist, is considered to be in the mode of darkness. (Vedabase)

Text 9

He in worship of Me who is out for material things, fame and opulence, may worship deities; he in his preference to go against, is in the mode of passion.

The worship of Deities in the temple by a separatist, with a motive for material enjoyment, fame and opulence, is devotion in the mode of passion. (Vedabase)

Text 10

When acting to the Supreme with the purpose of freeing oneself from fruitive activities or to offer the results, one may worship, as such be worshiped or be of another conviction; such a one is in goodness.

When a devotee worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offers the results of his activities in order to free himself from the inebrieties of fruitive activities, his devotion is in the mode of goodness. (Vedabase)

Text 11-12

Just hearing about My transcendental qualities, has one towards Me, who resides in the heart of everyone, the continuing on the course of the heart, the way the water of the Ganges flows towards the sea. The manifestation of unadulterated devotional yoga verily exhibited without separation and ulterior motives, is the devotion going for the Supreme Personality.

The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when one's mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone's heart. Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 13

Without being of My service, will pure devotees not even when being offered these, accept to be living on the same planet, to have the same opulence, to be a personal associate, to have the same bodily features or to be in oneness [the so-called five forms of liberation of sâlokya, sârshthi, sâmîpya, sârûpya and ekatva].

A pure devotee does not accept any kind of liberation: sâlokya, sârshthi, sâmîpya, sârûpya or ekatva: even though they are offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 14

Truly this devotion in yoga, as I explained, is called the highest platform, by which, overcoming the three modes, one attains to My transcendental nature.

By attaining the highest platform of devotional service, as I have explained, one can overcome the influence of the three modes of material nature and be situated in the transcendental stage, as is the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 15

One's own duty executed without attachment to the results is glorious in doing yoga and auspicious of regular performance and without unnecessary violence.

A devotee must execute his prescribed duties, which are glorious, without material profit. Without excessive violence, one should regularly perform one's devotional activities. (Vedabase)

Text 16

In respect of the benevolent of Me, in touch with the ritual about My form, in praise and offering obeisances and thinking of Me as present in all living beings, one lives by the mode of goodness and detachment.

The devotee should regularly see My statues in the temple, touch My lotus feet and offer worshipable paraphernalia and prayer. He should see in the spirit of renunciation, from the mode of goodness, and see every living entity as spiritual. (Vedabase)

Text 17

Of sense-control and proper regulation [yama and niyama, the does and don'ts of yoga] is one with the greatest respect for the great souls, compassionate with the poor and certainly as a friend to equals.

The pure devotee should execute devotional service by giving the greatest respect to the spiritual master and the âcâryas. He should be compassionate to the poor and make friendship with persons who are his equals, but all his activities should be executed under regulation and with control of the senses. (Vedabase)

Text 18:

From hearing about spiritual matters and from chanting My holy names is one, being straightforward and of association with the civilized, thus without false ego.

A devotee should always try to hear about spiritual matters and should always utilize his time in chanting the holy name of the Lord. His behavior should always be straightforward and simple, and although he is not envious but friendly to everyone, he should avoid the company of persons who are not spiritually advanced. (Vedabase)

Text 19:

Of a person is with these qualities of the duty towards Me the consciousness completely purified; he by simply hearing of My excellence no doubt instantly approaches Me.

When one is fully qualified with all these transcendental attributes and his consciousness is thus completely purified, he is immediately attracted simply by hearing My name or hearing of My transcendental quality. (Vedabase)

Text 20:

The way the sense of smell catches the aroma when it is carried by means of the air from its source, similarly catches the consciousness by means of yoga the Supreme Soul which is unchanging.

As the chariot of air carries an aroma from its source and immediately catches the sense of smell, similarly, one who constantly engages in devotional service, in Krishna consciousness, can catch the Supreme Soul, who is equally present everywhere. (Vedabase)

Text 21:

A mortal man who is always in disregard of Me, the Supersoul situated in every living being, is, worshiping the deity, just imitating.

I am present in every living entity as the Supersoul. If someone neglects or disregards that Supersoul everywhere and engages himself in the worship of the Deity in the temple, that is simply imitation. (Ved a base)

Text 22:

One who worships the deity and is disregarding Me as the Supreme Ruler and Supersoul present in all beings, is out of ignorance only offering oblations into the ashes.

One who worships the Deity of Godhead in the temples but does not know that the Supreme Lord, as Paramâtmâ, is situated in every living entity's heart, must be in ignorance and is compared to one who offers oblations into ashes. (Vedabase)

Text 23:

He who offers Me his respects being envious of the presence of others, lives inimical in opposition towards others and will never attain to a mind in peace.

One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities. (Vedabase)

Text 24:

O sinless one, I am certainly not pleased when those, who accomplished to worship Me in My deity form with all attributes, are not of respect for other living beings.

My dear Mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalia, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple. (Vedabase)

Text 25:

One should begin worshipping the deity of Me, the Supreme Ruler, for the time that one does not do one's prescribed duties, until one realizes that I reside in one's heart and in the hearts of all.

Performing his prescribed duties, one should worship the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead until one realizes My presence in his own heart and in the hearts of other living entities as well. (Vedabase)

Text 26:

To the one who discriminates between himself and another, having a different outlook to his body, I, as death, will cause great fear.

As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook. (Vedabase)

Text 27:

Therefore should one, through charity and respect and in friendship, seeing one another as equals, propitiate Me as abiding in the Self of all beings.

Therefore, through charitable gifts and attention, as well as through friendly behavior and by viewing all to be alike, one should propitiate Me, who abide in all creatures as their very Self. (Vedabase)

Text 28:

Living entities verily are better than inanimate objects, better than entities with life symptoms, o blessed one, are entities with a developed consciousness and better than them are those with developed senses.

Living entities are superior to inanimate objects, O blessed mother, and among them, living entities who display life symptoms are better. Animals with developed consciousness are better than them, and better still are those who have developed sense perception. (Vedabase)

Text 29

Moreover, among them are those perceptive to taste better than those who are after touching and better than them are those who are in favor of smelling; the better of whom again are the ones perceptive to sound.

Among the living entities who have developed sense perception, those who have developed the sense of taste are better than those who have developed only the sense of touch. Better than them are those who have developed the sense of smell, and better still are those who have developed the sense of hearing. (Vedabase)

Text 30

Better than them are the ones who are perceptive to differences of form and better than them are those who have teeth in both their jaws. The better of them are those with many legs. Of them are the four legged the better ones and better than them are the two-legged ones [the human beings].

Better than those living entities who can perceive sound are those who can distinguish between one form and another. Better than them are those who have developed upper and lower sets of teeth, and better still are those who have many legs. Better than them are the quadrupeds, and better still are the human beings. (Vedabase)

Text 31

Among them is a society with four classes the better one and to those is the brahmin the best. Moreover among the brahmins is certainly the one who knows the Vedas the better one and better than him is the one who knows of its purpose [to know the absolute of the truth in three phases: brahman, paramâtmâ and bhagavân].

Among human beings, the society which is divided according to quality and work is best, and in that society, the intelligent men, who are designated as brahmanas, are best. Among the brâhmanas, one who has studied the Vedas is the best, and among the brâhmanas who have studied the Vedas, one who knows the actual purport of Veda is the best. (Vedabase)

Text 32

Better than the one knowing of the purpose is the one who puts all doubts to an end and better than him is the one who does the duties set for him. Of the ones free from worldy attachment with that is the righteous one who doesn't do it for himself the best one.

Better than the brâhmana who knows the purpose of the Vedas is he who can dissipate all doubts, and better than him is one who strictly follows the brahminical principles. Better than him is one who is liberated from all material contamination, and better than him is a pure devotee, who executes devotional service without expectation of reward. (Vedabase)

Text 33

Therefore I know of no greater being than a person who with a dedicated mind has offered all of his actions, wealth and life unreserved unto Me, working with no other interest and not separating himself.

Therefore I do not find a greater person than he who has no interest outside of Mine and who therefore engages and dedicates all his activities and all his life: everything: unto Me without cessation. (Vedabase)

Text 34

Mindful does such a one show respect for all these living beings, thus regarding the Supreme Lord, the Controller of the individual soul, as having entered them by His expansion as the Supersoul [the paramâtmâ].

Such a perfect devotee offers respects to every living entity because he is under the firm conviction that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has entered the body of every living entity as the Supersoul, or controller. (Vedabase)

Text 35

Of the devotional service and yoga I described, o daughter of Manu, can by either one of the two alone a person achieve the Original Person.

My dear mother, O daughter of Manu, a devotee who applies the science of devotional service and mystic yoga in this way can achieve the abode of the Supreme Person simply by that devotional service. (Vedabase)

Text 36

This form of the Supreme Lord of brahman [the Supreme Spirit] and paramâtmâ [the personalized local aspect] is the transcendental Original Person of the primal reality [pradhâna] whose activities are all spiritual.

This purusha whom the individual soul must approach is the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as Brahman and Paramâtmâ. He is the transcendental chief personality, and His activities are all spiritual. (Vedabase)

Text 37

The divinity of time, as the cause of the transformation thus known of the forms of the living entities originating from the Supreme Spirit, is the reason because of which those who see themselves as separate live in fear.

The time factor, who causes the transformation of the various material manifestations, is another feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Anyone who does not know that time as the same Supreme Personality is afraid of the time factor. (Vedabase)

Text 38

He who from within enters the living entities, annihilates by living entities and of everyone is the support; He is named Vishnu, the enjoyer of all sacrifices who is that time-factor which is the master of all masters.

Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the enjoyer of all sacrifices, is the time factor and the master of all masters. He enters everyone's heart, He is the support of everyone, and He causes every being to be annihilated by another. (Vedaba s e)

Text 39

There is no one who is specially favored by Him nor is He bound or averse to anyone; He cares for those who are attentive and of persons inattentive He is the destroyer.

No one is dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, nor is anyone His enemy or friend. But He gives inspiration to those who have not forgotten Him and destroys those who have. (Vedabase)

Text 40-45

Of whom out of fear the wind blows and out of fear this sun is shining, of whom out of fear rains are sent by God and of whom out of fear the heavenly bodies are shining, because of whom the trees and the creepers do fear and the herbs each in their own time bear flowers as also fruit appears, the fearful rivers flow and the oceans do not overflow, because of whom the fire burns and the earth with its mountains doesn't sink out of fear for Him, of whom the sky gives air to the ones who breathe, under the control of whom the universe expands its body of the complete reality [mahat-tattva] with its seven layers [the seven kos'as or also dvîpas with their states of consciousness at the level of the physical, physiological, psychological, intellectual, the enjoying, the consciousness and the true self], out of fear for whom the gods in charge of the modes of nature of this world concerning the matters of the creation carry out their functions according to the yugas [see 3-11], of whom all this animated and inanimate is under control; that infinite final operator of beginningless Time is the unchangeable creator creating people out of people and ending the rule of death by means of death.'

Out of fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead the wind blows, out of fear of Him the sun shines, out of fear of Him the rain pours forth showers, and out of fear of Him the host of heavenly bodies shed their luster.
Out of fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead the trees, creepers, herbs and seasonal plants and flowers blossom and fructify, each in its own season.

Out of fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead the rivers flow, and the ocean never overflows. Out of fear of Him only does fire burn and does the earth, with its mountains, not sink in the water of the universe.

Subject to the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sky allows outer space to accommodate all the various planets, which hold innumerable living entities. The total universal body expands with its seven coverings under His supreme control.

Out of fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the directing demigods in charge of the modes of material nature carry out the functions of creation, maintenance and destruction; everything animate and inanimate within this material world is under their control.

The eternal time factor has no beginning and no end. It is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the maker of the criminal world. It brings about the end of the phenomenal world, it carries on the work of creation by bringing one individual into existence from another, and likewise it dissolves the universe by destroying even the lord of death, Yamarâja. (Vedabase)