Canto
5
Chapter 1: The Activities of Mahârâja Priyavrata
(1) The King said: 'Why, o sage, was Priyavrata, the great devotee of contentment with the soul, so happy to stay at home, that place which is the root cause of bondage in karma and the betrayal of transcendence? (2) Such a thing as indulgence in family-affairs, o wisest of the twiceborn, is for sure not possible with persons who are free from attachments. (3) It suffers no doubt that the consciousness of great souls that is satiated by the shade of the feet of the Lord praised in the verses, is there never in attachment to kith and kin. (4) This I greatly doubt, o brahmin: how can on account of the forces of wife, home, children and so on, perfection and an unfailing determination unto Krishna come about?'
(5) S'rî S'uka said: 'What you said about the nectarean honey of the glorification of the lotuslike feet of the Lord of the scriptures, the pleasing in which the hearts of liberated persons and the devotees are absorbed, is correct; even though they're sometimes checked by impediments, do they as good as never give up their most exalted position. (6) Because, indeed, o King, prince Priyavrata was a supreme devotee became he, in service of Nârada's feet, quickly aware of the complete truth of the transcendental subject matter, continuously discussing the spiritual in dedicated zeal without deviating from the sum total of the highest qualities as directed in the scriptures. He was asked by his father to rule over the surface of the earth, but because of having such a love for the with all his senses and actions in yoga being absorbed in the all-pervading of the Supreme Lord, did he not welcome it, although that post for no reason could be refused by him as surely deterioration could be foreseen if he would deal any other way with the untrue. (7) So it happened that the Lord and first among the demigods [Brahmâ] surrounded by all his personal associates and the Vedas, descended from his abode; he who is always thinking of the welfare of the whole of this universal creation of the three modes and of whom one knows the ultimate purpose of the Universe as being the Supreme Soul from which he himself found his existence. (8) When he reached the vicinity of the Gandhamâdana Mountains [where Priyavrata was meditating] was he, under the cover of the sky, alike the moon illumined by the stars, left and right flanked by the leaders of the demigods, who from their heavenly carriers worshiped him all the way, as also one after the other in groups did the perfect ones, the inhabitants of heaven, the refined, the singers and the sages [respectively the Siddhas, the Gandharvas, the Câranas, the Sâdhyas and the Munis]. (9) There rose the devarishi [Nârada], recognizing the swan-carrier of his almighty father Lord Hiranyagarbha [Brahmâ], together with Priyavrata and his father immediately to their feet to worship him with respect with their hands folded and with all the paraphernalia. (10) O son of Bhârata, as the Lord was confronted with all the articles of worship according the customs and as his qualities were praised in high language in gratitude for the glory of his descend, addressed he, the original person of the universe, Priyavrata, with a compassionate smile looking at him.
(11) The great Lord said: 'Pay attention to the true I'm telling you, you should not be jealous with the Godhead who is beyond our powers of control; we, Lord S'iva, your father and this great Rishi [Nârada], all, not being able to deviate, carry out His orders. (12) No living entity in acceptance of a material body can escape His order; not by austerity, nor by education, not by yoga, nor by one's strength or intelligence and for sure never either by one's opulence, the virtue of one's duty, by an external power or by any personal endeavor. (13) Directed by the unseen, do the living entities accept it with a material body to be bound to birth, death, sadness, illusion, constant fear, happiness and distress and to whatever they should do according their karma. (14) In our being tied to the modes and the fruitive labor so difficult to avoid [within the varnâs'rama system], my son, are we, like the four-legged ones [like bulls] by the nose bound to the two-legged [driver], tied to the long rope of vedic instruction and all engaged in carrying out the orders meant to please the Controller. (15) Like blind men led by someone with eyes do we, my dearest, inevitably have to accept the distress or happiness associated with the qualities and the work that belong to the condition we are situated in with the body that our Protector gave us. (16) Even a liberated person must for the time of his life maintain his body that was obtained as a result of the past, accepting unmistaken that what he went through as one who has awakened from sleep; but for another material body [a repeated birth] he would never give in to the material qualities. (17) When even residing in the forest there must be the fear of being bewildered because of living with the six co-wives [of the mind and the five senses], what harm indeed could household life then do to such a self-satisfied, learned one who has conquered the senses? (18) Anyone who has entered a householder's life must first of all eagerly try to conquer the six adversaries so that, as soon as - as from a fortified place - he has decreased the very strong enemies of the lusty desires, he as a man of experience can go wherever he likes. (19) You then, having taken to the shelter of the stronghold of the cavity of the lotus feet of Him whose navel is alike a lotus, and having conquered the six enemies, enjoy in this world everything there is to be enjoyed, finding yours in being liberated from attachments in your position, through these special orders of the Original Person.'
(20) S'rî S'uka said: 'The great devotee of the mighty Lord who is the spiritual master of the three worlds, thus fully instructed, as a subordinate soul bowed his head down upon his order and said: 'Yes sir, so will it, with all respect, be carried out'. (21) The great Lord, also by Manu duly respected as he deserves, with Priyavrata and Nârada in peace taking notice, then returned to his abode, departing for the place above all places which is indescribable and unfatomable. (22) Manu thus, also with his support, executed what he had in mind and with the permission of Nârada by his son establishing the maintenance of the protection of all worlds in the entire universe, found he personally relief from the desires of the so very dangerous, poisonous ocean of material affairs. (23) So indeed as ordered by the Controller, was he [Manu's son, Priyavrata], fully engaged in material affairs as the emperor of the universe, by constant meditation on the two lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, the Original Person of whom the influence of transcendence destroys all bondage, fully engaged in material affairs as the emperor of the universe completely pure with all dirt washed out of his heart and ruled he the material world just to honor the great ones. (24) He afterwards also married the daughter Barhishmatî of Vis'vakarmâ, one of the founding fathers and begot in her gloriously a daughter who as the youngest of all carried the name Ûrjasvatî, as well as ten sons, whose magnanimity was exactly alike his in character, qualities, course of action, beauty and prowess. (25) The sons all got the names of Agni, the god of fire: Âgnîdhra, Idhmajihva, Yajñabâhu, Mahâvîra, Hiranyaretâ, Ghritaprishthha, Savana, Medhâtithi, Vîtihotra and Kavi. (26) Three of them, Kavi, Mahâvîra and Savana were celibates from the inner drive who, living in transcendental knowledge right from the beginning of their childhood, were well conversant with the highest spiritual perfection, of wich they free from doubts kept the order [the paramahamsa-âs'rama]. (27) In that so confidently kept renounced order of life (*) resides the sum total of all great sages who are there for the individual souls who, anxious about their material existence, take to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva who is the only shelter. In constant remembrance perceived they, by virtue of the supreme of the yoga of devotion, free from contaminations purified, within their hearts the Supreme Lord of all beings as situated within themselves, thereby directly realizing their souls as being qualitatively equal, as being non-different from the Supersoul. (28) It was in another wife that he also begot three sons named Uttama, Tâmasa and Raivata who so became rulers of the Manu period [that is 71 mahâyugas long]. (29) Endowed with powerful arms of prowess and strength who together pulled the bowstring loudly defeating all who opposed the righteous rule, became they, all his well qualified sons, masters of the universe and thus was there without interruption for a 110 million years the expansion of Priyavrata's rule as a great soul, a soul who of his wife Barhishmatî her amiability, femininity, shyness, coy, laughs and glances and exchanges of love [in his repeated births] enjoyed a life of pleasure; but in his true knowledge was he defeated by it like a less intelligent one. (30) Not appreciating that the sungod, as long as he circumambulated mount Meru, lit up one side of the earth and left the other half in the dark, said he who in his worship of the Fortunate One was of a superhuman power: 'I'll make the night as brilliant as the day', and to that he followed in a chariot the orbit of the sun, which he, like a second sun, performed ecactly seven times and with the same speed. (31) His proceeding that way with the wheels of his chariot was, making trenches with the rims, responsible for bringing about the seven oceans which divided the heavenly sphere around the earth [Bhû-mandala] in the seven islands [the realms of planetary interest]. (32) Known as Jambû, Plaksha, S'âlmali, Kus'a, Krauñca, S'âka and Pushkara measures each of them twice the size of the preceding one and was there, all around outside of them, that what they produced. (33) The seven oceans that like trenches to the seven islands inside of them were filled with salt water, sugercane-juice, liquor, fluid butter, milk, fluid yogurt and sweet water, were of an equal proportion to the islands they enclosed at the outside, the separate islands that one after the other to the number of seven were situated in a row all around. To each of the islands installed the husband of Barhishmatî as their rulers one of his faithful sons of which there were also seven: Âgnîdhra, Idhmajihva, Yajñabâhu, Hiranyaretâ, Ghritaprishthha, Medhâtithi and Vîtihotra.
(34) What he also did was to give the daughter named Ûrjasvatî to the great sage Us'anâ [S'ukrâcârya] unto whom was born a daughter named Devayânî. (35) Of no surprise is to the devotees the personal influence of the One of the Great Steps [Urukrama, see 1.3: 19], by the lotus feet of whom the sixfold material whip [of hunger, thirst, lamentation, illusion, old age and death] is conquered, when a fifth-class person [an outcaste] only once uttering His holy name immediately gives up his material bondage. (36) He [Priyavrata] thus unparalleled in strength and influence, who once surrendered himself to the feet of the devarishi [Nârada] but thereafter fell down because of his concerns with the modes of matter not finding satisfaction [compare 1-5: 17], then, thinking about himself, in a spirit of renunciation said this: (37) 'Alas, I did wrong for I was completely absorbed by the nescience of a sensual life; the dark well of material pleasure made me guilty of a lot of distress making me look like a dancing monkey, insignificant and of no importance, in the hands of my wife; doomed and damned I am indeed!', thus he criticized himself. (38) By the selfrealization obtained through the mercy of the God Beyond, handing over the earth to his sons who followed him exactly, dividing the inheritance he enjoyed in so many ways, with the queen and the great opulence giving up the deadness of his body and with himself in his heart in perfect surrender taking to the renunciation, he with that attitude was sure to again put himself on the right track in combination with the stories of the Lord at the feet of that greatest of saints Nârada. (39) To him apply all these verses: 'What was done by Priyavrata no one could have done except for the Supreme Controller', 'By the impressions of the rims of the wheels of his chariot he dissipated the darkness, creating the seven seas'. (40) 'To stop the fighting of the different nations on the various continents was it he who created the situation in the world of the separation by means of rivers, mountain ranges and forests [compare 4.14: 45-46] and such.' (41) 'He was the one most dear on the path after the Original Person; he was the one to whom all opulence of the lower worlds, the heavens or the earth, as acquired by fruitive action and the power of yoga, was just like hell.'
Second edition, loaded December 26, 2006. 
Source texts:
The Activities of Mahârâja Priyavrata
The King said: 'Why, o sage, was Priyavrata, the great devotee of contentment with the soul, so happy to stay at home, that place which is the root cause of bondage in karma and the betrayal of transcendence?King Parîkshit inquired from S'ukadeva Gosvâmî: O great sage, why did King Priyavrata, who was a great, self-realized devotee of the Lord, remain in household life, which is the root cause of the bondage of karma [fruitive activities] and which defeats the mission of human life? (Vedabase)
Such a thing as indulgence in family-affairs, o wisest of the twiceborn, is for sure not possible with persons who are free from attachments.
Devotees are certainly liberated persons. Therefore, O greatest of the brâhmanas, they cannot possibly be absorbed in family affairs. (Vedabase)
It suffers no doubt that the consciousness of great souls that is satiated by the shade of the feet of the Lord praised in the verses, is there never in attachment to kith and kin.
Elevated mahâtmâs who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are fully satiated by the shade of those lotus feet. Their consciousness cannot possibly become attached to family members. (Vedabase)
This I greatly doubt, o brahmin: how can on account of the forces of wife, home, children and so on, perfection and an unfailing determination unto Krishna come about?'
The King continued: O great brâhmana, this is my great doubt. How was it possible for a person like King Priyavrata, who was so attached to wife, children and home, to achieve the topmost infallible perfection in Krishna consciousness? (Vedabase)
S'rî S'uka said: 'What you said about the nectarean honey of the glorification of the lotuslike feet of the Lord of the scriptures, the pleasing in which the hearts of liberated persons and the devotees are absorbed, is correct; even though they're sometimes checked by impediments, do they as good as never give up their most exalted position.
S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: What you have said is correct. The glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is praised in eloquent, transcendental verses by such exalted personalities as Brahmâ, are very pleasing to great devotees and liberated persons. One who is attached to the nectarean honey of the Lord's lotus feet, and whose mind is always absorbed in His glories, may sometimes be checked by some impediment, but he still never gives up the exalted position he has acquired. (Vedabase)
Because, indeed, o King, prince Priyavrata was a supreme devotee became he, in service of Nârada's feet, quickly aware of the complete truth of the transcendental subject matter, continuously discussing the spiritual in dedicated zeal without deviating from the sum total of the highest qualities as directed in the scriptures. He was asked by his father to rule over the surface of the earth, but because of having such a love for the with all his senses and actions in yoga being absorbed in the all-pervading of the Supreme Lord, did he not welcome it, although that post for no reason could be refused by him as surely deterioration could be foreseen if he would deal any other way with the untrue.
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: My dear King, Prince Priyavrata was a great devotee because he sought the lotus feet of Nârada, his spiritual master, and thus achieved the highest perfection in transcendental knowledge. With advanced knowledge, he always engaged in discussing spiritual subjects and did not divert his attention to anything else. The Prince's father then asked him to take charge of ruling the world. He tried to convince Priyavrata that this was his duty as indicated in the revealed scriptures. Prince Priyavrata, however, was continuously practicing bhakti-yoga by constantly remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thus engaging all his senses in the service of the Lord. Therefore, although the order of his father could not be rejected, the Prince did not welcome it. Thus he very conscientiously raised the question of whether he might be diverted from devotional service by accepting the responsibility of ruling over the world. (Vedabase)
So it happened that the Lord and first among the demigods [Brahmâ] surrounded by all his personal associates and the Vedas, descended from his abode; he who is always thinking of the welfare of the whole of this universal creation of the three modes and of whom one knows the ultimate purpose of the Universe as being the Supreme Soul from which he himself found his existence.
S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: The first created being and most powerful demigod in this universe is Lord Brahmâ, who is always responsible for developing universal affairs. Born directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he dedicates his activities to the welfare of the entire universe, for he knows the purpose of the universal creation. (Vedabase)
When he reached the vicinity of the Gandhamâdana Mountains [where Priyavrata was meditating] was he, under the cover of the sky, alike the moon illumined by the stars, left and right flanked by the leaders of the demigods, who from their heavenly carriers worshiped him all the way, as also one after the other in groups did the perfect ones, the inhabitants of heaven, the refined, the singers and the sages [respectively the Siddhas, the Gandharvas, the Câranas, the Sâdhyas and the Munis].
As Lord Brahmâ descended on his carrier, the great swan, all the residents of the planets named Siddhaloka, Gandharvaloka, Sâdhyaloka and Câranaloka, as well as great sages and demigods flying in their different airplanes, assembled within the canopy of the sky to receive Lord Brahmâ and worship him. As he received respect and adoration from the residents of the various planets, Lord Brahmâ appeared just like the full moon surrounded by illuminating stars. Lord Brahmâ's great swan then arrived at the border of Gandhamâdana Hill and approached Prince Priyavrata, who was sitting there. (Vedabase)
There rose the devarishi [Nârada], recognizing the swan-carrier of his almighty father Lord Hiranyagarbha [Brahmâ], together with Priyavrata and his father immediately to their feet to worship him with respect with their hands folded and with all the paraphernalia.
Lord Brahmâ, the father of Nârada Muni, is the supreme person within this universe. As soon as Nârada saw the great swan, he could understand that Lord Brahmâ had arrived. Therefore he immediately stood up, along with Svâyambhuva Manu and his son Priyavrata, whom Nârada was instructing. Then they folded their hands and began to worship Lord Brahmâ with great respect. (Vedabase)
O son of Bhârata, as the Lord was confronted with all the articles of worship according the customs and as his qualities were praised in high language in gratitude for the glory of his descend, addressed he, the original person of the universe, Priyavrata, with a compassionate smile looking at him.
My dear King Parîkshit, because Lord Brahmâ had finally descended from Satyaloka to Bhûloka, Nârada Muni, Prince Priyavrata and Svâyambhuva Manu came forward to offer him objects of worship and to praise him in highly qualified language, according to Vedic etiquette. At that time, Lord Brahmâ, the original person of this universe, felt compassion for Priyavrata and, looking upon him with a smiling face, spoke to him as follows. (Vedabase)
The great Lord said: 'Pay attention to the true I'm telling you, you should not be jealous with the Godhead who is beyond our powers of control; we, Lord S'iva, your father and this great Rishi [Nârada], all, not being able to deviate, carry out His orders.
Lord Brahmâ, the supreme person within this universe, said: My dear Priyavrata, kindly hear attentively what I shall say to you. Do not be jealous of the Supreme Lord, who is beyond our experimental measurements. All of us, including Lord S'iva, your father and the great sage Mahârishi Nârada, must carry out the order of the Supreme. We cannot deviate from His order. (Vedabase)
No living entity in acceptance of a material body can escape His order; not by austerity, nor by education, not by yoga, nor by one's strength or intelligence and for sure never either by one's opulence, the virtue of one's duty, by an external power or by any personal endeavor.
One cannot avoid the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not by the strength of severe austerities, an exalted Vedic education, or the power of mystic yoga, physical prowess or intellectual activities. Nor can one use his power of religion, his material opulence or any other means, either by himself or with the help of others, to defy the orders of the Supreme Lord. That is not possible for any living being, from Brahmâ down to the ant. (Vedabase)
Directed by the unseen, do the living entities accept it with a material body to be bound to birth, death, sadness, illusion, constant fear, happiness and distress and to whatever they should do according their karma.
My dear Priyavrata, by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all living entities accept different types of bodies for birth and death, activity, lamentation, illusion, fear of future dangers, and happiness and distress. (Vedabase)
In our being tied to the modes and the fruitive labor so difficult to avoid [within the varnâs'rama system], my son, are we, like the four-legged ones [like bulls] by the nose bound to the two-legged [driver], tied to the long rope of vedic instruction and all engaged in carrying out the orders meant to please the Controller.
My dear boy, all of us are bound by the Vedic injunctions to the divisions of varnâs'rama according to our qualities and work. These divisions are difficult to avoid because they are scientifically arranged. We must therefore carry out our duties of varnâs'rama-dharma, like bulls obliged to move according to the direction of a driver pulling on ropes knotted to their noses. (Vedabase)
Like blind men led by someone with eyes do we, my dearest, inevitably have to accept the distress or happiness associated with the qualities and the work that belong to the condition we are situated in with the body that our Protector gave us.
My dear Priyavrata, according to our association with different modes of material nature, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives us our specific bodies and the happiness and distress we achieve. One must therefore remain situated as he is and be conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exactly as a blind man is led by a person who has eyes with which to see. (Vedabase)
Even a liberated person must for the time of his life maintain his body that was obtained as a result of the past, accepting unmistaken that what he went through as one who has awakened from sleep; but for another material body [a repeated birth] he would never give in to the material qualities.
Even if one is liberated, he nevertheless accepts the body he has received according to his past karma. Without misconceptions, however, he regards his enjoyment and suffering due to that karma the way an awakened person regards a dream he had while sleeping. He thus remains steadfast and never works to achieve another material body under the influence of the three modes of material nature. (Vedabase)Text 17
When even residing in the forest there must be the fear of being bewildered because of living with the six co-wives [of the mind and the five senses], what harm indeed could household life then do to such a self-satisfied, learned one who has conquered the senses?
Even if he goes from forest to forest, one who is not self-controlled must always fear material bondage because he is living with six co-wives--the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses. Even householder life, however, cannot harm a self-satisfied, learned man who has conquered his senses. (Vedabase)
Anyone who has entered a householder's life must first of all eagerly try to conquer the six adversaries so that, as soon as - as from a fortified place - he has decreased the very strong enemies of the lusty desires, he as a man of experience can go wherever he likes.
One who is situated in household life and who systematically conquers his mind and five sense organs is like a king in his fortress who conquers his powerful enemies. After one has been trained in household life and his lusty desires have decreased, he can move anywhere without danger. (Vedabase)
You then, having taken to the shelter of the stronghold of the cavity of the lotus feet of Him whose navel is alike a lotus, and having conquered the six enemies, enjoy in this world everything there is to be enjoyed, finding yours in being liberated from attachments in your position, through these special orders of the Original Person.'
Lord Brahmâ continued: My dear Priyavrata, seek shelter inside the opening in the lotus of the feet of the Lord, whose navel is also like a lotus. Thus conquer the six sense organs [the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses]. Accept material enjoyment because the Lord, extraordinarily, has ordered you to do this. You will thus always be liberated from material association and be able to carry out the Lord's orders in your constitutional position. (Vedabase)
S'rî S'uka said: 'The great devotee of the mighty Lord who is the spiritual master of the three worlds, thus fully instructed, as a subordinate soul bowed his head down upon his order and said: 'Yes sir, so will it, with all respect, be carried out'.
S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: After thus being fully instructed by Lord Brahmâ, who is the spiritual master of the three worlds, Priyavrata, his own position being inferior, offered obeisances, accepted the order and carried it out with great respect. (Vedabase)
The great Lord, also by Manu duly respected as he deserves, with Priyavrata and Nârada in peace taking notice, then returned to his abode, departing for the place above all places which is indescribable and unfatomable.
Lord Brahmâ was then worshiped by Manu, who respectfully satisfied him as well as he could. Priyavrata and Nârada also looked upon Brahmâ with no tinges of resentment. Having engaged Priyavrata in accepting his father's request, Lord Brahmâ returned to his abode, Satyaloka, which is indescribable by the endeavor of mundane mind or words. (Vedabase)
Manu thus, also with his support, executed what he had in mind and with the permission of Nârada by his son establishing the maintenance of the protection of all worlds in the entire universe, found he personally relief from the desires of the so very dangerous, poisonous ocean of material affairs.
Svâyambhuva Manu, with the assistance of Lord Brahmâ, thus fulfilled his desires. With the permission of the great sage Nârada, he delivered to his son the governmental responsibility for maintaining and protecting all the planets of the universe. He thus achieved relief from the most dangerous, poisonous ocean of material desires. (Vedabase)
So indeed as ordered by the Controller, was he [Manu's son, Priyavrata], by constant meditation on the two lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, the Original Person of whom the influence of transcendence destroys all bondage, fully engaged in material affairs as the emperor of the universe completely pure with all dirt washed out of his heart and ruled he the material world just to honor the great ones.
Following the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mahârâja Priyavrata fully engaged in worldly affairs, yet he always thought of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are the cause of liberation from all material attachment. Although Priyavrata Mahârâja was completely freed from all material contamination, he ruled the material world just to honor the orders of his superiors. (Vedabase)
He afterwards also married the daughter Barhishmatî of Vis'vakarmâ, one of the founding fathers and begot in her gloriously a daughter who as the youngest of all carried the name Ûrjasvatî, as well as ten sons, whose magnanimity was exactly alike his in character, qualities, course of action, beauty and prowess.
Thereafter, Mahârâja Priyavrata married Barhishmatî, the daughter of the prajâpati named Vis'vakarmâ. In her he begot ten sons equal to him in beauty, character, magnanimity and other qualities. He also begot a daughter, the youngest of all, named Ûrjasvatî. (Vedabase)
The sons all got the names of Agni, the god of fire: Âgnîdhra, Idhmajihva, Yajñabâhu, Mahâvîra, Hiranyaretâ, Ghritaprishthha, Savana, Medhâtithi, Vîtihotra and Kavi.
The ten sons of Mahârâja Priyavrata were named Âgnîdhra, Idhmajihva, Yajñabâhu, Mahâvîra, Hiranyaretâ, Ghritaprishthha, Savana, Medhâtithi, Vîtihotra and Kavi. These are also names of Agni, the fire-god. (Vedabase)
Three of them, Kavi, Mahâvîra and Savana were celibates from the inner drive who, living in transcendental knowledge right from the beginning of their childhood, were well conversant with the highest spiritual perfection, of wich they free from doubts kept the order [the paramahamsa-âs'rama].
Three among these ten--namely Kavi, Mahâvîra and Savana--lived in complete celibacy. Thus trained in brahmacârî life from the beginning of childhood, they were very conversant with the highest perfection, known as the paramahamsa-âs'rama. (Vedabase)
In that so confidently kept renounced order of life. (*) resides the sum total of all great sages who are there for the individual souls who, anxious about their material existence, take to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva who is the only shelter. In constant remembrance perceived they, by virtue of the supreme of the yoga of devotion, free from contaminations purified, within their hearts the Supreme Lord of all beings as situated within themselves, thereby directly realizing their souls as being qualitatively equal, as being non-different from the Supersoul.
Thus situated in the renounced order from the beginning of their lives, all three of them completely controlled the activities of their senses and thus became great saints. They concentrated their minds always upon the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the resting place of the totality of living entities and who is therefore celebrated as Vâsudeva. Lord Vâsudeva is the only shelter of those who are actually afraid of material existence. By constantly thinking of His lotus feet, these three sons of Mahârâja Priyavrata became advanced in pure devotional service. By the prowess of their devotional service, they could directly perceive the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in everyone's heart as the Supersoul, and realize that there was qualitatively no difference between themselves and Him. (Vedabase)
It was in another wife that he also begot three sons named Uttama, Tâmasa and Raivata who so became rulers of the Manu period [that is 71 mahâyugas long].
In his other wife, Mahârâja Priyavrata begot three sons, named Uttama, Tâmasa and Raivata. All of them later took charge of manvantara millenniums. (Vedabase)
Endowed with powerful arms of prowess and strength who together pulled the bowstring loudly defeating all who opposed the righteous rule, became they, all his well qualified sons, masters of the universe and thus was there without interruption for a 110 million years the expansion of Priyavrata's rule as a great soul, a soul who of his wife Barhishmatî her amiability, femininity, shyness, coy, laughs and glances and exchanges of love [in his repeated births] enjoyed a life of pleasure; but in his true knowledge was he defeated by it like a less intelligent one.
After Kavi, Mahâvîra and Savana were completely trained in the paramahamsa stage of life, Mahârâja Priyavrata ruled the universe for eleven arbudas of years. Whenever he was determined to fix his arrow upon his bowstring with his two powerful arms, all opponents of the regulative principles of religious life would flee from his presence in fear of the unparalleled prowess he displayed in ruling the universe. He greatly loved his wife Barhishmatî, and with the increase of days, their exchange of nuptial love also increased. By her feminine behavior as she dressed herself, walked, got up, smiled, laughed, and glanced about, Queen Barhishmatî increased his energy. Thus although he was a great soul, he appeared lost in the feminine conduct of his wife. He behaved with her just like an ordinary man, but actually he was a great soul. (Vedabase)
Not appreciating that the sungod, as long as he circumambulated mount Meru, lit up one side of the earth and left the other half in the dark, said he who in his worship of the Fortunate One was of a superhuman power: 'I'll make the night as brilliant as the day', and to that he followed in a chariot the orbit of the sun, which he, like a second sun, performed ecactly seven times and with the same speed.
While so excellently ruling the universe, King Priyavrata once became dissatisfied with the circumambulation of the most powerful sun-god. Encircling Sumeru Hill on his chariot, the sun-god illuminates all the surrounding planetary systems. However, when the sun is on the northern side of the hill, the south receives less light, and when the sun is in the south, the north receives less. King Priyavrata disliked this situation and therefore decided to make daylight in the part of the universe where there was night. He followed the orbit of the sun-god on a brilliant chariot and thus fulfilled his desire. He could perform such wonderful activities because of the power he had achieved by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)
His proceeding that way with the wheels of his chariot was, making trenches with the rims, responsible for bringing about the seven oceans which divided the heavenly sphere around the earth [Bhû-mandala] in the seven islands [the realms of planetary interest].
When Priyavrata drove his chariot behind the sun, the rims of his chariot wheels created impressions that later became seven oceans, dividing the planetary system known as Bhû-mandala into seven islands. (Vedabase)
Known as Jambû, Plaksha, S'âlmali, Kus'a, Krauñca, S'âka and Pushkara measures each of them twice the size of the preceding one and was there, all around outside of them, that what they produced.
The names of the islands are Jambû, Plaksha, S'âlmali, Kus'a, Krauñca, S'âka and Pushkara. Each island is twice as large as the one preceding it, and each is surrounded by a liquid substance, beyond which is the next island. (Vedabase)
The seven oceans that like trenches to the seven islands inside of them were filled with salt water, sugercane-juice, liquor, fluid butter, milk, fluid yogurt and sweet water, were of an equal proportion to the islands they enclosed at the outside, the separate islands that one after the other to the number of seven were situated in a row all around. To each of the islands installed the husband of Barhishmatî as their rulers one of his faithful sons of which there were also seven: Âgnîdhra, Idhmajihva, Yajñabâhu, Hiranyaretâ, Ghritaprishthha, Medhâtithi and Vîtihotra.
The seven oceans respectively contain salt water, sugarcane juice, liquor, clarified butter, milk, emulsified yogurt, and sweet drinking water. All the islands are completely surrounded by these oceans, and each ocean is equal in breadth to the island it surrounds. Mahârâja Priyavrata, the husband of Queen Barhishmatî, gave sovereignty over these islands to his respective sons, namely Âgnîdhra, Idhmajihva, Yajñabâhu, Hiranyaretâ, Ghritaprishthha, Medhâtithi and Vîtihotra. Thus they all became kings by the order of their father. (Vedabase)
What he also did was to give the daughter named Ûrjasvatî to the great sage Us'anâ [S'ukrâcârya] unto whom was born a daughter named Devayânî.
King Priyavrata then gave his daughter, Ûrjasvatî, in marriage to S'ukrâcârya, who begot in her a daughter named Devayânî. (Vedabase)
Of no surprise is to the devotees the personal influence of the One of the Great Steps [Urukrama, see 1.3: 19], by the lotus feet of whom the sixfold material whip [of hunger, thirst, lamentation, illusion, old age and death] is conquered, when a fifth-class person [an outcaste] only once uttering His holy name immediately gives up his material bondage.
My dear King, a devotee who has taken shelter of the dust from the lotus feet of the Lord can transcend the influence of the six material whips--namely hunger, thirst, lamentation, illusion, old age and death--and he can conquer the mind and five senses. However, this is not very wonderful for a pure devotee of the Lord because even a person beyond the jurisdiction of the four castes--in other words, an untouchable--is immediately relieved of bondage to material existence if he utters the holy name of the Lord even once. (Vedabase)
He [Priyavrata] thus unparalleled in strength and influence, who once surrendered himself to the feet of the devarishi [Nârada] but thereafter fell down because of his concerns with the modes of matter not finding satisfaction [compare 1-5: 17], then, thinking about himself, in a spirit of renunciation said this:
While enjoying his material opulences with full strength and influence, Mahârâja Priyavrata once began to consider that although he had fully surrendered to the great saint Nârada and was actually on the path of Krishna consciousness, he had somehow become again entangled in material activities. Thus his mind now became restless, and he began to speak in a spirit of renunciation. (Vedabase)
'Alas, I did wrong for I was completely absorbed by the nescience of a sensual life; the dark well of material pleasure made me guilty of a lot of distress making me look like a dancing monkey, insignificant and of no importance, in the hands of my wife; doomed and damned I am indeed!', thus he criticized himself.
The King thus began criticizing himself: Alas, how condemned I have become because of my sense gratification! I have now fallen into material enjoyment, which is exactly like a covered well. I have had enough! I am not going to enjoy any more. Just see how I have become like a dancing monkey in the hands of my wife. Because of this, I am condemned. (Vedabase)
By the selfrealization obtained through the mercy of the God Beyond, handing over the earth to his sons who followed him exactly, dividing the inheritance he enjoyed in so many ways, with the queen and the great opulence giving up the deadness of his body and with himself in his heart in perfect surrender taking to the renunciation, he with that attitude was sure to again put himself on the right track in combination with the stories of the Lord at the feet of that greatest of saints Nârada.
By the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mahârâja Priyavrata reawakened to his senses. He divided all his earthly possessions among his obedient sons. He gave up everything, including his wife, with whom he had enjoyed so much sense gratification, and his great and opulent kingdom, and he completely renounced all attachment. His heart, having been cleansed, became a place of pastimes for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he was able to return to the path of Krishna consciousness, spiritual life, and resume the position he had attained by the grace of the great saint Nârada. (Vedabase)
To him apply all these verses: 'What was done by Priyavrata no one could have done except for the Supreme Controller', 'By the impressions of the rims of the wheels of his chariot he dissipated the darkness, creating the seven seas'.
There are many famous verses regarding Mahârâja Priyavrata's activities: "No one but the Supreme Personality of Godhead could do what Mahârâja Priyavrata has done. Mahârâja Priyavrata dissipated the darkness of night, and with the rims of his great chariot, he excavated seven oceans." (Vedabase)
'To stop the fighting of the different nations on the various continents was it he who created the situation in the world of the separation by means of rivers, mountain ranges and forests [compare 4.14: 45-46] and such.'
"To stop the quarreling among different peoples, Mahârâja Priyavrata marked boundaries at rivers and at the edges of mountains and forests so that no one would trespass upon another's property." (Vedabase)
'He was the one most dear on the path after the Original Person; he was the one to whom all opulence of the lower worlds, the heavens or the earth, as acquired by fruitive action and the power of yoga, was just like hell.'
"As a great follower and devotee of the sage Nârada, Mahârâja Priyavrata considered hellish the opulences he had achieved by dint of fruitive activities and mystic power, whether in the lower or heavenly planetary systems or in human society." (Vedabase)
For
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ISBN: o-91277-27-7
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