Live From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!
Date: February 27th, 2011
Topic: Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back To Godhead
SB: 4. 12. 22
Speaker: HH Lokanath Swami
tam krsna-padabhinivista-cetasam
baddhanjalim prasraya-namra-kandharam
sunanda-nandav upasrtya sasmitam
pratyucatuh puskaranabha-sammatau
TRANSLATION: Dhruva Maharaja was always absorbed in thinking of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. His heart was full with Krishna. When the two confidential servants of the Supreme Lord, who were named Nanda and Sunanda, approached him, smiling happily, Dhruva stood with folded hands, bowing humbly. They then addressed him as follows.
PURPORT: In this verse the word puskaranabha-sammatau is significant. Krishna, or Lord Visnu, is known for His lotus eyes, lotus navel, lotus feet and lotus palms. Here He is called puskara-nabha, which means "the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has a lotus navel," and sammatau means "two confidential or very obedient servants." The materialistic way of life differs from the spiritual way of life in that one is disobedience and the other is obedience to the will of the Supreme Lord. All living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and they are supposed to be alwaysagreeable to the order of the Supreme person; that is perfect oneness.
In the Vaikuntha world all the living entities are in oneness with the Supreme Godhead because they never defy His orders. Here in the material world, however, they are not sammata, agreeable, but always asammata, disagreeable. This human form of life is a chance to be trained to be agreeable to the orders of the Supreme Lord. To bring about this training in society is the mission of the Krishna consciousness movement. (One of the mission statements of the Krishna consciousness movement) As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, the laws of material nature are very strict; no one canovercome the stringent laws of material nature. But one who becomes a surrendered soul and agrees to the order of the Supreme Lord can easily overcome those stringent laws. The example of Dhruva Maharaja is very fitting. Simply by becoming agreeable to the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by developing love of Godhead, Dhruva got the chance to personally meet the confidential servants of Lord Visnu face to face. What was possible for Dhruva Maharaja is possible for everyone. Anyone who very seriously engages in devotional service can obtain, in due courseof time, the same perfection of the human form of life. [End of Srila Prabhupada's purport to SB 4.12.22]
HH Lokanath Swami: I will try to say something. I was blessed and now will try to say something. Vrajendra Nandan Prabhu was praying for me.This must have been in his kingdom, his capital, I don't know were. The vimana has appeared, descended and in there is Nanda and Sunanda the confidential servants of the Lord. They are coming down the aircraft and they are described, and their beauty is described.
Deva-pravarau catur-bhujau [SB 4.12.20] how many hands; syamau - their complexion; and kisorav - they are young, not old folks and they also have lotus eyes and they have club in their hands and beautiful clothing and they have crown and kundalau - earrings.
Beautiful personalities - out of this world! They are coming from another world. No one like them! They were seen. Dhruva Maharaja saw such personalities. Vijnaya [SB 4.12.21] soon he realized, tavuttamagaya-kinkarav - oh these are the kinkarav, servants of uttamagaya, Uttamasloka - Supreme Lord's servants are here. Abhyutthitah - immediately Dhruva Maharaja stood up. Sadhvasa-vismrta-kramah - but he is bewildered also, not sure what to do now, what next. Nanama - this couldn't go wrong. He goes forward and offers his obeisances. Whatever happens next, offering obeisances, namani grnan madhudvisah - chanting the holy names of Madhudvisah, not Madhuvisa - madhu and visa. Visa just like you have visa for this country. Madhudvisah. This is the name of our God brother but he is always incorrectly addressed, mispronounced - Madhudvisah. Madhu - dvisah - enemy of Madhu. He is chanting the Lord's names. While this is all happeningimmediately by seeing those two uttamagaya-kinkarav - these two servants he is immediately remembering the Lord.
Today's verse: tam krsna-padabhinivista-cetasam - tam is Dhruva. He started remembering the lotus feet of the Lord. Starting with the lotus feet of the ord he begins remembrance. We need total absorption on that person.
Cetasam, mac-cittah. Krishna says like that mac-cittah.
mac-citta mad-gata-prana, bodhayantah parasparam [Bg 10.9]
Lord Krishna introduces His devotee. What kind of devotee? Mac-citta - his cetana, his consciousness is mac-citta is 'glued onto Me.'So abhinivista-cetasam - this is his consciousness internally. He is absorbed as he remembers the lotus feet of the Lord baddhanjalim - natural manifestation of what is inside, what he is thinking about for anybody. He is thinking about this external manifestation. Immediately his hands are baddhanjalim, folded hands. Prasraya-namra-kandharam, his shoulders, he is bowing down, namra - with humility he bows down. Asraya, As he is now taken shelter of the Lord, thinking of the Lord and taking shelter of the Lord he is bowing down.
sunanda-nandav upasrtya - he is noticing those two, kinkaro, servants of upasrtya. They are gradually coming towards him. And he also noticed sasmitam they are smiling. They look very happy. These two personalities are described as pratyucatuh puskaranabha-sammatau. Puskaranabha - Lord with the otus navel and seven parts of His body are lotus like. Four or five of them have already been mentioned in the purport. Seven parts are lotus- like, seven parts are pinkish in complexion.
There are in total thirty two symptoms of a personality who is maha purusa- the great personality or Personality of Godhead: long arms reaching the knees; broad shoulder; raised nose etc. Dhruva Maharaja was informed in advance by Narada Muni, "As you follow this process, chant om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, you will be seeing the Lord and in advance I tell you when you see the Lord He is going to look like this." No one could come and cheat, "I am Bhagavan!" he did not know what Bhagavan looked like. He may go for that Bhagavan. 'No. No." He was given a whole description of the Lord.
In the first dialogue there are several verses Narada Muni goes on and on like this. His nose will be raised nose. Not like this. Somehow having a raised nose is considered a sign of beauty. When the match making goes on in India they look at the nose of the bride. So unknowingly they know the standard of beauty. No one has raised nose if you look for such kind of nose!
The Lord has a deep voice. When He talks it is like the rumbling of the clouds This voice, deep, loud and clear could go all over the universe without a microphone it reaches everywhere. When Lord Nrsimha was roaring, the whole world was trembling. They were hearing, "Lion coming, lion coming! Duck. I am scared." When Krishna play His flute the sound goes all over but the Lord has complete control over that sound also. The sound of Krishna's flute goes all over Vraj but it is not that everybody is listening.
Two persons are sitting next to each other one of them listens. The gopis are listening and they get up and run. "Hey! What happened, what happened?" They know what happened. They run away. So the Lord has complete control on who hears and who is not allowed to hear. It is not that He just throws like a free cookie, wherever it lands. He has a whole planet. He listens, she listens, doesn't listen. His intelligence is very deep. Navel is also deep. Some parts of His body are deep and some parts are raised. The grand total is thirty two. So Narada Muni says that the Lord will be looking like puskaranabha-sammatau.
Dhruva Maharaj had seen this puskaranabha-sammatau. Sammatau is authorized persons or confidential servants of the Lord. He was in fact momentarily bewildered not knowing what to do next or what does this mean. Sadhvasa-vismrta-kramah [SB 4.12.21] But the same thing also happened to him.
I was looking at the beginning of Dhruva Maharaja's pastimes when he had darsan of the Lord, now here he is getting ready to go back to Godhead, but when he had darsan of the Lord for the first time in Madhuvan, he had been hearing, "Madhuvan, Madhuvan" I don't know how many of you know where Madhuvan is. InVrindavan. He went to the forest. Which forest did he go to? Vrindavan forest. There are twelve forest of Vrindavan. Radha Raman Maharaj knows. And Madhuvan is the forest not far from Mathura, Vrindavan. Next time you are in Mathura or Vrindavan you can go to Madhuvan. It is in fact a few kilometers outside Mathura. When we go on Vrajamandala Parikrama that is an easy way. Don't go alone. Go with us.
This year - could I do a little commercial here? [Laughter] 2011 Vrajamandala Parikrama is our the 25th year, silver jubilee Ki! [Applause and Haribol] So we have a very special parikrama coming up. You go with us. So when we start our parikrama the very first is Madhuvan, just outside Mathura and we spend one whole day and night also in the place where Dhruva Maharaja meditated. He met Narada Muni in Mathura on the banks of the Yamuna called Dhruva-ghat. "You go to Madhuvan." And then he went to Madhuvan. So we spend a whole day there in a little tapasya program. Don't be scared! The first place we go to is the place where Dhruva Maharaja performed tapasya. So we pray and pray for his mercy so that we are also able to perform some austerities, some tapasya during Vrajamandala Parikrama.
So you have some idea now were Madhuvan is. That is where he had darsan of the Lord in Satya yuga. Madhuvan is also very special because in all the four yugas The Lord appeared there - in Satya, Dvarpa, Treta and Kali. That is a very significant thing about this Madhuvan.
In Satya yuga He appeared to give darsan. He is always there, not that He isn't, but then He appeared when this pastime took place, right there in Madhuvan where Dhruva Maharaja was performing austerities called yoga-vipaka-tivraya [SB 4.9.2] mentioned in the beginning of the pastimes of Dhruva Maharaja. He had a very intense program going on. Vipaka, and when there was a fruit of that, tivrena bhakti-yogena [SB 2.3.10] Dhruva Maharaj is known for this. He is very serious, dead serious! Very intense! tivrena bhakti-yogena [SB 2.3.10] or
satatam kirtayanto mam, yatantas ca drdha-vratah [Bg 9.14]
Drdha-vratah - vows. Dhruva means fixed. How many of you would like to be fixed up devotees? He is fixed up. I would like to be fixed up too. So it is very befitting that we are here. By hearing about the fixed up devotees or by being with or around the fixed up devotees, "Okay, okay!" Dhruva means fixed or immovable or unstoppable. Nothing could stop him. "Oh you are just a child!" "No. No. I want to meet the Lord. I have to have the Lord." Then he was in that forest.
Just the other day we went to Bhaktivedanta National School. They did a very wonderful drama. The topic was Dhruva Maharaja. There were lights and sound effects. It was like walking through the pages of Bhagavatam or the life of Dhruva Maharaja. Especially this scene, were Nanda and Sunanda are coming down to bring him back home. Very mystical! The colors and vibes and sound like the real thing being seen face to face.
Dhruva Maharaja has already spent six months in Madhuvan. Within six months he managed to have darsan of the Lord. He broke all the records within six months. It took six years for Buddha to become enlightened. In Gaya he spent six years then some enlightenment came in his direction. But Dhruva Maharaja, just six months! When I was not even six months in the movement in Bombay, I had the service of going door to door and begging for rice for Food for Life. During that time I was a new bhakta and people would ask, "Have you seen God?" [Laughter] Yes and he would bring. "I had just started. At least Dhruva Maharaja was six months; I am just a few months old bhakta. Give me some more time!" Then six months past, six years past and I am still waiting.
So within six months he managed. First month he did this, eating fruit only then leaves only, then water only, then air only and then no air - only the Lord. Then the Lord appeared. The Lord appeared but Dhruva Maharaja was so much absorbed.
sa vai dhiya yoga-vipaka-tivraya [SB 4.9.2]
The perfection of all he was doing, austerities, yoga and meditation, chanting, he was so absorbed and he was seeing the Lord inside and the Lord had come personally and was standing before him but because he was so much absorbed he did not even take note of the Lord standing before him. The Lord was wondering what happened, "Hey! Dhruva, I am here." He was trying to get his attention but Dhruva was just absorbed seeing the Lord within with his spiritual vision, not with this caksus but with divya cakus.
The Lord soon realized, "He is taking My darsan within." So the Lord turned off that screen inside. Immediately Dhruva Maharaja, "Hey what happened? Did I lose Him?" As he opened his eyes the Lord that was within was now in front of him. [Haribol] And now as he was seeing the Lord, tad-darsanenagata-sadhvasah [SB 4.9.3] same word sadhvasah, which was in yesterdays verse.
When Dhruva Maharaja perceived the Lord he was temporarily bewildered. He did not know what to do. What next? Again the same symptoms! He starts offering prayers. It is very similar to when he had first darsan. Ultimately he is going back to home. Two times he is going through the very similar emotions, dealing with the Lord and here dealing with the confidentialservants of the Lord.
He was offering prayers as he saw the Lord in Madhuvan, dandavats - very humbly bowed down. As he saw the Lord in front of him he is drinking the beauty of the form of the Lord with his eyes. Of course the gopis are very expert in drinking the beauty than of their drink. The drink the form of the Lord with their eyes and drink and drink and as soon as the Lord is inside they close these windows or eyes. They take Him into the heart, make Him sit down on the throne of their hearts and then they deal with Him, communicate, reciprocate with Him. They couldn't do that outside due to so many social pressures and customs and etiquettes to be followed.
They couldn't meet outside in public so they would drink the Lord's form, beauty and contemplate. So Dhruva Maharaja was doing something similar. He was drinking the beauty of the Lord with his eyes and with his mouth he was kissing the feet of the Lord. There is talk of feet when he had first darsan and as he is now getting ready to go He is remembering the same lotus feet of the Lord, padabhinivista-cetasam, absorbed in the same lotus feet of which he had darsan before he is now remembering and is taking darsan of the Lord.
With his arms he is trying to embrace the Lord. Practicing remembering the Lord's form, beauty, trained like that and being in total agreement with the Lord he is now remembering the Lord in the final moments of his life.
Just recently some of our devotees were in Haridwara and they noticed that there were so many truck loads of Coco Cola bottles that were being distributed freely. Free Coco Cola distribution was going on. Right on the bank of Ganga you are distributing different kinds of junk - Coco Cola junk, not Ganaga junk.
When our father was about to leave his body we knew he was a devotee of Siva so we were reminding him, "Please Daddy, please Daddy remember Bhola." Bhola, one of the names of Siva is Bhola, Bholainath, Bhola. But this father was saying Coco-Cola [Laughter] "No Daddy only few more breaths to go. Please say Bhola." "No. no get me Coco Cola!" "Now you have only one more breath to go please Daddy make attempt to say Bhola at least." "No get me Coco Cola." "No get me Coco Cola." And he probably went to Coco Cola loka! [Laughter] So the foolish sons they thought the last will of our father was Coco Cola. He willed Coco Cola. So they came to Haridwar and were distributing thousands and thousands of bottles of Coco Cola.
Srila Prabhupada on a more significant word in this verse Prabhupada pointed out, puskaranabha-sammatau. Puskaranabha, lotus naveled Lord and sammatau, one who agrees. I was looking at this sammatau. Sammatau means recognize, approved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead or agreed upon by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sanctioned, severed by. This word appears inBhagavatam in so many states everywhere or entry for sammatau word.
So agreeing with the puskaranabha-sammatau agreeing with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then sadhu - sammatau - approved by the sadhus; sastra-sammatau, approved by the satras; acarya-sammatau - approved by the acaryas. So all theses sanctions are spiritual and desirable all these approvals and acceptances, this type of agreement - the Lord, sadhus, sastra, acaryas or Prabhupada-sammatau - approved by Srila Prabhupada, sanctioned by Srila Prabhupada, authorized by Srila Prabhupada and our whole parampara. Parampara-sammatau - approved by the disciplic succession.
So that is one whole set of approvals, sanctions or agreements. Then there is a whole world out there and they have their sanctions and approvals and agreements. That is how you get on, by agreeing with their sanctions, with their approval, with their authorizations. That is how the brainwashing goes on in this world life after life after life - bahunam janmanam ante [Bg 7.19] Then comes jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg 7.19] By the Lord's causeless mercy a person becomes bhagyavan and he goes for vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg 7.19] he has jnan now. His knowledge is vasudevah sarvam iti. Vasudeva is all in all - how much knowledge? Vasudeva is all in all. This much knowledge, sa mahatma su-durlabhah [Bg 7.19] That mahatma soul is rare.
Srila Prabhupada is pointing out in the purport this Hare Krishna Movement's program is to train the souls in another kind of agreement. Get rid of that, agreeing with the people like camel, asses and stool eaters. They are agreeing with different things and praising each other and what not. So get out of that, kick all that, sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg 18.66 and go for mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66] Train ourselves to agree with the Lord, Radha Madhava sammatau. The root word of sammatau is mat which means obedient, eing obedient to the Lord and things authorized by Him.
This is the Hare Krishna Movement with this mission to learning to agree with the Lord and to disagree with the Lord's external energy, disagree with maya and agree with Krishna. If we do that then we are in business then same thing happens as Prabhupada says could happen to everybody. Everyone has a chance. Anyone who very seriously engages in devotional service can obtain in due course of time the same perfection of human form of life as was attained by Dhruva Maharaja Ki! Jai. We will stop here. I am over time. Okay. No questions. Nitai Gaura Premanande.
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