19961122 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.18

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā swami on November 22^nd 1996 at New Talavan farm in Carriere Mississippi. The class begins with a reading from the    Śrīmad-bhāgavatam first canto chapter 13 verse 18.

 

viduras tad abhipretya

dhṛtarāṣṭram abhāṣata

rājan nirgamyatāṁ śīghraṁ

paśyedaṁ bhayam āgatam

(Repeat by devotees)

 

Translation by His Divine Grace Śrīla AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda:

 Mahātmā Vidura knew all this and therefore he addressed Dhṛtarāṣṭra saying my dear king please get out of here immediately. Do not delay. Just see how fear has overtaken you.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: (read by His Grace Gyangamya Das)

Cruel death cares for none, be he Dhṛtarāṣṭra or even Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; therefore, spiritual instruction, as was given to old Dhṛtarāṣṭra, was equally applicable to younger Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. As a matter of fact, everyone in the royal palace, including the King and his brothers and mother, was raptly attending the lectures. But it was known to Vidura that his instructions were especially meant for Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who was too materialistic. The word rājan is especially addressed to Dhṛtarāṣṭra significantly. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was the eldest son of his father, and therefore according to law he was to be installed on the throne of Hastināpura. But because he was blind from birth, he was disqualified from his rightful claim. But he could not forget the bereavement, and his disappointment was somewhat compensated after the death of Pāṇḍu, his younger brother. His younger brother left behind him some minor children, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra became the natural guardian of them, but at heart he wanted to become the factual king and hand the kingdom over to his own sons, headed by Duryodhana. With all these imperial ambitions, Dhṛtarāṣṭra wanted to become a king, and he contrived all sorts of intrigues in consultation with his brother-in-law Śakuni. But everything failed by the will of the Lord, and at the last stage, even after losing everything, men and money, he wanted to remain as king, being the eldest uncle of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, as a matter of duty, maintained Dhṛtarāṣṭra in royal honor, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra was happily passing away his numbered days in the illusion of being a king or the royal uncle of King Yudhiṣṭhira. Vidura, as a saint and as the duty-bound affectionate youngest brother of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, wanted to awaken Dhṛtarāṣṭra from his slumber of disease and old age. Vidura therefore sarcastically addressed Dhṛtarāṣṭra as the “King,” which he was actually not. Everyone is the servant of eternal time, and therefore no one can be king in this material world. King means the person who can order. The celebrated English king wanted to order time and tide, but the time and tide refused to obey his order. Therefore, one is a false king in the material world, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra was particularly reminded of this false position and of the factual fearful happenings which had already approached him at that time. Vidura asked him to get out immediately, if he wanted to be saved from the fearful situation which was approaching him fast. He did not ask Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira in that way because he knew that a king like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is aware of all the fearful situations of this flimsy world and would take care of himself, in due course, even though Vidura might not be present at that time.

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Hari Om Tat Sat.

Thus, end the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport of text 18, Chapter 13, Canto 1 of the Śrīmad Bahagavatam.

So now the Vidura is beginning his heavy preaching [Not Clear – 00:5:17] to his elder to his elder brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra  because the Dhṛtarāṣṭra was hang on as long as he can to his position in his family life and it's completely impervious to the quick approaching death not aware of it at all I'm not thinking about even now (law) he is getting old and all his teeth are falling out of his eyesight has already gone from birth so that's not a question but his hearing is getting poor and all days (always) all the senses start to diminution they're shutting he's going through all these phases but he's still hanging on to be comfortable in his situation.

I remember Śrīla Prabhupāda was preaching to one create one householder devotee Bengali in the congregation in India who was already like above sixty sixty-five and he was telling Prabhupāda (called what) I wanted to fully dedicate it to spiritual life (by age) and everything and Prabhupāda said, “So why don't you are on the move into the temple and this would take Vanaprastha” and he said, “No no I can't do without my wife she's been serving me and so know but you can come you know just what ever little house there is poor man and he had a little like a thin roof house was not ready well off he was very attached we couldn't put in there the event more than two days without staying with his family it was although he wants in a nice very nice person but he was getting old and it was obvious that he wasn't going to live so long but he was not able to detach himself at all”.

So, this is the normal situation Prabhupāda brought out even the politicians especially in India the Asia you see that politician States or face (paid) end of their life still hanging on to whatever position they have rather than dedicate their last period of life for the spiritual emancipation.

They may culture end of life is supposed to be to prepare our self for the next life at least at the end of life the whole life is a preparation but the last laps of the race you have to put out your best effort if at all you want to finish the race with any kind of good result.

But Dhṛtarāṣṭra he's not even thinking about that sake you know everybody thinks that's not going to happen to me that was also commented on by Parīkṣit Maharaj that the most wonderful thing was that everybody thinks he's not going to die even though they see their father grandfather's died Father died still they think you know doesn't come and their mind (air money) that I could also die somehow, it's something you just put off.

Sometimes a loved one’s who have transcendental knowledge needs to preach the truth heavily to waken out their relative from illusion (of evolution) and get them to focus on the spiritual life this is essential for many people but you see usually what happens you don't have a relative with so merciful and so conscious.

Some devotee also told me how he had went to see his father and his father was on the deathbed and all the relatives were there and the father the doctor said he is not going to live one day two hours send away out fading fast and he's all worried you know what's going to happen you see that the dog is taken care of and see that the little you know the grandson this and that but people don't all don't worry (want anything) everything will be alright you're gonna get all right you know people throw the stake the whole scene (seen).

You know and then the devotee comes in there and see that these people are you know not helping my father at all about to die it's a look at let me give me five minutes with my father five minutes alone (along) the son (the assignments) may be the last period I have to talk twice no it's all five minutes because everybody out closes the door and tells them like it is look at that you're about to die I want to tell you something but actually you're the spirit soul living force in the body your eternal you're never going to die you have to leave the body with you have to prepare yourself this for this moment please repeat after me this is this meditation of God and they get out of that on the chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare,

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(All together)

and immediately he focused he was to see like it was peaceful even though that leave the body I'm not gonna die just chanted but is five minutes offer his father open the door they all came and cry you know (All laughing) everything gonna be alright everything's not going to be alright (on door) then the whole emotional impact of it give to others right.

So anyway at least there's very hard for people to focus their mind at Kṛṣṇa at the end of the life certainly is very difficult in that situation with all the emotional relationships with everyone so that's why it's recommended to go to a holy place at the end of life or to somehow or other focus on Lord Kṛṣṇa get away from a lot of the entanglements and thus be able to fix your mind on Kṛṣṇa at end of the life.

But Vidura could see that there's no way the Dhṛtarāṣṭra is going to be focused in that situation he's completely unfocused right from the birth it certainly nothing's going to change for years so he's making one last stab at it to preach to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and give him out of illusion no preaching.

In Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not some kind of impersonal prototype whatever like a stereotype kind of a thing Prabhupāda(robot) mentions that preaching can never be stereotyped preaching has to be according to the time place and circumstance and a person has to have the intelligence how to reach the particular audience.

So, in this case Vidura knowing very well his brother he knew when he was at so therefore, he specifically chose his words and in the following verses we'll see how he preached to him in a unique way preached to him blasting him there.

Just like you know an old God sitting here eating up the scraps from the very people have killed all your sons and we just preach them you just like gave it to because you know that this person more than any transcendent motivation is motivated by his false ego and if I just insult him in a loving way I'm going to get more mileage out of it than fine than any kind of philosophical presentation which is quite a unique you know each advice yeah to be actually you have to be about some other other psychologist to preach (brief) you have to know your audience.

But that sometimes when you're preaching the people you don't know you want to hear what they say I mean the toughest thing is to preach to a Sunday feast crowd may be where ever I see there's the spectra of everybody and what do you aim with you know what do you who do you preach to.

So Dhṛtarāṣṭra is getting the mercy but sometime the mercy like that is hard to swallow now Prabhupāda he also said they'll be diving in all the Indians old Indian body I can say things you can't say (sing)

Prabhupāda he could put sometimes even critically address is fellow younger Indians you get away with it but a foreigner does it (doesn't) then they all you know what were they well they're they're not even they're just you know upstarts kind of this came in were who they tell us your own religion then they get very upset they're not ready to take you know that we talk down to them you have to kind of talk differently way maybe when we're all the white here everything then that's a different or if they're your disciples when these are accepted but just did you preach to normal Hindus are finding (fighting) that sometimes they don't take it if you preach to them too heavy to direct because they say well we'll see who is he to talk to me like that.

So Prabhupāda mentioned that it's not that everybody can preach to everyone in the same way and he could preach ways that we can't we couldn't maybe some circumstances somebody can and so therefore preaching is target oriented preaching is like a doctor taking care of this patient so you have to see what is the medicine I can give which is going to deliver my patient if he'll preach really right on heavy to everybody the same but they're not nobody accepted than what’s the use you're not saved anybody.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was getting heavy preaching by Vidura but you know this was the time and this was the only hope and so it was like all or nothing so they gave his best shot he gave it his best attempt and he was successful and he know that we can't even preach to Dhṛtarāṣṭra about being a devotee because he was envious his whole life against the Pāṇḍavas and  Kṛṣṇa so to preach to him about bhakti yoga was not when it'd be very effective so instead he just preached to him on a level just to get him to give up on the material attachments and go onto the forest and do mystic yoga.

So that's another thing that in this case because Dhṛtarāṣṭra was not able to accept bhakti yoga still Vidura (the door I) wanted to give him (them) the best thing that he could take that's another example of how a preacher considers what is the level that I can elevate this person under his or her firm situation how can I elevate this person to one of the next (one) best states that they can reach there's no use of preaching as someone who's just in the beginning stages to do things which they could not even see up doing it's somehow like being violence on them the (In audible: 17.33).

Doctor was prescribing open heart surgery when a person is in a very weak situation of dying [Not Clear – 00:17:4] on the operating table (team).

So, this is what happens sometimes because of stereotype preaching we may try to present Kṛṣṇa consciousness to someone who's very much in material consciousness but in a very elevated or forceful manner and as a result they can die on the operating table and then you never see them again. So, preaching needs to be patient oriented who (that) is (was) the person that were preaching to how to actually help them what is the best situation they could achieve at the present stage their act and devotional service is a gradual process where you take them step by step what's the next step they could get up to when they get them firmly established at that step then you can take them up to the next step.

Some people can go faster than others some people may have been devotees and their previous life and for them they can go very quickly someone might be coming in contact with us very recently recently meaning maybe they've only had a few births of spiritual activity and that much of devotion maybe this is their first birth.

So, in this way it's difficult to tell how many births someone's been serving but some of the symptoms are there's people who are really spontaneously attracted to Kṛṣṇa when they come, they really have a spontaneous taste for serving and enthusiasm something a little bit extraordinary enthusiasm symptom that they were devotees in the previous life and they've taken up now where they left off.

Prabhupāda said to many devotees at one point he was commenting a certain of his disciples were devotees in the previous life and that's why they could take it out so quickly even we've tried to protest that involve I mean you don't doubt the words of his spiritual master.

So, everybody is neither the same situation whom we preach in the general way we have preach general way we have to go to specific preaching you have to consider how is we can help this person what’s the best scenario they could see what they achieve and help them to get there and then of course Dhṛtarāṣṭra he's just have to [Not Clear – 00:20:03] of his life there's not much hope for him to survive much longer.

So Vidura is trying to get him into some kind of meditation and that was better than nothing and there won't be much time for him to do more than that as he is really old very very old so we can see here how Vidura use (is) sarcasm (sarcastic) you call them Rājā but he wasn't the King King King King out of the King Dhṛtarāṣṭra King watching this King Dhṛtarāṣṭra dearest you think you're the king just hanging out after this royal royal prestige you're not a king so give up all these attachments and actually ready yourself to go back home back to Godhead that's noble.

This is what Prabhupāda really appreciated that any attempt to be God conscious any attempt to achieve self-realization is actually great its noble in this world it's something really wonderful most people don't even try they don't try for this Spiritual advancement they don't try to let the living forest take control of our intelligence and the mind and the senses they don't try to spiritually understand who they are they just go with the flow like running running into the ocean.

They just go where everybody is going they said that most people they're just blind and they just follow what everybody else does but the actual intelligent first sensitized to understand what is the purpose of life?

Why am I here?

Well, what will happen to me after I die?

What is the whole purpose of life?

How can I live in such a way that I'll be able to achieve a self-realization in this lifetime?

So sometimes unusual things wake us up for instance in the Padma Purāṇa there's a history about two people born in the family of devotees both though they become husband and wife but they were very negligent in their Spiritual life they just didn't pay attention to their Kṛṣṇa consciousness so even though they had the advantage of being born from parents who are devotees and brāhmaṇas.

So, then they were bonding ever going to go around traveling around checking different things all around the world during the experience life so one day they were just like in their journey they it was hot they sat under a big tree where it was nice shade was there and so they're cooling (pulling) down a bit they didn't know that this tree was previously used by some king to hang criminals it was the hangman's tree and it was filled with subtle entities. She was feeling kind of an eerie mood there in that tree you know like they feel something you know what that kind of stimulator her and she asked her husband that well as the boyfriend what is what is the purpose of life?

What are you doing you walking around everywhere I don't feel satisfied well is what is the whole purpose of life?

What are we meant to do?

What is what is life what is what is the who are we?

What is this why do we forced to suffer in this material world what happens after we die just like started just through all the questions the husband want everything is so often he was you know in tune spiritually.

He had remembered a half a verse in the Bhagavad-gītā when he was in the group ruled he could remember half of verse and so that's kind of summed up this question at this point so then he declared the first part of the first verse of the eighth chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā kiṁ tad brahmā kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣottama kiṁ tad brahmā means what is the absolute truth? or the self?

What an absolute truth kiṁ tad brahmā kim adhyātmaṁ or what is the self?

kiṁ Tut karma what is the laws of karma?

Puruṣottama o supreme personality of Godhead the Arjuna was asking Kṛṣṇa when he shouted (sounded) this out you know yell (yogi) this is won't get very loud was why he was very forcefully kiṁ tad brahmā kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣottama ah here's a closer than that the tree kind of fell over they you know during the hot side and the tree luckily didn't fall on them they see all this at subtle entity is coming out of the tree and they're all achieving spiritual bodies just under that tree they just chanted half a verse of the Bhagavad-gītā by hearing that sacred words the vibration that Kṛṣṇa himself have spoken all that ghosts were liberated from their material bondage that man was like completely amazing to say what what did I do (they do) wow this is this this verse has got a lot of Shakti lot of potency.

Just by chanting and look at all these ghosts all that liberated so he became very famous just like all of a sudden from kind of really lazy in his spiritual life little puffed up and lazy to really focused Bhagavad- gītā has this potency so he'd be chant chanting after every day in the morning he would chant for hours and hours

kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣottama kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣottama

it’s like a mantra he is got chanting it day after day his whole life he is awaiting you know what is going to happen for me (Laughing) but Kṛṣṇa kept him on the line for a while one day in the spiritual world the goddess of fortune looked at the supreme personality of Godhead and says that smiling as to what's that what are you smiling about me with you laughing about as well there's this brahmana and the planet Earth and he's chanting half a verse of the Bhagavad- gītā every day and I just thinking what is that I can give him what kind of what benediction can I give him in the return for what he's doing and then at the end evolved for him and took him back.

So even a little bit of spiritual life and devotional service of contact with Kṛṣṇa can easily deliver someone but we don't even do the little bit.

Lord Caitanya came in the world to give everyone the chances that everybody tried to chant everyday

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare,

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma rāma Hare Hare

(All together)

took some Kṛṣṇa prasādam and tried to help other people to be free from their misery and they're there a suffering due to illusion you can easily everyone can easily get back to Kṛṣṇa easily we be very happy in this life free from that contaminations and eligible to go back to Godhead in the next life. So, you know let's see Caitanya Mahāprabhu He advised that Bola Kṛṣṇa Bhajo Kṛṣṇa, Karo Kṛṣṇa sikha chant Hare Kṛṣṇa worship Kṛṣṇa and study the teachings of Kṛṣṇa what are the teachings of Kṛṣṇa?

Who can say?

Bhagavad-Gītā any other teachings of Kṛṣṇa?

Which book which book is its books are considered teachings of Kṛṣṇa?

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam yes because Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is spoken about Kṛṣṇa and Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Kṛṣṇa.

So both are considered teachings of Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa kathā so by reading everyday Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam this has a tremendous effect to purify us from the illusory energy focused on what the actual truth is so sometimes we hesitate to get involved in spiritual life and we kind of just stay on the surface and we miss (wireless) the whole point as the example how there was a honeybee looking at a glass bottle of honey and he wanted to get to the honey he kept going (playing) backwards and he couldn't see the glass you could just see like the honey standing there that's where in his vision that glass was like invisible so they came back and it wasn't I flew right in the dive into the honeypot it is hit head on the glass bottle knock down there's the hardest honey I've ever found usually honey it's very soft and sticky then again after so let me try it one more time again it smashed himself so she went back for the third time and again tried but again the honey bees she was smashed up so finally being completely punch-drunk and based from all the collisions with the glass bottle somehow she flying around the glass bottles she landed on the top of the glass bottle and there the aroma the scent of the honey was very strong and then in her days stage you start I reached the honey I have achieved honey honey state but actually see haven't seen the honey she was just on the lift honey was still inside sometimes we try and try to get spiritual life.

But we don't actually help bonafide spiritual master we don't follow the process so must open up the jar of honey and then we can get inside you might get very close we may see it you tried different ways and finally you get close and we think now I've achieved it because we can smell it we're not actually achieved God consciousness when we actually achieve God consciousness that something very sublime that time the nature of the soul which is always happy manifest and we become very relieved from material and sufferings and we become spiritually naturally happy blissful in the heart then all kinds of good qualities of Kṛṣṇa like compassion for others and many good qualities start to manifest.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu He used to criticize the brāhmaṇas how they when the brāhmaṇa devotees would just follow what everybody else did without really knowing many cases people don't take the time to know and understand what is the philosophy.

Sometime a brāhmaṇa would come down with his plate to do worship of the Ganges and every brāhmaṇa came there with the plate with the ārati, ārati tray with the lamp to offer a flower in sense of how to recognize which was his plate he was thinking you know I come out I might take somebody else's by mistake.

So he picked up a little piece of the Ganges mud roll it into a ball put it on his plate and he went took his bath after bathing came out to get heat on every plate have a little ball of Ganges now oh oh he put a ball maybe that's the rule you have to put a ball of Ganges without thinking they all picked up Ganges mud put a ball on their plate because one person did it they didn't know why he was doing it but the reason he was doing it to his plate was different than everybody else if they knew the principle why he put the ball somebody would put a twig and someone else put pebbles and someone puts up everyone put something different this is why (way) this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness is known as Buddhi Yoga the yoga of intelligence that is recommended we tried to understand the principles behind why we do the things we do so that way we can apply it in different circumstances.

So, this verse today where Vidura is preaching you see if someone blindly thinks that okay Vidura chastised his brother and heavy them all and therefore he gave up everything and that's work this is what I should do everybody I meet I should chastise them and having them out and everyone will surrender okay there would be a stereotyped imitation (invitation) you pervert everybody out nobody will surrender and they say this person is horrible person and so on.

So you have to understand the principle what is Vidura doing then actually he is preaching to this person in a way that would only in the way that will reach the person now (know) if you haven't said the principle that we would apply it differently to different people depending on how what will touch their heart what will awaken them we actually want to administer medicine which will awaken (well waken) people and free them from whatever they are losing whatever their conditioning might be whatever way we can help them in spiritual life.

So, the principal needs (is) to be understood and applied the principle you can apply it to so many circumstances but if you don't know the principle you just follow the superficial example what is what has been done here then you can create hever? (train while don't ever) so I'll give some time here for questions and answers Hare Kṛṣṇa

Yes

Question: [Not Clear – 00:35:14 – 00:36:11]

Well I don't know why someone is about to die it's lazy conductive that in terms of preaching you could use it as well you know astrology there's a science saying what are the influences on you from your karma since birth normally in the material circumstances people cannot change their karma they tend to go on a particular direction and just stick in that direction according to my rimi you may not have a very long period to survive the way you're going however there's a supreme power that's above all of us that can change karma and I don't know if you're interested but if you chant mantra you may be able to change the Karma because mantras can change one's karma we're all I can do is read what the karma (car not what) you have what your present influences are and what they are now is that doesn't indicate a very long life at this point but if you if you try a mantra therapy then you may be able to change your karma and maybe maybe they go for something like that I have some doctors that give free medical treatment and then they find a lot of the people are the main problem is almost psychological and they give them also to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa South America was they give us some medicine.

Any other questions?

Do you have any questions?

Question: [Not Clear – 00:38.14-00:38.53]

Well, that's why when we go around and because we're trying to use it for more progressive spiritual purpose many some people some people just talk with us in a very commercial sense and they just do business.

But some people actually express that you really this is the kind of thing or always hoping to do to actually do something which would use this technology to help people know more aware of who they are make a really better world many people they many people is you of kind of we didn't hear what they said but some people said that we would try to be preferred not to have that queue up exhibits and what you prefer to have something with more substance.

Of course, what they usually give their substance is what they call an edutainment educational entertainment edutainment but still it's not spiritual but this is like probably one of the few the only may be very rare people are trying to use these things for Kṛṣṇa consciousness for spiritual upliftment of people.

Actually, Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswati Thakur he did the first theistic exhibit in Calcutta and at that time and he had a whole display of dioramas which were some of them were moving so he was like the forerunner of animatronic and and using figures for presenting the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and philosophical presentation.

So Prabhupāda he also wanted to use these figures and sometimes he said even something just apart from showing Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is it some of them could be even satirical you can show that could show some mad scientist doctor with the patient a dead patient on the bed lifting off the patient is dead he got oversized syringe he's trying to inject some chemical in him to bring him back to life so like that if there is there's no cure for death at the present time but that there by cheating people by telling that don't worry in the future everything will be alright we're gonna figure it out nobody's gonna die and it's just they're just another form of cheating in the name of science.

So Prabhupāda wanted different to use different kinds even satirical presentation to make people look at things in a different perspective so one of the people we talked to yesterday so we like to think of an exhibition as a kind of like a there's a black box where you enter in one side with one set of principles and set of values when you come out you change, you're taking something with you which is added something to your value of life to your values in life so on.

So that everybody wants to do that but in reality if you don't have something spiritual to offer people the most you can do is maybe touch their moral sense or the sense of appreciation of finer things that life may be beauty probably what they do is they bring them up a little bit to the more refined levels of rajo guṇa maybe the sattva guṇa but we're coming and we having Vāsudeva platform which is the transcendental platform pure goodness and very hopeful that very confident actually that by presenting Kṛṣṇa consciousness of this way we'll be able to change the consciousness of many people this will be very pleasing to to the Bhakti Siddant Saraswati Thakur to Prabhupāda.

But otherwise, the place obviously it's like Māyā's Kingdom right this creating a bigger web of illusion to entrap people and so you can use that say use the to cut a tree down you have to use a limb from tree take axe we put the axe handle is also a piece of the tree so to cut the illusion of people that is being advanced by all this technology we can also use a certain amount of technology to cut through the illusion.