Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.18.41
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Sharja · 2017
Chapters
Verse recitation from Srimad-Bhagavatam
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva nottamaṁ devaṁ sarasvatsīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet.
Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. sarva-bhūtāśaya-stho 'sau janārdanaḥ. Hare Krishna. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dunga.
Our verse today is Canto 1st, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, chapter 18, Mahārāja Parikṣit Cursed by a Brāhmaṇa.
sabamatarham narendram, dunir dramandram. Swabramanojambyanat, Sabra Namatma Jamanda, Ahobata maho mahat adjam tikritamadam forty one Alpya Sidrona eighteen forty one. Drona Urur Dhamodrita.
Maybe you can just read verse by verse, word by word. Yeah, maybe it's better. Yeah, word by word, Canto, Canto number 1. First canto, 18th chapter, text 41.
niśamya śukta-saṁsthaṁ taṁ Nishamya Sutka Samtam Saptam Sharpit śāpitaṁ tat-kṛtāgasaṁ naréndraṁ pādi-spṛṣṭaṁ me siṣrāja nṛpa-saḥ. brāhmaṇaḥ. Brahmanaha. Brahman Vishit.
tad ātmajam abhiprētya abhyanandat aho bata lokasyāgham aho mahat Ba Mahat. Kia leia Alpia se Piac, Ladgang, śūdrād laṅghitā-śūdraṁ Drohe, apla.
Translation and purport on Maharaja Parikshit
drohe Uru Damaha Damaha Dandah Drita Vyara Dyanya Translation. The father heard from his son that the king had been cursed, although he should never be condemned, for he was the best among all human beings.
The Risha did not congratulate his son, but on the contrary began to repent, saying, Alas, Alas, what a great sinful act was performed by my son. He was awarded heavy punishment for an insignificant offense.
Pitani Apne Putase. Pitanya Putase Sunaki Sunaki Tajapu Aja Virti, Baha, Yasaka, Pastana, Pastani, Hai, Vir Putrani, Vari Putrani, Pitnapada, Pitna, Bhap Karma, Papiya, Karya.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The king is the best of all human beings. He is the representative of God and he is never to be condemned for any of his actions.
In other words, the king can do no wrong. The king may order hanging of a culprit son of a brahmana, but he does not become sinful for killing a brāhmaṇa. Raja Brahman Kya Plati Balako Pasik Sadak Khadesh de Saktai.
Even if there is something wrong with the king, he is never to be condemned. A medical practitioner may kill a patient by mistaken treatment. By such a killer is never condemned to death.
So what to speak of a good and pious king like Maharaja Parikshit. In the Vedic way of life, the king is trained to become Rajarshi or great saint, although he is a ruling king, he's ruling as a king.
It is the king only by whose good government the citizens can live peacefully and without any fear.
The Rajars would manage their kingdom so nicely and piously that their subjects would respect them as if they were the Lord.
Raji Shikan, Abne Raji Kiberasta, it is that Pavitatasa Kartati, Ki Praja, Unka, Vesai Adakantiti, Manove Padma That is the instruction of the Vedas. The king is called Narendra, or the best among human beings.
How then a king like Maharaja Parikshit should be condemned by an inexperienced puffed up son of a Brahmana even though he had attained the powers of a qualified brāhmaṇa.
Since Śamīka Ṛṣi was an experienced good brāhmaṇa, he did not approve the actions of his condemned son. Shuki Shamikrishi ek Anupavi puttampra marte. A ter un only aplik is a damp trake. Kaliba Samathanikia.
He began to lament for all that his son has done. The king was beyond the jurisdiction of curses as a general rule and what to speak of a good king like Maharaja Parikshit?
The practice of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam
Samana Niyam Kendusa Raja Shakki Simasha Paryhutahe, to fill Mahra Prikshit Jesse, Hottam Raja Kivishamikaka. The offense of the king was most significant and his being condemned to death was certainly a very great sin for Sringi. Therefore he shishamika regretted the whole incident.
Na mamma Vishnu Paday Krishna Play Buddhist Srimati Bhaktividanta Swami niit nami, namaste sarasvati devani pracharini, nervisse Sunavari, Paschatades, Panchawhataravishakripa Sidduvacha, Patianam Pavane Byovaisnavy, Namonmaha J Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabunitananda Sriadvaita Gadata Rasivati Gora Bhakta Vrinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hareareh Hare Ramahare Rama Ramaharehare. Ajanulambita Bujoka Nakawada, Sankirtanaya Kapita Raka Malaya taksa, Vishwambaru Yantah Pradesha Mamma Bachma Prasubam Sandi Vaya Taquila Shakti Darah Swannah Anyamstcha has to charana sravana tva gadim pranamavu bhagavati purusha dyam, uh Nikilia meh Angriji Kapravachin Dunga lekin uhsepihle uh that in fact hindi sakta hoje. We are reading the first kant of Srimad Bhagavatam which is very important for understanding Srimad Bhagavatam. Because in the first canto of Shimad Bhagavatam, the main topic of the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam is about how Shrimad Bhagavatam, hearing Shrimad Bhagavatam and speaking Shrimad Bhagavatam is the main sadhana for devotees. Because this is not just reading ordinary book, listening ordinary book, speaking ordinary book. This is the direct experience of God which is contained in this book and we can uh see God just by listening Shrimad Bhagavatam, just by hearing Shimad Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada says that if you really do it properly, if your consciousness is attuned to understand Shrimad Bhagavatam, then you will be able to see Krishna directly to have this Sakshatkar darshan of Krishna direct experience of Krishna on every page of Srimad Bhagavatam. So therefore, the first Kanto of Shimad Bhagavatam is explaining how to do it properly so that something very significant will change within your heart. Otherwise, when we live the ordinary course of life, and if we just occasionally or casually read Shimad Bhagavatam, uh this parivartan will not take place. This change within the heart will not take place. And as a result, we will not see Krishna in this life and we will not remember him at the moment of death. And Srimad Bhagavatam itself it is says that the success of human life is antenna rayana smritih to remember about God at the end of our life, Antenarayana Smiti.
Lakshia Bekin uhmari uh the small ski saftabi stupa develop So many people they live their life in vain and the the Virt.
The human uh human uh form of life is very important and very valuable, but uh the real success of human form of life is anta- smriti to remember about Nārāyaṇa.
And it's not so easy to remember about God at the end of the book
Japanja Ratnam Tadyai Vame Vishatamana Saraja Hamsa Pranaprayana Samay Kapavata Piti kantava Rodana Vidhos Maranamukutastu King Kula Shaykh Parthana Pulsha So
uh uh and um Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is teaching us how to do this, how we should how we can uh be sure that we will remember about God at the moment of this.
And of course, the main uh sādhana for this is to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam constantly Nityam bhāgavata-sevā.
The importance of submissive hearing
But not only here, but here in a proper mood. Srila Prabhupada uses one phrase. He says one should learn the art of submissive hearing.
And submissive hearing means that we should uh hear and at the same time accept what is being said, but at the same time deeply think about what is being said to us, what is the message.
Sharaka Artih, Kihamusko Bhodi, Nabratasuskok Garhakari, Of Skupam Purathan, Samadhistoda, Yosmikaka, or Class Cook Juno Tari, yeah Oscar.
Submissive hearing doesn't mean blind hearing when we just blindly accept everything which is being said.
Submissive hearing means that we with very grateful heart accept the message, but at the same time think very deeply what Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam wants to tell us.
What is there for me, what I am supposed to do uh uh after hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And submissive hearing means that I should do uh according to what Bhagavatam uh wants me to do, that I should act accordingly.
Uh uh there are two main topics in this first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which I wanted to speak briefly before we talk about this verse.
One topic is what is the qualification of the speaker, proper speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and what is the qualification of hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, hearer of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Because only if the speaker is proper and the hearer is proper, then
the real experience of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can take place and we will uh really take this, you know, Parivartan will take place in our heart, this change in our heart will take place.
I have Punahe, I will be that share, or Shota Wobi Dutch, don't I get that share or to Papa Tanta to Say Sei to Scarte, who are some piaga or a child, I think.
And therefore, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, three pairs of hearer and speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is being described.
So the first speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is Suta Gosvāmī, described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself, and his audience, hearers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is sages of the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya headed by Śaunaka Ṛṣi.
So Mohammed Swatter and I want to study she had shorty have and it's interesting uh if we very carefully uh study how Srimad Bhagavatam describes both of them, we will see that
this listeners or hearers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam they have some tinge of material desires.
They themselves say that we are doing this sacrifice, and this sacrifice is a karmakāṇḍa sort of sacrifice for the welfare of us and other human beings.
Uh Karayam, yet the Kara, how skajo uh Yi Haki, Ham upna Hamarakan to Kalyan to Suttava Sarga can't be Kalyan. And they say that because of the sacrifice our mind and our body becomes smoked. Dumra.
The smoke contaminates our mind, our intelligence and our body. In other words, they themselves say that, uh, we are not completely pure. Our motivation is not 100% pure. There is some tinge of material desires.
And therefore, what is being stressed in the beginning with this first pair of speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and listener of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the qualification of the speaker.
Suta Gosvāmī is glorified in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the first chapter. Bhagavatam in the first chapter.
In the very much that he's so learned and he knows everything, and then he strictly follows paramparā system. Second pair of hearer and speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is Vyāsadeva and Nārada Muni. Def and Naradham And
this is the next level. They are much higher than, uh, Suta Gosvāmī and, uh, sages of, uh, Naimiṣāraṇya. And the uttama hearer and uttama speaker is Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
But here we can see that the qualification of speakers Śukadeva Gosvāmī is described very shortly in the seventh chapter of the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Very shortly, that he was very renounced and everything.
But the qualification of here uh certain chapters of the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is describing basically the qualification of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. uh uh Uchuti gave the Pataya.
And the main qualification of, uh, Mahārāja Parīkṣit is that he was very determined to meet with Krishna in this lifetime. He whatever he was looking for in this lifetime, he was only actually looking for Krishna. He only wanted to meet with Krishna and see Krishna. Therefore he is called Parikshit, the one who is always searching for Krishna for God.
And that should be our qualification.
Pariksit Maharaja's continuous search for Krishna
The this ardent desire to meet with Krishna and not satisfaction in the heart until we meet with Krishna with Krishna is the main qualific There
is a little story in the Puranas about Maharaja Pariksit, how he was looking for Krishna while he was even a very small baby. Well well he was a baby. A small baby.
We all know that Maharaja Parikshit saw Krishna in the womb of his mother, Uttara. Not only he saw Krishna but he was also saved by Krishna and therefore he knew that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
And therefore he was always always looking for Krishna. So it is said that once Krishna came to Maharajishthira's palace. And at that time, Maharaj Parikshit was still a very small baby.
And he was sitting on the lap of uh his grandfather Maharaja Dishthir.
And they were sitting together, Maharaja Parikshit was sitting uh oh sorry, uh Maharaja Tishti was sitting on his throne and Krishna was sitting next to him on another throne.
So Maharaja Parikshit Asanta Patri Shanta Patate And little Maharaja. Yudhiṣṭhira. Maharaja Yudhisthira and Krishna. They were sitting next to each other.
So Krishna Jo Balimitava Syasa Tastana Krishna. And uh little Maharaja Pariksit was sitting on Maharaja Vitishtira's uh lap. And he would look at Krishna's face. And he would start smiling. He would become very happy.
But then he would look uh Nietzsche, he would look down and he would start crying. And then again he would look up uh in um Krishna's face and he would start smiling again.
And then again he would look down and he would start crying again. And uh ultimately Maharaja Vitistra asked Krishna because uh Maharaja Pariksit at that time he couldn't speak, so he couldn't explain what he is doing.
So he asked Krish Krnaishna,, why is it so? Why is he smiling and then crying and then again smiling and then again crying?
And then Krishna said, because when he looks in my face he recognizes that's me who saved him in the in the womb of his mother. And becomes very happy.
But then he looks down and he sees that I only have two hands, not four hands. Whereas in the womb he saw me with four hands. So then he thinks uh maybe it's somebody else and he becomes crying and he starts crying.
The point of the story is the same, you know, that Mahārāja Parīkṣit's main qualification was that he wanted to see Kṛṣṇa, wanted to know by all means, whatever it takes, he just wanted to see Krishna.
And therefore, even in the middle of this big crisis which took place and is described in this chapter, he was not bewildered.
He knew that uh now it's the time for me only to listen about Krishna from the lips of Śukadeva Gosvāmī. And just imagine that somebody will come to you now and will tell you that you will die in seven days.
Somebody of you started laughing when I said this. But probably you would not laugh when you hear this.
No, you, probably, you would have so much turmoil in your head then it would be very difficult for you to start looking for Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
Someone up here she may it not like our material again. We have this experience if we're a little disturbed. It's very difficult for us to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because our mind is somewhere else.
Recently there was one mataji in Moscow and she was dying from cancer. very well. But the point is that I just recently spoke with your spiritual master.
He said she became when she found out about this, even though she was the devotee, she was chanting and everything, but she was so disturbed in the mind that for the last few weeks she was just disturbed. She was emotionally disturbed.
She was crying sometimes, sometimes she couldn't concentrate on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The poleman jabon can sit down in Tachauri Batwe to Jabonka Manu Pragan, to spend the money further now, you can be already bought to the point is that it's not so easy to concentrate on God and the moment of death.
And this is the most glorious qualification if we develop this desire, I want to know about God more and more and more as Mahārāja Parīkṣit had this desire.
The essential necessity of sadhu-sanga
And we can only develop this desire within ourselves uh if we have association with other devotees who have this desire. Therefore
the second topic, uh the the subsidiary topic, the second topic I will tell a little later, but the subsidiary topic of the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the importance of sādhu-saṅga, association of devotees.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was so emphatic about the need of association of devotees, that in the fourth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam he says if somebody thinks that he can become Kṛṣṇa conscious without association of devotees, he is just uh he has just hallucinations. He's just he's just crazy.
Therefore, in this eighteenth chapter of the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is this famous verse, Tulayama Lare Napi, Nasvargam nāpunar-bhavaṁ, bhagavat-saṅgi-saṅgasya.
So this is the famous verse which is the description of sādhu-saṅga: tulayāma lavenāpi, even the small association with the devotee of the Lord, it will give you much more than svarga or punarbhava,
apunarbhava. Even more than mokṣa, bhagavad-saṅgi saṅgasya, it's, uh, it's incomparable. It can give you something much more than, uh, than any material benefit.
But the second, most important topic of this first canto — first is the qualification of hearer and listener and speaker, and you know the importance of sādhu-saṅga.
But the second very important topic is Kali-yuga, the effect of. From the very beginning, when the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya glorify Sūta Gosvāmī, they speak about prāṇair priyārthāc ca saḥ.
They say that mandaḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāś ca describe the effect of Kali-yuga, that people in Kali-yuga completely deranged in their mind, they're very lazy spiritually, and it's very difficult for them to develop any spiritual inclinations.
So from the very beginning till the very end.
And in the personality of, uh, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, these two qualities are very vividly described: that, first of all, he was the ideal hearer of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and second of all, he could drive away the effects of Kali-yuga.
He was not affected by Kali-yuga.
And these two qualifications, they are connected with each other, because in the third chapter of the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is said that when Kṛṣṇa left and when Kali-yuga took place, kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣaḥ,
then purāṇārko ’dhunoditaḥ, that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the only means to dissipate the darkness of Kali-yuga.
We all living in this, uh, horrible time, terrible time of Kali-yuga, and, uh, basically, day by day the influence of Kali-yuga becomes stronger and stronger and stronger.
It's so degrading for the soul, for the heart, for human consciousness. It's so degrading for the soul, for the heart, for human consciousness and people becoming more and more and more degraded because of this influence.
The heart becomes more and more dirty, and so many dirty things are coming to us constantly. Some years ago, I was.
And there was a half-naked woman there on the advertisement, and somebody, some man was chasing this woman or something like this. I don't remember what it was.
But the title of this movie,, intriguing title of this movie to incite the excitement in people was The End of Innocence, Masoom, Masoomiyat. And, uh, I guess that's the title of Kali-yuga: the end of innocence.
There is hardly any innocence left in this Kali Yuga. Everyone is guilty, everyone is very sinful. And uh you know little children they start learning all these dirty things from in their school even.
And therefore Śrīla Prabhupāda used to call schools slaughterhouses. Yeah, Kasaigar. Because this, what is being slaughtered in these schools, is the innocence of people, the innocence and purity of the heart.
You know so many problems and everyone is actually afraid of Kali Yuga. Everyone doesn't know what's going to happen.
I met with one very rich person here in Dubai, one very rich businessman, a friend of mine here in Dubai. So the first question which he asked me is very interesting.
He said, "What do you think, what will this 2017 bring to us?" This 2017, this year, what it will be. And I told him, "Nothing good will it bring to us."
And it's Kali Yuga, it's becoming more and more intense and more and more strange, year by year. And there is no śānta, there is no peace in the heart. There is no there is no purity in the heart.
There is no nice feeling or uh nice relationship between the people and So, we have to be sane, we call it. Because Kali means quarrel and everyone is just very agitated and quarreling all the time.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very important. Where do we find jñāna and dharma in this Kali Yuga?
How we can really imbibe the real knowledge as opposed to ignorance, and how we can really follow the proper path of religion which will bring us to the higher destination in this Kali Yuga.
Therefore the uh answer which is given to this question is very important.
Kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣaḥ: for those people who are blinded by the influence of Kali Yuga, there is only one sun, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, purāṇārko 'dhunoditaḥ.
Therefore, again, as I said, Maharaja Pariksit is exemplary in this regard because he showed that if we have this ardent desire to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then we will not be influenced by Kali Yuga.
Uh we will live in Satya Yuga. Satya-yuga is there. So many people speak about Ram Raja, how it was nice when Ram was there as a as a king. Yeah, now it was Ram Raja, now it's Tramkraj. And it's slightly different.
But you know uh Ram Raja it's uh it's hard to expect that there will be some Ram Raja in Kaliyug. But still your internal condition can be uh as if you are living under Ram, under the
rule of Ram, if you are protected by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So I'll give the temperature. Because uh symbolically it is described when Maharaja Parikshet was ruling his kingdom, the Kali didn't have any influence. Why?
Because of the rule of Maharaja Parikshit, because of his desire to listen to the
So if the same desire to listen to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will be in our heart, then uh at least in our little apartment, uh little two-room apartment, influence of Kali Yuga will not be felt.
We may not be able to drive away Kali Yuga from you know from Dubai or whatever the influence of Kali Yuga.
But at least we will be able to drive away the influence of Kali Yuga from our little place where we live, which is good enough.
So what the other way Sibata is that the payment or Kaliuka Brab was put on some Muktenica sector, the way you can have this stamp of R and Dorum and D Rum, who's stamped once Kaluuka Brab's Mukter accepted.
How Sringi's curse introduced Kali-yuga
And that's exactly why Śrīla Prabhupada came to give us Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam so that we will be immune to this influence of Kali-yuga.
And uh here in this particular chapter it is explained how uh Maharaja Pariksit was cursed by Brahman Sringhi. And this curse of Brahman Sringhi
was actually instrumental for Kali Yuk to infiltrate into the fabrique of this world into the world actually Kali Yuga has to be there. There is no doubt about it. Kalugu.
no question kaming ja and therefore Krishna arranged this this whole Lila very beautiful Lila first of all to that is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and second of all he arranged this līlā to
that is Shimot Bhagavatam and second of all he arranged this Lila to allow Kali to enter into the human society. So sometimes people complain about God, He is dead and He's bad and why He is arranged these bad things.
Yes, uh these things has to be there because people want to live in Kali yoga.
They want to fulfill all the perverted desires which are there in the heart and therefore Kali Yuga is there, you know, to to give the expression of all these strange desires which are there in the heart.
So Krishna arranged that Kali Yoga will take place will start, but Krishna also gave uh along with it Davaida medicine against Kali Yoga.
So Krishna gives you just Ata Krishna up your Prabhupada Vishnu, So uh and uh uh this uh particular uh how how Kali Yuga entered into how the the the the age of quarrel entered into the human society is that when Brahman has become degraded.
There is a saying that the fish start rotting from the head. It means that the degradation starts from the head. The fish starts rotting from the head. So the degradation of human society started from Brahmanus.
When the Brahmanas they uh violated their duty or they started breaking their duty or deviating from their duties, then the real degradation of the human society Actually
the uh the only uh means to maintain proper society is when the Brahmanas and Kshatrias they are cooperating with each other.
When the Brahmanas are doing their duties teaching people and when the kshatres are doing their duties protecting Dharma, protecting people.
Brahmanka Sapukiandana or Tanikaslavana or Shaky with Hanik Shakari or Samadh Shankiva Sabanaki. Those the competition between Brahmanas and Kshatriyas then everything khatam hogaya.
Brahmana Sringhi while cursing this while cursing Maharaja Pariksit for a small mistake, he committed actually a big, big mistake himself.
The Pata Paris and Pataki Brahman to just have Chutis unti hogue Marsha, top Baraoskuana, Daniagaya.
Dangers of pride and power misuse
But Tibetan And why did he uh commit this mistake because he was proud? That's the problem in Kali Yuga that uh when we get little power we become very proud.
And as soon as we become proud, we misuse the power which we have. And the universal power which is there, the universal exchange uh which is symbolic to the power uh i is is money actually. What is money?
Money is nothing but Shakti of the Lord. And Kali Yuga money is you know whatever little power you have, it's uh uh translated into the you know amount of zeros which you have in your b If
you are very beautiful in Kali Yug you become very rich. If you are very knowledgeable in Kali Yug you become very rich. If you are very famous in Kali Yug you become very rich.
If you are very renounced in Kali Yuga you also become very rich. All the sannyasis are very rich people and color you have to both famous and more both passian, you know So
because this is the power, money is the power in Kyuka. And unfortunately, and the uh as I said, uh when you become proud of having little power, you start misusing this power. There is nothing wrong in being powerful.
There is nothing wrong with power itself. Money is good. There's nothing too bad about money. What is bad?
Misuse of money, baliya, position, rishya, puṣpāṇi, phala-tyāga, niṣkāma-bhakti, power, āśraya-śakti, position, phala-tyāga, niṣkāma-bhakti. So this is exactly what is being
described in this chapter, that little Śṛṅgī, because he had power, uh, and because he misused the power, that was he—he created horrible situation for himself, for the whole, in the—for the whole human society.
Āśraiyāś ca yaśo dṛṣṭvā, tathā ca dṛṣṭvā kena parā-tattva-samāyāḥ puruṣo samāhita-mānasāḥ samstuta-saṅkaṭāḥ. Some people, you know, some so called spiritual people they say I will not touch money.
So once Śrīla Prabhupāda was giving lecture in India. And uh, uh, after the lecture one man, uh, raised his hand. And he wanted to test Śrīla Prabhupāda. And he asked, Swamiji, if I give you money, will you take the money?
Svatantraiḥ sva-liṅgaiḥ paricoṣibhiḥ? And Śrīla Prabhupāda answers, how much? He means to say, give me all the money, I will engage it in the service of Kṛṣṇa. And there is nothing wrong with it.
What is wrong when we don't use the energy of Kṛṣṇa in the service of Kṛṣṇa? In fact, it is wrong if we don't use the energy of Kṛṣṇa in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Because this is another manifestation of pride.
I'm not touching money. I don't touch money. What does it mean? It means that you are afraid to touch money. Because you know that if you touch money you will do something.
And Prabhupāda said no, I'm not afraid to touch money. I will use everything. You just bring it to me. I will use it in the service of Kṛṣṇa.
So there is nothing wrong in, uh, uh, having some power or knowledge which brāhmaṇas have, but what is wrong is if we use it for ourselves. And therefore, uh, as it is said in this verse, Śamīka Ṛṣi, the father of Śṛṅgī, he became very upset with him.
He started saying, hai, hai, hai, hai. Prāyaścitta. Prāyaścitta, prāyaścitta. He was very remorseful. Very prāyaścitta. So, because, uh, he knew that this is a big sin.
And uh as far as the message to us is concerned uh from this story is that again if we do pride misuse the power which we have that's a big sin. We are making same mistakes.
know, if we curse somebody, it may not have an effect. Sometimes devotees say, I will curse you. Uh uh because we're not Śṛṅgis, you know, we don't have so much power.
So uh it's not what is uh the the teaching, the lesson uh in this story is not that we shouldn't curse anyone.
Of course we shouldn't curse anyone, but uh the teaching is that we should not misuse the power which we have, whatever little power we have, due to the pride.
Uh I'm not shorty the night Yaki Shakti have come to put in Karaji Ankarosh. Because if we have pride it is said that the pride comes before fall. Girme ke pehle ahaṅkāra.
it basically means if the pride is there, that the fall will be there for sure.
Cultivating true humility in devotional service
You will f— you will fall down. So therefore the most important quality which we have to cultivate especially in the society of devotees is humility.
If we want to maintain our status in the society of devotees, if we want to maintain our devotion, if we want to maintain our level of bhakti, then the only prerequisite of it is humility, namratā.
we come to the society of devotees, we're usually very humble. We committed so many mistakes and so many sinful activities. We come to the society of devotees and we admire everyone and we think everyone is a pure devotee.
In the beginning, you look in your own heart and you say I'm dirty and everyone is just a pure devotee.
Then but then after few years of being in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we think that everyone is dirty and I'm the only pure devotee. And in the beginning uh Krishna gives so much bliss and uh
to us and the holy name gives so much response, but then when we become senior devotees, nothing, nothing is coming anymore. Kyuṅki hamārā ahaṅkāra ho gayā hai. We mi— we commit this mistake.
We— we somehow or other, we become victim of this uh Kali yuga, of this tendency of Kali yuga. And pride is one of the tendencies of Kali Yuga. Ahaṅkāraḥ sabse baḍā dhuśmana hai.
Therefore, Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport that even in the social dealings, humility is the best quality.
Not the best, the— the very prerequisite uh to enter into social interaction and the healthy social interaction. Prabhupāda says that even if the— if the king is bad, still he is the king. Representative.
And we have to respect him as such. He is Bhagawan. We shouldn't criticize them. Like you know the America. In America everyone is just criticizing everyone.
Still, if you go in Thailand and you criticize the king, you will be put in prison for criticizing the king. But if you criticize the king in America, you will become the and then everyone will criticize you.
That's how the law of karma works. Just the little I have to finish now. The very important lesson from this story is that we should become humble and we shouldn't criticize everyone. Anyone.
And whatever little power we have we should use in the service of Krishna.
Whatever it is money or it is some beauty or it is some knowledge or it is some vairāgya, Whatever power, little power we have for physical strengths we should use in the service of Kṛṣṇa. And develop service attitude.
That's all hum, that's all hum, that's so hum. And then Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will influence our heart, and ultimately the change in the heart will take place, and then we will be able to see Krishna.
Without this humility we will not be able to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And therefore in the very beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that if you want to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam only one qualification should be there.
Two qualifications. Nirmatsaram? One should not be envious or proud. Nirmatsaram. And Satam, we should be uh true to we should be looking for the truth in this world. Okay, thank you very much.