The history of creation, as we learn from the Vedic literature, that after creation of this material world, the living entities are impregnated . . . just like a man constructs a nice house or takes a very nice apartment and begets children in the womb of his wife, similarly, the material nature is the mother, and the father is God, and we are all children. These are the Vedic literature description.
So who are these children? These children are all criminals. All criminals. Beginning from Brahmā, the highest living creature, down to the ant, a small, insignificant ant, more or less we are criminals, and we are suffering the consequences. We cannot deny. If we are sincere, if we actually believe in the śāstras, in the Vedic literature, then our sufferings are due to our mischievous activities.
So according to the mischievous activities, there are different kinds of suffering and there are different kinds of species of life. But māyā, the spell of māyā is so strong that one cannot understand that he is suffering. We understand that we are trying to be happy. Actually, this material world, there is no happiness, but to counteract the agency of distress, we accept, "That is happiness. That is happiness." Just like I have no apartment, but to counteract this inconvenience, if I try my utmost to get a good apartment I feel, "Oh, now I am happy. I am happy." What is this happiness? How long you shall remain in this apartment? Suppose you have got, purchased. Now long you will live?
So here happiness means to counteract the force of distress is called happiness. Actually there is no happiness. This is called māyā. Just like I am in distressed condition, puzzled, I take some intoxicant. This is called happiness. I remain in the same condition. After my intoxication is over, I come back again into the same condition, but I am thinking I'm happy. This is called māyā. Māyā means . . . Ma means "not", yā means "this." "You are thinking like this, but it is not this." This is called māyā. You are thinking that you are happy, but you are not happy. So we are seeing that a criminal is arrested by the police and he is put into the prison house. We know that he is put into trouble, but still, in spite of seeing that, "This kind of criminality will put me also into such kind of distress," but still, I commit that thing. This is the influence of māyā. This is the influence of māyā!
So these all description of hellish description has been given in the previous chapter. Now Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he is a Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava, Vaiṣṇava feeling . . . Vaiṣṇava means he is always feeling for the distress of the others. Just like Lord Jesus Christ. What is the necessity of being crucified? Because he was a Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava means the servant of God or the devotee of God, Vaiṣṇava. Viṣṇu means Lord, and Vaiṣṇava means one who is devotee of Viṣṇu, he is called Vaiṣṇava. Godly. Godly person. Vaiṣṇava means godly person.
So every godly person, he thinks for others. "Oh, people are suffering for want of knowledge, for want of God consciousness, for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Oh, let me do some service. Let me enlighten them so that they may be happy." Therefore we offer our obeisances to the Vaiṣṇavas: vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca (Vaiṣṇava-praṇāma). Vāñchā-kalpa-taru means that, "My dear devotee, you are just like a desire tree. Whatever I desire from you, you fulfill." Vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca. Kṛpā means mercy, "You are the ocean of mercy," and patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo, "and you are deliverer of the fallen souls. Therefore I offer my obeisances unto you."
It is very nice to offer respect to a godly person. Is described very nicely. Why? Now, patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo. A godly person's business is to reclaim the fallen souls. They cannot see . . . a godly person sees that "Here is my brother. He is son of God. I am son of God. Without enlightenment, without knowledge of God, he is suffering. So let me give him some knowledge of God." This is godly person's business.
He has no other business. He has no business to find out where to eat, where to sleep. Oh, that God provides for him. If God can provide food and shelter for cats and dogs, do you think God will not provide food and shelter for His confidential devotee? Is God so blind or ingratitude or unable? If He is able to feed innumerable living entities within this universe, does it mean that one who has sacrificed his life for God's service, he will starve? No.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ pranaśyati (BG 9.31): "My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna, you declare it to the world that My devotee will never be vanquished." Never be vanquished. Another place it is said, teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22): "Those who are constantly engaged in My service, for them, I personally carry all the necessities to his home." So rest assured that if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, if you become God conscious, there will be no scarcity of happiness. Don't think that "If I devote my life only for Kṛṣṇa consciousness I will be starving." No. So this enlightenment is given by godly persons.
So here Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was very godly person. He was so great devotee that there is no comparison. He is . . . so he is asking, after hearing the hellish punishment of the criminals, he is asking:
- adhuneha mahā-bhāga
- yathaiva narakān naraḥ
- nānogra-yātanān neyāt
- tan me vyākhyātum arhasi
- (SB 6.1.6)
He is addressing Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He has accepted Śukadeva Gosvāmī as his spiritual master. Therefore he says, mahā-bhāga, "the most fortunate man." You have to select a spiritual master, the most fortunate man. And who is most fortunate man? One who has understood Kṛṣṇa, he is most fortunate man. Not that one who has got dozens of motorcars, he is most fortunate man. You do not know where he is going after this body. You see? He may be enjoying very nicely in this life, but he is not preparing for the next life. This life is preparation for the next life.
The modern civilization does not know that every living entity is eternal; he is changing simply different phases of life. So if one is ignorant how he is changing his different phases of life, what is his next life, what he was in the past life . . . how one can know? One can know, śāstra-cakṣuṣāt. One can know from the scriptures, from the authorized books, as you know so many things. How you know that the moon planet or sun planet or this planet or that planet have got so many things, this or that? It is from the books. You have never gone to the moon planet, but you learn it from the books, authorized books. Simply you have to consult authorized books, you get learned yourself.
So the Vaiṣṇava, I mean to say, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was very much distressed when he heard about the hellish punishment of the criminals. So he's asking, mahā-bhāga, "My dear fortunate." He's asking Śukadeva Gosvāmī . . . Śukadeva Gosvāmī was naked. He was so renounced that after his birth, he left his home. And he was traveling, wandering, and when he met Mahārāja Parīkṣit he was only sixteen years old and naked, but he is accepted as the spiritual master of this great king because he was full of knowledge. It is a question of knowledge; it is not the question of age. He was only sixteen years old, and he was not even properly dressed, but God kindly sent him for instructing this king. So he is asking, "Mahā-bhāga, can you explain how these suffering men can be delivered from this hellish suffering?" So he was feeling.
This is the sentiment of Vaiṣṇava. They cannot see the suffering humanity. They always try to reform them and to get them as . . . not only the devotees, the Lord also, He is so compassionate He sends His son, His most confidential son, Jesus Christ. He comes Himself, He sends His incarnation, He sends His knowledge. Just like this Bhagavad-gītā is knowledge. He speaks Himself about this knowledge. His representatives are there by disciplic succession. So we can take advantage of all these things. Still, there is Kṛṣṇa. Still there is speaking Kṛṣṇa and His representative, and everything is there. Simply we have to take advantage. That's all. But the spell of māyā is so strong that it does not allow.