20241012 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.9.39

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 3.9.39

rīto ’ham astu bhadraṁ te
lokānāṁ vijayecchayā
yad astauṣīr guṇamayaṁ
nirguṇaṁ mānuvarṇayan

Translation: I am very much pleased by your description of Me in terms of My transcendental qualities, which appear mundane to the mundaners. I grant you all benedictions in your desire to glorify all the planets by your activities.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: A pure devotee of the Lord like Brahmā and those in his line of disciplic succession always desire that the Lord be known all over the universe by each and every one of the living entities. That desire of the devotee is always blessed by the Lord. The impersonalist sometimes prays for the mercy of the Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa as the embodiment of material goodness, but such prayers do not satisfy the Lord because He is not thereby glorified in terms of His actual transcendental qualities. The pure devotees of the Lord are always most dear to Him, although He is always kind and merciful to all living entities. Here the word guṇamayam is significant because it indicates the Lord’s possessing transcendental qualities.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Kṛṣṇa said He is very pleased by the prayers which were explaining the Lord’s transcendental qualities. When Kṛṣṇa comes down to the material world actually it is His transcendental quality. But He says that the mundaners think it is a mundane quality. Māyāvādī or impersonalists think that Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa have sattva-guṇa. They think that Kṛṣṇa is a manifestation, light of the mode of goodness. Because they think that the impersonal truth is the highest. So, we are coming in the Brahma-sampradāya. And Brahmadeva, he understands that Kṛṣṇa is a person. Here in the purport it states that all the pure devotees want to see the glories of Kṛṣṇa expanded everywhere. That is why I am telling you all again and again that as far as possible you should preach.

We hear every day how many people are coming to Māyāpur. I think yesterday they announced that 24 thousand came. 24,651! So how many of them have been able to be preached to? You see, there is so much opportunity. It is said that devotees who are preaching are always blessed by the Lord! If anyone desires that  when Kṛṣṇa devotees come, then I will talk about Kṛṣṇa to them. This is something for everybody to do. After the class last night, I read something from the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. There Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was in ecstasy. As He was coming to external consciousness, He saw Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya. He told them, how I don’t have love for Kṛṣṇa! If I cannot love Kṛṣṇa, if He is not here, how can I live? So, they were describing how love of Kṛṣṇa is like poison and nectar, mixed. It looks like when the devotees feel separation is suffering. But inside they are feeling ecstasy.

There are different kinds of prema. So, some of these premas look like poison from outside. But inside the devotee is feeling ānanda. There is a description where Lord Caitanya would have the darśana of Lord Jagannātha and standing by the Garuḍa-stambha. So, it says that there is a stambha, a column, and at the top Garuḍa is there. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would lean on that stambha. On that stambha His finger prints are still visible. Now under this Stambha there is an indent, a hole. And Lord Caitanya, He would fill that hole next to the stambha with His tears! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga!

We don’t really have much experience. But every devotee can actually experience this bliss of loving Kṛṣṇa! So, we should want that. We know that there are eight steps to bhāva. And then there are eight kinds of prema. So, the initial eight steps are śraddhā, the first number. Then sādhu-saṅga, bhajana-kriyā, then anartha-nivṛtti, niṣṭhā – niṣṭhā means very steady, after niṣṭhā comes ruci – good taste. And after ruci one is attached to the sweet taste, they have attachment.

In Montreal, a mother and father came to see their son. The son was a brahmacārī in the temple. Are you awake, brahmacārīs? So mother and father came to see their child and talking to him, sweet talk. They got near the door, they grabbed their son and said, “Come on! Let us go home!” The son he grabbed on the door and was holding the door knob. And the mother and father were pulling on his legs. He was holding on the door knob and they were pulling on his legs! So, Śrīla Prabhupāda commented that that is a sign of attachment. So, that was an experience I had in Montreal.

Here, have been put up the nine varieties of prema-bhakti. The nine varieties of prema-bhakti are: rati, prema, sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, anurāga, bhāva and mahā-bhāva. Attraction, love, affection, adverse feeling, intimacy, attachment, sub-attachment, ecstatic love and sublime ecstatic love.

So, eight steps to get to bhāva. Ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. Then after that are the eight steps from rati, prema, sneha, māna, etc. Bhāva is a step of prema, the bhāva that comes before rati is the last thing before prema. Now we want all these devotees to experience the bhāva before prema. We can reach that stage by trying. In order to get prema, we need special mercy. Pañca-tattva, They are gifting, giving in charity this prema, love of Kṛṣṇa. Who wants love of Kṛṣṇa? I see more men hands than ladies!

So, Kṛṣṇa, He combined with Rādhārāṇī and came down as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. So, to get kṛṣṇa-prema is a very big blessing! And someone who doesn’t have prema they cannot understand. You see if someone with prema-bhakti may be feeling great separation. Outside they will look sad, but inside they are experiencing ānanda. Lord Caitanya was saying, “I just cry that is actually because I do not have any prema.” I just was thinking how blessed I am to be in Kṛṣṇa’s service! So, Lord Caitanya was saying one thing but He was feeling something else!

Anyway, a few days ago we had the appearance of Citrā Devī. And we see how qualified these sakhis are. How they use all their fantastic qualities in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Mādhava. Therefore, we should also endeavor to engage in the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava. All the devotees, whether foreigners, Indians, should try to get the mercy of Pañca-tattva and serve Śrī Śrī Rādhā Mādhava. Lord Caitanya said it is a great blessing to be born in India.

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra
(Cc. Ādi 9.41)

Anyone born in the land of Bharata, India, should make his life perfect and devote his life for the welfare of others. So we want to give others kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

So we have tens of thousands of people coming to Māyāpur. So this is an opportunity to preach. We have some kīrtana parties, chanting. And we have book distribution going on. And we have prasāda distribution. So if anyone can think of some other ways to enliven the visitors to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, please do so.

His Grace Nandan Prabhu, he is working on the Māyāpur app. So the ‘Māyāpur app’ shows the important places of ISKCON Māyāpur. Also now the ‘Māyāpur app’ shows the nine islands of Navadvīpa dhāma. One can use it when they do parikramā. And they can do a virtual parikramā, every day!! Lord Nityānanda, He did Navadvīpa parikramā every day! Haribol! Now, a lot of people that cannot walk so far, they can do virtual parikramā. How many people here have the Māyāpur app? How many will get it today? Pañca-tattva saw you!!

So, like this, it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa is very happy, when someone is glorifying His transcendental qualities. So, in all the planets of the universe, the glories of Kṛṣṇa can be expanded. In this planet, so many people do not understand the glories of Kṛṣṇa! So here Kṛṣṇa says, He is very much pleased by describing Him in terms of His transcendental qualities. The conditioned souls do not understand the transcendental qualities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The devotees, they understand. So, Kṛṣṇa says that He will give all benediction to those who have the desire to glorify Kṛṣṇa. Maybe each of you can make a trial to at least speak to one person or one family a day about Kṛṣṇa. Haribol! Gaurāṅga! Nityānanda! Advaita! Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa ādi gaura-bhakta-vṛnda!

Any questions?

Her Grace Daivī Śakti Devī Dāsī (ACBSP) from Vṛndāvana is here. Let us chant Hare Kṛṣṇa for her!

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

Vanamāli dāsa Brahmacārī: The topic was very esoteric and very high. But somebody who is unfortunate or fallen like myself, how will I know where will I find this prema? Like for Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Lord Caitanya had left behind kṛṣṇa-prema somewhere. Where will I find this prema, if you could please guide me and bless me where I can find this prema? You are very dear to the Lord, therefore you know where I will find this prema.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see they are a very advanced devotee, more advanced than me. Lord Caitanya left kṛṣṇa-prema in the Padmā river for Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. But Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura he prayed that Lord Caitanya gives His mercy to the most fallen. So, he prayed there is no one more fallen than me so I should get His mercy. So Śrīla Prabhupāda said to establish the Pañca-tattva so you can pray to Pañca-tattva and they can reveal to you how to get kṛṣṇa-prema.

Okay, thank you very much!