19950626 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.24

Lecture Code: 19950626

Scripture: Srimad Bhagavatam

Verse: Śrīmad -Bhagavatam.2.9.24

Date: 26th June 1995

Place: Bhaktivedanta Manor UK

 

Transcribed By:  Shubadra Shubhangi dd

Transcribed On: 14-Aug-2019

 

Level 1 proofed by: SarvaPalika Saci dd

Level proofed on: 26-Feb-2020

 

Editorial Changes (non voice): Usha

Date: 5-Jan-2021

 

 

Status: Completed

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(0 to 55 seconds stop – silence)

sṛjāmi tapasaivedaṁ

grasāmi tapasā punaḥ

bibharmi tapasā viśvaṁ

vīryaṁ me duścaraṁ tapaḥ

 

[Devotees repeats]

 

Translation by HG. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda:

 

I create this cosmos by such penance, I maintain it by the same energy, and I withdraw it all by the same energy. Therefore, the potential power is penance alone.

translation repetition by GuruMaharaj ... Devotee repeated

           

Purport- In executing penance

 

Purport- By A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda:

In executing penance, one must be determined to return home, Back to Godhead, and must decide to undergo all types of tribulations for that end. Even for material prosperity, name and fame one has to undergo severe types of penances, otherwise no one can become an important figure in this material world. Why then are there severe types of penances for the perfection of devotional service? An easy-going life and attainment of perfection in transcendental realization cannot go together. The Lord is more-clever than any living entity; therefore, He wants to see how painstaking the devotee is in devotional service. The order is received from the Lord, either directly or through the bona fide spiritual master, and to execute that order, however painstaking, is the severe type of penance. One who follows the principle rigidly is sure to achieve success in attaining the Lord’s mercy.

 

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami: Thus, end Bhaktivedanta Swami translation purport. Text 24-chapter 9 canto 2 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in the matter of answers by citing the Lord’s Version.

 

Om tat sat.

 

Very important verse glorifying penance, explaining how by penance everything is falling on.

 

Śrīla  Prabhupāda explains that what the real meaning of penances for devotees it’s our determination to return home, back to Godhead, determination to serve the Lord, in all circumstances. Even if he meets so many tribulations, so many difficulties, in other words the Lord is lords over when he sees this devotee is determined to serve him under all kinds of circumstances. [not sure] More tolerant to any living entity so he can very easily track whether somebody is really determined to serve Him or not whether they are the fare whether the fact or they are actually simply, or directly determined to serve the Lord.

 

Just like the example of the man who watch and serve potatoes nightman you know that example right?

There was once a landlord and he had like we talk gumasta just like a kind of [Not Clear – 00:9.56] secretary someone who was assisting him in different administration because here in England they still have a lot of … I don’t know how much ... but this is before when they had much more hour In India so he was sitting there and steering and his gumasta was sitting down on a lower sit and so they start discussing so the landlord ask his servant so what do you think, what do you think about, what’s your opinion about potatoes, what you think about potatoes any good?

 

And then servant said wow my lord what you think about trade very respect my lord what’s your opinion about trade. I seem its all right good vegetable, versatile.

 

Yes, my lord potatoes are the best of all the vegetables. I think if one gets potato even a poor man can have a feast you can fry them bake them, boil them you can make them salty you can make so many things with potatoes and potatoes anybody can easily feast great so many preparations of potatoes.

 

Because we experienced that on Ekadasi. (laughter)

 

So, then the landlord said, “No. But I mean potatoes are bad to many potatoes, if you eat to many potatoes and very starchy you know”.

 

 Yes, you are right my lord potatoes you know; you take too many potatoes causes diabetes causes bloating of the stomach very high carbohydrate not actually potato is not ideal vegetable you know.

 

Then landlord he asks to servant what you think about eggplant my dear?

 

What do you think about eggplant?

 

I think eggplant is very good vegetable, after all quite tasty eggplant. About eggplant what you think. Oh !! yes, my lord eggplant even the poor man can make a feast from eggplant if gets this buy eggplant and make eggplant bhaji, eggplant fry, you can make you know off course (not audible) eggplant fry, you can eggplant is versatile you can make many things eggplant is the very wonderful vegetable.

 

Come on eggplant is not that great if you eat too much eggplant causes some itching.

 

Yes, my lord, you are right, eggplant is actually very bad. Eggplant causes skin diseases if you eat too much eggplant not so very good no quality like a water what is there in eggplant nothing is there, just so many seeds just you want to cooking. And after all eggplant is not at all not good very worse.

 

Landlord said what kind of character are you? If I say I ask how you like potato if I said good, you said the best when I said not so good, you said the worse. When I ask you like eggplant how you think about eggplant.

 

When I said good, then you said absolutely fantastic. If I said not so good, you said it’s a worse. I need [Not Clear – 00:14:7] why don’t you have your own opinion? Do you have any character?  What’s wrong with you? My lord, I am your servant, I am not the servant of eggplant or potato. You got the story? (laughter).

 

This is the favorite story of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhant Saraswathi Thakur. But sometimes these stories very simple purport but they slip one.

 

Here the point is the people in these things into go, this person is going whichever way the wind blow he didn’t have his own opinion.

 

You get people like that in material world they don’t exist goal according to whatever things suits them at the time and therefore they don’t have any kind of very deep conviction. So, if it seems that the things suit them, they do and don’t suit then they switch over to something else.

 

Now devotional service is not like that devotional service actually if person is fixed of course in one sense you can say well, guru says it’s a snake it is snake, its rope its rope so that seems a... But it actually that the direct example shouldn’t we use mis-concept.  Because that the example we don’t know what is the Absolute Truth we don’t know what is truth if the guru said it is good, we accept it good if he said it not good, it’s not good.

 

But in this case, this is an ordinary thing one have opinion about eggplant or potato. 

 

Śrīla Bhakti Siddhant was saying that many people like that today we [Not Clear – 00:15:59 ] Hare Kṛṣṇa then they say Hare Kṛṣṇa like politician wonder with the Ram Kṛṣṇa then they said Ram Kṛṣṇa then they were with other group whatever group they meet they speak that way. They don’t have any kind of opinion of their own.

 

Kṛṣṇa wants to notice what way; this is the way [Not Clear – 00:16:20] going with the flow that’s what not mean here.

 

Devotional service is actually a person completely deeply convinced that I want to serve Kṛṣṇa and there is no hope to be happy in this material world without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Devotee have that very firm conviction, very firm faith and he is ready to do anything for Kṛṣṇa even when sometimes obstacles pull on sometimes the moment change, he should be more happy to do something else.

 

But the devotee does not have that short-sided vision for some temporary happiness to give up eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Even the devotees will refuse to accept five types of liberations in order to serve the Lord.

 

Hanumān was offered liberation by Ramchandra, but he said no my master I am your servant I don’t want anything which should come in the way in that relationship I simply want to serve you. Because of so much devotion Kṛṣṇa becomes won over for His devotee. One doesn’t have to be rich devotee anyone can become devotee rich or poor according to whatever we have we should use that to serve the Lord. Someone has something and they should use that to serve the Lord but even if someone has nothing, they can serve the Lord even in their mind.

 

There is the example of Nrsimhanand Brahmā chari.  He is a poor Brahmā chari doesn’t have any big opulence material things when he heard Lord Caitanya wanted to go to Vṛndāvan then he started to construct beautiful path for Lord to go over in his mind.

 

Lord Caitanya gone from Jagganath Puri then come up to Vidyanager then Vidyanagar, He went to vachaspati to brother, brother-in-low of Sarvabhuma bhattacharya and Vidyavachaspati very great learned devotee there are so many people come to see Lord Caitanya thousands and thousands of people. He was there for about five days then crowd became so much He went over to Kulia.

 

Kulia is the present city of Nabadwip they said Kulia also and their people offended Lord Caitanya like Devanand Pandit were offended Srivas Thakur they got delivered by Lord Caitanya.

 

When Srivas got forgiveness went to Lord Caitanya got mercy and love of Kṛṣṇa. Chapal Gopal he was also delivered of his offences to Srivas Pandit.

 

So Nrisimhanand Brahmā chari he was constructing a road in his mind very big road broad road large road very smooth so that Lords feet wouldn’t be hurt by the hard road he feel that roads covered with many beautiful flowers without step no step which hurt Lords lotus feet soft flowers alongside beautiful fountains bathing ghats with jewels he made, you know, most transcendental road. Road is covered with bakul trees bakul trees I told that past time about bakul tree of Lord Nitynand said you have been heard remembered that past time.

 

I am sure I told it to you. This bakul tress beautiful in shape because it’s a very small leaf and very thick.

 

So, in the heart of Bengal because bakul tree where very cool breeze and its small flowers all over the tree very strong scent once in a year when bakul flower come they make little garland it’s a small flower but these flowers are so nice even they dry they keeps a scent, isn’t it?

 

So, you can get a bakul flower garden for deities keep that years together [Not Clear – 00:21:11] have some nice scent had a little fruit also the fruits are not commercially normally [Not Clear – 00:21:20] but the kids like to eat it, birds eat it.

 

In Vṛndāvan so many places but I never seen commercial but devotees in Vṛndāvan Kṛṣṇa use to sometime take bakul trees with the cowherd boys so this is the tree the Nrsihmnanda put by the side of the road there was lot of past times about bakul trees.

 

One bakul tree was a Sridham in Kṛṣṇan’s past time he came, into Gaurāṅga’s past time its Abhiram Thakur.

 

And this Abhiram Thakur he was a sankirtan leader sankirtan organizer he was very big preacher he had taken the whole zone of Bengal and he organized all the preaching there he sends his different disciples in different places and they are preaching there to other devotees on occasion Lord Nityanand prabhu [Not sure] prabhu, they came and sit there. He has his asram [Not Clear – 00:22:34] beautiful devotees all bright faces people watch them and also share inspiration seeing devotees in a white (laughter) and he had ashram so that ashram had beautiful temple on the side of river kahna. So, the ashram is call kanhapur Kṛṣṇanagar place of Kṛṣṇa town of Kṛṣṇa side of kanha river so there were the beautiful tree bakul tree big bakul tree it’s a long time bakul tree (not audible) and Lord Nityanand he would come there and do Harinam sankirtan after the kirtan he rests under the tree with his associates to discuss Kṛṣṇa katha.

 

So, this was a favorite place even now devotees go and bow down in that place take the dust of Lord Nityanand. This is a part of the, may be about 200, 300 feet around the temple of Abhiram prabhu.

 

So, some yogi he had heard lot about Abhiram thakur he is very powerful whether he is bhakta you know. This is bhakti anyway mystic power, power this is what I can attack, I can create, I can destroy, I can do anything I want I got the power.  So, this yogi went and just show of his power this tree is favored to the devotees I show these devotees [Not Clear – 00:24.19] completely burn the tree into ashes. Devotees went and told Abhiram Thakur some crazy yogi just came and burn tree sacred bakul tree of Lord Nityanand into ashes.

 

Abhiram thakur became very upset that’s the favorite tree of Lord Nitynanad he always sits there.

 

What is this foolish yogi doing then he went out he was actually upset where will Lord NItyanand sit now?

 

This cannot be… being eternal associate of Lord he also had a power but he never show them off but some time there were such incidence that he could not content himself  So, he use his own power let this bakul tree come back he reselected from the death from the ashes and they would give flowers all the yearlong because it already died it is no longer giving any fruit thus came whole tree field with beautiful flowers mostly in flower season. Even still date this tree gives flowers 12 months a year and no fruits. ever hear reselection, this is reselected tree. We can go there we can touch the tree and we can get blessings reselected from the death and when yogi saw that he certainly got worried think that Nrsimha rao was a wrong  person and he fell down at the lotus feet of Abhiram Thakur and he beg for forgiveness I was very cruel please forgive me he was very quiet morose, me be he can now.

 

Abhiram returning his focus after giving rid of the tree coming and giving reselect the tree then he was looking back then by the mercy of Abhiram, since he surrendered, he was very merciful, so he delivered him and then that yogi became converted as a devotee. Like there is also bakul tree which got hit by lighting and was burnt and how I shall surrender to Thakur that a big tree there they were all chanting under and Lord Caitanya came and [Not Clear – 00:26:41] The tree got burnt died somehow.

 

So, then Lord Caitanya  embraced the tree and all about He embracing it also came back leaves and that tree you know see inside the tree is 500-year-old very big tree inside its hollow completely burned out hollow but the tree is still there this is another reselected bakul tree like that there is third reselected bakul tree or siddha bakul tree in Jagannatha puri which many devotees see that.

 

Bakul tree was a tree under which Haridas Thakur would sit and there is a story of that tree that this is sidha because Haridas Thakur will be chanting under.

 

Then what happened was some king was looking for a tree finish of rath yatra cart he is searching for wood and he told his servant his minister ok, cut down that bakul tree. But this sadhu said no this is sacred bakul tree Haridas Thakur sat under this  sidhha tree you can’t take it and the whole idea is chanting and next day when they come and cut the tree down they wake up and what they found that whole tree become hollow no wood is there just a bark although there was wood the whole tree become hollow.

 

So, there is no use then they didn’t cut it because it has no wood. So even to this date you see the tree is all hollow and it still alive that a sidhha bakul devotees circumambulating although bakul is not very big tree because hollow not very strength so many branches fall down.

 

Anyway, so Nrisihmanand he was sowing his bakul trees alongside the road made a nice shade for the Lord took a Lord up to the different holy places. The Lord went up to Ramkeli and from Ramkeli then he went up to kanai natshala then he goes on constructing the road beyond kanai natshala but he couldn’t construct any more then he declared all the devotees make sure Lord Caitanya would not go to Vṛndāvan this time He won’t go further than kanai natshala.

 

So Prabhupāda explain how Nrisimhananda Brahmā chari even though mentally he was building this road didn’t matter, but we can offer the Lord some service physically by words even mentally it’s all material and for the Lord he actually accepting our mood of bhakti real supreme penance so if we do everything in devotion.

 

Once Prabhupāda said somebody is like a multi-millionaire, he does the mental puja takes all the money for his sense gratification obviously there will be contradiction if somehow doesn’t have anything even mentally offer gold and jewels things to Lord then that mood of devotion Kṛṣṇa accepts it.

 

If someone worship the Lord with material opulence then according to, they should worship the Lord opulence just like kings.

 

Kings go and see the temple of Tirupati very famous temple in India there you see the statue of the king Kṛṣṇa…. Kṛṣṇa… Kṛṣṇa Rai… Kṛṣṇachandra Rai. He was the king of the Vijaynagar dynasty he was also living in the time of Lord Caitanya, he built a beautiful gold temple for Lord Balaji and therefore he and his queens are glorified you see the statue there at door way Kṛṣṇa Rai. So, this quite common that he was a king so he built many temples for the Lord. If you have capacity the point is capacity, they should offer the point is offer with devotion.

 

Someone has nothing, they will make a road mentally for the Lord, make a nice temple mentally for the Lord. Lord will accept.

 

When we were designing Māyāpur temple, he said that since Prabhupāda has many western disciples, many disciples from all over the west people. In the west they know to be more, wealthy and genius things like that so of course now a days many other people from India are taking shelter, they also, very well off they are also benefited economically by the…. But any way since Prabhupāda was worldwide guru He wanted to do something very wonderful for Lord Caitanya  from all over the world so we have do something wonderful of course mentally we can build a beautiful temple but practically we should also do it since we have got worldwide community and fulfilling what the desire of the guru that is also the penance. Only by penance can we satisfy the Lord.

 

Lord wants to see how painstaking the devotee is in devotional service in order to see the Lord directly or through bona fide spiritual master or to execute their order painstaking severe types of penance.

 

But Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if one chants sixteen rounds every day, follow four principles follows their vows according to their particular ashram he accepts even by that itself is austerity if he practices. Even by those process simple penances if we compared them to by yogis who burning the fight fire around them, they go higher state years hundred and twenty degrees third height and fifty degrees seven grade in sun they burn bonfire (not audible) sit in the middle and meditate tolerate the heat.

 

On the coldest day he takes a bath water out from the river put it out just freezes just because of (33.20 not audible) snow everywhere sit meditate in the freezing water. That yogis then offering fire penances but this not the penances being promoted this causing another problem difficulty for the body.

 

Kali yuga how many people can do such things all this all didn’t have value. The penance of doing sankirtan the penance of chanting our rounds and following the regulative principles and doing devotional service for the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. That is the penance that Prabhupāda has prescribed to us now.

 

The yagya is the sankirtan yagya so to promote and to practice that sankirtan yagya this is the penance recommended for this age taking only Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Lord is so merciful he is sending prasad. jaḍendriya tāhe kāl, jīve phele viṣaya-sāgare we will be not able to do Kṛṣṇa conscious if we didn’t have prasad very difficult the tongue is so powerful it running after so many different types of foodstuff for here the Lord is sending us his remnants so that we can control the tongue.

 

So, in this way bhakti yoga means to control all the senses through engaging them in the Lord.

 

Now it is very important we should chant otherwise we lose the we can lose the taste for service practicing responding practically. Apart from that this is like a test, if someone takes initiation takes a vow chant then they have to fulfil that vow otherwise it’s like a failure so always different things to come up why we can chant?

 

We have to be very determined somehow or other hear into the chanting it’s like a service spiritual rhythm one can get here doesn’t take much to get off the track little intensive service little festival (35.55 not audible) late night before you know person can get off the track for behind the rounds one just has to make extra efforts to get back into the rhythm again and get back into the chanting and all though initially there is an effort there is the little pain the painstaking, taking pain that much pain we have to take painstaking taking the pains of somehow organizing  our life so that we can chant the sixteen rounds.. and there are thousands of excuses why not do that means not taking the pains.

 

So, the Lord is seeing how painstaking we are how much in spite of difficulty how we take the pains we take the difficulty take the trouble to organize us to carry out the order of carry out instructions of the Lord.

 

In this case Prabhupāda has given us four orders but maya is so complicated even the simple order some time become complex. And that time mind was too rationalize what we don’t have to do it we should just take strength  from these verses that if we take the pain again get back into the rhythm of our devotional service in case anyone happens to  get out of the steps or if one takes the pain not to get out of the rhythm even though it’s difficult somehow or other stay up late or get up early somehow they chant the rounds do service so that type of determination that types of pains taking devotion is very pleasing to the Lord. We have to remind our mind (not audible) mind gets distracted tries to put other things as important this based [Not Clear – 00:38:10] this is the severe type of penance devotional service is not this kind of acute penances, fire and cold water that the but it’s the severe type (not audible) devotee in spite of so many different obstacles come up they stay on the path of devotional service and they try their level best to carry out the order of guru and Kṛṣṇa and then Kṛṣṇa is very pleased with his devotee.

 

We want to achieve Kṛṣṇa that much effort has to be made and little bit of it is a saying in Bengali (not audible) Kṛṣṇa mile na If we don’t accept difficult tribulation, we don’t get Kṛṣṇa. Accept little trouble if they come so then many people say no I don’t want to accept this.

 

But we have to understand that it is very worth the trouble although for some devotional service is a daily festival although once occasion got a little bit of taste for devotional service is practically no trouble at all but a devotee gets a simple nectar (not sure) since his whole life he is happy.

 

Once they advance to that platform one is struggling to get to that platform, they tried it in order to reach Kṛṣṇa we have to have that determination utsahat dhyaryat nichyat enthusiasm, patience, conviction and determination.

 

We have to take the good association of the devotees got so much thus one has the environment people are practicing devotional service including like Kṛṣṇa conscious tips then songs and worshiping Kṛṣṇa in the house and by all this they some-time dedicated specifically for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if not all the time, while mind is very difficult to concentrate. Devotee, one has to fix the mind.

 

So, one has to take that pains, painstaking efforts, to whatever one situates into carry out order of guru and Kṛṣṇa and to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Devotee doesn’t work switch of in were the wind is like the person selling potatoes They actually fix in devotional service they make that commitment so that (not audible) [Not Clear – 00:47.06] devotees won’t leave from the process of devotional service any more.

 

So, Prabhupāda said one who follows the rigid principle, principle rigidly sure to achieve success and maintain it.

 Lord Caitanya is much more merciful seeing little effort this a long story.

Śrīla  Prabhupāda ki jay

 

Devotee: - jay

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: - Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki

 

Devotee: - jay

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: - one minute

 

Devotee: - not audible

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Because he is creating by the energy of penance. I create by the same energy of penance I maintain it by the same energy I destroy all by the same energy potential power of penance.

 

Lord doesn’t have to do penance Lord is complete in itself but everyone is serving the Lord in the mood of penance and even the Lord Himself one of His name that He is penance personified He doesn’t do anything out of His internal control, so the Lord ordered Brahmā in his previous birth (not audible)

 

How Brahmā to do creation and how he can maintain or destroy worldly activities?

 

How Shiva able to destroy?

 

How anything is able to go on always which happening to any of the devas to do that any of their powers to do any administration in universe?

Just because of their performance of penance

We want to get empowered by Kṛṣṇa we have to be  prepared to be accepted voluntarily some difficulties Lord doesn’t accept difficulty and this is a good point when you look at… just came from a land so we have a temple they giving it Olympic (not audible) amazing height (not audible) two weeks of sports and then years and years people are constructing building but the athlete they working hard watching their diet weight lifters wrestlers and runners and they all practicing and waiting when they can complete the goal and won medals.

 

In order to get that path and get a gold medal how much difficulty and tribulation they have to accept on --- their diet and their sleeping and they exercise so on. You will see these big businessmen, even they do success in business most of them they work very hard high heavy they are very control like (not audible).

 

If you see people when elections come up politicians you know sleepless night kissing thousands of babies and shaking everybody’s hands, they really put on extra efforts to get last ball targeted path.

Anything you do in material world (not audible) they have to most people (not audible) put their efforts so quite a natural devotee in order to achieve highest professional life they also put on their effort’s. In order to great devas great personalities in universe they get the power from Kṛṣṇa the way they put themselves it calls penance. We want greatest blessing of Lord Kṛṣṇa so we should carry order of a guru isn’t it? It is not difficult to chant, take Kṛṣṇa prasādam so engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness don’t do any sin don’t do any punya.

 

That’s how penance should do devotional service to please guru and Kṛṣṇa.

 

Hare Kṛṣṇa.

 

Transcribed by Subhadra Shubhangi DD