Venue: Pandharpur
Verse: Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.47

srivatsankam ghana-syamam
purusam vana-malinam
sankha-cakra-gada-padmair
abhivyakta-caturbhujam

Word for word:
srivatsankam — the mark of Srivatsa on the chest of the Lord; ghana-syamam — deeply bluish; purusam— the Supreme Person; vana-malinam — with a garland of flowers; sankha — conch shell; cakra — wheel; gada — club; padmair — lotus flower; abhivyakta — manifested; catuh-bhujam — four handed.

Translation by Srila Prabhupad:
Lord is further described as having the mark of Srivatsa, or the sitting place of the goddess of fortune, and His bodily hue is deep bluish. Lord is a person, He wears the garland of flowers, and He is eternally manifest with four hands, which hold beginning from the lower left hand, a conch shell, wheel, club and lotus flower.

Purport by Srila Prabhupad:
Here in this verse, word purusam is very significant. The Lord is never female. He is always male (purusa). Therefore the impersonalist who imagines the Lord’s form as that of a woman is mistaken. The Lord appears in female form if necessary, but His perpetual form is purusa because He is originally male. The feminine feature of the Lord is displayed by goddess of fortune—Laksmi, Radharani, Sita, etc. All these goddesses of fortune are servitors of the Lord; they are not the Supreme, as falsely imagined by the impersonalist. Lord Krishna in His Narayana feature is always four handed. On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, when Arjuna wanted to see His universal form, He showed this feature of four-handed Narayana. Some devotees are of the opinion that Krishna is an incarnation of Narayana, but the Bhagavata School says that Narayana is a manifestation of Krishna.

(The sloka and translation is repeated)

This section of Bhagvatam or some of the verses of this chapter here, chapter entitled “Druva Maharaj leaves home”, what we get to hear is a description of the beauty or beautiful form of the Lord. As we go through the chapters of Bhagvatam, and some other scriptures also, some places, some sections are describing the beauty of the Lord and there are lots of them from every now and then and yet there are other parts describing qualities of Lord Krishna. If you just try to visualize or think of those sections, you could think of several describing qualities of the Lord, Him as merciful and etc. 64 qualities. In Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, Nectar of Devotion , Rupa Goswami while describing qualities of Krishna, he will take so many verses from Bhagvatam and scriptures also and while talking of the form of Lord, he will again quote the verses from Bhagvatam and other Vedic literature sources and there will be yet another section describing the pastimes of the Lord, lots of pastimes, everywhere and then there are some other chapters, sections glorifying the holy name of the Lord, Ajamil, story of Ajamil, and then there are other sections, descriptions of Vaikuntha as a whole chapter, describing abode of the Lord.

“Sri-Radhika-Madhava-yorapar-Madhurya lila guna-rupa nam-nam”

So all these name, form, quality, beauty is described throughout Bhagvatam. I think in Nectar of Instruction Upadesamrita Srila Rupa Goswami talks how, if you want to talk of a person in a complete way, then you have to talk of his name. Ok you said the name, some of the information or knowledge about that person, you have to know qualities of that person, then you get to know him more, you have to know how he looks like and you get to know him more, his activities, you know him more, his address, where does he stay? His abode? His residence? Then you know him more. So to know the Lord, Srila Prabhupad says, yes, everyone says “God is Great.” One of the quality of the Lord. “God is great.” But how is He great, that no one knows or they know very little about the description how God is great. Ok. Lord is beautiful but then, where are the descriptions of that beauty of the Lord, here you go, we are here. So Bhagvatam, Bhagvat also means different things related with bhagvan makes Bhagvat, things in relationship with bhagvan is Bhagvatam. So what is bhagvan?

“Isvarasha samagrasa viryasha yassha sriyaha jyana vairagyashaiva”

These 6 opulence of the Lord, this is what makes him Bhagvan, so those opulence’s again are described in Bhagvatam, hence this scripture is Bhagavat. It’s a complete scripture. If you go by this definition or understanding and if you want to understand someone, you have to understand his name, quality, activities, his place, name, address, telephone number, and then you know him fully. So if we apply this criteria to other scriptures, again in some other Purans, you don’t find name, form, qualities, activities, abode or very little, just drop here, drop there, yet there are other scriptures, the Bible and Quaran, there is hardly any description of the form of the Lord, although they will make a statement. Yes, man is made an image of God or Quaran will say, yes, in the seventh heaven, there is a throne and God is sitting there or on his right hand side, there is Jesus or there is a Mohammad sitting. They will talk of the hand of the Lord, right hand, his seat but then they will not describe how Lord looks like? Or Quaran also mentions, 99 names of Allah, as we have Vishnushastranam, 1000 names, Quaran describes, mentions 99 names and gives descriptions also of each name. What does it mean? So some names are mentioned, some introductory things, just giving hints, some indication only. But Bhagvatam is the only scripture, in existence, on the planet in the universe that describes off course we add, Guadiya Vaishavas add to this list, we add Caitanya Caritamrita to this list, Brahad Bhagvatam to this list, and like that we have, Guadiya Vaishanavas have bigger body of knowledge, because so many other says, “Oh! God is indescribable.” Did I say it right? He can’t be described. Ok. Then shut up. Can’t be described, this is what they want to do. Yes, can’t be described. So he is so wonderful, sometimes I have no words to describe what I just went through or the beautiful scene. Oh! I can’t describe, it is indescribable.

Krsna das Kaviraj would also say this how much I could describe not that I can’t describe but this is my limit. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is here in Vrindavan and what he is going through, his emotions, his ecstasies, its just beyond me. What I could manage I have described, more could be described by Anantsesa only. I leave this upto Lord Anantsesa, he has 1000 mouths and he is much more capable of describing and I have written just few chapters but crores of volumes could be written just to cover the pastimes of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu touring Vrindavan, going through Vrindavan. So others don’t know the Lord or they have made it easy, unfortunately describing Lord without the form. Yes! Yes! He exists. Yes he exists but he has no form, He is formless. Yes! Yes! God exists but he doesn’t see. What does that mean? Srila Prabhupad describes that in Isopanisad that means you are trying to call God as blind. Yes, yes He exists but cannot walk. What does that mean? He is lame, is that a description of Lord? Who would care to worship, pray to God who is helpless, can’t walk, can’t see, yes, you could see but God can’t see. What does that mean? You are more than God, yes, something that I can do but God can’t, I can walk, forget it. God can’t manage walking, I can talk but He is dumb fellow. Prabhupad argues like that, is that God? Understanding of God. This is a big disease, cancer spread all over the world, throughout the human race. This is called Impersonalism, Mayavad.

“Namaste sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine , nirvisesa-sunyavadi –pascatya-desa-tarine”

People suffering, influenced and suffering because of the impersonalism, and another “ism” called voidism, nirvisesvad and sunyavad, the Buddha, “Mayavadam asat shastram” ,mayavad is a false scripture and I am the one. “Maeva kalau Brahman rupena” at one place. Shankar, Shiva is talking to his good wife “ I am the one appear in the age of Kali as Sankaracharya and I propagate this impersonal business, I take role of a Brahman, strong preacher Brahman, I go allover India preaching impersonalsim. But this is “Mayavadam asat shastram”, what kind of sastra is this? Asat, false and which has covered Buddhism, they are related. “One says God is, everything is zero” and shankaracharya had to say no, no, He is not zero, He is one. Then other acharyas had to appear and futher corrections saying He is not zero, He is not one, He is two. But then that was also too much, the two identities where so much stressed and which kind of made the distance bigger between the two, there close affinity and close contact and eternal relationship wasn’t so much emphasized and that had to be done as Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu with his philosophy of “achintyabhedabhed” tattva.

He took kind of 2000 years, from the time Buddha appeared 2500 years ago and Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared 500 years ago. So, 2000 years to go from zero to one, to two, to simultaneously one and different, gradually and gradually He walks and then Srila Prabhupad has taken this philosophy of “personalism” all over the world, just recently, infact last week the Times of India wrote editorial and gave a hint why ISKCON is successful? The countries and place and towns and villages were even the bollywood, India’s Hollywood is called bollywood has not reached, places where bollywood has not reached, ISKCON has reached, small places and towns on the planet. So this huge success of ISKCON is because they are emphasizing this “personalism” in this world of impersonalism, editor noted, this world is full of impersonal, not only spiritually speaking but otherwise also dealings are very impersonal, like machines, no heart to heart, friendly dealings. There are no personal dealings, only business dealings, even if it sounds personal but its all motivated. So ISKCON is becoming successful because the world is dominated by impersonal philosophy impersonal dealings and what world needs is personal touch. ISKCON is propagating this Krishna is a person that’s what, impersonalism is because they make God impersonal,

“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”

So “Srivatsankam” on the chest of the Lord. What is the sign on the chest of the Lord?” “Srivatsa.” What does it look like? It’s a line on the left side, left chest of the Lord, left side of the chest of the Lord. What’s the colour of that line? Golden and there is hair, hair on the chest of the Lord and there is a line, not just a mark but hair, fine hair and that is Laxmi, seat of Laxmi on the chest of the Lord.

“Srivatsankam ghanashyamam”

You all understand Ghanashyam, Srila Prabhupad gave that name to Ghanashyam. Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj was named Ghanashyam, kind of colour, deep black, deep bluish but weather that matched his karmi name, I don’t know, but matched the colour, John, so he should have been Jaggannath or Jagatpati, instead Prabhupad gave the name Ghanshyam. Gopis look at the clouds in the sky in the monsoon season and they are reminded of Krishna or even peacocks in Vrindavan, in Vrindavan clouds gathering up above in the sky, they begin dancing, they have a good time. Ghanshyamam, deep bluish, and anything that is deep and vast, is kind of bluish, ocean is deep, big. Right! So its bluish in colour. So is the sky, so there is some Krishna connection, Krishna’s colour, Krishna’s colour is reflected. Even the mountains, big, tall range of the mountains, looks what colour? Again bluish. “Ghansyamam purusham,” this word is significant, Prabhupad is pointing out, purusha also means He is person and purusha means enjoyer, He is male, because the womens liberation movement in the west, they are wondering.

Oh! God should be why why only male? Half of the population of humans are females, why are you saying God is male? But if you want to enjoy, anyone who wants to enjoy, he is a male, so these ladies are not ladies, they are not females, they want to be male, they take the role of male and want to exploit some other male, males, enjoyer, purusha means enjoyer, male means enjoyer. So male thinks female is a female, female thinks male is a female, they are trying to enjoy each other. Infact both of them are females, why are you fighting? What for? Understand? Who you are? You are female in relationship with the Lord that’s your position just surrender, you are meant for Lords enjoyment, you are to be enjoyed, not that your are enjoyer, this is when the spiritual life begins with this proper understanding, otherwise no one really understands who is who? Who is male? Who in female? So bhram, confusion, caught in this dual nature of male and female, black-white, easterner-westerner, all these kinds of….. “Vanmalinam,” he wears the garland of flowers from the forest, they just pick up fresh flowers of different colour and string them together and just offer, they don’t do much work on these flowers, yesterday we got some flowers from Solapur, there were so many colours in those flowers but those flowers were not natural colours, that imposed or painted from outside, the colours were put on those flowers, so vanmali doesn’t mean just take flowers as they are offer, cowherd boys also do this cowherd girls of course are even more expert in making garlands for Krishna.

“vanmalinam sankha-cakra-gada-padmair
abhivyakta-caturbhujam”

And he manifests four hands, he has four hands, each holding one symbol, one holding sankha, because which hand is holding which symbol makes lot of difference, he has different names. So Srila Prabhuapad describing here, maybe this is the normal, basic. He has four hands, two left hands, two right hands. So sankha, cakra, gada, padma, so you start from beginning, from lower left hand that is holding conch shell, next one is holding wheel. Left, upper left, then upper right hand is holding club and lower right hand is holding lotus flower, lets look at, is he holding?

Radha Pandharinath ki jai……………

Although one time Krishna tried showing four handed form, that did not satisfy the Gopis and Radharani, so Krishna had to appear in this form, so take a close look at this form.

Haribol………….