Shiva-ratri

Host: Thank you, Prabhu. Hare Krishna, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: We are very happy to see you, Maharaja. We are lucky to have you on our channel. We offer our respectful obeisances at your lotus feet. I will give a quick introduction, Maharaja, and then you can start with kirtan.

Giriraj Swami: Okay.

Host: Thank you, Maharaja. His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja was born as Glenn Phillip Teton, the only son of respected Chicago lawyer who was later appointed judge in March of 1969. While studying at Brandeis University in Boston, he met His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, from whom he felt he learned more in one brief exchange than he had learned in his many years of academic education. After graduating from Brandeis cum laude, he accepted formal initiation from Srila Prabhupada and received the spiritual name Giriraj dasa. Giriraj quickly became a leading member of the Boston center and he was soon given the opportunity to go to India with Srila Prabhupada and helped establish Prabhupada’s mission there.

In 1972, Giriraj Maharaja was appointed by Prabhupada to be the president of ISKCON Bombay and trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Since then, he has made many significant contributions to Srila Prabhupada’s mission. Most notably, overseeing all aspects of the development of Hare Krishna Land in Juhu, Bombay. He was instrumental in the acquisitional development of the Bhaktivedanta ashram in Govardhana and led the development of the kirtan ashram for women, the Bhaktivedanta Hospice and the Vrindavan Institute of Palliative Care, all in Vrindavan.

Through his efforts, Giriraj Swami has become renowned for the austerities he has accepted, his loyalty and dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s mission, his ability to raise funds and cultivate important members of society, and his care for devotees around the world. In the year following Srila Prabhupada’s departure in 1977, Giriraj Maharaja was awarded the renounced order of life and appointed the president of ISKCON’s Board of Trustees in India. In 1982, he was appointed to ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission, and he went on to oversee the Society’s activities in Bombay, Mauritius, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Maharaja has also taught at the Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education and continues to lecture and to give presentations at japa retreats and workshops around the world.

Thank you so much, Maharaja, for your valuable association. You can start.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. First, I’d like to request the devotees participating on Zoom to put on their cameras so we can see your moon-like faces. So, yes, I will begin by singing the maṅgala-ācaraṇa prayers and leading a short kirtan, and then we will speak about Shiva-ratri.

[Prayers]

So, I welcome you on this auspicious occasion of mahā Shiva-ratri on which we take the opportunity to glorify Lord Shiva, who is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vaiṣṇavānām yathā śaṁbhuḥ, as the greatest of Vaishnavas. Of course, we learn from the Bhagavad-gītā that we have no need to worship demigods. As Krishna says in the Seventh Chapter, Text Twenty-Three:

TEXT 23

antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ

tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām

devān deva-yajo yānti

mad-bhaktā yānti mām api

TRANSLATION

Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Some commentators on the Bhagavad-gītā say that one who worships a demigod can reach the Supreme Lord, but here it is clearly stated that the worshipers of demigods go to the different planetary systems where various demigods are situated.

COMMENT

Then, there’s a verse in the Fourth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

TEXT 14

yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena

tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ

prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇāṁ

tathaiva sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā

TRANSLATION

By giving water to the root of a tree one satisfies its branches, twigs and leaves, and by supplying food to the stomach one satisfies all the senses of the body. Similarly, by engaging in the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord one automatically satisfies all the demigods and all other living entities.

COMMENT

That’s Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.31.14. So, we really have no need to worship demigods. The demigod worshipers, as described in the verse we just read, are alpa-medhasām, less intelligent. The opposite of alpa-medhasām are sumedhasaḥ, or very intelligent. And those who worship Krishna, especially through the saṅkīrtana movement in the present age, are described as sumedhasaḥ.

TEXT 32

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

TRANSLATION

In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa.

COMMENT

That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.32. Furthermore, the demigods are not able to give even material benedictions without the sanction of the Supreme Lord. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati, the Lord is in the heart of everyone, including the demigods, so unless He gives His sanction, the demigods themselves cannot give even limited, temporary benefits. So, from every point of view, we should worship Krishna. And devotees of Krishna need not worship any demigod. Krishna, the Supreme Lord, is like the king, and the various demigods are like ministers in the cabinet of the king or department heads in the government. As Srila Prabhupada said, if you pay taxes to the central treasury, you need not bribe the ministers or officers in charge of different departments. When you pay your taxes into the central treasury, you have met your obligations and are entitled to all the benefits of a citizen.

So, there is no need to worship demigods, and in fact, the worship of demigods is discouraged in The Bhagavad-gītā. The Supreme Lord Krishna says;

TEXT 23

ye ‘py anya-devatā-bhaktā

yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ

te ‘pi mām eva kaunteya

yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam

TRANSLATION

Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kuntī, but they do so in a wrong way.

COMMENT

Therefore, Vaishnavas do not celebrate Shiva-ratri. Yet, there is another, confidential aspect to Lord Shiva that ordinary worshippers with insufficient knowledge of shastra, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, do not know. Lord Shiva Himself is the greatest Vaishnava, (Vaiṣṇavānām yathā śaṁbhuḥ), and the worship of Vaishnavas, the service of Vaishnavas, and the glorification of Vaishnavas is included in Krishna consciousness. In fact, it is most highly recommended. So, in an assembly of learned devotees, such as all of you, we can appreciate Shiva as a Vaishnava. But otherwise, we don’t worship Lord Shiva, because if we did, people could misunderstand and conclude, “Oh, ISKCON devotees worship Shiva, so we will too.” And they will worship Lord Shiva for material benefit. Or they may think that Lord Shiva is on the same level as Krishna, or Supreme.

In India, there is a history of debate between Vaishnavas and Shaivites over who is supreme. And as Srila Prabhupada said, in such debates, the Vaishnavas always win.

So, I was the first devotee from ISKCON to visit Madras, and I became quite a sensation—an American Vaishnava. Most people there had never seen a Western sadhu, and they wanted to help. Several suggested that I meet one Mr. Ramakrishna, who they said was pious and religious and would be happy to hear of our activities. So, I met him, and he turned out to be one of those people who thought that Shiva was supreme. Very quickly we came to blows, verbal blows. He had a volatile nature, and he became very angry. He became red in the face, and he raised his voice. And the meeting ended quite abruptly. But I kept preaching and meeting people who suggested, “You have to meet Mr. Ramakrishna. He is a very pious man. He is a very religious man.” And I imagine that he was meeting people saying, “Oh, you should meet the Hare Krishna devotees. They are very good people. They are doing excellent work.”

After a few weeks, I thought, “Maybe I should give it another try. This time, I will be more careful.” So, I phoned him, and he immediately agreed to meet me. That made me think that people were also speaking favorably about us to him, and that it was embarrassing for him, as well, that we had disagreed so vehemently. So, we met, and I tried to restrain myself, and he tried to restrain himself, but eventually, we came to the same point: Who is Supreme, Krishna (Vishnu) or Shiva? The argument escalated, but neither of us wanted it to end the way the last one had. Then, I got an inspiration and suggested, “In two weeks, my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is coming to Madras. So, instead of us discussing, why don’t I invite you to meet him when he comes, and you can discuss with him directly?” He liked the idea. It was a way out for both of us. And ultimately, what could be better than to meet a pure devotee of Krishna?

After Srila Prabhupada arrived, Mr. Ramakrishna came to meet him. “I met your disciple Giriraj,” Mr. Ramakrishna said, “and I argued that Shiva is supreme, and he argued that Krishna is supreme. So, who is supreme?” But Srila Prabhupada took a very different approach. He didn’t enter into the polemics about who was supreme. Rather, he said, “There are two words in Sanskrit, puja and bhakti. In puja, one worships the deity to get some material benefit, whereas in bhakti, one worships only to give pleasure to the Deity, without any expectation of personal return.” Then, Srila Prabhupada said, “Generally, the worshippers of Shiva engage in puja. They worship to get some material benefit. Whereas in bhakti, we worship Krishna for the sake of Krishna’s pleasure, just to please Him.”

Mr. Ramakrishna asked, “Is it not possible to worship Shiva in the mood of bhakti?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “It is possible, but it would be exceptional. For example, generally, people go to a liquor shop to buy liquor. Now, one could go for another purpose, but that would be an exception. Generally, people go to buy liquor.” Mr. Ramakrishna was satisfied with the answer. Srila Prabhupada did not enter into the controversy over which Deity was supreme; rather, he explained different moods in the worship of different Deities.

So, as Vaishnavas, we have no need to worship Shiva, because we are worshiping Krishna directly. Still, we may worship Lord Shiva as a Vaishnava, a devotee of Krishna, because the worship of Krishna’s devotees pleases Krishna.

The basic definition of bhakti is given by Srila Rupa Gosvami in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11), famous verse:

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.”

COMMENT

In pure devotional service, one should have no desire other than to serve and please Krishna (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ). And jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, one’s service should not be covered by jnana, speculative knowledge that leads to impersonal conclusion; or by karma, fruitive work, as in ordinary puja, which one performs for personal gain. In ordinary affairs, for example, one may invite someone to a restaurant and give him food and drink in the hope of getting some benefit from him. In a similar way, one may offer bael leaves and ganga-jala to Lord Shiva in order to get some personal return. That fruitive mentality has no place in pure devotion. And certainly, the speculative idea of merging and becoming one with God has no place. Anything that covers the true nature of bhakti has no place. Pure devotional service must be rendered favorably to Krishna.

So, in Srila Prabhupada’s introduction to The Nectar of Devotion, he discusses that verse, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ, in great detail, and includes the commentaries of Jiva Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. And all agree that in this verse, Krishna does not mean Krishna alone, but it includes His personal expansions, such as Lord Ramachandra, Lord Nṛsiṁha, Lord Varaha, and other viṣṇu-tattvas, as well as His name, form, qualities, pastimes, paraphernalia, and pure devotees. As Srila Prabhupada writes, “Krishna includes all such expansions, as well as His pure devotees.” So, serving and worshiping pure devotees is included within uttamā bhakti, pure devotional service to Krishna, and thus devotees of Krishna sometimes worship Lord Shiva as a pure devotee.

Many of Lord Shiva’s pastimes are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the perfectly pure, spotless Purana, (srimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam), and is called the Paramahamsa-samhita because it is meant for the highest class of transcendentalists who are completely free from envy. It is the topmost scripture and discusses no subject other than Krishna and pure devotional service. The pastimes with Lord Shiva show His true nature, or internal mood, as a Vaishnava, a pure devotee of Krishna.

In one pastime, the hundred sons of King Barhisat, known as the Pracetas, were engaged in austerities to realize Vishnu, or Krishna. Lord Shiva met them, and appreciating their austerities, acted as their guru to guide them. He gave them a series of prayers to sing to please Lord Vishnu and become pure devotees. Upon first meeting the Pracetas, He made the following statement, which I shall read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Four, Chapter Twenty-Four: “Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Śiva,” Text Thirty.

TEXT 30

atha bhāgavatā yūyaṁ

priyāḥ stha bhagavān yathā

na mad bhāgavatānāṁ ca

preyān anyo ‘sti karhicit

TRANSLATION

You are all devotees of the Lord, and as such I appreciate that you are as respectable as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. I know in this way that the devotees also respect me and that I am dear to them. Thus no one can be as dear to the devotees as I am.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

It is said, vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ: Lord Śiva is the best of all devotees. Therefore all devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are also devotees of Lord Śiva. In Vṛndāvana there is Lord Śiva’s temple called Gopīśvara. The gopīs used to worship not only Lord Śiva but Kātyāyanī, or Durgā, as well, but their aim was to attain the favor of Lord Kṛṣṇa. A devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa does not disrespect Lord Śiva, but worships Lord Śiva as the most exalted devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Consequently whenever a devotee worships Lord Śiva, he prays to Lord Śiva to achieve the favor of Kṛṣṇa, and he does not request material profit. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) it is said that generally people worship demigods for some material profit (kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ‘nya-devatāḥ). Driven by material lust, they worship demigods. But a devotee never does so, for he is never driven by material lust. That is the difference between a devotee’s respect for Lord Śiva and an asura’s respect for him. The asura worships Lord Śiva, takes some benediction from him, misuses the benediction, and ultimately is killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who awards him liberation.

Because Lord Śiva is a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he loves all the devotees of the Supreme Lord.

COMMENT

So, this is a symptom of a devotee. One who is actually a devotee of the Supreme Lord will love all other devotees of the Supreme Lord. Lord Shiva truly loved the Pracetas. He went out of his way to help them, and further, he respected them as representatives of the Supreme Lord. And in his purport, Srila Prabhupada continues:

PURPORT (continued)

Lord Śiva told the Pracetās that because they were devotees of the Lord, he loved them very much. Lord Śiva was not kind and merciful only to the Pracetās; anyone who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very dear to Lord Śiva.

COMMENT

So, my dear devotees, you are all very dear to Lord Shiva. So, because of the time factor, I’ll speak a little about Lord Shiva in Vraja, and then I will come to a part of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that describes Lord Shiva’s highly magnanimous nature.

One prominent Deity of Lord Shiva in Vraja is Nandesvara Mahadeva at Nanda-grama. He is worshiped in a small temple situated in the courtyard of the main temple there, and every day, the pujaris offer him the remnants of food that has been offered to Lord Krishna in the main temple. This tradition goes back to the time when Krishna and Balarama lived in Nanda-grama with Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda.

As the local history goes, when Lord Shiva came to Nanda Bhavan to see his beloved Lord Krishna, he arrived in his usual attire — with matted hair, ashes all over his body, and a snake wrapped around his neck, playing his damaru drum. When Mother Yasoda came to the door, she could not bring herself to let this wild-looking ascetic in to see her darling little Krishna. And so, she gave him alms and sent him on his way. As he was leaving, however, baby Krishna began to cry. Mother Yasoda tried in many ways to pacify Him, but she couldn’t. He was inconsolable.

She then began to think that she might have committed an offense against the ascetic, and that he had put a spell on her baby. So, she sent for him. In the end, Lord Shiva was found in the forest now known as Asesvara-vana, the forest of hope, where he was praying, hoping against hope (asa means hope), that he would somehow get the darshan of Nandalal, Krishna. So, he was very happy when he was asked to return to Nanda Bhavan. And as soon as Lord Shiva arrived, baby Krishna stopped crying. But when Mother Yasoda indicated that it was time for him to leave, Krishna again began to cry. He didn’t want Lord Shiva to leave. It was then settled that Lord Shiva would remain permanently in Nanda Bhavan and get the caraṇāmṛta and food remnants of Nandalal every day. And to this day, it has been so.

And there is Kamesvara Mahadeva at Kamyavana, there’s Caklesvara Mahadeva at Cakra-tirtha, and so many wonderful pastimes. But the most famous and important Deity of Lord Shiva for us is Gopisvara Mahadeva established by Vajranabha near the site of the rāsa dance, near Vamsivata, where Lord Krishna, as Gopinatha, played upon His flute to call the gopīs. Gopisvara Mahadeva wanted to participate in the rāsa dance, the highest and best of all of Lord Krishna’s pastimes.

According to one version, and there’s different variations of this, Lord Shiva approached Paurnamasi, an elderly brahmani and śikṣā-guru of the vrajavāsīs, who was the mother of Sandipani Muni, Lord Krishna’s guru. She advised Mahadeva to perform some austerities, and then take bath in the Yamuna. Thus, he would get the form of a gopī. According to other sources, Paurnamasi directed him to Vṛndādevī, and Vṛndādevī advised him to take bath in Mana-sarovara, a little further south across the Yamuna River from Kesi ghat. But be it as it may, he took bath and came out in the form of a gopī.

When Krishna was about to enjoy His rāsa-līlā with the gopīs, this new gopī appeared. The other gopīs took note, “Oh, a new gopī has come,” and they gathered around her. They asked, “What village are you from?” She didn’t know what to say. “What is your husband’s name?” “How many cows does he have?” “Who are your children?” She had no answer. Then, the other gopīs thought, “This is not a gopī. She is not one of us. This is an imposter.” They were ready to beat this imitation gopī, when Mother Purnamasi appeared and said, “This is Mahadeva Shiva. He is a great demigod. Do not take any action against him.” She told Lord Shiva, “No one can participate in the rāsa dance without being a gopī. You can observe it from a distance, but you cannot actually enter it.” And she gave him a service: he could guard the arena of the rāsa dance.

One of Lord Shiva’s regular service is to be ksetra-pala, protector of the dhāma, and he serves as such in Vrindavan, Navadvipa, Jagannatha Puri, and other holy places. Purnamasi gave Mahadeva the authority to restrain the unqualified, and to admit the qualified. And beyond that, he would have the power to give someone the qualification to enter. So, devotees, Vaishnavas in Vrindavan pray to Gopisvara Mahadeva to enable them to enter the pastimes of Krishna with the gopīs.

I don’t know how many of you have seen Gopisvara Mahadeva temple in Vrindavan, but the Deity of Gopisvara Mahadeva is worshiped as a regular shiva-lingam during the day, but every evening at about four, the pujaris dress the shiva-lingam like a gopī. They cover the lingam with a sari and ornaments and decorate it to resemble a gopī, with a crown on it or a shawl draped over its top. And devotees come and worship Gopisvara Mahadeva to attain the favor of Radha and Krishna.

In his Sankalpa-kalpadruma (103) Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura prays:

vrndavanavani-pate jaya soma soma-
maule sanandana-sanatana-naradedya
gopisvara vraja-vilasi-yuganghri-padme

prema prayaccha nirupadhi namo namaste

“O gatekeeper of Vrndavana! O Soma, all glories to you! O you whose forehead is decorated with the moon (soma), and who is worshiped by the sages headed by Sanandana, Sanatana, and Narada! O Gopisvara! Desiring that you bestow upon me limitless love for the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, who perform joyous pastimes in Vraja-dhama, I offer my obeisances unto you again and again.”

Sri Gopisvara Mahadeva ki jaya!

Now, once, as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nanda Maharaja and the cowherd men wanted to go to Ambikavana to observe Shiva-ratri, which they did. The Bhāgavatam uses the word ekada, “once.” Srila Prabhupada explains in the Kṛṣṇa book, “Between the Dola-yatra ceremony [Holi] and the rāsa-līlā ceremony, there is an important ceremony called Shiva-ratri, which is especially observed by the Saivites, or devotees of Lord Shiva. Sometimes the Vaishnavas also observe this ceremony because they accept Lord Shiva as the foremost Vaishnava. But the function of Shiva-ratri is not observed very regularly by the bhaktas, or devotees of Krishna. Under the circumstances, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states that Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men ‘once upon a time desired.’ This means that they were not regularly observing the Shiva-ratri function, but that once upon a time, they wanted to go to Ambikavana.”

So, that was Srila Prabhupada’s explanation from the Kṛṣṇa book, Chapter Thirty-Four. And what was the result? Srila Prabhupada explains, “They had come to worship Lord Shiva and Ambika, but the result was that they became more and more attached to Krishna.”

So, I’m a little worried, not worried but mindful of the time, but I do want to just read this wonderful description of Lord Shiva from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Eight, Chapter Seven: “Lord Śiva Saves the Universe by Drinking Poison.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

The summary of the Seventh Chapter is as follows. As described in this chapter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing in His incarnation as a tortoise, dove deep into the ocean to carry Mandara Mountain on His back.

COMMENT

Now, these histories may sound fantastic, and that’s why some people consider them to be mythology, but we do not accept the pastimes described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as mythology, we accept them as fact.

CHAPTER SEVEN

At first the churning of the ocean produced kālakūṭa poison. Everyone feared this poison, but Lord Śiva satisfied them by drinking it.

COMMENT

And I’ll read that. I’ll start with Text Seventeen.

TEXT 17

The Lord appeared like a blackish cloud. He was dressed with yellow garments, His earrings shone on His ears like lightning, and His hair spread over His shoulders. He wore a garland of flowers, and His eyes were pinkish. With His strong, glorious arms, which award fearlessness throughout the universe, He took hold of Vāsuki and began churning the ocean, using Mandara Mountain as a churning rod. When engaged in this way, the Lord appeared like a beautifully situated mountain named Indranīla.

TEXT 18

The fish, sharks, tortoises and snakes were most agitated and perturbed. The entire ocean became turbulent, and even the large aquatic animals like whales, water elephants, crocodiles and timiṅgila fish [large whales that can swallow small whales] came to the surface. While the ocean was being churned in this way, it first produced a fiercely dangerous poison called hālahala.

TEXT 19

O King, when that uncontrollable poison was forcefully spreading up and down in all directions, all the demigods, along with the Lord Himself, approached Lord Śiva [Sadāśiva]. Feeling unsheltered and very much afraid, they sought shelter of him.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

One may question that since the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present, why did He accompany all the demigods and people in general to take shelter of Lord Sadāśiva instead of intervening Himself. In this connection Śrīla Madhvācārya warns:

rudrasya yaśaso ‘rthāya
svayaṁ viṣṇur viṣaṁ vibhuḥ
na sañjahre samartho ‘pi
vāyuṁ coce praśāntaye

Lord Viṣṇu was competent to rectify the situation, but in order to give credit to Lord Śiva, who later drank all the poison and kept it in his neck, Lord Viṣṇu did not take action.

TEXT 20

The demigods observed Lord Śiva sitting on the summit of Kailāsa Hill with his wife, Bhavānī, for the auspicious development of the three worlds. He was being worshiped by great saintly persons desiring liberation. The demigods offered him their obeisances and prayers with great respect.

COMMENT

And basically, they praised Lord Shiva and asked him to save the situation. So then, we come to this very important point.

TEXT 36

Lord Śiva is always benevolent toward all living entities. When he saw that the living entities were very much disturbed by the poison, which was spreading everywhere, he was very compassionate. Thus he spoke to his eternal consort, Satī, as follows.

TEXT 37

Lord Śiva said: My dear Bhavānī, just see how all these living entities have been placed in danger because of the poison produced from the churning of the Ocean of Milk.

TEXT 38

It is my duty to give protection and safety to all living entities struggling for existence. Certainly it is the duty of the master to protect his suffering dependents.

TEXT 39

People in general, being bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are always engaged in animosity toward one another. But devotees, even at the risk of their own temporary lives, try to save them.

COMMENT

This is very exemplary and instructive for us.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This is the characteristic of a Vaiṣṇava. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī: a Vaiṣṇava is always unhappy to see the conditioned souls unhappy. Otherwise, he would have no business teaching them how to become happy. In materialistic life, people must certainly engage in activities of animosity. Materialistic life is therefore compared to saṁsāra-dāvānala, a blazing forest fire that automatically takes place. Lord Śiva and his followers in the paramparā system try to save people from this dangerous condition of materialistic life. This is the duty of devotees following the principles of Lord Śiva and belonging to the Rudra sampradāya. There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas, and the Rudra sampradāya is one of them because Lord Śiva (Rudra) is the best of the Vaiṣṇavas (vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ). Indeed, as we shall see, Lord Śiva drank all the poison for the benefit of humanity.

COMMENT

Listen to this.

TEXT 40

My dear gentle wife Bhavānī, when one performs benevolent activities for others, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is very pleased. And when the Lord is pleased, I am also pleased, along with all other living creatures. Therefore, let me drink this poison, for all the living entities may thus become happy because of me.

TEXT 41

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: After informing Bhavānī in this way, Lord Śiva began to drink the poison, and Bhavānī, who knew perfectly well the capabilities of Lord Śiva, gave him her permission to do so.

TEXT 42

Thereafter, Lord Śiva, who is dedicated to auspicious, benevolent work for humanity, compassionately took the whole quantity of poison in his palm and drank it.

COMMENT

And here’s a beautiful picture of that: Lord Shiva taking that poison and drinking it.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Although there was such a great quantity of poison that it spread all over the universe, Lord Śiva had such great power that he reduced the poison to a small quantity so that he could hold it in his palm. One should not try to imitate Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva can do whatever he likes, but those who try to imitate Lord Śiva by smoking ganja and other poisonous things will certainly be killed because of such activities.

COMMENT

And I should mention here that there’s no evidence in any scripture that Lord Shiva smoked ganja, but sometimes people smoke ganja in the name of following Lord Shiva.

TEXT 43

As if in defamation, the poison born from the Ocean of Milk manifested its potency by marking Lord Śiva’s neck with a bluish line. That line, however, is now accepted as an ornament of the Lord.

COMMENT

And here’s a very important verse, a very beautiful verse.

TEXT 44

It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart.

TEXT 45

Upon hearing of this act, everyone, including Bhavānī [the daughter of Mahārāja Dakṣa], Lord Brahmā, Lord Viṣṇu, and the people in general, very highly praised this deed performed by Lord Śiva, who is worshiped by the demigods and who bestows benedictions upon the people.

COMMENT

Hare Krishna. Sri Mahadeva ki jaya! Sri Shiva-ratri ki jaya!

So, thank you all for joining on this auspicious occasion, and we can now open the floor or open the microphone to questions and comments.

Host: Yes, Maharaja, thank you. Prananatha Prabhu, go ahead. Yeah, please raise your hand so that we will go in sequence.

Prananatha dasa: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Prananatha dasa: Am I audible?

Giriraj Swami: You are audible and visible.

Prananatha dasa:  Happy Shiva-ratri, Guru Maharaja. I wanted you to share about your Lord Shiva realizations in Vrindavan. I had heard it in a very exceprt, small thing. I wanted to hear it properly from your side.

Giriraj Swami: What did you hear?

Prananatha dasa: Lord Shiva’s special mercy in Vrindavan, the crescent moon was there, but I don’t know the exact full detail about it. You had seen the crescent moon, and you had some. . . I don’t recollect.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah. Yes, one evening, I visited Gopisvara Mahadeva. And so, I was walking near the Yamuna River afterwards, and it’s true, I saw there was a crescent moon like we see on Lord Shiva, and I just felt that he was my śikṣā-guru, or one of my śikṣā-gurus. And there was also a lady singing very beautifully on the banks of the Yamuna. It was unusual for Vrindavan, but she was singing very beautifully, om namo shivaya. So, yeah, I did have that thought that Lord Shiva was my śikṣā-guru, yes.

Prananatha dasa: And I had that same realization, Guru Maharaja, because unknowingly, when I was a small child, young, just in my teens, I never had chanted any mantra. But one day, I saw my uncle who was religious, I was just peeping into his room, he was chanting om namo shivaya. So, that was the first mantra, I got attracted. And I feel every second, even while doing parikramā in Radha-Rasabihari, I see Lord Shiva looking at Radha-Rasabihari. I feel his special mercy many times.

I had a nice realization when I was in Gopisvara Mahadeva. I had gone to the temple, and there was nobody in the altar. So, I had a flower, but I said, “How can I offer it? No pujari is there.” So, I happened to just toss it off, and it went properly into his lotus feet, the place. So, I was very happy. I also feel that he guides and he is always a blessing. Thank you, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah, one thing I should mention is that if someone is sincere and not worshiping Lord Shiva for material benefit, Lord Shiva will bring the person to Krishna. That is a general principle, and I saw it, actually, in the case of a Professor here, at the University of California in Santa Barbara, in the department of religious studies. Anyway, it’s a long story, but she was a devotee of Lord Shiva, and Lord Shiva brought her to Krishna, to recognize Krishna as the Supreme. Okay.

Dattatreya dasa: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Daṇḍavat-praṇāmās on your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Hare Krishna, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Dattatreya dasa: Actually, Maharaja, it has happened to me also. Lord Shiva directed me to Lord Krishna. It was in my life also. Now, I have one quick question, Maharaja, because I am a little bit confused. Lord Sadashiva, and Shiva and Rudra, what is the difference among them?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Well, the material universe is covered, and then, beyond that covering is the Viraja River, and then beyond that is the spiritual world. So, there is Lord Shiva there, just on the border, outside the material world, just at the beginning of the spiritual world, and that is Sadashiva.

Now, one very interesting fact is that Advaita Acharya from the Pancha-tattva, he is an incarnation of Vishnu, Maha-Vishnu, and also Sadashiva. But in the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, which explains the identities of the devotees in gaura-līlā, what are their identities in kṛṣṇa-līlā, says that he’s a cowherd boy with the name Sadashiva. [laughter] That was just an interesting note. Yeah, and the Rudras, they’re in the material world. There was one other part, you mentioned Sadashiva and the Rudras and. . .

Dattatreya dasa: And Shambhu.

Giriraj Swami: Oh, Shambhu. Well, Shambhu is another name for Shiva and is Shiva, but he’s mentioned as one of the twelve mahājanas, [Unintelligible 02:29:22]. So, yeah, Lord Shiva, Shambu, he’s one of our gurus, he’s one of the twelve mahājanas.

Dattatreya dasa: Thank you, Maharaja. Daṇḍavat-praṇāmās, Maharaja. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Amritananda dasa: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Maharaja, I’d like to share something based on the instruction you gave in your last program here, how it has helped me, and then I have a question regarding Lord Shiva.

Maharaja, you had mentioned when I asked a question about watching Netflix or news, and so forth, you said there’s so much material available on the internet. So, I started doing that and it has substantially cut down on this news, and it’s probably been a couple of weeks I haven’t watched news. So, that was good. And what I’ve done is I’ve started re-watching Abhay Charan in which His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja came, and incidentally, Maharaja, today it came to episode thirty-nine where ISKCON wins the court case for Juhu and the judge throws it out. All thanks to you and your godbrothers for all you did.

And I was reflecting on that, and what came to me is there was one episode saying ‘matchless gifts’ and what Prabhupada has given all of us, gave you and your godbrothers and sisters. And then in turn, what all you have done and passing it down.

So, it’s something like a family heirloom, which is coming from this generation to us, and that got me to think more about Maharaja. That what each one of us in our own yatra, wherever we may be in; New Jersey, New York, it doesn’t matter where. What are we doing? It made me think about what we are doing for the next generation and the next further generation, this matchless gift, how we can go.

So, Maharaja, I would like to thank you both for personally helping me and my sadhana. And just watching this, I was thinking what all you and your godfamily has accomplished to give us Prabhupada’s gift and carry it, the responsibility for us to take it further. So, thank you, Maharaja. Thank you very much.

And my question, Maharaja, I actually need a clarification from your Holiness. We know Lord Shiva, intellectually and philosophically, we can understand Lord Shiva is a great Vaishnava. Albeit there is not so much of worship, and I was thinking Prabhupada’s instructions that he had given is, “You have my books, just stick to my books. Don’t run around here and there.” Because it could just confuse. And then if Shiva has something material, there’s always a chance of me slipping up, that I could fool myself and say, “Okay, I’ll worship Shiva,” but then it could be a material benefit, then again, I can slip on the path of bhakti.

So, is that a reason why the Brahma Gauḍīya-sampradāya, and of course, there are nuances in each of these sampradāyas, certain nuances would be there, there would be slight differences here and there. So, it’s always more advisable to stick to your lane. Is that the correct understanding in addition to the explanation which I gave?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. I mean, Srila Prabhupada was really empowered by Krishna. Many learned scholars and devotees agree that he was a śakty-āveśa-avatāra, an empowered incarnation. And indirectly, Srila Prabhupada confirmed the same. For example, in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, there is a verse, kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana, that without being empowered by the shakti of Krishna, one cannot spread the saṅkīrtana movement. Yeah, he’s especially empowered to present Krishna consciousness for us, people, in this modern world, in the west and throughout the world. So, I would definitely say we should stick to him and to what he’s given us and to his paramparā. Stay in our lane, as he said. Yes, I agree completely.

Amritananda dasa: Thank you again, Maharaja. Thank you very much.

Host: Next is Aayushi Mataji.

Aayushi Nanda: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Aayushi Nanda: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Guru Maharaja, as you told during our session today, there are many pseudo devotees who will just say that they are taking intoxication like ganja or marijuana in the name of worshiping Lord Shiva. So, today, I was reading one text from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. It was from Third Chapter: “Karma-yoga,” Twenty-Fourth Verse, wherein it was written in the purport that there are many pseudo devotees of Lord Shiva who want to indulge in smoking ganja, marijuana, and similar intoxicating drugs, forgetting that by so imitating the acts of Lord Shiva, they are calling death very near.

So, I just wanted to ask that it is written that forgetting that by so imitating the acts of Lord Shiva. So, as it is written, are these acts an imitation of Lord Shiva? I mean, because he’s a great Vaishnava, how will he take intoxicants? But I’m not able to understand the meaning of this, that it is written, “By so imitating the acts of Lord Shiva.” Now, this so imitating the acts means the act of taking marijuana or ganja by the pseudo devotees. So, please explain it, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Yeah. Well, I mentioned earlier that as far as we know, there’s no evidence in scripture that Lord Shiva ever took ganja or marijuana. But he drank poison, and in a way, ganja is like poison. But people have the conception, maybe, that Lord Shiva smoked ganja. So, they may have the idea that in the name of Lord Shiva, they can also smoke ganja. But from the purport you read, I mean, it’s very much like what we discussed earlier, that they should not do that, or if they do, they will have to suffer consequences. I’m glad you’re reading the Bhagavad-gītā so carefully and attentively. Thank you.

Aayushi Nanda: Thank you, Guru Maharaja. It’s by your blessings only that I’m able to read it.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you.

Aayushi Nanda: Thank you.

Host: Next is Devakinandan Prabhu.

Devakinandan dasa: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. Daṇḍavat-praṇāmās.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Devakinandan dasa: Thank you so much for your blessings. Maharaja, as you read the text so beautifully, purports of Srila Prabhupada, different pastimes, we see Lord Shiva is mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that he’s the best of the Vaishnavas, he is one of the mahājanas. Srila Narada Muni and demigods worship, gopīs worship, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when He goes to Lord Shiva temple, He dances in front of Lord Shiva.

So, this is my personal struggle for so many years now in ISKCON, sometimes I personally feel that it’s difficult to think that Lord Shiva is a demigod, like Indra, like Surya, like Agni, like Vayu. Those are typically the demigods we see. But Lord Shiva, he’s a guṇāvatāra. So, from that, he’s not Vishnu, he’s also not a demigod on that level when you compare so many demigods. So, I feel when I say he’s a demigod, I feel like I’m offending him, his position, he’s so exalted. We don’t call our gurus or our sadhus or even Narada Muni, we don’t call them as demigods, we feel like they’re even beyond the demigods because they’re so exalted. But here, we see Srila Narada Muni worshiping, Sanaka, Sanandana worshiping, gopīs, Nanda Baba, they’re worshiping.

So, sometimes I feel saying a demigod is kind of minimizing Lord Shiva’s exalted position. I’m a bit afraid on my personal level. Please correct me if I’m not thinking something right. What’s the proper mood in that direction?

Giriraj Swami: Your mood is proper. I mean, he’s much more than an ordinary demigod, but there are people who regard him like a demigod, who worship him for material boons and who don’t know him to be a devotee of Krishna. Many of the demigod worshipers consider all the Gods to be on the same level. So, yeah, in our temples, we have to be careful about how we worship Lord Shiva, if at all we do, so people don’t misunderstand. But your understanding is fine.

I mean, Srila Prabhupada said that Lord Shiva is almost Vishnu. And the Brahma-saṁhitā gives the example of milk and yogurt, that by the addition of some acidic agent, milk turns into yogurt. So, Vishnu is like the milk, and Shiva is like the yogurt. In one sense, they’re the same, but although milk can become yogurt, yogurt cannot become milk. But they’re very close, Vishnu and Shiva. But they’re not the same.

Devakinandan dasa: Thank you, Maharaja. Thank you so much.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: Next is Navadvipa-candra prabhu. Maybe after that, we’ll do the kirtan until ten. I think this may be the last question. Navadvipa-candra Prabhu, go ahead.

Navadvipa-candra dasa: Yes. Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Guru Maharaja, my question is, how do we understand the role of Shankaracharya? He is an expansion of Lord Shiva. So, how do we understand his role? Because he had come to spread impersonalism.

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Well, Lord Shiva, he accepts some thankless tasks in service to Lord Krishna. For example, he gives shelter to ghosts and hobgoblins, and that’s a service to Krishna. It’s a thankless task. Ordinarily people, devotees, wouldn’t want to be associated with ghosts and hobgoblins. But as a service to Krishna, Lord Shiva does that. So, Lord Krishna wanted someone to preach a Mayavada philosophy, and none of the devotees would do it, “No. Mayavada philosophy? No, no, no, no.” But Lord Shiva, he’s so surrendered, he accepted that thankless task and he came as Shankaracharya and preached Mayavada philosophy.

Because there was a reason why Krishna wanted him to do that, and Lord Shiva was the one who stepped forward and accepted and agreed to do it. I mean, it’s part of a whole strategy. A long time ago, people in India were killing animals in the name of Vedic sacrifice. And so, out of compassion for the animals and also for the people who were committing sinful activities, Lord Buddha came, and he preached the philosophy of ahimsa, non-violence, and he said, “If the Vedas are telling you that you can sacrifice animals, then don’t follow the Vedas.”

So, under the influence of Lord Buddha, on the instructions of Lord Buddha, they set aside the Vedas. But in the long run, it’s very bad to be without the Vedas. And so, Shankaracharya came because they were all atheists. So, Shankaracharya, he preached a veiled form of atheism, and he gave that interpretation to the Vedas, so that the people who were following Buddha who had become atheists, they could accept it. Because impersonalism is not that far from atheism. But in doing so, he reestablished the authority of the Vedas, and then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came and He presented the correct understanding of the Vedas.

So, it is said that Lord Buddha, he built the foundation, and Shankaracharya built the temple, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu installed the Deity.

Navadvipa-candra dasa: Thank you, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: Thank you so much, Maharaja, for your valuable time, giving your association. Madhupati Prabhu?

Madhupati dasa: Maharaja, thank you very, very much. On this very auspicious day, reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about Lord Shiva’s position. So, thank you very much, Maharaja. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: It’s a pleasure, honor, and a privilege.

Madhupati dasa: It’s our privilege to hear from you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Sorry?

Madhupati dasa: It’s our privilege to hear from you.

Giriraj Swami: Oh! Thank you. So, does this mean we’re ending? I mean, there is a hand up. We don’t have to. . .

Host: No, Maharaja. We are not ending. Maharaja, we have kirtan till ten. Maharaja, if you can lead kirtan for a few minutes, then others can do the finality. Is that okay, if time permits?

Giriraj Swami: Sure, I’ll lead kirtan.