SB 2.1.3 Notes – 02/25/21

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON INVOCATION & SB 2.1.3 – 2.1.4 TODAY (02/25/21):

  1. Atma tattva is the process of knowledge, directed at liberating the spirit soul from the contamination of matter
  2. Human life is not meant for hard labor for economic development but is meant for making a solution for the problems of material life. 
  3. Karmis are devoid of ātma-tattva knowledge. They waste their valuable human life by sleeping and sex indulgence at night, and by laboring hard in the daytime to accumulate wealth
  4. This material world is called the world of death. Every living being, beginning from Brahmā, down to the germs who live for a few seconds only, is struggling for existence
  5. This life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all. No one will survive in this struggle with material nature. But yet humans want to win over the invincible material nature by the aid of bodily strength, children, wife, relatives, etc. The whole materialistic advancement of human civilization is like the decoration of a dead body. Everyone is a dead body flapping only for a few days, and yet all the energy of human life is being wasted in the decoration of this dead body.
  6. Persons who are devoid of the knowledge of ātma-tattva are misguided, but those who are devotees of the Lord and have the perfect realization of transcendental knowledge are not bewildered.
  7. Yadus are relieved from all material contamination and are situated in the transcendental position of liberation due to the presence of Krsna with them.
  8. The ecstatic trance Gopis achieved simply by mentally embracing Kṛṣṇa is impossible to achieve even for great yogīs constantly engaged in meditation on Him.
  9. This important instruction (on the basis of inconceivable, simultaneous oneness and difference) by Lord Kṛṣṇa to the gopīs can be utilized by all devotees engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
  10. The cosmic manifestation is nothing but a display of Kṛṣṇa’s energy, and because the energy is not different from the energetic, nothing is different from Kṛṣṇa. When this absolute Kṛṣṇa consciousness is absent, we are separated from Kṛṣṇa; but, fortunately, if it is present, then we are not separated from Kṛṣṇa.
  11. If the devotee knows perfectly that the arcā-vigraha, or Deity form of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple, is exactly the same sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha as Kṛṣṇa Himself, then his service to the temple Deity becomes direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  12. One has to follow the rules and regulations prescribed by the ācāryas, and thus, under superior guidance, Kṛṣṇa-realization is fully possible, even in this material existence.
  13. The gopīs, having been instructed by Kṛṣṇa in this philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference, were immediately freed from the jīva-kośa imprisonment and remained always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
  14. A person in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always liberated from false egoism (jiva kosa); he utilizes everything for Kṛṣṇa’s service and is not at any time separated from Kṛṣṇa. Gopis are always liberated souls because they are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
  15. The gopīs, were not interested in the idea of going with Kṛṣṇa to Dvārakā. They wanted to remain busy in Vṛndāvana and thus feel the presence of Kṛṣṇa in every step of their lives. This transcendental emotional existence of the gopīs is the basic principle of Lord Caitanya’s teaching.
  16. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being profoundly attached to the gopīs, never goes away from Vṛndāvana, and the gopīs and other residents of Vṛndāvana remain fully satisfied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

CLASS NOTES: 

SB 2.1.3 

The lifetime of such an envious householder is passed at night either in sleeping or in sex indulgence, and in the daytime either in making money or maintaining family members.

SB 2.1.4

Persons devoid of ātma-tattva do not inquire into the problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction.

CLASS NOTES: 

(SB 2.13) ATMA TATTVA IS THE PROCESS OF KNOWLEDGE, DIRECTED AT LIBERATING THE SPIRIT SOUL FROM THE CONTAMINATION OF MATTER

Human life is a combination of matter and spirit soul. Atma Attva, the process of Vedic knowledge is directed at liberating the spirit soul from the contamination of matter. 

(SB 2.13) HUMAN LIFE IS NOT MEANT FOR HARD LABOR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BUT IS MEANT FOR DEVELOPING ATMA TATTVA. 

Human life is not meant for hard labor for economic development, nor is it meant for sex indulgences like that of the dogs and hogs. It is specially meant for making a solution to the problems of material life and the miseries thereof. 

(SB 2.13) KARMIS ARE DEVOID OF ĀTMA-TATTVA KNOWLEDGE.

The karmīs are more or less devoid of ātma-tattva knowledge. The karmīs waste their valuable human life by sleeping and sex indulgence at night, and by laboring hard in the daytime to accumulate wealth, and after doing so, they try to improve the standard of materialistic life. Thus their life is spent without any spiritual profit.

(SB 2.14) THIS MATERIAL WORLD IS CALLED THE WORLD OF DEATH. 

This material world is called the world of death. Every living being, beginning from Brahmā, whose duration of life is some thousands of millions of years, down to the germs who live for a few seconds only, is struggling for existence. Therefore, this life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all.

Although he is sufficiently experienced in the matter by dint of past experience and previous examples of his deceased predecessors, he does not see that the so-called fighting soldiers like the children, relatives, society members and countrymen are all fallible in the great struggleNo one will survive in this struggle with material nature. The whole materialistic advancement of human civilization is like the decoration of a dead body. Everyone is a dead body flapping only for a few days, and yet all the energy of human life is being wasted in the decoration of this dead body.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is pointing out the duty of the human being after showing the actual position of bewildered human activities. Persons who are devoid of the knowledge of ātma-tattva are misguided, but those who are devotees of the Lord and have perfect realization of transcendental knowledge are not bewildered.

Srila Prabhupada is trying to explain the purpose of Vedic knowledge. The whole process of how we are contaminated by materialism is explained in Bhagavadgita. The whole dilemma of Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita is the struggle between the mundane concept of life spiritual concept of life. It only took 30 mins – 1hr for Krsna to explain it to Arjuna. The speed at which Krsna recited and the fact that arjuna understood it in such a short time is incredible. Shows how advanced Arjuna is. They were in a stressful situation.
To understand how we become entangled in the material world is a big subject, how we get over the entanglement is even a bigger subject.

Most of the time is spent on understanding how we are entangled, we have to spend more time hearing the past times of the lord which gets us out of this material entanglement.

(CHAPTER 82 KRSNA BOOK)

YADUS ARE RELIEVED FROM ALL MATERIAL CONTAMINATION AND ARE SITUATED IN THE TRANSCENDENTAL POSITION OF LIBERATION DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF KRSNA WITH THEM.

The specific condition of your perfection is that you always see Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is sought by many mystic yogīs undergoing severe austerities and penances for great numbers of years. All of you are in direct touch with Lord Kṛṣṇa at every moment.
“All the Vedic hymns glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. The Ganges water is considered sanctified because of its being the water used to wash the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Vedic literatures are nothing but the injunctions of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The purpose of the study of all the Vedas is to know Kṛṣṇa; therefore, the words of Kṛṣṇa and the message of His pastimes are always purifying. By the influence of time and circumstances, all the opulences of this world were almost completely wiped out, but since Kṛṣṇa has appeared on this planet, all auspicious features have again appeared due to the touch of His lotus feet. Because of His presence, all our ambitions and desires are gradually being fulfilled. Your Majesty, king of the Bhojas, you are related with the Yadu dynasty by matrimonial relationship, and by blood relationship also. As a result, you are constantly associating with Lord Kṛṣṇa, and you have no difficulty in seeing Him or touching Him at any time. Lord Kṛṣṇa moves with you, talks with you, sits with you, rests with you and dines with you.
The Yadus appear to be always engaged in worldly affairs, which are considered to be the royal road to hell, but due to the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead in the Viṣṇu category, who is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, all of you are factually relieved from all material contamination and are situated in the transcendental position of liberation and Brahman existence.”

THE ECSTATIC TRANCE GOPIS ACHIEVED SIMPLY BY MENTALLY EMBRACING KṚṢṆA IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE EVEN FOR GREAT YOGĪS CONSTANTLY ENGAGED IN MEDITATION ON THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD.

As far as the gopīs of Vṛndāvana were concerned, from the very beginning of their lives they did not know anything beyond Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were their life and soul. The gopīs were so attached to Kṛṣṇa that they could not tolerate not seeing Him even momentarily when their eyelids blinked and impeded their vision.  Because they had been separated from Kṛṣṇa for so many years, the gopīs, having come along with Nanda Mahārāja and Mother Yaśodā, felt intense ecstasy upon seeing Kṛṣṇa. No one can even imagine how eager the gopīs were to see Kṛṣṇa again. As soon as Kṛṣṇa became visible to them, they took Him inside their hearts through their eyes and embraced Him to their full satisfaction. Even though they were embracing Kṛṣṇa only mentally, they became so ecstatic and overwhelmed with joy that for the time being they completely forgot themselves.
The ecstatic trance they achieved simply by mentally embracing Kṛṣṇa is impossible to achieve even for great yogīs constantly engaged in meditation on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa could understand that the gopīs were rapt in ecstasy by embracing Him in their minds, and therefore, since He is present in everyone’s heart, He reciprocated the embracing from within.

LORD GIVES AN IMPORTANT INSTRCUTION TO GOPIS FROM WHICH WE CAN LEARN

This important instruction by Lord Kṛṣṇa to the gopīs can be utilized by all devotees engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The whole philosophy is considered on the basis of inconceivable, simultaneous oneness and difference. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that He is present everywhere in His impersonal feature. Everything exists in Him, but still He is not personally present everywhere. The cosmic manifestation is nothing but a display of Kṛṣṇa’s energy, and because the energy is not different from the energetic, nothing is different from Kṛṣṇa. When this absolute consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is absent, we are separated from Kṛṣṇa; but, fortunately, if this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is present, then we are not separated from Kṛṣṇa. The process of devotional service is the revival of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if the devotee is fortunate enough to understand that the material energy is not separate from Kṛṣṇa, then he can utilize the material energy and its products in the service of the Lord. But in the absence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the forgetful living entity, although part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, falsely puts himself in the position of enjoyer of the material world and, being thus implicated in material entanglement, is forced by the material energy to continue his material existence. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Although a living entity is forced to act by the material energy, he falsely thinks that he is the all in all and the supreme enjoyer.

If the devotee knows perfectly that the arcā-vigraha, or Deity form of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple, is exactly the same sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha as Kṛṣṇa Himself, then his service to the temple Deity becomes direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, the temple itself, the temple paraphernalia and the food offered to the Deity are also not separate from Kṛṣṇa. One has to follow the rules and regulations prescribed by the ācāryas, and thus, under superior guidance, Kṛṣṇa-realization is fully possible, even in this material existence.

The gopīs, having been instructed by Kṛṣṇa in this philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference, remained always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus became liberated from all material contamination.

The consciousness of the living entity who falsely presents himself as the enjoyer of the material world is called jīva-kośa, which means imprisonment by the false ego. Not only the gopīs but anyone who follows these instructions of Kṛṣṇa is immediately freed from the jīva-kośa imprisonment. A person in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always liberated from false egoism; he utilizes everything for Kṛṣṇa’s service and is not at any time separated from Kṛṣṇa.

GOPIS PRAYERS TO KRSNA 

The gopīs therefore prayed to Kṛṣṇa, “Dear Kṛṣṇa, from Your navel emanated the original lotus flower, which is the birthsite of Brahmā, the creator. No one can estimate Your glories or Your opulence, which therefore remain always a mystery even to the highest thoughtful men, the masters of all yogic power. However, the conditioned soul fallen in the dark well of this material existence can very easily take shelter of Your lotus feet. Thus his deliverance is guaranteed.”

The gopīs continued, “Dear Kṛṣṇa, we are always busy in our family affairs. We therefore request that You remain within our hearts as the rising sun. That will be Your greatest benediction.”

GOPIS ARE ALWAYS LIBERATED SOULS BECAUSE THEY ARE FULLY IN KṚṢṆA CONSCIOUSNESS

The gopīs are always liberated souls because they are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They only pretended to be entangled in household affairs in Vṛndāvana. Because of their separation from Kṛṣṇa, He might have asked them to return with Him to His capital city, Dvārakā. But the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, the gopīs, were not interested in the idea of going with Kṛṣṇa to Dvārakā. They wanted to remain busy in Vṛndāvana and thus feel the presence of Kṛṣṇa in every step of their lives. They immediately invited Kṛṣṇa to come back to Vṛndāvana. This transcendental emotional existence of the gopīs is the basic principle of Lord Caitanya’s teaching. The Ratha-yātrā festival observed by Lord Caitanya is the emotional process of taking Kṛṣṇa back to Vṛndāvana. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī refused to go with Kṛṣṇa to Dvārakā to enjoy His company in the atmosphere of royal opulence, for She wanted to enjoy His company in the original Vṛndāvana atmosphere. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being profoundly attached to the gopīs, never goes away from Vṛndāvana, and the gopīs and other residents of Vṛndāvana remain fully satisfied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.