This threefold austerity, performed with transcendental faith by men not expecting material benefits but engaged only for the sake of the Supreme, is called austerity in goodness.
Penance performed out of pride and for the sake of gaining respect, honor and worship is said to be in the mode of passion. It is neither stable nor permanent.
PURPORT
Sometimes penance and austerity are executed to attract people and receive honor, respect and worship from others. Persons in the mode of passion arrange to be worshiped by subordinates and let them wash their feet and offer riches. Such arrangements artificially made by the performance of penances are considered to be in the mode of passion. The results are temporary; they can be continued for some time, but they are not permanent.
Penance performed out of foolishness, with self-torture or to destroy or injure others, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
PURPORT
There are instances of foolish penance undertaken by demons like Hiranyakasipu, who performed austere penances to become immortal and kill the demigods. He prayed to Brahma for such things, but ultimately he was killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To undergo penances for something which is impossible is certainly in the mode of ignorance.
During the performance of the yajna, the body relinquished by MaharajaNimi was preserved in fragrant substances, and at the end of the Satra–yaga the great saints and brahmanas made the following request to all the demigods assembled there.
“If you are satisfied with this sacrifice and if you are actually able to do so, kindly bring MaharajaNimi back to life in this body.” The demigods said yes to this request by the sages, but MaharajaNimi said, “Please do not imprison me again in a material body.”
PURPORT
The demigods are in a position many times higher than that of human beings. Therefore, although the great saints and sages were also powerful brahmanas, they requested the demigods to revive MaharajaNimi‘s body, which had been preserved in various perfumed balms. One should not think that the demigods are powerful only in enjoying the senses; they are also powerful in such deeds as bringing life back to a dead body. There are many similar instances in the Vedic literature. For example, according to the history of Savitri and Satyavan, Satyavan died and was being taken away by Yamaraja, but on the request of his wife,Savitri, Satyavan was revived in the same body. This is an important fact about the power of the demigods.
MaharajaNimi continued: Mayavadis generally want freedom from accepting a material body because they fear having to give it up again. But devotees whose intelligence is always filled with the service of the Lord are unafraid. Indeed, they take advantage of the body to render transcendental loving service.
PURPORT
MaharajaNimi did not want to accept a material body, which would be a cause of bondage; because he was a devotee, he wanted a body by which he could render devotional service to the Lord. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings:
“My Lord, if You want me to take birth and accept a material body again, kindly do me this favor: allow me to take birth in the home of Your servant, Your devotee. I do not mind being born there even as an insignificant creature like an insect.” SriCaitanyaMahaprabhu also said:
“O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.” (Sikshashtaka 4) By saying “life after life” (janmanijanmani), the Lord referred not to an ordinary birth but a birth in which to remember the lotus feet of the Lord. Such a body is desirable. A devotee does not think like yogis and jnanis, who want to refuse a material body and become one with the impersonal Brahman effulgence. A devotee does not like this idea. On the contrary, he will accept any body, material or spiritual, for he wants to serve the Lord. This is real liberation.
If one has a strong desire to serve the Lord, even if he accepts a material body, there is no cause of anxiety, since a devotee, even in a material body, is a liberated soul. This is confirmed by SrilaRupa Gosvami:
“A person acting in Krishna consciousness (or, in other words, in the service of Krishna) with his body, mind, intelligence and words is a liberated person even within the material world, although he may be engaged in many so-called material activities.” The desire to serve the Lord establishes one as liberated in any condition of life, whether in a spiritual body or a material body. In a spiritual body the devotee becomes a direct associate of the Lord, but even though a devotee may superficially appear to be in a material body, he is always liberated and is engaged in the same duties of service to the Lord as a devotee in Vaikunthaloka. There is no distinction. It is said, sadhur jivo va maro va. Whether a devotee is alive or dead, his only concern is to serve the Lord. Tyaktvadehampunarjanma naiti mameti [Bg. 4.9]. When he gives up his body, he goes directly to become an associate of the Lord and serve Him, although he does the same thing even in a material body in the material world.
For a devotee there is no pain, pleasure or material perfection. One may argue that at the time of death a devotee also suffers because of giving up his material body. But in this connection the example may be given that a cat carries a mouse in its mouth and also carries a kitten in its mouth. Both the mouse and the kitten are carried in the same mouth, but the perception of the mouse is different from that of the kitten. When a devotee gives up his body (tyaktvadeham), he is ready to go back home, back to Godhead. Thus his perception is certainly different from that of a person being taken away by Yamaraja for punishment. A person whose intelligence is always concentrated upon the service of the Lord is unafraid of accepting a material body, whereas a nondevotee, having no engagement in the service of the Lord, is very much afraid of accepting a material body or giving up his present one. Therefore, we should follow the instruction of CaitanyaMahaprabhu: mamajanmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaitukitvayi. It doesn’t matter whether we accept a material body or a spiritual body; our only ambition should be to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lord Brahma informed the demigods: Before we submitted our petition to the Lord, He was already aware of the distress on earth. Consequently, for as long as the Lord moves on earth to diminish its burden by His own potency in the form of time, all of you demigods should appear through plenary portions as sons and grandsons in the family of the Yadus.
“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who is always situated in various incarnations such as Rama, Nrisimha and many sub-incarnations as well, but who is the original personality of Godhead, known as Krishna, and who incarnates personally also.”
In this verse from Srimad–Bhagavatam we find the words puraiva pumsavadhrito dharajvarah. The word pumsa refers to Krishna, who was already aware of how the whole world was suffering because of the increase of demons. Without reference to the supreme power of the Personality of Godhead, demons assert themselves to be independent kings and presidents, and thus they create a disturbance by increasing their military power. When such disturbances are very prominent, Krishna appears. At present also, various demoniac states all over the world are increasing their military power in many ways, and the whole situation has become distressful. Therefore Krishna has appeared by His name, in the HareKrishna movement, which will certainly diminish the burden of the world. Philosophers, religionists, and people in general must take to this movement very seriously, for man-made plans and devices will not help bring peace on earth. The transcendental sound HareKrishna is not different from the person Krishna.
Now that we have gone through the principles we might ask, “Is there only one type of institution that can teach these principles?” If we look at the school where Krishna and Balaram attended, it was an asrama school. They were away from the village. Do you remember what they learnt from their asrama school? Sixty four arts! Anybody can name some of them? The art of playing on an x-shaped drum, like Lord Siva’s drum! The art of knowing what is in your hand that you can’t see. [Member of audience, HH Prahladananda Swami responded with these two] He has the whole Krishna book memorized. [Reference to HH Prahladananda Swami.]
We were once in Russia. At our preaching program we were all taking prasadam. Prahladananda Swami said, “Would you like to hear Krishna book?” I thought he was going to pull out a book. He started reciting the whole chapter.
February 28th, 2011
Topic: Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back To Godhead
SB 4. 12. 23
Speaker: HG Urmila Mataji
ISKCON Mayapur
to read the whole transcription of Mother Urmila’s lecture see here.
Today is the Disappearance day of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami. This remembrance took place just a week after Maharaja’s departure. 2002-03-27 Radhadesh