20030122 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.9-10

(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 January 22, 2003 – in Balarāmadeśa. The lecture begins with a reading from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.9-10.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.9

barhiṣat sumahā-bhāgo
hāvirdhāniḥ prajāpatiḥ
kriyā-kāṇḍeṣu niṣṇāto
yogeṣu ca kurūdvaha

Translation by His Divine Grace: The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, Havirdhāna's very powerful son named Barhiṣat was very expert in performing various kinds of fruitive sacrifices, and he was also expert in the practice of mystic yoga. By his great qualifications, he became known as Prajāpati.

Purport: In the beginning of the creation there were not many living entities, and consequently the very powerful living entities or demigods were appointed as Prajāpatis in order to beget children and increase the population. There are many Prajāpatis—Brahmā, Dakṣa and Manu are sometimes known as Prajāpatis—and Barhiṣat, the son of Havirdhāna, became one of them.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.10

yasyedaṁ deva-yajanam
anuyajñaṁ vitanvataḥ
prācīnāgraiḥ kuśair āsīd
āstṛtaṁ vasudhā-talam

Translation: Mahārāja Barhiṣat executed many sacrifices all over the world. He scattered kuśa grasses and kept the tops of the grasses pointed eastward.

[A-side: You got translation? Everyone knows English here. How many know English? Raise your hand. You have Malayalam translator over here. Manaluvan Kalidokara city. Ladies. How many ladies know English? Who can translate for the ladies? Malayalam? Okay, we’re ready. Please do this. I want signs up. I want a sign in one place. Just like they do in Damad. Telugu, Hindi. Nobody comes. No problem. Translator has got a day off. You can listen. You just organize it. You tell me when it’s organized and I will come back. Okay? I didn’t mean it that way. It won’t come back until it’s organized.]

Purport. As stated in the previous verse (kriyā-kāṇḍeṣu niṣṇātaḥ), Mahārāja Barhiṣat dived very deeply into the fruitive activities of sacrifice. This means that as soon as he finished one yajña in one place, he began performing another yajña in the immediate vicinity. At the present moment there is a similar need to perform saṅkīrtana-yajña all over the world. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has started performing saṅkīrtana-yajña in different places, and it has been experienced that wherever saṅkīrtana-yajña is performed, many thousands of people gather and take part in it. Imperceptible auspiciousness achieved in this connection should be continued all over the world. The members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should perform saṅkīrtana-yajñas one after another, so much that all the people of the world will either jokingly or seriously chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and thus they will derive the benefit of cleansing the heart. The holy name of the Lord (harer nāma [Cc. Ādi 17.21]) is so powerful that whether it is chanted jokingly or seriously the effect of vibrating this transcendental sound will be equally distributed. It is not possible at the present moment to perform repeated yajñas as Mahārāja Barhiṣat performed, but it is within our means to perform saṅkīrtana-yajña, which does not cost anything. One can sit down anywhere and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. If the surface of the globe is overflooded with the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the people of the world will be very, very happy.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport to text 9 and 10 of chapter 24, canto 4 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇam in the chapter entitled, “Chanting the song sung by Lord Śiva.”

Jayapatākā Swami: You know Shiva’s song? You know it. You have to keep coming to Bhāgavatam class. You learn it. Maharaj Barishad. He was performing Karma Kande Yajnas. And by that the world was being very peaceful, prosperous, happy place. It. Now it’s going to be explaining the story about the Prachettas. King Barishak, also known as Prachina Bahi. He married the daughter of the ocean who was very beautiful.

One of the most beautiful girls in the universe. And they had 10 sons. And the sons were known as Prachetas since she was daughter of the ocean. So they could go also in the ocean. So they went underwater for meditating. More peaceful. They meditated on supreme personality of Guided. So there is a big long history about the Pachitas. Ten brothers who worked together to serve Kṛṣṇa. Because they worked together, they got the blessing of Shiva. They also had the Darshan of Shiva. And they had the Darshan also of Lord Nārāyaṇa. It’s very interesting history because Shiva appeared to them. Without them asking for it. So many great devotees are there. Lord Shiva who worship Mahadev day and night and want to see him. But he don’t reveal to them. But Vicheta without asking the Lord appeared to them totally unexpected.

Because you are devotees of Kisha. So devotees of Kṛṣṇa are very dear to me. Therefore I have come to you. Then he taught them his prayer that he sings to Kṛṣṇa. This is. Very, very important history. Because in our Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, one thing which is very important is cooperation. Especially in Kali Yuga beyond nobody is so strong, nobody is great. Maharati, Bakalo, Sangha Shakti. We get more strings when we work together unitedly. The more we’re united, the better, The stronger, more effective we are. So how the Pachaytras by working together please Kṛṣṇa so much please Shiva So much. It’s a very good lesson. One person may do okay by himself, But that’s really not good enough. Being a superstar or just very good on your own is not so pleasing the Lord that is working together.

Prabhupāda once wrote that in Kali Yuga it’s very difficult to find people who cooperate together. Everybody wants to do independent things. Sister. Kṛṣṇa is giving idea in the ear and Māyā is giving idea in the mind. They are both giving ideas in the mind. So which is the Kṛṣṇa’s idea? Which is Māyā’s idea? That’s the question. We should not listen to Māyā’s ideas but we should listen to Kṛṣṇa’s. Māyā will always propose to us. Quarreling, dissension, realistic activities, so many distractions. And Kṛṣṇa will be telling us how to serve him, how to work together, how to better. So this Sankirta Nyagya, in order to do the Sankhyatang, this Prabhupāda is recommending here requires cooperation, right? You need a jungle player, cartel player, chantress. We chant together. This way we’re able to create a very wonderful atmosphere.

This year I went with Bhakti Vigor, Govinda Maharaj in Russia to their annual festival on the bank of the Volga river. This is called the Gursinsky festival named after Mr. Gorsinski, you know, Mr. Gosinski, he was a very nice man. They said someone was drowning in the river and he went to save that person and he drowned himself. So after that the people would gather there and sing songs about it every year in the summer. And that grew to a really big festival where they kept the same name. Actually nobody there remembers Rosinsv. But he was the start of this gathering. Now 400,000 people gather and sing songs. They sing Russian folk songs. So we Hare Kishta since about five or ten years were going there, we put our big handle up and we sing Hare Kṛṣṇa. So they said, why is this?

This is folk music festival. We said this is Indian folk music, San Ketan folk keerta for all the people. So somehow they let us be there and thousands of people come and join with us chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So during the daytime, from about 12 noon to 9 o’ clock at night, there’s various cultural programs, drama, dancing, bhajans. Then from about 9 o’ clock at night there’s just Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting. And that Kīrtana goes till 4, 5 in the morning, non stop. So there’s in the beginning maybe 10,000 people and by five in the morning 5,000. So for this five or six hours they’re non stop chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This year Bharti Bingo Vindama brought a musical group from Kazakhstan that are playing violin, keyboard, harmonium, Nidranga drums and saxophone. So it was quite a musical band, chanting band. So many devotees.

And the Russian ladies, they know how to. They have adapted some type of parad natyam movements with kīrtana dancing. I think it would be nice if our ladies somehow. Hindra Dundasvamy, he trained them up in Poland to do this for the stage and that was imported over by others. So they all dance together like we do the. When we do the sannyāsī stir left, right, left right. But they will go two to the left, two to the right and then at the end they will always do some like a hand movement up, down, this I don’t know exactly but they will have all the ladies lined up and they will all be. It looks very nice all together. Looks very feminine, looks very respectable. Our gents, we tend to just jump in. So ladies, they don’t feel comfortable with that sometimes.

I mean some ladies anyway they jump but this gives a way that they can dance and maintain their kind of demeanor. So they had one group, one half the stage, one quarter, about one third the stage was ladies doing this dancing. So the Russian ladies that were in the audience, they also chimed, you saw them, you know, trying to get what is their hand movements. They’re trying to inner tape. And these Anastas, they’re quite expert, they can spin, they can do some quite fast steps also. I was joining in the kīrtana for 3, 4 hours from midnight till 4. So so many were dancing and dancing. The next day some people came to me. One couple, Russian couple. Can we ask you a question? I said sure and maybe I told you before this two years in a row is happening.

Somebody told me that were feeling so happy last night. We were singing with you people for six hours. We feel so happy. I was discussing with my wife and both of us felt we never felt happier in our life. But one thing we don’t know what is it we’re singing? What is this song? Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare. Six hours. They’re chanting, they’re singing, chanting, but they don’t know what is the song. But they’re feeling so happy like this. People are getting convinced just by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You don’t have to. Even without Bhagavad Gītā, without anything this way sweet. They are feeling so much change. People there they Are very open people. So they just so like this. This chanting is so powerful. Somehow or another if people do it, they feel chance.

In Australia, I was at the My own Bay festival. They do two Rath Yātrā. One on the beach. On 28th, 29th of December. All the people are lying on the beach, sunbathing and swimming. And then this huge about 60 foot high rath is going on the Heart Sindh with maybe thousand devotees pulling in the beach. There’s maybe 10,000 people lying and doing what people do in western beaches. So then they are surprised and deceit. And some people came and said actually so beautiful. Thank you for having this festival. It’s so beautiful. We know anybody appreciates Jagadh. They appreciate Kṛṣṇa just by saying it’s beautiful. Just by appreciating assured one place in spiritual worlds and so many. There’s a muscle builder, big muscle guys. They’re coming and pulling the rat. Some is pulling with a muscle.

It’s very hard to pull it because the rat is in the sand. So sometimes Jagadh makes it very hard. So all the muscle builders are coming, pulling. So somehow they’re engaging themselves. Ladies also pulling. Obviously everyone is pulling. But all of the bodies are pulling. But getting the other people also they’re coming from the beach and they’re having fun. Okay, maybe it’s for them like fun just pull this thing. And they don’t know anything Jagadh. But they’re pulling. So by pulling Jagadh, how much blessing we are getting. Then everyone singing. So some people there, Australian people a little bit open, they’re not so much. They don’t have a negative mood very much about Hare Kṛṣṇa. Very positive mood. So many of them, they’re also chanting and joining. At least they’re appreciating many of them. Obviously there are a few crazies I don’t like.

But most of the people they like. Then we did also December 31 from 9pm till 1am 2am so that time we’re on the roads in the main city and there’s 50,000 people. By that time in the west, everybody gets intoxicated. It’s a very tamasic kind of environment. In the midst of that, Jagannātha is coming and the devotees are chanting a big loudspeaker. We just keep moving around in the town center. The municipal mayor and council requested us to do Rath Yātrā that time because six years ago there was riots where people were breaking windows, smashing cars. So they asked us to participate in this festival to keep people cool. They found that when chanting is going on the rowdy people also become peaceful. They’re pulling their rods, they’re dancing. Maybe they’re a little bit intoxicated or in a joking fun mood.

But somehow they are participating. So I was reminded in Chitai Bhagavad as a villa that Lord Chitai was walking by and there was a group of drunk people. And maybe 500 years ago, even then there was drunkards here. Anybody ever gets drunk in Bahrain? I heard at night time dangerous to drive drunken drivers. Plenty. No restriction here. If I get caught. So where was I? So anyway, that’s when there were no drunken drivers, just drunks. And so when more Chitai went by, the drunken people they were seeing and they said oh look it there. Go God Hari. Oh God Hari. Hurry bull, hurry bull. Sing very nice. And they’re like joking. And one went behind, said he danced very nice. Godhari. Godhari Hari. Kishi. Kish Kish Kam Ram kiss to her. And somehow he’s chanting. The other devotees are getting angry.

You know what is this guy making fun of? Lord Chitanya, the Lord Chaitani. He was full walking. Then that drunken guy went back and sat with his friends. Oh that Hare. That warrant Hari. Very nice. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So then one devotee said he was making fun. We shouldn’t have objected, shouldn’t have done anything. What should tell me? He said look. And he is obviously under the influence of alcohol. By tomorrow that will wear off. But he chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will be to his benefit eternally. Śrī Prabhupāda said there is some serious chanting and even joking chanting. Still it has the benefit. Once one associate of Lord Chitai went to one Qazi and told him that you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. And the Kaji said, well no, today I don’t do it, I will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa tomorrow.

Then that associate started to dance and joy. Hareem, Hareem. You already said Hare Kṛṣṇa. You already chanted. So now don’t stop, keep going. Your life is perfect. You said Hare Kṛṣṇa, you swam chanted. Now. Sometimes people are even. You know, what are these Hare Kṛṣṇa, this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇas are like this Hare Kṛṣṇa. So many times they are saying Hare Kṛṣṇa. They came to the Chandrasi and complained about Lord Chaitanya’s movement. He said why are you complaining? You are from another religion, so why you are bothering? Then he says that, well it’s the funny thing. Once you hear them chanting, it sticks in your brain. You just go on. You’re just thinking and thinking about it. You can’t get it out. Some kind of magic there. So this chanting is very powerful and it purifies people. In Miami Beach.

Miami, our temple is by Coconut Grove, this famous touristic place. And some of our devotees who are in Gulf, they’re now in Śrī Rada Bala. No, he was in Australia actually, but he’s also South Indian. He’s there also with the congregation it specialists. So a beautiful temple with Hare Kṛṣṇa Jagadh, organic Thai. But nearby this is Kokana Grove. And it’s all touristic places. Even there they have rickshaws. To go on a rickshaw drive you have to pay $20. There is big luxury. Some ladies are pulling the rickshaw. So some men will sit and they will be just up and down the street few times $20 strong. Ladies, men also. But that’s like novelty because in America there’s no rickshaw. So india they have rickshaw, but they don’t get $20 for one rite. Two rupees, maybe 10 rupees.

So in this place the devotees go and chain Hare Kṛṣṇa. And the people they also they like very much. All the devotees are coming. Sometimes I arrive in America and custom say they used to chair on the street. I don’t see you anymore. It’s very beautiful the way you people sing. In New York they have a truck and a flatbed in the back. They make it like a temple with a loudspeaker. And they go through the town having moving Hari Nam. So as it’s going throughout New York city chanting after 9, 11, when the devotees came and they Harinam people are very thankful that you’re a champion. The Prabhupāda is recommending somehow we should like flood the world everywhere Hare Kṛṣṇa. This will have very big effect for peace in the world.

Or even if other religions, if they sing the means of God they have faith in, they will also be very beneficial. We know Hare Kṛṣṇa is the most powerful mantra for this purpose. But if others like to chant some other name. Hare Kṛṣṇa is in Sanskrit. Maybe someone wants to chant in Arabic or in Hebrew or some other language could be also. But for unity we’re like encourage everyone. Well, since anyway God is only one, let us all chant together in our life. Okay, then chant will never name you. This transcendental vibration is what can change the world. Said people. The world become very happy. Everyone. So there’s no hard and fast rules. It’s not that to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa you have to follow the four principles and you have to do all these rules. Everyone can sing and chant.

Those who want to really develop love for Godhead want to be very serious about making spiritual advancement for them. They can go on the fast track and they can be initiated and follow all these principles. But for everybody is chanting. Actually by chanting after some time people they lose that desire for sinful things. But if we tell them first you have to give up so many things, then they will won’t chant. They will say no, I won’t give up all these things, so why should I chant? So the tactic is some get in the chant. Whatever you do, you just chant. Doesn’t matter. By chanting then their own view on life start to change. Without any effort they can easily change themselves. That’s the mystical power of this holy name. Because holy name and Kṛṣṇa is same and Kṛṣṇa is all good.

If somebody chants Hare Kṛṣṇa eventually they become good. That doesn’t mean that there are also some bad people who chant. Some people are chanting to cheat others. Like you go to a holy place, you gotta watch out because thieves are also going there to steal your shoes. In Chennai there was one young man, he went to the Rath Yātrā and he had 1300 rupee or maybe it was 3000 rupee fancy shoes which he left just outside and walked in the temple Kalyana Mandapam. When he came out, he found so many people are standing there. Where are my shoes? Where are my. His shoe is gone also. So you find that some thieves, they go to religious function because they know that people leave their shoes outside. And they suppose they only need to steal. But maybe to not appear obvious.

They may also be Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. This thing wear the shoes. These are what you call cher. So beast cheating people. But also the pickpockets. They go to the big Nalas religious function. So you have to watch out. But innocent people, just people that don’t have anything in their mind. They’re just chanting. Even these thieves so garbage seems had some effect. One boy was telling me in Poland I was doing a program some years ago. And he mentioned that in the question and answer period he stood up. He said that once there was a big music festival and the devotees went there. And some devotee put a book table on the table there’s books, incense, so many things.

So three young men came and distracted this devotee one side, other side, one took a Bhagavad Gītā, put in a bait, then the three went off. So they were laughing. We stole the Bhagavad GV stole this book. They don’t even know what book this. We cheated them. We cheated the Hare Kṛṣṇas. We cheated the Hare Kṛṣṇas. We cheated the Hare Kṛṣṇas. We stole their book. Right Then they went home and said what is that book we took? Then they started reading the book. Boys, you see now I am one of those three boys. I am your disciple. Other one is Śrī Rayyanandamara’s disciple. Third one is also your disciple. We thought we are Achilling Hare Kṛṣṇa. How he stole our mind. After reading the book, we all surrendered to Sasha. So who cheated who? He tried to cheat Kṛṣṇa. He’s a better cheater.

He’s best at everything. Then they took the Bhagavad Gītā. They didn’t pay their price. End up they gave their life. So they got them mercy. So like this, so much mercy is there in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Accidentally, consciously, jokingly, seriously. However they chant, somehow they can benefit. Of course if you seriously chant, obviously you get much deeper benefit. So you want everyone to chant seriously. But even if somehow they just out of curiosity, interest, joking, they somehow they chant, they also benefit. You don’t discourage anyone from chanting. Sometimes Harida’s Thakur, the children would play with him and they would make fun. You can do like that. Like so together all the children make fun. When Hari Dad Thakur, he would appear as so then the naughty children, they would chant louder. Children. Actually inside he’s very happy.

But if he feels happy then they won’t sing. So he feels like he’s agītāted. They’re naughty. They want to so they’re chanting more. So he’s making drama. And they’re somehow another. Somehow get people to chant, get them to practice. Then I get the pure effect. So King Parishad in Satya Yuga he was doing this Karma Khanla Yajnas in Kali Yuga. Now the process is Saṅkīrtana Yajna. The Yajna of Saṅkīrtana is recommended. So somehow here we’re doing in an isolated way. And all of you are getting so much benefit. Even this kingdom is benefiting. The world is benefiting. So please go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa be happy. Of course. Here you have to do discreetly not to disturb anyone who wants to participate, they can join in. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Any question? Any question? Let me speak a few minutes in Bengali.

Living a Pandora program. Natuk. We want that when the devotees go back to their home places they should be so well trained here in philosophy and the techniques in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness that they can deliver Their country. People here you have lot of support, lot of Buddha association. You have to become strong enough that when you go into the hostile environment, you go back to the homeland. And the people, they may question, they may object, they may say, why so much religion? Why people very lazy about spiritual life. You have gone to the Middle east to enjoy the rich life you are doing. Let us enjoy. Then you will do so many excuses they will give. So you have to be strong enough to preach to them. Whatever they say, you have to go on doing your practice. Best preaching is by example.

So like this, you will find a few people who are interested and they create some group, have some satsang. So like that we want this nice training program should be here so that people know how to give lecture, know how to conduct a bhakti with shaguk. Now how to do that pujas, how to prepare for salam. So wherever you go, whether you are transferred to another country or whether you go back home or whether you immigrate to some place, a devotee from Middle east went to Canada. And within one year they set up six bhakti bhiksha groups and they became member of the temple council. So much they are appreciated. So our mood is this mood here to spend the Sankirta Yajna everywhere. The Bhattacharya asked Chitai Mahāprabhu, which item is most important in the execution of devotional service.

The Lord replied that the most important item was the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. In this age of Kali, the process of worshipping Kṛṣṇa is to perform sacrifice by chanting the holy name of the Lord. One who does so is certainly very intelligent and he attains shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Surah is saying in Kali Yuga, the most important thing is chanting the holy name. That’s why every day whether if you can attend mangalarti, if you can read, if you can do all the things, it’s very nice. But minimum every day you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That’s the most important thing. Even if you can’t do the other things, at least chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you very much, Hare Kṛṣṇa.