ke vayaà näma-rüpäbhyäà

yadubhiù saha päëòaväù

bhavato ‘darçanaà yarhi

håñékäëäm iveçituù

Translation

As the name and fame of a particular body is finished with the disappearance of the living spirit.  Similarly, if you cannot look up on us all of our fame and activities along with the Pandavas and Yadrsis with end at once.

 

Purport

Kunti devi is quite aware that the existence of the pandavas is due to shree Krishna only. Kunti who was the mother of the pandavas knew very well the power and the glory of her five sons.  Arjun was the greatest archer.  Even Shiva was defeated by him and he was the most intimate friend of shree Krishna.  Bhima was the most powerful person in all world with one stroke of his mighty claws he could <___> hundreds of the most powerful elephants.  Great Kunti saw with her own eyes as he powerized even the most powerful rakshas.  Shadev and Nakula were also glorious maharatis in combat and Yudishtir was the personification of morality and dharma and because of his unexcelled piety he was unconquerable.  The five of them overcame in the battle field of krukshetra even the greatest heroes Drona, Bhishma, Karna.  By their both right the five Pandavas were meant to rule the entire world.  Here we find that after the great victory of Pandavas they were stalled as the kings in the beautiful palace of Hastinapur.  Every king in the world was surrendered to the Yudishtir’s feet at this time.

 

Queen Kunti’s  Prayer

Queen Kunti upon seeing the lord shree Krishna is about the leave them to return to his city in Dwarka she offered these prayers.  She is praying here that as the name and fame of a particular body is finished with the disappearance of the living spirit, similarly if you do not look up on us all our fame and activities along with the Pandavas and yadavas were ended once. Queen Kunti is recognizing that even the most powerful, wealthy, successful, famous of all personality her own sons were completely depended on Krishna’s mercy for their very existence.  Krishna is the light and soul of all devotees lives.  In fact Krishna is the light and soul of everyone, devotees recognize and appreciate that fact and those who are not devotees neglect the most essential and important truth.

nityo nityänäà cetanaç cetanänäm

eko bahünäà yo vidadhäti kämän

We are all eternally depended on Krishna.  He is the intelligence of the intelligent.  He is the strength of the strong.  He is the power of the powerful.  He is the ability in man.  Everything is being inactive within his creation on the basis of krishna’s energies.  Without Krishna help we are blind, we are deaf, we are dumb.  Our heart cannot beat even ones.  Our lungs cannot breathe even for a second.  All of the basic functions of our survival is being in acted by krishna’s energies. The existence of the rain, the sun, the earth, our bodies themselves are all depended on the will of Krishna.  So devotees are always anxious to remember Krishna with a grateful heart at every moment.

 

Teaching of Kunti Devi

Kunti was such a devotee. Kunti understood that this kingdom, all this fame, all this glory, is un-useless without Krishna.  She had no reason or purpose to survive without Krishna.  Like a fish cannot survive out of water, a devotee cannot survive under any circumstance without remembering Krishna.  This is the quality of love and it is this love that is the perfection of human existence.  We are nothing bodies the body must die it is unavoidable. The function of this body is like a vehicle it is meant to help us in this human form to achieve the goal of life, but how we must use this opportunity of human life. Trying to exploit the resources of nature for the enjoyment of this body such activities only favor ignorance and bondage, whoever we are.  Krishna consciousness is the method which it teaches us the natural function of the soul which is to engage in the loving service of the lord.  The few moments that we have in this human life of ours should be used for this purpose.  Whether death comes today or death comes tomorrow in the eyes of eternity it is only a matter of the few minutes’ difference a few moments in fact.  What will we do with these few moments is the greatest, most important consideration in our life. Queen Kunti did not care for any of the glory and opulence of this world. She was only concerned with having Krishna.  When she had nothing, when everything was taken away she was chanting the name of Krishna and when she had everything the whole world at her feet she was always chanting the name of Krishna.

Queen Kunti has been worshiped and her prayers have been studied by the greatest saints and Rishis throughout history.  Because although her prayers are the simple offerings of a mother she was not a scholar, she was not a tapasi, she was not a yogi, she was a mother, but the simplicity of her prayers embodied the essence of all knowledge & the conclusion of all the Vedas.  Because they were in perceives of always remembering Krishna and always serving Krishna with love.  Queen Kunti is remembering Krishna in so many wonderful ways.  How Krishna the supreme absolute truth appeared in the beautiful land of Vrindavan and enacted such wonderful past times to attract the hearts of all living beings.

Shrila Prabhupada would love to probe this prayer of Kunti oh Krishna those who continuously hear, chant, and repeat your transcendental activities or take pleasure in others doing so certainly see your lotus feet, which alone can stop the reputation of birth and death.  To continually chant, hear , and repeat the lords names in past times and to take pleasure in other doing so, such persons are most dear to Krishna and Krishna reveals his lotus feet only to such souls and by one glimpse of those lotus feet we never have to face reputation of birth and death again. So lord Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has come to this world to teach us how to continuously hear, chant, and repeat the glories of the lord and take pleasure in others doing so.  Hari naam and sankirtan and Krishna kathas is the means by which we can achieve the lotus feet of Krishna. Shrila Prabhupada, the great descendent of Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu mercy taught by his example how devotees take the greatest pleasure in seeing others hearing and chanting his glories. Krishna consciousness is a movement of selfless compassion.  It is the movement of the greatest welfare and charity.  It is a movement were everyone can take part in this most wonderful opportunity of giving Krishna to other and this is our pleasure in life and we see that it is very, very difficult to give up the objects of the senses & this senses are so strong.

yatato hy api kaunteya

puruñasya vipaçcitaù

Even a man of great discrimination is victimized by the senses.

Paraà dåñövä nivartate.

Only if we experience a higher pleasure then we give the temporary pleasures of the senses and the greatest pleasure is to see other progressing in receiving the mercy of Krishna.  As long as we are aspired to help others become Krishna conscious we never become stagnant on the spiritual path, but if we are selfishly concerned only with our own spiritual progress often times we become very much tired and frustrated with our spiritual practices. Sometimes devotees have this difficulty, but if we are always aspiring to take pleasure in seeing others progressing then our enthusiasm for Krishna consciousness will ever increase. If you feed a hungry man, you solve his problems for may be a day if you give a sick man medication you may solve his problem for sometime, but if you enthuse a person to hear, chant the glories of the lord you put that person on a path where is there is no more suffering, no more death, but eternal blessed. So this is the pleasure of the devotee to see others joyful and chanting, dancing and to take part in that wonderful process. Queen Kunti is giving these wonderful lessons that the life of all life is Krishna.  To satisfy Krishna is the real satisfaction of the soul. To help, to see others satisfying Krishna is even a greater pleasure to our soul.  It is so simple, it is so wonderful.

 

Past times of Lord Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

When Lord Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is living in Navadvip dham and this was his message to everyone. The common people who were materialistic, but receipted to hear the truth he will teach this message that are your homes worship Krishna.  No need to change your occupation, no need to change your ashram.  Worship Krishna, speak about Krishna, hear about Krishna, associate with devotees of Krishna all is chant his holy name.  Hare Krishna, hare Krishna , Krishna Krishna, Hare hare, hare ram hare ram, ram ram hare hare.

In this way we can always be connected into with lord Krishna. The natural aspiration of every soul and the residents of Navadip they followed his instructions and everyone chanted Krishna’s name, where ever they went. Not everyone, but all innocent sincere souls.  The envious people were becoming very much angry to see this Krishna consciousness movements spreading in all directions. But the common people whatever they did, wherever they went in their business places, in the market places, in their homes they were all related one another by chanting Krishna’s name.  The chanting of Krishna’s was spread everywhere. What a wonderful civilization! And lord Chaitanya he took the greatest pleasure in seeing this and he was always observed in the highest ecstasies of divine love. He came to this world to distribute this love to everyone and anyone who would simply accept it and who ever would accept it would give him the greatest pleasure.

When he was going to the jungles of Jadikandha even the elephants and rhinoceros and snakes and the lions and the deer’s and the rabbits because they were taking the name of Krishna it brought him the greatest pleasure and little Narayani a little tiny girl smaller than this then lord Chaitanya told her chant the name of Krishna she began to chant the holy names of Krishna tears flowed from her eyes and she fell on the ground in ecstatic love.  This gave lord Chaitanya great pleasure. What gives Krishna pleasure should give us pleasure.  So let us repeat this divine message of the highest truth in this age of Kaliyuga. That we could all become spiritually joyful purified of the reasons for all sufferings by just hearing about Krishna, by remembering Krishna, by chanting his holy names. Hare Krishna, hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, hare hare, Hare ram hare ram, ram ram hare hare.

These elephants and deer’s and tigers, and snakes, and little four year old Narayani they will not very philosophically advanced in learning of the scriptures, but they sincerely and innocently took the name of Krishna.  If we have a good brain that can scrutinize and analyze what is the difference between matter and spirit what is the higher levels of spiritual ras then we should utilize their brains to study the proper vaishnav scripture.  Because unless we are philosophically convinced material nature is so powerful that you will take our conviction away from our faith in the holy name.   One time maharaj was speaking with one of his god brothers and god brothers told him about a devotee who was very much convinced of Krishna consciousness, but because that devotee began to hear from philosophers towards speaking something very offensive toward Krishna he lost all of his intelligence and he gave up the path of bhakti to become very materialistic. So what is very important that we hear from the proper sources to gain conviction and faith in the process of hari naam kirtan and that comes by associating with sincere and loving devotees of the lord. But if we do not have such a capacity Krishna is available by simply becoming attached to his devotees and chanting his holy names.

The Bhagavatham explains that whatever attachments you have now just transfer to become attached to sadhus to real devotees of the lord. If someone is really attached to associating with devotees that person will definitely go back home back to godhead and do course of time.  Shrila Prabhupada our guru for children he would just give them cookies. And by doing like this the children will become attached to him. Because there is Shrimad Bhagavatham class what could they understand, but they understood cookies and they understood that Prabhupada was giving the cookies so they became attached to Prabhupada, because Prabhupada was so nice and by giving them that attachment he was giving them Krishna consciousness. To become attached to a devotee is to become attached to Krishna. If we are attached to devotees we will naturally want to please those devotees and the only way we can really please the devotees is by chanting the names of Krishna.

Chaitanya Charitamrita is the most advanced work of philosophy on the earth.  Shrila Prabhupada translated the entire work in 18 volumes.  In one very at last purport he has explains with all the philosophy and all the propaganda of this great movement of lord Chaitanya is simply to induce people to sincerely and attentively Krishna holy names because Krishna is not different than his name.

 

Power of Krishna’s Name

ceto-darpaëa-märjanam

bhava-mahä-dävägni-nirväpaëam.

The name of Krishna has the power to cleanse even dirties most sinful heart.  It is the four most process of devotion to hear and chant the names and glories of the lord.  So queen Kunti she is so much saying to Krishna that without you my lord what is our kingdom, what is our fame, what is our wealth, without you it is like a dead corps it has no life, it has no meaning, it has no pleasure for us. You my lord are our life and our soul in our meaning and our pleasure to life is utterly dependent on our presence. So we should all aspire to develop this quality of consciousness that nothing has any value without Krishna. This is world is nothing, but a burden if it is disconnected from Krishna, but everything in this world is most wonderful when it is connected to Krishna.  Krishna has so kindly appeared within his name.  Let us make the hearing and chanting of the names and the glories of Krishna our life and our soul.  Let every aspect of our life revolve around the hearing and chanting of Krishna’s name in the company of his devotees. This whole world is a place where people are becoming more and more attached to more and more objects of the senseless.  Let us attach ourselves more and more to Krishna’s devotees, to Krishna’s glories and to Krishna’s holy name.

 

Practical Application

In English language when a person is always thinking in terms of accomplishing one thing he set to have a one track mind and we all want to have one track minds for Krishna or for the pleasure of Krishna. We are all many of us working in the railway helping to make life comfortable for those traveling from one place to another. Devotees are also thinking like this. They want to put the whole world on the track going to that place the aboard of Krishna and we want to create such a wonderful atmosphere that people love to stay on this train going back home going back to godhead. By having nice Prasad, nice relationships, nice lecture, nice kirtan, we want that know one ever leaves this train going back home back to godhead.  This is the pleasure of our life.

Thank you very much.

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.