20251220 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.22.36

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 3.22.36

sa evaṁ svāntaraṁ ninye
yugānām eka-saptatim
vāsudeva-prasaṅgena
paribhūta-gati-trayaḥ

Translation: He passed his time, which lasted seventy-one cycles of the four ages [71 × 4,320,000 years], always thinking of Vāsudeva and always engaged in matters regarding Vāsudeva. Thus he transcended the three destinations.

Purport: The three destinations are meant for persons who are under the control of the three modes of material nature. These destinations are sometimes described as the awakened, dreaming and unconscious stages. In Bhagavad-gītā the three destinations are described as the destinations of persons in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. It is stated in the Gītā that those who are in the mode of goodness are promoted to better living conditions in higher planets, and those who are in the mode of passion remain within this material world on the earth or on heavenly planets, but those who are in the mode of ignorance are degraded to an animal life on planets where life is lower than human. But one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious is above these three modes of material nature. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that anyone who engages in devotional service to the Lord automatically becomes transcendental to the three destinations of material nature and is situated in the brahma-bhūta, or self-realized, stage. Although Svāyambhuva Manu, the ruler of this material world, appeared to be absorbed in material happiness, he was neither in the mode of goodness nor in the modes of passion or ignorance, but in the transcendental stage.

Therefore one who fully engages in devotional service is always liberated. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, a great devotee of the Lord, stated, “If I have unflinching devotion to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then Mother Liberation is always engaged in my service. The complete perfection of material enjoyment, religion and economic development is at my command.” People are after dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. Generally they perform religious activities to achieve some material gain, and they engage in material activity for sense gratification. After being frustrated in material sense gratification, one wants to be liberated and become one with the Absolute Truth. These four principles form the transcendental path for the less intelligent. Those who are actually intelligent engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not caring for these four principles of the transcendental method. They at once elevate themselves to the transcendental platform, which is above liberation. Liberation is not a very great achievement for a devotee, to say nothing of the results of ritualistic performances in religion, economic development or the materialistic life of sense gratification. Devotees do not care for these. They are situated always on the transcendental platform of the brahma-bhūta stage of self-realization.

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Jayapatākā Swami: Everyone has been able to fit in here? When I speak normally it happens that side. Are there any people who are not in this room? Anyway, here is the life of Manu, Svayambhuva Manu. He lives 71 catur-yugas. That is 71 times 4 million 32000 years. We only live a 100 years max in Kali-yuga. And the insurance companies can give the average life span of man and woman. Svayambhuva Manu, his life was spent in the thoughts and activities of Vāsudeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda in his lecture said that all our gṛhasthas should be paramahaṁsas. Svayambhuva Manu, he was like a paramahaṁsa. This way, he used to think of Kṛṣṇa constantly. Even if he was enjoying the material situation, he was also Kṛṣṇa conscious. He was always in the atmosphere of Vāsudeva constantly. Our gṛhasthas should be like that. Even if they have to enjoy something, they should do that in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way.

Now the brahmacārīs, the sannyāsīs, they have a different standard. When someone brought a machine from Mumbai, a luci making machine, they said it was high tech! Then we said, “Let us see how it works!” Some lucis or purīs were made and they were fried, now what to eat them with? With āṭṭa, flour, they made luci. From maida or refined flour you make purīs. We were having the lucis with some dates gūr or jaggery. It was very nice! But Śrīla Prabhupāda called me over! He was in the grass hut. He said, “This is not the lifestyle of a sannyāsī!” When we are in the renounced order, we have to live a different lifestyle. But Svayambhuva Manu, he was a gṛhastha but he kept himself in a Kṛṣṇa conscious atmosphere. So we want our gṛhasthas to have this atmosphere. All of you experience the joy and sorrow of the material world but always stay in the consciousness of Kṛṣṇa. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that producing Kṛṣṇa conscious children is Bhagavat-sevā!

But I saw one devotee, he brought up to Śrīla Prabhupāda and that person had been to the prostitute. So Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “You are gṛhastha, why did you go to a prostitute? And a gṛhastha having sex with his wife is not sin, but having that with a prostitute is sin.” So like that, Śrīla Prabhupāda was preaching.

In the 5^th canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it says that the relation between husband and wife is to be treated like in brahmacārya. But Śrīla Prabhupāda also said that if one does procreation, that is devotional service. We live maximum 100 years, but Svayambhuva Manu lived crores of years, 4 million 420 thousand years times 71. If one wants to live the life as a brahmacārī that is good, but he should follow it strictly. So, we have seen that some of our sannyāsīs, even in old age, they return to gṛhastha life!

Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī was considered to be a great paramahaṁsa, he was previously a gṛhastha, his son later became a great preacher and Mādhavendra Purī became a sannyāsī. So this is a very natural way of life.

Anyway, we are supposed to be always in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s, Lord Caitanya’s sevā! You know my history. Last place I was, was in Navi Mumbai. And one day we went to Juhu temple. They asked me to give a class. But Delhi they were doing so well because they get everybody to pledge to distribute a certain amount of books. Someone said, I will pledge giving 5000 Bhagavad-gītās, someone 100. So everyone takes a pledge. So what is your pledge? Now Mumbai is trying to beat Delhi! And everyone is trying to beat Māyāpur!! So, in this month of December up to January 5^th, we are already like over half! And everybody should make a pledge at least to their selves, to the Deities that I will try to distribute this many books. I came here a few days ago and 386 books had been distributed in my name! But the next day, only 68! And yesterday only 18. So when I come here, the distribution is going down! So what is this?

I was telling them in Mumbai how they should have their affection and love for Kṛṣṇa! Now, some love their dog, some their country, some their cat, many things they love! We are not taking about prema at some high level, but just love, affection for Kṛṣṇa! This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness! So bhakti-yoga is a process of giving all of your affection, our attention, our love to Kṛṣṇa! Naturally, we have affection for our family members and others, but we should have more affection for Kṛṣṇa or God! Our purvāśrama nephew Jacob is here today! He will be here for a week, and he would appreciate it if you are friendly to him!

Svayambhuva Manu, he is showing us a very good example. He could be Kṛṣṇa conscious for so many millions of years! So like that, to be in Kṛṣṇa conscious for us for our whole lives is relatively very small! How much bliss there is in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and living a life of bhakti-yoga is unlimited! Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī said the two syllables ‘kṛṣ’ ‘ṇa’, there is so much bliss! Haribol!

Is that the time? It doesn’t change?! So Svayambhuva Manu has given a very good example, how to be Kṛṣṇa conscious as a gṛhastha. And the material nature has three modes – goodness, passion and ignorance. Some who are in goodness go to Svargaloka and those who are in passion go to heavenly planets or down. In ignorance they go to the lower planetary systems. They may also go to the lower species. But these three destinations are not accepted by the devotees. They don’t want to be merged into the impersonal brahma-jyoti. So if in liberation one serves and stays with the Supreme Lord that is only the liberation. So we want to serve Kṛṣṇa. For that reason, we can go to Kṛṣṇaloka. There is a lot of suffering in the material world. If we are only detached from that then they send us to impersonal liberation. To go to Kṛṣṇa, we should have love and do devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

I was telling how in different parts of the world they have a book on the different pastimes of the Lord. We have this temple of Rājāpur Jagannātha book. We should also have Rādhā Māyāpurcandra, Rādhā Mādhava Aṣṭa-sakhi, Nṛsiṁhadeva and Pañca-tattva pastimes books. They are actually people – Kṛṣṇa is a person. We are not able to see Them, so They appear as arcā-vigraha, arcā-avatāra. When you pray to Them, They hear you! They also see what you are doing. The Lord as Paramātmā resides in your soul. The Supersoul sees what you are thinking, what kind of activities you are engaged in. So you should be very sincere in your bhakti-yoga and that will be effective. Haribol!

Any questions?

Question: You mentioned about taking a pledge in front of the Deities about book distribution. How to do it practically?

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa as I said, is a person, He will hear if you pledge to Him 500 books or 100 books. You pray please give me the potency, please give me the śakti to be able to do it. Haribol! Gaurāṅga! Nityānanda! Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!

Question: We are not able to do preaching because management is causing some obstacles, like security and that is dampening our spirits. They had given preaching cards but took them back. Can we as gṛhasthas be made into a group and allowed to preach.

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t understand this. Where? Jagat-guru Prabhu’s office. Surely, there must be a special situation. I do not accept or believe that Jagat-guru Dāsa will create any obstacle in preaching! So, now Jagat-guru dāsa can meet me to explain the situation. There could be some rules in the temple. In the temple there may be restrictions, outside on the road there may be less.

Now it is time for you to go for prasāda.