How can we elevate those who are unfortunate and bereft of good sense? How can we make their lives auspicious and allow them to enjoy unending, ever increasing bliss for ever?
Hare Krishna!
In this most intriguing and enlightening conversation called the Srimad Bhagavatam, the tricky topics of attaining to the Supreme Absolute Truth are discussed in great detail.
In fact, the Bhagavatam says this “The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.” SB 1.1.2 (fragment)
Relative truths may be good for some time, some place, and some circumstance, but that is not good enough because such partial truths leave out some section of living entities.
Join to find out!
TOPIC: ISKCON Mayapur English Bhagavatam Class
LOCATION: ISKCON Mayapur Campus, West Bengal, India
DATE📆: Monday, 2nd Sep 2024
TIME⌚: 10:30 PM. ET USA+Canada/ 8:30 PM. CT USA/ 8:30 PM PST USA/ 2:30 AM UK/ 11:30 AM MYT/ 8:00 AM IST
I will record audio, and the class will also be broadcast online on the ISKCON Mayapur English Channel.
दैवेन ते हतधियो भवत: प्रसङ्गा- त्सर्वाशुभोपशमनाद्विमुखेन्द्रिया ये । कुर्वन्ति कामसुखलेशलवाय दीना लोभाभिभूतमनसोऽकुशलानि शश्वत् ॥ ७ ॥
daivena te hata-dhiyo bhavataḥ prasaṅgāt sarvāśubhopaśamanād vimukhendriyā ye kurvanti kāma-sukha-leśa-lavāya dīnā lobhābhibhūta-manaso ’kuśalāni śaśvat
Synonyms daivena — by fate of misfortune; te — they; hata-dhiyaḥ — bereft of memory; bhavataḥ — of You; prasaṅgāt — from the topics; sarva — all; aśubha — inauspiciousness; upaśamanāt — curbing down; vimukha — turned against; indriyāḥ — senses; ye — those; kurvanti — act; kāma — sense gratification; sukha — happiness; leśa — brief; lavāya — for a moment only; dīnāḥ — poor fellows; lobha-abhibhūta — overwhelmed by greed; manasaḥ — of one whose mind; akuśalāni — inauspicious activities; śaśvat — always.
Translation O my Lord, persons who are bereft of the all-auspicious performance of chanting and hearing about Your transcendental activities are certainly unfortunate and are also bereft of good sense. They engage in inauspicious activities, enjoying sense gratification for a very little while.
Purport The next question is why people are against such auspicious activities as chanting and hearing the glories and pastimes of the Lord, which can bring total freedom from the cares and anxieties of material existence. The only answer to this question is that they are unfortunate because of supernatural control due to their offensive activities performed simply for the sake of sense gratification. The Lord’s pure devotees, however, take compassion upon such unfortunate persons and, in a missionary spirit, try to persuade them into the line of devotional service. Only by the grace of pure devotees can such unfortunate men be elevated to the position of transcendental service.
The Names of God are Unlimitedly Sweet. Purandara Dasa, who was a multi-billionaire, gave up the sweeter than honey money to taste the delicious names of God.
He wrote a beautiful song about the sweetness of the Lord’s Names…
To the Milk of Rama’s Name, add the Sugar of Krishna’s Name
Add the Ghee* of Vitthala’s Name, and Smack your Lips!
Bring the Wheat of Single-Mindedness, Grind with the Stones of Renunciation
Draw out the Fine Flour of Simplicity, and Roll into Thin Vermicelli
In the Pot of your Heart, with the Green Gram of your Faith
Cook it all down with your Intelligence, and Serve to Hari’s plate
Oh Joy Oh Bliss when you Experience, and Let Out Satisfied Burps
Then remember Our Lord Eternal Vitthala, the Form of Eternal Bliss!
In Feasting on the Holy Name, I offered a glimpse of how those dedicated to the spiritual path can avoid things like eating and sleeping.
Here in this article, I offer a tangible example of a great soul who actually could taste the holy name… and convey that to those of us who may not yet be tasting.
There are many great souls with a tangible taste of the Holy Name of God, for example, the great saint Rupa Goswami wrote this verse…
“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Kṛṣ-ṇa’ have produced. When the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.” – https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/antya/1/99/
Where I come from, we know a great saint named Purandara Dasa.
Purandara Dasa was born Srinivasa Nayaka, son of a rich diamond merchant. Srinivasa was trained in the fine arts and received a solid spiritual education, but as he grew up, he morphed into a ruthless businessman, business above all else, shrewd, calculating, though completely honest. He was a famed jeweller and he had business interests in mortgages, real estate, farmland, and much much more… all this over 500 years ago!
His net worth was said to be the equivalent of 90 million gold coins. If one gold coin was just 10 grams, then that means he owned the equivalent of 900,000 kilograms of gold. In today’s price of gold, Srinivasa Nayaka had an estimated net worth of slightly over USD 68 Billion, or with the current exchange rate!
For the sake of my readers in India, that is Five Lakh Forty Seven Thousand Crore Rupees as of today, or 5,47,000 Crore Rupees!
But, God had delicious plans for Srinivasa Nayaka! He appeared in very interesting disguises to Srinivasa Nayaka. Once there was an intriguing pastime of the nose ring of his wife, Saraswati… and completely bewildered and smitten, when our hero was hopelessly in love with God, he was instructed by God to give away all his wealth and focus exclusively on devotional service. Srinivasa Nayaka had to part with his dearest possession, his wealth, to gain the wealth of God!
How often do we find a Billionaire who gives away $68Bn of wealth and engage himself as a Haridasa, a fully surrendered servant of God?
Srinivasa Nayaka did that, and received initiation from Vyasa Tirtha, a pre-eminent saint in the line of Sri Madhwacharya. Sripad Vyasa Tirtha happens to the the grand-spiritual master of Sripad Madhavendra Puri of the Brahma-Madhwa-Gaudiya Sampradaya, into which this humble author has received initiation from Sripad Sankarshan Das Adhikari, disciple of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Initiated as Purandara Dasa, and given the “pen name” of “Purandara Vitthala”, Purandara Dasa is said to have composed more than 475,000 “kritis” or songs. Unfortunately for us, we have only a few known to us today, approximately 1000. Purandara Dasa, like many other pure devotees, Haridasas, spontaneously composed beautiful songs.
His songs are collectively referred to as “Purandaropanishad”… which can be translated as the eternal instructions that bring us closer to the Lord.
His songs explain the most esoteric of concepts in a very simple way, and even ordinary souls such as myself can understand, appreciate, and relish them. The result of meditating on his songs is that our devotional service becomes stronger.
One of my favourite songs of Purandara Dasa is about the most delicious Names of God…
The Names of God are sweeter to Purandara Dasa, whereas to ordinary souls, Money is sweeter than honey, but Purandara Dasa gave all his vast wealth away to obtain the wealth of the Names of God
Rama Nama Payasake – To the Milk of Rama’s Name…
In Kannada Script, the song looks like this:
ರಾಮನಾಮ ಪಾಯಸಕ್ಕೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣನಾಮ ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ವಿಠಲನಾಮ ತುಪ್ಪವ ಬೆರೆಸಿ ಬಾಯಿ ಚಪ್ಪರಿಸಿರೊ
ಒಮ್ಮನ ಗೋಧಿಯ ತಂದು ವೈರಾಗ್ಯ ಕಲ್ಲಲಿ ಬೀಸಿ ಸುಮ್ಮನ ಸಜ್ಜಿಗೆ ತೆಗೆದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಸೇವೆಗೆ ಹೊಸೆದು
ಹೃದಯವೆಂಬೊ ಪಾತ್ರೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಭಾವವೆಂಬೊ ಎಸರು ಇಟ್ಟು ಬುದ್ದಿಯಿಂದ ಪಕ್ವವ ಮಾಡಿ ಹರಿವಾಣದೊಳಗೆ ನೀಡಿ
ಆನಂದ ಆನಂದವೆಂಬೊ ತೇಗು ಬಂದ ಪರಿಯಲಿ ಆನಂದಮೂರುತಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಪುರಂದರವಿಠಲ ನೆನೆಯಿರೊ
I will try to offer a translation for those who may not be conversant with Kannada…
To the Milk of Rama’s Name, add the Sugar of Krishna’s Name
Add the Ghee* of Vitthala’s Name, and Smack your Lips!
Bring the Wheat of Single-Mindedness, Grind with the Stones of Renunciation
Draw out the Fine Flour of Simplicity, and Roll into Thin Vermicelli
In the Pot of your Heart, with the Green Gram of your Faith
Cook it all down with your Intelligence, and Serve to Hari’s plate
Oh Joy Oh Bliss when you Experience, and Let Out Satisfied Burps
Then remember Our Lord Eternal Vitthala, the Form of Eternal Bliss!
– Purandara Dasa’s Rama Nama Payasake, translation by Mahabhagavata Dasa
* Ghee – Clarified Butter, a delicacy used to enhance the flavour of various dishes. Like most Bhakti experiences, it must be tasted and experienced in that way, there is no theoretical way to understand this flavour, the aroma, etc.
Now, my dear reader, please allow me to introduce the deep eternal spiritual truths contained in this simple 4-stanza song.
The Name of God is Sweet!
Is there any doubt about this Yes, beginners may not experience the sweetness, but it is not for lack of sweetness in the Lord’s names, but for the diseased tongue of the beginner to spiritual life… Rupa Goswami Says:
स्यात् कृष्णनामचरितादिसिताप्यविद्यापित्तोपतप्तरसनस्य न रोचिका नु । किन्त्वादरादनुदिनं खलु सैव जुष्टा स्वाद्वी क्रमाद्भवति तद्गदमूलहन्त्री ॥ ७ ॥
syāt kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sitāpy avidyā- pittopatapta-rasanasya na rocikā nu kintv ādarād anudinaṁ khalu saiva juṣṭā svādvī kramād bhavati tad-gada-mūla-hantrī
The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Kṛṣṇa are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of avidyā [ignorance] cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root.
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām
Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛta-cetasām vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate
In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.
Those who are not faithful in this devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world.
indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ manasas tu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ
The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
In the purport to the above verse, Srila Prabhupada writes…
With intelligence one has to seek out the constitutional position of the soul and then engage the mind always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That solves the whole problem. A neophyte spiritualist is generally advised to keep aloof from the objects of the senses. But aside from that, one has to strengthen the mind by use of intelligence. If by intelligence one engages one’s mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by complete surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then, automatically, the mind becomes stronger, and even though the senses are very strong, like serpents, they will be no more effective than serpents with broken fangs. But even though the soul is the master of intelligence and mind, and the senses also, still, unless it is strengthened by association with Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is every chance of falling down due to the agitated mind. – BG 3.42 purport by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Spiritual Perfection Must be Offered to God
Srila Prabhupada summarizes, in his Nectar of Devotion…
By the process of executing regulated devotional service, one is actually elevated to the transcendental stage, beyond the material modes of nature. At that time one’s heart becomes illuminated like the sun. The sun is far above the planetary systems, and there is no possibility of its being covered by any kind of cloud; similarly, when a devotee is purified like the sun, from his pure heart there is a diffusion of ecstatic love which is more glorious than the sunshine. Only at that time is the attachment to Kṛṣṇa perfect. Spontaneously, the devotee becomes eager to serve the Lord in his ecstatic love.
O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge.
But we can see which taste is more delicious… the taste of untold wealth, or the taste of the Holy Names of God.
Purandara Dasa is the example.
Purandara Dasa is also known as the Father of Carnatic Classical Music, but above mere music is His simple devotion, which he expressed through music.
What will we give up to taste the most unlimitedly delicious sweet clear pure Names of God?
What if all you had to do was to chant this Mantra without giving anything else up?
My Dear Reader, would you please chant this Mantra even just once?
Purandara Dasa is a Mahabhagavata, a mighty pure devotee of the Lord, and this Mahabhagavata Dasa aspires to be the servants of his servants, and hankers to taste their delicious remnants.
Pride is celebrated these days. Be proud of this or that, we are told. But what is the price of pride? And why is humility better? How to be humble? What is the big deal about humility? Why not celebrate humility for a change?
Recently there have been a number of festivals focusing around pride. Different kinds of pride, but all material in nature. For example someone is proud that they are heterosexual in their preference, and yet others are proud that they are homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, trans-sexual or queer.
It is fashionable to celebrate pride these days
Yet others are celebrating their pride of being of a certain colour skin, or others are celebrating their profession or nationality or ethnic origin.
It is another matter that in the kaliyuga, or the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, everything is mixed up… souls are born in the body of a man, but the consciousness of a woman… or the body of a woman but the consciousness of a man. This is due to incomplete karmic accounts, and these mixed-up births are actually a form of punishment, but the spirit souls are trying to turn them into perverse enjoyment.
They parade these material designations, and the various festivals involve getting inebriated, and having some silly sense indulgences which bind them further into their attachments, causing yet another painful material death, and leading to many more such materially designated lives.
All of these are essentially material designations. And we should be ashamed of material designations. OK, this is not just a matter of sentiment, but we should know that these material designations are the cause of all of our sufferings.
I am not this body, I am a spirit soul. You too, dear reader, are a spirit soul.
So why should we adopt all these material designations? Why should we make the mistake of thinking we are these bodies? Why should we identify with some temporary thing that comes and goes? Today you might be a heterosexual, and tomorrow you might become a homosexual! Today you might be Chinese or American or Russian or Indian, but what were you before were born into this body?
Instead however if we realize that we are spirit souls, we then inquire into the activities of the spirit soul, which are spiritual in nature, and which give the spirit soul great joy “ananda” bliss. In fact, we are composed of “sat” (eternality) “chit” (knowledge), and “ananda” (bliss).
In the material condition, we are simply trying to find that bliss but not at all finding it, and hence, the lawyer becomes a politician, the heterosexual becomes lesbian, the lesbian becomes straight, the businessman becomes a philanthropist, the Hindu becomes Muslim, the Muslim adopts Christianity, and yet, as life wanes and death nears, there is a sense of disgust, frustration, and dissatisfaction, which is usually hidden under a veneer of distraction, such as attempts at sense gratification, intoxication and so on.
People identify with different religious symbols, which become another material designation
What is the solution to this problem?
To free ourselves of all designations of course!
Krishna says the following in the Bhagavad Gita…
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करुण एव च । निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: समदु:खसुख: क्षमी ॥ १३ ॥ सन्तुष्ट: सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चय: । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय: ॥ १४ ॥
adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī
santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me – such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.
All these material designations qualify as “false ego”. “ego” means identity. Then what is “true” ego?
What is our true identity?
True ego means to realize oneself as an eternal part-and-parcel of Krishna.
jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’ kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā-śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’
sūryāṁśa-kiraṇa, yaiche agni-jvālā-caya svābhāvika kṛṣṇera tina-prakāra ‘śakti’ haya
“It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Kṛṣṇa has three varieties of energy.
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
Krishna Lifts Govardhan, to protect from the deluge sent by Indra, and the residents of Vrindavan enjoy close proximity with Him
Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport:
Every living entity, as an individual soul, has his personal individuality and a minute form of independence. By misuse of that independence one becomes a conditioned soul, and by proper use of independence he is always liberated. In either case, he is qualitatively eternal, as the Supreme Lord is. In his liberated state he is freed from this material condition, and he is under the engagement of transcendental service unto the Lord; in his conditioned life he is dominated by the material modes of nature, and he forgets the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As a result, he has to struggle very hard to maintain his existence in the material world.
There you go. Instead of being proud of the material designations, we should feel humbled that such an exalted spirit soul is now in illusion and anxiety as some idiotic little temporary designation.
And when the soul feels humble, then that is cause for celebration. Why is that? And how to accomplish this freedom from material designations?
Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.
Freedom through Genuine Spiritual Progress 