taiù spåñöä vyasavaù sarve
nipetuù sma puraukasaù
tän änéya mahä-yogé
mayaù küpa-rase ‘kñipat
TRANSLATION
Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira said: For what reason did the demon Maya Dänava vanquish Lord Çiva’s reputation? How did Lord Krishna save Lord Çiva and expand his reputation again? Kindly describe these incidents.
Närada Muni said: When the demigods, who are always powerful by the mercy of Lord Krishna, fought with the asuras, the asuras were defeated, and therefore they took shelter of Maya Dänava, the greatest of the demons.
Maya Dänava, the great leader of the demons, prepared three invisible residences and gave them to the demons. These dwellings resembled airplanes made of gold, silver and iron and they contained uncommon paraphernalia. My dear King Yudhisthira, because of these three dwellings the commanders of the demons remained invisible to the demigods. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the demons, remembering their former enmity, began to vanquish the three worlds—the upper, middle and lower planetary systems.
Thereafter, when the demons had begun to destroy the higher planetary systems, the rulers of those planets went to Lord Çiva, fully surrendered unto him and said: Dear Lord, we demigods living in the three worlds are about to be vanquished. We are your followers. Kindly save us.
The most powerful and able Lord Çiva reassured them and said, “Do not be afraid.” He then fixed his arrows to his bow and released them toward the three residences occupied by the demons.
The arrows released by Lord Çiva appeared like fiery beams emanating from the sun globe and covered the three residential airplanes, which could then no longer be seen.
Attacked by Lord Çiva’s golden arrows, all the demoniac inhabitants of those three dwellings lost their lives and fell down. Then the great mystic Maya Dänava dropped the demons into a nectarine well that he had created.
PURPORT
The asuras are generally extremely powerful because of their mystic yogic power. However, as Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gétä (6.47):
yoginäm api sarveñäà
mad-gatenäntarätmanä
çraddhävän bhajate yo mäà
sa me yuktatamo mataù
“Of all yogés, he who always abides in me with great faith, worshiping me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.” The actual purpose of mystic yoga is to concentrate one’s attention fully on the Personality of Godhead, Krishna, and always think of Him (mad-gatenäntarätmanä). To attain such perfection, one must undergo a certain process—haöha-yoga—and through this yoga system the practitioner achieves some uncommon mystic power. The asuras, however, instead of becoming devotees of Krishna, utilize this mystic power for their personal sense gratification. Maya Dänava, for example, is mentioned here as mahä-yogé, a great mystic, but his business was to help the asuras. Nowadays we are actually seeing that there are some yogés who cater to the senses of materialists, and there are imposters who advertise themselves as God. Maya Dänava was such a person, a god among the demons, and he could perform some wonderful feats, one of which is described here: he made a well filled with nectar and dipped the asuras into that nectarine well. This nectar was known as måta-sanjévayitari, for it could bring a dead body to life. Måta-sanjévayitari is also an Äyur-vedic preparation. It is a kind of liquor that invigorates even a person on the verge of death.
Attacked by Lord Çiva’s golden arrows, all the demoniac inhabitants of those three dwellings lost their lives and fell down. Then the great mystic Maya Dänava dropped the demons into a nectarine well that he had created.
Krishna liberated Shisupal, although he was envious of him
We are reading today from Canto seven of Srimad Bhagvatam, chapter ten entitled Prahlad the best among exalted devotees. It is the nature of a Vaishnav to find great joy in honoring and glorifying other devotees. Yudhisthira Maharaj just a simple question to Narada Muni at the Rajsuya Yajna, how was it possible that Shisupal who is an envious enemy of Krishna was given särüpya–mukti. We saw with our own eyes Bhima wanted to kill him, Arjuna wanted to kill, everyone wanted to kill him amongst the Vaishnav, and he was so blasphemies. But then Krishna took the service on himself severed his head with Sudarshan Chakra, someone so demoniac, so blasphemies certainly deserved hellish existences millions of birth with leprosy or something like that. But instead we saw that his spiritual essence, his atama entered into the body of Krishna that means he was liberated, he attained the lord’s abode, how is it possible? Narada Muni could have answered very simply, because Shisupal was completely absorbed in remembering Krishna even in enmity and he was completely purified and therefore the lord reciprocated with his absorption and killed him himself and gave him Mukti, the lord can do anything he is independent. The lord has no restrictions. Sometimes we like to conveniently categories, what lord can do and what he cannot do? Smarta Brahmana are those who think, you know ceremony must be done exactly like this, otherwise. We should make the ceremony as best as possible but ultimately Krishna see’s our devotion. He is free to do as he like for his devotees, Krishna is beyond formalities. He could liberate anyone in any way, at anytime. It’s not determined by material considerations, by material consideration Shisupal should have really gone to hell. Krishna had another idea, Krishna is unlimited, Krishna is all merciful and devotees have faith in that beyond material considerations.
Narada Muni glorifying Prahlad Maharaj
But Narada Muni took this opportunity to tell the whole story of Prahlad Maharaj because the devotees loves to praise other devotees, loves to absorb himself in the greatness of other devotees. Although Narada Muni was Prahlad’s guru he is actually speaking of Prahlad as even being greater than himself, yes. When Hiranyakashipu was vanquished by Lord Narsimha Dev all the Devtas were there, Narada Muni was also there; this was amazing Satsang people from all of the universe came to have Darshan of lord Narsimha Dev and especially to celebrate demise of Hiranyakashipu. Nobody approached Lord Narsimha Dev, the beginning they were all afraid even Narada Muni didn’t approach. It was little Prahlad who had such a pure and innocent heart and such absolute love faith that even though Lord Narsimha was appearing in the most ferocious feature that has ever been in all material or spiritual world, he was really ferocious. In Vaikuntha Lord Narsimha Dev there but he is very nice with his devotees but here he was growling, his eyes were red with anger; Brahma, Shiva, Laxmi no one could approach, Narada Muni doesn’t talk specifically but he didn’t go, it was little Prahlad. So even though the guru he is not speaking of his own greatness he is speaking of Prahlad greatness. Prahlad is giving credit to Narada Muni and Narada Muni doesn’t take any credit himself, he doesn’t speak this was my disciple empowered by me, he was just talking about his relationship with Krishna, talking about his intoxication in Krishna, how Krishna protected when every situation? That was Narada Muni realization, Prahlad realization was it was due to grace of my guru otherwise I would not have Krishna.
Humility of Yudhisthira Maharaj
Yudhisthira Maharaj, his feeling so much ecstasy hearing the glories of Prahlad Maharaj that he is feeling himself insignificant, mahäjano yena gataù sa panthäù great people follow in the footstep of great souls that’s what makes us great. When we follow in the foot step of the great we become great but if we try to become great in the eyes of God, or the self realize soul we are just ordinary nothing people, that’s all. Anyone can try to be great, everyone is trying to be great even a insects are trying to be great, even the lizard are trying to be great and everyone in this world is trying to be great in their own little realm of reality but a great soul is one who doesn’t try to be great. Mahäjano yena gataù sa panthäù, one who tries with all earnestness follow in the footstep of the great, to be the dust of the feet of the great. This is a very, very powerful to be the dust of the feet, it’s a lowest position. We don’t hear any sages or Vaishnav poets praying to be the turban on the top of the head of the Goswami, it always to be the dust and the bottom of the feet, very humble position. So when devotee’s great souls hear about other great souls instead of thinking I want to be better, I want to do something better, I have to compete. A great soul think, a great soul prays let be me the dust of the feet of devotees. So Yudhisthira Maharaj hearing the glories of Prahlad he wanted to be the dust of his feet even though he was a king, I have no devotion compare to this and following in his footsteps how can I even attempt to follow in the footstep of such a devotee. Now following in a footstep wasn’t about accomplishing material things because up into this point really what did Prahlad accomplish. The end of the story he just coronated so he didn’t do anything for the state, as if yet. How he did was remember Krishna in every situation, at this time there was no material accomplishment of Prahlad, he did build any temples, he didn’t have millions of disciple he was just thinking of Krishna with the pure heart. Here is Maharaj Yudhisthira great was accomplished so much but do I have that bhakti that Prahlad has and can I be fearless in any situation and just remember Krishna like that, that’s greatness. So Narada Muni wants to console Maharaj Yudhisthira and also revealed to the world to clarify the situation, this is the way devotees are. The great like to see great in others; the great like to see the smallness in himselfs. The small likes to see the smallness in others and great in them, that’s how we could calculate how small we are and how great we are. We like to see the greatness in our self and we are happy to see smallness in others that’s how small we are. If we actually relish seeing the smallness of our self and really relish seeing the greatness of other people, that’s how great we are. Pleasing Krishna is not a popularity contest, Krishna sees from within.
Krishna’s reciprocation to Yudhisthira Maharaj’s love
So Maharaj Yudhisthira when he hears about another great devotee not with envy but with complete celebrating the glories of Prahlad, he is celebrating, he is happy as anything. But he is thinking what can I do for Krishna, after hearing this, what can I do for Krishna? Narada Muni is clarifying, you are Krishna’s friend, and Krishna is living with you. Narsimha Dev is an Avatar but Krishna is Avatari, he is the source of all Avatars, he is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead whom all others are manifestations and Krishna he lives in your house from time to time, he is your dear friend. From Dwarka Krishna besides his palaces in Dwarka his own house the palace was in most was Yudhisthira’s, yes. He was visiting Yudhisthira living with him, eating with him, consulting him, joking with him. In fact Krishna later on was acting as Yudhisthira messenger, carrying out Yudhisthira Maharaj’s orders. Now we may say it’s because Yudhisthira Maharaj was in elder cousin of Krishna, to Arjuna they were just friends because they were about equal age, because Vasudeva sister was Kunti so therefore all of Kunti’s children were Krishna’s cousin brothers. So we could say because of etiquette Krishna would bow down to Yudhisthira Maharaj because Yudhisthira Maharaj was older. Yes, it was because of etiquette but it was beyond that, it was because of love. Krishna was not only bowing down to Yudhisthira because of a senior position to set a good example, he was bowing down to Yudhisthira’s devotion, how do we know? An elder cousin has certain superiority but uncle far more of his superiority. Kamsa was Krishna’s uncle, Krishna didn’t bow down to Kamsa he beat him up very hard, just the opposite. Instead of bowing down to Kamsa, Kamsa was on a higher level in that wrestling arena in Mathura and Krishna jumped up, grabbed him by the hair pulled him down to the wrestling arena threw him into the ground and then smashed him with his fist and killed him, so much for family etiquette.
So Maharaj Yudhisthira position is so exalted but he is seeing himself as exalted, he is always seeing himself as very small that he is not really done much of anything for Krishna. But little Prahlad he has done so much. This is Yogamaya, when we love Krishna Yogamaya covers from our self’s our own greatness and we become humble and we feel great, great joy to hear the greatness of others.
Lord Shiva killing the demons
After, Narada Muni is praising the good fortune of Yudhisthira Maharaj and the Pandavas, praising them as being so fortunate such an intimate family member and friend and lover of Krishna. Then Shri Narada Muni begins to describe the glories of Krishna in the sense that even the Demi-Gods. Even the Demi-Gods are completely dependence on the mercy of Lord Krishna and in reference to this to show the glory, why the Demi-Gods are great and how Krishna give shelter to anyone who comes to him. He is telling the story of Maya Dänava and we are reading in today’s verses how Demi-Gods were very, very powerful and they defeated the Asura’s. But the Asura’s went to Maya Dänava and he built three magnificent abodes in the sky by his mystic power, yes. Then they started really, really vanquished all the Demi-Gods terribly the Demi-Gods were being destroyed in every way, they lost everything. They were helpless, it was really a crisis serious crisis and there was nothing that they could do about it. So they all went to took shelter of Lord Shiva and here it is described how Lord Shiva with is golden arrows started shooting up at that three palatial structures, that were so mystical sometimes they were just disappear and sometimes they would appear . Being empowered by Maya Dänava demons were really causing havoc. But Lord Shiva he killed all the demons they all felt to the ground and Maya Dänava he created this big well of nectar and dipped all these dead demons bodies in this well of nectar and tomorrow verse we will discover what happened.
Even Demi-Gods are also miserable
But what we could learn from today’s purport and verse is this material world there is miseries for everybody, you can’t change that. All you can do it transcend it or suffer.
ä-brahma-bhuvanäl lokäù
punar ävartino ‘rjuna
mäm upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate
Krishna is the creator of the creator and he has certified what this world really is, it’s a place of misery. From the highest planet down to the lowest they are all temporary. We understand the laws of Karma, how for every action there is an equal corresponding reaction. But how ever good your Karma is the material world is a place of suffering because the Demi-Gods have really good Karma, you don’t get to be a ruler of a heavenly planet unless you have unbelievably good Karma, yes. But even they we see what’s happening to them they are being defeated, they are scared as anything, they are suffering, they are miserable, they are really miserable. Today the economic situation stock market is not doing well, businesses are not doing good, economic crashes, and people are losing a lot of money sometime billions millions or their life saving of a few rupees. Whatever it may be a lot of problems. But the Demi-Gods every one of them is far more than any billionaire of this world, the billionaire of this world are like little insects compare to the elephant like strength and wealth of the Demi-Gods. Here we find all of a sudden faster than the stock market crash, all of a sudden within minutes the demons just attack by surprise and they lose everything, nothing left. They are about to die, they lost everything and they are about to lose their lives and these are the people with the best Karma from the higher planets, that’s the nature of the world. Duùkhälayam açäçvatam, its place of suffering. When Hiranyakashipu when he was attacking Brahmana and they were pious Brahmana, it was in Satya Yuga still what kind of suffering he created. So we should know there is no safe haven in the entire universal creation. Even, if you go to another universe the same thing of all the unlimited universes same principle padaà padaà yad vipadäà na teñäm, its danger for every step, it doesn’t say just for sinful people, just for non-believers. Padaà padaà yad vipadäà na teñäm is for everybody even devotees, in fact unless we realize padaà padaà yad vipadäà na teñäm you may never surrender to Krishna from our hearts. We could be very casual; we have to see these things, we have to know these things, we have to experience things most of us to we really take seriously,
Surrender to Krishna doesn’t means, “End of your problems.
sarva-dharmän parityajya
mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo
mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù,
What this verse is something very esoteric, Krishna say abandon all varieties of religion, even all the pious activities that bring masses of good Karma, elevation to heaven, abandon them all and just surrender to me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction do not fear. So when you surrender to Krishna he delivers from sinful reaction, is that means that there is not going to problems in this world, what do you think? Not at all, forget that illusion there still going to be problems may be even more. Just because you surrender to Krishna it doesn’t mean everything goes your way. But, take an example here is Arjuna, he is the model that Krishna used to speak the Bhagavad Gita, before the Bhagavad Gita was spoken, he was Krishna’s best friend. After Bhagavad Gita Krishna tells, sarva-dharmän parityajya surrender everything thing to me. Did Arjuna surrender everything to Krishna, yes completely; totally he surrendered everything to Krishna. He was a completely surrendered soul, he speaks it within his own words in the end of Gita I have understood everything I surrender to you, yes, whatever you have told me I will do and he is not just talking about physical that I will fight, he was talking whatever Krishna spoke in the Gita he accepts and Krishna accepted.
Devotees are in grief when they lose association
So is that mean, it just clean sailing through the crystal clear sky, through all of his activities in Krishna service, no he had to fight a war and so many people died in that war, his own son Abimanyu was killed. Arjuna was really deeply grief-stricken as was Yudhisthira who was also a surrendered soul severely grief-stricken they lost their own son. Was that Arjuna’s karma, no, he was a surrendered soul. He was already sarva-dharmän parityajya but the nature of these world no matter what you are, who you are; devotee, non-devotee these things happens, very difficult. Now, whether we like it or not we have no choice, we could take another body, you can go to another universe, this Brahma is not operating thing do the way I like. But äbrahma-bhuvanäl lokäù refers to every universe in the whole manifestation. The only place where there is no problem is in Vaikuntha, spiritual world beyond this material world. So Arjuna was grief-stricken when Abimanyu was killed, naturally it’s a sign very difficult he loved his son. Subadra she was grief-stricken and she is the Yogamaya potency of the Lord, she is covering over everybody else, it’s natural, its nature of the love, love and separation. Arjuna understood that Abimanyu is not the body that was the beginning of the Gita, Arjuna fully realized he is not the body he is the eternal soul, na hanyate hanyamäne çarére Krishna says that soul cannot be cut into pieces, by any weapons but Abimanyu body was cut into pieces by weapons. So he was self-realized, he was grief-stricken because he lost association, it’s very difficult, its love between devotees. It is a grief-stricken situation when we lose the association of another devotee. Even though Arjuna understood that Abimanyu was going back to Godhead, he was a devotee of Krishna; he was fighting for Krishna’s cause, Krishna was on the battle field. Everyone that died in Kurukshetra was getting liberated, even the demons what to speak of the people who were fighting for Krishna with pure heart. In fact when battle was over besides the Pandavas and the couple others nobody else were alive and his all the great general Dristadumnya was general of their army they loved him, he was serving them but even he finished, material world is like that. So Arjuna was weeping, why? Because he lost the association of a wonderful devotee who was his own son and all the Pandavas were weeping because of that. So how does that make them different then, then an ordinary materialistic person weeping when they lose their son? The tears may look the same, so why be a devotee, what’s the difference. The difference is Arjuna and the Pandavas their love and their devotion to Krishna was perfectly intact through it all, they found total shelter of Krishna even in those situations. It’s not that there wasn’t grief but they found shelter in Krishna even in that grief and in that shelter is the greatest experience and they never gave up their devotional service, they went right back to fight for Krishna. So these are some example, whoever you are, whatever you are? Material world is what it is, its place of suffering, and its place where everything is temporary.
If Leader makes mistake then everyone has to suffer
It’s not that this is the only time demons had this problem. In the story of Vritrasura, all the other Demi-Gods, wasn’t the only time that Demi-Gods had the problem. In the story of Vritrasura all Demi-Gods were doing the most pious activities they were doing seva for the Lord, they are devotees, they are doing big managerial services. You may be a devotee managing the book go down or you may be managing devotee kitchen or deity kitchen may be managing something but these are devotees who are actually managing entire universal thing like the rain, the wind, light, hare krishna! Where you are keeping unlimited living entities alive, Surya is keeping everyone in the universe alive, if he goes to sleep even for two minutes and stop shining everybody is dead, yes, very powerful devotees. But yet, Indra committed one offense to Brihaspati and because of his offense all the Demi-Gods lost everything. So the Demi-Gods could be saying, oh! What is that have to with me Indra is, I don’t even like Indra that much. Doesn’t matter, everything was so interconnected in this universal creation, one offense because he is the leader of the Demi-Gods all the Demi-Gods have to go through. When Ramachandra Khan offended Haridas Thakur and he offended Nityananda prabhu the entire village was wiped out. Probably most of the people in the village really didn’t like Ramachandra; it was really arrogant, non-sense person, that’s just the way the world is. Now people challenged why God made the world like this, he could have done a better. If you could do a better job, but what can we do, who are we to complain about God. We understand ultimately God is perfect and his plan is perfect, if we could understand how he is perfect? Why he is perfect and why his plan is perfect, then we would be God. Nobody can understand Krishna’s Acintya-çakti, he has inconceivable potencies.
Bewilderment of Brahmaji by Krishna’s inconceivable potency
Inconceivable not only to you and me but he is an inconceivable even to Brahma. We may live and get experience in wisdom because as you grow up you are suppose to grow up wise by seeing and experiencing life, yes. Prahlad was the wisest of the wise of the world when he was five years old because he heard from his guru. We may live eighty ninety years may be hundred but by that time what our condition is another thing. In England the queen gives a gift personally to anyone who goes over a hundred years old but how much they can appreciate that gift at that age, probably not so much. Probably better to give to young people so they could actually enjoy it. But Brahma lives three hundred and eleven trillion years. His one day is eight billion six hundred and forty million years, day and night. He has four head and we have one head, he has four and he sees all directions and he is such a great guru and everything like that. Doing brahma-vimohana-lélä, what he tested Krishna, he was totally bewildered by Krishna, yes. When Krishna manifested himself as every calf and every cowherd boy, Brahma was looking, thinking, what’s happening, how is this possible? I took all these cowherd boys and these calf’s and I put them in caves and I put them in sleep with my mystic powers and they are all here and they are all playing, how is it, are they of same one or are they different one or Krishna doing something, what’s happening? He went back and looked and they were all still sleeping and he went back and there they were all of sudden they all turned in to Vishnu’s, every calf turned into Vishnu and around every calf Vishnu were all the Demi-Gods and great sages and universes all worshiping him. Then everything disappeared and there was Krishna little boy holding some Yogurt and fruit in his hand looking for children, Brahma was bewildered he realized I cannot understand Krishna. Krishna is absolutely, infinitely inconceivable to me. So what is our position to calculate how Krishna should arrange things? All we could do is on the basis Krishna, guru, Sadhu and Shastra have faith. We have faith that, if Krishna is perfect and Krishna is all merciful everything Krishna does is perfect and out of his mercy. If we can’t understand it that’s fine a lot of things were not meant to understand intellectually but we accept with our heart with faith and devotion knowing that for a devotee Krishna is always the well-wisher and whatever inconceivable thing happens it’s all for the benefit of everyone involved as far as devotee is there.
Krishna is doer and souls are the instrument of his activities
If the Demi-Gods didn’t get trampled on by Vritrasura, vanquished by the demons under prowess of Maya Danava and so many other occasion, if they were not all the obedient, fearful servants of Hiranyakashipu, they were not all running away from Ravana, then Rama and Narsimha and even Krishna they have never come to this world. Not only that but the Demi-Gods even though they are all devotees and they have magnificent Karma, still if these things didn’t happen to them on a regular basis they would become complaisant, they would start thinking I am the doer. Nityananda prabhu explain so nicely in his comprehensive scholarly class about, how we are not the doer? We are not the doer, we never were and we never could be. It is always higher powers beyond our self that are giving us the chance but the nature of material life that even he is a Demi-Gods what to speak of a little devotee here in this world. We do something great, we accomplish something and we think I am the doer and we want credit, we want praise, yes any of you has this experience. Whether we give lecture and people say very, very nice and we think yes very nice or whether we make a garland and someone oh! Such a nice garland, yes, yes I have made this garland or whether we make a preparation for the feast then everyone is saying this better than anything I have ever had and you say yes, yes I made it, I happen to make it. Even if, were thinking or even if were saying actually is just guru and Krishna’s mercy, just some wealthy people in Bombay when they have some very, very big success in their business dealings when they come to see a Sadhu your mercy, it’s your mercy. But then still they advertise like anything what they have done in newspapers, why don’t they just advertise how Krishna did it? So this is, we want to take credit what to speak of the Demi-Gods. You may get some people touching your lotus feet every now and then and you say oh! No, no, no please don’t do it but the Demi-Gods you know Rig Vedas, Yajur Vedas there since time immemorial people are, great Brahmana’s are doing Yajna’s even in Satya-Yuga chanting the praises of the Demi-Gods, that’s very serious and they are devotees and they are very powerful and not ordinary and still they have the tendency of thinking I am the doer. So they may not understand exactly when they are getting trampled on or they are getting killed, so many times they even get killed, yes but then Krishna bring them back to life or whatever sometimes, however, ultimately they die anyway. Everything Krishna does is perfect but even this material creation as horrible it is because we may get such a mess by misusing our independence for a devotee even in this miserable world we see the perfection of God behind it. We understand that God’s not doing, it’s not that God is raping young girls, its demons who are misusing their independence and define God doing it. But for a devotee, a devotees sees that God is giving even in this material existences where there is free will of so many envious people, Krishna is always there giving us the opportunity to perfect our lives and every situation is perfect opportunity if we take it, however inconceivable and difficult it may be.
Srila Prabhupada’s endeavor to offer Krishna a Land
Inconceivable how devotees are too great souls, all the Demi-Gods they are rejoicing, they are celebrating the death of Hiranyakashipu, yes. The demons were crying, the Demi-Gods were celebrating this is really a festival; this horrible demon had died but Prahlad he lost his father. He was happy to see as father getting liberated by the Lord but he was still, he was his father. He asked the Lord for that benediction; please give my father liberation, special relationship. Prahlad was saying; let me stay in this world as long as one fool Rascal is not surrendering to you. He is willing to stay here and endure any difficulty to help others become Krishna consciousness. But still for his father he ask for a very, very special benediction, liberate him because there was relationship, he loved his father, because he felt sorry for his father, he felt sad for his father. So all the emotions are there in a devotee, relationships are there in a devotee and a devotee is not choosy about what mercy we accept or not accept. A devotee, we try our best; look at Srila Prabhupada he was totally surrendered, sarva-dharmän parityajya he was absolutely surrendered to krishna, to the order of his guru and he had heart attacks on Jaladuta and a short time later he had a stroke and he had so many physical problems. Sometimes his servants had to just massage his legs for long times several times a day just so he could walk long times. Then there were set backs Mr. N at Juhu years against this man, he was cheating Prabhupada. Prabhupada takes the land of Juhu, puts the deities and he said Krishna now it’s yours. Now he is absolutely pure devotee offering this property to Krishna and they start building the temple and then municipality comes and start demolishing the temple putting the devotees in Jail, Hare Krishna. So Krishna was there, Prabhupada offered it to him and Prabhupada had to personally fight and even Prabhupada’s own disciples, it was so inconceivable to them they signed the property back to the person who was trying to take it away from Prabhupada. Now Prabhupada could have said, Krishna why are you doing like this I surrendered it not suppose to be like this. Like Arjuna whatever happens it’s all perfect opportunity to love Krishna, to serve Krishna, and to surrender to Krishna. Now Prabhupada could have said, its Krishna arrangement so let it be; Prabhupada said that it’s Krishna arrangement that we fight so very different mood but it’s very much the mood of a devotee, its Bhagavad Gita.
Power of Maya Danava
So what we are going to read here Lord Shiva, Mahadeva the greatest of all the Demi-Gods who is an expansion of Krishna himself, all the various Demi-Gods who are vanquished, lost everything in complete in complete anxiety they all come to Lord Shiva and surrender to him and say we are your servant please help us. Lord Shiva comes with his bows and his arrows vanquished all the Asuras. So what we are going to read and discuss in tomorrow’s class is how even Lord Shiva he doesn’t get his way either, this Maya Danava was very, very powerful he is going to bring all the demons back to life in his nectarine well, yes. That well was so full of nectar and not only brought him back to life but it empower them with super natural powers and whatever Shiva did to them they would just take another bath in the well, yes what could he do. Whatever he does, all they have do to say all right no problem just would just get dunk back in a well and come back even stronger and fight again, how do you defeat of how many like that? Even Lord Shiva was beyond himself, is the way material world is. What Krishna does is a great pastime, so please come tomorrow.
One should use mystic Siddhis and powers for right cause
Srila Prabhupada is talking about Yogis here that in the Puranas, in the scriptures we read about Asuras, all the asuras practically all of then we read about them in the scriptures and there is lot them, they all have mystic Siddhis, they are all great Yogis otherwise they wouldn’t be in the scriptures, there is a lot of other Asuras but there are just not worth mentioning in such holy books. The other Asuras could make the newspapers, they could even make it on television but they would never make it on Puranas because they are just doing insignificant, you have to have really mystic Yogi, as Prabhupada said, herculean power to make it in the Puranas. So they are very, very powerful Yogis and there are millions of them. They done Haööa Yoga, they done Pranayam; Hiranyakashipu he was doing tadasana, where you stand up like this, what is that called? He did tadasana and he did Pranayam that we can’t even imagine, he wasn’t even breathing. He was Kumbak, yes is that a Kumbak, he did a really long Kumbak for thousands of year he just retain his breath, he was a master Yogi and such a Tapasya in his Yoga. If we do Tadasana and mosquito bites us we usually do something else you know but he had ants eating his body away and he is just stood like this. Hunger, thirst such a Hatta Yogi and he developed such unbelievable powers. So mystic powers do not make a person great, character makes a person great. Humility, forgiveness, compassion, devotion these things make a person’s great. Now Narada Muni also has this mystic powers he uses them in a very humble state of mind, he uses them to spread the glories of the Lord. In Brihat–Bhagavatamrita we read every devotee Narada Muni would see he think he is better than me I want to learn from him, yes. He just saw some Brahmans chanting, oh! They are better than me, he saw king doing a Yajna oh! He is better than he is best devotees I want to learn from him, I want to serve him. Here is the guru of Dhruva and Prahlad and so many others who can just go to see Vaikuntha anytime he wants, still he is thinking all devotees are better than me, wants to serve everyone. Such a powerful person, he has all mystic Siddhis, he can fly and when he flies it’s so effortless we don’t even see him. Narada Muni could be flying right in this room right now, unless he reveals himself to me, to you or us we can’t see him. When Narada Muni decides to go to Vaikuntha from the earth planet it’s not like getting on an airplane, getting jetlagged, changing times zones. Going to Vaikuntha is lot of time zones by material calculation and it’s not he takes a very long time, by Mantra he can practically instantly he can be Vaikuntha. It’s not that he is soaring through the sky and so many years and years and years, he just goes and didn’t take much time at all such power. So there are great devotees who have mystic power, there are great demons who have mystic powers.
Who is Real Yogi?
Krishna confirms,
yoginäm api sarveñäà
mad-gatenäntar-ätmanä
çraddhävän bhajate yo mäà
sa me yuktatamo mataù
Of all Yogis he who abides in me with great faith, worshiping me in transcendental loving service is most intimately united with me in Yoga as the highest of all. That means even if you have no mystic Siddhis, if you are just regular person even if everything against you and there is nothing you could do about it, even if all things of life are falling apart around and just nothing you could do about it, you have no powers, you have no Siddhis, if you just worship Krishna with love and transcendental faith according to Krishna you are the greatest of all Yogis, you are greater than Hiranyakashipu in Yoga. You are greater than all those mystic Siddhis who are worshiped by millions as God, even if you are little house wife, children don’t listen to you, husband neglects you, nobody really cares but you are cooking and offering Krishna with devotion and trying your best to do your service even someone like that as greater in Krishna eyes than the siddhas who are worshiped as God, that is Mahä-yogé. Maha Danava was really a Mahä-yogé, yes; he is really a great Mahä-yogé, he himself by his mystic power indirectly he defeating the Demi-Gods race. He is supporting and protecting all the demon, all the demon are coming to him for shelter and he is giving them shelter and all the Demi-Gods are being vanquished by the powers that he is giving the demons, what kind of Maha yogi is he? But even he surrenders to Krishna, who is Yogeshwara who is the supreme Yogi. Anyone who serves Krishna with love the supreme Yogi is the greatest of all Yogis. How to access that highest power of Krishna in this age of Kali?
tåëäd api sunécena
taror api sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
One who is humble like a blade of grass, tolerant like a tree, ready to offer all respects to other and expect none in return that person is the ultimate supreme Yogi in Krishna eyes and he is most intimately united with him because in that state you can constantly chant with love his holy names, Hare krishna hare krishna, krishna, krishna Hare, Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama, Rama Hare, Hare.
Questions: Hare Krishna, thank you for wonderful class Maharaj. Maharaj you were speaking about Srila Prabhupada challenges and how he sees Krishna arrangements for example in Juhu situation Mr. N taking away the land and the deities’ new temple being demolished. So you were so nicely explaining how Srila Prabhupada perception was not that let be as it is, its Krishna arrangement but his views of Krishna’s arrangement was let us fight. So can we perceive what Krishna arrangement is as should think, oh! This situation let it be like that its Krishna’s arrangement we don’t want to at our hard, we don’t want over endeavor as oppose to let us fight. How can we perceive in our lives in different situation in Krishna arrangement?
Answer: That is why guru is important, Arjuna as great as he was compare to Arjuna who are we, Arjuna was Krishna’s confidential associate even he was bewildered in this way. He was basically saying let it be but he really didn’t know so ultimately he turned to Krishna his guru and Krishna said fight, yes. So we need higher authorities Siksha guru, Diksha guru whatever we need, we need devotees who can give proper guidance when to let it be or when to fight. Certain things are obvious other than time we need to humble our self’s, is that answer to your question. Because the tendencies is to speculate, then usually speculation is on the basis of what is convenient for us. That’s what Arjuna was doing as great as he was, he was speculating in the first chapter of Gita. But then he turned to Krishna, I don’t know should I let it be or should I fight; Krishna said fight. So for someone like Prabhupada through Parampara he is directly touched with Krishna. Radha Rasbihari was telling Prabhupada just like he told Arjuna, fight. We can’t claim to have that connection so we must approach that someone who has that connection through Parampara.
Question: Hare Krishna, Maharaj this is a technical question we know that Krishna can give life and he can take life, so is it here that demon Maya Danava can bring the demons life?
Answer: By his mystic powers he could do it, Prabhupada tells technically how he did it. Technically he did it with Måta-sanjévayitari, yes it’s how we do technically. He knew how to administer that, he fills the kunds with it. Shri Krishna Caitanya prabhu, would you like you give technical explanation of how that substance works? In previous life he may have been Maya Danava, now he is just portion for all of us. Actually he probably wasn’t but so yes mystic powers can do this thing, sukracarya also did it in the fight Bali Maharaj, Bali Maharaj was dead when he was fighting with Devatas and so were all the others Devatas and sukracarya brought them all back to life by his technical’s mystic powers, so that is there. But they can’t create a soul, Krishna creates the soul itself, Krishna gives the soul eternal life. No one else can do that. We may be able to kill a body and with mystic we may even be bring a body back to life but Krishna has created life, is that answer of your question?
Question: Maharaj you say, when we asked question sometime to you, you say all my questions are answered in my lectures. Now when we hear lectures we feel ignorance is bliss because once side if we follow surrender to me and Krishna will take care
Kaunteya pratijänéhi
Na me bhaktaù praëaçyati
And Arjuna has surrender and how many was killed and whatever may be the situation actually so confusing that more we know about the spiritual life, the way in today’s lecture particularly is very difficult to understand anything. So what is that surrender?
Answer: To the degree we want to be the controller, these things are very incomprehensive because they go against the very grain of our ego. But Krishna tells he promises I will protect you, I will protect all my devotees. How he protects us he knows best? Bhaktivinoda Thakur prayed,
märabi räkhabi—yo icchä tohärä
nitya-däsa-prati tuyä adhikärä
He doesn’t say Krishna please protect me on my terms, he says Krishna you can kill me, you can kill me today or you can protect me today. You have every right to deal with me in any way you please because in am your eternal servant, whatever you do I am yours, that consciousness is the only solution to the sufferings of this world, yes just give yourself to Krishna.
mänasa deho geho jo kichu mor
arpiluì tuwä pade nanda-kiçor
Krishna you are the beautiful, youthful son of Nanda and everything is yours my body is yours, my family members are yours, my home is your, my property is yours, my intelligence is yours everything is yours. Surrender means to acknowledge that everything is Krishna, it already is Krishna. One devotee proudly said, “I surrender everything to Krishna and Prabhupada said what do you have to surrender everything already belongs to Krishna. Surrender means just acknowledge the reality that everything is Krishna’s and then with that acknowledgement to offer it all with love. Now people who are giving something that is not of the standard of Srimad Bhagvatam they will mislead you to think you can be happy, you can be prosperous in this world just chant this mantra or do this exercise or surrender to me, yes and to some extent you can get prosperity and you can get inner peace and you can get some happiness but that’s not the standard of Bhagvatam because these people are not transcendental and however much peace, happiness and prosperity they have, if the atom bomb happens to come here, it’s already pointed in this direction where is the prosperity and the peace and the happiness of those people are going to be. But the Bhagvat says, surrender to Krishna these things may happen but, if you surrender to Krishna you will be transcendental to all of it, you will be with Krishna. So real peace, real prosperity, real happiness is that consciousness of feeling our connection to Krishna, feeling Krishna’s love and loving Krishna and loving everything about Krishna. When we love Krishna then our consciousness is on a platform higher than all of these things whatever may happen. Srimad Bhagvatam doesn’t teach that surrender to Krishna and everything in this world is going to go according to your expectation, just the opposite. Every story of the Srimad Bhagvatam people who surrender to Krishna got put in really difficult situations Ambaréña Maharaj surrenders to Krishna and he was trying to be very respectful and nice to Durvasa Muni, but Durvasa Muni just went wild with anger on him. Here his guest who is trying to serve very nicely in who his heart was really intent on serving his guest nicely and his guest become so angry, he is screaming at him, he is yelling at him, he is cursing him, he attempts to kill him. The Pandavas they were surrendered to Krishna, they were exiled and Prahlad was surrendered to Krishna he was thrown in all kinds of the most precarious situations. Dhruva was surrendered to Krishna still he had to fight against the Yaksa, his brother who he loved dearly was killed and he was so angry, other citizens are killed. Obliviously were other people who might have been killed in Dhruva’s rein and he punished those persons but his brother was killed, he was going to punish the entire dynasty of Yaksa, he was going to exterminate Yaksa Dynasty, yes. So that he was very hurt, so everybody we don’t find in the Bhagvatam that when you become a devotee then everything just goes really nice and you are peaceful and you are prosperous and you are happy, this is nice but it never last, Kaitava dharma it doesn’t last, it’s not the real thing. Srimad Bhagvatam is teaching surrender to Krishna whatever may happen, your transcendental is you are coming closer to Krishna in every situation; you are surrendering in everything to Krishna. Look at Kunti, the greatest Mahabhagwats worship Kunti Devi, chant her prayers. She was really surrendered to Krishna from her heart of hearts, was her life easy. It’s not to ordinary women that Yudhisthira, Arjuna and Bhima take birth, she was an exalted personality, and she was Krishna’s aunty. Krishna would touch her feet but then you know she would be exile with her son, Krishna would touch her feet but then house of lack she was in burning down. Krishna touched her feet children were treated in such a way and she was cheated in such a way, she lost her husband. She was surrendered to Krishna and Mahabharata describes the heart break she endured seeing her elder son Radhe fighting against her other children. Could, if you imagine Kunti grief when her beloved Arjuna and her eldest and she had a special favoritism for Karna because she neglected him, she felt really regretful that she neglected the elder son and he was put in such a condition. Here was Karna face to face fighting with Arjuna and one of the two were going to die, how would you like to be a mother in that predicament. All of you who are mothers imagine that and Karna was killed, then Kunti then had to reveal the secret that she kept from her son all these years. She had to break the news to Arjuna that, you know that you just your own brother; he didn’t know, he wouldn’t have done it, if he knew. We are reciting her prayers so no and it doesn’t mean that, if Kunti wasn’t a devotee that her life would have been nice and peaceful. Srimad Bhagvatam is a very high and deep subject matter, it’s not superficial, it’s not just yes, you feel better you will be more clear thinking, you will be able to do better in the business and your studies because your mind is clear and you are not so attached to so many material things, your health would be better, things will go your way. That’s what most people want but in the end abramabu vrunaloka things are going to fall apart for them, it’s a temporary façade of nice peaceful thing going on. Srimad Bhagvatam is about unconditional devotion, Krishna I am your servant whatever you do. Even the Gopis, the greatest devotees, when Krishna left Vrindavan we cannot imagine what they went through, they gave their hearts, their everything he was their only shelter and he left. They were meeting him every night and enjoying, when Krishna left they didn’t see him again for a hundred years or many years they never saw him again, he is just in their hearts in separation, deep separation. They were completely transcendental because they were fixed in Krishna. So Srimad Bhagvatam is the highest, the most complete the deepest revelation of spiritual perfection because from Srimad Bhagvatam, if just hold o to Krishna lotus feet through all the inevitable ups and downs of this material world, even if you go to the higher planet still there will ups and downs of these material world. If we just keep hold of Krishna’s lotus feet through all the good times and bad times, through all the tragedies, all the happy moments, just keep hold of Krishna’s lotus feet we could feel Krishna’s love we can actually experience internally what is real happiness. If we just don’t let go of those lotus feet eventually we go back home back to godhead and that’s where everything is supremely always peaceful and nice not necessarily peaceful but full of love because love is dynamic, love is beyond peace, its above peace we just have to hold on. We should let the crisis or the problems or the broken hearted situations of these we should let any of them let cause us let go off Krishna’s lotus feet and the lotus feet of the devotees and the holy name that is Srimad Bhagvatam.
Question: Why Grihasta Ashram creates so much problem and we know it’s going to happen, why not everybody become brahmacari. So that everybody can live and surrender fully whatever may happen they can tolerated but in Grihasta Ashram it’s all problem throughout, so why, what is the use of these big thing?
Answer: You are welcome if you can do it, really you are welcome. We will give you your own room and everything but to be a brahmacari means to be an honorable brahmacari, to be able to do it simply most people cannot do it. So Grihasta ashram you can back to godhead and become perfect in something that you can do, yes. That’s why Krishna creates the four Varna’s and four Ashrams because different people of different nature are able to do certain things and not do other things. So that problems that come in your Grihasta Ashram are all opportunities to purify you and to take shelter of Krishna, see it that way and your Grihasta Ashram will make you perfect. But somehow other you have a very starry-eyed unrealistic idea of Brahmacari Ashram, it’s not that because you joint brahmacari Ashram you are in Vaikuntha, you have to live with all the other Brahmacari’s. I know the Grihasta says, oh! The Brahmacari’s are such saints and they just touch each other feet all they, challenge is there too, there is ego clashing really there are, I have seen. We don’t advertise it but it’s there and there is disappointment and sometime there is jealousy and envies and sometimes there is inferiority complex, that this person is doing so much what am I doing and sometimes there is ego’s I am doing so much, yes. Sometime the other Brahmacari’s really are not the kind of people you like; sometimes they are like mosquitoes biting you. In order to survive in the brahmacari Ashram you have to be extremely tolerant, extremely tolerant because then Brahmacari become your family, yes. Now I don’t know how that compares to living with the wife because I never did that, I lived in Brahmacari Ashram but I have heard they both have their unique struggle and living with the husband same thing. Now what makes a Brahmacari wonderful are when the devotees are willing to do that Tapasya, it’s a Tapasya life. Living in an Ashram with so many people, sometime over crowded, so many things going on and tolerating those differences of personalities and jealousies and everything and rising above them that’s what make a Brahmacari great and that’s what makes a Brahmacari Ashram great, its everyone striving for a higher principle. If you are not striving for a higher principle in a Brahmacari Ashram, it’s not Vaikuntha its Kurukshetra but, if you are striving for a higher principle in the Brahmacari Ashram then collectively its Vaikuntha. It’s not that the challenges are not there you have to strive for to be united for a higher principle and that exactly the same principle in a Grihasta Ashram. You are talking about problems, problems are be there. So you know you become attached, disappointments, heart breaks, anxieties, fighting, disagreements same thing as a brahmacari Ashram, many of the same thing. We have to only way to keep it together is you have to make your relationship above it all; above all our disagreements, above all of our personality differences, above all of our emotions, above our joys and sorrows is service to guru and Krishna, what will please guru and Krishna. Prabhupada said, if the family keeps the Krishna in the centre it is Vaikuntha, if the Brahmacari keeps Krishna in the centre it is Vaikuntha, is that help you to resolve your senior most confusion, yes I think we should end because it’s very late. But before I end Brahmacari’s do you agree with we discuss, is everything just the way you like it Brahmacari Ashram, is everything just a way you want it. Just the way we like it we should say no but just the way we want it we should say yes, because every test is an opportunity to come to that higher level, it’s pushing us. The problems, the difficulties are Krishna pushing us up. Radheshyam prabhu you can give a small commentary to this, please give microphone to Radheshyam Prabhu. Whatever you say is going to get reactions, so this is Krishna’s arrangement to push you up.
Thank you very much!
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
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