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.