Date: February 24, 2009
Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.24.11
Speaker: HH Romapada Swami
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sabhajayan visuddhena cetasa tac-cikirsitam
prahrsyamanair asubhih kardamam cedam abhyadhat

TRANSLATION

After worshiping the Supreme Lord with gladdened senses and a pure heart for His intended activities as an incarnation, Brahma spoke as follows to Kardama and Devahuti.

PURPORT

As explained in Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter, anyone who understands the transcendental activities, the appearance and the disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be considered liberated. Brahma, therefore, is a liberated soul. Although he is in charge of this material world, he is not exactly like the common living entity. Since he is liberated from the majority of the follies of the common living entities, he was in knowledge of the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he therefore worshiped the Lord’s activities, and with a glad heart he also praised Kardama Muni because the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as Kapila, had appeared as his son. One who can become the father of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly a great devotee. There is a verse spoken by a brahmana in which he says that he does not know what the Vedas and what the puranas are, but while others might be interested in the Vedas or puranas, he is interested in Nanda Maharaja, who appeared as the father of Krsna. The brahmana wanted to worship Nanda Maharaja because the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as a child, crawled in the yard of his house. These are some of the good sentiments of devotees. If a recognized devotee brings forth the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his son, how he should be praised! Brahma, therefore, not only worshiped the incarnation of Godhead Kapila but also praised His so-called father, Kardama Muni. (End of Srila Prabhupada’s purport)

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Romapada Swami

Every living entity has something, or a number of somethings, that they received from Krishna. And devotional service is an expression recognizing that gift which Krishna has given us and using it in His service. Bhakti is very simple and it is very sublime.

Devotional service is not just the technology of ‘how to do it’. Devotional service is the recognition of the relationship that we have with Krishna. And whatever it is that we have is but invested potency given by Krishna - to walk across the room, to blink our eye, to digest our food, whatever it is that we do. If Krishna withdraws the capacity, we don’t have that capacity anymore. Through whatever capacity we have, devotional service is an expression of our submission and expression of love unto Him, serving on His behalf, striving to please Him.

anukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama - (CC Madhya 19.167)

That is what bhakti is — following the path, or the exemplary activities of, perfected souls. We find here the head of our sampradaya, Lord Brahma, setting a perfect example for us. He wants to speak something. Before speaking something, before expressing this form of service, he fixes his mind upon the Personality of Godhead. The verse describes “sabhajayan visuddhena”, he worships the Personality of Godhead with gladdened senses. It doesn’t give a detailed description of what exactly he did. It doesn’t indicate necessarily that he sat before his saligrama sila placed upon an altar and performed puja. In “worshiping the Personality of Godhead with gladdened senses” there may be the externalization formalization of some particular type of worship. But it may also be an internal affair within the heart of the devotee, as they consciously fix their mind on the Personality of Godhead in the mood of serving Him.

Even the words of appreciation that are about to flow from the heart of Lord Brahma, appreciating Devahuti and Kardama Muni’s most exhaulted position — or in the course of our devotional service, whatever it is that we do — fixing the mind upon the Lord preceeds the activity of the senses. This is the characteristic of a liberated soul.

The Srimad Bhagavatam is replete with examples of this devotional standard. One very beautiful example is in the 2nd Canto. Maharaja Pariksit’s two questions “What is the duty of a man who is about to die, and what subject matter is he to hear, chant and remember?” are answered in the first three chapters of the second canto. In one sense, the entire Bhagavatam could have been completed right there! But because Maharaja Pariksit is an excellent hearer, he asks Sukadeva Goswami many additional questions about Krishna. One of his key questions has to do with creation. “How does Brahma do it!?”, he wants to know. The inquiry is NOT in terms of the technology of how creation takes place, but more importantly Maharaja Pariksit wants the deeper realization of how it takes place.

So what does Sukadeva Goswami do? He enters very deeply into a mood of meditation upon the Supreme Lord, and in his prayers to the Lord he gradually answers the question. Not for a moment does Sukadeva deviate his mind from Krishna! Yet a perfect answer is provided to Brahma — simply through him meditations upon Krishna! It is really beautiful! This is very instructive: to render whatever service we are called upon to perform, our minds must be fixed at the lotus feet of Krishna.

It is not only the mind, however, that must be fixed. Here it is specifically expressed “and his pure heart”, visuddhena cetasa, while “worshiping the Personality of Godhead with gladdened senses” is also a key component of devotion in the liberated state.

Devotional service is practical. It consists of senses engaged in the objects of the senses - exactly what an impersonalist is afraid of.

In the purport there is mention of one brahmana who spoke one prayer. The reference is to Caitanya Caritamrta were Raghupati Upadyaya is that one brahmana who came before Lord Caitanya. Raghupati Upadyaya was a brahmana who was of vast learning, great character and a perfect gentleman, a Vaisnava gentleman from Bihar. When he came to meet Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannath Puri, just coming into the presence of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was so enlivened! And Caitanya Mahaprabhu, also appreciating the love within his heart, was so enlivened.

The first thing Caitanya Mahaprabhu said was, “Speak something about Krishna.” So he spoke something about Krishna. He said — the quote that is given is the verse from Padyavali by Rupa Goswami, “There are those who are afraid of material existence, they worship the Vedas.”

Once again, the request from Mahaprabhu was “Speak something about Krishna.”

So the Vedas are spoken by Krishna and some parts of the Vedas are alluding, apparently at least, to the impersonal feature of the Personality of Godhead. Just as Bhanu Maharaj very brilliantly was describing how this works in the Vedas, why would the Vedas allude to the impersonal? But there are those that don’t want to surrender to Krishna but they don’t like material existence either. And so the language of the sruti mantras are there within the Vedas.

As previously mentioned, impersonalists are afraid of engaging the senses, because of the entangling and degrading nature of sensual life. In contrast, devotional service is sabhajayan visuddhena, worshiping the Personality of Godhead with gladdened senses.

There are those who worship the Vedas being afraid of material existence and there are others who want to advance in fruitive activities. And so there are portions of the Vedas that are the attraction for those. Raghunath Upaddyaya continued, “Some worship the smrti and others worship the Mahabharat, but as for me as far as I am concerned I worship Krishna’s father Nanda Maharaja. Why because in his courtyard the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is playing. I worship Nanda Maharaj.”

That’s Raghunath Upaddyaya’s response to Mahaprabhu’s request “Tell me something about Krishna.” His conclusion is to describe about Krishna, in his mind that entails worship Krishna’s devotees. Krishna confirms that, “One who worships My devotee is My devotee. That is my devotee.” Precisely this is the heart of Lord Brahma. It is the heart of Raghupati Upadhyaya, it is the heart of Rupa Goswami. It is the heart of a liberated soul. Remembrance of Krishna and worship of His dear devotees — even in the mind, as Brahma is doing — are nondifferent.

So many things are expressed in the Vedas, so many things are expressed in the smrtis and in the Mahabharat. The Mahabharat is there for giving moral instruction largely. What is proper conduct. It is not that the mature devotee does care about proper conduct. But within the heart, that which

drives our following of proper conduct, that which drives our activities and our following of the regulations of devotional service — at least in the heart of one who is a liberated soul as is Brahma — fixing the mind upon Krishna FIRST before commencing ones practical service is being described here. What is in the heart of the liberated soul is this absorption to Krishna. And absorption in Krishna means absorption in those who are very dear to Krishna.

Brahma has come all the way from Satyaloka. He has gone way out of his way to come before Kardama Muni and Devahuti just to pay his respects to them! To worship them just as he has always worshipped the Personality of Godhead! He is a big personality; he is Lord Brahma, the original father of all fathers in this world! He is the receiver of the Vedas, he is the most learned person in the whole creation, which he himself is the Creator of. Yet he is coming before Kardama Muni and Devahuti to offer his worship unto them.

The implication herein is one should not be absorbed in thought of ones particular designation. Just this morning I was listening to Prabhupada describing this pitfall of upadhis and how many upadhis there are based upon the body. Since the body is born in this nation, so I identify with this nation. If the body is born in a particular state within the nation, then I identify with that particular state. One body is born of this color or that gender. Or whatever the career group I am employed in, whether I am an engineer, a doctor or I am a whatever it is, upadhis dictate that one identifies with that group. I may think I am a sannyasi, I am a grhasta. Prabhupada summarized it: “There are an unlimited number of upadhis!”

But bhakti means, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170)

The path of liberation must entail giving up this misconception of the self in terms of the body and even in devotional service, acting in terms of the body. One who thinks of a vaisnava in terms of upadhis so is possessed of hellish mentality, scripture teaches, either one who thinks of others in terms of those designations or thinks of oneself in terms of those designations! Exhibited very nicely here is Lord Brahma, he is beyond such designations. He is on the liberated platform.

One other nice point embedded very subtly within the purport is that “Lord Brahma’s position is that he is not exactly like a common living entity since he is liberated from the majority of follies of the common living entities.” He was in knowledge of the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and therefore he worshipped the Lord’s activity with a gladdened heart. He praised Kardama Muni.

Let us consider this phrase from the purport: ‘liberated from the majority of the follies of the living entities’ - what does that mean? Just like our verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam:

nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya - (SB 1.2.18)

nasta-prayesv abhadresu, prayesv - almost completely gone. Nasta - eliminated. prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya, the devotional service that is nityam - eternal, unbroken, unchanging arises in this nistha phase. Let me conduct a little Madhurya Kadamibini sub class for a moment. The nistha stage of firm faith stage is indicated by this expression “almost completely destroyed”. Why not completely destroyed? Completely is a more advanced stage. But even in this ‘almost complete’ stage, it is a very advanced stage. So strong, so advanced is this stage that even if some kind of impurity, some residual tendency arises, Krishna eliminates that. Krishna personally eliminates residual tendencies from the heart of those who have reached the stage of steadiness in their devotional service.

Krishna describes in Bhagavad-gita, jnana-dipena bhasvata (Bg 10.11) If there is some residual tendency, supposing we are engaged in devotional service up to this stage after this nistha stage, where there is full faith. And because of our very careful execution of devotional service practically all of the impurities, the abhadras or anarthas are eradicated. Because still because there is so many, many, many, many, lifetimes of devotional service the tendency is still there.

The example is given of this tendency notion, the example is given where some place that has been very unclean, very nasty, let us say vomit or something like that. You clean it up and after you clean it up everything is all clean, but there is still that bad odor, yes? The residual effect from that bad thing now cleaned is a bad odor!

So like that bad odor of years and years and lifetimes and lifetimes of impure activity may still remain that lingering odor, that lingering residual tendency, like this example the blades of the fan still spinning, residual tendency.

So what about that tendency? Circumstances arises, tendency may come out. Krishna says, “In such a case I personally intervene and correct and check that tendency in the heart of the devotee by the shinning lamp of knowledge. jnana-dipena bhasvata. The Krishna factor prevails when such residual tendency may still be lingering. This is our protection in bhakti, special protection in bhakti.

tesam evanukampartham aham ajnana-jam tamah nasayamy atma-bhava-stho jnana-dipena bhasvata (Bg 10.11)

So here Lord Brahma is being described by Srila Prabhupada in his purport as “Since he is liberated from the majority of the follies of the common living entities he was in knowledge of the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” It is not that Lord Brahma is limited to this nistha stage, but sometimes the question is raised, “Srila Prabhupada,” or to whomever is the person being addressed, Srila Prabhupada was once addressed, “What about Brahmas being attracted to his own daughter? How do we understand that?”

In one circumstance where I was present, Prabhupada became like lightening and thunder simultaneously when hearing this question. His answer was “Brahma is pure enough!!!” Brahma is fully under shelter and care and protection of Krishna. In the purport Srila Prabhupada is re-affirming that Brahma is in this liberated position. To be identified as a liberated position, what is the criterion? Brahma is who knows Krishna. What is the indication that one knows Krishna? That they are fully engaged in devotional service unto Him! Their mind is fully fixed upon him and there is nothing else that they do but His devotional service. This is the standard that we are receiving in this purport. That is the standard.

And because of that standard he knew this is not just Kardama Muni and Devahuti’s son, this is the Personality of Godhead. Brahma came to worship Him and glorify His devotees. Once again, Brahma’s exhibition of his understanding of Krishna is his clear recognition of how great are Kardama and Devahuti. Brahma knows that their devotion is so strong that they invited Him to become their son, and He, the Personality of Godhead, accepted their invitation.

I worship them, and by worshipping them I am worshipping the Personality of Godhead. This is our teaching of devotional service, just as Raghunath Upadhyaya responded to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

“There are those who are afraid of material existence, they worship the Vedas. Some worship the smrti and others worship the Mahabharat, but as for me as far as I am concerned I worship Krishna’s father Nanda Maharaja. Why because in his courtyard the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is playing. I worship Nanda Maharaj.”

Grantharaja Srimad Bhagavatam ki jaya!