KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.2.28 TODAY (04/25/21):
- One who attains Brahmaloka or Satyaloka by dint of devotional service is specifically mentioned here, in relation to how he can penetrate into the different coverings of the universe and thus ultimately disclose his spiritual identity in the absolute atmosphere of supreme existence.
- Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī confirms that a part of the material nature, after being initiated by the Lord, is known as the mahat-tattva. A fractional portion of the mahat-tattva is called the false ego.
- A portion of the ego is the vibration of sound, and a portion of the sound is atmospheric air. A portion of the airy atmosphere is turned into forms, and the forms constitute the power of electricity or heat.
- Heat produces the smell of the aroma of the earth, and the gross earth is produced by such aroma. And all these combined together constitute the cosmic phenomenon.
- The extent of the cosmic phenomenon is calculated to be diametrically (both ways) four billion miles.
- Then the coverings of the universe begin. The first stratum of the covering is calculated to extend eighty million miles, and the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of fire, effulgence, air and ether, one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous.
- The fearless devotee of the Lord penetrates each of the covering of the universe and ultimately reaches the absolute atmosphere where everything is of one and the same spiritual identity.
- Then the devotee enters one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where he assumes exactly the same form as the Lord and engages in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of devotional life. Beyond this there is nothing to be desired or achieved by the perfect yogī.
- It is very hard to comprehend what we just read and is seems very impossible for us to get liberated from the material world and attain Goloka. Only a pure devotee can understand it and be able to write it.
- By the mercy of Chaitanya, the very complicated process of getting liberated from the material world is simplified. Hare Krishna maha-mantra was brought down from Goloka by lord Caitanya & Nityananda for the salvation of living beings.
- If we chant the mantra very sincerely, we can mitigate the extremely difficult process to get out of the material creation.
- Both the living entities and material nature existed before this cosmos was manifested. Material nature was absorbed in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mahā-viṣṇu, and when it was required, it was manifested by the agency of the mahat-tattva. Similarly, the living entities are also in Him, and because they are conditioned, they are averse to serving the Supreme Lord. Thus they are not allowed to enter into the spiritual sky.
- But with the coming forth of material nature these living entities are again given a chance to act in the material world and prepare themselves to enter into the spiritual world. That is the mystery of this material creation.
- Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy [māyā] gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence.
- The living entity’s forgetfulness is described as anādi, which indicates that it has existed since time immemorial. One should understand that due to his desire to enjoy himself in competition with Kṛṣṇa, the living entity comes into material existence.
- All transformations and variety in respect to living entities are due to the body. As far as spirit is concerned, living entities are all the same.
- Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world.
- His material happiness and distress are due to his body, and not to himself as he is. In his original state, there is no doubt of enjoyment; therefore that is his real state.
SB 2.2.28 TRANSLATION
After reaching Satyaloka, the devotee is specifically able to be incorporated fearlessly by the subtle body in an identity similar to that of the gross body, and one after another he gradually attains stages of existence from earthly to watery, fiery, glowing, and airy, until he reaches the ethereal stage.
CLASS NOTES:
One who attains Brahmaloka or Satyaloka by dint of devotional service is specifically mentioned here, in relation to how he can penetrate into the different coverings of the universe and thus ultimately disclose his spiritual identity in the absolute atmosphere of supreme existence.
COSMIC PHENOMENON
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī confirms that a part of the material nature, after being initiated by the Lord, is known as the mahat-tattva. A fractional portion of the mahat-tattva is called the false ego. A portion of the ego is the vibration of sound, and a portion of sound is atmospheric air. A portion of the airy atmosphere is turned into forms, and the forms constitute the power of electricity or heat. Heat produces the smell of the aroma of the earth, and the gross earth is produced by such aroma. And all these combined together constitute the cosmic phenomenon. The extent of the cosmic phenomenon is calculated to be diametrically (both ways) four billion miles. Then the coverings of the universe begin. The first stratum of the covering is calculated to extend eighty million miles, and the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of fire, effulgence, air and ether, one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous.
The fearless devotee of the Lord penetrates each one of them and ultimately reaches the absolute atmosphere where everything is of one and the same spiritual identity. Then the devotee enters one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where he assumes exactly the same form as the Lord and engages in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of devotional life. Beyond this there is nothing to be desired or achieved by the perfect yogī.
This is an extremely profound purport, Prabhupada is explaining the cosmology of the universe. The devotee purifies himself from gross to subtle. Very detailed information. Only a pure devotee can write this. We can only understand a little bit of it. By the mercy of Chaitanya, the very complicated process of getting liberated from the material world is simplified.
Mahatattva – Total material energy.
Cosmic phenomenon ——Mahatattava ->false ego -> vibration of sound -> atmospheric air ->forms ->heat ->smell of the aroma of the earth ->gross earth.
Mahatattava – false ego +vibration of sound
Hare Krishna maha-mantra was brought down from Goloka by lord Caitanya & Nityananda for the salvation of living beings.
If we chant the mantra very sincerely, we can mitigate the extremely difficult process to get out of the material creation.
We need to understand the diff bet material sound and spiritual sound.
The cosmic phenomenon is illusory because it is temporary. Is hearing the news gives us transcendental knowledge? No, it is entangling.
BG & SB – is transcendental knowledge. Going to focus on hearing.
Let’s take a walk of the dense jungle of material creation led by SP and Acharyas in CC.
(CC M 20.117) BY FORGETTING KṚṢṆA, ONE IS ENTRAPPED BY ILLUSORY ENERGY THAT GIVES HIM ALL KINDS OF MISERY
“Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy [māyā] gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence.
Unless we understand this, we become victims of false airways.
The material explanation of why there is chaos in India – Kumbh Mela, not following social distancing, masks… But there is a deeper real cause.
The real cause is the people are committing so many sins in the land of Dharma. They are acting knowingly. They say they don’t know. Because you purposely avoided it. Every year Janmashtami is celebrated every year. People cant say they don’t know. They don’t want to know. SP, acharyas have been living on this land for thousands and thousands of years.
When the living entity forgets his constitutional position as an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, he is immediately entrapped by the illusory, external energy. The living entity is originally part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa and is, therefore, the superior energy of Kṛṣṇa. He is endowed with inconceivable minute energy that works inconceivably within the body.
Constructing a Boeing airplane is a simple ABC compared to the Human body.
However, the living entity, forgetting his position, is situated in the material energy.
In order to sin one has to forget Krsna. In the land of dharma, there is so much sin every day.
The living entity is called the marginal energy because by nature he is spiritual but by forgetfulness, he is situated in the material energy. Thus he has the power to live either in the material energy or in the spiritual energy, and for this reason, he is called marginal energy. Being in the marginal position, he is sometimes attracted by the external, illusory energy, and this is the beginning of his material life.
We are coming to the temple, to remain in spiritual energy. There has to be a breaking point – That is it, I am not going to not longer be in material energy…. The goal of life is explained in BG 13th chapter which describes who we got here, how to get off here.
Before you enter, think about how you get out of here. Think about the exit policy. Looks how complicated it is to get out of this material nature.
(BG 13.20) MYSTERY OF MATERIAL CREATION – WHY LIVING ENTITY COMES INTO THE MATERIAL WORLD
Both material nature and the living entity are eternal. That is to say that they existed before the creation. The material manifestation is from the energy of the Supreme Lord, and so also are the living entities, but the living entities are of the superior energy. Both the living entities and material nature existed before this cosmos was manifested. Material nature was absorbed in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mahā-viṣṇu, and when it was required, it was manifested by the agency of the mahat-tattva. Similarly, the living entities are also in Him, and because they are conditioned, they are averse to serving the Supreme Lord. Thus they are not allowed to enter into the spiritual sky. But with the coming forth of material nature these living entities are again given a chance to act in the material world and prepare themselves to enter into the spiritual world. That is the mystery of this material creation. Actually the living entity is originally the spiritual part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, but due to his rebellious nature, he is conditioned within material nature. It really does not matter how these living entities or superior entities of the Supreme Lord have come in contact with material nature. The Supreme Personality of Godhead knows, however, how and why this actually took place. In the scriptures, the Lord says that those attracted by this material nature are undergoing a hard struggle for existence. But we should know it with certainty from the descriptions of these few verses that all transformations and influences of material nature by the three modes are also productions of material nature. All transformations and variety in respect to living entities are due to the body. As far as spirit is concerned, living entities are all the same.
All of us are struggling in this material world. We are all trying to be happy in the place of misery. Everything is going to come to an end in this material world. Am I this body, no, but do you believe you are this body, yes I am made to believe so by modern education.
(BG 13.21) THE LIVING ENTITY IS THE CAUSE OF THE VARIOUS SUFFERINGS AND ENJOYMENTS IN THIS WORLD.
Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world.
Why does it say Nature and not say Krsna? Because He is transcendental to the material nature. He is controlling the material nature. But He is not doing anything. It is like Bezos is on vacation the factory workers are working in the Amazon factory. When you go there you hear about him, but you do not see Him. He is playing the flute. He is taking care of cows. He is not dealing with Machines… Even devas are also in anxiety, they are working hard managing this whole universe… They are all going to die. Krsna is not working, He is having fun…
The different manifestations of body and senses among the living entities are due to material nature. There are 8,400,000 different species of life, and these varieties are creations of the material nature. They arise from the different sensual pleasures of the living entity, who thus desires to live in this body or that. When he is put into different bodies, he enjoys different kinds of happiness and distress. His material happiness and distress are due to his body, and not to himself as he is. In his original state, there is no doubt of enjoyment; therefore that is his real state.
When he enters the material energy, he is subjected to the threefold time measurement — past, present, and future. Past, present, and future belong only to the material world; they do not exist in the spiritual world. The living entity is eternal, and he existed before the creation of this material world. Unfortunately, he has forgotten his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. The living entity’s forgetfulness is described herein as anādi, which indicates that it has existed since time immemorial. One should understand that due to his desire to enjoy himself in competition with Kṛṣṇa, the living entity comes into material existence.
Our disease is forgetfulness. What we heard in the class we forget. We were all originally with Krsna. If you reject that we were not with Krsna then we go off track.