Inquiries into the Absolute: Digest 60

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Digest 60, June 18th, 2003

 

Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja

 

*** You are welcome to send in your questions to HH Romapada Swami at

iskcon_dc with the word "Question" in the subject. ***

 

 

Supersoul, Srimad Bhagavatam and Lord Krishna's Disappearance

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Q.1)

According to BG 18.61 the Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart.

But then according to Bramha Samhita, Paramatma is also situated within

every atom. "andantarasatam paramanu chayantarastam." Now if I say He is

situated in my heart, is He not in my hand as He is already present within

every atom? What does it mean when it is said that He is present within

every atom.

 

Answer)

The Lord is present within every atom in His all-pervasive localized

feature. He is simultaneously seated in the region of the heart of the

soul, specifically, along with the individual living entity occupying

that body. In this particular form, He acts as the witness and permitter

of the soul's activities in the material world. As the soul transmigrates

through various species of life, suffering and enjoying the fruits of his

actions in forgetfulness of the Lord, the Lord accompanies him through all

species of life in His Supersoul feature as his constant well-wishing

companion.

 

 

Q.2)

 

I have been told that the Srimad Bhagavatam is a commentary/explanation of

only 4 verses. These 4 verses are the original instructions to Lord Brahma.

I think it is called "catur sloki Bhagavata." Please comment and explain

also which canto and which chapter and verse numbers do this refer to.

 

Answer)

In the beginning of creation, when Lord Brahma appeared on a lotus flower

born from the navel of Lord Vishnu, he was perplexed as to the source of

the lotus flower and of his own existence. Brahma also required direction

how to proceed with his creative work, ie. the engineering and construction

of the entire universe. All he could see was the lotus flower upon which

he was seated and endless darkness. At that time, hearing the syllables

'tapa' being vibrated from an unknown source, he executed devotional

penances for a long time. At the end of a thousand celestial years, the

Lord being very much satisfied by Brahma's penance manifested before him

along with His spiritual abode, and instructed him the essence of

Bhagavatam in four verses.

 

Graphic description of this episode of Brahma's perplexity, penance and

finally seeing the Supreme Lord are found in the Second Canto, Chapter

Nine. The questions Lord Brahma put to the Lord upon seeing Him are

answered by the Lord in the catur-sloki or four essential verses, which

are Texts 33-36. As in the Bhagavad-gita, where Krishna has summarized

the whole text in four verses [bg. 10.8-11], so the complete Srimad-

Bhagavatam has also been summarized in these four verses. Brahma

instructed them to Narada and requested him to expand them further. Later

on Naradaji gave the same instruction to Vyasadeva, who then expanded the

entire Srimad Bhagavatam (this is described in Canto 1, Ch. 5-7), which

was later recited by Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit.

 

The questions asked by Brahmaji were as follows: (1) What are the forms of

the Lord both in matter and in transcendence? (2) How are the different

energies of the Lord working? (3) How does the Lord play with His different

energies? (4) How may Brahma be instructed to discharge the duty entrusted

to Him, without being conditioned by such activities? The answers to these

four questions forms the nucleus of Bhagavatam. The Lord informs Brahma

that this knowledge is very subtle and can be understood only by the grace

of the Lord, achieved through the process of devotional service. (Cf.

2.9.31-32)

 

Q.3)

How did Krishna disappear from the material world in that lila?

 

Answer)

The departure of Lord Krishna from this material world is described in the

Mahabharata, Mausala parva, and also in the Srimad Bhagavatam. After having

established the Pandavas as the emperors of the planet, Lord Krishna

decided to wind up his pastimes in this universe, and on the pretense of

a curse, He arranged to withdraw all the members of the Yadu clan from the

surface of the earth. And then He sat down in a forest, displaying His

brilliant four-armed form and surrounded by His personal weapons in their

embodied form, when on the pretense of the curse, and by the inconceivable

will of the Lord, a hunter named Jara mistakenly pierced the lotus foot of

the Lord with an arrow. The Lord then departed from the planet, and it is

described that as He entered His abode, even the demigods, headed by Lord

Brahma, could not see Him or ascertain His movements, and thus became

astonished.

 

As with the appearance of the Lord from the womb of Devaki, His

disappearance, although resembling an ordinary living entity, is actually

an enactment of yogamaya, and is very difficult to understand for the

common man. Although His body is non-different from His self, unlike

ordinary conditioned living entities, it is described that when Krishna

returned to His abode, He left behind His virat-rupa form in the material

world just to bewilder the atheists who did not understand the

transcendental nature of the Lord. (Cf. SB 1.14.8)

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----- Festivals over the next week ------

Jun 18 2003, Wednesday Appearance Sri Vakresvara Pandita

Jun 23 2003, Monday Disappearance Sri Srivasa Pandita

Jun 25 2003, Wednesday Ekadasi Yogini (Break fast 04:44-08:18) (Fast)

 

*** NOTE: All times are for Washington D.C, USA, EST ***

For festival information for your city please go to http://www.iskcondc.org and

click on 'Calendar'

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