SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 6

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'After making his obeisances in the direction to which Lord Ananta had disappeared, Citraketu, the King of the Vidyâdharas began traveling, moving about in the wide world. (2-3) He unhindered visited hundreds of thousands of people in thousands of places and was in his strength and sense control praised as a great yogi by the sages, the perfected and the monks. To his heart's content staying in between the hights of Kulâcalendra [Mount Meru] where one exercises for perfection, was he delighted to incite with the wives of the Vidyâdharas the praise of Lord Hari, the Controller.

(4-5) Once roaming in his brightly shining, heavenly vehicle that he had gotten from Lord Vishnu, saw he Lord S'iva in the midst of all the saintly. Surrounded by the perfected and the singers of heaven, embraced he with his arm the goddess who sat on his lap. Citraketu laughing loudly thereto then spoke in the presence of the mother for her clearly to hear. (6) Citraketu said: 'This spiritual master of all the world, who to all the embodied is the direct representative of the dharma, sits here in the middle of an assembly while he embraces his wife! (7) With his hair matted, exalted, of penance, strict to the spiritual and presiding a gathering, is he hugging a woman, sitting there unashamed as a common materially motivated person. (8) Normally though do even conditioned souls embrace women in private... and this one master of vow and austerity enjoys his woman in an assembly!'

(9) S'rî S'uka said: 'The great Lord of fathomless intelligence when he heard that o King, just smiled and remained silent, and everyone in the assembly followed his example. (10) With him thus, unaware of the might, speaking against all etiquette, spoke the goddess angered to the audacious one who thought he was so well-controlled. (11) S'rî Pârvatî said: 'And now would this one here all of a sudden be the Supreme Controller, the one to chastise and the master of restraint for people like us, the ones criminal and shameless? (12) It must be the one from the lotus who has no idea of the dharma. Nor do Brahmâ's sons, Bhrigu or Nârada, nor indeed do the four Kumâras, Lord Kapila and Manu himself have a clue, otherwise they would have stopped our S'iva from breaking the rules! (13) This one is the lowest of all kshatriyas. He who by him, overriding the demigods, so impudently was chastised, is the one who with his lotus feet is the teacher of all the world, the auspicious of auspiciousness himself and the one to be meditated upon. Therefore deserves this man it to be punished. (14) This impertinent, haughty fellow does not deserve it to approach the shelter of the lotus feet of Vaikunthha that are worshipped by all the saints [compare: the S'ikshâshthaka]. (15) Therefore, o greatest of sinners, leave from here to be born among the demons, o fool, so that this world again belongs to the great and you, my son, will no longer commit any offense.'

(16) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus being cursed came Citraketu down from his heavenly chariot to show Pârvatî the best of him in bowing his head low before her, o son of Bharata. (17) Citraketu said: 'Folding my hands before you o mother, I accept your curse; that which the gods impose upon a mortal is entirely determined by his deeds in the past. (18) Caught in the vicious circle of this material life is the living entity deluded in his ignorance and wanders he everywhere, constantly experiencing happiness and distress. (19) In this matter does a person not aware consider himself, and surely others too, as the doer, but, nor can indeed the individual soul, nor someone else, be the doer giving happiness and distress. (20) What would, in this current of the modes of matter, actually be a curse or what a favor, what a promotion to heaven or what a fall down in hell, or what would be happiness and distress therein? (21) He is the One Supreme Lord, who by His potencies creates the conditioned existence of all the beings as well as the life of liberation; the happiness and distress at the one hand and the position above time at the other. (22) To Him no one is dear or not dear, a kinsman or a friend, nor does one belong to others or to Him; He is equal, omnipresent, unaffected by the world and unattached in that happiness to which one, as an attached person, relates with anger. (23) Nevertheless is there because of His forces with the embodied the creation of the in repeat being destined to be of happiness and distress, profit and loss, liberation and bondage and birth and death. (24) For that reason am I not begging you to be released from your curse o angry one. All I want is that you accept my excuses for everything that in your eyes, o chaste one, was something improper to say for me.'

(25) S'rî S'uka said: 'After thus having shown the elevated ones his respect, o constant conqueror of the enemies, went Citraketu away in his heavenly vehicle leaving the two watching and smiling behind him. (26) Thereafter then said the great Lord to his wife the following while Nârada, the Daityas, the Siddhas and his personal associates were all listening. (27) S'rî Rudra said: 'Have you seen, my beauty, how magnanimous the servants of the servants are, the great souls who have forsaken the sensual in their relating to the Supreme Personality whose works are so wondrous? (28) The pure ones of Nârâyana are all in no instance afraid, whether it concerns heaven, liberation or a place in hell; in their eyes makes the location no difference. (29) The ones embodied are, because they're in touch with the physical, with the Lord His pastimes no doubt subject to the dualities of happiness and distress, death and birth and curse and favor. (30) When one not properly setting things apart makes distinctions, are there accordingly within the person himself the qualities and faults one makes of being imagined with the difference of, for instance, being sure whether one deserves a garland or not. (31) People who carry love and faith in their hearts for the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva are of real knowledge and detachment, they do not take to the shelter of any physical blessing [see also 1.2: 7]. (32) Nor I, nor Lord Brahmâ, nor the As'vinî-kumâras, nor Nârada, the sons of Brahmâ, the saints nor all the great demigods know the true nature of Him of whom we, who like to consider ourselves separate rulers, are all but parts of parts. (33) There is indeed no one particularly loved by Him nor disliked, nor does anyone even belong to Him or to someone else; as the Soul of the soul of all beings is the Lord the one dearest to all alive. (34-35) This greatly fortunate King Citraketu is of Him an obedient servant loved everywhere, is peaceful and equal minded and who, just as I, is the love of the Infallible one. Be therefore not surprised about the ways of those persons who are the great souls and personalities of devotion of peace and equality towards all.'

(36) S'rî S'uka said: Thus hearing what the great Lord S'iva had to tell her, found Pârvatî her peace of mind back o King and was the goddess freed from her astonishment. (37) When he, who as a great devotee in all respects was able to formulate a counter-curse against the goddess, accepted the condemnation loaded on his head, characterized this him as a true devotee. (38) Born from the brahmin called Tvashthâ turned he at the Dakshina fire sacrifice to the department of the demoniac species of life, and thus became he with all his knowledge and wisdom celebrated as Vritrâsura [see 6.9 and compare with 1.5: 19]. (39) This was all [dear Parîkchit] I had to explain to you to what you asked about Vritrâsura, the one of exalted intelligence who was born in the darkness. (40) This history of the pious Citraketu who was such a great soul, contains all the glory and he who hears it from the devotees of Vishnu is freed from bondage. (41) Anyone of remembrance with the Lord who, rising early in the morning, with faith controlling his words reads out this story, will reach the supreme destination.'

S'rî S'uka said: 'After making his obeisances in the direction to which Lord Ananta had disappeared, Citraketu, the King of the Vidyâdharas began traveling, moving about in the wide world.

S'rîla S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: After offering obeisances to the direction from which Ananta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, had disappeared, Citraketu began traveling in outer space as the head of the Vidyâdharas. (Vedabase)

Text 2-3:

He unhindered visited hundreds of thousands of people in thousands of places and was in his strength and sense control praised as a great yogi by the sages, the perfected and the monks. To his heart's content staying in between the hights of Kulâcalendra [Mount Meru] where one exercises for perfection, was he delighted to incite with the wives of the Vidyâdharas the praise of Lord Hari, the Controller.

Being praised by great sages and saints and by the inhabitants of Siddhaloka and Câranaloka, Citraketu, the most powerful mystic yogi, wandered about enjoying life for millions of years. With bodily strength and senses free from deterioration, he traveled within the valleys of Sumeru Mountain, which is the place of perfection for various kinds of mystic power. In those valleys he enjoyed life with the women of Vidyâdhara-loka by chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord, Hari. (Vedabase)

Text 4-5:

Once roaming in his brightly shining, heavenly vehicle that he had gotten from Lord Vishnu, saw he Lord S'iva in the midst of all the saintly. Surrounded by the perfected and the singers of heaven, embraced he with his arm the goddess who sat on his lap. Citraketu laughing loudly thereto then spoke in the presence of the mother for her clearly to hear.

One time while King Citraketu was traveling in outer space on a brilliantly effulgent airplane given to him by Lord Vishnu, he saw Lord S'iva, surrounded by Siddhas and Câranas. Lord S'iva was sitting in an assembly of great saintly persons and embracing Pârvatî on his lap with his arm. Citraketu laughed loudly and spoke, within the hearing of Pârvatî. (Vedabase)

Text 6

Citraketu said: 'This spiritual master of all the world, who to all the embodied is the direct representative of the dharma, sits here in the middle of an assembly while he embraces his wife!

Citraketu said: Lord S'iva, the spiritual master of the general populace, is the best of all living entities who have accepted material bodies. He enunciates the system of religion. Yet how wonderful it is that he is embracing his wife, Pârvatî, in the midst of an assembly of great saintly persons. (Vedabase)

Text 7

With his hair matted, exalted, of penance, strict to the spiritual and presiding a gathering, is he hugging a woman, sitting there unashamed as a common materially motivated person.

Lord S'iva, whose hair is matted on his head, has certainly undergone great austerities and penances. Indeed, he is the president in the assembly of strict followers of Vedic principles. Nonetheless, he is seated with his wife on his lap in the midst of saintly persons and is embracing her as if he were a shameless, ordinary human being. (Vedabase)

Text 8

Normally though do even conditioned souls embrace women in private... and this one master of vow and austerity enjoys his woman in an assembly!'

Ordinary conditioned persons generally embrace their wives and enjoy their company in solitary places. How wonderful it is that Lord Mahâdeva, although a great master of austerity, is embracing his wife openly in the midst of an assembly of great saints. (Vedabase)

Text 9

S'rî S'uka said: 'The great Lord of fathomless intelligence when he heard that o King, just smiled and remained silent, and everyone in the assembly followed his example.

S'rîla S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: My dear King, after hearing Citraketu's statement, Lord S'iva, the most powerful personality, whose knowledge is fathomless, simply smiled and remained silent, and all the members of the assembly followed the lord by not saying anything. (Vedabase)

Text 10

With him thus, unaware of the might, speaking against all etiquette, spoke the goddess angered to the audacious one who thought he was so well-controlled.

Not knowing the prowess of Lord S'iva and Pârvatî, Citraketu strongly criticized them. His statements were not at all pleasing, and therefore the goddess Pârvatî, being very angry, spoke as follows to Citraketu, who thought himself better than Lord S'iva in controlling the senses. (Vedabase)

Text 11

S'rî Pârvatî said: 'And now would this one here all of a sudden be the Supreme Controller, the one to chastise and the master of restraint for people like us, the ones criminal and shameless?

The goddess Pârvatî said: Alas, has this upstart now received a post from which to punish shameless persons like us? Has he been appointed ruler, carrier of the rod of punishment? Is he now the only master of everything? (Vedabase)

Text 12

It must be the one from the lotus who has no idea of the dharma. Nor do Brahmâ's sons, Bhrigu or Nârada, nor indeed do the four Kumâras, Lord Kapila and Manu himself have a clue, otherwise they would have stopped our S'iva from breaking the rules!

Alas, Lord Brahmâ, who has taken his birth from the lotus flower, does not know the principles of religion, nor do the great saints like Bhrigu and Nârada, nor the four Kumâras, headed by Sanat-kumâra. Manu and Kapila have also forgotten the religious principles. I suppose it to be because of this that they have not tried to stop Lord S'iva from behaving improperly. (Vedabase)

Text 13

This one is the lowest of all kshatriyas. He who by him, overriding the demigods, so impudently was chastised, is the one who with his lotus feet is the teacher of all the world, the auspicious of auspiciousness himself and the one to be meditated upon. Therefore deserves this man it to be punished.

This Citraketu is the lowest of kshatriyas, for he has impudently overridden Brahmâ and the other demigods by insulting Lord S'iva, upon whose lotus feet they always meditate. Lord S'iva is personified religion and the spiritual master of the entire world, and therefore Citraketu must be punished. (Vedabase)

Text 14

This impertinent, haughty fellow does not deserve it to approach the shelter of the lotus feet of Vaikunthha that are worshipped by all the saints [compare: the S'ikshâshthaka].

This person is puffed up because of his achievements, thinking, "I am the best." He does not deserve to approach the shelter of Lord Vishnu's lotus feet, which are worshiped by all saintly persons, for he is impudent, thinking himself greatly important. (Vedabase)

Text 15

Therefore, o greatest of sinners, leave from here to be born among the demons, o fool, so that this world again belongs to the great and you, my son, will no longer commit any offense.'

O impudent one, my dear son, now take birth in a low, sinful family of demons so that you will not commit such an offense again toward exalted, saintly persons in this world. (Vedabase)

Text 16

S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus being cursed came Citraketu down from his heavenly chariot to show Pârvatî the best of him in bowing his head low before her, o son of Bharata.

S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: My dear King Parîkshit, when Citraketu was cursed by Pârvatî, he descended from his airplane, bowed before her with great humility and pleased her completely. (Vedabase)

Text 17

Citraketu said: 'Folding my hands before you o mother, I accept your curse; that which the gods impose upon a mortal is entirely determined by his deeds in the past.

Citraketu said: My dear mother, with my own hands folded together I accept the curse upon me. I do not mind the curse, for happiness and distress are given by the demigods as a result of one's past deeds. (Vedabase)

Text 18:

Caught in the vicious circle of this material life is the living entity deluded in his ignorance and wanders he everywhere, constantly experiencing happiness and distress.

Deluded by ignorance, the living entity wanders in the forest of this material world, enjoying the happiness and distress resulting from his past deeds, everywhere and at all times. [Therefore, my dear mother, neither you nor I am to be blamed for this incident.]. (Vedabase)

Text 19:

In this matter does a person not aware consider himself, and surely others too, as the doer, but, nor can indeed the individual soul, nor someone else, be the doer giving happiness and distress.

In this material world, neither the living entity himself nor others the doer [friends and enemies] are the cause of material happiness and distress. But because of gross ignorance, the living entity thinks that he and others are the cause. (Vedabase)

Text 20:

What would, in this current of the modes of matter, actually be a curse or what a favor, what a promotion to heaven or what a fall down in hell, or what would be happiness and distress therein?

This material world resembles the waves of a constantly flowing river. Therefore, what is a curse and what is a favor? What are the heavenly planets, and what are the hellish planets? What is actually happiness, and what is actually distress? Because the waves flow constantly, none of them has an eternal effect. (Vedabase)

Text 21:

He is the One Supreme Lord, who by His potencies creates the conditioned existence of all the beings as well as the life of liberation; the happiness and distress at the one hand and the position above time at the other.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one. Unaffected by the conditions of the material world, He creates all the conditioned souls by His own personal potency. Because of being contaminated by the material energy, the living entity is put into ignorance and thus into different conditions of bondage. Sometimes, by knowledge, the living entity is given liberation. In sattva-guna and rajo-guna, he is subjected to happiness and distress. (Vedabase)

Text 22:

To Him no one is dear or not dear, a kinsman or a friend, nor does one belong to others or to Him; He is equal, omnipresent, unaffected by the world and unattached in that happiness to which one, as an attached person, relates with anger.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is equally disposed toward all living entities. Therefore no one is very dear to Him, and no one is a great enemy for Him; no one is His friend, and no one is His relative. Being unattached to the material world, He has no affection for so-called happiness or hatred for so-called distress. The two terms happiness and distress are relative. Since the Lord is always happy, for Him there is no question of distress. (Vedabase)

Text 23:

Nevertheless is there because of His forces with the embodied the creation of the in repeat being destined to be of happiness and distress, profit and loss, liberation and bondage and birth and death.

Although the Supreme Lord is unattached to our happiness and distress according to karma, and although no one is His enemy or favorite, He creates pious and impious activities through the agency of His material potency. Thus for the continuation of the materialistic way of life He creates happiness and distress, good fortune and bad, bondage and liberation, birth and death. (Vedabase)

Text 24:

For that reason am I not begging you to be released from your curse o angry one. All I want is that you accept my excuses for everything that in your eyes, o chaste one, was something improper to say for me.

O mother, you are now unnecessarily angry, but since all my happiness and distress are destined by my past activities, I do not plead to be excused or relieved from your curse. Although what I have said is not wrong, please let whatever you think is wrong be pardoned. (Vedabase)

Text 25:

S'rî S'uka said: 'After thus having shown the elevated ones his respect, o constant conqueror of the enemies, went Citraketu away in his heavenly vehicle leaving the two watching and smiling behind him.

S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: O King Parîkshit, subduer of the enemy, after Citraketu satisfied Lord S'iva and his wife, Pârvatî, he boarded his airplane and left as they looked on. When Lord S'iva and Pârvatî saw that Citraketu, although informed of the curse, was unafraid, they smiled, being fully astonished by his behavior. (Vedabase)

Text 26:

Thereafter then said the great Lord to his wife the following while Nârada, the Daityas, the Siddhas and his personal associates were all listening.

Thereafter, in the presence of the great sage Nârada, the demons, the inhabitants of Siddhaloka, and his personal associates, Lord S'iva, who is most powerful, spoke to his wife, Pârvatî, while they all listened. (Vedabase)

Text 27:

S'rî Rudra said: 'Have you seen, my beauty, how magnanimous the servants of the servants are, the great souls who have forsaken the sensual in their relating to the Supreme Personality whose works are so wondrous?

Lord S'iva said: My dear beautiful Pârvatî, have you seen the greatness of the Vaishnavas? Being servants of the servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, they are great souls and are not interested in any kind of material happiness. (Vedabase)

Text 28:

The pure ones of Nârâyana are all in no instance afraid, whether it concerns heaven, liberation or a place in hell; in their eyes makes the location no difference.

Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nârâyana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 29:

The ones embodied are, because they're in touch with the physical, with the Lord His pastimes no doubt subject to the dualities of happiness and distress, death and birth and curse and favor.

Because of the actions of the Supreme Lord's external energy, the living entities are conditioned in contact with material bodies. The dualities of happiness and distress, birth and death, curses and favors, are natural by-products of this contact in the material world. (Vedabase)

Text 30:

When one not properly setting things apart makes distinctions, are there accordingly within the person himself the qualities and faults one makes of being imagined with the difference of, for instance, being sure whether one deserves a garland or not.

As one mistakenly considers a flower garland to be a snake or experiences happiness and distress in a dream, so, in the material world, by a lack of careful consideration, we differentiate between happiness and distress, considering one good and the other bad. (Vedabase)

Text 31:

People who carry love and faith in their hearts for the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva are of real knowledge and detachment, they do not take to the shelter of any physical blessing [see also 1.2: 7].

Persons engaged in devotional service to Lord Vâsudeva , Krishna, have naturally perfect knowledge and detachment from this material world. Therefore such devotees are not interested in the so-called happiness or so-called distress of this world. (Vedabase)

Text 32:

Nor I, nor Lord Brahmâ, nor the As'vinî-kumâras, nor Nârada, the sons of Brahmâ, the saints nor all the great demigods know the true nature of Him of whom we, who like to consider ourselves separate rulers, are all but parts of parts.

Neither I [Lord S'iva], nor Brahmâ, nor the As'vinî-kumâras, nor Nârada or the other great sages who are Brahmâ's sons, nor even the demigods can understand the pastimes and personality of the Supreme Lord. Although we are part of the Supreme Lord, we consider ourselves independent, separate controllers, and thus we cannot understand His identity. (Vedabase)

Text 33:

There is indeed no one particularly loved by Him nor disliked, nor does anyone even belong to Him or to someone else; as the Soul of the soul of all beings is the Lord the one dearest to all alive.

He holds no one as very dear and no one as inimical. He has no one for His own relative, and no one is alien to Him. He is actually the soul of the soul of all living entities. Thus He is the auspicious friend of all living beings and is very near and dear to all of them. (Vedabase)

Text 34-35:

This greatly fortunate King Citraketu is of Him an obedient servant loved everywhere, is peaceful and equal minded and who, just as I, is the love of the Infallible one. Be therefore not surprised about the ways of those persons who are the great souls and personalities of devotion of peace and equality towards all.'

This magnanimous Citraketu is a dear devotee of the Lord. He is equal to all living entities and is free from attachment and hatred. Similarly, I am also very dear to Lord Nârâyana. Therefore, no one should be astonished to see the activities of the most exalted devotees of Nârâyana, for they are free from attachment and envy. They are always peaceful, and they are equal to everyone. (Vedabase)

Text 36:

S'rî S'uka said: Thus hearing what the great Lord S'iva had to tell her, found Pârvatî her peace of mind back o King and was the goddess freed from her astonishment.

S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: O King, after hearing this speech by her husband, the demigoddess [Umâ, the wife of Lord S'iva] gave up her astonishment at the behavior of King Citraketu and became steady in intelligence. (Vedabase)

Text 37:

When he, who as a great devotee in all respects was able to formulate a counter-curse against the goddess, accepted the condemnation loaded on his head, characterized this him as a true devotee.

The great devotee Citraketu was so powerful that he was quite competent to curse mother Pârvatî in retaliation, but instead of doing so he very humbly accepted the curse and bowed his head before Lord S'iva and his wife. This is very much to be appreciated as the standard behavior of a Vaishnava. (Vedabase)

Text 38:

Born from the brahmin called Tvashthâ turned he at the Dakshina fire sacrifice to the department of the demoniac species of life, and thus became he with all his knowledge and wisdom celebrated as Vritrâsura [see 6.9 and compare with 1.5: 19].

Being cursed by mother Durgâ [Bhavânî, the wife of Lord S'iva], that same Citraketu accepted birth in a demoniac species of life. Although still fully equipped with transcendental knowledge and practical application of that knowledge in life, he appeared as a demon at the fire sacrifice performed by Tvashthâ, and thus he became famous as Vritrâsura. (Vedabase)

Text 39:

This was all [dear Parîkchit] I had to explain to you to what you asked about Vritrâsura, the one of exalted intelligence who was born in the darkness.

My dear King Parîkshit, you inquired from me how Vritrâsura, a great devotee, took birth in a demoniac family.Thus I have tried to explain to you everything about this. (Vedabase)

Text 40:

This history of the pious Citraketu who was such a great soul, contains all the glory and he who hears it from the devotees of Vishnu is freed from bondage.

Citraketu was a great devotee [mahâtma]. If one hears this history of Citraketu from a pure devotee, the listener also is freed from the conditional life of material existence. (Vedabase)

Text 41:

Anyone of remembrance with the Lord who, rising early in the morning, with faith controlling his words reads out this story, will reach the supreme destination.

One who rises from bed early in the morning and recites this history of Citraketu, controlling his words and mind and remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will return home, back to Godhead, without difficulty. (Vedabase)