Damodara’s Mercy

Giriraj Swami: So, as you all know we are in the month of Damodara, auspicious month of Damodara. And earlier, we sang the Dāmodarāṣṭakam and offered lamps to Lord Damodara. I will speak on just one verse in brief, the seventh verse.

VERSE 7

kuverātmajau baddha-mūrtyaiva yadvat

tvayā mocitau bhakti-bhājau kṛtau ca

tathā prema-bhaktim svakām me prayaccha

na mokṣe graho me ‘sti dāmodareha

TRANSLATION

O Lord Damodara, in Your form as a baby Mother Yasoda bound You to a grinding stone with a rope for tying cows. You then freed the sons of Kuvera, Manigriva and Nalakuvara, who were cursed to stand as trees and You gave them the chance to become Your devotees. Please bless me in this same way. I have no desire for liberation into Your effulgence.

COMMENT

Although this is one verse, this verse summarizes some pastimes of Lord Krishna that are described in several chapters of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But in brief, Manigriva and Nalakuvara were enjoying in a celestial lake with heavenly damsels, and their spiritual master Narada Muni happened to come to the place, but they were so intoxicated that they did not show him any respect. The ladies at least had some shame and covered themselves, but the two brothers, the sons of Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, were so intoxicated and so puffed up with false prestige that they did not offer any respect, even to their own spiritual master. So, Narada cursed them to take birth as trees.

All of us living entities have different bodies, which are just suitable for our desires. So, Manigriva and Nalakuvara, they wanted to be naked, they thought they were very handsome, so they were given the birth of trees because trees can stand naked and think that they are very beautiful, and people admire trees, “Oh, it is a beautiful tree.” But Vaishnavas are always merciful. Just as Krishna is absolute, so Vaishnavas also function on the absolute platform. And therefore, the curse of a Vaishnava is as good as a blessing. So, while Narada cursed them to take birth as trees, he arranged for them to take birth as trees in the courtyard of the house of Nanda and Yasoda. And when baby Krishna was bound by ropes and tied to a grinding mortar, He crawled between these two trees, and the mortar lodged between the two trees, and this little baby just kept crawling, and the mortar pulled down these two trees, and out of the two trees came the brilliant forms of two demigods. Nalakuvara and Manigriva had emerged in their original forms as demigods, and they offered many nice prayers to Lord Krishna. They regretted their misbehavior and the false pride that led them to misbehave. They had been very proud of their opulence and very inclined to enjoy their wealth, immense wealth as sons of Kuvera, but they realized that their wealth was actually a curse because it bewildered them so that they forgot their actual positions, and in their intoxicated state, intoxicated with pride and false prestige, they offended their spiritual master.

So, in their prayers, they expressed their feeling that wealth was actually a curse. It was actually an impediment to a progressive life because being proud, they neglected the presence of a great saintly person. And our advancement in spiritual life depends on the association of devotees, and proud people don’t get much chance to associate with devotees. In the traditional system, saintly persons would go to the homes of householders to beg alms, they actually were not in need of anything, but they just went to the householders to create an opportunity to speak to them about the real values of life, the real purpose of human life. But very rich people, they don’t like to entertain beggars or sadhus, and thus, they miss the opportunity for the association that would actually help them.

Of course, I am going to tell a little anecdote about someone who has become a great devotee. But at the time that I first visited his office in Bombay, he had a sign posted at the entrance, “No sadhus allowed.” This very wealthy man, highly educated, had a PHD, and he posted a sign, “No sadhus.” Well, fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t see the sign. [laughter] So, I took my seat. And especially with these very big people, well anyone, but especially with very big people, I had to be very patient because they were cultured people. They didn’t want to commit any offense by telling me to go, but they would just wait, thinking that if they didn’t call me, eventually I would get tired of waiting and leave. But I was very patient, I would just sit and chant. And it became a sort of a war of attrition, because eventually, it would get late, the office hours would end, the staff would go home, they would get hungry, they would want to go home and have dinner. And it is normal, when someone comes, they sit near the door. That is where you keep people at a distance, you keep them near the door. But they would have to go out through the door where I was sitting. So, it was like that, it was getting later and later, almost all the staff went home, and this person, he got the idea I wasn’t going to leave. So, anyway, we met, eventually became a very good devotee.

But that is the tendency that these sons of Kuvera mention, that people who are intoxicated with material opulence, they feel they don’t need the association of devotees, they keep the devotees at a distance thinking they are beggars or whatever. So, something that we might consider to be an advantage materially could actually be a disadvantage spiritually. And this is very common. I recently heard Srila Prabhupada speak on a verse from the Bhagavad-gītā, Chapter One, Text Thirty, and in this verse, Arjuna uses the word viparītāni, which means just the opposite. In the context of the battle of Kurukshetra, Arjuna had asked Krishna to draw his chariot between the two armies, so he could see who was on the other side. Now, generally, in a war, you expect the other side to consist of forces who are against your family and friends, but what Arjuna saw were family and friends and elders and teachers. So, viparītāni, it was just the opposite, he wasn’t seeing people who were a threat to his family and friends, but he was seeing his own family and friends ready to fight with him.

So, viparītāni, it was just the opposite of what he would expect. And also, the idea was he would fight, he would win his kingdom and be happy. But viparītāni, he was seeing just the opposite, that he was not going to be happy. Because people want to be wealthy, they want to be opulent so they can show their friends and relatives. Prabhupada said this is the psychology, and we know it also. People want to be rich so they can show off to their friends and relatives, “Look how rich I am, look what a big house I have, look what a nice car I have, look what a good position I have.” So, without friends and relatives, what is the fun of being rich? There is no actual pleasure from material things, the pleasure comes from impressing your friends and relatives. Otherwise, it is just a bunch of steel and stone, just dead material things, so viparītāni. Krishna was urging Arjuna to fight and kill the enemy and reclaim his kingdom. And he would think, Oh, I am going to become the king, I will be very happy. But he was seeing just the opposite, that he wasn’t going to be happy because he would have no family and friends to enjoy the kingdom with.

So, this happens, this happens all the time. Srila Prabhupada used to quote maybe a Bengali saying, “I constructed a nice house so that I could live happily in the house with my family, but unfortunately, the house caught fire and burned to ashes.” So, we construct so many things in our lives to be happy, but viparītāni, just the opposite happens. We begin in a very happy mood, whatever it is, and then something happens, viparītāni, it becomes the opposite, it becomes a nightmare. We thought it was going to be a dream, it became a nightmare.

So, in this case of Manigriva and Nalakuvara, they were enjoying with celestial women and heavenly gardens, but they committed an offense, and as a result, they were cursed to take birth as trees. So, from the material point of view, it was just the opposite. They thought they were going to enjoy, but just the opposite, they got cursed to stand as trees. And standing as a tree is very miserable because you never get to rest, you have to stand up all the time. Any of us would find that difficult, standing and don’t get to rest, it is a very painful existence. So just the opposite. But there was another reversal. That curse, which had them standing as trees in a very miserable condition became a blessing because they were liberated from their miserable condition by Krishna, and they were given the chance to become His devotees, pure devotees. It is a much higher position than being a demigod. Demigods are mundane, and although they have opulence, but they are always in anxiety. That is also the nature of wealth. It is a source of anxiety, both ways. If you don’t have it, you are in anxiety how to get it, and if you do have it, you are in anxiety how to keep it.

On one walk in Juhu beach, Srila Prabhupada quoted Chanakya Pandit that money is simply problematic. If you don’t have it, it is a problem because you need to get it. And if you get it, it is a problem because you have to protect it, you have to keep it. And if you lose it, that is another problem. So, at all phases, it is a problem. So, the demigods are very rich, very opulent, but they are also in anxiety just like everyone else. They are in anxiety that, “Someone may come and take my wealth, someone may come and take my position.” Even Indra, the king of heaven, is also in anxiety. If some sage is doing severe penances and austerities, he becomes fearful that, “Oh, he may become so powerful that he will threaten my position.” Or if a king does many sacrifices, he will become anxious, “If he does too many sacrifices, he will become more powerful than I am, he may become a threat.”

So, the real solution to all problems of life, real happiness comes when one surrenders to Krishna and engages in pure devotional service. And therefore, the author of the Dāmodarāṣṭakam prays to Krishna, to Lord Damodara, “Just as you delivered the two sons of Kuvera and gave them the chance to become your devotees, I also pray that you will give me prema-bhakti.” And then, they say, “We do not desire any kind of liberation.” Because that is also a selfish desire, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī — sakali ‘aśānta, kṛṣṇa-bhakta — niṣkāma, ataeva ‘śānta’ that ordinary materialists who want material opulence and enjoyment, and impersonal speculators who want liberation, and yogis who want to enjoy mystic powers, none of them is peaceful because they all have selfish desires. Only a pure devotee of Krishna has no selfish desires, and therefore, only He is peaceful. And without peace, where is the question of happiness? You are always disturbed, always fearful, always anxious, how can you be happy?

So, the position of a devotee is the best position, and being cursed by Narada, the two sons of Kuvera ultimately were blessed to become devotees of Krishna. And so, the author of the Dāmodarāṣṭakam prays to Lord Damodara, “In the same way, please deliver me.” We are all, in a way, cursed to inhabit some material body, external material body that is very different from our original forms and nature. So, we also want to be delivered. That is another point. But ultimately, we want to be delivered from the false ego, “I am the body, I am the enjoyer, I am the controller, I am the proprietor.” Not to be liberated from the body as such, because even within the body, one can be liberated if he is in pure devotional service. But even though a pure devotee doesn’t desire liberation, but Krishna, to give the devotee an opportunity to render direct service to Him, may give him one of the kinds of liberation that can be a facility for devotional service. Not merging, not the impersonal liberation of merging, but living on the same planet as the Lord, living near the Lord, having the same features as the Lord, and having similar opulence to the Lord. In those positions, devotee can serve the Lord and be happy.

So, this is a very auspicious month. Our spiritual practices bring greater results in the month of Damodara, Kartik. It is good, we have all gathered to chant the holy names. Yes, so we should fill our days and nights with as much hearing and chanting and devotional service as possible. Take the opportunity, it is a natural opportunity to have one’s consciousness elevated, and take the momentum that we develop in the month of Kartik and let it carry us through the rest of the year in an elevated state of consciousness with good sadhana, good service attitude, and lots of association with devotees and chanting, dancing, feasting, and philosophy. Hare Krishna.

Devotees: Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Are there any questions or comments? Back to the kirtan. Yes, [Unintelligible 00:30:43]?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:30:44]

Giriraj Swami: What do you think? [laughter]

Devotee: I think we need to behave properly.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, if we are going to the temple to associate with devotees, it really means we are going to associate with the process of chanting and hearing about Krishna, that is what association means. Yes, if we go with some mundane intention, then we won’t really get the full benefit. One can still get some benefit, but not the real benefit that comes from hearing submissively and chanting and serving humbly. Yes, a very good question and answer. Yes, Sukumara.

Devotee: How should the devotees reciprocate?

Giriraj Swami: You are on the path of progress, and new people come to the temple, and they are just beginning like you were five years earlier, so you feel you should help them but you are not confident that you have enough knowledge to help them. Is that. . .?

Devotee: Confidence, and also, I don’t feel that, it doesn’t just come naturally, I don’t want to do something wrong to maybe even tell them something that they may be offended and not come to the temple [Unintelligible 00:32:55].

Giriraj Swami: Well, we are talking about the new person, what his consciousness is, and we are talking about the devotee, what his consciousness is, and it would vary. But there is a point here. There is a point, which is that someone who is a neophyte may not understand how to deal properly with people, so he might actually have a negative effect on the person. So, I think you should probably work under the guidance of some mature, experienced devotee who can advise you as to what is appropriate for you to do or not do. This is true. Yes, you have to know how to deal with people, and that comes up with spiritual maturity. It might be better not to say too much. But you could bring the person to someone who is mature. You see this person, if you see he wants to learn more, you can bring him to someone more qualified who can speak to him. Yes?

Devotee: Maharaja, how to work against false ego? [Unintelligible 00:35:03]

Giriraj Swami: Well, false ego is ignorance. You are ignorant of your actual identity. Therefore, we have the Bhagavad-gītā so that you can hear and study and learn and give up this false identification with the body. It is a matter of hearing. But that is the grossest ignorance to think you are the body, that is animal platform. Prabhupada said, if a dog is thinking, “I am a bulldog,” and a man is thinking, “I am an Englishman,” what’s the difference? So, to identify with the body, it is animal life, it is not human life. So therefore, we have the Bhagavad-gītā to elevate us from the platform of ignorance to the platform of knowledge. It may be that you have theoretical knowledge that you are not the body, but you haven’t taken it into your heart, which is another. . . But if you know you are not the body, if you know you are the soul within the body and that your real relationship is with the Supreme Soul and not with things related to the body, then you should change your life. And especially chanting and hearing and worshiping the deities, these will help you come out of the bodily concept, confirm your identity as the soul and not the body.

Srila Prabhupada gives the example that a person has a disease, he has a fever. And so, the fever comes down to normal, but unless the person gets out of bed and engages in normal activities, he can’t really say he is cured. So, the materialists have a high fever of material desire and material activity, and then the impersonalists, they try to bring the fever down, but unless they engage in normal activities or healthy activities, which means devotional service, they can’t really say they are cured even if their temperature has come down. It is like someone is in bed, his temperature comes down, but if he remains in bed, he can’t say he is cured or normal. So if you really do have knowledge that you are not the body, you are the soul, and really believe it, then you will act accordingly. You can’t say, “I am not the body,” and then act on the material platform.

Devotee: I think, “Okay, I am a soul,” but when I am dealing with all those people, it is very difficult, the way they work and everything. So, how do we kind of maintain ourselves in this situation?

Giriraj Swami: Well, associating with materialistic people is a hardship, there is no way around it, it is a hardship. But then, to help you, you should associate with devotees as much as possible. That is the way they are, they are mundane. Their thinking, their acting, their speech, everything about them is pretty mundane. So, you should just rush to the association of devotees. And of course, that association could come through vāṇī. If you can have personal association, that is best. But otherwise, again, associating with the process of hearing and chanting. Be polite to them but don’t get too involved with them. Do what you have to, to maintain normal relations at work, but don’t get too much into what they think about, what they talk about, what they eat, what they do for fun.