504 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 12

TRANSLATION

Dhruva Maharaja ruled over this planet for 36,000 years; he diminished
the reactions of pious activities by enjoyment, and by practicing austerities
he diminished inauspicious reactions.

PURPORT

That Dhruva Maharaja ruled over the planet for 36,000 years means
that he was present in the Satya-yuga because in the Satya-yuga people
used to live for 100,000 years. In the next yuga, Treta, people used to live
for 10,000 years, and in the next yuga, Dvapara, for 1,000 years. In the
present age, the Kali-yuga, the maximum duration of life is 100 years. With
the change of the yugas, the duration of life and memory, the quality of
kindness—all good qualities—diminish. There are two kinds of activities,
namely pious and impious. By executing pious activities one can gain
facilities for higher material enjoyment, but due to impious activities one
has to undergo severe distress. A devotee, however, is not interested in
enjoyment or affected by distress. When he is prosperous he knows, “I am
diminishing the results of my pious activities,” and when he is in distress
he knows, “I am diminishing the reactions of my impious activities.” A
devotee is not concerned with enjoyment or distress; he simply desires to
execute devotional service. It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that devo-
tional service should be apratihata, not checked by the material conditions
of happiness or distress. The devotee undergoes processes of austerity such
as observing Ekadasi and similar other fasting days and restraining from
illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. Thus he becomes
purified from the reactions of his past impious life, and because he engages
in devotional service, which is the most pious activity, he enjoys life with-
out separate endeavor.

TEXT 14

at aged ae aeronfraateza: |
Praatiefte seat gare UII

evam bahu-savam kalam
mahatmavicalendriyah
trivargaupayikam nitva
putrayadan nrpasanam
evam—thus; bahu—many; savam—years; kalam—time; mahatma—great
soul; avicala-indriyah—without being disturbed by sense agitation;
