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skand 3 adhyay 1

### Essence of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 1, Texts 1–5 (Questions by Vidura) These verses explain the greatness of pure devotees, the importance of spiritual association, and the value of sincerely inquiring about the Supreme Lord. Vidura was a great devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa who renounced his prosperous home and went on pilgrimage. Although the house of the Pāṇḍavas was extremely fortunate because Lord Kṛṣṇa personally visited it and treated it like His own home, Vidura used the opportunity created by family disturbances to seek higher spiritual knowledge from Maitreya Ṛṣi. This teaches us that a genuine devotee does not become unnecessarily disturbed by worldly difficulties but uses every situation as an opportunity to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Kṛṣṇa's affection for the Pāṇḍavas also reveals that He is attracted not by material wealth or external opulence but by pure love and devotion. He freely visited the Pāṇḍavas' home because of their loving relationship wi...

teachings of queen kunti 4

Approaching Kṛṣṇa, the All-pervading Truth kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya  devakī-nandanāya ca  nanda-gopa-kumārāya  govindāya namo namaḥ Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.21 The Lord, being thus unapproachable by any material assets, out of unbounded and causeless mercy descends on the earth as He is in order to show His special mercy upon His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges of the demoniac persons. Queen Kuntī specifically adores the incarnation, or descent, of Lord Kṛṣṇa above all other incarnations because in this particular incarnation He is more approachable. In the Rāma incarnation He remained a king’s son from His very childhood, but in the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, although He was the son of a king, He at once left the shelter of His real father and mo...

k26

CHAPTER 26 Wonderful Kṛṣṇa Without understanding the intricacies of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and without knowing His uncommon spiritual opulences, the innocent cowherd boys and men of Vṛndāvana began to discuss His wonderful activities, which surpass the activities of all men. One of them said, “My dear friends, considering His wonderful activities, how is it possible that such an uncommon boy would come and live with us in Vṛndāvana? It is really not possible. Just imagine! He is now only seven years old! How is it possible for Him to lift Govardhana Hill in one hand and hold it up just as the king of elephants holds a lotus flower? To lift a lotus flower is a most insignificant thing for an elephant, and similarly Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill without exertion. When He was simply a small baby and could not even see properly, He killed a great demon, Pūtanā. While sucking her breast, He also sucked out her life air. Kṛṣṇa killed the Pūtanā demon exactly as eternal tim...

k25

When Indra understood that the sacrifice which was to be offered by the cowherd men in Vṛndāvana had been stopped by Kṛṣṇa, he became angry, and he vented his anger upon the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, who were headed by Nanda Mahārāja, although Indra knew perfectly well that Kṛṣṇa was personally protecting them. As the director of different kinds of clouds, Indra called for the Sāṁvartaka. This cloud is invited when there is a need to devastate the whole cosmic manifestation. The Sāṁvartaka was ordered by Indra to go over Vṛndāvana and inundate the whole area with an extensive flood. Demonically, Indra thought himself to be the all-powerful supreme personality. When demons become very powerful, they defy the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead. Indra, though not a demon, was puffed up by his material position, and he wanted to challenge the supreme controller. He thought himself, at least for the time being, as powerful as Kṛṣṇa. Indra said, “Just see the impudence of the inh...

sb 5.16

All glories to Srila Prabhupada 🙏  CHAPTER SIXTEEN A Description of Jambūdvīpa Text 1 Translation King Parīkṣit said to Śukadeva Gosvāmī: O brāhmaṇa, you have already informed me that the radius of Bhū-maṇḍala extends as far as the sun spreads its light and heat and as far as the moon and all the stars can be seen. Purport In this verse it is stated that the planetary system known as Bhū-maṇḍala extends to the limits of the sunshine. According to modern science, the sunshine reaches earth from a distance of 93,000,000 miles. If we calculate according to this modern information, 93,000,000 miles can be considered the radius of Bhū-maṇḍala. In the Gāyatrī mantra, we chant om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ. The word bhūr refers to Bhū-maṇḍala. Tat savitur vareṇyam: the sunshine spreads throughout Bhū-maṇḍala. Therefore the sun is worshipable. The stars, which are known as nakṣatra, are not different suns, as modern astronomers suppose. From Bhagavad-gītā (10.21) we understand that the stars are si...