Hare Krsna,

In this lesson, my meditation topics are verse 22 to 25. A short essence of these verses and my realizations are below. In these verses, Lord Brahma ends his prayers with specific requests to the Lord.

SB 3.9.22: Empower me: You, endowed with six opulences, are the friend and maintainer of all (samasta-jagatam suhrd). Please empower me, with the introspection to create, for I am also one of the surrendered souls (pranata).

Practical lessons:

Whenever we are executing any service for the Lord, we should beg the Lord for empowerment and blessings. If we do not know what service we can perform for the Lord, we can simply pray to the Lord for engaging us in His services and to empower us accordingly.  The mahamantra that we chant everyday is, in essence, a prayer to the Lord to engage us in His services. Lord Brahma, despite being so elevated and learned, is still requesting the Lord for empowerment. This should be our mood as well. We should always think that we are insignificant and incapable. We should beg the mercy of the Lord to help us.

SB 3.9.23: Protect me from false ego: You are the benefactor of surrendered souls. When I create this universe endowed with Your power, I wish to not be materially affected by my works and able to give up the false prestige to being the creator.

Practical lessons:

Once the Lord engages us in His services, we should not be unnecessarily proud and attached to our works. Our mood should be like that of a bank cashier who handles the money of the bank but is not attached to the money. He is just doing his duty on behalf of the bank. Similarly we should not think that we are the doer. Rather we should be grateful that the Lord is executing His services and mission through us. Hence the Supreme Lord is the supreme doer and enjoyer. All the results of the work should be offered to Him for His pleasure. We just have to work sincerely as a humble servant.

SB 3.9.24: Save me from deviation: In the course of manifesting Your diverse energies in the form of the cosmic manifestation, may I not be deviated from the vibration of the Vedic hymns.

Practical lessons:

This is another important lesson. Just as Lord Brahma is praying not to be deviated from the vibration of the Vedic hymns, similarly we should never forget our chanting and hearing despite being busy in performing other limbs of devotional services. Chanting is the most important limb of bhakti in this Age. Hence no matter where we are and how busy we are, we should always chant the Holy Name of the Lord. Kirtaniya sada harih.

SB 3.9.25: Please wake up: May the Lord who is the Supreme, the oldest and unlimitedly merciful, smilingly bestow His benediction by opening His lotus eyes. He can uplift the entire cosmic creation and dispel my sorrow by speaking His sweet directions.

Practical lessons:

We should always beg for the mercy of the Lord and His devotees. Once we have attained a certain proficiency in Lord’s service, we should not be puffed up. We must always pray for His mercy so that we stay humble and eager to perform more services for the pleasure of the Lord and His devotees.

Thus, these four concluding prayers by Lord Brahma has lots of practical applications for sadhakas like us.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 Hare Krsna,

In this lesson, I chose to meditate upon verse 15 as it described the glories of the Holy Name.

SB 3.9.15: Let me take shelter of the lotus feet of Him whose incarnations, qualities and activities are mysterious imitations of worldly affairs. One who invokes His transcendental names, even unconsciously, at the time he quits this life, is certainly washed immediately of the sins of many, many births and attains Him without fail.

The Holy Name of the Lord is so powerful and potent that by chanting it even unconsciously one can be delivered. Ajāmila remembered the holy name of the Lord, Nārāyaṇa, by merely calling the name of his son Nārāyaṇa, and that gave him a complete opportunity to achieve the highest perfection of life.

The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge or matter and spirit, by practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life. (SB 2.1.6)

O Kind, constant chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge. (SB 2.1.11)

O King, it is therefore essential that human beings hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead always and everywhere. (SB 2.2.36)

Chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord is so simple and effective in this age of Kali that it is astonishing less intelligent people do not want to take it up seriously.

“Absolute devotional service, conducted in nine different spiritual activities — hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, praying, etc. — does not always appeal to people with a pompous nature; they are more attracted by the Vedic superficial rituals and other costly performances of social religious shows.” (SB 3.9.13 P)

Therefore the Lord is very merciful to His pure devotees who are engaged in missionary work of engaging the non-devotees in devotional service to the Lord that also includes hearing and chanting of the Lord.

Considering that we will be celebrating Sri Gaura Purnima in 2 days, I want to remember repeatedly the causeless mercy of Lord Caitanya who appeared on this planet to propagate the congregational chanting of the Holy Name.

“The Lord is unmindful of the nondevotees, although He is sitting within everyone’s heart as well-wisher and Supersoul. However, He also gives them the chance to receive His mercy through His pure devotees who are engaged in missionary activities. Sometimes the Lord Himself descends for missionary activities, as He did in the form of Lord Caitanya, but mostly He sends His bona fide representatives, and thus He shows His causeless mercy towards the nondevotees. The Lord is so satisfied with His pure devotees that He wants to give them the credit for missionary success, although He could do the work personally.” (SB 3.9.12 P)

In the above purport, it is said that the Lord is so satisfied with His pure devotees that He wants to give them the credit for missionary success. One such pure devotee who has been extremely successful in Lord Caitanya’s missionary mission is our very dear Srila Prabhupada. The Lord left it for his dearest servant (Srila Prabhupada) to preach the Holy Name of the world all over the world. It all started with the public harinama at Thompkins Square Park on the summer of 1966.  We are all congregated here because of the causeless mercy of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai!

Hare Krsna,

I have been meditating on the first three verses of Lord Brahma’s prayers:

SB 3.9.1: Lord Brahmā said: O my Lord, today, after many, many years of penance, I have come to know about You. Oh, how unfortunate the embodied living entities are that they are unable to know Your personality! My Lord, You are the only knowable object because there is nothing supreme beyond You. If there is anything supposedly superior to You, it is not the Absolute. You exist as the Supreme by exhibiting the creative energy of matter.

SB 3.9.2: The form which I see is eternally freed from material contamination and has advented to show mercy to the devotees as a manifestation of internal potency. This incarnation is the origin of many other incarnations, and I am born from the lotus flower grown from Your navel home.

SB 3.9.3: O my Lord, I do not see a form superior to Your present form of eternal bliss and knowledge. In Your impersonal Brahman effulgence in the spiritual sky, there is no occasional change and no deterioration of internal potency. I surrender unto You because whereas I am proud of my material body and senses, Your Lordship is the cause of the cosmic manifestation and yet You are untouched by matter.

I could see that these verses have similarities with the very first verse of SB – SB 1.1.1 – janmady asya yatah as described below:

My Lord, You are the only knowable object because there is nothing supreme beyond You.

• He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. (SB 1.1.1)

The form which I see is eternally freed from material contamination

• I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. (SB 1.1.1)

Your Lordship is the cause of the cosmic manifestation and yet You are untouched by matter.

• He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. (SB 1.1.1)

If there is anything supposedly superior to You, it is not the Absolute.

• I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth. (SB 1.1.1)

The key lessons for me from this lesson are:

1. The Lord’s illusory energy is extremely captivating. It is not only captivating but also distracting from our goal of Krsna consciousness. Lord. Under illusion, the general mass of people deny the existence of the Supreme Lord and accept the foolish products of illusory energy as supreme.
2. The Supreme Lord can be known only by His mercy invoked by sincere devotional service unto Him practiced in accordance with the teachings of disciplic succession.
3. Penance and austerities are important and fruitful as long as they are practiced to satisfy the Supreme Lord. By acts of penance only was Lord Brahmā able to see the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and by realization only could he understand the Lord as He is.
4. Human life is wasted if it is not used to realize the Supreme Absolute Truth (srama eva hi kevalam). It is imperative that every human being try for such knowledge, and if anyone does not do so, his life is spoiled.
5. The easiest way to understand the Supreme Lord is by approaching His pure devotees who always have the Lord in their hearts.
6. We can revive our eternal relationship with the Lord by the process of devotional service. The relationship of the pure devotees with the Lord develops because of devotional service to the Lord on the authentic basis of Vedic authority.
7. This highest stage of relationship with the Lord can be attained simply by hearing about Him (His name, form, quality, etc.) from authentic sources like Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, recited by pure, unalloyed devotees of the Lord.
8. Simply by chanting and hearing the glories and pastimes of the Lord, one can obtain total freedom from the cares and anxieties of material existence.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna cannot be understood by one’s material endeavor. Srila Prabhupada loves to quote that there are some froggish philosophers who want to know the Supreme Soul by means of philosophy and mental speculation. These philosophers, like the frog in the well who tried to estimate the measurement of the Pacific Ocean, like to take trouble over fruitless mental speculation instead of taking instructions from devotees like the original poet, namely Brahmā. Lord Brahmā underwent a severe type of meditation for one thousand celestial years, yet he said that the glories of the Lord are inconceivable.

On the other hand, the devotees do not waste time in such vain searching after knowledge of the Supreme, but they submissively hear the glories of the Lord from bona fide devotees. Thus they transcendentally enjoy the process of hearing and chanting.

In the sixth chapter, we have studied that the pure devotees of the Lord take shelter of the parā prakṛti, the internal potency of the Lord called Lakṣmīdevī, Sītādevī, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or Śrīmatī Rukmiṇīdevī, and thus they become actual mahātmās, or great souls. Mahātmās are not fond of indulging in mental speculations, but they actually take to the devotional service of the Lord, without the slightest deviation. Devotional service is manifested by the primary process of hearing and chanting about the activities of the Lord. This transcendental method practiced by the mahātmās gives them sufficient knowledge of the Lord because if the Lord can at all be known to some extent, it is only through the means of devotional service and no other way.

In a verse right before the Catuh sloki verses (Canto 2 Chapter 9), the Supreme Lord said to Brahma:

“Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully.”

Right here the Supreme Lord revealed how He can be realized and understood – the process is devotional service. Lord Krsna also revealed the same message to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita (18.55) – bhaktya mam abhijanati.

“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.”

I personally have realized that by the simple process of hearing and chanting, my understanding of the Supreme Lord increases day by day. I am not even at the stage of pure chanter. Imagine how much revelation there would be when I would be able to chant the Holy Name offenselessly and hear about the Lord in rapt attention. This is the most confidential formula. Why would anyone want to waste time in useless mental speculation like the froggish philosophers? The Supreme Lord is a person and exists within everyone of us. He has given us scriptures that describes everything about Him. He sends us His pure devotees and bonafide representatives from time to time to reveal about Him. What is the need to go elsewhere to understand the Supreme Lord?

When the Lord sees that we are eager to know Him and engage sincerely in His devotional service, the Lord Himself enlightens us.

BG 10.10 – 11

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ

bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam

dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ

yena mām upayānti te

“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

teṣām evānukampārtham

aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ

nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho

jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

“To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.”

In conclusion, devotional service to the Lord through the process of hearing and chanting is the only process to attain ultimate realization of the Supreme Lord.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The importance of receiving knowledge through the parampara (disciplic succession) system is cited repeatedly in our Gaudiya Vaisanava sampradaya. Srimad Bhagavatam is a collection of conversations spoken by pure-hearted devotees like Sukadeva Goswami and Pariksit Maharaja, Suta Goswami and Saunakadi Rsis, Maitreya and Vidura, etc. Along with the contents of these conversations, it’s a great learning experience to look at the wonderful mood and attitude of the speakers and hearers, and the consciousness in which they discuss hari-katha. A speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam must be authoritative and competent in conveying its real meaning, having personally realized the subject matter. To receive this Vedic knowledge, one must approach a spiritual master with submission, inquire in a humble mood and hear the explanations attentively.

In this lesson, we have seen Maitreya Rsi narrating the topics of Srimad Bhagavatam to Vidura with relish. Maitreya felt happy to have such glorious company as Vidura. He considered the company of Vidura most desirable because such association can accelerate one’s dormant propensities for devotional service. Similarly Sanat-kumara and the sages from the higher planets also heard Srimad Bhagavatam from Sankarsana. This is the way of the paramparā system. Although Sanat-kumāra, the well-known great saintly Kumāra, was in the perfect stage of life, still he heard the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa.

This means that Srimad Bhagavatam is so relishable that both the hearers and speaker want to relish it again and again.

SB 1.1.3: O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.

“By submissively hearing this transcendental literature, one can attain the full pleasure of his heart’s desire. But one must be very careful to hear the message from the right source. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is exactly received from the right source. It was brought by Nārada Muni from the spiritual world and given to his disciple Śrī Vyāsadeva. The latter in turn delivered the message to his son Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī delivered the message to Mahārāja Parīkṣit just seven days before the King’s death.” (SB 1.1.3 P)

The ripened fruit of Srimad Bhagavatam has come down carefully through the chain of disciplic succession without change or disturbance. Therefore, we must be very eager to hear and discuss the topics of Srimad Bhagavatam in the association of sincere devotees who follow disciplic succession strictly. Only pure devotees can churn the nectar out of Srimad Bhagavatam. Our life become successful and perfect when we come in contact with the book Bhāgavatam as well as with the devotee bhāgavata, who knows what the Bhāgavatam. We are extremely fortunate to receive Srimad Bhagavatam from a maha-bhagavata – our dearest Srila Prabhupada. It is a pleasure to read the translation and purports of His Divine Grace who came in perfect disciplic succession. Personally, I can say my heart and life has been transformed by coming in contact with Srimad Bhagavatam by His Divine Grace.

It’s a pleasure and good fortune to study Srimad Bhagavatam in this forum.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

I was going through the set of questions asked my both Vidura (to Rsi Maitreya) and Pariksit Maharaja (to Sukadeva Goswami). What is common in these sets of questions is that both the inquirers did not ask about the confidential pastimes of the Lord. They first enquired about the Lord’s material and spiritual world and energies. Even in the prelude to Catuh Sloki verses (SB 2.9), we see that the Lord Brahma asked the following questions to the Supreme Lord:

1. Please tell me about Your material and spiritual forms.
2. How are the various spiritual and material energies of the Lord working?
3. What are the Lord’s activities in relation to His material and spiritual energies?

Lord Brahma did not ask questions about the 10^th canto pastimes of the Lord. Rather he is more interested to know about the creation of the universe. Similarly, Saint Vidura and Pariksit Maharaja desired to understand the Lord’s form, qualities, creation/abode, activities, etc.

In 2^nd Canto in the section of the vira-rupa description of the Lord, it is recommended that for those human beings who have a difficulty in meditation on the personal aspect of the Lord (due to contamination in their hearts), meditation on virat-rupa form of the Lord is recommended. This meditation will gradually cleanse the dirty things from their hearts in order to become qualified to actually see the transcendental form of the Lord in the near future.

It is impossible for anyone to fully understand the Supreme Lord. Being the Supreme, His magnanimity cannot be surpassed by our limited intellect. Therefore, in various scriptures the aisvarya (opulence) aspect of the Lord is always presented before one can truly appreciate the madhurya (sweetness) aspect of the Lord’s nature. The first nine cantos help one to know the amazing omnipotence of the Lord before entering into his confidential madhurya pastimes found in the tenth canto.

To set an example for us, Vidura and Pariksit Maharaja asked their questions in relation to the opulence aspect of the Lord first. Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Vidura intelligently put questions before their spiritual master for scientific understanding of the transcendental body of the Lord. This teaches us that we should not jump to the confidential topics of the Lord without having a good understanding of the Lord’s supremacy and magnanimity. In order words, we must understand the science of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through a good study of scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.

“Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the science of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such, all questions that may arise in the mind of a serious student must be cleared by the statements of the authority. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, being a typical devotee, is not only satisfied by confirming the importance of hearing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the representative of Brahmājī by disciplic succession, but he is still more anxious to establish the philosophical basis of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. A person on the path of devotional service may inquire from his spiritual master all about the spiritual position of God and the living beings. From the Bhagavad-gītā, as well as from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is known that qualitatively the Lord and the living beings are one. The living being in the conditioned state of material existence is subjected to many transmigrations by continuous changing of the material body. But what are the causes of the material embodiment of the part and parcel of the Lord? Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquires about this very important matter for the benefit of all classes of candidates on the path of self-realization and devotional service to the Lord.” (SB 2.8.7 Purport)

In the process of devotional service, the first step is to take shelter of the spiritual master and then inquire from the spiritual master all about the process. This inquiry is essential for immunity to all kinds of offenses on the path of devotional service. Even if one is fixed in devotional service like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he must still inquire from the realized spiritual master all about this. In other words, the spiritual master must also be well versed and learned so that he may be able to answer all these inquiries from the devotees. (SB 2.8.7 Purport)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Upon taking a “small step” onto the surface of the moon in 1969, Neil Armstrong uttered what would become one of history’s most famous one-liners. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.“

Similarly, a jiva makes one “small (mis)step” i.e., it misuses its free-will and chooses to lord it over the material nature rather than serve the Supreme Lord – the supreme proprietor of everything. A jiva makes one mistake and thus has to undergo countless lifetimes of sufferings and misery. One small (mis)step for man, one giant suffering for mankind.

As a suffering jiva, I have asked myself several times – Why did I misuse my freewill? What is it about the material nature that attracted me more than the sweet loving exchange with my Lord? Realizing that I have made this mistake, why is it so difficult to rectify my mistake and return to Krsna? Why is it so hard to become completely purified of all material contamination? Why is it so hard to get out of the entanglement of the illusory energy of the Lord? How many more lifetimes do I have to go through these sufferings?

Maitreya Muni reasons that the living entity is in distress regarding his self-identity. He has not factual background, like a man who dreams that he sees his head cut off. As the moon reflected on water appears to the seer to tremble due to being associated with the quality of the water, so the self associated with matter appears to be qualified as matter. (SB 3.7.10-11)

“The pure soul is pure consciousness and is never out of consciousness, either due to circumstances, time, situations, dreams or other causes.” (SB 3.7.5)

Because the living entity decided to serve the illusory energy of the Lord, it appears to be tainted by material qualities like illusion, lamentation and miseries.  Factually the living entity is pure consciousness, but it appears to be contaminated because it identifies with the material qualities. As soon as the living entity realizes that it is not this material body but a spirit soul (an eternal servant of Krsna) his misconception of self-identity will gradually diminish.

The most auspicious and perfect process to come to this realization is devotional service to the Lord.

“But that misconception of self-identity can be diminished gradually by the mercy of the Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, through the process of devotional service to the Lord in the mode of detachment.” (SB 3.7.12)

“The quivering quality of material existence, which comes from identification with matter or from thinking oneself, under the material influence of philosophical speculation, to be God, can be eradicated by devotional service to the Lord, by the mercy of the Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva… Only knowledge in devotional service can elevate one towards the path of liberation… Lord Vāsudeva is pleased by devotional service only, and thus His mercy is realized by association with pure devotees of the Lord. Pure devotees of the Lord are transcendental to all material desires, including the desire for the results of fruitive activities and philosophical speculation. If one wants to acquire the mercy of the Lord, he has to associate with pure devotees. Such association alone can, by degrees, release one from the quivering elements.” (SB 3.7.12 Purport)

The clue in the above purport is “pure devotees…”. We need to be pure devotees to completely vanquish our material miseries. The path from being “a devotee” to “a pure devotee” is the toughest one. Alas…that’s where I seem to be stumbling repeatedly.

“The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.” (SB 1.7.6)

“Simply by chanting and hearing of the transcendental name, form, etc., of the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one can achieve the cessation of unlimited miserable conditions. Therefore what to speak of those who have attained attraction for serving the flavor of the dust of the Lord’s lotus feet?” (SB 3.7.14)

The great sage Maitreya now gives the final answer to all the questions of Vidura: devotional service to the Lord is the ultimate means to mitigate all the miserable conditions of material existence. (SB 3.7.14 Purport)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Vidura asked the following questions to Maitreya in a pleasing manner.

His first three questions are about the “Isvara.” Vidura asked (I am paraphrasing):

1. How is the Lord who is spiritual, and transcendental be connected with material gunas? How can the Lord who is unchangeable perform actions that indicate change?
2. Children play being impelled by desire. But the Lord is self-satisfied (without desires) and detached? Then why does He create, maintain, and dissolve the universe by His maya-sakti?

Vidura’s next three questions are about the “Jiva.”

• How does the pure soul become engaged in nescience?
• Why does the living entity suffer in spite of the Lord’s presence in his heart?
• My mind is illusioned, and I request you to clear it up?

Vidura’s inquiries about the jiva really resonated with me. It indicates the principle of “athato brahma jijnasa.” As a suffering and conditioned soul, I have asked these questions to myself a number of times. The questions may not have been worded the way Vidura did, but the underlying essence is the same. Questions such as ‘Why am I suffering?’, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’, ‘Why am I being punished for crimes/sins I may not have committed?’, ‘If God exists, how can he allow His living entities to suffer so miserably?’, ‘God says He is our father; then how can He see and do anything when His children suffer?” and so on.  

Vidura is a great devotee of the Lord and an expert philosopher. He knows the difference between the spirit soul and the body. Thus his questions pertain more to the spirit soul (unlike my questions that pertain mostly to bodily consciousness). He is asking if the soul is pure, then how can it be covered by ignorance and nescience? If the Lord exists in everyone’s heart as Paramatma, why does the living entity still suffer?

Vidura’s inquiries show his compassionate nature. He is truly concerned about the suffering of the whole humanity. These inquires wouldn’t arise in someone who does not feel pain and distress by the suffering of the conditioned soul. It takes someone with a massive loving and kind heart to inquire such.

In his purports, Srila Prabhupada gives a clue to the reasons the spirit souls are covered in nescience. He comments:

“The conclusion is that the living entity is influenced by the avidyā potency, as confirmed in both the Viṣṇu Purāṇa and the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam…The jīva potency, or the kṣetrajña-śakti of the Lord, has the tendency to be overpowered by the external potency, avidyā-karma-saṁjñā, and in this way he is placed in the awkward circumstances of material existence. The living entity cannot be forgetful of his real identity unless influenced by the avidyā potency. Because the living entity is prone to the influence of the avidyā potency, he can never equal the supreme potent.” (SB 3.7.5 P)

“From another point of view, it is understood that the jīva living entity is qualitatively one with the Lord, and thus his knowledge in the pure state of life cannot be covered by nescience, especially in the presence of the Supreme Lord. How then does the living entity become subjected to ignorance and covered by the influence of māyā? The Lord is the father and protector of every living entity, and He is known as the bhūta-bhṛt, or the maintainer of the living entities. Why then should the living entity be subjected to so many sufferings and misfortunes? It should not be so, but actually we see that it happens everywhere. This question is therefore put forward by Vidura for solution.” (SB 3.7.6 P)

I am eager to hear Maitreya Rsi’s answers and how he dispels all misconceptions about isvara and jivas. I also look forward to hearing his recommended solution to get out of nescience.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

While meditating on this topic, a correlation with a specific verse from Srimad Bhagavatam stood out.

SB 1.2.11:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.”

This means that there are three levels of realization of the Absolute Truth – Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan. The realization of these three levels could be in sequential phase or by each level independently of the other levels. I was reflecting that as we progress from Brahman to Paramatma to Bhagavan, our vision of the Absolute Truth progresses from the Universal Form to four-handed Visnu Form to two-handed form of the Supreme Lord.

For those who are very attached to material desires and have difficulty accepting the personal form of the Lord, meditation on the virat-rupa is an ideal technique in the beginning. Srila Visvanatha Saraswati Thakura comments on 2.2.14 that for those yogis who cannot concentrate on the spiritual form of the Paramatma, concentration on the Universal form for removing the continuation of attraction and repulsion is described. Srila Prabhupada affirms this by saying that this meditation is for person whose heart is still impure. He further states how by some way or other, one must try to reestablish one’s forgotten relation with the Lord. Thus, for those who can’t accept the personal feature of the Lord, meditation on the virat-rupa or universal form of the Lord will gradually qualify one to rise to personal contact.

Therefore Srila Prabhupada recommends that instead of wasting time on meditation on universal form of the Lord, we should aspire to see the two-handed Syamsundar form of the Lord by the process of Bhakti Yoga. Even Lord Krsna confirms the same thing to Arjuna. He explains the following process.

BG 11.54-55:

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya

aham evaṁ-vidho ’rjuna

jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena

praveṣṭuṁ ca paran-tapa

“My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.”

mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo

mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ

nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu

yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

“My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me.”

“The Bhagavad-gītā is meant to show how one can understand his spiritual existence and his eternal relationship with the Supreme Spiritual Personality and to teach one how to go back home, back to Godhead. Now here is the verse which clearly explains the process by which one can attain success in his spiritual activity: devotional service.” (BG 11.55 P)

“Kṛṣṇa can be understood only by the process of undivided devotional service… One who has unflinching devotion for the Supreme Lord and is directed by the spiritual master, in whom he has similar unflinching faith, can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revelation. One cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by mental speculation. For one who does not take personal training under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to understand Kṛṣṇa.” (BG 11.54 P)

The universal form may seem wonderful to persons who are involved in elevating themselves by fruitive activities, but to persons who are engaged in devotional service the two-handed form of Kṛṣṇa is the most dear.

“In summary, the universal form of Kṛṣṇa, which is a temporary manifestation, and the form of time which devours everything, and even the form of Viṣṇu, four-handed, have all been exhibited by Kṛṣṇa. Thus Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all these manifestations. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is a manifestation of the original viśva-rūpa, or Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all forms. There are hundreds and thousands of Viṣṇus, but for a devotee no form of Kṛṣṇa is important but the original form, two-handed Śyāmasundara. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated that those who are attached to the Śyāmasundara form of Kṛṣṇa in love and devotion can see Him always within the heart and cannot see anything else. One should understand, therefore, that the purport of this Eleventh Chapter is that the form of Kṛṣṇa is essential and supreme.” (BG 11.55 P)

Therefore we should sincerely follow the practice of devotional service to reestablish our intimate loving relationship with this Supreme Person through the process of chanting and hearing about Krsna.

CC Madhya 22.107

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.”

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

While meditating on this topic, a correlation with a specific verse from Srimad Bhagavatam stood out.

SB 1.2.11:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.”

This means that there are three levels of realization of the Absolute Truth – Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan. The realization of these three levels could be in sequential phase or by each level independently of the other levels. I was reflecting that as we progress from Brahman to Paramatma to Bhagavan, our vision of the Absolute Truth progresses from the Universal Form to four-handed Visnu Form to two-handed form of the Supreme Lord.

For those who are very attached to material desires and have difficulty accepting the personal form of the Lord, meditation on the virat-rupa is an ideal technique in the beginning. Srila Visvanatha Saraswati Thakura comments on 2.2.14 that for those yogis who cannot concentrate on the spiritual form of the Paramatma, concentration on the Universal form for removing the continuation of attraction and repulsion is described. Srila Prabhupada affirms this by saying that this meditation is for person whose heart is still impure. He further states how by some way or other, one must try to reestablish one’s forgotten relation with the Lord. Thus, for those who can’t accept the personal feature of the Lord, meditation on the virat-rupa or universal form of the Lord will gradually qualify one to rise to personal contact.

Therefore Srila Prabhupada recommends that instead of wasting time on meditation on universal form of the Lord, we should aspire to see the two-handed Syamsundar form of the Lord by the process of Bhakti Yoga. Even Lord Krsna confirms the same thing to Arjuna. He explains the following process.

BG 11.54-55:

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya

aham evaṁ-vidho ’rjuna

jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena

praveṣṭuṁ ca paran-tapa

“My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.”

mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo

mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ

nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu

yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

“My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me.”

“The Bhagavad-gītā is meant to show how one can understand his spiritual existence and his eternal relationship with the Supreme Spiritual Personality and to teach one how to go back home, back to Godhead. Now here is the verse which clearly explains the process by which one can attain success in his spiritual activity: devotional service.” (BG 11.55 P)

“Kṛṣṇa can be understood only by the process of undivided devotional service… One who has unflinching devotion for the Supreme Lord and is directed by the spiritual master, in whom he has similar unflinching faith, can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revelation. One cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by mental speculation. For one who does not take personal training under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to understand Kṛṣṇa.” (BG 11.54 P)

The universal form may seem wonderful to persons who are involved in elevating themselves by fruitive activities, but to persons who are engaged in devotional service the two-handed form of Kṛṣṇa is the most dear.

“In summary, the universal form of Kṛṣṇa, which is a temporary manifestation, and the form of time which devours everything, and even the form of Viṣṇu, four-handed, have all been exhibited by Kṛṣṇa. Thus Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all these manifestations. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is a manifestation of the original viśva-rūpa, or Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all forms. There are hundreds and thousands of Viṣṇus, but for a devotee no form of Kṛṣṇa is important but the original form, two-handed Śyāmasundara. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated that those who are attached to the Śyāmasundara form of Kṛṣṇa in love and devotion can see Him always within the heart and cannot see anything else. One should understand, therefore, that the purport of this Eleventh Chapter is that the form of Kṛṣṇa is essential and supreme.” (BG 11.55 P)

Therefore we should sincerely follow the practice of devotional service to reestablish our intimate loving relationship with this Supreme Person through the process of chanting and hearing about Krsna.

CC Madhya 22.107

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.”

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

While meditating on this topic, a correlation with a specific verse from Srimad Bhagavatam stood out.

SB 1.2.11:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.”

This means that there are three levels of realization of the Absolute Truth – Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan. The realization of these three levels could be in sequential phase or by each level independently of the other levels. I was reflecting that as we progress from Brahman to Paramatma to Bhagavan, our vision of the Absolute Truth progresses from the Universal Form to four-handed Visnu Form to two-handed form of the Supreme Lord.

For those who are very attached to material desires and have difficulty accepting the personal form of the Lord, meditation on the virat-rupa is an ideal technique in the beginning. Srila Visvanatha Saraswati Thakura comments on 2.2.14 that for those yogis who cannot concentrate on the spiritual form of the Paramatma, concentration on the Universal form for removing the continuation of attraction and repulsion is described. Srila Prabhupada affirms this by saying that this meditation is for person whose heart is still impure. He further states how by some way or other, one must try to reestablish one’s forgotten relation with the Lord. Thus, for those who can’t accept the personal feature of the Lord, meditation on the virat-rupa or universal form of the Lord will gradually qualify one to rise to personal contact.

Therefore Srila Prabhupada recommends that instead of wasting time on meditation on universal form of the Lord, we should aspire to see the two-handed Syamsundar form of the Lord by the process of Bhakti Yoga. Even Lord Krsna confirms the same thing to Arjuna. He explains the following process.

BG 11.54-55:

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya

aham evaṁ-vidho ’rjuna

jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena

praveṣṭuṁ ca paran-tapa

“My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.”

mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo

mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ

nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu

yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

“My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me.”

“The Bhagavad-gītā is meant to show how one can understand his spiritual existence and his eternal relationship with the Supreme Spiritual Personality and to teach one how to go back home, back to Godhead. Now here is the verse which clearly explains the process by which one can attain success in his spiritual activity: devotional service.” (BG 11.55 P)

“Kṛṣṇa can be understood only by the process of undivided devotional service… One who has unflinching devotion for the Supreme Lord and is directed by the spiritual master, in whom he has similar unflinching faith, can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revelation. One cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by mental speculation. For one who does not take personal training under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to understand Kṛṣṇa.” (BG 11.54 P)

The universal form may seem wonderful to persons who are involved in elevating themselves by fruitive activities, but to persons who are engaged in devotional service the two-handed form of Kṛṣṇa is the most dear.

“In summary, the universal form of Kṛṣṇa, which is a temporary manifestation, and the form of time which devours everything, and even the form of Viṣṇu, four-handed, have all been exhibited by Kṛṣṇa. Thus Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all these manifestations. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is a manifestation of the original viśva-rūpa, or Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all forms. There are hundreds and thousands of Viṣṇus, but for a devotee no form of Kṛṣṇa is important but the original form, two-handed Śyāmasundara. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated that those who are attached to the Śyāmasundara form of Kṛṣṇa in love and devotion can see Him always within the heart and cannot see anything else. One should understand, therefore, that the purport of this Eleventh Chapter is that the form of Kṛṣṇa is essential and supreme.” (BG 11.55 P)

Therefore we should sincerely follow the practice of devotional service to reestablish our intimate loving relationship with this Supreme Person through the process of chanting and hearing about Krsna.

CC Madhya 22.107

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.”

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The following features of the Lord’s Universal Form caught my attention and inspired me greatly.

From SB Canto 2, Chapter 1, the different limbs of astanga-yoga caught my attention.

“At the last stage of one’s life, one should be bold enough not to be afraid of death. But one must cut off all attachment to the material body and everything pertaining to it and all desires thereof.” (SB 2.1.15)

Since our goal is total samadhi on the two-handed form of Lord Krsna, I find it inspiring to meditate on the different limbs of astanya-yoga.

Yama – Leave home and practice self control

Niyama – Bathe regularly at a sacred place

Asana – Sit down in a secluded and sanctified place

Pranayama – Remember ‘Om’ and regulate breathing

Pratyahara – Withdraw the mind from sense activities

Dharana – Fix the mind with intelligence on the Lord’s form

Dhyana – Meditate on each limb of Lord, without deviating from the conception of whole body of Lord

Samadhi – Completely reconcile the mind in Visnu without any thought.

From Canto 3, Chapter 6, the different life airs such as prana, apana, samana, udana, vyana, naga, krkaram kurma, Devadatta, and dhanajaya are worth meditating upon. We survive on air and our breathing process. Therefore it is important that I have some basic understanding of the different life airs.

Lastly the manifestation of the varnas inspires me. The mouth of the virat-rupa manifests the vedic wisdom and brahmanas. The arms represents the power of protection and ksatriyas. The thighs represent the means of livelihood of all persons (vaisyas). The legs represent the service for the sake of perfecting dharma, sudras.

Since I am a sudra by nature and propensity, I find the service of the Lord represented by His legs most inspiring aspect.

SB 3.6.33: Thereafter, service was manifested from the legs of the Personality of Godhead for the sake of perfecting the religious function. Situated on the legs are the śūdras, who satisfy the Lord by service.

The clue to making our human life successful is beautifully given by Srila Prabhupada in the following purport:

“Service is the real constitutional occupation of all living entities. The living entities are meant to render service to the Lord, and they can attain religious perfection by this service attitude…. It is clearly said here that the principle of service was generated from the legs of the Lord for the sake of perfecting the religious process, but this transcendental service is different from the idea of service in the material world… It is actually better to be a śūdra than to be a brāhmaṇa and not develop the service attitude, because that attitude alone satisfies the Lord. Every living being—even if he be a brāhmaṇa by qualification—must take to the transcendental service of the Lord. Both Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam support that this service attitude is the perfection of the living entity. A brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra can perfect his occupational duties only by rendering service unto the Lord… Even if one is not a perfect brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra but takes to the service of the Lord, not caring for the perfection of his social position, he becomes a perfect human being simply by developing the attitude of service to the Supreme Lord.” (SB 3.6.33 P)

Therefore, I pray to the Supreme Lord to bestow upon me the right service attitude so that I can satisfy Him and His dear devotees. This service attitude can be fully ignited by sincerely and prayerfully chanting the Lord’s Holy Names.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!