70 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

any house. The householder, who has usually forgotten everything about
spiritual advancement because he is busy maintaining family affairs, can
be benefitted by the association of a saintly person. There is a great
chance for the poor man to become liberated through association with a
saint. Of what use are persons who are puffed up with material opulence
and prestige if they are bereft of the association of saintly persons and
devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

The great sage Narada thereafter thought that it was his duty to put
those demigods into a condition where they could not be falsely proud
of their material opulence and prestige. Narada was compassionate and
wanted to save them from their fallen life. They were in the mode of
darkness, and being therefore unable to control their senses, they were
addicted to sex life. It was the duty of a saintly person like Narada to save
them from their abominable condition. In animal life, the animal has no
sense to understand that he is naked. But Kuvera was the treasurer of the
demigods, a very responsible man, and Nalakivara and Manigriva were two
of his sons. And yet they became so animalistic and irresponsible that
they could not understand, due to intoxication, that they were naked. To
cover the lower part of the body is a principle of human civilization, and
when a man or woman forgets this principle, they become degraded.
Narada therefore thought that the best punishment for them was to make
them immovable living entities, or trees. Trees are, by nature’s laws,
immovable. Although trees are covered by the mode of ignorance, they
cannot do harm. The great sage Narada thought it fitting that, although
the brothers, by his mercy, would be..punished to become trees, they
continue to keep their memory to be able to know why they were being
punished. After changing the: body, a living entity generally forgets his
previous life, but in special cases, by the grace of the Lord, as with Nala-
kuvara and Manigriva, one can remember.

Sage Narada therefore contemplated that the two demigods should
remain for one hundred years, in the time of the demigods, in the form of
trees, and after that they would be fortunate enough to see the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, face to face, by His causeless mercy. And thus
they would be again promoted to the life of the demigods and great
devotees of the Lord.

After this, the great sage Narada returned to his abode known as Narayana
Aérama, and the two demigods turned into trees, known as twin arjuna
trees. The two demigods were favored by the causeless mercy of Narada
and given a chance to grow in Nanda’s courtyard and see Lord Krsna face
to face.
