20241102 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.11.1-2

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

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

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.11.1

maitreya uvāca
caramaḥ sad-viśeṣāṇām
aneko ’saṁyutaḥ sadā
paramāṇuḥ sa vijñeyo
nṛṇām aikya-bhramo yataḥ

Translation: The material manifestation’s ultimate particle, which is indivisible and not formed into a body, is called the atom. It exists always as an invisible identity, even after the dissolution of all forms. The material body is but a combination of such atoms, but it is misunderstood by the common man.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: The atomic description of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is almost the same as the modern science of atomism, and this is further described in the Paramāṇu-vāda of Kaṇāda. In modern science also, the atom is accepted as the ultimate indivisible particle of which the universe is composed. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the full text of all descriptions of knowledge, including the theory of atomism. The atom is the minute subtle form of eternal time.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.11.2

sata eva padārthasya
svarūpāvasthitasya yat
kaivalyaṁ parama-mahān
aviśeṣo nirantaraḥ

Translation: Atoms are the ultimate state of the manifest universe. When they stay in their own forms without forming different bodies, they are called the unlimited oneness. There are certainly different bodies in physical forms, but the atoms themselves form the complete manifestation.

Jayapatākā Swami: We have heard the two verses and their translation and purport. So in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is also the description of the atom. This is a scientific description. We say that in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is science. In our TOVP, the West Wing is called the Science Museum of the Vedic Planetarium. So the problem is that (people are thinking) we had some three companies to compete and one company, they thought that ok, science is the modern science. And when made their exhibits, they did not listen to the content people, they made it based on mundane science and ignored our Vedic presentation as mythology. In these verses of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it talks of atoms, aṇu, paramāṇu, molecules. This is science! We should understand that the Vedas have science.

Today is the day of Govardhana Pūjā! Today different devotees have cooked and they have made the offerings. So this was started by Mādhavendra Purī. He told all the villagers that, “Gopāla is very hungry, please bring some food for Him!” So, Annakūṭa is not mundane food. So the idea is that Gopāla, He sees all the cooked foodstuff and accepts them all, and in this way He transforms all the food to spiritual food.  So this way, it is not something that is just free food for distribution to the poor, this is remnants of the food offered, mahā-prasāda. Therefore, if general food is distributed, it is a pious activity. But Annakūṭa is taking mundane food and offering it to the Lord. Therefore, it becomes spiritualized. So, Mādhavendra Purī, he put Gopāla on the Govardhana hill and then he invited and told all the surrounding villagers to arrange for feeding Gopāla.

We should only worship the Lord as Soul. We don’t think that by our worship we are going to enjoy our senses. We want to worship Gopāla to satisfy Gopāla. So, we eat simple food. No meat, fish, eggs, onions, etc. We eat prasāda. We, the devotees, can prepare prasāda because we want to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Now such days like Annakūṭa all the villagers came and offered piles of prasāda! Because Gopāla wants to give His mercy to the devotees, that offering becomes prasāda. When that bhoga was offered to the Lord, villagers, it was not known which of them were initiated, first or second, none of those things were know, everyone was invited! So, Kṛṣṇa gives the opportunities on festivals like this to everyone. So this is the Lord’s mercy! That is why it is called kṛṣṇa-prasāda. And that is distributed to people in general as sādhus’ mercy. So, all the prasāda we distribute in Māyāpur is all prasāda.

Today is the Annakūṭa day, we make a mountain of prasāda. And Śrīla Prabhupāda he was seeing how the children with sticks in their hands were fighting with the dogs and trying to eat the remnants of the prasāda left. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said that, “Oh, they are all so hungry! The temple is a temple of Kṛṣṇa, who is the Supreme Father of everyone. So, we should see that no one goes hungry within a ten-mile radius,” he said. So Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was very concerned that people go hungry near the temple. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, his vision was completely spiritual. How the Annakūṭa was completely spiritual. Some people, they wonder why this Annakūṭa, which is made of rice and things but it is spiritual! Because except the devotees, the common man, he doesn’t understand that Kṛṣṇa, when He accepts the offering it becomes spiritualized!

Now, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is mentioned that this material world is created with the combination of atoms. But, when Kṛṣṇa accepts an offering, then it is spiritualized. So the devotees they prepare food for Kṛṣṇa and offer it with love, Kṛṣṇa accepts it, then it becomes spiritualized. So this was the desire of Mādhavendra Purī, that he wanted to see Gopāla’s hunger satiated. This is also a sweet pastime of Gopāla! And we still have Annakūṭa festival all over the world, like in Vṛndāvana. So in this material world we have past, present and future. Time is always moving. But, in the spiritual world there is only one time, which is eternal present. Jaya Pañca-tattva kī!

We have the problem that we forget our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya came to help us all remember Kṛṣṇa. Chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy names!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

So, the secret or special process is to always have Kṛṣṇa in the center. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we find explanation of atoms, very scientifically. So, when the atoms consist of different molecules of bodies, they are called unlimited oneness. So, in this universe we have different bodies but there are also the unlimited oneness outside the universe in the Causal Ocean. So, the atoms form the complete manifestation. Our body is made up of different atoms. But in this body there is a spiritual spark. That is the ‘I’. Now, some people say, “I am the body and the body has a soul.” But from our point of view, “I am a soul and I have a body.” So from the material understanding, everything is just made of atoms. They don’t believe in the soul or they don’t think they are the soul. The materialists think that they are just atoms. So, this is the difference. So Kṛṣṇa has made these bodies, but scientists they think that everything happened accidentally! Now, science also says that this is also not possible that everything has come into being by accident.

Today is also Rasikānanda Prabhu’s appearance day. Rasikānanda was ordered by his guru Śyāmānanda to accept disciples. Many gurus give order to their senior disciples to accept disciples. So, Rasikānanda was one of those. And he used to live in Remuṇā. So, one disciple of Rasikānanda heard one time some yogī came and he was flying around! Rasikānanda’s disciples came and said, “He is flying, he is flying!” Many disciples came and said, “One yogī is flying!” Rasikānanda said, “It is not a big thing!” He was brushing his teeth with a neem twig. Then he put the neem twig between his legs and he started flying around! He said, “This is not a big thing!” Like this, he was a very powerful devotee! Now he used to do kīrtana. One time, he was doing his kīrtana and he entered the Gopīnātha Deity. That way, he ended his pastimes. When the devotees saw he has entered the Deity, he has gone, they also could not bear the separation and they also fell down and left their bodies! So, we have many great devotees in our sampradāya!

Today the Annakūṭa festival is being held and we should remember this is because of Mādhavendra Purī. So we want to satisfy the hunger of Gopāla. It is His mercy, He doesn’t feel any hunger, He wants to give a chance to the devotees to worship Him. Anyone would like to give any comments or questions?

Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami: Very beautiful class Guru Mahārāja!  In Govardhana Pūjā, what should we offer as prayer and what opportunity has Mādhavendra Purī given us to please Govardhana?

Jayapatākā Swami: There is one mantra here. That is offered to Govardhana.

namaste girirājāya śrī govardhana nāmine
aśeṣa kleśa nāśāya paramānanda dayine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the king of all hills, Govardhana Hill (the source of enjoyment for the senses, land, and cows). He is a servant of Kṛṣṇa and is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He puts an end to unlimited sufferings and bestows the supreme bliss.

That is one thing to say.

Any other question?

Question: I have two questions. But I never get the chance to ask. May I ask? I am not good in English. It says that our behavior represents our spiritual master but my behavior is worst in Vaiṣṇava behavior and sometimes I get the devotees into trouble, so my senior told me to ask you what I should do?

I also have made my health worse. What should I do so I can have proper Vaiṣṇava behavior so I can represent you properly, positively?

Jayapatākā Swami: The devotee, in one sense, is the representative of the spiritual master. So, what your spiritual master has told you to do, you should do that. Therefore, that will be the proper representation.

Time for one more question.

Question: How to cultivate this mood of always to satisfy the Lord whatever we do. Like you said we do things for Kṛṣṇa, for Gopāla. But many a time I forget this.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by practicing this way of thinking, gradually it becomes second nature. So, we have to practice in this way that it gradually becomes our normal way of thinking. Now we follow the rules and regulations called for in vaidhi-bhakti. After sometime, that becomes our spontaneous way of thinking. And then, gradually we start thinking that way and we reach the stage of rāgānuga-bhakti.

Today is Annakūṭa so we see a mound of food! But that is not the goal! The goal is to see that oh! this is an offering to Gopāla! Offering to Gopāla and what He leaves, it becomes mahā-prasāda! We don’t want to eat anything that is not prasāda. So, someone will offer the bhoga and then we take mahā-prasāda. Haribol!

Thank you very much!