SB 02.03.09 rajya-kamo manun devan... cited

Expressions researched:
"akamah purusam param" |"kama-kamo yajet somam" |"nirrtim tv abhicaran yajet" |"rajya-kamo manun devan"

SB Canto 2

SB 2.3.9, Translation and Purport:

One who desires domination over a kingdom or an empire should worship the Manus. One who desires victory over an enemy should worship the demons, and one who desires sense gratification should worship the moon. But one who desires nothing of material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

For a liberated person, all the enjoyments listed above are considered to be absolutely useless. Only those who are conditioned by the material modes of external energy are captivated by different types of material enjoyment. In other words, the transcendentalist has no material desires to be fulfilled, whereas the materialist has all types of desires to be fulfilled. The Lord has proclaimed that the materialists, who desire material enjoyment and thus seek the favor of different demigods, as above mentioned, are not in control of their senses and so give themselves to nonsense. One should therefore not desire any sort of material enjoyment, being sensible enough to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The leaders of nonsensical persons are still more nonsensical because they preach openly and foolishly that one can worship any form of demigod and get the same result. This sort of preaching is not only against the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā, or those of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but is also foolish, just as it is foolish to claim that with the purchase of any travel ticket one may reach the same destination. No one can reach Bombay from Delhi by purchasing a ticket for Baroda. It is clearly defined herein that persons impregnated with different desires have different modes of worship, but one who has no desire for material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. And this worshiping process is called devotional service. Pure devotional service means service to the Lord without any tinge of material desires, including desire for fruitive activity and empiric speculation. For fulfillment of material desires one may worship the Supreme Lord, but the result of such worship is different, as will be explained in the next verse. Generally the Lord does not fulfill anyone's material desires for sense enjoyment, but He awards such benedictions to worshipers of the Lord, for they ultimately come to the point of not desiring material enjoyment. The conclusion is that one must minimize the desires for material enjoyment, and for this one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described here as param, or beyond anything material. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has also stated, nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktāt: the Supreme Lord is beyond the material encirclement.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 2.3.8, and Initiations -- Los Angeles, May 25, 1972:

Devotee: He said he's making the kacaurīs.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Rājya-kāmo manūn devān nirṛtiṁ tv abhicaran yajet, kāma-kāmo yajet som ... No, not this. Dharmārtha uttama-ślokam (devotees chant responsively) tantuḥ tanvan pitṟn yajet, rakṣā-kāmaḥ puṇya-janān, ojas-kāmo marud-gaṇān Hm. Repeat, repeat again. (devotees chant śloka) So, word meaning?

Pradyumna: Translation: "One should worship Lord Viṣṇu or His devotee for spiritual advancement of knowledge, and for protection of heredity and advancement of the dynasty one should worship the different demigods."

Prabhupāda: Hm. Other line is not translated. Hm. Then?

Pradyumna: Purport?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

Prabhupāda: Where are the books? The small books. Where is the problem? Have you got (?) Come on.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya (etc., leads chanting of verse:)

rājya-kāmo manūn devān

nirṛtiṁ tv abhicaran yajet

kāma-kāmo yajet somam

akāmaḥ puruṣaṁ param

(SB 2.3.9)

Translation: "One who desires domination over a kingdom or an empire should worship the Manus. One who desires victory over an enemy should worship the demons, and one who desires sense gratification should worship the moon. But one who desires nothing of material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Prabhupāda: This is significant. Those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they have no material desires. Finished. Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. Upaśama, upaśama means completely finished, don't want. They can worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise, without being akāma ... Akāma means no material desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), completely. If we have got least desire for material enjoyment, Kṛṣṇa will give us chance again to accept a body which will satisfy the senses. Deha-yogena dehinām. For our sense gratification, a particular type of body is offered. By the order of Kṛṣṇa, through the agency of material nature. Just like father gives the seed, and the mother gives the body, similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme father, He is the giver of the seed, living entity, and according to the living entity's desire, the material nature gives the body. Therefore material nature is mother, and Kṛṣṇa is the supreme father. Tasmin garbhaṁ dadāmy aham. Garbhaṁ dadāmy aham: "I give the seed, garbha, pregnancy."

Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

They do not know anything. And they are claiming to be educated scientist and Vedantists philosopher. All nonsense. All nonsense. Therefore it is said, akāmaḥ puruṣaṁ param. Give up your kāma, lusty desires, or any material desires, and surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Then that is life successful. Otherwise, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Take once birth... These are all desires. And the so big list. "If you want this, then you can worship this." Why it is recommended that you worship these demigods? Because if one goes for fulfilling the desire to a demigod, there is connection of Viṣṇu. Because any yajña you perform, demigod, there must be Viṣṇu first. The mantra says that "With the sanction of Viṣṇu's order, you get this facility." So by worshiping the demigod, if he's sensible man, one day he will come to know that "Above the demigods there is Viṣṇu. So why I am worshiping this demigods? Why not Viṣṇu?" Suppose if I get some facility from somebody, and if I see that this man is taking sanction from another superior man.