Earth Personified as Cow Questioned by Parikshit

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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.16.1 — December 29, 1973, Los Angeles 731229SB-LOS ANGELES [34:58 Minutes] SB-01.16.01_731229SB-LOS ANGELES Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] sūta uvāca tataḥ parīkṣid dvija-varya-śikṣayā mahīṁ mahā-bhāgavataḥ śaśāsa ha yathā hi sūtyām abhijāta-kovidāḥ samādiśan vipra mahad-guṇas tathā [SB 1.16.1] [break]

Prabhupāda: Finish. Pradyumna: sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta Gosvāmī said; tataḥ—thereafter; parīkṣit—Mahārāja Parīkṣit; dvija-varya—the great twice-born brāhmaṇas; śikṣayā—by their instructions; mahīm—the earth; mahā-bhāgavataḥ—the great devotee; śaśāsa—ruled; ha—in the past; yathā—as they told it; hi—certainly; sūtyām—at the time of his birth; abhijāta-kovidāḥ—expert astrologers at the time of birth; samādiśan—gave their opinions; vipra—O brāhmaṇas; mahat-guṇaḥ—great qualities; tathā—true to that. [break] [04:28] Translation: "Sūta Gosvāmī said: O learned brāhmaṇas, Mahārāja Parīkṣit then began to rule over the world as a great devotee of the Lord under the instructions of the best of the twice-born brāhmaṇas. He ruled by those great qualities which were foretold by expert astrologers at the time of his birth." Prabhupāda: Hm.

So, there are many important words in this verse. The first is dvija-varya-śikṣayā, "trained by the best of the brāhmaṇas." Dvija. Dvija means twice-born: first birth by the father and mother, and second birth by the spiritual master. That is Vedic civilization, dvija-varya.

One must take twice birth. Once birth, father and mother, that is done by the cats and dogs. Any birth, either you take a birth as a cat or dog or human being or anything, there requires father and mother. So that birth is not sufficient. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava kavi says, janame janame saba pitā-mātā pāya, kṛṣṇa guru nahe mile bhaja hari ei [Prema-vivarta].

In any birth you will get father and mother. It is natural. Without father, mother, how can you get a body? So therefore it is said, janame janame: in any birth.

Either human being, or cats, dog, snake, or tree or insect, you will get father and mother. But in every birth you cannot get Kṛṣṇa and guru. That is not possible. So this birth you can get. This human form of birth you can get.

That is the special significance. Father, mother, you can get any birth. It doesn't matter. But you cannot get Kṛṣṇa and guru.

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