Bhagavatam study 109 1.19.34-40 When God remains anonymous through coincidences devoteees identify and glorify him

this is text 1934 the appearance of Shukadeva Swami Parikshit Maharaj is speaking to Shukadeva Swami and he says Shukadeva Swami recites text Shukadeva Swami recites text so actually on the presence of great mystics like you Shukadeva Swami recites text great sins can be purified Shukadeva Swami recites text immediately they can be destroyed Shukadeva Swami recites text just as in the presence of Vishnu Shukadeva Swami recites text those who are not suras those who are not the devatas they can’t remain now what does it mean atheists now atheists can claim to exist atheists they basically don’t believe in God but if God himself comes in their presence and God manifests his omnipotence then atheists can’t stay when Krishna manifests his virat rupa all the associates of Duryodhana simply fled from there those who did not flee they just fell unconscious because that magnificent display of divine power was unbearable for anyone over there they just couldn’t bear it so just as Vishnu Shukadeva Swami recites text so here the comparison is striking that just as atheists the very rationale, the very foundation of the existence of atheists is that there is no God but if God becomes existent, prominent, dominant in front of them then the atheists cannot exist so similarly wrongdoings, sins cannot exist in the presence of a great person ultimately sin is what it is not just the wrongdoing, it is not just the reaction of the wrongdoing ultimately it is the desire for the wrongdoing and when we are in the association of great devotees then they are so filled with the desire to serve Krishna that their presence infuses and enriches us also with the desire to serve Krishna and that desire to serve Krishna if it is strong enough then it drives out all other desires and thus we become transcendental thus we go beyond the illusions of this world and we attain Krishna so that’s how we progress towards Krishna and we become purged of sin by the association of great devotees text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 text 35 me as his relative and he’s also been pleased with me. So because of his desire to please them, therefore he’s also accepted me as his relative.
Generally how we deal with a person is seen or how much we hold a person in regard is seen not just by how we deal with that person but how we deal with others also who are connected with that person because all that is related. If I respect person A, then if somebody comes and I know that person is related with person A, then I will offer due respect to them also. That’s just the way respect is communicated.
So he’s thinking that it is not because of my devotion, it is simply because of the devotion of the Pandavas that I have got this fortune of having your presence, O great sage. A devotee always tries to give credit to others and this is a remarkable tendency that even when say for example if we are chosen to do a particular service, at that time we see similar consciousness in Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami and although you turn in Prabhu, he got a dream, he saw a signal when the garland fell, when he went to pray to the deities, all these were divine signals that he was chosen to be the author but in spite of it all he did not think this is my credit, he thought simply this is the credit of the Lord that he has chosen me and it’s the credit of the devotees because they want to hear Lord Chaitanya’s glories and they need somebody to speak those glories, so they have kindly asked me to speak and for enabling me to serve them well, the Lord is empowering me to speak. So the devotee doesn’t, even when a devotee is chosen as an instrument for a glorious cause, the devotee doesn’t think that it is my glory because of which I have been chosen as an instrument.
The devotee thinks that it is because those who have blessed me, it is because those who are so sincere that they are meant to receive this service that I have been given this opportunity to do this service. So now he says, so the question, why is he talking suddenly about the mercy of Krishna? Because he has seen the mercy of Krishna in terms of the appearance of a great soul devoted to Krishna. That is indicated in the next verse, text 36, anyatha te avyakta gater, darshanam na katham dhrunam, nitaram bhriyamananam, samsiddhasya vaniyasaham.
So anyatha, otherwise, te avyakta gater, otherwise means, in previous verse he said that it is by Lord Krishna’s mercy that you have, that Krishna has been merciful to me, otherwise if Krishna had not been merciful to you, otherwise how would you, avyakta gater, it is like your activities are not even manifest, that means when you come, when you go, where you come, where you go, this is all unknown, avyakta gater, great sages don’t make a great splash when they come and go, they just appear discreetly and disappear discreetly, so their movements are avyakta gater, darshanam na katham dhrunam, how can common people like us, how can we have the chance of meeting you, when you come, when you go, we just don’t come to know about it, and then what to speak of somebody who is about to die, nitaram bhriyamananam, who is, and now I am about to die and then sometime later I would have died, so just before that fateful moment happens, when I am just preparing, at the right time you have come, samsiddhasya bhavaniya saha, you who are perfect, you have appeared just when I need you, so imagine if somebody is in a plane and the plane is high up in the sky and they get a heart attack, and at that exact time, in that same plane, there is a heart specialist and that person knows exactly what to do and they save his life, and then we find out actually that the heart specialist was supposed to go by some other flight, but somehow they got delayed, they missed that flight and then they came by this flight, so then it is said that coincidences, it’s a coincidence, but coincidences are God’s ways of staying anonymous. Krishna sometimes appears directly in this world, but often Krishna acts indirectly in this world, and I suppose sometimes a book is, sometimes say an article is written anonymously, a book is written anonymously, then those who are good, those who are connoisseurs of writing, those who are themselves well-read or those who are themselves good authors, then they can recognise whose writing this is, just by looking at the calibre of the writing, so even an anonymous writing’s author can be recognised by those who are well-read, and similarly, when God remains anonymous, when things just happen coincidentally in our lives, we, if we are spiritually minded, we won’t be satisfied by calling it simply as a coincidence. We will see that this is God acting anonymously and we will recognise that this is God’s hand.
So, Prabhupada also, when he was in Jaldutha, at that time when Sumati Muraji arranged for his, arranged a good amount of vegetables and vegetarian food for him on the ship, otherwise they would not normally have. So, Prabhupada writes in his Jaldutha diary that, thank you, my thanks to Lord Krishna for inspiring Sumati Muraji from within her heart to make all these arrangements for me. So, he is seeing Sumati Muraji’s kindness, but he is not seeing it only as Sumati Muraji’s kindness, he is seeing it as also Krishna’s kindness.
So, when God remains anonymous, devotees identify that it is God acting. So, here Parikshit Maharaj is identifying that it is only by Krishna’s grace that a great sage like Shukdev Goswami will appear just when he is needed. And therefore, now that he has appeared, he is going to take full advantage.
So, he asks the right question, text 37. Therefore, I ask you, what is the way to perfection? You are a Yogi, you are a saint, you are one who has connected transcendence and not just that, you are not just a Yogi, but you are the Guru of the Yogis and not just a Guru, the Paramam Guru, you are the greatest Guru of them. Yoginam Paramam Gurum, Purushasyeha Yaha Karyam, Purushasyeha.
So, for that person, what is the Karya, what is the prescribed duty for a person? Mriyamanasya Sarvatha, for one who is going to die, as well as in all situations. What is such a duty? You know, when we, if we are sick and we see a doctor, a very well known doctor, then we won’t waste time in social niceties. Of course, there will be some basic greeting, but after that, we won’t do small talk, we will come to the real issue.
And similarly here, Parishad Maharaj expresses respect and appreciation, but then he immediately comes down to the real issue. It’s a grave issue, he is going to die. And what is the duty of a person who is about to die? So, the right question to the right person can lead to a huge amount of illumination.
When we get the opportunity to ask questions, and not just ask questions in terms of, there is a class and we have the opportunity to ask questions, but if there is a right speaker who can answer those questions, then it’s a great blessing. At that time, if we don’t ask the questions, then we will be losing a greater chance. Now, it is said that a strike when the iron is hot or grab the opportunity when it comes.
So, Prabhupada would say, devotees are opportunists. The word opportunist sometimes has a negative sense and Prabhupada would use words with negative connotation in a positive sense. So, the word propaganda, Prabhupada would use in a positive sense.
Propaganda just has a somewhat like an exhibitionist, advertisement kind of sense. Similarly, opportunist has a negative sense in the sense that person doesn’t have any principles, where there is an opportunity, the person goes over there. But Prabhupada is not using that sense.
Prabhupada says that, one who grabs the opportunity. So, wherever there is an opportunity for spiritual, for learning more about Krishna, for remembering Krishna, for advancing towards Krishna, a devotee grabs that. This is like a, and what to speak of when somebody is about to die.
Somebody is drowning and flailing, somehow trying to stay afloat in the ocean and then they see a lifeline being dropped to them. Immediately they will grab it. So, like that Parikshit Maharaj knows he is now sinking into the ocean of mortal existence.
He doesn’t have much time, he is going to die. And a great sage who knows the way of transcendence, Yoganam Parimam Guru, he has appeared. So, immediately he grabs the lifeline and he asks questions.
So, questions are the lifeline for those in ignorance. By asking questions, they can rise out of ignorance, out of the ocean of ignorance and they can come to the safe ship of transcendence. Text 38 now.
So, what is the duty of a person about to die? So, he is further elaborating. Normally, what are the activities that we do? We hear some things. We speak, we chant certain things.
Now, we act in particular ways, we execute certain responsibilities of the people in general. What are the, what is it that they should hear, speak, do? Prabhu, O Master, what should they remember and what should they worship? Vaviparyayam. Vaviparyayam means, what should they not do? Generally, if we are sick and there is treatment, the treatment usually has two parts, prescriptions and proscriptions.
So, these are things which will restore your health and these are things which will damage your health. So, the things which will damage your health, please don’t do those things. Those which will improve your health, please do them and do them as quickly as possible.
So, similarly here it is said, he is asking, what all should I do? Normally, if we consider our consciousness, it moves outwards in various ways and it moves inwards in various ways. It moves outwards through what we see, through what we speak, through what we hear, through the knowledge acquiring senses and then we act in the world through the working senses and beyond it all, we do a lot of recollection and processing of information inside us. That is dependent first of all on what we remember and beyond what we remember is what we adore.
There are certain things which we remember as a matter of discipline or as a matter of necessity. Say, if you have to give an exam, we may very diligently remember some information, some formulae, some facts, some equations, whatever we need to remember to pass the exam. That is not what we adore.
So, smartavvam and bhajaniyam, what is the difference? So, remembrance can be out of necessity, somebody might do that. But bhajaniyam is what one actually holds in the highest regard in one’s heart, what one loves, what one adores. So, student may be studying very diligently for an exam, but what might be in their heart might be, the students are sports fans, then the picture of their favourite sports players winning a particular match or striking a particular pose or doing a particular action, that is what they might remember in the sense, whatever they have the opportunity, that’s what they hold dear in their hearts and whenever they don’t have anything to do, their thoughts go over there.
That is, smartavvam bhajaniyam va. So, what is it that we should worship? What is it that we should adore? What should we adore in our hearts? Bruhi yadva viparyayam and please tell me what we should not do? So, Parishad Maharaj is asking for clear, actionable directions. What should I do? What should I not do? And in this way, he is making the most of this great association that has been given to him.
Text 39, nunam bhagavato brahman gruheshu grihamedhinam na lakshateya avasthanam apigodhanam kvachet. So, why is he not spending any time in small talk, as they say, chit-chatting, socialising? He is not spending because he knows that great sages don’t like to waste time and Shukadeva Goswami has a reputation. What is the reputation? That how long does he stay at a particular place? Apigodhanam kvachet.
That as long as the time it takes to milk a cow. So, traditionally people had cows at their homes and if the cow milk is fresh, then it is especially delicious, it is especially nutritious. So, if a guest comes to your house, you want to offer them something, immediately you just go to a cow, milk the cow and offer them.
That takes a few minutes and it is that long you would stay at a person’s house and even that, kvachit, sometimes, rarely in fact. Nunam bhagavato brahman. Oh, brahman, why is he so urgently asking questions? Because, yu bhagavato, oh great soul, griheshu grihamedhinam, in the houses of the householders.
Nalakshateya avasthanam. You are hardly seen there and even if you are seen there, you don’t stay there for very long. So, it’s very striking here that those who are renunciates, they have to very carefully protect their renunciation and indiscreet association with those who are materialistic and materially minded can contaminate them.
So, they want to conscientiously avoid that. So, as we discussed earlier that the association of great souls can elevate us, that they can inject spiritual desires into us and thus we can be spiritualised. But the converse principle also applies that if we associate with materialistic people, then that association may inject us with materialistic desires and then that can have severely counterproductive effect.
So, when this example may seem extreme for us, just staying so short, for such a brief while at somebody’s place, but the idea is that the principle we can take. The Bhagavatam often gives some examples and the examples are given in extremes, so that by the dramatic nature of that extreme example, that example cannot be imitated, but the principle we recognise as gravity and we strictly, we seriously emulate that principle according to our time, place, circumstance. So, whether we are renunciates or whether we are householders, wherever we are, we all have to deal with each other in a sensitive, respectable, gentlemanly, appropriate way.
We can’t just be curt and cut off people. At the same time, we have to be careful of what we are doing in association. Are we actually remembering Krishna? Are we helping others to remember Krishna? Or is it that we are getting contaminated by worldly association? So, whoever we are associating with, we need to make sure that, at least be aware of what is the effect on our consciousness of that.
Our consciousness is our greatest asset. If our consciousness is under our control, is not distracted or agitated by various things, then that consciousness can be offered to Krishna and we can become purified. That consciousness can be offered or can be engaged in various services to Krishna and by that we can do valuable things.
But while consciousness is a valuable asset, we are very careless with respect to our consciousness. Suppose, we were in a place where not much water is available and if we had a backpack which contains some water, then we would be very careful not to spill it. And we would be very careful not to keep it just open because some wind might go into it, some wind might cause some dust to go into it, some germs to go into it.
So, if something is vital for us and something is vital and something is rare and something is irreplaceable, there is no water going to come again, then we would keep it very, we would guard it very, very carefully. So, water is vital for our living but much more foundational and essential for our living is our consciousness. And whatever we do in our life, we can’t do without consciousness.
And though consciousness is such a precious asset, we are often quite indiscriminate in letting various contaminating agents enter into it. Though we might see various things, we might hear various things, we might mingle with various kinds of people and while mingling with such people, we need to be Padma Patramivam Vasa. That means, we need to be like a lotus leaf in a water body.
The two come in contact but the water soon trickles away. So, like that, we needn’t let materialistic impressions enter deep into us. They are there and we may have to come in contact with people.
We come in contact but we let that trickle away. And the way we get it to trickle away is by having our consciousness absorbed in Krishna. A lotus leaf is structured in such a way that water will not stick to the lotus leaf.
Now, we are not intrinsically structured like that but we can structure our inner world like that. Just as if we become attracted towards Krishna and we are intensely interested in Krishna, then in our consciousness, there will not be much room left for other things. And that’s how we can consciously strive to make our consciousness like a lotus leaf to prevent the contaminating water of the world from sticking to it.
Text 14. It’s the last text of this first canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. So, now the scene shifts backwards and Suta Goswami speaks.
Suta Goswami is narrating this whole conversation to the sages at Nameshwaranya. And he tells… In this way, when he spoke asking questions… So, that king asked in a sweet voice… Then in response, he started speaking. Who started speaking? That person who was very learned person.
That person who is himself a great soul, Bhagawan and who is the son of Bhadrayani. So, the Bhagavatam first canto ends at a cliffhanger. This cliffhanger is that the main protagonist has just entered and the protagonist is going to begin to speak.
And just when the protagonist begins to speak, this canto ends over here. So, overall in the first canto, what has happened? There are 19 chapters in the first canto. And in different ways, the scene is being set over here.
The first canto sets up the scene of the external conversation that is between Suta Goswami and the sages of Nameshwaranya. And then the second chapter describes, in Suta Goswami describes the essential principles of the Bhagavatam in divinity and divine service. The third canto describes, third chapter describes divinity.
Who is the supreme person? And then the various levels at which the Bhagavatam has originated is described thereof. Fourth, fifth and sixth chapters describe the conversation between Nagarjuna and Vyasa, which is at one level, we could say, the conceptual origin of the Bhagavatam. So, the Bhagavatam can have a, we could say, a circumstantial origin, a historical origin, a conceptual origin.
So, the setting of the Bhagavatam, one setting is Suta Goswami, that is described in the first chapter. And the essence is given in the second and third chapters. Fourth, fifth and sixth chapters describe the conceptual origin of the Bhagavatam in terms of the conversation between Nagarjuna and Vyasa.
And seventh chapter describes Vyasa Dev going into meditation and he gets a vision which also, which is the crux of what Narada Muni has told him. And that is from where the Bhagavatam emerges. And in the seventh chapter, there are just four or five verses which describe how Vyasa Dev’s son, Shukadeva Goswami became enlightened and became ready to enlighten Parikshit Maharaj, whoever came to him, including Parikshit Maharaj.
And then from the remaining seventh chapter till the nineteenth chapter is the setting of the other person, Parikshit Maharaj, how he became ready to become enlightened. That is described. So the Bhagavatam starts with a back story, a significant amount of back story that this back story is told to illustrate how great Parikshit Maharaj is.
That his grandfather, Arjuna, Krishna was his charioteer and Krishna helped Arjuna punish Ashwathama. It was his great grandmother, Kunti, she personally offered prayers to Krishna. His another grandfather, Yudhishthira, when he was in distress, he was personally pacified by Krishna.
And he was not only that, Bhishma Pitamah, who could say his great-great-great grandfather, when he departed, Krishna was personally there by his side. And then, how everybody connected with him eventually attained auspiciousness. Even Dhritarashtra attained auspiciousness by the grace of Vidura.
And then, how, what Parikshit Maharaj is doing that has been done earlier by his grandparents. That just as Parikshit Maharaj on hearing one news renounced the world, Yudhishthira Maharaj has also done that. So, on the disappearance of Krishna and the Pandavas at a timely, that is described in the 15-16 chapters, 14-15 chapters onwards.
And then, of course, in between, there is a very endearing glimpse of Krishna’s pastimes giving, how Krishna leaves Hastinapur, Krishna goes to Dwarka, he meets the residents of Dwarka and the sweet loving reciprocations that are happening. So, that description of Krishna Leela is like a prelude to the heart of the Bhagavatam, the 10th canto. It’s like, sometimes people say there is a sneak peek or a trailer.
So, while setting the scene of the Bhagavatam, the Bhagavatam is also giving a trailer of what is going to come in the 10th canto. And then chapter 16, 17, 18 and 19 are directly on Parikshit Maharaj. 16, 17 describe his illustrious rule and how he was so competent enough to combat and to curb Kali’s influence.
Then 18th chapter describes the incident in which he, how he got cursed and that curse was a blessing. And 19th chapter describes how he meets Suta Goswami. So, in this way, the Bhagavatam scene is set in the first canto by which everybody can, by which the two conversationists meet and by their discussion, everyone can become enlightened.
Everyone not just at that time, but everyone in posterity can also become enlightened by their conversation.