Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.19-20
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Dubai · 2025
Chapters
Invocation prayers and verse recitation
Omna mo Bhagavate Vasudeva, Omna no Bhagavate Vasudevaya, Omnamo Bhagavate Vasudeva, Bhavate Vasude Narayan namaskritya, maskriti, nchaiva narotam, chaiva narottam, sarasamatinyasam Tato Jayamudhiraya, Swabhadishu,
Shay Swadrishu, Nityambhagavata Seva Boga tamaš, baga tamaš, baktir bhina stiki, baktir bab, Yamprajam Tamopeta Mapedakrityam Dvaypayanovirahakatarajuhava, Putrititam Mayatayota Sarvagu Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Great fortune to be with all of you. So we read Shrimad Bhagavatam Mahapurana Kenda 1 chapter 13 Ditarashra each form text 19 and twenty. That's chant. Pratikriya. Yasya. Ih Pudaschit, pudaschit, karhichit,
karhichit, prabo, prago, saha, saha, esha, esha, bhagavan, Alhahaham, Sham, naham, Samagaha. Pratikriana ja se. Pratikrian, asseha, pratikrian, seha, Kudhyči, Prabo, Kutaši Prakarchi Prabo, Sajā Bhagavan, Sareisha Bhagavan,
Sair Bhagavan Pala, Sareishama, Sarvishana Samadh, Sarjam, Sarechama Samagaha, Saram, Pratikriana Yasiedam, Pratikriana Yasien. Sarecha bhagavancalaha, sarees bhagavankana, sarveśhanna, samada, samada,
Pratikrija, Primel Meja, Primel Meas, No there is no Yasya of which I in this material world putashitashi by any means by any means karhiti oh by anyone Sah dead saha positively Bhagavan Bhagavan the personality of God Allaha
Eternal Time Eternal Sarvasham Sarvasham of all Naha of Us of Us Samagataha Samadataha Ari. Translation and Purpoke by His Divine Grace A Sivh Pridhanta Swana Srivada.
This frightful situation cannot be remedied by any person in this material world. My Lord, it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as eternal time, Kāla, that has approached us all.
There is no superior power which can check the cruel hands of death.
No one wants to die, however acute the source of bodily suffering may be, even in the days of so-called scientific advancement of knowledge, there is no remedial measure either for old age or for death.
Old age is the notice of the arrival of death served by cruel time. And no one can refuse to accept either someone calls or the supreme judgment of eternal time.
This is explained before Dhritarashtra because he might ask Vidura to find out some remedial measure for the imminent fearful situation as he had ordered many times before.
Before ordering, however, Vidura informed Dhritarashtra there is no remedial measure by anyone or from any source in this material world.
And because there is no such thing in the material world, death is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as it is said by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā.
This cannot be checked by anyone or from any source within this material world.
Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to be immortal and underwent a severe type of penance by which the whole universe trembled and Brahma himself approached him to dissuade Hiraṇyakaśipu from such a severe type of penance.
Hiraṇyakaśipu asked Brahmā to award him the blessings of immortality. But Brahma said that he himself was subject to death. Even in the topmost planet, so how could he award him the benediction of immortality.
So there is a death even in the topmost planet of this universe and what to speak of other planets which are far far inferior in quality to Brahmaloka, the residing planet, the residing planet of Brahman.
Wherever there is the influence of eternal time, there is this set of tribulations, namely birth, disease, old age and death, and all of them are invincible. And then the next verse, right? One is fine.
Yeah, and then, uh, already Hiraṇyakaśipu is coming, so you can ... Devant. Pratīkriyā nāsyāpūtaśit karhicit, prabho, sajesha bhagavan, kalaha Sardesam na Samadataha.
This frightful situation cannot be remedied by any person in this material world.
Opening prayers before the lecture
My Lord, it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as eternal time that has approached all of us.
Nam Vishnu Padar, Vishnu, Vishá, Lukadi, Shrimad, Bhaktividanta, Swami, Vikinami, Namaste, Saraswathi Deli, Buramani, Pracharani, Vivi see past, oh, but sin dube, s Jai Sri Krishna, Caitanja Prabhupanta, sijaitamara niin koula vaan minkä, arrei Krishna, ei Krishna, Krishna Yank pranestima vatiam prasupdum sangivaya da kila shapti darakswadamna, anjamcha hasta charana shravana bagadhi, prananda mu bhugavate, purusyatubin, spasia stu vishwas chakala, prasiedatam dyantuya manaschabadramba jatata padshacha alle sha dumati rakya to keeper. Krishna.
So this is a very beautiful verse from beautiful Srimad Bhagavatam. Srimad means beautiful. Shrimad Bhagavatam is beautiful from beginning to end.
And every verse is very beautiful reflecting this eternal beauty of the Lord.
So in this first canto of Shimad Bhagavatam, actually the history of this book is being described just to give a little background of this verse and
in the fourth chapter of the first canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam Sonakarish, the representative of the sages in the Nisharanya, he asked many many questions after hearing the statement of uh Sutta Gaswami that in this age of Kali there is only one means to see this is Shrimad.
Like when there is no sun, uh it's very difficult to see. You may have some lamp here and there, but still the situation is very frightful and it's very easy to lose the way.
Like a few days back I went from a couple of days back I went from 6-0-7 in Dubai for a walk. And I know the way, I know the area, but I totally lost my way because it was late.
And I was frightened because Because I don't have my phone and I'm in the middle of Dubai. How can I find my way?
Finding direction in dark Kali Yuga
So that's exactly the situation in Hali Yuga. Because there is no sun, if there is no sun, it's dark. And it's very easy to lost your way, even if you think you know the way. But it's very easy to lose the weight.
Yeah, and all of a sudden you find yourself in the middle of a completely unknown situation, and where do you go?
So when Sutta Gaswami beautifully said that Puranar Padunodita that in this age of Kali for those people who are blinded by this darkness of this age. And this is a very dark age. It's really very, very dark age.
So people are so bewildered, so confused and uh with the arrival of internet people are much more confused than before. There's so much rubbish and false information on the internet.
So people now think that they are much more advanced and knowledgeable, but actually they are much more ignorant now and so bewildered, they don't know the way.
So when the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya they heard purāṇārka-dānuditaḥ, kālena naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣaḥ, the naṣṭa-dṛśām people, the uh their vision is completely nashta. It's It's destroyed. Nashta. There's no vision. They're totally blind.
And purāṇa-arka. This purāṇa is like arka, it's like the sun, and uh it has risen on the horizon of Kali Yuga.
So when Śaunaka Ṛṣi heard this, he became extremely enthusiastic. Please tell us about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because they were eagerly waiting how to counteract this dark influence.
Like people in this age are very much in anxiety because they don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Now this start, this war between India and Pakistan started. And both countries have nuclear weapons.
And both countries have very strong leaders. So nobody knows what's going to happen. Maybe tomorrow we will wake up and there is uh nuclear armageddon because they decided so,
uh and and the the the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya they're in this anxiety. What to do? And he says, yes, there is one measure which will help.
This is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which has risen to help us, and therefore Śaunaka Ṛṣi asks, please tell us about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, what is this book? And Sūta Gosvāmī, he starts the long story of appearance of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Significance of qualified speakers and hearers
Actually, he could have said, Oh yeah, uh Śukadeva Gosvāmī came to the bank of Ganges and it happened so happened that uh Mahārāja Parīkṣit was also sitting on the bank of Ganges.
They met together and Śukadeva Gosvāmī started describing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
But no, it would not have proper effect for us to understand the depths and the influence and the meaning of Śrīmad- Bhagavatam, we have to understand under which circumstances it appeared.
And who are the speakers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and foremost, who is the—who is the listener, the hearer of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? So that's very important and the most of this uh starting from the well
starting from the first chapter, the story of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is being described,
but most of the chapters of the story of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam appeared, some of the statements are there about Śukadeva Gosvāmī, but mostly it's about Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
Because it's not so important who speaks, what is much more important to whom he speaks. The speaker may be very good and very knowledgeable, but for example, I know something, I know very little, but I know something.
But if I must speak in front of the children who are five years old, will I be able to speak what I know to them? Will I be able to speak what I know to them? No, I will say, oh how are you doing?
So the to understand the depths of the book
you have to understand who is the speaker, like this Prabhu said that I'm a scientist and this and that and by the way it's all false, it's all totally audience information. But it doesn't matter.
You have to have some idea who is the speaker. There is no doubt about it. The level of the speaker determines. But the level of the audience is also very important.
If the audience, if if I am to speak in front of scientists on this verse, I will speak differently. If I am to speak in London about this verse. I will speak differently.
But I'm speaking in front of you, whatever we'll have, let's see.
But what Sūta Gosvāmī wants to explain is that please try to understand how highly realized the listener of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was, who was Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the influence—there is a subtle influence
of the hearers on the speaker. If the hearers, those who hear, eager to hear, then the speaker is inspired. If they really understand that this is something very important, he has to say that he is inspired.
But if they you know kind of you know semi-sleepy condition and they're looking at the watch and the speaker will also say okay okay so this is just some ritual, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ritual.
uh therefore this whole story is so important for us to understand the depths and the magnitude of this book.
Inevitability of death through eternal time
This is the book which is supposed to save us from death.
This book saved Mahārāja Parīkṣit from death, who was destined to death in seven days, and we are all destined uh to to deaths uh in seven days because our deaths will come either on Monday or on Sunday or on uh or on Tuesday, you know you can choose, no problem within seven days but
there's not much choice you know it will come like it is uh it is said here uh that sarvesam nah samata
taha Krishna Bhagavan in the form of time has already come to all of us sarvesham nah there's nobody who is exceptional here. Even these little children, the death has already come in the form of time.
Because it is very nicely described in English language that somebody is one year old or three year old. So he may consider himself very young but he's already three year old
old age has already come is already three year old somebody is 20 year old he is already 20 years old and and somebody like me is almost 70 years old. But we're all old.
Bhagavan in the form of time has already come to all of us. There is no exception. And we have to recognize this fact.
And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is warning us and Vidura is warning us and he's warning Dhritarashtra because usually people do not want to recognize this fact. Everyone is just, you know, down there there, is beauty par law.
And somebody, some lady who is 65 years old, she goes to the beauty parlour. There is no beauty when you're 65 years or old, no matter uh how much you know how you say this? Yeah, pedicure, whatever, manicure pedicure.
You know everyone is looks in the mirror and he's looking at his or her reflection with a special look and uh it's uh there is a special program which is inside our brain, this brain Photoshop is there.
You know that Photoshop is a program which can make you look younger on the picture. So the same program, much better program is there in the brain when you look at yourself
you don't see the reality other people see how you really look but you always look and you see oh I'm still young no problem here Vidura says, uh no no no, old age has already come. It has already come to all of us.
Sarveṣāṁ naḥ samāgatā. Uh it's uh it's already here. The old age is already here because you're already five years old. No? Seven. Twelve? Seven. Seven. Seven years old.
Human tendency to deny old age
You're really old so Vidura is making this very important point to Dhṛtarāṣṭra because every one of us has this special problem which makes us blind to this fact.
We all say, no, no, I'm, it's not, it's not so bad and it's I still have so many years to live. You don't know when you will leave this body. So Dhṛtarāṣṭra is in this denial. And we are all in this denial.
And some people are most seriously mad, some people have slight psychiatric diagnosis, but everyone is in denial. I will not die. This is Maharaja Yudhiṣṭhira's statement. Yam yam sthāvaram icchanti kim āścaryam ataḥ param.
So he says, well this is the most, most amazing thing in this world is that uh everyone is dying but still nobody is thinking I will also die. Yam yam sthāvaram icchanti. Anyway,
and he says uh you see that everyone is going to the kingdom of Yamaraj. Uh and then somehow you see, oh no, I'm I'm still stable. Yam yam sthāvaram icchanti. Everyone wants to stay stable.
And people they invented so many different means to uh give the illusion of stability in this world.
You know, all this uh you know you may do some cosmetic operation and old age means that there are some wrinkles and you know the people will just you go to a surgeon and the surgeon will, you know, somehow or other make you without wrinkles.
You're still old. And as Śrīla Prabhupāda says very beautifully in the beginning of this purport, he says that old age is just a notice from death. It's just a warning letter. My dear sir, this is the warning.
Please know that I'm coming to meet with you. There is a date and uh we are supposed to meet on this date and it will be a beautiful meeting with you. So the old age is sending us letters all the time.
You know, every every gray hair in our head is a little letter from death. I'm here, I'm coming, don't worry. I'm a little delayed, but very soon I will come, no problem.
But we look at our, you know, I remember my mother when I was very young and I I couldn't understand what she was doing.
She was sitting in front of the mirror and she was plucking the gray hairs from her hair because she didn't want to get these letters. Sometimes you know the death has her
means to his means to inform us about the arrival. Sometimes the ears are becoming, you know, they were losing the hair, they have this dumb drunk. So yeah, no problem.
You go to a clinic and they will plant the new hairs on your hair. Just to increase your illusion. I am okay, no problem. The death will not come to you. No, but the death will come to everyone.
And uh if you are in denial, uh Bhāgavatam is waking you up. Wake up, wake up, wake up. The death has come already. Saiṣā bhagavān kālaḥ in the form of time because we're all living in this in this time.
We're living in time and time is discounted. For everyone there, is this clock. This when when you go to astrologer, astrologer who looks at your kuṇḍalī. And what is your kuṇḍalī? Your kuṇḍalī is the clock.
It's actually a leverage clock with nine different uh nine different arrows right and it it's it's close you know the moon is moving and the sun is moving and saturn is moving and it's very frightening
how Saturn is moving in our chart. But it all indicates. Here it is, the old age is coming. And when when you're 60, it's very difficult to deny. Still people try to deny, still people try to uh take some remedial measures.
But uh Vidura very aptly and Śrīla Prabhupāda points out in the purport, it says, Pratikriyā na yasya iha. Iha in Śārjā. This is true. Iha means here in Śārjā or in Emirates. There is no pratikriyā. No pratikriyā.
Because uh usually people uh they ask uh th they're looking for pratikriyā. They're looking they're looking for immediate measures. Please give me some upaya. My dear astrologer, what is the upāya?
And Vidura comes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and says there is no upāya. There is no pratikriyā, no way. There is no chance for you because Bhagawan has already here. He is here in the form of time.
Sa eva bhagavān kālaḥ sarveṣāṁ naḥ samāgataḥ. He has already come here to all of us, he says.
Right attitude toward approaching mortality
So please don't be in denial and please act appropriately. Those people who are intelligent, they understand this. Like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he is supremely intelligent.
That's actually the idea or the message of this section of Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam. How differently Dhritarashtra and Pandavas and the only son, the only grandson of Pandavas were behaving in relationship to the time.
Those people who understand that God is there, they don't try to humiliatingly cling to the life. It's actually a very humiliating position, Śrīla Prabhupāda assessing the
poor core that no matter how difficult your situation is in this world, you still you cling to the way. Please give me some time. Little time.
You know, sometimes people they come to a doctor, they have some problem, something is uncomfortable, all of a sudden they go to the doctor, doctor looks at their MRI or whatever, he says it's cancer. And then cancer.
And what do they do? Oh please give me some chemotherapy. My dear doctor, how much chemotherapy will give me? Life? Well, two months of miserable. Yeah, yeah, at least two months of miserable life.
People are so instead of you know accepting the fact. I I don't say that you don't have to take care of a therapy, please don't take me wrong. But please know that death has already come.
The time is already appointed to all of us. And don't be an illusion. And if you know that this fact, if you are very clear about this fact, already now you will start acting in such a way that this is inevitable.
And then you will live your life wisely and when the final example comes, you will be very happy. Because you know this is my meeting with the Lord. This is my appointed meeting with the Lord.
Because Kala means time, but Kala also means God. Krishna says Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes this in the port in the tenth chapter of Bhagavad- Gītā.
He says that among the destroyers among the death. Everything is being destroyed in this world, but there's final destruction, and for us the final destruction is death, and we have to be very clear.
Then we will not be fearful. If we are not clear, we're always living in the fear of death. And yes, externally we are not fearful, internally we are fearful.
Like Dhritarashtra, he does not admit that he is fearful, but he is fearful. Because he knows the death is coming. I remember, this is very interesting how the psychology works.
You know, we all know the death is coming, right? Everyone admits, yes, I will die. But not so soon. Not so soon.
Pariksit Maharaja sober response to death
But then something happens, you know, I remember when I started noticing the visible signs of old age in my body, it was not pleasant. It was not I was not so happy about this.
But if you're very clear, like Maharaja Parikshit, Maharaja Parikshit said he heard that he was very confused.
He put this garland in the form of snake on the neck of the sage and he went back to his palace and he started thinking, what did I do? Why was I so foolish?
Why did I put this garland on the snake on the neck of the sage, I never did this before. Something is wrong. There must be God. Otherwise, why did I make this mistake? See how he is thinking.
This is a very important point which we all have to understand that what is happening with us, there is a hand of God in everything which is happening, of course.
So Maharaja Parikshit, he is thinking I did this foolish mistake. There must be direct involvement of God. He's there. He forced me, he pushed me to act against my nature.
So he's thinking about this and then the messenger comes,
Śṛṅgi, the son of Śamīka Ṛṣi, he sends his one of his disciples, Gaurmukha, to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. This is not described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but it's described in Mahābhārata. Gaurmukha says, you know what? You're going to die in seven days.
And he doesn't go to a doctor and say, give me some chemotherapy. I'm going to die in seven days. No, he says, okay, clear, seven days, I have to become sober, I have to concentrate my mind,
and he's heavily listening to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because he understands this is the only measure against this. There is no other measure.
This is what I have to hear very carefully every day and because the death can come any day. So but because Dhritarashtra is foolish and Vidura knows he is foolish, he starts his saying, his sermon, his preaching
to Dhritarashtra: pratikriyā na yasyāsti karhicit kutaścana. Karhichit Kutascheat. There is no means. Nobody can save you. And no one will be saved. And karhi cheat, there's no other means.
There's no there's Karhichi Putaschi no chance to be saved. So please know this very clearly and act accordingly. But see there is a very important difference which we have to understand about this 17th chapter.
17th chapter is definitely important for us to understand, but for us to understand war. Not for us to understand that death is coming. The 17th chapter in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not about this.
This is ABC of spiritual life. This verse which Vidura is telling to Dhritarashtra is actually not for us to understand. It's for Dhritarashtra to understand. What we should understand.
We should understand that we should not be like Dhritarasti. That's the message of the service chapter.
This teachings of Vidura is important, but uh you know supposedly it's only important for those who are like Dhritarashtra.
So the main message of this chapter is that don't be like Dhritharashtra, don't be bewildered by Dhritharashtra. Do Bhakti.
Because Dhritharashtra didn't bhakti, he heard the sermon, he heard the preaching of Vidura and he said, Oh, okay, uh no, please tell me Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
No, he went to Himalayas and started practicing meditation and yoga. He went to Ramdev Bhava school. Don't trump there, please teach me what to do. You know, Vidura is there. Vidura knows Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Dhritarashtra could have told him, please tell me Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. No. He didn't behave.
So the main message of this chapter is not to hear what Vidura is saying to Dhritarashtra, but to understand we should not react like Dhritarashtra.
Because Dhritarashtra's understanding of what we do is say okay that's coming so I should do some yoga I should do meditation I should somehow rather I should detach myself from the body.
Detachment or renunciation by rajya is not bhakti. Detachment or renunciation on the path of bhakti is not necessary. It's not sadhana. Sometimes people, devotees will have this wrong conception that we should be detached.
Yes, we should be detached, but detachment is not sadhana, it's not practice. We should not practice detachment.
Sometimes people, like Hiraṇyākṣa or someone, they practice some austerities. This austerity or that austerity.
Importance of chanting and hearing scripture
Śrīla Prabhupāda, when he was already old, you know, once he was, he had a good meal and he was in a very good mood and he smiled and he told — I don't remember who was there — he said, "From my childhood I hated austerities." I didn't like tapasya. So what does it mean?
It means that our practice is bhakti, but vairāgya is a natural outcome of bhakti.
It's not sadhana, it's a byproduct of bhakti, bhakti-yogaḥ prayuktāśu janayati āśu vairāgyam. Āśu very soon janayati vairāgyam jñānaṁ ca yad haitukam. Jñāna and vairāgya are byproducts of bhakti.
So the message of this chapter is that by hearing it, we should practice bhakti very intensely. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
So that would be the proper reaction to this message. Yes, death is coming. Yes, old age is coming. Yes, this is the notice from death, as Śrīla Prabhupāda so beautifully poetically described.
And I should not try to find some other means. Pratikriya, there is no pratikriya. You should not behave like Hiraṇyakaśipu. I should concentrate on bhakti. Bhakti is so important.
And in bhakti there are two primary means, there's three, five, Whatever. But two primary means of bhakti. One is chanting, another one is sravanam. So healing. Yes, sravanam and kirtanam. So kirtanam means.
And hearing means we should hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Not only chant here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, not only hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam chant. Without chanting, we will never be able to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Without Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we will never be able to chant properly. And the mind will be working its ways. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is actually the guidance for chanting. It's a guidebook to explain to us how to chant.
You know, there are so many different japa-ritīs, and the japa-ritīs give some techniques. There's only one japa-technique, read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And everything else is just artificial. You sit like this. It's all okay.
I, I, I'm not against japa-ritīs. But actually there is only one proper japa guidebook. It's a big guidebook. It's 12 cantos kind of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. How to chant properly. So that's the verse which has to warn us.
Ah, I have to chant. In a very proper way, because Bhagavān is already here. If you don't see him in the form of Gopāla or Rādhā Madhava, then uh at least you should feel his presence in the form of time.
He is there in the form of time and in the form of time he is giving us warning. There is a war between India and Pakistan. In the form of time he is giving us the warning there is a war between Russia and Ukraine.
And so many people are dying all the time. All of a sudden. And who knows, maybe soon there will be war between Saudi Arabia and Dubai or whatever.
You know, you can't imagine it now, but nobody could imagine that there will be a war between Russia and Ukraine.
Recognizing world events as divine warnings
Just few years back, nobody could imagine that it will happen. Because this is the time. The time is the power of God to warn us. This is not the place where we can live permanently.
Wars, famines, diseases, Śrīla Prabhupada says this is the constant feature of this world. Birth, death, old age, disease, this is the constant permanent inevitable unreconcilable or whatever the an you can count uncontractable feature of this world.
We have to be very clear because it's God.
If you don't want to pay dandavat to God, then you know, uh you maybe like Hiranya Kashipu still you know he had to pay dandavat, but every one of us uh you know, at least one dandavat everyone pays when we are dead, the body falls there then this is our final danda final surrender but uh we should not be forced
to do it's actually it's so much difference when you do something voluntarily because you understand the need. You can do it pleasantly. Like uh there was there is a interesting story.
Oh I I when have I this much little story there was this famous Henry Ford, the uh founder of Ford Empire in uh America and he was a very passionate person so he was he hated heat. He couldn't stand heat and he
sa so much hated he that everything was air conditioned, his Ford car was air conditioned, his home was air conditioned, and even the passage between his home and the car was also air-conditioned. He was always in this air-conditioned condition, and ultimately he became sick and he came to a doctor, and the doctor examined
him and this Henry Ford asked doctor what's wrong with me, I'm so sick. He said, because you're not sweating, that's why you're sick. Now you have to sweat, and he put him in a very hot condition to sweat, something which he wanted to avoid.
So the point here is that when we understand the reality And we act according to this reality voluntarily by accepting this reality.
Like the reality is there that on ekādaśī we have to fast. That's the law of God. It's a very important law of God.
He created our body in such a way that on ekādaśī we have to fast. And if we don't fast, then it's better to fast completely, not just to eat uh four times sabudāna fasting, doesn't mean this. It's not. Fasting is fasting.
Do some austerity a little bit because this is how our body is created.
This is how designers made our body, then you will be very happy, you know, by doing little austerity voluntarily and you will avoid so many problems because then you know ultimately you will come to a doctor and say, doctor, what is wrong with me? And the doctor will say, because he ate too much sabodana. That's your problem.
That's what he will say. So and that's exactly the message of Vidura. There is no pratikriya against fear. And the previous verse he said the fear has come. What is the cause of fear?
The cause of fear is imminent death, and there is no practice against this. Accept this fact and do bhakti. And he hears he accepts this fact and goes to the forest to himself to perform austerities there.
Futile attempts to escape mortality
So uh this is the message of this verse, yes Bhagavan is here, Krishna. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Krishna Hare Hare, Rama Hare Rama, Bhagavata Rama, if we don't want to meet Bhagavan in an ugly form of old age, death and disease, we can meet Bhagavan and his beautiful form of Rādhā-Mādhava by chanting His holy name, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, in a joyful manner.
Because everything else is useless. You know, Hiraṇyakaśipu tried. Why this story of Hiraṇyakaśipu is there in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Because uh because actually again, what is the message?
Why Śukadeva Gosvāmī, why Nārada Muni described this story? Hiraṇyakaśipu was standing with his raised arms on one leg and under a mountain for many years, and at the end he only had bones. Nothing else remained.
The ants ate the flesh because it was Satya Yuga then or Tretā Yuga, whatever yuga it was, then uh the life force uh it is explained in um in dharma-śāstras uh that uh in different ages life force uh has different locations. uh In Satya Yuga, life force is in the bones. Therefore, even if you have only bones, you're still alive.
uh In in Tretā Yuga I think it's in uh blood, in any way, in Kali Yuga it's in the food. That's where life force is. If we don't have one day food, we have completely, there's no life force, we are like that.
But Hiraṇyakaśipu, he could be alive just having bones. Nobody, no one of us can be alive just having bones. He was alive by having bones.
He was performing such severe austerities that ultimately Lord Brahmā became worried and pleased and he said, my goodness, my dear child, you're performing such incredible, impressive acts. And please ask me a boon.
And Hiranyakaśipu praised him and said, oh my Lord, yes, please give me some so many rules.
I don't want to be this, I don't want to, I don't want to die this way, I don't want to die this way. And Lord Brahma was saying, yes, yes, yes, you will not die this way, you will not die that way.
Uh my dear uh sir, uh you will not die from animals, you will not die from demigods, you will not die uh inside, you will not die outside, you will not die in the morning you will not die at night you will not die during the day you will not die when the sun is there you will not die when the moon is there but you will
die What he was saying. But he couldn't hear this. He only heard I will not die. So we should not be foolish, we should not be bewildered in the same way. We will die.
And at that moment mm you know if if all the life we were expecting the meeting with Krishna, Krishna will come to meet with us. It will be the happiest moment of our life. Yes, Krishna, you have come.
Whereas if you're just trying to avoid it by all means, and he says there's no means, nobody, nobody can escape this.
So please uh accept this fact and don't behave like Dhṛtarāṣṭra or Hiraṇya-, kaśipu, at least Dhṛtarāṣṭra, because Dhṛtarāṣṭra had saintly association, uh, he was safe, but Hiraṇya-kaśipu well he did have safely association with Prahlāda, but he didn't appreciate this saintly association.
At least Dhritarashtra was listening very carefully to Vidura. Hiranya Kaśipu didn't have intelligence, even enough intelligence, enough brain to listen Prahlāda.
Can you imagine how different the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam would be if Prahlāda would uh Prahlāda told him uh hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛhāndha-kūpaṁ but just uh yat uh what is it um Anyway, he said go to the forest, go to Vṛndāvana, Śrīla Prabhupāda translates.
uh uh tell me the best thing which you learned in the school. And he said yes, uh the best of the demons. I I will tell you the best thing which I learned from the school.
The best thing is just give this up and go to Vṛndāvana. That's the best thing which I will. And you know, can you imagine if Hiraṇyākṣa said, oh really? Can you tell me more this is such a
good advice yes I have to hitvā I have to give up all this pātaṁ gṛhāndha-kūpaṁ this deep well please tell me more. Because uh he said that this life is so flickering. This is exactly the same thing Prahlāda Mahārāja told him because uh you know you're living in this world and the the life is so temporary, so flickering. Please get serious and practice some bhakti.
You know, and because Hiraṇyākṣa Śipu didn't appreciate this advice. You know, he had to meet with Nṛsiṁhadeva. Yes, he had to be available and it was not a very happy meeting between Hiraṇyakaśipu and the Siṁhade.
Tomorrow we will celebrate the disappearance day of Hiranya Kashipu. That was his tirobhāva also. This is a very big festival. So it was not a very pleasant meeting.
But if if you are mentally prepared for this, it will be a very pleasant experience. It will be an amazingly joyful experience. This will be mahotsava, the real festival in your life.
We should be very clear about this and this is how this message which should be understood by us. Not like Dhṛtarāṣṭra understood this message, but how we should understand this very important message.
Not try to find some solution. There is no solution. Pratikriyā nāsti. But uh but there is Pratikriya. And we know what is the Pratikriya?
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma, Rāma, Hare Hare, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Reprogramming the mind through Srimad Bhagavatam
So thank you very much. Thank you Maharaj for wonderful lecture. We have any questions, comments, so then please ask over. Vidhāvi bhipūjanārthaṁ vidhim apṛcchat, praślate ārteva, thank I think so much.
Thank you, svāmī, for the different ideas that makes us uh very beautiful in our own mind, always and makes us so that we are still young, we are still having a lot of time to enjoy this material.
So how to rectify this thing? How not to get used to the janma-mṛtyu-varta? See, we have certain software in our brain or hardware or whatever it is, some programs are there.
But by the mercy of God, we can change this program and to change the software to reinstall the setup in our brain is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to mistakes.
That's the different software given by the best software engineer who is Śukadeva Gosvāmī. gave us this software, but it has to be installed properly.
It has to be done properly, and for that you need to study it in a certain way with a
certain this whole First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very important because it explains the way of reprogramm ourselves with the means of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
It is explaining how careful we should be by listening to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. How much own reverence we have to have towards this book.
Because sometimes you know I I stayed in many gṛhastha homes and they all have the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam set because they took part in Bhādrapura Nemo program or whatever program is.
But most of the books are not touched by any humans
so So the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to explain how to how we should listen, from whom we should listen, and which mood we should listen, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how important it is to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Bhagavatam, hear Shimad Bhagavatam, how important it is to hear Shrimad Bhagavatam regularly.
So that's that's the meaning of this first canto. The methodology of understanding Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that's the message of the first canto.
And here you have to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the proper source, from somebody who has some deeper understanding that's very important. Because if you only read it you will not you will not see what is there.
Because again, you will read it through the lens of your own mind and your own programming.
So to be reprogrammed by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you have to hear somebody like Śrī Mathak, who is explaining this and installing this program within you.
So that's that's the methodology of installation of new software within our training.
Facing hardships and government persecution
Thank you Regularly here Shima Baggut and from local source. Maharaj we uh like not uh the really on the topic but then yes we attitude.
Like Prahlāda Mahārāja had so many difficulties which was given by Hiraṇyakaśipu. So like we also read when you started movement in Russia there were so many difficulties.
So maybe like you can narrate one or two incidents with that. How the difficulties came and uh like how we found a practical solution uh which can help all of us. The difficulties keep on coming.
and find a solution. As and find a solution As as I tried to explain, thank you very much for this very important question. It's actually right on the topic of the ones. The difficulties are destined to come in our life.
Everyone has difficulties. I know little astrology, I do something in the charts, I read something in charts. I have not seen any chart where there's no Saturn in the chart. Somehow or other he's always there.
Rahu and Ketu is in everyone's chart. And Mars who is called beautifully Mangal is in everyone's chart. It's actually sometimes people wonder Mars is the most ferocious and the most inauspicious planet in the chart why
It is called Maṅgala. Maṅgala means auspicious. Why Mars is called Maṅgala? Because by its presence, he forces people to do some auspicious activity.
People when they are in the situation of war or whatever when the power of Mars is very prominent, they become very fearful and they try to uh take some remedial measures.
So the difficulties are there. sometimes we may try to counteract difficulties. But you know, but when we understand that the difficulty of a higher power...
And in most cases, you know, there are some little difficulties which we can conquer.
But when it comes to dealing with the government, like in our case, we have to deal with the huge machine of the Soviet Union atheistic state which hated any religion.
Any, you know, religion was not allowed in the Soviet Union; it was strictly forbidden.
In the beginning of the '30s years, in the 1930s, Stalin, who was the ruler of the Soviet Union, he proudly declared that by such and such year—the year 1936 or '38, I don't remember.
There will be not a single believer in the whole Soviet Union. Among the hundreds of millions of people, nobody will believe in God.
It didn't work, luckily. But that's the level of atheism which was proclaimed. This is an atheistic country.
If somebody who is young will start believing in God, he would have zero chances to make it in in in the in this world. It could only be I don't know night guard or something like this. At some very low-paid job.
And then all of a sudden, you know, young intelligent people start practicing some Hare Kṛṣṇa exotic religion. It was such a show for the whole machine that the
secret police KGB in the Soviet Union there was a special department created in this police just to eradicate Hare Kṛṣṇas. And at one point, in the beginning of the '90s—much later— was there an article. it was communism.
And the chief of the KGB, he published an article and he wrote that there are three main threats to the communist regime in the Soviet Union. One is uh rock music like Beatles and everything else.
Another one I think was Coca-Cola or something like this and the third one was Hare Kṛṣṇa. So we have the surplus, uh, as the most dangerous method of influence. Uh, which, uh, yeah.
So, yeah, and there was severe persecution, but then it's coming
from such a powerful source, and in many cases it is like this, you know, this, because it's in the chart, the time, you know, auspicious time has come, so what shall you do? Just accept it.
God is trying to teach us very important lessons. He is trying to give us some, mercifully trying to give us, uh, some face to develop certain qualities which we may not have. This is why this difficulty has come.
Maybe I should become more humble. Maybe I should become more tolerant. Maybe I should become more kind. Difficulty is merciful involvement of the Lord within our life. This is how we should accept it.
And the moment we accept it, the difficulties will become less. When we try to resist these difficulties with you know with all our strengths, we will just waste our energy.
Sometimes people just, you know, resist and resist and resist and ultimately they just they are crushed by the difficulties.
Instead of accepting the reality of these difficulties and trying to adjust and to understand what the Lord wants to teach us. And the moment we understand this lesson, we become happy.
This is the lesson, this is a very nice lesson, and this is what I and you start laughing.
You know like I was detained in the airport and I was put in one room with 14 uh Arab people. It was room probably this size, and Arab and Chinese and Bangladesh and Pakistanis. And it was a dirty room.
uh uh they were smoking in this room and uh uh oh all the sofas were occupied by them uh and uh there was nothing to it of course i was happy because it
it was ekādaśī, so I sat there and I had to sit there for 12 hours, and there were no windows in this room, it was totally smoky, bad, dirty, with all these people who are sitting there and you know I stopped laughing.
What else can you do? The Lord is trying to teach you a very important lesson. Here it is, He has come in in this this form. So what can they do?
And then uh at one point there was one French person also was pushed into this room and he was young and he was so morose that he said, oh what they're doing, what they're doing to me is so bad.
I said, you know, he just laughed at this. Well why are you so morose? What can you do? You cannot do anything. You know mm if you become grieving about it it will only become worse.
Just laugh at it and accept this reality and adjust to this reality and continue with your mission in life, with your spiritual practice. But of course it's it's not easy sometimes. But ultimately that's what we should do.
Accept this reality and try to understand what Kṛṣṇa wants me to do in these circumstances, no matter how difficult they are. So what what is the teachings of the world? What quality I have to develop?
And it's difficult, but it's it's actually it could be very pleasant. So one more thing you can even have to be. Thank you Maharaj.
Relationship between soul and spiritual body
Thank you Maharaj. KGB was more confident of Hare Krishna than yourself. So even if you don't answer my question, please tell that story again.
And uh my question, Maharaj, is that I understand that you know we need this I mean we need spiritual body because this material body is made out of matter and it will I mean without without the soul, without me, this matter will decompose and it is useless. So I need the spiritual body.
But what I my question is that why a spiritual body which is subchinat, which is the same like the Lord, why does the spiritual body need me? Why does the spiritual body need a soul?
Spiritual body is not different from the soul. Our soul is uh underdeveloped. It's like little seed, like in tiny banyan seed, the whole uh DNA or all genetic information for the full body of Banyan is there.
In the same way our soul in a material condition is suppressed by material atmosphere. So it's a tiny little spiritual seed, but when it develops completely, it becomes full-blown spiritual body.
And it's no different from the soul. It is this soul. It's the spirit. There's no soul in the spiritual body. It is the soul.
As far as this part of the question is concerned, as far as the other part of the question is concerned, it was like this. I was I was in the very beginning, I was just trying to practice something, but I
I was not really convinced about Hare Kṛṣṇa. I was looking at the people who were practicing Hare Kṛṣṇa first devotees. I was not impressed at all by them.
They were just very inexperienced young people enthusiastic but not very impressive. And I was you know I was from the scientific background, I was doing my PhD degree. And I was proud as anyone as
any young intelligent person I was I was proud of myself. And I was looking at these people who are from very low kind of background and not very established in the society,
had no chance society, was not impressed uh about the devotees at all. And then at one point the KGB came to my work and started
uh asking me and they said yeah we know that you're going to this Hare Kṛṣṇa. And we know that you're a very intelligent young boy. And I was molding my dad yes.
And uh you definitely wants to go upward in the ladder in the society. You definitely want to become PhD and this and that. They asked me. I said, yes, of course, that's why I'm doing this.
And you don't want to finish it abruptly all of a sudden. I said, No, I don't want to. And you don't want to go to prison. I said, No, I don't want to go to prison. So they told me now you have a choice.
You can report to us regularly what's going on with this Hare Kṛṣṇa secretly. You continue going to them.
But inform us whether they gather together, whether it's Namahata or Bhakti Piksha, of course there was no Namahatas and Bhakti Pikshas at that time. But when they have secret meetings, where they play Mridanga, who is the leader, you just report us regularly. And then you will have all the benefits of this life and we will help you even, you know, you will go further.
Or you can choose the other way and then you, know, inevitably you will never be able to do your PhD. We will make sure it will not happen. And your—and I was 24 years old at the time. Your whole life will be ruined.
And—I eventually—we will put you in prison and labor camp and someplace. So you have this nice choice. Please think a little bit about it. What do you choose?
And we hope that you have enough intelligence to make the right choice. So that was a choice which was not easy for me to deal with. And it was very real. It was not a joke. These people were not jokers.
They didn't have a sense of humor. When they would say, you would take it literally, not without some interpretation. It was very real. So and I started thinking what shall I do?
And I thought okay, maybe I should take this choice or that choice. But then I thought you know, these people they know better.
They they take this Hare Krishna movement so seriously and I don't take it Hare Krishna movement so seriously. The whole uh machine of government is is trying to stop this Hare Krishna.
There must be something much more important behind this Hare Krishna which I know, so I should practice more seriously. That was my conclusion from this.
I should take it more seriously because it's these people must be better informed than myself that they consider this bunch of useless in my estimation people as a threat to the whole government.
So you know and in this way I I consider KGB as one of my gurus. Thank you very much, Hare Kṛṣṇa.