Bhagavad Arka Marichi Mala
BY: SUN STAFF
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Sep 25, 2018 — CANADA (SUN) — A serial presentation of Bhagavad Arka Marichi Mala by HDG Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.
Bhagavad Arka Marichi Mala
CHAPTER ONE
Indications of Evidence (pramana nirdeshah)
shri-krishna-chaitanya-candraya namah
yat-kripaya pravritto 'ham etasmin grantha-sangrahe
tam gaura-parshadam vande damodara-svarupakam
1.1.1 Invocation
om namo bhagavate vasudevaya
janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratash cartheshv abhijshah svarat
tene brahma hrida ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah
tejo-vari-mridam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrisha
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi
om—O my Lord; namah—offering obeisances; bhagavate—unto the Personality of Godhead; vasudevaya—unto Vasudeva (the son of Vasudeva), or Lord Shri Krishna, the primeval Lord; janma-adi—creation, sustenance and destruction; asya—of the manifested universes; yatah—from whom; anvayat—directly; itaratah—indirectly; ca—and; atheshu—purposes; abhijshah—fully cognizant; sva-rat—fully independent; tene—imparted; brahma—the Vedic knowledge; hrida—consciousness of the heart; yah—one who; adi-kavaye—unto the original created being; muhyanti—are illusioned; yat—about whom; surayah—great sages and demigods; tejah—fire; vari—water; mridam—earth; yatha—as much as; vinimayah—action and reaction; yatra—whereupon; tri-sargah—three modes of creation, creative faculties; amrisha—almost factual; dhamna—along with all transcendental paraphernalia; svena—self-sufficiently; sada—always; nirasta—negation by absence; kuhakam—illusion; satyam—truth; param—absolute; dhimahi—I do meditate upon.
O my Lord, Shri Krishna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Shri Krishna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmaji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Shri Krishna, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.
11.14.3-10 Shri Krishna to Uddhava
shri-bhagavan uvaca
kalena nashta pralaye
vaniyam veda-samjshita
mayadau brahmane prokta
dharmo yasyam mad-atmakah
shri-bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; kalena—by the influence of time; nashta—lost; pralaye—at the time of annihilation; vani—message; iyam—this; veda-samjshita—consisting of the Vedas; maya—by Me; adau—at the time of creation; brahmane—unto Lord Brahma; prokta—spoken; dharmah—religious principles; yasyam—in which; mat-atmakah—identical with Me.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: By the influence of time, the transcendental sound of Vedic knowledge was lost at the time of annihilation. Therefore, when the subsequent creation took place, I spoke the Vedic knowledge to Brahma because I Myself am the religious principles enunciated in the Vedas. (3)
tena prokta sva-putraya
manave purva-jaya sa
tato bhrigv-adayo ´grihnan
sapta brahma-maharshayah
tena—by Brahma; prokta—spoken; sva-putraya—to his son; manave—to Manu; purva-jaya—the oldest; sa—that Vedic knowledge; tatah—from Manu; bhrigu-adayah—those headed by Bhrigu Muni; agrihnan—accepted; sapta—seven; brahma—in Vedic literature; maha-rishayah—most learned sages.
Lord Brahma spoke this knowledge to his eldest son Manu, and the seven great sages headed by Bhrigu Muni then accepted the same knowledge from Manu. (4)
tebhyah pitribhyas tat-putra
deva-danava-guhyakah
manushyah siddha-gandharvah
sa-vidyadhara-caranah
kindevah kinnara naga
rakshah-kimpurushadayah
bahvyas tesham prakritayo
rajah-sattva-tamo-bhuvah
yabhir bhutani bhidyante
bhutanam patayas tatha
yatha-prakriti sarvesham
citra vacah sravanti hi
tebhyah—from them (Bhrigu Muni, etc.); pitribhyah—from the forefathers; tat—their; putrah—sons, descendants; deva—the demigods; danava—demons; guhyakah—the Guhyakas; manushyah—human beings; siddha-gandharvah—Siddhas and Gandharvas; sa-vidyadhara-caranah—along with Vidyadhras and Caranas; kindevah—a different human species; kinnarah—half-humans; nagah—snakes; rakshah—demons; kimpurusha—an advanced race of monkeys; adayah—and so on; bahvyah—many different; tesham—of such living entities; prakritayah—desires or natures; rajah-sattva-tamah-bhuvah—being generated from the three mods of material nature; yabhih—by such material desires or tendencies; bhutani—all such living entities; bhidyante—appear divided in many material forms; bhutanam—and their; patayah—leaders; tatha—divided in the same way; yatha-prakriti—according to propensity or desire; sarvesham—of all of them; citrah—variegated; vacah—Vedic rituals and mantras; sravanti—flow down; hi—certainly.
From the forefathers headed by Bhrigu Muni and other sons of Brahma appeared many children and descendants, who assumed different forms as demigods, demons, human beings, Guhyakas, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas, Caranas, Kindevas, Kinnaras, Nagas, Kimpurushas, and so on. All of the many universal species, along with their respective leaders, appeared with different natures and desires generated from the three modes of material nature. Therefore, because of the different characteristics of the living entities within the universe, there are a great many Vedic rituals, mantras and rewards. (5-7)
evam prakriti-vaicitryad
bhidyante matayo nrinam
paramparyena keshashcit
pashanda-matayo ´pare
evam—thus; prakriti—of nature or desires; vaicitryat—due to the great variety; bhidyante—are divided; matayah—philosophies of life; nrinam—among human beings; paramparyena—by tradition or disciplic succession; keshashcit—among some people; pashanda—atheistic; matayah—philosophies; apare—others.
Thus, due to the great variety of desires and natures among human beings, there are many different theistic philosophies of life, which are handed down through tradition, custom and disciplic succession. There are other teachers who directly support atheistic viewpoints. (8)
man-maya-mohita-dhiyah
purushah purusharshabha
shreyo vadanty anekantam
yatha-karma yatha-ruci
mat-maya—by My illusory potency; mohita—bewildered; dhiyah—those whose intelligence; purushah—people; purusha-rishabha—O best among men; shreyah—what is good for people; vadanti—they speak; aneka-antam—in innumerable ways; yatha-karma—according to their own activities; yatha-ruci—according to what pleases them.
O best among men, the intelligence of human beings is bewildered by My illusory potency, and thus, according to their own activities and whims, they speak in innumerable ways about what is actually good for people. (9)
dharmam eke yashash canye
kamam satyam damam shamam
anye vadanti svartham va
aishvaryam tyaga-bhojanam
kecid yajsham tapo danam
vratani niyaman yaman
dharmam—pious activities; eke—some people; yashah—fame; ca—also; anye—others; kamam—sense gratification; satyam—truthfulness; damam—self-control; shamam—peacefulness; anye—others; vadanti—propound; sva-artham—pursuing one´s self-interest; vai—certainly; aishvaryam—opulence or political influence; tyaga—renunciation; bhojanam—consumption; kecit—some people; yajsham—sacrifice; tapah—austerity; danam—charity; vratani—taking vows; niyaman—regular religious duties; yaman—strict regulative discipline.
Some say that people will be happy by performing pious religious activities. Others say that happiness is attained through fame, sense gratification, truthfulness, self- control, peace, self-interest, political influence, opulence, renunciation, consumption, sacrifice, penance, charity, vows, regulated duties or strict disciplinary regulation. Each process has its proponents. (10)
(To be continued...)
