SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 4

Maitreya said: 'Remembering what the Lord in the Beyond had enunciated, arrived they following [the marriage with Mârishâ], leaving their home to their wife and son, very soon at perfect wisdom.

The great saint Maitreya continued: After that, the Pracetâs lived at home for thousands of years and developed perfect knowledge in spiritual consciousness. At last they remembered the blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and left home, putting their wife in charge of a perfect son. (Vedabase)

Text 2

Heading in the western direction for the seashore where sage Jâjali resided, found they perfection, determined in the cultivation of spiritual knowledge considering all living beings alike themselves.

The Pracetâs went to the seashore in the west where the great liberated sage Jâjali was residing. After perfecting the spiritual knowledge by which one becomes equal toward all living entities, the Pracetâs became perfect in Krishna consciousness. (Vedabase)

Text 3

They, mastering the sitting postures, all achieved the full control over their breath, mind, words and vision and, pacified in keeping their bodies straight with their minds, freed from impurities, engaged in the transcendental, they saw Nârada who always had been worshiped by as well the enlightened as the unenlightened.

After practicing the yogâsana for mystic yoga, the Pracetâs managed to control their life air, mind, words and external vision. Thus by the prânâyâma process they were completely relieved of material attachment. By remaining perpendicular, they could concentrate their minds on the uppermost Brahman. While they were practicing this prânâyâma, the great sage Nârada, who is worshiped both by demons and by demigods, came to see them. (Vedabase)

Text 4

On his appearance they all got up offering their obeisances in welcome, respecting him as was prescribed, and after having him seated comfortably addressed they him.

As soon as the Pracetâs saw that the great sage Nârada had appeared, they immediately got up even from their âsanas. As required, they immediately offered obeisances and worshiped him, and when they saw that Nârada Muni was properly seated, they began to ask him questions. (Vedabase)

Text 5

The Pracetâs said: 'Welcome, o sage of the enlightened! Today we have the great fortune of your audience; your arrival here is like the movement of the sun, o great brahmin, it dispels all fear.

All the Pracetâs began to address the great sage Nârada: O great sage, o brâhmana, we hope you met with no disturbances while coming here. It is due to our great fortune that we are now able to see you. By the traveling of the sun, people are relieved from the fear of the darkness of night--a fear brought about by thieves and rogues. Similarly, your traveling is like the sun's, for you drive away all kinds of fear. (Vedabase)

Text 6

By our overly being attached to family matters we almost forgot, o master, what was instructed by the Supreme Lord S'iva and the One in the Beyond [Vishnu].

O master, may we inform you that because of our being overly attached to family affairs, we almost forgot the instructions we received from Lord S'iva and Lord Vishnu. (Vedabase)

Text 7

Therefore, for the purpose of your vision, kindly awaken in us the transcendental knowledge of the Absolute Truth by which we can easily cross over the formidable ocean of nescience.'

Dear master, kindly enlighten us in transcendental knowledge, which may act as a torchlight by which we may cross the dark nescience of material existence. (Vedabase)

Text 8

Maitreya said: 'Thus petitioned by the Pracetâs were the kings answered by the great Nârada, who to the mind was the wisest in always being absorbed in thoughts about the Supreme Lord.

The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, being thus petitioned by the Pracetâs, the supreme devotee Nârada, who is always absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, began to reply. (Vedabase)

Text 9

Nârada said: 'Of that birth of man by which in one's fruitive labor, one's lifetime, one's mind and words, the Supersoul is served is the Lord for certain the Controller.

The great sage Nârada said: When a living entity is born to engage in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme controller, his birth, all his fruitive activities, his life-span, his mind and his words are all factually perfect. (Vedabase)

Text 10

What's the use of the three births in this world of being born from semen, by initiation, or by the labor of sacrifice; whether one acts according to what is human or what the Vedas say or whether one lives as long as a demigod?

A civilized human being has three kinds of births. The first birth is by a pure father and mother, and this birth is called birth by semen. The next birth takes place when one is initiated by the spiritual master, and this birth is called sâvitra. The third birth, called yâjñika, takes place when one is given the opportunity to worship Lord Vishnu. Despite the opportunities for attaining such births, even if one gets the life-span of a demigod, if one does not actually engage in the service of the Lord, everything is useless. Similarly, one's activities may be mundane or spiritual, but they are useless if they are not meant for satisfying the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 11

What is the use of austerities to the teachings, or the meaning of the words of consciousness one engages in by intelligence, or the expertise of physical strength or sense-control?

Without devotional service, what is the meaning of severe austerities, the process of hearing, the power of speech, the power of mental speculation, elevated intelligence, strength, and the power of the senses? (Vedabase)

Text 12

Of what use is the yoga-practice, the analytic study, the acceptance of the renounced order, reading the scriptures or all the other auspicious activities, when there is never the satisfaction of the soul that is the Lord?

Transcendental practices that do not ultimately help one realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead are useless, be they mystic yoga practices, the analytical study of matter, severe austerity, the acceptance of sannyâsa, or the study of Vedic literature. All these may be very important aspects of spiritual advancement, but unless one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, all these processes are useless. (Vedabase)

Text 13

No doubt is the soul factually the sure destination of all auspicious activities and is the Lord the Supersoul giving us our original cherished identity.

Factually the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original source of all self-realization. Consequently, the goal of all auspicious activities--karma, jñâna, yoga and bhakti--is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 14

As by watering the root of a tree its trunk, branches, and twigs are satisfied and by the feeding of the life-air similarly the sensory is sustained, so too are all [the others, the demigods] honored by the worship of the Infallible One.

As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of the body, simply worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that Supreme Personality. (Vedabase)

Text 15

As for sure from the sun the water generated is again in time evaporated and all living, moving and nonmoving, entities return again to the earth, likewise is it unmistakably so with the emanated material nature unto the Lord.

During the rainy season, water is generated from the sun, and in due course of time, during the summer season, the very same water is again absorbed by the sun. Similarly, all living entities, moving and inert, are generated from the earth, and again, after some time, they all return to the earth as dust. Similarly, everything emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in due course of time everything enters into Him again. (Vedabase)

Text 16

The reality of the transcendental soul, is [unmistakably connected with] the Lord who is the universe, just like it is with the sunshine that at times manifests of the sun, like the senses are that became manifest to the forces of inert matter and like the spiritual knowledge is that appears upon the retreat of the differences of misunderstanding.

Just as the sunshine is nondifferent from the sun, the cosmic manifestation is also nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality is therefore all-pervasive within this material creation. When the senses are active, they appear to be part and parcel of the body, but when the body is asleep, their activities are unmanifest. Similarly, the whole cosmic creation appears different and yet nondifferent from the Supreme Person. (Vedabase)

Text 17

As there is the consecutive existence and absence of clouds, darkness and illumination in the sky, o Kings, so is there thus in the Supreme Absolute likewise the appearance of the energies of passion, slowness and goodness.

My dear Kings, sometimes in the sky there are clouds, sometimes there is darkness, and sometimes there is illumination. The appearance of all these takes place consecutively. Similarly, in the Supreme Absolute, the modes of passion, darkness and goodness appear as consecutive energies. Sometimes they appear, and sometimes they disappear. (Vedabase)