Verse: Krishna Samhita
Hare Krsna. So, we are discussing about Bhaktivinod Thakur’s Krsna Samhita. As I mentioned yesterday, this book by Bhaktivinod Thakur has ten chapters. Yesterday, we briefly discussed about the first three chapters. In those chapters, in order to establish the supremacy of the Vedic culture and in order to establish Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhaktivinod Thakur first defeated the misconceptions that have been established by the British during that time. I quite extensively discussed about how the British tried to undermine the supremacy of Vedic culture, rather they minimized the Vedic culture in whatever way they could, and they tried to make us believe that India is not really that civilized; whatever civilization India had, was very recent and the Aryans actually brought the civilization to India. They came from some other country preferably they would like to say from Europe and so forth. But, Bhaktivinod Thakur just smashed that. He completely defeated those misconceptions and established the proper understanding.
So, first thing that we, the followers of Bhaktivinod Thakur, the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu should try to do is - get rid of all the misconceptions that have been injected in our mind by the British and one of the big misconceptions is that the British made us believe that Vedic scriptures are mythology, Vedic scriptures are fictitious and they are not real, they are just some stories, fairy tales. No, the Vedic scriptures are dealing with the Absolute Truth, not a single word in the Vedic scriptures, not a single sentence in the Vedic scriptures is untruth and everything that have been presented in the Vedic scriptures are the truth and nothing but the truth and not only it is the truth, but it is actually the absolute truth. Vedic scriptures are dealing with the spiritual reality; Vedic scriptures are taking us out of this material nature into the spiritual realm. With that understanding we must approach the Vedic scriptures.
Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the supreme proprietor, He is the supreme creator, He is the supreme maintainer and He incarnates in order to reestablish Dharma from time to time (Dharmasansthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge) and Krsna has revealed His identity through Bhagavad Gita. In Bhagavad Gita, through Arjuna he is telling us, who he is. So, this understanding we must have very clearly established in our mind. Whatever has been presented in the Vedic scriptures is real- there is a reality beyond this material nature. This material nature is not everything. Beyond this material nature there is a spiritual reality; beyond this body, beyond matter in this body we have spirit soul. It is the spirit soul that is our real identity, the spirit soul is the actual self and the spirit soul is the source of consciousness, the spirit soul is eternal, spirit soul is immortal and it is the spirit soul’s presence in the body that the body becomes alive. Now these are very basic understandings; these are the alphabets of the spiritual science. But if we think about it, we find that we are so badly conditioned, we have been so badly misled that we find it difficult to believe that we are a spirit soul. We tend to think that we are this body and when something happens to this body that is the reality and when the body dies everything is finished. No, we have to transcend this misconception, we have to overcome this misconception and come to the proper understanding and then we have to recognize that the spirit soul comes from the spiritual reality and this way we have to understand that beyond this material nature there is the spiritual reality and this material nature is only a perverted reflection of that spiritual sky and Bhaktivinod Thakur established that the spiritual sky has got three sections - three regions- one is the boundary of the spiritual sky- spiritual world. The boundary of the spiritual world is Brahma-jyoti- impersonal Brahman effulgence. Then there is the region where Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna predominates surrounded by his devotees as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as Narayana. That region is Vaikuntha and beyond that region there is another region where Krsna is displaying his sweetness. There, in order to display his sweetness, Krsna is not acting as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There, he is the object of love and in loving relationship we forget the identity or the position of the person. When we are in love with somebody, we do not consider whether he is rich or poor, whether he is big or small. When we love somebody then, the person or the object of love becomes the only concern for us. Like a mother, even though the child may be deformed, the child may be very ugly but does it care to the mother? No, the mother has love for the child. So, that is the sign of love. Love doesn’t consider whether the person is big or small or famous or infamous and so forth.
So, that region where the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the object of love and there is an unalloyed loving relationship and loving exchanges between the Lord and His devotees that region is Goloka Vrindavan and in Goloka Vrindavan, Krsna performs his pastimes in the most wonderful way. Those pastimes are unique, those pastimes Krsna does not display anywhere else, but one nice thing about those pastimes is that those pastimes are very much like the activities on this earth planet. In that region, the Lord looks like a human being (nara vapu) His form is like nara. Nara means human being. So, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Goloka Vrindavan is like a human being, whereas in Vaikuntha the Supreme Personality of Godhead is manifest in His four armed form. There, He is not two armed, there He is four armed. There, He is displaying His opulence and what is His opulence? The opulence is that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the supreme controller, and He is the supreme worship able Lord. But, in Vrindavan, He is different. In Vrindavan, He is like a human being.
Actually the reality is that the material nature is the reflection of the spiritual sky. So, what do we see in the reflection? Everything seems to be upside down. So, in the reflection, the bottom part is the highest and the topmost part is the lowest. So, when we consider the reflection of the spiritual nature in the material nature, then the impersonal Brahman is reflected as the topmost concept of the material nature then beyond that is the reflection of Vaikuntha and what is the reflection of Vaikuntha? The reflection of Vaikuntha is the heavenly planets, heaven. Now you can also consider that in Vaikuntha, the Lord is present in His four-armed form (right!) and how do the residents of heavenly planets look like, How many arms do they have? How many arms Ganesha has? How many arms Sarasvati has? How many arms Laxmi has? So, the demigods are four-armed often. But then the reflection of the topmost region, what is the topmost region of the spiritual sky?-Goloka Vrindavan and what is the reflection of that region? It is the earth planet. In the material nature, the earth planet is below, then the heavenly planets, then the impersonal Brahman realization but in the spiritual nature Brahma-jyoti is the lowest region, the boundary, not even the spiritual world, it is the boundary and then Vaikuntha and then Goloka Vrindavan.
(goloka namne……sute sute..)
Devidham is this material nature. Then, beyond the Devidham, beyond this material nature is the domain of Lord Siva, Mahesha (Devi Mahesh). Then, beyond that is Haridham –Vaikuntha. But, they are gradually below this material nature.
So, in this way Bhaktivinod Thakur very clearly established that beyond this material nature is the spiritual reality and this material nature is the reflection of the spiritual sky. Yesterday we also discussed how Bhaktivinod Thakur smashed this British concept. Actually, this morning I was thinking about that. I have just explained that British came with the Darwin’s theory of organic evolution, what is the organic evolution? From matter came life, matter gradually evolved into life and then life developed, it became more and more developed and then finally, it became human beings and they through a bunch of Indians who were their paid agents, who had been recognized as big historians, big scholars but they were actually the British agents. May be unknowingly they did that, but the reality is they became the agents of the British and they destroyed the Vedic culture, they destroyed the respect of the Indians for the Vedic culture. Now through them what did they point out, “Oh see even Dasavtar strotram is accepting that”. The first evolution was fish-aquatics and then they imagined that God was an aquatic, then it became amphibious, that is tortoise, so, Lord incarnated as tortoise and then after tortoise is Varaha incarnation, so Varaha, He is a boar animal, then half man half lion, then they became not quite human being so that is Nrsingha, then uncivilized human being, incarnation is Parasuram, then civilized human being, incarnation Ramachandra and so forth. So, this morning it just occurred to me, I was thinking about it and I thought that at least they had to admit that before they came up with the theory of organic evolution, it was understood in India. So, organic evolution is not Darwin’s theory of organic evolution, but Darwin borrowed it from India. But, anyway we should not be befooled by them. If somebody comes and tries us to [tries to make us] forget our heritage, if somebody comes and leaves us to disrespect our own glory, will that be proper. Therefore, first thing is that we must recognize that the Vedic culture is the most profound human culture in this world, the Vedic scriptures are the source of absolute wisdom, with that understanding we must approach them.
Then, Bhaktivinod Thakur makes one very beautiful point, he is saying that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme spiritual personality and the living entities- the jivas are the minute atomic spiritual sparks. Like the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate reservoir and the living entities are like drops. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the source of light and the living entities are rays of light. Therefore qualitatively the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities are one. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is saccidananda– He is the absolute eternity, knowledge and bliss and the living entities are also saccidananda but the only difference is that these living entities are just atomic parts and parcels of that Supreme Lord, but qualitatively they are one. So, Krsna’s pastimes are also reflected on the living entities or Krsna’s pastimes are also in the living entities. Whatever Krsna is doing in Vrindavan is also happening in the minds of the living entities, when they take to spiritual life. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also mentions that (anyer hrdaya mana mor mana Vrindavan). Identifying himself as a devotee Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is saying that whatever is mind of others, My mind is Vrindavan. So if My mind is Vrindavan then Krsna’s pastimes are also taking place in Vrindavan- in my mind it is happening. Now, Bhaktivinod Thakur is very wonderfully presenting different aspects of Krsna’s pastimes and how they are related to us, to our mind, our consciousness and how they react to our spiritual progress. And Bhaktivinod Thakur is pointing out, for example, that Krsna is born out of Vasudeva and Devaki. Now, this is also clear to us who is Vasudeva or what is Vasudeva, Vasudeva is pure goodness shuddha satva (sattvam vissudham Vasudeva shabditam). The visuddha satva is known as Vasudeva and Vasudeva is Krsna’s father and Devaki is mind. So, when the pure goodness influences our mind then Krsna appears in the mind and that is devotional service. Devotional service means we become transcendental to modes of passion and ignorance, transcend the material modes. When we become situated in the mode of goodness, transcending the modes of passion and ignorance, then only we develop devotional service. So, in order to become a devotee we have to transcend all the material modes including even mode of goodness of this material nature, which is tinged with passion and ignorance. In the material nature also there is goodness; we know there are three modes -ignorance, passion and goodness. So, there is goodness in this material nature, but this goodness is not pure goodness, it is impure goodness, why? -Because it is tinged with passion and ignorance. The real goodness, the transcendental goodness or pure goodness- shuddha satva exists in the spiritual nature and that is called Vasudeva and who is Vasudeva? Vasudeva is the father of Krsna who is the personification of mode of pure goodness and Devaki is the mind. So, when does pure goodness prevail in the mind?-through devotional service, and when does Krsna appear in our heart - through devotional service, when we become devotees of Krsna then only we become situated in the mode of goodness.
But, before Krsna was born, Baldeva came. Before that six children were born. Now, unfortunately Bhaktivinod Thakur just mentioned two of them, he just mentioned Kirti and Yash -Kirti is fame and Yash is glory- fame and glory. So these are the two but he didn’t mention the other four and I didn’t have enough time to make a research and find out who are those six, and before pure devotion comes, when we develop devotion they come but we have to overcome them and who is Kamsa, Kamsa is atheism personified who doesn’t want to accept God, who wants to kill God, so, that is Kamsa. So, after that comes Baladeva, who is Baladeva? Baladeva is pure jeeva tattva- pure living entity. Now, when he came - Baladeva appeared from the prison of Kamsa, he was transferred to Vrindavan and what is Vrindavan? Vrindavan is the land of faith, Vraja or Vrindavan is the abode of faith. There, in Vrindavan everyone has the absolute pure faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, Vasudeva is the visuddha satva- pure goodness, Devaki is mind, Kamsa is atheism, Baladeva is pure spirit soul-pure jeeva tatva, Vraja is the abode of faith- land of faith and Rohini is the faithful heart. So, Balaram was transferred to the womb of Rohini and then Krsna came. So, after the appearance of pure awareness of the soul, the awareness of God appears. So, first we recognize that we are pure spirit soul and then we recognize the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As long as we consider that we are our bodies, can we accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead?-No. So, in order to accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we have to recognize our identity as the soul.
(I am reading from Krsna book by Srila Prabhupada which is the translation of the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam which describes Krsna’s pastimes.)
When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart, He appeared just like the glowing sun whose shining rays are always unbearable and scorching to the common man. The form of Lord situated in the pure unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the original form of Krsna. The appearance of the form of Krsna anywhere and specifically within the heart is called Dham. Dham refers not only to Krsna’s form but also to His name, His qualities and His paraphernalia, everything becomes manifest simultaneously. When Krsna appears, along with Krsna, Krsna’s qualities, Krsna’s abode, Krsna’s devotees and Krsna’s associates also become manifest. Thus, the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full potency is transferred to the mind- the mind of Devaki, exactly as the setting sun’s rays are transferred to the full moon rising in the east. Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead thus entered the body of Devaki from the body of Vasudeva without being subject to any of the conditions of an ordinary living entity. Generally, the ordinary living entity’s birth takes place due to the copulation between husband and wife-man and woman. Through semen, the spirit soul is transmitted to the womb of the mother and there the ova or the egg becomes impregnated by the soul or sperm and that’s how the body develops. But, that is not the case with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He was transferred from Vasudeva’s heart to Devaki’s heart, Vasudeva’s mind to Devaki’s mind and that’s how she conceived the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this respect we can also consider, it has been mentioned that Jesus was born out of a virgin, Mary was a virgin. So, here also we see the similar concept that his appearance in the womb of Mary was not due to seminal discharge but transferring from the heart of the father to the heart of the mother. So this is how Krsna appeared in the womb of Devaki.
If someone takes advantage of hearing the pastimes of the Lord, the material contamination of dust accumulated in the heart due to long association with material nature can be immediately cleansed. If we listen to the pastimes of the Lord with faith, when we listen to the pastimes of the Lord with faith then all material contaminations will be cleansed from our heart- our heart will become purified. So, that is why, it is so important that we hear Krsna –Katha, Krsna’s pastimes and Krsna’s instructions. The Lord out of His causeless mercy descends in this material world and displays His activities just like an ordinary man. So, that is the wonderful thing about Krsna’s Vrindavan pastimes specifically. Krsna when He descends in this material nature it appears that His activities are ordinary but still there His unusual, uncommon activities are always displayed. Like for example, Vamanadeva appeared as a dwarf, He just with one step covered the entire universe. So that is how unusual, uncommon His activities are. But, He out of His causeless mercy descends to this world and displays His activities just like an ordinary man.
Unfortunately, the impersonalists, the atheist class of men consider Krsna to be an ordinary man and they deride Him (avajananti maam mudha…ashritam) avajananti maam mudha, the mudhas, mudha means stupid- those who are devoid of intelligence, they deride Him, thinking ‘oh, He is an ordinary person’ and what is their understanding? Their understanding is everyone is God, these mudhas, they think I am God, you are God, and everybody is God, only God is not God that’s why they are mudha. So, when Krsna was born then Kamsa tried to kill Him. Kamsa already got to know that Krsna would kill him. Now who destroys atheism, who is the killer of atheism? Killer of atheism is God Himself. Only when God appears, then is there any room for atheism?-No. So, the forecast was there, “God will come and Kamsa! You personified atheism, you are finished”. So, that was the forecast. When the arrangement was being made- when Devaki and Vasudeva were getting married that forecast was made. Now, the atheist who doesn’t have any information about the spiritual world and who thinks this material nature is everything he thinks that when he dies everything will be finished. That is the difference between a theist and an atheist. A theist because he knows God, he knows that he is a part and parcel of God and he is a spirit soul and he is eternal. He knows that he is a soul. Once I remember one cobbler, while he was repairing my shoes in Calcutta, he was telling me how God is there. Even a cobbler knows about God in India. That is the glory of India’s culture. In India even a cobbler knows about God, he knows that he is a spirit soul, he knows that the spirit soul is eternal, he knows the karmic reactions- if you act in a wrong way then you will suffer, if you act in a good way you will enjoy, therefore don’t act in a wrong way, he had that knowledge. Probably he doesn’t even spell his own name but he has this knowledge. That is India. So those who are believers, those who believe in spiritual nature and those who believe in God, they also know that the soul is immortal. The soul will not die. Therefore, they are not afraid of death.
Prabhupada mentioned one thing once that there was a big famine in 1942, again created by the British. British wanted to recruit Indians to fight the battle for them-the Second World War. But the Indians were not joining the army. So, what they did? They created a famine. They burnt all the crops, all over the country and there was no food and they said-”you join the army, we will give you food”. So, at that time there was a big scarcity of food, many people died due to the famine. But Prabhupada said there was not a single incidence of looting or stealing. They would die but they would not loot a shop or they would not steal from it. They would rather die why because they knew that if they steal it will be a sinful act and as a result of the sinful act they will be punished, they will suffer. So this is how this glorious country is to be. So, let us bring back the glory of this country by spreading this wisdom of the Vedas all over the world.
So Kamsa got to know that he will die, he will be killed and because he did not have any information about the spiritual life, he became afraid. A person who does not have information about spiritual life, what happens? He becomes extremely afraid of death because he thinks by that death everything will be finished. So he thinks, his philosophy is, I do not want to die in this beautiful world. So, that is their philosophy. So, Kamsa also thought-” I do not want to die in this beautiful world so what do I do-kill the person who wants to kill me”. When?-Kill Him just as soon as He is born and even don’t take a chance, kill His mother so that He cannot take birth. So, this is how the atheists try to secure their situation in this world. But Vasudeva advised Kamsa –“Don’t worry I will bring the children as soon as they are born, I will bring them to you. Don’t unnecessary kill a woman because you are a great hero if you kill a woman your reputation will be spoiled. You are known everywhere as a great hero Kamsa and a hero knows how to respect the women, what to speak of killing a woman, what will happen to your reputation. So, don’t kill her, but I will bring the children as soon as they are born and then you can decide what you want to do”, and as you all know, what Kamsa did? He killed one after another new born babies. Then Baladeva was born as the seventh child of Devaki. Baldeva appeared as the seventh issue and then he was transferred to the womb of Rohini in Vraja and then Krsna came- Krsna appeared. As soon as Krsna was born Kamsa actually thought that it was a baby girl that was born, Kamsa tried to kill that baby girl. Kamsa tried to kill that baby girl and what did that baby girl do, could Kamsa kill, who was that baby girl? –Yogamaya, Mahamaya slipped out of Kamsa’s hands. It was just a baby and Kamsa was trying to smash that baby on the stone floor of the prison, but the baby slipped out of his hands, went up in the sky and assumed her eight armed form and she laughed. That made Kamsa’s heart tremble with fear and she declared-“Kamsa do you think that you will ever be able to kill me, rather the one who is going to kill you, He has already appeared and He is growing in Gokul. So, watch out”. So Kamsa got the news that somehow that child has been transferred to Gokul and He is growing there. So Kamsa said- “OK, don’t take any chance kill all the babies born within seven days. There is no way of knowing when exactly He was born so just kill all the new-born babies”. And Kamsa appointed Putana to do that job and who was Putana? Putana was a witch who was very expert in killing babies, balaghatini -one who is expert in killing babies and what did Putana do being ordered by Kamsa. These witches and demons and demonesses, they have mystic power, they perform mystic yoga and they assume mystic powers and with their mystic power, they can assume any kind of form they want. That’s what we will see in Krsna’s pastimes different demons are assuming different forms. So Putana came, Putana got the news that Nanda Maharaj got a son. So, Putana decided- “let’s kill that son”. So Putana came to the house of Nanda Maharaj, appearing to be an extremely beautiful woman. Let me just read that part from Krsna book. Putana entered the county of Gokul, the residential quarter of Nanda Maharaj without permission, dressing herself just like a beautiful woman, she entered the house of Mata Yasoda, she appeared very beautiful with raised hips, nicely swollen breasts, earrings and flowers in her hair, she looked especially beautiful on account of a thin waist. She was glancing at everyone with very attractive looks and smiling face and all the residents of Vrindavan were captivated. The innocent cowherd women thought that she was the Goddess of fortune appearing in Vrindavan with a lotus flower in her hand. It seemed to them that she had personally come to see Krsna who is her husband. Because of her exquisite beauty no one checked her movement and therefore she freely entered the house of Nanda Maharaj. Putana, the killer of many children found baby Krsna lying on a small bed and she could at once perceive that the baby was hiding His unparalleled potency which resembled fire covered by ashes. Putana thought that this child is so powerful that He can destroy the whole universe immediately. So, Putana just by seeing Krsna could see that there is something unusual about this child. He is an extremely potent personality. He can kill the entire universe in a moment. So, some clarity of perception Putana had in this way. After all Putana also is not an ordinary personality, she got a chance to enter into Krsna’s pastimes. We have to understand that Putana was not an ordinary personality. We also know who was Putana, do you know who Putana was?(someone answered) No, wife of Bali Maharaj, her name was Vindavali. When she saw Vamanadeva, she felt such motherly affection for this little boy that she wanted, she wished that this boy was her own son and then she would have breastfed this boy but then when Vamanadeva deceived Bali Maharaj then Putana desired that “yes, I would have breastfed Him but I would have fed Him poison and killed Him”. So as she desired Krsna fulfilled the desire. So, in the next life she came to breastfeed the Supreme Personality of Godhead in order to kill Him with poison. But can anyone kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Let’s see what happens when somebody tries to kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Putana’s understanding is very significant- the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna is situated in everyone’s heart. It is stated in Bhagavad Gita that He gives one the necessary intelligence and He also causes one to forget. Krsna showed the nature of a small baby and closed His eyes as if to avoid the face of Putana. The closing of the eyes is interpreted and studied in different ways by the devotees. Some say that Krsna closed His eyes because He did not like to see the face of Putana who had killed so many children and who had now come to kill Him. Others say that Putana hesitated to take the baby on her lap because something extraordinary was being dictated to her from within and in order to give her assurance, Krsna closed His eyes so that she would not be frightened and yet others interpret that Krsna appeared in order to kill the demons and give protection to the devotees as stated in the Bhagavad Gita. The first demon to be killed was a woman, according to Vedic rules, the killing of a woman, a Brahmana, cow or child is strictly forbidden. Krsna was obliged to kill the demon Putana and because killing of a woman is forbidden according to the Vedic sastra, he could not help but close his eyes. When Putana was taking baby Krsna on her lap both Yasoda and Rohini were present. But, she was so beautifully dressed and showed motherly affection towards Krsna, they did not forbid her, they could not understand that she was a sword within a decorated case. Putana had smeared a very powerful poison in her breast and immediately after taking the baby on her lap, she pushed her breastly nipples within His mouth. She was hoping that as soon as He would suck her breast He would die. But baby Krsna very quickly took the nipples in anger he sucked the milk poison along with the life air of the demon. In other words Krsna simultaneously sucked the milk from her breast and killed her by sucking out her life. So, in this way Putana was killed by Krsna.
Now, who is Putana? Bhaktivinod Thakur is saying Putana is deception, deception personified, comes to protect the Supreme Lord, pretends that she is the mother who would take care of the Supreme Personality of Godhead but ultimately what she does?-She comes with an intention to kill Him. The agent of atheism comes in the form of protector of religion in order to kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now, don’t you see that sometimes there are some people who pretend to be religious personalities, but what do they say? –“Why are you worshiping God, God is here, God is there, God is everywhere, why don’t you see the God everywhere?” There are so many such doctrines going on. The poverty stricken God- ‘daridra-narayan’, then I am God, you are God, so, why are you looking for God. So, ultimately what they are doing, they come as religious persons, but what is their purpose? Their purpose is to kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But, can anybody kill God. All those people who came to preach all this- where is God, you are God, I am God, everyone is God, where are they? Those Gods are dead! Although they came to kill God, God is still alive, since time immemorial, but they are dead. So, who are they, they are Putanas.
So, after Putana, who did Krsna kill? Krsna killed a demon called Shakatasura. That time they were celebrating a festival- festivity they arranged. When Krsna grew up a little more, he began to turn Himself backside up, He did not merely lie down on His back and another function was observed by Yasoda and Nanda Maharaj, Krsna’s first birthday, Krsna’s birthday. They arranged for Krsna’s birthday ceremony which is still observed by all followers of the Vedic principles. All the cowherd men and women were invited to participate in the jubilant celebration, a nice band played and the assembled people enjoyed it. All the learned brahmanas were invited and they chanted Vedic hymns for the good fortune of Krsna. During the chanting of the Vedic hymns and playing of the bands, Krsna was bathed by mother Yasoda, this bathing ceremony is technically called abhisheka and even today this is observed in all the temples of Vrindavan on Janamashtami day or the birthday anniversary of Lord Krsna. On this occasion mother Yasoda arranged to distribute a large quantity of grains and first class cows decorated with golden ornaments were made ready to be given in charity to the learned respectable brahmanas. Yasoda took her bath and dressed herself nicely and taking child Krsna duly dressed and bathed on her lap, she sat down to hear the Vedic hymns, chanted by the brahmanas. While mother Yasoda was listening to the chanting of the Vedic hymns the child appeared to be falling asleep and therefore she very silently laid Him down on the bed being engaged in receiving various friends and relatives and residents of Vrindavan on that holy occasion, she forgot to feed the child milk. He was crying being hungry, but mother Yasoda could not hear Him cry because of the various noises. The child however became angry because He was hungry and His mother was not paying attention to Him. So, He lifted His legs and began to kick His lotus feet just like an ordinary child. Baby Krsna had been placed underneath a hand-driven cart and while He was kicking His legs He accidentally touched the wheel of the cart and it collapsed. Various kinds of utensils made of brass and other metals had been piled up in the hand cart and they all fell down with a great noise. The wheels of the cart separated from the axle and the spokes of the wheel were broken and scattered hither and dither. Mother Yasoda and all the Gopis as well as Maharaj Nanda and the cowherd men were astonished as to how the cart could have collapsed by itself. All the men and women who were assembled for the holy function crowded around and began to suggest how the cart might have collapsed. No one could ascertain the cause. But some small children who were interested to play with baby Krsna informed the crowd that it was due to Krsna’s striking against the wheel with his feet. They assured the crowd that they had seen what had happened with their own eyes and they strongly asserted their point. Some were listening to the statement of the small children but others said how you can believe the statements of these children. The cowherd men and women could not understand that the all powerful personality of Godhead was lying there as a baby and that He could do anything both the possible and impossible were His power.
So this is the difference between Vrindavan and Vaikuntha. In Vaikuntha everyone knows that Krsna is God, but in Vrindavan even though when they see some unusual act by Him still they cannot understand that He is God. So that is the difference between Vaikuntha and Vrindavan. So are they in ignorance-No, they are under the spell of Yogamaya. It is due to Yogamaya that they forget that Krsna is God.
So that’s why when the children told that baby Krsna was just one year old, playing and when He is throwing His legs, His foot touched the wheel of the cart and the cart just smashed. And how is the cart smashed, the axles broke and the wheels got displaced and all the ribs or the spokes got scattered here and there. But actually it was a demon that was hiding there, called Shakatasura. Shakata means cart- the cart demon, and Krsna killed him just by kicking him, one kick and he was dead. And what is this Shakata, what does the cart do - carry heavy burden. So, this Shakatasura is a tendency to carry unnecessary burden, Shakatasura-the tendency to carry unnecessary burden.
Then came another demon. Who came after that? Who remembers? Trinavarta. Then came Trinavarta, what happened? Krsna was on the lap of Mata Yasoda, just a little baby one year old on the lap of Mata Yasoda and Krsna is the omnipresent Supreme Lord so He knew that this demon is coming. Krsna knew how this demon will act, he would come as a whirlwind and as a whirlwind it will come as a tornado, have you seen a tornado? You don’t see tornadoes in India, you can see tornadoes in America. What happens when there is a tornado? It takes up everything that comes in the way, it is a whirlwind. What happens you see if some tornado moves and on the path whatever comes, like a building comes on the way? Do you know what will happen to the building? The building will be uprooted from the ground and will be taken away-so powerful. Somebody is driving the car and the tornado comes, the whole car is taken up and then dropped somewhere. So Krsna knew that this Trinavartasura, another agent of Kamsa, another ally of Kamsa is now coming trying to kill Him. So, what did Krsna do? Krsna first became worried, “Oh I am on the lap of my mother and if this demon comes and he will take my mother also along with me, so, she will be in danger”. So, Krsna became very heavy and mother Yasoda could not understand why the baby all of a sudden became so heavy and He became so heavy that she could not carry Him anymore. So, she just placed Krsna out of her lap on the ground and then she went inside, she thought that something needs to be done, may be some milk is boiling in the fire. So, she just went in. And in the meantime this Trinavartasura came as a tornado and what he did? He just picked Krsna and went high up in the sky and before he came or when he came what happened? Trina avarta, Trina means the particles of grass, the dried grass particles. So, when he came, when this demon came these grass particles were flying everywhere. Not only trina, not only dry grass but tables, stones everything was flying everywhere such a powerful storm and he took Krsna up and what did Krsna do? Although the demon assumed the form of a tornado but his form was still there, it was just expansion of his Yogasiddhi, but he was there in that form of a tornado and he picked up Krsna and he thought that he will take Krsna up high in the sky and then drop Him and this baby will die. But what did Krsna do? Krsna just put His arms around his neck just like a baby, when somebody takes the baby on the lap and especially when the baby is afraid what does the baby do? Baby holds on to the person. So, Krsna held on to Trinavarta putting His arms around his neck and then as Trinavarta tried to drop Him Krsna’s arms became tighter, He didn’t want to go, He wanted to hold onto him and the more the Trinavarta tried to drop Krsna the tighter became Krsna’s grip and finally Krsna’s grip around Trinavarta’s neck became like a vice. You know vice, what happens? The cloth comes closer and closer and finally it just squeezes it, and as a result of that Trinavarta could not breathe and now he is desperately trying to get rid of the child but he couldn’t, His hand was holding on to his neck like a vice. The Supreme Personality of Godhead with His supreme power can take care of any demon no matter how powerful he may be and eventually Trinavarta suffocated, he couldn’t breathe, he was gasping for air and he lost all his energy and from that height who fell? Trinavarta fell. And where did he fall? He fell on a stone, big stone and his body was completely smashed and in the meantime mother Yasoda, when she came out seeing that all of a sudden this cyclone came, this tornado came and she remembered –“Oh, I left Krsna there let me pick Him up and bring Him inside.” But, when she came out, she found that the baby was not there anymore. Now at that time her condition you can well imagine, like a mother who lost her child. She was wailing, she was crying and she was looking everywhere but she could not see anything because all the dust and dry grass and everything were flying everywhere. And she was crying and everyone else was also looking for Krsna in the semi-darkness. But then all of a sudden they heard the sound of something very heavy crashing, the huge sound. They all ran. By the time the tornado also subsided because this tornado personified was dead and they found that this terrible, huge demon, his dead body was lying there and baby Krsna was just playing on his chest.
Now Bhaktivinod Thakur is describing, what is Trinavarta in our development of Krsna Consciousness. This Trinavarta is argument personified. All kinds of arguments-why become a devotee, who is Krsna, don’t believe that there is Krsna, don’t you see the scientists have created so many wonderful things. So ‘these arguments’ that tries to kill Krsna is Trinavarta.
Now after that there is a pastime when Krsna is stealing butter, now what is that butter, what does Krsna steal? Yes, Krsna is stealing butter but what does actually Krsna steal? Krsna steals the heart. When does Krsna steal the heart? When the heart becomes soft and pure as butter, then only Krsna steals those hearts and at that time mother Yasoda wanted to bind Krsna, the butter thief. And you know what happened, what mother Yasoda went through? She went through so much struggle, she collected all the ropes in the world, still she could not bind Krsna and finally Krsna was bound and what was Krsna bound with, was Krsna bound with mundane ropes?-No, Krsna was bound by pure love. So if you want to bind Krsna, if you want to capture Krsna what should you do? You should bind Him with love. That is the only thing that Krsna can be bound by.
Now, I will just quickly go through what Bhaktivinod Thakur had compared or rather he presented. Remember, what Bhaktivinod Thakur is presenting, is it some imaginary concept that Bhaktivinod Thakur is presenting? No. Bhaktivinod Thakur is pointing out that our hearts are Vrindavan and in that Vrindavan, Krsna will appear. But when Krsna appears these demons also will come to kill Krsna. So, how to kill those demons? Can you kill those demons? You think so, you are so powerful they have all eight yoga-siddhis how many do you have? So when you have a very strong enemy how do you fight with him? -by taking shelter of someone who is stronger than him. So, what should be our strategy, the demons are very strong, so how should we fight the demons? - get someone who is stronger. So who are you going to call-George Bush or Carter, who are you going to call, who are you going to take shelter of?-Krsna. So, you are cultivating Krsna in your heart and let Krsna deal with them (repeated -let Krsna deal with them).
So, I will quickly go through the other aspects of Krsna’s pastimes that Bhaktivinod Thakur explained. As here he is saying, mother Yasoda, who is mother Yasoda? Mother Yasoda is joy personified- joy, ecstasy. Then you know what happened, mother Yasoda tied Krsna up with a mortar, then what did Krsna do? Then Krsna was crawling in the courtyard. On the courtyard of Nanda there were two Arjuna trees and what happened? -that mortar got struck between those two Arjuna trees and Krsna pulled and as a result of that both the trees got uprooted and then from there came out two demigods - two sons of Kubera - Nalakubera and Manigreev. Now through that pastime Bhaktivinod Thakur is saying that we learn the bad effects of bad association and good effects of good association. They were demigods but because of bad association what happened? They became inert-trees. Demigods, such exalted personalities, but they became trees, so be very careful, with whom one would be associating. If one goes to bad association the result will be like that and if one gets into good association then what will happen - even though you may be inert as a tree, you will be delivered. So, what lesson did you learn from this? Associate with the bad people- (No). Then who will you associate with? -associate with the devotees. If you associate with the devotees then very easily you will become delivered from this material bondage.
Then, came a demon called Vatsasura. Vatsasura, another agent of Kamsa, came as a calf- a calf demon. Now who is this calf demon, this calf demon is ‘childish defects’ in us. Then came Vakasura, Vaka means a crane, what does the crane do, have you seen crane Vaka? It stands on the water on one leg and it appears that it is meditating, it doesn’t move, still completely, standing on one leg. It is meditating, but what is it meditating on-fish. It pretends to be very pious, it looks like a swan, and it acts even better than a swan. The swans move around, swans don’t meditate. But, it is meditating that also standing on one leg like Hiranyakasipu, but what is its purpose? Let Krsna come and I will swallow Him and he did that - tried to swallow Krsna. But what did Krsna do, Krsna just ripped open his two beaks, killed him. Vakasura is religious pretension- to pretend to be a religious person. Don’t you use the expression Vaka-dharmik – as religious as a crane? That’s a Bengali expression. Appears to be very dharmik, very religious person but what is his ultimate objective, what does he want? He wants to kill Krsna. Then, Aghasura is personified cruelty and then after killing Aghasura what did Krsna do? Krsna had a picnic with His friends on the bank of Yamuna and what is that signifying, symbolizing? That is signifying simplicity. Then Krsna went with Balaram and other friends while they were tending the cows in the forest they came to the Taal forest and Krsna’s friends wanted to have the Taal fruits that were ripe in the tree and this Taal forest was being protected by whom? Dhenukasura. And who is Dhenukasura, Dhenuka means donkey. What is a donkey famous for? We say he is an ass, isn’t it. What is an ass? Ass is stupidity, stupid as an ass, Gardabha, Gardabhasura. So, Dhenukasura is personified stupidity and this Dhenukasura was not killed by Krsna but by Balaram, so who destroys our stupidity demon? - The Balaram. Who is the representative of Balaram? - The spiritual master. So, Krsna killed most of the demons excepting Dhenukasura and Pralambasura, those two demons are killed by Balaram- those two demons are killed by spiritual master.
Then Kaliya subdued, who is Kaliya? Kaliya is the wickedness. Then conflict among Vaishnavas is the forest fire. To protect Vrindavan what did Krsna do, He Himself swallowed that forest fire. So, if there is conflict among Vaishnavas pray to Krsna that He swallows that forest fire; otherwise that forest fire may burn Vrindavan, the society of devotees. Then Pralambasura, Pralambasura is voidism and impersonalism, so this voidism and impersonalism, what does it do? Voidism and impersonalism tries to kill the living entity’s identity. He came to kill not Krsna, he came to kill Balaram. So what does impersonalism and voidism do? It destroys the soul- we are not living entities anymore, out of matter we came and in matter we will merge, so that is no identification, no acceptance of the spirit soul, killer of the pure identity of the soul.
So in last two days you know how many chapters did we covered - only one chapter-fourth chapter. So, tomorrow is the only day left, anyway, so, try to understand these points, meditate on them and try to become a very good devotee.
Does anybody have any question?
Q. Who is Balaram?
A. Balaram is Visnu tatva but balaram is representing the jeevas. All the jeevas come from Balaram. Therefore, Balaram is representing the jeeva tatva
Q. How did they become demons?
A. All these demons were demons. Actually there is one book called Brhad-Saravali. In that book it has been described how these demons became demons. In their previous lives they were different personalities and not really that bad demon. But you know like how they became demons. Like as I mentioned, Vindyavali became Putana and some Gandharva became Trinavarta, they are mostly Gandharvas and demigods, but they got a chance to take part in Krsna’s pastimes
Q. Is there any significance of these demons assuming the forms of animals?
A. They took the shapes of different animals, they thought that that would be the way to hide their identity and kill Krsna.
Q. Does this mean we shouldn’t speculate like Bhakti Vinod Thakur?
A. Yeah, that’s true. That’s a very good point but there is a difference. Actually the difference is that this is coming from Bhaktivinod Thakur and Bhaktivinod Thakur is not speculating. Bhaktivinod Thakur is taking this from different scriptures. So, especially Bhaktivinod Thakur has taken everything from the six Goswamis. Therefore, Bhaktivinod Thakur is identified as the seventh Goswami.Yes that point is very good that we should not speculate, but is this speculation. No. Bhaktivinod Thakur obviously would not speculate. Like, where is the source of their understanding? But, Bhaktivinod Thakur’s understanding has a source from the scriptures. But, another thing is the five Pandavas may not be the five senses, but there is the analogy that, the body is the chariot of five senses have been compared to the horses, the mind has been compared to the rein which five senses are the horses, the mind is the rein and intelligence is the chariot-driver and the soul is the person sitting on the chariot.
Q.
A. Mahamaya, that came as the sister of Krsna, yeah Mahamaya is the maya who is the arrangement of the Lord that wants the atheistic principles that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is going to destroy. And Bhaktivinod Thakur pointed that the daughter is Maya herself who comes to deliver the living entities and bewilder the demons.
Q.
A. Thank you! Our view of the Hare Krsna Mahamantra is that it is the sound incarnation of the Lord in this age. Krsna has incarnated as this Mantra, so this Mantra is non-different from Krsna Himself. Krsna’s name is non-different from Krsna Himself and in this way very easily we can get the association of the Lord, just by chanting His Holy name. In this way, we can surrender unto Him very easily by chanting His Holy name and when we chant the Holy name, we get all the protection of the Lord and this is the Yuga-dharma, the Yuga-dharma for this age is to chant the holy name of the Lord. And it has been described in Sikshastakam (Namnam…nanuragah) “My Lord in your innumerable names, You have invested your entire potency, one can chant this name any time anywhere without any restriction of rules and regulations”. So that is the mercy manifestation of the Lord in this age. In this age, we don’t even have to go to the temple, we don’t need to go the place of pilgrimage, even staying where we are we can simply chant this name of the Lord and derive ultimate spiritual benefit, so that is the mercy of the Lord in this age.
Thank you very much, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!