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The morning’s Srimad Bhagatam lecture was given by Giriraj Swami on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 14, Text 15. This chapter is about the “Ideal Family Life” and these two verses are on how one should worship the Supreme Lord.
[From vedabase.net: http://vedabase.net/sb/7/14/15/en1]
TRANSLATION TEXT 15
Every day, one should worship the Supreme Being who is situated in everyone’s heart, and on this basis one should separately worship the demigods, the saintly persons, ordinary human beings and living entities, one’s forefathers and one’s self. In this way one is able to worship the Supreme Being in the core of everyone’s heart.
TRANSLATION TEXT 16
When one is enriched with wealth and knowledge which are under his full control and by means of which he can perform yajna or please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must perform sacrifices, offering oblations to the fire according to the directions of the sastras. In this way one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
If a grihastha, or householder, is sufficiently educated in Vedic knowledge and has become sufficiently rich to offer worship to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he must perform yajnas as directed by the authorized scriptures. Bhagavad-gita (3.9) clearly says, yajnarthat karmano ‘nyatra loko ‘yam karma-bandhanah: everyone may be engaged in his occupational duties, but the result of these duties should be offered for sacrifice to satisfy the Supreme Lord. If one is fortunate enough to possess transcendental knowledge as well as the money with which to perform sacrifices, one must do it according to the directions given in the sastras. It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.52):
krite yad dhyayato vishnum
tretayam yajato makhaih
dvapare paricaryayam
kalau tad dhari-kirtanat
The entire Vedic civilization aims at satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This was possible in Satya-yuga by meditation upon the Supreme Lord within the core of one’s heart and in Treta-yuga by the performance of costly yajnas. The same goal could be achieved in Dvapara-yuga by worship of the Lord in the temple, and in this age of Kali one can achieve the same goal by performing sankirtana-yajna. Therefore one who has education and wealth must use them to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by helping the sankirtana movement that has already begun — the Hare Krishna movement, or Krishna consciousness movement. All educated and wealthy persons must join this movement, since money and education are meant for service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If money and education are not engaged in the service of the Lord, these valuable assets must be engaged in the service of maya. The education of so-called scientists, philosophers and poets is now engaged in the service of maya, and the wealth of the rich is also engaged in maya’s service. The service of maya, however, creates a chaotic condition in the world. Therefore the wealthy man and the educated man should sacrifice their knowledge and opulence by dedicating them for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord and joining this sankirtana movement (yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah [SB 11.5.32]).
Dallas, TX
2008-09-27