The following is a transcription of a lecture delivered by Śrīla Bhakti Vijñāna Bhāratī Mahārāja on September 13, 2016, published on visuddhacaitanyavani.com

 

Today is a special day; it is the appearance day of Vāmanadeva. For those observing the Cāturmāsya-vrata, today is also a special tithi known as pārṣa-parivartana. Bhagavān, who has been resting facing north, will today turn to the other side facing south. There are eight māhā-dvādaśīs – Jaya, Vijaya, Jayantī, Pāpamocanī, Pakṣavardhinī, Vyānjulī, Bhaimi and Pāśānkuṣā. There is no rule that all eight will appear every year. However, if they all appear in a year, then it is only after another eight years that they reappear together within one year. Today is another special tithi; it is the āvirbhāva tithi of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, who is the youngest amongst the Ṣaḍ-Gosvāmīs. There are so many tithis on this day.

Bhagavān said in the Gītā [4.8]:

[To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.]

Śrīla Jayadeva Gosvāmī sang – keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra, keśava dhṛta-kūrma-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare – that Bhagavān appears in the form of a fish, tortoise, boar and so on. But [particular] incarnations of Bhagavān like Varāha, Kūrma, and Matsya are not as important as Vāmanadeva and Nṛsiṁhadeva. Why are Their incarnations more significant? Because paritrāṇa (deliverance) is of many types, and the type of paritrāṇa that benefits others [the most] has been categorized separately. In all incarnations, there is ‘paritrāṇa – delivering the pious’, but in incarnations like Vāmanadeva and Nṛsiṁhadeva, there is also special deliverance, whereas, in Paraśurāma’s incarnation, there was nothing special in his deliverance.

In the case of Vāmanadeva, when Bali Mahārāja conquered all three worlds and took over the throne of Indra, reducing him to a pauper, Indra’s mother, Aditi, prayed to Kaśyapa to reinstate her son as the king of heaven. Kaśyapa had two wives – Aditi and Diti. All the sons of Aditi were demigods, while all the sons of Diti were demons. [On the instructions of Kaśyapa,] Aditi performed severe penances and Bhagavān mercifully appeared as her son Vāmanadeva, the younger brother of Indra, so He is also known as Upendra. [Because Indra and Bali belonged to the same family and were related to Bhagavān in this incarnation, He decided to trick or cheat Bali to give the throne back to Indra.] That is why the term ‘chalayasi’, which means deception has been used [chalayasi vikramaṇe balim adbhuta-vāmana – O Lord Hari, who assumed the form of a dwarf brāhmaṇa! All glories to You! O wonderful Vāmanadeva, by Your massive steps You deceive King Bali]. Bhagavān’s deceit is also His pastime. [It is not a fault in Him. All His activities are full of compassion.] Like sugar candy – no matter which side you taste it from, it will taste the same; there won’t be any difference. However, not everyone will understand this.

Bali Mahārāja had already conquered Svarga and Pātāla. To conquer all the remaining places in the fourteen planetary systems, Bali Mahārāja performed a fire sacrifice (yajña) to please yajña-pati Bhagavān. Śukrācārya, the spiritual master of the demons, was the chief among the yajña performers. Vāmanadeva appeared at the place of the fire sacrifice in the form of a dwarf brāhmaṇa (brahma-baṭu) carrying a rod, waterpot, and umbrella and wearing wooden sandals. Bali Mahārāja welcomed Him and said, “You are a brāhmaṇa-baṭu and have come here to ask me for something. What do You desire?” Vāmanadeva replied, “I ask of you [only] three steps of land. I desire to walk the path of eternal welfare (nivṛitti-mārga) and not the path of sense-enjoyment (pravṛitti-mārga).”

Bali Mahārāja smilingly said, “Your intelligence is just like Your stature. It is dwarfed. Would You beg alms from others as well after accepting alms from me? I can provide you with everything. What do You desire? Would You like to marry a brāhmaṇa girl? Or do You desire ten villages to maintain a family?” Vāmanadeva replied, “No, I took a vow to perform austerities. So anything more than three steps of land will turn My mind towards sense enjoyment.” Bali Mahārāja pleaded, “Please reconsider.” Vāmanadeva persisted, “I spoke only after giving it a proper thought.”

But then, Śukrācārya told Bali Mahārāja, “He is not a baṭu (dwarf); He is Bhagavān. On the pretext of begging three steps of land, He will take away everything. Then where will you reside?” Hearing this, Bali Mahārāja contemplated, ‘If He is Bhagavān Himself, even without offering Him anything, He can still snatch away everything from me. So I should offer charity and assume the position of a donor.’ Just as Bali Mahārāja conveyed this decision, Vāmanadeva [assuming a very large form] covered the entire Svarga-loka (the higher planets) with His first step and with His second step, He covered all the outer worlds. He asked Bali Mahārāja, “Where shall I place My third step? Your promise binds you, so you must keep your word.” In fear of his defeat Bali Mahārāja looked towards his wife, Vindhyāvali, who alluded to what he should do by touching her head, ‘You gave all your material possessions, but you have not given your very self!’ Then Bali Mahārāja surrendered his head before Vāmanadeva, saying, “You may place Your foot [for Your third step] upon my head.” Vāmanadeva then manifested a third foot from His lotus navel and rested it upon the head of Bali Mahārāja.

Vāmanadeva added, “Until now, you were the donor and I was the receiver. Now I am the giver and you are the receiver.” Bali Mahārāja’s foolish army was prepared for battle. Bali Mahārāja ordered:

etān vayaṁ vijeṣyāmo
yadi daivaṁ prasīdati
tasmāt kālaṁ pratīkṣadhvaṁ
yo no ’rthatvāya kalpate

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.21.24

[Unless providence is in our favour, we shall not be able to gain victory. Therefore we must wait for that favourable time when our defeating them will be possible.]

‘Tasmāt kālaṁ pratīkṣadhvaṁ’ – Please wait because the time is not in our favour now. But overpowered by a sense of duty, his army proceeded to fight. Sometimes even the prime minister has to submit to the instructions of his bodyguards or security personnel. Why did Rajiv Gandhi die? Although he was not a prime minister, he was still under the supervision of his security personnel. [He had gone to South India, Tamil Nadu, for campaigning.] Yet, he refused to pay heed to the instructions of his security and went to meet the people in the rallies and was assassinated as a result. Had he followed his security personnel’s advice, his life would have been spared. This is an ancient ordinance for any head of state to follow the counsel of his security personnel.

When Bali Mahārāja’s army saw him bound by the ropes of Varuṇa:

atha tārkṣya-suto jñātvā
virāṭ prabhu-cikīrṣitam
babandha vāruṇaiḥ pāśair
baliṁ sūtye ’hani kratau

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.21.26

[Thereafter, on the day of soma-pāna, after the sacrifice was finished, Garuḍa, king of the birds, understanding the desire of his master, arrested Bali Mahārāja with the ropes of Varuṇa.]

Babandha vāruṇaiḥ pāśair – arrested with the ropes of Varuṇa, what could they do? Vāmanadeva said, “Now I am the donor and you are the receiver. I shall give you whatever you ask for.” Did Bali Mahārāja ask for the lost kingdom? Did his wife advise him to ask for something? No. But his sister Ratnāvalī, upon first seeing Vāmanadeva said if this beautiful young lad were my son, I would have taken Him on my lap and breastfed Him. However, later, after Vāmanadeva snatched everything from her brother, she said, “If He were my son, I would have poisoned and killed Him.” That is why, later, she became Pūtanā. Such are the pastimes of Bhagavān – they are infinite.

Thus, when Bali Mahārāja was tied, he prayed, “Vāmanadeva! May Your soothing lotus feet, which You have placed upon my head, always remain there. Do not take Them back.” This pastime of Bhagavān is viewed in two different ways: one by the karma-kāṇḍīs and jñāna-kāṇḍīs, and another by the devotees. Devotees perceive that Bali Mahārāja surrendered himself completely to Bhagavān and pleased Him, while karmīs perceive that Bali Mahārāja offered charity beyond his capacity and, therefore, became bound. They even composed a śloka on this thought:

[Excess pride destroyed the golden kingdom of Rāvaṇa; excess feeling that ‘I am great’ destroyed the Kauravas — the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; excess charity bound up Bali. Too much of everything is bad.]

Because of his pride, Rāvaṇa lost Laṅkā. Duryodhana, who craved honour and respect and thought himself a great personality, eventually met an ill fate.

So, Bali Mahārāja first said to Vāmanadeva, “Place Your third foot[step] upon my head” and then begged for the second boon, “And please do not withdraw it.”

When did Bhagavān go back to the dhāma? [Lakṣmidevī came as a brāhmaṇī, referring to Bali as her brother and requested Bali that Vāmanadeva be returned, and afterwards, she tied a rakṣā-sūtra on the hand of Bali.] So when you celebrate Rakṣā-bandhana, Bali’s name is in the Rakṣā-bandhana mantra – yena baddho balī rājā dānavendro mahābalaḥ.

We follow [as a custom] what comes down in paramparā, but if we study the practices, then all these things become clear and meaningful. So Bhagavān’s three feet [three manifestations] – one stays with Bali Mahārāja in Pātālaloka, one in Kṣīra-sāgara and the last in Vaikuṇṭha.

Nowadays, no one follows all these things. Even a mother does not know the birth tithi of her son; she refers to the date on the English calendar [solar calendar], whereas we refer to the tithi [lunar calendar]. We determine the tithi based on the pañcāṅga. Pañcāṅga is prepared considering five attributes – tithi, nakśatra, kārana, yoga and vāra.

The following is an excerpt from Kṛṣṇa – The Lord of Sweetness, Chapter 2, First Edition by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja

 

Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī (now known as Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja): After the first six sons were killed by Kaṁsa, Devakī again became pregnant. Kṛṣṇa was to come as the eighth son of Devakī, but whenever the Supreme Lord descends to the Earth planet, His transcendental abode manifests. So first, Baladeva Prabhu, who embodies the reality of the Lord’s transcendental realm, appeared in the womb of Mother Devakī-devī as her seventh child. Simultaneously, He entered the womb of Rohiṇī-devī, another wife of Vasudeva Mahārāja, in His original, complete form. The form of Baladeva in Devakī’s womb was an expansion of that original form.

Vasudeva Mahārāja thought, “Kaṁsa is so wicked-minded. If Rohiṇī-devī remains in Mathurā and gives birth to her child here, then he could kill her offspring as well as Devakī’s. I should send her to Gokula, Vraja, where she can stay with Nanda and Yaśodā.” Vasudeva Mahārāja therefore arranged to send her there.

Meanwhile, about six months into the pregnancy, Kṛṣṇa ordered the personification of His internal spiritual potency, Yogamāyā-devī, to transfer the baby in the womb of Devakī-devī to the womb of Rohiṇī. Baladeva, the son of Devakī, thus merged into His complete form in the womb of Rohiṇī. Thus, the two Baladevas combined and became one.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa simultaneously entered the womb of Devakī-devī and the womb of Mother Yaśodā. Baladeva Prabhu took birth [in Vraja, from Mother Rohiṇī’s womb] eight days before Kṛṣṇa’s birth. The day of Baladeva’s birth is called Rakṣā-bandhana or Baladeva Pūrṇimā.

Eight days after Baladeva’s birth in Vraja, Kṛṣṇa appeared in both Mathurā and Gokula Vraja. In Mathurā He appeared in a four-armed Nārāyaṇa form, sixteen years of age. He wore a crown on His head and was adorned with many ornaments. In His four hands, He held a conch shell, the Sudarśana cakra (disc), a club, and a lotus flower, respectively. On that same day, in Gokula, Kṛṣṇa took birth from the womb of Mother Yaśodā in a two-armed form.

Kṛṣṇa never took birth in Mathurā from the womb of Devakī-devī. He manifested there. A baby cannot be sixteen years old when he comes from his mother’s womb. When a normal baby takes birth, he is not wearing any ornaments and does not carry a club, conch shell, lotus, or Sudarśana cakra. It is not possible to take birth from a mother’s womb in this way. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa only appeared in Mathurā; He did not take birth. He manifested there in the form of four-armed Viṣṇu, or Nārāyaṇa.

On the same day in Vraja, however, Kṛṣṇa took birth from Mother Yaśodā’s womb. A few minutes later, Yogamāyā-devī, the personification of His spiritual potency, also took birth from that same womb. Because Mother Yaśodā was tired [from the first birth], she did not know that she had given birth to two children.

Meanwhile, in the jail of Kaṁsa, Vasudeva Mahārāja and Devakī-devī were praying to Kṛṣṇa, with folded hands. Kṛṣṇa then gave them remembrance of their previous births, in which they were Kaśyapa and Aditi, who had performed severe austerities. And before that, they were Pṛśni and Sutapā, who had also performed much austerity. By all these austerities, they had satisfied Lord Viṣṇu, and He appeared before them. Viṣṇu told them to ask for a benediction, and they said, “We want a son exactly like You.”

On Baladeva Prabhu’s divine appearance day, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja gave a discourse in Hindi, translated by Rādhikā dāsī of Russia. Below is an excerpt of that translation.

Throughout India, on this day, all ladies bind rākhīs on their brothers. Another name for a rākhī is ananta. People used to wear these anantas, either gold or silver, so that Anantadeva would protect them. Baladeva Prabhu takes the form of Ananta Śeṣa, on whose coils rest Kāraṇodakaśāyī, Garbhodakaśāyī, and Kṣīrodakaśāyī. In this way He serves them all. He arranges everything necessary for Kṛṣṇa’s manifestations. He becomes Kṛṣṇa’s sandals, umbrella and seat. All that exists in Vraja is Baladeva Prabhu’s manifestation.

The following is an excerpt of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Vṛndāvana, India, on August 15, 2000

 

Today is also Rakṣā-bandhana. We bind a rākhī (a very fancy cloth bracelet) to Kṛṣṇa. Earlier, this festival was practised differently from today. We bind a rākhī to Kṛṣṇa, or Balarāma, so that they will protect us. They are our real protectors. Anantadeva is our real protector. This was the purpose of this festival. During the reign of one Muhammadan leader, the Muhammadans were inflicting so many atrocities on Indian women. Many Indian women accepted powerful kings as their protectors. They sent their rākhī to them and said, “Please bind this rākhī and protect us.” Since then, this festival has occurred: a sister will bind a rākhī around a brother’s wrist who will protect her. The protector, however, is not, in fact, a brother. The protector is Balarāma. We can also accept Gurudeva as our protector from unwanted activities, mentalities, aparādhas, etc.

We can bind this rākhī to Gurudeva, and we should believe that to serve our Gurudeva, we can kill the whole world. It is not that you go and start killing the whole world, but this must be the emotion and feeling in your heart. Whoever does not have guru-niṣṭha cannot progress. This does not mean that because I am your guru, I am asking and persuading you to serve me, but this is what I see from our guru-paramparā. Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say about Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, “When I approached him to take initiation, he under some pretext refused to initiate me. He said I possessed extensive knowledge while implying, ‘You are overly proud of your education.’ So he wanted to break my pride and refused to initiate me. My whole pride collapsed, and I began a fast. I vowed that ‘I will die now. I will die.’ Then he gave me initiation.”

Similarly, my Gurudeva served Prabhupāda so earnestly. One night, he changed a graveyard into a garden. Whenever he used to talk about his Gurudeva, he could not utter the words ‘Śrīla Prabhupāda’, and he used to weep bitterly. We see that this does not happen in our case. He was so dedicated to his Gurudeva.

If someone criticises one’s Gurudeva and the disciple remains quiet, then he is not more than an impotent eunuch. When our Gurudeva started Ratha-yātrā in Navadvīpa, no one criticized him. However, when he left this world, a highly advanced devotee spoke something against Ratha-yātrā in Navadvīpa. The day I heard it, I could not sleep at night. I was restless and so much agitated. Soon after, I wrote an article in our magazine, which created chaos, havoc and great agitation on the other side. Hence, there was a fight that lasted for an entire year. If we do not do these things, we are not doing manobhīṣṭa-sevā, service to the inner heart’s desire of Śrī Gurudeva. We should establish Gurudeva’s principles, and when any opposition comes, we should defeat them.

Source: Purebhakti.com

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