Classes and Bhajans

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 9, Chapter 10, Text 3 given by Nityananda Prabhu.  This lecture was on Rama Navami - the appearance day of Lord Rama. 

Dallas, TX
2011-04-12

TRANSLATION 

O King Parikshit, the transcendental activities of Lord Ramacandra have been described by great saintly persons who have seen the truth. Because you have heard again and again about Lord Ramacandra, the husband of mother Sita, I shall describe these activities only in brief. Please listen.

PURPORT

Modern Rakshasas, posing as educationally advanced merely because they have doctorates, have tried to prove that Lord Ramacandra is not the Supreme Personality of Godhead but an ordinary person. But those who are learned and spiritually advanced will never accept such notions; they will accept the descriptions of Lord Ramacandra and His activities only as presented by tattva-darsis, those who know the Absolute Truth. In Bhagavad-gita (4.34) the Supreme Personality of Godhead advises:

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." Unless one is tattva-darsi, in complete knowledge of the Absolute Truth, one cannot describe the activities of the Personality of Godhead. Therefore although there are many so-called Ramayanas, or histories of Lord Ramacandra's activities, some of them are not actually authoritative. Sometimes Lord Ramacandra's activities are described in terms of one's own imaginations, speculations or material sentiments. But the characteristics of Lord Ramacandra should not be handled as something imaginary. While describing the history of Lord Ramacandra, Sukadeva Gosvami told Maharaja Parikshit, "You have already heard about the activities of Lord Ramacandra." Apparently, therefore, five thousand years ago there were many Ramayanas, or histories of Lord Ramacandra's activities, and there are many still. But we must select only those books written by tattva-darsis (jnaninas tattva-darsinah), not the books of so-called scholars who claim knowledge only on the basis of a doctorate. This is a warning by Sukadeva Gosvami. Rishibhis tattva-darsibhih. Although the Ramayana composed by Valmiki is a huge literature, the same activities are summarized here by Sukadeva Gosvami in a few verses.

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 3, Text 25, given by Vidhura Priya das titled "Universal Cycle".

Dallas, TX
20011-03-23

TRANSLATION

After millions of years, at the time of cosmic annihilation, when everything, manifested and unmanifested, is annihilated by the force of time, the five gross elements enter into the subtle conception, and the manifested categories enter into the unmanifested substance. At that time, You alone remain, and You are known as Ananta Sesha-naga.

PURPORT

At the time of annihilation, the five gross elements -- earth, water, fire, air and ether -- enter into the mind, intelligence and false ego (ahankara), and the entire cosmic manifestation enters into the spiritual energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who alone remains as the origin of everything. The Lord is therefore known as Sesha-naga, as Adi-purusha and by many other names.

Devaki therefore prayed, "After many millions of years, when Lord Brahma comes to the end of his life, the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation takes place. At that time the five elements -- namely earth, water, fire, air and ether -- enter into the mahat-tattva. The mahat-tattva again enters, by the force of time, into the nonmanifested total material energy, the total material energy enters into the energetic pradhana, and the pradhana enters into You. Therefore after the annihilation of the whole cosmic manifestation, You alone remain with Your transcendental name, form, quality and paraphernalia.

"My Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are the director of the unmanifested total energy, and the ultimate reservoir of the material nature. My Lord, the whole cosmic manifestation is under the influence of time, beginning from the moment up to the duration of the year. All act under Your direction. You are the original director of everything and the reservoir of all potent energies."

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 3, Text 24, titled "God is a Person" given by Giriraj Swami.

Dallas, TX
2011-03-22

TRANSLATION

Sri Devaki said: My dear Lord, there are different Vedas, some of which describe You as unperceivable through words and the mind. Yet You are the origin of the entire cosmic manifestation. You are Brahman, the greatest of everything, full of effulgence like the sun. You have no material cause, You are free from change and deviation, and You have no material desires. Thus the Vedas say that You are the substance. Therefore, my Lord, You are directly the origin of all Vedic statements, and by understanding You, one gradually understands everything. You are different from the light of Brahman and Paramatma, yet You are not different from them. Everything emanates from You. Indeed, You are the cause of all causes, Lord Vishnu, the light of all transcendental knowledge.

PURPORT

Vishnu is the origin of everything, and there is no difference between Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna because both of Them are vishnu-tattva. From the Rig Veda we understand, om tad vishnoh paramam padam: the original substance is the all-pervading Lord Vishnu, who is also Paramatma and the effulgent Brahman. The living entities are also part and parcel of Vishnu, who has various energies (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca). Vishnu, or Krishna, is therefore everything. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (10.8), aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate: "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me." Krishna, therefore, is the original cause of everything (sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1]). When Vishnu expands in His all-pervading aspect, we should understand Him to be the nirakara-nirvisesha-brahmajyoti.

Although everything emanates from Krishna, He is ultimately a person. Aham adir hi devanam: He is the origin of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesvara, and from them many other demigods are manifested. Krishna therefore says in Bhagavad-gita (14.27), brahmano hi pratishthaham; "Brahman rests upon Me." The Lord also says:

"Whatever a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kunti, is really meant for Me alone, but it is offered without true understanding." (Bg. 9.23) There are many persons who worship different demigods, considering all of them to be separate gods, which in fact they are not. The fact is that every demigod, and every living entity, is part and parcel of Krishna (mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah). The demigods are also in the category of living entities; they are not separate gods. But men whose knowledge is immature and contaminated by the modes of material nature worship various demigods, according to their intelligence. Therefore they are rebuked in Bhagavad-gita (kamais tais tair hrita-jnanah prapadyante 'nya-devatah [Bg. 7.20]). Because they are unintelligent and not very advanced and have not properly considered the truth, they take to the worship of various demigods or speculate according to various philosophies, such as the Mayavada philosophy.

Krishna, Vishnu, is the actual origin of everything. As stated in the Vedas, yasya bhasha sarvam idam vibhati. The Absolute Truth is described later in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.28.15) as satyam jnanam anantam yad brahma-jyotih sanatanam. The brahmajyoti is sanatana, eternal, yet it is dependent on Krishna (brahmano hi pratishthaham). The Brahma-samhita states that the Lord is all-pervading. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham: He is within this universe, and He is within the atom as Paramatma. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotishv asesha-vasudhadi-vibhu-ti-bhinnam: [Bs. 5.40] Brahman is also not independent of Him. Therefore whatever a philosopher may describe is ultimately Krishna, or Lord Vishnu (sarvam khalv idam brahma, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]). According to different phases of understanding, Lord Vishnu is differently described, but in fact He is the origin of everything.

Because Devaki was an unalloyed devotee, she could understand that the same Lord Vishnu had appeared as her son. Therefore, after the prayers of Vasudeva, Devaki offered her prayers. She was very frightened because of her brother's atrocities. Devaki said, "My dear Lord, Your eternal forms, like Narayana, Lord Rama, Sesha, Varaha, Nrisimha, Vamana, Baladeva, and millions of similar incarnations emanating from Vishnu, are described in the Vedic literature as original. You are original because all Your forms as incarnations are outside of this material creation. Your form was existing before this cosmic manifestation was created. Your forms are eternal and all-pervading. They are self-effulgent, changeless and uncontaminated by the material qualities. Such eternal forms are ever-cognizant and full of bliss; they are situated in transcendental goodness and are always engaged in different pastimes. You are not limited to a particular form only; all such transcendental, eternal forms are self-sufficient. I can understand that You are the Supreme Lord Vishnu." We may conclude, therefore, that Lord Vishnu is everything, although He is also different from everything. This is the acintya-bhedabheda-tattva philosophy.

Lecture on the appearance day of Lord Chaitanya given by Nityananda Prabhu.

Dallas, TX
2011-03-19 

Lecture on Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi-lila, Chapter 5, Texts 204-223 given by Giriraj Swami about the Glories of Lord Nityananda.

Dallas, TX
2011-03-13 

Follow along at vedabase.net.

Sunday Feast lecture on Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 3 (Karma Yoga), Text 10 given by Giriraj Swami.

Dallas, TX
2011-03-13

TRANSLATION

In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Vishnu, and blessed them by saying, "Be thou happy by this yajna [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living happily and achieving liberation."

PURPORT

The material creation by the Lord of creatures (Vishnu) is a chance offered to the conditioned souls to come back home -- back to Godhead. All living entities within the material creation are conditioned by material nature because of their forgetfulness of their relationship to Vishnu, or Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are to help us understand this eternal relation, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The Lord says that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Him. In the Vedic hymns it is said: patim visvasyatmesvaram. Therefore, the Lord of the living entities is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam also (2.4.20) Srila Sukadeva Gosvami describes the Lord as pati in so many ways:

The praja-pati is Lord Vishnu, and He is the Lord of all living creatures, all worlds, and all beauties, and the protector of everyone. The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajnas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Vishnu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety and after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the conditioned soul. By performance of yajna, the conditioned souls gradually become Krishna conscious and become godly in all respects. In the Age of Kali, the sankirtana-yajna (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Sankirtana-yajna and Krishna consciousness go well together. Lord Krishna in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.32) as follows, with special reference to the sankirtana-yajna:

"In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of sankirtana-yajna." Other yajnas prescribed in the Vedic literatures are not easy to perform in this Age of Kali, but the sankirtana-yajna is easy and sublime for all purposes, as recommended in Bhagavad-gita also (9.14).

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 3, Text 18, titled "We do not Reject the Body" given by Giriraj Swami.  Fixed Audio

Dallas, TX
2001-03-12

TRANSLATION

One who considers his visible body, which is a product of the three modes of nature, to be independent of the soul is unaware of the basis of existence, and therefore he is a rascal. Those who are learned have rejected his conclusion because one can understand through full discussion that with no basis in soul, the visible body and senses would be insubstantial. Nonetheless, although his conclusion has been rejected, a foolish person considers it a reality.

PURPORT

Without the basic principle of soul, the body cannot be produced. So-called scientists have tried in many ways to produce a living body in their chemical laboratories, but no one has been able to do it because unless the spirit soul is present, a body cannot be prepared from material elements. Since scientists are now enamored of theories about the chemical composition of the body, we have challenged many scientists to make even a small egg. The chemicals in eggs can be found very easily. There is a white substance and a yellow substance, covered by a shell, and modern scientists should very easily be able to duplicate all this. But even if they were to prepare such an egg and put it in an incubator, this man-made chemical egg would not produce a chicken. The soul must be added because there is no question of a chemical combination for life. Those who think that life can exist without the soul have therefore been described here as abudhah, foolish rascals.

Again, there are those who reject the body, regarding it as insubstantial. They are of the same category of fools. One can neither reject the body nor accept it as substantial. The substance is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and both the body and the soul are energies of the Supreme Godhead, as described by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (7.4-5):

"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego -- all together these eight comprise My separated material energies. But besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which consists of all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe."

The body, therefore, has a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as the soul does. Since both of them are energies of the Lord, neither of them is false, because they come from the reality. One who does not know this secret of life is described as abudhah. According to the Vedic injunctions, aitadatmyam idam sarvam, sarvam khalv idam brahma: everything is the Supreme Brahman. Therefore, both the body and the soul are Brahman, since matter and spirit emanate from Brahman.

Not knowing the conclusions of the Vedas, some people accept the material nature as substance, and others accept the spirit soul as substance, but actually Brahman is the substance. Brahman is the cause of all causes. The ingredients and the immediate cause of this manifested material world are Brahman, and we cannot make the ingredients of this world independent of Brahman. Furthermore, since the ingredients and the immediate cause of this material manifestation are Brahman, both of them are truth, satya; there is no validity to the expression brahma satyam jagan mithya. The world is not false.

Jnanis reject this world, and foolish persons accept this world as reality, and in this way they are both misguided. Although the body is not as important as the soul, we cannot say that it is false. Yet the body is temporary, and only foolish, materialistic persons, who do not have full knowledge of the soul, regard the temporary body as reality and engage in decorating this body. Both of these pitfalls -- rejection of the body as false and acceptance of the body as all in all -- can be avoided when one is fully situated in Krishna consciousness. If we regard this world as false, we fall into the category of asuras, who say that this world is unreal, with no foundation and no God in control (asatyam apratishtham te jagad ahur anisvaram). As described in the Sixteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, this is the conclusion of demons.

Lecture on the song "Prema Bhakti Candrika" (by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura) verse 4 given by Tamal Krishna Goswami.

Dallas, TX
2000-11-22

Lecture given by Mukunda Datta das on the Glories of the Holy Names.

Dallas, TX
2011-01-08