FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.2.14-15

प्रेतावासेषु घोरेषु प्रेतैर्भूतगणैर्वृत: । अटत्युन्मत्तवन्नग्नो व्युप्तकेशो हसन् रुदन् ॥ १४ ॥ चिताभस्मकृतस्‍नान: प्रेतस्रङ्‌न्रस्थिभूषण: । शिवापदेशो ह्यशिवो मत्तो मत्तजनप्रिय: । पति: प्रमथनाथानां तमोमात्रात्मकात्मनाम् ॥ १५ ॥
pretāvāseṣu ghoreṣu
[pretaavaaseshu ghoreshu]
pretair bhūta-gaṇair vṛtaḥ
[pretair bhoota-ganair vritah]
aṭaty unmattavan nagno
[ataty unmattavan nagno]
vyupta-keśo hasan rudan
[vyupta-kesho hasan rudan]
citā-bhasma-kṛta-snānaḥ
[chitaa-bhasma-krita-snaanah]
preta-sraṅ-nrasthi-bhūṣaṇaḥ
[preta-sran-nrasthi-bhooshanah]
śivāpadeśo hy aśivo
[shivaapadesho hy ashivo]
matto matta-jana-priyaḥ
[matto matta-jana-priyah]
patiḥ pramatha-nāthānāṁ
[patih pramatha-naathaanaam]
tamo-mātrātmakātmanām
[tamo-maatraatmakaatmanaam]
Word-for-word
preta-āvāseṣu — at the burning places of dead bodies ghoreṣu — horrible pretaiḥ — by the Pretas bhūta-gaṇaiḥ — by the Bhūtas vṛtaḥ — accompanied by aṭati — he wanders unmatta-vat — like a madman nagnaḥ — naked vyupta-keśaḥ — having scattered hair hasan — laughing rudan — crying citā — of the funeral pyre bhasma — with the ashes kṛta-snānaḥ — taking bath preta — of the skulls of dead bodies srak — having a garland nṛ-asthi-bhūṣaṇaḥ — ornamented with dead men’s bones śiva-apadeśaḥ — who is śiva, or auspicious, only in name hi — for aśivaḥ — inauspicious mattaḥ — crazy matta-jana-priyaḥ — very dear to the crazy beings patiḥ — the leader pramatha-nāthānām — of the lords of the Pramathas tamaḥ-mātra-ātmaka-ātmanām — of those grossly in the mode of ignorance.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
pretāvāseṣu ghoreṣu
preta-āvāseṣu
at the burning places of dead bodies
ghoreṣu
horrible
pretair bhūta-gaṇair vṛtaḥ
pretaiḥ
by the Pretas
bhūta-gaṇaiḥ
by the Bhūtas
vṛtaḥ
accompanied by
aṭaty unmattavan nagno
aṭati
he wanders
unmatta-vat
like a madman
nagnaḥ
naked
vyupta-keśo hasan rudan
vyupta-keśaḥ
having scattered hair
hasan
laughing
rudan
crying
citā-bhasma-kṛta-snānaḥ
citā
of the funeral pyre
bhasma
with the ashes
kṛta-snānaḥ
taking bath
preta-sraṅ-nrasthi-bhūṣaṇaḥ
preta
of the skulls of dead bodies
srak
having a garland
nṛ-asthi-bhūṣaṇaḥ
ornamented with dead men’s bones
śivāpadeśo hy aśivo
śiva-apadeśaḥ
who is śiva, or auspicious, only in name
hi
for
aśivaḥ
inauspicious
matto matta-jana-priyaḥ
mattaḥ
crazy
matta-jana-priyaḥ
very dear to the crazy beings
patiḥ pramatha-nāthānāṁ
patiḥ
the leader
pramatha-nāthānām
of the lords of the Pramathas
tamo-mātrātmakātmanām
tamaḥ-mātra-ātmaka-ātmanām
of those grossly in the mode of ignorance.
He lives in filthy places like crematoriums, and his companions are the ghosts and demons. Naked like a madman, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying, he smears crematorium ashes all over his body. He does not bathe regularly, and he ornaments his body with a garland of skulls and bones. Therefore only in name is he śiva, or auspicious; actually, he is the most mad and inauspicious creature. Thus he is very dear to crazy beings in the gross mode of ignorance, and he is their leader.
Purport

Those who do not regularly bathe are supposed to be in association with ghosts and crazy creatures. Lord Śiva appeared to be like that, but his name, Śiva, is actually fitting, for he is very kind to persons who are in the darkness of the mode of ignorance, such as unclean drunkards who do not regularly bathe. Lord Śiva is so kind that he gives shelter to such creatures and gradually elevates them to spiritual consciousness. Although it is very difficult to raise such creatures to spiritual understanding, Lord Śiva takes charge of them, and therefore, as stated in the Vedas, Lord Śiva is all-auspicious. Thus by his association even such fallen souls can be elevated. Sometimes it is seen that great personalities meet with fallen souls, not for any personal interest but for the benefit of those souls. In the creation of the Lord there are different kinds of living creatures. Some of them are in the mode of goodness, some are in the mode of passion, and some are in the mode of ignorance. Lord Viṣṇu takes charge of persons who are advanced Kṛṣṇa conscious Vaiṣṇavas, and Lord Brahmā takes charge of persons who are very much attached to material activities, but Lord Śiva is so kind that he takes charge of persons who are in gross ignorance and whose behavior is lower than that of the animals. Therefore Lord Śiva is especially called auspicious.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Naked like a madman, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying, he lives in filthy places like crematoriums, and surrounded by ghosts and demons, wanders about in horrible places of the dead. Using crematorium ashes as his bath, he ornaments his body with a garland of skulls and human bones. He is inauspicious though he has the false name Śiva. He is insane, dear to the insane, the leader of leaders of the insane, the leader of the most ignorant. This is but a pastime of Śiva, who is mad with prema for the Supreme Lord. Thus Dakṣa describes him to be “like a madman.” If he were actually mad, Dakṣa would have simply said “He is a madman.” According to other Purāṇas, smearing ashes on the body is an activity of exalted Vaiṣṇavas. By him even the worst places (apadeśa) become auspicious. There is no one greater than Śiva in auspiciousness (aśivaḥ). He is the leader of persons who are completely in ignorance. As praise it indicates that Śiva, as a pastime, by his will, accepts even the most ignorant out of mercy.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Dakṣa attacks Śiva for living among crematoriums and ghosts — but Śiva embraces what others reject precisely because nothing pollutes the truly pure. What looks like degradation may be transcendence. Don't judge by surface optics.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose unconventional path am I dismissing as degraded?
  • Where have I confused respectability with purity?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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