SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 2

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Soon, the soul from its birth, meditating the Universal Form regains its lost memories in thus finding peace with the Lord, whereafter, with a cleared vision, it can rebuild its life the way it was before. (2) For certain the adherence to the spiritual makes the intelligence, because of its many names, ponder over meaningless ideas in which one wanders around in realities of illusion and its different desires without ever enjoying, as if one is dreaming. (3) Therefore the enlightened person in the world of names should restrict himself to the bare necessities without being mad of desire, intelligently being fixed [on the Universal Form] in order to be successful. He should arrive at the practical insight that otherwise he would endeavor for the sake of hard work only. (4) What is the need of a bed, when one can lie on the ground; what is the need of a pillow when one has his arms; why should one use utensils if one can eat with one's hands and with the cover of trees, what is the use of clothing? (5) Aren't there rags lying on the road, isn't there giving in charity; don't the trees offer their alms maintaining others; have the rivers dried up; are the caves closed; did the Almighty Lord give up His protecting the surrendered soul? Then why should a learned man flatter the ones intoxicated by wealth? (6) Thus will for certain with the worship of the in one's heart so dearly cherished goal of the Supersoul perfect in itself, in detachment from the world for the sake of Him, the Eternal and Unlimited Supreme Lord, give the highest and lasting gain in which the cause of material bondage no doubt will find its end. (7) Who else but the materialists would by neglecting the transcendental thoughts take to the non-permanent of names and see themselves, the general mass of the people, fallen into the river of suffering being overtaken by the misery that is the consequence of their own work?

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

(15) Whenever one desires to give up one's body, o King, one should as a sage without being disturbed, comfortably seated with one's thinking unperturbed by matters of time and place, control the senses by the mind in conquering the breath of life. (16) The mind, by its own pure intelligence, should, by regulating itself to the living being with all of it, merge with the self, while that self should be locked to the fully satisfied Supersoul so that it thus, ending all other activities, may attain the full bliss. (17) Therein one will not find the supremacy of time that for sure controls the godly who direct the worldly creatures with their demigods, nor will one find there mundane goodness, passion or ignorance, nor any material change or causality of intelligence or nature.. (18) Knowing what and what not relates to the divine of the supreme situation, those desiring to avoid the godless give up the perplexities [of arguing to time and place] completely in the absolute of the good will taking the worshipable lotus feet in their heart at every moment. (19) Through insight the philosopher thus should retire, familiar with the science of properly regulating the energy for the purpose of life, by blocking the arse ['air-hole'] with one's heel and directing the life air upward through the six primary places [navel, plexus, heart, throat, eyebrows and top of the skull] and thus put an end to the material desire. (20) The soaring force should gradually be directed from the navel to the plexus [the 'heart'] onwards to the chest from where the meditator intelligently should search out the meditative by bringing it slowly into the throat. (21) From between the eyebrows the seer should, blocking the outlet of the seven centers and maintaining to the fearless, independent of sense enjoyment, for a while ('half an hour'), enter the domain of the head and give up for the sake of the Supreme.

(22) If however one maintains a desire, o King, to lord over, what one calls, the place of enjoyment of the gods in the sky, or with the eight mystic powers, [the eight siddhis] in the world of the gunas [the modes of nature] one will surely have to take it up with the mind and the senses that come along with it also. (23) One says of the destination of the great transcendentalists who reside within and without of the three worlds, that they exist from within the air of the subtle body, while those who do their work materially motivated never attain to the progress to which those in the absorption of yoga achieve in the austerity of devotional service.

(24) In the control of the divinity of fire one reaches, following the movements in the sky, through the gracious passage of breath [the sushumnâ], the pure spirit [Brahmaloka, place of the Creator] that is illuminating and washing off the contaminations, after which one reaching upward attains to the circle [the cakra, the wheel], o King, called S'is'umâra [meaning: dolphin, to the form of the Milky Way, galactic time]. (25) Passing beyond that navel of the universe, the pivot of the Maintainer [Vishnu], is by the single living entity purified by the realization of his smallness, the place reached worshipable to those transcedentally situated, where the self-realized souls enjoy for the time of a kalpa [a day of Brahmâ]. (26) Thereupon, will he, who sees from the bed of Vishnu [Ananta] the universe burning to ashes by the fire of His mouth, be gone from that place to the supreme abode [of Brahmâ] that, home to the purified souls of elevation, lasts for two parârdhas [the two halves of the life of Brahmâ]. (27) There one will never find bereavement or old age, death, pain or anxieties, save that one sometimes has feelings of compassion, seeing how the ignorant are subjected to the hard to vercome misery of the repetition of birth and death.

(28) Without doubt from that pure self one attains, surpassing the forms of water and fire, to the effulgent atmospherewhere, in due course of time, the self by its air attains to the ethereal, the real greatness of the soul. (29) By smelling scents, by the taste of the palate, by the seeing of forms and being in touch through physical contact, and, as it were, through aural reception attaining to the identification with the ethereal, the yogi by the senses also attains to material actions. (30) In the mode of goodness he surpasses the change to the material form by neutralizing the gross and subtle senses, seeing by that progress the wisdom of true reality [self-realization] coming along in that complete suspension of the [operating] material modes. (31) The person by that purification to the self of the Supersoul attains to the rest, satisfaction and natural delight of being freed from all contaminations. He who attains to this destination of devotion for sure will never become attracted to this material world again, my dearest [Parîkchit].

(32) All that I described to you, o protector of man, is according to the Vedas as your Majesty properly requested for, and it is also verily in accord with the eternal truth as it definitely was heard in the pure of the spirit to the satisfaction of the worshiped Supreme Lord Vâsudeva. (33) For those wandering in this life in the material universe, is there for sure nothing more auspicious as a means of attaining than that at which is aimed in the devotional service [bhakti-yoga] towards the Supreme Personality Lord Vâsudeva. (34) The great personality [Vyâsadeva] studied the Vedas three times, and scrutinizingly examining with scholarly attention, he ascertained that one's mind is properly fixed in being attracted to the soul. (35) The Supreme Personality can be perceived in all living beings as the actual nature of that soul; as the Lord who is discerned by the intelligence of the seer in different signs and suppositions. (36) Therefore must every human soul, o King, wherever and whenever hear about, glorify and remember the Lord, the Supreme Personality. (37) Those who drink the nectar filling their ears with the narrations about the Supreme Lord, the dearest to the devotees, will purify their material enjoyment, the polluted aim of life, and go back to the feet that reside near the lotus.'

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

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

Text 2

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

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

Text 3

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

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

Text 4

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

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

Text 5

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

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

Text 6

Thus will for certain with the worship of the in one's heart so dearly cherished goal of the Supersoul perfect in itself, in detachment from the world for the sake of Him, the Eternal and Unlimited Supreme Lord, give the highest and lasting gain in which the cause of material bondage no doubt will find its end.

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

Text 7

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

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

Text 8

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

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

Text 9

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

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

Text 10

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

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

Text 11

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

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

Text 12

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

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

Text 13

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

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

Text 14

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

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

Text 15

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

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

Text 16

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

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

Text 17

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

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

Text 18

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

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

Text 19

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

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

Text 20

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

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

Text 21

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

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

Text 22

If however one maintains a desire, o King, to lord over, what one calls, the place of enjoyment of the gods in the sky, or with the eight mystic powers, [the eight siddhis] to manage the world of the gunas [the modes of nature], one will undoubtedly have to take it also up with the mind and the senses coming along.

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

Text 23

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

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

Text 24

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

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

Text 25

Passing beyond that navel of the universe, the pivot of the Maintainer [Vishnu], is by the single living entity purified by the realization of his smallness, the place reached worshipable to those transcedentally situated, where the self-realized souls enjoy for the time of a kalpa [a day of Brahmâ].

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

Text 26

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

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

Text 27

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

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

Text 28

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

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

Text 29

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

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