KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.3.11
- All plans for material enjoyment, either by worshipping demi gods or by modernized advancement of scientific knowledge without the help of God or demigod are illusory.
- The prime problems of life remain unsolved despite all endeavors by such planmakers.
- Actually human life is meant for making a solution to the problems of life.
- The Vedas recommend worship of different demigods for different benefits, and so the demigods are neither false nor imaginary. The demigods are as factual as we are, but they are much more powerful due to their being engaged in the direct service of the Lord in managing different departments in the universal government.
- The gross materialists do not believe in the existence of God or the demigods. Nor do they believe that different planets are dominated by different demigods.
- The Vedic system of acquiring knowledge is the deductive process. The Vedic knowledge is received perfectly by disciplic succession from authorities.
- The misguided man can believe one authority, the scientist, but will reject the authority of the Vedas. The result is that people have degenerated.
- Great Authorities likes Brahmaji, Bhishmadev and even Adi Sahnkaracharya have spoken Krsna as the original Personality of Godhead and the first Narayana, who is beyond the material creation.
- All other ācāryas have also confirmed this statement, and thus there is no chance of not accepting Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead.
- Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original source of all the plenary expansions. He is therefore the direct Personality of Godhead. He is the creator of the material world, and He is the predominating Deity known as Nārāyaṇa in all the Vaikuṇṭha planets. Therefore, His movements amongst human beings are another sort of bewilderment.
- The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā that foolish persons consider Him to be one of the human beings without knowing the intricacies of His movements.
- The bewilderment regarding Śrī Kṛṣṇa is due to the action of His twofold internal and external energies upon the third one, called marginal energy
- By internal energetic bewilderment, Śrī Kṛṣṇa expands Himself into unlimited numbers of Nārāyaṇas and exchanges or accepts transcendental loving service from the living entities in the transcendental world.
- And by His external energetic expansions, He incarnates Himself in the material world amongst the men, animals or demigods to reestablish His forgotten relation with the living entities in different species of life.
- Great authorities like Bhīṣma, however, escape His bewilderment by the mercy of the Lord.
- Even though we know all this knowledge, we still get desires. We cannot stop desires from coming, but we should stop from Acting on them. The strength to stop from acting on them comes from regular hearing and chanting. BG 2.70 – A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.
SB 2.3.11 TRANSLATION:
All the different kinds of worshipers of multi demigods can attain the highest perfectional benediction, which is spontaneous attraction unflinchingly fixed upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by the association of the pure devotee of the Lord.
CLASS NOTES:
SB 2.3.11
ALL LIVING ENTITIES IN DIFFERENT STATUSES OF LIFE WITHIN THE MATERIAL CREATION,ARE CONDITIONED UNDER THE LAW OF MATERIAL NATURE, OR THE EXTERNAL ENERGY OF THE SUPREME LORD.
All living entities in different statuses of life within the material creation, beginning from the first demigod, Brahmā, down to the small ant, are conditioned under the law of material nature, or the external energy of the Supreme Lord.
The living entity in his pure state is conscious of the fact that he is a part and parcel of the Lord, but when he is thrown into the material world on account of his desire to lord it over material energy, he becomes conditioned by the three modes of material nature and thus struggles for existence for the highest benefit. This struggle for existence is something like following the will-o’-the-wisp under the spell of material enjoyment.
ALL PLANS FOR MATERIAL ENJOYMENT, ARE ILLUSORY
All plans for material enjoyment, either by worship of different demigods as described in the previous verses of this chapter or by modernized advancement of scientific knowledge without the help of God or demigod, are illusory
PROBLEMS OF LIFE ARE NEVER SOLVED BY THESE PLANS
Despite all such plans for happiness, the conditioned living being within the compass of material creation can never solve the problems of life, namely birth, death, old age and disease. The history of the universe is full of such planmakers, and many kings and emperors come and go, leaving a plan making story only. But the prime problems of life remain unsolved despite all endeavors by such planmakers.
The tendency to dominate the material nature and the laws –
We cannot stay in spiritual world
We have to have a material body different than soul
That body is conditioned, and is subject to 3 modes of material nature. And has to abide by the laws of nature. Birth, growth, reproduce, dwindle, die…
Conditioned – means we are limited, the body is completely controlled by material nature which is an agent. The controlling factors are 3 modes of material nature. They are all in illusion. Illusion I am this body there is only one life, they are all planted due to the rejection of Krsna. Once they get the body they struggle for existence. This is artificial struggle. It is like you commit a crime and go to jail and struggle in jail. If you are not in the jail then there is no struggle, the so-called struggle is artificially induced.
Will o’the wisp – hope or goal that is impossible to reach.
I can be happy in this world without the mention of the God.
One has to believe something false to continue to material life.
Problems of life – birth, death, old age and disease
ACTUALLY HUMAN LIFE IS MEANT FOR MAKING A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE.
One can never solve such problems by satisfying the different demigods, by different modes of worship, or by so-called scientific advancement in knowledge without the help of God or the demigods. Apart from the gross materialists, who care very little either for God or for the demigods, the Vedas recommend worship of different demigods for different benefits, and so the demigods are neither false nor imaginary.
Demigods can help to get the mercy of Krsna. If you worship Demi Gods for sense gratification you will get it and you continue in the cycle. The entanglement is there only because we chose material enjoyment out of ignorance.
THE DEMIGODS ARE AS FACTUAL AS WE ARE,
The demigods are as factual as we are, but they are much more powerful due to their being engaged in the direct service of the Lord in managing different departments in the universal government. The Bhagavad-gītā affirms this, and the different planets of the demigods are mentioned there, including the one of the supreme demigod, Lord Brahmā.
Demi Gods are devotees with mixed desires. Demi Gods always turn to Krsna in the severe conditions. Demons never turn to Krsna. Hiranyakasipu, Hiranyaksha, Ravana, Danta Vakra – they never turn to Krsna.
THE GROSS MATERIALISTS DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE EXISTENCE OF GOD OR THE DEMIGODS.
Nor do they believe that different planets are dominated by different demigods. They are creating a great commotion about reaching the closest celestial body, Candraloka, or the moon, but even after much mechanical research they have only very scanty information of this moon, and in spite of much false advertisement for selling land on the moon, the puffed-up scientists or gross materialists cannot live there, and what to speak of reaching the other planets, which they are unable even to count.
In 1968 -69 real estate agents were selling land on moon. There are innumerable planets in the material universe and there are innumerable universes. That company still exists and is selling land of moon an acre for $30. Close to 200000 people bought the land.
However, the followers of the Vedas have a different method of acquiring knowledge.
This different method is explained in SB 1.9.18.
(SB 1.9.18) DEDUCTIVE PROCESS OF KNOWLEDGE
This Śrī Kṛṣṇa is no other than the inconceivable, original Personality of Godhead. He is the first Nārāyaṇa, the supreme enjoyer. But He is moving amongst the descendants of King Vṛṣṇi just like one of us, and He is bewildering us with His self-created energy.
The Vedic system of acquiring knowledge is the deductive process. The Vedic knowledge is received perfectly by disciplic succession from authorities. Such knowledge is never dogmatic, as ill conceived by less intelligent persons.
In the Bhagavad-gītā this truth is confirmed in the second verse of the Fourth Chapter, and the perfect system of learning is to receive it from authority. The very same system is accepted universally as truth, but only the false arguer speaks against it.
PEOPLE BELIEVE THE SCIENTISTS AS AUTHORITY AND NOT THE VEDAS
For example, modern spacecraft fly in the sky, and when scientists say that they travel to the other side of the moon, men believe these stories blindly because they have accepted the modern scientists as authorities. The authorities speak, and the people in general believe them. But in the case of Vedic truths, they have been taught not to believe. Even if they accept them they give a different interpretation. Each and every man wants a direct perception of Vedic knowledge, but foolishly they deny it. This means that the misguided man can believe one authority, the scientist, but will reject the authority of the Vedas. The result is that people have degenerated.
Knowledge begins only when you believe in an authority. Real Knowledge is realizing the relationship with Krsna and serving Him.
AUTHORITIES SPEAKING ABOUT KRSNA AS THE ORIGINAL PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD AND THE FIRST NARAYANA
Here is an authority speaking about Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead and the first Nārāyaṇa. Even such an impersonalist as Ācārya Śaṅkara has said in the beginning of his commentation on the Bhagavad-gītā that Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is beyond the material creation.* The universe is one of the material creations, but Nārāyaṇa is transcendental to such material paraphernalia.
Bhīṣmadeva is one of the twelve mahājanas who know the principles of transcendental knowledge. His confirmation of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s being the original Personality of Godhead is also corroborated by the impersonalist Śaṅkara. All other ācāryas have also confirmed this statement, and thus there is no chance of not accepting Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the original Personality of Godhead. Bhīṣmadeva says that He is the first Nārāyaṇa. This is also confirmed by Brahmājī in the Bhāgavatam (10.14.14). Kṛṣṇa is the first Nārāyaṇa. In the spiritual world (Vaikuṇṭha) there are unlimited numbers of Nārāyaṇas, who are all the same Personality of Godhead and are considered to be the plenary expansions of the original Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The first form of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, first expands Himself as the form of Baladeva, and Baladeva expands in so many other forms, such as Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Vāsudeva, Nārāyaṇa, Puruṣa, Rāma and Nṛsiṁha. All these expansions are one and the same viṣṇu-tattva, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original source of all the plenary expansions. He is therefore the direct Personality of Godhead. He is the creator of the material world, and He is the predominating Deity known as Nārāyaṇa in all the Vaikuṇṭha planets. Therefore, His movements amongst human beings are another sort of bewilderment. The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā that foolish persons consider Him to be one of the human beings without knowing the intricacies of His movements.
There is no way we can understand what is going in goloka, krishna’s past times because they are transcendental, we cannot understand…but how do we understand is said in this para….
THE BEWILDERMENT REGARDING ŚRĪ KṚṢṆA
is due to the action of His twofold internal and external energies upon the third one, called marginal energy. The living entities are expansions of His marginal energy, and thus they are sometimes bewildered by the internal energy and sometimes by the external energy. By internal energetic bewilderment, Śrī Kṛṣṇa expands Himself into unlimited numbers of Nārāyaṇas and exchanges or accepts transcendental loving service from the living entities in the transcendental world. And by His external energetic expansions, He incarnates Himself in the material world amongst the men, animals or demigods to reestablish His forgotten relation with the living entities in different species of life. Great authorities like Bhīṣma, however, escape His bewilderment by the mercy of the Lord.
If we become serious about serving krishna we can become free from the bewilderment and by His mercy we can understand Krsna.
SB 2.3.11 – This is a very good summary of the things we studied in previous verses. Prabhupada is stating facts. Everyone from Brahma to smallest microbe are conditioned under law of material nature. Law of material nature – No one can violate – birth, death old age and disease. There is a law maker. No one can ignore this law. These jokers say old age and death is optional, they are crazy, they do not know what they are talking about. They think that they are the controllers.
BG 8.16
From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.
Question – Even though we know this knowledge, we still keep getting the desires. though we may not ACT.
Just like rivers are going into ocean desires are always coming to mind. The key is to NOT TO ACT on them. Desires cannot be stopped. How to get the strength to NOT TO ACT on them is to hear everyday. So you can recognize maya is acting on you, so you do not fall victim to maya. to the will of the wisp. Pursuing goals which are not achievable.
BG 2.70
āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī
A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.
Sthane sthiti gata – constant hearing – you learn,,, why is Srila Prabhupada repeating over and over again, we fell down due to the tendency to dominate. It is hard to give up. Hence he is continuously reminding us of our original constitutional position, hence we need to hear. Regular hearing and chanting, will help us not to ACT ON THE DESIRES.
Question – Do the pure devotees also get the desires?
In CC it is stated that Caitanya Mahaprabhu said even the sight of a statue of a women can agitate. …. Desires may come but one must learn to not to act on them. One has to keep in mind their vows. Why Violate – my vow? Why Violate my relationship with guru and krishna.