Bhagavatam-daily 37 – 11.07.27 – Go beyond the maya of papa – and punya

Shrimad Bhagwatam 11.7.27 Shrimad Bhagwatam 11.7.27 most people Dharmarthakameshu, for the sake of Dharma, Artha and Kama Vivitsayam Chamanavah and for the sake of liberation, the pursuit of spiritual knowledge Vivitsayam, Manavah, people for this purpose they endeavoured and while endeavouring for these things what are their objectives? They want long life, they want fame and they want wealth. So, here this is Uddhava Gita, Krishna is Itihasam Puratanam, he is describing an ancient history of the discussion between Maharaj Yadu and the Avanti Brahmana.
So, here Maharaj Yadu is enquiring from the Avanti Brahmana and he is contrasting the behaviour of the Avanti Brahmana with that of the general people and he is stating here that actually he is the most as contrasted with most people who may practice some dharma but that is for material purposes, for gaining some material gain, but here he is going to imply that you are not pursuing these for these purposes, you are not, you are completely detached from the world, that point will come in the next verse, but here the emphasis is how the attachment to materialism doesn’t just seep into religion but actually often sucks religion, seeping into means entering into, just like water may seep into a wall, water may seep through the wall into a room, that means the room is still existing but the water is also there with it, water has come inside where it need not have been there, should not have been there, but when something, water sucks in, that means there is such a huge giant flow of water that the water is far greater than the house itself and the house gets devoured in the flow of the water, devoured and destroyed. So, now materialism is the default ism of most living beings in this world, there may be specifically different ideologies that different people may have in different parts of the world, but a common denominator usually is materialism, the idea that by getting more and more material goods, by getting more material wealth, more material goodies, I will be happy. So, success and happiness are defined in terms of material acquisitions, possessions and positions.
Now, this materialism when it comes into religion that is that intersection circle of materialism and religion, if we imagine these two to be distinct circles, one materialism and another is religion, then the two can intersect and their intersection point is called as Karmakanda. Now, in Karmakanda, the focus is not on the object of dharma, means for whom was one performing dharma, what is the ultimate purpose for which dharma is to be performed, it is on what will I get out of it and what will I get at a material level out of it. So, now is this sort of religiosity bad? Not necessarily, although from the point of view of Paradharma, the Bhagavatam does certainly say that this is undesirable and says dharma projahita, projahita means Bhagavatam would say swept out, kicked out.
Kaitava is lower level, cheating religion. So, it’s a very strong word to translate Kaitava dharma as cheating religion because the idea is that normally we think of cheating as something which happens in godless contexts, but in God fearing or God centered context, we would not expect cheating to take place and at one level, yes, Karmakanda is also a way for progression for the soul, those souls who cannot give up the material level of reality, who want material things, for they are told, okay, if you want material things, at least start worshipping God, by worshipping him you will get those things. So, in this way materialistic people rise from their godless materialism to some kind of pious materialism.
So, because they have to worship God, they do some devotional activities and they also regulate some of their sinful activities as per whatever rules they are practicing and in this way they take a step up. So, for those who are atheistic, even coming to the level of Karmakanda is a step up, can be a significant step up, but the great danger is that at the level of Karmakanda, one’s faith will remain unsteady, because if one gets the results that one is seeking by worship of God, one will think, oh God, thank you, I got what I want, goodbye. So, I will just give a, say some thanks to God, offer some prayers, maybe give some donations, but after that, the person, the Karmakandi will return back to the same material life of occasional piety, but primary focus on further material needs.
On the other hand, if somebody can come in contact with devotees, who are pure or who are aspiring for purity, then one can rise upwards from the Kaitava Dharma to Paradharma. In Kalyuga, the primary form in which Maya distracts people is Paap. There are so many grossly sinful activities that are not just going on in society, but that are being aggressively thrust on even the pious members of society through the media, through the advertisements, through the movies, through the television.
So, sin is glamorized, sin is depicted as something fashionable and cool and desirable, and that’s how the primary distraction in Kalyuga is Paap. Now, in the past ages, especially in the context of Vedic culture, the primary distraction was Punya. The people are so caught in the idea that if you just do some Dharma, if you follow some regulations, then we will get the blessings of God at this material level of reality, and therefore, we will become comfortable and happy, and that will be the success of our lives.
And this was such a widespread belief system that it became a roadblock for many, many people. And both Narada Muni reproaches Vyasadev for having advocated this. And similarly, Krishna also reproaches those who consider this out of Karmakanda to be the conclusion of the Vedas.
He calls them avipashchitah in 2.42-43. So, either way, the point is that people, when they are too materialistic, then they use their materialism as the centerpiece of their life, and then they use God as a means to further add on their materialism. And by this, they deceive themselves. The human form of life, which they could have used to get eternal happiness, they use it for just getting some fleeting ephemeral improvement, which not only doesn’t last, but it also doesn’t fulfill, because at our core, we are beings, and only spiritual love for Krishna can fulfill our hearts.
So, here, how the Avanti Brahmana is different from the common pass of people, that is what is being progressively delineated by Maharaj Yadu. And when we want to practice serious spiritual life, we have to know that we will be treading a path that is different not just from the sinful people of Kali Yuga, but also a path that is different from the pious people of Kali Yuga. Certainly, we can have more in common with the pious than with the sinful, but we know that what we are trying to achieve is something far loftier than what is achieved even through piety.
And it is this lofty goal that the Srimad Bhagavatam delineates for us, and it is this goal that Srimad Bhagavatam actually invites us to pursue, so that in this very life, we can purify ourselves, and at the end of our life, we can attain the eternal destination. And in this way, the Bhagavatam saves us from being not only cheated by papa, but also from being cheated by punya. Thank you.