The Great Sages – Guardians of Dharma, Advisors to Kings

This article presents a thematic survey of the collective teachings of the Great Sages found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by the Great Sages. It covers their intervention in the tyranny of King Vena, their guidance to King Pṛthu, their reassurance of King Indra, and their theological dialogues with Lord Kṛṣṇa and Vasudeva.

The Great Sages represent the intellectual and spiritual head of society. They are impartial, equal to everyone, yet they do not hesitate to act when the principles of religion are threatened. In the Fourth Canto, they demonstrate the power of the brāhmaṇas to depose a tyrant. In the Sixth Canto, they clarify the potency of the holy name and sacrifice. In the Tenth Canto, they reveal the supreme position of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the source of all existence.

The Tyranny of King Vena (Canto 4)

King Vena, a cruel and atheistic ruler, prohibited all religious sacrifices and insulted the Supreme Lord. The sages, concerned for the welfare of the people, approached him with good advice. When Vena rejected them, they took drastic action.

The Danger of a Bad King

The Great Sages initially reflect on their mistake of installing Vena as king, comparing it to feeding a snake with milk.

  • "The sages began to think within themselves: Because he was born from the womb of Sunīthā, Vena is by nature very mischievous. Supporting this mischievous king is exactly like maintaining a snake with milk. Now he has become a source of all difficulties."
  • "The saintly sages continued thinking: Of course we are completely aware of his mischievous nature. Yet nevertheless we enthroned Vena. If we cannot persuade King Vena to accept our advice, he will be condemned by the public, and we will join them."
  • "We appointed this Vena king of the state in order to give protection to the citizens, but now he has become the enemy of the citizens. Despite all these discrepancies, we should at once try to pacify him."
  • "The great sages said: Dear King, we have come to give you good advice. Kindly hear us with great attention. By doing so, your duration of life and your opulence, strength and reputation will increase."

The Regicide

When Vena blasphemes the Lord, the Great Sages realize he is beyond redemption. They declare his death sentence to save the world from his influence.

  • "The saintly sages continued: This impious, impudent man does not deserve to sit on the throne at all. He is so shameless that he even dared insult the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu."
  • "But for King Vena, who is simply inauspicious, who would blaspheme the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by whose mercy one is awarded all kinds of fortune and opulence?"
  • "All the great saintly sages immediately cried: Kill him! Kill him! He is the most dreadful, sinful person. If he lives, he will certainly turn the whole world into ashes in no time."

The Reign of King Pṛthu (Canto 4)

From the arms of the dead King Vena, the sages churned out a male and female couple—Pṛthu and Arci. Recognizing them as incarnations of the Supreme Lord and the Goddess of Fortune, the sages glorify them and offer instructions.

Recognizing Divinity

The Great Sages identify Pṛthu as a plenary expansion of Viṣṇu's power and Arci as Lakṣmī.

  • "The great sages said: The male is a plenary expansion of the power of Lord Viṣṇu, who maintains the entire universe, and the female is a plenary expansion of the goddess of fortune, who is never separated from the Lord."
  • "Of the two, the male will be able to expand his reputation throughout the world. His name will be Pṛthu. Indeed, he will be the first among kings."
  • "The female has such beautiful teeth and beautiful qualities that she will actually beautify the ornaments she wears. Her name will be Arci. In the future she will accept King Pṛthu as her husband."
  • "In the form of King Pṛthu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared through a part of His potency to protect the people of the world. The goddess of fortune is the constant companion of the Lord, and therefore she has incarnated partially as Arci to become King Pṛthu's queen."

Principles of Governance

The sages advise Pṛthu on the duties of a king, emphasizing the worship of the Supreme Lord and the protection of the social orders.

  • "O noble one, if the king sees that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original cause of the cosmic manifestation and the Supersoul within everyone, is worshiped, the Lord will be satisfied."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped by the great demigods, controllers of universal affairs. When He is satisfied, nothing is impossible to achieve."
  • "The king is supposed to be pious in whose state and cities the general populace strictly observes the system of eight social orders of varṇa and āśrama, and where all citizens engage in worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead by their particular occupations."
  • "The saintly persons continued: When the king protects the citizens from the disturbances of mischievous ministers as well as from thieves and rogues, he can, by virtue of such pious activities, accept taxes given by his subjects."
  • "O great hero, for this reason you should not be the cause of spoiling the spiritual life of the general populace. If their spiritual life is spoiled because of your activities, you will certainly fall down from your opulent and royal position."
  • "All the sages said: Dear Dhruva, O son of King Uttānapāda, may the Supreme Personality of Godhead known as Śārṅgadhanvā, who relieves the distresses of His devotees, kill all your threatening enemies."

The Atonement of Indra (Canto 6)

King Indra is terrified after killing Vṛtrāsura, fearing the reaction of killing a brāhmaṇa. The Great Sages approach him to remove his fear, explaining the power of devotional service and the aśvamedha sacrifice.

Immunity of the Devotee

The Great Sages assure Indra that one who serves the Supreme Lord cannot be touched by sin, even if he destroys the universe.

  • "Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing this, the great sages replied to King Indra, 'O King of heaven, all good fortune unto you. Do not fear. We shall perform an aśvamedha sacrifice to release you from any sin you may accrue by killing the brāhmaṇa.'"
  • "By performing an aśvamedha sacrifice and thereby pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul, Lord Nārāyaṇa, the supreme controller, one can be relieved even of the sinful reactions for killing the entire world, not to speak of killing a demon like Vṛtrāsura."
  • "You (Indra) will be freed even if you kill the entire universe, including the brāhmaṇas, not to speak of killing a disturbing demon like Vṛtrāsura."
  • "Other sinful persons, such as dog-eaters and caṇḍālas, who are less than śūdras, can also be freed in this way. But you are a devotee and we shall help you by performing the great horse sacrifice. If you please Nārāyaṇa in that way, why should you be afraid?"

The Power of the Holy Name

The sages declare that chanting the holy name is sufficient to neutralize the most severe sins.

  • "One who has killed a brāhmaṇa, one who has killed a cow or one who has killed his father, mother or spiritual master can be immediately freed from all sinful reactions simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Nārāyaṇa."
  • "The holy name of the Lord is as powerful as the Lord Himself. Therefore, simply by chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, many men can be fully protected from fierce death without difficulty. Thus a devotee is saved."

Instructions at Kurukṣetra (Canto 10)

During the solar eclipse at Kurukṣetra, a great assembly of sages meets Lord Kṛṣṇa and His father, Vasudeva. Their discussion reveals the nature of the Lord's appearance and the duties of a householder.

Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa

The Great Sages express their amazement at how the Supreme Lord, though the controller of illusion, acts like a human being subordinate to His parents and teachers.

  • "The great sages said: Your power of illusion has totally bewildered us, the most exalted knowers of the truth and leaders among the universal creators. Ah, how amazing is the behavior of the Supreme Lord! He covers Himself with His humanlike activities and pretends to be subject to superior control."
  • "Indeed, the humanlike pastimes of the Almighty are simply a pretense! Effortlessly, He alone sends forth from His Self this variegated creation, maintains it and then swallows it up again, all without becoming entangled, just as the element earth takes on many names and forms in its various transformations."
  • "Let us offer obeisances unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the infinitely intelligent Supersoul, who has disguised His greatness through His mystic Yogamāyā."
  • "Today our birth, education, austerity and vision have all become perfect because we have been able to associate with You, the goal of all saintly persons. Indeed, You Yourself are the ultimate, supreme blessing."
  • "A sleeping person imagines an alternative reality for himself and, seeing himself as having various names and forms, forgets his waking identity, which is distinct from the dream. Similarly, the senses of one whose consciousness is bewildered by illusion perceive only the names and forms of material objects. Thus such a person loses his memory and cannot know You."

The Covering of Māyā

The sages explain that even great kings and family members are covered by His illusion and do not recognize His supremacy.

  • "Neither these kings nor even the Vṛṣṇis, who enjoy Your intimate association, know You as the Soul of all existence, the force of time and the supreme controller. For them You are covered by the curtain of Māyā."
  • "The Vedas are Your spotless heart, and through them one can perceive—by means of austerity, study and self-control—the manifest, the unmanifest and the pure existence transcendental to both."
  • "Today we have directly seen Your feet, the source of the holy Ganges, which washes away volumes of sins. Perfected yogīs can at best meditate upon Your feet within their hearts. But only those who render You wholehearted devotional service and in this way vanquish the soul's covering—the material mind—attain You as their final destination. Therefore kindly show mercy to us, Your devotees."

The Three Debts of Man

Speaking to Vasudeva, the Great Sages outline the duties of a "twice-born" man, explaining that one must clear his debts before entering the forest for renunciation.

  • "[The sages said:] It has been definitely concluded that work is counteracted by further work when one executes Vedic sacrifices as a means of worshiping Viṣṇu, the Lord of all sacrifices, with sincere faith."
  • "Dear Prabhu, a member of the twice-born classes is born with three kinds of debts—those owed to the demigods, to the sages and to his forefathers. If he leaves his body without first liquidating these debts by performing sacrifice, studying the scriptures and begetting children, he will fall down into a hellish condition."
  • "But you, O magnanimous soul, are already free from two of your debts—those to the sages and the forefathers. Now absolve yourself of your debt to the demigods by executing Vedic sacrifices, and in this way free yourself completely of debt and renounce all material shelter."
  • "This is the most auspicious path for a religious householder of the twice-born orders—to selflessly worship the Personality of Godhead with wealth honestly obtained."
  • "Learned authorities who see through the eye of scripture have demonstrated that this is the easiest method of subduing the agitated mind and attaining liberation, and that it is a sacred duty which brings joy to the heart."
  • "An intelligent person should learn to renounce his desire for wealth by performing sacrifices and acts of charity. He should learn to renounce his desire for wife and children by experiencing family life. And he should learn to renounce his desire for promotion to a higher planet in his next life, O saintly Vasudeva, by studying the effects of time. Self-controlled sages who have thus renounced their attachment to household life go to the forest to perform austerities."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by the Great Sages. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.

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