SB 07.09.41 evam sva-karma-patitam bhava-vaitaranyam... cited

Expressions researched:
"anyonya-janma-maranasana-bhita-bhitam" |"evam sva-karma-patitam bhava-vaitaranyam" |"hanteti paracara piprhi mudham adya" |"pasyan janam sva-para-vigraha-vaira-maitram"

SB Canto 7

SB 7.9.41, Translation and Purport:

My dear Lord, You are always transcendentally situated on the other side of the river of death, but because of the reactions of our own activities, we are suffering on this side. Indeed, we have fallen into this river and are repeatedly suffering the pains of birth and death and eating horrible things. Now kindly look upon us—not only upon me but also upon all others who are suffering—and by Your causeless mercy and compassion, deliver us and maintain us.

Prahlāda Mahārāja, a pure Vaiṣṇava, prays to the Lord not only for himself but for all other suffering living entities. There are two classes of Vaiṣṇavas—the bhajanānandīs and goṣṭhy-ānandīs. The bhajanānandīs worship the Lord only for their own personal benefit, but the goṣṭhy-ānandīs try to elevate all others to Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that they may be saved. Fools who cannot perceive repeated birth and death and the other miseries of materialistic life cannot be sure of what will happen to them in their next birth. Indeed, these foolish, materially contaminated rascals have manufactured an irresponsible way of life that does not consider the next life. They do not know that according to one's own activities, one receives a body selected from 8,400,000 species. These rascals have been described in Bhagavad-gītā as duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ. Nondevotees, those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, must engage in sinful activities, and therefore they are mūḍhas—fools and rascals. They are such fools that they do not know what will happen to them in their next life. Although they see varieties of living creatures eating abominable things—pigs eating stool, crocodiles eating all kinds of flesh, and so on—they do not realize that they themselves, because of their practice of eating all kinds of nonsense in this life, will be destined to eat the most abominable things in their next life. A Vaiṣṇava is always afraid of such an abominable life, and to free himself from such horrible conditions, he engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord. The Lord is compassionate to them, and therefore He appears for their benefit.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bhārata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself." (BG 4.7) The Lord is always ready to help the fallen souls, but because they are fools and rascals, they do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and abide by the instructions of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is personally the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, He comes as a devotee to preach the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa. One must therefore become a sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). One should become a guru and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, simply by preaching the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 7.9.41 -- Mayapura, March 19, 1976:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Translation: "My dear Lord, You are transcendentally situated on the other side of the river of death. We are suffering on this side of the river of death on account of the resultant action of our own activities and have thus fallen in this river. We are suffering the pangs of repeated birth, death and awful arrangements. Not only me, but on behalf of all others in suffering conditions, kindly see upon them and out of Your causeless mercy and compassion deliver us and thus maintain us."

Prabhupāda:

evaṁ sva-karma-patitaṁ bhava-vaitaraṇyām

anyonya-janma-maraṇāśana-bhīta-bhītam

paśyaṁ janaṁ sva-para-vigraha-vaira-maitraṁ

hanteti pāracara pīpṛhi mūḍham adya

(SB 7.9.41)

So this is our material condition of life. Prahlāda Mahārāja is describing one after another. So sometimes foolish person accuse God that "Why He has put us into this miserable condition, different status of life? Somebody is rich, somebody is poor, somebody is diseased, somebody is healthy, and so many varieties." Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said, keśava tuyā jagata vicitra. Vicitra means varieties. "So if God is kind, why He has made so many varieties?" This is not the common question you meet? You are preaching. They inquire like this: "Why God is not kind to everyone? Why He has made this distinction?"

So this is not God's creation. We should know that it is my creation. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, evaṁ sva-karma-patitam. Just like a man is condemned to death. In the court the judge gives the judgment that "This murderer should be hanged." So it is not the judge that he is giving order to the murderer to be hanged. It is the murderer who has created his situation, to be hanged. This is to be understood. Not that the judge is partial, he's giving order to somebody that he must get decree for two millions of dollars, "He must have it," and another man is condemned to death. It is not that the judge is partial, he's giving somebody two millions of dollars and somebody is ordered to be hanged. The judge is impartial. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). This is the version. We act according to our whims, and the resultant action is there immediately. The nature's law, God's law, is there. We have got experience that if we infect some disease, contaminous disease, then we must suffer from that disease. So it is not God's creation that somebody is suffering from some painful condition and somebody is enjoying. No. We infect ourself with some contamination because this world, this material world, is full of contamination, full of contamination. Just like when there is epidemic, the whole situation is contaminous. Therefore one has to take vaccine injection to protect himself. So anyone who has come to this material world must know that he has come in a place which is a place of epidemic. So you must have to remain very cautious. Otherwise you will have to suffer.

Lecture on SB 7.9.41 -- Mayapura, March 19, 1976:

So we are so foolish that we do not believe in the next life. That is simply foolishness. There is next life, especially when Kṛṣṇa says. You can say, "We don't believe." You believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. You are under the laws of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Kṛṣṇa said. Why one has become nicely situated? Why one is situated, one man is, one living entity is eating very nicely very nice foodstuff, and another animal is eating stool? This is not accidental. This is not accidental. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Because one has acted in such a way that he has to eat stool, he must eat. But the māyā, the illusory energy, is so clever that while the animal is eating stool, he's thinking, "I am enjoying heaven." This is called māyā. So even by eating stool he's thinking that he is enjoying heavenly pleasure. Unless he's covered by that ignorance, he... If he remembers that "I was... In my previous life I was human being, and I was eating so nice foodstuff. Now I am obliged to eat stool," then he cannot prolong. That is called prakṣepātmika-śakti-māyā. We forget. Forgetfulness.

So this forgetfulness is going on. Evaṁ sva-karma-patitaṁ bhava-vaitaraṇyām anyonya-janma maraṇa. Here is again, anyonya-janma: "Not only this birth, but another birth, another birth, another birth." You cannot say that "This is the final" or "This is the beginning." No. That is not. Anyonya-janma-maraṇa. In another body also there is birth and death. As in this body we have got birth and death, similarly, in another body also, either I take my birth as Lord Brahmā or a small, insignificant ant... It doesn't matter. Any material body you take, there is birth and there is death. You may live... Just like we are human being. We may live for many years, hundred years, in comparison to the ant's life, and similarly, we may live hundred years, and Brahmā is living for millions of years. So it does not mean there is no death. Death must be there. One who has taken birth, he must die. The janma-maraṇa. And as soon as you take birth, all the material conditions, tri-tāpa-yātana, adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, you have to accept. There is no rescue. As soon as you take birth, janma-maraṇa, jarā... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). As soon as you take birth, then you have to take jarā, old age, and vyādhi, and disease, and last, maraṇa.

So we do not understand this. This is called ignorance, foolishness. Prahlāda Mahārāja, Vaiṣṇava, he understands this, that "I am fallen in this miserable condition," evaṁ sva-karma-patitam, "by my own activities. Not only I, everyone in this material..." That we should know. Don't think that "He's suffering. I am enjoying." I am also suffering. If I am not suffering now, I will have to suffer. Suffering must be there. This world is meant for suffering. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Kṛṣṇa says, "This is a place for suffering." You cannot enjoy. That is not possible. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gataḥ (BG 8.15). So unless you attain the complete perfection of life, saṁsiddhiṁ paramām, there is no question of stopping your miserable condition of life. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, paśyañ janaṁ sva-para-vigraha-vaira-maitram. And in each and every life there will be this distinction, "This is mine, and this is your," "You are my friend" or "You are my enemy" and "I am your friend. I am..." This contradiction will go on. You cannot... Therefore you see the whole world, they are sometimes fighting as enemies, and sometimes they are trying to make the United Nation. You see practically. Sometimes vaira, enemies, and sometimes maitram, friend. But this is all illusion. They will never become friendly. It is not possible. This contradiction will continue, sva-para-vairam, and create situation—"You suffer; I suffer. I snatch your ears and you snatch my ears," that's all. You have seen the punishment between the two boys? So we shall create this enmity and so-called friendship and then suffering. This is going on.