Gita Overview Mumbai10.25-33 – Metaphors for understanding Krishna’s glories

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Good day, Krishna. So, before we start from 10.26, just a quick orientation of what is happening here. The middle six chapters of the Bhagavad Gita are the bhakti section.
Although all chapters talk about bhakti, conclusively, all chapters don’t focus on the bhakti. So, in this section, from chapter 7 onwards, we start with 7.1. Maye asakta manaha. Fix the mind on me.
The idea is one should become a devotee. So, for becoming a devotee, one needs to know the glories of the Lord. So, in the 7th chapter, a general description of Krishna’s glories is given in terms of how much better in spirit are his energies.
And then, after that, in the 8th chapter, the glory of bhakti is established by contrasting it with Ashtanga Yoga. And the key words in that is Ashtanga Yoga. That I am easily obtained for a devotee who fixes a mind on me.
Krishna also contrasts there the path of bhakti yoga with Devyan and Indraya. So, in this whole section, the glory of bhakti is being established in various ways. For example, by comparison.
And then, in the 9th chapter, further, glory of the Lord is described and also the glory of bhakti is described. Remember, we discussed several things. The results of bhakti are eternal, whereas the fruits of demigod worship are temporary.
Bhakti is easy, demigod worship is difficult. Bhakti can be done even by those who are fallen, who have incidental faults or who have inherent faults. Incidental faults refers to some appreciation to the Raja.
Occasionally they do something wrong. And inherent faults refers to Mami, Parth, Vyapas, and those who are actually born sinful. So, by comparison in the 9th chapter, the glory of bhakti is further established.
And then, again to take this point further, of the glory of bhakti, the glory of Bhagavan is established. So, in the 9th and the 10th chapters, Krishna speaks to address unexpressed questions in Arjuna’s mind. The 8th chapter starts with the expressed question.
But the Acharya has described that once Krishna starts speaking about bhakti, Krishna becomes so enlivened that he doesn’t hear any questions. He just anticipates and he addresses those questions. That’s why although there is a sort of distinct difference between the thoughts in the 8th and 9th chapter and the 9th and the 10th chapter, but still there is no connecting question because Krishna is anticipating and addressing Arjuna’s unasked questions.
Now, in the 10th chapter, Krishna culminates his discrimination to the 4th Shloka Gita. That’s 10.8 to 11. And after that, Arjuna, in a sense, accepts both the glories of Krishna and the glories of bhakti.
So, if you remember, we discussed earlier that the essential purpose of the Bhagavad Gita is to determine the right sadhana and the right sadhyam. What is the right means? Or not just the right, the best. What is the best means and what is the best end? So, from the immediate point of view, we might say that for Arjuna, the end is to win the kingdom.
And the means for that is to fight. But, as we will see now, the Bhagavad Gita leaves the battlefield setting far behind. And the references to war will become less and less frequent.
The whole 9th chapter, there is no reference to war directly. 8th chapter, there is no reference to war. 7th chapter, there is no reference to war directly.
Only 11th chapter, when Krishna shows the Vishwaroop, there will be some reference to war. So, it is not talking about whether to fight and whether to win the kingdom or not. Sadhya and Sadhanas, what is the path one should follow and what is the ultimate goal one should achieve? So, both are connected.
When we understand the glory of Bhakti, our understanding of the glory of Bhagawan increases. Because, okay, this is the glorious person by which that will be achieved. And that is so wonderful and how can that be achieved? By this.
So, the understanding of Bhakti illuminates the understanding of Bhagawan. Understanding of Bhagawan illuminates the understanding and the attractiveness of Bhagawan. So, in this chapter, Krishna is focussing on the glory of, in a sense, Bhagawan.
But the purpose, the seminal verse here will be 10.49, where Krishna will tell that this is the purpose or the purpose of getting attracted to him. So, Arjuna asks this question after hearing the Sathya Shloka Gita is how can I please speak more about yourself so that I can know about your glories in this world. Keshu Keshu Chubhaveshu Chintyosi Bhagavanmaya Chintyosi Bhagavanmaya Let me be able to think of you in this world, in material existence.
And for that purpose, Arjuna Krishna starts speaking his Vibhuti. So, the word Vibhuti will also come in 18.78 last verse of the Gita. What is the last verse? Let’s recite together.
So, here the word Vibhuti comes as the seed Bhuti. Bhuti means greatness. Vibhuti, Vishesh Vibhuti.
So, the word Vibhuti can, in a general sense, mean greatness. But in the context of Bhagavad Gita, Vibhuti means the greatness of God manifested in this world. So, the greatness of God manifested in this world is Vibhuti.
Now, whenever anything is taught, the knowledge progresses from the familiar to the unfamiliar. If you remember, we discussed this that I know something and when something I don’t know is expressed in those terms, then that’s how knowledge progresses. Knowledge progresses from the familiar to the unfamiliar.
And one of the primary ways of doing this is through metaphor. Does anyone know what is the meaning of the word metaphor? To represent an object Yes. To explain through another object of similar characteristics.
In language, there are two things. There is something called simile and there is another called metaphor. So, simile is a direct comparison.
Now, he is as fierce as a lion. He is as strong as a lion. His voice is as resonant as the sound of thunder clouds.
So, when we use as as an explicit comparison, there is a direct comparison using words like as or like that is called as a simile. And metaphor is a implied comparison. Implied comparison means by direct I mean direct or explicit comparison.
So, I may say that his face is lotus-like. Krishna’s face is lotus-like. So, this is a simile.
But when we just say Krishna’s lotus feet, here, there is no direct Krishna’s feet are like a lotus. So, this will become a so here I put it Krishna’s face is like a lotus. So, there is like is a direct word.
So, it is a simile. And metaphor is Krishna’s lotus feet are the shelter from material existence. So, now this is a fact.
It is not that Krishna’s feet are literally like lotus. But I am saying Krishna’s feet are like a lotus and they are the shelter from material existence. When the comparison is implied, then this is called as an attempt.
So, metaphor enhances understanding by bringing about a connection between the familiar and the unfamiliar. Metaphor enhances understanding. Actually, the same applies also to simile also.
But in general, when you talk about example, it enhances understanding. So, I have some idea that, okay, a lotus even if it is kept in a dirty place, it doesn’t become dirty. It stays clean.
Oh, that means Krishna’s lotus feet are also like that. Even in this world, Krishna manifests in this world. They are not affected by the ups and downs of this world.
When I take shelter of him, I don’t get contaminated by the dirtiness of this world. So, by bringing about a connection between the familiar and the unfamiliar, metaphor enhances understanding. Now, for this to happen, a critical point is that if A is being compared to B, B should be familiar to me.
Isn’t it? If I am saying, if somebody from America, somebody from Africa comes in and they have some African war hero who is a symbol of heroism and virility and then somebody says, you know, this king is as heroic as King Walahullah. I don’t know who is King Walahullah. So, the metaphor just falls flat on the face.
Because what is being compared with is unknown. Isn’t it? So, now, to some extent, this happens with all scriptural metaphors. Because scriptural metaphors are derived from a particular tradition.
Now, when I say that Krishna’s lips are as beautiful as bimba fruits, I don’t know what is a bimba fruit. Isn’t it? So, I don’t have a reference for comparing. So, now, when the Vaishna poet wrote this comparison, at that time, he spoke in a culture where bimba fruits were known.
So, therefore, it becomes easy to understand. Now, when I say this, first I have to know what is a bimba fruit, what is its characteristic, then I try to visualise it, then I try to compare with Krishna’s lotus lips. So, metaphors are largely cultural-centric.
Metaphors, by their very nature, are cultural-centric. Let’s keep it here like this. To serve their purpose, what is being compared to must be familiar to the readers.
To the readers. So, metaphors are always cultural-centric. I hope this point is clear.
Maybe the words may sound a little must be familiar to the readers. But cultural-centric means any comparison we give in the scriptures, we’ll find that it is derived from a particular tradition. Today, for example, somebody wants to say, somebody is a very good cricketer, we say he is India’s next Sachin Tendulkar.
We say like that. Now, 500 years later, if people don’t know who is Sachin Tendulkar, what does this mean? He is India’s next who? So, whenever we are giving a metaphor, actually it is cultural-centric. So, when Krishna is giving the comparisons in the 10th chapter, he is illustrating his vibhuti by comparing with various powerful manifestations in materialism.
Now, these are not cultural-centric in the sense that they are irrelevant now. Now, for example, when Krishna says that among the devatas, among the for example, when he says that among the vibrations, I am the Om or among sacrifices, I am chanting of the holies, among all things, I am the Himalayas. So now, these are eternal facts.
Among the immoral things, the Himalaya is the most powerful immoral thing. It is the most immovable of all things. This is a fact.
But, whether that fact enhances people’s understanding today or not, that will vary. Because if people don’t know so much about the Himalayas, we don’t know about the Himalayas. We still know that, say, Tenzing Nagya was the first person who conquered Mount Everest or among the first people.
So, Mount Everest is considered to be important. So, in that sense, metaphors do serve the purpose if they are still understandable to the culture. But then, if Krishna says, say, that among the devatas, I am Indra.
Now, in today’s cultural context, people may not believe that there are devatas and Indra, which he won’t believe. So, that metaphor may not serve its purpose. When we say the metaphor doesn’t serve its purpose, it doesn’t mean that the fact is not true.
The fact is true, but the understanding that is to be conveyed, that may not get conveyed. So, to give another example, let’s say, you know, he is as good a watsman as Sathya Tendulkar. If you look at statistics, Sathya Tendulkar is the greatest watsman.
And when somebody is compared to that, yes, it’s a very apt comparison. The fact is true, but the purpose of enhancing understanding may not be served. If people are not familiar with the object that is being compared, in general, any historical book will have to deal with these limitations.
Even if, say, people try to read Shakespeare today. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest author in western intellectual history. Now, there are so many comparisons that he gives that many of them just don’t make sense.
So then people have to study the culture that Shakespeare lived in to understand what he said. Similarly, here in the 10th chapter, rather than going too much into the details of understanding each manifestation and understanding how Krishna’s glory is being conveyed, we need to understand the underlying principle. The underlying principle is that these are the manifestations of power in material existence.
Now, those may not be seen as manifestations of power in our current culture. That may be because of ignorance of people or that may be because of the apparent irrelevance of those to today’s situation. So, in general, metaphors that are given from nature do have enduring value.
For example, it is said when the Kaurava soldiers attacked Bhima, he resisted the Kaurava armies just as the beach resists the ocean. This is a comparison that everybody knows. The ocean waves come against the beach, it just stops.
And that way these are something which can be easily understood. So, when we use scriptural metaphors, we have to see whether they enhance the understanding of our time. And sometimes, in this 10th chapter, if we go too much into technicalities of each of these manifestations, we can get psyche.
I will illuminate some of the points. Now, why a particular point is given by Krishna? What is compared? I’ll explain that when we are discussing. But the underlying principle is to recognise what Krishna is saying.
That the manifestations of power in this world are actually the manifestations are actually manifestations of a fraction of his glory, as he will tell in 10.41. Mama, Tejo, Kamsa, Sambhava. They are a fraction of my glory. Are there any questions about this point? Okay.
So, let’s move forward to 10.46. Devarshinam chanaradah Devarshinam chanaradah Gandharvanam chitrarathah Gandharvanam chitrarathah Siddhanam kapilomuni Siddhanam kapilomuni Translation? Who let you? Of all the things, I am the best. So now, where does the reference to Ashvattha come again in the Bhagavad Gita? Yes, 15.1. Ashvattham prahudam vayam. So one of the characters of the Ashvattha is that, you know, Vruksha is, the very word Vruksha means that which will be cut down, riksha.
But the riksha of Ashwatha is quite difficult to cut down because not only does it have one central trunk, it also has many other branches coming down and connecting with the tree. It lives for a long time. It is not so easy to cut.
So, in that sense, the greatest among all the trees is Ashwatha. And there are different kinds of Rishis. There are Rajarishi and Devarishi.
So, previous was Devarishi. Maharishi naam chhe bhugur aham. So, these are slightly technical differentiations.
So, here he is talking about Devarishi. Devarishi naam chhe naradah. So, generally speaking, the Rishis, the word Rishi simply means one who is seeking purification or his pure, is pure.
So, Devarishi refers to sort of advisor of the gods. Whereas Maharishi, the way Krishna uses it, that refers to more of a priest of the god. So, there are many kings who have their priests.
So, a king of Magadha may have his priest. Pandavas may have the priest who is Dhaumya. So, if you look at the Pandavas’ relationship, their priest was Dhaumya.
But in a sense, he was not exactly their guru. You could say that their military guru was Drona, their spiritual guru was Krishna. There are different relationships.
So, Devarishi naam chhe naradah. And then Gandharva naam chitrata. So, Chitrata is the most powerful of the Gandharvas.
Chitrata comes several times in the Mahabharata also. When Duryodhana is planning, scheming to humiliate the Pandavas by bragging his wealth in front of them. So, at that time, Chitrata comes and arrests Duryodhana.
And then Bhima and Arjuna go and rescue him. And at that time, they defeat Chitrata. So, at that time, Chitrata says that actually they have a fight and Chitrata as chariot gets burnt.
Chitrata says to honour you Arjuna, from now onwards, my name will not be Chitrata, but it will be Dagdharatha. So, Chitrata was the one who had a beautiful chariot. But in the fight with Arjuna, his chariot gets burnt.
So, Dagdha means burnt. So, my name will be Dagdharatha, one whose chariot was burnt. But he was sent by Indra to intersect with the evil designs of Duryodhana, because he was the foremost of the Gandharvas.
And this is the last thing which is interesting. He is not saying that among avataras, I am Kapila. Kapila is an avatar.
See, whenever a person’s glory has to be talked about, they can be talked about from different perspectives. So, generally, Lord Kapila is known as the person who instructed Devahuti in the Bhagavatam. Along with that, he is also known as the person who sort of meditates and becomes Siddha.
So, we know that in the Bhagavatam, the pastime more or less ends with Kapiladeva enlightening Devahuti and then departing. But what happens thereafter? Actually, it is said that to instruct all of mankind, just as Naranarayana and Rishi perform austerities. Similarly, Kapiladeva also performs yogic meditation.
And through that, he exemplifies how you should seek spiritual realisation. And if you remember the story of the descent of Mother Ganga, then when the sons of Maharaj Sagar, they go down to search for the horse. At that time, what is Kapiladeva doing? What is Kapiladeva doing? He is doing meditation.
And his meditation is so powerful that, so then the sons of Maharaj Sagar think that, do all of you know the story? More or less, okay, I won’t go into the full story. But basically, Maharaj Sagar is doing a ashwamedh sacrifice and his horse gets stolen. And the horse is taken down to subterranean regions.
And when the sons go down to search, they see that the horse is tied near a tree. And underneath that tree, sitting and meditating is a sage. That sage is actually Kapiladeva.
And they think he has stolen and now he is pretending to meditate. So, then they come to attack him. And when they come to attack him, it is said that he opens his eyes when they are uttering their fears for Christ.
Opens eyes and they get burned to death. So, Prabhupada and Chitravarth Prakash Lachha will explain that actually, it is not that he burns them to death. It is not that Kapiladeva is actually so powerful and so self-controlled that he cannot get angry.
But just the attempt to try to attack a sage like him, a Siddha like him, causes their own bodily temperature to rise and they get destroyed. So, the point here is, here also we will see that Kapiladeva is engaging in meditation. So, in certain contexts, certain features of a person may be highlighted.
So, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Kapiladeva is highlighted primarily as the instructor of Devahuti. But in the Vedic culture generally, he is talked about as an eternally meditating sage, who is Siddha and who is teaching us how to become Siddha. So, because he is setting that example, so he is said to be the best among the Siddhas.
Krishna is saying that among the Siddhas, I am Kapiladeva. So, he is also an incarnation, but that is not the emphasis that Krishna is giving. He is emphasising a different aspect of Kapiladeva.
Uchyeshravasam ashwanaam. Ashwa is horse. Ashwamedha we discussed.
So, he is saying, among the horses, I am Uchyeshrava. And Amritodbhavam. Amrita refers to Amrit Mantham.
This is described in the 8th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. Amrit Mantham means. And then from that same, Airavatha is coming.
Now, actually, it may be said that, if we say that Airavatha was the elephant, which Indra got through the churning of the milk-ocean. Then didn’t Indra have Airavatha before that? The Bhagavatam is not entirely chronological. But even in the 6th canto and the 8th canto also we see that Durvasamuni gave a garland to Indra and Indra put it on Airavatha and Airavatha trampled it under his feet.
And then he got the curse and he became disempowered by that. So, this is actually a homogenous. So, what exactly does this mean? Actually, Airavatha is definitely an elephant.
But Airavatha is also the name of the, just like Indra is the name of a person. But Indra is also the name of a post. And the person who occupies that post is known as Indra, for that particular reason.
And that person can change. So, whoever is occupying that post is called as Indra. Similarly, Airavatha is also the name of the post, the post of the royal elephant of Indra.
So, his royal elephants can change. It is not that the Indras keep changing and Airavatha remains the same all the time. Airavatha also changes.
So, there was an earlier before this incident also an elephant who was the royal elephant for Indra. His name was Airavatha. And after this incident, a more powerful elephant emerged from the middle portion and he came to occupy that post of being the royal elephant of Indra.
So, in that sense, the important point here is, among elephants, this Airavatha is considered to be the most powerful. Among horses, Ujjayisha is considered to be the most attractive, most magnificent, most fleet-footed, fast running. And Krishna while giving this, so he is giving one example from the animal world.
And third example he is giving, Naranamcha Naradipam. Adhipa means the chief. So, among the human beings, I am the king.
So, this itself will make it very clear to us that Krishna is not talking about in any way either a general philosophical point that supports or refutes Mayavada. This has got nothing to do with Mayavada. Because if Mayavada were true, then Krishna would be actually all Naras, isn’t it? Krishna is saying Naranamcha Naradipam, that I am the Naradipa, the king among all the kings.
That means he is referring here to something distinctive, that is the Nuputi. So, if there are any questions, please feel free to ask. So, Ayudha.
Ayudha means weapons. So, now Krishna is generally here comparing with material things in the material world. The most powerful of all weapons we could say is Sudarshan Chakra, it is a resistance.
But Krishna is not bringing in transcendental manifestation generally speaking over there. In the material world, Indra’s Vajra is considered extremely powerful. And that is why when Hiranyakashyapu was not hurt by Indra’s Vajra also, his body had become so powerful and that was considered to have made him invincible.
So, the Vajra is extremely powerful. And it is so powerful that actually when the Vajra is thrown on somebody, it can even, actually when it is thrown on a mountain, even the mountain can get crushed to powder by the attack of the Vajra. In the Hindu namaste, Kamaduk, among all the cows, among the Hindus, I am the Kamaduk, the cow that fulfils all desires.
So, we see this again in the fourth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, where the cow gives not just milk, but gives all necessities to people according to what they want. The Brahmins come and take maybe ghee for their fire sacrifices. Demons come and take their wine.
So, Kamaduk, the desire-fulfilling cow, I am that. Now Prajanas Chasmi Kandarpa is interesting. So, he says, actually sometimes certain points don’t get translated very easily unless we understand the context.
Now he says, of causes for procreation, I am Kandarpa, the god of love. You may wonder what does this mean? So, actually what Krishna is referring to over here is that, that love which leads to procreation, I am that. So, this is in a sense similar to Dharmavriddho Bhuteshu Kamosa Garudarsabha.
He says that when there is Prajana, when there is progeny happening, then that manifestation of Kandarpa I am. Kandarpa, Kamadeva can attack anyone. There is a symbol of the heart being pierced by an arrow, which is almost like a cross-cultural universal symbol.
It is there everywhere in various traditions. So, now any man getting attracted to a woman, Krishna is not saying I am that. Actually, when there is Kandarpa, when there is the agitation or sexual attraction, which eventually leads to progeny, not just for the sake of enjoyment, but it leads to the getting of progeny, then I am that Kandarpa.
If a man is attracted to a woman outside marriage or before marriage in a dharmic way, then Krishna is not saying I am not that Kandarpa. So, he is talking about that, yes, it is an extremely powerful force in this world, the force of Cupid, but that force which leads to the beginning of progeny, I am that, not all forces. And Sarapana Asmi Vasuki.
Now, in the next verse, Krishna will tell that Nagana Asmi, Anantasya Asmi Nagana. So, what is the difference between a serpent and a Naga? He is saying among serpents, I am Vasuki. So, here again, you will see that Sanskrit words are not so easy to translate into English.
So, among serpents, I am Vasuki and of the Prabhupada, it realises that he cannot translate it. So, of the many hooded Nagas, I am Ananta. So, he does not try only to translate it.
How will you in English tell the difference between a Naga and a serpent? The English language is in some cases inadequate. But the essential difference is that Nagas have hoods, multiple hoods also. So, to emphasise that Prabhupada, many hooded and then he keeps Nagas and Nagas only.
It does not bring it into English. So, generally speaking, Vasuki is powerful, but Vasuki is described as being used as a rope, say, in Amrita Manthan. He is not described as having hoods.
So, Nagas are those which have hoods. So, among the serpents, I am Vasuki, among the Nagas, I am Ananta. Now, Ananta, we could say at one level, he is transcendental because he is an expansion of Balramji, ultimately of Krishna.
Still, Ananta is present in the material world and Ananta is known to have so many innumerable heads. So, from that point of view saying that there are so many serpents, but Ananta is the greatest and I am that Ananta. So, let us go ahead.
Anantas chasmi naga naam Varuno yada samaham Pitranamaryama chasmi Yamahasaya matamaham Anantas chasmi naga naam I explained that. Now, Varuno yada samaham. So, among the aquatics, I am the demigod Aruna, Varuna.
So, in the ocean, there are many powerful beings and we may think that the shark or the whale is the most formidable. That is from our perspective, but all these beings are ultimately controlled by the demigod of water, this Varuna. So, in essence, all those bodies, among all those, I am Varuna and the pitras, the head of them is Aryamma.
So, where does the reference to Aryamma come in Agatham? Does anyone remember? First cantum. Aryamma, Aryamma. Where does the reference of Aryamma come in the first cantum? Actually, when Yamaraj is cursed to be born as a Shudra putra and he comes as Vidura, at that time, who officiates as Yamaraj? That is Aryamma.
Because Yamaraj is not there in his course. So, which is expressed in the third canto in the fifth chapter. So, this is, Prabhupada refers to this in the first canto also.
He is talking about Vidura’s exalted nature despite his low birth. This is actually Aryamma, just like sometimes, one minister may hold many portfolios. Suppose there is a home minister and there is a foreign affairs minister and suppose the home minister dies or something happens to him, then the foreign affairs minister will be handed over his portfolio also.
So, he gets an additional portfolio at that time, additional department. So, like that, Aryamma’s jurisdiction is the pitras and Yamaraj’s jurisdiction is administering justice. But when Yamaraj was incapacitated because of the curse of Mandavirishi, then what happened? Aryamma took over.
So, I am giving this, basically, I am just trying to connect these references with what we have heard elsewhere in Bhagavatam. And the point is, Aryamma is considered very powerful. The pitras can also be worshipped and if they are worshipped properly, the pitras can give blessings.
In many traditions, there is the, many cultures, there is a tradition of ancestor worship. And Krishna also refers to that. He says that it is actually tamasit.
But it is a valid form. Where does Krishna talk about ancestor worship? Yes. So, that was, the three sections talk about the three modes.
What are the three sections? So, sorry. Worship of Devas is in the goodness. Worship of pitras is in passion, not ignorance.
And worship of the Bhutas, the ghostly beings, is in ignorance. So, the pitras also have power. But among them, the most powerful is Aryamma.
And Yamaha is a Yamatamaham. So, among the dispensers of law, we can evade the law administrators of this world, but we cannot evade Yamaraj. We will have to, everybody will have to face Yamaraj and they will be punished.
So, Daitya, Daitya are the sons of Diti. So, they are more like the Devas. You remember earlier I discussed about that there is some difference between demons and Rakshasas.
Demons can be, demoniac can be a mentality. The Rakshasa is a specific form. So, Duryodhana is a demon in mentality, but he is not a Rakshasa in form.
He has a human form. Whereas a Ghatotkach was a Rakshasa in form, but he did not have a demoniac mentality. He had a devotional mentality.
So, Daitya, technically, if you look at the language, it refers to the sons of Diti. From a point of mentality, Daityas and Anavas are grouped together with the Asuras and Rakshasas. They have an ungodly mentality.
So, Krishna, now, if you see technically speaking, the word, sorry, generically speaking, technically means, in a narrow technical definition sense, Daitya will refer to the sons of Diti. But in a generic sense, Daitya refers to all those who have descended from Diti. So, Kerala, this mother is not Diti.
Who is his mother? Kayadu. Kayadu and here in the Kashmir. But because they have all ultimately descended from Diti, so all those descendants are called as Daityas.
It’s like Yadavas is referred to all, is used to refer to all the descendants of Yadu, not just his immediate descendants. So, generally, the Daityas are considered to be ungodly. But among them, Prahlad is like a shining example.
In 7.15, when Yudhishthira Maharaj is speaking about Prahlad Maharaj in 7.10, Asuras in 7.15, Prahlad Maharaj’s glories are so extraordinary that wherever there is assembly of great sages, his glories will be talked about. And then Kalah Kalayakam, sabji words. So, Kalay means to subjugate.
So, actually, some people may be very, very powerful and when they rule, they might just be destroying others and nobody can subjugate them. For example, there was a Maraiding King named Genghis Khan. Now, he just went around, he used to plunder and kill people.
And in European history, it is said that there are two population shocks. Population shock is like a mild term used to describe deaths of large number of people. They call it population shocks.
So, the two big population shocks in European history were the Black Plague and the attack of Genghis Khan. So, Black Plague killed billions of people. Similarly, Genghis Khan, wherever he went, he would just say, leave a trail of corpses behind.
So, nobody could fight with him. But ultimately, Kalah Kalayakam, that person who could not be subdued by anyone, he was subdued by time. He became powerless by old age and time.
So, in that sense, he is the greatest. Among animals, I am the royal. Brugha Indra.
Indra is the general word meaning for king and Brugha Indra is the king of animals. So, it is interesting that Prabhupada also says that one time the devotees had gone to some zoo and there was a lion which was being, in a zoo, you know those children were going and poking the lion and teasing him. Prabhupada told me this.
He quoted this verse and he said that he has been given power by Krishna. He has been given respect. Do not provoke him unnecessarily.
Vainate is Vakshinam. So, Vakshi is what? Birds. Now, the mother of Garuda is Viniti.
So, because Garuda is her daughter, is her son, so he is known as Vainateya. Viniti’s sons are Vainateya. So, Viniti has many daughters, many offspring, but among them the most famous, the most resourceful is Vainate, is Garuda.
So, in the Mahabharata, in the Adi Parva, the glories of Garuda are described. So, actually it is a long story, but basically, Viniti is cursed, Viniti is tricked by her relatives into becoming a, there is some gamble which is made and she is made into a slave and she has to serve her relatives like that. And because Garuda is her son, Garuda also has to serve the Sarpas.
So, the mother of the Sarpas, she tricks the mother of Garuda and then Garuda and his mother becomes a slave of the serpent and her mother, serpent and their mother. So, then Garuda says, you know, I am so powerful, I can destroy these snakes. Now, why should I obey them? He says, no, I am bound by this.
Then he goes to the serpent and says, okay, what can, release me and my mother, what should we do for you? Tell us. Okay, he says, you go and get the celestial nectar for us. The celestial nectar is Namrut, which the, you know, in the Namrut, once the Namrut comes out, the demigods do not drink all of it.
They drink some of it and others they preserve, will drink it in future. Like sometimes when you get some delicious sweet, you eat a little, I will eat more afterwards. They preserve like that.
So, then Indra starts going straight towards the place where the celestial nectar is kept and all the gods, they take turns in guarding that nectar. And when Garuda starts coming, he is so brave and so powerful that just by the moving of his wings, soon the demigods get blown away. And then as they get blown away, they get alarmed and they run to Indra.
And Indra comes along and Indra throws his thunderbolt. And when Indra says his thunderbolt is coming, at that time Garuda says, oh Indra, actually, I am so powerful that nothing will happen to me because of the thunderbolt. But because you are the king and your thunderbolt should not go in the way, so I will let it pierce a small part of my feathers.
And he offers the feather back to Indra. And laughing, he goes and takes the nectar and he gives it. He takes it and goes away.
So, Indra starts thinking, actually, Sam-Dam-Danda way, it is for now. So, here, Danda is not going to work. So, what I should do? I cannot fight with, I will become friends with him.
So, Indra says, why do you want this nectar? What do you want to do with it? Indra says, let us become friends. So, Indra says, yes, I will become friends, but after I take the nectar. Garuda says, okay, what do you want the nectar for? Then he says, actually, I want to free my mother.
He says, no, but if you, the snakes, they are so dangerous. They have poison and poison can kill. And if you give them nectar, then they will become immortal, indestructible, they will get devastation.
So, he says, but I have to release my mother. He says, do not worry about it. What do you do? You take this nectar and when you go in front of the snakes, you just keep the nectar in front of them.
And then you fly away with your mother. And as you fly away by your wings, such a flutter will be created that the snakes will get blinded during that time. And I will send my agents and we will take the nectar.
So, what will happen is you will also be freed and my purpose will also be served. And in this way, we can be friends too. So, Garuda agrees to that.
And that is how he becomes released from slavery and the nectar does not go to the serpent also. But the point here I am making is Garuda is extremely powerful. Vainate is Chepakshinam, very powerful.
Then, Pavanah Pavatamasmi, Pavanah Pavatamasmi, Ravashastrabhrutamaham, Shastrabhrutamaham, Jashanam Makaraschasmi, Jashanam Makaraschasmi, Pavanah Pavatamasmi. So, sometimes the words are very similar and we think they are the same. Pavana and Pavata, they are different.
Pavata comes from the root Pavitra, that which makes pure. Pavana, that refers to that which flows through the vana and other places. So, wind is what flows through these places.
So, among purifiers, I am the wind, Krishna says. So, actually, normally, we use, say when we take a bath, we use water as a purifier. That is true.
But at the same time, even from a physical point of view, if a place, there is no well-flowing air in it, if a place is very cramped, now there are no windows, there are no doors, everything is closed, then there is a lot of dirty smell that comes about. If just wind keeps flowing, then what happens, the flow of the wind cleanses a lot of things. It’s just whenever there is no wind flow, then the place becomes congested, infected, and then diseases can come up over there.
So, pavanah bhagatamasi, ramah shastrabhutamaham. So, now, whom does this Rama refer to? It can refer to Parashurama and it can refer even to Lord Ramachandra. So, the Acharyas have got slight differences on this.
Generally speaking, Parashurama, from our view, Guru Prakasam describes in the Laghubha Bhagavatam that he is a chityavisha avatar. And in general, what is being talked about here is not the direct avatars. In general, we Buddhists, what is the material world? So, in that sense, this refers to Parashurama.
But it is not wrong to refer to this as Lord Ramachandra also, because he is also an expansion of Krishna and he is also Shastrabhutamaham. Lord Ram is always glorified as Nurvaraha. So, in that sense, that is also fine.
But Vallabhadeva didn’t make the point that this refers to Parashurama. And Jishyam is Jishyana Makaraschasmi. So, Makara is Makaradraja.
Actually, he is a shark. Shark is a very dangerous prophet. And Srotasamasmi Janavi.
So, among flowing objects, I am the Janavi. Why Janavi? Because actually the Ganga, in a sense, goes through a very, very long course. Even from the material point of view, Ganga is a very long river starting from the Himalayas and going down to Gangasagar.
But I mean material means current understanding point of view. But actually, we know that it comes from the heavenly planets. And there is Ganga in this heavenly planets here as well as the lower planets.
So, it is unstoppable. It will always find some way. If there is some obstacle, it will go from above or below or right or on the right side or left side or it just appears persistent, appears and break through.
So, in that sense, the flow of an object gives it some power. And the flow that is irresistible is characterised by Ganga. That is why Srotasamasmi Janavi is one of the major Srotasamasmi Janavi.
So here, till now Krishna has been giving specific examples. But here he gives one generic example. In all things, I am the beginning, I am the middle and I am the end.
Why? Because some things in this world are very good in the beginning. For example, beautiful objects. They are very good in the beginning.
Or on the other hand, some people, some aspects, somebody is very wise. Generally speaking, as experience increases, the wisdom increases. So, something will be the best end.
And some things may be the best in the middle. For example, certain grains are there. Now, for example, wheat, when it is just taken out, it is not considered to be as nutritious as wheat that is stored for a good amount of time.
But the same wheat if it is stored for a very, very long time, then it may not be good. So, some material objects will be good in the beginning, some may be good in the middle, some may be good in the end. But whatever time, whenever they are good, whatever time they are good, actually their goodness, their power comes from the grace of Krishna.
That is why he is giving all this. I am the beginning, middle Indian. Among all the branches of knowledge, I am spiritual knowledge.
So, this is an example of unfamiliar terms making things very difficult to understand. So, we generally understand of vada as don’t debate. Like that we may say.
Actually, in Sanskrit, whenever there is a debate happening, there are various kinds of arguments that are used. So, for example, Vitanda is a kind of argument where you just criticise the other person. Now, whatever you say is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
What is right? Nothing. I don’t care. You are wrong.
That’s all. So, Vitanda is not considered to be a very good argument. Because you are not establishing anything right, you are just proving what is wrong.
But Madhavacharya says that Mayavada is so bad that even Vitanda can be used against it. Let us not bother about Vishnu is God or not. I will prove that Brahman is not the absolute truth.
What you consider as all-pervading Brahman is not the absolute truth. Vitanda can also be used. But vada is considered to be like the, like in cricket you have a winning shot.
You hit the shot and the match is won. So, like that vada is the conclusive argument. The argument that ends the debate.
So, pravadata, an argument is there. So, Prabhupada gives vada as a natural conclusion or rather it is more like the conclusive argument, which by its nature ends the debate. So, vada pravadatam aham.
We will do one more and then we will end. So, akshara is the letters. So, ultimately all letters have to begin with A. It is not just in a alphabetical sense, but even in a pronunciational sense.
Actually, all words, they begin with the sound A. We may not always enunciate the A, but A has to be there in all sounds. So, aksharanam akarosmi and vanvah samasikasicham. So, sometimes you may make compound words.
Compound words means that I take two parts and make them into one word. For example, say I want to say he is a 13 year old boy. So, instead of that I can make 13 hyphen year old boy.
So, he is a 13 year old boy and this 13 year old is very calm unlike other 13 year olds who are very rebellious. So, 13 year old has become a compound word. So, like that compound words can be made by combining two or three words.
Now, in some compound words, the first word is more important. In some compound words, the second word is more important. For example, say, but in certain compound words, both words are of equal importance.
That means that both are equally valuable in communicating the meaning. So, for example, if you form a word compound with Ramakrishna. So, Rama and Krishna are both the names of God and both are equally important.
So, samasa in Sanskrit is the means by which two words are brought together. It is one of the rules. You may know about that.
So, people will study Sanskrit. So, the samas by which the dvandva, the compound word that is formed, that both are equal, that is called as dvandva. And so, it is among various samasas.
The samas results in dvandva, I am that. So, earlier Krishna was talking about time in terms of time subdues everyone else. But here he is saying akshaya.
So, earlier akshara, akshara is letter, akshaya is that which never gets exhausted, that which is eternal. So, actually time exhausts everyone, but time never gets exhausted. If I am talking, talking, talking, my speech is running, running, after a while it will slow down, it will stop.
But time will never stop. It will keep running, keep running. So, as I said time is akshaya and dhataham vishvatomukhaha.
So, there are many creators, but ultimately in this world, the greatest creator is Brahmaji. He has created the whole material existence and Krishna says I am that. So, we will continue it tomorrow.
Thank you very much.