A Structural Review of the Main Topics of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Lecture 3

Clearing false ego before solar eclipse

0:00Thank you very much. I'm very happy to be with you again. Yeah, just before the solar eclipse. We have to clarify our minds, and most importantly, to remove the dark covering from our ego.

0:29We have real ego, and the false ego is like dark covering of this real ego. Real ego is like the sun, and now the sun is eclipsed by our false identification.

0:49And actually, the best remedy from the solar eclipse is studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhagavatam. That's why it's very relevant and very pertinent to study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam now and every day of our life,

1:07but especially now because due to the false identification, people tend to make very serious mistakes and suffer because of this mistakes, that's what solar eclipse signifies. And the results of this mistake is very lasting.

1:30That's why this eclipsing condition of our consciousness is very dangerous. Therefore, we have to every day try to cleanse this covering of the soul or of the ego

1:51by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which gives us the right perspective. Okay, so we'll start uh now and I will read one verse from the second cant of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which we are on at the moment.

2:07But first let's chant the mantras: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva narottamaṁ devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ

2:59tato jayam udīrayet. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. Bhakti Bhakti Mašti Bakhsti Yampra Jantamanu

3:30parīkṣitākhetya-vighna-karaṁ tvaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ muni-manato 'smi.

Reading Srimad Bhagavatam second canto verse

3:49sruti Saramekam, a dat madhipam, nistir shatamandam, samsarinam karunayaha, puranagujam tam via sasuna opyami guru muninam.

4:08Okay, so we're reading or trying to study the subject matter of the 10 topics of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10 Lakshanas, or the defining characteristics of this book.

4:26And I will read the verse number 6 from the 10th chapter of the second canticle of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhagavatam is the answer to all questions.

4:41Nirodhaś ca syād ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṃ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ.

4:53Nirodha, the winding up of the cosmic manifestation, asya of His; anuśayanam, the lying down of the puruṣa incarnation, Mahāviṣṇu, in the mystic slumber; ātmanaḥ, of the living entities; saha, along with; śaktibhiḥ, with the energies; muktiḥ, liberation; hitvā, giving up; anyathā-rūpam, changeable form; svarūpeṇa, in constitutional form; vyavasthitiḥ, permanent situation.

5:30Translation. The merging of the living entity along with his conditional living tendency with the mystic lying down of the Mahavishnu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation.

5:48Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable, gross, and subtle material bodies. As we have discussed several times, there are two types of living entities.

6:07Most of them are ever-liberated, nitya-muktas, while some of them are ever-conditioned. The ever-conditioned souls are apt to develop the mentality of lording over the material nature.

6:24And therefore, the material cosmic creation is manifested to give the ever-conditioned souls two kinds of facilities.

6:33One facility is that the conditioned soul can act according to his tendency to lord it over the cosmic manifestation, and the other facility gives the conditioned soul a chance to come back to Godhead.

6:48So after the winding up of the cosmic manifestation, most of the conditioned souls merge into the existence of the Mahavishnu personality of Godhead lying in his mystic slumber, to be created again in the next creation.

7:05But some of the conditioned souls who follow the transcendental sound in the form of Vedic literatures and are thus able to go back to Godhead attain spiritual and original bodies after quitting the conditional, gross, and subtle material bodies.

7:25The material conditional bodies develop out of the living entities' forgetfulness of their relationship with Godhead and during the course of the cosmic manifestation the conditioned souls are given a chance to revive the original status of life with the help of revealed scriptures so mercifully compiled by the Lord in His different incarnations.

7:52Reading and hearing or hearing of such transcendental literatures help one become liberated even in the conditional state of material existence.

8:05All the Vedic literatures aim at devotional service to the personality of Godhead, and as soon as one is fixed upon this point, he at once becomes liberated from conditional life.

8:21The material growth and subtle forms are simply due to the conditioned soul's ignorance, and as soon as he is fixed in the devotional service of the Lord, he becomes eligible to be freed from the conditioned state.

Seeking pleasure in the Supreme Lord

8:39This devotional service is transcendental attraction to the Supreme on the account of His being the source of all pleasing humors. This is how Srila Prabhupada calls rasas, different rasas. All pleasing humours.

8:59Everyone is after some pleasure of humor, of enjoyment, for enjoyment. Humor doesn't mean jokes. Humor means the pleasure that humor means basically some liquid essence which we have.

9:20So ultimately, this is emotional essence which we consist of, which we consist of. So we are all after this pleasurable emotional experience, which is called humor for enjoyment.

9:38So everyone is after some pleasure of humor for enjoyment, but does not know the supreme source of all attraction. Rasovai Saha, Rasam Yevayam Labvanandi Bhavati.

9:52The Vedic hymns inform therefore about the supreme source of all pleasure.

9:58The unlimited fountainhead of all pleasure is the personality of Godhead, and one who is fortunate enough to get this information through transcendental literature like Srimad Bhagavatam, becomes permanently liberated to occupy his proper place in the kingdom of God.

10:19Śrīla Prabhupāda-ki-jaya! asya anushaya nam atmanahsa ha shakti bih muktirhit van yataru pam swaru penavyavastitihi. The merging of the living entity along with his conditional living tendency.

10:38Wisdomistic lying down of the Mahavishnu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation liberation is the permanent situation in the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable, gross, and subtle material bodies.

10:59Na mam Vishnu Padua Krishna Play Bhutale Srimati Bhaktividhanta Swami Dinami Namaste Sarah Devi Gurava N pracharini nirviesha Sunya Vadi Paschates S are neri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunitananda Syadvaita Hara Sivasa de Guru Bhakta Vrinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

11:21Hari Ramahari Rama Rama Ramahare Hari Adjanu Lambi tujok na kawadatu sam kirtanaika pitarokamalaya taksu, viswambarodvi ya varu you gudharma palu, vandeja gat priya karu karunava taru n thak pradishi mamavachi Sandi vaya, ki la shakti darhdamn. Anjaam scha, charan sravanat, pranandama. Swasha stukah, pracy da tam de antu Butani Shivam Mithodia, manascha badram bhajatata dok suja, havesha tumnamati rapyha to ki Hare Krishna.

12:01So on this hot summer afternoon we are reading the cooling down verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which can eliminate the fever of our material existence.

12:22And they all comprise Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the very word Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam means Śrīmad means beautiful, and Bhāgavatam means the book which is of God, about God, and spoken by God.

12:44Bhagavatam literally means related to God, and there are different relationships between the book and God Himself. It's the book about God describing God. It's the book which belongs to God or which directly related to

13:01Him or uh as in fact as we said uh last time it's his svarūpa, it's his manifested form in the form of the sound. And the third meaning of Bhagavatam, it's spoken by God Himself.

13:20It was spoken by Him and therefore it's called Bhagavatam.

Comparing Purva and Uttara Mimamsa schools

13:27So basically, what is Bhagavatam? We know that Bhagavatam is the commentary natural commentary, Svabik, natural commentary on Vedānta-sūtra or Brahma Sutra of Silavyasad. And what is uh what is uh Brahma Sutra?

13:56Brahma Sutra or Vedānta-sūtra is called Uttarmi Mamsa. It belongs, it's the main book of the school, philosophical school, which is called Uttarmi Mamsa.

14:08There are two Mimamsa, there are two schools of philosophy in ancient Vedic philosophy. And one is called Purva Mimamsa. And Mimamsa means basically harmonizing all the scriptures.

14:27Mimamsa is bringing together and weaving together and extracting the essence of all the scriptures. So So, this is what this is the definition of Mimamsa. It's harmonization of all the different statements of the Shastra.

14:48And we know there are so many different statements of the shastra. So Purvami Mamsa is the first attempt to harmonize the meaning of all the shastras and to extract the coherent instructive meaning of the shastras.

15:08This is what Purvomimamsa. This is the first attempt. And the first attempt is actually, very natural. When we first read the scriptures, it's inevitably the case of everyone.

15:24When we start reading the scriptures because we are somewhat frustrated with the material life, with the sufferings which we get, with all the endless anxieties which

15:35are there, sooner or later human beings they come to the conclusion that there should be some recipe of peaceful life, and this recipe must be in the holy books of different religions.

15:50So, the first understanding which usually people have when they read any scripture is that this is something which is teaching me how to live happily in this world.

16:04This is this is Pūrva-mīmāṃsā. The essence of Pūrva-mīmāṃsā or the philosophy of Pūrva-mīmāṃsā is that the meaning of the scriptures, what the scriptures teach us, what all the scriptures teach us, all the scriptures teach us one thing, how to live happily in this world.

16:21Do this ritual, chant this mantra, uh, do this particular kind of worship, do yoga postures, and then you'll become healthy, you'll become happy, your relationship will work out, uh, your children will become happy, they will grow quickly, you gain some position in this world, this and that.

16:43And this is definitely there in the scriptures.

16:45If we take Holy Bible or Quran or Vedic literature, of course, or Torah from Judaic tradition or any scripture, any Any revealed scripture which is coming from God, there is an element there which is quite consistent and takes a lot of time, occupies a lot of space in these holy books.

17:15That's how to live happily in this world. What to do during solar eclipse? During solar eclipse you shouldn't go out, you shouldn't eat food at least nine hours before solar eclipse, this and that.

17:28For what it is for me to make me happy. So this is Pūrva-mīmāṃsā.

17:33Pūrva-mīmāṃsā again, as I said, is the attempt to make variegated scriptures with different different different meanings and different uh statements as a coherent whole.

17:48And the meaning of it is that this is the commandments, this is the set of commandments of how you should live to become happy in this life and in this world.

18:00And it is interesting that in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that Lord Brahmā he studied all the Vedas three times.

18:12It's basically the meaning of this statement is that there are three major meanings in all the scriptures, and we re- when we read the scriptures for the first time, we extract the first meaning.

18:26And the first meaning is that how to live happily in this world, how to become practical, you know, what to eat, what not to eat, this and that.

18:36So, but then you try to do this, you follow the scriptures, you're very diligent, you try to do it to the minutest details. And you improve the quality of your life, you improve the quality of your relationship. The relationship which would never work, somehow or other start working, at least to a certain extent.

18:58Like I know, you know, devotees sometimes when they marry, it's very incompatible situation. And if they were not devotees, they would not stay together.

19:08But somehow or other, by some miracle, they sometimes still stay together with each other. Not always. But this is the result. This is the practical result of what we see from the scriptures.

19:25But then still, despite of the improvement, the significant improvement of the quality of our life, we still have very deep unresolved issues. And this issue is birth, death, old age, and disease.

19:45And even if we follow very diligently all the scriptural commands, still we fall sick somehow or other.

19:56Like you said that Bhakti Chara Maharaj is sick and he's so strictly following all the commandments of the scriptures. Still, nevertheless, he becomes sick.

20:09I heard about one person who is supposedly 154 years old and he looks quite healthy and very you know strong. He became shrunk. He's an Ayurvedic practitioner himself. He lives somewhere in Bihar. I saw his picture.

20:28He looks like 60, 70 years old. He's 154 years old. So he definitely manages to somehow rather remain a certain level of health and energy in his body, which is a miracle in itself.

20:45But you know, usually normally people when they get old they become sick, and it's just it's described in the third canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we all know.

20:54So there are so many unresolved questions, even if we follow this strictly.

21:00Therefore, when people read the second time, when they become more mature, when they become a little disillusioned by following strictly the scriptures, they read the scriptures for the third time and they come to what is called Uttara Mīmāṁsā.

21:18Uttara Mīmāṁsā means the higher higher comprehension, higher attempt or the more higher order, the more successful attempt to harmonize different statements of the Vedic scriptures.

21:39And then all of a sudden you read the same scriptures which you read before, and everywhere you only read something, some statements how to get liberation. And this is what Uttara Mimamsa is all about, or Brahma Sutra is all about.

21:56Brahma Sutra shows that the highest comprehensive or summary meaning of the scriptures, what Scriptures is teaching us about, it's about liberation, emancipation of the spirit from the clutches of this matter, uh, from the material bondage. Uh, and this is Uttara Mimamsa.

22:18And we know that there are two different uh kind of schools of Uttara Mimamsa. Brahma Sutra is again read uh differently uh by different people and there are Mayavadi philosophers and personalists. They read Brahma Sutra.

22:41In other words, they read all the scriptures because Brahma Sutra is a logical summary of Upanishads. They read Upanishads and they only find the statements about in personal liberation. This is what it's all about.

22:59We have to merge into this Brahman effulgence, this entity, go out of the material form and material name and everything, get rid of it, forget about it, take sannyāsī, chant uh, and ultimately become om.

23:21So that's also mīmāṁsā. That's definitely a very harmonious, logical kind of interpretation. There are problems in it, but still. And when we see personal interpretations of the schools, of different Vaishnava schools.

23:39They also say that the ultimate goal of living entity is mukti, moksha. They also don't say anything else.

23:49You know, you take Rāmānujācārya, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Śuddhādvaita, Śuddha Dvaita, or Madhvācārya, or you take Bheda-bheda or Svābhāvika Svābhāvika Bheda-bheda of Nimbārka school, they all talk about liberation.

24:10So that's basically Uttara Mīmāṁsā, the meaning of uh Uttara Mīmāṁsā. Yeah, the explanation or the conclusion.

Understanding scriptures through love of God

24:22And that's, as I said, this is the second reading. And we as devotees, even though officially we follow Caitanya Mahāprabhu, I

24:32remember in the beginning I was reading scriptures, and my main interest was how to live happily in this world. Here are the recipes. Here are the very important and very significant recipes.

24:45Then you start reading it from a different angle of vision. And you start finding all these statements about liberation, and you really start desiring liberation. In the beginning it was not really your agenda. May not.

25:02If you came just from the street and you became a devotee, then you have to follow this whole pattern and of internal spiritual development.

25:15So, you know what to speak about us? Lord Brahmā read the scriptures three times with different meaning, different conclusion out of the scriptures.

25:25So the second conclusion, Uttara Mimamsa conclusion, is the meaning of all the scriptures, the old scriptures, they teach us how to get liberation.

25:36What to do, what not to do to ultimately get liberation from this material body. But then, luckily for us, Lord Brahma read the scriptures for the third time.

25:50And the third time is actually the completely different conclusion one comes to when we read the scriptures for the third time, when we become really mature, and when we understand that ultimately I will not be happy if I just get liberation, liberation will not bring the ultimate fulfillment of all my desires or the ultimate manifestation of my nature, ultimate expression of my nature.

26:25Then we read Vedānta-sūtra from a different angle of vision. And when we say that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the natural commentary on Vedānta-sūtra, we mean exactly this.

26:38This is the explanation of Uttara Mimamsa from the point of view of bhakti. The first explanation, the first reading is Purvami Mamsa from the point of view of Bhakti, the second is from the point of view of Mukti,

26:55and the third, the highest possible understanding or the highest possible coherent understanding of the message of the scriptures is that all the scriptures ultimately teach us how to become lovers of God, how to become connected with Him in love.

27:17As Śrīla Prabhupāda he beautifully explains this in the purport which we read, he says that this devotional service is transcendental attraction for the Supreme on the account of his being the source of all pleasing humours.

27:35He said, What is devotional service? Devotional service is the natural state of the soul when the soul is attracted towards God, who is the original attractor. He's attracting everyone, therefore, he's called Kṛṣṇa.

27:49And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is about this. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining all the scriptures, all the Vedic literature.

27:59Because it's a commentary, and therefore it is said that this is the essence of Mahābhārata, and this is the you know the Vedānta-sūtra, and this is the commentary or the inner meaning of Brahma Gāyatrī, and Brahma Gāyatrī is Veda-mātā.

28:19So basically, what is being stated by all these descriptions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?

28:25Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining the quintessence, the essence of all Vedic literature from this point of view of bhakti. Gives this particular angle of vision or perspective.

28:39And this is how we should understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the highest, this is Uttarottama Mimamsa. This is the highest Mimamsa. Uttar Mimamsa is the higher Mimamsa.

28:58And Uttarottama Mimamsa is the highest mimamsa, highest understanding. And therefore, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, they uh they really say that the goal of life is not mukti, goal of life is prema, premā pumartha mahān.

29:13And therefore, we say that the highest manifestation of all the forms of God is Krishna. And this is the teaching of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

29:23Nothing short of it, which is not known to, unfortunately not known to most of the Vaiṣṇavas of other schools.

29:37But this is a great, not discovery, but the great, how to say this, the great revelation which is being transmitted through our sampradaya by the means of our disciplic succession.

Converting theoretical knowledge into direct realization

29:55So but what is most important, and I already spoke about this in my previous classes, is that in this mantra, in this praṇāma mantra to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, yāḍsvānubhāvam akhilaṁ śruti-sāra-mekam.

30:18It is said that first Śukadeva Gosvāmī realized it in his own experience. Bhāgavatam in a particular way and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam became not the book, it became the real movie to Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

30:41Śukadeva Gosvāmī has seen Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He didn't treat Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he didn't hear, he didn't just hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he saw Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in his trance, and therefore it is said, he saw this essence

31:01of all the śrutis in his trance. He realized this. This is very important. And this is what we're supposed to do.

31:10I said in my first lecture, then whenever Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is being spoken, it's Krishna himself who speaks Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because it's his book. Only he can speak this book, it's a book about him, and this is his own book.

31:26But for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to have this effect, for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to be spoken by Krishna, the speaker has to be realized.

31:37It's not necessarily happens every time when bhakta John gives Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class to bhakta Daniel. Not necessarily that Krishna comes into bhakta John and speaks to bhakta Daniel explaining all these things.

31:59But if somebody realized this and what realization means, realized knowledge, it's very interesting. It's uh it's still my little introduction to this class.

32:09There are two kinds of knowledge which is being explained in Vedic literature. One is Paroksaggyan. And Paroksaggyan is indirect knowledge. Paroksaggyan means paraksha, it's somebody which has been seen.

32:27This is the knowledge which was seen by somebody else. It's theoretical knowledge. So when we read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the beginning, we read it in this manner, Parokshagyan.

32:41We only get some indirect theoretical knowledge about subject matters of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. When the Bhagavatam speaks about the soul, we can say yes, yes, very nice, very nice, very nice.

32:56But it's still for us parokṣa-jñāna. It's theoretical notes about the soul. When Bhāgavatam speaks about Krishna himself, it's parokṣa-jñāna. Yes, Śukadeva Gosvāmī has seen Krishna. I didn't see Krishna.

33:11So there is aparokṣa, which is direct knowledge, and direct knowledge is necessary. This is what we're supposed to do. When we're reading Shrimad Bhagavatam, ultimately, this indirect knowledge has to become direct

33:25knowledge because aparokṣa-jñāna has to become parokṣa, sorry, parokṣa-jñāna has to become aparokṣa direct knowledge because it's very important because we have aparokṣa ignorance. Our ignorance is direct.

33:47Our knowledge is indirect. Our spiritual knowledge is indirect. Our ignorance is totally direct. We don't know who is the soul, who is soul, who I am. We don't know who is God.

34:01So by parokṣa-jñāna you cannot remove aparokṣa ignorance. Direct ignorance cannot be removed by theoretical knowledge. Because your ignorance is not theoretical.

34:22If you were theoretically ignorant, then you would be liberated by theoretical knowledge. But because you are practically ignorant, your ignorance can only be removed by practical realization of all these topics.

34:40So the aim of this study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to become practically realized in all these topics to understand on a deeper level, not just on theoretical level, which is of course only possible on a very high point of our spiritual development.

35:00Nevertheless, we should clearly understand how it works. So when the realized soul who realized all these topics speaks his words are coming directly and going into our soul.

35:20And actually, we are lucky because Śrīla Prabhupāda is explaining Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and he has this direct knowledge.

35:28And he explains this, that by reading or by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he specifically says in this purport that we can become mukta, we can achieve liberation and the highest stage of liberation which is explained

35:44in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is bhakti or premā, by hearing or by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam written by a realized soul and Śrī Vyāsadeva. So ultimately, but this is what I again want to stress, emphasize.

36:04We should not be satisfied with the theoretical knowledge of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We have to bring Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam into the life stage. We have to really bring it to our soul, and we will actually see how it happens.

36:22What is the mechanism of it? It's a very interesting mechanism which we will talk a little bit about after that. Anyway, so this is what Bhagavatam is all about. Bhagavatam is to give us direct knowledge of God.

36:38And Bhagavatam is capable of giving us this Aparoksaggyana or direct encounter with God.

Defining Srimad Bhagavatam through ten characteristics

36:44So what is Bhagavatam is being defined in this verses because it is clearly said that this is the Lakshanas of Srimad Bhagavatam. What is Lakshana? Lakshana is the distinguishing characteristic.

37:01Something, you know, sometimes people, if you ask somebody to define something, Nyaya, especially

37:11Navya-nyāya, which Lord Caitanya was an expert of, is all about giving very precise and correct definition of the subject matters. You know, for example, if you have to define a cow, what is cow? How to define?

37:30You can say so many things about cow and they all be true. But they will not necessarily be the definition. They will be description of the cow. But definition is different.

37:42There is a difference between description and definition. Description is describing the object and this object can be described from many different angles. But definition is the distinguishing features.

37:57When you enumerate the features which distinguish this particular entity from anything else by which you can recognize this particular entity. This is the definition.

38:10So Śukadeva Gosvāmī gives the definition of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. What is Bhagavatam?

38:17The definition of Bhagavatam is this is the book which is describing Āśraya, the tenth topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam through the media of the nine previous topics. This is a very important definition.

38:33To understand Bhagavatam, how Bhagavatam works, we have to keep in mind this definition. This is the lakshana. This ten characteristics is a distinguishing feature of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

38:47Sometimes they say that all Mahapuranas contain this, but usual definition that Mahapuranas contain five topics. But Srimad Bhagavatam contains ten topics, and actually

38:59the main topic is Āśraya, as I explained last time with you uh is that uh the tens topic is being isolated as Śrīla Prabhupāda says. Visudhartam.

39:14To isolate this topic, to understand for us to understand this beautiful characteristic, this beautiful topic of Āśraya, which is the main topic, the nine other topics are being employed in a very specific way.

39:30And uh today we will again try to understand this. I started this topic last lecture and I will continue this topic again. Uh how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam works. So, as I said, uh, the only topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is Āśraya.

39:45Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam wants to explain to us God. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the book about God, as we said. Therefore, it's called Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So, but how you explain God? You know, so many different scriptures are there.

39:59They all try or aim at the explaining God or describing God in different ways. So the strategy of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very, very beautiful.

40:10Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains this nine previous topics and this nine previous topics atrasarga visarga shaftanam posana mutaya manvantare sanaukatha niroda muktir ashrahan.

40:24So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains all these topics starting with Sarga, Sarga, Visarga, Stanam, Poshanam, Uti, Manvantara, Isha Nukatha, Niroda, and Mukti. And while explaining all these topics, the tenth topic is indicated.

40:50Please mark it in your consciousness or in your whatever if you're writing something, some notes. This is very important. This is what Śrīla Prabhupāda is explaining in this verses here.

41:03These nine topics, they all they are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as an indication of the tenth topic.

Primary and secondary cosmic creation processes

41:12Like for example, when Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining Sarga the creation of the primordial elements, the primeval uh elements uh of the twaration of the creation twelve mixing Russian and English.

41:32So so all the original tatvas, uh Tanmatras and so on so forth, Sahankart Tatva and of course first is Mahat Tattva, then Sutra Tattva, then Ahankart Tattva, and then from Mahatkar Tattva, all the Tanmatras,

41:48uh, and then from Tanmatras all all the senses, and then from all the senses, all the demigods and manas and then buddhi. When this creation, this Sankhya is created, it's all described as an indication of God.

42:06It's all coming from God. Where it's coming from. You know, you may study all the elements, you may know the elements, you may distinguish

42:15one element from another element, but ultimately, you have to understand whose elements they are. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very specific. Sanky philosophy also describes the same elements.

42:27And in some ways, there is more complete description than even in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There are some details of the description which are important in Sankhy philosophy.

42:39But they are not being described as the indication of the tense topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the indication of Bhagavān. They are not being described in connection with Bhagavan.

42:51Visarga, the secondary creation, we said that the secondary creation is the creation of material bodies. When Lord Brahma creates the different planetary systems of

43:03this universe, the body of this universe, and ultimately Lord Brahma creates the body of all the living entities.

43:10So ultimately, how it is being described, it is being described in Śrīmad Bhagavatam as indication to Krishna. How in which way that ultimately behind the assemblance of the body, there is the will of the Lord.

43:29Like, for example, the story of Dity and Kashapa in the third canto of Śrīmad Bhagavatam. Ditya and Kashappa, Kashyapa is one of the Prajapati. And Kashyapa is the one who is doing this Vsarga.

43:44He is creating the material Kashyapa Muni from Kashapa Muni from his life from his wife Diti all the Daitias came, demons from his wife Haditi, all the demigods came, from his life wife Kadru, all the horses came from

44:05Vinata, all the birds came and all the snakes came from Kadru also. Yeah. Snapes came from Kadru, and you know the the she has wife Danu from Danu, Danavas came.

44:24So they all coming, all different types of bodies, different types of creations are coming from Kashyapa Muni. But is Kashyapa Muni described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the ultimate source of this visarga? No.

44:40When he comes in union with deity and the demons are created, he's not happy about it. It's not that he you know was meditating on Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashippu.

44:54No, but ultimately it's the Lord behind this act, and actually he arranged this whole story because he wanted to have Hiranyaksha and Hiranya Kashipu to be born.

45:07And all this secondary creation is ultimately creation of the Lord. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explains how the body with all the karmas and everything which is there is ultimately the Lord is behind them.

45:23Like also in Jyotish, in Jyotish Shastra, sometimes there are different books of Dyotish Shastra, and sometimes Dyotis Shastra is explaining that there is Shani, and this is a very powerful

45:39force, and you have to worship Shani, and some and there is Rahu, and you have to worship Rahu and there is sun god Surya Dev, and you have to worship Surya Dev by chanting certain mantras.

45:51But then there is another school of Jyotish and they say who is Surya Dev? Surya Dev is the manifestation of Ramachandra. Who is Chandra? Moon? It's Krishna. Who is Buddha? Mercury. Mercury is the Buddha Avatar of the Lord.

46:13So they explain they are all avatars of one reality, of one God. So the same way, in the same way, the secondary creation, how the body is created by different forces, it's indication of the tense topic, Ashraya.

46:33How the body is ultimately can uh connected and dependent with the Lord on the Lord, dependent on his presence within the body, how the presence of the Lord is actually the cause of this body.

46:47So Atra-sarga-visarga-sthāna. The sthāna is when we see the order in this world, amazing order, harmony and so many different beautiful things, and uh they are not merging in in each each other.

47:04Uh this is because of the Lord. Like you know, the modern science is trying to say that there is nothing stable in this world.

47:13This is what uh the therefore ultimately the science is nirviśeṣa śūnyavādi. This is all nirviśeṣa uh they're all nirviśeṣa because they say that there's nothing behind it uh but we see that it's not true.

47:28Like you know, the favorite of Śrīla Prabhupāda, evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theory says that you know everything is just evolving and evolving and evolving, and uh previously you were bacteria, then you became a rat and then you became a dinosaur and then you became monkey and then you became Darvin. So that's the scientific explanation of it. But no, Darwin was always Darwin.

47:57Monkey was always monkey. Dinosaurs were always dinosaurs because of the previous arrangement, that's sthānaṁ, they're not merging.

48:10And it's interesting because science, even though they have this lofty theory, how everything is evolving, evolving, evolving and changing, changing. In reality, they don't have the proof.

48:24They have some indirect proofs, little indirect proofs, but you you know, the science of genetics, they're changing the genes, changing, changing, but they're not producing the new species of life.

48:37They can only modify the existing species of life. You can create many different varieties of dogs. Especially in the West, there are so many dogs, there are huge dogs, there are tiny dogs, this little.

48:55But still you cannot make a dog like a dinosaur, luckily for us. You know, you cannot make the dog this big. So ultimately, there are certain parameters which are stable.

49:09And you can only uh you know play around within these parameters. And this is sthiti.

49:16You know, there are certain forms in this world, certain planetary system with certain forms of the consciousness like this Dānavas, Daityas, and Adityas and so on so forth. These are all fixed forms of the Lord.

49:36And this is sthiti. The Lord is maintaining these metaphysical margins. And basically, He's maintaining the law and order in the universe.

49:48And this is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining this topic: that there must be a force behind the order which we see, behind all the planetary system.

50:01And when Lord Brahmā is creating this, he's not creating on his own, he's creating on the order of God. And this is actually how the secondary creation is being explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

50:16Lord Brahmā, he is very insecure. You know, he is the creator of the universe. He's a genius. He has four heads bigger than, you know, any Einstein head, you know, he's super intelligent, he's the supercomputer.

50:35Still, he's very insecure. So what he does, he prays to the Lord. Oh my Lord, please help me to create according to your design.

50:47He's not even making any new design, he is just revealing or manifesting the design which already exist. And this is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explained this. This is sthānaṁ.

Divine nourishment and clearing past karma

51:00And then poṣaṇam. Poṣaṇam is a very important topic. Poṣaṇam means nourishment. How do we maintain our life here?

51:09It's one thing to create, and through these first three topics, the creation took place: sarga, visarga, and sthānaṁ. This is the creation. This is the complete creation which we have.

51:22On the level of body, on the level of the universe, on the level of the planets, the three things are being fixed. This is the work of the Lord. But then you have to maintain it. How do you maintain it, poṣaṇam?

51:36By Lord's grace. Who is maintaining everyone? Who is maintaining small ants?

51:43You know, like in the Bible, it is said that birds are not working, they're just flying, you know, very happily flying. But somehow or other they have enough.

51:55They they don't have any anxieties, what will happen, what if I will be fired, what if the economic crisis will be there. They say no, no problem. You know, God is maintaining us.

52:06So they're more intelligent than human beings. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is saying: poṣaṇam, poṣaṇam, tad-anugrahaḥ. Poshanam means that we all live only because of His mercy.

52:18And Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives a beautiful explanation of this particular topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He says that what poṣaṇam means: poṣaṇam means that even if a devotee—tad-anugrahaḥ is specifically about devotee for everyone else, Krishna is just making arrangements. Directly he is involved in the lives of his devotee.

52:42But Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that one of the important topics of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is that even if a devotee makes a mistake, still the mercy of God is upon him.

52:56Even if he deviates, even if he falls from the path of spiritual elevation. Still, poṣaṇam is there. The Lord is maintaining him and he will ultimately give him the extra mercy to bring him back to the right path.

53:16So this is poṣaṇam. Sthānaṁ, poṣaṇam, ūtayaḥ, and ūti I have described last time. This was I believe the last topic which maybe not the last, the one before last but anyway again uh

53:34karma-vāsanā. Ūti is karma-vāsanā, as Śukadeva Gosvāmī is defining, but how this karma vasanam is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Again, it's different.

53:45If you take karma imamamsa, it will describe karma completely different.

53:51But here it is explained that karmas ultimately depend on the Lord, on the mercy of the Lord, and all the karmas can be changed if we meet with the representative of the Lord.

54:05If we meet with the devotee, all our karmas are finished. No need to do prayaschita, no need to chant mantras, no need to do anything else. Just by association, you nullify all your bad karmas.

54:22Everything, all the samskaras, all the vasanas, which are, uh, very, uh, uh strong uh internal pushings, the very strong internal emotional disturbances which are there, they are created by our karma.

54:41You know, sometimes we feel angry, sometimes we feel very lusty, sometimes we feel very greedy. All these very strong emotions are coming because of our vasanas. How to change our karma, how to change our vasanas.

54:54There's only one way. Sādhu-saṅga, sādhu, sādhu-saṅga. Sarva-śāstra-kāya, lava-mātra sādhu-saṅga, sarva-siddhi hoy. Just little association with the saintly person can completely change the course of your life.

55:09And this is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining this topic of karma.

55:14You know, when it comes to the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and we are excited to understand the intricacies of the law of karma, the only thing which are being, which is being explained, yes, of course, there are, uh, topics about varṇāśrama there, there, how to perform righteous deeds and by righteous deeds purify all karma.

55:36Yes, it's there. But the beginning is that forget about it. Just meet with Nārada Muni and everything will go right. You know, just simple thing, just meet with Nārada Muni.

55:47Nārada Muni, come here, please, save me, or whatever, or his representatives. So this is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining karma or uti. Immediately you will have a completely different impulses inside yourself. Why?

56:05Because you met with somebody who is carrying the Lord within his heart, and you meet with him and your karma is finished because your desires are different.

56:17Like people, they met with Śrīla Prabhupāda, and they completely changed the course of their life. Completely.

56:24You know, so many people I know they gave up heavy drugs, which is impossible to give up, practically impossible to give up because it's such a strong addiction.

56:35Still they meet with the devotees, they give it up, sometimes unexpectedly, sometimes miraculously.

56:42You know, it's just I I know one person, he was uh he was practically dead three times because of the overdoses of uh drugs, not just simple drugs, heroin. He was a heroin addict. He just couldn't do anything.

57:04No rehabilitation worked in him. He met with devotees. He didn't even meet with Śrīla Prabhupāda. He met with devotees. He said, just like this, I gave everything up. Never the desire came back to my mind.

57:20So what it is, how it is possible. This is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining this topic of karma vasanam or the topic of our uti, of our impulses or impetus for work in connection with God.

57:38If you make the connection between karma, that karma is dependent on God, karma is not an independent entity. Karma is not all in all.

57:47Like Pūrva-mīmāṁsakas, they say that you know even the God is there, it doesn't matter, because God will have to follow the law of karma. For them, God is secondary. Karma is primary.

58:00No, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has a different take on this whole issue. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says God is primary, and the representative of God is the carrier of this uh of this mercy of God, Karuna Shakti.

58:16Karuna Shakti is the main Shakti of God. And uh who is the carrier of this Shakti? It is the devotee of the Lord who carries the Shakti of the Lord, the Shakti of His mercy, and therefore He can change our karma.

Eternal dharma versus relative material duties

58:33Stanam Posuna Mutaya, Manvantaraya Shanukatha, Manvantara So let's uh describe this uh few last topics which is still there. Uh Manvantara.

58:48Manvantara Śrīla Prabhupāda gives a very beautiful explanation. What is Manvantara? It is said that Manvantara is Sad-dharma. When Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining different Manvantaras, different periods of human history.

59:04Why is the human history being described? Because there are different manus in this different periods of human history, different sets of demigods,

59:13and all the manus they rule through the means of establishing Sad-dharma. What is Sad-dharma? Śrīla Prabhupāda says that Sad-dharma is the Dharma Dharma. One second. I will read his yeah the

59:37word Sad-dharma is significant in this connection. Sad-dharma means the eternal dharma. The dharma which is not changeable. So it cannot be even Varnashama Dharma. Sometimes people say Saddharma is varṇāśrama-dharma.

59:53No, but there are so many scriptures. Dharma Shastras, there are 20 different Dharma Shastras, main 10 different Dharma Shastras. They're all different. They different they have different prescriptions.

1:00:09In the south of India, there is one dharmashastra. In the north of India, there is another dharmashastra. In Russia, there is another dharmashastra. There should be another dharmashastra.

1:00:19You cannot follow because dharma which is described in dharma shastras is relative. But here it is said that the essence of all the dharmas is sad dharma, which is not relative dharma.

1:00:35You know, sometimes even devotees they have this misunderstanding that we have all to become, you know, all this follow all these sometimes totally irrelevant rules of varṇāśrama-dharma, which cannot be followed. You will go crazy if you try to follow all the rules.

1:00:54Śrīla Prabhupāda didn't even take seriously Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, which is for us Gaudiya Vaishnavas, because he knew that we cannot follow this. This is not Saddharma.

1:01:07Therefore, we have to understand what is Saddharma, what is unchangeable dharma. This is relative dharma because they're changeable.

1:01:15They're different for different castes, for different people, in different countries, for different sexes. They're all different. But this is not sadharma.

1:01:26Sadharma, or duty performed for going back to Godhead and thus becoming his unalloyed devotee, is the only pious activity. So ultimately, Prabhupada gives this beautiful definition of what Saddharma is.

1:01:42This it's such a pity to see this attempts to replace saddharma or vaiṣṇava-dharma with some other version of dharma.

1:01:54It's not we have to follow dharma, but we have to understand that saddharma or vaiṣṇava-dharma, the duty in relationship to going back to Godhead and becoming an unalloyed devotee takes precedence. It overshadows other dharmas.

1:02:11Other dharmas are not that important. You cannot make them more important. So this is a very important point which Prabhupada beautifully explains.

1:02:24Duty performed for going back, duties performed for going back to God, and thus becoming his unalloyed devotee is the only pious activity. All other may pretend to be pious, but actually they are not. It is for this reason only that Lord advises in the Bhagavad-gītā that then one give up all so-called religious activities and completely engage in the devotional service of the Lord and become free from all anxieties due to the dangerous life and material existence.

1:02:53The world situated in Sadharma is the right direction of life. One's aim of life should be go back home, back to Godhead, not to be subjected to the repeated births and deaths in the material world by getting good or bad bodies for temporary existence.

1:03:12So again, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains dharma. In the seventh canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the dharma is being explained in the fifth chapter. But and sometimes it's relative dharma.

1:03:28Like for example, it's explained that brahmacārī has to have a you know, has to wear tree bark and he has to have daṇḍa and he has to have certain kuśa-grass belt. You know, and if brahmacārī in his temple after reading this seventh canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will say I am not a bona fide brahmacārī because I'm not wearing tree bark.

1:03:55He starts wearing tree bark. He will be kicked out from the temple because it's not very uh you know practical to be to be uh clad in tree bark or to have kuśa-grass belt.

1:04:17So this sort of dharma is there in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

1:04:21But it's again explained in relationship with the tenth topic, how ultimately it's very beautifully if you read the 7th Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, these five last five chapters of 7th Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is explained after so many different details of relative dharma.

1:04:44It is said that ultimately you have to surrender to your guru. And this is all and this is the solution.

1:04:50And by surrendering to your guru, you will be able to lift this sword of knowledge and cut down all that karmic entanglement.

1:05:03This is jñāna-asi, this sword of knowledge, and the guru will give Balarāma the original personality of servant Godhead Godhead, original guru will give you the strengths to follow all this and ultimately to cut down everything.

1:05:24So ultimately, it all boils down to the same thing. All this sadharma is ultimately to understand God and to follow your spiritual master. And if your spiritual master tells you to wear the clothes of tree bark.

1:05:44You will wear the clothes of tree bark. If your spiritual master tells you to wear kurta and dhoti, you wear kurta and dhoti.

1:05:52You don't say that you have to be dressed in a suit and uh tie and in this way become more accessible to people. No, your spiritual master says to you, you do this and you do this. And if you do this, ultimately you will be pleasing to the Lord. This is sadharma.

1:06:13This is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains this very important topic of dharma. Because again, we take Mahābhārata. And in Mahābhārata, dharma is very elaborately described, but in a different perspective.

1:06:28It's not so explicit. Of course, in Mahābhārata, Kṛṣṇa is still there, but you can easily interpret Mahābhārata that dharma has the independent value.

1:06:41From the point of view of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, dharma does not have an independent value. It's only as valuable as much as it helps us to come closer to God.

1:06:57And when it becomes hindrance to us coming to God, it has to be discarded.

1:07:03When dharma becomes the independent entity in our mind, in our consciousness, and when we become, you know, this ridiculous version of some smarta brāhmaṇa in ISKCON, it's just it's ridiculous.

1:07:24It just it's really, I, it's, it's funny, it doesn't doesn't make sense, because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very clear about this: what is the essence of all dharmas? The essence of all dharmas is guru-bhakti.

1:07:39And when you perform Guru Bhakti, Guru knows what to do, what not to do.

1:07:43Guru tells you: this is what you should follow, this is what you should not follow, this is not the dharma for you, this is dharma for somebody else.

1:07:50So this is this is sadharma, how it is explained in relationship with the tenth topic. Only those duties which help you to become closer to God are relevant, other duties are irrelevant, they may be harmful even.

1:08:09Even in the practice of bhakti, you know, when you come to a higher level of bhakti, you have to discard certain uh occupational duties in bhakti as well. It is explained by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura beautifully.

1:08:22He said that certain things you cannot do when you practice rāgānugā-bhakti, even though it's prescribed in the scriptures as the practice of bhakti.

1:08:30So there is this distinction, how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains dharma, and that's why Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is our main book. Because it's uttara-mīmāṁsā, uttara-mīmāṁsā in the highest sense of the word.

Divine incarnations and relationships with devotees

1:08:49So then, manvantare īśānukathā. Īśānukathā is the culmination. In this sense—oh, I have to finish soon. soon—a few more important, very important things which I still have to say.

1:09:10So īśānukathā means the different avatāras of God and different avatāras of God coming to this world together with their devotees.

1:09:25So again, how this topic indicates the tense topic. How the tense topic is being described or explained

1:09:36by this Isha Nukatha because we see not the avatāras of the Lord coming to this world, but the avatāras of the Lord relating with the pure devotees. This is the essence of this īśānukathā.

1:09:53īśānukathā is not to describe the glory of the Lord, it's to describe the beauty of the Lord, the sweetness of the Lord who is coming because of his devotees. Why is he coming? What is the main reason of his coming here?

1:10:09Why he came as Narasiṁha avatāra? Why he came as Matsya avatāra, why he came as Kūrma avatāra? Why did he come as Rāmacandra? For one reason. To give mercy to his devotees.

1:10:25And this is how we should read these talks about īśānukathā.

1:10:30The essence of īśānukathā is how God comes to give attraction to his devotees, to give bhakti to his devotees, to give bliss to his devotees by engaging in pastimes and engaging them in direct service to himself.

1:10:50This is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining this. This is the angle of vision. And this is the hallmark of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ultimately, to explain this. I will explain one more thing in this regard a little later.

1:11:04Very important, and then īśānukathā after this this topic which is specifically described in the ninth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then nirodha, muktiś ca āśrayaḥ. There are three last topics.

1:11:22Āśraya is of course super topic, it's not just topic, it's a super topic. And nirodha, nirodha is being explained here. What is Niroda? Please listen. It's very, very important how it is explained here in nirodha.

1:11:39Nirodha means basically the destruction, uh, we may say annihilation, as Prabhupāda says, nirodha means stop. Nirodha means how you, you know, why the creation or why the activities is stopped all of a sudden.

1:11:56And it is explained beautifully here why Niroda takes place. Because Lord goes to sleep. And when the Lord goes to sleep, everyone else also goes to sleep.

1:12:08You know, because it is specifically said, anuśayanam, he lays down, it basically means he closes his eyes, and everyone else closes his eyes. Niroda Asya Anushaya nam atmanah sah shakti bih.

1:12:28When the Lord goes to sleep, when he closes his eyes, when he opens his eyes, what happens? The creation starts. And then the Lord becomes indifferent to the activities of this creation.

1:12:43And the only thing which he does, he just closes his eyes. He becomes little tired.

1:12:49You know, like we uh after acting the whole day, you know, at night uh the eyes become little heavy, you know, eyelids become heavy, and we close the eyes. And what happens when we close the eyes?

1:13:04All our energy is withdrawn within. This is exactly what happens during the sleep. It's a very important rejuvenating process when all the energies become internal.

1:13:22During the daytime, we externalize uh we employ our energy, the energy is being employed and used and manipulated in many different ways.

1:13:34But when the sleep comes, all the energy is withdrawn within, the same thing happens when the Lord goes to sleep.

1:13:41When He closes his eyes, when He becomes tired of seeing all this nonsense which is going on in this material creation, then Mahā-Viṣṇu just closes his eyes.

1:13:53And because he closes his eyes, everything else, everything collapses. Like in our own uh case, when we close our eyes, everything collapses. Everything which we were doing, it stops existing basically.

1:14:10For 6, 7 or 8 hours, or sometimes 12 hours, or if you're really sleepy. You know, it just doesn't exist. So, and all your energy go inside, and this is how it's explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhagavatam.

1:14:29This is what happens when the Lord closes his eyes, then everything else immediately drawn inside him. And that's why he is Ashraya. He doesn't need to do anything else. He's not, you know, sometimes he doesn't do this.

1:14:46You know, of course we know that this is he he's breathing out, breathing in, but uh ultimately he just just makes a very simple thing, closes his eyes and all the energies go inside, as much as our energy goes inside when we go to sleep automatically.

1:15:05So his energies go inside, and we being his energy also go inside him. We become our consciousness becomes zipped. In our present waking state, our consciousness is very acting, uh active, it's it's working all the time.

1:15:25But then it becomes compressed. When the file is compressed, you cannot do anything with this file. You can only send it.

1:15:33So in the same way, all the karma of consciousness of the living entities becomes zipped. It becomes compressed. And because it's compressed, uh, you cannot do anything with this consciousness.

1:15:45You cannot read the file which is compressed. You have to uncompress it. So in the same way, all our karmas which stick

1:15:56to our consciousness, they become compressed when the living entity is withdrawn within the Lord's body, within the Mahavishnu's body, and our consciousness becomes contracted and it's not manifested.

1:16:12It's this zipped state of our consciousness. And when the creation comes back, Lord opens his eyes, the creation comes back, and our consciousness also again becomes active like the programs in the computer.

1:16:27So that's Niroda. This is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains nirodha. Again, you can describe nirodha from a different angle of vision.

1:16:37You can describe nirodha, for example, annihilation—that people create so many sinful activities, and because of the sinful activities, the burden of the earth becomes unbearable and the destruction takes place.

1:16:50And that's true. It's not being wrong, but uh you have to uh remember the highest cause behind it, the cause of all causes, otherwise, you will not understand the real mechanism, and

1:17:07otherwise you will not be able to achieve mukti, which is the next topic. It's a very important topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And again, it's being described in a different manner than anywhere else.

1:17:28You know, there are different descriptions of mukti. What is mukti? How do we define mukti? And here Śukadeva Gosvāmī gives a very precise definition of mukti.

1:17:43He says, hitvā, by giving up anyathā rūpam. Anyathā rūpam means the other rūpas. What are other rūpas? Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in the purport which we read: its gross and subtle body.

1:18:01And you give up, what do you give up? These rūpas are not your rūpas, they are anyathā, they are different rūpas. They are different from yourself. So that's not... What do you give up? What is mukti, liberation?

1:18:19You give up attachment to this gross and subtle body. How do you give up attachment to this gross and subtle body? This is again explained in this verse, svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. Svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ.

1:18:35Very important statement. Because you know literal translation: you become established in your own svarūpa, your own rūpa. You give up other rūpas. But where you are now?

1:18:50We are already established in our svarūpa. Because if these other rūpas were our real rūpas we would not be able to give them up. So we already know svarūpa.

1:19:04Therefore, Jīva Gosvāmī he says svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ means you come in contact with svarūpa of God. And by coming in contact with svarūpa of God, you will be able to give up all other rūpas.

1:19:18There is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way to give up attachment to other rūpas, subtle and gross. Very, very important statement.

1:19:29This is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining mukti. There cannot be liberation unless you come in contact with svarūpa of God.

1:19:40And uh when you come in contact with svarūpa of God, you reestablish yourself in your own svarūpa, your consciousness comes back to your own svarūpa, whereas now your consciousness is being merged in other rūpas. Your consciousness is absorbed in these gross and subtle bodies.

1:20:00So how you and this connection between gross and subtle bodies and the soul is illusory. Krishna is very clear about this in the 11th canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He says the bondage is illusory.

1:20:14And because the bondage is illusory, the liberation is also illusory. There is no bondage and there is no liberation. There is no liberation because there is no bondage. There is nothing to be liberated from.

1:20:28And there is no bondage because soul is never in contact with these bodies. It's illusory contact. It's not in these bodies. There is no contact between the soul and the bodies. It's just false identification.

1:20:43It's just a trick of māyā, is just absorption of your consciousness in something foreign to you. And because your consciousness is totally completely absorbed in something foreign to you, you suffer.

1:20:58You feel that you are completely bound by all these sufferings of this material body and material mind and everything else.

1:21:06Therefore, muktir hitvānyatva-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ means you come in contact with svarūpa of the Lord.

1:21:14How you come in contact with svarūpa of the Lord? How the svarūpa of the Lord is manifest in this world. It's manifest in a beautiful mūrti form, you start worshiping the Lord, it manifests in the holy name, this is the svarūpa of the Lord, you start chanting the holy name, it manifests in the holy dhām, and you come in contact with the holy dhām, you live in the holy dhām trying to be in contact with the spiritual energy. And then it's also manifested in the heart of the saintly person,

1:21:50Sadhu-sangha, and ultimately it manifests in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So these are at least five ways, of course, there are more ways to do it, but at least five ways of coming directly in contact with the svarūpa of the Lord.

1:22:06And therefore, they directly and immediately give you the direct experience, this aparokṣa-jñāna.

1:22:13Ultimately, maybe not immediately, although Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that in certain circumstances, if you're kṛtī-bhū-, if you actually—bhū, actually, it means you're a purified soul, you're a cultured soul, but ultimately it means that you follow strictly the discipline of the spiritual master.

1:22:36You follow strictly the Guru Parampara, you strictly follow what you're being said.

1:22:42So if this happens, then you may have direct experience of the Lord because you came in contact with His svarūpa, and because you came in contact with His svarūpa, you feel liberation, you're liberated.

1:22:56You don't feel the need, the emotional need to be dependent on this body. Because why do we cling to this body? Why do we so helplessly attach to this body? Because it gives us some certain emotional feelings.

1:23:13And therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this beautifully. He says that when you come in contact with the svarūpa of the Lord, with the rasas of the Lord, raso vai saḥ, rasam hy evāyam labdhvānandī bhavati, when you get this rasa or the enjoyment of the Lord, when you come in contact with this rasa-svarūpa of the Lord, His svarūpa, which is full of rasa, which is full of this humor or pleasurable emotions, uh then you immediately become liberated.

1:23:46And of course, liberation also means svarūpāvasthiti in person liberation is included into this because when you're meditating on Brahman, then you also come in contact with the svarūpa of the Lord of some sort of the manifestation of the Lord, and in this way you manifest your liberation in a certain way.

1:24:12So this is the ninth topic, and again Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is explaining this to for us to understand that everything which we desire in this world is dependent on the Lord. That we are not an independent entity.

1:24:33That all our life, all the problems of our life, including liberation, this

1:24:38all solved just by coming in contact with the Lord in the form of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, in the form of the holy name. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, in the form of Girirāja Govardhana.

1:24:55In all these forms the Lord beautifully manifests his Swaroop and when we come in contact with His Swarovaropu Sps, we become established in our spiritual, pure, spiritual identity. And this is how the tenth topic,

1:25:15uh, ten lakshaṇas of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is being explained.

Understanding creation and withdrawal as reflections

1:25:22And yes, I will, please bear with me for maybe 10 more minutes and I will finish this talk. Still, to complete this topic, we will have to read this next verse, which is which is important, which is describing āśraya.

1:25:48The next verse, the seventh verse, up to the sixth verse, the nine topics of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam were explained. The seventh verse is describing the tenth uh topic, which is āśraya, and it is explained here.

1:26:07Ābhāsas ca nirodhaś ca yato 'sty ādyam vyāsyate sa āśrayaḥ paraṁ brahma paramātmeti śabdyate. So it's very, very

1:26:24interesting and important verse because it is said that all these nine previous topics, which Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explaining to give us the main understanding which Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam wants to give: that the most important is bhakti.

1:26:42Again, I started this lecture by explaining that this is the third uh uh the third attempt to harmonize uh uh all the scriptures bhakti through the point of view of love, through the point of view of devotional service.

1:27:01So when Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes this, he Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes nine topics, and these nine topics in this seventh verse is summarized as two topics.

1:27:16The nine previous topics, which are being described, is summarized in two: one is ābhāsa, ābhāsastha, another one is nirodha. Ābhāsa means literally, as we know, reflection.

1:27:32So sarga, visarga, sthānaṁ poṣaṇam ūtaya īśānukathāss, yeah, īśānukathā and manvantara is the seven topics is ābhāsa? It's the reflection of the Lord. Very interesting, isn't it?

1:27:59This is how Śukadeva Gosvāmī says. When we see the creation of the Lord, when we see the pattern of the creation, we have to understand that this is the reflection of the form of the Lord.

1:28:10This is how reflection of His svarūpa. So this is all ābhāsa. Kosmos is the reflection of the Lord. Ūti which we feel, different emotions which we feel. It's all reflected emotions which are there in the spiritual reality.

1:28:26It's all ābhāsa. And then the last two topics, mukti, niroda and mukti, is called Niroda here. Mukti is included in Niroda.

1:28:37Niroda means annihilation and mukti is the, as Prabhupada explains, there is a general annihilation, most of the souls being drowned in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu. But there is a specific liberation or specific case and the specific case is mukti.

1:28:55So it's all Niroda basically. Mukti is a specific case of Niroda. Therefore, in this nine topics of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is summarized as two, abhasa and niroda. And it is said here, ābhāsas ca nirodas ca yata āstir ūhate.

1:29:19So the one from which ābhāsa and niroda is coming from, manifesting from Sa Āśraya, Paraṁ Brahma, Paramātmeti śabdyate. So Āśraya is something from which all these nine topics are coming.

1:29:39And therefore, when we are thinking, philosophizing, reading Srimad Bhagavatam, trying to understand our situation in life, we have to ultimately come to this conclusion. It's all coming from the Lord.

1:29:53It's all either ābhāsa or a reflection of the Lord on Niroda, his will to withdraw his energy. And therefore everything is coming from him. And there is Āśraya, something which is coming from him.

1:30:09And there is Param, uh, there is Brahman and there is Paramātmā. This Lord He has three primary features according to the attitude of the seeker of truth.

1:30:25He can be viewed as Brahman in personal effulgence or Paramatma, the Super Soul, or the Supreme Lord. And ultimately, this is what Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is describing. I have a few more things to say about this.

1:30:45So basically, we describe this lakṣaṇa of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We try to understand how through different lakshanas, ultimately the main message of Srimad Bhagavatam is bhakti: that you should render bhakti because when

1:31:01you will render bhakti, if you will render bhakti, you will come in contact with svarūpa of the Lord, and you will become attracted by the Lord. And by this means you will get liberation.

1:31:13And there is no other way to get liberation other than contact with the svarūpa of the Lord. So if you understand this, then again there

Revealing the attractive personal form of Krishna

1:31:25is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, while explaining this, specifically explains two things. Sometimes Srimad Bhagavatam speaks about God in general.

1:31:46Like, for example, if we take the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and if we take first three first two chapters of the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then there is more or less besides few sprinkling or mentioning the name of Krishna in the very beginning. There is a general description of the Lord.

1:32:10And in so many other ways, the Lord in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is described in a very general way. Djanmayaton Vaya Taratescharte Biggesarat, Teni Brahmahridaya, Dikawayamhti Yatsura, Jovarim Ri Damat, Vinny Mayoya Tratri Sarga Bneissa Damnaswna Sadhani Rastuku Haham Satyam Param Dimahi.

1:32:35So this is the first understanding, the first understanding or conception of the Lord which we will have by reading Srimad Bhagavatam is this general understanding. Who is God, how he is all powerful, how everything is coming from him, how he withdraws everything within himself, how he conducts creation, how the elements is coming are coming from him and how he assembles everything and this and that.

1:33:05But then Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam would not be Śrīmad, it would be Bhagavatam. If Bhagavatam would explain God only in this way, it would be just Bhagavatam, not Śrī Mad-Bhāgavatam.

1:33:19But it becomes Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, beautiful Bhagavatam, because everywhere in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, after this general description of the Lord, the beautiful, specific form of the Lord, very attractive form of the Lord as Krishna appears all of a sudden.

1:33:41Like, for example, if we take Bhishma Stutti, the prayers of Bhishmadev, he explains this, you know, he explains first he, starts, you know, he's praying to the Lord who is part of Sarathi, who is there on the battlefield, who is killing everyone, and this and that.

1:34:00And then all of a sudden, you know, this is the last thing which you can expect from the Naishtika Brahmachari who lived 160 plus or 200 years old.

1:34:14You know, all of a sudden he just starts speaking about Krishna and the gopis. How is that? Why is it? Because it's Bhagavatam.

1:34:23Because the main message of Bhagavatam is like this: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam first explains the general understanding of God, Siddhantic understanding of God, and then he starts explaining rasa. He starts explaining how the Lord is beautiful, how He is engaged in a very beautiful pastimes. How he's so merciful that he comes.

1:34:48So, and this is how viśeṣa, and this is how Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his commentary to this verse, seventh verse, he starts explaining the whole structure of Srimad Bhagavatam.

1:35:01You please read this seventh verse and Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this. He says that in the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, first there is a general description of God, and then in this in the third chapter, all of a sudden Krishna's to, Bhagavan svayam. This general description and how uh and then the third chapter comes and then

1:35:25he is Mahavishnu, and he is Karbatakashaya Vishnu, and then he is Shriradhaka Saiya Vishnu, and then as Shrirad Kasaya Vishnu, he comes in different avatars and this is going on all of a sudden at the end.

1:35:38Krishna's tu Bhagavan svayam. And he is attracting everything. He is the most attractive: ātmārāmāśh ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim itthaṁ-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ.

1:35:50And then from the fourth chapter of the first canto of Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam, specific history of Maharaja Parikshit and Śukadeva Gosvāmī is being described, how both became attracted by Krishna, not by Nārāyaṇa.

1:36:08Śukadeva Gosvāmī became attracted by Krishna, Maharaja Parikshit became attracted by Krishna and therefore they became attracted to each other.

1:36:18And therefore, Maharaja Parikshit wanted Parikshit wanted to hear from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, how he describes Krishna. So again, the same pattern. Please keep it in mind. This is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam works.

1:36:34Initially, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the powerful feature of the Lord, which is a very general description of God. And then Śrīmat comes, the beauty of the Lord, His sweetness comes.

1:36:48And the sweetness overshadows his power, his ashvarya, or his powerful features. And Srila Prabhupada explains then the again what we see, please listen.

1:37:05Then the second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam comes. And second canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam again, very general description of the Lord.

1:37:139th chapter of the 2nd canto with Catur-ślokī of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam seemingly very dry description of the Lord. Very dry. Aham evāsam agre. I was existing before everything else, this and that.

1:37:31And you know, but then all of a sudden Sarahasyam, Sa Angascha, all of a sudden it is said you have to understand Trahasya, which is behind this. And Rahasya means bhakti, rahassya means prema.

1:37:44And uh uh and uh you know everywhere

1:37:49it's like this: this is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is working, and ultimately it comes to here, and of course, in the seventh chapter of the second canto, there is descriptions of different avatars, and a very special place is given to Lord Krishna and his attractive features and his charity is very succinctly described in the seventh chapter of the second canto.

1:38:17So, and then the third canto and the fourth canto, and whatever canto is there, we have to keep in mind and we have to understand.

1:38:26You know, let's say we read a story from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Some specific story, let's say Dhruva Carita or Prahlāda Carita. And we have to ask ourselves, what are the topics in this story being described.

1:38:46Like if we take Prahlāda Carita from the seventh canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we have to ask,

1:38:51and ultimately we will understand that there is a very prominent ūtī element in this story, uh, there is a very prominent, uh, visarga element of this story, how, uh, the body of Hiraṇyakaśipu was created and recreated himself, uh, by his will, and how this whole thing started.

1:39:16And we have to understand that, uh, poṣaṇam tad-anugrahaḥ, how Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva or Lord Krishna was taking care of Prahlāda and how he became invincible.

1:39:30He became totally, completely because of his — it is said in Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya — that his body became stronger than the thunderbolt because of his constant meditation on the Supreme Lord.

1:39:44How this strong internal connection completely changed his body. And then, of course, nirodha is there because Hiraṇyakaśipu is being killed. And this is Niroda.

1:39:58And mukti, because Prahlāda is praying to the Lord, you know, "You please give him liberation." And you know, we have to understand.

1:40:06But ultimately, uh, we have to understand how through these different topics, uh, the āśraya is indicated. And what is āśraya?

1:40:15Āśraya is the Supreme Lord in these two features, in the feature of aiśvarya and in the feature of mādhurya. And in this way, our bhakti will be nourished.

1:40:26It's not that we just mechanically read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we have to understand how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is teaching us this bhakti through the medium of the stories and all these prayers of the Lord.

1:40:41So, this is something which I wanted to say. And I wanted to say one more thing. But I'm already almost two hours. No, I'll I'll stop here. I'll stop here.

1:40:59We finished, uh, nine and ten lakṣaṇas of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ten distinguishing features of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. How Srimad Bhagavatam is unique among all other literatures.

1:41:13And how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by the means of these nine topics, which are very practical, explaining our position in the world is ultimately explaining the highest topic, which is not obvious because the Lord is hiding He's

1:41:36hiding, he's black, he is not revealing himself. But he is revealing himself through Srimad Bhagavatam. But we have to understand how he reveals himself.

1:41:47Not just read because you know people read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and they read about you know they read the Kashyapa and Diti story and there are so many instructions about husband and wife relationship there.

1:42:00And it's very important. But if you take it out of context, it will lose its significance. This male and female relationship which is described there very beautifully, very aptly and very correctly.

1:42:20But it's only its value only is as much as it helps us to develop attachment to the Lord, attraction to

1:42:31the Lord, understanding how through this attraction between male and female, ultimately we manifest our primordial proclivity to be attached to the Lord. And so on and so forth.

1:42:49And this is how we should understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I don't know if my message is clear or not, but I tried my best.

Questions on direct realization and guru faith

1:42:59So thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Uh I can answer one or two questions if there is one or two.

1:43:15ago you were mentioning that there is a right way and a wrong way to look at those ten um lakshanas that some say that each book is devoted to a specific lakshana, some say that it's mixed. No, no.

1:43:34I explained it last time, you were not there. Last time I explained it.

1:43:41the ten topics are in all the ten cantos, they are all there, but uh there is nothing wrong in uh in taking you know inspiration by considering that there is a primary topic for the canto.

1:43:55Both both are correct ways, but all the topics are in all the kāṇḍas. But also there are some specific topics which are more prominent in different kāṇḍas. I explained it last time.

1:44:09Okay, so I I guess something is wrong with our connection. I guess we have to finish now. Whatever happened. Thank you very much. I don't have any feedback from you. Hare Krishna.

1:44:26So yes, it's uh back and we have the questions ready. So the questions are the first question is from Priyagraj Prabhu. His question is if aparokṣa-jñāna is advancement or Uttara-mīmāṁsā from parokṣa.

1:44:55Is that the goal for jīvātmā or there is further stage for jīvātmā I don't exactly understand uh the uh question uh it's very simple I think it's made more complicated than it should be.

1:45:13Up m a paroksa gyana is a direct knowledge or direct experience. It has nothing to do with sutra ni mamamsa you can hey you your audio is not coming through. Huh? Your audio is not coming through. Ah there is no audio.

1:45:29So something has to be audio isn't they. Uh-huh, here it is. Now you hear? Yeah. Now you can hear? You can hear now? Yeah, okay. So I think this this question is very uh I don't I don't understand this question.

1:45:55It's very complicated. Uh I think it's very simple. Uh a parokshagyan uh is a direct knowledge or direct experience. Parokshagyan is indirect knowledge or theoretical knowledge.

1:46:06You know, it has nothing to do with specifically with Uttar Mimams or Pur Mimams or whatever. You can study Uttara Mīmāṁsā in a very theoretical way without having a parokṣa jñāna or direct knowledge or realization.

1:46:20You can get aparokṣa jñāna realization by studying Uttara Mīmāṁsā as well. It's a different topics one should not mix them.

1:46:34So, what I want to say is that Aparokshagyana comes when you have direct experience of coming with the Lord, you may have theoretical knowledge that you are the soul that there is God.

1:46:52It's one thing, it's a completely different story when you realize that you are the soul, not this body, and you you feel or you come in contact with God. And you know all these topics of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,

1:47:11there is a utility, there is nothing wrong in trying to study them indirectly, so to speak, as a theory. But at the same time, you have to practice

1:47:28bhakti, which gives you aparokṣa jñāna or experience. Bhakti is all based on experience.

1:47:38Bhakti is not a theory, it's not jñāna, it's vijñāna, it's uh it's direct knowledge, and therefore it is said, you know, if you chant the holy name, you already know everything.

1:47:52So it's basically, my point was that we should not be proud that we know something theoretically, but we should through the practice of devotion by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, by chanting, in a proper mood, in the mood of service, we should get this direct knowledge of it.

1:48:18Rather than you know being puffed up that we know everything theoretically that here is Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu, he told us and now we'll go around and will say all these lofty things and concepts. This is not the point.

1:48:32The point is that we should become humble devotees and in uh reading in a humble mood, hearing in a humble mood, uh chanting in a humble mood, realize all this uh knowledge and then uh at one point we will realize how it works.

1:48:51Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will give us a complete picture of reality. That was the main point. We will see the Lord through this material world.

1:49:03Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is teaching us how to see the Lord through material world, through karma, through different emotional experiences which we have, and how to understand this. this is a paradox.

1:49:21I don't know if I answered the question, but at least I answered what I thought was the question.

1:49:30Hare Krishna Maharaj now we go on to the next question from our Bamba Maharadharani Devidasi from why Hare Krishna Maharaj, please accept my respectful obeisances, you mentioned how people who came in contact with Srila Prabhupada gave up their addictions very quickly.

1:49:55However, they were some who didn't and left. So what factors determine the effect a sādhu's association has on us? It's basically our attitude towards sādhu.

1:50:12If we develop explicit trust, Viśvāsa, Śraddhā, because please mute your microphone because I hear my own echo.

1:50:26So if we come in contact with Śrīla Prabhupāda with explicit trust, complete trust, this—this is how it happens, which is possible if somebody is very simple. Then all of a sudden our karma becomes completely inactivated.

1:50:48It loses its vicious poisonous effect on our consciousness. All the saṁskāras become, I mean, become mute more or less. They're still there, but they're not so prominent.

1:51:05As soon as we lose trust in the sādhu, due to some offenses, we heard some offenses or whatever. Then immediately saṁskāras revived and all the karmas are there, they become awakened again.

1:51:24The karma awakes again due to offenses. So therefore it is said kriti bi susrusu bi stat. All these things they work if somebody is kriti be kriti and susrusu. Susrusu.

1:51:44For those two categories of people, susrusu means very eager to hear. And Kriti Bih means very simple, very sincere, or rectified soul, the soul who has explicit trust,

1:52:03you know, like here and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam oh in sorry in in um in Vṛndāvana there is a very beautiful katha which all people know uh it's called bondhu katha uh i will was recently

1:52:19in Govinda-kuṇḍa and I was taking snāna and one sādhu, local sadhu who lives there, he came and he said, he was just you know beaming and he

1:52:30said, Oh, I just heard this Katha, Bondukatha, Bondukatha. So beautiful, so beautiful.

1:52:36So this Bondukatha is about very simple boy who is a brahmacārī in one descendant of Lord Nityananda and he's serving him and he has explicit faith in his guru.

1:52:50And his guru says that Krishna is playing here in Bhandiravana and he's still there. And he hears this and he has explicit trust to the words of his guru. He goes to Bhandiravana and he starts looking for Krishna.

1:53:04And his guru described how he looks like. And lo and behold, Krishna comes to him and he starts playing to him and he takes it very naturally because he's very simple.

1:53:18He's not complicated in his mind not very Very uh not offensive at all. And then he plays with Krishna, and then you know there is it's a long Katha, I will not tell you. But basically, that's what it is.

1:53:32If you have explicit faith due to humility and simplicity and due to the lack of offenses, due to the lack of sophistication. Because what is sophistication? Sophistication is actually pride. I know better.

1:53:50I am better than you, and who you are, who you think you are, and this and that. So if you have this simple faith, like many people had when they met with Prabhupada, immediately they experienced this.

1:54:04And when people had some doubts and some, you know, maybe this, yeah, he's nice, but you know, it's not so easy. He probably simplifies the philosophy.

1:54:17There are so many doubts which can develop be developed. Then it's not so immediate. Then it takes time and effort.

1:54:28But somebody's kṛti-vih, kṛti and śuśrū- ṣu desire to hear and simple, then tat-kṣaṇāt, ava-ruddhyat Krishna is being enters his heart. Tat-kṣaṇāt.

1:54:44He just desires to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Krishna is already there, playing in his heart. So this is how it is.

1:54:51This is how Rūpa Gosvāmī explains this and Jīva Gosvāmī. This simplicity means uh non-offensiveness. Thank you Maharaj. Um just one follow-up question to what Anupa Mamataji asked.

1:55:11Uh, the implicit faith that you spoke about, is it only Dīkṣā-guru or does it also involve Śikṣā-guru?

1:55:21So if you could clarify that, the śikṣā-guru and dīkṣā-guru is the same. One should not distinguish between Śikṣā and Dīkṣā-guru.

1:55:29If you take somebody seriously as Śikṣā-guru and have implicit faith in him, it's equally as powerful. And therefore, it is said in Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad,

1:55:42is it uh, uh, tatha, what is this, yasyādeve tathāguru, yas, yadadevi, yasyādeve, uh, parambhakti bhaktia yasyādeve tathā guru ta sai ta kathitah yarta prakashate mahatmanaha Yasyādeve Parabhaktir Yathādeve Tathā Gurau.

1:56:04If you have an implicit faith, then the meaning reveals and it means that you will get direct knowledge. Not parokṣa-jñāna, aparokṣa-jñāna. If it's not there, then you get at best parokṣa-jñāna. Thank you so much.

1:56:25So we have uh three or four very nice questions. Can we take all the questions? Uh yeah quickly quickly okay so one is from uh Padmāvatī Mātājī, um Guru Maharaj, can one immediately understand the

1:56:54beauty of the Lord by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Or he must go through the three levels of understanding that you mentioned in the beginning. Oh, it's, you know, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is uh, self-revealing. willing.

1:57:14Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can reveal itself to anyone immediately. But normally it requires some purification of the heart so that the reflection of the form of the Lord will take place in the heart.

1:57:28In not clean heart the reflection will not take place, this pratibimba of the Lord will not be there, but so usually it requires some

1:57:40purification, but it doesn't matter ultimately Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is all powerful. He can reveal the form of the Lord immediately. He can reveal to you the beauty of the Lord. It's also possible.

1:57:57Or sometimes maybe some little glimpse of the beauty. The next question is from Ram Chandra Sundal Prabhu who is currently in India. My respectful obeisances to Mahārāja.

1:58:18My question is, in the lecture Mahārāja had indicated for a devotee the karma of a devotee changes by associating with the pure devotees of the Lord. Only Sadhu Sangha can change this completely.

1:58:36In this connection, my question is: how can we internalize the instructions of the sadhus and fulfill their order in a way that will please give us both.

1:58:50Well, we have the example of Śrīla Prabhupāda who didn't have much direct association with his Guru Maharaj, but who took his order very seriously, and for him there was no difference between the body of Guru and the order of Guru.

1:59:12So it's basically follow the order of Guru, preach Krishna consciousness, try to serve the devotees of the Lord, if we take it as direct order of our Guru, which is coming directly from the Lord through the Parampara system, and if we take it upon our head, then this is the most important part of my life.

1:59:39Then we will internalize this. You don't need much direct association. Lava matra is enough. But if at this moment of time you will understand the seriousness of the matter.

1:59:58This is something which can really change everything if I take it uh very very seriously then then it will be very easy. Alright. So the next question is from one devotee from you too, Edwin Reda.

2:00:20Could I understand the attraction to Krishna from the jivas? Similar to material science, like the attraction between negative and positive energy. And then there's a follow-up.

2:00:34I listened about the relationship between Radha and Krishna. It's an exchange of spiritual energies as well. Is it true? And is it similar to be attracted to Krishna with the help of Srimad Arthur?

2:00:51I'm not sure if I understand exactly the question, but any attraction which is there in this world is ultimately coming from Krishna. He is the original attractive force.

2:01:06So whether it is gravitational force, whether it is subtle interaction between the little particles of matter, like what is this called, van der Waals forces? The weak interactions, very strong, you know, attraction which is only working on a very short distances. Any attraction, or it is attraction between men and women, or it is attraction to some beauty in this world. Whatever attraction we have is ultimately coming from Krishna who is the original attractor or original magnet who attracts us.

2:01:59And therefore, if we feel attracted to something, whatever it is, we have to understand that there is Krishna behind it.

2:02:07That usually through some trick of Maya we project our understanding or we see Krishna in somebody who attracts us and we feel very strong force or impetus impelling force which makes our attraction

2:02:30so as far as the second part of the question. How was the second part of the question? From YouTube?

2:02:42The second part of the question uh Is I listened about the relationship between Radha and Krishna. It's an exchange of spiritual energies as well. Is it true?

2:02:56And is it similar to be attracted to Krishna with the help of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Yeah, definitely. Love is an exchange of uh energy and this energy is called hlādinī-śakti.

2:03:15Yes, yes, but it it really depends what you understand. You have to understand when you say that relationship between Radha and Krishna is an exchange of spiritual energies.

2:03:35You have to understand who is Krishna, who is Radha, what is their energy, and what is the exchange.

2:03:42It's true, the statement is true, but to understand whatever is behind it is It's not so simple as may, you know, as we may get an impression. But the second part is very correct.

2:04:03The second part, when you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you read about the love between the soul and Krishna and different manifestations of this love, progressively more and more pure until you come to the 10th canto, where the purest Vraja Bhakti is being described, completely selfless Vraja Bhakti.

2:04:28So when you read about these exchanges, you gradually, and if you understand this, if you try to understand the purity of this exchange of love between God and souls, then you develop the similar attraction.

2:04:46Yes, this is how it works. That's exactly the mechanism.

2:04:50We read about the love of the inhabitants of Rajabhumi, of Rindavan, and then we become so inspired by their love that we want to also relate with God in a similar way.

2:05:05We don't want to you know pray to Him in oven reverence, but we want to really love him as a very beautiful person. So, yes, this is how it works. This is how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam teaches us this.

2:05:21But before Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam removes all the removes all the impediments on this part. Thank you so much. Uh we have two or three more small questions. Okay, very small.

2:05:42And we do see that the warmth and heat in bhāva and seems to be My heart is being melted completely and comes out. So this is a question from Sori Rajan Prabhu from Maskar.

2:05:58His question is for knowledge sake who we still need to explore and try to understand without the sutra or we do not require a Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself is enough for us devotees.

2:06:18Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is definitely now therefore in our tradition we don't have separate commentaries on Upanishads.

2:06:25Before Baladeva Vidyabhushana, we didn't have separate commentaries on Vedanta Sutra before Baladeva Vidyabhushana. We didn't even have separate commentaries on Bhagavad Gita before Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura.

2:06:43But because we are rational beings, because we are, you know, sometimes we have doubts, we may try to understand these topics as well.

2:06:59It may be a good intellectual exercise if you have intellectual capacities, but it's not necessary by far because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam contains this Bhava Akilam Sruti Saram Ekam.

2:07:13This is one ekam, śruti saram akila śruti, of all the śrutīs, it's saram, it's the essence of cream as Prabhupada translates. So you just realize this it's enough.

2:07:30Otherwise, if you have uh some uh extra space on your hard drive you may study Upanishads as well. Raso vai saḥ. Rasaṁ hy evāyaṁ labdhvānandī bhavati. This is good.

2:07:46Om pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate.

2:07:53Śrīla Prabhupāda translated these Upaniṣads and you know, there are beautiful Upaniṣadic statements, but you know you have to have guidance to understand them. Thank you so much. And now last two questions.

2:08:13There's one from Vikram Gaid, one from Askar. This question is simply surrendering to Krishna and I don't understand. Trying our heart and soul to be focused only on Krishna. Okay.

2:08:28Simply surrender to Krishna and trying our heart and soul to be focused on Krishna. Is it not enough? Or seeking of continuous knowledge is required. No. See again what you mean by knowledge.

2:08:46If you mean by knowledge some theoretical exercise, then it's not required.

2:08:53If by knowledge you mean Krishna-anusilanam, you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in a humble attitude, with open heart begging Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to reveal to you the beautiful pastimes of Lord Krishna.

2:09:10This is you cannot call this seeking knowledge. It's actually the process of surrender. The process of surrender is enough.

2:09:22But the process of surrender means ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam, rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāsogoptṛtve varaṇaṃ tathā, ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ.

2:09:36So you accept everything which is favorable. This is the first item. And you accept Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

2:09:46This is you you cannot do the first item of surrender without doing this. And this is different than continuous strife for knowledge. This is ānukūlya, the first item of my surrender.

2:10:06I do what is nourish what is giving nourishment to my bhakti. Thank you so much. And this is the last question, which is a follow-up question from Rama-Chatu-Sudā prabhu?

2:10:24The follow-up question the question is: the essence of all dharmas is Guru Bhakti. How to be fixed in Guru Bhakti and how to best execute it to the satisfaction of the Guru and predecessor Acharyas.

2:10:44I guess you know how can we.

2:10:47It's a very peculiar type of questions which implies that there is some trick behind which we don't know, and which somebody will reveal to us, and all of a sudden, everything will start working in our life. How can we do this?

2:11:09Basically, my advice to get inspiration from those people who are doing this exemplary bhakti. You know, when we hear this kathas about Guru Disciples,

2:11:24This is how Mahābhārata starts. Mahābhārata starts from a few stories, very inspiring stories. How the disciples serve their Gurus. Chāndogya Upaniṣad has this story about Upakośala who was serving his guru Satyakama.

2:11:44There is, you know, so many other stories are there, and we can see glorious example in front of ourselves.

2:11:53We can see Jayāpatākā Mahārāja, how he serves his guru, how he is ready to do anything, you know, uh completely impossible difficulties, impossible difficulties in the service of his guru, in devotion of his guru.

2:12:12We can see the example of Bhakti Charu Swami, who when he was already sick in America, first of all went to America where the there is a the pandemic,

2:12:23you know, and was always speaking that we didn't do enough for Śrīla Prabhupāda, we didn't do enough for Caitanya Mahāprabhu to spread this movement.

2:12:33You know, so there is enough examples in front of our eyes which could give us inspiration to do something similar on our scale.

2:12:44We may not be able to become Jayapatākā Swami or Bhakti Cāru Swami or Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Swami or whoever is there who manifests this complete implicit trust in Śrīla Prabhupāda.

2:12:59But we can get inspiration at least to follow the footsteps, and we can see this is the success. We can see how it brings about amazing transformations in the life of others.

2:13:15You know, that these people who dedicate it to their guru, they get the ability to transform others' other people's lives amazingly in a very miraculous way so the only thing which I can say just hear about this and try to follow the footsteps of these great souls.

2:13:38So many stories are there. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself and others. Okay, I guess that's more than enough.

2:13:51So we will we will end the session here with uh we are extremely grateful uh Maharaj for having you know really uh you've taken so much of your time very uh very very grateful heart we thank you.

2:14:10We are uh greatly enriched by these sessions indeed.

2:14:19And I would really end this session by one very nice ācārya Mātājī from Muscat, she writes, and I think that kind of encapsulates today's session with you as she says, Hare Krishna Maharaj. Thanks for such an elaborate explanation of the ten subjects of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, sarga, visarga, sthāna, poṣaṇa, ūti, manvantara, īśānukathā, nirodha, mukti, āśraya. Their differentiation between our past would be an explanation of why Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So I think with that encapsulation

2:14:54we thank you again and we seek your blessings that we continue. Every session of yours is urging all of us to go into deeper contemplations and obviously act on those contemplations for transformation.

2:15:12So thank you and we look forward to having another session with you two weeks from now. Okay, thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Thank you. Thank you. Hare Krishna.