Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
प्रतिजग्राह तद्बाढं नारद: साधुसम्मत: ।
एतावान्साधुवादो हि तितिक्षेतेश्वर: स्वयम् ॥ ४४ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
pratijagrāha tad bāḍhaṁ
nāradaḥ sādhu-sammataḥ
etāvān sādhu-vādo hi
titikṣeteśvaraḥ svayam
Synonyms
śrī
—
śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
;
pratijagrāha
—
accepted
;
tat
—
that
;
bāḍham
—
so be it
;
nāradaḥ
—
Nārada Muni
;
sādhu
—
sammataḥ — who is an approved sādhu
;
etāvān
—
this much
;
sādhu
—
vādaḥ — appropriate for a saintly person
;
hi
—
indeed
;
titikṣeta
—
he may tolerate
;
īśvaraḥ
—
although able to curse Prajāpati Dakṣa
;
svayam
—
himself .
Translation
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, since Nārada Muni is an approved saintly person, when cursed by Prajāpati Dakṣa he replied, “tad bāḍham: Yes, what you have said is good. I accept this curse.” He could have cursed Prajāpati Dakṣa in return, but because he is a tolerant and merciful sādhu, he took no action.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Nārada Muni, of saintly conduct, when he was thus cursed by Prajāpati Dakṣa, accepted the curse. Though capable of cursing Dakṣa, he tolerated him since that is the nature of a saintly person.
Nārada accepted the curse. Sādhu-sammataḥ means “the saintly tolerate such things.” It gives the meaning to the famous phrase sādhuvādaḥ. Etāvān sādhuvādaḥ means that he was capable of counter the cursing but he did not because he was saintly. “Nārada came to give Dakṣa mercy. When he heard the criticisms of Dakṣa, why did Nārada not leave the place?” This was Nārada’s intention. “Controlled by anger, let him criticize a lot! Let him curse! This is the result of anger. When his anger subsides, he will see that I did not criticize him or curse him in return, and tolerated everything. Then he will repent that he has criticized and cursed a devotee of the Lord, like the Kumāras when they went to the gates of Vaikuṇṭha. Then he will be a suitable field for sowing the seed of bhakti. I will then go and sow the seed of pure bhakti in him.” Thinking in this way, Nārada remained there for the proper moment. But seeing that Dakṣa was not repentant, he then left, remembering “Oh! What power the remnants of offense to Śiva have!”
Thus ends the commentary on the Fifth Chapter of the Sixth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
Chapter Six
Descendents of Dakṣa’s Daughters
Purport
As stated in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(3.25.21)
:
titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ
suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām
ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ
sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ
“The symptoms of a
sādhu
are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.” Because Nārada Muni is the most elevated of
sādhus,
devotees, to deliver Prajāpati Dakṣa he silently tolerated the curse. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught this principle to all His devotees:
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” Following the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one who preaches the glories of the Lord all over the world or all over the universe should be humbler than grass and more tolerant than a tree because a preacher cannot live an easygoing life. Indeed, a preacher must face many impediments. Not only is he sometimes cursed, but sometimes he must also suffer personal injury. For example, when Nityānanda Prabhu went to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the two roguish brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi, they injured Him and made His head bleed, but nevertheless, He tolerantly delivered the two rogues, who became perfect Vaiṣṇavas. This is the duty of a preacher. Lord Jesus Christ even tolerated crucifixion. Therefore the curse against Nārada was not very astonishing, and he tolerated it.
Now, it may be asked why Nārada Muni stayed in the presence of Prajāpati Dakṣa and tolerated all his accusations and curses. Was that for Dakṣa’s deliverance? The answer is yes. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that after being insulted by Prajāpati Dakṣa, Nārada Muni should have left immediately, but he purposely stayed to hear all Dakṣa’s strong words so that Dakṣa might be relieved of his anger. Prajāpati Dakṣa was not an ordinary man; he had accumulated the results of many pious activities. Therefore Nārada Muni expected that after delivering his curse, Dakṣa, satisfied and freed from anger, would repent his misbehavior and thus get a chance to become a Vaiṣṇava and be delivered. When Jagāi and Mādhāi offended Lord Nityānanda, Lord Nityānanda stood tolerantly, and therefore both brothers fell at His lotus feet and repented. Consequently they later became perfect Vaiṣṇavas.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Sixth Canto, Fifth Chapter, of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
entitled “Nārada Muni Cursed by Prajāpati Dakṣa.”