19940727 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.16.22

The following is the lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on July 27th 1994 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The class begins with the reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3^rd Canto, chapter 16, verse 22.

dharmasya te bhagavatas tri-yuga tribhiḥ svaiḥ
padbhiś carācaram idaṁ dvija-devatārtham
nūnaṁ bhṛtaṁ tad-abhighāti rajas tamaś ca
sattvena no varadayā tanuvā nirasya

Translation: O Lord, You are the personification of all religion. Therefore, You manifest Yourself in three millenniums, and thus You protect this universe, which consists of animate and inanimate beings. By Your grace, which is of pure goodness and is the bestower of all blessings, kindly drive away the elements of rajas and tamas for the sake of the demigods and twice-born.

Purport: The Lord is addressed in this verse as tri-yuga, or one who appears in three millenniums, namely the Satya, Dvāpara and Tretā yugas. He is not mentioned as appearing in the fourth millennium, or Kali-yuga. It is described in Vedic literature that in Kali-yuga He comes as channa-avatāra a, or an incarnation, but He does not appear as a manifest incarnation. In the other yugas, however, the Lord is a manifest incarnation, and therefore he is addressed as tri-yuga, or the Lord who appears in three yugas.

Śrīdhara Svāmī describes tri-yuga as follows: yuga means “couple,” and tri means “three.” The Lord is manifested as three couples by His six opulences, or three couples of opulences. In that way He can be addressed as tri-yuga. The Lord is the personality of religious principles. In three millenniums, religious principles are protected by three kinds of spiritual culture, namely austerity, cleanliness and mercy. The Lord is called tri-yuga in that way also. In the Age of Kali these three requisites to spiritual culture are almost absent, but the Lord is so kind that in spite of Kali-yuga’s being devoid of these three spiritual qualities, He comes and protects the people of this age in His covered incarnation as Lord Caitanya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu ki [Devotees: Jaya] Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu ki [Devotees: Jaya]. Lord Caitanya is called “covered” because although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, He presents Himself as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, not directly Kṛṣṇa. The devotees pray to Lord Caitanya, therefore, to eliminate their stock of passion and ignorance, the most conspicuous assets of this yuga. In the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement one cleanses himself of the modes of passion and ignorance by chanting the holy name of the Lord —

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

 as introduced by Lord Caitanya.

The four Kumāras were cognizant of their situation in the modes of passion and ignorance because, although in Vaikuṇṭha, they wanted to curse devotees of the Lord. Since they were conscious of their own weakness, they prayed to the Lord to remove their still-existing passion and ignorance. The three transcendental qualifications — cleanliness, austerity and mercy — are the qualifications of the twice-born and the demigods. Those who are not situated in the quality of goodness cannot accept these three principles of spiritual culture. For the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, there are three sinful activities which are prohibited: illicit sex, intoxication, and eating anything other than prasāda, food offered to Kṛṣṇa. These three prohibitions are based on the principles of austerity, cleanliness and mercy. Devotees are merciful because they spare the poor animals, and they are clean because they are free of contamination from unwanted foodstuff and unwanted habits. Austerity is represented by restricted sex life. These principles, indicated by the prayers of the four Kumāras, should be followed by the devotees who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thus, end the Bhaktivedanta swami translation and purport the text 22, chapter sixteen Canto 3 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam .

Oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

Jayapatākā  Swami: These prayers have been offered by the four Kumāras. The four Kumāras entered into Vaikuṇṭha planet but they were stopped by the gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya. They curse the gatekeepers and to solve the problem, Lord Nārāyaṇa, He personally came.

Now they offered their obeisance’s to Nārāyaṇa. They experienced the transcendental ecstasy and they are offering these prayers. So, they have understood that the Lord is the personification of all religion. Religion is the embodiment of everything good. How the Lord comes down into this universe to protect all living entities. The obstacle for religion is ignorant action. So, they are praying to be free from the ignorance and the passion.

Śrīla Prabhupāda explains here how the Lord is known as tri-yuga, The Lord has scheduled incarnations in the tri-yugas of Satya, Dvāpara and Tretā. He is openly coming as the Supreme Lord.

But in Kali-yuga the Lord does not openly declare himself. If He comes, He comes in a disguised manner. So, anybody is declaring himself to be God openly in this age, then it means said that he should not be God. Because Lord does not openly declare himself to be the Lord in Kali yuga. How can we recognize who an avatāra a is.

When Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Jagannātha Puri, He saw Lord Jagannātha. He fainted in trance and He went into samādhi. At that time there was no breathing and there was no heartbeat. So, the head priest, they had the pandit of the Puri, Sārvabhauma  Bhattācārya.

He had Caitanya Mahāprabhu moved to his house. There his brother in law Gopīnātha Ācārya told Sārvabhauma  Bhattācārya that Lord Caitanya was avatāra a but Sārvabhauma  Bhattācārya did not believe. He considered that he must be a mahā-puruṣa, a mahā bhāgavata, a very great devotee. He took some cotton and he found that there was a slight movement of cotton so there was slight breathing but it was imperceptible by any other means.

They could not revive Lord Caitanya until His devotees came and they chanted in His ear, the mahā-mantra.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

So Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya, he did not want to easily accept anyone to be an avatāra a. It’s explained that to recognize an avatāra a there are three criteria. One is avatāra a should be predicted in the Vedas, should be some schedule.

Just like all of a sudden Indian Airlines does not come to Coimbatore and expect to get passengers. They have got some schedule and they announce, I will come in such and such a time and then they get passengers.

So, Lord is also coming according to some schedule. He announces that I will come in such and such a time. Then what His qualities will be, those are also mentioned in the Vedas. That the symptoms will be like this.

Will have this color, this physical feature, these types of activities and so on. You will have this mother and father and will be born in this place. So, all these details are given. Qualities are given.

So, the quality should match up. There there should be avatāra to dictate there should be qualities mentioned that should match up. Third thing, He should do something which no our ordinary person can do something miraculous. Very often people can do some miraculous things for magical things or wonderful thing and then they claim that now we have become Avatāra  but that is not the sole criteria.

In Vedas are always great yogīs and mystics who can do wonderful things but that doesn’t mean that they have a claim to be avatāra. They have some śakti of the Lord to some yoga process.

So Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya he did not accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu as avatāra at that point later he decided to teach Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a young sannyāsī, Vedānta-sūtra.

After seven days of instructing Vedānta-sūtra to Caitanya Mahāprabhu Lord Caitanya didn’t speak a word didn’t ask any question then Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya asked him why don’t you have any question and you understand what I am speaking?

He said I understand verses of Vedānta-sūtra that you are speaking perfectly well. But your explanation, I don’t understand anything. So, then he could understand the verse! I am explaining the verse to make it easier but you don’t understand my explanation! only the verse!

Then He said that He has better understanding than Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya.

So, then Lord Caitanya starts explaining what is Vedānta-sūtra. He explained, Lord Caitanya explained what is Vedānta-sūtra and what is the ātmārāma verse of the Bhāgavatam. Ātmārāmas tu munayo.

So, in this way Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya started to realize as Lord Caitanya was explaining the ātmārāma verse in sixty-four different ways.

Lord Caitanya had the qualities which were quite unnatural, superhuman and that His qualifications were matching up with the prediction given in Veda. The Lord would come as a Bhakta in a golden color.

So, then Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya paid his obeisance to Lord Caitanya and said that you actually must be the avatāra. Please reveal your form to me. Then Lord Caitanya revealed his six handed form, the combination of Lord Rāmacandra, Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, carrying flute, bow and arrow and kamaṇḍalu & daṇḍa. That Deity is still visible at Jagannātha Puri. What is the name of that place?

In the house of Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya. Lord Caitanya said don’t tell anyone what you have seen while I am present, only after I leave because in this avatāra  I am a Bhakta, I don t want anyone to know that I am the Lord.

So publicly Lord Caitanya has never allowed anyone to address Him as Kṛṣṇa. But some rare devotees He privately revealed his secret mission. But He came down to give us that gift which is ordinarily not available.

According to the Vedas there are four puruṣārthas. Dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa but then there’s also a fifth puruṣārtha mentioned. That fifth puruṣārtha is called prema, pure love for God.

Beyond mokṣa is prema. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is giving out Kṛṣṇa prema which is very very difficult to get.  He was establishing all other principles of religion and what are the sacrifice for the age. In this age, the sacrifice is to chant the holy names

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

So today while we observe Ratha Yatra festival, we take Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subadra on their chariot. And during this festival Caitanya Mahāprabhu  would divide His followers into various groups and they would chant in front, behind and on the side of the chariot. He would observe the ratha yatra by chanting the mahā  mantra:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

So, we recommend everyone to participate in today’s Ratha yatra and also chant with us this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. In every age there’s a yajña. We must perform yajña, yajñarthāt karmaṇo otherwise will simply be bound by the karmas.

So, every three yugas they was yajñas, meditation, fire sacrifice and pūjā in temple. But in this Kali-yuga where all the principles of religion are reduced, it is recommended that we chant the mahā-mantra

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

How many of you are chanting every day? This is a universal mantra.

Everyone can chant and there is no need also to take dīkṣā before chanting. One can chant without going through a reformatory process. That is why this is called the universal mantra.

Of course, some devotees also taking the initiation after they are thoroughly convinced about this process. We are inviting everyone to take advantage to chant the holy names get the blessing of Caitanya Mahāprabhu  before we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

To Chant the names of Lord Caitanya known as Pañca-tattva mantra

jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvasādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

Now people who are in the mode of goodness, who have developed this quality, they are naturally attracted to religious principle. But people who in the mode of tamas, rajas, generally they are not so much inclined. Lord Caitanya made this wonderful festival of singing and dancing that even sometimes people who are in mode of passion, ignorance they also participate. By participating in this process, they get purified from their rajas and tamas.

Even doctors have become free from their alcoholism very last week people have become cured off their passions. And people the mode of goodness have become fairly refined apart from in personal reality to the Supreme personality of Godhead.

In this way we the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is so attractive that it can change the consciousness. Other forms of dharma release one from some sins but the tendency to do sin is not released. When we chant the mahā-mantra not only I refrain from sin but we also freed from the tendency to do bad karma simply by chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

So here in South India may be many people don’t know the process although Caitanya Mahāprabhu was here for six years. It was five hundred years ago although I know otherwise also, they know that this process but still many people are not chanting the holy name in saṅkīrtana.

So, we are trying to popularize this process because it’s most effective. People tend to follow whatever other people are doing like the story about the brāhmaṇa.  Whatever the brāhmaṇa was the brāhmaṇa was there used to go every day to bathe in the Ganges and he would carry his pūjā tray. He would go and take his bath and when he came out all the brāhmaṇas had also similar pūjā tray same kind of dīpa, dhūpa, phūla, puṣpa he was feeling difficult every time how to pick out which was his.

So next day when he went to the Ganga he put, you know mud ball of Ganga mud on his plate and took his bath. When he came out, he saw that there were so many plates of pooja articles. Every plate has a small ball of Ganga mud in it and now why did they put the Ganges mud? He put Ganges mud because he wanted his plate to be different from all the others.

Obviously, they didn’t know his purpose. They were blindly following him. Someone was seeing oh, he is putting Ganga mud, may be this is the rule. So, all of them put Ganga mud on their plate.

If they had known what its purpose was, then someone would have put a branch, someone else would have put a little stone or a leaf, something different. But they all blindly follow. This blind following is very much tendency in society people kind of blindly follow and don’t think why they should do those things.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended we should know Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. In Vedas there’s no restriction to reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone can read that. It is recommended to all, men, women, young, old they all can read doing job or whatever.

In this sastras of Kṛṣṇa’s teachings, it gives us the clear idea what is the purpose of life, very free understanding. Where we can understand that by chanting the mahā  mantra we can achieve all success by chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

So initially then they mean that someone is not blindly following what others are doing.

Lord Caitanya said that you understand the philosophy understand the siddhānta then you do.

Some they think no but everyone else is not doing how can I do?

You can do because we know this is better for us. Those who are more intelligent who are guided by their reason and intelligence, they take to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement especially at this initial stage. Because we understand that it’s the best thing for them.

In some countries the preaching was not even represented as the religion in the beginning. But once it’s all the people that is the kind of Yoga or meditation or cultural event and everyone should chant. Because people in the mode of passion and ignorance if they hear religion, they think no no I don’t want it.

Religion means restriction.

So sometimes Prabhupāda was just tell just sing and dance and feast on prasādam, what is the problem?

So, people when they do that but if we had told them this is a religion then they may say no no I don’t want religion. Because it’s the nature of tamas and rajas. But then by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa they will get purified and, in this way, they could adopt all of the religious principles naturally.

This is like the story about the cranes and the swan. Cranes are standing in one lake Bengali how the teens they were in a pink and one swan had flaws of the Himalaya.

So, when the crane saw the swan he said what is wrong with that bird, the swan had the bent neck they said they said he got the firm neck. He is not beautiful like we cranes we have nice straight neck.

So, then they asked the bird where you come? What kind of bird are you? He said I am a rāja-haṁsa, I am a swan, I come from Manasarovar which is in the Himalayas. They say what is the Manasarovara like?

They are saying that it’s the beautiful place there’s a Himalayan Mountain all around. You’ll find so many beautiful mountains, the cool water, beautiful lotus flowers are blossoming there. All the nice clear water and birds like me. Then that the crane said one thing that is there any snails there? Any snail that sucks on the dirt and the bottom of the pink he said no there we would not find this type of snail. What? what a useless place if there’s no snail, we don’t want such a place we won’t go there because the cranes they like to eat the snails.

So, for them Manasarovar is all what’s this place. So just like there are different kinds of birds, there are different kinds of consciousness in human being the difference is the birds does not change the consciousness. Swan remains Swan, Crane remains Crane, but a human being can change their consciousness. But I’m in the show those who are in the mode of tamas and rajas. They hear all you’re having a big festival are there any drinks there? [Devotees: laughing] only sharbat and caraṇāmṛta. Then no whisky, no alcohol oh then we don’t want that place, we don’t want that function.

They think that only these tāmasika things they can give happiness. But people have so much enjoyment in serving Kṛṣṇa in Ratha-yātrā but there’s nothing tāmasika and nothing rājasika everything is śuddha-sāttvika.

But those people who are in the mode of ignorance and passion they were if they hear about this, they may think oh I cannot be happy there. But somehow or another if we can participate then they all find that there is happiness and that is the real happiness everyone is looking for.

So, this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement has to eradicate the tamas and rajas from the people. And to preserve the pure goodness up course in our own habits we should avoid rājasika and tāmasika habits. Our diet our activities should be purified to get the strength for achieving that goal it is prescribed to chant the mahā-mantra

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

After chanting the Pañca-tattva mantra

jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvasādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda 

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All Repeat)

Any questions?

Devotee: [Not clear -25:10]

Buddha is also a covered avatāra . He never declared himself to be Bhagavān and when Kalki comes they said that’s Satya-yuga. So he is kind of a borderline. He doesn’t preach also He is not preaching He doesn’t require He doesn’t need to declare who He is; He is just coming for chopping (all laughing) so meeting Kalki is no use if you meet Kalki you’ll get chopped anyway.

Few devotees will be there up course they’ll be spared. But if anyone still around at that time they are said to be like worse than animals. Human beings are cannibals and all horrible things are going on. To become so short, only live thirty years.

So, when Kalki is there he is no preaching, there is elimination, you know like Sometimes your house is dirty, you try to clean, arrange your room is dirty then some kind you want to mahā clean up just take everything out and put back.

So Kalki when he comes, he is a mahā-cleaner, (all laughing) after that Satya-yuga. Few sāttvika people hiding in caves and few ṛsīs are in Himalayas they come down and re populate the world. It becomes a Satya-yuga again. So Kalki you know you don’t have to recognize him.

Any other question?

Devotee: [Not clear - 26.42]

At once while Lord Caitanya was present because when He was present, if everyone is saying He is god it will disturb his pastime, that He come as a bhakta.

Just like if Prime Minister of India wants to come in disguise and watch what the people are doing (Not clear 27.20), some Kings would go dressed in ordinary dress and mix amongst the people to hear what they are speaking. But if somebody says there’s the king, there’s the King (music), the King, Mahāraja!

Then you know, his whole purpose is defeated now, he wants to go in a hidden way. In the Vedas it is prescribed that sometimes the monarch should go amongst people in disguise like an ordinary person.

No one knows what the king looks like really because what is ordinary way. When they see any dollars guard some big crown and so many things. So he discovered an ordinary way with head covered or something he is not easily recognizable.

So, like that Lord Caitanya is coming as a bhakta and everybody is saying there is God there is God, then how he can do His bhakti. He is Lord as Bhakta but some individuals he revealed, but general way, He didn’t  allow anyone to address him as Bhagavān.

There is someone says He is Viṣṇu, he will go, Viṣṇu Viṣṇu, don’t say this. I am only Bhakta. But now there’s no such restriction, now it’s not interfering with his pastime now.  It’s more important people should know is they can take more seriously his instruction.

Any question? Yes.

Devotee: Not Clear (28.47)

After the battle of Kurukṣetra, Yudhiṣṭhira became Emperor and Dhṛtarāṣṭra was depending on Yudhiṣṭhira who was his nephew. That’s mentioned in the first canto of Bhāgavatam.

But then Vidura told Dhṛtarāṣṭra to leave and go and do yoga, meditation and achieve mokṣa. But I don’t know that Yudhiṣṭhira depending on his nephew. There’s no nephew left. All the nephews were killed.

Only one nephew is a little baby Parīkṣit and definitely Yudhiṣṭhira was not depending on him so I don’t your question is not concluded. You got some data mixed up. Now we have to go because we’re going to have early lunch, early breakfast. So now we shall end here. Prabhupāda, please give blessings on all devotees.

Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Haribol.