192 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 6
PURPORT
Lord Siva’s symptoms of austerity are not exactly those of a Vaisnava.
Lord Siva is certainly the number one Vaisnava, but he exhibited a feature
for a particular class of men who cannot follow the Vaisnava principles.
The Saivites, the devotees of Lord Siva, generally dress like Lord Siva, and
sometimes they indulge in smoking and taking intoxicants. Such practices
are never accepted by the followers of Vaisnava rituals.
TEXT 37
e
ste oat Tat AA TATTAT |
2
ANAT Ae SA TAA TAT 112
upavistam darbhamay yam
brsyam brahma sanatanam
naradaya pravocantam
prechate srnvatam satam
upavistam—seated; darbhamayyam—made of darbha, straw; brsyam—on
a mattress; brahma—the Absolute Truth; sanatanam—the eternal; naradaya
—unto Narada; pravocantam—speaking; prechate—asking; srnvatam-—listen-
ing; satam—of the great sages.
TRANSLATION
He was seated on a straw mattress and was speaking to all who were
present there, including the great sage Narada. He was specifically talking
to him about the Absolute Truth.
PURPORT
The lord was sitting on a mattress of straw because such a sitting place
is accepted by persons who are practicing austerities to gain understanding
of the Absolute Truth. In this verse it is specifically mentioned that he was
speaking to the great sage Narada, a celebrated devotee. Narada was asking
Lord Siva about devotional service, and Siva, being the topmost Vaisnava,
was instructing him. In other words, Lord Siva and Narada were discussing
the knowledge of the Veda, but it is to be understood that the subject
matter was devotional service. Another point in this connection is that
Lord Siva is the supreme instructor and the great sage Narada is the
supreme audience. Therefore, the supreme subject matter of Vedic knowl-
edge is bhakti, or devotional service.
