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1.This chapter tells the story of the old curse on the two sons of Kuvera. They praise
Krsna, who gave them special liberation, prema. The word “tamah” in this verse means
anger. What degraded activity did they do to incur the wrath of Narada and get cursed?

4. They began to enjoy in the Ganga. How? They entered into the Ganga decorated with
clumps of lotuses, and began to play with the young women as an intoxicated elephant
sports with she elephants.

5. Seeing them, Narada could understand that they were intoxicated (ksivanau).

7HSe desired to curse them so that they could meet the Lord directly (anugra arthaya).
When the affection father or mother sees a son deeply sleeping and wants to wake him to
feed him some sweet milk, he will scratch them with his nails. He spoke in a loud voice
(jagau), so that others could benefit also.

8.For the man absorbed in serving (jusatah) objects of enjoyment (jyosyan), pride in a
high family and knowledge do not destroy intelligence as much as intoxication with
wealth. In other words intoxication with wealth certainly destroys intelligence
completely. Abhijati means being born in a high family. From that one develops pride.
Adi indicates knowledge. That also gives rise to pride. As pride in wealth arises from
the mode of passion raja guna is mentioned in this verse. With pride in wealth arise
many more sins than arise through pride in family or knowledge. The various sins are
mentioned here ( women, gambling and intoxication), and in the following four verse.

9Although all people see before their eyes old age and death, they do not think the body
is temporary.

10Even if a man is a king (devasanjnitam) after death he is eaten by dogs and other
creatures. If his sons do not burn him he is eaten worms and transformed into worm
stool. If he is burned he becomes ashes. One who kills other entities for such a body
does not know what is beneficial for himself. From that killing he goes to hell.

11This verse shows that from not understanding the fault of possessiveness of the body
many contradictions arise. Nisektuh refers to the father, who inseminates to create the
child. Is this body the wealth (svam) of the father, mother, or father of the mother (if
only girl children are born to a man the grandchild act as his son)?

12 This body arises from and merges into the pradhana, material cause of the universe.
Who except the ignorant person (asatah) will accept such a body as ones own (atmasat
krtva) and commit violence to animals?

13In this verse is given the remedy for the sickness of pride in wealth. Param here
means only. The only medicine to relieve a person from blindness of pride in wealth
(param anjanam) is poverty.
14By seeing the symptoms (lingaih), such as withering of the face, one develops
sympathy with others, understands their pain, having experienced it oneself. One who
has not experienced being pierced by a thorn (aviddha kanthaka) cannot understand
others pain.

15When one is poor, automatically one practices detachment suitable for liberation.
This is expressed in three verses. The poor person is free from lack of humility
stemming from pride in wealth (nirahamstabha) and free from pride in family and
education.

17One should not think that if the poor man has only one desire, that is enough to cause
his downfall. He has some relief. The devotees are equal to the rich and poor, and
therefore visit both out of mercy. In the presence of the devotee the poor man develops
a relationship through the possibility of worship and discussion. This bears good results.
This does not result from the devotees’ association with the man intoxicated with wealth.
By the power of the devotee’s association (sadbhih), the desire in the poor man is
weakened. By the mercy of the devotee what remains is the taste for the nectar of
devotion. Verse 15 mentioned the poor man by fate (yadrcchaya) received suffering.
But the devotee does not get that suffering and bhakti by karma , for the devotee has no
karma.

18With the wealthy man, identifying with his wealth, the devotee develops no
relationship. Those non vaisnavas (asadbhih) afflicted by pride due to wealth (dhana
stambhaih), who associate and serve non vaisnavas (asad asrayaih), are given up
(upeskyaih) by the devotees. However, the devotees associate with those wealthy
persons who are free of pride, and serve vaisnavas.

19What then is the cure for their disease of pride? After considering, Narada decided on
the cure. That is presented in four verses. Madhya means sweet. Tamo means
ignorance. “I will remove the ignorance of these two intoxicated with sweet wine,
blinded by pride in wealth, overly attached to women.”

21-22. Stavaratam means that they deserve to be in bodies that cannot move, ie trees
because they manifest those qualities: being naked, not performing proper action (not
moving), and not speaking (properly). But even in this state they will be able to keep
their memory by my mercy. After a hundred of the deva years (divya saraccate), they
will meet Vasudeva and, developing prema bhakti, will attain their original bodies as
devas.

24The preparations for fulfilling the curse are related in this verse.

25Because (yat) Narada is my dear devotee, I will give fulfill to these two whatever
(yad) was said by that (tad) great soul (mahatmana).
26Thinking in this way he went between the pair of trees (yamau). Just as he entered
between the trees, the mortar became crooked.

27The two trees were pulled out by the roots by Damodara who was pulling the mortar
which followed him with great force. With trunk, branches and leaves shaking (ativepa)
because of the great force of pulling (parama vikramita), the two trees fell over.
According to the Hari Vamsa he is called Damodara because of being bound up: sa ca
tenaiva namna tu krsno vai damobandhanat gosthe damodara iti gopibhih parigiyate.

28The two persons emerging from the trees (kujayoh) lit up the four directions (kakubho)
with their bodily light which mixed together like one fire (jatatvedah).

29Krsna could ask, “Why are you two who are devatas paying respects to me, a
cowherd boy tied to a mortar?” They answer with this verse. The word Krsna is repeated
twice to indicate that they spoke together. “You are the supreme person (parah purusah),
bhagavan. But you, the cowherd boy, are the original, svayam bhagavan (adyah). Oh
one who possess inconceivable power (mahayogin), whose bondage is not subject to
logic, as you can liberate us, how is it possible for you , the form of the universe, to be
bound up? With this intention they speak this verse.

30-31”No one except you is the cause of bondage. You are the Lord of all because
everything is one with you. You are thus the lord of the body, the pranas (asu) the
ahankara (atma). You are time, for time is your effect, your action. You are prakrtih,
because prakrti is your sakti. You are also the paramatma (adhyaksa). You know
everything including the minds (vikaran) of all bodies. Therefore the one bhagavan,
Visnu, isvara, is you.”

32 Only by your mercy can you be seen. Practically, you are invisible. You are not
perceivable by the intelligence and senses (vikaraih) which are observed by you
(grhyamanaih). Why? Because they arise from the modes of nature(prakrtair guna).
If you are non-material, then can the jiva perceive or know you? No, no one in this
world can know you (ko’nv iha), who are the cause of the jiva (praksiddham), if he is
covered by the modes (gunavrtah). However the devotee, who is beyond the modes,
can know you to some extent through bhakti.

33.Because you are difficult to know, we simply offer our respects to you. That is the
intention of this verse. We offer respects to you, the creator of the universe (vedhase).
Why are you hard to know? Because of the covering of the gunas. This is made clearer.
As the sun is covered by clouds (created by the sun) your glory is covered by the gunas
which are created by you (atma dyota).

34-35 “Yes, I am the supreme Lord, but by what characteristics do you discern me as
the supreme?” Their answer is given in this verse. “Though having no material body
(asarininah) You can be known (jnayate) through the remarkable exploits (viryaih) in
various forms like fish and turtle. You ( sa bhavan) are the avatari, source of all
avataras, because you with a small drop of your strength as a sporting baby, uprooted
trees as strong as Arjuna, which a thousand hands cannot uproot, and because you gave
supernatural strength to the rope and the mortar also. You, the giver of all desires
(asisam patih), have appeared for the fortune and liberation (bhavaya vibhavaya) of all,
with parts of your parts ( amsa bhagena) such as Siva and Brahma”.

36 . I pay my respects to you, who gives the greats auspiciousness, prema bhakti, to the
jivas (parama kalyana), who is the very form of auspiciousness (parama mangala).

37.We are your followers (anucara) and Narada’s servants (kinkarau).

38. As we are your followers and Narada’s servants, you should be very merciful to us.
We now pray form something rarely given to others. The particle ca should be
understood after each item. May our words (vani) always be engaged in describing
your qualities (guna kathane), and nothing else (ca). may our minds be engaged in
remembering your lotus feet. May our heads pay respects to the living entities (jagat),
the devotees such as Narada.
Or nivasa jagat can be a vocative, o abode of the universe (jagat nivasa), may our eyes
be engaged in seeing your forms (bhavat tanuman) and those of your devotees such as
Narada (satam).

39. Sankirtitah means completely glorified. Damna ca hints at being bound not
only by ropes, but by prema also. Prahasan means that he smiled very sweetly,
thinking these two minor devatas have been bound up by his maya. “They are praising
me for freeing them from this bondage. But mother Yasoda binds me up and scolds me
instead of praising me. Still out of love I stay in Gokula. The love I have for the
scolding by the inhabitants of Vraja is much more than the praises I receive from these
sons of Kuvera.”

40. Narada gave mercy in the form of destroying their opulence through his instructions
starting with verse 8 nahy anyo jusato josyan.

41Since, on seeing Narada, you disrespected him, how is it possible that he could give
mercy to you? This verse answers the question. From seeing those whose minds are
not disturbed by respect or disrespect ( sama cittanam) who have offered their minds
completely to me (sutaram matkrt atmanam), one is released from bondage. Instead of
darsanat na there is another reading darsan antah. In that case the meaning would be
just until one takes darsana of the devotee, bondage will remain. Just as the sun
destroys darkness just by its rising, , so just up to seeing the devotee, bondage remains,
by seeing him it is destroyed. It should be understood from this example however that
though the sun rises, if a person is blind, the darkness is not dissipated. In the same way,
if there is nama aparadha, as in the case of the asuras, even seeing Narada will not
release them from bondage.
42Though the two brothers were there, he spoke to the chief one , “O Nalakuvara!
You who take me as supremely worthy of service, go to your home (sadanam), because
that will not bring about bondage any longer (abhava).”
43Baddhokhalam means he who is bound to the mortar.