Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī - Canto 10, chapter 89

This article presents a thematic survey of testing the deities and retrieving the brāhmaṇa's sons spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 10, chapter 89. It organizes the quotes found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the liberated sage and son of Vyāsadeva. In these specific verses, he instructs Mahārāja Parīkṣit on the absolute supremacy of Lord Viṣṇu over all other demigods, and the complete dependence of even the greatest empowered devotees on the supreme will of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the top speaker of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with 4,872 verses at Vanisource. He speaks in all cantos except the 1st canto. He speaks in the 2nd (176 verses), 3rd (36 verses), 4th (5 verses), 5th (437 verses), 6th (371 verses), 7th (16 verses), 8th (538 verses), 9th (733 verses), 10th (2,278 verses), 11th (103 verses), and 12th canto (179 verses).

Testing the Three Deities

Śukadeva Gosvāmī recounts the famous cosmic test initiated by the great sages to determine the Supreme Lord.

Bhṛgu Tests Brahmā and Śiva

Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes how the sage Bhṛgu deliberately provokes Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva to test their tolerance and position within the material modes. Even the greatest empowered demigods are susceptible to the modes of passion and ignorance when their false prestige is challenged. This calculated offense reveals that personalities influenced by material nature cannot be the ultimate object of worship for those seeking complete spiritual liberation.

"Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Once, O King, as a group of sages were performing a Vedic sacrifice on the banks of the Sarasvatī River, a controversy arose among them as to which of the three chief deities is supreme."
"Eager to resolve this question, O King, the sages sent Lord Brahmā's son Bhṛgu to find the answer. First he went to his father's court."
"To test how well Lord Brahmā was situated in the mode of goodness, Bhṛgu failed to bow down to him or glorify him with prayers. The lord became angry at him, inflamed into fury by his own passion."
"Though anger toward his son was now rising within his heart, Lord Brahmā was able to subdue it by applying his intelligence, in the same way that fire is extinguished by its own product, water."
"Bhṛgu then went to Mount Kailāsa. There Lord Śiva stood up and happily came forward to embrace his brother."
"But Bhṛgu refused his embrace, telling him, "You are a deviant heretic." At this Lord Śiva became angry, and his eyes burned ferociously. He raised his trident and was about to kill Bhṛgu when Goddess Devī fell at his feet and spoke some words to pacify him. Bhṛgu then left that place and went to Vaikuṇṭha, where Lord Janārdana resides."

The Supremacy of Viṣṇu

Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains how Bhṛgu returns to the assembly, triumphantly declaring that Lord Viṣṇu alone is situated in pure goodness and is the absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead. While the demigods are conditioned by the material energy, Lord Viṣṇu is eternally transcendental, perfectly peaceful, and the singular source of all mystic power and religion. The sages conclude that unalloyed devotional service to Lord Hari is the only true path to ultimate success.

"Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Bhṛgu felt satisfied and delighted to hear the solemn words spoken by Lord Vaikuṇṭha. Overwhelmed with devotional ecstasy, he remained silent, his eyes brimming with tears."
"O King, Bhṛgu then returned to the sacrificial arena of the wise Vedic authorities and described his entire experience to them."
"Amazed upon hearing Bhṛgu's account, the sages were freed from all doubts and became convinced that Viṣṇu is the greatest Lord. From Him come peace; fearlessness; the essential principles of religion; detachment with knowledge; the eightfold powers of mystic yoga; and His glorification, which cleanses the mind of all impurities. He is known as the supreme destination for those who are peaceful and equipoised—the selfless, wise saints who have given up all violence. His most dear form is that of pure goodness, and the brāhmaṇas are His worshipable deities. Persons of keen intellect who have attained spiritual peace worship Him without selfish motives."
"The Lord expands into three kinds of manifest beings—the Rākṣasas, the demons and the demigods—all of whom are created by the Lord's material energy and conditioned by her modes. But among these three modes, it is the mode of goodness which is the means of attaining life's final success."
"Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The learned brāhmaṇas living along the river Sarasvatī came to this conclusion in order to dispel the doubts of all people. Thereafter they rendered devotional service to the Supreme Lord's lotus feet and attained His abode."

The Brāhmaṇa's Tragedy

Śukadeva Gosvāmī shifts the narrative back to Dvārakā, where a deeply distressed citizen challenges the royal administration.

The Dead Infants

Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates the tragic plight of a Dvārakā brāhmaṇa who repeatedly loses his newborn sons, bitterly leaving their corpses at King Ugrasena's door. According to Vedic understanding, the premature death of citizens is a direct reflection of the ruling king's failure to perfectly execute religious principles (dharma). The brāhmaṇa's intense lamentation serves as a catalyst for a profound lesson in humility for the great hero Arjuna.

"Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Once, in Dvārakā, a brāhmaṇa's wife gave birth to a son, but the newborn infant died as soon as he touched the ground, O Bhārata."
"The brāhmaṇa took the corpse and placed it at the door of King Ugrasena's court. Then, agitated and lamenting miserably, he spoke the following."
"The wise brāhmaṇa suffered the same tragedy with his second and third child. Each time, he left the body of his dead son at the King's door and sang the same song of lamentation."
"Thus convinced by Arjuna, O tormentor of enemies, the brāhmaṇa went home, satisfied by having heard Arjuna's declaration of his prowess."

Arjuna's Vow and Failure

Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes how Arjuna proudly vows to protect the brāhmaṇa's next child with an impenetrable cage of mystic arrows, only to be completely humiliated when the infant vanishes into thin air. Even the greatest empowered warriors are entirely impotent when operating independently of the Supreme Lord's explicit sanction. Arjuna's desperate, fruitless search through the universe shatters his false prestige, forcing him to depend entirely on Kṛṣṇa.

"After touching pure water, offering obeisances to Lord Maheśvara and recollecting the mantras for his celestial weapons, Arjuna strung his bow Gāṇḍīva."
"Arjuna fenced in the house where the birth was taking place by shooting arrows attached to various missiles. Thus the son of Pṛthā constructed a protective cage of arrows, covering the house upwards, downwards and sideways."
"The brāhmaṇa's wife then gave birth, but after the newborn infant had been crying for a short time, he suddenly vanished into the sky in his selfsame body."
"While the wise brāhmaṇa continued to heap insults upon him, Arjuna employed a mystic incantation to go at once to Saṁyamanī, the city of heaven where Lord Yamarāja resides."
"Not seeing the brāhmaṇa's child there, Arjuna went to the cities of Agni, Nirṛti, Soma, Vāyu and Varuṇa. With weapons at the ready he searched through all the domains of the universe, from the bottom of the subterranean region to the roof of heaven. Finally, not having found the brāhmaṇa's son anywhere, Arjuna decided to enter the sacred fire, having failed to keep his promise. But just as he was about to do so, Lord Kṛṣṇa stopped him and spoke the following words."

Journey Beyond the Universe

Śukadeva Gosvāmī details the awe-inspiring, mystical expedition undertaken by the Supreme Lord and His intimate friend.

Penetrating the Darkness

Śukadeva Gosvāmī recounts how Lord Kṛṣṇa mounts His divine chariot with Arjuna, driving past the planetary systems and into the vast, primeval darkness covering the material universe. The material creation is fundamentally a realm of deep ignorance, surrounded by impenetrable layers of elements. Only the supreme effulgence of the Lord's personal Sudarśana disc can cut through this absolute oblivion to reveal the spiritual sky beyond.

"Having thus advised Arjuna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead had Arjuna join Him on His divine chariot, and together they set off toward the west."
"The Lord's chariot passed over the seven islands of the middle universe, each with its ocean and its seven principal mountains. Then it crossed the Lokāloka boundary and entered the vast region of total darkness."
"In that darkness the chariot's horses—Śaibya, Sugrīva, Meghapuṣpa and Balāhaka—lost their way. Seeing them in this condition, O best of the Bhāratas, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme master of all masters of yoga, sent His Sudarśana disc before the chariot. That disc shone like thousands of suns."
"The Lord's Sudarśana disc penetrated the darkness with its blazing effulgence. Racing forward with the speed of the mind, it cut through the fearsome, dense oblivion expanded from primeval matter, as an arrow shot from Lord Rāma's bow cuts through His enemy's army."
"Following the Sudarśana disc, the chariot went beyond the darkness and reached the endless spiritual light of the all pervasive brahma-jyoti. As Arjuna beheld this glaring effulgence, his eyes hurt, and so he shut them."

Meeting Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu

Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates their breathtaking arrival in the spiritual realm, where they behold the magnificent form of Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu resting upon the serpent bed of Ananta Śeṣa. The brahma-jyoti is merely the glowing bodily effulgence of the Supreme Lord, within which exist unlimited spiritual planets of inconceivable opulence. This glorious vision firmly establishes that the ultimate source of all mystic power and creation is the transcendental personality of Godhead.

"From that region they entered a body of water resplendent with huge waves being churned by a mighty wind. Within that ocean Arjuna saw an amazing palace more radiant than anything he had ever seen before. Its beauty was enhanced by thousands of ornamental pillars bedecked with brilliant gems."
"In that palace was the huge, awe-inspiring serpent Ananta Śeṣa. He shone brilliantly with the radiance emanating from the gems on His thousands of hoods and reflecting from twice as many fearsome eyes. He resembled white Mount Kailāsa, and His necks and tongues were dark blue."
"Arjuna then saw the omnipresent and omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mahā-Viṣṇu, sitting at ease on the serpent bed. His bluish complexion was the color of a dense raincloud, He wore a beautiful yellow garment, His face looked charming, His broad eyes were most attractive, and He had eight long, handsome arms. His profuse locks of hair were bathed on all sides in the brilliance reflected from the clusters of precious jewels decorating His crown and earrings. He wore the Kaustubha gem, the mark of Śrīvatsa and a garland of forest flowers. Serving that topmost of all Lords were His personal attendants, headed by Sunanda and Nanda; His cakra and other weapons in their personified forms; His consort potencies Puṣṭi, Śrī, Kīrti and Ajā; and all His various mystic powers."
"Lord Kṛṣṇa offered homage to Himself in this boundless form, and Arjuna, astonished at the sight of Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, bowed down as well. Then, as the two of them stood before Him with joined palms, the almighty Mahā-Viṣṇu, supreme master of all rulers of the universe, smiled and spoke to them in a voice full of solemn authority."

Returning the Sons

Śukadeva Gosvāmī concludes the pastime with the successful retrieval of the brāhmaṇa's sons and Arjuna's profound realization of Kṛṣṇa's absolute supremacy. The Lord performs these extraordinary feats specifically to crush the false pride of His devotees and firmly establish the principles of religion throughout the earth. Ultimately, every display of extraordinary power in the universe is simply a minute manifestation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's causeless mercy.

"Thus instructed by the Supreme Lord of the topmost planet, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna assented by chanting oṁ, and then they bowed down to almighty Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu. Taking the brāhmaṇa's sons with them, they returned with great delight to Dvārakā by the same path along which they had come. There they presented the brāhmaṇa with his sons, who were in the same infant bodies in which they had been lost."
"Having seen the domain of Lord Viṣṇu, Arjuna was totally amazed. He concluded that whatever extraordinary power a person exhibits can only be a manifestation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's mercy."
"Lord Kṛṣṇa exhibited many other, similar heroic pastimes in this world. He apparently enjoyed the pleasures of ordinary human life, and He performed greatly potent fire sacrifices."
"The Lord having demonstrated His supremacy, at suitable times He showered down all desirable things upon the brāhmaṇas and His other subjects, just as Indra pours down his rain."
"Now that He had killed many wicked kings and engaged devotees such as Arjuna in killing others, the Lord could easily assure the execution of religious principles through the agency of such pious rulers as Yudhiṣṭhira."

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 Sukadeva Gosvami. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.