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SB 1.16.31

ātmānaṁ cānuśocāmi

bhavantaṁ cāmarottamam

devān pitṝn ṛṣīn sādhūn

sarvān varṇāṁs tathāśramān
ātmānam-myself; ca-also; anuśocāmi-lamenting; bhavantam-yourself; ca-as well as; amara-uttamam-the best amongst the demigods; devān-about the demigods; pitṝn-about the denizens of the Pitṛloka planet; ṛṣīn-about the sages; sādhūn-about the devotees; sarvān-all of them; varṇān-sections; tathā-as also; āśramān-orders of human society.





I am thinking about myself and also, O best amongst the demigods, about you, as well as about all the demigods, sages, denizens of Pitṛloka, devotees of the Lord and all men obedient to the system of varṇa and āśrama in human society.





To effect the perfection of human life there is cooperation between men and demigods, sages, denizens of the Pitṛloka, devotees of the Lord and the scientific system of varṇa and āśrama orders of life. The distinction between human life and animal life therefore begins with the scientific system of varṇa and āśrama, guided by the experience of the sages in relation with the demigods, gradually rising to the summit of reestablishing our eternal relation with the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When God-made varṇāśrama-dharma, which is strictly meant for developing animal consciousness into human consciousness and human consciousness into godly consciousness, is broken by advancement of foolishness, the whole system of peaceful and progressive life is at once disturbed. In the age of Kali, the first attack of the venomous snake strikes against the God-made varṇāśrama-dharma, and thus a person properly qualified as a brāhmaṇa is called a śūdra, and a śūdra by qualification is passing as a brāhmaṇa, all on a false birthright claim. To become a brāhmaṇa by a birthright claim is not at all bona fide, although it may be a fulfillment of one of the conditions. But the real qualification of a brāhmaṇa is to control the mind and the senses, and to cultivate tolerance, simplicity, cleanliness, knowledge, truthfulness, devotion and faith in the Vedic wisdom. In the present age, consideration of the necessary qualification is being neglected, and the false birthright claim is being supported even by a popular, sophisticated poet, the author of Rāma-carita-mānasa.



This is all due to the influence of the age of Kali. Thus mother earth, represented as a cow, was lamenting the regrettable condition.





TEXTS 32-33



brahmādayo bahu-tithaṁ yad-apāṅga-mokṣa-

kāmās tapaḥ samacaran bhagavat-prapannāḥ

sā śrīḥ sva-vāsam aravinda-vanaṁ vihāya

yat-pāda-saubhagam alaṁ bhajate 'nuraktā

tasyāham abja-kuliśāṅkuśa-ketu-ketaiḥ



śrīmat-padair bhagavataḥ samalaṅkṛtāṅgī

trīn atyaroca upalabhya tato vibhūtiṁ

lokān sa māṁ vyasṛjad utsmayatīṁ tad-ante

SYNONYMS



brahma-ādayaḥ-demigods such as Brahmā; bahu-titham-for many days; yat-of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune; apāṅga-mokṣa-glance of grace; kāmāḥ-being desirous of; tapaḥ-penances; samacaran-executing; bhagavat-unto the Personality of Godhead; prapannāḥ-surrendered; -she (the goddess of fortune); śrīḥ-Lakṣmījī; sva-vāsam-her own abode; aravinda-vanam-the forest of lotus flowers; vihāya-leaving aside; yat-whose; pāda-feet; saubhagam-all-blissful; alam-without hesitation; bhajate-worships; anuraktā-being attached; tasya-His; aham-myself; abja-lotus flower; kuliśa-thunderbolt; aṅkuśa-rod for driving elephants; ketu-flag; ketaiḥ-impressions; śrīmat-the owner of all opulence; padaiḥ-by the soles of the feet; bhagavataḥ-of the Personality of Godhead; samalaṅkṛta-aṅgī-one whose body is so decorated; trīn-three; ati-superseding; aroce-beautifully decorated; upalabhya-having obtained; tataḥ-thereafter; vibhūtim-specific powers; lokān-planetary systems; saḥ-He; mām-me; vyasṛjat-gave up; utsmayatīm-while feeling proud; tat-ante-at the end.





Lakṣmījī, the goddess of fortune, whose glance of grace was sought by demigods like Brahmā and for whom they surrendered many a day unto the Personality of Godhead, gave up her own abode in the forest of lotus flowers and engaged herself in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord. I was endowed with specific powers to supersede the fortune of all the three planetary systems by being decorated with the impressions of the flag, thunderbolt, elephant-driving rod and lotus flower, which are signs of the lotus feet of the Lord. But at the end, when I felt I was so fortunate, the Lord left me.





The beauty and opulence of the world can be enhanced by the grace of the Lord and not by any manmade planning. When the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth, the impressions of the special signs of His lotus feet were stamped on the dust, and as a result of this specific grace, the whole earth was made as perfect as possible. In other words, the rivers, the seas, the forests, the hills and the mines, which are the supplying agents for the necessities of men and animals, were fully discharging their respective duties. Therefore the riches of the world surpassed all the riches of all other planets in the three planetary systems of the universe. One should, therefore, ask that the grace of the Lord always be present on earth so that we may be favored with His causeless mercy and be happy, having all necessities of life. One may ask how we can detain the Supreme Lord on this earth after His mission is fulfilled and He has left this earth for His own abode. The answer is that there is no need to detain the Lord. The Lord, being omnipresent, can be present with us if we want Him at all. By His omnipresence, He can always be with us if we are attached to His devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, etc.



There is nothing in the world with which the Lord is disconnected. The only thing we must learn is to excavate the source of connection and thus be linked with Him by offenseless service. We can be connected with Him by the transcendental sound representation of the Lord. The holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical, and one who chants the holy name of the Lord in an offenseless manner can at once realize that the Lord is present before him. Even by the vibration of radio sound, we can partially realize sound relativity, and by resounding the sound of transcendence we can verily feel the presence of the Lord. In this age, when everything is polluted by the contamination of Kali, it is instructed in the scriptures and preached by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that by chanting the holy name of the Lord, we can at once be free from contamination and gradually rise to the status of transcendence and go back to Godhead. The offenseless chanter of the holy name of the Lord is as auspicious as the Lord Himself, and the movement of pure devotees of the Lord all over the world can at once change the troublesome face of the world. Only by the propagation of the chanting of the holy name of the Lord can we be immune from all effects of the age of Kali.