Situate Properly And Fight With Maya

2009-08-19
Srimad Bhagavatam 08.02.20-30 - Situate Properly And Fight With Maya (download mp3)
by Adbhuta Hari Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty
www.iskcondesiretree.net



 SB 8.2.20
tatraikada tad-giri-kananasrayah
karenubhir varana-yutha-pas caran
sakantakam kicaka-venu-vetravad
visala-gulmam prarujan vanaspatin

Translation:
The leader of the elephants who lived in the forest of the mountain Trikuta once wandered toward the lake with his female elephants. He broke many plants, creepers, thickets and trees, not caring for their piercing thorns.
SB 8.2.21
yad-gandha-matrad dharayo gajendra
vyaghradayo vyala-mrgah sakhadgah
mahoragas capi bhayad dravanti
sagaura-krsnah sarabhas camaryah

Translation:
Simply by catching scent of that elephant, all the other elephants, the tigers and the other ferocious animals, such as lions, rhinoceroses, great serpents and black and white sarabhas, fled in fear. The camari deer also fled.

SB 8.2.22
vrka varaha mahisarksa-salya
gopuccha-salavrka-markatas ca
anyatra ksudra harinah sasadayas
caranty abhita yad-anugrahena

Translation:
By the mercy of this elephant, animals like the foxes, wolves, buffalos, bears, boars, gopucchas, porcupines, monkeys, rabbits, the other deer and many other small animals loitered elsewhere in the forest. They were not afraid of him.

Purport:
All the animals were practically controlled by this elephant, yet although they could move without fear, because of respect they did not stand before him.


SB 8.2.23-24
sa gharma-taptah karibhih karenubhir
vrto madacyut-karabhair anudrutah
girim garimna paritah prakampayan
nisevyamano 'likulair madasanaih
saro 'nilam pankaja-renu-rusitam
jighran viduran mada-vihvaleksanah
vrtah sva-yuthena trsarditena tat
sarovarabhyasam athagamad drutam

Translation:
Surrounded by the herd's other elephants, including females, and followed by the young ones, Gajapati, the leader of the elephants, made Trikuta Mountain tremble all around because of the weight of his body. He was perspiring, liquor dripped from his mouth, and his vision was overwhelmed by intoxication. He was being served by bumblebees who drank honey, and from a distance he could smell the dust of the lotus flowers, which was carried from the lake by the breeze. Thus surrounded by his associates, who were afflicted by thirst, he soon arrived at the bank of the lake.


SB 8.2.25
vigahya tasminn amrtambu nirmalam
hemaravindotpala-renu-rusitam
papau nikamam nija-puskaroddhrtam
atmanam adbhih snapayan gata-klamah

Translation:
The King of the elephants entered the lake, bathed thoroughly and was relieved of his fatigue. Then, with the aid of his trunk, he drank the cold, clear, nectarean water, which was mixed with the dust of lotus flowers and water lilies, until he was fully satisfied.


SB 8.2.26
sa puskarenoddhrta-sikarambubhir
nipayayan samsnapayan yatha grhi
ghrni karenuh karabhams ca durmado
nacasta krcchram krpano 'ja-mayaya

Translation:
Like a human being who lacks spiritual knowledge and is too attached to the members of his family, the elephant, being illusioned by the external energy of Krsna, had his wives and children bathe and drink the water. Indeed, he raised water from the lake with his trunk and sprayed it over them. He did not mind the hard labor involved in this endeavor.


SB 8.2.27
tam tatra kascin nrpa daiva-codito
graho baliyams carane rusagrahit
yadrcchayaivam vyasanam gato gajo
yatha-balam so 'tibalo vicakrame

Translation:
By the arrangement of providence, O King, a strong crocodile was angry at the elephant and attacked the elephant's leg in the water. The elephant was certainly strong, and he tried his best to get free from this danger sent by providence.

SB 8.2.28
tathaturam yutha-patim karenavo
vikrsyamanam tarasa baliyasa
vicukrusur dina-dhiyo 'pare gajah
parsni-grahas tarayitum na casakan

Translation:
Thereafter, seeing Gajendra in that grave condition, his wives felt very, very sorry and began to cry. The other elephants wanted to help Gajendra, but because of the crocodile's great strength, they could not rescue him by grasping him from behind.

SB 8.2.29
niyudhyator evam ibhendra-nakrayor
vikarsator antarato bahir mithah
samah sahasram vyagaman mahi-pate
sapranayos citram amamsatamarah

Translation:
O King, the elephant and the crocodile fought in this way, pulling one another in and out of the water, for one thousand years. Upon seeing the fight, the demigods were very surprised.

SB 8.2.30
tato gajendrasya mano-balaujasam
kalena dirghena mahan abhud vyayah
vikrsyamanasya jale 'vasidato
viparyayo 'bhut sakalam jalaukasah

Translation:
Thereafter, because of being pulled into the water and fighting for many long years, the elephant became diminished in his mental, physical and sensual strength. The crocodile, on the contrary, being an animal of the water, increased in enthusiasm, physical strength and sensual power.

Purport:
In the fighting between the elephant and the crocodile, the difference was that although the elephant was extremely powerful, he was in a foreign place, in the water. During one thousand years of fighting, he could not get any food, and under the circumstances his bodily strength diminished, and because his bodily strength diminished, his mind also became weak and his senses less powerful. The crocodile, however, being an animal of the water, had no difficulties. He was getting food and was therefore getting mental strength and sensual encouragement. Thus while the elephant became reduced in strength, the crocodile became more and more powerful. Now, from this we may take the lesson that in our fight with maya we should not be in a position in which our strength, enthusiasm and senses will be unable to fight vigorously. Our Krsna consciousness movement has actually declared war against the illusory energy, in which all the living entities are rotting in a false understanding of civilization. The soldiers in this Krsna consciousness movement must always possess physical strength, enthusiasm and sensual power. To keep themselves fit, they must therefore place themselves in a normal condition of life. What constitutes a normal condition will not be the same for everyone, and therefore there are divisions of varnasrama-brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. Especially in this age, Kali-yuga, it is advised that no one take sannyasa.

asvamedham gavalambham
sannyasam pala-paitrkam
devarena sutotpattim
kalau pañca vivarjayet
[Cc. Adi 17.164]

(Brahma-vaivarta Purana)

From this we can understand that in this age the sannyasa-asrama is forbidden because people are not strong. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed us an example in taking sannyasa at the age of twenty-four years, but even Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya advised Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be extremely careful because He had taken sannyasa at an early age. For preaching we give young boys sannyasa, but actually it is being experienced that they are not fit for sannyasa. There is no harm, however, if one thinks that he is unfit for sannyasa; if he is very much agitated sexually, he should go to the asrama where sex is allowed, namely the grhastha-asrama. That one has been found to be very weak in one place does not mean that he should stop fighting the crocodile of maya. One should take shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna, as we shall see Gajendra do, and at the same time one can be a grhastha if he is satisfied with sexual indulgence. There is no need to give up the fight. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore recommended, sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. One may stay in whichever asrama is suitable for him; it is not essential that one take sannyasa. If one is sexually agitated, he can enter the grhastha-asrama. But one must continue fighting. For one who is not in a transcendental position, to take sannyasa artificially is not a very great credit. If sannyasa is not suitable, one may enter the grhastha-asrama and fight maya with great strength. But one should not give up the fighting and go away.