Verse: Srimad Bhagvatam 4.25.26
Transcription: HG Sevanandini Devi Dasi
Edited: HG Jahnava Devi Dasi and Bhaktin Sampada Soni
evaṁ karmasu saṁsaktaḥ
kāmātmā vañcito ’budhaḥ
mahiṣī yad yad īheta
tat tad evānvavartata
SYNONYMS
evam — thus; karmasu — in fruitive activities; saṁsaktaḥ — being too much attached; kāma-ātmā — lusty; vañcitaḥ — cheated; abudhaḥ — less intelligent; mahiṣī — the Queen; yat yat — whatsoever; īheta — she would desire; tat tat — all of that; eva — certainly; anvavartata — he followed.
TRANSLATION
Being thus entangled in different types of mental concoction and engaged in fruitive activities, King Purañjana came completely under the control of material intelligence and was thus cheated. Indeed, he used to fulfill all the desires of his wife, the Queen.
PURPORT
When a living entity is in such bewilderment that he is under the control of his wife, or material intelligence, he has to satisfy the intelligence of his so-called wife and act exactly according to her dictates. Various śāstras advise that for material convenience one should keep his wife always satisfied by giving her ornaments and by following her instructions. In this way there will be no trouble in family life. Therefore, for one’s own social benefit, one is advised to keep his wife satisfied. In this way, when one becomes the servant of his wife, he must act according to the desires of his wife. Thus, one becomes more and more entangled. In Bengal it is said that if one becomes an obedient servant of his wife, he loses all reputation. However, the difficulty is that unless one becomes a most obedient servant of his wife, family life becomes disturbed. In the Western countries this disturbance gives rise to the divorce law, and in Eastern countries like India there is separation. Now this disturbance is confirmed by the new introduction of the divorce law in India. Within the heart, the mind is acting, thinking, feeling and willing, and falling under the control of one’s wife is the same as falling under the control of material intelligence. Thus, one begets children by his wife and becomes entangled in so many activities under the control of mental concoctions.
LECTURE:
THE CRITERIA FOR BEING LIBERATED – SURRENDER TO KRISHNA
This is the story of Puranjana. Who is Puranjana here? It is important to know this at the beginning, when we are going through these chapters. Puranjana is a conditioned soul. Who is a conditioned soul? There are two types of souls: liberated souls and conditioned souls. Liberated souls belong to the spiritual world. What are the criteria for being liberated? The criteria for being liberated is that he is surrendered to Krishna. When one does not surrender to Krishna then what happens? One develops a tendency to become independent. So, there are surrendered souls and independent souls. The independent souls cannot stay in the spiritual world; therefore, they are sent to this material nature. In the material nature what does the independent soul go through? He gets the liberty to act independently. But what is the result of acting independently? He comes under the influence of material nature which is functioning according to guna and karma.
He acts and according to his actions he gets the results of his actions. His actions are being enacted under the influence of the three modes of material nature. He is acting according to different modes and accordingly he gets the results. When one is in the mode of goodness he enjoys, sukham. Saìgät saïjäyate kämaù. In the mode of passion, he gets suffering and in the mode of ignorance he becomes unconscious, he has no consciousness and is bewildered. No consciousness is similar to being intoxicated, like we see animals in the mode of ignorance, they don't have any real intelligence and consciousness to function. So, this is how the living entities are subjected in the material nature.
[Bg 14.18]
ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā
madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā
adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ
Those who are in the mode of goodness they go to the upper planetary system. Those who are in the mode of passion they remain in the middle planetary system. And those who are in the mode of ignorance they go to the lower planetary systems.
So Puranjana is a conditioned soul. Who is a conditioned soul? A conditioned soul is he who acts independently. And who is a liberated soul? The one who is surrendered to Krishna. Now in the material nature one gets a chance to act independently. Independent action also has different types. Somebody acts in the mode of goodness, that means he tries to benefit others and he tries to act in a proper way following the instructions of the scriptures. So, in that way, the mode of goodness is close to spiritual life. Being obedient is in the mode of goodness. But under the mode of passion, one is independent and the result of independence is punishment. When one acts in the mode of passion he is punished. In the mode of passion, one wants to enjoy but does he really enjoy in this material nature? This is the most important thing that one has to understand.
In the material nature everybody likes to be independent, everybody wants to enjoy. But the more he tries to enjoy, the more material nature punishes, maya punishes him. And those who are in the mode of ignorance they don’t know what is right or what is wrong, like an animal. His happiness is in taking intoxication and falling asleep. We can see nowadays, how people are plunging into the mode of passion and ignorance. They are working so hard to enjoy but the result of that is punishment. And to forget the punishment they take intoxication and fall asleep. There is no chance of enlightening oneself spiritually. But those who are situated in the mode of goodness they get an opportunity, they get to know what is right and what is wrong. Especially when they come across the Vaishnavas, then they get to know what is the real way. The Vaishnavas are the ones who show the way. They know the way and they show the way.
SRILA PRABHUPADA – SINGLE-HANDEDLY CREATING A SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION
We saw how one Vaishnava has created a spiritual revolution in this world. Srila Prabhupada, he created spiritual awareness all over this world single-handedly. His arrangement is making this spiritual awareness expand more and more. Actually, one person went and taught others. And they took up the mission and started to teach other. Those who have been taught, now they are teaching others. This is the way this spiritual awareness spreads in the world; the way that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu suggested, Yāre dekhe tāre kaha Krishna upadesha. He instructed people when He was travelling in South India and He said, “Whatever you learn from me you go and teach others.” So, they also taught others and told them the same thing. Yāre dekhe tāre kaha Krishna upadesha. And as a result of that a spiritual awareness inundated the whole of India at that time. Srila Prabhupada has created that awareness all over the world.
So, this Puranjana story is giving us a very clear understanding. Once again who is Puranjana? Puranjana is a conditioned soul. Conditioned soul means one who wanted to independently enjoy without Krishna. He wanted to enjoy and while he is trying to enjoy, he came to this land of Bharat varsha. The tract of Bharat varsha is from the Himalayan in the north, to the ocean in the south, from Himalaya to Kanya Kumarika. It is a very special holy land and when one gets birth in this land of Bharat varsha he actually gets an opportunity to be free from material bondage. So Puranjana while travelling throughout the universe went to many places, but then he came to the land of Bharat varsha. Here he got the human form; a spirit soul while travelling in the universe gets a human form of life.
THE GLORY OF INDIA’S HERITAGE
Why is Bharat Varsha so special? Because in the land of Bharat Varsha one gets the information about the spiritual world. In other ages this is not possible, only in India this information about spiritual reality is available. Now of course, as I mentioned, by Prabhupada's mercy this information is available all over the world. As a matter of fact, in the other parts of the world it is more available and the people are accepting it more readily. In a way India is not that progressive in Krishna consciousness. Now it is getting better and the condition is improving; preaching in India is expanding and people are accepting Krishna consciousness. But Prabhupada had to go to the West to make the Indians understand the importance of Krishna consciousness, because due to the influence of Kali, people in India don’t recognize the greatness of India's culture and heritage. They don’t recognize the importance of spiritual or Vedic culture. They are enamoured by the materialistic culture and glamour of the West. "West is the best.” Therefore, Prabhupada had to go to the West and make Americans accept Krishna consciousness. Then Prabhupada brought those Americans to India and when Indians saw that Americans have taken it, they thought it must be good and then they started to accept it.
Anyway, in whichever way we take Krishna consciousness we benefit.
JUST DO IT - JUST TAKE TO KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS
[Bg 7.16]
catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ su-kṛtino ’rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
Whether we take to Krishna consciousness because of being in distress, whether we become Krishna conscious due to our need for money, whether we become Krishna conscious due to our inquisitiveness or being situated in knowledge, all are beneficial. What matters is that we take to Krishna consciousness.
Example: Like a medicine, if we have a disease and if we take the medicine, how we take the medicine doesn’t matter, but when we take the medicine then it works. Sometimes medicines are given to children who don’t want to take medicine, so the mother says it’s sweet, sugar-coated medicine. He doesn’t want to take medicine but he likes sweets, so she gives him the medicine as a sweet and he takes the medicine. So, this Krishna consciousness is actually a medicine that cures us from the materialistic disease. It doesn’t matter how we take the medicine but when we take it, it works. And then people see the benefit, that the disease has been cured.
So Puranjana was travelling and he came to this tract of land of Bharat varsha. Here he came across a very beautiful woman. That is the characteristic of the material nature. A man naturally becomes attracted to a beautiful woman, and what to speak if that woman is very rich, she is a queen. So, he got married to the queen. She was not only beautiful but she was the queen of an entire kingdom. And by marrying the queen, Puranjana became the king. So allegorically as I was saying, Puranjana is a spirit soul; the spirit soul gets a human body and there he comes across this beautiful queen. Now who is that queen? The queen is his intelligence, material intelligence.
The material intelligence makes him think that he is the king of the entire universe. That is the situation of this material nature. Everyone thinks he is the king; he is the lord and master of the entire universe. And he thinks that although he may not be the lord and master today, but tomorrow he will become that, or he struggles to become the lord and master: I will get a very good job, earn a lot of money, then I will become the lord and master of the universe. I will run a business, make a lot of money and become the lord and master. And the arrangement of material nature is making him think that if you have money then you can buy anything. In this material nature that is the law. Money is the medium of exchange, so people are made to believe that if you have money, you can have anything.
Now materially one may get anything and everything, but can he get his spiritual needs fulfilled with money?
THE SPIRITUAL NEED – “LOVE”
What is his spiritual need? His spiritual need is love. Anyway, that will come afterwards. This information we get from a Vaishnava. The whole material world is saying get money and you can buy everything, the entire universe with your money. So, money is the honey in the material nature. But a Vaishnava comes and tells him that look money cannot buy everything, your need cannot be fulfilled with money. And a person with his experience sees that. That is what actually happened when Prabhupada went to America. The youth of America realized that money cannot buy everything; money cannot buy love, money cannot buy happiness and they left the wealthy atmosphere of their family and took up a life of a sadhu. They thought that they will get happiness. They left everything in search of happiness, not quite as a sadhu, because at that time they thought that they will be happy by taking intoxicants.
At that time there was a chemical produced; a very powerful intoxicant called LSD. And when one takes LSD, he gets into as they call, “a mental trip, psychedelic trip,” They go to a dream world, where the dream world becomes a reality. That is if it’s a good trip, but if it’s a bad trip then it was another story. So, they thought through LSD and out of free sex they will get happiness. So that’s what they were doing. They left home and were practically living in a park-- they had no home but were living under trees or in just some very, very simple way. They didn’t have any money. Then they started to move towards California. In California the weather is not so severe as in New York and other parts of America. It was also the cultural center; the hippy culture started in the West Coast in California. They all started to gather in San Francisco, where there is a park called Golden Gate Park. It is a beautiful big park. The weather is not so bad there, so they were just living their life there.
TAKING TO KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS- ONCE YOU GO UP, YOU DON’T COME DOWN
At that time Srila Prabhupada went to America. And what did Prabhupada teach them? Prabhupada told them, “Look, what you are searching for you won’t get through sex and drugs.” And they also started to see that they weren’t getting happiness even out of taking drugs. They could see and feel that these psychedelic drugs would take them high, but when the effect of the drugs wore out, then they would come down. And that was very, very painful. So Prabhupada gave them Krishna consciousness. They started to realize that this Krishna consciousness takes you high and you don’t come down. Drugs may take you high but then you come down. Can you imagine you go to a big height and then you fall, what will happen--it hurts. But if you stay high and don’t fall, then how it will be? So, they started a slogan at that time, ‘Stay high forever.’ Don’t come down, just stay high.
So, they started to come to Srila Prabhupada and they became attracted to Prabhupada’s teachings. And Srila Prabhupada taught them about the four regulative principles. Their whole life was based on sex and drugs. But Prabhupada said, ‘No sex and no drugs.’ Prabhupada was so strict they weren’t allowed even tea or coffee. What to speak of LSD, marijuana or hashish, not even cigarettes, tea or coffee. And they saw that by leading that life their mind became so clear; their consciousness became so awake and their body also started to feel so good. When one starts to follow the four regulative principles what is the immediate result; you feel so much better, both physically and mentally. So that is the benefit of leading this life-- immediate result is there. One starts to feel real happiness. The real happiness is in being physically healthy and fit, mentally agile and intellectually alert. So, this is how Srila Prabhupada motivated the youth.
Example: From this we can see that how a traveller is travelling in the desert of material nature where he is trying to be happy. He is trying to quench his thirst. Can he quench his thirst running after a mirage? In the material nature everybody is running after a mirage. He tries to enjoy, but does he really enjoy. Often, we ask people this question. I have asked this question here too, have you really been happy? Until this point, how many of you have been really happy? Okay, so tell me how you became happy? Through your materialistic endeavours have you really been happy? No, because everyone in this material nature is running after a mirage. Now can anybody quench his thirst by running after a mirage? Is there water in the mirage? No. So how can he quench his thirst? So, the tendency for material enjoyment is like running after a mirage. But one doesn’t know anything better; he sees the mirage and he says, well maybe I didn’t try hard enough, and he keeps on running and running and running. Life after life one is doing that, running after the mirage. But in the middle of the dessert somebody comes and says, “Look this is a mirage, the real water is there.” He comes and tells us, “What you are doing to enjoy will never satisfy you.
Just go to the water.” Where is the water? The water is towards Krishna consciousness. You have to change your course from materialistic way life and you have to take to spiritual life. Take to spiritual life. That person not only tells us there is water, but he pulls out a bottle of water and says, “Drink.” Then can we ever mistrust him, because he is giving us water. We say, “Oh finally I have got some water, at least my thirst has been quenched.” So, this is what a Vaishnava does. He says that water is there and then the life that he brings us into makes us immediately happy. He says running after the mirage means indulging in sinful activities. He says don’t indulge in sinful activities, and when we stop indulging in these sinful activities immediately, we start to experience happiness. He says chant Hare Krishna and immediately we start to experience happiness. Then our faith becomes confirmed; Oh yes, he has given me a bottle of water so he really knows where the water is, otherwise how could he get the water himself.
So, then we follow him, and by following him we get the taste of real happiness. Anandambudhi vardhanam. He takes us to the life of intense happiness which is automatically increasing with time. He takes us to an ocean of joy. There we not only drink the water but we can even swim in that water, we can drown ourselves in that water. Of course, drowning in water is very distressful and painful but drowning in an ocean of joy, how will that be? Joy, joy and nothing but the joy. So that is what spiritual life is and that is the information we are getting by following a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada.
KRISHNA EMBRACES US
‘O Saragrahi Vaishnava soul though art an angel fair, lead lead me on to Vrindavan and spirits power declare.’ He takes us to Vrindavan and he declares the power of the spirit soul. ‘There rests my soul from matter free upon my lover’s arms.’ Krishna embraces us; He is our real lover. We are all hankering for love and Krishna is there to give us all the love we need. ‘Upon my lover’s arms, eternal peace and spirits love are all my chanting charm.’ We just need to chant Hare Krishna Maha Mantra with faith and the rest will happen automatically. Just do that. Srila Prabhupada gave us the perfect way, a simple way, the perfect way--chant Hare Krishna, follow four regulative principles and remain in the association of the devotees in ISKCON. That is what Srila Prabhupada created. ISKCON is the place where we can have the association of devotees. So, take advantage of this opportunity and your life will become successful. You will become drowned in the ocean of ecstasy.
Hare Krishna
Thank you very much
Does anybody have any questions?
Question 1
Narottamma: Guru Maharaja I can’t understand swatantar atma and mukta atma.
BCS: I told you before, swatantar atma is that soul which comes into this material world. He wants to become independent. That is why he is stuck in the material bondage. But this is not right because we are not independent. Will a servant ever be independent? We are all the servants of the Lord so how are we independent? The Lord is the master and we all are his servants. If the servant becomes a rascal and says I want to be the master, then what will the master say? “You can go.” Where will the servant go and fall? He will fall into this material world. And whoever is under the control of the Lord and surrenders themselves to the Lord and does service to the Lord they are liberated. They will live in the spiritual world with the Lord. Even if he is in the material world, but still he is liberated. Just like the prison house: In the prison there are the king’s employees who are in prison working for the king. But are they actually in the prison like the prisoners? So, this material world is like a prison house. Here also whoever does service to the Lord they are liberated. Understand? Independent and liberated. The Independent is bound but he who is in the service of the Lord is liberated.
Question 2
Radharani: One question that came to my mind was that from Brahma loka to Patala loka it is all material nature. It is said that one who is in mode of goodness gets elevated to the higher planetary systems. So, in the higher planetary systems there’s maximum enjoyment. So, I’m trying to understand in my mind how one can we be surrendered and not get enticed by this enjoyment and fall down again?
BCS: Very good question. Those who are in a nice situation they become attached to that comfort and they don’t think of the need to get out of this situation. Like consider if somebody is in a prison and in the prison, he is having first class facilities, would he like to come out of the prison? So, their situation is like that. That’s why those who are materially very prosperous; it is difficult for them to take Krishna consciousness. Therefore, it is better to suffer in the material nature-suffer but be open to the right instruction. Okay.
Question 3
Radharani: Whenever you come every one rushes up to come to the class and there is no one down stairs for the English translations for Srila Prabhupada’s Guru puja. It makes me sad to see this.
BCS: Ultimately Krishna consciousness is a voluntary thing. How much can you force? So, one has to spontaneously accept the process and follow it.
There are some questions from the internet?
Question 4
Rohit from Kolkatta: Pranam Maharaja, thank you for the class. If Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and not Vishnu then why is the name of the sampradaya Vaishnava. Even before the advent of Krishna everyone used to pray to Vishnu and not Krishna. Certainly, they achieved salvation?
BCS: In a way Rohit you have answered your question—partly. Before Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came generally people used to think that Vishnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And that’s why the general tendency was to follow Vishnu or follow the Supreme Personality of Godhead and they were identified as Vaishnavas.
But when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came, He gave us an even higher understanding. That higher understanding is that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And Krishna comes in once in a day of Brahma. Although Krishna says sambhavämi yuge yuge, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna doesn’t come yuge yuge. Who comes yuge yuge is the avatar and this avatar is an expansion of Ksirodaksayi Vishnu. The avatars in the material nature are the expansions of Ksirodaksayi Vishnu. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came and He pointed out that Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Now Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did not concoct some new idea. In the scriptures it is mentioned that “Krishnas tu bhagavan swayam”. So ‘Vaishnava’ is the general term, but the more refined advanced understanding is Vaishnava and among the Vaishnavas there are some special ones who are devotees of Krishna. They are called Karshnas. And even beyond that, there are another group: they are the devotees of Radharani and they are called Gaudiyas. So, we are Gaudiyas. We are the followers of Srimati Radharani. We are servants of Srimati Radharani.
Those who are servants of Vishnu they are Vaishnavas. Those who are servants of Krishna they are Karshnas. And those who are servants of Srimati Radharani they are Gaudiyas.
Question 5
Ajit avatar das from Delhi: Hare Krishna. PAMHO. Guru Maharaja, in the month of Kartik how can we engage more and more in Srila Prabhupada's books?
BCS: Well, it’s up to you. Find the time and read books for your personal benefit and distribute books for others benefit. So do it yourself.
Question 6
Sampath from Seattle: My close friend chants 16 rounds, has left non veg food, but is still not initiated. Does it require many more births in order to get pure and initiated. Her husband is not initiated and not a devotee.
BCS: If one takes to the process of Krishna consciousness then one can get initiated. Like you can tell her to get in touch with the temple there and speak to the temple president, and express a desire that she wants to become initiated. And she can meet different Gurus when they come there. Then she can decide and she can choose from whom she wants to take initiation. If she’s serious about taking initiation she won’t have to wait for other births, she can get it in this birth only.
Question 7
Shyam piyari: How much importance does money have in the life of a devotee?
BCS: It depends how much attached he or she is to it. Money is needed for our material situation. To maintain ourselves money is needed. But those who are fully surrendered they don’t have to worry about money, like brahmacaris in the temple. If one is surrendered then there is no need of money. Say for example, if one is in a household situation, when one has to make arrangements for himself then he or she will need money. But sometimes we see that whatever one gets one is satisfied.
Question 8
Kartik Agarwal from Pune: Guru Maharaja, as a devotee goes in his spiritual life he wants to serve Krishna and spiritual master in many ways. He may not totally disrespect or disregard his authority but total surrender is not there. But as it is also told that one must serve Krishna according to one’s nature, so one may work under authority but might also want to serve Krishna according to his nature. How to balance it?
BCS: Very good question Kartik. So, you see surrender is the secret for spiritual life. But in material nature we have developed this tendency to become independent so much that it becomes difficult to surrender. Therefore, the official surrender takes place by surrendering to a spiritual master. At least one person, one is ready to surrender to. But as he makes advancement his fear of surrender will decrease. So, in that respect it’s a process of surrender. You will begin with that. What will your spiritual master suggest? Your spiritual master will advise you to surrender to the authority. The spiritual master will never say, surrender to me and don’t respect your authorities. No, that is not right if it happens. The spiritual master’s advice to you will be to surrender to the authority and in this way, he will guide him. And that is how we make spiritual advancement. The more surrendered we are, the more advanced we are. The more advanced we are, more surrendered we will become.
As you said--according to one’s nature. You see that is the difference. He is also saying that one may work under authority but also want to serve Krishna according to his nature. So, you have the tendency to act according to your nature. If you have to act according to your nature but then at least offer the results of your actions to Krishna. He should learn to offer the results of his activities to Krishna. So that is karma yoga--acting according to one’s own desire or propensities or nature and offering the results to Krishna. But acting according to the instruction of the authority, without any consideration of one’s own desire, one’s own liking, nature, or propensity, that is called pure devotional service. So, if you can’t come to the platform of pure devotional service, at least try to be on platform of karma yoga--acting according to your desire or propensity and then offering the results to Krishna.
Question 9
Ankit Vora from USA: Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja. PAMHO. AGTSP. How can we always remember the glories of a Vaishnava and avoid committing offences through mind and speech?
BCS: Try to really appreciate the qualities of the Vaishnavas. Then you will see their greatness. When you recognize their greatness then you will automatically develop your appreciation for them. So that is how one should avoid committing offences to a Vaishnava. Don’t be envious of the Vaishnavas but recognize their greatness. And the Vaishnavas are endowed with so many good qualities. At least one good quality is that he has surrendered himself to Krishna. That itself is such a great quality. We can appreciate that he has surrendered himself, but I could not become as surrendered as he is. So automatically you will develop your respect for him.
Thank you very much.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Gaura premanande Hari Hari bol!