Narayaneeyam: Dasakam: 15

Dashakam: XV

Shloka: 1

Iha Matih Guna-Saktaa-----------------------------In this world, the mind (intellect) attached to sense objects (made up of three gunas)

Bandha-krtt-------------------------------------------is the creator or cause of bondage with worldly affairs

Asakttaa tu teshu-------------------------------------But that mind, if detached from sense-objects

Amrta-krt------------------------------------------------it is the cause of liberation/ is also the bestower of immortality

Bhakti-yogah tu uparundhe saktim-----------------the path of devotion, indeed prevents detachment

Atah atra Bhaktih---------------------------------------therefore, in this world, devotion

Mahat-anugam-labhyaa eva saadhyaa-------------which arises from following holy men should alone be sought

Iti tvam kapilatanu---------------------------------------Thus, “You” in the form of Lord Kapila

Nyagaadeeh Devahootyai-------------------------------did instruct Devahuti

Devotion is supreme love of God. When such devotion develops, love of sense pleasures drops of gradually. It is the first step for attaining liberation. The best way of acquiring and developing devotion is to be in the company of great devotees and listen to their words of wisdom.

The word guna also means rope or thread. The three gunas are causative of bondage. They are the ropes which bind people to sense-objects.

Shloka: 2

Asau muchyate prakrtyaa-----------------------------------He is freed from delusion

Vidita-vibhaagah iti-------------------------------------------who has know the differentiation, thus:

Prakrti-Mahat-ahankaaraah-cha--------------------------Primordial matter, cosmic intelligence and the Ego

Api Maatraah cha Bhootaani-------------------------------also the five subtle essences or tanmantaras-(sound, touch, form, taste and smell) and the five elements or pancha bhootas----Ether (sky), air, fire, water and earth

Hrt api dashaakshee--------------------------------------------the mind and 10 indriyas –five senses of perception (ear-hearing, skin-touch, eye-seeing, tongue-taste and nose-smell) and five organs of action (speech, hands, feet, anus and genitals—organ of generation)

Poorushah Panchavimshah-------------------------------------Purusha is the 25th one

Iti tvam Kapila-tanu---------------------------------------------thus “You” in the form of Lord Kapila

Nyagaadeeh devahootyai---------------------------------------did instruct Devahuti

Primordial—primitive, this is the causative factor of the entire Universe. It is moola Prakrti.

1. Prakrti means "nature”.It is, according to Hinduism, the basic nature of intelligence by which the Universe exists and functions. It is described in Bhagavad Gita as the "primal motive force". It is the essential constituent of the universe and is at the basis of all the activity of the creation. It is composed of the three gunas which are tendencies or modes of operation, known as sattva (creation), rajas (preservation), and tamas, (destruction).

2.       Cosmic intelligence is Mahat-tattvam –This is the first transformation of Prakrti. When the equilibrium in the prakrti comprised of three gunas are disturbed by the Lord, deposited His energy in the form of Chit-shakti (the power of intelligence), which gave birth to Mahat-tattvam (universal intellect)

3.       Ego is ahamkara is evolved out of mahat-tattvam from the Lord’s energy. There are 3 kinds:

Saatvika ahamkaara—from Sattvam, Pure

Rajasa ahamkaara—from Rajas, activity

Tamasa ahamkaara—from Tamas,inertia ( inertness,inactivity sluggishness)

Of these, from Saativika ahamkaara evolved  the presiding deities of the sense organs and the mind; from Rajasa ahamkaara—the sense organs and from tamas –the subtle and gross elements

4-8       five subtle essences

9-13       five elements as mentioned above

14.        Inner organ –born from Saatvika ahamkaara. It is divided in to 4

Mind, Reasoning, intellect and ego

15-24       Five Organs of senses and five organs of action from Rajasa ahamkaara as mentioned above

These are called 24 principles. And 25 th principle is purusha—has no attachment or bondage and is different from the 24 gunas. He is nirguna, devoid of attributes and nishkriya, devoid of action

In Samkhya, a school of Hindu philosophy, Purusha is pure consciousness. It is thought to be our true identity, to be contrasted with Prakrti, or the material world, which contains all of our organs, senses, and intellectual faculties.

In Samkhya and also in Yoga, purusha is opposed to prakriti, the basic matter constituting the phenomenal universe, as the two ontological realities. All animate and inanimate objects and all psychomental experiences are emanations of prakriti. It is confusion of purusha with prakriti that keeps the self in bondage; disassociation of purusha from prakriti is its liberation.

He who understands this division – i.e. All the entities other than Purusha are effects of Prakrti and that Purusha is separate from them and is able to distinguish himself totally beyond them, all delusions disappear and the veil is lifted and attains liberation.  In case the bondage to the attributes of  Prakrti is real, Purusha will never attain liberation.

Shloka: 3

Ayam Poorushah na ajayate----------------------------------This purusha does not bind himself

Prakrti-gata-gunaughaih----------------------------------------by the hosts of attributes pertaining to prakrti, such as hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion (hallucination, fallacy) old age death etc.

Tu yadi sajati tasyaam-------------------------------------------but if He gets attached to her,

Tadgunaah bhajeran tam----------------------------------------her attributes will take possession of Him.

Saa api apeyaat-----------------------------------------------------She too will release Him from her hold

Madanubhajana-tatvaalochanaih-----------------------------By my worship and contemplation on my true nature

Iti tvam kapilatanu----------------------------------------------- Thus, “You” in the form of Lord Kapila

Nyagaadeeh devahootyai-------------------------------------- advised Devahuti

Shloka: 4

Vimala-matih-------------------------------------------------Having attained purity of mind and

Upaattaih aasanaadyaih----------------------------------by assuming or practicing yogic postures and other aspects of yoga ( Yama, niyama, asana,pranayama and pratiyahara)

Sheelayata anuvelam----------------------one should constantly /continuously meditate or contemplate

Madangam----------------------------------------on my (divine) form

Garuda-samadhiroodam----------------------as verily seated or ascended (rise, move upward) on the back of Garuda

Divya Bhooshaa-yudhaankam--------------------adorned with divine ornaments and divine weapons

Ruchi-tulita-tamaalam-----------------------with a lusture / Splendour (and blueness) similar/resembling to the leaf of a Tamala tree

Iti tvam Kapila-tanuh----------------------Thus, “You” in the form of Lord Kapila

Nyagaadeeh devahootyai-----------------advised Devahuti

Shloka: 5

Mama guna-gana-leelaa-karnanaih Keertanaadyaih-------------------by listening to “My” innumerable excellences and sportive activities, chanting My name or singing My glories etc.

Parama-bhaktih mayi-----------------------------------------------------------supreme devotion in me

Sura-Saridogha-Prakhya-chittaanu-vrttih bhavati---------------------flowing continuously from the mind, streaming forth like the sacred river Ganga towards the ocean is generated or is born

Surasarita—Ganga; Prakhya—like; 0gha—flow

Saa hi Mrtyoh Vijetree----------------------------------------------------that devotion is alone the conqueror of cycle of birth and death

Iti tvam Kapila-tanuh----------------------Thus, “You” in the form of Lord Kapila

Nyagaadeeh devahootyai-----------------advised Devahuti

 Sadhana-bhakti is that which is realizable by the function of the senses. It is devotion in practice and is a means for attaining bhava-bhakti. But sadhana-bhakti is not a means in the ordinary sense. Generally, sadhana refers to some practice that is undertaken to attain a specific goal, known as the sadhya. In this general sense sadhana is merely a cause that gives rise to a previously non-existent sadhya, and once the sadhya is attained, the sadhana that was undertaken to achieve it becomes obsolete. Bhakti is not sadhana or sadhya in this sense. Bhakti is eternal and not manufactured by any combination of ingredients. Sadhana-bhakti qualifies the aspirant so that bhava can become manifest. Bhakti, manifesting in the form of internal emotions, is called bhava-bhakti and when it matures into the sentiments of love, it is called prema-bhakti, or devotion in love. Bhakti Yoga is easy to practice and eradicates all sorrows of “Samsara”.

Shloka: 6

Anupushnan kutumbam Pratidinam---------------------------supporting/bringing up his family every day

Bahula-himsaa-sanchita-arthaih--------------------------------with wealth earned by grievous-cruel and unfair acts

Streejitah baalalaalee----------------------------------------------being under the control of his wife and lavishing (sumptuous, rich, extravagant) affection on his children

Grhasaktah mayi abhaktah---------------------------------------intensely attached to the family, house and worldly possessions with no devotion to me

Vishati Yaatanaam hi ahaha-----------------------------------one does verily attain hellish sorrow or goes to hell indeed. Alas!

Iti tvamKapila-tanuh  ----------------------Thus, “You” in the form of Lord Kapila

Nyagaadeeh devahootyai-----------------advised Devahuti

Shloka: 7

Yuvati-jathara-khinnah-----------------------------------------suffering /grieving intensely while in the womb of a young women

Jaata bodhah api akaande----------------------------------though having attained the knowledge suddenly  or at the wrong time

Prasava-galita-bodhah----------------------------------------losing that knowledge being born

Ullanghya baalyam peedayaa--------------------------------and crossing the childhood with misery

Muhyati eva punah api-----------------------------------------man does indeed deluded again

Taarunya kaale bata---------------------------------------------during the period of youth! Alas!

Iti tvamKapila-tanuh ---- --------------------------------------thus, “You” in the form of Lord Kapila

Nyagaadeeh devahootyai-----------------advised Devahuti

Shloka: 8

Yah grhasthah-------------------------------------------that house holder who is

Pitr-suragana-yaajee-----------------------------------a worshipper of ancestors and hosts of devas/ who performs sacrifices to ancestors and Gods

Cha dhaarmikah----------------------------------------and a follower of the path of virtue

Sah dakshinaadhvopagaamee----------------------he having passed through the southern path of smoke

Nipaatati kaale-----------------------------------------falls back on the earth in course of time when his merits run out

Tu karma akaamam nihitam------------------------but actions without desires for fruits that are assigned

Mayi udakpathaartham-------------------------------to me lead to the northern path of light

Iti tvam Kapila-tanuh----------------------Thus, “You” in the form of Lord Kapila

Nyagaadeeh devahootyai-----------------advised Devahuti

Shloka : 9

He deva tvam anugrhya devahootim-----------------------------------O Lord! “You” after blessing Devahuti

Iti suvidita vedyaam-----------------------------------------------------who thus got well-versed in the knowledge that is required

Krtanutim---------------------------------------------------------------------who was praising You

Gataah yogisanghaih (sah) ----------------------------------------------departed along with the hosts (a large number of people or things) of sages

Atha Vimalamatih asau------------------------------------------------then She, Devahuti,with a purified mind

Muktaa bhakti-Yogena--------------------------------------------------attained liberation through the path of devotion

Tvam api janahitaartham------------------------------------------------“You” too for the sake of welfare of the mankind

Vartase praagudeechyaam----------------------------------------------continue to reside in the north-eastern region even now (in patala-loka)

Shloka: 10

He param bahooktyaa kimu------------------------------------------------O supreme Lord, separate from matters related to Prakrti! Why say more?

Tvam vadasi khalu drdham--------------------------------------------You are, indeed, exceedingly firm in Your statement

Tvatpadaambhoja-bhaktim----------------------------------------about devotion to “Your” lotus feet, which is

Sakala-bhaya-vinetreem---------------------------------------------the destroyer of all types of fears

Sarvakaamopanetreem----------------------------------------------fulfiller of all desires

Tat he gurupavanapureshaa-------------------------------------being of such nature, O lord of Guruvaayoor

Vidhooya me aamayaan----------------------------------------eradicating all my ailments

Upaadhatsva bhaktim tvayi-------------------------------generate in me, that devotion to “You”/endow me that devotion to “You”

DESCRIPTION OF HELL IN BHAGAVATAM

The great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, in this material world there are three kinds of activities — those in the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. Because all people are influenced by the three modes of material nature, the results of their activities are also divided into three. One who acts in the mode of goodness is religious and happy, one who acts in passion achieves mixed misery and happiness, and one who acts under the influence of ignorance is always unhappy and lives like an animal. Because of the varying degrees to which the living entities are influenced by the different modes of nature, their destinations are also of different varieties.

Just as by executing various pious activities one achieves different positions in heavenly life, by acting impiously one achieves different positions in hellish life. Those who are activated by the material mode of ignorance engage in impious activities, and according to the extent of their ignorance, they are placed in different grades of hellish life. If one acts in the mode of ignorance because of madness, his resulting misery is the least severe. One who acts impiously but knows the distinction between pious and impious activities is placed in a hell of intermediate severity. And for one who acts impiously and ignorantly because of atheism, the resultant hellish life is the worst. Because of ignorance, every living entity has been carried by various desires into thousands of different hellish planets since time immemorial. I shall try to describe them as far as possible. King Parīkṣit inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī: My dear lord, are the hellish regions outside the universe, within the covering of the universe, or in different places on this planet?

The great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered: All the hellish planets are situated in the intermediate space between the three worlds and the Garbhodaka Ocean. They lie on the southern side of the universe, beneath Bhū-maṇḍala, and slightly above the water of the Garbhodaka Ocean. Pitṛloka is also located in this region between the Garbhodaka Ocean and the lower planetary systems. All the residents of Pitṛloka, headed by Agniṣvāttā, meditate in great samādhi on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always wish their families well.

The King of the pitās is Yamarāja, the very powerful son of the sun-god. He resides in Pitṛloka with his personal assistants and, while abiding by the rules and regulations set down by the Supreme Lord, has his agents, the Yamadūtas, bring all the sinful men to him immediately upon their death. After bringing them within his jurisdiction, he properly judges them according to their specific sinful activities and sends them to one of the many hellish planets for suitable punishments.

Some authorities say that there is a total of twenty-one hellish planets, and some say twenty-eight. My dear King, I shall outline all of them according to their names, forms and symptoms. The names of the different hells are as follows: Tāmisra, Andhatāmisra, Raurava, Mahāraurava, Kumbhīpāka, Kālasūtra, Asi-patravana, Sūkaramukha, Andhakūpa, Kṛmibhojana, Sandaḿśa, Taptasūrmi, Vajrakaṇṭaka-śālmalī, Vaitaraṇī, Pūyoda, Prāṇarodha, Viśasana, Lālābhakṣa, Sārameyādana, Avīci, Ayaḥpāna, Kṣārakardama, Rakṣogaṇa-bhojana, Śūlaprota, Dandaśūka, Avaṭa-nirodhana, Paryāvartana and Sūcīmukha. All these planets are meant for punishing the living entities.

My dear King, a person who appropriates another's legitimate wife, children or money is arrested at the time of death by the fierce Yamadūtas, who bind him with the rope of time and forcibly throw him into the hellish planet known as Tāmisra. On this very dark planet, the sinful man is chastised by the Yamadūtas, who beat and rebuke him. He is starved, and he is given no water to drink. Thus the wrathful assistants of Yamarāja cause him severe suffering, and sometimes he faints from their chastisement.

The destination of a person who slyly cheats another man and enjoys his wife and children is the hell known as Andhatāmisra. There his condition is exactly like that of a tree being chopped at its roots. Even before reaching Andhatāmisra, the sinful living being is subjected to various extreme miseries. These afflictions are so severe that he loses his intelligence and sight. It is for this reason that learned sages call this hell Andhatāmisra.

A person who accepts his body as his self works very hard day and night for money to maintain his own body and the bodies of his wife and children. While working to maintain himself and his family, he may commit violence against other living entities. Such a person is forced to give up his body and his family at the time of death, when he suffers the reaction for his envy of other creatures by being thrown into the hell called Raurava.

In this life, an envious person commits violent acts against many living entities. Therefore after his death, when he is taken to hell by Yamarāja, those living entities who were hurt by him appear as animals called rurus to inflict very severe pain upon him. Learned scholars call this hell Raurava. Not generally seen in this world, the ruru is more envious than a snake.

Punishment in the hell called Mahāraurava is compulsory for a person who maintains his own body by hurting others. In this hell, ruru animals known as kravyāda torment him and eat his flesh.

For the maintenance of their bodies and the satisfaction of their tongues, cruel persons cook poor animals and birds alive. Such persons are condemned even by man-eaters. In their next lives they are carried by the Yamadūtas to the hell known as Kumbhīpāka, where they are cooked in boiling oil.

The killer of a brāhmaṇa is put into the hell known as Kālasūtra, which has a circumference of eighty thousand miles and which is made entirely of copper. Heated from below by fire and from above by the scorching sun, the copper surface of this planet is extremely hot. Thus the murderer of a brāhmaṇa suffers from being burned both internally and externally. Internally he is burning with hunger and thirst, and externally he is burning from the scorching heat of the sun and the fire beneath the copper surface. Therefore he sometimes lies down, sometimes sits, sometimes stands up and sometimes runs here and there. He must suffer in this way for as many thousands of years as there are hairs on the body of an animal.

If a person deviates from the path of the Vedas in the absence of an emergency, the servants of Yamarāja put him into the hell called Asi-patravana, where they beat him with whips. When he runs hither and thither, fleeing from the extreme pain, on all sides he runs into palm trees with leaves like sharpened swords. Thus injured all over his body and fainting at every step, he cries out, "Oh, what shall I do now! How shall I be saved!" This is how one suffers who deviates from the accepted religious principles.

In his next life, a sinful king or governmental representative who punishes an innocent person, or who inflicts corporal punishment upon a brāhmaṇa, is taken by the Yamadūtas to the hell named Sūkaramukha, where the most powerful assistants of Yamarāja crush him exactly as one crushes sugarcane to squeeze out the juice. The sinful living entity cries very pitiably and faints, just like an innocent man undergoing punishments. This is the result of punishing a faultless person.

By the arrangement of the Supreme Lord, low-grade living beings like bugs and mosquitoes suck the blood of human beings and other animals. Such insignificant creatures are unaware that their bites are painful to the human being. However, first-class human beings — brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas — are developed in consciousness, and therefore they know how painful it is to be killed. A human being endowed with knowledge certainly commits sin if he kills or torments insignificant creatures, who have no discrimination. The Supreme Lord punishes such a man by putting him into the hell known as Andhakūpa, where he is attacked by all the birds and beasts, reptiles, mosquitoes, lice, worms, flies, and any other creatures he tormented during his life. They attack him from all sides, robbing him of the pleasure of sleep. Unable to rest, he constantly wanders about in the darkness. Thus in Andhakūpa his suffering is just like that of a creature in the lower species.

A person is considered no better than a crow if after receiving some food, he does not divide it among guests, old men and children, but simply eats it himself, or if he eats it without performing the five kinds of sacrifice. After death he is put into the most abominable hell, known as Kṛmibhojana. In that hell is a lake 100,000 yojanas [800,000 miles] wide and filled with worms. He becomes a worm in that lake and feeds on the other worms there, who also feed on him. Unless he atones for his actions before his death, such a sinful man remains in the hellish lake of Kṛmibhojana for as many years as there are yojanas in the width of the lake.

My dear King, a person who in the absence of an emergency robs a brāhmaṇa — or, indeed, anyone else — of his gems and gold is put into a hell known as Sandaḿśa. There his skin is torn and separated by red-hot iron balls and tongs. In this way, his entire body is cut to pieces.

A man or woman who indulges in sexual intercourse with an unworthy member of the opposite sex is punished after death by the assistants of Yamarāja in the hell known as Taptasūrmi. There such men and women are beaten with whips. The man is forced to embrace a red-hot iron form of a woman, and the woman is forced to embrace a similar form of a man. Such is the punishment for illicit sex.

A person who indulges in sex indiscriminately — even with animals — is taken after death to the hell known as Vajrakaṇṭaka-śālmalī. In this hell there is a silk-cotton tree full of thorns as strong as thunderbolts. The agents of Yamarāja hang the sinful man on that tree and pull him down forcibly so that the thorns very severely tear his body.

A person who is born into a responsible family — such as a kṣatriya, a member of royalty or a government servant — but who neglects to execute his prescribed duties according to religious principles, and who thus becomes degraded, falls down at the time of death into the river of hell known as Vaitaraṇī. This river, which is a moat surrounding hell, is full of ferocious aquatic animals. When a sinful man is thrown into the River Vaitaraṇī, the aquatic animals there immediately begin to eat him, but because of his extremely sinful life, he does not leave his body. He constantly remembers his sinful activities and suffers terribly in that river, which is full of stool, urine, pus, blood, hair, nails, bones, marrow, flesh and fat.

The shameless husbands of lowborn śūdra women live exactly like animals, and therefore they have no good behavior, cleanliness or regulated life. After death, such persons are thrown into the hell called Pūyoda, where they are put into an ocean filled with pus, stool, urine, mucus, saliva and similar things. Śūdras who could not improve themselves fall into that ocean and are forced to eat those disgusting things.

If in this life a man of the higher classes [brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya] is very fond of taking his pet dogs, mules or asses into the forest to hunt and kill animals unnecessarily, he is placed after death into the hell known as Prāṇarodha. There the assistants of Yamarāja make him their targets and pierce him with arrows.

A person who in this life is proud of his eminent position, and who heedlessly sacrifices animals simply for material prestige, is put into the hell called Viśasana after death. There the assistants of Yamarāja kill him after giving him unlimited pain.

If a foolish member of the twice-born classes [brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya] forces his wife to drink his semen out of a lusty desire to keep her under control, he is put after death into the hell known as Lālābhakṣa. There he is thrown into a flowing river of semen, which he is forced to drink.

In this world, some persons are professional plunderers who set fire to others' houses or administer poison to them. Also, members of the royalty or government officials sometimes plunder mercantile men by forcing them to pay income tax and by other methods. After death such demons are put into the hell known as Sārameyādana. On that planet there are 720 dogs with teeth as strong as thunderbolts. Under the orders of the agents of Yamarāja, these dogs voraciously devour such sinful people.

A person who in this life bears false witness or lies while transacting business or giving charity is severely punished after death by the agents of Yamarāja. Such a sinful man is taken to the top of a mountain eight hundred miles high and thrown headfirst into the hell known as Avīcimat. This hell has no shelter and is made of strong stone resembling the waves of water. There is no water there, however, and thus it is called Avīcimat [waterless]. Although the sinful man is repeatedly thrown from the mountain and his body broken to tiny pieces, he still does not die but continuously suffers chastisement.

Any brāhmaṇa or brāhmaṇa's wife who drinks liquor is taken by the agents of Yamarāja to the hell known as Ayaḥpāna. This hell also awaits any kṣatriya, vaiśya, or person under a vow who in illusion drinks soma-rasa. In Ayaḥpāna the agents of Yamarāja stand on their chests and pour hot melted iron into their mouths.

A lowborn and abominable person who in this life becomes falsely proud, thinking "I am great," and who thus fails to show proper respect to one more elevated than he by birth, austerity, education, behavior, caste or spiritual order, is like a dead man even in this lifetime, and after death he is thrown headfirst into the hell known as Kṣārakardama. There he must great suffer great tribulation at the hands of the agents of Yamarāja.

There are men and women in this world who sacrifice human beings to Bhairava or Bhadra Kālī and then eat their victims' flesh. Those who perform such sacrifices are taken after death to the abode of Yamarāja, where their victims, having taken the form of Rākṣasas, cut them to pieces with sharpened swords. Just as in this world the man-eaters drank their victims' blood, dancing and singing in jubilation, their victims now enjoy drinking the blood of the sacrificers and celebrating in the same way.

In this life some people give shelter to animals and birds that come to them for protection in the village or forest, and after making them believe that they will be protected, such people pierce them with lances or threads and play with them like toys, giving them great pain. After death such people are brought by the assistants of Yamarāja to the hell known as Śūlaprota, where their bodies are pierced with sharp, needlelike lances. They suffer from hunger and thirst, and sharp-beaked birds such as vultures and herons come at them from all sides to tear at their bodies. Tortured and suffering, they can then remember the sinful activities they committed in the past.

Those who in this life are like envious serpents, always angry and giving pain to other living entities, fall after death into the hell known as Dandaśūka. My dear King, in this hell there are serpents with five or seven hoods. These serpents eat such sinful persons just as snakes eat mice.

Those who in this life confine other living entities in dark wells, granaries or mountain caves are put after death into the hell known as Avaṭa-nirodhana. There they themselves are pushed into dark wells, where poisonous fumes and smoke suffocate them and they suffer very severely.

A householder who receives guests or visitors with cruel glances, as if to burn them to ashes, is put into the hell called Paryāvartana, where he is gazed at by hard-eyed vultures, herons, crows and similar birds, which suddenly swoop down and pluck out his eyes with great force.

One who in this world or this life is very proud of his wealth always thinks, "I am so rich. Who can equal me?" His vision is twisted, and he is always afraid that someone will take his wealth. Indeed, he even suspects his superiors. His face and heart dry up at the thought of losing his wealth, and therefore he always looks like a wretched fiend. He is not in any way able to obtain actual happiness, and he does not know what it is to be free from anxiety. Because of the sinful things he does to earn money, augment his wealth and protect it, he is put into the hell called Sūcīmukha, where the officials of Yamarāja punish him by stitching thread through his entire body like weavers manufacturing cloth.

My dear King Parīkṣit, in the province of Yamarāja there are hundreds and thousands of hellish planets. The impious people I have mentioned — and also those I have not mentioned — must all enter these various planets according to the degree of their impiety. Those who are pious, however, enter other planetary systems, namely the planets of the demigods. Nevertheless, both the pious and impious are again brought to earth after the results of their pious or impious acts are exhausted.

In the beginning [the Second and Third Cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam] I have already described how one can progress on the path of liberation. In the Purāṇas the vast universal existence, which is like an egg divided into fourteen parts, is described. This vast form is considered the external body of the Lord, created by His energy and qualities. It is generally called the virāṭ-rūpa. If one reads the description of this external form of the Lord with great faith, or if one hears about it or explains it to others to propagate bhāgavata-dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his faith and devotion in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will gradually increase. Although developing this consciousness is very difficult, by this process one can purify himself and gradually come to an awareness of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

One who is interested in liberation, who accepts the path of liberation and is not attracted to the path of conditional life, is called yati, or a devotee. Such a person should first control his mind by thinking of the virāṭ-rūpa, the gigantic universal form of the Lord, and then gradually think of the spiritual form of Kṛṣṇa [sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha after hearing of both forms. Thus one's mind is fixed in samādhi. By devotional service one can then realize the spiritual form of the Lord, which is the destination of devotees. Thus his life becomes successful.

My dear King, I have now described for you this planet earth, other planetary systems, and their lands [varṣas], rivers and mountains. I have also described the sky, the oceans, the lower planetary systems, the directions, the hellish planetary systems and the stars. These constitute the virāṭ-rūpa, the gigantic material form of the Lord, on which all living entities repose. Thus I have explained the wonderful expanse of the external body of the Lord.

Thoughts of Child in a Womb

The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body.

On the first night, the sperm and ovum mix, and on the fifth night the mixture ferments into a bubble. On the tenth night it develops into a form like a plum, and after that, it gradually turns into a lump of flesh or an egg, as the case may be.

In the course of a month, a head is formed, and at the end of two months the hands, feet and other limbs take shape. By the end of three months, the nails, fingers, toes, body hair, bones and skin appear, as do the organ of generation and the other apertures in the body, namely the eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth and anus.

Within four months from the date of conception, the seven essential ingredients of the body, namely chyle,( A milky fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fat extracted from chyme by the lacteals during digestion and passed to the bloodstream through the thoracic duct.)

 blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen, come into existence. At the end of five months, hunger and thirst make themselves felt, and at the end of six months, the foetus, enclosed by the amnion,(The innermost membrane that encloses the embryo of a mammal, bird, or reptile.)begins to move on the right side of the abdomen.

Deriving, (obtain something from a specified source) its nutrition from the food and drink taken by the mother, the foetus grows and remains in that abominable residence of stools and urine, which is the breeding place of all kinds of worms.

Bitten again and again all over the body by the hungry worms in the abdomen itself, the child suffers terrible agony because of his tenderness. He thus becomes unconscious moment after moment because of the terrible condition.

Owing to the mother's eating bitter, pungent foodstuffs, or food which is too salty or too sour, the body of the child incessantly suffers pains which are almost intolerable.

Placed within the amnion and covered outside by the intestines, the child remains lying on one side of the abdomen, his head turned towards his belly and his back and neck arched like a bow.

 The child thus remains just like a bird in a cage, without freedom of movement. At that time, if the child is fortunate, he can remember all the troubles of his past one hundred births, and he grieves wretchedly (unfortunate or un happy person) What is the possibility of peace of mind in that condition?

 Thus endowed with the development of consciousness from the seventh month after his conception, the child is tossed downward by the airs that press the embryo during the weeks preceding delivery. Like the worms born of the same filthy abdominal cavity, he cannot remain in one place.

The living entity in this frightful condition of life, bound by seven layers of material ingredients, prays with folded hands, appealing to the Lord, who has put him in that condition.

The human soul says: I take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears in His various eternal forms and walks on the surface of the world. I take shelter of Him only, because He can give me relief from all fear and from Him I have received this condition of life, which is just befitting my impious (not giving respect to God, un holy)activities.

I, the pure soul, appearing now bound by my activities, am lying in the womb of my mother by the arrangement of māyā. I offer my respectful obeisances (bow or namaskaram, deferential respect) unto Him who is also here with me but who is unaffected and changeless. He is unlimited, but He is perceived in the repentant heart. To Him I offer my respectful obeisances.

I am separated from the Supreme Lord because of my being in this material body, which is made of five elements, and therefore my qualities and senses are being misused, although I am essentially spiritual. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental (Beyond common thought or experience; mystical or supernatural) to material nature and the living entities, because He is devoid of such a material body, and because He is always glorious in His spiritual qualities, I offer my obeisances unto Him.

The human soul further prays: The living entity is put under the influence of material nature and continues a hard struggle for existence on the path of repeated birth and death. This conditional life is due to his forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, without the Lord's mercy, how can he again engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord?

No one other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the localized Paramātmā, the partial representation of the Lord, is directing all inanimate and animate objects. He is present in the three phases of time — past, present and future. Therefore, the conditioned soul is engaged in different activities by His direction, and in order to get free from the threefold miseries of this conditional life, we have to surrender unto Him only.

Fallen into a pool of blood, stool and urine within the abdomen of his mother, his own body scorched by the mother's gastric fire, the embodied soul, anxious to get out, counts his months and prays, "O my Lord, when shall I, a wretched soul, be released from this confinement?"

My dear Lord, by Your causeless mercy I am awakened to consciousness, although I am only ten months old. For this causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the friend of all fallen souls, there is no way to express my gratitude but to pray with folded hands.

The living entity in another type of body sees only by instinct; he knows only the agreeable and disagreeable sense perceptions of that particular body. But I have a body in which I can control my senses and can understand my destination; therefore, I offer my respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by whom I have been blessed with this body and by whose grace I can see Him within and without.

Therefore, my Lord, although I am living in a terrible condition, I do not wish to depart from my mother's abdomen to fall again into the blind well of materialistic life. Your external energy, called deva-māyā, at once captures the newly born child, and immediately false identification, which is the beginning of the cycle of continual birth and death, begins.

Therefore, without being agitated any more, I shall deliver myself from the darkness of nescience (ignorance, especially orthodox beliefs) with the help of my friend, clear consciousness. Simply by keeping the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu in my mind, I shall be saved from entering into the wombs of many mothers for repeated birth and death.

Lord Kapila continued: The ten-month-old living entity has these desires even while in the womb. But while he thus extols the Lord, the wind that helps parturition (the act of giving birth) propels him forth with his face turned downward so that he may be born.

Pushed downward all of a sudden by the wind, the child comes out with great trouble, head downward, breathless and deprived of memory due to severe agony.

The child thus falls on the ground, smeared with stool and blood, and plays just like a worm germinated from the stool. He loses his superior knowledge and cries under the spell of māyā.

After coming out of the abdomen, the child is given to the care of persons who are unable to understand what he wants, and thus he is nursed by such persons. Unable to refuse whatever is given to him, he falls into undesirable circumstances.

Laid down on a foul bed infested with sweat and germs, the poor child is incapable of scratching his body to get relief from his itching sensation to say nothing of sitting up, standing or even moving.

In his helpless condition, gnats, mosquitoes, bugs and other germs bite the baby, whose skin is tender, just as smaller worms bite a big worm. The child, deprived (Suffering a severe and damaging lack of basic material and cultural benefits.) of his wisdom, cries bitterly.

In this way, the child passes through his childhood, suffering different kinds of distress, and attains boyhood. In boyhood also he suffers pain over desires to get things he can never achieve. And thus, due to ignorance, he becomes angry and sorry.

With the growth of the body, the living entity, in order to vanquish (overcome, defeat) his soul, increases his false prestige and anger and thereby creates enmity towards similarly lusty people.

 By such ignorance the living entity accepts the material body, which is made of five elements, as himself. With this misunderstanding, he accepts non- permanent things as his own and increases his ignorance in the darkest region.

For the sake of the body, which is a source of constant trouble to him and which follows him because he is bound by ties of ignorance and fruitive (realisation, fulfilment) activities, he performs various actions which cause him to be subjected to repeated birth and death.

 If, therefore, the living entity again associates with the path of unrighteousness, influenced by sensually minded people engaged in the pursuit (The action of following or pursuing someone or something, chase) of sexual enjoyment and the gratification of the palate, he again goes to hell as before.

He becomes devoid of truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy, gravity, spiritual intelligence, shyness, austerity, fame, forgiveness, control of the mind, control of the senses, fortune and all such opportunities.

One should not associate with a coarse fool who is bereft (devoid) of the knowledge of self-realization and who is no more than a dancing dog in the hands of a woman.

The infatuation and bondage which accrue(grow, increase) to a man from attachment to any other object is not as complete as that resulting from attachment to a woman or to the fellowship of men who are fond of women.

At the sight of his own daughter, Brahmā was bewildered (perplexed, confused) by her charms and shamelessly ran up to her in the form of a stag.  When she took the form of a hind (female deer).

Amongst all kinds of living entities begotten by Brahmā, namely men, demigods and animals, none but the sage Nārāyana is immune (protected) to the attraction of māyā in the form of woman.

Just try to understand the mighty strength of My māyā in the shape of woman, who by the mere movement of her eyebrows can keep even the greatest conquerors of the world under her grip.

One who aspires to reach the culmination (peak, the highest point) of yoga and has realized his self by rendering service unto Me should never associate with an attractive woman, for such a woman is declared in the scripture to be the gateway to hell for the advancing devotee.

The woman, created by the Lord, is the representation of māyā, and one who associates with such māyā by accepting services must certainly know that this is the way of death, just like a blind well covered with grass.

A living entity who, as a result of attachment to a woman in his previous life, has been endowed with the form of a woman, foolishly looks upon māyā in the form of a man, her husband, as the bestower of wealth, progeny, house and other material assets.

A woman, therefore, should consider her husband, her house and her children to be the arrangement of the external energy of the Lord for her death, just as the sweet singing of the hunter is death for the deer.

Due to his particular type of body, the materialistic living entity wanders from one planet to another, following fruitive activities. In this way, he involves himself in fruitive activities and enjoys the result incessantly (ceaseless,continuous)

 In this way the living entity gets a suitable body with a material mind and senses, according to his fruitive activities. When the reaction of his particular activity comes to an end, that end is called death, and when a particular type of reaction begins, that beginning is called birth.

When the eyes lose their power to see color or form due to morbid affliction of the optic nerve, the sense of sight becomes deadened. The living entity, who is the seer of both the eyes and the sight, loses his power of vision. In the same way, when the physical body, the place where perception of objects occurs, is rendered incapable of perceiving, that is known as death. When one begins to view the physical body as one's very self, that is called birth.

Therefore, one should not view death with horror, nor have recourse (source of help in difficult situation,refuge) to defining the body as soul, nor give way to exaggeration in enjoying the bodily necessities of life. Realizing the true nature of the living entity, one should move about in the world free from attachment and steadfast in purpose.

Endowed with right vision and strengthened by devotional service and a pessimistic attitude towards material identity, one should relegate (deport, exile) his body to this illusory world through his reason. Thus one can be unconcerned with this material world.