19820109 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.8.41-46 and Vaiśiṣṭyāṣṭakam Verse 8

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 9th, 1982 in Kolkata, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.8.41-46. and continues with the Vaiśiṣṭyāṣṭakam Verse Number [7] 8.

prekṣaṇīyotpala-śyāmaṁ 
sarvāvayava-sundaram 
samāna-karṇābharaṇaṁ 
sukapolonnasānanam

nava-yauvana-nirvṛtta- 
stana-bhāra-kṛśodaram 
mukhāmodānuraktāli- 
jhaṅkārodvigna-locanam

bibhrat sukeśa-bhāreṇa 
mālām utphulla-mallikām 
sugrīva-kaṇṭhābharaṇaṁ 
su-bhujāṅgada-bhūṣitam

virajāmbara-saṁvīta- 
nitamba-dvīpa-śobhayā 
kāñcyā pravilasad-valgu- 
calac-caraṇa-nūpuram

savrīḍa-smita-vikṣipta- 
bhrū-vilāsāvalokanaiḥ 
daitya-yūtha-pa-cetaḥsu 
kāmam uddīpayan muhuḥ

(ŚB 8.8.42-46)

Translation by His Divine Grace, Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who can counteract any unfavorable situation, then assumed the form of an extremely beautiful woman. This incarnation as a woman, Mohinī-mūrti, was most pleasing to the mind. Her complexion resembled in color a newly grown blackish lotus, and every part of Her body was beautifully situated. Her ears were equally decorated with earrings, Her cheeks were very beautiful, Her nose was raised and Her face full of youthful luster. Her large breasts made Her waist seem very thin. Attracted by the aroma of Her face and body, bumblebees hummed around Her, and thus Her eyes were restless. Her hair, which was extremely beautiful, was garlanded with mallikā flowers. Her attractively constructed neck was decorated with a necklace and other ornaments, Her arms were decorated with bangles, Her body was covered with a clean sari, and Her breasts seemed like islands in an ocean of beauty. Her legs were decorated with ankle bells. Because of the movements of Her eyebrows as She smiled with shyness and glanced over the demons, all the demons were saturated with lusty desires, and every one of them desired to possess Her.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Because of the Supreme Lord’s assuming the form of a beautiful woman to arouse the lusty desires of the demons, a description of Her complete beauty is given here.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Eighth Canto, Eighth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Churning of the Milk Ocean.” [laughter]

Jayapatākā Swami: One thing to note is that Viṣṇu app… appeared in the form as a woman as the Mohinī-mūrti. But especially this was arousing lusty desires in the demons, that the demons and devotees, there is a difference. The difference between a demon and a devotee is that the demon is always self-centered, always trying to satisfy his own material interest, while the devotee always places the interest of the Lord in the top-most position.

Of course, sometimes even a devotee may be overcome by the material energy, in a, in a neophyte stage while in this material world. But the demons they are always overcome by the material energy. They are always being attacked by lusty desires and feeling that those lusty desires are the actual goal of their life. These are… the highest aim is to fulfill the lusty desires. So, this is the difference between a demon who is always interested in his own sense gratification and a devotee who is either having some material desires, having desire for liberation, or having no desires being a completely pure devotee, but in all cases being faithful and surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, proportionate to one’s pure devotion, one is possessed of all good qualities. But the demons, because they are non-devotees of the Lord, even whatever good quality they may appear to have, is simply superficial, ultimately their main goal in life is simply their own sense gratification, and everything else is a means to that end.

Śrīla Prabhupāda also told us to be very careful. Because some of us may also have so many demoniac qualities within us, the devotees may have demoniac qualities and some of the devotees also, those who are within the society devotees, some demons have also entered in, he warned us. That when he left the planet in Vṛndāvana, he told us, “There are some demons amongst my disciples and so you must be careful.”

So ultimately the demoniac influence is that, one will stop following the instruction of the spiritual master and start to act for one’s own sense gratification. So, you must always be very careful to very clearly differentiate, what is pleasing to the spiritual master and what is displeasing, and always avoid the displeasing aspects of life, and simply act in a way which is pleasing to the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa, in favorable and pure devotional service.

So, we were reading the Vaiśiṣṭyāṣṭakam by Śrīla Prabhupāda and we are going to read the 8th of the aṣṭakams glorifying His Divine Grace [Śrīla A.C…] Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda. Which are actually in one way, they are really an instruction by Śrīla Prabhupāda to the Vaiṣṇavas who are faithful to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s sampradāya, “How they should act to fulfill and follow in the footsteps of the great qualities of Bhaktisiddhānta, which will also glorify those great qualities.”

So, this is written in Bengali so I will translate it, as we go on.

kena loka kānde saba rāma-rājya tare? 
ekamātra kārana sei viṣṇurājya kare 
kṛṣṇa yudhiṣṭhire basaya rāja-simhāsane 
dhane-dhānye purṇa dharā vaiṣṇavera guṇe

nada-nadī vrkśa-mata-giri bharapūra
dugdhavati gābhī dugdhe bhāsaya pracūra 
paśu-pakṣi jīva-jantu hiṁsā nahi kare 
vaiṣṇava rājyera vṛddhi prasiddha samsāre

sakale ānande magna hariguṇa gāya 
dekhiya vaiṣṇava-hrdaya ānande nacāya 
kṛṣṇabhakti-gandhahīna viśaya vibhora 
bhariya giyache āja jagat-saṁsāra

athaca śānti tara kare anveṣaṇa 
pracārera dvāra taha karaha purana 
ajikara dine bhai kotibaddha hao 
pracarera dvara yata jivere vancao

śrīla prabhupāda! tumi aji kara daya 
ebara karuna kara haiya amaya 
svatantrata yara yata hoka jalanjali 
dina ‘abhaya’ deya aji se anjali

(Vaiśiṣṭyāṣṭakam Verse 8)

Kena loka kande saba rama-rajya tare? Ekmatra karana sei visnurajya kare - The only way that people can be saved from their, from their miseries is by establishing a civilization which is based upon the principles of viṣṇu-bhakti. Kṛṣṇa had [is… uh,] established Yudhiṣṭhira on the siṁhāsana or royal throne of the king, as the emperor of the world. There all type of wealth, food grains were abundant in their supply to everyone, all by the good graces of the Vaiṣṇavas. The rivers and streams, the forests, and the planes, the, as well as the mountains were all filled with opulence and natural resources showering the natural gifts upon humanity. The cows, the milking cows were giving unlimited quantities of milk, flooding the populace with this liquid religiosity.

Animals and birds, all type of living entities, had lost… did not commit, did not commit violence upon each other, in a civilization based on pure devotion to Viṣṇu. Everything became completely, orderly and discipline in the most perfect, in the most perfect organization or family. Everyone were completely absorbed in transcendental happiness singing the glories of Lord Hari.

And all of the devotees were dancing in ecstasy feeling transcendental bliss from their hearts. Pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa without even the slightest tinge of materialistic enjoying spirit filled the hearts of everyone, filled the hearts of the whole world. Therefore, they were always [in trance…] in peace, this is all possible. This, this dream or this aspiration of universal peace, happiness and religiosity is all possible simply by preaching the message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Now today, there are hundreds of, millions of fallen souls. So, preach the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all of these fallen souls will be delivered, will be uplifted from their uh, bondage.

Oh Śrīla Prabhupāda! Today, I humbly pray at your lotus feet to give your mercy upon me. At this time, please have your mercy on this most insignificant person that I may be free from all illusion that all type of independent activity may be simply discarded, [Aside: Bengali conversation] that all of the independent mood in my heart may be simply immersed in the flow of pure Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, that this insignificant poor Abhaya may today offer this offering unto your lotus feet at the time of your Vyāsa-pūjā. That is the end of the Vaiśiṣṭyāṣṭakam.

So, we can understand, it’s very clear, the aspiration of His Divine Grace Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda was that the whole universe would be saturated in the mood of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. This was written to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura on the occasion of his 86th, 86th appearance day festival, which was sometime in the late 50’s, early 60’s. It was in the 50’s or early 60’s as far as I can understand.

So… I just offering, can’t remember Bhaktisiddhānta’s birth… birth date, original year. So Śrīla Prabhupāda aspiration was always to fulfill the desire of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura to spread Krishna Consciousness, to spread pure devotional service, kṛṣṇa-bhakti all over the world. He had unlimited faith that simply by actively preaching by distributing books, by establishing the process of devotional service and chanting the holy names of the Lord that all the māyās, all the illusions would be destroyed.

He was absorbed in the mood that this was the most pleasing thing to his spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thakur. Actually, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thakur was a nitya-siddha, liberated soul come down from the spiritual sky. But he engaged constantly in preaching the glories of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In fact, he instructed Śrīla Prabhupāda that better to take out the marble in a temple which is not used for preaching and simply print books, sell the marble and print books. So many ways he instructed Śrīla Prabhupāda to simply distribute, print and distribute transcendental literature on the teachings of Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya.Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

So actually, we should be very afraid of being independent from the… this example and desire of our predecessor ācāryas. Any type of independent action which goes away from directly satisfying the desires of our spiritual master and the spiritual masters in discipline succession, is [you see,] fatal dangerous move.

Śrīla Prabhupāda has instructed us that while traversing the path of devotional service, it is just [wha…] like the razor’s edge. While when one is shaving, if one is slightly inattentive, distracted immediately he will cut himself. In the same way, if we are inattentive, distracted, we forget what is the actual point of our devotional service, what is the actual goal then we become mislead, we become fallen.

At the present moment, the whole world, there are hundreds and millions… of millions, four billion people in the world, they are all fallen, with the exception of hardly a few. They are all fallen souls engrossed simply in gratifying their senses, completely forgetful of their relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, they are suffering at every moment. Therefore, there is violence, there is disruption, there is indiscipline, there is immorality, degradation and every aspect of life, every aspect, every place of the world there is so many discrepancies. So, the vision of pure devotee, the vision of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, which Śrīla Prabhupāda has fully realized and applied in his own life is that, the only thing which is missing is pure viṣṇu-bhakti.

This world is also the kingdom of God, why people are crying? Why they are suffering? People will say “Well since everything is controlled by God, why we are suffering?” Because the people have discarded Kṛṣṇa. They have renounced the Supreme Personality of Godhead, turned their face away from Kṛṣṇa, and they’re desiring instead simply their own sense gratification, they’re overcome by the demoniac influence. Therefore, even though this is also the materialistic kingdom of God, this is also one of the domains under the control of the Supreme Lord, yet everyone is suffering because they have forgotten what is devotion to Kṛṣṇa, they have forgotten how to serve Kṛṣṇa, they have forgotten how to rejoice in the transcendental glorification of Kṛṣṇa.

So the benefits of reestablishing Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in the world Prabhupāda has so nicely explained that, “The whole world will become, just as when Yudhiṣṭhira was put in charge by Kṛṣṇa Himself, opulence, abundance in food grains, in wealth of the population, all the natural, all the natural gifts of rivers, forests, plains, hills, mountains, they all shower forth their benedictions on all the human beings. Cows are happy being protected from the slaughter-house, they provide plenty of milk, enough milk for everyone to take to their hearts’ content, which provides very good intelligence. Milk is very essential food stuff, the most essential food stuff for the human being, because it gives one the intelligence to understand spiritual matters, to become Kṛṣṇa Conscious. Even the animals they lose their envious nature under such a Vaiṣṇava, in such a Vaiṣṇava world.”

So, this type of Vaiṣṇava civilization makes everyone happy. People all are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, dancing in ecstasy, no more anxiety in their heart, but what does it depend upon. It doesn’t happen by itself. Kali-yuga means by itself everything is worse, quarrel, division, it happens because in this Kali-yuga a special facility has been given by Kṛṣṇa, because He has come as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that if the devotees get off of their behinds and preach, then immediately by that preaching literally hundreds and thousands and millions of living entities become delivered, simply by taking that initiative to distribute the message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

The effect, the snowball effect or the effect is so great that no one can limit it, no one can imagine how it is working. But it is all working by the divine mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by the blessings of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura who are praying for the deliverance of the whole world.

We can see that Śrīla Prabhupāda by his desire to deliver the whole world, he wants all the people to be happy, he wants everyone to be absorbed in pure transcendental bliss. He has that sentiment, had that sentiment, and always will have that sentiment. Therefore, we are today able to sit together here from different countries, from different places and glorify Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Mahāprabhu, Jagannātha Subhadrā Balarāma.

The unique and particular mood that Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has through these poems and through his other writings and his activities and is not able to appreciate that he has grasped completely the mood of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thakur, the mood of Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement, that person is simply either a fool or is envious.

And anyone who is following in the footsteps of Śrīla Prabhupāda to carry out his instructions to continue in printing and distributing transcendental literature, to spread the saṅkīrtana movement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to expand the glories of the holy dhāmas, to expand the worship of Kṛṣṇa all over the world, if people cannot appreciate their activities, then that is to their great misfortune, they must be counted amongst the most unfortunate people in the world.

Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned that the common people, they are appreciating this movement. But some of the so called Vaiṣṇavas, they do not appreciate the preaching activities due to jealousy or due to enviousness. So, the common people are more advanced than such so called devotees.

The family of Śrīla Prabhupāda is the family of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is so large that it can encompass the whole world. Śrīla Prabhupāda wants nothing short of that. He wants that every person may be delivered from their miserable condition, by preaching unlimitedly, propagating the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu in its pure form as it is.

Because the International Society for Krishna Consciousness [ISKCON] is carrying out that instruction of His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda, therefore we can understand that so long as it continues to carry out his instruction, so long as that remains its objective and activity, it is completely under the shelter of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and is non-different from Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

One time, one… one Goswami inquired from Śrīla Prabhupāda. He was some type of sannyasi who had previously been a big businessman or something and renounced. He asked Śrīla Prabhupāda that, “Since you are making such a big organization for spreading the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, isn’t it that there a chance that, just as in the material world one becomes attached to so many material attachments, so many false designations, in this way you’ll going to become attached to this movement and that will be like an another type of family attachment, another type of saṁsāra, material, illusory attachment?”

Śrīla Prabhupāda said that, “When there is a mission which is based simply upon spreading the message of Govinda, spreading the message of Kṛṣṇa, so that mission is non-different from Govinda. So, if one is attached to that mission that means that’s attachment to Govinda, so that’s a liberated state. Govinda’s message and Govinda is no different. Distribution of Govinda’s message and Govinda’s message is no different, because in the absolute, everything is consummated. It is all absolute.”

Bhagavad-gītā describes that the homa or the sacrificial fire is Brahman, is absolute. Viṣṇu, the yajña-patiḥ, the object of the Lord of the sacrifice, He is the absolute. The purohit or the brāhmaṇa, the pujārī who is worshiping, the yāji, he is absolute. The offering is absolute, the act of offering is absolute, and the total sacrificial performance is all on the absolute platform. So, in this Kali-yuga, what is the yuga-dharma? What is the Yuga-yajña, sacrifice? kali-kālera dharma—kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana [or Kṛṣṇa…]

The actual sacrifice in Kali-yuga, Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32) is saṅkīrtana. Saṅkīrtana means many people together chanting, distributing the glories of the Lord. So, the person who is playing the mṛdaṅga, playing the karatālas, who is dancing, who is singing, who is following, who is listening, who is chanting, they are all part of the saṅkīrtana. They are all on the absolute platform, the person printing the books, distributing the books, reading the books, building the temples to give shelter to the devotees of the Lord for worshipping the Lord, everything, is all on the absolute platform. Simply the objective must not be diverted away from the pure objective of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he warned us, “Don’t get into material social work, don’t get into material other type of work, because by doing, by being, if you become diverted then the activity is no longer Viṣṇu-yajña, then it becomes a punya or something else, which is got some temporary nature.”

Because this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement is simply the pure saṅkīrtana preaching movement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu spreading kṛṣṇa-kathā, the message of Kṛṣṇa all over the world, everyone who is participating in the activities of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they all are absorbed on the absolute platform, they are all in the transcendental realm and every activity is a liberated activity.

[Aside: Jaya Rādhā Govinda! Jaya Jagannātha Subhadrā Balarāma!]

So Śrīla Prabhupāda has in other works very clearly said that, “Someone who knows the transcendental subject matter, who knows about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but who doesn’t preach it, who doesn’t distribute it when the people are suffering in ignorance, that those people are simply kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs. They may be the most learned or they may be the… possessing of so many apparent qualities, but if they don’t have that compassion to actually distribute that information, the transcendental message, then they are kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs, then they are materially attached, they have got some material vision which is limiting their advancement.”

Therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda requests the people who are just staying in holy places but who are not engaged in preaching, to come out, personally tried to drag out so many people from different holy places to come out and preach.

I just met one panḍita from Vṛndāvana, he was in Bangkok giving lecture, he said, “Also Prabhupāda requested me to come to the West, but I was saying that, ‘Well I don’t see what I will do?’ this, that. I was a bit afraid to go, so I didn’t go, now I think that I made a mistake, that’s why I have come here also.”

So many people, sādhūs, saints, godbrothers, Śrīla Prabhupāda tried to engage and tried to bring them to help in the preaching movement around the world, but he was not able to get any help from anyone but his own Guru Mahārāja and Kṛṣṇa. Of course, that is the real dependence, we have to give up all independence and simply be dependent on the mercy of our spiritual master.

Therefore, the heritage of this movement is that Śrīla Prabhupāda has formed together a vast organization called the International Society for Krishna Consciousness which has branches in every continent all over the world which is publishing books in dozens of foreign languages.

The heritage is that the saṅkīrtana movement which has now got its roots coming from Māyāpur but spread out all over the world. The branches of the tree cover the whole world, that this is to remain as one huge tree connected with the original source. We cannot sever our connection, if we sever the connection with the original source, if by anyway we somehow become cut off, and just like a branch cut off from the tree, it may appear like a branch, but it gradually loses its life and dries up, it is no longer connected with the tree, it becomes asāra, a useless branch. So, the heritage is to cooperate together in the saṅkīrtana movement and to go on dedicating the thoughts, words and deeds in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, distributing the message.

This is a type of sādhanā. We should understand that it as a practice, as a purification, as the best means for approaching Kṛṣṇa, and completely absorbed ourselves in thinking and planning and working to deliver all the people from their ignorant and miserable condition as slaves of the material nature bound to take repeated birth and death against their will. Thus, anyone who participates in this saṅkīrtana movement, he becomes glorified,he becomes immediately happy, and someone who somehow or other separates his mood from that of pleasing Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu from that of expanding the saṅkīrtana movement, he immediately becomes dissatisfied, he becomes restless.

The process is very simple. Those who are intelligent should understand the basic principles and take it up seriously. This will not only benefit themselves, but this will change the course of the whole world from its destructive direction to a complete reconstruction, to a complete rehabilitation to the perfectional platform.

There is no other way that such harmony can be brought into the world except by pure Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. This any sober minded person by deep deliberation, understanding of all the transcendental truths in relation to this material world and our own existence as eternal spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa, he come up to the understanding, there is no other alternative in this world.

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
Hare rāma hare rāma
Rāma rāma hare hare