Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 19 - Crossing Beyond Illusion's Currents
Pages in category "Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 19 - Crossing Beyond Illusion's Currents"
The following 69 pages are in this category, out of 69 total.
A
- A lotus petal is something like a small boat, & this verse (SB 10.14.58) says that if one takes shelter of the petal boat of Krsna's lotus feet, the great ocean of birth & death becomes as insignificant as the water contained in the hoofprint of a calf
- Actual meditation in yoga aims at seeing the four-armed Visnu murti, which is the form of the Lord within the heart. That is real meditation
- After Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the renounced order of life, he was criticized by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, who had been a schoolfriend of Nilambara Cakravarti, the father-in-law of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's father, Jagannatha Misra
- Although Caitanya Mahaprabhu agreed to hear Vedanta from Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, He simply went on hearing it for many days but did not ask any questions
- Although for others the world of birth and death is like a great ocean, for a devotee it is like such a puddle (bhavambudhir vatsa-padam), and he can jump over it very easily. In this way the devotee attains param padam, the supreme abode
- Although you may have faith in something and I may have faith in something, and although I may believe you and you may or may not believe me, that is not religion
- As soon as there is a question of hearing, we must ask what subject matter we should hear about. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh: we should hear about the activities of Lord Visnu, or Lord Krsna, not about the news in the newspaper
- At the present moment we are accustomed to seeing and appreciating our own clothing. I think, "What costly clothing I have," and in this way I become satisfied. But when we dress Krsna we shall feel spiritual satisfaction
B
- Because their lusty desires have created heavy work that puts them always in trouble, Krsna comes to introduce the system by which one can get relief from this continuously troublesome life
- Because we are under the grip of the three modes of material nature (prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah (BG 3.27)), we are being washed away
- Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, mayara vase yaccha bhese: "You are being washed away, carried away, by the currents of material nature." These are the currents of hunger and thirst, of birth, death, and old age, the currents of illusion
- Brahma-jijnasa: we should inquire and hear about Brahman, the Supreme. These are the statements of the Vedas
- By the word srnvanti Kuntidevi indicates that our first concern should be to hear about Krsna. One must be eager to hear
C
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu answered, - Yes, I understand. But I am silent because you are explaining the Vedanta-sutra in a speculative way. Therefore I am simply listening to the verses of Vedanta-sutra but not actually listening to you
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends, kirtaniyah sada harih: (CC Adi 17.31) one should engage in chanting twenty-four hours a day. That is the business of Krsna conscious devotees
E
F
- Finally Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya said to Him (Caitanya Mahaprabhu), - My dear boy, You are hearing, but You do not ask any questions. Why is this? Is it that You can't understand? What is the reason You are silent
- For a young man the world has so many attractions. So You (Caitanya) should hear Vedanta-sutra
- For those who are cultivating Krsna consciousness, the first business is hearing
H
- He (Caitanya Mahaprabhu) indirectly said, "You are explaining the meaning foolishly." Later He said, - The verses of Vedanta-sutra are just like sunshine, but your explanations are like clouds that cover them
- Hearing - means hearing about someone's activities, form, qualities, entourage, and so on. If I want to hear about someone, he must have some activities
I
- If I believe that two plus two equals five or three, does it become true? No. So there are laws of God, and when there is dharmasya glanih, deviation from these laws, we suffer
- If one does not know the subject matter of meditation, where is the question of meditation? Therefore there must be hearing and chanting about Lord Visnu (sravanam kirtanam visnoh) - SB 7.5.23
- If one has actually heard about Krsna, one's next engagement in bhakti-yoga will be to chant - gayanti
- If one simply hears, without doing anything else, if one simply sits down in the temple and whenever there is talk of Bhagavad-gita one goes on hearing, that will be enough
- If one speculatively interprets the Vedanta-sutra or Bhagavad-gita, saying, "The word krsna means this, and kuruksetra means that," one is simply wasting one's time. One should hear this literature as it is
- If someone gives me new clothing, I say, "Oh, this new clothing is very nice," and this is my enjoyment. Similarly, we should try to satisfy Krsna every day with gorgeous clothing
- In India during the rainy season the roads become muddy, and when the cows and calves walk they create holes in which water collects. But of course one can easily jump over a dozen of such puddles at any time
- In our Krsna consciousness movement, we also hear and chant, but what is the subject matter? The subject matter is Krsna. We are not hearing about market reports and the price of this share or that share. No. We are hearing about Krsna
- In the previous verses, Kuntidevi has explained that those who have come to this material world are working very hard like asses and have such a hard burden that they cannot bear it
- In this way (hearing Visnu as He is and meditating upon Him) one becomes jubilant (nandanti). The word nandana means "pleasing," and one comes in touch with the reservoir of pleasure in this way
- It is the duty of the spiritual master to engage his disciples always in worshiping the Deity in this way, and it is to such a guru, or spiritual master, that we offer our obeisances
N
- No one needs a lamp to see the sun. Everyone can see it. But if the sun is covered by a cloud, it is very difficult to see. Similarly, the Vedanta-sutra is like the sun, but the Mayavada interpretations cover the real meaning
- Now rascals have manufactured other methods they call meditation, but these are not actually meditation
- Now, how are we to get free from these tribulations? Krsna comes to free us from them by giving us bhakti-yoga. Krsna recommends, "Do this," and if we do it we shall get relief
O
- One has to learn how to see Krsna's lotus feet and offer a little tulasi and sandalwood pulp at the lotus feet of the Lord, and then this current of material life will stop
- One may not know Sanskrit grammar, but bhakti is apratihata, unimpedable. Nothing can check the progress of bhakti. Therefore one should simply adopt this process of hearing, as recommended by Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- One may perform all the methods of devotional service or may accept only one. Simply hearing is enough. Pariksit Maharaja did not do anything else but sit down before Sukadeva Gosvami and hear for the last seven days of his life
- Our policy, therefore, should be to hear the original, as it is. Then it will be effective. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh: (SB 7.5.23) Visnu should be heard as He is. Then one can meditate upon Visnu and remember Him - smaranti
S
- Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya belonged to the Mayavada school, and this indicates that hearing is important even among the Mayavadis, who stress the importance of hearing Vedanta-sutra
- Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was on the level of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's grandfather. Thus he said to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, - You are a boy only twenty-four years old, and now You have taken sannyasa. Sannyasa is very difficult to keep
- Suppose I am a madman. Is whatever I think all right? How could this be? "Two plus two equals four" is science
T
- The Deity should have a new dress every day or twice or four times a day - as many times as possible. This is called srngara
- The dress for the Deity should be first class, the food offered to Him must be first class, and the place where He is situated in the temple must be first class or even more than first class. Furthermore, the temple should always be as clean as glass
- The Mayavadis never accept the direct meaning. Even big political leaders who are influenced by the Mayavada philosophy cover the meaning of the Vedic literature by speculating, - Kuruksetra means this, and dharma-ksetra means that
- The more one cleanses the temple, the more one's heart becomes cleansed. This is the process of devotional service. The more we dress Krsna, the more satisfied we become
- The next process of devotional service is arcanam, worship of the Deity, the form of Krsna in the temple. It is not that one should worship Krsna once a week or once a month. Rather, one should worship Krsna twenty-four hours a day - nitya
- The preachers of the Krsna consciousness movement go from town to town, village to village. Why? What is their purpose? To preach, to chant, so that people may get the opportunity to hear this philosophy and take it seriously - grnanti
- The senses are very restless, going this way and that way with the mind, but by the astanga-yoga system, which regulates one's sitting posture, one's breath, and so on, one can control the senses and concentrate the mind on the form of Visnu
- The Vaisnavas actually hear Vedanta-sutra, because they do not interpret it. When Krsna says, "I am the Supreme," the Vaisnavas accept it, and that is the proper way of hearing
- The Vaisnavas, the devotees of Krsna, also hear Vedanta-sutra, but not from the Mayavadis, who falsely interpret it and spoil the process of hearing
- The word abhiksnasah indicates that these engagements (hearing, chanting and preaching) should go on continuously, twenty-four hours a day without stopping
- There is even a supposedly religious mission that says, "You can manufacture your own way." Yata mata tata patha: "Whatever you think is right, that is right." This is their philosophy. But that is not science
- There may be currents in the ocean, but if one gets a good boat, one can cross over these currents very nicely. As mentioned in another verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.58), samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam
- This concentration (concentrating the mind on the form of Visnu) is called samadhi, and it is the real goal of yoga. Thus the astanga-yoga system aims at coming to the point of smaranam, or remembering the Supreme Lord
- Those who are cultivating Krsna consciousness have to hear about Krsna, speak about Krsna, and deal only in relationship with Krsna. "By this process," Kuntidevi tells the Lord, - one will one day come to see You
W
- We are spirit souls, but because we have been put into the material ocean, the currents are carrying us away. However, if we engage twenty-four hours a day in hearing, chanting, and seriously serving Krsna, the current will stop
- We hear about history, and what is history? It is but the record of the activities of different persons in different ages
- What about this material world? Padam padam yad vipadam: (SB 10.14.58) this is a place not for devotees but for people who are suffering. Therefore Kuntidevi suggests, - This Krsna consciousness is the medicine for your suffering. Take it and be happy
- Whatever we speak or hear we shall later contemplate or meditate upon. First one must begin with sravanam, hearing, otherwise how can there be meditation
- When one sees God, Krsna, what is the effect? Bhava-pravahoparamam. The word pravaha means - current
- When there are very forceful currents in the river and some animal is thrown in, it will be washed away. Similarly, we are being washed away by the currents of material nature, which come one after another like big waves in the Pacific Ocean
- When there is hearing, there must also be speaking or chanting. So we speak and chant about Krsna (sravanam kirtanam visnoh). And as soon as one becomes expert in hearing and chanting, the next stage is smaranam, thinking or meditation
- Where will the current stop? Kuntidevi says to the Lord, padambujam - It will stop at Your lotus feet
- Why do we pay a college fee and go to college? To hear. By sitting down and hearing from the learned professor, we get knowledge. Therefore a devotee always engages in hearing about Krsna