SB 4.6.41 – Don’t Misunderstand Great Personalities

Giriraj Swami: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Four, Chapter Six, “Brahmā Satisfies Lord Śiva,”

TEXT 41

tathāpare siddha-gaṇā maharṣibhir
ye vai samantād anu nīlalohitam
namaskṛtaḥ prāha śaśāṅka-śekharaṁ
kṛta-praṇāmaṁ prahasann ivātmabhūḥ

TRANSLATION

All the sages who were sitting with Lord Śiva, such as Nārada and others, also offered their respectful obeisances to Lord Brahmā. After being so worshiped, Lord Brahmā, smiling, began to speak to Lord Śiva.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Lord Brahmā was smiling because he knew that Lord Śiva is not only easily satisfied but easily irritated as well. He was afraid that Lord Śiva might be in an angry mood because he had lost his wife and had been insulted by Dakṣa. In order to conceal this fear, he smiled and addressed Lord Śiva as follows.

COMMENT

One of the basic lessons to be learned from the incident of the quarrel between Dakṣa and Lord Shiva, and especially the offense of Dakṣa towards Lord Shiva, is that one cannot judge a person or a Vaishnava by external appearances. By external appearances, Lord Shiva was not very respectable, but by actual position, he was higher than Dakṣa, higher than every created being in the whole universe, higher than Lord Brahma also. So, we should not try to see a Vaishnava by material senses; we should try to see the Vaishnavas through the eyes of the scripture then we can act appropriately. And here, Lord Brahma was aware of the fact that Lord Shiva is actually more exalted and more powerful than himself. Therefore, he was afraid of Lord Shiva. He knew that Lord Shiva is easily pleased and also easily annoyed, and he was proceeding very carefully in order to please Lord Shiva and not irritate him. He knew also that Lord Shiva may be inclined to anger because Lord Shiva had been insulted by Dakṣa and had also lost his wife.

Sometimes, when we read descriptions of pure devotees, we think that a pure devotee should not be affected by something like the loss of a wife or whatever, that a pure devotee should not be affected by insults, that a pure devotee should not lament, or that a pure devotee should not become angry. Actually, we have no realization of what a pure devotee is. We only read the words in the books, and because we have no realization or experience, we have no idea what a pure devotee actually is, and we could actually come in the same position as Dakṣa and commit an offense in ignorance. But, if we look more carefully into the characteristics of pure devotees, we find that they have all the sentiments of anyone else, the same as anyone else. Therefore, we have to be careful not to fall into the illusion of thinking that they are the same as ordinary persons. Once when Srila Prabhupada was in Mauritius and preaching from Bhagavad-gītā, one man at the end of the lecture asked one question. He began the question by saying something like, “How could Arjuna be directly instructed in the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā by Lord Krishna and act in a way which is contrary to the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā?”

Srila Prabhupada was the external manifestation of the Supersoul, so he could understand the heart of every living entity, and he could understand the offensive mentality in the questioner even though the offense was not apparent at the initial stage. Srila Prabhupada wouldn’t even let him ask the question. He said that the question itself is contradictory. Actually, he didn’t mention Arjuna and Krishna. Now I remember, he was just saying, “How can someone receive good instructions and then act in a contrary way?” Srila Prabhupada wouldn’t even let him ask the question at first. He just said that the question is contradictory. If someone is actually educated, he cannot act contrary. Then finally, the man came out with what he wanted to say, which is that Arjuna had heard Bhagavad-gītā from Krishna, and Krishna had said so many things that one should not lament for the living or the dead in any condition. So, the man posed the question that when Arjuna heard that the five sons of Draupadi had been killed, he was overwhelmed with grief. So how could he be overwhelmed with grief after hearing the Bhagavad-gītā from the Lord Himself?

Coming to the essence of the reply, Srila Prabhupada said, “Why did Krishna speak Bhagavad-gītā?” He spoke Bhagavad-gītā to convince Arjuna that he should fight. And in the end, Arjuna agreed to fight, and he did fight. Now, Arjuna may have been upset when he heard the news of the death of his sons, and he may have lamented, but Srila Prabhupada said that such feelings are natural. We cannot criticize him for such feelings. The real thing is that he did not change his decision. Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gītā so Arjuna would fight, and in the end, Arjuna surrendered to the order of Krishna and agreed to fight. So he did not give up his determination to fight. He said that is natural; he may have cried, but he did not give up his resolution to follow the order of Krishna. So, to think that Lord Shiva was feeling sorry for the loss of his wife is not wrong. Such sentiments may exist even in liberated souls, even in mahā-bhāgavatas. We see the same appearance of lamentation in the Supreme Personality of Godhead also. Lord Shiva is actually not only the husband of Sati but also her spiritual master. Lord Shiva himself is a great devotee of Lord Rama, and sometimes he will sit under his banyan tree and meditate on the pastimes of Rama, and according to the pastimes, sometimes he will smile, sometimes he will laugh, sometimes he will weep. So once, Sati saw the transformations in Lord Shiva, and she inquired what was happening.

Sometimes, Shiva would go into the forest and see the pastimes of Rama. So once, Sati inquired of Lord Shiva, and Lord Shiva said that, “You can go into the forest. You will see that nearby; Lord Rama is in exile in the forest with Lakshman.” So she went to see. When she went, Lord Rama was in a state of lamentation because Sita had been taken by Rāvaṇa. So Lord Shiva cautioned Sati not to commit any offenses, not to try to give any advice to Rama or anything, because he could foresee that she could misunderstand the whole thing, as she did also with King Citraketu. So she went. She saw that Lord Rama was weeping and weeping and crying, “O Sita, O Sita, where are you? Where are you?” Sati thought that he was just like an ordinary man attached to His wife and weeping for her separation. Then she came back and told Lord Shiva. Then Lord Shiva said that Lord Rama is not an ordinary man, that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and not to commit offenses, not to try to advise Hhim or anything. So she said, “All right.” She went back and looked again and saw the same thing, that He was just like an ordinary man, so attached to His wife and feeling so much separation, weeping and crying, wandering like a madman, “O Sita, where are you?” So she started to commit offenses in her mind and thought that He cannot be God; God cannot be like this.

Then she, by her own powers, assumed the form of Sita and came exactly looking like Sita before Lord Rama. Lord Rama looked as if He didn’t notice her. Then finally, He looked towards her and said, “Oh Sati, what are you doing here? Where is your husband, Lord Shiva? You should be with your husband.” So then she looked to see whether she had actually assumed the form of Sita or not, and she looked and saw that she was in the form of Sita, but Rama was not fooled by her appearance. So Rama said, “No, no, you should go back to your husband. Don’t be here.” Sita looked around and she saw everywhere, Sitaram, Sitaram. Everywhere she looked, she saw the form of Sitaram. Then she realized that she had made a great mistake, and she went back to Lord Shiva. So Lord Shiva said, “So you saw Rama?” She said, “Yes.” He said, “Did you try to test Him or examine him or anything?” She said, “No, no, I only was watching and appreciating.” Then Lord Shiva, by his deep spiritual perception, could understand that she was lying. She was trying to hide something from her spiritual master, which she should not have done because in the dealings with the spiritual master, one should be completely open and honest. So not only was she offensive to Lord Rama by thinking that He was an ordinary man and trying to test Him, but she was also offensive to her spiritual master by trying to conceal some important fact from him even after he inquired. Then Lord Shiva became angry and he said, “You are not my wife and you are not my disciple. I have no connection with you.” And so for the rest of her life, she had to weep because of the loss of her husband and spiritual master.

Such appearance of an exalted personality like a conditioned soul is very bewildering, even to someone like Sati who later became Parvati. She misunderstood Lord Shiva, her own spiritual master, and she misunderstood Lord Ramachandra, the Personality of Godhead Himself, and so she committed offenses and she had to suffer. In the same way, Dakṣa also could not recognize the exalted position of Lord Shiva, and so he also committed offenses and he also had to suffer. Therefore, the Eleventh Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states that the dust of the lotus feet of the pure devotee is very powerful. If you serve that dust, you can go to Vaikuntha and if you offend that dust, that dust will send you to hell. So here Lord Brahma came. He knew the nature of Lord Shiva, that he can be easily pleased and easily displeased, so he wanted to proceed very carefully to please him. He knew also that Lord Shiva was superior to him.

So in dealing with great personalities, we should know the consequences of both; pleasing them and offending them because the results are just the opposite, just the opposite. The scriptures always recommend the association of devotees, but in the association of devotees, we should know how to deal with them and especially with mahā-bhāgavatas like Lord Shiva. So I will read about one incident from the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya that illustrates the same point: how by pleasing a great soul one can get the highest benediction, and by offending a great soul one can get the worst punishment.

Sri Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, Chapter Eight, “Ramachandra Puri Criticizes the Lord.”

Ramachandra Puri was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri, therefore he was on the same level as Lord Chaitanya’s spiritual master, Ishwara Puri, and Lord Chaitanya offered him all respect as his spiritual master’s godbrother. But actually, Ramachandra Puri was very envious of Vaishnavas and Lord Chaitanya also. So I will read a few verses so that you understand the background, and then we will come to the point. Ramachandra Puri had invited Lord Chaitanya to take prasāda. He forced Lord Chaitanya to take more and more prasāda. Then afterwards, he forced the other devotees to take so much prasāda, and in the end, he criticized them.

TEXT 15

“śuni, caitanya-gaṇa kare bahuta bhakṣaṇa
‘satya’ sei vākya, — sākṣāt dekhiluṅ ekhana

TRANSLATION

“I have heard,” he said, “that the followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu eat more than necessary. Now I have directly seen that this is true.

TEXT 16

“Feeding a sannyāsī too much breaks his regulative principles, for when a sannyāsī eats too much, his renunciation is destroyed.”

TEXT 17

ei ta’ svabhāva tāṅra āgraha kariyā
piche nindā kare, āge bahuta khāoyāñā

TRANSLATION

The characteristic of Rāmacandra Purī was that first he would induce someone to eat more than necessary and then he would criticize him.

COMMENT

Now what is the reason? How did he become so envious and so fallen at the last stage of his life?”

TEXT 18

pūrve yabe mādhavendra karena antardhāna
rāmacandra-purī tabe āilā tāṅra sthāna

TRANSLATION

Formerly, when Mādhavendra Purī was at the last stage of his life, Rāmacandra Purī came to where he was staying.

TEXT 19

purī-gosāñi kare kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
‘mathurā nā pāinu’ bali’ karena krandana

TRANSLATION

Mādhavendra Purī was chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, and sometimes he would cry, “O my Lord, I did not get shelter at Mathurā.”

TEXT 20

rāmacandra-purī tabe upadeśe tāṅre
śiṣya hañā guruke kahe, bhaya nāhi kare

TRANSLATION

Then Rāmacandra Purī was so foolish that he fearlessly dared to instruct his spiritual master.

TEXT 21

“tumi — pūrṇa-brahmānanda, karaha smaraṇa
brahmavit hañā kene karaha rodana?”

TRANSLATION

“If you are in full transcendental bliss,” he said, “you should now remember only Brahman. Why are you crying?”

PURPORT

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: a Brahman realized person is always happy. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati: he neither laments nor aspires for anything. Not knowing why Mādhavendra Purī was crying, Rāmacandra Purī tried to become his advisor. Thus he committed a great offense, for a disciple should never try to instruct his spiritual master.

COMMENT

So, persons on the material platform or impersonalists cannot understand, na śocati na kāṅkṣati: that one should not have material hankering or material lamentation. They do not understand that there can be spiritual hankering and spiritual lamentation. Here Madhavendra Puri was in the highest ecstasy, feeling separation from Krishna like the gopīs in Vrindavan when they were separated from Krishna. But Ramachandra Puri, being on the material platform, could not understand. He thought that his spiritual master was lamenting like an ordinary person, like Parvati thought Rama was lamenting like an ordinary person. They could not understand the subtleties of transcendental emotion or rasa. Mistaking his spiritual master’s spiritual emotions for ordinary lamentation, he began to advise him, “Don’t lament, be fix in brahman conception of life.”

TEXT 22

śuni’ mādhavendra-mane krodha upajila
‘dūra, dūra, pāpiṣṭha’ bali’ bhartsanā karila

TRANSLATION

Hearing this instruction, Mādhavendra Purī, greatly angry, rebuked him by saying, “Get out, you sinful rascal!

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Rāmacandra Purī could not understand that his spiritual master, Mādhavendra Purī, was feeling transcendental separation. His lamentation was not material. Rather, it proceeded from the highest stage of ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. When he was crying in separation, “I could not achieve Kṛṣṇa! I could not reach Mathurā!” this was not ordinary material lamentation. Rāmacandra Purī was not sufficiently expert to understand the feelings of Mādhavendra Purī, but nevertheless he thought himself very advanced. Therefore, regarding Mādhavendra Purī’s expressions as ordinary material lamentation, he advised him to remember Brahman because he was latently an impersonalist. Mādhavendra Purī understood Rāmacandra Purī’s position as a great fool and therefore immediately rebuked him. Such a reprimand from the spiritual master is certainly for the betterment of the disciple.

COMMENT

Ramachandra Puri could not understand the exalted position of Madhavendra Puri, but the spiritual master could understand the degradation of the disciple.

TEXT 23

kṛṣṇa nā pāinu, nā pāinu ‘mathurā’
āpana-duḥkhe maroṅ — ei dite āila jvālā

TRANSLATION

“O my Lord Kṛṣṇa, I could not reach You, nor could I reach Your abode, Mathurā. I am dying in my unhappiness, and now this rascal has come to give me more pain.

TEXT 24

more mukha nā dekhābi tui, yāo yathi-tathi
tore dekhi’ maile mora habe asad-gati

TRANSLATION

“Don’t show your face to me! Go anywhere else you like. If I die seeing your face, I shall not achieve the destination of my life.

TEXT 25

kṛṣṇa nā pāinu muñi maroṅ āpanāra duḥkhe
more ‘brahma’ upadeśe ei chāra mūrkhe”

TRANSLATION

“I am dying without achieving the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore I am greatly unhappy. Now this condemned foolish rascal has come to instruct me about Brahman.”

TEXT 26

ei ye śrī-mādhavendra śrīpāda upekṣā karila
sei aparādhe iṅhāra ‘vāsanā’ janmila

TRANSLATION

Rāmacandra Purī was thus denounced by Mādhavendra Purī. Due to his offense, gradually material desire appeared within him.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The word vāsanā (“material desires”) refers to dry speculative knowledge. Such speculative knowledge is only material. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.4), a person without devotional service who simply wants to know things (kevala-bodha-labdhaye) gains only dry speculative knowledge but no spiritual profit. This is confirmed in the Bhakti-sandarbha (111), wherein it is said:

jīvan-muktā api punar yānti saṁsāra-vāsanām
yady acintya-mahā-śaktau bhagavaty aparādhinaḥ

“Even though one is liberated in this life, if one offends the Supreme Personality of Godhead he falls down in the midst of material desires, of which dry speculation about spiritual realization is one.”

In his Laghu-toṣaṇī commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32), Jīva Gosvāmī says:

jīvan-muktā api punar bandhanaṁ yānti karmabhiḥ
yady acintya-mahā-śaktau bhagavaty aparādhinaḥ

“Even if one is liberated in this life, he becomes addicted to material desires because of offenses to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

A similar quotation from one of the Purāṇas also appears in the Viṣṇu-bhakti-candrodaya:

jivān-muktāḥ prapadyante kvacit saṁsāra-vāsanām
yogino na vilipyante karmabhir bhagavat-parāḥ

“Even liberated souls sometimes fall down to material desires, but those who fully engage in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead are not affected by such desires.”

These are references from authoritative revealed scriptures. If one becomes an offender to his spiritual master or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he falls down to the material platform to merely speculate.

TEXT 27

śuṣka-brahma-jñānī, nāhi kṛṣṇera ‘sambandha’
sarva loka nindā kare, nindāte nirbandha

TRANSLATION

One who is attached to dry speculative knowledge has no relationship with Kṛṣṇa. His occupation is criticizing Vaiṣṇavas. Thus he is situated in criticism.

TEXT 28

īśvara-purī gosāñi kare śrīpāda-sevana
svahaste karena mala-mūtrādi mārjana

TRANSLATION

Īśvara Purī, the spiritual master of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, performed service to Mādhavendra Purī, cleaning up his stool and urine with his own hand.

COMMENT

So, here Is the other example. Ramachandra Puri offended his spiritual master and was condemned to be overwhelmed by material desires, and Ishwara Puri very nicely served his spiritual master and he was blessed to become highly elevated in love of Godhead and to have Lord Chaitanya as his disciple. In Bhagavad-gītā 4.34 purport, Srila Prabhupada states that the disciple should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant without false prestige. Sometimes we do serve the spiritual master, but with false prestige, we want that others should see that, “Oh, we are very close to the spiritual master, we are very dear to the spiritual master.” But we should serve like a menial servant, without false prestige, like Narottama dasa Thakura. He wanted to take initiation from Lokanath Gosvami. But Lokanath Gosvami was very humble, and he felt himself unfit to accept disciples and had resolved not to accept disciples. So when Narottama dasa Thakura approached him, Lokanath Gosvami refused him. So many times, Narottama dasa Thakura tried and so many times Lokanath Gosvami refused. But Narottama dasa Thakura was determined to serve the spiritual master. Every morning, when his spiritual master used to go to the Yamuna to pass stool and take bath, Narottama dasa Thakura would hide in the bushes. After his spiritual master left, he would come out from the bushes and clean the place where his spiritual master had done his things.

Day after day, the same thing continued. Then one day, Lokanath Gosvami thought, Every day I am coming here and passing, but nothing is here, nothing is remaining. Somebody must be coming and cleaning. So one day, after he passed and took bath and everything else, he went and hid in the bushes. From within the bushes, he saw Narottama dasa Thakura come out and clean the place very nicely where he had passed. Then Lokanath Gosvami’s heart melted. He thought, This boy is so sincere and so humble that I must accept him. So, Ishwara Puri had the same mood of service, to serve his spiritual master like a menial servant.

TEXT 29

nirantara kṛṣṇa-nāma karāya smaraṇa
kṛṣṇa-nāma, kṛṣṇa-līlā śunāya anukṣaṇa

TRANSLATION

Īśvara Purī was always chanting the holy name and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa for Mādhavendra Purī to hear. In this way he helped Mādhavendra Purī remember the holy name and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa at the time of death.

COMMENT

Srila Rupa Gosvami has listed the four preliminary items of devotional service, and one, vishrambhyena guror seva, is that one should serve the spiritual master in a very confidential way, with intimacy. Now, in order to render intimate service to the spiritual master or any person, one must know the mind of the person to some extent. Because without understanding the mentality of the person, how can we serve him properly? If we don’t know his moods, if we don’t know his thoughts, if we don’t know his wishes, how can we serve him? Then we can only serve mechanically; he will say, “Do this,” and you do it. He will say, “Do that,” and you do it. But when we are elevated to the position where we can understand the mentality of the person, which means that we have to be somewhat in the same line, only then can we really render intimate service or confidential service. Because Ishwara Puri was so elevated, almost like Madhavendra Puri, he could understand the inner moods of Madhavendra Puri and support them by his kirtans and slokas.

TEXT 30

tuṣṭa hañā purī tāṅre kailā āliṅgana
vara dilā — ‘kṛṣṇe tomāra ha-uka prema-dhana’

TRANSLATION

Pleased with Īśvara Purī, Mādhavendra Purī embraced him and gave him the benediction that he would be a great devotee and lover of Kṛṣṇa.

TEXT 31

sei haite īśvara-purī — ‘premera sāgara’
rāmacandra-purī haila sarva-nindākara

TRANSLATION

Thus Īśvara Purī became like an ocean of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, whereas Rāmacandra Purī became a dry speculator and a critic of everyone else.

TEXT 32

mahad-anugraha-nigrahera ‘sākṣī’ dui-jane
ei dui-dvāre śikhāilā jaga-jane

TRANSLATION

Īśvara Purī received the blessing of Mādhavendra Purī, whereas Rāmacandra Purī received a rebuke from him. Therefore these two persons, Īśvara Purī and Rāmacandra Purī, are examples of the objects of a great personality’s benediction and punishment. Mādhavendra Purī instructed the entire world by presenting these two examples.

TEXT 33

jagad-guru mādhavendra kari’ prema dāna
ei śloka paḍi’ teṅho kaila antardhāna

TRANSLATION

His Divine Grace Mādhavendra Purī, the spiritual master of the entire world, thus distributed ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. While passing away from the material world, he chanted the following verse.

TEXT 34

ayi dīna-dayārdra nātha he
mathurā-nātha kadāvalokyase
hṛdayaṁ tvad-aloka-kātaraṁ
dayita bhrāmyati kiṁ karomy aham

TRANSLATION

“O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathurā! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?”

EXT 35

ei śloke kṛṣṇa-prema kare upadeśa
kṛṣṇera virahe bhaktera bhāva-viśeṣa

TRANSLATION

In this verse Mādhavendra Purī teaches how to achieve ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. By feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa, one becomes spiritually situated.

TEXT 36

pṛthivīte ropaṇa kari’ gelā premāṅkura
sei premāṅkurera vṛkṣa — caitanya-ṭhākura

TRANSLATION

Mādhavendra Purī sowed the seed of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa within this material world and then departed. That seed later became a great tree in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TEXT 37

prastāve kahiluṅ purī-gosāñira niryāṇa
yei ihā śune, sei baḍa bhāgyavān

TRANSLATION

I have incidentally described the passing away of Mādhavendra Purī. Anyone who hears this must be considered very fortunate.

COMMENT

So, from the activities of Ramachandra Puri and Ishwara Puri, we can see the different results that accrue to one who offends an exalted personality and to one who serves him and pleases him. Therefore, when Lord Brahma came to Lord Shiva, he was very careful because he knew that Lord Shiva can easily be pleased and he can also easily be angered. So he wanted to be very careful that he should please Lord Shiva and not disturb him.

Are there any questions or comments?

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!