KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.2.19
- Material desires are based on the false ego of the living being and are exhibited by his childish and useless activities to conquer the laws of material nature and by his desire to lord it over the resources of the five elements.
- An absolutely self-realized soul becomes completely aloof from all material desires.
- The well-situated self, or Brahman-realized soul, perfectly understands that the Supreme Brahman, or the Personality of Godhead, is the all-powerful Vāsudeva and that he (the self-realized living being) is a part and parcel of the supreme whole.
- His constitutional position is to cooperate with Him in all respects in the transcendental relation of the served and the servitor. Such a self-realized soul ceases to exhibit his useless activities of attempting to lord it over material nature. Being scientifically well informed, he fully engages himself in faithful devotion to the Lord
- The concentration of the mind is more easily attained in Kali Yuga by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The results are more effective than those derived from the inner exercise of the life air followed by the yogis in the previous yugas.
- (BG 18.54) One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state, he attains pure devotional service unto Me.
- One who is engaged in pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord is already in a state of liberation, called brahma-bhūta, oneness with the Absolute. Without being one with the Supreme, the Absolute, one cannot render service unto Him. In the absolute conception, there is no difference between the served and the servitor; yet the distinction is there, in a higher spiritual sense.
- Moha refers to that which is opposed to knowledge. Actually real knowledge is the understanding that every living being is eternally a servitor of the Lord, but instead of thinking oneself in that position, the living entity thinks that he is not a servant, that he is the master of this material world, for he wants to lord it over the material nature. That is his illusion.
- To become free from the illusory energy is to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and agree to act according to His order. To study Bhagavad-gītā is to understand Kṛṣṇa factually. When a person is in full knowledge, he naturally surrenders to Kṛṣṇa.
- Kṛṣṇa consciousness is acting according to Kṛṣṇa’s order.
- Supreme Lord is the master who is full of knowledge and who is the proprietor of everything. One who does not know Him is under the spell of illusion; he does not become a devotee, but a servitor of māyā.
- Self-realization means becoming indifferent to the needs of the gross and subtle bodies and becoming serious about the activities of the self.
- Gross and subtle body coverings are never effective in the person of the Personality of Godhead. Knowing this convincingly is called liberation, or seeing the Absolute.
- By ignorance, self-interest is calculated in terms of the gross and subtle bodies, and therefore a whole set of activities is spoiled, life after life.
- When, however, one meets the self by proper culture, the activities of the self begin. Therefore a man who is engaged in the activities of the self is called jīvan-mukta, or a liberated person even in the conditional existence.
- This perfect stage of self-realization is attained not by artificial means, but under the lotus feet of the Lord, who is always transcendental.
- By the culture of transcendental knowledge, when the living being prays to the Lord for deliverance from the clutches of forgetfulness, the Lord, by His causeless mercy, removes the living being’s illusory curtain, and thus he realizes his own self. He then engages himself in the service of the Lord in his eternal constitutional position, becoming liberated from the conditioned life.
SB 2.2.19 TRANSLATION:
By the strength of scientific knowledge, one should be well situated in absolute realization and thus be able to extinguish all material desires. One should then give up the material body by blocking the air hole [through which stool is evacuated] with the heel of one’s foot and by lifting the life air from one place to another in the six primary places.
CLASS NOTES:
DURATMAS –
There are many durātmās who claim to have realized themselves as Brahman and yet are unable to conquer material desires. In the Bhagavad-gītā (18.54) it is clearly explained that an absolutely self-realized soul becomes completely aloof from all material desires. Material desires are based on the false ego of the living being and are exhibited by his childish and useless activities to conquer the laws of material nature and by his desire to lord it over the resources of the five elements. With such a mentality, one is led to believe in the strength of material science, with its discovery of atomic energy and space travel by mechanical vehicles, and by such tiny advancements in material science the false egoist tries to challenge even the strength of the Supreme Lord, who can finish all man’s tiny endeavors in less than a second.
Self Realized Soul
The well-situated self, or Brahman-realized soul, perfectly understands that the Supreme Brahman, or the Personality of Godhead, is the all-powerful Vāsudeva and that he (the self-realized living being) is a part and parcel of the supreme whole. As such, his constitutional position is to cooperate with Him in all respects in the transcendental relation of the served and the servitor. Such a self-realized soul ceases to exhibit his useless activities of attempting to lord it over material nature. Being scientifically well informed, he fully engages himself in faithful devotion to the Lord.
The concentration of the mind is more easily attained in Kali Yuga by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The results are more effective than those derived from the inner exercise of the life air followed by the dhyana yogis in the previous yugas.
We can understand that it is impossible for almost all of us to follow this method. When we tell them about the bhakti-yoga they say it is easy, when it is easy why they don’t do it? They can’t do the hard thing and they don’t want to do the easy process.
They are too harassed with the mobile phones, social media etc.,.
(BG 18.54) One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.
Who is the supreme brahman. Each of the following say –
Empiricists/ Materialists – Heavenly planets
Mayavadis – Brahma Jyothi – Sat, Chit
Devotees – Krishna – Sat, chit, Ananda
Mayavadis have some sense of satisfaction, they experience the lack of suffering as happiness, but they do not have the full bliss.
one who is engaged in pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord is already in a state of liberation,
called brahma-bhūta, oneness with the Absolute. Without being one with the Supreme, the Absolute, one cannot render service unto Him. In the absolute conception, there is no difference between the served and the servitor; yet the distinction is there, in a higher spiritual sense.
- In the material concept of life, when one works for sense gratification, there is misery, but in the absolute world, when one is engaged in pure devotional service, there is no misery.
- The devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has nothing for which to lament or desire.
- Since God is full, a living entity who is engaged in God’s service, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, becomes also full in himself.
- He is just like a river cleansed of all dirty water.
- Because a pure devotee has no thought other than Kṛṣṇa, he is naturally always joyful.
- He does not lament for any material loss or aspire for gain, because he is full in the service of the Lord.
- He has no desire for material enjoyment because he knows that every living entity is a fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and therefore eternally a servant.
- He does not see, in the material world, someone as higher and someone as lower; higher and lower positions are ephemeral, and a devotee has nothing to do with ephemeral appearances or disappearances.
- For him, stone and gold are of equal value.
- This is the Brahma-bhūta stage, and this stage is attained very easily by the pure devotee. In that stage of existence, the idea of becoming one with the Supreme Brahman and annihilating one’s individuality becomes hellish, the idea of attaining the heavenly kingdom becomes phantasmagoria, and the senses are like serpents whose poison teeth are broken. As there is no fear of a serpent with broken teeth, there is no fear from the senses when they are automatically controlled.
- The world is miserable for the materially infected person, but for a devotee the entire world is as good as Vaikuṇṭha, or the spiritual sky.
- The highest personality in this material universe is no more significant than an ant for a devotee. Such a stage can be achieved by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, who preached pure devotional service in this age.
The idea of pure devotional service is the position of liberation. Oneness with the lord means not what Mayavadis says. It means that one is always following the orders/ instructions of the lord.
(BG 18.73) CONSTITUTIONAL AND ETERNAL POSITION OF THE LIVING ENTITY. VIMP VERSE AND PURPORT
Arjuna said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.
WHEN A PERSON IS LIBERATED, HIS ILLUSION IS OVER, AND HE VOLUNTARILY SURRENDERS UNTO THE SUPREME TO ACT ACCORDING TO HIS DESIRES.
The last illusion, the last snare of māyā to trap the living entity, is the proposition that he is God. The living entity thinks that he is no longer a conditioned soul, but God. He is so unintelligent that he does not think that if he were God, then how could he be in doubt? That he does not consider. So that is the last snare of illusion. ACTUALLY TO BECOME FREE FROM THE ILLUSORY ENERGY IS TO UNDERSTAND KṚṢṆA, THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, AND AGREE TO ACT ACCORDING TO HIS ORDER.
MOHA REFERS TO THAT WHICH IS OPPOSED TO KNOWLEDGE. Actually real knowledge is the understanding that every living being is eternally a servitor of the Lord, but instead of thinking oneself in that position, the living entity thinks that he is not a servant, that he is the master of this material world, for he wants to lord it over the material nature. That is his illusion. This illusion can be overcome by the mercy of the Lord or by the mercy of a pure devotee. When that illusion is over, one agrees to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
KṚṢṆA CONSCIOUSNESS IS ACTING ACCORDING TO KṚṢṆA’S ORDER.
SUPREME LORD IS THE MASTER WHO IS FULL OF KNOWLEDGE AND WHO IS THE PROPRIETOR OF EVERYTHING.
A conditioned soul, illusioned by the external energy of matter, does not know that the Supreme Lord is the master who is full of knowledge and who is the proprietor of everything. Whatever He desires He can bestow upon His devotees; He is the friend of everyone, and He is especially inclined to His devotee. He is the controller of this material nature and of all living entities. He is also the controller of inexhaustible time, and He is full of all opulences and all potencies. The Supreme Personality of Godhead can even give Himself to the devotee. One who does not know Him is under the spell of illusion; he does not become a devotee, but a servitor of māyā.
Arjuna, however, after hearing Bhagavad-gītā from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, became free from all illusion. He could understand that Kṛṣṇa was not only his friend but the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And he understood Kṛṣṇa factually. So to study Bhagavad-gītā is to understand Kṛṣṇa factually. When a person is in full knowledge, he naturally surrenders to Kṛṣṇa.
The living entity can take 2 paths –
Follow the orders of Krsna
Refuse the orders of Krsna
We were studying the Psychology of the human being – To understand this, we need to understand the constitutional position of the lord. The two choices that the living entity has – serve Krsna/ Serve Maya. If we serve Maya we are in misery.
(SB 1.3.33)
Whenever a person experiences, by self-realization, that both the gross and subtle bodies have nothing to do with the pure self, at that time he sees himself as well as the Lord.
GBC is currently discussing sanitizing the Statements made by Srila Prabhupada – which come across as offensive. They want to sanitize the statements made by him on Black people with the artificial emergency- that we cannot preach in South Africa, due to SP statements that are sensitive to black people. Instead of preaching, we are not the body, they are saying you are the body.
Now it is black people, next it will be about women, going to the moon, politicians…
Maharaj used to go to people’s park in Berkeley to preach. He used to preach and give them prasadam. Do you know my God is black.. lightening black..
Any decision GBC makes has to be based on Sastra. It cannot be made based on feelings. This verse should be the basis for the comments made on Black people.
No statement made by SP is wrong, even the ones which seem to be wrong. He very carefully chooses every word. It is the question of being patient and asking the right people. Every question has been answered.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELF-REALIZATION AND MATERIAL ILLUSION
is to know that the temporary or illusory impositions of material energy in the shape of gross and subtle bodies are superficial coverings of the self. The coverings take place due to ignorance. Such coverings are never effective in the person of the Personality of Godhead. Knowing this convincingly is called liberation, or seeing the Absolute. This means that perfect self-realization is made possible by adoption of godly or spiritual life. Self-realization means becoming indifferent to the needs of the gross and subtle bodies and becoming serious about the activities of the self.
The impetus for activities is generated from the self, but such activities become illusory due to ignorance of the real position of the self. By ignorance, self-interest is calculated in terms of the gross and subtle bodies, and therefore a whole set of activities is spoiled, life after life. When, however, one meets the self by proper culture, the activities of the self begin. Therefore a man who is engaged in the activities of the self is called jīvan-mukta, or a liberated person even in the conditional existence.
This perfect stage of self-realization is attained not by artificial means, but under the lotus feet of the Lord, who is always transcendental.
By the culture of transcendental knowledge, when the living being prays to the Lord for deliverance from the clutches of forgetfulness, the Lord, by His causeless mercy, removes the living being’s illusory curtain, and thus he realizes his own self. He then engages himself in the service of the Lord in his eternal constitutional position, becoming liberated from the conditioned life.
Vibhishan – demon body – surrendered to Lord Rama
Ghatotkacha – rakshasa – devotee
Jambavati – bear – Lord married her
Hanuman – Half man, half-monkey
Narasimha – Half man, half lion
Samba – son of Jambavati –
Krishna incarnates in every species – Tortoise, Boar,
Ananta Sesha – thousands of heads
We have plenty of ammunition to explain to people
The beauty of a devotee is based on – 26 qualities of a devotee, 20 factors of knowledge
This is the platform for preaching and not to delineate the statement made by SP.
Cancel Culture – They cancel Krsna as supreme personality of Godhead. Now they are trying to cancel the statements made by Prabhupada. He is explaining things as they are.
Krsna has incarnations – red, green, white, black, golden body, which Krsna are you going to look at. Original form of lord – brilliant, blackish-blue body…
If we are following the people who pander to the bodily conceptions of life, we will never make spiritual progress.
Definition of illusion – To believe something is true that was never true.
It is never true that I am black, I am blue, I am this, I am that.. the real truth is I am the soul, part of the supreme soul and the purpose of the part is to serve the whole…