Symptoms of a Jivan-Mukta

[SB 5.4.5]

Śrīla Vīrarāghava Ācārya states that in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad there are eight symptoms of a jīvan-mukta, a person who is already liberated even when living in this body.

1. The first symptom of one so liberated is that he is freed from all sinful activity (apahata-pāpa). Sinful activity involves illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling.
   
2. Another symptom of a liberated person is vijara, which indicates that he is not subjected to the miseries of old age.
   
3. Another symptom is vimṛtyu. A liberated person prepares himself in such a way that he does not take on any more material bodies, which are destined to die. In other words. he does not fall down again to repeat birth and death.
   
4. Another symptom is viśoka, which indicates that he is callous to material distress and happiness.
   
5. Another is vijighatsa, which indicates that he no longer desires material enjoyment.
   
6. Another symptom is apipātā, which means that he has no desire other than to engage in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, his dearmost pursuable Lord.
   
7. A further symptom is satya-kāma, which indicates that all his desires are directed to the Supreme Truth, Kṛṣṇa. He does not want anything else.
   
8. He is satya-sańkalpa. Whatever he desires is fulfilled by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. First of all, he does not desire anything for his material benefit, and secondly if he desires anything at all, he simply desires to serve the Supreme Lord. That desire is fulfilled by the Lord's grace. That is called satya-sańkalpa.

Lord can not be necessarily pleased by big sacrifices or arrangements [SB 5.3.7-8]

"Priests of king Nabhi to Lord Vishnu: We have engaged in Your worship with many things and have offered sacrifices unto You, but we think that there is no need for so many arrangements to please Your Lordship."

"All of life's goals and opulences are directly, self-sufficiently, unceasingly and unlimitedly increasing in You at every moment. Indeed, You are unlimited enjoyment and blissful existence itself. As far as we are concerned, O Lord, we are always after material enjoyment. You do not need all these sacrificial arrangements, but they are meant for us so that we may be benedicted by Your Lordship. All these sacrifices are performed for our fruitive results, and they are not actually needed by You."

Maharaj Priyavrata condemns himself for getting into material affairs

"Maharaja Priyavrata acted very wonderfully in the material field of activities, but because he was dealing in sense gratification -- ruling his kingdom and dancing to the indications of his beautiful wife -- he personally condemned himself. When we think about this example of Maharaja Priyavrata, we can just consider how degraded is the modern civilization of materialistic advancement. Modern so-called scientists and other materialists are very satisfied because they can construct great bridges, roads and machines, but such activities are nothing comparable to those of Maharaja Priyavrata. If Maharaja Priyavrata could condemn himself in spite of his wonderful activities, how condemned we are in our so-called advancement of material civilization."

Maharaj Priyavrata gave birth to idea of diving land into states or nations

Maharaja Priyavrata divided the surface of the globe into different islands so that each class of men would live peacefully and not clash with the others. The modern idea of nationhood has gradually developed from the divisions made by Maharaja Priyavrata. [SB 5.1.40]

All spiritual & material practices are useless without Devotional Service

[SB 4.31.11]

srutena tapasa va kim
vacobhis citta-vrttibhih
buddhya va kim nipunaya
balenendriya-radhasa

srutena -- by Vedic education; tapasa -- by austerities; va -- or; kim -- what is the meaning; vacobhih -- by words; citta -- of consciousness; vrttibhih -- by the occupations; buddhya -- by intelligence; va -- or; kim -- what is the use; nipunaya -- expert; balena -- by bodily strength; indriya-radhasa -- by power of the senses.

"Without devotional service, what is the meaning of severe austerities, the process of hearing, the power of speech, the power of mental speculation, elevated intelligence, strength, and the power of the senses?"

[SB 4.31.112]

kim va yogena sankhyena
nyasa-svadhyayayor api
kim va sreyobhir anyais ca
na yatratma-prado harih

kim -- what is the use; va -- or; yogena -- by mystic yoga practice; sankhyena -- by the study of Sankhya philosophy; nyasa -- by accepting sannyasa; svadhyayayoh -- and by study of Vedic literature; api -- even; kim -- what is the use; va -- or; sreyobhih -- by auspicious activities; anyaih -- other; ca -- and; na -- never; yatra -- where; atma-pradah -- full satisfaction of self; harih -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

"Transcendental practices that do not ultimately help one realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead are useless, be they mystic yoga practices, the analytical study of matter, severe austerity, the acceptance of sannyasa, or the study of Vedic literature. All these may be very important aspects of spiritual advancement, but unless one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, all these processes are useless."

Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore told Sanatana Gosvami that without a touch of devotional service, jnana, yoga and Sankhya philosophy cannot give one the desired results. The impersonalists wish to merge into the Supreme Brahman; however, merging into the Supreme Brahman also requires a touch of devotional service.

How to satisfy the Supreme Lord

[SB 4.31.19]

dayaya sarva-bhutesu
santustya yena kena va
sarvendriyopasantya ca
tusyaty asu janardanah

dayaya -- by showing mercy; sarva-bhutesu -- to all living entities; santustya -- by being satisfied; yena kena va -- somehow or other; sarva-indriya -- all the senses; upasantya -- by controlling; ca -- also; tusyati -- becomes satisfied; asu -- very soon; janardanah -- the Lord of all living entities.

"By showing mercy to all living entities, being satisfied somehow or other and controlling the senses from sense enjoyment, one can very quickly satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Janardana."

CANTO 5 BEGINS
==============

Canto 4 ends with descriptions of descendents of the 1st son of Svayambhu Manu - Maharaja Uttanpada, who had the famous son, Dhruva. Thus Prithu Maharaj, King Prachinabarhi and Pracetas were all descendents of Dhruva Maharaj.

Now, in the 5th canto, Sukadeva Goswami will describe the descendents of the 2nd son of Manu - Maharaja Priyavrata, who was a great devotee of the Lord.

Maharaj Privavrata was trained as a naisthiki brahmachari from the beginning of his life and had no interest in family life. However, by the insistence of Lord Brahma and Narada muni, he entered family life. This caused questions in mind of Maharaj Parikshit:

The father of Dhruva Maharaja, King Uttanapada, ruled over the universe because his elder brother, Priyavrata, practiced austerity from the very beginning of his life. Thus up to the point of the Pracetas, the kings of the universe were all descendants of Uttanapada Maharaja. Since there were no suitable kings after the Pracetas, Svayambhuva Manu went to the Gandhamadana Hill to bring back his eldest son, Priyavrata, who was meditating there. Svayambhuva Manu requested Priyavrata to rule over the universe. When he refused, Lord Brahma descended from the supreme planetary system, known as Satyaloka, to request Priyavrata to accept the order. Lord Brahma did not come alone. He came with other great sages like Marici, Atreya and Vasistha. To convince Priyavrata that it was necessary for him to follow the Vedic injunctions and accept the responsibility of ruling over the world, Lord Brahma also brought with him the personified Vedas, his constant associates.

1) Why did King Priyavrata, who was a great, self-realized devotee of the Lord, took to and remained in household life?

2) How was it possible for a person like King Priyavrata, who was so attached to wife, children and home, to achieve the topmost infallible perfection in Krsna consciousness?

All Auspicious Names of the Lord

• abhadra-randhana — O killer of all inauspiciousness: [SB 4.30.28]
• viśuddha-sattvāya — whose existence is free from all material influence [SB 4.30.24]
• hari-medhase — whose brain works only for the deliverance of the conditioned soul [SB 4.30.24]

• prabhave sarva-sātvatām — who increases the influence of all kinds of devotees. [SB 4.30.24]

Lord Krishna was known even before He appeared 5,000 years ago.

The Pracetas, descendents of Maharaj Dhruva, and sons of king Prachinabarhi, in these prayers, address Lord Vishnu as Vaasudeva and Krishna.

SB 4.30.24

namo visuddha-sattvaya
haraye hari-medhase
vasudevaya krsnaya
prabhave sarva-satvatam

"Dear Lord, we offer our respectful obeisances unto You because Your existence is completely independent of all material influences. Your Lordship always takes away the devotee's miserable conditions, for Your brain plans how to do so. You live everywhere as Paramatma; therefore You are known as Vasudeva. You also accept Vasudeva as Your father, and You are celebrated by the name Krsna. You are so kind that You always increase the influence of all kinds of devotees."

The Lord increases the Influence of His Devotees

"Again and again the Lord is very much interested in increasing the influence of His devotees. Therefore He is described herein as prabhave sarva-satvatam. The satvata community is a community of Vaisnavas, pure devotees of the Lord. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has unlimited powers, and He wants to see that His devotees are also entrusted with unlimited powers. A devotee of the Lord is always, therefore, distinguished from all other living entities."

The Lord always tries to increase the glories of His devotees even more than Himself. He tries to give all credit to His devotees. Like He got all the credit to Arjuna in Mahabharat. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He brings all credit to Srila Prabhupada for spreading the Sankirtan movement worldwide. The Lord is known as Hari, one who takes away. As Hari, He takes away all our material desires and sufferings, but the same Hari, is always engaged in increasing our spiritual influence and desires.

The Lord accepts the service of a neophyte devotee [SB 4.30.28]

"The neophyte devotee engaged in the worship of the Lord may not understand the value of such worship, but the Supreme Lord, being bhakta-vatsala, accepts His devotee and in due course of time takes him home."

PERFECT BENEDICTION

SB 4.30.31-32

"The Lord asked the Pracetās to pray for some benediction, and they said, "What kind of benediction should we pray for? The Lord is unlimited, and there are unlimited benedictions." The purport is that if one must ask for benediction, he must ask for unlimited benediction. "

"When the bee approaches the celestial tree called the pārijāta, it certainly does not leave the tree, because there is no need for such action. Similarly, when we have approached Your lotus feet and taken shelter of them, what further benediction may we ask of You?"

"When a devotee is actually engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, his engagement in itself is so perfect that there is no need to ask for further benediction. The lotus feet of the Lord are exactly like the pārijāta trees, or wish-fulfilling trees, and the devotees are like bumblebees. They are always attracted by the lotus feet of the Lord."

Highest Benediction is Association of Devotees

Pracetas prayed; "We pray that we may associate with those who are engaged in discussing Your pastimes. " [SB 4.30.33]

tulayama lavenapi
na svargam napunar-bhavam
bhagavat-sangi-sangasya
martyanam kim utasisah

[SB 4.30.34]

"Even a moment's association with a pure devotee cannot be compared to being transferred to heavenly planets or even merging into the Brahman effulgence in complete liberation. For living entities who are destined to give up the body and die, association with pure devotees is the highest benediction."

yatredyante katha mrstas
trsnayah prasamo yatah
nirvairam yatra bhutesu
nodvego yatra kascana

[SB 4.30.345]

"Whenever pure topics of the transcendental world are discussed, the members of the audience forget all kinds of material hankerings, at least for the time being. Not only that, but they are no longer envious of one another, nor do they suffer from anxiety or fear."

yatra narayanah saksad
bhagavan nyasinam gatih
samstuyate sat-kathasu
mukta-sangaih punah punah

[SB 4.30.36]

"The Supreme Lord, Narayana, is present among devotees who are engaged in hearing and chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Narayana is the ultimate goal of sannyasis, those in the renounced order of life, and Narayana is worshiped through this sankirtana movement by those who are liberated from material contamination. Indeed, they recite the holy name again and again."

3 Types of Birth

kim janmabhis tribhir veha
saukra-savitra-yajnikaih
karmabhir va trayi-proktaih
pumso 'pi vibudhayusa

[SB 4.31.10]

kim -- what is the use; janmabhih -- of births; tribhih -- three; va -- or; iha -- in this world; saukra -- by semen; savitra -- by initiation; yajnikaih -- by becoming a perfect brahmana; karmabhih -- by activities; va -- or; trayi -- in the Vedas; proktaih -- instructed; pumsah -- of a human being; api -- even; vibudha -- of the demigods; ayusa -- with a duration of life.

"A civilized human being has three kinds of births. The first birth is by a pure father and mother, and this birth is called birth by semen. The next birth takes place when one is initiated by the spiritual master, and this birth is called savitra. The third birth, called yajnika, takes place when one is given the opportunity to worship Lord Visnu. Despite the opportunities for attaining such births, even if one gets the life-span of a demigod, if one does not actually engage in the service of the Lord, everything is useless. Similarly, one's activities may be mundane or spiritual, but they are useless if they are not meant for satisfying the Lord."

How to Reform ourselves of a sudra birth?

yatha kancanatam yati
kamsyam rasa-vidhanatah
tatha diksa-vidhanena
dvijatvam jayate nrnam

"As bell metal, when mixed with mercury, is transformed to gold, a person, even though not golden pure, can be transformed into a brahmana, or dvija, simply by the initiation process." (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.12) Thus if one is initiated by a proper person, he can be accepted as twice-born immediately.

candalo 'pi dvija-srestho
hari-bhakti-parayanah
hari-bhakti-vihinas ca
dvijo 'pi svapacadhamah

"Even if one is born in the family of a candala, if one engages in the devotional service of the Lord, he becomes the best of brahmanas. But even a brahmana who is devoid of devotional service is on the level of the lowest dog-eater." If a person is advanced in devotional service, it does not matter whether he was born in a candala family. He becomes purified.

Mahesh Dham (Lord Siva's Abode)

Madhya 21.54

When a living entity is liberated from Devī-dhāma but does not know of the opulence of Hari-dhāma, he is placed in Maheśa-dhāma, which is between the other two dhāmas. The liberated soul does not get an opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead there; therefore although this Maheśa-dhāma is Lord Śiva's dhāma and above Devī-dhāma, it is not the spiritual world. The spiritual world begins with Hari-dhāma, or Vaikuṇṭhaloka.


Size of the Universe

Madhya 21.84

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, one of the greatest astrologers of his time, gives information from the Siddhānta-śiromaṇi that this universe measures 18,712,069,200,000,000 x 8 miles.