KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.7.43-45 TODAY (10/30/21):
- All the great devotees of the Lord, as mentioned above, who flourished in the past or present, and all the devotees of the Lord who will come in the future, are aware of the different potencies of the Lord along with the potency of His name, quality, pastimes, entourage, personality, etc.
- And how do they know? Certainly it is not by mental speculation, nor by any attempt by dint of limited instruments of knowledge.
- In the Upaniṣads it is clearly said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can never be known simply by working very hard and taxing the good brain, nor can He be known simply by mental speculation and jugglery of words. The Lord is knowable only by one who is a surrendered soul.
- The fruitless spoiling of energy by pursuing the path of experimental knowledge must be given up. One should gain knowledge by surrendering unto the Lord and by acknowledging the authority of the persons mentioned in this verse.
- The Lord is unlimited and, by the grace of the yoga-māyā, helps the surrendered soul to know Him proportionately with the advance of one’s surrender.
- Kṛṣṇa’s another name is caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means “the guru who is sitting within your heart.” Caitya-guru. But He does not speak to anyone. He speaks to everyone, but only the devotee can hear. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- Unless you are a devotee, unless you are constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, He will not speak to you. He speaks, but you cannot hear. You have no ears to hear Him.
- Unless there is mercy of Kṛṣṇa, there is no possibility of understanding Kṛṣṇa. By your these blunt material senses you cannot understand what is the name of Kṛṣṇa, nāmādi.
- When you are engaged in the loving service of the Lord, beginning with your tongue, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau, by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and taking prasādam, in this way, gradually, when you will be purified, you will understand what is Kṛṣṇa. He will reveal. Kṛṣṇa reveals.
- Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ [Bg. 7.25]. For others, He is covered with yogamāyā’s curtain, but for the devotees, He is open.
- When Kṛṣṇa was present there were only a few people who could understand Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He was manifest only to His devotees as the reservoir of all pleasure. But to others, to unintelligent nondevotees, He was covered by His internal potency.
- If you simply study Veda, you will never be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore so many so-called Vedāntists, they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. They consider Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being.
- If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, then you will have to accept this process, bhakti. Kṛṣṇa never says that “By jñāna, by yoga, by karma you can understand.” No.
- One should not sleep more than necessary, eat more than necessary and one should only have sex in marriage to beget nice children, Kṛṣṇa conscious children, according to śāstra, that sex life is not forbidden.
- In this way we have to mold our life if we are actually interested to become free from this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam
SB 2.7.43-45 TRANSLATION:
O Nārada, although the potencies of the Lord are unknowable and immeasurable, still, because we are all surrendered souls, we know how He acts through yoga-māyā potencies. And, similarly, the potencies of the Lord are also known to the all-powerful Śiva, the great king of the atheist family, namely Prahlāda Mahārāja, Svāyambhuva Manu, his wife Śatarūpā, his sons and daughters like Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, Ākūti, Devahūti and Prasūti, Prācīnabarhi, Ṛbhu, Aṅga the father of Vena, Mahārāja Dhruva, Ikṣvāku, Aila, Mucukunda, Mahārāja Janaka, Gādhi, Raghu, Ambarīṣa, Sagara, Gaya, Nāhuṣa, Māndhātā, Alarka, Śatadhanve, Anu, Rantideva, Bhīṣma, Bali, Amūrttaraya, Dilīpa, Saubhari, Utaṅka, Śibi, Devala, Pippalāda, Sārasvata, Uddhava, Parāśara, Bhūriṣeṇa, Vibhīṣaṇa, Hanumān, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Arjuna, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Vidura, Śrutadeva, etc.
All the great devotees of the Lord, as mentioned above, who flourished in the past or present, and all the devotees of the Lord who will come in the future, are aware of the different potencies of the Lord along with the potency of His name, quality, pastimes, entourage, personality, etc. And how do they know? Certainly it is not by mental speculation, nor by any attempt by dint of limited instruments of knowledge. By the limited instruments of knowledge (either the senses or the material instruments like microscopes and telescopes) one cannot even fully know the Lord’s material potencies, which are manifested before our eyes. For example there are many millions and billions of planets far, far beyond the scientist’s calculation. But these are only the manifestations of the Lord’s material energy. What can the scientist hope to know of the spiritual potency of the Lord by such material efforts? Mental speculations, by adding some dozens of “if’s” and “maybe’s,” cannot aid the advancement of knowledge — on the contrary, such mental speculations will only end in despair by dismissing the case abruptly and declaring the nonexistence of God. The sane person, therefore, ceases to speculate on subjects beyond the jurisdiction of his tiny brain, and as a matter of course he tries to learn to surrender unto the Supreme Lord, who alone can lead one to the platform of real knowledge. In the Upaniṣads it is clearly said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can never be known simply by working very hard and taxing the good brain, nor can He be known simply by mental speculation and jugglery of words. The Lord is knowable only by one who is a surrendered soul. Herein Brahmājī, the greatest of all material living beings, acknowledges this truth. Therefore, the fruitless spoiling of energy by pursuing the path of experimental knowledge must be given up. One should gain knowledge by surrendering unto the Lord and by acknowledging the authority of the persons mentioned herein. The Lord is unlimited and, by the grace of the yoga-māyā, helps the surrendered soul to know Him proportionately with the advance of one’s surrender.
Yoga maya potencies – Sometimes revelaas Krsna and sometimes hides Krsna. She does this in the material world and spiritual world. Hence we should always pray Hiranmayena patrena.. ISO 15 & 16. We should not be dazzled by the BJ and we should know that is the illumination coming from the body of Krsna..
Source of everything – there is always a source,. The transcendental source of everything is Krsna’s body..
Highest knowledge – Krishna’s body, past times
What should be the study – KRSNA is the study for all of us. BG & SB by Krsna..should be studied everyday..
In kali yuga – People are lazy, forgetful, they think the more they sleep the more they are happy
Lecture – SB 2.1.3 (https://vedabase.io/en/library/transcripts/731106sbdel)
If you want to know the Supreme, then you have to hear from Him. Just like about Kṛṣṇa, we have to hear from Him. Kṛṣṇa is speaking Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is speaking everything. All Vedic knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is speaking. How Kṛṣṇa is speaking? That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam = tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]. Kṛṣṇa spoke to Brahmā. Ādi-kavi means Brahmā. He spoke to him. But if somebody says, “Brahmā…, when Brahmā was born from the lotus flower, there was nobody there. So how he could hear from anybody?” therefore Bhāgavata says, tene brahma hṛdā. Hṛdā means “through the heart.” Through the heart he was educated. Therefore Kṛṣṇa’s another name is caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means “the guru who is sitting within your heart.” Caitya-guru. But He does not speak to anyone. He speaks to everyone, but only the devotee can hear. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
[Bg. 10.10]
Unless you are a devotee, unless you are constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, He will not speak to you. He speaks, but you cannot hear. You have no ears to hear Him. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is speaking. Just like Kṛṣṇa is speaking in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. It is open speaking, but who is hearing? Nobody is hearing. Nobody is hearing. They have got their own conception of life.
Secularism in India, is not supporting the country’s own religion Hindusim, favors Islam and Chritianilty..
Example – Prof Nassir BIn is openly making a statement that India will be destroyed very soon.. Why is this happening all the time, because Brahmanas have degraded and not preaching the correct message of the vedic scriputures which is to know Krsna.
Therefore, unless there is mercy of Kṛṣṇa, there is no possibility of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. By your these blunt material senses you cannot understand what is the name of Kṛṣṇa, nāmādi.
Guest: [Hindi]
Prabhupāda: That’s all right. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi.
[aside:] That’s all right. Why you are bothering?
Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. In these blunt material senses you cannot understand what is this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. It requires purification of the senses, when you will understand what is Kṛṣṇa’s name, nāmādi, what is Kṛṣṇa’s form, what is Kṛṣṇa’s quality, what is Kṛṣṇa’s entourage, what is Kṛṣṇa’s pastime. You cannot understand. How you will be understanding? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. When you are engaged in the loving service of the Lord, beginning with your tongue, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau, by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and taking prasādam, in this way, gradually, when you will be purified, you will understand what is Kṛṣṇa. He will reveal. Kṛṣṇa reveals. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ [Bg. 7.25]. For others, He is covered with yogamāyā’s curtain, but for the devotees, He is open.
BG 10.12, BG 10.15, BG 18.76, BG 18.77, 18.78 – Arjuna is saying that KRsna is the Supreme personality of Godhead. Many places in BG Krsna, Arjuna and Sanjaya are saying that Krsna is the supreme.
BG 18.76:
O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.
BG 18.77:
O King, as I remember the wonderful form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am struck with wonder more and more, and I rejoice again and again.
BG 18.78
Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.
We have two weapons – Harinaam Sankirtan, Prasadam.. Once they get purified…. The third weapon is Hearing BG & SB everyday..
BG 7.25
I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.
It may be argued that since Kṛṣṇa was visible to everyone when He was present on this earth, how can it be said that He is not manifest to everyone? But actually He was not manifest to everyone. When Kṛṣṇa was present there were only a few people who could understand Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the assembly of Kurus, when Śiśupāla spoke against Kṛṣṇa’s being elected president of the assembly, Bhīṣma supported Him and proclaimed Him to be the Supreme God. Similarly, the Pāṇḍavas and a few others knew that He was the Supreme, but not everyone. He was not revealed to the nondevotees and the common man. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says that but for His pure devotees, all men consider Him to be like themselves. He was manifest only to His devotees as the reservoir of all pleasure. But to others, to unintelligent nondevotees, He was covered by His internal potency.
This is the secret. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. If you simply study Veda, you will never be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore so many so-called Vedāntists, they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. They consider Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [Bg. 9.11]. So the mūḍhas, the rascals, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Only the devotees. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg. 18.55]. If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, then you will have to accept this process, bhakti. Kṛṣṇa never says that “By jñāna, by yoga, by karma you can understand.” No.
[Bg. 18.55]
These things are…
So the gṛhamedhis, as I have described last night, they are not interested, gṛhamedhis. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām [SB 2.1.2]. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām, those who are simply attached to this bodily conception of life, they are unable to see the truth. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam. They cannot see. Their only business is… That is described here = nidrayā hriyate naktam.
[aside:] Yes, come if you like.
Their business is, these apaśyatām ātma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2], those who are blind, those who cannot see, the ātma-tattvam, “What I am,” such persons, what is their business occupation?
That is the distinction between devotee and nondevotee. A nondevotee, he is very much happy by sleeping. We have seen it practically in Western countries. You know very well. If they can sleep twenty-four, -five hours instead of twenty-four hours, they are very happy. They think that they are getting some profit. So sleeping is also pleasure, but for the devotees, for advanced devotees, just like Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, śrī-rūpa-sanātana-bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, they conquered over sleeping. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Vijitau, they conquered over sleeping. That is required. Just like Arjuna is addressed, “Guḍākeśa.” He conquered over sleeping. To conquer over sleeping is the success of life, not to be servant of sleeping. That is not required. That is for the conditioned soul. Nidrayā hriyate naktam. For conditioned soul… Therefore we have to practice.
Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Śrī-gaurāṅga-guṇānuvarṇane śraddhā-samṛddhy-anvitau, nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau. This is the description of the Gosvāmīs. Rūpa Gosvāmī used to sleep generally one and half hour only. And that is also sometimes not sleeping. That is the description in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
So to increase sleeping is no qualification. To decrease sleeping. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām [Hitopadeśa 25]. Eating, sleeping, sex life and defending, these business is meant for the animals. So we have got the animal portion of our life, because we are animals. Unless we come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness point, we are simply animals. Those who are working on the bodily concept of life whole day and night, they are simply animals. Their business is to sleep as much as possible at night. Nidrayā hriyate naktam.
Otherwise, vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ. Vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex. Two business at night = either sex indulgence or sleep. This is ātma-tattvam apaśyatām [SB 2.1.2]. Apaśyatām. Those who are awakened to the ātma-tattva, they will simply think, “How much time I have wasted.” That is… Avyartha-kālatvam [Cc. Madhya 23.18-19]. Avyartha kā… A devotee should be always alert whether he is wasting time or utilizing time. That is devotee’s business.
So this nidrayā hriyate naktam or vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ, this is wasting life, wasting time. It should be minimized as far as possible. This is not required. This is the bodily necessities of life. And we have to come to the spiritual platform. We have to be engaged only in spiritual activities. But those who are not interested in self-realization, there must be some engagement. There are two things = Kṛṣṇa or māyā. Just like darkness and light. Where there is Kṛṣṇa there is no darkness. Kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama, māyā andhakāra [Cc. Madhya 22.31] = “Māyā is just like darkness, and Kṛṣṇa is just like sunlight.” So as soon as there is sunlight, there is no darkness. Just like this is night.
What does it mean, night? Means there is no sunlight. Sunlight is there in other part of this globe, but here there is no sunlight; therefore it is darkness. Similarly, as soon as we are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is māyā, immediately. Either māyā or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you should understand that you are in māyā. And if you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then there is no māyā. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. These are the open description. Anyone who is fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he has no māyā.
Now, this does not mean that we shall completely exclude sleeping. That does not… Just like Gosvāmīs. They were liberated person, but they were also sleeping. Because we have got this body, sleeping, rest, is necessary. But we cannot neglect this body. But not that, that we shall increase the necessities of life, increase the necessities of the body. That is… Rūpa Gosvāmī has given = nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255]. We have to, I mean to say, mold our life in such a way. What is that? Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ.
This is viṣaya. Viṣaya means this āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna [Hitopadeśa 25]. This is called viṣaya. Viṣaya does not mean one who is very rich man, he is viṣayī. No. Anyone, he may be very poor man, if he is attached to this eating, sleeping, mating and defending only, he is a viṣayī. The Locana dāsa Ṭhākura says, viṣaya chāṛiyā, se rase majiyā [Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nityānander Dayā 2]. One has to gradually give up, minimize, this viṣaya. Viṣaya means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Viṣaya.
So Rūpa Gosvāmī gives the instruction, anāsaktasya viṣayān. Anāsakta. Anā…, means no attachment. Sleeping required, but not for attachment. Somebody is living for sleeping, and somebody is sleeping just to give rest to the body. Similarly, eating also. Eating is not prohibited. You have to eat, because you have got this body. But not that simply for eating I am living. This is called yukta-vairāgya.
Rūpa Gosvāmī says, anāsaktasya viṣa… Don’t be attached to the viṣaya, eating, sleeping, mating, that “I have to eat so much. I have to satisfy my palate. I have to eat this thing in the restaurant.” No. You eat simply just to keep your body fit, not extra. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ [NoI 2]. Don’t eat more than it is required for maintaining your body. Similarly, don’t sleep more; as much as you require for maintaining your…
Don’t have sex life more than it is required. They are allowed. Just like Kṛṣṇa says that “Sex life which is not against religious principle, that is I am.” Sex life against religion, what is that? Avaidha-strī-saṅga. Avaidha, illicit sex life, that is against religious principle. Otherwise, to get married and to beget nice children, Kṛṣṇa conscious children, according to śāstra, that sex life is not forbidden. Kṛṣṇa says. So dharmāviruddhaḥ kāma aham, “Which is not against religious principle, that kāma, that kind of lust, I am.” But not for other purposes.
In this way we have to mold our life if we are actually interested to become free from this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg. 13.9], if we actually want to get free from the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is our real problem. People do not understand that this is our real problem. They are simply engaged in some temporary problem. The real problem is that “Why I am dying? In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20] = ‘The soul does not die even after the destruction of this body.’ So why my body should be destroyed?” This is real inquiry. “Why… Can I not get a permanent body which will never be destroyed?” Yes. You’ll get. You will get. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9], Kṛṣṇa says. “You will get a permanent body. After giving up this body,” tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9], “you do not get again material body.” “Then where shall I go?” Mām eti: “You come to Me.” If you go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa, then, as Kṛṣṇa has got eternal body, never to be destroyed, similarly Kṛṣṇa has got eternal body.
Don’t think that Kṛṣṇa has got a body like us. Just like Kṛṣṇa, when it was inquired by Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa said that “This Bhagavad-gītā philosophy I spoke first of all to the sun-god.” That you have calculated, it is about 400,000,000’s of years ago He said. How does He remember? That means He does not change His body. We, we forget, because just like in our last, past birth… Now I can remember not all, but some of my incidences of my life I remember. But I do not remember anything of my past life. Death means forgetting about the past life. So because I have changed my body, I have forgotten. But anyone who does not change his body, he does not forget. And that is the proof that Kṛṣṇa…, Kṛṣṇa’s body is not ordinary body. Anyone who thinks Kṛṣṇa as one of us, he is a mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [Bg. 9.11]. Because He comes just like a human being, we consider that He is also a human being.
So it is a great science. Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired about Kṛṣṇa, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing, and he immediately said, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ [SB 2.1.1] = “Your question is very glorified.” Yad loka-hitam: “It will be…” Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa.