Text 15] Maharaja Prthu’s Going Back Home 993
cakra penetration process and thus gave up the body according to his own
free will and immediately entered the spiritual sky.
TEXT 15
sertdeg J af waa FETE: |
arg arat fact rd AaeaTETyTAT N24!
utsarpayams tu tar miirdhni
kramendvesya nihsprhah
vayum vayau ksitau kayam
tejas tejasy ayiiyujat
utsarpayan—thus placing; tu—but; tam—the air; miirdhni—on the head;
kramena—gradually; dvesya—placing; nihsprhah—being freed from. all
material desires; vayum—the air portion of the body; v@yau—in the total air
covering the universe; ksitau—in the total covering of earth; kdyam—this
material body; tejah—the fire in the body; tejasi—in the total fire of the
material covering; ayéyujat—mixed.
TRANSLATION
In this way, Prthu Maharaja gradually raised his air of life up to the hole
in his skull, whereupon he lost all desire for material existence. Gradually
he merged his air of life with the totality of air, his body with the totality
of earth, and the fire within his body with the totality of fire.
PURPORT
When the spiritual spark, which is described as one ten-thousandth part
of the tip of a hair, is forced into material existence, that spark is covered
by gross and subtle material elements. The material body is composed of
five gross elements—earth, water, fire, air and ether—and three subtle ele-
ments—mind, intelligence and ego. When one attains liberation, he is freed
from these material coverings. Indeed, success in yoga involves getting free
from these material coverings and entering into spiritual existence. Lord
Buddha's teachings of nirvana are based on this principle. Lord Buddha in-
structed his followers to give up these material coverings by means of
meditation and yoga. Lord Buddha did not give any information about
the soul, but if one follows his instructions strictly, he will ultimately
become free from the material coverings and attain nirvana.
When a living entity gives up the material coverings, he remains a spirit
soul. This spirit soul must enter into the spiritual sky to merge into the
Brahman effulgence. Unfortunately, unless the living entity has informa-
