SB 7.1.37
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 37
- pañca-ṣaḍḍhāyanārbhābhāḥ
- pūrveṣām api pūrvajāḥ
- dig-vāsasaḥ śiśūn matvā
- dvāḥ-sthau tān pratyaṣedhatām
SYNONYMS
pañca-ṣaṭ-dhā — five or six years; āyana — approaching; arbha-ābhāḥ — like boys; pūrveṣām — the ancients of the universe (Marīci and the rest); api — even though; pūrva-jāḥ — born before; dik-vāsasaḥ — being naked; śiśūn — children; matvā — thinking; dvāḥ-sthau — the two gate guards, Jaya and Vijaya; tān — them; pratyaṣedhatām — forbade.
TRANSLATION
Although these four great sages were older than Brahmā's other sons like Marīci, they appeared like small naked children only five or six years old. When Jaya and Vijaya saw them trying to enter Vaikuṇṭhaloka, these two gatekeepers, thinking them ordinary children, forbade them to enter.
PURPORT
In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya says in his Tantra-sāra:
- dvāḥ-sthāv ity anenādhikāra-sthatvam uktam
- adhikāra-sthitāś caiva
- vimuktāś ca dvidhā janāḥ
- viṣṇu-loka-sthitās teṣāṁ
- vara-śāpādi-yoginaḥ
- adhikāra-sthitāṁ muktiṁ
- niyataṁ prāpnuvanti ca
- vimukty-anantaraṁ teṣāṁ
- vara-śāpādayo nanu
- dehendriyāsu-yuktaś ca
- pūrvaṁ paścān na tair yutāḥ
- apy abhimānibhis teṣāṁ
devaiḥ svātmottamair yutāḥ
The purport is that the personal associates of Lord Viṣṇu in Vaikuṇṭhaloka are always liberated souls. Even if sometimes cursed or blessed, they are always liberated and never contaminated by the material modes of nature. Before their liberation to Vaikuṇṭhaloka they possessed material bodies, but once they come to Vaikuṇṭha they no longer have them. Therefore even if the associates of Lord Viṣṇu sometimes descend as if cursed, they are always liberated.