2016-11-04 Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.15 - Vedas Glorify The Lord (download mp3) by Sankirtan Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com SB 10.87.15brhad upalabdham etad avayanty avasesataya yata udayastam-ayau vikrter mrdi vavikrtatata rsayo dadhus tvayi mano-vacanacaritam katham ayatha bhavanti bhuvi datta-padani nrnam Translation: This perceivable world is identified with the Supreme because the Supreme Brahman is the ultimate foundation of all existence, remaining unchanged as all created things are generated from it and at last dissolved into it, just as clay remains unchanged by the products made from it and again merged with it. Thus it is toward You alone that the Vedic sages direct all their thoughts, words and acts. After all, how can the footsteps of men fail to touch the earth on which they live? Purport: There may be some doubt as to whether the Vedic mantras are unanimous when identifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After all, some mantras state, indro yato ’vasitasya raja: “Indra is the King of all moving and nonmoving beings” (Rg Veda 1.32.15), while others say, agnir murdha divah: “Agni is the chief of the heavens,” and yet other mantras point to different deities as the Absolute. It would seem, then, that the Vedas present a polytheistic world view. Answering this doubt, the Vedas themselves explain in this verse that there can be only one source of universal creation, called Brahman or Brhat, “the greatest,” which is the singular truth underlying and pervading all existence. No finite deity like Indra or Agni can fulfill this unique role, nor would the srutis be so ignorant as to propose such an idea. As indicated here by the word tvayi, Lord Visnu alone is the Absolute Truth. Indra and other demigods may be glorified in various ways, but they possess only those powers Lord Sri Visnu has granted them. The Vedic sages understand that this entire world — including Indra, Agni, and everything else perceivable by the eyes, ears and other senses — is identical with the one Supreme Truth, the Personality of Godhead, who is called Brhat, “the greatest,” because He is avasesa, “the ultimate substance that remains.” From the Lord everything expands at creation, and into Him everything dissolves at annihilation. He exists before and after the material manifestation as the constant basis, known to philosophers as the “ingredient cause,” upadana. Despite the fact that countless manifestations emanate from Him, the Supreme Lord exists eternally unchanged — an idea the srutis specifically emphasize here with the word avikrtat. The words mrdi va (“as in the case of clay”) allude to a famous analogy spoken by Udalaka to his son Svetaketu in the Chandogya Upanisad (6.4.1): vacarambhanam vikaro namadheyam mrttikety eva satyam. “The objects of the material world exist merely as names, transformations defined by language, whereas the ingredient cause, like the clay from which pots are made, is the actual reality.” A mass of clay is the ingredient cause of various pots, statues and so on, but the clay itself remains in its essence unchanged. Eventually, the pots and other objects will be destroyed and return to the clay from which they came. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the total ingredient cause, yet He remains eternally untouched by transformation. This is the purport of the statement sarvam khalv idam brahma: “Everything is Brahman.” (Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1) Wondering at this mystery, the great devotee Gajendra prayed, namo namas te ’khila-karanaya niskaranayadbhuta-karanaya “Obeisances again and again to You, the source of all creation. You are the inconceivable cause of all causes, and of You there is no other cause.” (Bhag. 8.3.15) Prakrti, material nature, is often considered the ingredient cause of creation, in Western science as well as in the Vedas. This does not contradict the higher fact of the Supreme Lord’s being the final cause, since prakrti is His energy, and is herself subject to ch

2016-11-05 Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.16 - Identity of The Vedas (download mp3) by Baladeva Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com SB 10.87.16iti tava surayas try-adhipate ’khila-loka-mala- ksapana-kathamrtabdhim avagahya tapamsi jahuhkim uta punah sva-dhama-vidhutasaya-kala-gunah Translation: Therefore, O master of the three worlds, the wise get rid of all misery by diving deep into the nectarean ocean of topics about You, which washes away all the contamination of the universe. Then what to speak of those who, having by spiritual strength rid their minds of bad habits and freed themselves from time, are able to worship Your true nature, O supreme one, finding within it uninterrupted bliss? Purport: According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, in the previous verse those srutis whose presentation of the Supreme Truth may seem impersonal clarified their true purpose. Now, in the present verse, those who focus exclusively on the divine Personality of Godhead, who speak of His transcendental pastimes, take their turn in praising Him. Because all the Vedas declare the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes, discriminating persons should take to His worship. By diving into the ocean of His glories, intelligent devotees help dispel the distress of all souls and loosen their own burning attachment to materialistic life. These advancing devotees gradually give up all material attachment and lose any interest they once had in the troublesome austerities of karma, jñana and yoga. Beyond these devotees are the suris, connoisseurs of spiritual truth, who honor the nectarean ocean of the Supreme Lord’s glories by immersing themselves fully within it. These mature devotees of the Supreme Lord achieve unimaginable perfection. The Lord, reciprocating their sincere endeavors, empowers them to realize Him in His personal form. Remembering with rapture the Lord’s intimate pastimes and entourage, they are automatically freed from the last subtle traces of mental contamination and from sensitivity to the unavoidable pains of disease and old age. Referring to the purifying power of devotional service, the srutis say, tad yatha puskara-palasa apo na slisyante evam evam-vidi papam karma na slisyate: “Just as water does not adhere to a lotus leaf, so sinful activities do not adhere to one who knows the truth in this way.” The Satapatha Brahmana (14.7.28), Taittiriya Brahmana (3.12.9.8), Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (4.4.28) and Baudhayana-dharma-sastra (2.6.11.30) all concur: na karmana lipyate papakena. “One thus avoids becoming tainted by sinful activity.” The Rg Veda (1.154.1) refers to the Supreme Lord’s pastimes as follows: visnor nu kam viryani pravocam yah parthivani vimame rajamsi. “Only he may fully enunciate the heroic deeds of Lord Visnu who can count all the particles of dust in the world.” Many sruti-mantras glorify devotional service to the Lord, such as eko vasi sarva-go ye ’nubhajanti dhiras/ tesam sukham sasvatam netaresam: “He is the one omnipresent Lord and controller; only those wise souls who worship Him obtain eternal happiness, not anyone else.” In this connection Srila Sridhara Svami prays: sakala-veda-ganerita-sad-gunas tvam iti sarva-manisi-jana ratahtvayi subhadra-guna-sravanadibhis tava pada-smaranena gata-klamah “Because all the Vedas describe Your transcendental qualities, all thoughtful persons are attracted to hearing and chanting about Your all-auspicious qualities. Thus by remembering Your lotus feet, they are freed from material distress.”

2016-11-03 Festivals - Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day (download mp3) Offerings By Devotees at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com

2016-11-03 Srimad Bhagavatam 01.01.04 - Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day (download mp3) by Radha Gopinath Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com SB 1.1.4naimise ’nimisa-ksetre rsayah saunakadayahsatram svargaya lokaya sahasra-samam asata Translation: Once, in a holy place in the forest of Naimisaranya, great sages headed by the sage Saunaka assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees. Purport: The prelude of the Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken in the previous three slokas. Now the main topic of this great literature is being presented. Srimad-Bhagavatam, after its first recitation by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, was repeated for the second time at Naimisaranya. In the Vayaviya Tantra, it is said that Brahma, the engineer of this particular universe, contemplated a great wheel which could enclose the universe. The hub of this great circle was fixed at a particular place known as Naimisaranya. Similarly, there is another reference to the forest of Naimisaranya in the Varaha Purana, where it is stated that by performance of sacrifice at this place, the strength of demoniac people is curtailed. Thus brahmanas prefer Naimisaranya for such sacrificial performances. The devotees of Lord Visnu offer all kinds of sacrifices for His pleasure. The devotees are always attached to the service of the Lord, whereas fallen souls are attached to the pleasures of material existence. In Bhagavad-gita, it is said that anything performed in the material world for any reason other than for the pleasure of Lord Visnu causes further bondage for the performer. It is enjoined therefore that all acts must be performed sacrificially for the satisfaction of Visnu and His devotees. This will bring everyone peace and prosperity. The great sages are always anxious to do good to the people in general, and as such the sages headed by Saunaka and others assembled at this holy place of Naimisaranya with a program of performing a great and continuous chain of sacrificial ceremonies. Forgetful men do not know the right path for peace and prosperity. However, the sages know it well, and therefore for the good of all men they are always anxious to perform acts which may bring about peace in the world. They are sincere friends to all living entities, and at the risk of great personal inconvenience they are always engaged in the service of the Lord for the good of all people. Lord Visnu is just like a great tree, and all others, including the demigods, men, Siddhas, Caranas, Vidyadharas and other living entities, are like branches, twigs and leaves of that tree. By pouring water on the root of the tree, all the parts of the tree are automatically nourished. Only those branches and leaves which are detached cannot be so satisfied. Detached branches and leaves dry up gradually despite all watering attempts. Similarly, human society, when it is detached from the Personality of Godhead like detached branches and leaves, is not capable of being watered, and one attempting to do so is simply wasting his energy and resources. The modern materialistic society is detached from its relation to the Supreme Lord. And all its plans which are being made by atheistic leaders are sure to be baffled at every step. Yet they do not wake up to this. In this age, the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord is the prescribed method for waking up. The ways and means are most scientifically presented by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and intelligent persons may take advantage of His teachings in order to bring about real peace and prosperity. Srimad-Bhagavatam is also presented for the same purpose, and this will be explained more specifically later in the text.

2016-10-23 Various - Memorial Ceremony of Srinathji Prabhu (download mp3) by Various Devotees at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com

2016-10-30 Festivals - Govardhan Puja (download mp3) by Radhanath Swami at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com

2016-11-01 Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.14 - Chanting of The Holy Name is the Essence of Vedas (download mp3) by Adi Keshav Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com SB 10.87.14sri-srutaya ucuhjaya jaya jahy ajam ajita dosa-grbhita-gunam tvam asi yad atmana samavaruddha-samasta-bhagahaga-jagad-okasam akhila-sakty-avabodhaka te kvacid ajayatmana ca carato ’nucaren nigamah Translation: The srutis said: Victory, victory to You, O unconquerable one! By Your very nature You are perfectly full in all opulences; therefore please defeat the eternal power of illusion, who assumes control over the modes of nature to create difficulties for conditioned souls. O You who awaken all the energies of the moving and nonmoving embodied beings, sometimes the Vedas can recognize You as You sport with Your material and spiritual potencies. Purport: According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, the twenty-eight verses of the prayers of the personified Vedas (texts 14-41) represent the opinions of each of the twenty-eight major srutis. These chief Upanisads and other srutis concern themselves with various approaches to the Absolute Truth, and among them those srutis are supreme which emphasize pure, unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Upanisads direct our attention to the Personality of Godhead by first negating what is distinct from Him and then defining some of His important characteristics. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti interprets the first words of this prayer, jaya jaya, to mean “please reveal Your superexcellence.” The word jaya is repeated out of either reverence or joy. “How should I reveal My excellence?” the Lord might ask. The srutis answer by requesting Him to mercifully destroy the ignorance of all living beings and attract them to His lotus feet. The Lord says, “But Maya, who imposes ignorance on the jivas, is full of good qualities [grbhita-gunam]. Why should I oppose her?” “Yes,” the Vedas answer, “but she has taken on the three modes of nature to bewilder the conditioned souls and make them falsely identify with their material bodies. Her modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, moreover, are tainted [dosa-grbhita] because You are not manifest in their presence.” The srutis go on to address the Lord as ajita, implying that “only You cannot be conquered by Maya, whereas others, like Brahma, are defeated by their own faults.” The Lord responds, “But what proof do you have that she cannot conquer Me?” “The proof lies in the fact that in Your original state You have already realized the perfection of all opulences.” At this point the Lord might object that merely destroying the ignorance of the jivas will not suffice to bring them to His lotus feet, since the jiva soul, even after his ignorance is dispelled, cannot attain the Lord without engaging in devotional service. As the Lord states in His own words, bhaktyaham ekaya grahyah: “I am attainable only through devotional service.” (Bhag. 11.14.21) To this objection the srutis reply, “My Lord, O You who awaken all energies, after creating the intelligence and senses of the living entities, You inspire them to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labor. In addition, by Your mercy You awaken their ability to pursue the progressive paths of knowledge, mystic yoga and devotional service, allowing them to advance toward You in Your aspects of Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan, respectively. And when jñana, yoga and bhakti mature, You empower the living beings to directly realize You in each of Your three aspects.” If the Lord were to ask for authoritative evidence to support this statement by the personified Vedas, they humbly reply, “We ourselves are the evidence. On some occasions — such as now, the time of creation — You consort with Your external, Maya potency, whereas You are always present with Your internal energy. It is at times such as the present, when Your activity is outwardly manifest, that we, the Vedas, can recognize You in Your play.” Thu

2016-11-02 Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.15 - Looking for Deeper Insight In Srimad Bhagavatam (download mp3) by Shubha Vilas Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com SB 10.87.15brhad upalabdham etad avayanty avasesataya yata udayastam-ayau vikrter mrdi vavikrtatata rsayo dadhus tvayi mano-vacanacaritam katham ayatha bhavanti bhuvi datta-padani nrnam Translation: This perceivable world is identified with the Supreme because the Supreme Brahman is the ultimate foundation of all existence, remaining unchanged as all created things are generated from it and at last dissolved into it, just as clay remains unchanged by the products made from it and again merged with it. Thus it is toward You alone that the Vedic sages direct all their thoughts, words and acts. After all, how can the footsteps of men fail to touch the earth on which they live? Purport: There may be some doubt as to whether the Vedic mantras are unanimous when identifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After all, some mantras state, indro yato ’vasitasya raja: “Indra is the King of all moving and nonmoving beings” (Rg Veda 1.32.15), while others say, agnir murdha divah: “Agni is the chief of the heavens,” and yet other mantras point to different deities as the Absolute. It would seem, then, that the Vedas present a polytheistic world view. Answering this doubt, the Vedas themselves explain in this verse that there can be only one source of universal creation, called Brahman or Brhat, “the greatest,” which is the singular truth underlying and pervading all existence. No finite deity like Indra or Agni can fulfill this unique role, nor would the srutis be so ignorant as to propose such an idea. As indicated here by the word tvayi, Lord Visnu alone is the Absolute Truth. Indra and other demigods may be glorified in various ways, but they possess only those powers Lord Sri Visnu has granted them. The Vedic sages understand that this entire world — including Indra, Agni, and everything else perceivable by the eyes, ears and other senses — is identical with the one Supreme Truth, the Personality of Godhead, who is called Brhat, “the greatest,” because He is avasesa, “the ultimate substance that remains.” From the Lord everything expands at creation, and into Him everything dissolves at annihilation. He exists before and after the material manifestation as the constant basis, known to philosophers as the “ingredient cause,” upadana. Despite the fact that countless manifestations emanate from Him, the Supreme Lord exists eternally unchanged — an idea the srutis specifically emphasize here with the word avikrtat. The words mrdi va (“as in the case of clay”) allude to a famous analogy spoken by Udalaka to his son Svetaketu in the Chandogya Upanisad (6.4.1): vacarambhanam vikaro namadheyam mrttikety eva satyam. “The objects of the material world exist merely as names, transformations defined by language, whereas the ingredient cause, like the clay from which pots are made, is the actual reality.” A mass of clay is the ingredient cause of various pots, statues and so on, but the clay itself remains in its essence unchanged. Eventually, the pots and other objects will be destroyed and return to the clay from which they came. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the total ingredient cause, yet He remains eternally untouched by transformation. This is the purport of the statement sarvam khalv idam brahma: “Everything is Brahman.” (Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1) Wondering at this mystery, the great devotee Gajendra prayed, namo namas te ’khila-karanaya niskaranayadbhuta-karanaya “Obeisances again and again to You, the source of all creation. You are the inconceivable cause of all causes, and of You there is no other cause.” (Bhag. 8.3.15) Prakrti, material nature, is often considered the ingredient cause of creation, in Western science as well as in the Vedas. This does not contradict the higher fact of the Supreme Lord’s being the final cause, since prakrti is His energy,

2016-10-28 Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.04-07 - Prayers are the Essence of a Devotee's Life (download mp3) by Haridas Thakur Prabhu ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com SB 10.87.4atra te varnayisyami gatham narayananvitamnaradasya ca samvadam rser narayanasya ca Translation: In this connection I will relate to you a narration concerning the Supreme Lord Narayana. It is about a conversation that once occurred between Sri Narayana Rsi and Narada Muni. Purport: Lord Narayana is connected in two ways with the following narration: as its speaker and as the subject it describes. SB 10.87.5ekada narado lokan paryatan bhagavat-priyahsanatanam rsim drastum yayau narayanasramam Translation: Once, while traveling among the various planets of the universe, the Lord’s beloved devotee Narada went to visit the primeval sage Narayana at His asrama. SB 10.87.6yo vai bharata-varse ’smin ksemaya svastaye nrnamdharma-jñana-samopetam a-kalpad asthitas tapah Translation: From the very beginning of Brahma’s day Lord Narayana Rsi has been undergoing austere penances in this land of Bharata while perfectly performing religious duties and exemplifying spiritual knowledge and self-control — all for the benefit of human beings in both this world and the next. SB 10.87.7tatropavistam rsibhih kalapa-grama-vasibhihparitam pranato ’prcchad idam eva kurudvaha Translation: There Narada approached Lord Narayana Rsi, who was sitting amidst sages of the village of Kalapa. After bowing down to the Lord, O hero of the Kurus, Narada asked Him the very same question you have asked me.

2016-10-27 Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.03 - How Maharaj Parikshit is Parikshit (download mp3) by Purushottam Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com SB 10.87.3saisa hy upanisad brahmi purvesam purva-jair dhrtasrraddhaya dharayed yas tam ksemam gacched akiñcanah Translation: Those who came before even our ancient predecessors meditated upon this same confidential knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Indeed, anyone who faithfully concentrates on this knowledge will become free from material attachments and attain the final goal of life. Purport: This confidential knowledge concerning the Absolute Truth should not be doubted, since it has been passed down through authoritative lines of learned sages from time immemorial. One who cultivates the science of the Supreme with reverence, avoiding the distractions of fruitive rituals and mental speculation, will learn to give up the false designations of material body and mundane society, and thus he will become eligible for perfection. In the opinion of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, the first two verses of this chapter can be considered an Upanisad on the topic of Brahman. Sukadeva Gosvami here disclaims authorship on the grounds that this Upanisad was spoken previously by Narada Muni, who himself heard it from Sanaka Kumara.