Srimad Bhagavatam – 1.18.49 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | Dec 23, 2025
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
jaya sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-adwaita gadadhara
shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 18 Verse 49.
ŚB 1.18.49
इति पुत्रकृताघेन सोऽनुतप्तो महामुनि: ।
स्वयं विप्रकृतो राज्ञा नैवाघं तदचिन्तयत् ॥ ४९ ॥
iti putra-kṛtāghena
so ’nutapto mahā-muniḥ
svayaṁ viprakṛto rājñā
naivāghaṁ tad acintayat
Synonyms
iti — thus; putra — son; kṛta — done by; aghena — by the sin; saḥ — he (the muni); anutaptaḥ — regretting; mahā-muniḥ — the sage; svayam — personally; viprakṛtaḥ — being so insulted; rājñā — by the King; na — not; eva — certainly; agham — the sin; tat — that; acintayat — thought of it.
Translation
The sage thus regretted the sin committed by his own son. He did not take the insult paid by the King very seriously.
Purport
The whole incident is now cleared up. Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s garlanding the sage with a dead snake was not at all a very serious offense, but Śṛṅgi’s cursing the King was a serious offense. The serious offense was committed by a foolish child only; therefore he deserved to be pardoned by the Supreme Lord, although it was not possible to get free from the sinful reaction. Mahārāja Parīkṣit also did not mind the curse offered to him by a foolish brāhmaṇa. On the contrary, he took full advantage of the awkward situation, and by the great will of the Lord, Mahārāja Parīkṣit achieved the highest perfection of life through the grace of Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Actually it was the desire of the Lord, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Ṛṣi Śamīka and his son Śṛṅgi were all instrumental in fulfilling the desire of the Lord. So none of them were put into difficulty because everything was done in relation with the Supreme Person.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So this whole chapter has been describing the incident of Pariksit offending the sage, the sage’s son cursing Pariksit. And from a material point of view, all of these activities appear to be very material activities. People getting offended, people cursing, so this is part of the material world, not part of the spiritual world. So in the spiritual world, everyone serves the Lord with great devotion. And nobody gets cursed, everyone gets blessed. Of course, when we talk about the word ‘curse’, it means that we’re expecting a person to get some very great misfortune. And the devotees never think of causing misfortune for anyone. Nor do they think of offending other persons.
So, in devotional service, we have the idea of the Anga of bhakti called surrender. So one of the elements there is to feel very, very low. So one is in the low position, he cannot be offended by anybody. Nor would he curse anyone. Similarly, when Lord Caitanya talks about Nama Sankirtana, he says that the person should be humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree. And consequently, he gives respect to all other living entities. So, it indicates that these attitudes are intrinsic in the process of bhakti. And if you take those elements away, it is no longer bhakti. And thus he says that if one has this attitude, one can chant constantly. Thus, devotees in the spiritual world have no contamination, and they give all respect and they give all honour to others.
In the material world, we have devotees on different levels. And those who are doing sadhana bhakti, they are not perfect, but they try to embody these qualities in their bhakti. If that devotee is very exalted, then automatically these qualities manifest. So anyone who has Prema would have these qualities. So it is said that a mature devotee, he doesn’t have any offenses, he doesn’t commit the Nama aparadhas. So, if there is fault in devotees, we would expect that when they are in a lower level in sadhana. If they are not doing devotional service, then of course we can expect more of the faults to manifest.
Of course, similar qualities are also cultivated within karma yoga. And thus, if one becomes a brahmana and symbolizes all of the wonderful qualities of a person, he should be humble, give respect to others, not curse people. However, we do see that these persons not doing bhakti, even if they are brahminical, sometimes curse. And thus we find even great sages sometimes curse others. And the reason of course is, because it’s the material world, then nothing is perfect. So there is no such thing as perfect sattva. So in that sense, it’s not surprising that the son of the brahmana cursed Pariksit Maharaj.
At the same time, we see that the sage, he was actually not disturbed by the lack of respect given by Pariksit Maharaj. So in that sense, we can say that he was very advanced. But the biggest discrepancy in conduct we see in Pariksit Maharaj. He was a great devotee of the Lord, he was saved by Krishna himself. He acted as an ideal king. So why would he get afflicted by hunger and thirst? Why would he get offended by the brahmana when the brahmana ignored him? So, this seems very unusual for a great devotee of the Lord. And of course, even on the material level, very unusual for a great king to do such a thing. So, as a devotee and as a king, it was a very astonishing event when he put the snake around the brahmana’s neck. And in fact, as I said, in the spiritual world with the perfect devotees, we don’t see such conduct.
So therefore, how do we explain this? So, the explanation is, there’s no fault on the part of Pariksit Maharaj, this is arrangement of the Supreme Lord. Just as we see the doorkeepers in Vaikuntha, they got cursed by the four Kumaras, who are Jnanis, should never curse anybody, the Kumaras got angry and they cursed them and then they fell into the material world. So the only explanation for such appearance of anger and cursing etc. is, will of the Supreme Lord.
So one of the qualities in the spiritual world, of which the devotees can also have, but also manifested in the Lord, is that whatever He wills, happens. So if the Lord desires anything, it happens. Now of course, usually we don’t see the devotees acting in very opposite ways. So therefore, when that happens, then we have to explain it as the will of the Supreme Lord. But the Lord, because He is Supreme Lord and perfect, He does not will things to happen without reason. But then another quality of the Lord is, He really has no desire for himself, why would He want anything to happen? Why does the Lord do anything in the spiritual world when He is completely self-satisfied? So the answer is, the Lord has another quality. That quality is Ananda, bliss. Of course, we could say, well, the Lord can just be there and be blissful in Himself. And the Lord is definitely the best ‘Atmarama’. But real bliss arises from Rasa. And Rasa can only take place if it’s not just the Lord, there are also devotees. But how does the Rasa manifest? It manifests when there are pastimes between the Lord and the devotees. So in the spiritual world, Ananda is always present. Why? Because there’s always Rasa. And Rasa is always present because there are pastimes between the Lord and His devotees. So we can never have Supreme Lord without devotees and pastimes. So, how are the pastimes arranged? This takes place by the will of the Lord.
Of course, He does not have to endeavour to think much about this, because His every desire comes true. But we can explain in terms of designating the arrangements to His Shakti. So automatically when His will manifests, then His Lila Shakti makes arrangements for everything. But in order for the Lila Shakti to operate, we need another Shakti. And that is the limitation of the awareness of the devotees. If the devotees manifested their Cit aspect and were all knowledgeable, they would know what was happening before the Lord even did anything. So therefore, the Lord limits the awareness of all the devotees by His Yogamaya potency. And through that Yogamaya potency, the devotee is sometimes aware of things, sometimes not aware of things.
So we see in this case that the Lord desired that Bhagavatam be revealed. Of course, Veda Vyasa had written Bhagavatam. But the Lord desired that it will be revealed through Sukadeva Goswami. And He chose Pariksit as the ideal listener. So He had to arrange an incident by which Sukadeva Goswami would speak Bhagavatam to Pariksit Maharaj. So for all that arrangement, then the Lord covered over Pariksit, so he became angry, and then the sage’s son cursed him, etc. And in all of these pastimes, the devotees cooperate. So Pariksit Maharaj, when he gets cursed, then he cooperates, he does not protest. And the result was that Sukadeva Goswami appeared when he was about to die, and then the Bhagavatam was spoken. And there was no loss for Pariksit, giving up his life was no problem because he could hear Srimad Bhagavatam. So, through that incident, then Supreme Lord Krishna arranged for glorification of Sukadeva Goswami and Pariksit. And of course, glorification of the process of ‘Sravanam’. And of course, glorification of Srimad Bhagavatam.
At the beginning of the Bhagavatam, the question was asked by the sages of Naimisaranya, how is Dharma going to be preserved now that Krishna has disappeared? And the answer is, Srimad Bhagavatam. Of course, it was already written by Veda Vyas, but it manifested for the people of Kali Yuga through the mouth of Sukadeva Goswami. Sukadeva Goswami heard from Veda Vyas, but up until that point, he didn’t speak it to anybody. But when he find the qualified person in the form of Pariksit Maharaj, then he spoke it. And this is the Bhagavatam we have for the people of Kali Yuga. So, the result of all the anger and the cursing, etc., was the most auspicious. It manifested Bhagavatam for the people of Kali Yuga. So, in order to arrange for that particular outcome or result, then all of this happened. And thus, we cannot ascribe any faults to Pariksit Maharaj.
In the case of persons who are not so advanced, then of course, they can make real mistakes. But, if they have been particularly blessed by the Lord, there is no mistake. So, through this type of explanation, we should also explain other things that happen in Srimad Bhagavatam. What appear to be faults are not always faults, because arrangement of the Lord is there. Of course, if the devotees or persons are not so advanced, there may be real fault. So, Brahma tries to fool Krishna. So, of course, Brahma is topmost devata in the universe, he is appointed by the Lord but it is possible, Brahma can make mistakes. But actually, at the beginning of Brahma’s life, he was promised by the Lord, he will not fall into illusion at all. So, therefore, the pastime of Brahma stealing all the calves and cows cannot be blamed on Brahma. Of course, after the incident, we see that Brahma repents, he feels very, very ashamed.
We see that Indra became angry because he did not get the sacrifice, so therefore, he poured rain on Vrindavan. The result was a great pastime that produced bliss for all the people of Vrindavan. So, we can blame Indra but, of course, because he is Jiva, and he is not on the highest level. On the other hand, he is put in that position because he is a great devotee. And, thus, we should also not criticize Indra. They are all participants and are associates of the Lord, participating in His pastimes.
On the other hand, in the material world, we should see what is improper behaviour in relation to devotees and the Lord. And we should not give the excuse, well, it’s the arrangement of the Lord, I criticize people, I offend people. No. And thus devotees are warned, we should avoid all the Nama aparadhas.
Hare Krsna !
Q & A:
1.) Like the curse for Parikshit Maharaj to hear Srimad Bhagavatham, a similar kind of curse we see that Gandhari cursed Krishna for the destruction of the Yadhu completely. But, how can we say that this curse brought auspicious or fortunate to the Yadhu dynasty?
In some cases, we cannot say that it’s all will of the Lord. So many of the demons are demons, it’s not the will of the Lord they’re doing this, but actually they are pure in Vaikuntha. No, they’re demons. Of course, the Jaya and Vijaya became demons, as you know, Hiranyakasipu and Ravana and Sisupala, so that’s the arrangement of the Lord. And that’s particularly the case of this cycle of Brahma. But cannot think that every day of Brahma, Jaya and Vijaya get cursed etc. and they fall into the material world. Normally we have demons taking these roles, not Jaya and Vijaya. So therefore we cannot take in all cases that everything that happens is the arrangement of the Supreme Lord. Sometimes the pastime is arranged and there is real demons with real offense involved.
2.) Like even in Goloka, there is a pastime in some purana, regarding this curse, that Sridhama gives curse to Radharani and Radharani give curse to Sridhama and become this demon, Sankhacuda. But in the spiritual world there is curse, but that is for pastimes only?
That’s only pastimes. Just like Kumara’s curse, Jaya and Vijaya.
3.) Here we see that Bhagavatam is eternal scripture, it is revealed in due course of time like Parikshit is made an instrument and we also know that Sukadeva Goswami is the speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam. And because of Sukadeva Goswami, Bhagavatam became more and more relishable and more sweet. So, can we also say that Sukadeva Goswami is the eternal speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam?
We don’t have any description that he is eternally taking that position. In other words, we can take him as being a sadhaka who attains perfection, etc. So, it’s a one-time affair as that particular Jiva. But there can be other Jivas that take up that role in different days of Brahma or in different universes or whatever.
4.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. So, Maharaj, we heard that how Lord desires and then everything manifests and the energies of the Lord arranges everything as per Lord’s desire. Now, my question is, the desire indicates that, you know, I want something which I don’t have. So, how that desire itself would come to the Supreme Lord?
So, as I said, the most important quality of the Lord is bliss. So, it’s not the Lord wants bliss. He is blissful. And then it should be expressed spontaneously through pastimes. I think in Brahma Sutras, Baladeva Vidyabhushan gives an example. So, he gives an example of a prince. So, of course, the prince can make different arrangements to be happy. And maybe he can dance or do whatever, do different activities. But then he can also spontaneously just dance without thinking about it. So, he is spontaneously expressing his bliss. So, similarly, Krishna spontaneously manifests pastimes as an expression of his bliss. And for that, then various arrangements are there. So, his will or his desire would be the desire to express bliss. And the desire would not be for himself, but for his devotees. So, he can say, to make the devotees blissful, [Not clear] arranged this pastime [Laughs].
5.) The same way Maharaj that the Lord gets bliss, or He arranges the pastimes to get the bliss, it is within His own Swarupa Sakthi. Or we can say that it is internal completely, so that nothing can externally obstruct Him.
Yes, well, that is the nature of His Yogamaya, Lila Sakthi. They are all part of His Svarupa Sakthi. So, they are intrinsic in Him. They are not separate things. So, just manifesting from Him [Laughs]. It is a way of explaining it.
6.) I don’t remember where it is.. It is said that the manifestation of the material world of the Lord is out of His own bliss. So, this bliss is Srishti lila , also it is one of the bliss. So, is it because of that?
So, ultimately everything that happens is a manifestation of the Lord’s bliss. But then we have the two types of manifestation. One is in the spiritual world, caused by His internal Swarupa Sakthi. So, it is only by the Lord’s will that the material universe manifests, Mahavishnu glances and He wills and He produces. But why does He will that? It is not really blissful because the Jivas suffer. So, He desires to have them suffer [Laughs]. No, so we cannot give a reason like that. So, the only reason is, of course, the direct reason is He does that to help the Jivas because they desire it. But then the Lord does this. He glances and shows the material world. Jivas enter according to their previous karma, they take different bodies. And then the Lord makes arrangements so that they can get out of illusion and they can attain bliss in the spiritual world. So, in that way, it is part of His bliss pastimes [Laughs].
7.) Sometimes others exploit us when we are feeling and behaving low and humble. How can we tackle these situations?
In the ideal situation, we would act like Rshabhadev or someone like that. Even Sukadeva Goswami. Everybody insulting him, throwing things at him, whatever like that, and he doesn’t mind [Laughs]. These are examples of tolerance of any material situation. However, not everyone is qualified for such a position. So, in the material world, we have rules that civilized people follow. And we also have laws of the country. Therefore, everyone is expected to follow the rules and follow the laws. And if they don’t, then they will get some sort of punishment. However, the rules and laws don’t cover every situation. And therefore, even then, we do have to tolerate.
8.) Someone tried to make us feel low and inferior. Can you say that? Because according to the quality of bhakti, one should be very low and also very humble. It’s like you can say that he is not my enemy, he is my well-wisher, he is reminding me that that is my position.
So, that is what the great devotees feel is the mercy of the Lord.
Devotees : Granthraj Srimad Bhagavatham ki Jai !!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ji Jai !!! Srila Prabhupada ki Jai !!!