The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja On January 9th, 1982 in Calcutta, India. The class begins with a reading from the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 8, Text 41 to 46, and continues with the Vaisisyastaka Verse Number 7. [editors note: verse number 8 is intended.]

Jayapataka Swami:

prekṣaṇīyotpala-śyāmaṁ

sarvāvayava-sundaram

samāna-karṇābharaṇaṁ

sukapolonnasānanam

nava-yauvana-nirvṛtta-

stana-bhāra-kṛśodaram

mukhāmodānuraktāli-

jhaṅkārodvigna-locanam

bibhrat sukeśa-bhāreṇa

mālām utphulla-mallikām

sugrīva-kaṇṭhābharaṇaṁ

su-bhujāṅgada-bhūṣitam

virajāmbara-saṁvīta-

nitamba-dvīpa-śobhayā

kāṣcyā pravilasad-valgu-

calac-caraṇa-nūpuram

savrīḍa-smita-vikṣipta-

bhrū-vilāsāvalokanaiḥ

daitya-yūtha-pa-cetaḥsu

kāmam uddīpayan muhuḥ

Translation by His Divine Grace, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who can counteract any unfavorable situation, then assumed the form of an extremely beautiful woman. This incarnation as a woman, Mohini-murti, was most pleasing to the mind. Her complexion resembled in color a newly grown blackish lotus, and every part of Her body was beautifully situated. Her ears were equally decorated with earrings, Her cheeks were very beautiful, Her nose was raised and Her face full of youthful luster. Her large breasts made Her waist seem very thin. Attracted by the aroma of Her face and body, bumblebees hummed around Her, and thus Her eyes were restless. Her hair, which was extremely beautiful, was garlanded with mallika flowers. Her attractively constructed neck was decorated with a necklace and other ornaments, Her arms were decorated with bangles, Her body was covered with a clean sari, and Her breasts seemed like islands in an ocean of beauty. Her legs were decorated with ankle bells. Because of the movements of Her eyebrows as She smiled with shyness and glanced over the demons, all the demons were saturated with lusty desires, and every one of them desired to possess Her.

Purport — because… by Srila Prabhupada.

Because of the Supreme Lord’s assuming the form of a beautiful woman to arouse the lusty desires of the demons, a description of Her complete beauty is given here.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Eighth Canto, Eighth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Churning of the Milk Ocean.”

One thing to note is that Vishnu app… appeared in the form as a woman as the Mohini-murti. But especially this was arousing lusty desires in the demons, that the demons and devotees, there is a difference. The difference between a demon and a devotee is that the demon is always self-centered, always trying to satisfy his own material interest, while the devotee always places the interest of the Lord in the top most position. Off course sometimes even a devotee may be overcome by the material energy, in a, in a neophyte stage or while in this material world. But the demons they are always overcome by the material energy. They are always being attacked by lusty desires and feeling that those lusty desires are the actual goal of their life. These are… the highest aim is to fulfil the lusty desires, so this is the difference between a demon who is always interested in his own sense gratification and a devotee who is either having some material desires, having desire for liberation, or having no desires and being a completely pure devotee, but in all cases being faithful and surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore proportionate to one's pure devotion, one is possessed of all good qualities. But the demons, because they are non devotees of The Lord, even whatever good quality they may appear to have, is simply superficial, ultimately their main goal in life is simply their own sense gratification and everything else is a means to that end.

Srila Prabhupad also told us to be very careful, because some of us may also have so many demoniac qualities within us, the devotees may have demoniac qualities and some of the devotees also, those who are within the society devotees, some demons have also entered in, he warned us. That when he left the planet, in Vrndavana he told us, there are some demons amongst my disciples and so you must be careful. So ultimately the demoniac influence is that one will stop following the instruction of the spiritual master and start to act for one's own sense gratification. So you must always be very careful to very clearly differentiate what is pleasing to the spiritual master and what is displeasing and always avoid the displeasing aspects of life and simply act in a way which is pleasing to the spiritual master and Krsna in favourable and pure devotional service.

So we were reading the vaisisyastaka by Srila Prabhupad and we are going to read the 8th of the astakams glorifying His Divine Grace Srila A.C…. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupad, which are actually, in one way they are really an instruction by Srila Prabhupad to the Vaisnavas who are faithful to Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura's sampradaya, how they should act to fulfil and follow in the footsteps of the great qualities of Bhaktisiddhanta, which will… also glorifies those great qualities. So, this is written in Bengali so I will translate it, as we go on.

Kena loka kande saba rama-rajya tare?

Ekmatra karana sei visnurajya kare

Krsna yudhisthire basaya raja-simhasane

Dhane-dhanye purna dhara vaisnavera gune

Nada-nadi vrksa-mata-giri bharapura

Dugdhavati gabhi dugdhe bhasaya pracura

Pasu-paksi jiva-jantu himsa nahi kare

Vaisnavi rajyera viddhi prasiddha samsare

Sakale anande magna hariguna gaya

Dekhiya vaisnava-hrdaya anande nacaya

Krsnabhakti-gandhahina visaya vibhora

Bhariya giyache aja jagat-samsara

Athaca santi tara kare anvesana

Pracarera dvara taha karaha purana

Ajikara dine bhai kotibaddha hao

Pracarera dvara yata jivere vancao

Srila prabhupada! Tumi aji kara daya

Ebara karuna kara haiya amaya

Svatantrata yara yata hoka jalanjali

Dina ‘abhaya’ deya aji se anjali

Kena loka kande saba rama-rajya tare?

Ekmatra karana sei visnurajya kare

The only way that people can be saved from their… from their miseries is by establishing a civilisation which is based upon the principles of Vishnu-bhakti. Krsna had es… uh, established Yudhisthira on the simhasana or royal throne of the king, as the emperor of the world. There all type of wealth, food grains were abundant in their supply to everyone, all by the good graces of the Vaisnavas. The rivers and streams, the forests, and the planes, the, as well as the mountains, were all filled with opulence and natural resources showering the natural gifts upon humanity. The cows, the milking cows were giving unlimited quantities of milk, flooding the populace with this liquid religiosity. Animals and birds, all type of living entities, had lost… did not commit, did not commit violence upon each other, in a civilisation based on pure devotion unto Vishnu. Everything became completely, orderly and discipline in the most perfect uh… in the most perfect organisation or family. Everyone were completely absorbed in transcendental happiness singing the glories of Lord Hari. And all of the devotees were dancing in ecstasy feeling transcendental bliss from their hearts. Pure devotional service to Krsna without even the slightest tinge of materialistic uh, enjoying spirit filled the hearts of everyone… uh, filled the hearts of the whole world. Therefore they were always in trans… they were always in peace, this is all possible. This, this dream or this aspiration of universal peace, happiness and religiosity is all possible simply by preaching the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Now, today there are hundreds of, millions of fallen souls. So, preach the message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all of these fallen souls will be delivered, will be uplifted from their uh, bondage. Oh Srila Prabhupada! Today I humbly pray at your lotus feet to give your mercy upon me. At this time please have your mercy on this most uh, insignificant person that I may be free from all illusion. That all type of uh, independent activity may be simply discarded

[aside] (Bengali)

That all of the independent mood in my heart may be simply immersed in the flow of pure Krsna Consciousness, that this insignificant poor Abhaya may today offer this offering unto your lotus feet at the time of your vyasa puja, that's the end of the Vaisisyastaka.

So we can understand, it's very clear, the aspiration of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was that the whole universe would be saturated in the mood of Krsna Consciousness. This was written to Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakura on the occasion of his 86th, 86th appearance day festival, which was sometime in the late 50's, early 60's, it was in the 50's or early 60's as far as I can understand. So… I just off-hand can’t remember Bhaktisiddhanta’s birth… birth date, original year.

So Srila Prabhupada… aspiration was always to fulfil the desire of Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakura to spread Krishna Consciousness, to spread pure devotional service, Krsna-bhakti all over the world. He had unlimited faith that simply by actively preaching by distributing books, by establishing the process of devotional service and chanting the holy names of the Lord that all the Mayas, all the illusions would be destroyed.

He was absorbed in the mood that this was the most pleasing thing to his spiritual master, Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakura. Actually Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakura was a nitya-siddha, liberated soul come down from the spiritual sky, but he engaged constantly in preaching the glories of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In fact, he instructed Srila Prabhupada that better to take out the marble in a temple which is not used for preaching and simply print books, sell the marble and print books, so many ways he instructed Srila Prabhupada to simply distribute, print and distribute transcendental literature on the teachings of Lord Sri Krsna uh, and Caitanya… Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

So actually we should be very afraid of being independent from the… this example and desire of our predecessor acaryas. Any type of independent action which goes away from directly satisfying the desires of our spiritual master and the spiritual masters in discipline succession, is you see, fatal dangerous move. Srila Prabhupada has instructed us that while traversing the path of devotional service, it is just wha… like the razor's edge. While when one is shaving, if one is slightly in attentive, distracted immediately he cut himself. In the same way, if we are inattentive, distracted, we uh, forget what is the actual point of our devotional service, what is the actual goal then we become mislead, we become fallen.

At the present moment, the whole world, there are hundreds and milli… of millions, four billion people in the world, they are all fallen, with the exception of hardly a few. They are all fallen souls engrossed simply in gratifying their senses, completely forgetful of their relationship with Krsna. Therefore they are suffering at every moment. Therefore there is violence, there is uh, disruption, there is indiscipline, there is immorality, degradation and every aspect of life, every aspect, every place of the world there is so many discrepancies. So the vision of pure devotee, the vision of Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakura, which Srila Prabhupad has fully realised and applied in his own life is that the only thing which is missing is pure Vishnu-bhakti.

This world is also the kingdom of God, why people are crying? Why they are suffering? People will say “Well since everything is controlled by God, why we are suffering?” Because the people have discarded Krsna. They have renounced the Supreme Personality of Godhead, turned their face away from Krsna, and they’re desiring instead simply their own sense gratification, they’re overcome by the demoniac influence. Therefore, even though this is also the materialistic kingdom of God, this is also one of the domains under the control of the Supreme Lord, yet everyone is suffering because they have forgotten what is devotion to Krsna, they have forgotten how to serve Krsna, they have forgotten how to uh, rejoice in the transcendental glorification of Krsna.

So the benefits of reestablishing Krsna Consciousness in the world. Prabhupada has so nicely explained that the whole world will become, just as when Yudhisthira was put in charge by Krsna Himself, opulence, abundance in food grains, in wealth of the population, all the natural, all the natural gifts of rivers, forests, plains, hills, mountains, they all shower forth their benedictions on all the human beings. Cows are happy being protected from the slaughter house, they provide plenty of milk, enough milk for everyone to take to their hearts’ content, which provides very good intelligence, milk is very essential good stuff, the most essential food stuff for the human being, because it gives one the intelligence to understand spiritual matters, to become Krsna Conscious. Even the animals they lose their envious nature under such a… in such a vaisnava world.

So this type of vaisnava civilisation makes everyone happy. People all are chanting Hare Krsna, dancing in ecstasy, no more anxiety in their heart, but what does it depend upon. It doesn't happen by itself. Kali Yuga means by itself everything is worse, quarrel, division, it happens because in this Kali-yuga a special facility has been given by Krsna, because He has come as Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that if the devotees get off from their behinds and preach, then immediately, by that preaching literally hundreds and thousands and millions of living entities become delivered, simply by taking that initiative to distribute the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the effect, uh… the snowball effect or the effect is so great that no one can uh, limit it, no one can imagine how it is working, but it is all working by the divine mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by the blessings of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhaktisiddantha Sarasvati Thakura who are praying for the deliverance of the whole world. We can see that Srila Prabhupad by his desire to deliver the whole world, he wants all the people to be happy, he wants everyone to be absorbed in pure transcendental bliss. He has that sentiment, had that sentiment, and always will have that sentiment. Therefore, we are today able to sit together here from different countries, from different places and glorify Radha-Krsna, Mahaprabhu, Jagannatha-Subhadra Balarama.

[break]

…the unique and particular mood that Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has through these poems and other writing and his activities and is not able to appreciate that he has grasped completely the mood of Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakura, the mood of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtana movement. That person is simply either a fool or is envious, and anyone who is following in the footsteps of Srila Prabhupad to carry out his instructions to continue in printing and distributing transcendental literature to spread the sankirtana movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu to expand the glories of the holy dhamas to expand the worship of Krsna all over the world, if people cannot appreciate, you see their activities, even that is their greatest misfortune, they must be counted amongst the most unfortunate people in the world.

Srila Prabhupada mentioned that the common people, they are appreciating this movement but some of the so called Vaisnavas, they do not appreciate the preaching activities due to jealousy or due to enviousness, so the common people are more advanced than such so called devotees. The family of Srila Prabhupada is… the family of Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so large that it can encompass the whole world. Srila Prabhupada wants nothing short of that, he wants that every person may be delivered from their miserable condition by preaching unlimitedly, propagating the message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in its pure form as it is, so because the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is carrying out that instruction of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, therefore, we can understand that so long as it continues to carryout this instruction, so long as that remains uh, it's objective and activity, it is completely under the shelter of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and is non-different from Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

One time, one… one Goswami inquired from Srila Prabhupada… he was some type of sannyasi, who had previously been a big businessman or something, and renounced, he asked Srila Prabhupad that “Since you are making such a big organization for spreading the mission of Krsna Consciousness all over the world, then he said there are chance that just as in the material world one becomes attached to so many material attachments, so many uh, false designations, in this way you’ll going to become attached to this movement and that will be like another type of family attachment, another type of samsara, material illusory attachment?” Srila Prabhupad said that “When there is a mission which is based simply upon spreading the message of Govinda, spreading the message of Krsna, so that mission is non-different from Govinda. So if one is attached to that mission that means that’s attachment to Govinda, so thats a liberated state. Govinda's message and Govinda is no different. Distribution of Govinda's message and Govinda's message is no different, because in the absolute, everything is consummated. It is all absolute.

Bhagavad-gita describes that the homa or the sacrificial fire is Brahman, is absolute. Vishnu, the yajnapati, the object of The Lord of the sacrifice, He is the absolute. The purohit, or the Brahmana, the pujari who is worshipping, the yaji… he is uh, absolute. The offering is absolute, the act of offering is absolute and the total sacrificial uh, performance is all on the absolute platform. So in this Kali-yuga, what is the Yuga dharma? What is the Yuga-yagna, sacrifice.

Kali-kale dharma nama sankirtana or Krsna… the actual sacrifice in Kali Yuga yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ, this sankirtana… Sankirtana means many people together chanting, distributing the glories of The Lord. So the person who is playing the mridanga, playing the kartals, who is dancing, who is singing, who is following, who is listening, who is chanting, they are all part of the sankirtana. They are all on the absolute platform, the person printing the books, distributing the books, reading the books, building the temples to give shelter to the devotees of the Lord for worshipping the Lord — everything is all on the absolute platform. Simply the objective must not be diverted away from the pure objective of Krsna Consciousness.

Therefore Srila Prabhupada, he warned us “Don't get into material social work, don't get into material other type of work, because by doing… by being… if you become diverted then the activity is no longer Vishnu yajna, then it becomes a punya or something else, which has got some temporary nature.” So because this Krsna Consciousness movement is simply the pure sankirtana preaching movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu spreading Krsna-katha, the message of Krsna all over the world. Everyone who is participating in the activities of the Krsna Consciousness movement. They all are absorbed on the absolute platform, they are all in the transcendental realm and every activity is a liberated activity.

[aside]

Jaya Radha Govinda! Jaya Jagannatha Subhadra Balarama!

[break]

So Srila Prabhupad has, in other works very clearly said that someone who knows the transcendental subject matter, who knows about Krsna Consciousness, but who doesn't preach it, who doesn't distribute it, when the people are suffering in ignorance, that those people are simply kanistha adhikaris, they may be the most learned or they may be the… possessing of so many apparent qualities but if they don't have that compassion to actually distribute that information, the transcendental message, then they are kanistha adhikaris, then they are materially attached, they have got some material vision which is limiting their advancement. Therefore Srila Prabhupada requests the people who are just staying in holy places but who are not engaged in preaching, to come out, personally tried to drag out so many people from different holy places to come out and preach.

I just met one pandit from vrndavana, he was in Bangkok giving lecture, he said “Also Prabhupada requested me to come to the West, but I was saying ‘Well I don't see what I will do this that, I was a bit afraid to go, so I dint go, now I think that I made a mistake that's why I have come here also.’” So many people: sadhus, saints, god brothers, Srila Prabhupad tried to engage and tried to bring them to help in the preaching movement around the world, but he was not able to get any help from anyone but his own Guru Maharaja and Krsna. Of course that is the real dependence, we have to give up all independence and simply be dependent on the mercy of our spiritual master. Therefore the heritage of this movement is that Srila Prabhipad has formed together as a vast organization called the International Society for Krishna Consciousness which has branches in every continent all over the world which is publishing books in dozens of foreign languages. The heritage is that the sankirtana movement which has now got its roots coming from Mayapura, but spread out all over the world… the branches of the tree cover the whole world, that this is to remain as one huge tree connected with the original source. We cannot sever our connection, if we sever the connection with the original source, if by anyway we somehow become cut off, and just like the branch cut off from the tree, it may appear like a branch but it gradually loses it's life and dries up, it is no longer connected with the tree, it becomes asar a useless branch, so the heritage is to cooperate together in the sankirtana movement and to go on dedicating the thoughts words and deeds in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead distributing the message.

This is a type of sadhana. We should understand that it is a practice, is a purification, as the best means for approaching Krsna and completely absorbed ourselvs in thinking and planning and working to deliver all the people from their ignorant and miserable condition, as slaves of the material nature, bound to take repeated birth and death against their will, thus anyone who participates in this sankirtana movement, he becomes glorified, he becomes immediately happy, and someone who somehow or other separates his mood from that of pleasing Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu from that of expanding the sankirtan movement, he immediately becomes dissatisfied, he becomes restless.

The process is very simple. Those who are intelligent should understand the basic principles and take it up seriously, this will not only benefit themselves but this will change the course of the whole world from its destructive direction to a complete reconstruction, to a complete rehabilitation to the perfectional platform. There is no other way that such harmony can be brought into the world except by pure Krsna Consciousness. This any sober minded person by deep deliberation understanding of all the transcendental truths in relation to this material world and our own existence as eternal spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, he’ll come up to the understanding there is no other alternative in this world.

Jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya

prabhu-nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadādhara

śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa

kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare

hare rāma hare rāma

rāma rāma hare hare

Transcribed by

Bhaktin. Nivetha

Revised by

H.G. Jagannatha dasa Brahmacari