19900724 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.3.4

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on 24th July 1990 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4th canto, chapter 3, verse 4

Dakṣa... This section of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is discussing with the activities around Dakṣa’s sacrifice. Dakṣa the father of Satī - one of the prominent Prajāpati of the universe was appointed chief Prajāpati by Lord Brahmā. This made him very proud of his position and out of pride he acted in improper way. Unnecessary pride causes people to misbehave in various ways.

So, he wanted to show his greatness. He had probably full support of Lord Brahmā since he was appointed as principal Prajāpati. He performed Rājasūya-yajña, which is required to be performed before Bṛhaspati-yajña. These yajñas are very difficult to perform in this planet but in higher planets they can be performed.

So, while this pūjā is going on, Dakṣa, he had a bad relationship with his son-in-law Śiva. He didn’t appreciate the qualities of Lord Śiva. Dakṣa is very much in karma-kāṇḍa. He believes in one should fully enjoy life, and after enjoying life then renunciation will automatically come.

Of course, his idea was one should enjoy life according to Vedic principle by performing yajñas. He was thus into the karma-kāṇḍa. He was a karma-niṣṭha. But he was neglecting even Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva - neglecting to call him to the sacrifice. He thought,” If I worship Lord Viṣṇu is good enough.”

In the previous verse, Prabhupāda explains how Kṛṣṇa Himself says:

mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā: “The worship of My devotees is better than worship of Myself.”

Similarly, in the Śiva Purāṇa, Pārvatī has asked Siva, “There are so many types of worship, which type of worship is best?”

Lord Śiva replied:

ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ
viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param
tasmāt parataraṁ devī
tadīyānāṁ samarcanam

Of all the different types of worship - ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param - Viṣṇu worship is the topmost. Parataraṁ devī - with one exception My Dear Devī, tadīyānāṁ samarcanam - to worship the devotees tadīyā - those who are connected with Kṛṣṇa is more beneficial.

Kṛṣṇa is more pleased when His loved ones are worshipped. When His devotees are respected, than when He Himself is worshipped. So, Brahmā, Śiva, they are great devotees of the Lord. They are very faithful servitor; they are running the universe for Him.

So, Dakṣa was neglecting the devas... the senior devas. Junior devas were all coming; they are appreciating Dakṣa’s big sacrifice. So many brāhmaṇas were there. But some important person like Mahādeva, he was being neglected.

But Satī seeing a big festival performed by her father, she wanted to go with her husband to attend the sacrifice. So, she wanted to go and see [inaudible] This is the discussion where she’s telling her husband, “Let’s go. Let’s go to the festival.” She wants to also dress up and be there.

Of course, Lord Śiva can see the whole situation. He goes there, he may be offended by Dakṣa. Dakṣa is not inviting him, so it was not appropriate for him to go without receiving an invitation. All these things he can understand, so he said better not to go. Of course, ...

In the end, Satī goes anyway, and then Dakṣa offends Lord Śiva. When he offends Lord Śiva, Sati becomes very angry. Says, “I have taken this body from you, but I feel contaminated. The person from whom this body is generated is an offender of a great Vaiṣṇava, such a great soul like Lord Śiva. So, she by her own mystic teja, she immolated herself, and śakti ceased to exist on that body. She took birth again in another body and again married Lord Śiva as Himāvatī. Anyway... Pārvatī.

So, when that happened, Lord Śiva came; his followers came. They were very angry. And then there was a massacre. There was a riot. Like this the whole story develops. And then Lord Brahmā comes, and then Lord Śiva corrects everything. Dakṣa gets a goat head; the sacrificial goat head was put on. Dakṣa got his head cut off by Śiva’s followers. Bhṛgu lost his teeth. It was a big fight. So, everything was taken out by Lord Śiva. Dakṣa offered prayers to Lord Śiva, and then the sacrifice was restarted.

This time Śiva and everyone was in place, then Viṣṇu came. Then Viṣṇu was pleased because His devotees were being properly respected. So it is a very big story; several chapters of Bhāgavatam is devoted to this story. A lot of different lessons. It gives also a very clear understanding of positions of Brahmā, of Śiva, of devas, of Viṣṇu.

The other confusion exists in society today, in the Hindu society - what is the position of different devas. Even in South India, there were fights between Śivaites and Vaiṣṇavas. There was attacks between them. But actually, for all the Vaiṣṇavas, Śiva is also worshipable. The only difference is that Vaiṣṇavas worships Śiva, you see - “vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhu”- as the greatest Vaiṣṇava.

When Śiva himself is worshipping Viṣṇu, he is respecting Viṣṇu, why the Śivaites should (inaudible), why followers of Śiva show enmity towards the devotees of Viṣṇu? So, a lot of confusion is there. That has been somewhat smooth over Śaṅkarācārya’s preaching: “Everything is one, doesn’t matter. The real thing is impersonal. Everything is one.”

So, then...okay, then doesn’t matter (inaudible) because ultimately everything is impersonal. But this philosophy is incomplete. It’s not the… That philosophy is not supported. That Viṣṇu is coming from the impersonal Brahman is not at all supported by the Vedas. In fact, this is the misunderstanding of Śaṅkarācārya’s followers.

Even Śaṅkarācārya himself said, “Nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktāt” - that Nārāyaṇa is above the impersonal. In 14th Chapter (.27) Gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, “Brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham” - I am the basis of the Impersonal Brahman.

In the Bhāgavatam (1.2.11), in the first canto, it clearly says that Parabrahma is situated in the three manifestations, which are advayam - they are non-different. 

brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate

Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. Brahman is sat, Paramātmā is sac-cid, and Bhagavān is saccidānanda vigraha. So, the complete form of absolute truth is saccidānanda or Bhagavān. Localized is Paramātmā and all pervasive, impersonal, is Brahman. So, in Bhāgavatam, philosophically, practically gives these examples.

Also, we can understand the Vedic culture - Vedic culture is very colorful. Here the devas along with the devīs, they all going for the pūjā. They are going to the festival, the big sacrifice. Who is the sacrifice is offered to? The sacrifice is offered to Lord Viṣṇu. He is Yajñapati.

Everyone decorated being big festival. The women are decorated with earrings, ornaments, and nice dresses. Any religious ceremony, husband has to be accompanied with the wife. So, it’s very colorful. Now people go to... Western culture means you go to some cinema, you go to theatre, you go to some social functions. But in higher planet, social functions mean some pūjā, some yajña; something uplifting is there. Utsava - to uplift the consciousness. So, the higher culture utsava. Higher culture is based on spiritual upliftment. Now the Vedic culture means.. that same superficial things is there, but instead, everything is based on simply bodily identifications.

So Śrīla Prabhupāda introduced festivals... spiritual festivals all over the world: Ratha-yātras, Janmāṣṭamī and so many other. You see, those festivals all the women may come nicely decorate. Everyone may come nice festive occasion. In the end prasāda is distributed. But there is spiritual discourses. There is various meditations. Even like Gopāṣṭamī, the cow is worshipped; the cow is decorated with garlands, fed sumptuously. Govardhana-pūjā - all the devotees, they go out with cows, and they go around Govardhana.

Big mountain of rice, Annakūṭa, still it is observed in Northern India very luxuriously. Annakūṭa to make a rice mountain. And then afterwards everyone is fed, not only all the human beings… After all humans, everyone fed even the animals should be fed. Everyone should be fed on Govardhana-pūjā day.

No one should go hungry on that day commemorating Lord’s Kṛṣṇa’s worship of Govardhana. Showing how all the society is based on… dependent especially on the cow protection, on agriculture. We cannot eat nuts and bolts. We have to eat agriculture produces, and cow milk produces finer brain tissue by which one can understand spiritual subject matter. Therefore, cow milk is very important to human society to develop spiritually, to develop finer brain tissues. Animal are also dependents and part of the total human civilization. They are dependent on the human beings in many ways.

So Śrīla Prabhupāda said that human should see the animal as younger brother and sisters. When younger brother and sister become... they may be weaker than the big brother. Does that mean because they are weaker, the big brother should kill him? No, big brother is to protect the younger brother. Cow is providing milk therefore the cow is respected like mother. Bull is working in the fields therefore he is respected like a father, grinding all the grains. When mother and father grow old and become unproductive, that time they are also eating less; they are doing less. But does that mean that old unproductive mother and father, they should be killed?

In some tribal cultures in Africa, in some places the old people are also killed. Cannibalism is there. These are considered to be sub-culture, to be uncivilized. Human civilization means you protect the weaker sections. So even if it’s difficult but still one needs to protect aged parents. Similarly, old cows they should also be protected. Even that they are not fed sumptuously… If you offer someone a choice: Would you have… eat a few capatis or so much trouble to eat, maybe instead I could kill you. Who will choose okay, Kill me I don’t (inaudible).

No one wants to die prematurely. So, like this, Vedic culture is very broad. It deals with total upliftment of human society. So, part of that… with finer aspects - festivals, spiritual festivals, pūjās, yajñas, beautiful parts, nice decoration of the body not for any other purpose. But because it is spiritual occasion, it’s a festival, we are going to worship Viṣṇu so wear your best. So, the social instincts are also fulfilled, but they are dovetailed to a spiritual purpose.

Prabhupāda explains how without the goal of life being fixed, that the human society become an aimless society. The economics are the only objective of the human society. Then it becomes a godless society, demoniac society. Then so many crimes against nature and god will be performed. If the world is to be actually peaceful world, harmonious balanced world, the objective of life has to be fixed.

The objective is to reach god, to serve god, to realize the self and the Supreme Self. If we take out the objective, then naturally everything else also becomes aimless. If you put in the objective... Prabhupāda says you could put so many zeroes, but without the one it remains zero. If you put one in front, then everything becomes valuable.

So What is that one? One is that goal of life. You should understand who is the goal. Goal of life is to realize god. If we have God realization, automatically self is included within God.

Kṛṣṇa explains that “All living entities are My part and parcel.”

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ

“My eternal parts and parcel.” So, if we realize Kṛṣṇa, we will realize ourselves because we are part of Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ brahmāsmī - We are the spirit. If we realize Para-brahma, we will realize also Brahmā. So, Kṛṣṇa Himself is the Para-brahma. Whether you call Him Kṛṣṇa, or by whatever name one addresses that Supreme: God, Allah, Jehovah, whatever may be. There’s only one Supreme. The objective is to achieve that Supreme.

As Kṛṣṇa says or as the Vedas says: Vāsudeva kuṭumbakam - Whole world is one family under God. Then we should work for the collective upliftment, protection. Everything is related with the Supreme. As soon as there is imbalance, that becomes disturbance.

Dakṣa is also creating an imbalance so that also created a reaction. Whatever we do, there is a reaction going to come. If we do something good, we get good reaction. If we do something bad, we get bad reaction. If we do some transcendental activity directed to Viṣṇu directly, then there is no material reaction. This is spiritual upliftment.

So, the devotees, they’re actually neither good nor bad. In this material world, there’s the powers of good and evil who are always combating with each other. Sometimes the good prevails, sometimes evil; the devas and the demons or asuras, suras and asuras. Suras means they accept the supremacy of Viṣṇu. According to Vedas, “Who is a sura? You accept the Supreme God, Visnu, and asura means those who don’t accept [inaudible] Those who are against the Supreme God.

So demoniac society which does not accept that the supreme control or the supreme power of God, naturally think that “We are the controllers of our work. We are the owners. We can do whatever we like. It’s our nature to do it.” Resolving so many imbalances that come because they are not the ultimate power. Kṛṣṇa has created the world with a particular balance in the universe. When we start to mess it up, then naturally we are creating more and more problems to ourselves.

So, Kṛṣṇa is the… Viṣṇu as maintainer, He has to always come down and straighten out the messes that humans create. As Varāha, He had to lift up the earth which has fallen out of orbit because of the excesses created by Hiraṇyākṣa and other demons.

dharma-saṁsthā panārthāya
sambhavāmi yuge yuge

He comes to establish the religious principles. If human beings live by religious principles, then automatically things become balanced. If we try to create balance without religious principles, you see, it’s very artificial. That does not produce any lasting result.

Lord Caitanya when He discussed with Chand Kazi, the mohammedan ruler, who was appointed as a type of sub governor of Navadvīpa. First thing He said was that “Why you are killing the cow and the bull? Why you are killing your mother and father?”

The Kazi said,”Why you are doing animal sacrifice? You are doing go-medha, aśva-medha.” Then Lord Caitanya replied that in previous ages the brāhmaṇas had such power, that they could take in all the ailing cow and by kill(ing) it and by mantra bring it back to life, to show the efficacy of the Vedic mantra. But in Kali-yuga such brāhmaṇas are not available, such power in them are lost. Therefore specifically, Vedas prohibit aśva-medha, go-medha. 5 things are prohibited in Vedas for Kali-yuga. Two of which are these animal sacrifice.

Then he came back to the point, the cow and bull are like your mother and father, so why you are killing it?” Koran also says that one should not kill a cow. They are specific verses to this effect. That actually the higher path is to be Vegetarian. Higher path is not to kill the animals. Two paths are given in Koran: lower and higher. Higher is recommended. If you don’t follow or it could be lower.

Then Chand Kazi admitted, “Yes. That actually our Koran states that... many places it glorifies that one should not eat any meat. But our pandits, our mullahs, they don’t understand these verses. They generally neglect it, and they are promoting the lower path. There is lot of contradictions in our scripture, but what you say is correct. It also glorifies being a vegetarian in the Koran.

So, like this they discussed, and in the end Chand Kazi chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. And he gave the order that no one should disturb the saṅkīrtana movement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. “This is a bonafide movement and even I request my descendants, they should never obstruct the saṅkīrtana movement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.”

So Lord Caitanya on basis of Vedas, on basis of Koran and on basis of whatever philosophy whether Buddhism, Jainism, whatever, he would discuss with the people. Using their own logic as well as through the Vedic understanding, he would establish this principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He would do it in a very humble way. He would do it in a forceful way. He would get the point across. He would always come out successful in every one of these discussions.

He didn’t unnecessarily look for fights with people. But when it could not be avoided or when a situation was such, that need was there to defend the philosophy, then he would do the needful.

When He was in Banares, He went to the sannyāsīs.... He didn’t want to go to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, followers of Śaṅkara. But they were criticizing His saṅkīrtana movement... That He didn’t mind. But His followers were begging Him that “We cannot bear to hear all these criticisms. They are saying what type of sannyāsī are You? You are singing and dancing Hare Kṛṣṇa in the street with all the people. You are taking not only brāhmaṇas but all type of castes and creed, everyone you are taking together. So, they said, what type of sannyāsī is this? He’s a sentimentalist. He’s ruining the Hindu dharma, etc., etc. So, we cannot bear to hear all these criticisms.”

Just at that time one big rich man, he came to invite Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “You please come to my house. I am going to have a special festival for all sannyāsīs. All the Śaṅkara sannyāsīs have agreed to come, but I also request that you should come.”

So, [inaudible] He agreed to go. So Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī was the chief ācārya there. He had 50,000 disciples. So, all the prominent disciples are gathered in this big Lord’s house. Lord Caitanya came, and it was custom that at the doorway, people would bath their feet and then wash their feet and then walk in. But Lord Caitanya sat right down next to the... in that dirty water. He just sat there. Whereas all the other sannyāsīs were sitting up in the raised area. So, then He started to also emit brahma-jyoti from His body. So that attracted all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. They’re attracted by jyoti. So, this... Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī said, “What are You doing sitting at the dirty place?

“No, no, you are all very great sannyāsīs. I am very insignificant. How can I sit amongst all of you? I am just taking my natural position here. I am not worthy to sit amongst you. I am a lower category of sannyāsīs than all of you.”

Then Prakāśānanda said, “No, no, why you are speaking all these.” Went and grabbed Him and just brought Him amongst them. So immediately He already… By His humility, He won their hearts to some extent.

“Let me explain. You are one of us. You took initiation from Keśava Bhāratī. We understand he is in a Bhāratī school. He is one of our (inaudible) sampradāya. So, why you are chanting all these Hare Kṛṣṇa in the street? And why you are singing and dancing? Why you are not studying Vedānta with all of us?

Lord Caitanya, He spoke to them: “I can speak something if you don’t mind. “

“No, no, You please speak to us”.

So, He explained that I went to see… See, My guru told Me that You are a fool. So, don’t spend Your time studying the Vedānta-sūtra. That in this age the Vedas say that

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

There is no other way, no other way, no other way to achieve... guaranteed to achieve success in self-realization in this Age of Kali. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This is the recommended process at this Age of Kali. So, I begun to chant: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, mahā-mantra. I was chanting. Then I found that sometime I was feeling great ecstasies. Tears were coming in My eyes. My hairs were standing on end. I was sometime laughing, sometime crying, sometime dancing. And I thought maybe I become mad. So I went to my guru and I asked what kind of mantra have you given Me? By chanting this mantra, I become like a mad man - crying and dancing. What the … Am I doing something wrong?”

And My guru explained: ‘No, these are very good signs. These are the signs of love of Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-prema, coming in Your consciousness. So, You go on chanting, and there is nothing wrong with that. These are all auspicious signs. With this reason, I am chanting and dancing on the order of My guru. These are according to the Vedas.”

So then... Like this they had a lengthy discussion actually. They said, “Well, it is quite alright, but You should still study Vedānta.”

Then they had discussion. Then Lord Caitanya explained how the Vedānta... Actual Vedānta “janmādy asya yato” - Everything is coming from the one source. Everything is coming from one origin. So… Ultimately this proves, since we are a person, we have qualities, the origin must also have qualities. How can something come from nothing? How can that come from the origin if the origin doesn’t have it. If we have qualities, the origin must has qualities. If we have personality, the origin must have personality.

This way, a very technical discussion of Vedānta, on advaita philosophy, on acintyābeda-beda-tattva philosophy. And finally, in this way Lord Caitanya, very humbly He was able to completely establish the principle of spiritual duality, of spiritual diversity, unity and diversity as the actual understanding of spiritual life, as the complete understanding.

The advaita or completely non different reality, it couldn’t stand. So, after explaining everything then that ācārya, he was speechless.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He had convinced everyone. But the ācārya was also he didn’t know what to speak because actually Caitanya Mahāprabhu has defeated him. So, while he was not able to say anything, his chief disciples stood up, “So actually whatever You said…”

Actually, Lord Caitanya also explain how Śaṅkarācārya, he was actually the incarnation of Śiva. In the Purāṇas Viṣṇu told Śiva” You come and incarnate as a brāhmaṇa in order to bring all the Buddhists back to Vedic culture. You preach covered Buddhism as a brāhmaṇa. And you twist the Vedas in order to accommodate this philosophy. By people thinking that everything is impersonal, this will increase the population. People will become more materially attached. When they think that supreme truth is nirākāra, they will be more attached to the ākāra of this material world. And thus, they’ll become more sexually active, and they will produce a lot of progeny. This will create a bigger population. Later [inaudible] will liberate more human beings by coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu and spreading the saṅkīrtana yajña which liberates humans very easily.”

So now population is more. Now we can liberate all the human beings. Anyway, that part wasn’t. That part was mentioned in other parts of the Veda. But Saṅkarācārya being Śiva coming for this purpose is clearly mentioned in several part of Vedas. So, Lord… Saṅkarācārya, he actually changed. He didn’t give a clear direction he gave a kind of indirect, twisting the things.

So, Lord Caitanya pointed all this and explained to them. So, the chief disciples stood up, and he said, “Actually whatever You have said is correct. So, our guru was somewhat hesitating to speak anything, but we request him to accept You as his guru. And in this way, we all will follow You through him.” Something like that.

Anyway, they all surrendered to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and they all became His followers. Then He had a big saṅkīrtana with all these followers of Śaṅkarācārya. Now became followers of Lord Caitanya. So many sannyāsīs. So, Lord Caitanya everywhere He went, He was spreading this message of kṛṣṇa-bhakti to everyone. This is our objective that everyone should know what is the goal of life.

Whole Vedic culture is based on first: “Athāto brahma jijñasā, janmādy asya yataḥ (VS 1.1.1-2)" First inquire what is the absolute truth. If we know what is absolute truth, all the relative truth will be revealed. Once we miss the point, we miss everything. This is the big problem in the modern world. People miss what is the actual point.