20210731 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.4

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 31, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.10.4.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!

Jayapatākā Swami: So today we are reading from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We read about the pastimes of Bhīṣmadeva. Now we are hearing about the situation on the earth when Yudhiṣṭhira mahārāja was the emperor. All the rains fell properly, there was enough production of food grains. The milk bags were fatty in the cows so much so that they wet all the fields. So the whole situation on the earth was very regulated, very nice. So now the situation on the earth is such that some places there is flood and some places, drought. Earthquakes, volcanoes, there are various other problems. Now a days, people’s consciousness is very, very little in terms of God consciousness. Just like now the COVID-19 pandemic is going on. Earlier there was alpha, now there is delta. And we cannot predict what will happen in the future.

People in the age of Kali, they could do the Harināma. Harināma, congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord is the special method. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, that if one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa that is good, but if one chants other names of God that is also alright. Somehow we should get the people to chant the holy names now. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that in Calcutta in the 1900 century, there was a plague. That was saved in Calcutta by a bābājī who got everyone together to chant the holy names. Chanting for health is a material purpose, that is an aparādha to the name. But śāstra says that for the materialists even if they chant the name of God even with some offence, that is better than not chanting at all. We may chant, saying if the Lord pleases. Maybe the materialists would chant anyway. Somehow or another we have to get the people to chant, that will be a great benefit to the whole world. Europe they want to stop carbon emissions by 2050. But that is nice that they are thinking about not destroying nature. But they are also killing so many animals.Because of that there are many diseases and many other problems. So we would like to see the world become God consciousness. So if we want to protect the whole situation we have to make everyone Kṛṣṇa conscious. So that is why we should get everyone to chant the holy names. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! This mahā-mantra was given by Lord Caitanya to deliver the whole world. So people should chant the mahā-mantra, chant the name of God and they should lead a more pure life. For that reason Śrīla Prabhupāda said we should have tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of millions of spiritual masters. So we hope everybody will study Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. In this way, become qualified as future spiritual masters, and spread Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana mission. Caitanya Mahāprabhu had said, pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma, sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma. (Cb Antya 4.126) Lord Caitanya predicted that in every town and village of the world, there will be congregational chanting of the holy name. So in that consideration. Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted that everyone will be spiritual masters. Previously the system would be one āśrama, one guru. But Śrīla Prabhupāda’s plan was that there must be millions of gurus. So he had a vision of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

So in this way in Yudhiṣṭhira mahārāja’s reign there was auspiciousness all over the world. If we spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness then the same situation, we can also create. So we need food grains, milk and clothing, things like that. Now they are having cinema halls, illicit sex, brothels, and meat eating hotels. In the UK, they lifted the restrictions, I was astonished to see in the news how one night club was jam packed with old people. We need devotees to show a more pure lifestyle. So now the world situation is very bad. When we kill, we do one at a time, one after another. But when Kṛṣṇa kills, He kills lakhs and lakhs, mass killing. So they were declaring that the pandemic was defeated. Now they say that the Delta variant has come and it is a new problem. Even in Australia, previously was free, they are suffering this pandemic. Indonesia, Malaysia, it is a very high problem. Somehow, if we get the people to chant the holy name, that can bring in the new change. Someone was telling Śrīla Prabhupāda I am a Christian. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, well we have great faith in Jesus Christ. "But do you eat meat?", Śrīla Prabhupāda asked him. "Yes, I eat." "Then you are not a Christian", Śrīla Prabhupāda said! In the Ten Commandments it is said that THOU SHALL NOT KILL! but you are killing you are killing an animal. So you are not a Christian. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a very strong preacher.

At the time of Yudhiṣṭhira mahārāja there were no slaughter houses. And the modern society slaughter house, cinema houses, all these things. Is this advancement? Now a days, people are living a life lower than the animals. I see that the devotees, the gṛhasthas hare having many deities in their houses. They offer the bhoga, they eat prasādam. They are very peaceful and happy. To have a relations within the gṛhastha life, it is not sinful. Of course, if one can have just for children, that is the goal, that is devotional service. But people outside of marriage, they are having sex life, that is sinful.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He showed that we can have the highest happiness by chanting the harināma-saṅkīrtana. Sometimes He would be in ecstasy, He would laugh for six hours! Loudly laughing! He would be crying, His hairs would be standing on end. People would come to see Him and once they were there, they wouldn’t want to leave! Dabira Khāsa, who was Rūpa Gosvāmī working for the nawab, Hussain Shah who asked him who is this Caitanya? They would say that you are a king, you are a representative of God, what do you think about Him? He said that whoever you call as Kṛṣṇa and we call as Allah, He is the same person. And he said, why do people serve me? My army, my general, my ministers. You are a mahārāja, you are a nawab they said. If I don’t pay them for six months they will try to overthrow me. I don’t even think my queens will stay with me, unless I give them gifts. Everyone comes to Lord Caitanya but He does not give them any financial benefit. Therefore, I think that unless you are Allah or Kṛṣṇa it is not possible. My order is followed in my kingdom. But His order is followed everywhere. Gauuurāṇga! Gauuuuurāṇga! So we want to establish that everybody follows Lord Caitanya in the whole world. This way, they will chant the Lord’s name and be happy. Thus they would not need anything in the mode of ignorance. So we need to flood the world with Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu He chanted and danced day and night. So some of the people consulted each other and they thought maybe the Hussain Shah changes his mind, better Lord Caitanya goes somewhere else. They told one brāhmaṇa to go and tell this to Lord Caitanya. But, Lord Caitanya was singing and doing saṅkīrtana in such a way nonstop that he could not talk to anybody. The brāhmaṇa he waited for hours and hours but he could not find any chance to take to Lord Caitanya. Then he told the people of Rāmakeli who were chanting along with Lord Caitanya, some danger may be there, Lord Caitanya should leave. So gradually the kīrtana became affected. Lord Caitanya stopped, He said, nothing to worry about!I am not going anywhere. Again, He started doing saṅkīrtana will all the devotees.

Anyway, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the system of the government was under Yudhiṣṭhira mahārāja. We cannot expect to establish that system. But we should elevate the society so that the society is more sattvic, and more God conscious. This way there are those who are more honest and satvic people. Anyway Lord Caitanya He has established the saṅkīrtana move in this age of Kali. We read how at the time of Yudhiṣṭhira mahārāja there was such an ideal situation. Now we only hope that people become God conscious. I thank all the devotees for their participation in this saṅkīrtana-yajña, By Lord Caitanya’s mercy, the world could change. So you all should have the desire so that we can fulfill the prediction and desire of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.