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Remembering our Factual Position - Part 2

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

This is in continuation of the previous offering trying to transcribe the class given by our beloved Gurudev H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 4.28.61. In the last offering we saw the ill effects of bad association. Here we shall continue to hear the other points from Maharaj. 

2. Say "No" to Bad association: We have another example of person influenced by association. This Kamsa was also demoniac by nature, but he was good. When he heard the voice from the sky that the eighth son of Vasudeva is going to kill him, immediately he was very angry and he could not be pacified by Vasudeva. When the children were born, the first child, Kirtiman, Vasudeva brought to Kamsa as he had promised and Kamsa was surprised to see this. He said, "Vasudeva, you are so truthful. How much pain you should be having to bring the first born child to me to be killed!" So in the end, good sense prevailed and he said, "I know that your eighth child is going to kill me. So why should I kill this child?" But later his atrocities started and one by one he killed all the children. This is how kumantra paakena – as soon as there is ill advice from bad association, hatah – we are bereft of, shriyah – opulence and aayusham – our life decreases. So please do anything and everything but do not have bad association at all. Always choose your association. This is the practical side of this instruction. 

Eventually we have to create very nice auspicious atmosphere in our own life. Anybody may do anything. Many times people say that, "You are always honest. You do not know the practical world." I told, "I do not want to know." What is the use of it? My association is very good. I am happy and till death I will be happy because of good association. So why should I go to the gutter? I am always swimming in the clear lake. Why leave the clear lake and go to the gutter? Who will go? Insane person will go and we are all insane. We do not believe in good association at all and these are the examples to correct our lives. When are you going to correct yourself and why are you delaying? Are you enjoying the gutter water? If you enjoy, you please go there and leave this.Do not give into bad association at all, if you want to be happy. People may tell anything. We are quite alright. We may be few. Doesn't matter. Why should you want 1000? 25 is alright. This is our faith.

Krishna feels the pain when Duryodhana is killed. Dhrtarashtra was always calling his son Suyodhana and not Duryodhana. For others he is Duryodhan. Dhrtarashtra said, "No.. no.. my boy is very good. Suyodhan." And when Suyodhana was lying in the battlefield with his broken hips, Dhrtarashtra heard this from Sanjaya and he lamented. He said that it would have been very good if he had heard Vidura initially and if he would have given good association to his child. Dhrtarashtra was very good by nature and Vidura was always his advisor. When Vidura was 20 years old, Vidura was completely pure and since then he was advising his elder brother. Dhrtarashtra was successful because of Vidura's advice. When he ignored Vidura's advice, since then the defeat had begun. In our life also, please do not change the tendencies, come what may. You are all very young. Come what may, you will not have any bad association. 

3. Be kind to your offenders: When Krishna saw that Duryodhana was lying in the battlefield, his hips completely broken because of Bhima's mace, and he was dying, Krishna was not happy to see that. That is Krishna. Otherwise what we do? If you want to take revenge on somebody and if really he is punished, then we are very happy. That is not Bhagavatam way. That is not Bhagavat dharma. Our Bhagavat dharma is behaviour shown by Ambarish Maharaj. Durvasa muni was so very angry with him and eventually Krishna had to stop him because he has created a demon out of his hair for killing Ambarish Maharaj. Krishna did not want that. So Sudarshana cakra killed the demon and was following Durvasa continuously and he was flying around the planet to save himself. First he went to Brahma. "Father, please save me. I am getting burnt by the cakra." Brahma said, "I am sorry son, may be Lord Shiva can help you. He is more powerful than me." So he ran to Lord Shiva. He had no sense how to save himself. By our own endeavor we can never save ourselves. You have to run here and there and we end up with Lord Shiva many times because he gives material benedictions. So Durvasa also went. "Please, please. You are my brother. Please save me." Lord Shiva said, "I am sorry. This is Vishnu's weapon. I am helpless." 

So Durvasa had to go all the way to Vishnuloka. He told Vishnu, "Oh you are very great. I love you." Lord Vishnu thought that something is there. He said, "What happened? Today you are loving me?" Durvasa said, "Please we will talk about it later. Now stop this weapon." Vishnu said, "You have to go to the Vaishnava whom you have offended." Durvasa became completely morose. Complete humiliation was there. Durvasa had gone to the extent of killing Ambarish and now again he has to go to him. If I would have been in the position of Ambarish Maharaj I would say, "Ah… you came back." We will think like that. But Ambarish Maharaj said, "Oh brahmana. I was waiting for you. Now come. I am continuing my fast. So we will take prasadam now." This is Ambarish Maharaj. It is very easy to tell these things. But as soon as we are put into that situation, we tend to forget the tenets of Bhagavatam and instructions of Krishna and this is the first requirement that in this life, we have to cooperate with the Vedic principles. They are non different from the instructions of the Lord and as soon as you violate something, then hata sriyaayusham - then you are completely bereft of your opulence and life. Please never commit this fallacy.

 

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