na vayam tvamarair daityaih

siddha-gandharva-caranaih

nasprsta-purvam janimo

lokesais ca kuto nrbhih

 

Translation

What to speak of human beings, even the demigods, demons, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Caranas and the various directors of the universe, the Prajapatis, have never touched You before. It is not that we are unable to understand Your identity.

 

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

Even the asuras observed the etiquette that no one should address a married woman with lust. The great analyst Canakya Pandita says, matrvat para-daresu: one should consider another’s wife to be one’s mother. The asuras, the demons, took it for granted that the beautiful young woman, Mohini-murti, who had arrived before them, was certainly not married. Therefore they assumed that no one in the world, including the demigods, the Gandharvas, the Caranas and the Siddhas, had ever touched Her. The demons knew that the young girl was unmarried, and therefore they dared to address Her. They supposed that the young girl, Mohini-murti, had come there to find a husband among all those present (the Daityas, the demigods, the Gandharvas and so on).

 

nunam tvam vidhina subhruh

presitasi saririnam

sarvendriya-manah-pritim

vidhatum saghrnena kim

 

Translation

O beautiful girl with beautiful eyebrows, certainly Providence, by His causeless mercy, has sent You to please the senses and minds of all of us. Is this not a fact?

 

sa tvam nah spardhamananam

eka-vastuni manini

jnatinam baddha-vairanam

sam vidhatsva sumadhyame

 

Translation

We are now all engaged in enmity among ourselves because of this one subject matter–the container of nectar. Although we have been born in the same family, we are becoming increasingly inimical. O thin-waisted woman, who are so beautiful in Your prestigious position, we therefore request You to favor us by settling our dispute.

 

Purport

The demons understood that the beautiful woman had attracted the attention of them all. Therefore they unanimously requested Her to become the arbiter to settle their dispute.

It is a very wonderful example, which we all can learn from, how people in this material state of consciousness on the basis of their sense gratification are constantly making arrangements for unity and also on the basis of sense gratification; greed for that sense gratification is great disunity. Demigods and the demons, who are naturally inimical of one another who agreed to unite to become one for the sake of churning the ocean of nectar. By which they can achieve nectar. This amrita, this nectar was a promise of a very profound quantity of sense enjoyment. Everything that we are looking for, through our physical senses is greatly magnified by the taste of the sweet nectar. It will produce a very long long life with tremendous health, physical beauty, the taste of the nectar conquers the mind and not only that but it integrates the senses in such a way that they have tremendous capacity to enjoy far more pleasure to contact with all the different objects of the senses. In the heavenly planets, we can imagine the quantity of sense enjoyment that they have achieved by their pious acts. The demons by their manipulation of the material nature, they were able to even conquer the heavenly planets in this particular instance and enjoy the pleasures there in. In this earthly planet sense enjoyment is something very small. It is a very petty thing compared to the sense enjoyment of the heavenly worlds. But, although people are striving struggling with the promise of happiness for a little more sense enjoyment, for little more wealth, for little more worldly opulence in this world, such an illusion that those who attain the heavenly planets who have achieved millions and millions of times more opulence, more position, more sense enjoyment. Even they are not fulfilled their desires. Otherwise why would they be so anxious for this part of nectar? Another words, they are still longing for more. Whether you are on this earth or whether you are on heavenly worlds, everyone is thinking by the illusion of Maya if only I had little more sense gratification, a little more material opulence, a little more positioning in society, of fame and distinction then I would be happy. But there is no end to this like fire his material desire to burn and burn. The more fuel you give more it burns. This is very very great lesson. Why demigods and demons who have achieved what would be considered the sense enjoyment for the people of this world, they are willing to work so hard engaging in so many austerities for the nectar because they are still not satisfied. They are still searching for more. On the basis of this longing to material life and the pleasures there in, even the greatest enemies who are opposed in all respects were willing to unite, to superficially become friends because it was required that their united efforts could bring about a higher position of sense gratification.

Indra and his sense enjoyment:

In the world today, for those who are acquainted with the current events, I believe one of the countries in the Middle East, Iraq has created a great thread to the sense enjoyment of all are the nations of the world. They are with large armies. They are threatening to overcome smaller and weaker nations. They have already succeeded in recent past, threatening the little by little. They would conquer more and more in the world. And ofcourse, the world situation they are thinking just like Indra when Vishwamitra muni was attaining too much mystic power, that if he becomes too powerful, he will steal our abode also. Therefore Indra sent Menaka to try to somehow or rather destroy the position of Vishwamitra. It is not that Indra was thinking selflessly. In this particular occasion he was thinking of protecting I and mine. I am this body and this abode is mine. So similarly we find that the nations of the world were really have no friendship. In the field of politics, there is no friendship. It is all just who can use one another the best to secure their own position of sense gratification in this world. Essentially, that is all politics is all about. But I have my sense gratification. You have your sense gratification. If my sense gratification is better fulfilled by me, destroying you, we are enemies and if my sense gratification is better fulfilled by befriending you, then we will join forces and arm in arm, we work together. So, all these nations, many of them hate one another. They are joining hands and hands to unite to protect the common interest of their material enjoyment. Therefore they have united against enemy. But then if some other circumstance comes before them, the same united forces become completely disunited and they fight and quarrel.

 

Example of getting united and disunited for sense enjoyment:

Just like we see in India, how it is, that so many of the different parties of India united in order to get British away. But after the British left, the same parties that were so united became utterly disunited because they wanted to divide up with what they have conquered and each one as much as possible, for their own prestige and their own power and their own control. And therefore we have the partition and so forth. So this is the power of material attraction. That it brings people together and divides people. The demons and the demigods became one. The united forces for the nectar but as soon as the nectar came immediately they became enemies again. The demons said this is for me and demigods wanted it for themselves. And then the demons got it. One side, one army got all the nectar and then within the army, they became completely disunited because each member of the army of the demons was thinking it should be only for me and no one else. Then they were fighting and fighting and fighting. Who will get the best sense enjoyment? They united to get it and they disunited who to drink it. This is the ways of the world.

 

Comparing the Mohini Murti’s leela, the leela of rasa danace and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu dancing in ratha yatra:

When Mohini murti, the divine form of Sri Vishnu, as the most beautiful of all woman. When she appeared, they could understand that her beauty is so illustrious that the sense enjoyment that is derived through her is even greater than this nectar. Therefore, in order to please Her, they all united again. Thinking that if we all unite, we become peaceful and we cooperate with her, then she will choose me to enjoy. So again they are superficially agreed. Yes, yes, yes. No more fighting. We all are united under you. You are our leader. Whatever you do with the nectar, is up to you. But we know that you are especially fond of me. Mohini murti had this mystic power because She was none other than Vishnu avatar. She had the mystic power to be in assembly of all the demons and make every demon think that she is only looking at him.

This is a very different type of leela than the rasa dance. But the same type of opulence. When Krishna was dancing with the gopis in the forest of the vrindavan, he was between each and every gopi and each gopi was thinking that Krishna is only with me. He is only looking at me. He is only smiling at me. Of all the gopis, his causeless mercy, so special, He is showing His kindness upon me. Each and every gopi was thinking like that.

Similarly in Jagannath puri, when Sri Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu was dancing at the ratha yatra, they were seven parties of kirtan and Sri Chaitanya mahaprabhu expanded himself in each of these seven parties and he was dancing very gracefully and very beautifully and each party was thinking that how fortunate we are that of all the parties, Sri Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu has left all of them, bereft them His association just to be with us. He is only with us and each member of that party was thinking that how Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu casting his merciful, beautiful glances upon me. And each person in every party was all thinking just like that. This is the inconceivable opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this world, if many people love someone, if that person shows too much attention to one person, other persons become envious. Why? Why he is showing so much attention to this person and not me? That is because we all are jivatmas. But Krishna is so magnificent that he can show complete affection, complete attention to everyone. And completely satisfies every ones heart, if he so desires. We cannot do because we are jiva but he is paramatma.

So in this way, Mohini Murti, in Her beautiful form, she has conquered the minds of all the asuras. She has put them all under the unconquerable spell of sex attraction. And therefore they are helpless. They are helpless before them. Their senses, their mind are completely conquered. Sleeping in Bhagavatam class is very offensive. We should all stand up if we have the slightest inclination to sleep, we should stand up. Mohini Murti how much the opulence of the Lord, her beauty is conquering the mind to the asuras. So although they were fighting, battling, ready to kill each other over who got the nectar first, they all thought that if we just unite and please her she will become mine. It’s not that they were united and thinking that Mohini Murti will be so wonderful that she will fulfill all of our desires. They did not care about the others. They are thinking that if we all unite superficially although we hate each though we are in the same army, although we hate each other, if we unite superficially and we appear to be intimate then Mohini Murti will be pleased upon us and there is no doubt amongst all of us she will cheat to be my wife alone. So therefore with the promise of sense enjoyment they were fighting and with the promise of sense enjoyment now they are united. So in this material world we understand that everyone is existing simply in the spell, under the spell of material enjoyment. And friends and enemies in this world are simply based on the exploitation of the resources of material nature. What is most efficient, what is most conducive to my own selfish desires fulfillment? ButKrishnaconsciousness is something that is transcendental to the unity and disunity of material life.

Just like Srila Prabhupad used to say, ‘You can show your love for me by how much you are willing to cooperate’. Now what is this cooperation mean? On the basis of our own self interests there is always in this world the tendency for poor and hypocrisy. In India especially we find that even the families, wealthy families, on the basis of sense enjoyment being the object between them they become enemies. Infact Maharaj Parikshit told Kali that ‘You cannot live in my kingdom’. Kali said, ‘Give me some place that I have surrender to you’. Maharaj Parikshit said, ‘You can live where there is intoxication, gambling, meat eating, and illicit sex’. Kali said, ‘But these things do not exist in your kingdom’. But Maharaj Parikshit said, ‘Where ever there is the greed for gold, you can be there’. Material opulence, gold is the means of material sense enjoyments of all variety of wealth. So kali, quarrel and hypocrisy is ever present in money, in wealth and the greed for these things for our own personal interests and therefore we find if opulence, wealth or material fortune is the object in which we unite than at any movement we will fall into victims of quarrel and hypocrisy because quarrel and hypocrisy is the very very potency of maya or kali. So when in Krishna consciousness we must be very very careful, very conscious that we are uniting only on the basis of principle of Krishna’s pleasure not our own pleasure. Krishna’s pleasure is only served when we are obedient to the order of guru.

yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado

yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ‘pi

 

It is explained here in that if pure devotee’s spiritual master is pleased then Krishna is pleased but without pleasing the spiritual master there is no means of pleasing Krishna. So therefore devotees are uniting exclusively on the basis of service to guru. How to please spiritual master? Whether we like each other or hate each other? We do not care. We are coming together on the basis of how to best serve the mission of our spiritual master. In this way our unity is sanctify spiritual, we can actually develop into love. How does it develop into love? Through this austerity, through this sacrifice of uniting on the basis of serving the interest of guru, through this sacrifice Krishna is pleased. He gradually gives us more and more realization of love of god and when love of god is within your heart naturally you love your god brothers and god sisters who are helping you in so many ways to love God.

Srila Prabhupada used to say, ‘This is the movement based on the principle of love and trust. As long as the slightest selfish interest is between us, there can be no love and trust. It is the love interest of the materialist, which means, whatever best serves my purposes, is whether I choose to be united or disunited. My friend or my enemy is the same person depending on the condition. Love and trust in Krishna consciousness can only be when we put aside who you are? And who I am? What you want and what I want? Where you have been? Or Where I have been?  Doesn’t matter, whether you are a Brahman and I am sudra. Doesn’t matter you are a sannyasi and I am grihastha. It doesn’t matter, if you are coming from a very wealthy background and I am coming from a very poor background. Doesn’t matter if you are educated and I am uneducated. Doesn’t matter if you are from this caste and I am from another caste. These are all material distinctions based on bodily conception and sense enjoyment. It does not matter whether you have this propensity and I have this propensity. It doesn’t even matter if I think it should be done in this way and you think it should be done in that way. All these relative materialistic conceptions must be just driven out of this picture. We are uniting only for one purpose and one purpose alone that it is our guru maharaj’s desire that to fulfill his desire, to help with the progress of his compassionate mission of establishing Krishna consciousness within society. We are willing to put aside all differences and surrender to him. That unity is the unity of Vaikuntha, the unity of the spiritual world. And as soon as any other desire comes into the picture, immediately kali is between us. Right there, very very cleverly, trying to make all sorts of arrangements, subtle, gross and every level to create quarrel and hypocrisy between us. What is hypocrisy mean? Hypocrisy means suspicion. Love and trust are completely the opposites of quarrel and hypocrisy. Love means union. Is it not? Just like the grosses conception in material love is physical union and in spiritual life love means union between our hearts with Krishna in the centre. What is the opposite of unity? Quarrel. Quarrel means disunity. Quarrel means you have your idea and I have my idea and we do not agree. We clash, disunity. So quarrel destroys love and hypocrisy destroys trust because of you think that your friend or that your god brother is a hypocrite, that he is saying one thing and doing another, you cannot trust him. There is always suspicion. Why is he doing like this? What he is doing? What is his mode? The suspicion creates no trust. So try to understand quarrel and hypocrisy are the enemies of love and trust. Love and trust is the qualities of Vaikuntha, those who are in spiritual consciousness. And quarrel and hypocrisy is the qualities of the age of kali, the age of irreligion and deputation. As long as guru seva is first in our life and first amongst us, Kali is helpless.

 

Maharaj parikshit showing places to Kali to stay:

It’s like in the empire of Maharaj Parikshit, even the kali had all his strength, and he had nowhere to go. He said, ‘Maharaj Parikshit, as long as you are the king, I have nowhere to go’. These vices do not exist. So similarly, as long as we are in the spirit of Maharaj Parikshit, Maharaj parikshit was like the king. The king in many ways is like the guru because he is representing God. Because it’s said that the guru is representing God, the king is also the administrative of representative of God within the society and the king is always getting his direction from the pure devotees of the Lord, from the sadhus, from the gurus. Therefore Maharaj Parikshit was simply administrating the word in the order of guru in the world because he was so powerful and he was as pure as the humble servant of the great paramhamsas. Therefore everyone was united in the service of Maharaj Parikshit. Everyone was obediently following his instruction; everyone had love and trust for him. And therefore they had love and interest for one another. This is what it means. Prabhupad said, ‘You can show your love for me by how you cooperate’, because they love Maharaj Parikshit, they were all ready to cooperate, the whole society, the whole world. Therefore kali had no way to go. There was nowhere to create quarrel and hypocrisy. So similarly as long as Krishna is in the center, as long as the order of guru is between us, kali cannot come. Kali is powerless to create any disturbance. But as soon as there are some selfish interests, as soon as we put guru seva second, to something else, immediately, Kali is right there to create quarrel and hypocrisy, right there, to disturb this sweet relationship of love and trust that we are trying to establish, trying to develop.

Therefore Srila Vishwanath Vhakravarti Thakur says that, ‘One must make the order of guru his life and soul’. If you make the order of guru your life and soul, then there is no room in your heart for anything else, for anyone else. As long as we have some other desires to be fulfilled in life and to that extent we are the servants of kali that we very vulnerable to his very very mischievous ways. So therefore the unity of the devotees is transcendental, is spiritual. It is not subjected to what we find here. Mohini Murti appeared in such a way, just to attract the senses of the demons because Krishna is very expert. The name Krishna indicates that is all attractive. Krishna by his beautiful features can attract our minds completely away from all the powers of material existence. All the attachments of material life, just like Rupa Goswami said, ‘If you are attached to your family, society in love, do not look upon the beautiful three fold bending form of Govinda, standing on the bank of Yamuna with a fool moon glistering upon his lotus lips because you lose all your attraction for all the mortal things of this world.

 

It is our decision to choose between Krishna and Maya:

So Krishna is attracting our minds away from all material life, Madan Mohan. Cupid is conquering us. But Krishna attracts the mind, even if cupid can attracts the mind of all those who approach him from the arrows of cupid. But at the same time through Maya the same thing is taking place. Maya is trying to attract our minds away from Krishna. Right? A devotee is struggling to be Krishna consciousness and Maya is constantly throwing so many impediments by appearing in so many very very extravagantly beautiful forms, tempting forms saying, ‘Come to me, come to me’. But Krishna says, ‘I am the beauty of the beautiful. I am the intelligence of the intelligent. All the qualities that Maya is attracting us. They are all ultimately Krishna’s. So, on one side, through Maya, Krishna is trying to attract us, away from him and on the other side, in his personal form, He is inviting us to allow our minds to be attracted away from Maya and towards Him, near the marginal potency. Maya is attracting us on one side. Krishna is attracting us on the other side. Maya is trying to take us away fromKrishna.Krishnais trying to take us away from Maya. Question is, what do you want? If you want Maya, Maya will very expertly attract you in such a way that you will leave Krishna behind. And if you want service and Krishna will so kindly attract your mind completely away from Maya and put you in a transcendental position. So this is our decision. What do we want in life? Ultimately Krishna fulfills all your desires. As you surrender unto Him, He will respond to you. So let us very much concentrate by keeping Krishna as the center of our life, Krishna in the center of our life. Service to guru maharaj as the motivation and the object of all our concerns in life and in this way we can very sincerely strive in this regard on the beautiful form of sri sri Radha Gopinath, will attract our minds away from all of the illusions of this material world. But if we do not fix our consciousness with resident purpose and determination and the service to guru then we will find that through the agency of Maya, our minds will be attracted to the glittering forms of this material existence and attract our minds away from Krishna and gradually we will drift further and further and further away from the Supreme Lord. So this is our choice. Therefore our guru maharaj will always plead with us, ‘Take this Krishna consciousness movement very seriously. Krishna consciousness means to put Krishna in the center of everything we do, everything we say, everything we think. Then there is no danger. As long as Krishna is in the center, there is no danger. As long as anything else is in the center of our ambitions in life and there is only danger. There is danger all around on all sides.

Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

Written by

Radhanath Swami

H.H Radhanath Swami is one of today’s most beloved and respected spiritual teachers. A Bhakti Yoga practitioner for 40 years, he is a guide, community builder, philanthropist, and acclaimed author.Born and raised in Chicago,at the age of 19 he discovered India's Mystical devotional tradition and now spread his message of compassion and love around the world.

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About Me

Radhanath Swami

H.H Radhanath Swami is one of today’s most beloved and respected spiritual teachers. A Bhakti Yoga practitioner for 40 years, he is a guide, community builder, philanthropist, and acclaimed author.Born and raised in Chicago,at the age of 19 he discovered India's Mystical devotional tradition and now spread his message of compassion and love around the world.