Category:Krsna Book Chapter 74 - The Deliverance of Sisupala
Pages in category "Krsna Book Chapter 74 - The Deliverance of Sisupala"
The following 114 pages are in this category, out of 114 total.
A
- According to the Vedic system, whenever there is an arrangement for sacrifice, the members participating are offered the juice of the soma plant, which is a kind of life-giving beverage
- After all arrangements were made for Yudhisthira's sacrifice, the next consideration was who should be worshiped first in the ceremony. This particular ceremony is called Agra-puja
- After King Yudhisthira took his bath at the conclusion of the sacrifice and stood in the midst of all the learned sages and brahmanas, he seemed exactly like the King of heaven and thus looked very beautiful
- After satisfying Krsna in this way, King Yudhisthira arranged to perform the Rajasuya sacrifice. He invited all the qualified brahmanas and sages to take part and appointed them to different positions as priests in charge of the sacrificial arena
- After the salvation of Sisupala, King Yudhisthira rewarded all the members present in the sacrificial assembly
- After this speech, all the members present in that great sacrificial assembly applauded, confirming his (Sahadeva's) words continuously by saying, "Everything you have said is completely perfect. Everything you have said is completely perfect"
- Agra means "first," and puja means "worship." This Agra-puja is similar to the election of a president
- All members present in the assembly joined together to offer their respectful obeisances to Krsna, and there were showers of flowers from the sky
- All the kings present, belonging to the Kuru dynasty, Matsya dynasty, Kekaya dynasty and Srnjaya dynasty, were very angry and immediately took up their swords and shields to kill Sisupala
- All the respectable sages, kings and demigods who assembled there agreed unanimously that King Yudhisthira was quite competent to take the responsibility of performing the Rajasuya sacrifice; no one was in disagreement on this fact
- Although King Yudhisthira and his brothers were unwilling to have Lord Krsna leave Hastinapura, Krsna arranged to take permission from the King to return to Dvaraka, and thus He returned home along with His queens and ministers
- Although Sisupala acted as the enemy of Krsna, he was not for a single moment out of Krsna consciousness
- Another important procedure is that the most exalted personality in the assembly of such a sacrificial ceremony is first offered worship
- Anyone who hears these (the killing of Sisupala and Jarasandha and the releasing of the imprisoned kings) narrations from authorized persons will immediately be freed from all the reactions of the sinful activities of his life
B
- Being overcast with misfortune, Sisupala continued to insult Krsna, and Lord Krsna patiently heard him without protest. Just as a lion does not care when a flock of jackals howl, Lord Krsna remained silent and unprovoked
- Besides all these brahmanas and sages, he (Yudhisthira) invited such respectable old men as Dronacarya, Bhisma (the grandfather of the Kurus), Krpacarya and Dhrtarastra
- By the grace of Krsna only, everyone is engaged in the practice of religion, the development of economic conditions, the satisfaction of the senses and, ultimately, the achievement of liberation from material bondage
F
- First of all, King Yudhisthira, along with his brothers, wives, children, other relatives and ministers, washed the lotus feet of Lord Krsna and sprinkled the water on their heads
- For their return to the Vaikuntha world, it was arranged that Jaya & Vijaya, for three consecutive births, would act as deadly enemies of the Lord & that at the end of these lives they would return to the Vaikuntha world & serve Him as His associates
H
- He (Sisupala) was always absorbed in thought of Krsna, and thus he first got the salvation of sayujya-mukti, merging into the existence of the Supreme, and was finally reinstated in his original position of personal service
- He (Yudhisthira) also invited all the sons of Dhrtarastra, headed by Duryodhana, and also the great devotee Vidura
- He (Yudhisthira) invited the most expert brahmanas & sages, as follows: Vamadeva, Sumati, Jaimini, Kratu, Paila, Parasara, Garga, Vaisampayana, Atharva, Kasyapa, Dhaumya, Parasurama, Sukracarya, Asuri, Vitihotra, Madhucchanda, Virasena and Akrtavrana
- He (Yudhisthira) invited the most expert brahmanas & sages, whose names are as follows: Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasadeva, Bharadvaja, Sumantu, Gautama, Asita, Vasistha, Cyavana, Kanva, Maitreya, Kavasa, Trita, Visvamitra
- He (Yudhisthira) offered Lord Krsna various kinds of yellow silken garments and presented heaps of jewelry and ornaments before Him for His use
- He has "no good qualities" (gunaih hinah) means that Krsna has no material qualities, and because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He acts independently, not caring for conventions in social or religious principles
I
- In that meeting, King Sisupala was also present. He was an avowed enemy of Krsna for many reasons, especially because of Krsna's having stolen Rukmini from his intended marriage ceremony
- In the sacrificial assembly, all the members were very exalted. Some proposed to elect one person as the perfect candidate for accepting Agra-puja, and others proposed someone else
- In this Age of Kali there is no such learned brahmana or priest available; therefore, all such sacrifices are forbidden. The only sacrifice recommended in the sastras is the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra
- It is a misconception that the Lord acts with someone in relationship of friend and with someone else in the relationship of enemy. His being an enemy or friend is always on the absolute platform. There is no material distinction
- It is superfluous to speak about Krsna, because every one of you exalted personalities knows the Supreme Brahman, for whom there are no material differences between body & soul, between energy & the energetic, or between one part of the body & another
- It is the Vedic injunction that whenever there is blasphemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must immediately leave. If he does not do so, he becomes bereft of his pious activities and is degraded to a lower condition of life
K
- King Yudhisthira became very happy after hearing the details of the Jarasandha episode, and he spoke as follows
- King Yudhisthira felt such ecstasy by honoring Krsna, his only lovable object, that tears glided down from his eyes, and although he wanted to see Lord Krsna, he could not see Him very well
- King Yudhisthira sufficiently rewarded all the demigods who participated in the yajna, and, being greatly satisfied, all of them left, praising the King's activities and glorifying Lord Krsna
- King Yudhisthira, after hearing the confirmation by all present, especially by the brahmanas and learned sages, worshiped Lord Krsna according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions
- Kings from different parts of the world were invited to see the great sacrifice performed by King Yudhisthira, and the citizens, comprising learned brahmanas, chivalrous ksatriyas, well-to-do vaisyas and faithful sudras, all visited the ceremony
- Krsna did not reply to even a single accusation made by Sisupala, but all the members except few, present in the meeting were very much agitated because it is the duty of any respectable person not to tolerate blasphemy against God or His devotee
L
- Long years ago, when Varuna performed a similar sacrifice, all the sacrificial utensils were made of gold. Similarly, in the Rajasuya sacrifice of King Yudhisthira, all the utensils required for the sacrifice were golden
- Lord Krsna thus enabled the performance of the Rajasuya-yajna arranged by King Yudhisthira to be successfully completed, and, being requested by His cousins and relatives, He remained in Hastinapura for a few months more
P
- Predominating deities of the higher planetary systems came to participate in the sacrifice, including Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, Nagaloka, Yaksaloka, Raksasaloka, Paksiloka and Caranaloka, as well as famous kings and their queens
- Present by the invitation of King Yudhisthira to participate in the great sacrifice were all the exalted demigods, including Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and Indra, the King of heaven, accompanied by their associates
S
- Sahadeva said, "All Vedic ritualistic ceremonies, such as the performance of sacrifices, the offering of oblations into the fire, the chanting of the Vedic hymns and the practice of mystic yoga, are meant for realizing Krsna"
- Sahadeva said, "Although demigods such as Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Indra and many other exalted personalities are present in this assembly, no one can be equal to or greater than Krsna"
- Sahadeva said, "As an individual soul is the basic principle of the growth of his material body, Krsna is the Supersoul of this cosmic manifestation"
- Sahadeva said, "Because His (Krsna's) transcendental body is full of knowledge and bliss in eternity, He doesn't undergo the six kinds of material changes - birth, existence, growth, production, dwindling and vanishing"
- Sahadeva said, "If anyone is charitably disposed, it will be very good for him to give charity only to Krsna, who is the Supersoul of everyone, regardless of his particular body or individual personality"
- Sahadeva said, "Just as by watering the root of a tree one automatically waters the branches, twigs, leaves and flowers, so by offering the first worship to Krsna we shall satisfy everyone present in this meeting, including the great demigods"
- Sahadeva said, "Krsna can do anything He likes with any part of His body. We can execute a particular action with the help of a particular part of our body, but He can do anything and everything with any part of His body"
- Sahadeva said, "Krsna is present as the Supersoul in every living being, and if we can satisfy Him, then every living being will automatically be satisfied"
- Sahadeva said, "Krsna's energies are like the heat and light of fire; there is no difference between the quality of heat and light and the fire itself"
- Sahadeva said, "Krsna, the best amongst the members of the Yadus & the protector of His devotees, is the most exalted personality in this assembly. Therefore I think that He should without any objection be offered the honor of being worshiped first"
- Sahadeva said, "No one can be equal to or greater than Krsna in terms of time, space, riches, strength, reputation, wisdom, renunciation or any other consideration. Anything considered an opulence is fully present in Krsna"
- Sahadeva said, "Since everyone is part and parcel of Krsna, there is no qualitative difference between Krsna and all living entities. Everything is an emanation of Krsna's energies, material and spiritual"
- Sahadeva said, "These four principles of progressive life can be executed by the mercy of Krsna only. He should therefore be offered the first worship in this great sacrifice, and no one should disagree"
- Sahadeva said, "Unforced by any external energy, He (Krsna) is the supreme cause of the creation, maintenance and dissolution of everything that be"
- Sahadeva was fortunate to know of the glories of Krsna, and after describing them in brief, he stopped speaking
- Sisupala continued, "He (Krsna) has constructed a fort within the water and is living in a place where there is no discussion of Vedic knowledge. And whenever He comes out of the fort, He simply harasses the citizens like a dacoit, thief or rogue"
- Sisupala continued, "Krsna is so foolish that He has left Mathura, which is inhabited by highly elevated persons following the Vedic culture, and has taken shelter in the ocean, where there is not even talk of the Vedas"
- Sisupala continued, "Under these circumstances, how can He (Krsna) be fit to accept the first worship in the sacrifice?"
- Sisupala continued: "He (Krsna) always acts independently, not caring for the Vedic injunctions and regulative principles. Therefore He is devoid of all good qualities"
- Sisupala continued: "Krsna does not belong to a high family. He is so independent that no one knows His principles of religious life. Indeed, it appears that He is outside the jurisdiction of all religious principles"
- Sisupala could not tolerate such honoring of Krsna and glorification of His qualities because Krsna stole Rukmini. Instead of being happy to hear the glories of the Lord, he became very angry
- Sisupala did not care to think of the pros and cons of his foolish talking, and instead of stopping when he saw that all the kings were ready to kill him, he stood to fight with them and took up his sword and shield
- Sisupala indirectly praised Krsna by saying that He is not within the jurisdiction of Vedic injunctions. This is true because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Sisupala raised his hand and spoke very strongly and fearlessly against Lord Krsna in such a way that Lord Krsna could hear him distinctly
- Sisupala said, "By their (personalities who have undergone great austerities) knowledge and direction, they can deliver many persons who are suffering from the pangs of material existence"
- Sisupala said, "I can see that in this meeting there are many personalities who have undergone great austerities, who are highly learned, and who have performed many penances"
- Sisupala said, "I cannot agree with the statement of a boy like Sahadeva, who has spoken so highly about Krsna and has recommended that Krsna is fit to accept the first worship in the sacrifice"
- Sisupala said, "I cannot understand how you have selected this cowherd boy, Krsna, and have left aside all these great personalities. I think Krsna to be no better than a crow - how can He be fit to accept the first worship in this great sacrifice?"
- Sisupala said, "I fully agree with the respectable persons present here that they are competent to select the personality who can be worshiped first, but I cannot agree with the statement of a boy like Sahadeva, who has spoken so highly about Krsna"
- Sisupala said, "I see here that although many stalwart personalities are present in this assembly, the influence of time is so strong that they have been misled by the statement of a boy (Sahadeva) who has foolishly spoken about Krsna"
- Sisupala said, "I think that any one of them (great rsis present in the assembly) could have been selected for the first worship because they are worshipable even by the great demigods, kings and emperors"
- Sisupala said, "In spite of all endeavors to the contrary, the time element executes its own plan without opposition. For example, one may try his best to live, but when the time for death comes, no one can check it"
- Sisupala said, "It is stated in the Vedas that the Supreme Lord has nothing to do as His prescribed duty. Whatever has to be done on His behalf is executed by His different energies"
- Sisupala said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I can appreciate now the statement of the Vedas that, after all, time is the predominating factor"
- Sisupala said, "Many sages & elder persons are present, but still they have accepted the statement of a foolish boy. This means by the influence of time even the intelligence of such honored persons as those present in this meeting can be misdirected"
- Sisupala said, "There are great rsis here (in the assembly) whose knowledge has no bounds, as well as many self-realized persons and brahmanas also"
- Sisupala said, "We cannot even ascertain which caste this Krsna belongs to or what His actual occupational duty is." Actually, Krsna does not belong to any caste, nor does He have to perform any occupational duty"
- Sisupala was so foolish that he was not even slightly agitated, although all the kings present were ready to kill him
- Sisupala went crazy because of Krsna's being elected the supreme, first-worshiped person in that meeting, and he spoke so irresponsibly that it appeared he had lost all his good fortune
- Some of them, who thought that they could not properly take action against Sisupala, left the assembly in protest, covering their ears with their hands in order not to hear further accusations. They left the meeting, condemning the action of Sisupala
- Sukadeva Gosvami assured Maharaja Pariksit that the pastimes of Lord Krsna - the killing of Sisupala and Jarasandha and the releasing of the imprisoned kings - are all transcendental vibrations
- Sukadeva Gosvami narrated these incidents of Krsna's killing Sisupala and described the successful execution of the Rajasuya-yajna by Maharaja Yudhisthira, he also pointed out that after the successful termination of the yajna only one person was unhappy
T
- The Bhagavad-gita corroborates the fact that one who is absorbed in the thought of the Supreme Lord at the time of death immediately enters the kingdom of God after quitting his material body
- The brahmana priests and sages in charge of the sacrificial ceremony constructed the sacrificial arena as usual with a plow of gold, and they initiated King Yudhisthira as the performer of the great sacrifice, in accordance with Vedic rituals
- The fortunate Sisupala's spirit soul immediately merged into the body of Lord Krsna in the presence of all, exactly as a burning meteor falls to the surface of the globe
- The killing of Sisupala has a direct link with that narration of Jaya & Vijaya, but the most important instruction we get from this incident is that the SPG, being absolute, can give salvation to everyone, whether one acts as His enemy or as His friend
- The learned brahmanas and priests saw to it that the sacrifice by Maharaja Yudhisthira was performed in exactly the same way as it had been in bygone ages by the demigod Varuna
- The merging of Sisupala's soul into the transcendental body of Krsna reminds us of the story of Jaya and Vijaya, who fell to the material world from the Vaikuntha planets upon being cursed by the four Kumaras
- The story of the fall of Jaya and Vijaya from the Vaikuntha planets to the material world is described in the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam
W
- When everyone offered respect to Krsna by standing up, Sisupala remained in his seat, but as he became angrier at Krsna's being honored, he stood up suddenly, raised his hand and spoke very strongly and fearlessly against Lord Krsna
- When Lord Krsna saw that they (the kings & Sisupala) were going to fight in the arena of the auspicious Rajasuya-yajna, He personally pacified them. Out of His causeless mercy He Himself decided to kill Sisupala
- When Lord Krsna was thus worshiped by King Yudhisthira, all the members present in the assembly stood up with folded hands and began to chant, "Jaya! Jaya! Namah! Namah!"
- When Sisupala was abusing the kings who were about to attack him, Lord Krsna took up His disc, as sharp as the blade of a razor, and immediately separated Sisupala's head from his body
- When Sisupala was thus killed, a great roar and howl went up from the crowd. Taking advantage of that disturbance, the few kings who were supporters of Sisupala quickly left the assembly out of fear for their lives
- When the matter remained undecided, Sahadeva began to speak in favor of Lord Krsna
- Whether one follows the path of fruitive activities or the path of philosophical speculation, the ultimate destination is Krsna; all bona fide methods of self-realization are meant for understanding Krsna
Y
- Yudhisthira said, "Actually, we are fit to be punished by You (Krsna), but the wonder is that instead of punishing us You so kindly and mercifully accept our orders and carry them out properly"
- Yudhisthira said, "Although we feel the difference in temperature between the rising and the setting sun, the temperature of the sun never changes"
- Yudhisthira said, "Material distinctions - 'This is me,' 'This is you,' 'This is mine,' 'This is yours' - are all conspicuous by dint of their absence in You (Krsna)"
- Yudhisthira said, "My dear Krsna, O eternal form of bliss and knowledge, all the exalted directors of the affairs of this material world, including Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and King Indra, are always eager to receive and carry out orders from You"
- Yudhisthira said, "My dear Madhava, You (Krsna) are never defeated by anyone"
- Yudhisthira said, "O Krsna, You are unlimited, and although we sometimes think of ourselves as royal kings and rulers of the world and become puffed up over our paltry positions, we are very poor in heart"
- Yudhisthira said, "Such material distinctions are visible in the lives of everyone, even the animals, but pure devotees are freed from these false distinctions. Since these distinctions are absent in Your devotees, they cannot possibly be present in You"
- Yudhisthira said, "We are all very much surprised that Your Lordship (Krsna) can play the part of an ordinary human being, but we can understand that You are performing these activities just like a dramatic artist"
- Yudhisthira said, "Whenever they (Brahma, Siva & Indra) are fortunate enough to receive such orders, they immediately take them and keep them on their heads"
- Yudhisthira said, "You (Krsna) are always transcendentally equipoised, neither pleased nor disturbed by any condition of material affairs. You are the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, and for You there are no relativities"
- Yudhisthira said, "Your (Krsna's) real position is always exalted, exactly like that of the sun, which always remains at the same temperature during both the time of its rising and the time of its setting. But we feel the difference"
- Yudhisthira sufficiently remunerated the priests & learned sages for their engagement in the execution of the sacrifice & after performing all this, he took bath. This bath at the end of the sacrifice is also technical. It is called the avabhrtha bath