Personal deity worship | Srila Gopal Krishna Goswami

Vandegrau Shri Charanaravindam. Yasha Prasad RAVAL. Bhagavad Prasad RAVAL. Yasha Prasad RAVAL. Nagati Kutopi. Diayanto Vamsasya. Yashastrisanya. Vandegrau Shri Charanaravindam. Chaitanya Prabhu Nityananda. Sri Advaita Gada Da. Shiva Satigat Bhakta Vrinda. Jaya Shri Krishna Chaitanya. Prabhupāda, Śrī Advaita, Gadadhara, Daśrīvāsādī, Gauḍāvāktā-vinda, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Hare, Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama. Rama, Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama.

Sorry, who is giving class today? Yes, ma'am. Fight between, uh, Banasura and Krishna.

Thank you.

Chapter 63: Lord Krishna Fights with Banasura. This chapter describes the battle between Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva, as well as Shiva's glorification of Krishna after the Lord had cut off Banasura's arms. When Aniruddha did not return from Śrīmad-Purva, his family and friends passed the 4 months of the rainy season in extreme distress. When they finally heard from Narad Muni how Aniruddha had been captured, a large army of the best Yadava warriors under Krishna's protection set off for Banasura's capital and laid siege to it. Banasura fiercely opposed them with his own army of equal size. To help Banasura, Lord Shiva, accompanied by Kartikeya and a horde of mystic sages, took up arms against Balaram and Krishna. Bana began fighting against Satyaki, and Bana's son fought against Sambhu. All the demigods assembled in the sky to witness the battle. With his arrows, Lord Krishna harassed the followers of Lord Shiva, and by putting Lord Shiva into a state of confusion, He was able to destroy Banasura's army. Kartikeya was so strongly beaten by Pradyumna that he fled the battlefield, while the remnants of Banasura's army, harried by the blows of Lord Balarama's club, scattered in all directions. Engaged to see his army's destruction, enraged to see his army's destruction, Banasura rushed Krishna's Krishna to attack him, but the Lord immediately killed Bana's chariot driver and broke his chariot and bow, and then he sounded his Panchajanya conch shell. Next, Banasura's mother, trying to save her son, appeared naked in front of Lord Krishna, who averted his face to avoid looking at her. Seeing his chance, Bana fled into his city. After Lord Krishna had thoroughly defeated the ghosts and hobgoblins fighting under Lord Shiva, the Shiva-jwara weapon, a personification of fever with 3 heads and 3 legs, approached Lord Krishna to fight him. Seeing the Shiva-jwara, Krishna released his Vishnu-jwara. The Shiva-jwara was overwhelmed by the Vishnu-jwara. Having nowhere else to turn for shelter, The Śivajora began to address Lord Kṛṣṇa, glorifying him and asking for mercy. Lord Kṛṣṇa was pleased with the Śivajora, and after the Lord had promised him freedom from fear, the Śivajora bowed down to him and departed. Next, Banasura returned and attacked Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa again, wielding all kinds of weapons in his thousand hands. But Lord Krishna took his Sudarshana disc and began cutting off all the demon's arms. Lord Shiva approached Krishna to pray for Banasura's life, and when the Lord agreed to spare him, he spoke as follows to Shiva, quote: Banasura does not deserve to die since he was born in the family of Prahlad Maharaj. I have severed all but 4 of Bana's arms just to destroy his false pride, and I have annihilated his army because they were a burden to the earth. Henceforward, he will be free from old age and death, and remaining fearless in all circumstances, he will be one of your principal attendants. Assured he had nothing to fear, Banasura then offered his obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa and had Usha and Aniruddha seated on their wedding chariot and brought before Lord Krishna. Krishna then set off for Dwarka with Aniruddha and his bride leading the procession. When the newlyweds arrived at Lord's capital, they were honored by the citizens, the Lord's relatives, and the brahmanas. Text 1: Śrī Caitanya Gosvāmī said, O descendant of Bharata, The relatives of Aniruddha— O descendant of Bharata, the relatives of Aniruddha, not seeing him return, continued to lament as the four rainy months passed. Text 2. After hearing from Narada the news of Aniruddha's deeds and his capture, the Vrishnis, who worship Lord Krishna as their principal deity, went to Śrīmad-Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Text 3 and 4. With Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balrāma in head, the chiefs of Sātvata clan—Pradyumna, Satyaki, Gada, Sāmba, Śarana, Nanda, Upananda, Bhadra, and others—converged with an army of 12 divisions and laid siege to Banasura's capital, completely surrounding the city on all sides. Text 5: Banasura became filled with anger upon seeing them destroy his city's suburban gardens, ramparts, watchtowers, and gateways, and thus he went out to confront them with an army of equal size. Text 6: Lord Rudra, accompanied by his son Kartikeya and the Paramathas, came riding on Nandi, his bull carrier, to fight Balaram and Krishna on Bana's behalf. Purport: Śrīla Śrīdhara ṣvāmī states that the word Bhagavān is used here to indicate that Lord Śiva is by nature all-knowing and thus well aware of Lord Kṛṣṇa's greatness. Still, although Śiva knew Lord Kṛṣṇa would defeat him, he joined the battle against him to demonstrate the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī ṭhākura states that Lord Śiva entered the battle for two reasons: first, to increase Lord Kṛṣṇa's pleasure and enthusiasm, and second, to demonstrate that the Lord's incarnation as Kṛṣṇa, although enacting human-like pastimes, is superior to other avatāras such as Lord Rāma and Candra. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further states in this regard that Yogamāya, Lord Krishna's internal potency bewildered Lord Shiva just as she had bewildered Brahma. In support of this statement, the Acharya cites the phrase Brahma rudraadi mohanam from Bhaktirasamhita Sindhu. Of course, Yogamaya's job is to make fine arrangements for the Lord's pastimes, and thus Shiva became enthusiastic to battle the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. Text 7. A most astonishing, tumultuous, and hair-raising battle then commenced, with Lord Kṛṣṇa matched against Lord Śaṅkara, and Pradyumna against Kartikeya. Text 8. Lord Balaram fought with Kubhanda and Kupa-karna, Sāmba with Bāṇa's son, and Satyaki with Bāṇa. Text 9. Brahmā and other ruling demigods along with siddhas, charanas and great sages, as well as gandharvas, apsaras, yakshas, all came in their celestial airplanes to watch. Text 10, 11. With sharp-pointed arrows discharged from His bow , Lord Kṛṣṇa drove away the various followers of Lord Śiva. Bhutas, Pramathas, Guhyakas, Dakinis, Yatudhanas, Vetalas, Vinayakas, Pretas, Matas, Pishachas, Kusumandas, and Brahma Rakshasas. Text 12. Lord Shiva, wielder of the trident, shot various weapons at Lord Krishna, wielder of Sharanga, but Lord Krishna was not in the least perplexed. He neutralized all these weapons with appropriate counter weapons. Text 13: Lord Krishna counteracted a Brahmastra with another Brahmastra, a wind weapon with a mountain weapon, a fire weapon with a rain weapon, and Lord Shiva's personal Pashupatastra weapon with his own personal weapon, the Narayanastra. Text 14: After bewildering Lord Śiva by making him yawn with a yawning weapon, Lord Kṛṣṇa proceeded to strike down Banasura's army with his sword, club, and arrows. Text 15. Lord Kartikeya was distressed by the flood of Pradyumna's arrows raining down from all sides, and thus he fled the battlefield on his peacock as blood poured from his limbs. Text 16: Kubhanda and Kupkarna, tormented by Lord Balaram's club, fell down dead. When the soldiers of these two demons saw that their leaders had been killed, they scattered in all directions. Text 17: Banasura was furious to see his entire military force being torn apart. Leaving his fight with Satyaki, he charged across the battlefield on his chariot and attacked Lord Krishna. Text 18: Excited to a frenzy by the fighting, Bana simultaneously pulled taut all the strings of his 500 bows and fixed 2 arrows on each string. Text 19: Lord Sri Hari split every one of Banasura's bows simultaneously and also struck down his chariot driver, chariot, and horses. The Lord then sounded His conch shell. Just then, Banasura's mother, Kottara, desiring to save her son's life, appeared before Lord Krishna naked and with her hair undone. Text 21. Lord Gadagadraja turned His face away to avoid seeing the naked woman,, and Banasura, deprived of his chariot, his bow shattered, took the opportunity to flee into the city. Text 22. After Lord Śiva's followers had been driven away, the Śivajvara, who had 3 heads and 3 feet, pressed forward to attack Lord Kṛṣṇa. As the Śivajvara approached, he seemed to burn everything in 10 directions. Śrīla Viṣṇunātha Ācārya Vartī quotes the following description of the Śiva-jvara: Jvarastri-padastri śīraḥ sād-bhujho-nava-lochanāḥ bhaṣma-parāharaṇo raudraḥ kālāntaka-yamopāmaḥ. The terrible Śiva-jvara had 3 legs, 3 heads, 6 arms, and 9 eyes showering ashes He resembled Yamraj at the end, at the time of universal annihilation. Text 23. Seeing his personified weapon approach, Lord Narayana then released his own personified weapon, the Vishnu-jwara. The Shiva-jwara and Vishnu-jwara thus battled each other. Text 24. The Shiva-jwara, overwhelmed by the strength of the Vishnu-jwara, cried out in pain. But finding no refuge, the frightened Śivajvara approached Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of the senses, hoping to attain His shelter. Thus, with joined palms, he began to praise the Lord. As pointed out by Śrīla Viśvanātha Ṛakravartī, it is significant that the Śivajvara had to leave the side of his master, Lord Śiva, and directly take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Krishna. Text 25. The Śrīvajñora said, I bow down to You of unlimited potencies, the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Soul of all beings. You possess pure and complete consciousness and are the cause of cosmic creation, maintenance, and dissolution. Perfectly peaceful, You are the Absolute Truth. To whom the Vedas indirectly refer. Previously, the Śrīvājvara felt himself to be unlimitedly powerful and thus attempted to burn Śrī Kṛṣṇa. But now he himself has been burned, and understanding that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, he humbly approaches to bow down and offer praise to the Absolute Truth. According to the Ācāryas, the word sarvāt mānam indicates that Lord Sri Krishna is the Super Soul, the giver of consciousness to all living beings. Krishna confirms this in Bhagavad-gītā 15.15, "Mad-dāḥ smṛtir-jñānam abho-hanam ca." From Me comes remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness. In his commentary, Śrīla Viśvanātha ṣakravartī emphasizes that the Śiva-jñora has realized in many words Lord Krishna's supremacy over his own master, Lord Śiva. Thus, the Śiva-jvara addresses Kṛṣṇa as anantaśakti, possessor of unlimited potency, paresa, the Supreme Controller, and sarvātmā, the Super Soul of all beings, even of Lord Śiva. The words kevalam gyāpti-mātram indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa possesses pure omniscience. According to our limited understanding, We act in this world, but Lord Krishna, with his unlimited understanding, performs infinite works of creation, maintenance, and annihilation. Time: 5:58 minutes. As Śrīla Jīvagosvāmī points out, even the functions of the gross elements such as air, depend on Him. The Taittiriya Upanishad 2.8.1 confirms this: Vaisashmat vatah bhavate. Out of fear of Him, the wind blows. Thus, Lord Sri Krishna is the ultimate object of worship for all living beings. Text 26. Translation: Time, fate, karma, the jiva, and its propensities The subtle material elements, the material body, the life air, false ego, the various senses, and the totality of these are reflected in the living being's subtle body. All this constitutes your material illusory energy, Maya, an endless cycle like that of seed and plant. I take shelter of you, the negation of this Maya. The word bijeroha pravaha is explained as follows: the conditioned soul, the conditioned soul accepts a material body with which he attempts to enjoy the material world. That body is the seed, bija, of the future material existence, because when a person acts with that body, he creates further reactions, karma, which grows roha) into the obligation to accept another material body. In other words, material life is a chain of action and reactions. The simple decision to surrender to the Supreme Lord releases the conditioned soul from this futile repetition of material growth and reaction. According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the words tan nishedham prapadye indicate that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, is nishedhavadhi-buddham, the limit of negation. In other words, after all illusion is negated, the absolute truth remains. The process of education may be succinctly described as a way of eradicating ignorance through the attainment of knowledge. Through inductive, deductive, and intuitive means, we attempt to refute the specious and the illusory and the imperfect and elevate ourselves to a platform of full knowledge. Ultimately, when all illusion is negated, that which remains firmly in place is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the previous text, the Jīvajñāra describes the Supreme Lord as sarvātmānam kevalam gyāptimātram, pure concentrated spiritual consciousness. Now The Śiva-jñāra concludes his philosophical description of the Lord by saying in this text that the various aspects of material existence are also potencies of the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Viśvanātha ṣakravartī mentions that the Supreme Lord's own body and senses, as impelled here by the word tan-niścedam, are not different from the Lord's pure spiritual existence. The Lord's body and senses are not external to Him. Nor do they cover him, but rather the Lord is identical with his spiritual form and senses. The full absolute truth, unlimited in fascinating diversity, is Lord Sri Krishna. Text 27. With various intentions, you perform pastimes to maintain the demigods, the saintly persons, and the code of religion for this world. By these pastimes, You also kill those who stray from the right path and live by violence. Indeed, your present incarnation is meant to relieve the earth's burden. As Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita 9.29, Samo ham sarva bhuteshu name dveshosti na priyaha ye bhajanti tumam bhakti, manyite tesu chapya ham. I envy no one 'Nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all, but whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend in Me, and I am also a friend to him.' The demigods and sages, devān, sādhūn, are indicated to executing the will of the Supreme Lord. The demigods act as cosmic administrators, and the sages, by their teachings and the good and their good example illuminate the path of self-realization and holiness. But those who transgress the natural law, the law of God, and live by committing violence against others are vanquished by the Supreme Lord in His various pastime incarnations. As the Lord states in the Bhagavad-gītā 4.11, ye yathāmām prapadyante tām sataye vābhajāmyaṁ He is impartial, but he responds appropriately to the actions of the living beings. Text 28: I am tortured by the fierce power of your terrible fever weapon, which is cold yet burning. All embodied souls must suffer as long as they remain bound to the material ambitions and thus averse to serving your feet. In the previous verse, the Śiva-jvāra stated that those who live by violence will suffer similar violence at the hand of the Lord. But here he further states that those who do not surrender to the Supreme Lord are especially liable to punishment. Although the Śiva-jvāra himself had acted violently up till now, since he had surrendered to the Lord and rectified himself, He hopes to receive the Lord's mercy. In other words, he has now become the Lord's devotee. Text 29. The Supreme Lord said, 'O three-headed one, I am pleased with you. May your fear of My severe weapon be dispelled, and may whoever remembers our conversation here have no reason to fear You.' The Lord accepts the Śiva-jvara as His devotee and gives him His first order, that he should never frighten by hot fever those who faithfully hear this pastime of the Lord's. Text 30. Thus addressed, the Maheshvara-jvara bowed down to the infallible Lord and went away. But Banasura then appeared, riding forth on his chariot. To fight Lord Krishna. Text 31. Carrying innumerable weapons in his thousand hands, O King, the terribly infuriated demon shot many arrows at Lord Krishna, the carrier of disc weapon. Text 32. As Bana continued hurling weapons at him, the Supreme Lord began using his razor-sharp chakra to cut off Banasura's arms as if they were tree branches. Text 33. Lord Śiva felt compassion for his devotee Banasura, whose arms were being cut off, and thus he approached Lord Chakrayudha, Kṛṣṇa, and spoke to him as follows. Text 34. Śrī Rudra said, You alone are the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Light, The mystery hidden within the verbal manifestations of the Absolute. Those whose hearts are spotless can see you, for you are uncontaminated like the sky. The Absolute Truth— Purpur— the Absolute Truth is the source of all light and is therefore the supreme light, self-luminous. This Absolute Truth is explained confidentially in the Vedas and is therefore difficult for an ordinary reader to understand. The following statements quoted by Śrīla Jīvā Gosvāmī from the Gopāltapani Upaniṣad show how the Vedic sounds occasionally reveal the Absolute: Te ho cur upāsanam etasya prātmāno govindasyā kilādhārino mruḥī purvakaṇṇa-saṇḍin They, the four Kumaras, said to Brahmā, please tell us how to worship Govinda, the Supreme Soul and the fountain of all that exists. Chetanast Chetananam, Purvakaṇḍa 21. He is the chief of all living beings and Tamha devam atma bhritti prakasham. Urukanda 23. One realizes that Supreme Lord by first realizing one's own self. The great Acharya Jīvagosvāmī also quotes a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.10.48, gurḥ paraṁ brahma-manuṣya-lingaṁ, which refers to "the Supreme Truth concealed in a human-like form." Since the Lord is pure, why do some people perceive Kṛṣṇa's form and activities as impure? Ācārya Jīva explains that those whose own hearts are impure cannot understand the pure Lord. Śrīla Viśvanātha Ṛakravartī further quotes the Lord's own instruction to Arjuna in Śrī Hārī-bhāmṣa: Tat param paramaṁ brahma sarva-vibhajite jagat mamaiva tat ganaṁ tejo gnaṭṭham arhasibhārata Superior to that is the Supreme Brahman from which this entire creation expands. O descendant of Bharata, you should know that the Supreme Brahman consists of My concentrated effulgence. Thus, to save His devotee, Śiva now glorifies the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, His eternal worshipable master. The Lord's bewildering potency induced Shiva to fight with Lord Krishna, but now the fight is over, and to save his devotee, Lord Shiva offers these beautiful prayers. Text 35-36: The sky is your navel, fire your face, water your semen, and heaven your head. The cardinal directions are your sense of hearing, herbal plants the hairs on your body, and water-bearing clouds the hair on your head. The earth is your foot, the moon your mind, and the sun your vision, while I am your ego. The ocean is your abdomen, Indra your arm, Lord Brahma your intelligence, the progenitor of mankind your genitals, and religion your heart. You are indeed the original Purusha, Creator of the worlds. First word, Śrīla Śrīdhārṣvāmī explains that just as the tiny bugs living inside a fruit cannot comprehend the fruit, so we tiny living beings cannot understand the Supreme Absolute Truth in whom we exist. It is difficult to understand the cosmic manifestation of the Lord, what to speak of His transcendental form as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, we should surrender in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and the Lord Himself will help us understand. Text 37. Your current descent into the material realm, O Lord of unrestricted power, is meant for upholding the principles of justice and benefiting the entire universe. The demigods, īs, depending on Your grace and authority, developed the 7 planetary systems. As Lord Śiva glorifies Lord Kṛṣṇa, a doubt may arise since, apparently, Lord Kṛṣṇa is standing before Lord Śiva as a historical personality with a human-like body. However, it is out of Lord's causeless mercy that He appears to us in a form visible to our mundane eyes. If we want to understand the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, We must hear from recognized authorities in Krishna consciousness, such as Lord Krishna himself in the Bhagavad-gītā, or from Lord Śiva as a recognized Vaiṣṇava authority who here glorifies the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Text 38. You are the original person, one without a second, transcendental and self-manifesting, uncaused, You are the cause of all, and you are the ultimate controller. You are nonetheless perceived in terms of transformations of matter affected by your illusory energy transformations. You section so that the base material qualities can fully manifest. The Ācāryas comment as follows on this verse. Śrīla Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains that the term adyā-puruṣaḥ, the original Purusha indicates that Lord Sri Krishna expands Himself as Mahavishnu, the first of the three Purushas who take charge of cosmic manifestation. The Lord is ekadvaitiya, one without a second, because there is no one equal to the Lord or different from Him. No one is completely equal to the Supreme Lord, and yet because all the living beings are expansions of the potency of the Godhead, No one is qualitatively different from Him. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu nicely explains this inconceivable situation by stating that the Absolute Truth and the living beings are qualitatively one but quantitatively different. The Absolute possesses infinite spiritual consciousness, whereas the living beings possess infinitesimal consciousness which is subject to being covered by illusion. Śrīla Jīvagosvāmī, commenting on the term Adyā-puruṣaḥ, quotes from the Satvāt Tantra, Viṣṇuṣṭhu tarini rūpāṇi, there are three forms of Viṣṇu for cosmic manifestation, etc. Śrīla Jīvagosvāmī also quotes a statement of the Lord's form, śruti, purvam evaḥ yāsaṁ, in the beginning I alone existed in this world. This statement describes the form of the Lord called the Purusha Avatara who exists before the cosmic creation. Śrīla Jīvagosvāmī also quotes the following śruti mantra, tat puruṣasya puruṣa tam, tat puruṣasya puruṣa tavam, which means such constitutes the Lord's status as Puruṣa. Actually, Lord Krishna is the essence of the Purusha Incarnation because He is Turiya, as described in the present verse. Jīvaka Swāmi explains the term Turiya, literally the fourth, by quoting Śrīla Śrīla Prabhupāda's commentary on the Bhāgavatam verse 11:15-16. Virātā hiraṇnekarvāśca kāraṇaṁ cētyubādayāḥ iśāsyāya tri-bhirhīnaṁ turiyaṁ tad vidur vūḥ the Lord's universal form, His Hiranyagarbha form, and the primeval cause-manifestation of the material nature are all relative conceptions. But because the Lord Himself is not covered by these three intelligences, authorities call Him the fourth. According to Srila Abhisvanatha Chakravarti, the word Surya indicates that the Lord is the fourth member of the quadruple expansion of Godhead called Chaturvyuha. In other words, Lord Krishna is Vasudeva. Lord Krishna is Sarvadrik, that is, he alone can perceive himself perfectly because he is infinite spiritual existence, infinitely pure. He is Hetu, the cause of everything, and yet he is Ahetu, without cause. Therefore, he is Isha, the supreme controller. The last two lines of this verse are of special philosophical significance. Why is the Lord perceived differently by different persons although He is one? A partial expansion is given here— explanation— a partial explanation is given here. By the agency of Maya, the Lord's external potency, material nature, is in a constant state of transformation, vikāra. In one sense then, material nature is unreal asat. But because Lord God is the supreme reality, and because he is present within all things, and all things are his potency, material objects and energies possess a degree of reality. Therefore, some people see one aspect of material energy and think this is reality, while other people see a different aspect of material energy and think no, This is reality. Being conditioned souls, we are covered by different configurations of material nature, and thus we describe the Supreme Truth or the Supreme Lord in terms of our corrupted vision. Yet even the covering qualities of material nature, such as our conditioned intelligence, mind, and senses, are real, being the potency of the Supreme Lord. And therefore, through all things we can perceive in a more or less subjective way the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why the present verse states, pratiyase, you are perceived. Furthermore, without the manifestation of material nature's covering qualities, the creation could not fulfill its purpose, namely to allow the conditioned souls to make their best attempt to enjoy without God. So that they will finally understand the futility of such an illusory notion. Text 39: O Almighty One, just as the sun, though hidden by a cloud, illuminates the cloud and all other visible forms as well, so you, although hidden by the material qualities, remain self-luminous and thus reveal all those qualities along with the living entities who possess them. Further, here Lord Shiva further clarifies the idea expressed in the final two lines of the previous verses. The analogy of the clouds and the sun is appropriate. With his energy, the sun creates clouds which covers our vision of the sun. Yet it is the sun that allows us to see the clouds and all other things as well. Similarly, the Lord expands his illusory potency and this prevents us from directly seeing Him. Yet it is God alone who reveals to us His covering potency, namely the material world. And thus the Lord is Ātmā-pradīpa, self-luminous. It is the reality of His existence that makes all things visible. Text 40. Their intelligence bewildered by your Maya, fully attached to children, wife, home, and so on, persons immersed in the ocean of material misery sometimes rise to the surface and sometimes sink down. Purport: Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that rising in the ocean of misery indicates elevation to a higher species, such as demigods, and that being submerged refers to degradation of lower species, even to immobile forms of life such as trees. As stated in the Vayu Purana, viparyayas ca bhavati brahmatva sthavar tavayo, the living being rotates between the position of Brahma and that of an unmoving creature. Śrīla Jīvagosvāmī points out that Śiva, having glorified the Lord, now pursues his original intention of securing the Lord's grace for Vānasūra. Thus, in this and the following verses, Lord Śiva instructs Bana on his actual position in relation to Lord Śiva. Appeal to the Lord for compassion towards Bana appears in text 45. Text 41. One who has attained this human form of life as a gift from God, yet who fails to control his senses and honor your feet, is surely to be be pitied, for he is only cheating himself. Lord Śiva here condemns those who refuse to engage in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord. Text 42. That mortal who rejects You, his true Self, dearmost friend and Lord, for the sake of sense objects, whose nature is just the opposite, refuses nectar and instead consumes poison. The person described above is pitiable because he rejects that which is actually dear, the Lord, and accepts that which is not dear and is ungodly, temporary self-gratification, which leads to suffering and bewilderment. 6:20 Maharaj. Text 43. I, Lord Brahmā, the other demigods, and the pure-minded sages have all surrendered wholeheartedly unto You, our dearmost Self and Lord. Text 44. Let us worship You, the Supreme Lord, to be freed from material life. You are the maintainer of the universe and cause of its creation and demise. Equipoised and perfectly at peace, you are the true friend, self, and worshipable Lord. You are one without a second, the shelter of all the worlds and all souls. For good. Śrīla Śrīla Rādhārāṇī states that the Lord is a true friend because he sets one's proper intelligence into motion if one desires to know the truth about God and the soul. Śrīla Jīvagosvāmī and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī both emphasize that the term bhāvā-pavarga-yāya indicates the highest liberation of pure love of Godhead, characterized by unalloyed devotional service unto the Lord. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī also explains the Supreme Lord is samām, perfectly objective and balanced, whereas other living beings, having an incomplete grasp of reality, cannot be perfectly objective. Those who surrender unto the Lord also become fully objective by taking shelter of His Supreme Consciousness. Text 45. This Banasura is My dear and faithful follower, and I have awarded him freedom from fear. Therefore, my Lord, please grant him your mercy, just as you showered mercy to Prahlāda, the lord of the demons. For good. Lord Śiva feels inclined to help Bāṇasūra because the demon showed great devotion to Lord Śiva when he provided musical accompaniment for Śiva's tāṇḍava dance. Another reason Bāṇa is an object of Lord Śiva's favor is that he is a descendant of the great devotee Prahlāda and Bali. Text 46. The Supreme Lord said, 'My dear Lord, for Your pleasure, we must certainly do what You have requested us. I fully agree with Your conclusion.' We should not think it strange that the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa here addresses Lord Śiva as Bhagavān, Lord. All living beings are part and parcel of the Lord, qualitatively one with Him, and Lord Śiva is an especially powerful, pure entity who possesses many of the Supreme Lord's qualities. Just as a father is happy to share his riches with a beloved son, so the Supreme Lord happily invests pure living beings with some of His potency and opulence. And just as a father proudly and happily observes the good qualities of His children, the Lord is most happy to glorify the pure living beings who are powerful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus the Supreme Lord is pleased to glorify Lord Śiva by addressing Him as Bhagavan. Text 47. I will not kill this demoniac son of Vairocana, for I gave Prahlāda Mahārāja the benediction that I would not kill any of his descendants. Text 48. It was to subdue Banasura's false pride that I severed his arms, and I slew his mighty army because it had become a burden upon the earth. Text 49. This demon, who still has four arms, will be immune to old age and death, and he will serve as one of your principal attendants. Thus he will have nothing to fear on any account. Text 50. Thus attaching freedom from fear— sorry, thus attaining freedom from fear, Banasura offered obeisances to Lord Krishna by touching his head to the ground. Bana then seated Aniruddha and his bride on their chariot and brought them before the Lord. Text 51. At the front of the party, Lord Krishna then placed Aniruddha and his bride, both beautifully adorned with fine clothes and ornaments. And surrounded them with a full military division. Thus Lord Krishna took his leave of Lord Shiva and departed. Text 52. The Lord then entered his capital. The city was lavishly decorated with flags and victory arches, and its avenues and crossways were all sprinkled with water. As conch shells, Ānakās, and dundubi drums resounded, the The Lord's relatives, the brahmanas, and the general populace all came forward to greet Him respectfully. Text 53. Whoever rises early in the morning and remembers Lord Kṛṣṇa's victory in His battle with Lord Śiva will never experience defeat. Thus ends the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmi Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Sixty-Third Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Entitled Lord Krishna Fights with Banasura. Gurumaharaj, shall I read further? Yes, Gurumaharaj. Text chapter 64, The Deliverance of King Riga. This chapter describes how Sri Krishna released King Riga from a curse and instructed the royal order on the great danger of of Brahmanas' property. One day, Samba and other young boys of the Yadava dynasty went to the forest to play, and after playing for a long time, they became very thirsty and began looking for water. Inside a dry well, they found an amazing creature, a huge lizard resembling a hill. The boys felt sorry for it and tried to pull it out. But after several attempts with leather thongs and ropes, they saw that they would not be able to rescue the creature, and thus they went to Lord Krishna and told him what had happened. The Lord accompanied them to the well and, extending his left hand, easily lifted the lizard out. By the touch of Lord Krishna's hand, the creature transformed at once into a demigod. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa asked, "Who are you and how did you assume such a lowly form?" The divine being replied, "My name is King Rega, son of Ikṣvāku, and I was famous for giving charity. Indeed, I gave away countless cows to numerous brahmanas. But on one occasion, a cow belonging to a first-class brahmana wandered into my herd. Unaware of this, I gave this cow in charity to a different Brahmana. When the cow's previous owner saw the second— when the cow's previous owner saw the second Brahmana taking his cow away, the first Brahmana claimed the cow as his and began arguing with the second Brahmana. After quarreling for some time, they approached me, and I implored them to each take 100,000 cows in exchange for that one cow, and to please forgive me for the offense I had unknowingly committed. But neither Brahmana would accept any proposal, and the matter remained unsettled. Shortly thereafter, I died and was taken by the Yamadutas to the court of Yamaraja. Yama asked me which I preferred to do first, suffer the results of my sins or enjoy the results of my pious acts. I decided to suffer my sinful reactions first, and thus I assumed the body Okay.