The following is a humble effort to transcribe the Srimad Bhagavatam class delivered by HG Devakinandan prabhuji, our beloved God brother from Singapore on 29th April 2011, in Abudhabi on the following verse from Kunti Mata’s prayers SB 1.8.27
namo 'kincana-vittaaya / nivrtta-guna-vrttaye
aatmaaraamaaya shaantaaya / kaivalya-pataye namah
Krishna is described in three ways in this verse.
1. Akincana vittaaya – He is the property of those who are materially impoverished.
2. Nivrtta guna vrttaye – He has nothing to do with the material modes of nature.
3. Atmaraamaya shaantaaya – He is self-satisfied and most gentle.
These are the points we must remember about Krishna because if we remember these points about Krishna, it will help us in our daily lives. This is very very important. Prabhuji’s explanation on each of these points is transcribed herewith.
1. Akinchana vittaaya: The first point that is stated here is that Krishna is the property of the materially impoverished. In other words, those who are exhausted materially, Krishna becomes their property. To those who continue to seek material advancement, to the point where it actually becomes greed, to the point we think that by that material advancement, somehow or the other we will become peaceful, to those people, Krishna cannot become the property. Krishna exclusively reserves His right to those who do not estimate His glories by material standards. The moment we try to estimate Krishna by our material standards and by wealth, Krishna never becomes our property. He becomes distant from us. In one statement it is very nicely stated by Maharaj that, "Krishna is not a commodity to be possessed, evaluated and disposed off." In material world, that is what we do with everything. We try to possess it, then we evaluate it and after a while we dispose it. But Krishna is not such a person. We cannot allow ourselves to behave that way with Krishna. The more we are attached to Krishna, the less we will be attached to material advancement. Material advancement will come, but it will also go. The devotee who works in the office is not a person who is not working well. A devotee is known as daksha. He performs all his material duties very expertly. But he is not doing them to advance materially. He is doing them to fly the flag of Krishna. He is doing them so that he becomes free of the work. The same work which can bind us, if we put Krishna in the centre, and we work hard and our motivation is to please Krishna then the same work liberates us. This is the beauty of a devotee.
So one who is materially impoverished, does not mean he is bankrupt materially. It does not mean he has no house. It does not mean he has no material wealth but that wealth he knows is not his opulence. He know that wealth cannot buy Krishna and he knows that instead of helping him to come to Krishna, wealth may very often make him forget Krishna. We may think as devotees we have left behind material greed but we all know subtly that we will always be attacked by lust, anger and greed. They are the servants of maya and they will always be around the corner to test us. When we become angry it is because we have not achieved an object. Therefore we have lust. The reason we have lust for an object is because we are greedy for it. So lust, anger and greed are three sisters or three brothers whichever way you want to call them. Wherever each one goes, the others must follow. Those who are away from lust, anger and greed, they are with Krishna and Krishna becomes their property.
Maharaj gave a very sweet story in Dwaraka in the early nineties. We were in Rukmini mata temple at that time. He said that Rukmini mata is exalted. You won’t find a temple for Satyabhama. Maharaj was saying why there is a temple for Rukmini and no temple for Satyabhama. There is a difference because of a very sweet episode that happened between Krishna, Rukmini and Satyabhama.
Devaki prabhuji went on to narrate that beautiful pastime and the same shall be offered in the next mail, Krishna willing.
Thank you very much,
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
Vaijayanti mala devi dasi,
Chennai.
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