Srimad Bhagavatam Canto – 10.4.8-9
tam grhitva caranayor
jata-matram svasuh sutam
apothayac chila-prsthe
svarthonmulita-sauhrdah
TRANSLATION: 10.4.8
Having uprooted all relationships with his sister because of intense selfishness, Kamsa, who was sitting on his knees, grasped the newborn child by the legs and tried to dash her against the surface of a stone.
sa tad-dhastat samutpatya
sadyo devy ambaram gata
adrsyatanuja visno
sayudhasta-mahabhuja
TRANSLATION 10.4.9
The child, Yogamaya-devi, the younger sister of Lord Vishnu, slipped upward from Kamsa’s hands and appeared in the sky as Devi, the goddess Durga, with eight arms, completely equipped with weapons.
PURPORT 10.4.8-9 BY SRILA PRABHUPADA
Kamsa tried to dash the child downward against a piece of stone, but since she was Yogamaya, the younger sister of Lord Vishnu, she slipped upward and assumed the form of the goddess Durga. The word anuja, meaning “the younger sister,” is significant. When Vishnu, or Krishna, took birth from Devaki, He must have simultaneously taken birth from Yashoda also. Otherwise how could Yogamaya have been anuja, the Lord’s younger sister?
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Chanchalapathi Dasa, October 20th, 2010: Very dramatic scene, we are seeing that Kamsa after having heard that the eighth child is born, he is very determined, he walks up to the jail and takes the new born baby by its legs.
Caranayo, grihitva caranayo jatamatram, just now born, child and apotyat sila priste, on the surface of the stone, smashed because svarta unmulita souhrdah, he had lost all softness of heart because of svartha, because of his intense selfishness, svartha unmulita souhrdah, because of his svartha he had uprooted all souhrdah, all good qualities, all softness of heart, kindness.
So what happened to the child when he apotyat sila priste, when he smashed the child on the surface of the stone. Tad hstat samutpatya, from his hand it slipped away, sadyo devi ambaram gata, it went into the sky, appeared as devi immediately.
Sadyo devi ambaram gata – and appeared adrusyata, anuja vishno, vishnor anuja, Vishnu’s sister sayuda asta mahabuja, having all the asta mahabuja, having 8 arms, all the arms having different weapons. In this way devi appeared.
This, Srila Prabhupada, the Bhagavatam, the acharyas have described as yogamaya potency, yogamaya has appeared as Vishnu’s sister, Krishna’s sister. Krishna is Supreme powerful and yogamaya is the Supreme power.
We see this kind of analysis in Srila Prabhupada’s books. In terms of power, everything, this material world, all big planets, all the energy that we see, all the living entities in various forms, all of them is His power. He is powerful and everything else is the manifestation of His power.
That is why Shastras give the example of the sun, because the sun is continuously pouring out energy, bright for millions of years and it is still inexhaustible. Inexhaustible energy is coming out and this entire sunshine has come from the sun, so this example is given to help us understand how the Lord is in one place and from Him, His energies have come.
Srila Prabhupada explains in another place virat-rupa in a very interesting way. Just like the consciousness is spread all over our body. When we are walking if some thorn pricks us, immediately we feel the pain, we feel the prick of the thorn and we attend to it, or when you are drinking milk, one hair comes on the tongue; immediately our tongue wakes up. See how consciousness is spread, to the toe, to the tongue, to the head, all parts of the body.
Although consciousness is spread everywhere, nevertheless, we are an individual person. Similarly Krishna’s consciousness, Krishna’s awareness is spread all over the universe, yet He is a person. His consciousness is spread, His energy is spread all over the universe.
So just because His presence is spread all over the universe, it is not that He has lost His individuality, His personality. Just like if we are able to manifest our consciousness all over the body, yet we are a individual person, we have a personality.
This is Srila Prabhupada’s presentation of Krishna Consciousness. Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada explains this in terms of shaktiman and shakti. So like this Krishna Consciousness gives us a complete picture of reality.
Because in this world so many things are happening. Nowadays the foremost physicists are trying to come up with what is known as TOE. That is “theory of everything”. Big scientists, noble prize winner Stephen Hawking.
They want a neat, concise, simple theory which can explain everything. In fact, the scientists say, when we discover this Theory of Everything, we would have understood the mind of God. This is what one scientist tested. So they are looking for a theory of Everything. A theory that can explain everything. There are astronomical bodies, why there is gravity, why there is electric energy, why there is nuclear energy.
There are astronomical bodies, why there are living entities. They behave in this way. What is the purpose? So many complex behaviours are there. Why all of these things are happening, what is the theory, what is the reason. So in other words scientists are looking for this explanation.
Actually Srila Prabhupada sets out to state the same thing. Vedyam Vastava matra vastu sivadam tapatrayam unmulanam. Vastava vastu. This Srila Prabhupada explains as complete reality. So we have to understand the meaning of Krishna Consciousness. Srila Prabhupada did not present it as some ritualistic religion.
Just some ritual, filled with religion, rituals, belief and such things. He presented it as a complete picture. Once Srila Prabhupada wrote a letter to his disciples who were preaching in universities and he told them, Krishna Consciousness should not be presented as something dry and a set of rules and regulations.
It is the topmost knowledge of educational experience and it is a perfect and scientific understanding of everything as it is. Perfect scientific understanding of everything. This is the Theory of Everything.
Srila Prabhupada has given that it is a perfect scientific understanding of everything as it is, presented as it is. It is just like Bhagavad Gita is the theory of everything. It can explain all of the phenomenon seen and something that is not even seen. But if it is not handed down as it is then you have lost it.
So b is a perfect scientific understanding of everything as it is. So that is also important. Because in this world there are many cheaters, conditioned soul has that propensity to cheat. So the conditioned souls take even the Bhagavad Gita which is the sublime knowledge and present it wrongly.
So Krishna Consciousness is the perfect, scientific understanding of everything as it is, and then Srila Prabhupada says, that we must learn to quote our Sanskrit authorities and you must dress neatly and behave properly, then you will be able to preach in the universities.
So Srila Prabhupada had this kind of vision that Krishna Consciousness should not be presented as some ritualistic belief, filled with rituals and religion. Religion in its connotation has some kind of belief of some group of people. Some other group of people can have some other kind of belief and they are also right. Different people have different kinds of beliefs.
Krishna Consciousness is a very fundamental truth. That is the way Srila Prabhupada presented it. Once Srila Prabhupada was giving a lecture and he was quoting Darwin’s theory, the survival of the fittest. Commenting on that Srila Prabhupada says, yes Darwin has said survival of the fittest. No one survived, so no one is fit.
Yes, none of us is fit to remain in this material world because we are a spiritual spark. This is not our home. That is why we don’t survive here. You may struggle for existence and survival, only the fittest will survive. Nobody survives so, no one is fit. So like this Srila Prabhupada had very interesting ways of explaining. There is one verse in the Bhagavad Gita in the 15th chapter.
Fifteenth Chapter is normally known as Purushottama Yoga and Srila Prabhupada translates that as Yoga of the Supreme person. In Udupi when all the brahmanas have their lunch, just like we chant Mahaprasade Govinde Nama Brahmane Vaishnave……. All the Udupi brahmans they chant the 15th chapter of Bhagavad Gita. Only 20 verses.
Takes only few minutes and they chant the 15th chapter. The conclusion of the 15th chapter, 19th and 20th verse has something very interesting. How nicely Srila Prabhupada, Krishna captures this.
yo mam evam asammudho
janitor purusottamam
That is why it is called Purushottama Yoga. Yo mam evam asammudho; janati one who understands very clearly, without any doubt, mam, understands me as Purushottama, as uttama purusha, as the Supreme Person, mam. See how mayadevi can misinterpret this. So clear.
yo mam evam asammudho
janati purusottamam
sa sarva-vid, such a person in devotional service knows everything. A person who knows asmmudho janati purushotamam, mam. One who knows Krishna as the Purushottama, as the Supreme Person, sasravavit, He is the knower of everything sa sarva-vid. After knowing everything what does he do?
sa sarva-vid bajatimam
He renders devotional service unto me. sa sarva-vid bhajati mam. How does he do devotional service along with so many other things.
Sarva bhavena
Sarva bhavena bajati, with sarva bhavena means in all respects bharatha.
sarva-vid bhajati mam
sarva-bhavena bharata
Whoever knows me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting is to be understood knower of everything and He therefore engages Himself in full devotional service of son of bharata and in the next verse, in the last verse of the 15th chapter, 20th verse.
iti guhyatamam sastram
Knowledge about Krishna as the Supreme Person is the guhyatamam sastram, it is the most confidential part of Vedic scriptures.
Iti guhyatmam sastram
Ido muktam mayanaga
I am explaining, it is disclosed now by me.
Iti guhyatmam sastram
Ido muktam mayanaga
Maya, I have disclosed that etad budva budiman syat etad. This etad budva, this understanding budiman syat, one becomes budiman. One who understands this, etad budva budiman syat becomes budiman. He becomes enlightened, he becomes intelligent.
Krtkrtyas ca bharata; krtakrtya. krtya means various activities. Krtha means completion or perfection.
Krta krtya ca barata and all His activities, reach their perfection. “This is the most confidential part of Vedic literature oh sinless one” anaga and it is disclosed now by me maya uttam. Who ever understand this will become wise and his endeavours will know perfection.
Krta krtyas ca bharata and his endeavours will know perfection. So this is the position of Krishna Consciousness, the knowledge of Krishna. That is why the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are very important books for our understanding, to be guided in our life.
Because this is the most confidential part of Vedic scriptures so beautifully, so nicely Srila Prabhupada has presented all these things in a scientific and perfect manner for our understanding.
source: http://chanchalapathidasa.info/
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