SB 1.15.12 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 12
Yat tejasa atha bhagavan yudhi Sulapanir Bismapitah sagirijo astram adat nijam me, Anyepi cha aham amunaiva kalevarena Prapto mahendrabhavane mahad asanardham.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Yat—by whose, Tejasa—by influence, atha—at a time, Bhagavan—the personality of God (Lord Shiva), Yudhi—in the battle, Sulapani—one who has the trident in hand, Bismapitah—astonished, Sagirija—along with the daughter of Mount Himalaya, Astram—weapon, Adat—awarded, Nijam—of His own, Me—unto me, Anyepi—so also others, Cha—and, Aham—Myself, Amuna—by this, Eva—definitely, Kalevarena—by the body, Prapto—obtained, Mahendrabhavane—in the house of Indradeva, Mahad—great, Asanardham—seat half elevated.
TRANSLATION
It is by His influence only that I was able to astonish the Personality of God Lord Shiva along with His wife the daughter of Mount Himalaya in fight and thus He became pleased with me and awarded His own weapon. Thus other demigods also delivered their respective weapons to me and what to speak more I was able to reach the heavely planets definitely by this present body and was allowed to the half elevated seat.
PURPORT
By the Grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, all other demigods including Lord Shiva also was pleased with him (Arjuna). The idea is that one who is favored by Lord Shiva or any other demigods may not necessarily be favored by the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna (Godhead). Ravana was certainly a great devotee of the Lord Shiva but he could not be saved from the wrath of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Ramachandra. And there are many instances like that in the histories of the Puranas. But here is an instance where we can see that Lord Shiva became pleased even in the fight with Arjuna. The devotees of the Supreme Lord know how to respect the demigods but the devotees of other demigods sometimes foolishly think that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is as good as other demigods. By such conception of the Supreme God and the demigods one becomes an offender and ultimately meets with the same result as Ravana and others had to meet. The instances described by Arjuna during his friendly dealings with Lord Sri Krishna are instructive for all who may be convinced by the lessons that one can achieve all favores simply by pleasing the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna while the devotees or the worshippers of other demigods may achieve only partial benefits of life which are also perishable as much as the demigods themselves are.
Another significance of the present verse is that Arjuna, by the Grace of Lord Sri Krishna, was able to reach the heavenly planets even with the self same body and was honoured by the heavenly demigod Indradeva being seated with him half elevated. One can reach the heavenly planets by pious acts as they are recommended in the Shastras in the category of fruitive activities. And as stated, in the Bhagwat Geeta (B.G. 9/21) the reactions of such pious acts being spent up the enjoyer is again degraded to come down to this earthly planet. The Moon planet is also on the level of heavenly planet and only persons who have had performed virtue only namely performing sacrifices, giving in charties and undergone severe austerities etc can be allowed to enter into the heavenly planets after expiry of the duration of life of the body. Arjuna was allowed to enter into the heavenly planets in the self same body simply by the Grace of the Lord otherwise it was not possible to do so. The present attempts to enter into the heavenly planet by the modern scientists will certainly prove futile because such scientists are not on the level of Arjuna. They are ordinary human beings without any assets of sacrifice, charity or austerities. The material body is influenced by the three modes of material nature namely goodness, passion and ignorance. The present mass of population is more or less influenced by the modes of passion and ignorance and the symptoms for such influence is exhibited in becoming too much lusty and greedy. Such degraded lusty and greedy fellows can hardly approach the higher planetary system namely the heavenly planets or above them. Above the heavenly planets there are many other planets also where only those who are influenced by goodness can reach. In the heavenly and other higher planets within an universe, the inhabitants are all highly intelligent many more times than the human beings and they are all pious in the higher and the highest mode of goodness. They are all devotees of the Lord and although their goodness is not unadulterated still they are known as demigods possessing maximum amount of good qualities possible within the material world.