KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.5.4 TODAY (06/22/21):
- Narada Muni could understand that there was someone else superior to Brahmājī who invested Brahmā with the power of creation.
- Discoveries of progressive scientific achievements are not independent. The scientist has to attain the knowledge of a thing already existing by means of the wonderful brain made by someone else.
- A scientist can work with the help of such an awarded brain, but it is not possible for the scientist to create his own or a similar brain. Therefore no one is independent in the matter of any creation, nor is such creation automatic.
- “What is your real position? Do you alone create all entities with material elements by your personal energy?” – Narada muni is not challenging Brahma, but he is genuinely asking questions to know the absolute truth.
- Only those who have passed their lives in practicing the regulative principles of religion, who have acted piously, and who have conquered sinful reactions can accept devotional service and gradually rise to the pure knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, gradually, they can meditate in trance on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- This elevation is possible in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the association of pure devotees, for in the association of great devotees, one can be delivered from delusion.
- When one is nivṛtta, or when one is freed from all material necessities, one becomes qualified to discharge the process of bhakti-yoga.
- Liberation from material conditions is automatically achieved by the gradual development of pure devotional service. These effects of bhakti-yoga are called anartha-nivṛtti. Things that are artificially acquired gradually disappear along with the progress of bhakti-yoga.
- Meditation on the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, the first processional step, must show its effect by anartha-nivṛtti.
- The grossest type of anartha which binds the conditioned soul in material existence is sex desire, and this sex desire gradually develops in the union of the male and female.
- When the male and female are united, the sex desire is further aggravated by the accumulation of buildings, children, friends, relatives and wealth.
- When all these are acquired, the conditioned soul becomes overwhelmed by such entanglements, and the false sense of egoism, or the sense of “myself” and “mine,” becomes prominent.
- Bhakti-yoga leads to gradual evaporation of the sex desire, which is summarized in three headings, namely profit, adoration and distinction.
- Because bhakti-yoga automatically, by the grace of the Lord, effectively results in knowledge and renunciation, even if the devotee is not materially very well educated.
- Knowledge means knowing things as they are, and if by deliberation it is found that there are things which are at all unnecessary, naturally the person who has acquired knowledge leaves aside such unwanted things.
- One who has the sex desire still with him should not at all try to accept the renounced order of life.
- By the gradual process of devotional service under the guidance of a proper spiritual master, and following the principles of the Bhāgavatam, one must be able at least to control the gross sex desire before one accepts the renounced order of life factually.
- Purification means getting free gradually from sex desire, and this is attained by meditation on the person of the Lord as described herein, beginning from the feet.
- One should be free from all kinds of sex desire before he tries to make a show of recital of Bhāgavatam.
- Those who are still entrapped by sex indulgence should never progress to meditation above the feet of the Lord; therefore recital of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by them should be restricted to the first and second cantos of the great literature.
- And as one gets free from the intoxication of sex indulgence by purification of intelligence, one should step forward for the next meditation,
- One must complete the purificatory process by assimilating the contents of the first nine cantos. Then one should be admitted into the realm of the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
SB 2.5.4 TRANSLATION
My dear father, what is the source of your knowledge? Under whose protection are you standing? And under whom are you working? What is your real position? Do you alone create all entities with material elements by your personal energy?
It was known to Śrī Nārada Muni that Lord Brahmā attained creative energy by undergoing severe austerities. As such, he could understand that there was someone else superior to Brahmājī who invested Brahmā with the power of creation. Therefore he asked all the above questions. Discoveries of progressive scientific achievements are therefore not independent. The scientist has to attain the knowledge of a thing already existing by means of the wonderful brain made by someone else. A scientist can work with the help of such an awarded brain, but it is not possible for the scientist to create his own or a similar brain. Therefore no one is independent in the matter of any creation, nor is such creation automatic.
Only highly elevated souls can ask such questions. The whole vedic process of receiving knowledge is asking significant questions and attentively hearing from a bonafide devotee. Both the student and the teacher has to be bonafide. Otherwise there is no real knowledge. Most of the parents do not spend the time to instruct the children. They are too diverted in their attention in making money, maintaining big edifice, big ways of sense gratification. It is actually true and many children do not become devotees. A child must be controlled with love and gentle instructions on how to do things in every step. How to do things, how to behave properly in the temple. Aat every point, the children and the parents should be together. Of course the parents send the children to the school to be under the demons. Anyone who eats meat and has illicit sex is demoniac.
“What is your real position? Do you alone create all entities with material elements by your personal energy?”
Narada muni is not challenging Brahma he is genuinely asking to know the truth.
SB 2.2.12
The Lord’s magnanimous pastimes and the glowing glancing of His smiling face are all indications of His extensive benedictions. One must therefore concentrate on this transcendental form of the Lord, as long as the mind can be fixed on Him by meditation.
This is how love is expressed in the spiritual world. Very elevated, fine, and transcendental expressions.This is imitated in material world on the basis on sex. Surpanaka is actually ugly rakshasa. But the rakshasas have superior power. They come to the earth as Hitler, Rock stars, Movie stars, … to create havoc..
There are millions of people displaced in Europe alone. There was whole slaughter..
VERY SIGNIFICANT PURPORT –
the devotee has an advantage over the impersonalist philosopher.
In Bhagavad-gītā (12.5) it is said that the impersonalist undergoes a series of difficult programs on account of his impersonal meditation. But the devotee, due to the Lord’s personal service, progresses very easily. Impersonal meditation is therefore a source of suffering for the impersonalist. Here, the devotee has an advantage over the impersonalist philosopher. The impersonalist is doubtful about the personal feature of the Lord, and therefore he always tries to meditate upon something which is not objective. For this reason there is an authentic statement in the Bhāgavatam regarding the positive concentration of the mind on the factual form of the Lord.
The process of meditation recommended herein is bhakti-yoga, or the process of devotional service after one is liberated from the material conditions.
BG 7.28
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.
Every morning we have a duality, whether should I wake up for mangal arti or should I rest and go to work… should I do this or should I do that… Accepting duties that are not necessary. This is the conundrum. (a confusing and difficult problem or question.) On one hand, they should be KC and also materially advanced. That does not mean should leave the house and live in a cardboard box. What it means is we have to make priorities in life. Based on these priorities, we have to center the activities of our life, The real duties of the soul are the highest priority. Regularly hear. We do sometimes this and sometimes that. Our progress becomes stop and stop and go.
At the moment of Initiation, we prioritize what we are going to do rest of our life.
Those eligible for elevation to the transcendental position are mentioned in this verse. For those who are sinful, atheistic, foolish, and deceitful, it is very difficult to transcend the duality of desire and hate. Only those who have passed their lives in practicing the regulative principles of religion, who have acted piously, and who have conquered sinful reactions can accept devotional service and gradually rise to the pure knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, gradually, they can meditate in trance on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the process of being situated on the spiritual platform. This elevation is possible in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the association of pure devotees, for in the association of great devotees one can be delivered from delusion.
PRIORITIZATION & THE ART OF CHANGING THE TOPIC TO KRSNA
Prioritization will gradually change when we associate with bad people.
Lord Caitanya defined devotee as giving up nondevotee association. That does not mean that we do not talk to them saying they are nonsense. In few minutes we can change the topic to saying something about Krsna. We begin with mundane things but end it with Krsna. We have this art of changing any kind of topic to Krsna… Srila Prabhupada is an expert in this. For half an hour SP is talking about race cars… after about 20 minutes the whole subject changed to KC> He did not start with do not disturb me… I can’t talk to you, you are nonsense. We are not associating with them. To learn from all the nonsense they learned in their life. We are associating with them to bring the topic to KC in a friendly manner. This is a genuinely good character….bring people from talking about nonsense to talking about Krsna. IN Rig Veda it is said that the demi-Gods are always meditating on the lotus feet of the lord.
BHAKTI YOGA INCLUDES JNANA YOGA
Jñāna-yoga is the process of liberation from material conditions. After one is liberated from the conditions of material existence, i.e., when one is nivṛtta, as previously stated herein, or when one is freed from all material necessities, one becomes qualified to discharge the process of bhakti-yoga.
Today we have all these gadgets, so many apps, the newest technology, everything has to be technology. It is all gadgets. Do we really need these gadgets? They are not needed, thousands of years, and people did not have them. Were they deprived, were they not happy?
We do not want to end up with the money we want to end up with devotees. We are not a money-oriented temple we are the devotional-oriented temple. We should be a giver and not taker.. That is the way they need to understand we Hare Krsna’s are.
Therefore bhakti-yoga includes jñāna-yoga. In other words, the process of pure devotional service simultaneously serves the purpose of jñāna-yoga because liberation from material conditions is automatically achieved by the gradual development of pure devotional service. These effects of bhakti-yoga are called anartha-nivṛtti. Things which are artificially acquired gradually disappear along with the progress of bhakti-yoga. Meditation on the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, the first processional step, must show its effect by anartha-nivṛtti. The grossest type of anartha which binds the conditioned soul in material existence is sex desire, and this sex desire gradually develops in the union of the male and female. When the male and female are united, the sex desire is further aggravated by the accumulation of buildings, children, friends, relatives and wealth. When all these are acquired, the conditioned soul becomes overwhelmed by such entanglements, and the false sense of egoism, or the sense of “myself” and “mine,” becomes prominent, and the sex desire expands to various political, social, altruistic, philanthropic and many other unwanted engagements, resembling the foam of the sea waves, which becomes very prominent at one time and at the next moment vanishes as quickly as a cloud in the sky. The conditioned soul is encircled by such products, as well as products of sex desire, and therefore bhakti-yoga leads to gradual evaporation of the sex desire, which is summarized in three headings, namely profit, adoration and distinction. All conditioned souls are mad after these different forms of sex desire, and one shall see for himself how much he has been freed from such material hankerings based primarily on the sex desire. As a person feels his hunger satisfied after eating each morsel of foodstuff, he must similarly be able to see the degree to which he has been freed from sex desire. The sex desire is diminished along with its various forms by the process of bhakti-yoga because bhakti-yoga automatically, by the grace of the Lord, effectively results in knowledge and renunciation, even if the devotee is not materially very well educated. Knowledge means knowing things as they are, and if by deliberation it is found that there are things which are at all unnecessary, naturally the person who has acquired knowledge leaves aside such unwanted things. When the conditioned soul finds by culture of knowledge that material necessities are unwanted things, he becomes detached from such unwanted things. This stage of knowledge is called vairāgya, or detachment from unwanted things. We have previously discussed that the transcendentalist is required to be self-sufficient and should not beg from the rich blind persons to fulfill the bare necessities of life. Śukadeva Gosvāmī has suggested some alternatives for the bare necessities of life, namely the problem of eating, sleeping and shelter, but he has not suggested any alternative for sex satisfaction. One who has the sex desire still with him should not at all try to accept the renounced order of life. For one who has not attained to this stage, there is no question of a renounced order of life. So by the gradual process of devotional service under the guidance of a proper spiritual master, and following the principles of the Bhāgavatam, one must be able at least to control the gross sex desire before one accepts the renounced order of life factually.
So purification means getting free gradually from sex desire, and this is attained by meditation on the person of the Lord as described herein, beginning from the feet. One should not try to go upwards artificially without seeing for himself how much he has been released from the sex desire. The smiling face of the Lord is the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and there are many upstarts who at once try to begin with the Tenth Canto, and especially with the five chapters which delineate the rāsa-līlā of the Lord. This is certainly improper. By such improper study or hearing of Bhāgavatam, the material opportunists have played havoc by indulgence in sex life in the name of Bhāgavatam. This vilification of Bhāgavatam is rendered by the acts of the so-called devotees; one should be free from all kinds of sex desire before he tries to make a show of recital of Bhāgavatam. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura clearly defines the import of purification as cessation from sex indulgence. He says, yathā yathā dhīś ca śudhyati viṣaya-lāmpaṭyaṁ tyajati, tathā tathā dhārayed iti citta-śuddhi-tāratamyenaiva dhyāna-tāratamyam uktam. And as one gets free from the intoxication of sex indulgence by purification of intelligence, one should step forward for the next meditation, or in other words, the progress of meditation on the different limbs of the transcendental body of the Lord should be enhanced in proportion to the progress of purification of the heart. The conclusion is that those who are still entrapped by sex indulgence should never progress to meditation above the feet of the Lord; therefore recital of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by them should be restricted to the first and second cantos of the great literature. One must complete the purificatory process by assimilating the contents of the first nine cantos. Then one should be admitted into the realm of the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.