MODULE II: STORY OF KING BHARATA & RAHUGANA
CHAPTER 11 & 12: Conversation BetweenRahugana and Jada Bharata
SB 5.11: Jaḍa Bharata Instructs King Rahūgaṇa
****MONKEY AND PIGGY Summarize SB 5.11
1. You don’t know anything (Idiot)! Worse, you are pretending to know something? (Donkey![Cheater!])
(Kapiladeva is mentioned again!)
There seems to be a whole instruction in this chapter about how to talk to people with second class intelligence, administrators. Third class, fourth class guy is so stupid he could not take chastisement like this. He would just become angry. Also, JB only begins this heavy preaching when the King accepts him as an authority. Analogy with preaching in Gita could be nice essay, no? Prabhupada says that the whole world is now full of fools like this, so this example of how to deal with them is very important, but they are problem mostly 3rd and 4th class fools, no? Very fortunate to meet a 2nd class fool, and JB can talk with such force because he is directly experiencing these things. He has controlled his mind etc, and a 2nd class fool can appreciate this. The Bible says that fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. Kapila-deva says that devotional service, listening to Guru, in the mode of ignorance is carried out based on fear. In passion, based upon desire, and goodness based on clear understanding of what is what.
2. Content of your stupidity is personal prestige, who is master who is slave.
3. All this stupidity is removed as soon as we wake-up, the mind wakes up.
4-10. Every verse mentions “mind”, its friends, its mischief.
11. God – paramaatma is introduced here. The mind’s friends expand all these elements (!!!)BUT, BUT, BUT,BUT this is all under the Control of God.
12. Again you and your mind are producing all this humbug.
13-14. The Paramatma is this and that and this and ....!!!!! (beautiful).
15. But I am chastising you for this little problem, creating your little prestige of “Me Tarzan, You Jane”, “Me King, You Slave”, but the real problem(you imbecile) is that unless you accomplish 1-4 you gonna become a cockroach, cing, pig, god, ding-dong, again and again, again life after life!THE REAL PROBLEM.
[It’s interesting that the Koran is described as a logically very simple book. That is why it is not very impressive when given a simple translation without retaining the rhetorical force. It is directly said that the Koran when it is not in Arabic is NOT the Koran. The impact of the Koran is its emotional, poetic force. It is presenting simple ideas for simple people in very strong, heart-felt language. It seems that maybe this is the humor of JB’s strategy in preaching to MR. Also interesting is that MR or his father may have been a sub-sub-sub King under the rule of MB. Even in their relationship as Ksatriyas, MR would tremble before JB.
What would happen if Bill Gates walked into the GBC Meeting in Mayapur? “Bill Gate instructs GBC Zonal Secretary”, “Further Conversations Between Bill Gates and GBC Secretary”.
16-17 The mind causes this broader problem!***
SB 5.11Specific Details:
1: Why is the world in a chaotic condition?
What is the way out?
Read the Sanskrit and Word-for-Word to the Translation carefully. Eg.ako-vidaḥ ko-vidaati-vidām. Essays topic: How does JB start his education of MR? Is this similar to BG?
2: A veda-vādī cannot be purified from material contamination unless he becomes a ______.
“They generally practice the Cāturmāsya system.” – What is this? How does this compare with the fasting of Orthodox Christians for Lent etc?
“In this world someone may become very highly elevated by taking birth in an aristocratic family, by being well educated, beautiful or very rich.” Where did we see this list in the 1st Canto?
“ārādhanānāḿ sarveṣāḿ viṣṇorārādhanaḿ param” ... finish it for 1 point.
“...brahmetiparamātmetibhagavānitiśabdyate” ....1/2 points.
After reading the Purport read the Translation again. Does the Purport, Parampara, clearly illuminate every aspect of the Translation?
3: Explain analogy of dream and material happiness?
4: Pious and impious activities result in entanglement within this material world? T/F
Just continues Text Five, no?
5: After reading the Translation what do you notice? Does it continue the previous verse? Are the five elements and the 11-senses related? How? What will Prabhupada, Parampara, discuss in the Purport?
“māyāravaśe, yācchabhese', khācchahābuḍubu, bhāi” – Do you know which song this is? Is it in the standard ISKCON songbook?
Prabhupada just picks up the very last line in the Translation, no?
“(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 20.117)” – Is this RupaSiksa?
6: When the m_____ and s______are engaged in devotional service, the living entity naturally becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious.
7: When the mind and senses are purified, one's total existence is purified, and one's designations are also purified.
“sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaḿ tat-paratvenanirmalam:” – 1/3 points for citing the whole verse and verse number in NoD (BRS).
“[Cc. Madhya 19.170]” – This is RupaSiksa? If so what part?
10: What are the 11 items for mind’s functions?
12: Why the eternally conditioned soul is conditioned?Explain the example of sleep and awake condition?
NDX – Nitya-baddha - “A jīvan-mukta knows how he has become conditioned;”
13-14: sākṣāt — perceivable by hearing from the authorities and by direct perception;
nārāyaṇaḥ — the resting place of all living entities;
“Vāsudeva is the original cause of the brahmajyoti, and the brahmajyoti is the expansion of the rays of the body of Vāsudeva”
How is Supreme Personality of Godhead perceived?
15: “The human form of life is meant for cleansing away these misconceptions.” – These are just misconceptions, but they are deeply rooted, no? How do keep these, “concepts”? We notice that there is a lot of influence from how our face feels. If we feel a smile on our face we feel happy. If we feel anger on our face we feel angry. The mind is feeling our face, stomach and so forth and then keeping a visual image of ourselves based on that. The reinforce the visual image by looking in the mirror every now and again to see who we are. We try to smile or look wise, trying to figure out what kind of attractive image we can produce for others (for preaching purposes (our mind tells us when our intelligence criticizes our vanity)).
16: The soul's designation, the _____, is the cause of all tribulations in the material world.
“As long as this fact is unknown to the conditioned living entity...” – Oh, my God! It is like a secret that the witch uses to keep the Zombie under her control! Mmmmzzzzzmmzmmz! “Hey, your mind is your worst enemy in its current condition! It is just an innocent fool. You gotta engage it properly. It is like a puppy”.
“...it creates bondage and a false sense of intimacy within this material world.”- My Teddy Bear, my Spider Man!!!
17: What threeways of conquering the mind are given in sloka and purport?
If we don’t have positive, practical engagement for the mind, then we cannot neglect it. We have to give it things that attract it to some degree, if not to a large degree. Seems the Vrajavasis’ minds are naturally very attracted to joining Shyama in His mischief.
“After rising from bed, Lord Kṛṣṇa would wash His mouth, hands and feet and would immediately sit down and meditate...”, KB 70: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Daily Activities – We should do that, chant a few rounds, 18-mantras, before we do anything else? Then we should chant some Japa before we go to bed? These “Minute-malas”, 18-beads or 25-beads, actually really help us to do our 1728+. Chant one Minute –mala before going to bed. I guess after a while you don’t even want to go to bed, take a nap!
SB 5.12: Conversation Between Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata
Chapter SB 5.12 overview:
1-4: Rahugana to Jada Bharata
5-16: Jada Bharata to Rahugana
Chapter SB 5.12 specific details:
Summary: Notice that the Chapter Summaries start in the 5th Canto. Where from they are? In Spanish SB they seem to start from the 1st Canto? Also, the first sentence of each Summary is a complete summary. We could extract all these first sentences and make a separate little book, SB in a rapid look.
1-4: Rahugana to Jada Bharata
1. Beautiful Sanskrit, no? The King is offering excellent poetry?
“sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1” Recite it, ¼ points.
2: “The instructions given to King Rahūgaṇa by Jaḍa Bharata are very valuable. They are like the medicine that can save one from a snakebite. The Vedic instructions are like nectar and cool water for one suffering from scorching heat.” [“” marks added]
“...creating a hellish condition unfit for any gentleman's living”. Essay Topic: Are you, or would you like to be, a lady or gentleman? How would you like to live in contrast to how you are forced to live by the current condition?
3: Should a sisya challenge guru? Yes/No. Why?
In the beginning of NOI M. P. is challenging his guru, no?
“tasmādguruḿ prapadyetajijñāsuḥ śreyauttamam [SB 11.3.21].”, BG 4.34 and “...MuṇḍakaUpaniṣad, tad-vijñānārthaḿ sagurumevābhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12]”, cited in NOI-3 are referenced so many times to explain who is Guru that they must equal the number of stars iinthe sky. They seem almost the same. Let’s look up SB 11.3.21. Aaaha, it is the instructions by the Nine Yogendras. These are brothers of Maha-Bharata mentioned before, no? So many citations are from their instructions. The chapter, SB 11.3, and the texts surrounding this one are wonderful. Will we ever get to study them???
‘My only desire is to study SB life after life with Lord Nityananda as my teacher, Vrndavana Das Thakura’
5-16: Jada Bharata to Rahugana
5-6 :What does the example of a child heavily decorated with ornaments illustrate?
What is the first accusation Jaḍa Bharata made against the King?
7: Should the king utilize the citizens for his sense gratification? Should anyone utilize
whomever for his sense gratification?What is the duty of the head of the state?
Essay topic: How have you exploited the labor, resources “... money and property of the public by force or connivance” in your Church, Business or Family?
“Na teviduḥ svārtha-gatiḿ hi viṣṇum [SB 7.5.31]” – This is cited so much. What is the context in Chapter 5? Of course, we remember that SB 7.5.23 is the “sravanamkirtanam..” verse, so this is Prahlada Maharaja continuing to preach to his father, no? Let’s look it up.
7.5.23, 30-32 are all simple preaching episode by Prahlada to H’pu, no? 7.5.30 is cited as the conclusion to NOI-1. Added to our PVB
8:“The material energy is Kṛṣṇa’s energy, but it is separated from Him. The spiritual energy is also His energy, but it is not separated from Him. When the material energy is engaged in the service of the Supreme Spirit, so-called material energy is also transformed into spiritual energy, just as an iron rod becomes fire when placed in contact with fire.”
Why is from the very beginning said: satyaṁparaṁdhīmahi?
Please define the words phenomenal and noumenal.
“parāsyaśaktirvividhaivaśrūyate” – complete the verse, 1/5 points.
9: What is the flaw in the atomic theory?
“parama-aṇavaḥ — atomic particles” – Looking at Spoken Sanskrit on the Web it gives same definition.
10: Explanation of how Visnu is resting place of everything: “Lord Viṣṇu is the resting place of the entire creation: brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham (Bg. 14.27). On Brahman, everything is resting. All the universes are resting on the brahmajyoti, and all the planets are resting on the universal atmosphere. In each and every planet there are oceans, hills, states and kingdoms, and each planet is giving shelter to so many living entities. They are all standing on the earth on feet and legs, torso and shoulders, but actually everything is resting ultimately on the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore He is known ultimately as sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam, the cause of all causes.”
11: The description of Absolute Truth in this verse is similar to one verse from 1st Canto. Which verse is that?1/6 points
12: “One cannot attain the perfection of spiritual life simply by following the directions of the Vedas. One has to approach a pure devotee: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁjñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. By the grace of such a devotee, one can understand the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa, and one’s relationship with Him.”
Pure devotee tells what is in the Vedas. So, why then we need him to tell us what is written in the Vedas, if we can read that ourselves?
Does reading SP’s books falls into category of ‘reading/following Vedas only’ or also means ‘approaching a pure devotee’? Or both?
13: Are there politics and sociology in SB? If yes, are those mundane or spiritual topics? Why?
What’s the very important feature in the life of a devotee?
14: Despite a very rigid life in devotional service, Bharata Mahārāja did not consult______when he became overly attached to a deer. Consequently he became strongly attached to the deer, and, forgetting his spiritual routine, he fell down.
Essay topic 1: Explain the process of attaining Absolute Truth in this chapter (specifically verses 12, 13, 16)
Essay topic 2: “Grāmya-vārtānākahibe: one should not indulge in talking unnecessarily about news of the material world.”
How you follow this upadesa? What are your experiences in this matter? Do you have any difficulties, and if any, how you deal with those difficulties?