Dated: 10/ 10/ 2010
Venue: ISKCON Vrndavana

Hare Krsna! Thank you for being with us, this morning as we read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, from canto 4, chapter 25th, text number 15th.

“nila-sphatika-vaidurya- mukta-marakatarunaih
klpta-harmya-sthalim diptam sriya bhogavatim iva” (SB 4.25.15)

Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupada KI… Jai!

The floors of the houses in that city were made of sapphire, crystal, diamonds, pearls, emeralds and rubies. Because of the luster of the houses in the capital; the city was compared to the celestial town named Bhogavati.

Purport:
In the city of the body, the heart is considered to be the capital. Just as the capital of a state is especially gorgeously filled with various high buildings and lustrous palaces, the heart of the body is filled with various desires and plans for material enjoyment. Such plans are sometimes compared to valuable jewels such as sapphires, rubies, pearls and emeralds. The heart becomes the center for all planning for material enjoyment.

“nila-sphatika-vaidurya- mukta-marakatarunaih
klpta-harmya-sthalim diptam sriya bhogavatim iva”

The floors of the houses in that city were made of sapphire, crystal, diamonds, pearls, emeralds and rubies. Because of the luster of the houses in the capital, the city was compared to the celestial town named Bhogavati.
This is Vrndavana, I was expecting some pastime that we talk about and anyway we always have freedom, at some point. The characteristics of King Puranjana is the chapter, is the theme, Puranjana. So you have been reading through, hearing this nityam bhagavata-sevaya (SB 1.2.18) as part of the Sadhana given to us by Srila Prabhupada. Hearing Narada Muni, is Narada Muni speaking? And he is talking to, king Pracinabarhisat and when talking to that king, he is narrating, there is narration about another king. He started his narration saying “asit puranjano nama raja” (SB 4.25.10), there was a king called Puranjana and he had a friend, this is also mentioned. “avijnata sakha asit! raja asit” avijnata sakha ca asit, they are both there. There was a king, called Puranjana and his friend called avijnata sakha! Or this king did not know that he also had a friend and avijnata-cestitah, neither he knew what were the activities of his unknown friend because he was just a Puranjana, pura meaning city, Nagpur and Jagannatha pur or puri.

So Puranjana, Jana means person, person residing in pura or person residing in the city and that is the living entity that resides in all the cities which are bodies. So hence, Narada Muni is talking in fact, all of us, all, everybody, all of you are devotees or maybe you are not Puranjanas (laughing). But everybody is a Puranjana. So that everybody is residing in the Puri. “nava-dvare pure dehi” (BG 5.13) this is Lord Sri Krsna’s words from Bhagavad Gita, “nava-dvare pure dehi” which has nine gates. So living entity that resides in the body and that is his, that is his town, that is his city or that city itself could be a capital or Oh! That’s the HEART of the town! They say, THAT IS THE HEART OF THE TOWN, down town, city center. So this body is the city and center of this body is what? – Heart! And, about that heart, we are hearing about that, that heart. The city of the body, the heart is considered to be the capital, in the city of the body, in the city of the body Prabhupada writes, the heart is considered to be the capital and the capitals are normally very very opulent. Krsna – Balarama ki… JAI!

Specially capital, rest of the country may be underdeveloped but every country makes sure as we go around the world we see, the capital city, that country invest all the wealth, make a show piece when others come that they will be impressed with their country. They might not see the countryside they just would end up seeing the city so they make sure, that capital city is lustrous, dazzling, Shining and glittering and Slick.

So, likewise the city the heart here, compared to the valuables- nila- sapphires, crystals and diamonds and pearls and emeralds and rubies, the whole heart is bedecked with all these valuable gems and all those valuable gems and rubies are considered, considered his different items for enjoyment. His plans for his enjoyment. “klpta-harmya-sthalim diptam” – so the floors of the places are lustrous and the sriya, the opulence of this city could only be compared with Bhogavati! – bhogavatim iva. Bhogavati is yet anothe very very opulent township. You will find that in lower planetary system. That is the capital; that is also capital. That is the capital of the Nagas. Nagas have naga – loka, because it is in lower planetary system, there is a description that the sunrays do not reach in that region. But no problem, there are Nagas with the diamonds and rubies on their hoods and they are all shining and dazzling. So there is a light all over and that capital is very very opulent. This is Bhogavati! In Bhagavatam this Bhogavati is compared, when they describe the INDRAPRASTHA! That was like a Bhogavati or that DWARKA, Oh! that was like a Bhogavati, capital of the Nagas. So now the, our heart which is capital, compared with the capital of the body and that is compared with the Bhogavati also.

Such plans, Srila Prabhupada writes, the heart of that body is filled with the various desires and plans for material enjoyment. Such plans are sometimes compared with the valuable jewels as sapphires all that. The heart becomes the center of all planning for material enjoyment. So heart is important, isn’t it? In the whole body, we give lot of importance to the heart. Oh! That’s Heart! Within the core of my Heart, this is so dear to my Heart! Or sometimes devotees will say “I LOST MY HEART IN VRINDAVAN!” They do not say (jokingly) I lost my leg in Vrndavana (laughters), I lost my finger or I lost some hair or I lost my head or I won’t even go back, I lost my heart, so dear to my HEART. So nothing seems to be as important in the body as, as what? As the heart! If everything stops, some other items or parts of the body stop we could carry on but if the heart stops; everything stops. And of course spiritually speaking, the heart is, heart is the seat! That’s where we reside. Where do we stay? Us as the souls, we stay in the heart. That’s the base of the soul. Soul is based in the body. Ah, based in the heart! Here is the soul and next to the soul is? Super-soul also and that is avijnata sakha. There is, the super-soul is avijnata sakha, not known to the living entity although he is the closest neighbor and the best friend also, sakha but soul does not know that his friend is just around the corner, not even, he is just there! So forgetting that sakha, “suhrdam sarva-bhutanam” (BG 5.29), he gets into the spirit of enjoyment and then he is bound to this world, well, he is bound to this body and then the body it becomes part of the world, he is bound to the world. How is he bound? For binding you need some, how do you bind something? With the ropes! Very good. So, there are ropes, we are bound with the ropes and those ropes are called hrdaya granthi, hrdaya.
Again we want to use this to carry on with this theme heart and the capital. Hrdaya! and Hrdaya, in the Hrdaya there are hrdya granthis, there are bonds, there are Knots! Ropes, the ropes are binding. Well, two things are bound here. This knot is binding body with the soul, matter with the spirit and in the conditioned state, he cannot figure it out which is which, what is what, who is who! “yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke” (SB 10.84.13). yasyatma-buddhih- because he is bound, he cannot figure it out, uhm. yasyatma-buddhih- because he is bound he cannot figure it out, yasyatma-buddhih-he thinks body is myself, he forgets the soul and forgets the super-soul. Of course he has already forgotten and doesn’t even know who he is and he is completely bound. Because of his Hrdaya granthis, Hrdaya granthis also have there are “samsaya-granthis” (SB 11.24.29) another name given to these granthi, these bondages and these knots- samsaya-granthis! – Doubting, doubtfulness, the conditioned soul is always doubting.

As a result what happens? Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita again- “samsayatma? Samsayatma vinasyati, Samsayatma vinasyati! – One who doubts, is Doomed! Vinasa- destroyed. So hrdaya granthis have some samsaya granthis. There are always doubts and always questions and no faith and no shraddha and he is always doubting. Hrdaya granthi, samsaya- granthi, there are Karma granthis, as the result from karma, Karmas are binding. Karma granthis are there, Karmas are binding. Soul is bound up; soul is bewildered because of samsayas.

And all this is because of his spirit of enjoyment, he wants to enjoy, wants to enjoy. Srila Prabhupada in one of his purport says- the soul in the body, this Puranjana is like a king. He is free, to do anything and everything to enjoy. Let’s enjoy! Want to enjoy! He is free so he is also, that’s the reason or another reason why he is called King! He is king of the body! This is all given to use, all yours and material nature gives ok here it is! Take it! It’s for you! And once he has it, then he is the king of the body. He is a master; he makes a master plan and “OH! I have conquered that enemy. And I will conquer him also! Oh! I have acquired this much wealth today and tomorrow I have this strategy to make MORE money!” And once I have money what do I do? “diva carthehaya rajan, kutumba-bharanena va” (SB 2.1.3)

As soon as sun rises in the east during day time, Divaca Artha, where is money, where is money, where is money? ‘divaca arthe haya rajan’ and then money for what?- ‘kutumba-bharanena va’- for maintenance, enjoyment of the family in his kingdom now he is not alone but he has some, some soldiers. In the words of Sukadeva Goswami –“ dehapatya-kalatradisv, atma-sainyesv asatsv api” (SB2.1.4) he has some little, little army around him. He had a body then Deha, apatya- children and Kalatra- wife, adisu and so, that capital has some citizens. Beginning with, of course the words of Rsabhadeva “pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam” (SB 5.5.8)- this where the crux of the matter is THIS- pumsah- of the humans or male then, striyah- the woman, mithuni-bhavam, mithuni bhava, maithun, this, the sex in the center and that bhava. Not Madhurya bhava or Sakhya bhava, Dasya bhava there are so many kinds of bhava as at here in Vrndavana is full of bhava, Vrndavana is full of mellows and rasas because of rasa-raja Sri Krsna ki… Jai!

Rasa-raja Sri Krsna, reservoir of all pleasures and his different rasas, Madhurya rasa, that’s the topmost rasa and vatsalya rasa in Vrndavana, Sakhya rasa- so many sakhas and hardly any friend no, Dasya rasa is not in Vrndavana. Some his friends may be carrying, I carry your lunch packet. He is a friend but he is carrying lunch packet, so he is predominantly friend but he also plays a role of being a servant. In Vrndavana, Madhurya rasa as the number one dominating “parakiya-bhave jaha brajete pracar” there is vatsalya and there is Sakhya, lots of Sakhya bhava. So this world is a reflection, oh! Not this, not Vrndavan, I forgot that I was in Vrndavana this world is different. I was just now in Delhi, so I thought, thinking ‘This’ world is, that Delhi world or the rest of the world is reflection of THIS world. So this bhava here, reflection of that bhava is the material world. The topmost bhava, topmost rasa in Vrndavana is Madhurya rasa, Sringar rasa, conjugal loving dealings of Radha and Krsna, Gopi and Krsna. So what is the topmost in the spiritual sky appears in the material world as the lowest thing. Well ‘sastra-caksusa’ (SB10.84.36) – point of view or Krishna, a devotee, vaisnava point of view, that is the lowest, of course! For the materialist that is the topmost. The topmost pleasure is the, this mithuni bhava “pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam” Maithun bhava. So “tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim ahuh” (SB 5.5.8). So when man and woman they get together, what happens? Well, their contact, their interactions the hrdaya granthis they come into existence. The knot after knot after knot after knot, they are bound.

The farmers in the villages they get animals to go around, in the middle they have a stick or a pole and there is a rope and some cows or bulls are tied they keep going round and round you can imagine, some of you must have experienced, I have experienced in my village. So all day, almost all day the, the animals are going round and round and round they are walking, they are going but they are not going away, they just go around that, the pole in the middle. So like that the person bound to “pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam” the house is in the center, and who is in the center of the house? – Woman is in the, the center of the center. And then Rsabhadeva says grha- the house, the ksetra or maybe there is some more land, property, grha ksetra and suta- the sons, children, apta- relatives, vittaih- the wealth and bank balances. “moho yam” (SB 5.5.8). And this creates whole big illusion, these are the items for enjoyment, starting with grha ksetra, woman, wife, children, and we need vittaih, wealth, money.

So they gather all this and they try to enjoy and every time they try to enjoy, what happens? They are bound. And they are more ‘hrdaya granthis’ every endeavor they make, they think I will get out of this! Get out of, but another attempt they make they get more entangled and the knots become tighter and tighter. This reminded me of, again going back to the village scene or the countryside, there are great gardens and the foxes always come, they like the grapes. So, smart farmers what they do with the atta, (speaking Hindi-kya kehte hein usko?) the, the, when it is made wet before chapatti, you make chapatti? Dough! Dough! (Laughing). I never gone to the kitchen, I don’t know this! I only eat chapattis. I don’t know what happens before that (jokingly). So dough! So they, they take a big pot and the pot is filled with the dough which is sticky as you know. And that whole thing is kept at the entrance of the, the grape garden from where the foxes go in and out. And they spoil all the garden, they eat something, they spoil lots of grapes. So to protect the garden, the farmer does this- puts this, the dough in a pot so as foxes going, trying to go in, one of his hind leg gets stuck into the dough, in the dough. The fox seeing- “OH! No problem! Only one hind leg is in the dough! What I am going to do now is! The another hind leg which is free, I am going to push little bit, just little bit and get this hind leg out. And as he makes his attempt, the other leg also gets stuck. Then OH… NO PROBLEM, my fore legs are free! I had just used one leg now I am going to use both the, the front legs and I will push little bit and get these both legs, hind legs out and I’LL BE FREE and in the garden, enjoying the grapes. As he tries to push his, the front fore limbs, into the dough, sticky dough, immediately he is stuck! He couldn’t get the hind legs out. All his four legs are into the dough, he is stuck! But he thinks, there is always ray of hope. He says No Problem! , my whole mouth is all free. My head is free, I am going to push little bit with the head and get all four legs out and I will be in the garden! As he makes this attempt his whole head is stuck, his all four legs are stuck, he make, begins making the noises. The farmer comes to know. He comes with a stick and beats him to death of half killed and ok GO!

So this is something like this happens as one tries to make attempts, oh! I am in trouble but I have this plan, this scheme, I will get out of this. But as he makes attempt, that fails and his, his hrdaya granthis are, he is bound more with the samsaya-granthis and then, the karma granthis, more and more karma is created and he is bound more and more. Of course, the advice is that, “bhidyate hrdaya-granthis” (SB 1.2.21) In the very beginning Suta Goswami’s advice is “bhidyate hrdaya-granthis” – all the hrdaya granthis, all thebondages, the knots, should be pierced, cut… “bhidyate hrdaya-granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah” All the knots of the doubtfulness, doubting! Bonds caused by the hmmm, doubts. Chidyante! Cut that into pieces! So “bhidyate hrdaya-granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah ksiyante casya karmani” And you eradicate! You eradicate! All the karmas, they are sticking. They are binding, they sticking to the consciousness. There are beejas and this and that, there are different phases, stages, kuta, prabdha. So ERADICATION! “ksiyante casya karmani” ksiyante, ksaya means ksaya is also one disease called tuberculosis TB! TB! It’s called ksaya, TB! Tuberculosis. Person, who is healthy gradually, gradually diminishes in his size and then you know he has ksaya roga and finally only bones and the skin.

So ksaya means diminishing like that- smaller and smaller, smaller. So there is a big heap of the karmas. ksiyante means minimizing, diminishing, diminishing, diminishing. Diksa! That is also the explanation of di, Diksa. ksaya, there is the Spiritual Master gives “dadati jnanam” he gives jnana! And that jnana does the ksaya of the karmas. Karmas are exhausted; karmas are eradicated by the knowledge delivered by the Spiritual Master.

“jnanagnih sarva-karmani bhasma-sat kurute tatha” (BG 4.37). Lord said in Bhagavad Gita- jnanagnih -Jnana! The knowledge has the fiery thing! So what does that do? jnanagnih! The fire of the knowledge, “bhasma-sat kurute tatha”! sarva-karmani- all the karmas are? Destroyed, BURNED to the ashes. That’s the power of knowledge. Or it is said- you take a sword of knowledge, armed with yoga, armed with the knowledge then you cut. sarva-samsayah- all the doubts, the bonds, those bonds you cut. Karma! Karma granthi you cut, cut, cut! Those who are knowledgeable, they use the knowledge to cut these granthis, cut these bonds. Different kinds of bonds that we talked about- hrdaya granthi, samsaya granthi, karma granthis are cut, burnt! ksaya, exhausted, eradicated. And as finally comes to know after many trials and errors of trying to enjoy. Kathopanisad explains- there is a tree, on the tree there are two birds, one is atma, the conditioned- illusioned soul is trying to enjoy! He has so many plans. Sometimes he enjoys of some good karma or punya karma, he goes to heaven, enjoys and then there is the suffering. He goes between these two, two states, two seasons. Sukha- duhkha season. Sukha season, duhkha season. “agamapayino nityas tams titiksasva” (BG 2.14), of course Lord’s advice is – try to tolerate. So he goes through happiness, sometimes distress sometime. But the other Bird! He is saksi. “saksi ca, anumanta ca” he is anumanta, he is only witness, he doesn’t indulge in, in enjoying this world.

So he is sometimes HEY! That bird is always, happy or fixed. There are no ups and downs for him. Who is he? Could I also, attain such a state? Could I get out of this “dvandva-mohena bharata; iccha-dvesa-samutthena” (BG 7.27) iccha- desires and dvesa- hatred and the illusion and the dvandva of this world? Could I transcend? Could I also? Some thoughts like this and anyway! Then he turns to Him, begins to listen to the, the Lord in the heart. In the same heart, Lord sitting is the ‘avijnata sakha’ “mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca” (BG15.15). He was provided with lots of forgetfulness and then as, he comes to, begins gradually coming to the senses, the conditioned soul, paying attention to the super-soul, then he begins getting the knowledge and remembrance. And, then he comes in contact with Vaisnavas, then he gets his Bhakti. Bhakti comes from Bhaktas, bhaktas give him Bhakti finally. And he, then he gets some mantra. “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare! Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare!”

And that, that mantra, listen to this. Not that you were not listening, but, this must be something important so, attention! Savadhan! The Mantra acts like a, like a bow and that then Soul is the arrow. The soul is the arrow! The bow and arrow, bow is the mantra; soul is arrow, an arrow. foooo!!! (Making sound). Next thing is you shoot and what’s the target? – Supreme Personality of Godhead! His Lotus Feet, His devotional Services is the destination, TARGET of that arrow! So the piercing, the hrdaya granthis and all, all cut to pieces. When Mantra is USED! , then the soul gets the BOOST! Psheeeww!! (Making sound). Something is pushing him out of the situation that he is stuck into. So when mantra gives big boost to him, then, that arrow, the soul ends up at the Lotus feet of, of the Lord Sri Krishna- Balarama, Radha- Syamsundara, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.
And he is out, his enjoying spirit, finished; it has come to an end. He is not bound anymore. He is out of his own Kingdom, he is not a king anymore as he was thinking- “I am Puranjana, I AM… all in all! I am this, I am this, I am the enjoyer and this, all that, he is free from, he is, now at the, Feet of the Lord and he is in another Kingdom where Krsna is the King or Krsna is King in Dwarka. Where Radharani is the Queen! Someone said this is… Vrndavana is not Kingdom, Vrndavana is not Kingdom, Vrndavana is Queendom! Kingdom, Dwarka is Kingdom of Dwarkadhish but Vrndavana is a Queendom, Queendom and this is ‘tapta-kancana-gaurangi – Radhe vrndavanesvari vrsabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye”. And then, the soul is properly situated. And that’s the, that’s the goal, that’s the perfection of life and, and that world is… that capital of Krsna or Radharani has original, spiritual sapphires and

“cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa- laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam, laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam” (Bs 5.29)

All these wealth, all these sapphires, sphatika, vaidurya, mukta and marakata, Arunaih, Vrndavana is land of Laksmis, not just one Laksmi. In Vaikuntha only one Laksmi, Narayana has only one Laksmi. But Vrndavana has? “sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam” So many Laksmis. There is so much, how much wealth? Very very RICH land is Vrndavan, even the steps of the kundas, the ghatas- there is no stone, there is no cement (laughing), no dirt all Jewels! Even for construction (laughing) even for construction they use such a material, then what to speak of the palaces, there is so much wealth in this, in this land of Sri krishna and Balarama and. So there is no loss, there IS NO LOSS! As we heard, you know- a few of your family, were you lost? Few brothers, sisters? So called lost, but you get so many more brothers and sisters, what is the loss? Maybe you left one mother behind, you got so many Mothers, you left some wealth behind, oh what’s the loss? Krishna is your Father that becomes your Father’s property. Lot of people say “Is that your father’s property? Is that your father’s property? What do you think; this is your father’s property?” We could say yes! Yes! My Father’s property. Who is my Father? If Krsna is my Father, then? – All property is my property also. My father’s property! But I want to be a good son that is why I will take only how much? – “tena tyaktena bhunjitha” (Isopanishad 1st slok). Only as much as I need I will take, I want to be good son as Jesus was a good Son of the Lord and so I want to be a Good son. Otherwise whole property belongs to me, belongs to my Father but I have so many brothers and sisters, so I will take only as much as I need!

So there is no loss, coming to Krishna, so the scriptures advertise, Srimad-Bhagavatam advertising the spiritual sky. There is always advertisement- go to, GO TO KATMANDU! And you, you go to Katmandu and then GO TO PARIS! They always advertise, there is something here or something there. And people just begin, they go round and round. Wherever you go, they say- you go elsewhere or you go elsewhere! So there is promotion and advertisement and commercials to buy this, go here, go there

The scriptures are also advertising Vrndavana… Krsna. Go to Him, GO TO HIM! GO to Him. He is this, He is that. No false promises, all reality, all factual! “sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam” (CC Antya 20.12) for your good fortune- “sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam param vijayate sri krsna sankirtanam” as one gets involved with the sankirtana movement, then that sankirtana, that Holy Name, that Lord, from Him comes the, MOON BEAMS come. And then what happens? -The kairava, the Lotus begins blooming! And what is that Lotus? – That is sreyah or good fortune. The good fortune Lotus begins blooming with the beams of candrika of the beams of Krsna Consciousness, beams of the Holy, holy spiritual beams, rays, rays of hope and good fortune and all like BLOOMS! So… ok, so I think we, made few points, I tried to say… few words, any questions? … Comments?

Haribol!
Grantha-raja Srimad-Bhagavatam KI! Jai! Sri Krsna- Balarama ki, Jai, Srila
Prabhupada ki ……..Jai,
Gaura premananden Hari- Hari Bol!