Kunti’s prayers (1.8.18-1.8.22) – Krishna’s inconceivable position can be understood by simple devotion

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So I will take Kunti Maharaj’s Prayers as a summary, as an overview. How these 26 shlokas, from the 8th shloka of the 1st skandha to the 18th shloka of the 1st skandha to the 43rd shloka, these 26 shlokas, we will discuss what is Kunti Maharaj’s thought process in them. Like we did in Damodar Ashtakam last time, we will repeat the shloka, then I will say its meaning, then we will repeat that shloka again.
And then we will try to recite as many shlokas as possible. So we will try to recite as many shlokas as possible today. Kunti uvāca namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param alakṣaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthitam antar bahir avasthitam So Kunti Maharaj is saying, O Lord, I bow to You.
namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param You are God beyond this nature. alakṣaṁ sarva-bhūtānām It is very difficult for you to understand. Why is it difficult to understand? You are not visible to anyone.
alakṣaṁ sarva-bhūtānām yad yapi antar bahir avasthitam You are inside as well as outside. These are the prayers of Kunti Maharaj. These are the first prayers in Bhagavatam.
Before this, in chapter 7, the punishment of the son of Drona, Arjuna recites 2-3 shlokas in brief, when Brahmastra is coming. But the extended prayers in Bhagavatam, the first prayer is that of Kunti Maharaj. And that Bhagavatam’s feeling, pure devotion, is shown to her in a very beautiful way.
In this, we get a very beautiful glimpse of Lord Krishna’s divinity and His sweetness. God’s greatness and God’s sweetness. His divinity and His sweetness.
We get a very beautiful glimpse of both. So, in these 26 shlokas, first of all, Kunti Maharaj tells that Lord, your position, your nature, is very difficult to understand. This is first told in 5 shlokas.
After that, in 5 shlokas, it is told that your protection, the way you protect yourself, is also very difficult to understand. After that, it is told that your leelas, are also very difficult to understand. Here, it is told that it is very difficult to understand.
But, Kunti Maharaj also shows how we can actually understand them. After that, it is told that Lord, without you, we are unbearable. So, that is the fourth part of this prayer.
In each shloka, there are 4-5 shlokas. We will discuss about those shlokas. And, what is the last part? The last declaration is that O Lord, attraction towards you is your biggest protection.
If we are attracted towards you, then we are free from birth and death. And, attraction towards you is your biggest protection. And, please give me that protection.
So, if we look at the end of this prayer, there is no declaration at the end. In the 42nd shloka, Kunti Maharaj says She says that The way Ganga always flows towards the sea, in the same way, my consciousness also flows towards you. And then, after that, this is the first shloka before the last one.
And, in the last shloka, she is praising God. O Lord, she is praising God with different names. You are Krishna.
You are Krishna. You are Arjuna. Arjuna’s wife was Savaratha.
She is Krishna’s friend. You are Arjuna’s friend. You are the king of all kings.
You kill all the demons. She is praising God in different ways. And, what does she say at the end? She says, O Lord, Namaste! I bow down to you.
I bow down to you. Other than that, she does not say anything else. In reality, when this prayer starts, what is happening? Right now, the war of Kurukshetra has ended.
Right now, all the Kauravas, the enemies of Pandavas, who were in the form of Kauravas, who were in the army of Kauravas, they have been killed. And, the coronation of Maharaj Yudhishthira has also been done. And, right now, Lord Krishna is leaving.
Lord Krishna, where is all this prayer happening? It is happening in Indraprastha. Indraprastha was the capital of Maharaj Yudhishthira. Indraprastha was Hastinapur.
Hastinapur was the capital of the Kuru dynasty. And, after that, when it was divided, Hastinapur became the capital of the Kauravas. So, the kingdom of Pandavas, the kingdom of Pandavas, these prayers are happening there.
And, after the coronation of the kingdom of Pandavas, in Indraprastha, not in Indraprastha, it is happening in Hastinapur. Because, the king of Hastinapur has become Maharaj Yudhishthira. So, from there, Lord Krishna is returning to Dwarka.
So, when he is returning, then, Queen Kunti and all the Pandavas, they become desperate for separation. How will we bear separation from God? And, in reality, when these prayers start, then, at the time of starting, Queen Kunti wants to pray. She wants to request, O Lord, please, you, don’t go.
Please, you, don’t go. That is her prayer. She prays for that purpose.
But, as the feelings of prayers develop, the flow of thoughts increases, then, through those prayers, through those prayers, the pure devotion of God is enhanced with more goodness and sweetness. And, with that, she understands that, in her 41st shloka, she says that, in reality, O Lord, if you will stay here, then, I will get your company. We will get your company.
But, the people of Dwarka will not get So, if the people of Dwarka are also related to me, they are also your devotees, then, how long will they stay with you? But, if you will go, then, we will also stay here. So, what should be done in such a time? So, Atavishwesh Vishwatman Vishwamurty Swakeshu Snehapashami Mamchindi Dhrudham Pandushu Vrishnishu So, in the 41st shloka, she says that, O Lord, you are the Vishwatman, you are the Lord of the Universe, you are the Atman within the Universe and you are also the world. Atavishwesh Vishwatman Vishwamurty Swakeshu Snehapashami in relation to the world, she tells three words of singing of Guna.
We will discuss them in detail later. But, what is she telling in the shloka in our context? Snehapashami Mamchindi That, my love, because of my love, if I see my relation with my sons, then, I will feel that you stay here. If, Kunti Maharani, we will not go into that.
But, Kunti Maharani has a relation with the people of Dwarka. So, she will think that, that is also my relation. If I think of their then you go there.
So, what should I do? She says, O Lord, I just want to serve your devotees. That is why this is Snehapash. Because of Snehapash, I will try my desire on you.
So, this Snehapash. Snehapashami Mamchindi So, in this way, these are pure devotion. So, when Kunti Maharani in such prayers, then, first of all, the position of how divine it is, she is Namasi Purusham Dwadyam So, here, Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur, he is a great Acharya in our He has Bhagwatam, Sararth Darshini.
the verse Bhagwatam is Sararth Varshini. And the Bhagwatam is Sararth Darshini. So, in both of these, that the sweetness of devotion is how in Bhagwat Geeta and Bhagwatam we get a glimpse they explain to many people.
So, they tell that in these prayers when now we usually talk so, what happens if I am saying something so, by saying that may be some question comes in your mind and then if I am saying if I am thinking well so, I also expect that this question will come so, I will this question. So, in that way when conversation is going on between two people so, conversation is not that when I am so, some thought comes in and by seeing your reaction what thought comes in so, some thought comes in and then I also speak. So, that way when God and devotee are talking, some thought comes in and when that thought comes in so, what reaction I have so, what will I say in his speech so, then he said yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes he answered so, I said yes yes yes yes said yes I So, sometimes people ask, if everything came from God, then where did God come from? So, in reality, when someone asks a question, where did God come from, they do not understand the definitions of God.
Because God is the source of everything, so He is also the source of time. In this chapter, verse 28, Kunti Maharani says, manye tvam kaalam ee shaanam O Lord, I believe that You are time. So, if everything comes from God, then time also comes from God.
If time comes from God, then God is beyond time. That is why, when we say before or after God, then we are saying in the context of time. So, suppose a child reads a book for the first time, reads a book, there is a story in it, and then after reading the whole story, he comes to know that this story was written by a writer.
And then he opens the whole book and starts reading its pages, where is that writer in this? So, he will read the whole book, but he will not find the writer in the book. Why? Because that writer is outside the book. The writer has created all the characters of the book, created their work.
The time frame in that, the flow of time in that, has also been created by the writer. But the writer is outside that frame of reference. He is outside that conceptualization.
So, in the same way, God has created everything, but God is outside it. Namaste Purusham Tvaadhyam Ishwaram Prakritai Param So, how are you Adhya? We are expanding on that. Someone will say that Brahmaji is Adhipurush.
No, Brahmaji is Adhipurush. What is inside Brahmaji? He is under the control of nature. Under the control of nature means what? After the creation of nature, Brahmaji has been created.
But you are Prakritai Param. What are you? You are beyond nature. And then she says, Alaksham Sarvabhutanaam Alaksham Alaksham means no one can see you.
There are so many things that we cannot see. There are so many stars that we cannot see. So, what is the big deal in that, if we cannot see anything? There are so many things.
But he says, What is special? Antarbahera vasthitam You are everywhere. If I am in front of you, you are in front of me, and I am not able to see you, then this is special. So, God is everywhere, but He is not visible anywhere.
So, what is the difference between an Astik and an Astik? Atheist sees God everywhere. Atheist sees God nowhere. Atheist sees God, actually not just everywhere, now here.
You know, in English, the word comes nowhere. N-O-W-H-E-R-E But you will change its structure. You will put W from where to W. So, it becomes, now here.
Instead of nowhere, it becomes now here. So, an Atheist, a devotee, sees God now here. We can see God everywhere.
But an Astik cannot see God anywhere. Why? Because seeing God is not just a matter of vision. It is a matter of devotion.
bhaktyā māṁ abhijānāti yāvānyāśyāsmi tattvatah tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśhate tad anantaram In Bhagavad Gita, in Chapter 11, in Chapter 54, God says, bhaktyā māṁ abhijānāti Many times, we know this from Bhakti, in Chapter 11, in Chapter 54, and similarly, in Chapter 18, in Chapter 54, God says, bhaktyā tva nanyaśyakya We can know God only from bhakti. alakṣyam sarva-bhūtānāṁ You are everywhere, but no one can see you. In this way, you are invisible.
You are half-man, you are beyond nature. You are everywhere, but no one can see you. We will repeat this shloka once and then we will go to the next shloka.
kunti vāca namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam īśvarāṁ prakṛteh param alakṣyam sarva-bhūtānāṁ antarbahir avasthitam