Earth --> Heavenly Planets-->Universe where the Lord's pastimes are going on--> Goloka Vrindavan

SB 10.1.23
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who has full potency, will personally appear as the son of Vasudeva. Therefore all the wives of the demigods should also appear in order to satisfy Him.

Srila Prabhupada's Purport:
In Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) the Lord says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti: after giving up the material body, the devotee of the Lord returns home, back to Godhead. This means that the devotee is first transferred to the particular universe where the Lord is at that time staying to exhibit His pastimes. There are innumerable universes, and the Lord is appearing in one of these universes at every moment. Therefore His pastimes are called nitya-līlā,eternal pastimes. The Lord’s appearance as a child in the house of Devakī takes place continuously in one universe after another. Therefore, the devotee is first transferred to that particular universe where the pastimes of the Lord are current. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, even if a devotee does not complete the course of devotional service, he enjoys the happiness of the heavenly planets, where the most pious people dwell, and then takes birth in the house of a śuci or śrīmān, a pious brāhmaṇa or a wealthy vaiśya (śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo ’bhijāyate). Thus a pure devotee, even if unable to execute devotional service completely, is transferred to the upper planetary system, where pious people reside. From there, if his devotional service is complete, such a devotee is transferred to the place where the Lord’s pastimes are going on. Herein it is said, sambhavantu sura-striyaḥ. Sura-strī, the women of the heavenly planets, were thus ordered to appear in the Yadu dynasty in Vṛndāvana to enrich the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. These sura-strī, when further trained to live with Kṛṣṇa, would be transferred to the original Goloka Vṛndāvana. During Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes within this world, the sura-strī were to appear in different ways in different families to give pleasure to the Lord, just so that they would be fully trained before going to the eternal Goloka Vṛndāvana. With the association of Lord Kṛṣṇa, either at Dvārakā-purī, Mathurā-purī or Vṛndāvana, they would certainly return home, back to Godhead. Among the sura-strī, the women of the heavenly planets, there are many devotees, such as the mother of the Upendra incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. It was such devoted women who were called for in this connection.

Do I have the same intensity as Devahuti?

SB 3.25.7 — Devahūti said: I am very sick of the disturbance caused by my material senses, for because of this sense disturbance, my Lord, I have fallen into the abyss of ignorance.

• Am I sick of the disturbance caused by my attachment to righteousness and fairness, attachment for material prosperity and emotional security?
• Do I realize that more mind gets engrossed and disturbed by events connected to my attachments, harder it becomes for me to take shelter of Srimad Bhagavatam, The Deities, and devotees?
• The anger, dissatisfaction, and frustration that develops in the heart makes it harder to take shelter of shravanam- nothing penetrates inside
• So are these attachments really worth it when compared to the larger goal?
• There is no profit in holding on to these things

SB 3.25.8 — Your Lordship is my only means of getting out of this darkest region of ignorance because You are my transcendental eye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, many births.

• How long am I going to depend on my strength and intelligence to figure my life out and navigate through challenges?
• My intelligence is material and imperfect, it can only see things materially. I need to surrender and depend upon Krishna , He is my Well wisher and He is my eye too- no my intelligence 

SB 3.25.9 — You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin and Supreme Lord of all living entities. You have arisen to disseminate the rays of the sun in order to dissipate the darkness of the ignorance of the universe.

SB 3.25.10 — Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion. Due to my feeling of false ego, I have been engaged by Your māyā and have identified myself with the body and consequent bodily relations.

• Be pleased with me also My Lord, I do not have any determination, any attraction, I am disturbed by what is happening around me, I do not wish to be disturbed anymore, do not wish to be distracted anymore, please guide me so I can serve you sincerely and give up the material conception and come closer to the spiritual conception.

To Cross Over: Become detached from wealth and family

SB 3.25.39-40 — Thus the devotee who worships Me, the all-pervading Lord of the universe, in unflinching devotional service, gives up all aspirations to be promoted to heavenly planets or to become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body. I take him to the other side of birth and death.

• unflinching devotional service
• engaging oneself in full devotional service
• accepting the Supreme Lord as all in all
• if one thus serves with unflinching faith, then one has achieved all other opulences and performed all other duties!
• (Above points from Srila Prabhupada's purport to this verse)
• gives up aspirations to be promoted to heavenly planets
• can I give up my aspiration to become a popular person, a well-known person, a person with a following, living in opulence, flying around being known as a jet-setter
• All these desires are blocking me from crossing over to Krishna's side
• Serving Krishna and His devotees with unflinching faith is the greatest opulence, none of these are worth comparing to the Greatest Jewel of service to Krishna and His devotees
• or become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body
I did not learn my lessons, tried very hard to be happy with family life but the happiness was never there. Because I did not learn then Krishna has now taken away that chance from me. Am I still going to hanker for that or am I going to move forward in developing love and service towards Krishna and His devotees?



I tried to hold on to happiness in family life but it was constantly slipping away from my hands

• My attachment to money: Learned a wonderful thing from a gentleman in a Gita class I was teaching on Thursday, Feb 8th, - he told me when we know we are not the Proprietors of our wealth, but Krishna is then we become peaceful and we learn to let go. Krishna is the Proprietor of all my wealth and whatever anyone owes me as well then we become extremely peaceful. Krishna is also the Supreme Controller ( mayadhyaksena prakriti, sarva loka maheshwaram) and the Supreme Well wisher of all living entities. While I do the needful in wealth management, I need to rest in great peace with the fact that Krishna is going to take care of me and in the past, he has taken care of me and is taking care of me in very tangible and intangible ways.

SB 3.25.41 — The terrible fear of birth and death can never be forsaken by anyone who resorts to any shelter other than Myself, for I am the almighty Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source of all creation, and also the Supreme Soul of all souls.

Why are my name, fame, prestige, wealth, popularity, righteousness more important to me than the shelter of the Lord? These things are not going to let me reach the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord, in fact, these will pull me away from the Lord.

I sincerely pray at the Lotus Feet of the Vaishnavas that I am able to overcome my intense attachment to these things and serve the Lord sincerely with a sincere pure heart of spreading knowledge about Him and knowledge given by Him to everyone on whatever platform I go to

He is my husband, She is My wife: The hard knot of material existence

Lord Rshabha Dev's teachings

SB 5.5.8

puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ

 tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ

ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair

 janasya moho ’yam ahaṁ mameti

The attraction between male and female is the basic principle of material existence. On the basis of this misconception, which ties together the hearts of the male and female, one becomes attracted to his body, home, property, children, relatives and wealth. In this way one increases life’s illusions and thinks in terms of “I and mine.”

Purport Snippet:

Due to the entangling relationship between man and woman, there is a sense of illusion whereby one thinks, “This man is my husband,” or “This woman is my wife.” This is called hṛdaya-granthi, “the hard knot in the heart.” This knot is very difficult to undo, even though a man and woman separate either for the principles of varṇāśrama or simply to get a divorce. In any case, the man always thinks of the woman, and the woman always thinks of the man. Thus a person becomes materially attached to family, property and children, although all of these are temporary.

SB 5.5.9

yadā mano-hṛdaya-granthir asya

 karmānubaddho dṛḍha āślatheta

tadā janaḥ samparivartate ’smād

 muktaḥ paraṁ yāty atihāya hetum

When the strong knot in the heart of a person implicated in material life due to the results of past action is slackened, one turns away from his attachment to home, wife and children. In this way, one gives up the basic principle of illusion [I and mine] and becomes liberated. Thus one goes to the transcendental world.

Purport snippet

When, by associating with sādhus and engaging in devotional service, one is gradually freed from the material conception due to knowledge, practice and detachment, the knot of attachment in the heart is slackened. Thus one can get freed from conditional life and become eligible to return home, back to Godhead.

Note:

Sometimes Krishna will force you to get out , he will create a situation where you will be out.

Impurities lead to unclear consicousness

Lord Rshabha Dev's teachings

SB 5.5.5
As long as one does not inquire about the spiritual values of life, one is defeated and subjected to miseries arising from ignorance. Be it sinful or pious, karma has its resultant actions. If a person is engaged in any kind of karma, his mind is called karmātmaka, colored with fruitive activity. As long as the mind is impure, consciousness is unclear, and as long as one is absorbed in fruitive activity, he has to accept a material body.

Impurities of heart --> Lack of clarity --> Unclear Consciousness--> Fruitive activity-->Accept material body

Engaging Senses in Devotional service

Lord Rshabha Dev's teachings

SB 5.5.27
The true activity of the sense organs — mind, sight, words and all the knowledge-gathering and working senses — is to engage fully in My service. Unless his senses are thus engaged, a living entity cannot think of getting out of the great entanglement of material existence, which is exactly like Yamarāja’s stringent rope.

Jada Bharat's teachings to Maharaj Rahugana: Some snippets

Some snippets from Jada Bharat's teachings to Maharaj Rahugana

1. Srila Prabhupada's purport in SB 5.11.8:
1. As stated in the Nārada-pañcarātra, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam: when the mind and senses are purified, one’s total existence is purified, and one’s designations are also purified.
2. Srila Prabhupada's purport 5.12.4:
1. Formal inquiries and answers about the bodily conception do not constitute knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is quite different from the formal understanding of bodily pains and pleasures. In Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa informs Arjuna that the pains and pleasures experienced in relation to the body are temporary; they come and go. One should not be disturbed by them but should tolerate them and continue with spiritual realization.
3. Srila Prabhupada's purport to SB 5.13.7
1. Śrīla Vidyāpati has therefore sung: tāṭala saikate, vāri-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramaṇi-samāje. The happiness of family life, friends and society is compared to a drop of water in the scorching desert.
4. Srila Prabhupada's purport SB 5.13.8 : 
1. kauṭumbikaḥ krudhyati vai janāya: When one’s mind is disturbed in so many ways, he satisfies himself by becoming angry with his poor wife and children. The wife and children are naturally dependent on the father, but the father, being unable to maintain the family properly, becomes mentally distressed and therefore chastises the family members unnecessarily.

Everything possible by the blessings of a Vaishnava

In the pastime of Lord Brahma requesting Priyavrata Maharaj to accept household life, one may wonder if it may become an impediment to Maharaj Priyavrata's advancement. To explain this Srila Prabhupada write the following in the purport to SB 5.1.10:

"By the blessings of a Vaiṣṇava, everything is possible. This is described in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu as kṛpā-siddhi, or perfection attained simply by the blessings of a superior person. One usually becomes liberated and perfect by executing the regulative principles set down in the śāstras. Nonetheless, many persons have achieved perfection simply by the blessings of a spiritual master or superior."

Prescribed Duties a Vehicle for Mind Control

With mental health poised to become a disease of epidemic proportions, especially when the President of India Shri Ramnath Kovind makes a statement that the population of Indians affected by mental health diseases is greater than the population of Japan it would be nice to see what some scriptures and acharyas have to say about dealing with the mind.

Of course, some mental health issues need medication counseling etc but a lot of them can be nipped in the bud if one just follows their prescribed duties. If everyone follows their prescribed duties properly the society and social interactions are such that it creates a further favorable situation for everyone else to follow their prescribed duties.

Some important points from Srila Prabhupada's purports to the verses posted below. Srila Prabhupada explains how doing our varnashrama duties is important, varnasharama duties are given in the Vedas and if we follow we are on the safe platform else we can have a tremendous mental confusion:

• The varṇāśrama system is scientific. Therefore if we accept the divisions of varṇa and āśrama according to the Vedic instructions, our lives will be successful.(5.14)
• It is best, therefore, to accept the injunctions of the Vedas, which are mentioned in this verse as yad-vāci. In accordance with those injunctions, everyone should find out whether he is a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra and should thus be educated accordingly. Then his life will be successful. Otherwise, all of human society will be confused. If human society is divided scientifically according to varṇa and āśrama, and if the Vedic directions are followed, one’s life, regardless of his position, will be successful.(5.14)

In this verse, Prabhupada explains the connection between Varnashrama Duties and the pleasure of the Lord.

• A brāhmaṇa can surrender, and so can a kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra. Everyone can adopt this process. As stated in this verse, cakṣuṣmatāndhā iva nīyamānāḥ: one should follow the Lord the way a blind man follows a person who has eyes. If we follow the Supreme Personality of Godhead by following the directions He gives in the Vedas and Bhagavad-gītā, our lives will be successful.
• The example cited in this verse is that bulls tied by ropes in their nostrils move according to the direction of the driver. Similarly, if we move according to the instructions of the Vedas, the perfect paths for our lives will be set. Otherwise, if we do not move in that way but act according to our whimsical ideas, our lives will be spoiled by confusion and will end in despair.(5.15)

Connection between Varnashrama Duties, The Lord's pleasure, Sense control and Mind Control

The sense organs are certainly our greatest enemies, and they are therefore compared to venomous serpents. However, if a venomous serpent is bereft of its poison fangs, it is no longer fearful.Similarly, if the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, there is no need to fear their activities.The devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement move within this material world, but because their senses are fully engaged in the service of the Lord, they are always aloof from the material world. They are always living in a transcendental position.


Lord Brahma's Instructions to Maharaj Priyavrata:
SB 5.1.14 — My dear boy, all of us are bound by the Vedic injunctions to the divisions of varṇāśrama according to our qualities and work. These divisions are difficult to avoid because they are scientifically arranged. We must therefore carry out our duties of varṇāśrama-dharma, like bulls obliged to move according to the direction of a driver pulling on ropes knotted to their noses.
SB 5.1.15 — My dear Priyavrata, according to our association with different modes of material nature, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives us our specific bodies and the happiness and distress we achieve. One must therefore remain situated as he is and be conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exactly as a blind man is led by a person who has eyes with which to see.
SB 5.1.16 — Even if one is liberated, he nevertheless accepts the body he has received according to his past karma. Without misconceptions, however, he regards his enjoyment and suffering due to that karma the way an awakened person regards a dream he had while sleeping. He thus remains steadfast and never works to achieve another material body under the influence of the three modes of material nature.
SB 5.1.17 — Even if he goes from forest to forest, one who is not self-controlled must always fear material bondage because he is living with six co-wives — the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses. Even householder life, however, cannot harm a self-satisfied, learned man who has conquered his senses.
SB 5.1.18 — One who is situated in household life and who systematically conquers his mind and five sense organs is like a king in his fortress who conquers his powerful enemies. After one has been trained in household life and his lusty desires have decreased, he can move anywhere without danger.
SB 5.1.19 — Lord Brahmā continued: My dear Priyavrata, seek shelter inside the opening in the lotus of the feet of the Lord, whose navel is also like a lotus. Thus conquer the six sense organs [the mind and knowledge-acquiring senses]. Accept material enjoyment because the Lord, extraordinarily, has ordered you to do this. You will thus always be liberated from material association and be able to carry out the Lord’s orders in your constitutional position.
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