20250409 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.1

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sa

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.1

maitreya uvāca
prājāpatyaṁ tu tat tejaḥ
para-tejo-hanaṁ ditiḥ
dadhāra varṣāṇi śataṁ
śaṅkamānā surārdanāt

Translation: Śrī Maitreya said: My dear Vidura, Diti, the wife of the sage Kaśyapa, could understand that the sons within her womb would be a cause of disturbance to the demigods. As such, she continuously bore the powerful semen of Kaśyapa Muni, which was meant to give trouble to others, for one hundred years.

Purport: The great sage Śrī Maitreya was explaining to Vidura the activities of the demigods, including Lord Brahmā. When Diti heard from her husband that the sons she bore within her abdomen would be causes of disturbances to the demigods, she was not very happy. There are two classes of men — devotees and nondevotees. Nondevotees are called demons, and devotees are called demigods. No sane man or woman can tolerate the nondevotees’ giving trouble to devotees. Diti, therefore, was reluctant to give birth to her babies; she waited for one hundred years so that at least she could save the demigods from the disturbance for that period.

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Jayapatākā Swami: In this verse Diti is sorry that her sons will become demons. She was warned by Kaśyapa that it was an inauspicious time. Now, nothing can be done, definitively! Here Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions that Diti, in order to give the demigods some respite, she kept the children in her womb for a hundred years. This only postpones the problem but doesn’t really solve it. That is why, those of us who are Vaiṣṇavīs, there is a great responsibility. In the garbhādhāna saṁskāra, the husband and wife look for an auspicious day and time and do various ceremonies. Twilight is not a good time. At night it is alright. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda he was telling the gṛhasthas in London in 1973 that he wanted them to have ācāryas as children. These things are not easy tasks. Advaita Ācārya, He is a Mahā-Viṣṇu avatāra, he had six boys. Three were ācāryas, and three were smārta-brāhmaṇas. So he is showing that it is not easy to have ācāryas as children. You have to pray to the Deities and go through a fire sacrifices and other yajñas, sacrifices and chant certain mantras at the particular time of the day. At night time, the ceremony is very simple. I sent that out to the disciples in my monthly message. I attached it within my message so that the gṛhasthas, they can see it.

So we see here that the devas were sons of Aditi and the demons were children of Diti. They were sisters! So the demons said, we are brothers, cousin brothers and were saying they were never accepted by you. So this was the situation in the higher planets. So, Diti she was actually a well-wisher of the devas. But her children were Hiraṇyakaśipu and his brother Hiraṇyākṣa. Hiraṇyākṣa was killed by Varāha and one of the islands in Navadvīpa is named after Varāhadeva, because the hind foot of Varāhadeva touched one of the islands in Navadvīpa when He killed Hiraṇyākṣa. The name of the island is Koladvīpa. Kola is another name of Varāhadeva. In Navadvīpa there is a Devānanda Gauḍīya Maṭha which is in Koladvīpa. In the Devānanda Gauḍīya Maṭha they have Lord Varāhadeva.

Hiraṇyakaśipu was liberated by Lord Narasiṁhadeva. And we took the Safari to one place to a temple in South India where Hiraṇyakaśipu for some reason, he could not go there. Three devas, viz. Brahmā, Śiva and Viṣṇu, they met and discussed how to kill Hiraṇyakaśipu! Unique iṣṭagoṣṭhī!

So Lord Caitanya visited that temple also, so we established Lord Caitanya’s lotus footprints there. A thousand years ago an ācārya of the Śrī sampradāya saw Āṇḍāl Devī. So she grew up in that place. That was very interesting to me! Because many decades before we had gone to the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam. During this visit, we saw a local Jīyar. Rāmānujācārya had made 64 Jīyars or gurus. That Jīyar had told us that you are all representatives of Āṇḍāl Devī because in the Śrī sampradāya, the Ālvār loved Kṛṣṇa and chanted Kṛṣṇa’s name, was Āṇḍāl Devī. So it was very nice to be identified with such a glorious devotee! So, we need that all the devotees here be very careful, to follow all the principles and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

This name of Kṛṣṇa is not different from Kṛṣṇa. And Lord Caitanya, He popularized the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. For six years, He went to South India. There He would go to any Śiva temple, Devī temple he would induce everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. So Lord Caitanya, He also went to the Śiva temple. He was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. In one place and He embraced Lord Śiva. And Śiva was very ecstatic.

I was thinking last night the final drama was on Lord Śiva. But it had nothing Kṛṣṇa conscious in it. I was thinking that is like a Śiva temple and they could have Lord Caitanya enter! And He would tell everybody to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! There is a verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that says, Vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ: And then you could have Lord Śiva come out of the beautiful liṅgam and bow down to Lord Caitanya! And Lord Caitanya embrace him! And all the Śiva bhaktas and Lord Śiva and Lord Caitanya, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in bliss! Can’t the drama be like this? I don’t know if Mādurya Kādambinī is here? If she is here then it is alright, but if she is not here, please tell her! So, whatever dramas we see even if it is concerning devīs and devatas, more stress should be on Kṛṣṇa.

Any questions that you would like to ask?

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are many, many stories. Like Diti first told Kaśyapa asking she would like to have children and wanted his association. And Kaśyapa preached to her that this was not a good time. But he was not so strong and Diti’s lust prevailed over him. But when Diti got pregnant, she was unhappy that her children would be demons. So the whole history is given.

I would like to thank all those who have designed and sewn and contributed for the making of my dress offering to the Deities.

Question: Where do the devotees of Lord Jagannātha go? What is their destination? Does Lord Jagannātha have a loka?

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Jagannātha is Kṛṣṇa. And He is the mood of Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā. So, in Kṛṣṇaloka there are three dhāmas dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. Vraja, Mathurā and Dvārakā.

Question: What is the necessary action for being an ideal husband, ideal wife in the gṛhastha āśrama?

Jayapatākā Swami: The scriptures elaborate extensively on what is the responsibility of a husband and a wife. But Vaiṣṇavas they usually emphasize more on devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

Question: as you said we should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa carefully, how to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa when we are alone, as in association it is easier?

Jayapatākā Swami: When are we alone? Kṛṣṇa is Supersoul in our heart. So we should think how we are always with Kṛṣṇa! And we should chant very carefully, thinking that we are with Kṛṣṇa knowing we are with Him. If you are with Kṛṣṇa conscious people, then it is easier to chant, but you are with Māyā’s people, it is harder to chant.

Question: For achieving kṛṣṇa-bhakti can we worship Lord Śiva?

Jayapatākā Swami: If we worship Lord Śiva to get kṛṣṇa-bhakti or we worship Lord Śiva as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then it is alright. The point is that Lord Śiva is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So, we are not allowed to worship Lord Śiva as independent. But if you worship him as a devotee and give him the prasāda of Kṛṣṇa, then it is alright.

Now it is 9 am, time for your prasāda! Haribol!