Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Class
Next Live Broadcast
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Wed, Jan 22, 2025
Speaker: Puskar Prabhu
Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for Mankind
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Transcendental Qualities of Vṛtrāsura
- Text 26:
- O lotus-eyed Lord, as baby birds that have not yet developed their wings always look for their mother to return and feed them, as small calves tied with ropes await anxiously the time of milking, when they will be allowed to drink the milk of their mothers, or as a morose wife whose husband is away from home always longs for him to return and satisfy her in all respects, I always yearn for the opportunity to render direct service unto You.
- Text 27:
- O my Lord, my master, I am wandering throughout this material world as a result of my fruitive activities. Therefore I simply seek friendship in the association of Your pious and enlightened devotees. My attachment to my body, wife, children and home is continuing by the spell of Your external energy, but I wish to be attached to them no longer. Let my mind, my consciousness and everything I have be attached only to You.
Thu, Jan 23, 2025
Speaker: Radhesh Prabhu
CHAPTER TWELVE
Vṛtrāsura’s Glorious Death
This chapter describes how Indra, the King of heaven, killed Vṛtrāsura despite great reluctance.
After Vṛtrāsura finished speaking, he released his trident against King Indra with great anger, but Indra, using his thunderbolt, which was many times more powerful than the trident, broke the trident to pieces and cut off one of Vṛtrāsura’s arms. Nevertheless, Vṛtrāsura used his remaining arm to strike Indra with an iron mace, making the thunderbolt fall from Indra’s hand. Indra, being very ashamed of this, did not pick up the thunderbolt from the ground, but Vṛtrāsura encouraged King Indra to pick it up and fight. Vṛtrāsura then spoke to King Indra as follows, instructing him very well.
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead,” he said, “is the cause of victory and defeat. Not knowing that the Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes, fools and rascals try to take credit for victory or defeat themselves, but everything is actually under the control of the Lord. No one but Him has any independence. The puruṣa (the enjoyer) and prakṛti (the enjoyed) are under the control of the Lord, for it is by His supervision that everything works systematically. Not seeing the hand of the Supreme in every action, a fool considers himself the ruler and controller of everything. When one understands, however, that the real controller is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is freed from the relativities of the world, such as distress, happiness, fear and impurity.” Thus Indra and Vṛtrāsura not only fought, but also engaged in philosophical discourses. Then they began to fight again.
This time Indra was more powerful, and he severed Vṛtrāsura’s remaining arm. Vṛtrāsura then assumed a gigantic form and swallowed King Indra, but Indra, being protected by the talisman known as Nārāyaṇa-kavaca, was able to protect himself even within Vṛtrāsura’s body. Thus he emerged from Vṛtrāsura’s abdomen and severed the demon’s head from his body with his powerful thunderbolt. Severing the demon’s head took one complete year to accomplish.
- Text 1:
- Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Desiring to give up his body, Vṛtrāsura considered death in the battle preferable to victory. O King Parīkṣit, he vigorously took up his trident and with great force attacked Lord Indra, the King of heaven, just as Kaiṭabha had forcefully attacked the Supreme Personality of Godhead when the universe was inundated.
Fri, Jan 24, 2025
Fasting for Sat-tila Ekadasi
Speaker: Garuda Prabhu
During this presentation Garuda Prabhu will discuss misinterpretations and realizations regarding “the rape passage” in the Bhāgavatam.
Sat, Jan 25, 2025
Dvadasi: Break fast after 11:10 (1/4 of tithi)
Speaker: Bhrigupati Prabhu
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lord Caitanya in Five Features
- Text 107:
- “The material defects of mistakes, illusions, cheating and sensory inefficiency do not exist in the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
