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The Secret of Relishing Bhagavatam - 2

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev!

This is in continuation of the previous offering transcribing the class by HG Devakinandan prabhuji on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.44. In the last offering we saw that

1. We should hear Bhagavatam from a bonafide source.
2. We should hear Bhagavatam with rapt attention.
3. We should hear Bhagavatam submissively.

Here we see the other points.

4. We should depend on the mercy of Krishna and Guru: Srimad Bhagavatam tells us Suta Goswami felt that he cannot explain Bhagavatam unless he has the mercy of Krishna and Guru (tat anugrahaat). This is the way to successfully study Srimad Bhagavatam. Mercy does not mean we ask, "Prabhu, give me mercy." We are habituated to do that. So what is the meaning of mercy? The meaning of mercy in the context of Srimad Bhagavatam is that, without the mercy of Krishna, we cannot understand a single page of Srimad Bhagavatam. If we think we can understand Bhagavatam on the strength of our brain power and our mental speculation, then we become professional reciters of Srimad Bhagavatam. But we have to sincerely understand that, "Unless and until Guru and Krishna invest on me all knowledge, I cannot understand Bhagavatam." For a devotee who is priti purvakam - who is engaged in loving devotional service, then Krishna says dadaami buddhi yogam – "I give the understanding". This understanding is the understanding of Bhagavatam.

5. We should realize Bhagavatam: Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport to SB 1.3.44 that, "Simple hearing is not all; one must realize the text with proper attention." If I just speak what I hear and I do not act on it, then I cannot realize Srimad Bhagavatam. The word, 'realize' starts from the word real. Real means reality. Only if you put something on the ground, does it become reality. If we go back home after hearing Bhagavatam, to study Srimad Bhagavatam, then there is realization. That is why Sukadev Goswami and Suta Goswami are great devotees because not only did they hear Sirmad Bhagavatam, but after having heard it, they applied it practically into their lives, they gained experience from it and then they spoke about it and shared it with others. You can tell the difference when a speaker is living Bhagavatam and he is just speaking Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada always said we may not know how to cook nice kichdi, but we know how to taste kichdi and tell about it. You cannot cheat the public. If we really want to spread Krishna consciousness, if we really want to become Srila Prabhupada's soldiers, the first thing we must do is to realize. Not to just hear, but after hearing, put it in our heart and act on it. This is the mood of hearing.

6. We should be anxious to receive the message of Bhagavatam: Srila Prabhupada says in his purport to SB 1.1.2 that we should be very anxious to hear Bhagavatam. We are always anxious to hear everything else except Bhagavatam. Not only must we be anxious, but Srila Prabhupada writes very beautifully in the purport, "Without undergoing the different stages of realization set forth in the Vedas, one can be lifted immediately to the position of paramahamsa simply by agreeing to receive this message."

What a wonderful statement! All we have to do is to become agreeable to Bhagavatam and anxious to hear it. That is all. Just agree to sit down and hear Bhagavatam and you can become paramahamsa. So do not become disagreeable. Do not challenge Krishna. Do not challenge devotees because devotees are walking Bhagavata and please always serve the devotees. There is a direct link between service to devotees and attraction to Srimad Bhagavatam. The more we serve with love and without motive, you will find you are naturally attracted to Srimad Bhagavatam. You will find all the shlokas of Srimad Bhagavatam will be revealed in your mind. You will find all the important solutions given in Srimad Bhagavatam and you can act on it.

7. We should be chaste to Bhagavatam: We should be chaste to Srimad Bhagavatam. It is always stated in vedic culture that a lady must be chaste to her husband and a husband must be chaste to his wife. It is known as avyabhicaarena. It is already stated in Srimad Bhagavatam, kim vaa paraih? - "what need is there for any other scripture? Why to go for any other books when we have, Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, Chaitanya Charitamrita and all of Srila Prabhupada books. Chastity means one may have so many occupational engagements, but always remember daily that we have only one Supreme master and that is Sri Krishna. We have one supreme process and that is the process of devotional service and we have only one business and that is to glorify Krishna. 

8. We should follow three ways to remember and study Bhagavatam: The three ways are mentioned in SB 12.13.18 - tat shrunvan, supathan, vichaarana paro.

a) tat shrunvan – the first thing is we hear. When we want to hear, we must first start by hearing submissively. Open your heart to hear Srimad Bhagavatam.

b) supathan – After hearing, simply repeat it. Suta Goawami's great qualification is not his scholarship, not his memory power, but simply that he repeated exactly what Sukadev Goswami spoke. Not only do they repeat like a parrot, they repeated it by realization. When you repeat something after you have acted on it, then whatever we speak will have potency. Otherwise it will not touch the heart of the listeners. How powerful Suta Goswami must have been when he sat in the forest of Naimisaranya? They had only one qualification. No changing. No addition. No subtraction. No multiplication. No division. If the acharyas made a full stop, they repeated the full stop. If the acharya made a comma, they repeated the comma. That is how we must learn Srimad Bhagavatam. Do not paraphrase Srimad Bhagavatam. Do not learn Srimad Bhagavatam the way you want it to be learnt. Learn Srimad Bhagavatam the way Srila Prabhupada and the acharyas have given us. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was asked why He was just chanting the Holy names of the Lord, why He was not speaking philosophy, Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "My spiritual master told me, 'you are such a fool that you please just chant the Holy names and do nothing else'." Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is non different from Krishna, could have sat down and repeated Srimad Bhagavatam to the whole universe. But instead He taught the world how to be a perfect disciple and a perfect listener. Whatever Guru has given as his instructions, we simply have to follow. We do not have to adjust the instructions. We do not have to modify the instructions. After Guru Maharaj has given instructions, we must not let our mind say, 'Guru Maharaj's instruction is not absolute. Now we can put it according to time, place and circumstances.' If Guru Maharaj wanted to give instructions according to time, place and circumstances, he would have told you. But because we lack faith, we adjust. If we really touch our hearts, those who follow the instructions of the spiritual master 100%, like Sukadev Goswami, Suta Goswami, Parikshit maharaj, Srimad Bhagavatam is always open to them. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Maharaj gave this very nice example.

A king used to maintain a group of monkeys for providing entertainment for his sons. The monkeys were very nicely fed with sumptuous delicacies everyday. The leader of the monkeys was well-versed in the scriptures of such wise personalities as Sukracrya, Brhaspati and Canayaka, and he used to teach the other monkeys these scriptures. There was also a pack of sheep in the kings palace and the little princes used to ride them for fun. One of those sheep was very fond of eating anything from the palace kitchen. The cooks in the kitchen had to beat the sheep quite often to prevent it from causing mischief.The monkey leader thought that this kind of behaviour every now and then may result in something disastrous for the monkeys in the long run. The sheep are extremely gluttonous and the cooks, on the other hand, are very adept in beating the sheep with whatever they find at hand. In case the cooks any time start hitting the sheep hit a burning stick from the fire, then the furry body of the sheep would surely start burning. When such a burning sheep starts running around in frenzy and by chance enters into the nearby horse stable, then the hay inside will catch on fire and the entire stable along with it's horses will be a blazing fire in no time. One ancient expert Salihotra, who is well versed in animal husbandry prescribes that burns on horse flesh can be healed by animal skin obtained from monkeys. Accordingly, the king will have the monkeys killed. Apprehending thus, the wise old monkey leader called along all the monkeys confidentially and told them about the possible danger. But the young ones didn't listen. So the old monkey left for the forest alone. After few days, whatever the old monkey had predicted took place and as the young monkeys lost their lives simply because they disobeyed the elder's advice.

This story is allegorical of how the proud disciples of a genuine spiritual master do not want to accept his instructions per se, but they use their mental speculation and their mental gymnastics to find a way out of the solutions genuinely offered by guru. Those who disobey the orders of the acharyas, they will always be in trouble. That is why we always have difficulty in reading Srimad Bhagavatam, because we do not have the mentality that this is what would please our Guru Maharaj, Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. When you try to do an action in your life that pleases devotees and Krishna, what comes? Mercy comes. That is how we attract the mercy of the Lord. Mercy is already flowing, but is it the fault of the mercy that the ground on which it is flowing is hard, stony and infertile? We have no one to blame if we cannot ingest Srimad Bhagavatam in our lives because

-Attention is not there.
-Rapt attention is not there.
-Submissiveness to being attentive is absent.
-Submission to the spiritual master is not per se.
-We have no concept that except for Krishna's mercy, we cannot study Srimad Bhagavatam.

This is supathan. It means we actually hear and we repeat. We realize what we repeat and act on it and live our life based on it. If we do this, then the final product, Srimad Bhagavatam tells us is vichaarana paro

c) vichaarana paro – We scrutinizingly analyze and ingest what we have repeated. This is the mood of one who studies Srimad Bhagavatam. Never study Srimad Bhagavatam like a professional reciter. Do not study Srimad Bhagavatam because you have to study it. If we have that mood, it is same as coming before Their Lordships in the morning and saying, "Krishna, I am a pujari. I have to wake You up." In this mood, Krishna does not want to wake up. We will never wake up because we will perpetually be ignorant. But if we sincerely pray to Krishna before we sleep in the night that, "Krishna, You please as Supersoul, wake me up for Mangala arati so that You can then allow me to have Your darshan." Then why will not Krishna wake you up for Mangala aarati? Similarly we pray, "Krishna, You are non-different from Srimad Bhagavatam. You please give me a chance to study Srimad Bhagavatam." When you sincerely pray for the mercy of Srimad Bhagavatam, do you really think Krishna will deny us that mercy? Why would He? For a sincere aspirant, Krishna is always available. This is the mood of a Bhagavata. So the secret of studying Srimad Bhagavatam is clear.

We shall see the other points in the ensuing offering, Krishna willing.

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
Vaijayanti mala devi dasi,
Abu Dhabi.