19920112 Bhagavad-gītā 9.32 - Ratha-yātrā Festival

The following is the class given on Rath Yatra day by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on January 12th,1992 in Madras, Tamilnāḍu, India. The class begins with a reading from The Bhagavad Gītā 9th chapter 32nd verse.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since only a few people who don’t understand English. So Sumita Kṛṣṇa is going to give a simultaneous translation in tamil for those as needed. I’m sorry, koncham koncham [Guru Mahārāja speaking tamil], I only know little tamil, I like to learn, vanakkam. I’ve been asked to speak tonight on text 32 chapter 9 of the Bhagavad Gītā.

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim

Translation: O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] – can attain the supreme destination.

Purport: It is clearly declared here by the Supreme Lord that in devotional service there is no distinction between the lower and higher classes of people. In the material conception of life there are such divisions, but for a person engaged in transcendental devotional service to the Lord there are not. Everyone is eligible for the supreme destination. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.18) it is stated that even the lowest, who are called caṇḍālas (or dog-eaters), can be purified by association with a pure devotee. Therefore devotional service and the guidance of a pure devotee are so strong that there is no discrimination between the lower and higher classes of men; anyone can take to it. The most simple man can take shelter of the pure devotee and can be purified by proper guidance. According to the different modes of material nature, men are classified in the mode of goodness (brāhmaṇas), the mode of passion (kṣatriyas, or administrators), the mixed modes of passion and ignorance (vaiśyas, or merchants), and the mode of ignorance (śūdras, or workers). Those lower than them are called caṇḍālas, and they are born in sinful families. Generally, the association of those born in sinful families is not accepted by the higher classes. But the process of devotional service is so strong that the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord can enable people of all the lower classes to attain the highest perfection of life. This is possible only when one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa. As indicated here by the word vyapāśritya, one has to take shelter completely of Kṛṣṇa. Then one can become much greater than great jñānīs and yogīs.

Thus, end the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport to text 32 chapter 9 of the Bhagavad Gītā As It Is.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the essential aspect of this verse is vyapāśritya, māṁ those who take shelter in me, I would deliver them. Not only the erudite paṇḍitas, the great brāhmaṇas, not only the kṣatriyas or the great kings and rājarṣīs. But everyone whether man or women, whether merchant, whether worker or whether someone without any spiritual culture. They can all achieve the highest perfection by taking shelter in Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa explains the path of karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti. He explains to Arjuna, the different ways of practicing these different paths in a nutshell, in a very concise way. So repeatedly Arjuna was asking “which path is the best? I’m feeling a doubt, You have glorified both of the paths, so which path do You consider better? Bhakti or jñāna?” Then Kṛṣṇa explains sarveṣāṁ

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yukta-tamo mataḥ

That in My opinion that yogi who is united with Me by constantly performing My bhajana, devotion intimately united with me.

Yoga means to unite, to connect, to come in contact with the Lord. So the Lord is saying that the process of bhakti is the best way of uniting with Him, the way of uniting most intimately. But there are many who find it difficult to follow the process of bhakti. Because bhakti requires taking the shelter of the Lord with all sincerity and humility and some people do not want to suscept the supremacy of the Lord, so for them bhakti is difficult.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was a very exceptional person, but he had committed many offences against Kṛṣṇa and the pāṇḍavas.

So, when his brother Vidura came back of see him, he knew it was hopeless to preach to Dhṛtarāṣṭra to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Because Dhṛtarāṣṭra had been an enemy of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees his whole life, on different occasions. But Kṛṣṇa is so broad-minded that even for those who are envious of Him, even for those who do not want to bow down before Him. He is still willing to have them be delivered from saṁsāra, from the cycle of birth and death. And for those who are not able to surrender to Him, He gives other processes like yoga and jñāna.

So Vidura seeing Dhṛtarāṣṭra living in the house of Yudhiṣṭhira, after the battle of Kurukshetra. He felt pity that here my brother is old and about ready to die. Now he should absorb himself in the Param Brahma, but he is still absorbed in the illusion. He said, “how are you doing my elder brother?” And his brother was saying how things are going on in the kingdom.

So Vidura could see he was still having the abhimāna, the ahaṅkāra of being the mahārāja. He said you’re still calling yourself a king? He said yes! Why not Yudhiṣṭhira, the emperor is calling me mahārāja?

So Vidura knew that kṣatriyas are very much in the mode of passion, honor is greater for them than death. So, he said you are eating the bits of food from the hands of the person who is responsible for the killing of your hundred sons. You are accepting praise from him as mahārāja, but you don’t see that you’re just living as a kept dog.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said, no no! What are you saying? I don’t have to listen to this. He said yes, you don’t have to listen because you’re gradually going deaf with old age, your teeth are falling out, your eyes are losing, already blind from birth, your voice is getting choked up, any minute you’re going to die. Better you go to the forest, perform aṣtāṇga-yoga, meditate on the absolute, the Brahma, and go back to Godhead.

So Dhṛtarāṣṭra being stirred by these very harsh words of Vidura, he left the kingdom. Left the palace and he went in the forest and he did meditation until he burned himself off in mystic fire. It’s very difficult for people today to do even what Dhṛtarāṣṭra did.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was advised to do that by Vidura because he would not surrender to Kṛṣṇa. But for the Pāṇḍavas, for the other devotees they don’t need to practice the yoga system, they don’t need to practice the jñāna system. They read the teachings, they hear the teachings of Kṛṣṇa, they directly worship Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa reveals His mysteries to His devotees bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. To practice the system of jñāna, the systems of karma or the systems of aṣtāṇga yoga as a means for self-realization. He told them you simply worship Kṛṣṇa in pure bhakti, because by bhakti you can achieve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is only attainable by devotion.

So, the verse today also expresses vyapāśritya, who takes shelter of Me, my āśraya, my shelter and anyone can come to me. Not that first you have to be born a brāhmaṇa, not you have to be born a kṣatriya. Anyone whether they are man or women, whether they’re businessman merchant whatever they may be whether they’re worker, even if they are born in a sinful family. If someone accepts Kṛṣṇa, they can achieve the highest blessing, the highest benediction. Simply by the touch of Kṛṣṇa one gains all knowledge.

Prahlāda was looking for God, he didn’t know what God look like, he didn’t know where to find Him. He went into the forest on the advice of his mother looking for the Lord. he went up to the trees, are you God? There was no answer. He went to the lions, Are you God? Are you Bhagavān?

Ah (Guru Mahārāja making roaring sound)!

Are you Bhagavān?

He was fearless. He looked under the rock, are you Bhagavān?

Are you Bhagavān?

Are you Bhagavān?

Are you Bhagavān?

He didn’t know where to find Bhagavān. He didn’t know what he was looking for. All he knew was there was someone called Bhagavān, who was the Supreme powerful and he wanted to find Him. Because his father had thrown him off his lap and therefore, he wanted to teach his father a lesson.

As a kṣatriya son that he would have a greater kingdom, bigger than his father's, for that he was looking for God, almost a childish purpose, but he was most determined.

So, Nārāyaṇa send Nārada down, help this boy, he wants to reach me, teach him how to find me. If we want to reach the Lord we have to go through the bonafide process. We have to reach him according to the system given in śāstra. We have to go through a guru in the guru paramparā. In this way it’s very easy to reach the Lord under the guidance of a bonafide guru.

When Nārada appeared to Dhruva, Dhruva asked him, are you Bhagavān?

No no no, I’m not Bhagavān, but I’m a messenger of Bhagavān. This is the nature of a true guru. A real guru will not say he is God, will not say he is Bhagavān. He is a messenger or a svarūpa, or representative of the Lord, an ambassador from the spiritual world.

So Nārada told Dhruva, you’re a small boy what are you doing in the forest? Go back to your mother, it’s dangerous here, there is wild animals. But Dhruva said you either help me find Bhagavān, otherwise leave me alone. I don’t have time to waste, will you help me or not?

When Nārada tested the disciple, saw he was truly sincere to find Bhagavān. Then he gave him the mantra, you chant the mantra Oṁ Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya. And Dhruva began to chant and meditate according to the system that Nārada gave him. Within five months of following that process very intensively, Nārāyaṇa appeared before Dhruva.

When Dhruva saw the Supreme Lord with a beautiful garland hanging down to His, the flower garland hanging to His lotus feet. With His yellow clothings, His Kaustubha māni, His four hands, cakra, gadā, padma and śankha with His smiling lotus face. His lotus eyes, His beautiful crowns and decorations, earrings, His effulgence on all the sides. Dhruva became overwhelmed and fell down laying flat like a stick before Nārāyaṇa offering his obeisances, Oṁ Namo Nārāyaṇāya.

Nārāyaṇa touched his head with His śankha and Dhruva became filled with knowledge and was able to offer beautiful prayers to the Lord. The Lord asked him, that you want the kingdom greater than your father, so I shall give you a kingdom.

But Dhruva said, “no no, I wanted broken glass, I wanted a piece of garbage, instead I got the most valuable jewel, the priceless treasure by having your darśana. Now I don't want anything else, please let me stay with you, let me serve you. What is the need of a kingdom? It's going to finish anyway”.

This is the vision the great bhaktas get when they realize the Lord then everything else seems insignificant. So, some people go to the Lord because they want something like Dhruva, he wanted a kingdom. Some people go to the Lord because they want money, some people are inquisitive and some are in full knowledge. But once someone achieves the Lord they never come back again to the material world.

nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

Once they achieve the Supreme destination they lose their interest with the material enjoyments which are insignificant. So simply by the touch of the Lord anyone can become pure. Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught the science of nāma, the holy name.

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ Kṛṣṇas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ

That Kṛṣṇa and His name are abhinna, they are non-different. Kṛṣṇa, the form of Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa the name are all on the absolute platform. In the material world, there is a difference between the person and the thing and the name of the person. Just like, if I feel thirsty, I may call water, water, water, thanni, thanni, thanni [Guru Mahārāja tells water in tamil], jov pani, but my thirst is not going. When I get the object water and drink it, this is much better. But when we call Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of a guru

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

We feel Kṛṣṇa in our heart. Yesterday some devotee was saying, while they were pulling the rathaṁ they were feeling a great inspiration of bhāva in their heart simply by pulling the Lord's rathaṁ. By serving the Lord, by chanting His name, by remembering His form, by serving His devotee, these are the ways we can connect with the Lord. This is the bhakti yoga system, nava-vidha bhakti. So, there's no qualification of birth required in order to practice. Of course, if one is very learned, if they are great brāhmaṇa or a great king, there was a difficulty for them they are very learned people, they can accept out of knowledge. But even a simple people Kṛṣṇa says, anyone if they do take shelter of Him, He will deliver them, this is His promise, Kṛṣṇa never fails, He's Acyuta, infallible.

So, Lord Caitanya taught, we can take shelter in the age of kali of the name of Kṛṣṇa. We can chant Kṛṣṇa's name all the time, kīrtanīyā sadā hari, day and night.

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

While waking, while sleeping, while cooking, anytime. There is no hard and fast rule, although they are guidelines but there are no hard and fast rules. During the time of Lord Caitanya you know, that time people were being converted from Hindu dharma to Islam by some various forceful means.

There was once a very favored Lord, one of the chief courtiers of the Hussain Shah, the emperor of the Pancha Gauḍa empire in North India. It so happened that when the emperor was a child, he was under the care of this Lord to train him to fight. And one day he was being inattentive, so he just gave him a hit with his whip that lord, wake up! This may save your life, you watch out. And that whip made a mark in his back. Later that young prince became the emperor and he, his queen noticed the mark on his back and said what is this mark on your back? He said oh somebody whip me. Oh, really who whipped you?

Oh, so and such Lord. A mere lord whipped my emperor, he must be killed. What? He's like my uncle, he like my father. He trained me, he did, he, he was a protector, I was naughty. You're the emperor, how can anyone whip the emperor? I wasn't the emperor when he whipped me. Oh, but now you're the emperor, he must die. Oh no just like, I can't, how can I kill him?

He's like a peer to me. But she kept insisting, finally he brought that lord and said I'm very sorry but the queen is insisting, I kill you, I can't kill you, you're so dear to me but I have to do something, otherwise I cannot disobey always the request of the queen.  So, I'm going to convert you to a Muslim. And he spit in a glass of water and he pour the water down his throne. He said, "No no! Don't do that." He poured the water in his face, simple by pouring the water, now you're Muslim. That was how simple, if somebody spit in a glass, threw it on you, you become Muslim. No philosophy nothing, just throw a glass of water, finished.

Now people are eating in hotel, you don't care who they're eating, but in those days if someone threw a glass of water, you're finished, that was the system in India, that's why there's 20%. So, what happened is that lord he went to the paṇḍitas, he went to Banaras how can I get reconverted back to a Hindu?

They told him you just take one kilo of ghee, one sheer of ghee, you boil it and get it smoking in the fire. When it's hot and smoking, steaming you can drop one drop of water, it evaporate, shh. When it's boiling ghee you drink it and you'll be cured. If I drink it I'll die. yes, but you'd be reborn as a Hindu. I was looking for a different kind of solution, thankyou panditji.

So, he couldn't find a single pandit in whole India who would give him a method how he could get reinstated, purified from this impurity of someone spitting in a glass and throwing it on him. He went to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, what can I do to get purified?

Then Lord Caitanya told him simply you say the name Hare Kṛṣṇa, repeat that mantra. Alright you're pure, no, no more problem, I accept you. Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted millions, so what is this? You chant once the name of Kṛṣṇa you're pure of all the sins. The Lord Caitanya actually was delivering the people. He said we have to be very careful to follow the śāstra, in not to superstitions and the speculations that come up. Sometimes the ideas come which are not properly understood according to the time, place and circumstance. Kāla, deśa, pātraṁ. Sometimes there are various things which are introduced, which are not actually śāstric.

One time there was a wedding party here in a kalyāṇa-maṇḍapam [Guru Mahārāja speaking tamil] so you can imagine we are in a wedding party. There was a yajñam going on, there was a little girl being married to a, just she was a small girl, 13 years old, being married to young man. Next to the yajña there was, it was a outdoor yajña, not a kalyāṇa-maṇḍapam.

So, there was a cat, a cat was screaming and making lot of noise. So then the didi sasurji, the mother of the boy's older sister. She found this cat was creating a disturbance, told the local boys you put a basket over the cat and just let it be quiet. So, they took a basket and put it over the cat. The little girl saw this, later she became a mother, she had a grown boy, the wedding was going on of his son. They are about to do the kanyādānam, the pāṇigrahi, then all of a sudden, she stopped! The yajña cannot go on. It's our family custom, when I was married, they caught a cat and put it under a basket by the yajña. You had to immediately find a cat, bring it here, put it under the basket, otherwise the wedding will not be complete, our family tradition will be neglected.

So, they went running in the neighborhood, where's the cat? Here's the cat, running, the boy is chasing catching the cat, putting by the yajña, putting under the basket. Aha okay now the yajña can go on. This became the new tradition in their gotra, had to be married with a cat in a basket by the yagñaśālā. Many things are introduced without understanding the practicalities, the realities and the śāstra.

So, there's this difference between the Vaiṣṇava acharyas and the smārta-brāhmaṇas. This morning we were reading how Dakṣa, he could not tolerate Śiva.

So, he insulted Śiva's wife, his own daughter Satī. Until Satī being offended could not tolerate the offence to Śiva, she immolated herself with mystic power and all hell broke loose.

Later Śiva under request of Brahmā gave back a head to Dakṣa who'd lost his head and then Dakṣa realizes Śiva is a very great magnanimous person. After committing so many offences he brought him back to life and he offered his apologies.

So, Lord Śiva is considered vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ, the greatest of the devotees of Viṣṇu. But sometime the smārta outlook is very rigid, the Vaiṣṇava outlook is little broad.

So, there may be some disagreement. When Lord Caitanya started to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa there was opposition from the smārtas, that you cannot chant the name of Viṣṇu out loud. This will destroy the Hindu dharma the name of Vishnu will become weak, if it's spoken out loud.

But Lord Caitanya He showed that there's nowhere in the śāstras says the name of Kṛṣṇa cannot be sung out loud. The name doesn't become weak just like the sun does not become contaminated when it is shining in the dirty water. It purifies the dirty place. So, we need to get purified, the easiest way is we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. The final instruction of Bhagavad Gītā is

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

You leave aside all other dharmas and follow this dharma of surrendering to me alone and I will deliver you from all the sinful reactions. This is the most important instruction of Bhagavad Gītā.

But repeatedly throughout Gītā Kṛṣṇa is saying take shelter of Me, take shelter of Me, take shelter of Me, finally He says take shelter of Me and nobody else, then I will deliver you. But when somebody wants to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa the family members will say why you want to do so much?

Little dharma is enough. You're too young, don't take shelter of Kṛṣṇa now, wait till you get old. But now a days there's any guarantee how long we're going to live? Who can say we are going to live to be 100 years or 70 years or how many years? Death can come at any time in Kali-yuga, there's no set system. We need to begin the practice of bhakti yoga as early as possible.

Prahlāda Mahārāja recommended kaumāra ācaret prājño, beginning not too early, only after 5 years of age. Anyone less than 5 doesn't need to practice, only over 5. If there's anyone here over 5 years of age, then you can begin practicing now if you have not already begun. But people, we continually find that even if a 40-year-old man or women chant, the elderly parents say why so young?

If a 20-year-old chant they say why so young? But if we don't practice, how will we continue. It's not possible all of the sudden when we grow old to suddenly change our whole way of thinking, change our whole outlook on life and suddenly take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. We need to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa throughout our life. We need to lead a life with Kṛṣṇa as the center, as the shelter for the devotee.

So, the bhakti process doesn't mean you have to give up the world. It means you see the world is Kṛṣṇa. We use the world in Kṛṣṇa's service. Sītā is Lakṣmī, Rāvaṇa wanted Sītā for his own enjoyment.

But Hanumān wanted Sītā to give Sītā back to Rāma. If we see the world for our enjoyment, we get entangled in the karmas. If we see this world as the energy of Kṛṣṇa, I should use it according to Kṛṣṇa's instruction, there's no entanglement.

So Kṛṣṇa gives the guidelines, you do everything for Me as an offering. Whatever you eat, whatever you give in charity, whatever you do in recreation, you do everything as the offering to Me. So, we eat Kṛṣṇa-prasādam, everyone is invited to take Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. We glorify Kṛṣṇa, we organize the festival, this is not a one-man program. This festival someone gave the hall, someone gave the chariot, someone sold the chariot, someone is giving the prasādam, someone is helping to print the notices, so many details are there.

Entertainers are coming and dancing, playing flute to entertain you. To entertain Lord Jagannath, someone is cooking the prasādam and the all of you are here to eat the prasādam. So, everyone is doing their part. This is the system of bhakti is called yukta vairāgya, to engage everything we have in the service of the Lord, in the service of Kṛṣṇa.

So that process isn't difficult if we have a little faith in the Lord. If we are like Dhṛtarāṣṭra it's difficult, if we are like Duryodhana it's difficult. But if we are like Arjuna or we are little bit devotional what is the difficulty?

We just today should bow down to Jagannātha, bow down to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa I decided to take your shelter, I surrender my life to you, from now on I wanted to do what's pleasing to you. Lead me to a bonafide guru, lead me to your lotus feet, I want to serve you, I've lead my life so long simply thinking of myself, me, me, me. Ahaṁ mameti and I suffered for it. Now I wanna think of you how I can please you because you given me everything. If we simply offer our self to the Lord He'll take charge of our life, He will lead us back to Him. But we don't want to surrender, we don't want to take the mercy of the Lord, this is our shortcoming and as a result we're suffering.

But this is the Lord's request, His offer, He's very neutral, He said do what you like. He told Arjuna, now you heard everything. Now you decide what you want to do. Kṛṣṇa is very neutral, you don't want to surrender to Him, He's not going to force you. You go on in the saṁsāra, life after life, punarjanma.

But we devotees, we have the right to say Kṛṣṇa is the greatest, Kṛṣṇa is the most merciful, take advantage of Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Now I'm seeing in poṅgal season so many sales are there, 20% discount, 25% discount, 35% discount, 50% discount. But where will you get such a discount simply by chanting

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

Taking shelter of the Lord's name, you can achieve all the benefits of practicing karma, jñāna, yoga. It's unbelievable discount, don't pass it off, take advantage of the Lord's mercy. That simply our request to everyone. And those of you have already practicing Kṛṣṇa Consciousness try to encourage others.

Second Level Proofer: Karuṇāpati Keśava das

Second Level Proofed on: 19-Jan-2021