Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.1.9
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Bangalore · 2021
Chapters
Recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam verse
No Bhagavate Vasudevaya No Bagbate Vasudeva Bhagavate Vasudeva Baktirva stiki, nestiki, prayan Veta Kityan Raya Payana, Virahakatarabanjaba, Udreki Namayatayoga, Tarawin, Sarakiran So that's what chapter CHAPTER 1 Text number nine.
Yada Vartabratinaha Vartabratina Sambhayam Sampayam Jagatguru Jagatguru Yani Yani Jagada Jagada Krishna Krishna Tani Ambrityanani, rajorach, Yeah, Sāparta, Pradica, Jahta, Jaya, Sāparta, P
Sha tah. Shadha. Dwindling. Dwindling.
Krishna serving as a messenger
Pudnalesha. Fragment of pious acts.
Fragment Translation and report by His Divine Grace, His Depot is one number of the Kingdom. Lord Krishna was sent by Arjuna into the assembly as the spiritual master of the world, of the whole world. And although his words were heard by some like Bhīṣma as pure nectar, it was not so for the others for the completely
derivatives of the last party of pious of fast pious words. The king, Duryodhana, did not take the words of Lord Krishna very seriously.
Lord Krishna, who is the spiritual master of the entire universe, accepting the beauty
of the messenger, and deputed by Arjuna to the assembly of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra on the peace talks. Krishna is everyone's Lord, yet because he was the transcendental friend of our judgment, he gladly accepted the role of man's messenger. Exactly like another friend.
That is the beauty of the Lord's behavior with his pure devotees. He reached the assembly and spoke about peace and the message was applauded by Bhīṣma and other great leaders because it was spoken by the Lord Himself.
But neither Duryodhana nor his father, [indistinct], took the message very seriously due to the exhaustion of the pious results of their past deeds. That is the way of persons who have no credit of pious deeds.
By past pious deeds, one may become the king of a country, but because the results of the pious acts of Duryodhana and company were building. And because it became evident that from their
actions that they were sure to lose the kingdom to the Pāṇḍavas. The message of Godhead is always connected to the devotees, but it is just the opposite to the non-devotees. Sugar candy is always sweet to a healthy man.
But it is very bitter to persons suffering from jaundice. Surah. And [indistinct] Krishna was sent by Arjuna to the assembly of [indistinct] as the spiritual master of the whole world.
And although his words were heard by some by Bhīṣma as pure nectar, it was not so for the others who were completely aware of the last part of why's walls.
The king Vidaras Prayodana did not name the words of Lord Krishna Lady Space. Namaste for that is my Swami. Namaste has to be a little bit more Krista Krista re sa, dessa, dessa, desta rema
And I'm one of the jobs and give another person. One day Swasaskribi Swasikav Krasiatam, Dharam Bhutan Swambi Tho the
Maintaining enthusiasm through scripture study
Mahana Shapadam Bajakat Spechabhaki Very happy to be resolved to see your useful enthusiasm and to be impacted by it. It's a great pleasure for me to be here in Mandalore and to see how the temples are developing here.
But to keep our spiritual enthusiasm high. We should go deeply into the scriptures, especially in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Because if I understand really the relevance of the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to us and to everyone else, then we will be infused all the time.
What happens sometimes is people know they accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness. consciousness. But then you know it becomes a habit.
This spark of enthusiasm is being closed because uh we don't understand how much treasure we have in our hands.
Uh and one of the purpose of the first chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīla Prabhupāda is writing a very peculiar sentence. He says that Arjuna was trying to avoid Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So sometimes it happens for us.
We say, yeah, I want to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness energy. And that's it.
But if we lose this perspective, how relevant Kṛṣṇa consciousness is for us and for everyone else, then we're avoiding Kṛṣṇa consciousness by using Kṛṣṇa consciousness as a pretext. I would I'm okay. I'm fine.
So and uh for that we need to really understand
the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and therefore Śrīla Prabhupāda introduced the system of our studying verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and trying to go deeper into the verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
I will come back to this topic which was actually uh given to me by the elders, but first I wanted to speak a little bit about this verse.
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is taking these words. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was particularly interested about the conversation between Vidura and Maitreya. He knew that it was a very relevant conversation, and
even the questions asked by Vidura, what to speak about answers given by Maitreya were extremely rare. This shows a very keen interest which we should have also.
You know, sometimes we have an illusion that I already know this, I already heard this many, many times. You know, what is what is there new?
You know, the mind is working in a very peculiar way. The mind always wants something new. And as a result, people reading all these crazy novels which actually give the same message but in a slightly different packaging.
The message which is there in the novels is the same, just enjoy sex, that's it. There's nothing new there. But because there is some sort of new packaging, people think that this is something new.
But in case of the words of the scriptures, to repeat them again and again and again. And the mind says, oh, I already know this. I know this body, yes, I already know. I know this body. Do you really know? I love this body.
We don't know that in Vedānta-sūtra it is said that the sadhana is designed in such a way that you should repeat the same thing again and again and again.
And repetition is needed to overcome the anarthas which are there, to overcome the offenses which are there. We need to repeat certain things again and again and again before we really understand this.
And therefore, we should read the scriptures again and again and again. And every time that we open the scriptures, we should really try to realize you know that this is something very relevant to meaning right now.
In the same way as Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he's asking this question, you know, what was there? Please tell me. What was there?
What transpired when Vidūra met with Maitreya, please tell me what questions did Vidūra ask and what answers did Maitreya give. So this sort of eagerness, it's the key to understand something.
Without eagerness, it's the same like if we're eating and there is no hunger. You're eating, eating, eating, eating just mechanically. But because there is no hunger, the food turns into poison.
It doesn't give you any benefit. But if there is hunger, the same food will turn into nectar. You will digest it and it will nourish you.
So in the same way, if we hear just mechanically, just because we need to do it. Because this is our religion. This is the way we should do. You know, we should see the Should see one problem and see ya.
But there is no hunger. So what's the use? All this knowledge will turn into poison, literally. Why how how is it possible that it will turn into poison?
And because Because you will have an illusion that I already know about this.
This illusion will ultimately deprive you of the essential message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and deprive you of the benefits which Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Bhagavatam and deprive you of the benefits which Srimad Bhagavatam or hearing Shrimad Bhagavatam may give.
Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadrāeṣu is the Bhagavad-sevayā. You will not be purified of all this anartha, of all this undesirable things in the heart by listening to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
If you don't have the eagerness to listen to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, if you don't understand how how important it is to listen to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam every day, you will just have an illusion. Yes, yes, I know this, yes.
And yes, no, but it's very so this is this is what may happen to us. But if there is eagerness, then this knowledge will go deeper into our heart and will nourish us, will give us strength.
Every time when we listen to the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we will feel invigorated and nourished more, and we will feel more energy and more enthusiasm. So this is this is the effect.
It is said in the 11th canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra caikatra That these things happen when we do bhakti.
The nourishment comes, the taste comes, and the sensation of hunger comes as much as we're taking food. So that's the that's the criteria whether we're doing bhakti or not.
If we feel this that you know the the to stick to stick to the tuṣṭiḥ, poṣṭiḥ, kṣud-apāyaś ca the the enthusiasm increases and uh the energy comes to us, really, real energy,
to do something, and then we become indifferent to the pleasures and temptations of this world.
If this is increases every day, every time when we listen to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then we will listen to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If this effect is not there, you eating the food, but ruṣṭir visṛjyaḥ svataḥ You are not really digesting this food.
So with this great eagerness, uh, Mahārāja Parīkṣit is asking Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Goswani, please tell us what happened at that time. And uh Śukadeva Gosvāmī doesn't go immediately to the topic which he is being asked.
Importance of context in spiritual hearing
He first tells the background. And it's very important.
That's another important point which we have to understand It's very important for us to really understand deeply the relevance of the questions and answers. We need to know the background.
Like in the story, you know, practically the whole first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is devoted to just one topic, to explain the Bhagavatam is devoted to just one topic, to explain the background of the meeting between Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
Instead of rushing into this main topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about what Mahārāja Parīkṣit said and Śukadeva Gosvāmī is explaining the background. Why does he need to know the background?
Why do we need to know the background? Because if we know the background, we can come to a proper frame of mind to listen to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Again, you know, to understand how relevant it is, then this is the question which somebody who is dying should ask and this is the answer for somebody who is dying. Somebody who is dying should hear.
And who is dying here dying? You're dying. And I'm dying. Of course, you know, when you are young you think, ah well, it's not so relevant. It is relevant. It is relevant for everyone. We are in the process of dying.
But still we are foolish enough not to understand this.
So the whole first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is there to explain to us how relevant the whole message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is, to prepare us, to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam properly.
Actually recently I spoke this uh this is a relative of mine. And uh uh I asked him what I had plans, he said I don't know what in my plans because I don't know when I will die.
And he said, after listening to today's class, he is listening every day, with Prabhupāda's books, he said Prabhupāda said that Mahārāja Parīkṣit was very lucky because he was guaranteed that he had seven days before his death. Nobody of us has this guarantee.
At least Mahārāja Parīkṣit was sure that he would live for seven days. You don't know whether you will live seven days or not. And at the same time the fool is enough to say, no, I'm not there. You are there.
And it may happen anytime, at any moment. Uh we never know. It may happen very now.
So uh so this is uh that's what I mean, the point which I'm trying to make is that before answering the questions of Maharaja Parikshit, Śukadeva Gosvāmī goes into pain details so we could understand who is the doer.
And why he is asking this question and who is Maitreya and what are the quality of the answers which he will give. Again, to make us eager to hear the questions of Vidura and the answers of Maitreya.
Viewing difficult circumstances as blessings
So Maharaja Gosvāmī started describing the whole story of Vidura, how Vidura was living with the
king Dhṛtarāṣṭra. And how ultimately he was driven away from Hastināpura to travel to the holy places and how he accepted this as a blessing. Well this whole particular story is very important again.
Coming back to our original topic of the preaching spirit.
You know this particular episode from Mahābhārata and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on how Vidura was driven away from his very very comfortable situation interesting after he was the minister.
And how we do that, I actually do it as a blessing. You know, sometimes it happens with us, it happens with It happens with everyone.
That you're living in a comfortable situation and you are you know praying for the Lord, please keep me comfortable as long as possible so that I can comfortably can take this happen.
But something happens without your knowledge, can they without your desire. And this changes your situation, your comfortable situation, and puts you in a completely uncomfortable situation.
So our reaction should be to this, thank you very much, Christian. This is the best thing which can happen to me. Otherwise I will just roll here in this moment of this place.
And Krishna is placing us in new circumstances.
We should understand that Krishna is very nice from God. Śrīla Prabhupāda he was saved. You know and it was similar to this of Prabhupāda's life when he started his preaching in the West and it was successful, there was a musical success in America and the new temples and everything and ultimately uh this uh Los Angeles temple was there which is the headquarter international headquarter, but you know, it's very successful.
And all of a sudden, something very strange happens. You know, his closest disciples became inimical to him. His closest disciples poisoned him by spreading strange rumors about Prabhupāda. You know it happens.
Actually uh in this world this world is meant it's a very interesting statement which it is said in in Indi Shastra that this world is meant for infamy. For ninda. That's the main point of this world.
If you think that you will behave in such a way that everyone will praise you My dear friend, you are a delusion. This world is not meant for this. You will meet with this, nindā.
You know, everyone, everyone is meeting with this. Śrīla Prabhupāda was also like this. Prabhupāda met his own disciples turning against him. He closes his eyes. Doors again against him. And he had to flee from America.
He was so disgusted with everything.
But before, you know, leaving America, uh he came to Rupanuga, the main leader at that time, and he was praying and he was saying, My dear Lord, I don't know why you're doing this to me. I don't know why you're not giving me this possibilities to you know to increase the success which is care. Why are you doing this to me?
But I know that it must be something good. It must be something good. You know, there was a similar episode in Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's life. He writes about this in his autobiography.
You know, he wanted to go to Navadvīpa and for many many years he was planning to go. He couldn't go to Navadvīpa. He couldn't go to Māyāpura.
Ultimately everything was settled, he was posted into another week he was supposed to be the judge there and everything was settled and at that time uh you know he felt sick and
forty-seven days he couldn't drink, he couldn't eat, uh, he was only taking a little milk, and he writes in his biography. At that time I was thinking there must be something very good coming from this.
Because so many of them. There must be something very good. So this is the way how the bhakta thinks. If something happens, something wrong happens to him, he becomes very enthusiastic. It must be something good.
And you know for the materialists it's completely opposite. Something wrong is happening to him. He goes to the Lord and says, What is wrong with you, my Lord? I've been serving you so diligently, but you looked So
You know, that's the prayer of the bhakta. The bhakta, he doesn't want comfortable life. He wants to serve. And service needs to go out of the zone of comfort.
So the devotee, when he was driven away from this, he became really enthusiastic. He said, this is the best thing happened to me.
Because also, you know, to preach, Kṛṣṇa gave a facility, to preach, to go around, to see, you know, sometimes to preach, I started my class saying that you know sometimes we become habitual, you know, divorce. The service becomes tedious habit.
Yes, I think this is the spirit is lost. So therefore it's very good in this case to travel.
Maybe sit in one place and you know we got some little comfort zone in this little place we have. And we have my little you know, cover with my attributes of renunciation. So we lose the perspective.
We become uh yeah we just yeah we become community of things. But when we go out and we read and we see how people are really suffering, how the whole world is deluded. Really?
The whole world is just totally locked in and people are trying to come to the solutions. But exactly like Prahlāda Mahārāja predicted, people are coming to a solution, but the solutions, they're worse than the problems.
You know, that's the force of modern civilization. Many, many hundreds of thousands of years ago, Prahlāda Mahārāja made this statement that this is the way of material life.
People are trying to come up with the solutions, but usually solutions are worse than the initial problem which they are supposed to solve. This is how it goes up. And uh but the solution is there.
Solution is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there's no other solution. There is really no other solution. If we understand this message, that will give us enthusiasm to preach.
And if we see how everyone is suffering because of this totally misguided civilization, totally misguided civilization. And therefore Prabhupāda, he himself traveled and he told his followers also to travel.
Therefore he called his organization International Movement for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It's always moving. International society. The national movement. It should move. Otherwise, it will become steady.
If the water is moving, the water is always fresh. But then if the water stays in one place, it becomes rotten and often it becomes poisonous. In the same way, if we become stagnant in our life, we also become robot.
Anyway, so coming always carrying the lady. Coming back to the original cross which is there that
Krishna executing his diplomatic peace mission
was introduction to the verse, so the version starts now. It is said in this particular verse the whole uh prenew
of the story uh before Vidura was given away by Yudhishthira and from Hastināpura, they said that before the war, the group said the war, Kṛṣṇa was sent as messenger to Hastināpura. And he wanted to make peace with Duryodhana and this Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
Although he knew that it's not going to work, he knew, Mahārāja knew, Arjuna knew, everyone knew that even though Kṛṣṇa would go there, it's not going to change it.
not going to change it, but still they decided to try. And Kṛṣṇa himself said, I'm just to protect you from the blame. The war will be there. The war is inevitable.
There is absolutely no way to escape the war because this people are too and because they offended Draupadī. Their people already there because of their misdeeds. So there has to be... summarized, it's actually said
in this verse that the, you know, they really exhausted their puṇya. they really exhausted their punya. And because they exhausted their punya, there should be something inauspicious happening in their life.
And whoever is supporting them will also be punished. Krishna said this before going. He said they are already as good as dead. But I want to protect you, Pāṇḍavas, you're pious. You will win in this war.
But uh I want to protect you from this blame because there will be foolish people. And these foolish people will say, you know, all this Mahārāja is here because he was told he killed all his family members. Just to impress upon everyone.
It's amazing how people are foolish. You know, like recently I was told that there's a whole movement uh in India uh to uh for Rāma. Rāvaṇa was very good, but he was killed by a great person.
Believe it or not, there are many, especially in uh in Tamil Nadu, there are many followers of Brahman who are trying to completely reverse the whole story of Rāma.
So this is how people born, you know, the the the mind is so rewarded. And in a similar way, you know, Krishna wanted to make sure that everything possible was done.
So that nobody would play, nobody would play Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira himself was very against it.
He said, if I go there and if I establish war, then all my relatives will be killed, and it will be so sinful. Krishna says, no, it's not sinful. It's not sinful. You will fight for the right cause.
It's not sinful to fight for the right cause. And these people are impious. You should do it. You should not avoid this.
And to encourage them and to show the extent of the fallen conditions of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Duryodhana, Krishna himself went there as a peaceful messenger.
And it said specifically in this verse that he was Pārtha-prauḍhīkṛta because he was asked by Partha. Because he was asked by Arjuna.
It's interesting because if you read the story of Mahābhārata, in Mahābhārata it was mostly Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira who was clinging to the world. Yudhiṣṭhira was really clinging to the Lord.
Please go there, because he was the most apprehensive, and he felt that this is my responsibility. But then,
After listening, uh uh the plea of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, plea of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he goes to Hastināpura, even though it's useless, but he goes still.
Uh Krishna turned to other brothers, other Pāṇḍava brothers, four Pāṇḍava brothers, and he said, What will you say? Shall I go or not? And he first asked, according to the text, Bhīma. there, Bhima.
Bhīma, tell me, should I go there or not? Should I plead for the peace or not? And to my surprise, he said, Yes, just go and ask them for peace. And Krishna was, What's wrong with you? How come you want peace?
You never want peace. How come the people said here we should try? Because uh Lord Christmas said, you know, are you afraid of this war?
You said no no, I'm not afraid of this war, but anyway, you know, they are our relatives in both the three. And then he turned to Arjuna. And he asked Arjuna, what do you say? She said, oh no.
And Arjuna, he smiled, he said, definitely you should. You should definitely. Just to show the world how stupid this reality is. Just to show the world how treason she is.
Please protect yourself, but you know that you should go there because everyone should understand what's really happening, how fall on this people are and then Nabdullah Sahib also uh
confirmed this and then uh just the turn to properly shall I go or no So I ask for peace or no. And she said, you do whatever you like. But make sure that they're all there. Anyway, there was the whole story and uh the
amazing thing which is uh particularly the amazing point which is the main point of this source is that even though Lord Krishna went there and he spoke beautiful words of wisdom.
He spoke in a very beautiful tone, and his message was license. But Kumiodan and the Garas and some other kings, they didn't take this message seriously. No. They didn't take seriously this message. Why?
Because they were impious.
How piety affects spiritual receptivity
And we can see the same, it's a very interesting phenomenon. The pious people, when they hear the message of Krishna, they immediately feel that this is something really relevant and new carrier.
I remember in the beginning when we started preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Russia there was this mail or sending books and many people were ordering books and uh and then they were sending letters there.
And I remember one letter in particular. The lady was writing. She said, I am reading Bhagavad-gītā every day after receiving your book. But I can't read too much.
Because as soon as I start reading Bhagavad-gītā, I start crying. And I cried and crying and crying and then you know it's it's so moving. And then I again tried to read and I again start crying. Because I feel that every word which is there in this food is true. And it moves me so deeply that I cry.
And when I read this letter I thought, my goodness, this lady is so advanced. I am reading Bhagavad-gītā, I'm not crying. She's crying all the time.
She is she's the knower of Bhagavad-gītā because she knows how important it is.
And she specifically said this, you know, I'm trying because I feel that every every single word which is there is true. This is an amazing scene.
You know, those people who are pious, they read this and they immediately can relate to this that this is true. Now, so many people told me also that they had Bhagavad-gītā. For the first time, Gita.
They had this amazing feeling. They said, I always knew that it must be like this, but I didn't formulate it as well as this guy. You know, I always knew it, but you know, he said it very nicely.
The same thing we tell challenges you. It's actually it's true uh that internally we
know we know that this is true and when they read Bhagavad-gītā, Gita, there is this false internal understanding. Krishna is actually dancing in our heart. He says, yes, yes, that's it, that's it.
This is this is Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Krishna is very happy when they read Bhagavad-gītā. That's that's the feeling. That's why people have this feeling.
When they read Bhagavad-gītā they uh they have this feeling that yeah this is something which I always knew because Krishna in the heart is saying this. Yes, this is exactly what I said.
This is exactly what I meant when I was speaking about it. This is true. This is the truth. We sense this truth. So if we keep this, you know I i i if if we are pious uh then uh we will understand this.
And there will be many impious people who will be who will be remarkable. They will not take this message seriously.
But still there are so many pious people and not only this, Śrīla Prabhupāda designed this book in such a way that the number of pious people will increase.
This book is designed in such a way to increase the piety of the people. Those people who cannot take the word of Bhagavad-gītā seriously can take some personal.
When Prabhupada came to Australia, Australia was a British colony where all the prisoners were there. So Australia is very not famous for their brain. Once, Prime Minister of New Zealand,
He made a joke in the presence of Australian Prime Minister.
And he said, you know I think we should send uh all the people from New Zealand with the lowest IQ those training it will increase the average IQ of most countries. And um the State Prime Minister couldn't understand it.
That's the only way to reach. Books are not very important but they're anyway, so you respect to the stage.
But you know, Prabhupada designed this movement that, you know, whether you have five or not, you know, still uh you can get benefit from this movement because Prabhupada was so warm to everyone.
But at the same time, of course, he wanted that there will be pious people who will understand this.
And we can see that those people who have some little piety they really eagerly accept these books and really take them seriously.
There is one sannyāsī in the Russia-Bhakti-Bhāgavatam that you can mean how how enthusiastic
he became when he first read Prabhupāda was in the beginning of the 90s, when the rathas just opened and we started distributing Prabhupāda's books, actually, they donated at the time 200,000 books just for free to start, and basically, these three books:
These two books are Teachings of Lord Caitanya. They were sent from Sweden, and at that time they were very unusual because there were many colorful pictures and in Russia nothing was colorful, but very great.
So this, guess who? He read this Bhagavad-gītā, and he was so enthusiastic, so immediately he wanted to share it with everyone. And he thought about what he'd done, and he decided to distribute these books.
His method of distribution was very peculiar. He would uh find a bench in the street in
the walking street or he would stand up on this bench and shout at the top of his lungs: «Come here if you want to be saved, come here, there's something, the message of Lord Chaitanya is here.
Lord Chaitanya came to save all of you. Come here, come here.
And he said the crowds of people would come, they never heard about Volcitani or whatever, but they wanted to be saved. And because somebody with such conviction and enthusiasm is saved, you will be saved, just by reading this book, they will take these books.
So that's what conviction means. That's what faith means if we really understand that we need to be safe and here is something here is the message of the book which can save me.
Save me from this horrible repetition of birth, deaths, old age and disease.
Save me from all these sufferings and all these anxieties, all this useless, you know, useless attempts to chew what has already been chewed, trying to extract some droplets of so-called heavens.
All this useless tense life. And if we understand this then we will be able to attract other pious people.
And luckily, you know, India is still the most pious country in the world. India is still this the best country of the world by far. Of course Russia is probably better.
Because not because people are so biased there, but because people are so desperate. Here people are still having, may have some hope or some material prosperity.
Russian people are desperate, so they are taking Kṛṣṇa processes seriously too. But in any case, the point here of this course is that you
knows this will try to distribute these books and if people are not pious enough to learn these books and appreciate these books, we should give them some perspective.
Experiencing Krishna through eager hearing
But the most important, we should understand the relevance or importance of this book in our life. We should keep this message fresh.
We should really always as if you know always be in the position of Mahārāja Parīkṣit by opening this book. Here is something which I need to know before I die. It is something which I need to get deep into my heart.
And then Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will become very pleased with you. Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is alive. Shrimad Bhagavatam is not just a book. Shrimad Bhagavatam is Krishna himself.
And Krishna may reveal himself to you or may not as much as you still take it. You know there is if this attitude, the proper attitude towards these books is there, you will every day experience some miracles. Krishna will speak directly to you.
And he will give you the most important and the most relevant points which you need to know. Answer your difficult questions, dissipating your doubts and uh increasing your enthusiasm and everything else.
But it's all depending how relevant this group is to you and how deeply you understand the importance and the relevance of this book. Vaisnava is speaking to you here.
Śrīla Prabhupāda says in the first chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that you know if you eager to hear, and actually the whole first step of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to explain to us the method of understanding Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
What should be the attitude? What should be our attitude to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?
And Śrīla Prabhupāda says if you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with the proper frame of mind, with the proper eagerness, you will see Krishna on every page of this book. And you will receive directly from Krishna.
You know, sometimes we expect some miracles. You know, Krishna why doesn't he show himself to me or at least a little bit of himself?
I remember I had one friend who started with him, changed by this woman that he had very fertile grain. And every time he would come, he said, oh Krishna, today he showed me his big tool. I saw a big toe.
I was checking like Krishna all of a sudden I saw this blue toe. This reddish hue. And uh I thought, why Krishna doesn't show his toe to me like just imagination. It's just the lack of faith.
But Krishna can show himself completely to you if you read this book with proper attitude. And that's the point of this verse.
Those people who have enough piety, enough pious credits, they will hear the words of Krishna or the words about Krishna as if nectars, as if amṛta. They will hear every word of Krishna and they will feel that
they rejuvenate. They will feel the eternity of the soul.
They will feel the eternal message which is there, they will immediately experience that they will have real experience of the spiritual world. They will feel parā-niṣṭhā. The Anubhab, the real experience of coming in contact with Krishna, in the react contact with Krishna.
But also less pious, they will just think as a book as a nice book. I was going to less fire, they will think it's a problem about always to be the same thing. This book is nice, let it be a shelf.
But those are less five, they will not even put it in the shelf. But uh depending on the level of our piety, this book, the piety the Bhakti Suthiti, which is there, this book will reveal to us the secrets.
And ultimately as it is said here it will give us ambient the life as much as it is explained it to my baking himself that Maharaj Kharik became tortured just by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for seven days. And he didn't die.
It's a mistake to say that Maharaj Pariks was beaten by Taksaka snake. No. Before Dakshaka Snake approached him, he was already in the spiritual world. He already had his spiritual form, so in Krishna.
You already realized everything just by listening to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And the same in the 12th year of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we said the same result is there for anyone who takes the same exact same result?
The tapsaka of this will not bite you. You will not notice it. You will just be served in this happy in the spiritual world.
Balancing personal practice and outreach
If you understand this message, I guess that's it, I don't wait. Yeah, uh questions.
Okay, it's a pirate Uh the main method of the business by this time about social interesting words, so especially so advance they would just say.
Because when we approach them with the service that you they become pleased with us and they share their whatever they have. So just so many words. So how much used that's also compassion compassion for us.
So what the pipeline for it would be given by one line how to do how much we should give time for our own arrangement in the software and how much time does it be all the time? Once I will stop the way it would formula in this regard, how much time is we go to ourselves and our own knowledge and how much time to give out.
The formula was taken from the ancient Vedic tradition that sannyasis they would travel for eight months and for four months maybe sit in one place and do just a seven or yes station. So the ratio is two months.
So uh it doesn't mean that for four months we should sit in one place and then not practical in modern statement, but two to one place. Two time to others, one part for ourselves.
That's good because if we only preach and preach and preach and exhaust ourselves and then it becomes really passionate and ultimately it becomes something difficult uh and good service, if the only searching model also.
So uh the fire stage as we talk about the uh we take care of the other fire because sometimes you see that many past times in the society we don't take sustenance of the sustenance.
What is that past time that we talk about? Yeah, well I'm not talking of course about normal material
party, we are talking about bhakti-smriti, which means any contact with Krishna, Krishna's devotees, Krishna-kathā, Krishna-prasāda, anything which is the carrier of spiritual energy.
When people come in contact with the direct representatives or direct manifestations of spiritual energy in this world. Like they come to the holy place, they take a snāna in Gangā, which is also spiritual river.
It's with the spirit. So this all gives you value. And it is said that there are certain things, certain things they should be installed or they should be invested with spiritual energy.
And there are certain things, four things in this world which already have—they don't need this installation. Like murtis. Murtis to become functional, they have to be installed first.
But it is said in Caitanya-bhāgavata that there are four things which don't need any list. the list. The first one is tulasī-siddhi. The spiritual energy is always there in the tulasī. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The spiritual energy is always there as śabda. The devotees of the Lord, they don't need any installation.
And uh Gangā, the river Gangā. This is the direct manifestation of the spiritual world, uh, spiritual energy in this world. So those people who are—therefore they said that those people who live far away from dhāma, this is in Vyāsa-pūjā then, but uh if people live near dhāma.
Avoiding contamination and trusting seniors
So this is just talking materially, how do you make ourselves in condition of that?
Because we also have a lot of supporting things, arguments to say that how company was good. So how the intelligence is coming at how we can be saved from this distortion? I can become closer because uh the question was about uh the we talked about people worshipping
the question was about uh the c the we told about people worshipping excessive lot. So my question was like they also could have a lot of arguments in favor of their statements. their statements.
So this intelligence that we started, intelligence that comes in our uh then becomes a possibility. So how can we ourselves remain safe from this kind of uh contamination between one man and other? other?
How can we prevent ourselves from this trip again? Because it's and then when you listen to less, it affects our mind. our mind. Let's avoid this.
It's like, you know, it's as if asking you, you know, how can we protect ourselves from this stool by, you know, touching the stool? know how can we protect ourselves from this tool by you know touching the stool.
It's very difficult to protect from this contamination if you touch it with stool.
Stool is stool, no matter, you know, if you touch, you you could have to uh wait it through. know if you touch you you could have to uh wait it though. Thank you so much for this wonderful uh response.
When you answered this two-is-to-one ratio with respect to that balancing, was it for general or you told only for sannyāsīs, like I got to know it's not only for sannyīs, yes, um yeah, sannyāsīs.
I won't tell you something for sannyāsīs because it's not you know this uh and then of course we have some other you know obligations and duties and everything else, but still, you know, whatever time we have, uh we should also see that we serve others. know this uh and then of course we have some other you know aggregations and beauties and everything else, but still you know whatever time we have uh we should also time we see that we serve others.
I mean we serve others, we're not meant for ourselves. And uh to some extent, of course, we have to take care of ourselves, like to take care of our near and dear ones. like to take care of our near and neural ones.
But whatever. Well, sometimes others, one thing for us. So I wanted to uh this one is the second thing. So how one can understand that uh one is following this?
So you mentioned here that we feel see whether our seniors are pleased with us. us. And if they are, then probably we are clear by their patient pleasure, do we not?
Second one is that we also feel dryness, or we see lack in our uh spiritual accessory or happiness. or happiness. So both are the ways.
So in case we have to judge that which should be more important, because sometimes the seniors do not know what is going on with us. the seniors do not know what is going on with them. So we might have to have a good conversation with them.
And in case after you have discussed and informed fully, whether the seniors are using Seniors are your well-wishers. are your well wishers.
And if you reveal to them what is going on in your heart, then they will understand. You should have you know trust or seniors. If you don't have trust of seniors, then something is wrong.
So we should have complete trust that the seniors are well wishers, that they should know what is going on with us, but they will be pleased when they see that you succeed, that you increase your patient consciousness, whatever is necessary for this. Of course we have duties to perform.
This is important, that we have to be dutiful and responsible. But at the same time, you know, we should not neglect our body completely. completely. I just skipped some of the faster teaching some people who can be
used Maharaj continuation to that uh so sometimes suppose our chanting is not going good and we have preaching services then our like we feel
that I should give more time for reading, so that my chanting improves, but that may not really work out. If I follow instructions of my superiors and whatever way they arrange uh reading
But always this may not work, or the chanting is not going good, so I should just do sadhana, it will improve. That may not be always the case, right? Service has not meant for doing silent. Don't overestimate your aings.
May have a false formation and you decide to avoid someone's services. Okay. Thank you very much. Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya!