Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, in Kimpurusha-varsha the great devotee Hanumān is always engaged with the inhabitants of that land in devotional service to Lord Rāmacandra, the elder brother of Lakshmana and dear husband of Sītādevī.
A host of Gandharvas is always engaged in chanting the glories of Lord Rāmacandra. That chanting is always extremely auspicious. Hanumānjī and Arshtishena, the chief person in Kimpurusha-varsha, constantly hear those glories with complete attention. Hanumān chants the following mantras.
In the Purānas there are two different opinions concerning Lord Rāmacandra. In the Laghu-bhāgavatāmrita (5.34-36) this is confirmed in the description of the incarnation of Manu.
The Vishnu-dharmottara describes that Lord Rāmacandra and His brothers — Lakshmana, Bharata and Śatrughna — are incarnations of Vāsudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha respectively. The Padma Purāna, however, says that Lord Rāmacandra is an incarnation of Nārāyana and that the other three brothers are incarnations of Śesha, Cakra and Śankha. Therefore Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūshana has concluded, tad idam kalpa-bhedenaiva sambhāvyam. In other words, these opinions are not contradictory. In some millenniums Lord Rāmacandra and His brothers appear as incarnations of Vāsudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, and in other millenniums They appear as incarnations of Nārāyana, Śesha, Cakra and Śankha. The residence of Lord Rāmacandra on this planet is Ayodhyā. Ayodhyā City is still existing in the district of Faizabad, which is situated on the northern side of Uttar Pradesh.
Let me please Your Lordship by chanting the bīja-mantra omkāra. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, who is the best among the most highly elevated personalities. Your Lordship is the reservoir of all the good qualities of Āryans, people who are advanced. Your character and behavior are always consistent, and You always control Your senses and mind. Acting just like an ordinary human being, You exhibit exemplary character to teach others how to behave. There is a touchstone that can be used to examine the quality of gold, but You are like a touchstone that can verify all good qualities. You are worshiped by brāhmanas who are the foremost of all devotees. You, the Supreme Person, are the King of kings, and therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
The Lord, whose pure form [sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha] is uncontaminated by the modes of material nature, can be perceived by pure consciousness. In the Vedānta He is described as being one without a second. Because of His spiritual potency, He is untouched by the contamination of material nature, and because He is not subjected to material vision, He is known as transcendental. He has no material activities, nor has He a material form or name. Only in pure consciousness, Krishna consciousness, can one perceive the transcendental form of the Lord. Let us be firmly fixed at the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra, and let us offer our respectful obeisances unto those transcendental lotus feet.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, appears in various expansions, as stated in the Brahma-samhitā (5.39):
“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who is always situated in various incarnations such as Rāma, Nrisimha and many subincarnations as well, but who is the original Personality of Godhead known as Krishna and who incarnates personally also.” Krishna, who is vishnu-tattva, has expanded Himself in many Vishnu forms, of which Lord Rāmacandra is one. We know that the vishnu-tattva is carried by the transcendental bird Garuda and is equipped with different types of weapons in four hands. Therefore we may doubt whether Lord Rāmacandra could be in the same category, since He was carried by Hanumān, not by Garuda, and had neither four hands nor the śankha, cakra, gadā and padma. Consequently this verse clarifies that Rāmacandra is as good as Krishna (rāmādi-mūrtishu kalā). Although Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Rāmacandra is not different from Him. Rāmacandra is unaffected by the modes of material nature, and therefore He is praśānta, never disturbed by those modes.
Unless one is saturated with love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot appreciate the transcendental value of Lord Rāmacandra; one cannot see Him with material eyes. Because demons like Rāvana have no spiritual vision, they consider Lord Rāmacandra an ordinary kshatriya king. Rāvana therefore attempted to kidnap Lord Rāmacandra’s eternal consort, Sītādevī. Actually, however, Rāvana could not carry off Sītādevī in her original form. As soon as she was touched by Rāvana’s hands, she gave him a material form, but she maintained her original form beyond his vision. Therefore in this verse the words pratyak praśāntam indicate that Lord Rāmacandra and His potency, the goddess Sītā, keep themselves aloof from the influence of the material energy.
In the Upanishads it is said: yam evaisha vrinute tena labhyah (Katha Upanishad 1.2.23). The Supreme Lord, Paramātmā, the Personality of Godhead, can be seen or perceived only by persons who are saturated with devotional service. As stated in the Brahma-samhitā (5.38):
“I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Śyāmasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee.” Similarly, in the Chāndogya Upanishad it is stated, etās tisro devatā anena jīvena. In this verse of the Chāndogya Upanishad the word anena is used to distinguish the ātmā and Paramātmā as two separate identities. The words tisro devatā indicate that the body of the living entity is made of three material elements — fire, earth and water. Although the Paramātmā enters the heart of the jīvātmā, who is influenced and designated by a material body, the Paramātmā has nothing to do with the jīvātmā’s body. Because the Paramātmā has no material connections, He is described here as anāma-rūpam niraham. The Paramātmā has no material identity, whereas the jīvātmā does. The jīvātmā may introduce himself as an Indian, American, German and so on, but the Paramātmā has no such material designations, and therefore He has no material name. The jīvātmā is different from his name, but the Paramātmā is not; His name and He Himself are one and the same. This is the meaning of niraham, which means “without material designations.” This word cannot possibly be twisted to mean that the Paramātmā has no ahankāra, no “I-ness” or identity. He has His transcendental identity as the Supreme. This is the explanation given by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. According to another interpretation, given by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura, niraham means nirniścayena aham. Niraham does not mean that the Supreme Lord has no identity. Rather, the stress given by the word aham proves strongly that He does have His personal identity because nir not only means “negative” but also means “strong ascertainment.”
It was ordained that Rāvana, chief of the Rākshasas, could not be killed by anyone but a man, and for this reason Lord Rāmacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared in the form of a human being. Lord Rāmacandra’s mission, however, was not only to kill Rāvana but also to teach mortal beings that material happiness centered around sex life or centered around one’s wife is the cause of many miseries. He is the self-sufficient Supreme Personality of Godhead, and nothing is lamentable for Him. Therefore why else could He be subjected to tribulations by the kidnapping of mother Sītā?
When the Lord appears in this universe in the form of a human being, He has two purposes, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā — paritrānāya sādhūnām vināśāya ca dushkritām: to destroy the demons and protect the devotees. To protect the devotees, the Lord not only satisfies them by His personal presence but also teaches them so that they will not fall down from devotional service. By His personal example, Lord Rāmacandra taught the devotees that it is better not to enter married life, which is certainly followed by many tribulations. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.9.45):
Kripanas, those who are not advanced in spiritual knowledge and who are therefore just the opposite of brāhmanas, generally take to family life, which is a concession for sex. Thus they enjoy sex again and again, although that sex is followed by many tribulations. This is a warning to devotees. To teach this lesson to devotees and to human society in general, Lord Śrī Rāmacandra, although the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, underwent a series of tribulations because He accepted a wife, mother Sītā. Lord Rāmacandra underwent these austerities, of course, only to instruct us; actually He never has any reason to lament for anything.
Another aspect of the Lord’s instructions is that one who accepts a wife must be a faithful husband and give her full protection. Human society is divided into two classes of men — those who strictly follow the religious principles and those who are devotees. By His personal example, Lord Rāmacandra wanted to instruct both of them how to fully adopt the discipline of the religious system and how to be a beloved and dutiful husband. Otherwise He had no reason to undergo apparent tribulations. One who strictly follows religious principles must not neglect to provide all facilities for the complete protection of his wife. There may be some suffering because of this, but one must nevertheless endure it. That is the duty of a faithful husband. By His personal example, Lord Rāmacandra demonstrated this duty. Lord Rāmacandra could have produced hundreds and thousands of Sītās from His pleasure energy, but just to show the duty of a faithful husband, He not only rescued Sītā from the hands of Rāvana but also killed Rāvana and all the members of his family.
Another aspect of the teachings of Lord Rāmacandra is that although Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His devotees may apparently suffer from material tribulations, they have nothing to do with such tribulations. They are mukta-purushas, liberated persons, under all circumstances. It is therefore said in the Caitanya-bhāgavata:
A Vaishnava is always firmly situated in transcendental bliss because of engagement in devotional service. Although he may appear to suffer material pains, his position is called transcendental bliss in separation (viraha). The emotions a lover and beloved feel when separated from one another are actually very blissful, although apparently painful. Therefore the separation of Lord Rāmacandra from Sītādevī, as well as the consequent tribulation they suffered, is but another display of transcendental bliss. That is the opinion of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura.
Since Lord Śrī Rāmacandra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, He is not attached to anything in this material world. He is the most beloved Supersoul of all self-realized souls, and He is their very intimate friend. He is full of all opulences. Therefore He could not possibly have suffered because of separation from His wife, nor could He have given up His wife and Lakshmana, His younger brother. To give up either would have been absolutely impossible.
In defining the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we say that He is full in all six opulences — wealth, fame, strength, influence, beauty and renunciation. He is called renounced because He is not attached to anything in this material world; He is specifically attached to the spiritual world and the living entities there. The affairs of the material world take place under the superintendence of Durgādevī (srishti-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā/ chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā). Everything is going on under the strict rules and regulations of the material energy, represented by Durgā. Therefore the Lord is completely detached and need not give attention to the material world. Sītādevī belongs to the spiritual world. Similarly, Lord Lakshmana, Rāmacandra’s younger brother, is a manifestation of Sankarshana, and Lord Rāmacandra Himself is Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Since the Lord is always spiritually qualified, He is attached to servants who always render transcendental loving service unto Him. He is attached to the truth in life, not to brahminical qualities. Indeed, He is never attached to any material qualities. Although He is the Supersoul of all living entities, He is specifically manifest to those who are self-realized, and He is especially dear to the hearts of His transcendental devotees. Because Lord Rāmacandra descended to teach human society how dutiful a king should be, He apparently gave up the company of mother Sītā and Lakshmana. Factually, however, He could not have given them up. One should therefore learn about the activities of Lord Rāmacandra from a self-realized soul. Then one can understand the transcendental activities of the Lord.
One cannot establish a friendship with the Supreme Lord Rāmacandra on the basis of material qualities such as one’s birth in an aristocratic family, one’s personal beauty, one’s eloquence, one’s sharp intelligence or one’s superior race or nation. None of these qualifications is actually a prerequisite for friendship with Lord Śrī Rāmacandra. Otherwise how is it possible that although we uncivilized inhabitants of the forest have not taken noble births, although we have no physical beauty and although we cannot speak like gentlemen, Lord Rāmacandra has nevertheless accepted us as friends?
In a prayer to Krishna expressing her feelings, Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī called Him akiñcana-gocara. The prefix a means “not,” and kiñcana “something of this material world.” One may be very proud of his prestigious position, material wealth, beauty, education and so on, but although these are certainly good qualifications in material dealings, they are not necessary for achieving friendship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who possesses all these material qualities is expected to become a devotee, and when he actually does, the qualities are properly utilized. Those who are puffed up by a high birth, wealth, education and personal beauty (janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī) unfortunately do not care for developing Krishna consciousness, nor does the Supreme Personality of Godhead care about all these material qualifications. The Supreme Lord is achieved by devotion (bhaktyā mām abhijānāti). One’s devotion and sincere desire to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead are the only qualifications. Rūpa Gosvāmī has also said that the price for achieving God’s favor is simply one’s sincere eagerness to have it (laulyam ekam mūlyam). In the Caitanya-bhāgavata it is said:
“Behold the great fortune of the devotee Kholāvecā. Lord Brahmā and Śiva shed tears upon seeing his greatness. One cannot attain Lord Krishna by any amount of wealth, followers, or learning. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is controlled only by pure devotion.” Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had a very sincere devotee whose name was Kholāvecā Śrīdhara and whose only business was to sell pots made of the skin of banana trees. Whatever income he had, he used fifty percent for the worship of mother Ganges, and with the other fifty percent he provided for his necessities. On the whole, he was so very poor that he lived in a cottage that had a broken roof with many holes in it. He could not afford brass utensils, and therefore he drank water from an iron pot. Nevertheless, he was a great devotee of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is a typical example of how a poor man with no material possessions can become a most exalted devotee of the Lord. The conclusion is that one cannot attain shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna or Śrī Caitanya Gosāñi through material opulence; that shelter is attainable only by pure devotional service.
“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Krishna favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.”
Therefore, whether one is a demigod or a demon, a man or a creature other than man, such as a beast or bird, everyone should worship Lord Rāmacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears on this earth just like a human being. There is no need of great austerities or penances to worship the Lord, for He accepts even a small service offered by His devotee. Thus He is satisfied, and as soon as He is satisfied, the devotee is successful. Indeed, Lord Śrī Rāmacandra brought all the devotees of Ayodhyā back home, back to Godhead [Vaikuntha].
Lord Śrī Rāmacandra is so kind and merciful to His devotees that He is very easily satisfied by a little service rendered by anyone, human or not. This is the special advantage of worshiping Lord Rāmacandra, and there is the same advantage in worshiping Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Lord Krishna and Lord Rāmacandra, in the manner of kshatriyas, sometimes showed Their mercy by killing asuras, but Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu awarded love of God without difficulty even to the asuras. All the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead — but especially Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Krishna and, later, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu — delivered many of the living entities present before Them, indeed almost all of them. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is therefore represented in the six-armed form of shad-bhūja-mūrti, which is a combination of Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Krishna and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The best purpose of human life can be fulfilled by worshiping the shad-bhūja-mūrti, the form of the Lord with six arms — two arms of Rāmacandra, two arms of Krishna and two arms of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] The glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are inconceivable. He has appeared in the form of Nara-Nārāyana in the land of Bhārata-varsha, at the place known as Badarikāśrama, to favor His devotees by teaching them religion, knowledge, renunciation, spiritual power, sense control and freedom from false ego. He is advanced in the opulence of spiritual assets, and He engages in executing austerity until the end of this millennium. This is the process of self-realization.
People in India may visit the temple of Nara-Nārāyana at Badarikāśrama just to learn how the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Nara-Nārāyana engages in austerities to teach the people of the world how to achieve self-realization. It is impossible to realize oneself simply by absorbing oneself in speculation and material activities. One must be very serious about self-realization and the practice of austerity. Unfortunately, the people of this Age of Kali do not even know the meaning of austerity. Under these circumstances, the Lord has appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to bestow upon the fallen souls the easiest method of self-realization, technically called ceto-darpana-mārjanam, cleansing of the dirt from the core of one’s heart. This method is extremely simple. Anyone can chant the glorious krishna-sankīrtana — Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. In this age there are different forms of so-called advanced scientific knowledge, such as anthropology, Marxism, Freudianism, nationalism and industrialism, but if we work very hard under their guidance instead of adopting the process practiced by Nara-Nārāyana, we shall waste our valuable human form of life. Thus we shall certainly be cheated and misled.
In his own book, known as Nārada Pañcarātra, Bhagavān Nārada has very vividly described how to work to achieve the ultimate goal of life — devotion — through knowledge and through execution of the mystic yoga system. He has also described the glories of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The great sage Nārada instructed the tenets of this transcendental literature to Sāvarni Manu in order to teach those inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha who strictly follow the principles of varnāśrama-dharma how to achieve the devotional service of the Lord. Thus Nārada Muni, along with the other inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha, always engages in the service of Nara-Nārāyana, and he chants as follows.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has clearly declared:
The real success or fulfillment of the mission of human life can be achieved in India, Bhārata-varsha, because in Bhārata-varsha the purpose of life and the method for achieving success are evident. People should take advantage of the opportunity afforded by Bhārata-varsha, and this is especially so for those who are following the principles of varnāśrama-dharma. If we do not take to the principles of varnāśrama-dharma by accepting the four social orders (brāhmana, kshatriya, vaiśya and śūdra) and the four orders of spiritual life (brahmacārī, grihastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa), there can be no question of success in life. Unfortunately, because of the influence of Kali-yuga, everything is now being lost. The inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha are gradually becoming degraded mlecchas and yavanas. How then will they teach others? Therefore, this Krishna consciousness movement has been started not only for the inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha but for all the people of the world, as announced by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There is still time, and if the inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha take this movement of Krishna consciousness seriously, the entire world will be saved from gliding down to a hellish condition. The Krishna consciousness movement follows the process of pañcarātrika-vidhi and that of bhāgavata-vidhi simultaneously, so that people can take advantage of the movement and make their lives successful.
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Nara-Nārāyana, the best of all saintly persons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the most self-controlled and self-realized, He is free from false prestige, and He is the asset of persons who have no material possessions. He is the spiritual master of all paramahamsas, who are the most exalted human beings, and He is the master of the self-realized. Let me offer my repeated obeisances at His lotus feet.
Nārada, the most powerful saintly sage, also worships Nara-Nārāyana by chanting the following mantra: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this visible cosmic manifestation, yet He is completely free from false prestige. Although to the foolish He appears to have accepted a material body like us, He is unaffected by bodily tribulations like hunger, thirst and fatigue. Although He is the witness who sees everything, His senses are unpolluted by the objects He sees. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that unattached, pure witness of the world, the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is described as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, the body of eternity, transcendental bliss and full knowledge. Now in this verse He is more fully described. Krishna is the creator of the entire cosmic manifestation, yet He is unattached to it. If we were to construct a very tall skyscraper, we would be very attached to it, but Krishna is so renounced that although He has created everything, He is not attached to anything (na badhyate). Furthermore, although Krishna has His transcendental form, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, He is not disturbed by the bodily necessities of life, which are called daihika; for example, He is never hungry, thirsty or fatigued (na hanyate deha-gato ’pi daihikaih). Then again, since everything is Krishna’s property, He sees everything and is present everywhere, but because His body is transcendental, He is above vision, the objects of vision and the process of vision. When we see someone beautiful, we are attracted. The sight of a beautiful woman immediately attracts a man, and the sight of a man naturally attracts a woman. Krishna, however, is transcendental to all these faults. Although He is the seer of everything, He is not afflicted with faulty vision (na drig yasya gunair vidūshyate). Therefore, although He is the witness and seer, He is aloof from all affection for the activities He sees. He is always unattached and separate; He is only a witness.
O my Lord, master of all mystic yoga, this is the explanation of the yogic process spoken of by Lord Brahmā [Hiranyagarbha], who is self-realized. At the time of death, all yogīs give up the material body with full detachment simply by placing their minds at Your lotus feet. That is the perfection of yoga.
Śrīla Madhvācārya says:
“For one who very seriously practices devotional service during his lifetime in order to understand the constitutional position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, liberation from this material world is guaranteed, even if he has previously been addicted to sinful habits.” This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā:
“Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.” (Bg. 9.30) The only purpose of life is to be fully absorbed in thoughts of Krishna and His form, pastimes, activities and qualities. If one is able to think of Krishna in this way, twenty-four hours a day, he is already liberated (svarūpena vyavasthitih). Whereas materialists are absorbed in material thoughts and activities, devotees, on the contrary, are always absorbed in thoughts of Krishna and Krishna’s activities. Therefore they are already on the platform of liberation. One has to think of Krishna with full absorption at the time of death. Then he will certainly return home, back to Godhead, without a doubt.
Materialists are generally very attached to their present bodily comforts and to the bodily comforts they expect in the future. Therefore they are always absorbed in thoughts of their wives, children and wealth and are afraid of giving up their bodies, which are full of stool and urine. If a person engaged in Krishna consciousness, however, is also afraid of giving up his body, what is the use of his having labored to study the śāstras? It was simply a waste of time.
At the time of death a materialist thinks of his wife and children. He is absorbed in thinking of how they will live and who will take care of them after he leaves. Consequently he is never prepared to give up his body; rather, he wants to continue to live in his body to serve his society, family, friends and so on. Therefore by practicing the mystic yoga system one must become detached from bodily relationships. If despite practicing bhakti-yoga and studying all the Vedic literature, one is afraid of giving up his bad body, which is the cause of all his suffering, what is the use of his attempts to advance in spiritual life? The secret of success in practicing yoga is to become free from bodily attachments. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Thākura says, deha-smriti nāhi yāra, samsāra-bandhana kāhān tāra: one whose practice has freed him from the anxieties of bodily needs is no longer in conditional life. Such a person is freed from conditional bondage. A person in Krishna consciousness must fully discharge his devotional duties without material attachment. Then his liberation is guaranteed.
Therefore, O Lord, O Transcendence, kindly help us by giving us the power to execute bhakti-yoga so that we can control our restless minds and fix them upon You. We are all infected by Your illusory energy; therefore we are very attached to the body, which is full of stool and urine, and to anything related with the body. Except for devotional service, there is no way to give up this attachment. Therefore kindly bestow upon us this benediction.
The Lord advises in Bhagavad-gītā: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām namaskuru. The perfect yoga system consists of always thinking of Krishna, always engaging in devotional service, always worshiping Krishna and always offering obeisances unto Him. Unless we practice this yoga system, our illusory attachment for this bad body, which is full of stool and urine, is impossible to give up. The perfection of yoga consists of giving up attachment for this body and bodily relationships and transferring that attachment to Krishna. We are very attached to material enjoyment, but when we transfer that same attachment to Krishna, we traverse the path of liberation. One has to practice this yoga system and none other.
In the tract of land known as Bhārata-varsha, as in Ilāvrita-varsha, there are many mountains and rivers. Some of the mountains are known as Malaya, Mangala-prastha, Maināka, Trikūta, Rishabha, Kūtaka, Kollaka, Sahya, Devagiri, Rishyamūka, Śrī-śaila, Venkata, Mahendra, Vāridhāra, Vindhya, Śuktimān, Rikshagiri, Pāriyātra, Drona, Citrakūta, Govardhana, Raivataka, Kakubha, Nīla, Gokāmukha, Indrakīla and Kāmagiri. Besides these, there are many other hills, with many large and small rivers flowing from their slopes.
Two of the rivers — the Brahmaputra and the Śona — are called nadas, or main rivers. These are other great rivers that are very prominent: Candravasā, Tāmraparnī, Avatodā, Kritamālā, Vaihāyasī, Kāverī, Venī, Payasvinī, Śarkarāvartā, Tungabhadrā, Krishnāvenyā, Bhīmarathī, Godāvarī, Nirvindhyā, Payoshnī, Tāpī, Revā, Surasā, Narmadā, Carmanvatī, Mahānadī, Vedasmriti, Rishikulyā, Trisāmā, Kauśikī, Mandākinī, Yamunā, Sarasvatī, Drishadvatī, Gomatī, Sarayū, Rodhasvatī, Saptavatī, Sushomā, Śatadrū, Candrabhāgā, Marudvridhā, Vitastā, Asiknī and Viśvā. The inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha are purified because they always remember these rivers. Sometimes they chant the names of these rivers as mantras, and sometimes they go directly to the rivers to touch them and bathe in them. Thus the inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha become purified.
All these rivers are transcendental. Therefore one can be purified by remembering them, touching them or bathing in them. This practice is still going on.
The people who take birth in this tract of land are divided according to the qualities of material nature — the modes of goodness [sattva-guna], passion [rajo-guna], and ignorance [tamo-guna]. Some of them are born as exalted personalities, some are ordinary human beings, and some are extremely abominable, for in Bhārata-varsha one takes birth exactly according to one’s past karma. If one’s position is ascertained by a bona fide spiritual master and one is properly trained to engage in the service of Lord Vishnu according to the four social divisions [brāhmana, kshatriya, vaiśya and śūdra] and the four spiritual divisions [brahmacārī, grihastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa], one’s life becomes perfect.
For further information, one should refer to Bhagavad-gītā (14.18 and 18.42-45). Śrīla Rāmānujācārya writes in his book Vedārtha-sangraha:
evam-vidha-parābhakti-svarūpa-jñāna-viśeshasyotpādakah pūrvoktāharahar upacīyamāna-jñāna-pūrvaka-karmānugrihīta-bhakti-yoga eva; yathoktam bhagavatā parāśarena — varnāśrameti. nikhila-jagad-uddhāranāyāvanitale ’vatīrnam para-brahma-bhūtah purushottamah svayam etad uktavān — “svakarma-niratah siddhim yathā vindati tac chrinu” “yatah pravrittir bhūtānām yena sarvam idam tatam/ svakarmanā tam abhyarcya siddhim vindati mānavah.”
In the Vishnu Purāna (3.8.9), the great sage Parāśara Muni has recommended:
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Lord.” In the land of Bhārata-varsha, the institution of varnāśrama-dharma may be easily adopted. At the present moment, certain demoniac sections of the population of Bhārata-varsha are disregarding the system of varnāśrama-dharma. Because there is no institution to teach people how to become brāhmanas, kshatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras or brahmacārīs, grihasthas, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs, these demons want a classless society. This is resulting in chaotic conditions. In the name of secular government, unqualified people are taking the supreme governmental posts. No one is being trained to act according to the principles of varnāśrama-dharma, and thus people are becoming increasingly degraded and are heading in the direction of animal life. The real aim of life is liberation, but unfortunately the opportunity for liberation is being denied to people in general, and therefore their human lives are being spoiled. The Krishna consciousness movement, however, is being propagated all over the world to reestablish the varnāśrama-dharma system and thus save human society from gliding down to hellish life.
After many, many births, when the results of one’s pious activities mature, one gets an opportunity to associate with pure devotees. Then one is able to cut the knot of bondage to ignorance, which bound him because of varied fruitive activities. As a result of associating with devotees, one gradually renders service to Lord Vāsudeva, who is transcendental, free from attachment to the material world, beyond the mind and words, and independent of everything else. That bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Vāsudeva, is the real path of liberation.
Brahman realization is the beginning of liberation, and Paramātmā realization is still further advancement toward the realm of liberation, but one achieves real liberation when he understands his position as an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (muktir hitvānyathā rūpam svarūpena vyavasthitih). In the material world, in the bodily concept of life, everyone is working in the wrong direction. When one becomes brahma-bhūta, spiritually realized, one understands that he is not the body and that working in the bodily concept of life is useless and misdirected. Then his devotional service begins. As Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.54):
“One who is thus transcendentally situated realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” Devotional service is actual liberation. When one is attracted by the beauty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and his mind is always engaged at the Lord’s lotus feet, he is no longer interested in subjects that do not help him in self-realization. In other words, he loses all attraction for material activities. In the Taittirīya Upanishad (2.7) it is said: esha hy evānandayati; yadā hy evaisha etasmin na driśye ’nātmye anirukte ’nilayane ’bhayam pratishthām vindate ’tha so ’bhayam gato bhavati. A living entity becomes established in spiritual, blissful life when he fully understands that his happiness depends on spiritual self-realization, which is the basic principle of ānanda (bliss), and when he is eternally situated in the service of the Lord, who has no other lord above Him.
Since the human form of life is the sublime position for spiritual realization, all the demigods in heaven speak in this way: How wonderful it is for these human beings to have been born in the land of Bhārata-varsha. They must have executed pious acts of austerity in the past, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself must have been pleased with them. Otherwise, how could they engage in devotional service in so many ways? We demigods can only aspire to achieve human births in Bhārata-varsha to execute devotional service, but these human beings are already engaged there.
These facts are further explained in Caitanya-caritāmrita (Ādi 9.41):
“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varsha] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.”
There are many facilities in India, Bhārata-varsha, for executing devotional service. In Bhārata-varsha, all the ācāryas contributed their experience, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally appeared to teach the people of Bhārata-varsha how to progress in spiritual life and be fixed in devotional service to the Lord. From all points of view, Bhārata-varsha is the special land where one can very easily understand the process of devotional service and adopt it to make his life successful. If one makes his life successful in devotional service and then preaches devotional service in other parts of the world, people throughout the world will actually benefit.
The demigods continue: After performing the very difficult tasks of executing Vedic ritualistic sacrifices, undergoing austerities, observing vows and giving charity, we have achieved this position as inhabitants of the heavenly planets. But what is the value of this achievement? Here we are certainly very engaged in material sense gratification, and therefore we can hardly remember the lotus feet of Lord Nārāyana. Indeed, because of our excessive sense gratification, we have almost forgotten His lotus feet.
The land of Bhārata-varsha is so exalted that by taking birth there one can not only attain the heavenly planets but also go directly back home, back to Godhead. As Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.25):
“Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.” People in the land of Bhārata-varsha generally follow the Vedic principles and consequently perform great sacrifices by which they can be elevated to the heavenly planets. However, what is the use of such great attainments? As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.21), kshīne punye martya-lokam viśanti: after the results of one’s sacrifices, charity and other pious activities expire, one must return to the lower planetary systems and again feel the pangs of birth and death. However, one who becomes Krishna conscious can go back to Krishna (yānti-mad-yājino ’pi mām). Therefore the demigods even regret having been elevated to the higher planetary systems. The denizens of the heavenly planets regret that they could not take full advantage of being born in the land of Bhārata-varsha. Instead, they became captivated by a higher standard of sense gratification, and therefore they forgot the lotus feet of Lord Nārāyana at the time of death. The conclusion is that one who has taken birth in the land of Bhārata-varsha must follow the instructions given personally by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramam mama. One should try to return home, back to Godhead, to the Vaikuntha planets — or to the topmost Vaikuntha planet, Goloka Vrindāvana — to live eternally in full, blissful knowledge in the company of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
A short life in the land of Bharata-varsha is preferable to a life achieved in Brahmaloka for millions and billions of years because even if one is elevated to Brahmaloka, he must return to repeated birth and death. Although life in Bhārata-varsha, in a lower planetary system, is very short, one who lives there can elevate himself to full Krishna consciousness and achieve the highest perfection, even in this short life, by fully surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Lord. Thus one attains Vaikunthaloka, where there is neither anxiety nor repeated birth in a material body.
This is further confirmation of the statement given by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu:
One who has taken birth in the land of Bhārata-varsha has a full opportunity to study the direct instructions given by Krishna in Bhagavad-gītā and thus finally decide what to do in his human form of life. One should certainly give up all other propositions and surrender to Krishna. Krishna will then immediately take charge and relieve one of the results of past sinful life (aham tvām sarva-pāpebhyo mokshayishyāmi mā śucah). Therefore one should take to Krishna consciousness, as Krishna Himself recommends. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām namaskuru: “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer Me obeisances.” This is very easy, even for a child. Why not take this path? One should try to follow the instructions of Krishna exactly and thus become fully eligible to be promoted to the kingdom of God (tyaktvā deham punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna). One should go directly to Krishna and engage in His service. This is the best opportunity offered to the inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha. One who is fit to return home, back to Godhead, is no longer liable to the results of karma, good or bad.
An intelligent person does not take interest in a place, even in the topmost planetary system, if the pure Ganges of topics concerning the Supreme Lord’s activities does not flow there, if there are not devotees engaged in service on the banks of such a river of piety, or if there are no festivals of sankīrtana-yajña to satisfy the Lord [especially since sankīrtana-yajña is recommended in this age].
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in the land of Bhārata-varsha, specifically in Bengal, in the district of Nadia, where Navadvīpa is situated. It is therefore to be concluded, as stated by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thākura, that within this universe, this earth is the best planet, and on this planet the land of Bhārata-varsha is the best; in the land of Bhārata-varsha, Bengal is still better, in Bengal the district of Nadia is still better, and in Nadia the best place is Navadvīpa because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared there to inaugurate the performance of the sacrifice of chanting the Hare Krishna mahā-mantra. The śāstras recommend:
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is always accompanied by His very confidential associates such as Śrī Nityānanda, Śrī Gadādhara and Śrī Advaita and by many devotees like Śrīvāsa. They are always engaged in chanting the name of the Lord and are always describing Lord Krishna. Therefore this is the best among all the places in the universe. The Krishna consciousness movement has established its center in Māyāpur, the birthsite of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to give men the great opportunity to go there and perform a constant festival of sankīrtana-yajña, as recommended herein (yajñeśa-makhā mahotsavāh) and to distribute prasāda to millions of hungry people hankering for spiritual emancipation. This is the mission of the Krishna consciousness movement. Caitanya-bhāgavata confirms this as follows: “One should not desire to be elevated even to a place in the heavenly planetary systems if it has no propaganda to expand the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no trace of Vaishnavas, pure devotees of the Lord, and no festivals for spreading Krishna consciousness. It would be better to live perpetually cramped within the airtight bag of a mother’s womb, where one can at least remember the lotus feet of the Lord, than to live in a place where there is no opportunity to remember His lotus feet. I pray not to be allowed to take birth in such a condemned place.”
Similarly, in Caitanya-caritāmrita, Krishnadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī says that since Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the inaugurator of the sankīrtana movement, anyone who performs sankīrtana to please the Lord is very, very glorious. Such a person has perfect intelligence, whereas others are in the ignorance of material existence. Of all the sacrifices mentioned in the Vedic literatures, the performance of sankīrtana-yajña is the best. Even the performance of one hundred aśvamedha sacrifices cannot compare to the sacrifice of sankīrtana. According to the author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmrita, if one compares sankīrtana-yajña to other yajñas, he is a pāshandī, an infidel, and is liable to be punished by Yamarāja. There are many Māyāvādīs who think that the performance of sankīrtana-yajña is a pious activity similar to the performance of the aśvamedha-yajña and other such pious functions, but this is a nāma-aparādha. Chanting of the holy name of Nārāyana and chanting of other names are never equal, despite what Māyāvādīs think.
Bhārata-varsha offers the proper land and circumstances in which to execute devotional service, which can free one from the results of jñāna and karma. If one obtains a human body in the land of Bhārata-varsha, with clear sensory organs with which to execute the sankīrtana-yajña, but in spite of this opportunity he does not take to devotional service, he is certainly like liberated forest animals and birds that are careless and are therefore again bound by a hunter.
In the land of Bhārata-varsha one can very easily perform the sankīrtana-yajña, which consists of śravanam kīrtanam vishnoh, or one can perform other methods of devotional service, such as smaranam vandanam arcanam dāsyam sakhyam and ātma-nivedanam. In Bhārata-varsha one has the opportunity to visit many holy places, especially Lord Caitanya’s birthsite and Lord Krishna’s birthsite — Navadvīpa and Vrindāvana — where there are many pure devotees who have no desire other than to execute devotional service (anyābhilāshitā-śūnyam jñāna-karmādy-anāvritam), and one may thus become free from the bondage of material conditions. Other paths, such as the path of jñāna and the path of karma, are not very profitable. Pious activities can elevate one to the higher planetary systems, and by speculative knowledge one can merge into the Brahman existence, but that is not real profit, for one has to come down again even from the liberated condition of being merged in Brahman, and certainly one must come down from the heavenly kingdom. One should endeavor to go back home, back to Godhead (yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām). Otherwise there is no difference between human life and the lives of jungle animals and birds. Animals and birds also have freedom, but because of their lower birth, they cannot use it. Taking advantage of all the facilities offered him, a human being who has taken birth in the land of Bhārata-varsha should become a fully enlightened devotee and go back home, back to Godhead. This is the subject matter of the Krishna consciousness movement. The inhabitants of places other than Bhārata-varsha have facilities for material enjoyment, but they do not have the same facility to take to Krishna consciousness. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised that one who has taken birth as a human being in Bhārata-varsha must first realize himself as a part and parcel of Krishna, and after taking to Krishna consciousness, he must distribute this knowledge all over the world.
In India [Bhārata-varsha], there are many worshipers of the demigods, the various officials appointed by the Supreme Lord, such as Indra, Candra and Sūrya, all of whom are worshiped differently. The worshipers offer the demigods their oblations, considering the demigods part and parcel of the whole, the Supreme Lord. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts these offerings and gradually raises the worshipers to the real standard of devotional service by fulfilling their desires and aspirations. Because the Lord is complete, He offers the worshipers the benedictions they desire even if they worship only part of His transcendental body.
In Bhagavad-gītā (9.13) Lord Krishna says:
“O son of Prithā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” Mahātmās, advanced devotees, worship only the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Others, however, who are also sometimes called mahātmās, worship the Lord as ekatvena prithaktvena. In other words, they accept the demigods as different parts of Krishna and worship them for various benedictions. Although the devotees of the demigods thus achieve the desired results offered by Krishna, they have been described in Bhagavad-gītā as hrita-jñānah, not very intelligent. Krishna does not desire to be worshiped indirectly through the different parts of His body; Krishna wants direct devotional worship. Therefore a devotee who directly worships Lord Krishna through staunch devotional service, as recommended in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, (tīvrena bhakti-yogena yajeta purusham param), is very quickly elevated to the transcendental position. Nevertheless, devotees who worship the demigods, the different parts of the Lord, receive the benedictions they desire because the Lord is the original master of all benedictions. If anyone wants a particular benediction, for the Lord to award it is not at all difficult.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead fulfills the material desires of a devotee who approaches Him with such motives, but He does not bestow benedictions upon the devotee that will cause him to demand more benedictions again. However, the Lord willingly gives the devotee shelter at His own lotus feet, even though such a person does not aspire for it, and that shelter satisfies all his desires. That is the Supreme Personality’s special mercy.
The devotees mentioned in the previous verse approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead with material motives, but this verse explains how such devotees are saved from those desires. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.3.10) advises:
“Whether one is freed from all material desires, is full of material desires, or desires to become one with the Supreme, he should engage in devotional service.” In this way, not only will the devotee’s desires be fulfilled, but the day will come when he will have no other desire than to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. One who engages in the service of the Lord with some motive is called a sakāma-bhakta, and one who serves the Lord without any motives is called an akāma-bhakta. Krishna is so merciful that He turns a sakāma-bhakta into an akāma-bhakta. A pure devotee, an akāma-bhakta, who has no material motives, is satisfied simply to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (6.22). Yam labdhvā cāparam lābham manyate nādhikam tatah: if one engages in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, he does not want anything more. This is the highest stage of devotional service. The Lord is so kind even to a sakāma-bhakta, a motivated devotee, that He satisfies his desires in such a way that one day he becomes an akāma-bhakta. Dhruva Mahārāja, for example, became a bhakta with the motive of getting a better kingdom than that of his father, but finally he became an akāma-bhakta and said to the Lord, svāmin kritārtho ’smi varam na yāce: “My dear Lord, I am very satisfied simply to serve Your lotus feet. I do not want any material benefits.” Sometimes it is found that a small child eats dirty things, but his parents take away the dirty things and offer him a sandeśa or some other sweetmeat. Devotees who aspire for material benedictions are compared to such children. The Lord is so kind that He takes away their material desires and gives them the highest benediction. Therefore, even for material motives, one should not worship anyone other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead; one must fully engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord so that all his desires will be fulfilled and at the end he can go back home, back to Godhead. This is explained in Caitanya-caritāmrita (Madhya 22.37-39, 41) as follows.
Anyakāmī — a devotee may desire something other than service to the lotus feet of the Lord; yadi kare krishnera bhajana — but if he engages in Lord Krishna’s service; nā māgiteha krishna tāre dena sva-carana — Krishna gives him shelter at His lotus feet, even though he does not aspire for it. Krishna kahe — the Lord says; āmā bhaje — “He is engaged in My service”; māge vishaya-sukha — “but he wants the benefits of material sense gratification.” Amrita chādi’ visha māge: — “such a devotee is like a person who asks for poison instead of nectar.” Ei bada mūrkha: “That is his foolishness.” Ami-vijña: “But I am experienced.” Ei mūrkhe ‘vishaya’ kene diba: “Why should I give such a foolish person the dirty things of material enjoyment?” Sva-carana-mrita: “It would be better for Me to give him shelter at My lotus feet.” ‘Vishaya’ bhulāiba: “I shall cause him to forget all material desires.” Kāma lāgi’ krishna bhaje — if one engages in the service of the Lord for sense gratification; paya krishna-rase — the result is that he ultimately gets a taste for serving the lotus feet of the Lord. Kāma chādi’ ‘dasa’ haite haya abhilāshe: He then gives up all material desires and wants to become an eternal servant of the Lord.
We are now living in the heavenly planets, undoubtedly as a result of our having performed ritualistic ceremonies, pious activities and yajñas and having studied the Vedas. However, our lives here will one day be finished. We pray that at that time, if any merit remains from our pious activities, we may again take birth in Bhārata-varsha as human beings able to remember the lotus feet of the Lord. The Lord is so kind that He personally comes to the land of Bhārata-varsha and expands the good fortune of its people.
It is certainly as a result of pious activities that one takes birth in the heavenly planets, but from those planets one must nevertheless come down again to earth, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (kshīne punye martya-lokam viśanti). Even the demigods must return to earth to work like ordinary men when the results of their pious activities expire. Nevertheless, the demigods desire to come to the land of Bhārata-varsha if even a small portion of the merits of their pious activities remains. In other words, to take birth in Bhārata-varsha, one must perform more pious activities than the demigods. In Bhārata-varsha one is naturally Krishna conscious, and if one further cultivates his Krishna consciousness, by the grace of Krishna he certainly expands his good fortune by becoming perfect in Krishna consciousness and very easily going back home, back to Godhead. In many other places in the Vedic literature it is found that even the demigods want to come to this land of Bhārata-varsha. A foolish person may desire to be promoted to the heavenly planets as a result of his pious activities, but even the demigods from the heavenly planets want to come to Bhārata-varsha and achieve bodies that may be very easily used to cultivate Krishna consciousness. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu repeatedly says:
A human being born in the land of Bhārata-varsha has the special prerogative to develop Krishna consciousness. Therefore those already born in Bhārata-varsha should take lessons from the śāstras and guru and should fully take advantage of the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in order to be fully equipped with Krishna consciousness. By taking full advantage of Krishna consciousness, one goes back home, back to Godhead (yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām). The Krishna consciousness movement is therefore spreading this facility to human society by opening many, many centers all over the world so that people may associate with the pure devotees of the Krishna consciousness movement, understand the science of Krishna consciousness and ultimately go back home, back to Godhead.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, in the opinion of some learned scholars, eight smaller islands surround Jambūdvīpa. When the sons of Mahārāja Sagara were searching all over the world for their lost horse, they dug up the earth, and in this way eight adjoining islands came into existence. The names of these islands are Svarnaprastha, Candraśukla, Āvartana, Ramanaka, Mandara-harina, Pāñcajanya, Simhala and Lankā.
In the Kūrma Purāna there is this statement about the desires of the demigods:
Although the demigods are situated in exalted positions in the heavenly planets, they nevertheless desire to descend to the land of Bhārata-varsha on the planet earth. This indicates that even the demigods are unfit to reside in Bhārata-varsha. Therefore if persons already born in Bhārata-varsha live like cats and dogs, not taking full advantage of their birth in this land, they are certainly unfortunate.
My dear King Parīkshit, O best of the descendants of Bharata Mahārāja, I have thus described to you, as I myself have been instructed, the island of Bhārata-varsha and its adjoining islands. These are the islands that constitute Jambūdvīpa.