Maharaja Pariksit deeply regretted his apparent disrespect toward Samaka Rishi. A devotee never thinks of himself as being perfect. Therefore he engages in devotional service with humility, always hoping for the grace of the Lord.
A devotee does not mind his own suffering, but considers it to be mercy from the Supreme Lord — an opportunity for purification. The voluntary acceptance of suffering is known as tapasya. Because a devotee fully understands the laws of karma, he is not so concerned with happiness and distress, but automatically transcends the duality of the material world via devotional service.
Sripad Puri Maharaja discusses the on-going dialectic between the mundane materialistic ideologies and the potential for spiritual awakening. This global interplay proceeds according to the Will of God.
Maharaja discusses the progression from Spinoza to Hegel with respect to the dynamics of the Absolute as Personal, or Subject, and not merely Substance.
A devotee of the Lord is never inclined to act in his own self-defense. Yet, when the Lord or another devotee is being attacked, that same devotee may take very strong action.
The inner mood of the participants is revealed in these passages so that we may understand that Maharaja Pariksit, Rishi Samika and Srngi were all engaged in carrying out the will of the Lord.
An intelligent person should inquire into the purpose of life. To do otherwise is to live the life of an insect or a bacterium, both of which live only to enjoy material existence.
The three types of transcendentalists — the empiric philosopher, the mystic and the devotee of the Lord — exist beyond the modes of nature. Each respectively seeks liberation in brahman, paramatma realization, or love of Bhagavan. Devotees are concerned with attaining the ultimate goal of life, Krishna prema, via dedication, surrender and service.
These scriptures provide the intelligence to see things in the proper way, something which is missing in the world today. The proper perspective for the order of life has been lost in Kali Yuga.
Gathering wealth or gaining power are very attractive to many people. Sex, drinking and gambling also tend to enchant people. A powerful force is necessary to awaken people from this kind of trance. Only when our pleasure-seeking is threatened do we pay attention to the higher realities of life.
To honor the appearance of Lord Nrsimhadev, Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaja read a discourse given by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaja. http://scsmath.org/trove2/nrsmhac_diac_99.pdf
Nothing happens without the sanction of the Lord. Whether expressed for good or bad, all power comes from Him.
Scientists try to explain the world’s phenomena by various “forces” — gravity, electromagnetic force, strong force, weak force — yet they have no idea where such forces come from.
Scientists try to claim that force has a material origin. Yet, material objects have no power to move on their own. Thus matter cannot be the source of the forces that we observe.
Life is animate, life can move on its own. Life cannot be material because it is endowed with willpower or free will — it can move by itself.
Willpower is a strong force. Many wonderful things have been erected in this world, not by man per se, but by the force of willpower within him. Yet, scientists are neglecting this kind of power.
The Will of God is another force which is manifested throughout the universe, especially by the stability of planetary orbits. If Newton’s Law was the active force controlling the position of the planets over the billions of years the universe has been in existence, the planets would have already been dispersed throughout the universe.
Sripad Puri Maharaja then read from the Catuh Sloki of Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.33, concluding with: “These scriptures make it very clear what we are supposed to understand, what we are supposed to do with our lives, what is the purpose of it all, and what is the secret of it all.”
Srngi, the inexperienced brahmana boy, puffed up by a little brahminical power, came under the influence of the age of Kali. Thinking he should punish the king for dishonoring his father, Srngi cursed Maharaja Pariksit to be bitten by a snake-bird on the seventh day.
This act marked the beginning of the degradation of the varnashram culture.
Sripad Puri Maharaja recounted several instructions of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada about not finding small faults or impurities in others, and that any defects should not divert one from the path of devotional service.
Sripad Puri Maharaja also explained the principle that our service should be materially unmotivated and uninterrupted. This is the test of whether our service comes from the transcendental plane.
The Personality of Godhead has nothing to do, yet He is not impersonal. Simply by His willing, everything is done without physical or personal endeavor.
The expansions of the Lord are limitless, yet even the demigods are never equal to or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Only the self-controlled can gradually be attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is accomplished by fully engaging one’s senses in the transcendental service of the Lord.
Not even the learned devotees can fully describe the unlimited qualities of the Supreme Lord. Factually only the Lord Himself can describe Himself, and His learned devotee also can describe Him as far as the Lord gives him the power of description.
Setting the stage for the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, we learn of the encounter between Maharaja Pariksit and Shamika Rsi.
Here is the recording of 25 April 2012 Sadhu-sanga.
