Srimad Bhagavatam – 1.12.34 by HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj @ ISKCON Chennai on 5 February 2025
ŚB 1.12.34
tena sambhṛta-sambhāro
dharma-putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ
vājimedhais tribhir bhīto
yajñaiḥ samayajad dharim
Translation
By those riches, the King could procure the ingredients for three horse sacrifices. Thus the pious King Yudhiṣṭhira, who was very fearful after the Battle of Kurukṣetra, pleased Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead.
Purport
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the ideal and celebrated pious King of the world, and still he was greatly afraid after the execution of the Battle of Kurukṣetra because of the mass killing in the fight, all of which was done only to install him on the throne. He therefore took all the responsibility for sins committed in the warfare, and to get rid of all these sins, he wanted to perform three sacrifices in which horses are offered at the altar. Such a sacrifice is very costly. Even Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira had to collect the necessary heaps of gold left by Mahārāja Marutta and the brāhmaṇas who were given gold in charity by King Marutta. The learned brāhmaṇas could not take away all the loads of gold given by Mahārāja Marutta, and therefore they left behind the major portion of the gift. And Mahārāja Marutta also did not again collect such heaps of gold given away in charity. Besides that, all the golden plates and utensils which were used in the sacrifice were also thrown in the dustbins, and all such heaps of gold remained unclaimed property for a long time, till Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira collected them for his own purposes. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa advised the brothers of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to collect the unclaimed property because it belonged to the King. The more astonishing thing is that no subject of the state also collected such unclaimed gold for industrial enterprise or anything like that. This means that the state citizens were completely satisfied with all necessities of life and therefore not inclined to accept unnecessary productive enterprises for sense gratification. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira also requisitioned the heaps of gold for performing sacrifices and for pleasing the Supreme, Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Otherwise he had no desire to collect them for the state treasury.
One should take lessons from the acts of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. He was afraid of sins committed on the battlefield, and therefore he wanted to satisfy the supreme authority. This indicates that unintentional sins are also committed in our daily occupational discharge of duties, and to counteract even such unintentional crimes, one must perform sacrifices as they are recommended in the revealed scriptures. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ) that one must perform sacrifices recommended in the scriptures in order to get rid of commitments of all unauthorized work, or even unintentional crimes which we are apt to commit. By doing so, one shall be freed from all kinds of sins. And those who do not do so but work for self-interest or sense gratification have to undergo all tribulations accrued from committed sins. Therefore, the main purpose of performing sacrifices is to satisfy the Supreme Personality Hari. The process of performing sacrifices may be different in terms of different times, places and persons, but the aim of such sacrifices is one and the same at all times and in all circumstances, viz., satisfaction of the Supreme Lord Hari. That is the way of pious life, and that is the way of peace and prosperity in the world at large. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira did all these as the ideal pious king in the world.
If Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is a sinner in his daily discharge of duties in royal administration of state affairs, wherein killing of man and animals is a recognized art, then we can just imagine the amount of sins committed consciously or unconsciously by the untrained population of the Kali-yuga who have no way to perform sacrifice to please the Supreme Lord. The Bhāgavatam says, therefore, that the prime duty of the human being is to satisfy the Supreme Lord by the performance of one’s occupational duty (Bhāg. 1.2.13).
Let any man of any place or community, caste or creed be engaged in any sort of occupational duty, but he must agree to perform sacrifices as it is recommended in the scriptures for the particular place, time and person. In the Vedic literatures it is recommended that in Kali-yuga people engage in glorifying the Lord by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa (kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet) without offense. By doing so one can be freed from all sins and thus can attain the highest perfection of life by returning home, back to Godhead. We have already discussed this more than once in this great literature in different places, especially in the introductory portion by sketching the life of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and still we are repeating the same with a view to bring about peace and prosperity in society.
The Lord has declared openly in Bhagavad-gītā how He becomes pleased with us, and the same process is practically demonstrated in the life and preaching work of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The perfect process of performing yajñas, or sacrifice, to please the Supreme Lord Hari (the Personality of Godhead, who gets us free from all miseries of existence) is to follow the ways of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this dark age of quarrel and dissension.
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira had to collect heaps of gold to secure the paraphernalia for the horse sacrifice yajñas in days of sufficiency, so we can hardly think of such performance of yajñas in these days of insufficiency and complete scarcity of gold. At the present moment we have heaps of papers and promises of their being converted into gold by economic development of modern civilization, and still there is no possibility of spending riches like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, either individually or collectively or by state patronization. Just suitable, therefore, for the age is the method recommended by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in terms of the śāstra. Such a method requires no expenditure at all and yet can award more benefit than other expensive methods of yajña performances.
The horse sacrifice yajña or cow sacrifice yajña performed by the Vedic regulations shouldn’t be misunderstood as a process of killing animals. On the contrary, animals offered for the yajña were rejuvenated to a new span of life by the transcendental power of chanting the Vedic hymns, which, if properly chanted, are different from what is understood by the common layman. The Veda-mantras are all practical, and the proof is rejuvenation of the sacrificed animal.
There is no possibility of such methodical chanting of the Vedic hymns by the so-called brāhmaṇas or priests of the present age. The untrained descendants of the twice-born families are no more like their forefathers, and thus they are counted amongst the śūdras, or once-born men. The once-born man is unfit to chant the Vedic hymns, and therefore there is no practical utility of chanting the original hymns.
And to save them all, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu propounded the saṅkīrtana movement or yajña for all practical purposes, and the people of the present age are strongly recommended to follow this sure and recognized path.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj :
So this verse describes how Yudhisthira collected all the wealth from King Maruta and then performed three horse sacrifices to please the Lord. He did so because he was afraid. He was afraid of sin committed during the battle of Kurukshetra. So this was his way of counteracting the sin. So in normal Vedic life or in the Varanashrama system, sin is considered to be a big obstacle. It will cause suffering.
The goal of the Varanashrama system is Artha, Dharma and Kama, we don’t have any suffering. So there is no scarcity, we get extra for enjoyment by following the principles of Dharma. And Dharma means doing punyas and avoiding sin.
So and of course here Yudhisthira is described as Dharma Putra, he was the son of Dharma. Actually he is the son of Yamaraja. And what does Yamaraja do? He punishes people who do sinful activities. So Yudhisthira was very familiar with the concept of sin and how to counteract sin. In doing these sacrifices, he was not only thinking of his own welfare but thinking of the welfare of all the citizens.
Because the sin was great, there had to be a very great atonement or prayaschitta. So the horse sacrifice is a big effort and it requires a lot of wealth. So therefore this is a big prayaschitta. So for one horse sacrifice, this is a big effort. He did three horse sacrifices. So this indicates his great fear of sin and also the amount of sin.
The purpose ultimately was to worship the Supreme Lord. Ultimately that is the purpose of all the rules and regulations in the systems of Varanashrama Dharma. But it may be indirect in many cases. So we have two goals here, getting rid of the sinful reactions and worshipping the Lord. And of course the horse sacrifice itself will never destroy all the sins unless there is worship of the Lord in the sacrifice. So on the other hand, we also know Yudhishthira is a great devotee.
And as Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, I save you from all sinful reactions. All you have to do is surrender. Yudhishthira was completely surrendered, therefore no sin. So why should he be fearful of sin at all? If he has faith in Krishna’s words, in Bhagavad Gita, no fear should be there. So of course, acting from a normal point of view, yes, a person should feel fear of sin because of killing so many people. But in the case of Yudhishthira, there should be no sin at all. And thus we could not say there was real fear in Yudhishthira. But he is carrying out the acts of a king. So he follows all the rules of a king in Varnashrama system and thus he carries out horse sacrifices.
So Krishna says, you surrender to me, you are free of all sins. So if we simply worship the Lord, as the last thing says, samayajad harim ultimately you worship the lord we don’t have to do all these sacrifices. Nevertheless, we need a means to worship the Lord and surrender to the Lord.
So, I spoke about the different methods in different yugas, these are all means of worshipping the Lord and surrendering to the Lord. In these methods, however, the goal is not to get rid of sinful reactions, but simply to please the Lord.
So the goal is much better than simply doing worship of the Lord as an atonement. So, in different ages, there are different means of satisfying the Lord. In Treta Yuga, the common method of pleasing the Lord was Yajna.
But Yudhishthira was in Dwapara Yuga, method was not Yajna but he did Yajna with great endeavour, he had to gather all the wealth to do these sacrifices. No other person in the world could do such a Yajna. So, it’s not a process common for all people. So, this happened in Dwapara Yuga. What to speak of Kali Yuga? So, as Prabhupada explains in the Purport, Lord Caitanya has introduced the Yajna for Kali Yuga, that is Nama Sankirtana. So this how we please the lord in Kali yuga. By pleasing the Lord, we attain the Lord.
And we don’t have to think about sinful activity. Automatically, all of this is taken care of by the Supreme Lord. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita Ma sucah, don’t worry, don’t worry about sin at all [laughs]. So, the emphasis is simply upon worship the Lord to please the Lord. And then automatically, the fear of sinful reactions, etc., is taken care of. So, the elaborate system was established and maintained by the kings to institute Dharma. And it has to be constantly maintained. And thus, the kings come in specific lines of Manus, who are empowered by the Supreme Lord. If we try to introduce our own system, it won’t work, because the empowered person isn’t there, they will not have the qualification. So, that system has to be carefully maintained, and the Lord has an arrangement for that through the dynasties of Manus. So, the system of Dharma is there for the people in general, those who don’t surrender completely to the Lord. So, in that system, there are methods for performing pious activities, avoiding sin, and if you have sin, to perform atonements.
And people are trained up properly under the king, then they follow the system nicely, and they avoid suffering as much as possible. However, in Kali Yuga, the descendant of Manu has disappeared. So, we don’t have an authority to institute and preserve that system nicely for common people.
So, what are the people to do? So of course Krishna says sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, just surrender to Krishna. But he teaches it to Arjuna who was highly qualified. And he says don’t teach this highest secret to people without faith, the envious people. So, what are the common people to do in Kali Yuga? How are they to prevent sin, at least lead a comfortable life? What to speak of giving up the body and going to the spiritual world, they can’t even do that. They can’t even live peacefully. So, Krishna says, well, you surrender, but then he says, oh, this is all very secret knowledge, don’t tell it to everybody [laughs].
Nevertheless, the Lord is very intelligent, and he gives a method for the common people also in Kali Yuga. So, definitely, it should be surrender, but also we need a method. So, that method is Nama Sankirtana. And, the Lord never says, you keep Nama Sankirtana secret. No, opposite, make it public [laughs]. Lord Caitanya ordered his followers, oh, you go out everywhere in the streets of Navadvipa and tell everybody, chant the name.
So, the name has two purposes. One, it gives the lower purpose of Dharma, that is, to get people to avoid suffering by avoiding sin, etc. So, as we know, chanting the name easily destroys all sinful reactions, as in the case of Ajamila. And, it’s a method available for everybody, not a secret, you don’t have faith or no faith, it still works. So, it is a process for people who don’t have Dharma at all. But, it fulfills the purpose of that whole Varnashrama system structure.
So, a much easier process, and we don’t need a king to maintain it nicely. But, then of course, it’s not the ultimate purpose of Nama Sankirtana. So, yes, it does destroy the sin, but as I said, the ultimate purpose of chanting the holy name and Bhakti in general, is simply to please the Lord. By pleasing the Lord, we not only get rid of all the sin, we also destroy material life completely, and we go to the spiritual world. But, of course, our goal also is not to go to the spiritual world, our goal is simply to serve the Lord eternally. But, by doing so, we surpass the goal of Dharma, which is to live happily.
Through Dharma, we get Artha and Kama, which are also material and temporary. Through Nama Sankirtana, we get eternal Ananda. So, both of these purposes are accomplished by chanting the name of the Lord. So, it’s a process for common people, and it replaces Dharma, but it’s also a process for the most exalted people to attain the spiritual world.
Hare Krishna
Q&A
1) Haribol Maharaj. Bhagavatham says all the sacrifices are to please the Supreme Lord. Like Buddha appeared because of too much animal killing because people misunderstood the fire sacrifice but, the Lord is pleased by the devotees, by the process of devotional service. How animal sacrifice pleases the Lord? Because the animal is put on the live fire on the sacrifice. The common man thinks this is a cruelty. So, how we address this today?
In general, taking life, violence, etc., is condemned, and it causes sin. But, there’s always exceptions to the rule. So, if the Kshatriya kills in battle, no sin, he goes to Svargaloka [laughs]. So, similarly, killing the horse or the cow in a sacrifice, according to the proper rules, it doesn’t incur a sin, it incurs Punya. So, we can make exceptions if the exceptions are there already in the scriptures those things we can follow and you get proper results.
However, scripture also says in Kali yuga these animal sacrifices are not allowed you cannot do them properly, so you only incur sin by doing them so don’t do them.
I
believe they also introduced a system by which you don’t use real animals. You make animals out of dough [laughs], and you sacrifice those animals instead [laughs].
2) Is the purpose of animal sacrifice is to relieve them from animal body to human body.
Well, two purposes one of course is as Yudhishthir is doing here it helps us to get rid of our sinful reactions and secondly, of course, it will also help the animal advance in life.
3) Thank you Maharaj for a wonderful class. Maharaj, the few reasons that you gave why Yudhishthira Maharaj actually went ahead, although Krishna Himself practically instructed Arjuna to fight and all the Pandavas to engage in this war, I still find Yudhishthira’s lamentation a little bewildering. I mean, I understand because he is a Varnashram king, he does that and it’s a form of worship of the Lord. But why does he have to lament? Lamentation means that he actually feels himself guilty of engaging in that act, and which he considers as sinful.
Of course, we see that Krishna also laments [laughs]. His father, when there was a demon, said, your father is dead, and he showed his head, and Krishna cries. But obviously it’s fake. It’s not Krishna really crying [laughs].
However, we know that even Arjuna, he didn’t want to fight the battle of Kurukshetra because killing people, etc. Commentary of Acharya says, well, of course, he should do his duty, etc., should follow the order of Krishna. But it is a good sign that a devotee does not like to see the suffering of anybody. Of course, because it is the material world, everybody dies. And therefore we say, don’t lament for the living or the dead, etc. Nevertheless, the devotee feels the suffering of other living entities. So, that’s a good quality as well. But we should also not be overwhelmed by such… until it becomes lamentation.
4) Hare Krishna maharaj. So Maharaj, we heard that while chanting the sins are eradicated and the Sadhaka can go back to the spiritual world. Just in case that we happen to reach the spiritual world, would we remember that we are coming from ISKCON and we get to meet Srila Prabhupada? And would he remember and do we remember if we happen to meet Srila Prabhupada?
So, in the spiritual world, we definitely don’t remember a material world. So, if we do have material memories of something, that does not exist in the spiritual world. However, we are in the material world, we have a material body, we have material memories, etc. But, as a devotee, we are practicing bhakti, so we can also have spiritual memory. So, whatever we accomplish in the material world, in spiritual life, that goes with us in the spiritual world.
However, it is also stripped of all material association. So, it won’t be a memory of life in the material world. There is no past in the spiritual world. It is always the present.
But in the present, in the spiritual world, if you had certain preferences coming from the material world or whatever, those can be there in the spiritual world.
Devotee : Thank you Maharaj, that’s very hope-giving.
5) Maharaj, I have one more question which is not directly related to the class.
The question is that sometimes we get the dreams of our spiritual masters, our Siksha Guru and also. Does that indicate that there is some progression in our consciousness to have such dreams? Like those dreams, are they spiritual dreams? And is there any significance?
If we are not advanced in devotional service, such dreams may not be too significant. Because generally in dreams, we are picking up different impressions from our waking state and mixing it all together. However, if one is very advanced, then the dreams may not be of that nature. They may be actually more spiritual than material. And therefore instructions given there may be very important spiritual instructions.
6) Hare Krishna Maharaj. I have a question regarding chanting. So, neophyte devotees might committee offenses while chanting as well as the visitors who are chanting for the first time, unknowingly they might commit offenses in that case how we should nullify those offenses or what sort of reaction we would be getting for it?
So, unknowing offenses, we can’t do much about that. However, to the best of our ability, we should know what the offenses are and we can consciously avoid them. And certainly, even unconscious offenses do have some effect. But that can be counteracted by steady devotional service. So, the more serious ones are those which are done with negative intentions that are caused by Raja and Tamo guna. So, if those offenses are committed, then we have to very carefully follow the prescribed methods to get rid of those offenses. And essentially, it involves more intensive chanting of the name along with regret for having committed the offense.
7) Maharaj, Yudhishthira Maharaj performed this yajna as a part of atonement and also to please the Lord. And what about the victims of the battle, families? How do they get benefited by this yajna?
Of course, individuals should, if they have committed sins, then individually they have to do the prayaschittas. Of course, because the king is in charge of everybody, then he has a bigger responsibility. But each individual also has his individual actions and he is responsible for that.
8) The sin committed by a person is upon the Atma or the body?
Well, we feel the effects immediately on the body. So, you may have an accident, your hand may get cut off, etc. Nothing can affect the soul, you cannot cut the soul or anything. So, obviously the immediate effect is on the body. The experiencer of the happiness or the suffering is the Jiva.
You take the Jiva out of the body, the body cannot experience anything. So, the Atma is experiencing the suffering, though actually it can’t suffer in one sense, because you cannot burn or drown or cut up the soul or anything, you can’t do anything to it. Nevertheless, experience is there because of this covering of ignorance by which we identify with the body.
So, the Jiva is the experiencer, the Jiva is also the ultimate doer. So, when we do sinful activity, ultimately it’s not the body that is responsible, the Jiva is responsible. So, we get effect on the body, effect on the Jiva, the bad karma.
9) In Indra-Diti’s episode, we see that Indra was waiting for Diti to commit a sin. Once, she didn’t wash her hands, mouth and feet after having food. He entered into Diti’s womb and killed the embryo. Indra was having the feel that the in womb there is already his enemy. So, why he was waiting for the moment of that sin?
Yes. Oh, then he could enter in and destroy the child in the womb or whatever. In other words, she was protected as long as she didn’t commit a sin. When she committed a sin, then he could enter in and disturb her.
10) In Bhagavatam 4th Canto, Prācīnabarhiṣat’s episode, we see that Narada Maharishi shows to Prācīnabarhiṣat, the animals you killed in sacrifice are looking at you from the sky to take revenge on you. If the animals are going to get benefited through the sacrifice, how is it that they will wait to take revenge?
So, he actually misused the animal sacrifice. The goal is not to do more and more animal sacrifices these are things which are done occasionally. It appears like he did more and more sacrifice so that I get more and more punya and get more enjoyment in the furture by killing more animals [laughs]. So, his ultimate motive was greed and then he got opposite effects.
Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatham ki Jai! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj Ki Jai!!!