- Srimad Bhagavatam Class: SB 11.3.31
- Chapter Name: Liberation from the Illusory Energy
- Venue: Iskcon Newtown, Kolkata
- Day/Date: Sunday,25th May 2025
- Speaker: HG Ashok Krishna Prabhu
In the Srimad Bhagavatam class HG Ashok Krishna Prabhu was saying that we should use our senses to get liberated from the clutches of maya. If we fail to do so, we will continue to suffer in this world. Prabhuji was speaking on the verse SB 11.3.31.
smarantaḥ smārayantaś ca
mitho ’ghaugha-haraṁ harim
bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā
bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum
Translation
“The devotees of the Lord constantly discuss the glories of the Personality of Godhead among themselves. Thus, they constantly remember the Lord and remind one another of His qualities and pastimes. In this way, by their devotion to the principles of bhakti-yoga, the devotees please the Personality of Godhead, who takes away from them everything inauspicious. Being purified of all impediments, the devotees awaken to pure love of Godhead, and thus, even within this world, their spiritualized bodies exhibit symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, such as standing of the bodily hairs on end.”
Important points from the purport of SB 11.3.31
- ..by neglecting his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, he commits sinful activities and undergoes the inauspicious result
- Kṛṣṇa is aghaugha-haraṁ harim; He takes away the sinful reactions of His devotees
- …a liberated soul is always enthusiastic due to the appearance of transcendental ecstasy within his body
Understanding Maya
All jivas want freedom from maya but we are unfortunate bound by maya, and it is very difficult to overcome from maya’s clutches. In the previous chapters of this canto, we read that how Vasudev did yagna for getting a child.
But later he repented that I did not pray to the Lord for liberation. So, once when sage Narada came then he said that I did not do anything for mukti, pleased guide me. Then Narada Muni told him the conversation which Maharaj Nimi had with the none yogendriya.
Maharaj Nimi asked 9 questions from the nine yogendriyas and each answered one question. In this chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam, 4 questions are asked and their answers given.
The 4 questions in 3rd chapter
Following are the four questions asked in this chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam.
- What is the nature of maya?
- How to get freedom from maya?
- What is the position of Narayana?
- What is the process of karma yoga?
Till 31st sloka of this chapter, we get answer to first two questions. Thess questions touches everyone’s heart.
Maya is very strong. She has defeated even big yogis.
Unfortunately, we do not think that we are conditioned souls bound by maya and so we try to enjoy here. And while trying to enjoy, we get caught. First, we should understand we are bound.
For example, unless we understand that we are sick, we will not go to a doctor for treatment. Sometimes a person may be admitted to a hospital, he is suffering terribly, but when you ask him, how are you? he will say, “I am fine.” How can one be fine in such a situation? Similarly, how can we be happy if we are bound by maya in this world.
Who is maya? She is Lord’s servant. Lord has posted her so that she can assist the Lord in taking care of this material world from maintenance to annihilation. Just like you have a vehicle, and you employ a driver to drive your vehicle. So maya is like that. Lord has bound us through maya. The Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes – sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam.
We have freedom to use our senses as we like
While creating this universe, the Lord created first 5 elements – earth, water, fire, air, ether. Then he creates 8.4 million species of life. So, jivas like us get created. We get body and the senses. And then in this world there is three modes of material nature – mode of goodness, mode of passion and mode of ignorance.
The Lord gave two options to the jivas – use your senses for sense gratification or use it to get liberated from this material world. So, Lord has gives us independence. We have to decide how to use our senses.
For example, a knife can be used for killing a person and same knife can be used by a doctor for curing a person. But sadly, jivas start using senses for enjoying in this world. They forget that they are soul. They consider their body everything and begin working in this world with a desire to get something.
It’s like a business, whatever we do we want something in return. In this way the jivas get entangled. And the repeated cycle of birth and death continues – punarapi jananam punarapi maranam. We work, we suffer, we die, we get new birth and again we work, we suffer, we die, we get new birth, and it continues.
The cycle of janma mrityu, jara, vyadhi goes on. Even birth is so painful, children suffer in the womb of the mother for 9 months. Since the beginning of the creation till its annihilation, its only suffering.
So, we should try to end the suffering by using our senses in the service of the Lord and get liberated from the clutches of maya. If we do so, we will always be happy.
