KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.1.10 today (03/04/21):
- One who gives full attention and respect to hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam achieves unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord, the giver of salvation.
- The knowledge of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam must be received through bonafide disciplic succession. The process of receiving spiritual knowledge is not a magical feat. Example – Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. Both the spiritual master and the disciple must be bona fide.
- The disciple can receive such teachings not exactly intellectually but by submissive inquiries and a service attitude.
- For the advancement in spiritual knowledge, all progress depends more or less on the mercy of the spiritual master.
- The spiritual master must be satisfied with the disciple; only then is knowledge automatically manifest before the student of spiritual science.
- A devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is he who believes sincerely that by becoming a devotee of the Lord one becomes fully equipped with everything spiritual.
- This unflinching faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa prepares one to become a student of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and one who hears Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from a devotee like Śukadeva Gosvāmī is sure to attain salvation at the end, as Mahārāja Parīkṣit did.
- Anyone who hears Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam attentively from its bona fide reciter is sure to become a sincere devotee of the Lord, who is able to award liberation.
- The complete text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, beginning with the janmādy Asya verse up to the last one in the Twelfth Canto, was spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī for the attainment of salvation by Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
- Anyone who follows in the footsteps of either the ideal reciter or the ideal hearer, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit respectively, will undoubtedly attain salvation like them.
- In the Padma Purāṇa, it is mentioned that Gautama Muni advised Mahārāja Ambarīṣa to hear regularly Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as it was recited by Śukadeva Gosvām
- One who is actually interested in the Bhāgavatam, therefore, must not play with it by reading or hearing a portion from here and a portion from there
- One must follow in the footsteps of great kings like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa or Mahārāja Parīkṣit and hear it from a bona fide representative of Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
SB 2.1.10
That very Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam I shall recite before you because you are the most sincere devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. One who gives full attention and respect to hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam achieves unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord, the giver of salvation.
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(SB 2.1.10) THE KNOWLEDGE OF ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM MUST BE RECEIVED THROUGH BONAFIDE DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is recognized Vedic wisdom, and the system of receiving Vedic knowledge is called avaroha-panthā, or the process of receiving transcendental knowledge through bona fide disciplic succession. For the advancement of material knowledge there is a need for personal ability and researching aptitude, but in the case of spiritual knowledge, all progress depends more or less on the mercy of the spiritual master. The spiritual master must be satisfied with the disciple; only then is knowledge automatically manifest before the student of spiritual science.
(SB 2.1.10) THE PROCESS OF RECEIVING SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE IS NOT A MAGICAL FEAT
The process should not, however, be misunderstood to be something like magical feats whereby the spiritual master acts like a magician and injects spiritual knowledge into his disciple, as if surcharging him with an electrical current.
Srila Prabhupad is referring to Ramakrishna and Vivekananda
The bona fide spiritual master reasonably explains everything to the disciple on the authorities of Vedic wisdom. The disciple can receive such teachings not exactly intellectually, but by submissive inquiries and a service attitude. The idea is that both the spiritual master and the disciple must be bona fide. In this case, the spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, is ready to recite exactly what he has learned from his great father Śrīla Vyāsadeva, and the disciple, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, is a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
(SB 2.1.10) A DEVOTEE OF LORD KṚṢṆA IS HE WHO BELIEVES SINCERELY THAT BY BECOMING A DEVOTEE OF THE LORD ONE BECOMES FULLY EQUIPPED WITH EVERYTHING SPIRITUAL.
This is called the Factor or faith. This is explained in BG 4.29
(BG 4.29)
A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.
Such knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be achieved by a faithful person who believes firmly in Kṛṣṇa. One is called a faithful man who thinks that simply by acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness he can attain the highest perfection. This faith is attained by the discharge of devotional service and by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, which cleanses one’s heart of all material dirt. Over and above this, one should control the senses. A person who is faithful to Kṛṣṇa and who controls the senses can easily attain perfection in the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness without delay.
(SB 2.1.10) UNFLINCHING FAITH IN KRSNA MAKES ONE A STUDENT OF SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM
This unflinching faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa prepares one to become a student of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and one who hears Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from a devotee like Śukadeva Gosvāmī is sure to attain salvation at the end, as Mahārāja Parīkṣit did. The professional reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the pseudo devotees whose faith is based on one week’s hearing are different from Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Śrīla Vyāsadeva explained Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam unto Śukadeva Gosvāmī from the very beginning of the janmādy asya verse, and so Śukadeva Gosvāmī also explained it to the King.
(SB 2.1.10) LORD KRSNA IS THE MAHA PURUSA
Lord Kṛṣṇa is described as the Mahāpuruṣa in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Canto Eleven) in His devotional feature as Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself in His devotional attitude, descended to the earth to bestow special favors upon the fallen souls of this Age of Kali. In other words, puruṣa means the enjoyer, and mahāpuruṣa means the supreme enjoyer, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One who deserves to approach the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called the mahā-pauruṣika.
(SB 2.1.10) ANYONE WHO HEARS ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM ATTENTIVELY FROM ITS BONA FIDE RECITER IS SURE TO BECOME A SINCERE DEVOTEE OF THE LORD, WHO IS ABLE TO AWARD LIBERATION.
There was none so attentive as Mahārāja Parīkṣit in the matter of hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and there was none so qualified as Śukadeva Gosvāmī to recite the text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore, anyone who follows in the footsteps of either the ideal reciter or the ideal hearer, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit respectively, will undoubtedly attain salvation like them. Mahārāja Parīkṣit attained salvation by hearing only, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī attained salvation only by reciting. Recitation and hearing are two processes out of nine devotional activities, and by strenuously following the principles, either in all or by parts, one can attain the absolute plane. So the complete text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, beginning with the janmādy asya verse up to the last one in the Twelfth Canto, was spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī for the attainment of salvation by Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
(SB 2.1.10)GAUTAMA MUNI ADVISED MAHĀRĀJA AMBARĪṢA TO HEAR REGULARLY ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM AS IT WAS RECITED BY ŚUKADEVA GOSVĀMĪ
In the Padma Purāṇa, it is mentioned that Gautama Muni advised Mahārāja Ambarīṣa to hear regularly Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as it was recited by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and herein it is confirmed that Mahārāja Ambarīṣa heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the very beginning to the end, as it was spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. One who is actually interested in the Bhāgavatam, therefore, must not play with it by reading or hearing a portion from here and a portion from there; one must follow in the footsteps of great kings like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa or Mahārāja Parīkṣit and hear it from a bona fide representative of Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
We can say how fortunate we are, to hear SB every day in the morning where there is no noises. Quality matters and not quantity. Especially we neophytes are learning one thing a day. Two things have to be done slowly. Gaining money and gaining knowledge. Everyday we must pursue reverent and attentive hearing SB by hearing and asking questions,
PURE LOVE AND MUNDANE LUST –
SB 1.2.
Prema pumartan
Unalloyed love for Krsna is the goal of life
(CC Ādi 4.27-28)
“Taking these pure devotees with Me, I shall descend and sport in various wonderful ways, unknown even in Vaikuṇṭha. I shall broadcast such pastimes by which even I am amazed.
Such pastimes are so attractive that they attract even the Lord, and thus He relishes them in the form of Lord Caitanya.
Lord Caitanya accepts the services rendered by the disciples in a very reverential mood.
Services in the altar, kitchen – should always be rendered in a very reverential mood, no giggling, no talking, no frivolous talk, no laughing, no anything which takes you away from that mood. In both places, service should be done in a very reverential way. Everything in the Kitchen is the same as the altar. It is not just a kitchen, it is Krsna’s kitchen. Everything has to be clean and taken care of. It is Krsna’s kitchen.
(CC ADI 4.29)
“The influence of yogamāyā will inspire the gopīs with the sentiment that I am their paramour.
Yogamāyā is the name of the internal potency that makes the Lord forget Himself and become an object of love for His pure devotee in different transcendental mellows. This yogamāyā potency creates a spiritual sentiment in the minds of the damsels of Vraja by which they think of Lord Kṛṣṇa as their paramour. This sentiment is never to be compared to mundane illicit sexual love. It has nothing to do with sexual psychology, although the pure love of such devotees seems to be sexual. One should know for certain that nothing can exist in this cosmic manifestation that has no real counterpart in the spiritual field. All material manifestations are emanations of the Transcendence. The erotic principles of amorous love reflected in mixed material values are perverted reflections of the reality of spirit, but one cannot understand the reality unless one is sufficiently educated in the spiritual science.
Yoga maya and mahamaya – both are illusions.
Mahamaya – has an Arduous task to gradually train the living entity to
Materialists, scientists, All are going down the road of self-destruction. Even the religions are mundane. They are all promising the sense gratification through material advancements.
Spiritual world Yogamaya inspires people to come closer to Krsna more and more.
How can Krsna forget everything? What does He forget? He Forgets that He is self sufficient. To become an object of love for His pure devotees. He becomes SON of Nanda Maharaj and Yaodamayi, Friend of Cowherd boys, Master of Hanuman. He becomes the supreme master for the objects of Neutrality- trees,,,
one cannot understand the reality unless one is sufficiently educated in the spiritual science.
Education is regular hearing and asking questions.
We are in the house of mirrors in this world. Everything is distorted and what it is not. When we hear the real truth we cannot accept it.
(CC Ādi 4.30)
“Neither the gopīs nor I shall notice this, for our minds will always be entranced by one another’s beauty and qualities.
The beauty of Krsna is way beyond anything. When one sees Krsna one is completely entranced by His beauty.
In the spiritual sky the Vaikuṇṭha planets are predominated by Nārāyaṇa. His devotees have the same features He does, and the exchange of devotion there is on the platform of reverence. But above all these Vaikuṇṭha planets is Goloka, or Kṛṣṇaloka, where the original Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, fully manifests His pleasure potency in free loving affairs. Since the devotees in the material world know almost nothing about these affairs, the Lord desires to show these affairs to them.
The mood is sober and attentive in Vaikunta
In the material world, this sort of relationship is most abominable because it is a perverted reflection of the parakīya-rasa in the spiritual world, where it is the highest kind of loving affair. Such feelings between the devotee and the Lord are presented by the influence of yogamāyā.
A devotee naturally does not like to transgress the laws of reverence for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but by the influence of yogamāyā he is prepared to do anything to love the Supreme Lord better.
Govinda was a devotee of the Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He was living in a very small room in Jagannath Puri and He would massage the feet of the Lord after the Lord had his meal. Some of the body is outside the room. He starts massaging outside and then goes inside and massages the rest of the body. He stays there after the lord sleeps off. The lord wakes up and asks if he did not eat lunch and why he stayed back in the room. he was crossing the body to massage your feet and would not cross the body to take his lunch.
One would do anything to please the Lord but not be please themselves.
Those under the spell of the material energy cannot at all appreciate the activities of yogamāyā, for a conditioned soul can hardly understand the pure reciprocation between the Lord and His devotee. But by executing devotional service under the regulative principles, one can become very highly elevated and then begin to appreciate the dealings of pure love under the management of yogamāyā.
We read this before, but every time we read it we are understanding more and more subtleties.