The Character of Brahmana Sudama

[Pankaja_Dasa 1]

Canto to: 10.13.64 Srimad Bhagavatam by Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada,

Rest of this great literature is by his disciples.

 

 

------

 

The Brahmana Sudama Visits Lord Krsna in Dvaraka

 

SB 10.80.1: King Pariksit said: My lord, O master, I wish to hear about other valorous deeds performed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, whose valor is unlimited.

 

SB 10.80.2: O brahmana, how could anyone who knows the essence of life and is disgusted with endeavoring for sense gratification give up the transcendental topics of Lord Uttamahsloka after hearing them repeatedly

 

SB 10.80.3: Actual speech is that which describes the qualities of the Lord, real hands are those that work for Him, a true mind is that which always remembers Him dwelling within everything moving and nonmoving, and actual ears are those that listen to sanctifying topics about Him.

 

SB 10.80.4: An actual head is one that bows down to the Lord in His manifestations among the moving and nonmoving creatures, real eyes are those that see only the Lord, and actual limbs are those which regularly honor the water that has bathed the Lord's feet or those of His devotees.

 

SB 10.80.5: Suta Gosvami said: Thus questioned by King Visnurata, the powerful sage Badarayani replied, his heart fully absorbed in meditation on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva.

 

SB 10.80.6: Sukadeva Gosvami said: Lord Krsna had a certain brahmana friend [named Sudama] who was most learned in Vedic knowledge and detached from all sense enjoyment. Furthermore, his mind was peaceful and his senses subdued.

 

SB 10.80.7: Living as a householder, he maintained himself with whatever came of its own accord. The wife of that poorly dressed brahmana suffered along with him and was emaciated from hunger.

 

SB 10.80.8: The chaste wife of the poverty-stricken brahmana once approached him, her face dried up because of her distress. Trembling with fear, she spoke as follows.

 

SB 10.80.9: [sudama's wife said:] O brahmana, isn't it true that the husband of the goddess of fortune is the personal friend of your exalted self That greatest of Yadavas, the Supreme Lord Krsna, is compassionate to brahmanas and very willing to grant them His shelter.

 

SB 10.80.10: O fortunate one, please approach Him, the real shelter of all saints. He will certainly give abundant wealth to such a suffering householder as you.

 

SB 10.80.11: Lord Krsna is now the ruler of the Bhojas, Vrsnis and Andhakas and is staying at Dvaraka. Since He gives even His own self to anyone who simply remembers His lotus feet, what doubt is there that He, the spiritual master of the universe, will bestow upon His sincere worshiper prosperity and material enjoyment, which are not even very desirable

 

SB 10.80.12-13: [sukadeva Gosvami continued:] When his wife thus repeatedly implored him in various ways, the brahmana thought to himself, "To see Lord Krsna is indeed the greatest achievement in life." Thus he decided to go, but first he told her, "My good wife, if there is anything in the house I can bring as a gift, please give it to me."

 

SB 10.80.14: Sudama's wife begged four handfuls of flat rice from neighboring brahmanas, tied up the rice in a torn piece of cloth and gave it to her husband as a present for Lord Krsna.

 

SB 10.80.15: Taking the flat rice, the saintly brahmana set off for Dvaraka, all the while wondering "How will I be able to have Krsna's audience"

 

SB 10.80.16-17: The learned brahmana, joined by some local brahmanas, passed three guard stations and went through three gateways, and then he walked by the homes of Lord Krsna's faithful devotees, the Andhakas and Vrsnis, which ordinarily no one could do. He then entered one of the opulent palaces belonging to Lord Hari's sixteen thousand queens, and when he did so he felt as if he were attaining the bliss of liberation.

 

SB 10.80.18: At that time Lord Acyuta was seated on His consort's bed. Spotting the brahmana at some distance, the Lord immediately stood up, went forward to meet him and with great pleasure embraced him.

 

SB 10.80.19: The lotus-eyed Supreme Lord felt intense ecstasy upon touching the body of His dear friend, the wise brahmana, and thus He shed tears of love.

 

SB 10.80.20-22: Lord Krsna seated His friend Sudama upon the bed. Then the Lord, who purifies the whole world, personally offered him various tokens of respect and washed his feet, O King, after which He sprinkled the water on His own head. He anointed him with divinely fragrant sandalwood, aguru and kunkuma pastes and happily worshiped him with aromatic incense and arrays of lamps. After finally offering him betel nut and the gift of a cow, He welcomed him with pleasing words.

 

SB 10.80.23: By fanning him with her camara, the divine goddess of fortune personally served that poor brahmana, whose clothing was torn and dirty and who was so thin that veins were visible all over his body.

 

SB 10.80.24: The people in the royal palace were astonished to see Krsna, the Lord of spotless glory, so lovingly honor this shabbily dressed brahmana.

 

SB 10.80.25-26: [The residents of the palace said:] What pious acts has this unkempt, impoverished brahmana performed People regard him as lowly and contemptible, yet the spiritual master of the three worlds, the abode of Goddess Sri, is serving him reverently. Leaving the goddess of fortune sitting on her bed, the Lord has embraced this brahmana as if he were an older brother.

 

SB 10.80.27: [sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Taking each other's hands, O King, Krsna and Sudama talked pleasantly about how they once lived together in the school of their guru.

 

SB 10.80.28: The Supreme Lord said: My dear brahmana, you know well the ways of dharma. After you offered the gift of remuneration to our guru and returned home from his school, did you marry a compatible wife or not

 

SB 10.80.29: Even though you are mostly involved in household affairs, your mind is not affected by material desires. Nor, O learned one, do you take much pleasure in the pursuit of material wealth. This I am well aware of.

 

SB 10.80.30: Having renounced all material propensities, which spring from the Lord's illusory energy, some people execute worldly duties with their minds undisturbed by mundane desires. They act as I do, to instruct the general populace.

 

SB 10.80.31: My dear brahmana, do you remember how we lived together in our spiritual master's school When a twice-born student has learned from his guru all that is to be learned, he can enjoy spiritual life, which lies beyond all ignorance.

 

SB 10.80.32: My dear friend, he who gives a person his physical birth is his first spiritual master, and he who initiates him as a twice-born brahmana and engages him in religious duties is indeed more directly his spiritual master. But the person who bestows transcendental knowledge upon the members of all the spiritual orders of society is one's ultimate spiritual master. Indeed, he is as good as My own self.

 

SB 10.80.33: Certainly, O brahmana, of all the followers of the varnasrama system, those who take advantage of the words I speak in My form as the spiritual master and thus easily cross over the ocean of material existence best understand their own true welfare.

 

SB 10.80.34: I, the Soul of all beings, am not as satisfied by ritual worship, brahminical initiation, penances or self-discipline as I am by faithful service rendered to one's spiritual master.

 

SB 10.80.35-36: O brahmana, do you remember what happened to us while we were living with our spiritual master Once our guru's wife sent us to fetch firewood, and after we entered the vast forest, O twice-born one, an unseasonal storm arose, with fierce wind and rain and harsh thunder.

 

SB 10.80.37: Then, as the sun set, the forest was covered by darkness in every direction, and with all the flooding we could not distinguish high land from low.

 

SB 10.80.38: Constantly besieged by the powerful wind and rain, we lost our way amidst the flooding waters. We simply held each other's hands and, in great distress, wandered aimlessly about the forest.

 

SB 10.80.39: Our guru, Sandipani, understanding our predicament, set out after sunrise to search for us, his disciples, and found us in distress.

 

SB 10.80.40: [sandipani said:] O my children, you have suffered so much for my sake! The body is most dear to every living creature, but you are so dedicated to me that you completely disregarded your own comfort.

 

SB 10.80.41: This indeed is the duty of all true disciples: to repay the debt to their spiritual master by offering him, with pure hearts, their wealth and even their very lives.

 

SB 10.80.42: You boys are first-class brahmanas, and I am satisfied with you. May all your desires be fulfilled, and may the Vedic mantras you have learned never lose their meaning for you, in this world or the next.

 

SB 10.80.43: [Lord Krsna continued:] We had many similar experiences while living in our spiritual master's home. Simply by the grace of the spiritual master a person can fulfill life's purpose and attain eternal peace.

 

SB 10.80.44: The brahmana said: What could I possibly have failed to achieve, O Lord of lords, O universal teacher, since I was able to personally live with You, whose every desire is fulfilled, at the home of our spiritual master

 

SB 10.80.45: O almighty Lord, Your body comprises the Absolute Truth in the form of the Vedas and is thus the source of all auspicious goals of life. That You took up residence at the school of a spiritual master is simply one of Your pastimes in which You play the role of a human being.

 

 

 

 

The Lord Blesses Sudama Brahmana

 

 

SB 10.81.1-2: [sukadeva Gosvami said:] Lord Hari, Krsna, perfectly knows the hearts of all living beings, and He is especially devoted to the brahmanas. While the Supreme Lord, the goal of all saintly persons, conversed in this way with the best of the twice-born, He laughed and spoke the following words to that dear friend of His, the brahmana Sudama, all the while smiling and looking upon him with affection.

 

SB 10.81.3: The Supreme Lord said: O brahmana, what gift have you brought Me from home I regard as great even the smallest gift offered by My devotees in pure love, but even great offerings presented by nondevotees do not please Me.

 

SB 10.81.4: If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.

 

SB 10.81.5: [sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Even after being addressed in this way, O King, the brahmana felt too embarrassed to offer his palmfuls of flat rice to the husband of the goddess of fortune. He simply kept his head bowed in shame.

 

SB 10.81.6-7: Being the direct witness in the hearts of all living beings, Lord Krsna fully understood why Sudama had come to see Him. Thus He thought, "In the past My friend has never worshiped Me out of a desire for material opulence, but now he comes to Me to satisfy his chaste and devoted wife. I will give him riches that even the immortal demigods cannot obtain."

 

SB 10.81.8: Thinking like this, the Lord snatched from the brahmana's garment the grains of flat rice tied up in an old piece of cloth and exclaimed, "What is this

 

SB 10.81.9: "My friend, have You brought this for Me It gives Me extreme pleasure. Indeed, these few grains of flat rice will satisfy not only Me but also the entire universe."

 

SB 10.81.10: After saying this, the Supreme Lord ate one palmful and was about to eat a second when the devoted goddess Rukmini took hold of His hand.

 

SB 10.81.11: [Queen Rukmini said:] This is more than enough, O Soul of the universe, to secure him an abundance of all kinds of wealth in this world and the next. After all, one's prosperity depends simply on Your satisfaction.

 

SB 10.81.12: [sukadeva Gosvami continued:] The brahmana spent that night in Lord Acyuta's palace after eating and drinking to his full satisfaction. He felt as if he had gone to the spiritual world.

 

SB 10.81.13: The next day, Sudama set off for home while being honored by Lord Krsna, the self-satisfied maintainer of the universe. The brahmana felt greatly delighted, my dear King, as he walked along the road.

 

SB 10.81.14: Although he had apparently received no wealth from Lord Krsna, Sudama was too shy to beg for it on his own. He simply returned home, feeling perfectly satisfied to have had the Supreme Lord's audience.

 

SB 10.81.15: [sudama thought:] Lord Krsna is known to be devoted to the brahmanas, and now I have personally seen this devotion. Indeed, He who carries the goddess of fortune on His chest has embraced the poorest beggar.

 

SB 10.81.16: Who am I A sinful, poor friend of a brahmana. And who is Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in six opulences. Nonetheless, He has embraced me with His two arms.

 

SB 10.81.17: He treated me just like one of His brothers, making me sit on the bed of His beloved consort. And because I was fatigued, His queen personally fanned me with a yak-tail camara.

 

SB 10.81.18: Although He is the Lord of all demigods and the object of worship for all brahmanas, He worshiped me as if I were a demigod myself, massaging my feet and rendering other humble services.

 

SB 10.81.19: Devotional service to His lotus feet is the root cause of all the perfections a person can find in heaven, in liberation, in the subterranean regions and on earth.

 

SB 10.81.20: Thinking "If this poor wretch suddenly becomes rich, he will forget Me in his intoxicating happiness," the compassionate Lord did not grant me even a little wealth.

 

SB 10.81.21-23: [sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Thinking thus to himself, Sudama finally came to the place where his home stood. But that place was now crowded on all sides with towering, celestial palaces rivaling the combined brilliance of the sun, fire and the moon. There were splendorous courtyards and gardens, each filled with flocks of cooing birds and beautified by ponds in which kumuda, ambhoja, kahlara and utpala lotuses grew. Finely attired men and doe-eyed women stood in attendance. Sudama wondered, "What is all this Whose property is it How has this all come about"

 

SB 10.81.24: As he continued to ponder in this way, the beautiful men-and maidservants, as effulgent as demigods, came forward to greet their greatly fortunate master with loud song and instrumental music.

 

SB 10.81.25: When she heard that her husband had arrived, the brahmana 's wife quickly came out of the house in a jubilant flurry. She resembled the goddess of fortune herself emerging from her divine abode.

 

SB 10.81.26: When the chaste lady saw her husband, her eyes filled with tears of love and eagerness. As she held her eyes closed, she solemnly bowed down to him, and in her heart she embraced him.

 

SB 10.81.27: Sudama was amazed to see his wife. Shining forth in the midst of maidservants adorned with jeweled lockets, she looked as effulgent as a demigoddess in her celestial airplane.

 

SB 10.81.28: With pleasure he took his wife with him and entered his house, where there were hundreds of gem-studded pillars, just as in the palace of Lord Mahendra.

 

SB 10.81.29-32: In Sudama's home were beds as soft and white as the foam of milk, with bedsteads made of ivory and ornamented with gold. There were also couches with golden legs, as well as royal camara fans, golden thrones, soft cushions and gleaming canopies hung with strings of pearls. Upon the walls of sparkling crystal glass, inlaid with precious emeralds, shone jeweled lamps, and the women in the palace were all adorned with precious gems. As he viewed this luxurious opulence of all varieties, the brahmana calmly reasoned to himself about his unexpected prosperity.

 

SB 10.81.33: [sudama thought:] I have always been poor. Certainly the only possible way that such an unfortunate person as myself could become suddenly rich is that Lord Krsna, the supremely opulent chief of the Yadu dynasty, has glanced upon Me.

 

SB 10.81.34: After all, my friend Krsna, the most exalted of the Dasarhas and the enjoyer of unlimited wealth, noticed that I secretly intended to beg from Him. Thus even though He said nothing about it when I stood before Him, He actually bestowed upon me the most abundant riches. In this way He acted just like a merciful rain cloud.

 

SB 10.81.35: The Lord considers even His greatest benedictions to be insignificant, while He magnifies even a small service rendered to Him by His well-wishing devotee. Thus with pleasure the Supreme Soul accepted a single palmful of the flat rice I brought Him.

 

SB 10.81.36: The Lord is the supremely compassionate reservoir of all transcendental qualities. Life after life may I serve Him with love, friendship and sympathy, and may I cultivate such firm attachment for Him by the precious association of His devotees.

 

SB 10.81.37: To a devotee who lacks spiritual insight, the Supreme Lord will not grant the wonderful opulences of this world - kingly power and material assets. Indeed, in His infinite wisdom the unborn Lord well knows how the intoxication of pride can cause the downfall of the wealthy.

 

SB 10.81.38: [sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Thus firmly fixing his determination by means of his spiritual intelligence, Sudama remained absolutely devoted to Lord Krsna, the shelter of all living beings. Free from avarice, he enjoyed, together with his wife, the sense pleasures that had been bestowed upon him, always with the idea of eventually renouncing all sense gratification.

 

SB 10.81.39: Lord Hari is the God of all gods, the master of all sacrifices, and the supreme ruler. But He accepts the saintly brahmanas as His masters, and so there exists no deity higher than them.

 

SB 10.81.40: Thus seeing how the unconquerable Supreme Lord is nonetheless conquered by His own servants, the Lord's dear brahmana friend felt the remaining knots of material attachment within his heart being cut by the force of his constant meditation on the Lord. In a short time he attained Lord Krsna's supreme abode, the destination of great saints.

 

SB 10.81.41: The Lord always shows brahmanas special favor. Anyone who hears this account of the Supreme Lord's kindness to brahmanas will come to develop love for the Lord and thus become freed from the bondage of material work.

_________________