Essence Of Maha Bhagavatha Purana

Prajapati Priyavrata Travelled All over the Universe

Parikshith was engrossed with the stories of Prithi and Prachetas as also the several instances when Swayambhu Manu himself and generations thereafter were able to balance ‘Grihasta Ashram’ and alignment with Almighty and enquired of Suka Maha Muni about it. The Maha Muni gave the illustration of Manu’s own son Priyavrata, who even as a child got enlightenment of ‘Brahma Gyan’or the knowledge of the Super Energy and declined to marry.Then Manu had to admonish the son and advised him that not only Priyavrata was too young to be an ascetic and also human body was provided by the Lord to go through the process of a family and conjugal bliss and follow the set patterns of life viz. Balya ( Childhood), Brahmacharya ( Student life), Grihastha (Family stage), Vanaprastha ( Detachment) and Sanyasa ( Renunciation).

Through the wedded life, the struggle of Six facets of life (desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy) ought to be faced in a gradual manner and the Rules of Life be followed, although avoiding excesses in respect of each of the facets. The Golden Rule of Grihasth Ashram is  to follow the example of a dew drop on a lotus leaf. Eventually, Priyavrata had two wives and had thirteen sons, of whom seven became Prajapathis as the rest were celibate. Priyavrata himself followed an ascetic life, even during the course of the wedded life. He had the distinction of travelling by a chariot the entire Universe and divided it into seven segments, and appointed seven of his sons as the Heads of each Territory. The Seven Regions were named Jambu Dweepa, Pluksh Dweepa, Shalamali Dweepa, Kush Dweepa, Krounch Dweepa, Shaka Dweepa, and Pushkar Dweepa named after his sons.