Pranam Prabhu, please bless me a lot and bless me that I will be avoid to easily avoid offence number 1(blasphemy) to the holy name and offence number 3
I have a question about Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Text 62. Does the purport indicate that Lord Shiva is not Krishna Conscious because Lord Shiva was agitated for sense pressure by Goddess Parvati? But how is that possible if Lord Shiva is the greatest Sri Vaishnava? Does Vaishnava mean Krishna Conscious?
Bhagavad Gita As It Is Text 62:
TEXT 62
dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ
saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ
kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate
SYNONYMS
dhyayataḥ—while contemplating; viṣayān—sense objects; puṁsaḥ—of the person; saṅgaḥ—attachment; teṣu—in the sense objects; upajāyate—develops; saṅgāt—attachment; sañjāyate—develops; kāmaḥ—desire; kāmāt—from desire; krodhaḥ—anger; abhijāyate—becomes manifest.
TRANSLATION
While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.
PURPORT
One who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious is subjected to material desires while contemplating the objects of senses. The senses require real engagements, and if they are not engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they will certainly seek engagement in the service of materialism. In the material world everyone, including Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā—to say nothing of other demigods in the heavenly planets—is subjected to the influence of sense objects, and the only method to get out of this puzzle of material existence is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Lord Śiva was deep in meditation, but when Pārvatī agitated him for sense pleasure, he agreed to the proposal, and as a result Kārtikeya was born. When Haridāsa Ṭhākur was a young devotee of the Lord, he was similarly allured by the incarnation of Māyā Devī, but Haridāsa easily passed the test because of his unalloyed devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. As illustrated in the above-mentioned verse of Śrī Yāmunācārya, a sincere devotee of the Lord shuns all material sense enjoyment due to his higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success. One who is not, therefore, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however powerful he may be in controlling the senses by artificial repression, is sure ultimately to fail, for the slightest thought of sense pleasure will agitate him to gratify his desires.
Replies
Hare Krsna
Does the purport indicate that Lord Shiva is not Krishna Conscious ?
No the purport does not convey that Lord Shiva is not Krsna conscious.
FIrst we have to understand what Lord Sri Krsna is saying, next in what context Sri Krsna is saying it and what Srila Prabhupada is trying to convey.
Arjuna asks what are symptoms of sthita-prajña in BG 2.54. Sri Krsna answers in BG 2.55 - BG 2. 72.
In BG 2.61 Sri Krsna says how a person who fixed consciousness upon Sri Krsna is of steady intelligence.
In BG 2.62 Sri Krsna says the what happens if a person's consciousness is not fixed on Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna describes the mechanism of how material energy drags the consciousness of a person through various stages of downward trajectory.
It is very well known that Lord Shiva is a higly elevated personality who is always engaged in meditation by fixing his whole consciousness on Sri Krsna. The reason Srila Prabhupada gives example of Lord Shiva in the purport is to emphasize that someone as elevated, celebrated & powerful as Lord Shiva is not above the material energy of Sri Krsna. The emphasis is not on how Lord Shiva is not Krsna conscious, the emphasis is - nobody (however powerful & great) should think themselves above material energy of Sri Krsna. And Srila Prabhupada clearly mentions this in the last line of Purport.
Lord Shiva was agitated for sense pressure by Goddess Parvati ?
We have to understand the context in which this happens. There was a demon known as Tarakasura. He wanted to become invincible. So he obtained a boon that he could die only by hands of son of Lord Shiva. He asked such a boon because Lord Shiva's wife who was Daksha's daughter - Sati had given up her life without having any child. Lord Shiva is the greatest ascetic who can never by disturbed till almost end of universe once he goes into meditation. So Tarakasura thought by getting such a boon, he can be invincible till end of time. The devatas tried for several years to disturb the meditation of Lord Shiva, but failed. This is actually glorification of how great Lord Shiva is.
FInally devatas approached Parvati devi who is mother of this material universe and is none other than personification of Sri Krsna's material energy. Parvati devi performed severe tapasya to please lord shiva. Finally after several millenia by the concentrated efforts of all demigods and tapasya of Parvati devi, lord Shiva's meditation was disturbed. This disturbance also occurred because it was time to get rid of demon Tarakasura. Lord Shiva out of compassion for suffering living entities of universe accepts such tasks. We can see this in Samudra manthan also where he accepts poison to save universe. That is why Lord Shiva is the greatest devotee - Vaishnavanam yatha Shambhu - Because of compassion. So out of compassion for living beings of universe, mother Parvati did great tapasya and finally broke meditation of Lord Shiva. But in summary Lord Shiva's meditation was disturbed by Parvati (Material energy of Sri Krsna)
Srila Prabhupada gives this example of Lord Shiva to emphasize that nobody should think they are above material energy of Sri Krsna.
Does Vaishnava mean Krishna Conscious?
Vaishnava is one who worships Lord Vishnu. So generally it refers to one who is practicing Krsna consciousness
how is that possible if Lord Shiva is the greatest Sri Vaishnava?
Lord Shiva is greatest Vaishnava because of his compassion. He is compassionate to all the living beings of universe. But he is especially compassionate to the most sinful souls who are in deep ignorance. There are many living entities who are not qualified to worship Sri Krsna or not qualified to worship even devatas like Indra, Surya, Brahma etc. Such living entities have no good qualities, they may not even have gross bodies like ghosts, pishaacha, preta etc who are in deep ignorance. Lord Shiva is their only shelter. Lord Shiva is accessible to living entities no matter how degraded they are. This is compassion of Lord Shiva, hence he is greatest Vaishnava.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krsna
In the following shlokas from Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Shiva, the greatest Vaishnava himself humbly accepts that he himself (& many others who achieved perfection in their respective positions) is NOT above the maya of Sri Krsna.
ahaṁ sanat-kumāraś ca
nārado bhagavān ajaḥ
kapilo ’pāntaratamo
devalo dharma āsuriḥ
marīci-pramukhāś cānye
siddheśāḥ pāra-darśanāḥ
vidāma na vayaṁ sarve
yan-māyāṁ māyayāvṛtāḥ
tasya viśveśvarasyedaṁ
śastraṁ durviṣahaṁ hi naḥ
tam evaṁ śaraṇaṁ yāhi
haris te śaṁ vidhāsyati
Past, present and future are known to me [Lord Śiva], Sanat-kumāra, Nārada, the most revered Lord Brahmā, Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Apāntaratama [Lord Vyāsadeva], Devala, Yamarāja, Āsuri, Marīci and many saintly persons headed by him, as well as many others who have achieved perfection. Nonetheless, because we are covered by the illusory energy of the Lord, we cannot understand how expansive that illusory energy is. You should simply approach that Supreme Personality of Godhead to get relief, for this Sudarśana cakra is intolerable even to us. Go to Lord Viṣṇu. He will certainly be kind enough to bestow all good fortune upon you. ( SB 9.4.57-59)
Hare Krsna