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Issue no:156
09th March 2021
The Blessings of The Spiritual Master What Is The Resolve Required To Serve The Spiritual Master’s Lotus Feet?
Bali Maharaja Conquers The Heavenly Planets
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
Srila Sukadeva Goswami
The Blessings Of The Spiritual Master His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
What Is The Difference Between An Authentic And Pseudo Spiritual Master? Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Identifying The Pure Devotees
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Circulaton 31,566
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Bali Maharaja Conquers The Heavenly Planets Srila Sukadeva Goswami
Maharaja Pariksit inquired: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the proprietor of everything that exists. Why did He, like a poor man, beg three paces of land from Bali Maharaja? Then, when He got the gift for which He had begged, why did He nonetheless arrest Bali Maharaja? I am very anxious to know the mystery behind these apparent contradictions. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, when Bali Maharaja lost all his opulence and died in the fight, Sukracarya, a descendant of Bhrgu Muni, brought him back to life. Because of this, the great soul Bali Maharaja became a disciple of Sukracarya and began to serve him with great faith, offering everything he had. The brähmaëa descendants of Bhrgu Muni were very pleased with Bali Maharaja, who had long desired to conquer the kingdom of Indra. Therefore, after purifying him and properly bathing him according to regulative principles, they engaged him in performing the yajïa known as Viçvajit. When ghee [clarified butter] was offered to the fire of sacrifice, a celestial chariot covered with gold and silk emerged. There also appeared yellow horses like those of Indra, and a flag marked with a lion. A gilded bow, two quivers of infallible arrows, and celestial armour also miraculously manifest. Bali
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Maharaja’s grandfather Prahlada Maharaja offered his grandson a garland of flowers which would never fade, and Sukracarya gave him a conch shell. When Maharaja Bali had thus performed the special ritualistic ceremony advised by the brähmaëas and had received, by their grace, the equipment for fighting, he circumambulated the brähmaëas and offered them obeisance repeatedly. He also saluted Prahlada Maharaja and offered obeisance to him. Then, after getting on the chariot given by Sukracarya, Bali Maharaja, decorated with a nice garland, put protective armour on his body, equipped himself with a bow, and took up a sword and a quiver of arrows. Seated on the chariot, his arms decorated with golden bangles and his ears with sapphire earrings, Bali Maharaja shone like a worshipable fire. When assembled with his soldiers and the demon chiefs, who were all equal to him in strength, opulence and beauty, they together appeared as if they would swallow the sky and burn all directions with their vision. After thus gathering together the demoniac soldiers, Bali Maharaja departed for the opulent capital of Indra. Indeed, he and his army seemed to make the entire surface of the world tremble. King Indra’s city was full of pleasing orchards and gardens, such as the Nanda kanana garden. Because of the weight of the flowers, leaves and fruit, the branches of the eternally existing trees were bending down. The gardens were visited by pairs of chirping birds and singing bees. The
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entire atmosphere was celestial. Beautiful women protected by the demigods sported in the gardens, which had lotus ponds full of swans, cranes, cakravakas fowl and ducks. The city was surrounded by trenches full of Ganges water, known as Akasa-ganga, and by a high wall, which was the colour of fire. Upon this wall were parapets for fighting. The doors were made of solid gold plates, and the gates were of excellent marble. These were linked by various public roads. The entire city had been constructed by Visvakarma. The city was full of courtyards, wide roads, assembly houses, and not less than one hundred million airplanes. The crossroads were made of pearl, and there were sitting places made of diamond and coral. Everlastingly beautiful and youthful women, who were dressed with clean garments, glittered in the city like fires with flames. They were all qualified like the renown çyämä women. The breezes blowing in the streets of the city bore the fragrance of the flowers falling from the hair of the demi-goddesses. Beautiful Apsara women walked the streets, which were decorated by the white, fragrant smoke of aguru emanating from house windows which were embossed with golden filigree. The city was shaded by canopies decorated with pearls, and the domes of the palaces had flags of pearl and gold. The city always resounded with the pleasant sounds of peacocks, pigeons and bees, and above the city flew airplanes full of beautiful women who constantly chanted auspiwww.ibmedu.org
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cious songs that were very pleasing to the ear. The city was filled with the sounds of mådaìga drums, conch shells, kettledrums, flutes and well-tuned stringed instruments, all playing in concert. There was constant dancing and the celestial Gandharva singers performed. The combined beauty of Indrapuri defeated beauty personified. No one who was sinful, envious, violent toward other living entities, cunning, falsely proud, lusty or greedy could enter that city. The people who lived there were devoid of all these faults. Bali Maharaja, who was the commander of innumerable soldiers, gathered his soldiers outside this abode of Indra and attacked from all directions. He sounded the conch shell given to him by his spiritual master, Sukracarya, thus creating a fear in the hearts of the women protected by Indra. Seeing Bali Maharaja’s indefatigable endeavour and understanding his motive, King Indra, along with the other demigods, approached his spiritual master, Brhaspati, and spoke as follows. “My lord, our old enemy Bali Maharaja now has new enthusiasm, and he has obtained such astonishing power that we think that perhaps we cannot resist his prowess. No one anywhere can counteract this military arrangement of Bali’s. It now appears that Bali is trying to drink up the entire universe with his mouth, lick up the ten directions with his tongue, and raise fire in every direction with his eyes. Indeed, he has arisen like the annihilating fire known as samvartaka. Kindly inform me what Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
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nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
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is the cause of Bali Maharaja’s strength, resolute endeavour, influence and victory? How has he become so enthusiastic? “ Brhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, said: O Indra, I know the cause for your enemy becoming so powerful. The brähmaëa descendants of Bhrgu Muni, being pleased by their disciple Bali Maharaja, endowed him with this extraordinary prowess. Neither you nor your men can conquer the most powerful Bali. Indeed, no one but the Supreme Personality of Godhead can conquer him, for he is now equipped with the supreme spiritual power known as brahma-tejas. As no one can stand before Yamaraja, currently no one can stand before Bali Maharaja. Therefore, wait until the situation of your enemies is reversed. Currently you should all leave this heavenly planet and go elsewhere, where you will not be seen. Bali Maharaja has now become extremely powerful because of the benedictions given him by the brähmaëas, but when he later insults the brähmaëas, he will be vanquished, along with his friends and assistants. Sukadeva Gosvami continued: The demigods, being thus advised by their well-wisher Brhaspati, immediately accepted his words. Assuming forms according to their respective desires, they left the heavenly kingdom and scattered, without being observed by the demons. When the demigods had
disappeared, Bali Maharaja, the son of Virocana, entered the heavenly kingdom, and from there he brought the three worlds under his control. The brähmaëa descendants of Bhrgu, being very pleased with their disciple, who had conquered the entire universe, now engaged him in performing one hundred açvamedha sacrifices. When Bali Maharaja performed these sacrifices, he gained a great reputation in all directions, throughout the three worlds. Thus, he shone in his position, like the brilliant moon in the sky. Because of the favour of the brähmaëas, the great soul Bali Maharaja, was very satisfied with his acquired opulence and prosperity and thus began to enjoy his vast kingdom. – Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) > Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations > Chapter 15, Bali Maharaja Conquers the Heavenly Planets > Verses: 1-36.
The Blessings Of The Spiritual Master His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Brhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, informed Indra, "Ordinarily, Bali and his forces could not achieve such strength, but it appears that the brähmaëa descendants of Bhrgu Muni, being pleased with Bali Maharaja, endowed them with this spiritual power." In other words,
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Brhaspati informed Indra that Bali Maharaja's prowess was not his own but that of his exalted guru, Sukracarya. We sing in our daily prayers, yasya prasädäd bhagavat-prasädo yasyäprasädän na gatiù kuto 'pi. By the pleasure of the spiritual master, one can get extraordinary power, especially in the matter of spiritual advancement. The blessings of the spiritual master are more powerful than one's personal endeavour for such advancement. Narottama dasa Thakura therefore says: guru-mukha-padma-väkya, cittete kariyä aikya, ära nä kariha mane äçä In the interest of spiritual advancement, one should carry out the order of the bona fide spiritual master. By thus following the paramparä system (disciplic succession), one can be endowed with the original spiritual power coming from the Supreme Personality of Godhead (evaà paramparä-präptam imaà räjarñayo viduù [Bg. 4.2]). – Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) > Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations > Chapter Fifteen : Bali Maharaja Conquers the Heavenly Planets > Verse: 28, PURPORT.
What Is The Resolve Required To Serve The Spiritual Master’s Lotus Feet? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
A real disciple accepts his spiritual master as sevya bhagavan, “God in servitor form” and most dear to Krishna. He never considers his spiritual www.ibmedu.org
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master inferior to the Lord in any way. A sincere disciple serves and worships his spiritual master as if he were God Himself, knowing him to perfectly represent God. Those who do not genuinely develop this mentality will surely fall from their position as disciples. Until we see the spiritual master as a manifestation of and non-different from the Supreme Lord, we will not be able to chant the Lord’s name purely. A genuine disciple must possess firm determination and faith in his spiritual master, thinking, “I will serve my spiritual master and Lord Gauranga with utmost simplicity. I will follow my spiritual master’s instructions, which have come down from the Supreme Lord. I will never disobey my spiritual master’s orders under the duress or influence of anyone in this world. If, by following my spiritual master I must become proud or an animal or go to hell forever, I will never hesitate. I will not follow anyone other than my spiritual master. I will destroy the current of mundane thought by the strength of his instructions. If my spiritual master showers even a particle of pollen from his lotus feet upon the world, then millions of people will be delivered. There is no knowledge or proper code of conduct in the fourteen worlds that weighs more than a particle of dust from the lotus feet of my spiritual master.” — AmåtaVäëé: Nectar of Instructions of Immoratality His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada Compiled by Çripada Bhakti Mayukha Bhagavat Maharaja Adapted and Published by Ésvaradasa Translated from Bengali by Bhumipatidasa
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
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What Is The difference Between An Authentic And Pseudo Spiritual Master? Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
There are two types of gurus: antaraìgä (internal), and bahiraìgä (external). The living entity who is fixed in deep contemplation aloof from all mental concoctions (samädhi) is qualified to be his own internal spiritual master. One who accepts argument as his guide and teacher and who derives the process of worship from this source is said to have accepted the shelter of a bogus spiritual master. In this case, argument pretentiously poses as nourishment for the living entities constitutional duties, which may be analogically compared to Putana’s falsely posing as a nurse. Worshipers on the path of attachment must relinquish all arguments in spiritual subjects and instead take shelter of samädhi. The external spiritual master is he from whom the science of worship is learned. One who knows the proper path of attachment and who instructs his disciples according to their qualification is a sad-guru, or eternal spiritual master. – Çré Krishna-saàhitä by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Chapter 8, text 14, Purport.
Identifying The Pure Devotees
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
It is to be understood that those who disrespect the spiritual master, who is non-different from the Supreme Lord, by considering him a mortal being
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and addressing him as “my spiritual teacher,” or, “his spiritual teacher,” and so on, have not actually accepted the spiritual master as a most dear associate of Krishna. Due to material considerations, people in this world have accepted the spiritual master, who is a direct manifestation of the Supreme Lord, as an object of enjoyment. It is impossible for members of such pseudo spiritual communities to come to the same platform as, or cooperate with, the pure devotees of Lord Krishna. It is the nature of persons who are envious of the Vaiñëavas to consider the spiritual master as an object of enjoyment due to their lacking the proper conceptions. It actuality it is because anyone who has not firmly established himself in the notion that, ämära prabhura prabhu Gauranga-sundara/ e baòa bharasä citte dhari nirantara— “Sri Gauranga-sundara is the Lord of my spiritual master.” is prone to deviation. Thus, there has emerged thirteen pseudo spiritual communities (apa sampradäyas) like äula, bäula, kartäbhajä, präkåta-sahajiyä, sakhé-bheké, jäti-gosäi, and gauranägaré. Actually, one courts danger if they reject the pristine concept of guru or disrespect the eternally worshipable Supreme Personality of Godhead’s supreme servitor and attribute abominable, insignificant, mundane considerations to him. This is called ardha-kukkuti-nyäya, or the logic of accepting half a hen, and it reveals an atheistic temperament. Whenever the so-called spiritual masters of the pseudo sampradäyas display their envy against the pure Vaiñëavas, one should aban-
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don those apa-sampradäya supposed gurus, who are actually laghu (insignificant), understanding them to be envious of the Vaiñëavas. One should then search out and take shelter of a pure Vaiñëava, who is qualified to be a spiritual master to the entire world and is a perfect knower of the science of Krishna. Aside from the members of the Rüpänuga-sampradäya, all of the other thirteen apa-sampradäyas are envious of the devotees who follow Sri Rupa. For this reason, Lord Krishna never considers them as dear. That is why people who maintain animosity towards the pure followers of Sri Rupa actually become laghu (devoid of devotion). The spiritual masters who are dear to Krishna are always attached to the Vaiñëava spiritual masters who follow Sri Rupa. On the pretext of devotional service, the members of the apa-sampradäyas appoint someone who is envious of the Supreme Lord as guru and thus maintain their pride. Knowing them to be bad association, the pure devotees give up their company and remain firmly fixed at the feet of their spiritual master under the subordination of Sri Rupa. A spiritual seeker will naturally consider, “Of those who take the role of guru, who are actually pure Vaiñëavas and thus naturally very dear to Krishna?” In reference to this inquiry, we should know that if we find any teacher who does www.ibmedu.org
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not accept the followers of Sri Rupa as his intimate friends, but rather envies them, then such a bogus guru should be rejected- entirely and immediately. – Purport to Sri Caitanya Bhägavata, Ädi-khaëòa, Chapter 9, text 186; Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja Translated by Bhumipati Dasa
!! Sri Sri Nitai Gaurchandra Jayati !! ISKCON Bhagavata Mahävidyalaya is a branch of International Society for Krishna Consciousness Founder-Acarya: His Divine Grace A.C. BhaktiVedanta Swami Prabhupada Editor Brajsunder Das Copy Editor Isha Prakash Das Sanskrit Editor, Vrajsevika Devi Dasi Assistance Vamsidhari Gauri Devi Dasi Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. ©All the paintings are copyrights of their respective artists.
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