Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Because Bharadvāja was delivered by the Marut demigods, he was known as Vitatha. The son of Vitatha was Manyu, and from Manyu came five sons — Brihatkshatra, Jaya, Mahāvīrya, Nara and Garga. Of these five, the one known as Nara had a son named Sankriti.
O Mahārāja Parīkshit, descendant of Pāndu, Sankriti had two sons, named Guru and Rantideva. Rantideva is famous in both this world and the next, for he is glorified not only in human society but also in the society of the demigods.
Rantideva never endeavored to earn anything. He would enjoy whatever he got by the arrangement of providence, but when guests came he would give them everything. Thus he underwent considerable suffering, along with the members of his family. Indeed, he and his family members shivered for want of food and water, yet Rantideva always remained sober. Once, after fasting for forty-eight days, in the morning Rantideva received some water and some foodstuffs made with milk and ghee, but when he and his family were about to eat, a brāhmana guest arrived.
Because Rantideva perceived the presence of the Supreme Godhead everywhere, and in every living entity, he received the guest with faith and respect and gave him a share of the food. The brāhmana guest ate his share and then went away.
Rantideva perceived the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every living being, but he never thought that because the Supreme Lord is present in every living being, every living being must be God. Nor did he distinguish between one living being and another. He perceived the presence of the Lord both in the brāhmana and in the candāla. This is the true vision of equality, as confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (5.18):
“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].” A pandita, or learned person, perceives the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every living being. Therefore, although it has now become fashionable to give preference to the so-called daridra-nārāyana, or “poor Nārāyana,” Rantideva had no reason to give preference to any one person. The idea that because Nārāyana is present in the heart of one who is daridra, or poor, the poor man should be called daridra-nārāyana is a wrong conception. By such logic, because the Lord is present within the hearts of the dogs and hogs, the dogs and hogs would also be Nārāyana. One should not mistakenly think that Rantideva subscribed to this view. Rather, he saw everyone as part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (hari-sambandhi-vastunah). It is not that everyone is the Supreme Godhead. Such a theory, which is propounded by the Māyāvāda philosophy, is always misleading, and Rantideva would never have accepted it.
Thereafter, having divided the remaining food with his relatives, Rantideva was just about to eat his own share when a śūdra guest arrived. Seeing the śūdra in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, King Rantideva gave him also a share of the food.
Because King Rantideva saw everyone as part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he never distinguished between the brāhmana and the śūdra, the poor and the rich. Such equal vision is called sama-darśinah (panditāh sama-darśinah). One who has actually realized that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone’s heart and that every living being is part of the Lord does not make any distinction between the brāhmana and the śūdra, the poor (daridra) and the rich (dhanī). Such a person sees all living beings equally and treats them equally, without discrimination.
When the śūdra went away, another guest arrived, surrounded by dogs, and said, “O King, I and my company of dogs are very hungry. Please give us something to eat.”
With great respect, King Rantideva offered the balance of the food to the dogs and the master of the dogs, who had come as guests. The King offered them all respects and obeisances.
Thereafter, only the drinking water remained, and there was only enough to satisfy one person, but when the King was just about to drink it, a candāla appeared and said, “O King, although I am lowborn, kindly give me some drinking water.”
Aggrieved at hearing the pitiable words of the poor fatigued candāla, Mahārāja Rantideva spoke the following nectarean words.
Mahārāja Rantideva’s words were like amrita, or nectar, and therefore, aside from rendering bodily service to an aggrieved person, by his words alone the King could save the life of anyone who might hear him.
I do not pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering.
Vāsudeva Datta made a similar statement to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, requesting the Lord to liberate all living entities in His presence. Vāsudeva Datta submitted that if they were unfit to be liberated, he himself would take all their sinful reactions and suffer personally so that the Lord might deliver them. A Vaishnava is therefore described as being para-duhkha-duhkhī, very much aggrieved by the sufferings of others. As such, a Vaishnava engages in activities for the real welfare of human society.
By offering my water to maintain the life of this poor candāla, who is struggling to live, I have been freed from all hunger, thirst, fatigue, trembling of the body, moroseness, distress, lamentation and illusion.
Having spoken thus, King Rantideva, although on the verge of death because of thirst, gave his own portion of water to the candāla without hesitation, for the King was naturally very kind and sober.
Demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, who can satisfy all materially ambitious men by giving them the rewards they desire, then manifested their own identities before King Rantideva, for it was they who had presented themselves as the brāhmana, śūdra, candāla and so on.
King Rantideva had no ambition to enjoy material benefits from the demigods. He offered them obeisances, but because he was factually attached to Lord Vishnu, Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he fixed his mind at Lord Vishnu’s lotus feet.
Śrīla Narottama dāsa Thākura has sung:
If one wants to become a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, one should not hanker to take benedictions from the demigods. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.20), kāmais tais tair hrita-jñānāh prapadyante ’nya-devatāh: those befooled by the illusion of the material energy worship gods other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, although Rantideva was personally able to see Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, he did not hanker to take material benefits from them. Rather, he fixed his mind upon Lord Vāsudeva and rendered devotional service unto Him. This is the sign of a pure devotee, whose heart is not adulterated by material desires.
“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.”
O Mahārāja Parīkshit, because King Rantideva was a pure devotee, always Krishna conscious and free from all material desires, the Lord’s illusory energy, māyā, could not exhibit herself before him. On the contrary, for him māyā entirely vanished, exactly like a dream.
As it is said:
Just as there is no chance that darkness can exist in the sunshine, in a pure Krishna conscious person there can be no existence of māyā. The Lord Himself says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.14):
“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” If one wants to be free from the influence of māyā, the illusory energy, one must become Krishna conscious and always keep Krishna prominent within the core of his heart. In Bhagavad-gītā (9.34) the Lord advises that one always think of Him (man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām namaskuru). In this way, by always being Krishna-minded or Krishna conscious, one can surpass the influence of māyā (māyām etām taranti te). Because Rantideva was Krishna conscious, he was not under the influence of the illusory energy. The word svapnavat is significant in this connection. Because in the material world the mind is absorbed in materialistic activities, when one is asleep many contradictory activities appear in one’s dreams. When one awakens, however, these activities automatically merge into the mind. Similarly, as long as one is under the influence of the material energy he makes many plans and schemes, but when one is Krishna conscious such dreamlike plans automatically disappear.
All those who followed the principles of King Rantideva were totally favored by his mercy and became pure devotees, attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyana. Thus they all became the best of yogīs.
The best yogīs or mystics are the devotees, as confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (6.47):
“Of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.” The best yogī is he who constantly thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the core of the heart. Because Rantideva was the king, the chief executive in the state, all the residents of the state became devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyana, by the king’s transcendental association. This is the influence of a pure devotee. If there is one pure devotee, his association can create hundreds and thousands of pure devotees. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thākura has said that a Vaishnava is meritorious in proportion to the number of devotees he has created. A Vaishnava becomes superior not simply by jugglery of words but by the number of devotees he has created for the Lord. Here the word rantidevānuvartinah indicates that Rantideva’s officers, friends, relatives and subjects all became first-class Vaishnavas by his association. In other words, Rantideva is confirmed herein to be a first-class devotee, or mahā-bhāgavata. Mahat-sevām dvāram āhur vimukteh: one should render service to such mahātmās, for then one will automatically achieve the goal of liberation. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Thākura has also said, chādiyā vaishnava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: one cannot be liberated by his own effort, but if one becomes subordinate to a pure Vaishnava, the door to liberation is open.
From Garga came a son named Śini, and his son was Gārgya. Although Gārgya was a kshatriya, there came from him a generation of brahmanas. From Mahāvīrya came a son named Duritakshaya, whose sons were Trayyāruni, Kavi and Pushkarāruni. Although these sons of Duritakshaya took birth in a dynasty of kshatriyas, they too attained the position of brāhmanas. Brihatkshatra had a son named Hastī, who established the city of Hastināpura [now New Delhi].
From King Hastī came three sons, named Ajamīdha, Dvimīdha and Purumīdha. The descendants of Ajamīdha, headed by Priyamedha, all achieved the position of brāhmanas.
This verse gives evidence confirming the statement of Bhagavad-gītā that the orders of society — brāhmana, kshatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — are calculated in terms of qualities and activities (guna-karma-vibhāgaśah). All the descendants of Ajamīdha, who was a kshatriya, became brāhmanas. This was certainly because of their qualities and activities. Similarly, sometimes the sons of brāhmanas or kshatriyas become vaiśyas (brāhmana-vaiśyatām gatāh). When a kshatriya or brāhmana adopts the occupation or duty of a vaiśya (krishi-gorakshya-vānijyam), he is certainly counted as a vaiśya. On the other hand, if one is born a vaiśya, by his activities he can become a brāhmana. This is confirmed by Nārada Muni. Yasya yal-lakshanam proktam. The members of the varnas, or social orders — brāhmana, kshatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — must be ascertained by their symptoms, not by birth. Birth is immaterial; quality is essential.
From Ajamīdha came a son named Brihadishu, from Brihadishu came a son named Brihaddhanu, from Brihaddhanu a son named Brihatkāya, and from Brihatkāya a son named Jayadratha.
The son of Jayadratha was Viśada, and his son was Syenajit. The sons of Syenajit were Rucirāśva, Dridhahanu, Kāśya and Vatsa.
The son of Rucirāśva was Pāra, and the sons of Pāra were Prithusena and Nīpa. Nīpa had one hundred sons.
King Nīpa begot a son named Brahmadatta through the womb of his wife, Kritvī, who was the daughter of Śuka. And Brahmadatta, who was a great yogī, begot a son named Vishvaksena through the womb of his wife, Sarasvatī.
The Śuka mentioned here is different from the Śukadeva Gosvāmī who spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Vyāsadeva, is described in great detail in the Brahma-vaivarta Purāna. There it is said that Vyāsadeva maintained the daughter of Jābāli as his wife and that after they performed penances together for many years, he placed his seed in her womb. The child remained in the womb of his mother for twelve years, and when the father asked the son to come out, the son replied that he would not come out unless he were completely liberated from the influence of māyā. Vyāsadeva then assured the child that he would not be influenced by māyā, but the child did not believe his father, for the father was still attached to his wife and children. Vyāsadeva then went to Dvārakā and informed the Personality of Godhead about his problem, and the Personality of Godhead, at Vyāsadeva’s request, went to Vyāsadeva’s cottage, where He assured the child in the womb that he would not be influenced by māyā. Thus assured, the child came out, but he immediately went away as a parivrājakācārya. When the father, very much aggrieved, began to follow his saintly boy, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the boy created a duplicate Śukadeva, who later entered family life. Therefore, the śuka-kanyā, or daughter of Śukadeva, mentioned in this verse is the daughter of the duplicate or imitation Śukadeva. The original Śukadeva was a lifelong brahmacārī.
Following the instructions of the great sage Jaigīshavya, Vishvaksena compiled an elaborate description of the mystic yoga system. From Vishvaksena, Udaksena was born, and from Udaksena, Bhallāta. All these sons are known as descendants of Brihadishu.
The son of Dvimīdha was Yavīnara, whose son was Kritimān. The son of Kritimān was well known as Satyadhriti. From Satyadhriti came a son named Dridhanemi, who became the father of Supārśva.
From Supārśva came a son named Sumati, from Sumati came Sannatimān, and from Sannatimān came Kritī, who achieved mystic power from Brahmā and taught six samhitās of the Prācyasāma verses of the Sāma Veda. The son of Kritī was Nīpa; the son of Nīpa, Udgrāyudha; the son of Udgrāyudha, Kshemya; the son of Kshemya, Suvīra; and the son of Suvīra, Ripuñjaya.
From Ripuñjaya came a son named Bahuratha. Purumīdha was sonless. Ajamīdha had a son named Nīla by his wife known as Nalinī, and the son of Nīla was Śānti.
The son of Śānti was Suśānti, the son of Suśānti was Puruja, and the son of Puruja was Arka. From Arka came Bharmyāśva, and from Bharmyāśva came five sons — Mudgala, Yavīnara, Brihadviśva, Kāmpilla and Sañjaya. Bharmyāśva prayed to his sons, “O my sons, please take charge of my five states, for you are quite competent to do so.” Thus his five sons were known as the Pañcālas. From Mudgala came a dynasty of brāhmanas known as Maudgalya.
Mudgala, the son of Bharmyāśva, had twin children, one male and the other female. The male child was named Divodāsa, and the female child was named Ahalyā. From the womb of Ahalyā by the semen of her husband, Gautama, came a son named Śatānanda.
The son of Śatānanda was Satyadhriti, who was expert in archery, and the son of Satyadhriti was Śaradvān. When Śaradvān met Urvaśī, he discharged semen, which fell on a clump of śara grass. From this semen were born two all-auspicious babies, one male and the other female.
While Mahārāja Śāntanu was on a hunting excursion, he saw the male and female children lying in the forest, and out of compassion he took them home. Consequently, the male child was known as Kripa, and the female child was named Kripī. Kripī later became the wife of Dronācārya.