Text 7] Maharaja Prthu’s Going Back Home oT
titiksur yata-vag danta
urdhva-reta jitanilah
ariradhayisuh krsnam
acarat tapa uttamam
titiksuh—tolerating; yata—controlling; vak—words; dantah—controlling
the senses; urdhva-retah—without discharge of semen; jita-anilah—con-
trolling the life air; ariradhayisuh—simply desiring; krsnam—Lord Krsna;
acarat—practice; tapah—austerities; uttamam—the best.
TRANSLATION
Maharaja Prthu underwent all these severe austerities in order to control
his words and his senses, to refrain from discharging his semina and to
control the life air within his body. All this he did for the satisfaction of
Krsna. He had no other purpose.
PURPORT
In Kali-yuga the following is recommended:
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha.
(Brhan-naradiya Purana)
In order to be recognized by Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
one should chant the holy name of the Lord continuously, twenty-four
hours a day. Unfortunate persons who cannot accept this formula prefer
to execute some type of pseudo-meditation without accepting the other
processes of austerity. The fact is, however, that one must accept either
the severe method of austerity described above to become purified or take
to the process of devotional service recommended for pleasing the Supreme
Lord, Krsna. The person who is Krsna conscious is most intelligent because
in Kali-yuga it is not at all possible to undergo such severe austerities. We
need only follow great personalities like Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In His
Siksastaka, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wrote, param vijayate sri-krsna-
sankirtanam: all glories to the holy names of Lord Krsna, which from the
very beginning purify the heart and immediately liberate one. Bhava-
mahadavagni-nirvapanam. If the real purpose of all yoga is to please Lord
Krsna, then this simple bhakti-yoga system recommended for this age is
sufficient. It is necessary, however, to engage constantly in the service of
the Lord. Although Prthu Maharaja executed his austerities long before
the appearance of Lord Krsna on this planet, his purpose was still to please
Krsna.
