20241214 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.12.23

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 3.12.23

utsaṅgān nārado jajñe
dakṣo ’ṅguṣṭhāt svayambhuvaḥ
prāṇād vasiṣṭhaḥ sañjāto
bhṛgus tvaci karāt kratuḥ

Translation: Nārada was born from the deliberation of Brahmā, which is the best part of the body. Vasiṣṭha was born from his breathing, Dakṣa from a thumb, Bhṛgu from his touch, and Kratu from his hand.

Purport: Nārada was born from the best deliberation of Brahmā because Nārada was able to deliver the Supreme Lord to anyone he liked. The Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be realized by any amount of Vedic knowledge or by any number of penances. But a pure devotee of the Lord like Nārada can deliver the Supreme Lord by his good will. The very name Nārada suggests that he can deliver the Supreme Lord. Nāra means the “Supreme Lord,” and da means “one who can deliver.” That he can deliver the Supreme Lord does not mean that the Lord is like a commodity that can be delivered to any person. But Nārada can deliver to anyone the transcendental loving service of the Lord as a servitor, friend, parent or lover, as one may desire out of one’s own transcendental love for the Lord. In other words, it is Nārada only who can deliver the path of bhakti-yoga, the highest mystic means for attainment of the Supreme Lord.

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Jayapatākā Swami: In this verse either before or after, there is mention of Marīci. We have Marīci sitting here! Marīci dāsa. We see that Nārada, he is able to give Kṛṣṇa to anyone he would want to. You see, there are so many souls who Nārada gave Kṛṣṇa consciousness to. So, who gave you all Kṛṣṇa consciousness? So, like this, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he gave so many people, Kṛṣṇa consciousness! And then he said that his disciples, they will give more. Brahmā, he was very preoccupied, to fill up the universe very quick. What is interesting here is that Nārada was able to give the Supreme Personality of Godhead to anyone he liked. Nārada could give the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, studying the Vedas, performing penances, were not sufficient to realize Kṛṣṇa. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda came in the same disciplic succession as Nārada Muni. And Śrīla Prabhupāda at the advanced age, he went all over the world and just by his association he inspired people to serve Kṛṣṇa. Bhakti-yoga is described here as the highest mystic means for attaining the Supreme Lord. Somehow, we are born at the time when Lord Caitanya’s movement was in the world. At this time, we are not fortunate to see Nārada Muni. But within our Pañca-tattva, Nārada Muni is present. Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura is an incarnation of Nārada Muni. So, śrīvāsādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda – there are so many associates of the Lord who have come down with Lord Caitanya. So they are nitya-mukta, many devotees who come down with Kṛṣṇa but don’t get entangled in the material world. So, some come with the Lord from the spiritual world and some, they get delivered here and then they get the association of the Lord. So, it is a great mercy to be part of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So, Śrīla Prabhupāda came in the disciplic succession of Lord Brahma and Nārada Muni. So, as a representative of Nārada Muni, he was giving out Kṛṣṇa, bhakti-yoga to everyone. And we, the disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda, are trying to spread that consciousness further. But everyone of you also has to take up this weight, this responsibility to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So different devotees are serving Lord Brahmā in different ways. Nārada Muni did the service which was most difficult and confidential. Like Dakṣa appeared from the thumb of Brahmā and he is one of the progenitors. So, he made thousands of children. So, he was filling up the universe for Lord Brahmā. But Nārada Muni, he preached to Dakṣa’s children, and they all became Kṛṣṇa conscious. So after this birth, they did not have to take birth again and they could go back to Vaikuṇṭha. Dakṣa got angry at Nārada when he preached to three batches of his children. He cursed Nārada Muni that he could not stay anywhere for very long. Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying, “I had the same curse from the parents of my disciples! But in the holy dhāma curses do not affect. So you can stay in the holy dhāma, no problem!” So, we see that there is a lot of connection between Nārada Muni, with our paramparā, with Śrīla Prabhupāda.

One day Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Nārada Muni had visited one of our temples in America, probably New York, but I am not sure. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Nārada Muni was very happy as he was seeing the mlecchas and yavanas chanting and dancing! So in this way, devotional service or devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa was spread and preached amongst the mlecchas and yavanas and there is no history of this happening ever before. Pañca-tattva, their desire is to see all the people chanting and dancing! So, how people are suffering, enjoying temporary, illusory happiness, and distress. So they need the mercy of Pañca-tattva, they need Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So they need the mercy of Pañca-tattva. And I was telling you that every devotee has the ability to bless someone and according to how you are advanced, your blessings will have some value. Even if you are just attending maṅgala-ārati, guru-pūjā or something, you are doing sādhana-bhakti, then your blessing will give the other person faith in Kṛṣṇa. Now if you are higher than that, you have bhāva or something, then your blessings can give another person, bhāva! So, we are in Māyāpur dhāma, this is a place to cultivate bhakti-yoga. So we want you all to become very expert at practicing bhakti-yoga. And as much as you love Kṛṣṇa, that way Kṛṣṇa will reciprocate to that extent.

Now, I just was reading last night how when all the devotees went to Jagannātha Purī to see Lord Caitanya, He had just returned from His trip to all over South India and middle India. So what did Lord Caitanya do? He embraced every devotee again and again! And then some devotees were not visible. So He asked where is Murāri Gupta? Murāri Gupta was paying his obeisances and crying. And Lord Caitanya came and picked him up. He said, “Don’t touch me, I am very fallen. I am very sinful!” But Lord Caitanya embraced him anyway. Haribol! Haribol! Haribol! Then, He said, “Where is Haridāsa?” So someone pointed out, he was paying his obeisances in the middle of the road, some distance away. So, Lord Caitanya called him over and Haridāsa said, “I am very fallen.” Anyway, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu expressed so much affection, so much love for all the devotees.

So, the Lord, He comes down to this material world which is created by Brahmā and He displays His pastimes. So, Brahmā has two parts of life which are called parārdha. So, his first parārdha just got over. And he had stolen Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd boys and calves. Lord Brahmā, he came to the Yoga-pīṭha, the birthplace of Lord Caitanya and began to chant. And Lord Caitanya appeared and asked him, “What did he want?” Because Lord Caitanya is always present in this dhāma. So Brahmā said, “My first parārdha is over. Still, I am stealing Your cows and calves, the cowherd boys.” And so he said, “I hear that in this avatāra You give out love for Kṛṣṇa freely! So I want to not commit any more offences in my second parārdha. And I would like to be Your associate in Your pastimes. And I would like to get kṛṣṇa-prema!” So, Lord Caitanya said, “Tathāstaḥ! So be it! You will be born in a non-Hindu family, that will teach you humility. You will be My associate, and You will be the Nāmācārya. You will chant three hundred thousand names of the Lord every day! As such you will get love of Godhead!” Some devotees still ask, is chanting important? If you want kṛṣṇa-prema, then chant! So, guess who Lord Brahmā came as? Haridāsa Ṭhākura! So anyway, any questions?

It said here, on 26^th  December, we have Pañca-krośa parikramā. First, he wrote 27^th then he corrected to 26^th. I just am reading what he has write. I don’t take responsibility! 26^th is confirmed!

Question: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that He would accept the bhoga from people who chant a lakh number of holy names. Will he accept if we chant 25,000 names?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see we offer through the guru-paramparā. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said to chant 25,000 names. And 25,000 is minimum, you can chant more! You can offer the bhoga to your Guru Mahārāja and your Guru Mahārāja will offer it to his Guru Mahārāja. Then it goes all the way up! Like this, I offer to Śrīla Prabhupāda and he accepts. Where is it written that you have to chant 100,000 names? I heard that Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he told all the devotees living in the temple, they should chant one lakh. Then I heard from one of his disciples that he said, if you go out to distribute books, you can chant 25,000. We have in Māyāpur book tables, bus parties, kīrtana parties. Śrīla Prabhupāda engaged us in some form of preaching. So in that way we can chant 25,000 names of the Lord. Hare Kṛṣṇa!