20220502 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.12.17

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 2nd, 2022 at ISKCON Patna, Bihar, India The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.12.17.

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

tasyāṁ viśuddha-karaṇaḥ śiva-vār vigāhya
baddhvāsanaṁ jita-marun manasāhṛtākṣaḥ
sthūle dadhāra bhagavat-pratirūpa etad
dhyāyaṁs tad avyavahito vyasṛjat samādhau

Translation: In Badarikāśrama Dhruva Mahārāja’s senses became completely purified because he bathed regularly in the crystal-clear, purified water. He fixed his sitting position and by yogic practice controlled the breathing process and the air of life; in this way his senses were completely withdrawn. Then he concentrated his mind on the arcā-vigraha form of the Lord, which is the exact replica of the Lord and, thus meditating upon Him, entered into complete trance.

Purport: Here is a description of the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, to which Dhruva Mahārāja was already accustomed. Aṣṭāṅga-yoga was never meant to be practiced in a fashionable city. Dhruva Mahārāja went to Badarikāśrama, and in a solitary place, alone, he practiced yoga. He concentrated his mind on the arcā-vigraha, the worshipable Deity of the Lord, which exactly represents the Supreme Lord, and thus thinking constantly of that Deity, he became absorbed in trance. Worship of the arcā-vigraha is not idol worship. The arcā-vigraha is an incarnation of the Lord in a form appreciable by a devotee. Therefore devotees engage in the temple in the service of the Lord as arcā-vigraha, a form made of sthūla (material) objects such as stone, metal, wood, jewels or paint. All of these are called sthūla, or physical representations. Since the devotees follow the regulative principles of worship, even though the Lord is there in His physical form He is nondifferent from His original, spiritual form. Thus the devotee gets the benefit of achieving the ultimate goal of life, that is to say, becoming always absorbed in thought of the Lord. This incessant thought of the Lord, as prescribed in the Bhagavad-gītā, makes one the topmost yogī.

Jayapatākā Swami: and he meditated on the Deity. So this meditation on the Deity is the highlight of this verse. We see here that Dhruva Mahārāja he went to Bhadrikāśrama which is high up in the Himalayas. And that this aṣṭāṅga-yoga is not mentioned for the cities. But bhakti-yoga can be performed also in the city. So this temple is manifesting here in Patna city, so that the people can come and meditate on the Deity.

So I was reminded by Devakīnandana, how we all came together for the bhūmi-pūjā. And for so many years, Kṛṣṇa Kṛpā dāsa and donors, devotees were working on this temple. You see in the Deity floor, how they have a beautiful chandelier light. How they have marble floor, and they are going to install Lord Gaurāṅga and Nityānanda and also Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa Hanumān and Rādhā-Bāṅkebihārī, Lalitā Viśākhā. For that the priests have been trained and they are doing all the systems given by Bṛhaspati. So they have pots and kuṇḍas for worshiping. Today they will be doing the netronmilanam, the sayana-adhivāsa and many other things will be happening tomorrow. But we want one more thing. We want all the Swamis, all the brāhmaṇas, all the priests, all the devotees, initiated devotees, the bhaktas, the bhaktins, all the donors, all the visitors, we are all inviting the Lord with His consorts and associates to come. Prema se, hṛdaya se, Gaura-Nitāi kā āhvāhana karte haiṅ. Āpa saba kījiye prārthanā hṛdaya se. (With love, devotion from the heart all of you should pray requesting Them to come) Itnī dūr se Vaikuṇṭha se Sītā-Rāma Lakṣmaṇa āyeṅge (From so far away from Vaikuṇṭha, Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa will come) Haribol! and Rādhā-Bāṅkebihārī Lalitā Viśākhā Goloka Vṛndāvana se āyeṅge (And Rādhā-Bankebihari, Lalitā Viśākhā will from Goloka Vṛndāvana). Bahut dūr hai (It is very far). Yahān par sab bhakta bahut prem se sevā karte hain (here all the devotees are serving the Lord very lovingly). Sabhī bhakta bahut prema se āhvāhana kījiye (All the devotees please invite with love). Haribol! Bhagavān jab āyeṅge, dekheṅge kī kaise sabhī bhakta prema se unko āhvāhana kar rahe haiṅ (The Lord will come and see how all the devotees with love are inviting Him).

So this ceremony is not just by the priests, ācāryas. “Every devotee should pray that please Lord come down and let me worship You!” Haribol! I want to see how many devotees are crying, crying to have the Lord come! Haribol! And Ayodhyā dhāma, all the residents of Ayodhyā went with Sītā-Rāma in the river. In the same body they went back to Godhead. Itnā prem, itnī bhakti chāhiye (This much love, this much devotion we need to have). So we want Sītā-Rāma Lakṣmaṇa Hanumān may come here. Hanumān, he is such a great devotee. He asked why is Sītā wearing sindūra on Her head? Someone told Her it makes Rāma pleased. “Really, I will offer red sindūra all over my body!” Haribol! Hanumānjī kī! Jaya Bajraṅga Bali kī jaya! Sometimes we see Hanumān wearing all red because he wants to please Lord Rāma. Vṛndāvana se Bāṅkebihārī Lalitā Viśākhā āyeṅge (Rādhā-Bāṅkebihārī, Lalitā Viśākhā will come from Vṛndāvana). Lekin Vṛndāvana me bahut bhakti se prema se sevā karna paḍta hai (But in Vṛndāvana we need to serve Them with lot of love and devotion). Here in Patna let us make the situation that they will feel at home, they will feel happy. Bahut prasanna hoṅge (They will be very happy).

Whether you are from Andhra Pradhesh like Tirupati or Karnataka or anywhere in South India, or from Delhi, Māyāpur, Vṛndāvana, every one of you should be praying, please, please come here, to Patna and be pleased! Pūjārīs they are doing their work. The priests are doing their sevā. But along with them we need every devotee, hṛdaya se prema se prārthanā kījiye. (Please pray with love from the heart) Someone may not be in this class, but when they come, tell them to pray for the coming of the Deities. This is not a spectator sport, you are part of the team! You are desirous of the Lord coming down and accepting your sevā. And you think the pūjārīs should know that they are doing the pūjā on your behalf.

So in Vṛndāvana they worship Kṛṣṇa with such devotion, mother Yaśodā, she cries for Kṛṣṇa, “Please, telling His friends be careful see that He doesn’t get scratched!” And He has so many loving devotees in Vṛndāvana. So we want Him to feel at home in Patna. To get in the mood Caitanya Mahāprabhu manifested His ecstasy in Bihar. Now I am eating all these days, Bihari khāna. I want to get in the mood of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s prema! Haribol! This morning they were making me liṭṭi-choka. Haribol! Bihari khāna khāuṅgā (will eat Bihāri prasāda) and Caitanya Mahāprabhu prema sīkhne ke liye (to learn the love of Caitanya Mahāprabhu).

Haribol! So, here we see in this verse how Dhruva he was meditating on the Deity form. In that way the Deity is not different than Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world. So here in Patna the Lord is coming so that you can serve Him, you can meditate on Him. It is not an ordinary thing. This is very special, bahut viśeṣa hai. We want you all to be in the mood, the Lord is coming. And you are praying for Him to come. He is Bhakta-vatsala. He likes to please His devotees. Who wants the Lord to come? I want everyone in their heart pray that Kṛṣṇa Bāṅkebihārī, Rādhārāṇī, Lalitā, Viśākhā, They come. That Gaura-Nitāi They come and stay here. Sometimes the pūjārīs are careless and they poke the Deities with the pins. Ah! So by your devotion the pūjārīs will be very careful. We want the Deities to be very happy. Sab vigraha prasanna rahe. I will leave, some devotees will leave but others will be there. I will come back, Kṛṣṇa willing. But I want every devotee to actually appreciate how the Lord is coming here to facilitate you to worship Him. Actually, this material world is a kind of prison house. There are millions of universes, and we are just in one. So this material world is called eka-pāda vibhūti. The spiritual world is tri-pāda vibhūti. Most people live there. No death, no birth, no old age, and so we want the Lord to come from that nice place here so that we can meditate on Him, serve Him. Like you did last night, dancing before the Lord.

So, actually this verse tells us is that there is no difference between the Lord and the material world and the Lord and the spiritual world. Why is there such a thing as installed Deities? Because the Lord wants to give you a chance to go back home back to Godhead! If you serve the Lord with bhakti then you can go back to Godhead. Many people they wander in the street. They come in the temple and see the Deity, their heart changes. So this temple is created by a great sacrifice so that we can all worship the Deities. So our priests they are doing all the ceremonies properly. But we need you all to reciprocate with Kṛṣṇa. He may or may not come for the priests. If everybody prays for the Lord to come, there is more chance. Haribol! So whether you are initiated or bhaktin or bhakta you should all prema se prārthana kījiye (Pray with love). Hare Kṛṣṇa!

So Dhruva Mahārāja, by bathing in the holy Ganges and by meditating on the Deity he went back to the spiritual planet. And Kṛṣṇa Kṛpā dasa, Devakīnandana, and the devotees they have made this temple to give you that chance. If you are in the mood that you want to serve the Lord, then you belong in the spiritual world where everybody is serving the Lord. If you only want to serve your senses, then you can stay here. So we want people to use this doorway to go back to Godhead. And Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura he said the temple is like a supermarket. And here we have all the opportunities to serve the Lord. Of course, we want to reach every town and village. And some of the villages, outposts may be like small shops. So this temple is like a supermarket and in a village like a small corner store. So from this temple we want to spread to all parts of Bihar. And here in this verse it says Dhruva was bathing in the Ganges. They brought me some Ganges water and I pour a little in the bucket every day. So I am trying to get in that mood to request the Lord to come down. And you all please do the best you can to get in the mood. The Lord is coming for you! Haribol! As Dhruva went to the spiritual planet, those who are donors, devotees in this temple, they can also go back to the spiritual world. Hare Kṛṣṇa! Any questions?

His Holiness Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami, he looked up and down, in and out, he did not find any bookstall! And he is committed to book distribution. So he hopes he can do this sevā and all the income goes to this Patna temple. Haribol! So he wants to set up outside. Like that everybody should do some sevā, ask, is there any sevā you can do? Anything? In Māyāpur all the initiated devotees cook something. And we have - it is not uncommon to have 2000 preparations! When they have abhiṣeka then all the devotees, uninitiated, they bring water from the Ganges.I don’t know here how much water they need. Everybody should be enthusiastic to do some sevā. This is the way to taste the bliss!

♫ Will Śrīla Prabhupāda be pleased with us for calling Sītā-Rāma Lakṣmaṇa Hanumān, Rādhā Bāṅkebihārī, Gaura-Nitāi, will Śrīla Prabhupāda be pleased with us?

Jayapatākā Swami: Why not? We are basically Kṛṣṇa devotees and we try to worship Kṛṣṇa. But there are some temple which have Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa Deities like Mumbai, Delhi , Washington DC. I don’t remember but there are some. So why not? And I don’t know which of these temples were established in the presence of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Now here we have Rādhā Bāṅkebihārī as our main Deities. We also have Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa Hanumān and Bihar is such a place, Sītā Devī appeared here! Sītā Mahārāṇī is from Bihar. So Mithilā is an ancient place and that falls partially in Bihar. And some part is in Magadha. So since Bihar is the home of Sītā Rāma. In Brazil in Nova Gokula and also in Chosica, Peru, they believe that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa Hanumān, They came to South America to fight with Kumbhakaraṇa. So they have Deities of Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa there. So there is no doubt that Sītā appeared here in Bihar, so why not have Sītā? Any other question?

♫ I remain so much confused regarding my spiritual and materialistic life At one point I have intense desire to surrender and other time I want name and fame. But priority is I want to (surrender) completely and totally to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. I become confused at every step, in my professional life, married life, please instruct me regarding this. It is my goal to totally surrender and fulfill Lord Caitanya’s mission, I want to completely surrender and devote my life to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Please give me instructions, what I should do so I can come closer and closer to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

♫ Jayapatākā Swami: Since this verse is about Dhruva Mahārāja and he was the great grandson of Lord Brahmā. The grandson of Svāyambhuva Manu. So Manu was obviously a gṛhastha. He was grandfather of Dhruva, he also was the father of the mother of Kapila Muni. And so it is said that he went back to Godhead. But he was a gṛhastha he had children, he had responsibilities, but he did everything Kṛṣṇa consciously. When he did his things, he did everything thinking of Kṛṣṇa. So like that our gṛhasthas sometimes have deities in their house. They may have Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā, Nitāi-Gaura, so by doing their daily activities in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way they can balance. We should always remember that our prime duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa. But we may have other duties. Those we do in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way and that way we always stay under Kṛṣṇa’s shelter. In the 10th topic of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it says āśraya. We want to be under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa. So we pray to the Deities as gṛhasthas, that we want to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious healthy, long lived suputra or putrī. Only gṛhasthas can have children. Brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas, sannyāsīs no children. It says if your child becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious and goes back to Godhead, putra or putrī, then if they go back to Godhead, 14 generations will go, also, minimum, 7 backward and 7 forward. Kṛṣṇa is very grateful. I have one family they said we don’t know if we will go or not but please train our son in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so he goes back. If you think, oh I have a responsibility for my parents who are sick, old, you think I will help them to remember Kṛṣṇa or remember Rāma, that is the interest. In this way our service, our responsibility, is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Bhakti-yoga is very practical. We want - everything will be naturally balanced because we do everything in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Jay Śrīla Prabhupāda Kī ! Jaya !