Kasyapa Muni’s Instructions to Diti and

Venue: Vrindavan

01 12 2016 [1:03:06]

nadhauta-padaprayata
nardra-padaudak-sira?
sayitanaparannanyair
nanagnanacasandhyayoh [SB 6.18.51]

This is Kasyapa muni speaking to Diti, giving various series of instructions.

Translation: You should not lie down without having washed both of your feet or without being purified, nor with wet feet or with your head pointed west or north. You should not lie naked, or with other women, or during the sunrise or sunset.

This is list of do’s and dnt’s. Please repeat.

dhauta-vasasucirnityam
sarva-mangala-samyuta
pujayetpratarasatprag
go-vipransriyamacyutam [ SB 6.18.52]

Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupada ki jai.

Translation: Putting on washed clothing, being always pure and being adorned with turmeric, sandalwood pulp and other auspicious items, before breakfast one should worship the cows, the brahmanas, the goddess of fortune and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Purport: If one is trained to honor and worship the cows and brahmanas, he is actually civilized. The worship of the Supreme Lord is recommended, and the Lord is very fond of the cows and brahmanas (namobrahma?ya-devaya go-brahmana-hitayaca). In other words, a civilization in which there is no respect for the cows and brahmanas is condemned. One cannot become spiritually advanced without acquiring the brahminical qualifications and giving protection to cows. Cow protection ensures sufficient food prepared with milk, which is needed for an advanced civilization. One should not pollute civilization by eating the flesh of cows. A civilization must do something progressive, and then it is an Aryan civilization. Instead of killing the cow to eat flesh, civilized men must prepare various milk products that will enhance the condition of society. If one follows the brahminical culture, he will become competent in Krsna consciousness.

So Diti vows to kill king Indra, is the title of the chapter. Just to protect king Indra and the company, the Lord has killed Diti’s two sons, first Hiranyak?a followed by Hiranyakasipu. And of course, this was too much for Diti to handle the loss of two children. And they were killed just to favor Indra. And the killer is of course Vishnu. So she is not tolerant and also envious of Indra. So now she wants to kill that Indra who kind of became the cause of the killing of her two sons. So now she wants to give birth to a son who would be the killer of Indra. She has approached her husband Ka?yapa muni and she has confidentially disclosed or revealed her mind. She said “I want your help! help! help! My dear husband.”

Then Kasyapa Muni has come with some strategy. You do some do’s and don’ts, as a result, you will have a son and for sure he would be the enemy and killer of Indra. And off course, you have to do perfectly well, flawless. If there is any flaw or any shortcomings that will spoil the whole thing and the son to be born, instead of him becoming a killer of Indra, he would be a supporter and friend of Indra. So it was ok with her. And of course, where we stand now in this chapter she is in the middle of receiving the instructions, the process. The first verse that we read has the nishedha part (Don’t do this), the second verse which we read says you do this. This has been spoken by Kasyapa Muni. The verses which we read says nadhauta-padaprayata. Before you lie down make sure you have washed both the feet.

Both feet have to be washed. nardra-padaudak-sirah. Then you have to wash and wipe them dry. They should not be wet before you sleep. That is taken care of washing, then wiping the feet, making them dry. Make sure when you lie down your head is not towards the north and not to the west. Nanyair, when you lie down, there should be no one else. But you alone. Nanagna, make sure you are not naked. And do not lie down. Two times mentioned, sandhyayo?. The joint of the night and the day that is morning, another joint of day and night that is evening, so during these two periods, you should not lie down. Quite a details list. All these rituals. Much easier to just chant Hare Krsna. Not to worry about all these details and then no hard and fast rule also.

namnamakari bahudhanija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpitaniyamitahsmaranenakala?
etad?sitavakrpabhagavanmamapi
durdaivamid?samihajaninanuraga? [CCAntya 20.16]

Translation: “My Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, in Your holy name there is all good fortune for the living entity, and therefore You have many names, such as K???a and Govinda, by which You expand Yourself. You have invested all Your potencies in those names, and there are no hard and fast rules for remembering them. My dear Lord, although You bestow such mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by liberally teaching Your holy names, I am so unfortunate that I commit offenses while chanting the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment for chanting.

There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. Here there are lots of them. And not easy also to follow in the age of kali. So we are asked just to chant Hare Krishna. But Kasyapa Muni goes on, and this is to do part. This is easier. This is something we could also do.
dhauta-vasa, make sure your clothes are clean. sucirnitya?, always being cleaned. Sarva-mangala-samyuta, and once done this purification part, clean clothes etc. She is a woman. You could put on some ornaments. Your body could be decorated with turmeric, sandalwood pulp. Not lipstick and the whole cosmetic industry. During Vraja Mandal parikrama we recommended all the ladies to take some Vraja raj with them, take the dust of Vrndavan and just applied that whole over body or face. The body will be sanctified, purified and beautified also. That’s not going on, but instructions are here for the civilized society.

Pujayet, you worship, pratarasatprag: before breakfast, you have to do puja and puja of go-vipran. Personalities are mentioned. You worship cows, Brahmana, Laxmi (The goddess of fortune) and Supreme Personality of Godhead. And then Prabhupada is highlighting,

namobrahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana-hitayaca
jagad-dhitaya krsnaya
govindaya namo namha [Visnu Purana 1.19.65]

Translation: “My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.” [Visnu Purana 1.19.65]

This is done in a civilized society. They worship the cows and the Brahmanas. There is a culture of worshipping Brahmanas and cows. Even Lord worships the cows and Lord worships the Brahmanas. Krishna – Balarama takes care of the cows. Krishna has one job, one service He has. Everything is past times. But He has one job to do that is all day He has to take care of cows.

luta luta dadhi makhana khayo, gvala-bala sanga dhenucarayo
aiselila-dhamako (mera) barambara pranamhai

Translation: He who sneaks around to steal yogurt and butter, then hides to eat it, and who tends the cows in the company of His cowherd boyfriends – unto He who is the reservoir of playful pastimes, I offer my most humble obeisances again and again.

Our God is herding cows all day long. He also does stealing. Our God is a thief. He steals butter that comes from the cows. It’s like salary He gets. The fruit of His labor. He is laboring hard taking care of the cows all day long. In return, He gets little butter. This is all He gets for taking care of the cows all day long. Krsna has set the standard of serving Krsna and serving brahmans and also honoring brahmanas.

namobrahmanya-devaya

He is the worshipper of the Brahmanas and cows. Sudama brahmin came to Dwarka visiting his friend. He was a poor friend of Krsna but was a Brahmin. Lord Krsna was sitting with Laxmi (Rukmini) on the throne. As soon as He saw, He didn’t even take permission from her, He ran and rushed and He welcomed him by deep embrace. And the Lord was shedding tears. That way He was doing abhishek of Sudama brahmin with His tears. He brought him into the palace. He made him sit on the same throne on which He and Rukmini used to sit. Brahmin didn’t even have the proper clothes. Very thin and skinny body. But Lord Krsna worshipped him. He offers worship to the cows. He serves the cows. He even massage the calves’ feet. When the calf is tired and straggler (left behind) then Krsna picks him up and carries him.

Or Krsna may sit down with the calf on his lap and do gentle massage to the calf. He is grazing them all day long. That is serving the cows. He was very anxious to serve the cows and the calves. And Krsna from Gokul they came over to Vrndavan. Krsna was 3 years and 8 months old only, He proposes that He want to serve and take care of cows. Yashoda was not in favor of His proposal. She said, “You little boy, still drinking my breast milk, you never left home or our home town.” In Gokul, Krsna used to be just in town. He has never been out of the town. Now He is proposing I will go to the forest to take care of cows. And then Yashoda and Nanda were having a debate. She was not in favor nor letting her darling Krsna go into the forest at such a tender age.

But Krsna was insisting that “No no I want to go.” He was anxious to serve the cows and calves. Nanda baba was in favor. And In this way, Krsna had become vatsapal. the calf herd boy. That was the first service that He was given. But as He grows in age and become more competent. When He becomes 5 years old (pauganda) all the assembled Vraja -vasis decided in favor of Krsna becoming a cowherd boy. Krsna was very eager to care and serve cows of Vrndavan. And the cows also were very eager to be in the company of Krsna all day if that was possible. Cows were not going into the forest without Krsna. Cowherd men were struggling to bring the cows into the forest, but they were making a U-turn and come back and be there in front of Nanda bhavan. They said if Krsna will not come with us then we will fast and will do a hunger strike. And the cows were just sitting there. They were serious. They would not go. So Gopas were compelled to make a decision.

This is His manifest past times. He is taking birth and then He is a young boy. Then He begins the herding the cows. This is manifest lila. But it is eternal pastime, unmanifest lila. He is always a cowherd body. Eternally herding and serving the cows, watering the cows. He brings them to various kundas. There are so many kundas in Vrndavana so that cows can graze in the forest, grazing lands and fields and when their belly are full they also need water, so they brought to nearby kunda. When Cows drink water, Krsna also likes to drink water. He drinks the water, the way the cows drink. Cows don’t use their hands or feet for drinking water. They just directly drink with the mouth. So Krsna also right there on the bank of kunda, He bows down with His hands on the ground and He begins drinking the water the way cows drink. He likes to imitate the cows.

Krsna loves and serves the cows. Krsna entertains cows with His flute playing. I think I was talking about this on Gopaasthmi day also. When their bellies are full they sit down and then they chew their cud. Then Krsna climbs up the tree and plays His flute and while they are chewing the cud Krsna entertains them with the sweet flute. Krsna is playing flute for their pleasure. So many dealings for the service and pleasure of cows and the service of brahmanas also.

namobrahma?ya-devaya
go-brahma?a-hitayaca
jagad-dhitayakrsnaya
govindayanamonamah

Krsna-Balarama ki Jay
Nitai Gaura Premanande
HarihariBol