SB 1.5.17, 1.9.33 – Bhismadeva’s Prayer

Giriraj Swami: We will read from the ripened fruit of the Vedic tree of scriptures, the spotless Purana, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

We’ll read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, Chapter Nine, Text Thirty-Three, Chapter entitled The Passing Away of Bhīṣmadeva.

TEXT 33

tri-bhuvana-kamanaṁ tamāla-varṇaṁ

ravi-kara-gaura-vara-ambaraṁ dadhāne

vapur alaka-kulāvṛtānanābjaṁ

vijaya-sakhe ratir astu me ‘navadyā

TRANSLATION

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the intimate friend of Arjuna. He has appeared on this earth in His transcendental body, which resembles the bluish color of the tamāla tree. His body attracts everyone in the three planetary systems [upper, middle and lower]. May His glittering yellow dress and His lotus face, covered with paintings of sandalwood pulp, be the object of my attraction, and may I not desire fruitive results.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa by His own internal pleasure appears on earth, He does so by the agency of His internal potency. The attractive features of His transcendental body are desired in all the three worlds, namely the upper, middle and lower planetary systems. Nowhere in the universe are there such beautiful bodily features as those of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore His transcendental body has nothing to do with anything materially created. Arjuna is described here as the conqueror, and Kṛṣṇa is described as his intimate friend. Bhīṣmadeva, on his bed of arrows after the Battle of Kurukṣetra, is remembering the particular dress of Lord Kṛṣṇa which He put on as the driver of Arjuna’s chariot. While fighting was going on between Arjuna and Bhīṣma, Bhīṣma’s attraction was drawn by the glittering dress of Kṛṣṇa, and indirectly he admired his so-called enemy Arjuna for possessing the Lord as his friend. Arjuna was always a conqueror because the Lord was his friend. Bhīṣmadeva takes this opportunity to address the Lord as vijaya-sakhe (friend of Arjuna) because the Lord is pleased when He is addressed conjointly with His devotees, who are related with Him in different transcendental humors. While Kṛṣṇa was the charioteer of Arjuna, sun rays glittered on the dress of the Lord, and the beautiful hue created by the reflection of such rays was never forgotten by Bhīṣmadeva. As a great fighter he was relishing the relation of Kṛṣṇa in the chivalrous humor. Transcendental relation with the Lord in any one of the different rasas (humors) is relishable by the respective devotees in the highest ecstasy. Less intelligent mundaners who want to make a show of being transcendentally related with the Lord artificially jump at once to the relation of conjugal love, imitating the damsels of Vrajadhāma. Such a cheap relation with the Lord exhibits only the base mentality of the mundaner because one who has relished conjugal humor with the Lord cannot be attached to worldly conjugal rasa, which is condemned even by mundane ethics. The eternal relation of a particular soul with the Lord is evolved. A genuine relation of the living being with the Supreme Lord can take any form out of the five principal rasas, and it does not make any difference in transcendental degree to the genuine devotee. Bhīṣmadeva is a concrete example of this, and it should be carefully observed how the great general is transcendentally related with the Lord.

COMMENT

So, in this beautiful verse spoken by Bhīṣmadeva, we get an idea of how we should desire and pray to be fixed in Krishna consciousness. Here, grandfather Bhīṣma was lying on the bed of arrows, and his death was imminent, and he was fixing his mind on that form of the Lord, or that image of the Lord that he held so dear to his heart. Bhīṣmadeva is one of the mahājanas, one of the twelve authorities in Krishna consciousness, and he wanted to fix his mind on Krishna in the appearance that was dear to him, at the final moment.

In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, which Srila Prabhupada has given us as a summary study as The Nectar of Devotion, Srila Rupa Gosvami describes that there are twelve rasas, or mellows, or humors - five direct, and seven indirect. The five primary ones are śānta-rasa, neutrality, dāsya-rasa, servitude, sākhya-rasa, friendship, vātsalya-rasa, parental relationship, and mādhurya-rasa, conjugal love. And again, there are seven indirect ones, and one of the indirect ones is the chivalrous rasa, and grandfather Bhīṣma enjoyed the chivalrous rasa in the battle of Kurukshetra.

At one stage, Duryodhana. . . Well, I think you know, but still, Duryodhana was the eldest son of Dhṛtaraṣṭra, and during the battle of Kurukshetra, there was a war between the Pandavas and their allies, and the Kauravas and their allies. So, Duryodhana, who was a very clever diplomat, accused Bhīṣmadeva of not fighting to his full capacity because of his affection for the Pandavas. And this was actually an insult to Bhīṣmadeva, and Bhīṣmadeva responded to the challenge by saying that in the next day’s fighting, either Bhīṣmadeva would kill Arjuna, or he would force Krishna to break His vow not to take part in the fighting.

And it so happened that the next day, Bhīṣmadeva fought so valiantly and heroically that Arjuna was in trouble and Krishna broke His word that He would not take up any weapons and participate in the fighting. He broke His word and picked up a broken chariot wheel, because Arjuna’s chariot was destroyed by Bhīṣmadeva. So, He picked up that broken chariot wheel and He rushed towards grandfather Bhīṣma to fight him, to kill him. And in doing so, He upheld Bhīṣmadeva’s vow, that either he would kill Arjuna, or he would force Krishna to break His promise. And he was successful by Krishna’s grace, and Krishna broke His promise.

Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna states, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati, “O son of Kunti, Arjuna, declare it boldly that My devotee will never perish,” kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati.

So, the question may be raised, why does Krishna ask Arjuna to make that declaration? Why doesn’t Krishna make the declaration Himself? And the answer is that although Krishna is most truthful, He may on occasion break His word for the sake of His devotee, as He did in this case, in the battle of Kurukshetra. He said He would not take up any weapon or take part in the fighting, but to protect Arjuna, He broke His promise, and He did, He picked up the broken chariot wheel as a weapon and rushed towards grandfather Bhīṣma.

So, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati, “O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee will never perish.” Because if Krishna made the declaration, again, although He is most truthful and faithful to His word, He may on occasion break His word, but if His devotee makes a declaration, Krishna will not allow His devotee’s word to be in vain.

And that principle gives me great solace and encouragement when I think of our beloved Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada has promised us that if we just chant sixteen rounds, follow the four regulative principles, and do our best to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, we will go back home, back to Godhead. And because Srila Prabhupada made that declaration, we could say Krishna’s bound to fulfill his word. So, that is very encouraging for us. But we have to be faithful to our vows, to chant our minimum sixteen rounds and follow the four regulative principles and do our best to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, whatever our capacity may be.

Of course, it will vary from case to case, person to person, but to whatever extent we are able, we should try to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. And if we do that—chant our sixteen rounds and follow the four regulative principles, then as promised by Srila Prabhupada, we will go back home, back to Godhead.

So, there are many important words in this verse, many important points, but the basic idea is that Krishna is all-attractive, and He is the reservoir of all pleasure. Srila Prabhupada’s phrase, “The reservoir of all pleasure,” refers to rasa, raso vai saḥ, akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti, that Krishna is the reservoir of all pleasure, He is a reservoir of all rasas. He is the most beautiful personality in existence, even in the spiritual world, so what to speak of in the material world, the three planetary systems. And His complexion resembles the bluish color of the Tamala tree. Therefore, one of His names is Tamal Krishna, and He has a glittering yellow dress.

So, by these descriptions of Krishna, we should become attracted to Krishna. Krishna is all-attractive. The very name Krishna means all attractive, so we should become attracted to Krishna, so that at the time of death, we can remember Him and go back home, back to Godhead.

Now, that may seem somewhat contradictory to what I just said about Srila Prabhupada’s guarantee, but it’s only apparently contradictory, my saying that we have to remember Krishna at the time of death. Of course, we do have to remember Krishna at the time of death, but once, Tamal Krishna Goswami said to Srila Prabhupada, “I’m so busy serving you, what if the time of death comes and I’m busy engaged in your service? How will I think of Krishna at the time of death?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Lord Chaitanya will forcibly enter your mind at the time of death in appreciation and reciprocation for your service.”

So, Srila Prabhupada has given us a beautiful philosophy and a wonderful process. He has given us the association of devotees in ISKCON, and he said 90 percent of Krishna consciousness is association. So, we have every facility, as I mentioned—the philosophy, the process, the association. So, we should take advantage of it all fully, we shouldn’t waste any time.

In one talk in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada said, “If you’ve got time, chant Hare Krishna. Don’t waste time, don’t speak nonsense. If you’ve got time, chant Hare Krishna.” So, we should do that, we should utilize every moment, because one moment lost cannot be bought back for any amount of gold. So, the time we have is precious. Our life is made of the time we have, and it’s very precious. And we should not waste a moment. And that’s also one of the symptoms of ecstatic love of Godhead, that the devotee does not waste one moment. So, somehow or other, we should be engaged in Krishna consciousness and devotional service.

Prahlada Maharaja has given us the nine processes, nava-vidhā bhakti – śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam. And different devotees have attained perfection just by executing one of those nine processes, or by all nine. And generally, we need variety. So, sometimes chanting, sometimes hearing, sometimes remembering, sometimes serving, sometimes worshiping the Deity. Somehow or other, always be engaged in devotional service.

The basic principle of vaidhī-sādhana-bhakti is to always remember Krishna and never forget Him. And all the other positive injunctions and negative prohibitions are servants of the one positive injunction to always remember Krishna, and the one negative prohibition to never forget Krishna, vismartavyaḥ na jātucit. Of course, chanting, hearing, all the processes, but chanting is something we can always do at any time.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

Thank you, my dear devotees, for joining us for this discussion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Now, we can open the mic, and devotees who wish can make comments or ask questions.

Host: Thank you, Guru Maharaja, for the nice class, we appreciate it. Our first comment is from Sakshi Lakhiani. Can you unmute your mic, please?

Sakshi Lakhiani: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to you.

Guru Maharaja, my question is, there is such a beautiful description of Krishna, and not just this verse of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but also in so many different literatures, like the Brahma-saṁhitā and so many other books that we have. But we are all used to such a lower taste that we find in the material world, that we don’t really feel that attracted to Krishna, even after hearing so much and after reading so much. So, in such a bad condition of our soul, what can we do?

Giriraj Swami: That’s a very important question. Iron is naturally attracted to a magnet. But if the iron is covered by rust, it will not be attracted to a magnet, although by nature, iron is attracted. So, by nature, we are attracted to Krishna, Krishna is all-attractive, but because we are covered with the rust of material contamination, we have to remove that covering. And the process for removing the covering is devotional service, bhakti-yoga, hearing and chanting about Krishna.

In the Upadeśāmṛta, Srila Rupa Gosvami compares avidya, ignorance, mainly of who we are, that ignorance is compared to the disease called jaundice. I had jaundice and I experienced this practically. Someone who has jaundice tastes sweet things to be bitter, but the ayurvedic cure for jaundice is sugar candy, rock candy. So, even though the sugar candy tastes bitter to the diseased tongue of the jaundice patient, he forces himself to take the medicine, and gradually, as he recovers his health, that rock candy tastes sweeter and sweeter, and then when he is cured, he can taste it as it is, which is sweet like nectar.

So, even if we find chanting and hearing to be bitter medicine, we should still take that medicine. And by taking that medicine, Rupa Gosvami says, “Carefully chanting these sweet holy names every day,” that disease is gradually destroyed at the root, and one can taste the sweet nectar—the holy name, forms, qualities, and pastimes of Krishna. So, just keep at it.

Rupa Gosvami also says in The Nectar of Devotion, utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt. Utsāhā means with enthusiasm. You should continue with enthusiasm. But dhairyāt means patience, you also have to be patient. You can’t expect to achieve complete success all of a sudden, at once, but you will, eventually. So, you have to be patient and niścayād, confident of success in the end.

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada writes so beautifully that Krishna consciousness is so pure and perfect that having once begun, one is forcibly dragged to ultimate success. So, your ultimate success is guaranteed, you just have to persevere.

Host: Next question is from Sahadeva Prabhu. Sahadeva, please unmute.

Sahadeva dasa: Hare Krishna, Maharaja, thank you once again. Thank you very much.

Giriraj Swami: My pleasure.

Sahadeva dasa: We are always happy to have your association.

Maharaja, sometimes I get a little bit concerned about how ISKCON is going to maintain its standard the way Srila Prabhupada set it. You rightly said, Krishna asked Arjuna to make such proclamation because He knows that He sometimes might be compelled to change His promise. But whenever His pure devotee says something, He is bound to make it happen. And that is why Krishna Himself says that a higher worship than worship to Himself is worship of His devotees.

So, my little understanding is that it’s even higher to worship the pure devotees of the Lord than worshiping Krishna Himself. Meanwhile in ISKCON, as it is today, we are not given the opportunity to worship our gurus, which to me is more important than worship of Krishna. Of course, we worship Srila Prabhupada, but I cannot jump over my guru to worship Srila Prabhupada. I know it’s kind of political, unfortunately, in the sense that I lived in the time where I worshiped my guru, until these changes happened.

But in the next two, three generations to come, they may not see any point in their devotional life, where devotees worship the present-day gurus, and may tend to belittle our present-day gurus, which is dangerous. What do we do in such a situation? Hare Krishna. Thank you, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. I agree that the worship of the devotee and the service of the devotee is the best. Lord Shiva declares, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁviṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param, that of all types of worship, the worship of Vishnu is the highest, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁviṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param. Tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānām ārādhanam, but even higher than the worship of Vishnu is the worship of things related to Vishnu, which basically means the worship of the devotees, who are related to Vishnu. So, that is the highest.

And Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in the Ādi Purāṇa, “Those who claim to be My devotees are not actually My devotees. But those who are devotees of My devotees, they are actually My devotees.” And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself presented Himself as gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ, the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna, the maintainer of the damsels of Vrindavana. So that is our position, to be the servant of the servants.

Once, I asked Srila Prabhupada’s learned Sanskrit scholar, Pradyumna dasa, that everything in the material world exists in the spiritual world, but in the spiritual world, it exists in its original pure form, and in the material world, it exists as an inverted reflection. So, I asked him what pride in the spiritual world is. And he replied that pride in the spiritual world is to be the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant, to be the last one in the line. In other words, to have the most masters. That is his pride – he is the last in the line of servants, he has the most masters, and that is his pride.

So, we should always aspire to be the servant of the servants of the servants of Krishna. That is the best position and the safest position. And Krishna is pleased when we take the position of the servant of the servant of the servants of Krishna. And I don’t see why, I can’t imagine why the worship of the guru should stop. Worship of the guru must go on. It’s part of our philosophy, it’s part of our practice.

Host: Next question is from Divya shakti. Please unmute.

Divya shakti Bhim: Hare Krishna, Giriraj Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances, and thank you so much for your wonderful class tonight.

Leading up to Janmashtami, I’ve been trying to really meditate on some of your words and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and a lot of Krishna’s pastimes I found to be very deep, especially in Vrindavan, and very intimate. So, my question is, for neophyte devotees and people who are up and coming in Krishna consciousness, how can we try and understand Lord Krishna’s pastimes? And how can we really try and deepen our appreciation?

Giriraj Swami: Well, as we have all heard, one should begin Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the First Canto, and then progress gradually to the Tenth Canto. So, by the time we get to the Tenth Canto, we understand actually who Krishna is. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is compared to the form of Krishna, and the first two Cantos are compared to His lotus feet. And then gradually, in our meditation, we progress upwards in the form of the Lord, until we come to His smiling face, which is compared to the Tenth Canto.

So, of course, for Janmashtami, we will speak about Krishna, but while doing so, we should be careful that our audience understands who Krishna is. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is accepted as such. Of course, first, a devotee should study the Bhagavad-gītā, and then progress to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

I don’t know if I’ve answered your question or if there is more that you would like me to address.

Divya shakti Bhim: Sorry, Maharaja, I couldn’t unmute myself, but I think that’s more than sufficient. Thank you so much, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Okay. I wish you all the best.

Host: Thank you, Maharaja. Next question is from Hema Gauri dasi. Please unmute yourself.

Hema Gauri dasi: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Please accept my daṇḍavat-praṇāmās. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Guru Maharaja, you said that for receiving the mercy of the Lord, I mean, like Prabhupada has told us—chant sixteen rounds, follow the four regulative principles, and preach to the best of your ability, to preach to everyone you see. So, the question is that now we have very soon coming up to Krishna Janmashtami, and we would really very much like to invite all the devotees to come for the festival. But how do we distinguish? And because of this virus, it has become difficult for us to celebrate the festival, and there are many sincere people who really want to come to our temple, but we just cannot. So, I feel kind of guilty. So, what to do?

Giriraj Swami: Well, what are your options?

Hema Gauri dasi: Option is that we can just tell them to come and take the darshan, and then we give them some prasādam. Because obviously, with this pandemic, we cannot do it like we used to do it before. We used to have a thousand people, people used to queue up, we used to sell prasādam. But now we have to do it in a very limited way.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that’s practical. I mean, every temple is more or less making adjustments, like what you described. That doesn’t mean that you are not doing your best to spread Krishna consciousness, it just means that what you can do in the present circumstances is limited.

Hema Gauri dasi: We are really trying our best in whatever the situation, whatever the authorities permit us. We just don’t want the devotees to feel that we are not doing anything for Janmashtami or something like that.

Giriraj Swami: I’m sure they’ll understand that circumstances are prohibiting you from celebrating as you used to.

Hema Gauri dasi: Thank you, Maharaja.

Host: The next question is from Sakshi Lakhiani. Please unmute.

Sakshi Lakhiani: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja, sorry to bother you again with my questions.

I just had this question, you said that the greatest in the spiritual world is the one who has the most masters. So, everyone wants to be the others’ servant, so there is a competition, and then there would be fights. So, what can we do about it? I want to be the last in the line of servants, but so does everyone else.

Giriraj Swami: Well, everyone can be the last. It’s a very good competition. In the material world, everyone’s competing to be the first, in the spiritual world, everyone’s competing to be the last. But you don’t really need to worry about that. When we get to the spiritual world, everything will be adjusted. But you will be the servant of the servant of the servant, that’s for sure. And you’ll be happy in your position—servant of the servant.

Sakshi Lakhiani: So, Guru Maharaja, when someone says, “I’m your servant,” I feel really awkward because I want to be their servant and I want them to be my masters because they are devotees. So, I feel like it’s really awkward when someone says that to me. How do I deal with that?

Giriraj Swami: Well, we should be the servants of one another, and therefore, Srila Prabhupada instructed us to address each other as prabhu. Prabhu means master, which means that we are the servants. So, we are all servants of the other devotees. If someone presents themselves as your servant, okay, but who are you? You are also a servant. So, they are the servant of the servant, and ultimately, it’s all going to Krishna. Of course, we shouldn’t accept service for our sense gratification, but if someone wants to help us in our service to Krishna, that’s nice. They get spiritual benefit and we get spiritual benefit, and Krishna is happy.

Sakshi Lakhiani: Thank you so much, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Sakshi Lakhiani: Hare Krishna. So, we shouldn’t get competitive about being everyone’s servant?

Giriraj Swami: I mean, sometimes it happens. Two people have to go through the doorway and one tells the other, “After you,” and the other says, “No, no, after you,” “No, no, no, after you, you first,” “No, no, you first.” And somehow, it gets worked out.

Sakshi Lakhiani: Okay. Thank you so much, Guru Maharaja. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Host: Thank you, Maharaja. I have a question from the translation of this verse. In the translation, the last line of prayer of Bhīṣmadeva, where he says, “The object of my attraction, and may I not desire fruitive results,” the last line.

So, my question is, Krishna tells Arjuna to declare it boldly that His devotees will never perish, and here, Bhīṣmadeva is making this prayer. So, my question is—at a point in every devotee’s life, each devotee has made similar prayers, “May Krishna be the object of my attraction, and May I never desire fruitive results.”

And most devotees completely left devotional service. So, how did it happen that such a prayer they have made in the past, Krishna never took into account and let them leave devotional service? He said, the word of His devotee, He will keep it. So, Arjuna declared boldly that His devotee will never perish. The devotees themselves make similar prayers to Krishna and we see most of them also left devotional service. So, why does Krishna allow that?

Giriraj Swami: Well, Krishna gives us minute independence. Ultimately, Krishna wants our love, and there is no meaning to love if it is not voluntary. If it’s forced, then it’s not love. So, we have minute independence and we can use our independence properly, to serve Krishna, or we can misuse our independence and leave Krishna’s service. But once someone has begun the process of devotional service, it is expected that he will come back. So, even if he leaves, his departure is temporary and it is expected that he will come back again. So, it’s not permanent. It’s just a sort of temporary interruption. Krishna is keeping His promise, but He is also giving the living entity freedom to choose.

There is a very nice verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that describes the position of a devotee who leaves devotional service, as opposed to a non-devotee. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, Chapter Five, Nārada’s Instructions on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

TEXT 17

tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer

bhajann apakvo ‘tha patet tato yadi

yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ

ko vārtha āpto ‘bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ

TRANSLATION

One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything.

COMMENT

There is a beautiful purport, fairly long, but basically, Srila Prabhupada gives examples of devotees who temporarily fell down, but who were ultimately successful. Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

It so happens sometimes that one surrenders himself unto the service of the Lord by some temporary sentiment, and in the long run, due to so many other reasons, he falls down from the path of service by undesirable association. There are so many instances of this in the histories. Bharata Mahārāja was obliged to take his birth as a stag due to his intimate attachment to a stag.

COMMENT

It means a deer.

PURPORT (continued)

He thought of this stag when he died. As such, in the next birth he became a stag, although he did not forget the incident of his previous birth. Similarly, Citraketu also fell down due to his offenses at the feet of Śiva. But in spite of all this, the stress is given here to surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Lord, even if there is a chance of falling down, because even though one falls down from the prescribed duties of devotional service, he will never forget the lotus feet of the Lord. Once engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, one will continue the service in all circumstances. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that even a small quantity of devotional service can save one from the most dangerous position. There are many instances of such examples in history. Ajāmila is one of them. Ajāmila in his early life was a devotee, but in his youth he fell down. Still he was saved by the Lord at the end.

COMMENT

Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati.

Host: Thank you, Maharaja. Thank you so much. We have another question from Sahadeva Prabhu.

Sahadeva dasa: Thank you. Thank you, Maharaja, for allowing my question.

My question has to do with Bhīṣmadeva and his pastimes with Krishna, which is that of chivalrous rasa, which is an indirect rasa with Krishna. So, my question is, is Bhīṣmadeva then not an acharya? I’m still trying to wrap my head around Bhīṣmadeva’s lifestyle. As I try to be a devotee, what can I learn from what he did, fighting against the right people? And it’s not that he did not know. He knew that the Pandavas were right, but yet he fought against them. And I don’t know if before being on his deathbed, he encouraged other people to surrender to Krishna and not be fruitive as he is praying in this verse?

And comparing him to Sri Prahlada, who is also a mahājana, Prahlada Maharaja, from the very beginning, said to his classmates, “Don’t wait till you are old, surrender to Krishna now, you never know.” So, the two, even though they were mahājanas, they lived contradictory lives. So, what do we learn from Bhīṣmadeva’s lifestyle as aspiring devotees? Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna. Bhīṣmadeva, I would say is in dāsya-rasa, servant. The chivalrous rasa. . . Because the indirect rasas go on top of the direct rasas. Just like one of the rasas is hasya-rasa, which Srila Prabhupada translates as, “Laugh in ecstasy” in The Nectar of Devotion. So, sometimes we see that with Mother Yasoda. She is enjoying hasya-rasa, but the hasya-rasa is on top of her vātsalya-rasa, her primary relationship.

So, Bhīṣmadeva, his primary relationship is dāsya-rasa, and the chivalrous rasa was on top of the dāsya-rasa. And he was praying not to have any fruitive activity, and we should also have that prayer, not to want any material benefit for our service. Srila Prabhupada said that we should be afraid of maya. We shouldn’t be overconfident, we should be afraid of maya, and we should always pray to be protected from the allurements of maya.

There was one talk that Srila Prabhupada gave in London, and in the talk, Srila Prabhupada said, “The difference between you and me is that you can fall down and I cannot fall down.” And after the class, Srila Prabhupada was praying in front of the Deities, and one disciple asked him what he was praying. And Srila Prabhupada said, “I was praying that I may never fall down.” And the disciple said, “But Srila Prabhupada, in the class, you said you can never fall down.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, because I’m always praying that I may never fall down, therefore, I can never fall down.”

Host: Okay. Another question from the audience. Maharaja, we don’t know how long you have for us.

Giriraj Swami: I have all the time in the world.

Host: Oh, okay, interesting.

Giriraj Swami: But I also have other services. I just have a question, because whenever Sakshi was speaking, there was another young devotee named Shiradha Kripa Katakshi dasi, who was also in the program, and whenever Sakshi was speaking, Shiradha Kripa Katakshi dasi would smile. She is also a young lady. So, Sakshi, how old are you?

Host: Sakshi, please unmute yourself, please.

Sakshi Lakhiani: Guru Maharaja, I turned seventeen in July.

Giriraj Swami: You turned seventeen in July, okay, nice. And I don’t know if Shiradha Kripa Katakshi dasi is still with us. Her picture is there, but I’m not seeing her like before. But anyway, I think she is maybe nineteen, something like that. So, good, good, starting at a young age. I mean, you are not just starting also. Okay, nice.

Host: Sahadeva, your hand is up.

Sahadeva dasa: Yes. I just wanted to say, Srila Prabhupada is so amazing. He has answers to every question. You might think you are asking the most difficult question, and then he takes it so lightly.

Maharaja, my question is, I did not see a Tamala tree before, so I don’t know exactly how it looks like, but according to pitamaha Bhīṣmadeva, it’s bluish in color. And he is saying that that is Krishna’s original color. We also understand that Krishna’s original color is Shyamasundara, which is a monsoon rain cloud. So, is Tamala a blend of bluish black, or it’s just blue?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it’s a blend. It says that sometimes, Srimati Radharani, when She was feeling separation from Krishna, She would embrace a Tamala tree because of that resemblance of color. But it’s not bright blue, it’s more blackish, but it’s special.

Host: I think we have a question on the chat room from [Unintelligible 01:34:24]. “Hare Krishna, please accept my humble obeisances. I remember how Srila Prabhupada said, “The difference between you and me is that you are not afraid of maya, but I’m afraid.”

Giriraj Swami: Yes, that’s true. Srila Prabhupada did say that. He once complained about his disciples that we are not afraid of maya sufficiently.

Host: Sakshi Lakhiani, go ahead please.

Sakshi Lakhiani: Sorry to bother you again, Guru Maharaja. We noticed that our Radha-Rasabihari is actually white, but Krishna’s complexion is dark. So, why do we have a white Deity?

Giriraj Swami: That’s how it was made. There are many white Krishna Deities. There were six pairs of Deities that were donated to us by R. D. Birla, who was at the time the richest man in India. And they were white Krishna. So, Radha-Rasabihari in Bombay was one pair, and Radha-Govinda in Calcutta was another of the pairs, and I think maybe Radha-Vrindavan Chandra in New Vrindavan.

Sakshi Lakhiani: Also, Radha-Gopinatha, Guru Maharaja? Because He is also white.

Giriraj Swami: Which Radha-Gopinatha?

Sakshi Lakhiani: In the Chowpatty temple. So, Krishna doesn’t take offense if we portray Him differently than His natural description?

Giriraj Swami: No.

Sakshi Lakhiani: Okay. Thank you so much, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: He wants your devotion, that’s all. Whether white Krishna or black Krishna, He wants your devotion.

Host: We have another question on the chat room from Kevin Karuna. “Is it true that everyone who got killed in Kurukshetra went back to Godhead?”

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it is true. Once, we were in Amritsar with Srila Prabhupada, and he visited a king, Baladeva Inder Singh. And Baladeva Inder Singh told Srila Prabhupada that one astrologer told him that he was in the battle of Kurukshetra, and that unfortunately, he was on the other side against Krishna. And Srila Prabhupada said that it cannot be true because everyone in the battle of Kurukshetra was liberated.

Host: So, the devotee was trying to tell Prabhupada that he was a pure devotee.

Giriraj Swami: He had that mis-conception that he’d fought against Krishna because he felt bad about it, but Srila Prabhupada assured him it could not have been true, because everyone who died in the battlefield of Kurukshetra was liberated.

Host: But, Maharaja, sometimes when you go to Vrindavan, when devotees say, “Radha, Radha, jaya Radha,” they see the gopīs and all the women in Vrindavan. They were all the gopīs of Krishna or the Gopal cowherd boys. But even people that are killing went back to Godhead or were liberated, and the people who participated in pastimes of Krishna in Vraja, they must also have been liberated and go with Krishna?

Giriraj Swami: Yeah.

Host: Because these sahajiyās who have this conception that the people in Vrindavan were once Krishna’s associates, eternal associates, and I have experienced many devotees from the west, they see them as such, really.

Giriraj Swami: Well, it’s good to respect the vrajavāsīs. There is no harm in that, but I don’t think we can say that they were Krishna’s associates in Vrindavan when Krishna was personally present. But we can respect them.

Host: On the chat room from Ayushi Nanda, “Is the Kauravas party also in Goloka now? Did they also return alongside the Pandavas?”

Giriraj Swami: Sorry, what was the question?

Host: The question is, “Is the Kauravas party also in Goloka now?” If they went with Pandavas at the same time.

Giriraj Swami: Why is she asking this question? Ayushi, are you with us?

Ayushi Nanda: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja. Please accept my humble obeisances.

Host: Yes, she is here.

Ayushi Nanda: Guru Maharaja, actually, just now you told us that everyone who was in the battlefield returned to Goloka, so it included all the Kauravas as well. So, I was just wondering if they also returned to Goloka along with the Pandavas?

Giriraj Swami: I didn’t say they went to Goloka, but I said they were liberated. Well, there is a phenomenon that Srila Prabhupada called the road show. And in the road show, Krishna goes from one universe to another, and He displays His pastimes. So, the pastime of the battle of Kurukshetra and Krishna speaking the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, that will be repeated from universe to universe. So, I would imagine that Duryodhana and company would be part of the road show. Some of the road show exists in Goloka Vrindavan, and some is just on the road show. So, I think that Duryodhana and company are definitely part of the road show, but it’s hard to think that they would be in Goloka Vrindavana.

Host: Guru Maharaja, there is a question on the chat room from [Unintelligible 01:42:56]. He is saying, “I would like to know if a devotee can please guru without pleasing Krishna, or vice versa.”

Giriraj Swami: Well, if we are talking about pure devotees, then yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo, if you please a pure devotee, Krishna will be pleased. And if Krishna is pleased, then the pure devotee will be pleased.

Host: Our next question is from Narayani devi dasi. Please unmute, Narayani, your hand is up. I don’t think she is here now.

Narayani devi dasi: Hare Krishna, gurudeva.

Giriraj Swami: I hope you are not driving. Because your hands are not on the wheel.

Narayani devi dasi: I want to know if Subadra is the daughter of Mother Yasoda or the daughter of Mother Rohini.

Giriraj Swami: Rohini. Her father is Vasudeva, her mother is Rohini, and her siblings are Balarama. . .

Sahadeva dasa: I think she heard you, Maharaja. Thank you.

Host: Maharaja, I have a follow-up question from the former question, the one Mataji asked before about Janmashtami. Our philosophy is that whatever is happening, it’s Krishna’s arrangement. So, when people are not allowed to come to the temple for Janmashtami celebration, is this also part of Krishna’s arrangement?

Giriraj Swami: We can see it’s just the reality. I don’t know if I would say that Krishna arranged. Ultimately, Krishna is the cause of all causes, so in that sense, we could say that He is the cause of the pandemic, He is the cause of not being able to celebrate Janmashtami as we ordinarily would. It’s good to see everything as Krishna’s mercy, to give us a chance to serve Him in different ways. Because ahaituky apratihatā pure devotional service has no cause, no material cause, and it is not interrupted, it has no discontinuity. So, one way or the other, we’ll engage in devotional service.

Host: Thank you, gurudeva. Anybody have a question? Guru Maharaja says he has unlimited time, so throw your questions. Sahadeva, please, you have the floor.

Sahadeva dasa: Thank you very much, Guru Maharaja. Maharaja, I wouldn’t be very specific, and I pray that you also do not be very specific in answering my question.

My question has to do with us trying to be devotees of Srila Prabhupada. If one wants to please another person, you just have to hear what the other person wants you to do, and you do that, then you become loved by the other person. And Srila Prabhupada has told us that our love for him will be shown by how much we cooperate amongst ourselves in his house, which is ISKCON. And I’m coming from a Christian background, and there is a parable that if one has a hundred sheep and he loses one, he will put the ninety-nine aside and go look for the missing one.

So, we have this beautiful house that Srila Prabhupada built for us, and we have some of our brothers and sisters that we are losing to other people or other groups because of certain philosophy.

Giriraj Swami: Sahadeva, it’s not related to your question, I have to go for a minute, and I’ll be right back.

Sahadeva dasa: Okay, thank you, Maharaja.

Host: Okay. Sahadeva, you can go on.

Sahadeva dasa: Okay, Hare Krishna, thank you. Thank you very much, Maharaja.

So, I think I was talking about how Srila Prabhupada left us this beautiful house, which is ISKCON, and we see some of our brothers and sisters being snatched away by some people or by some groups. And I am not sure if we, as a group, have much concern as to how we are going to protect and safeguard our brothers and sisters. Some of us really don’t care whether we lose our brothers and sisters in this movement or not.

So, I’m a nobody, but in my opinion, if devotees are made to understand who Srila Prabhupada is, reading Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta and understanding his position, maybe these people leaving ISKCON will not be leaving. And I’m concerned that as a society, as a group, we are not very much bothered seeing our fellow brothers and sisters leave. And is there anything we can do to help some of these devotees leaving? Because it’s painful seeing some of my brothers and sisters leave ISKCON. It’s very painful.

Giriraj Swami: You mean they leave ISKCON for another spiritual organization?

Sahadeva dasa: Yes, Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Well, I agree with you. I have faith in Srila Prabhupada, and I believe that pretty much everyone will do better if they stay with Srila Prabhupada.

There was one case, and it really took me by surprise. Of course, there were circumstances because this was in Bombay, and I had visa problems, so I couldn’t come back to India for many years.

So, this one devotee was attached to me, he left ISKCON and joined the Gaudiya Matha. And then, when I came back to India, I was sort of sorry to hear that he had left ISKCON and joined the Gaudiya Matha. But His Holiness Radhanath Swami, in a way, consoled me by saying that that devotee who joined the Gaudiya Matha wasn’t very much in the preaching mood, and that therefore, maybe the Gaudiya Matha was a better fit for him because he wasn’t so much in the preaching mood. But it’s quite clear that if I had been in Bombay, he would not have left, but hearing what Radhanath Swami said, it gave me a perspective that gave me some consolation.

So, I think there could be a rare example where someone does fit better in the Gaudiya Matha, but generally, definitely, we want people to stay in ISKCON, and we should try to create an environment in which they would want to stay and not leave.

Host: Thank you, Maharaja. Next question is from Aayushi Nanda. Please unmute.

Aayushi Nanda: Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Aayushi Nanda: Maharaja, my question is, in a very recent class that you have given, there was one devotee who asked you this question, how should we see the turbulence, the wars going around us? Should we see it as part of our collective karma, the karma of the entire world, or we should see that it is an arrangement of the Lord? So, you said that the wars, this violence that is going on is a result of cow slaughter, so we should completely stop the slaughtering of the cows.

So, Guru Maharaja, my question is, there are many dishes that we prepare out of milk and curd etc. and not every time, we are able to procure ahimsa milk for us, and we are not left with many hot beverage options, so we prefer taking milk, which is not ahimsa milk. So, in one sense, we are also contributing to slaughtering of the cows by not taking ahimsa milk. So, how should we see that? I mean, should we stop it? Because it’s not very easy to leave drinking milk, Guru Maharaja. So, what should we do about that?

Giriraj Swami: I mean, Srila Prabhupada drank milk. Of course, he wanted us to have farms and cows and get milk from our own cows, but still, Srila Prabhupada drank milk that was not from protected cows. And Srila Prabhupada said milk develops the finer tissues in the brain for spiritual realization. And Krishna likes milk and butter and yogurt, so we should offer Krishna what He wants, even if we can’t get it from protected cows. My humble opinion.

Aayushi Nanda: Thank you, Guru Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

Aayushi Nanda: Hare Krishna.

Host: Thank you, Guru Maharaja. There is no hand up here. Let’s see if somebody wants to say something. Many devotees are here. Any questions from anybody? Raghunath Bhatta Prabhu, do you have a question? Kindly unmute yourself.

Giriraj Swami: He is saying no. So, we can end.

Host: Malati dasi, unmute your mic, please.

Malati dasi: Sorry, Prabhu, I didn’t raise my hand, actually.

Host: Can we hear you?

Giriraj Swami: She is saying she didn’t raise her hand.

Host: Oh, okay.

Giriraj Swami: I appreciate your efforts to draw out more.

Host: Sahadeva is back again.

Sahadeva dasa: Of course, Maharaja, I have so many questions, but I just don’t want to take up the entire time because there are many other devotees here.

We understand that whatever we find in this material world also goes on in the spiritual world; it’s just a perverted reflection. So, if that is the case, then how do we understand that in the heavens, there are marriages? In Vaikuntha, there are marriages in the process of life. In Goloka Vrindavan, there is no marriage at all. So, these gopīs were in Vrindavan. Should I repeat what I said?

Giriraj Swami: You are saying there are no marriages in Goloka Vrindavan?

Sahadeva dasa: Yes, that’s what I heard. I think I read, actually. I read Srila Prabhupada said in Goloka, there is no marriage. In Vaikuntha, there is marriage, but there is no intimacy. In heavens, there is marriage, there is intimacy. So, if there is no marriage at all in Goloka and these gopīs are in Goloka Vrindavan, on earth Goloka, they were married, so in the spiritual world, do they also have husbands? Which would be contradictory to what Srila Prabhupada says, that there is no marriage in Goloka.

Giriraj Swami: Well, there is marriage, of course, there is marriage. Nanda and Yasoda are married. But there is no marriage to Krishna, but there is marriage.

Sahadeva dasa: Oh, ok. Thank you very much Maharaja. Yes, that does make sense to me, I mean, my little head, I understand it. That’s why we need you Maharaja, at least once a month. We wish we could have more of you but at least once a month is better than nothing. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

Host: We ask the devotees to unmute yourself and chant Hare Krishna and thank Maharaja for coming.

Devotees:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Giriraj Swami: I suggest we end with Vaishnava pranam.

Devotees: vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca kripa-sindhubhya eva capatitanam pavanebhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namah

Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki Jaya!