12 10 05 SB 10 13 18 Lessons on Bewilderment Sridama Prabhu ISKCON Chowpatty
We are mostly bewildered because of our minute nature compared to Maya.
No mater how big we may be in the material world, even if we are Lord Brahma, we are subjected to bewilderment.
Dulabha mavana Janma... BV thakur explains, illusions in our life like optical illusions bewilder us. As sson as we forget Sri Krishna we will be bewildered.
We work very hard, but in-spite of that we are not happy. It is very big bewilderment.
Because are insignificant, our insignificance causes bewilderment.
Can we ever be insignificant. Who is Lord Brahma ? Can we ever be as great as Lord Brahma ?
Huge festival in UK for Queen of England birthday, Very High birth, she is "The Queen". The whole country celebrated this event.
So then, Who is Lord Brahma ? He is the Origin of Our Sampradaya.. He is atma-bhu born of the navel lotus of Lord Sri Vishnu !!! Can there be any higher birth ?
He lives in Sri Staya Loka, We have multi million dollar mansions here on earth, but can be better place to stay than Staya Loka, Highest possible planet in the material world, all full of truth !
His wife is Saraswati - Knowledge A , No Demons can ever play around with Lord Brahma , Even Hiranyakashipu did not fool around with Him, he prayed to Him instead !
He has disciples like Srila Veda Vyasa and Sri Narada Muni !
We say long life ? Lord Brahma's one day is 4 billion 320 million years ! Multiplied for what ever is 100 years.
He is the most powerful person in the material world !
If a great man is bewildered by someone that person must be greater !
In Srimad Bhagawatam , Sri Krishna does very simple things, plays with his cowherd friends, eats mud, wear forest flower garlands, steals butter, but still we are reminded by these pastimes that we must not forget that he is God.
It is natural that we take it for granted.
In the recent animated movie, Sri Krishna kills Trinavarta, going high and high and kills Trinavarta, and after that he finds himself dangling on a tree just a few feet high and he syas what do i do, i am feeling scared, and Sri Balaram asks him to come down to jump and money pushes him. That is sweetness of Sri Krishna. But never should we take the sweetness of Sri Krishna, for granted, that we forget His Godliness. If you forget Sri Krishna's Godliness than you become sahajiya who only remembers His Sweetness. And develop diabetes !
That is why Srila Prabhupada wanted us to do deity worship of Sri Sri Radha Krishna in the mood of awe and reverence like worshiping Sri Sri Laxmi Narayana.
That is why Sri Krishna does pastimes like Brahma bewilderment. So that with His Sweetness we also understand His Majesty.
Gopis are fully sold out to Him, So Sri Krishna also becomes sold out to them. So He becomes their son for a year in the same leela.
In the same leela, Lord Brahma, you are bewildered, i will remove your bewilderment, in the same leela.
In the same activity, not two activities...
And the third result, is that the audience will remember Who I Am for the rest of eternity, and not get bewildered by seeing only My sweetness.
Lord Shiva prays "All saints and demigods, we are born of mode of Goodness, still we are bewildered by your illusory energy, then what to speak of demons, humans etc.. "
Lord Shiva is making a clear point here "If great people are bewildered, then what to speak of us(humans)"
Markendeya rishi, one more story from the Srimad Bhagavatam 12 th canto. He was a great Rishi, He was going to die young. So he began worshipping Lord Shiva. When he was sixteen, he was still worshipping Lord Shiva intensely. Yamadutas came, but they could not take a person who was doing worship. So Sri Yamaraja came personally.
Sri Yamaraja put a noose around his neck. They tried to take him. They tried to remove the noose but it came off and went around the Shiva Linga.
So Lord Shiva got angry, and there was a fight between Lord Shiva and Sri Yamaraja. And Sri Yamaraja was defeated. And Sri Yamaraja was told to leave Makendeya Rishi as Lord Shiva wanted him to be eternal. And thus the boon was granted.
Markendeya Rishi was then doing tapasya Nara Narayan rishi, Lord was pleased. He then asked for a boon. The boon that was asked by Markendeya Rishi was, i want to have experience of the illusory energy. The Lord asked him are u sure. he said yes.
He was in his ashram, The Lord left. Suddenly the sky broke loose. Dark clouds of devastation. Huge downpour. Huge turmoil. There was just water. Nothing but water. Huge sharks, timingala, went on for years. He did not die, could not die, boon of Lord Shiva. Tossing and turning millions of years.
He sees at last, a banyan leaf. Someone very beautiful, blueish baby, sucking his toe. he tried to go near. But it was very difficult. He finally went near. he was very attracted. This baby simply inhaled, and everything went in the baby. Markendeya Rishi aslo went in the baby.
Suddenly he saw, in the babies body, he saw all the planetary systems, hills, oceans, everything including his hermitage and then he was put out.
And that was only one second, he was back in his hermitage. In that one second he had experience the turmoil for millions of years.
Shows the power of the Lords illusory energy.
Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati went to Lord and said i want to see your form of Sri Mohini Murti. This is there in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Lord Shiva is so very happy and explains to Mother Uma, Look at this person, if He wants , He can also bewilder my senses.
What to talk of insignificant creatures like us ! We are just nobody when compared to Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, Markendeya Rishi !
This bewilderment is a constant activity in the material world.
Also, devotees are constantly getting bewildered by the activities of the people in general and people in general are constantly getting bewildered by the activities of the devotees.
My respectable father would be very bewildered.
Normal Hindu understanding
1) Go to temple
2) Pray for 2-3 minutes
3) If you have lots to pray then pray for 10 minutes.
4) Do not leave temple without sitting in the temple. So people will touch base for 1 second and then get up. That is very bewildering !
5) Spend just enough time and then get out.
When my father saw us
1) You people spend 7-8 hours in the temple every Sunday. What do you do ? Could not just imagine ! That was very bewildering to him .
2) Many times in Diwali we would be in Yatra.
So we would say we "Father we are not there,,we are going for yatra". He would say "very nice where are you going". we would say "Vrindavan" he would say very nice .
Again Next year we would say we "Father we are not there,,we are going for yatra". He would say "very nice where are you going". we would say "Vrindavan", He would say "What why again ?" , Last year you went there ? You go to the same place again and again ?
The normal understanding is you go to a different place each time, sometimes here, sometimes there. Why again and again go to the same place Vrindavan, Go to the same holy temples, Hear the Same pastimes, Hear from the same person. So very bewildering indeed !
3) The most bewildering thing for Him was as devotees "why do you not read newspapers ?", He even ordered the leader of this temple, "you must read newspaper and tell all your followers to read newspapers, otherwise how will you know want is happening in the world ?"
Sometimes devotees are bewildered by outside behaviour.
1) Seeing sports cricket for hours
2) Spending huge amounts of money for cosmetics
What to do when we are bewildered ?
A) Remain silent
Two things can happen
1) Time passes and the bewilderment ceases to be as it was temporary
2) Affects our faith or shraddha as it grows within as you have not spoken.
B) Reveal to wrong person or persons.
The result is more bewilderment and loss of faith in a devotee.
Bewilderment directly attacks faith.
C) Reveal to right person or persons.
You will get enlightenment !
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The fruit of our activities is bewilderment. So bewilderment has the seed of either enlightenment or eternal confinement.
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Bewilderment of Mother Yashoda leads to enlightenment about the glories of Sri Krishna. When we read about the Bewilderment of Markendeya rishi, Lord Brahma , Lord Shiva, it leads us to enlightenment of our own hearts.
We are all insignificant compared to Mother Yashoda, Markendeya rishi , Lord Brahma , Lord Shiva.
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So we must know, FOR SURE, that there will be a situation that we will be bewildered.
One of the important thing we must have as a sadhaka is the right people/s where we can go and pour out our hearts.
We must pray to Sri Krishna to give me the understanding to go to the right person when I am bewildered.
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Otherwise we are finished.
So many people come to the Krishna Consciousness movement. They end up being bewildered by some activity, somethings here and there, some talks, some activity of some devotee and they give up the path of Krishna Consciousness.
Ananda Gopal Prabhu, when he was a new devotee, just comes to a Vrindavan yatra, Fist day, on the bus and he sees two senior devotee managers having an argument. So devotees can have fights, Lord Shiva and Lord Yamaraja. Complete loss of faith ! Is this what it is ! Now i can see the cruel facts, even devotees have fights ! I have spent money and I have come here, might as well i spend some time ! Lucky for Him.
The very next day, He is still bewildered ! he is hearing a class/lecture ! He sees the two same senior devotee managers again. One of them offers full sashtank dandavats to the other person, both of them repentant.
Ananda Gopal Prabhu, had the intelligence to see "what i saw yesterday, i see every day in the material world, what i see today only happens in this devotee circle"
There are many situations we will be bewildered. And it attacks bhakti lata bija.
We must have a few devotees that we can fully confide in and seek help from.
One more important point.
Our behaviour must not be bewildering to others. Our aachar MUST be exemplary.
Two bewildering things for us
1) Negative things that devotees may do
2) Superlatively great things that devotees do
When we hear the story of the devotee Vasudev - the leper, who was suffering from leprosy, but he was so merciful to the worms, that in case any worm fell off, he would pick it up and again put it back in his body. He was thinking the worm has the same right to live in my body as much as i have !
To this day this is very bewildering story, This causes uproar of bhakti in our hearts, that is very good bewilderment.
When we hear of Srila Prabhupada, traveling with non exchangeable 40 rupees, leaving Sri Vrindavan Dham, Traveling on a cargo ship, suffering three heart attacks on the way ! That is very bewildering, but it surely causes growth of Bhakti in our hearts.
Negative bewilderment, we must avoid.
If we seek, we want to be bewildered by the good activities of devotees, It is the perfection of our life to get bewildered devotees amazing activities !
What bewilders me when every-time i come to this temple that is a gift from Our Dear Srila Prabhupada. I pray for this bewilderment. How can somebody be so good ?
1) A post graduate physician standing on our shoe stall doing menial service
2) An IIT graduate , a scholar of shastra, wearing a simple bandi, does menial service
3) A school dropout is changing hearts of thousands by his devotional scholarship
4) A top class MBA graduate, wearing a torn kurta, every Sunday washes plates very religiously, of people who have just eaten. He could be earning lacs and lacs.
5) A top class businessman of the country, major donor to this temple, does not complain at all, when he is stopped from coming to an important flower festival, goes home and sits very happily. he practically owns this temple
6) A BARC scientist lady engages herself in making simple flower garlands.
7) So many many many more ....
Such bewilderment leads to Bhakti.
When Lord Brahma was bewildered, what happened next.
Great prayers. Sri Bhahma Samhita.
"tat te 'nukampam verse" comes right after ...
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http://vedabase.net/sb/10/14/8/en2
Canto 10: The Summum Bonum Chapter 14: Brahma's Prayers to Lord Krsna Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.8
tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamano
bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam
hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.
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What a powerful prayer, Srila Prabhupada quotes this verse often.
Let us know bewilderment is bound to be there.
Let us not be the source of negative bewilderment.
If ever we are a source of bewilderment let it be due to something good.
We all went to a place in Vrindavan called Chaumuha | Chaumuha - means four headed.
The next verse Sri Krishna does wonderfull things.
Even the Lord gets bewildered by the activities of devotees. There is constant competition. When Lord Chaitanya saw Srila Haridas Thakur when he was departing this world, The Lord was bewildered. Srila Haridas Thakur was saying "Nothing wrong with my body, but my mind is disturbed, i am not able to finish the prescribed number of rounds, my mind is in a diseased condition". Lord Chaitnaya was amazed. He said "Now you reduce the number of rounds"
Sri Advita Acharya, want Lord Chaitanya to stop giving so much respect to him. He started preaching mayavada. So many people were coming.
Lord Chatanya was bewildered. He said let Me go and see. He saw Sri Advita Acharya preaching . He Got angry and started to beat Sri Advita Acharya. He said you called me for preaching pure devotional service and now instead you are preaching mayavada ? Sita thakurani came and she was crying ! In all of this Sri Advita Acharya was laughing. He said "Where is your respect for me, now You have shown Who is mater".
