Srimad Bhagavatam - Summary and Study Guide - Seventh Canto

Canto 7: The Science of God

Chapter one: The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone

Text 1: King Parīkṣit inquired: My dear brāhmaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, being everyone’s well-wisher, is equal and extremely dear to everyone. How, then, did He become partial like a common man for the sake of Indra and thus kill Indra’s enemies? How can a person equal to everyone be partial to some and inimical toward others?

After having heard about the descendants of Diti and Aditi, Pariksit wanted to know more about the maruts and the Puṁsavana Ceremony, is again going off on a tangent for our benefit, and now wants to know how the Supreme Personality of Godhead was partial towards Lord Indra, when he was being attacked by the demons.

Text 13: Formerly, O King, when Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was performing the Rājasūya sacrifice, the great sage Nārada, responding to his inquiry, recited historical facts showing how the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always impartial, even when killing demons. In this regard he gave a vivid exam

Texts 14-15: O King, at the Rājasūya sacrifice, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Mahārāja Pāṇḍu, personally saw Śiśupāla merge into the body of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, struck with wonder, he inquired about the reason for this from the great sage Nārada, who was seated there. While he inquired, all the sages present also heard him ask his question.

Text 16: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired: It is very wonderful that the demon Śiśupāla merged into the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead even though extremely envious. This sāyujya-mukti is impossible to attain even for great transcendentalists. How then did the enemy of the Lord attain it?

Narada Muni answered:

Text 30: Many, many persons have attained liberation simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa with great attention and giving up sinful activities. This great attention may be due to lusty desires, inimical feelings, fear, affection or devotional service. I shall now explain how one receives Kṛṣṇa’s mercy simply by concentrating one’s mind upon Him.

Text 31: My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, the gopīs by their lusty desires, Kaṁsa by his fear, Śiśupāla and other kings by envy, the Yadus by their familial relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you Pāṇḍavas by your great affection for Kṛṣṇa, and we, the general devotees, by our devotional service, have obtained the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.

Text 33: Nārada Muni continued: O best of the Pāṇḍavas, your two cousins Śiśupāla and Dantavakra, the sons of your maternal aunt, were formerly associates of Lord Viṣṇu, but because they were cursed by brāhmaṇas, they fell from Vaikuṇṭha to this material world.

Text 34: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired: What kind of great curse could affect even liberated viṣṇu-bhaktas, and what sort of person could curse even the Lord’s associates? For unflinching devotees of the Lord to fall again to this material world is impossible. I cannot believe this.

Text 36: The great saint Nārada said: Once upon a time when the four sons of Lord Brahmā named Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanat-kumāra were wandering throughout the three worlds, they came by chance to Viṣṇuloka.

Text 37: Although these four great sages were older than Brahmā’s other sons like Marīci, they appeared like small naked children only five or six years old. When Jaya and Vijaya saw them trying to enter Vaikuṇṭhaloka, these two gatekeepers, thinking them ordinary children, forbade them to enter.

Text 38: Thus checked by the doorkeepers Jaya and Vijaya, Sanandana and the other great sages very angrily cursed them. “You two foolish doorkeepers,” they said. “Being agitated by the material qualities of passion and ignorance, you are unfit to live at the shelter of Madhudviṣa’s lotus feet, which are free from such modes. It would be better for you to go immediately to the material world and take your birth in a family of most sinful asuras.”

Text 39: While Jaya and Vijaya, thus cursed by the sages, were falling to the material world, they were addressed as follows by the same sages, who were very kind to them. “O doorkeepers, after three births you will be able to return to your positions in Vaikuṇṭha, for then the duration of the curse will have ended.”

Text 40: These two associates of the Lord — Jaya and Vijaya — later descended to the material world, taking birth as the two sons of Diti, Hiraṇyakaśipu being the elder and Hiraṇyākṣa the younger. They were very much respected by the Daityas and Dānavas [demoniac species].

Text 41: Appearing as Nṛsiṁhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Hari, killed Hiraṇyakaśipu. When the Lord delivered the planet earth, which had fallen in the Garbhodaka Ocean, Hiraṇyākṣa tried to hinder Him, and then the Lord, as Varāha, killed Hiraṇyākṣa.

Text 42: Desiring to kill his son Prahlāda, who was a great devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, Hiraṇyakaśipu tortured him in many ways.

Text 43: The Lord, the Supersoul of all living entities, is sober, peaceful and equal to everyone. Since the great devotee Prahlāda was protected by the Lord’s potency, Hiraṇyakaśipu was unable to kill him, in spite of endeavoring to do so in various ways.

Text 44: Thereafter the same Jaya and Vijaya, the two doorkeepers of Lord Viṣṇu, took birth as Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa, begotten by Viśravā in the womb of Keśinī. They were extremely troublesome to all the people of the universe.

Text 45: Nārada Muni continued: My dear King, just to relieve Jaya and Vijaya of the brāhmaṇas’ curse, Lord Rāmacandra appeared in order to kill Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa. It will be better for you to hear narrations about Lord Rāmacandra’s activities from Mārkaṇḍeya.

Text 46: In their third birth, the same Jaya and Vijaya appeared in a family of kṣatriyas as your cousins, the sons of your aunt. Because Lord Kṛṣṇa has struck them with His disc, all their sinful reactions have been destroyed, and now they are free from the curse.

Text 48: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired: O my lord, Nārada Muni, why was there such enmity between Hiraṇyakaśipu and his beloved son Prahlāda Mahārāja? How did Prahlāda Mahārāja become such a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa? Kindly explain this to me. 

MGDAS: This question is in relation to SB 7.1.42 and SB 7.1.43.

Chapter two: Hiraṇyakaśipu, King of the Demons

Text 1: Śrī Nārada Muni said: My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, when Lord Viṣṇu, in the form of Varāha, the boar, killed Hiraṇyākṣa, Hiraṇyākṣa’s brother Hiraṇyakaśipu was extremely angry and began to lament.

To appease his grieving mother with the loss of her child Hiranyakasipa narates a story.

Text 27: In this regard, an example is given from an old history. This involves a discourse between Yamarāja and the friends of a dead person. [...]

Text 36: While the queens were lamenting for the dead body of the King, their loud cries were heard even from the abode of Yamarāja. Assuming the body of a boy, Yamarāja personally approached the relatives of the dead body and advised them [...].

MGDAS to ease the pain of the grieving queens lord Yamaraja also narrates a story: A hunter killed a female bird and the male bird overcome by grief then also gets killed.

Text 57: Thus Yamarāja, in the guise of a small boy, told all the queens: You are all so foolish that you lament but do not see your own death. Afflicted by a poor fund of knowledge, you do not know that even if you lament for your dead husband for hundreds of years, you will never get him back alive, and in the meantime your lives will be finished.

Text 61: Śrī Nārada Muni continued: Diti, the mother of Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa, heard the instructions of Hiraṇyakaśipu along with her daughter-in-law, Ruṣābhānu, Hiraṇyākṣa’s wife. She then forgot her grief over her son’s death and thus engaged her mind and attention in understanding the real philosophy of life.

Chapter Three: Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Plan to Become Immortal

Text 1: Nārada Muni said to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira: The demoniac king Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to be unconquerable and free from old age and dwindling of the body. He wanted to gain all the yogic perfections like aṇimā and laghimā, to be deathless, and to be the only king of the entire universe, including Brahmaloka.

Narada Muni tells the story of Hiranyakasipu's austerities resulting in Brahma's vows to protect Hiranyakasipu.

Chapter four: Hiraṇyakaśipu Terrorizes the Universe

This chapter fully describes how Hiraṇyakaśipu obtained power from Lord Brahmā and misused it by harassing all the living entities within this universe.

Text 46: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira further inquired: How was it possible for a father to be so violent toward an exalted son who was obedient, well-behaved and respectful to his father? [...]

Chapter five: Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu

This chapter describes the live of Prahlada and how he defied his teachers and was punsihed by his father.

Chapter six: Prahlāda Instructs His Demoniac Schoolmates

After Prahlada maharaja instructed his classmates he said:

Text 28: [...] I received this knowledge from the great saint Nārada Muni, who is always engaged in devotional service. [...]

Texts 29-30: The sons of the demons replied: [...] [K]indly explain how it was possible for you to hear Nārada? [...]

Chapter seven: What Prahlāda Learned in the Womb

Prahlada Mahraja explains how Narada muni instructed him while in the womb.

Chapter eight: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons

Prahlada Maharaja kept instructing his school friends and ultimately his father was going to kill him when Nrshimha Deva appeared and killed his father.

Chapter nine: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers

Text 3: Thereafter Lord Brahmā requested Prahlāda Mahārāja, who was standing very near him: My dear son, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva is extremely angry at your demoniac father. Please go forward and appease the Lord.

Text 4: Nārada Muni continued: O King, although the exalted devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja was only a little boy, he accepted Lord Brahmā’s words. He gradually proceeded toward Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva and fell down to offer his respectful obeisances with folded hands.

Text 5: When Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva saw the small boy Prahlāda Mahārāja prostrated at the soles of His lotus feet, He became most ecstatic in affection toward His devotee. Raising Prahlāda, the Lord placed His lotus hand upon the boy’s head because His hand is always ready to create fearlessness in all of His devotees.

Text 6: By the touch of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s hand on Prahlāda Mahārāja’s head, Prahlāda was completely freed of all material contaminations and desires, as if he had been thoroughly cleansed. Therefore he at once became transcendentally situated, and all the symptoms of ecstasy became manifest in his body. His heart filled with love, and his eyes with tears, and thus he was able to completely capture the lotus feet of the Lord within the core of his heart.

 Then Prahlada started his prayers SB 7.9.8 - SB 7.8.50.

Text 55: Nārada Muni said: Prahlāda Mahārāja was the best person in the family of asuras, who always aspire for material happiness. Nonetheless, although allured by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who offered him all benedictions for material happiness, because of his unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness he did not want to take any material benefit for sense gratification.

Chapter ten: Prahlāda, the Best Among Exalted Devotees

Text 11: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlāda, a devotee like you never desires any kind of material opulences, either in this life or in the next. Nonetheless, I order you to enjoy the opulences of the demons in this material world, acting as their king until the end of the duration of time occupied by Manu.

Texts 15-17: Prahlāda Mahārāja said: [...] I know that my father, at the time of his death, had already been purified by Your glance upon him, but because of his ignorance [...] he directly blasphemed Your Lordship [...] and committed heavily sinful activities directed against me, Your devotee. I wish that he be excused for these sinful activities.

Text 18: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlāda, O most pure, O great saintly person, your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified.

Text 24: Śrī Nārada Muni continued: Thus, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead ordered, Prahlāda Mahārāja performed the ritualistic ceremonies for his father. O King Yudhiṣṭhira, he was then enthroned in the kingdom of Hiraṇyakaśipu, as directed by the brāhmaṇas.

Lord Brahmā said:

Text 27: This demon, Hiraṇyakaśipu, received from me the benediction that he would not be killed by any living being within my creation. With this assurance and with strength derived from austerities and mystic power, he became excessively proud and transgressed all the Vedic injunctions.

Text 30: The Personality of Godhead replied: My dear Lord Brahmā, O great lord born from the lotus flower, just as it is dangerous to feed milk to a snake, so it is dangerous to give benedictions to demons, who are by nature ferocious and jealous. I warn you not to give such benedictions to any demon again.

Text 31: Nārada Muni continued: O King Yudhiṣṭhira, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is not visible to an ordinary human being, spoke in this way, instructing Lord Brahmā. Then, being worshiped by Brahmā, the Lord disappeared from that place.

Text 32: Prahlāda Mahārāja then worshiped and offered prayers to all the demigods, such as Brahmā, Śiva and the prajāpatis, who are all parts of the Lord.

Text 33: Thereafter, along with Śukrācārya and other great saints, Lord Brahmā, whose seat is on the lotus flower, made Prahlāda the king of all the demons and giants in the universe.

Then Narada Muni continues to speak to King Yudhistira in the Royal Assemble hall after the killing of Sisupala. 

Text 51: My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, long, long ago in history, a demon known as Maya Dānava, who was very expert in technical knowledge, reduced the reputation of Lord Śiva. In that situation, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, saved Lord Śiva.

Text 52: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said: For what reason did the demon Maya Dānava vanquish Lord Śiva’s reputation? How did Lord Kṛṣṇa save Lord Śiva and expand his reputation again? Kindly describe these incidents.

Then Narada Muni shares the story how Maha Danava build three invisible cities for demons and how Siva destroyed them and became known as Tripurari (SB 7.10.53 - SB 7.10.69).

Chapter eleven: The Perfect Society: Four Social Classes

Here Narada Muni describes the four varnas brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra.

Text 2: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said: My dear lord, I wish to hear from you about the principles of religion by which one can attain the ultimate goal of life — devotional service. I wish to hear about the general occupational duties of human society and the system of social and spiritual advancement known as varṇāśrama-dharma.

Text 5: Śrī Nārada Muni said: After first offering my obeisances unto Lord Kṛṣṇa, the protector of the religious principles of all living entities, let me explain the principles of the eternal religious system, of which I have heard from the mouth of Nārāyaṇa.

Text 6: Lord Nārāyaṇa, along with His partial manifestation Nara, appeared in this world through the daughter of Dakṣa Mahārāja known as Mūrti. He was begotten by Dharma Mahārāja for the benefit of all living entities. [...]

MGDAS:  This Dharma Maharaja or Yamaraja is the Dikpala and lives on Mount Meru. He is the son of Lord Brahma. This Dharma Maharaja, should not be confused with another Yamaraja, The King of Death and King of Pitr Loka. That Dharma Raja is the son of Vivasvan the Sun god. 

Narada Muni is describing that this dikpala Yamaraja was the father of Nara-Narayana Rsi. It was from this Narayana that Narada heard the following knowledge.

This chapter should be studied if one wants to know about the Four Social Classes, and the system of saṁskāras. 

Important verse to memorize: ŚB 7.11.21

Text 32: If one acts in his profession according to his position in the modes of nature and gradually gives up these activities, he attains the niṣkāma stage.

 MGDAS Narada Muni explains that one has to go through the whole sytem, to finally renounce it. This is examplified by the next verse. Also it is understood that one has to obtain the personal realized stage of Nistha to actually come and be able to function in the niskama stage.

Texts 33-34: My dear King, if an agricultural field is cultivated again and again, the power of its production decreases, and whatever seeds are sown there are lost. Just as drops of ghee on a fire never extinguish the fire but a flood of ghee will, similarly, overindulgence in lusty desires mitigates such desires entirely.

MGDAS: In other words, one becomes so tired of material live and material enjoyment, meaning live according to the Four Social Classes, that one has to give it up. Of course this should not be misunderstood to enjoy demonically and expect to become tired (although this might be possible in extreme, krpa-siddhi, cases), the idea is to follow the Perfect Society of the Four Social Classes and then gradually, like an agricultural field is slowly depleted, the desire for enjoyment becomes stale.

Incidentally krpa-siddhi simply means that one is so extreme in his devotional service, that he does not have to go to the regular process, this is only due to his or hers extreme dedication, austerities, perhaps extreme suffering, and intense prayer, this is anything but an easy way. A material example is Johan Cruyff, when Johan Cruyff, who did more for, and probably knows more about, (Dutch) football then any other person in history, had to acquire his trainers diploma, the KNVB simply gave it to him. This is the only time the KNVB made an exception, Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard etc, all had to go to school to get their degree, except Johan Cruyff. It would simply be unthinkable to put Johan Cruyff in a classroom, who would teach him? The *only* other example was a similar player from the same era; Franz Beckenbauer, who famously (or infamously if you like) defeated Cruyff and Holland with West Germany in the 1974 World Cup Final.

Chapter twelve: The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes

In this chapter Narada Muni continues to explain to King Yudhistira, after the Killing of Sisupala, about the four ashramas brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa.

Narada Muni ends the chapter with a long description of the vvānaprastha.

Chapter thirteen: The Behavior of a Perfect Person

In this chapter Narada Muni describes the regulative principles for sannyāsīs and also describes the history of an avadhūta. It concludes with a description of perfection for the student in spiritual advancement.

Text 11: As a historical example of this, learned sages recite the story of an ancient discussion between Prahlāda Mahārāja and a great saintly person who was feeding himself like a python.

The saintly brāhmaṇa said: 

Text 26: In this human form of life, men and women unite for the sensual pleasure of sex, but by actual experience we have observed that none of them are happy. Therefore, seeing the contrary results, I have stopped taking part in materialistic activities.

Text 46: Nārada Muni continued: After Prahlāda Mahārāja, the King of the demons, heard these instructions from the saint, he understood the occupational duties of a perfect person [paramahaṁsa]. Thus he duly worshiped the saint, took his permission and then left for his own home.

Chapter fourteen: Ideal Family Life

This chapter is about the gṛhastha ashrama. 

Text 1: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired from Nārada Muni: O my lord, O great sage, kindly explain how we who are staying at home without knowledge of the goal of life may also easily attain liberation, according to the instructions of the Vedas.

Narada Muni aslo explains about the importance of Deity worship and that a qualified brāhmaṇa must be accepted as the best within this material world.

Chapter fifteen: Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

Narada Muni continues to talk about brahamanas and the different kinds of brahmanas.

He explains that if one who is content and satisfied and who links his activities with the Supreme Personality of Godhead residing in everyone’s heart enjoys transcendental happiness without endeavoring for his livelihood. (Text 16)

Text 22: By making plans with determination, one should give up lusty desires for sense gratification. Similarly, by giving up envy one should conquer anger, by discussing the disadvantages of accumulating wealth one should give up greed, and by discussing the truth one should give up fear.

Text 23: By discussing spiritual knowledge one can conquer lamentation and illusion, by serving a great devotee one can become prideless, by keeping silent one can avoid obstacles on the path of mystic yoga, and simply by stopping sense gratification one can conquer envy.

Text 77: Present here now is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead whose true form cannot be understood even by such great personalities as Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. He is realized by devotees because of their unflinching surrender. May that same Personality of Godhead, who is the maintainer of His devotees and who is worshiped by silence, by devotional service and by cessation of material activities, be pleased with us.

Text 78: Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the best member of the Bharata dynasty, thus learned everything from the descriptions of Nārada Muni. After hearing these instructions, he felt great pleasure from within his heart, and in great ecstasy, love and affection, he worshiped Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Text 79: Nārada Muni, being worshiped by Kṛṣṇa and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, bade them farewell and went away. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, having heard that Kṛṣṇa, his cousin, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was struck with wonder.

Text 80: On all the planets within this universe, the varieties of living entities, moving and nonmoving, including the demigods, demons and human beings, were all generated from the daughters of Mahārāja Dakṣa. I have now described them and their different dynasties.