20210306 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.13-14

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 6th, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.13-14.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Jayapataka Swami: So Aśvatthāmā thought he would please his master Duryodhana. But killing the sleeping sons of Draupadī was not accepted by Duryodhana. So anyway, this sets the scene for some pastime of the Lord. Before the war was fought, Duryodhana had approached Kṛṣṇa to receive a favor. But Kṛṣṇa is independent. Duryodhana is a kṣatriya, but Kṛṣṇa told him that He was eating at Vidura’s house. Vidura was not a kṣatriya, he was son of a maid servant, a śūdra. But Kṛṣṇa is independent. He can do whatever He desires. So He accepts the affection and devotion of a devotee more than the external roles of varṇāśrama. So, Kṛṣṇa is completely independent. And His pure devotee, the spiritual master also is independent.

Like that, Govinda dāsa was sent by Īśvara Purī, to serve Lord Caitanya. So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya asked why did Īśvara Purī have Govinda dāsa who was a śūdra, serving him? So, Lord Caitanya gave this reason that Kṛṣṇa is independent, a pure devotee is independent. Once a pure devotee gives Govinda initiation, he is automatically more than a brāhmaṇa. So for various reasons then, it was on the order of Īśvara Purī, Lord Caitanya was accepting Govinda. We will see how Lord Kṛṣṇa in this situation, He is always independent.

In various ways He was testing His devotee, Arjuna. So, Arjuna, he saw how Draupadī was lamenting so much. Five sons were killed in their sleep. Arjuna said I will kill this Aśvatthāmā. When he arrested Aśvatthāmā and brought him back to Draupadī, Draupadī said that the spiritual master’s son is a brāhmaṇa, therefore he cannot be arrested in any condition. She was very soft hearted. Even though here children were killed by Aśvatthāmā she did not want to take any revenge from him. Then Kṛṣṇa was telling Arjuna, “You should kill him! He is a murderer! He deserves it! ” So Arjuna was in a very difficult situation. His wife is saying that you should not arrest him in this manner, and Kṛṣṇa is saying, “Kill him!” What should he do? So like this, the pure devotee is put in different situations. And so he had to figure out what to do.

There is a TV show, “What Would You Do?” And they have different unusual situations. Suddenly on the street, there is a bag full of dollars coming out! And they are photographing what the person does. But then this is all kind of prajalpa, waste of time. This situation with Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, Draupadī, is very unusual. And wherever Lord Kṛṣṇa is involved it is considered transcendental. Where His pure devotees are involved it is transcendental. This consideration that what would you do in that situation is actually carried out by him. In this way, Arjuna is showing the ideal response. So, you can pay attention to the activities. After that, to contemplate how Kṛṣṇa’s involvement could be there. So like that we may be put in different tests. Then we will understand from this example what we would do in this kind of difficult situation. So it is nice to see so many different devotees in Bangladesh and other places attending the class. Haribol! So we can understand the Lord is a person. The Māyāvādīs, they think that the impersonal Brahman is supreme, they do not consider the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So, we can see in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam how the Lord is a person. He is more than we are! If we are people, then He is also a person. In the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad it states nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. That He is eternal, we are all eternal, but He is supremely eternal. And we are conscious, but He is supremely conscious. We know what is going on in our body. But He as the Supersoul, He knows what is going on in everyone’s body. So, He is everything that we are, but more. The Māyāvādīs think that we are people, but the Supreme is not. So by this they are actually insulting Bhagavān. If someone says something about your wife – that she has no hands, no face, no beauty, then won’t you get angry? So the Māyāvādīs are criticizing Bhagavān in this way. This way if we hear the explanations of the Māyāvādīs, one is completely doomed.

Anyway, just as Lord Kṛṣṇa is independent, Śrīla Prabhupāda as His pure devotee was also independent. Śrīla Prabhupāda, he took people from different backgrounds, initiated them and taught them bhakti-yoga. This way, Lord Caitanya told a prediction that pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma. So some people, they cannot accept, and they criticize Śrīla Prabhupāda. But Śrīla Prabhupāda fulfilled the inner desire of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So, these pastimes are not ordinary.

So Aśvatthāmā although the son of a brāhmaṇa he was considered brahma-bandhu because no brāhmaṇa would commit such a murder the innocent children. So like that, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he gave people from different backgrounds, initiation. And like that, they were purified. So, Lord Caitanya, He came to deliver all the people of the world. So, what he did is something incomparable. So, Kṛṣṇa in the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa predicted that a Golden Age will come in the Kali-yuga. And that will start 5000 years after the beginning of Kali-yuga. And would last for ten thousand years. Now, Śrīla Prabhupāda appeared exactly after the 5000 years period. So now we have the responsibility to establish Lord Caitanya’s prediction.

Śrīla Prabhupāda said that if milk is mixed with water, then gradually the milk is not there anymore because of the presence of water. So he said, we should boil the milk! When we boil the milk, we make sweet rice or kheer. We want all the devotees to become very mature in their devotional service. So that the devotee becomes mature.

So this is the opportunity we have, now is the 125th year after Śrīla Prabhupāda’s appearance. So, we should be very careful to be mature in our devotional service. Many times devotees ask, “Why there are so many problems in devotional service?” But māyā’s job is to test you. To see that you are really mature or serious. So, this is part of our maturing process. This way, there will be many tests. So we should not expect otherwise. It is part of our devotional service that some tests are given.

So when we hear how Draupadī, how Arjuna, how Kṛṣṇa had acted, we will be able to learn from that. Like Kṛṣṇa was on the planet 5000 years ago and He was exhibiting different activities. Just like in Dvārakā, one time He was accused of stealing the Syamantaka jewel. Like that, even Kṛṣṇa is put to the test! Just to teach us, how we should act. So, in this Age of Kali, there are so many defects. How we will get shelter at the divine lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, that is shown through these examples.