Introduction

The tragic and heroic figure of Queen Kunti emerges from an explosive era in the history of ancient India. As related in the Mahabharata, India's grand epic poem of 110,000 couplets, Kunti was the wife of King Pandu and the mother of five illustrious sons known as the Pandavas. As such, she was one of the central figures in a complex political drama that culminated fifty centuries ago in the Kuruksetra War, a devastating war of ascendancy that changed the course of world events. The Mahabharata describes the prelude to the holocaust as follows:

Pandu became king because his elder brother Dhrtarastra had been born blind, a condition that excluded him from direct succession. Some time after Pandu ascended to the throne, Dhrtarastra married Gandhari and fathered one hundred sons. This was the ruling family of the Kaurava dynasty, of whom the eldest was the ambitious and cruel Duryodhana.

Meanwhile, Pandu had taken two wives, Madri and Kunti. Originally named Prtha, Kunti was the daughter of Surasena, the chief of the glorious Yadu dynasty. The Mahabharata relates that Kunti "was gifted with beauty and character; she rejoiced in the law [dharma] and was great in her vows." She also possessed an unusual benediction. When she was a child, her father Surasena had given her in adoption to his childless cousin and close friend Kuntibhoja (hence the name "Kunti"). In her stepfather's house, Kunti's duty was to look after the welfare of guests. One day the powerful sage and mystic Durvasa came there and was pleased by Kunti's selfless service. Foreseeing that she would have difficulty conceiving sons, Durvasa gave her the benediction that she could invoke any demigod and by him obtain progeny.

After Kunti married Pandu, he was placed under a curse that prevented him from begetting children. So he renounced the throne and retired with his wives to the forest. There Kunti's special benediction enabled her to conceive (at her husband's request) three glorious sons. First she invoked Dharma, the demigod of religion. After worshiping him and repeating an invocation Durvasa had taught her, she united with Dharma and, in time, gave birth to a boy. As soon as the child was born, a voice with no visible source said, "This child will be called Yudhisthira, and he will be very virtuous. He will be splendid, determined, renounced, and famous throughout the three worlds."

Having been blessed with this virtuous son, Pandu then asked Kunti for a son of great physical strength. Thus Kunti invoked Vayu, the demigod of the wind, who begot the mighty Bhima. Upon Bhima's birth the supernatural voice said, "This child will be the foremost of all strong men."

Thereafter Pandu consulted with great sages in the forest and then asked Kunti to observe vows of austerity for one full year. At the end of this period Pandu said to Kunti, "O beautiful one, Indra, the King of heaven, is pleased with you, so invoke him and conceive a son." Kunti then invoked Indra, who came to her and begot Arjuna. As soon as the prince was born, the same celestial voice boomed through the sky: "O Kunti, this child will be as strong as Kartavirya and Sibi [two powerful kings of Vedic times] and as invincible in battle as Indra himself. He will spread your fame everywhere and acquire many divine weapons." Subsequently, Pandu's junior wife Madri bore two sons named Nakula and Sahadeva. These five sons of Pandu (Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva) then came to be known as the Pandavas.

Now, since Pandu had retired from the throne and gone to the forest, Dhrtarastra had temporarily assumed the throne until Pandu's eldest son Yudhisthira came of age. However, long before that time Pandu died as a result of the curse, and Madri gave up her life as well by ascending his funeral pyre. That left the five Pandavas in the care of Queen Kunti.

After Pandu's death, the sages living in the forest brought the five young princes and Kunti to the Kaurava court at Hastinapura (near present-day Delhi). In Hastinapura, the capital city of the kingdom, the five boys were raised in royal style under the guidance of Dhrtarastra and the noble Vidura, Pandu's half brother.

But a smooth transfer of power was not to be. Although Dhrtarastra had at first recognized the primogeniture of Yudhisthira, he later allowed himself to be used by his eldest son, the power-hungry Duryodhana, who wished to ascend the throne in place of Yudhisthira. Driven by uncontrollable jealousy, Duryodhana plotted against the Pandavas, and with the hesitant approval of the weak Dhrtarastra, he inflicted many sufferings upon them. He made several attempts on their lives in Hastinapura, and then he brought them to a provincial palace and tried to assassinate them by having it set on fire. All the while, the five youthful Pandavas were accompanied by their courageous mother Kunti, who suffered Duryodhana's atrocities in the company of her beloved sons.

Miraculously, however, Kunti and the Pandavas repeatedly escaped death, for they were under the loving protection of Lord Krsna, who had incarnated to perform His earthly pastimes. Ultimately Duryodhana, a clever politician, cheated the Pandavas out of their kingdom (and their freedom) in a gambling match. As a result of the match, the Pandavas, wife Draupadi was abused by the Kauravas, and the Pandavas themselves were forced to spend thirteen years in exile in the forest--to the great sorrow of Kunti.

When the thirteen-year exile had ended, the Pandavas returned to Hastinapura to reclaim their kingdom. But Duryodhana bluntly refused to relinquish it. Then, after some unsuccessful attempts to quell the hostilities, Yudhisthira sent Krsna Himself to secure the return of the Pandava kingdom by peaceful means. But even this effort failed--because of Duryodhana's obstinacy--and both sides prepared for battle. To place Yudhisthira on the throne--or to oppose him--great warriors from all corners of the earth assembled, setting the scene for what would prove to be a devastating world war.

Fierce fighting raged for eighteen days on the historic plain of Kuruksetra (near Hastinapura), and in the end all but a handful of the many millions of warriors were dead. Only Lord Krsna, the Pandavas, and a few others survived the massacre. The Kauravas (Duryodhana and his brothers) were devastated. In a desperate gesture of revenge, Asvatthama, one of the surviving Kauravas, mercilessly murdered the five sons of Draupadi while they were sleeping. Queen Kunti thus suffered a final blow--the loss of her grandchildren.

Arrested and dragged to the Pandavas' camp like a bound animal, Asvatthama was let free only by the astounding compassion of Draupadi, the slaughtered boys' mother and Kunti's daughter-in-law, who pleaded for his life. But the shameless Asvatthama made one more attempt to kill the last heir of the Pandavas, their unborn grandson in the womb of Uttara, by hurling the supreme brahmastra weapon. When she saw the missile flying straight at her, Uttara immediately ran to the shelter of Lord Krsna, who was just about to depart for Dvaraka, His majestic capital city. Krsna protected the Pandavas and their mother Kunti from imminent death by stopping the weapon's uncontrollable heat and radiation with His own Sudarsana disc.

Having delivered the Pandavas from this last calamity, and seeing that all His plans were fulfilled, Lord Krsna was again preparing to leave. For years Duryodhana had tormented Queen Kunti's family, but Krsna had protected them at every turn--and now He was going away. Kunti was overwhelmed, and she prayed to Krsna from the core of her heart.

Kunti was Lord Krsna's aunt (He had incarnated as the son of her brother Vasudeva), yet despite this conventional tie with the Lord, she fully understood His exalted and divine identity. She knew full well that He had descended from His abode in the spiritual world to rid the earth of demoniac military powers and reestablish righteousness. Just before the great war, Krsna had revealed all this to her son Arjuna in words immortalized in the Bhagavad-gita (4.7-8):

Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I incarnate Myself. In order to deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.

Krsna had accomplished His purpose of "annihilating the miscreants" by orchestrating the destruction of the unholy Kauravas. Then He installed Yudhisthira on the throne to establish the Pandava reign, and He consoled the slain warriors' relatives. The scene of the Lord's imminent departure provides the setting for Queen Kunti's exalted prayers.

As Kunti approached the Lord's chariot and began to address Him, her immediate purpose was to persuade Him to remain in Hastinapura and protect the Pandava govemment from reprisals:

O my Lord... are You leaving us today, though we are completely dependent on Your mercy and have no one else to protect us, now when all kings are at enmity with us? (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.37)

From this supplication we should not mistakenly conclude that Kunti's prayers were self-serving. Although her sufferings were far greater than those any ordinary person could endure, she does not beg relief. On the contrary, she prays to suffer even more, for she reasons that her suffering will increase her devotion to the Lord and bring her ultimate liberation:

My dear Krsna, Your Lordship has protected us from the poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest, and from the battle where great generals fought.... I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths. (SB. 1.8.24-25)

Kunti's words--the simple and illuminating outpourings of the soul of a great and saintly woman devotee--reveal both the deepest transcendental emotions of the heart and the most profound philosophical and theological penetrations of the intellect. Her words are words of glorification impelled by a divine love steeped in wisdom:

O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else. (SB. 1.8.42)

Kunti's spontaneous glorification of Lord Krsna and her description of the spiritual path are immortalized in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana (Srimad-Bhagavatam), and they have been recited, chanted, and sung by sages and philosophers for thousands of years.

As they appear in the First Canto of the Bhagavatam, Queen Kunti's celebrated prayers consist of only twenty-six couplets (verses 18 through 43 of the Eighth Chapter), yet they are considered a philosophical, theological, and literary masterpiece. The present book (Teachings of Queen Kunti) includes those inspired verses and illuminating commentary by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and the most renowned Vedic scholar and spiritual leader of our time. In addition to this commentary (originally written in 1962), Teachings of Queen Kunti contains further explanations that Srila Prabhupada gave more recently in an absorbing series of lectures. In those memorable talks, delivered in the spring of 1973 at ISKCON's Western world headquarters in Los Angeles, he analyzed the verses in significantly greater detail and shed even more light upon them.

This new Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publication, complete with eleven color prints of exquisite original oil paintings, will be a prized addition to the libraries of all those who seek a deeper understanding of life's mysteries. Written by a man of profound devotion and erudition, it will provide every reader with firm guidance along the universal path to genuine wisdom and spiritual enlightenment.

--The Publishers

 

Chapter One

 

 

The Original Person

 

 

kunty uvaca

namasye purusam tvadyam

isvaram prakrteh param

alaksyam sarva-bhutanam

antar bahir avasthitam

 

Srimati Kunti said: O Krsna, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.

 

Srimati Kuntidevi was quite aware that Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, although He was playing the part of her nephew. Such an enlightened lady could not commit a mistake by offering obeisances unto her nephew. Therefore, she addressed Him as the original purusa beyond the material cosmos. Although all living entities are also transcendental, they are neither original nor infallible. The living entities are apt to fall down under the clutches of material nature, but the Lord is never like that. In the Vedas, therefore, He is described as the chief among all living entities (nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam). Then again He is adressed as isvara, or the controller. The living entities or the demigods like Candra and Surya are also to some extent isvara, but none of them is the supreme isvara, or the ultimate controller. Krsna is the paramesvara, or the Supersoul. He is both within and without. Although He was present before Srimati Kunti as her nephew, He was also within her and everyone else. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.15) the Lord says, "I am situated in everyone's heart, and only due to Me one remembers, forgets, and is cognizant, etc. Through all the Vedas I am to be known because I am the compiler of the Vedas, and I am the teacher of the Vedanta." Queen Kunti affirms that the Lord, although both within and without all living beings, is still invisible. The Lord is, so to speak, a puzzle for the common man. Queen Kunti experienced personally that Lord Krsna was present before her, yet He entered within the womb of Uttara to save her embryo from the attack of Asvatthama's brahmastra. Kunti herself was puzzled about whether Sri Krsna is all-pervasive or localized. In fact, He is both, but He reserves the right of not being exposed to persons who are not surrendered souls. This checking curtain is called the maya energy of the Supreme Lord, and it controls the limited vision of the rebellious soul. It is explained as follows.

 

Chapter Two

 

 

Beyond the Senses

 

 

maya-ja vanikacchannam

ajnadhoksajam avyayam

na laksyase mudha-drsa

nato natya-dharo yatha

Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized.

 

In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krsna affirms that less intelligent persons mistake Him to be an ordinary man like us, and thus they deride Him. The same is confirmed herein by Queen Kunti. The less intelligent persons are those who rebel against the authority of the Lord. Such persons are known as asuras. The asuras cannot recognize the Lord's authority. When the Lord Himself appears among us, as Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, or in His original form as Krsna, He performs many wonderful acts which are humanly impossible. As we shall find in the Tenth Canto of this great literature, Lord Sri Krsna exhibited His humanly impossible activities even from the days of His lying on the lap of His mother. He killed the Putana witch, although she smeared her breast with poison just to kill the Lord. The Lord sucked her breast like a natural baby, and He sucked out her very life also. Similarly, He lifted the Govardhana Hill, just as a boy picks up a frog's umbrella, and stood several days continuously just to give protection to the residents of Vrndavana. These are some of the superhuman activities of the Lord described in the authoritative Vedic literatures like the Puranas, Itihasas (histories), and Upanisads. He has delivered wonderful instructions in the shape of the Bhagavad-gita. He has shown marvelous capacities as a hero, as a householder, as a teacher, and as a renouncer. He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by such authoritative personalities as Vyasa, Devala, Asita, Narada, Madhva, Sankara, Ramanuja, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Jiva Gosvami, Visvanatha Cakravarti, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and all other authorities of the line. He Himself has declared as much in many places of the authentic literatures. And yet there is a class of men with demoniac mentality who are always reluctant to accept the Lord as the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is partially due to their poor fund of knowledge and partially due to their stubborn obstinacy, which results from various misdeeds in the past and present. Such persons could not recognize Lord Sri Krsna even when He was present before them. Another difficulty is that those who depend more on their imperfect senses cannot realize Him as the Supreme Lord. Such persons are like the modern scientist. They want to know everything by their experimental knowledge. But it is not possible to know the Supreme Person by imperfect experimental knowledge. He is described herein as adhoksaja, or beyond the range of experimental knowledge. All our senses are imperfect. We claim to observe everything and anything, but we must admit that we can observe things under certain material conditions only, which are also beyond our control. The Lord is beyond the observation of sense perception. Queen Kunti accepts this deficiency of the conditioned soul, especially of the woman class, who are less intelligent. For the less intelligent there must be such things as temples, mosques, or churches so that they may begin to recognize the authority of the Lord and hear about Him from authorities in such holy places. For the less intelligent, this beginning of spiritual life is essential, and only foolish men decry the establishment of such places of worship, which are required to raise the standard of spiritual attributes for the mass of people. For less intelligent persons, bowing down before the authority of the Lord, as generally done in the temples, mosques, or churches, is as beneficial as it is for the advanced devotees to meditate upon Him by active service.

 

Chapter Three

 

 

The Most Intelligent Woman

 

 

tatha paramahamsanam

muninam amalatmanam

bhakti-yoga -vidhanartham

katham pasyema hi striyah

You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being abie to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?

 

Even the greatest philosophical speculators cannot have access to the region of the Lord. It is said in the Upanisads that the Supreme Truth, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is beyond the range of the thinking power of the greatest philosopher. He is unknowable by great learning or by the greatest brain. He is knowable only by one who has His mercy. Others may go on thinking about Him for years together, yet He is unknowable. This very fact is corroborated by the Queen, who is playing the part of an innocent woman. Women in general are unable to speculate like philosophers, but they are blessed by the Lord because they believe at once in the superiority and almightiness of the Lord, and thus they offer obeisances without reservation. The Lord is so kind that He does not show special favor only to one who is a great philosopher. He knows the sincerity of purpose. For this reason only, women generally assemble in great number in any sort of religious function. In every country and in every sect of religion it appears that the women are more interested than the men. This simplicity of acceptance of the Lord's authority is more effective than showy insincere religious fervor.

Kuntidevi prayed to the Lord very submissively, and this is the symptom of a Vaisnava. The Lord, Krsna, had come to Kuntidevi to offer respect to her by taking the dust of her feet. Because Krsna considered Kuntidevi His aunt, He used to touch her feet. But although Kuntidevi, a great devotee, was in such an exalted position, practically on the level of Yasodamayi, Krsna's mother, she was so submissive that she prayed, "Krsna, You are meant to be understood by the paramahamsas, the most advanced transcendentalists, but I am a woman, so how can I see You?"

According to the Vedic system, there are four social divisions (catur-varnyam maya srstam). The highest members of the social order are the brahmanas, those who are intelligent, and then come the ksatriyas (military men and administrators), the vaisyas (farmers and businessmen), and finally the sudras (ordinary laborers). One's place in this system is determined by one's qualities and work (guna-karma). The Bhagavad-gita mentions striyo vaisyas tatha sudrah, and the Srimad-Bhagavatam speaks of stri-sudra-dvijabandhunam. According to these references women, sudras, and dvija-bandhus are considered to belong to the same category. The word dvija-bandhu refers to one who is born in an exalted brahmana or ksatriya family but who has no qualifications of his own. One's social standing, according to the Vedic system, is determined by one's qualifications. This is very practical. Suppose a man is born the son of a high-court judge. This does not mean that he himself is also a highcourt judge. Yet because one happens to take birth in a brahmana family, even if he has no qualifications and is rascal number one, he claims to be a brahmana, and although his qualifications are less than those of a sudra, people accept him as a brahmana. This has caused the downfall of the Vedic civilization. The brahmanas in India are sometimes very much against my movement because I train and accept brahmanas from Europe and America. But we do not care about their arguments, nor will any other reasonable man. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:

 

prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama

sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

 

"In every town, city, and village of the world, the Krsna consciousness movement will be preached." How is it, then, that Europeans and Americans will not become brahmanas? In fact, one who comes to Krsna consciousness has already surpassed brahmanism. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):

 

mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa gunan samatityaitan

brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

 

"One who takes to bhakti-yoga surpasses the modes of material nature and comes immediately to the transcendental platform [brahma-bhuta]." Not to speak of becoming a brahmana, the person who fully engages in bhakti-yoga attains the highest transcendental platform.

The stereotyped, crippled idea that only a person born in a brahmana family can become a brahmana has killed Vedic civilization, but now we are reviving the correct understanding that the attainment of perfection is meant for everyone. In Bhagavad-gita (9.32) Lord Krsna says:

 

mam hi partha vyapasritya

ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah

striyo vaisyas tatha sudras

te 'pi yanti param gatim

 

"O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me--though they be lowborn, women, vaisyas, or sudras--can approach the supreme destination." Thus although women, sudras, and vaisyas are ordinarily considered to belong to a lower class, when one becomes a devotee he or she goes beyond such designations. Women, sudras, and vaisyas are ordinarily regarded as less intelligent, but if one takes to Krsna consciousness one is the most intelligent, as stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta (krsna yei bhaje sei bada catura). And Caitanya Mahaprabhu says:

 

ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

 

" Among all the living entities wandering throughout the universe, one who is very fortunate receives, by the mercy of the spiritual master and the mercy of Krsna, the seed of devotional service." (Cc. Madhya 19.151) The Krsna consciousness movement does not consist of wretched, unfortunate men. No. It consists of the most fortunate. One who has taken to Krsna consciousness is to be considered the most fortunate because he has found the way to act so that his life will be perfect. One who is Krsna conscious and discharging his duties nicely is the most fortunate and the most perfect. This is humbly stated here by Kuntidevi.

Although Kunti had the body of a woman, she was a devotee. Therefore she was not like an ordinary unintelligent woman. Rather, she was the most intelligent, for she recognized Krsna to be the Supreme Godhead: "He has come to me to offer me respect, materially appearing to be my nephew, but He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore in a previous verse she said, alaksyam sarva-bhutanam antar bahir avasthitam: "You are not seen by ordinary men, although You are everywhere, inside and outside." In another verse also she said, na laksyase mudha-drsa: "Fools and rascals cannot see You." This indicates that Kunti saw Him. Unless she were able to see Krsna as He is, how could she say, na laksyase mudha-drsa? She also said, prakrteh param: "You are transcendental to this material creation."

Now here also, in this verse, Kunti continues to express herself with humility. This humility is very good in devotional service. Therefore Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us, trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna: "One should be more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the grass to make progress in spiritual life." This is necessary because for one who is living in this material world there will be so many disturbances, just as if one were traveling on the ocean. One cannot expect a very peaceful situation on the ocean; even a big ship may also be unsteady, and at any moment there may be tumultuous waves. Similarly, in this material world we should always expect danger; one cannot expect a very peaceful life within this material world. The sastra, the Vedic literature, says, padam padam yad vipadam (SB. 10.14.58): at every step there is danger. But if one becomes a devotee, then one can escape (mayam etam taranti te).

If one takes to Krsna consciousness, in the beginning there will be many disturbances caused by Maya, the material energy of illusion. Maya will test us to see how firmly we are fixed in Krsna consciousness. Because she is also an agent of Krsna, she does not allow anyone the freedom to disturb Krsna. Therefore she tests very rigidly to see whether we have taken to Krsna consciousness to disturb Krsna or are actually serious. That is Maya's business. So in the beginning there will be tests by Maya, and we shall feel so many disturbances while making progress in Krsna consciousness. But if we follow the rules and regulations and chant regularly as prescribed, then we shall remain steady. If we neglect these principles, Maya will capture us immediately. Maya is always ready. We are in the ocean, and at any moment we may be disturbed. Therefore one who is not disturbed at all is called paramahamsa.

Kuntidevi therefore says, tatha paramahamsanam: "You are meant to be understood by the paramahamsas." The word parama means "ultimate," and hamsa means "swan." So paramahamsa means "the perfect swan." If we give a swan milk mixed with water, the swan will take the milk and leave aside the water. Similarly, this material world is made of two natures--the inferior nature and the superior nature. The superior nature means spiritual life, and the inferior nature is material life. Thus a person who gives up the material part of this world and takes only the spiritual part is called paramahamsa.

One should know that the activities of the body are due to the soul within the body. That is the real fact. The body is only the outward covering. Similarly, one should know that Krsna is the real center of all activities, and one who knows this is a paramahamsa. Thus bhakti-yoga is for the paramahamsa, one who knows that Krsna is the central fact. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate: "I am the source of everything; everything emanates from Me." So one who knows, not only theoretically but practically, that Krsna is the cause of all causes--one who is convinced of this--is a paramahamsa.

Kuntidevi says, "You are meant for the paramahamsas, not for the rascals and fools. You are meant for the paramahamsas and munis." The word muninam refers to those who are thoughtful or to mental speculators, and the word amalatmanam refers to one who has no dirty things in his heart. The heart of a materialistic person is full of dirty things. What are those dirty things? Lust and greed. All materialistic persons are lusty and greedy, and therefore their hearts are understood to be full of dirty things, but amalatmanam refers to those who are freed from these two contaminations.

Bhakti-yoga is meant for those whose hearts are cleansed, not for the lusty and greedy. Of course, those who are lusty and greedy may try to advance, and gradually they may do so, but once one is situated in bhakti-yoga there is no more lust or greed. Viraktir anyatra ca (SB. 11.2.42). This is the test--when one is free from lusty desires and greed, then he is situated in bhakti-yoga and is actually a paramahamsa. Kuntidevi humbly submits, "You are meant for the paramahamsas and munis, those who are cleansed in heart and are engaged in bhakti-yoga. But what are we? We are simply women. We are in a lower class. How can we understand You?" Although she understands everything, she still takes the position of an ordinary woman and says, "How can I understand You?" This is humility.

 

Chapter Four

 

 

Approaching Krsna, the All-pervading Truth

 

 

krsnaya vasudevaya

devaki-nandanaya ca

nanda-gopa-kumaraya

govindaya namo namah

Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devaki, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vrndavana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses.

 

The Lord, being thus unapproachable by any material assets, out of unbounded and causeless mercy descends on the earth as He is in order to show His special mercy upon His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges of the demoniac persons. Queen Kunti specifically adores the incarnation, or descent, of Lord Krsna above all other incarnations because in this particular incarnation He is more approachable. In the Rama incarnation He remained a king's son from His very childhood, but in the incarnation of Krsna, although He was the son of a king, He at once left the shelter of His real father and mother (King Vasudeva and Queen Devaki) just after His appearance and went to the lap of Yasodamayi to play the part of an ordinary cowherd boy in the blessed Vrajabhumi, which is very sanctified because of His childhood pastimes. Therefore Lord Krsna is more merciful than Lord Rama. He was undoubtedly very kind to Kunti's brother Vasudeva and the family. Had He not become the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, Queen Kunti could not claim Him to be her nephew and thus address Krsna in parental affection. But Nanda and Yasoda are more fortunate because they could relish the Lord's childhood pastimes, which are more attractive than all other pastimes. There is no parallel to His childhood pastimes as exhibited at Vrajabhumi, which are the prototypes of His etemal affairs in the original Krsnaloka, described as the cintamani-dhama in the Brahma-samhita. Lord Sri Krsna descended Himself at Vrajabhumi with all His transcendental entourage and paraphernalia. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore confirmed that no one is as fortunate as the residents of Vrajabhumi, and specifically the cowherd girls, who dedicated their everything for the satisfaction of the Lord. His pastimes with Nanda and Yasoda and His pastimes with the cowherd men and especially with the cowherd boys and the cows have caused Him to be known as Govinda. Lord Krsna as Govinda is more inclined to the brahmanas and the cows, indicating thereby that human prosperity depends more on these two items, namely brahminical culture and cow protection. Lord Krsna is never satisfied where these are lacking.

In the beginning of her prayers, Kuntidevi said, namasye purusam tvadyam isvaram prakrteh param: "I offer my obeisances unto the person, purusa, who is prakrteh param, beyond this material manifestation." Thus in the beginning Kuntidevi gave us the understanding that God is the supreme purusa, the Supreme Person. He is not impersonal. He is a person, but He is not a person of this material world or this material creation, and He does not have a material body. This is to be understood. The poor fund of knowledge held by the impersonalists cannot accommodate how the Supreme Absolute Truth can be a person, because whenever they think of a person they think of a person of this material world. That is their defect. Why should God be a person of this material world? Therefore in the beginning Kuntidevi cleared away this misunderstanding by saying that the Lord is prakrteh param, beyond this material creation. Yet He is a person, and now by the grace of Kunti we can understand that this Supreme Person, although alaksyam, invisible, has now visibly appeared as Krsna.

Kuntidevi says, krsnaya vasudevaya. The word vasudeva is sometimes understood to mean "the all-pervading." The impersonalists have this conception of Vasudeva, and therefore Kuntidevi points out, "That Vasudeva, the all-pervading, is Krsna." Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati: Krsna, the Supreme Lord, is present in everyone's heart. Thus He is all-pervading.

Krsna, the original person, exists in three features: as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the all-pervading Paramatma (the Supersoul), and as the impersonal Brahman effulgence. Those who are interested in bhakti-yoga have no interest in the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is for common men. If one were an inhabitant of the sun, what interest would he have in the sunshine? That would be most insignificant for him. Similarly, those who are advanced in spiritual life are not interested in the impersonal Brahman effulgence. Rather, they are interested in purusa, the Supreme Person, Vasudeva. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, this realization of the Supreme Person takes place after many, many births (bahunam janmanam ante). The jnanis, the impersonalists, who are attached to the Brahman effulgence, try to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of their knowledge, but they do not know that their knowledge is imperfect and limited whereas Krsna, the Absolute Truth, is unlimited. We cannot approach the unlimited by our limited knowledge. That is not possible.

By the grace of devotees like Kuntidevi, we can understand that the all-pervading Absolute Truth, Vasudeva, Paramatma, is present as Krsna (krsnaya vasudevaya). This realization of Vasudeva is not possible for impersonalists very easily. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (7.19):

 

bahunam janmanam ante

jnanavan mam prapadyate

vasudevah sarvam iti

sa mahatma sudurlabhah

 

"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare." The word mahatma means "broadminded." One who cannot understand Krsna is not broad-minded but cripple-minded. If one becomes broad-minded, then by the grace of Krsna one can understand Krsna.

The process of understanding Krsna is sevonmukha--by rendenng service. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. Realization of Vasudeva is possible by rendering service, beginning with the tongue. The tongue has two functions--to vibrate and to taste. So if one repeatedly hears and vibrates the Hare Krsna mantra and tastes prasada, food offered to Krsna, by this very simple method one will realize Vasudeva, Krsna. Krsna will reveal Himself. It is not that by our endeavor alone we can understand Krsna, but our endeavor in loving service will make us qualified, and then Krsna will reveal Himself (svayam eva sphuraty adah).

Krsna is very much anxious to take us back home, back to Godhead, but we are stubborn and do not wish to go. Therefore He is always looking for the opportunity to take us back home. He is just like an affectionate father. When a son who is a rascal leaves his father and goes loitering in the street, with no food and no shelter, and suffers very much, the father is always anxious to bring the boy back home. Similarly, Krsna is the supreme father, and all the living entities within this material world are exactly like misled children of a wealthy man who have left home to loiter in the street. Therefore the greatest benefit one can bestow upon one's fellow human being is to give him Krsna consciousness. No kind of material profit will satisfy the living entity, but if he is given Krsna consciousness he will actually be satisfied. A bewildered boy loitering in the street may be reminded, "My dear boy, why are you suffering so much? You are the son of a very rich man who has so much property. Why are you loitering in the street?" And if he comes to understand, "Yes, I am the son of this important man. Why shall I loiter in the street?" he may then return home. Therefore the best service is to inform those who have forgotten Krsna, "You are part and parcel of Krsna. You are the son of Krsna, who is full in all opulence. Why are you rotting in this material world?" This is the greatest service. Maya, illusion, is very strong, but it is the duty of every devotee of Krsna to try to enlighten everyone to Krsna consciousness. Kuntidevi, for example, first said that although Krsna, the Supreme Person, is within and without, to rascals and fools He is invisible. Therefore she points out, "Here is the Lord--Krsna."

Krsna is the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead (krsnaya vasudevaya), but He is very much pleased to become the son of Devaki (devaki-nandanaya). Devaki-nandana is also mentioned in the Atharva Veda. Krsna comes as Devaki-nandana, and His father is Nanda-gopa, Nanda Maharaja. Krsna likes to be related with His devotees who act as father and mother. Although here in this material world we try to make our relationship with the Supreme by accepting Him as father, Krsna wants to become the son. He takes pleasure in becoming the son of a devotee. Ordinary men want God as their father, but that is not very pleasing to Krsna because the son always bothers the father: "Give me this, give me this, give me this."

Of course, Krsna has immense potencies by which He can supply as much as everyone wants. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman. He supplies food to the elephant, and He supplies food to the ant, so why not to the human being? But rascals do not know this. They work like asses day and night to find bread, and if they go to church, there also they pray, "Give me bread." They are concerned only with the bread problem.

Although the living entity is the son of the richest, most opulent person, he has created a bread problem. This is called ignorance. He thinks, "If I do not solve my bread problem, if I do not drive my trucks day and night, how can I live?" This is the nonsense of our modern civilization. Where is there a bread problem? Krsna can supply unlimited amounts of bread. There are thousands of elephants in Africa, and Krsna supplies food to them. So if He can supply food to the elephants, why not to the human beings? The Bhagavatam therefore says, "Don't waste your time with this bread problem."

 

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah

 

We should not waste our time with solving economic problems. Economic development is nonsense. Of course, this proposal is very revolutionary, and people may even hate me for it. "What is Svamiji saying?" they may ask. But actually it is a fact. This economic development is madness. Suppose one has a rich father and enough food. Suppose one knows, "My father is the richest man in the city." Then where is one's economic problem? Actually, that is our position. We have no economic problem. Everything is completely provided. We want water. Just see--there are oceans of water. Of course, we want pure water, and although the ocean has so much water, when water is scarce we shall have to take help from Krsna, who will evaporate the water and turn it into clouds, and then when the rain falls down the water will be sweet. Otherwise we cannot drink it.

Everything is under control, and everything--water, light, heat, and so on--is complete.

 

om purnam adah purnam idam

purnat purnam udacyate

purnasya purnam adaya

purnam evavasisyate

 

"The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the complete whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the complete whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance." (Isopanisad, Invocation) Krsna's stock is never exhausted. We must simply become obedient to Him, and the supply will be there. Therefore a Krsna conscious person has no economic problem; everything is sufficiently supplied by Krsna. In Los Angeles the neighbors of our temple are sometimes very envious. "You do not work," they say to our Krsna conscious devotees. "You have no anxiety. You have four cars. You are eating so nicely. How is that?" Actually, they are right. Somehow or other we are getting everything we need, and we have no problems, for if one simply becomes a sincere servant of Krsna, everything is provided. They are envious of us because we do not work but still we have so much. But why don't they come join us? That they will not do. "Come with us," we say. "Chant Hare Krsna.' "No, no, no. That I cannot do." "All right. Then work with your trucks." By zooming around in their cars and trucks, they have made their own lives dangerous, and they have created danger for others also. At any moment there may be an accident. But they say that this is civilization. Nonsense. This is not civilization. Civilization means calmness, prosperity, and santi, peace. In peace and prosperity one should be Krsna conscious always.

People work so hard, day and night, simply for a little food, not knowing that their food has already been provided. Avidya karma-samjnanya trtiya saktir isyate (Visnu Purana 6.7.61). This material world is full of ignorance (avidya). Therefore our endeavor should be to become free from this ignorance. It is only for this reason that we should work--to come out of ignorance. We are thinking, "I am this material body. I have to work day and night, and then I shall get my food, and I shall live." This is ignorance. We have lived this life of ignorance in forms other than that of a human being. We have lived in bird life, in beast life, and so on, but now, in this life, we should be peaceful, calm, and quiet, and should simply inquire about the Absolute Truth (jivasya tattva-jijnasa, athato brahma jijnasa). That should be one's occupation.

We are simply sitting down and inquiring about Krsna, and this is what one should do. This is life. Why should one work day and night like an ass? What kind of life is this? No. This is not life. Therefore the Bhagavatam says to one who is intelligent (kovida), "Your life should be engaged for this purpose--for understanding the Absolute Truth." Then how will my economic problem be solved? The answer is that happiness one desires from economic development will come automatically in due course of time. Tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah (SB. 1.5.18). We are looking for happiness. Are you looking for distress? "No, sir." Then why does distress come upon you? If you are not eager for calamities and distress, why do they come upon you? According to our karma, our life holds some portion of happiness and some portion of distress. Therefore, if distress comes without invitation, happiness will also come without invitation.

We are already destined to have a certain amount of happiness and a certain amount of distress, and we cannot change that. The change we should make, therefore, is to get free from this material condition of life. That should be our only business. According to our karma, we are sometimes taking birth in a higher planetary system as demigods and sometimes taking birth as cats and dogs or as germs in stool. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:

 

ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

 

"According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krsna. By the mercy of both Krsna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service." (Cc. Madhya 19.151) Only a fortunate living entity gets the opportunity to associate with Krsna and Krsna's devotee, and in this way he gets the seed of devotional service, the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, and then his life becomes sublime.

Kuntidevi, therefore, is pointing our attention toward Krsna, the Supreme Person, who is alaksya, invisible to all. Who is that invisible person? Here--Krsna. "Oh, Krsna," one may say. "There are so many Krsnas." Therefore Kuntidevi says, "I am offering my prayers to Vasudeva, the son of Vasudeva." "There are many Vasudevas." "No. Nanda-gopa-kumaraya: I am praying to the foster son of Maharaja Nanda." In this way, three times she points out, "Here is Krsna."

Krsna officially takes birth as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva, but in His childhood He enjoys the company of mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja. This is Krsna's pastime. A nanda-lilamaya-vigrahaya: Krsna's pastimes are all jubilant. Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12): He is by nature full of bliss. We shall never find Krsna unhappy. Krsna is always happy, and whoever associates with Him is also happy. Therefore He is known as Govinda. The word go means "senses." We are looking for sense gratification, and if we associate with Krsna we shall enjoy our senses abundantly, just like the gopis who are dancing with Krsna. Thus there is no scarcity of sense gratification, but this sense gratification in association with Krsna is not gross sense gratification; rather, it is the spiritual sense gratification enjoyed in the spiritual world. Ananda-cin-maya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya. That ananda, or pleasure, is not the thirdclass ananda we enjoy with our bodily senses. Such bodily enjoyment is not ananda but illusion. We are thinking, "I am enjoying," but that ananda is not factual, because we cannot enjoy this material pleasure of the senses for long. Everyone has experience that this material pleasure comes to an end. Spiritual enjoyment, however, does not end; rather, it increases. That is the difference. Ananda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami (Brahma-samhita 5.32). Therefore we have to associate with Govinda.

Here also it is said, govindaya namo namah: "I offer my respectful obeisances to Govinda." The Krsna consciousness movement is so sublime that it puts one directly in contact with Govinda. The worship of the Deity of Krsna in the temple is also direct contact with Govinda. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marjanadau (Sri-gurvastaka 3). The vigraha, the Deity of Krsna, appears by Krsna's mercy. Because Krsna is alaksya, invisible, He becomes visible to give us the facility to see Him. It is not that Krsna is stone, wood, or metal. Krsn'a is always Krsna, but because we cannot see anything beyond material elements like wood, stone, and metal, He appears in a form made of these elements. But He is neither wood, metal, nor stone. When we associate with the Deity, we associate with Krsna personally. Because Krsna is invisible, He very kindly takes a form that is visible to us. This is Krsna's mercy. Do not think, "Oh, here is a stone Krsna." Krsna is everything, and therefore Krsna is stone also, but He is not the kind of stone that cannot act. Even in the form of stone or metal, Krsna can act as Krsna, and one who worships the Deity will perceive that. Svayam eva sphuraty adah. The Deity, although apparently stone, may speak with a devotee. There are many instances in which this has happened.

I am very pleased, therefore, when my disciples nicely dress the Deity, offer the Deity nice foodstuffs, and keep the temple very clean. Sri-mandira-marjanadau. Marjana means "cleansing." Whether one dresses Krsna or cleanses the temple, the spiritual benefit one receives is the same. Don't think, "I am only a cleanser, and he is a dresser." No, the person who is dressing the Deity and the person who is cleansing the temple are the same because Krsna is absolute. Therefore, one should engage in Krsna's service in any way, and one's life will be successful. This is the Krsna consciousness movement.

By the grace of Kuntidevi we can understand that Krsna, Vasudeva, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word vasudeva also indicates that the Lord is understood when one comes to the platform of pure goodness, which is also called vasudeva, or visuddha-sattva. Sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam (SB. 4.3.23). To understand the Supreme Lord, we must first come to the platform of sattva, goodness, but goodness here in the material world is sometimes contaminated by the lower qualities ignorance and passion. By hearing about Krsna, however, one comes to the platform of pure goodness. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah. We should try to hear and chant about Krsna always, twenty-four hours a day, and in this way the dirty things will be cleansed from our hearts. It is not that one should only attend a bhagavata-saptaha, an official reading of Srimad-Bhagavatam for seven days. That is another form of exploitation. In the Bhagavatam it is said, nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya. The word nityam means "daily" or "twenty-four hours a day." One should always read Srimad-Bhagavatam and carry out the order of one's spiritual master. The word bhagavata may refer either to the spiritual master or to the book Srimad-Bhagavatam. So one should always serve the person bhagavata or the book Bhagavata. Bhagavaty uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. Then one will be fixed immovably (naisthiki) in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In this way, one should realize the benefits of the Krsna consciousness movement by the prescribed spiritual process and try to distribute these benefits to other people. To awaken the dormant Krsna consciousness of others is the greatest welfare activity in the world. We can actually see that devotees who were not Krsna conscious four or five years ago have been awakened and are now Krsna conscious. Similarly, others can be awakened also. There is no difficulty. The process is the same.

By following in the footsteps of devotees like Kunti, we shall be able to understand Krsna's identity. For example, we may ask a person's identity by asking, "What is your father's name?" So Srimad-Bhagavatam presents God with His father's name, His mother's name, and even His address. We are not impersonalists with a vague idea of God. If one takes advantage of the Krsna consciousness movement, one can understand God perfectly and completely.

 

Chapter Five

 

 

The Vision of Lotuses

 

 

namah pankaja-nabhaya

namah pankaja-maline

namah pankaja-netraya

namas te pankajanghraye

My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus, and whose feet are engraved with lotuses.

 

Here are some of the specific symbolical marks on the spiritual body of the Personality of Godhead which distinguishes His body from the bodies of all others. They are all special features of the body of the Lord. The Lord may appear as one of us, but He is always distinct by His specific bodily features. Srimati Kunti claims herself unfit to see the Lord because of her being a woman. This is claimed because women, sudras (the laborer class), and the dvija-bandhus, or the wretched descendants of the higher three classes, are unfit by intelligence to understand transcendental subject matter concerning the spiritual name, fame, attributes, forms, etc., of the Supreme Absolute Truth. Such persons, although they are unfit to enter into the spiritual affairs of the Lord, can see Him as the arca-vigraha, who descends on the material world just to distribute favors to the fallen souls, including the above-mentioned women, sudras, and dvija-bandhus. Because such fallen souls cannot see anything beyond matter, the Lord condescends to enter into each and every one of the innumerable universes as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who grows a lotus stem from the lotuslike depression in the center of His transcendental abdomen, and thus Brahma, the first living being in the universe, is born. Therefore, the Lord is known as the Pankajanabhi. The Pankajanabhi Lord accepts the arca-vigraha (His transcendental form) in different elements, namely a form within the mind, a form made of wood, a form made of earth, a form made of metal, a form made of jewels, a form made of paint, a form drawn on sand, etc. All such forms of the Lord are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, and there should be a soothing atmosphere in the temple of worship to attract the burning attention of the nondevotees always engaged in material wranglings. The meditators worship a form within the mind. Therefore, the Lord is merciful even to the women, sudras, and dvija-bandhus, provided they agree to visit the temple and worship the different forms made for them. Such temple visitors are not idolaters, as alleged by some men with a poor fund of knowledge. All the great acaryas established such temples of worship in all places just to favor the less intelligent, and one should not pose himself as transcending the stage of temple worship while one is actually in the category of the sudras and the women or less. One should begin to see the Lord from His lotus feet, gradually rising to the thighs, waist, chest, and face. One should not try to look at the face of the Lord without being accustomed to seeing the lotus feet of the Lord. Srimati Kunti, because of her being the aunt of the Lord, did not begin to see the Lord from the lotus feet because the Lord might feel ashamed, and thus Kuntidevi, just to save a painful situation for the Lord, began to see the Lord just above His lotus feet, i.e., from the waist of the Lord, gradually rising to the face, and then down to the lotus feet. In the round, everything there is in order.

If one sees a lotus flower, one can immediately remember Krsna. For example, if one loves one's child and one sees any of the child's garments, or his shoes or a small ship or any of his playthings, one will immediately remember the child: "Oh, these are my child's shoes. These are my child's playthings. This is his garment." This is the nature of love. So if one actually loves God, Krsna, one can remember Him always.

It is not difficult to remember Krsna. Here Kuntidevi describes Krsna with reference to lotus flowers. Similarly, when Krsna describes Himself in Bhagavad-gita, He says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "I am the taste of liquids." So one can remember Krsna by tasting water. Even if one is drinking liquor, if he thinks, "The taste of this drink is Krsna," he will one day turn out to be a great saintly person. So I can request even drunkards to become Krsna conscious, what to speak of others, because Krsna says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "I am the taste of liquids." Generally in this context "liquid" is taken to mean water. But liquor is also liquid; it is only sugar and molasses or some other combination fermented and distilled. Of course, it is bad because it creates intoxication. Although in one sense nothing is bad, liquor is bad because it creates bad effects. In America there are many drunkards. There is no scarcity of them. But I may request even the drunkards, "When drinking wine, kindly remember that the taste of this drink is Krsna. Just begin in this way, and one day you will become a saintly, Krsna conscious person."

So Krsna is available under any circumstances, if we want to catch Him. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (10.10):

 

tesam satata-yuktanam-

bhajatam priti-purvakam

dadami buddhi-yogam tam

yena mam upayanti te

 

"To those who are constantly devoted and who worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me." If one is actually very serious in searching for Krsna, Krsna is everywhere. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami (Brahma-samhita 5.35). Krsna is present within the universe, within our hearts, and even within the atom. So it is not difficult to find Him, but one must know the process by which to do so. This process is very simple, and by the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu we are distributing this process to everyone, without charge. The process is to chant Hare Krsna. As soon as one chants Hare Krsna, one will immediately understand Krsna.

Similarly, simply by hearing or chanting the verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam, one can be purified. Whatever knowledge exists in the world is present in Srimad-Bhagavatam. It includes literature, poetry, astronomy, philosophy, religion, and love of Godhead. Srimad-bhagavatam pramanam amalam. If one simply reads Srimad-Bhagavatam, he gains the topmost education, for if one studies Srimad-Bhagavatam he will be well versed in every subject matter. Even if one does not understand a single word of the mantras of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the vibrations themselves have such power that simply by chanting one will be purified. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah. The word punya means "pious," sravana means "hearing," and kirtana means "chanting." One who chants or hears the verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam becomes pious automatically. To become pious one generally has to endeavor a great deal, but if one simply hears the verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita one becomes pious automatically. Therefore it is a rigid principle in every temple of our Krsna consciousness movement that there must be a daily class for hearing and chanting. Our movement is meant for training spiritual leaders, but without hearing and chanting it is impossible to become a leader. Of course, in the material world it is possible, but not in the spiritual world.

 

mali hana sei bija kare aropana

sravana-kirtana jale karaye secana

(Cc. Madhya 19.152)

 

Hearing and chanting waters the seed of devotional service, which develops one's original consciousness.

So here, in these prayers, Kuntidevi, a great devotee, is giving us an opportunity to become Krsna conscious simply by concentrating our mind on pankaja, the lotus flower. Panka means "mud," and ja means "generate." Although the lotus flower is generated from mud, it is a most important flower, and Krsna likes it very much. Kuntidevi therefore describes all the parts of Krsna's body with reference to lotus flowers, so that as soon as one sees a lotus flower one will immediately think of Krsna: "Oh, Krsna's navel is just like a lotus, and from Krsna's navel grew the stem of the lotus upon which Brahma, the creator of this universe, was born. This universe includes so many planets, seas, mountains, and cities with motorcars and other paraphernalia, but the entire universe began from that lotus."

Namah pankaja-maline. From Krsna comes the wonderful lotus flower that contains the seed of the entire universe. But He is not the source of only one such flower. Krsna is not so poor that He simply produces one lotus flower and then is finished. No. Just as there may be a garland with many flowers, Krsna is the source of innumerable universes, which may be compared to a big garland of lotuses. This is God. Yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya/ jivanti loma-vilaja jagadanda-nathah (Brahmasamhita 5.48). Krsna is unlimited. We are very much concerned with this one planet, but Krsna's creation contains an unlimited number of planets. We cannot count how many planets there are, any more than one can count how many hairs there are on one's head. This is the nature of Krsna's creation. To give another example, on one tree there is an unlimited number of leaves. Similarly, there is an unlimited number of planets, and there are unlimited universes. Therefore, Krsna is unlimited.

Krsna's navel resembles a lotus, He is garlanded with lotuses, and His eyes are also compared to the petals of a lotus (alola-candraka-lasad-vanamalya-vamsi, Brahma-samhita 5.31). So if we simply think of only this one verse, which describes Krsna's body with reference to the lotus, we can meditate our whole life on how beautiful Krsna is, how wise Krsna is, and how Krsna manifests His creation. This is meditation--thinking of Krsna. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti 'yam-yoginah. A yogiis one who always thinks of Krsna.

Those who think of something impersonal are not yogis. Their meditation simply involves undergoing more and more labor (kleso 'dhikaras tesam avyaktasakta-cetasam), and they cannot reach anything substantial. Therefore after meditation they say, "Come on, give me a cigarette. Come on, my throat is now dry. Give me a cigarette." That is not meditation. Meditation means thinking of Krsna always (satatam cintayanto mam) and endeavoring to advance in Krsna consciousness with a firm vow (yatantas ca drdha-vratah).

We have to be purified. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan. Because Krsna is pure, we cannot approach Krsna impurely. But if we think of Krsna always and meditate upon Krsna, then we shall be purified. Punya-sravana-kirtanah. That meditation can be possible by hearing and chanting, and then thinking of Krsna will automatically come. That is the process of Krsna consciousness. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam. The word smaranam means "remembering." If we chant and hear, then remembrance will automatically come, and then we shall engage in worshiping Krsna's lotus feet (sevanam). Then we shall engage in the temple worship (arcanam) and offering prayers (vandanam). We shall engage ourselves as Krsna's servants (dasyam), we shall become Krsna's friends (sakhyam), and we shall surrender everything to Krsna (atma-nivedanam). This is the process of Krsna consciousness.

 

Chapter Six

 

 

The Master of the Senses

 

 

yatha hrsikesa khalena devaki

kamsena ruddhaticiram sucarpita

vimocitaham ca sahatmaja vibho

tvayaiva nathena muhur vipad-ganat

O Hrsikesa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devaki, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kamsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.

 

Devaki, the mother of Krsna and sister of King Kamsa, was put into prison along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devaki's eighth son (Krsna). The King killed all the sons of Devaki who were born before Krsna, but Krsna escaped the danger of child-slaughter because He was transferred to the house of Nanda Maharaja, Lord Krsna's foster father. Kuntidevi, along with her children, was also saved from a series of dangers. But Kuntidevi was shown far more favor because Lord Krsna did not save the other children of Devaki, whereas He saved the children of Kuntidevi. This was done because Devaki's husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntidevi was a widow and there was none to help her except Krsna. The conclusion is that Krsna bestows more favor upon a devotee who is in greater dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the devotee.

Devaki, the devotee who became the mother of Krsna, was not an ordinary woman. After all, who can become the mother of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Krsna agrees to become the son only of the most advanced devotee. In their previous lives, Devaki and her husband underwent severe austerities, and when Krsna therefore appeared before them, wanting to give them a benediction, they told Him that they wanted a son like God. But where can there be another person equal to God? That is not possible. God is asamaurdhva; that is, no one can be equal to or greater than Him. There cannot be any competition. One cannot say, "I am God, you are God, he is God, we are all God." No. One who says this is a dog, not God, for God is great, and He has no competitor. No one is equal to Him; everyone is lower. Ekale isvara krsna ara saba bhrtya: the only master is Krsna, God, and everyone else is His servant, including even great demigods like Brahma, Visnu, and Siva, not to speak of others. Siva-virinci-nutam. In the sastra, the Vedic scriptures, it is said that Lord Krsna is offered respect even by Lord Siva and Lord Brahma, the topmost demigods.

Above the human beings there are demigods. As we human beings are above the lower animals, above us there are demigods, the most important of whom are Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. Lord Brahma is the creator of this universe, Lord Siva is its destroyer, and Lord Visnu, who is Krsna Himself, is its maintainer. For the maintenance of this material world there are three gunas, or modes of material nature--sattva-guna (the mode of goodness), rajo-guna (the mode of passion), and tamo-guna (the mode of ignorance). Lord Visnu, Lord Brahma, and Lord Siva have each taken charge of one of these modes--Lord Visnu of sattva-guna, Lord Brahma of rajo-guna, and Lord Siva of tamo-guna. Yet these three controllers are not under the influence of the gunas. Just as the superintendent of a jail is not a prisoner but the controlling officer, so Lord Siva, Lord Visnu, and Lord Brahma control these three gunas and are not under the control of the gunas.

But above all others, the supreme controller is Krsna, who is known as Hrsikesa. The word hrsika means "senses." We are enjoying our senses, but ultimately the controller of the senses is Krsna. Consider my hand, for example. I claim, "This is my hand. I can fight you with a good fist." I am very much proud. But I am not the controller; the controller is Krsna, because if He withdraws my hand's power to act, the hand will be paralyzed. Although I claim, "It is my hand, and I shall use it," when it is paralyzed I cannot do anything. Therefore, I should understand that although I possess this hand by the grace of Krsna, I am not its controller. This is Krsna consciousness.

A sane man will think, "If this hand is ultimately controlled by Krsna, then it is meant for Krsna." This is a commonsense understanding. I claim, "This is my hand, this is my leg, this is my ear." Even a child will speak this way. If we ask a child, "What is this?" he will say, "It is my hand." But regardless of what we claim, actually it is not our hand; it is given to us. Because I wanted to use my hand in so many ways, Krsna has given it to me: "All right, take this hand and use it." So it is a gift from Krsna, and therefore a sane man always consciously thinks, "Whatever I have in my possession, beginning with this body and my senses, is actually not mine. I have been given all these possessions to use, and if everything ultimately belongs to Krsna, why not use everything for Krsna?" This is intelligence, and this is Krsna consciousness.

Everyone is part and parcel of Krsna (mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah), and therefore everyone's senses are also Krsna's. When we use the senses for Krsna's service, we attain the perfection of life. Therefore, hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate: when by our senses (hrsikena) we serve Hrsikesa, the real master of the senses, that service is called bhakti. This is a very simple definition of bhakti. Hrsikesa-sevanam, not hrsika-sevanam--service to the supreme master of the senses, not to the senses themselves. When we use our senses for sense gratification, we are in maya, illusion, but when we use our senses for the gratification of the master of the senses, that service is called bhakti.

In this material world, everyone is generally using his senses for sense gratification. That is maya, illusion, and that is the cause of one's bondage. But when one comes to Krsna consciousness, when one becomes purified and understands that these senses are actually meant for satisfying Krsna, then he is a liberated person (mukta-purusa).

 

iha yasya harer dasye

karmana manasa gira

nikhilasv apy avasthasu

jivan-muktah sa ucyate

 

"A person who acts in the service of Krsna with his body, mind, intelligence, and words is a liberated person, even within the material world." One should come to understand, "My senses are meant to serve the master of the senses, Hrsikesa." The master of the senses is sitting within everyone's heart. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.15) the Lord says, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto: "I am seated in everyone's heart." Mattah smrtirjnanam apohanam ca: "And from Me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness."

Krsna is so merciful that if we want to use our senses in a certain way, He will give us the chance to do so. The senses are not ours; they are Krsna's, but Krsna gives us the opportunity to use them according to our desires. For example, each of us has a tongue, and suppose we want to eat stool. We may say, "Krsna, I want to taste stool," and Krsna will say, "Yes, take this body of a hog and eat stool." The master is present--Krsna. He will give us an appropriate body and remind us, "My dear living entity, you wanted to eat stool. Now you have the proper body in which to do so." Similarly, if one wants to become a demigod, Krsna will give one a chance to do that also. There are 8,400,000 forms of life, and if one wants to engage one's senses in a particular type of body, Krsna will give one the chance: "Come on. Here is the body you want. Take it." But eventually one will become exasperated by using one's senses. Ultimately one will become senseless. Therefore Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Don't act like this. Your senses are meant for serving Me. You are misusing your senses and are therefore being entrapped in different types of bodies. Therefore, to get relief from this tedious business of accepting one body and then giving it up to accept another and again another in continued material existence, just give up this process of sense gratification and surrender unto Me. Then you will be saved." This is Krsna consciousness.

At the present moment, our senses are contaminated. I am thinking, "I am American, so my senses should be used for the service of my country, my society, my nation." Or else I am thinking, "I am Indian, and my senses are Indian senses, and therefore they should be used for India." In ignorance, one does not know that the senses belong to Krsna. Instead, one thinks that one has American senses, Indian senses, or African senses. This is called maya, illusion. In material life, the senses are covered by designations such as " American," "Indian," and " African," but when our senses are no longer contaminated by all these designations (sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam), bhakti begins.

To think "I am an American. Why shall I take to Krsna consciousness and worship a Hindu god?" is foolishness. If one thinks, "I am Muhammadan," "I am Christian," or "I am Hindu," one is in illusion. One must purify the senses so that one can understand, "I am a spirit soul, and the supreme spirit soul is Krsna. I am part and parcel of Krsna, and therefore it is my duty to serve Krsna." When one thinks in this way, one immediately becomes free. At that time, one is no longer American, Indian, African, this, or that. At that time, one is Krsna-ized, or Krsna conscious. That is what is wanted. Therefore Kuntidevi says, "My dear Krsna, Hrsikesa, You are the master of the senses."

For sense gratification we have fallen into this material condition and are suffering in different varieties of life. Because this is the material world, even Krsna's mother was put into suffering. Devaki was so advanced that she became the mother of Krsna, but still she was put into difficulties by her own brother, Kamsa. That is the nature of this material world. The living entities in this world are so jealous that if one's personal interest is hampered, one will immediately be ready to give trouble to others, even to one's nearest relatives.

The word khala means "jealous." This material world is a world of jealousy and envy. I am envious of you, and you are envious of me. The Krsna consciousness movement, however, is meant for one who is no longer jealous or envious. By becoming free from jealousy and envy, one becomes a perfect person. Dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmat-saranam satam (SB. 1.1.2). Those who are jealous and envious are within this material world, and those who are not are in the spiritual world. Therefore, we can test ourselves. If we are jealous or envious of our friends or other associates, we are in the material world, and if we are not jealous we are in the spiritual world. There need be no doubt of whether we are spiritually advanced or not. We can test ourselves. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca (SB. 11.2.42). When we eat, we can understand for ourselves whether our hunger is satisfied; we don't have to take a certificate from others. Similarly, we can test for ourselves whether we are in the material world or the spiritual world. If we are jealous or envious, we are in the material world, and if we are not we are in the spiritual world.

If one is not jealous, one can serve Krsna very well, because jealousy and envy begin with being jealous of Krsna. For example, some philosophers think, "Why should Krsna be God? I am also God." This is the beginning of material life--to be envious of Krsna. "Why should Krsna be the enjoyer?" they think. "I shall also be the enjoyer. Why should Krsna enjoy the gopis? I shall become Krsna and make a society of gopis and enjoy." This is maya. No one but Krsna can be the enjoyer. Krsna therefore says in Bhagavad-gita, bhoktaram yajna: "I am the only enjoyer." If we supply ingredients for Krsna's enjoyment, we attain the perfection of life. But if we want to imitate Krsna, thinking, "I shall become God and enjoy like Him," then we are in maya. Our natural position is to provide enjoyment for Krsna. In the spiritual world, for example, Krsna enjoys, and the gopis, the transcendental cowherd girls, supply the ingredients for Krsna's enjoyment. This is bhakti.

Bhakti is a relationship between master and servant. The servant's duty is to serve the master, and the master supplies whatever the servant needs.

 

nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam

eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman

(Katha Up. 2.2.13)

 

The Vedic literature informs us that Krsna can supply all the necessities for one's life. There is no scarcity and no economic problem. We simply have to try to serve Krsna, and then everything will be complete.

If Krsna desires, there may be ample supplies. In America, for example, there is an ample supply of everything needed, although in other countries this is not so. For instance, when I went to Switzerland I saw that everything there is imported. The only thing supplied locally is snow. This is all under Krsna's control. If one becomes a devotee, one will be amply supplied with food, and if one does not become a devotee one will be covered with snow. Everything is under Krsna's control, so actually there is no scarcity. The only scarcity is a scarcity of Krsna consciousness.

Of course, the world is full of dangers. But Kuntidevi says, "Because Devaki is Your devotee, You saved her from the distresses imposed upon her by her envious brother." As soon as Devaki's brother heard that his sister's eighth son would kill him, he was immediately ready to kill Devaki. But Devaki's husband pacified him. It is the duty of a husband to protect his wife, and therefore Devaki's husband said, "My dear brother-in-law, why are you envious of your sister? After all, your sister will not kill you; it is her son who will kill you. That is the problem. So I shall deliver all the sons to you, and then you may do whatever you like with them. Why should you kill this innocent, newly married girl? She is your younger sister, and you should protect her, just as you would protect your daughter. Why should you kill her?" In this way he placated Kamsa, who believed Vasudeva's word that he would bring all the sons so that if Karhsa wanted he could kill them. Vasudeva thought, "Let me save the present situation. After all, if Karhsa later gets a nephew, he may forget this envy." But Kamsa never forgot. Instead, he kept Devaki and Vasudeva in prison for a long time (aticiram) and killed all their sons. Finally, Krsna appeared and saved Vasudeva and Devaki.

Therefore, we must depend on Krsna, like Devaki and Kunti. After Kunti became a widow, the envious Dhrtarastra was always planning ways to kill her sons, the five Pandavas. "Because by chance I was born blind," he thought, "I could not inherit the throne of the kingdom, and instead it went to my younger brother. Now he is dead, so at least my sons should get the throne." This is the materialistic propensity. One thinks, "1 shall be happy. My sons will be happy. My community will be happy. My nation will be happy." This is extended selfishness. No one is thinking of Krsna and how Krsna will be happy. Rather, everyone is thinking in terms of his own happiness: "How shall I be happy? How will my children, my community, my society, and my nation be happy?" Everywhere we shall find this. Everyone is struggling for existence, not thinking of how Krsna will be happy. Krsna consciousness is very sublime. We should try to understand it from Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita and try to engage our senses for the service of the master of the senses (hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam). Then we shall actually be happy.

 

Chapter Seven

 

 

Dangerous Encounters

 

 

visan mahagneh purusada-darsanad

asat-sabhaya vana-vasa-krcchratah

mrdhe mrdhe 'neka-maharathastrato

drauny-astratas casma hare 'bhiraksitah

My dear Krsna, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest, and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Asvatthama.

 

The list of dangerous encounters is submitted herein. Devaki was once put into difficulty by her envious brother, otherwise she was well. But Kuntidevi and her sons were put into one difficulty after another for years and years together. They were put into trouble by Duryodhana and his party due to the kingdom, and each and every time the sons of Kunti were saved by the Lord. Once Bhima was administered poison in a cake, once they were put into the house made of shellac and set afire, and once Draupadi was dragged out, and attempts were made to insult her by stripping her naked in the vicious assembly of the Kurus. The Lord saved Draupadi by supplying an immeasurable length of cloth, and Duryodhana's party failed to see her naked. Similarly, when they were exiled in the forest, Bhima had to fight with the man-eater demon Hidimba Raksasa, but the Lord saved him. So it was not finished there. After all these tribulations, there was the great Battle of Kuruksetra, and Arjuna had to meet such great generals as Drona, Bhisma, and Karna, all powerful fighters. And at last, even when everything was done away with, there was the brahmastra released by the son of Dronacarya to kill the child within the womb of Uttara, and so the Lord saved the only surviving descendant of the Kurus, Maharaja Pariksit.

Here Kunti remembers all the dangers through which she passed before the Pandavas regained their kingdom. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says, kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati: "My dear Arjuna, you may declare to the world that My devotee is never vanquished." The Pandavas, the sons of Pandu, were great devotees of Lord Krsna, but because people in the material world are interested in material things, the Pandavas were put into many dangers. Their materialistic uncle Dhrtarastra was always planning to kill them and usurp the kingdom for his own sons. That was his policy from the very beginning.

Once Dhrtarastra constructed a house of lac, which was so inflammable that when touched with a match it would immediately burst into fire. Then he told his nephews and his sister-in-law, Kunti, "I've constructed a very nice house, and you should go live there for some time." But Dhrtarastra's brother Vidura informed them of Dhrtarastra's policy: "He wants you to go to that house so that you may burn to ashes." When Dhrtarastra's son Duryodhana understood that Vidura had thus informed the Pandavas, he was very angry. Such is the nature of politics. Then, although the Pandavas knew, "Our uncle's plan is to send us into that house and set it afire," they agreed to go there. After all, Dhrtarastra was their guardian, and they did not want to be disobedient to the order of a superior. But they dug a tunnel under that house, and when the house was set on fire they escaped.

Another time, when the Pandavas were at home, Dhrtarastra gave them poison cakes, but they escaped from being poisoned. Then purusada-darsanat: they met a man-eating demon named Hidimba Raksasa, but Bhima fought with him and killed him.

On another occasion, the Pandavas were cheated in a game of chess in the royal assembly of the Kurus. Dhrtarastra, Bhismadeva, D