Hare Krsna,
Narada Muni once narrated an allegorical story to King Pracinabarhi. King Prachinabarhi wanted to gain the pure wisdom through which he can be freed from the bonds of karma. The story is mentioned in Canto 4 of Srimad Bhagavatam. I am paraphrasing the story below:
Once upon a time, there was a king called Puranjana. He had unlimited desires for sense enjoyment; consequently, he traveled all over the world to find a place where all his desires could be fulfilled. Unfortunately, he found a feeling of insufficiency everywhere. Once, while wandering in this way, he saw on the southern side of the Himālayas, in a place named Bhārata-varṣa [India], a city that had nine gates all about and was characterized by all auspicious facilities. While wandering here and there in that land, King Purañjana suddenly came in contact with a very beautiful woman who was walking there without any engagement. She had ten servants with her, and each servant had hundreds of wives accompanying him. The woman was protected on all sides by a five-hooded snake. She was very beautiful and young, and she appeared very anxious to find a suitable husband. Purañjana became attracted by the eyebrows and smiling face of the very beautiful girl and was immediately pierced by the arrows of her lusty desires. When she smiled shyly, she looked very beautiful to Purañjana, who, although a hero, could not refrain from addressing her. Eventually, they both got married to each other. Being entangled in different types of mental concoction and engaged in fruitive activities, King Purañjana came completely under the control of his wife. Indeed, he used to fulfill all the desires of his wife, the Queen. When the Queen drank liquor, King Purañjana also engaged in drinking. When the Queen dined, he used to dine with her, and when she chewed, King Purañjana used to chew along with her. When the Queen sang, he also sang. Similarly, when the Queen cried, he also cried, and when the Queen laughed, he also laughed. When the Queen talked loosely, he also talked loosely, and when the Queen walked, the King walked behind her. When the Queen would stand still, the King would also stand still, and when the Queen would lie down in bed, he would also follow and lie down with her. When the Queen sat, he would also sit, and when the Queen heard something, he would follow her to hear the same thing. When the Queen saw something, the King would also look at it, and when the Queen smelled something, the King would follow her to smell the same thing. When the Queen touched something, the King would also touch it, and when the dear Queen was lamenting, the poor King also had to follow her in lamentation. In the same way, when the Queen felt enjoyment, he also enjoyed, and when the Queen was satisfied, the King also felt satisfaction. In this way, King Purañjana was captivated by his nice wife and was thus cheated. Indeed, he became cheated in his whole existence in the material world. Even against that poor foolish King’s desire, he remained under the control of his wife, just like a pet animal that dances according to the order of its master.
It was almost impossible for King Purañjana to give up the company of his Queen even for a moment. Nonetheless, one day, being very much inspired by the desire to hunt, he took up his bow and arrow with great pride and went to the forest, not caring for his wife. At that time King Purañjana was very much influenced by demoniac propensities. Because of this, his heart became very hard and merciless, and with sharp arrows he killed many innocent animals in the forest, taking no consideration.
Sri Narada Muni then summarized the lesson to King Pracinabarhi: My dear King, any person who works according to the directions of the Vedic scriptures does not become involved in fruitive activities. Otherwise, a person who acts whimsically falls down due to false prestige. Thus, he becomes involved in the laws of nature, which are composed of the three qualities [goodness, passion, and ignorance]. In this way a living entity becomes devoid of his real intelligence and becomes perpetually lost in the cycle of birth and death. Thus, he goes up and down from a microbe in stool to a high position in the Brahmaloka planet. (SB 4.26.7-8)
The reason I mentioned this story is because King Puranjana violated the Vedic instructions and became entangled in material existence. On the other hand, Mother Devahuti and Kardama Muni strictly followed all Vedic instructions (even the instructions of producing a child) and were thus blessed with the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son.
Everyone is therefore advised to act in terms of the Vedic instructions which are applicable in all time, places, and circumstances. When a person within a state acts according to the laws and licenses of the government, he does not become involved in criminal activities. Similarly, one who acts according to the Vedic instructions does not become entangled in material fruitive activities. Man-made laws are always defective because they are made by people who are prone to committing mistakes, being illusioned, cheating and having imperfect senses. The Vedic instructions are different because they do not have these four defects. The knowledge of the Vedas is knowledge received directly from God, and there is consequently no question of illusion, cheating, mistakes, or imperfect senses. All Vedic knowledge is perfect because it is received directly from God by the disciplic succession. Lord Krsna instructed Vedic knowledge to Brahma into his heart (tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye). Brahma distributed the Vedic knowledge to Narada, Narada to Vyasadeva, Vyasadeva to Sukadeva Goswami, and so on. In this way Vedic knowledge came to us in disciplic succession. Vedic knowledge is therefore considered perfect. If we act according to Vedic knowledge, there is no question of being involved in sinful activities.
“He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection nor happiness nor the supreme destination.” (BG 16.23)
Every living entity is part and parcel of God. Living entities are put into the miserable threefold condition of material existence because they voluntarily accepted material existence on the false pretext of becoming an enjoyer.
“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (BG 15.7)
To save the living entities from this horrible condition, the Lord has given all the Vedic literatures in His incarnation of Vyāsadeva.
kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha
“By forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has become materialistic since time immemorial. Therefore, the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa is giving him different types of miseries in material existence.” (Cc. Madhya 20.117)
māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna
jīvere kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa
“When a living entity is enchanted by the external energy, he cannot revive his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness independently. Due to such circumstances, Kṛṣṇa has kindly given him the Vedic literatures, such as the four Vedas and eighteen Purāṇas.” (Cc. Madhya 20.122)
Every human being should therefore take advantage of the Vedic instructions; otherwise, one will be bound by his whimsical activities and will be without any guide.
“The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a very rare achievement. This human body can be compared to a perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as the captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to cross the ocean of material existence must be considered the killer of his own soul.” (SB 11.20.17)
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 