20211120 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.12.35-36

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on November 20th, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.12.36.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!

Oṁ tat sat!

We see in this first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how Lord Kṛṣṇa is presented. Yudhiṣṭhira was connected to Kṛṣṇa as an older friend. And so, he requested Kṛṣṇa to stay for the yajñas. So, although Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is playing like a human being. He took the responsibility for the whole world. So he took the responsibility that the brāhmaṇas would perfect the sacrifices properly, and He would take the opportunity of being there. So here we can see that just taking birth in the family of brāhmaṇas is not enough. Such people are called brahma-bandhus - those who took birth without brahminical qualities. those who took birth without brahminical qualities. Like Bengal, we heard is no. 1 in India, no. 1 what is it no.1, in? They are no. 1 in most non-veg consumption - 98%. In Gujarat 40% are vegetarian. but in Bengal only 2%. So in Bengal, Banerjees, Mukherjees, Bandopadhyaya, it is hard to find anyone who is a pure vegetarian. And the husband wife descendants of Śacīmātā, their children are not vegetarian. Why? Because the family of brāhmaṇas, they stay with are not vegetarian. Maybe in Dvāpara-yuga, the brāhmaṇas were vegetarian. But they had to be born a vegetarian and also had to be trained, qualified and initiated. I was so happy to see so many devotees taking the Bhīṣma Pañcaka fasting and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in the temple. Lord Caitanya said śuci haya muci haya yadi kṛṣṇa-tyaje, muci haya śuci haya yadi kṛṣṇa-bhaje – Lord Caitanya said that even the lower born person if he worships Lord Kṛṣṇa he becomes pure, and a person born in a pure family, if he does not worship Kṛṣṇa, he is lower born. Śuci means those who are brāhmaṇas. But if they give up Kṛṣṇa, then he is fallen.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he started to give Vaiṣṇavas the upanayanam. By giving them their sacred-thread he wanted to show that a Vaiṣṇava is automatically a brāhmaṇa. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was invited to an assembly of brāhmaṇas in Mednipur, Bengal. So he told that how there were 12 qualities of a brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇas who were there, felt very proud. But then he explained a Vaiṣṇava has 13 qualities. 12 of a brāhmaṇa plus pure bhakti. So, we want all the devotees to practice kṛṣṇa-bhakti and all these twelve qualities of a brāhmaṇa.

I don’t know but other gurus, I have only 12% of my disciples who are second initiated. We want all the disciples, all the devotees to read Śrīla Prabhupāda books. And Bhakti-śāstrī, and so on, other courses they can take. Śrīla Prabhupāda himself established these examination systems. He instructed that those who would like to take second initiation, they should first do Bhakti-śāstrī. Those who wanted to take sannyāsa, they should also take Bhakti-vaibhava course. And those who would be gurus, they would have to take Bhakti-vedānta course. Unfortunately, in ISKCON we have not established these degrees much. But Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted that his followers should be well trained and well-read in his books.

Just like he said, that if we are followers of Lord Caitanya, He only gave eight verses of the Śīkṣāṣṭakam. So everyone should know these eight verses of the Śikṣāṣṭaka. It is an interesting point, I was told by one Sanskrit scholar, that each of the verses in the Śikṣāṣṭaka is a different meter. That the Sanskrit scholars study the Śikṣāṣṭaka to see how they are perfect in Sanskrit grammar and poetry (kavitā). I found it interesting that these Sanskrit scholars were reading Lord Caitanya’s Śikṣāṣṭaka. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as Nimāi Paṇḍita, He was enjoying His scholastic līlā.

Anyway, Kṛṣṇa, He was doing the service, like He saw that the brāhmaṇas were duly qualified. One thing we notice is how Kṛṣṇa He would do this type of very basic service for His friend. Is there any other friend like Kṛṣṇa? If Kṛṣṇa is your friend, then your life is successful. We want Kṛṣṇa to be our friend, most of all! We have to act as Kṛṣṇa’s friend also. Bhakti-yoga means we take fully dependence on Kṛṣṇa. We surrender to Him. He is very kind, and He makes His devotees as friend. I was reading that before He descended to this world; He sent His devotees as His parents. We don’t know who our father and mother will be, but He selects His devotees, who would be His father and mother before He descended. When Kṛṣṇa appears, He has a transcendental body. And that is why He never forgets past, present future. But when His pastimes are going on, He acts like an ordinary friend. So, even when He was at Kurukṣetra for the solar eclipse, then He bathed the feet of the guests. So He could take up menial service for His devotees. And His devotees, they could do any service for the Lord.

He told Nārada Muni that, “I have a headache and I need the dust of my devotees’ feet.” So Nārada Muni went to various people and asked the dust of their feet. He asked the yogīs, the yogīs said, “Why do you want the dust of our feet?” Nārada Muni said that, “We would like to give it on Kṛṣṇa’s head as He is having headache.” “No, no, no! I cannot give it, then I will go to hell.” Then he went to the wives in Dvāraka and they also refused, “How can we give foot dust for our husband? This would be an offence, aparādhā.” Then he went to Vṛndāvana. Then he told the gopīs that, “Kṛṣṇa has headache and He is desiring for the dust of the lotus feet of His devotees.” “Kṛṣṇa, He has a headache!” “He wants devotees’ foot dust? Take it! How much do you want?” “But are you not afraid, you will go to hell!” Nārada Muni asked. “We are ready to go to hell but let Kṛṣṇa’s headache be cured!” Haribol! So, this is the difference of the gopīs. If it is for Kṛṣṇa’s benefit they are ready to go to hell also.

Today is the first day of the Kātyāyanī-pūjā. So, they do tapasya and worship Kātyāyanī to get Kṛṣṇa as their husband. So actually, these gopīs are so pure that I was thinking that one has to be very qualified to be born as them. So, from this verse, we see many things. How Kṛṣṇa is a friend, how brāhmaṇas should be qualified, Many things. How when He comes to this world, He acts like a human being. So when He spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, He said that I remember everything. 40 million years ago, I was teaching this to Vivasvān. You were there also. But you have forgotten, and I remember all this. So as devotees, we have a great opportunity to engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service. In the material world normally, people worship Kṛṣṇa or some demigod, to get satisfaction for their senses. But actually, to serve Kṛṣṇa, please His senses, is very rare. To be free of all material designations.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa- sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
(Cc. Madhya 19.170)

So to serve the Lord of the senses with our senses. Yudhiṣṭhira asked Kṛṣṇa, please stay for the yajña. So Kṛṣṇa won’t just stay, He said I will do something. I will choose brāhmaṇas who are qualified to do these services. Every avatāra has His particular mood. But Kṛṣṇa is the original, so He has all kinds of moods. Narasiṁhadeva, to protect His devotee, He had special kind of anger in Him. Paraśurāma was a śaktyāveśa-avatāra and He appeared to annihilate the miscreants. Varāhadeva came to save the earth from falling in one of the Garbhodaka oceans. He came in a boar form, and He picked up the earth on His tusk. Lord Caitanya came showing mercy, establishing the saṅkīrtana movement and distributing love of Godhead. We are very fortunate that we are able to follow Lord Caitanya and we can propagate His saṅkīrtana movement. Lord Caitanya came in the mood of mercy. So Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying there is no limit to Lord Caitanya’s mercy! And He asked Lord Nityānanda to give out the mercy. So Nityānanda Prabhu even He was hit by Mādhāi and caused Him to bleed, He said, “Just that you have hit Me and caused Me to bleed, does that mean I will not give you mercy?” So, Nitāi-Gaura have so much mercy! So by Their mercy we should continue in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Where will we find anyone as merciful as They are? So They appeared to deliver every single person irrespective of their caste, creed and culture. Caitanya Mahāprabhu ki jaya!

So we will take some questions.

Hari-Hara Caitanya dāsa: As you mentioned that only 12% of your disciples are second initiated. What qualifications other than Bhakti-śāstrī you want us to develop to take brāhmaṇa initiation?

Jayapatākā Swami: Basically, you have to read some Śrīla Prabhupāda books. You have to be regular in chanting and attending programs. If there is anything you did not complete before the first initiation checklist, that should be completed before second initiation. And also, other things, you can talk to the JPS Office.

Sukamala Nityānanda dāsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda gave second initiation to a disciple. And then the disciple asked Śrīla Prabhupāda have I become a brāhmaṇa now? Śrīla Prabhupāda said I have given you the opportunity to achieve all the twelve qualities of a brāhmaṇa. If I cannot even acquire 1 quality of the 12 can I become a brāhmaṇa?

Jayapatākā Swami: We should try to achieve all the 12 qualities. And if we have difficulty in anyone, we can contact our senior godbrother or godsister or guru. Taking initiation is like taking a new birth. After birth there are other things by practicing you can develop. It is not that just from birth you will have all the qualities you have to practice and acquire them.

Gauracandra Bhagavān dāsa: You mentioned to be dependent on Lord Kṛṣṇa but sometimes we say we are dependent on Kṛṣṇa, at the same time neglect our responsibility. How to understand that we are serving Kṛṣṇa and at the same time also dependent on Kṛṣṇa?

Jayapatākā Swami: That reminds me of an example, there was a flood, and police came by and said to a person, “We came to evacuate you from the flood.”

“I am depending on Kṛṣṇa” he said.

Then more water came. A boat came to take him, and he again said, “I am depending on Kṛṣṇa!”

And then the water rose higher, and he went on the roof. Then a helicopter came and said, “Come on, come with me!”

But he said, ‘No, I am depending on Kṛṣṇa.”

Then the flood rose higher, and he died. He went to Vaikuṇṭha and he asked Kṛṣṇa “why didn’t You save me?”

“I sent the police, I sent the boat, I sent the helicopter, you didn’t take anything!” So, you see depending on Kṛṣṇa, we take whatever help He sends. How Kṛṣṇa works, He works in unique ways!

Question: The queens of Dvāraka to heal Kṛṣṇa’s headache they denied to-give their dust from their lotus feet but they are still devotees of Kṛṣṇa right? How can we understand this?

Jayapatākā Swami: This is a story told but I don’t know if it is in any śāstra. Generally, the queens of Dvāraka are devotees. But there is parakīya and svakīya-rasa. The svakīya-rasa has wives they don’t want to put their feet dust on their husband. But the gopīs, they are ready to go to hell for Kṛṣṇa’s headache. I don’t know if this is a true story or not. But we do know that the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇa is higher than that of the queens of Dvāraka. And so, that is what we want to show by this example.

Balavān Śrīnivāsa dāsa: At what stage will our aparādhās will not be forgiven?

Jayapatākā Swami: Hope you never reach that stage! And that always try to avoid offences. I don’t know what the limit of Lord Caitanya’s mercy is but I don’t want to take it that far! Especially Lord Caitanya. He did not want anyone to offend the Vaiṣṇavas. Cāpāla Gopāla offended Śrīvāsa and He said you have to suffer. But then Cāpāla Gopāla begged Śrīvāsa for forgiveness. Lord Caitanya embraced Cāpāla Gopāla and saved him.