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TEXTS 23
sri-suka uvaca
rudrasyanucarau bhutva
sudrptau dhanadatmajau
kailasopavane ramye
mandakinyam madotkatau
varunim madiram pitva
madaghurnita-locanau
stri-janair anugayadbhis
ceratuh puspite vane
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvacaSri Sukadeva Gosvami replied; rudrasyaof Lord Siva; anucarautwo great devotees or associates; bhutvabeing elevated to that post; su-drptaubeing proud of that position and their beautiful bodily features; dhanada-atmajauthe two sons of Kuvera, treasurer of the demigods; kailasa-upavanein a small garden attached to Kailasa Parvata, the residence of Lord Siva; ramyein a very beautiful place; mandakinyamon the River Mandakini; mada-utkatauterribly proud and mad; varunima kind of liquor named Varuni; madiramintoxication; pitvadrinking; mada-aghurnita-locanautheir eyes rolling with intoxication; stri-janaihwith women; anugayadbhihvibrating songs sung by them; ceratuhwandered; puspite vanein a nice flower garden.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King Pariksit, because the two sons of Kuvera had been elevated to the association of Lord Siva, of which they were very much proud, they were allowed to wander in a garden attached to Kailasa Hill, on the bank of the Mandakini River. Taking advantage of this, they used to drink a kind of liquor called Varuni. Accompanied by women singing after them, they would wander in that garden of flowers, their eyes always rolling in intoxication.
PURPORT
This verse mentions some of the material advantages afforded to persons associated with or devoted to Lord Siva. Apart from Lord Siva, if one is a devotee of any other demigod, one receives some material advantages. Foolish people, therefore, become devotees of demigods. This has been pointed out and criticized by Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (7.20): kamais tais tair hrta jnanah prapadyante nya-devatah. Those who are not devotees of Krsna have a taste for women, wine and so forth, and therefore they have been described as hrta jnana, bereft of sense. The Krsna consciousness movement can very easily point out such foolish persons, for they have been indicated in Bhagavad-gita (7.15), where Lord Krsna says:
Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me. Anyone who is not a devotee of Krsna and does not surrender to Krsna must be considered naradhama, the lowest of men, and duskrti, one who always commits sinful activities. Thus there is no difficulty in finding out who is a third-class or fourth-class man, for ones position can be understood simply by this crucial test: is he or is he not a devotee of Krsna?
Why are devotees of the demigods greater in number than the Vaisnavas? The answer is given herein. Vaisnavas are not interested in such fourth-class pleasures as wine and women, nor does Krsna allow them such facilities.
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