Devanagari
व्योम्नोऽब्भ्रं भूतशाबल्यं भुव: पङ्कमपां मलम् ।
शरज्जहाराश्रमिणां कृष्णे भक्तिर्यथाशुभम् ॥ ३४ ॥
Verse text
vyomno ’bbhraṁ bhūta-śābalyaṁ
bhuvaḥ paṅkam apāṁ malam
śaraj jahārāśramiṇāṁ
kṛṣṇe bhaktir yathāśubham
Synonyms
vyomnaḥ
—
in the sky
;
ap
—
bhram — the clouds
;
bhūta
—
of the animals
;
śābalyam
—
the crowded condition
;
bhuvaḥ
—
of the earth
;
paṅkam
—
the muddy covering
;
apām
—
of the water
;
malam
—
the contamination
;
śarat
—
the autumn season
;
jahāra
—
removed
;
āśramiṇām
—
of the members of the four different spiritual orders of human society
;
kṛṣṇe
—
for Lord Kṛṣṇa
;
bhaktiḥ
—
devotional service
;
yathā
—
just as
;
aśubham
—
all inauspiciousness .
Translation
Autumn cleared the sky of clouds, let the animals get out of their crowded living conditions, cleaned the earth of its covering of mud, and purified the water of contamination, in the same way that loving service rendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa frees the members of the four spiritual orders from their respective troubles.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Autumn cleared the sky of clouds, let the animals get out of their crowded living conditions, cleaned the earth of its covering of mud, and purified the water of contamination, in the same way that loving service rendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa frees the members of the four spiritual orders from their respective troubles.
KB 10.20.34
Everything becomes naturally beautiful with the appearance of the autumn season. Similarly, when a materialistic person takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and spiritual life, he also becomes as clear as the sky and water in autumn.
The autumn season takes away the rolling of dark clouds in the sky as well as the polluted water. Filthy conditions on the ground also become cleansed. Similarly, a person who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately becomes cleansed of all dirty things within and without. Kṛṣṇa is therefore known as Hari. Hari means “he who takes away.” Kṛṣṇa immediately takes away all unclean habits from anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Purport
Every human being must perform the prescribed duties corresponding to one of the four spiritual orders of life. These divisions are 1) celibate student life,
brahmacarya;
2) married life,
gṛhastha;
3) retired life,
vānaprastha;
and 4) renounced life,
sannyāsa.
A
brahmacārī
must perform many menial duties during his student life, but as he becomes advanced in loving service to Kṛṣṇa, his superiors recognize his spiritual status and elevate him to higher duties. The innumerable obligations performed on behalf of wife and children constantly harass a householder, but as he becomes advanced in loving service to Kṛṣṇa, he is automatically elevated by the laws of nature to more enjoyable, spiritual occupations, and he somehow minimizes material duties.
Those in the
vānaprastha,
or retired, order of life also perform many duties, and these can also be replaced by ecstatic loving service to Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, renounced life has many natural difficulties, not the least of which is that
sannyāsīs,
or renounced men, are inclined to meditate on the impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth. As stated in the
Bhagavad-gītā
(12.5)
,
kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām
: “For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Lord, advancement is exceedingly painful.” But as soon as a
sannyāsī
takes to preaching the glories of Kṛṣṇa in every town and village, his life becomes a blissful sequence of beautiful spiritual realizations.
In the autumn season the sky returns to its natural blue color. The vanishing of the clouds is like the vanishing of troublesome duties in
brahmacārī
life. Just after summer comes the rainy season, when the animals sometimes become disturbed by the torrential storms and thus huddle together. But the autumn season signals the time for the animals to go to their respective areas and live more peacefully. This represents a householder’s becoming free from the harassment of family duties and being able to devote more of his time to spiritual responsibilities, which are the real goal of life both for himself and his family. The removal of the muddy layer on the earth is like the removal of the inconveniences of
vānaprastha
life, and the purification of the water is like the sanctification of
sannyāsa
life by one’s preaching the glories of Kṛṣṇa without sex desire.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The autumn season removed the clouds in the sky, the crowded living conditions, the mud from the earth and the cloudy water. This is like bhakti, arising through devotional association, removing the suffering arising in the performance of duties of the four asramas. By becoming qualified for bhakti, the person is not obligated to perform the asrama duties.
As bhakti removes the suffering of the brahmacari in serving a karmi guru by herding cows and other servcie, so the autumn season removed the clouds in the sky. As bhakti removes the suffering of the grhastha when he ahs to associate with family members on occasion of sraddha rites, so the autumn season removes the suffering of living together in close quarters because of rain, and everyone is free to go where he pleases. As bhakti removes the suffering of the vana prastha who keeps dirt on his body, the autumn season removes the mud from the earth. As bhakti removes the suffering of the sannyasi who struggles to meditate on the Brahman (kleso’dhikaratas tesam avyaka sakta cetasam), so the autumn season removes dirty from the water. This is a positive series of analogies.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Bhakti to Kṛṣṇa alone removes the inauspiciousness of the āśramas consisting of the performance of some duties which are very difficult.
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
As long as one does not become detached from daily and periodic duties or has not awakened his faith in hearing topics about me, one must perform one’s prescribed duties of varṇāśrama. SB 11.20.9
Similarly autumn season alone removes the clouds which cause difficulties because they cover the whole sky. Comparisons are given showing the difficulties created by certain objects, which consequently should be removed. Śrīdhara Svāmī makes comparisons with specific corresponding qualities while maintain the status of the āśramas. Thus when the sannyāsī has material desires which do not fall within the āśrama rules, the methods in the āśrama for destroying the obstacles are yamas and niyamas, such as serving guru. These are not rejected. Moreover, there is even greater difficulty in meditating on the formless as explained in Bhagavad-gītā: kleśo ‘dhikāratas teṣām avyakaśakta-cetasām: those who concentrate on the formless Brahman have more difficulties. (BG 12.5) (Thus one should worship the Lord.) Concerning the brahmacārī in Śrīdhara Svāmī’s explanation, carrying water for the guru in a bucket is difficult or causes unhappiness. For the sannyāsī, material desires are unhappiness. For the householders the combination of offspring etc. brings about unhappiness. Bhakti does not destroy the āśramas, but only the difficulties in certain duties. Thus there is no recommendation for destroying the system.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Bhakti to Kṛṣṇa who removes all sorrows, who is Bhagavān, frees everyone from suffering. Or bhakti to Kṛṣṇa alone removes the inauspiciousness of the āśramas consisting of the performance of some duties which are very difficult.
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
As long as one does not become detached from daily and periodic duties or has not awakened his faith in hearing topics about me, one must perform one’s prescribed duties of varṇāśrama. SB 11.20.9
Excessive effort disappears by giving up those duties. There is an explanation of the qualities of pure devotion in Bhagavad-bhakti-vilāsa. The autumn season by itself performs four types of purification.