CONTENTS:
- SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM 3.5.12 (PART - 3)
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM 3.5.12 (PART - 3)
SB 3.5.12
munir vivaksur bhagavad-gunanam
sakhapi te bharatam aha krsnah
sukhanuvadair
matir grhita nu hareh kathayam
TRANSLATION
Your friend the great sage Krishna-dvaipayana Vyasa has already described the transcendental qualities of the Lord in his great work the Mahabharata. But the whole idea is to draw the attention of the mass of people to Krishna-katha [Bhagavad-Gita] through their strong affinity for hearing mundane topics.
That is the difference between and envious person and a virtuous person. To think of it is so painful. During the game of dice Drtarastra was a part of it, he invited them and that is why Yudhistir Maharaja could not refuse. Oh, my uncle has invited us and my uncle wants to have a game of dice with his sons so how can I refuse? He started to lose and lost everything he had. Today they were the richest person who performed the great rajas yagna and the day after that next day he has nothing. This is the nature of the material nature, today you maybe the king and tomorrow you will be a pauper. Then we see after so much struggle everything leads to the battle. He tried to stop this battle in so many ways but couldn’t because it was Krishna’s plan. Krishna came to annihilate the demons and in that battle, Krishna wiped out all the demons in one stroke.
Since Krishna appeared He started to kill them one at a time, Putana, Trinavarta, Agasura, Bhakasura, these demons He was killing single handed. Then He killed Kamsa and the final arrangement is got them all together and in one go wipe them all out. The earth was completely bereft of all Ksatriyas, so many people, queens, princesses and celestial beauties overnight became widows. The whole episode of Mahabharata is so pathetic. In that there is this crest jewel and that is Bhgavad Gita. In those days people listened and understood properly and the teachers also taught properly. Nowadays, first of all the real understanding of Mahabharata is not there. Mahabharata is presented in a very comical way. Bhagavad Gita, all kind of unscrupulous people are giving their version of Bhagavad Gita, their own philosophy, not even philosophy, their nonsense, gibberish and that is what is going on today.
Prabhupada is the only personality who just came and gave the real Bhagavad Gita. We are fortunate that we got that. Had Prabhupada not come I don’t know what would have happened to this world. Actually, the world has been saved by Srila Prabhupada. People won’t recognise that even we don’t understand that in spite of being followers of Srila Prabhupada properly. In course of time it will be seen, the real understanding of the Vedic wisdom is being revealed and presented by Srila Prabhupada. Where else do we get the proper understanding of Bhagavad Gita? Of course there are like Bhaktivinod Thakur’s Bhagavad Gita is there, Baladeva Vidhyabhusana’s commentary is there but the thing is how many people have access to that? Srila Prabhupada gave it in English then they translated into different languages of the world. So today, at least there is a proper understanding of Bhagavad Gita as it is all over the world.
It will continue to grow. When I started to read Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita, it occurred to me that of course by that time I understood where the mistake was in my search for spiritual life and that’s the time, I began to realise how I was influenced by all kind of philosophy like Mayavadi. There are two things Mayavad and Sunyavad: Impersonalism and voidism. It is apparently spiritual but it’s dangerous. A misleading spiritual understanding and the most subtle form of atheism. Mayavadi is actually atheism and Sunyavadi is atheism and the most we can say that it is spiritual suicide. What is Prabhupada’s gift? Nirvesesa sunyavadi pascatya desa tarine, this nirvesesa and sunyavadi is removed from the western world because Srila Prabhupada was preaching in the western world but I would say the world altogether. Prabhupada’s teachings is not only for the western world. Prabhupada’s teachings are for the whole world.
Although Prabhupada started preaching in the west the benefit will be harvested throughout the world. So, this is how Srila Prabhupada benefitted the entire world. At least we are saved and in course of time the more people will be saved and the popularity of this process will grow. As intelligent class of people will be exposed to Srila Prabhupada’s teaching they will recognise and accept it and they will understand. It’s happening all over the world today and will continue increasing. Actually, after Prabhupada’s disappearance, there had been some set back and difficulty but in course of time, these difficulties will be overcome and Krishna consciousness will be spreading like a wild fire in leaps and bounds. Like a wild fire that will destroy all the impurities of the world and let the world shine bright in its real benefit.
So Prabhupada is pointing out that the importance of Mahabharata and the real importance of Mahabharata is Krishna katha. What is Krishna katha? That’s another thing in Mahabharata Krishna is not the hero, Arjuna is the hero, Krishna is a side character. Mahabharata again becomes a little confusing. The purpose of Mahabharata, what has been presented as the goal of life is very misleading. Mahabharata is not promoting the idea of going back to Godhead, Mahabharata is promoting the idea of going to the heavenly planets, which is the general understanding. Krishna is on the side-line but His glory is becoming manifest from time to time. Mahabharata is describing Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead but the emphasis is not there.
There is description of Krishna showing His universal form, Bhisma worshipping Krishna as The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vidura describing Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead but it’s not coming as strongly as it should be as the absolute truth. Although Krishna is shown as the Supreme Personality of Godhead one is not seeing that therefore there is a need of Srimad Bhagavatam. Therefore, there is a need to understand Krishna through the Bhagavad Gita that is the preliminary study. Prabhupada is taking us to an excursion and through that excursion he is giving us the information about the diamond mine and once we approach the diamond mine the whole world of jewels begin to open up. Thank you all very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Gaurpremanande Hari Haribol!
Guru Maharaja reads Srila Prabhupada’s purport of this verse.
PURPORT
The great sage Krishna-dvaipayana Vyasa is the author of all Vedic literature of which his works Vedanta-sutra, Srimad Bhagavatam and Mahabharata are very popular readings. As stated in Bhagavatam 1.4.25 Srila Vyasadeva compiled the Mahabharata for the less intelligent class if men, who take more interest in mundane topics than in philosophy of life. The Vedanta-sutra was compiled for persons already above the mundane topics, who might already have tasted the bitterness of the so-called happiness of mundane affairs. The first aphorism of Vedanta-sutra is athatho brahmajijnasa, i.e. only when one has finished the business if mundane inquiries in the marketplace of sense gratification can one make relevant inquiries regarding Brahman, the Transcendence.
Those persons who are busy with the mundane inquiries which fill the newspapers and other such literatures are classified as stri-sudra-dvija-bandhus, or women, the labourer class and unworthy sons of higher classes (brahmana, ksatriya and vaisya). Such less intelligent men cannot understand the purpose of Vedanta-sutra, although they may make a show of studying the sutras in a perverted way. The real purpose of Vedanta-sutra is explained by the author himself in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and anyone trying to understand Vedanta sutra without reference to SrimadBhagavatam is certainly misguided. Such misguided persons, who are interested in the mundane affairs of philanthropic and altruistic work under the misconception of the body as the self, could better take advantage of the Mahabharata, which was specifically compiled by Srila Vyasadeva for their benefit.
The great author has compiled the Mahabharata in such a way that the less intelligent class of men, who are more interested in mundane topics, may read the Mahabharata with great relish and in the course of such mundane happiness can also take advantage of Bhagavad Gita, the preliminary study of Srimad-Bhagavatam or the Vedantra-sutra. Srila Vyasadeva had no interest in writing a history of mundane activities other than to give less intelligent persons a chance for transcendental realization through Bhagavad-Gita. Vidura’s reference to the Mahabharata indicates that he had heard of the Mahabharata from Vyasadeva, his real father while he was away from home and was touring the places of pilgrimage.
Here Srila Prabhupada is pointing out why Vyasadeva gave Mahabharata for the less intelligent class of people because their interest is mundane and through that it will lead them to Bhagavad-gita the preliminary study of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Prabhupada is pointing out that Vyasadeva had no business to write some mundane history. So that is the real purpose and that real purpose has been revealed by Srila Prabhupada and we are eternally indebted to Srila Prabhupada. The more we recognise what Srila Prabhupada gave the more we will benefit spiritually. It’s not that I am trying to promote Srila Prabhupada because He is my spiritual master, of course that is my duty as a disciple it is my duty to broadcast the glory of my spiritual master. The main purpose of that is to make everyone understand the benefit that one will derive by accepting Srila Prabhupada’s teachings.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Prabhupada is the only personality who just came and gave the real Bhagavad Gita. We are fortunate that we got that. Had Prabhupada not come I don’t know what would have happened to this world. Actually, the world has been saved by Srila Prabhupada. People won’t recognise that even we don’t understand that in spite of being followers of Srila Prabhupada properly. In course of time it will be seen, the real understanding of the Vedic wisdom is being revealed and presented by Srila Prabhupada. Where else do we get the proper understanding of Bhagavad Gita? Of course there are like Bhaktivinod Thakur’s Bhagavad Gita is there, Baladeva Vidhyabhusana’s commentary is there but the thing is how many people have access to that? Srila Prabhupada gave it in English then they translated into different languages of the world. So today, at least there is a proper understanding of Bhagavad Gita as it is all over the world. It will continue to grow.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
- Although Krishna is shown as the Supreme Personality of Godhead one is not seeing that therefore there is a need of Srimad Bhagavatam. Therefore, there is a need to understand Krishna through the Bhagavad Gita, which is the preliminary study. Prabhupada is taking us to an excursion and through that excursion he is giving us the information about the diamond mine and once we approach the diamond mine the whole world of jewels begin to open up; and
- The more we recognise what Srila Prabhupada gave the more we will benefit spiritually.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on 26 August 2008 in ISKCON Ujjain)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)