Canto Six / CHAPTER SEVEN

Indra Offends His Spiritual Master, Brihaspati.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura comments:

“This Seventh Chapter describes how Brihaspati was offended by the demigods, how he left them and the demigods were defeated, and how the demigods, following the instructions of Lord Brahmā, accepted Viśvarūpa as the priest to perform their sacrifice.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu prayed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, na dhanam na janam na sundarīm kavitām vā jagad-īśa kāmaye: “O my Lord, I do not aspire for material opulence or wealth, nor do I want a great number of followers to accept me as their leader, nor do I want a very beautiful wife to please me.” Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi: “I do not even want liberation. All I want, life after life, is to be a faithful servant of Your Lordship.” According to the laws of nature, when one is extremely opulent one becomes degraded, and this is true both individually and collectively. The demigods are situated in the mode of goodness, but sometimes even one who is situated in such an exalted position as King Indra, the king of all the demigods, falls down because of material opulence. We are now actually seeing this in America. The entire American nation has tried to advance in material opulence without striving to produce ideal human beings. The result is that Americans are now regretting the wholesale criminality of American society and are wondering how America has become so lawless and unmanageable. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.31), na te viduh svārtha-gatim hi vishnum: persons who are unenlightened do not know the aim of life, which is to return home, back to Godhead. Therefore, both individually and collectively, they try to enjoy so-called material comforts, and they become addicted to wine and women. The men produced in such a society are less than fourth class. They are the unwanted population known as varna-sankara, and as stated in Bhagavad-gītā, an increase of varna-sankara population creates a hellish society. This is the society in which Americans now find themselves.

Fortunately, however, the Hare Krishna movement has come to America, and many fortunate young men are giving serious attention to this movement, which is creating ideal men of first-class character, men who completely refrain from meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication and gambling. If the American people are serious about curbing the degraded criminal life of their nation, they must take to the Krishna consciousness movement and try to create the kind of human society advised in Bhagavad-gītā (cātur-varnyam mayā srishtam guna-karma-vibhāgaśah). They must divide their society into first-class men, second-class men, third-class men and fourth-class men. Since they are now creating only men who are less than fourth class, how can they avoid the dangers of a criminal society? Long, long ago, Lord Indra regretted his disrespect to his spiritual master, Brihaspati. Similarly, it is advised that the American people regret their mistaken advancement in civilization. They should take advice from the spiritual master, the representative of Krishna. If they do so, they will be happy, and theirs will be an ideal nation to lead the entire world.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura says in this regard that when a president or king is sitting on his throne, he does not need to show respect to everyone who comes within his assembly, but he must show respect to superiors like his spiritual master, brāhmanas and Vaishnavas. There are many examples of how he should act. When Lord Krishna was sitting on His throne and Nārada fortunately entered His assembly, even Lord Krishna immediately stood up with His officers and ministers to offer respectful obeisances to Nārada. Nārada knew that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Krishna knew that Nārada was His devotee, but although Krishna is the Supreme Lord and Nārada is the Lord’s devotee, the Lord observed the religious etiquette. Since Nārada was a brahmacārī, a brāhmana and an exalted devotee, even Krishna, while acting as a king, offered His respectful obeisances unto Nārada. Such is the conduct visible in the Vedic civilization. A civilization in which the people do not know how the representative of Nārada and Krishna should be respected, how society should be formed and how one should advance in Krishna consciousness — a society concerned only with manufacturing new cars and new skyscrapers every year and then breaking them to pieces and making new ones — may be technologically advanced, but it is not a human civilization. A human civilization is advanced when its people follow the cātur-varnya system, the system of four orders of life. There must be ideal, first-class men to act as advisors, second-class men to act as administrators, third-class men to produce food and protect cows, and fourth-class men who obey the three higher classes of society. One who does not follow the standard system of society should be considered a fifth-class man. A society without Vedic laws and regulations will not be very helpful to humanity. As stated in this verse, dharmam te na param viduh: such a society does not know the aim of life and the highest principle of religion.

As stated in the Vedic literature (Bhāg. 11.20.17):

We, the conditioned souls, have fallen in the ocean of nescience, but the human body fortunately provides us a good opportunity to cross the ocean because the human body is like a very good boat. When directed by a spiritual master acting as the captain, the boat can very easily cross the ocean. Furthermore, the boat is helped across by favorable winds, which are the instructions of Vedic knowledge. If one does not take advantage of all these facilities to cross the ocean of nescience, he is certainly committing suicide.

One who boards a boat made of stone is doomed. To be elevated to the stage of perfection, humanity must first give up false leaders who present boats of stone. All of human society is in such a dangerous position that to be rescued it must abide by the standard instructions of the Vedas. The cream of these instructions appears in the form of Bhagavad-gītā. One should not take shelter of any other instructions, for Bhagavad-gītā gives direct instructions on how to fulfill the aim of human life. Lord Śrī Krishna therefore says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaranam vraja: “Give up all other processes of religion and simply surrender to Me.” Even if one does not accept Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His instructions are so exalted and beneficial for humanity that if one follows His instructions one will be saved. Otherwise one will be cheated by unauthorized meditation and gymnastic methods of yoga. Thus one will board a boat of stone, which will sink and drown all its passengers. Unfortunately, although the American people are extremely eager to get out of materialistic chaos, they are sometimes found to patronize the makers of stone boats. That will not help them. They must take the proper boat offered by Krishna in the form of the Krishna consciousness movement. Then they will be easily saved. In this regard Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura comments: aśmamayah plavo yeshām te yathā majjantam plavam anumajjanti tatheti rāja-nīty-upadeshtrishu sva-sabhyeshu kopo vyañjitah. If society is guided by political diplomacy, with one nation maneuvering against another, it will certainly sink like a stone boat. Political maneuvering and diplomacy will not save human society. People must take to Krishna consciousness to understand the aim of life, to understand God, and to fulfill the human mission.

Coming to his senses, King Indra realized that he was not a very sincere disciple of his spiritual master, Brihaspati. Therefore he decided that henceforward he would be niśatha, nonduplicitous. Niśathah śīrshna-tac-caranam spriśan: he decided to touch his head to the feet of his spiritual master. From this example, we should learn this principle enunciated by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura:

“By the mercy of the spiritual master one is benedicted by the mercy of Krishna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement.” A disciple should never be a hypocrite or be unfaithful to his spiritual master. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.17.27), the spiritual master is also called ācārya. Ācāryam mām vijānīyān: the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that one should respect the spiritual master, accepting him as the Lord Himself. Nāvamanyeta karhicit: one should not disrespect the ācārya at any time. Na martya-buddhyāsūyeta: one should never think the ācārya an ordinary person. Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt, but one should be very careful in one’s dealings with the ācārya. Agādha-dhishanam dvijam: the ācārya is a perfect brāhmana and has unlimited intelligence in guiding the activities of his disciple. Therefore Krishna advises in Bhagavad-gītā (4.34):

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” One should fully surrender unto the spiritual master. and with service (sevayā) one should approach him for further spiritual enlightenment.

Lord Brahmā recognized the brahminical qualifications of Brihaspati, who was the spiritual master of the demigods because of his awareness of the Supreme Brahman. Brihaspati was very much in control of his senses and mind, and therefore he was a most qualified brāhmana. Lord Brahmā chastised the demigods for not properly respecting this brāhmana, who was their guru. Lord Brahmā wanted to impress upon the demigods that one’s guru should not be disrespected under any circumstances. When Brihaspati entered the assembly of the demigods, they and their king, Indra, took him for granted. Since he came every day, they thought, they did not need to show him special respect. As it is said, familiarity breeds contempt. Being very much displeased, Brihaspati immediately left Indra’s palace. Thus all the demigods, headed by Indra, became offenders at the lotus feet of Brihaspati, and Lord Brahmā, being aware of this, condemned their neglect. In a song we sing every day, Narottama dāsa Thākura says, cakshu-dāna dila yei, janme janme prabhu sei: the guru gives spiritual insight to the disciple, and therefore the guru should be considered his master, life after life. Under no circumstances should the guru be disrespected, but the demigods, being puffed up by their material possessions, were disrespectful to their guru. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.17.27) advises, ācāryam mām vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit/ na martya-buddhyāsūyeta: the ācārya should always be offered respectful obeisances; one should never envy the ācārya, considering him an ordinary human being.

The devas are celebrated for fighting with the asuras perpetually. In such fights the asuras were always defeated, but this time the demigods were defeated. Why? The reason, as stated here, was that they had offended their spiritual master. Their impudent disrespect of their spiritual master was the cause of their defeat by the demons. As stated in the śāstras, when one disrespects a respectable superior, one loses his longevity and the results of his pious activities, and in this way one is degraded.

Lord Brahmā wanted to point out to the demigods that by the strength of the guru one can become most powerful within this world, and by the displeasure of the guru one can lose everything. This is confirmed by the song of Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura:

“By the mercy of the spiritual master one is benedicted by the mercy of Krishna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement.” Although the demons are insignificant in comparison to Lord Brahmā, because of the strength of their guru they were so powerful that they could even seize Brahmaloka from Lord Brahmā. We therefore pray to the spiritual master:

(Madhya 17.80)

By the mercy of the guru, even a dumb man can become the greatest orator, and even a lame man can cross mountains. As advised by Lord Brahmā, one should remember this śāstric injunction if one desires success in his life.

From the instructions of Lord Brahmā it is understood that everyone should very faithfully worship the brāhmanas, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the cows. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is go-brāhmana-hitāya ca: He is always very kind to cows and brāhmanas. Therefore one who worships Govinda must satisfy Him by worshiping the brāhmanas and cows. If a government worships the brāhmanas, the cows and Krishna, Govinda, it is never defeated anywhere; otherwise it must always be defeated and condemned everywhere. At the present moment, all over the world, governments have no respect for brāhmanas, cows and Govinda, and consequently there are chaotic conditions all over the world. In summary, although the demigods were very powerful in material opulence, the demons defeated them in battle because the demigods had behaved disrespectfully toward a brāhmana, Brihaspati, who was their spiritual master.

Lord Brahmā advised the demigods to accept the son of Tvashtā as their spiritual master although he was always inclined toward the benefit of the asuras.

According to the moral instructions of Cānakya Pandita, ātmavat sarva-bhūteshu: one should observe all living entities to be on the same level as oneself. This means that no one should be neglected as inferior; because Paramātmā is seated in everyone’s body, everyone should be respected as a temple of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This verse describes the different ways in which one should respect a guru, a father, a brother, a sister, a guest and so on.

One must approach a particular type of guru to execute a particular type of duty. Therefore although Viśvarūpa was inferior to the demigods, the demigods accepted him as their guru to conquer the demons.

It is said, vriddhatvam vayasā vinā: one may be senior without being advanced in age. Even if one is not old, one gains seniority if he is senior in knowledge. Viśvarūpa was junior in relationship to the demigods because he was their nephew, but the demigods wanted to accept him as their priest, and therefore he would have to accept obeisances from them. The demigods explained that this should not be a cause for hesitation; he could become their priest because he was advanced in Vedic knowledge. Similarly. Cānakya Pandita advises, nīcād apy uttamam jñānam: one may accept education from a member of a lower social order. The brāhmanas, the members of the most elevated varna, are teachers, but a person in a lower family, such as a family of kshatriyas, vaiśyas or even śūdras, may be accepted as a teacher if he has knowledge. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu approved of this when He expressed this opinion before Rāmānanda Rāya (Cc. Madhya 8.128):

It does not matter whether one is a brāhmana, śūdra, grihastha or sannyāsī. These are all material designations. A spiritually advanced person has nothing to do with such designations. Therefore, if one is advanced in the science of Krishna consciousness, regardless of his position in human society, he may become a spiritual master.

The professions of a qualified brāhmana are pathana, pāthana, yajana, yājana, dāna and pratigraha. The words yajana and yājana mean that a brāhmana becomes the priest of the populace for the sake of their elevation. One who accepts the post of spiritual master neutralizes the sinful reactions of the yajamāna, the one on whose behalf he performs yajña. Thus the results of the pious acts previously performed by the priest or spiritual master are diminished. Therefore priesthood is not accepted by learned brāhmanas. Nevertheless, the greatly learned brāhmana Viśvarūpa became the priest of the demigods because of his profound respect for them.

A first-class brāhmana does not accept any rewards from his disciples or yajamānas. Practicing austerities and penances, he instead goes to the agricultural field and collects food grains left by the agriculturalists to be collected by brāhmanas. Similarly, such brāhmanas go to marketplaces where grains are purchased and sold wholesale, and there they collect grains left by the merchants. In this way, such exalted brāhmanas maintain their bodies and families. Such priests never demand anything from their disciples to live in opulence, imitating kshatriyas or vaiśyas. In other words, a pure brāhmana voluntarily accepts a life of poverty and lives in complete dependence on the mercy of the Lord. Not very many years ago, a brāhmana in Krishnanagara, near Navadvīpa, was offered some help from the local Zamindar, Rājā Krishnacandra. The brāhmana refused to accept the help. He said that since he was very happy in his householder life, taking rice given by his disciples and cooking vegetables of tamarind leaves, there was no question of taking help from the Zamindar. The conclusion is that although a brāhmana may receive much opulence from his disciples, he should not utilize the rewards of his priesthood for his personal benefit; he must use them for the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The word samādhinā is very important. Samādhi means complete absorption with an undiverted mind. Viśvarūpa, who was a most learned brāhmana, not only accepted the request of the demigods, but took their request seriously and performed the activities of priesthood with an undiverted mind. In other words, he accepted the priesthood not for material gain, but to profit the demigods. Such is the duty of a priest. The word purah means “family,” and hita means “benefit.” Thus the word purohita indicates that the priest is the well-wisher of the family. Another meaning of the word purah is “first.” A priest’s first duty is to see that his disciples benefit spiritually and materially by all means. Then he is satisfied. A priest should never be interested in performing Vedic rituals for his personal benefit.

The distinction between the demigods (devas) and demons (asuras) is that the demigods are all devotees of Lord Vishnu whereas the demons are devotees of demigods like Lord Śiva, Goddess Kālī and Goddess Durgā. Sometimes the demons are also devotees of Lord Brahmā. For example, Hiranyakaśipu was a devotee of Lord Brahmā, Rāvana was a devotee of Lord Śiva, and Mahishāsura was a devotee of Goddess Durgā. The demigods are devotees of Lord Vishnu (vishnu-bhaktah smrito daiva), whereas the demons (āsuras tad-viparyayah) are always against the vishnu-bhaktas, or Vaishnavas. To oppose the Vaishnavas, the demons become devotees of Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā, Kālī, Durgā, and so on. In the days of yore, many long years ago, there was animosity between the devas and the asuras, and the same spirit still continues, for the devotees of Lord Śiva and Goddess Durgā are always envious of Vaishnavas, who are devotees of Lord Vishnu. This strain between the devotees of Lord Śiva and Lord Vishnu has always existed. In the higher planetary systems, fights between the demons and the demigods continue for a long, long time.

Herein we see that Viśvarūpa made for the demigods a protective covering, saturated with a Vishnu mantra. Sometimes the Vishnu mantra is called Vishnu-jvara, and the Śiva mantra is called Śiva-jvara. We find in the śāstras that sometimes the Śiva-jvara and Vishnu-jvara are employed in the fights between the demons and the demigods.

The word sura-dvishām, which in this verse means “of the enemies of the demigods,” also refers to the atheists. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam elsewhere says that Lord Buddha appeared for the purpose of bewildering the demons or atheists. The Supreme Personality of Godhead always awards His benediction to devotees. The Lord Himself confirms this in Bhagavad-gītā (9.31):

“O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.”