The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Houston, Texas, on June 12, 1996

 

First of all, I offer my unlimited obeisances unto the lotus feet of my most worshipable Gurudeva, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. I also offer my unlimited obeisances to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and to the person who manifested this book, Śrīla Vyāsadeva. I also offer my obeisances to the first person who discoursed on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. I live in Vṛndāvana. I had no desire to leave Vṛndāvana, but at the request of the devotees, I came here to the Western countries. From today, I will speak on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for four days. Although devotees also speak on the Bhāgavatam for seven days, it would be better to speak on the Bhāgavatam for one month. It would be in the best self-interest of the listeners if the meaning is revealed and explained to them clearly. Thus, the listeners will read the Bhāgavatam for their entire lives. And they will live their lives accordingly. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam contains the solutions for all kinds of problems. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam offers solutions to the problems that existed in the past and to the problems that exist currently. Even future problems can be solved upon proper perusal of the Bhāgavatam. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam never becomes old; the Bhāgavatam is eternal and ever-new.

In India, there is a place called Naimiṣāraṇya. It is a very pure place. It is on the banks of the Gomatī River. Thousands of years before, over 80,000 Ṛṣis had assembled in that place. Kali-yuga was about to come; it had arrived immediately after Kṛṣṇa left this world.

The Ṛṣis anxiously thought, “Kali-yuga is going to come. It is a very frightening age.”

Kali means kalaham lāṭhi iti; people will fight with each other for no reason. So, the Ṛṣis thought, “What can be done?” Meanwhile, Sūta Gosvāmī, the disciple of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, came.

All the Ṛṣis asked Sūta Gosvāmī, “How can our auspiciousness be assured? What should we do?”

Sūta Gosvāmī replied, “Listen to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and practice the teachings given therein. Establish your life in the teachings of the Bhāgavatam. Follow those instructions and Kali-yuga will not trouble you.”

Thus, Sūta Gosvāmī started speaking on the Bhāgavatam to protect the Ṛṣis from the faults of Kali-yuga. Presently, what is the main problem? Science has advanced so much that even a new skull can be placed. We can go from one end of the earth to another within a very short time. Much advancement has been made from the kitchen to developing atomic bombs. It seems that the earth can be held in one’s fist. If you want to go to India, just sit in the airplane, and you will reach it by tomorrow morning. You can watch a cricket match or a football match at home. All arrangements have been made. However, these advancements have created a problem that science cannot solve.

How can a husband and wife love each other? Science has distanced their hearts; there is no love. A father and son do not love each other. Today, old houses are made for a person’s aged parents. Old people whose family members neglect them stay in these old age homes. Why? A person can take care of a dog, but he cannot take care of his parents? So many such problems have come into this world. The bank balance of a wife differs from the husband’s. The bank balance of the children is different as well. Why is this? No one trusts each other. The qualities of the soul are disappearing. Man has now become like a machine. There is no peace and happiness in the heart.

I see lakhs of people on the streets when I go to Kolkata and Mumbai. There is such a big crowd that people push each other and walk. But if one person falls on the ground, no one will pick him up. There is no love among people. Man has advanced so much, but where is the love? The main problem is that there is no love. If there was love, then this world would become Vaikuṇṭha. But, it is very sad that there is no love between one another. People look after dogs because they trust dogs more than fellow humans. The dog will not betray them. The dog will immediately come and wag its tail if it is called. But men don’t trust men. They don’t trust women, either.

They think, “What if she leaves me and goes somewhere else?”

The women also think, “What if my husband leaves me and goes somewhere else?”

When one cannot find solace anywhere, one commits suicide. People don’t even trust God. This is the main problem of Kali-yuga. So, how will the Bhāgavata help? The Bhāgavata will help; just listen carefully. The Bhāgavata will give what science cannot give. Science cannot answer the question, “Who am I?” Where does life go when the body becomes still and lifeless? Science does not have the answer to this question. If scientists become enlightened, then they will answer. The solutions to all forms of problems have been given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Bhāgavata tells us how we can be happy and love each other. Only by lovingly associating with each other will we be happy. Even donkeys and pigs eat food, but if there is no love, all kinds of food will be tasteless.

Where will the soul go after leaving this body? Therefore, Sūta Gosvāmī offered his obeisances to his Guru and started speaking on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nārada Ṛṣi is a topmost sage. He knows the past, present, and future. There is no place in the universe where he cannot go. He doesn’t need a spaceship to go from one planet to another. He can travel by his mind in less than a moment. He is omniscient; he knows what every person thinks. In the course of his travels, he reached Haridvāra. Haridvāra is a place that lies on the banks of the Gaṅgā. It is the gateway to the Himalāyas. Hence, it is called Haridvāra. He met his elder brothers there — Sanaka, Sanat, Sanātana, and Sanandana-kumāra. These sages are always five years old. They are always naked. They don’t eat any food. They don’t need air to breathe, either. They are always wandering and enlightening people. They are the repositories of transcendental knowledge. There is no such thing that they are not enlightened about. A dead person will be brought back to life just by their glance. Whatever they say is bound to happen.

When Nārada met the four brothers, they asked him, “Oh Nārada, why have you come here? Your face has dried up. You seem engrossed in thought. Why is this? Why are you sad?”

Nārada replied, “I am very sad.”

“Why? You are a great devotee and are very knowledgeable.”

“What can I do? After Kṛṣṇa ended His dvārakā-līlā, I was wandering on this earth. I saw many astonishing sights.”

“What did you see?”

“I saw that the sādhus are not what they were. They speak the Bhāgavata to earn money and not for the benefit of people. They do kīrtana to earn money as well. They want to build big palaces for themselves. But they don’t want to make people’s hearts into temples. Men have become very greedy. They have made women their maidservants. When they so desire, they make the woman leave home. They are only concerned with money. And how are the women? Women have love for their husbands, but it is little. They are only concerned with decorating their hair. There is no celibacy in this world. The King has become a dacoit. He is only engaged in daylight robbery. Even hari-kathā seems empty.

“Thus, I went in all four directions and became very sad. I then reached Vṛndāvana. There, I saw something very strange. I saw that there was a young lady who had two sons. These sons were very old. Their hair was white, and they were lying on the ground unconscious. The young lady was crying bitterly. When I came to where they were, the mother became very happy to see me.

She asked, ‘Are you Nāradajī? I am very sad.’

‘Why are you sad?’

‘I was born in South India. After taking birth, I went to Karnataka. There, I gradually grew. After that, I came to Mahārāṣṭra. Then I came to Gujarat. When I came there, I gradually became old. My hair turned white, and my sons became old as well. All three of us became old.’

‘Why did this happen?’

‘We were wandering. Now my sons don’t speak. They are only sleeping. They don’t get up. I brought them along with me to Vṛndāvana. When I came to Vṛndāvana, I became a young lady. But my sons remain as they are. I have tried waking them up, but they refuse to wake up. I cannot understand why this is happening.’

‘All right. I will do something by which your sons will wake up.’

Bhakti-devī told me, ‘Don’t go anywhere. I feel so blissful in your presence. I cannot understand why I am so happy.’

‘I will make your sons healthy again,’ and I became absorbed in thinking about what could be done for Bhakti-devī’s sons.

I took her sons everywhere. I took them to Haridvāra; I took them to the banks of the Gaṅgā. I took them to Prayāga. I took them everywhere. I had them take a bath at all holy places. On their behalf, I gave so much charity. I did everything. I took them to South India as well. I had them bathe in the ocean at Kanyā-kumārī. I had them bathe in the Godāvarī as well. But nothing happened. I took them to Gayā also, but nothing happened. So, what should I do, my dear brothers?” Nārada Ṛṣi asked the four Kumāras.

Previously, Nārada Ṛṣi had become absorbed in a meditative trance and remembered his Lord. An aerial voice told him, “You need only try, and everything will be all right. Bhakti-devī’s sons will become young again.”

Nārada told his brothers, “I know they will become all right, but why can’t I help them? What should I do? I am determined that I will become successful in my endeavours. So, I wandered everywhere and have now come here to Haridvāra. Seeing all of you, I hope you will show me the right way. Thus, these children will become young and happy again.”

The four Kumāras told Nārada, “You are a devotee; you know everything. You do know how the sons of Bhakti-devī will become all right. But, to increase our prestige, you are doing this. Okay. Listen to the essence of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. By listening to the Bhāgavatam for seven days, Bhakti-devī’s sons will become their younger selves again. And all her desires will be fulfilled.”

There is so much potency in the Bhāgavata and Bhagavān’s names. Even very notorious persons change. There is so much potency in the words of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The four Kumāras started speaking on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Bhakti-devī heard the recital for seven days. The form of Bhakti-devī became more effulgent, and her two sons became normal again. They became youths, and smiling, spoke to their mother.

There is another history regarding the recital of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. During ancient times, there lived a poor brāhmaṇa named Ātmadeva in South India. He did not have a son. He prayed to Śaṅkarajī and, being pleased, Śaṅkarajī appeared and told the brāhmaṇa, “I will give you something. Take it and have your wife eat it. You will soon be blessed with a very beautiful, intelligent son. He will respect his parents and do Bhagavān’s bhakti.”

Ātmadeva took the blessed food and told his wife, “You should eat this prasādam and then you will give birth to a very beautiful son. We are over fifty years of age and in time, we will become old. We will be so fortunate if we obtain a son. He will offer oblations to us after we die and continue our lineage. A house where a baby doesn’t cry is compared to a cemetery.”

The wife thought, “If I eat this food, then I will have to bear a child. My body will become very heavy and I will not be able to walk. I will have to undergo so much trouble. Also, I will not be able to eat what I want. I don’t want to carry a baby in my body for nine or ten months. This is not possible for me.”

The wife of Ātmadeva then fed the prasādam to a cow. Her younger sister was already pregnant. She gave her some money and asked for the child. She told her sister, “When you beget a son, give him to me.”

The younger sister agreed and she was given a substantial amount of money. Ātmadeva’s wife kept her sister in her house. Shortly, the cow gave birth to a baby and so did the sister of Ātmadeva’s wife. The cow ate the food given by Śaṅkara, giving birth to a very beautiful baby. He was very attractive, but his ears resembled the ears of a cow. So, his name was “Gokarṇa,” which means he who has the ears of a cow. And the son born to the sister of Ātmadeva’s wife was very notorious. He would always fight and do bad things. From his childhood, he was of bad character. He would kill people; he would drink alcohol. He would lie and steal from others. He was a dacoit.

He told his father, “Give me money; I want to gamble and drink alcohol.”

Out of fear of his son, Ātmadeva left home and went to the forest. Soon after, he fell into a well and died. Gokarṇajī left home and went on a pilgrimage. Dhundhukārī, the other son, now started beating his mother. Unable to tolerate being beaten by her son, she left home and also died somewhere. Dhundhukārī was such a bad person. Dhundhukārī means a person who causes trouble. He would fight with people without any prior reason. After some days, he spent all the money he had. He would call prostitutes to his house. He would drink alcohol and continue to kill people for money. But when he called the prostitutes, there was no money in his house. One day, he stole a lot of money and golden ornaments from someone. He kept the loot in the house when the prostitutes were also with him.

The prostitutes thought, “He will give us money and gold, but he will take it back tomorrow.”

So, all the prostitutes caught Dhundhukārī and beat him with a burning log of wood. Beating him severely, they killed him. They dug a hole and put his body there. The prostitutes then took all the money and gold. After dying, Dhundhukārī became a very fearsome ghost.

He would always cry out, “Someone is killing me! My body is burning!”

He would threaten the passersby and throw stones at them. He would let no one come near. Ghosts exist; it is not a lie. But they don’t come near devotees and pure people.

jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur
dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca

Bhagavad-gītā 2.27

[One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again.]

A person will have to take birth and die repeatedly, and also have to become old. This is the theory of the Gītā; this is the theory of all the śāstras. So, Dhundhukārī died and became a ghost. He caused much nuisance. Meanwhile, Gokarṇa returned home after visiting all the tīrthas.

The villagers told him, “Don’t go to your house. There is a ghost there, which will kill you.”

Gokarṇa replied, “I don’t fear anyone.”

Chanting Bhagavān’s names, he went inside the house. Now, Dhundhukārī appeared in many terrible forms and tried to scare Gokarṇa. He repeatedly threatened Gokarṇa and tried throwing stones at him. But, Gokarṇa was absorbed in chanting Bhagavān’s names. At the end, Gokarṇa sprinkled some water, uttered some mantras and asked, “Who are you?”

The ghost replied, “I am your brother. My name is Dhundhukārī. Some prostitutes killed me and threw my body in this pit. Now I have become a ghost. You should rescue me as soon as possible. I feel very hungry and thirsty. I am in so much distress. There is no one to rescue me.”

Gokarṇa said, “I offered oblations on your behalf at Gayā. Didn’t you receive it?”

“No.”

“I also offered oblations at Haridvāra. Didn’t you receive this as well?”

“No.”

“I did everything.”*

“Please rescue me by any means, brother.”

“Okay. Stay where you are. I will think of a means to deliver you.”

Gokarṇa then became absorbed in deep contemplation. He worshipped the sun-god, and the sun-god appeared. He told Gokarṇa, “Recite the Bhāgavatam. Invite the ghost to listen to the Bhāgavatam.”

Gokarṇa returned and organized a seven-day recital of the Bhāgavatam. He had seven pieces of dry bamboo arranged.** Thousands of people gathered to listen to him as he spoke on the Bhāgavatam. Thus, Gokarṇa started speaking on the Bhāgavatam to deliver his brother who had become a ghost. He spoke the Bhāgavata that Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. We will now discuss this self-same Bhāgavata. The Bhāgavata is very powerful. As each day of the Bhāgavata recital ended, one piece of bamboo opened with a sound. Hence, after seven days, the Bhāgavatam ended and all the seven pieces of bamboo opened. The people saw that a golden throne was brought from Vaikuṇṭha by Lord Viṣṇu’s messengers, and they seated Dhundhukārī on it and took him to Vaikuṇṭha.

Gokarṇajī asked the divine messengers, “Brothers, I spoke the Bhāgavata and these thousands of people listened along with Dhundhukārī. But, only Dhundhukārī’s sins were dispelled, and he is now going to Vaikuṇṭha while we are just sitting here.”

The messengers replied, “The Bhāgavatam should be spoken and listened to with faith. You did not speak with faith, nor did the audience listen with faith. You should explain the Bhāgavatam clearly, and the audience must also understand with faith. Then all of you will surely go to Vaikuṇṭha as well.”

Gokarṇa then spoke the Bhāgavatam again, and all the audience members listened with faith. This time, everyone left their bodies and, having four-handed forms, they ascended to Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma. So, the Bhāgavata should not be heard superficially. You should not say, “This is mythology.” The Bhāgavata is not mythology. Before Sītājī was kidnapped, Mārīca came in the form of a golden deer and started roaming in front of Sītājī.

Sītājī told Rāmacandra, “Oh Prāṇanātha, I want this golden deer. I will take this golden deer to Ayodhyā and give it as a gift to Mahārāṇī Kaikeyī if it is brought alive. If the deer is killed, then I will give its golden skin to Bharata. So, I want this deer.”

On Rāvaṇa’s order, Mārīca had become a golden deer so that Sītājī could be kidnapped. When Rāma’s arrow struck Mārīca, he called out, “Hā Lakṣmaṇa!” three times. At that time, Sītājī said, “Lakṣmaṇa, You should go immediately to help Your brother. Some calamity has befallen upon Rāmacandra.”

Lakṣmaṇa replied, “No. I know that nothing bad can happen to Rāmacandra.”

Sītājī said, “Bharata has sent You as a spy here. When Rāmacandrajī is killed, You will marry me. I will never be Your wife even if my life leaves me. You should understand this. You are an evil person.”

Sītā started scolding Lakṣmaṇa, and He became very sad. He told Sītā, “I consider you to be My mother. I will use my arrow to create a protective circle around you. Please never take one step outside of this circle. Always stay carefully within this circle.”

Meanwhile, Rāvaṇa came and said, “Bhikṣām dehi! Bhikṣām dehi! Bhikṣām dehi!”

Sītājī took something and came to give it to Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa said, “Please step out of this line and give me alms. I don’t take anything from inside.”

Why did Rāvaṇa say this? When he tried stepping on the circle, he was jolted by electricity. He tried to go past the circle many times, but could not. What was in the circle that prevented Rāvaṇa from entering? Rāvaṇa was a very powerful scientist who could not go past this circle. There was something in the circle. Before meeting Nārada, Vālmīki was a dacoit. He had killed lakhs of people. But, in the association of Nāradajī, he was made to chant the name of Rāma in a reverse manner.

He chanted, “Marama. Marama.”

ulṭā nāma japata jaga jana
vālmīki pāya brahmā-samāna

[“The whole world knows how Vālmīki became completely divine by repeating the holy name of Lord Rāma in reverse as ‘Mara’.]

What was in the name? Vālmīki chanted the name in a reverse manner, and he became comparable to Brahmā, i.e. whatever he would say would become true. He became omniscient. He knew the past, present, and future. He composed the Rāmāyaṇa even before Rāma’s advent. How did he do so? This was by the influence of the holy name. Thus, Lakṣmaṇa had chanted the name of Rāma and drawn the circle around Sītā-Rāma’s cottage. Vālmīki chanted, “Mara, Mara,” and ultimately chanted the name given to him by Nāradajī, i.e. the name of Rāma. He then chanted, “Rāma. Rāma.”

All of you must have heard the name of Agastya Ṛṣi. Once, a bird’s eggs fell into the ocean, and the waves took the eggs many miles inside the ocean. The small bird started crying. The bird told the ocean, “Please return my eggs.” But the ocean did not comply. Agastya Ṛṣi’s āśrama was nearby, and the bird asked the sage for help.

The Ṛṣi told the ocean, “You should return the eggs to the bird.”

The ocean did not listen. Agastya Ṛṣi chanted Rāma’s name and swallowed the entire ocean. How is this possible? Science has not advanced so much. Science cannot understand why the body becomes lifeless after an entity leaves it. Science cannot tell us how everyone should love each other. The scientist himself doesn’t know when he will die. How can peace and happiness be had? How can old age be stopped? The scientist cannot say anything. Even a million scientists cannot answer these questions. This is realized science. The holy name and mantra have such inconceivable power; the Bhāgavata has such inconceivable power. I have full faith in this; I have practiced chanting the holy names for sixty years. In some time I will become eighty years old. I am experiencing the glories of the holy name. If you don’t believe me, chant the holy names for only ten days. You will realize that all bad qualities are leaving you. You will experience the topmost bliss and happiness. You will see that all your desires are fulfilled if you continue chanting. Gradually, you will attain knowledge of the soul and the Supersoul.

punarapi jananaṁ punarapi maraṇaṁ
punarapi jananī jaṭhare śayanam
iha saṁsāre bahu dustāre
kṛpayā ’pāre pāhi murāre

Bhaja Govindam (21), Śaṅkarācārya

[“O Murāri, Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am repeatedly tossed in the waves of birth and death. I am forced to be born again and again and forced to die again and again. In this way, I have been occupying the wombs of millions of mothers. Please kindly shower Your merciful glance upon me and deliver me from this ocean of nescience.”]

You will not have to enter another mother’s womb. This is an unchallengeable truth. Hence, there are innumerable glories of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The instructions of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are so beautiful that if a person just listens to them, he will become pure regardless of whether or not he follows. If a person listens to these instructions attentively and practically applies them, he will become very exalted. He will become liberated and attain the Lord’s lotus feet. He will eternally be with the Lord.

Now, I will speak on one of the earliest histories of the Bhāgavatam. The disciple of Śukadeva Gosvāmī was Sūta Gosvāmī. He was speaking to the assembled sages at Naimiṣāraṇya. First of all, he offered praṇāma and spoke this śloka:

janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ
tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ’mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.1

[O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. He only imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.]

Sūta Gosvāmī said, “I meditate on the topmost truth. He delivers everyone in the world and makes their lives auspicious. May He make my life auspicious as well by delivering me.”

Who is this? Janmādy asya yato — He creates this world by His desire. By His desire, He maintains innumerable universes. A person may say, “How does He maintain me as well? My parents look after me.”

“But who looked after your parents? Who looked after you while you were in your mother’s womb? How did you enter your mother’s womb? How did you grow and come of age? No scientist or doctor has done this. Your mother ate rice and capātīs, and this was turned into milk. Who did this?”

Where did the child’s intelligence come from? How is a baby born healthy? Therefore, Bhagavān looks after everyone. He also takes care of insects, trees, plants, and creepers. He gives birth to everyone. At the end, everyone enters Him and a new creation is initiated. So, Sūta Gosvāmī did praṇāma to this personality. Who is this? This personality is Kṛṣṇa. Demigods and sages become bewildered when they try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa manifested inconceivable knowledge in the heart of Brahmājī and Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Thus, they could always see Him. He is eternal. We know we will become old; we know we will become miserable; we know our sons will not listen to us, and we will ultimately die; but still, Kṛṣṇa’s māyā is so powerful that she doesn’t allow us to become renounced and to engage in His bhajana. This is the nature of māyā.

So, Sūta Gosvāmī says, “I offer my praṇāma unto the personality to whom māyā belongs.”

Another śloka is:

dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ
vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam
śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ
sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate ’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.2

[Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva (in his maturity), is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need for any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.]

Various types of dharma are prevalent in this world. The dharma that doesn’t explain ātma-dharma and the dharma of bhajana to Bhagavān is useless. In the name of dharma, people fight with each other. This is not dharma. Real dharma can never be forsaken. Therefore, what is our real dharma? We are not Hindus, Muslims, Christians, or Sikhs. What are we? We are the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Īśvara aṁsa jīva avināsī. This is also stated in the Gītā.

Kṛṣṇa says, “All the souls are My part and parcels. Everyone is My servant.”

So, the prema we have for Kṛṣṇa is our real dharma regardless of us being Hindus, Muslims, or Christians. Is there any person in this world who doesn’t want happiness? Even a fly wants happiness. Anything we do is for happiness. We want to end our miseries and strive for this happiness.

śrī-prabuddha uvāca
karmāṇy ārabhamāṇānāṁ
duḥkha-hatyai sukhāya ca
paśyet pāka-viparyāsaṁ
mithunī-cāriṇāṁ nṛṇām

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.3.18

[Śrī Prabuddha said: Accepting the roles of male and female in human society, the conditioned souls unite in sexual relationships. Thus they constantly make material endeavours to eliminate their unhappiness and unlimitedly increase their pleasure. But one should see that they inevitably achieve exactly the opposite result. In other words, their happiness inevitably vanishes, and as they grow older their material discomfort increases.]

Why do we do karma? A fly doesn’t sleep at night. It is always going here and there. Why? It is on the lookout for some food. Why do we work? People become merchants, businessmen, and are ready to serve others. But what is the reason? They want money. They think that money will give them happiness. If I ask anyone, “Why do you eat and earn money?” The answer will be, “To eat and drink.”

“What will happen by eating and drinking?”

“If I don’t eat, I will die.”

“Why do you want to remain alive?”

People will not be able to answer this question. Why does a person want to remain alive?

Rather than answering this question, people will say, “We have never heard of such a strange question.” Why do we want to remain alive? Are we alive only to eat, drink, and roam on the cycle? No brother, we are not meant for this. The svarūpa, the intrinsic nature of the jīvātmā, is bliss. Kṛṣṇa is ānanda-maya; He is sat-cit-ānanda — composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss.

satyam jñānam ananta brahma 

Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of bliss. You should clearly understand that until you meet Kṛṣṇa, you will not be happy and peaceful. You should understand by an example. If you throw a stone high in the sky, where will it fall? It will fall to the ground. Why? The ground has a gravitational force. If you light up a fire, then where will the flames of the fire go? They will go up in the sky. Why doesn’t the earth pull the flames with its gravitational force? Where will a balloon go? It will go up in the sky. Why doesn’t earth pull the balloon to its surface? These objects will only meet with their source. One drop of water will flow to the ocean. It will become vapour and meet the ocean. The rivers meet the ocean, and the water vaporises and falls from the clouds as rain. This is the cycle. Even one drop of water will not be wasted. In the same way, we are the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We will not be happy until we meet Him and love Him. We may try in a million ways to be happy by other means, but we will not. Nothing in this world will go with you. 

Hence, prema is our dharma. To love Kṛṣṇa is our dharma. Have love and affection for everyone. A lion or a tiger will kill an elephant or other animals, but will it kill its mate or cubs? It will eat the meat of everyone and drink their blood. But it will always love its cub. Notorious dacoits kill everyone, but will the dacoits kill their wives? They kill their victims and give their belongings to their wives. Thus, they love their wives. There is no animal that is not greedy for happiness and that does not tend to love. This prema is the dharma, the constitutional nature of every soul or jīva. Sanātana-dharma is related to the soul. The soul is eternal and immutable. The love that the soul has for Kṛṣṇa is eternal. The Hindu dharma is closely related to sanātana-dharma. This dharma tells us to speak the truth and to respect our parents. It tells us to believe in Bhagavān. The Gītā, Bhāgavata, and other scriptures are part of the Hindu dharma; so it is near sanātana-dharma. That dharma which is devoid of prema and which does not speak of Bhagavān, is not dharma. Therefore, our real dharma is prema. The Gītā and Bhāgavata give only this śikṣā (instruction).

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

Bhagavad-gītā 18.66

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.]

Kṛṣṇa says, “Surrender to Me.”

Therefore, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is aptly described in the following śloka:

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.3

[O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore, this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.]

“O rasika and bhāvuka devotees; if you want your auspiciousness, listen to the Bhāgavatam.”

Why? The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam doesn’t belong to this earth. When Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke the Bhāgavatam to Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he enlightened him on ātma-jñāna, bhakti, vairāgya, and everything else.

Who is the ātmā? Who is the Paramātmā? Who is Bhagavān? How can He be obtained? How can we develop our prema? How can we be happy and peaceful in life? How can we become happy and peaceful within one lifetime? The methods to achieve this goal have been discussed. Those who followed these methods eventually attained their goal. Therefore, it is said:

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

When Śukadeva Gosvāmī was about to start speaking on the Bhāgavatam, the demigods came. They brought a pot full of nectar. They told Śukadeva Gosvāmī, “Please give this pot to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He will become immortal by drinking this nectar. In return, you may speak the Bhāgavatam to us.”

Śukadeva Gosvāmī started laughing at the demigods’ proposition. He said, “Oh fools! Indra drinks this nectar; yet why is he miserable? Why does he run after Ahalyā? He ran away in fear of demons like Hiraṇyakaśipu. Once, he hid himself in a pond by taking shelter in the stem of a lotus. He stayed there for lakhs of years. Why did he do this?”

This Bhāgavatam is not about saṁsāra. It does not describe the love between a man and a woman. The Bhāgavatam describes the pure love shared between the liberated souls and Kṛṣṇa. By listening to the Bhāgavatam, the listener will become immortal like Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He will always be happy and enter the spiritual world after leaving his body. You should understand this clearly. I will explain the glories of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Forsake the illusion that you are this body. You will have to leave this body one day or another. Familial relationships only last for a couple of days.

Sūta Gosvāmī told the Ṛṣis, “Who is Śukadeva Gosvāmī? He has brought this bhāgavata–kathā from Goloka Vṛndāvana that lies above Vaikuṇṭha.”

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

The Vedas, Upaniṣads, Vedānta, the Gītā, and the other scriptures are called nigama. Nigama is likened to a tree. The fruit of this tree is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This fruit is only made of rasa. There are no seeds in the fruit, and the fruit is skinless. The fruit is only pervaded by rasa. It is a very sweet fruit. The Vedas and Upaniṣads are the most ancient scriptures. So, why didn’t the sons of Bhakti-devī become young again by listening to the Vedas and Upaniṣads? They listened, but Bhakti-devī and her sons also remained old. They were made to listen to the Vedas, Vedānta, and all the scriptures. But how did the sons become normal after listening to the Bhāgavatam? If you take a ripe mango and taste it, then how sweet will it be? It will be very sweet and beautiful. As for anything else, you will only taste it and throw it away. But what will you do with the peel of this mango? You will taste it again and again while relishing the sweetness. You will not find the peel to be tasteless; you will taste it again and again. You will not do the same with any other fruit; you will only taste it once and throw the peel away. The mango is very sweet. But where did this fruit come from? The seed of a mango grew into a tree, and this tree gave many mangoes in turn. Will you get rasa by tasting the roots of a mango tree? The taste of the roots will be very bland. Are the branches of this tree tasteful? No. Are the leaves of this tree tasty? No. But all the rasa of the tree is in the ripe mango, which is very sweet. The tree’s roots, branches, and leaves are not sweet like the mango. Why is this so? After all, the rasa of the tree, branches, and leaves is present in the fruit.

Therefore, by listening to Veda-vedānta, the sweetness that is obtained by listening to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will not be obtained. Consider one more example: Ghee is present in the milk. But, how can this ghee be seen? The eyes cannot see it. You have to make the milk into curd, and butter will be obtained by churning this curd. By heating this butter, all the impurities will disappear, and ghee will be obtained. By heating this ghee, a nice fragrance will be produced. The sages use this ghee to perform fire sacrifices, and they also eat this ghee by mixing it with food. There is oil already in the mustard seeds. But this oil cannot be seen. But by pressing these mustard seeds, oil will be obtained.

Hence, the essence of all the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Gītā, and all Vedic scriptures is present in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The essence of the Gītā is also there in the Bhāgavatam. So, we will listen to the Bhāgavatam very attentively. Who is Śukadeva Gosvāmī? He is the beloved parrot of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. When the pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa were manifest, Śukadeva Gosvāmī was the parrot of Śrīmatī Rādhikā when She was in Varṣāṇā. She would make this parrot sit on Her hand.

She would say, “Oh Śuka, chant ‘Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa.’”

The parrot would then chant Kṛṣṇa’s name while resembling the exact voice of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. The voice of the parrot was sweeter than Kṛṣṇa’s flute. Śrīmatī Rādhikā would feed the parrot pomegranate seeds and sweet rice. She would take care of the parrot with great love. One day, the parrot flew away from Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s hand and went to Nandagaon. There, Kṛṣṇa was talking with Madhumaṅgala under the branches of the tamāla tree.

The parrot chanted, “Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa.”

Kṛṣṇa thought, “Who is saying My name? Is Rādhikā here and calling out My name? How is this possible? This is the voice of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.” Kṛṣṇa looked up and saw a parrot sitting on the branch. The parrot thought, “I am very dear to Śrīmatī Rādhikā. She loves me very much and nourishes me. Sometimes She gently strokes my back with Her beautiful hands and long fingers. She would always feed pomegranate seeds to me, and She has so much affection towards me. But I am not worthy of Her love and affection; I am an ungrateful bird. I flew from Her and came to Nandagaon, and now I repent that I shouldn’t have left my mistress, who was so lovely and beautiful. I have left Her, so I want to die.” This way, the parrot lamented time and again. Kṛṣṇa enticingly called the bird, “Oh come on, come on!” He called the bird to Him alluringly, employing His sweet words. Anyone who hears the words of Kṛṣṇa cannot but be spellbound; they will be charmed immediately. The animals in the forest, like the deer, birds, cuckoo birds, and serpents, are all charmed by the words of Kṛṣṇa.

Exhibiting His charming demeanour, face, and crooked eyes, Kṛṣṇa caught the parrot’s attention and said, “Come on, come on.” The parrot flew and sat on the shoulder of Kṛṣṇa. Taking the parrot in His hand, Kṛṣṇa asked, “What did you just say? Can you repeat what you just said?”

The parrot called out, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” Kṛṣṇa became exceedingly pleased, and He caressed the parrot like how Śrīmatī Rādhikā would. Kṛṣṇa asked the parrot to chant His name again and again, and the parrot chanted as told. The parrot said, “My mistress is Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and She would nourish me so affectionately, giving me so many things. But being an ungrateful creature, I left Her and came here.” Saying so, the parrot cried. The parrot’s sweet speech moved Kṛṣṇa, and He decided, “I will never give this parrot up. I will keep him with Me forever.” If Kṛṣṇa sees anything or anyone that is beautiful, melodious, soft, fragrant, He immediately accepts.

So Kṛṣṇa cheated this parrot, and He gave the parrot so much honour and affection. In the meantime, two girls came running from Varṣāṇā; they were Lalitā and Viśākhā. They told Kṛṣṇa, “Oh Vrajendra-nandana, return our parrot, he is very much loved and held dear by our sakhī (Śrīmatī Rādhikā). Our sakhī cannot live without this parrot, so return the parrot at once!”

Kṛṣṇa replied, “I have not bound this parrot; he is free to act as he wishes. He is contentedly seated on My hand, so call him, and if he comes, you can take him.” The sakhīs called to the parrot, but the parrot did not go to them.

Kṛṣṇa said, “You can take the parrot if he comes willingly to you, but I will not let you take the parrot forcibly.”

Lalitā and Viśākhā replied, “If our sakhī Śrīmatī Rādhikā were here, and if She had called the parrot, he would leave You, and at once fly to Śrīmatī Rādhikā. But She is absent here, so the parrot is not coming to us. So please return it to us.”

Kṛṣṇa replied, “I cannot return him. You can take him only if he is willing.”

Lalitā and Viśākhā went to mother Yaśodā and said, “Kṛṣṇa has taken the parrot of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Oh, mother! Please have the parrot returned to us.” But Kṛṣṇa was determined not to let the parrot go. Anything that comes to Kṛṣṇa will not be returned; only if Śrīmatī Rādhikā is present will it be returned.

Mother Yaśodā told Lalitā and Viśākhā, “Wait a little, I’m going to Kṛṣṇa.” She came to Kṛṣṇa and saw how the parrot’s sweet movements enraptured Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa told the parrot, “Please repeat what you have just said, please repeat!” Being immersed in the parrot’s sweet voice, Kṛṣṇa forgot all His senses.

Meanwhile, Yaśodā said, “Oh, You have become like an animal! Do You only wish to play with animals and birds? This is wrong!” Chastising her son this way, Yaśodā gently took the parrot away from Kṛṣṇa’s hands and handed it over to the sakhīs. Yaśodā told Kṛṣṇa, “If You continue Your play with the animals, I will give You a tight slap and Your ears will be twisted!” (Laughter from audience) “You are always playing with animals; sometimes with dogs, and sometimes with serpents. Your father is hungry, and it is time for mahā-prasāda. Bhoga has been offered to the Deities, so You should accompany me.” Mother Yaśodā held Kṛṣṇa by His hand and dragged Him to the house.

Yaśodā requested her servants, “Please arrange for Kṛṣṇa to have a bath.” So Kṛṣṇa was unable to do anything. And the parrot was given back to Lalitā and Viśākhā, who then joyfully handed over the parrot to Śrīmatī Rādhikā. So by this incident, you can see how the parrot was loved so much by Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The parrot would serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa day and night. Even in solitary kuñjas (groves), where Rādhikā and Kṛṣṇa would sleep, the parrot’s services would continue without cessation. When Kṛṣṇa’s manifest pastimes were coming to a close (Kṛṣṇa and all His associates were going to return to Their aprakaṭa-līlā, unmanifest pastimes, in Goloka Vṛndāvana), Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhikā instructed Śukadeva Gosvāmī (the parrot), “You should stay in this world. We are going, but you should preach hari-bhakti to everyone and do many important tasks. So you should stay here.”

The parrot cried bitterly. He said, “I cannot live without You both.”

Pacifying the parrot, Kṛṣṇa said, “You will be re-united with Us, but for some time you must be here in this mortal realm. Because We are all going, the world will be empty, so you should help all others.”

* No matter how much śrāddha (oblations) one performs, if one has done bad deeds, one will not be released
** A dry bamboo pole has empty spaces between the nodes

Source: Purebhakti.com

Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org.in and/or Bhaktiart.net
Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)