This lecture explains how a self-realized sage remains undisturbed by material dualities by accepting all situations as the Lord's mercy. Through stories of Queen Kunti and the Pandavas, the speaker illustrates that sincere devotees find ultimate protection by surrendering to God during difficult times. Finally, the talk highlights chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra as the only true shelter in the current age of Kali-yuga to achieve the supreme goal of pure, eternal love.
Fifty-six. So, I read the Sanskrit and then translate.
duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ
sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ
sthita-dhīr munir ucyate
Before I read the translation, I can say this starts with a question from Arjuna that how can you recognize that a person is self-realized, that a person is transcendentally situated. So this is, Krishna gives an answer to this question in a few ślokas. So this is one answer, so he says, a symptom of one who is on the transcendental platform:
One who is not disturbed in mind, even amidst the threefold miseries, or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear, and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
This is sthita-dhīr muni. It's a sage of steady mind, who is not disturbed by the different conditions in this material world. So, if you please can repeat after me:
One who is not disturbed in the mind...
even amidst the threefold miseries...
or elated when there is happiness...
and who is free from attachment...
fear and anger...
is called a sage of steady mind.
So, I read from the purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda, our founder-acharya.
So, he writes: "A fully Kṛṣṇa conscious person is not at all disturbed by the onslaught of the threefold miseries, for he accepts all miseries as the mercy of the Lord, thinking himself only worthy of more trouble due to his past misdeeds; and he sees that his miseries, by the grace of the Lord, are minimized to the lowest."
So, Prabhupāda continued: "Similarly, when he is happy, he gives credit to the Lord, thinking himself unworthy of the happiness; he realizes that it is due only to the Lord's grace that he is in such a comfortable condition and able to render better service to the Lord. And for the service of the Lord, he is always daring and active and is not influenced by attachment or aversion. Attachment means accepting things for one's own sense gratification, and detachment is the absence of such sensual attachment. But one fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has neither attachment nor detachment because his life is dedicated in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Consequently, he is not at all angry even when his attempts are unsuccessful. Success or no success, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always steady in his determination."
So this is Lord Kṛṣṇa speaking to Arjuna. And we all experience this in this material world. There are many disturbing conditions, many, many challenges. We cannot avoid it. We all have experience in our daily life how we are challenged by many disturbing conditions.
It's ādhyātmika-kleśa, ādhibhautika-kleśa, and ādhidaivika-kleśa. So ādhyātmika-kleśa, that means suffering which comes from the body or the mind. We all experience that. Ādhibhautika-kleśa, it's suffering which comes from other living entities, like sometimes people are envious of us, or mosquitoes are biting us, and in different ways we suffer because of others. And then, ādhidaivika-kleśa is suffering coming from nature, like too much rain, or too little rain, or earthquake, and tsunamis, and so many disturbing situations in this material world. We can see now on earth planet there are so much imbalance. Too much heat, especially in the south of Europe, and people are dying even because of that. So ādhidaivika-kleśa.
So these difficulties, these disturbances, Kṛṣṇa recommends one should try to tolerate them. Because there is something, there is a deep meaning to these suffering conditions. They are meant actually for helping us to wake up and understand that I'm something more, and this life is about something more than the bodily pleasure or the mind's pleasure.
So Kṛṣṇa also gives another, in another śloka, also from the second chapter in Bhagavad-gītā:
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
He says that the nonpermanent appearance and disappearance of happiness and distress are the appearance and disappearance of the winter and summer seasons. And they, Kṛṣṇa says, they arise from sense perception. And therefore, one has to learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
I was reading in the Mahābhārata an interesting story, how the Pāṇḍavas, Draupadī, Kuntīdevī, how they were put into many, many distressful situations, challenging situations. But it's wonderful to read in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Kuntīdevī, although being put year after year in so many intense situations of anxiety, she even wanted them to come.
There is, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Chapter 8, it's entitled "Queen Kuntī's Prayers". Very, very beautiful prayers from a pure devotee completely surrendered to the Lord, fully taking shelter of the Lord. And in one famous śloka there, she said:
vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād
apunar bhava-darśanam
Can you hear me in the back? Yes?
So, she said that "I wish that all those vipadaḥ, vipadaḥ, all those difficulties, those calamities, that they will happen again and again." Śaśvat means again and again. "So we can see you again and again." That's her realization. When there are difficulties, Kṛṣṇa is so close to them. He's appearing, He's always protecting them, He's always saving them. So vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat tatra tatra jagad-guro bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād apunar bhava-darśanam. Because "by seeing You," she said, "we will no longer see the saṁsāra, repeated birth and death."
So once it was Duryodhana's arrangement, he tried to, he always because of envy in his heart, he tried to actually eliminate the Pāṇḍavas. He wanted to eliminate them, kill them, because of great envy, deep envy. They were of the most saintly character, the Pāṇḍavas. But because of envy, he wanted to be the master, he wanted to be the ruler, he wanted to be the king. And so once Durvāsā Muni, Durvāsā Muni is a famous person, mystic yogi, appearing in many places in the scriptures, and he was, for instance, he was visiting Kuntīdevī's father when she was younger.
And Kuntīdevī, she was so service-minded. She was such an expert personality to please guests. Really expert. And from the heart. And when Durvāsā Muni came there, he was so impressed and very, very pleased from his heart, so he wanted to give her a benediction. So, he gave her the benediction that she could call for any deva at any time. And we know she used that also, how her sons were appearing. Arjuna's father, who is Arjuna's father? Indra. And then we have Yudhiṣṭhira, whose father is Yamarāja. Yes. And then we have Bhīma. Vāyu. And then we have Nakula, Sahadeva. They have another mother. Yes, can you tell? Madrī, the other wife. Kuntī allowed her to use her mantras so she also could call, she called for Aśvinī-kumāras.
So, so she got that benediction. So Durvāsā Muni once now visited Duryodhana. And he was very much aware of the danger, because he's like a plenary portion of Lord Śiva actually, Durvāsā Muni, so he can easily be pleased but also easily disturbed and angered. And Duryodhana was very much aware of that, so he really tried his best and he was successful to please Durvāsā Muni. And then Durvāsā Muni wanted to give a benediction to Duryodhana. So then, the Pāṇḍavas at this time, they were in the exile in the forest for twelve years. And he wanted Durvāsā Muni's anger to manifest towards the Pāṇḍavas.
So then he requested him that, "Please go to the Pāṇḍavas, they are in the forest, and go there at a special time. Go there when just they have finished their meal. When Draupadī and Pāṇḍavas have finished their meal." So Durvāsā Muni, he had many disciples, it's described he had ten thousand disciples. And maybe not everyone of them always followed him, but a big, big group, like at least thousands of disciples. And they came there, and he didn't know exactly about the subplot of Duryodhana, he was more innocent and he just appeared as he desired. At that time, Draupadī had just finished eating.
And so, they had got the special benediction from Agni, the fire-god, they got a pot. What is it called? Someone remembers the name of this pot? Anyway, so that pot, when Draupadī cooked, it could manifest unlimited amount of prasādam once a day. But after she had been eaten, one had to wait for the next day. So, so Duryodhana knew this very well. So therefore he said, "When Draupadī had been eaten, you go there, then you appear." And they just appeared at that time. And immediately, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he became internally full of anxiety. He knew this is Durvāsā Muni, he knew his temper, he knew his unique position.
And so he very politely welcomed him and said, "We are very happy, honored that you have arrived." At this time, they didn't have like any palace, they were living very simply, like Lord Rāmacandra also lived very simply during the exile in the forest, so the Pāṇḍavas also lived very simple life. But Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he just, he said that, "Please, go and perform your known duties, ritualistic duties in the river nearby, and when you come back, we will serve you prasādam." And he knew inside that, "How is it possible? How can we get it together?" But he said it, and he was thinking about Kṛṣṇa. So that's the nature of devotee. When a devotee are put into a difficult situation, when there is anxiety, maybe great anxiety, so naturally devotees are taking shelter of the Lord, praying to the Lord, cry from the heart, "Please help me, please save me. How should I solve this situation?"
And so Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira did that, and he asked Draupadī, "Is there anything left from the lunch? You have been eating." So, and she said that "No." And she was as well, of course, full of anxiety, they all understood the very serious situation. So, she also started to pray to Kṛṣṇa, and she started to cry, for giving the intelligence and "How can they solve this very dangerous situation?" If Durvāsā Muni came back and he would be disturbed, and he would maybe curse them, that his anger would be upon them. So she was praying to the Lord, and the Lord, because of the pure devotion of Draupadī, we know in many instances how Draupadī attracted or Kṛṣṇa was so much attracted to Draupadī's devotion. When she was going to be stripped naked in the assembly, so she was just also crying, "Govinda," crying from her heart, and for protection, and Kṛṣṇa appeared, and he manifested himself as a sari, because they wanted to strip her naked.
So this time again she was put in this situation and she was just crying, "Govinda." He's in everyone's heart as Paramātmā, the Supersoul. We know from Bhagavad-gītā, several verses, Kṛṣṇa explains how He's actually in the heart, so very, very close to us, as a Paramātmā, the Supersoul. So He know exactly, He know everything, and when she was crying like that because of her pure devotion, He was immediately attracted, and He actually appeared there. And then He asked Draupadī, do you know what He asked? He said, "Is there anything left?" And she said "No." But then Kṛṣṇa said, "Can you get the pot and just look very, very carefully?"
And she did. And then by Kṛṣṇa's grace, in the corner of the pot, there was a little piece of vegetable which has not been consumed. And Kṛṣṇa said to Draupadī, "Please give me that." And she did, and with great devotion, and Kṛṣṇa accepted that. And He really relished that because it came from Draupadī's hand, her pure devotion. And because of that, He was so pleased with the Pāṇḍavas and Draupadī. So, everyone became completely satisfied, both in the mind but also fully in the stomach.
So, so then Kṛṣṇa told Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, "You go to the river and invite them for taking prasādam." So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, he went there and he in a very humble and anxious way said that, "Please come, the lunch is ready." And so because they just felt so full and they felt embarrassed that, "How can we go? They have prepared a big feast for us, a big meal, and we are not even hungry." So at that point, they decided, "No, better not go. It will be an embarrassing situation." So they just decided, they just went away. So in this way, they were saved in this situation, the Pāṇḍavas.
So this is the power of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When we are really crying for the Lord's mercy, for the Lord's shelter, He's there. The same way when we chant the holy name of the Lord, like it's recommended now in Kali-yuga:
kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra
nāma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistāra
In this age of Kali, the chanting of the holy name, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra:
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
It's stated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it's incarnation of the Lord. The Lord is present, fully present, with all His potencies, in the name. So when we say "Kṛṣṇa", Kṛṣṇa is actually there, personally present. "Hare" is internal potency of the Lord, and she is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, she's fully present. And "Rāma" or "Rāma" is appearance also of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So, but according to our surrender, our chanting, our prayers coming from the heart, it has different effects. So when Draupadī was praying, when she was crying for Kṛṣṇa's mercy, Kṛṣṇa's shelter, so Kṛṣṇa immediately was so attracted and appeared. Sometimes when we chant, at least for me, I'm struggling with that, that so many other things are going on in the mind. Maybe you have also experienced? Many, many things are going on in the mind, and sometimes so disturbing, so one cannot even hear the holy name. So this is called nāmāparādha, nāmāparādha is when we chanting with offenses. And then, we don't experience very much of the special mercy that Kṛṣṇa, the holy name is an avatar, the Kṛṣṇa is appearing in the form of the holy name, because of this aparādha, not being present. Kṛṣṇa is personally present.
Just like when we, if we are speaking to a person, to a friend, and we are thinking about something else, so it's like hurting to that person. When we are not present, when we are not listening, we're not focused, we're not interested in that conversation. If you are absent-minded, you feel hurt, naturally. So, so it's in a similar way with the holy name. If we chant:
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
But we not crying, we not sincerely take shelter of the Lord, it will have very little effect or no effect, because of this offenses blocking our experience of the Lord being present. But as soon as we really take shelter, as soon as we cry for the Lord's shelter and mercy, immediately, we don't have to wait for it, we can experience a completely another energy, completely another experience, and we can realize that this is wonderful. It's such an opportunity in Kali-yuga, where there are so many disturbing conditions. We can, if we simply take shelter of the Lord in the form of the holy name, we can experience within, peace and enthusiasm and determination in our service to the Lord. So that's the wonderful opportunity to take shelter of the Lord.
In the proper spirit, and see the need of it. Because Māyā, the illusory energy, makes us think that we can take shelter of those temporary things in this world. But it's described they are fallible soldiers. There are no real shelter, it's called durāśraya, false shelter. Example which is given, if you have a roof, when it's like summer now, and nice weather, so if the roof has holes, we don't notice it. But when the autumn come and the winter come and the rain come and the snow come, and if the roof has holes in it, it will be great disturbance. So no real shelter, durāśraya, that's when compared to the holes in the roof. Seemingly, it seems to be shelter. I have my bank account, I have my position, I have my work, I have my car, I have my wife, my children, my husband. Isn't this shelter in this world? On one platform it is, but it's so temporary. And it will not last. It's coming and going. This example which is given sometimes, if you have a drop of water on a lotus petal, so it's seems like it's so steadily there and it's very beautiful, it's shining, this drop on the lotus petal. But then a little just wind comes, and immediately just it goes off.
So that is how fragile things are in this material world. It's coming and going. We try to depend on them, we try to take shelter of them, but they are no real shelter. So, the real shelter, ultimately, as Draupadī and Pāṇḍavas again and again showed in a very practical way, is to take shelter of the Lord. And we will never be disappointed. Never be disappointed. He's always there, ready to give us shelter. So, this is the message of the Bhagavad-gītā, a message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that those who are intelligent in this age of Kali, they very seriously take shelter of the holy name, because Kṛṣṇa is appearing like that. And in this way we can escape so many disturbing conditions which are here in this material world. It's described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya
kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ
mandaḥ sumanda-matayo
manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ
It's explained that in this iron age of Kali, it's describing about the qualities, especially conditions in this age of Kali. First of all, men have but short lives.
They are quarrelsome, they are lazy, manda means lazy, lazy for self-realization, not lazy for sense gratification. Working very, very hard for sense gratification, but for self-realization, lazy. mandaḥ sumanda-matayo... lazy, misguided. Misguided. sumanda-matayo... we know we are misguided by persons who are blind, who don't see things as they are, who don't see the difference between that which is eternal and temporary. sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā... are unlucky, and upadrutāḥ, the last quality, always disturbed. So we can see very practically. This is the world today.
If we look on the news, if we look on, if we go downtown Stockholm or Södertälje, what is actually going on and what's going on within people, is these qualities. So, one last verse before I end, it's described that although Kali-yuga is, there are so many faults:
kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann
asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
Thank you.
kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann
asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
So although Kali-yuga is a doṣa-nidhe, that means it's like an ocean of fault, an ocean of problems. doṣa-nidhe... asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ, there is still one very good quality. kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya... simply by chanting the holy name, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet, we can become free from the bondage to this material world.
So Bhagavad-gītā is eternal wisdom, instructions from the Supreme Lord Himself. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or, for example, Mahābhārata, are so many wonderful examples, practical examples how devotees who are pure-hearted and spirit-advanced are conquering the most difficult situation and attains the supreme success. And what is a supreme success in life? The supreme success is prema, to develop love, real love. Real love is not coming and going. Real love has substance, it's eternal. This love is in this material world, it's a reflection of prema.
It seems like sometimes this is real love, a man meets a woman, woman meets a man, and it's just such incredible strong feelings. And one is just convinced: this is love, for sure this is love. But then we know, some time after this, it's just turning around, and it can be the complete opposite: "I hate you! I don't want to see you anymore!" This is happening sometimes. Not so uncommon, in Kali-yuga. This wall between love and hate sometimes is very, very thin. But real love, prema, it doesn't have any thin wall. It has substance, it's real love, it becomes more interesting, it becomes more, one develops more feelings, appreciation, and becomes more and more absorbed. And, it's eternal. That's the supreme success. Because this is anyway what everyone is looking for. Everyone is crazy about it, love. But so much disappointment. So prema is the real goal of life. So thank you very much. Maybe any questions or comments?
The last thing I didn't hear?
Well, it's coming, it's coming naturally when you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. You transcend the modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, raja-guṇa, and tama-guṇa. And you come to the transcendental platform, and then we are actually beyond this birth and death. But then, also sometimes even on a higher platform, devotees want to stay in this material world. They want to stay to in order to help others. Because of compassion. A few weeks ago, Bhakti Caitanya Mahārāja, a sannyasi in ISKCON, he was giving a lecture in Korsnäs Gård, and he said that, "Actually I, I'm not, I don't want to go back to Godhead." He said it from his heart, "I don't want to go back to Godhead. I want to go where Prabhupāda is. I want to assist him in this preaching mission wherever he is." So in this way, but then you are in one sense beyond the ordinary saṁsāra, the ordinary repeated cycle of birth and death. You have such a strong attachment and love for your guru, and also so much compassion.
So, yes. Something else?
Karṇa as son, before she married Pāṇḍu. And with this benediction, she was not sure how to use, so she, she used sun-god. Yes, and Karṇa was born. Yes. And Kṛṣṇa protects Pāṇḍavas from Karṇa's also. Later on Karṇa was in Duryodhana's side. Yeah.
Yeah, she when she got that benediction from Durvāsā Muni, she was just young girl, and she was like curious, that he said I can call for any deva. Is it really true? Can I do it? And she did, and then... Sūrya? Sūrya appeared. And, so, and she said, "No, I, I just tried it. Please excuse me, please excuse me. I will not do it again." But he said that, "This is a higher arrangement, so we should unite and but you will not be..." what do you call it? "You will be kept a virgin." So you will... but she was... well, this whole story is there in Mahābhārata, it's very interesting. And the Pāṇḍavas ultimately found out that this is our brother. And it's, that's a wonderful story but thank you.
So I think we end here, and we request Jīvakeśa, if you please can lead us in chanting. Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya!