Canto 5, Chapter 1, Verse 1
rājovāca
priyavrato bhāgavata
ātmārāmaḥ kathaṁ mune
gṛhe ’ramata yan-mūlaḥ
karma-bandhaḥ parābhavaḥ
King Parikshit asked of Sage Sukadev, O great sage, why did King Priyavrata, who was a great, Self-realised devotee of the Lord Narayana, stay in household life, which is the source of the bondage of karma and which defeats the mission of human life?
In the last story, we heard how one must be completely detached from everything in the material world. However, in the next story of King Priyavrata, you will see that it is possible to be detached even when one is married. One can be free even when one is in a relationship. King Priyavrata sets such an example. He was a great king who had a Grihastha life, yet he was free.
The Bhagavatam is for everybody in all four stages of life, whether people follow a Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, or Sannyas’s life. There are no restrictions as long as one knows what the aim is: how to be free. First you have to free yourself, so that you can free others. If you have not realised yourself, how can you help somebody else to reach Realisation? One of the human qualities is to enjoy sharing what we have. When you have love for God, can you keep it for yourself? No, you want to spread it. You can’t say, “I have realised God only for my sake.” No. It’s for sharing, because then you can help others. That’s what Sage Sukadev is doing here. He is helping King Parikshit to free himself fully; to attain not only superficial freedom, but ultimate freedom which can be attained by everybody.
If the mind is entangled in the outside reality, then it is difficult. Then you are bound by misery, by happiness, by sadness, or by the drama. It is said that the mind is the cause of bondage to misery. Nevertheless, a calm mind can lead us to freedom. It isn’t the case that married people can’t attain God. In fact, if the husband and wife support each other on the spiritual path, it’s wonderful. It’s not that the husband will get Realisation for the wife, or the wife will get Realisation for the husband. No. Each partner will attain Realisation individually, while supporting each other.
On the other hand, if one of the partners is not on the spiritual path, that will become an obstacle. You still want to continue on the spiritual path, but you have to hide it, fearing that your partner will find out and get angry.
That’s why it is said that it’s very difficult when you carry ‘heavy baggage’. But, if both partners carry the ‘baggage’ together, then it’s easier. If one takes all the ‘baggage’ and puts it on one person only, what will happen? It will crush that person. That’s what happens in the world. But on the spiritual path, it should be different. The Bhagavatam shows that on the spiritual path, husband and wife should support each other, and carry that load together. Then, Bhagavan will give accordingly. In a relationship you should not fight or impose yourself on your partner. You should support each other.
That’s why if you are on the spiritual path, and you want to get married, marry somebody who is on the spiritual path. It will be much better for you than marrying somebody who is not on the spiritual path. You may say, “Yes, but I love that person who is not on the spiritual path.” However, in the long run, what will happen? At the beginning, it is beautiful, beautiful, nice, nice. Afterwards, everything changes. Very often, people come to me saying, “Guruji, my partner was supporting me very much before we got married, but after we got married, it is the opposite.”
Now, I will tell you the story of Priyavrata.
King Priyavrata was a great devotee of Narayana and he was a direct disciple of Narada Muni. Narada Muni, the brother of Daksha, never got married. He is a renunciate and goes around the universe chanting the Name of Narayana. On the other hand, Daksha had many children and instructed them to beget children. However, Narada influenced them saying, “The only worthy way is to surrender to God, you should not bother about getting married.” Daksha went into a rage and had even more children. Again, he ordered his sons to beget children and also told them, “Don’t listen to Narada! He is an idiot, who has ruined his life. He is just chanting the Name of Narayana.” Of course, Daksha’s sons would get very upset saying, “But, uncle Narada seems very happy.” Nevertheless, they followed their father instructions and avoided talking with Narada.
One day Narada came to them and said, “Daksha has told you that I am an idiot? Look at him! He is married, and he has so many children and so much wealth. Is he happy? Have you ever seen him smiling? He is always angry. Even though there is no point in being angry, he will always make up a story to make himself unhappy. Do you think he is happy?” They all agreed, “It’s true, he is not happy.” Then, Narada told them, “Look, I’m not influencing you to renounce everything. This is not my intention. My intention is to show you that whatever path you take in life, you can attain Narayana. You can marry, but aim for Narayana. You can live a celibate life, but aim for Narayana.” It’s not about becoming a celibate with your mind is still hanging on the world outside. This is only outer celibacy. Narada is referring to the inner celibacy. In the world outside, you can marry, but your heart should be attached to the Lord.
Priyavrata was the eldest son of Svayambhuva Manu. His father Manu advised him to marry and to lead a family life. When he was young, as he was under the care of Sage Narada, he had great control over himself. He attained one of the highest qualities of meditation: as soon as he closed his eyes, he would enter into the state of Samadhi. He had a great connection with the Divine. So when his father told him to get married, he said, “No, I don’t want to entangle myself in the world. I know what is the most important aim in life. Why would I accept the throne? I am not inclined to live a family life. I want to dedicate myself fully to the devotion of Narayana.” Like this, he was a bit reluctant to follow the advice of his father. At that moment, Brahma appeared together with some sages and said to Priyavrata, “Follow the advice of your father. At the same time, you should never let go of the devotion which you have to the Lord. Concentrate always on Narayana. You will be an ideal devotee, living in the outside world, while doing your true spiritual dharma, devoting yourself to Bhagavan. So do your dharma in the outside world, and do your spiritual supreme dharma. You can rule the kingdom, raise your family and dedicate yourself fully to the Lord.” So hearing this from Brahma, Priyavrata could not say ‘no’.
In life, due to samskaras, you meet people, and you get involved in different relationships with people. You get married, you get divorced, and so on. However, how many people really go throughout life aiming for the Ultimate? This world is full of people. Out of seven billion, how many people realise themselves? Very few. How many people get the Grace of sitting and hearing the glory of the Lord? Very few. Only the blessed ones. Why? Because you have something different inside of you.
Brahma also said to Priyavrata, “You should not let go of your duty. If you let go of your duty, you will become lazy and you will not fulfil your dharma. As you will not burn karma, that karma will still carry on with you in this life, and in the next life. So, get married, do your duty as a king, but be detached. It’s better to burn your karma now and finish with it. Concentrate always on Narayana.”
So Priyavrata married the daughter of Vishwakarma, the lord of Architecture. Vishwakarma represents the mundane life, the outside world. You are born on Earth to work out your karma and burn it. Here, the daughter of Vishwakarma symbolises that karma. So when you accept the karma, you go through it, and then you are free. She bore him ten sons and all of them had wonderful qualities. Likewise, when you learn to accept life, when you embrace life, different qualities awaken inside of you. Later on, King Priyavrata married a second wife, who bore him three sons. He was very happy and seemed infatuated by this queen.
Now, King Parikshit wondered, “But King Priyavrata was considered to be free. How did he still get infatuated by his queen?” Suka explained to King Parikshit, “This was just a drama. Those who are free, they can roam the Earth, they can do whatever they want, yet they will always be free. They will burn the karma, but they will not get attached to the karma.”
Once King Priyavrata noticed that half of the Earth was in darkness. In order to have the Earth always in the light, he went around the Earth seven times, on his flying chariot, spreading light. His chariot was bright like the sun, and it is said that the wheels of his chariot separated the Earth into seven continents.
When people get married in the Hindu tradition, they go seven times around the fire. By going seven times around the fire, they are burning the karma of seven lives in order to realise God in this life, together. In this story of King Priyavrata, Brahma had advised him to get married and finish the karma.
Finally, King Priyavrata realised that he had spent too much time in the outside world raising his family. As a disciple of Sage Narada, he regretted that, so he decided to let go of the world and go do penance to attain the Grace of the Lord.
In this story of the great king Priyavrata, Brahma Himself appeared to remind him of the importance of family life. He also reminded him that everybody is bound by karma. Children are born to you because they have a certain karma with you, which they have to finish. When they are born, you should realise that this is a blessing. God is encouraging you to finish the karma that you have with other people so you can be free. And He gave you somebody to support you to finish that karma. How many saints and sages were in a relationship? Many. Does it mean that they were not free? They were free. And their partners were always supporting them.
Sri Ramakrishna and Lahiri Mahasaya are saints who led a family, but yet they realised themselves. They were married, but their wives supported them, and they supported their wives on the spiritual path. Sri Ramakrishna even used to worship his wife, Sarada Devi, as Divine Mother Herself.
When both partners support each other on the spiritual path, then they also will give this knowledge and values to their children. And their children will also give it to their own children. But the aim should not be forgotten. You should not forget about the aim. The aim is Bhagavan. The aim is Narayana. The aim is not to attach yourself to the world and get stuck here on Earth. Husband and wife swear around the fire that they are burning all the karma that they had created between them. Like this, they finish that karma, and support each other. Do your duty of supporting each other and you will see that together you will attain the Grace of Narayana.
‘Bhaja Govindam’ is a poetic hymn composed by Adi Shankaracharya. In it, he says, “Sing the praises of Govinda! Sing the glory of Govinda! Worship Govinda, because He is the only one who will save you. Everything else you have learned will not save you. Only the worship of Govinda will save you.” We have already heard this same message in several stories of the Bhagavatam, and Adi Shankaracharya also says it in the verse, ‘Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Govindam Bhaja Mūdhamate’.
Everything that you have learned in this world, you will leave here. When you die, all the knowledge that you have accumulated in life with your mind ends here. You don’t take it with you. Throughout many lives you have studied, you have accumulated great knowledge. Do you remember it now? No. Every time you are born, you have to continue learning. However, you always carry with you what you have accumulated through the practice of your sadhana. This spiritual wisdom is always kept in your spiritual body, not in the perishable physical body. That’s why it is said that all that you study, and all that you save will be lost. Narayana is the only one that can save you, so only true devotion and surrender to Him will free you.
The next verse of Bhaja Govindam is related to the next story of King Rishabhadeva, who taught about renunciation.
Sūra Mandira Taru Mūla Nivāsaha
Shayyā Bhūtala Majinam Vāsaha
Sarva Parigraha Bhoga Tyāgaha
Kasya Sukham Na Karoti Virāgaha
No one can disrupt the peace of mind and vairaagya, if one is freely taking shelter in some temples, under some trees, sleeping on the bare ground, wearing a deer skin, and thus renouncing the thirst to enjoy and all idea of possession.
King Rishabhadeva was also an Incarnation of Lord Narayana. As soon as he was born, he started to grow very fast. A few hours after his birth he was crawling around, and later on that same day he was running. This is similar to the life of Lord Buddha. When Buddha was born, he started walking. With each step he took, a lotus flower appeared on the ground under His feet.