CONTENTS:
- SPIRITUAL LIFE IS FULL OF ENJOYMENT IRRESPECTIVE OF WHEREVER WE ARE
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. SPIRITUAL LIFE IS FULL OF ENJOYMENT IRRESPECTIVE OF WHEREVER WE ARE
The brief history of this pastimes, Laxmidevi left the demi-gods due to Durvasa’s curse. When Laxmidevi leaves there is no prosperity, no opulence, everything becomes very distressful and ominous so the demi-gods were wondering what to do so they approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead suggested that you churn the milk ocean. How to churn the milk ocean in order to get the nectar, Krishna advised them to join hands with the demons and jointly accomplish that mission. Indra approached the King of the demons Bali Maharaja and the demons, consulting among themselves agreed to get into this unusual joint venture, the joint venture among the demons and demi-gods.
The demons had a hidden agenda was together we would churn the milk ocean to get the nectar 
but when we get the nectar, we snatch it away and enjoy it. This is one of the first symptoms of the demons, they always have a hidden agenda, they agree to do something but always have a hidden agenda for their sense gratification. They decided to churn the milk ocean but churning the milk ocean was not an easy job. This mission could be accomplished only with a very special arrangement. Churning means you need a churning rod and a rope to make it go back and forth to twist. The Mandar Mountain was made into the churning rod and Nagraj Vasuki, the King of the snakes was made into the churning rope.
The demi-gods and demons collectively tried to carry the Mandar Mountain, they uprooted it and was carrying it but it was so heavy, although they were jointly carrying it, they dropped the mountain and many of them died. Seeing this situation the Lord came to their rescue riding on His Garuda and with His left hand He picked up Mandar Mountain, placed it on Garuda and carried it to the milk ocean. This is the potency of the devotees of the Lord, they are empowered by the potency of the Lord and that is why they can perform some inconceivable acts. The demi-gods and demons are very powerful individuals, what they could not collectively do Garuda just carried that mountain on his back with ease. Not only the mountain the Lord also. It was brought to milk ocean and was placed to churn the milk ocean but Mandar Ocean sank because milk ocean is so deep that even Mandar Ocean sank, another problem.
Again, the Lord came to the rescue, He assumed the form of a tortoise and on His back, He placed the mountain and this is how the demi-gods could churn the ocean. Lots of things happened in between. The first thing that came was halahal, the deadliest poison which was about to destroy the creation. The Lord told Lord Shiva, “Mahesh, you do something about it.” Lord 
Shiva took that poison and drank it. This is another sign of a devotee, no matter how difficult or dangerous the act may be whenever the Lord wants him to do something, he just does it.
Lord Shiva drank the entire poison but the poison did not go below his neck, he drank it but it remained on his neck and due to the effect of the poison his neck became blue therefore Lord Shiva’s neck is blue and another name for Lord Shiva is Neelakanta, one whose neck is bluish. One after other things started to come up one after another Airavat came, Indra took that some things were taken by demons, some things taken by demi-gods and finally Laxmidevi came and She just approached Vishnu and stayed on His chest. Finally, Danvantari came and when he came with the nectar this is what is being described here.
After such a lot of struggles they churned the milk ocean and got the nectar but now the demons had snatched it away so the demi-gods became morose, what to do? What does a devotee so when he is in difficulty? Another wonderful lesson we are seeing here, when a devotee is in distress what does he do? He takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Lord also came and assured them, “Don’t worry I will take care of it.” The Lord says, “Do not be aggrieved, by my own energy I will bewilder the demons by creating a quarrel among them.” This is due to the illusory energy of the Lord. The Lord bewilders the demons and creates a quarrel among themselves which foils their purpose which ultimately destroys them. Demons fight among themselves and destroy each other. Here they were fighting among themselves and the mission was foiled.
What was the cause of the fight? I’ll be the first one to drink not you. That is another tendency of the demons they want to enjoy themselves depriving everybody else. Not you, not you, I’ll be the first one to drink. In this way they started to fight then the Lord came in His illusory Mohini-murti, extremely beautiful woman, that form is inconceivably beautiful. When Krishna becomes a woman no one can imagine how beautiful He can be. In that respect in the Lalita Madhava drama Rupa Goswami’s narrating one incident, when Satyabhama was brought into Dwarika into the palace. The women stay in the inner region of the palace and the male members don’t enter into the inner region during the daytime so Krishna became eager to meet her but He couldn’t go in during daytime so He assumed a female form to go in.
Uddhava felt attraction towards that woman and he started to wonder I’m not usually attracted to any woman how come I am attracted to this woman? I’m not attracted to anyone but Krishna so how come I am feeling this attraction to this woman? Then he considered is this the form that bewildered Lord Shiva? That is how beautiful, even devotees like Uddhava who has no attraction for any female form, he became attracted to this form of the Lord, when the Lord assumes a female form Mohini-murti. Mohini-murti is a worship able form as Maya-devi, in the final region of the universe, the region of Mayadevi, Durgadevi, Mahamaya, the Lord is being worshipped there as Mohini-murti.
This is how the demons naturally became bewildered they forgot about the nectar; this is another thing about demons, their sex desire is so strong they forgot about everything else, that is their prime 
consideration sex desire. They got enchanted by that form and that lady said, “Give me that pot of nectar, don’t worry I will distribute it properly. You all sit in a queue, demons one side and demi-gods one side.” Lord started to distribute it to the demi-gods, the demons were so bewildered by His beautiful form that they even forgot the purpose of the nectar.
The only person that actually recognized what was going on was Rahu so he sat in the line of the demi-gods and got the nectar. He was about to drink it as Surya and Chandra reported, “My Lord this is a demon!” Sudarshan immediately cut off his head otherwise what could have made him immortal did not go below his neck. So that is how Rahu became so called eternal and developed and eternal animosity with Surya and Chandra and he swallows them and that is the solar and lunar eclipse but because he doesn’t have a body he swallows and it comes out.
All the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the scriptures make one point time and time again surrender to the Lord and you will be successful. Surrender to the Lord no matter how difficult it is, the Lord will come to your rescue don’t worry about it no matter how difficult it is. On the other hand, we get to see no matter how powerful, capable, famous and influential the demons are they don’t succeed. Demons were very powerful they always fail, that presents a very wonderful option in front of us, what should we do? Should we become a devotee or should we become a demon? That is what we learn from nityam bhagavatam sevaya, by learning Srimad Bhagavatam this is a lesson we are reminded of time and time again, surrender to Krishna, surrender to Krishna, surrender to Krishna and never go against Krishna’s arrangement.
That is what actually makes the distinction between the demons and the demi-gods, the demi-gods are surrendered to Krishna and the demons are opposite to that. The divine personalities are those that surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the demons are those who don’t want to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s arrangement. Krishna’s arrangement is for different demi-gods to take care of universal affairs and as a result of that they getting some facilities but the demon’s consideration we are from the same family, cousins, why this line is getting so much benefit and we are not. They got heaven and we have to go to the lower planetary system. Svargaloka assigned to demi-gods but for us patalaloka, sutalaloka, why? They fighting but they don’t recognize that this is the arrangement of the Lord because if their attitude.
When one is surrendered to Krishna Krishna gives them all facilities and when you don’t surrender to Krishna then suffer or enjoy your karmic reactions. Karmic reactions will automatically lead you to an intense suffering condition so lesson to learn. Mam ekam saranam vraja and never ever become averse to Krishna. The moment one becomes averse to Krishna then Maya grabs him, imprisons him and subjects him to all kinds of punishments. The devotee’s whichever situation they are they are enjoying. 
Apparently, it may seem oh the devotees are suffering but the devotees never suffer, real devotees never suffer. Pandavas apparently were suffering when to they went to the forest but they were enjoying in the forest, they were having the association of the saintly personalities in the forest.
They warriors and love to fight and there were so many opportunities to fight with the demons and they were killing them one after another. That is how they enjoy. Rich devotee’s parents when they see how their sons and daughters are living in the temple, they get very surprised, “Oh you are living in this one room for 4 or 5 of you and 2 toilets for 25 devotees!” they are so surprised and when the parents want to take them home, they don’t want to go back even though they have such luxurious arrangements that shows where they are actually enjoying. Spiritual life is full of enjoyment irrespective of wherever we are. Thank you all very much. Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
The more we recognize and appreciate the glory of Srila Prabhupada the more we will be able to appreciate of the activities of Supreme Personality of Godhead, because Srila Prabhupada came to give the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The mercy of the Lord flows through Srila Prabhupada, the most bona fide representative of the Lord.
(Prabhupada realizations)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
- Should we become a devotee or should we become a demon? That is what we learn from nityam bhagavatam sevaya, by learning Srimad Bhagavatam this is a lesson we are reminded of time and time again, surrender to Krishna, surrender to Krishna, surrender to Krishna and never go against Krishna’s arrangement;
- Spiritual life is full of enjoyment irrespective of wherever we are.
(The content of this E-magazine was based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on 5 October 2017 at ISKCON Juhu)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)