20220915 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.19.20

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on September 15th,2022 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.20.

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

This morning we are reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.20.

na vā idaṁ rājarṣi-varya citraṁ
bhavatsu kṛṣṇaṁ samanuvrateṣu
ye ’dhyāsanaṁ rāja-kirīṭa-juṣṭaṁ
sadyo jahur bhagavat-pārśva-kāmāḥ

Translation and Purport (By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda): [The sages said:] O chief of all the saintly kings of the Pāṇḍu dynasty who are strictly in the line of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa! It is not at all astonishing that you give up your throne, which is decorated with the helmets of many kings, to achieve eternal association with the Personality of Godhead. 

Purport: Foolish politicians who hold political administrative posts think that the temporary posts they occupy are the highest material gain of life, and therefore they stick to those posts even up to the last moment of life, without knowing that achievement of liberation as one of the associates of the Lord in His eternal abode is the highest gain of life.

The human life is meant for achieving this end.

The Lord has assured us in the Bhagavad-gītā many times that going back to Godhead, His eternal abode, is the highest achievement.

Prahlāda Mahārāja, while praying to Lord Nṛsiṁha, said, “O my Lord, I am very much afraid of the materialistic way of life, and I am not the least afraid of Your present ghastly ferocious feature as Nṛsiṁha-deva.

This materialistic way of life is something like a grinding stone, and we are being crushed by it.

We have fallen into this horrible whirlpool of the tossing waves of life, and thus, my Lord, I pray at Your lotus feet to call me back to Your eternal abode as one of Your servitors.

This is the summit liberation of this materialistic way of life.

I have very bitter experience of the materialistic way of life.

In whichever species of life I have taken birth, compelled by the force of my own activities, I have very painfully experienced two things, namely separation from my beloved and meeting with what is not wanted.

And to counteract them, the remedies which I undertook were more dangerous than the disease itself.

So I drift from one point to another, birth after birth, and I pray to You therefore to give me a shelter at Your lotus feet.” 

The Pāṇḍava kings, who are more than many saints of the world, knew the bitter results of the materialistic way of life.

They were never captivated by the glare of the imperial throne they occupied, and they sought always the opportunity of being called by the Lord to associate with Him eternally.

Mahārāja Parīkṣit was the worthy grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.

Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira gave up the imperial throne to his grandson, and similarly Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, gave up the imperial throne to his son Janamejaya.

That is the way of all the kings in the dynasty because they are all strictly in the line of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Thus the devotees of the Lord are never enchanted by the glare of materialistic life, and they live impartially, unattached to the objects of the false, illusory materialistic way of life. 

Translation: [The sages said:] O chief of all the saintly kings of the Pāṇḍu dynasty who are strictly in the line of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa! It is not at all astonishing that you give up your throne, which is decorated with the helmets of many kings, to achieve eternal association with the Personality of Godhead. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the question here is what is given as a priority in life?

In this material world getting some high post is better or eternal service to the Lord?

Now the whole world is seeing how Queen Elizabeth II passed away.

She was 96 years old and she was still in her position as the monarch of the UK.

And 19th September all the world leaders will come to see her on her final journey.

Actually, people think holding a position for so long is glorious.

But Parīkṣit Mahārāja when he heard he had seven days to live, he immediately decided to take fully shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

He could have counteracted the curse of the brāhmaṇa boy.

But he decided to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa.

The sages said that this nothing surprising, because this the culture of the Pāṇḍavas.

They always took shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

The present leaders, they don’t know the real goal of life is to go back home back to Godhead.

We heard how the president of Zimbabwe who is also in his 90s is holding on to his position.

We heard how a Prime Minister in his next birth took birth as a dog in a rich man’s house.

As a rich man’s dog he will get nice food and a nice massage!

If this is what people think is the goal of life, that is what they get.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja was in such an elevated position that his goal of life was to attain the eternal service of the Lord.

So he wanted to hear the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa, he wanted to achieve the eternal shelter of Kṛṣṇa.

He asked all the ṛsīs who were present, how he can attain the lotus feet of the Lord in seven days?

Haṭha-yogīs, they said that you have to learn a lot of yogic postures and sitting positions, so seven days are not enough.

Like that all the different rishis they thought that seven days is not enough.

But then the son of Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva, he arrived.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked the same question to Śukadeva Gosvāmī as well.

He said seven days! It is a long time! You can achieve perfection even in a moment.

The secret is to take full shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa and hear the pastimes and qualities of the Lord.

And to hear about the glories of the devotees of the Lord.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he asked various questions to Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

And Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered those questions.

And thus, in seven days Parīkṣit Mahārāja heard the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja sacrificed his life to hear the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

This Bhagavad-gītā is available now.

And Śrīla Prabhupāda he translated this and wrote.

He wrote in English and that was translated by His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami in Bengali.

And translated into many different languages, by different people around the world.

So, we should listen to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

And Śrīla Prabhupāda said that the whole Bhāgavatam was meant for the followers to read.

Rather than having some high political position, we should want to achieve the highest goal of life, the eternal service of the Lord.

Unfortunately, people do not realize what the real goal of human life should be. 

In the fifth canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a description of the cosmology of the universe.

And in the universe below the planetary systems and above is the Garbhoda ocean. Between that are the hellish planets.

So we read how people who are having illicit sex or cheating or various sinful activities, they go to these hellish planets.

The Yamadūtas are read to take all of the sinful people to the hellish planets.

But they don’t understand that the Lord has given this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in order to deliver everyone.

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, beginning to end, tells us about devotional service.

We should, whatever we are doing, offer to Kṛṣṇa in devotional service.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja was a gṛhastha.

He gave the kingdom to his son.

And he sat on a kuśa grass, facing the north on the side of the Yamunā.

And he heard the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is available for Rs. 6,000 odd rupees.

I heard that the price may increase very soon.

But in case someone is very poor, they cannot afford, they can write to me and we will consider who is the poorest.

And also, who has the greatest enthusiasm for reading the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

In the material world, people are very anxious for high material positions.

But at the time of death, they cannot take that with them.

But whatever they do for devotional service then even if the world is destroyed that will not get destroyed.

So this is the most valuable thing that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave us, devotional service of the Lord.

So we should value devotional service as the highest purpose of life.

Kṛṣṇa easily awards liberation but devotional service He hides.

But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He has bestowed devotional service.

Therefore, Lord Caitanya is considered the most merciful of all avatāras.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he took full shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

In this way we should follow Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s footsteps. 

Bhakti-vaibhava is given for the first six cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Bhakti-vedānta is for the 7th to 12th cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

And this is something that every human being should try to understand.

Because the people being punished by Yamarāja, they cannot understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So we consider ourselves very fortunate we are residing in the holy dhāma of Navadvīpa.

This way, we can get the special mercy of Lord Caitanya.

We should not accumulate materialistic possessions in this world considering them to be eternal.

We see in this verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam how Parīkṣit Mahārāja tries to take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Some people who are residing in Māyāpur, they may be accumulating wealth, but our real wealth is devotional service which we should be striving for.

If a person accepts the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as his life and soul then he becomes most intelligent.

Even if the person was foolish earlier, but if he takes shelter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam he becomes most intelligent.

Actually, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a priceless jewel.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja wanted to know how life can become successful.

And he was by the will of Kṛṣṇa fortunate to get the association of Kṛṣṇa and hear the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So, we should understand what the real value of life us and get the knowledge of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam into our brain. 

I have seen that in the Nāmahaṭṭa there are some very simple devotees.

But if they take shelter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam then they can make their lives successful.

Now, they may have become rich and wealthy but if they don’t take to devotional service then at the end of life, they will have to lose everything.

The rich people, they may think that their life is successful because they have money.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, he taught how even the so called rich people were actually poor if they did not have Kṛṣṇa.

So we want everybody rich by bhakti.

We heard how Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was afraid of material life but he was not afraid of Lord Narasiṁhadeva.

So, we heard how if someone keeps the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in their house, no inauspiciousness can enter.

By worshiping Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa is worshiped.

By reading and hearing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam one gets devotional service.

We hope that everyone hears and worships Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s instructions.

I am very grateful that HH Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami is promoting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, His Grace Jananivāsa Prabhu is promoting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ? Any questions?

Question: Can somebody start reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam before finishing Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. How can I increase my ruchi or taste for hearing devotional topics?

Jayapatākā Swami: Reading Bhagavad-gītā first and then Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also recommended.

But some people, they like to read many books at one time.

So, it is fine if someone reads Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Someone may read Bhagavad-gītā and Nectar of Devotion. 

Question: If someone is unable to purchase the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam due to high price can we give him Caitanya-caritāmṛta? 

Jayapatākā Swami: Any of the books are good.

But if one wants to read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam then I think there is a way of reading it, even if one does not buy it.

If you have a library near your home, then I can donate a set to that library.

Send me the library name.

Otherwise, talk to the Nāmahaṭṭa and we can see who we can arrange. 

Question: Should we follow a routine as in the place and time when it comes to reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?

Please advise.

Jayapatākā Swami: Tapan Miśra, the minister of education has recently published a book about how to read.

So he describes that if we make a habit of reading then it is very good.

And in the beginning, you may read for less time, but by doing it regularly every day you can gradual increase the capacity.

This is our opportunity to associate with Śrīla Prabhupāda! 

Thank you very much!

All glories to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam!