Srimad Bhagavatam 11.12.16 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | 14 June 2021
jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī
gopījana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī
yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana
yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11 Chapter 12 Verse 16.
ŚB 11.12.16
śrī-uddhava uvāca
saṁśayaḥ śṛṇvato vācaṁ
tava yogeśvareśvara
na nivartata ātma-stho
yena bhrāmyati me manaḥ
Translation
Śrī Uddhava said: O Lord of all masters of mystic power, I have heard Your words, but the doubt in my heart does not go away; thus my mind is bewildered.
Purport
In the first verse of the Tenth Chapter of this canto, the Lord stated that one should take shelter of Him and execute one’s duties within the varṇāśrama system without material desire. Uddhava interpreted this statement as recommending karma-miśrā bhakti, or devotional service mixed with a tendency toward fruitive activities. It is a fact that until one understands Lord Kṛṣṇa to be everything, it is not possible to retire from ordinary, worldly duties. Rather, one is encouraged to offer the fruits of such work to the Lord. In verse 4 of the Tenth Chapter, the Lord recommended that one retire from worldly duties and systematically cultivate knowledge, accepting Him as the Supreme. Uddhava understood this instruction to indicate jñāna-miśrā bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord mixed with the secondary desire to accumulate knowledge. Beginning with verse 35 of the Tenth Chapter, Uddhava inquired about the process of material conditioning and liberation from material life. The Lord replied elaborately, stating that without devotional service the process of philosophical speculation can never be perfected. In Chapter Eleven, verse 18, the Lord emphasized the importance of faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in verse 23 Kṛṣṇa extensively widened His discussion of devotional service, emphasizing that one should be faithful and hear and chant the glories of the Lord. The Lord concluded that both the development and perfection of devotional service depend on association with the devotees. In verse 26 of the Eleventh Chapter, Uddhava inquired about the actual ways and means of devotional service and about the symptoms of devotional perfection. And in verse 48 Lord Kṛṣṇa stated that unless one takes to the process of devotional service, one’s attempt for liberation will be useless. One must associate with the devotees of the Lord and follow in their footsteps. Finally, in verse 14 of this chapter the Lord categorically rejected the paths of fruitive activities and mental speculation and in verse 15 recommended that one exclusively surrender unto Him with all one’s heart.
Having received such elaborate and technical instructions on the perfection of life, Uddhava is bewildered, and his mind is afflicted with doubt about what he should actually do. Lord Kṛṣṇa has described many procedures and the results of such procedures, all of which ultimately lead to the single goal of Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Uddhava therefore desires that Lord Kṛṣṇa state in simple terms what should be done. Arjuna makes a similar request of the Lord at the beginning of the Third Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Uddhava is stating here, “My dear friend Kṛṣṇa, first You recommended that I perform worldly activities within the varṇāśrama system, and then You advised that I reject such activities and take to the path of philosophical research. Now rejecting the path of jñāna, You recommend that I simply surrender unto You in bhakti-yoga. If I accept Your decision, in the future You may again go back to Your original point and recommend worldly activities.” By his boldness in disclosing his mind, Uddhava reveals his intimate friendship with Lord Kṛṣṇa.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So here we have a very nice summary of all the previous chapters. And Uddhava here expresses himself by showing doubt. We see the same takes place in Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna is in doubt so he asks Krishna. So this is a common method of gaining knowledge that is in the scriptures. Someone asks a question and then a sage or Krishna gives an answer. So this is the proper procedure.
Now we see in the Bhagavad-gita where it talks about Pranipat and Pariprasna. Pariprasna means inquiry. In the Nectar of Devotion, one of the first principles, the first 10 angas of Bhakti is sad dharma prccha, to inquire about Bhakti. And of course, in the beginning of Brahma Sutras, we have athato brahma jignasa, you should ask about the Supreme Lord.
So, questioning about spiritual matters is very important. If we don’t have an inquisitive mind, we don’t gain knowledge. The knowledge may be there and someone may explain it, but if we’re not eager to accept that knowledge, then we won’t understand it. Nor will we put it into practice. So therefore, a desire for knowledge, eagerness for knowledge is very, very necessary.
So this eagerness for knowledge is different from the jnana of Jnana Yoga. There is an interest in knowledge there for liberation. However, here the quest for knowledge is directed towards Supreme Lord. So this is encouraged, it’s part of Bhakti itself. So we should never think that Bhakti simply means to be very sentimental, emotional, etc. and we don’t think at all.
So, all the scriptures, Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Itihasas are there so that we get proper knowledge. But, we have to accept the knowledge in the proper mood. So therefore, faith in that scripture is very, very important. If we’re constantly afflicted with doubt, then we cannot accept the knowledge. So, nevertheless, we see here Uddhava is expressing doubt also, saṁśaya, this means doubt. However, we also know that Uddhava is nitya-siddha devotee, he’s eternally associated with the Lord, so technically he has no doubts. So therefore, he has a doubt in order to enlighten the conditioned souls who hear this Krishna’s explanation.
In the same way, Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita asks Krishna what to do. But Krishna is already perfect. Simply serving Krishna is what we should do. But he acts like a mortal human being and he says, I’m bewildered, I don’t know my duty, I think I’m my material body.
So therefore, we have to accept that, this is not real doubt and ignorance, it is simply there to teach us. So, once we accept with faith, the scripture we can question. But we never question the very basis of scripture. So we don’t say, “Why does Krishna exist? Maybe he doesn’t exist.” So this kind of doubt should not be there.
So we have faith to accept scripture, so that faith means we already have a belief in the existence of Supreme Lord. So once we accept the existence of Supreme Lord, then scripture will explain the details of why we accept, why Krishna is God, etc. And because, as is pointed out in this purport, Krishna said many different things to Uddhava, there may be doubt.
The same doubt is there in Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita. And after Krishna has explained Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Astanga Yoga and Bhakti Yoga, then in Chapter 12, Arjuna asks the question. He says “I am a little confused by your words. Which is better, to meditate on impersonal Brahman or worship Krishna?” Because Krishna has said both things. So in answer to that, then Krishna gives him a very clear answer. And He says, “it’s better you worship Me.”
So here again, we have a similar presentation by Krishna. He talks about Karma, Jnana and Bhakti. And after this, Uddhava says, well, you’re praising everything, so which one am I supposed to do [Laughs]? If we look closely, however, then we’ll finally see that Krishna did give the answer to everything in the last previous verses. As in the Bhagavad Gita, He says, give up everything and worship me. However, to make that very clear, then Uddhava here asks this question. And again, the answer will be repeated, so that the Jivas of the material world can understand very clearly.
So one of the techniques of scripture is to repeat a statement. If a statement is very important, then it will be repeated several times. So there’s no fault in saying the same thing twice. So therefore, if Krishna has already said it, and He says it again, there is no fault. It is to make things very clear. This, of course, we can say practically speaking, we can apply that with many instructions of Prabhupada.
So we can look through all the different instructions and statements, and then one can point out one little instruction, and the Prabhupada says this. So then you can say, oh, everybody should do this. This is the number one point. But then, did he say it once only, or did he say it many times? So if he says it many times, then yes, then we can accept it as very important. So sometimes by repetition, we can see what is the most important statement.
So there are many ways we can interpret scripture. But the Acharyas have laid out the principles on how to get the meaning out of things. And if we follow those procedures, then we will come to the proper conclusion. So that is very important for us. We have to come to proper conclusion.
Unfortunately, none of us are very much trained in this procedure of finding out what is the proper meaning according to principles of interpretation which are explained in the Vedic literature. And therefore, the Acharyas go through this process, and this is what they do in their commentary. So using the principles of getting the meaning, they give us the meaning of verses and words and whole sections of the Bhagavatam or other works.
So a lot of the statements are not difficult, they are quite clear. But then there are some statements that may be unclear. Because there is contradiction. So then we have to think very carefully instead and get the right meaning. So in Bhagavad Gita, for instance, Krishna declares to Arjuna, you should do Karma Yoga. You should worship the Devatas and get nice material results. Karma Yoga is the best system. So this glorifies Karma Yoga. And of course there is a whole section in the Vedas, the Karma Kanda which glorifies Karma as the ultimate process. And we have all the Dharma sastras to glorify Varnashrama and Karma.
But when Krishna goes to Chapter 9 and He says, oh, worship the Devatas is for fools. The result is you go to Swarga Loka, Svarga Loka is temporary. So therefore, it’s also foolish. And instead he says, you do Bhakti Yoga. So there is a contradiction here. Krishna says two different things. And this is not the only place. There are whole Puranas that have glorification of Shiva and Devatas. And if people read those scriptures, like Shiva Purana or Linga Purana, they’ll become devotees of Shiva.
If we have to read Vishnu Purana or Srimad Bhagavatam, then we have the opposite. Don’t worship anyone except Vishnu or Krishna. So if we have contrary statements, opposite statements, then we have to solve that contradiction. Of course, some sentences are stronger and some are weaker. Simply because it’s in scripture it doesn’t mean that it is absolute.
If we take chapter 3 of Bhagavad Gita and isolate it and forget about the whole Bhagavad Gita, then yes, we would think Karma Yoga is the supreme process for everybody. So, therefore we cannot take statements in isolation or a chapters in isolation, or even one scripture in isolation, we have to see in relation to everything else. And by doing so, we are getting the overall picture and using the proper means of getting the meaning then we get the truth.
So to make it a little easier, sometimes we have opportunity like this, where Uddhava directly says, okay, please answer this [Laughs]. What did you really mean by glorifying all these different processes? So therefore, when we get an answer from Krishna, this will help us get it correct.
And we can apply this answer, Krishna, to other sections also where there are contradictions. So therefore, the lesson we learn is that we have to be very careful when we read scriptures. We have to use intelligence and the best way to use that is to follow the Acharyas.
Okay, Hare Krishna.
Q & A :
1.) If a sadhaka interested in practicing Madhurya Bhakti, though he might be serving Gaura Nitai deities, does he also start serving RadhaKrishna deities?
Actually, we don’t worship Caitanya Mahaprabhu by Himself. We worship Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Radha and Krishna. So that’s the tradition in our Sampradaya. We consider Caitanya Mahaprabhu non different from Radha-Krishna, so we worship them.
2.) Maharaj why there seems to be differences in perceptions between Gokula and Goloka? Because there seems to be inconceivable differences and non-differences of Parakiya and Svakiya rasas. So why there are differences in perceptions between these places?
Well, in one sense, there is no difference. So any difference is because of our material mind. Nevertheless, we can say there are some features in the pastimes in material world that appear not to be there in the spiritual world. And therefore we say, oh, they’re different. But this is partly due to our own conditioned mind. If we reach a state beyond conditioning, then we will understand they are non-different. But for normal perception, then we see some obvious difference.
We don’t have demons in spiritual world. But in Vrindavan, we see the demons come and attack the people of Vrindavan. Krishna doesn’t grow in the spiritual world, He is Kaishora age. But Krishna in the material world, He is Kaumara age, then He is Pauganda age, then He is Kaishora age. So we see some slight differences.
However, in the spiritual world, they are not aware of such differences. And of course, those same persons like Nanda and Yasoda and the Gopis in the spiritual world, they come to the material world and they experience everything. And they don’t say, oh, this is so much different [Laughs], they don’t say that. But everything is always fresh. Whether it’s in the material world or the spiritual world, all those experiences are always new. And thus whatever difference we see between the two, don’t really exist for those devotes.
3.) Maharaj what a disciple should do to overcome short comings and adhere to the instructions of guru properly and progress in devotional service? There are two shortcomings which are being referred to, which is getting inputs more than what can be followed and also feeling guilty of not following the instructions of Guru. Chewing more than what can be swallowed.
Well, we have in Madhurya Kadambini, a neophyte devotee, one of his qualities is Utsaha. Utsaha means enthusiasm and that’s good. But here in this context, it means it’s not good. It’s over-enthusiasm, false enthusiasm.
So we have to do our devotional service according to our qualification. If we go beyond that and try to do more than our qualification, then we may fail. Just like a little boy, he goes to school. And then the first day at school, after he comes back, then he thinks, I know everything. And he thinks he’s capable of doing anything in school.
So in Bhakti Yoga also, we should not be over-ambitious. And gradually we can do our Bhakti and by that we can increase our qualification so we can do more. So the ultimate order of any Guru is somehow you should serve Radha and Krishna. And any instruction that he gives should relate to that.
Of course, the instruction may take any particular form or whatever, but ultimately it should lead to this, serving the lotus feet of Radha and Krishna. We try to do any service with that consciousness. And Krishna accepts that. As He says in Bhagavad Gita, offer me a leaf, a fruit, a flower with devotion and I accept.
4.) Maharaj the next question is with reference to Srila Vishwanath Cakravarti Thakura’s commentary. This chapter seems to start with association and gradually drifts towards jnana. How is this reconciled in this chapter? Because as per Srila Vishwanath Cakravarthi Thakura, this instruction is particularly aimed at Uddhava. So where and how that reconciliation is done? Because it starts with association and gradually shifts towards jnana.
Oh, well, as we see, everything is not always in complete order. So, if we look at this chapter and as it progresses after this point, of course, just before this, we had this whole glorification of the Gopis. And we look at the last verse of this chapter 24, then again he comes back to glorification of Bhakti. So, actually he says you should have very intense Bhakti.
And, of course, He has some concession for knowledge, etc., as well. But in any case, the conclusion again is Bhakti. So, by this we understand that Krishna does not reject other processes, but they always have to be as secondary to the process of Bhakti.
So, therefore, of course, He is going to say do Bhakti and nothing else, but He is also including all the other processes as secondary processes that can be favourable for the development of Bhakti.
5.) Can the disciple depend on the spiritual master for direction in matters other than devotional service? The reason behind is we see that Arjuna was depending upon the Lord in every moment of his life even after that instruction of Gita.
So Krishna Arjuna is very special because the Guru is the Supreme Lord, so he knows everything. In the material world, we have Guru, but when we talk about asking questions to Guru and getting knowledge, we’re not talking about material knowledge or material question. Ultimately, his purpose is for you to give up the material world. So you cannot depend on a spiritual master to get advice on how to advance in material life. If you do, then you may end up with a miserable material life [Laughs]. His instructions will make you do more bhakti and then you will have no material life [Laughs].
6) A disciple is not really ambitious and he feels that he is unqualified for certain services and certain projects. But still spiritual master or the spiritual authority instructs and desires that the disciple should take up certain responsibilities. In such situations, how to handle this in a very careful way?
Well, it depends on the service that he’s supposed to do. So, of course, the service in one sense is spiritual. But as the Guru also within ISKCON does not operate independent of the system. So whatever instruction the Guru gives in terms of service has to be coordinated with the managerial system and its instruction.
So temple president may give you one service, Guru will give you a different service. What do you do? So, in a proper way, of course, is that the Guru should consult with others before he gives service. His main purpose is simply to give spiritual guidance. And it is up to the temples to give the service. So the two should not be conflicting.
7.) Maharaj we see that Uddhava was knowing all the answers while asking the questions and was just asking for the conditioned souls. Was Uddhava also covered by Yogamaya?
More or less like Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!!!