Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.10.20. Bhaktivedanta manor
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · Лондон · 2015
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Recitation and reading of Srimad-Bhagavatam
Namo Bhagavate Vasudeva Yam Bhagavate Vasudeva, Narayanamas Kritya, Narayanamaskritya Naramcheva narotamam, devim sarasvati myasam, devim saraswatiasam, tatojaya mu diraya, Jamprajan Tamanapetamapetakrityam Dvaipayanavi Rahatara Juhava, Putretitan Mayatayotaravobinidustam sarvabu tahridayam munimana tosmi.
So we're reading Sriman Bhagavatam Kenton 9, chapter 10 the past times of Lord Ramachandra text number twenty. The previous verses of that Te Anika
Anika Ragupate Abhipatya Sarve Dvanam varutam Ibati Ratta ashva Yodhai Jagnu, Drumaihi, Giri Gadeshuhi Gadeshubi Angam Suri Angada Angada Adyaham Sita Sita, Adimarsha, Abimarsha, Hata, Mangala Ravane Te
kapagupate rabipatya sarikamat Dvan dwam varuthami bhapatiradha swyodhai, van damvarutami bhapatiradha swajodai Jagnur Drumai Giri Gadeshu Birangaya, Jagnur Dumai Giri Gadeshu Biranga Daya, Jagnur
druma girigadeshu biranga dadya, giri kadeshu biramga, Sitabimar Shahatamangalaresan, Vitabi Marshatamangalesan Tenikaparagupatepatya sarveupaterbipatya sarve, dvanvarotani bapatiradhasva jodai. Dagnu dumargiranga daddya.
Sitabimaes, Sikamima Shahatam All of them Anikapal the commanders of the soldiers of the soldiers of Lord Sri Ramachandram chasing the enemy. Chasing the enemy. Sarve. All of them. Dvan dwam. Fighting. Varutan.
The soldiers of Ravana Ibha by elephants by infantry by chariots, ashva, by horses, Yodhai, by such warriors, by such warriors Jagnu killed them
drumai by throwing big trees, by throwing big trees Giri by peaks of mountains Gada by clubs it should be by arrows, Angada Adhya. All the soldiers of Lord Ramachandra.
All the soldiers of Lord Ramachandra headed by Angada and others of Madharsita Abimarsha by the anger Hata had been condemned Mangala whose auspiciousness Ravana Ishan Ishan the followers or dependents of Ravana.
Okay, so I would read from the 17th verse onwards till this verse.
After entering Lanka, the monkey soldiers led by chiefs like Sugriva, Nila and Hanuman, occupied all the sporting houses, granaries, treasuries, palace doorways, city gates, assembly houses, palace frontages, and even the resting houses of the pigeons.
When cities crossroads, platforms, flags and golden water pods on its domes were all destroyed, the entire city of Lanka appeared like a river disturbed by a herd of elephants.
When Ravana, the master of the Rakshasas, saw the disturbances created by the monkey soldiers, He called for Nikumba, Kumba, Drumaksha, Durmukha, Surantaka, Narantaka and other Rakshasas and also his own son Indrajit.
Thereafter he called for Prahasta, Atika, Vikampana and finally Kumbakarna. Then he induced all his followers to fight against the enemies. Text number 19.
Lord Ramachandra surrounded by Lakshmana and monkey soldiers like Sugriva, Hanuman, Gavamarda, Nila, Angada, Jambavan and Panasa attacked the soldiers of the Rakshasas who are fully equipped with various invincible weapons like swords, lances, bows, prasas, Rishtis, Shaktis, Asis, Cangas, Khadgas and Tomaras and the twentieth verse.
Angada and the other commanders of the soldiers of Ramachandra failed the elephants, infantry, horses, and chariots of the enemy, and hurled against them big trees, mountain peaks, clubs and arrows.
Thus the soldiers of Lord Ramachandra killed all Ravana's soldiers who had lost all good fortune because Ravana had been condemned by the anger of Mother Sītā, purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda.
The soldiers of Lord Ramachandra recruited in the jungle were all monkeys and did not have proper equipment with which to fight the soldiers of Ravana.
For Ravana's soldiers were equipped with weapons of modern warfare, whereas the monkeys could only throw stones, mountain peaks, and trees. It was only Lord Ramachandra and Lakshmana who shot some arrows.
But because the soldiers of Ravana were condemned by the curse of Mother Sītā, the monkeys were able to kill them simply by throwing stones and trees.
There are two kinds of strength, dhaiva and purushakara. Daiva refers to the strength achieved from the transcendence, and purushakara refers to the strengths organized by one's own intelligence and power.
Transcendental power is always superior to the power of the materialist. Depending on the mercy of the Supreme Lord, one must fight one's enemies, even though one may not be equipped with modern weapons.
Therefore, Krishna instructed Arjuna, Mamanusmaram, Yudyacha, think of me and fight. We should fight our enemy to the best of our ability. But for victory we must depend on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya!
Okay, I will read again the verse and the translation tenika yipatya sarviam varutani rathashva yodhai Jagnur Drumargiri Gadeshubir Angadya Sitabi Marsha Hatamangalara Neshan Angada and the other commanders of the soldiers of Ramachandra faced the elephants, infantry, horses and chariots of the enemy, and hurled against them big trees, mountain peaks, clubs and arrows.
Thus the soldiers of Rama Lordchandra killed Ravana's soldiers who had all lost good fortune because Ravana had been condemned by the anger of Mother Sītā.
Nam Vishnu Padaya Krishna Prashtaya Bhutadesri Mate Bhaktividanta Swami Dinamini. Namaste Saraswati Devi Goravani Pracharini, Nirvisha Sunyavadi Paschatyadesarni vancha kaupata robyya
chakripa sindubyacha patitanam pavanebyamonuha chai Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunitananda sriadvaita sivasadhi guru bhakta brinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare
Hare Hari Rama Hari Rama Rama Rama Hare Hari Ajanu Lambi to Bujawanakavada, Sankirtanaya Kapita Rukamalaya Dakshavishwam Barodvicha Varu Yu Gudharmapala Vandeja Gat Priya Karu Karu Navataru Yontah Pravishi
Mamavachimamamamprasuptam sangiva e takila shakti darakswadamna, anjamatva gadim, pranandama bhagavate purusha dubjam.
Balancing personal endeavor with divine grace
Hare Krishna. So in this purple Śrīla Prabhupāda very beautifully confronts two powers which we have to employ and have to take into consideration when we plan our action.
The tendency, very sad tendency in a human society is that we try to go into one extreme against the other. Where the reality or the truth lays in the middle.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains very beautifully that there is a Purushakar. Purushakar means one's own strengths, one's own intelligence. And there is daiva or the transcendental power. And Again, as I said,
the usual tendency in a human being is either rely completely or entirely on the transcendental power of the Lord, which would imply for our faulty intelligence that we will not do anything, let Lord do whatever He likes.
And sometimes we mistakenly think that this is bhakti. In reality, this is not bhakti.
Bhakti is exactly what Srila Prabhupada says and exactly according to the formula given by Krishna himself, Mamanusmara Yudhycha, remember about me and fight yourself.
But when we quote unquote become you know completely surrendered souls and rely entirely on the power of the transcendence, the power of Krishna. It's actually not Bhakti, it's Mayavad. It's actually jñāna.
It's the tendency of jñāna. When we are justifying our laziness by transcendental pretexts and reasons. You know, I'm totally surrendered unto the Lord.
And of course, there is a second tendency which is very prominent in the outside world and in the society in general, and sometimes we fall into this extreme. Everything depends on me. I am the actor.
And this is Purushakar.
Here in this versus, Śrīla Prabhupāda takes this opportunity to explain to us again the need of synthesizing these two attitudes, which is extremely important. And ultimately, the underlying reason is that when we fall into one of the extremes, we deprive ourselves the possibility of having bhakti.
We completely deprive ourselves the concept of service, or we try to somehow rather substitute the concept of service by the faulty concepts of Karma or jñāna thinking that we are doing service.
So the point of this beautiful purport and the whole section uh which is dealing with the victory of monkeys is that we always have to uh take into consideration this two powers and rely on the power of the Lord, understanding that ultimately the power of the Lord rules supreme.
But at the same time, employ our own power and try to connect our own power with the power of the Supreme, which is in reality bhakti.
Bhakti is this attempt, sincere attempt to connect our power and to always feel this connection.
To always remember about this connection that we are completely dependent in our power with the Lord, but at the same time use our intelligence.
There are many stories in the scriptures which supposedly justify the first attitude when we completely rely on the power of the Lord.
Ultimately, His power is the Supreme Power, and Śrīla Prabhupāda says this, and he basically commented on two words from this verse, sītā-amarṣa.
Because of this the last line of this verse: that the monkey soldiers were victorious, even though from the material considerations they were they had such an inferior power. From the material considerations there was no hope for victory. Absolutely no hope.
But because the superior power was in their favor. Ultimately, they killed all the much better equipped soldiers of Ravana.
It's interesting that you know when we try to apply this concept to our movement, we usually tend to say that, you know, ultimately everything depends on the Lord.
And even Prabhupada kind of said that ultimately this movement is entirely dependent on the power of the Lord.
There is a beautiful story when Prabhupada arrived to one temple and for a couple of days and couple of nights, all the devotees were having a complete marathon, and they properly. So because they didn't have sleep for two nights when Prabhupāda properly.
So because they didn't have sleep for two nights when Prabhupada sat down to give Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class, the whole packed auditorium was soundly asleep.
And Prabhupada was completely absorbed in his speech, so he didn't notice it.
The story is beautifully described by Bhadrinarayan Prabhu, who said, I was a part of it, you know, the devotees from all over the place packed into this room and everyone, 100% of them were all sleeping while Prabhupada was giving class.
And he said, I poked my nose into the temple room because I was doing something in the kitchen and I had some opportune moment and I wanted to see what's going on.
So I saw everyone is sleeping and Prabhupada is sitting with his eyes closed and he's preaching Bhagavata philosophy, and ultimately, he said that you know that ultimately you know we should depend on the mercy of Krishna. And this whole movement is running on only the mercy of Krishna.
And when he said this, he opened his eyes and he looked through his, you know, through his glasses and he saw that everyone is sleeping. And then he said, this is a fact.
This whole movement is running on the mercy of Krishna. This is a fact. There is no material reasons behind whatever little successes we have or whatever.
So, in one sense, Prabhupada had to you know had to recognize the fact that our only hope is to depend on the mercy of Krishna.
But of course, Prabhupada never was you know the advocate of this faulty conception that depending on the mercy of Krishna would mean that we will do nothing waiting for the mercy of Krishna when it just descends on us.
You know, in one lecture Prabhupada said that he was explaining this verse sarvadharmān parityajya and he said Krishna said to Arjuna, sarvadharmān parityajya, just give up all the all kinds of religions and just surrender unto me.
Arjuna choosing Krishna over an army
But then Prabhupada, but it doesn't mean that Arjuna should sit on the chariot and smoke ganja. Ganja.
Because from the very beginning, and that's very interesting, from the very beginning Krishna warned Arjuna, I will be on your side, but I will not fight. Fight you will have to do. I will be with you. I will support you. I will be through and through. I will be 24 hours with you. I will guide you. But I will not fight.
Fight, you will have to do. You know, the we know the story, and it's interesting because in this story basically, uh, Krishna was testing Arjuna.
We know the story that before the, uh, before the Battle of Kurukshetra both Duryodhana and Arjuna, they were trying to, and Yudhiṣṭhira, they were trying to solicit the support of different kings of the world.
And practically simultaneously, when it was ultimately clear that the war will take place, the first one to whom they wanted to get the support of was Krishna.
So practically simultaneously from Hastināpura, Duryodhana went to Dvārakā, and at the same time from Upaplavya, Arjuna urged his horses and went to Dvārakā at the same time.
And when Arjuna arrived to Dvārakā, to the palace of Krishna, He saw that the guards of the palace making a royal reception to Duryodhana. Duryodhana was the first one to arrive to the palace of Krishna.
And we know the story that when Duryodhana arrived, Krishna was asleep, or he was pretending that he is sleeping. And Duryodhana immediately sat at the head of Krishna. And Arjuna humbly took his place at his feet.
And actually, it is said in Mahābhārata specifically that Arjuna and Duryodhana embraced each other when they saw each other. That's the Vedic culture. You know, they're enemies. They are about to fight.
They are soliciting the support of different kings to fight against each other, to gain victory, but at the same time, when it comes to their personal dealings, they are very cordial to each other.
Anyway, they sat down near Krishna's bed, and when Krishna opened his eyes he saw first Arjuna. He said, Oh Arjuna, I'm very happy to see you. What brought you here?
And Duryodhana he started, you know, coughing. I'm also here. And then you know Duryodhana said I came here to solicit your support. I want you to support me because we are related.
You're my relative and you have to, you know, because uh Duryodhana's son was uh uh actually yeah Duryodhana was married to—sorry, Krishna's son was married to Duryodhana's daughter.
Anyway, there were relatives, and Duryodhana said, I count on your support. And uh Arjuna said, yes, I count on your support too. We are cousin brothers. And uh Krishna was equally related to both of them.
And Krishna said, yes, I know I have to support. And I will support both of you. But you will have to choose. You know, to one of you I will give you my huge army with
very good commander-in-chief, Kṛtavarmā. And one akṣauhiṇī army will be fighting for you, for your sake. And with another one, I will be myself personally. But I will not fight. In fact, I will not even touch the weapons.
This is my vow. And he said, Arjuna, please choose what you want. Duryodhuna was very disturbed. He said, I came first. My choice is the first. I have to choose myself first. You know, it's not fair.
He said, Yeah, Duryodhana, you're right, you were the first, but Arjuna is younger and we have to, you know. You know, Arjuna is younger. We have to give him the choice.
And Arjuna without even singing twice, he said, I'm choosing you Krishna and Duryodhana I said you know Duryodhana was so happy about this he said such a stupid thing he didn't say this he thought this but
then he made a show that he's a little sad and he said okay what can I do I have to take the army I have no choice but inside himself he was so happy, he said such a stupid decision, you know. Why is he taking Krishna?
Śrī Rādhā-Gokulānanda-kīrtana, Śrī Siddhārtha-lakṣmī-dhana-mandira-kīrtana, Śrī Gaurāṅga-kīrtana. So the Duryodhana left immediately.
He was very happy and he was he was little, you know, maybe Krishna will change his mind or something like this, so he better, you know, I better leave. He went to Balaram to solicit his support.
And Arjuna was left alone with Krishna. And at that time, Krishna asked Arjuna, Arjun, why did you make this stupid decision? I was favoring you. I wanted you to make the first choice. Why did you make this stupid decision?
I told you I'm not going to to fight. And at that time, Arjuna gave a very beautiful answer. Because he knew that Krishna is testing him. Arjuna gave a very beautiful answer.
He said, fighting I can do myself. You don't have to fight, my dear Lord. What I need, I need to make sure that I am on your side. Not you are on my side. I am on your side. This is what I need.
To fight, I have to be sure that I'm fighting the right cause. And for that, I need to know that I am on the side of Krishna, not on the side of enemies of Krishna.
So that's that was a beautiful answer which Arjuna gave in this severe test which Krishna gave to him. And basically, again, the same idea is illustrated here.
Fighting I can do myself. And I will have to do, and I know that I have to do fighting. Krishna again, Krishna says to all of us, not to Arjuna only, to all of us, you become my devotee. That you have to do.
But you will have to fight. Because oftentimes we think that, you know, I became Krishna's devotee. You know, why Krishna is not doing his job properly. Why is he not doing what he's supposed to do?
I'm doing my part of it. I am chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna and even Hari Hare. I'm doing whatever I'm supposed to do. You know, but why why Krishna is not doing what he's supposed to do?
He's he's he he has to make me successful, right? He has to make sure that I'm successful in all my endeavors. Forget it. Krishna will make sure that you are failure in all your endeavors. Unless you surrender completely.
Bhakti as a non-material middle path
And again and again he will he will test us and see how determined we are to fight ourselves and how determined we are to how properly we're understanding the whole philosophy.
Because again, bhakti is something really rare in this world. It actually doesn't exist in this world. It's not from this world.
And uh the normal tendencies which we can understand is either jñāna, jñāna or karma, either total renunciation or complete dependence on our limited powers.
So where to find this middle path? It's actually very difficult.
It's almost like there is this one of the there are four schools of Buddhism, four main schools of Buddhism, and one is called Kshanikavad. Kshanikavad, it's a very interesting, very strange philosophy, but very interesting philosophy.
So Kshanikavad means that they are stressing that everything is Kshanika means everything is temporary in this world.
And there is this you know they say that there is this temporary reality which consists of this little little tiny tiny pieces of time.
But in between, the pieces of time there is a gap, very small gap of sunya, and the purpose of
the real Buddhist is while traveling from one moment of time to another moment of time somehow or other to to uh sneak into this gap and become sunya you know somehow or other to to find this gap between the two moments of time and enter into this sunya and understand the reality by you know becoming sunya.
So in a sense, bhakti is something like this because we have two very real, one alternative, two very real possibilities which we know very well. One is karma. I'm doing it myself. I depend on my own power. I'm the doer.
I have to depend on myself completely. And then the second alternative, yeah, nothing depends on me, you know, everything is depending, you know, it's just yeah, I'm I'm nobody, and uh what is the use of doing anything?
Let me let me smoke ganja and be happy. You know, and both possibilities are real. Both possibilities have a confirmation of our intelligence
or of our experience in this world, but bhakti is something which is really completely totally irrational, doesn't have any rational, you know.
How is it possible to work in this world, to fight, to really, you know, work hard, endeavor. And at the same time, you know, you know, I don't care about the fruits of this world. This is this is crazy.
You if you don't care, why do you work? If you work, why don't you care? How is that possible? It's absolutely it's not a very you know reasonable alternative which we have. And still we have to realize this.
And it's it's almost like, you know, this futile endeavor of Buddhists to sneak into this, you know, gap in between.
So, but uh it's actually what we have to learn and uh uh how to do this without uh depending, without, without being dependent, uh you know, without without going into one extreme from one extreme into another extreme how to do this because if we understand this we understand what service means.
Before we understand this alternative, whatever we do is not service. It's not really service, because service means that I'm doing it, you know, and I find satisfaction in the very fact that I'm doing this.
Service means that I'm doing this for the sake of doing this, for the sake of pleasing Krishna, for the sake, not for my own sake. And if Krishna wants me to fail, if Krishna,
by one reason or another, will be enjoying my failure in His service, that will be the most glorious victory in my service, my failure. So, and that's that's extremely difficult to
accept, you know, Krishna I'm doing this for you. Why you're not giving me victory? Is Sanjay a liar?
Sanjay said, you know, Yatra yogeshvara Krishno yatra partho dhanurdharah, Tatra shrī vijayobhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama. He said, There will be victory. But why you're not giving me victory?
Why am I'm going from one failure to another failure to another failure?
Finding spiritual value in material failures
And of course, the life of Śrīla Prabhupāda is the most beautiful example of such an attitude. When we had one when he had one failure after another failure after another failure after another failure without any hope.
And the whole thing is very actually in a very beautiful way is explained by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
Why we have to be very clear why Krishna gives us so many failures in the course of devotional service. Why it's inevitable.
Of course, one simple answer of this is that the simple answer of this is that this is the way of material world. In the material world there will always be some failures.
Nobody is always successful and Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is giving much more beautiful answer why Krishna is so mercifully and so generously awards our endeavors with failure.
Of course, here we see that the monkeys they were victorious, and the ultimate victory is guaranteed. There is no doubt about it. Ultimate victory is guaranteed to a devotee.
But Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura he was also, you know, he had a difficult life. And especially it was difficult for him somehow or other even to come to Navadvīpa to Māyāpur.
For so many years he was trying to come to Lord Caitanya's birthplace. Year after year after year he was trying and it just didn't work.
Ultimately, he filed an application, he wanted him to be transferred to Navadvīpa to do the service of Judge there. But it didn't work. He wanted to resign. And then when everything was arranged, when everything was ready,
He was ready to come to Navadveep. His life's desire was about to be fulfilled, he falls sick. He fell sick and he was sick for 40 days. He was almost dead.
He was fasting for 40 days, he was only drinking little milk for 40 days, he couldn't move. You know, at the end of this severe disease, which was the last obstacle before he came to Majapur.
He wrote in his diary: something nice will come out because there are so many obstacles. For sure, something nice will come out of all these endeavors. The fruit will be good.
And in one of his bajans, he explains this: he says, I take the obstacles in the service of yours, O my Lord, as the nectar, as the obstacles in your service is the most Valuable treasure of my life.
If I have anything valuable in my life, this is the obstacle which I have to undergo in the service of yours.
And he writes also there that because by encountering obstacles in your service I will be you know you will you will help me to get rid of my karmic my desire to lord it over this material nature.
And that's a very I mean that's a very deep answer to the question because sometimes we do ask ourselves why why why there is not much success.
But the failures must be there, and the failures becomes the real pillars of our success if we don't consider them as failures, when we consider the failures in the course of the service as our real victory.
And if we endeavor in our desire to please Krishna and Śrīla Prabhupāda despite of all the failures. If we are not dependent on victory and success, if we are only dependent on the pleasure of the Lord in our uh in our service to the Lord, then ultimately the victory will be there, there is no doubt about it.
Yes, we are totally uh Unqualified
like these monkey soldiers of Lord Rāmacandra. In fact, I would say that we are much less qualified than the monkey soldiers of Lord Rāmacandra. Because at least they can throw the big mountain peaks and the big trees into the enemies. We can hardly lift the pebbles not the mountain peak.
And we are fighting against this, you know, totally completely very well equipped material nature and material way of civilization.
The whole civilization, the whole material world with all these weapons is actually fighting against us.
I'm I'm from Russia, I'm sorry for such a militant class because You have to be little militant being in Russia, otherwise you will not be able to survive there. Anyway, so but it's a fact.
You know, you may not feel it so acutely. I'm definitely feeling it very acutely in Russia. You know, the whole material civilization is very much against us. And
we will definitely meet failure after failure after failure in this totally completely unfair battle for Krishna consciousness.
But if we fight against hope, you know, if we still have the hope against hope, if we still fight for Krishna, this is the victory.
Srila Prabhupada's conviction despite material obstacles
And Śrīla Prabhupāda is the best illustration of this. You know, when somebody asked Prabhupāda, Prabhupāda, why did you go to America?
Prabhupāda said, My brothers went, my godbrothers went to England and they failed. And some other of my godbrothers went to Germany and they failed.
I thought let me go to America if I fail at least I fail in a different way than them in some other country.
He was he was well prepared to the failure and uh you know for so many years the failure was his constant companion, but at the same time he actually knew the secret, and the secret is
that if we endeavor totally depending on Krishna's divine power, and at the same time, we are fighting ourselves, tooth and nail, you know, we are fighting like anything.
Mamanusmara Yodhyacha, if we always remember about Krishna, and at the same time fight for his cause that the ultimate victory will be there.
And I've I will tell you a little story and end my class on this little story because the time is over. It's a beautiful story which I like very much.
It's in the book of Your Ever Well Wisher, or The Friend of All by Mūrti Prakṛti, where she interviewed different people who knew Śrīla Prabhupāda before he became the founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
So it's a story from the time when Śrīla Prabhupāda was living in Keśavjī Gaudiya Maṭha in Mathurā and, uh, he was um, he was not a sannyāsī at that time. I think he was not a sannyasi, he was a vanaprasta.
He took vānaprastha and he took shelter of his god brother Kyasw Maharaj, Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Mahārāja. And he was preaching, going to some engagement, living in the mud. And once he came very late from
his program, and all the devotees brahmacharis, inmates of the maṭha already finished their prasādam, and he was with one of one other brahmachārīs.
So they were sitting there, and there was, as usually in the temple room, there was some you of cold sabji and cold rice and maybe couple of chapatis.
And Prabhupada was sitting there and eating cold rice and cold chapatis and cold sabji with this brahmachari. And at that time and there was a family of nicely dressed Indians who visited the temple.
And they you know, they poked their nose in the they they looked in the temple room and they saw just two some some strange insignificant people and they didn't show any interest and they went
somewhere else looking for somebody of some you know statue
stat So and Prabhupada when when he saw this scene, when this family of nicely dressed Indian people, you know, looked and then you know practically didn't even notice them. Prabhupada started chuckling.
He was chuckling and chuckling and chuckling and then ultimately then he said to his companion, this Brahmachari with whom he was eating cold rice and chapati, he said, This this Indian people, they looked in the temple room and they just saw an old man who is eating cold rice and cold sabji and dry chapatis.
Little do they know which plans Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has for this old man. Little do they know that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has very glorious plans for this old man to fulfill.
So it's really amazing that Prabhupada at that time, at that time when he was totally, completely was no materially speaking, there was no indication that he would do something significant.
But at the same time, he was completely, totally confident that the victory will be there. Why?
Because he was very strictly following this formula which he gives in this mad-arpita-mano-buddhir mām anusmara yudhya. You give me your mind and you give me your intelligence, mad-arpitāṁ buddhir.
You place your mind in me, you place your intelligence in me, Mamanusmara, and in this way you remember about me all the time and you fight, yudhya, and then you know without considering the failure or success and then the success and victory will be there at the end of the day.
There is no doubt about it. Okay, thank you very much. Śrīla Prabhupāda. Okay, I guess that's it. We can take questions.
Answers regarding Bhishmadeva and performing duty
If there is any any little cli, yeah. First of all, if you find it, thank you very much in it for the spirit of that. have one comment actually.
Prima facie it will appear from Mahābhārata that whether or the extent to which Krishna will directly intervene in a devotee's problem, so to speak, is the extent to which the devotee has progressed on spiritual path.
The positive examples are those of Sudāmā, Draupadī and also other other mothers you can find in the matter. On the other hand, if you take that, for example, Bhīṣma himself was his great warrior.
Poor Bhīṣma didn't know what was reality and what was the truth. In fact, he was the victim of other things, like for example, Duryodhana, Śakuni, Bhīṣma, no, Duryodhana, Śakuni.
Somebody was trying to, I think Śākya who was trying to convince him that the bed of error that was being made was the work of Śakuni. It is not Śakuni. It is actually okay. So why is this different?
In one case he is intervening directly, as in the case of Draupadī. But in the case of In the case of Bhīṣmadeva, after all this kind of kind of slaughter, he is actually on the opposite side. Why?
Why Bhīṣmadeva is on the opposite side? Yes. Well, uh the explanation uh um You know, the Bhīṣmadeva himself gave a very beautiful explanation why he's on the opposite side.
side. There is a little story about this, when Bhīṣmadeva was giving instructions to Yudhiṣṭhira and he was telling him so many nice things and so many nice advice and explaining him dharma.
All of a sudden Draupadī, who was present at that time by the deathbed of arrows of Bhīṣmadeva, started laughing. And they asked, "Why you're laughing?"
And she said, "You know, this old man is speaking such nice words about dharma. Why he didn't help me when I was in such a dire need? Where was his intelligence at that time?
Why he didn't know this, you know, what is what is right and what is wrong at that time? And at that time, Bhishmadev explained. He said, because I was eating grains in the house of Duryodhana,
my intelligence became corrupt because I was eating grains prepared in the house of this wicked man, and therefore, you know my understanding became blurry.
I didn't really understand what is right what is wrong at that time because this is the effect of impure food, you know, which is cooked in impure environment for the impure purposes.
And but now he said because and this impure food which contaminated my intelligence was actually you know formed my blood.
But now because all my blood is already drained now I again gained the pure intelligence because there is no impure blood in my body anymore. So that's that's the explanation which Bhishmadev himself gave.
So, and that's actually how important it is for us to be very careful what we eat and with whom we associate because sometimes we feel a little too transcendental and you know think that we are completely on a safe side.
So that's that's at least one of the reasons which is there. Well you do let me make another very short comment. Yeah, please.
You mentioned the confusion between uh say somebody is doing some work with a particular target, but he doesn't achieve that target, so it's a failure.
But Krishna has actually persuaded us in the chapter now, the karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana from the Bhagavad-gītā, Second chapter. Yes. So that being so.
I think we really need to understand that yes, it is our right to work, but not to expect the fruits of that work. Yeah, exactly. And that means bhakti.
So sometimes people don't understand, but that's actually the f the you know this is the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana.
You never have you are not entitled to the fruits of your work, but you have a adhikāra, you have the right to perform your duty. And even though it may sound like karma, in reality it is bhakti.
You know sometimes people say that Krishna propagates karma-yoga in Bhagavad-gītā. Krishna, there is no karma-yoga in Bhagavad-gītā.
In Bhagavad-gītā, whenever Krishna speaks about karma, he speaks about karma-miśra-bhakti. This is not pure karma. There's no pure karma yoga in Bhagavad Gita.
So exactly, that's exactly the point, and that's another confirmation. And this is the second chapter. And in the eighth chapter he he gives this verse which Prabhupada quotes in the purports māṁ anusmara yudhya ca.
in so many other places. And now ultimately at the end he says basically the same thing.
When we have to understand when he says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, sometimes people they wrongly understand the purport of this verses that you know we have to renounce all the dharmas.
But we have to understand the purport of this verse in the light of the other verses in Bhagavad Gita where he says that you know, yes, you surrender unto me, it basically means that you don't
take shelter in your own strength, but it doesn't mean that you don't employ your own strengths. sarva-dharmān parityajya means that we're not you know we're not taking shelter in our own strength.
We're not dependent on our own strengths, we're ultimately dependent on the higher strengths of Krishna.
And that means in the beginning of the class, I said that all our endeavors is to connect our limited power with the unlimited power of the Lord.
Not act on our limited power alone, but act on our own limited power, but also you know but to endeavor of connecting our limited power with the unlimited power of the Lord and then you know expect the results accordingly.
And once I heard Śrīla Radhanath Swami saying it was it was very beautiful how he said this.
He said this, you know, it's he said it's it's very amazing to watch how Krishna does something completely wonderful through you, even though you know that you are, you know, you you you cannot do this.
But it's very amazing to to watch how Krishna uses you and doing something wonderful through you.
It means that you you managed to connect your limited power with the unlimited power of the Lord and you became the conductor of his unlimited powers. I guess that's it. Thank you very much.
Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya! Śrī Rādhā-Gokulānanda ki jaya! Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma ki jaya! ki ja