19920124 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.21.1-4

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The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 24, 1992 – in Bangalore, India. The lecture begins with a reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.21.1-4.

Alam. Maitreya maitreya. Translation. The great sage Maitreya told Nidura, when the king entered his city, it was very beautifully decorated to receive him with pearls, flower garlands, beautiful crowns, golden gates, and the entire city was perfumed with highly fragrant incense. Real opulence is supplied by natural gifts such as gold, silver, pearls, valuable stones, fresh flowers, trees and silken cloth. Thus, the Vedic civilization recommends opulence decoration with these natural gifts of the supreme personality of Gandhi. Such opulence immediately changes the condition of the mind and the entire atmosphere becomes spiritualized. King Prithu’s capital was decorated with such highly opulent decorations. Next, two. Fragrant water, distilled from sandalwood and aguru herb was sprinkled everywhere on the lanes, roads and small parks throughout the city. And everywhere were decorations of unbroken fruits, flowers, wedded grains, varied minerals and lamps, all presented as auspicious paraphernalia.

Translation at the street crossings there were bunches of fruits and flowers as well as pillars of banana leaves, excuse me, banana trees and beetle nut branches. All these combined decorations everywhere look very attractive. As the king entered the gate of the city, all the citizens received him with many auspicious articles like lamps, flowers and yogurt. The king was also received by many beautiful unmarried girls whose bodies were decorated with various ornaments, especially with earrings which collided with one another. She’s a bubble pot. Offerings of natural products such as beetle nuts, bananas, newly grown wheat patty, yogurt and vermilion carried by the citizens and scattered throughout the cities are all auspicious paraphernalia according to Vedic civilization, for receiving a prominent guest like a bridegroom, king or spiritual master.

Similarly, a welcome offered by unmarried girls who are internally and externally clean and are dressed in nice garments and ornaments is also auspicious. Kumari, or unmarried girls, untouched by the hand of any member of the opposite sex, are auspicious members of society. Even today in Hindu society, the most conservative families do not allow unmarried girls to go out freely or mix with boys. They are very carefully protected by their parents while unmarried. After marriage they are protected by their young husbands and when elderly, they are protected by their children. When thus protected, women as a class remain an always auspicious source of energy to man. Thus add Bhaktivedanta Swami Translation purport text 14 of chapter 21, canto 4 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam read 24 January 1992 in the 505th year of our Lord Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. So from these Verses in the Bhāgavatam.

We are able to understand various aspects of Vedic culture. They’re like windows into historians. Purāṇas are considered histories. They get the history of this universe not only in this creation or in this day of Brahma, but also in previous days of Brahma, even in previous Brahmas. They are all historical accounts. Supritra Maharaj is just coming. After having achieved God realization, he had realized Vishnu face to face. Vishnu, the supreme personality of Godhead, revealed himself to Pritu Maharaj, the emperor, and gave him instruction. And Pritu Maharaj worshipped him. Now when Pritu Maharaj is coming back from the great sacrifice to his town, all the residents automatically, spontaneously welcomed the him with various auspicious items. The. King and his Raja used to have a very intimate, very. What’s the right word? There used to be a lot of respect and appreciation.

There was a very strong relationship in the past. As Kali Yuga progressed and king started to exploit the people, then the whole relationship became a little bit spoiled. But we can see in the time of Biddu Maharaj, the king actually feels responsible for protecting his pja, his citizens. The king is an institution. Monarchy was such that the citizens spontaneously, they would go and welcome him, be very happy to greet him with auspicious articles. Even I see now in modern times that in certain places, like in Thailand, although there’s a democracy, but the king is still very much appreciated by the people. And they come out in big throngs whenever he goes in a procession. Even we saw in England that when Prince Charles was married, people were thronging their roads to see him.

Of course, they don’t have this system of decorating the city with Beijing auspicious articles. Anyway, there is some kind of appreciation among some of the citizens. But here in the Vedic time, everyone was very appreciated. The point that Prabhupāda brings up here is that this is another type of culture. Culture. This is a natural culture based on the opulence given by God, given by the supreme personality of Godhead. Incense, flowers, beautiful clothing, all these natural decorations, leaves, banana trees, scented oils scattered on the robes. This creates a whole atmosphere which is uplifting to the consciousness. Nowadays, Instead of these kind of natural decorations, you see like perverted reflections where people hang plastic things all over the place. And they have another way of. In the nighttime they will put on some colored lights. It’s about the extent of it.

Here we can see that there’s a very beautiful way of having a festive booth. The spiritual master is also received with various auspicious offerings like this. When Śrīla prabhupda would arrive somewhere after a separation, the devotees would greet them with a kīrtana, with flower garlands, with mantras, with decorating the temple. These are natural expressions of the love and the devotion for the guru can be manifested through these different decorations. Someone feels something, wants to express their appreciation, how to do it. So this gives a system that by making a nice reception, a nice decoration, this is the way out. Putting into practice, putting into practical. For someone’s natural affection. These are not only appreciated by the person being received, but everyone in this type of environment feels a certain upliftment. So. It also mentions the bridegroom is received.

Bridegroom is considered a very respected guest because according to Vedic culture, the bridegroom is going to be given the families most cherished possession, their own daughter. So naturally he will be highly respected. They won’t give their daughter to anyone, someone who they are sure will protect their daughter. That was the tradition. So not that everybody, anybody gets this reception. Nowadays when some political gathering is there, you see the party plagues are put all over the street. And people erect certain gates and key positions in the path of the VIP. When he arrives, then they offer 21 gun salute, They play the national anthem, few things like that. That’s the modern way we saw on the TV when Gorbachev arrived india.

He’s standing by the 21 gun salute, inspect the military guard like in Śrī Lanka where the one guard took his gun and hit Rajiv Gandhi. In India still little bit of viticulture is preserved, like with the garland the vip. Of course, sometimes the garlands contain bombs. So now when you want to give a garland to the vip, the Black Cat commandos will check it over to see it has no bomb in it. A few revenants are there. Generally it’s very dry. 21 Gun salutes and bands playing the national anthem. It’s very dry. This type of reception where the whole city is decorated, there’s a whole festive food, mantras and chantings and young kumaris decorated everything. This is whole different creation, It’s a whole different realm of auspiciousness.

So these things are now instead of young kumaris, they have some, you know, movie starlet, attractive women and violent. And VIP things have become much before. So how do we know what is the real standard? That’s where the Vedic literature is so important, because it gives us an absolute standard. Because what people now, they don’t have this Vedic knowledge, they don’t have any standard to compare things by. They’re just comparing things with what happened five years ago, what happened 10 years ago, what happened 20 years ago. So year by year it changes 5%, 1%. And you see that after 10 years things have changed so much. If you just come after 10 years, you think, wow, everything is completely different. Ten years ago, the girls india, they were not mixing so freely like they were doing now with the boys.

They weren’t wearing the blue jeans and everything so much. Now you see that, the chain, but they don’t see it because they’re only changing every year, little bit by little bit. And they think, what? This is a natural thing. But if you actually compare it by Vedic standard, then you see, wow, it’s really gone far off from the actual standard. So this is why it’s so important to have traditions based in real knowledge, based in the Vedic culture. Otherwise what’s happening we’re seeing before our very eyes is gradually India is becoming westernized and the western standard is considered to be the standard. We have discussed this in many lectures to the public. Prabhupāda was stressing this point that India should take whatever good from their technological advancement, from the economic advancement, but not take the bad things.

Actually Indian culture and Western affluence or technology, they make a good mix. But if you take Western culture as it is, it’s flying. They don’t have any spiritual direction right now in the west, it’s not even safe to go on the streets. In my zone in Atlanta every day there’s so many people being killed. America last year was number one in the world, you know that number one, you know in what number one in murders. More people were murdered in America than any other country in the world. So number one. So that what we want to also get the same distinction india. We will have everything that the west has. More murders, war crimes, more drug abuse, more illicit sex, more intoxication, more gambling. That’s not the way that India should go.

Have more technology, have more wealth, that’s alright, but use it for more the spirituality that makes India different in the whole world. Why tourists would think even to come to India only because they come to see the ancient temples, they come to see the artistic festivals and other things. But the Indians themselves, sometimes they gradually are imitating the west and they forget their own pride in their own culture. This is what Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted, that in these major cities of India, like Bombay, Bangalore, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, we should have nice spiritual centers, Hyderabad Nice spiritual centers that will attract the people and stand as bill of fortress citizens of daily culture. To keep the people from going completely off the track. Vedic culture needs to be promoted from very childhood, from the high school, grade school level.

Here it’s glorifying our kumaris, protected, chaste, young, unmarried girls who are protected by their families. These are actually auspicious for the whole society. And when they are protected by a proper husband and then by grown children in this way, society through the women folk has given a very positive influence. Otherwise there’s a lot of disturbance in the society from unprotected women. Now it’s a very big thing. In Australia, England, everywhere the battered wives, abandoned wives with children, they become a burden on the society as an there because the families are not so tightly knit. There’s no father or brother, anyone to protect. Then it goes on adult, they go on the government relief plan. And there’s a very high percentage of people who are taking girls who are taking this kind of relief being abandoned.

So because the system of marriage there, the system of family there is so degenerated that there’s no dependence, there’s no kind of fixity in marriage. And so this creates a big social problem and they’re wondering what to do. But the Vedic culture has already had the solution that by having this relationship, any kind of Thai family, having these joint Hindu families, which the government has tried its best to destroy the various income tax amendments by having the joint Hindu family, by having protected children. What this does is this promotes proper marriage without divorce, revolves many things so that the society doesn’t get destroyed. Right now what people really need is this knowledge of the Vedas and especially the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Now there’s so many different ideas and speculation that people get confused.

And you put that along with the modern technology and they wonder what is the validity of Armenian culture. It seems to be old fashioned. Archaea. If some young man or woman in the college starts wearing neckbeats, they get harassed by all the other children, all the other students. What’s wrong with you? You become old fashioned. What do you think you become a sadhu or something they harass in so many ways. In India. If you have my. And if they would dare to wear a seeka, then they will have their sika pulled. Even the teacher will openly laugh at them in the class. This is the standard nowadays. I know if I am speaking not from anything else, but from personal experience by some devotees who have done that. Maybe in the south it’s slightly better. I don’t know. It’s better that you can sit.

But in north, they don’t have respect at all. In somebody goes like that in the school. I don’t know if it’s much better in the south. So this is a situation that we’re facing today is that because of various lacunas, various problems, people are becoming alienated from their own culture near India. So this is our special mission is let people know the greatness of their own culture. Here. You see, in the west, we’re trying to tell people how Indian culture is so great. Prabhupāda was really concerned. In the meantime, India leaves their own culture and takes Western culture. Then, you know, people laugh at us. You’re telling us to take Indian culture, but the Indians never left their own cultures. India is going to help. So then how will we able to shell people?

So actually, just like in a war, you have got, you know, your front army is there fighting. You have got the base camp where you send back the ammunition and the provisions. You had to keep the supply lines open. So Prabhupāda here, he went on the front line, he went and assaulted the whole rest of the world culture with the Indian spiritual culture. And meanwhile, he sees the base camp is going to hell. It’s not going to be very good. So therefore he said, although I have been instructed to deliver the Western world, that in order to do that, I also have to see that India doesn’t degenerate. So I came back to India and started the preaching here, although I was not specifically ordered to do so.

But as part of a global strategy for saving the whole world, India is the most essential part that needs to be preserved. So we have got a lot of competition nowadays. They’re trying to bring. They have the video parlors and every village, they want to bring the TV in all the villages so that people, they’re drinking so much this dinner, there’s different kinds of brew killing themselves. So a lot of. In fact, one of our devotees was in Finland from Karnataka. He said that the problem in his village when he tries to get the people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa is most of the men are getting drunk every night on the village home roofs. So they’re not so receptive.

So actually the problem is very deep and we need to have a strong center and establish as a spiritual authority and then expand that preaching to the villages to get the people back into their spiritual practices. So we have a very big agenda. Our agenda is very broad and unfortunately in this secular country, they don’t appreciate that. Actually this is what’s going to save the government a lot of money in the future. Going to really promote development. What is the use of trying to develop if as you’re doing it, all the citizens become unruly, degenerate, ill mannered, bad character, bad habits, you’re going to have other social problems. The culture, the religion, this is what keeps the fiber of the people intact. And government should realize that they don’t want to promote one religion, promote all religions. All religions are telling.

Truthfulness, religiosity, charity, cleanliness, honesty, all these things are promoted in all the religions. So in this way people need to be encouraged, they need to be guided. Since the government is now separate from religion. So the religious people are the ones that have this responsibility. So that should be supported by the government. Unfortunately, if you give a donation to religion, you get no tax relief in this country. In other countries like America, you get 100% tax relief. If you give up to 50% of your money to religion, you get 100% tax relief for that. That’s interesting because Prabhupāda said that religious every hasta, if he gives 50% of his income to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he’s as good as a Sannyāsī. In America you can give up to 50% and you don’t pay any tax on that.

So that’s why you wonder where all the money is coming for the Christian missionaries, it’s coming from tax relief money given in these countries. But india, if you want to donate to your own Hindu missionaries india or anywhere, you get no relief that’s out of your personal expense. So that shows the government is not appreciating that this is a necessary aspect to the whole society. It’s unfortunate, whatever it may be. We’re not directly taking up any political platform, just trying to make you aware of some of the problems we’re facing and what is the direction that we’re heading. When we read these verses from the Bhāgavatam, we can see a whole different standard of life. We cannot bring back exactly the Vedic culture fully.

We don’t know if we will find any proper monarchs as there were in those days, or a proper citizens who accept the monarch. But at least some aspects of the Vedic culture as much as possible, progressively we should turn back this aspect of the degeneration, bring it to regeneration. We want to regenerate the higher aspects of culture in society. Let the economy go in one direction, let technology be advanced, but culturally, let there be a regeneration. Our cultural values, spiritual values, this is what’s needed. It.

(Side B of the Cassette)

To the Kṛṣṇa chants, to the festivals, to the various activities, book distribution, life membership program. We are in various ways turning back the clock of Kali Yuga. Kali wants to degenerate, we want to regenerate. So this is our specific program. And then that is how all the devotees are playing such an important part. Without the devotees preaching, who else is. What is the hope? What is really the hope? There may be some other groups who are trying to do something, but it may not be so wide or spread or so well organized. We have to try to organize all the positive influences. And really put out this fire of Khalif. People are suffering in this world. There is suffering, but everybody wants to be happy.

There’s an interesting story told by our previous Acharya, how once there was a poor man and he was very hungry and he was very weak. He went to one temple by the side of the Ganges, and outside at the veranda of the temple, he just leaned against one of the round pillars and he leaned against it and he went this. Oh, oh, I am so hungry. Oh, I am so hungry. Oh, I am so hungry. Just thinking and reading what to do. Then one rich man, he come back from bathing in the Ganges and he saw this poor hunting guy, like moaning, you know, in hunger. So he thought I should give him some food. So he went and he bought one bag of puffed rice, large or quaint. And he went and he came, said, I want to give you this.

On this holy day when I took Gaṅgā Slav, I want to give you this cup rice. So the person, okay, you just give me. He’s holding his hand around the Caliph. You should take your hand out from the Caliph. I just give, you know that I am too weak. You just put it near my head. So he’s still leaning on the collar. So the man he just put on gave the puff rice in his hand and went off. The poor guy, he’s sitting there now. He’s holding the puff rice with his hands around the column, but he’s thinking, are you how to eat? He’s trying to eat, but now he can’t reach it because the column is too big and he’s stuck. Now the wind starts coming and blowing away the puffed rice from his hand.

If we release his hand, all the pumped rice will fall down. So he’s like in a real predicament. He can’t eat it, he can’t release it. It’s blowing away his stomach aching. He’s in a real anxiety, suffering in all the Direction. So the Śrīyas are Acharya say this is the nature of material existence. We want to be happy, but actually we can enjoy. We’re hanging on to saṁsāra happiness. We think that I gotta have this, otherwise I can’t be happy. At the same time, I want to have the real happiness. But we can’t reach to it, neither we can let go of it. At the same time, we’re suffering like anything, stomach ache, anxieties. So this is a very unfortunate state of existence in material life.

Unless we actually release ourselves from that attachment to thinking that material happiness will make us happy and actually take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then we are forced to just go on in this paradox, in this whole heavy situation of suffering. That is a real problem that we’re facing. There’s other examples also which are there, how the people actually. They are forced to suffer in different ways. Of course, when we try to teach to them, let everyone chant hare Kṛṣṇa. Then they say, no, I have my way. I am doing my way. The way of my forefathers, the way of. But what they’re doing is they just kind of imitate whatever the other guys do, they’re doing. There’s an example at one time with the Ganges, all the Brahmanas are going. And everyone is bringing a little clay to do pūjā.

And on the plate they have their different articles to do that karpuna for their forefathers. So one old Ramana, he saw that everybody gets their plates mixed up with one another. So he wanted to make his plate different than the other. So he took a little dharga mati, little Ganges mud, and he rolled in a ball and put on his plates. When the other Brahmanas came, they saw, oh, his plate has got a ball of Ganges mug. So they thought, maybe this is one of the rules where were not following. They all took a little ball and put on the airplane. When the old Brahmin came out, he saw all the planes have got one ball of mud on it. So there is no way to tell which was his plane anymore. Saying that these people, they are real flying followers. They simply.

They don’t know why I put the ball on ice Lane to make my playing different so I can find it. If they knew why I did it, they will all put some different marks. One will put a ball, one will put a leaf, one will put something else. But because they just following blindly, one guy did it. They’re all doing it simply. Whatever the others do, they do. So they’re all Irritating without knowing what is the purpose. So what? We try to train people. What is the purpose of harva? What is the purpose of religion? And then they can properly apply. Otherwise if they go blindly following one guy, putting on tilak this way or let everyone do it. Why? What is the tilak? What is the mantra? People forgot him put on a poitra.

They don’t know if they use the poitra to tie their keys. They don’t use it for mantras in many places. But this is our problem that we are facing every blindly following. And when we try to educate people, you do something according to the Shastra. They don’t want to study, they don’t want to know. Whatever the forefathers did will do the same thing. Gradually. However, because of Prabhupāda books. When people read the books, they can see that the knowledge is so clear that they’re able to get a new insight about the purpose of life. That’s why it’s so important to distribute the books that people can understand. We want that people, when they become life members, they shouldn’t only put the book on their self but they should read it somehow.

There should be some incentives to get the light members to read the books. Maybe a special competition or something. I don’t know. Light members competition. Who’s read the books anyway? If their children read then they may be enlightened to also read. Somehow we need to encourage if they read and really understand his philosophy. You will see that even a small percentage of people can create a very big effect on society. So thank you very much for all the good effects that you’re giving. You should know that this is the most important service. It’s very dear to Kṛṣṇa Balaram, to Lord Chaitanya as well as Sītā to Bharubhat. This service is considered by Kṛṣṇa and Bhagavad Gītā, 18th chapter, the most endearing. He said that one who gives this message to others is the most dear to him in the whole world. Thank you very much.

Any question. Which are like a camp for the life. You know, like they have youth camps. Youth camp. But a life covers camp. They have a two, three days and selfie party camp. Otherwise they’re not motivated. They get associated. When you go out on their birthday to give them a sweet, you can sit down with them and let them read a few verse, a few pages of these. Say on the day of your birth, it’s very auspicious to read a chapter from the Gītā, another chapter, a few Verses from Bhagavad. You can sit with them right where they’re there and read out of them together. That may be one way. Run a little. Children are students, so they have little free time. Although not even nails. I have to study. I have to pass my exam. They’re under a lot of pressure nowadays.

The businessman will say busy nest pros that they’re too busy. So they will say, I have no time. I am too busy with my busyness. So everybody has their excuse. It’s like that fiction story of Alice in Wonderland with some Mad Hatters there. No time, no time. Running everywhere. They’re like that. Running, running. But one thing in Otaku he mentions in Uddhali Aruda that every day the sun is rising and setting. Our life is reducing by one day. But we have become so active, so busy. So after so many things, we neglect the actual fact that our life is reducing with every rising and setting sun. One day we’re coming closer to death. We should be preparing ourselves. Instead we’re so busy with the temporary works of this world. Gradually our leg is slipping your finger like the sands.

Like that pup rice is flying off the man’s head. His whole life is going away neglect. So somehow your point is very good. Maybe there’s some way we can have special camp for the Light members. If they can break themselves away from their busy occupational type. If not, at least someone other. Promote them to on a regular basis. Be in their house, be with their family, encourage them. The family that prays together, stays together. Any other question? Yes. Talking about life, can you also take the deities to the house and do some. That’s not good. You have many other comments. Turn into his teeth. On the day of their appearance, instead of just going with the sleep, you go in the vehicle with the little portable deities. Check the deity out of their living room. Do an arti, do a girta.

Offer the pushat there. Give the pushat to all the family members. Sit there, have them leave the Gītā, have a whole half hour program. And then you take the deities out. They will feel like something really happened. More than just some sadhu coming in here. Here’s the sundash and walk out and actually create the influence in their house. Having the organization come in. That’s definitely a very dynamic idea. Any other comments? Question?

We found that more than the Pārvatī and Bhāgavatam, the Light Numbers like to recruit biography.

They like to mean this biography.

Over reach that they become very smart. And it’s also Something like, you know, stuff that is made or not. Sort of just ordinary matter. Something like Greenwood situation, for example, where a very old person goes to a.

Yes, Lord. In Patna they have inaugurated their free celebration of the centennial of Śrīla Prabhupāda. First in the world. They declared their first to inaugurate 1992 and prepare for the 1996 five years free celebration for the celebration of the centennial 96 and then for the post celebration of five years. So this was one of their programs was to get everyone to meet Leela Rita. So this is a good point. You’re bringing out that delight members when they read Prabhupāda’s biography, they become very inspired. Actually, it’s also easy reading. You see in the airplanes and in the trains, the businessmen, they are reading so many novels from different countries and Indian novels. So biography is a very easy reading. It’s not any philosophy. It’s the life of a very great personality of the greatest personality of recent times.

So in this way they can read very easily. But by doing so, by getting that association with Prabhupāda, they have become purified and become inspired to take out his mission. So certainly for the centennial we want to promote Prabhupāda. In fact, every house people should be reading Veelavrita or Prabhupāda Biography, the condensed version. There should be pictures of Prabhupāda in every pūjā room, in every office. I am just printing Māyā for 75,000 pictures of Prabhupāda. So our book distributors are going to give out a picture of Prabhupāda with every book. Everyone, we want to promote Prabhupāda now for the next 10 years, five before and five after the centennial. So that Prabhupāda becomes one of the most famous and well accepted sadhu india. People don’t know much about Prabhupāda.

They know about so many other sadhus who are really not so relevant to the present sin. They may have been relevant in the past, but now Prabhupāda is the key for the future of India. And they really become purified by remembering a pure devotee. So we want to really glorify Prabhupāda. Provot was so humble that during his presence he wouldn’t let us glorify him. He said after I leave, he wouldn’t even let us be with him until after he left the panic. But now there’s no holds barred, there’s no hesitation. We should go out by own fun. And this centennial gives us a good opportunity to do so. Now they’re the finishing months of the 25th anniversary, which came from July to July 1996-91 over to 92July. Now the centennial is the next poker. So this is a very good opportunity to really promote.

And if people read his biography, they will be very happy to have his picture in there. Prominent places of their home and workplace, isn’t it? Any last comment question?

It.