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Greatest punishment

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 4

How is it that the great sages, who were completely conversant with religious principles, desired to curse King Vena, who himself carried the rod of punishment, and thus awarded him the greatest punishment?
SB 4.13.22, Translation and Purport: Vidura also inquired: How is it that the great sages, who were completely conversant with religious principles, desired to curse King Vena, who himself carried the rod of punishment, and thus awarded him the greatest punishment [brahma-śāpa]? It is understood that the king is able to give punishment to everyone, but in this case it appears that the great sages punished him. The king must have done something very serious, otherwise how could the great sages, who were supposed to be the greatest and most tolerant, still punish him in spite of their elevated religious consciousness? It appears also that the king was not independent of the brahminical culture. Above the king was the control of the brāhmaṇas, and if needed the brāhmaṇas would dethrone the king or kill him, not with any weapon, but with the mantra of a brahma-śāpa. The brāhmaṇas were so powerful that simply by their cursing one would immediately die.

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

That is the greatest punishment. For a living being, if he forgets God, Kṛṣṇa, in any condition of life, it is the greatest punishment.
Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969: Now, today is, this decoration is so nice that... Of course, such kind of decoration is made in India. But if some devotee comes from India he'll see, "Oh, it is very nice. How they have done." How? It is possible because Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Kṛṣṇa is not for the Indians or for the Americans. He's for everyone. Anyone who desires to serve Him, He'll give him intelligence. This is the philosophy. We have to become serious, that "Kṛṣṇa, give me intelligence so that I can serve You very nicely." Oh, Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. And: "Kṛṣṇa, give me facility so that I can forget You." "All right. You again forget." That is also stated in the Sixteenth... Tan ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram andha-yoniṣu: [Bg. 16.19] "Those who are envious, asuric, demons, I put them in such abominable life that they'll never be able to understand Me." That is the greatest punishment. For a living being, if he forgets God, Kṛṣṇa, in any condition of life, it is the greatest punishment. They're thinking that "We are happy without this nonsense God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness." They are the most condemned, most condemned. I think Lord Jesus Christ has said like this, "If anyone gains the whole world and forgets God and self, then what does he gain?" In the Bhāgavata also it is said, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. We... Everyone is born fool. Just like this child. The child... Everyone knows that child is a fool. Everyone knows. So if the child commits some mistake, does some wrong thing, nobody takes care of him. "Child. He's a fool." Or animal. If the cat comes and immediately gets up on the throne, sit down, so we take it is our fault that we allowed the cat, but we don't take the cat as offender because it is fool, animal. You see? But if you go and sit down there, then everyone will be: "Oh, you are so rascal that you are going to sit down there?" So human being is so responsible. If he remains fool, then he loses the chance of life.
Page Title:Greatest punishment
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:04 of Dec, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=1, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:2