Hare Krsna,

It is important to understand that Krsna has given living entities a limited amount of independence and free will to decide what they want to do. He lets them act as they like and be responsible for their activities. In one sense, although the material world is created by Him, He did not do so for His own pleasure. He created it for our sense gratification and so-called illusory pleasure.

Constitutionally every individual soul is part and parcel of Krsna and a servant of Krsna.

jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’
kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā–śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’

“It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. (CC Madhya 20.108-109)

However due to the free will, some revolting souls want to be happy independently from God. Instead of being servants of the Lord, they want to be the master of the world. They want to lord it over the material nature. Instead of surrendering to Him and serving Him they are trying to get others to surrender to them and serve them. Constitutionally God is always God and servants are always servants of God. Servants cannot become God.

It is mentioned in the scriptures that at some point in the past, we were all in the spiritual world. Because we wanted to enjoy separately from Krsna, we fell down to this material world. We have a little independence and if we choose to try and be happy separate from Krsna there has to be somewhere for us to go. There is no question of being separate from Krsna in the spiritual world. Therefore, Krsna has created this material kingdom so we can become the false God here.

An often-cited example is a small girl who wants to imitate her mother in cooking. Because she is not mature enough to handle fire and cooking, the mother creates an imitation kitchen for her so that she can fulfill her desires. But that fake kitchen cannot give the girl any happiness and satisfaction because she cannot cook any real food. To satisfy her hunger, she has to go to her mother who has the real food. Similarly, Krsna has created this material world to enable us to fulfill our desire to “play God.” So, this material world is created by our desire, not Krsna’s desire.

We cannot be happy separate from Krsna. Our constitutional natural position is to serve Krsna. So even though there seems to be so many pleasurable things in the material world, none of them are truly satisfying. This is because we are spiritual by nature; therefore, no material pleasure can actually satisfy us.

Krsna is a very smart creator. In order to keep reminding the souls that this material world is illusory in nature and cannot give everlasting pleasure, he artificially added ‘defects’ in this material world. The defects are birth, death, old age, and disease. Krsna hopes that one day we will become so frustrated dealing with this defective material world that we will turn to Him and desire to return back to our real home.

Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita (8.16) that this world is a place of misery where repeated birth and death are going on:

abrahma-bhuvanal lokah

punar avartino ‘rjuna

mam upetya tu kaunteya

punar janma na vidyate

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.”

Therefore, this material world, created to enable us to fulfill our desire to be “happy” separate from Krsna, is actually a place of misery where repeated birth and death take place. There is no happiness here. Happiness in this material world is illusory in nature. It is like a mirage in a desert. It seems there is water but there is no water to quench our thirst. Real happiness is in the spiritual world where everyone is engaged in their natural constitutional position as a servant of Krsna.

“My dear Lord, although it is not Your desire, You manifest this creation of gross and subtle elements just for our sensual satisfaction. Let Your causeless mercy be upon us, for You have appeared before us in Your eternal form, adorned with a splendid wreath of tulasī leaves.” (SB 3.21.20)

“It is clearly stated here that the material world is not created by the personal will of the Supreme Lord; it is created by His external energy because the living entities want to enjoy it. This material world is not created for those who do not want to enjoy sense gratification, who constantly remain in transcendental loving service and who are eternally Kṛṣṇa conscious. For them, the spiritual world is eternally existing, and they enjoy there…” (SB 3.21.20 P)

Krsna is so kind that from time to time He sends His bonafide representatives, and sometimes He Himself appears, to remind us that we are not meant to suffer in this material world. Our real home is in the abode of Krsna. Srila Prabhupada often write, “Back home, Back to Godhead.” This statement, although it sounds so simple, is very profound. He reminds us, “This is not your true home. Your real home is in the spiritual world where Krsna lives.”

“The Lord unwillingly creates this material world, but He descends in His personal form or sends one of His reliable sons or a servant or a reliable author like Vyāsadeva to give instruction. He Himself also instructs in His speeches of Bhagavad-gītā. This propaganda work goes on side by side with the creation to convince the misguided living entities who are rotting in this material world to come back to Him and surrender unto Him. Therefore the last instruction of Bhagavad-gītā is this: “Give up all your manufactured engagements in the material world and just surrender unto Me. I shall protect you from all sinful reactions.” (SB 3.21.20 P)

The easiest process to return back home, back to Godhead is to, somehow or other, think of Krsna at the time of death.

yam yam vapi smaran bhavam

tyajaty ante kalevaram

tam tam evaiti kaunteya

sada tad-bhava-bhavitah

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (BG 8.6)

The easiest way to remember Krishna at the time of death is to organize our life in such a way that we can remember Krsna all the time. In this age the process particularly recommended is chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

From a purely material standpoint, the following two prayers of Kardama Muni may seem to express conflicting sentiments. In the first prayer, he says that the less intelligent people worship the lotus feet of the Lord to achieve cheap material things.

“Your lotus feet are the true vessel to take one across the ocean of mundane nescience. Only persons deprived of their intelligence by the spell of the deluding energy will worship those feet with a view to attain the trivial and momentary pleasures of the senses, which even persons rotting in hell can attain. However, O my Lord, You are so kind that You bestow mercy even upon them.” (SB 3.21.14)

However in the second prayer, he specifically prays to the Lord for a benediction to marry a girl of like disposition.

“Therefore, desiring to marry a girl of like disposition who may prove to be a veritable cow of plenty in my married life, to satisfy my lustful desire I too have sought the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are the source of everything, for You are like a desire tree.” (SB 3.21.15)

Therefore, from a material perspective it may seem that Kardama Muni, although aware that asking the Lord for material benediction is against the principles of pure devotional service, still prays to the Lord for a suitable wife, and thus contradicts what he previously prayed for.

Lord Caitanya, in His siksastaka prayers, instructs us that we should not pray to the Lord for wealth, women, fame, etc.

“O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.” (Siksastaka 3)

From a pure devotional standpoint, Kardama Muni’s prayers are not conflicting with each other. Kardama Muni worshipped Lord Visnu by performing austerities for ten thousand years, with a desire to get a suitable wife. His desire wasn’t for his sense enjoyment, but to fulfill the instruction of Brahma to create progeny, which was in turn a service to Lord Visnu.

“Commanded by Lord Brahmā to beget children in the worlds, the worshipful Kardama Muni practiced penance on the bank of the river Sarasvatī for a period of ten thousand years.” (SB 3.21.6)

“Kardama Muni wanted to have a wife of like disposition because a wife is necessary to assist in spiritual and material advancement. It is said that a wife yields the fulfillment of all desires in religion, economic development and sense gratification. If one has a nice wife, he is to be considered a most fortunate man.” (SB 3.21.15 P)

An advanced devotee may also circumstantially desire a temporary object, but it is only for a specific service for the Lord’s satisfaction.

In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krsna tells Arjuna that sex life is not contrary to religious principles.

“I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O lord of the Bhāratas [Arjuna].” (BG 7.11)

“The strong man’s strength should be applied to protect the weak, not for personal aggression. Similarly, sex life, according to religious principles (dharma), should be for the propagation of children, not otherwise. The responsibility of parents is then to make their offspring Kṛṣṇa conscious.” (BG 7.11 P)

As will be revealed later in the third canto, Kardama Muni and Devahuti actually begot a son – Lord Kapiladeva – who is an incarnation of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, Kardama Muni’s prayers to the Lord asking for a girl of like disposition is not against religious principles. He is praying for a wife to fulfill his superior (Lord Brahma’s) order to create progeny. Eventually after having created sufficient progeny, Kardama Muni would retire from active family life and dedicate himself completely to bhakti.

The lesson I take away from this is that exalted devotees like Kardama Muni prioritize spiritual life above all although they attend to the social and family duties very responsibly.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Stepping back a little bit into the beginning of the study of the Third canto, we see that the humble Vidura’s inquiries to Maitreya begin with the topics relevant to the common man who is suffering in this world, yet he also expressed his exclusive interest in hearing Krsna-katha. In the first chapter of the Third canto, Vidura asked a series of questions to Maitreya Rsi. Vidura inquired about the purusa-avataras, how the Lord expands into many forms during the time of creation, the Lord’s various pastimes that produce auspiciousness for brahmanas, cows and devatas. Vidura also inquired how the Lord created different planets along with their rulers where living entities are situated in different modes. He also asked how the Lord (as Brahma) creates the natures, activities, forms, features, and names of the different living creatures.

In response, Maitreya Rsi describes the magnificent creation of the universe originating from Maha-Visnu, His expansion into it as Garbhodakasayi Visnu and the manifestation of the virat-rupa, but ultimate he humbly declares his inability to describe the Lord’s unlimited glories (SB 3.5-6).

Vidura’s profound questions in SB 3.7 about various topics are similar to the questions of Pariksit Maharaja in SB 2.8, and the answers to these questions are found throughout the entire Srimad Bhagavatam. One of the many questions asked by Vidura is:

“O learned brāhmaṇa, please describe how the leader of all the demigods, namely the Prajāpati, Brahmā, decided to establish the various Manus, the heads of the ages. Please describe the Manus also, and please describe the descendants of those Manus.” (SB 3.7.25)

This line of questions by Vidura forms the prelude to how Maitreya is building the story of populating the universe, focusing on the generation by Svāyambhuva Manu and his descendants because they were great devotees of the Lord.

From SB 3.8, Maitreya describes the fascinating events of Brahma’s life: his birth, search for the Absolute Truth, meditation, and the beautiful darsana he had of Garbhodakasayi Visnu. Brahma’s prayers and the Lord’s response reveal the glory of the combination of a devotee’s service attitude and the Lord’s empowerment.

An important realization that stands out for me from this lesson is that a sincere devotee like Vidura does not jump directly into hearing the intimate pastimes and activities of the Supreme Lord as described in the tenth Canto. It is recommended that whenever we take darsana of the Deity form of the Lord, we first start by seeing His lotus feet, and eventually go up to His beautiful face. Similarly, the twelve cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam correspond to the different limbs of the Supreme Lord. According to the Padma Purana, the first two cantos correspond to the Lord’s lotus feet. The Third and the Fourth Cantos correspond to His thighs.

I am sure Vidura kept this in mind when he put forth his questions to Maitreya Rsi. He may have felt unqualified to ask about the confidential pastimes of the Lord. Therefore he wanted to understand the Lord’s creative potency first.

“In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are ten divisions of statements regarding the following: the creation of the universe, subcreation, planetary systems, protection by the Lord, the creative impetus, the change of Manus, the science of God, returning home, back to Godhead, liberation, and the summum bonum. To isolate the transcendence of the summum bonum, the symptoms of the rest are described sometimes by Vedic inference, sometimes by direct explanation, and sometimes by summary explanations given by the great sages.” (SB 2.10.1-2)

Therefore, when we study Srimad Bhagavatam, we should gradually progress from the first canto to the next canto. This way we will be able to understand the Supreme Lord’s greatness.

One must first understand the Supreme Lord’s greatness before understanding His sweetness.

Vidura’s line of questioning and Maitreya’s response reveal to us an important principle of how to advance slowly and progressively in the study of scriptures (and especially Srimad Bhagavatam). For a sincere devotee, the Lord’s pastimes about the creation of the universe and the descriptions of the various planetary systems are as purifying and enlightening as the Lord’s confidential pastimes. This is because the Supreme Lord Krsna is the Absolute Truth. Everything related to Him including His pure devotees such as Lord Brahma and Svayambhuva Manu are also absolute and transcendental in nature. It is important to understand the family lineage of Svayambhuva Manu because the rest of Srimad Bhagavatam describes the various descendants of Svayambhuva Manu.

“”Vidura was not interested in hearing the history of persons who merely engaged in sex life, but he was interested in the progeny of Svāyambhuva Manu because in that dynasty good devotee kings appeared who protected their subjects very carefully with spiritual knowledge. By hearing the history of their activities, therefore, one becomes more enlightened. An important word used in this connection is parama-sammataḥ, which indicates that the progeny created by Svāyambhuva Manu and his sons was approved of by great authorities. In other words, sex life for creating exemplary population is acceptable to all sages and authorities of Vedic scripture.” (SB 3.21.1 P)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

“First of all, Brahmā created from his shadow the coverings of ignorance of the conditioned souls. They are five in number and are called tāmisra, andha-tāmisra, tamas, moha and mahā-moha.” (SB 3.20.18)

A similar verse is also given in SB 3.12.2 that we studied earlier in the summer.

“Brahmā first created the nescient engagements like self-deception, the sense of death, anger after frustration, the sense of false ownership, and the illusory bodily conception, or forgetfulness of one’s real identity.” (SB 3.12.2)

We understand from scriptures that the conditioned living entities (like myself) are struggling for existence in this material world due to their revolt against the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is believed that that we wanted to enjoy separately from the Lord. Since there is only one Purusa (Supreme Enjoyer) in the whole creation, we cannot be factually the enjoyers – and especially in the spiritual world. Just like a loving mother creates a dummy kitchen for her child to play, the Lord created this material world for the revolting souls to enjoy. In order to enjoy in this temporary world, we must forget our real identity. Our real identity is that we all are servants of Krsna.

“It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Kṛṣṇa has three varieties of energy.”  (CC Madhya 20.108-109)

Therefore Lord Brahma is first entrusted with the task to create the conditions under which a living being in the material world has to live. Unless a living entity forgets his real identity, it is impossible for him to live in the material conditions of life. Therefore the first condition of material existence is forgetfulness of one’s real identity. This is called tamas.

“The condition of not knowing anything about the spirit soul is called tamas. This material world is also generally called tamas because ninety-nine percent of its living entities are ignorant of their identity as soul.” (SB 3.20.18 P)

Once we forget our real spiritual identity, we develop illusory bodily concept of life. Guided by this misconception, we start to think in terms of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ (aham mameti). We start thinking in terms of my body, my wife, my children, my property, my country, my society, my relatives, etc. This is called moha.

Gradually this attachment to bodily platform extends to things and objects of this world. Due to false identification, the conditioned soul becomes entrapped by the sense of false ownership of the property of the Supreme Lord, thereby violating the isavasyam idam sarvam principle.  We develop possessiveness of enjoyable objects. We become mad after material enjoyment and burn with the intense greed to acquire more and more to the point of exploiting nature, people, and resources. This state is called maha-moha.

When the conditioned soul is not able to attain the objects of his material desire, intense frustration and anger develops in him. This condition is called tamisra. The forgetfulness of his constitutional position is due to this anger or envy.

“The living entity, being eternally a part-and-parcel servitor of the Supreme Lord, can never, by constitution, be an equal enjoyer with the Lord. When he forgets this, however, and tries to be one with Him, his condition is called tāmisra. Even in the field of spiritual realization, this tāmisra mentality of the living entity is hard to overcome. In trying to get out of the entanglement of material life, there are many who want to be one with the Supreme. Even in their transcendental activities, this lower-grade mentality of tāmisra continues.” (SB 3.20.18 P)

Finally, one reaches the ultimate condition of fear of death. When the conditioned soul realizes that his lifetime is not enough to enjoy everything and he still have material desires to fulfill, he wants to live longer to fulfill his desires. This naturally leads to a sense of fear of death. This condition is called andha-tamisra.

“The atheists generally think that the body is the self and that everything is therefore ended with the end of the body. Thus, they want to enjoy material life as far as possible during the existence of the body…This atheistic conception of life is killing human civilization, for it is without knowledge of the continuation of eternal life.” (SB 3.20.18 P)

Therefore, what is the remedy to get free from these five kinds of ignorance?

The remedy is provided by our very dear Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda. There is a very beautiful prayer glorifying the two Lords.

CC Adi 1.84

vande śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
nityānandau sahoditau
gauḍodaye puṣpavantau
citrau śan-dau tamo-nudau

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.”

“Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu drive away the five kinds of ignorance of the conditioned souls. In the Mahābhārata, Udyoga-parva, Forty-third Chapter, these five kinds of ignorance are described. They are (1) accepting the body to be the self, (2) making material sense gratification one’s standard of enjoyment, (3) being anxious due to material identification, (4) lamenting and (5) thinking that there is anything beyond the Absolute Truth. The teachings of Lord Caitanya eradicate these five kinds of ignorance. Whatever one sees or otherwise experiences one should know to be simply an exhibition of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s energy. Everything is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa.” (CC Adi 1.103 P)

Therefore, simply by following the instructions of Lord Caitanya – the chief among which is chanting the Holy Name of Krsna – one will gradually come out of the five kinds of nescience or ignorance.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

My humble realization is that mode of goodness attracts goodness, mode of passion attracts things of passion, and mode of ignorance attracts worthless pursuits. A peaceful mind is attained in the mode of goodness (or pure goodness). It is like a clear still water of a lake. When the water is clear, still and calm, we can see deeper into the bottom of the lake. Mode of passion is like dirt on the water surface that obstructs our vision of the depth of the lake. Mode of ignorance makes us simply blind to the existence of the lake. Mode of passion is a result of immense sinful reactions and conditioning of many lifetimes.

In BG 14.7, Lord Krsna explains to Arjuna that “the mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to fruitive actions.” On the other hand, “the mode of goodness, being purer than others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.” (BG 14.6)

Being a struggling sadhaka (aspiring devotee), I can totally relate to a turbulent mind. It stifles contemplation, making it difficult to hear and assimilate properly. I may chant for two hours early in the morning and later watch five minutes of worthless sense gratificatory stuff on internet. But the mental impression created from those five minutes lingers in my mind longer as compared to the impressions created by the chanting of the Holy Name. This proves that I am still far away from attaining a truly peaceful mind. Everyday is a struggle; it’s a struggle to balance bhakti and detach my mind from everything mundane. More often than not, it is a losing battle. I have kind of resigned myself to accept that attaining a completely peaceful mind in a state of pure goodness is something that I may never see in this lifetime. Alas!

But I need to keep trying; keep picking myself up. I have faith that Krsna is pleased by my sincere endeavor to please Him more than the result itself. This is similar to the pastime of Mother Yasoda trying to bind little Krsna with a rope. No matter how much she tried, the rope would fall short of two fingers’ length every time. Finally, Lord Krsna, out of His supreme mercy and compassion, allowed Himself to be bound, and thus allowing Himself to come under the control of His devotee. I hope Krsna is equally merciful to me (especially in the glorious Lord Damodara month where the Lord is believed to be exceptionally merciful).

In every incarnation, the Lord appeared to annihilate the demons. Krsna killed many demons during His manifest pastimes; Lord Rama killed ten-headed Ravana; Parasurama killed the ksatriyas twenty-one times with His axe, Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu with His nails, Lord Varahadeva killed Hiranyaksa, and so on. But Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not kill any demons in His manifest pastimes on this planer. Rather He killed the demoniac tendencies within us. He did not carry any weapons like club, sword, disc, etc., like His other incarnations. His weapons are the Holy Name and Srimad Bhagavatam.

Srimad Bhagavatam (Canto 1 Chapter 2) beautifully describes how can rise above the mode of passion and ignorance.

(SB 1.2.17-21)

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

“By regularly hearing the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

“As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.

“Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association.

“Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master.”

Therefore, there is hope. There is hope that we can be free of the influence of the mode of passion and ignorance. Even mode of goodness is also binding. However, the process of bhakti-yoga is so powerful that it frees us from the effects of all the three modes. As I mentioned earlier, mode of passion is like dirt accumulated on the surface of the lake. Similarly, we have dust accumulated over the mirror of our minds over many lifetimes. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advises us to chant the Holy Name of the Lord – congregationally and individually.

“All glories to the Śrī Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana 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.” (Sri Siksastaka 1)

Therefore, simply by chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, we too can achieve a mind purified of all passion (like Vidura). We will then be able to hear and contemplate better “the many narrations of the spotless pastimes of the Lord.” Thereby leading us to faster spiritual advancement and Krsna consciousness.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

I have found tremendous value in deeply studying our weekly Srimad Bhagavatam lessons, meditating on the forum topics, and writing to share my realizations. I am not a natural and good speaker; however, writing come naturally to me. I always write the forum posts as an offering to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna. I write to PLEASE them. Writing helps me meditate deeper on the lessons we studied and reflect on the practical application of the lessons learned.

While meditating and writing the forum topics, I meditate on the following themes:

1. Connect with Krsna: I meditate and write to connect with Krsna deeply. Krsna is non-different from His name, form, pastimes, qualities, etc. By trying to connect with Krsna, we are saved from the miseries of the material world. Krsna promises in BG 4.9:

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

• Pleasing Srila Prabhupada: Srila Prabhupada advises us to write whatever we have understood.

Srila Prabhupada….”Just read from my books and try and explain the meaning in your own words.” (Letter, 73-01-26)

“You must all study all of the books so that when the need arises you can repeat in your own words their purport.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, 72-01-06)

“The process is that you should memorize the purports of my books and then speak them in your own words.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, 75-11-15)

“By writing according to our realization we become more and more convinced and all doubts are destroyed.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, 75-11-15)

• Practical application: An important aspect of studying and writing about scriptures is to apply the teachings in our lives. Study and application of the teachings from the scriptures such as Srimad Bhagavatam must be underwent with a goal of spiritual progress and character development. I, therefore, try to meditate on how to practically apply the teachings into my daily life.

“Spiritual knowledge must be developed by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, and that is the guaranteed way for attainment of spiritual perfection.” (SB 2.3.22 P)

• Lessons: I meditate on what lessons I can draw from the materials we studied. Each pastime has multiple lessons to be imbibed. Writing helps me go deeper into the lessons.

• Examples: What I really appreciate about Srila Prabhupada’s writings is his ability to connect the topics of Srimad Bhagavatam with examples from daily lives. This helps me to relate to the subject matter better. Therefore, whenever I write I try to draw relevant examples from the world around me. This helps me to understand the subject matter clearly and deeply.

• Analogies: Meditating on analogies helps me understand the subject matter better. For example, Srila Prabhupada always explained the three features of the Absolute Truth (Brahman, Paramatma, Bhagavan) with analogy of the sun (sunshine, sun planet, sun god).

CC Adi 16.86, Translation: “Poetic skill used with due consideration is very pure, and with metaphors and analogies it is dazzling.”

• Sastric Connection: To substantiate my writing, I try to support my statements with references from other books of Srila Prabhupada such as Bhagavad Gita, CC, etc. This proves the point that there is a common theme that runs across the writings of our acaryas. Their writings never contradict with each other. Whenever I struggle to understand a subject matter, I try to refer to other scriptures. For example, the Vedic Cosmology described in Canto 5 is very hard for me to understand. Therefore, I refer to other books on the same subject matter where the topics are elaborated more deeply and clearly.

• Realizations: I write to test my understanding and realizations of the subject matter we studied. Srila Prabhupada wrote the following about realizations and writing:

 “Realization means you should write, every one of you, what is your realization. What for this Back to Godhead is? You write your realization, what you have realized about Kṛṣṇa. That is required. It is not passive. Always you should be active. Whenever you find time, you write. Never mind, two lines, four lines, but you write your realization. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, writing or offering prayers, glories. This is one of the function of the Vaiṣṇava. You are hearing, but you have to write also. Then write means smaraṇam, remembering what you have heard from your spiritual master, from the scripture. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ: (SB 7.5.23) about Viṣṇu, not for others. Don’t write any nonsense thing for any nonsense man. Useless waste of time. Viṣṇu. Write about Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. This is cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Hear, write, remember, try to understand. Don’t be dull, dull-headed. Very intelligent. Without being very intelligent, nobody can have full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is for the most intelligent man. So that intelligence will come if you try to understand Kṛṣṇa. We have got so many books. Always try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then you are liberated. Simply by… You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa in full. He is unlimited; our knowledge is limited. But as far as you can, try to understand Kṛṣṇa. These are the items.”  (Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 Excerpt — Los Angeles, August 14, 1972)

• Prayerful Mood: I am incapable of understanding everything in Srila Prabhupada;s writing because of my limited mental faculty and intelligence. Secondly, it is not possible to understand Krsna fully and glorify Him. Whenever I encounter ‘writer’s block’, I pray to Krsna to give me the necessary intelligence to glorify Him. And He always reciprocates. This is my personal realization. Sometimes it feels like my typing is controlled by a higher power, where thoughts and realizations flow effortlessly. Krsna is the doer; I am not.

BG 10.10: To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

In conclusion, writing and sharing the forum realizations increased my faith in Krsna, helped me transform from impersonal to personal realization of Krsna, and helped me connect with the Holy Name better. Whenever my minds get diverted to sometime else, I try to meditate on how to write the forum topics of the week. This helps my sadhana better.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The details of the actual fight between Lord Varaha and Hiranyaksa resembles the fight depicted in blockbuster movies. Materialistic people waste tons of money catching up on the mundane, sense gratifying movies that do not yield any ultimate benefit. Material sounds and things entangle conditioned souls; spiritual sounds liberate entangled sounds.

I have been reflecting on the possibility that in future, some devotees would be empowered to render entire Srimad Bhagavatam into a film series – a collection of related films in succession that share the same theme. Something on the lines of The Godfather, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter series. Srimad Bhagavatam has so many topics and lessons related to the Supreme Lord that the whole humanity would be benefited even by watching them simply for entertainment. Epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata rendered into TV series have been great success in India. Why not Srimad Bhagavatam? The only challenge is that the film series must be commercially viable; the people who fund the movie series would be keen to get return on their investment.

“The real fighting is now. Krsna will give you all protection. So, chant Hare Krsna and fight. One movie expert has opined there are so many ideas in our movement. Try to get our ideas into movies.” (Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Letter to Tamala Krsna — Vrindaban 30 October, 1976: New York)

“We can use everything—television, radio, movies, or whatever there may be—to tell about Krishna and outside of devotional service all these modern paraphernalia are just so much rubbish.” (Srila Prabhupada’s Letter to Bhagavan — Bombay 24 November, 1970)

The possibility of depicting Krsna lila into movies had been discussed with Srila Prabhupada. Here is the snippet of the conversation.

Morning Walk — June 10, 1975, Honolulu:

Ambarīṣa: Bali and I were discussing that the other day. Bali-mardana and I. Maybe when I come back here to live, maybe after Christmas, he and I, we’ll see if we can work out… He knows some people that are in the movie business.

Siddha-svarūpa: Which actors?

Prabhupāda: Actors, we shall play. They haven’t got to pay for us.

Ambarīṣa: He was thinking also maybe to make it an epic picture of Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Siddha-svarūpa: That would be most popular, I believe.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa-līlā also. That will be also popular. From Bhāgavatam we can have so many.

Siddha-svarūpa: Endless.

Ambarīṣa: They could be run on T.V. too.

Siddha-svarūpa: Have a series. (break) …not to continue or make any impression. And that will necessitate very good acting, not slapstick comedy. (break)

Prabhupāda: …not professional. (break) …men can be trained up—that is possible—to play. We require professional director. Money may be spent by the movie company. And we give our men an idea. (break)

Siddha-svarūpa: …always looking for new movies, new ideas, the companies.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Ambarīṣa: ‘Cause they have made many great religious pictures, big epics about Jesus and stuff like that. So maybe they would be open to the idea of doing the Bhagavad-gītā. That would be nice. (break)

Siddha-svarūpa: I mentioned to you something about making a movie of Bhagavad-gītā. You said it would be very difficult to find fifty thousand elephants. (laughs) There will be some… (break) …Kṛṣṇa-līlā will be easier. He can be fighting one demon or dancing with the gopīs. Bhagavad-gītā is… (break)

Prabhupāda: …do not understand the existence of soul, then why do they say, “My head, my hand”? Why not say, “I head.” What is their answer? Why do you say, “My head”?

Siddha-svarūpa: They have no answer. (break) …very much to know about this.

Prabhupāda: That is the folly.

Siddha-svarūpa: Their desire is to enjoy the world and have religion to help them.

Prabhupāda: It is not the question of religion. Unless one understands, then he does not understand the transmigration of the soul. (end)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

“One can practice bhakti-yoga in many rasas. There are twelve rasas, five primary and seven secondary. The five primary rasas constitute direct bhakti-yoga, but although the seven secondary rasas are indirect, they are also counted within bhakti-yoga if they are used in the service of the Lord.” (SB 3.16.31 purport)

In the case of Lord Varaha and Hiranyaksa, there are mainly exchanges of secondary rasas such as anger (raudrah), chivalry (virah) and fear (bhayanakah). As the teachers mentioned in the last Zoom review, the yoga maya potency of the Lord covered both the Lord and Hiranyaksa. They forgot they are eternally related as Lord and master. The yoga maya potency created the situation where Hiranyaksa appeared to fulfill the Lord’s desire to engage in intense fight. To the ignorant and naked eye, the fight would appear ghastly. But to the pure devotees who see through the scriptures and the eyes of the acaryas, this fight is also a loving exchange between the Lord and His servant.

I am actually mesmerized by the how Sridhar Swami reveals the hidden meaning of Hiranyaksa’s insulting words to the Lord. He says that the demon is basically praising the Lord with a careful play of words.

Hiranyaksa’s criticism	Meaning	Hiranyaksa’s indirect praise as given by acaryas
Vana-gocarah	Resident of the forest or water	Narayana, who lies on the water
Mrgah	Animal	One who is sought after by great sages
Ajna	Fool	There is no knowledge which is unknown to You
Suradhama	Lowest of the demigods	Lord of all the demigods, therefore He is the best of all demigods, or God
Mameksatah	In my presence	In spite of my presence, You are able to take away earth
Na svasti yasyasi	You cannot go and not be hurt by me	Unless You kindly take the earth from our custody, there can be no good fortune for us
Abhavaya	For killing	Killing the process of continued birth and death
Sucah	Grief	Material universes are extinguished by Lord’s yogamaya

“When on account of love and devotional service for the Lord there is special valorous enthusiasm, the resultant activities are called chivalrous. These chivalrous activities can be manifested in the acts of mock-fighting, giving in charity, showing mercy and executing religious principles. By performing chivalrous activities in fighting, one is called yuddha-vīra. By charitable activities one is called dāna-vīra. By showing extraordinary mercy one is called dayā-vīra. And when one is munificent in executing religious rites, he is called dharma-vīra. In all such different chivalrous activities, Kṛṣṇa is the object.” (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

“When a friend wants to satisfy Kṛṣṇa by performing some chivalrous activities, the friend becomes the challenger, and Kṛṣṇa Himself becomes the opponent; or else Kṛṣṇa may give audience to the fighting, and by His desire another friend becomes the opponent. A friend once challenged Kṛṣṇa thus: “My dear Mādhava, You are very restless because You think that no one can defeat You. But if You do not flee from here, then I shall show You how I can defeat You. And my friends will be very satisfied to see this!” (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

In this case, we see that Hiranyaksa became the opponent of Lord Varaha by the inconceivable arrangement of the Lord.

“In these chivalrous activities, only Kṛṣṇa’s friends can be the opponents. Kṛṣṇa’s enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore, this challenging by Kṛṣṇa’s friends is called devotional service in chivalrous activities.” (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

The key takeaway lesson for me is that pure devotees always try to please Krsna in any manner possible. Even if it means playing the role of enemy of Krsna. This is pure devotional service where Krsna’s pleasure is kept at the center of everything. So the question we should be asking ourselves always is, “Is my action pleasing to Krsna? How can I please Him more?” One way to do this is to chant His holy name with faith, sincerely and attentively. This will please Lord Caitanya and our gurus the most.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In BG 7.15, Krsna mentions who the demons are before elaborating more on their characteristics and nature in Chapter 16 of BG. The Lord says, “Four kinds of people do not surrender unto Me—those ignorant of knowledge, those who lazily follow their lower nature though capable of knowing Me, those with deluded intellect, and those with a demoniac nature.”

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains that demoniac people are those “who are aware of God and His purpose for the world but still work against Him.  It is because of their demonic nature; they do not like God and His glories. They themselves are far from devotion and try to disturb others who are on the path of spirituality. Surrender to God is not at all expected from them.”

In SB 1.11.34 Purport, Srila Prabhupada further explains the demoniac nature: “Unfortunately persons who are engaged in destructive work are unable to surrender to the Personality of Godhead. They are all fools of the first order; they are the lowest of the human species of life; they are robbed of their knowledge, although apparently they seem to be academically educated. They are all of the demoniac mentality, always challenging the supreme power of the Lord. Those who are very materialistic, always hankering after material power and strength, are undoubtedly fools of the first order because they have no information of the living energy, and being ignorant of that supreme spiritual science, they are absorbed in material science, which ends with the end of the material body. They are the lowest of human beings because the human life is especially meant for reestablishing the lost relation with the Lord, and they miss this opportunity by being engaged in material activities. They are robbed of their knowledge because even after prolonged speculation they cannot reach to the stage of knowing the Personality of Godhead, the summum bonum of everything. And all of them are men of demoniac principle, and they suffer the consequences, as did such materialistic heroes as Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Kaṁsa and others.”

A key quality of demoniac nature is the propensity to exploit the Lord’s resources for their own selfish ends. They forget the isavasyam principle – that everything within the universe is controlled and owned by the Supreme Lord.

“The demoniac spirit is to train all family members to exploit the resources of this universe for personal sense gratification, whereas the godly spirit is to engage everything in the service of the Lord. Hiraṇyakaśipu was himself very powerful, and he made his younger brother, Hiraṇyākṣa, powerful to assist him in fighting with everyone and lording it over material nature as long as possible. If possible, he wanted to rule the universe eternally. These are demonstrations of the spirit of the demoniac living entity.” (SB 3.17.20)

I do not have to elaborate further on the demoniac nature because we live in an age where demons are dominating almost every aspect of our lives. We see demoniac tendencies everywhere. Politics, business, education system, and, to a large extent, religion institutions are controlled by people with demoniac nature. What to speak of others, even conditioned souls like me have demoniac natures. The fact that I wanted to enjoy separately from the Lord is a demoniac symptom. The fact that I misused my free-will to turn away from Krsna is demoniac thinking. They fact that I am often driven my intense desire for sense gratification is demoniac desire. The fact that I am still unable to remember Him 24 hours a day is also demoniac. Each anartha in my heart is a manifestation of a specific demoniac quality. Because I had demoniac tendencies, I fell into this miserable material world. So yes, there is a demon in me as well.

Fortunately by the mercy of Krsna, gurus and Vaisnavas, I am trying to kill that demon through the process of bhakti-yoga.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says: “The devotee who worships the holy name should first petition the Lord for the strength to cast out all these unfavorable tendencies and should pray thus before Lord Hari on a daily basis. By doing this regularly, the devotee’s heart will eventually become purified. Sri Krishna has killed a number of demons which may arise in the kingdom of the heart, so in order to destroy these problems, a devotee must cry very humbly before the Lord and admit defeat then the Lord will nullify all contaminations.”

Therefore, we have to chant the Holy Name attentively and hear from pure and advanced devotees to kill the demons in our hearts. Inattention is another demoniac quality that I have realized while meditating on this forum post. Only the Holy Name can uproot all the demoniac tendencies from our hearts.

harer nāma harer nāma

harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva

nāsty eva gatir anyathā

” ‘In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverence is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.‘ ” (CC Madhya 6.242)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In the various scriptures, it is said that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There may be many gods, from Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Indra and Candra down to the rulers of the lower planetary systems, the presidents, ministers, chairmen and kings. Actually Viṣṇu is the Supreme Lord, but there is even one above Viṣṇu, for Viṣṇu is also the plenary portion of a part of Kṛṣṇa. There are many manifestations of Viṣṇu and many manifestations of living entities. Viṣṇu manifestations are called svāṁśa, partial manifestations, and the living entities are called vibhinnāṁśa.

The demigods like Brahmā and Indra have been promoted to such exalted positions by pious activities and austerities, but actually Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, is the master of everyone. ln the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya. This means that Kṛṣṇa alone is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all others, even the viṣṇu-tattva and certainly the living entities, are His servitors. Baladeva is the immediate expansion of Kṛṣṇa. He also engages in the service of Kṛṣṇa, and certainly the ordinary living entities are serving. Everyone is created, constitutionally, for serving Kṛṣṇa. Real supremacy belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam is the statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: “Kṛṣṇa is the only Supreme Lord.” (SB 4.7.43 P)

Since all living entities are parts and parcels of Krsna, it is the duty of every living entity to surrendet to Krsna and be an instrument in His will and plan. It is not so easy to become a part of Krsna’s plan. Krsna is inconceivable; His plans, desires, and will are also inconceivable. Krsna made Arjuna the chief executor of His plan during the whole Mahabharata saga. For the purpose of creation, maintenance and destruction, Krsna made Lord Brahma, Lord Visnu and Lord Siva the respective owner of each domain. For propagating Krsna consciousness all over the world, He entrusted out great acaryas such as Srila Prabhupada and his predecessors as the torchbearers of the flame of bhakti. When Krsna desired to taste the love and happiness of Srimati Radharani that She derives from Krsna, He decided to advent Himself as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Similarly when Krsna had a desire to fight, He chose Jaya and Vijaya to be His enemies.

“Because the Lord is the source of everything, anger and fighting are also inherent in His personality. When He desires to fight with someone, He has to find an enemy, but in the Vaikuṇṭha world there is no enemy because everyone is engaged fully in His service. Therefore He sometimes comes to the material world as an incarnation in order to manifest His fighting spirit…Jaya and Vijaya were selected by the Lord to fight with Him in the material world, and that was the reason the sages came to see Him and accidentally the doorkeepers were cursed. It was the Lord’s desire to send them to the material world, not perpetually, but for some time.” (SB 3.16.26 P)

The secondary rasa of chivalry is very intriguing. Normally no devotee of Krsna would like to fight with Krsna. Therefore, this exchange of chivalry with someone is a special mercy of Krsna on those devotees He chooses to engage in the fight with.

“When a friend wants to satisfy Kṛṣṇa by performing some chivalrous activities, the friend becomes the challenger, and Kṛṣṇa Himself becomes the opponent; or else Kṛṣṇa may give audience to the fighting, and by His desire another friend becomes the opponent. A friend once challenged Kṛṣṇa thus: “My dear Mādhava, You are very restless because You think that no one can defeat You. But if You do not flee from here, then I shall show You how I can defeat You. And my friends will be very satisfied to see this!” (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

In these chivalrous activities, only Kṛṣṇa’s friends can be the opponents. Kṛṣṇa’s enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore, this challenging by Kṛṣṇa’s friends is called devotional service in chivalrous activities. (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

It is therefore important that we rightly exercise our free will to act as per Krsna’s desires without questioning or doubting. Things may not be conceivable to us immediately but in due course of time, Krsna’s plan will be revealed to us. Therefore, when we chant the maha-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, we are actually begging Sri Radha and Sri Krsna – both the energy and the energetic – to include us in Their divine plan. There is tremendous joy just in the ability of expressing this desire to Them; what about the joy of actually playing a part in the fulfillment of Their desires. Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasures. Each one of us has a particular rasa (mellow) with Krsna. Among countless living entities spread all over the creation (both material and spiritual), I may feel insignificant and lost. But I trust that each one of us has a unique relationship with Krsna.

Yes, my Lord Krsna, Thy will be done. Please make me a part of Thy will.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!