HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami

[Guest guest]

>From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir

 

March 10, 2005

Verse: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.13.14

Speaker: HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami

__

 

kancit kalam athavatsit sat-krto devavat sukham

bhratur jyesthasya sreyas-krt sarvesam sukham avahan

 

TRANSLATION: Thus Mahatma Vidura, being treated just like a godly person by

his kinsmen, remained there for a certain period just to rectify the

mentality of his eldest brother and in this way bring happiness to all the

others.

 

PURPORT: Saintly persons like Vidura must be treated as well as a denizen

from heaven. In those days denizens of heavenly planets used to visit homes

like that of Maharaja Yudhisthira, and sometimes persons like Arjuna and

others used to visit higher planets. Narada is a spaceman who can travel

unrestrictedly, not only within the material universes but also in the

spiritual universes. Even Narada used to visit the palace of Maharaja

Yudhisthira and what to speak of other celestial demigods. It is only the

spiritual culture of the people concerned that makes interplanetary travel

possible, even in the present body. Maharaja Yudhisthira therefore received

Vidura in the manner of reception offered to the demigods.

 

Mahatma Vidura had already adopted the renounced order of life, and

therefore he did not return to his paternal palace to enjoy some material

comforts. He accepted out of his own mercy what was offered to him by

Maharaja Yudhisthira, but the purpose of living in the palace was to deliver

his elder brother, Dhrtarastra, who was too much materially attached.

Dhrtarastra lost all his state and descendants in the fight with Maharaja

Yudhisthira, and still, due to his sense of helplessness, he did not feel

ashamed to accept the charity and hospitality of Maharaja Yudhisthira. On

the part of Maharaja Yudhisthira, it was quite in order to maintain his

uncle in a befitting manner, but acceptance of such magnanimous hospitality

by Dhrtarastra was not at all desirable. He accepted it because he thought

that there was no alternative. Vidura particularly came to enlighten

Dhrtarastra and to give him a lift to the higher status of spiritual

cognition. It is the duty of enlightened souls to deliver the fallen ones,

and Vidura came for that reason. But talks of spiritual enlightenment are so

refreshing that while instructing Dhrtarastra, Vidura attracted the

attention of all the members of the family, and all of them took pleasure in

hearing him patiently. This is the way of spiritual realization. The message

should be heard attentively, and if spoken by a realized soul, it will act

on the dormant heart of the conditioned soul. And by continuously hearing,

one can attain the perfect stage of self-realization.

 

(invocatory prayers)

 

So here, first of all Srila Prabhupada discusses the manner of reception of

Vidura. Maharaja Yudhisthira and his brothers and the others they received

him in a most glorious way, just like he was a demigod, just like some great

elevated transcendental personality. A reception fit for a king or more than

a king. Very wonderful reception. Sometimes it's said that a saint is not

recognised in his own village, because everyone thinks "Oh him, I remember

him when he was just a little boy and he couldn't do anything". But in this

case, when Mahatma Vidura returned to Hastinapura, he was given such a

wonderful, glorious reception just like Lord Brahma had arrived, Lord Siva,

or some amazing personality like that.

 

And then Srila Prabhupada expands the point and in a very amazing way: "It

is only by the spiritual culture of the people concerned that makes

interplanetary travel possible." So perhaps NASA or whover they are, these

people trying to go to Mars, maybe they should be informed that they should

become Krsna conscious, and if they become Krsna conscious then these things

may become achievable and you won't even need all these very sophisticated

and expensive rockets and spaceships. But Prabhupada says this

interplanetary travel will be possible even in the present body. You can

just go like that, very amazing.

 

This is one very important part of Vedic culture, Krsna conscious culture,

that through that transcendental culture everything becomes possible. It's

not just a matter of intellectual development or scientific development, but

the essence, the actual foundation is that spiritual personal development,

and a very essential, vital part of that is how we deal with others, how we

receive others, how we deal with others in general.

 

There's a very interesting description in the 8th Canto of the Bhagavatam

when Bali Maharaja has thrown Indra and the other demigods out of the

heavenly planets and taken over, then Aditi, the mother of the demigods, she

was extremely disturbed that "My sons, my children have been kicked out,

booted out like this, it's terrible, they've lost everything and they're

just wandering like homeless people. Aditi was deeply disturbed by this, and

then her husband, Kasyapa, returned home. He was not aware of what had

happened yet. But then he saw Aditi was there in this distraught state,

completely devastated, and Kasyapa asked her "What's wrong, what happened?

Something terrible must have happened." But she was so overwhelmed she

couldn't say anything, and then he had to ask her and suggest "Was it this,

was it that?" Various things he suggested, until finally she explained.

 

So a very interesting point there is that he suggests all sorts of things

like did someone rob you or abuse you or something extreme like that. But

the first question he asks her--why are you so upset--the first thing he

asks her was "Was there some uninvited guest who you were not able to

receive properly?" This is the first thing, and then other things like did

someone speak very badly to you, or curse you, something offensive to you. .

.. but the first thing was "Could you not receive some uninvited guest

properly?" It's a very important of Vedic culture and it's a very important

part of Krsna conscious culture, how we receive people and how in general we

deal with people.

 

We see when Krsna entered Mathura, he was received in different ways by

different people. The first person that is mentioned is the washerman. You

may be familiar with that story. Krsna and Balarama and the cowherd boys in

their very boisterous cowherd boy way were making their way through the

streets of Mathura and they found this washerman who was Kamsa's personal

laundry man. And he was on his way back to the palace with a whole big

basket of Kamsa's cloth, all freshly laundered and ironed, very first class

cloth. So Krsna and Balarama, in their cowherd boy way, said, "Oh, what nice

cloth! Wouldn't you like to give us boys some of that cloth?"

 

But unfortunately this washerman was not in this nice consciousness and

certainly not in Krsna consciousness, so he became very offended and pompous

and arrogant and said "Who do you think you are, little cowherd boys? Why

don't you just go back to the forest where you belong? These are the King's

clothes, how dare you ask for these things?" He didn't do it in the right

way like Maharaja Yudhisthira and the Pandavas did. And Krsna took exception

and gave him a good slap in the face. But Krsna is so powerful if he just

gives you a slap--normally it's not a very serious type of blow--but when

Krsna hit the washerman in the face, the man's head fell off. (laughter) And

that was the end of the washerman. So you've got to watch out how you greet

people and visitors.

 

There's a very interesting passage in the Caitanya Bhagavat where Lord

Caitanya is explaining this pastime to some of his associates. Lord Caitanya

says that "Actually this washerman had performed severe austerities and

penances for many lifetimes so he could see God. And as a result of that now

he go to see God, Krsna, but because his heart was hard, that spiritual

culture was not there, it was just some strong renunciation and forcing away

material desires. So when he met God he was not able to relate with Him

properly, he offended Krsna and he ended up in that situation.

 

On the other hand, one of the next people that Krsna and Balarama met was

one florist or garland-maker named Sudama. Not Sudama the brahmana but

another person like that. He was the garland-maker of Kamsa, and he also had

a big basket full of flowers intended for Kamsa, for making nice garlands

and flower decorations for the King. But when Krsna and Balarama approached

him they said, "Oh, what nice flowers you've got, wouldn't you like to make

some garlands for us cowherd boys?" Then Sudama the florist immediately said

yes, and he did that, and Krsna and Balarama and the cowherd boys were very

happy with these garlands. And Krsna blessed the florist that "For the rest

of this life you'll be happy and comfortable, and at the end of this life

you'll go back to Godhead." So you see, if you do it the right way, you

never know who that person may be who you bump in to.

 

This principle is a very important part of spiritual culture. Krsna

consciousness is also not just a matter of giving up things and working hard

for Krsna, it's a whole process a deep spiritual culture of personal

development and changing yourself, changing life and changing this world.

And this is one very important part of it. We have to learn how to deal with

others, very nicely, very appropriately. And it's so important.

 

In the 4th Canto there's one verse Narada Muni is speaking that when you

meet people who are junior to you then you should be be very kind to them

and help them. And when you meet people who are equal to you then you should

befriend them and be very happy to be in their company and share with them

in that way. And when you meet people who are senior to you you should be

very respectful and serve them, inquire, take shelter of them. And then

Narada Muni says that if we do like this then we will overcome the miseries

of material existence. It's very profound, you might think how could it be

that effective if you just learn what to do and what not to do? Like

diplomacy. . . in England they have a book which is updated every year on

how to deal with royalty and very big people, what's done and what's not

done. But it's just like some rules and regulations, but this is really

something from the heart, and if one really inculcates that and really takes

that to heart and becomes able to deal like this then it can change one's

whole life. This transcendental culture is a very wonderful and very

powerful thing. Even one can actually travel to other planets even in the

same body. It would save a lot of time, money, energy and what not.

 

So then in the description Srila Prabhupada describes how Vidura was

returning to his home. He was already in the renounced order, a sannyasi,

and sannyasis generally don't return to their homes, they avoid those places

because so many reminders of one's previous life, bodily relationships and

all that sort of thing. Traditionally in the Vedic times when people would

take sannyasa or just renounce, go out of the home permanently. . . like

it's described with Maharaja Bharat, when that time came, he simply got up,

turned around, walked out, and that was it. There were no fond farewells,

going-away parties and speeches "Thank you all, it's been nice knowing you".

.. . he was just not there. Suddenly they realized he had gone. This is how

it was done, they would just go out into the forest and there would be

different asramas there. They would arrive there and people would not know

who they were. This was the traditional system and particularly in those

days it was like that.

 

But Vidura returned home, seems like perhaps a contradiction on a certain

level. But he came home, he did this unusual thing, to help Dhrtarastra. . .

on the spiritual level, it's not a contradiction, it's something very nice

and very merciful that he would bother with this hopeless case. We can well

imagine that they would have given up hope on Dhrtarastra coming right a

long time before. But Vidura didn't give up, he came back. Even he did this

unusual thing of coming back to his home where all his relatives were, but

out of mercy to try to help this otherwise pathetic case, Dhrtarastra.

 

It was mentioned yesterday that Vidura when he returned. . . this is all

happening immediately after Krsna had left the planet and Vidura is aware of

that but the Pandavas had not heard the news yet and Vidura was aware of

that. He didn't say anything. You can just imagine in the modern context

where's this information overload, CNN and all that. If CNN had been around

when Krsna left the world, everyone would have known, but here not very many

people know even though you might think it's a very vital, important piece

of information, but Vidura didn't want to disturb the Pandavas so he didn't

say anything about it.

 

But on the other hand as we'll see in the following verses, when it comes to

straightening Dhrtarastra out, he let him have it in no uncertain terms.

Practically it was like he was just belittling him, he was preaching so

powerfully: "Look at you, your teeth are falling out"--that's pretty direct

preaching. "You are just like a dog that hangs around the edge of the table

while the master is eating hoping that some scraps will fall out." So it

wasn't a matter of sentimentality that he didn't say anything to the

Pandavas and it wasn't a matter of enviousness or something of that sort

that he was so cutting with Dhrtarastra, but it's the same point of

spiritual culture. Because of the depth of his spiritual culture he was able

to apply Krsna consciousness in a the most perfect and appropriate ways in

all sorts of diverse circumstances and in this way have the very best

effects.

 

Like Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada because of the depth of his Krsna

consciousness he was also able to take the same culture, philosophy,

activities, practice of Krsna consciousness and everything, and give it to

us in the most perfect way. It's not simply a matter of just chant Hare

Krsna and that's it, although in a certain sense that is the essence, but

it's a very deep and profound science, and if it is applied very nicely,

then the people will change and become perfect and even the whole world will

change and become perfect.

 

But if someone with less realization takes it and tries to give it to people

in ways which are not so well-informed, then of course the people may get

some benefit, but the world will not be changed, and even though those

people may get some benefit, their lives will not necessarily be changed so

much. In this way see the difference between Prabhupada and his

contemporaries, that Prabhupada because of the depth of his Krsna

consciousness was able to do basically like what Vidura is doing, apply

everything very perfectly in terms of time, place, and circumstance, and not

just blurting out to everyone that "Oh, Krsna left this world", but able to

deal with these situations in very perfect ways, resolve various

contradictions. Like here we have a contradiction, a very traditional

sannyasi in Vedic times coming home, this is a type of contradiction.

 

The most exalted transcendental personalities they are able to take Krsna

consciousness, bring it to the material world, and give it and direct their

followers how to take it and follow it in such ways that even here in

Kali-yuga--where everyone is like Dhrtarastra essentially, hanging on till

the last minute--but these great transcendental personalities can take Krsna

consciousness even in a place like this and give it in such ways that not

only the recipients benefit, but they are able to give it, to change so

much, and the to make other people change so much, and the whole world can

change. Ultimately this is real Krsna consciousness, this is the mission of

Krsna, this is the mission of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda and the

Pancatattva, to give Krsna consciousness in this way, on that most profound

level. And then all different types of contradictions can be resolved. And

as Prabhupada said Krsna consciousness means all questions answered, all

problems solved, not just some questions answered and some problems solved,

but all of them, a complete, absolute solution to the whole situation on

this material platform.

 

We find where these great transcendental personalities are going, then these

types of things happen. Like in Caitanya-caritamrta there's another example,

apparent contradiction, how in many versions of the Ramayana, that Sita is

kidnapped by Ravana and then Lord Rama rescues Sita. We find in

Caitanya-caritamrta, when Lord Caitanya was on pilgrimage in South India

that he met one devotee who was quite griefstricken by this whole idea, that

Sita, she's the mother of all, the supreme goddess, but she was handled by

roughly by this Ravana, who as the 9th Canto of the Bhagavatam, Lord Rama

says there when he's chastising Ravana that, "You are the worst of the

Raksasas, you are like the stool of the Raksasas", which must be pretty bad.

(chuckles)

 

This devotee was really distressed that this Ravana handled Sita, how he

just dragged her away and abused her, could it be like that? So then Lord

Caitanya said, "OK, leave this to Me, I'll look into it," and when He went

further down He found one version of Kurma Purana which had a description

which is not there in Ramayana generally (of course there are many

versions). So in the Kurma Purana there's a description that when Laksmana

had gone off to respond to the so-called appeal of Rama for help, that he

made one Agni-empowered ring around Sita. And when Ravana apparently dragged

Sita away--she actually voluntarily stepped through the ring--so when she

did that, although he didn't see, the real Sita went to the abode of Agni

and waited there, and one Maya Sita was kidnapped by Ravana. And then

finally when Lord Rama, after rescuing Sita, wanted to test her if she

really was uncontaminated having been with Ravana for a month or something

like that, had her walk through fire. So again when the Maya Sita walked

through fire then she was taken back by Agni and the real Sita walked out on

the other side.

 

When Lord Caitanya brought back this part of Kurma Purana and showed that

devotee, the devotee was completely satisfied and his distress was

completely gone. Krsna consciousness, we shouldn't underestimate, it's such

a deep process and practice, and we are so fortunate to have received it

from Srila Prabhupada as it is. And we have to practice it and take it

forward and present it as it is. As Prabhupada says here at the end of the

purport, we have to hear it from realized souls. So Vidura was a realized

soul presenting it to the Pandavas, so therefore even though he was just

chastising Dhrtarastra again and again, but because of the transcendental

nature of his presentation, Yudhisthira and everyone else became attracted

and relished hearing it: "You are like a dog", and they were relishing it

and thinking, "Yes, very good."

 

Vidura is a realized soul presenting it like that. Prabhupada is of course a

realized soul presenting like that, and if we just present what Prabhupada

has presented without adding, subtracting, and so on, then the same effect

can be there. One time someone was discussing with Prabhupada that how it's

a shame that Krsna is not here today so He could have spoken to us as he

spoke to Arjuna and then our lives could have been changed like Arjuna's

life was changed. Prabhupada said no, if we simply present Bhagavad-Gita as

it is, then the same thing that happened with Arjuna will happen with us.

This is the potency of parampara. Like this we can learn these lessons.

 

There are many lessons. Like here, we've just received Brhad Bhagavatamrta,

the last volume, and if you're a little familiar with it, in the second part

there's the story of Gopa-kumara going back to Godhead and it's really

amazing. In the second-to-last chapter there's the description, which is all

about his finally going to Goloka, there's the description of Krsna leaving

Vrndavana and killing Kamsa and Nanda Maharaja returning to Vrndavan without

Krsna. But here in Brhad Bhagavatamrta there's very interesting description,

that a few days later Krsna went back to Vrndavana. Brhad Bhagavatamrta

after all is meant to be like a purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, but this seems

like another contradiction, because in the 10th Canto Krsna leaves Vrndavana

and there are no descriptions of Him going back and meeting the inhabitants,

but here in Brhad Bhagavatamrta He does, apparent contradiction.

 

There's a very interesting description in Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur's

commentaries on the 10th Canto how when Uddhava went with the message of

Krsna to Vrndavana. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur gives in one of those

verses, it's like around the 41st chapter or so, a description of how when

Uddhava entered Vrndavana--Krsna having left some days or weeks before--when

Uddhava entered Vrndavana what did he see? He saw this blissful, joyful

scene, everyone was so happy! The cows were mooing and everyone was running

around and just glorifying Krsna and. . . but then the next description a

few verses later, is that he goes into Nanda Maharaja's house. There's Nanda

Maharaja sitting like a painted picture, immobile, in fact Visvanatha

Cakravarti Thakur at least says there were cobwebs growing over his body,

because he had literally not moved since returning from Mathura having left

Krsna there. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur describes that the inhabitants of

Vrndavan were so devastated and so stunned they were not able to feed

themselves so their friends and other associates from neighbouring villages

would come every day and push food into their mouths and in this way they

remained alive.

 

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur raises the question that how could it be that

when Uddhava enters Vrndavan there's this joyful scene, just overflowing

with happiness, and now we have this scene which is just utter devastation?

So he says I will give a novel explanation: as far as I can see Krsna

expanded Himself. One expansion stayed in Mathura, one returned. And Nanda

Maharaja and all the Brijbasis also expanded, so there were parallel

realities in Vrndavana. In one Krsna is present and that is what Uddhava saw

when he first entered and it was just so nice just like Krsna was there

because He was there. And Brhad Bhagavatamrta says He did go back.

 

But in the other parallel reality Krsna was in Mathura and everyone was just

overwhelmed and drowning and drowned in this bottomless ocean of separation.

And this is what is described in the Bhagavatam, particularly at least,

mainly, that particular manifestation.

 

He says it must have been like that because Krsna promised. . . there's very

many interesting descriptions there. One is when Krsna left He promised the

gopis "I will return after some days." Now in Sanskrit there are three forms

of nouns: singular, dual and plural. In most languages we have singular and

plural but in Sanskrit there's singular, like one day and night; dual, two

days and nights; and plural, three or more days and nights. Visvanatha

Cakravarti Thakur notes that when Krsna made that promise--and when one

looks in the Sanskrit, one will see--that the word he uses for days and

nights, "ahani", is the dual form. Krsna said "I will be away for two days

and nights." So therefore in that other parallel reality where Krsna did

return, everybody was ecstatic because Krsna was only away two days and

nights. But in the other reality, which in a sense is more important. . .

 

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur elswhere makes the point that Srimad Bhagavatam

is trying to make so many essential points in a very small space. He says

Srimad Bhagavatam is a small book, of course we may think of it otherwise,

but in another sense of compressing all of the philosophy and everything. .

.. he makes this point in the story of Paundraka. He mentions there that

there was this one foolish king named Paundraka and he tried to present

himself as Krsna. Then a few verses later he more or less repeats the

statement that there was a foolish king named Paundraka, he tried to take

the place of Krsna. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur says it is very significant

that Sukadeva Goswami has repeated this statement because in such a "small

book" as Srimad Bhagavatam where so much information is so much compressed,

if something is repeated it must be very important. So Sukadeva Goswami was

so amazed thinking about the foolishness of this Paundraka, he was just so

amazed that someone could think of taking the place of Krsna, that he

repeated it.

 

So in the Bhagavatam the manifestation of the gopis and the inhabitants of

Vrndavana, particularly the gopis in separation from Krsna, and Uddhava

seeing that and conveying his realizations about that to the world, that is

the most important part actually, because the ecstasy of separation is the

highest level of ecstasy, the highest level of Krsna consciousness.

 

Actually for that matter, Prabhupada describes--excuse me, OK, last

point--Prabhupada describes in the brahma-vimohana lila Lord Brahma did not

steal the cowherd boys and calves, they were Maya cowherd boys and calves

that he stole. But the real cowherd boys and calves just wandered around in

the forest for that whole year. And their parents and everyone else, even

though they were also wandering around in the same place, they just never

met them, by the arrangement of Yogamaya, for the whole year. So Visvanatha

Cakravarti Thakur says in a similar way, these two groups, these two

realities were going on they just never happened to bump into each other by

the arrangement of Yogamaya.

 

So all these things, apparent contradictions, can be balanced through Krsna

consciousness by coming through people like Vidura or people like Srila

Prabhupada. So unfortunately we don't have time, we have a message here,

time is out, so we'll finish here. Thank you all very much. Srila Prabhupada

ki jai!