HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.07 (14th Feb 2017) from MayapurTV on Vimeo.
From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir
Date: February 14, 2017
Speaker: HH Bhanu Swami
Subject: Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.7
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!
Pranam mantras.
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam canto 7, chapter 10 verse 7.
TEXT 7
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your Lordship that within the core of my heart there be no material desires.
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us how to pray for benedictions from the Lord. He said:
nadhanaṁnajanaṁnasundarīṁ
kavitāṁvā jagad-īśakāmaye
mamajanmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukītvayi
“O my Lord, I do not want from You any amount of wealth, nor many followers, nor a beautiful wife, for these are all materialistic desires. But if I have to ask You for any benediction, I pray that in whatever forms of life I may take my birth, under any circumstances, I will not be bereft of Your transcendental devotional service.” Devotees are always on the positive platform, in contrast to the Māyāvādīs, who want to make everything impersonal or void. One cannot remain void (śūnyavādī); rather, one must possess something. Therefore, the devotee, on the positive side, wants to possess something, and this possession is very nicely described by Prahlāda Mahārāja, who says, “If I must take some benediction from You, I pray that within the core of my heart there may be no material desires.” The desire to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not at all material.
Lecture:
This is Prahlad speaking to the Supreme Lord Narasimhadev. Supreme Lord has great attraction to his devotees. So, Narsimha dev has been conquered by bhakti of Prahlad. As we all know the Lord becomes controlled by his devotees. So He will give him anything. So the Lord usually do with his devotees is to ask for something, Please ask for anything that I can give you everything, Please ask. Of course, the devotees don’t want anything material, nevertheless, the Lord can give anything. So there are many varas or benedictions He can give, or anything so he is called Varada as in this verse, The best of varada the best giver of benedictions. He can give any benedictions.
There are there types of benedictions. The material benediction, that divided into so many categories wealth, power, fame, progeny etc. Tehere is infinite branches of material benediction in this world. That is why people go to different devatas in charge of different benedictions and they worship them. So, that’s one type of vara. Of course, in the scripture that’s considered to be inferior. But actually these are aspiration of most people. Generally, to aspire for those benediction is a reflection of Kama, the material desires so the things things go together. So, we have desires and so we want to get material benedictions some way or the other. We may try on our own endeavour to get such benedictions, so we work very hard, or we may pray to devatas to get those benedictions as well. Or we can pray to the Supreme Lord for that as he can also give. So that is one type of benediction, the inferior type.
The second is liberation or moksha. So the first two benedictions are supplied by the karma yoga systems, artha and kama. We have artha, bare necessities if we need to support material body, need food, we need shelter etc its natural to survive, we need those things. Karma yoga supplies those things by occupation or varna and the rules. Then kama beyond that, we want a little more or something, the enjoyment if you have one child you want two children or if you have two you want three children and so on. So you want extra of everything. You want little more of everything, want little more money, little more power etc. So, that’s the kama aspect this is the peculiar problem for the human being, we are more intelligent, but we also tend to get more Kama for some reasons, which is dangerous. But the animals, artha is the main occupation. Once they get the artha, they are just satisfied and then they just sleep, lie on the road like a dog or sit in the sun, whatever. So basically, they are satisfied with the artha once they got the food, progeny etc. So the kama is not very extensive except artificial surroundings like zoo. When you put the animal in the zoo and they get all sorts of restrains etc. Anyway, in the natural position there is no kama. Kama is not the problem. But, in human being the kama becomes big problem.
We are intelligent and we thing of so many ways to satisfy ourselves and go beyond artha, because there is problem we have Dharma. We have laws to restrict us from going too far. Of course, that’s there in any society the rules, it’s is very convened as society or group of people cannot function without rules. The main rule is because of kama, so people have their desires and things so that has to be restricted that people don’t go beyond certain boundaries. So every society will have rules then we have states and governments etc. Those all based on that . So, in the varnashrtam system we have slightly different set of rules, similar functions, yet it controls the gross desires and to get along cooperate and develop the state and make it prosperous etc. But behind that, the dharma is actually given by the Supreme Lord. So there is an indirect goal is there which is beyond any other in rules and regulation of society around the world, secular society and their laws.
The laws are quite similar in many ways but the ultimate goal of dharma is quite different. So, we have this laws of dharma to control people and one of the aspect of course is we got to have some cooperation and there are set of rules. we have also got another goal that is to raise the individual jiva or human beings through gunas. We can say varnas as well we should go through the varnas and progress through gunas. From tamo guna to sattva guna. They may take many, many, many births and we know that human being have habits and habits take long, long time to change. So many life time to give up one habit and replace it with better habit like that. Opportunity is given there but the Supreme Lord, “You have many births you can take infinite number of births and you can gradually progress upwards.” so right you have varnashram system. So the system is there to gradually elevate the jiva from tamo gun to sattva gun. So, that has dharma, artha and kama all to control the desires ultimately. So interesting thing is, when you control the desire to certain extent to Varnashram system to raise to guna, then you come to sattva gun. So if you come to sattva gun and the desires start to decrease. Alright that’s the nature of sattva gun. Sattva gun means happiness comes not from satisfying the senses in the material world, kama aspect, but satisfaction within.
So person in sattva gets hooked up within from the atma, he has to realize that, detached from material attachment. So natural he controls the senses, he controls the kama etc. So what is happens then, the other natural thing of sattva gun is Prakash, the revelation. So what is the revelation?, I am not the body, spiritual substance. I’m something else I’m the atma, it doesn’t get to the point of saying recognise the Supreme Lord or something more. No, Sattva gun cannot do that as it is material guna. But when the Lord empowers it, vidhya or knowledge so there is revelation I am not the body I am something spiritual that’s how far the sattva gun will go. So, to cultivate that sattva gun practice the jnana yoga to realise I am not the body I am soul, to realise that and the gola becomes mukti or liberation from the material body. So this is quite different from pervious things, to satisfy my artha and kama and sense control etc use dharma to do it . Sattva gun the desire changes to liberation, let me get rid of all my desires and then get liberation. So, desires are also linked and desires produce actions and actions produces I mean you get like to dislike, satisfaction to the senses or dissatisfaction to my senses, then I do another action to either counteract my dissatisfaction or to get more of the satisfaction. We are in the cycle of doing activity to satisfy the self and avoid all the problems or obstructions to my satisfaction.
But the other thing is you get karma, along the karma you get the results which you don’t see. To that you get either material satisfaction, by doing punya or opposite of that, frustration or suffering due to sinful activity. Because you don’t know the difference between papa and punya we try to satisfy yourselves, and we end up with haphazard future, struggling for happiness or getting happiness , whatever, with our endeavour, due to papa and punya. Behind that there is desire and behind the desire it is avidhya, ignorance. So, the process of jnana is knowledge, by the knowledge we get rid of the ignorance. When we got rid of the ignorance what happens, we are free from of the material world , free from the bondage of karma free from material desires etc. So the goal, jnana is to free ourselves from the all the ignorance and consequently end up with liberation from the material world. So absence of desire, liberation ie no desire is more or less the same thing, no more karma we are liberated. Liberated from bondage, bondage of what?, Karma. We get liberated from karma by knowledge. So the Lord is also in charge of liberation. May think Jnana or Yoga produce liberation superficially, look like that. In Bhagavatam, it is very very clear that they are not transcendental processes. In sattva gun, something in sattva gun cannot give nirguna results, beyond the guns, even liberation what to speak of bhagavan. We have to rely on something else, how can we get to Jnana, liberation certainly we can raise up to the almost get liberation, to liberation no we can’t get it. Ultimately liberation is also the mercy of the Lord, without liberation you cannot succeed with jnana or yoga which also the mercy of the Lord. So very clearly the yoga system we have paramattma and if we don’t offend them then we get liberation if you are a jnani, and little problem if you are a mayavadi you do offend the Lord, you say Lord has no form no quality, He is actually an illusion, Vishnu is the manifestation of Sattva gun, then this is aparadha. So, if you offend the Lord, no liberation. All impersonalist or f Jnanis don’t get liberation but those who offend the Lord and deride the Lord’s form is material will not get liberation. We have to accept the Lord and ask for His mercy. There are some persons like that some Shankarites, they will accept the Lord in order to get the liberation, just see the transcendental figure but I prefer liberation and worship Vishnu and He gives it to them. So liberation is also the result of Jnana and dependent upon the final success of jnana and yoga are dependent upon Supreme Lord, utimately some bhakti must be there. So that is the second benediction the Lord can give.
If you want liberation free from your material bondage etc yes the Lord will give that to you. Very good. That we’ll see in the Bhagavatam great devotees criticises liberation and regard it as useless. So many verses like that. Look at nectar of devotion the whole section of 20 or 30 verses regarding liberation inferior to prema , darshan of the lord etc. So of course, it is expressed by the fact 6 qualities, 5th quality of the 6 qualities mentioned in the beginning of Nectar of devotion that is sandarandnada. Very condensed intense bliss that is the unique quality of bhakti, which means that bliss of Brahman or brhamandana is little, like a drop of water compared to the ocean. So the devotees therefore reject material benediction and benediction of liberation which the Lord gives and nobody else can give. Actually the benedictions by the devatas are given by the Lord. So if we offend the lord when we are worshiping the devatas we offend Vishnu only worship Shiva and Ganesh or whatever and say Vishnu is maya, then we don’t get anything also. Even worship of Devatas we have to accept the Supremacy of Vishnu. So in the varnashram system there must be worship of the Supreme Lord, not just worship of devatas, we have to respect the Supreme among all of them. Then we can get our material benedictions also. Ok?
Anyway, so the devotees reject both because they prefer to get some benediction from the Lord. What is the benediction, they don’t want to get material benediction they don’t want to get impersonal liberation, both of which the Lord can give. So what can they desire? Because what we learnt, the desires are bad , desire leads to karma and bondage in the material world? So the answer is, that all desires are not bad. The desire for our enjoyment which is what causes bondage to the material world is bad. Therefore, the Yogis & Jnanis reject that. The devotee also has to reject that but he doesn’t reject all desires.
The desire of the devotee is to server the Lord that desire is permissible and intrinsic to the process of Bhakti so whenever without desire, the definition of bhakti is “anya abhilashita Sunyam”, is devoid of other desires. It doesn’t say no desires. If we have no desires at all then we end up with impersonal liberation or moksha , so we simply ask the Lord for benediction and no desires, that’s where we end up no desires, no karma, and liberation. So the devotee wants desire for serving the Supreme Lord, pleasing the Supreme Lord, that’s the permissible desire, not to please myself. The desire to please somebody else not to please myself.
This is not very common in material world. Most human beings are on the lower level they want something for themselves and so they end up with Karma. Karma yoga system is the indirect method for people raising up so that they get liberation, all the desires are bad and so we should go for liberation. But that’s not complete, so then the next step is to get to process of bhakti. That’s little bit difficult step because it doesn’t depend on the gunas anymore it’s not raising yourselves to gunas what’s that depend on? Smething beyond the gunas that is Supreme Lord. So, we have to depend on the Supreme Lord the mercy of the Lord to get bhakti it’s not the product of the gunas you can be in Sattva gun for ever it doesn’t produced bhakti. Yes, its favourable, the Lord says in Bhagavad Gita, I prefer sattva gun over other guns at least you become detached. Detachment is also favourable to Bhakti. But as Rupa Goswami says in Nectar of Devotion, it is somewhat Jnana and Vairagya are also somewhat favourable in the beginning of Bhakti. But if you keep cultivating, it becomes unfavourable, we become attracted to liberation than the Supreme Lord.
So bhakti is there and the only source is mercy of the Lord, mercy of the devotees of the Lord. So of course, the Lord appears before the devotees you can directly get the mercy of the Lord we are not so fortunate. The lord is not always in front of our eyes. So we depend on the mercy of the Lord coming through his devotees of the Lord.
So that’s the most common process for receiving bhakti getting the seed of Bhakti, faith and also for developing the bhakti, it is through the devotees of the Lord. So other words the Lord manifest the bhakti sakti, or His antaranga sakti, Hladini and swamvit sakits through devotees. We are his medium in the material world and without the devotees we get struggle forever and not get anything and that is why the devotees are more important and that is why the Bhagavatam glorifies devotees more than anything else, of course we can never separate the Lord from His devotees only worship the Lord, but devotees are essential factor in the process of Bhakti. So hats why devotees are glorified and that’s why Vaishanava aparadh is considered to be so damaging. Because if we don’t get the mercy of devotees how can we advance in bhakti? The opposite is through the aparadh we can destroy the bhakti as well.
So, the devotees are the integral factor in the process of Bhakti, which means there has to be respect for the devotee. Even for the beginning devotee what to speak of the advanced devotees there has to be a great regard because at least they will develop little faith which is rare somehow they got the mercy through a devotee, Krishna’s mercy through the devotees, they develop faith. May be weak faith whatever but like a seed it is rare in the material world it is not the product of the material world at all. It is the manifestation of Krishna in the material world. So in that sense it has to be respected.
Of course, we see in Bhagavatam that all jivas are respected because they are also amasas of the Lord, portions of the Lord, particles of the Lord, but the devotee is a special particle because he has got that sakti of the Lord in small degree. So that’s why the devotee has to be respected.
If we respect the devotee, we get the mercy and then we get bhakti as well. So the devotee is the main means by which Supreme Lord spreads bhakti in the material world. So we can get the benediction of bhakti from the Lor, if we are fortunate to see the Lord directly, but usually that benediction comes from devotees we have to get their mercy. Of course, the benediction from the very beginning is not even desired, we don’t know what to ask for, we are not interested in Krishna at all. So we don’t know what to ask for. Therefore, the devotees are causeless in mercy as they give benediction in any way. But then the people hear the holy name take prasadam etc. So it is ajnata sukrit that is the first benediction give to people in the material work as they don’t have faith. Once they get faith then the benediction is more particular, the devotees then give knowledge and guidance and inspiration for those jivas that have faith and then they can develop.
The benediction here the Prahlad is asking for is, I don’t want any material desires so we should not mistake this, it is not an isolated thing. Give up material desires, we end up in liberation, but that not what devotees want. So we shouldn’t take the verse out of context saying that our main goal is to get rid of all material desires. If we do that we end up with liberation, which is not the goal.
We have to take everything in context. Yes, without having those desires and getting the benediction is good but this is the part of a whole statement of Prahlad which he is recognising himself as eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. So, it goes beyond simply extinguishing material desires. This is one rule in scripture to get the meaning of scriptures we should get the direct meaning over the indirect meaning should not distort the words, meaning of the verse, grammar of the verse etc take that meaning and so Prahlad says, my benediction is I have no material desires any more. So we can take that as an isolated statement therefore Prahlad wanted liberation, because he says no more desires.
But the next rule of interpretation is take the context of the statement, what is the intension and the context behind what Prahlad is saying this. If we are taking in bigger context we see Prahlad is a devotee. His aspiration is to serve and please Narshimadev eternally. It is not just get rid of material desires. Yes, this is a factor obviously when one advances in Bhakti the material desires disappear. We have anarthana vritti when that is complete there is no kama there is no anarthas, there is no ahankaar but there is prema. Not only absence of desire should be there but thre must be complete devotion must be there. So this is part of benediction, no more material desires but the other is prema.
So that is the aspiration of the devotee. That’s the desire, but let me have prema, let me serve the Lord eternally. It is not the type of karma that causes bondage in material world. Absence of material desires is good, but its only part of the formula, they say its one side factor in fact if we only strive to get rid of desires is Jnana yoga and vairagya etc . But these are actually unfavourable for Bhakti, so the way the devotee gets rid of desires etc is by the process of bhakti itself. The process of bhakti, is independent of the karma yoga and Jnana yoga. We don’t have to rely on those processes, to be on sattva gun vairagya knowledge etc. Everything is automatically revealed, jnana and vairagya are automatically revealed through bhakti. But of course if we go beyond Jnana we get the revelation of the Lord Himself, Bhagavan so we go beyond understanding atma and brahman etc.
Bhakti is a complete process in itself. If we follow we get rid of the material desires but replace that with pure desires of prema. So therefore, Prahlad desire is not just the removal of material but the opposite as well. That’s expressed where Prabhupada quotes from Lord Caintanya’s Sikshastakam, “ I don’t want wealth, I don’t want women I don’t want followers etc, I don’t want to be famous for my knowledge”, but I wantBhakti birth after birth after birth. So there is a desire, but it is not the kama of the material world. The desire is there, so there is good desire and the bad desire. The good desires are the desires to please the Lord. The bad desires are to desire for something for myself that causes bondage.
The process of getting rid of bad desires, is to develop good desires. Desires to serve Krishna more and more. So the more we develop that our desire to please Krishna then the less we desire for ourselves So the whole anarthanavritti process is, the process of gradually increasing the attraction to Krishna and serving Krishna and in the process, the desire to please oneself, kama and ahankar etc become less and less and less.
Krishna is so merciful even if haven’t reached perfection. The Lord is not going say, here I am and reveals Himself. That is bhava stage we are not perfect. Still got little trace of anartha there. Still the lord says ok and Lord reveals Himself to the devotees in Bhava stage. He is so merciful. But the danger is still there anarthas gets spring up and we get puffed up. So the perfection is prema., No kama at all, no desires, desire only for the Supreme Lord. That’s the best position to be in.
Once the devotees are in that position, the Lord of course promises you come to me no more birth in this material world. The Lord is so pleased with the devotee who has reached that stage in perfection by countless endeavours to please Him and to ignore the material world and go through so many difficulties here. The Lord made had created attraction for Him. The 6 qualities of Bhakti is Krishna Karshini. In prema, that bhakti attracts the Lord and controls the Lord. So, the Lord becomes the servant of the devotee and He promises you can never leave that position, you are eternally with me. So, He is completely at the service of the devotee at this stage. How is that result? Because of the complete desire for the Lord and nothing else. So that is the definition of prema.
The prema also has various stages of intensity. Bhava is like rati, is the first indication theb we get stronger is Prema and stronger and stronger so we go through sneha etc and pranaya and raga and anuraga and finally maha bhava, where even that desire for the Lord becomes stronger , stronger, stronger and stronger even after there is no material desires. In the spiritual world that desire becomes very intense towards the Supreme Lord. So the absence of the desire completely, that is not desired by the devotee. Always desire is there, desire to serve the Lord and sacrifice oneself somehow or the other.
Interestingly, the topmost devotees have kama (laughter), the devotees, the gopies they have kama for Krishna obviously not for themselves but looks like material kama, but it is desire to please Krishna completely and very intensively. So, that is the highest type of desire to serve the Lord with the gopies, that type of Kama So that kama is completely different from the material kama. It is opposite. Also the most intense of all the love we can have for the Supreme Lord. So very very high and very very intense.
The idea is the absence desire means, the absence of material desires, and that also must means you have the desire to serve the Lord and the more intense the kama the better it is, the higher and greater bhakti we have higher prema we get, because the intensive desire we get in serving the Lord which end up with Maha Bhava etc like gopies.
Therefore, we don’t take the text out of context and say no desires are there. But we have take within the context of all these verses here. So the bhavagavatam is such that, we can possibly come to different conclusion. And the bhagavtam provides the opportunity to not to, because it is Mohinim it hides the nectar from the demons and gives it to the devotees. So we have to be sincere devotees to get the implicit meaning of the scripture not just always take the literal meaning without context. We take the verse in the context of the other verses.
Therefore, Prahlad is not glorifying liberation Moksa but this is only aspect of his desire to serve the Lord eternally in devotion. So, ultimately it is the glorification of Bhakti, not Jnana yoga or anything else. As devotees, we have to read the Bhagavatam with attention understanding idea and context this way we get the true meaning of the Bhagavatam. And things which are contradictions will not be contradictions if we understand the Bhagavatam through the commentaries of our acharyas and Sirla prabhupada. As we see here in purport Prabhupada makes very clear that we have no material desire are but we have the desire to server Krishna, our request is then give me Bhakti, it is not implicit just get rid of material desires. if you want to give me the benediction give me the benediction of Prema, just get rid of the desires. But the implicit is give me the bhakti eternally, birth after birth eternally wherever we are wherever I am in the material world or wherever. We should understand the scriptures through the purports and through the acharyas. This way we will get the true meaning of the Bhagavatam.
Any questions?
Devotee: Thank you very much for your class. Although I try to grasp the full explanation. Could you explain Prakash and Krishna Karshini what it means?
Maharaj: Prakash, It is the aspect of Sattva gun. Prakash means revelation, or knowledge we can say if we make it little more mundane. So that knowledge that I am not this material body I am atma separate from the material body and this leads to jnana yoga and the other one was? Devotee: Krishna Karshini.
Maharaj: So there are 6 qualities , 6 unique qualities of Bhakti mentioned in Nectar of devotion. The last is Krishna karshini, which literally means that Bhakti becomes attractive to Krishna. Now Krishna is all attractive but then Krishna becomes attracted to Bhakti. This looks little contradictory, Krishna is the most attractive and everybody is attracted to him but then Krishna becomes attracted to devotees, the devotees are more attractive than Krshna. So this is of course Krishna is attracted to all bhakti but particularly in prema, when it is 100% pure and intense then the Lord becomes so attracted to the devotee and He is willing to do anything for the devotee. So the other way of stating that is, He comes under the control of the devotee. The prema controls the devotee, that’s Krishna Karshini.
Devotee: What kind of Liberation the Jnana Yogis get?
Maharaj: if they don’t offend the Lord, and ask for His mercy, then they may get this Brahman liberation. Brahman. Devotee: what happens in that liberation: Maharaj: That’s it, eternally peaceful in brahman. Sukadev was like that but he still had his body and in the womb he was thinking, I don’t want to come out to the material world if I look at objects I will get attracted so better I stay in the womb and keep my eyes closed like this and i will be very peaceful, then he came out. But he got the mercy of Krishna and veda vyas and heard the Bhagavatam and became a great devotee. So there is possibility of the Jnani can become a great devotee of the Lord by association of mercy of devotee also. Somehow, but some of them are fixed on the brahman and they don’t want anything else.
Devotee: The Jnana Yogis?
Maharaj: same thing generally, the yogis also want liberation, if you look in patanjali’s yoga sutra. Stop the functions of the mind and end up in the state of cit, it’s usually impersonal. Of course they also recognise paramattma but they use paramattma to ask give us mercy so we get liberation. That’s misfortune.
Devotee: Hare Krishna, Thank you very much maharaj, for your class. You have explained very clearly that sattva, you can’t be in sattva forever and then don’t get the mercy of the Lord. Like sattva don’t give moksha or liberation. My question is in regarding the position of sukadeva goswami and four kumars who are described as atmaramas and similar persons as atm ramas. Were they in sattva or in suddha sattva? The primary characteristic of Bhava Bhakti according to Sri Rupa Goswami in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindu is Suddha sattva so what was their position? In the case of Sukadeva Goswami you mentioned he got mercy from Vyasa dev. They got access to Suddha sattva only when they got touch with the devotees or what was the case of four kumaras?
Maharaj: Well, Sukadev is in very special position, and I don’t know whether it says he was a nitya siddha anywhere, but as far as sadhaka or whatever , Atmarama he had attained a stage of realisation where he was satisfied with his realisation of brahman though he had a body. So he is like a jivan mukta we can say. So jivan mukta, if he gets the mercy of the devotee then he can advance further and take up bhakti etc. If he doesn’t, then he can give up the material body and enter into brahman. The case of kumaras, is they are sakti a vesha avatars of the Lord and they have eternally spiritual body not even sadhakas, they are in santa rasa actually it is prema also but lesser type of prema. They are not in the material speak so to speak. But they tend to set example for us and they preach jnana. Also they are beyond the material world they are in suddha satva and they got spiritual bodies, sakti avesha avatars.
Devotee: Maharaj, you were saying about getting the mercy of the Supreme Lord, from the, comes from the pure devotees so what is the way to please the pure devotees so that we get the mercy if possible from the Supreme Lord?
Maharaj: How to get the mercy from the pure devotees? And of course, who is the pure devotee is another question. So pure devotee in the general sense means anyone who is practicing pure bhakti according to definition of Rupa goswami in Nectar Of Devotion, uttma bhakti, which can start from the beginning of sadana if you are fortunate to get the association of devotees and understand the definition of “annyabilashita suniyam” and practise then in that sense you are pure devotee. But ultimately, we also know that generally the Kanishtas wouldn’t preach. So it will be madhyamas who understand little more thoroughly they have the desire to communicate this knowledge to others so they will be the one who want to give the mercy something like that. So they are the regular pure devotees who do the preaching.
How do we get the mercy of them? If we don’t have any faith, we don’t have any desire to get that mercy. So the only way is accidently if the madhyama adikari is very enthusiastic about spreading bhakti around the world, then but he has the rule don’t preach to the aparadhis and faithless people, and they don’t have faith and how does he preach to the people? Solution is let them hear the holy name. That’s the first for people without faith to get the mercy. But if someone is very active and making everybody Hare Krishna that’s how people will develop faith, that’s the first mercy. So its without having to do anything you get the mercy. If you are fortunate you get to lead the kirtan or something like that.
The second is if you have faith how do you get the mercy of devotees? We have the bhagavad gita , parani part, “tat viddhi paripathena..” be humble, have inquisitive, pariprashtena sevaya , be willing to take the words and put them into action. So, these are qualification in other words we listen and then don’t practice how can the devotee be merciful, he won’t talk to you again, if we want further instruction we have to make sure we enthusiastically to follow and listen carefully etc. If you are eager for more knowledge then he will give more knowledge, then He will give more mercy. So we have to have the eagerness to advance in Bhakti then he will give. In other words, if we have sincere faith, meaning we have a conviction in the Supreme Lord and His power to help us and the process of bhakti, then, automatically the devotee should be merciful. He is merciful to anyone who is interested in developing his Bhakti. Devotees are all merciful, and they don’t preach to the faithless but they like to preach to the faithful, the pure the faith is the more they are interested and they more they give the mercy.
Devotee: Harekrishna maharaj, In the damodarashtam, “varam deva moksham na moksam”, the translation is I don’t want any type of liberation only the bala Gopal in my thought, translation also goes like I also don’t want benediction mentioned in 9 process of Bhakti the translation goes and why that?
Maharaj: Bhakti can give material benedictions as well or liberation as well in another words bhakti can give everything. In Harinam cintamani, bhakti can give material benedictions liberation, swarupya, salokya, etc and also prema . So, the devotee may practice mixed bhakti and may want other things as well but generally not. So only they want prema, that’s what the devotees want.
Devotee: Hare Krishna, its interesting that Druva Maharaj and Prahlad maharaj the both said, that they don’t want material benedictions and yet they ended up with ….laughter. why did the Lord did that when they were very clear they don’t want material things?
Maharaj: The lord also understand the nature of the devotee etc, and he will not give benediction which will endanger their bhakti. He always protects them. We have devotees those have lots of wealth like Ambarish maharaj, Druva himself etc, if there not an interference for development of Bhakti or protection of Bhakti fine then you will get everything. So particularly, the Lord is also tricky sometimes. He has excused, you actually asked for this desire, for big kingdom I’m going to give it to you as I am attracted to you and I am going to give you all your desires, even that was an immature desire, foolish desire, still I will give that to you. It’s not with devotion at all at this stage but it is the aspect of Lord’s mercy, He does all these things, gives devotee such possessions. But the other aspect is it’s an example in the material world if the devotee disappears from the material world they cast an example. So sets an example for persons, they can perform the devotional service and they can also get power with no obstacles.
Devotee: Thank you for your wonderful class. I felt the two points contradictory to the lecture. You mentioned result of any process, depends on Lord, even say eg of kanishta person. Some days before they were example of people worshipping Lord shiva and getting the benediction of killing people by touching the head, that was not the case and I don’t think he was lover of God as he was outright demoniac person. Similary from the eg Hiranyakashipu he was outright enemy of the Lord although he was a pure devotee.?? The examples indicate different.
Whenever we are talking about the process, the process of karma yoga, Jnana yoga or ashtanga yoga , so in karma yoga , the goal is better prosperity in the material world, swargo loka etc so we worship the devastas and if we don’t offend Vishnu, then we go to swargo loka that is the idea. If we do other tapsyas which are beyond varnashram that’s different.
Devotee: Hare Krishna. Thank you for your usual wonderful class. When I read the purport, part of the purport, the question is the devotees don’t preach to faithless persons. Maharaj: there is exception to that Devotee: There is verse, that Krishna says. In purport Srila Prabhupada says they cannot appreciate activities of Krishna consciousness, therefore, Lord Vishnu advices us not to simply waste time. But the devotees of the Lord are more kinder than the Lord, they understand the purpose to f the Lord, consequently they undertake all kind of risks, even they approach those people and try to spread Kc which is absolutely necessity for the society
IF you see the even in Lord Caitanya’s example he told deveotees to go and preach of course to the aparadis and Lord Caitanya is very merciful General principle but there is exceptions too we must understand ok we have to end its 9:00.