Srimad Bhagavatam – 10.76.1-5 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Japan | October 29, 2025 |
jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī
gopījana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī
yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana
yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevaya
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 76 Verse 1.
ŚB 10.76.1
śrī-śuka uvāca
athānyad api kṛṣṇasya
śṛṇu karmādbhutaṁ nṛpa
krīḍā-nara-śarīrasya
yathā saubha-patir hataḥ
Synonyms
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; atha — now; anyat — another; api — yet; kṛṣṇasya — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; śṛṇu — please hear; karma — deed; adbhutam — wonderful; nṛpa — O King; krīḍā — for playing; nara — humanlike; śarīrasya — whose body; yathā — how; saubha-patiḥ — the lord of Saubha (Śālva); hataḥ — killed.
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Now please hear, O King, another wonderful deed performed by Lord Kṛṣṇa, who appeared in His humanlike body to enjoy transcendental pastimes. Hear how He killed the master of Saubha.
Text 2
Śālva was a friend of Śiśupāla’s. When he attended the wedding of Rukmiṇī, the Yadu warriors defeated him in battle, along with Jarāsandha and the other kings.
Text 3
Śālva swore in the presence of all the kings: “I will rid the earth of Yādavas. Just see my prowess!”
Text 4
Having thus made his vow, the foolish King proceeded to worship Lord Paśupati [Śiva] as his deity by eating a handful of dust each day, and nothing more.
Text 5
The great Lord Umāpati is known as “he who is quickly pleased,” yet only at the end of a year did he gratify Śālva, who had approached him for shelter, by offering him a choice of benedictions.
Purport
Śālva worshiped Lord Śiva, who is famous as Āśutoṣa, “one who is quickly satisfied.” And yet Lord Śiva did not come to Śālva for an entire year because, being bhagavān, a great, all-knowing personality, he understood that any benediction given to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s enemy would be fruitless. Still, as stated by the words śaraṇam āgatam, Śālva had come to Lord Śiva for shelter, and thus to maintain the standard principle that a worshiper receives a benediction, Lord Śiva offered one to Śālva.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
In the Bhagavatam, we often see different persons worshipping devatas for benedictions. Because they are devatas, they can only give material benedictions. However, most people are satisfied with material benedictions [Laughs]. So, if they worship devatas and they get nice results, that’s all they do, they don’t aspire for anything else. As we see in the purport, it is explained that, the devatas become obligated to give some result to these people who worship. This of course is natural even in this world, you do something for somebody else, then they feel some obligation and do something in return. So, the devatas are being appointed by the Supreme Lord to bestow different benedictions on people. So, if a person worships Indra, they get rain. So, therefore, when Nanda Maharaja was going to worship Indra, it was kind of natural that he should do so, because this is what the Vedas tell us.
We see in Bhagavad Gita ultimately, Krishna condemns all this worship. But in Chapter 3, He recommends that worship also. Just as Krishna recommends in Chapter 3, we have a whole section of the Vedas called karma kanda, which advises worshipping devatas. And even in Bhagavatam, in the second canto, we have one chapter dedicated to describing all sorts of benedictions given by different devatas. So, the Vedas, in some sections, are recommending worship of devatas. And then other sections, this is rejected [Laughs]. So, then we will say, well, Vedas are contradictory. And if they’re contradictory, it’s nonsense. How can they be perfect [Laughs]? So, some people on that grounds will reject the Vedas. However, we also have to look at the explanations given in the Vedas themselves. So, the worship of devatas is one level of instruction to purify people. And once the people are purified, they can go for Jnana, Yoga, or Bhakti. So therefore, the Vedas do not give one instruction, they give different instructions for people who are on different levels of qualification. So, in that way, there is no real contradiction. But, we do have to understand what is the highest instruction, what are intermediate instructions [Laughs].
We see in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna also, in one place, He is telling Arjuna to do Karma Yoga. In another place, He is telling him to do Jnana Yoga [Laughs]. And then Arjuna becomes confused, what are you telling me [Laughs]? So, in Chapter 5, then Krishna explains, Karma Yoga is good, if you’re not qualified and you have to become purified. If you’re purified, then you can do Jnana. And if one is doing Karma Yoga and worshiping devatas, etc., still, that person should understand it’s not the ultimate goal, and from there we have to go to Jnana or Bhakti. So, in this way, when we read the Vedic literature, we have to be a little careful when we read different statements. Many things get glorified [Laughs]. But we should also look for the highest goal and the highest glorification.
So, Jnana is higher than Karma Yoga. In Chapter 6, Krishna says Astanga Yoga is better than Jnana Yoga. And then He says Bhakti Yoga is superior to Astanga Yoga. So, therefore, if we read carefully, we’ll see there’s no confusion. Unfortunately, sometimes people read one section and then something is glorified, they will do that without reading the other sections [Laughs]. So, conclusion of Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita is, highest process is Bhakti Yoga. Highest goal is Krishna Prema. And though Svarga Loka gets glorified, Brahma Loka gets glorified, Mukti gets glorified, etc., ultimately, we have to see what is the highest goal. So, one rule is that, we should read the text fully, not just one portion and see what the conclusion is. And thus, if we read whole Bhagavad Gita, we come to the conclusion. It says, surrender to Krishna. So, that’s the obvious conclusion. Still, the nature of the human being is such that, even if he reads everything in Bhagavad Gita, even if the meaning is so clear, people still make mistakes [Laughs]. And one reason, of course, is that they do have other goals in mind, so they will distort and give other meanings to the text. That’s why Prabhupada calls this Bhagavad Gita – “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” [Laughs].
Sridhara Swami is in the Advaita Sampradaya, follower of Shankaracharya. But interestingly, he doesn’t try to distort the text and ultimately Krishna says, surrender, that’s what he says, surrender to Krishna [Laughs]. But then the followers of Shankaracharya were very disappointed. How you can be saying this [Laughs]? He’s a follower of Shankara, but he’s telling you to surrender to Krishna [Laughs]. So in other words, he didn’t distort the text so much, even though he was a follower of Shankara [Laughs].
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu also, in Caitanya Caritamrita in his discussions, he talks about giving the direct meaning called ‘abidha’. and then he criticizes the use of ‘lakshana’, indirect interpretation. So, of course this lakshana, or indirect interpretation, can be used when it’s impossible to get any other explanation [Laughs]. So we have a sentence like, there’s a village on the Ganga river. So the literal meaning, there is a village floating on top of the Ganga [Laughs]. But that doesn’t sound very logical, we have never seen villages floating on top of the water [Laughs]. So then we will explain, it doesn’t mean literally on the Ganga, on top of the Ganga, it means on the bank of the Ganga, there is a village. So, in that case, lakshana is permitted. But if Krishna says, surrender unto me, and we don’t like that statement, we start interpreting it in other ways, then that is a bad use of lakshana [Laughs]. So of course, if we want to be extreme, we could say surrender to Krishna means merge in Brahman [Laughs]. That’s a very extreme [Laughs] interpretation.
So therefore, in our reading of scripture, we have to be careful to try to understand the correct meaning. To make it a little easier, then we have the Acharyas doing that exactly, explaining what the real meaning is [Laughs]. And that is why Śrīla Prabhupāda also emphasizes we come in a parampara system [Laughs]. So this guarantees that we get the direct meaning, and this is handed down generation after generation.
Okay, any question there?
Q & A:
1.) Hare Krishna Mahārāj. Dandavat pranams. Mahārāj, I have two questions. The first question is, we know that there are two kinds of Vedic scriptures. One is śmriti and another is śruti. So the śruti scriptures is like Vedas, as you mentioned, and śmritis are like Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. So we know that śruti scriptures, they are essentially Apaurusheya. I mean, they are not contributed by any human. But in our Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Śampradaya, we focus or we appreciate the teachings from the śruti literatures. So what is the reason? Because there are many Śampradaya, they do not appreciate the conclusion of śruti. So that is my first question.
Second question is, the Vedic literatures, the Vedas, it is confusing, because there are different gradations there. So my understanding is that during the cosmology, in the creation of the universe, we see that jīvas have their karma and śvabhava, because when we fall down from the spiritual world, we have some karma and śvabhava with us. So depending on our karma and śvabhava, the Vedas is designed, Krishna designed Vedas like that, because we have different nature. Somebody is purified and somebody is less purified, or somebody is wicked minded. So why there are so many teachings in the Vedas? So that is my second question.
OK. Anyway, the sruti means the four Vedas with their various parts, and they have no author, they are called ‘Apaurusheya’. That is, even the Lord does not create them. They continually are there in each creation in the same syllables, etc. The smritis are written by sages or even in case of Vyasadeva, He is the Supreme Lord Himself, they have a beginning. So Vyasadeva writes Puranas in 5000 years ago. So they have a beginning and in different yuga cycles, they may also change the letters etc. So they are not eternal in that sense [Laughs]. So the smritis include Mahabharata, Ramayana, eighteen Puranas, Smriti sastras like Manu smriti.
Yeah, so some groups will only accept the Vedas. They don’t accept anything else as authority. Shankaracharya accepts the Vedas with the Upanishads, and Puranas they will accept, if they agree with their conclusions of the Upanishads. The Vaishnava Sampradayas will accept the Vedas, but they also accept the Puranas and the Mahabharata. So Madhvacharya often quotes from Mahabharata. Ramanujacharya quotes from Vishnu Purana. So in other words, the Vaishnavas accept the Puranas and Mahabharata, Ramayana as equal authority. Of course, even in Bhagavatam, it is said that the Puranas and Mahabharata are called the fifth Veda, so they’re like equal. And since the Puranas are meant to explain the Vedas, they should not be inferior. Vedavyasa is avatar of the Lord, how can He write something inferior? So, in Tattva Sandarbha, Jiva Gosvami explains all of this, and he also concludes that Bhagavatam is the highest pramana, the greatest proof, because it’s the concluding work of Vedavyasa.
Second question is, that why so much variety of things because people are infinite in number, and they are various in their likes and dislikes and qualifications. And when there is destruction of whole universe, yes, all the bodies of the Jivas dissolve, the Jivas enter into Maha Vishnu, but their previous karmas are not destroyed. And when a new universe is created, Jivas get new bodies, but their old karmas get stuck to the beginning. So in other words, the karmas and desires can continue from previous universe, from previous universe, from previous universe, from previous universe [Laughs]. And what was the beginning? It says ‘anadi’, no beginning. We see in Bhagavad Gita introduction, Prabhupada explains these different tattvas, Time, Karma, Jiva, Supreme Lord, Prakriti, all eternal, except Karma. It has no beginning, but could have an end, so in that sense not eternal, whereas Prakriti has no beginning, no end, Lord has no beginning, no end, Jiva – no beginning, no end, Karma – no beginning, could have an end [Laughs].
2.) Hare Krishna, Thank you Maharaj for your very clear explanation, Maharaj, the Vedas, they do not come from the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: They’re eternal.
Devotee: They’re eternal, okay.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: They appear through, let’s say, Hayagrivas breathing, etc., but actually they were there before, they were there in a previous universe, they’re there in a previous universe, come out of Brahma’s mouth also, but not created.
Devotee : Thank you so much Maharaj, Hare krishna.
3.) Hare Krishna Maharaj ji, Dandavat pranam, Maharaj actually, just like you discussed about Lord Siva and Salva here, who was the enemy of Lord Siva, in the previous examples also, we have seen about Hiranyakasipu and Lord, Ravana, who was given the boon by Lord Brahma. Also, all the demigods, they knew that the boon they are going to offer is against Krishna’s will. So, why is it necessary to provide such boon, which can provide harm to the society? What’s the significance like deep meaning behind this? Why is it necessary for the demigods to provide such boons, which is against the Lord Krishna’s will? Hare Krishna.
So, in worshipping the different devatas, then there are specific rules, and you should also follow those rules to get the right results. If you don’t do the right [Laughs] procedure, you don’t get any result. And generally, one of the rules is, the person who is doing the worship should also be very qualified. However, we also see that some devatas are for people in Tamoguna, some for Rajoguna people, some for Sattvaguna people. So, even these people who worship may not be very highly qualified, they may be in Tamoguna or whatever, as in the case of Siva’s worshippers [Laughs]. So, we can say this is also an arrangement of the Supreme Lord for different people of different qualifications, they get different devatas to worship.
So, it’s explained in the purport, Siva was not too eager to give this boon to Salva, but after one year, he eventually gave the benediction. So, when the demons and other, they worship devatas, and they are very persistent, then the devatas feel, well, yeah, we have to do something, because they are so persistent, even if, they are not really qualified. But, we also know that ultimately all these benedictions are coming from the Supreme Lord. So, whatever benedictions these demons get, which can be harmful for Supreme Lord, the Supreme Lord also arranges them such that, they are all insignificant benedictions. So, these pastimes are opportunity for the Lord to show His own greatness and insignificance of the demons.
Devotee : Hare Krishna, thank you for the wonderful explanation.
4.) Thank you very much, Bhanu Maharaj. Siva is Mahadeva. Generally, demigods giving material benefits, very easily. But, great Siva is more than a demigod I feel, because he knows benefits are not good for him like Bhagavan Krishna, a special demigod. Like that, and I think like this, Mahadeva.
So, yeah, Siva generally is not like the other devatas, because he is not a Jiva. So, he doesn’t have a material body, his body is sac-cid-ananda all the time, no material bondage, no conditioning. He is said to be omniscient, saubhagya, knowing everything. So, he doesn’t fall under illusion like normal Jivas. So, he is also a form of the Supreme Lord, but he manifests little bit less powers. So, therefore he is put in the secondary category, Vishnu at the top, then Siva, then devatas. So, in Bhagavatam we see that Siva even though he is another form of the Lord, he is Bhagavan, still he plays lesser role, inferior role to Vishnu.
5.) Maharaj like Salva and all these, they were with Krishna physically. So why they fall into all these ignorance?
So, they are so covered over with ignorance, that even if the Lord personally appears with his transcendental form, they can’t see it [Laughs]. So, in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, I am covered by my maya, so when the demon sees me, he doesn’t see the Lord, he sees material body only. Krishna is a little bit of an exception. The demon sees the Lord, but because Krishna is all-attractive, and even though the demon is covered, he can’t stop thinking of the Lord. So, by constantly thinking of the Lord in hatred, because he has a beautiful form, then gradually he becomes purified. And this was the case of Sisupala and Kamsa.
So, because of their constant thought of the Lord, even though it was in hatred, they got purified, and when the Lord killed them, they got mukti, or they went to Vaikuntha [Laughs]. So, when Vishnu or avatars kill demons, they don’t go to Vaikuntha, they don’t go to mukti, they just get nice body like Ravana or whatever [Laughs]. Let’s say, Hiranyakasipu gets killed by Narasimhadeva, he doesn’t get liberation, he doesn’t go to Vaikuntha, he gets born again in material world, no hellish existence, but he gets some benediction in the material world.
6.) Siva’s name is Pasupati, the master of animal ?
Pasupati [Laughs]. I think there is a story in Mahabharata or something about the animals or whatever like that, I’m not quite sure what it is. You can look it up on the Google [Laughs].
7.) Maharaj like Jaya and Vijaya, when they had to choose between seven births as devotees or three as demons, why they chose demons?
Ohh [Laughs]. One reason, of course, is quicker [Laughs]. The other reason is that Jaya and Vijaya actually were thinking that they should become demons so they could fight with the Lord because the Lord wanted some equal opponent, not some weak Jiva. So [Laughs] they said, we will take the place of demons and we will fight with the Lord.
Devotee: So, does it mean that Jaya, Vijaya, they became demons and they were, because their stories, these pastimes are in Bhagavatam, so in a way they are glorified, right? So, it looks like, if you become demon, you will be glorified.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: [Laughs] Well, this is a special case. In other days of Brahma, they are just big demons [Laughs]. They don’t come from Vaikuntha [Laughs].
Devotee : So, this day, when Krishna comes, only they will come.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: In this particular time. Not every day of Brahma [Not clear] [Laughs].
Okay. Hare Krishna.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!!