CHAPTER TEN
Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees

This chapter describes how Krsna broke the twin arjuna trees, from
which Nalakivara and Manigriva, the sons of Kuvera, then came out.
Nalakivara and Manigriva were great devotees of Lord Siva, but be-
cause of material opulence they became so extravagant and senseless that
one day they were enjoying with naked girls in a lake and shamelessly
walking here and there. Suddenly Narada Muni passed by, but they were
so maddened by their wealth and false prestige that even though they
saw Narada Muni present, they remained naked and were not even
ashamed. In other words, because of opulence and false prestige, they
lost their sense of common decency. Of course, it is the nature of the ma-
terial qualities that when one becomes very much opulent in terms of
wealth and a prestigious position, one loses one’s sense of etiquette and
does not care about anyone, even a sage like Narada Muni. For such
bewildered persons (ahankara-vimidhatma), who especially deride
devotees, the proper punishment is to be again stricken with poverty.
The Vedic rules and regulations prescribe how to control the false sense
of prestige by the practice of yama, niyama and so on (tapasé
brahmacaryena Samena ca damena ca). A poor man can be convinced
very easily that the prestige of an opulent position in this material world
is temporary, but a rich man cannot. Therefore Narada Muni set an ex-
ample by cursing these two persons, Nalakivara and Manigriva, to be-
come dull and unconscious like trees. This was a fit punishment. But
because Krsna is always merciful, even though they were punished they
were fortunate enough to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to
face. Therefore the punishment given by Vaisnavas is not at all punish-
ment; rather, it is another kind of mercy. By the curse of the devarsi,
Nalakiivara and Manigriva became twin arjuna trees and remained in
the courtyard of mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, waiting for the op-
portunity to see Krsna directly. Lord Krsna, by the desire of His devotee,
uprooted these yamala-arjuna trees, and when Nalakivara and
Manigriva were thus delivered by Krsna after one hundred years of the

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