Srimad Bhagavatam – 1.14.43~44 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | May 27, 2025 |
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
jaya sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-adwaita gadadhara
shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 14 Verse 43.
ŚB 1.14.43
अपि स्वित्पर्यभुङ्क्थास्त्वं सम्भोज्यान् वृद्धबालकान् ।
जुगुप्सितं कर्म किञ्चित्कृतवान्न यदक्षमम् ॥ ४३ ॥
api svit parya-bhuṅkthās tvaṁ
sambhojyān vṛddha-bālakān
jugupsitaṁ karma kiñcit
kṛtavān na yad akṣamam
Synonyms
api svit — if it were so that; parya — by leaving aside; bhuṅkthāḥ — have dined; tvam — yourself; sambhojyān — deserving to dine together; vṛddha — the old men; bālakān — boys; jugupsitam — abominable; karma — action; kiñcit — something; kṛtavān — you must have done; na — not; yat — that which; akṣamam — unpardonable.
Translation
Have you not taken care of old men and boys who deserve to dine with you? Have you left them and taken your meals alone? Have you committed some unpardonable mistake which is considered to be abominable?
Purport
It is the duty of a householder to feed first of all the children, the old members of the family, the brāhmaṇas and the invalids. Besides that, an ideal householder is required to call for any unknown hungry man to come and dine before he himself goes to take his meals. He is required to call for such a hungry man thrice on the road. The neglect of this prescribed duty of a householder, especially in the matter of the old men and children, is unpardonable.
ŚB 1.14.44
कच्चित् प्रेष्ठतमेनाथ हृदयेनात्मबन्धुना ।
शून्योऽस्मि रहितो नित्यं मन्यसे तेऽन्यथा न रुक् ॥ ४४ ॥
kaccit preṣṭhatamenātha
hṛdayenātma-bandhunā
śūnyo ’smi rahito nityaṁ
manyase te ’nyathā na ruk
Synonyms
kaccit — whether; preṣṭha-tamena — unto the most dear one; atha — my brother Arjuna; hṛdayena — most intimate; ātma-bandhunā — own friend Lord Kṛṣṇa; śūnyaḥ — void; asmi — I am; rahitaḥ — having lost; nityam — for all time; manyase — you think; te — your; anyathā — otherwise; na — never; ruk — mental distress.
Translation
Or is it that you are feeling empty for all time because you might have lost your most intimate friend, Lord Kṛṣṇa? O my brother Arjuna, I can think of no other reason for your becoming so dejected.
Purport
All the inquisitiveness of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira about the world situation was already conjectured by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira on the basis of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance from the vision of the world, and this was now disclosed by him because of the acute dejection of Arjuna, which could not have been possible otherwise. So even though he was doubtful about it, he was obliged to inquire frankly from Arjuna on the basis of Śrī Nārada’s indication.
“Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So in verse 43, we get the last of the different questions about the situation. And here he’s talking about Arjuna not respecting the elders and the boys and the guests. So the householder has many rules to follow. We have, of course, Brahmacari s, Grhasthas, Vanaprasathas, Sannyasis, but we’ll see that most of the rules are for the Grhasthas. And Grhasthas may be sudras, vaisyas, kshatriyas or brahmanas. So whatever their varna, they have some common rules that they have to follow. So one of these rules is mentioned here. And that concerns food. So the householder is responsible for feeding everybody. So he has to feed all of his dependents. That means the children, the women and the elders. It goes further than that, he has to feed anyone. Anyone who comes to the house has to be fed.
So this, of course, means serving the guests, ‘Atithi Seva’. And it’s a very important part of the household duties. If one doesn’t do it, one becomes sinful. Of course, we know that the householder also has to do what is called the Pancha-maha-yajna. Of course, yajna usually means sacrifice into fire. In this case, it doesn’t exactly mean sacrifice into fire, it means a type of worship. Yajna is a type of worship. So one is you have to worship the Vedas, so you have to recite the Vedas every day, that’s the worship. You have to respect the sages. You have to respect the pitras. To do that, you offer tarpanas. You offer some water every day.
You have to respect ‘bhuta’, which means all living entities. So every day, you have to feed some animals. So you have to maybe feed cows or crows or birds or something, you have to put some food out for some animals every day. The other one is you have to serve ‘nara’, or human beings. So that means, you have to welcome people into your house and feed them. So you have to do that every day. If you do it every day, you’re exempted from your accidental sins that you commit every day, like stepping on a bug on the floor, or when you light the fire, you destroy a bug or something, or when you grind your idlis, you destroy a bug or whatever. So all of these accidental sins are exempted if you do your Pancha-maha-yajna. How many people are following today? I don’t know. Probably very few people are doing. But probably in strict Madhava Sampradaya families or Sri Vaishnavas, at least the Brahmanas will be following.
So in other words, all of this, of course, is to exempt you from sin. The other, of course, is to acknowledge or show gratitude to other living entities. So we do not exist alone on this earth, we’re interrelated with all other living entities. Ultimately, if they suffer, we suffer. If other living entities are happy, we become happy. Of course, this is, we can say, a little bit indirect. We may not see the result instantly, but it will be long term.
The same of course is taught by the example of cow and the bull in relation to Pariksit Maharaj. If one destroys the four legs of Dharma, in other words, one commits violence, etc., against other living entities, the earth suffers. If the earth suffers, the earth will not give things, therefore we suffer. So, one is, okay, don’t interfere with other living entities. But more positive is, actually, we help other living entities. Or we show gratitude to other living entities. So that is, the purpose of that and if one doesn’t follow this procedure, one becomes sinful and suffering and one produces more suffering in the world. Of course, such rules are on the level of material body. But because even a devotee depends on a material body to do his bhakti, therefore we have to respect such rules.
Of course, we also say, surrender to the Lord,’ sarva-dharman parityajya’, and give up everything. So that is true. By worshipping the Lord and surrendering to the Lord, actually all of these, Pancha-maha-yajna, etc., all the duties are fulfilled. By worshipping Supreme Lord, all the Devatas are satisfied. Just as by watering the root of the tree, all the leaves and branches, etc., are satisfied. Of course, by worshipping the Lord, we get extra advantage. Not only do we not interfere with other living entities and we please all living entities including Devatas, we also please the Supreme Lord and we develop Bhakti.
Of course, even in the Pancha-maha-yajna, there is some sort of worship of the Lord. So one of the yajnas is the Deva Yajna. Of course, many will take that, okay, worship Devatas, which is also there, but includes worship of Vishnu, so there is some bhakti there even in the Pancha-maha-yajna. However, if one only worships the Lord and neglects everything else, still, that’s permissible. If one does all of the Pancha-maha-yajna but doesn’t worship the Lord, then that’s also useless. So ultimately, everything depends on bhakti.
So, of course, we can ask the question, okay, I’ll surrender to the Lord, I don’t have to feed my family, I don’t have to feed the elders, I don’t have to feed the children. That is true, if one takes sannyasa. If one is qualified for sannyasa and takes it, then yeah, no duties to family. But if one is a Grhastha, then one has obligations as a Grhastha. We see that of all the ashramas, the Grhasthas are 95% of the population, covering all the varnas. Actually, they support the Brahmacaris, the Vanaprasathas and the Sannyasis because they have no other living. So, they have to be generous. So, of course, the Brahmacari is supposed to go to the householder and beg every day. So, that’s a very good seva for the householder to welcome guests and serve in that way. Or if he feeds the vanaprastha or sannyasi, again, it is very very good punya for him. So the Grhastha is obligated to follow such rules.
Generally, it is the Grhastha that is liable to disturb the earth the most. They are the ones that are gathering the wealth, that are collecting the food, doing all this in the world. So, they are more likely to cause disturbance in the whole world. Why do wars take place? It’s because we have a bunch of Grhasthas fighting with each other. It’s not brahmacharis, it’s not Sannyasis. So, the Grhastha has to follow these rules and learn how to give respect to all living entities.
So, for a devotee of course, to some degree, yes, he follows some rules because if he is a Grhastha, he has to follow the rules like this. But, this could not create disturbance for a devotee, if he somehow makes some fault in these rules. Because the fault is covered up by worship of the Lord. So, Yudhishthira understands this and therefore he concludes this whole section by saying ‘Actually, none of these material conditions are a problem, the real problem is that Krishna has disappeared.’ For the devotee, the only disturbance is separation from the Lord. Even that separation and consequent depression or lamentation is not even material, it’s spiritual. So, if a devotee laments, it may look like, he is lamenting materially. But the devotee has no material attachments. So, the only reason can be spiritual. So, the real cause of lamentation in the spiritual world is separation from the Supreme Lord.
Of course, Arjuna was a special devotee. He was actually a very close friend to Krishna. So that is often glorified. So, we have nine types of devotional services – hearing, chanting, remembering, we have Sakhya. So, the famous example of Sakhya is Arjuna. And of course, that relationship is not only as Krishna-Arjuna, they expand as Nara-Narayana also. And the relationship is eternal. So not only were they in Sakhya rasa, but actually very close Sakhya. Therefore, if there is separation, it will be a very great lamentation.
Of course, we know that the Gopis are the most attached to Krishna, therefore, separation from Krishna gives even greater lamentation. In any case, whatever the relationship with Krishna, there will be a feeling of depression and lamentation, because of separation. Unlike the material world, the separation is temporary. After Krishna’s disappearance, Pandavas also disappeared, and then he united with Krishna again. So, therefore, it’s only a temporary separation. We cannot say that about material separation. Once people are separated, they may never see each other again in this life, next life, next life or next life. Therefore, this separation of Arjuna is a spiritual separation, nothing material.
Hare Krsna!
Q & A
1) The only difficulty for a devotee is being separated from Krishna, is what Maharaj mentioned. As far as a sadhaka is concerned, how does he come to that or elevate himself towards that goal?
Well, the sadhakas have not met Krishna, so therefore they’re always separated. In the spiritual world, there are different types of separation.
So there is separation before meeting, such as the Gopis before they come to the Rasalila, they never actually spoke to Krishna, so that’s called Purva raga. That’s also there for the Pandavas before they met Krishna in the earthly pastimes, and they had Purva Raga. They heard about Krishna, but they never met him, then finally they meet him. And then after meeting, there may be short separation or long separation.
So devotees, when they’re doing sadhana, they have not met Krishna, they haven’t realized Bhava or Prema, so therefore it’s kind of like a Purva Raga. But it’s not real Purva Raga, because Purva Raga is there for devotees who are already Siddha. So, of course, as the devotee develops Anartha Nivrutti, Nishta, Ruchi, Asakthi, then gradually that feeling of separation will become more intense. And it becomes quite intense, then Krishna reveals himself, and one has Bhava.
Devotee: Maharaj how is this compared to Goddess Rukmini who apparently heard about Krishna from sages and then she developed an attraction towards Krishna. She never met Krishna before.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: That’s Purva Raga also.
2) Thank you, Maharaj. Maharaj mentioned about Sanyasis have no obligation, but others do have. At the same time Maharaj, how is it about Brahmacharis who have taken to spiritual life seriously, dedicating themselves?
So, Brahmacharis don’t have wife and children or house, so therefore they don’t have obligations in that sense. They still have parents. That’s all. Vanaprastha’s may have wife, but they’ve given up the children and the house, so that they don’t have responsibility either.
3) Sorry Maharaj, it’s an operational matter. Like Maharaj mentioned about taking care of various other creatures also when they come to a Grahastha’s house. But here in the temple, we often find issues with the rats even in the deity altar. So, we are trying to capture through the rat traps and all that. How do we overcome this Maharaj?
So, we do have deity standards, so we have to protect those standards according to the rules of archana. Everything we offer to the deity cannot be touched by other living entities before that. So, therefore we have to take safeguards for that.
4) Is Sattva guna favourable to Bhakti or is it neutral?
Well, of all the three gunas, Sattva is preferable to Rajaguna or Tamoguna. It is somewhat favourable, because in Sattva, one becomes detached from material enjoyment in the senses etc. One also begins to realise atma, so in that sense also favourable.
However, Sattva guna can also be in material attachment. And thus we see, where devatas or Brahma are in Satva guna, and they are attached to their positions. And thus the devatas pray let me be born in Kali Yuga. There I have a short lifespan, so I can be reminded that I should do Bhakti. So, many of the qualities of Sattva are favourable for Bhakti.
But, in Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Goswami points out in the first section that cultivating good qualities is not an Anga of Bhakti. Of course, if you say, well, if I don’t have good qualities and I have bad qualities like lying and cheating and anger, well, I can’t do my Bhakti. But, we also have a second quality of Bhakti, which is Subhadha. All good qualities develop through the process of Bhakti. So, a person in Tamoguna or Rajaguna, if he practices Bhakti purely, then all those Rajaguna, Tamoguna influences will disappear. So, a person in Tamoguna or Rajaguna, if he practices Bhakti purely, then all those Rajaguna, Tamoguna influences will disappear.
Well, but then the question may be asked, so, the devotee practices Bhakti and he develops all good Sattvic qualities, then he’s bound into the material world again by Sattva? How is that possible? So, when we say the devotee develops all good qualities, we’re not saying Sattvic qualities, we’re saying spiritual qualities. So, when we say the devotee develops all good qualities, we’re not saying Sattvic qualities, we’re saying spiritual qualities. The devotee develops qualities in relation to his service to the lord. So, those qualities may look like Sattvic qualities, but they’re not. So, people in Sattva have qualities like honesty and patience and sense control and mind control. That’s nothing to do with Krishna. Devotee develops similar qualities, but in relation to Krishna.
5) Hare Krishna Maharaj, in this world with guided missiles and misguided men, a devotee can maintain his character and set an example for the next generation by upholding the pillars of Dharma, his Achar, providing Prasadam to his family. What else can one do to inspire their children to get attracted to scriptures and Seva to the Supreme Lord Krishna?
Of course, we’re talking about Bhakti. So, if we want to inspire the children for Bhakti, we have to perform Bhakti properly. The best inspiration is to set a good example.
6) The highest accomplishment in spiritual knowledge, is it Prema only? And being with Krishna in Madhurya Rasa, is it the perfection of Prema?
Well, there’s no other goal that’s higher or lower. Prema is the goal. Material goals and liberation are rejected. Within Prema, one has a choice. One can have Prema for Vishnu or Rama or Narasimha or Vamana or Varaha or Hayagriva or Krishna or whatever. And it is all supreme.
However, as Bhagavatam points out, Krishna is Swayam Bhagavan. He’s in the special position. So, the Prema with Krishna is more intense. And with Krishna, there’s also a choice of different Rasas. The most intense Rasa is Madhurya Rasa. Of course, the queens of Dwaraka have Madhurya Rasa, and the Gopis have Madhurya Rasa. Of the two Madhuri Rasa, the Gopis are considered to be highest. However, a particular devotee may not choose Madhurya Rasa. He may choose Vatsalya or Sakya or whatever. So, that cannot be criticized.
7) Have we ever entered the spiritual world, Vrindavan, we Jivas, or have we never gone there?
So, the problem with this question is that, if we fully experience the spiritual world, then how could we fall? Because the promise of Kishna is that, if we go to the spiritual world and situated there, you don’t fall. So, we do fall, then Krishna breaks His promise. If Krishna breaks His promise, what can we believe? Nothing [Laughs].
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatham Ki Jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj Ki Jai!!