Ante Narayana Smrti - Part 35

Date: 2015-09-29 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Ante Nārāyaṇa Smrti". In the previous offerings we saw Yamaraj describing the glories of Vishnudutas to Yamadutas. Now we shall see further.

Vishnudutas had asked Yamadutas to define what real religion is. Yamadutas were of the understanding that real religious principles are defined by Vedas. So Yamaraj wanted to clarify to them that real religious principle is enacted by Krishna. He says in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.3.19,

dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ na siddha-mukhyā asurā manuṣyāḥ kuto nu vidyādhara-cāraṇādayaḥ

Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great rshis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyadharas and Caranas.

In his purport to the above verse His Divine Grace says that, "Yamadutas did not know, however, that the Vedic literature contains ritualistic ceremonies that are not transcendental, but are meant to keep peace and order among materialistic persons in the material world. Real religious principles are nistraigunya, above the three modes of material nature, or transcendental. The Yamadutas did not know these transcendental religious principles, and therefore when prevented from arresting Ajamila they were surprised."

Yamaraj explained to the Yamadutas that Bhagavata dharma is the real religious principle and that loving surrender to Supreme Lord is transcendental process which cannot be ascertained by material knowledge. Lord Brahma, Narada, Siva, the four Kumaras, Kapila, Manu, Bali Maharaj, Sukadeva Goswami and Yamaraja are twelve Mahajans who knows these real religious principle.

Srila Prabhupada in his lecture to the above verse gives nice examples of how from mundane perspective, Prahlad Maharaj tolerating the sight of his father being killed in front of his eyes, Bali Maharaj giving up his connection with spiritual master Sukracarya, when Vamanadev asked him for 3 paces of land, Bhishma shooting arrows on Krishna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the gopis leaving their homes to go and meet Krishna all these might sound immoral or against religious principles. But all these were done by these great devotees to please Krishna and out of pure love for Him. Yudhishtira Maharaj had taken a vow that he will never speak lies. But when Krishna asked him to tell a lie in the battlefield of Kurukshetra that "Ashwattama is killed", Yudhishtir Maharaj finally agreed to tell the lie. So that should be the level of surrender.

His Divine Grace says very nicely, "For Krishna's sake they sacrificed everything. They became, I mean to say, social outcaste. They transgressed the laws of the Vedas. But because they did it for Krishna, they have been accepted as mahajanas, as authorities." As aspiring devotees all we need to do is - mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ - simply follow the instructions of such great authorities. Krishna willing we shall hear from Yamaraj, the glories of Supreme Lord in the subsequent offerings.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Sudarshana devi dasi.