SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 2

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Generated from the Supersoul [alike Lord Brahmâ] someone in contemplation [of the Universal Form] recovers, by thus finding satisfaction [with the Lord], the lost remembrance of his prior existence. Thereafter he [the individual soul] with a cleared vision having arrived at intelligence can rebuild his life the way it was before. (2) One's [spiritual] adherence to the sounds of the [impersonal] Absolute Truth makes the intelligence, because of the many terms [associated with it], ponder over incoherent ideas because of which one, without ever finding joy, wanders around in realities of illusion - and the different desires belonging to them - as if one is dreaming. (3) For that reason an intelligent person fixed in his attention [upon the Universal Form] in order to find perfection must only minimally, according to the necessity abide by denominations [forms and other material interests] without ever being mad after them. He should be of the practical insight that he otherwise would engage himself for [nothing but] hard work. (4) What is the need of a bed, when one can lie on the ground; what is the need of a pillow when one has one's arms; why should one use utensils if one can eat with one's hands and with the cover of trees, what is the use of clothing? (5) Aren't there rags lying in the street, isn't there giving in charity; don't the trees offer their alms maintaining others; have the rivers dried up; are the caves closed; has the Almighty Lord given up on protecting the surrendered soul? Why would a learned man then have to speak to the liking of those who are led by wealth? (6) When one thus with the matter of Him, the most cherished, eternal, One Supersoul fully present in one's heart, is detached from the world, one must be of worship for Him, the Fortunate One, the permanent gain by which for certain the cause of one's material bondage is put to an end. (7) Who else but the materialists would with neglecting the transcendental thoughts take to the non-permanent of material denominations because of which they, who constitute the general mass of the people that is controlled by the misery of the reactions of it's fruitive labor, see themselves as fallen into the river of suffering?

(8) Others see in the meditation upon Him within their own body the Personality of Godhead residing in the region of the heart measuring eight inches, having four arms, carrying the lotus, the wheel of the chariot, the conchshell and the club. (9) With His mouth expressing happiness, His eyes wide spread like a lotus, His clothes yellowish like a Kadamba flower, bedecked with jewels and with golden ornaments studded with precious stones, He wears a glowing headdress with earrings. (10) His feet are positioned on the whorl of the lotus hearts of the great mystics. On His chest He wears the beautifully engraved Kaustubha jewel and around His neck He has a fresh flower garland spreading its beauty. (11) With a decorative wrap around His waist, valuable finger rings, ringing leglets, bangles, oiled spotless bluish, curling hair and His beautiful, smiling face He looks very pleasing. (12) His magnanimous pastimes and the glowing glances of His expression are indicative of the extensive benedictions of this particular transcendental form of the Lord one should focus upon as long as the mind can be fixed on it for the purpose of one's meditation. (13) One should meditate upon the limbs one by one, starting from the feet up, until one sees His smiling face, and thus gradually taking control over the mind one departs in one's meditation for higher and higher spheres and purifies that way the intelligence. (14) As long as the materialist has not developed devotional service for this form of the Lord who is the seer of the mundane and transcendental worlds, he must, when he is finished with his prescribed duties, with proper attention remember the Universal Form of the Original Person.

(15) Whenever one desires to give up one's body o King, one should as a sage, without being disturbed, comfortably seated and with one's thinking unperturbed by matters of time and place, in control of the life air restrain the senses with the help of the mind. (16) Regulating the mind by the power of one's pure intelligence in relation to the original witness within [the 'knower of the field'], one should merge with this self. That self should be confined to the fully satisfied Supersoul and thus putting an end to all activities, one will attain full bliss. (17) Therein one will not find the supremacy of time that for sure controls the godly who direct the worldly creatures with their demigods, nor will one find there mundane goodness, passion or ignorance, nor any material change or causality of nature at large. (18) Knowing what and what not relates to the divine of the transcendental position, they who wish to avoid the godless completely give up the perplexities [of arguing to time and place], and place thereto in the absolute of goodwill every moment the worshipable lotus feet in their heart. (19) The sage familiar with the science of properly regulating the force [of the senses] in service of the purpose of life, should retire the following way: he must block his arse ['air-hole'] with his heel and direct the life air upward through the six primary places [navel, plexus, heart, throat, eyebrows and top of the skull] and thus overcome the state of material inertia. (20) The soaring force the meditator should gradually direct from the navel to the plexus [the 'heart'] and from there to the chest from where he should bring it slowly into his throat. This he should intelligently figure out by meditation. (21) From between the eyebrows the seer who is of detachment in order to attain the Supreme should, by blocking the outlet of the seven centers, enter the domain of the head in order to maintain there for a while ('half an hour') independent of sense enjoyment for the sake of tirelessness and eternality.

(22) If one however maintains a desire o King, to lord over what one calls the place of enjoyment of the gods in the sky, or has the desire to manage the world of the gunas [the modes of nature] with the use of the eight mystic powers [the eight siddhis or perfections], one inevitably has to count with the mind and the senses associated with such a desire. (23) One says about the course of the great transcendentalists that they, departing from the realm of the subtle body, freely move within and without the three worlds, while those who do their work based upon a material motive never attain to the progress that is achieved by those who in the austerity of their devotional service are absorbed in yoga.

(24) In the control of the divinity of fire [Vais'vânara, or with regular sacrifice and meditation] one reaches through the gracious passage of [the sushumnâ, the channel of balancing the] breath, provided one follows the movements in the sky [the cakra order], the pure spirit [Brahmaloka, the place of the Creator] that enlightens and washes away the contaminations. Directed upwards one then reaches the circle [the cakra, the wheel] o King, called S'is'umâra [meaning: dolphin, to the form of the Milky Way, galactic time]. (25) Passing beyond that navel of the universe, the pivot, the center of spin of the Maintainer [Vishnu], by the individual living being that was purified by the realization of his smallness, the place is reached that is worshipable for those who are transcendentally situated. There the self-realized souls enjoy for the time of a kalpa [a day of Brahmâ]. (26) Thereupon he who from the bed of Vishnu [Ananta] sees how the universe is burning to ashes because of the fire from His mouth, will leave that place for the supreme abode [of Brahmâ] which lasts for two parârdhas [the two halves of the life of Brahmâ] and is the home of the purified souls of elevation. (27) There one will never find bereavement or old age, death, pain or anxieties, save that one sometimes has feelings of compassion when one sees the ignorant who are subjected to the hard to overcome misery of the repetition of birth and death.

(28) After surpassing the forms of water and fire and thus having reached that pure self free from fear, one thus having attained the effulgent atmosphere, in due course of time by the self its air reaches the ethereal self, the true greatness of one's soul. (29) By scents having the smell, by the palate having the taste, by the eye having visions, by physical contact being in touch and finally by sound vibrations experiencing the quality of the ether, the yogi by dint of the activity of the senses also attains [the more subtle sphere]. (30) After he thus at the mental level in relation to the gross and subtle has reached a neutral point of I-awareness, he in the mode of goodness surpasses that realization of himself that is subject to change [the ego]. Consequently he along with the material modes completely suspended progresses towards the reality of perfect wisdom. (31) By that purification towards the self of the Supersoul the person attains the peace, satisfaction and natural delight of being freed from all contaminations. He who attains to this destination of devotion for sure will never become attracted to this material world again, my dearest [Parîkchit].

(32) All that I described to you o protector of man, is as your Majesty requested in proper accord with the Vedas. It is also in full agreement with the eternal truth as it before by Lord Vâsudeva was explained to Lord Brahmâ who had satisfied Him in worship. (33) For those who in this life wander in the material universe, there is for sure no way of attaining more auspicious than the path by which one arrives at the devotional service [bhakti-yoga] of the Supreme Personality Lord Vâsudeva. (34) The great personality [Vyâsadeva] studied the Vedas three times in total and scrutinously, with scholarly attention examining them he ascertained that one's mind is properly fixed when one is attracted to the soul. (35) The Supreme Personality can be perceived in all living beings as the actual nature of that soul, as the Lord who by the intelligence of the seer is recognized by inference from different signs and effects. (36) Therefore every human soul must o King, wherever he is and whenever he exists, hear about, glorify and remember the Lord, the Supreme Personality. (37) They who, filling their ears with the narrations about the Supreme Lord most dear to the devotees, drink from the nectar will find their by material pleasure contaminated state of mind purified and return to the feet residing near the lotus.'

S'rî S'uka said: 'Generated from the Supersoul [alike Lord Brahmâ] someone in contemplation [of the Universal Form] recovers, by thus finding satisfaction [with the Lord], the lost remembrance of his prior existence. Thereafter he [the individual soul] with a cleared vision having arrived at intelligence can rebuild his life the way it was before.

S'rî S'uka said: 'Soon, the soul from its birth, meditating the Universal Form regains its lost memories in thus finding peace with the Lord, whereafter, with a cleared vision, it can rebuild its life the way it was before. (Vedabase)

Text 2

One's [spiritual] adherence to the sounds of the [impersonal] Absolute Truth makes the intelligence, because of the many terms [associated with it], ponder over incoherent ideas because of which one, without ever finding joy, wanders around in realities of illusion - and the different desires belonging to them - as if one is dreaming.

For certain the adherence to the spiritual makes the intelligence, because of its many names, ponder over meaningless ideas in which one wanders around in realities of illusion and its different desires without ever enjoying, as if one is dreaming. (Vedabase)

Text 3

For that reason an intelligent person fixed in his attention [upon the Universal Form] in order to find perfection must only minimally, according to the necessity abide by denominations [forms and other material interests] without ever being mad after them. He should be of the practical insight that he otherwise would engage himself for [nothing but] hard work.

Therefore the enlightened person in the world of names should restrict himself to the bare necessities without being mad of desire, intelligently fixed [on the Universal Form] in order to be successful. He should arrive at the practical insight that otherwise he would endeavor for the sake of hard work only. (Vedabase)

Text 4

What is the need of a bed, when one can lie on the ground; what is the need of a pillow when one has one's arms; why should one use utensils if one can eat with one's hands and with the cover of trees, what is the use of clothing?

What is the need of a bed, when one can lie on the ground; what is the need of a pillow when one has his arms; why should one use utensils if one can eat with one's hands and with the cover of trees, what is the use of clothing? (Vedabase)

Text 5

Aren't there rags lying in the street, isn't there giving in charity; don't the trees offer their alms maintaining others; have the rivers dried up; are the caves closed; has the Almighty Lord given up on protecting the surrendered soul? Why would a learned man then have to speak to the liking of those who are led by wealth?

Aren't there rags lying on the road, isn't there giving in charity; don't the trees offer their alms maintaining others; have the rivers dried up; are the caves closed; did the Almighty Lord give up His protecting the surrendered soul? Then why should a learned man flatter the ones intoxicated by wealth? (Vedabase)

Text 6

When one thus with the matter of Him, the most cherished, eternal, One Supersoul fully present in one's heart, is detached from the world, one must be of worship for Him, the Fortunate One, the permanent gain by which for certain the cause of one's material bondage is put to an end.

Thus within one's own heart certainly having the Supersoul represented by His omnipotency, will worship unto Him, the very dear substance of the Supreme Lord, being permanently unattached to the world, give the supreme gain in which the cause of the conditioned state of existence indeed will find its end. (Vedabase)

Text 7

Who else but the materialists would with neglecting the transcendental thoughts take to the non-permanent of material denominations because of which they, who constitute the general mass of the people that is controlled by the misery of the reactions of it's fruitive labor, see themselves as fallen into the river of suffering?

Who else but the materialists would by neglecting the transcendental thoughts take to the non-permanent of names and see themselves, the general mass of the people, fallen into the river of suffering being overtaken by the misery that is the consequence of their own work? (Vedabase)

Text 8

Others see in the meditation upon Him within their own body the Personality of Godhead residing in the region of the heart measuring eight inches, having four arms, carrying the lotus, the wheel of the chariot, the conchshell and the club.

Others see in the meditation on Him within their own body in the region of the heart the Personality of God residing there measuring eight inches from the conception of Him as having four arms carrying the lotus, the wheel of the chariot, the conchshell and the club. (Vedabase)

Text 9

With His mouth expressing happiness, His eyes wide spread like a lotus, His clothes yellowish like a Kadamba flower, bedecked with jewels and with golden ornaments studded with precious stones, He wears a glowing headdress with earrings.

With His mouth expressing happiness, his eyes wide spread like a lotus, his clothes yellowish like a Kadamba flower bedecked with jewels and with golden ornaments inlaid with precious stones, he wears a glowing headdress with earrings. (Vedabase)

Text 10

His feet are positioned on the whorl of the lotus hearts of the great mystics. On His chest He wears the beautifully engraved Kaustubha jewel and around His neck He has a fresh flower garland spreading its beauty.

His feet are on the whorl of the lotus hearts of the great mystics. On his chest He wears the beautifully engraved Kaustubha jewel and around His neck He has a fresh flower garland spreading its beauty. (Vedabase)

Text 11

With a decorative wrap around His waist, valuable finger rings, ringing leglets, bangles, oiled spotless bluish, curling hair and His beautiful, smiling face He looks very pleasing.

With a decorative wrap around His waist, valuable finger rings, ringing leglets, bangles, oiled spotless bluish, curling hair and His beautiful, smiling face he looks very pleasing. (Vedabase)

Text 12

His magnanimous pastimes and the glowing glances of His expression are indicative of the extensive benedictions of this particular transcendental form of the Lord one should focus upon as long as the mind can be fixed on it for the purpose of one's meditation.

His magnanimous pastimes and the glowing glances of His expression are indicative for the extensive benedictions of this particular transcendental form of the Lord one should focus on as long as the mind can be fixed on it for one's meditation. (Vedabase)

Text 13

One should meditate upon the limbs one by one, starting from the feet up, until one sees His smiling face, and thus gradually taking control over the mind one departs in one's meditation for higher and higher spheres and purifies that way the intelligence.

One by one, one should meditate the limbs, from the feet up, until one sees the smiling of His face, and thus gradually taking control over the mind one leaves in meditation for higher and higher spheres and purifies that way the intelligence. (Vedabase)

Text 14

As long as the materialist has not developed devotional service for this form of the Lord who is the seer of the mundane and transcendental worlds, he must, when he is finished with his prescribed duties, with proper attention remember the Universal Form of the Original Person.

As long as the materialist does not develop devotional service to this form of the Lord, the seer of the mundane and transcendental worlds, he should, at the end of his prescribed duties, remember the Universal Form of the Original person with proper attention. (Vedabase)

Text 15

Whenever one desires to give up one's body o King, one should as a sage, without being disturbed, comfortably seated and with one's thinking unperturbed by matters of time and place, in control of the life air restrain the senses with the help of the mind.

Whenever one desires to give up one's body, o King, one should as a sage without being disturbed, comfortably seated with one's thinking unperturbed by matters of time and place, control the senses by the mind in conquering the breath of life. (Vedabase)

Text 16

Regulating the mind by the power of one's pure intelligence in relation to the original witness within [the 'knower of the field'], one should merge with this self. That self should be confined to the fully satisfied Supersoul and thus putting an end to all activities, one will attain full bliss.

The mind, by its own pure intelligence should by regulating itself to the living being with all of it merge with the self, while that self should be locked to the fully satisfied Supersoul and thus, ending all other activities, it will attain to the full bliss. (Vedabase)

Text 17

Therein one will not find the supremacy of time that for sure controls the godly who direct the worldly creatures with their demigods, nor will one find there mundane goodness, passion or ignorance, nor any material change or causality of nature at large.

Therein one will not find the supremacy of time that for sure controls the godly who direct the worldly creatures with their demigods, nor will one find there mundane goodness, passion or ignorance, nor any material change or causality of its nature. (Vedabase)

Text 18

Knowing what and what not relates to the divine of the transcendental position, they who wish to avoid the godless completely give up the perplexities [of arguing to time and place] and place thereto in the absolute of goodwill every moment the worshipable lotus feet in their heart.

Knowing what and what not relates to the divine of the supreme situation, those desiring to avoid the godless give up the perplexities [of arguing to time and place] completely in the absolute of the good will taking the worshipable lotus feet in their heart at every moment. (Vedabase)

Text 19

The sage familiar with the science of properly regulating the force [of the senses] in service of the purpose of life, should retire the following way: he must block his arse ['air-hole'] with his heel and direct the life air upward through the six primary places [navel, plexus, heart, throat, eyebrows and top of the skull] and thus overcome the state of material inertia.

Through insight the philosopher thus should retire, familiar with the science of properly regulating the strength for the purpose of life, by blocking the arse ['air-hole'] with one's heel and directing the life air upward through the six primary places [navel, plexus, heart, throat, eyebrows and top of the skull] and thus put an end to the material desire. (Vedabase)

Text 20

The soaring force the meditator should gradually direct from the navel to the plexus [the 'heart'] and from there to the chest from where he should bring it slowly into his throat. This he should intelligently figure out by meditation.

The soaring force should gradually be directed from the navel to the plexus [the 'heart'] onwards to the chest from where the meditator intelligently should search out the meditative by bringing it slowly into the throat. (Vedabase)

Text 21

From between the eyebrows the seer who is of detachment in order to attain the Supreme should, by blocking the outlet of the seven centers, enter the domain of the head in order to maintain there for a while ('half an hour') independent of sense enjoyment for the sake of tirelessness and eternality.

From between the eyebrows the seer should, blocking the outlet of the seven centers and maintaining to the fearless independent of sense enjoyment for a while ('half an hour'), enter the domain of the head and give up for the sake of the Supreme. (Vedab a se)

Text 22

If one however maintains a desire o King, to lord over what one calls the place of enjoyment of the gods in the sky, or has the desire to manage the world of the gunas [the modes of nature] with the use of the eight mystic powers [the eight siddhis or perfections], one inevitably has to count with the mind and the senses associated with such a desire.

However, o King, if one maintains a desire to rule over the material world [of the Vaihâyasas] of enjoyment, as one says, by means of yogîc powers [the eight siddhi's] in the world of the guna's [modes of nature] one will surely have to take up with the mind and the senses that come along with it also. (Vedabase)

Text 23

One says about the course of the great transcendentalists that they, departing from the realm of the subtle body, freely move within and without the three worlds, while those who do their work based upon a material motive never attain to the progress that is achieved by those who in the austerity of their devotional service are absorbed in yoga.

One says of the destination of the great transcendentalists who reside within and without of the three worlds, that they exist from within the air of the subtle body, while those who do their work materially motivated never attain to the progress to which those in the absorption of yoga achieve in the austerity of devotional service. (Vedabase)

Text 24

In the control of the divinity of fire [Vais'vânara, or with regular sacrifice and meditation] one reaches through the gracious passage of [the sushumnâ, the channel of balancing the] breath, provided one follows the movements in the sky [the cakra order], the pure spirit [Brahmaloka, the place of the Creator] that enlightens and washes away the contaminations. Directed upwards one then reaches the circle [the cakra, the wheel] o King, called S'is'umâra [meaning: dolphin, to the form of the Milky Way, galactic time].

In the control of the divinity of fire one reaches, following the movements in the sky, through the gracious passage of breath [the Sushumnâ], the pure spirit [Brahmaloka, place of the Creator] that is illuminating and washing off the contaminations, after wich one reaching upward attains to the circle [the cakra, the wheel], o King, called S'is'umâra [meaning: dolphin, to the form of the Milky Way, galactic time]. (Vedabase)

Text 25

Passing beyond that navel of the universe, the pivot, the center of spin of the Maintainer [Vishnu], by the individual living being that was purified by the realization of his smallness, the place is reached that is worshipable for those who are transcendentally situated. There the self-realized souls enjoy for the time of a kalpa [a day of Brahmâ].

That navel of the universe is the pivot of the Maintainer [Vishnu] which due to the ones purified by discipline alone, is worshipable for the living entity and those transcendentalists who for a certain period can rejoice in the soul reaching it. (Vedabase)

Text 26

Thereupon he who from the bed of Vishnu [Ananta] sees how the universe is burning to ashes because of the fire from His mouth, will leave that place for the supreme abode [of Brahmâ] which lasts for two parârdhas [the two halves of the life of Brahmâ] and is the home of the purified souls of elevation.

Thereupon, he, who sees from the bed of Vishnu [Ananta] the universe burning to ashes by the fire of His mouth, leaves that place transported by mystic power to reach the exaltation of Sathyaloka [the restingplace of Brahmâ] to reside there for as long as it takes. (Vedabase)

Text 27

There one will never find bereavement or old age, death, pain or anxieties, save that one sometimes has feelings of compassion when one sees the ignorant who are subjected to the hard to overcome misery of the repetition of birth and death.

There one will never find bereavement or old age, death or pain nor anxieties, save that sometimes due to consciousness out of sympathy there are feelings of compassion for the ignorant who are subjected to the misery of the repetition of birth and death that is difficult to overcome. (Vedabase)

Text 28

After surpassing the forms of water and fire and thus having reached that pure self free from fear, one thus having attained the effulgent atmosphere, in due course of time by the self its air reaches the ethereal self, the true greatness of one's soul.

Without doubt from that pure self one attains, surpassing the forms of water and fire, to the effulgent atmosphere where in due course of time the self by its air attains to the ethereal; the real greatness of the soul. (Vedabase)

Text 29

By scents having the smell, by the palate having the taste, by the eye having visions, by physical contact being in touch and finally by sound vibrations experiencing the quality of the ether, the yogi by dint of the activity of the senses also attains [the more subtle sphere].

By smelling scents, by the taste of the palate, by the seeing of forms and being in touch through physical contact, and as it were through aural reception attaining to the identification with the ethereal, the yogî by the senses also attains to material actions. (Vedabase)