19811010 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.2.39

(Disclaimer: The following is a machine-generated transcript and may contain errors or inaccuracies. It will be reviewed and verified against the original audio soon.)

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 10, 1981 – in New Talavan, USA. The lecture begins with a reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.2.39.

Foreign Nidhivises Nalan Shaivan Sara Satojaya Mudiya Jalam Bangulang Taste Samir Mothers Sam Translation It’s a very long print 1 O Supreme Lord, you are not an ordinary living entity appearing in this material world as a result of fruitive activities. Therefore, your appearance or birth in this world has no other cause than your pleasure potency. Similarly, the living entities who are part of you have no cause for miseries like birth, death and old age except when these living entities are conducted by your external energy. Translation of repetition O Supreme Lord. O Supreme Lord, you are not an ordinary living entity appearing in this material world as a result of your fruitive activities. Therefore your appearance are birthed in this world has no other cause than your pleasure potency.

Similarly, the living entities who are part of you have no cause for miseries like birth, death and old age except when these living entities are conducted by your external energy. Purport by R.L.A. Prabhupda as stated in the Bhagavad Gītā, Chapter 15, Verse 7 Mamai Vam Soji va Loki ji va Bhuta Sanatanaha the living entities are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, and thus they are qualitatively one with the Lord. We can understand that when the Supreme Lord appears or disappears as an incarnation, there is no other cause than his pleasure potency.

We cannot force the Supreme Personality of Godhead to appear as he says in Bhagavad Gītā, chapter 4, verse 7 Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendants of Bharata and a predominant rise of irreligions at that time, I descend myself when there is a need to diminish a burden created by the demons. The Supreme Godhead can do it in many ways because he has multifarious energies. There is no need for him to come as an incarnation since he is not forced to do anything like ordinary living entities. Living entities come to this material world in the spirit of enjoyment, but because they want to enjoy without Kṛṣṇa bahi mukha hoya bhoga vam chakore, they suffer birth, death, old age and disease under the control of the illusory energy.

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, however, no such causes are involved. His descent is an act of his pleasure potency. We should always remember this distinction between the Lord and the living entities and the ordinary living entity and not uselessly argue that the Lord cannot come. There are philosophers who do not believe in the Lord’s incarnation and who asks why should the Supreme Lord come. The answer is why should he not come? Why should he be controlled by the desire of a living entity? The Lord is free to do whatever he likes and therefore this verse says Vima Vinodam Baata par Khayyam. It is only for his pleasure that he comes, although he does not need to come. When the living entities come to this world for material enjoyment, they are entangled in karma and karma fallout by the Lord’s illusory energy.

Karma means spiritual work and Karma follows primitive results. But if one seeks shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet but is again situated in his original liberated state as stated here, Krita Gītās koya Abhaya Soya One who seeks shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord is always fearless. Because we are dependent on the supreme personality of Godhead, we should give up the idea that without Kṛṣṇa we can enjoy freedom in this material world. This idea is the reason we have become entangled. Now it is our duty to seek shelter again at the Lord’s lotus feet. This shelter is described as Abhaya or fearless since Kṛṣṇa is not subject to birth, death, old age or disease. And since we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are also not subject to birth, death, old age and disease.

But we have become subject to these problems because of our forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa and our position as his eternal servants. Therefore we practice devotional service. By always thinking of the Lord, always glorifying him and always chanting about him as Described in text 37, we will be reinstated in our original constitutional position and thus be saved. The demigods therefore encouraged Devakī not to fear Kama but to think of the supreme personality of Godhead who was already within her womb. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation purport to text 39, chapter 2 of the 10th canto of the RMAD Bhāgavatam. In the chapter entitled Prayers by the Demigods. So these prayers by the Devas by the demigods who have descended from other planets in order to glorify the Lord of all the universes who has appeared inside the body of Devakī.

These demigods are offering their respectful prayers to the Lord and Devakī can hear these prayers, so this can encourage her. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa explains the Janma Karma of Cham that my appearance and my activities are transcendental. They are not ordinary Janma Karma Chame dibyam evange Tattvatah and if someone knows the transcendental nature of my appearance and my activities, that at the time of leaving this body they liberated. They do not need to come back again to the cycle of birth and death of reincarnation. So in this verse, scientific information about the Lord’s appearance is given so we can understand this. It’s a ticket back to home, back to Godhead. So it’s important to clearly understand the nature of the Lord’s appearance. The Vedic knowledge reveals that the Lord or his son or his representatives can descend into this material world.

And when they come, they are under the transcendental potency. There are two types of energy. We know the material energy in this material world, which the scientists are continuously studying and trying to understand through their empiric system. This material energy has been described broadly in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literatures. The Vedas, however, also reveal that there is a higher energy. That energy is different than the material energy. Because the material energy is basically without consciousness, without life symptoms. The material energy is ever transformable. Just like rla Prabhupāda Bhajan Kuti was one time a beautiful house. Prabhupāda used to stay there. Even I visited one time and saw that at least once. But due to carelessness, some ghee boiled over and the house caught on fire and burned down.

So all that material energy, the house, the roof, the wood, transformed into flames and smoke and ashes. So this material world energy doesn’t remain in the same shape or form, but is always decomposing and changing. The energy remains. There’s a conservation of energy, but the shapes and forms do not remain. They’re always changing, but very gradually or very dynamically, depending on the situation. The spiritual energy doesn’t change and the spiritual energy is conscious. This is the difference, some of the differences. So we are actually spiritual energy. We are minute particles of spiritual energy. Then there is complete, powerful spiritual energy, which is not minute like we are. They’re like atomic particles. And there’s other spiritual energies who are like a whole sun compared to a spark. Now, when the Lord appears, he doesn’t come under the control of his material energy.

Nothing to do with the material energy. His coming is done through the agency of his spiritual potency. Why this is stressed is because when we come in the material world, we are locked in to stringent laws of material nature. And once we’re locked in, even we want to. We can’t get out so easy unless we follow some specific process of self realization, God realization, achieve liberation. Everybody wants to be free in the material world. They want to have liberty, independence. But whether one is the greatest president or king, or whether the famous heavyweight boxing champion or whether he’s an Olympic champion or. Or 500, you know, race driver, whatever he might be, biggest millionaire, billionaire magnet. They’re all bound by stringent laws of the material nature. Growing old, getting diseased, dying and taking birth again.

Forced to suffer and enjoy things which are beyond their control. Right? The whole American government would like the commander in chief of the Panama forces to be deposed. But in spite of all their best efforts, they’re not able to do so. In this material world there are so many limitations. Whether it’s political limitations or whether it’s just the sheer limitations of material law, separation of time, space. So someone might think that when the Lord comes, He’s one of us. He also under the same laws, same restrictions, same obstacles. But here the great demigods from higher planets that have come down and their prayer is revealed and they know what’s what. They’re saying that when the Lord comes, he plays a part, he plays a role as if he was an ordinary living entity. But don’t be fooled, he isn’t.

He comes when he wants, he goes when he wants, he does what he likes. And he’s the only one who is completely independent. And he’s coming out of his own spiritual pleasure potency. He doesn’t need any help from the material nature at all. Someone gave an interesting example that the Lord is coming from the fourth dimension. We’re in the third dimension, so we could compare the second dimension two dimensions. Like when someone watches a movie. So say they’re in a movie house and on the screen there’s. The film is playing and it’s a jungle scene, but they are actually on the stage in front of the screen, set up a two dimensional tiger. A real tiger walks on the stage, superimposed though on the film there’s an actual real tiger.

But instead of where this comes right out, someone might think it’s part of the film, but they never realize that actually the tiger like that we might mistake Kṛṣṇa to be an ordinary three dimensional conditioned soul. But here the Bhāgavatam is clearly explaining to us that no, the Lord is actually from the transcendental dimension. He’s not part of the material world. He comes out of his own spiritual potency. He’s totally independent of the material world. When he wants to, by his own spiritual potency, he will leave and go back to the spiritual world. Another example given by Śrīla Prabhupāda is that the head of state or governor, when they want to they can always visit the prison house. And in many states, in many countries, the head of the state or head of the country is given a right of pardon.

Sometimes people are given the death sentence. And they approach the head of state, please give a pardon, give a reprieve from death sentence. So the head of state, they’re allowed, if they want, they can go to the prison house and see what is the condition of the prisoners. They come and they go. They’re not. They’re not a prisoner just because they go to the prison house. They’re the person who’s in charge of enforcing the laws of the government. They’re the executive branch. They have every right to go and see the prison house and come back out again whenever they want. If somebody happens to see the governor in the prison house on a visit, thinks so, he’s become a prisoner. That’s foolishness. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes into the material world, he’s checking on his prison home and he’s giving pardons to people.

Come back to home, back to God, and come back to the spiritual world. And he’s showing the alternative lifestyle that’s existing in the spiritual world. What a wonderful relationship, what wonderful pastimes there are in the spiritual world. Because when the Lord comes, just like the governor doesn’t come alone, he comes with the police. He comes with some other secretaries and other representatives of the government departmental headquarters. So many people. If he makes a visit to prison, you can know that there’s going to be at least, you know, dozens of people with him. Similarly, when the Lord comes, he doesn’t come alone. He comes with so many devotees and eternal associates. And also there are a few new recruits that are brought into the whole pastimes from this material world. And when the Lord goes back, he takes everybody with him.

They don’t stick around here either, because they just came to assist the Lord. So if we understand that the Lord’s coming and going is on his own sweet will. But our coming is due to wanting to forget Kṛṣṇa. And if we want to go back, we have to remember Kṛṣṇa and understand Kṛṣṇa and engage in KA’s devotional service, then we can return back to the spiritual world where Kṛṣṇa is waiting for us. Sometimes Kṛṣṇa comes down and then we can know a lot about Kṛṣṇa. But he’s not always here. Visibly. He’s here in everyone’s heart and every atom, to his parvatna form, his super soul form. But visibly he only comes sometimes for everyone to see. But when he did come, his pastimes were recorded in the History here of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam so that we can know what he did here.

We know that when he was in the womb, the great controllers of other planetary systems who normally don’t even bother to come over here, this is the seventh great planet. They’re coming from much higher stratum. They come here in order to offer their respects to the Lord of all universes. Who’s coming into this universe? Lord, when he came four, 500 years ago as Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, at that time also different devas came, offered their prayers to the Lord and the wolf there. They prayed that you come in many different avatars in different forms. The Lord doesn’t always come in a human form. Sometimes he comes in the form like animal. In the form like Baraha Matsya Kurma, like a gigantic tortoise, like a gigantic fish. Just like when there was a huge inundation and who was it?

The Layva Swataman had gathered different living entities, different creatures from all different species aboard the gigantic boat. And there was inundation. And then Matsyavatar, the Tanzano fish incarnation, pulled the boat through the flood waters and preserved the Vedic knowledge. Then there is also a kurma, the tortoise, the half man, half lion, Arashinade Varāha before incarnation. So Lord, he can come in any form, not only human form, but any type of form in its Kṛṣṇa form is a human form. But we shouldn’t think that the Lord is a human or animal or anything material. His form may appear human like or animal like, but his form is Satchitanand that its eternal blissful knowledge is completely transcendental. Human beings are made in the image of the original form of the Lord. We are like a reflection, a shadow in image. For the Lord is transcendental.

So the devas were praying to Lord Caitanya when he was in the womb of Mother Sakshi that you come in all these different forms and these different incarnations of Godhead and each of the forms, each of your incarnations. Actually the word incarnation literally is incorrect. You get incarnate means to come into carnate, come into the flesh. Actually the Lord doesn’t come into flesh. He actually the word in Sanskrit is called avatāra, which means to descend. He descends with his own spiritual form. But somehow the word incarnation is there in English. So that’s the closest thing we have for a translation. But the actual word technically is not accurate completely. The actual word in Sanskrit is the descent from the spiritual world of the Lord.

But English has limited words for describing these things, there are many scientific, technical words for, you know, chemistry and physics. But when we discuss about the fourth dimension or transcendental world, other planets, there’s limited words in English, where there are many words in Sanskrit. Because these things have been discussed quite extensively in the Sanskrit language. The Sanskrit words are more accurate. That’s why we refer to the original verses so that one can. Who wants to go deeper into it. They can learn a little bit about Sanskrit and they can get a deeper understanding of the actual concepts. Since most people don’t understand Sanskrit, so we stick to the English. So when the Lord’s incarnations or descents from the spiritual world are there, the devas told Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, in the womb of Mother Sachi, they always give liberation to the condition souls.

What time are you running? They give liberation, but they don’t generally give. They don’t give love of Godhead. In the avatar of Kṛṣṇa, he gave love of Godhead, love of Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa was also a bit tough fisted in one sentence I just did. He was a bit restricted in his giving of love of Kṛṣṇa. He would give it to those devotees who were completely surrendered to him. Others couldn’t hope for it. So the devas are saying that in this avatar, this incarnation has goranga mahas. You are going to freely give out love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone. Even people who are sinful, who are totally materially contaminated, want to speak of pure souls who are surrendered to you. So they are praying, we are pleased. And this incarnation, we want to get your mercy.

We want to get your special mercy that we can also get love of Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is the original form and Kṛṣṇa has different forms. One of his forms is Chaitanya Mahāprabhu. And in that form where he combines with Rādhā Rani, his own spiritual potency which is mentioned here in this verse, they come together as one. Kṛṣṇa came separately along with his pleasure potency. So there was Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. But Lord Chaitanya is Kṛṣṇa combined with his pleasure potency. So when he descended, he that was combined package, all the mercy of the pleasure potency was there in Lord Caitanya. So Kṛṣṇa was in a very merciful and a very benevolent mood. He was just giving everyone, let everyone take love of Kṛṣṇa.

This is yesterday were sitting and I was visiting a hospital in New Orleans and there was some television playing in the waiting room. One of the commercials, they said special nine hour sale, get it now while it lasts. Made a big. The person went practically crazy on the television trying to get everyone fired. Up for this nine hour sale, whatever it was all about. But the people there, naturally they think wow, nine hours isn’t that good, I better run and get the sale. But sometimes you go there and you find out, well it wasn’t really that much cheaper. It’s kind of a scam, it’s kind of just over publicized. It’s not really that low. Sometimes you really find there’s a liquidation sale or there’s some kind that it’s actually really cheap. Good price.

When I visited Poland because of the devaluation of the money in comparison to the dollar. I could buy a hundred and fifty dollars overcoat for $7, could buy a nice shirt for 60 cents by a slight projection for $3. So it was really, I mean, I wish I could. I only had, you know, I had more luggage space. I would have taken a lot of things, right. It was actually a bargain buying things in dollars. I mean for the local people, they had the local currency. It wasn’t. But if you’re coming there with dollars, it was very cheap. They said you could get a Birkenstock shoe for $2, but I couldn’t find them. So anyway, it’s like a crude example, forgive me that sometimes you really find the bargain. So.

So the devas, the demigod, when Lord Chaitanya was coming, they knew that now there’s really going to be a deal. You can get pure devotion to Kṛṣṇa, pure love of Kṛṣṇa. So easy, so cheap. All you have to do is chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare. You just have to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa is done. Kṛṣṇa Prasadam, a dance in ecstasy. I mean it’s a nectar program. In previous ages there was more difficult going to temples and doing all type of ceremonies and rituals or performing very complicated chanting of mantras and fire ceremonies and things. Different types of Vedic yajnas. Then there was other process. Was there meditation, doing yoga meditation for years and years and years, even your whole life practically. And then you’re not sure even if you achieve. Sikhsaheer, it’s an old difficulty process. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa dance and ecstasy.

Here the Bhāgavatam, take some Kṛṣṇa prasada. Nothing is strenuous. Nothing is texting or taking any kind of big toll one’s health. So it’s a very natural process, very joyfully performed. So these demigods, they can realize that this is going to be the sale of the, you know, not of the century but of the whole day of Rāma. So they wanted to get in on it. So they were requesting that. Please don’t let us miss the one. So I want to congratulate all of you that you are present during the time of this special bargain opportunity, Chaitanya Mahathor’s mercy. And you’re some of the first to cash in on the opportunity. But there are a lot of people out there that don’t even know about it. They’re not taking advantage of it yet.

And so if you have any friends out there, don’t hesitate to inform them about the great opportunity so that they can also benefit from this special sale. Special mercy sale. This is the mood of Lord Chetan and his followers. They want to spread the good message around while the opportunity is there. Normally it’s quite tough to get out of this material world. It’s quite tough to transfer oneself back to the spiritual world. It’s really tough, really difficult. It’s probably inconceivable to get love of Kṛṣṇa so easy. But now.

(Side B of the Cassette)

Is much more than ordinary incarnation. Kṛṣṇa is much more than ordinary incarnation. But Kṛṣṇa himself is the origin of all the incarnations, the original form. But even more merciful that Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa as his own devotee, as Chaitanya Mahav. So Śrīla Prabhupāda was so kind. He brought the message of Vocaitanya to the western world. Otherwise you wouldn’t have the opportunity. And although it’s quite foreign to the western world, people don’t get accustomed to seeing the type of Indian type of dress or chanting in Sanskrit language or even eating vegetarian food. But anyone who gives it a sincere God who tries it out sincerely, they irregardless of whether they’re from America or from Latin America, from Asia or even from the communist countries. We see that by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Ram Hari Ram Ram Hare.

They do gain very quickly a taste of nectar and they become very blissful. So we can understand that this is a process that’s not limited or not for any particular color or creed or country, caste or whatever. Sex sex destroy everyone regardless of their external designation. It’s for all spirit souls, all living and all human beings especially. And everyone has an opportunity to achieve this highest perfection. So although in some places it’s more identifiable, people can relate with it easier than other places anyway. It’s really not part of the material world anywhere you are. So people can open up their vision, have a little broad vision and just experiment. Try and see how the effect is. They can easily experience it.

There is a dynamic change in their life without the devotees giving that opportunity to people is very hard for them to get it how they will get it despite the devotees kindness that they instruct or they give the opportunity to others to participate. So thank you very much for trying to spread this on Kīrtana movement and keep on trying to use your all your intelligence to spread the message of Cheetan Manapu so that people can understand who they are. What is the real nature of birth, death? What is the nature of the transcendental Lord and disappearance so they can pure love of Kṛṣṇa. They can remain in the spiritual sky eternally serving the Lord in love. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare. Any question?

Śrīla Chaya thought it was not enough for us to psychologically know that we’re not the body. We have to actually act on the platform. So then how do we truly know that we understand the appearance of disappearance?

Well when we hear things from the Vedas and then when we repeat them to others, then we can see that they also understand what we’re talking about. And other senior vaiavas are also confirming that what we’re saying is the correct understanding. This is one way that we’re able to confirm to ourselves that we do have the proper understanding. If you just have some knowledge and you don’t apply it naturally, it becomes theoretical. Some of these transcendental understandings need to be applied by instructing them to others. Some of them can be personally applied in our life. If we realize that the Lord is not under the control of the material nature that implies or confirms that he is capable of giving us shelter in all circumstances. So in the material world, nobody is able to give complete shelter all the time. Everyone has their limitations.

So in this material world, people are described as fallible. They’re going to make mistakes, they’re going to fail in different ways. When we understand that the Lord is infallible, that he’s turning transcendental, his enthalia has nothing to do with the material world directly. He’s not under control of the material world. Some big mayor or governor, some newspaper man asked him something and he got so angry that he showed a vulgar sign to them right on the television. So then they’re criticizing, look, he’s supposed to be a leader, but he lost his temper. So what kind of a leader is? When we see that the Lord is transcendental, then when we study his different pastimes, we can see that he does. He acts according to his own free will. He doesn’t like react according. He may reciprocate, he may decide.

But it’s always a conscious decision. It’s always, he does what he wants. Sometimes it seems he’s heavier than he needs to be. Sometimes it seems that he’s ready, merciful, more than one would expect. Whatever he does, though, it’s based upon his own free will. So we cannot, when we read, when we further study, this is just the beginning, this is beginning of the description of the Lord’s pastime, then we can understand how the Lord is not acting according to some influence of material modes. He does things which are consistently unpredictable by material standard, by his own standard, that he’s going to reciprocate according to how people come to Him. You can predict to some degree, but by any material standard, it’s not predictable. Time’s up. What time is.