20210807 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.11-12

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Maharājā on August 7th, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.11-12.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: Today we are reading from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class, how the Pāṇḍavas were feeling separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa. Since they were constantly seeing Kṛṣṇa, talking with Kṛṣṇa, sitting with Kṛṣṇa, touching Kṛṣṇa, even if one sees Kṛṣṇa once, he gets attracted. What to speak of the Pāṇḍavas who were daily seeing Him? The four Kumāras went to Viṣṇuloka. They saw Lord Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu and they bowed down. When they had offered obeisances at the lotus feet of Viṣṇu the smell of the tulasī placed at the lotus feet of Viṣṇu entered their nostrils and by that smell, they became completely realized. They were already liberated but by seeing the Lord, they became bhaktas. They felt ecstasy by smelling the tulasī. They never experienced that ecstasy in their Brahman realization. Then then they realized that Viṣṇu was better than Brahman. Even though the Brahman is the bodily effulgence of Lord Viṣṇu. But that realization of the Personality of Godhead is much higher than the impersonal realization. I was reading in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam how millions and millions of liberated souls, and lakhs and lakhs of siddha-puruṣas, perfected beings, were almost liberated. But it is difficult to find a pure devotee, rare. This morning we were reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s quote, he said that in this age better than making temples is making devotees. That is nice to make temples, but the real fruit of the temple is how many pure devotees we have. What is the difference between a devotee and a non-devotee? The devotee of the Lord engages in loving devotional service of the Lord, and he wants to please the Lord. But the non-devotee he wants to engage himself in sense gratification and all things like his family, friends, nature and everything connects to his body, he wants to engage in such things. When Raghunātha dāsa approached Lord Caitanya to surrender to Him, he said he wanted to associate with Lord Caitanya in Nīlācala. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that it is not right to give up family life. Just like a woman who has a paramour she will perform her household duties very expertly. But her mind will always be absorbed with her lover. Lord Caitanya advised, instructed Raghunātha dāsa, do your household duties carefully but keep your mind on Kṛṣṇa. I see many gṛhasthas on the zoom visits, they have nice deities in the house. How they worship the deities together, husband and wife together, and try to make their children Kṛṣṇa conscious. So like this if we become more attached to Kṛṣṇa, our life becomes perfect.

And so our human life is an opportunity to awaken our God consciousness. So, by the norms of the varṇāśrama system, the vaiśyas, striyas, śūdras, women, business men, the workers, they are not considered very advance. But Bhagavad-gītā 9.32 Kṛṣṇa explains that those who take shelter of Him, they benefit.

mām hi pārtha vyapāśritya,
ye ‘pi syuḥ pāpa yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyas tathā śūdras,
te ‘pi yānti parām gatim

Translation: O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaiśyas (merchants) and śūdras (workers) – can attain the supreme destination. Haribol!

So here Kṛṣṇa explains how wonderful it is to take shelter of Him. What about those who are not in the varṇāśrama? Those who are below śūdras, what hope do they have? 2.4.18 of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states :

kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā
yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ ye ‘nye ca
pāpa yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prahavisnav namaḥ

Translation: Kīrta, Hūṇa, Andhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khāsa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

So Hunas they come from the area of East Germany, that part of Russia, that is known as the province of Hunas. Both my grandparents were born in this Prussia, Eastern Germany/Russia. After that they migrated to America. Another sinful place. But by the mercy of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, I got delivered. So like this, the yavanas, the khasādayas, people from Chinese, Korean, Japanese race, I guess they all fit under the Khasas. But they can also be delivered, no problem. I just attended a graduation program where 18 Japanese devotees graduated from the Bhakti Śāstrī program. Now all the world is focused on Japan to watch the Olympics. I told the Japanese devotees that their Bhakti Śāstrī award is more than a gold medal. Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!

Now we have to take birth again and again in this mat world due to our material desires. But if we have attraction for the lotus feet of the Lord then we can return back to Godhead. In the Bṛhad Bhagavatamrita Nārada muni is trying to find out who is the greatest devotees. This way he approached different devotees. Prahlāda mahārāja is a great devotee. I forget all the devotees, but at the end he was direct to see the Pāṇḍavas. At that time, the Pāṇḍavas were having a special conference of all the Pāṇḍavas. What was their talk? Their discussion was how we can all be connected to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa? How we can bring Kṛṣṇa to our place? So we can see how we are being attacked. So that is not going to work, Kṛṣṇa has already killed all the enemies. And they were discussing different ways, how to bring Kṛṣṇa, I want to see Kṛṣṇa again!! Nārada muni told that well, I will give the greatest devotees. Then Arjuna said, the Vṛṣṇis are more fortunate. Kṛṣṇa left us to go to the Vṛṣṇīs in Dvārakā, they are the greatest devotees. Whatever devotees Nārada muni went to they always said, someone else has more devotion than me.

So devotees are always humble, always think that someone else is better. So they were all very attached to serving Kṛṣṇa. This thing, that attachment to Kṛṣṇa is the most rare thing and that was given by Lord Caitanya! Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Pañca-tattva, They incarnated, appeared, in order to distribute this rare love of Kṛṣṇa amongst the human society. That is not very difficult, if one chants the holy names of the Lord and if one hears about the name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord form the pure devotee, then automatically this remembrance arises within the heart of the devotee. That is not very difficult, if one chants the holy names of the Lord and if one hears about the name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord form the pure devotee, then automatically this remembrance arises within the heart of the devotee. That is not very difficult, if one chants the holy names of the Lord and if one hears about the name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord form the pure devotee, then automatically this remembrance arises within the heart of the devotee. So all of you who are listening to the class, it shows that you are pure devotees and you should give your association to others and induce them to chant. By reading the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā people naturally become devotees of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda he went to Vinoda Bhave’s āśrama for a Bhagavad-gītā conference. Then the devotees were told to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa by Śrīla Prabhupāda. When they chanted everybody smiled and participated. Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that how they are pure devotees. Someone said I am not yet a pure devotee. He said there is a green mango or ripe mango, mango is a mango. So even though you are green mango, but still a mango. He said someone may be a ripe pure devotee, someone may be an unripe pure devotee. So we should be very careful to follow this prescription of Lord Caitanya to render service to Śrīla Prabhupāda and his representatives.

So, like this, I was reading in the Sat Kriyā Sāra Dipikā by Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, in the introduction it states that if someone has fallen down from following the principles, he has to take atonement. Like having sex life out of marriage. out of marriage. And eating meat. Breaking our regulative principles in a serious way. Then it is said that you should have the mantra given the guru. And the guru is not there, he is a gṛhastha, then from his wife. And like that, if she is not there, then her son. I read also in the Caitanya Līlā that Gadādhara prabhu, he was ordered by his guru to take disciples but he said that one disciple was not following very well and as a result he was mentally suffering. He desired to take the mantra once again from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But he had already taken initiation, accepted discipleship from Puṇḍarīka Premanidhi. So Lord Caitanya told him that Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was coming here soon, to Nīlācala, so you can take from him. Anyway, so this is a science and we should apply Kṛṣṇa consciousness appropriately like the way the Pāṇḍavas did.