räjan patir gurur alaà bhavatäà yadünäà
daivaà priyaù kula-patiù kva ca kiìkaro vaù
astv evam aìga bhagavän bhajatäà mukundo
muktià dadäti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam
(SB 5.6.18)
Translation :
Çukadeva Gosvämé continued: My dear King, the Supreme Person, Mukunda, is actually the maintainer of all the members of the Päëòava and Yadu dynasties. He is your spiritual master, worshipable Deity, friend, and the director of your activities. To say nothing of this, He sometimes serves your family as a messenger or servant. This means He worked just as ordinary servants do. Those engaged in getting the Lord’s favor attain liberation from the Lord very easily, but He does not very easily give the opportunity to render direct service unto Him.
Purport :
While instructing Mahäräja Parékñit, Çukadeva Gosvämé thought it wise to encourage the King because the King might be thinking of the glorious position of various royal dynasties. Especially glorious is the dynasty of Priyavrata, in which the Supreme Lord Åñabhadeva incarnated. Similarly, the family of Uttänapäda Mahäräja, the father of Mahäräja Dhruva, is also glorious due to King Påthu’s taking birth in it. The dynasty of Mahäräja Raghu is glorified because Lord Rämacandra appeared in that family. As far as the Yadu and Kuru dynasties are concerned, they existed simultaneously, but of the two, the Yadu dynasty was more glorious due to the appearance of Lord Kåñëa. Mahäräja Parékñit might have been thinking that the Kuru dynasty was not as fortunate as the others because the Supreme Lord did not appear in that family, neither as Kåñëa, Lord Rämacandra, Lord Åñabhadeva or Mahäräja Påthu. Therefore Parékñit Mahäräja was encouraged by Çukadeva Gosvämé in this particular verse.
The Kuru dynasty may be considered more glorious due to the presence of devotees like the five Päëòavas, who rendered unalloyed devotional service. Although Lord Kåñëa did not appear in the Kuru dynasty. He was so obligated to the Päëòavas’ devotional service that He acted as a maintainer of the family and spiritual master of the Päëòavas. Although He took birth in the Yadu dynasty, Lord Kåñëa was more affectionate to the Päëòavas. By His actions, Lord Kåñëa proved that He was more inclined to the Kuru dynasty than the Yadu dynasty. Indeed, Lord Kåñëa, indebted to the Päëòavas’ devotional service, sometimes acted as their messenger, and He guided them through many dangerous situations. Therefore Mahäräja Parékñit should not have been saddened because Lord Kåñëa did not appear in his family. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always inclined toward His pure devotees, and by His action it is clear that liberation is not very important for the devotees. Lord Kåñëa easily gives one liberation, but He does not so easily give one the facility to become a devotee. Muktià dadäti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam. Directly or indirectly, it is proved that bhakti-yoga is the basis for the supreme relationship with the Supreme Lord. It is far superior to liberation. For a pure devotee of the Lord, mukti is automatically attained.
How Dear The Devotees To The Lord-
In this beautiful chapter of the Srimad Bhagvatam from the fifth canto Sukdeva Goswami as herein speaking in such a way to encourage Maharaj Parikshit because after all the supreme Lord appeared in various dynasties as Srila Prabhupada has explaining and Maharaj Parikshit may have then feeling some what bad, some what inferior because the Supreme Personality of Godhead don’t appeared in the Kuru dynasty. Therefore Sukdeva Goswami is saying your dynasty is actually even better because He came like an ordinary servant to the great kings of your dynasty. Maharaj Yudhisthir he was the massage carrier Lord Krsna asked to Yudhisthir Maharaj how can I serve you and although Yudhisthir Maharaj worship Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in order to please Krsna he would give Him messages to carry sometimes very difficult messages. He sent message to Duryodhana through Krsna that you kindly give these Pandavas just five villages after all you know that they are the rightful airs to the entire world. You have cheated. You have exploited them, you taken every thing away from them. There is no question of justice but they are Kshatriyas. In order for them to perform their dharma give them at least one village each but Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana feeling so much envious toward the Pandvas they replied that we will not give enough land that you can put the head of the needle through. And Duryodhana was so angry with Krsna for coming on Yudhisthiras behalf that he actually sent guards to arrest Krsna that time Krsna manifested His Virat rupa His universal form. And it was daggling like millions and millions of Suns and the soldiers backed up and Duryodhana witness for this own eyes but even after seeing this because of Duryodhanas envy he steel would not consent to the desire of Krsna.
ye yathä mäà prapadyante
täàs tathaiva bhajämy aham
mama vartmänuvartante
manuñyäù pärtha sarvaçaù
[BG 4.11]
Krsna reveals Himself according to how you approach Him even though Duryodhana knew that Krsna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead and he had just witnessed the most wonderful manifestation still because of his false pride, because of his ego he wouldn’t give up his stubborn behavior. This is to what extend false pride can block our relationship with God. So Yudhisthir was sending on Lord Krsna on such difficult mission and for Arjuna Krsna became his chariot driver. We read in Mahabharat how Krsna was just asked Arjuna where to go. Arjuna says- You take my chariot between these two armies let me see who have come to fight this war. It was their that Bhagavad Gita was spoken, later on what Arjuna vowed to kill what was the name of Jayadratha ha… Jayadratha because he had just unfairly been a part of conspiracy against Arjunas own son Abhimanyu. Krsna was just riding those horses like anything to through battle field and one time the horse where tired Krsna told Arjuna you do the glorious work of fighting I will brush the horses and I will massage them and I will bring them for water. In this way Krsna was performing most menial services. And during the Rajasuya scarifie of Maharaj Yudhisthir Maharaj was assigning every one of his associates a particular services and Krsna volunteered personally to wash the feet of every guest that came with His own hands. Just to show the world how he becomes the servant of the servant of the servant of His own devotee. So we can understand how dear the devotees to the Lord that the Supreme Personality of Godhead agrees to become subordinate to the love of His devotees.
God Never Becomes God
Srila Prabhupada would often say that there are many philosophers who teach you that you can become a God but it is impossible how can you become God? Either you are God or you are not God. God never becomes God.
mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù
süyate sa-caräcaram
hetunänena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
[Bg. 9.10]
Krsna says- this material nature is working under My direction. tribhir guna mayar bhavaya. Krsna is never under the influence of the three modes of nature but the Jivatma has that tendency to missing the freewill to become subordinate to this material existence but Krsna has eternally the master He is –
éçvaraù paramaù kåñëaù
sac-cid-änanda-vigrahaù
anädir ädir govindaù
sarva-käraëa-käraëam
[Bs. 5.1]
You Can Become Better Than God
So you can never become God but Guru Maharaj Srila Prabhupada said through Krishna Consciousness you can become better than God. Not God. You can never become God. But you can become better than God. What does this mean –
tåëäd api su-nécena
taror iva sahiñëunä
amäninä mäna-dena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
[Cc. Ädi 17.31]
When you become humble like a blade of grass, when you become more tolerant than tree offer all respect to others and expect none in return and you can chant the Holy Name of the Lord constantly with great attention, purely and for someone who calls out Krsna’s name with such humility and devotion Krsna becomes by His own inconceivable mercy the servant of such a devotee. He becomes subordinate to the love of His devotee. And therefore what is the supreme path of Bhakti to become the servant of such a devotee. Mad-bhakta-püjä abhyadhikä. Krsna told Uddhava- The one who declares himself to be My devotee is not really My devotee but one who is the devotee of My devotee he is devotee.
Are You A Devotee Of Krsna?
Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur that great Paramhansa Mahabhagvat sometimes people would come to him to discuss Krsna Katha and he would had a very simple formula by which he would understand who he wanted to spend time and discuss Krsna katha with and who he didn’t. So many big Gurus, so many big Yogis, so many Babajis and Sadhus would approach him and he would ask them a question are you a devotee of Krsna? And if that person would say yes I am a devotee of Krsna he would say please forgive me but I am very busy but I am very busy. Please be on your way I don’t have time. If that person would say- I am not a devotee of Krsna. I am a devotee of Krsna’s devotees then Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur would say ha… I have all my life to spend with you. gopé-bhartuù pada-kamalayor däsa-däsänu-däsa.
What Should We Aspire For –
Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu playing the role of the perfect Vaishnava He only aspired of this position to be the servant of the servant of the servant the devotees. Even God Himself aspires to be the servant of the servant of the servant of the devotees. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu He would arrange for the residential facilities for the devotees personally when they would come from Bengal to Jagganath Puri. He would personally arrange Prasad for them. Sometimes he would serve them with His own hands. When he was on his way to Gaya, He had a great fever and the devotees began to bring all sorts of medications Ayurvedic medicines, various others but His fever wouldn’t go down. He was appearing to be the delirious and His students they didn’t know what to do. And finally he told them there is only one medicine that will cure My fever and save My life and i.e. the water that washes the feet of the Lord’s devotees. You bring that water and then they went and brought the water from the feet of Brahman Vaishnavas and He drank it and immediately He was cured. So the Lord Himself aspires to be the servant of the servant of the servant so what is our position? Do we think we can approach our Lord directly? And even to approach the spiritual master directly? If we want to actually please Him He will be most please when we become the servant of the His servants. So this should be our aspiration.
Preaching Means To Change The Persons Heart
Sukdeva Goswami as here giving Maharaj Parikshit this encouragement, this is the nature of a preacher. A preacher would say anything to encourage some one to become more attentive to engage in the process of devotional service.
I remember in my own life one of the first time I met Srila Prabhupada I was living in Vrindavan sleeping on bank of Jamuna. And I was just visiting this place and that place and so many places and so many Sadhus. There was no Hare Krsna temple in Vrindavan at that time was 1971. And Srila Prabhupada came with about twenty disciples and the devotees actually they saw that I was so used to living in India in such a sever way and they were always getting sick. They actually asked would you like to be Prabhupada’s servant because we are all getting sick and we can’t serve him properly. And I was so crazy and foolish that I said I will be his servant only if he stays in Vrindavan because I will never leave Vrindavan. I have already promise Radha and Krsna I will never leave Vrindavan. So they were saying that you are bogus? They were telling you are bogus, you are all non sense, you are sahajiya, you are smartha Brahman, you are mayawadi, everything I was getting all the nice, I was rascal just because I wanted to stay in Vrindavan and actually everything is saying about me was true probably still is but I was thinking that they just don’t understand these American devotees what can they understand about Vrindavan. I was so puffed up like this.
And Prabhupada he saw me one day. And I bow down and he looked at me and he ask me how long have been in Vrindavan? And I was thinking oh! No. now Prabhupada is going to chastised me. First all his disciple’s chastised me now he is going to chastise me this is going to be a fate worst than death so with folded hands I said- Srila Prabhupada I had been her about six months. He looked at me very serious and when guru maharaj looks at you in the eyes you can feel his vision touching your very soul. And then he smiled and he patted me on the head. He said- very nice, very nice. Vrindavan is such a wonderful place. And I was thinking yes Prabhupada understands me. How he is actually a true guru he understands my heart. And actually when he was saying formally he was just saying what I wanted to hear just to win my heart. And at that point when he said that I was ready to leave, I was ready to anything he said. This is preaching, preaching means to change the person’s heart. Preaching means to give a person what that person needs to inspire to make advancement in Krishna Consciousness. So Sukdeva Goswami is encouraging Maharaj Parikshit. That your for fathers Arjuna, Yudhisthir they were so dear to the Lord that the Lord became his servant so how dear you should be to the Lord also. How grateful you should be in your loving surrender at the lotus feet of Krsna.
So today we are very fortunate that we have the chance of to be the servant of the servant of the very wonderful special devotee that has come to join us. His name is HH. Srila Trivikram Maharaj he is one of the most senior Sanyasi disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada he first met Srila Prabhupada and became a surrendered devotee of this movement in 1968. And what year you took Sanyas? In 1971 when I was living on the bank of the Jamuna he had already taken Sanyas from Srila Prabhupada. And Srila Prabhupada gave him many very difficult missions. He was one of the first devotees of Srila Prabhupada’s sent to Kariya, Japan, all those places to start centre’s and since that time he has faithfully and very purely served our Gurudev. At this time his preaching most of the time in Poland one of the, what was Iron curtain communist countries. And their from what I have heard wonderful news reports that hundred and hundred and hundred of people gathered and raise their arms and chants-
Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare
Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.
And as HH Trivikram and you have seen his beautiful dancing today which makes everyone everyone’s arms higher and chant loudly –
Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare
Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.
Trivikram Maharaj ki Jay! Hari Bol… So we would like to ask His Holiness if he would kindly tell us some of his remembrances of Srila Prabhupada and served his personal interactions with our beloved spiritual master.
