My Guru Maharaja explained this verse in Dacca for three months. Janmady asya. (SB 1.1.1) Actually, it is so important

Expressions researched:
"Guru Maharaja explained the first sloka for three months in Dacca" |"My Guru Maharaja explained Srimad-Bhagavatam, the first verse" |"My Guru Maharaja explained this verse in Dacca for three months. Janmady asya. Actually, it is so important" |"my Guru Maharaja once lectured for three months on one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

My Guru Mahārāja explained Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the first verse, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), in Dacca, for three months. Actually, it is so profound. Janmādy asya yataḥ. This very quote contains all the Vedānta philosophy.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

So these are the different steps of śraddhā. Actually, devotional service means increasing your faith more and more. And these are the steps. The first step is that you must associate with devotees and then take to bhajana-kriyā. Then see, examine yourself that whether you are free from all the anarthas, all the unwanted things. If all the unwanted things are vanquished, then you'll have firm faith. Bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu... Naṣṭa (SB 1.2.18). Not that I am completely free from all sinful activities, but prāyeṣu, say, fifty percent, sixty percent is gone. At that time, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu... How it has come to take place? Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Nityam... We have to daily. Not that Bhāgavata-saptāha, and finish, and whole year you can do all nonsense. Not like that. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā.

I don't find any Bhāgavata-saptāha any authorized book. I don't find. There are so many big, big stalwart commentators of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, beginning from Śrīdhara Svāmī. Nobody has recommended this Bhāgavata-saptāha. But it has come to existence by the professional man. But actually nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. How you can finish Bhāgavatam in seven days? You cannot finish even one word. My Guru Mahārāja explained Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the first verse, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), in Dacca, for three months. Actually, it is so profound. Janmādy asya yataḥ. This very quote contains all the Vedānta philosophy. How you can finish Bhāgavatam within seven days? It is a farce. Actually, Bhāgavata should be relished. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā.

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā

bhagavaty uttama-śloke

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

(SB 1.2.18)

As soon as prāya, seventy-five, sixty percent of your unwanted things are given up, and then your naiṣṭhikī, firm, steady devotional attitude develops. Bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī.

tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ

kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye

ceta etair anāviddhaṁ

sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati

(SB 1.2.19)

You cannot have a steady position unless you come to the platform of goodness. Sthitaṁ sattve. Sattva means sattva-guṇa, goodness. And rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa means kāma and lobha, lust and greediness. This is the symptoms. And when you come to the platform of goodness, then you are satisfied that "I don't want all these things. Now I want Brahman." Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ.

My Guru Mahārāja explained this verse in Dacca for three months. Janmādy asya. Actually, it is so important. The beginning.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:

This Bhāgavata-saptāha is imitated under Parīkṣit Mahārāja's... Parīkṣit Mahārāja had only seven days' time, so he might have listened to the Bhāgavata lesson for seven days. But for us, it is not that we observe a Bhāgavata-saptāha and finish our business. No. Our business is nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā

(SB 1.2.18)

Nityam. Not that for seven days. Seven days is meant for Parīkṣit Mahārāja because he had no more time. His seven days was sufficient nityam. So we should not imitate that, that "I'll hear seven days." That is also a formality. Actually to understand one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it requires at least seven months. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ (SB 1.1.1). My Guru Mahārāja explained this verse in Dacca for three months. Janmādy asya. Actually, it is so important. The beginning.

So we must be very serious to understand Bhāgavatam. If we can understand even one line, one verse, our life becomes sublime. It is so nice. There is no comparison of this literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That we are actually finding in the Western countries, how nicely they are receiving these granthas. We have translated into English, and they're enjoying. Actually that is the fact. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18).

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Just like my Guru Mahārāja explained the first śloka for three months in Dacca. (break) ...after this verse, he explained for three months.

Room Conversation -- August 25, 1971, London:

Devotee: Yes, I think so. Yes. I think we have enough.

Prabhupāda: They'll like. Enough ingredients to preach. Simply one has to become intelligent how to express. The, what is called, outlines of thought are already there. You read one line, you can speak half an hour. They are so full of meaning. Provided you can express the meanings. So we are not reading all the lines. We are going quickly from one śloka to another. Otherwise, if we explained each line of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... Just like my Guru Mahārāja explained the first śloka for three months in Dacca. (break) ...after this verse, he explained for three months. Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained ātmārāma-śloka in sixty-four ways. That is described in Teachings of Lord Caitanya. Sixty-four ways. Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya explained in nine ways. He did not touch on those nine ways. Setting aside those nine ways, personally He explained in sixty-four ways. Formerly such scholars were there, such religious persons were there. Therefore people were happy. What these rascals speak? Now there is Freud's philosophy and Darwin's theory.

1971 Correspondence

The language of Krishna Consciousness is ever-fresh and we can explain everything by it, just like my Guru Maharaja once lectured for three months on one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Letter to Bhakta dasa -- Delhi 20 November, 1971:

I am very encouraged to hear how San Diego center is flourishing under your supervision. The test is that so many new devotees are coming. That is a very good sign. Now you must take care to train them very nicely. They are voluntarily giving their lives to Krishna, so as president you must see that they are always happy and satisfied in Krishna Consciousness. Then they will not go away. Your proposals for teaching them our philosophy are very good. But if we try artificially to explain sastra in our own words, there is every danger of interpretation and speculation. First the student must be able to repeat exactly the words of the guru and then after some time he may be qualified to apply the principles he has learned word-for-word to personal situations. It is not that we are a dry philosophy of dogmas and slogans. No. The language of Krishna Consciousness is ever-fresh and we can explain everything by it, just like my Guru Maharaja once lectured for three months on one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam. But every precaution must be taken to preserve our basic guiding principles as they are and not change them because we want to hear something new.