Fwd: [granthraj] Lessons from Great Personalities - Part 2
Dr Satish Gosain (Sri Krishna Hari Das)
From: sai tamil <jayk...@hotmail.com>
Date: 2010/5/13
Subject: [granthraj] Lessons from Great Personalities - Part 2
To: gran...@yahoogroups.com
Dear Prabhujis and Mathajis, yac ca karthaanga mat stotram / mat-kathaabhyudayaankitam
Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble pranams! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev!
This is in continuation of the previous mail in this series summarizing a few of the points spoken by HG Svayam Sphurathy Krishna das prabhu highlighting the messages we learn from some of the great personalities appearing in the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam up to the eighth chapter. In this posting we shall see the lessons from Lord Brahma.
3. Lord Brahma
We can learn the following lessons from Lord Brahma:
a) We cannot understand the Lord by mental speculation
Lord Brahma is considered the first Mahajana and he is the secondary creator and engineer of the universe. He was generated from the lotus navel of Lord Vishnu and on being born, he could not perfectly understand the creation, the lotus or himself. Srimad Bhagavatam 3.8.17 says that for one millennium he tried to understand with his mental power and logic but could not understand. In ignorance he was contemplating as to who am I that I am situated on the top of the lotus and wherefrom it has sprouted and he was speculating that there must be something downwards from which this lotus has grown. This shows us that no one can know the mystery of creation, cosmic manifestation and the Supreme Lord simply by mental speculation.
b) We cannot understand the Lord by our physical efforts
When by just contemplating he could not arrive at an answer, he physically entered the water through the channel of the stem of the lotus(SB 3.8.19) but in spite of entering the stem, he could not trace the root. Till he reached his ultimate time he was searching but could not achieve the desired destination. This shows us that with all our wonderful physical efforts we cannot have the glimpse of the Lord.
c) One requires the Lord’s mercy to know Him
Lord Brahma then retired from such searching and then he concentrated his mind by meditation on the Supreme lord. At the end of Brahma’s one hundred years when his meditation was complete, he developed the required knowledge and then he could have darshan of the Personality of Godhead. So when Krishna is pleased with our attempts, He reveals Himself. Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to 3.8.22 that "One has to wait for the mercy of the Lord before one can either render service unto Him or know Him as He is."
d) Offering prayers to the Lord before attempting anything
From Srimad Bhagavatam 3.8.33, we see that Lord Brahma being surcharged with the mode of passion became inclined to create and then he began to offer prayers for creative energy. We learn from this that before we commence any project, we should remember the Lord and pray for energy. Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport: "Even if one is in the material mode of passion, to create something in the world he has to take shelter of the Supreme for the necessary energy. That is the path of the successful termination of any attempt."
We can take complete shelter of the Supreme Lord and offer prayers to Him if we are convinced of the fact that nothing can happen without His mercy. As the Supreme Lord Himself responds to Brahma at the conclusion of his prayer in SB 3.9.38:
yad vaa tapasi te nishta / sa esha mad anugrahah
The lessons from Shri Uddhava and from the other personalities shall be posted in the ensuing mails, Krishna willing.
Thank you very much.
Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev,
Vaijayanthimala devi dasi
Abudhabi.
--
Yours Servant
Sri Krishna Hari Das
(Dr Satish Gosain MBBS DNB i Med)
Congregational Preacher, ISKCON, Delhi, NCR & Gurgaon.
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