Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.64 Summary

This chapter describes how Sri Krsna released King Nrga from a curse and instructed the royal order on the great danger of taking a brahmana's property.

One day Samba and other young boys of the Yadava dynasty went to the forest to play, and after playing for a long time they became very thirsty and began looking for water. Inside a dry well they found an amazing creature: a huge lizard resembling a hill. The boys felt sorry for it and tried to pull it out. But after several attempts with leather thongs and ropes, they saw that they would not be able to rescue the creature, and thus they went to Lord Krsna and told Him what had happened. The Lord accompanied them to the well and, extending His left hand, easily lifted the lizard out. By the touch of Lord Krsna's hand the creature transformed at once into a demigod. Then Lord Krsna asked, "Who are you, and how did you assume such a lowly form?

The divine being replied, "My name was King Nrga, son of Iksvaku, and I was famous for giving charity. Indeed, I gave away countless cows to numerous brahmanas. But on one occasion a cow belonging to a first-class brahmana wandered into my herd. Unaware of this, I gave this cow in charity to a different brahmana. When the cow's previous owner saw the second brahmana taking this cow away, the first brahmana claimed the cow as his and began arguing with the second brahmana. After quarreling for some time they approached me, and I implored them to each take one hundred thousand cows in exchange for that one cow, and to please forgive me for the offense I had unknowingly committed. But neither brahmana would accept my proposal, and the matter remained unsettled.

"Shortly thereafter I died and was taken by the Yamadutas to the court of Yamaraja. Yama asked me which I preferred to do first: suffer the results of my sins or enjoy the results of my pious acts. I decided to suffer my sinful reactions first, and thus I assumed the body of a lizard."

After King Nrga had told his story, he offered prayers to Lord Krsna and then mounted a celestial airplane, which transported him to heaven.

Lord Krsna then instructed His personal associates, as well as the general mass of people, on the dangers of stealing a brahmana 's property. Finally, the Lord returned to His palace.

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Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari