KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.2.25 & 26
- Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives us many clues about other planets far, far away from us which modern planes and spacecraft cannot reach, even by imaginary speeds.
- Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu specifically accepts Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the spotless Vedic authority, and as such no sane man can ignore the statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when it is spoken by the self-realized soul Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who follows in the footsteps of his great father, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the compiler of all Vedic literatures.
- We should not depend on the fragmentary authority of materialistic science for knowing things beyond the range of scientific purview.
- For a common man, both modern science and Vedic wisdom are simply to be accepted because none of the statements either of modern science or of Vedic literature can be verified by him.
- The Vedic way of understanding is more authentic because it has been accepted by the ācāryas, who are not only faithful and learned men but also liberated souls without any of the flaws of conditioned souls. Modern scientists, however, are conditioned souls liable to so many errors and mistakes.
- Therefore the safe side is to accept the authentic version of Vedic literatures, like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is accepted unanimously by the great ācāryas.
- The knower of the Absolute Truth is convinced of his awkward position in material association. He knows that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna and that his position should not be in the material creation.
- He, therefore, engages himself in the activities of Krsna’s consciousness and becomes naturally unattached to the activities of the material senses, which are all circumstantial and temporary.
- He knows that his material condition of life is under the supreme control of the Lord; consequently, he is not disturbed by all kinds of material reactions, which he considers to be the mercy of the Lord.
- According to SB, one who knows the Absolute Truth in three different features—namely Brahman, Paramatma, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead—is called tattvavit, for he knows also his own factual position in relationship with the Supreme.
- Persons who are unknowledgeable falsely identify with gross material consciousness (False ego) and are full of material designations.
- Men who are ignorant cannot appreciate activities in Krsna’s consciousness, and therefore Lord Krsna advises us not to disturb them and simply waste valuable time.
- Those who are, however, enlightened in spiritual life, should not try to agitate such materially engrossed persons. Better to prosecute one’s own spiritual activities silently.
- But the devotees of the Lord are more kind than the Lord because they understand the purpose of the Lord. Consequently, they undertake all kinds of risks, even to the point of approaching ignorant men to try to engage them in the acts of Krsna consciousness, which are absolutely necessary for the human being.
- Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa encouraged Arjuna outwardly just to test Arjuna’s sense of duty.
- It is not that Arjuna was incomplete in the sense of his duty, nor was Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa unaware of Arjuna’s sense of duty. But Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa puts to the test many of His pure devotees just to magnify the sense of duty.
- The gopīs were put to such tests as well. Prahlāda Mahārāja also was put to such a test. All pure devotees come out successful in the respective tests by the Lord.
SB 2.2.25 TRANSLATION
This Śiśumāra is the pivot for the turning of the complete universe, and it is called the navel of Viṣṇu [Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu]. The yogī alone goes beyond this circle of Śiśumāra and attains the planet [Maharloka] where purified saints like Bhṛgu enjoy a duration of life of 4,300,000,000 solar years. This planet is worshipable even for saints who are transcendentally situated.
SB 2.2.26 TRANSLATION
At the time of the final devastation of the complete universe [the end of the duration of Brahmā’s life], a flame of fire emanates from the mouth of Ananta [from the bottom of the universe]. The yogī sees all the planets of the universe burning to ashes, and thus he leaves for Satyaloka by airplanes used by the great purified souls. The duration of life in Satyaloka is calculated to be 15,480,000,000,000 years..
CLASS NOTES:
ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM GIVES US MANY CLUES ABOUT OTHER PLANETS FAR, FAR AWAY FROM US
which modern planes and spacecraft cannot reach, even by imaginary speeds. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu specifically accepts Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the spotless Vedic authority, and as such no sane man can ignore the statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when it is spoken by the self-realized soul Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who follows in the footsteps of his great father, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the compiler of all Vedic literatures.
In the creation of the Lord there are many wonderful things we can see with our own eyes every day and night, but we are unable to reach them equipped by modern materialistic science
We should not, therefore, depend on the fragmentary authority of materialistic science for knowing things beyond the range of scientific purview. For a common man, both modern science and Vedic wisdom are simply to be accepted because none of the statements either of modern science or of Vedic literature can be verified by him. The alternative for a common man is to believe either of them or both of them. The Vedic way of understanding, however, is more authentic because it has been accepted by the ācāryas, who are not only faithful and learned men but also liberated souls without any of the flaws of conditioned souls.
The modern scientists, however, are conditioned souls liable to so many errors and mistakes. Therefore the safe side is to accept the authentic version of Vedic literatures, like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is accepted unanimously by the great ācāryas.
Are you going to believe Sukhdev Goswami, Vyasdev who are liberated souls or modern scientists, who drink has illicit connections etc.,
Our acharyas do not have the same 4 defects as modern scientists.
How do we know Vyasdeva has no defects. He is the incarnation of Lord Krsna. He produced the greatest literature in the entire history. No one can even produce something like that. SB is amala Purana. It is spotless. If you see a mistake or inconsistency in one part of SB, that is due to our defects or misunderstanding. This is not an ordinary book. There are many books, most of them are speculations. These NUNDITS write these books – they become outdated as soon as they are published. “ We should not, therefore, depend on the fragmentary authority of materialistic science for knowing things beyond the range of scientific purview. For a common man, both modern science and Vedic wisdom are simply to be accepted because none of the statements either of modern science or of Vedic literature can be verified by him. “
Black holes – can they be verified. Can you verify that Sun is 93 million miles away..? Someone told Prabhupada that an element is discovered which exists only 1/30000 of a second. Prabhupada said how do you know it exists. You just need to believe what they say.
Riots, Cancel Culture, White and Black racists, Blacks are also racists within themselves. All Chinese look alike. They don’t look alike and there are many languages within themselves. Big Brushstroke – they are all the same… as long as people are forgetful of Krsna there will be problems, conflict, within the race, all these problems of life.
As long as there is no war and no common enemy – People fight each other because they are all karmis, they all have material desires, they all want sense gratification, they all are breaking religious principles. What can we do about it. We read yesterday BG 3.27 that a person due to his engaging in senses in sense gratification for a long time, gets covered by false ego and forget Krsna which is the root cause of all issues. If one engages senses in serving Krsna, one revives his relationship with Krsna.
BG 3.27
The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.
For due to his long misuse of the senses in sense gratification, he is factually bewildered by the false ego, which makes him forget his eternal relationship with Krsna. That is a very important statement
(BG 3.28) DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING FOR SENSE GRATIFICATION AND WORKING FOR KRSNA
One who is in the knowledge of the Absolute Truth, O mighty-armed, does not engage himself in the senses and sense gratification, knowing well the differences between work in devotion and work for fruitive results.
This talks about the difference between sense gratification and working for Krsna. We should teach our children and we ourselves should learn it.
The knower of the Absolute Truth is convinced of his awkward position in the material association.
He knows that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna and that his position should not be in the material creation. He knows his real identity as part and parcel of the Supreme, who is eternal bliss and knowledge, and he realizes that somehow or other he is entrapped in the material conception of life. In his pure state of existence, he is meant to dovetail his activities in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. He, therefore, engages himself in the activities of Krsna’s consciousness and becomes naturally unattached to the activities of the material senses, which are all circumstantial and temporary. He knows that his material condition of life is under the supreme control of the Lord; consequently, he is not disturbed by all kinds of material reactions, which he considers to be the mercy of the Lord. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, one who knows the Absolute Truth in three different features—namely Brahman, Paramatma, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead—is called tattvavit, for he knows also his own factual position in relationship with the Supreme.
This verse helps us in Realistically assessing our position in this material world in this temporary body that is always changing.
What is the material conception of life – many years ago I was made president of the temple after 1 month of getting initiated. At one point young kids joined the movement. 14, 15, 16 years old. Jewish girl 16 yrs old which is thin showed up. Her mom came and was ranting, you brainwashed her, and put something in the food. She fell in love with a brahmachari and wanted to get married. The mother came and said my daughter cannot marry him. Your rules are bad. No sex…
Everything is changing in the material world. How can you hold onto something and make it permanent? all the senses are pushing us for sense gratification.
When your spouse insults you –
Feel angry and feel insulted and take revenge (or)
Every time I am insulted, I will chant more rounds and control my mind.
Seeing everything positive – “He knows that his material condition of life is under the supreme control of the Lord; consequently, he is not disturbed by all kinds of material reactions, which he considers to be the mercy of the Lord.”
What is our position in this material world? is explained in BG 3.29
(BG 3.29) PERSONS WHO ARE UNKNOWLEDGEABLE FALSELY IDENTIFY WITH GROSS MATERIAL CONSCIOUSNESS
(FALSE EGO) AND ARE FULL OF MATERIAL DESIGNATIONS.
Bewildered by the modes of material nature, the ignorant fully engage themselves in material activities and become attached. But the wise should not unsettle them, although these duties are inferior due to the performers’ lack of knowledge.
Persons who are unknowledgeable falsely identify with gross material consciousness
(False ego) and are full of material designations.
Maintaining things is the hardest part. Our food truck engine went back to godhead.
We are unable to maintain one food truck, imagine how hard it is to maintain millions and millions of universes. You can bend wood without breaking. Loathe…
Our original position is – Love of Krishna it is bent to be lust, you can gradually get back to the original position.
Gross material consciousness is false ego. The sitting places of lust are – mind, intelligence, false ego..
This body is a gift of the material nature, and one who is too much attached to the bodily consciousness is called mandan, or a lazy person without an understanding of spirit soul. Ignorant men
- think of the body as the self; bodily connections with others are accepted as kinsmanship;
- the land in which the body is obtained is the object of worship, and the formalities of religious rituals are considered ends in themselves.
- Social work, nationalism, and altruism are some of the activities for such materially designated persons. Under the spell of such designations,
- they are always busy in the material field;
- for them spiritual realization is a myth, and so they are not interested.
- Such bewildered persons may even be engaged in such primary moral principles of life as nonviolence and similar materially benevolent work.
- Men who are ignorant cannot appreciate activities in Krsna’s consciousness, and therefore Lord Krsna advises us not to disturb them and simply waste valuable time.
Those who are, however, enlightened in spiritual life, should not try to agitate such materially engrossed persons. Better to prosecute one’s own spiritual activities silently.
POSITION OF PREACHER
But the devotees of the Lord are more kind than the Lord because they understand the purpose of the Lord. Consequently, they undertake all kinds of risks, even to the point of approaching ignorant men to try to engage them in the acts of Krsna consciousness, which are absolutely necessary for the human being.
(SB 1.7.40) LORD ŚRĪ KṚṢṆA PUTS TO THE TEST MANY OF HIS PURE DEVOTEES JUST TO MAGNIFY THE SENSE OF DUTY.
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Although Kṛṣṇa, who was examining Arjuna in religion, encouraged Arjuna to kill the son of Droṇācārya, Arjuna, a great soul, did not like the idea of killing him, although Aśvatthāmā was a heinous murderer of Arjuna’s family members.
Arjuna was a great soul undoubtedly, which is proved here also. He is encouraged herein personally by the Lord to kill the son of Droṇa, but Arjuna considers that the son of his great teacher should be spared, for he happens to be the son of Droṇācārya, even though he is an unworthy son, having done all sorts of heinous acts whimsically for no one’s benefit.
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa encouraged Arjuna outwardly just to test Arjuna’s sense of duty. It is not that Arjuna was incomplete in the sense of his duty, nor was Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa unaware of Arjuna’s sense of duty. But Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa puts to the test many of His pure devotees just to magnify the sense of duty. The gopīs were put to such tests as well. Prahlāda Mahārāja also was put to such a test. All pure devotees come out successful in the respective tests by the Lord.
All of us are beginning to experience this whether we like it or not. Duty is what you have to do whether you like it or not like it. Krishna wants to magnify the sense of duty. It is going to get harder and harder. When the test happens, we should not be devastated. The tests are going to be harder and harder…
How do we know it is a test. You are not going to like it at all. Everything is not going to be rosy…A little bit bothersome, immensely bothersome… you are not going to like it.. Krsna