Tag: BG 5.22

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SB 2/10/24 Notes – 2/27/22

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.10.24:

  • No one, therefore, can claim any proprietorship of the senses. The living entity is controlled by the senses, the senses are controlled by the demigods, and the demigods are the servants of the Supreme Lord. That is the arrangement in the system of creation.
  • The whole thing is controlled ultimately by the Supreme Lord, and there is no independence either of the material nature or of the living entity. 
  • The illusioned living entity who claims to be the lord of his senses is under the clutches of the external energy of the Lord. 
  • As long as a living entity continues to be puffed up by his tiny existence, he is to be understood to be under the stringent control of the external energy of the Lord, and there is no question of liberation from the clutches of illusion (māyā), however much one may declare himself a liberated soul.
  • BG 6.17 -He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.
  • BG 5.18 – The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].
  • BG 5.20 – A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is unbewildered, and who knows the science of God is already situated in transcendence.
  • A liberated soul is not interested in anything which is temporary. Knowing well the joys of transcendental pleasures, how can a liberated soul agree to enjoy false pleasure?
  • “My dear sons, there is no reason to labor very hard for sense pleasure while in this human form of life; such pleasures are available to the stool-eaters [hogs]. Rather, you should undergo penances in this life by which your existence will be purified, and as a result you will be able to enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.1)
  • Removal of ignorance involves the reestablishment of the eternal relationship between the worshiper and the worshipable and the consequent understanding of the difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  •  The living entities are always subordinate to the Supreme Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught. 
  • Such clear knowledge is impossible to understand under the spell of ignorance, and to drive away such ignorance the Lord teaches the Bhagavad-gītā for the enlightenment of all living entities for all time.

SB 2.10.24 – 2/27/22

Thereafter when the Supreme Person desired to perform varieties of work, the two hands and their controlling strength, and Indra, the demigod in heaven, became manifested, as also the acts dependent on both the hands and the demigod.

In every item we can note with profit that the sense organs of the living entity are never independent at any stage. The Lord is known as the Lord of the senses (Hṛṣīkeśa). Thus the sense organs of the living entities are manifested by the will of the Lord, and each organ is controlled by a certain type of demigod. No one, therefore, can claim any proprietorship of the senses. The living entity is controlled by the senses, the senses are controlled by the demigods, and the demigods are the servants of the Supreme Lord. That is the arrangement in the system of creation. The whole thing is controlled ultimately by the Supreme Lord, and there is no independence either of the material nature or of the living entity. The illusioned living entity who claims to be the lord of his senses is under the clutches of the external energy of the Lord. As long as a living entity continues to be puffed up by his tiny existence, he is to be understood to be under the stringent control of the external energy of the Lord, and there is no question of liberation from the clutches of illusion (māyā), however much one may declare himself a liberated soul.

FACT : No one, therefore, can claim any proprietorship of the senses.

FICTION: We are the controllers

As long as you have one desire you are not in control 

The mystic yogi also has a desire – They want to develop yoga siddhis, when they develop1 or 2 siddhis they get satisfied. 

Viswamitra creates an alternate universe to elevate a sudra to his own heavenly planets..

Jnanis are attached to is development of knowledge. 

Einstein also went to India – but he did not meet Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswati Thakur. 

He met Ravindranath Tagore

As long as one does not have association of a pure devotee one remains completely incomplete. 

Everything depends on our desire. If we have spiritual desires there is no limit on how much Krsna can fulfill them. As long as we have material desires, we are only limited to our karma. 

Animals have no free will???

Humans have free will – whether to accept Krsna or Reject Krsna. 

He gives that free will because Love is voluntary. 

CIvilized human form – one has free will and that is nor forced. 

When we reject krsna we are completely under the control of Material nature

When we accept Krsna we are under the protection of Krsna. 

Laws of Material Nature – 

To go back to Godhead we need to know – 

  1. What we should not do 
  2. What we should do

What is spiritual life – Who is a civilized human being –  

BG 6.17

He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.

BG 5.18

The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].

He sees every living entity as a walking temple. 

BG 5.20 

A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is unbewildered, and who knows the science of God is already situated in transcendence.

The symptoms of the self-realized person are given herein. The first symptom is that he is not illusioned by the false identification of the body with his true self. He knows perfectly well that he is not this body but is the fragmental portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is therefore not joyful in achieving something, nor does he lament in losing anything which is related to his body. This steadiness of mind is called sthira-buddhi, or self-intelligence. He is therefore never bewildered by mistaking the gross body for the soul, nor does he accept the body as permanent and disregard the existence of the soul. This knowledge elevates him to the station of knowing the complete science of the Absolute Truth, namely Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. He thus knows his constitutional position perfectly well, without falsely trying to become one with the Supreme in all respects. This is called Brahman realization, or self-realization. Such steady consciousness is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

BG 5.22

An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.

Material sense pleasures are due to the contact of the material senses, which are all temporary because the body itself is temporary. A liberated soul is not interested in anything which is temporary. Knowing well the joys of transcendental pleasures, how can a liberated soul agree to enjoy false pleasure? In the Padma Purāṇa it is said:

ramante yogino ’nante

satyānande cid-ātmani

iti rāma-padenāsau

paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate

“The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Rāma.”

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also (5.5.1) it is said:

nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke

kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye

tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ

śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam

“My dear sons, there is no reason to labor very hard for sense pleasure while in this human form of life; such pleasures are available to the stool-eaters [hogs]. Rather, you should undergo penances in this life by which your existence will be purified, and as a result you will be able to enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss.”

Therefore, those who are true yogīs or learned transcendentalists are not attracted by sense pleasures, which are the causes of continuous material existence. The more one is addicted to material pleasures, the more he is entrapped by material miseries.

Everyone has a mixed bag of karma – positive and negative – pleasure and misery. So one does not need to work hard fpr pleasure. Rather one should work hard for the eternal 

If you please Krsna every other positive goal will be attained..

Laws of nature – 

  1. Birth, old age, disease and death
  2. Eat, sleep, mate and defend (only way to diminish them is through KC 
  3.  The more one is addicted to material pleasures, the more he is entrapped by material miseries.
  4. The material desires are unsatiated they lead to anger, .. 
  5. Suffering of humanity is due to the forgetfulness of Krsna as the supreme enjoyer.. Proprietor and Supreme friend. 

“Bhoktaram.. Tajna tapasa 

BG 5.29 

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.

Any type of penance which is for material – hurting body, and Krsna Consciousness – 

This type of penance is demoniac. 

Living a minimalist life

Krsna is the supreme best friend. Teaches how to get of the material body. 

Even in mode of goodness we are forced to do things. Only in transcendental goodness one is nor forced.. 

  1. False Attachment  to friendship, family & so called love based on sense gratification will just create anxieties.. 

Family – teach purpose of life is to become a Hare Krsna.. Work honestly to maintain the family.. Minimalism, life should be simple, thinking – how to please Krsna 

  1. Whatever is produced in the material world in the name of the economic development, supreme lord in the time factor destroys it.. 
  2. We should be concerned with things that are sat and not asat

BG 2.16 

This is the beginning of the instruction by the Lord to the living entities who are bewildered by the influence of ignorance. Removal of ignorance involves the reestablishment of the eternal relationship between the worshiper and the worshipable and the consequent understanding of the difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole. In the Vedānta-sūtras, as well as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Supreme has been accepted as the origin of all emanations. Such emanations are experienced by superior and inferior natural sequences. The living entities belong to the superior nature, as it will be revealed in the Seventh Chapter. Although there is no difference between the energy and the energetic, the energetic is accepted as the Supreme, and the energy or nature is accepted as the subordinate. The living entities, therefore, are always subordinate to the Supreme Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught. Such clear knowledge is impossible to understand under the spell of ignorance, and to drive away such ignorance the Lord teaches the Bhagavad-gītā for the enlightenment of all living entities for all time.

We should be concerned by only the eternal.. For what is not eternal we should be using them in the service of the lord so we are not entangled 

Grihamedhi – 

Grihastha –

BG 9.4

By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.

BG 9.5 

And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self is the very source of creation.

BG 9.6 

Understand that as the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, rests always in the sky, all created beings rest in Me.

BG 9.30 

Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.

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SB 2.10.9 Notes – 2/15/22

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.10.9:

  • There are innumerable living entities, one dependent on the other in the relationship of the controlled and the controller. But without the medium of perception, no one can know or understand who is the controlled and who is the controller.
  • The natural question arises concerning who made them interdependent. The one who has made such a relationship of interdependence must be ultimately completely independent. 
  • As stated in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the ultimate source of all interdependent objectives is the complete independent subject. 
  • This ultimate source of all interdependence is the Supreme Truth or Paramātmā, the Supersoul, who is not dependent on anything else. He is svāśrayāśrayaḥ. He is only dependent on His self, and thus He is the supreme shelter of everything. Although Paramātmā and Brahman are subordinate to Bhagavān, because Bhagavān is Puruṣottama or the Superperson, He is the source of the Supersoul also.
  • It is concluded that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate source and shelter of all entities, including the Supersoul and Supreme Brahman. Even accepting that there is no difference between the Supersoul and the individual soul, the individual soul is dependent on the Supersoul for being liberated from the illusion of material energy.
  • The individual is under the clutches of illusory energy, and therefore although qualitatively one with the Supersoul, he is under the illusion of identifying himself with matter. 
  • And to get out of this illusory conception of factual life, the individual soul has to depend on the Supersoul to be recognized as one with Him. In that sense also the Supersoul is the supreme shelter. And there is no doubt about it.
  • The Lord in His eternal blissful body of knowledge is fully aware of all that happened in the past, that which is going on at the present and also what will happen in the future. But in spite of His being the shelter of both the Paramātmā and Brahman, persons with a poor fund of knowledge are unable to understand Him as He is.
  • The propaganda of the identity of cosmic consciousness with the consciousness of the individual living entities is completely misleading because even such a person or individual soul as Arjuna could not remember his past deeds, although he is always with the Lord. And what can the tiny ordinary man, falsely claiming to be one with the cosmic consciousness, know about his past, present and future?
  • It is necessary that everyone, for his own interest, know the science of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa Himself speaks about Himself, it is auspicious for all the worlds. To the demons, such explanations by Kṛṣṇa Himself may appear to be strange because the demons always study Kṛṣṇa from their own standpoint, but those who are devotees heartily welcome the statements of Kṛṣṇa when they are spoken by Kṛṣṇa Himself.
  • The devotees will always worship such authoritative statements of Kṛṣṇa because they are always eager to know more and more about Him.
  • A living entity, however great he may be in the material estimation, can never equal the Supreme Lord. Anyone who is a constant companion of the Lord is certainly a liberated person, but he cannot be equal to the Lord. The Lord is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā as infallible (acyuta), which means that He never forgets Himself, even though He is in material contact. Therefore, the Lord and the living entity can never be equal in all respects, even if the living entity is as liberated as Arjuna.

SB 2.10.9 TRANSLATION:

All three of the above-mentioned stages of different living entities are interdependent. In the absence of one, another is not understood. But the Supreme Being who sees every one of them as the shelter of the shelter is independent of all, and therefore He is the supreme shelter.

There are innumerable living entities, one dependent on the other in the relationship of the controlled and the controller. But without the medium of perception, no one can know or understand who is the controlled and who is the controller. For example, the sun controls the power of our vision, we can see the sun because the sun has its body, and the sunlight is useful only because we have eyes. Without our having eyes, the sunlight is useless, and without sunlight the eyes are useless. Thus they are interdependent, and none of them is independent. Therefore the natural question arises concerning who made them interdependent. The one who has made such a relationship of interdependence must be ultimately completely independent. As stated in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the ultimate source of all interdependent objectives is the complete independent subject. This ultimate source of all interdependence is the Supreme Truth or Paramātmā, the Supersoul, who is not dependent on anything else. He is svāśrayāśrayaḥ. He is only dependent on His self, and thus He is the supreme shelter of everything. Although Paramātmā and Brahman are subordinate to Bhagavān, because Bhagavān is Puruṣottama or the Superperson, He is the source of the Supersoul also. In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.18) Lord Kṛṣṇa says that He is the Puruṣottama and the source of everything, and thus it is concluded that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate source and shelter of all entities, including the Supersoul and Supreme Brahman. Even accepting that there is no difference between the Supersoul and the individual soul, the individual soul is dependent on the Supersoul for being liberated from the illusion of material energy. The individual is under the clutches of illusory energy, and therefore although qualitatively one with the Supersoul, he is under the illusion of identifying himself with matter. And to get out of this illusory conception of factual life, the individual soul has to depend on the Supersoul to be recognized as one with Him. In that sense also the Supersoul is the supreme shelter. And there is no doubt about it.

The individual living entity, the jīva, is always dependent on the Supersoul, Paramātmā, because the individual soul forgets his spiritual identity whereas the Supersoul, Paramātmā, does not forget His transcendental position. In the Bhagavad-gītā these separate positions of the jīva-ātmā and the Paramātmā are specifically mentioned. In the Fourth Chapter, Arjuna, the jīva soul, is represented as forgetful of his many, many previous births, but the Lord, the Supersoul, is not forgetful. The Lord even remembers when He taught the Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god some billions of years before. The Lord can remember such millions and billions of years, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.26) as follows:

The Lord in His eternal blissful body of knowledge is fully aware of all that happened in the past, that which is going on at the present and also what will happen in the future. But in spite of His being the shelter of both the Paramātmā and Brahman, persons with a poor fund of knowledge are unable to understand Him as He is.

The propaganda of the identity of cosmic consciousness with the consciousness of the individual living entities is completely misleading because even such a person or individual soul as Arjuna could not remember his past deeds, although he is always with the Lord. And what can the tiny ordinary man, falsely claiming to be one with the cosmic consciousness, know about his past, present and future?

Aurobindo made contributions to the vedanta and he said jiva can obtain cosmic consciousness. Here Prabhupada debunks Aurobindo’s propaganda. 

There is only one independent supreme personality of godhead Krishna. 

BG 4.4 

Arjuna said: The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?

Arjuna is an accepted devotee of the Lord, so how could he not believe Kṛṣṇa’s words? The fact is that Arjuna is not inquiring for himself but for those who do not believe in the Supreme Personality of Godhead or for the demons who do not like the idea that Kṛṣṇa should be accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead; for them only Arjuna inquires on this point, as if he were himself not aware of the Personality of Godhead, or Kṛṣṇa. As it will be evident from the Tenth Chapter, Arjuna knew perfectly well that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the fountainhead of everything and the last word in transcendence. Of course, Kṛṣṇa also appeared as the son of Devakī on this earth. How Kṛṣṇa remained the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, the eternal original person, is very difficult for an ordinary man to understand. Therefore, to clarify this point, Arjuna put this question before Kṛṣṇa so that He Himself could speak authoritatively. That Kṛṣṇa is the supreme authority is accepted by the whole world, not only at present but from time immemorial, and the demons alone reject Him. Anyway, since Kṛṣṇa is the authority accepted by all, Arjuna put this question before Him in order that Kṛṣṇa would describe Himself without being depicted by the demons, who always try to distort Him in a way understandable to the demons and their followers. It is necessary that everyone, for his own interest, know the science of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa Himself speaks about Himself, it is auspicious for all the worlds. To the demons, such explanations by Kṛṣṇa Himself may appear to be strange because the demons always study Kṛṣṇa from their own standpoint, but those who are devotees heartily welcome the statements of Kṛṣṇa when they are spoken by Kṛṣṇa Himself. The devotees will always worship such authoritative statements of Kṛṣṇa because they are always eager to know more and more about Him. The atheists, who consider Kṛṣṇa an ordinary man, may in this way come to know that Kṛṣṇa is superhuman, that He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha – the eternal form of bliss and knowledge – that He is transcendental, and that He is above the domination of the modes of material nature and above the influence of time and space. A devotee of Kṛṣṇa, like Arjuna, is undoubtedly above any misunderstanding of the transcendental position of Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna’s putting this question before the Lord is simply an attempt by the devotee to defy the atheistic attitude of persons who consider Kṛṣṇa to be an ordinary human being, subject to the modes of material nature.

Without the purports of the acharyas we will be covered by misconceptions by only reading only verses… 

We have to define ourselves who we are. We should do things which will give people an opportunity to see that we are genuine givers, genuinely empathetic, and we should not let other define us. 

Always be in our best behavior, gentle, kind, very very caring and giving. That identifies us… 

We defined ourselves as Vedic cultural center. 

Pejorative – Expressing discontent and disapproval. 

BG 4.5

The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!

In the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.33) we have information of many, many incarnations of the Lord. It is stated there:

advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam

ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca

vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kṛṣṇa], who is the original person – absolute, infallible, without beginning. Although expanded into unlimited forms, He is still the same original, the oldest, and the person always appearing as a fresh youth. Such eternal, blissful, all-knowing forms of the Lord are usually not understood by even the best Vedic scholars, but they are always manifest to pure, unalloyed devotees.”

It is also stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.39):

rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan

nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu

kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kṛṣṇa], who is always situated in various incarnations such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha and many subincarnations as well, but who is the original Personality of Godhead known as Kṛṣṇa, and who incarnates personally also.”

In the Vedas also it is said that the Lord, although one without a second, manifests Himself in innumerable forms. He is like the vaidūrya stone, which changes color yet still remains one. All those multiforms are understood by the pure, unalloyed devotees, but not by a simple study of the Vedas (vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau). Devotees like Arjuna are constant companions of the Lord, and whenever the Lord incarnates, the associate devotees also incarnate in order to serve the Lord in different capacities. Arjuna is one of these devotees, and in this verse it is understood that some millions of years ago when Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god Vivasvān, Arjuna, in a different capacity, was also present. But the difference between the Lord and Arjuna is that the Lord remembered the incident whereas Arjuna could not remember. That is the difference between the part-and-parcel living entity and the Supreme Lord. Although Arjuna is addressed herein as the mighty hero who could subdue the enemies, he is unable to recall what had happened in his various past births. Therefore, a living entity, however great he may be in the material estimation, can never equal the Supreme Lord. Anyone who is a constant companion of the Lord is certainly a liberated person, but he cannot be equal to the Lord. The Lord is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā as infallible (acyuta), which means that He never forgets Himself, even though He is in material contact. Therefore, the Lord and the living entity can never be equal in all respects, even if the living entity is as liberated as Arjuna. Although Arjuna is a devotee of the Lord, he sometimes forgets the nature of the Lord, but by the divine grace a devotee can at once understand the infallible condition of the Lord, whereas a nondevotee or a demon cannot understand this transcendental nature. Consequently these descriptions in the Gītā cannot be understood by demonic brains. Kṛṣṇa remembered acts which were performed by Him millions of years before, but Arjuna could not, despite the fact that both Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are eternal in nature. We may also note herein that a living entity forgets everything due to his change of body, but the Lord remembers because He does not change His sac-cid-ānanda body. He is advaita, which means there is no distinction between His body and Himself. Everything in relation to Him is spirit – whereas the conditioned soul is different from his material body. And because the Lord’s body and self are identical, His position is always different from that of the ordinary living entity, even when He descends to the material platform. The demons cannot adjust themselves to this transcendental nature of the Lord, which the Lord Himself explains in the following verse.

4th chapter is full of amazing knowledge about Krsna.. 

Some people say based on BG 10.22 that their mind is Krsna and whatever their mind says is what Krsna is saying..

BG 10.22

Of the Vedas I am the Sāma Veda; of the demigods I am Indra, the king of heaven; of the senses I am the mind; and in living beings I am the living force [consciousness].

BG 5.22

Therefore, those who are true yogīs or learned transcendentalists are not attracted by sense pleasures, which are the causes of continuous material existence. The more one is addicted to material pleasures, the more he is entrapped by material miseries.

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SB 2.9.34 – Part 4 – Notes – 1/13/22

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.9.34 – Part 4:

  • The illusory energy has two phases of existence, namely the covering influence and the throwing influence.
  • By the throwing influence the illusory energy throws the living entities into the darkness of ignorance, and by the covering influence she covers the eyes of men with a poor fund of knowledge about the existence of the Supreme Person.
  • The scientific studies of the cosmic manifestation or the bodily construction independent of the Supreme Lord are different reflective intellectual gymnastics only, but at the end they are all illusion and nothing more.
  • All such advancement of science and knowledge in the present context of material civilization is but an action of the covering influence of the illusory energy.
  • Demoniac persons who deny the existence of the Lord are thrown more and more into the darkness of ignorance, and thus such demoniac persons transmigrate life after life without any knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • The sane man, however, is enlightened in the disciplic succession from Brahmājī, who was personally instructed by the Lord, or in the disciplic succession from Arjuna, who was personally instructed by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā.
  • In the medical science of the ancient sages, known as the Āyur-veda, there is definite acceptance of the Lord’s supremacy –
  • There is one Supreme Person who is the progenitor of this cosmic manifestation and whose energy acts as prakṛti, or the material nature, dazzling like a reflection. By such illusory action of prakṛti, even dead matter is caused to move by the cooperation of living energy of the Lord, and the material world appears like a dramatic performance to the ignorant eyes.
  • The living entities are also a display of the Lord’s superior energy (parā prakṛti), just as the material world is a display of the Lord’s inferior energy (aparā prakṛti).
  • The living energy represented by the living entities is the reflection of the Lord, and never the Lord Himself. Being the reflection of the Lord, the existence of the living entity is dependent on the Supreme Lord, who is the original light.
  • This material energy may be compared to darkness, as actually it is darkness, and the activities of the living entities in the darkness are reflections of the original light.
  • The reflection of sunlight in the darkness is unable to drive out the darkness, but the sunlight outside the reflection can drive out the darkness completely
  •  one has to take shelter of the light of the Lord, as in the Bhagavad-gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and not the reflective personalities who have no touch with the Lord
  • the action of different energies of the Lord, or the Personality of Godhead Himself, can be realized by the light manifested by the causeless mercy of the Lord.
  • The Lord is a manifestation of His internal energy, and this particular energy is the means of seeing the Lord face to face. Not only Brahmā but anyone who may be graced by the Lord to see such merciful direct internal energy can also realize the Personality of Godhead without any mental speculation.
  • BG 9.13 & 9.14 – Defines the standard of Krsna Consciousness one needs to adhere to be called as a devotee.
  • A devotee is attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Such a devotee has firm determination to achieve at the ultimate end the association of the Supreme Lord in any one of the five transcendental rasas.
  • To achieve that success, he engages all activities – mental, bodily and vocal, everything – in the service of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That is called full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

SB 2.9.34 TRANSLATION:

O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.

Persons with a poor fund of knowledge become illusioned, and therefore the so-called scientists, physiologists, empiric philosophers, etc., become dazzled by the glaring reflection of the sun, moon, electricity, etc., and deny the existence of the Supreme Lord, putting forward theories and different speculations about the creation, maintenance and annihilation of everything material. The medical practitioner may deny the existence of the soul in the physiological bodily construction of an individual person, but he cannot give life to a dead body, even though all the mechanisms of the body exist even after death. The psychologist makes a serious study of the physiological conditions of the brain, as if the construction of the cerebral lump were the machine of the functioning mind, but in the dead body the psychologist cannot bring back the function of the mind. These scientific studies of the cosmic manifestation or the bodily construction independent of the Supreme Lord are different reflective intellectual gymnastics only, but at the end they are all illusion and nothing more. All such advancement of science and knowledge in the present context of material civilization is but an action of the covering influence of the illusory energy. The illusory energy has two phases of existence, namely the covering influence and the throwing influence. By the throwing influence the illusory energy throws the living entities into the darkness of ignorance, and by the covering influence she covers the eyes of men with a poor fund of knowledge about the existence of the Supreme Person who enlightened the supreme individual living being, Brahmā. The identity of Brahmā with the Supreme Lord is never claimed herein, and therefore such a foolish claim by the man with a poor fund of knowledge is another display of the illusory energy of the Lord. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (16.18-20) that demoniac persons who deny the existence of the Lord are thrown more and more into the darkness of ignorance, and thus such demoniac persons transmigrate life after life without any knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The sane man, however, is enlightened in the disciplic succession from Brahmājī, who was personally instructed by the Lord, or in the disciplic succession from Arjuna, who was personally instructed by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā. He accepts this statement of the Lord:

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ

budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

(Bg. 10.8) Alternate Translation

The Lord is the original source of all emanations, and everything that is created, maintained and annihilated exists by the energy of the Lord. The sane man who knows this is actually learned, and therefore he becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.

BG 10.8 

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

Although the reflectory energy of the Lord displays various illusions to the eyes of persons with a poor fund of knowledge, the sane person knows clearly that the Lord can act, even from far, far beyond our vision, by His different energies, just as fire can diffuse heat and light from a distant place. In the medical science of the ancient sages, known as the Āyur-veda, there is definite acceptance of the Lord’s supremacy in the following words:

Ayurveda is part of Atharvaveda..

jagad-yoner anicchasya

cid-ānandaika-rūpiṇaḥ

puṁso ’sti prakṛtir nityā

praticchāyeva bhāsvataḥ

acetanāpi caitanya-

yogena paramātmanaḥ

akarod viśvam akhilam

anityam nāṭakākṛtim

There is one Supreme Person who is the progenitor of this cosmic manifestation and whose energy acts as prakṛti, or the material nature, dazzling like a reflection. By such illusory action of prakṛti, even dead matter is caused to move by the cooperation of living energy of the Lord, and the material world appears like a dramatic performance to the ignorant eyes. 

SP is going a great length to explain the acintya beda abeda tattva of Caitanya MahaPrabhu… 

The ignorant person, therefore, may even be a scientist or physiologist in the drama of prakṛti, while the sane person knows prakṛti as the illusory energy of the Lord. By such a conclusion, as confirmed by the Bhagavad-gītā, it is clear that the living entities are also a display of the Lord’s superior energy (parā prakṛti), just as the material world is a display of the Lord’s inferior energy (aparā prakṛti). The superior energy of the Lord cannot be as good as the Lord, although there is very little difference between the energy and the possessor of the energy, or the fire and the heat. 

Fire is possessed of heat, but heat is not fire. This simple thing is not understood by the man with a poor fund of knowledge who falsely claims that the fire and heat are the same. This energy of the fire (namely heat) is explained here as a reflection, and not directly fire. Therefore the living energy represented by the living entities is the reflection of the Lord, and never the Lord Himself. Being the reflection of the Lord, the existence of the living entity is dependent on the Supreme Lord, who is the original light. 

Einstein and Faraday were all intrigued by the light.. At one point scientists said light is a wave.. Einstein said that light is made of photos. He came a little closer to the truth. Brahma jyothi is made of infinite number of Jivas souls – like pencils of light made of souls which do not have a body.. 

This material energy may be compared to darkness, as actually it is darkness, and the activities of the living entities in the darkness are reflections of the original light. 

There are 2 energies –  Spiritual and material,  One is full of light, heat maintaining the universe and consicous, full of darkness and not conscious. 

Krsna – Internal energy & external energy 

Spirit soul is internal energy of the lord. 

Material world and the body is external energy.

Although soul is eternal, body is temporary and needs maintenance. All that is supplied by Krsna. 

If we cancel Krsna – if we claim we are independent.. We try to control the material energy .. 

Meaning of Hare Krsna Maha Mantra – 

“The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare is the sublime method for reviving our Krishna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krishna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called maya or illusion. Maya means “that which is not.” And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. 

BG 9.13 – explains what a KC person is

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha

daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ

bhajanty ananya-manaso

jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.

BG 9.14 

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ

yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ

namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā

nitya-yuktā upāsate

Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.

Extremely important verses. If we have to be called a devotee we have to comply with these two verses. Rigid adherence to the KC schedule makes one a devotee.

If someone is KC they have to comply with this verse. By the divine nature of the lord, They are fully engaged in devotional service. This describes the devotee,, we have to understand this and teach to our children. 

In this verse the description of the mahātmā is clearly given. The first sign of the mahātmā is that he is already situated in the divine nature. He is not under the control of material nature. And how is this effected? That is explained in the Seventh Chapter: one who surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, at once becomes freed from the control of material nature. That is the qualification. One can become free from the control of material nature as soon as he surrenders his soul to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the preliminary formula. Being marginal potency, as soon as the living entity is freed from the control of material nature, he is put under the guidance of the spiritual nature. The guidance of the spiritual nature is called daivī prakṛti, divine nature. So when one is promoted in that way – by surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead – one attains to the stage of great soul, mahātmā.

Krishna and SP wants us all to become great devotees, that are serious about following KC in a regulated way. 

BG 9.14  – STANDARD OF KC 

The mahātmā cannot be manufactured by rubber-stamping an ordinary man. His symptoms are described here: a mahātmā is always engaged in chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. He has no other business. He is always engaged in the glorification of the Lord. In other words, he is not an impersonalist. When the question of glorification is there, one has to glorify the Supreme Lord, praising His holy name, His eternal form, His transcendental qualities and His uncommon pastimes. One has to glorify all these things; therefore a mahātmā is attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

One who is attached to the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord, the brahma-jyotir, is not described as mahātmā in the Bhagavad-gītā. He is described in a different way in the next verse. The mahātmā is always engaged in different activities of devotional service, as described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, hearing and chanting about Viṣṇu, not a demigod or human being. That is devotion: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ and smaraṇam, remembering Him. Such a mahātmā has firm determination to achieve at the ultimate end the association of the Supreme Lord in any one of the five transcendental rasas. To achieve that success, he engages all activities – mental, bodily and vocal, everything – in the service of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That is called full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

In devotional service there are certain activities which are called determined, such as fasting on certain days, like the eleventh day of the moon, Ekādaśī, and on the appearance day of the Lord. All these rules and regulations are offered by the great ācāryas for those who are actually interested in getting admission into the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the transcendental world. The mahātmās, great souls, strictly observe all these rules and regulations, and therefore they are sure to achieve the desired result.

As described in the second verse of this chapter, not only is this devotional service easy, but it can be performed in a happy mood. One does not need to undergo any severe penance and austerity. He can live this life in devotional service, guided by an expert spiritual master, and in any position, either as a householder or a sannyāsī or a brahmacārī; in any position and anywhere in the world, he can perform this devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus become actually mahātmā, a great soul.

We have to be very alert in following what SP is saying in these two verses. Being nonchalant in following KC is a communicable disease. 

MATERIAL ENERGY IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME

BG 7.14 

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

Book of Laws of Nature – Page 1 

Material energy is Duratyaya – Impossible to overcome. 

ISO Mantra 7

no one but those who surrender at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord can surpass the stringent laws of nature.


STRINGENT LAWS OF NATURE 

BG 5.22

Therefore, those who are true yogīs or learned transcendentalists are not attracted by sense pleasures, which are the causes of continuous material existence. The more one is addicted to material pleasures, the more he is entrapped by material miseries.

SB 3.25.13

As soon as we get some material happiness, there is also material distress.

The Lord should be understood by the context of this verse. Non-dependence of both the energies of the Lord is explained as māyā, or illusion. 

No one can make a solution of the darkness of ignorance simply by the reflection of light. Similarly, no one can come out of material existence simply by the reflected light of the common man; one has to receive the light from the original light itself. The reflection of sunlight in the darkness is unable to drive out the darkness, but the sunlight outside the reflection can drive out the darkness completely. In darkness no one can see the things in a room. Therefore a person in the dark is afraid of snakes and scorpions, although there may not be such things. But in the light the things in the room can be clearly seen, and the fear of snakes and scorpions is at once removed. Therefore one has to take shelter of the light of the Lord, as in the Bhagavad-gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and not the reflective personalities who have no touch with the Lord. No one should hear Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from a person who does not believe in the existence of the Lord. Such a person is already doomed, and any association with such a doomed person makes the associater also doomed.

Question: How to preach to someone who does not agree with what we say or how do we preach so people can agree with us.

BG 14th chapter. Modes of material nature. Lust, Greed Anger, 
Three doors to hellish lifeRaga Dvesa Vimuktaisu, Explain the cause of suffering in general terms.BG 5,23They look at you and whether you are following what you are explaining.. They might become argumentative.. don’t get trapped Sources of suffering and why people suffer and how to get out of it.. I want to talk more … how they are able to control senses and  Your example, your friendliness,… you doing good things.. will make them want to talk to you more in future

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SB 2.9.34 – Part 1 – 1/10/22

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.9.34 – Part 1:

  • Whenever there is forgetfulness of the prime relation with the Lord, and whenever things are accepted as real without being related to the Lord, that conception is called a product of the illusory energy of the Lord.
  • Because nothing can exist without the Lord, it should be known that the illusory energy is also an energy of the Lord.
  • The right conclusion of dovetailing everything in relationship with the Lord is called yoga-māyā, or the energy of union, and the wrong conception of detaching a thing from its relationship with the Lord is called the Lord’s daivī māyā, or mahā-māyā.
  • Both the māyās also have connections with the Lord because nothing can exist without being related to Him.
  • The wrong conception of detaching relationships from the Lord is not false, but illusory.
  • Prakrti, material nature, is controlling the living entity by her different modes, but in ignorance the living entity is thinking, “I am inventing, I am acting, I am progressing.”This is called maya, illusion.
  • No one can progress or improve without Krsna consciousness.
  • All beings are trying to be happy in this material world, but it is nature’s plan to give them trouble. In other words, every attempt at happiness will be frustrated so that eventually the living entity will tum to Krsna. This is the plan: to bring the living entity back home, back to Godhead.
  • This plan does not apply to just a few living entities. It is not that some will remain here and others will go back to Godhead. No, the whole plan is that everyone must come back to Godhead.
  • Some living entities are very obstinate, just like bad boys. The father says, “Comeon,” but the boy says, “No, I’ll not go.” It is then the father’s business to drag him.
  • Every one of us has to go back home, back to Godhead. If we do so immediately and voluntarily, we save time; otherwise we waste time.
  • (Bg. 18. 66) In Bhagavad Gita, Krsna instructed Arjuna in karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and other yogas, but His final instruction was to surrender. 
  • All the laws of nature are working under Krsna’s direction.
  • Material nature is the goddess Durga. It is she who is the superintendent of the fort. Material nature is like a fort which no one can leave. Durg is the confidential maidservant of Krsna, but she has a very thankless task of punishing the demoniac living entities. She is not an ordinary mother. 
  • On one hand, the living entity is given whatever he wants, and on the other there is frustration and punishment. This is nature’s law, and nature is functioning under the instructions of Krsna. 
  • The real truth is that God has a plan, and one has to be taught that plan by one who knows it. 
  • The truth is there, but we have forgotten it. Through the process of chanting and hearing, wecan revive the truth, which is that we are eternal servants of Krsna. 
  • The living entity is good by nature because he is part and parcel of the supreme good, but due to material association, he has become conditioned.
  • Now we have to again draw forth this goodness through the process of Krsna consciousness. 

SB 2.9.34 TRANSLATION:

O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.

In the previous verse it has already been concluded that in any stage of the cosmic manifestation — its appearance, its sustenance, its growth, its interactions of different energies, its deterioration and its disappearance — all has its basic relation with the existence of the Personality of Godhead. And as such, whenever there is forgetfulness of this prime relation with the Lord, and whenever things are accepted as real without being related to the Lord, that conception is called a product of the illusory energy of the Lord. Because nothing can exist without the Lord, it should be known that the illusory energy is also an energy of the Lord. The right conclusion of dovetailing everything in relationship with the Lord is called yoga-māyā, or the energy of union, and the wrong conception of detaching a thing from its relationship with the Lord is called the Lord’s daivī māyā, or mahā-māyā. Both the māyās also have connections with the Lord because nothing can exist without being related to Him. As such, the wrong conception of detaching relationships from the Lord is not false, but illusory.

Concept of Illusion and mistake is explained in –

Dialectic Spiritualism – Bg 3.27 – Prakrith kriyamanani, Bahunam Janma Namanthe.. 

Desiring God means rejecting material world.. 

Natures plan is to give everyone trouble.. This is the plan to bring the living entity and back Homem back to Godhead.. 

BG 18.64 

BG 18.66

Pravritti – activities by which get attached to the material world 

Nivritti – activities by which we get detached to the material world 

Plan – put the living entities under the supervision of Durga mata. She trains them to not stay in this material world and go back to Godhead.. Every living entity will go back.. Eventually.. 

Surrendering to Krsna and following His instructions.. 

Dialectic Spiritualism – page 185

In Bhagavad-gita, it is also stated:

prakr:teiJ. kriyamaryani

gunaiiJ, karmaryi sarvasaiJ,

ahankara-vimucf,hatma

kartaham iti manyate

“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.” (Bg. 3. 27) Prakrti, material nature, is

controlling the living entity by her different modes, but in ignorance the

living entity is thinking, “I am inventing, I am acting, I am progressing.”

This is called maya, illusion. No one can progress or improve without

Krsna consciousness. The living entities have come into this material

world because they wanted to imitate Krsna. Therefore they have been

given a chance to engage in so-called enjoyment. At the same time,

Krishna is so kind that He has given them the Vedas, the right directions.

He says, “All right, if you want to enjoy, enjoy in this way so that one

day you may come back to Me. ” If a child insists on acting improperly,

the father may be very careful in giving him what he wants, and at the

same time directing him.

There are two kinds of activities. One is pravrtti, by which we become

very much attached to the material world. By the other type of activity,

nivritti, we become detached. Both activities are mentioned in the Vedas.

However, there is a plan. Because the living entities have forgotten or

disobeyed Krsna and are trying to enjoy life by imitating Him, they are

placed into this material world. Under the supervision of the superin-

tendent of this material world, Durga, these living entities can return

home, back to Godhead. That is the plan, and there is really no other.

Every one of us has to go back home, back to Godhead. If we do so

immediately and voluntarily, we save time; otherwise we waste time. We

have to come to this point. Therefore Bhagavad-gftii says: bahuniirh

janmaniim ante (Bg. 7. 19). After struggling for many births, the wise

man surrenders unto Krsna. The final point is surrender, and maya gives the living entity trouble in many different ways so that he will eventually come to this point. When he becomes frustrated in his attempts at sense gratification, it should be understood that he is receiving special favor.

When Krsna  is anxious to reform the living entity, He bestows His mercy

by first of all taking away all his money. This is a special favor. The

living entity always wants to delay, but by special favor Krsna draws the

living entity to Him by force. This is explained in Caitanya-caritamr:ta.

The living entity wants Krsna, or God, but at the same time he wants to

enjoy the material world. This is inconsistent, because desiring God

means rejecting the material world. Sometimes the living entity is caught

between these two desires, and when Krsna sees this, He places him in

a hopeless condition. He takes away all his money, and then the living

entity sees that all his so-called relatives and friends tum from him,

saying, “Oh, this man is useless. He has no money.” In this hopeless

condition, the living entity surrenders to Krsna.

All beings are trying to be happy in this material world, but it is

nature’s plan to give them trouble. In other words, every attempt at happiness will be frustrated so that eventually the living entity will tum to

Krsna. This is the plan: to bring the living entity back home, back to

Godhead. This plan does not apply to just a few living entities. It is not

that some will remain here and others will go back to Godhead. No, the

whole plan is that everyone must come back to Godhead. Some living

entities are very obstinate, just like bad boys. The father says, “Come

on,” but the boy says, “No, I’ll not go.” It is then the father’s business

to drag him. At the end of Bhagavad-gita Krsna says:

sarva-guhyatamar’n bhuyalj,

swu me paramar’n vaca/j,

i�to’si me dr:cJham iti

tato vak§yiimi te hitam

“Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you the most

confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is for your

benefit. ” (Bg. 18.64) Then He says, “Surrender unto Me, and I will give 

you all protection.” (Bg. 18. 66) In Bhagavad-gfta, Krsna instructed

Arjuna in karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and other yogas, but His final instruction was to surrender. 

Misconceiving one thing for another thing is called illusion. For example, accepting a rope as a snake is illusion, but the rope is not false. The rope, as it exists in the front of the illusioned person, is not at all false, but the acceptance is illusory. Therefore the wrong conception of accepting this material manifestation as being divorced from the energy of the Lord is illusion, but it is not false. And this illusory conception is called the reflection of the reality in the darkness of ignorance. Anything that appears as apparently not being “produced out of My energy” is called māyā. The conception that the living entity is formless or that the Supreme Lord is formless is also illusion. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.12) it was said by the Lord in the midst of the battlefield that the warriors standing in front of Arjuna, Arjuna himself, and even the Lord had all existed before, they were existing on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and they would all continue to be individual personalities in the future also, even after the annihilation of the present body and even after being liberated from the bondage of material existence. In all circumstances, the Lord and the living entities are individual personalities, and the personal features of both the Lord and living beings are never abolished; only the influence of the illusory energy, the reflection of light in the darkness, can, by the mercy of the Lord, be removed. In the material world, the light of the sun is also not independent, nor is that of the moon. The real source of light is the brahmajyoti, which diffuses light from the transcendental body of the Lord, and the same light is reflected in varieties of light: the light of the sun, the light of the moon, the light of fire, or the light of electricity. So the identity of the self as being unconnected with the Supreme Self, the Lord, is also illusion, and the false claim “I am the Supreme” is the last illusory snare of the same māyā, or the external energy of the Lord.

Dialectic Spiritualism 

Durga – Duty is to punish, She Awards things and slowly takes them away 

Durga – Confidential maid servant of Krsna, Thankless task of punishing 

This is nature’s law – Nature is functioning under Krsna. 

Goddess Durga 

If we follow the lord’s instructions we will all go back to Godhead.. 

Srila Prabhupada: All the laws of nature are working

under Krsna’s direction.

mayadhya�e1Ja prakr:til}

suyate sa-caracaram

hetunanena kaunteya

jagad viparivartate

“This material nature is working under My direction, 0 son of Kunt’i,

and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this

manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.” (Bg. 9. 10)

Material nature is the goddess Durga. It is she who is the superintendent

of the fort. Material nature is like a fort which no one can leave. Durga

is the confidential maidservant of Krsna, but she has a very thankless

task of punishing the demoniac living entities, who are thinking, “I will

worship my mother Durga,” not knowing that her engagement is punishment. She is not an ordinary mother. She gives the demonic living entity

whatever he wants. “Give me money. Give me a good wife. Give me

reputation. Give me strength.” Goddess Durga says, “All right, take

these things, but at the same time you will be frustrated with them.” On

the one hand, the living entity is given whatever he wants, and on the

other there is frustration and punishment. This is nature’s law, and nature

is functioning under the instructions of Krsna. The living entity in the

material world has revolted against Krsna. He wants to imitate Krsna

and become the enjoyer; therefore Krsna gives him all the resources of

material enjoyment, but at the same time He punishes him. The goddess

Durga is so powerful that she can create, maintain, and dissolve, but

she is working just like a shadow. A shadow does not move independently. The movement is coming from Krsna. A fool thinks that material

nature is there for his enjoyment. This is the materialistic view. When

he sees a flower, he thinks, “Nature has produced this flower for me.

Everything is for me.” In the Bible, it is stated that animals are placed

under the dominion or protection of men, but men mistakenly think,

“They are given to us to kill and eat.” If I entrust you to someone, is it

proper that he eat you? What kind of intelligence is this? This is all due

to a lack of Krsna consciousness. 

The real truth is that God has a plan, and one has

to be taught that plan by one who knows it. This is explained in Caitanyacaritamr:ta:

nitya-siddha KrsnarJa-prema ‘siidhya’ kabhu naya

sraval]iidi-suddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Krsna is eternally established in the hearts of living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the

heart is purified by hearing and chanting, the living entity naturally

awakens.” (Caitanya-caritiimr:ta, Madh. 22. 107) The truth is there, but

we have forgotten it. Through the process of chanting and hearing, we

can revive the truth, which is that we are eternal servants of Krsna. The

living entity is good by nature because he is part and parcel of the supreme good, but due to material association, he has become conditioned.

Now we have to again draw forth this goodness through the process of

Krsna consciousness. 

Laws of Nature 

BG 5.22 

The more one is addicted to material pleasures, the more he is entrapped by material miseries.

BG 3.39 

While one enjoys sense gratification, it may be that there is some feeling of happiness, but actually that so-called feeling of happiness is the ultimate enemy of the sense enjoyer.

BG 3.43

Desire for overlording and for sense gratification is the greatest enemy of the conditioned soul; 

SB 3.25.13

In the material world, everyone is trying to get some material happiness, but as soon as we get some material happiness, there is also material distress. This is the law of the material world.

Whenever we do something independent of Krsna for our own sense gratification, we fall in the trap of Durga devi.. We get punished.. 

BG 7.16 

As long as such a purified stage is not attained, devotees in transcendental service to the Lord are tainted with fruitive activities, the search for mundane knowledge, etc. So one has to transcend all this before one can come to the stage of pure devotional service.