SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 2

S'rî Suka said: "For the intelligent among men, I have given you all the answers in response to the inquiring of your good self about the human being on the threshold of death.

S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: Mahârâja Parîkshit, as you have inquired from me as to the duty of the intelligent man who is on the threshold of death, so I have answered you. (Vedabase)

Text 2-7:

The ones who desire for the luster of the Absolute worship the master of the Vedas; Indra, the King of Heaven is for the ones desiring strength of the senses [sex] and the Prajâpatis [the strong progenitors] are for those who desire offspring. The goddess [Durgâ] is for those desiring after the beauty of the material world, the firegod for the ones desiring power, for wealth there are the Vasus [a type of demigod] and the incarnations of Rudra [Lord S'iva] are for those wishing for strength and heroism. For a good harvest the mother of the demigods Aditi is worshiped, desiring heaven one worships her sons, for those desiring royal riches there are the Vis'vadeva demigods and for a commercial success there are the Sâdhya gods. The As'vinîs [two brother demigods] are for the desire for longevity, for a strong body the earth is worshiped and those who want to maintain their position and be renown respect their environment up to the horizon. Aspiring beauty there are the heavenly Gandharvas, those who want a good wife seek the girls of the heavenly society [the Apsaras and Urvas'îs] and everybody who wants to dominate over others is bound to the worship of Brahmâ, the head of the Universe. Yajña, the Lord of Sacrifice is worshiped for tangible fame and for a good bank balance Varuna the treasurer is sought. But those who desire to learn worship S'iva himself while for a good marriage his chaste wife Umâ is honored.

One who desires to be absorbed in the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence should worship the master of the Vedas [Lord Brahmâ or Brihaspati, the learned priest], one who desires powerful sex should worship the heavenly King, Indra, and one who desires good progeny should worship the great progenitors called the Prajâpatis.
One who desires good fortune should worship Durgâdevî, the superintendent of the material world. One desiring to be very powerful should worship fire, and one who aspires only after money should worship the Vasus. One should worship the Rudra incarnations of Lord S'iva if he wants to be a great hero.

One who wants a large stock of grains should worship Aditi. One who desires to attain the heavenly planets should worship the sons of Aditi. One who desires a worldly kingdom should worship Vis'vadeva, and one who wants to be popular with the general mass of population should worship the Sâdhya demigod.

One who desires a long span of life should worship the demigods known as the As'vinî-kumâras, and a person desiring a strongly built body should worship the earth. One who desires stability in his post should worship the horizon and the earth combined.

One who desires to be beautiful should worship the beautiful residents of the Gandharva planet, and one who desires a good wife should worship the Apsarâs and the Urvas'î society girls of the heavenly kingdom. One who desires domination over others should worship Lord Brahmâ, the head of the universe.

One who desires tangible fame should worship the Personality of Godhead, and one who desires a good bank balance should worship the demigod Varuna. If one desires to be a greatly learned man he should worship Lord S'iva, and if one desires a good marital relation he should worship the chaste goddess Umâ, the wife of Lord S'iva. (Vedabase)

Text 8

For spiritual progress the supreme truth [Lord Vishnu and His devotees] is worshiped, for offspring and their protection one seeks the ancestral [the residents of Pitriloka], pious persons are sought by those seeking protection, while the demigods in general are for the less common desires.

One should worship Lord Vishnu or His devotee for spiritual advancement in knowledge, and for protection of heredity and advancement of a dynasty one should worship the various demigods. (Vedabase)

Text 9

The godly Manus [the fathers of mankind] are for those desiring a kingdom, but the demons are sought for defeating enemies. The ones desiring sense gratification are bound to the moon [Candra], while those who are free from desire worship the Supreme Personality beyond.

One who desires domination over a kingdom or an empire should worship the Manus. One who desires victory over an enemy should worship the demons, and one who desires sense gratification should worship the moon. But one who desires nothing of material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 10

Whether free from desire, full of it or desiring liberation, the person with a broader intelligence should with all his heart worship in devotional service [bhakti-yoga] the Original Personality of God, the Supreme Whole.

A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 11

All these types of worshipers surely develop, worshiping the highest benediction in this life, unflinching sponateous attraction to the Supereme Lord through the association with His pure devotees.

All the different kinds of worshipers of multidemigods can attain the highest perfectional benediction, which is spontaneous attraction unflinchingly fixed upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by the association of the pure devotee of the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 12

The knowledge leading to the limit of the complete withdrawal from the whirlpool of the material modes, gives the satisfaction of the soul, which to the transcendence in detachment of these modes, carries the blessings of the path of bhakti yoga. Who, absorbed in the narrations about the Lord would not act on this attraction?"

Transcendental knowledge in relation with the Supreme Lord Hari is knowledge resulting in the complete suspension of the waves and whirlpools of the material modes. Such knowledge is self-satisfying due to its being free from material attachment, and being transcendental it is approved by authorities. Who could fail to be attracted? (Vedabase)

Text 13

S'aunaka said: "What did the king, de ruler of Bharata, after hearing all this, want to know more from the son of Vyâsadeva, the poetic wise?

S'aunaka said: The son of Vyâsadeva, S'rîla S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, was a highly learned sage and was able to describe things in a poetic manner. What did Mahârâja Parîkshit again inquire from him after hearing all that he had said? (Vedabase)

Text 14

O learned Sûta, explain to us, who are eager to hear about it, these topics that lead to the narrations about the Lord that certainly are welcome in the assembly of the devotees.

O learned Sûta Gosvâmî! Please continue to explain such topics to us because we are all eager to hear. Besides that, topics which result in the discussion of the Lord Hari should certainly be discussed in the assembly of devotees. (Vedabase)

Text 15

He, the king, was no doubt a great devotee, that grandson of the Pândavas; a great fighter who playing with dolls as a child enacted the activities of Lord Krishna.

Mahârâja Parîkshit, the grandson of the Pândavas, was from his very childhood a great devotee of the Lord. Even while playing with dolls, he used to worship Lord Krishna by imitating the worship of the family Deity. (Vedabase)

Text 16

And so was it also bound to be with the son of Vyâsadeva, there in the presence of the devotees, because of his great qualities in his attachment to the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva who is glorified by so many souls.

S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, the son of Vyâsadeva, was also full in transcendental knowledge and was agreat devotee of Lord Krishna, son of Vasudeva. So there must have been discussion of Lord Krishna, who is glorified by great philosophers and in the company of great devotees. (Vedabase)

Text 17

The rising and setting of the sun is sure to decrease [in vain] the duration of people's lives, except with the one who spends his time on the topics about the One of the Supreme Scriptural Truth.

Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 18:

Aren't the trees alive, do the blacksmith's bellows not breathe and do the beasts all around not eat and procreate?

Do the trees not live? Do the bellows of the blacksmith not breathe? All around us, do the beasts not eat and discharge semen? (Vedabase)

Text 19:

A person is, just like a dog, a hog, an ass or a camel, as good as an animal if the holy name of the deliverer of all evils never reached his ear.

Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord S'rî Krishna, the deliverer from evils. (Vedabase)

Text 20:

The ears of a man who never heard of Vishnu, the One of giant progress, are like those of snakes and the tongues also of those who never sung aloud the songs of worth are just as useless as those of frogs.

One who has not listened to the messages about the prowess and marvelous acts of the Personality of Godhead and has not sung or chanted loudly the worthy songs about the Lord is to be considered to possess earholes like the holes of snakes and a tongue like the tongue of a frog. (Vedabase)

Text 21:

Even carrying a heavy silk turban, is the upper part of the body just a burden, never bowing down to Mukunda [Krishna granting liberation]; just like hands that are not engaged in the worship of the Lord are as those of a dead body, even though decorated with glittering golden bangles.

The upper portion of the body, though crowned with a silk turban, is only a heavy burden if not bowed down before the Personality of Godhead who can award mukti [freedom]. And the hands, though decorated with glittering bangles, are like those of a dead man if not engaged in the service of the Personality of Godhead Hari. (Vedabase)

Text 22:

Like the eyes on the plumes of a peacock are the eyes of those men who do not look upon the forms of Vishnu and like the roots of trees are the feet of those human beings who never went for the holy places of the Lord.

The eyes which do not look at the symbolic representations of the Personality of Godhead Vishnu [His forms, name, quality, etc.] are like those printed on the plumes of the peacock, and the legs which do not move to the holy places [where the Lord is remembered] are considered to be like tree trunks. (Vedabase)

Text 23:

Dead alive are the mortals who never in particular received the dust of the feet of pure devotees and, while breathing, is a descendant of Manu [a man] but a dead body when he has never experienced the aroma of the wealth of Lord Vishnu's lotus feet.

The person who has not at any time received the dust of the feet of the Lord's pure devotee upon his head is certainly a dead body. And the person who has never experienced the aroma of the tulasî leaves from the lotus feet of the Lord is also a dead body, although breathing. (Vedabase)

Text 24:

Certainly is that heart steel-framed which, in spite of being absorbed in chanting the name of the Lord, is not transformed with the emotional of having tears in the eyes and hairs standing on end therewith.

Certainly that heart is steel-framed which, in spite of one's chanting the holy name of the Lord with concentration, does not change when ecstasy takes place, tears fill the eyes and the hairs stand on end. (Vedabase)

Text 25:

Since you express yourself in favorable terms, o Sûta Gosvâmî, please explain what transcendental knowledge the expertly leading S'ukadeva Gosvâmî being questioned conveyed to the truth seeking king."

O Suta Gosvâmî, your words are pleasing to our minds. Please therefore explain this to us as it was spoken by the great devotee S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, who is very expert in transcendental knowledge, and who spoke to Mahârâja Parîkshit upon being asked. (Vedabase)