Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Canto 5: The Creative Impetus | Chapter 7: The Activities of King Bharata |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.7.6
sampracaratsu nānā-yāgeshu viracitāńga-kriyeshv apūrvam yat tat kriyā-phalam dharmākhyam pare brahmani yajña-purushe sarva-devatā-lińgānām mantrānām artha-niyāma-katayā sākshāt-kartari para-devatāyām bhagavati vāsudeva eva bhāvayamāna ātma-naipunya-mridita-kashāyo havihshv adhvaryubhir grihyamāneshu sa yajamāno yajña-bhājo devāms tān purushāvayaveshv abhyadhyāyat
SYNONYMS
sampracaratsu — when beginning to perform; nānā-yāgeshu — various kinds of sacrifice; viracita-ańga-kriyeshu — in which the supplementary rites were performed; apūrvam — remote; yat — whatever; tat — that; kriyā-phalam — the result of such sacrifice; dharma-ākhyam — by the name of religion; pare — unto the transcendence; brahmani — the Supreme Lord; yajña-purushe — the enjoyer of all sacrifices; sarva-devatā-lińgānām — which manifest all the demigods; mantrānām — of the Vedic hymns; artha-niyāma-katayā — due to being the controller of the objects; sākshāt-kartari — directly the performer; para-devatāyām — the origin of all demigods; bhagavati — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vāsudeve — unto Krishna; eva — certainly; bhāvayamānah — always thinking; ātma-naipunya-mridita-kashāyah — freed from all lust and anger by his expertise in such thinking; havihshu — the ingredients to be offered in the sacrifice; adhvaryubhih — when the priests expert in the sacrifices mentioned in the Atharva Veda; grihyamāneshu — taking; sah — Mahārāja Bharata; yajamānah — the sacrificer; yajña-bhājah — the recipients of the results of sacrifice; devān — all the demigods; tān — them; purusha-avayaveshu — as different parts and limbs of the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda; abhyadhyāyat — he thought.
TRANSLATION
After performing the preliminaries of various sacrifices, Mahārāja Bharata offered the results in the name of religion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. In other words, he performed all the yajñas for the satisfaction of Lord Vāsudeva, Krishna. Mahārāja Bharata thought that since the demigods were different parts of Vāsudeva's body, He controls those who are explained in the Vedic mantras. By thinking in this way, Mahārāja Bharata was freed from all material contamination, such as attachment, lust and greed. When the priests were about to offer the sacrificial ingredients into the fire, Mahārāja Bharata expertly understood how the offering made to different demigods was simply an offering to the different limbs of the Lord. For instance, Indra is the arm of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Sūrya [the sun] is His eye. Thus Mahārāja Bharata considered that the oblations offered to different demigods were actually offered unto the different limbs of Lord Vāsudeva.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that as long as one does not develop the pure devotional service of śravanam kīrtanam, hearing and chanting, one must carry out his prescribed duties. Since Bharata Mahārāja was a great devotee, one may ask why he performed so many sacrifices that are actually meant for karmīs. The fact is that he was simply following the orders of Vāsudeva. As Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā, sarva dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaranam vraja: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." (Bg. 18.66) Whatever we do, we should constantly remember Vāsudeva. People are generally addicted to offering obeisances to various demigods, but Bharata Mahārāja simply wanted to please Lord Vāsudeva. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā: bhoktāram yajña-tapasām sarva-loka-maheśvaram (Bg. 5.29). A yajña may be carried out to satisfy a particular demigod, but when the yajña is offered to the yajña-purusha, Nārāyana, the demigods are satisfied. The purpose of performing different yajñas is to satisfy the Supreme Lord. One may perform them in the name of different demigods or directly. If we directly offer oblations to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the demigods are automatically satisfied. If we water the root of a tree, the branches, twigs, fruits and flowers are automatically satisfied. When one offers sacrifices to different demigods, one should remember that the demigods are simply parts of the body of the Supreme. If we worship the hand of a person, we intend to satisfy the person himself. If we massage a person's legs, we do not really serve the legs but the person who possesses the legs. All the demigods are different parts of the Lord, and if we offer service to them, we actually serve the Lord Himself. Demigod worship is mentioned in Brahma-samhitā, but actually the ślokas advocate worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda. For instance, worship of the goddess Durgā is mentioned this way in Brahma-samhitā (5.44):
srishti-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā
chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā
icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceshtate sā
govindam ādi-purusham tam aham bhajāmi
Following the orders of Śrī Krishna, the goddess Durgā creates, maintains and annihilates. Śrī Krishna also confirms this statement in Bhagavad-gītā. Mayādhyakshena prakritih sūyate sa-carācaram: "This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings." (Bg. 9.10)
We should worship the demigods in that spirit. Because the goddess Durgā satisfies Krishna, we should therefore offer respects to goddess Durgā. Because Lord Śiva is nothing but Krishna's functional body, we should therefore offer respects to Lord Śiva. Similarly, we should offer respects to Brahmā, Agni and Sūrya. There are many offerings to different demigods, and one should always remember that these offerings are usually meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bharata Mahārāja did not aspire to receive some benediction from demigods. His aim was to please the Supreme Lord. In the Mahābhārata, among the thousand names of Vishnu, it is said yajña-bhug yajña-krid yajñah. The enjoyer of yajña, the performer of yajña and yajña itself are the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the performer of everything, but out of ignorance the living entity thinks that he is the actor. As long as we think we are the actors, we bring about karma-bandha (bondage to activity). If we act for yajña, for Krishna. there is no karma-bandha. Yajñārthāt karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah: [Bg. 3.9]) "Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed. otherwise work binds one to this material world." (Bg. 3.9)
Following the instructions of Bharata Mahārāja, we should act not for our personal satisfaction but for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gītā (17.28) it is also stated:
Sacrifices, austerities and charities performed without faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead are nonpermanent. Regardless of whatever rituals are performed, they are called asat, nonpermanent. They are therefore useless both in this life and the next.
Kings like Mahārāja Ambarīsha and many other rājarshis who were pure devotees of the Lord simply passed their time in the service of the Supreme Lord. When a pure devotee executes some service through the agency of another person, he should not be criticized, for his activities are meant for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. A devotee may have a priest perform some karma-kānda, and the priest may not be a pure Vaishnava, but because the devotee wants to please the Supreme Lord, he should not be criticized. The word apūrva is very significant. The resultant actions of karma are called apūrva. When we act piously or impiously, immediate results do not ensue. We therefore wait for the results, which are called apūrva. The results are manifest in the future. Even the smārtas accept this apūrva. Pure devotees simply act for the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore the results of their activities are spiritual, or permanent. They are not like those of the karmīs, which are nonpermanent. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.23):
jñānāvasthita-cetasah
yajñāyācaratah karma
"The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence."
A devotee is always free from material contamination. He is fully situated in knowledge, and therefore his sacrifices are intended for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness