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Lecture – SB 8.22.5 Queen Kunti’s Instructions – Video
Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 22, Text 2 by Prahladananda Swami.
Dallas, TX
2009-12-04
TRANSLATION
Since Your Lordship is indirectly the greatest well-wisher of us demons, You act for our best welfare by posing as if our enemy. Because demons like us always aspire for a position of false prestige, by chastising us You give us the eyes by which to see the right path.
PURPORT
Bali Maharaja considered the Supreme Personality of Godhead a better friend to the demons than to the demigods. In the material world, the more one gets material possessions, the more he becomes blind to spiritual life. The demigods are devotees of the Lord for the sake of material possessions, but although the demons apparently do not have the Supreme Personality of Godhead on their side, He always acts as their well-wisher by depriving them of their positions of false prestige. By false prestige one is misguided, so the Supreme Lord takes away their position of false prestige as a special favor.
PAS_SB08.22.05_QueenKunti’sInstructions_2009-12-04
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Lecture – SB 8.22.4 Kind Encouragement – Video
Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 22, Text 4 by Prahladananda Swami.
Dallas, TX
2009-12-03
TRANSLATION
Although a father, mother, brother or friend may sometimes punish one as a well-wisher, they never punish their subordinate like this. But because You are the most worshipable Lord, I regard the punishment You have given me as most exalted.
PURPORT
Punishment meted out by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is accepted by the devotee as the greatest mercy.
tat te ‘nukampam susamikshamano
bhunjana evatma-kritam vipakam
hrid-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak
“One who seeks Your compassion and thus tolerates all kinds of adverse conditions due to the karma of his past deeds, who engages always in Your devotional service with his mind, words and body, and who always offers obeisances to You is certainly a bona fide candidate for liberation.” (Bhag. 10.14.8) A devotee knows that so-called punishment by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is only His favor to correct His devotee and bring him to the right path. Therefore the punishment awarded by the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be compared to even the greatest benefit awarded by one’s material father, mother, brother or friend.
PAS_SB08.22.04_KindEncouragement_2009-12-03
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Lecture – SB 8.22.3 Why Afraid Of Infamy? – Video
Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 22, Text 3 by Prahladananda Swami.
Dallas, TX
2009-12-02
TRANSLATION
I do not fear being deprived of all my possessions, living in hellish life, being arrested for poverty by the ropes of Varuna or being punished by You as much as I fear defamation.
PURPORT
Although Bali Maharaja fully surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he could not tolerate being defamed for cheating a brahmana-brahmacari, Being quite alert in regard to his reputation, he thought deeply about how to prevent being defamed. The Lord, therefore, gave him the good counsel to prevent defamation by offering his head. A Vaishnava does not fear any punishment. Narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati (Bhag. 6.17.28).
PAS_SB08.22.03_WhyAfraidOfInfamy_2009-12-02
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Lecture – Bhagavad Gita 7.28 Vaikuntha Is Not a Bakery – Video
Lecture on Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7, Text 28 by Prahladananda Swami. (The audio quality improves about half way through the lecture)
Dallas, TX
2009-12-02
TRANSLATION
Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.
PURPORT
Those eligible for elevation to the transcendental position are mentioned in this verse. For those who are sinful, atheistic, foolish and deceitful, it is very difficult to transcend the duality of desire and hate. Only those who have passed their lives in practicing the regulative principles of religion, who have acted piously and who have conquered sinful reactions can accept devotional service and gradually rise to the pure knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, gradually, they can meditate in trance on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the process of being situated on the spiritual platform. This elevation is possible in Krishna consciousness in the association of pure devotees, for in the association of great devotees one can be delivered from delusion.
It is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.2) that if one actually wants to be liberated he must render service to the devotees (mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh); but one who associates with materialistic people is on the path leading to the darkest region of existence (tamo-dvaram yoshitam sangi-sangam). All the devotees of the Lord traverse this earth just to recover the conditioned souls from their delusion. The impersonalists do not know that forgetting their constitutional position as subordinate to the Supreme Lord is the greatest violation of God’s law. Unless one is reinstated in his own constitutional position, it is not possible to understand the Supreme Personality or to be fully engaged in His transcendental loving service with determination.
PAS_BG07.28_VaikunthaIsNotABakery_2009-12-02
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