Canto
7
Chapter 1: The Supreme Lord Is Equal unto Everyone
(1) The king said: 'How could the Supreme Lord beloved as an equal friend towards all living beings, o brahmin, in support of Indra kill the demons as if He were partial Himself [see also B.G. 9: 29]? (2) Being of the highest bliss there is certainly no need for Him to side personally with the enlightened community and not being of any material mode, is it for certain not in His nature to fear or compete with the ones of darkness. (3) Thus, o glorious one, is in consideration of the qualities of Nârâyana, the magnitude of the doubt that rose with us; could you please dispel it?'
(4-5) The honorable rishi said: 'What an excellent question to ask o great King! From the wonderful activities of the Lord, sung by the foremost of piety, the sages headed by Nârada, are there more and more the glories and the devotion of His devotees. I will discuss all the relating topics of the Lord with you, but let me first pay homage to the great sage of Krishna [Vyâsa]. (6) Although above the modes, surely unborn and unmanifest, does the Supreme Lord transcendental to the material world by His own potency enter the material qualities accepting obligations and responsibilities [compare B.G. 9: 11]. (7) The sattva, rajas and tamas to that belong to the material of nature and not to the quality of the spirit soul, o King, to the spiritual self there is not the on and off [one normally has with material things]. (8) According their particular time does one when sattva [goodness] dominates find the devas and the rishis [the gods and sages], with the prominence of rajas [passion] has one the Asuras [the unenlightened] and with tamas [inertia] finds one the Yakshas and Râkshasas [the ghosts and the demons, see also B.G. 14: 11-13]. (9) To the elements of light and such that appear with the differently embodied can the ones who know from the Supersoul within distinguish who of them are of discrimination and who not [see B.G. 10: 10]. (10) When desiring to create material bodies for the living entities manifests the Supreme, He dominating in His own creation, the mode of passion; desiring to act in different forms is He in the mode of goodness and when the Controller is about to round it all up gives He as such rise to the mode of ignorance [see: B.G. 9: 10]. (11) O ruler of man, the true Creator, Controller in Person of the matter and Shelter for the beings is the Time that by its movements conditions [see also B.G 11: 32]. (12) It is but with this Time that the Supreme Lord His glories are widespread, o King, by which to sattva the certainty of the numbers of gods is furthered and hence with those who are covered by rajas and tamas the inimical is found whereto He, as the friend of the enlightened, destroys the unenlightened.(13) To this was earlier with great joy at the great sacrifice of Yudhishthhira upon his request by the Rishi of Enlightenment [Nârada] recounted the following story. (14-15) The king, the son of Pându, after having seen how at the great offering called Râjasûya the King of Cedi [S'is'upâla] so wondrously had merged with the Supreme Personality of Vâsudeva, had as the ruler being struck with wonder at the sacrifice asked the following from Nârada who sat there with the sages listening. (16) Yudhishthhira had said: 'Oh how wonderful and for sure difficult to attain for even the transcendentalists is the attainment of the impudent S'is'upâla to Vâsudeva, the Supreme Absolute Truth. (17) We all long to know how this could happen, o sage, how from insulting the Lord [he could merge while] Vena [for his offense] was thrown in hell by the brahmins. (18) That sinful son of Damaghosha fostered from his earliest prattle to his last days anger towards Govinda, just as did the evil-minded Dantavakra [his brother]. (19) Of both their repeated offenses against Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Brahman [compare B.G. 10: 12], didn't any white leprosy appear on their tongues nor landed they in the darkness of hell. (20) How could they for everyone to see, so easily find absorption [sâyujya-mukti] in the Supreme Lord whose nature is so hard to attain? (21) In this matter is my intelligence as fickle as a candle flickering in the wind, please o man of all knowledge, tell us here now about the particular cause of this great wonder.'
(22) The son of Vyâsa said: 'After hearing the words of the king questioning him on the tale in the midst of the assembly, did Nârada the greatest of sages, being satisfied, address him. (23) S'rî Nârada said: 'In order to experience insults, praise, honor and dishonor without discrimination has the Supreme of the Primary Nature [pradhâna] created this vehicle of time, o King [see also B.G. 2: 14, 12: 18-19]. (24) Suffering from the false notion of being this body is there thus the 'I' and 'mine' to which there is the rod of punishment, o earthly ruler. (25) Bound in this false conception appears the annihilation of bodies to be the same as the annihilation of living beings; not being of Him as the one without a second is one of the false notion, but how can there any harm be done by Him, the Soul of all, the Supreme One and Highest Control? (26) Therefore, whether one is of constant enmity, of devotion, of fear, of affection or of lusty desires, should one, being of whatever way, concentrate oneself [on the Lord] and not look for something else. (27) A person will in [a single-minded] constant enmity not attain the like of being absorbed one finds in being unified in devotion, that is my definite opinion. (28-29) A larva checked by a bee in a niche may be filled with anxiety and resentment, but of that bee it attains the same form; the same way may one with Krishna, who as the Supreme Lord out of His own appeared as a man, be filled with obstinacy towards the Supreme, but when one has found purification of one's sins, attains one by the constant thought of Him. (30) Of in lust, hatred, fear, affection and devotion having a mind absorbed in the Supreme have many given up the sin and by that attained the path of liberation. (31) The gopîs with their lusty desires, Kamsa out of fear, S'is'upâla and others out of hatred, many Kings out of kinship, Krishna's family out of affection and you and us through bhakti did so o King. (32) Not to be someone like Vena, who couldn't adopt one of these five forms of respect in regard of the Original Person, must one then fix one's mind on Krishna in any of these ways. (33) The sons of your mother's sister, S'is'upâla and Dantavakra, o Pândava, were the two exalted attendants of Vishnu [Jaya and Vijaya, see 3.15-16] who because of a curse of the brahmins fell away from the feet.'
(34) S'rî Yudhishthhira said: 'Who did that and what kind of curse was used; a servant of the Lord thus overcome seems an incredible thing to me, how can those exclusively devoted to Him take birth again [see B.G. 4: 9 and 8: 16]? (35) Those who reside in Vaikunthha are not concerned with a material body, material senses or a material life, please describe how they then could be bound to a physical body.'
(36) S'rî Nârada said: 'Once happened the sons of Brahmâ, Sanandana and the others, who traveled around the three worlds, to arrive at that place. (37) Approaching like boys of five or six year old, even though they were born before the ancients of the universe [see 1.3: 6], denied the two guards them access thinking they were naked children. (38) And so they were full of anger cursed by them: 'O, you two undeserving ones, at the feet of the Slayer of Madhu it is most sinful not to be free from passion and ignorance and therefore, o fools, will you soon hereafter be born from an unenlightened womb [see 3.17]. (39) Thus being cursed to fall down from their abode heard they from the merciful sages: 'May it be so that after three births you return again to your abode.'
(40) The two were thereafter born as the sons of Diti and worshiped by all the Daityas and Dânavas as Hiranyakas'ipu the older one and Hiranyâksha the younger brother. (41) Hiranyakas'ipu was killed by the Lord appearing in the form of a lion [Lord Nrisimhadeva] and Hiranyâksha was killed by Him when He in the form of a boar had appeared to uplift the world [Lord Varâha, see 3.18-19]. (42) Hiranyakas'ipu desirous to kill his son Prahlâda, the beloved devotee of Kes'ava, enacted various ways of torture to cause his death. (43) Since his son was protected by the power of the Supreme Lord, the Soul of mercy and equality towards all, could he, with all the might he displayed, not kill him though. (44) Next were the two demons as Râvana and Kumbhakarna born from Kes'inî as the sons of Vis'ravâ, and were they the cause of a lot of misery for all the people. (45) In order to relieve the two from the curse, manifested thereupon Râmacandra Himself to kill them, but you better hear about the exploits of Râma [see 9: 10 & 11] from the lips of Mârkandeya, my best. (46) The two in their third birth were [as S'is'upâla and Dantavakra] born in this world as kshatriya sons to your mother's sister and are now freed from the curse with their sins destroyed by Krishna's cakra. (47) By meditation in a bond of acute hatred getting near to Him managed the gate keepers of Vishnu again to find absorption into the essence of the infallible Lord.'
(48) S'rî Yudhishthhira said: 'How could there [with Hiranyakas'ipu] be such a hatred for his own son, that great soul, please tell me o exalted one how Prahlâda got that close to Acyuta [the Infallible Lord].
Second edition, loaded June 4, 2007.
Source texts:
The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone
The king said: 'How could the Supreme Lord beloved as an equal friend towards all living beings, o brahmin, in support of Indra kill the demons as if He were partial Himself [see also B.G. 9: 29] ?King Parikshit inquired: My dear brâhmana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, being everyone's well-wisher, is equal and extremely dear to everyone. How, then, did He become partial like a common man for the sake of Indra and thus kill Indra's enemies? How can a person equal to everyone be partial to some and inimical toward others? (Vedabase)
Being of the highest bliss there is certainly no need for Him to side personally with the enlightened community and not being of any material mode, is it for certain not in His nature to fear or compete with the ones of darkness.
Lord Vishnu Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the reservoir of all pleasure. Therefore, what benefit would He derive from siding with the demigods? What interest would He fulfill in this way? Since the Lord is transcendental, why should He fear the asuras, and how could He be envious of them? (Vedabase)
Thus, o glorious one, is in consideration of the qualities of Nârâyana, the magnitude of the doubt that rose with us; could you please dispel it?'
O greatly fortunate and learned brâhmana, whether Nârâyana is partial or impartial has become a subject of great doubt. Kindly dispel my doubt with positive evidence that Nârâyana is always neutral and equal to everyone. (Vedabase)
The honorable rishi said: 'What an excellent question to ask o great King! From the wonderful activities of the Lord, sung by the foremost of piety, the sages headed by Nârada, are there more and more the glories and the devotion of His devotees. I will discuss all the relating topics of the Lord with you, but let me first pay homage to the great sage of Krishna [Vyâsa].
The great sage S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: My dear King, you have put before me an excellent question. Discourses concerning the activities of the Lord, in which the glories of His devotees are also found, are extremely pleasing to devotees. Such wonderful topics always counteract the miseries of the materialistic way of life. Therefore great sages like Nârada always speak upon S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam because it gives one the facility to hear and chant about the wonderful activities of the Lord. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto S'rîla Vyâsadeva and then begin describing topics concerning the activities of Lord Hari. (Vedabase)
Although above the modes, surely unborn and unmanifest, does the Supreme Lord transcendental to the material world by His own potency enter the material qualities accepting obligations and responsibilities [compare B.G. 9: 11].
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, is always transcendental to material qualities, and therefore He is called nirguna, or without qualities. Because He is unborn, He does not have a material body to be subjected to attachment and hatred. Although the Lord is always above material existence, through His spiritual potency He appeared and acted like an ordinary human being, accepting duties and obligations, apparently like a conditioned soul. (Vedabase)
The sattva, rajas and tamas to that belong to the material of nature and not to the quality of the spirit soul, o King, to the spiritual self there is not the on and off [one normally has with material things].
My dear King Parikshit, the material qualities--sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna--all belong to the material world and do not even touch the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These three gunas cannot act by increasing or decreasing simultaneously. (Vedabase)
According their particular time does one when sattva [goodness] dominates find the devas and the rishis [the gods and sages], with the prominence of rajas [passion] has one the Asuras [the unenlightened] and with tamas [inertia] finds one the Yakshas and Râkshasas [the ghosts and the demons, see also B.G. 14: 11-13]
When the quality of goodness is prominent, the sages and demigods flourish with the help of that quality, with which they are infused and surcharged by the Supreme Lord. Similarly, when the mode of passion is prominent the demons flourish, and when ignorance is prominent the Yakshas and Râkshasas flourish. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present in everyone's heart, fostering the reactions of sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna. (Vedabase)
To the elements of light and such that appear with the differently embodied can the ones who know from the Supersoul within distinguish who of them are of discrimination and who not [see B.G. 10: 10].
The all-pervading Personality of Godhead exists within the heart of every living being, and an expert thinker can perceive how He is present there to a large or small extent. Just as one can understand the supply of fire in wood, the water in a waterpot, or the sky within a pot, one can understand whether a living entity is a demon or a demigod by understanding that living entity's devotional performances. A thoughtful man can understand how much a person is favored by the Supreme Lord by seeing his actions. (Vedabase)
When desiring to create material bodies for the living entities manifests the Supreme, He dominating in His own creation, the mode of passion; desiring to act in different forms is He in the mode of goodness and when the Controller is about to round it all up gives He as such rise to the mode of ignorance [see: B.G. 9: 10].
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead creates different types of bodies, offering a particular body to each living entity according to his character and fruitive actions, the Lord revives all the qualities of material nature--sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna. Then, as the Supersoul, He enters each body and influences the qualities of creation, maintenance and annihilation, using sattva-guna for maintenance, rajo-guna for creation and tamo-guna for annihilation. (Vedabase)
O ruler of man, the true Creator, Controller in Person of the matter and Shelter for the beings is the Time that by its movements conditions [see also B.G 11: 32].
O great King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of the material and spiritual energies, who is certainly the creator of the entire cosmos, creates the time factor to allow the material energy and the living entity to act within the limits of time. Thus the Supreme Personality is never under the time factor nor under the material energy. (Vedabase)
It is but with this Time that the Supreme Lord His glories are widespread, o King, by which to sattva the certainty of the numbers of gods is furthered and hence with those who are covered by rajas and tamas the inimical is found whereto He, as the friend of the enlightened, destroys the unenlightened.
O King, this time factor enhances the sattva-guna. Thus although the Supreme Lord is the controller, He favors the demigods, who are mostly situated in sattva-guna. Then the demons, who are influenced by tamo-guna, are annihilated. The Supreme Lord induces the time factor to act in different ways, but He is never partial. Rather, His activities are glorious, therefore He is called Urus'ravâ . (Vedabase)
To this was earlier with great joy at the great sacrifice of Yudhishthhira upon his request by the Rishi of Enlightenment [Nârada] recounted the following story.
Formerly, O King, when Mahârâja Yudhishthhira was performing the Râjasûya sacrifice, the great sage Nârada, responding to his inquiry, recited historical facts showing how the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always impartial, even when killing demons. In this regard he gave a vivid example. (Vedabase)
The king, the son of Pându, after having seen how at the great offering called Râjasûya the King of Cedi [S'is'upâla] so wondrously had merged with the Supreme Personality of Vâsudeva, had as the ruler being struck with wonder at the sacrifice asked the following from Nârada who sat there with the sages listening.
O King, at the Râjasûya sacrifice, Mahârâja Yudhishthhira, the son of Mahârâja Pandu, personally saw S'is'upâla merge into the body of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. Therefore, struck with wonder, he inquired about the reason for this from the great sage Nârada, who was seated there. While he inquired, all the sages present also heard him ask his question. (Vedabase)
Yudhishthhira had said: 'Oh how wonderful and for sure difficult to attain for even the transcendentalists is the attainment of the impudent S'is'upâla to Vâsudeva, the Supreme Absolute Truth.
Mahârâja Yudhishthhira inquired: It is very wonderful that the demon S'is'upâla merged into the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead even though extremely envious. This sâyujya-mukti is impossible to attain even for great transcendentalists. How then did the enemy of the Lord attain it? (Vedabase)Text 17
We all long to know how this could happen, o sage, how from insulting the Lord [he could merge while] Vena [for his offense] was thrown in hell by the brahmins.
O great sage, we are all eager to know the cause for this mercy of the Lord. I have heard that formerly a king named Vena blasphemed the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that all the brâhmanas consequently obliged him to go to hell. S'is'upâla should also have been sent to hell. How then did he merge into the Lord's existence? (Vedabase)
That sinful son of Damaghosha fostered from his earliest prattle to his last days anger towards Govinda, just as did the evil-minded Dantavakra [his brother].
From the very beginning of his childhood, when he could not even speak properly, S'is'upâla, the most sinful son of Damaghosha, began blaspheming the Lord, and he continued to be envious of S'rî Krishna until death. Similarly, his brother Dantavakra continued the same habits. (Vedabase)
Of both their repeated offenses against Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Brahman [compare B.G. 10: 12], didn't any white leprosy appear on their tongues nor landed they in the darkness of hell.
Although these two men--S'is'upâla and Dantavakra--repeatedly blasphemed the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu [Krishna], the Supreme Brahman, they were quite healthy. Indeed, their tongues were not attacked by white leprosy, nor did they enter the darkest region of hellish life. We are certainly most surprised by this. (Vedabase)
How could they for everyone to see, so easily find absorption [sâyujya-mukti] in the Supreme Lord whose nature is so hard to attain?
How was it possible for S'is'upâla and Dantavakra in the presence of many exalted persons, to enter very easily into the body of Krishna, whose nature is difficult to attain? (Vedabase)
In this matter is my intelligence as fickle as a candle flickering in the wind, please o man of all knowledge, tell us here now about the particular cause of this great wonder.
This matter is undoubtedly very wonderful. Indeed, my intelligence has become disturbed, just as the flame of a candle is disturbed by a blowing wind. O Nârada Muni, you know everything. Kindly let me know the cause of this wonderful event. (Vedabase)
The son of Vyâsa said: 'After hearing the words of the king questioning him on the tale in the midst of the assembly, did Nârada the greatest of sages, being satisfied, address him.
S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: After hearing the request of Mahârâja Yudhishthhira, Nârada Muni, the most powerful spiritual master, who knew everything, was very pleased. Thus he replied in the presence of everyone taking part in the yajña. (Vedabase)
S'rî Nârada said: 'In order to experience insults, praise, honor and dishonor without discrimination has the Supreme of the Primary Nature [pradhâna] created this vehicle of time, o King [see also B.G. 2: 14, 12: 18-19].
The great sage S'rî Nâradajî said: O King, blasphemy and praise, chastisement and respect, are experienced because of ignorance. The body of the conditioned soul is planned by the Lord for suffering in the material world through the agency of the external energy. (Vedabase)
Suffering from the false notion of being this body is there thus the 'I' and 'mine' to which there is the rod of punishment, o earthly ruler.
My dear King, the conditioned soul, being in the bodily conception of life, considers his body to be his self and considers everything in relationship with the body to be his. Because he has this wrong conception of life, he is subjected to dualities like praise and chastisement. (Vedabase)
Bound in this false conception appears the annihilation of bodies to be the same as the annihilation of living beings; not being of Him as the one without a second is one of the false notion, but how can there any harm be done by Him, the Soul of all, the Supreme One and Highest Control?
Because of the bodily conception of life, the conditioned soul thinks that when the body is annihilated the living being is annihilated. Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme controller, the Supersoul of all living entities. Because He has no material body, He has no false conception of "I and mine." It is therefore incorrect to think that He feels pleasure or pain when blasphemed or offered prayers. This is impossible for Him. Thus He has no enemy and no friend. When He chastises the demons it is for their good, and when He accepts the prayers of the devotees it is for their good. He is affected neither by prayers nor by blasphemy. (Vedabase)
Therefore, whether one is of constant enmity, of devotion, of fear, of affection or of lusty desires, should one, being of whatever way, concentrate oneself [on the Lord] and not look for something else.
Therefore by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by affection or by lusty desire--by all of these or any one of them--if a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind upon the Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of His blissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship. (Vedabase)
A person will in [a single-minded] constant enmity not attain the like of being absorbed one finds in being unified in devotion, that is my definite opinion.
Nârada Muni continued: By devotional service one cannot achieve such intense absorption in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one can through enmity toward Him. That is my opinion. (Vedabase)
A larva checked by a bee in a niche may be filled with anxiety and resentment, but of that bee it attains the same form; the same way may one with Krishna, who as the Supreme Lord out of His own appeared as a man, be filled with obstinacy towards the Supreme, but when one has found purification of one's sins, attains one by the constant thought of Him.
A grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other think of Krishna, who is sac-cid-ânanda-vigraha, they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they will regain their spiritual bodies. (Vedabase)
Of in lust, hatred, fear, affection and devotion having a mind absorbed in the Supreme have many given up the sin and by that attained the path of liberation.
Many, many persons have attained liberation simply by thinking of Krishna with great attention and giving up sinful activities. This great attention may be due to lusty desires, inimical feelings, fear, affection or devotional service. I shall now explain how one receives Krishna's mercy simply by concentrating one's mind upon Him. (Vedabase)
The gopîs with their lusty desires, Kamsa out of fear, S'is'upâla and others out of hatred, many Kings out of kinship, Krishna's family out of affection and you and us through bhakti did so o King.
My dear King Yudhishthhira, the gopîs by their lusty desires, Kamsa by his fear, S'is'upâla and other kings by envy, the Yadus by their familial relationship with Krishna, you Pândavas by your great affection for Krishna, and we, the general devotees, by our devotional service, have obtained the mercy of Krishna. (Vedabase)
Not to be someone like Vena, who couldn't adopt one of these five forms of respect in regard of the Original Person, must one then fix one's mind on Krishna in any of these ways.
Somehow or other, one must consider the form of Krishna very seriously. Then, by one of the five different processes mentioned above, one can return home, back to Godhead. Atheists like King Vena, however, being unable to think of Krishna's form in any of these five ways, cannot attain salvation. Therefore, one must somehow think of Krishna, whether in a friendly way or inimically. (Vedabase)
The sons of your mother's sister, S'is'upâla and Dantavakra, o Pândava, were the two exalted attendants of Vishnu [Jaya and Vijaya, see 3.15-16] who because of a curse of the brahmins fell away from the feet.'
Nârada Muni continued: O best of the Pândavas, your two cousins S'is'upâla and Dantavakra, the sons of your maternal aunt, were formerly associates of Lord Vishnu, but because they were cursed by brâhmanas, they fell from Vaikunthha to this material world. (Vedabase)
S'rî Yudhishthhira said: 'Who did that and what kind of curse was used; a servant of the Lord thus overcome seems an incredible thing to me, how can those exclusively devoted to Him take birth again [see B.G. 4: 9 and 8: 16]?
Mahârâja Yudhishthhira inquired: What kind of great curse could affect even liberated vishnu-bhaktas, and what sort of person could curse even the Lord's associates? For unflinching devotees of the Lord to fall again to this material world is impossible. I cannot believe this. (Vedabase)
Those who reside in Vaikunthha are not concerned with a material body, material senses or a material life, please describe how they then could be bound to a physical body.'
The bodies of the inhabitants of Vaikunthha are completely spiritual, having nothing to do with the material body, senses or life air. Therefore, kindly explain how associates of the Personality of Godhead were cursed to descend in material bodies like ordinary persons. (Vedabase)
S'rî Nârada said: 'Once happened the sons of Brahmâ, Sanandana and the others, who traveled around the three worlds, to arrive at that place.
The great saint Nârada said: Once upon a time when the four sons of Lord Brahmâ named Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanâtana and Sanat-kumâra were wandering throughout the three worlds, they came by chance to Vishnuloka. (Vedabase)
Approaching like boys of five or six year old, even though they were born before the ancients of the universe [see 1.3: 6], denied the two guards them access thinking they were naked children.
Although these four great sages were older than Brahmâ's other sons like Marîci, they appeared like small naked children only five or six years old. When Jaya and Vijaya saw them trying to enter Vaikunthhaloka, these two gatekeepers, thinking them ordinary children, forbade them to enter. (Vedabase)
And so they were full of anger cursed by them: 'O, you two undeserving ones, at the feet of the Slayer of Madhu it is most sinful not to be free from passion and ignorance and therefore, o fools, will you soon hereafter be born from an unenlightened womb [see 3.17].
Thus checked by the doorkeepers Jaya and Vijaya, Sanandana and the other great sages very angrily cursed them. "You two foolish doorkeepers," they said. "Being agitated by the material qualities of passion and ignorance, you are unfit to live at the shelter of Madhudvisha's lotus feet, which are free from such modes. It would be better for you to go immediately to the material world and take your birth in a family of most sinful asuras." (Vedabase)
Thus being cursed to fall down from their abode heard they from the merciful sages: 'May it be so that after three births you return again to your abode.'
While Jaya and Vijaya, thus cursed by the sages, were falling to the material world, they were addressed as follows by the same sages, who were very kind to them. "O doorkeepers, after three births you will be able to return to you 'r positions in Vaikunthha, for then the duration of the curse will have ended." (Vedabase)
The two were thereafter born as the sons of Diti and worshiped by all the Daityas and Dânavas as Hiranyakas'ipu the older one and Hiranyâksha the younger brother.
These two associates of the Lord--Jaya and Vijaya--later descended to the material world, taking birth as the two sons of Diti, Hiranyakas'ipu being the elder and Hiranyâksha the younger. They were very much respected by the Daityas and Dânavas [demoniac species]. (Vedabase)
Hiranyakas'ipu was killed by the Lord appearing in the form of a lion [Lord Nrisimhadeva] and Hiranyâksha was killed by Him when He in the form of a boar had appeared to uplift the world [Lord Varâha, see 3.18-19].
Appearing as Nrisimhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, S'rî Hari, killed Hiranyakas'ipu. When the Lord delivered the planet earth, which had fallen in the Garbhodaka Ocean, Hiranyâksha tried to hinder Him, and then the Lord, as Varâha, killed Hiranyâksha. (Vedabase)
Hiranyakas'ipu desirous to kill his son Prahlâda, the beloved devotee of Kes'ava, enacted various ways of torture to cause his death.
Desiring to kill his son Prahlâda, who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu, Hiranyakas'ipu tortured him in many ways. (Vedabase)
Since his son was protected by the power of the Supreme Lord, the Soul of mercy and equality towards all, could he, with all the might he displayed, not kill him though.
The Lord, the Supersoul of all living entities, is sober, peaceful and equal to everyone. Since the great devotee Prahlâda was protected by the Lord's potency, Hiranyakas'ipu was unable to kill him, in spite of endeavoring to do so in various ways. (Vedabase)
Next were the two demons as Râvana and Kumbhakarna born from Kes'inî as the sons of Vis'ravâ, and were they the cause of a lot of misery for all the people.
Thereafter the same Jaya and Vijaya, the two doorkeepers of Lord Vishnu, took birth as Râvana and Kumbhakarna, begotten by Vis'ravâ in the womb of Kes'inî. They were extremely troublesome to all the people of the universe. (Vedabase)
In order to relieve the two from the curse, manifested thereupon Râmacandra Himself to kill them, but you better hear about the exploits of Râma [see 9: 10 & 11] from the lips of Mârkandeya, my best.
Nârada Muni continued: My dear King, just to relieve Jaya and Vijaya of the brâhmanas' curse, Lord Râmacandra appeared in order to kill Râvana and Kumbhakarna. It will be better for you to hear narrations about Lord Râmacandra's activities from Mârkandeya. (Vedabase)
The two in their third birth were [as S'is'upâla and Dantavakra] born in this world as kshatriya sons to your mother's sister and are now freed from the curse with their sins destroyed by Krishna's cakra.
In their third birth, the same Jaya and Vijaya appeared in a family of kshatriyas as your cousins, the sons of your aunt. Because Lord Krishna has struck them with His disc, all their sinful reactions have been destroyed, and now they are free from the curse. (Vedabase)
By meditation in a bond of acute hatred getting near to Him managed the gate keepers of Vishnu again to find absorption into the essence of the infallible Lord.'
These two associates of Lord Vishnu--Jaya and Vijaya--maintained a feeling of enmity for a very long time. Because of always thinking of Krishna in this way, they regained the shelter of the Lord, having returned home, back to Godhead. (Vedabase)
S'rî Yudhishthhira said: 'How could there [with Hiranyakas'ipu] be such a hatred for his own son, that great soul, please tell me o exalted one how Prahlâda got that close to Acyuta [the Infallible Lord].
Mahârâja Yudhishthhira inquired: O my lord, Nârada Muni, why was there such enmity between Hiranyakas'ipu and his beloved son Prahlâda Mahârâja? How did Prahlâda Mahârâja become such a great devotee of Lord Krishna? Kindly explain this to me. (Vedabase)
For
this original translation a one-volume printed copy
has been used with an extensive commentary.
ISBN: o-91277-27-7
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