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The Secret of Relishing Bhagavatam - 3

 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, wherein Prabhuji was explaining the way to approach, study and relish Srimad Bhagavatam. We saw the first eight points till now and we will see the subsequent points in today's offering.

9. We should reject the material intentions: All the above ways can only be successful if we remember one more point and that is in SB 1.1.2

dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaraanaam sataam
vedyam vaastavam atra vastu shivadam taapa-trayonmulanam
srimad-bhaagavate mahaa-muni-krte kim vaa parair ishvarah
sadyo hrdy avarudhyate 'tra krtibhih shushrushubhis tat-kshanaat

"Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart."

In the first verse of Srimad Bhagavatam, Sukadev Goswami makes it clear who is Supreme. It is Krishna. We are not the supreme. Do not dictate to Srimad Bhagavatam, but be dictated by Srimad Bhagavatam. Do not try to dominate Srimad Bhagavatam, but be dominated by Srimad Bhagavatam. Do not try to conquer Srimad Bhagavatam, but be conquered by Srimad Bhagavatam. This is what the first verse is telling us. How do we get conquered by Srimad Bhagavatam? By accepting that Krishna is satyam param dhimahi.

Now that we know who is supreme, what must we do? That is stated in the second verse of Bhagavatam. If you want to approach the Supreme, you do only one thing. You please reject all activities that appear religious, but tinged with material intentions. As long as we have even a tinge of material motive, we cannot approach Srimad Bhagavatam with attraction. This cannot be compromised. This is the standard the acharyas have given us. Why? We may ask why Krishna is so strict. It is not that He is strict. He is setting us standards to purify ourselves. If we have even the slightest motive in our heart, you may study Bhagavatam, but you cannot realize Bhagavatam. The less motive that is in the heart, the easier it is to become attracted to Srimad Bhagavatam. So it is not the fault of Bhagavatam that we become fruitive when we sit down with Bhagavatam. It is not the fault of Bhagavatam that we think, "Now it is enough. Now we should do something else." It is not the fault of Bhagavatam when we say, "Prabhu, when I read Bhagavatam, I do not understand many times." It is a fact that there is motive when we sit to read Bhagavatam. If our only motive is to glorify Krishna and glorify devotees, then the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam will come alive. Srila Prabhupada will speak to us and all the blessings of the acharyas will be upon us. That is why Srimad Bhagavatam is as good as magic. It is magical because Krishna is Yogeshwara. He is a master mystic. He can make Srimad Bhagavatam come alive because He is non-different from Bhagavatam and all we have to do is to follow the process. Nothing else.

10. We should understand that Srimad Bhagavatam is centered on hearing: In Srimad Bhagavatam 3.9.5, Lord Brahma prays

ye tu tvadiya-caranaambuja-kosha-gandham
jighranti karna-vivaraih shruti-vaata-nitam
bhaktyaa grhita-caranah parayaa ca teshaam
naapaishi naatha hrdayaamburuhaat sva-pumsaam

"O my Lord, persons who smell the aroma of Your lotus feet, carried by the air of Vedic sound through the holes of the ears, accept Your devotional service. For them You are never separated from the lotus of their hearts."

Brahmaji says that we can smell the aroma of the lotus feet of Krishna only on the strength of hearing the glories of Krishna. Our eyes are judgmental and hence are dangerous and so more than seeing, hearing is important. We should hear from all the devotees sitting in Vyasasana and not judge the devotee and even if he speaks two lines from Srila Prabhupada's purports, that lecture is a success. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 3.9.11 a few verse later, Brahmaji goes on to say how we can have darshan of Krishna by hearing.

tvam bhakti-yoga-paribhaavita-hrt-saroja
aasse shrutekshita-patho nanu naatha pumsaam
yad-yad-dhiyaa ta urugaaya vibhaavayanti
tat-tad-vapuh pranayase sad-anugrahaaya

"O my Lord, Your devotees can see You through the ears by the process of bona fide hearing, and thus their hearts become cleansed, and You take Your seat there. You are so merciful to Your devotees that You manifest Yourself in the particular eternal form of transcendence in which they always think of You."

Brahmaji says that we can smell the aroma of the lotus feet of Krishna only on the strength of hearing the glories of Krishna. Our eyes are judgmental and hence are dangerous and so more than seeing, hearing is important. We should hear from all the devotees sitting in Vyasasana and not judge the devotee and even if he speaks two lines from Srila Prabhupada's purports, that lecture is a success. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 3.9.11 a few verse later, Brahmaji goes on to say how we can have darshan of Krishna by hearing.

tvam bhakti-yoga-paribhaavita-hrt-saroja
aasse shrutekshita-patho nanu naatha pumsaam
yad-yad-dhiyaa ta urugaaya vibhaavayanti
tat-tad-vapuh pranayase sad-anugrahaaya

"O my Lord, Your devotees can see You through the ears by the process of bona fide hearing, and thus their hearts become cleansed, and You take Your seat there. You are so merciful to Your devotees that You manifest Yourself in the particular eternal form of transcendence in which they always think of You."

11. The scientific process by which hearing Bhagavatam can become realization: This process is given in three verse of SB 2.8.4, 5 and 6 and it is very important that we remember these verses.

shrnvatah shraddhayaa nityam / grnatas ca sva-ceshtitam
kaalena naatidirghena / bhagavaan vishate hrdi

"Persons who hear Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly and are always taking the matter very seriously will have the Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna manifested in their hearts within a short time."

Here the emphasis is on sva ceshtitam – seriously by one’s own endeavor. Endeavor must be there if you want to approach Srimad Bhagavatam because Krishna is available free but He is not cheap. And when we sincerely endeavor to approach Srimad Bhagavatam, Krishna enters through our ears in the form of sound vibration and sits in the lotus of our hearts.

pravishtah karna-randhrena / svaanaam bhaava-saroruham
dhunoti shamalam krishnah / salilasya yathaa sharat

"The sound incarnation of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Soul [i.e. Srimad-Bhagavatam], enters into the heart of a self-realized devotee, sits on the lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water."

The lotus flower on which Krishna sits in our heart is actually our loving relationship with Him. When we take up Krishna consciousness our room is full of dust, but because the dust is very settled and it is so dirty, we think the room is clean. We are so used to the dirt in the room that it appears to be normal. That is a very bad sign. But when Krishna settles in the heart, the dust has to fly. When the dust is flying, we feel that all the trouble in the world is coming only when I have taken up reading Srimad Bhagavatam. Actually the trouble is not because of reading Bhagavatam. We are just beginning to see what is already been there but we were not able to see, because we became so used to it all. But now He is giving you the eyes to see because you started hearing Srimad Bhagavatam. So devotees are not to get discouraged when difficulties come. The difficulties are the cleansing process, the vaccuming service the Lord is doing in their hearts. So we should not wilt away during difficulties but instead we should become fixed up that we are on the right track. This way our heart will become cleansed. The next verse says what happens to the devotee whose heart is thus cleansed by the process of bhakti.

dhautaatmaa purushah krishna- / paada-mulam na muncati
mukta-sarva-parikleshah / paanthah sva-sharanam yathaa

"A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey."

When our heart is thus cleansed by the process of devotional service, we thoroughly relish it no matter what happens in our life, and we will never even once think of leaving the shelter of Lord Krishna's lotus feet. This is the stage when our hearing of Bhagavatam gets transformed into realization.

12. Srimad Bhagavatam is the practical way to attract Krishna's mercy: In the relationship with devotees, the center should be Bhagavatam and Krishna. Whenever there is social intercourse between devotees (bhutaanaam yan mithah kalih) they fight. Intimacy in devotee relationship means throwing Bhagavatam out. Keeping Sirmad Bhagavatam in the center means genuine friendly relationship between devotees. Srimad Bhagavatam even has impact in our relationship with family, with devotees and Krishna. Thus Srimad Bhagavatam is the most practical way to attract Krishna’s mercy.

13. The practical way to study Bhagavatam: While describing the life of Svayambhuva Manu, Srimad Bhagavatam says in 3.22.35,

ayaata-yaamaas tasyaasan / yaamaah svaantara-yaapanaah
shrnvato dhyaayato vishnoh / kurvato bruvatah kathaah

"Consequently, although his duration of life gradually came to an end, his long life, consisting of a Manvantara era, was not spent in vain, since he ever engaged in hearing, contemplating, writing down and chanting the pastimes of the Lord."

This is the only verse where Srila Prabhupada is giving us a direct hint on how to study Srimad Bhagavatam. First we hear and then we contemplate on what we hear and then cement it by writing it down and then speak about it. This is a very practical way.

Our heartfelt thanks to HG Devakinandan prabhuji for revealing the secret of receiving Srimad Bhagavatam in our hearts.

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