In this chapter the descendants of Bharata Mahārāja and many other kings are described. The son of Mahārāja Bharata was named Sumati. He followed the path of liberation given by Ṛṣabhadeva. Some people mistakenly thought Sumati to be the direct incarnation of Lord Buddha. The son of Sumati was Devatājit, and his son was Devadyumna. Devadyumna's son was Parameṣṭhī, and his son was Pratīha. Pratīha was a very great devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, and he had three sons, named Pratihartā, Prastotā and Udgātā. Pratihartā had two sons, Aja and Bhūmā. The son of Bhūmā was Udgītha, and the son of Udgītha was Prastāva. The son of Prastāva was Vibhu, and the son of Vibhu was Pṛthuṣeṇa, whose son was Nakta. The wife of Nakta, Druti, gave birth to Gaya, who was a very famous and saintly king. Actually King Gaya was a partial incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu, and because of his great devotion to Lord Viṣṇu he received the title Mahāpuruṣa. King Gaya had sons named Citraratha, Sumati and Avarodhana. The son of Citraratha was the emperor Samrāṭ, and his son was Marīci, whose son was Bindu. Bindu's son was Madhu, and Madhu's son was Vīravrata. Vīravrata's two sons were Manthu and Pramanthu, and the son of Manthu was Bhauvana. The son of Bhauvana was Tvaṣṭā, and the son of Tvaṣṭā was Viraja, who glorified the whole dynasty. Viraja had one hundred sons and one daughter. Of these, the son named Śatajit became very famous.
Very great devotees
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 5
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
The King inquired, "To whom did Svarūpa Dāmodara and Govinda offer the two garlands? His bodily effulgence is so great that He must be a very great devotee. Please let me know who He is."
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
The idea is, Kulaśekhara, King Kulaśekhara is praying to Kṛṣṇa, adyaiva viśatu me mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ. Adyaiva. Prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ smaraṇaṁ kutas te. He is praying, "Kṛṣṇa, I am now in good health. So kindly award me death immediately." Adyaiva. "Immediately, so that my mind, who is just like a swan, he can take pleasure by entering into stem of Your lotus flower feet." Kṛṣṇa's feet is always compared with lotus flower, and the lotus flower has got a stem. And the swans, they take pleasure being entangled with that stem. They go and dive into the water. This is their very good sporting. So he is taking that sporting, he is comparing his mind as the rāja-haṁsa. "So as the rāja-haṁsa takes pleasure by entangling him in the stem of the lotus flower, similarly Your lotus feet, there is a stem. So my mind, which may be compared with rāja-haṁsa, let it be entangled now, immediately. Otherwise I do not know." Prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ. "When everything bodily function will be mixed up, kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ, 'ghan ghan,' there will be some sound, how I will be able to remembering your lotus feet? So let me die immediately, immediately. Now I am quite fit. Otherwise I may not be able." This is the point. The mind should be kept in healthy condition. Saṁjña. Therefore one who dies with full sense remembering Kṛṣṇa, oh, he is successful. In Bengali it is said, bhajana kara sādhana kara mūrti yāṅre haya. (?) You may be very great devotee. That's all right. But it will be tested at the time of your death, how you remember Kṛṣṇa. That will be the test examination. At the time of death, if we forget, if we become parrotlike... Just like parrot, he chants also, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." But when the cat catches the neck, "Kanh! Kanh! Kanh!" No more Kṛṣṇa. No more Kṛṣṇa. So artificial practice will not help us. Then "Khan, khan." That kapha-pitta-vātaiḥ, kaṇṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṇaṁ kutas te (MM 33).
Prabhupāda: You become like Arjuna, you will see. First of all you become like Arjuna, friend of Kṛṣṇa. Then you will see. Do you think you are as good as Arjuna? Kṛṣṇa says, Arjuna addressing, that I am instructing to you my dear Arjuna, because you are my dear friend. And you are very great devotee. Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyam etad uttamam (BG 4.3). I am speaking to you this Bhagavad-gītā because you are qualified. What is that qualification? Because you are My devotee and very intimate friend. So you become also intimate friend and devotee, you will understand everything. That is our request. If Arjuna becomes a friend and devotee you can also become. Why you are losing this opportunity? That is our propaganda. You also become a friend, a devotee, and be happy and see Kṛṣṇa as He is simply symbolic representation. He says everyone. Let us take this opportunity and become like Arjuna. That is perfection of life.
Devotion is not sentiment. It is a science. Rūpa Gosvāmī says,
- śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
- pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
- aikāntikī harer bhaktir
- utpātāyaiva kalpate
- (Brs. 1.2.101)
He says that "A show of devotion, a show of spiritual," I mean to say, spirituality, "a show of devotion, a show of spirituality, without reference to the Vedic knowledge, śruti, smṛti, and corollaries to the Vedas, pañcarātra-vidhim, and the definition of bhakti-sūtras like Nārada-bhakti-sūtra and such authoritative books," aikāntikī harer bhaktiḥ, "if a man is showing himself that he is very great devotee, and a man in knowledge, without any reference of the authoritative śāstra, books—oḥ, that is simply disturbance," Utpāta. Utpāta means disturbance. A man showing that he is a great devotee, he's great man of knowledge, but he has no reference with the books of knowledge, or the authoritative books, oh, that is simply creating disturbance. That is not religiosity, neither devotion, nothing else.
Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five years' old boy, he was instructed by Nārada Muni. He became a very great devotee. And he was instructing his class fellows when he was a five years' old boy. Because it doesn't matter whether he's a five years' old boy or five hundred years' old tree or a five millions years' stone. There is no utilization. If you become a five years' old boy and if you understand this knowledge your life is perfect. These things are all very nicely discussed. They say, "Oh..." Taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti (SB 2.3.18) . "Oh, you are very much proud of your long duration of life? Because you see that cats and dogs die within ten years or twenty years and you live seventy years or eighty years, therefore you are very much proud?" Oh. The answer is taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti: "Don't you see the tree? It lives five hundred years, thousand years." "Oh, a tree lives, but it cannot breathe." Oh. Bhastrā kiṁ na śvasanti: "Don't you see the bellow, a bag of skin? 'Bhass, bhass, bhass'—it is breathing. So do you think your breathing is very expertness?" "Well, they breathe, but they cannot enjoy sex life." "Oh. What is that? The dogs and hogs, they do not enjoy sex life? Do they not eat?"
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
They were very much satisfied by seeing the Viṣṇudūtas. Just like in your country they are very much satisfied by seeing your face. They have named you "bright-faced." Why? You are naturally very beautiful, but they understand, your countrymen, that you have become more beautiful by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's a fact. (aside): You can sit down there. This is disturbing. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that naturally it will make you beautiful, not black-faced, not morose—beautiful face. That is the sign of spiritual advancement. By the face you'll understand that "Here is a man who is spiritually advanced." Pratyakṣam avagamaṁ dharmyam. This process of spiritual consciousness can be directly perceived. It is not theoretical: "Oh, I am a very great devotee." No. Simply theoretical understanding, "I am a great devotee..." From the very face it will be understood. Face is the index of mind, how you are thinking. If you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa always, then your face will be beautiful. Therefore it is called pratyakṣam avagamaṁ dharmyam, direct perception. There is no theoretical. It is practical. Pratyakṣyam avagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukham.
So actual fact is Viṣṇu worship. That is the ultimate goal of Vedic civilization, but they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Their attention is diverted in so many demigods. The greatest disservice to the society, that "Here is another god, here..." Not only manufacturing a man-god, but they are advising that "Any god you can worship." No: Viṣṇu. Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. This is Vedic mantra. Those who are sūrayaḥ, means advanced... Sūrayaḥ means... Sūrayaḥ and asūrayaḥ. Asūrayaḥ means demons. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved suraḥ: "Those who are devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, they are sura." Asuras tad-viparyayaḥ: "And those who are not Viṣṇu bhaktas, they are asuras." Just like Rāvaṇa was very great devotee of Lord Śiva; still, he was a asura. Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was a great devotee of Lord Brahmā, but he was considered asura. So anyone who is not devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, he is asura. That is the verdict. Asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. And this piṇḍa-dāna is offered oblations to the Viṣṇu. So if any man becomes a Vaiṣṇava, he is offering oblations to Viṣṇu every moment, so his forefathers are delivered without any trouble. Without any trouble. If one's son becomes a Vaiṣṇava in the family, he can deliver fourteen generations, up and down. That is the verdict. Not only verdict, this is the version in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Now, just like if you are hungry and if you get food, then the more you eat, your appetite or hunger will be minimized, and at last you'll say, "No, no, I don't want any." Similarly, advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness means, "No no, I don't want." Not only saying, "Don't want," but yad avadi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava nava dhāman udyata rantum āsīt tad avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame. Here our feelings of happiness is sex life. Sometimes we think, "Oh, how I was enjoying sex life with my wife, with my husband." That is also pleasure. They read so many novels because there is sex life. They feel very happy: "How this man is talking with this woman, woman is talking, this woman, and how they are enjoying." So that is subtle, subtle enjoyment. There are eight kinds of subtle sex life. If you see one beautiful woman and if you appreciate, "Oh, how nice the face is," that is subtle sex. If you read books, that is also subtle sex. If you endeavor how to approach that woman or man to find out the opportunity, that is subtle sex. There are eight kinds of subtle sex life. So it is forbidden for a brahmacārī even to think of woman. That is brahmacārī. Even thinking of woman is subtle sex life. It is very, very difficult. But mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). If you catch the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa very tightly, these things will not disturb. That is said by Yamunacārya. Bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ. If you become pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then as soon as you think of sex, you'll spite. "Eh! Nonsense. What is this?" This is the result. That is the certificate, whether you have got that attitude—spite on it. Then you understand that you are increasing. Otherwise you are in the same hellish condition. You may show that you are becoming a devotee, very great devotee. So test yourself, how much you have advanced.
So Kṛṣṇa gives them. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). It is not that Kṛṣṇa does not give... Kṛṣṇa satisfies always. For this reason, it is recommended that even if you have got some lusty desires to fulfill, still, you go to Kṛṣṇa and He will satisfy it. Don't go to other demigods. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānā yajanty anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). Generally people go to other demigod for fulfilling their lusty desires: "Mother, Goddess Kālī, I am very great devotee of you. Kindly allow me to eat meat." That's all. Mother says, "All right, bring one black goat and offer me and then take prasādam." This is meant for the meat-eaters. The purpose is to restrain him. Instead of purchasing meat from the slaughterhouse, the śāstra says, "All right, you meat eat in this way." This is restriction. This is not indulgence. Loke vyavāya-āmiṣa-madya-sevā nityāstu jantuḥ nāhi tatra codanaḥ. To eat meat, to have sex life, āmiṣa-madya-sevā, and to drink intoxication, these things are naturally there, so why śāstra should encourage them? "Yes, you can eat meat by offering pūjā, worship to Goddess Kālī." "Yes, you may have sex life by marrying." In this way, they're śāstras. They are mentioned. But this is not encouraging. This is restraining, that if he is not married, he will enjoy sex life like cats and dogs. Therefore śāstra says, "All right, don't become cats and dog. Become a human being and get married and have your sex life under restrain." Similarly, "If you are rākṣasa—you want to eat meat—don't eat like rākṣasa. Better offer a goat to be sacrificed before Goddess Kālī." This is śāstra. Because the goat will be benefited. Because it is offering his life before Goddess Kālī, he will immediately get the body of human being, immediately promotion. He is benefited, and he has the right to kill this man. These are the injunction in the śāstras.
So sometimes devotees are so gentle. If such foolish person comes to talk, unnecessarily waste of time, "All right, you take in writing that I am not a learned. Go away." You see? This is another bhadra. Instead of wasting time with a rascal, better give him a paper: "Go away, sir." (laughter) And therefore Lord Śiva is called Āśutoṣa. So many demons go to bother him: "Give me this. Give me that." And his name is Āśutoṣa.. He gives him immediately: "All right, you take it. Go away. Don't bother." (laughter) Therefore his name is Āśutoṣa.. Very soon he becomes... Somebody prayed, "Sir, give me this benediction, that I shall... On anyone's head I shall touch, immediately head will go away." So Lord Śiva said, "All right, you go away. You take this benediction and go away." Then he wanted to touch the head of Lord Śiva, that "Let me test whether it is good or not." Then he was in danger. So sometimes Lord Śiva is put into danger because he... People, therefore, go to worship Lord Śiva to take anything he wants. Rāvaṇa also was a very great devotee of Śiva. Asuras, they are very great devotees of Lord Śiva to take material facilities. But if you... Of course, it is said, akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā (SB 2.3.10). But anyone who goes to Kṛṣṇa, he does not want anything like this, that "I shall put my hand to anyone's head, and it will go."
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
One book is named Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. That book was written by one of the devotees, very great devotee, Bilvamaṅgala. His life is very interesting. He was too much prostitute-hunter. In one incidence his kept prostitute gave him instruction, "Oh, you have got so much attraction for this skinny body. If you would have such attraction for Kṛṣṇa, I do not know what you have done." Oh, at once he became, "Yes." This is called reference to the context. Because he, that gentleman, in his previous life he cultivated Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the highest degree, but somehow or other, it was stopped. And as soon as the same thing was pointed out, he began again from that point. That is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even if we do not perform the whole process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever we do, that remains in asset. That is never lost. So this Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, from that prostitute's house he became a saintly man. So he wrote a very nice book, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta means "pleasing to the ear." Anything about Kṛṣṇa is pleasing to the ear. So he wrote a voluminous book, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. That book was collected by Lord Caitanya. And along with that book, this Brahma-saṁhitā was collected.
General Lectures
Guru must come from the paramparā system by disciplic succession. Five thousand years or five millions of years, what was spoken by the supreme God or guru, the present guru also will say the same thing. That is guru. That is bona fide guru. Otherwise, he's not guru. Simple definition. Guru cannot change any word of the predecessor. There is one instance in Caitanya Mahāprabhu's life. One gentleman, (he) is Vallabha Ācārya. He was very much devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He wrote one comment on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Subodhinī-ṭīkā, it is called. That is recognized, nice ṭīkā, comment. But he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was very great devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So he simply said that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Caitanya, if You hear my comment on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, You'll find it is far better than Śrīdhara Svāmī's." Śrīdhara Svāmī is the very old commentator. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately rejected: "Oh, you are claiming that you have written something better than Śrīdhara Svāmī?" He chastised him. Svāmī means another... He sarcastically remarked, the word svāmī, Śrīdhara Swami, svāmī, another svāmī means "husband." So He said, svāmī jīva nahi mane besa bali guni(?): "I think one who does not recognize svāmī, he's a prostitute." He immediately said. "You do not recognize Śrīdhara Svāmī, then you are a prostitute. How can I hear from a prostitute?" He refused. Only word, that "I have written better than Svāmī." So this is the process of guru. You cannot disobey the previous ācārya or guru. No. You have to repeat the same thing. Not research. Sometimes rascals come, that "You are speaking the same thing. Why don't you speak something new by research work?" We say that we have no intelligence, we cannot make any research. We are... Guru more mūrkha dekhi koriyā vicāra (CC Adi 7.71). Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "My Guru Mahārāja saw Me a great fool number one." So one who remains a great fool number one before his guru, he is guru. And one who says that "I'm advanced so much that I can speak better than my guru," then he's rascal. This is the process.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, even one takes by sentiment, still he is profited. And person who are very honest in executing his duty but does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, śāstra says ko vārtha āpto abhajatām: "What does he gain?" He does not gain anything, because he is bound up by the resultant action of his karma. So it is a great science. One has to understand. Then... But for the present... Of course, a Kṛṣṇa-bhakta never takes the profession of a dacoitry. We have no such evidence. Rather, dacoits were made very great devotees. There are instances. But Kṛṣṇa says, "Even if he is dacoit, but Kṛṣṇa-bhakta," sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30), "he is to be considered sādhu." So it is the certificate of Kṛṣṇa. What can I do?
Conversations and Morning Walks
1969 Conversations and Morning Walks
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Also there is a story in the Bhāgavatam about the girls; they were offering to Lord Śiva.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is another feature of Lord Caitanya. He taught in that instruction that there is no need of worshiping demigods. The incident is that in India the unmarried girls, they are encouraged to worship Lord Śiva especially in the month of Vaiśākha, March-April. And they will go to the Ganges side and prepare Śivaliṅga, and they'll... That means Śiva will be pleased upon them to offer a husband like Lord Śiva. Śiva is very peaceful and very great devotee and most powerful at the same time. So that is the ideal husband. So they brought worshipable paraphernalia for worshiping Śiva on the bank of the Ganges, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as naughty boy, approached them. "Oh, my dear sister, what you are doing? Oh, you have brought so many nice things. Give it to Me, and Lord Śiva will be very much pleased. Oh, you are worshiping Durga? She is My maidservant and Lord Śiva is a great devotee of Me. So you please offer Me all these things; they will be satisfied. You don't require to offer separately." By this, He wanted to instruct that worshiping the Supreme Lord is the appeasement of other demigods. You don't require to appease them separately. This instruction. Then some girls will hesitate. Then He will curse them that "You'll be married with an old man having seven children by his former wife." So they will be afraid, "Oh, maybe this boy is cursing..." Then out of fear they'll offer. Then He said, "Oh, you'll have a very nice young husband and you'll have seven children by him." In this way it was going on.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Hari-śauri: The process is to follow some rules and regulations, but they say, "How do you get the strength to follow the rules and regulations?"
Prabhupāda: That is not your business, that is Kṛṣṇa's business. You follow Kṛṣṇa. If you cheat Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be cheated. That's all. Kṛṣṇa does not cheat you, but you create a situation to cheat yourself, and māyā will make an arrangement so that you are cheated. This is māyā's business.
Hari-śauri: So it's a question of honesty.
Prabhupāda: Yes. You promise no illicit sex, no, before God, before spiritual master, before fire, and you play hypocrisy. So māyā is not seeing that? How you can avoid? māyā is always there. Yac cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. You cannot escape the eyes of God in so many different agencies. And still He is personally sitting within your hearts. How you can escape? You may pretend to be a very great devotee, but the Person, Supreme, He is within yourself, He's seeing everything. No cheating with Him. Nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. "Oh, I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, so even I do something wrong, it will be adjusted." Adjusted, when you are sincere, by chance you have done something. That can be adjusted. But not intentionally. As soon as there is intentional cheating, that you'll have to suffer the effect.
Correspondence
1971 Correspondence
1976 Correspondence
So you are already engaged in the service of Krsna. Stick to it and that will make you perfect. You are following the regulative principles. This is our spiritual strength and you are most fortunate that you have got a very good wife. Your wife met me in NY and New Vrndavana and she is a very great devotee.
| Page Title: | Very great devotees |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Kanupriya |
| Created: | 19 of Jan, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=12, Con=3, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 19 |