Krsna Book Audio Dictation - Chapter 51
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Kālayavana before this never saw Kṛṣṇa. So when Kṛṣṇa came out, he first saw Him extraordinarily beautiful, dressed in yellow garments. He was passing through His assembly of soldiers, it appeared, just like the moon in the sky passing through the assembled clouds. He was fortunate enough also to mark the specific impression on the chest of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, namely, the lines of Śrīvatsa and the Kaustubha jewel (K O U S T H A V A), Kaustubha jewel. The Kālayavana, however, saw Him in Viṣṇu form, well-built body, with four hands, and eyes like newly grown lotus petals. He saw Him, Kṛṣṇa, always blissful, with nice forehead, beautiful face with smiling, restless eyebrows, moving earrings. Before seeing Kṛṣṇa, he had heard about Kṛṣṇa from Nārada, and corroborating the description he heard from Nārada about Kṛṣṇa, the specific marks and jewels on His chest and lotuslike eyes, garlanded with lotus flower, and similar other beautiful features of the body, he concluded that this beautiful personality must be Vāsudeva. He became confident about His becoming Lord Vāsudeva because every description of Nārada which he heard previously was corroborated by the presence of Kṛṣṇa.
Kālayavana was, however, very much astonished to see that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, was passing through without any weapons in His hand, without any chariot, and He was walking on legs. He, however, came there to fight with Kṛṣṇa, but to sufficient etiquette he also concluded that he would not also take any kind of weapon, but he would fight with Him hand to hand. He therefore prepared himself to capture Kṛṣṇa and fight with Him.
Kṛṣṇa, however, was going ahead without looking on the Kālayavana, and he began to follow Him with a purpose to capture Him. Unfortunately, in spite of his all speed running, he could not capture Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa cannot be captured even by the speed of the mind of great yogīs. He can be captured by devotional service and surrender. The Kālayavana was not practiced to the devotional service and wanted to capture Kṛṣṇa; therefore, he could not do so. He was following Kṛṣṇa, running very fast, and was thinking now He is almost nearer, he would capture Him. But he could not. Kṛṣṇa thus waylaid the Kālayavana far, far away near a hill, and He entered a cave of that hill. Kālayavana thought that Kṛṣṇa was trying to avoid fighting with him and thus began to chastise Him with the following words: "O You Kṛṣṇa! I heard that You are a great hero born in the family of Yadu dynasty. But I see You are very cowardly running away from fighting. It is not worthy of Your good name and family tradition."
In this way, Kālayavana was following Kṛṣṇa, running very fast, but still he could not capture Him, because he was not freed from all contamination of sinful life. According to Vedic culture, anyone who does not live following the regulative principles of life observed by the higher caste, like the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas or even by the laborer class, the śūdras, such persons are called mlecchas and yavanas. Vedic social convention of life is so planned that a person born accepted as śūdra can gradually be elevated to the position of a brāhmaṇa by cultural advancement of life. This cultural advancement of life is known as saṁskāra, the reformatory or purificatory process. According to Vedic scriptures, nobody becomes a brāhmaṇa or a mleccha-yavana simply by birth. By birth everyone is accepted as a śūdra, and one has to elevate himself by the purificatory process to the stage of brahminical life, and if he does not so, if he degrades further, then he is called mleccha and yavana.
So this Kālayavana, belonging to the group of mlecchas and yavana, could not approach Kṛṣṇa on account of his being contaminated by sinful activities. The four principles of restriction, namely illicit sex indulgence, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication, are part and parcel of the life of the mlecchas and yavanas, and without being freed from such sinful activities nobody can make any advancement in God realization. The Bhagavad-gītā therefore confirms that one who is completely freed from all sinful reaction can be engaged in devotional service of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Note this Fifty-first Chapt…
(break) …should be named as "Deliverance of Mucukunda."
While Kṛṣṇa was entering the cave of the hill and the Kālayavana following Him was chastising Him in various unpalatable words, Kṛṣṇa immediately disappeared from the sight of Kālayavana, entering the cave, and while the Kālayavana entered the cave following Kṛṣṇa, he saw that a man was lying down and sleeping within the cave. Kālayavana was very much anxious to fight with Kṛṣṇa, but when within the cave he could not see Kṛṣṇa but a man was lying down, he thought that Kṛṣṇa, instead of fighting, was sleeping within this cave. Kālayavana was very much puffed up and proud of his strength, and he thought that Kṛṣṇa was avoiding a fight. Therefore, he very strongly kicked that sleeping man, thinking him to be Kṛṣṇa.
The sleeping man was lying down there since a very long time, so when he was awakened by kicking of Kālayavana, he immediately opened his eyes and began to see all direction. At last he began to see Kālayavana, who was standing nearby. This man was untimely awakened, and therefore he was very angry, and when he looked upon Kālayavana with angry mood, immediately rays of fire emanated from his eyes and the Kālayavana became burnt into ashes within a moment.
When Mahārāja Parīkṣit heard about this incidence of burning into ashes of Kālayavana, he inquired about the sleeping man from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, as to who was he and why he was sleeping there, and how he achieved so much power that instantly the Kālayavana became burned into ashes by his glance over him? How he happened to be lying down in the cave of the hill? So many questions were put before Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī also answered as follows.
"My dear King, this person was born in very great family of King Ikṣvāku, in which Lord Rāmacandra was also born, and he happened to be the son of a great king known as Māndhātā. He himself was also a great soul and was known popularly as Mucukunda. King Mucukunda was very strictly followers of Vedic principles, respecting the brahminical culture, and was truthful to his promise. This King Mucukunda was so powerful that even demigods like Indra and others used to ask him to help fighting with the demons. As such, he was fighting with the demons and protecting even the demigods." This means he was very, very powerful, so that he could cut down even the demons.
The commander-in-chief of the demigods, known as Kārttikeya, was very much satisfied with the fighting of King Mucukunda, and once upon a time he asked the king to retire from fighting and take rest, because he had taken too much trouble in fighting with the demons. The commander-in-chief of the demigods, Kārttikeya, began to address King Mucukunda and said, "My dear King, you have sacrificed everything for the sake of the demigods. You had very nice kingdom, undisturbed by any kind of enemy. You left that kingdom, you neglected your opulence and possession, and you never cared for fulfillment of your personal ambition. Due to your long absence from your kingdom in the matter of fighting with the demons on behalf of the demigods, your queen, your children, your relatives, your ministers, all have passed away in due course of time, because time and tide wait for no men. Now even if you return to your home, you will find nobody is living there. The influence of time is very strong, so all your relatives, sons and others, they are passed away in due course of time.
"Time is so strong and powerful because it is representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Time is therefore stronger than the strongest—and by the influence of time, changes in the subtle things can be effected without any difficulty. Nobody can check the process of time. As an animal tender tames the animals according to his own will, similarly, the time also adjusts things according to its own will. Nobody can supersede the arrangement made by the supreme time."
The demigod Kārttikeya, thus addressing him fully, requested him to ask for any kind of benediction he may be pleased with, excepting the benediction of liberation, because liberation could not be awarded by any living entity except by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. Therefore, the another name of Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, is Mukunda, "who can award liberation."
This King Mucukunda was not sleeping for many, many years. He was engaged in the duty of fighting, and therefore he was very, very tired. So when he was offered by the demigod to take some benediction, he simply thought of sleeping. So he replied as follows: "My dear the best of the demigods, I want to sleep now, and I want this benediction from you that anyone who tries to disturb my sleeping and awaken me untimely would be immediately burned into ashes on my looking upon him. Please give me this benediction." The demigod also gave him the benediction, and in order to take complete rest, the king Mucukunda entered into the cave of the mountain.
So on the strength of this benediction, the Kālayavana was burned into ashes simply by glancing over him by Mucukunda, and when the incident was over, at that time Kṛṣṇa came before him. Actually Kṛṣṇa entered the cave to deliver the king Mucukunda for his austerity, but He did not first appear before him. He pushed on the Kālayavana before he is awakened. That is the way of activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does one thing, but by acting such one thing many other purposes are served. Actually, He wanted to deliver this King Mucukunda, who was sleeping in the cave. At the same time He wanted to kill this Kālayavana, who attacked the Mathurā City. So by this action He served all purposes.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared before Mucukunda, the king saw Him dressed in yellow-colored garments and His chest marked with the symbol of Śrīvatsa and Kaustubha-maṇi jewel. Kaustubha-maṇi was hanging on His neck. This time Kṛṣṇa appeared before him in four hands, like viṣṇu-mūrti, and there was a garland which was hanging from His neck down to His knees. Such garland is called vaijayantī garland. He was looking very lustrous, and His face was usually beautiful and smiling. There were nice jewel earrings in both the ears. On the total, Kṛṣṇa appeared before him as beautiful as a human being can conceive. Not only He appeared in His beautiful feature, but He was glancing over the Mucukunda king with grace, and thus attracting the mind of the king. Although He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the oldest of all, He was looking just a fresh young boy, and His movement was just like a free deer. But still, He appeared extremely powerful. His influence and vast power was so much great that every human being should be afraid of Him.
When King Mucukunda saw Lord Kṛṣṇa in such wonderful feature of His presentation, certainly he became very much doubtful about His identity, and with great humbleness he began to inquire from the Lord as follows: "My dear Lord, how it is that You happened to be present within the cave of this mountain? And may I inquire who are You? I can see that Your feets are just like soft lotus flower, and how could You walk in this forest, full with thorns and hedges? I am simply surprised to see this! Are You not, therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the most powerful amongst the powerful? Or are You not the original source of all illumination and fire? Can I consider You as one of the great demigods, like the sun, the moon or the Indra, king of heaven? Or You may be the predominating deity of any other planet."
King Mucukunda knew it very well that every higher planetary system has a predominating deity. He was not ignorant like modern men, who simply consider that this earthly planet is full of living entities and all others are vacant. This inquiry from Kṛṣṇa (Mucukunda) about His becoming the predominating deity of any other planet unknown to him was quite appropriate. King Mucukunda, because he was a pure devotee of the Lord, he could immediately understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa, who appeared before him in such opulent feature, could not be any of the predominating deities in the material planets. He must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who has His many Viṣṇu forms, and he took Him as the Puruṣottama form of Lord Viṣṇu.
He could see also that the dense darkness within the cave of the mountain was already dissipated on account of Lord’s presence. Therefore, He could not be other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He knew it very well that wherever the Lord is personally present by His transcendental name, quality, form, etc., there cannot be any darkness of ignorance, exactly like a lamp which, present in the darkness, immediately makes the place illuminated.
King Mucukunda became very much anxious to know about the identity of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and therefore he said, "My dear the best of the human being, if You think that I am fit to know about Your identity, You can kindly let me know who are You. What is Your parentage? What is Your occupational duty? And what is Your family tradition?" King Mucukunda, however, thought it wise that first of all he must give his identification to the Lord, otherwise he has no right to ask His identification. Etiquette is that a person of less importance cannot ask of another person of higher importance about his identification without disclosing his own identification.
King Mucukunda therefore informed Lord Kṛṣṇa, "My dear the best of the enjoyer, if You think… First of all, I must inform You about my identification. Then I can inform You that I belong to the most celebrated dynasty of King Ikṣvāku, but personally I am not as great as my forefathers. My name is Mucukunda. My father’s name was Māndhātā and my grandfather's name was Yuvanāśva, the great king. I am very much fatigued on account of my not resting for many thousands of years, and on account of this all my limbs of the body have become almost incapable to act and slackened.
"In order to revive my energy, I was taking rest in this solitary forest, but presently I have been awakened by some unknown man who has forced me to wake up, although I was not willing to do so, and for this offensive act of the person, he has become burned into ashes simply on my glancing over him. After this incidence, fortunately I can see You in Your such grand and beautiful feature. I think, therefore, that You are the cause of killing my enemy. My dear Lord, I must admit that due to Your effulgence of the body, unbearable to my eyes, I cannot see You properly. I can fully realize that by the influence of Your effulgence, my powerful potency has sufficiently been diminished. I can understand that You are quite fit for being worshiped by all living entities."
When King Mucukunda was thus very much anxious to know about the identity of Lord Kṛṣṇa, He began to answer, smiling as follows: "My dear King, it is practically impossible to narrate about the birth, appearance, disappearance and activities of Myself. Perhaps you know that My incarnation Anantadeva has unlimited mouths, and since time unlimitedly immemorial Anantadeva is trying to narrate about My name, fame, quality, activities, appearance, disappearance, incarnation, for unlimited time; still He could not finish it. Therefore, it is not possible to know exactly how many names and forms I possess. It may be possible for a material scientist to count over the atomic particles consisting of this earthly planet; still, such materialistic scientist cannot enumerate My unlimited names, forms and activities. There are many great sages and saintly persons who are trying to make a list of My different forms and activities, but still they have failed to make a complete list.
"But as you are very much anxious to know about Me, I may inform you that presently I have appeared on this planet just to annihilate the demoniac principles of the people in general and to reestablish the religious principles as they are enacted in the Vedas. For this purpose I was invited by the superintending deity of this universe, namely Brahmā. And thus I have now appeared in the dynasty of the Yadus as one of the members of the family. I have specifically taken My birth as the son of Vasudeva in the Yadu dynasty, and people therefore knows Me as Vāsudeva, or they call Me the son of Vasudeva.
"You may also know that Kaṁsa, who was in his previous life known as Kālanemi, he has been killed by Me, as well as many other demons like Pralambāsura, who also acted as enemies for Me, are also killed by Me. Presently the Kālayavana, who was present before you, also acted as My enemy, and you have very kindly burned him into ashes by your glance over him. My dear King Mucukunda, you are My great devotee, and just to show you My causeless mercy I have appeared in this cave. I am very much inclined and affectionate to My devotees, and in your previous life, before this state of condition, you acted as My great devotee and prayed for My causeless mercy. I have therefore come to see you to fulfill your desire. Now you can see Me to your heart’s content. My dear King, now you can ask from Me any benediction that you may desire, and I am prepared to fulfill your desire. It is My eternal principle that anyone who comes under My shelter must have all his desire fulfilled, by My grace."
Next paragraph.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa ordered King Mucukunda to ask a benediction from Him, at that time he became too much engladdened and he immediately remembered the prediction of Gargamuni, who had foretold long, long before that on the twenty-eighth millennium of Vaivasvata Manu, Lord Kṛṣṇa would appear on this planet. As soon as he remembered this foretelling, he could understand that before him the Supreme Personality, Nārāyaṇa, as Lord Kṛṣṇa was present. Therefore, he immediately fell down on His lotus feet and began to pray as follows.
"My dear Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I can understand that all living entities on this planet are illusioned by Your external energy, and they are very much enamored by the illusory satisfaction of sense gratification. Being fully engaged in such activities, they are reluctant to worship Your lotus feet, and because they are unaware of the benefit of surrendering unto Your lotus feet, they are subjected to various kinds of miserable condition of material existence. They are foolishly attached to the so-called society, friendship and love, which simply produces different kinds of miserable conditions. Thus being illusioned by Your external energy, either man or woman, everyone is attached to this material existence, and all of them are engaged in the business of cheating one another, so that it is nothing but a great society of the cheaters and the cheated. These foolish persons do not know how much fortunately they have obtained this human form of life, and still they are reluctant in the matter of worshiping Your lotus feet. By the influence of Your external energy, they are simply attached to the glimmer of material activities. Thus they are attached to so-called society, friendship and love, as if one animal has fallen to the dark well, without any knowledge."
The example of dark well is given here because in the field there are many wells not used for many years, and it has been covered by grass over it. And the poor animals, without knowing that there is a well, they fall down in it, and without being delivered become forced to die within the well. The idea is that the animals, simply being captivated for a few blades of grass, fall in such dark well and die. Similarly, foolish persons in the human form of life, without knowing its importance, simply for the matter of sense gratification spoil the whole life and after all die unnecessarily, without any useful purpose.
"My dear Lord Ajita, I am also not an exception to this universal law of material nature. I am also one of those foolish persons who have wasted their time for nothing. On the contrary, my position was still more difficult than others. On account of my being situated in royal order, I was still more puffed up than ordinary person. An ordinary man thinks of becoming proprietor of his body, of his family, but I began to think in the same way, but in a larger scale. I wanted to be the master of the whole world, and as I became absorbed in this idea of sense gratification, my bodily concept of life became more and more strong. On account of my bodily concept being very strong, my attachment for home, for wife, for children, for money and for supremacy over the world became more and more acute, which had no limitation, and I remained always attached to such thoughts of living condition.
"Therefore, my dear Lord, I have wasted so much valuable time of my life without any benefit. My bodily concept of life being strengthened, I began to think of my this material body, which is just like a pot or a bag, was identified to become the king of the human society. And with this bodily concept of life, I began to travel all over the world, accompanied by my soldiers, charioteers, elephants, horses, all four kinds of military strength, assisted by many commander-in-chiefs. And being puffed up in this way, I could not trace out Your Lordship, who is always sitting within my heart as the most intimate friend. I did not care for You, and this is possible only due to the fault of my exalted material condition of life. I think, like me, all living creatures are careless about spiritual realization and is in full anxiety, always thinking, 'What to do? What is next?' On the other side, we are strongly driven by material desires, therefore continue to remain in craziness.
"But in spite of our being so absorbed in material thoughts, the inevitable time, which is a representative of Your Lordship, or the inevitable time, is Yourself only, is always careful about its duty, and as soon as the time is over, it immediately ends all our activities of material dream, exactly like the black snake who is very hungry can very swiftly swallow up a small rat without any leniency. After this action of the cruel time, the body, or the royal body—which was always decorated with gold ornaments during living condition and was moving on the chariot driven by beautiful horses, or sometimes was moving on the back of the elephant, nicely decorated with golden ornaments, and was being advertised as the chief of the human society, or the king of the human society—the same royal body becomes under the influence of the inevitable time, and being decomposed by its influence becomes fit for being eaten up by moths and insects, or turned into ashes or stool of some animal."
The idea is that this beautiful body, which may be recognized during living condition as the royal body, after death becomes eaten by some animal and therefore turns into stool, or if it is cremated in the burning place, crematorium, it turns into ashes, or if it is put into the earthly grave, different kinds of moths and insects are produced out of it.
"My dear Lord, it is not that only after death we become under the full control of the inevitable time, but also while living we are controlled by the same time in a different way. For example, as we are very powerful kings but still, after conquering over the world, when we come home we become subjected to so many material condition. It may be that when we come back, being victorious over all the world, all subordinate kings, they come and offer their respect before us. But as soon as I enter into the inner section of my palace, the same myself become an instrument in the hands of the queens. For sense gratification, sometimes I have to fall down on the feet of the woman.
"The material way of life is so complicated that before enjoyment of material life one has to work so hard that scarcely there is opportunity of enjoying peaceful condition of material facilities. One has to undergo severe austerities and penances for being elevated to the heavenly condition of life. In this way, when one gets the opportunity of taking birth in very rich family or royal family, then even in that condition also he is always anxious to maintain the status quo and prepares for the next life by performance of various kinds of sacrifices and distribution of charity. So even in the royal condition of life one is not only full of anxieties on account of monarchical administration, but also anxiety of being elevated to heavenly planets.
"It is very difficult, therefore, to get out of the material entanglement, but somehow or other if sometimes one is favored by You, by Your mercy only one is given opportunity to associate with pure devotee. That is the beginning point of liberation from the entangle of material condition of life. My dear Lord, simply by the association of pure devotees only, one is able to approach Your Lordship, who is the supreme controller of both material and spiritual existence. You are the supreme goal of all pure devotees; therefore, by association with pure devotees one can develop his dormant love for You. Awakening of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by the association of pure devotees is the cause of liberation from this material entanglement.
"My dear Lord, You are so much merciful upon me that in spite of my being reluctant to associate with Your pure devotees, You have shown Your extreme mercy upon me as a result of my slight contact with a pure devotee like Gargamuni. By Your causeless mercy only I have lost all my material opulences, my kingdom, my family. I do not think I could get rid of all these circumstances without Your causeless mercy. Kings and emperors accept the life of an ascetic to forget the royal condition of life, but by Your special causeless mercy I have already been bereft of the royal condition. I haven't the necessity of becoming a mendicant or practicing renunciation, while kings other than me exalt themselves to get out of the attachment of kingdom, family, by acceptings all hardships of renunciation.
"My dear Lord, I therefore pray that I may simply be engaged in rendering transcendental loving service unto Your lotus feet, which is the ambition of all pure devotees, freed from all kinds of material contamination. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You can offer me anything I want, including liberation. But who is such a foolish person that after pleasing You one should ask from You something which may be the cause of entanglement in this material world? I do not think any sane man will ask from You any such benediction. I therefore surrender unto You because You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are the Supersoul living in everyone’s heart and You are the impersonal Brahma effulgence. Not only that, You are also this material world because this material world is only a manifestation of Your external energy. Therefore, from any platform or any angle of vision, You are the supreme shelter for everyone. Everyone, either in the material plane or in the spiritual plane, must take shelter under Your lotus feet.
"I may therefore submit unto You, my Lord, that in many, many births I have been suffering from the threefold miseries of this material existence. I am tired of this material existence. I have simply been impelled by my senses, and I was never satisfied. I therefore take shelter unto Your lotus feet, which is the source of all peaceful condition of life and which can eradicate all kinds of lamentation due to material contamination. My dear Lord, You are the Supersoul of everyone. You can understand everything. Now I am free from all contamination of material desires. I do not wish to enjoy this material world, neither I wish to take the advantage of merging into Your spiritual effulgence, nor do I wish to meditate upon Your localized aspect of Paramātmā. But I know simply by taking shelter unto You I shall become completely peaceful and undisturbed."
Next paragraph.
On hearing this statement of King Mucukunda, Lord Kṛṣṇa replied, "My dear King, I am very much pleased with your statement. Although you had been the king of all these lands on this planet, but I am surprised that your mind is now freed from all material contamination. You are now just fit for executing devotional service. I am very much pleased to see that although I offered you the opportunity of asking from Me any kind of benediction, you did not take advantage of it for any material benefit. I can understand that your mind is now fixed up in Me and it is not disturbed by any material quality."
Next paragraph.
The material qualities are three, namely, goodness, passion and ignorance. When one is placed in the material mixed-up qualities of passion and ignorance, he is impelled by various kinds of greediness and lusty desires and struggles in this material world for some material comforts. When he is situated in the material quality of goodness, he tries to purify himself by different kinds of penances and austerities, in the platform of a real brāhmaṇa, and aspires to merge into the existence of the Lord. But when one desires simply to render service unto the lotus feet of the Lord, that is transcendental to all these three qualities. The pure Kṛṣṇa conscious person is therefore always free from all material qualities.
"My dear King, I offered you to give you any kind of benediction just to test you how much you have advanced in devotional service. Now I can see that you are on the platform of pure devotees because your mind is not disturbed by any kind of greedy and lusty desires of this material world. Even the yogīs, who are trying to elevate themselves by controlling the senses and meditating upon Me by practicing the breathing exercise of prāṇāyāma, cannot so nicely free themselves from material desire because it has been seen in several cases that as soon as there are allurement, such yogīs also again come to the material platform."
The vivid example of this statement is Viśvāmitra Muni. Viśvāmitra Muni was a great yogī, and he practiced prāṇāyāma, a breathing exercise. But still, when Menakā, the society woman of the heavenly planet, faced him he lost all control and begot in her a daughter like Śakuntalā. But a pure devotee like Haridāsa Ṭhākura was never disturbed by all sorts of allurement offered by the prostitute.
"My dear King, I therefore give you the special benediction that you always think of Me within yourself, and you can go within this material world freely without being contaminated by the qualities." This statement of the Lord confirms that a person in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord under the direction of the spiritual master, is never subjected to the contamination of material qualities.
"My dear King, because you are a kṣatriya, therefore you have committed so many slaughtering of the animals, both in hunting as well as political engagements. Therefore to become purified, you engage yourself in bhakti-yoga practice and, your mind being always absorbed in Me, very soon you shall be freed from all such sinful reactions."
Next paragraph.
In this statement it appears that although the kṣatriyas are allowed to kill animals in the hunting process, they are not freed from the contamination of such sinful reaction. Therefore at the end of life, everyone—it doesn't matter whether one is kṣatriya or vaiśya or brāhmaṇa—one is recommended to take sannyāsa and thus completely engage oneself in the service of the Lord to become freed from all sinful reaction in the past life.
The Lord then assured King Mucukunda that "In your next life you shall take your birth as a first-class Vaiṣṇava, or the best of the brāhmaṇas, and in that life your only business will be to engage yourself in My transcendental service."
A Vaiṣṇava who is a first-class brāhmaṇa…, because one who has not acquired the qualification of a bona fide brāhmaṇas cannot come to the platform of Vaiṣṇava. And when one comes to the platform of Vaiṣṇava, he is simply engaged in the welfare activities for all living entities. Welfare activities for all living entities is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Distinct, herein, that those who are specifically favored by the Lord can become absolutely Kṛṣṇa conscious and be engaged in the preaching work of the philosophy.
Next paragraph.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-one Chapter Kṛṣṇa in the matter of "Deliverance of Mucukunda."