Srimad Bhagavatam – 10.55.11~40 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | Villa Vrindavan, ISKCON Florence, Italy | Aug 5, 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
ŚB 10.55.11
tām aha bhagavān kārṣṇir
mātas te matir anyathā
mātṛ-bhāvam atikramya
vartase kāminī yathā
Synonyms
tām — to her; āha — said; bhagavān — the Lord; kārṣṇiḥ — Pradyumna; mātaḥ — O mother; te — your; matiḥ — attitude; anyathā — otherwise; mātṛ–bhāvam — the mood or affection of a mother; atikramya — overstepping; vartase — you are acting; kāminī — a girlfriend; yathā — like.
Translation
Lord Pradyumna told her, “O mother, your attitude has changed. You are overstepping the proper feelings of a mother and behaving like a lover.”
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So in this verse 11, we see that Pradyumna is criticizing his mother. You are my mother, but you seem to be acting like lover, that’s bad. So, as in the material world, such relationships of parents and children cannot mix with Madurya rasa. Infact in most countries, it’s probably illegal. So in terms of material dharma, it is wrong and in the spiritual world also, it is not proper. So, for instance if Mother Yasodha acting as mother of Krishna, she cannot act as one of the gopis in rasa lila [Laughs]. So, this is what we call ‘Rasa abasa’, it’s contrary rasas which destroy the rasa.
The interesting thing here is that Pradyumna, who is another form of the Lord, he is the son of Krishna, he is also the Supreme Lord, he does not aware of the identity of Mayavati (Kamadeva’s wife). Later on we see also when he returns to Dwaraka then all the women mistake him for Krishna. And even his mother - who is this person [Laughs] ? So everybody looks like they are in ignorance. But we know that the pure devotees in the spiritual world and Krishna himself, forms of the Lord, should never be in ignorance.
So we can ask the question well, if they are ignorant in the spiritual world and we are ignorant in the material world, what’s the difference? Why we should go to the spiritual world? So, this morning, we are reading about the Sattvika Bhavas and we have seen stunned and shedding tears, shivering, getting choked up, etc. I was also explaining that this tears in this particular case that gives the example that tears were or the perspiration.. they were sweating and the perspiration was due to fear. So, we see in the spiritual world, they also have fear. So, often in the Bhagavatam, is the verse as well there is fear in the material world and if you do devotional service, you get rid of fear [Laughs]. And we go to the spiritual world again, we experience fear.
So what’s the point of going to the spiritual world ? We have anger and fear and tears and whatever [Laughs] that’s just in the material world. And of course, as explained that, in the material world, all this is ultimately due to ignorance. The Jiva thinks, he is independent from the Supreme Lord and we have a right to enjoy. So the Lord makes an arrangement. He supplies us Ahankara and with that, we identify with the material body, the material body has nerves and brain and senses and whatever and then we think I can enjoy with my material body. So, we accrue experiences and we get karma. So, we get body after body and in each body, we try to get some enjoyment. But we get a mixture of happiness and suffering.
At the same time this whole experience is said to be suffering. Why? Because it’s based on an illusion. The only reason we get an experience of happiness and distress is because we identify with the body. So this is our ignorance. So what’s wrong with that? We see, obviously fools are very happy. Yes, it’s true in the material world, people who are pretty unconscious of anything, they just seem to be enjoying themselves [Laughs]. But that spiritual explanation is, actually all of this has got nothing to do with the Jiva or the Atma. So certainly in illusion, we can have all sorts of enjoyments. But if it’s an illusion, how can it really be enjoyment? So the Atma ultimately is completely different from the body and its enjoyments.
So, immediately when we realize I’m not the body, I’m Atma, all that material enjoyment disappears. So, the example is given of the fish out of water. So, it is natural for the fish to swim around in the water, eat whatever he’s eating and play around in the water [Laughs]. So, we can take the fish out of water, maybe we can hypnotize him and say, well, better than water is land you can enjoy on the land we’ll give you nice food, we’ll give you pizza pie, we’ll give you alcohol and wine [Laughs] you can enjoy in the material world, outside of the water. So under illusion the fish strives to get all this enjoyment, but ultimately it’s not natural for the fish [Laughs] and ultimately if the illusion wears off the fish says, what am I doing here,? and he jumps back in the water. So the Atma can have happiness, but it is completely different happiness from that happiness in the material body. So, therefore in the material world, we have all these experiences based upon ignorance and the scriptures say, you have to get out of this ignorance.
So, first ignorance is, we think material body, so we can say you’re not material body, you are not. So, this is the most basic spiritual teaching and it’s taught in the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Of course, many people in the material world are thinking, I want to be spiritual or I don’t like religion, I like to be spiritual [Laughs]. But if we want to be spiritual, ultimately we have to at least accept there is something different from material body versus the spirit or the atma – minimum to actually practice spiritual life of any form. Of course that’s very basic [Laughs]. That’s is a big step to understand that we are not the body we are soul. The next big step is to understand that there is a Supreme Lord also [Laughs].
So, of course, many impersonalists say, once i get free from body, free from Karma, and in liberated state, realize that i am atma, that’s it, that’s the goal [Laughs]. So, that’s like, ok, we get out of prison. But just getting out of prison is that real happiness? So once you get out of prison, then you do something you may eat and do so many activities [Laughs]. Unfortunately, if you get to the position of liberation, there is no activity. You’re not aware of anything else. Yes, there’s no duality, there’s no forms. So, Yeah, you’re free from material identity, you get that much happiness, but that’s all [Laughs]. So, then the next stage is that we have to realize duality, we have to realize somebody else there also. So, therefore, the scriptures tell us yes, another living entity is there called Supreme Lord [Laughs].
As in the material world, we can get happiness from enjoying food or cars or material objects or money, still, the ultimate happiness in the material world will be love. And love depends upon a relationship with another person. So, this arises, because it’s like a perverted reflection of the Jiva’s nature. So, the Jiva’s nature is to establish a relationship. With who ? – another spiritual entity, Supreme Lord. And this relationship, will give happiness. So, if we establish a relationship in love with the Lord, then we get bliss. So, that’s the second phase of spiritual life.
Of course, people say wow, now you’re becoming religious [Laughs]. So, of course, that’s up to the individual, if he prefers to just sit there in Brahman and do nothing, fine [Laughs], if you want more happiness, then you have to accept this relationship. And this is called happiness. So, we establish a relationship with the Supreme Lord and then we start giving qualities and forms to the Supreme Lord. So, this is all very particular and it’s even more religious [Laughs]. So, that is why we say that, actually to accept the process of bhakti and the goal of prema, the first qualification is faith. Faith in, I am a Jiva, but not only that, there is a Supreme Lord with form, qualities, activities.
And if a person doesn’t have that faith, no matter how much we preach to him he won’t accept. So, that’s why we say, don’t preach to the faithless people, that’s no offense [Laughs]. Of course, then we’ll say well, we’ve got to be merciful to everybody [Laughs] So, what do we do with the faithless people? So, it’s just saying, yes we have to be merciful even to the faithless people, but we cannot really preach directly to them. So, therefore the preaching has to be quite indirect. So, what do we do? So, it says don’t preach about the glories of the Holy Name, but people can hear the name [Laughs] that’s the preaching for that. So, we don’t give philosophical discourses, preaching Bhagavad Gita to them, but let them hear the Holy Name, let them take prasadam.
So, this of course is indirect but, because they don’t know it’s actually spiritual, but the power of Bhakti in particular the name is such that, it begins to affect the Jiva. So, we take medicine, we don’t even know what it is, but it helps to cure us anyway. So, get the medicine of hearing the name and taking prasadam, it has some effect on the Jiva, helps to cure [Laughs]. So, by that exposure, the Jiva becomes a little bit favorable to the idea of a Supreme Lord. And we do that repeatedly, a little more favorable. Maybe in this life, maybe in next life, maybe in next life finally, they develop faith.
And then they are ready to accept, maybe they read Bhagavad Gita chapter 2, you are not the body, you are the soul, ok, I can accept that [Laughs]. And then when they come to the description of Krishna in Bhagavad Gita that He is Bhagavan and He is Supreme, and He has got form, qualities and activities, well, they say, yeah, I don’t know about this, but i can accept that [Laughs]. So we see Yes, God has qualities and activities, and because He is all powerful and all merciful, He could take any form, and the person says, yes that is reasonable [Laughs]. And we say, well there is one form of God, He is blue and he says, yes ok [Laughs]. God has many activities, He can kill demons, He can kill wicked people, but He can also play. And He likes to dance. So, Krishna plays his flute and dances with the gopis [Laughs]. So, they may find it a little bit strange, but still, ok, He is God so He can do this. But all this is based on some faith. And it may take some time to develop that faith.
So, we have two strategies in preaching. One, of course is, we learn all the scriptures and learn everything and then we can preach to people with faith. In Nectar of Devotion at the beginning, when Rupa Goswami is defining Sadhana Bhakti – Vaidhi sadhana bhakti. He gives three levels according to faith [Laughs]. So, the Kanishka or the lowest category is a person who has weak faith. And the reason for the weak faith is that, he has very little scriptural knowledge. The consequence of his weak faith is that, people can challenge him and then his faith wavers [Laughs]. So, the Madhyama is a person, who has a little bit stronger faith. That’s because, he has some knowledge of scripture. So, He may not be an expert preacher. But whatever he knows, he can explain. And people can argue with him very skillfully and he may not even be able to defeat them. But his faith is strong enough, that his faith never wavers. So, the Uttama has very deep knowledge of scripture. But he also has logical ability. So, in other words, he can use his intelligence to analyze the scripture very nicely. And he has very deep faith. And consequently, if anybody challenges him, he can answer very intelligently and defeat them. So, such a person is a good preacher [Laughs]. Based upon his faith, then his knowledge of scripture, he gets deeper faith and with his intelligence he can use that properly to convince people. So, that’s one level of preaching, preaching to the people that have faith also.
So, the other type of preaching is to preach to the people who have no faith. That’s the majority of people in the world [Laughs]. So, the way we can do that is, expose them to Krishna consciousness. So, of course maybe we have to be a little skillful in how we do that. We expose them, at the same time we do it in such a way, that they become a little bit favorable [Laughs]. And we see that people are different, we have different types of people. Some people don’t like loud music [Laughs]. So, if you expose them to loud music, drums banging, and Kartals banging, then they can’t make it, repel completely [Laughs]. So, even for this indirect preaching, we do have to use our intelligence and according to different people, we may have to approach them in different ways. Of course, we may be a little frustrated, while this is a very long term, indirect preaching may be taking a life times [Laughs].
But we should also never underestimate the power of Bhakti and the Holy Name. Very quickly a person could change. Ajamila changed very quickly. He heard the conversation of the Vishnudutas and the Yamadutas and suddenly after he revived, he became a great devotee [Laughs]. So, in any case, we have to use our intelligence to approach different people in different ways, people with faith, people with no faith. And even if people have faith, then we have to be very careful in how we also present things [Laughs]. Different people with faith, they can accept only certain things at certain times. So we have to be careful. So, anyway, then the idea is somehow we have to get out of this ignorance.
So, what happens, because we go to the spiritual world and again it looks like there is ignorance [Laughs]. So, it is true there is something called Yoga Maya in the spiritual world. So Maya means mistake, illusion. So this is one of the Shaktis of Krishna, part of his internal energy, his spiritual energy. And we see that people appear to be ignorant. How is that? Because Yoga Maya is operating. So this seems a little bit strange, because spiritual world should have no ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of identification with the material body and karma and suffering [Laughs]. But this ignorance, this illusion, in the spiritual world does the opposite. It gives bliss and therefore why we should not criticize it [Laughs]. Ignorance in the material world is not part of the Supreme Lord. The Lord has his external energy Maya, was tamo gun etc, that is material ignorance.
But the Yoga Maya is part of internal energy. So, in order that pastimes be performed with billions of Jivas and Krishna in the spiritual world, there has to be some limitation of consciousness. If each Jiva knew everything about everything there would be no pastimes [Laughs]. We see that pastimes take place through a sense of time. Krishna wakes up in the morning, then he takes his bath, then he goes out in the fields in the morning, then it’s noon time he eats his lunch, then it’s afternoon then he goes back to the parents, Mother Yashoda and Nanda [Laughs], So, there’s activities taking place over what looks like time which is also material. But the sense of time and what looks like ignorance is only there to assist the pastimes so that it can be bliss. And it’s all ultimately under Krishna. So he has his internal energy, he has that energy at certain times, people’s awareness is covered over.
There’s also ahankara in the spiritual world. Ahankara is the basis of our identifying with the material body. How can you have that in the spiritual world? [Laughs]. So in the spiritual world, each Jiva has his personal identity. It’s actually intrinsic, the intrinsic nature of the Jiva is, to have his own identity. So the difference is that, we identify, we don’t identify with a false temporary material body [Laughs], we identify with the spiritual form, which is eternal [Laughs]. So, we identify I am a certain cowherd boy with a certain name and a certain form serving Krishna this way or I am a gopi with this form serving Krishna this way, We have our own identity.
So automatically with that identity we are limiting ourself to a certain form. We’re operating over what looks like time. So, in this sense, it’s quite similar to the material world. But it is different, because it’s all based on spiritual energy, not material energy. And the whole purpose of Krishna’s spiritual energy – Cit shakti is to produce bliss. So, all these the identity, the forms, the activities, the sense of time, the limitation it looks like maya, whatever it’s all there for producing continual increasing bliss in the spiritual world. So, the difference in the material world is, the Jiva gets unlimited eternal spiritual bliss.
In the material world that doesn’t happen, it’s the opposite [Laughs]. So, to accept this requires some faith. So, those who have faith, when they read Bhagavatam, they accept [Laughs]. Those who don’t have faith, they say this is all superficial. But, this is a reasonable result when we do accept the Supreme Lord with form, qualities and activities.
Q & A
1) You explained that when devotees distributing prasadam, people develop faith . Why not naturally the soul can have this tendency to become spiritual and have faith in the Lord?
So, the Jiva, by nature, is called Tatastha, which means border, he can be influenced by Maya, he can be influenced by Krishna. So, in other words, it is possible that the Jiva can be covered by this material maya, illusion, ahankara, material body, etc. At the same time, the possibility is, he can change his mind.
So, for that reason, we have the Lord coming as avatar in the material world, we have devotees, we have scripture, we have prasadam [Laughs], all these things could help change the Jiva’s mind. Of course, in one sense, it’s a very difficult process, because some Jivas are very stubborn [Laughs]. So, life after life after life throughout the whole life of Brahma, they keep trying to enjoy the material world. Some are a little more fortunate.
So, but how do we create fortune for these people? So one method, of course, is this gradual method, give them prasadam, let them hear kirtan, whatever, some exposure. So, because of that, the Jiva begins to change. So, of course, we got this little war going on, the material energy is influencing Jiva, then we have the devotees trying to influence the Jiva. And the Jiva is always free to choose. That’s his borderline nature [Laughs]. However, spiritual energy of Krishna, mercy of devotees, etc. is quite powerful. So, it’s like a powerful medicine [Laughs]. And once it starts to act, it starts increasing its influence. And then Krishna has a very special trick. At a certain point, then he decides, oh, this Jiva is very qualified.
So, we know the bhakti itself actually is part of the internal energy of Krishna. So, at a certain point, Krishna joins the Jiva with a little bit of that internal energy, so that Jiva no longer just a tatastha. The tatastha plus a little bit of the chit-shakti of Krishna combined. So, then he’s permanently fixed in the spiritual world.
2) Hare Krishna. Thank you for the wonderful class. I’m wondering, sometimes, you know, it’s my job as a dasa to be about faith and about how to help Krishna. But there might be things like some kind of addictions that we might have, that takes us away from that faith. So, we know that dasa, our body and mind is acting in a different way. Like, I’m referring essentially to my own addiction, you know.. and then our mind is shifted away from our goal. And we know that our goal is to stay together with Krishna, but I’m not able to do that. But then if you go deeper into the addiction, you might feel like maybe I have this addiction, because there’s something lacking inside me. Maybe something that I have to work on or something that, you know, Krishna is trying to show me. So, I’m just thinking that in Krishna consciousness, we don’t have so much of the emphasize on the healing aspect of my understanding of why we might have some very rigid type of patterns of our thoughts and addictions. But rather, we’re just focused by Krishna consciousness and a little bit of the practice. But sometimes we’re not able to practice, because we have some other things inside. But I feel like we don’t have that emphasis in Krishna consciousness.
So, probably the reason for this.. we just concentrate on Bhakti is because the scripture itself says that, Bhakti itself is the cure for everything [Laughs]. And chanting of holy name is the best tapasya, it is best yoga, it’s the best cure for disease, you know, it’s the best of everything. So, if we surrender to Krishna, and we get Krishna’s mercy, then anything is possible [Laughs]. As Krishna says, you surrender unto me, you know, all your sins finished [Laughs].
Nevertheless, we do have people who do have particular attachment, which of course, is due to Maya, ignorance etc. So, they may need a little extra attention. But it also may require some expertise. So, there are some devotees who specialize in counseling for special addictions also. You can explain it in that group [Laughs].
3) How is that demons got killed by Krishna and got liberation also possible ?
So, normally, demons don’t get liberated so easily. If we look in Nectar of devotion, Krishna describes all the qualities of the Jiva, and extra qualities for Shiva, extra qualities for Vishnu, and then four qualities for Krishna, among the five qualities for Vishnu is when he kills a demon, he gets an auspicious end [Laughs]. So, it’s explained if Vishnu or some other avatars kill a demon, they don’t get liberation. But they don’t go to hell also. So, they get a nice material boost.
So, when Krishna, because he’s number one, he kills a demon, they may get liberation, but sometimes they even get a body in the spiritual world. So, that’s the special mercy of Krishna. Of course, we can say, well, why should a demon get liberation, which the yogis strive for? So, one answer is, yes, the Lord is merciful to everyone. And if he gives them liberation, it’s actually like hell anyway, [Laughs] so then it’s good for them. And, even if the Lord, even if Krishna kills a demon like Putana, puts it in the spiritual world, and they get a spiritual body, we should never think that their position is at all equal to a person does sadhana, and reaches spiritual world.
Hare Krishna!!
Devotees: Hare Krishna !! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj Ki.. Jai !!