4 August 2020
Sustainer of All the Universes in Devaki’s Womb
Hare Krishna. Welcome all of you to the Japa session. Harinama Prabhu ki Jai! Today devotees are chanting from 775 different locations. Balarama Purnima festival is done now. Did you celebrate Balarama Purnima festival? Did you perform Lord Balarama’s Abhishek? Did you pray for something from Him?
Now, when Devaki’s womb has been emptied, since Lord Balarama has been shifted from Devaki’s womb to Rohini’s womb by Yogamaya, Lord Krsna entered in that emptied womb.
bhagavān api viśvātmā
bhaktānām abhayaṅkaraḥ
āviveśāṁśa-bhāgena
mana ānakadundubheḥ
Translation
Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul of all living entities and who vanquishes all the fear of His devotees, entered the mind of Vasudeva in full opulence. [SB 10.2.16]
We are reading verses from the 2nd chapter of the tenth Canto. In this verse, the most complete Krsna is not explained, but the more complete Krsna is explained who entered the mind of Vasudev. More ( purntar) complete Krsna is Krsna of Mathura and the most( purntam) complete Krsna is Krsna of Vrindavan. Here we see how the Lord enters the womb of His mother. First He enters the mind of Vasudev, then He enters the mind of Devaki and from there He enters the womb of Devaki. His birth is not a result of uniting of male and female. The eggs and sperms have no role here. It is not like how we are born.
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa
jantur dehopapattaye
striyāḥ praviṣṭa udaraṁ
puṁso retaḥ-kaṇāśrayaḥ
Translation
The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body. [ SB 3.31.1]
Krsna is not taking birth like that. We, the souls get bodies in this way, but He is the Lord, He is not accepting any external body. He is descending as He is.
na mam karmani limpanti
na me karma-phale sprha
iti mam yo ‘bhijanati
karmabhir na sa badhyate
Translation
There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work. [BG 4.14]
We take birth in the higher or lower species according to our actions, but the lord clearly says, “Whatever I do, are My pastimes and thus I am not bound by actions and reactions.”
janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
Translation
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna. [BG 4.9]
My birth, actions and pastimes are divine, transcendental, not like that of yours.
One who understands the Lord as He is, His holy name, His pastimes of appearance in reality then He doesn’t need to repeat this chain of actions and reactions, birth and death. mām eti means he will come back to My abode.
avajananti mam mudha
manusim tanum asritam
param bhavam ajananto
mama bhuta-mahesvaram
Translation
Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be. [BG 9.11]
The Lord says that people with less knowledge can’t understand Him. Lord says, “They are fools who deride Me and They believe that I descend and take birth as any other being.”
param bhavam ajananto
But that is not so, “I do not accept a material body.” We need to understand this. It is not the reaction of any of Krsna’s actions that He has to take birth. This happens with the soul. Like we say,
punarapi jananam punarapi maranam
punarapi janani jatare sayanam
iha samsaare khalu dusthare
krupayaa pare pahi murare
Translation
Again and again one is born, and Again and again one dies, and again and again one sleeps in the mother’s womb, Help me to cross this limitless sea of life which is uncrossable, my Lord.
He has purposes, so He appears. He wants to perform pastimes. He wants to taste the parental love which He isn’t able to taste in Goloka as He is always youthful there. He entered the womb of Devaki. In the 19th verse, Sukadeva Goswami says:
sā devakī sarva-jagan-nivāsa-
nivāsa-bhūtā nitarāṁ na reje
bhojendra-gehe ’gni-śikheva ruddhā
sarasvatī jñāna-khale yathā satī
Translation
Devakī then kept within herself the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, the foundation of the entire cosmos, but because she was under arrest in the house of Kaṁsa, she was like the flames of a fire covered by the walls of a pot, or like a person who has knowledge but cannot distribute it to the world for the benefit of human society. [SB 10.2.19]
The Lord is also known as Jagat – nivasa because He is the sustainer of all the universes. When the Lord entered the womb of Devaki, she became the residing place of the entire universe. Why is it said like this? Because the entire universe resides in the Lord and the Lord is inside the womb of Devaki. Later the Lord shows this to Yasoda by opening His mouth also. This is amazing!
itīdṛk sva-līlābhir ānanda-kuṇḍe
sva-ghoṣam nimajjantam ākhyāpayantam
Translation
Those super-excellent pastimes of Lord Krishna’s babyhood drowned the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy. [Damodarstakam Verse 3]
It may be difficult to understand this, but it is true. Such a Lord, who is the residence of innumerable universes, is residing inside Devaki. Like your house is your residing place, similarly the Lord resided in the womb of Devaki.
Now Kamsa is keeping an eye on Devaki constantly. He was already waiting for the eighth pregnancy. He had already killed 6 of her sons, the seventh one had gone mysteriously and now it was the time for the 8th one to born. He is totally terrified, he is constantly thinking what will happen once the child is born. He will kill me.
tāṁ vīkṣya kaṁsaḥ prabhayājitāntarāṁ
virocayantīṁ bhavanaṁ śuci-smitām
āhaiṣa me prāṇa-haro harir guhāṁ
dhruvaṁ śrito yan na pureyam īdṛśī
Translation
Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead was within her womb, Devakī illuminated the entire atmosphere in the place where she was confined. Seeing her jubilant, pure and smiling, Kaṁsa thought, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who is now within her, will kill me. Devakī has never before looked so brilliant and jubilant.” [SB 10.2.20]
When he went to the prison he experienced that the entire prison was full of ultra bright effulgence like that of 10 million suns ( koti surya prabhava). It was because Krsna was personally present in the womb of Devaki and He was the source of this light. Kamsa was even more frightened. He was now convinced that this time it is none other than Krsna. Now Krsna is in the womb of Devaki and the time has come for Him to appear.
It is the eighth moon night. All the demigods have arrived in the prison to welcome the Lord. This is their duty. It is protocol. The demigods who are the heads of different departments have arrived to Mathura in their own planes.
33 million demigods have arrived on their 33 million planes. After the Lord showed His universal form to Arjuna, he was not happy seeing that form. He came as the 4 armed form and then He showed the 2 armed form. Then the Lord said in Bhagavad Gita :
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
su-durdarśam idaṁ rūpaṁ
dṛṣṭavān asi yan mama
devā apy asya rūpasya
nityaṁ darśana-kāṅkṣiṇaḥ
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, this form of Mine you are now seeing is very difficult to behold. Even the demigods are ever seeking the opportunity to see this form, which is so dear. [BG 11.52]
nityaṁ darśana-kāṅkṣiṇaḥ means even the demigods are eager to this form of mine. It is not a very easily available form. Those demigods, who have been waiting to see this have all arrived. From this, we can see the position of Krsna and the position of the demigods. Demigods live in heaven which is a part of this material world and they are all servants of Krsna. They handle different departments allotted to them by Lord Krsna.
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
Translation
This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again. [BG 9.10]
Everything is working under the direction of the Lord, but the Lord is not working alone. He is operating through the demigods. Demigods are operating their departments under the direction of the Lord.
They are eager to see the Lord and come to this universe for that. Demigods are not residents of Goloka or Vaikhuntha. They are not with the Lord all the time.
ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛt
Translation
Only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is master, and all others are servants. [CC Adi 5.142]
They have arrived with the desire to see the Lord and they are trying to see the Lord as soon as He appears. Demigods were saying aham purvam aham purvam : “We want to see our Lord first.”
They wanted to park their planes near the prison so that they can see Lord from a close distance. This created parking issues. They parked their planes near the prison so that they can see the Lord from a close distance. Who all reached first?
brahmā bhavaś ca tatraitya
munibhir nāradādibhiḥ
devaiḥ sānucaraiḥ sākaṁ
gīrbhir vṛṣaṇam aiḍayan
Translation
Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, accompanied by great sages like Nārada, Devala and Vyāsa and by other demigods like Indra, Candra and Varuṇa, invisibly approached the room of Devakī, where they all joined in offering their respectful obeisances and prayers to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can bestow blessings upon everyone. [SB 10.2.25]
Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Narada etc. sages, all the demigods with their companions.
They all are singing the glories of the Lord. There are many songs of glories like that by Kunti Maharani, Bhishma Pitama, Gopis, etc. This is the song by the demigods. It is called the Garbha Stuti, Garbha means the womb. It is the song of glories that were sung when the Lord is in the womb. There are some verses and you should read them.
In the first verse the demigods are declaring, “We are surrendering to You, offering our obeisances.” When even the demigods , who are superior, are doing so, we all should do it. They are setting an example for all of us. The Lord is the source of the truth so it is not that these glories were for that time and now they are not applicable. The Lord is the truth and eternal and so are His glories. We should sing them. 8 days to go and we should be fully Krishna conscious, waiting for His arrival.
satya-vrataṁ satya-paraṁ tri-satyaṁ
satyasya yoniṁ nihitaṁ ca satye
satyasya satyam ṛta-satya-netraṁ
satyātmakaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ prapannāḥ
Translation
The demigods prayed: O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone. Being present in the three phases of cosmic manifestation — creation, maintenance and annihilation — You are the Supreme Truth. Indeed, unless one is completely truthful, one cannot achieve Your favor, which therefore cannot be achieved by hypocrites. You are the active principle, the real truth, in all the ingredients of creation, and therefore You are known as antaryāmī, the inner force. You are equal to everyone, and Your instructions apply for everyone, for all time. You are the beginning of all truth. Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection. [SB 10.2.26]
The demigods had arrived waiting for Krsna, so we will also discuss the pastimes of the Lord. Remember these talks during the day. Read Srimad-Bhagavatam, read the book named Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and all other devotional activities should continue.
sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
Translation
‘Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and, simply by being employed in the service of the Lord, one’s senses are purified.’ [CC Madhya 19.170]
Speak about Krsna to who so ever you meet, talk to those in your family, neighbourhood, friends’ circle, colleague etc. who are not devotees.
yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa
Translation
“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.” [CC Madhya 7.128]
This time of appearance of the Lord is a good time to remind them of their original identity – all beings are the devotees of the Lord. At least those in the human body can be made aware of this. We can remind them. Krsna will be pleased by this. This can be your birthday gift to Krsna. What gift? A person as a servant to Krsna, back to the service of Krsna. The Lord is pleased by these efforts. The Lord is already happy because you have turned to Him and are rendering loving services. But He is further pleased when you preach to others. First you learn and practice and then you tell others.
Gaur premanande!
Hari Haribol!