August 07 Akincana Prabhu 1

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August08,2010

The9thverseofthethirdChapteroftheSrimadBhagavadGitaisveryrelevantin

the context of Yagna.Krishna tells Arjuna toWork for Yagna i.e. toWork in a

detachedmode for the sake ofMahaVisnu.YagnameansVisnu. Thequestion

comesthatonemaynotbeabletoactinthismannerallthetime.Willanybody

WorkinofficeforamonthanddonateagreatpartofittothewelfareofKrishnas

temple?Thisisseeminglyimpossible.Itisalsoapparentthathumanbeingstake

birthinanattempttofulfilltheirpendingdesiresthathavebeencarriedforward

birthafterbirth.WhentheLorddisseminatestheknowledgeoftheGitaoneshouldunderstandtheLord isaveryunderstandingandcompassionateLord.TheLord

has identified all the levels and consciousness of people and to that extent

entailedactivitiesforthem.Byengaginginactivitiesinagradientasordainedby

theLordonecanmethodicallyadvanceinspirituallife.TheLordanswerssome

intriguingquestionsthatrelateto fulfillingmaterialdesiresandatthesame time

progressin spiritual lifewhichofcourseisproclaimedbyHimtobethehighest

goaloflifeandtheultimategood.

The10thversebeginswiththeelucidationoftheabovequestion.Ifonedesiresto

fulfillonesdesiresoneneedstoperformYagyasorYagnas.Oneneedstooffer

thisYagnatotheprimordialParajapatiorthefirstcreator.ThisisnoneotherthanLordKrishnaHimself.Itisevident thatLordKrishnaisthesourceofallCreation

includingLordBrahmawhoishailedasthecreatorofthisparticularuniversein

whichwebreathe.TheuniverseiscalledBrahmandawhichisintheshapeofan

egg.TheLordenteredtheuniverse in the formofacolossal incarnationwhois

calledKshirodakasayiVisnu.FromVisnusnavelsproutedabeautifullotus.From

the top of the Lotus the first living being Brahma was born. Hence Visnu or

Krishnais theoriginalParajapati.Brahmawas thesecondaryParajapatiandhe

created the four Kumaraswho were Sanaka,Sanatana, Sanandan andSanat.

These Kumaras always remained as five year old kids and never grew to

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adulthood though they were established in perfect knowledge. After theywere

created Brahma instructed them to further procreate and populate the world.

HoweverthesesonsofBrahmawereleastinterestedinprocreationandoptedto

be mendicants. Brahma was upset with the behavior of his first created and

therefore he created further 10 children. Vasistha, Dakhsha, Bhrigu, Kratu,

Pulastya, Angiras, Atri, Marichi, Pulaha and also many others. These were

ManasaputrasorchildrenbornoutofthemindofSriBrahma.Dakhshahadmany

sons and daughters. His daughters got married to the rishis like

Kashyapa.KashyapahadthefamouswivesAditiandDiti.Aditischildrenbecame

the Adityas or the demigods and they were given various departments of the

universetomanage.ThedepartmentsoftheuniverseareliketheWind,Water,Rainfall,Temperature,Light,Heatandothersuchareas.

ThesonsofDitiweretheAsurasorDemonsorthetransgressorsofnature.There

was a clashalways between the demigods and the asuras.Because of the 33

croredemigodsthereisalwaysaconfusioninSanatanaDharmaastowhoisthe

SupremeLord.Howeverthereisnoquestionofsuchconfusion.Thereisonlyone

SupremeGodandHeisVisnuorSriKrishna.AllelsewascreatedbyVisnu.An

allegorycanbedrawnofthatofacountryhavingaPrimeMinisterandacabinetof

500ministers.ItisjustnaturalthatnocountrycanhavemultiplePrimeMinisters.

Similarlytherecanbeonlyonecontrollerofallsentientandinsentientthingsand

thatisSriKrishnaasconfirmedbytheVedas.The33croredemigodsarelikened

tobethemembersoftheparliament.Onehas topay fortheamenities thatwe

availinahousingcomplexlikelightcharge,watercharge,laundrychargeetc.Now

there are various governmental departments and departmental heads that are

taking careof these amenitiesandwho are in charge of collecting funds. In a

similarfashionLordSriVisnuhascreatedthe33croredemigods,appointedthem

as various department heads in the arrangement of mother nature and has

designedtheprocessofYagnabywhich the livingentitiesespeciallythehigher

formsofcreationlikethehumanbeingscanpaybacktothedemigodsthefacilities

thattheyhaveavailedfromthem.

Itisbutnaturalthateverylivingbeingespeciallyhumanbeingsshouldbeinvolved

with the process of Yagna and repay to the demigods. The Supreme Lord is

actually the Pati or husbandofeveryone.He is the all Supreme.There isan

episodeinthelifeofSrilaPrabhupadawhereapersonaskedhimHowSriKrishna

could afford to dance with the Gopis of Braja who were actually married to

somebodyelseintheVrindavanaLila.TowhichPrabhupadaanswereditisthe

otherwayround.ActuallyallthemenandwomenarethepropertyofSriKrishna.

HencetechnicallyspeakingHeisthehusbandofallmenandwomen.Henceina

directsenseTheGopisofBrajawereinfactthepropertyofSriKrishnaandthe

menofBrajahadseeminglytiedtheknotstothewivesofSriKrishna.Bhagwan


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Krishna isLokPati.ItisnotaquestionofwhySriKrishna isdancingwithother

peopleswivesbutthequestioniswhyareotherpeopledallyingwithSriKrishnas

wiveswhoareactuallyallthewomenofalltheuniverses.Whenpeoplefollowthe

prescribedprinciplesoftheparticularVarna,youacceptauthority.When asoul

arrivesinthismaterialworld,itwantstobeindependent.Howeverbyperforming

Yagna,onefeelsobliged.WhenaYagnaisperformedasonerecitesthemantras

foraparticulardemigod,hesays,thisparticularoblationisnotmineitisforsoand

sodemigod.Onerealizesintheprocessthatonesenjoymentofmaterialnatureis

dependent on the satisfaction of a particular demigod. This is the authorized

processofregulatingourlifeandgraduallymakesprogress.Asoneunderstands

theprinciplesoftheSastrasonerisesabovetheanimalisticwaysofliving.

IfArjunaabandonedthebattlefield,hewouldhaveresignedtotheforest.Sincehe

wasnotanadvancedyogihewouldhaverequiredfoodforhissubsistence.Now

thequestionarisesastowhowouldprovidefoodgrains.Thefoodgrainsarenot

manufacturedinfactoriesbutareproducedbyrains.Rainsareinturnproducedby

Yagna.Yagnainturnisperformedbycarryingoutonesprescribedduties.Hence

it is obvious that instead of retiring to the forest Arjuna should fight on the

battlefieldwhichishisprescribedduty.UltimatelythegoalofallYagnaistoplease

Visnu since he is the ultimate deity. It has been discussed in the Srimad

BhagavathamthatwhentheBrajwasiswereabouttoperformoblationsforLord

IndrasothatrainsshouldblessVrindavana,theLordinhistinyformorderedthe

Brajwasis to perform the sacrifice for Mount Govardhan and not offer to Lord

Indra.ThisepisodeismorepopularlyknownasGovardhanLeela.Thereappears

to be a contradiction in this episode as demonstrated by the Lord. Here He

discouragessacrificesofferedtoLordIndraandestablishessomethingelse.The

higherprincipleshouldbeappliedwhenthesituationdemands.Inthiscasethe

GovardhanMountwastheformoftheLordHimselfandthustheUltimateYagya

Patishouldbesatisfiedandthesubordinatesshouldbegivenlesserpreference.

Thereisanother leelain thetenthCantooftheBhagavathamthatwhenKrishna

and the cow herd friends went cow grazing they approached a group of

Brahmanasforsomefoodstuffbecause theywerehungry.TheBrahmanaswere

soengrossedinsatisfyingthedemigodsbywaysofsacrificesthattheyturneda

blind eye to the SupremePersonalityofGodheadwho had come inperson to

acceptfood.Howeverwhenthecowherdboysapproachedthe illiteratewivesof

theBrahmanas theynot onlywereready tooffer foodstuffbut they ran toLord

KrishnaandofferedthemselvestotheLord.Thesacrificeofthewomanfolkwas

much exalted as compared to the petty sacrifices which their husbands were

offering.TheessenceofallYagyaistopleaseSriKrishnaonly.

When theDemigodsare pleasedby Yagya theyprovideall that is required for

subsistence of the personsperformingYagya. In the scriptures it isstated that


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peopleused tostayin theopen;on the banksoftheriver,on the shore ofthe

ocean.Theyneverbuilthouses.It issaidthatinthosedaystheclimatewasjust

perfectandtherewasnodisorderofanysorts.Therewerenorainsasheavyas

whatitisnowadays.InSatyugaeverybodyusedtoperformtheirdharmaperfectly

anddidperfectYagya.Nobodybotheredabouttheirbelongings.Itwastakencare

bynatureandthepeopleduringthosetimesweretruthful.Lifetodayisnotbased

on truth because people have stopped performing their prescribed duties and

thereforethereisutterdeteriorationofDharma.AdvancementofCivilizationisnot

dependent on how many nuts and bolts we manufacture in factories but is

dependent on the degree to which one performs Yagna as prescribed in the

SastraswhichisordainedbytheSupremeLord.

GDPandGNPofnationsdefinitelydonotdeterminetheadvancementofanation.

Peace and prosperity flourishes as one performs ones duty. Eating, Sleeping,

Matinganddefendingisnotrelevant.Equivalenttoonefourthofthepopulationof

India thereare demigods.From blinking of the eye toCreating rains and food

grains there aredemigods.Natural calamitiesare unimaginable andcannotbe

compared to man-made destruction. Statistics show that the total number of

peoplewhohavediedinthewarsofallofthetwentiethcenturyisnowhereclose

tothenumberofpeoplewhohavediedofmalariain thewarcampsduring the

same period. When the demigods come down to creating havoc, it is

unimaginable.

Apersonwhodoesnotperformhisprescribeddutiesistermedasathiefinthe

Gita.Athiefcanneverbehappyandwouldbeconstantlyagitated.Inthematerial

worldwhenone enjoyscredits frombankanddoesnot bother topayback the

bank, there are recovery officials who recover the money from the borrower

.Recovery officials are in fact hooligans appointed by the bank to extract the

moneyfromtheborrowerbyhookorcrook.Asimilararrangementexistsinnature

andthemiscreantswhodonotobservetheregulationslaidforthemaresuitably

punished by the demigods. The ultimate recovery official for the better

managementoftheaffairsofthematerialworldisLordYamawhoisthedemigod

ofDeath.Theultimatequalification forapersontohaveavisionoftheLordof

Deathistodisbelieveinthescripturalinjunctionsandtheconceptofpunishment

afterdeath.

Althoughtherearemanypeoplewhomayvisittemplesbuiltfordemigods,noneof

themareactuallyawareastohowserviceistobeofferedtothepresidingdeities

ofnature.The visits totemplesbymillions of people are onlyaccompanied by

theirmyriadsofwisheswhichtheywantthedemigodstofulfillandinreturnthere

isnothingofferedtothemwhichaddtothewoesofpeople.


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Onecan,onceinawhile,getawaywithcheatingmortalshoweveronecannotget

away from cheating LordYamaand the YamaDootaas.One cannot bribe Lord

Yamaorhisattendants.Thoughapparentlyitlookstobedifficulttocarryoutones

prescribeddutiesyetitisobligatorytocarrythemout.

OfferingfoodstufftotheLordandconsumingitisrecommendedintheSastras.By

Consuming food offeredto theLord isYagna.Thiswouldrelieveusofallsins.

Otherswho consumefoodwithoutoffering food totheLordeat sin only.Some

peopleareoftheopinionthatoneneednotfeedtheLordsincetheLorddoesnot

actuallyneedourfoodandthatHeisselfsufficient.Oneactuallyneedstooffer

foodstuffto theLordsothatthepersonwhooffersactuallybenefits.Thiscanbecomparedtoanexamplefromdaytodaylife.Asmallboywaitsforhisfatherat

homefordinnerasthefatherarriveshomeatnight.Nowthesondemandsthathe

wouldnotdineunlesshisfathersatanddinedwithhim.Hisfatherchangesinto

hiscasualsandsitsalongwithhissontodine.Thesonfeedsthefatherwithhis

ownhandsandthefatherfeelselatedtoeatfromthetinyhandsofhisdearson.

Now the question may arise; was the father incapable of eating or was he

dependentonhissonforprovisionoffoodstuff?Nowwhopreparedthefoodstuff

andwhoprovided themeansforfoodstuff. inanyof theprocessesthe tinyson

wasnotinvolved.Foodwaspreparedbythemotherandthefundstoprovidefor

foodstuffwasfurnishedbythefatherandstillthefatherwhoisthesourceofall

thingsinahomeisstilleatingfromthehandsofhistinysonwhocannotevenhold

themorselsproperlywithhistinyfingers.Thepointhereisthatinallthisthefactor

that holds highest importance is the lovewithwhich the son offers food tohis

father. Inthesameway theSupremeLord ishungry for our Love andHeonly

appreciates the love with which we offer Him food and being very happy on

receivingitfromusheredeemsusfromallmiseriesandrelievesusfromoursin.

Whenweoffervariousservicesforthetemplelikeraisingfunds,it isnotthatthe

LordisinneedforthesefundshoweverbyofferingatangibleservicetotheLordit

helps us to express our hidden love for the Lord and this helps in our inner

purification.Generallypeopletodayhavebecomeoutrightungrateful.Childrenare

ungratefultowardstheirparentsandmanhasbecomeungratefultowardssociety

in general. When we go out for collecting donations for the temples we feel

hesitantconsideringthefactthatwhatwouldhappentoourprestigeifpeopleturn

us down. This is indicative of our false ego and the process of donation and

collectionhelpsusminimizeoursenseoffalseego.Thefalseegoistheonlywall

that separates us from the Supreme. When we beg for the Lord, one should

realizethatweareactuallybeggingfor ourselvesand this processis actually a

sacrificeatthelotusfeetoftheSupremewhereweofferourfalseego.


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A person who donates for the pleasure of the Lord purifies his wealth and

becomesfreeofsinthatheaccumulatesintheprocess.

In the Srimad Bhagavatham it ismentioned that if someone honors prasadam

unknowingly,sinfulreactionsof 7 lifetimesarecounteracted.If someonehonors

prasadamknowingly,sinfulreactionsof1millionlifetimesarecounteracted.Visnu

Puranamstatesthatapersonwhohonorsprasadamgetsthebenefitoffastingfor

6months.BrahmaVivartaPuranamstatesthatapersonwhowalksonearthafter

consumingPrasadam,hefreesmotherearthofsins.Whensuchapersonvisits

holyplaces,hepurifiestheholyplacesalso.Whensuchapersontouchesanother

person,hepurifies theotherperson.Apersonwhoconsumesprasadamwouldget the benefits of conducting 1000 Ashwamedha Yagna. There is a jail in

BangaloreknownasPrapannaAgrahaarjailwhichhas4,700 inmates.Although

thecapacityofthejailisonehalfthepopulationinthem,inmatescontinuetoenjoy

theirstayintheprison.Thereasonisthattheydonotwanttoforsakethepleasure

ofconsumingprasadamservedbythedevoteesofBangaloreIskconthere.Itisso

muchconvenienttoconsumetastyprasadamandstayintheprisonascompared

tocomingoutofprisonandcommittingsins.

TherewasaMuslimwomaninMayapurwhowasblindandhermotherhadtried

all typesof treatmentsbut was unsuccessful.She was directed by one of her

acquaintances that going to Jagannath Puri temple and consumingMahaprasadamandCharanamritamcouldcurethegirlandgetbackhereyesight.

ThiswasexperimentedbytheMuslimfamilyandtheresultsindeedshowed.The

Muslimgirlgothereyesightback.ThusYagnaisallbeneficialaslaiddowninthe

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