Glories of Lord Vamana- Part 1

Date: 2016-10-12 Author: Narahari Krishna das

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

Few weeks ago we celebrated the auspicious occasion of Vamana Dwadashi and in Kerala it is celebrated as Onam festival which is in glorification of Bali Maharaja, who is a topmost devotee of Lord Vamanadeva. Each incarnation of the Lord has its own unique feature and the incarnation of Vamanadeva is unique in the sense that the Lord displayed His great humility by asking for charity from Bali Maharaja.

There are three types of persons (purusha) namely adhama, madhyama and uttama based on their attitude. i) One who thinks of his well being alone and willing even to destroy others for his well being is called adhama (lowest). ii) One who thinks of his well being as all as other's well being is called madhyama (mediocre person). iii) But one who wishes well being for others even by lowering his own position is called uttama purusha.

So, the Supreme Lord is celebrated as uttama purusha not only because of His Supreme nature but also because of His compassion. The Supreme Lord is the proprietor of everything and He only empowers the devatas to give various benedictions to living entities. However, He agreed to beg from Bali Maharaj showing His compassionate nature. He did this for two reasons.

1. To restore the property of devatas back to them. 2. To proclaim the truthfulness and surrender of Bali Maharaja to the whole world.

So, in order to benefit these two devotees, the Lord agreed to become a beggar and was also willing to receive criticism from others as a cheater of Bali Maharaja.

While He exhibited His compassion as Vamana (the dwarf) by begging from Bali Maharaj, He also exhibited His Supreme nature and unlimited prowess by manifesting His gigantic form as Trivikrama. He measured the earth and lower planets with His one step and all the higher worlds with the second step. This glorious act of the Lord is extolled in the Rg Veda as follows (1.2.154.1).

viṣṇor nukam vīryāṇi pravocaṁ yaḥ pārthivāni vimame rajāṁsi yo' skabhāyad uttaram sada-stham vicakramānas tredho' rugāya

Even a person who can count the particles of dust in this creation cannot count the glories and prowess of Lord Vishnu, who as Trivikrama measured the earth (including lower worlds) and also the higher worlds and established them duly.

Srimad Bhagavatam verse (2.7.40) being the distilled essence of the vedas echoes this same point as follows. viṣṇor nu vīrya-gaṇanāṁ katamo ’rhatīha yaḥ pārthivāny api kavir vimame rajāṁsi caskambha yaḥ sva-rahasāskhalatā tri-pṛṣṭhaṁ yasmāt tri-sāmya-sadanād uru-kampayānam

Who can completely describe the prowess of Vishnu? Even the scientist who might have counted the particles of atoms of the universe, cannot do so. Because it is He only who in His form of Trivikrama moved His leg effortlessly beyond the topmost planet Satyaloka upto the neutral state of the three modes of material nature. And all were moved.

Krishna willing, we will see how Srila Prabhupada brings out the glory of Vamanadeva in the subsequent offering.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Gurudeva. Narahari Krishna das Ipswich. Glories of Lord Vamana- Part 2

Date: 2016-10-13 Author: Narahari Krishna das

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

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled "Glories of Lord Vamana".

In the commentary to the verse 2.7.40 Srila Prabhupada explains, "The highest scientific advancement of the material scientist is atomic energy. But the material scientist is not able to have an estimation of the particles of atoms contained in this whole universe. But even if one is able to count such atomic particles or is able to roll up the sky like one's bedding, even then one is unable to estimate the extent of prowess and enery of the Supreme Lord. He is known as Trivikrama because once, in His incarnation of Vamana, He expanded His leg beyond the highest planetary system Satyaloka and reached the neutral state of the modes of nature called the covering of the world".

Now one may argue that, "These scriptural statements are applicable in those ancient ages, where there was no scientific progress like we have now. Now we have machine for every single task and with advancement of science definitely in future we will be able to fathom the end of the Lord's greatness and we may even do not need the Lord in future." However the Vedas and Bhagavata purana refute such an argument as follows, The Rg veda mantra revealed by the Sage Vasishta states as follows.

na te viṣṇor jāyamāno na jāto deva mahimnaḥ pāram anantam āpa udhastabhnā nākham ṛśvam bṛhantam dādharta prācīṁ kakubam pṛthivyā

O Lord Vishnu who incarnated as Trivikrama, no one either who is already born or to be born in the future can estimate the end of your glories, who supports the material and spiritual world eternally.

Srimad Bhagavatam which is the matured fruit of Vedic knowledge also states this beautiful point. In verse 8.23.29

pāraṁ mahimna uruvikramato gṛṇāno yaḥ pārthivāni vimame sa rajāṁsi martyaḥ kiṁ jāyamāna uta jāta upaiti martya ity āha mantra-dṛg ṛṣiḥ puruṣasya yasya

One who is subject to death cannot measure the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Trivikrama, Lord Vishnu, anymore than he can count the number of atoms on the entire planet earth. No one, whether born already or destined to take birth, is able to do this. This has been sung by the great sage Vasishta.

So even in the future no one can comprehend the complete glories of the Lord no matter how much we advance because

1. We're subject to death and 2. The Lord's qualities are infinite.

Srila Prabhupada states in the purport, "No one can estimate the extent of the uncommonly glorious activities of Lord Vishnu. Unfortunately, the so-called scientists who are subject to death at every moment but are trying to understand by speculation the wonderful creation of the cosmos. This is a foolish attempt. Long long ago, Vasishta muni said that no one in the past could measure the glories of the Lord and that no one can do so in the future ."

So, now we may ask what to do in this case when we can't measure it? Srila Prabhupada answers, "One must be simply satisfied with seeing the glorious activities of the Supreme Lord's creation". On auspicious occasions such as Lord's appearance day, the devotees hear and glorify the Lord's uncommon activities to the best of their ability and derive transcendental bliss. The fact that the Lord's glories are immeasurable does not make devotees hopeless and frustrated but rather gives them great joy and motivates them to glorify His infinite and immeasurable nature.

Krishna willing, we will see how Lord Trivikrama protected dharma and benefited His different devotees in the next offering.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Ipswich. Glories of Lord Vamana- Part 3

Date: 2016-10-14 Author: Narahari Krishna das

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

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled "Glories of Lord Vamana". Now we will meditate on how Lord Vamanadeva established various dharmas benefitting different devotees. This is confirmed in the Vedas Taittiriya brahmana 2.4.6 as follows:

trīṇi padā vicakrame viṣṇur gopā adhabhyaḥ ato dharmāni dhārayan

That Lord Vishnu who is the Supreme Protector and who is unconquerable measured all the worlds with His three great steps. He protected the different dharmas by doing so.

By His great lila, Lord Trivikrama re-established the normal dharma and also the Bhagavata dharma. The Lord's arrangement is that devatas should rule the heavenly planets, human beings should live in the earth planets in good co-operation with the devatas and the demons live in the lower planets. However, Bali Maharaja disturbed this arrangement by conquering the heavenly planets and subjugating the devatas. So the Lord corrected Bali Maharaja by taking those places from him in charity and returning them to devatas and re-established Lord Indra as the King of heaven again. Thus He established ordinary dharma that everyone should live in the position allotted to them by the Lord.

And more importantly, He established the Bhagavata dharma which entails complete surrender to the Lord. Bali Maharaja offered everything including his own body to the Lord in full surrender. The Lord reciprocated to him in the same way by Himself surrendering to Bali Maharaja and becoming the gatekeeper of the Bali Maharaja at his gate in the lower planets. Also, the greatest fear of a pure devotee is that he will lose his bhakti by bad association or previous bad impressions. Lord Vamanadeva offered this protection also to Bali Maharaja which is Bhagavata dharma (Srimad Bhagavatam verses 8.22.35-36) as follows:

rakṣiṣye sarvato ’haṁ tvāṁ sānugaṁ saparicchadam sadā sannihitaṁ vīra tatra māṁ drakṣyate bhavān Tatra dānava-daityānāṁ saṅgāt te bhāva āsuraḥ dṛṣṭvā mad-anubhāvaṁ vai sadyaḥ kuṇṭho vinaṅkṣyati

O great hero, I shall always be with you and give you protection in all respects along with your associates and paraphernalia. Moreover, you will always be able to see Me there. Because there you will see My supreme prowess, your materialistic ideas and anxieties that have arisen from your association with the demons and Danavas will immediately be vanquished.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the commentary, "The Lord assured Bali Maharaja of all protection, and finally, the Lord assured him of protection from the effects of bad association with the demons. Bali Maharaja certainly became an exalted devotee, but he was somewhat anxious because his association was not purely devotional. The Supreme Personality of Godhead therefore assured him that his demoniac mentality would be annihilated. In other words, by the association of devotees, the demoniac mentality is vanquished...When a demon associates with devotees engaged in glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he gradually becomes a pure devotee." I pray at the lotus feet of Lord Vamanadeva so that my demoniac mentality is gradually reduced by glorifying the Lord.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Ipswich.