← Canto 2: The Cosmic Manifestation

Chapter 10: Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions

Verse 37–40 of 47
SB 2.10.37-40

प्रजापतीन्मनून्देवानृषीन्पितृगणान्पृथक् सिद्धचारणगन्धर्वान्विद्याध्रासुरगुह्यकान् किन्नराप्सरसो नागान्सर्पान्किम्पुरुषान्नरान् मातॄ रक्षः पिशाचांश्च प्रेतभूतविनायकान् कूष्माण्डोन्मादवेतालान्यातुधानान्ग्रहानपि खगान्मृगान्पशून्वृक्षान्गिरीन्नृप सरीसृपान् द्विविधाश्चतुर्विधा ये ऽन्ये जलस्थलनभौकसः कुशलाकुशला मिश्राः कर्मणां गतयस्त्विमाः

prajā-patīn manūn devān ṛṣīn pitṛ-gaṇān pṛthak siddha-cāraṇa-gandharvān vidyādhrāsura-guhyakān kinnarāpsaraso nāgān sarpān kimpuruṣān narān mātṝ rakṣaḥ piśācāṁś ca preta-bhūta-vināyakān kūṣmāṇḍonmāda-vetālān yātudhānān grahān api khagān mṛgān paśūn vṛkṣān girīn nṛpa sarīsṛpān dvi-vidhāś catur-vidhā ye 'nye jala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ kuśalākuśalā miśrāḥ karmaṇāṁ gatayas tv imāḥ

Synonyms

prajā-patīnBrahmā and his sons like Dakṣa and others; manūnthe periodical heads like Vaivasvata Manu, etc.; devānlike Indra, Candra, Varuṇa, etc.; ṛṣīnlike Bhṛgu, Vasiṣṭha, etc.; pitṛgaṇānthe inhabitants of the Pitā planets; pṛthakseparately; siddhathe inhabitants of the Siddha planet; cāraṇainhabitants of the Cāraṇa planet; gandharvāninhabitants of the Gandharva planets; vidyādhrainhabitants of the same planet; asurathe atheists; guhyakānthe inhabitants of the Yakṣa planet; kinnarathe inhabitants of the Kinnara planet; apsarasaḥthe beautiful angels of the Apsara planet; nāgānthe inhabitants of the Nāgaloka (serpentine); sarpāninhabitants of the Sarpaloka (snakes); kimpuruṣānmonkey-shaped inhabitants of the Kimpuruṣa planet; narāninhabitants of the earth; mātṛinhabitants of the Mātṛloka; rakṣaḥinhabitants of the demoniac planet; piśācāninhabitants of the Piśācaloka; caalso; pretainhabitants of Pretaloka; bhūtathe evil spirits; vināyakānthe goblins; kūṣmāṇḍawill o' the wisp; unmādalunatics; vetālānthe jinn; yātudhānāna particular type of evil spirit; grahānthe good and evil stars; apialso; khagānthe birds; mṛgānthe forest animals; paśūnthe household animals; vṛkṣānthe ghosts; girīnthe mountains; nṛpaO King; sarīsṛpānreptiles; dvi-vidhāḥthe moving and the standing living entities; catur-vidhāḥliving entities born in the embryo, in eggs, in perspiration and in seeds; yeothers; anyeall; jalawater; sthalaland; nabhaukasaḥbirds; kuśalain happiness; akuśalāḥin distress; miśrāḥin mixed happiness and distress; karmaṇāmaccording to one's own past deeds; gatayaḥas result of; tubut; imāḥall of them..

Translation

O King, know from me that Brahmā and his sons, like Dakṣa, and the periodical heads like Vaivasvata Manu, etc., demigods like Indra, Candra, Varuṇa, etc., great sages like Bhṛgu, Vyāsa, Vasiṣṭha, etc., the inhabitants of the Pitṛloka, the inhabitants of the Siddhaloka, the Cāraṇas, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, Asuras, Yakṣas, Kinnaras, Angels, the serpentines, the monkey-shaped Kimpuruṣas , the human beings, the inhabitants of Mātṛloka, the demons, Piśācas, ghosts, spirits, lunatics, evil spirits, good and evil stars, the goblins, the animals in the forest, the birds, the household animals, the reptiles, the mountains, the moving and standing living entities, the living entities who are born in embryos, in eggs, in perspiration and in seeds, and all others who may be in the water, land and sky, who may be in happiness or in distress or in mixed happiness and distress, according to past deeds, are all created by the Supreme Lord.

Purport

The varieties of living entities are mentioned in this list, and, with no exception from the highest topmost planet down to the lowest planet of the universe, all of them in different species of life are created by the Almighty Father Viṣṇu, and therefore no one is independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord therefore claims all living entities as His offsprings in the following verse:

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
(Bg. 14.4)

The material nature is compared to the mother. Although every living being is seen to be coming out of the mother's body, still it is a fact that the mother is not the ultimate cause of such a birth. The father is the ultimate cause of birth. Without the father's seed, no mother can give birth to a child. Therefore the living beings that are within the innumerable universes in different varieties of forms and position are all born out of the seeds of the Almighty Father, Personality of Godhead, and only to the man with a poor fund of knowledge does it appear that they are born out of the material nature. Being under the material energy of the Supreme Lord, all living entities beginning from Brahmā down to the insignificant ant are manifested in different bodies according to their past deeds.

The material nature is one of the energies of the Lord (Bg. 7.4). The material nature is inferior in comparison to the living entities, the superior nature. The superior nature and inferior nature of the Lord combined together to manifest the whole universal affairs.

Some of the living entities are relatively happy and in better conditions of life, whereas others are in distressed conditions of life. But factually none of them are actually happy in the material conditional life. No one can be happy in prison life, although one is a first-class prisoner and the other is a third-class prisoner. The intelligent person should not try to be promoted from third-class prison life to first-class prison life, but should try to be released from the prison altogether. One may be promoted to first-class prisoner, but the same first-class prisoner is again degraded to a third-class prisoner in the next term. One should try to be free from prison life and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the real goal for all types of living entities.

Verse 37–40 of 47
Prabhupāda Says