CONTENTS:
- HOW TO KNOW KRISHNA THROUGH BRAHMA SAMHITA (PART - 6)
- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. HOW TO KNOW KRISHNA THROUGH BRAHMA SAMHITA (PART - 6)
The next few verses are describing what happened after that. I will just read the translation: BRAHMA SAMHITA TEXT 57
TRANSLATION
On hearing these hymns containing the essence of the truth, the Supreme Lord Krishna said to Brahma, “Brahma, if you experience the inclination to create offspring by being endowed with the real knowledge of the glory of Godhead, listen, my beloved, from Me to this science set forth in the following five slokas.
BRAHMA SAMHITA TEXT 58
TRANSLATION
When the pure spiritual experience is excited by means of cognition and service [bhakti], super excellent unalloyed devotion characterized by love of Godhead is awakened towards Krishna, the beloved of all souls.
So, what actually awakens the love for the Krishna? When the pure spiritual experience is excited by means of cognition (comprehending or understanding) and service.
BRAHMA SAMHITA TEXT 59
TRANSLATION
The highest devotion is attained by slow degrees by the method of constant endeavor for self-realization with the help of scriptural evidence, theist conduct and perseverance in practice.
BRAHMA SAMHITA TEXT 60
TRANSLATION
These preliminary practices of devotion [sadhana-bhakti] are conducive to the realization of loving devotion. [Loving devotion]- than whom there is no superior well-being, who goes hand in hand with the attainment of the exclusive state of supreme bliss and who can lead to Myself.
BRAHMA SAMHITA TEXT 61
dharman anyan parityaiya
mam ekam bhaja visvasam
yadrsi yadrsi sraddha
siddhir bhavati tadrsi
kurvan nirantaram karma
loko ‘yam anyvartate
tenaiva karmana dhyayan
mam param bhaktim icchati
TRANSLATION
Abandoning all meritorious performances serve Me with faith. The realization will correspond to the nature of one’s faith. The people of the world act ceaselessly in pursuance of some ideal. By meditating on Me by means of those deeds one will obtain devotion characterized by love in the shape of the supreme service.
dharman anyan parityaiya mam ekam bhaja visvasam- rings a bell, sarva-dharmam parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja (BG 18.66) So Krishna is giving the same instruction to Brahma also that He told Arjuna. Here He is saying dharman anyan parityaiya giving up other so-called duties and religious activities. bhaja visvasam, visvasam is having faith. With faith and full confidence, you surrender unto Me. yadrsi yadrsi sraddha siddhir bhavati tadrsi, the way one develops his faith accordingly he achieves his success.
BRAHMA SAMHITA TEXT 62
aham hi visvasya caracarasya
bijam pradhanam prakrtih pumams ca
mayahitam teja idam bibharsi
vidhe vidhehi tvam atho jaganti
TRANSLATION
“Listen, O Vidhi, I am the seed, i.e., the fundamental principle, of this world of animate and inanimate objects, I am pradhana [the substance of matter], I am prakrti [material cause], and I am purusa [efficient cause]. This fiery energy that belongs specially to the Brahman, that inheres in you, has also been conferred by Me. It is by bearing this fiery energy that you regulate this phenomenal world of animate and inanimate objects.”
Vidhi is the name of Brahma. In this way Krishna instructed Lord Brahma after hearing his prayers.
BRAHMA SAMHITA TEXT 1
isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam
Sri Sri Brahma Samhita ki Jai!!
Anyway, somehow, I managed to cover the entire Brahma Samhita but once again I will repeat this is just to give you the taste, this is the chutney now you have to take the full meal yourself.
2. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: Guru Maharaja, you said by meditation one can achieve…..it is also described that we have an eternal relationship with Krishna so can one if one meditates…… inaudible
A: Generally, the mellows as I have mentioned are not changeable, the relationships are based on mellows, and it is not a matter of mental concoction. The spiritual master directs the disciple, the disciple may not understand his relationship with Krishna but the spiritual master meditates and guides the disciple. For example, once some devotee asked Srila Prabhupada what was his mellow, siddha svarupa or transcendental identity? Prabhupada got very angry, he first chastised him and then Prabhupada told him, “Don’t worry about your siddha svarupa or spiritual identity, try to become qualified first and when you become qualified then I will come and reveal your spiritual identity.” So that is actually how the spiritual master guides the disciple and that gave me a very clear understanding because Prabhupada knew that he was not going to stay on this planet for very long and by that time they are not going to be purified to recognize their svarupa. So that gave a clear understanding that although Prabhupada left this planet but Prabhupada comes when we become qualified to lead us further in our spiritual lives.
Question inaudible
A: Yes, very good. Yes, He does, like Krishna is saying in Bhagavad Gita 18.66
sarva-dharma parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
If you surrender unto Me then I will deliver you from ALL your sinful reactions don’t worry about it. When one surrender unto Krishna then karma gets burnt out, no karma left, one becomes free from all karma and that is the power of devotion to Krishna. You see when one surrenders to Krishna then no matter how sinful he may have been. It’s something like this, somebody very sinful, a big criminal, and when this criminal is being punished, he realizes his mistakes and appeals to the King, “I am sorry that I made all these mistakes and realize my mistakes and I promise that I will never ever commit any crime. I will just serve You and not do anything else.” How will the King respond? The King can say, “Ok, all his term for sentence is absorbed let him come back to Me.” So that is what happens when one surrenders to Krishna and becomes His devotee.
It is not that someone deliberately commits crime as you have said for 50 years and then he goes to Krishna and says please forgive me. Krishna forgives only when He sees his intention is pure, his heart is pure and he is free from his criminal mentality then only Krishna forgives. See we can’t fool or outsmart Krishna, He knows and sees everything so if we don’t have a good intention at heart we cannot bluff Krishna, He will catch us. Only when He sees our intentions are pure and we have really earnestly tried to surrender unto Him and become His devotee, YES, Krishna will wipe out all our sinful reactions not only for 50 years but 50 million lifetimes. Actually, not all of our karmas are getting burnt out in one lifetime, they are accumulating, newer and newer karmas and they are piled up much higher than Himalayan Mountain range.
Q: Does Lord Shiva have a material form like Lord Brahma?
A: No Lord Shiva is beyond material nature. Lord Shiva’s extension or incarnation in the material nature manifested through the eyebrows of Brahma. Devi dham is material nature and Mahesh dham beyond material nature.
Q: Guru Maharaja, can you please clarify this one point in verse 44……how does that differ from Lord Shiva’s potency of destruction?
A: Here it is describing that material nature, Maya is the total cause of material nature, and whatever is happening in the material nature is by her action. Of course, that specific aspect of destruction that business is done by Lord Shiva. Although it is done by Lord Shiva, she is actually the original cause of the entire material happenings. You get the point? For example, Brahma is creating but it is Maya’s domain where Brahma is creating. Vishnu is maintained but it is her domain still and when the destruction takes place that is also happening in her domain but somebody else is coming and doing it. Like you have a house and that house is going to be destroyed so you call the demolition department and they destroy the house but it is you who called the demolition department because it’s your house. The ultimate authority of that domain is you so similarly, this material nature is Maya’s domain so whatever is happening in the material nature is due to her so therefore it has been described that she is the cause of creation, maintenance and destruction.
Q: Durgadevi ……….how does she get enjoyment in serving Krishna?
A: She generally does not get to serve Krishna in that way but she gets a chance to serve Krishna when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu comes. When Krishna comes as Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then He gives the special opportunity to practically everyone to experience Krishna’s pastimes or enter into Krishna’s pastimes. In Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes we see Mayadevi came to enchant Haridas Thakur and she became a devotee so that is how she received Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy and had a chance to enter into Krishna’s Vrindavan pastimes. Whoever is in Navadwip has access to Goloka also.
Question inaudible
A: Not another twenty-four and in those twenty-four, actually out of this nine, seven are already there like five elements are there. What is not included is time, direction and soul but he includes mind. In Sankha philosophy six of the nine are included. Five working senses, five objects of the senses, mind, intelligence and false ego and maha tattva and that makes the twenty-four whereas here mind, six, time, direction and soul and that makes nine.
Question inaudible
A: The material nature Brahma goes there and back to the spiritual sky and perceives Krishna and then he gets to know what happens every millennium in creation, he gets the hang of it and from that he figures out all these personalities will be there.
Question inaudible
A: Maha vipra I used that jokingly the Sanskrit expression is susukti, The Sanskrit expression of that sleep that we experience is susukti and a living entity in the material nature has three states of existence: 1. Wakeful like when we are on the gross bodily platform; 2. Dream stage (swapna), when the gross body becomes inactive but the subtle body is active and 3. Deep sleep (susukti) when both gross body and subtle body become inactive. We exist in these three states wakeful state, dream state and sleeping state.
Question inaudible
A: Yes, there is a relationship between Lord Shiva and time. Lord Shiva is the time aspect himself therefore another name for Lord Shiva is Mahakaal, the great time.
Question inaudible
A: How this material nature is a reflection of the spiritual reality like just as a dream is a reflection of reality like what you are doing now when you fall asleep that reflection of your recollections that you have collected during your wakeful state that comes to the forefront of your mind and that is the dream. Similarly, Maha Visnhu’s in His sleep, He is kind of dreaming and that dream is this material nature. Maha Vishnu’s dreams are all sweet dreams and nightmares are our creation.
3. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Srila Prabhupada then handed me my danda and gave me my new name, Bhakti Charu Swami, which, he explained, means “one who is beautiful in controlling his senses with his devotion.” The devotees all shouted, “Haribol!” and Srila Prabhupada asked them to chant the holy name, which turned into an ecstatic kirtana.
(Extract from “Ocean of Mercy” book written by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Pg. 181)
4. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
The holy name is Krishna Himself, but only if we are chanting without offences. Offences prevent us from associating with Krishna.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami in November 2005)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)