KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 1:19:23
- The sages who descended to see Maharaj Parikshit were knowledge personified, desireless, inclined to do good to others, they descend to other planes by the order of the Lord only to reclaim the fallen souls.
- Living beings have up to the full strength of 78 percent of the Lord’s attributes.
- The best way to live and leave this body is by hearing Srimad Bhagavatam
- If a preacher of KC uses the money for his personal sense gratification, he becomes a fallen victim.
- Money is Lakṣmī, or the goddess of fortune, the companion of Nārāyaṇa. Lakṣmījī must always remain with Nārāyaṇa, and then there need be no fear of degradation.
- Duties [dharma] executed by men, regardless of occupation, are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Supreme Lord.
- The Lord is pleased only if one has unflinching, unalloyed devotion to Him. Without sincere devotional service, everything is simply a show.
- Take up to favorable devotional service to satisfy the lord
- Krsna Consciousness is the highest welfare activity, work for the true benefit of others.
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised all human beings born in India to make their lives perfect by Kṛṣṇa consciousness and then preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. (Paraupakar)
- Krsna Consciousness is for everyone – demons, animals, birds, sinful living entities, sudras, unintelligent women, vysyas, chandalas
- One should understand Acyuta, the supreme infallible, and how we are related with Him, and one should take to the service of the Lord. This is the perfection of life
- To render service to the lotus feet of Govinda, the cause of all causes, and to see Him everywhere, is the only goal of life
- The highly elevated devotee never sees anything unrelated to Govinda
SB 1.19.22 TRANSLATION
The King said: O great sages, you have all very kindly assembled here, having come from all parts of the universe. You are all as good as supreme knowledge personified, who resides in the planet above the three worlds [Satyaloka]. Consequently, you are naturally inclined to do good to others, and but for this, you have no interest, either in this life or in the next.
CLASS NOTES:
(SB 1.19.22) LIVING BEINGS HAVE UP TO 78 PERCENT OF THE LORD’S ATTRIBUTES
Six kinds of opulence, namely wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, are all originally the different attributes pertaining to the Absolute Personality of Godhead. The living beings, who are part-and-parcel entities of the Supreme Being, have all these attributes partially, up to the full strength of seventy-eight percent
(SB 7.13.32) IF A PREACHER OF KC USES THE MONEY FOR HIS PERSONAL SENSE GRATIFICATION, HE BECOMES A FALLEN VICTIM
There is a danger for a preacher when he receives great quantities of money, for as soon as he spends even a single cent of the collection for his personal sense gratification, he becomes a fallen victim. The preachers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be extremely careful not to misuse the immense quantities of money needed to spread this movement. Let us not make this money the cause of our distress; it should be used for Kṛṣṇa, and that will cause our eternal happiness.
MONEY IS LAKṢMĪ, OR THE GODDESS OF FORTUNE, THE COMPANION OF NĀRĀYAṆA. LAKṢMĪJĪ MUST ALWAYS REMAIN WITH NĀRĀYAṆA, AND THEN THERE NEED BE NO FEAR OF DEGRADATION.
(SB 7.7.51 – 52) THE LORD IS PLEASED ONLY IF ONE HAS UNFLINCHING, UNALLOYED DEVOTION TO HIM. WITHOUT SINCERE DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, EVERYTHING IS SIMPLY A SHOW.
My dear friends, O sons of the demons, you cannot please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by becoming perfect brāhmaṇas, demigods or great saints or by becoming perfectly good in etiquette or vast learning. None of these qualifications can awaken the pleasure of the Lord. Nor by charity, austerity, sacrifice, cleanliness or vows can one satisfy the Lord.SB 7.7.53
(SB 1.2.8)DUTIES [DHARMA] EXECUTED BY MEN, REGARDLESS OF OCCUPATION, ARE ONLY SO MUCH USELESS LABOR IF THEY DO NOT PROVOKE ATTRACTION FOR THE MESSAGE OF THE SUPREME LORD.”
To develop unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa is the perfection of life. Other processes may be helpful, but if one does not develop his love for Kṛṣṇa, these other processes are simply a waste of time. Other processes may be helpful, but if one does not develop his love for Kṛṣṇa, these other processes are simply a waste of time.
The test of perfection is one’s unalloyed devotion to the Lord.
(SB 7.7.53) TAKE UP TO FAVORABLE DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO SATISFY THE LORD
My dear friends, O sons of the demons, in the same favorable way that one sees himself and takes care of himself, take to devotional service to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present everywhere as the Supersoul of all living entities.
(SB 7.7.53) KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE HIGHEST WELFARE ACTIVITY
The duty of all devotees is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere all over the world, because all living entities without Kṛṣṇa consciousness are suffering the pangs of material existence. To preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the best welfare activity. Indeed, it is described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as para-upakāra, work for the true benefit of others.
(SB 7.7.53) THE DUTY OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS BORN IN INDIA IS TO PREACH KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised all human beings born in India to make their lives perfect by Kṛṣṇa consciousness and then preach the gospel of Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world so that others may become happy by executing the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
(SB 7.7.54) KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS IS FOR EVERYONE
O my friends, O sons of demons, everyone, including you (the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas), the unintelligent women, śūdras and cowherd men, the birds, the lower animals and the sinful living entities, can revive his original, eternal spiritual life and exist forever simply by accepting the principles of bhakti-yoga. The devotees are referred to as acyuta-gotra,
(SB 7.7.54) ONE SHOULD UNDERSTAND ACYUTA, THE SUPREME INFALLIBLE, AND HOW WE ARE RELATED WITH HIM, AND ONE SHOULD TAKE TO THE SERVICE OF THE LORD. THIS IS THE PERFECTION OF LIFE
(SB 7.7.55) THE HIGHEST PERFECTION OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, IN WHICH ONE SEES EVERYTHING WITH REFERENCE TO GOVINDA’S ACTIVITIES.
In this material world, to render service to the lotus feet of Govinda, the cause of all causes, and to see Him everywhere, is the only goal of life. This much alone is the ultimate goal of human life, as explained by all the revealed scriptures.
In this verse the words sarvatra tad-īkṣaṇam describe the highest perfection of devotional service, in which one sees everything with reference to Govinda’s activities. The highly elevated devotee never sees anything unrelated to Govinda.