20220716 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.18.20

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 16th, 2022 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.20.

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: This verse says that the Lord is unlimited.

One cannot explain the unlimited qualities of the Lord.

If we understand about the Lord and our relationship with Him, then we will be considered the most intelligent of all the people.

They say in Bengali, the person who is a Vaiṣṇava he is very, very clever.

In this way if one can realize the Lord then one does not take birth again.

Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that this is an easy way we can get over janma, mṛtyu, jarā, vyādhi, birth, death, old age and disease cycle.

These are the real problems of life.

Unfortunately, there is no university, educational institution that teaches about the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Śrīla Prabhupāda said that that is why he created the International Society for Krishna consciousness.

Bhagavad-gītā has a verse that says:

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so 'rjuna
(Bg. 4.9) 

That if we understand the transcendental nature of the Lord’s appearance and activities, we don’t take birth again and go back to Kṛṣṇa.

So, Draupadi and Kuntī Devī although they were women, they could understand the nature of the Lord.

It is not so difficult.

But you have to try.

And they need association with a pure devotee. Otherwise, non-devotees cannot understand these things.

So there is a verse that says, if you take the nectar from a non-devotee it is like taking milk touched by the lips of a serpent.

Milk is amṛta, like nectar, but if milk is touched by a snake, it becomes poisonous and if you drink it, it will kill you.

So, it is very important that we hear from a pure paramparā.

This way, we can get the nectar and it will be easily digestible. 

The happiness that we find in this material world according to the scriptures is considered to be insignificant or flickering.

But in the Kali-yuga we are weak.

So we have to do vairāgya-vidyā.

For vairāgya, renunciation, we follow the four regulative principles.

No gambling, no intoxication, no meat eating and no illicit sex.

Illicit sex means that sex outside of marriage.

Some of our devotees like to be brahmacārīs.

That means very strictly avoiding any kind of solitary association with women.

Of course, no type of homo sex is allowed.

But then when they are allowed to get married, husband and wife, they can have a relation.

That is not illicit sex.

When they have just for procreation, that is devotional service.

But otherwise, the relationship between husband and wife is not sinful.

But any kind of mixing with other women, prostitutes, that is illicit sex.

So,the human beings they want to do vairāgya-vidyā that means follow the four regulative principles and get knowledge about Kṛṣṇa.

Vidyā means to know about Kṛṣṇa.

Vidyā doesn’t mean knowing about how to make money or anything material.

That may be needed to make a living, that is not vidyā.

Vidyā means to understand the unlimited nature of the Supreme Lord.

People in the world, it is rare to know about the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lord Caitanya, He came to give us this knowledge.

And to give us this transcendental bliss.

Living in the holy dhāma of Māyāpur is a special blessing, we can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and to get a thousand times the benefit by chanting.

Vṛndāvana, Māyāpur, you get a thousand times the benefit.

But in Vṛndāvana if you also commit any offence, you get thousand times the reaction.

Siddha Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī left Vṛndāvana and came to Navadvīpa.

He found Vṛndāvana too hot!

Not weather wise but any mistake you make you get a thousand times the offense.

In Māyāpur, which is known as the audārya-dhāma, the mercy dhāma, you do not get the same results for the offenses.

Of course, we have to avoid especially the offense to Vaiṣṇavas.

So here Siddha dāsa Jagannātha Bābājī is called siddha because he achieved siddha realization in Navadvīpa.

If you go to his temple in Navadvīpa behind you see a gazebo, the place where he was sitting and realized his siddha-svarūpa.

He proved that Navadvīpa you can achieve the same realization in Navadvīpa but without the danger. 

Here Lord Caitanya had various pastimes.

When He was a young boy, He would go to purchase his banana products from Kholāvecā Śrīdhara.

He had to argue for the price with Kholāvecā Śrīdhara.

Kholāvecā Śrīdhara would always ask for a fair amount.

But Lord Caitanya said, you are trying to cheat Me and charging too much!

Then He grabbed the bananas and give him a low price.

In this way Lord Caitanya would purchase bananas from Kholāvecā Śrīdhara.

And Kholāvecā Śrīdhara would snatch the bananas from Nimāi and Nimāi would say, “You are taking from a brāhmaṇa!” That time they were using cowries, one paisa was divided into 80 cowries.

Now you don’t see one paisa! I saw it! I saw!

In the Hundi box I saw it!

Real small thing!

So like this He would see Kholāvecā Śrīdhara and all the other hawkers would say, “Why are You taking that from him?

Why does Kholāvecā Śrīdhara take the criticism and things from Nimāi?” Kolaveca Śrīdhara said, “I don’t know, when I see Him, my heart melts!” Like this when Lord Caitanya revealed His situation that He was Kṛṣṇa Himself, he was amazed.

He called for Kholāvecā Śrīdhara. 

By that time He was known as Gaura Hari and Nimāi Paṇḍita and when Kholāvecā Śrīdhara heard that He was calling him, he fainted.

The devotees carried him back to where Lord Caitanya was.

That time Lord Caitanya was manifesting His glories, in the 21-hour ārati that was performed.

And Advaita Gosāñi was performing the ārati.

Nityānanda Prabhu was holding the umbrella.

And Śrīdhara came to consciousness and he saw the Lord there in His effulgence. 

Lord Caitanya said, “I will give you anything you want, what do you want?” 

“I don’t want anything else.” he said. 

Lord Caitanya said, “I will make you a king, with many subjects.” 

“No, no, I don’t want to be a king.” 

Lord Caitanya said, “I will give you mystic power, mystic power, you can fly wherever you want.” 

“No, no, I don’t want mystic power.” Lord Caitanya said, “You have to ask something from Me, what do you want?”

He said, “If I have to ask anything then that I can supply your vegetable needs in every incarnation you take.

And I may have the blessing to have the darśana of the smiling boy who would come to me and I would be able to see him again and again.

If I have to ask something, I will ask this.” Because Kholāvecā Śrīdhara was a pure devotee, he was the most intelligent person.

He wanted the eternal service of the Lord.

Haribol! So, this verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam tells us that the Lord is unlimited, but He can be obtained by pure love.

We are very infinitesimal.

But if we give ourselves to the Lord, He reciprocates, but He gives Himself to us.

The Lord is very reciprocative.

So, considering that we can achieve the greatest benefit by surrendering to the Lord.

Any questions? 

Saṅkīrtana Priya Nitāi dāsa: You talked about the four regulative principles. During initiation we vow to follow these regulative principles. My question is after initiation if a disciple breaks any one of these regulative principles, what is the method of atonement and please tell the way out so that one does not make the same mistake again.

Jayapatākā Swami: We should beg for forgiveness from guru and Kṛṣṇa.

Then we should perform devotional service directly.

There is no higher atonement than bhakti-yoga. 

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Question: Do we also have to suffer for offences due to mind?

Jayapatākā Swami: In Kali-yuga normally you get reaction for activities performed.

In other yugas just by thinking about something, you get the reaction.

So Kali-yuga, normally by thinking you do not get a reaction.

If you take second initiation, then you may be more responsible for your mind.

If you think of something bad, then you beg for forgiveness and replace it with some Kṛṣṇa conscious thought.

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Question: If for some reason I am unable to understand who is a non-devotee and by mistake I hear from him, what will be my atonement?

Jayapatākā Swami: We hope that you are not poisoned.

You should hear from a pure devotee and read Śrīla Prabhupāda books and take the mistaken thoughts from your mind. 

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Nehā [Jamshedpur]: You mentioned that if we visit Śrīdhama Vṛndāvana and we commit offences it would get multiplied 1000 times. But being a beginner, knowingly or unknowingly one could commit offences. So should they avoid visiting Śrīdhama Vṛndāvana?

Jayapatākā Swami: Normally we visit the holy dhāma just for a few days.

That time we are very careful not to commit any offence.

And if we stay longer for some parikramā or something, then we try to hear from the devotees.