Hare Krsna,

Similar to Vasudeva’s prayers, Devaki’s prayers, in the beginning, also reflect her awe and reverence for the Supreme Lord. Being an unalloyed devotee, she could understand that the same Lord Visnu appeared as her son. Her prayers reflect her realization of Lord Visnu at that particular moment. It must be noted that underneath her prayers run the emotions of a mother fearing for the safety of her child. Therefore, the way I look at her prayers is that she is reasoning with herself that since her son is none other than Lord Visnu Himself, she has no cause to fear. Otherwise, why would she pray that everything is within the limits of time, but time moves under the direction of the Lord, who is therefore not within the limits of time. She therefore surrenders unto Him with the hope that only the Lord (her child) can save Himself from the cruel Kamsa. The Lord is fearless and can make her fearless. She thus surrenders to Him.

Devaki prays that with the appearance of the Lord, death is fleeing in fear of Him. The living entities, who have obtained shelter at His lotus feet by His mercy, are sleeping in full mental peace. But still why are Devaki and Vasudeva still inflicted with fear?

“When Kṛṣṇa appears, everyone is freed from fear of death, yet Devakī felt, “We are still afraid of Kaṁsa, although You have appeared as our son.” She was more or less bewildered as to why this should be so, and she appealed to the Lord to free her and Vasudeva from this fear.” (SB 10.3.27 Purport)

Finally, Devaki’s motherly nature takes over and thereby prays to the Lord to save them and give them protection from the terrible fear of Kamsa. In a way she is indicating that the Lord is fearless, and His devotees are fearless. Why then does the Lord keep His mother and father in fear? Due to motherly affection (vätsalya-bhäva), Devaké thinks that her small child cannot kill Kamsa. Therefore, she worries about harm coming to Him from Kaàsa and becomes more fearful.

“Devakī was so afraid of Kaṁsa that she could not believe that Kaṁsa would be unable to kill Lord Viṣṇu, who was personally present. Out of motherly affection, therefore, she requested the Supreme Personality of Godhead to disappear. Although because of the Lord’s disappearance Kaṁsa would harass her more and more, thinking that the child born of her was hidden somewhere, she did not want the transcendental child to be harassed and killed. Therefore she requested Lord Viṣṇu to disappear. Later, when harassed, she would think of Him within her mind.” (SB 10.3.28 Purport). This shows the zenith of Devaki’s motherly affection for her child.

Basically Mother Devaki is telling Krsna, “Withdraw this uncommon four-armed Viñëu form and assume a form of a normal human baby, and I will quickly hide You.” (Sarartha Darsini)

She also fears ridicule from people who, she thinks, would not be able to believe that the Supreme Lord, the entire cosmos, containing all created moving and nonmoving entities, enters His transcendental body and is held there without difficulty at the time of devastation, has taken birth from her womb.

Srila Prabhupada’s purport to verse 31 is very deep and profound. I was wondering why he got into the intricacies of love of Godhead. I found the answer in the following lines:

“There are five stages of loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead — śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. Devakī is on the platform of vātsalya. She wanted to deal with her eternal son, Kṛṣṇa, in that stage of love, and therefore she wanted the Supreme Personality of Godhead to withdraw His opulent form of Viṣṇu.” (SB 10.3.31 Purport)

The other doubt I had was why are Vasudeva and Devaki, who realize the Supreme Lord as their child, afflicted with fear and lamentation? Is it out of ignorance? In response, Srila Prabhupada explains that such fear and lamentation is actually an expression of love of Godhead.

“From the very beginning of one’s transactions in bhakti, one is situated on the transcendental platform. Vasudeva and Devakī, therefore, being situated in a completely pure devotional state, are beyond this material world and are not subject to material fear. In the transcendental world, however, because of pure devotion, there is a similar conception of fear, which is due to intense love.”  (SB 10.3.31 Purport)

“Not wanting to be ridiculed for having given birth to Viṣṇu, Devakī wanted Kṛṣṇa, with two hands, and therefore she requested the Lord to change His form.” (SB 10.3.31 Purport)

“The glory of vätsalya-prema is that it makes Kåñëa the object of pity and extreme attachment. Although Kåñëa’s majesty (aiçvarya) is present, the mood of vätsalya (affection) covers it in such a way that Kåñëa becomes subservient and bound by the ropes of attachment.” (Sarartha-Darsini)

What a wonderful set of prayers to meditate upon!!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Initially Vasudeva was completely under awe and reverence of his son who appeared in the form of baby Visnu. Vasudeva was situated in the secondary rasa of adbuta (wonder or astonishment). When baby Krsna appeared with lotus eyes, four arms holding conch, club, disc and lotus flower, Srivatsa on his chest, etc. Vasudeva was filled with wonder because such a form of a baby is extraordinary. Awe and reverence are a naturally outcome of such a vision. Naturally his initial set of prayers glorify Krsna’s opulence and greatness as befitting those of the Supreme Lord. The prayers are also philosophically deep.

Within Vasudeva’s heart, there is affection for his son and at the same time knowledge of His transcendental nature. Both awakened at the same time. First Vasudeva feared that “my baby will be harmed by Kamsa.” This resulted in affection for his son. But when he became aware of the Supreme position of the Lord, he became fearless. In essence what I am observing is the swinging of Vasudeva’s emotions like a pendulum – swinging from awe and reverence to vatsalya mood. Vasudeva was very much aware of the fact that even though the Supreme Lord appeared as a baby and as his child, the child is still the Supreme Lord.  He was not in ignorance, thinking that because the Supreme Godhead had appeared as his son, the Lord had become limited. Therefore, Vasudeva prays that the Lord is unlimitedly existing and all-pervading, inside and outside. This is also a message to readers like us that Krsna always maintains His supreme Godhead and transcendental nature even if He is born as a child. Otherwise, there is a risk of committing offense by thinking of Him as an ordinary child.

By verse 21 and 22, Vasudeva was not much fearful about his baby Krsna being killed by Kamsa. On the contrary, he is confident that Krsna will kill all the demons in order to protect the devotees and the citizens in general.

SB 10.3.21 -22: O my Lord, proprietor of all creation, You have now appeared in my house, desiring to protect this world. I am sure that You will kill all the armies that are moving all over the world under the leadership of politicians who are dressed as kṣatriya rulers but who are factually demons. They must be killed by You for the protection of the innocent public.

O my Lord, Lord of the demigods, after hearing the prophecy that You would take birth in our home and kill him, this uncivilized Kaṁsa killed so many of Your elder brothers. As soon as he hears from his lieutenants that You have appeared, he will immediately come with weapons to kill You.

What we see here is that Vasudeva’s sthayi-bhava in vatsalya always remained underneath but finally comes across strongly.

“Although Krsna cannot be killed, Vasudeva, as the father of Krsna, was trembling because in affection he thought that Kamsa would immediately come and kill his son.” (SB 10.3.22 Purport)

I also like Srila Prabhupada drawing a parallel to the Krsna consciousness movement where he says that “Krsna consciousness movement and Krsna are not different and no asuras can check it.” It is clear ISKCON is Srila Prabhupada’s child and he is in the vatsalya mood assuring all protection to his beautiful institution.

“The Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is also an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa in the form of the holy name (nāma-rūpe). Every one of us who is actually afraid of the asuric rulers and politicians must welcome this incarnation of Kṛṣṇa: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Then we will surely be protected from the harassment of asuric rulers.” (SB 10.3.21 Purport)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

There are quite a few wonderful aspects in this section of the prayers by the demigods.

SB 10.2.37: Even while engaged in various activities, devotees whose minds are completely absorbed at Your lotus feet, and who constantly hear, chant, contemplate and cause others to remember Your transcendental names and forms, are always on the transcendental platform, and thus they can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This prayer shows that the practice of hearing, glorifying and remembering the name and form of the Lord is the means for realization of the Lord. Such devotees are affected by the material miseries even though they are in so-called material platform. As the Lord is not affected by the modes of material nature, so a pure devotee of the Lord is also not affected by the modes of nature.

“Anyone who, by his actions, mind and words, lives only for the transcendental loving service of the Lord, is certainly a liberated soul, even though he may appear to be in a condition of material existence.” (BRS 1.2.187)

SB 10.2.38: O Supreme Lord, You are not an ordinary living entity appearing in this material world as a result of fruitive activities. Therefore Your appearance or birth in this world has no other cause than Your pleasure potency. Similarly, the living entities, who are part of You, have no cause for miseries like birth, death and old age, except when these living entities are conducted by Your external energy.

The Lord’s appearance in the material world is not just to protect the devotees and annihilate the miscreants. He also appears to perform pleasure pastimes that gives joy and bliss to the devotees. In this special month of Kartika (Damodara month), devotees are enthralled by the sweet pastimes of little Lord Damodara. By His sweet pastimes, He is drowning all the sincere devotees into pools of ecstasy. Even though He is afraid of Mother Yasoda, He instills fearlessness in the devotees. Just by remembering Him the fear of the demons like Kamsa disappears even without His personal appearance. In today’s trouble-prone world where there is too much fear and paranoia, remembrance of the Lord and His Holy Name are the only solace from such fear.

I personally like the next prayer.

SB 10.2.41: O mother Devakī, by your good fortune and ours, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, with all His plenary portions, such as Baladeva, is now within your womb. Therefore you need not fear Kaṁsa, who has decided to be killed by the Lord. Your eternal son, Kṛṣṇa, will be the protector of the entire Yadu dynasty.

I find this prayer sweet because it shows the demigods compassion and concern for Mother Devaki. Remember that the demigods started their prayers seeking protection for themselves. But gradually in the course of their prayers, their consciousness became so elevated that they started praying for others. They are giving assurance to Mother Devaki that she need not fear Kamsa. She has Lord Krsna and Lord Baladeva in Her womb. She is carrying the two most powerful personalities in her womb. They will give protection to the whole creation and especially to the Yadu dynasty. Therefore, Mother Devaki has nothing to fear.

This is the sign of advancement in bhakti. Neophyte devotees pray for themselves. Advanced devotees pray for others’ welfare. As we are going to observe the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada tomorrow, it is a good time to meditate on his compassion for all suffering souls in this world. Srila Prabhupada always prayed for others’ welfare. He gave us books so that by reading them the sleeping souls can awaken from their sleep on maya’s lap and realize their true eternal identity and abode in relation to Lord Krsna. This is the power of sincere prayer of a pure devotee. By the strength of his prayer and purity, he can deliver the whole world.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In the first part of their prayers (verses 26-28), the demigods glorifies the Supreme Lord’s opulence and power. They pray that Krsna is the cause of all causes and the truth of all truths. They, therefore, fully surrender unto Him. In the next part of the prayers (verses 29-33), the demigods glorify the Lord’s supreme merciful nature. They pray that Krsna is the supreme protector. He incarnates in this world in different forms to bring good fortune to all living entities, please the pious devotees and annihilate the non-devotees. They also pray that Krsna is so merciful to the suffering living entities that He provides His lotus feet as the boat to cross the material ocean.

In this set of prayers (verses 34-36), the demigods mention what the Lord possesses a purely spiritual body that is beyond the three modes of material nature. Why does the Lord appear in this way? He does so to bestow all good fortune upon the living entities? How does the Lord bestow such good fortune? By teaching them various Vedic activities such as ritualistic ceremonies, mystic yoga, austerities, penances, samādhi, and finally culminating to His worship according to Vedic principles. The main Vedic principle in the age of Kali is the chanting of the Holy Name. In this Age of Kali, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and preached that in this age the Vedic activities cannot be systematically performed because people are so fallen.

“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”

Verse 35 is a counter to the previous verse. What if some people conclude that the Lord’s form is not suddha-sattva but composed of material guna? The demigods respond by saying that if the Lord’s transcendental body were not beyond the modes of material nature, one could not understand the difference between matter and transcendence. The realization of Lord’s transcendental form is possible only for devotees who are bestowed with the Lord’s mercy. Only by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can one understand Him. Those who are in the modes of material nature cannot understand Him. The realization of the devotees is the proof of the Lord’s spiritual form. In other words, it is by the agency of suddha sattva that these qualities must manifest, not by the agency of matter.

According to the commentary of Srila Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakura, if the Lord’s suddha sattva body were never to manifest, then the realization which destroys ignorance would not take place. If His body were material, then He could be inferred by the use of material intelligence. He who possesses matter, and by whose intelligence matter manifests would be called the Lord. This is totally against the conception of the Absolute Truth.

BG 18.55: One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.

Because of his pure devotional service, a devotee can understand the transcendental qualities and the opulences of the Supreme Lord in truth.

On the other hand, the Lord says that He is never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them He is covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that He is unborn and infallible (BG 7.25)

I find verse 36 to be the best of the prayers. It says that not only the Lord’s form is suddha sattva but also His name. His transcendental name and form can be realized only by devotion. There is no other way. The Lord’s transcendental name and form are not ascertained by those who merely speculate on the path of imagination. Even by chanting His name or meditating on His form, the casual observer cannot discern or realize His sweetness, nor perceive His qualities, birth and activities. If one fails to realize the sweetness of His name or form, he has not attained any realization at all. It is like those afflicted with jaundice: though chewing sugar candy, they cannot taste the sweetness. Similarly, those devoid of devotion cannot realize the sweetness of His name and form. Therefore, His name and form must also be suddha sattva, purely spiritual.

“Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has therefore said that by affection and love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, devotees can express their mind to Him with their words. Others, however, cannot do this, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ).” (SB 10.2.36 Purport)

The key takeaway for us is that if we serve the sweet Lord by hearing and chanting His names with devotion, we will directly realize His spiritual name and form.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Going through the demigods’s prayers from verse 26 to 33, I can see how their mood towards the Supreme Lord changes. In the first part of the prayers, they glorified the Supreme Lord’s opulence and power. They prayed that Krsna is the cause of all causes – that He is always truthful to His perfect vows, He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, He is present in all three phases of cosmic manifestation; He is the truth of all truths, and so on. They, therefore, fully surrender unto Him. (SB 10.2.26). The demigods next compared the material body to a tree on which the two birds are the soul and the Supersoul (27). They prayed that Krsna is the original source of this universe, its maintainer, and its shelter after annihilation. Those whose minds are covered by maya cannot see Him unlike the devotees. Thus, the demigods’ prayers are acknowledgement of the Supreme Lord Krsna’s supreme position.

In the next part of the prayers (verse 29-33), the demigods glorify the Lord’s supreme merciful nature. They pray that Krsna is the supreme protector. He incarnates in this world in different forms such as Kurma, Varaha, Rama, etc. to bring all good fortune to all living entities, please the pious devotees and annihilate the non-devotees.

SB 10.2.29: O Lord, You are always in full knowledge, and to bring all good fortune to all living entities, You appear in different incarnations, all of them transcendental to the material creation. When You appear in these incarnations, You are pleasing to the pious and religious devotees, but for nondevotees You are the annihilator.

Next the demigods pray that Krsna is so merciful to the suffering living entities that He provides His lotus feet as the boat to cross the material ocean. By meditating on His name, form, qualities and pastimes, one boards the boat of His lotus feet to cross the material ocean. By this simple process, one can cross the material ocean easily just as one steps over a calf’s footprint.

SB 10.2.30: O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one’s meditation on Your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of mahājanas [great saints, sages and devotees]. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf.

Not only Krsna but also the acaryas who have surrendered fully to Him are equally merciful to us. They not only cross the material ocean by using the lotus feet of the Lord as a boat, they also leave behind the process (or boat) for us to cross over.

The devotees definitely seek the Lord’s shelter, but what about those who have accepted different processes to attain salvation. The sad answer is that they fall down from their position because they have no regard for the Lord’s lotus feet. This is basically the fate of those who lack devotion.

But what if a devotee falls down? The demigods assure us here that even those devotees may sometimes fall down, they do not fall like non-devotees. Even if they fall from bhakti but remain firmly attached to His lotus feet, Krsna will protect them. Thus, they can fearlessly surpass all opponents and obstacles, and continue to make further progress in bhakti.

There is a similar assurance by Krsna in BG 9.30 and 9.31:

“Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated. He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.”

Though Bharata, Indradymna and Citraketu fell to the bodies of a deer, elephant and demon respectively, they – (i) remained faithful to the Lord, (ii) they thought that their fall has been arranged by the Lord for their own benefit, (iii) their prema for the Lord increased a hundred fold.

This is why I find verse 33 to be extremely hope giving.

SB 10.2.33: “O Mādhava, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord of the goddess of fortune, if devotees completely in love with You sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like nondevotees, for You still protect them. Thus they fearlessly traverse the heads of their opponents and continue to progress in devotional service.”

As long as we faithfully chant the mahamantra (the Holy Name of the Lord), sincerely follow the regulative principles, associate with Srila Prabhupada through his books and stay in the association of good devotees, there is hope of rescue even if we fall down accidentally. The demigods are mercifully praying to the Lord for our deliverance, the Lord Himself wants to take us out of this suffering material world, and the acaryas are there to guide and provide us shelter. What then is there to be hopeless about? All we need is faith and surrender unto the lotus feet of Krsna.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

One thing that stands out for me from the prayers by the demigods is of that fearful nature. Most of the time the demigods pray to the Supreme Lord for protection. This is the case elsewhere in Srimad Bhagavatam too. In the first prayer (SB 10.2.26), the demigods pray “Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection.”

Demigods are, in general, intelligent species. More intelligent than human beings. I am, therefore, surprised why they always pray for protection and not for pure devotional service. As we can see from their prayers, they understand the tattva (philosophical conclusions) of the Supreme Truth very well. They understand that Krsna is the cause of all causes. They pray that the Supreme Lord is

1. Always truthful to His perfect vows
2. The Supreme Absolute Truth
3. Present in all the three phases of cosmos (creation, maintenance & annihilation)
4. Cause of all relative truths
5. The inner force within all elements
6. The truth of all truths
7. The origin of all pleasing truths
8. Everything pertaining to His is Truth

Since the demigods themselves approach the Supreme Lord for protection and surrender, it must be asked why common human beings pray to the demigods. Therefore Krsna says in BG 7.23 that “Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary.”

“Worship of demigods may be useful for a limited time, but the result is antavat, perishable. This material world is impermanent, the demigods are impermanent, and the benedictions derived from the demigods are also impermanent, whereas the living entity is eternal (nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)). Every living entity, therefore, must search for eternal happiness, not temporary happiness. The words satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi indicate that one should search for the Absolute Truth, not the relative truth.” (SB 10.2.26 Purport)

Therefore Lord Krsna’s final declaration in Bhagavad Gita is so deep and conclusive.

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (BG 18.66)

This is Krsna’s vow that He will give all protection at all times. That Krsna always fulfills his vow is declared by the demigods themselves in this section of the prayers. They prayed: “O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone.”

“If one surrenders unto Me sincerely, saying, ‘My Lord, from today I will fully surrendered unto You,’ I will always give him protection. That is My vow.” (Rämäyaëa, Yuddha-käëòa 18.33)

This is a matter of great reassurance and comfort for us. Krsna is always there for us, looking after us, and ensuring our well-being and spiritual progress. If we decide to take one step towards Him, He takes ten steps towards us. The protection given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be compared to the protection given by the demigods.

Therefore devotional service unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna is “the universal remedy.” From all angles of vision, therefore, in all circumstances, if one fully surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no question of one’s struggling for existence.

BG 9.22: “For those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form, I carry to them what they lack and preserve what they have.”

“Because the pure devotee engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service of the Supreme Lord achieves eternal blissful existence that is full of knowledge, his achievements and those of the common worshiper of the demigods are different. The Supreme Lord is unlimited; His favor is unlimited; His mercy is unlimited. Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Lord upon His pure devotees is unlimited.” (BG 7.23 Purport)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Any proper definition of bhakti always mentions two aspects – accepting anything that is favorable to bhakti and rejecting everything unfavorable to bhakti. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ. prātikūlyasya varjanam.

Even the vows that we take during initiation have these two aspects – chanting at least sixteen good rounds of Hare Krsna mahamantra (anukulyasya sankalpa). Following the four regulative principles (the don’ts) – These are rejecting things that are unfavorable to cultivation of devotional service.

“Devotional service means to prosecute Kṛṣṇa conscious activities which are favorable to the transcendental pleasure of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, and any activities which are not favorable to the transcendental favor of the Lord cannot be accepted as devotional service. For example, great demons like Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa and Hiraṇyakaśipu were always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, but they were thinking of Him as their enemy. This sort of thinking cannot be accepted as bhakti or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (Nectar of Devotion)

The impersonalists sometimes misunderstand devotional service in such a way that they divide Kṛṣṇa from His paraphernalia and pastimes. For example, the Bhagavad-gītā is spoken on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and the impersonalists say that although Kṛṣṇa is of interest, the battlefield of Kurukṣetra isn’t. They claim that Kuruksetra does not exist physically; it refers to a place within us where there is constant battle between good and evil. Another example is to think of Krsna as impersonal and formless. Sometimes ignorant people foolishly think bhakti is serving Krsna alone without serving his associates and paraphernalia. If we look deeply within and around us, we will see many things that are done in the name of Krsna bhakti but in actuality they are not.

Therefore Srila Rupa Goswami, in his definition of pure bhakti, mentions that pure devotional service (or Krsna consciousness) must be devoid of all material desires and philosophical speculations.  Any desire except for the service of the Lord is called material desire. And philosophical speculation refers to the sort of speculation which ultimately arrives at a conclusion of voidism or impersonalism. These conclusions are unfavorable to Krsna consciousness.

In Nectar of Instruction, Srila Rupa Goswami lists six favorable and six unfavorable principles of Krsna consciousness.

“There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.” (Nectar of Instruction 3)

“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-endeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.” (Nectar of Instruction 2)

The attraction of the gopīs for Kṛṣṇa and the affection of the members of the Yadu dynasty are both accepted as spontaneous, or rāgānugā. The attraction of Kaṁsa to Kṛṣṇa in fear and the attraction of Śiśupāla in envy are not accepted as devotional service, however, because their attitudes are not favorable. Devotional service should be executed only in a favorable frame of mind.

Actually, what is favorable and unfavorable to devotional service is a deep topic and needs lots of reflection. Something that may look favorable is actually not favorable. Fasting on Ekadashi is favorable; fasting for political reasons is unfavorable. Worshiping demigods is unfavorable; worshipping demigods as agents of the Supreme Lord is favorable. Many forms of so-called renunciation are also not favorable to Krishna conscious devotional service. Running Krsna’s temple to propagate bhakti is favorable; running Krsna’s temple as a commercial establishment is unfavorable. There are so many nuances to this topic. Whenever we have doubt on what constitutes favorable vs. unfavorable bhakti, the safest course is to take the guidance of guru, sadhu and sastras.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Once a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada how one may recognize yoga-maya. Below is his response to the question.

Srila Prabhupada: Yogamāyā? Yogamāyā means that which connects you. Yoga means connection. When you are being gradually advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the action of yogamāyā. And when you are gradually forgetting Kṛṣṇa, that is the action of mahāmāyā. Māyā is acting upon you. The one is dragging you, and one is pushing you opposite way. Yogamāyā. So, just like the example, that you are always under the laws of government. You cannot deny. If you say, “I don’t agree to abide by the laws of government,” that is not possible. But when you are a criminal, you are under the police laws, and when you are gentleman, you are under the civil laws. The laws are there. In any situation, you have to obey the laws of the government. If you remain as a civilized citizen, then you are always protected by civil law. But as soon as you are against the state, the criminal law will act upon you. So the criminal activities of law is mahāmāyā, threefold miseries, always. Always putting in some sort of misery. And the civil department of Kṛṣṇa, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. You simply go on increasing the, I mean to say, depth of the ocean of joy. Ānandambudhi-vardhanam. That is the difference, yogamāyā and mahāmāyā. Yogamāyā is… Yogamāyā, the original yogamāyā, is Kṛṣṇa’s internal potency. That is Rādhārāṇī. And mahāmāyā is external potency, Durgā. This Durgā is explained in Brahma-saṁhitā, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā is the superintending goddess of this whole material world. Everything is going on under his, under her control. Prakṛti, prakṛti is energy. Energy is accepted as feminine. Just like these materialistic persons, they are also working under some energy. What is that energy? The sex life. That’s all. They’re troubling so much: “Oh, at night I’ll have sex life.” That’s all. That is the energy. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Their life is based on the sex. That’s all. Everyone is working so hard, culminating in sex. That’s all. This is material life. So energy. The material energy means sex. So that is energy. If a person who is working in the factory, if you stop sex, he cannot work. And when he’s unable to enjoy sex life, then he takes intoxication. This is material life. So energy must be there. Here in the material world the energy is sex, and in the spiritual world the energy is love. Here the love is misrepresented in sex. That is not love; that is lust. Love is only possible with Kṛṣṇa, nowhere else. Nowhere else love is possible. That is misrepresentation of love. That is lust. So love and lust. Love is yogamāyā, and lust is mahāmāyā. That’s all. (from Lecture Seattle, October 18, 1968)

In essence, maha-maya and yoga-maya are two faces of the same goddess. She influences all aspects of our life.

Maha-maya, the goddess of material energy, activates the unlimited worlds and keeps the jiva souls bound in the shackles of passion and ignorance. She is very subtle yet extremely powerful. So perfect is the illusion she casts over the conditioned souls that not a single person even wants to escape from the prison-house of material existence. We are so attached to our chains and bondage that we feel no desire for true freedom. This is quite a contrast from the prison houses created by man, where someone always attempts to break free.  How powerful the goddess of the material energy is and how bewildering is her spell! 

Maha-maya separates the living entity from the Lord’s shelter by deluding him into thinking that he is the independent enjoyer, controller, and proprietor. However, as the expansion of the goddess of bhakti who reigns over the spiritual sky, Mayadevi ultimately desires our deliverance from material clutches. She is both our imprisoner and our well-wisher.

Her counterpart, Yoga-maya, the spiritual potency of the Lord, facilitates the union between the individual souls and Krishna.  Both maha-maya and yoga-maya serve Krishna and govern jivas according to their desires and are in truth different faces of the same person.

The face we see is determined by the lens we look through, which could be exploitative or devotional according to our attitude. If that lens is the crystal-clear glass of being the humble servant of the servant, then everything and everyone will reveal the ultimate feature of the Lord’s internal energy and yoga-maya will make the arrangements for us to reconcile with Him and return to His shelter.

By their example, the great souls teach us how we must interact with one another and with the whole environment in order to evoke the divine nature, yoga-maya, to reveal herself as she is. Until we are deeply steeped in an attitude of humility, we need to realize material nature (maha-maya) for what she is. We must respect the concept of the inferior (material) nature as the response of Durga, Mother Parvati, to our rebellious mentality, manifested by our desires to enjoy, control, and exploit.

We need to practice here and now how to rectify this mentality. By interacting with everything as being essentially and inherently divine, we acknowledge that the inferior nature has a divine face and our respect for her grows. We will gradually perceive yoga-maya’s enlightening aspect taking precedence over her inferior, deluding feature.

Assuming the role of mother, she prepares us for going back to the land where there is no false ego, no sense of proprietorship, and where service is the predominant mentality directing the lives and activities of both the Lord and His servants.

(Source: Writings of HH Varsana Swami)

There is a lot to say and write about yoga-maya. However, I do not want to go too far ahead as we will increasingly witness yoga-maya’s divine play in Krsna’s sweet pastimes with Vrajavasis.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

My meditation topic has been on Bhavauṣadhāt which means “from the universal remedy.” This word reminded me of a famous verse from Mukunda Mala Stotra sung by King Kulasekhara.

Vyamoha-prasamausadham muni-mano-vrtti-pravrtty-ausadham

daityendrarti-karausadham tri-bhuvane sanjivanaikausadham

bhaktatyanta-hitausadham bhava-bhaya-pradhvamsanaikausadham

sreyak-prapti-karausadham piba manah sri-krsna-divyausadham

Translation: O mind, please drink the transcendental medicine of Sri Krsna’s glories. It is the perfect medicine for curing the disease of bewilderment, for inspiring sages to engage their minds in meditation, and for tormenting the mighty Daitya demons. It alone is the medicine for restoring the three worlds to life and for bestowing unlimited blessings on the Supreme Lord’s devotees. Indeed, it is the only medicine that can destroy one’s fear of material existence and lead one to the attainment of the supreme good.

As you see in the Sanskrit verse, the word ‘ausadham’ is repeated eight times. It says that the glories of Lord Krsna are the best medicine for curing the disease of bewilderment, great object of meditation for the sages, tormenting the demons, restoring the real life of the three worlds. It bestows unlimited blessings, destroys fear and leads to the highest goal.

This verse is similar to the first verse of Sri Siksastakam where it is mentioned that the chanting of the Holy Name also bestows the highest benefit.

“Glory to the Sri-Krsna-Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.”

Bhava means “material ocean of repeated birth and death.” Ausadham means “medicine.” The medicine of Krsna-katha. The glories of Krsna-katha can easily help the conditioned suffering souls to cross over the ocean of repeated birth and death. It’s a bit inconceivable to think that hearing the glories of Krsna can relieve us from all material sufferings. However, on pondering deeply, we can see that a simple medication can relieve us from pain and sickness even though we may not exactly know the ingredients of the medicine or how exactly it works within the body. Therefore, if a material medication can cure us, why would the spiritual medicine of Krsna-katha? The process of bhakti yoga is fully transcendental and inconceivable to a large extent.

An example can explain this point better. Before coming to Krsna consciousness, we had lots of bad habits and vices. We used to drink tea and coffee, consume fish and meat, and drink alcohol. We had little control over our tongue and mind. Lust, anger, and greed tormented us. However, by chanting the Holy Name, we gradually gave up these bad habits. This means that the Holy Name acts as a perfect medicine. Something that we struggled to give up came very easily with the Holy Name. Inconceivably the transcendental sound enters through the hole of the ears into our heart and purifies us.

In essence, chanting the holy name and glorifying the Supreme Lord are the universal remedy for all the miseries of materialistic life. The transcendental sound vibration of Lord Hari acts equally on everyone – those who are liberated, those who are trying to be liberated, and those entangled in sense gratification.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

I can draw a parallel between Narada instigating Kamsa to kill Devaki’s babies and Krsna instructing Arjuna to kill the enemy soldiers and Kauravas on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, The Lord’s plans are inconceivable. He can get wonderful acts done by his pure devotees.

Krsna tells Arjuna: “Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Jayadratha, Karṇa and the other great warriors have already been destroyed by Me. Therefore, kill them and do not be disturbed. Simply fight, and you will vanquish your enemies in battle.” (BG 11.34)

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport that every plan is made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He is so kind and merciful to His devotees that He wants to give the credit to His devotees who carry out His plan according to His desire.

Similarly here, it is Krsna’s plan through Narada to deliver the six sons of Marici (reborn again through Devaki) as soon as possible. Therefore, the so-called ‘horrible acts of violence by Kamsa’ are only from a material standpoint. From a transcendental standpoint, every action is loaded with divine plan and mercy.

In Brhad Vaisnava Tosani (Srila Sanatana Goswami’s commentary of the 10^th Canto), Srila Sanatana Goswami explains that Narada had all knowledge and thus knew that Kamsa had become peaceful, thinking that the Lord would not appear. The Lord would not go to Gokula since He was satisfied with Vasudeva and Devaki. Pastimes like killing Putana would not take place. This was Narada’s thinking.

This pastime also indicates Narada’s most merciful nature. He was acting for the benefit of the world by hastening the appearance of the Lord through speaking with Kamsa. This is described in Hari-vamsa.

This incident is similar to the Supreme Lord acting through Srngi to curse Pariksit Maharaja to die in seven days. This would quickly hasten the appearance of Srimad Bhagavatam delivered through the nectarian lips of Sukadeva Goswami to Pariksit Maharaja.

This is like fast-forwarding a movie to get to our favorite part. Similarly Narada is fast-forwarding the advent of Sri Krsna so that we can enter into His sweet Vrndavana pastimes quickly.

The Lord appears to accomplish many missions at the same time.

BG 4.8: To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.

Here Narada is acting as an instrument of the Lord to annihilate the miscreants (Kamsa and other demons) first so that this mission is out of the way before the Lord can engage in sweet pastimes with His devotees.

Overall, I see Narada’s extreme compassion and causeless mercy for the conditioned souls. He is assisting in the plan of the Lord to spread Krsna consciousness in the material world for our deliverance and pave the way for us to go back home, back to Godhead. The whole purpose of the mission of incarnations is to arouse Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere. Narada instigating Kamsa to kill the babies is just one event in the grand scheme of things. This is similar to Jagai and Madhai’s encounter with Nityananda prabhu before Lord Caitanya’s showering of His causeless mercy to these two brothers, and subsequently to all of us. We just need to surrender to the Lord’s desire and plan.Tthe mission is the same – to lead people to God consciousness and obedience to the principles of religion. Sometimes the Lord descends personally, and sometimes He sends His bona fide representative in the form of His son, or servant, or Himself in some disguised form. In this case, it is Sri Narada acting as a representative of the Lord to deal with Kamsa.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!