SB 06.01.37 ity ukte yamadutais te... cited

Expressions researched:
"ity ukte yamadutais te" |"megha-nirhradaya gira" |"tan pratyucuh prahasyedam" |"vasudevokta-karinah"

SB Canto 6

SB 6.1.37, Translation and Purport:

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Being thus addressed by the messengers of Yamarāja, the servants of Vāsudeva smiled and spoke the following words in voices as deep as the sound of rumbling clouds.

The Yamadūtas were surprised to see that the Viṣṇudūtas, although polite, were hindering the rule of Yamarāja. Similarly, the Viṣṇudūtas were also surprised that the Yamadūtas, although claiming to be servants of Yamarāja, the supreme judge of religious principles, were unaware of the principles of religious action. Thus the Viṣṇudūtas smiled, thinking, "What is this nonsense they are speaking? If they are actually servants of Yamarāja they should know that Ajāmila is not a suitable candidate for them to carry off."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:

So diśo vitimirālokāḥ kurvantaḥ svena tejasā. Svena: "By your own effulgence you are dissipating the darkness, all directions. You are so bright, brilliant." Kim arthaṁ dharma-pālasya: "Oh, we can understand that you are not ordinary living entities. You are coming from some exalted planet. What business you have got to interfere with our business?" Dharma-pālasya.

śrī-śuka uvāca

ity ukte yamadūtais te

vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ

tān pratyūcuḥ prahasyedaṁ

megha-nirhrādayā girā

When they were addressed by the assistants of Yamarāja, then the representative of Vāsudeva, vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ, those who are followers of the order of Vāsudeva... Representative... (aside:) Again you have to stand, please. Tān pratyūcuḥ prahasyedaṁ megha-nirhrādayā girā. Now, the Viṣṇudūta, they began to speak in a very grave language, just like resounding the cloud. (commentary:) Kim anya-lokasyānyasya prakāśa yat tu tathā bhūta diśaḥ kurvantaḥ bhavatam anuṣitaṁ yam ity āhuḥ kim artham ity āha (?). Indirectly, the Yamadūtas said that "You are so exalted, so it is not very good for you to interfere with our business." They politely submitted. And... (commentary:) Ato daṇḍyādaṇḍya-jñāna-śūnyā iti śaura evākṣnod dhiyā dharma-rājasya kiṅkarā ity anvitaṁ vadanti viṣayena prahasya tān pratyūcuḥ (?).

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

Nitāi: "Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued to speak: After the messengers of Yamarāja thus addressed the Viṣṇudūtas, those perfected beings who are personal associates of Vāsudeva smiled and, with voices resounding as the sound of the cloud, gravely spoke the following words."

Prabhupāda:

ity ukte yamadūtais te

vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ

tān pratyūcuḥ prahasyedaṁ

megha-nirhrādayā girā

(SB 6.1.37)

So the Yamadūtas, they very politely submitted. They could understand immediately that these persons so nicely decorated, four hands, looking very youthful, all the good qualities... So with due submission, they said that "You look so nice, gentle. Why you are interfering with our duties?" Kim arthaṁ dharma-pālasya kiṅkarān no niṣedhatha. So they accepted the submission. Very humbly they submitted, with great respect. Therefore they were smiling. And the word is used here, tān pratyūcuḥ prahasya idam. When there is argument, dealing, if the words are exchanged very politely, so things go on nicely. So prahasya. Prahasya, now they are challenging, the Viṣṇudūta, that "You are claiming to become the servants of Yamarāja, and he is Dharmarāja, he is authority, and how is that you do not know whom to arrest and whom not to arrest? This man is now free from all sinful reaction. How is that you are claiming to be servant of Yamarāja, Dharmarāja, and do not know?" Therefore they were smiling.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

So their challenge was that "You are claiming to be servants of Yamarāja, but we are doubting whether you are bona fide servants of Yamarāja. Otherwise why you are committing this mistake?" So this indicates the servant should be as good as the master. That is servant. Because sometimes servants may be challenged. So that is the qualification of Kṛṣṇa's servant. Kṛṣṇa's servant must be always equipped, because they have to meet so many opposing elements, Kṛṣṇa's the... Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). There are so many... Practically the whole material world is full of duṣkṛtām. They want to create God. They don't want to become servant of God. That is their challenge. Therefore, anyone who is claiming to become servant of God, Kṛṣṇa, he must be well equipped to meet the challenging spirit of others. Prahasya idaṁ megha-nirhrādayā girā. Very gravely enquired from them. What is that enquiry? They said, śrī-viṣṇudūtā ūcuḥ. The Viṣṇudūta replied. Their submission was, "Sir, you are so nice gentlemen. You appear to be coming from the very elevated planets, and why you are interfering?"

So they, with very grave voice and smiling, challenging them. What is that?

yūyaṁ vai dharma-rājasya

yadi nirdeśa-kāriṇaḥ

brūta dharmasya nas tattvaṁ

yac cādharmasya lakṣaṇam

"So if you are actually servant of Dharmarāja, then you must know what is dharma and what is adharma." Yūyaṁ vai dharma-rājasya yadi nirdeśa-kāriṇaḥ. "That will be your bona fide representation. You cannot do any mistake if you are servant of Dharmarāja." Dharmarāja means... Here there are so many living entities, of course, in the human society. I have explained many times. Dharma, religious system, is in the human society, not in the animal society. The animals does not... They have no knowledge; neither they have capacity to distinguish what is dharma, what is adharma. Their business is simply eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That's all. It is the human society, another extra, not only simply eating, sleeping, mating. That is required because we have got this body. But we have got extra intelligence. Why this extra intelligence? That is for understanding dharma, religion.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

So here is a challenge: yūyaṁ vai dharma-rājasya yadi nirdeśa-kāriṇaḥ. Nirdeśa-kāriṇaḥ. Servant means they have no second choice than to carry out the orders of the master. Therefore nirdeśa-kāriṇaḥ. They cannot argue. No. Whatever is ordered, that is served. So if anyone claims to become... He is expecting the... I think... Here the Viṣṇudūtas are also mentioned here, vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ. They are also servant. So ukta means whatever order is given by Vāsudeva, they carry out. Similarly, the Yamadūtas, they are servant of Yamarāja. They are also addressed nirdeśa-kāriṇaḥ: "If you are actually servant of Yamarāja, you act according to his direction, then you must know what is dharma and what is adharma." So they are actually bona fide servant of Yamarāja, there is no doubt about it. Now they are giving their identification in this way, yamadūtā ūcuḥ veda-praṇihito dharmaḥ, immediately answered. "What is dharma?" That was the question. Immediately answered. They know what is dharma. Veda-praṇihito dharmaḥ: "Dharma means what is explained in the Vedas." You cannot create dharma. Veda, the original knowledge, Veda means knowledge. Veda-śāstra. So from the time of creation, the Veda was given to Brahmā. Veda... Therefore it is called apauruṣeya; it is not manufactured. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. Brahma, brahma means Veda. Vedas another name is brahma, spiritual knowledge, or all knowledge, brahma. So tene brahma ādi-kavaye hṛdā. So Veda has to be studied from the spiritual master.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- Los Angeles, June 3, 1976:

Pradyumna: Translation: "Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Being thus addressed by the messengers of Yamarāja, the servants of Vāsudeva smiled and spoke the following words in voices as deep as the sound of rumbling clouds."

Prabhupāda:

śri-śuka uvāca

ity ukte yamadūtais te

vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ

tān pratyūcuḥ prahasyedaṁ

megha-nirhrādayā girā

(SB 6.1.37)

In this verse the word vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ... Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, vāsudeva-ukta, ukta means what is said by Vāsudeva. Ukta means what is spoken by Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ: they'll do that, that's all. This is devotee. There is no difficulty to become devotee. At once you can become a devotee, within a second. They ask something, sometimes, that "How long it will take to become a devotee?" It will take one second. How? Vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ. You simply accept that whatever Vāsudeva says, you'll do, that's all. Vāsudeva says so many things. Vāsudeva says to Arjuna that "You fight." So if you accept, "Yes, I'll fight," then you become devotee. But Arjuna denied, "No, Kṛṣṇa, I'll not fight." That is our disease. Our whole disease is that as soon as we agree to accept the words of Kṛṣṇa, we are liberated, immediately. We are immediately in the Vaikuṇṭha. As as soon we deny, immediately within māyā.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- Los Angeles, June 3, 1976:

So this word is a very important word, vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ. A devotee has nothing to do anything more except to execute the order of Kṛṣṇa. That is transcendental platform. They do not know what is transcendental plat... Transcendental meditation means to think of Kṛṣṇa always. That is transcendental meditation. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

Who is the first-class yogi? Kṛṣṇa says, "That person who is always thinking of Me Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. There are many varieties of yogis, but this person, who is thinking of Me, he has no more to think any other thing." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā: within the core of the heart, he's thinking of Kṛṣṇa. This is the ideal transcendental meditation, meditation. It has become a medicine now. (laughter) To become fatty, to have more power for sex, it is not meditation, but medicine. So this is wanted. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47). That is the supermost, topmost position of yogi. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). In this material world the jñāna-bhūmika, or the modes of goodness, that is very estimated. So, transcending that position also. Karma is lower position, karmīs... (aside:) That child is disturbing. Hm. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Simply remain prepared how to execute the order of Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena. "Kṛṣṇa says this; now I must do it." That is vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ. Ukta means whatever He says.