The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Moscow, Russia on August 10, 2010

 

[Moscow was overwhelmed with an unusual and abnormal heat wave in August. It was over 40 degrees Celsius daily, and the usual weather was 20 or 21 degrees. The weather at 5:00 pm (the usual time that Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja would give class) was too hot for him. Therefore, the festival organizers decided that the only way the Moscow 2010 Harikathā Festival could continue with Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja giving lectures would be for him to do so in the morning, at 6 am, when the weather was cool. Due to the weather, the time of the day, and his health, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja spoke for 15 minutes and then went back to his room. He instructed the sannyāsīs to continue speaking from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for the next hour, as he would also do if he were physically present. Here is a transcription of that beautiful discourse.]

Śrīla Vyāsadeva was no ordinary man. [He is the literary incarnation of God, the manifestation of Lord Nārāyaṇa, who manifested all the ancient Vedic literature.] He first compiled the Vedānta-sūtra, which I am going to publish. But this scripture is very, very difficult for people of this age to understand, and therefore he wrote the Mahābhārata and so many Purāṇas. Moreover, it is in the Mahābhārata that all eighteen chapters of Śrī Bhagavad-gītā are contained.

But he was still not satisfied; he was lamenting. In the meantime, his guru, Nārada Ṛṣi, arrived at his āśrama. Nārada asked, “Are you satisfied?”

Vyāsadeva replied, “No, Gurudeva, I am not satisfied. Nārada said, “You have compiled the Vedānta-sūtra, fifty-six Purāṇas, and the Mahābhārata in which the Bhagavad-gītā is contained. Why are you not satisfied?”

Vyāsadeva replied, “Gurudeva, I don’t know. You can tell me; you are all-knowing.”

Nārada kindly said, “In all of your books, you have only explained dharma (religion), artha (economic development), kāma (sense gratification) and mokṣa (liberation). All these are rotten subjects; no one can be satisfied by them.

“Have you written about the glories of Kṛṣṇa? Have you written that even though He is the Supreme Lord, Mother Yaśodā bound Him with a rope? He who is unlimited, up and down, right side, left side, and everywhere – that Supreme Lord was bound and was weeping. His weeping was not imitation. He was weeping and thinking, ‘If My mother doesn’t love Me, then where will I go?’

“Have you written in any book that although Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, He used to steal butter from the houses of all the gopīs? Have you written this?”

Vyāsadeva replied, “No, Gurudeva.”

Nārada continued, “Have you written that the gopīs controlled Kṛṣṇa and that He performed rasa dance with them? During that rasa dance pastime with them, He told them:

na pāraye ’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujāṁ
sva-sādhu-kṛtyaṁ vibudhāyuṣāpi vaḥ
yā mābhajan durjara-geha-śṛṅkhalāḥ
saṁvṛścya tad vaḥ pratiyātu sādhunā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.22

[“I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahmā. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshipped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.”]

He told them, “O gopīs, I cannot repay you. If I ask how to repay you, you will say, “Give us Your service. We want to serve You. Whatever You want, we will give You.”

Nārada continued, “Have you written Veṇu-gīta, Gopī-gīta, and Bhramara-gīta?”

Vyāsadeva replied, “Gurudeva, I don’t know all these topics.”

Nārada told him, “You can only know these topics by bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇa is controlled by bhakti (pure loving devotion).”

We defined pure bhakti (uttama-bhakti) yesterday, and that bhakti is supremely situated in Rādhikā. In fact, bhakti is Rādhikā.

Nārada continued, “You should see all these things by your trance in bhakti-yoga. By bhakti-yoga, you will realize all of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. I am leaving now.”

Nārada then left, after which Vyāsadeva meditated and saw all the sweet pastimes of Kṛṣṇa from beginning to end.

bhakti-yogena manasi
samyak praṇihite ’male
apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ
māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayām

[“Thus he fixed his mind, perfectly engaging it by linking it in devotional service [bhakti-yoga] without any tinge of materialism, and thus he saw the Absolute Personality of Godhead along with His external energy, which was under full control.”]

What does pūrṇa-puruṣa (the Absolute Personality of Godhead) mean in this verse?

Śrīla Vyāsadeva saw the birth of Kṛṣṇa in Gokula, Vṛndāvana, and he saw that Kṛṣṇa was partly born in Mathurā by Devakī. He saw that even though Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, he is stealing butter from the houses of all the gopīs.

He saw that unlimited jīvas (living entities), those jīvas who were neglecting Kṛṣṇa, were coming down to this material world and experiencing so much misery and difficulties – as we do. He saw that some jīvas were remembering Kṛṣṇa and were going to Goloka Vṛndāvana.

He saw Bhramara-gīta, Veṇu-gīta, and Gopī-gīta. He saw everything from top to bottom, including Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Mathurā and Dvārakā.

Seeing all this in his samādhi trance, he wrote all the sweet pastimes of Kṛṣṇa from the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to the Twelfth Canto, and then he was satisfied.

He then saw that no disciple could write and tell all these pastimes and philosophical truths. By chance his son was Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. It is from there that, even today, all these bhāgavata-kathā (narrations of Kṛṣṇa’s glories) are coming:

yasyāṁ vai śrūyamāṇāyāṁ
kṛṣṇe parama-pūruṣe
bhaktir utpadyate puṁsaḥ
śoka-moha-bhayāpahā

[“Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.”]

By hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, śoka (lamentation), moha (illusion), and all other unfavourable things go away. We should, therefore, try to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam wherever it is being recited.

Now so many speakers will speak.

Gaura-premānande!

Source: Purebhakti.com

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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)