Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 10 Verses 2-3

Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 10: Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.10.2-3

śrī-śuka uvāca

rudrasyānucarau bhūtvā

sudṛptau dhanadātmajau

kailāsopavane ramye

mandākinyāḿ madotkaṭau

vāruṇīḿ madirāḿ pītvā

madāghūrṇita-locanau

strī-janair anugāyadbhiś

ceratuḥ puṣpite vane

SYNONYMS

śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied; rudrasya — of Lord Śiva; anucarau — two great devotees or associates; bhūtvā — being elevated to that post; su-dṛptau — being proud of that position and their beautiful bodily features; dhanada-ātmajau — the two sons of Kuvera, treasurer of the demigods; kailāsa-upavane — in a small garden attached to Kailāsa Parvata, the residence of Lord Śiva; ramye — in a very beautiful place; mandākinyām — on the River Mandākinī; mada-utkaṭau — terribly proud and mad; vāruṇīm — a kind of liquor named Vāruṇī; madirām — intoxication; pītvā — drinking; mada-āghūrṇita-locanau — their eyes rolling with intoxication; strī-janaiḥ — with women; anugāyadbhiḥ — vibrating songs sung by them; ceratuḥ — wandered; puṣpite vane — in a nice flower garden.

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King Parīkṣit, because the two sons of Kuvera had been elevated to the association of Lord Śiva, of which they were very much proud, they were allowed to wander in a garden attached to Kailāsa Hill, on the bank of the Mandākinī River. Taking advantage of this, they used to drink a kind of liquor called Vāruṇī. Accompanied by women singing after them, they would wander in that garden of flowers, their eyes always rolling in intoxication.

PURPORT

This verse mentions some of the material advantages afforded to persons associated with or devoted to Lord Śiva. Apart from Lord Śiva, if one is a devotee of any other demigod, one receives some material advantages. Foolish people, therefore, become devotees of demigods. This has been pointed out and criticized by Lord Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (7.20): kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ. Those who are not devotees of Kṛṣṇa have a taste for women, wine and so forth, and therefore they have been described as hṛta jñāna, bereft of sense. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can very easily point out such foolish persons, for they have been indicated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15), where Lord Kṛṣṇa says:

na māḿ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuraḿ bhāvaḿ āśritāḥ

"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me." Anyone who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa and does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa must be considered narādhama, the lowest of men, and duṣkṛtī, one who always commits sinful activities. Thus there is no difficulty in finding out who is a third-class or fourth-class man, for one's position can be understood simply by this crucial test: is he or is he not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa?

Why are devotees of the demigods greater in number than the Vaiṣṇavas? The answer is given herein. Vaiṣṇavas are not interested in such fourth-class pleasures as wine and women, nor does Kṛṣṇa allow them such facilities.

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