20211211 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.23

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on December 11th, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 1, Chapter 13, verse 23.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

aho mahīyasī jantor
jīvitāśā yathā bhavān
bhīmāpavarjitaṁ piṇḍam
ādatte gṛha-pālavat

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

So, we see how Vidura as a sādhu, he told the truth as it was. Actually, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he was living in a very compromised situation. And Vidura as his brother, he tried to awaken him so that he would do something better to go back home back to Godhead. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he was not able to perform devotional service or bhakti-yoga because he was envious against devotees. So, this way, Vidura, he spoke some very harsh words so that Dhṛtarāṣṭra will make some effort towards spiritual life. So, it is because our nature is to be eternal, we are thinking how to live in this body eternally.

Everybody in the material world has its time limit, an expiry date! In this way we have to go away, leave everything, leave our wife, children, home, everything. Whatever bank balance and money we have, we have to leave everything behind and go. And after this life what birth, what kind of body we get who knows that. So being in a human birth we have a special opportunity to go back to Godhead. So, we should try for that, through one of the yogas. I think that Vidura is trying to get Dhṛtarāṣṭra to do the aṣṭāṅga-yoga. But for us the method is bhakti-yoga. Just by hearing and chanting the holy names we can go back to Godhead. And we should use this life trying to keep our mind on Kṛṣṇa, not on household luxuries.

In Kali-yuga basically it is prohibited to take sannyāsa, there one should basically be a gṛhastha. Some people take sannyāsa not to live in the forest, but to live in the āśrama. Anyway, human life is meant for self-realization. Whether one is a gṛhastha, brahmacārī or sannyāsī, we should be serving Kṛṣṇa. Now we see that in the world today, people are totally forgetful about Kṛṣṇa. And Dhṛtarāṣṭra now is not able to completely understand his own situation.

I was watching the ABC News yesterday. And they said, you watch the news you will be happier. So, the news was that in a big rock concert ten people died because they got crushed in stampede. And the second news that in Mexico, there was a truck carrying illegal migrants trying to get into America and met with an accident and 50 people died. So, I did not feel any happier! But they said you will feel happy, listen to our news. They could say any nonsense.

But Vidura, he is speaking the Absolute Truth. And he is trying to get his brother into self-realization. In this way, those of you who are listening to this class, you should try to get yourself, your friends, family members, relatives so that they also make good use of this human form of life. The human life is to be utilized so that we can go back home back to Godhead. That will really make the people happier. Not this false news in the media.

We are reading in the teachings of Lord Caitanya to Sanātana Gosvāmī, and some things are recommended for the human beings. Śravaṇa, kīrtana, names of the Lord, chanting and hearing the holy names of the Lord. Worshiping the Deity, living in the holy place of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana or Māyāpur, or nearby some temple. Like that, there are some things that are recommended, like read Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vidura is using his intelligence to try to get Dhṛtarāṣṭra to take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Yesterday we heard Śrīla Prabhupāda yesterday telling his disciples, that you should try to use your intelligence to see how Kṛṣṇa will be happy. In general people use their intelligence and try to see how they can have more sense gratification. But if we use our intelligence how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the proper use.

So, Lord Caitanya wanted to see everybody Kṛṣṇa conscious. Śrīla Prabhupāda, he tried to think how to do that. He told the disciples, “You utilize your intelligence and see how this Kṛṣṇa consciousness can spread.” So, like this, if we are absorbed how to please Kṛṣṇa, that is the process of bhakti-yoga. One devotee, he went to a Kazi, not the Chand Kazi, another Kazi.

He told the Kazi, “You are very famous, very good looking, strong and good politician!” “Can I say something to you?”

“Oh, why not!”

He told the Kazi, “Forget all this and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.”

So, the Kazi said, “I will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa tomorrow!” and the devotee started dancing you already started, “Ha! Ha! Don’t please stop, keep going!

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

So, the World Health Organization said that the trauma that we are going through now is worse that the Second World War. And more people have died. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that there would be a third World War and after that the preaching would be very good. But this pandemic is like the World War. And we should try to get the people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But we do not ask Kṛṣṇa for any material favor. But people in general, they will do whatever they do. And even if they chant offensively, it is better than no chanting. And, if they don’t want to chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that there are names of the Lord like Allah, Jehovah, etc. they can chant those names.

So, the quote harer nāma hārer nāma harer nāma means the chanting of the name of the Lord. So that way whatever name like Lord Caitanya said, there are many names of God— nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ:— the Lord has many names. So if they chant any name in their religion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is better than chanting no names. And in this way if all the people all over the world chant the name of God, then they will really be happy. And in this way, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he went to Tehran and to the Mohammadan paṇḍitas, he was saying that Allah O Akbar means “Para-brahma dhīmahi.” Like this, he told everyone if you don’t want to chant Kṛṣṇa, that is alright, just chant some name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

I was checking if I could go to Australia, but the border is still closed for tourists. So, I thought I will go to Malaysia, but they still have quarantine for one week. It is still very difficult to travel in the world. Japan is completely closed. Like this, people should get everybody to chant, that is the only hope. In the Kali-yuga Lord Caitanya predicted that in every town and village there will be chanting of the holy name. So, we should try to get the people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or some name of God and that will purify the atmosphere. So, we are doing this Gītā Marathon, it is also a good opportunity to distribute the Bhagavad-gītā. So, in this way, the world may be under this pandemic but somehow or other we should be preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Vidura, he went to Hastināpura and after meeting the Pāṇḍavas, he went to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and he speaks some strong words to Dhṛtarāṣṭra so that he takes up spiritual life. You are like a dog you are accepting food from the hands of Bhīma. So, in this way, he speaks so that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s ego is crushed and takes up the path of spirituality. So, whatever it takes Vidura, he was very skillful how to take Dhṛtarāṣṭra to the path of self-realization. Now, in Dvāpara-yuga you had to leave the house and go to the forest. In Kali-yuga from the home, you can serve the Lord or go to the temple and do devotional service. It is a must that we engage in the service of the Lord. That way we can feel great happiness. We can take some Deity as our special Deity and reveal our mind to Kṛṣṇa and get His blessings. In this way, we can be personally engaged in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service. And we should help the spiritual master so that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness can spread.

Thank you very much. I will take some questions.

Devotee: Guru Mahārāja in the last class we were told that if we speak the truth we should speak palatably. Today’s class we hear that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was spoken to very harshly by Vidura. To whom and how should we behave and tell the truth, because in order to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Vidura can speak harshly to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, but in what situation we should speak harsh words and to whom should we not? Please guide us.

Jayapatākā Swami: To do this, one should use his common sense. Like he went to the Pāṇḍavas and he did not want to make them unhappy and tell them that Lord Kṛṣṇa had already departed. But with Dhṛtarāṣṭra it was another situation. Therefore, he comes and speaks harshly to Dhṛtarāṣṭra so that he is encouraged to take up devotional service. So, preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness takes a lot of common sense. In different situations we have to act differently. I guess, this may be frustrating but there is no easy formula I can tell you. That is why, we hear the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam where we find that Vidura according to different situations, he behaves differently.

Devotee: As you said that everyone should chant the name of God no matter what religion he belongs. Anyone who is a sincere follower of Jesus Christ follows the principles of Bible, will he enter the Kingdom of God as Jesus Christ has said? This Kingdom of God which Lord Jesus Christ talks about, is it the same as our Vaikuṇṭha or something else?Akhila Bandhu Gopāla dāsa, Indore: 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there is only one God. Different religions may think that they worship different Gods. But from a Kṛṣṇa conscious point of view we understand that there is only one God. The Mohammadans worship as Allah, and the Christians worship as God. So, the real thing is whether you have developed love for the Supreme Person. If you are just praying to the Supreme Lord, to give you bread, to give you good wife, good husband, something like that, then that means you are only attached to material things, not to Him. We want that people should develop their love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, what Lord Jesus said was the Kingdom of God we say Vaikuṇṭha, it is the same thing. The question is that to what extent they actually develop love of Godhead, then we have no objection.

Devotee: You were reminding us that around the world they are saying that there is some crisis going on. So, we as devotees, we are also reminded to live simply and think high. So, I was curious that how is that different from what say the karmīs they are doing, like doing some remedies to help themselves against this crisis. What is the difference?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see we are trying to remember Kṛṣṇa. And by following the path of nava-vidha-bhakti we are trying to engage in devotional service. And therefore, we want to return to the spiritual world to serve Kṛṣṇa personally. But the karmīs, they are trying to find a solution to their material problems so that they can have interrupted sense gratification. In this way they take birth after birth after birth after birth. But we actually have this human life we should take advantage and go back to Godhead.

Sumitra Gauracandra dāsa: One should try to make more devotees, or try to absorb one in devotional activities, chanting, reading and serving Deities?

Jayapatākā Swami: Yes. So, the point is that there are two devotees, the bhajanānandīs and the goṣṭhyānandīs. So, the bhajanānandīs want to see their own personal liberation. The goṣṭhyānandīs want to take many devotees with them back home back to Godhead. So, our disciplic succession is goṣṭhyānandī. We practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, at the same time we try to expand the number of devotees. So, our business is practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness and we also try to outreach.

Thank you for your nice questions.