Uddhava Gita!!!!!!!!!

[theist]

I have wanted to hear this news for a long long time. I feel like dancing -yeah.

 

From the Sun

 

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Uddhava-gita - The Song Ever Goes On

BY: ISVARA DASA

 

 

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Sep 8, INDIA (SUN) —

That Uddhava-gita, which is really an essential companion to Bhagavad-gita, has been largely overlooked is certainly a great mystery. Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to His friend Arjuna, on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, when the later refused to execute his duty fearing the death of many family members; in order to induce Arjuna to fight as a matter of duty, Bhagavad-gita was spoken. Uddhava gita was also spoken by the same Lord Krishna, to another dear and intimate devotee, Sri Uddhava.

 

Uddhava-gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to Uddhava to exceute the final duty of this world - which is renunciation of all worldly attachments and take to the path of complete dedication to God. In essence, messages of Bhagavad-gita and Uddhava-gita are similar, but Uddhava-gita goes little bit further in the science of God. Lord Krishna instructed Arjuna at the end of Bhagavad-gita to abandone all varieties of religions and simply surrender to Him, and to execute His will only. So Arjuna did just that, as the Lord had instructed.

 

At the end of His manifest pastimes on earth five thousand years ago, the demigods headed by Lord Brahma, approached Lord Krishna and submitted to Him that the purpose for which the demigods had prayed for His descent into this world is now fulfilled. The demigods prayed to the Lord to return to His eternal abode in the spiritual world, since the purpose of His appearance had been executed. The Lord approved the request of the demigods, but felt there was one more duty that needed to be performed; that is the withdrawal of the Yadu dynasty from the face of the earth. Lord Krishna contemplated that should the Yadu dynasty be left behind after Him, the Yadus would feel unbearable separation from Him, and thus will subsequently create another burden for the planet earth. Thus under the pretext of some curses by great sages, there was fratricidal war among the Yadu members, and the Yadu dynasty were therefore withdrew from the earth.

 

After this the Lord sat under a secluded place preparing to leave the planet. At that time, Uddhava approached the Lord, feeling great separation, prayed to the Lord to take him with Him. But the Lord had something else in mind for Uddhava. He wanted Uddhava to deliver His final teachings to the sages in the Himalayas, who will in turn benefit the humanity. Just as Uddhava was earlier deputed by the Lord to take a message to the inhabitants of Vrindavan, the Lord is now again sending Uddhava to take His ultimate teachings to the sages of Badarikashram in the Himalayas. Uddhava thus posed several questions and the Lord answered with sound logic and philosophy.

 

The instructions in the Uddhava-gita bears lots of similarities to Bhagavad-gita, however, there are much more elaborations and practical analysis on how to execute the ideas that were briefly explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Lord Krishna elaborately explained the path of self realisation, various yoga and mystic perfections, real religion, the modes of material nature and their influences, analytical understanding of material nature, the process of philosophical inquiries, and the ultimate path of bhakti, which is the process of total dedication to God. In one sense, Uddhava-gita is the ultimate companion to Bhagavad-gita, as what were briefly taught in the Bhagavad-gita were now elaborately explained by the same speaker, Lord Krishna, in the Uddhava gita.

 

While the Bhagavad-gita is part of the Mahabharata, similarly, the Uddhava-gita occurs in the Bhagavata Purana; both epics were composed by Srila Vyasadeva to highlight the glory of Lord Krishna's descents into the world. There are countless translations and editions of Bhagavad-gita, and the numbers are increasing everyday. The most potent edition of Bhagavad-gita is the edition presented by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Srila Prabhupada presented Bhagavad-gita As Its, and opened the eyes of this darkened world, to the personality of Lord Krishna, which had previously being hidden by the unscrupulous and impersonal commentaries of the great book.

 

*I

t is our great fortune that we are presenting the Uddhava-gita for the first time to the world.

Though the Uddhava-gita is itself form the bulk of eleventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, which had already being published, especially by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, however, this edition is special. Lord Krishna's final teaching is extracted from the great Srimad Bhagavat, and it is fully elaborated upon with the commentaries of two of our great Vaisnava spiritual masters: Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, the spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta also made a summary of each chapter, thus making the book easily understandable. The commentaries of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and the purports of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura are presented one after the other on each verse of the book.

 

This book, Uddhava-gita, with commentaries of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, is complete with the original Sanskrit verses, roman transliterations, English translations, and full commentaries. At the end of the book are glossaries of the terms used, and full index. The book is 820 pages, 9"x7", hardback.

 

It's now available in India, and can be gotten soon in some ISKCON temples in India as well as selected public outlets. It will soon be available in Europe through Bhaktivedanta Library Services and in North America through Krishna Culture.

 

You can write me at

isvara99@gmail.com

for more bulk purchases details.

 

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</td></tr></tbody></table> *This is not the first time the Uddhava gita has been published. Maybe the first Vaisnava stand alone work though I don't know.

 

Not sure what translations will be used. I like the current translations in Iskcons Bhagavatam so I hope they use those. I do avoid the purports however and so am excited to hear of Visvanatha Chakravarti and Bhaktisiddhanta's commentaries and chapter summaries.

 

I can't wait. I'm going to try and get a copy reserved from Krsna Culture ASAP.

 

Hare Krsna

[theist]

I believe the Uddhava Gita begins here 11.6.40-41 with Uddhava approaching Krsna in a private place just after Krsna tells the Yadus to leave for Prabhasa.

 

 

Uddhava speaking to Krsna.

 

SB 11.6.40-41 - My dear King, Uddhava was a constantly faithful follower of Lord Krishna. Upon seeing the imminent departure of the Yadavas, hearing from them of the Lord's instructions and taking note of the fearful omens, he approached the Personality of Godhead in a private place. He bowed down with his head at the lotus feet of the supreme controller of the universe and with folded hands addressed Him as follows.

 

SB 11.6.42 - Sri Uddhava said: O my Lord, O supreme God among all the demigods, real piety is invoked simply by hearing and chanting Your transcendental glories. My Lord, it appears that You will now withdraw Your dynasty, and thus You Yourself will finally give up Your pastimes within this universe. You are the supreme controller and the master of all mystic power. But although You are fully capable of counteracting the brahmanas' curse against Your dynasty, You are not doing so, and Your disappearance is imminent.

 

SB 11.6.43 - O Lord Kesava, my dear master, I cannot tolerate giving up Your lotus feet even for a fraction of a moment. I urge You to take me along with You to Your own abode.

 

SB 11.6.44 - O my dear Krishna, Your pastimes are supremely auspicious for mankind and are an intoxicating beverage for the ears. Tasting such pastimes, people forget their desires for other things.

 

SB 11.6.45 - My dear Lord, You are the Supreme Soul, and thus You are most dear to us. We are Your devotees, and how can we possibly reject You or live without You even for a moment? Whether we are lying down, sitting, walking, standing, bathing, enjoying recreation, eating or doing anything else, we are constantly engaged in Your service.

 

SB 11.6.46 - Simply by decorating ourselves with the garlands, fragrant oils, clothes and ornaments that You have already enjoyed, and by eating the remnants of Your meals, we, Your servants, will indeed conquer Your illusory energy.

 

SB 11.6.47 - Naked sages who seriously endeavor in spiritual practice, who have raised their semen upward, who are peaceful and sinless members of the renounced order, attain the spiritual abode called Brahman.

 

SB 11.6.48-49 - O greatest of mystics, although we are conditioned souls wandering on the path of fruitive work, we will certainly cross beyond the darkness of this material world simply by hearing about Your Lordship in the association of Your devotees. Thus we are always remembering and glorifying the wonderful things You do and the wonderful things You say. We ecstatically recall Your amorous pastimes with Your confidential conjugal devotees and how You boldly smile and move about while engaged in such youthful pastimes. My dear Lord, Your loving pastimes are bewilderingly similar to the activities of ordinary people within this material world.

 

SB 11.6.50 - Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King Parikshit, thus addressed, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, the son of Devaki, began to reply confidentially to His dear, unalloyed servant Uddhava.

[theist]

SB 11.7.5 - My dear Uddhava, you should not remain here on the earth once I have abandoned this world. My dear devotee, you are sinless, but in Kali-yuga the people will be addicted to all types of sinful activities; therefore do not stay here.

 

SB 11.7.6 - Now you should completely give up all attachment to your personal friends and relatives and fix your mind on Me. Thus being always conscious of Me, you should observe all things with equal vision and wander throughout the earth.

[theist]

SB 11.7.7 - My dear Uddhava, the material universe that you perceive through your mind, speech, eyes, ears and other senses is an illusory creation that one imagines to be real due to the influence of mäyä. In fact, you should know that all of the objects of the material senses are temporary.

 

SB 11.7.8 - One whose consciousness is bewildered by illusion perceives many differences in value and meaning among material objects. Thus one engages constantly on the platform of material good and evil and is bound by such conceptions. Absorbed in material duality, such a person contemplates the performance of compulsory duties, nonperformance of such duties and performance of forbidden activities.

 

Gita 6.8 - A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogi[or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything—whether it be pebbles, stones or gold—as the same.

[theist]

SB 11.7.11 - One who has transcended material good and evil automatically acts in accordance with religious injunctions and avoids forbidden activities. The self-realized person does this spontaneously, like an innocent child, and not because he is thinking in terms of material good and evil.

One must become as a child [innocent] to enter the kingdom of God.- Lord Christ

[theist]

 

SB 11.7.13 - Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, thus instructed His pure devotee Uddhava, who was eager to receive knowledge from the Lord. Uddhava then offered obeisances to the Lord and spoke as follows.

 

 

When one is sufficiently eager to achieve success in devotional service, that eagerness is called samutkantha. This means "complete eagerness." Actually this eagerness is the price for achieving success in Krishna consciousness. Everything has some value, and one has to pay the value before obtaining or possessing it. It is stated in the Vedic literature that to purchase the most valuable thing, Krishna consciousness, one has to develop intense eagerness for achieving success. - NOD

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

SB 11.7.8 - One whose consciousness is bewildered by illusion perceives many differences in value and meaning among material objects. Thus one engages constantly on the platform of material good and evil and is bound by such conceptions. Absorbed in material duality, such a person contemplates the performance of compulsory duties, nonperformance of such duties and performance of forbidden activities.

 

Gita 6.8 - A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogi[or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything—whether it be pebbles, stones or gold—as the same.

 

So, for the self-realized soul it doesn't matter whether the moon is closer to or farther from the earth than the sun?

 

Oh, sorry. Wrong thread!

 

[Guruvani]

 

So, for the self-realized soul it doesn't matter whether the moon is closer to or farther from the earth than the sun?

 

 

True.

It only matters that we have faith in the Bhagavat and not little demons with big telescopes.

[theist]

 

So, for the self-realized soul it doesn't matter whether the moon is closer to or farther from the earth than the sun?

 

Oh, sorry. Wrong thread!

 

 

That's right. When one awakens to Krsna consciousness from the material nightmare he does'nt concern himself with how the nightmare was constructed.

[Hari Bhakta dasa]

Hare Krishna,

 

My wife contacted Krishna Culture and found out the book will be available thru their store early 2008 when the next shipment of books from India arrives.

[theist]

 

Hare Krishna,

 

My wife contacted Krishna Culture and found out the book will be available thru their store early 2008 when the next shipment of books from India arrives.

 

Not too long.

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

Not too long.

 

True, but not early enough to give to all my friends for Christmas.

 

I guess they're all getting ties again (I wonder what my Mom does with hers?).

[theist]

SB 11.7.15 - My dear Lord, O Supreme Soul, for those whose minds are attached to sense gratification, and especially for those bereft of devotion unto You, such renunciation of material enjoyment is most difficult to perform. That is my opinion.

 

 

 

Bg. 6.33 - Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, the system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady.

Bg. 6.34 - For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.

[theist]

SB 11.7.16 - O my Lord, I myself am most foolish because my consciousness is merged in the material body and bodily relations, which are all manufactured by Your illusory energy. Thus I am thinking, "I am this body, and all of these relatives are mine." Therefore, my Lord, please instruct Your poor servant. Please tell me how I can very easily carry out Your instructions.

 

SB 11.7.18 - Therefore, O Lord, feeling weary of material life and tormented by its distresses, I now surrender unto You because You are the perfect master. You are the unlimited, all-knowing Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose spiritual abode in Vaikuntha is free from all disturbances. In fact, You are known as Näräyana, the true friend of all living beings.

 

 

 

Bg 2.7 Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.

[theist]

SB 11.7.19 - The Supreme Lord replied: Generally those human beings who can expertly analyze the actual situation of the material world are able to raise themselves beyond the inauspicious life of gross material gratification.

 

SB 11.7.20 - An intelligent person, expert in perceiving the world around him and in applying sound logic, can achieve real benefit through his own intelligence. *Thus sometimes one acts as one's own instructing spiritual master.

 

SB 11.7.21 - In the human form of life, those who are self-controlled and expert in the spiritual science of Säìkhya can directly see Me along with all of My potencies.

 

SB 11.7.22 - In this world there are many kinds of created bodies-some with one leg, others with two, three, four or more legs, and still others with no legs-but of all these, the human form is actually dear to Me.

 

SB 11.7.23 - Although I, the Supreme Lord, can never be captured by ordinary sense perception, those situated in human life may use their intelligence and other faculties of perception to directly search for Me through both apparent and indirectly ascertained symptoms.

 

 

*The way I understand this is that even though apparently such a person may not have a particular spiritual master he is actually taking shelter of Caitya-guru who is enlightening him through his own intelligence.

[theist]

I, like Ancient Mariner, have a special attraction for these avadhutas.

 

 

 

SB 11.7.24 - In this regard, sages cite a historical narration concerning the conversation between the greatly powerful King Yadu and an avadhuta.

 

SB 11.7.25 - Maharaja Yadu once observed a certain brahmana avadhuta, who appeared to be quite young and learned, wandering about fearlessly. Being himself most learned in spiritual science, the King took the opportunity and inquired from him as follows.

 

SB 11.7.26 - Sri Yadu said: O brahmana, I see that you are not engaged in any practical religious activity, and yet you have acquired a most expert understanding of all things and all people within this world. Kindly tell me, sir, how did you acquire this extraordinary intelligence, and why are you traveling freely throughout the world behaving as if you were a child?

 

SB 11.7.27 - Generally human beings work hard to cultivate religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and also knowledge of the soul, and their usual motive is to increase the duration of their lives, acquire fame and enjoy material opulence.

 

SB 11.7.28 - You, however, although capable, learned, expert, handsome and most eloquent, are not engaged in doing anything, nor do you desire anything; rather, you appear stupefied and maddened as if you were a ghostly creature.

 

SB 11.7.29 - Although all people within the material world are burning in the great forest fire of lust and greed, you remain free and are not burned by that fire. You are just like an elephant who takes shelter from a forest fire by standing within the water of the Ganges River,

 

SB 11.7.30 - O brahmana, we see that you are devoid of any contact with material enjoyment and that you are traveling alone, without any companions or family members. Therefore, because we are sincerely inquiring from you, please tell us the cause of the great ecstasy that you are feeling within yourself.

 

SB 11.7.31 - Lord Krishna continued: The intelligent King Yadu, always respectful to the brahmanas, waited with bowed head as the brahmana, pleased with the King's attitude, began to reply.

 

SB 11.7.32 - The brahmana said: My dear King, with my intelligence I have taken shelter of many spiritual masters. Having gained transcendental understanding from them, I now wander about the earth in a liberated condition. Please listen as I describe them to you.

[theist]

SB 11.7.31 - Lord Krsna continued: The intelligent King Yadu, always respectful to the brähmanas, waited with bowed head as the brähmana, pleased with the King's attitude, began to reply.

 

SB 11.7.32 - The brähmaëa said: My dear King, with my intelligence I have taken shelter of many spiritual masters. Having gained transcendental understanding from them, I now wander about the earth in a liberated condition. Please listen as I describe them to you.

 

SB 11.7.33-35 - O King, I have taken shelter of twenty-four gurus, who are the following: the earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon, sun, pigeon and python; the sea, moth, honeybee, elephant and honey thief; the deer, the fish, the prostitute Piìgalä, the kurara bird and the child; and the young girl, arrow maker, serpent, spider and wasp. My dear King, by studying their activities I have learned the science of the self.

 

SB 11.7.36 - Please listen, O son of Mahäräja Yayäti, O tiger among men, as I explain to you what I have learned from each of these gurus.

 

SB 11.7.37 - A sober person, even when harassed by other living beings, should understand that his aggressors are acting helplessly under the control of God, and thus he should never be distracted from progress on his own path. This rule I have learned from the earth.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada's disciples.

The earth is the symbol of tolerance. By deep oil-drilling, atomic explosions, pollution, and so on, the earth is constantly harassed by demoniac living entities. Sometimes lush forests are cut down by greedy men with commercial interests, and thus a wasteland is created. Sometimes the earth's surface is soaked by the blood of soldiers fighting in savage warfare. Yet, despite all these disturbances, the earth continues to provide all the necessities of the living beings. In this way one may learn the art of tolerance by studying the earth.

[theist]

TRANSLATION SB 11.7.38

A saintly person should learn from the mountain to devote all his efforts to the service of others and to make the welfare of others the sole reason for his existence. Similarly, as the disciple of the tree, he should learn to dedicate himself to others.

 

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada's disciples

Great mountains bear unlimited quantities of earth, which in turn give sustenance to innumerable forms of life such as trees, grass, birds, animals, and so on. Mountains also pour forth unlimited quantities of crystalline water in the form of waterfalls and rivers, and this water gives life to all. By studying the example of mountains, one should learn the art of providing for the happiness of all living entities. Similarly, one may take excellent lessons from the pious trees, who offer innumerable benefits, such as fruits, flowers, cooling shade and medicinal extracts. Even when a tree is suddenly cut down and dragged away, the tree does not protest but continues to give service to others in the form of firewood. Thus, one should become the disciple of such magnanimous trees and learn from them the qualities of saintly conduct.

According to Srila Madhvacarya, the word pararthaikanta-sambhavah indicates that one should dedicate all of one's wealth and other assets to the welfare of others. By one's acquired opulence, one should especially try to please the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus, the demigods, as well as all truly respectable superior personalities, will automatically be pleased. By developing saintly conduct, as described in this verse, one will become tolerant, and this will free one from the useless agitation of the material senses, which drive one to wander throughout the world searching in vain for material happiness. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also emphasized the tree's quality of tolerance: taror iva sahishnuna, kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. One who is as tolerant as a tree can chant the holy name of Krishna constantly, finding ever-new satisfaction.

 

------------

 

Strikes me how much emphasis Krsna places on serving others in this life.

 

Another quality of the mountain is that it doesn't demand anything in return for the service rendered. From the insignificant ants to hermit sages all are welcomed by the mountain.

 

[theist]

TRANSLATION SB 11.7.38

A saintly person should learn from the mountain to devote all his efforts to the service of others and to make the welfare of others the sole reason for his existence. Similarly, as the disciple of the tree, he should learn to dedicate himself to others.

 

Trees are amazing. Here we see oranges ready to be picked. Before the oranges came there were orange blossoms in a beautiful display. All from a tiny seed, water, soil and sun. Of course this is all under the Intelligent Design and control of the Supreme Lord. His gift to mankind and so many other creatures that benefit from the trees like birds and insects.

 

 

Their root systems hold the soil in place. They oxygenate the planet through their leaves. They give shade from the heat and when dead their bodies provide fuel for fire to protect against the cold. Not to mention we use them for building our houses.

 

By appreciating the qualities of the trees we can learn to appreciate a bit of the generous and protective nature of Krsna expressed through the trees. This certainly makes them our siksa guru in a very real sense.

[theist]

SB 11.7.39 - A learned sage should take his satisfaction in the simple maintenance of his existence and should not seek satisfaction through gratifying the material senses. In other words, one should care for the material body in such a way that one's higher knowledge is not destroyed and so that one's speech and mind are not deviated from self-realization.

 

SB 11.7.40 - Even a transcendentalist is surrounded by innumerable material objects, which possess good and bad qualities. However, one who has transcended material good and evil should not become entangled even when in contact with the material objects; rather, he should act like the wind.

 

SB 11.7.41 - Although a self-realized soul may live in various material bodies while in this world, experiencing their various qualities and functions, he is never entangled, just as the wind which carries various aromas does not actually mix with them.

 

SB 11.7.42 - A thoughtful sage, even while living within a material body, should understand himself to be pure spirit soul. Similarly, one should see that the spirit soul enters within all forms of life, both moving and nonmoving, and that the individual souls are thus all-pervading. The sage should further observe that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the Supersoul, is simultaneously present within all things. Both the individual soul and the Supersoul can be understood by comparing them to the nature of the sky: although the sky extends everywhere and everything rests within the sky, the sky does not mix with anything, nor can it be divided by anything.

 

SB 11.7.43 - Although the mighty wind blows clouds and storms across the sky, the sky is never implicated or affected by these activities. Similarly, the spirit soul is not actually changed or affected by contact with the material nature. Although the living entity enters within a body made of earth, water and fire, and although he is impelled by the three modes of nature created by eternal time, his eternal spiritual nature is never actually affected.

[theist]

The self realized may act like the wind moving freely and remaining detached but like the wind they should understand that it moves about within the borders of the sky and even it's free movements are made possible by the sanction of the Lord.

 

The mayavadis neglect this fact whilst the Vaisnava's embrace it.

 

TRANSLATION Bg 9.6

Understand that as the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, rests always in the sky, all created beings rest in Me.

 

PURPORT

For the ordinary person it is almost inconceivable how the huge material creation is resting in Him. But the Lord is giving an example which may help us to understand. The sky may be the biggest manifestation we can conceive. And in that sky the wind or air is the biggest manifestation in the cosmic world. The movement of the air influences the movements of everything. But although the wind is great, it is still situated within the sky; the wind is not beyond the sky. Similarly, all the wonderful cosmic manifestations are existing by the supreme will of God, and all of them are subordinate to that supreme will. As we generally say, not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus everything is moving under His will: by His will everything is being created, everything is being maintained, and everything is being annihilated. Still He is aloof from everything, as the sky is always aloof from the activities of the wind.

In the Upaniñads it is stated, yad-bhéñä vätaù pavate: "It is out of the fear of the Supreme Lord that the wind is blowing." (Taittiréya Upaniñad 2.8.1)[...]

[theist]

SB 11.7.44 - O King, a saintly person is just like water because he is free from all contamination, gentle by nature, and by speaking creates a beautiful vibration like that of flowing water. Just by seeing, touching or hearing such a saintly person, the living entity is purified, just as one is cleansed by contact with pure water. Thus a saintly person, just like a holy place, purifies all those who contact him because he always chants the glories of the Lord.

 

 

"...and by speaking creates a beautiful vibration like that of flowing water."

[theist]

SB 11.7.45 - Saintly persons become powerful by execution of austerities. Their consciousness is unshakable because they do not try to enjoy anything within the material world. Such naturally liberated sages accept foodstuffs that are offered to them by destiny, and if by chance they happen to eat contaminated food, they are not affected, just like fire, which burns up contaminated substances that are offered to it.

 

SB 11.7.46 - A saintly person, just like fire, sometimes appears in a concealed form and at other times reveals himself. For the welfare of the conditioned souls who desire real happiness, a saintly person may accept the worshipable position of spiritual master, and thus like fire he burns to ashes all the past and future sinful reactions of his worshipers by mercifully accepting their offerings.

 

 

In this way the sadhu is the sacred fire

[theist]

SB 11.7.47 Just as fire manifests differently in pieces of wood of different sizes and qualities, the omnipotent Supreme Soul, having entered the bodies of higher and lower life forms created by His own potency, appears to assume the identity of each.

It is due to the presence of the Supreme Soul as Paramatma and the jiva that the different so-called identities in the material world take on the appearance of life by exhibiting the various life symptoms. These various life forms display a great variation in quantity and quality of life symptoms. Some appear as great demogods with tremedous power and godliness while other forms show a meager amount of life symptoms, barely detectable to the human, like a germ for example. We can compare the difference to the blazing forest fire vs. the striking of a match. In both cases fire is present however, and it is this same fire that represents the Lord.

The transcendentalist sees with equal vision the brahmana, sudra, elephant, worm, god or demon because his vision is fixed on the Self beyond the apparent identities and he sees that same Supreme Lord as Paramatma and jiva expanded everywhere.

[theist]

SB 11.7.48 - The various phases of one's material life, beginning with birth and culminating in death, are all properties of the body and do not affect the soul, just as the apparent waxing and waning of the moon does not affect the moon itself. Such changes are enforced by the imperceptible movements of time.

SB 11.7.49 - The flames of a fire appear and disappear at every moment, and yet this creation and destruction is not noticed by the ordinary observer. Similarly, the mighty waves of time flow constantly, like the powerful currents of a river, and imperceptibly cause the birth, growth and death of innumerable material bodies. And yet the soul, who is thus constantly forced to change his position, cannot perceive the actions of time.

 

 

It's amazing really. The movements of time are all around us at every moment causing the change in this world, which is known as the only constant, but it takes a directed concentrated effort to even get a glimpse of it in action. This speaks to the depth of our conditioning. We who are eternal and unchanging take so thoughoughly for granted that an ever-changing unstable life experience is reality that we only take a second thought about it when presented with a verse like the one above.

 

We need to grab hold and claim our own eternality. How long will we allow the theif known as time to rob us of our own sense of immortality? How cheaply we have sold our souls.