Listening with Rapt Attention....

Verse 1.3.44: This is a very instructive, wonderful message. If we really want to understand and realize that Krishna is in the pages of the Srimad Bhagavatam, we have to hear properly from a personality who is a bonafide representative of Sukadeva Goswami. He who personally lives the Bhagavatam, is free of the four sins and is pure in thought, word and deed.

Srila Bhaktisiddantaswami was telling about Srila Prabhupada, that he listens with rapt attention, and hence told that whatever Srila Prabhupada writes should be printed, because he understands since he listens properly.

Caste, creed etc, does not matter. If one has the heart, and listens from Vaishnavas, and listen with rapt attention, then we will realize that Srimad Bhagavatam is Krishna, we can see Krishna Himself in the pages of the SB. We should also attentively read Srimad Bhagavatam. These 10-15 minutes that we listen everyday will create auspiciousness in our entire life.

Srimad Bhagavatam is light for this world!!

Verse 1.3.43: Actually, as Krishna was disappearing from this planet, He is going back to His abode, so qualities like dharma, gyana are also going back with Him. Only thing left is Kaliyuga, then how will the people manage here. The sages were worried because of this.

Then what happened, Srimad Bhagavatam descended. Vyasadev compiled it and his son Sukadeva Goswami spoke it. Maharaj Parikshit was cursed and for him and the rest of Kaliyuga, Bhagavatam was spoken. Srila Prabhupada writes that more or less almost people are just involved in the 4 things of eating sleeping mating and defending. But to elevate people, taking shelter of Srimad Bhagavatam, will help us go back to Krishna.

Srimad Bhagavatam is compared to light especially in the darkness of Kaliyuga. In this age, it is all I me and mine. Let me enjoy before I go. This is the mentality. But if we take the shelter of Srimad Bhagavatam, no other book is required in Kaliyuga.

Parampara - Importance - Sripad Sankaracharya's BhajaGovindam

Verse 1.3.42: Today's verse is talking about how Sri Sukadeva Goswami received the Bhagavatam from Srila Vyasadev, and then hearing from Sukadeva Goswami, Srila Suta Goswami is now speaking it to other sages.
3 Points:
1) We should receive the message of Srimad Bhagavatam in parampara, in disciplic succession. This Srimad Bhagavatam is not fiction, it is factual history that has taken place not just in this planet, but so many other planets all around the material universe. It should not be heard from a professional recitor, then it is like drinking milk that is touched by a serpent, but we should do this in disciplic succession, only hearing from a bonafide representative of Srila Suta Goswami.
2) Srila Prabhupada is mentioning a point on how Maharaj Parikshit once he came to know that he was going to die, he immediately sat down to listen Srimad Bhagavatam from Sukadeva Goswami. We need to understand the mood of Bhagavatam.
3) Srila Prabhupada is quoting Sripad Sankaracharya. Although he presented vedantasutra's in a impersonal form, he finally stated that realizing Govinda is the highest and all other flowery language that he himself presented is useless, if it does not help one remember Govinda at the time of death.

Bhagavatam is factual history

Verse 1.3.41: Bhagavatam is not a mythology. The goal of Britishers was to prove that we are fools, and hence they were successful in getting Bhagavatam to be a mythology. But that is not a fact.

First of all, Bhagavatam is factual history, that happened in this and other planets. And Srila Vyasadev compiled it. The beauty is that it has stories of all things related to Lord Krishna. So two things: it is history for sure and it is all about Krishna.

Bhagavatam has a purifying effect, on the person who is speaking and who is listening too.
Eg: Ganga, she is so pure. Even after 100 years, the water from Ganga is always pure. This is so because she is coming straight from the higher planetary systems.

The point is that, science does not know so many things.
Bhagavatam is therefore not mythology. But it should be heard from a bonafide source, for the effect to take place, the purifying affect.

Srimad Bhagavatam is Lord Krishna!!!

Verse 1.3.40: Actually, we are very very fortunate to read and hear Srimad Bhagavatam (SB). So many life times we have waited to do this. SB is the purest of all the puranas, it is also the natural commentary of the Brahmasutras. So this is pure and meant for paramahamsa's. This facility of us reading SB everyday, is so very very auspicious and we are so lucky. Why? Because it is non-different from Lord Krishna.

If we understand and assimilate this SB, then we can become a book bhagavat. Means we are applying the instructions of SB in our life. SP is called a maha-bhagavat, since he was a walking bhagavatam.

SB if purchased, it is not like a simple book, we install it, since it is not different from Krishna. This is done with the permission of the siksa guru or diksa guru.

Naradamuni also says, that just by the association of bhagavats, and chanting the names of the Lord, he is what he is today. So, please don't under-estimate the power of SB, the power of chanting the names of the Lord.

Also talked about Odan-shashti: It is a festival celebrated in Jagannath Puri. Pundarika vidyanidhi(PV) was a pure devotee. He was Maharaj Vrsabhanu in Krishna's pastimes. CM used to call him father father.
This festival is a time when the Lord is offered new clothes. The pujari's this time, offered starch-filled cloth. This was an offense. The devotees were watching and dancing during this time. Swarup-damodar Goswami (Lalita Sakhi in Krishna's pastimes) (SG) was also there. P. Vidhyanidhi asked him why they are doing this, which is an offense. SG told that Jagannath is accepting this, then why should we be troubled.

Everything got over, but PV was thinking in the mind, why this was happening. He then was sleeping and Jagannath and Baladev came to his dream. They were very angry that whay right does he have to be angry when They Themselves were accepting what the devotees were giving to Them. They asked him not to offend the devotees anytime ever.

Next day morning, he came late to the program. PV saw that his both cheeks were swollen and red (since in the dream Lord Jagannath slapped him actually). He told to SG that since the Lord has accepted him as His servant, He came and corrected him.

Moral: Even if somebody does something, that might not be correct. There might be something. Don't criticize him. If Krishna is offended, then there will be a reaction. We might not be able to take it. So tell to those people who will listen, to those who will not listen do not ask.

So please do not offend anybody. If you are not in an authoritative position, it is better to keep quiet.

Feasting, Chanting and Dancing - Devotion!!!

Verse 1.3.38: Bhagavad-gita says -"Tesam satata yuktanam ..." Krishna is telling that if somebody approaches Me with love and devotion, I give him the intelligence to come back to me. Krishna is also telling in the next verse that simple bhakti to Him is enough for a person to go back home, back to Godhead. So bhakti-yoga is inclusive of gyana-yoga and karma-yoga. If you want attain the perfection of self-realization, you have to genuinely chant, serve the devotees, then slowly by steadily you will attain self-realization.

Srila Prabhupada has give a simple process: fasting, feasting, chanting and dancing. Kaliyuga means the Holy Name is the yuga dharma. So please chant very nicely and you will attain to the lotus feet of Krishna in this lifetime itself.

Only a Devotee can know Krishna!!!

Verse 1.3.37: Krishna cannot be perceived by our blunt senses. Krishna is there, His energies are there, what is visible to our blunt senses is His energies. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita, the whole cosmic manifestation works under His direction. So the person who has written the script behind it is not visible, only the drama is visible. So how do we perceive Him.

Some people, materialists or the mental speculators try to do this by speculation. They are also called gyani's, who try to guess who the Lord could be. If we keep on guessing who the Lord can be, then there is no room for bhakti or Krishna there. Krishna says, only a bhakta can know Him.

Only a devotee can know Krishna who utilizes his tongue to talk about Krishna and eat prasadam. No matter what happens, do not utilize this tongue to criticize anybody. If we criticize, we will definitely fall down. Krishna will withdraw His mercy and we will lose our taste in chanting. So whatever happen, never ever criticize anybody, just praise devotees for their qualities always.

Krishna's activities are spotless!

Verse 1.3.36: The verse starts off with saying that the Lord is the one who creates everything. His activities are completely spotless and He is the only one with all the 6 opulences. Srila Prabhupada is further commenting that nothing in this world is lamentable. This is a powerful statement. When we are seeing many times, so much misery around us, it is actually not a problem with this creation, but it is because we ourselves are disturbed.

As long as we abide by the laws of karma, they protect us. But when we break it, it comes back and affects us. This material world is perfectly designed by Krishna, for us to go back to Godhead.

Eg: Whatever activities we perform in devotional service, the credit accrued will never go off. That is Krishna's mercy on us.

Further, Srila Prabhupada explains that Krishna is not at all affected by anything of the material world. Krishna even though maintains the whole creation, he is detached from it. Krishna is equal to everyone. But in case of a devotee, Krishna gives His heart to the devotee.

Holy Name and Krishna's form...

Verse 1.3.36: In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says: His birth and activities are transcendental. It is absolutely true, even Srimad Bhagavatam explains the same thing here. SB also explains how to cut the cycle of birth and death. It is very easy, just by listening and understand the activities, birth, pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Holy name is the root for all these things. What we are doing is we are chanting the Holy Name. When we keep on chanting with a focused mind, when Krishna understands that we are sincere, slowly Krishna's form will come, the form becomes steady. Then when we keep on chanting, next stage is guna. We will meditate on the qualities of Krishna (compassion, loving etc).
Then we meditate on His lila: how Krishna subdues Kaliya, how Krishna is sleeping on the banks of Yamuna. These pastimes manifest in the heart of the devotee who chants.

This will happen to any sincere devotee. That's why we have to avoid the 10 offenses. Specially the last one of inattentiveness. And along with it, we should have the service attitude, of being a servant of servant of servant.

External can change to Internal Energy, Will of Krishna!!!!

Verse 1.3.34: Srila Prabhupada says quoting Vishnu-purana, Krishna has unlimited energies. The main energies are 3: antaranga, tatashta, bahiranga shakti. We are part of the second one. We should actually be under the first energy, but under the influence of the 3rd energy, we are in a incompatible state. We want to be happy, but we are very frustrated.

But this is very dynamic. For example: Prahalad Maharaj and Hiranyakashipu live in the same house. One is under the protection of the internal energy and the other is under the external energy. Prahalad Maharaj did not have anything, but was happy, but his father although he had everything, he was not happy. That is because he was fully dependent on Maya.

Maya is very powerful. She covers our knowledge, we have to be very very careful of Maya. Eg: Kalkrishna das, assistant of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, was influenced by the batahari's.

It is our choice. If we genuinely chant, in the mood of the servant of servant of servant, then we will come under the shelter of Srimati Radharani.
Otherwise, we will be subjugated under the hands of Maya and therefore suffer continuously.

3 Commanders of Krishna: devotees, holy name and service, who can save us from the clutches of Maya.

What is Self-realization?

Verse 1.3.33: Today'e verse is very very imp. Here it is explained what is self-realization. If we perceive our self beyond the body, that we are a spirit soul and our connection with the Supreme Soul...
Narada muni was a Gandharva in his previous life. His mother died, he walks towards the Himalayas and meditates on Krishna. Now he realizes that he is different from his gross body, subtle body, that he is a soul, sees the supersoul sitting beside him. Then he becomes happy. That is self-realization.

Usually we are tormented by the gross and subtle body. The needs of the gross body is the senses and they demand attention all the time. Similarly the mind also has its needs. But when we go beyond these demands, that's called atma-sakshatkaram. We don't care then of the demands of the gross and subtle bodies. Srila Prabhupada is an example. That should be our goal.

So how do we get to that stage: Genuine chanting, serving the Vaishnavas, Deity worship is the key. And what is the mood: servant of servant of servant.

Coming out of the cycle of birth and death...

Verse 1.3.29: In Bhagavad-gita also it is mentioned: janma-karma chame divyam....
Anyone who hears and understands the birth and activities of Lord Krishna, then he does not have to take birth again. That is the advantage of reading this Srimad Bhagavatam. We don't need to take birth again. What a wonderful gift it is. How many of us would want to be 9 months in a mother's womb legs up, head down. After that, we are pushed down. 5 years we need to be completely dependent on parents, and then all the troubles of growing and disease. Problems keep coming. We need to serve so many spirit souls while we live. Our life is burnt like a candle here and then old age comes in. We think we are this body, which we are not. The same body has to dwindle. Eyes cannot see properly, bones become weak, then death, then again take birth and go through the whole cycle.

The only one who can take us out of this cycle of birth and death is our spiritual master. He teaches us devotional service, by which we can continuously hear Lord Krishna's birth and activities. And that is how we can come out of this cycle. This is possible only in the human life. That's why we need to chant nicely and serve the spiritual master very very sincerely.

64 Qualities in total, only in Lord Krishna!!!

Verse 1.3.28: Continuing the Purport and its summary.
Until today, we discussed the different incarnations of the Lord. And in this verse, Srila Sukadeva Goswami is explaining that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Srila Prabhupada is explaining further that only Krishna has all the 64 qualities. No other entity has all these qualities. The living entity or jiva can only at the max come up to 78 percent of this this total qualities of Krishna.

The scriptures clearly mention that Krishna is the origin of all the incarnations. Krishna is so merciful, for example we cannot reciprocate with the Mahat-tattva. So Krishna to simply reciprocate with the jiva's love, He comes down and displays so many wonderful relationships like son, lover, friend of devotees. He is just so lovingly reciprocating all the love and service of devotees.

Again, in today's reading, Srila Prabhupada is explaining until we develop all the 78% of qualities that a living entity can max reach, he cannot go back to Goloka Vrindavan. One should perform devotional service which is unmotivated and uninterrupted, then we can become eligible to back home, back to Godhead.

Lord Krishna is the Supreme Lord, declared in the Bhagavatam!

Verse 1.3.28: Please memorize this sloka.
If this sloka is not there, then Krishna cannot be recognized. Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami writes in Caitanya Caritamrta, to clarify the position of Krishna, because He also descends as other avataras, He is avatari too.

All the different incarnations are His portions or portions of His plenary portions. Since sometimes incarnations come from Vishnu, who is Himself an expansion of Lord Krishna.

Krishna comes to protect the theists and to check the activities of the wrong people.

In some incarnations, complete power is not shown. Because that is the need there. But some other incarnations, Krishna displays higher potencies. But Krishna is the Supreme Controller. He says in the Bhagavad-gita that...bhoktaram yajna ....maheswaram.
Krishna is actually watching us all the time. We don't have love for Him, He has all love for us, since He is the father.

We are not orphans, we have our eternal Father, simply by chanting His Holy Names, we can beg Him to please accept us. We should concentrate on purifying our heart. We have to conquer our own mind, that is our main enemy, who comes through False ego, and the 6 bad habits of greed, anger, pride, lust, envy

We should memorize this sloka. Since this is Krishna Himself. We have to convey our message to Krishna that we are interested in Him, by chanting to Him sincerely, learning these Srimad Bhagavatam verses, thinking of Krishna all the time.

The problem is with us. It is with our mind. Actually we want maya, we don't want Krishna. We call for Him while chanting, but we are just seeing that the 16th round is over and that's it. Then why will He come to us. We need to be sincere is trying to remember Him all the time.

Again, the problem is with us. With our mind. We need to open up to accept the mercy which is always present for us through the teachings of acharya's.

More on Incarnations of the Lord!

Verse 1.3.27: Here Vyasadev is going little technical. Like in any administration, the Prime Minister has Cabinet level ministers, bureaucrats etc, also at the state level. Similarly, Lord Krishna also has His energies manifested through various expansions, expansions of expansions, plenary expansions and so on.

Jivas are also sometimes empowered for special reasons. Srila Prabhupada is also a shaktyavesh avatar, an empowered personality, who was given this special role of introducing the movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the entire world. He traveled around the 14 times in 12 years and established more than 108 temples. It is definitely not possible by an ordinary person.

But what we must understand is that Lord Krishna is a person. His pastimes, activities are all real and it is not just some impersonal void. We should understand that God is a person and He is watching over us at every moment.

He is explaining that this world is a place of suffering, but as a Father He is actually waiting for us. Thats why He again and again comes just take us back to His eternal home.

Verse 1.3.26:

Lord Kalki's Incarnation!

Verse 1.3.25: Actually, this is a prophecy of Srimad Bhagavatam. In Madhya Pradesh, there is a place called Sambalpur. There will be only one Brahmana, his name is Visnu Yasa. There to him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will be born to him as Lord Kalki and He will kill all the demons. He will have a sword and ride a horse. That's how Kali yuga will end and Satya Yuga will start.

This Srimad Bhagavatam is so authoritative, all its prophecies come true. Not even one was failed. So, this one is also going to take place. There is nothing suprising. Actually next 10000 years, whatever will come in the newspapers is actually mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam... life span is reduced, height and weight of people will decrease, marriage is based on sex, water and air will be sold, etc.

Likewise, Lord Kalki will definitely come. Kaliyuga is already degraded like anything and it is just 5000 years, there 427000 years still to go. Just think how bad it will be then. And this movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu will also only last for 10000 years. That's why intelligent people should take shelter of this best process of Kaliyuga, of taking Hari's name. And using this process, we should take cleanse our heart, take the shelter of the Holy Name and go back home back to Godhead.

Lord Buddha's incarnation, Continued...

Verse 1.3.24: Jayadeva's songs. Buddha came to stop violence to animals. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was telling to Chand Kazi that animal killing was there in the vedas, not for indiscriminate killing and eating, but just to give the animals a way to get a human form of life based on the power of how the brahmans chanted the mantras. But people were misusing this and started killing and eating animals indiscriminately and not one was pure enough to even chant those vedic mantras. Hence Lord Buddha appeared and superficially rejected the veda and set forth the principles of non-violence.

But today, the philosophy of Buddhism is totally diluted, even the monks in Buddhism eat meat, which is a strict no by the principles of Lord Buddha.
Kaliyuga, it is not a situation for a gentleman.

Lord Buddha and Sankaracharya, came to pave the way for theism because at the time they came, people were not inclined to listen to the highest message. But once they paved this way,then Caitanya Mahaprabhu set the process for this Kaliyuga to chant the Holy name of the Lord:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
This is to cleanse the heart and purify ourselves so that we can go back home back to Godhead.

Lord Buddha

Verse 1.3.24: Lord Buddha is an incarnation of Krishna, but people ask that Buddhism has different principles. Srila Rupa Goswami suggests us to not follow these principles, although Lord Buddha is an incarnation of Krishna.

This is because, one portion of Vedas (karma kanda) supports animal sacrifices, not for eating them, but to give a chance for those old animals to get human form of life. The Vedic mantra's chanted during those sacrifices were very important for the animal being sacrificed to get a human form. But the brahmanas started misusing this and because of that animal killing became prominent.

To stop this, Krishna incarnated as Lord Buddha. He preached that he did not believe in the tenets of the Vedas and stressed the adverse psychological effects incurred by animal-killing. Less intelligent men of the age of Kali, who had no faith in God, followed his principle, and for the time being they were trained in moral discipline and nonviolence, the preliminary steps for proceeding further on the path of God realization. He deluded the atheists because such atheists who followed his principles did not believe in God, but they kept their absolute faith in Lord Buddha, who himself was the incarnation of God. Thus the faithless people were made to believe in God in the form of Lord Buddha. That was the mercy of Lord Buddha: he made the faithless faithful to him.

According to the Bhagavad-gita (15.15), the whole system of the Vedas is to lead one gradually to the path of the Supreme Lord. The whole theme of Vedic literature is to know the Supreme Lord, the individual soul, the cosmic situation and the relation between all these items. When the relation is known, the relative function begins, and as a result of such a function the ultimate goal of life or going back to Godhead takes place in the easiest manner.

Therefore to bring back people into the Vedic system, Sankaracharya came. After Buddhism, then came Sankaracharya to preach Mayawada. He brought the people back into believing in the Vedas, but only until the realization of the impersonal form, Brahman platform. That you are God, everyone is God. But truly, both are not right philosophies.

By the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and other acharyas, Krishna slowly again brought it higher forms of realization, that is of the personal form of God. That is, in this age of Kali, chanting of the Holy name of the Lord, is the one means and way to go back home back to Godhead.

19th and 20th: Lord Balaram and Lord Krishna!!!

Verse 1.3.23: This verse says that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Even though it seems he came after Lord Rama, He still is the svayam bhagavan. It is also said so in the Brahmasamhita (isvarah parama krishna satchitananda vigraha, anadir aadir govinda sarva karana karanam)

Usually, we have a misconception that Krishna is an incarnation, but here it is clearly established that Krishna is the Godhead Himself, and all other incarnations actually expand out of Krishna. He is directly the original Personality of Godhead, and Balaräma is the first plenary manifestation of the Lord. From Baladeva the first phalanx of plenary expansions, Väsudeva, Sankarshana, Aniruddha and Pradyumna, expands. Lord Sri Krishnais Väsudeva, and Baladeva is Sankarsana.