19830604 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.8.39

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on June 4th, 1983 in Toronto, Canada. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 4th Canto, Chapter 8, Verse 39.

Jayapatākā Swami: “The sage Maitreya continued: The great personality Nārada Muni, upon hearing the words of Dhruva Mahārāja, became very compassionate toward him, and in order to show him his causeless mercy, he gave him the following expert advice.”

Translation with repetition: The sage Maitreya continued: "The great personality Nārada Muni, upon hearing the words of Dhruva Mahārāja, became very compassionate toward him, and in order to show him his causeless mercy, he gave him the following expert advice.”

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Since the great sage Nārada is the foremost spiritual master, naturally his only activity is to bestow the greatest benefit upon whomever he meets. Dhruva Mahārāja, however, was a child, and so his demand was also that of a playful child. Still, the great sage became compassionate toward him, and for his welfare he spoke the following verses.”

Oṁ tat sat.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta Purports of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto 4, Chapter 8, Text Number 39 in the matter of "Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home".

Jayapatākā Swami: Today the continuation of Dhruva Mahārāja's pastimes is being carried out. Actually in this verse, there are many important points. One is, this how Maitreya Ṛṣi, how he is speaking whatever he has heard from the bonafide authority. Sometimes a devotee is a good speaker and someone may wonder “How is that, that person can speak nicely?” Prabhupāda had revealed the secret many times. The secret is to hear properly. If a person heard properly, very carefully, with full attention then he will be able to repeat those words at a later date. But if the hearing process is not proper then one will not be able to hear properly, nor one will be able to repeat properly. So Maitreya Ṛṣi, he is speaking because he has heard. This is the qualification to be a speaker of Kṛṣṇa Conscious philosophy is to hear very carefully.

So Nārada Muni took great mercy upon Dhruva Mahārāja. This is not only because he was a small boy but because as a small boy he was determined to reach God even though he had material reasons. His determination to reach the Supreme Lord was so intense and pure that even Nārada Muni became very compassionate.

That Nārada Muni, he felt very compassionate to Dhruva Mahārāja. So then Nārada Muni wanted to show his mercy to Dhruva Mahārāja. Just like in India, people when they go to a sādhu, nowadays they want him to give them some mercy. They called that āśīrvādam. “Please give me your āśīrvāda, your blessing.” Generally they asked what type of blessing you want, then they already have an idea in their mind, “I want a baby boy, I want my baby girl to get cured from this disease, I want a job, I want to go to Canada, I want something. So they have some idea in their mind already.

So Dhruva Mahārāja also had an idea. He wanted that desire to be satisfied. But this is the… thing is what people they’re expecting, you come up to sādhu and say “Give me your blessing, āśīrvada.” and then he will give the blessing and poof, [appaluse] there you get what you want, just like, automatic. But we see here that Nārada Muni, when he gave his blessings, he gave his advice. How to perform devotional service, how to worship Kṛṣṇa so that he can get his desire satisfied. Even though Nārada Muni could probably just have given… He’s so powerful. He can curse the demigods like Kuvera's sons to become a tree, certainly he could also elevate Dhruva Mahārāja anyway he liked. But Nārada Muni, instead he instructed the path of devotional service. “You do like this your devotional service and you will be able to achieve the desired result.”

So when people are coming from India and sometimes they are asking for the sādhu's, āśīrvāda when the sādhu tell them, "You perform bhakti, and this way you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and do this pūjā." And what do they think, "What is this? I want instant blessing.", you see.

Real thing is that we should serve the Lord and by serving the Lord we get our desires satisfied. That is what’s actually purifying. This is… also Kṛṣṇa has done the same thing. When He gives the devotees advice, guidance, He shows them how to act. Arjuna, He told how to act in the battlefield. He didn't just give him the blessing. Like that, Lord Caitanya He told His followers how to preach the saṅkīrtana movement.

If we don't have any activity, if we just do our two prayers and say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa. Give me. Here is my shopping list. You take it and give me these things.", then how do we get spiritual purification. Prabhupāda repeatedly said that people want God to be their order supplier. So, now Nārada Muni took compassion Dhruva Mahārāja he is giving his advice. This is actually what one needs from the sādhu. One shouldn’t be lazy and think that "The sādhu is everything for me.” but “The sādhu will give me advice. Whereby I can reach Kṛṣṇa." This is the natural reciprocation.

Nārada Muni's advice was offered freely to Dhruva Mahārāja. Not like the professional yogīs who come to the west, "You want any mantra, any advice, then you have to pay first. Major credit cards are accepted. Pay first, talk later." Actually there was one magician in New Orleans temple, he became a devotee, and he showed, he dressed up like a sādhu, and then he showed from his hands, he was making ashes come. Piles of ashes. He was creating things out of the air, like so many yogīs. Only difference is that he did not claim that he was God. He only claimed he was a magician.

So this is the thing. Nārada Muni, when he was standing there and Dhruva came. He was asking the lions, he was asking trees, he was asking everyone and everything, "Are you God? Are you Bhagavān?" Because he had no idea who and what was Bhagavān. He only knew his mother said, "The sages go in the forest and look for Bhagavān. Therefore you go the forest, you find Bhagavān." So he was looking in the forest everywhere "Where’s Bhagavān?" you see. “You Bhagavān? You?” He didn’t know anymore, whether the Bhagavān was two feet or five feet, or whether he was blue, green or what. He only knew the God was there somewhere. Exactly who God was or what he was, what he looked like, had no ideas. He was just looking for Bhagavān.

So he was a kṣatriya. Kṣatriyas so determined that nothing can stop them, they proceed. So, this is a great opportunity that Dhruva’s getting because Kṛṣṇa has sent his pure devotee Nārada as the guru. When a soul is sincerely looking for the truth, even though he may not have any clue, but sincerely they want to know, "What is the highest truth? What is the real existence? What is the janmādy asya yataḥ, the cause from which everything is coming? What’s the sarva kāraṇa kāraṇam?", then Kṛṣṇa sends the spiritual adviser, the spiritual master, His devotee there so that that fallen soul can get information about Kṛṣṇa. It is not a coincidence. It is the mercy of Kṛṣṇa that one is able to meet a pure devotee and accept instruction from such a pure devotee.

So Dhruva Mahārāja, he was coming now first time in contact with Nārada Muni. And he came up and he saw Nārada Muni and said," Are you God?" Nārada Muni said, "No I am not God. But I am a representative of God." "Can you give me God?" Like this Dhruva Mahārāja, he did not want to waste any time. Now the cheap… thing is that if you go up to a so called guru, so called spiritual leader and you ask, "Are you a guru, are you a spiritual master, are you a teacher?" Then they will say, "No, I am God". Just the opposite. They will say, "Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Gurudeva Maheśvara!" which is not the authorized understanding. Guru is of course the embodiment of all the devas, guru is svarūpa of Kṛṣṇa. But guru himself is still simultaneously not Kṛṣṇa, because his attitude and eternal position is as servant of Kṛṣṇa.

So, when a spiritually advanced person shows compassion on someone, he gives that person advice. So, actually we should simply going uh, to the devotees, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā, to render them sevayā, service and for praśnena, for hearing the lessons. So, this is very essential to get advice from advanced souls. Otherwise like Dhruva Mahārāja, even he was so determined - he was wandering here and there, but he could not find Kṛṣṇa.

Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti - except for the devotees nobody can know Kṛṣṇa. Even they look for Kṛṣṇa under every tree, everywhere, they won't find Kṛṣṇa unless they become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Why people are not able to understand who is Kṛṣṇa is only because they are not the devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, they are thinking that “Other demigods, other… this that are important.” Actually they don't realize the real significance of devotional service and of Kṛṣṇa.

In the time of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we found that just like Dhurva Mahārāja, he was so blessed because his parents, his mother directed him to become a seeker after Kṛṣṇa. Like that Jīva Gosvāmī's parents were devotees. So when he saw Lord Caitanya he went over and sucked his toe, even he couldn't walk.

When Śrīnivas Ācārya's parents were raising him, they would always put him on the lap and telling him stories about Kṛṣṇa and laughing and, like this all of those great Vaiṣṇavas, usually their parents were also quite devoted, and then they would make various arrangements so that those great devotees in their childhood, they had an opportunity to serve Kṛṣṇa. Just like Śrīla Prabhuapda, he was able to do Deity worship even when he was a small child, to play Ratha-yātrā. This way that culture is never forgotten. So we should also give our children that opportunity to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is a special benediction for us as well as for them.

Nowadays, even the parents want to make their children religious or God conscious, but because the schools and colleges are so materialistic that the children, they become envious and they get all kind of bad qualities. I was reading… there was one feature on Sunday, few Sundays back, how in America the children are murdering their parents. And it gave a… dozens and dozens of examples. One police man, he interviewed the son that why he shot his father in cold blood. And he said that “There is no difference between this… this, "There is nothing except the grace of God, between this boy and my own son.” Father would not give him, you know, an extra five dollars to go to the movie. This that and the other thing, few things happened, he became angry, pulled out a gun and pow, pow - dead father. Like that.

Divorced homes, no family life, parents have no time for the kids. They have to work double shifts to get more money. So they leave the kids wander about. So naturally they do not develop much faith for the family. Now, Womens’ Lib, every woman has to work to show that she can develop to her full potential. Meanwhile the children do not get a chance to develop to their full potential. Because in the early life they are not getting any attention from the parents or any love. And then when they are thrown in school then their whole environment is completely uh, undisciplined and uh, demoniac.

See, If you can kill your parent what to speak about killing your teacher? They’re falling like the flies. So they don't even want to get involved, if they try to discipline the teacher.. the the students in the class, it may be their last. Even in India now, when they have their final exams, they have to bring in the army to stand with machine guns over the students so that they don't cheat.

What can they do, they bring in, they write it all here, you know 'swipes', here, passing back notes, back and forth. That's why even in India now the education is no value. You can get a degree… you know everybody has a degree, there is no value. Because everybody cheats. Because with the communism then they want all students to do the politics so that the politician won't make any strong effort to ensure that the exams are done properly because students would be upset. So everybody is just cheating.

So whatever it may be , that whole environment is completely… becomes demoniac. Therefore Prabhupāda established gurukula system, dynamic spiritual education. Gurukulam-brahmacarya guru hitam. To teach uh, boys uh, brahmacarya life, to teach, spiritual association. Even in devotees' family you see, how the children, before they go to gurukula, the parents have a real struggle to just to get them bow down and do a few things. Once they go to gurukula, then they see their pitājī, immediately they hit the deck.

When they go home for vacation after one week, they back to playing around and goofing off again. Because we learn more from our peers nowadays. When they see all the other little boys and girls are all paying obeisances, and chanting then they also come, encouraged to do that. Whatever example they are shown, so especially when everybody is doing the same thing, the teachers are giving a good example, and the teachers are caring about the students, it's a very good environment.

Actually Prabhupāda wanted that in the gurukula even the regular Indians, and the devotees, and the… society would also send their children. Require… what they called it? Environment that actually encourages the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. Without that type of a Kṛṣṇa conscious environment is that much more difficult to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. So that means that environment has to be created , it doesn't just happen. But it happens by the devotees being very careful.

Even in the temple that environment is so important that every devotee is enthusiastic, that they don't engage in prajalpa, that people are not puffed up. Just like in Lord Caitanya's pastimes, he would not allow for His intimate saṅkīrtana, anyone except for the devotees to come. Right?

One time, Śrīvāsa's mother-in-law, his what do you call it, sasur... she decided to sneak a peek of that saṅkīrtana at Śrīvāsa's house. So she somehow or another snuck into the house and she hid under a basket and she then was peeking out watching Lord Caitanya and everyone chanting. So Lord Caitanya and the other they came… they came into Śrīvāsa's house, closed the door, paid their obeisances and started to chant. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa… different chanting... suddenly Lord Caitanya stopped the kīrtana. You probably heard this already. He stopped the kīrtana, said, "Why I am not feeling ecstasy? Everyday we are chanting, we are feeling ecstasy. Why I am not feeling any ecstasy today? Who is the cause?" All the devotees started looking. (laughter) They started thinking, "Oh no! What did I do?” they think, “What was the mistake I made?" Then Lord Caitanya said, "Maybe there is a invader here, a intruder." So then they all looked around, Śrīvāsa looked in his house, everyone looked they did not find any. So then Lord Caitanya said," Alright, chanting." So again they were chanting, (sings)

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

After 10-15 minutes again Lord Caitanya stopped, "Still I am not feeling any bliss. Who is the cause?" Pshh! This time the devotees were very very nervous. "We must have committed a great aparādhā that Lord Caitanya is not feeling any transcendental ecstasy in our association." Son then Lord Caitanya, "There must be a intruder." So this time Śrīvāsa he did a thorough check and there he found under his basket… under a basket in his house was his mother-in-law.

You know in India, mother-in-law is respected just like one’s mother, if not more. And India they are very respectful to their parents. Up to now I don't think there is much, incidents of patricide in India. But, so even… then you can understand very respectful to such elder family people. But he immediately grabbed her by the hair, dragged her out and threw out of the front door and said, "You don't intrude like this." Came back, told Lord Caitanya,"Alright, please forgive me, chant kīrtana."

Lord Caitanya started to chant and He stopped again, later on, and then He asked Śrīvāsa that, "Śrīvāsa, wasn't that your mother-in-law that was in the house?" He said, "Yes!" Everyone was astonishing, "Mother-in-law!" Lord Caitanya said,"Why you disrespected her so much? You dragged… you grabbed her by the hair? Is it the proper way of dealing with the mother-in-law?" Well Śrīvāsa said that, "I may go to hell or whatever, but I don't care what happens to me. But I don't want to see that Your… that You should… Your divine self should be in any way dissatisfied. Whatever may be that disturbance to Your happiness that is my greatest enemy. No matter who is that person may be. That is an obstacle for me. She was creating a disturbance in Your devotional service. She might be my anyone, I don't care. It has no value for me if it is a disturbance for Your satisfaction." Then Lord Caitanya embraced him and said, "How you are such a devotee!" And said that, "In the future you should..." like that.

He showed actually of course the pure devotee, they are so much fixed in Kṛṣṇa, whatever will satisfy, because that is the principal consideration. But there just was a non-devotee intruding even it was a relative, but that changed the whole atmosphere so much so that Lord Caitanya, He couldn’t feel any bliss. If there is one envious disruptive element, that can spoil the whole saṅkīrtana party. That's why even the spiritual master is advised that if there’s a disciple who is polluting other disciples, that disciple should be rejected.

If the spiritual master doesn’t reject that disciple, the disciple will fall down and he can even pull down the spiritual master. What to speak of ruining so many other disciples. One rotten apple can spoil the basket. Rotten means what? Especially the person who is always blaspheming, finding unnecessary fault with the superior Vaiṣṇavas, like that. Even in devotional service, one needs to have a very Kṛṣṇa conscious association.

Another similar thing happened in Lord Caitanya's saṅkīrtana, may be a couple of years later. One brahmacārī was there who was not very devotional but he was a very strict brahmacārī in the Vedic sense. He would fast on the full Ekādaśī, on the full moon days, dark moon days. He would eat sometimes just leaves. He would read all of the Vedas. He was very austere, very strict brahmacārī. He had a desire that… to see Lord Caitanya's evening saṅkīrtana. So he asked Śrīvāsa if he could just from the side in his house just he could have a darśana.

Well Śrīvāsa thought, "This is a brahmacārī. This is not an ordinary person." He’s a  brahmacārī, very strict. Worships, does pūjās and agnihotras and everything. But more of the dry mode of karma-kāṇḍa or something. So he said, "Alright, but if Lord Caitanya objects, you have to go.”

So kīrtana again started normal. Everything was going on. After some time Lord Caitanya stopped the kīrtana and said, "I am not feeling any bliss today. Why? What is this phenomena? I am not feeling ecstasies! The love that flow is not coming in this kīrtana. Who, what is the cause?" This time already Śrīvāsa had learned his lesson once before. So he said, "Oh, Lord Caitanya,” he fell at His feet, “I made an great offence. I brought this brahmacārī. I thought he is a brahmacārī."

"What is this brahmacārī!? Who is this?" And then he brought out the brahmacārī and Lord Caitanya said, "You cannot be here. Your dry austerities, your studying of the Vedas, of which you are so disproportionately proud, so puffed up about - they are no qualification for a being a devotee. This saṅkīrtana meeting is only for the devotees. Get out." Very harshly He chastised that brahmacārī. He offered his obeisances and he went out and he was just thinking. And actually he was sitting outside the door and started to cry.

"Yes, I am such a rascal! I am so fallen that I am doing all this false austerity, I am doing all this, and I think I am very great. But actually what is this? The real thing is to be a devotee of the Lord. Even though I am so fallen I am not at all a devotee, how was I so fortunate even for 10 minutes I could see Lord Caitanya's saṅkīrtana."