The conclusion of the 4th canto (Srimad Bhagavatam #78)

By examining all of the important instructions we received in these two cantos, we can see how valuable they are and easily understand why Śukadeva Goswami chose to narrate them.

Sep 27, 2025

With this, we come to the end of the conversation between Vidura and Maitreya, which corresponds to most of the 3rd and 4th cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam. By examining all of the important instructions we received in these two cantos, we can see how valuable they are and easily understand why Śukadeva Goswami chose to narrate them.

Vidura heard from Maitreya many descriptions of kings who attained perfection at the end of life. Dhṛtarāṣṭra is also a great personality in a sense, for no common person could be born from the semen of a great sage such as Vyāsadeva and participate in the pastimes of the Lord, even if as an opponent. Vidura knew he had the determination to free himself of material contamination, even though it would be difficult for him to directly surrender to the Lord due to his many offenses. He thus engaged him in the practice of mystic yoga, so he could attain impersonal liberation.

Śukadeva Goswami concludes the narration of the 4th canto, offering a blessing to all sincere readers.

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💬 Text of the lesson

- Nārada instructs the Pracetās, and they return back to Godhead

The burning of the trees and the marriage with Māriṣā

"Thereafter all the Pracetās emerged from the waters of the sea. They then saw that all the trees on land had grown very tall, as if to obstruct the path to the heavenly planets. These trees had covered the entire surface of the world. At this time the Pracetās became very angry." (SB 4.30.44)

When the Pracetas finally emerged from the water, they were ready to perform their service of maintaining the kingdom, but they were surprised when they saw that instead the planet was taken out by trees! Because their father had left earlier, several thousand years had passed, and without a king, everything was neglected. Agriculture stopped, population declined, and the world was taken over by very tall trees.

Although trees are auspicious and useful, there should be a balance between areas used by trees and areas cleared for agriculture and cities, creating the conditions for a growing population. The whole purpose of the creation of the material world is to offer the conditions for souls regaining their spiritual nature, and this is possible only in human life. The main duty of saintly kings is thus to create the conditions for the prosperity of a pious, growing human population. Trees are also living entities, but their existence is subordinate to this higher purpose.

Seeing the trees as an impediment to their service, the Pracetas became angry and started burning them using mystic fire coming from their mouths, planning to clear the land for agriculture, so food grains could again be produced and the human population could be increased.

Their anger was thus not destructive anger under the mode of ignorance, but the anger of Kṣatriya kings fighting adversity. Anger, therefore, was just used as a tool in the performance of their service, just as Hanumān burning Lanka and many other examples.

As Prabhupada explains in his purport to text 44: "King Prācīnabarhiṣat left his kingdom before his sons arrived after their execution of penance and austerity. The sons, the Pracetās, were ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to come out of the water and go to the kingdom of their father in order to take care of that kingdom. However, when they came out they saw that everything had been neglected due to the King’s absence. They first observed that food grains were not being produced and that there were no agricultural activities. Indeed, the surface of the world was practically covered by very tall trees. It seemed as though the trees were determined to stop people from going into outer space to reach the heavenly kingdoms. The Pracetās became very angry when they saw the surface of the globe covered in this way. They desired that the land be cleared for crops."

The burning of the trees by the Pracetas was thus not unjustified. However, everything has its right measure. They were not supposed to burn all the trees of the planet, since trees are also important for many other purposes. Therefore, to prevent them from crossing this line, Lord Brahma appeared to pacify them, just as he did in other important events. As Prabhupada explains: "A responsible man in any establishment is always alert to keep peace and harmony within the establishment. Similarly, Lord Brahmā is also allowed to keep peace and harmony within this universe. He consequently pacified the sons of King Barhiṣmān with good logic."

After the Pracetas were thus pacified, the predominating deity of the trees offered Marīṣā in marriage to them, just as predicted to the Lord. Prabhupada explains the details in his purport to text 47: "The daughter of the trees is referred to in text 13 of this chapter. This daughter was born of Kaṇḍu and Pramlocā. The society girl Pramlocā, after giving birth to the child, immediately left for the heavenly kingdom. While the child was crying, the king of the moon took compassion upon her and saved her by putting his finger into her mouth. This child was cared for by the trees, and when she grew up, by the order of Lord Brahmā, she was delivered to the Pracetās as their wife. The name of the girl was Māriṣā, as the next verse will explain. It was the predominating deity of the trees that delivered the daughter."

As also predicted by the Lord, the Pracetas became the fathers of Daksa, who, having been purified from his offenses, had the opportunity of taking his birth in an exalted family. He was reinstalled in his post in the 6th Manvantara and finally had the opportunity of populating the universe as he desired.

"Following the order of Lord Brahmā, all the Pracetās accepted the girl as their wife. From the womb of this girl, the son of Lord Brahmā named Dakṣa took birth. Dakṣa had to take birth from the womb of Māriṣā due to his disobeying and disrespecting Lord Mahādeva [Śiva]. Consequently he had to give up his body twice. His previous body had been destroyed, but he, the same Dakṣa, inspired by the supreme will, created all the desired living entities in the Cākṣuṣa manvantara." (SB 4.30.48-49)

The story of the Pracetas is also described in the 6th canto, chapter four. One can notice that the description is different from what we study here. In the 4th canto, the Pracetas are pacified by Brahma, while in the description in the 6th canto, they are approached by Soma. As is normal in narrations by different speakers, the two descriptions focus on different events and should not be taken as contradictory. The Pracetas met Lord Viṣnu, then came out of the water and became angry, seeing the world taken by the trees. After they had burned most of the trees and cleared enough space for the production of grains, Soma appeared to restrain them from burning the remaining trees, offering them Marīṣā for marriage, which was confirmed by Brahma. In the narration of Vidura, the meeting with Brahma is emphasized, while in the description of the 6th canto by Śukadeva Goswami (which is focused on the genealogical tree of the descendants of Daksa), the meeting with Soma and the marriage with Marīṣā are emphasized.

Nārada Instructs the Pracetās

After marrying and accepting the throne, the ten brothers cooperated in the management of the state for thousands of years, just as they had cooperated during their practice of austerities. After Daksa was sufficiently grown-up, they entrusted Marīṣā to his care and left home to again practice austerities and go back to Godhead. This time, they were not practicing under the water, but on the western seashore of Bhārata-varṣa, in the same place where the great sage Jājali attained perfection.

The Pracetas were trained as perfect brahmacārīs; therefore, it was natural for them to return to their previous practice after renouncing family life. They had the extraordinary good fortune of meeting Lord Śiva and then being personally blessed by the Lord, and now, at the end of their lives, Nārada Muni also appeared to them to instruct them in the ultimate perfection, just as he had instructed their father.

The feelings of the Pracetas in receiving Nārada are beautifully described by Prabhupada in his purport to text five: "Because of the night’s darkness, everyone is afraid of rogues and thieves, especially in great cities. People are often afraid to go out on the streets, and we understand that even in a great city like New York people do not like to go out at night. More or less, when it is night everyone is afraid, either in the city or in the village. However, as soon as the sun rises everyone is relieved. Similarly, this material world is dark by nature. Everyone is afraid of danger at every moment, but when one sees a devotee like Nārada, all fear is relieved. Just as the sun disperses darkness, the appearance of a great sage like Nārada disperses ignorance. When one meets Nārada or his representative, a spiritual master, one is freed from all anxiety brought about by ignorance."

As kings, the Pracetas had the opportunity of enjoying all kinds of opulences, as well as the company of a loving wife. By the time they met Nārada, they were ready to inquire about self-realization. There was no thought of inquiring about any type of material knowledge or asking any kind of material benediction. All they were interested in was crossing the material ocean.

"O master, may we inform you that because of our being overly attached to family affairs, we almost forgot the instructions we received from Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu. Dear master, kindly enlighten us in transcendental knowledge, which may act as a torchlight by which we may cross the dark nescience of material existence." (SB 4.31.6-7)

Nārada's answer goes from text 9 to 22, and his instructions can be divided into three parts.

Devotional service is the ultimate goal (4.31.9-14)

The Pracetas achieved pure devotion to the Lord during their meditation inside the water, and this was confirmed by the Lord personally appearing to them. Devotional service can't ever be lost, but it can be covered for some time when one becomes involved in material activities, just like the brilliance of a diamond may appear to be diminished when it is covered by dust. The Pracetas spent a long time in family life, looking over state affairs, and thus their meditation on the Lord appeared to be less sharp than before. However, this is just a temporary situation. Just as a diamond can be easily dusted off and shine again, the devotion of the Pracetas will quickly be sharpened by the words of Nārada Muni.

Nārada is certainly always fixed in thought of the Supreme Lord, and he wants to pull the Pracetas in the same direction. Now he can speak even more freely than with Prācīnabarhi, because the Pracetas are not only already pure devotees, but they have already renounced everything material and entered the last stage of life.

These instructions of Nārada Muni serve as a conclusion of all the teachings we studied up to now, emphasizing that all this study has a goal, which is to reestablish our forgotten loving relationship with the Lord.

Nārada starts by stating that devotional service is the only goal of life. When one comes to the devotional service to the Lord, his birth, activities, life span, mind, and words become all perfect, since they are all utilized for this highest goal. However, if one does not actually engage in the service of the Lord, everything is useless. Even brāhminical activities are useless if they don't bring one to the service of the Lord. Even if one is a brāhmaṇa and is qualified with all the brāhminical qualifications, he is considered degraded if he is averse to worshiping the Supreme Lord. On the other hand, even if a person is born in a sinful family, one becomes qualified as a perfect brāhmana by simply chanting the holy names and following the regulative principles.

All the assets we obtain in life, such as the power of hearing and speaking, our intelligence, strength, and capacity of action, become meaningful only when we engage them in the service of the Lord; otherwise, they are all put to waste. One may be extraordinarily talented from a material point of view, but if these talents are not used in the service of the Lord, he is just like a vulture, that although capable of flying several kilometers high and possessing an extraordinary vision, uses these talents simply to find dead bodies on the ground to eat.

As Prabhupada explains in his purport to text 11: "There are also many thoughtful writers and creative philosophers, but despite all their learning, if they cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are simply useless mental speculators. There are many sharply intelligent people in this material world, and they discover so many things for sense gratification. They also analytically study all the material elements, but despite their expert knowledge and expert scientific analysis of the whole cosmic manifestation, their endeavors are useless because they cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Even transcendental practices, such as the practice of mystic yoga, analytical study (Sankhya), practice of austerity, acceptance of sannyāsa, and the study of the Vedas, are ultimately useless if they do not ultimately help one realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such practices can be useful only to the extent they elevate one to the platform of devotional service. Without at least a touch of devotional service, they cannot give the desired results.

The Lord is the source of all auspicious activities (śreyasām api sarveṣām), and therefore, He is also the destination of all processes of self-realization, be it karma, jñāna, yoga, and bhakti. Any identity we may find in this material world, including that of a human or demigod, is illusory and temporary. Our real identity is eternally connected with the Lord, as an eternal soul, and the Lord is ātma-daḥ, the one who can give us back that original identity.

As Prabhupada explains: "The living entity is the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, although there is factually no difference between the energy and the energetic. The duty of the living entity is to understand his real identity. When he does, Kṛṣṇa gives him all the facilities to come to the platform of devotional service. That is the perfection of life."
"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” The conclusion is that one must come to the platform of bhakti-yoga, even though one may begin with karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga or aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Unless one comes to the platform of bhakti-yoga, self-realization or realization of the Absolute Truth cannot be achieved."

One could agree that devotional service is the ultimate goal of life, but still protest that there are other duties that need to be performed according to the Vedas, such as the worship of different demigods, ancestors, and so on. Nārada, however, counters that by stating that simply worshiping the Supreme Lord through the process of devotional service, one automatically satisfies the demigods and others, who are parts of that Supreme Personality, just as one nourishes the whole tree by giving water to the root, or the whole body by giving food to the stomach.

The worship of Krsna does not depend on the worship of any demigod, and similarly, bhakti does not depend on karma or jñāna to the successful. On the contrary, karma and jñāna require a mixture of bhakti to be successfully executed. Unless Krsna is brought into the center, no activity can produce any lasting beneficial result.

The parts and the whole (SB 4.31.15-18)

The idea of devotional service to the Lord being the only real goal of life becomes very natural when we understand that we are parts and parcels of the Lord, and therefore our natural position is to serve the Lord, just as all parts of the body serve the whole. Even while we declare our independence here in the material world, we continue to be connected to the Lord, and we continue to be maintained by Him. Factually, there is no existence separated from the Lord. To think we are separated or independent from Krsna is merely influence of illusion. When we come back to the service of Krsna, all of this is easily understood. Everything comes from the Lord, everything rests on His energy, and everything should be used in His service.

Nārada makes this point clear by offering several examples. The rain is ultimately generated by the sun through the process of evaporation, but the same rain that is given in the rainy season is taken away by the same sun during summer. Similarly, the bodies of all living entities come from the elements of the earth, and later they are decomposed back into the earth. In the same way, the whole material creation is produced from the Lord, and later merges back unto Him. Everything is owned by Him and is completely under His control.

The entire cosmic manifestation is just a display of Krsna’s energy and is thus non-different from Him, just as sunshine is non-different from the sun. However, just as the sunshine is not the sun, the universe is not the Lord, as explained in the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord is simultaneously different and non-different from the cosmic manifestation.

The sunshine is part of the sun, yet being in the sunshine is not the same as being inside the sun. Similarly, the material creation rests on the brahmajyoti, the bodily rays of the Lord, and although the material world is part of the energy of the Lord, and although He is present everywhere, conditioned souls can't see Him directly, just as a common person may see the light of the sun, but not the demigod of the sun. When we come back to our original, pure consciousness, however, we can directly see the Lord.

In the same way, different meteorological conditions, such as rain and snow, day and night, appear due to the influence of the sun, but the sun itself is not affected by these manifestations; the Lord is unaffected by the material modes and other factors of material existence, even though He is the cause of all these manifestations. The Lord is thus the source of everything, and everything is under His control, yet He remains transcendental. The Lord is thus the permanent factor in all existence, the cause of all causes, the Supersoul of all living entities, who are themselves part of His energy. Understanding these points, we should engage in His devotional service, utilizing all our energy, thoughts, intelligence, processions, and other assets.

As Prabhuppada concludes, "Those who are really conversant with this knowledge can utilize everything for the service of the Lord because nothing in this material world is unconnected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Returning to our eternal position (SB 4.31.19-22)

In text 18, Nārada makes the point that we should engage in devotional service, thinking ourselves qualitatively one with the Lord. This means that we should be very clear in our minds that we are not part of this material world. Just as the Lord is transcendental, we are also transcendental, and part of our path of self-realization consists exactly in fully realizing that.

However, when we look into our current situation, hopelessly under the modes of material nature, this may seem a little far away. How to get there?

It was already established that the process of becoming free from material contamination passes by satisfying the Lord through our endeavors, instead of trying to reach Him by our own effort. Nārada thus gives us the process of satisfying the Lord: "By showing mercy to all living entities, being satisfied somehow or other, and restricting the senses from sense enjoyment, one can very quickly satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Janārdana."

Material existence is based on the perpetual search for sensory enjoyment in different species of life. An important part of the process of self-realization is thus to restrict this sense enjoyment, which works as a type of drug for the conditioned soul, in which we have been hooked from time immemorial. Understanding that artificial sense gratification can't bring us happiness, we should find satisfaction in our spiritual practice and learn to be peaceful and satisfied in whatever material situation we see ourselves in. By doing so, we find peace to pursue our spiritual practice. We should do all of this, understanding that this makes the Lord satisfied with us.

In his purport, however, Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the first aspect, showing mercy to all living entities. As he explains:

"The first item mentioned is dayayā sarva-bhūteṣu, showing mercy to all conditioned souls. The best way to show mercy is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The entire world is suffering for want of this knowledge. People should know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of everything. Knowing this, everyone should directly engage in His devotional service. Those who are actually learned, advanced in spiritual understanding, should preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world so that people may take to it and make their lives successful. The word sarva-bhūteṣu is significant because it applies not only to human beings but to all the living entities appearing in the 8,400,000 species of life. The devotee can do good not only to humanity but to all living entities as well. Everyone can benefit spiritually by the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. When the transcendental vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa is sounded, even the trees, animals and insects benefit. Thus when one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra loudly, he actually shows mercy to all living entities."

It is a well-known fact that Krsna is controlled by His pure devotees, and thus does not leave them for a second. This means Krsna personally stays with them, not in His impersonal aspect or indirectly through His energy, but personally, in His two-armed form. As Prabhupada explains: "The Lord is invincible, yet He is conquered by His pure devotee. He enjoys being dependent on His devotee, just as Kṛṣṇa enjoyed being dependent on the mercy of mother Yaśodā. Thinking Himself dependent on the devotee gives the Supreme Lord great enjoyment."

The question is: How can we also become like them, so Krsna will also be always with us?

Nārada gives us the progression on text 20: "Being completely cleansed of all material desires, the devotees are freed from all mental contamination. Thus they can always think of the Lord constantly and address Him very feelingly."

Krsna becomes attracted by the Love of His devotees, and the practical symptom of this love is that one thinks of the Lord constantly, addressing Him very feelingly. This is, however, possible only in a pure platform, where one is cleansed of all mental contamination and free from all material desires. This is explained by Krsna on Bg 18.54: "One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me."

As this verse indicates, this platform of pure devotion becomes possible when one becomes free from the influence of the three modes. First, we attain liberation, and pure devotion is further away. The question thus remains: How to get there?

At the end of His purport to text 19, Prabhupada explains that once our senses are controlled, we can accept any difficult situation in our service of spreading Krsna Consciousness, and to control our senses, we should keep our minds engaged in the service of the Lord. Thus, the secret to controlling our senses is to remain somehow or other always engaged in the service of the Lord. From this foundation, everything else can be obtained.

As already defined, Krsna is the creator and proprietor of everything. This means that, factually, nothing belongs to us. However, under the material illusion, people become very proud of material education, wealth, aristocracy, mundane piety, and all sorts of material possessions. This leads them to associate with other mundane-minded people and deride devotees, who are by definition on a different path. As long as a person is on this materialistic path, it’s not possible to come close to the Lord, since even if somehow one worships the Lord in this state, the Lord doesn't accept it.

One has thus to renounce this sense of false proprietorship and understand that nothing belongs to us. Material assets are just loaned to us by the Lord, and since everything belongs to Him, everything should be used in His service. This includes not only material objects, but our intelligence, thoughts, words, activities, etc. By practicing this mentality, we can attain the transcendental service of the Lord, and when we attain it, we become fully happy, understanding that this is true wealth.

As Prabhupada explains: "A pure devotee is one who feels He does not possess anything material. A devotee is always happy in possessing the devotional service of the Lord. Devotees may sometimes appear materially poor, but because they are spiritually advanced and enriched, they are most dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such devotees are free from attachment to family, society, friendship, children and so on. They abandon affection for all these material possessions and are always happy in possessing the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord."

The Lord is so grateful to His pure devotees that He not only protects them from all kinds of danger (such as when He personally sent His Sudarśana-cakra to protect Ambarīṣa Mahārāja) but also becomes dependent on them, even though He is self-sufficient. This is yet another apparent contradiction that is understood when we approach this platform of pure love.

As Prabhupada explains in his purport: "The mutual attachment between the Supreme Lord and His devotee is never to be considered material. It always exists as a transcendental fact. There are eight types of transcendental ecstasy (known as bhāva, anubhāva, sthāyi-bhāva and so on), and these are discussed in The Nectar of Devotion. Those who are unaware of the position of the living entity and the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, think that the mutual attachment between the Lord and His devotees is a creation of the material energy. Factually such attachment is natural both for the Supreme Lord and for the devotee, and it cannot be accepted as material."

Nārada Muni described these transcendental relationships to the Pracetas in detail and then returned to Brahmaloka. The Pracetas, of course, took these instructions to the heart and, by following them, became firmly attached to the Supreme Lord and attained the ultimate destination. Such is the potency of hearing from a pure devotee.

"Hearing from Nārada’s mouth the glories of the Lord, which vanquish all the ill fortune of the world, the Pracetās also became attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Meditating on His lotus feet, they advanced to the ultimate destination.
My dear Vidura, I have told you everything you wanted to know about the conversation between Nārada and the Pracetās, the conversation describing the glories of the Lord. I have related this as far as possible." (SB 4.31.24-25)

With this, the long description of the descendants of Dhruva Maharaja, the exalted son of Maharaja Uttānapāda, is completed, concluding also the discussions of the 4th canto. From the start of the 5th canto, another narration starts, with the descendants of Maharaja Priyavrata, who returned from the renounced order of life to perform his duties as the king of the world.

The end of the talks of Vidura and Maitreya

"My dear King, in this way, after hearing the transcendental messages of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees from the great sage Maitreya, Vidura was overwhelmed with ecstasy. With tears in his eyes, he immediately fell down at the lotus feet of his guru, his spiritual master. He then fixed the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the core of his heart.
Śrī Vidura said: O great mystic, O greatest of all devotees, by your causeless mercy I have been shown the path of liberation from this world of darkness. By following this path, a person liberated from the material world can return home, back to Godhead.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Vidura thus offered obeisances unto the great sage Maitreya and, taking his permission, started for the city of Hastināpura to see his own kinsmen, although he had no material desires." (SB 4.30.28-30)

Chronologically, the events described in the first canto, with Vidura returning to the palace to instruct Dhṛtarāṣṭra in self-realization, saving him from the degraded position he found himself in at the end of life, happened after the discussions between Vidura and Maitreya we just finished studying.

After being expelled from the palace by Duryodhana, Vidura spent many years in pilgrimage until he met with Uddhava and was informed of the events of the battle of Kurukṣetra and the departure of the Yadu dynasty. Anxious to hear more about the Lord, he met with Maitreya and was instructed by him. Only afterwards did he return to the palace to instruct his brother. After his departure, he returned to his pilgrimage and continued traveling until the end of his life, when he was returned to his post, as Yamaraja.

Prabhupada's purport to text 30 reveals the inner mood of Vidura in traveling back home to try to deliver his brother at the end of life:

"When a saintly person wants to see his kinsmen, he has no material desire to see them. He simply wants to give them some instructions so that they can benefit. Vidura belonged to the royal family of the Kauravas, and although he knew that all the family members were destroyed at the Battle of Kurukṣetra, he nonetheless wanted to see his elder brother, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, to see if he could deliver Dhṛtarāṣṭra from the clutches of māyā. When a great saintly person like Vidura sees his relatives, he desires only to deliver them from the clutches of māyā. Vidura thus offered his respectful obeisances to his spiritual master and departed for the city of Hastināpura, the kingdom of the Kauravas."

Śukadeva Goswami concludes the narration of the 4th canto, offering a blessing to all sincere readers:

"O King, those who hear these topics about kings who are completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead obtain without difficulty a long life, wealth, good reputation, good fortune and, ultimately, the opportunity to return home, back to Godhead." (SB 4.31.31)