Once upon a time Maharaj Parikshit while engaged in hunting in the forest with arrows and bow firmly taken up became extremely fatigued, hungry and thirsty while following the stags. And in search after the reservoir of water he entered the hermitage of the well-known Samika Rishi and saw the sage was sitting all silent with closed eyes. The Supreme Lord is so kind upon His pure devotees that in proper time he calls for such devotees up to Him and thus creates a circumstance favorably auspicious for the devotee. Maharaj Parikshit was a pure devotee of the Lord and there was no reason for him to become extremely fatigued hungry and thirsty because a devotee of the Lord never becomes perturbed by such bodily demands. But by the desire of the Lord even such a devotee also became apparently fatigued and thirsty just to create the situation favorable for his renunciation of worldly activities. One has to give up all attachment for worldly relation before one is able to go back to home back to Godhead and as such even a devotee when he is too much absorbed in worldly affairs, the Lord creates a situation for the devotee's cause of indifference. The Supreme Lord never forgets His pure devotee even the latter may be engaged in so called worldly affairs and as such sometimes He creates an awkward sitation when the devotee becomes obliged to renounce all worldly affairs. The devotee can understand it by the signal of the Lord but others take it as a matter of unfavorable frustration. Maharaj Parikshit was meant for becoming the medium of revelation of Srimad Bhagwatam by Lord Sri Krishna as much as his grand father Arjuna was meant for revelation of the Bhagwat Geeta in the world. Had not Arjuna taken up with an illusion of family affection by the will of the Lord, there was no chance of the Bhagwat Geeta being spoken by the Lord Himself for the good of all concerned. Similarly had not Maharaj Parikshit been fatigued, hungry and thirsty at this time, there was no chance of Srimad Bhagwatam being spoken by Srila Sukdheva Goswami the prime authority of Srimad Bhagwatam. So this is a prelude to the circumstances under which Srimad Bhagwatam was spoken for the benefit of all concerned. The prelude, therefore, begins with the word that once upon a time etc.
The Muni's (Samika Rishi) sense organs, air of breathing, mind and intelligence all were restrained from material activities and he got himself situated in the trance apart from the three (awakeness, dream and unconsciousness) having achieved transcendental position qualitatively equal with the Supreme Absolute. It appeared that the Muni in whose hermitage the king entered was in trance Yogic process. Transcendental position is attained by three processes namely the process of Jnana or theoretical knowledge of transcendence, the process of Yoga or factual realisation of trance by manipulation of the physiological and psychological functions of the body, and the most approved process of Bhakti-Yoga or the senses engaged in devotional service of the Lord. In the Bhagwat Geeta also we have the information of gradual development of perception, from matter to living entity. Our material mind and body develop from the living entity the soul and being influenced by the three qualities of matter we forget our real identity. The Jnana process theoretically speculates ascendingly about the reality of the soul. But Bhaktiyoga factually engages the spirit soul in factual activities. Perception of matter is to transcended still more subtler state of the senses. The senses are transcended to the subtler mind, and then to breathing activities gradually to intelligence and beyond the intelligence the living soul is realised by the mechanical activities of the Yoga system or practice of meditation restraining the senses, regulating the breathing system and application of intelligence to rise up to the transcendental position of living condition. This living condition of trance stops all material activities of the body and the king saw the Muni in that position. He also saw the Muni as follows.The sage in meditation was also seen covered by the skin of stag and elongated compressed hair. The King, however, being dried up by his palate asked him for water.
The king being too much affected by the dried up palate asked the sage-in-trance for water. For such a great and devotee king asking for water from sage absorbed in trance, was certainly providencial: otherwise there was no chance of such unprecedental happening. Maharaj Parikshit was thus placed in an awkward position so that gradually the whole thing developed in to the revelation of Srimad Bhagwatam.
The king having not received any formal welcome in the shape of seat, place, water, and sweet addresses, thought himself of being neglected and thus thinking in the mind he became angry in that way. The law of reception in the codes of the Vedic principles is that even if any enemy is received at home, he must be received with all respects without giving him chance to understand that he has come to the house of an enemy. When Lord Krishna accompanied by Arjuna and Bhima approached their enemy Jarasandha in Magadh, the respectable enemies were given royal reception by king Jarasandha. The guest enemy namely Bhima was to fight with Jarasandha and yet they were given all reception. At night they used to sit down together as friends as guests would do and in the day time they used fight risking life and death. That was the law of reception. The reception law enjoins that a poor man who has nothing to offer his guest may be good enough to offer a straw for sitting, a glass of water for drinking and some sweet words of reception as a matter of obligation. Therefore, to receive a guest either friend or foe, there is no expenses but it is only the question of good manner. When Maharaj Parikshit entered the door of Samik Rishi, although he did not expect any royal reception by the Rishi, because the king knew it well that saints and Rishis are not materially richman. But he never expected that even a seat of straw, a glass of water and some sweet words also would be denied to him. He was not an ordinary guest neither he was an enemy of the Rishi and as such the coldness of reception by the Rishi astonished the king very greatly and as a matter of course the king was right to get angry upon the Rishi in such awkward position when he needed a glass of water very badly. To become angry in such grave situation was not unnatural for the king but because the king himself was not less than a great saint his becoming angry and taking action for that, were also astonishing and it must be taken for acceptance that it was so ordained by the supreme will of the Lord. The king was a great devotee of the Lord and the saint was also as good as the king. But by the will of the Lord the circumstances were so created that it became a clue to the king's becoming unattached to family connection and governmental activities and thus becoming completely a surrendered soul unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. The merciful Lord sometimes creates such awkward position for His pure devotee in order to drag him towards Himself from the mire of material existence but outwardly they appear to do something like frustration of the devotee. The devotee of the Lord is always under the protection of the Lord and in any condition, frustration or success the Lord is the supreme guide for the devotee. The pure devotee therefore, accepts all conditions of frustration even as blessing from the Lord. Thus unprecedently the king became counter angry and envious upon a Brahmin (the sage) circumstantially being pressed by too much hunger and thirst.
To become angry and envious by king like Maharaj Parikshit especially upon a sage and Brahmin was undoubtedly unprecedential. The king knew it well that the Brahmins and the sages like children, women and old men are always beyond the jurisdiction of punishment of the king. Similarly the king even though he may commit a great mistake he is never to be considered as wrong doer. But in this case Maharaj Parikshit became unprecedently as angry and envious upon the sage due to his so called thirst and hunger by the will of the Lord. The king was right to punish his subject for coldly receiving him or neglecting him but because the culprit was a Sage and Brahmin it was unprecedential for him. As the Lord is never envious to anyone so also the Lord's devotee is never envious upon anyone. The only justification for Maharaj Parikshit's becoming angry and envious upon the sage is therefore explained as ordained by the Lord.
The king thus being insulted while going out took up a lifeless snake by the front part of his bow and placed it on the shoulder of the sage in great anger and thus returned back to his palace.
The king thus treated with the sage in a manner of tit for tat although he was never accustomed to such silly action. By the will of the Lord the king while going away found a dead snake in front of him and he thought that the sage had coldly received him and thus he might be rewarded also coldly by offering him a garland of dead snake. In the ordinary course of dealing like that it was not very unnatural but in case of Maharaj Parikshit and also his dealing with a Brahmin sage like this was certainly unprecedential and it so happened by the will of the Lord.
While going out he began to contemplate and argue within himself whether the sage was actually in meditation by concentration of the senses and closed eyes or it was a false show of trance just to avoid reception of a lower Kshatriya. The king being a devotee of the Lord did not approve of his own action towards the sage and thus he began to contemplate both ways whether the position of the sage was a reality of trance by meditation or it was a false show to avoid reception of the king who was Kshatriya and therefore lower in rank than the sage. Repentance like that comes in the mind of a good soul as soon as he commits something wrong. As such the king thinking like that may not be taken as occurance of past misdeeds. Srila Viswanath Chakravarty Thakur as well as Srila Jiva Goswami both of them do not agree that the king's action like that was due to his past misdeeds. But the arrangement was so made by the Lord to make show of frustration of the king just to call him back to home back to Godhead.
According to Srila Viswanath Chakravarty the plan was made by the Lord and by the will of the Lord the situation of frustration was created by Him. The plan was that by the so called misdeed of the king he would be cursed by an inexperienced Brahmin boy infected by the influence of Kali and thus the king would leave his hearth and home for good and his connection with Srila Sukdeva Goswami would be possible for presenting the great literature of Srimad Bhagwatam which is considered to be the book incarnation of the Lord. This book incarnation of the Lord gives many fascinating informations of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord like his Rasaleela by the Lord with the spiritual cowherd damsels of Brajabhumi. This specific pastimes of the Lord was a special significance because anyone who will properly learn about this particular pastime of the Lord would certainly be dissuaded from the mundane sex desire and be placed on the path of sublime devotional loving service of the Lord. Therefore placing the pure devotee in a position of mundane frustration is meant for elevating the devotee to a higher transcendental position for the benefit of the devotee. By placing Arjuna or the Pandavas in a position of frustration by the intrigue of their cousin brothers the prelude of the battle of Kurukshetra was created by the Lord just to incarnate the sound representative of the Lord Bhagwat Geeta so also by placing the king Parikshit another devotee of the Lord in an awkward position the prelude of incarnation of Srimad Bhagwatam was created by the will of the Lord. To be very much distressed by the so called hunger and thirst of the king were also show only because the king was painstaking even from the womb of his mother and he was never disturbed by the glaring heat of the Brahmastra struck upon him by Aswatthama. The king's show of distressed condition was certainly unprecedential as mentioned above. The devotees like Maharaj Parikshit are powerful enough to forbear such distresses occasionally by the will of the Lord and they are never disturbed. The situation of this case is therefore all planed by thc Lord.
The sage had a son who was very much powerful as a Brahmin's son and was playing with boys who were all inexperienced. By the preventive method of Maharaj Parikshit's good government even a boy of tender age who was playing with inexperienced other boys, could become as powerful as a qualified Brahmin. This boy was known as Shringi and achieved good training of Brahmacharya by his father so that he could be as powerful as a Brahmin even in that age. But because the Age of Kali was seeking opportunity to spoil all cultural heritage of the four orders of life namely the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, etc the inexperienced boy of a Brahmin gave chance to the Age of Kali to enter into the field of Vedic culture. Hating the lower orders of life began from this Brahmin boy under the influence of Kali and thus deterioration of cultural life began to dwindle day after day, The first victim of Brahminical injustice was Maharaj Parikshit and thus the protection given by the king against the onslaught of the Kali became slackened. The sage's son heard about the distress of the father made by the king and thus he began to say then and there like this: "Oh just look at the sins of the rulers who are verily brought up like the crows and watch dogs at the door, on the masters against the principle of servants." The Brahmins are considered to be the head and brain of the social body and the Kshatriyas are considered to be the arms of the social body. The arms are required to protect the body from all harms but the arms must act according to the direction of the head and brain. That is a natural arrangement made by the Supreme order and it is confirmed in the Bhagwat Geeta that four orders or castes of the society namely the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas the Vaishyas and the Sudras according to quality and work done by them. Naturally the son of a Brahmin has a good chance of becoming a Brahmin by the direction of the qualified father as much as the son of a medial practitioner has very good chance for becoming a qualified medical practitioner. So the caste system is quite scientific but it has special connection with the quality of the father. The son must take advantage of the father's qualification and thus become a Brahmin or medical practitioner and not otherwise. Without being qualified like the father nobody can become a Brahmin or medical practitioner and that is the verdict of all scriptures and social orders. Herein Sringee the qualified son of a great Brahmin attained the required Brahminical power both by birth and training but he was lacking in culture because he was a boy and inexperienced. By the influence of Kali the son of a Brahmin became puffed up with the Brahminical power and thus wrongly considered Maharaj Parikshit compared with crows and the watchdogs. The Kings are certainly watch dogs of the state in a sense that they keep vigilant eyes over border of the state for its protection and defence but to address him as watchdog is the sign of a less cultured boy. Thus the fall down of the Brahminical powers began and they gave importance on the birth right without any culture. The fall down of the Brahmin caste began in the Age of Kali. And as the Brahmins are the head of the social order, all other of the society also began to deteriorate in qualities and they remained so called Brahmins and Kshatriyas without any qualitative efficiency. This beginning of deterioration of the Brahmins was highly deplored by the father of Sringhee as we will find it hereinafter. The Brahmin boy said:
"The descendants of the kingly orders are definitly fixed up as the watch dogs and they must keep themselves at the door. On what ground such dogs can enter within the house and claim to dine with the master on the same plate ?" The inexperienced Brahmin boy certainly was informed of the fact that the king asked for water from his father and the father did not respond to such request. He tried to explain away the incidence of non-reception of the king by his father, in the impertinent manner just fitting an uncultured boy. He was not at all sorry for the king being not received well but on the contrary he justified the wrong act in a way as the Brahmins of the Kaliyuga would do it. He compared the king with the watch dog and as such it was wrong for the king to enter within the home boundary of Brahmin and ask for water in the same pot ? The dog is certainly reared by its master but that does not mean that the dog shall claim to dine and drink in the same pot of the master. This mentality of false prestige of the higher caste upon the lower is the cause of fall down of the perfect social order and we can see that the beginning was started by the inexperienced son of a Brahmin. As the dog is never allowed to enter within the room and hearth, although it is reared by the master, similarly according to Sringi, the king had no right to enter the house of the Kousika Rishi. According to the boy's opinion the king was on the wrong side and not his father and thus he justified his silent father. The boy continued: "On the departure of Lord Sri Krishna the Personality of Godhead and the Supreme Ruler of everyone, the upstarts have flourished separated from the protector and therefore I shall take up the matter to punish them just see my power." The little inexperienced Brahmin puffed up by a little Brahma-teja became influenced by the spell of Kali yuga. Maharaj Parikshit gave license to Kali yuga for living in four places as mentioned hereinbefore but by his very expert Government the personality of Kali hardly found out the places allotted to him. The personality of Kaliyuga was therefore seeking out the opportunity to establish authority and by the Grace of the Lord the personality of Kali found out a hole in the puffed up little inexperienced son of a Brahmin. The little Brahmin wanted to show his prowess in the matter of destruction and had the audacity to punish a great king like Maharaj Parikshit. He wanted to take up the place of Lord Krishna after His departure. These are the principal signs of upstarts who went to take the place of Sri Krishna under the influence of the Age of Kali. An upstart with little power wants to become an incarnation of the Lord. There are many such false incarnations after the departure of Lord Krishna on the face of the globe and they are misleading the innocent public by accepting the spiritual obedience of general mass of people for maintaining a false prestige of his own. In other words the personality of Kali got the opportunity of his reign through this son of a Brahmin Sringhee. The son of the Rishi thus being overtaken by anger had his eyes redhot and while speaking to his playmates as above mentioned he touched the water of the river Koushik and discharged the thunderbolt of words. The circumstances under which Maharaj Parikshit was cursed were simply childish . The son of a Rishi namely Sringhee was showing his impudency amongst his playmates who were as much innocent otherwise any sane man would have prevented him in doing such great harm at the cost of sufferings of all human society. By killing a king like Maharaj Parikshit just to make fun of the acquired Brahminical prowess, the inexperienced son of a Brahmin committed a great mistake. The son of a Brahmin cursed the king like this "On the seventh day from to-day a snake bird will bite the wretched of the dynasty on account of his breaking the law of etiquette by doing enmity with my father." Thus the beginning of the misuse of Brahminical power began and gradually, the Brahmins in the Age of Kali became devoid of both Brahminical prowess and culture mostly. The Brahmin boy considered Maharaj Parikshit as 'Kulamgara' or the cinder of the dynasty but factually the Brahmin boy himself was so because from him only the Brahmin caste became powerless like the snake broken by its poison teeth. The snake is fearful so long the poison teeth is there otherwise the snake is fearful only for the children and not for the elderly men who knows the secret. The personality of Kali thus conquered over the Brahmin boy first and gradually over the other caste and the whole scientific system of the orders of society in this age has assumed a form vitiated caste system now attempted to be uprooted by another class of men similarly influenced by the Age of Kali. One should see to the root cause of vitiation and may not try to condemn the system as it is without any knowledge of its scientific value.
Thereafter when the boy returned in the hermitage, he saw his father wrapped by his body with a snake on shoulder and thus being too much aggrieved began to cry very loudly. The boy was not happy within his mind on account of committing a great mistake and he wanted to be relieved of the burden on the heart by crying. So after entering the hermitage and seeing his father in that condition he cried loudly so that he may be relieved but it was too late and the father regretted the whole incidence.The Rishi who was born in the family of Angira Muni thus hearing his son crying gradually opened his eyes and saw a dead snake on his neck. He threw away the dead snake from his neck and asked his son why he was crying who might have done him any harm either and on hearing this the son explained to him that happened. The father did not however took the matter of the dead snake on his neck very seriously and he simply threw it away from the place. Actually there was nothing wrong seriously on the part of Maharaj Parikshit but the foolish son took it very seriously and being influenced by the Kali he cursed the king to end a chapter of happy history of the human kind. The father Rishi after hearing from the son that the king was cursed although he is never to be condemned because he is the best of all human beings, did not congratulate his own son but on the contrary began to repent by saying alas what great sinful act was performed by him (his son) as he has had awarded heavy punishment for the insignificant offence. The king is the best of all human beings, he is the representative of God and he is never to be condemned for any of his action. In other words the king can do no wrong. The king orders for hanging of a culprit son of a Brahmin but for that reason he does not become liable to be sinful on account of killing a Brahmin. Even there is something wrong on the part of a king, the king is never to be condemned as much as a medical practitioner may kill a patient by mistaken treatment but such killer is never condemned to death. And what to speak of a good and pious king like Maharaj Parikshit. In the Vedic way of life the king is trained up to become a Rajarshi or a great saint although a ruling king. Because it is the king only by whose good government the citizens can live peacefully and without any fear. The Rajarshis would manage their kingdom so nicely and piously that the subjects of the king would respect him as if the Lord Himself. That is the instruction of the Vedas. The king is called Narendra or the best amongst the human beings. How then the king like Maharaj Parikshit could be condemned by an inexperienced puffed up son of a Brahmin even though he attained the prowess of a qualified Brahmin. The Samik Rishi as he was an experienced good Brahmin did not approve of the action of his condemned son. He began to lament therefore for all that his son had done. The king was beyond the jurisdiction of being cursed as a general rule and what to speak of a good king like Maharaj Parikshit. The offence of the king was most insignificant and he was condemned to death was certainly a very great sin on the part of the son of a Brahmin and therefore the Rishi Samik regretted the whole incidence as follows: "Oh my boy, you are completely immature intelligently and therefore you have no knowledge that the king who, is the best amongst the human beings, is as good as the Personality of Godhead and therefore he is never to be placed on equal footing with other common man. The citizens of the state do live in all prosperity being protected by him by his unsurpassable prowess. My dear boy the Lord Who carries the wheel of a chariot is represented by the monarchical regime and this being abolished the whole world becomes full of thieves who then and there vanquish the unprotected subjects like the scattered lambs at once." According to Sreemad Bhagwatam the monarchical regime is the representative of the Supreme Lord the Personality of Godhead. Actual responsible government can be established by monarchical regime because the king is trained up individually about the real political cult in relation with the qualities of the Lord. The king is said to be the representative of the Absolute Personality of Godhead because he is trained up to acquire the qualities of God for protecting the livings beings. The battle of Kurukshetra was planned by the Lord for establishing the real representative of the Lord as Maharaj Yudhisthir. An ideal king thoroughly trained up by culture and devotional service with the martial spirit makes a perfect king and such personal Monarchy is far better than the so called democracy without any training and responsibility. The thieves and rogues like many notorious ministers of the state of modern democracy seek election by malrepresentation of votes and the successful rogues and thieves like the wolf devoure the existence of the mass of population like the scattered lambs. One trained up monarch is far better than hundreds of useless ministrial rogues and it is hinted herein that by abolition of monarchical regime like that of Maharaj Parikshit the mass of people becomes open to so many attacks of the Age of Kali and they are never happy in such much advertised form of democracy. Samika Rishi continued: "Thus on account of ending monarchical regime and thus people's wealth being plundered by the rogues and thieves, there will be now a great disruption of social anomalies between one another in the matter of killing, doing harm, stealing of animals and women and for all these we shall be responsible for the reaction of sins." The sage rightly took responsibility of the Brahmin as a community for killing the monarchical government and thus giving opportunity to the so called democrats who are generally plunderers of the wealth of the state subjects. The so called democrats capture the administrative machine without any responsibilty for the prosperous condition of the citizens. Everyone captures the post for personal gratification and thus instead of one king a number of irresponsible kings grow up for taxing the citizens. It is foretold herein that in the absence of good monarchical government everyone will be the cause of disturbance for others in the matter of plundering riches, animals, women and doing harm to one and another.
At that time the people in general will be systematically vanquished from the progressive way of civilization in the matter of qualitative engagements of castes and the orders of society for good manners in terms of the Vedic injunctions of the human kind and thus they will be more attracted by economic development for sense gratification and unwanted population of the type of dogs and monkeys.It is foretold herein that in the absence of monarchical regime the general mass of people will be unwanted population of the type of dogs and monkeys. As the monkeys are too much sexually inclined and the dogs are shameless in the matter of sexual intercourse, similarly the general mass of population born of illegitimate connection like the dogs and monkeys will systematically go astray from the Vedic way of good manners in the matter of qualitative engagements of the castes and orders of life. The Vedic way of life is called progressive march of civilization of the Aryans. The Aryans means who are progressive in terms of Vedic civilization. The Vedic civilization aims at the destination of back to Godhead back to Home where there is no birth, no death, no old age and no diseases. The Vedas direct everyone not to remain in darkness of the material world but directs progressive march towards the light of spiritual kingdom far beyond the material sky within our vision. The qualitative caste system and the orders of life are scientifically planned by the Lord and His representatives the great Rishis; and the perfect way of mannerly life gives all sorts of instruction in the matter of both material and spiritual way of life. The Vedic way of life does not allow any man to be like monkeys and dogs for sense gratification and to fulfil the desire of mammon's philosophy one should simply devote himself in the matter of economic development. Such degraded civilization of sense gratification and economic developement is the by products of Godless or kingless government of the people by the people and for the people. The people in general should not therefore grudge the reaction of such maladministration by their own action. Samika said: "The Emperor Parikshit is a pious king, he is highly celebrated, and directly the first grade devotee of the Personality of Godhead. He is a saint amongst the royal order and has performed many horse sacrifices. Such a king when he was tired and fatigued being stricken with hunger and thirst, did not at all deserved to be cursed." After explaining the general codes of royal position and asserting that the king can do no wrong and therefore he is never to be condemned, the sage Samik wanted to speak something about the Emperor Parikshit specifically. The specific qualification of Maharaj Parikshit is summarised herein that the king even calculated as a king only he was most celebrated as a ruler who administers just on the religious principles of the royal order. In the Shastras the duties of all castes and orders of the society are prescribed. All the qualities of a Kshatriya as mentioned in the Bhagwat Geeta (18.43) were present in the person of the Emperor. And besides the royal attributes he was directly a great devotee of the Lord as self realised soul. Such a king when he was tired and fatigued with hunger and thirst and personally asked for water, cursing upon him was not at all proper. The Samik Rishi thus admitted from all sides that Maharaj Parikshit was cursed by the Brahmin's son most unjustly and thus allowed the personality of Kali to enter into the established orders of the world position. Although all the Brahmins were aloof from the incidence still for the childish action of a Brahmin boy the whole atmosphere of world situation was changed and thus the Rishi Samik a Brahmin took responsibility for all deterioration of worldly good orders. The Rishi prayed for his son to the all pervading Personality of Godhead for pardoning his immature boy with no intelligence who committed the great sin of cursing a person who was completely free from all sins and being subordinate deserved to be protected. Everyone is responsible for his own action either pious or sinful. The Rishi Samik could foresee it that his son had committed a great culpable act of sin by cursing Maharaj Parikshit who deserved to be protected by the Brahmins as he was a pious ruler as well as personally completely free from all sins on account of his becoming the first order devotee of the Lord. When offence is done unto the devotee of the Lord it is very difficult to overcome from the reaction of such offensive action. The Brahmins being on the head of the social orders they are meant for giving protection to the subordinates and not to curse them. Although there are occasions when a Brahmin furiously may curse the subordinate Kshatriya or the Vaishya etc but in the case of Maharaj Parikshit there was no ground for being cursed as it is already explained. But the foolish boy had done it out of sheer vanity of being a Brahmin's son and thus he became liable to be punished by the law of God. The Lord never forgives a person who condemns His pure devotee. Therfore the foolish boy of a Brahmin had not only committed sin by cursing a King but also he had committed the greatest offence by condemning a great devotee of the Lord. Therefore the Rishi could foresee that except the Supreme Personality of Godhead no other purificatory method could save his boy from great blunder of sinful act. He therefore directly prayed for being pardoned by the Supreme Lord who can only undo a thing which is impossible to be changed. The appeal was made in the name of a foolish boy who had developed no intelligence at all. A question may be raised herein that it was the desire of the Lord that Parikshit Maharaj might be put into that awkward position so that he might be delivered from material existence then why a Brahmins son was made responsible for this offensive act. The answer is that the offensive act was made to be performed by a child only so that he could be excused very easily and thus the prayer of the father was accepted. But if the question is raised why the Brahmin community as a whole should be made responsible for allowing the Kali into the world affairs, the answer is given in the Varaha Puranam. It is said there that the demons who acted enimically with the Personality of Godhead but were not killed by the Lord were allowed to take birth in the families of the Brahmins taking advantage of the Age of Kali. The all merciful Lord gave them chance to have their births in the families of the pious Brahmins so that they could further improve to get salvation but the demons instead of utilising the good opportunity misused the Brahminical culture on account of being puffed by vanity of becoming a Brahmin's son. The typical example is the son of Samik Rishi and all the foolish sons of Brahmin family are warned hereby not to become as foolish as Shringhee and be always on guard against the demoniac qualities which they had in their previous births. The foolish boy was of course excused by the Lord but for others who may not have a father like Samik Rishi will be put into great difficulty if they misuse the advantages obtained by the birth in a Brahmin family. Samika Rishi continued: " The devotees of the Lord are so much forbearing that even they are defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed by negligence or even they are killed they are never inclined to counter act such reverses." The Rishi Samik also knew it that the Lord does not even forgive a person who has had committed offence at the feet of a devotee. The Lord can only give direction to take shelter of the devotee only. He thought within himself that if Maharaj Parikshit would counter curse the boy he might be saved. But he knew it also that a pure devotee is callous about worldly advantages or reverses. As such the devotees are never inclined to counter act any action on them by personal defamation, curse, negligence etc. So far such things are concerned in personal affairs the devotees do not care for them. But in case of their being performed on the Lord and his devotees then the devotee takes very strong action. It was a case of personal affair and therefore Samik Rishi knew it that the king would not take any counteraction. Thus there was no alternative than to place appeal to the Lord for consideration of the immature childish boy. Samika rishi continued: "It is not that only the Brahmins are powerful to award curses or blessings upon the subordinates but the devotee of the Lord even though he may not be a Brahmin is more powerful than a Brahmin. But such powerful devotee never misuses the power for personal benefit. Whatever power the devotee may have it is always utilised in the matter of service towards the Lord and His devotees only." The sage thus regretted the sin committed by his own son and the insult which was done to him by the king was not very seriously taken by him.The actual position of the whole incidence was thus cleared up. Maharaj Parikshit's garlanding the sage with a dead snake was not at all a very serious offence but Sringhee's cursing upon the king was a serious offence. The serious offence was done by a foolish child only therefore he deserved to be pardoned by the Supreme Lord although it was not possible to get free from the sinful reaction. Maharaj Parikshit also did not mind the curse offered to him by a foolish Brahmin on the contrary, he took the full advantage of such an awkward situation and by the great will of the Lord Maharaj Parikshit achieved the highest perfection of life through the grace of Srila Sukhadeva Goswami. Actually it was the desire of the Lord and the party of three namely Maharaj Parikshit, Rishi Samik and his son Shringhee all were instrumental to the fulfilment of the desire of the Lord. So none of them were put into difficulty in the shape of reaction of work because everything was done in relation with Supreme Person Yajna. Samika Rishi said: " Generally the transcendentalists even though they are engaged by others in the duality of the material world, neither they are distressed nor they take pleasures in them on account of transcendentally engaged." The transcendentalists are the empiric philosophers, mystics and the devotees of the Lord. Empiric philosophers aims at the perfection of merging into the being of Absolute, the mystics aims at perceiving the all pervading Super Soul and the devotees of the Lord are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Personality of Godhead. As Brahman, Paramatam or Bhagawan are different phases of the same transcendence all the above mentioned transcendentalist are beyond the three modes of material nature. Material distresses and happinesses are products of the three modes and therefore the causes of such material distress and happiness have nothing to do with the transcendentalists. Both the sage and the king were transcendentalists. The king was a devotee and the Risi was a mystic. Therefore both of them were unattached to the accidental incidence created by the Supreme will. The playful child was an instrument in fulfilling the Lords will.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports of the first Canto Eighteenth Chapter in the matter of Maharaj Parikshit Cursed By A Brahmin By.
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