Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 08 Chapter 24 Purports - Matsya, the Lord's Fish Incarnation
Pages in category "Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 08 Chapter 24 Purports - Matsya, the Lord's Fish Incarnation"
The following 128 pages are in this category, out of 128 total.
A
- A person may appear to be an ordinary human being, but because he acts on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme spiritual master, he is not to be neglected as ordinary
- All the gold mines are created by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, why should one accept a magician who can manufacture only a small portion of gold
- Although the air sometimes carries the odor of a filthy place, the air has nothing to do with such a place. Similarly, the SP of Godhead, being all-good and all-auspicious, is never affected by the material qualities like an ordinary living entity
- An example given in this regard (being the supreme controller of the laws of nature, the Lord cannot be under their influence) is that although the wind blows through many places, the air is not affected by the qualities of these places
- Another guru advises that sex is the ultimate goal of life and that one should therefore engage in sex to the best of his ability. These are the instructions of foolish gurus
- Anyone who takes knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or from Bhagavad-gita as it is, knows the purpose of the Vedas (vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah) - BG 15.15
- As a spiritual person, such a devotee (who follows the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead) returns to the Personality of Godhead and plays and dances with Him. That is the ultimate goal of life
- As gold and silver can be freed from all dirty contamination by being put into a fire but not merely by being washed, the living entity can be awakened to his own identity by performing devotional service (yat-sevaya), but not by karma, jnana or yoga
- As recommended in Srimad-Bhagavatam, tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam hareh. One should take to the worship of the lotus feet of Hari, even if this means giving up the so-called occupational duty assigned because of the particular body one has accepted
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita (BG 15.15), sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Paramatma, is situated in everyone's heart, and from Him come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita, antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam: (BG 7.23) Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary
- As the human beings on this planet have to change their bodies (tatha dehantara-praptih (BG 2.13)), the living entities known as Indra, Candra, Varuna and so on will also have to change their bodies in due course of time
- As there were two incarnations of Varaha, there were also two incarnations of fish. The Lord appeared as one fish incarnation to save the Vedas by killing Hayagriva, and He assumed the other fish incarnation to show favor to King Satyavrata
- At the end of Manu's time there is not necessarily a devastation, but at the end of the Caksusa-manvantara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His illusory energy, wanted to show Satyavrata the effects of devastation
B
- Because Agastya Muni cursed Svayambhuva Manu, during the time of Svayambhuva Manu a devastation took place. This devastation is mentioned in the Matsya Purana
- Because everything was inundated by water, to save the Vedas it was necessary for the Lord to assume the form of a fish
- Because of a false hope for happiness, the conditioned soul becomes involved in various plans for material activity. Maharaja Satyavrata prays that the Lord sever this hard knot of false happiness and thus become his supreme spiritual master
- Because of lusty desires one engages himself in materialistic activities and does not render service to the Lord. Therefore one is bereft of the value of the Lord's instructions
- Because of the instructions of a foolish guru one remains perpetually in material existence and suffers its tribulations
- Because the demigods themselves are temporary, their benedictions are also temporary & have no permanent value. Those who aspire for such benedictions have a poor fund of knowledge - tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam
- Because worship in terms of the body is temporary, it does not bear any permanent fruit. But worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives immense benefit
- Brahma's night takes place when Brahma goes to sleep, but in the daytime there are fourteen Manus, one of whom is Caksusa Manu
- By his (my spiritual master, Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's) grace the work of translation is gradually progressing, and the European and American devotees who have joined the Krsna consciousness movement are helping me considerably
- By mental speculation one can understand that one is not the body but a spirit soul, but unless one engages in devotional service, the real purpose of life is never fulfilled
- By the grace of Lord Visnu, Satyavrata received instructions from the second fish incarnation and was thus enlightened in all spiritual knowledge
- By worshiping the demigods one may get results, but, as described in Bhagavad-gita, antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam: (BG 7.23) whatever great benedictions one may achieve from the demigods are all temporary
D
- Disrespectfully, one who does not know this (The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not affected by the material qualities) considers the Supreme Personality of Godhead an ordinary living being (avajananti mam mudhah) - BG 9.11
- During the time of Caksusa Manu, by the supreme will of the Lord, there was suddenly another pralaya, or devastation. This is mentioned by Markandeya Rsi in the Visnu-dharmottara
E
- Either the Supreme Lord or His representative can become guru. The Lord says, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te: (BG 7.14) One can get relief from the clutches of maya as soon as he surrenders unto Me
- Even though one may come to the platform of brahma-bhuta (SB 4.30.20) and understand his spiritual identity by speculative knowledge, one cannot enjoy spiritual life without understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Even though we may not have the fortune to contact the Supreme Lord personally, the Lord's representative is as good as the Lord Himself because such a representative does not say anything unless it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Every living entity has the right to become anandamaya, joyful, because he is part of the sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, Krsna. Why should the living being be put into tribulation because of dirty contamination by the material modes of nature
- Everyone naturally surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, either directly or indirectly
F
- Following in the footsteps of Sri Arjuna, who is a personal devotee of the Lord, one should accept the supremacy of Lord Krsna, as supported by Nimbarka and Visnu Svami and still later by the greatest acarya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- Following in the footsteps of Sri Arjuna, who is a personal devotee of the Lord, one should accept the supremacy of Lord Krsna, as supported by Vyasa, Devala, Asita, Narada and later by the acaryas Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya
- For material happiness, the conditioned soul involves himself in fruitive activities, which actually put him into material distress. Because the conditioned soul does not know this, he is said to be in avidya, or ignorance
- From the Lord's personal activities, human society should learn how to give protection specifically to the brahmanas and cows. Then the protection of religious principles, fulfillment of the aim of life and protection of Vedic knowledge can be achieved
- Full knowledge of Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan is revealed to the pure devotees. The Lord says in BG (10.11): Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance
H
- He (the spiritual master) is the Lord's most confidential servant in broadcasting the Lord's message for the benefit of the conditioned souls involved in the material world
- Here (in SB 8.24.15) is an example of giving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead even without knowledge. Such service is called ajnata-sukrti
- Here (in SB 8.24.30) it is said, yathetaresam prthag-atmanam satam, padopasarpanam mrsa bhavet. In other words, if one is to worship someone else, he must worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then his worship will never be fruitless
- Here (in SB 8.24.61) is a summary of Satyavrata's meeting with the fish incarnation of Lord Visnu. Lord Visnu's purpose was to take back all the Vedic literatures from the demon Hayagriva and restore them to Lord Brahma
- Herein (SB 8.24.52) the reason for foolishness is described. Because the conditioned soul in this material world is full of materialistic lusty desires, he cannot understand the SP of Godhead, although the Lord is situated in everyone's heart - BG 18.61
I
- I (Prabhupada) am attempting to present Srimad-Bhagavatam in the English language by the order of my spiritual master, Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
- If human society wants to be exalted, the leaders of society must follow the instructions of Bhagavad-gita and give protection to the cows, the brahmanas and brahminical culture
- If one is intelligent enough to take instructions from the SP of Godhead, as enunciated in Bhagavad-gita or the Sankhya philosophy of Kapiladeva, one can very soon attain liberation and be situated in his original position of spiritual life
- In all cases, He (the Supreme Lord) is the original spiritual master who enlightens the conditioned souls who are suffering in the material world
- In Bhagavad-gita (BG 4.34) the SPG recommends: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth
- In human life one is meant to undergo austerity to purify one's existence. Tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyet (SB 5.5.1). Because of contamination by the modes of material nature, one continues in the cycle of birth and death - BG 13.22
- In responsive cooperation, the Lord reveals Himself in proportion to one's surrender. That which is revealed to one who fully surrenders is different from what is revealed to one who surrenders partially
- In the final analysis, the original guru is Krsna, His disciple is Narada, whose disciple is Vyasa, and in this way we gradually come in touch with the guru-parampara
- In the Matsya Purana it is said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead possesses unlimited potency. Nonetheless, in His pastime in the form of a fish He begged protection from King Satyavrata
- Incidentally, by His causeless mercy, the Lord spoke with Satyavrata. The word satyavratanam is significant because it indicates that those on the level of Satyavrata can take knowledge from the Vedas delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- It is because of this foolishness that one cannot take instructions from the Lord, although the Lord is ready to instruct everyone both externally and internally
- It is difficult to understand Bhagavad-gita without the help of the guru. Therefore the guru appears in the parampara system
- It is said, acaryam mam vijaniyat (SB 11.17.27): an acarya who acts on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be understood to be as good as the Supreme Lord Himself
- It is said, kamais tais tair hrta jnanah prapadyante 'nya-devatah: (BG 7.20) people in general, being motivated by material desires, worship the demigods to get fruitive results very quickly
- It is the guru's business to instruct his disciple to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead if he wants relief from the material clutches. This is the symptom of the guru
K
- Kamais tais tair hrta jnanah prapadyante 'nya-devatah: (BG 7.20) those who do not know the position of the demigods are inclined to worship the demigods for some material purpose, but the results of such worship are never permanent
- King Satyavrata shows us the way to accept the SP of Godhead as the real spiritual master. The Supreme Lord has given full directions in Bhagavad-gita about how to deal with everything in this material world and how to return home, back to Godhead
- King Satyavrata wanted to show his own mercy, not knowing that the fish was Lord Visnu. By such unknowing devotional service, one is favored by the SP of Godhead. Service rendered to the Supreme Lord, knowingly or unknowingly, never goes in vain
M
- Maharaja Satyavrata shows us the way of the mahajana. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah (CC Madhya 17.186). One should surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (dasavatara) and learn from Him about the spiritual world and the goal of life
- Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te (BG 7.14). One who has fully surrendered to the Lord has no fear of the modes of material nature, for everything is but an expansion of the Lord's glories, and these glories are gradually revealed and realized
O
- One can fulfill the ultimate goal of life only by engaging in devotional service to the Lord. Then the Lord will give one proper instructions on how to go back home, back to Godhead
- One cannot become a guru if he does not know what the Personality of Godhead Krsna or His incarnation wants. The mission of the guru is the mission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: to spread Krsna consciousness all over the world
- One cannot understand Vedic knowledge from the veda-vada-ratas, who read the Vedas and misconstrue their subject matter. One has to know the Vedas from the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- One should adopt the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described here (in SB 8.24.48) as guror guruh, the spiritual master of all other spiritual masters
- One should aspire only for the benediction offered by the SPG. As the Lord says in BG (18.66): "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." This is the greatest benediction
- One should follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, as stated in Bhagavad-gita, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna: (BG 4.9) after giving up one's body, one will return home, back to Godhead
- One should not be misled by so-called gurus who are rascals and fools. Rather, one should directly see the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the guru or instructor
P
- Param bhavam ajanantah: such a conclusion (considering the Supreme Personality of Godhead an ordinary living being) is reached by the unintelligent because they are unaware of the transcendental qualities of the Lord
- Pariksit Maharaja's question to Sukadeva Gosvami was based on this principle stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita - 4.7
- People generally do not become devotees of Lord Visnu, since Lord Visnu never becomes the order-supplier of His devotee. Lord Visnu does not give a devotee benedictions that will create a further demand for benedictions
- Purusah prakrti-stho hi bhunkte prakrtijan gunan (BG 13.22). When the living entity is in the material nature, he is affected by its qualities. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, is not affected
S
- So-called gurus instruct their disciples for the sake of material profit. Some guru advises that one meditate in such a way that his intelligence will increase in regard to keeping his body fit for sense gratification
- Some of the vibhinnamsa forms (of the Supreme Personality of Godhead) are spiritual, and some are a combination of matter and spirit
- Sometimes a foolish person accepts someone as a guru because he can manufacture a small quantity of gold by mystic yogic power. Such a disciple has a poor fund of knowledge, he cannot judge whether the manufacture of gold is the criterion for a guru
- Sometimes it is argued that people do not know who is a spiritual master and that finding a spiritual master from whom to get enlightenment in regard to the destination of life is very difficult
- Sometimes personally, sometimes by an incarnation and sometimes by authorizing a living being to act on His behalf - the Supreme Lord appears in this material world
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (instructed): yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa (CC Madhya 7.128). In other words, one is advised not to accept a guru who does not follow the path of instruction given by Lord Krsna
- Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura comments that although it was daytime for Lord Brahma, Brahma felt sleepy for a short time by the supreme will of the Lord. This short period is regarded as Lord Brahma's night
- Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura gives his verdict that Satyavrata appeared in the Caksusa-manvantara. When the Caksusa-manvantara ended, the period of Vaivasvata Manu began
- Such gurus (who can manufacture only a small portion of gold) are accepted by those who are blind, not knowing the goal of life. Maharaja Satyavrata, however, knew the goal of life. He knew the SPG, and therefore he accepted the Lord as his guru
- Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat: even a slight attempt to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a permanent asset
T
- The benedictions of Lord Visnu are different. By the mercy of the Lord Visnu, one can be completely freed from material contamination and go back home, back to Godhead
- The benedictions offered by the demigods cannot compare to even one ten-thousandth of the Lord's benedictions. One should not, therefore, try to obtain benedictions from the demigods or false gurus
- The bona fide guru is he who advises his disciples exactly in accordance with the principles spoken by Krsna. The bona fide guru is he who has accepted Krsna as guru. This is the guru-parampara system
- The conditioned soul surrenders to the laws of nature in material existence, but when one fully surrenders to the Lord, material nature does not act upon him. Such a fully surrendered soul is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly
- The conditioned soul, being wrapped in ignorance and therefore not knowing the goal of life, accepts a guru who can juggle words and make some display of magic that is wonderful to a fool
- The conditioned souls in the material world are different from their external bodies made of material energy. Thus the demigods living in the upper planetary systems and the living entities living in the lower planetary system are of the same nature
- The demigods like Indra, Candra and Surya are ordinary living entities who are differentiated parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The living entity should become purified and regain his svarupa, his original identity. This he can do only by devotional service
- The Lord appears in each incarnation to save the world from irreligious principles and especially to protect His devotees (paritranaya sadhunam (BG 4.8)). Vamanadeva, for example, appeared to save the devotee Bali Maharaja
- The Lord assumed one fish incarnation to save the Vedas at the beginning of the Svayambhuva-manvantara, and at the end of the Caksusa-manvantara the Lord again assumed the form of a fish just to favor the great king named Satyavrata
- The Lord expands Himself through the living beings (nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (KU 2.2.13)). His personal visnu-tattva forms, which are all spiritual, are called svamsa, and the living entities who are differentiated parts are called vibhinnamsa
- The Lord is always busy helping the conditioned souls in many ways. Therefore He is addressed here (in SB 8.24.46) as paramo gurur bhavan
- The Lord is described as go-brahmana-hitaya because His incarnation is only for the protection of the cows & brahmanas. Unfortunately, because in Kali-yuga there is no protection of the cows and brahminical culture, everything is in a precarious position
- The Lord is the supreme purifier (param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan (BG 10.12)). The more one is purified and the more he wants to know about the Supreme, the more the Lord reveals to him
- The Lord lives in the spiritual world in His original personality, and a devotee who follows the instructions of the Lord approaches Him - mam eti
- The Lord reveals Himself in proportion to one's surrender to Him. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham - BG 4.11
- The Lord says, dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te. In other words, the Lord can give instructions on devotional service by which one can return home, back to Godhead
- The original guru is Vyasadeva because he is the speaker of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, wherein everything spoken relates to Krsna. Therefore guru-puja is known as Vyasa-puja
- The purpose of human life is to purify oneself of this contamination so that one can regain his spiritual form and not undergo this cycle of birth and death. The recommended process of decontamination is devotional service to the Lord
- The real purpose of life is to go back home, back to Godhead, and live with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, play with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, dance with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and eat with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who acts to spread Krsna consciousness is also guided by the Supreme Lord to act properly in executing the Lord's order
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead generally appears in various types of incarnations to give protection to the cows and brahmanas. The Lord is described as go-brahmana-hitaya ca; in other words, He is always eager to benefit the cows and brahmanas
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is actually the supreme spiritual master. The Supreme Lord knows everything about the suffering of the conditioned soul, and therefore He appears in this material world
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-powerful, yet He accepted the form of an uncommon fish. This is one of the ten original incarnations of the Lord
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of the material nature (mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sacaracaram (BG 9.10)). Therefore, being the supreme controller of the laws of nature, the Lord cannot be under their influence
- The word varnam refers to the luster of one's original identity. The original luster of gold or silver is brilliant. Similarly, the original luster of the living being, who is part of the sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, is the luster of ananda, or pleasure
- The words nijam padam are significant. The living entity, being part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has the birthright to a position in Vaikunthaloka, or the spiritual world, where there is no anxiety
- There are various processes for self-realization, such as karma, jnana and yoga, but none of them is equal to the process of devotional service
- These are different items of ananda (living, playing, dancing and eating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead), spiritual happiness in spiritual variegatedness
- This commentation (for Srimad-Bhagavatam 8th canto) has been finished in our New Delhi center today, the first of September, 1976, the day of Radhastami, by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the acaryas
- This particular devastation (of 8.24.37) actually took place not during the night of Lord Brahma but during his day, for it was during the time of Caksusa Manu
- Those living as human beings on this planet are sometimes attracted to worshiping the demigods in the higher planetary systems. Such worship is temporary
- Thus (because the European and American devotees are helping me considerably) we have expectations of finishing the great task (of presenting Srimad-Bhagavatam in the English language) before my passing away. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga
W
- Whatever is spoken by the Supreme Lord is accepted as Veda. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, vedanta-krd veda-vit: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the compiler of all Vedic knowledge, and He knows the purport of the Vedas
- When Lord Krsna appeared, He purposefully became a cowherd boy and showed personally how to give protection to the cows and calves. Similarly, He showed respect to Sudama Vipra, a real brahmana
- When the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepted the abominable form of a fish, He must have done so to favor some devotee. Pariksit Maharaja was eager to know about the devotee for whom the Supreme Lord accepted this form
- Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion - at that time I (Lord Krsna) descend Myself
- Where is the difficulty in finding a guru? If one is sincere he can find the guru and learn everything. One should take lessons from the guru and find out the goal of life
- Why should one not accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, from whom unlimited numbers of gold mines come into being? Aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate - BG 10.8
- Without protection of cows, brahminical culture cannot be maintained; and without brahminical culture, the aim of life cannot be fulfilled