Overview of the 3d Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam

Purpose of the first two cantos

0:00Hare Krishna to all of you. I'm very happy to be with you. And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura asked me to speak on the topic of the third Kanto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is a very vast topic.

0:13I'll try to give some introduction to this topic or some review of this topic of the third Kanto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam so that we could have pretty clear understanding why this description is there in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

0:34It's an important canto because, according to the explanation of the ācāryas, the real narration of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam starts with the third kanto. Or rather, at the end of the second Kanto the narration

0:51already starts, but the reality, and we will see according to the design of this third canto that this is the real beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. First two cantos were like introduction to the whole topic, and the first

1:09two cantos were mostly teaching the methodology how to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The first canto was explaining the necessity of hearing it in a proper mood, with a proper attention and proper faith.

1:29Why it is always stressed that we should hear from guru because guru is naturally somebody in whom we have faith, and therefore the hearing transforms into something into a devotional process.

1:45When we hear, you know, we always hear something for the entertainment's sake. This is not going to work when it comes to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

1:54Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is supposed to be heard in a proper mood and with a proper attitude. So that's basically the topic of the first canto, and the second canto is explaining

2:08the story of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was transmitted from ultimately from Lord Krishna to Brahmā, from Brahmā to Nārada, and how Narada started preaching it all over the world.

2:23And of course catuḥ-ślokī of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the essence of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and we will touch this subject matter a little bit in our presentation today, is also described in the second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

2:38So that's the introduction. And to start our little class on this subject matter, I would like to chant and read the translation and purport to the verse number two of the fifth chapter of the third

3:02canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vidura's talk with Maitreya. That's the first question of Vidura, and basically the answers to Vidura's questions they constitute third and fourth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

3:21These two very big cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they are all conversation between Vidura and Maitreya. Vidura asks questions and Maitreya answers the questions.

3:36And therefore, the first question, the very first question of Vidura is very important because it indicates the purpose of these two cantors, which as I already said, are the answer to Vidura's questions and specifically to this first question.

4:01So, let's hear what Vidura is asking, Vacha Sukhaya Karmani Karoti Loko Na taih sukkam vanya tu paramamva vindeta buyastata evadukham Yad Atra Yuktam Bhagavan Vaden nah.

4:26Viduru Uvachi Vidura set Sukhaya for attaining happiness, karmani, fruit of activities, karoti, everyone does so. Lokaha in this world, na never, taihi, by those activities, sukkham, any happiness, wa or anyat differently uparam satiation wa either vindata achieves buya on the contrary tataha by such activities eva dukam miseries death which atra unta circumstances yuctam right course bhagavano great one vadet may kindly enlighten naha US Translation.

5:17Vidura said O great sage everyone in this world engages in fruit of activities to attain happiness. But one finds neither satisfaction nor the mitigation of the stress.

5:33On the contrary, one is only aggravated by such activities. Please therefore give us direction on how one should live for real happiness. Vidura asked Maitreya some common questions, which was not originally his intention.

6:00Uddhava asked Vidura to approach Maitreya Muni and inquire unto all the truths concerning the Lord, His name, fame, quality, form, pastimes, entourage, etc.

6:13And thus when Vidura approached Maitreya, he should have asked only about the Lord.

6:20But out of natural humility he did not immediately ask about the Lord, but inquired into a subject which would be of a great importance to the common man.

6:33A common man cannot understand the Lord. He must first know the real position of his life under the influence of the illusory energy. In illusion, one thinks that he can be happy only by fruits of activities.

6:54But what actually happens is that one becomes more and more entangled in the network of action and reaction and does not find any solution to the problem of life. There is a nice song in this connection.

7:14Because of a great desire to have all happiness in life, I built this house, but unfortunately the whole scheme was turned into ashes because the house was unexpectedly set on fire. The law of nature is like that.

7:38Everyone tries to become happy by planning in the material world, but the law of nature is so cruel that it sets fire to one's schemes.

7:51The fruit of worker is not happy in his schemes, nor is there any association of his continuous hankering for happiness? Srila Prabhupada ki jai.

8:08I forget to chant Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, so let's do it now. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudeva, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya,

8:40naraṁ caiva narottamaṁ, devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsam, tato jayam udīrayet. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī.

9:09Yam pravrājantam anupetam apeta-kṛtyam dvaipāyano viraha-kātara ājuhāva, putreti tan-mayatayor abhedus taṁ sarva-bhūta-hṛdayaṁ munim mānato 'smi.

9:32Yam praviśya mama vācam imāṁ prasuptāṁ saṁjīvayaty akhila-śakti-dharaḥ svadhāmnā, anyāṁś ca hasta-caraṇa-śravaṇa-tvag-prānān namo bhagavate puruṣāya tubhyam.

Understanding ashraya and transcendental truth

9:42Viśva-sarga-sthiti-pralaya-vīryāya śīvantodaya-mānasāya buddhi-pratyaya-dṛśe namaḥ. ta doksaja So

10:09In the second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the entire scheme of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was described in a very interesting and profound way.

10:24It was said in the second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that the real subject matter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is āśraya. Āśraya means the absolute truth, the Supreme Lord, the ultimate shelter.

10:40Something which we should all take shelter of. He is śaraṇyaḥ. He is worthy of taking shelter of. And in reality, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is describing only āśraya, that means Krishna.

11:07And of course, we know that the real description of āśraya is in the 10th canto.

11:14But at the same time it is explained in the same section of the second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the 10th chapter of the second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that for people it's very difficult to understand absolute truths.

11:34Why it is difficult to understand absolute truth for ordinary people. The reason is very simple. Because it's absolute truth. And we are relative.

11:48We have relative consciousness, we have relative experience, and anything which is absolute is very difficult for us to understand.

11:58Anything which is absolute when we hear the description of something which has absolute nature, immediately we project our relative experience onto the sphere of absolute.

12:12It's very difficult for us to imagine, even that something doesn't have beginning and end. Something is endless and beginningless.

12:22It's not possible because we only have experience of something which has the beginning and has an end. And the meaning which we have in this life is in relationship with the things which have beginning and has end.

12:39And therefore, when we hear you know about absolute truth, we naturally start projecting our experience into the sphere of absolute truth. And another problem is that absolute truth,

12:57because it's absolute truth, it contains everything, all the contradictions which are there.

13:06And for us, again, being programmed in a certain way in this material world, contradictions are really you know something which is not very pleasant because we cannot really understand how uh at the same time uh an entity may be limited and unlimited, may be completely very big, huge, and at the same time endless and at the same time have a form.

13:37How one entity can be very kind and at the same time creating this cruel world. We always try to apply material logic to the sphere of transcendence. And therefore, when we take any religion, any other religion.

13:59Well, Krishna consciousness is not a religion. Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say that this is the science. So in science everything is possible. In religion not much is possible.

14:14So uh what uh uh when we take any kind of religion and the uh uh founders of uh any religious movement, they very carefully try to protect their followers from this mistake.

14:36to project their material experience into the sphere of transcendence. And therefore, ultimately, they cannot say anything about the Lord. They can only say He is what he is.

14:52He is something which we cannot really say because as soon as we start saying something about the Lord, he loses his transcendence. He becomes the subject of our understanding, which is logical understanding,

15:08and ultimately people will not have any understanding of the Lord and will not have the proper attitude towards the Lord. So, therefore, the creators of other religions they prefer not to speak about the Lord at all.

15:29You know, Lord Jesus Christ, He said, Yes, I can say to you something, but you will not understand. The Prophet Muhammad also said something similar that I know more, but you will not be able to comprehend.

15:49And but Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he knows everything and he explains it in such a way that dull as we are, we still will be able to understand if we go properly through this scheme of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

16:09And therefore, in this very second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he says, shelter, ultimate truth, satyam param, on which the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the meditation on this ultimate truth, Satyam Param, is Angi.

16:34Angi means complete whole. Something complete.

16:42But Śukadeva Gosvāmī is taking the methodology and he says that I will explain to you angi for your understanding so that you can have complete things through different angas which are understandable.

17:02What people do when they encounter with the knowledge which is so big, vast and incomprehensible, they try to separate this knowledge.

17:15Because it's not possible to you know to get this vast knowledge into our limited intelligence.

17:23So they're trying to chop it down into little little pieces. But ultimately, they will not get anything as a result of this process. Therefore, Śukadeva Gosvāmī himself says, I will chop it down.

17:41You listen how I do it, and you try to go very carefully and systematically through this Angus parts of the whole, and then at the end you will assemble the whole. The absolute truths, you will get the complete understanding of the absolute truth.

18:02So that's the beautiful scheme of the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We understand Angi, and that's the purpose of the whole book, by trying to understand Angas, starting with Sargaga. Atra Sar Visarga Shastanam Poshanamutaya Manvantary Shanukatha Niroda Mukti Rashraya.

18:25So these ten subject matters starting with Sarga is to explain ashraya in such a way that we will be able to understand ashraya. Otherwise, there is no way to understand ashraya.

18:41That's very important point which I want to stress again.

18:46Śrīla Prabhupāda explains it again and again and again, especially in the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is that there is a very scientific methodology to understand the real subject matter of Srimad Bhagavatam and one has to employ this scientific methodology.

19:04Otherwise, why one will be cheated at the end?

19:10You know, people trying to jump over to the 10th canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, people are trying to relish this līlā-kathā. But before you really understand what this līlā-kathā is all about, and you will feel the emotional content of this līlā-kathā, before you will be able to participate in this līlā as the natural participant.

19:41And that's basically the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the invitation to participate in the līlā of the Lord. When Lord Krishna comes to this world, He comes for this purpose, He is inviting us. Come, come, come, come.

19:55But before we will be able to do it, before we will be able to really transfer our consciousness from this relative material world into the sphere of transcendence into the sphere where this endless blissful līlās are all is going on we have to go through certain process and this process will prepare our consciousness for this understanding.

20:41Sorry there was a phone call.

Purpose of describing creation repeatedly

20:46So uh and starting from the third canto, or rather, from the end of the second canto, we start this process.

20:57And at the end of the second canto, there is a very interesting statement where Sukadeva Gaswami is explaining to Maharaja Pariksit why the subject matter of creation is repeated so many times in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because the first topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is sarga, which is creation.

21:29And naturally, and this creation is being described in the second and the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam I think seven times, but you know, maybe more because it's repeated again and again and again, and you ultimately lose the counts how many times the same subject matter of creation is being described.

21:54So naturally the question arises why? Why, you know, from the very beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from the fifth chapter of the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we know the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is about Krishna līlā.

22:12Narada Muni comes and he chastises Vyasadev. You didn't describe Krishna Lila. And Vyasadev says, yes, I didn't describe Krishna Lila.

22:20And he sits down, he gets into Samadhi and he starts writing this book and he describes the creation seven times. Instead of coming directly to Krishna Lila, what's going on? What's wrong?

22:37You know what kind of disciple you are? You said I will do it. Why you're not doing this? Or at least if not Krishna Lila, just describes something nice about Kurma avatar or you know how Kurma Avatar is being, you know, how

22:58his back is being scratched by Mandara Mountain, you know, start with something juicy while you're doing all this dry stuff. Sankey again and again and again. Ahaṅkāra and citta and, you know, buddhi and manas and tanmātras

23:14and, you know, and repeated seven times. So Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura commenting on this verse, he says that my dear sir, you are not capable of understanding this subject matter at this moment. Please be honest.

23:36Please be sincere and admit to yourself that you're not yet ready to understand this, even though there is a craving. But ultimately, what will happen if you start listening to this katha? You will just enjoy it.

23:55You will try to enjoy it. With the same enjoyment spirit, you will approach this very sacred subject matter with the enjoying spirit. And you will spoil everything.

24:11And definitely you will not be able to enter into this līlā. Because, you know mm for enjoyers there is a special place, special zone is there. You know, like zone uh in Russia zone means the labor camp.

24:37In this con of course zone means something else. But zone is zone. Zone means not a very nice place. So basically we're in the zone and before entering into the Krishna Lila, which is not a zone, which is a nice place,

25:16we need to change the consciousness. The consciousness should be transformed. And Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura very interestingly explains. He said that there are two kinds of people in this world.

25:27Why people are not really able or capable of understanding Klīlā-kathā, because basically there are two categories of people, one who are enjoying, they're sleeping.

25:42If everything is nice they're just like sleeping and they think, oh, so nice, so nice. I'm so happy. Life is so nice, you know. And then there are some other people who fainted because of sufferings.

25:57So people are either they are in both ways they are unconscious.

26:03They're either enjoying some illusory dream-like happiness and they're not really ready to understand the truth or to get in touch with the truth or they are completely absorbed in

26:19their sufferings and it's like they fainted. They're unconscious. They are in this state of complete unconsciousness.

26:30And therefore, līlā-kathā in a proper way, they are not really, you know, there are some plugs there, you know, very special plugs, plugs of the false ego. So līlā-kathā doesn't enter and doesn't go into the heart.

26:48It's just we get a very primitive and naive reflection of līlā of the Lord. And therefore, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives a very interesting example.

27:01He says that according to our word, if you have some problem with the fire, if you burned your hand with the fire, to cure yourself from this burn, you need to apply some hot ointment. hot ointment.

27:19Not cool ointment, but the hot ointment. You know, sometimes people they think if they burn they need to put some cool thing. It will only aggravate the whole situation.

27:33I know uh once a devotee got very severe burns and we put uh cooling ghee and it became worse. So instead we should have put there black pepper or something like this.

27:50But the black pepper, you know, somehow or other it cures this disease.

27:56So Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, he says that to get rid of this disease of māyā or attachment or absorption in this material world, we really need to hear about the nature of māyā again and again and again.

28:19So the answer to this initial question which I put, why does this topic of creation is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam so many times?

28:31The reason is very simple to help us to become free from this enjoying spirit.

28:42We hear about the composition of māyā, about the mechanism of māyā, about the very ingenious creation of the Lord, how he created this material world, and by hearing again and again and again this sṛṣṭi-līlā, the līlā of creation.

29:03By understanding the proper idea behind this creation. Because people they are very naive. You know, they think, you know, this world is for my enjoyment.

29:18So by understanding the intricate design behind this world, and you know, naturally some people they are inquisitive they want to hear about this uh actually the subject matter of creation uh you know devotees of course they're separate category they are very special they are not normal people.

29:40But normal people, they would like to hear about how this world is composed.

29:46They, you know, there are scientific magazines describing this creation, this big bank or you know small bank, all these banks which are going on. So people are inquisitive.

30:02So what's uh uh what's happening uh if I understand the subject matter properly why I'm uh saying this because this is this again this is the key to understand the second canto of the the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

30:18If we understand the subject matter properly, then we will naturally develop the bhāva by going through this the first thing which which we have to understand by going through this third canto is that uh this uh material world is not uh here by chance.

30:43You know the scientists, the whole idea of science is just by all means to understand this to prove this stupid idea is that everything is just here by chance. You know, I'm by chance.

31:00There was this little little bacteria in the primordial soup. There was this big soup, and somehow or other, some bacteria appeared in this soup.

31:17And then this bacteria crawled out from the soup and uh ultimately evolved into you know Bhaktividyā部分は Swami. That's that's the glorious origin whatever. You know.

31:37The whole idea of the science is just to prove against completely against logic.

31:44Because it's not logical, it's against the third law of thermodynamic, that you know the very complex structure somehow or other appears on its own, which contains so much information.

31:59There are three if I don't uh how many uh three thrillion thrillion cells in in a human body much more than the uh than humans in this material world three thrillion you know in in our brain uh in the average brain uh there are 80 billion neurons 80 billion neurons and uh that's all somehow rather from one bacteria, from one animal.

32:40You know it's it's ridiculous. It's you know if you have a computer, any computer is just a peanuts, it's it's a little, you know, bacteria in comparison with human brain.

32:57But to hope that a computer will assemble itself. You know, just try and wait a little bit. Maybe you will be lucky.

33:06Maybe in your kitchen computer will appear from your kitchen utensils, you know, after the long process of evolution. It's ridiculous. It's a totally unscientific idea.

33:21So the whole idea of the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, of the beginning of sarga, what is this topic of sarga of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to impress upon us to free us from this illusion that

33:38we are independent because why people are trying so hard to prove something which is unprovable,

33:48something which you can only take as a blind faith that we are all here just to prove that we are independent and therefore, we can do whatever we like.

33:58So, if we understand that there is God behind this creation, that there is a conscious design behind this creation, and we are part of this creation, then we naturally will develop faith in the words of God.

34:17Then we naturally will develop understanding that we should follow His order or His idea. We're here because He placed us here. And it's not just by chance, not just by some mistake or whatever.

34:34And then, uh, by, uh, developing this idea that uh that we should follow the Lord, we will also understand that Lord created this world, He maintains this world. And we are living in this world. We are living in his house.

34:52He created this house. We are tenants in his house and therefore we have to do something, being grateful or being normal people, we have to somehow or other say thank you to Him.

35:07You know, every now and then we should say to Him, Hari Krishna. Say to the Lord, Haribol, you know, chant the holy name. So basically, that's the idea behind this description of Sarga.

35:23So the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is describing the creation in connection with the Lord. As opposed to so many other theories which are there, including

Vidura's journey and pilgrimage lessons

35:36the so-called Vedic theories. Sankhya of the atheist Kapila and Buddhism and Vaiśeṣika and, you know, Vaiśeṣika it's quite atheistic. Everything is coming from the atoms. I will touch it a little bit later.

36:00But again, what is important?

36:05Anyway, let's go point by point. So that was a little introduction. Now it's very interesting if we look very carefully into the whole plot of the third canto, we will understand how geniusly this book is created.

36:29So this third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam starts uh with four chapters, and in the four chapters, the three topics of the Supreme Lord are being described in uh samṁkṣepa in uh in a very short way.

36:48And actually, Śukadeva Gosvāmī answering Mahārāja Parīkṣit's questions, in fact, the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya asked this question to Sūta Gosvāmī. And Sūta Gosvāmī says: uh they asked him: What uh uh what did Vidura,

37:11how he traveled in the lore in the world, how he met with Sage Maitreya, how he met with Uddhava. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, amazing.

37:20No, sorry, Sūta Gosvāmī says, amazing exactly the same question was asked by Mahārāja Parīkṣit to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. And he starts telling the story how Śukadeva Gosvāmī is explaining this subject matter.

37:37But in these four initial beginning chapters of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, actually the whole tenth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is described in a very beautiful but at the same time in a very short, abridged version.

37:58It's like the trailer, you know. Before going to the, before new cinema is being released, the trailer with the best scenes of this new cinema is being shown. You know, come see, look what's going to happen.

38:16So Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he knows that he will come to this tenth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but here he gives a little appetizer.

38:26Actually, according to our word, the proper way of eating a big lunch is that you should take sweets in the very beginning. Then you take so many other stuff, and then you take the same kīra at the very end.

38:46So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is like a good meal, good Ayurvedic meal. You take little kīra in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam starts with this little appetizing kīra.

39:03And then you know Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, now go through the whole thing, listen about this creation seven times and then goes through the fourth canto, fifth canto, sixth canto, seventh canto, eighth canto, ninth canto.

39:22And then the kīra will be again, you will get the whole feast, the whole you know big bowl of kīra then.

39:33So that's what's going on. This is how it is designed. And but it's also interestingly described through the medium of Vidura, through the medium of Vidura story.

39:51And in the very beginning, the very first chapter of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is how Vidura being offended by Duryodhana left Hastināpura and went on pilgrimage. I was thinking why this story?

40:14Why Śukadeva Gosvāmī starts from the house of lac? Actually, he doesn't even start with the story of Vidura. He starts with the story how Dhritarastra wanted to set fire on the house of lac and wanted to burn Pandavas.

40:35Why this, this is in the very beginning of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes?

40:41And I think there is a reason, actually, you know, everything in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, there is not a single word in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which is kind of superfluous or superficial. Everything is very significant.

40:58Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is kāvya. So, from the very beginning, we have to learn this science how to understand kavya, how to understand poetry.

41:09When Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī starts again, all of a sudden he goes back to this Mahābhārata story, to this story of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Duryodhana.

41:23And the idea is that he actually wants to impress upon us what happens with us when we are living in this material world without understanding that there is God behind this world.

41:41We become naturally greedy for material enjoyment, and this natural greed for material enjoyment, or this spirit, exploitive spirit, manifests in all kinds of sinful activities and hideous activities, actually vicious plots which people do in this world just to enjoy, just because of the greed.

42:10This is important point because very cantoo of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to help us to get free from this natural greed for enjoyment with which we are born.

42:32When Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing through the mouth of Maitreya the subject matter of Sarga, we also have to understand that Sarga or initial creation of this world also refers to the initial creation of this body.

42:52This body being a little replica of the universe created in the same way and it contains the same ingredients as the big universe.

43:05So describing the creation or the scheme, the design of the universe, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is also describing to us our own psychological makeup.

43:21Who we are, what we are, what is our cravings in this world, how it works, and how ultimately to get rid of these cravings and to get rid of these problems anyway, we are going through this third canto, hopefully we will come to it. We already started.

43:44So Vidura goes to pilgrimage being disgusted by the cruel and offensive words of Duryodhana and silence of Dhritarashtra. It was actually very offensive.

44:01Because in front of everyone he was offended by Duryodhana and Dritarashtra kept mum. He didn't say a word, he didn't stop Duryodhana. And Vidura he immediately

44:20leaves Hastināpura and he meditates on this event and he understands that Krishna is behind this. This is again a very important story or very important idea for us.

44:38That if we understand that behind this material world, or everything which is happening in this material world, there is God, there is His will, there is His goodwill, beneficial, benevolent will, then whatever is happening to us, even though superficially it may seem to be inauspicious, we will understand that this is for our benefit.

45:10And Vidura, with this understanding, he goes to pilgrimage. And also, very importantly, please listen very carefully. Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who is explaining this story, says that Vidura goes to pilgrimage to purify his heart.

45:30You know, who is Vidura? Vidura is Yamaraj, who is, you know, who has come here. He lived very pure and very simple life. He is a great devotee of the Lord. He is such a great devotee.

45:49Then Bhagavān himself, Lord Krishna himself, before leaving this world, he remembered about Vidura. He didn't remember about you know my not so humble self or anyone else sitting in this class.

46:09He didn't ask how is, you know, Bhakti such and such. You know, please dear Maitreya, meet with such Bhakti and explain to her the truth about this material world.

46:25He said, Dear Maitreya, please meet with Vidura and talk with him and explain very important truths to him. So that's Vidura.

46:39And Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, Vidura goes on pilgrimage and meditates intensely on the Supreme Lord to purify his heart. Does he need purification? Yes, he does.

46:51And Vidura himself says: because I lived for too long with these people, because I had this bad association, I need some purification. That's a very important point again of this third canto of

47:06Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the whole design of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We need purification. Too much for too long. Much too much. For much too long. We have been associating with this material world.

47:23And we developed so many unwanted desires, so many unwanted attachments. So if we're really sincere, at one point we have to just leave everything behind and go and say, I need to understand the Supreme Lord.

47:40It's like, you know, recently I was listening to the life story of Gorga Vindamaraj. And you know, Gorga Vindamaraj, at one point, you know, he just left everything. He said, I cannot, I cannot stay anymore.

47:55Again, he is very pure, but he went to pilgrimage. That's the very custom. At one point we have to understand that there is nothing more important than to understand the Supreme Lord.

48:12Yes, we are preparing now for this point to do it in a very natural way, but at one point we will have to do it. So that's the very instructive beginning story.

48:23And this pilgrimage of Vidura, in a way, symbolic, because this is the starting point for our pilgrimage through the cantos of Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam.

48:37In the same way, as Vidura goes from holy place to holy place, from one Tirtha to another Tirtha and meditates on different forms of the Supreme Lord, looking in different places, because in different holy places different forms of Supreme Lord reside.

48:55In the same way, we should enter into this pilgrimage through the cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and meditate on the Supreme Lord intensely for the internal purification and in this way ultimately achieve the Supreme Lord

49:11in the tenth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That's the journey. And therefore, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam starts with this symbolic journey or symbolic pilgrimage of Vidura.

49:27Vidura, of course, then meets in Vṛndāvana on the bank of Yamuna river Uddhava. There is still this place in Vṛndāvana, which is called Gñāna-gūḍrī, where the meeting of Vidura and Uddhava took place.

49:49And Uddhava starts telling him about the Lord, crying. So emotional was Vidura and Maitreya and Uddhava they're both crying. You know, and uh if they would stay there there would not be Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

50:09So they at one point they had to stop crying and

50:15uh Uddhava went uh to Badarikāśrama to preach there and uh uh Vidura went uh to Haridwar to meet with Maitreya and uh to become the recipient of his mercy. And also Gorga Vindamarach, you know, he was in this state of samadhi.

50:38But then at one point he started preaching. Very important point for us followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

50:45Yes, bhajan is very important, but preaching is not less important because in this way we can purify ourselves and we can also get the grace of our Supreme Lord.

Vidura's query about human suffering

50:58So now ultimately Vidura meets with Maitreya in Haridwar on the bank of the Ganga, in this very holy place, on the bank of the holiest of all rivers in the whole Bhārata-varṣa.

51:20And for a long time Vidura was meditating because Uddhava told him that specifically you should meet with Maitreya and you should ask Maitreya all these questions which are there in your mind and in your heart.

51:40And after a long time, after this long pilgrimage, Vidura ultimately comes to the bank of Ganga and meets with Maitreya. And what he asks, Prabhupada himself is surprised. Why is he asking this question?

51:59Why is he not asking him, you know, please tell me the pastimes of the Lord, please tell me about the Lord's form, about the Lord's name? Why is he asking this question?

52:10This question with which we start our talk and with which Vidura starts his speech. sukhāya karmaṇī karoti loko na tai sukhaṁ vā anyad aparam vā vindeta bhūyas tata eva duḥkhaṁ yad atra yuktaṁ bhagavan vada naḥ.

52:34O Bhagavan, o great personality, you know, o greatest of all devotees of the Lord who was privileged to be present at the moment when the Lord was departing this world.

52:53The last one besides Uddhava who saw the Lord on this earth, he tells him, Bhagavan, tell me why people are suffering in this world, even though everyone is endeavoring, is trying his best to achieve happiness. And why nobody achieves happiness, and why on the contrary everyone is suffering?

53:18You know, it's a very interesting question. He says everyone is trying sukhāya karmaṇī karoti lokāḥ, people in this world they are trying hard to become happy. Is it true? We're all trying to become happy.

53:37And he says, na tai sukhaṁ vānyad aparam api, they're not getting happiness, they're not stopping the sufferings, and instead they're becoming more and more morose. The more and more unhappiness is coming. And nobody thinks why it is happening. There is nothing more consistent in this world than consistent failure to achieve happiness.

54:06And nobody tries to think about it. Everyone is thinking, you know, yeah, yeah, right. It didn't work this time. It will work next time. You know, first marriage, second marriage, third marriage, tenth marriage, whatever.

54:22You know, hope, a last uh hope dies the last. You know, and there's it's it's just uh you know somebody said that the second marriage or the third marriage, it's the victory of the hope over common sense or something like this.

54:43And the the hope, the idea to become happy completely overpowers you. And you cannot really relate to the reality, you cannot really understand what's going on.

55:00So and Prabhupāda, he asked this question in the beginning of the purport, why Vidura asks this question? And the answer we have to understand very clearly the answer why Vidura asks this question.

55:17First of all, it's a proper etiquette.

55:22Śrīla Prabhupāda says, because of his natural humility, he's not asking for something which he would like to hear or he would like to enjoy. He's asking the question for the common benefit,

55:38but it also Vidura is showing a very great example. You know, he doesn't ask immediately, the questions about some confidential subject matters.

55:56And actually, it's not an etiquette to ask the questions about the confidential subject matter.

56:03The natural humility of the disciple is to wait when guru sees that you are really fit to understand this confidential subject matters. You cannot really say, Tell me. It's not that cheap.

56:26And also, another meaning of this is that Vidura knows very well that before clearly understanding the answer to this question, one will not be able to understand the answer to the confidential questions which he has.

56:45You know, please do listen very carefully.

56:49First, and that's the meaning of the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. First, we have to become frustrated in our hopes to gain happiness by understanding properly the design of this world.

57:06We first have to understand very deeply that it's hopeless, it's hopeless to hope that we will become happy. It's even hopeless to hope. It's such a hopeless hope. You know, there is no use.

57:25Before we understand this, what will happen? We will listen in the pastimes of the Lord, and we will always calculate yes, yes, that's nice. That's you know when I retire I will listen about this carefully.

57:38Yes, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I have all the volumes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on my shelf, and uh so far they were not running from the shelves.

57:47So maybe when I retire, then I will be able to absorb myself into this nice, really nice subject matter. I know it's nice, but I have no time now. Because I have to become happy. Somehow or other.

58:05Otherwise, you know what will happen with my life? So you will and you will never have time for this unless

58:15you understand very carefully the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And therefore, Vidura asks this sobering question. And he knows the answer to this question. He definitely knows the answer to this question.

58:29But he is asking for our benefit and also manifesting natural humility, like Sanātana Gosvāmī. He's asking the Supreme Lord, Lord Chaitanya himself, I don't know who I am. Tell me who I am.

58:43And this is actually what also Vishwanachakravarti Thakur explains. He says that again and again and again.

58:51In the commentary to this one of these verses of the fifth chapter of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, again and again and again, we have to hear about who we are.

59:07Because we will not be able to take shelter of the Supreme Lord in real sense before we understand this in real sense because now our understanding is theoretical. Yes, I accept this. I'm not this body.

59:23Yes, I'm not this body. Who is for it? No. Unanimous. No problem. Everyone is for it. Nobody is against. You know, maybe somebody abstained. Not decided. Not exactly sure. But most of the people, you know, we read Bhagavad-gītā.

59:45We accept this. I'm not this body, yes, we accept this. But do we really know this? No. This my is very deep. And therefore, again and again and again we have to hear about this māyā, the nature of this māyā.

1:00:01And at one point some understanding, some proper understanding will come and, when this proper understanding will come, then you know we will be absorbed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

1:00:15Nothing will be able to distract us from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. As soon as this miracle happened within our heart, nothing will be able to distract us from the holy name because we will understand that's the shelter.

1:00:31Because now we're trying I I'm confessing to you, I'm explaining I I don't want to offend you. And most probably you are all you know elevated Paramahaṁsas and you don't need to hear this again and again and again.

1:00:46But what we are trying to do, we always try to take shelter in this body. Śrīla Prabhupāda gives this very beautiful song. I created this. Why Prabhupāda says this.

1:00:59Because people are trying to take shelter in something which is not worthy of taking shelter of. They're building this house. What happened with the house? This is the house of luck. It will be burnt.

1:01:14There will be a big pile of ashes. Maybe even not so big. And we are trying to take shelter of something else.

1:01:24So So the third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is preparing us to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa-kathā, which is there in the 10th Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and which is here in the beginning of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, so that we could take complete shelter of them.

1:01:45Fully absorbed, nothing else. No other thoughts or no other ideas. So this is how it starts and in this in this fifth and you know and therefore this hopeless. You know, and really, this is a very scientific question.

1:02:06If we analyze our life, we tried our best to become happy. I definitely tried my best. I I even became a devotee to become happy—didn't work. I mean to say with the wrong approach.

1:02:31Ultimately, of course, that's the way to become happy. But when we try to become happy ourselves independently on the Lord,

1:02:40when we try to become happy by by some material means by some manipulation with material nature then it will fail so in this very fifth chapter of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Sankhya philosophy and material nature

1:02:58Vidura, sorry, Maitreya already begins describing and he will give a very beautiful description. The second description in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam of Sānkhya philosophy. And what is the whole idea of Sānkhya philosophy?

1:03:17Which will be, as I already said, repeated several times, starting from the second canto, and several times in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is to free us, please listen again very carefully, is to free

1:03:34us from the illusion that we can, by the means of exploiting material nature, we can become happy.

1:03:44So, what Śukadeva Gosvāmī through the mouth of Maitreya Muni is describing to us is that material nature is not independent, and because she is not independent she is not exploitable.

1:04:06So very simple example, very common example. In this material world, men, inscrupulous men are trying to exploit women. And who is the most vulnerable?

1:04:24Which women are more vulnerable to be exploited, those women who are independent, so to speak, independent.

1:04:35Especially in the modern world, especially in the Western world, in the Western countries that women, you know, all this as Prabhupāda was, You know really revealing this plot.

1:04:48The men, they started this women's liberation movement. For which purpose? To give women the illusion of independence. For which purpose? So that they could exploit them in a better way. This is how it works.

1:05:07So, but please listen. If a woman is independent, she's exploitable. But if the woman, if the woman has a protector, powerful protector, and she is totally dependent on him, can you exploit such a woman? No way.

1:05:28You will not be able to exploit such a woman. So, what this description of the creation of the sarga is all about, it's that this prakṛti which is feminine by nature, is not independent.

1:05:49And because prakṛti is not independent, she has a protector, she has the Supreme Lord who is behind her, who is protecting her from being exploited, and who is actually, you know, all our attempts to exploit her, he turns into our misfortune. He turns it totally into our misfortune. So when people look at this material world and see the material energy which by design created by the Lord to make an impression of independence.

1:06:34You know, like scientists, they they study this material nature and they say there is no need for God. We can explain everything without God.

1:06:46You know, of course, we cannot explain how it all came into being, but everything else after that we can explain. So that's the laws of nature.

1:06:57There are laws of nature, they, you know, study the laws of nature they say everything is according to cause and effect and we all know this and therefore we can become happy in this world.

1:07:10Please again try to understand this point. You know, for those people who want to enjoy in this world, Krishna has created the illusion that this material nature is independent.

1:07:26You don't see God by looking in the material nature. You see all these nice things and you know something which really really uh reinforces the spirit of enjoyment within you.

1:07:43You know, I you go and you you smell some flowers. Oh, so nice. And then you see something which is very tasty, and you know all these things are there.

1:07:59And God created it in such a way that it seems to be exploitable, it seems to be easily exploitable.

1:08:09And those foolish living entities who believe it, who really take it for granted, they try to do it, but because in reality she is not independent, all their attempts to become happy by this means fail.

1:08:28And that's exactly the answer to the question of Vidura. And that's exactly why the answer to this question constitutes the whole third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

1:08:42You know, the whole idea of science, what is the idea of science? Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that some of you have PhDs. So I also have a misfortune to have this degree. So what is the what is the idea of science?

1:08:57The idea of science is that yes, we will manipulate this science and uh uh you know and we will provide you with the all the facilities to enjoy. You know this uh uh this nature is nice, but it's not really perfect.

1:09:16So you know the the pinnacle of evolution is our scientific brain, and by our scientific brain we make it better. We will get rid of all diseases, we will get rid of old age, and ultimately we will conquer this and you will be just unlimitedly happy, Kijaye.

1:09:39So uh and uh yes, and people believe it.

1:09:45And therefore that's the religion of the moderna society and therefore Sankya philosophy, Nirishvara Sankhya philosophy, which is defeated in this third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was so popular. And therefore, yoga is so popular.

1:10:02What is yoga? Yoga just. We will teach you how to become immortal. Just just, you know, just try hard. Just don't breathe for as long as possible. It will work, you know.

1:10:19Just by some manipulation, by this manipulation or that manipulation, you become happy. So, but if you are intelligent and if you read this third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you will make a discovery.

1:10:36Oh, behind this innocent woman which I wanted to enjoy and which I wanted to exploit, there is a powerful guardian. She is protected. And therefore I suffered.

1:10:53I suffered the consequences of my illegal attempts to enjoy something which is not mine. This material energy is not mine, it belongs to God. It's a very sobering and it's a bad news actually. It's really bad news.

1:11:13I thought it's for me. But it belongs to Him. He created this world. He created this beautiful design behind this. And therefore, I cannot enjoy, I have to serve. I have to manifest my other propensity which is also there.

1:11:33And actually when people start serving they will become happy. When they unnaturally try to enjoy the material nature. They lose all the chances for happiness.

1:11:48So that's basically what is going on starting from the fifth chapter of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where this Sarga, elementary creation, and then Visarga later on in this canto is being described. Sarga and Visarga are main topics of this third kanto.

1:12:11Technically speaking, it's Sarga, but in reality, both Sarga and Visarga, I explained that the creation to impress upon us the hopeless attempts to enjoy the material nature by illegal means.

Lord Brahma's meditation and creation

1:12:37And explain to us how to relate with this material nature properly the two beautiful stories in the third canto are being described.

1:12:50Of course, before that, before we come to these stories, there is also a very interesting and very instructive and revealing story about Lord Brahmā, who appeared on the lotus flower, and he couldn't understand what's going on, and he wanted to understand the nature by his own empirical attempts.

1:13:20He was diving deep into this Garbadaka ocean and he was trying to find the origin. This is the futile attempts of the science or scientists who are trying to discover the origin of life and origin of everything.

1:13:37So, in the beginning, from the very beginning, Maitreya is describing this story, and he says, you know, Brahmā, he has four heads.

1:13:47You know, you may have four PhDs, but it's not as much as four heads of Lord Brahmā. He's much more intelligent than you. Much more intelligent.

1:14:00Still, he couldn't understand the Lord by the means, by empirical means. You will make a mess if you try to understand the Lord by empirical means. You will be frustrated.

1:14:14So please become frustrated as soon as possible, as Lord Brahmā and try to understand the Lord by other means. This third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives the key: how to understand the Lord by meditation.

1:14:29Lord Brahmā was sitting there and he heard these two syllables, tapa. And tapa means concentrate your mind. Meditate. And by the means of meditation, uh the knowledge will be revealed to you.

1:14:43And you know, after long meditation, Lord Brahmā actually started praying to the Supreme Lord. It's also a very important lesson that we can really sincerely start praying to the Lord after long meditation.

1:15:02When we purify our heart and our consciousness with the meditation on the Lord, by meditating on the Lord, we really understand who He is and who I am. This is what happened with Lord Brahmā.

1:15:16Initially he was proud. He was in this condition, initial condition, as every one of us, of ignorance. But then ultimately he became very humble, he purified himself and he started praying.

1:15:33Please, please, please reveal to me this knowledge and give me the energy to create something. So since we don't have too much time, I

1:15:46will go to some important points. I'm not describing very in much detail the events of the Third Canto, I'm trying to give the main idea of the third canto.

1:16:09So after explaining how the Supreme Lord is behind this material creation, how He takes shape of time. You know, again and again and again it is repeated in the third canto of

1:16:28Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that the will of the Lord and the energy of the Lord manifest in this material world as the power of time. As the power of time. And what is time? Eternal time.

1:16:47Eternal time is something which puts an end to everything. So from the very beginning, we have to understand this simple thing. My life will end, my enjoyment will end by the inevitable will of the Lord.

1:17:03In the meantime, I have to use this time to serve him. So while explaining the nature of the time, that's one of the very important topics of the whole third canto because the time is this power

1:17:19how Lord's will is established in this world? Sometimes the time is called daiva, providence. You know, people go to Daivajña, to astrologer, and they say, Astrologer, please tell us what to do.

1:17:38But ultimately, you know, we have to understand God is behind this. That's the main teaching of the Third Canto of Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam. God is there, everything is happening according to His will. His will is benevolent.

1:17:56He wants our release from our illusions and sufferings which we undergo and whatever lack is there is just to give us ultimate happiness and eternal life, and yeah, we have to respect this power of time which creates everything.

1:18:16So that's there.

1:18:18But then after describing the secondary creation, how Lord Brahmā created different living entities, different creatures, uh of different forms and shapes, and ultimately human beings, all the birds and aquatics and animals and everything.

1:18:41And then he describes about Kumāras. And yeah, before that, he described how Lord Brahma initially

1:18:50created five coverings of ignorance: Tāmisra, Andhatāmisra, Moha, Mahā-moha, and Tamas and so these five coverings of ignorance in this universe.

1:19:10He's explaining everything for us to understand how this material world works and how it's hopeless to try to enjoy. It's better to be in this proper place.

1:19:24But because Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Maitreya Muni himself knows that we will not be able to understand philosophy, and I believe that you already bored with my too much philosophical explanation.

Stories of Varahadeva and Hiranyaksha

1:19:39To give some relief after one and a half hour of explaining this stuff, Śukadeva Gosvāmī finally comes to the story. But the point of the story is the same.

1:19:54He starts telling the story of the appearance of Lord Varāha and appearance of the great demon of Hiranyaksha.

1:20:03So he explained the futile attempts to become happy in this world by the means of philosophy, by the means of explaining the structure and the nature of this world, but because he realizes that we will not be able to understand this, he says, okay, let's hear the story.

1:20:26It's a nice story. Once upon a time, there was a big demon called Hiranyaksha. And what does Hiraṇyākṣa mean? Hiraṇya, right? Akṣa, right?

1:20:43So basically means it's like in uh in this uh Disney uh cartoon uh there was this you know hero and he had the dollar in his eyes, the the the dollar in the ice. So Hiraṇyākṣa is this guy. He always sees gold. Hiraṇyākṣa.

1:21:08It's not that, you know, he had beautiful golden eyes. No. His eyes are there to see gold. Does it sound familiar to you?

1:21:22You know, when you look at this world and you want to find gold, you want to find uh the wealth, you want to find enjoyment, basically Hiraṇyākṣa is greed personified.

1:21:37And why Hiraṇyākṣa is one of the main heroes or anti heroes or protagonists of this third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, because the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes sarga. And Sarga means elementary creation.

1:21:56And as I said, elementary creation means also creation of our human body. And what is the natural instinct which every one of us has when we are born?

1:22:12You know, there is very natural instinct, it's called how to say this, grabbing instinct. You know, the little baby, when he crawls,

1:22:24what he does, he just grabs everything and then puts it in the mouth. You know, it doesn't matter whatever it is. It may be, you know, it may be a frog or whatever. He puts everything in the mouse.

1:22:39So that's greed. We are born with greed. Our initial creation, you know, I remember very much when I was a child, you know, it was very difficult for me to give something to my little younger sister. I didn't want to give.

1:22:56Why should I give to her? So that's the initial creation, the initial problem, the initial anartha.

1:23:05Everyone is born in this material world with this desire to enjoy this material world, with this desire to with this greed, you know. I need more and more and more and more and more of this stuff by which I will enjoy.

1:23:24So, what will happen in this story? You of course know this story, and I will not explain to you. First of all, it is explained how Hiranyaksha appeared in this world.

1:23:39That's also very significant to understand the message, the main message of this third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

1:23:46How Hiranyaksha appeared in this world, this whole beautiful story of Dity becoming very romantic, you know. You know, of course, you know, proper Hare Krishna would tell lusty, you know, but she became very romantic.

1:24:08You know, it was a it was a it was a dusk you know and she became romantic you know she she she wanted to to have some fun with uh with Kasyapamouni her legal husband.

1:24:30You know it's not just some illicit gross ellicit sex story, but nevertheless, you know, even though it was quite illicit, still it was illicit. Because the motivation behind it was not proper.

1:24:49This initial motivation I want to enjoy.

1:24:53And therefore, she approached her husband in an improper way, and even though her husband wanted somehow or other to reason her and to tell her, please don't do it, nothing good will happen because this is not a proper time.

1:25:10Again, time is there. What is time?

1:25:14Time establishes the rule time is the will of the Lord and the will of the Lord uh establishes the rules which we have to follow and primarily when we see the rules which are there in the Vedic scripture, many of these rules is according to the time.

1:25:36You should not eat in the dusk, for example. You should not eat certain items in this month of monsoon. You should not eat on a kadeshi day, 11th day of the zodiac,

1:25:54you should eat at this time, you should do this at this time of the day. So time gives you the rules. And rules are the will of the Lord. If you properly follow the will of the Lord, you will become happy in this world.

1:26:13That's the idea. But if you rebel against it if you do it improperly, not according to the establishment of the Lord, not according to the proper time.

1:26:27Because a lot of Vedic rules and regulations, actually that's the whole Jyotish is all about what to do in this particular time. You know, like for example, Ayurveda says, take your oil every day. It's very beneficial.

1:26:47But then Jyotih says, no, no, no. On Shasti you cannot do this. You can do it, you cannot do it on ekadashi, you cannot do it on shashthi. On other days you can do it.

1:26:58So that's again the will of the Lord manifests through the time. And we see in this story of Ditti and Kashyapa Muni how she approaches him improperly, whimsically.

1:27:14She just wants to, you know, she's romantic, she's emotional, she wants to enjoy, and he says, no, nothing good will happen. And she says, no, no, no, no. How something bad can happen because you know I love you. I love you.

1:27:30And she says, okay, okay. Let us see. So this big demon appears. And again, taking it back, it's not that Hiranyaksha appeared, you know, millions of years ago, and uh that's it.

1:27:51You know, little Hiranyaksha lives within our heart. You know, maybe somebody will get a very beautiful name during initiation ceremony, Hiranyaksha Das. Or Hiranyakshi Devidas. So because we have something in common.

1:28:18He was one of our forefathers. So this whole story is there in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Varahadeva appears.

1:28:29And Varahadeva appears as an independent hero coming from the nostril of Lord Brahmā in a very humorous way. You know. Only the Lord can come from the nostril, you know.

1:28:50The Lord Brahmā sneezed and when we sneeze, nothing good comes out. When Lord Brahmā sneezed, little varāha appeared from his nose.

1:29:05But what is very interesting is how the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining who Varāhadeva is. Varāhadeva is the real hero of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why?

1:29:18Because Varāhadeva is the manifestation of the Vedic sacrifice. It is explained in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that his, you know, all the parts of his body are related with the signs of sacrifice.

1:29:38So, what it means in reality: what is the message or teachings of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yes, we do have this natural tendency or propensity to enjoy in this world.

1:29:53And we try to do it in an illegal way, in illicit way, by scientific ways. And we know that the science by giving us some facilities to enjoy actually creates the mess.

1:30:07You know, the science, scientists, the biggest culprits in this world. They destroyed everything. This scientific mentality is actually very destructive mentality.

1:30:21Because they want to somehow or other circumvent the laws, uh, the basic law of material nature, that the material nature is not independent. But you can enjoy.

1:30:35The good message of this canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is that there is Vedic sacrifice. And Vedic sacrifice is the means how you should live in this world? How you should relate to this material energy?

1:30:54How we can engage this material energy into the service to the Supreme Lord? The answer is simple: yajña. Yajña is the means to employ the material energy in the service of the Lord according to the will of the Lord.

1:31:12That's the design of this world. The Lord has created this world where you can enjoy but

1:31:21by interacting with the material nature, by doing yajña. You do yajña, you will have, you know, all the facilities which you want, you will have abundance of everything, you will have proper weather, you will not suffer from severe cold or severe heat, the rains will come.

1:31:44So that's the real meaning of this clash between Hiranyaksha and Hiranyaksha. sorry Hiranyaksha and Varahadev. Hiranyaksha is this spirit of unbridled, uncontrolled enjoyment over this material nature.

1:32:07And Varahadev comes to show, to kill this spirit and to teach how to live happily in this material world by performing properly yagya.

1:32:20So that's one story, very important story, which teaches the same lesson but by the means of story.

1:32:30By the means of this story of the clash or of the appearance of Hiranyaksha, how to live improperly in this world and ultimately suffer, even though you may be very powerful.

1:32:48You may be very powerful, and nobody is as powerful as Hiranyaksha, still you will not be able to enjoy. But if you want to really live properly without disturbing this material nature.

1:33:02So, what happens when people are trying to exploit material nature, they disturb. You know, human beings are the most disturbing creatures in this world. They're just total disturbance, nonsense.

1:33:19And Vedic culture teaches, and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam teaches us how to live peacefully in this world. And for that there's yagya.

1:33:28Means you know do this, you know, do sacrifice, be grateful, always you know say thank you to the Lord by all means by the proper means of rituals by other stuff.

1:33:45You know like little children, when we teach little children to behave properly. What do we do? We say to them, you know, you say thank you, you say please. We teach them very basic etiquette.

1:34:02And little children they don't really understand the meaning behind this etiquette, but they do it and ultimately little by little they become gentle. They become more controlled.

1:34:17In the same way, in the beginning, they do it as a ritual. The parents tell them, we will give you something, but you first say thank you, or you first say please, or whatever, you behave properly.

1:34:32So in the same way, Vedic culture, in the beginning, the initial teachings of Vedic culture is that just do the ritual. Even though you may not understand the meaning behind this ritual.

1:34:47You may not understand, you may not really put your heart into this please or thank you. But you still nevertheless tell tell these little words, and then you will be surprised how much you will get in return.

1:35:06So that's what Varahadeva is teaching us. Just behave gently, do according to everything according to the will of the Lord.

1:35:19Limit by the will of the Lord you will have to have limited interaction with this world. But this limited interaction with this world will be very satisfying to you.

1:35:35But if you try to increase this interaction with this world unlimitedly, what will happen? Tamas will come into your world, uh into your mind.

1:35:47Because the objects of the senses are tamastic by nature. And by contacting these objects of the senses, you get the tamas.

Devahuti, Kardama Muni, and Kapiladeva

1:35:57Anyway, I'll have to say a few more words to finish the whole thing. So, the next story in this third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is Kapiladeva's story.

1:36:09And before Kapiladeva, we see Devahūti and Kardama Muni, and that's exactly the opposite story of Kasyapa and Diti. Kasyapa and Diti, she wanted to enjoy, and ultimately she suffered

1:36:27because of the death of her little son Hiranyaksha. Little demon Hiranyaksha. And Devahūti also wanted to enjoy. It's very clearly said there. She wanted to enjoy and she enjoyed much more than Diti.

1:36:52Devahūti had her castle. You know, the whole beautiful castle, flying castle was created by Kardama Muni, and he created nine replicas of himself. And he did everything. But how? Why? Because she first served.

1:37:22In the beginning she served so nicely without expecting anything. And then as a result of this service, everything came to her. That's the teaching of the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

1:37:39You may live in this world and suffer by trying to enjoy this world illegally. Or you may live in this world and get proper enjoyment which will not actually contaminate you and as a result you will get the Supreme Lord.

1:38:00Lord Kapiladeva appeared to Devahūti as a result of her service attitude. So instead of increasing your enjoying spirit, Boga vriti, we should try to increase our sevavriti,

1:38:19the service spirit, service attitude. That's the proper way. And that's the way to relate with this material nature.

1:38:28And then from this savavrithi, from this spirit of service, which is the very foundation of the whole Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, if we established in this sevritti and if we understand how Savavriti gives you enjoyment, gives you joy, give you everything which you require.

1:38:52If we understand this, then we understood how to live in this material world without being entangled in this material world.

1:39:02And therefore, this question of vidura is so important because the whole third canto is in reality the answer to this question.

1:39:13And these two stories, these two central stories of the third canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, answering very nicely this question. Why people are suffering.

1:39:25Where people trying to get happy, not getting happiness, miseries as a result. And then later also Vidura will ask second question he will ask how people can become happy. So this third canto is explaining this.

1:39:48How to deal properly with the material nature, understanding that the material nature is not independent, that it is the energy of the Lord, that the Lord is behind it.

1:39:59So, how to with utmost reverence, use this material nature, and at the same time get what we need, satisfy our emotional needs, and progress further in our journey towards the Lord.

1:40:20So that's that's I mean in a very short way the the uh message of the third canto. I again I didn't get into the details of the plot, but that you can easily do yourself.

1:40:40I wanted to explain the central message, which may be not so obvious when we read it and when we forget what was there before.

1:40:54But the very central uh chapter of this uh canto is the fifth canto, uh fifth chapter of the third canto. Very essential and then of course twenty-fifth chapter where Lord Kapiladev explains the devotional service.

1:41:13Fifth Canto explains in a very beautiful way

1:41:19the creation of this world and the twenty-fifth chapter is explaining how to live in this world properly and how to understand that the Lord is behind this material nature and how to relate with the Lord by the means or through the media of material nature.

Questions on hearing and philosophy

1:41:43So that's that's it. Thank you very very much Maharaj for the wonderful brilliant analysis and a very penetrating overview. I'm sure that we didn't uh get to see, like you say, lose the woods between the trees.

1:42:10There's especially something like that. When we get down to studying each one of the verses and everything, they miss the overview.

1:42:19So you brought in a very amazing understanding and overview of the cantor which I appreciate very very much. Some very penetrating points.

1:42:29Especially I liked your point about uh just to mention about prakriti is not independent. You can't enjoy. Just like enjoying independent women and promoting women's liberation. I thought that was a very stunning example.

1:42:48So very very practical. It's derived from Prabhupada's saying. And uh you have we cannot enjoy prakriti although she's very inviting. Yes. Inviting you to enjoy and then you get stuck in the web.

1:43:04I guess you know fly in the web. You get stuck in the web and you're made to learn some very important lessons. You can't avoid learning lessons inside for two. Thank you very much for that.

1:43:17I want to open up for asking any questions that you have from Maharaj. I want to specifically ask, start out by asking I have two questions, but I'll ask one question specifically

1:43:26is that Prabhupada makes an amazing comment about Maitreya Muni. He says he is not a pure devotee. In the purport. He diminishes Maitreya at one point.

1:43:41And it's amazing that the arrangement is that Uddhava is telling Vidura to go and get information from Maitreya. And like you mentioned, Vidura is already Yamaraja, he's one of the Mahajanas and is nothing that he would not know.

1:43:59But still if lila and pastime-driven, he may accommodate that. But then still it's a question in the mind as to how Maitreya becomes the instructor of Vidura. It seems like Vidura is far far more advanced than Maitreya from that comment of Prabhupada and from the way the Prabhupada comments that

1:44:22Krishna and Krishna with Uddhava and Maitreya together, there he says that Krishna was paying more attention to Uddava and not really listening or looking at Maitreya much? So taking all these comments together I was wondering how it came out that Maitreya was instructed

1:44:46two points one can make easily. One point is made here it was the proper etiquette. Maitreya was more senior by age, and therefore Uddhava he avoided giving instruction in the presence of Maitreya.

1:45:10And it's a proper etiquette if somebody is more senior, we should not give the instruction. that's the formal answer. But another answer to this question: very important for us to understand would be that the

1:45:33proper, the most important thing which we as neophyte devotees have to learn is that we should develop this attitude of of śiṣya attitude, the mood of śiṣya, śiṣya-bhāva. And when we have this desire to learn and

1:46:02to be instructed, then we will be able to gain benefit from the instructions of even people who are supposedly less advanced than us.

1:46:21When we say that I will only take instructions of a pure devotee, Paramahamsa, you know, Rasika Vaishnava and there is no Rasika Vaishnava surround, therefore I have to go somewhere else. That's a pride.

1:46:36You know, Vidura is humbly taking instructions and he's sure he is not pretending.

1:46:45He's learning a lot from Maitreya because he likes to learn, he likes to study and he likes to hear about the Lord, you know, when somebody is speaking about the Lord. So it's it's an important lesson for us.

1:47:05We have to learn, you know, Prabhupada said that you have to learn from you know you have to take the golden the gold from the dirty place you have to learn from even illiterate people and uh quoting Chanakya Pandit and Prabhupada himself sometimes said you know to to his disciples you are my gurus I am learning from you you know and he was sitting in the class.

1:47:34It's just unbelievable. You know, we usually only visit our own lectures and only because it's very difficult to not visit our own lectures.

1:47:48But Prabhupada was very humbly sitting and listening his very neophyte disciples and you know smiling and was very happy. So, and they probably were not so pure devotees, but Prabhupada was listening to them.

1:48:08What to speak about Maitreya who listened who heard the Supreme Lord. So Vidura was happy to hear. It's actually one of the teachings of the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.

1:48:23It's more important to learn how to listen than to learn how to speak.

1:48:31Listening of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is more important with the proper attitude, even if the therefore, Prabhupāda sometimes, people say, you know, Prabhupāda establish this system that even neophyte devotees that sit somewhere on Vyāsāsana and they start speaking something, you know, what is the what is the point?

1:48:51It is said in Caitanya-caritāmṛta that you should learn Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from rasika vaiṣṇava. What is the point of learning Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from some bhakta.

1:49:04But no, if you listen with the proper attitude, you will get benefit. You will get benefit.

1:49:12Krishna will be pleased by your attitude, and he through the mouth of this Vaishnava, he may be neophyte, but Krishna will reveal to you, you know, amazing things through the mouth of this Vaishnava.

1:49:30So So it's a question of our attitude. If we listen Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as Vidura was listening. And Vidura didn't say Vidura said when he was asking this question, he said, please explain to me the essence of Lord's līlā.

1:49:45Later on, he will ask this question. And Maitreya starts speaking about this, and Vidura didn't say, you know, you are you're not rasika. I am not I will go to some other place to listen somebody else.

1:50:01You know, you're not explaining what you're supposed to explain to me. Thank you, Varaj. Thank you. Anybody else has a question? Any question? Mahārāja, I have a question.

1:50:34question. We have spoken about a lot in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also. In spite of that, what is the need of Sāṅkhya philosophy, Mahārāja?

1:50:44Will it won't misdirect people towards yoga system and Sāṅkhya? which Sankhya? Sāṅkhya which is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Sāṅkhya, the Sāṅkhya in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Yeah.

1:51:01To defeat the use, I will explain it again, I already explained but I will explain it again because we all have this anartha that what is Sāṅkhya? Sāṅkhya is scientific mentality.

1:51:26People think that they if we if they will understand the subtle creation of this world, how this world is composed, they will be able to manipulate it and in this way they will become happy.

1:51:43You know, they will create vaccine from COVID and everything will become back to normal or whatever else is there. And we all hope. Even devotees hope, you know. Yes, very soon science will help me to become happy.

1:52:07So to dismantle this misconception, this seśvara-sāṅkhya is being described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And to actually to explain that no matter how much you try this world is not a happy place by design, not by mistake.

1:52:36You know, because people sometimes think that, you know, this is the place which needs to be little improved. And you know it's generally nice, but there are little mistakes by the by creator.

1:52:52And if we you know this is some engineering mistakes, you know, like some bugs are there. Like when the computer engineer, you know, creates some program, you know, there's some better version of the program.

1:53:08And then you run this and you y you find this bug and this bug and this bug.

1:53:13So they think, you know, yeah, you know, he he tried his best, but you know, now we're running this, so we will find all these bugs, fix them, and it will be nice. You know, the scientists will make us happy.

1:53:30This hope is there. I don't know about you probably you're free from it but I'm very hopeful. So therefore the Sāṅkhya says, no, no, it's not by mistake, it's by design.

1:53:52This world is created in a certain way by design, and you have to know the design. And if you know the design, you will understand. You know, just two minutes I will

1:54:07take because I didn't explain the details of the Sāṅkhya philosophy. What is the main point of Sāṅkhya philosophy? The main point of Sāṅkhya philosophy for us to understand how our psychology works.

1:54:21That according to Sāṅkhya philosophy, described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, our antaḥ-karaṇa or internal sense organ, has four constituents: Citta, Buddhi, Manas, and Ahaṅkāra.

1:54:37And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, especially in this third canto, very beautifully describes how they are interrelated with each other. So that's on a cosmic plane of creation. If we take ourselves, this old thing is there.

1:54:53Chitta is a very pure thing. It's initial consciousness, original consciousness, which is not contaminated.

1:55:06And it is very importantly said in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that this original consciousness which is there in every living entity is capable of reflecting the Lord because of its transparent nature.

1:55:25So when now Chitta is cleansed, Cheto-darpaṇa mārjanam, bhava, by chanting the holy name, then at one point the image of the Lord, his form, his qualities, guṇa, and ultimately his līlā will come to our mind on their own.

1:55:50We don't need to do anything artificial for this because that's the quality of our mind, of our chitta. It can reflect all the things when it's clean, but first it has to be clean.

1:56:08It has to be very transparent, Svathatvam. It is specifically said in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that the original quality of chitta is svachchatvam, it's clean.

1:56:20So and then and then yeah, and it doesn't have modes of material nature, lower modes of material nature, it doesn't have all this stuff. So how to clean this chitta and why this chitta becomes contaminated?

1:56:43This chitta becomes contaminated according to the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, philosophy of Maitreya Muni and Kapiladeva, because of ahaṅkāra, of false ego. Ahaṅkāra is tāmasik. So this tāmasik ahaṅkāra occupies our false uh occupies our chitta and contaminates chitta with the black spots of material enjoyment.

1:57:13How this tamas is entering into our chitta through ahaṅkāra? Because of the because of the buddhi and manas. Manas connected with the senses being contaminated by contact with the senses becomes the conductor of this

1:57:33tāmasik and rājasik energy which are there or tāmasik energy which are there in the sense objects.

1:57:42So, how to clean it with the means of buddhi? Buddhi, intelligence, has to regulate the contact of the mind with the senses according to the scriptures. So if we regulate this initial contact of the mind with the senses,

1:58:00by the means of purified buddhi, and buddhi is connected with the higher buddhi of the Lord or the intelligence of the scriptures.

1:58:15If buddhi is very clean, then gradually, gradually, gradually ahaṅkāra or false ego becomes less strong becomes weakened, and this weakened ahaṅkāra, uh, you know, ultimately will vanish, and our original pure consciousness will reveal to us the Lord.

1:58:40So what do we do? We do, we sit down, and in the morning we chant Hare Krishna. How we chant Hare Krishna without contacting anything else?

1:58:51It's not that we chant Hare Krishna in front of YouTube and you we do something which is you know spiritually benefiting and at the same time, you know, not a bad thing to know some news or whatever. No, no, no, no.

1:59:09No, you will never clean your citta by this YouTube japa. No way. Not possible. So you know you have to really be very careful understanding how the contamination is coming to your citta.

1:59:29And uh how what is the nature of original consciousness, that it's pure, that it's very peaceful and it's very uh yeah Santatvam uh and uh Vikaradi Vikara rahitam, it's not really transformed.

1:59:53That there is this original consciousness, which we strive by this means of japa meditation. So if we understand this, this is for us.

2:00:06This is a very important teaching for us to understand how our mind works, how our internal organ, sense organ, interacts with this world and why we cannot really purify it if we don't uh follow properly the scriptures.

2:00:34Yes thank you Maharaj ishwara Shakti Devidasi and then Kanan and then Kagita. Thank you, Magh.

2:00:51Brahmin one of the two devotees' qualities, the Pupati Natri, even the Bhagavad Nish dictionary, that they don't even want to cess the cessation of buttons death. Their only motive is to store the city has got it it to serve.

2:01:07But in many cases throughout his purpose, the part is the advising us to I mean finish this material exactly. Go back home, go back to our case.

2:01:18So even designing go means back going back to what it is and it is not a symptom of you because like how to understand distinct situations, all right?

2:01:32Desire for liberation is very strong, and uh especially for those people who suffered in this material world and to give them some impetus or some inspiration sometimes we employ this slogan back home back to Godhead.

2:01:58But in reality it's like you know you want to induce your little child to take some bitter medicine. And you give him some little candy and say, you know, take this candy and this bitter medicine.

2:02:18You know, if if from the very beginning we would say, you know, no, no, no, you know, bhakti, no liberation, you know just stay here and it doesn't matter. You know.

2:02:33It's not something which is very palatable in the beginning. You know, Na dhanam na janam na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye this verse is there, but it's the fourth verse. It's not the first verse.

2:02:48And the first verse, uh Chaitanya Prabhu says Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ, which means cessation of all material sufferings. And then he says, no, no, no problem.

2:03:01I am ready to be born again and again and again even here. So that's this high understanding, you know, you cannot relate to it in the beginning.

2:03:14In the beginning we need to understand that bhakti is a very powerful means to achieve liberation because we want it. Go ahead, Karat. Are some rather than some rather thank you very much.

2:03:36Maharaj mentioned that this material world is not independence, he always protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And we cannot exploit her because it seems to be exploitable.

2:03:49Something like the ṛṣi mentioned here. But uh we can see lot a of things are happening around us you know uh lot of natures are getting uh listed by management disasters, utilizers are getting uh global warming.

2:04:03What kind of things are there are getting how to understand these kind of can you repeat how to understand what the how to understand uh but you mentioned uh uh it seems to be exploitable uh but uh we are seeing

2:04:19that uh material is getting exploitable every day. Yes, they're getting exp yes, but uh there is a price attached to it. So yes, people do this mistake, they try to exploit this material world, but the result is suffering.

2:04:37Instead of increasing enjoyment, they are suffering more and more and more, and this material world becomes the hellish place to teach us the lesson. You know, and hopefully sometimes people will understand that these attempts are not really good. You can be happy if you live if you interact with this material nature in a proper way.

2:05:02Like India was the richest country in the world.

2:05:05That's why all these Western people they wanted to possess India. But why India was such a wealthy place? Because of the spiritual knowledge. Because this spiritual knowledge taught people how to live in this world and be happy in this world.

2:05:29So that's the that's the lesson. You know, all this global warming and everything is just signs from the nature that you're doing something wrong.

2:05:45And some people they they start understanding something, you know, that we we need to to change our attitude.

2:05:55So yeah, you know the point of exploitation is that you exploit and then you enjoy, but people uh they exploit and then they suffer. So yes, Kavika, go ahead. Mahariskha Maharaj, please pranams Maharaj.

2:06:20Maharaj, thank you for this wonderful session Maharaj. Today only I understood the real meaning of being less sick in Jam.

2:06:26How Maharaj used to say often per day, every day you used to use that word you are enjoying illegally and for that so many people are helping that illegal arrangement.

2:06:34Today only I understood the actual meaning Maharaj that secretly is a woman and we are all acting like a bullshra andh we are trying to exploit her and she's protected by the Lord.

2:06:44My question is Maharaj, uh, in the third Canto, uh, Maitreya Muni is uh adjust or no, one-one to shoka is adjust as Bhagavan Maharaj and elsewhere uh Brahma is also addressed as Bhagavan.

2:06:57But we learn from Śrīla Prabhupāda that Bhagavān is a word used for someone who has all six opulences in full and that can be used only for Krishna. That is what Śrīla Prabhupāda explained.

2:07:09Bhagavad-gītā Prabhupāda related to my rest. And elsewhere even Siva is referred to as Bhagavān.

2:07:13How do you understand why that particular Bhagavān word which can be used for Krishna alone is used for Maitreya Muni even and he's he's referred to as he's not even a pure devotee. So how to understand all this, Maharaj?

2:07:27Um, it's the way to express respect to somebody and the way to express one's dependence on somebody when we very respectfully say we sometimes may exaggerate his position.

2:07:47And basically Bhagavān when Vidura calls Maitreya Muni Bhagavān, he means that he possesses opulence of spiritual knowledge and he is relating to this bhāva of Maitreya Muni. He's basically asking him, please give me or share with me this opulence which you have, opulence of your knowledge.

2:08:16Bhagavān, technically speaking, it's only you know proper to call the Supreme Lord because he has all the opulence in full. But you know, in one sense we all are little Bhagavāns because we have little opulences.

2:08:34Somebody has 500 rupees, so he's also Bhagawan. 500 rupees worth Bhagavan. But basically the implication is that share with me this opulence which you have. Thank you Maharaj. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Maravasathi.

2:08:58Um, iṣhṭa-goṣṭhī, Maharaj, daṇḍavat prāṇāmas. Very nice to hear from you and thank you, Maharaj, and Śyāmā-vallabha Prabhu, and I did a wonderful lecture.

2:09:10lecture, and on comments and questions, Mataji is telling about the family, how in family we can have a career job and Maharaj was adding to it. She's inviting us just to teach a little fighting.

2:09:22Maharaj, speaking about illicit like for sexual desire, and I was speaking with the illicit, it's an illicit relation. So how to see the things in public and the kind of classes and all, and having this thing in the evening is so abominable, that they get demonic children and all that.

2:09:47children and all that. So they say this lots of rules are so killing, because lots of rules that we have to follow with that, so reaching application for how to— I don't hear you so properly. Can you repeat the evening all this?

2:10:03attitude itself is very much in check, also tell them. Maharaj, can you repeat the question? She is, to paraphrase a question, she is saying, Maharaj, and uh, illicit... Yeah, you are better now. Okay.

2:10:24Now the uh speaking about this pastime of uh as an illicit time relationship.

2:10:33So illicit relationship can be defined within the married life, the how to speak to newcomers, they hear this pastime saying what was the cause, the primary cause of the appearance and all that.

2:10:46So it sounds uh too bad for them. See, how can, how you can tell if it's illicit a relationship even if in a married life?

2:10:55Yeah, but see, every human being has to understand simple things that you know there is a proper time for everything. You cannot do anything anytime. Even little child can understand this.

2:11:11You know, sometimes children, you know, when it comes time to sleep, they want to play, when it comes time to eat, they want to do something else, or they want to sleep. And the discipline is, usually what is discipline?

2:11:28Discipline is to do everything in the proper time. Get up at this time, get to bed at this time, you know, eat at that time. That's regulation means.

2:11:42So and normal people they don't have problems with this, you know uh i according to the season, according to the time of the day, according to the age. Uh there are certain uh natural uh limitations or natural regulations.

2:12:04So you know this dusk time is not a very good time to do sex. Just wait a little bit, no problem. You know, you can do it. It's just a question of waiting. What's so frustrating about it?

2:12:26You know, it's it's very natural that for every activity you have a proper time. And this Sandhi time, it's a very special time because Sandhi is the junction time when the energies are different.

2:12:48Therefore it is said that you you should not even eat in sandhyā. You can eat before sandhyā, you can eat after sandhyā, after sunset when it's already dark, but within this forty-five or whatever minutes of sandhyā, you should not eat because the food will be turned into poison in your body.

2:13:12The food, due to the influence of external environment, the food will not be beneficial for you. It will be cre it will just create āma. So that's that's the time and you know what's the big deal to respect the time?

2:13:29You know, this is I I you know Ah, okay, okay. So people take who want to take English nine or people No., no, no Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. If you're I got it, got it, got it.

2:13:52No, if you are talking about this, then we should not and Srila Prabhupada he didn't stress it too much actually, especially in the beginning.

2:14:06He said that you should regulate your sexual impetus by being properly married.

2:14:17And in the marriage there are some restrictions as well, you know there are certain rules where you know the having sex is not benefici is not it's prohibited actually.

2:14:34Certain days, you know, certain uh like on ekādaśī day it's not very good and so on so forth. The restrictions are there but it's not really illicit relationship.

2:14:48If it's not if it's within the marriage and within the proper regulations, then it's okay, you know. But ultimately what people have to understand is that every action has a purpose.

2:15:07And if we like for example, eating, the purpose of eating is to get energy. And the eating has side effect, the enjoyment, right?

2:15:23If we make the side effect of this activity as our primary goal and we start eating for enjoyment, not for getting proper nourishment and proper energy, then the result will be not so favorable because we will ultimately get sick.

2:15:44Because the real purpose of this act of eating is to get nourishment. You agree?

2:15:52Enjoyment is a side effect, it's a nice side effect, and there is nothing wrong with the side effect as long as the primary purpose of this act is maintained. But if it becomes upside down, then the problem starts.

2:16:12If the enjoyment will become the primary purpose and nourishment will become side effect, then you know, we will get all kinds of diseases. The same with the sex.

2:16:25You know, the primary purpose of this act is procreation of children. If the primary purpose of this and enjoyment is the side effect.

2:16:36If the primary purpose of this act will be replaced with the side effect, you will have all kinds of problems which people have.

2:16:45But if you have this purpose in mind and you primarily try to do it with this proper purpose, you know, conscientiously, then the side effect will be there and it will be proper.

2:16:58So that's uh it becomes illicit if you make the side effect as the prime goal or prime purpose. I answered your delicate question. Okay, I guess we should we should stop. It's already too much.

2:17:23How can I thank you with just words alone on this virtual platform? Thank you very much.

2:17:29However, I should try to thank you very, very much for your visit and please bless all of these students to learn the bhakti vibe and go through the bhakti bible sessions to learn Bhakti Bhattana that is DSP and preach it to others so that they may also be benefited.

2:17:50Thank you very much again Maharaj for the very detailed painstaking presentation. Thank you very much. Highly valued and appreciated. Thank you. Thank you. Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! Bhakta-vṛnda ki jaya! Thank you.

2:18:07Hare Krishna. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.