FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.10.13

भोगेन पुण्यं कुशलेन पापं कलेवरं कालजवेन हित्वा । कीर्तिं विशुद्धां सुरलोकगीतां विताय मामेष्यसि मुक्तबन्ध: ॥ १३ ॥
bhogena puṇyaṁ kuśalena pāpaṁ
[bhogena punyam kushalena paapam]
kalevaraṁ kāla-javena hitvā
[kalevaram kaala-javena hitvaa]
kīrtiṁ viśuddhāṁ sura-loka-gītāṁ
[keertim vishuddhaam sura-loka-geetaam]
vitāya mām eṣyasi mukta-bandhaḥ
[vitaaya maam eshyasi mukta-bandhah]
bhogena — by feelings of material happiness puṇyam — pious activities or their results kuśalena — by acting piously (devotional service is the best of all pious activities) pāpam — all kinds of reactions to impious activities kalevaram — the material body kāla-javena — by the most powerful time factor hitvā — giving up kīrtim — reputation viśuddhām — transcendental or fully purified sura-loka-gītām — praised even in the heavenly planets vitāya — spreading all through the universe mām — unto Me eṣyasi — you will come back mukta-bandhaḥ — being liberated from all bondage.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
bhogena puṇyaṁ kuśalena pāpaṁ
bhogena
by feelings of material happiness
puṇyam
pious activities or their results
kuśalena
by acting piously (devotional service is the best of all pious activities)
pāpam
all kinds of reactions to impious activities
kalevaraṁ kāla-javena hitvā
kalevaram
the material body
kāla-javena
by the most powerful time factor
hitvā
giving up
kīrtiṁ viśuddhāṁ sura-loka-gītāṁ
kīrtim
reputation
viśuddhām
transcendental or fully purified
sura-loka-gītām
praised even in the heavenly planets
vitāya mām eṣyasi mukta-bandhaḥ
vitāya
spreading all through the universe
mām
unto Me
eṣyasi
you will come back
mukta-bandhaḥ
being liberated from all bondage.
My dear Prahlāda, while you are in this material world you will exhaust all the reactions of pious activity by feeling happiness, and by acting piously you will neutralize impious activity. Because of the powerful time factor, you will give up your body, but the glories of your activities will be sung in the upper planetary systems, and being fully freed from all bondage, you will return home, back to Godhead.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says: evaṁ prahlādasyāṁśena sādhana-siddhatvaṁ nitya-siddhatvaṁ ca nāradādivaj jñeyam. There are two classes of devotees — the sādhana-siddha and the nitya-siddha. Prahlāda Mahārāja is a mixed siddha; that is, he is perfect partly because of executing devotional service and partly because of eternal perfection. Thus he is compared to such devotees as Nārada. Formerly, Nārada Muni was the son of a maidservant, and therefore in his next birth he attained perfection ( sādhana-siddhi ) because of having executed devotional service. Yet he is also a nitya-siddha because he never forgets the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The word kuśalena is very important. One should live in the material world very expertly. The material world is known as the world of duality because one sometimes has to act impiously and sometimes has to act piously. Although one does not want to act impiously, the world is so fashioned that there is always danger ( padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām ). Thus even when performing devotional service a devotee has to create many enemies. Prahlāda Mahārāja himself had experience of this, for even his father became his enemy. A devotee should expertly manage to think always of the Supreme Lord so that the reactions of suffering cannot touch him. This is the expert management of pāpa-puṇya — pious and impious activities. An exalted devotee like Prahlāda Mahārāja is jīvan-mukta; he is liberated even in this very life in the material body.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Having given up piety by enjoyment and sin by pious actions, and having giving up the previous body by the passing of time, having spread your pure glory praised even in Svarga, and being already free of bondage, you will come to me. Do not be afraid of bondage by karma by enjoyment. In your previous birth all karmas were destroyed. By experience of enjoyment, the prārabdha puṇyas will be exhausted. By pious acts, prārabdha sins will be exhausted. Giving up your previous body, you attain me now. You are already liberated from bondage in this life. You are jīvanmukta. It should be understood that Prahlāda, like Nārada and others, was partly sādhana-siddha and partly nitya-siddha. [Note: This means they are nitya-siddha but also take forms of sādhakas during the pastimes.]
Through happiness you will exhaust pious karma; through pious action you will neutralize impious karma; finally, time will take the body and your glories will be sung in the upper worlds as you return home. The lifecycle of a devotee in this world is itself a planned trajectory.
Reflection Questions
  • Where in your life can you read happiness as exhaustion of karma rather than as final reward?
  • How does this trajectory frame change your reading of the current chapter?
📝 My note

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