Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Chapter 21 Purports - Instructions by Maharaja Prthu
Pages in category "Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Chapter 21 Purports - Instructions by Maharaja Prthu"
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A
- A brahmana does not become a brahmana simply because he is a living entity or is born in a brahmana family; he must possess all the qualities mentioned in the sastras and practice the brahminical principles in his life
- A brahmana must be fully conversant with the Vedic conclusion, which is described in Bhagavad-gita. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The Vedic conclusion - the ultimate understanding, or Vedanta understanding - is knowledge of Krsna
- A brahmana's qualifications are mentioned in BG as truthfulness, mental equanimity, control of the senses, the power of tolerance, simplicity, knowledge of the Absolute Truth, firm faith in scripture, and practical application of these qualities in life
- A class of men with no brahminical qualifications claim the eating privilege known as brahmana-bhojana simply on the basis of their birth in brahmana families
- A creeper has a feeble stem and requires the support of another tree to grow, and while growing, it requires sufficient protection so that it may not be lost
- A devotee acquires all the good qualities of the demigods; he is gunayanam, the reservoir of all good qualities. His only asset is good behavior, and he is grateful
- A devotee is happy even in this life because although in material existence we have many needs, all his material needs are satisfied, and when he at last quits his body, he goes back home, back to Godhead, without a doubt
- A devotee is not subjected to the reactions resulting from past deeds
- A devotee not only lives forever in the Vaikuntha planets, but by his reputation he also lives forever within this material world
- A devotee of Lord Krsna is actually a perfect brahmana. His situation is transcendental, for he is free from the four defects of conditional life, which are the tendencies to commit mistakes, to be illusioned, to cheat and to possess imperfect senses
- A father wants all of his children to become happy under his direction. Similarly, God, or Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has the right to see that all living entities are happy
- A genuine brahmana or Vaisnava therefore depends eternally on the conclusion of the Vedas or Vedic versions presented by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself
- A great soul who has fully surrendered to the Supreme Lord after understanding Him fully and after repeatedly undergoing austerities and penances for many, many lives is very rare
- A human being is therefore advised to associate with spiritually advanced personalities
- A king is supposed to be appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to look after the interests of his particular planet
- A king should give protection to the citizens for their development to the highest standard of life, and he can therefore levy taxes from them
- A king's duty is to give protection to his citizens and levy taxes from them for his livelihood
- A king, governor or president should not take the opportunity to occupy his post without also discharging his duty. He must teach the people within the state how to observe the divisions of varna and asrama
- A living entity may engage in any occupational duty, but if he wants to have perfection in his duties, he must satisfy the Supreme Lord
- A perfect Vaisnava or Krsna conscious person, is always in this transcendental position because he speaks according to Krsna and His representative. Vaisnavas speak exactly according to the tune of Krsna, whatever they say is free from these four defects
- A person who is always subjected to the rules and regulations of repeated birth and death cannot accommodate anything beyond materialistic ideas
- A person who is situated in the mode of goodness is certainly more intelligent than others. Therefore he can practice the brahminical activities
- A person who surrenders unto Him (Krsna) by utilizing the chance to associate with the pure devotee, spiritual master or other authorized incarnations of Godhead, like Prthu Maharaja, is saved by Krsna. Then his life becomes successful
- A responsible government must teach Krsna consciousness very vigorously for the benefit of all. Without Krsna consciousness, neither the state nor the citizens of the state can be responsible
- A responsible king or chief executive has many responsible duties to attend to in ruling over the citizens. The most important duty of the monarch or the government is to perform various sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic literatures
- A responsible king was always approachable by his citizens
- A responsible king who executes his appointed duty by giving proper protection to all living entities on his planet is promoted to the heavenly planetary system. This is also dependent upon the pleasure of the Supreme Lord
- A responsible monarchy is better than a so-called democratic government in which no one is responsible to mitigate the grievances of the citizens, who are unable to personally meet the supreme executive head
- A saintly person is one who follows the Vedic injunctions, which are the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- A spiritual atmosphere can be maintained only by living in a society of devotees and by serving the orders of the acaryas
- A Vaisnava is supposed to be a brahmana already, but a brahmana may not be a pure Vaisnava. When a person understands his pure identity, brahma janati, he immediately becomes a brahmana
- A Vaisnava is transcendental even to a brahmana. In the material conception, the position of a brahmana is the highest in human society, but a Vaisnava is transcendental even to a brahmana. Both the brahmana and Vaisnava are spiritually advanced
- A vaisya can satisfy the Supreme Godhead by properly executing his occupational duties - engaging himself in producing foodstuffs, giving protection to cows, and trading if necessary when there is an excess of agricultural production
- A very respectable brahmana in Calcutta never took a doctor's medicine. Even though he sometimes felt sick, he would not accept medicine from the physician but would simply drink Ganges water, and he was always cured within a very short time
- A welcome offered by unmarried girls who are internally and externally clean and are dressed in nice garments and ornaments is also auspicious
- According to atheistic Sankhya philosophy, by a combination of matter and the living force, the many varieties of material manifestation come into existence
- According to atheists, if one makes nice plans and works very hard for economic development, automatically the result of economic development will come
- According to atheists, sense gratification also does not depend on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for if one earns enough money by any process, one will have sufficient opportunity for sense gratification
- According to his association with the three modes of nature, the living entity develops a particular type of body
- According to one's development in consciousness, one realizes his spiritual identity, and thus when one's existential position is purified fully, he becomes situated in brahmananda, which is ultimately unlimited
- According to Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 7.5.30), they (atheists) are simply progressing to the darkest region of material existence. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
- According to the atheists, dharma, or religious principles, are meant to establish an imaginary God to encourage one to become moral, honest and just so that the social orders may be maintained in peace and tranquillity
- According to the development of consciousness, God realization is present. In the human form of life it is recommended, therefore, that one undergo the different types of penances and austerities described in Bhagavad-gita
- According to the development of consciousness, one's activities are performed; and according to the purity of such activities, one realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart
- According to the Vedic system, one who does not abide by the orders of the Vedas is called a nastika, or atheist
- According to the Vedic system, the king is considered a representative of Godhead and is offered respects by the citizens as God in the human form of life
- According to the Vedic system, the reception of great, exalted personalities, as arranged by Prthu Maharaja in that great sacrificial arena, is very important
- According to the Vedic system, therefore (because one gets liberated in this way), it is customarily recommended that after performing a ritualistic ceremony, one should feed the brahmanas
- According to the Vedic version, there is a hellish planet called Put, and one who delivers a person from there is called putra. The purpose of marriage, therefore, is to have a putra, or son who is able to deliver his father
- According to Vedic information, the Supreme Lord maintains all living entities, and especially human beings, to elevate them to the highest perfection
- According to Vedic injunctions, a fire sacrifice is held in order to give food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the names of the different demigods
- According to Vedic literature, religion consists only of the codes of law given by God
- Acyuta refers to one who does not fall because He (Krsna) is never influenced by the modes of material nature
- Advaita was prepared to talk with any learned brahmana on this point and prove definitely that by offering food to a pure devotee like Haridasa Thakura, He was equally as blessed as He would have been by offering food to thousands of learned brahmanas
- After coming to the platform of jnana, or the brahma-bhuta state, one ultimately comes to devotional service, in which he completely understands his own position and the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- After many, many births in lower species, when a living entity evolves to the human form of life and in particular to the civilized human form of life, his society must be divided into four gradations, as ordered by the Lord
- All pure devotees of the Lord come to this material world with full compassion to deliver the sinful. They undergo all kinds of tribulations, suffering them with tolerance, because that is another qualification of a Vaisnava
- All the demigods were pleased with him (Maharaja Prthu) and presented different gifts to help him in exercising his royal power, and the great sages and saintly persons also joined in his coronation
- All the saintly persons, Pitas (denizens of Pitrloka) and demigods who were present at the meeting and heard Prthu Maharaja expressed their good will with the words sadhu, sadhu. They all accepted the good mission of Prthu, and they were fully satisfied
- Although he (Prthu) was a king, a ksatriya, because he was a Vaisnava he was also a brahmana. As a brahmana he could give proper instruction to the citizens, and as a ksatriya he could rightly give protection to all of them
- Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna offered His respects to Maharaja Yudhisthira and Kunti. The Lord's exemplary behavior is to teach us
- Although his father tortured him and would have killed him had he himself not been killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Prahlada Maharaja begged pardon for him from the Lord. This favor was immediately granted by the Lord
- Although one's duration of life is limited in years, if by chance one becomes a devotee, he surpasses the duration prescribed for his life; indeed, sometimes yogis die according to their wish, not according to the laws of material nature
- Although Prthu Maharaja was above all these (four defects of conditional life), still, like an ordinary conditioned soul, he presented his statements to the great souls, sages and saintly persons present there
- Although Purusottama, the best of all living entities, has no benefit to derive from the common living entities, He does have the right to discriminate between their right and wrong ways
- Although they (impersonalists who come down from the brahmajyoti) may attain Brahmaloka, or Satyaloka, all such planets are situated in the material world
- Among the ten offenses committed against the chanting of the holy name, the first offenses are disobedience of the spiritual master and blasphemy of the Vedic literature
- Amongst the four social orders (brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras), the kṣatriyas, both men and women, are generally very beautiful
- An ordinary man not supported by authorized statements of the sastras and acaryas should not be accepted as an incarnation or devotee
- Another feature of a devotee is that he lives forever because of his infallible devotion to the Lord
- Anyone can become successful in devotional service provided he displays no duplicity
- Anyone who is a sincere devotee of Lord Krsna and who preaches this cult, speaking only on the basis of Krsna's instructions, is understood to be virajam, or free from the defects of material contamination
- Anything material or spiritual done for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord is understood to be an actual yajna, and by performing such yajnas one gets liberation from material bondage
- As a great king of the entire world, he (Prthu Maharaja) could have given them (the members of the assembly) orders, but he was so humble, meek and honest that he presented his statement for approval in order to clarify his mature decision
- As it is said, "The face is the index of the mind." One's mental constitution is exhibited by his facial features
- As stated by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastaka instructions, by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord - Hare Krsna, or by the process of hearing and chanting of the glories of the Lord, one's mind is gradually cleansed of all dirt
- As stated in the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, sva-karmana tam abhyarcya: one has to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead by one's occupational duties. This necessitates accepting the principle of four varnas and four asramas
- As there are four divisions within our body - the head, the arms, the belly and the legs - similarly, human society, taken as a whole, is divided into four classes of men according to their material qualities and occupational duties
- As we have already explained previously, when a living being is specifically empowered by the Supreme Lord to act for a particular purpose, he is called a saktyavesa-avatara. Prthu Maharaja was not only a saktyavesa-avatara but also a great devotee
- As will be apparent from the following verses (SB 4.21.16), it is to be concluded that not only were Maharaja Prthu's bodily features attractive, as described here, but he had specific all-auspicious signs in his bodily construction
- As will be apparent from the next verse (SB 4.21.9), every executive head of state should follow in the footsteps of Maharaja Prthu in ruling over his kingdom
- Aside from liberation, even if we consider only the preliminary necessities of life - dharma, artha and kama (religion, economic development and sense gratification) - we will see that they are not the same for everyone
- At last, even when he (Durvasa Muni) approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Vaikuntha, he was refused protection. Therefore one should be very careful about committing offenses at the feet of a Vaisnava
- At present, in the age of Kali, it is very difficult to render service to the brahmana-kula, or the brahmana class. The difficulty, according to the Varaha Purana, is that demons, taking advantage of Kali-yuga, have taken birth in brahmana families
- At the present moment, although the so-called brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras have lost their original culture, they claim to be brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras by birthright
- Atheistic men do not believe in the existence of God, and thus they understand everything which is happening in our daily affairs to be due to physical arrangement and chance
- Atheists are of the opinion that there is no need to accept the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be successful in religion, economic development, sense gratification or liberation
- Atheists believe in the atheistic Sankhya philosophy of the combination of prakrti and purusa
- Atheists do not believe in the injunctions of the Vedas. According to them, all the Vedic injunctions are simply theories that have no practical application in life
- Atheists very vaguely explain that these varieties of existence occur simply by chance, but the theists who believe in the injunctions of the Vedas must reach all their conclusions under the direction of the Vedas
B
- Because Prahlada Maharaja was a Vaisnava, he did not ask a benediction for his personal self but was very affectionate toward his father
- Because Prthu Maharaja was preaching the supremacy and the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, he was therefore a proper representative of the Lord
- Because sudras do not have ample intelligence, they should simply engage as workers to serve the higher statuses of social life
- Because the impersonalists who reach the param padam of the impersonal brahmajyoti do not enter into the Vaikuntha planets, they come down again to this material world and are given shelter in one of the material planets
- Being a responsible king, Prthu Maharaja recommends that everyone take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus be immediately purified
- BG 18.46: "By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection." This indicates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original source of everything
- Bhagavad-gita 3.9 says: "Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world." Karma-bandhanah, or the bondage of karma, is administered under the regulations of the stringent laws of material nature
- Bhakti, or devotional service, is characterized by vairagya and jnana. Jnana refers to understanding that one is not his body, and vairagya means disinterest in sense gratification
- Birth after birth, such asuras go still further down, finally to animal forms like those of tigers or similar ferocious beasts. Thus for millions of years they have to remain in darkness without knowledge of Krsna
- Brahmana refers to one who knows Brahman, or the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth, and a Vaisnava is one who serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Businessmen or mercantile men, because they produce foodstuffs for the whole of society, can take a little profit from this
- By bhakti-yoga one can become directly aware of his progress in spiritual life, just as a person who eats can understand that his hunger is satisfied
- By following these principles of devotional service strictly, chanting twenty-four hours a day the maha-mantra one makes positive progress in spiritual life and ultimately becomes completely fit to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face
- By performing pious activities one can take birth in a good family in a good nation, one can get a beautiful body or can become very well educated or very rich
- By practicing bhakti-yoga, one can directly perceive his advancement in spiritual life. In other practices - like karma-yoga, jnana-yoga and dhyana-yoga - one may not be confident about his progress
- By the evidence of sastra, Sanatana Gosvami detected Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be a direct incarnation of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although Lord Caitanya never disclosed the fact
D
- Devotional activities are transcendental and free from mistakes, illusion, cheating and imperfection
- Dhruva Maharaja took to meditation in the forest to achieve material benefit but ultimately became spiritually advanced and did not want any benediction for material profit. He was simply satisfied with the association of the Supreme Lord
- Directions for performing different types of yajnas are specifically arranged for the highest realization of the Supreme Lord, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita by the Lord Himself. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham - BG 4.11
- Due to material association we are entrapped by the stringent laws of material nature and put into the cycle of repeated birth and death under the false impression of bodily identification
- Due to our material association since time immemorial, we have accumulated heaps of dirty things in our minds. The total effect of this takes place when a living entity identifies himself with his body
- Due to the quality of our actions, we come to the association of the modes of material nature, and by superior arrangement we are given a chance to enjoy the fruitive results of such activities in different types of bodies
E
- Even an animal like a hog or a dog may have greater opportunities for sense gratification than a human being
- Even today in Hindu society the most conservative families do not allow unmarried girls to go out freely or mix with boys
- Everyone desires to achieve the ultimate goal of life, but in modern civilization the great scientists think that man's life has no plan. This gross ignorance is very dangerous and makes civilization very risky
- Everyone should feel grateful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because He is maintaining all living entities and supplying all their necessities
- Everyone within this material world is conditioned by the modes of material nature and therefore has four defects
- Everyone's aim should be to satisfy the SPG by engaging his mind in thinking always of Krsna, his words in always offering prayers to the Lord or preaching about the glories of the Lord, and his body in executing the service required to satisfy the Lord
- Everyone-whether akama (a devotee), sarva-kama (a karmi) or moksa-kama (a jnani or yogi) - is encouraged to worship the SP of Godhead by the direct method of devotional service. In this way one can get both material and spiritual profit simultaneously
- Everything emanates from the Supreme Spirit. This is realized by a gradual process of realization and purification. One vivid example of this is Dhruva Maharaja
- Executing the prescribed duties of life, no one is higher or lower; there are such divisions as "higher" and "lower," but since there is actually a common interest - to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead - there are no distinctions between them
- External manifestation of Krsna, the representative of Krsna who acts as the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, takes all the resultant actions of the sinful life of the disciple immediately after the disciple's initiation
F
- Factually if we scrutinizingly study all the conditions of religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation, we must accept the principles of the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Fire is always the same, but according to the size of the fuel or burning wood, the fire appears to be straight, curved, small, big, etc
- Fire is certainly devoid of life, but devotees and brahmanas are the living representatives of the Supreme Lord. Therefore to feed brahmanas and Vaisnavas is to feed the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly
- Fools and rascals of modern society have no knowledge of the extent of the responsibility of the government. Animals are also citizens of the land in which they happen to be born, and they also have the right to continue their existence
- For material prosperity there are recommendations in the Vedas for various types of yajna - sacrifice
- Formerly the demigods used to come to this planet. Similarly, great personalities like Arjuna, Yudhisthira and many others used to visit higher planetary systems
- From the facts presented in this verse (SB 4.21.12), it appears that people in general should be controlled by a king until they come to the platform of Vaisnavas and brahmanas, who are not under the control of anyone
G
- Generally a conditioned soul has the determination for material profit, but when these desires for material profit are satisfied through performance of yajna, one gradually achieves the spiritual platform. Then his life becomes perfect
- Generally the citizens, great and common, all had an aspiration to see the king and take benediction from him. The king knew this, and therefore whenever he met the citizens he immediately fulfilled their desires or mitigated their grievances
- Generally, a daughter inherits the qualities of her father, and a son gets the qualities of his mother. Thus Mrtyu's daughter, Sunitha, got all the qualities of her father, and Vena inherited the qualities of his mother
- Gradually surpassing the mode of goodness, one is situated in pure goodness, which is not contaminated by the material qualities. When thus situated, a devotee no longer has any doubts; he knows that he will not come back to this material world
- Gratitude for the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is one of the qualities of brahmanas and Vaisnavas
- Great personalities of power and opulence never become proud, and the example is given that a tree which is full of fruits and flowers does not stand erect in pride but instead bends downwards to show submissiveness
- Great souls are naturally inclined to do good to others, and a Vaisnava especially is the most compassionate and merciful personality in society
- Guru refers to one who gives proper direction under the authority of the Vedic injunctions and according to the examples of the lives of great personalities. The best way to mold one's life is to follow in the footsteps of the authorized personalities
- Gurum evabhigacchet - one must; it is not optional. It is imperative that one approach the spiritual master, for by such association one proportionately develops his consciousness toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead
H
- Haridasa Thakura asked Advaita Prabhu why He was doing something which might jeopardize His position in brahmana society. Advaita Prabhu replied that He was feeding millions of first-class brahmanas by offering the food to Haridasa Thakura
- Having lost sight of their destinations in life, all living entities are wandering in different species throughout the universe, sometimes getting birth in a lower species and sometimes existence in higher planetary systems
- He (God) has no need to derive benefit by interfering with the affairs of other living entities, but because He is the maintainer of all, He has the right to bring them to the proper standard so that all living entities may become happy
- He (God) is the chief of all eternals, the chief of all living entities, and He is complete and full
- He (King Vena) was an atheist, who did not believe in the existence of God, and who consequently stopped all Vedic ritualistic ceremonies in his kingdom
- He (Lord Caitanya) considered the Sankarites, who wanted to establish Vedic authority by trickery and who actually followed the Mayavada philosophy of Buddha's school, to be more dangerous than the Buddhists themselves
- He (Maharaja Prthu) has repeatedly advised persons who are neophytes to engage themselves in devotional service according to the capacities of the different orders of social and spiritual life
- He (Prthu) did not, however, present himself as a royal authority empowered to command everyone, for he wanted to present his statement in humble submission before the assembly of great sages and saintly persons
- He (Prthu) thanked them (his subjects) in a humble way for engaging in devotional service and thus bestowing their mercy upon him
- He (the Supreme Godhead) manifests Himself as spiritual master both internally and externally to help the conditioned soul both ways. Therefore He has been mentioned herein (SB 4.21.36) as gurum
- Here (4.21.32) the word vijnana is specifically important. Jnana, the knowledge of spiritual identity that one attains when he does not consider himself to be the body, is explained in BG as brahma-bhuta (SB 4.30.20), the revival of spiritual realization
- Here (SB 4.21.51) it is admitted by the citizens of King Prthu; in full consciousness they admit the benefit they have derived from the activities of Maharaja Prthu
- Hiranyakasipu was delivered from the darkest region of hellish life, and he returned back home, back to Godhead, by the grace of his son Prahlada
- His (Maharaja Prthu's) words, which were nicely composed in highly metaphorical ornamental language, were pleasing to hear and were not only mellow but also very clearly understandable and without doubt or ambiguity
- His (Prthu's) father was a number one atheist who did not abide by the injunctions mentioned in the Vedic sastras, who practically stopped all sacrificial performances
- How a king or leader of society can become the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also indicated in this verse - SB 4.21.49
I
- If a king neglects to give such instructions (how to observe the divisions of varna and ashram) and is simply satisfied with levying taxes, then those who share in the collection are liable to share in the impious activities of the general masses
- If a liberal king like Prthu Maharaja does not follow the instructions of brahmanas and Vaisnavas or does not follow the brahminical culture, he is simply a burden on the state, for he cannot benefit the citizens
- If a son is raised to become an unqualified demon, how can he deliver his father from hellish life?
- If all the people of the state, including the government servants, are taught the techniques of spiritual life, then although everyone is liable to be punished in different ways by the stringent laws of material nature, they will not be implicated
- If it does not observe the institutional functions of the four social orders (varnasrama-dharma), human society is no better than animal society in which there is never tranquillity, peace and prosperity but only chaos and confusion
- If one commits vaisnava-aparadhas, all of his progress in devotional service will be checked. Even though one is very much advanced in devotional service, if he commits offenses at the feet of a Vaisnava, his advancement is all spoiled
- If one does not accept the authority of the Supreme Godhead in matters of religion and morality, one must explain why two persons of the same moral standard achieve different results
- If one flies in outer space, he can go very high up, but unless he reaches a planet he must come down again to earth
- If one is president or king, it should be understood that this opportunity has been given to him by the Supreme Lord
- If one takes to the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, or takes to Krsna consciousness, he is immediately cleansed of the many dirty things which have accumulated in his innumerable births
- If Prthu Maharaja, as a perfect king, were elevated to the heavenly planets, the citizens who cooperated by approving of his methods would also be elevated with him
- If the disciple follows the principles instructed by the spiritual master, he remains purified and is not contaminated by the material infection
- If the king or the head of the government follows in the footsteps of the brahmanas & Vaisnavas, who are naturally leaders in missionary work, the vaisyas will also follow in the footsteps of the Vaisnavas & brahmanas, & the sudras will give them service
- If we do not take direction from the Vedas but act whimsically according to our own choice, we are sure to be punished by the laws of the Lord, who offers different types of bodies in the 8,400,000 species of forms
- In a responsible monarchy the citizens had no grievances against the government, and even if they did, they could approach the king directly for immediate satisfaction
- In a society or civilization in which there are no brahmanas or brahminical culture, cows are treated as ordinary animals and slaughtered, at the sacrifice of human civilization
- In a state where the citizens and the head of state are engaged in devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they help one another and are mutually benefited
- In animal life, the material mode of ignorance is so prominent that there is very little chance of realizing the Paramatma, who is also present within the heart of the animal
- In any meeting there are different classes of men, and it is to be supposed, therefore, that because Prthu Maharaja was very great, he must have had several enemies present in the assembly, although they could not express themselves
- In Bhagavad-gita (BG 3.10) it is confirmed that Lord Brahma created all living entities, including human beings and demigods, and advised them to perform yajna according to their material desires - saha-yajnah prajah srstva
- In Bhagavad-gita (BG 9.2), the science of devotional service is described as pratyaksavagamam dharmyam, direct understanding of the principles of religion by realization
- In different places and in different planets there are different standards of life, bodily features and educational statuses, all awarded by the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to pious or impious activities
- In economic development it is seen that if two men work very hard day and night, still the results are not the same
- In India, one can actually see that a person who takes a bath in the Ganges waters daily is almost free from all kinds of diseases
- In modern times, since the protection of the government or the king has been withdrawn, social order has practically collapsed
- In order to distinguish this class of men (caste brahmanas) from the real brahmanas, Maharaja Prthu is giving an exact description of a brahmana and brahminical culture
- In order to regulate the activities of the living entities, God has given us codes, just as a king gives codes of law in a state, and whoever breaks the law is punished
- In spite of valuable medicine administered by a competent physician, sometimes a patient dies; or in spite of having a big safe boat, sometimes a man drowns
- In that hard struggle for existence, they deny the existence of the supreme authority, Purusottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- In the age of Kali, taking advantage of the fact that by feeding a brahmana one obtains a more effective result than by performing sacrifices
- In the Brahma-samhita it is said, karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam: (BS 5.54) for devotees the results of past pious and impious activities are nullified by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- In the brahmana stage, one's understanding of the Absolute Truth is mainly based on the impersonal view. When a brahmana, however, rises to the platform of personal understanding of the Supreme Godhead, he becomes a Vaisnava
- In the chanting of the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this gurv-aparadha is considered the most grievous offense. Guror avajna sruti-sastra-nindanam (Padma Purana)
- In the conditioned state of material existence one cannot be spiritually realized because he identifies himself materially. The understanding of the distinction between material existence and spiritual existence is called jnana
- In the gradual cleansing process, one is relieved of the influence of passion and ignorance and is situated on the platform of goodness. The result of association with the qualities of passion and ignorance is that one becomes lusty and greedy
- In the human form of life, because of developed consciousness (cetanam), one can be transferred from ignorance and passion to goodness by the results of his activities
- In the lower stages of ignorance and passion, it is difficult to appreciate or understand the Supreme Lord. Therefore the Lord is described herein (SB 4.21.38) as the worshipable Deity for persons in brahminical and Vaisnava culture
- In the material world there are three qualities - namely goodness, passion and ignorance. One has to be raised from the platform of ignorance to the platform of goodness by devotional service
- In the material world, the opulences possessed by a material person are never fixed. Today one may be a very rich man, but tomorrow he may become poor; today one is very famous, but tomorrow he may be infamous
- In the matter of sense gratification, sometimes one who has sufficient food is still not happy in his family affairs or is not even married, whereas another person, even though not economically well off, has greatest opportunity for sense gratification
- In the modern age people are under the impression that during the Vedic period or the prehistoric ages America and many other parts of the world had not been discovered, but that is not a fact
- In the sastras it is found that a very great yogi, Durvasa Muni, committed a vaisnava-aparadha and thus for one full year had to travel all over the universe, even to Vaikunthaloka, to defend himself from the offense
- In the Vedic literature there is much information, and of course there is information about the execution of a king's duty
- In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said that the entire varṇāśrama institution is meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- In this age there are many so-called caste brahmanas and caste Gosvamis who, taking advantage of the sastra and of the innocence of people in general, claim to be brahmanas and Vaisnavas by hereditary right
- In this verse (BG 16.19) it is clearly said that persons who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are the lowest of mankind and are very mischievous
- In this verse (SB 4.21.21) the word sadhavah ("all great souls") is very significant. When a person is very great and famous, many unscrupulous persons become his enemies, for envy is the nature of materialists
- In this verse (SB 4.21.37), both Vaisnavas and brahmanas are mentioned. A Vaisnava is a learned brahmana and is therefore designated as brahmana-vaisnava, brahmana-pandita or as a Vaisnava and brahmana
- In this verse the most significant point is that although King Prthu's residential quarters were in India, between the rivers Ganges and Yamuna, the demigods also participated in the great sacrifice he performed
- In this way (by chanting sixteen rounds daily, following the four regulative principles and chanting gayatri mantra three times a day) one can keep his brahminical culture and spiritual strength intact
- In this way (by practicing the brahminical activities), if he (the person who is situated in the mode of goodness) engages himself in the loving service of the Lord as an actual brahmana, his aim to achieve the final interest of life is attained
- In this way (by protecting citizens, give all his possessions in charity), a ksatriya can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by his occupational duties
- Insofar as liberation is concerned, they (atheists) say that there is no need to talk of liberation because after death everything is finished
- Instead of offering fire sacrifices, one should offer foodstuffs to brahmanas and Vaisnavas, for that process is more effective than fire yajna
- It appears that in the time of Maharaja Prthu all the people on the surface of the globe were his subjects. Most of them - in fact, almost all of them - were engaged in devotional service
- It does not matter what one is, whether a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra or a degraded woman. If one engages seriously in devotional service, working with body, mind and intelligence, he is sure to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead
- It has already been explained in the previous verses that Prthu Maharaja advised the citizens to become adhoksaja-dhiyah, which means God conscious, or Krsna conscious, and in this verse (SB 4.21.27) he specifically presents the authority of sastra
- It is a Vedic system for a householder to call brahmanas and Vaisnavas to eat at ceremonial performances in his house because the brahmanas and Vaisnavas can immunize him from sinful activities
- It is by the grace of the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead that we get the clue of devotional life, and thus progressive success in our life begins
- It is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (BG 14.26): "One who engages in full devotional service and who does not fall down in any circumstance at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman."
- It is explained here (SB 4.21.33) that one must be very frank and open-minded (amayinah). To be situated in a lower status of life is not a disqualification for success in devotional service
- It is generally found that even if two men have the same moral standards of ethics, honesty and morality, their positions are still not the same
- It is generally recommended that the acarya, or guru, should not be accepted as an ordinary man
- It is not that He (Krsna) needed to do all these things to acquire material gain, but all of these acts were performed just to teach us how to behave in this material world
- It is not that if one executes his duty properly he is automatically promoted, for promotion depends upon the satisfaction of the SP of G. It must ultimately be concluded that one can achieve the desired result of his activities upon satisfying the Lord
- It is not the duty of rigid brahmanas and Vaisnavas to accept invitations everywhere. There is, of course, no objection to taking part in feasts in which prasada is distributed
- It is said that one who has unflinching faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which means unflinching faith in the Vaisnava or the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, develops all the good qualities of the demigods
- It is said that the Lord is most pleased when He sees one engage in the service of His devotee. He does not need any service from anyone because He is complete but it is in our own interest to offer all kinds of services to the Supreme Personality of God
- It is the duty of a father to become a Vaisnava and raise his children to become Vaisnavas; then even if by chance the father falls into a hellish life in his next birth, such a son can deliver him, as Maharaja Prthu delivered his father
- It is the duty of the government to reestablish social order in terms of occupational duties and the modes of material nature, for that will make the entire world population actually civilized
- It is the duty of the king or the government to insure that the people observe the social order and that they are also employed in their respective occupational duties
- It is the duty of the king to give all living entities protection and food
- It is the king's duty to see that everyone perfectly executes the duties prescribed for the varna and asrama divisions of society. Besides that, as exemplified by King Prthu, he must develop the earth for the greatest possible production of food grains
- It is the practice that after finishing the sraddha ceremony, one should offer food to an elevated brahmana. But Advaita Prabhu offered food first to Haridasa Thakura, who had taken his birth in a Muhammadan family
- It must be accepted that there is someone who determines the different standards
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- King Prthu ruled over the world many thousands of years before the so-called prehistoric age, it is clearly mentioned here (SB 4.21.12) that in those days not only were all the different parts of the world known, but they were ruled by one king, Prthu
- King Vena, the father of Prthu Maharaja, was condemned by the brahmanas and saintly persons because of his denying the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and rejecting the method of satisfying Him by performance of Vedic sacrifice
- Krsna comes like an ordinary human being, He comes as a devotee like Lord Caitanya, or He sends His representative, the spiritual master, or pure devotee. This is also the planned activity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Krsna is known as para-duhkha-duhkhi krpambudhih, or one who is compassionate toward others' suffering and who is an ocean of mercy
- Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita that everyone should always think of Him, everyone should become His devotee, offer Him obeisances and worship Him, and ultimately everyone should surrender unto Him
- Krsna therefore instructs: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." (BG 18.66) The word sarva-papebhyah means "from all sinful activities."
- Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be alone. Therefore Prthu Maharaja said, sanucaras ca, indicating that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always associated with His followers and devotees
- Kumari, or unmarried girls untouched by the hand of any member of the opposite sex, are auspicious members of society
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- Like a staircase, yoga has different steps for reaching the topmost floor, and according to one's position upon the staircase, he is understood to be situated in karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga or bhakti-yoga
- Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Indra, Lord Caitanya or Ramanujacarya, whose capabilities are certainly far above ours. Even a sudra, who is in the lowest stage of life according to the material qualities, can achieve the same success
- Lord Himself confirms in Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavah: (BG 10.8) "I am the origin of everything." The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original source of all emanations, and at the same time, as Paramatma, He is spread all over existence
- Lord Krsna is the prime protector of brahminical culture and the cow. Without knowing and respecting these, one cannot realize the science of God, and without this knowledge, any welfare activities or humanitarian propaganda cannot be successful
- Lord Krsna's reputation is fixed, and His book of wisdom, Bhagavad-gita, is still honored. Everything pertaining to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternally existing
- Lord Krsna, however, knows everything in detail. Therefore His knowledge is vijnana-ghana because it does not have any of the defects of material science
- Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the prime protector of brahminical culture and the cow
- Lord Sri Krsna also says in Bhagavad-gita that simply by surrendering unto Him one is immediately relieved of all sinful reactions. As Krsna takes away all the sinful reactions of a person immediately upon his surrender unto Him
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- Maharaja Prthu also arranged for the proper reception of the demigods, the saintly sages, the brahmanas and the great kings
- Maharaja Prthu gives special stress to the word brahma-vadinah ("by the experts in the Vedic knowledge"). Brahma refers to the Vedas, which are also known as sabda-brahma, or transcendental sound
- Maharaja Prthu is addressed here (SB 4.21.52) as vivrddha-sattva, or one who is situated in the transcendental position
- Maharaja Prthu is the perfect example of an ideal chief executive
- Maharaja Prthu specifically thanks those already engaged in such devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is actually the enjoyer of all sacrificial ceremonies and who is also the supreme teacher as antaryami, or Paramatma
- Maharaja Prthu was a directly empowered incarnation of Lord Visnu; therefore he was not subject to the reactions of pious or impious activities
- Maharaja Prthu was beautiful in his external bodily features, and his speech was also very glorious in all respects
- Maharaja Prthu's advice to his citizens to take to devotional service is now concluded in two ways
- Maharaja Prthu's father, Vena, was a most sinful person and was therefore cursed to death by the brahmanas
- Maharaja Prthu, although situated in the transcendental position of a pure devotee, came down to the position of brahmana and ksatriya for the benefit of human society and thus gave protection to the entire world by his personal prowess
- Maharaja Prthu, as an ideal king, strictly observed the maintenance of the Vedic social order
- Maharaja Prthu, however, was concerned with persons who were gentle, and therefore he first addressed all the honest persons, not caring for the envious
- Marriage is not intended for sense gratification but for getting a son fully qualified to deliver his father
- Material designations create differentiation in terms of caste, color, creed, nationality, etc. Different gotras, or family designations, are distinctions in terms of the material body
- Material existence is a struggle to conquer the impediments put forth by material nature
- Material existence, or the sense gratification process, is conducted according to the type of body we are given by prakrti, or material nature. As such, there must be divisions of pious and impious activities - punya and papa
- Materially obtained opulences are never fixed, but all six opulences perpetually exist in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not only in the spiritual world, but also in this material world
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- Narada was simply a maidservant's son, but he got the opportunity to serve exalted brahmanas & Vaisnavas, & thus in his next life he not only became liberated, but became famous as the supreme spiritual master of the entire Vaisnava disciplic succession
- Narottama dasa Thakura says: "Birth after birth I desire to serve the lotus feet of the acaryas and live in a society of devotees"
- Narottama dasa Thakura sings, chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba, which means that unless one serves the Vaisnavas and brahmanas, one cannot get liberation from the material clutches
- Narottama dasa Thakura states that one has to ascertain the right path for his activities by following in the footsteps of great saintly persons and books of knowledge under the guidance of a spiritual master
- No one knows (in modern times) who is a brahmana, who is a ksatriya, who is a vaisya or who is a sudra, and people claim to belong to a particular social order by birthright only
- Not only for liberation must one depend on the Lord, but even for ordinary necessities in this material world. Prthu Maharaja therefore indicated that in spite of having rich parents, children are sometimes not happy
- Notwithstanding all the philosophical theorizing by atheists or Mayavadis, the followers of Krsna consciousness rigidly live according to the injunctions given in Bhagavad-gita, which is accepted as the essence of all Vedic scripture
- Now all the great saintly persons, sages and brahmanas present in the meeting, after hearing from Maharaja Prthu about his great mission in life, became convinced that the statement of the Vedas had been fully proved
O
- Of course, bhakti-yoga is the topmost step on the staircase of realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Offenses at their lotus feet are so destructive that even the descendants of Yadu who were born in the family of Lord Krsna were destroyed due to offenses at their feet. The SPG cannot tolerate any offense at the lotus feet of brahmanas and Vaisnavas
- Offerings of natural products such as betel nuts, bananas, newly grown wheat, paddy, yogurt and vermillion, carried by the citizens and scattered throughout the city for receiving a prominent guest like a bridegroom, king or spiritual master
- On every planet there is a predominating person, just as we now see that in every country there is a president
- One can raise himself from the lowest position to the highest simply by associating with devotees and hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly from their mouths
- One has to take advantage of this knowledge and mold his life in such a way that at the end, especially in the human form of life, he may go back home, back to Godhead, by practicing Krsna consciousness
- One has to transcend goodness and raise himself to the pure goodness called vivrddha-sattva, or the advanced stage of goodness. In the advanced stage of goodness one can become Krsna conscious
- One must therefore take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and his associates and should also render service to them, for such activity will greatly help the neophyte in attaining full satisfaction
- One person may enjoy great opulence without even working, whereas another person, although working very hard, does not even get two sufficient meals a day
- One should not take advantage of his position simply to live like a fire without light
- One should study the Vedas with faith, not only for one's personal knowledge, but for the sake of spreading this knowledge and these activities through real faith in the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Vedas
- One should take to the service of the Lord, or Krsna consciousness, and thus very soon become a perfect man, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita ((9.31) ksipram bhavati dharmatma sasvac chantim nigacchati)
- One who cannot take to this direct process (of sravanam, kirtanam, etc), however, should take the indirect process of performing yajnas for the satisfaction of Visnu, or Yajna. Visnu is therefore called yajna-pati
- One who follows the Vedic principles as described above (SB 4.21.42) can from the very beginning see all the features of Lord Krsna, the Absolute Truth, very distinctly, as one can see one's own face completely reflected in a clear mirror
- One who has completely surpassed the resultant activities of the impious path of life (this is possible only when one engages exclusively in pious activities) can understand his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- One who is advanced in knowledge is actually vrddha (jnana-vrddha); one does not become vrddha simply by advancing in age
- One who is reputed as a devotee of the Lord undoubtedly lives forever
- One who leaves a good reputation behind him lives forever
- One who pleases Him (the Supreme Lord) gets better facilities for living, but one who displeases Him gets involved in undesirable situations
- One who thinks the Deity in the temple to be made of wood or stone, who thinks of the spiritual master in the disciplic succession as an ordinary man is taken to be a resident of hell
- One who thinks the Vaisnava in the Acyuta-gotra to belong to a certain caste or creed or who thinks of caranamrta or Ganges water as ordinary water is taken to be a resident of hell
- One will not derive any benefit by rendering service to such false brahmana-kulas - caste brahmanas
- Only a Vaisnava leader can fulfill all the desires of the people (vancha-kalpataru), and he is compassionate because he is the contributor of the greatest benefit to human society. He is patita-pavana, the deliverer of all fallen souls
- Only from Vedic knowledge can we understand the actual position of the Absolute Truth, who, as described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, is manifested in three features - namely impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma &, at last, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Ordinary kings and executive heads should all be inclined to hear repeatedly about Prthu Maharaja's activities in order to also be able to rule over their kingdoms or states very faithfully for the peace and prosperity of the people in general
- Our false appetite for enjoyment and lordship of the material world is due to a prominence of passion and ignorance. By bhakti-yoga these two qualities are diminished, and one becomes situated in the mode of goodness
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- Param padam, or the Vaikuntha planets, can be achieved only by devotional service
- People do not know the laws of nature, which are the rulings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because they are atheists of the first order, they have no faith in the existence of God and His rulings and therefore do not know how nature is working
- Prahlada Maharaja is the topmost example of a Vaisnava, who is always compassionate toward sinful persons suffering a hellish life within this material world
- Protected, women as a class remain an always auspicious source of energy to man
- Prthu Maharaja advised his citizens to follow the exemplary behavior of the Lord Himself and thus engage in the service of brahmanas and Vaisnavas
- Prthu Maharaja advises that without the benediction of the Supreme Lord, one cannot make advancement - either in so-called morality, economic development or sense gratification
- Prthu Maharaja considered King Vena's character abominable because Vena was foolish regarding the execution of religious performances
- Prthu Maharaja had no control over the brahmana-kula, which refers to the learned scholars in Vedic knowledge, nor over the Vaisnavas, who are above the considerations of Vedic knowledge
- Prthu Maharaja has already explained that the chief duty of the government is to see that everyone executes his respective duty and is elevated to the platform of Krsna consciousness
- Prthu Maharaja has explained in the previous verse (SB 4.21.37) the importance of devotional service for both the rulers and the citizens of the state. Now he explains how one can be steadily fixed in devotional service
- Prthu Maharaja invokes the blessings and mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with His associates, devotees, Vaisnavas, brahmanas and cows
- Prthu Maharaja said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead attained this opulence of eternal fame simply by worshiping the lotus feet of the brahmanas. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that the Lord does not need to work to achieve material gain
- Prthu Maharaja says, gunaih sva-karmabhih. This phrase is explained in Bhagavad-gita. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah
- Prthu Maharaja suggested that theistic men will solidly reject the views of the atheists on the grounds that there cannot be many varieties of existence without the plan of a superior intelligence
- Prthu Maharaja therefore specifically requested the citizens to act in Krsna consciousness, and he was also very anxious to teach them how to become Krsna conscious. A summary of Krsna consciousness is given in Bhagavad-gita - BG 9.27
- Prthu Maharaja was an empowered incarnation of Lord Visnu and was naturally a great Vaisnava devotee of the Lord
- Prthu Maharaja was blessed by the saintly persons present at the meeting to have a long life because of his unflinching faith and his devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Prthu Maharaja's sole aim in ruling his kingdom was to raise the citizens to the standard of God consciousness
- Prthu Maharaja, did not accept the authority of such atheists, headed by his father, who was the grandson of death personified
- Prthu was a ksatriya, and he discharged his ksatriya duties perfectly. Similarly, brahmanas, vaisyas and sudras can discharge their respective duties perfectly and thus at the ultimate end of life be promoted to the transcendental world, or param padam
- Prthu's father was a number one atheist who did not abide by the injunctions mentioned in the Vedic sastras, who practically stopped all sacrificial performances & who so disgusted the brahmanas that they not only dethroned him but cursed and killed him
- Pure devotee try to deliver all sinful persons from the hellish conditions of material existence
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- Real opulence is supplied by natural gifts such as gold, silver, pearls, valuable stones, fresh flowers, trees and silken cloth. Thus the Vedic civilization recommends opulence and decoration with these natural gifts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Regardless of whether the chief executive is a king or president, or whether the government is monarchical or democratic, this process (of following in Maharaja Prthu's footsteps) is so perfect that if it is followed, everyone will become happy
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- Saint Vidura's purpose in hearing about Prthu Maharaja over and over again was to set an example for ordinary kings and executive heads
- Sapta-dvipa refers to the seven great islands or continents on the surface of the globe: (1) Asia, (2) Europe, (3) Africa, (4) North America, (5) South America, (6) Australia and (7) Oceania
- Simply by understanding Krsna as He is, as described in Bhagavad-gita (janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah (BG 4.9)), one becomes a perfect brahmana. The brahmana who knows Krsna perfectly well is always in a transcendental position
- Since He (God) is perpetually supremely perfect, He does not need to obtain anything, but still it is said that He obtained His opulences by worshiping the lotus feet of the brahmanas. These are His exemplary actions
- Since it is described in the previous verse (SB 4.21.41) that feeding a living brahmana is more effective than offering oblations in a fire sacrifice, in this verse it is now clearly described what brahmanism is and who a brahmana is
- Since it is stated in the Vedas that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the maintainer and leader of all living entities, the king or the executive head of the government must be a representative of God. Then he can claim honor exactly like the Lord's
- Since King Vena was such a man, he did not believe in the existence of God. Modern civilization agrees with the principles of King Vena
- Since no one but the Supreme Lord can enjoy the results of sacrifice, the Lord says that He is the actual enjoyer of all sacrifices (bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram (BG 5.29)). Sacrifices should be performed with this view in mind
- Since the KC movement going on at the present moment is genuine, perfect, authorized & follows in the footsteps of Prthu, anyone who cooperates with this movement or accepts its principles will get the same result as those who are actively propagating KC
- Since the Vedic society is divided into four classes of men - the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras - their means of livelihood are also mentioned in the scriptures
- Since there was a great assembly in the arena of sacrifice, there were different types of men present, but he was especially interested in speaking to those who were not atheists
- Some one who is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is offered is of the same spiritual nature
- Somehow or other if a conditioned soul surrenders to such personalities (Krsna, Lord Caitanya or His representatives) and by intimate association with them chances to become Krsna conscious, he is saved from the material conditions of life
- Sometimes a spiritual master takes the risk of being overwhelmed by the sinful reactions of the disciples and undergoes a sort of tribulation due to their acceptance. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised that one not accept many disciples
- Sometimes people misunderstand an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be an ordinary man. The Supreme Godhead, His incarnations or His devotees may pose themselves as ordinary men, but they are never to be considered as such
- Sometimes within the water there are many stools and other dirty things which are washed away from neighboring mills and factories, but still thousands of men take baths in the Ganges water, and they are very healthy as well as spiritually inclined
- Sometimes, due to their powerful positions, princes or government servants neglect the position of brahmanas and Vaisnavas, not knowing that because of their offense they will be ruined
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu very clearly enunciated that the followers of Lord Buddha's philosophy are nastikas, or atheists, because of their denial of the authority of the Vedas
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, while instructing Srila Rupa Gosvami, has compared the devotional service of the Lord with a creeper
- Such opulence (natural gifts such as gold, silver, pearls, fresh flowers, etc) immediately changes the condition of the mind, and the entire atmosphere becomes spiritualized. King Prthu's capital was decorated with such highly opulent decorations
- Svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam: (SB 1.2.13) by discharging one's prescribed duty, one can become very successful in life if he simply satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead
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- The Absolute Truth is therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and every living being is meant to satisfy the Supreme Godhead by performing his respective duty (BG 18.46) - sva-karmana tam abhyarcya
- The asuras are always fighting to overcome these impediments, and by the illusory power of material nature the foolish living entities work very hard within this material world and take this to be happiness. This is called maya
- The atheists, who do not (execute their prescribed duties), are condemned in Bhagavad-gita (BG 16.19) by the following statement: tan aham dvisatah kruran samsaresu naradhaman
- The bodily features of a particular person are exhibited in accordance with his past deeds, for according to one's past deeds, his next bodily features - whether in human society, animal society or demigod society - are determined
- The brahmanas should live by spreading knowledge and should therefore take contributions from their disciples
- The brahminical activities: speaking the truth, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, remaining always clean, practicing tolerance, having full knowledge about one's self-identity, and understanding devotional service
- The brahminical or intelligent men have to execute the duty of the head, the ksatriyas must fulfill the duty of the arms, the vaisya class must fulfill the duty of the belly, and the sudras must fulfill the duty of the legs
- The chief concern of a Vaisnava is to deliver the fallen souls
- The citizens declared that through being under the protection of Maharaja Prthu, they were directly under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This understanding is the proper situation of social steadiness within this material world
- The citizens of Maharaja Prthu were protected in all respects by the perfect king
- The country where Prthu Maharaja resided must have been India because it is stated in the eleventh verse of this chapter (SB 4.21) that he lived in the tract of land between the rivers Ganges and Yamuna
- The crown of a king is simply a big load if the king or head of the state does not actually bear the dust of the lotus feet of brahmanas and Vaisnavas
- The dangerous Mayavada theory set forth by Sankaracarya - that God is impersonal - does not tally with the injunctions of the Vedas. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore described the Mayavadi philosophers as the greatest offenders
- The devotee, by development of pure love for Krsna, constantly sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as Syamasundara, within his heart. That is the perfectional stage of brahminical culture
- The different kinds of material paraphernalia or physical elements are also gradually transformed into spiritual understanding because ultimately there is no difference between material and spiritual qualities
- The different varieties of life and of material existence do not come about by chance and necessity; they are different arrangements made by the Supreme Lord in terms of the pious and impious activities of the living entities
- The direct method of getting liberation from material bondage is devotional service, comprising the nine following methods: sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam
- The disturbance of the animal population by wholesale slaughter produces a catastrophic future reaction for the butcher, his land and his government
- The first procedure in receiving guests is to wash their feet, and it is learned from Vedic literature that one time when Maharaja Yudhisthira performed a rajasuya-yajna, Krsna took charge of washing the feet of the visitors
- The four castes (the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras) are created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the material modes of nature and the particular duties discharged in those modes
- The four social orders - the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras - are natural divisions of human society, and as declared by Prthu Maharaja, every man in his respective social order must have proper employment for his livelihood
- The Ganges is glorified because it emanates from the toes of the lotus feet of the Lord
- The glories of Ganges water are known to Indians and to ourselves also. The River Ganges flows by Calcutta
- The government of Prthu Maharaja was perfect because it was administered exactly according to the orders of the Vedic injunctions
- The government should be so conducted that automatically one is elevated to Krsna consciousness. King Prthu therefore wanted his citizens to cooperate fully with him, for if they assented, they would enjoy the same profit as he after death
- The gross ignorance of the mass of people, including even the so-called scientists and philosophers, makes life a risky situation in which human beings do not know whether they are making progress in life
- The highest perfection of such (developed consciousness towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead) consciousness is called Krsna consciousness. According to the body given by prakrti, or nature, one's consciousness is present
- The impersonal Brahman region is also called param padam, but unless one is attached to the Personality of Godhead one must again fall down to the material world from the impersonal param padam situation
- The impersonalists endeavor very strenuously to achieve the impersonal brahma-jyotir, but unfortunately, being bereft of a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they come down again to the material world
- The individual soul has awareness in accord with his material body, which he attains by virtue of prakrti, or material nature
- The king is to see that every citizen executes the prescribed duties for his particular community
- The Krsna consciousness movement has been started to give philosophers, scientists, and people in general the proper knowledge about the destiny of life. Everyone should take advantage of this movement and learn the real goal of life
- The ksatriya's duties are to give protection to the citizens, to give all his possessions in charity, to be strictly Vedic in the management of state affairs and to be unafraid to fight whenever there is an attack by enemies
- The laws of nature are very subtle. For example, if one eats in a place which is very sinful, he shares in the resultant reaction of the sinful activities performed there
- The Lord has given the infallible knowledge of the Vedas, which are not contaminated by the four defects of human life - namely the tendency to commit mistakes, to be illusioned, to cheat and to have imperfect senses
- The Lord is purusa, or the supreme enjoyer. Not only is He the enjoyer when He appears as a manifested incarnation, but He is the enjoyer since time immemorial, from the very beginning (puratanah), and eternally - nityam
- The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (BG 3.21), yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah: "If the leading personalities behave in a certain manner, others follow them automatically."
- The Lord says that knowledge of Him is vijnana, science. In other words, when one is strengthened by scientific knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his position of liberation is guaranteed
- The Lord's lotus feet are described here (in SB 4.21.33) as kama-dughanghri-pankajam because they have all power to fulfill the desires of everyone
- The mahajanas, or great personalities, are Brahma, Lord Siva, Narada Muni, Manu, the Kumaras, Prahlada Maharaja, Bali Maharaja, Yamaraja, Bhisma, Janaka, Sukadeva Gosvami and Kapila Muni
- The material ingredients are activated by the force of time, and thus the three material modes of nature are manifested
- The mention of aneka-guna refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead's many transcendental qualities, for He is not affected by the material qualities
- The more we discuss His opulences, the more the universe becomes purer and purer
- The most grievous type of vaisnava-aparadha is called gurv-aparadha, which refers to offenses at the lotus feet of the spiritual master
- The most important point in human civilization is that while one engages in different occupational duties, he must try to satisfy the Supreme Lord by the execution of such duties. That is the highest perfection of life
- The only qualification (for devotional service) is that whether one is a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra, he must be open, frank and free from reservations
- The particular use of the word anativelam ("without delay") is very significant because simply by serving brahmanas and Vaisnavas one can get liberation. There is no need to undergo severe penances and austerities
- The perfection of one's execution of his appointed duties is the ultimate satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. The word kama-sandohah means "achievement of the desired result
- The performer of sacrifices must always keep in view that the sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas are meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The purpose of accepting a wife in religious marriage, as sanctioned in the Vedas, is to have a putra, a son qualified to deliver his father from the darkest region of hellish life
- The question may be raised that since the Lord is supposed to be worshiped by great demigods like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and others, how can an ordinary human being on this planet serve Him?
- The reception given to the King (Prthu) was full of opulence, yet he did not become proud
- The rendering of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in expectation of a good reward is deprecated by Prahlada Maharaja as mercantile business
- The right way is the path of activities meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The rules and regulations set up for the execution of the duties of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras or brahmacārīs, gṛhasthas, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs are all meant to satisfy the Supreme Lord
- The safest path in life is to follow such great personalities, especially those mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam
- The Sankarite philosophers' theory that we have to imagine a shape of God is more dangerous than denial of the existence of God
- The sankirtana movement contributed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Lord Caitanya is the direct and easiest process for coming to the purest form of consciousness - Krsna consciousness
- The simple definition of Vaisnava is given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: a person who immediately reminds one of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is a Vaisnava
- The specific mention of the word gavam by Prthu Maharaja is significant because the Lord is always associated with cows and His devotees. In pictures Lord Krsna is always seen with cows and His associates such as the cowherd boys and the gopis
- The spiritual master is the best brahmana
- The sudras, who cannot work as either brahmanas, ksatriyas or vaisyas, should give service to the higher classes of society and be provided by them with a supply of the necessities of life
- The Supreme Godhead in His Paramatma feature is present in everyone's heart, and He is always trying to induce the individual soul to surrender unto Him and to engage in devotional service; therefore He is the original spiritual master
- The Supreme Lord is known as Acyuta, and Lord Krsna is addressed as such by Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita (BG 1.21) - senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me 'cyuta BG 1.21
- The supreme one is supplying all necessities to the living entities. The living entity who is therefore grateful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly qualified with good characteristics
- The Supreme Person is described herein (SB 4.21.38) as brahmanya-deva. Brahmanya refers to the brahmanas, the Vaisnavas or the brahminical culture, and deva means "worshipable Lord."
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly lives with the individual soul as Paramatma
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described herein (in SB 4.21.38) as mahattama-agranih. Within this material world, the mahattamas, or great personalities, are Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, but He is above them all
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is in a transcendental position, above everything created within this material world. His opulence, His riches, His beauty, His wisdom, His knowledge, His renunciation and His reputation are all universally purifying
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as Purusottama, or the best of all living entities. He is a person like all other living entities, but He is the leader or the best of all living beings. That is stated in the Vedas also
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is realized according to the proportion of one's surrender. Full surrender, however, occurs when a man is perfectly in knowledge. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate - BG 7.19
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is visuddha-vijnana-ghana, concentrated transcendental knowledge; therefore, even though He accepts karma-kandiya materialistic yajnas, He always remains in a transcendental position
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped with the prayer namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead respects and protects the brahmanas and brahminical culture, as well as the cows; in other words, wherever there are brahmanas and brahminical culture, there are cows and cow protection
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead says: "I am not in Vaikuntha nor in the hearts of the yogis. I remain where My devotees engage in glorifying My activities." It is to be understood that the SP of Godhead does not leave the company of His devotees
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead's deep scientific knowledge is concentrated to the supreme point. For example, medical science knows some things superficially, but doctors do not know exactly how things happen in the body
- The symptom of a qualified king or political leader is mentioned herein - he must be very merciful and compassionate to the people and see to their prime interest, which is to become elevated devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The terms "pious" and "impious" are applicable only in reference to the activities of an ordinary living being
- The theory of chance can best be explained in the Vedic literature by the words ajnata-sukrti, which refer to pious activities performed without the actor's knowledge
- The ultimate goal of studying or understanding the Vedic knowledge is to find Krsna
- The Vedas give the direction tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) in order to reach the perfection of life or to understand the real constitutional position of the living entity, one must approach the spiritual master
- The vivid example is Arjuna. He was a ksatriya, his duty was to fight, and by executing his prescribed duty he satisfied the Supreme Lord and therefore became perfect. Everyone should follow this principle
- The word askhalita indicates that orders by the king could not be disobeyed by anyone in the entire world. Such orders, however, were never issued to control saintly persons or the descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu
- The word mangala ("auspicious") in this verse (SB 4.21.42) is very significant. Srila Sridhara Svami quotes that to do what is good and to reject what is not good is called mangala, or auspicious
- The word praja refers to one who takes birth. Therefore Prthu Maharaja guaranteed protection for prajanam - all living entities who took birth in his kingdom. Praja refers not only to human beings but also to animals, trees and every other living entity
- The words adhoksaja-dhiyah, meaning "Krsna consciousness," are very important in this verse (SB 4.21.25). The king and citizens should both be Krsna conscious, otherwise both of them will be doomed to lower species of life after death
- The words arabdhan eva mean "as if achieved by past deeds," but in the case of Prthu Maharaja there was no question of reaction to past deeds, and thus the word eva is used here (SB 4.21.11) to indicate comparison to ordinary persons
- Then (when one is frank, free from reservations and open), by performing his particular occupational duty under the guidance of a proper spiritual master, he can achieve the highest success in life
- There are different types of great personalities - some are positive great personalities, some comparative and some superlative - but King Prthu exceeded all of them. He is therefore described here (SB 4.21.7) as mahattamah, greater than the greatest
- There are many subtle laws which are practically unknown to people in general, but the Krsna consciousness movement is very scientifically distributing all this Vedic knowledge for the benefit of the people of the world
- There are two kinds of duties - mundane duty and duty performed for the sake of yajna, or sacrifice (yajnarthat karma). Any karma (activity) one performs which is not for the purpose of yajna is a cause of bondage
- There is no other means for elevating one from the lowest stage of life to the highest stage but the execution of devotional service
- There is no possibility of becoming happy within this material world. The father and the sons are eternal, but if a living entity does not come to the platform of his eternal life of bliss and knowledge, there is no question of happiness
- There is specific mention of the word gurum, which indicates the Supreme Personality as caitya-guru
- There was interplanetary communication via suitable airplanes and space vehicles
- These performances are called yajnas because their ultimate goal is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu
- These services can be offered to the Supreme Person not directly but through the service of brahmanas and Vaisnavas
- These two primary principles of separation from material bondage can be realized on the strength of bhakti-yoga
- They (atheists) believe only in matter and hold that matter under certain conditions of amalgamation gives rise to the living force, which then appears as purusa, the enjoyer
- They (atheists) say that actually there is no need to accept God for this purpose, for if one follows the principles of morality and honesty, that is sufficient
- They (casteists) have rejected the proposition that such social and spiritual orders (the varnas and asramas) are especially meant for worship of Lord Visnu
- They (girls) are very carefully protected by their parents while unmarried, after marriage they are protected by their young husbands, and when elderly they are protected by their children
- They (Krsna, Lord Caitanya or His representatives) come to canvass and educate, and thus a person in the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord gets a chance to mix with them, talk with them and take lessons from them
- This (how an ordinary human can serve God) is clearly explained by Prthu Maharaja by the use of the word yathadhikara, "according to one's ability." If one sincerely executes his occupational duty, that will be sufficient
- This (how one's bodily features is the result of past activities) is proof of the transmigration of the soul through different types of bodies
- This (the need for brahminical culture and protection from the government) is admitted in this verse (SB 4.21.52) by the citizens of Maharaja Prthu, who could maintain the wonderful situation of his government due to his position in pure goodness
- This is a sign (not to become proud despite having great opulence and power) of the wonderful character of great personalities
- This life of engaging always in the loving service of the Lord is called adhoksaja-dhiyah, or a life of Krsna consciousness, which King Prthu meant his citizens to follow
- This ninefold process (sravanam, kirtanam, etc.) is described in this verse (SB 4.21.34) as visuddha-vijnana-ghanah, or satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly by transcendental knowledge concentrated on the form of the Supreme Lord, Visnu
- This tract of land (between Ganges and Yamuna), which is called Brahmavarta, consists of what is known in the modern age as portions of Punjab & northern India. It is clear that the kings of India once ruled all the world and that their culture was Vedic
- This understanding (of one's position and God's position through devotional service) is explained here (SB 4.21.32) as vijnana-visesa
- Thus blessed by them (demigods and great sages), he ruled over the earth and exploited its resources for the greatest satisfaction of the people in general. This has already been explained in the previous chapters regarding the activities of King Prthu
- Thus he (brahmana) ultimately becomes a fully Krsna conscious person and can understand what Krsna is. How a devotee continuously sees Krsna face to face within his heart is described in the Brahma-samhita - BS 5.38
- To do what is good means to accept everything favorable to the discharge of devotional service, and to reject what is not good means to reject everything not favorable for discharging devotional service
- To remain under the jurisdiction or administration of such a king or leader (like Maharaja Prthu) is the perfect status for human society. The primary responsibility of such a king or leader is to protect the brahminical culture and the cows in his state
- Transcendental sound is not ordinary language, although it appears to be written in ordinary language. Evidence from the Vedic literature should be accepted as final authority
U
- Under the regulative principles of the Supreme, such mischievous persons (who are envious of God) are thrown into the darkest region of material existence and are born of asuras, or atheists
- Unfortunately, at the present moment no one cares to hear about King Prthu or to follow in his footsteps; therefore no nation in the world is either happy or progressive in spiritual understanding, although that is the sole aim & objective of human life
- Unless one is on the transcendental platform of being a Vaisnava or on the highest platform of material goodness (as a brahmana), he cannot appreciate the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Unless one is self-satisfied, he cannot be free from the miserable conditions of material existence. Therefore it is essential to render service to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas to achieve the perfection of self-satisfaction
- Unless one takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure Vaisnava on one's head, one cannot understand what the Supreme Personality of Godhead is, and unless one knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one's life remains imperfect
V
- Vaisnavas are therefore offered the following prayer: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls"
- Varieties of life develop not by chance but by prearrangement. There is a plan, which is already outlined in the Vedic knowledge
- Vrddha refers to one who is advanced in knowledge. There are two kinds of old men - he who is advanced in years and he who is experienced in knowledge
- Vrddhasrayam, a person who takes shelter of a superior person who is advanced in knowledge, can acquire all the good qualities of a brahmana and be trained in good behavior
W
- We are all wandering since time immemorial
- We have seen that in spite of the very black record of their past lives, persons who take to Krsna consciousness become perfectly cleansed of all dirty things and make spiritual progress very swiftly
- We may thus struggle to counteract impediments offered by material nature, but our attempts cannot be successful unless we are favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- We offer our respects to a Vaisnava leader as follows: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls."
- We reject four prohibited items - namely illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and flesh-eating - and accept the daily chanting of at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and daily meditation three times a day by chanting the Gayatri mantra
- We should learn from His (Krsna's) personal behavior how to give protection to the cow, how to cultivate brahminical qualities and how to respect the brahmanas and the Vaisnavas
- Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give in charity and whatever penances you undergo should be done in Krsna consciousness, or for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- When a devotee is fixed in the loving service of the lotus feet of the Lord, he will never come back to this material existence after quitting his body, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita by the Lord (BG 4.9) - tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna
- When a living entity falls down to the material world from his original position, he becomes cyuta, which means that he forgets his relationship with Acyuta
- When a person speaks very nicely at a meeting, he is congratulated by the audience, who express their good will with the words sadhu, sadhu. This is called sadhu-vada
- When following in the footsteps of the brahmanas and Vaisnavas the entire society becomes a perfect human institution for combined progress to the highest perfection of life
- When He (Advaita prabhu) performed the sraddha ceremony for His father, He first of all called Haridasa Thakura and offered him food
- When influenced by the modes of material nature, a living entity forgets this relationship and thinks in terms of different species of life; but when he again comes to his original consciousness, he does not observe such bodily designations
- When Lord Buddha preached his theory of nonviolence, he was obliged to deny the authority of the Vedas, and for this reason he was considered by the followers of the Vedas to be a nastika
- When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was talking with Ramananda Raya, Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, "What is the greatest reputation?" Ramananda Raya replied that a person who is reputed as a great devotee has the greatest reputation
- When Lord Sri Krsna was in Dvaraka, He offered His respects by bowing down at the lotus feet of Narada. When Sudama Vipra came to His house, Lord Krsna personally washed his feet and gave him a seat on His personal bed
- When one actually attains good qualities, becomes grateful for the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and takes shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, he is endowed with all opulence. Such a person is a brahmana or Vaisnava
- When one comes to Krsna consciousness he immediately becomes one of the Acyuta-gotra, or descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus becomes transcendental to all considerations of caste, creed, color and nationality
- When one engages in devotional service in the first stages of hearing and chanting, the Lord, who is in everyone's heart, helps the devotee in cleansing his heart
- When one fully engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he becomes a Vaisnava. Prthu Maharaja warns his citizens who are actually engaged in the devotional service of the Lord to take care against offenses to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas
- When one is elevated to the platform of goodness, he is satisfied in any condition of life and is without lust and greed. This mentality indicates one's situation on the platform of goodness
- When one is strengthened by practicing bhakti-yoga, his mind is cleansed of this misunderstanding (of bodily identificaiton), and he is no longer interested in material existence or in sense gratification
- When performing sacrifices, one offers oblations to the sacrificial fire, but when such oblations are offered to Vaisnavas, they are certainly more effective
- When Prahlada Maharaja was offered benediction by Nrsimha-deva, due to his great devotion and tolerance he refused to accept any benediction from the Lord, thinking that such acceptance was not befitting a sincere devotee
- When the government follows in the footsteps of Maharaja Prthu, it will be very easy for all to execute devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- While describing the system of protection for the creeper of devotional service, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has especially stressed protection from offenses unto the lotus feet of Vaisnavas. Offenses are called vaisnava-aparadha. Aparadha means "offense."
- While performing a fire sacrifice, one pronounces the word svaha in mantras such as indraya svaha and adityaya svaha. These mantras are uttered to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead through demigods such as Indra and Aditya
- Who can be more of a leading personality than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and whose behavior could be more exemplary
- Without the spread of brahminical culture and without proper protection from the government, no social standard can be maintained properly