Second session
Jai Sri ….Ram bhakta Hanuman
Welcome everybody to the second session of Rama katha….Ramayan
“Sri ramah sharanam samasta jagatam, ramam vina ka gatih
ramena pratihanyate kalimalam ramaya karyam namah
ramatrasyati kal bhima bhujago ramasya sarvam vase
rame bhakir akhandita bhavatume Rama tvameva ashrayah”
That’s the prayer at the lotus feet of Sri Rama, at the very beginning of Ramayan mahatmya. “Sri ramah sharanam samasta jagatam” Sri Rama is shelter for the whole world. ‘Ramam vina ka gatih’ The Question has been raised is there any other destination for human beings other then Sri Ram? Ram is all in all and the goal of humanity at large. Ramena pratihanyate kalimalam- Rama is a destroyer of kali-mal anything that is inauspicious, mal – that is dirty is destroyed by Sri Rama. Ramaya karyam namah- until such Rama and His pastimes and His personality I offer my obsceneness. Ramatrasyati kal bhima bhujago- Even the kal personified, he is scared, he is afraid of Sri Rama. Bhujaga- yes when kal becomes serpent then he is ready to; not anyone here but ready to gobble up that kal sarpa, kal taking the form of a serpent and kal is scared afraid of Sri Rama “Ramasya sarvam vase”- Everything is under the control of Sri Rama.
“Rame bhakir akhandita bhavatume” – and I pray for uninterrupted devotion and devotional service unto Sri Rama. “Rama tvameva ashrayah”- Rama O’Lord Sri Rama You are the only shelter for me, the beauty is all the vibhakties have been used here prathama to saptami to sambodhan made that into prayer. Sri Ramah, Ramam, Ramena, Ramaya, Ramat, Ramashya, Rame, hey Rama. Different cases they call cases- vibhakti each one gets the prayer and the glory of Sri Rama….Jai Sri Rama.
We have only three days we have only two days we have only one and a half day as I am looking at the watch here the clock here. We don’t even have whole day one or one and a half day, I wish we had all the time just to do this and what about the duty? What about the duty? Is that the beauty? We have no other duty? We have no other duty this is the best one final and constitutional duty. Go get a job when we chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna on the streets of New York, New jersey, or wherever Atlanta or Toronto or Tokyo sometimes people say – go get a job and then Hare Krishna’s says we are on a job, this our job, this is the job, we are the bodies and with body comes other things and so there is no end and we stay busy 24 hours a day. Seven days a week and four weeks in a month and twelve months in a year and all the years of our life, I have duty, I have duty to perform. If we are souls, yes are we all soul? We have souls or you also have souls? It’s nice; can we live just as a soul? Or do we need body? Do we need body? Is it possible to survive, exist without the body? Just imagine for a moment, not possible. That mataji is thinking, she is convinced, you won’t survive (laughs) it is required to be on this earth, do we have to be on this earth? Yeah do, does it need a body? I didn’t say to be on the earth or because you all thinking of the earth, yes we could, we could adjust without the body. Some devotees have already demonstrated that, almost 24 hours Haridas Thakura is chanting “Hare Kishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” and it was almost like body doesn’t exist for them. They are very close to that existence without the body that there would be not need of the body. But we have the body but some time we just become the bodies also and we do not take in to consideration that we are the soul and we simply keep taking care of the body or bodies of others ignoring forgetting the soul all together. So more we could take care of ourselves, take care of yourself, how many time you have heard this mantra, take Care, take Care of yourself, either take care or take care of yourself but what ids that self? Soul, soul is that self, so to take care of that soul or self we have assembled here to feed that self to nourish that self, to make that self healthy, make our atmas mahatmas or parmatma also, could we make our atma into parmatma? Now you know that mahatma, mahatma is what? Only when you wear saffron cloth like Ekalavya prabhu then your mahatma or could child be also mahatma? Mahatma Child, mahatma lady. There is nothing to do with what colour of cloth you wearing.

“mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prak?tim asritha
bhajanty ananya-manaso jnatva bhutadim avyayam” (B.G 9.13)

Meaning- Anyone who has taken shelter of davi prakriti- of the Lord, that person is mahatma, so anyone who chants “Hare Kishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” that’s mahatma. Anyone who listens to Krishna, to Sri Rama, that person is mahatma or he is becoming, becoming one as he is chanting and hearing, feeding the soul, he is growing. His health is getting better all the time. You won’t be the same what you were at the beginning, what you were at 6:30 and by 9 o’clock you already have become bigger size mahatma you do not sleep. So when we are connected with parmatma we become mahatma even that flow, Rama flows in our direction in the form of His holy name in the form of His pastimes, His form, His abode, He is a current, He is a flow of spiritual energy and the nourishment, the tonic and we become healthy normal size.
So the Lord Rama along with Sita and Laxman they are already in the forest on exile and ready to be there in the forest for 14 years as vanvasis literally like one of the resident of forest. Depending on natural resources and no pillow, arms are the pillows, no dunlop mattresses just soft grass if it is available soft if not then whatever kind of dry grass or no grass, whatever kinds of fruits or leaves or dry leaves, the barks are clothing and plenty of water, crystal clear water as pure as the purified mind of the sages. This is the description we find in sashtra. It says water is as clear as the clear mind of the saintly person, you don’t need water purifying plant just purify the mind. If we all purify the mind we could shut or close those water purifying plant, right, did u get that? Is everything we are asking Rama Chandra prabhu. There something was making noise in the kitchen I asked what is this sound, said pot washing or dish washing or there is some cloth washing machine, dish washing machine I said where is mind washing, is there something mind washing machine also? And if there was something to wash the mind then job is done, life could be so simple, and natural close to nature close to God. So Sri Rama was leading that kind of simple living and high thinking. And what are we doing? Living is very high and thinking is low or no? There is also difference. When you say just do it, means no thinking, just do it, don’t even think. If you feel good, do it, just do it. So that’s why we are studying Ramayan here.
The best example of simple living high thinking, we need Ramayan and Rama now than ever before and Rama is available His examples, His ideal is here for us to follow. Then we become better human beings, better character and what not all the good qualities generous we become, friendly we become and what not we become, clean we become, good neighbours we become, good parents, good friends, goodness would prevail in all our dealings and activities by having that connection with Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So it was time to cross the river and the boatman was there. Nishadha nishadha – kevat was his another name, Ramayan says nishadha, Kevat. He said oh! He was talking to laxman my job is same as Sri Rama’s job and when Laxman heard this and he was furious what? You are comparing your activities with my Sri Rama and then he explained, I take people across to the other shore in my boat and Sri Rama takes people across these material oceans of material existence. Some similarity is there, so once he was another side Sri Rama, Laxman, Sita. They visit ashrama of Bharadwaj muni this is in Prayag raj, already on the banks of triveni sangam confluence of Ganga Jamuna Saraswati.
Sri Rama is very very respectful to the sages, He was trained like that, being kshatriya He also thought that the Brahmins are superior we are just kshatriyas, we are just arms, the Brahmins are uttam anga, as the top most part of the body is head so likewise the Brahmins, that is the Brahmins position that top in the society, they are the direction providers, they are the guides even for the arms when to act and not to act that direction comes from the head Brahmans. So He was trained like that so the full dandvats at the feet of Bharadwaj muni and sitting at his feet he listens to all that good advice etc that Bharadwaj muni had for Sri Rama. Sri Rama is also looking for some place He could some part of the forest where He could stay and Bharadwaj muni was the one. Oh! you can see that? That mountain, that is in Chitrakut that mountain is still there but not that tall to be seen from Prayag raj seen that in those days they could point out to that mountain. So they started their journey in the direction of Chitra kutt, as they were departing Bhradwaj muni was chanting all the auspicious mantras svastivachan mantras he chanted you can chant, we have a muni here also.
(A devotee does svastivacan) You heard in the back? So svastivachan all the auspiciousness he was praying for, they entering the forest and let there be no obstacles, no difficulties, let there be all auspiciousness. So Bharadwaj muni chanted prayers. Sri Rama was departing for chitrakutt. On the way they also meet Valmiki rishi. Valmiki muni’s ashrama is we went up there, this is different from that I mentioned yesterday other one was on the banks on Ganga near Varanasi where he compiled his Ramayan Sita and Luv Kush also stayed. This one is another ashrama I visited both not this time I visited one this time and one in the past. I have also visited chitrakutt, we are going there. Anyone here has gone to chtrakutt? One mataji. Half dozen hands are up, flute is up, your flute went or you went? (Laughter) both.
So Valmiki muni also had to Rama was making further inquiries for where to stay and then Valmiki muni in turn inquires from Sri Rama Please tell me first of all where you do not stay? Is there any place where you do not stay? You tell me, then there you stay. Where you don’t stay. Pretty smart reply (laughs) but you have ask me and then he made another appeal to Sri Rama, my dear Lord you please stay and make your residence in the heart of your devotees. You like that? Yeah, sounds good? Any one for this Rama staying in your heart? Some room there? Or is it already packed? Get reed of some desirable elements or entities. Once you have Rama in your heart and heart becomes and you become big hearted. You could accommodate the whole world in the heart. When Rama is not there then it just you and very few fellows, your selfish little narrow world there. So Rama Sita Laxman they proceed to chitrakutt. Is one of the most scenic places I have visited and what to speak about 900 thousand years ago how much beauty and tranquillity and purity of that place. There is a river Mandakini river flows, water is so clear, also so many fish communities doing there swachand vihar and they are swimming. They proceed deep into the water and water is very very clear. and then we went kind of some distance towards the town and the water was getting muddy and way in to the country side into the forest into the mountains all clear water as soon as the human touch everything is nasty, dirty.

So this thing has nothing to do with these dirty businesses at Ramas time. So there is a Rama ghat and there is a Sita ghat. Where Rama used to take bath and quite distance where Sita used to take her bath. They made parna kutir there residence, some bamboos and some leaves thatched roof, locals also helped to make that residence and Rama stays there. Longest period of Ramas 14 years exile He spent in chitra kutt some 11 and half out of 14 years He spends in chitrakutt. This is the time this is the place Bharat comes. Bharat!! Rama bharat Milan Milap took place in chitrakutt. Bharat was, when he returned to Ayodhya, he was out of station, he was not in station when all these thing transpired this Kai kai asking for a boon and Rama into the forest and all these proposal of Bharat becoming the prince, the king. He did not know so when he returned and by the time when he returned to ayodhya his father also was no more and due to the pangs of separation from Sri Rama he went back home, he departed. In the middle of the night he left the body just prior to that he was talking to kaushlya. He shared that episode when he was in the forest, hunting and the shravan kumar was carrying his parents taking them on pilgrimage they were blind old and blind, he had placed them to some distance and he had gone looking for water and parents were thirsty and as he was filling the pot made some sound and Dashrath the king he was hiding looking for some prey some animal to come to drink water and he thought it is some animal and without thinking further he just shot an arrow and when he rush to the spot thinking its lion or tiger or what it is deer? What did he find? But it was shravan kumar. As he was about to take last breathe, he said please my parents must be thirsty can you please bring some water to them? So Dashrath was talking to kaushlya i like this he was sharing what had happen once. So as Dashrath had gone to shravan kumar’s parents with water and he was trying to feed them water was not talking hey! shravan kumar why didn’t you talk today? And he was just feeding them water because this was dashrath. So finally as he had to respond then he tells all that had happened and those parents of shravan kumar had cursed well.

Jai ho………Gaur Nitai ki..jai …Jai Sita Rama Laxman Hanuman ji ki. ……….Jai

So as they were dying in the separation of their son and son was no more so no reason to survive so there was curse “you also die just like we are dying now” so Dashrath knew one day this probably is going to happen to me. He did not under what circum and how could and this is happening to him so that night he shared all this with Kaushlya and the same night he departed. So when Bharat returned to ayodhya to find, Rama was in the forest with Laxman and Sita and father was no more and his mother was the cause and he was curious, very angry totally disappointed he gets on the case of the kaikai and he is not interested becoming the king, “No Rama is the king, he has to be the king, not me” That sounds like tretayuga like, someone from tretayuga. If it was just our time you would have it, I would have gone for it. There was a different quality of consciousness, different values in those ages. That’s why the age of gold and what bronze like that? Then silver. Gold, silver, bronze and this is iron, scrap, can’t compare. So then Bharat he wants to go meet Rama wherever he is find him out and bring him back and he thinks he could bring him back that’s kind of taking, “yes, I am going to do it, I am going to bring Rama back” And so many family members were ready to go with him, the mothers were ready to go with him, his brother was ready to go with him. He takes small army with him and now he is going to the forest some army he is not going as a vanvasi he is going as a son of the king. So he comes to the spot where Rama had spent the night and where the king had offered him “hey you could come to my palace” we heard yesterday “palace no, me no palace, nothing to do with the palace” He had just slept at the bank of the river and from there he had crossed the river as we just heard few minutes ago, so Bharat comes to that spot and he meets the same kevat, Nishadha raj mentined in Ramayan. “Have you heard of our Rama, has he gone from here? Oh!sure he was here, he had spent night here, what do you mean he spent night here? As nothing is here to reside in? Oh! He is right there do you see that some grass? He just lied down on that dry grass other night and this is where he spent the night and what about his dinner? Oh! He ate some fruits and berries and some and when bharat heard this was too much for him to hear and handle. He wants to do the same thing when Rama is living like this I will also follow the same standard and soon he gets into this mood. He takes that swear for next fourteen years. So they crossed the river, they go to Bharadwaj muni same ashrama, he is like following the same path and Bharadwaj muni says were abouts yes do you see that mountain? Chitra kutt there so Rama should be around there in there so he goes in that direction. When they were coming closer where Rama and Laxman were staying, Laxman saw he was at the top of the tree. Laxman is always guarding, he is a anga rakshak, the body guard, he is shankarshan, he is the protector, like Balarama, he is always protecting that’s his position constitutional of position of Laxman, Laxman is Balarama, Shankarshan.

So he was on guard it is forest where he guarding Rama and Sita and sees army coming and he notices Bharat is there he runs to Sri Rama “hey get ready, let’s get ready, what for? We have to fight.” He thought Bharat had come to fight with Sri Rama and Rama had to cool him down “calm down, calm down, Bharat and is he going to fight with us? No no way…” so that great meeting of that two brothers took place at “chitra kutt”. You get to visit the very spot where they met, where two brothers stood as they were meeting and embracing each other. Where they stood those rocks melted just by the touch and kind of an atmosphere you know feelings of brotherly affection and friendship and the rocks melted if our heart could melt that would be something….and there is whole appeal of course that was a purpose of Bharat visiting Sri Rama “you have to come, you are the king, no please return, please come, let’s go” that’s all the appeals from this angle that angle. Oh! Then before that Rama also gets the news of Dashrath being no more and we could only imagine Sri Rama’s feelings, He felt all vacant world without father being no more so when father is no more elder brother is like father. “You have to come, don’t take my mother’s word seriously and forget her boons and you come you rule us but the promise is promise. Rama is known for the He is ekvachani, He is ekvachani, ek patni and ek vani. It’s like that way, once He has given promise He keeps and He is keeping his father’s promise infect father had promised to kaikai but He was involved with that promise connected with that promise so He took that upon himself so fourteen years no question of me returning. Bharat is falling at His feet and all that and finally Rama says you could take my sandal, wood shoes; I won’t come take my sandal, take my shoes, so that’s all he could bring back to Ayodhya. Not Rama but His shoes he took them on his head and he was place them that shoes on the thrown considering Rama is there he is the ruler and him sitting at the feet those feet, before he goes but you have to make sure fourteen years and as soon as fourteen years period is completed, you have to be back if you are one second, one moment longer delayed well, then do not come back or if you come not come it won’t make any difference to me I won’t be there, I won’t survive one minute one moment longer, so Rama had to promise “yes, yes brother I will come, as soon as fourteen years, the day, the moment they are completed, I will be back. So with that hope, that anticipation that brother would be back, Rama would be back Bharat returns but he doesn’t enter Ayodhya. We were there last month, there is a place called Nandigram, besides the outskirts of Ayodhya. He stays there for fourteen years he doesn’t enter the capital city of ayodhya and shoes of Sri Rama were in Nandigram and he was leading life just like Rama’s life in vanvas in van.

Same food, no stitched cloths, he had matted here, long hair, no hair cutting, no cooked food, that was bharat following that fourteen years waiting and watching, he was counting, seems not moving. When we have fun time flies otherwise you think for Bharat one day was like a one year without Rama for him. So after many years they were in chitra kutt Rama proceeds down south to Dandkaranya. On this aranya kanda of Rama this is dandak aranya, so that is dand-karanya. The central India, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra or like that parts of Andhra Pradesh that was whole central region danda-karanya. Very thick forest so He moves on to the place which now has known as Ramatek, not far from Nagpur the present day Nagpur, there which was abode one time abode of so many sages rishi’s, muni’s performing there tapasya, in their beautiful setting natural setting but as Rama was there he noticed that there were the human skulls and the skeletons everywhere as he was walking and going from one ashrama to other ashrama, big piles some time what is this? And he was informed the rakshsa’s this what left over of the rishi’s and muni’s and this all rakshsa’s ate them up, this left, this is just bones behind and when Rama heard of this, he took his bow and arrow and he takes vow that he will wipe out all the demons all the rakshsa’s form the planet. Ramtake, this is Rama’s vow, Rama sankalp, this is also the place where augastya rishi’s ashrama. We could go visit augastya rishi’s ashrama there we could read the instruction writing on the wall that says Rama visited this place 8,80,000 years ago. 8,80,000 years close to 9,00,000 years ago so someone was asking whether Rama was in this last tretayug or previous one so it couldn’t be previous one. It is 8,00,000 according to that description also and other understanding is also there and then augastya rishi suggested Sri Rama to proceed in direction of Godavari and reside there so Rama, Sita, Laxman they are kind of coming down southerly direction from there they go east ward, in the south east towards Godavari which is presently known as panchvati, also known as Nasik, panchvati, there are five banyan trees, vatta vriksha’s.
Rama’s times, there even they are now, even if you go tomorrow if you take flight and if you don’t have faith or you can telephone somebody in Nasik, they had been witnessing Lord’s pastimes, there are those trees, now that Godavari, the sages always choose to be on the bank of lake or river they need lots of water for being suchi – being clean, water has lots of big role to play also for those who, when water flows it is good for meditation so when you stay on the bank of a river or bank of ocean, bank of a lake it makes broad minded big minded . So it’s just something that helps to become more god conscious, Rama itself, He was a god himself and He doesn’t have to become Rama conscious or Krishna conscious. So they also made there parna kutir there, they were staying there, they had good time, wonderful time and then comes surpanakha comes the sister of Ravan, with the proposal for Rama, Rama was the target, Rama said I have and I am with my wife but Laxman is himself (laughter) so she was kind of being pushed back and forth then she was trying to harass and she was thinking she was a master piece of beauty or miss universe (laughter) “get rid of sita, get rid of this creature, go for me, surpanakha means her nails were like a soop, not drinking soup, supp that you used, have you ever used? Your supp, suppado gujrathi ma (laughter) Marathi madhye supp, “ saar-saar ko gahi rakhe, thutha dehi udai”, that one keeps all the saar or the grain and everything else thutha dehi udaay, that big one, long one she had her nakhun, nails were one supp here, one there, five so surppanakha do you find some surpanakha’s around? Coming in the tradition pretty dangerous, surpanakha’s still she thought she was…so as she was now attacking, harassing Sita because her proposal was not going anywhere and Laxman, he became furious and he chopped off her nose and ear also so the place where it fell that place is known as Nasik, Nasik named after nasika of surppanakha, not very auspicious name and then some more things were tried kharan, dhushyan, she goes back there and come with a big army of fourteen thousand strong and wanted to battle with Rama or defeat him but Rama just crushed and brush them aside they were finished and then surppanakha goes all the way to Shri Lanka and whole reporting was done and trying to take revenge and of course she went with her nose was still bleeding and “that Rama has wife and she should be good for you, he is just mare mortal this Rama” and taking revenge and this desire of me having sita as his concert or queen yes, he was ready but he wanted a help form marichi. Marichi was very tricky and he had different powers of changing bodies and imitating voices, mimicry they call, so when Ravan proposed that you please come along we are two, then he mention what mission was, we have to get sita and we have to fight Sri Rama and when marichi heard the name of Sri Rama they two will be battling he said,” no, no, no…let’s not mess up” because this is Sri Rama and marichi had first experience of Sri Rama, when Vishwamitra muni had come to Ayodhya asking for I like to have your two son, Rama and Laxman so that when we perform our yagya swahaaa… swahaaa…we don’t want any disturbances so they could be good guards.
So of course Dashrath was not ready and then Vashishta muni also to intervene and let them go and as they were there the first demon Rama had killed was tadka, also lady, in Krishna’s pastime the first demon he killed was putana and here it was tadka. And then he had made this marichi also target and when Rama shot His arrow this marichi was lifted in the air and thrown some few thousand miles all the way in Lanka. He survived but that was a power of Sri Rama’s arrow as He shot arrow it left and person landed in Lanka, so when he remembered and when he heard marichi that ravan was proposing…oh! To encounter with Rama, nooo…..nooo…he started trembling, I know it won’t work when I say you have to come, no,no..no I can’t and he was also convincing to forget this proposal not that I should not go but you also should not go if you really care for your life forget making Rama’s Sita as your wife just think of your life (laughter) you want to survive, you better stay behind but then again he ravan changed his mind and he wanted to go and marichi was not willing to go I will kill you and ravan was pretty serious about killing marichi and then marichi ok..let’s go because he was thinking if I go I die if I don’t go I die better let Rama kill me you know, better than this demon killing me I would get nothing I would have this kind of killing and if Rama kills me that will perfection of my life let me go, ok..Let’s go. So they both went and this marichi becomes the deer and he begins dancing around the fence the garden around the humble abode residence of Sita, Rama, Laxman and he was quite charming creature, the deer and deer catching attention of sita and sita wanted and fell in love and I must have, Rama…Rama..Rama…and well if something gets into the women head, right? I don’t know but I hear (laughter) can’t get out (laughs).
So as sita was insisting then Rama was ready to go to chase after that deer bring him back alive or dead and then he had to make arrangement yes, Laxman, you stay with Sita so as Rama was behind this deer, deer started running away from the ashrama, Rama was chasing after and at quite some distance away that made a sound Laxman help Laxman it sounded just like Rama’s voice it was voice of this deer, he played this trick sending signal, a message that Rama is in distress Rama is in difficulty, Rama needs help and then Sita couldn’t help but sent Laxman but Laxman was not willing and sita starts making all kinds of accusing him oh! I understand your ill intensions; you were waiting for this moment oh! I know you so poor Laxman he had to do as sita said had to leave and he was a junior brother and Rama was elder brother, he was a junior and he had to and he knew this is not right thing to do, leaving sita around unprotected no, but he just had to obey the command. We hear I don’t know what reference but we hear that laxman had made up his mind the next time I appear, I incarnate, I am not going to be a junior brother I want to become the elder brother and that is Balrama Rama becomes no this Laxman becomes Balrama and Rama is Krishna like that he is in a superior position so well, that clear the path of Ravan, he was just waiting, hiding around the corner where as Rama and laxman were away, he comes in the scene disguised dress as a Brahmin BHIKSHAM DE HEE!!! BHIKSHAM DE HEE!!! He knew mantras and he was quite learned but just being learned doesn’t mean a devotee. Hiranyakashyapu was also very austere and tapasvi that doesn’t mean devotee of the Lord and who was Jarasandha? Very charitable dani but not devotee.
So “naham vedair na tapasa na danena na cejyaya sakya evam-vidho drastum” (B.G 11.53) Lord says that in Bhagwat Gita , just because someone is jnani and tapasvi — by bhakti only I achieved or you could perform tapasya but it should be for the Lord. “yat karosi yad asnasi yaj juho?i dadasi yat yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurusva mad-arpanam “(B.G 9.27 )so if it is arpanam for the Lord you do tapsya and you do daan for the Lord and whatever you eat you eat for lord and you eat Krishna prasadam “tad kurusva mad arpanam” that’s perfection otherwise tons of tapasya goes on and charity all shows are going on but that does not mean, people have learned also, there is very little to do with devotion and not necessarily this all thing means devotion unto the Lord so Ravan was a pandit so he knew the mantras and tantras he was a big tantric also.

So then he was glorifying sita and making all the proposal be my queen, why you are in the forest, come to the palace. Chanting his own glories that I am lankesh and all demigods are scared of me and all this. So Sita the chaste lady, pativrata, sati, Rama had valve, His vow was ekpatni, He was ekpatni, He has ekpatni vrat, one wife as sita and for sita it was pativrat, pativrata, so he has taken ekpatni vrat and she has, she was ekpati vrata. Different vrats were out there, brhamcharya vrat is also there and ekdasi vrat so different vratas valve and sankalpas and with a great determination those things are followed so this is another vrat of sita and Rama, pativrata and ek patni vrat. If this is followed by present day, humanity could make a big difference big difference, could change the face of the earth just by doing this, just like Rama following his footsteps, do this or that will make changes and could make a big difference and now in Delhi, every month 700 families are there with their divorce papers, every month 700 and number are growing. So not far behind America and when we were little children we used hear oh! we are 200 years behind and we are 150 years behind the west and 100 years, 50 years, now we have caught up or we right there or we are ahead of them in some respect very unfortunate.

Prabhupada was the one who knew the value of Indian or ancient Indian and the culture, the dharma, the principals, the real wealth, everyone kept saying oh! we are poor country so everyone is going to west only to beg but Prabhupada did not come to beg but he came to deliver give the gift, the best gift of India. That’s this sashtras, this culture this dharma, this bhagwat gita and chanting of “Hare Kishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” This is our wealth prabhupada was convinced this is a wealth of bharat varsh. Why have you come to our country? Question raised by a correspondent reporter in London, swamiji why have you come to our country? And then swamiji said that oh! You, you were also there in India for almost 200 years but my purpose is different not here to take revenge or you came so I have also come barabari ho gai. So you had, whatever you thought was valuable from India, you all had been looting that, stealing that bringing that over to England including the Kohinoor ka hira and many other things and they were cleaning up taking boat loads of this and that whatever thing was valuable. So Prabhupada said you had been doing this but you know your viceroys, I think they were called viceroys, their representative of Brittan in India and they left behind real wealth, the most valuable thing they left behind so I have come to deliver those (a big round of applause) free delivery, home delivery so whatever is gift, the ancient culture of our nation, this is the gift of our nation to the rest of the world.
The knowledge contained in Gita and Bhagvatam, this is the gift of my country and the names of God. This is “goloker prema dhana harinaam sankirtan”
So that, Srila Prabhupada, infect he had come to New York first and we may say “oh! Practically empty pocket, five dollars in the pocket, he had five dollars when he reached New York which he didn’t even spend those five dollars, those five dollars stayed intact. And when Prabhupada went back to India, then he took taxi from Delhi airport to Chippiwada, which was near the red fort. He had to pay the taxi fare and you know how much was the taxi fare? Forty Rupees. Five dollars were forty rupees. So he paid that taxi bill forty rupees to that taxi wala, he did not use. So he started with five dollars infact he had not even used so he was with zero balance and he had nothing but his wealth was holy name, so he was the wealthiest person. And that is how he was able to make, at least some of the dropouts, misguided, frustrated American boys into happy beings, happy human beings. Although they were hippies they became happies. Prabhupada in India would proudly say I went to the west even hippies have become happies. He was proud, so if hippy could become happy then if you are already happy then more happy so all the wealth that could not make Americans happy, Prabhupad’s formula, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s holy name made them happy and they are sticking to that holy name from last 20, 30, 40 years they are happily they are happy. So we say he had no money no friends and one said this is true when Prabhupada came off that Jaldutta boat he didn’t know whether to turn left or right he went by himself but the best friend was also accompanying him his best friend is Lord Sri Krishna. So he was with the best friend and he was the wealthiest person because holy name was his wealth, his property.
So Ravan was making all this proposals but because Sita being cultured pativrata there was no question of her budging an inch or considering proposal, no way… as she was not submitting to his proposals. Ravan even to scare her assumes in his gigantic form of regular Ravan size and he had 10 heads and still she was fixed and then Ravan over powers her, snatches her, grabs her takes her off into the sky flying towards his capital Lanka and Sita is screaming and crying for help….Raaam…..Raaaam…Raaam…Raaam…Help help somebody help, please somebody pass on the words to my Rama and no no responses and she noticed that on the top of and nearby tree, the Jatayu was in a kind of sleepy state, old, Jatayu was old, 60000 years old, not much, 60000 years old. Of course Rama had come across jatayu as he was entering this dandakaranya getting closer to this panchavati, Godavari and He thought He is some kind of demon here so He was ready to kill him but then jatayu gave whole introduction of himself including the part of peace information that “I knew your father, you know, we were close” There is some kind of relationship between jatayu and dashrath, they were close so Rama spared him and he had also agreed I will be guard, protecting you, so when sita was being snatched and when sita cried for help then Jatayu, he really woke up and he gave a big fight, real fight, he fought with all his might, although very old in age and ravan was kind of young fellow but jatayu fought, fighting lasted in the sky like two mountains were battling pushing. Jatayu also managed with the claws jatayu had claws bird he killed those mules, yolked to his chariot that’s the description with the claws and he with use of the beak he killed the chariot driver of Ravan, he smashed the chariot into pieces and then ravan had to land and both were on the ground and battled further but after a long battle this elderly old jataayu was exhausted and ravan took advantage and he chopped off the wings of jatayu and then again took sita and flying the sky ways, direction of lanka and as they were flying over that rishmukh parvat, there Sughriv and his 4to 5 ministers including hanuman they were there. She threw some of her clothing some ornament, pearls and a necklace, leaving some indication behind and as Rama was returning he thought he had accomplish the mission of killing this deer and he noticed “oh! laxman, hey…why are you here? And he had to explain the reasons and Rama was very disappointed, very angry, “why did you disobey my command? And as they both were returning towards their kutir, all the jackals were hauling and all the bad omen’s were all around Rama was thinking for sure this is, this meant either sita has by now killed by some rakshsa or taken away, Rama was kind of sure of this.
And as they finally return to the kutir, only two find sita is not here, well he was not surprised, Rama was not surprised, but he was certainly displeased and then they started the whole search for sita….sita….screaming all over, top of the mountains, into the valleys, in the planes, they go everywhere being searching, looking, crying, praying, even Rama in his kind of madness He is asking the trees, bushes, the animal. ”oh!…have you seen my sita, have you seen, anybody here seen my sita going this way? It was very similar to those gopis searching for Krishna , as it was never reversed, here Rama was looking for sita or gopi, she was gopi for him, only one deer as Rama was inquiring, from deer he was inquiring, the deer raised his head and Rama thought this is some indication, sita into the air and gone in this direction, he was watching that deer and that deer as if he is pointing out that way…that way, so by this time they were just searching around where there was resident but now they took this clue from the deer and started going south and only after some distance they begin seeing this the battle ground this two jatayu and ravan had battled, they saw the mules and broken cart and well Rama was expecting the worst, threat signs were there, some rakshsas have battled, over my sita and also some of the broken bangles and some ornaments also and further they go some blood, they thought there is no need to search any further sita is no more, thought that blood was sita’s blood and they followed that blood trails and their they see bird, one…rakshas in disguise of the bird and Rama, this is the job of this demon and Rama was ready to kill him and as he was more closer, he could see “oh! jatayu? It was jatayu, what happen? Then the whole tale was told, I did my best but finally saying the last words as Rama the bird fell in the lap of Sri Rama looking at his face and chanting his name and bird left departed. So another tragedy already they were looking for sita and had not found and they had just heard and transpired and now jatayu is no more they cried and lamented over the lost of jatayu, two brothers they performed all the final rites for jatayu where everyone looking for fire wood they collected the wood, prepared the funeral, fired put the body of jatayu on the top, to the flames chanted all the mantras all the ritual they followed finally taking bath in Godavari they thought when their father dashrath died they were not able to attend that funeral at least his friend, dashrath’s friend jatayu. When he departed and he render great service to us so both brother did fulfil their obligation and they were proceeding searching looking to get any more clues, then this Kabandha, he was a special person cursed body deformed and Rama had also battled with them, Rama chopping his right hand and laxman also chopping his left hand and “could you provide us some clues, where abouts of ravan? No, no, I don’t know, I have no information, we are birds, but then kabandha says you proceed, you go in the direction of pumpa-sarovar, there sughriv is there with his ministers, residing on there rishmukh mountain and he is in the similar difficulty as yours. He is also separated from his wife and kind of in exile and so may you could become allies and he has big army of monkey and they could go anywhere on the earth looking for sita they could help find sita for you.
So Rama and Laxman they precede and they were also going to meet shabri on the banks of the pumpa-sarovar and they were also going to meet for the first time, they were going to meet Hanuman and so far hanuman is not in the picture so far. So now as they go to pumpa-sarovar , sughriv is “hey go find out, are this some spies of Bali coming? go…go…go.. and hanuman is going meet this guys as some old Brahmin, going down and approaching and inquiring and prior to that of course, meeting with shabri and then finally meeting with Sugriv and killing of bali and then more search for sita……….
So we will talk on those later those pastimes in 3rd and final Ramayan session tomorrow.
Jai Sri Ram

Venue: Germany
Bhagvat saptha (Ajamil Katha series – Forth session)
Bhagvat recitation, this is our third session we are still in the 1st chapter of the 6th canto, with this session, this morning’s 1st session, we will complete the 1st chapter that leaves us with two more chapters. So 2nd chapter we will do today between 2nd and the 3rd session of today, we will complete the 2nd chapter and remaining 3rd chapter we’ll relish here, study tomorrow.
So, Yamadutas have arrived and Vishnudutas also. Yesterday we heard of the brief life sketch. So, brief life sketch and who would study such a lifestyle. The husband is a prostitute’s husband. ‘dasi patir ajamilah’, he was named, he was addressed, introduced as ‘dasi patir ajamilah’. Then we have travelled long distances with great expense and inconvenience leaving asides so many important assignments we have come here just to study the life of dasi pati, the husband of this prostitute. Is it worth? Now you know what the topic is, you better go home, do something more important. So, there’s a contrast, there’s a lesson. Even dasi-pati was such a degraded person, there’s hope for even such a person. That’s the inspiration that we get, that we are not as fallen or not that bad like; we can’t match the style, lifestyle of Ajamila. So such fallen person but he chants Narayan and 4 Vishnudutas come and 3 were already there, 3 Yamadutas and Vishnudutas naturally want to stop the undertaking, the work and action by Yamadutas. It was not necessary, it is irrelevant they were thinking, the Vishnudutas were thinking. This person has chanted the name of Narayan, that’s it. At the time of death he had done so helplessly he cried out ‘bhartur nama maharaja sahasapatan’ (S.B. 6.1.30) when they heard name of their swami, their master Narayan sahasa means suddenly they appeared.
You could see how swiftly they must have moved, not losing even fraction of second. It is said that they are normally here; in the universe they are wandering, protecting Vaishnavas, picking up Vaishnavas, taking Vaishnavas back home back to Godhead, to Vaikuthloka. So, they were around the universe somewhere around the planet, somewhere and when they heard the name, someone chanting name Narayan they all appeared and they looked so beautiful, effulgent, that their appearance dissipated all the darkness and. So we went through description of their clothing and ornaments and the weapons they were carrying and this was just contrary to the ‘vakra-tundan urdhva-romna’ (S.B. 6.1.28), crooked faces and hair were standing on end and ‘ati-darunan’ very horrible looking. So, one coming from hell we could tell. Prabhupada wrote in one of the purports, just by looking at, before even foreigner is introduced, by his look or by his beauty, by his the way he is dressed, of course once he begins talking you would know more about him. He is just dressed or he is a fool no. 1 he is dressed like a gentleman you would find that out but not only they are good looking and well dressed but they are also highly intelligent, very wise persons. So when you would hear them talk or Yamaraja’s hear them speaking, they just left Ajamila behind and they proceeded to abode of Yamaraja. So, we were ‘sri-visnuduta ucuh’, so, Vishnudutas are challenging Yamadutas and they think maybe they are not even the representatives of Yamaraja, if they were truly representatives of Yamaraja they wouldn’t even hear, “Did you not hear the name Narayan that this person chanted?”, “Yes, we did”. “Still you are taking him to abode of Yamaraja? Doesn’t sound like you are Yamaraja’s representatives. You better double check with Yamaraja, telephone him (laughter) what you are doing is right or wrong. We are confident that you shouldn’t be here. You have nothing to do with this case. This is beyond your jurisdiction. What are you doing here? And if you truly are somebody from Yamaraja” then,
“yuyam vai dharma-rajasya yadi nirdesa-karinah
bruta dharmasya nas tattvam yac cadharmasya laksanam” (S.B. 6.1.38)
So, we would like you to bruta, bruta means say…say it, yuyam vai dharma-rajasya yadi, if you are truly Dharmaraj’s, Yamaraja’s nirdesa-karinah, the order carriers nirdesa, Yamaraja gives some order and you execute, if that is what you people are then, bruta-say, dharmasya tattvam- we want to hear the truth about dharma. At the same time, yac cadharmasya laksanam, dharmasya tattvam yac cadharmasya laksanam, dharma, adharma both you have to explain; what is dharma? And what is not dharma? what is religion? What is not religion? Ok hurry up, say it. This enquiry by Vishnudutas to Yamadutas is most important. Prabhupad writes in the purport, a servant must know the instructions of his master. The servants of Yamaraja claimed to be carrying out his orders, and therefore the Visnudutas very intelligently asked them to explain the symptoms of religious and irreligious principles. The questions posed by the Vishnudutas are very suitable. One who represents someone else must fully know that person’s mission. If you are representing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, if you are representing Srila Prabhupada, representing spiritual masters, then we have to know their mission, Prabhupada is pointing out here. The devotee in Krishna Consciousness Movement therefore must be fully aware of the mission of Krishna and Lord Chaitanya. Otherwise they will be considered foolish. All devotees, especially preachers must know the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness so as not to be embarrassed and insulted when they preach. To avoid the embarrassing, insulting and other kinds of situation, one should equip oneself, especially preachers with the philosophy, with the mission of the master authority that they represent and the next.
“katham svid dhriyate dandah kim vasya sthanam ipsitam
dandyah kim karinah sarve aho svit katicin nrnam” (S.B. 6.1.39)
Translation- What is the process of punishing others? Vishnudutas are enquiring, who are the actual candidates for punishment? Are all karmis engaged in furtive activities punishable, or only some of them? So, no one knows, right? These things, so, this we could know. Vishnudutas have enquired for our benefit. So the answer, we could be benefited by the answer. The answer is coming up. Good to know, who is candidate for punishment. So Yamadutas only punish Hindus’ or Germans’ also? One party, followers of buddha, they were part of their conversion campaign they were saying, “We don’t believe in this law of karma like Hindus do. So you should join our dharma. They are giving concession, our dharma is better. We don’t believe in law of karma. Come, please join us. Those who believe they have to suffer; as you sow, so shall you reap. This is a law, law of karma. If someone would tell, no no we don’t believe, so you should join our religion is much easy and you know. So is that the way? If someone says, no no we don’t believe in this law of karma, so is that person free from law of karma? Just because he says, oh! We don’t believe. So, in other words, Yamaduta’s Yamaraj has a jurisdiction over everybody. He’s coming up specially human beings for sure. So Prabhupad is pointing that out in this purport but I just want you to think, may be this question did not come up that Yamaraja and all these Yamadutas is only for Hindus’ and you know Chinese people have nothing to do with this. They have another, someone else, another Yamaraja or another system infrastructure. No, the same thing, its universal. One who has the power to punish others should not punish everyone. Very wise statement Prabhupada is making, one who has the power to punish others should not punish everyone, indiscriminately. There are innumerable living entities, the majority of whom are in the spiritual world and are nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. There is no question of judging these liberated living beings. This Yamadutas Yamaraja has no jurisdiction over all those living in the spiritual sky. Only a small fraction of the living entities, perhaps one fourth, are in the material world, right? tri paad vibhuti, one paad vibhuti spiritual sky is like a three forth of the kingdom creation and one forth is material world. So, Prabhupada is saying, perhaps only one fourth of the population, living entities are here. And the major portion of the living entities in the material world — 8,000,000 forms of the 8,400,000 forms of life — are lower than human beings. They are not punishable, for under the laws of material nature they are automatically evolving. So nobody from the spiritual sky is punishable and then out of the 8,400,000, 8,000,000 are other species. So they are also not punishable. A dog is not punished if he crosses when the red light is on, does police arrest the dog? He is just irresponsible. So he would never teach any tricks anything to the dog. So like that, so that’s remaining only 400,000 human beings who are advanced in Krishna Consciousness are responsible but not all of them are punishable. Those engaged in advanced pious activities are beyond punishment. So Prabhupada is just trying to analyze and say who are the only parties punishable. Only those who engage in sinful activities are punishable. Therefore the Visnudutas particularly inquired about who is punishable and why Yamaraja has to be designated to discriminate between who is punishable and who is not. How is one to be judged? What is the basic principle of authority? These are the questions raised by the Visnudutas. So this is very advance knowledge. So good to know these things. ‘Yamaduta ucuh’ okay now is the turn…so this morning we’ll just spend time listening to the Yamadutas (laughs) We have only time, that’s how the chapter ends the 1st chapter. Now we begin talking with the text no. 40 to text no. 68, there are 29 verses these Yamaduta ucuh. Why ucuh? Many. If it was only one Yamadut, only one then uvach. Then you see sometimes ucuh means many are speaking. Ucuh uvach so plural number gets ucuh. Yamaduta ucuh. Now you know. So it’s done. That ignorance is out. Now your knowledge, for rest of your life you know whenever there’s ucuh right? Next 30 40 years you know ucuh means many persons are speaking. Easy, right? Just spend 1 minute or half minute to understand something and then you know once and for all.
“veda-pranihito dharmo hy adharmas tad-viparyayah
vedo narayanah saksatsvayambhur iti susruma” (S.B. 6.1.40)
So, they have defined it is veda-pranihito, the vedas. What is prescribed in the vedas or done things as per prescriptions of vedas that is dharma. And tad-viparyayah just opposite of that is adharma, irreligion. They are defining like this. Vedo narayanah saksat, vedas are sakshat Narayan, this is Sanskrit. We should be capable to understand this much. Vedas are sakshat narayan, ya directly Narayan. ‘Sakshat haritven samasta shastrey’ we sing every day. Sakshat hari, sakshat means Himself directly. So vedas are sakshat Narayan. ‘Svayambhur iti susruma’ and ya we have heard this. We have heard this from Yamaraja.
Purport – The servants of Yamaraja replied quite properly. Prabhupada is giving his judgment, Prabhupad is satisfied; Yamarajas’ replies quite properly. They did not manufacture principles of religion or irreligion, no manufacturing. Instead, they explained what they had heard from the authority Yamaraja. ‘Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah’: one should follow the Mahajana, the authorized person. Yamaraja is one of twelve authorities. They said susruma, Prabhupada is writing. They said right? This word susruma. They said we have heard this. But but we saying this to you that this vedo narayanah saksat iti susruma – we have heard this. Ofcourse we have heard this from Yamaraja. Susruma, so this is the right way to acquire knowledge. Injunction of dharma emanate from breathing of Narayan. And Srila Madhvacarya also makes a comment here, the transcendental words of the Vedas emanated from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the Vedic principles should be understood to be Vaishnava principles because Vishnu is the origin of the Vedas. The Vedas contain nothing besides the instructions of Vishnu, and one who follows the Vedic principles is a Vaishnava. So Vedas are also known as ‘apaurushaya’ they call ‘apaurushaya’ means not spoken by a ordinary human being ‘apaurushaya’. Yamadutas continue
“yena sva-dhamny ami bhava rajah-sattva-tamomayah
guna-nama-kriya-rupair vibhavyante yatha-tatham” (S.B. 6.1.41)
Yena sva-dhamny ami – this is Narayan. Narayan resides in His own abode, they say. And although He resides in His own abode through the agency of rajah-sattva-tamo, He is creating this whole existence which is full of guna that is qualities, nama that is names, kriya that is activities, rupair that is forms. This world full of forms, qualities, activities is a creation of Narayan which He creates with the help of sattva-rajah-tamo. Although He is not personally here, yena sva-dhamny although in His own abode, He’s creating everything. All these manifestations are, thus Narayan is the cause of entire cosmic manifestation. Is that correct also? These Yamarajas are they correct? Not correct? Getting good marks. He is able to remain in His own abode, Prabhupada is writing, He (i.e. Narayan) is able to remain in His own abode and without endeavor supervise and manipulate the entire cosmic manifestation through the interaction of the three modes of material nature — sattva, rajo and tamo. These interactions create different forms, bodies, activities and changes, which all occur perfectly. This is Lord’s creation, everything’s perfect and having said that much now Yamadutas are going to list of witnesses. So when one commit sin, before they are sent to carry out the order whether he is to be punished or rewarded to which body he gets next. This all has to depend on, you know, the actual facts about that person’s dealings, activities. So there has to be witnesses. Someone to witness the activity of that person. So they say, so please take note of the witnesses. Lot of times we just look around, there’s no one here, just me and then we go. Just do it. You feel good, just do it, don’t even think. Just see no one around, ok no one around. But the Yamadutas say
“suryo gnih kham marud devah somah sandhyahani disah
kam kuh svayam dharma iti hy ete daihyasya saksinah” (S.B. 6.1.42)
Sakshi Gopal, you know, Sakshi Gopal, witness Gopal. Gopal who witnessed. So saksinah, daihyasya saksinah, daihi- we are daihi, embodied. So of daihi that is daihyasya. Daihyasya saksinah – these are the witnesses of the activities performed by the conditioned soul. so who are they; surya-sun, agni-fire, kham-ether, shabdah khe, marud sound is in ether, shabdah khe, khe means ‘in’, so in ether there is sound that’s another statement of Krishna from the 10th chapter of Bhagvat Gita. So marud-air, wherever you are there’s always air right? Could you go to somewhere where there’s no air? You could go but not come back (laughter). So even air is a witness. Air is given, you think air is just passing by but air gathered all the news (laughs) That air will go to Yamaraja and somehow pass the news on to him. Devah-demigod, somah-moon, sandhya-evening, sandhya-evening time sandhyakal, ahani-the day, dishah-directions, how many directions are there? 10; purva, pashchim, dakshin, uttar, agneya, nairrti, vayavya, ishanya, urdhva, adho. These are the ten names of ten directions. So, the ten directions, they are also witness. Kam i.e. water, kuh i.e. land, svayam dharma Yamaraja himself is also witness. So like these are the witnesses.
Now Prabhupada is writing the purport – once we had a discussion with a learned Christian professor who argued that although people are generally punished after the witnesses of their misdeeds are examined, after the witnesses of their misdeeds are examined, ok, witnesses are examined. Someone committed misdeed and then witnesses are there right? Yes I was there, I saw, I took the photograph also and recording, I was right there. So when all these witnesses are examined then there should be punishment. This was the argument of this Christian gentleman who was talking with Prabhupada, arguing with Prabhupada, where are the witnesses responsible for one’s suffering reactions of past karma? Oh! Your Yamaraja punishes people, Hindu people or all the people but you know where are the witnesses are? We committed sin, may be in a cave, in a secluded place or here there wherever. So how they have to examine the witnesses, gather correct facts then only the judgement is going to be right otherwise it will go wrong. Understand the argument of this priest; if you understand the argument of the priest then you will understand the reply. Ya understood? His point was normally the judgment comes after hearing the witnesses about someone’s misdeed. So many people, so many living entities they are punished but where are the witnesses? So judgment is not going to be wrong. It is going to be wrong according to him.
Ok then Prabhupada is now, to such a person the answer by the Yamadutas is given here. Prabhupada is not giving any answer himself. The Yamadutas have given answer to the question or argument of this Christian professor, a conditioned soul thinks that he is working stealthily. Stealthily? Stealing you know stealing like a thief. Stealthily is working without anybody noticing while any action is being performed. So soul thinks, conditioned soul thinks that he is working stealthily and that no one can see his sinful activities, but we can understand from the sastras that there are many witnesses, we just find out from sastras witness is like sun, fire, like that, sky, air, moon and like that but doesn’t different witnesses. Where is the dearth of witnesses? The witnesses and the Supreme Lord both exist, and therefore so many living entities are elevated to higher planetary systems or degraded to lower planetary systems, including hellish planets. There are no discrepancies, for everything is arranged perfectly by the management of the Supreme God (svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca). See how the creation of God works. we get to know this. Ok, they continue
“etair adharmo vijnatah sthanam dandasya yujyate
sarve karmanurodhena dandam arhanti karinah” (S.B. 6.1.43)
Translation – The candidates for punishment are those who are confirmed by these many witnesses to have deviated from their prescribed regulative duties. Everyone engaged in furtive activities is suitable to be subjected to punishment according to his sinful acts. Questions were raised, who are the candidates for punishment? And Yamadutas say that everyone engaged in furtive activities is going to be punished according to the sinful acts. So the witnesses, the different ones, they say yes yes we know that this person deviated from the prescribed regulative duties. He is a brahmin and this prescribed duty and he is kshatriya, he is a brahmachari, here’s this, here’s that and each one has prescribed duty and all these personalities appointed to act as witnesses, they have been trained, they know what are the regulative principles, what is dharma and what is not dharma and all that. So through the eyes of the scriptures and keeping all these prescribed duties, knowledge in forefront of their mind, they are looking at different personalities. And as soon as they go against, they deviate from the prescribed duty, immediately who is sleeping there in middle of Bhagvatam this will be reported right? Speaker may not take notice but there is, the witnesses are around. The news is all the time the communication is and for each one of us there is one file. Yamaraja has super computer and the data is all the time updated and plus minus because person may leave anytime so report has to be ready (laughter). Not that he is dead and pending file and do review and do all calculations who knows. No as soon as the person is no more which could be anytime, so the data has to be ever ready, perfect. Prabhupada just said, Lord’s management is perfect, no delays.
“yena yavan yathadharmo dharmo veha samihitah
sa eva tat-phalam bhunkte tatha tavad amutra vai” (S.B. 6.1.45)
‘Yena yavan yathadharmo dharmo veha samihitah’ so according to the activities dharmic-religious or irreligious we perform then that persons gets the phalam-the fruit, either bitter fruit or sweeter sweet fruit, amutra vai-in the next life accordingly he gets the body. ‘Karmana daiva netrena sat asat janma yonishu’, karmana daiva netrena- the karma, they have eyes, daiva netrena, sat asat janma yonishu- yoni means specie sat means higher specie, asat means lower specie. According to one’s karma, one gets higher body or lower body. In proportion to the extent of one’s religious actions in this life, one must enjoy or suffer corresponding actions of this karma in the next. Srila Prabhupada is quoting verse from Bhagvat Gita, “urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha madhye tisthanti rajasah jaghanya guna vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah” (Bhagavad-gita 14.18). Urdhvam gacchanti- upwards go, sattva-stha- person situated in mode of goodness they go upwards. Then madhye- in the middle, tisthanti rajasah- persons in the mode of passion, they stay in the middle and adho gacchanti- adho means down gacchanti means go tamasah- people in mode of ignorance go down mode of passion stay? Where? Middle and Goodness upwards. So goodness means pious activity so they go to heaven, the tamasic sinful activity they go the hellish planets and rajasah the passionate ones, they stay in the middle, this planet, we know the planet system. So this is 14th chapter 18th verse of Bhagvat Gita. So Prabhupada has quoted that verse supporting Yamaduta’s statement. Like that they just as the spring time the omnipotent Yamaraja is as good as Brahma they say, they talk about their master Yamaraja. For while situated in his own abode or in everyone’s heart like Paramatma, he mentally observes past activities of a living entity and thus understands how living entity will act in future lives. Such is a power of Yamaraja, he could just think of his present and past activities and he could immediately visualize that he would act like this in future and then accordingly he has given the bodies. One should not consider Yamaraja an ordinary living being, he is as good as Lord Brahma, he has competent, co-operation of Supreme Lord who is situated in everyone’s heart and therefore by the grace of Supersoul, he can see the past, present and future of all living beings from within, from within himself, he could see this. The actual decisions concerning next lives of entities are made by Supersoul and they are carried out by Yamaraja. So there is a co-operation, they work as a team or Lord has a final say, Supersoul has a final say in the matter then Yamaraja does the execution of the will of the Lord. We are skipping some verses here for some time constraints are there. So,
“pancabhih kurute svarthan panca vedatha pancabhih
ekas tu sodasena trin svayam saptadaso ’snute” (S.B. 6.1.50)
The living entity enjoys or suffer. They say conditioned soul has five working senses, five objects of senses are there and five knowledge acquiring senses i.e. fifteen; five, five, five and then what is the sixteenth item is mind and seventeenth is a living entity himself. So like that, the seventeen together they have connection with the subtle body and so according to knowledge acquired and particular kind of knowledge acquired, actions perform they enjoy or suffer differently. So some enjoy shoka that’s lamentation, harsha, bhaya, artidam (S.B. 6.1.51). The subtle body is endowed with sixteen parts — the five knowledge-acquiring senses, the five working senses, the five objects of sense gratification, and the mind. This subtle body is an effect of the three modes of material nature. It is composed of insurmountably strong desires, and therefore it causes the living entity to transmigrate from one body to another in human, animal life and life as a demigod.
So, and there are few more verses, no, they are not many more but few, just then replying to the questions raised by Vishnudutas and towards the end now, last 10 verses. Vishnudutas are going to describe in more detail, giving some more details of the life, sinful life of Ajamila, this dasi-pati Ajamila. And then in conclusion they say yes, this is the reason, this is the reason we want to bring him to Yamaloka. So they want to make their case. So they have given some reading through philosophical explanations and now life history again. We are studying the life of this dasi-patir ajamilah.
“Ayam hi sruta-sampannah sila-vrtta-gunalayah” (S.B. 6.1.56)
He was…ya, so pay attention, important details are there. So do not miss anything, Yes so they say he was sruta-sampannah- means he used to hear a lot from right sources ‘Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam’ (SB 7.5.23). He was doing this, nityam Bhagvat sevaya, studying shastras, vedas, he was doing this regularly. Sila-vrtta-gunalayah- he was well behaved, he had a very bright character and he was full of so many good qualities, dhrta-vrato- following so many vows, he used to fast on ekadashi and like that. We have also taken vrat, what is our vrat? Katha vrat, katha-vrati, we have katha-vrati. Right now we are following vrat of katha, katha vrat. There is brahmachari vrat, ekadashi vrat, different vratas. Right now there is a month of ‘Purushottam mass’. You heard of that? ‘Purushottam mas’ every after 3 years, one additional month appears called Purushottam and lot of people if you go to Vrindavan now, it’s so crowded. Started 3 weeks ago, 1 more week to go. So this month is considered very very auspicious especially for hearing and chanting. People drop their routine businesses and go to the holy places, stay there for whole month, following different vows, eating; they follow lot of eating restrictions. If you don’t eat salt, you’ll have a sweet voice and this and that, if you don’t drink milk, it gives benefit like that. So people follow lot of different vows and minimize their bodily demands and increase the spiritual practices during this month. All the holy places are crowded right now in India. Go to any and every holy place, people are coming in big numbers for darshan of the deities and taking holy dip, of course that’s the favorite pastime. Let’s take a holy dip, as soon as they come they want to find where have to take bath, bathing ghat, bathing ghat, snan, there’s a snan ghat, bathing ghat.
So, different vratas. Purushottam mass follow, this is also another vrat. So he was ‘dhrta-vrato’- he used to follow lots of vows. And ‘mrdur’- he was very mild person. Now he was arrogant but one time and ‘dantah’- he was sense and mind controller and he had mind and controlled his mind and senses to great extent and ‘satya-van mantra-vic chucih’ (S.B. 6.1.56)- yes he was very clean, always speaking truthfully, speaking truth, no lies, talking about the previous, before coming in contact with the prostitute, he was like that and they have information about that. How are they saying this? How did Yamadutas came to know this? How? Supersoul? Witnesses, Yes, so many witnesses, good news also, they are informed, not that only sinful activities, someone is doing good, that is also reported, that is also on the computer screen, that also appears. And he used to be very respectful and he had service attitude. “Guru-agny-atithi-vrddh” (SB 6.1.57) four parties mentioned he used to serve, be respectful, serving Gurus, fire, guests and old people and other parties and these people respecting agni is what? Light the fire and do swaha swaha or use the fire for cooking for the Lord i.e. worshipping, serving fire and guests should be treated as God, old people are wise people hence they are useful people in Vedic culture. So they should be respected, looked after not because they have become old now, just kill them it’s useless you know; get a gun wipe them out, no…old is gold, they have so much experience and so they could just sit down, they cannot run around so much but they can…they have brain they have experience in Vedic times. So they have been practicing how they overcame different difficulties in their life, this obstacle that maya, this that so they are seasoned so they could share their knowledge. So that’s a wealth to have such access. Sometimes we say in our Krishna Consciousness movement, we don’t have grand old mothers, grand old fathers, mostly young people or just 1st generation or one and half generation only but…so we are lacking to some extent and we have Prabhupada, the whole living experienced people gone through ups and downs and thick and thin of the life. Such people they help us, advice us, guide us, inspire us.
So this Ajamila used to be very respectful. As soon as old person walks into the bus, young people should stand up and please take the seat or some Sanyasi comes, now they don’t care (Maharaj laughs) we keep standing they don’t know, they don’t even know this is Sanyasi, they see he is carrying dand, they think he is also going for fishing (laughter) they don’t know what he is carrying, fishing rod fishing rod. We say yes yes fishing. This is an ocean of material, this is ocean so we fish, fish out people of this ocean so fisherman. So they don’t even know we are Sanyasi what to speak of respecting him or offering a seat or anything of service. So that’s the state of affairs. So more of his qualities are mentioned here that he was non envious- anasuyakah and mita-vag and there’s a mita-bhuk, vag means speach mita-vag means just speaking only when it is necessary. He was not just talkative, talking talking he was mita-vag. They say because God has given us two ears and how many mouths? One mouth. So hearing should be twice compared to talk. Normally we do other way round. We talk more, hear less. We don’t want to hear, we only talk. So this person, he was mita-vag. Sarva-bhuta-suhrt – he was very friendly to all living entities and sadhur – was very gentle person. So these are…that’s why he is said, described as sruta-sampannah – he was sampanna, well educated in Vedic knowledge. So having described his good qualities during his youthful days, now comes, so then what happened, ekada (S.B. 6.1.58) once upon a time he vanam yatah he was going into the forest garden pitr-sandesa-krd dvijah and he was going there because his father had sent him to do what? Adaya tata avrttah- to go and collect some phala- friuts puspa- flowers and grass samit then kusan there are two kinds of grasses required for the puja.
So while he was out there on a mission of collecting flowers and fruits and special grass required for puja, something happened. Dadarsa (S.B. 6.1.59) he saw “kaminam kancic shudram saha bhujisyaya” he saw one shudra- person in company of a prostitute and the prostitute has been described here as a “pitva ca madhu maireyam madaghurnita-netraya” and she had taken, she had drunk so much vodka, vodka? Russia what do they drink, vodka vodka or German bear she had taken so much “pitva ca madhu maireyam” that her eyes were rolling, she was just intoxicated like anything eyes were rolling. He was seeing this; this person was seeing all this. “Mattaya vislathan-nivya vyapetam nirapatrapam” (S.B. 6.1.60) and as a result her body was not…she was not even aware which part of her body is covered with clothes which parts are naked and vyapetam nirapatrapam – she was shameless. So either under the influence of the intoxication, the drink she had drunk, she had taken so much of that or purposely she was just not covering herself properly and what else? Kridantam – she was playful and gayantam – she was singing glories of the sudra, this person, low class person, oh how beautiful how this how that hasantam – laughing, anayantike – so together all they were busy like that. Does that sound familiar? Yes, we don’t have to read in Bhagvatam. This is…just go down the street and it is all there, worse than this. Prabhupada writes, while traveling along the public way, Ajamila came upon a fourth-class, not even third-class, fourth-class man and a prostitute, who are vividly described here. The drunkenness was sometimes manifest even in bygone ages, although not very frequently. Previous ages some drunkenness would manifest. In this Age of Kali, however, such sin is to be seen everywhere, for people all over the world have become shameless.
Long ago, when he saw the scene of the drunken sudra and the prostitute, Ajamila who was a perfect brahmacari, was affected. Nowadays such sin is visible in so many places, and we must consider the position of a brahmacari student who sees such behavior, Prabhupada is concerned. For such a brahmacari to remain steady is very difficult unless he is extremely strong in following the regulative principles. Nevertheless, if one takes to Krishna consciousness very seriously, he can withstand the provocation created by sin. In our Krishna consciousness movement we prohibit illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. In Kali-yuga, a drunk, half-naked woman embracing a drunken man is a very common sight, especially in the Western countries, and restraining oneself after seeing such things is very difficult. Nevertheless, if by the grace of Krishna one adheres to the regulative principles and chants the Hare Krishna mantra, Krishna will certainly protect him. So, difficult but not impossible, Prabhupada is trying to…like that, things are difficult.
“drstva tam kama-liptena bahuna parirambhitam
jagama hrc-chaya-vasam sahasaiva vimohitah” (S.B. 6.1.61)
So drstva tam kama – so first he was described what a nice person he was full of so many qualities. The next thing is seen. He had to see this sudra and prostitute embracing that scene. Drstva – by seeing this kama-liptena – full of kama, full of lust and parirambhitam i.e. hand, arms, they were embracing each other jagama hrc-chaya-vasam – he followed that, his thoughts went, he contemplated and he was taken over by this scene, the desire aroused within him and he became bewildered. Thus see what more he is doing.
“stambhayann atmanatmanam yavat sattvam yatha-srutam
na sasaka samadhatummano madana-vepitam” (S.B. 6.1.62)
So he was trying to use his intelligence. What he was seeing, he was trying to stay transcendental. Atmanatmanam, atmana means using his intelligence, he was trying to ‘uddhared atmanatmanam natmanam avasadayet’ (B.G 6.5) in 6th chapter of Bhagvat Gita Krishna advices that one should lift himself, not physically but use of intelligence ‘atmanatmanam natmanam avasadayet’ – make sure you we don’t fall down. ‘Atmaiva hy atmano bandhur atmaiva ripur atmanah’ – the mind is one’s best friend or the mind could be best enemy, this is 6th chapter Bhagvat Gita. So with the mind one should try to, with the intelligence try to keep oneself on higher level and make sure mind is not degrading oneself ourself, this is Krishna’s advice. So mind could be enemy, mind could be friend. So under the circumstances he is trying he struggled used all his spiritual strength. Yatha-srutam – because he was trained he was told he had been hearing katha and all that. So all the techniques, all the knowledge under the circumstances what to do he was trying to apply that to this particular situation. Na sasaka samadhatum – however he did not become successful, he fall prey to the strong maya situation and mano madana-vepitam – his mind started more hesitation, fluctuation and it became stronger than the intelligence. Intelligence stopped functioning, mind took over madana i.e. lust, madana-vepitam, madanamohan. This kama the arrows pierced and he couldn’t take them out and then,
“tan-nimitta-smara-vyaja- graha-grasto vicetanah
tam eva manasa dhyayan sva-dharmad virarama ha” (S.B. 6.1.63)
So in the same way that the sun and moon are eclipsed by a low planet, the brahmana lost all his good sense. Taking advantage of this situation, he always thought of the prostitute, and within a short time he took her as a servant in his house. Haribol, done deal, deal closed. Means lot more happened, he contemplated, he bewildered and then he took all the necessary steps, all the actions and he took her into his house, abandoned all the regulative principles of a brahmana and as prostitute entered his home, that was end of all the brahmanical practices at home. By speaking this verse, Sukadeva Gosvami wants to impress upon the mind of the reader that Ajamila’s exalted position as a brahmana was vanquished by his association with the prostitute, so much so that he forgot all his brahmanical activities. At the end of his life, by chanting the four syllables of the name Narayana, he was saved from the gravest danger of falling down. ‘Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat’ (B.G 2.40) so only because he had performed those activities, pious and some spiritual activities before coming in contact with prostitute. So that, some progress that he had made, he was saved. He was able to chant and Lord saved him. So he has chanted, he has chanted Narayan few times, finished. I am going to do the same thing, now I know; like that people give some ideas. In India, people say, ohh…so practice low then forget it all and then say Narayan Narayan, when Yamadutas come, Narayan Narayan. Go back to Godhead. It may not work like that (laugh) that is cheating. That’s not the lesson this Bhagvatam is teaching us. Ok, few more verses. Thus Ajamila began spending whatever money he had inherited from his father to satisfy the prostitute with various material presentations so that she would remain pleased with him. He gave up all his brahmanical activities to satisfy the prostitute. Pitryenarthena (S.B. 6.1.64) – his father’s property, father’s money and he spend that on his prostitute.
“vipram sva-bharyam apraudham kule mahati lambhitam
visasarjacirat papah svairinyapanga-viddha-dhih” (S.B. 6.1.65)
Now, so ya, he married. He was already married to a brahmana’s daughter. So he threw her out, Brahmana’s daughter he threw her out and replaced her with the prostitute. This is what Yamadutas are saying this, that’s why we want to punish him. He even gave up the company of his very beautiful young wife, who came from a very respectable brahmana family. Although born of a brahmana family, this rascal…this rascal, bereft of intelligence because of the prostitute’s association, earned money somehow or other, regardless of whether properly or improperly, and used it to maintain the prostitute’s sons and daughters. ‘Nyayato ’nyayato dhanam’ (S.B. 6.1.66) legal illegal means he earned money and spend it on. So they say this brahmana irresponsibly spent his long lifetime transgressing all the rules and regulations of the Holy Scripture, living extravagantly and eating food prepared by a prostitute. Therefore he is full of sins. He is unclean and is addicted to forbidden activities. (S.B. 6.1.67). Purport – Food prepared by an unclean, sinful man or woman, especially a prostitute, is extremely infectious. Ajamila ate such food, and therefore he was subject to be punished by Yamaraja. And here is the final statement and conclusion of proposal by Yamadutas.
“tata enam danda-paneh sakasam krta-kilbisam
nesyamo ’krta-nirvesam yatra dandena suddhyati” (S.B. 6.1.68)
We want to purify him, but how? Yama-danda, the stick of Yamaraja. When he gets all the beating, then he’ll come to the senses. Want to straighten him out, that’s the only way he could be cured and rectified. This man Ajamila did not undergo atonement. Therefore because of his sinful life, we must take him into the presence of Yamaraja for punishment. There, according to the extent of his sinful acts, he will be punished and thus purified. So they are sticking to their proposal, they are convinced. This is what to be done with this Ajamila. The Visnudutas had forbidden the Yamadutas to take Ajamila to Yamaraja, and therefore the Yamadutas explained that taking such a man to Yamaraja was appropriate. Since Ajamila had not undergone atonement for his sinful acts, he was to be taken to Yamaraja to be purified. When a man commits murder he becomes sinful, and therefore he also must be killed; otherwise after death he must suffer many sinful reactions. Similarly, punishment by Yamaraja is a process of purification for the most abominable sinful persons. Therefore the Yamadutas requested the Visnudutas not to obstruct their taking Ajamila to Yamaraja.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Sixth Canto, First Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The History of the Life of Ajamila.”
So take a break for one hour and then…so you could digest this much. Contemplate on the life of Ajamila and then when you come back we will now listen to Vishnudutas. Vishnudutas are going to give befitting reply. Just see how they could sort this out.

Venue: Vrindavan
Hare Krishna! Welcome all the devotees this morning, Welcome to Vrindavan Dham ki jay! So as I was given choice, I could continue, choice was I continue with the regular verse or I could choose another one. So I chosen not just one but eight, they are not on the board, so I will reveal unto you.
So this is very special, very very special month, right? According to Srila Prabhupada and Bhaktirasamrtasindhu, Damodar month is best of all the months. Forty years ago, it was 1972, this is 2012, so 40 years ago Srila Prabhupada considered this is to be very important special month. Srila Prabhupada stopped all his other engagements, all his travels and he rushed to Vrindavan. “My plan is to come to Vrindavan for Kartik” he wrote,” and I want to stay in Radha Damodar temple until nearly the end of November. I will lecture daily in courtyard”, not this courtyard, this did not exist. Well the land was here. Radha Damodar courtyard. “I will lecture daily in the courtyard especially for the benefit of the devotees. So you can make the arrangements”. And that year Kartik began in October 15th and Srila Prabhupada was there on time, before time. So this year is also then the 40th anniversary ISKCON’s Damodar festival in Vrindavan. Haribol!!(claps). The managers may not have taken note of this, but because as I also happened to be there did little counting, 40 years ago.
So regarding Damodar masa mahatmya, Srila Prabhupada writes in Nectar of Devotion “one of the most important ceremony function is called Urjavrta. Urjavrta is there, urjavrta is observed in month of Kartik specially in Vrndavan. There is a specific program for temple worship of the Lord in His Damodar form. Damodar referes to Krishna’s being bound with rope by His mother Yasoda. It is said that just as Lord Damodar is very dear to His devotees. So the month known as Damodar or Kartik is also dear to them. Even person is lacking seriousness who execute devotional service according to the regulative principles during the month of Kartik and within the jurisdiction of Madhura in India are very easily awarded Lord’s personal service.” So what is Srila Prabhupada writing for Damodar, greatness of month of Damodar and the month Damodar both are very dear to the devotees of the Lord. During this month as the beginning of the month, one devotee asked Srila Prabhupada the question about this. This is, okay, “can you describe” asked Prabhupada, “Can you describe what is that, what that is, that Urjavrata and how it is observed?” and Prabhupada replied, “urjavrata, you can chant Hare Krishna 24 hours a day for a month (Haribol!laughter). That also was the response of the devotees, assembled devotees also laughed and then Prabhupada said,” Yes! Just chant Hare Krishna 24 hours a day just for a one month.” The devotees laughed. Gurudas, one of the devotee present during that Kartik festival, some 40, 50 devotees and that number was considered very big number. When someone contacted us and asked how many devotees? So many devotees, so many devotees, how many? How many? 40 devotees. That was big number (laughter). So Gurudas was amongst them, amongst many others. So Gurudas, when Prabhupada said just chant Hare Krishna 24 hours a day. So we started immediately, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare… then Prabhupada let go that chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, then Prabhupada said, “don’t sleep, don’t eat (laughter) this is urjavrata, can you execute it?” Pabhupada asked. And devotees, one particular devotee replied,” Oh! I don’t know!” Could you do this?” Prabhupada said. “I don’t know!” and this provoked more laughter.
According to Gautamiya tantra, some tantras and mantras, Kartik is particularly meant for mantra siddhi, perfection in chanting Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, mantra siddhi, Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, siddhi means chanting and chanting, some perfection, as perfection in yoga. Siddhi, perfection of chanting is attained in this month or this month is favorable for attainment of that mantra siddhi. So that year 72 Kartik, Srila Prabhupada stayed at Radha Damodar and we, we stayed at Keshi ghat. Which King’s palace is there? Kaunse Raja ka? Bharatpur. Yeah! So Bharatpur King’s palace, so we were staying in the palace. Early morning we took bath in the Jamuna along with the tortoise, kacchap, big, big tortoise were there those days (laughs).
so Prabhupada did it as was the plan. He was going to give the classes for the benefit of devotees, not a public program, no public function. He wanted to give lectures, so he did famous Nectar of Devotion lecture series, you know? Many Iskcon devotees know about this, nectar of devotion lecture series. So early morning, Bhagavatam lesson, Bhagavatam in the morning and nectar of devotion in the evening and Srila Prabhupada used to do send us to this property. Every morning, in the morning we start our kirtan at Radha Damodar and going through Loi Bazar and zig zagging and then coming by Radha Madanmohan temple and through Bhaktivedanta Goshala, did not exist that time and the more zigzagging and coming here, some basic digging for foundation, construction had started. Not this tree but the previous one, is this second or third tree? It is third one, ok! This is third avatar of that tree. The first one was here, not very tall, when we offered our obeisance’s into the dust of our lands property its Raman Reti also and as we stood. Ok second, president is correcting me. He knows the history, so, as we stood next to the tree, tree was well was same height as ours 3/4/5 feet tall. So Srila Prabhupada purposely had ‘preserved the tree’ secret tree Tamal tree and the design was made so that the tree stays in a courtyard.
So that was our program early morning coming here, chanting and then going back and attending Prabhupada’s lectures, morning evening and lots of association during the day going into his, well what we could say, quarters very little, small room, very small room, a man was shocked when we were arrived from Bombay, Aditya mataji was there and Panchadravid, who was Dravid Brahmacari and then he become Panchadravid. He was initiated; I also receive my initiation there on the day, very first day of the Kartik, day before kartik, Sharad purnima. That morning took devotees to the Seva kunj, morning walk on Sevakunj that morning and Prabhupada talking of pastime of Lord there, about night pastimes, rasa dance, brief introduction, that was the theme of that morning walk and so that was one month’s very intense program being in Vrindavan and being with Srila Prabhupada, being at Radha Damodar and Damodar Vrata and Damodar month and chanting Hare Krishna and maybe we were trying to get some perfection to our mantra siddhi during that time. Srila Prabhupada ki jay!
So I just thought talk of Bhagavat, talk about Bhagavat, Srila Prabhupada as Bhagavat, mahabhagavat. So Bhagavat lecture right? This is Bhagavatam lecture. Sure when next time Srila Vyasadev would add few chapters to Bhagavatam, some appendix, Srla Prabhupadawould be there on the chapters, Prabhupada’s chapter, Prabhupada, Jay Krishna Balaram ki jay!
So we are having little setting of the scene. We want to do little meditation somehow meditation of Damodarastak which we have been singing every day and we will continue to the end of the month. So just we will go deep into the mantra get little deeper in understanding the emotions and then devotion, from emotion comes devotionwe were hearing from yesterday Devakinandan Prabhu he said emotion then devotion no commotion (laughs). So this Damodarastak is from Padma purana and Satyavrata Muni, he gets the credit or he is the one who compiled this and this appears as dialogue between Narada muni and Shaunak rishi and this Damodarastak is then included in Hari Bhakti Vilas of Sanatan Goswami and Srila Sanatan Goswami even gives commentary on this Damodarastak and explains how this month of Damodar, Damodar vrata is to be observed and one text or two meditation on Damodar with Damodarastak as the prayer, ok.
So we are familiar with the astak, Damodar, this pastime Damodar, Damodar, dam is the rope and the udar is the belly of the Lord and during this month, on the day of Diwali, in the morning in Gokul this pastime takes place in this month during this pastime. Although He always ate butter and He stole butter but one day He was caught red handed not red handed,white handed (laughter) and then He was tied not just Him but the mortar also considering that this mortar must also be punished, this mortar helped Krishna to steal. So both were tied, ukhalbandhan lila. So that is how the beginning first astak reminding us that Lila the pastime
“namamisvaram sac-cid-ananda-rupam lasat-kun?d?alam gokule bhrajamanam”
Namamisvaram, immediately as soon as we begin this astak first thing one does is namami, bow down or I bow down to namami unto whom? Namami isvaram the Supreme Personality of God head and that is described as sac-cid-ananda rupam, of course the pastime is not possible without rupam. Brahmajyoti, brahman cannot perform any pastimes. Brahman is just to be, no movement, no activity nothing, so no pastimes, no association nothing. But here sac-cid-anand rupam. I offered my obeisance’s unto Isvaram, who is sac-cid-anand rupam.
‘lasat-kunadalam gokule bhrajamanam”
And that rupam that form was just one item is mentioned is wearing kundalam, earrings are bhrajamanam and they are effulgent shining they are also dancing, they also dancing, as Krishna is moving trying to get away from mother Yashoda that is coming next that is running away and as He runs away the kundal earrings are also moving to and fro they are dancing each of the ornaments of the Lord they play different roles and they relate with the Lord they are also like personalities and they have different reciprocation with the form of the Lord.
So these kundalas, they are effulgent, they are dancing and why they are effulgent, effulgence of the face of the Lord is reflected on the earrings, not that there some effulgence is there in those kundalas those earrings, but they are reflecting more effulgence, where that is coming from? From the form of the Lord which is effulgent, His face is effulgent and that reflects on His earrings and that more glowing and dazzling earrings as one looks of them.
“yasoda-bhiyolukhalad dhavamanam”
Yasoda was there with the stick in her hand where is He I will find Him, He has broken the pot next door while Yasoda was taking care of the boiling milk, spilling milk so many emotions are explained that the milk was thinking oh! Today Krishna may not drink me because He is drinking His mother’s Yasoda’s breast milk so today He is not going to drink me. Oh! What good is my life? I better commit suicide. How could I do that? The fire just around, so milk is boiling and throwing himself or itself into the fire. “I commit suicide. I gave up my life that is the mood of the milk. The milk also has the mood. So while Yasoda rushed to take care of that milk. Krishna gets very angry. That morning she did not come to wake Him up, as soon as she got up she started churning the butter (laughs) and finally He had came found, finding Yasoda very busy then still she does not say word or doesn’t talk of feeding Him think of feeding Him. He had to hold that churning rod and everything stopped and then He jumps in the direction of the breasts giving clear indication “I want milk, I’m hungry” then Yasoda sits down just now started feeding but then she had to rush into the kitchen then He was angry and want to do something so what could He do so He broke that churning pot where the churning was going and then He ran away from the scene expecting Yasoda to return and bit Him up or do something so He goes next door.
Pastime is so, so attractive they don’t just let you go they grab you, “talk about me, talk about me, me too, me too, talk about that pastime too, where are you going? Grab you by neck, force you to think, to think of that pastime. So Krishna He was stealing butter standing on the mortar expecting Yasoda to turn up any moment so He was looking this way and looking that way He was stealing and distributing also, He had whole charity show going on lots of monkeys had lined up me too me too me too me too me too and this me too…..ok you too. So He was distributing and there comes mother, Yasoda-bhiyolukha as He is scared of Yasoda, Supreme Personality of Godhead namami isvaram, that Isvara is scared. Very difficult to understand, Very difficult to understand even that who was it? Kunti Maharani also had difficulty understanding that Lord, oh! While she is offering her prayers she is remembering this pastime of Krishna stealing and He is tied to the mortar and but Krishna was going through, she was finding it very hard.
So seeing Yasoda Lord dhavamanam He is trying to run away escape,
“paramr?s?t?am atyantato drutya gopya” and Yasoda is trying to run swiftly quickly although she is well built with her hips, breasts and elderly lady and Krishna is just little boy, easy. Children never walk they only run like a air they fly. But Yasoda still making endeavor and running swiftly behind to catch hold up that naughty boy she has stick hold in her hand.
“rudantam muhur netra-yugmam mrnjantam karambhoja-yugmena satanka-netram”
So as a result this is the outcome, what is happening rudantam Krishna is crying swabbing Netrayugmam- two eyes are being rubbed, mrjantam, karambhoja-yugmena, His is using His two lotus hands, to rub His two lotus eyes, that’s the idea. Rudantam muhur, again and again and again and again, rubbing netram, two netras two eyes they are being rubbed with the two lotus hands and satanka-netram His netra are full of scare He is afraid, one could read His mind by looking into his eyes, look He is scared, satanka-netram
“muhuh svasa-kampa-trirekhanka-kantha” (Laughs) I did this I did this also myself when my mother was running after me and kind of get me and sure next program was bit me (laughter) did you go through this sometimes? How many of you? Even in Russia! (Laughter) So this is perfection. In fact of this vatsalya, vatsalyarasa, this pastime is perfection. He had really become human like, the human like, child like, more drama, real thing, not a natak, real life story, life experience of the Lord and He wants to experience that, otherwise in Vaikuntha, there is so much of that jay jagadish hare….. and prayers this and that He is fed up. Stop! Stop!! I want to, for a change I want to have some other experience, so my parents and they are superior and they, and the boy also has to be naughty boy. Children are lots of time are very naughty. He is the naughtiest, He is the supreme child, so he has to be a naughtiest “matah parataram naanyat” so when I become child I want to be really child that no one could match my childness, childishness.
So “muhuh svasa-kampa” He is breathing, very heavily breathing. As a result there is a tremble in the body and how is the tremble noticed? Around his neck there is sthita-graiva graiva means diamonds and ornaments and that is also shaking. Because His body is shaking the ornaments around neck is also shaking. “Damodaram bhaktibadham” so Damodar Has been bound up. So the pastime has been wound up very quickly just in two verses while Srimad bhagavatam there is a whole chapter and bhakti-baddham. He could be bound only with bhakti and not otherwise, not possible. Later on it comes up this kubera-atmaja. So bound by Yasoda later on when these two trees were uprooted and this Manigreeva and Nalakoowar appeared and they offered the prayers also and before they were to go away take off they are, they were appealing to the Lord may I help you? May we help you? Could we untie you?” Krishna says, thank you very much! But it’s not possible for you to untie these knots. These knots were bound by a devotee and not just any tom dick and harry kind of devotee but my mother bhakti-baddham I have bound by Bhakti, so only another bhakta of that caliber could untie these knots, not just anybody could come with the seizer and no!, So, so that offer was made for untying but it was not the job of these two brothers
“itidrak sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam”
“Iti” means referring to these two verses mentioned described earlier. Itidrk like this, sva-ghosam sva-lila His own lila. Ananda-kunde He was feeling up the kundas the lakes with what? Not with water, performing this pastime, Lord was feeling up the lakes of Vrndavan with ananda-kund what kind of kund? Ananda-kund, filled with the bliss feel with anand, sva-ghosam sva-ghosa and the residence of Vrndavan what they would do? nimajjantam, they would throw themselves into those ananda-kund swim, swimming in ananda-kundas drowing in ananda-kundas. Lord performs His pastime fills ananda-kundas whole braja is filled .with anandambudhi-wardhanam
“tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam”
And this is a reminder, those who are trying to understand the supremacy or His aisvarya and God is great kind of that understanding of God yesita-jenusu to them Lord is reminding, never know, in fact I could be conquered, not only understand but I could be conquered by bhaktas and their bhakti bhaktair jitatvam. I could be conquered by my devotee’s not just information gathering about me, my greatness especially here in Vrndavan. There is Madhuryadham, madhurya, aisvarya- vaikuntha, madhurya-Vrndavan and audarya of Mayapur. Lord became so magnanimous that He shared his madhurya His sweetness, the sweetest pastimes the sweetest personality was shared by same person Shri Krishna Caitanya. Krishna becomes Sri Krishna Caitanya and in Mayapur other division of Goloka, of course other side of Goloka and He does the program of the distribution, audarya dham. So I could be conquered by my bhakta bhaktair jitatvam.
“punah prematas tam satavrtti vande” he had offered his obeisance’s in the beginning. Now he says I like to offer my obeisance’s satavrtti hundreds and hundreds of time again and again Oh! Damodar accept my obeisance’s premataha with a loving my loving obeisance’s.
“varam deva moksam na moksavadhim va na canyaa vaee haa varenad apeha” na moksavadhim va,
And then he is addressing the Lord, varam dev oh! Deva, oh! Lord, moksam na moksavadhim va I am not interested in moksa, na canyam vrne ham not other kind of deal and you are varesa var isa you are the best amongst the benedictors. You are Varadraj. In south India there is deity called Varadraj, var means benediction blessings benediction, varad-one who gives the benedictions and Varadraj the King of those benedictors.
So you are Varesa, Varesa you could give anything and everything to me but I am not specially this moksa business don’t give it to me no no no no no no moksatva me and na canyam and other benedictions na dhanam na janam kind of mood is there, kavitam wa jagadish kamaye
“idam te vapur natha gopala-balam sada me manasy avirastam kim anyaih”
Ok! I don’t want this; I don’t want that, take something! Ok! One thing, one thing you could give me vapur nath gopal-balam, oh! gopalbal, gopal bal, bal gopal, Sri Krishna, sada me manasy avirastam, please reside in my mind, in my heart. The pastime of you as bal gopal of this or this Radha Damodar pastime I did meditation upon that darshan of that, this is what, you please come and sit in my heart, sit on and appear on the smritipatal. There is a screen, the screen, so you appear so that I don’t have to watch television, I will be just busy and happy to have your Darshan all the time your pastime revealed unto me and kim anyaih? Any other thing? No I am not interested. Nothing! I just, just this, this is my only interest.
“idam te mukham bhojam atyanta-nilair vrtam kuntalaih snigdha-raktais ca gopya”
Again going back to that pastime and the Lord Balgopal, “idam te mukhambojam atyanta-nilair,Your mukhambhoj” your lotus face is, lotus like face atyant-nilair very deep bluish but then I see, kuntalaih snigdha your face is covered with the curly, kuntalaih, curly, snigdha, glossy hair, not dry but glossy hair, very fine hair, that is making a frame around your face then at the back they are also hanging either side, but I also saw raktais ca gopya. What are those reddish spots on your face? Your full bluish, your bluish face, but there are some, some red, the cheeks are red what are they due to? “muhus cumbitam” that mother Yasoda she does chumban she kisses you again and again as if she likes to eat you up such a sweet boy! Mother think why is he out he should be part of me, trying to kiss him expressing all the affection. This is a perfection of the affection and the kissing is siddhi, snehasiddhi so Yasoda is expressing her affection and is ends up kissing and that kissing were making, Lord’s face so fine tender, little touch and immediately there is a reddish “muhus cumbitam bimba-raktadharam me” like a reddish like what? Bimb there is bimb fruit very reddish, especially when it is ripe, the bimb fruit is ripe is very reddish deep red like a blood red and that is your face is like that Aha! He says manisha that form that form I like to meditate upon that form I like to posses. That form I like to have property that is my property alam laksa-labhaih, the millions of other benedictions oh! I am not interested this is enough this much is enough.
“namo deva damodarananta visno prasida prabho duh?kha-jalabdhi-magnam”
And then Lord has been addressed by many sambodhan, addresses are here. First of all, my obeisance’s is Deva is one, Damodar is another one, Anant is third one, Visnu, Visnu is forth one and also we grahanesh, Isha five different ways Lord has been addressed. Prabhu also was that’s another one, sixth one. Deva, Damodar, Anant, Visnu, Prabhu, Isha six addresses to get attention of, of the Lord He has been approached this way and that way and getting His attention to Look! Look ! look at me oh! Lord dukha-jalabdhi-.magnam I am drowned, I am lost dukha-jalabdhi-.magnam, magna, dukhajala ocean of sufferings, so many complications, I am really caught in the net of this mundane existence dukha-jalabdhi-.magnam. Then that is why, Lord krpadrsti I need your krpadrsti krpa drsti drsti with krpa your merciful glance what kind of glance your merciful glance upon this mamagya me the fool ignorant fellow as I am please have some mercy upon me, krpa-dr?st?i-vrst?yati-dinam batanu, aksadrsya my eyes want darshan I want to see you I want to see you I want to love you, someone sang that song? George Harrison,’ Oh! Sweet Lord! Something like that I want to see you, so aksadrsya what good are these eyes if I not seen you then what have I seen! I have seen nothing! I want to see you my Lord and then continues…
“kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvattvaya mocitau bhakti-bhajau krtau ca”
And the end of that day that Diwali day pastime of this Damodar pastime what happened kuveratmajau baddha-murtyaiva yadvat. Those two sons of the Kubera who were bound up in the body of a tree, but what did you do? Tvaya mocitau , you liberated them, you got them out of these tree bodies and not only that bhakti-bhajau and you drowned them in the bhakti, you deeped them in the bhakti kunda gave them abhishek, sarvatmasnapanam kind of sarvatmasnapanam you gave your bhaki to them, bhakti-bhajau krtau ca, tatha, oh! now I know you like that, me too, me too the way you liberated those two brothers sons of Kubera and endowed them with devotion, bhakti unto you, tatha like that prema-bhaktim svakam me prayaccha to me also give me that prema-bhakti, na mokse graho me ‘sti damodareha and again reminding that mukti business this moksa business, please don’t give that to me and I want only bhakti oh! Lord and finally
“namas te ‘stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne”
Take note of this, there are two words, one is damne and the other word is dhamne damne, dhamne. Two different distinctions and of course meaning is entirely different. Namaste I offered my obeisance’s unto the damne, unto the rope, my obeisances unto that rope tied around your body. Namas te ‘stu damne sphurad-dipti-dhamne and so many effulgence coming from that rope, that effulgent rope I offer my obeisance’s unto, is one thing and then tvadiyodarayath, tvdiya your udar I offer my obeisance’s unto your belly and what kind of belly visvasya dhamne now this is dham, that was dam and this is dham, dam is rope and dham is abode. So visvasya dhamne your belly is abode of the universe whole universe is within you. When mother Yasoda asked ok! Open your mouth and Krishna opened aaa! And Yasoda looked inside what was inside? Whole universe whole Brahmanda was within, that pastime took place at Brahmand ghat that is why the name Brahmand ghat. So whole universe was within, all planets within Krishna, whole earthly planets within Krishna, Delhi-Agra within Krishna, and then Jamuna flowing within Krishna also, Yasoda and Krishna standing she is looking inside. Ye! another Yasoda inside you, she looked inside Krishna, she is scared, open your mouth kind of. So visvasya dhamne, you are abode of whole universe, Jaganniwas, You are Jaganniwas niwas, you are residence of the whole Jagat. That is why, that is why it was not possible to tie His belly with the 1 meter long rope, if the whole universe is within Him. What should be the length of the rope to go around the universe? You need that long of rope, not belly is that around circumference of the belly circle ok how much is this? Ok, 9 inch or 1 foot that was the calculation. But the fact is, your udar is tvadiyodarayatha visvasya dhamne that is why took all day, still she did not give up trying very hard and so two inches short.
“namo radhikayai tvadiya-priyayai namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam”
So I offer my obeisance’s unto Radhikayai. What kind of Radhika, tvadiya-priyayai, she is very dear to you. So I have to offer obeisance’s to somebody who is very dear to you, not only to you. You won’t be happy. I offer my obeisance’s unto you. Radhika is very dear to you, so this month, month of Karthik, Damodar urjavrta is urja, shakti, alhadini shakti. This is also month of worshipping Radha, Radha Krishna. How we do it? Chant Hare Krishna 24 hours a day and there is a worship seminars how to worship Radha. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” could there be better worship more than worshipping Radha Krishna than chanting Hare Krishna this is the best program if someone wants to know how to observe this urjavrata, how to worship Radharani in this month? How to get her benedictions? How to please her? Chant Hare Krishna that’s very basic foundatinal and this is Hare Krishna movement program program given by Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
“namo ‘nanta-lilaya devaya tubhyam”
And again started with namami, obeisances and ending with obeisances, ananta-lilaya devaya tubhyam. Obeisance’s unto Lord with anant lilas. Unlimited pastimes, amongst those pastimes this damodar pastime stands out very tall, self effulgent, self effulgent pastime or dominating pastime, dominating childhood pastime, so considered most pleasant. Ok, so, that is some kind of runing through quickly of this Damodarastak, mindsets or minds are set properly, in proper mood and we sing also, we should know what we are singing about not just parrot like singing, understanding something has to happen as we sing and then something has to happens as we sing and then what happens that sticks to our consciousness, everything has to become Krishna conscious.
ok any discussion points or questions? So, lots of things are happening during this month. Lots of festivals also I was thinking besides this Damodar pastime and this month has Damodar name, month kind begins with. Yes? There is comment, but no question, no questions. There is one comment yes.
Mantra meditation is while we are chanting, worship is going through our heart, mantra meditation, mantra should get into the mood of meditation. When we say Hare, immediately there is bhava-bandhanat mocay, this is the thought. Oh! hare please make me free from that bhava-bandhan as we go on sevayogyam kuru, please make me fit for devotional service. When we chant please you also reciprocate with me you reciprocating with Radha so you are radha, you are Radha Raman, you are this raman, that raman that you also do raman with me. Please include me in your pastimes. Please do not ignore me, let me part. So like that when we say, Hare, there is one meditation and when we say Krishna there is another meditation again Hare another meditation again Krishna another meditation Krishna Krishna Hare Hare each one of these meditation ideas thoughts.
So there is meditation and this is what we have to get into, mantra meditation Hare Krishna Hare Krishna not just words but this is a whole object of meditation. And anything else? (one mataji asks question) During mangal arati what happens? You are late by few minutes, why not come on time. Few minutes earlier, you don’t get light, sun is not rising, then also you can meditate, meditating on vande guru sricaranarvindam, dhyayastu vanstasya yasastrisandya 3 times a day you meditate upon pray unto him, seek blessings of your spiritual masters. So I see you could chant at home, yah! Ok, 24 hours you have to stay busy.
Yes! yes! What does it represent two fingers, two short? One is the endeavor of the devotee and then that one figure is covered and then Lord sees you are endeavoring and with devotion you are endeavoring then Lord takes the other step from His side and then other figure is covered and then it’s no more short and Lord is bound. So and that is applicable to whatever we do if we do and we don’t make endeavor then nothing happens.
So our endeavor and endeavor with proper mood, devotion, understanding this that and consistency also utasahat, niscayat all those factors from our side and then Lord takes action. He reciprocates with the devotee. And then there is no gap between He and us, we are with Him and He is with us. Nitai Gaur premanande hari hari bol!!

Venue: Germany,
Bhagvat saptha (Ajamil Katha series – Third session)
So by regularly reciting this Bhagvatam and all that is inauspicious will be destroyed to nil and devotional service unto Supreme Personality of Godhead would be established as irreversible fact. “Bhagavaty uttama-shloke bhaktir bhavati” (SB 1.2.18) this is the benefit.
By reciting Bhagvatam regularly, once a year also could be regularly. People say I am very regular, you know, going to the temple very regular every Janmashtami (laughter) very regular. So regular can be once in a year, once in each lifetime also. So Prabhupada translated that into action as every day. Hence he gave us his daily schedule that includes Bhagvatam, recitation of Bhagvatam; that’s his understanding. Atleast that much and then more on personal basis varies, private studies. If one does this then the outcome is ‘bhaktir bhavati’, ‘bhava’ means becomes, bhakti becomes yours, you attain bhakti. And thus bhakti unto who? “Bhagavaty uttama-shloke” – two adjectives have been used, of course to describe the Lord. He is described as ‘uttama-shloke’, ‘uttam’ is the best or uttam meaning transcendental, ‘tam’, you know ‘tam’? Satva rajas tam, ‘ut’ means above, above the ignorance, transcendental to ignorance, that’s the best, right? So uttam-shloke so you choose the best poetry, transcendental poetry to glorify that personality.
So it is known as ‘uttama-shloke’ and He is ‘bhagavaty’ meaning unto Bhagwan, unto the Supreme personality of Godhead that is bhagavaty. So, your bhakti develops in bhagavaty, Bhagwan, and what sort of bhakti ‘naishthiki’ – nistha, then no more changing, no more U-turns though reverses. In other words, one comes from the stage of shradha to the stage or platform of nishtha by studying Bhagvatam. So with the knowledge of the scriptures, which is essential, Rupa Goswami describes bhakti of various kinds and he describes initial bhakti is komal bhakti, ‘komal’- very tender. So with that kind of tender bhakti faith, some sort of faith, we come but we can’t survive like that. We want some steadiness in our life, no ups and downs or if some other school of thought or anti-Krishna Consciousness person talks to you and you are just in komal bhakti he will just crush your bhakti, trample it, walk it all over and you are finished and you are converted and become mouse again.
If we do not wish to be mouse again you will be able to defend what you are doing, you are convinced, this is, I know what I am doing, people say that. When we should know what we are doing is right thing. Of course so many foolish, everyone says so I know what I am doing but doing the right things which Krishna expects us to do, pure devotee, learned devotees expect us to do, we do that thing, that is right thing. So, the ‘nishtha’ is the matured stage of faith. When shradha matures, matures, matures, matures and then shradha becomes nishtha. So what do you do in mean time is study of Bhagvatam, study of Bhagvad Gita. Because what you do with shradha, you come to sadhu, ado shradhha sadhu sang, and what do sadhus do? Bhajan kriya they engage you in bhajan kriya and the very basic bhajan kriya is this “nityam bhagavata-sevaya shravanam kirtanam” this is bhajan kriya then one becomes free from all the undesirable unwanted stuff and that is called ‘anarthas’, one becomes free from anarthas then in business fixed up, steady, convinced and ready to move only forward.
So it is essential for us to become steady on our path, study of shastras, topmost shatra is of course Bhagvatam. You only could add one more shastra, that is Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, we can’t say above Bhagvatam, it is in same category. Of course Prabhupada does say graduation course and post graduation course. So it is essential that we study shastras so that we don’t remain just sentimental devotee philosophy and religion. Religious we become as soon as we come to Hare Krishna temple, they could make you religious on the very first day, they will shave you up, put tilak, give you new clothes and bead bag and you are religious. You have some sentiments, some attraction but not enough. So philosophy is required. The books are the basic foundation. So, yet this is another opportunity for us to study scripture in few days like a intense marathon catch-up with something that we did not do regularly for different reasons.
So, we’ll continue this 6th canto, chapter one, text no. 20 through text no. 39. Twenty verses we have selected and this is the history, story, now begins the story; very scary. This will bring us to the point of messengers of Yamadutas coming on the scene followed by messengers of Vishnudutas and Vishnudutas stopping those Yamadutas, stop…….. and they ask why? So up to there. ‘Atra’ means in this connection, what we have been studying this morning is introduction; oh! prayaschit is not the best ok, not karma kanda, not jyana kanda ok what about other regulative principles? Then bhakti of Bhagwan and also the service to Vaishnavas. So that topic preface to saying ‘atra’.
“atra codaharantimam itihasam puratanam
dutanam vishnu-yamayoh samvadas tam nibodha me” (SB 6.1.20)
This is Sukadeva Gosvami speaking to King Parikshit and of course he is not the only one there but this katha is for King Parikshit and others are being benefited. Not only those who are attending that katha are being benefited who else is being benefited by that katha? And what about you? Ya, we are being benefited right here. That Katha was recited there and then recorded in the form of Bhagvatam or it was already there in the form of Bhagvatam and then based on that Katha was presented by Sukadeva Gosvami and for all the generation after generation benefited and this is just the beginning overseas outside India.
So Sukadeva Gosvami says so in this connection to give ‘udaharanti’ there is an example. This is example of what you know all that was mentioned earlier this morning about that. So there’s example of this. ‘imam itihasam puratanam’ there’s a history ‘puratam’- very old history. “Dutanam vishnu-yamayoh samvadas” there was a dialogue between the Vishnudutas, the messengers of Vishnu and messengers of Yamaraj. And that ‘samvada’ – dialogue, ‘nibodha me’ – please listen to this samvada this dialogue from me and I am going to share that dialogue with you. So Prabhupada is making comment here the Puranas, or old histories, are sometimes neglected by unintelligent men who consider their descriptions mythological, this all the time happens in India. Mythological means imaginary, that never happened such a popular thing so called intellectuals. Of course the westerners came Dutch, English men came some 700 years ago and they realized Oh! These people, unless we make them weak their faith weak in their religion, we cannot conquer them, we cannot rule over them. So this was their propaganda. Oh! Your scriptures are just imaginary, it’s just mythology. And because it was said, bombarded hundreds of times over again and again then gradually many Indians now they also do the imitation of the westerns and their bosses were English men and they were saying. Oh! Scriptures are this, your scriptures, Sanskrit is very difficult language; although Sanskrit is very easy, easier than English or German or very scientific language. Hence it is easy also, natural for the soul. So propaganda also to begin with language is very difficult. Shastras are just full of mythology and Indians started yes yes…like a Nandi and that still goes on.
Although India was liberated 50 years ago so many so called intellectuals are still slave, remain slaves of the propaganda made by the britishers or the westerners. So this is very popular thing Prabhupada is attacking this, this is a mythology. Then of course our Mahatma Gandhi also, he had no faith in Mahabharat war, he also thought Mahabharat war was just imagination. He writes in his book ‘My experiments with truth’ and Prabhupada says you don’t make experiments with a truth, you accept the truth. Not that you make experiments with the truth. Mahatma Gandhi made some experiments with the truth and he is writing “if some could prove to me (Mahatma Gandhi) that this Mahabharat war actually took place” he said at that moment I’ll resign myself from the membership of this Hindu religion because he was trying to prove his non-violence theory, Bhagvad Gita, what do you learn from Bhagvad Gita? Non-violence. So if you talk of the battle and bloodshed, how could you prove its non-violence he thought.
So, this is deeply engrained in the Indian, especially psychic, it is mythology. Also the Puranam , meaning of Puran is old, the scriptures are old. But by definition, you should take note of this, Puranas are defined as Puranam api navam although they are oldest, they are ever new, ever fresh. That is the definition of the Puranas. Actually the description of Puranas or the old history of the universe are factual, although not chronological. Puranas record the chief incidents that have occurred over many millions of years, not only on this planet but also on other planets within the universe. Therefore all learned and realized Vedic scholars speak with references to the incidents in the Puranas. So, this kind of before you get people to study Puranas, you have to get into this and explain to them, no no, this is all factual because they have heard from the wrong source and hence the trouble. And then Prabhupada quotes that very famous “shruti-smriti-puranadi- pancaratra-vidhim vina aikantiki harer bhaktir utpatayaiva kalpate”.
If you perform devotional service bhakti ignoring shruti-smriti-puran then what you will end up doing is just cause lot of disturbance in the community of devotees and that we see all the time as soon as you don’t do things as per sadhu, shastras acharya “shruti-smriti-puranadi- pancaratra-vidhim vina” then simply and unnecessary disturbance in the society. And then of course in Puranas, the topmost puran that is established in the beginning of Bhagvatam, topmost puran is Bhagvat Puran and the topmost vaishnav is “vaishnavanam yatha shambhuh” (SB 12.13.16) shambhuh is topmost of all the vaishnavs, nimna-ganam yatha ganga, ganga is the best of all rivers, nimna-ga means river, nimna is down, ga means going, flowing downwards, who flows downwards? Rivers. So, “nimna-ganam yatha ganga devanam acyuto yatha” like of all the Gods, acyut is topmost, puranam edam tatha this puran that puranc”puran purananam idam tatha” this Puran, Bhagvat Puran is topmost. This is the glory of Bhagvatam. This is at the end of Bhagvatam, this statement we find. So, Puranas are the history and mythology.
So, it begins now “kanyakubje dvijah kashcid dasi-patir ajamilah
namna nashta-sadacaro dasyah samsarga-dushitah” (SB 6.1.21)
Kanyakubje is a place, Kannauj near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It is a town, Prabhupada also used to go there to do his salesmanship, for selling his medicines, ayurvedic products. So near there’s a place called kannauj, presently known as kannauj, in there “kanyakubje dvijah kashcid” – some brahmin used to reside there who is introduced here, what an introduction of a Brahmin? “dasi-patir ajamilah”, his name was Ajamil and he was dasi-patir, he was a prostitute’s husband, he was a husband of a dasi, low class woman, prostitute so that was his name. “nashta-sadacaro” nashtah – destroy, he lost all the good qualities, how did this happen? ‘Sadacar’ -acar also means pickles, but here it is not that, acar means how you behave, how you deal in your day to day life, that’s called acar. So, there are two kinds of acar, sadacar and duracar.
‘Sad’ means good, ‘du’ means bad. So he was sadacari, ‘sat’ also means eternal, not temporary, truthful. So he lost all his good qualities, how did this happen? “dasyah samsarga-dushitah” – because he came in close contact with this dasi, prostitute, samsarga means close contact; one could only imagine close contact with prostitute and this resulted in nashta-sadacaro, he lost all the good qualities. Now, we said this morning that history repeats, something like this could repeat or not? Is it possible to come in contact with prostitute? And loose all the good qualities? Of course if you are there to preach, who was it? Namacharya Haridas Thakur also came in contact with some sort of a prostitute but who converted who there? Depends who is powerful. But lot of times person going to prostitute even doesn’t try to give her Prasad or give her some good sense, invitation to Yatra. So in the presence of Haridas Thakur, Namacharya Haridas Thakur again in the presence of the Holy Name, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare”. Who got converted? Prostitute, she surrendered unto, full dandavat unto Haridas Thakur. She even shaved her head and put on nice sari and charity show, all that possessions she had she distributed everything. Took japa mala from Haridas Thakur sat next to and she was chanting day and night. She also was following footsteps of Haridas Thakur and she became a great Vaishnavi. So those examples are also there. From high potential to low potential, electricity flows or maya flows, so prostitute is quite high potential. So it has big potency, big maya, so anyone with a small maya going to prostitute, we get all the mercy of the prostitute, she will bless and she will lift you to her level, if you are at lower level, in potency, in maya she is at higher level. So this is what happened, “dasyah samsarga-dushitah”. The purport, the fault of illicit connection with women is that it makes one lose all brahminical qualities. Parikshit Maharaj’s original question was how to be free from falling down into the hell or into the hands of Yamadutas. In reply, Sukadeva Gosvami sighting this old historical example to convince Parikshit Maharaj, the potency of bhakti-yoga which begins simply with chanting of Lord’s name. Srila Prabhupada is ahead of the narration here. That’s Sukadeva Gosvami making that point that chanting will save fallen human society. Next verse,
“bandy-akshaih kaitavaish cauryair garhitam vrittim asthitah
bibhrat kutumbam ashucir yatayam asa dehinah” (SB 6.1.22)
Word for word: So, now one more time, the history of lifestyle of Ajamil will be described. There’s a description now and Sukadeva Gosvami is introducing the whole story history but when the Yamadutas speak, when it is their turn, they will also speak some more on the life, philosophy, activities of this Ajamil. So, he was now married, how did he end up marrying will be described later on, the next time there’s a description of his life. But now it is shorter version summarized. So, yes he is married, he got married to this prostitute and now he was maintaining the family, family has to be maintained. So, how was he doing? “bandy-akshaih” – he used to arrest people and then tie them up and take whatever was in their pocket or their belongings, he would go away with it. Kaitavai, he would cheat, all sorts of cheating, he was engaged in ‘cauryair’ – chor chor chor thief stealing “garhitam vrittim asthitah” all condemned activities he was indulging in making money, ‘yen ken prakarena’, somehow he was making money and the goal was bibhrat kutumba, maintenance of the family, he was maintaining the family, big family, 10 children he had and maintaining prostitute is not…..so many demands.
So he was working very hard and just to maintain the family and in Bhagvatam when Sukadeva Gosvami describes the symptoms of this age of Kali, if the husband could just maintain the family, he would be considered hero in India it is like, he is taking care of his family, so what’s the big deal. People just express satisfaction, you know, he’s maintaining his family, taking care of his family you know. Its right out of Bhagvatam, households would be considered heros, big accomplishment, maintaining family. So, how and all that is another thing. So, he was just maintaining his family. He gave trouble to others by arresting them, cheating them, gambling or directly plundering them, this was the way he earned his livelihood and maintained his wife and children, Hari Bol. And illicit sex is not possible with a chaste or aristocratic woman, but only with unchaste sudras, Prabhupada is making that point, and another very important in the continuation of that, the more society allows prostitution and illicit sex, the more impetus it gives to cheaters, thieves, plunderers, drunkards and gamblers.
Therefore we first advise all the disciples in our Krishna Consciousness Movement to avoid illicit sex, which is the beginning of all abominable life and which is followed by meat-eating, gambling and intoxication, one after another. So, whole society revolves around this illicit connection, illicit sex. If illicit sex is allowed to increase in a society, however, the entire society will be condemned, for it will be full of rogues, thieves, cheaters and so forth. So, this is what we see all over, but no-one understands what the difficulties are. In a country they would just like to explore newer and more possibilities of enjoying illicit sex that would result in more thieves and plunderers and terrorists also, they are coming, terrorists are here. America lost peace of mind long time ago out of this terrorism. So, more you go against or want to compete with Krishna, Krishna has 16,108 wives, this is all envy of Krishna but His activities, the topmost activities of madhurya lila. In this world, conditioned soul imitates that activity, and wants to exploit takes the position of Purusha-enjoyer and wants to imitate Krishna but what is at the top becomes the bottom in this material existence.
“evam nivasatas tasya lalayanasya tat-sutan
kalo atyagan mahan rajann ashtashityayushah samah” (SB 6.1.23)
So, again moving on, ‘evam’ – like this, in this way, few things are mentioned but rest we’ll have to imagine, make a picture complete. Rest of the lifestyle activities, deals, few have been mentioned. ‘evam nivasatas’ – like this he was living leading life, taking care of ‘tat-sutan’ – her children, doesn’t say his children, her children so she was into it more. “lalayanasya tat-sutan” and by taking care, maintaining family, plundering was going on everyday stealing all this is going on and coming back and on the way back doing shopping for wife and children and they are welcome welcome.
So he is making money like a donkey and wife is making her list of shopping at home and expertly getting all the money into her hand and spending. So what was going on was ‘kalo atyagan mahan’ – time was passing by; time was against him, time was coming and going but not being used properly. “Ayur harati vai pumsam” (SB 2.3.17) the lifetime is snatched, stolen of the human being, “udyann astam ca yann asau” with the rising and setting of the sun, yet another day is stolen, snatched away. But only that person doesn’t lose the time or his time is not snatched away, golden opportunity is not missing, who is that person? ‘Uttama-shloka-vartaya’ the person who is busy with varta, the descriptions of the topics of ‘uttama-shloka’, supreme Lord, those are getting together and doing ‘varta’ – discussions or may be studying on their own, remembering the past times of the Lord, that person is not losing the time. He is on time, he is with time, he is with the Lord. Lord is time. Those who do not make the best use of time, they are left behind, they lag behind and there’s all the loss.
One devotee was explaining, when I was a bhakta, I remember this example from that time, he was Achyutananda Swami, he said, it is like…Ok, take off in a airplane at noon time and then let your plane fly westwardly direction with a speed of say 1000 miles per hour approximately, what would be the experience? Experience would be sun would be just above the head, above that aircraft because earth is also making circles around its axis and its circumference is some 25,000 miles around. So your plane is going approximately 1000 miles per hour so if you take off at mid-day wherever you go, sun would be just above there, so what? Then the remaining example or the explanation is that if we are always chanting Hare Krishna then Krishna who is like a sun, chanting Hare Krishna or studying Bhagvatam or honoring Prasadam or taking Darshanam of beautiful Radha Madanmohan, engaged in devotional service of the Lord then sun will be always shining upon you, sun, Lord will act as a sun and you will never ever be in darkness like that person flying in the aircraft, he will be always in the light side, never the other side, dark side. So he wants to explain if we are always with Krishna, Krishna’s different forms, past time form or beautiful deity form or lila form or a dham form, the name form, “kali-kale nama-rupe krishna-avatara” (CC Adi 17.22) then always on the brighter side with Krishna. But this fellow, Ajamil he was losing all the time. So, now he was, he became 88 years old, and
“tasya pravayasah putra dasha tesham tu yo avamah
balo narayano namna pitrosh ca dayito bhrisham” (SB 6.1.24)
‘Pravayasah’, Prabhupada translates that who was very old, so he was 88 years old and he gave birth to his 10th child, he’s going strong, at the age of 88, the production is on. He’s factory, his home is a factory to produce, children production is putra dasha 10 tesam tu yo avamah and the youngest one, the 10th one namna he was named Narayan. Luckily, his 10th son as Narayan. “Pitrosh ca dayito bhrisham” and he was very very dear to both, father and mother. The word pravayasah indicates Ajamil’s sinfulness because although he was 88 years old he had very young child; according to Vedic culture, one should leave as soon as he has reached 50 years age one should not live at home and go on producing children (Maharaj laughs…..).One should not stay home and go on producing children. It is also said one should be ready to die away from family and you will be more depending on the Lord under those circumstances, think more of the Lord otherwise family members will show their face to you, do you remember me? They come in and do you remember me? Some old friend comes, neighbor comes, how are you? So all these forms, better not to have these forms sticking in front of your face. Trying to revive the affection and loving bonds. It’s time to cut all the strings and all the tags attached, extra strings “asha-pasha-shatair baddhah” (Bg 16.12) Krishna says. We are bound by shatair – 100’s of bonds of affection and desires. So when we are surrounded by so many family members and if they are not Krishna Conscious, of course they are Krishna Conscious, fine, they will help you to remember Krishna, they give you Radha Krishna photo or place photo of Radha Krishna on the wall so that you could see. So, let’s talk of at the age of 50, you leave home. So, then later on you leave your body.
“sa baddha-hridayas tasminn arbhake kala-bhashini
nirikshamanas tal-lilam mumude jaratho bhrisham” (SB 6.1.25)
“sa baddha-hridayas tasminn arbhake” ‘Arbhake’ means little child, his name was Narayan and he is attached ‘baddha-hridayas’ – he is very much attached to his son and his ‘kala-bhashini’ – broken language, he has just now started speaking and daddy daddy, Pabhupad, Pabhupad, children say Pabhupad, our devotees try to train children, so children say Pabhupad Pabhupad. So, parents like my son is saying the name of Prabhupad, it’s nice.
So, what your children say is broken but it is so pleasing nectar and you kiss them, kiss their cheeks, their hair, you feel like eating them, you like them so much, you wish you would put them inside the heart and making part of you, ‘atmavat saravabhuteshu’. So, ‘kala-bhashini’ this happens all over and the same thing was going on when Krishna was little child, Yashoda and Rohini, they were in ecstasy. ‘Nirikshamanas tal-lilam’ and all activities of a little baby were like a lila, that child’s lila, father and mother sitting, talking, glorifying the child’s activities, every move that child makes is talked about, watched. ‘Mumude jaratho bhrisham’ – this old man was enjoying all this. He always took care of the child and enjoyed child’s activities. Since the old man was very attached to the child he enjoyed the child’s activities and because child’s name was Narayan, the old man always chanted the Holy Name of Narayan. Although he was referring to the small child and not to original Narayan, the name Narayan is so powerful that even by chanting his son’s name, he was becoming purified, that’s nice.
“Tasmat kenapy upayena manah krishne niveshayet” (SB 7.1.32) somehow get attracted to Krishna. So, it is custom in Hindu society for parents to give their children names like Krishna das, Govind das, Narayan das. But now that is changing. People are, parents are giving all sorts of meaningless names in India also, I don’t know about the west, how many names are spiritual names or some meaning is there. In India, the children are named pinku, it has no meaning, other one is tinku, rinku, chinku (everyone laughs) it has no meaning. I was in Mexico, long time ago, 15 years ago and we were checking in our luggage and the lady working at the checking counter when she saw we are in Hare Krishna’s dress in saffron, she walked to us and said Oh! Are you Hare Krishna devotees, we said yes yes. So she was, I think she was not even the member of the congregation, so she said Oh! wow, my husband had bought one of your books (must be Krishna book) and she said now we have named our daughter Devaki, her daughter’s name is Devaki. See she had little or no connection with Hare Krishna movement but by reading Krishna book, they like this name and my daughter’s name is Devaki. So that’s a good fortune.
George Harrison, I heard when George Harrison departed few years ago, someone had proposed to Prabhupada, Prabhupada why don’t you give him a name? George should be given a name. Prabhupada said, he already has a spiritual name, he is Hari’s son, Harrison, he’s Hari’s son already (Maharaj and everybody laughs). So, spiritual names, you don’t have to go, without going out of your way, you end up chanting the names. Most of the names in India, lot of names are still spiritual names and my father’s name was Bhagwan, that is still in my passport my father’s name is Bhagwan and I am son of Bhagwan (everyone laughs) and he gave me name Raghunath, that was my so called karmi name, Raghunath and Prabhupada changed that to Lokanath.
So, it is custom in Hindu society for parents to give their children names like Krishna das, Govind das, Narayan das and also when they are initiated. So, now we have thousands and thousands of devotees with spiritual names and we get to address each other and what to speak of the newly born babies, they all have spiritual names, great pride all the parents give their children, spiritual names, janavi or so many nice names. Brajmandal parikrama, our devotee here, he has a son, he just came from brajmandal parikrama and then he had a son, so he decided to give his son name Brajmandal Parikrama Das, Varanashram Das is sitting near that pillar, he’s the president of our public farm. He has come with his daughter Janavi and son Brajmandal Parikrama Das.
“sa evam vartamano ajno mrityu-kala upasthite
matim cakara tanaye bale narayanahvaye” (SB 6.1.27)
So, time has come evam – like this, you know he was kind of wasting his life and ajno – fool, he is fool, he is losing his valuable human birth but the time had come “mrityu-kala upasthite” – the death arrived and I am here knocking at the door. matim cakara tanaye bale narayanahvaye – and because “mrityu-kala upasthite” – he is kind of seeing the Yamadutas messengers Yamaraja approaching him and at that moment he even further concentrated his mind on tanaye – unto his son Narayan and addressed him when the time of death arrived for the foolish Ajamila, he began thinking exclusively of his son Narayan, Prabhupada writes therefore, although the contaminated Ajamila was calling for his son, by concentrating his mind on the holy name of Narayana he remembered the Narayana he had very faithfully worshiped in his youth. Just see, he had been worshipping, that will come up as mentioned at 2 places in his history. So, he mentioned and that must be the reason. At least he ended up naming his son Narayan because he used to worship Narayan and as now he is chanting the name addressing his son Narayan Narayan, Narayan that he used to worship has been remembered by him. In this regards Srila Sridhar Swami writes commentary, according to the Bhaktisiddhanta it is to be analyzed that because Ajamil constantly chanted his son’s name Narayan, he was elevated to the platform of bhakti. Although he did not know it that Ajamila was not realizing that he was becoming bhakta but yes, was, Sridhar Swami states. He had been chanting Narayan Narayan Narayan and he was elevating himself although he was not aware of it, Ajamila wasn’t aware. This is understanding of Sridhar Swami he is no. 1 when it comes to commentaries, Sridhar Swami, he’s the Swami, they all bow down before him all other Swamis, all other Acharyas they respect Sridhar Swami so much and his commentary which is one of the oldest commentaries also, he was first, one of the first ones to write the commentary.
Ok, now the description of what he was seeing. Earlier verse said “mrityu-kala upasthite”, so now here they are “sa pasha-hastams trin drishtva purushan ati-darunan” (SB 6.1.28). He saw three persons “Hasta” – hands had ropes – pasha. They had ropes in hands and they were 3 of them and ‘ati-darunan’ – they looked very fearful, creating fear, fearful features they had, “vakra-tundan urdhva-romna”, tunda – mouth, “urdhva-romna” – there hair were standing on their hands. “Atmanam netum agatan” – and he was convinced Oh! there they are, they are here to take me away, netum agatan. “Dure kridanakasaktam putram narayanahvayam” (SB 6.1.29).
So near by there Narayan was playing and as he was attached to his son, he addressed his son, how? ‘Plavitena’ – tearful eyes, svarenoccair – loudly Narayan, Narayan loud, ‘ajuhavakulendriyah’ – helpless as he was, he addressed his son ajuhava and Sukadeva Gosvami was leaving home, Vyas Dev was also following him, this is ‘ajuhava’, ‘putreti tana mana taya’, putra putra putra, like that he was addressing, ‘putreti tana mana taya ajuhava’. He addressed his son, only trees responded; son did not respond, only trees responded meaning he said putra and the trees said putra, echo was there. And then the trees also started preaching to Srila Vyas Dev, addressing to Srila Vyas Dev, come on, even we are not attached to our off springs or creation, people just come and take the fruits away, we don’t run after them, look you are running after your son, this is the part of commentary.
Acharyas say, (this verse is there in the beginning of Bhagvatam), Sukadeva Gosvami, as soon as he took birth, he started going to forest “yam pravrajantam anupetam apeta-krityam” (SB 1.2.2) no purificatory process, nothing he has undergone, no samskaras, he took birth and started running to the forest and he was running after. “Putreti tan-mayataya taravo abhinedus tam sarva-bhuta-hridayam munim anato asmi” (SB 1.2.2) Sukadeva Gosvami said unto such muni, that even all the entities they understood the feelings of Sukadeva Gosvami, even trees understood the feelings or in the hearts of trees he’s residing, he understands, “tam sarva-bhuta-hridayam munim anato asmi” – I offer my most humble obeisance’s unto such says Sukadeva Gosvami says Srila Suta Gosvami, Suta Gosvami is now offering his pranam to his spiritual master.
So, there’s also son, father and son and father is running after Sukadeva Gosvami and trying to call ajuhava. A person, who performs sinful activities, performs them with his body, mind and words. Therefore three order carriers from Yamaraj came to take Ajamila to Yamaraja’s abode. Why three? The three of them had come, three Yamadutas because explanation is given here because everyone comments sinful activities, we have gone through this verse, this morning. “ukta-panibhih” (S.B. 6.1.7) ‘ukta’ means words ‘pani’ – hands and mana, ‘mana-ukta-panibhih’ – by mind you commit sin, by words you commit sin, by physical action you commit sin, three ways you commit sin. Hence, there were three messengers. And how many messenger of Vishnu? How come four? Because he chanted name Narayan, Narayan has four letters he said ‘NA’, one messenger came, ‘RA’ another one came, ‘YA’ third one came, ‘NA’; Narayana. This is also acharyas they say 4. And how many will come to us when….how many will come? (Someone replies 2) because we chant Hare Krishna (16) only 16? 32 it took 2 minutes (laughter).
“nishamya mriyamanasya mukhato hari-kirtanam
bhartur nama maharaja parshadah sahasapatan” (SB 6.1.30)
‘Nishamy’ means hearing, “mriyamanasya mukhato hari-kirtanam”, hari kirtan was heard coming from the mouth of ‘mriyamanasya’ – one who is about to die, who is that? Ajamila who is about to die but he chanted hari kirtan. Bhartur nama – Vishnudutas said Hye!, someone is chanting name of our bharta means swami means Narayan, our boss someone is chanting the name of our Lord, hye! Don’t you hear? ya I hear and when they heard that someone is chanting helplessly name of their Lord, Narayan or Vishnu, parshadah meaning the associates, representatives of Vishnu, sahasapatan – suddenly they also appeared. So, three of them were already there very scary personalities and to that spot Vishnudutas arrived. While chanting the name Narayan, Ajamil was actually thinking of his son. That chanting was sufficient to cleanse him of all sinful activities. As soon as Vishnudutas heard their master’s name being chanted they immediately came. In this regard, Srila Vijayadhvaja Tirtha remarks: “Ajamila chanted the name of Narayana because of his excessive attachment to his son. Nevertheless, because of his past good fortune in having rendered devotional service to Narayana, he apparently chanted the holy name in full devotional service and without offenses”. Acharyas are giving all the credit to Ajamil for glorifying the Holy Name or the potency of the Holy Name. He is upheld by their statements.
“vikarshato antar hridayad dasi-patim ajamilam
yama-preshyan vishnuduta varayam asur ojasa” (SB 6.1.31)
‘Vikarsato antar’ – by the time the Vishnudutas arrived on the spot, the Yamadutas had already throne the ropes and they started snatching, dragging Ajamila out of his body. From where Antar hridayad – from the heart region. Not from the feet they were dragging him, not hand, not shoulder, not back, they are expert they know where the soul is sitting. So they were snatching dragging him out where he was in the heart region, he was that ‘dasi-patim ajamilam’ – that fool, the husband of prostitute, of course he should be snatched by the Yamadutas who else.
‘Yama-preshyan vishnuduta varayam asur ojasa’ – but then there come Vishnudutas and they forbade, stop stop stop what’s going on here? They stop this snatching thing. If they had not arrived, if they had come in another 30 seconds, they would be out of there, soul out of the body. So, they caught, Vishnudutas caught Yamadutas in the middle of their act while they were snatching. A Vaishnava, one who has surrendered to the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu, is always protected by Lord Vishnu’s order carriers. ojasa – powerful voice, commending voice, they were demanding that they stop ojasa. By speaking with resounding voices, the Vishnudutas threatened to punish the Yamadutas if they continued trying to snatch Ajamila’s soul from his heart. It’s amazing, they want to punish, we will punish you. They have Vishnudutas have such power. Prabhupada, says Vishnudutas and Vaishnavas could even punish the Yamadutas or even Yamaraja, they are that powerful. Materialistic scientists do not know where to find the soul within the body with their material instruments, but this verse clearly explains that the soul is within the core of the heart (hrdaya); it is from the heart that the Yamadutas were extracting the soul of Ajamila. It is very clear; Prabhupada is taking the advantage of this and pointing out the place where the soul is sitting. During the transmigration, another piece of information, during transmigration from one body to next, soul is taken away by the order carriers of Yamaraja, that’s one thing okay then put into a particular type of hellish life (naraka), in order to become accustomed to the condition in which he will live in his next body. Do you get that? So now transfer from body to another body but in between what happens? He’s trained, he’s made accustomed to live in the new body and that training is done in a naraka for a while and then put into the body.
“ucur nishedhitas tams te vaivasvata-purahsarah
ke yuyam pratisheddharo dharma-rajasya shasanam” (SB 6.1.32)
‘Ucur nishedhitas tam’ – when order carriers of Yamaraja, vaivasvata-purahsarah – Yamaraja is described here as a vaivasvata, he is a son of sun God, Yamaraj. So when they forbade, Vishnudutas had forbidden then then Yamadutas said, ke yuyam – who are you? ‘Pratisheddharo dharma-rajasya shasanam’ – who are you to forbid us? Or act against the shasan, the rule of Yamaraja? We are Yamaraja’s people and we are abiding by the laws, the rules, so why are you stopping us? Why are you opposing us? Purport – When forbidden to touch Ajamila, the order carriers of Yamaraja were surprised because they had never been hindered in the execution of their duty by anyone in the three worlds. This is a first kind of experience this had never happened that they were in middle of getting something, someone out of the body and someone coming and stopping them, first time. Why are you stopping? And they ask few more questions.
“kasya va kuta ayatah kasmad asya nishedhatha
kim deva upadeva ya yuyam kim siddha-sattamah” (SB 6.1.33)
‘Kasya va’ – who do you belong to? We are Yamaraja’s representatives, but are you representatives of someone? ‘Va kuta ayatah’ – where have you come from? “kasmad asya nishedhatha” – and what for are you forbidding, opposing our activity? Our duty? ‘Upadeva ya yuyam kim siddha-sattamah’ – are you some Demigods? upadevah – some sub-demigods? “yuyam kim siddha-sattamah” – or are you some kind of pure devotees? Perfect beings? I mean who are you? You please identify, show your ID, ok, where’s your ID? Otherwise we will not take you seriously, show your ID’s.
So they have asked questions ‘Kasya va’ – who do you belong to? where have you come from? Prabhupada writes, they knew that a siddha-sattama is above the demigods and sub-demigods and, indeed, above all the living entities within this material world. The Yamadutas therefore inquired why the Vishnudutas were present where a sinful man was going to die. They were not able to understand. You look someone special, may be you are devata upadeva, ‘siddha-sattamah’ but this is a husband of a prostitute very sinful person and why are you here? It is very obvious that we should be just bringing him to Yamalok, there’s nothing else should happen to this person. So what brings you here sirs? Prabhupada writes Ajamila was not yet died Ajamila was simply in an unconscious state when the argument was in progress between the Yamadutas and the Viahnudutas. The conclusion of the argument was to be a decision regarding who would claim the soul of Ajamila. So soul was still there and now we heard the full description how the Yamadutas looked like? And here is the description of how Vishnudutas looked like. “Sarve padma-palashakshah” (SB 6.1.34) all the four personalities had their eyes big, lotus like eyes they had, “pita-kausheya-vasasah” – and they had golden yellow garments, ‘kiritinah’ – crowns, ‘kundalino’ – earrings, ‘lasat-pushkara-malinah’ – they had garlands of fresh lotuses around their necks, “sarve ca nutna-vayasah” – and they are all young, all of them are very young looking, “sarve caru-caturbhujah” – they all, four of them had four hands each and they were caru, Bhakti caru means nice, beautiful, beautiful hands they had, four hands each of those Vishnudutas and they were carrying “dhanur-nishangasi-gada-shankha-cakrambuja-shriyah” .
And their hands were decorated with the bow then arrows even they had the “asi” – sword, gada – the club, shankha- conchshell, cakra – disc; ambuja – lotus flower. These are different symbols and weapons they were holding and “disho vitimiralokah kurvantah svena tejasa” (SB 6.1.35) and they were so effulgent, so brilliant that on all directions timira – the darkness all finished, vanquished, dissipated, all the darkness. Anyways this is also mentioned their beauty, their personality and their clothing, their ornaments and weapons, this is also described by Yamadutas are saying, Oh! you have all this, look at your eyes, look at all this weapons but then it just doesn’t make sense you are beautiful people and powerful, “kim artham dharma-palasya kinkaran no nishedhatha” – we are kinkara, we are the servants of dharma-pal, dharma-raj and you are opposing us, this doesn’t make sense, I mean you seem to be nice people, very polite also, why should you be stopping us? Before even being introduced to a foreigner, one becomes acquainted with him through his dress, bodily features and behavior and thus understand his position, therefore Yamadutas saw the Vishnudutas for the first time, they were surprised, they said you have beautiful features, by your beautiful features, you appear to be exalted gentlemen and you have such celestial power and you have dissipated the darkness of this material world by your effulgence, why then should you be able to stop us from executing our duty? This is beyond their understanding. Now Sukadeva Gosvami comments and then Vishnudutas will take over, they will talk. Now, so far only Yamadutas had been talking.
“sri-suka uvaca ity ukte yamadutais te vasudevokta-karinah
tan pratycuh prahasyedam megha-nirhradaya gira” (SB 6.1.37)
“ity ukte yamadutais te” so, Vishnudutas had been hearing, Yamadutas speak so far. Now, Vishnudutas are described as vasudevokta-karinah means they always ukta means said, whatever Vasudeva says karinah – they are ready to do it, yes sir, they are yes men of Vasudeva or Vishnu. Now there are words kinkara- meaning? What could I do? kinkaran – nice servant, obedient servant , kinkar what could I do? Anyways, lady? What would be the lady called? Kinkari. Lady is kinkari, gentlemen is kinkara. Gopis are kinkaris and Gopas are kinkaras. They are ever ready, whatever Krishna says, they are ‘yes’ and they are ‘I have finished with that, what more could I do?’, “do this”, ‘done, more’ ok finish more so like that. Always more eager, anxious kinkar.
So the Vishnudutas, tan pratyucuh, they are addressing Yamadutas, and how they are doing? ‘Prahasye’, there’s a smile on their face. With a smile on their face and ‘megha-nirhradaya gira’ – their voice is deep, like a rumbling of a cloud. So not only they are looking or they are dressed like Lord, yellow garments and all, four hands and different symbols but their voice is also elsewhere, like Krishna, how Krishna speaks, “megha-gambhiraya vaca” (SB 1.17.4) like a deep rumbling sound, a deep voice. Lord has different deep things, three different deep things, His naval is deep, His intelligence is deep and His voice is deep, three things and there are 32 symptoms of a great personality. This is in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu and three things are deep and one of them is voice, voice is deep, Lord’s voice is very deep. And different things are short, like that it goes on. His neck is short, His thighs are short , His genitals are short. Different things are broad, His chest is broad, His forehead is broad, He has big hips like ladies. But He’s like a lion; His waist is thin like a lion. Different things are fine, His hair are fine, His skin is fine, different different things are fine.
Seven parts of his body are reddish or pinkish, His eyes, palms, soles, lips, naval. And different parts of His body are Lotus-like, hands. Lotus because, color is like lotus, smells like a lotus, you smell Krishna’s hand and it smells like a lotus. Krishna’s feet are pinkish like a lotus, soft like a lotus, eyes, so like that different parts. So when you put this list together, its 32 different things, deep, short, fine, broad, lotus-like, pinkish. So one of them is voice. Couple of things not found, they are only found in the Lord, one is “srivatsa” (SB 5.7.7) on His chest, it’s a golden line on His chest, Lakshmi is residing there, on the chest and ‘kaustubha’ – when the churning of the ocean was done by the demigods, 14 different jewels emerged, one of them was Kaustubha mani and this was given to Vishnu. Until that time there was a difficulty in knowing who is who, they all dressed like Vishnu, Who is Vishnu? Who is Vishnuduta? But then once Lord had His Kaustubha mani, then it became very obvious, only one person has that Kaustubha mani, no one else has it.
So, others are holding this cakra gada and all that but no one has Kaustubha only Lord has it. From that time onwards it became easy to recognize who amongst this is Lord. Oh! Just find out who is wearing Kaustubha jewel, mani.
(Question asked from audience about Demigods, Maharaj answers) they are living entities living with wives when there is rasa dance in vrindavan demigods they are coming from universe. One can imagine there is whole society there of people and personalities and families. They all have 4 handed form and opulence like the Lord. It’s not that there are only men are there (laughter), so there are both male female complete. So called male female because only purusha is Lord everyone is prakruti . So lord expands and there are different incarnations of the Lord and Radha rani expands and laxmis and gopis come from radha rani then queens of Dwaraka they are expansions of alhadini sakti. So Krishna is expanding radha is expanding, the living entities are “mamiva vanso jiva loke jiva bhuta sanatan” that’s another category all together.
Yamadutas were surprised to see that Vishnudutas although polite, were hindering the rule of Yamraja, simply Vishnudutas were also surprised that Yamadutas although claiming the servants of Yamaraj, the supreme judge of religious principles, were unaware of the principles of religious actions. Thus the Vishnudutas smile thinking what is this nonsense they are speaking, if they are actually servants of Yamraja, they should know that Ajamil is not a suitable candidate for them to carry off, they were actually servants. We could stop here

Dated: 16-8-13

Venue: Class at gurukul Honey pot Festival, Vrindavan

Hari hari hari….. Hari Hari….Hari bol….you don’t say hari bol?? Hari Om nahi (Maharaj laughs) hari bol….

“Krishna jinka naam hai Gokul jinka dham hai” you know this song? (Maharaj asking the gurukul boys) yes…..(boys replied) you know ok, all of you can sing after me also if you are hearing it for the first time.

“krsna jinaka nama hai, gokula jinaka dhama hai

aise sri bhagavana ko (mere) barambara pranama ha

yasoda jinaki maiya hai, nanda ji bapaiya hai

aise sri gopala ko (mere) barambara pranama ha”

bapaiya- baap, father, who is Krishna’s mother? What is name of krishna’s mother? Yasoda and father? Nanda Maharaj, Nanda maharaj –Yasoda maiya ki…………jai.

“radha jinaki chaya hai, adbhuta jinaki mayahai

aise sri ghana shyam ko (mere) barambara pranama ha

luta luta dadhi makhana khayo, gvala-bala sanga

“luta luta dadhi makhana khayo” what does Krishna do? He is stealing butter going door to door for doing what? To steal butter, one of krishna’s name because he steals butter what is he known? Makhanchor……………..Makhanchor ki………..Jai.

“gvala-bala sanga” – all day He is herding cow, how many cows? 9 lakhs, He is herding all day, is He getting any salary? You understand salary. So if Krishna stole little butter and ate but He is herding cows all day and in return He is eating little butter, is that ok? I think He deserves more than a little butter but He is just happy with little butter.

luta luta dadhi makhana khayo, gvala-bala sanga

aise sri lila- dhama ko (mere) barambara pranama ha”

krsna – balaram jai krsna balarama……………..jai, they are both Bhagavan, Krishna is Bhagavan and Balaram is He also Bhagavan? Yes and Krishna likes butter yes, what about Balaram what does He like? Honey

drupada sutaki laja bacayo, graha se gaja ko

aise sri krpa dhama ko (mere) barambara pranama ha

kuru pandava me yuddha macayo, arjuna ko upadesa sunayo

aise sri bhagavana ko (mere) barambara pranama ha

Dau ji ka Bhaiya…..Who is Dauji ? Balarama….and who is Dau’s Bhaiya? Krishna Kanhaiya.

Dau ji ka Bhaiya…………. Krishna Kanhaiya.

Dau ji ka Bhaiya…………. Krishna Kanhaiya.

Krishna Kanhaiya………. Dau ji ka Bhaiya

Krishna Kanhaiya………. Dau ji ka Bhaiya (kirtan)

Where did Krishna take His birth? Birth place of Krishna? you know? Where did Krishna take birth? In Delhi? In Agra?? In Mathura, Mathura Dham ki…………Jai and what about Balarama? Birth place of Balarama ? Gokul……..Sure? Where was Balarama born? Gokul, Gokul Dham ki…………..Jai.

Krishna Balarama Jai Krishna Balarama (Kirtan)

Who is elder brother? Krishna or Balarama? Who is elder-older? Balarama. So he was born first, He took birth first before Krishna. On what day? Which was the day? Monday? What is the name of that day? Purnima, that purnima is known as Balarama Purnima and then Krishna’s birth is on ashtami and known as Krishna Janamashtami, Very good. So purnima is not very far few days, few days to go. When is ekadashi?Tomorrow is Ekadashi, Ekadashi then Dwadashi thenTrayodashi, Chaturdashi and Purnima. So five days to go and then from that day purnima eight more days and then Sri Krishna Janamashtami Mahotsava ki ………jai.

So today you are celebrating Balaram’s, I mean at least you are remembering Him. You are remembering that He loves honey. So you’ll have another day butter, today you’ve honey pot then you’ll have butter pot, yes, 20 butter pots. Today many pots Oh!Cow dung pot! Cow Urine? Also yes Hare Krishna (kirtan)

Release your hands, very good, sit properly like yogis, how does yogis sit? Krishna has given us kartaal taal taali swar and taal Singing and then this is taal you don’t have to bring your own kartal that’s nice if you have but there is no problem if you don’t have because Krishna has given us our own taali. Hare Krishna (kirtan continues)

“Om Namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya” meaning we offer our obeisance’s onto Vaasudev.

Why is Lord called Vaasudev? You know? Why is He called Vaasudev? Anyone of you know? Boys? I think you are boys also or teacher’s big boys, 11th 12th like that ok little boy (Someone answers) He is son of Vasudev, good very good. You heard? These Lords, two Lords, how many? Two Lords are sons of Vasudev hence called Vaasudev. Father’s name is Vasudev and children’s name is Vaasudev The difference is there you have to take a note of this we do not say Om Namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya, Om Namo Bhagvate Bhagvaan, Vasudev is not Bhagvan. Who is Bhagvan? Vaasudev Vaasudev is bhagvan, Vasudev is father of Bhagvan. He must be a very important person a big personality he’s the father of Bhagvaan and not one Bhagvan two bhagvans. So those two Vaasudevs, so not only Krishna is Vaasudev. What about Balarama? Is He also Vaasudev? Yes? No? Yes because they are both sons of Vasudev so they’re both Vaasudevs.

So Krishna appeared in Mathura, Balarama first appeared in Gokul and Krishna appeared in Mathura. Balarama first appeared i n Gokul and Krishna appeared in Mathura and they were in Gokul for long time three years and four months Krishna and Balarama were together in Gokul

“Krishna jinka nama hai gokul jinka dhama hai” we could also say Balarama jinka nama hai gokul jinka dhama hai”. So finally they are residing in Gokul both of them and then they left Gokul, not only Krishna but all the residents of Gokul they left Gokul and then they came to Vrindavan and they were in Vrindavan for another three years and four months not far from here. Anyways let’s not get into it.

Krishna Balarama ki …….Jai.

So when they were small children, Krishna and Balarama, they both wanted to be the cowherd boys. But the cows are big Krishna and Balarama were small boys and the cows were big cows. So Nandababa proposed…no..no..no.. you should take care of the small cows. Small cows are called calves, so Krishna and Balarama, they became Vastapal you know Gopal right Gopal “go” is cow, protector of the cow, caretaker of the cow. Who is Gopal? But before they became Gopal they were known as Vastapal, what is vasta? Calf you know vastasur? One demon called Vastasur because one demon he took the form of a calf, the demon took a form of a calf and he mixed himself with the cows and Krishna and Balarama “Dau look that one” is he here he is not a regular calf he is a demon. They’re all looking behind then Krishna what did He do, He gently walked upto that vastasur and caught hold of his hind leg and whirled him and he landed on the top of the tree there. The demigods arrived Jai ho…Jai ho…Krishna Balarama ki…jai, Shri Krishna Balarama ki …Jai.

So Krishna and Balarama were vastapal and then when they grew up in age and size then they were promoted the promotion you understand the promotion then they were promoted and then they became Gopal. So Krishna and Balarama they use to come to this region where we are sitting which is known as Raman Reti, Krishna and Balarama use to come herding their cows first herding calves, first calves and then cows. So that is why when Srila Prabhupada thought of building temples and installing deities he installs in the middle, in the middle who did he installs? Krishna and Balarama because those are the pastimes of Krishna Balarama all around here. Where you are sitting sometimes Krishna used to sit, where you are sitting right now Krishna and Balarama has sat there this dust here is touched by Krishna’s lotus feet take some dust that dust there, no dust only grass there touch the dust which is touched by Krishna Balaram’s lotus feet just little bit.

So when we touch this dust, who are we touching? We’re touching Krishna; we’re touching Krishna’s feet that has touched this dust. You are sitting on the nice straw mat that is why you are not able to touch the dust, devotees roll in the dust of Vrindavan they roll in the dust of Vrindavan because that dust is very sacred dust called Raman Reti. What is Reti? Sand ya so this Reti, this sand particles are Raman where RadhaRaman or Balarama has done the raman they have wandered they have played different pastimes over here, so it is known as Raman Reti.

Shri Krishna Balarama ki………………………….jai.

So after spending many years many more years in Vrindavan where did Krishna go? From Vrindavan where did He go? He went to Mathura, what did He do in Mathura? He killed Kamsa, who killed Kamsa? (Someone answers-Krishna) Krishna. And what did Balarama do? Did He killed someone else also? Other demons especially the brothers of Kamsa, kamsa had some 7 or 8 brothers, Pralambasura was already killed before they went to Mathura.

Then after killing Kamsa what did they do next? What did they do next? Who did they meet? Mother and father, names of mother and father? Vasudev and Devki not Vaasudev, Vasudev and Devki, then what happened?

Where did they go next? Dwarka well before Dwarka where did they go? They went to Ujjain to visit ISKCON temple. What was Ujjain known as that time? Avantipur yes, Avantipur you know where Ujjain is? Yes in Tamil Nadu? Madhya Pradesh, Where is Madhya Pradesh? (Maharaj laughs) geography they study right, so in Madhya Pradesh which is down south. Krishna and Balarama they went to Ujjain, Avantipur why did they go there? For studies Hari Bol. And who was their teacher Sandipani muni, Sandipani Muni Ki ……………..jai.

And Krishna and Balarama were taking lessons there any other friend also Sudama where was he from? From Sudamapuri, Sudamapur which is in Gujrat, Porbandar Bandar which Bandar, Porbandar. Bandar means port here not monkey and there are many other friends. How many students are there in this school? 200! Baap re baap, it’s a big number of student’s sounds good, that also was international school Sandipani Muni’s International School students had come from far and wide and there Krishna bramhachari and Balarama bramhachari they stayed in the ashram. You have seen their photographs? There is one famous photograph in ISKCON in which Sandipani Muni is teaching Krishna and Balarama, two students. Could we call them Krishnadas bramhachari Balaramdas bramhachari? Is that right to say? They became bramhacharis but they were Krishnadas and Balarama das bramhachari? no………not possible. We are das but they were the Bhagvan the Lords.

But they were also to set example before the whole world “yad yad achrati shretas” they also went to school and they are staying in the ashram, your ashram is right here? “bramhachari gurukule Vasandantoh gururhitam” bramhcharis, what do little bramhacharis do? Gurukule they go to gurukul they reside in Gurukul, gururhitam and they serve Guru dasavat servants like a very menial servant, very humble servants. Krishna and Balarama were serving, first of all they were very good students. He (sandipani muni) used to teach him some lessons during the day and by the evening time He use to pass the exam in the subject matter. In the evening He used to get a certificate, next day another faculty another art, science by end of that day pass the exam. You take long time right? You take one year but Krishna was taking just one day that’s the difference He’s Krishna.

Krishna and Balarama were very good students, so you also have to be very good, good students studying, doing your homework and also well behaved, very gentle. And then all the students’ bramhacharis they use to go to bed early, early to bed early to rise and then what happen that person becomes healthy, wealthy and wise. you like to be healthy wealthy wise? Then what you have to do you have go to bed early and get up early. So Krishna and Balarama but off course you know do you know? May be you don’t know! Krishna had difficult time in all the students lights turned off and they are in the bed and (Gurumaharaj making snoring sound) sleeping and snoring Balarama also. But one student and that use to be Krishna hard time to sleep and Balarama use to get up sometimes in middle of the sleep and use to find Krishna, Hey! Why you did not sleep go to sleep go to sleep soon time for mangala arati go to sleep. So then Krishna use to say, Oh you know I use to all night long I used to go into the forest “Radha Madhava kunja bihari gopijana vallabha girivara dhari jamuna teera vanachari”. Now every morning not every morning every night I’ve been going with the gopis and dancing with the gopis, so that was my daily routine, so although I’ve come here that’s why I have hard time sleeping at night.

Krishna Balarama ki……………..jai

So anyway Krishna has this difficulty but you don’t have you should not have difficulty. Then Krishna and Balarama and all the friends they use to go out “Bhikshamdehi” meaning what? bhikshamdehi meaning what? Dehi meaning, give what do you give, give some bhiksha give some alms, give some alms. So they use to go door to door doing Madhukuri, all hundreds of students going into Avantipur Ujjain knocking at the door bhikshamdehi bhikshamdehi. The bramhacharis are expected to go door to door begging is not the real reason give association to those grihasthas “Jare dakho tare kaho Krishna upadesh” give some upadesh to those house holders preaching is main purpose and then excuses is alms, madhukari.

So who do you think was most successful alms collector? Krishna and Balarama there used to be big loads of alms on their head, on their shoulder, on their hands. Because when they would go to some door onto the householder, the householder would see the beauty of Krishna and Balarama and they use to say Hey bring this bring that head of the family, some nice beautiful bramhacharis are here bring them some potatoes bring this bring that sabji bring and they were interested in having Krishna and Balarama right in front of their doors for long long time. They use to think if we stopped giving alms they would go next door and then we would lose darshan of Krishna and Balarama so how keep them longer in front of their door keep giving..keep giving..keep giving…hey bring this…bring that.

And other friends going other doors other gallies other lanes practically they would come empty pockets empty hands empty bags little something and Krishna Balarama bringing loads of alms. Then all the friends had good idea, they thought why should we go separately let us go with Krishna and Balarama go right behind them and we could assist them carrying extra luggage of all the gifts all the alms given by the householders so that is what they started doing and then all around Ujjain Avantipur big procession Krishna and Balarama in the front and all others behind.

Krishna Balram ki….Jai So like that you are in gurukul and Krishna and Balarama were also in gurukul remember Krishna Balaram’s days in gurukul, pastimes and learn.

Then there was time for dakshina gurudakshina when the students completes their education what do they do? give some dakshina well before that many pastime Krishna was asked to bring some firewood from the forest and who was accompanying Him that day? Sudama, Sudama and Krishna went as they went into the forest and collecting firewood soon there was the thunder and storm and rain and flooded and dark and night and they could not return to the ashram. Because when there was little wind and little rain they could have ran back to the ashram but they didn’t do so because they thought we’ve collected only little firewood we need more. So they were doing their duty collecting more firewood and as a result they were caught in the big lightening and storm and they couldn’t return.

And next day Krishna…….Sudama…….who was calling out? Who was looking for Krishna and Sudama? Ya, Sandipani Muni was like a father teacher is like a father, so he had come carrying his lantern he was looking for Krishna and Sudama. He found them still busy collecting firewood, that was he was very very teacher was very pleased with the service attitude of his students Krishna and Sudama and blessed them. Krishna whatever you speak in the future would be just but the truth, the Vedas the knowledge will just come out of your mouth, out of your lotus mouth this is like a blessing of Sandipani Muni. So then towards the end I am ending also. Time for dakshina so all the students were giving some dakshina…Sawa rupiya….some lakshami, some gifts Sandipani Muni’s wife thought this Krishna and Balarama are very extraordinary students we should ask for some very special dakshina. And now what they ask for? Sandipani Muni and his wife this couple they had lost their son lost died so they had requested Krishna and Balaramay ou please bring our son back return him to us that would be an appropriate dakshina from you. And then Krishna and Balarama went to Prabha’s Kshetra near Gujrat and they jumped they jumped into the ocean there and they approached the died skeleton body of Shankhasur and looked into the belly of this demon. They had heard that this demon has eaten up the son of their gurumaharaj. But inside the belly the son wasn’t there so they took that body the dead body of that demon, it was in the form of the shankha- conch shell and that became Shankha of Lord known as “Panchajanya” now you know where they found this, when and where you know a little bit and then they went to abode of Yamaraj.

They thought we couldn’t find the son here he could be possibly there Yamaraj has brought him to his own abode. So when Krishna and Balarama appeared at the entrance of Yampuri they blew conch shells the blowing of conch shells was heard by all the residents of Yamraj. Who resides there all the sinful, to be punished souls all the characters. So as Krishna and Balarama entered and blew the conch shell which was heard by all those present there immediately all of them present there they had four handed forms and the crown and the earrings also they had the pitambars clothes.

They all started going back to home back to Godhead everyone was liberated by Krishna’s and Balaram’s presence in the hell. That abode of Yamraj just by being there then blowing the conch shell everyone all went back to home and then yamaraj understood the mission of why did Krishna and Balarama being there. Here’s son, whose son he is son of Sandipani Muni so they took the son of Sandipani Muni with them and went and they returned back to, where did they come back to? ashram but which ashram where was it? Sandipani Muni’s ashram on the banks of Shipra river in Avantipur and here is our dakshina please accept and having their son right here being offered by Krishna take him take him.

So this couple gurumaharaj and Kulapati Sandipani Muni and his wife they were highly pleased and they further blessed Krishna and Balarama and then Krishna Krishna Balarama ki …………jai. And then they came back to where did they come back to? Mathura they had gone from Mathura to Ujjain and they came back and then they stayed in Mathura for another 18 years would and then they battle with Jarasanda for 18 times…17 times…18th time they did not show any interest and they were running away to Dwarka ahe……Ranchod…Ranchod….Ranchod….meaning coward just see running away from the battle who was saying? Jarasanda was saying like that but when He arrived in Gujrat in Dwarka He was they all welcomed Krishna and Balarama, Ranchod rai ki…..Jai…..Ranchodrai ki….Jai Ranchodrai ki…jai.

So who were Ranchodrai? Krishna….Krishna only? Krishna and Balarama were welcomed by Dwarka.

So we’ll stop there, so I think some next item some next item, Balaram’s favourite item Balaram’s favourite dish, what is Balaram’s favourite dish? The honey that honey pot be there and let’s see what happens next.

(Kirtan) “Hare krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”

Venue: Vrindavan

Date: 15/8/13

Hare Krishna you all are welcome to this morning Bhagvatam from Canto 4, chapter 30th text number 2 please repeat

“kim barhaspatyeha paratra vatha kaivalya-natha-priya-parsva-vartinah

asadya devam girisam yadracchaya prapuh param nunam atha pracetasah” (S.B 4.30.2)

TRANSLATION: My dear Barhaspatya, what did the sons of King Barhisat, known as the Pracetas, obtain after meeting Lord Siva, who is very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the bestower of liberation? Certainly they were transferred to the spiritual world, but apart from that, what did they obtain within this material world, either in this life or in other lives?

PURPORT: All types of material happiness are obtained in this life or in the next life, on this planet or on another. The living entity wanders within this material universe in so many species of life and so many planetary systems. The distress and happiness obtained during the span of life are called iha, and the distress and happiness obtained in the next life are called paratra.

Actually, Lord Mahadeva (Siva) is one of the great demigods within this material world. Generally his blessings bestowed on ordinary people mean material happiness. The predominating deity of this material world, Durga, is under the control of Lord Mahadeva, Girisa. Thus Lord Mahadeva can offer anyone any kind of material happiness. Generally people prefer to become devotees of Lord Girisa to obtain material happiness, but the Pracetas met Lord Mahadeva by providential arrangement. Lord Mahadeva instructed them to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he personally offered a prayer. As stated in the previous verse (rudra-gitena), simply by chanting the prayers offered by Lord Siva to Visnu, the Pracetas were transferred to the spiritual world. Sometimes devotees desire to enjoy material happiness also; therefore, by the arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotee is given a chance to enjoy the material world before his final entrance into the spiritual world. Sometimes a devotee is transferred to a heavenly planet — to Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Siddhaloka and so on. However, a pure devotee never aspires for any kind of material happiness. The pure devotee is consequently transferred directly to Vaikun?t?haloka, which is described here as param. In this verse Vidura asks Maitreya, the disciple of Br?haspati, about the different achievements of the Pracetas.

“kim barhaspatyeha paratra vatha kaivalya-natha-priya-parsva-vartinah

asadya devam girisam yadr?cchaya prapuh param nunam atha pracetasah” (Translation repeat)

So this is enquiry as this a dialogue between Vidura and Maitreya it’s a new chapter Vidura has enquired this is only no. 2 verse he had heard the meeting Vidura had heard meeting between Praceta and Shiva and Shiva reciting “Rudra gitena harim siddhim ahu” as they heard just by hearing Rudra geet its like Bhagvat geet or Bhagvat gita they have attained perfection. “prapuh param” param is Supreme Personality of Godhead, “param” is also Supreme Personality of Godhead’s transcendental abode Vrindavan dhama ki …..jai. We try to think beyond Vrindavan there is no difference this Vrindavan that Vrindavan.

One devotee from England coming for Vraja Mandala Parikrama spending so many days on Vraja Mandal Parikrama he shared his realization with us, he said in England while preaching, hearing, thinking he used to think going back to Godhead means going somewhere else. I have to go back to Godhead certainly I am in England now I have to go back somewhere else I have to go, it is going back home going back to Godhead. But as spending so many days in Vraja mandala parikrama going round, not going round and round he was on his first round, he was in the middle of the round but then he said his thoughts changed. He was no more thinking he has to go somewhere else that going back to home back to Godhead is some other location where I have to go, so this idea of going went away, his idea of going somewhere was no more there went because he was thinking I have come back home, I am back home “I am here I am here” this was his realization “I have come back home”.

“samastraye pada palva plavam” attaining lotus feet of the Lord that is also attainment of supreme “param padam mahat padam punya yaso murare” the Lord Murari whose lotus feet are “param padam” supreme destination and having taken shelter of those lotus feet of the Lord, then what happens this whole world compared to big ocean shrinks and becomes ‘vatsa padam” param padam, whole world which is a big ocean what is the word? So Lords lotus feet are “plavam” Lords lotus feet are a boat as you take shelter of Lord’s lotus feet you are immediately into the boat but there is no more ocean or as you sit in the boat the whole ocean has shrunken, has become how much water is there in the ocean just like a hoof print of a calf not even cow, cows hoof print are bigger smaller than that calf’s hoof print and then even boat can’t sit in that water (Maharaj laughs). Means you already you are in the boat but there is no ocean you are already back home.

So that param, these Pracetas have attained that kind of “prapuh param nunam” certainly they have attained. Oh! they are almost back home they are eligible to get there and all this was result of “asadya” going closer having approached “devam” which devam is this girisam “devam girisam yadr?cchaya” and this by the will of the providence the meeting has taken place between Pracetas and Shiva. So they have attained “param” but Maitreya Muni is interested to know what else did they attained were they interested going on a tour of universe and enjoy this part that part. Srila Prabhupada is writing here devotees may go to Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Siddhaloka. As those who are not in a big hurry to go back home they take a longer route. As Sukhdev Goswami explains in the 2nd canto in the beginning “satya mukti” instant liberation you are back home instantly or “krama mukti” gradually you want to get there you want to go through this longer route Maharloka, Tapaloka and Siddhaloka and finally through the covering of universe you return like going on padayatra or something and other ways Srila Prabhupada explains either taking elevator quickly get there on the 10th floor or you take stairs so some prefer going by the stairs and taking a good look at the universe enjoying becoming siddha could fly, very beautiful scenes ganga coming right down you could take your plane all around or you could do parikrama of ganga as its flowing down beautiful, wonderful.

So did they do something like that on the way back home that’s why oh! Barhaspaty disciple of Barhaspati, “eha” on this planet or “paratra” on other planets did they go there try to enjoy have good time in other places. kaivalya-natha-priya, “kaivalya-natha-priya-parsva-vartinah asadya” they approached they went closer to who? He is devam girisam and he is also mentioned “kaivalya-natha-priya” they went to Shiva and how is Shiva? He is “kaivalya-natha-priya” he is not “kaivalya-natha” he is priya he is very dear to “kaivalya-natha” kaivalya natha is Lord Krishna Lord Vishnu, “mukti pradata sarve shyam visnur eva na samshaya”. Oh! Devi please listen to this this “devam girisam” sharing his realization that mukti pradata sarve shyam the giver of liberation is Vishnu do you know that do you understand this “eva na samshaya” do not doubt giver of the bestower of liberation is Visnu at other place he has said “aradhanam sarve sam visnor aradhanam param” (Padma purana) aradhananam sarve sam so many objects of worship or meditation ‘aradhananam sarve sam” amongst all of them Visnu aradhayate param” Visnu is supreme. So Shiva he understands and this is the arrangement and certainly Shiva knows this and he is talking like that to his good wife Parvati so “kaivalya natha priya”. Pracetas went approached ‘kaivalya natha priya’ and they were greatly benefited by that association as they heard “rudragiten” Rudra geet the song of Shiva, song of god.

So as I was doing little fast forward in this chapter the question has been raised within this material world either in this life or the other lives? And the answer which would be unfolded gradually daily you have to hear every day “nityam bhagvat sevaya” and then everything would be disclosed step by step but just little glimpse of the future what is about to come and very briefly that Pracetas they spend 10,000 years in that water body so japa yajna and tapsa they did japa “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare” some mantra they did tapasya staying under water is certainly tapasya and chanting of Hare Krishna is also tapasya and it is divya tapasya as they did they were purified. So their association “adau shradha sadhu sanga” and then they had done their bhajan, bhajan kriya their japa yajna and they have continued their performance of austerities as per instructions guidance of Shiva and as they were purified bhrama saukhayam tavam anantam , “tapo divyam putra kayen satvam sadmad sudhe bhrama saukhayam tavam anantam”. Lord Rishabdev also in his geet is not called geet but Rishabdev geet is also there addressing his 100 sons he has sung a song in the 5th canto of Bhagvatam there he says as one performs austerities they have to be divya transcendental austerities then there is purification and “bhrama saukhayam tavam anantam”

So the result was there in case of Pracetas, result was they had darshan Lord appeared before them seated on back of Garuda and there is beautiful description of Lord’s form it has to be beautiful Lord is most beautiful and that’s why Bhagvatam is also beautiful “srimad bhagvatam” Bhagvatam is Srimad full of “Sri” full of opulence full of beauty also because “hari sarvatra giyate” “adau ante madhye” Lord is glorified everywhere in the beginning in the middle at the end of Bhagvatam. So the beautiful bhagvatam so there is beautiful description you will hear that beautiful bhagvatam as you keep attending bhagvatam and that beautiful Lord said oh! I am pleased with your performance of austerities and chanting of beautiful mantras. So ask for benediction “varam vr?nidhvam bhadram” (S.B 4.30. 8) you all bhadra- good ones auspicious ones “please ask for benediction” and Lord has spoken more and more but in the beginning He said please ask for benediction, ask for the benediction. And Pracetas also have spoken for long long time but in the middle of their speech responding to this “ask for benediction” and they did ask for benediction “kim vranimahi” oh! What benediction we could ask now we have been benedicted how? “tvadangri-mulam asadya” (S.B4.30.32) we have achieved; now we are approaching your lotus feet oh! Lord we are next to your lotus feet we are next to you and your lotus feet are right there you are standing on your feet. So we have approached “asadya” we approached your lotus feet, so isn’t that, we are with you we have attained you. So what more benediction something beyond you, is there something beyond you, you are all in all, you are everything.

So they have also used this word “asadya” Maitreya muni had mentioned in todays verse “asadya” having approached Pracetas they have approached lotus feet of Shiva or approached shiva and the result of that association or being with Shiva, Shiva is like the Guru, the guide, the counselor, the philosopher, the friend of these Pracetas and so Pracetas had approached Shiva and the benefit the outcome of this is ‘asadya tvadangri” now we are approaching your lotus feet. From Shiva’s lotus feet our spiritual master’s lotus feet have brought us to your lotus feet.

Lord Krishna says surrender unto me and spiritual master says surrender unto Supreme Personality of Godhead, what is the difference? Prabhupada would say, there is no difference. So Lord Shiva presented Bhagvat gita as it is, it’s not called Bhagvat gita its called Rudra geet but essence of Rudra geet is bhagvat geet he has repeated in his own words with full of realization but the essence is the same the conclusion is similar he has trained these, instructed these Pracetas to worship and surrender unto to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And Pracetas continue first of all what more benediction we could ask for oh! Lord as we have achieved you. But if there is some contamination still remaining within us “bhramana iha karmabhih” (S.B 4.30.33) we must, we are made to wander in this world then oh! My dear Lord please give us benediction, what is the benediction? “tavad bhavat prasanganam sangahsyan no bhave bhave” (S.B 4.30.33) where ever we go which ever planet we go to or even whichever species of life we go into let there be “sangah” association of “bhavat prasanganam” your devotees association is what we aspire for let there be devotee association where ever we go. We don’t care where we go up down round and round here there this body that body but let there be association.

Even Brahma praying like, that even if I have to take birth as what? spider some cockroach let that birth be in Hare Krishna devotees home or hare Krishna devotees kitchen cockroach (laughter) there will some tape there will be some singing some tape is being played there. I will be hearing or some remnants of food I will be able to eat there so I don’t care what good is this, what good is this life or position of Brahma if I am not Krishna conscious devotee of Krishna, devotee of Krishna I don’t mind even being a cockroach let that be in a house of a devotee or in association of devotee.

“satam prasangat mam virya samvido” Lord Kapil dev also talked of “satam prasangat mam virya samvido” where ever my glories are being chanted I like to be there, one should be there “bhavat prasanganam” in association of devotees and infact that is being association of devotees, hearing from devotees. So how far away is the Lord “where there is hearing and chanting is going on” is Lord away from that location? no..no…I am right there Lord says. “naham vasame vaikunthe” you may not find me in Vaikuntha some times “nacha yoginam hrdaye” or not even in the heart of a yogi but for sure you could find me my address, my permanent address note down what is that permanent address? “yad bhakta mad gayanti tatra tistha me” tatra tistha me- I am there where my devotees have assembled, they are together and they are chanting “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare” kirtaniya sada hari, kirtan is not limited to just this hare Krishna hare Krishna kirtan, this Bhagvatam “hari sarvatra giyate” Hari is sarvatra everywhere glorified, recitation of Bhagvatam is also what? It’s also kirtan lot of things are kirtan everything in fact could be kirtan.

In Srila Prabhupada’s experience he called that as kirtan, in Bombay at the time of construction of Radha Rasbihari temple construction in full swing and lots of sound khat…khat…and faat faat…polishing of floor, wielding. So devotees were proposing there is so much sound its construction site here it must be botheration for you, could we relocate you elsewhere in some quite corner? Prabhupada said this is music for my ears. The temple is being built for Radha Rasbihari so any sounds related with the construction that is also kirtan, all those sounds were like kirtan for Srila Prabhupad. So Prabhupada did not move he stayed on there in the middle of all those construction sounds. So kirtaniya sada hari, so kirtan, chanting, hearing, recitation of Bhagvatam, devotional service everything is kirtan, cooking, cleaning this is glorification, kirtan is also glorification of the Lord, Lord is being glorified in this way or that way or whatever activity is there, that is also being accompanied by chanting of Hare Krishna, in that case also there is kirtan.

So being with the devotees, where there is a kirtan, glorification, service to the Lord, being with them also involves serving them “mahat seva dwaram ahu vimukte” just doing mahat seva serving the great souls, serving the great devotees of the Lord, being with them serving them that is called “dwarum” wide open gate way that dwara is mukti dwara, that dwara is bhakti dwara as one associates with the devotees and serves devotees then mukti dwara, Haridwar (laughs) Hari’s dwara is open the gate way of liberation is open by association of devotees.

So these Pracetas when they met the Lord oh! What could I do ask for benediction? Give us association of devotees. So this Shiva who certainly also takes association “vaishnava nama yatha sanbhu” he is great vaishnava, greatest of all the vaishnavas bam bam..bhole…. (Laughter) bhola – he also very innocent also Asuthosh – quickly satisfied. Shiva had association of Sanatan Goswami on the banks of Manasi Ganga, Chakleshswara Mahadev resides there so he had good time in association of Sanatan Goswami. But then one fine morning or day Sanatana goswami decided to leave and he was walking away and Shiva approached him, what’s the matter why are you leaving please stay on I want to be with you in your association. And Sanatan Goswami said there are too many mosquitoes here (laughter) oh! I could take care of them Shiva said don’t worry I will take care, Sanatana goswami stayed on and Shiva took care of all the mosquitoes he drew them away with his trishul.

So shiva not always understood as he is or he is quite a mysterious personality so many aspects of his character and his life, his role. But in Vrindavan we know he is such a elevated personality that even he could enter rasa dance and comes to Mansarovar and he comes off course with his trishul and matted hair and snakes around his neck. Oh! Where are you going? I like to enter dance , not like this you haven’t even taken bath. So it was recommended that you need to have gopi like form and gopi like bhava not Shiva like form or bhava, off course he had bhava he dnt have form so he jumps in with his trishul and dam…dam …damru and snakes and scorpions and comes out the gopi form and then he was welcomed. So he could be the part of rasa dance of the Lord, so that is Shiva even gopis worship and pray to shiva and hence he is known as Gopeswar Mahadev. Gopis are worshipping Katyani also so that they could have “patim me kurute namah” let that son of Nanda maharaj be our husband oh! katyani please please and then katyani was pleased with them after 30 days Lord appeared became their husband stole all their clothes.

And then gopis are praying to Shiva so that they could have Krishna’s association they could also enter rasa dance and dance with Krishna such benediction please oh! Shiva known as Gopeshwar. He wants to take darshan of Krishna and goes to Nanda gram and yasoda says no..no….., he is knocking at the door and yasoda is seeing he is again with snakes not taken bath. Oh! If Krishna my little baby sees you he may be scared, he may get sick just by your drashan go away she slammed the door. And Shiva goes but he wanted to have darshan so at some distance he sits in trance praying and meditating, aspiring for darshan of the Lord and he becomes known as “asheswar mahadeva” not far from Nanda gram. And then of course when that drashan was denied after wards Krishna begins crying and crying and not stopping and yasoda was wondering what happened? What is this due to?

So neighboring ladies come and enquire oh! From what time did he start crying? You know that one baba had come and I sent him away he wanted to take darshan. So as soon I sent him away I closed the door form that time, so maybe there is some connection of your child’s crying, maybe he also wants to see that baba and then they went looking around for him, they found him and was brought to Nanda bhavan now you could take darshan, Krishna stops crying. Shiva was happy Krishna was happy in association of each other. Ok so this Shiva also Sadashiva appears as Advaitacharya is Shiva sada shiv expansion of Mahavisnu. Shiva’s dear devotee was kuber and Shiva was once very pleased, I am very pleased with you kuber ji ask for some benediction, again some talk of benediction, he said please give me benediction, say it say it benediction you could give me you become my son “tatah astu”. And this kuber appears as kuber pandit in Bangladesh and Sadashiv appears as Advaitacharya the son of kuber pandit that is Advaitacharya. Then Advaitacharya’s son called Acyutananda he supposed to be kartikeya son of Shiva this is there in Ganodeshdipika by Kavikarnapur this is how one time Shiva and kuber met and benediction and Shiva appeared as advaitacharya and kartikeya appeared as advaitacharya’s son.

And that advaitacharya Srila Prabhupada mentions Shiva is very very kind infact he is always likes to see that everyone attains liberation becomes Krishna conscious. This is what is on the mind of Shiva all the time he Is thinking ways and means to liberate all these creatures even lower creatures so he is called as Bhutanatha or Pasunatha. All the creatures including human beings they are called pasus in this world when they are not Krishna conscious “dharmen hina pasubhir saman” without Krishna consciousness you are pasu . So those who are not Krishna conscious they are pasus and their natha is Shiva, he becomes their natha and he thinks ways and means to liberate them, so he did that, Pracetas attained perfection of their lives…….Haribol.

Any comment question or comment?

Question: Why people aspire to go for higher planetary system it’s not bhakti?

Answer: ya…when they aspire to go there whether they are serious about Krishna consciousness or not whether that offered the benediction of going to higher planets that’s pariksha or the testing and the reason why Sukhdev Goswami proposed that to king Parikshit or mentioned about going to higher planetary system “krama mukti” to see whether king Parikshit was interested in such proposal, he would also like to take that path but he passed that test by showing no interest to take that path he wanted instant and of course had only 7 days to go he had no time to take long route, he preferred to do chanting, hearing and association of Sukhdev Goswami so that there is “ante narayan smritih” at the end. Say bola…say bola………..coca cola. One person he was so much attached to coca cola he was proposed to say name of bola say bola..say bhola but he was so attached to coca cola he said no… get me coca cola so he left this world chanting coca cola so he went to coca cola loka.

Ok any other

Question: Going around the planets is sense gratification?

Answer: Well Kardam Muni he also had darshan of Lord like Pracetas, Lord appears at back of Garuda at Bindusarowar, Kardam muni is performing austerities Lord is pleased he is so much pleased that tears are gliding down the cheeks of the Lord by seeing his devotee or his affection for the Lord, but then Lord arranged his marriage soon comes Manu and Satrupa here is our daughter please marry her and that marriage takes place so you could say there is some enjoyment there not only that they soon board a plane and they took a tour plane as big as a city contains birds the trees the lakes everything is there all facilities.

And going around this planet that planet. So this is opulence of the lord in service of the Lord as they are thinking of the Lord they are serving the Lord they are not poor, poor man’s children, their father He is wealthy so they may use this opulence’s to see the kingdom of the Lord or see the creation of the Lord. Well someone may go see the nature but if he is Krishna conscious he makes a connection of this beautiful nature with the Lord. In the nature “gando pritvyam” the fragrance in the earth that is me. so if someone is nice fragrance, enjoying fragrance but if that reminds him of the Lord. This is my Lord’s fragrance my Lord is so fragrant. That’s Krishna conscious enjoyment.

Or as he drinks water Lord says “raso ham apsu kaunteya” (B.G 7.8) the rasa the taste in water that is me. When one drinks water if it reminds him of the Lord it’s so tasty, this taste is my Lord that tasting water is not mundane any more. as we smell flower what do we do, if someone is very morose very down, as soon as he smells the flower it kind of lefts them., their consciousness is lifted, this is because of the Lord’s fragrance in that flower.

Once one devotee said we go see sunset its part of the tour but if you see the sun which is vibhuti the opulence of the Lord that “prabhasmi sasi suryayoh” that prabha, that effulgence those rays and that sun and moon that is me Lord says. So if you are seeing with that mood that’s me there is no maya, there is no illusion, sense gratification is not there, you are fully Krishna conscious or that darshan is making you Krishna conscious reminding you of Krishna.

In the spiritual sky there is so much opulence, there is so much opulence the residents of Goloka they don’t stay in some kutir or bhajan kutir they stay in palaces and what they eat is so very opulent, first class enriched with this and that but because they are fully Krishna conscious’s we don’t call that , what they eat, what they see, what they smell, what they touch it’s not gratification any more “atamendriya priti krishnaendriya priti” that’s the difference Krishna is out of picture he doesn’t exist and all that exists is for me for me. “jiva bhutam maha bhao yayedam dharyate jagat” (B.G 7.5) Prabhupada translates this dharyate as exploitation living entity is a superior energy of the Lord, one is material energy “prakrtir astadha” made of 8 elements that is apara prakriti after mentioning apara prakrti of 8 different kinds “bhumir apo nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakrtir astadha” (B.G 7.4) yet there is one another para prakrti “viddhi me param para prakriti “ superior energy that’s is jiva bhuta living entity is superior energy of mine. But in this world as they conditioned they are bound what do they do? dharyeta one energy is there material energy is there and then the conditioned soul tries to exploit try to enjoy that material energy for his own gratification atmendriya priti but if the person is not trying to exploit he is Krishna conscious, in the service of the Lord then it’s his life Krishna conscious life. Krishna in the center, Krishna in the mind, Krishna at every step Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna krishna ….he. So there is no sense gratification, its gratification of Krishna

Ok Nitai Guar Premanande ………..Hari Haribol

Date : Dec 2003
Occasion : Ratha Yatra
Venu: Jhashi
Everything here reminds us of Srila Prabhupada, as we arrived at the station today I was thinking and we were also talking amongst ourselves how Prabhupada also used to arrive at the same train station some 50 years ago. But then I also as we came out of the station looking for transportation there was Mercedes very expensive car was awaiting our arrival, probably there was no car waiting for Prabhupada 50 years ago.
Well it would be good to have Prabhupada having car and we just walking or crawling. Then as we were driving through the town today again we were thinking oh! On this street Prabhupada also must have walked. Then we meet Sastri ji he used to be one of close associates of Prabhupada. Then Janananda Prabhu he came on the train from Kanpur then we were thinking did Prabhupada also come vai Kanpur while coming from Ahallabad to Jhashi.
So like that so many things remind us of Srila Prabhupada here in Jhashi, then we meet the press reporter we had a press conference this afternoon, to them also we mentioned this Ratha Yatra festival we are celebrating to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Prabhupada staying here in Jhashi because Prabhupada stayed here in jhashi.
My God brothers spoke very nicely with several points to the press reporter reminding them of Srila Prabhupada in Jhashi. So like that in so many ways in Jhashi reminds us of Prabhupada, of course there are so many things we are not mentioning. The reason why we are in Jhashi together is because of Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada ki …….jai.
So for pleasure of Srila Prabhupada we are performing this ratha yatra festival, dedicating this festival for pleasure and service to Srila Prabhupada (Jai …ho)
So this Prabhupada consciousness would lead to Krishna Consciousness, they are very much interlinked Prabhupada consciousness and Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada always reminded us of Krishna, so when we think of Prabhupada immediately he is making us think of Krishna.
So we are very thankful to Krishna who send Srila Prabhupada to this planet. Then by grace of Lord Krishna we were able to meet Srila Prabhupada and it is only by the grace of Srila Prabhupada in the way he organized the festivals including ratha yatra. Tomorrow by the grace of Srila Prabhupada we will have darshan of Jagganath in Jhashi Haribol…………………………..
Srila Prabhupada is inviting Jagganath to Jhashi, so seed that was planted by Prabhupada in Jhashi is now turned into plant and gigantic tree that we are seeing in form of our congregation and followers of Srila Prabhupada. So we are hoping we are confident that tomorrow’s festival will still spread Krishna consciousness further far and wider throughout the town of Jhashi. So you all please take part enthusiastically in tomorrow’s ratha yatra festival. Srila Prabhupada would be watching us from up above as we pull the chariot of Jagganath through the streets of Jhashi tomorrow. Haribol……………………
So with these words and thoughts I turn the mike over to radhakund prabhu……
Thank you

Venue: Germany
Bhagvat saptha (Ajamil Katha series – second session)

Never tired, “ Vayam tuna vitratyam” not tired, ya we don’t have enough nectar as we are not full with nectar, please share more talk more, this is the language of the sages of Naimisharanya. So this Ajamil story, stories we like to hear, yes? They are entertaining, there’s some excitement here, but then there are lessons, lessons to be learned from the story. Thus, we hear the story, story also meaning history. So history is also important, to teach us lessons and we hear about the history as something that repeats, history repeats all the time. So, civilizations, they become wiser, longer the history, some traditions or society or country has; they are expected to learn so many lessons and make the decisions based on the experience based on the past. This was done and the outcome was this, but they did this way and this was the result. This works the same laws, laws of the Lord, laws governing us, our minds etc.
So, this is important history, Ajamil’s story, itihas. Sukadeva Gosvami uses the adjective as itihasam. “itihasam puratanam”- this is very ancient history. So, just to summarize the 3 chapters just a overview is the end of the 5th canto of Bhagvatam the description of Hellish Planets at the end of the 5th canto and then beginning of the 6th canto 1st chapter king Pariksit is curious, he would like to know how people could not go somehow they are saved from this Hellish condition. What is the process? What should people do? and Sukadeva Gosvami has recommendation this is Prayaschit, oh! they should do atonement and king Parikshit he flatly refused no no no no atonement won’t work and then more things were proposed this that, this is karma kand. The atonement, the prayaschit is karma-kanda. What about some jyana-kanda? Ok this is also not the best thing. What about some tapasya, daan, dharma, yam, niyam and finally he recommends oh, Bhakti would be the best thing. Krishna also goes for karma-yoga, jyana-yoga, ashtang yoga and then bhakti-yoga. Krishna in Bhagvad Gita is taking his student Arjun through those chapters. So, like that when He comes to conclusion – the bhakti would be the best.
And then Sukadeva Gosvami wants to give example and then he gives example of Ajamil, how he was also sinful. So he describes, Sukadeva Gosvami briefly describes his sinful lifestyle and that resulted in Yamdutas coming but he had chanted the name Narayan, Vishnudutas come and Vishnudutas challenged yamdutas, you prove that you are representatives of Yamraj. It doesn’t look like; the way you are acting you don’t know A B C and you are supposed to be dharmarajas people. So they challenged and asked some questions and yamdutas speak, they say lot of intelligent things but they fall short and they are exposed. They know something but lot of it they don’t know and then Vishnudutas speak and they speak the glories of the Holy name and why? Because this person had chanted the name of Narayan. No no, you can’t take him to the Hellish Planets, to yamloka. So, this way Vishnudutas defeat Yamadutas. Yamadutas go so Ajamil had opportunity to hear the dialogue between these two parties, Yamadutas and Vishnudutas, especially Vishnudutas. He was taking their darshan. They were very beautiful persons to look at effulgent and nice dressed and crowns, beautiful features and the language they spoke. So, then Vishnudutas also disappeared leaving Ajamil behind.
Yamadutas had kind of, they were dragging his soul engaged or embodied in subtle body mind, intelligence, false ego. He was like half in half out. In that state, scary state, he had been hearing this long dialogue going on. He was in that position, very intense time. He did not know which way he is going to go, is he going to stay or ends ups in yamloka but he was liberated, he was relieved he was able to stay in same body but then he regrets and he remembers his past, sinful past and he is talking to himself, reflecting and coming to conclusion, yes I will give this up this kind of lifestyle, this home these children, this wife this dirty wealth. Then he goes to Haridwar to practice Krishna Consciousness and attain perfection. He was liberated by Vishnudutas and by this chanting of Narayan which was done in Namabhas stage. He was liberated but not qualified to go back to Vaikuntha or Godhead.
So he had to do some more of purification by practicing sadhna bhakti and do it everything right this time. So he does that and then when he was qualified same Vishnudutas come and they bring him back to Godhead. Then in meantime course, Yamadutas had returned to Yamraj, that’s the 3rd chapter and they shared their experience. You know, this never happened to us before, look, we have come empty handed, empty pocket we thought you are the supreme ruler but your rule is no more effective, it’s defeated, it’s just nullified. What is the matter? Whats going on? Who were those 4 folks or persons? that we have seen and they seemed very authoritative and are you not the supreme? Who is it? Than later in 3rd chapter, it is Yamaraj speaking he is one of the 12 authorities. If anybody knows Yamaraj. Yamaraj knows full of knowledge and also devotion for the Lord. That kind of personality of Yamaraj is not known to the people; he only knows how to punish and everybody was scared he is such a nice Vaishnav. He speaks more glories of the devotional service and specially chanting the Holy Name of the Lord and then, Sukadeva Gosvami who is narrator, he concludes the story the history saying, I heard this story, Sukadeva Gosvami had heard this story, he is telling Parikshit, I had heard it from Agastya muni or rishi. Once upon a time I was visiting the malaya mountains, malaye, and while Agastya who is addressed here as kumbha sambhavah, i.e. another name for Agastya and he is described as Bhagwan, he is kowledgeable. You know that Agastya muni, Bhagwan Agastya he is knowledgeable. He told me this story while he was worshipping his deity. “asina harim arcayan” he was doing archana, he was worshipping his deity, while worshipping his deity, he narrated this past time, this story unto me. So he couldn’t be telling any lies. How is it possible? He was worshipping his deity. He was touching the feet of his deity and saying yes, this is….whatever he heard it from…so that’s the very last statement of these 3 chapters where Sukadeva Gosvami says, I heard this from Agastya muni.
“itihasam imam guhyam”- this itihas, history, is very confidential.
“bhagavan kumbha-sambhavah”- I heard it from Agastya muni.
“malaya asina harim arcayan”- while Agastya rishi was worshipping his deity. (S.B. 6.3.35)
So, that’s quick overview of these 3 chapters. And with that our idea as I mentioned earlier to do 15 – 20 verses in each session, we have 45 minutes or so. Now, I thought we have more time this morning but this part of singing and introduction and Bhagvat Mahatmya and different different things we invested our time and then we have but again we want to finish complete our quota of we have 19 verses; 2 less, I will also drop some verses. I have to sometimes run, sometimes touch and go and depends what kind of speed we have, time factor and so and some parts of the purports which I have kind of marked or highlighted, we’ll read and try to understand. So it is little different from our traditional Bhagvatam classes in some ways so don’t be surprised.
So, Parikshit uvach, if you can come with Bhagvatam with you or verses in front of you, that could also help you have access to the copies or if you have some personal Bhagvatam, not right now, if from this afternoon onwards if you could be able to have because we’ll dealing with the verses and to help you too. Relate to what I am talking while looking at the verses. Parikshit uvach- king Parikshit said,
“ nivritti-margah kathita adau bhagavata yatha
krama-yogopalabdhena brahmana yad asamsritih” (S.B. 6.1.1)
He has remembered nivritti-margah, there’s a nivritti-margah, there’s a pravritti-margah. Sukadeva Gosvami had described nivritti-margah in the 2nd canto, he says,
“adau nivritti-margah kathita adau” – O you have described this earlier, nivritti-margah – activities which liberate us, liberate the conditioned souls and those souls they go to Brahmalok, they reside there till the end of the creation and then ultimately along with Brahma they all go back to Godhead. krama-yogopalabdhena yad asamsritih, samsritih means coming back again and again, birth and death is called samsritih and ‘a’ always meaning ‘no’ just the opposite. asamsritih means liberation, becoming free from birth and death. So finally they become free and go along with Brahma back to Godhead. So, Sukadeva Gosvami just now finished the description of the Hellish Planets in stating where the Hellish Planets are stationed in the cosmos down on south side, down there, he describes at the end of 5th chapter, 5th canto and so many 28 have been listed and this sin – that hell, this sin corresponding hell and he is hearing about all this, he had heard and Prabhupada is describing in the purport that King is
“Vancha-kalpa-tarubhyash ca kripa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanabhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namaha”
All the vaishnavas are like that, a Vaishnava is an ocean of mercy. Para-dukha-duhkhi he is unhappy because of the unhappiness of others. Therefore Parikshit Maharaja, being compassionate toward the conditioned souls suffering in hellish life, suggested that Sukadeva Gosvami continue describing the path of liberation, which he had explained in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Got the point? In the beginning he was describing this nivritti-margah, the way of liberation. So when King had heard about this Hellish Planets and conditioned souls entering going there. He was, Oh, you mentioned about nivritti-marga?, may be you could tell us more so that these people entering the hell could be checked and this is how nivritti-margah thought has come up. Bhakti-yoga itself is so powerful that even an impious man with no assets in karma-yoga or an illiterate with no assets in jnana-yoga can undoubtedly be elevated to the spiritual world if he simply adheres to bhakti-yoga. At the time of dissolution, Lord Brahma, along with all the inhabitants of Brahmaloka, goes directly to the spiritual world. So liberation and then Prabhupad is further, he specifies the real, ultimate liberations attained by bhakti-yoga.
So king Parikshit would like to know some bhakti-yoga, some process of devotion that could be employed, applied by the conditioned souls so that they don’t have to go to hell. pravritti-lakshanash caiva, this is the 2nd verse. This is how much we could say about the 1st verse. When we give class for 1 hour, we could talk. There are ways; you can talk one verse for ages, hours or you can talk some more verses and get more ground covered but we are a long way to go.
“pravritti-lakshanash caiva traigunya-vishayo mune
yo asav alina-prakriter guna-sargah punah punah” (S.B. 6.1.2)
So he mentions that nivritti-margah, king Parikshit, for liberation. The pravritti-margah which is traigunya-vishayo. pravritti-marga? is people sense gratification, people are inclined as per their gunas, to perform activities in mode of ignorance or passion or some goodness. traigunya vishayo, tri, guna and vishaya – sense objects vishayo, traigunya vishayo. and then sargah punah punah, and as a result they come into being, they take birth again and again, they perform activities and in 3 modes of material nature and this is all pravritti-margah, pravritti-lakshanash – symptoms of person in pravritti – life of sense gratification and result is that they are born again and again in which there is a creation of material bodies guna-sargah. punah punah – again and again. So, king Parikshit would like to know the way out of this pravritti-margah and then nivritti-margah.
“adharma-lakshana nana narakash canuvarnitah
manvantarash ca vyakhyata adyah svayambhuvo yatah (S.B. 6.1.3)
You have also described at the end of the Fifth Canto king parikshit says the varieties of hellish life that result from impious activities. Adhuna, therefore now, mahabhag, you are great soul, Sukadeva Gosvami
“adhuneha maha-bhaga yathaiva narakan narah
nanogra-yatanan neyat tan me vyakhyatum arhasi” (S.B. 6.1.6)
This is already the 6th verse. HARI BOL… So, giving that background, connection with the hellish is concerned. We’ll go to the Hellish Planets, please tell us the nivritti-margah that you have mentioned. So, he says nanogra-yatanan – living entities suffer yatana, means miseries, ugra means very horrible terrible sufferings. If you read the 5th canto you begin your head trembling, the hair would stand on end and you won’t be able to lead a normal life, of eating and sleeping. ugra-yatana – terrible suffering. So, vyakhyatum arhasi, King Parikshit,”I know, you are very much competent to vyakhyatum – to describe, neyat – so that the way out, the process, the solution, the mantra, do you know mantra? Or do you have some mantra for this? Mantra means not a whole big thing, mantra means compact thing. Don’t tell me the whole Ramayan, just tell me some mantra, I don’t want to hear a lengthy description. Come up with some mantra….is there some mantra here? So this is what he would like to know. There’s some mantra. neyat – so that they could be free from this nanogra-yatanan, the terrible suffering that is awaiting this conditioned soul, is there some thing? neyat – so that they don’t have to undergo suffering and I know vyakhyatum arhasi – you are competant, you are qualified O Sukadeva Gosvami, he is glorified this way. Glorified this way. Parikshit Maharaj therefore anxiously wanted to know from Sukadeva Gosvami how humanity can be same from gliding down to hell. He is a King, he’s a emperor, he’s like a father, King is like a father of human beings, he is the 1st citizen. Of course he would be no more, in few days this is 6th canto right? So, just, we have been hearing from last 2- 3 days so few more days to go and he would be no more, still he is concerned.
He is not only concerned about his welfare but he is also concerned about all the citizens. How humanity can be same from gliding down to hell? And this way we also get a hint that all great souls, the Vaishnavas, they always think of ways and means so that they humanities at large or may be alteast smaller chunk we could think of our country, our society or family. Ask me. So that no gliding down to the Hellish Planets. Vaishnava janato te ne kahiye jo para-pidhaye jahanire. This is one Vaishnav says. Vaishnava janato te ne kahiye – O that person is a Vaishnava jo para-pidhaye jahanire one who knows how people are suffering. He is always concerned about everybody’s suffering and he wants’ to do something that is a Vaishnava. To convince them of their next life is very difficult because they have become almost mad in the pursuit of the material enjoyment, right? In Germany, that’s the case. When Prabhupad reached Boston for first time and the mad rush people moving so fast back and forth and Prabhupad was, Oh! my God, to these people I have to preach? They are not even stopping; they are not even looking at me. This you notice when we from India come to the west, people something something, they don’t want to even look at. We Indians will look at everything (Maharaj laughs….) take real look at especially Hare Krishna’s; they don’t want to even look at them or may be looking at the side long glances but want to make sure, you know, some kind of pride, not welcome, get lost or I am just busy you know, I don’t want to even look at you. Prabhupada was in Boston, he was shocked that people are not even looking at me. Then he wrote that poem when back to his jaladuta boat and he had remaining journey from Boston to New Yorkn and he wrote that O Lord, now make me puppet in your hand – “na chaho chaho prabhu na chaho saimate” – you make me dance, O Lord you make me dance.
“amhi to kashther putli’ – I am just a puppet in your hand O! Lord, now you make me dance, you make me speak. I have big name, my name is Bhaktivedanta. So, now you do something so that my face, my name I am said big name Bhaktivedanta but I am not successful here then what kind of Bhakti and Vedant I am. So now it’s all upto you. Prabhupad wrote that poem with all humility approaching his Lord so that he could get his message across to the humanity at large Americans that he had gone to preach that was ordered from his Guru Maharaj and of course Prabhupad’s concern was similar to that of King Parikshit. Prabhupad was nicely stationed in Vrindavan, there’s no shortage of anything but he is para-duhkha-duhkhi as King Parikshit is described here, his mood, he’s only concerned of others’ suffering, wants to do something so the duty of all sane men is to save them, Maharaj Parikshit is representative of one who can save them and so he is approaching his spiritual master King Parikshit out of humiliation that you please explain me how these people could be saved. sri-shuka uvaca, now Sukadeva Gosvami 7th verse is going to respond.
“na ced ihaivapacitim yathamhasah kritasya kuryan mana-ukta-panibhih
dhruvam sa vai pretya narakan upaiti ye kirtita me bhavatas tigma-yatanah (S.B. 6.1.7)
He says Oh! immediately, he immediately came up with solution, unless ‘na ced’, unless they go for apacitim- atonement, apacit is atonement so that they could become free from the sin that they have committed by mana- mind, ukta- the words and panibhih means body. In other words, the sin committed mentally, physically, vocally, this is how sin is committed at 3 different levels; at mind’s level, then it is spoken at level of the voice, sound. He said mind first ‘mana’, ‘ukta’ then you talk sinful, ‘panibhih’ then you use your hands or feet also to commit sin. So sin that is committed by mind, words and body, if someone wishes to become free from this, they will have to perform some kind of some sort of atonement “ dhruva? sa vai pretya narakan upaiti”- and if they don’t do so, then dhruva? – for sure after death they will end up in hell. You want people to not go to hell, right? Yes? You don’t want them to go to hell. So I say they should perform some atonement and, so ok something from Prabhupad’s purport, therefore in response to enquiries of Parikshit Maharaj, Sukadeva Gosvami, his Guru could have immediately explained principle of Bhakti but to test Parikshit Maharaja’s intelligence, he first prescribed atonement according to karma-kanda, the path of furtive activities. He’s testing, what he has proposed is karma-kanda, atonement is part of karma-kanda, so let me see how intelligent is my disciple, King Parikshit. Now this is not said anywhere right? You go through the whole chapter or all the 3 chapters, doesn’t say anywhere that King Parikshit is being tested but here is a statement. So this is the acharyas and their commentaries, they are reading between the lines they read in between the shlokas they kind of try to put things into context, their spiritual imaginations and then they make these fill in the gaps. Oh! He’s being tested. King Parikshit is being tested. So instead of recommending bhakti-yoga devotional service or he could have immediately said Harer Naam………..
“harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita Adi-lila 7.76)
He could have said it in the very beginning immediately Oh! You want to know how people could be saved from going to hell, chant Hare Krishna. Is it difficult to understand? But he is not doing so. So, why is he not doing? Reason has been stated that King Parikshit is being tested. In karma-kanda there are 80 authorized scriptures for your information, karma-kanda, jnana-kanda. karma-kanda, jnana-kanda keval vishayeir bhand, karma kanda, jnana kanda is a pot of poison and how many such pots are there? 80 scriptures just describing different varieties of karma-kanda such as Manu-samhita which are known as dharma-shastras performing pious acts to counteract his pious acts.
So atonement Prabhupad is describing here, this is known as atonement. Try to understand. Performing pious act to counteract impious act. You commit some sinful activity and you want to become free from reaction of that sinful activity. So shastras recommend ok ok you could do this punya-karma, you could perform this pious activity to counteract that impious activity this is so that pious activity that you perform to counteract impious activity that is called prayaschit or the atonement.
“tasmat puraivashv iha papa-niskritau yateta mrityor avipadyatatmana
doshasya drishtva guru-laghavam yatha bhishak cikitseta rujam nidanavit” (SB 6.1.8)
Like a nidanavit – like a physician recommends different medicines according to guru-laghavam, if the disease is of some real bad chronic then there is also corresponding very powerful medicine but if you just have a headache what you take? Aspirin but if it is migraine headache, then aspirin won’t work so this is guru-laghavam. doshasya drishtva, the physician, he will see guru or laghu again. Guru means heavy, serious or light- laghu. What kind of sickness is there, accordingly you will prescribe the medicine. So likewise in case of prayaschit, atonement, there are various kinds of atonements. In Christianity also there is a process of confession, atonement, therefore atonement is required and atonement must be undergone according to the gravity of one’s sinful acts, Prabhupad says but that in itself ofcourse is not ultimate solution but it does do some job for becoming free from that particular action, sinful act. But how many sins we have committed? How many? Countless, ocean, in this birth then previous birth. So, what you are dealing with is Oh! I just performed this sin so I want to become free from reaction of this sin. So you do this atonement but how many atonements? There’s so much stock of sins. So this atonement is the patch work, it does some job but is temporary and the rest of the stock of the karma, prarabdha, aprarabdha that is all waiting sitting there. Ok now King Parikshit, we’ll do faster, says prayashcittam atho katham, Oh! prayashcit would not work, this atonement will not work, no no no no,
sri-rajovaca – “drishta-shrutabhyam yat papam janann apy tamano ahitam
karoti bhuyo vivashah prayashcittam atho katham” (S.B 6.1.9)
That person’s desire for committing sin will not go away by atonement, he has become free from the reaction of particular sinful activity but the desire to commit sin, the desire to go on enjoying, exploiting this material world that has not been eradicated, well done, Spiritual master is very happy. Good good, now you understood, I am very pleased with you King Parikshit. Again he has not said that, we are saying because we know he was being tested. Bhuyo – again and again that person will keep committing sinful activity, so what good is the prayashcit, atonement that he had been recommended, no no no no, I don’t agree. Therefore Maharaja Parikshit saw that the process of repeatedly sinning and atoning is pointless. Regardless of how many times he is punished, one who is attached to sense enjoyment will commit sinful acts again and again until he is trained to refrain from enjoying his senses. You got that point? So this is the Vaishnav acharya Prabhupad and they will come up with statements like that and that’s the Bhagvatam. In the 3rd chapter of Bhagvad Gita when Arjun asked, “Oh how come we don’t like to commit sin but we end up committing sin? What is that is pushing? Oh that is kamaesha krodhesha, there’s kama, there’s lust, there’s anger number one enemy” and starting to reply like that then Krishna explains indriyani niyamyado, in the beginning indriyas the senses have to be niyamya – controlled by regulating the senses you start there and then you will be saved from kama, krodha and these enemies and that’s the point that only when the follower or person is trained to refrain from enjoying his senses then he is on the safer side but with the process of atonement that is not achieved.
“kvacin nivartate abhadrat kvacic carati tat punah
prayashcittam atho apartham manye kunjara-shaucavat” (SB 6.1.10)
King Parikshit, this is the second statement, Sukadeva Gosvami will again talk further, sometimes person becomes, he stops the sinful activity – abhadrat but kvacic – sometimes again carati tat punah – again he commits the sin. prayashcittam atho apartham – this atonement is apartham – useless, waste of time and energy and I consider manye –aham manye King Parikshit says this whole thing is kunjara-shaucavat – this is just like the bathing of an elephant, kunjara “narova kunjarova” Krishna said. Kunjara means elephant and kunjara shaucavat so, elephant goes into the lake on padayatra we had elephant for several years so we know the tendency of the elephant taking nice bath and then coming to the bank immediately throwing the dirt. So I think manye I am strongly convinced so by this atonement you clean yourself but then you commit sin again, this is exactly like the bathing of an elephant. Sometimes one who is very alert so as not to commit sinful acts he is victimized by sinful life again and this sinning and atoning, sinning and atoning is useless, Prabhupad is translating like that. There’s a purport but I am also looking at the watch. So we will just go to the next verse.
sri-badarayanir uvaca- “karmana karma-nirharo na hy atyantika ishyate
avidvad-adhikaritvat prayashcittam vimarshanam” (S.B 6.1.11)
Badarayani, who is badarayani? Sukadeva Gosvami, son of Vyasadev is Badarayani. Okay okay, you say karma-kanda is useless, ok I also agree. So he says prayashcittam vimarshanam – the cultivation of the knowledge of Vedant the full knowledge of Vedant, Oh that is prayashcit and cultivation of this knowledge will certainly make person free from sinful desires. Guru Sukadeva Gosvami has examined Parikshit Maharaj and it appears that King has passed one phase of examination by rejecting the process of atonement because it involves sinful activity. Now Sukadeva Gosvami suggesting platform of speculative knowledge, progressing from karma-kanda to jnana-kanda. He is proposing prayashcittam vimarshanam – real atonement is full knowledge, this is now the proposal, alternative proposal of Sukadeva Gosvami to become free from learned and material contamination, therefore one should try to understand Krishna for thus one is immediately liberated from all pious and impious activities and their reactions. Srila Prabhupada is very fast, so that point will come but Prabhupada tries to make each purport complete; what if someone reads only one purport? Prabhupada wants to makes sure that Bhakti is there; if someone reads only that much and Oh! karma-kanda and so, there also Prabhupada will conclude, there also he will say Krishna, Krishna’s Bhakti, devotional service. That is the specialty of Prabhupada, he immediately brings Krishna into the picture, into the verse. So Sukadeva Gosvami is going gradually, Prabhupada is putting conclusions right in there.
“nashnatah pathyam evannam vyadhayo abhibhavanti hi
evam niyamakrid rajan shanaih kshemaya kalpate” (S.B 6.1.12)
Translation: Following regulating principles, My dear King, if a diseased person eats the pure, uncontaminated food prescribed by a physician, he is gradually cured, and the infection of disease can no longer touch him. Similarly, if one follows the regulative principles of knowledge, he gradually progresses toward liberation from material contamination.
So this is still a gradual thing and not a final thing, the diet; if sick person is there 2 things, what are 2 good things for him? Diet and medicine and then gradually he comes. So he is talking vyadhayo – person suffering from vy?dhi – disease, he is recommended pathyam – eat this, you don’t eat this. Then gradually one become free from contamination, so from jnana-kanda, with jnana one becomes gradually from contamination but how long does it take?
“bahunam janmanam ante jnyanavan mam prapadyate vasudevah sarvam iti”
sa mahatma su-durlabhah (Bg 7.19) The jnyani following karma-kanda, Krishna says he will take bahunam janmanam ante – after many many births then he will come to the conclusion Oh! Vasudev is all in all, they’ll surrender unto him. It’s quite gradual right? Prabhupada wanted us to gradually come another 100 births? what was Prabhupad’s program? One lifetime. So we cannot go through this, it’s too long, too gradual for us. Then some more things are being prescribed here.
“tapasa brahmacaryena shamena ca damena ca tyagena satya-shaucabhyam
yamena niyamena va deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnyah shraddhayanvitah
kshipanty agham mahad api venu-gulmam ivanalah” (S.B 6.1.13-14)
So, then more regulated life of tapasa – the performance of austerities, brahmacaryena. Anyway you could now always have a whole class just on tapasa or you could speak for 7 days on tapasa, tapasa could be your topic you could talk for 7 days or you could take brahmacaryena and you could talk. There are 8 kinds of brahmacaryas, so there are names darshana, sparsha, this that, there are 8 names ending with sambhog its called the physical sex indulgence is called sambhog, bhog we can say enjoyment and sambhog is doing it in a complete way. So the 8 different ways of going against brahmacarya. So like that when you have that luxury of time each one could be described what are those different ways of going against brahmacarya or illicit connections with men and women.
shamena ca damena ca, what is shama? what is dama? shama – subduing your mind and then attain 3E43E45tranquility. They are 2 different things, shama dama they are similar but one is trying to control the mind at the subtle level try to control, regulate your wanderings, that’s called shama and dama – at the physical sense level you try to subdue your activities, sinful activities or bad behavior. Then you say shama, dama, tyaga- renouncing, satya – cultivation of truth, shauca – cleanliness, yamena niyamena – one is yam another one is niyam. What is yam? What is niyam? Do’s and don’ts. So, what is ya is don’t or yam is do? yam means yamraj also. So this you remember, because you don’t do this but if you did it then you are going to yam. So there is yam. And so following 4 regulating principle this is yam and chant Hare Krishna this is a niyam. Yam, niyam; do, don’t do. So don’t do is no meat, fish, egg, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling this is yam. Don’t do this otherwise you’ll go to yam or Yamraj will come and get you. Then what should we do? Chant Hare Krishna so that is niyam. Yam, niyam this is also how the ashtanga yoga begins with, and let’s not think that we are free from yam niyam. We may know that it is as far as for ashtanga yogis yam niyam, no no, that is also for us because bhakti yoga is complete, not that we are above the rules and he says kshipanty – one will become free from sin, mahad api – it doesn’t matter how big it is venu-gulmam ivanalah – like venu means bamboo right? And then the leaves of the bamboo tree are on the ground and also it has leaves, bamboo leaves. So, all this is this will work like analah – the fire burning the bamboo, including the leaves. The next one is mentioned now bhakti which on karma-kanda, jnana-kanda then this regulated life of yam niyam satya-shaucam and brahmacarya, shamena damena and result of that shamena damena compared with the burning of the venu-gulmam the bamboo tree or leaves but now comes the bhakti part.
“kecit kevalaya bhaktya vasudeva-parayanah
agham dhunvanti kartsnyena niharam iva bhaskarah” (SB 6.1.15)
Hari Bol…. this is kecit kevalaya bhaktya vasudeva-parayanah – only bhakti will agham dhunvanti – all the sins would be cleansed away like niharam iva bhaskarah – like a sun on the foggy day, when there is a fog, the sun rises and then sun drives away all the fog and the sky is fogless, the atmosphere is fogless. So is there any traces left? Fog is something bad or causing badness, ignorance, means sun rises then fog is gone and everything is gone there’s not a trace left yes? But now going back to the other example, the bamboo is burnt, the leaves are burnt but roots are still in there, see the 2 examples one after the other, the same speaker is giving, you do this tapasa and all that shamena damena and all that. It does a great job but it will not tapa-trayounmulanam the beginning of Bhagvatam says. Srimad Bhagvatam says tapa-trayo unmulanam, ‘mula’ means roots, uprooting, everything is uprooted, all bad things bad desires, uprooted. So nothing could be compared with bhakti. So sun has risen and completely no trace is left of the fog anymore.
“na tatha hy aghavan rajan puyeta tapa-adibhih
yatha krishnarpita-pranas tat-purusha-nishevaya” (SB 6.1.16)
Now he takes one step forward. He said bhakti, bhaktya kevalaya, but now he says; this is a long purport you should read Prabhupada says, when the point of bhakti came up then Prabhupada has spent pages take that advantage of this bhakti point and these are quotes from different Acaryas and very valuable, prarabdha and aprarabdha and so many nice points abhasa-rupa bhakti. Even in the stage of abhasa-rupa bhakti, namabas you have heard but this is bhakti abhasa, namabas and bhakti abhasa beginning stages of bhakti all the reactions of sinful life are uprooted and vanquished.
Srila Jiva Gosvami expresses the opinion that the word kartsnyena in this verse means that even if one has a desire to commit sinful actions, the roots of that desire are vanquished merely by abhasa-rupa bhakti. Just the rays before sun rises to the dawn, before sun rise you see the, kind of, twilight is there means sun has not fully manifested so that time is called abhasa. Abhasa – as if sun has appeared but he hasn’t appeared but he could give some hint oh! sun must be now appearing, sun is about to appear, not appeared fully. So that is called twilight, abhasa. And bhakti abhasa, the sun need do no more than merely manifest its first rays, and the fog immediately disappears. Similarly, if one has even a slight relationship with devotional service, all the fog of his sinful life is immediately vanquished. And so the next verse that “na tatha hy aghavan rajan puyeta tapa-adibhih” he says tapa-adibhih means what? Just mentioned the word ‘tapa’ and ‘adi’ is attached to it, adi means etc. So that is going back you have to say the whole list tapa then tapasa, damena shamena, brahmacaryena all this.
So he is not repeating but just says tapa-adibhih, by tapa by this by that the whole list etc. Puyeta – cannot do the cleansing, na tatha yatha is another thing to understand the verses you always come across yatha tatha not as much as this that can accomplish. Yatha – as much, tatha – that much, you will see yatha, you will find tatha there. In this verse, tatha – as much as this tapa, austerity etc can do the cleansing which does less cleansing, “yatha krishnarpita-pranas tat-purusha-nishevaya’ by serving the pure devotee or of the Lord you do more cleansing than done by tapa etc. so, first Sukadeva Gosvami had proposed bhakti of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, here he mentions Oh! krishnarpita-pranas tat-purusha-nishevaya – that person, you serve that person, which person? krishnarpita-pranas – one who has offered his pran, his life in service of the Lord. “Mac-citta mad gata prana bodhayantah parasparam kathayanta ca mam nityam tusyanti ca ramanti ca” (B.G 10.9). My devotee offers whole life to me makes offering of his life unto me. So Sukadeva Gosvami says one who has offered his pran unto the Lord that purusha-nishevaya by that person’s service one does the best cleansing and there’s a nice purport to that.
“sadhricino hy ayam loke panthah kshemo akuto-bhayah
sushilah sadhavo yatra narayana-parayanah” (SB 6.1.17)
Translation: The path followed by pure devotees, who are well-behaved and fully endowed with the best qualifications, is certainly the most auspicious path in this material world. It is free from fear, and it is authorized by the shastras, narayana-parayanah and then you become abhayah – fearless and like that.
Now, Sukadeva Gosvami himself is saying that just like a wine bottle, there are so many of them in this country or other countries, so many varieties of bottles, sura-kumbham (SB 6.1.18) wine bottles na nishpunanti – you can’t really clean the bottles, wine bottles. Devotees will never use the wine bottles for anything. So likewise prayashcittani -the atonements performed by narayana-paranmukham it is understood, devotees of Narayan but those who are non-devotees and they are performing atonement so they will not cleanse their consciousness they will not be successful like the wine bottle cannot be really cleansed. There’s only one thing you could do, the wine bottle cannot be cleansed but your hearts could be cleansed not by prayashcitta that’s the point he made, not by atonement, but kecit kevalaya bhaktya – devotional service or krishnarpita-pranas tat-purusha-nishevaya the person who has dedicated his life in service of Lord, you serve him and the cleansing is done and here’s the final statement, final verse of this session,
“sakrin manah krishna-padaravindayor niveshitam tad-guna-ragi yair iha
na te yamam pasha-bhritash ca tad-bhatan svapne api pashyanti hi cirna-nishkrita?” (SB 6.1.19)
Our mind enters the lotus feet of Lord even once and becomes attached to Lord’s guna lila rupa. So, once someone has achieved that status that stage, such person the Yamadutas they will not even glance, not even look, they may be scared of such person, such devotee, they will not go near him what to speak of arrest him and bring him to abode of Yamaraj. Not even in the dream, such a devotee not even in the dream he will meet Yamadutas what to speak of in reality and cirna-nishkritah this is the right type of atonement, performance of devotional service and serving the devotees of the Lord is the best type of atonement although not having, translation- fully realized Krishna, persons who have even once surrendered completely unto the lotus feet, who have become attracted to his name, form, quality and past times are completely free from all sinful reactions for they have thus accepted the true method of atonement even in dreams, such surrendered souls do not see Yamaraj or his order carriers who are equipped with the ropes to bind sinful.
The word sakrit is significant because it indicates that if one sincerely surrenders to Krishna once, even if he falls down by committing sinful activitie. The sinful reactions of one who has surrendered unto Krishna are compared to snake with his poison fanks removed. Such a snake is no longer to be feared. Ofcourse one should not commit sinful activities on the strength of having surrendered to Krishna. However, even if one has surrendered to Krishna happens to do something sinful because of his former habits, such sinful actions no longer have a destructive effect. Therefore one should adhere to lotus feet of Krishna very tightly and serve him under the direction of the spiritual master. Thus in all conditions one will be free from fear. And then the text no. 20, we’ll start from this afternoon and that is where, so this was like a introduction to these 3 chapters or the history of story of Ajamila and the historical background why this topic has come out, King Parikshit’s concern and solutions offered by Sukhdev Goswami and in the beginning some of the things proposed by Sukhdev Goswami have been rejected by King Parikshit and Sukhdev Goswami thus give other proposals then bhakti and serving Vaishnavs and then now he wants to illustrate these things by historical account, itihas and past time. So, next verse he begins the narration of the past time of Ajamila. HARI BOL.