2020.12.12 - A structural review of the main topics of Bhagavatam. Lect.

11 -
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami

PUBLISHED SUMMARY

The general design of "Srimad-Bhagavatam" is meant to prepare us to understand the tenth

canto, or Krisna-carita properly. But it is not so easy to understand it due to the anarthas in our
heart, they create doubts. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami helps us to overcome all these unwanted
problems while describing different stories in order to understand the tenth canto.

Sixth canto plays a very special role. It tells the story of Vritrasura, and the purity of his love of
Godhead is depicted in a most graphic way. Sixth canto describes a conflict between the
mentality of a pure devotee and the mentality of a mixed devotee. The very strong tendency
within our heart is to settle for some sort of mixture when it comes to devotion, but "Srimad-
Bhagavatam" does not approve it.

Each canto of "Srimad-Bhagavatam" describes a certain clash of psychology, which is the clash
within our hearts. If we go deep in our heart we will see the same sort of conflict. Sixth canto
describes the conflict between Visnudutas and Yamadutas, and one part of us is with Yamadutas
and another with Visnudutas because subconsciously we do not have complete faith in pure
devotional service. The most important and sad difference between mixed devotee and pure
devotee is that mixed devotee will remain here in this world, whereas pure devotee will go back
to Godhead.

Sixth canto of "Srimad-Bhagavatam" is posanam or mercy of the Lord, it explains how the Lord is
merciful towards pure devotees and mixed devotees, but His mercy manifests differently. Mixed
devotion brings about humiliation. The Lord reveals our attachment to the world, therefore we
should try to purify our devotion. The Lord protects those who have pure devotion.

SHORT SUMMARY
**Srimad Bhagavatam's Purpose**: The study of Srimad Bhagavatam aims to prepare readers
for the Tenth Canto, which is challenging due to internal conflicts and doubts (anarthas) in the
heart.

**Anarthas and Doubts Connection**: Doubts in understanding devotional concepts often stem
from unrecognized attachments, much like unseen parts of an iceberg, with the conscious mind
aware of only a fraction of these problems.

**Role of Srimad Bhagavatam**: Through various stories, the Bhagavatam helps readers
overcome internal issues, creating space in the heart for better understanding the Tenth Canto.

**Significance of the Sixth Canto**: Unique among Puranas, the Sixth Canto of Bhagavatam,
featuring the story of Vritrasura, is crucial for understanding the essence of the Bhagavatam. It's
highlighted over Krishna's story in defining the Bhagavatam's character.

**Vritrasura's Story**: Vritrasura's tale, different in Bhagavatam compared to other texts,

symbolizes the purity of love, even in adverse conditions like the battlefield. This contrasts with
other depictions of his story, like in Mahabharata, which show treachery.
**Purity of Love and Devotion**: The story illustrates the development of pure love and devotion
amidst challenges, teaching how one can attain such a state, unlike the eternal, pre-existing love
of the Gopis for Krishna.

**Conflict Between Pure and Mixed Devotion**: The Sixth Canto also explores the conflict
between pure and mixed devotion, emphasizing the importance of pure devotion and the dangers
of settling for a mixed approach that includes worldly desires and comforts.

● The Sixth Canto primarily deals with the conflict between pure and mixed devotion.
● Padma Purana describes the Sixth Canto as the 'heart' of Srimad Bhagavatam,
emphasizing its focus on pure vs. mixed devotion.
● There's a tendency to settle for mixed devotion due to its perceived benefits, despite its
incompatibility with pure devotion.
● The Sixth Canto begins with the story of Ajamila, symbolizing the conflict between
Yamadutas (mixed devotion) and Vishnudutas (pure devotion).
● Yamadutas advocate for Dharma and karmic consequences, while Vishnudutas
emphasize the supremacy of pure devotional service.
● The psychology of Srimad Bhagavatam reflects internal conflicts within the heart
between different aspects of devotion.
● The story of Prajapati Daksa and Narada Muni in chapters four and five highlight the
differences between mixed and pure devotion.
● Narada Muni's intervention in Daksa's family illustrates the pitfalls of mixed devotion and
the entrapment in karmic cycles.
● The harsh words of Daksa Maharaja towards Narada Muni reveal common criticisms and
misunderstandings about pure devotion.
● The story of Indra in the Seventh Chapter serves as the main narrative, depicting the
problems of mixed devotion.
● Indra's journey, including his offenses and seeking atonement, highlights the limitations
of mixed devotion.
● The Narayan Kavacha in the Eighth Chapter is criticized for being a tool for seeking
protection rather than pure devotion.
● The Sixth Canto addresses the futility of karmic rituals and atonement, advocating for the
power of pure devotion.
● Vritrasura's story illustrates the contrast between Indra's mixed devotion and Vritrasura's
pure devotional mindset.
● The Sixth Canto underscores the dangers of mixed devotion, including envy towards
spiritual masters and cruelty.
● The overarching message is to strive for pure devotional service, recognizing the
shortcomings and dangers of mixed devotion.

TRANSCRIPT

Thank you. So, as we hope you remember, we're studying Srimad Bhagavatam with a review of
the cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam in connection with the general design of Srimad-Bhagavatam,
which is to prepare us to understand the Tenth Canto or Krishna Charita properly. Understanding
the Tenth Canto properly is not so easy due to different problems, anarthas within our heart; the
sanarthas create certain doubts within us. This connection between the anarthas and doubts is
very important to understand. Whenever we have doubts, it's a result of certain attachments
which may not be even known to us. Most of the attachments are like the unseen part of the
iceberg; we can only see the conscious part of our problems, but there are many more problems
within our subconsciousness. Srimad Bhagavatam, while describing different stories, helps us to
understand or to overcome all these unwanted problems which are there within our heart, and
ultimately give the space within our heart which will help us to understand the Tenth Canto of
Srimad-Bhagavatam.

The Sixth Canto of Bhagavatam plays a very special role because most of the Puranas define
Srimad Bhagavatam by saying that this is the story, this is the Purana, which contains the story
of Vritrasura, which is within the sixth canto. Out of all the stories, it's not Krishna's story which is
taken as the definition of Srimad-Bhagavatam; ironically, it's not so easily understandable
because we all know, when we speak about Srimad-Bhagavatam, that's the story of Lord Krishna
in the Tenth Canto, but all the Puranas, which give definition of Bhagavatam Purana, are
unanimous by giving Vritrasura's story, rather the story of killing Vritrasura, as the hallmark of
Srimad-Bhagavatam, as the characteristic Lakshana, specific distinguishing characteristic of
Srimad Bhagavatam. So that's why understanding of this canto, the essence of the Sixth Canto,
is very important.

Anyway, I will read two verses from this section of Srimad-Bhagavatam about killing of the
demon Vritrasura, and these two verses are immediately preceding the prayers of Vritrasura,
which constitute the essence of this story.

So now, I will read the 22nd and 23rd verses from the 11th chapter of the Sixth Canto, the
transcendental qualities of Vritrasura. [Music] Vega adhere. [Music] Foreign who are recognized
by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as His own, which sampada opulences divi in the upper
planetary system, bhu in the middle planetary system, rasatalam in the lower planetary systems.
From which anxiety, mental agitation, distress due to loss, aha great endeavor. Translation:
Persons who are fully surrendered at the Lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
always think of His Lotus feet are accepted and recognized by the Lord as His own personal
assistant or servants. The Lord never bestows upon such servants the brilliant opulences of the
upper, lower, and middle planetary systems of this material world. When one possesses material
opulence in many of these three divisions of the universe, his possessions naturally increase his
enmity, anxiety, mental agitation, pride, and belligerence. Thus, one goes through much endeavor
to increase and maintain his possessions, and he suffers great unhappiness when he loses
them.

Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: In Bhagavad-Gita, the Lord
says, "As devotees surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all
respects, O son of Pritha." Both Indra and Vritrasura were certainly devotees of the Lord.
Although Indra took instructions from Vishnu to kill Vritrasura, the Lord was actually more
favorable to Vritrasura, because after being killed by Indra's thunderbolt, Vritrasura would go
back to Godhead, whereas the victorious Indra would rot in this material world. Because both of
them were devotees, the Lord awarded them the respective benedictions they wanted. Vritrasura
never wanted material possessions, for he knew very well the nature of such possessions. To
accumulate material possessions, one must labor very hard, and when he gets them, he creates
many enemies because this material world is always full of rivalry. If one becomes rich, his
friends or relatives are envious. [Music] Foreign never provides material possessions. A devotee
sometimes needs some material possessions for preaching, but the possessions of a preacher
are not like those of a karma are achieved as a result of karma, but those who are devotee are, or
those of a devotee are, arranged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead just to facilitate his
devotional service. Because the devotee never uses material possessions for any purpose other
than the service of the Lord, the possessions of a devotee are not to be compared to those of a
karmi.

And the next verse: Chakra. [Music] Foreign. The Personality of God forbids His devotee to
endeavor uselessly for religion, economic development, and sense gratification. O Indra, one can
thus infer how kind the Lord is. Such mercy is obtainable only by an unalloyed devotee, not by
persons who aspire for material gain.

Purport: There are four objectives in human life, namely religiosity (dharma), economic
development, sense gratification (kama), and liberation (moksha) from the bondage of material
existence. People generally aspire for religiosity, economic development, and sense gratification,
but a devotee has no other desire than to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, both in this
life and in the next. The special mercy for the unalloyed devotee is that the Lord saves him from
hard labor to achieve the results of religion, economic development, or sense gratification. Of
course, if one desires such benefits, the Lord certainly awards them. Indra, for example, although
a devotee, was not much interested in release from material bondage; instead, he desired sense
gratification and a high standard of material happiness in the heavenly planets. However, being
an unalloyed devotee, Vritrasura aspired only to serve the Supreme Personality of God.
Therefore, the Lord arranged for him to go back to Godhead after his bodily bondage was
destroyed by Indra. Vritrasura requested Indra to release his thunderbolt against him as soon as
possible, so that both he and Indra would benefit according to their proportionate advancement
in devotional service. [Music] is. [Music] Foreign. [Music] Foreign. [Music] Foreign. [Music]

Because, as I said, it constitutes the Lakshana, the special feature of Srimad-Bhagavatam,

according to the Puranas which give the definitions of different Puranas. Like in Matsya Purana,
it is said that in the beginning of the Puranas, the Gayatri Mantra is the focus of discourse. In it,
all the ramifications of true religion are delineated, and the killing of demon Vritra is described.
The Purana which has this characteristic is known as Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Purana more or
less repeats the same thing. The Purana known as Srimad Bhagavatam recounts the deeds of
human and demigods in the Sarasvata Kalpa, explains the supreme religion in terms of Gayatri,
and narrates the slaying of Vritrasura. It has 18,000 verses.

So, in these two verses and a couple more verses from Puranas, the Vritrasura vadha is being
described as the essence of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Why it's a very interesting question, because
the story of Vritrasura, the killing of Vritrasura, is being described in many other places. Like in
Mahabharata, this story is being described, and even in Rigveda, the story of Vritrasura, killing of
Vritra Sura, is described in great details, and Indra is famous in Rigveda as the killer of Vritra. So
what is so special about Srimad Bhagavatam story in this regard? First of all, in the other
Puranas, and in particular in Mahabharata, this story is told in a different way, in a different
manner. The story which is being told in Mahabharata is that Vritra is a powerful demon, and
Indra is pondering how to kill him, and Lord Vishnu appears to Indra and says, "You know, you
become his friend, and you betray his friendship, and you kill him by using the foam from the
ocean." So, it's basically, if we study carefully this story, this story is the story of treachery, as it is
told in Mahabharata. There is a completely different twist of the story, and therefore, Jiva
Goswami explains in Priti Sandarbha why it is the Lakshana of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the story of
Vritrasura. He says, "Because in the story of Vritrasura, the purity of love is depicted in the most
graphic way. The message of Srimad-Bhagavatam is the message of love, and this described
love of Godhead, and it is described in many different ways in many different stories. But there is
a special flavor about the description which is given in this story. Why? Because, first of all, Vritra
is a demon. Second of all, because he is expressing his love right there in the middle of the
battle, which is not a very common place to express love. Usually, the battlefield is the place to
express hatred. And he's about to kill, or whatever, he's about to be killed by Lord Indra, but at
this very tragic moment of his life, the innermost feelings which are there within the heart, very
sincere feelings, come out as his prayers, and these prayers are the essence of the message of
Srimad-Bhagavatam. What is the purity of love? One can ask, legitimately, the question: Why is it
not the love of the Gopis which is being described as the most pure? And as we know, the ideal
of purity of love is the love of Gopis. So, Jiva Goswami explains in Priti Sandarbha that the love of
the Gopis is more or less, it's already made. It's eternal; it's already there within the heart,
whereas the story of Vritrasura describes how to obtain the spirit of love despite all the
difficulties, despite all the problems which he had to undergo. And therefore, it's very instructive
for us, it's extremely instructive for us, because it teaches us how we can obtain the same level
of purity of love. That's the difference, and that's why this particular story and the Sixth Canto, in
particular, are being chosen as the hallmark of the message of Srimad Bhagavatam.

So, having said this, by defining the specialty of the Sixth Canto, let's consider all other stories
which are not less important to convey the message of this canto. So, what is the essence of this
story? As I try to explain in my previous lectures, all the stories, they teach us by certain conflict.
Like in the Third Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, there is definitely a conflict between Hiranyaksa
and Varahadev, and Hiranyaksa and Varakadev, they symbolically represent certain mentality. As
I explained, Srimad-Bhagavatam is conveying a certain message through these conflicting
stories. In the South Canto, is the conflict between Hiranyaksa, the greedy mentality, exploitive
mentality of human beings, and the mentality of sacrifice, the spirit of sacrifice, which is
symbolized by Lord Varahadev. And there are so many conflicting stories in the foreskin of
Srimad-Bhagavatam, but specifically, the conflict between Daksha and Lord Siva, the spirit of
attachment represented by Daksha, and this Vedic attachment, Vedic way of life, which makes
one attached to opulences and to well-being in this material world, and the spirit of renunciation.
So, this clash is there in the force Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the fifth scent of Srimad-
Bhagavatam, we studied last time. In the Fifth Scandal of Srimad-Bhagavatam, there are external
borders, or margins, which are delineated or defined according to our psycho-physiological
conditions, and how to be within these boundaries, and at the same time, develop internally. And
there is also some sort of conflict, conflict in case of Maharaja Bharata, who is engaged in
renunciation, but internally becoming attached. So, this force, this Sixth Canto of Srimad
Bhagavatam, is also a depiction, or description, of different, of different conflicts, or different
mentality, that is the mentality of a pure devotee with the mentality of a mixed devotee. So, it's
very, and therefore also, it's a very important topic in Srimad Bhagavatam.

In Padma Purana, where the metaphor of Srimad Bhagavatam as the human being, or the body of
a human being, is, or the body of the Lord, the form of the Lord, is being described, and the Sixth
Canto is the heart, it's the chest, and the chest is the place where the heart is. So, the essential
point of this, of this Sixth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, that's why I have chosen these two
particular verses and purposes, is the conflict between the pure devotion and mixed devotion.
Because, oftentimes, our mentality is like this, that we think "We think that you know, well, you
know, pure devotion is nice. Uh, but mixed devotion is not bad either. So, we kind of, uh, lean or
have the tendency towards this mixed devotion. Because we do want to have devotion, we are
devotees, but at the same time, we do not want to lose the opulences and niceties of this world.
Uh, the good things of this world. So, the very important message of the sixth canto of Srimad
Bhagavatam is that these two positions in the world are incompatible, and therefore they're being
depicted as Indra and Vritrasura, and how they're fighting. And from the very beginning, they're
being depicted as the conflict between Yamadutas and Vishnu Dutas. Uh, so, and that's what we
have to really try to understand, how this mixed devotion, uh, which we consider not so bad. I
mean, after all, you know, um, you know, who are we, uh, to aspire for pure devotion? Uh, who do
we think we are? You know, let's settle for something not so bad. Mixed devotion is not so bad.
But Srimad Bhagavatam says categorically, no, it's bad. Don't settle for it, don't go for it. It will be
a tragic mistake if you, uh, somehow, rather mix, uh, pure devotion with mixed devotion or try to,
uh, you know, to practice devotion which is not so pure. So, uh, that's why, again, uh, this
message of the sixth canto is extremely important, uh, again, because the tendency, the very
strong tendency within the heart is there, uh, to settle for some sort of mixture when it comes to
devotion. So, when we take this, uh, sixth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, of course, the first story
is the story of Ajamila, as we habitually say, but, um, in reality, if we study deeply, uh, this story,
this story is not the story of Ajamila. It's the story of Ajamila, yes, but in reality, this story, which
occupies three first chapters of the sixth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, is the story of Vishnu
Dutas and Yamadutas, their conflict. They represent pure devotional service and Yamadutas,
they represent mixed devotional service. Yamadutas are their servants of Yamaraj, the, you know,
great knowers of Dharma. They're followers of Dharma, and not only followers, they are
proponents, they are protectors of Dharma. Their job in this world is to protect Dharma from all
the transgressions and deviations, from all these sinful reactions, to award, uh, you know,
punishment for those who are violating Dharma. And in the very first chapter, we see the clash
between Yamadutas and Vishnu Dutas. And Yamadutas, they have their right, they have their
position. They try to prove, uh, very solidly that they are correct, but Vishnu Dutas couldn't care
less. Vishnu Dutas represent, uh, symbolically, not symbolically, they actually, they, uh, translate
or transmit, they express the philosophy of pure devotional service, how pure devotional service
is much more powerful than any sinful reactions within this world. Uh, so, and therefore, these
three first chapters are there. In the first chapter, we see the story of Ajamila, of course, the story
of, uh, Yamadutas, when Yamadutas, they explain why they are right and why they have come to
take this soul of Ajamila. In the second chapter, we hear how Vishnu Dutas, they actually glorify
pure devotional service, how they say that this is, that you're talking nonsense, actually. That all
your description, they are not applied in the case of Ajamila, because Ajamila, somehow or other,
at the end of his life, he performed pure devotional service and therefore all his sins were
absolved immediately, completely. And then, uh, of course, Yamadutas, they go back to Yamaraj,
and they have a conversation. They are very bewildered, uh, they are completely, you know,
flabbergasted. They don't know what happened, how has that happened, uh, who dared to
challenge their authority and the authority of Yamaraja, on behalf of whom they were doing this.
And, um, uh, Yamaraj is explaining to them the glory of devotional service. So, when we study
this, uh, sixth canto, what is most important, which we should really understand, is the
psychology. Because, as I said, uh, each and every canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam describes
certain clashes of psychology, which is the clash within us, within our heart. So, if we go deeply
within our heart, we will see the same sort of conflict. We will find out this conflict because one
part of us, uh, completely with Vishnu, with Yamadutas, this part of us says, yes, we have to be
very careful. We have to, uh, be, uh, lead a very pure life, and, you know, devotional service is nice,
but, you know, just in case, uh, we shouldn't commit any sinful activities, and we, uh, kind of
subconsciously, uh, um, how to say, uh, subconsciously, we're lowering the position of pure
devotional service. We do not have this complete faith in pure devotional service, that just by
saying, uh, Narayan, at the end of the life, everything is finished, not on men, nothing else, you
know. It's, um, quite unbelievable. If we really go deep within our heart, we will understand that
there is some doubt within our heart. Is it really enough, just to chant the Holy Name, to chant the
Holy Name purely? So, and that's the essence. And if we study carefully, these two positions,
positions of Vishnu Dutas and Yamadutas.

We will see a very glaring difference between these two positions, or between these two
mentalities. First of all, let's take, let's compare this. If we take Yamadutas, the first thing which is
there is they believe in karma. They think that following karma, following some piety, is necessary
and ultimately necessary to be successful in bhakti. It's very interesting that Vishnu Dutas and
Yamadutas both believe in bhakti. Yamadutas are not karmis in the proper sense of the word;
they are mixed devotees. But they think that to achieve success in bhakti, one has to follow some
pious rituals and some protective measures, and only then can one achieve success in bhakti.
So, that's a very important mentality. And this, not as they say, forget it, you're wrong. This is a
mistake. Don't place your faith in all these karmic rituals because, ultimately, they will fail you.
This is one of the topics of the sixth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, how the performance of all
these karmic rituals ultimately will have no effect, whereas pure devotional service is very
powerful. So, these Vishnu Dutas don't believe in karma; they only have faith in bhakti.
Yamadutas believe in karma, and they think it's necessary to mix certain karmas, certain piety,
with bhakti to achieve success in bhakti. So, and ultimately, this is very clearly seen in the initial
chapters of the sixth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Yamadutas don't know real dharma. They
don't know the law of dharma; they don't know Bhagavad dharma. Their understanding of
dharma is mixed. And therefore, their understanding of dharma, they have a certain
understanding of dharma. Mixed devotees, they have some understanding of dharma, but their
understanding of dharma was in the modes of material nature. Very often, we can see this
contamination within our heart when we rely on sattvaguna, and we say that it is sattva which will
save us, the sattva which will purify us, and so on, so forth. So, it's very important internally,
within our heart, to understand the power of devotional service, not formally, not theoretically, but
on the level of actually being the recipient of the mercy of Vishnu Dutas, because he heard their
stories. And it's interesting, also, there is another very interesting mentality, is that Yamadutas
think that Yamaraj is the supreme ruler, and everything is under his command or under his
control. But, you know, Vishnu Dutas, of course, they know that his sphere of control is limited.
And, um, another, uh, yeah, and of course, there is another important trait and mentality, whether
we should depend on atonement or not. You know, of course, Yamadutas are great proponents
of this atonement theory, that you can only be purified if you atone. And we can see in the same
sixth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Indra atones for his sins, makes atonement for his sins, to
purify himself from the sins. And here, from the other side, we see Vishnu Dutas, who completely
say that it's ridiculous. You cannot just mix atonement with bhakti. Bhakti itself is enough
atonement. You shouldn't rely on atonement; you shouldn't even think about atonement. So again
and again and again, we see this very important difference in mentality, which we can also
distinguish within ourselves or see the traits of this tendency towards mixed devotional service.
And, of course, the most important difference between the mixed devotee and the most probably
sad difference between the mixed devotee and the pure devotees is that the mixed devotee will
remain here in this world, whereas the pure devotee will go back to Godhead. So, that's why this
mixed mentality is so dangerous. You know, even though sometimes we kind of say that it's
innocent, it's not so bad. As I said in the beginning, but actually, the message of Srimad-
Bhagavatam is very clear. It's bad; it's not only bad, it's very bad. And therefore, the main anti-
hero of the sixth canto is Indra. Again and again and again, Indra is showing the ugly face, how,
what are the problems of the mixed devotion. But before we come to this Indra story, which is, as
I said, the main story of the sixth canto, before that, there is a very interesting story. After these
first three chapters, which depict the clash between Yamadutas and Vishnu Dutas, between the
pure devotional service or understanding of pure devotional service and understanding of mixed
devotion, and subsequent results, before we come to the story of Indra, which is only coming in
the seventh chapter, before that, there are two very important chapters, describing the history of
Prajapati Daksa and Narada Muni. In the first chapter, chapter number four, Daksa Marichi offers
beautiful prayers, beautiful Hamsaguhya prayers, which are ancient prayers. Again, why these
prayers are there in the sixth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, to show how mixed devotees can
have a very deep theoretical understanding of the nature of the Supreme Lord. He shows, he
demonstrates a very deep, thorough understanding of the Supreme Lord and these Hamsaguhya
prayers, so much so that the Supreme Lord is apparently very pleased with him. He appears in
front of him, gives him benedictions, and says, yes, very nice, very nice. Please get a nice wife
and get a lot of progeny. This is your service. So that is to say, that you know, the self-identity of
a mixed devotee is, I am a devotee. As much as we have this self-identity, as much as we say, I
am a devotee, but Bhagavatam wants to really distinguish between mixed devotion and pure
devotion and basically says, if you're a mixed devotee, don't call yourself a devotee. You think you
are a devotee, but actually, you are not. And therefore, after these Hamsaguhya prayers, where
Daksa Maharaj is expressing his understanding of the Lord, and the Lord gives benediction, now
the real clash again comes into the Srimad Bhagavatam, a clash between Narada Muni, who is
the representative of pure devotion, and Daksha Maharaj. So, again, let's not underestimate the
depths, the very deep roots of this mixed devotion within our heart. And the most interesting part
of it, we, of course, know the story that Daksha Maharaj produces ten thousand sons, and they
go perform austerities. And Narada Muni comes and says, nice boys, completely being spoiled
by all this mixed devotional mentality of his father, and their whole life will be spoiled. These nice
boys, they will spoil their life because they inherit from their ancestors, from their family
traditions, all these mixed things. And he, of course, preaches to them. He tells them an
allegorical story, and they understand that what I'm doing, we're going into a deep hole, the pole
in the Earth, from where there's actually no coming out. This whole story is very interesting
because Narada Muni is explaining how one can easily get entangled into karma and how by
getting entangled into karma, we sow the karmic rituals, and all the desires to purify from this
karma and that karma, how this is actually a completely vicious circle, and there is no coming out
from this vicious circle. You cannot really break this karma, even though you may be in the
illusion that you're progressing spiritually, you're doing this, you're doing that. In reality, you are
not. And Narada Muni, by this sad story, he tells them, you know, that there is this hole in the
earth, and you will enter into this hole, and there is no way out. And therefore, these nice boys,
sons of Daksha Maharaj, they decide, no, no, we're not going to enter into this hole. Why should
we? What is the use? And they're being released. And, of course, Daksha Maharaj is very tolerant.
He's a devotee. He is very magnanimous, and he kind of swallows this first offense by Narada
Muni. And he very diligently produces this second set of sons. Again, nice boys, and again, the
same thing happens to them. And, you know, this is already too much for Prajapati Daksha. And
then, on top of it, Narada Muni, who is very compassionate, goes directly to him after, you know,
committing this apparat against Daksha Maharaja and his griha medi mentality, his grihabrata
mentality, against his ideals, against his values, very important values. So, he goes right to
Daksha Maharaja, and so now Daksha Maharaja doesn't have any limitations within himself. He
just bursts, and I really recommend you to carefully study the curse of Daksha Maharaja because
if we see the most graphic conflict between the two mentalities, it's being depicted by the words
of Daksha Maharaja. Of course, Narada Muni is silent. He doesn't answer anything. It's just
Daksha Maharaja. He is just, you know, he's trembling, and he's spitting out very cruel words, and
he is offending Narada Muni. But by the way of offending him, he, by the way, depicts how mixed
devotees look at pure devotion. And he says, you're a hypocrite. You create enmity. You are an
imposter. Doesn't it sound very familiar when we see a pure devotee? Sometimes we can hear
this voice of Maharaja Daksha within our heart, you know, when we see somebody who is a pure
devotee, and then we get this irritation within, and we say, he's a pretender. He's dressed in this
saffron, and he's doing all kinds of nonsense, and I'm a real sadhu. It's amazing how Daksha
Maharaja says that I am the real sadhu. I'm a grihasta. I'm living a very pure life. I'm following
everything, and all these renunciates are just nonsense. So, again, in a beautiful way,
Bhagavatam depicts this conflict between mixed devotion and pure devotion, how there is
resistance within our heart against pure devotion. We shouldn't say that these cruel words of
Daksha Maharaja are just his offenses, his problem. It's our problem. We have to really identify
and relate to this sort of attitude towards pure devotion because sometimes it's painful for us,
oftentimes it's painful for us, when we see some manifestation of a higher level of devotion. And
we see, and we understand that I cannot really follow this higher level of devotion, and therefore,
you know, there is an easy way to solve this problem. Instead of trying to follow this higher
standard of devotion, it's easy just to offend this particular devotee and say he's useless. He's
good for nothing. He couldn't make it in this material world. He just cannot maintain his family,
and therefore, he's hiding away from this family responsibility under the dress of a devotee, and
this and that, and so on, so forth. And this is all what we see in very kind words of Daksha
Maharaja towards Narada Muni in, uh, and you know, he says that devotees are cruel. He looks at
Narada Muni and says devotees are very cruel. Devotees, they defame the Supreme Lord. Daksha
Maharaja protects the reputation of the Supreme Lord, and he says all these useless devotees
who are traveling around, preaching and converting other people, and you know, bewildering
other people, they're just defaming the fame of the Supreme Lord. I am protecting this fame of
the Supreme Lord, being such a pure, uh, Parker, uh, devotee. And that's shameless, and they
break friendship, and they create enmity. And then, a very interesting argument, again, to get
deep within our heart and to understand what's going on, is that he says, Daksha Maharaja says
that knowledge itself brings detachment, not the changing of the dress. Isn't it also a very
familiar argument which we hear, that you shouldn't change your position, you shouldn't change
your dress, you know, just develop your knowledge, and the detachment will be there. Yes,
detachment will definitely, uh, be there, but it will also manifest externally. Narada Muni gave
knowledge to the sons of Daksha, and they developed detachment. So, again, as I said, it's quite
a painful exercise to read this sixth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam and to see what's going on. And
then, of course, at the end, Daksha Maharaja says, if your family has the ones, you may be
forgiven. I'm so tolerant. I didn't curse you first, but now I'm cursing you. You will always be in this
position. So, anyway, again, as I said, Bhagavatam very instructively gives us an understanding of
our internal problems. And then, this is two chapters, the chapter, uh, five, and chapter four and
five. And then, the sixth chapter is the progeny of the daughters of Daksha. And in the seventh
chapter of the sixth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the real story, the main story of the sixth canto
starts. And again, it's a story not only of Vritrasura. It's mostly a story of Indra, even though we
say that the sixth canto is the story of Ajamila. It's the story of Yamadutas. We sometimes say,
oftentimes say, that the sixth canto is the story of Vritrasura. It is a story of Vritrasura, but it's
more a story of Indra, how this attachment is not actually beneficial.

And one very important beginning lesson of this story of Indra, in the seventh chapter of the sixth
Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, is the beginning of the whole story, when Indra offends his guru.
That's a very grave element or important story of this sixth Canto. It betrays the psychology of
mixed devotion. For a pure devotee, a relationship with the spiritual master is of utmost
importance and holds value in itself. He often would depict this pragmatic mentality towards the
guru in the case of Mayavadis.
There was this little story: When Prabhupat was walking on the Juhu beach, he had some
difficulties in climbing over a sand dune, and one of his disciples gave him a hand and dragged
him up. Then, ultimately, when he was up, he kind of beat the disciple by hand and said, 'You
don't know, I don't need you anymore.' Prabhupat said that this depicts the mentality that, 'Yes, I
need the guru for what I need, to achieve my ends.' It's not a relationship with the devotion with
the spiritual master for the sake of the relationship itself; it's a relationship for the sake of getting
something, of extracting something from the spiritual master. Therefore, when this whole story
about Indra is being described in the 16th of Srimad-Bhagavatam, it starts with this.

You know, if you achieve something from your spiritual master, you don't need him anymore.
Indra, he achieved; he is opulent, he is being glorified. And having a spiritual master in the midst
of glorification, that's the beginning of this whole story. Indra, sitting there in the Heavenly
planets, everyone is glorifying him, and he's enjoying this. All of a sudden, his spiritual master
comes and spoils his fun. Indra is so happy, he's in the pinnacle, experiencing the pinnacle of his
glory, and then someone superior comes and spoils the whole fun. Because if a superior comes,
you have to bow down, you have to become humble, and who wants to be humble? Definitely not
us, definitely not in mixed devotion.

Yes, we try to use the devotion, we try to use the devotional service for our own ends. And then,
at one point, the spiritual master and the relationship with the spiritual master becomes an
impediment, becomes an obstacle in this regard, and we don't need the spiritual master
anymore. So, we remove him because he's an obstacle.

That's a very important trait of a mixed devotee. The pure devotion, the characteristic of pure
devotion, is that we want to relate, we want a relationship with the spiritual master for the sake of
this relationship, for the sake of service, and this relationship is eternal. He is my master, Lord
and Master, life after life. That's a very important thing, that's a very important part of pure
devotional service.

And then, not only this, what we will see, of course, is Indra immediately becomes remorseful. It's
not that the devotee doesn't know how he's supposed to behave. The devotee knows this, but at
the same time, he cannot really do anything, he cannot really overcome this tendency. This
tendency is very strong; I want to enjoy independently. And therefore, you know, the relationship
with the spiritual master doesn't help in this regard. It's counterproductive to what I want to
achieve.

But what is most important, if we take this message of the sixth Canto very carefully, it starts
with this: Envy, deeply rooted and hidden envy towards the spiritual master. And this envy grows
and grows without limit. That's the problem. If you don't check it, if you don't kill it in the
inception, if you see this mentality within yourself and you don't kill this mentality, what will
happen? First, you offend your spiritual master who is pre-hospital, then you accept another
spiritual master, and then you kill another spiritual master, this Varupa.

And that's exactly what we see. Sometimes we see what is, they accept a spiritual master, then
reject a spiritual master, they accept somebody else as a spiritual master, they reject somebody
else as a spiritual master, and it goes on and on. So, that's the mentality which is being described
here in the sixth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, how this envy grows without any limits within the
heart if it's unchecked, and how this mentality manifests.
You know what happens with Indra in the first offense: Prehospitality, then he kills Viswarupa,
then he kills Britazura, and he knows a pure devotee. He kills Viritra Surah, and then before that,
he kills basically the Dichi Muni. Of course, commits suicide but on request of Indra. This is how
it goes; this is the development of devolution of consciousness. Your achievement of a very high
position, a position of a mixed devotee, is a very high position. It's a very fortunate position in one
sense, but if you keep this mixture unchecked, then this is what's going to happen. You will
develop, first of all, envy or jealousy within your heart towards the spiritual master, then you
develop cruelty.

You know, Indra doesn't think twice before killing Viswarupa. Viswarupa is his spiritual master;
Viswarupa gave him Narayan Kawacha, Viswarupa gave him Mantra. Viswarupa gave him
everything. You know, for a slight offense, for a hint of an offense, for some little thread that his
position as Indra will be somehow rather compromised, Indra kills Viswarupa. And then, you
know, he suffers the reactions of this.

And as I said again, instead of devoting himself to pure devotional service completely, he
undergoes this atonement, he undergoes different purificatory ceremonies to get rid of all these
sinful reactions. And it's very interesting, these sinful reactions are being described in Sriman
Bhagavatam. How mahadbhutas, four great elements within his body, were contaminated. Why
were they contaminated? Because of the contaminated mentality. This contaminated mentality,
sinful mentality by Indra, which forced him to kill Viswarupa, went into the physical level.

And on the physical level, the Earth within his body became contaminated and was stinking. The
water was in his body, was contaminated, and he couldn't feel the taste. Like now, we're
undergoing this COVID, and COVID, one of the signs of COVID, is the loss of taste. It's basically
contaminated water within the body, and loss of smell, it's the contaminated Earths within the
body, it's how it manifests.

And you know, the Fire Within his body was contaminated. The four elements were contaminated
because of the sinful mentality. You know, again, what I want to say is that Srimad-Bhagavatam
is very cruel, it's very black and white. It's very uncompromising, and Simad Bhagavata wants to
say to us, 'Don't go for the mixed devotion. Mixed devotion is not a solution to your problem;
mixed devotion is the root cause of your problems. There will be so many problems.' And that's
what we read in these verses, you know, that how the mixed devotion is ultimately the cause of
all kinds of problems.

So, what we see after that, the Narayan Kavacha is being described. Narayan Kawache in the
eighth chapter of the sixth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. And again, what is the idea of this
Narayan Kavachi? Sometimes devotees glorify this Narayan Kavachan, that's definitely a very
beautiful protective mantra, a shield, but what is the meaning? What is the teachings of this
Narayan Kavachi in Srimad-Bhagavatam? Thus, ume teaches us this Narayan Kavacha to tell us
that we should chant this Narayan Kavachi. No, Sukadev Kaswami says this is mixed devotion
when you want only protection from the Lord. You don't want the Lord, you don't want the Lord
himself, you only want to exploit the Lord by, you know, protecting you, by giving you protection.

So again, this Narayan Kavacha, and then the last chapter of this sixth Canto is the spoon
vasanam ceremony. It describes what people who have mixed devotion do. They worship the
Lord with this Narayan Kavachi, they worship the Lord with this poombasana ceremony. But what
is the use? What is the purpose of it? Just to achieve their own end. And ultimately, it's not
glorious; ultimately, you will remain here, and you will rot here in this material world if you don't
change this mentality, which is the main teaching of this sixth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

And then, chapter 9's demon Vitresur appears. And again, as I said, Indra accepts all the sinful
reactions. And as I said, one of the very important teachings is that, yes, there are all these
recommendations in the Vedic literature. All these atonements which Shiva underwent, and the
sacrifice which is trusted to create Fritra Sur. But what is the result? That's the result. All these
glorious rituals which are glorified all over Vedic literature ultimately want to say they're useless.
They don't work; they really don't work.

You know, trust committed a little mistake in pronunciation, a little, not even in pronunciation, in
accent, a little. You know, this Indra Satru, he pronounced not like 'Satru,' but like 'Satru,' and
that's it. You know, a little mistake. If you don't know exactly, totally, completely Sanskrit
grammar, and you try to do all these rituals, zero. And at the same time, Ajamila, he was sinful till
the end of his life, and then he said Narayan, and he went back to God. Of course, after
performing some devotional service in Hardwar, and everything else. So, that's the beautiful
message of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

And then, you know, Vritrasura comes, and there is this battle between Vritrasura in the tenth
canto, when Indra... Yeah, of course, I forget to tell about this Dadichi Muni, which is also a very
important part of it. Yes, let's go a little back into the story. When the demigods, they come to
Lord Vishnu, and they say, 'Please, protect us from Vritrasura.' He says, 'No problem, I will protect
you. No problem.'

It's actually very interesting. That's another important teaching of the sixth Canto of Srimad
Bhagavatam. As we know from our studies of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavatam is Bhagavata
Purana. Personal means at the mercy of the Lord, osunam means nourishment, the mercy of the
Lord. And basically, this sixth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam is explaining how the Lord is merciful
both towards mixed devotees and pure devotees, but how his mercy manifests differently.

Yes, he's merciful towards Vritrasura, he's merciful towards Chitraketu, and therefore he arranges
the whole story of Chitraketu and cursing of mother Parvati, which we will describe a little later,
to arrange his speedy return to the spiritual world. He's merciful towards Indra too; he gives
everything which Indra wants.

He says, 'Please protect us, the Lord. There's this huge demon Vritra, which is the personification
of how sinful reactions, please the Lord, protect us from sinful reactions.' And Lord says, 'Yes,
yes, thank you. You go to the Dichi Muni, and you...'

You come to the Dadhīci Muni , and you fold your hands, and Dadhīci Muni, he is a great saint,
and you say, 'Oh dear Dadichi, please give us your body. And from your body, from the bones of
your body, this vajra will be created, and this vajra will kill Vritrasura later on.'

Such a great devotee. Lord comes himself personally to protect you, and you know, always
whenever you pray for him, gives you protection. Lord Indra says, 'This is not so. He humiliates
me every time when I ask him for protection. He comes and he humiliates me. He humiliated me
when he came as Vamanadev when I asked him for protection from Bali Maharaj. But even more
so, he humiliated me when I came to him, and I asked him, 'Please protect me from Vritrasura.'
And what did he do? He sent me to the Dadhīci Munii, who is my enemy, whom before that I cut
the head off.'

That's another, another heroic feat of Lord Indra. He became very jealous and very envious, and
when the Dadhīci Muni wanted to teach Brahma Vidya, mother Vidya to Ashwini Kumaras, he just
cut his head off, as he did with Viswarupa. Luckily, you know, Selena Kumaras, they made some
arrangement, and they, you know, put some horse head on Dadichi Muni.

But then the Lord himself comes and says, 'You go to this same Dadichi Muni, whom you
offended, and you beg his body from him.' He stands there, flabbergasted. You know, that's
probably the last thing which he expected. And he says, 'How will he give me this body? I already
offended him.' And the Lord says, 'No, no, you put in front of Aswini Kumaras, the disciples of the
Adichimuni. Dadhīci Munilikes them very much. If Aswini Kumaras will be there, he will, he's
generous, he will say, 'Yeah, ultimately take my body, no problem.'

That's exactly what happened. Lord Indra comes to Dadhīci Muni. At first, Dadhīci Muni teases
him, saying, "You know, who do you think you are? You're coming to me and saying, 'Give your
body.' Our bodies are so dear to us." The demigods start preaching to him, "Don't be attached to
your body. You know, isn't it hilarious?" It's absolutely hilarious. Lord Vishnu really humiliates
Lord Indra. He says, "You go to him, and you preach. Give the sermon to that Ichimuni, which is
very hypocritical. You're attached to your own body. You're afraid to lose your own body. You go
to the Digimoni and say, 'You're a great sage, so you're not supposed to be attached to your body.
Give up your body. This is the most glorious thing which you can do, you know.'

This is how Shrimad Bhagavatam describes to us the problems of mixed devotion. Mixed
devotion ultimately brings about humiliation because the Lord reveals our attachments to the
world. You know, we may be, it's interesting, as I said, Vishnu's daughters, Daksha Maharaj, and
Indra are preaching devotional service, but they cannot really walk what they preach. I'm talking
about myself, not about Indra. What is the use of talking about Indra? We really have to see this
problem within ourselves. We all know the theory of pure devotional service. We all preach the
glory of pure devotional service, but when it comes to practice, that's a completely different
story. It could be a completely different story. And Shrimad Bhagavatam says to us, 'Before it's
too late, you better realize what you're preaching to others. Don't remain within yourself as a
mixed devotee. Try to purify your devotion because there's no use. It's actually a very pitiful
condition to remain in this condition.'

Let me repeat these verses which we read. It's actually very interesting. This is what Britrasura
says because, in these two verses, he explains the difference between pure devotion and mixed
devotion. A person who fully surrenders at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and always thinks of His lotus feet is accepted and recognized by the Lord as His own personal
assistant or servant. In other words, those who are trying to be pure, the Lord recognizes them.
'Your mind, there is no difference between you and me, and I will protect you. I will be for you all
the time. The Lord never bestows reproach upon such servants. The brilliant opulences of the
upper, lower, and middle planetary systems of this material world - when one possesses material
opulence in many of these three divisions of the universe, his possessions naturally increase
enmity, anxiety, mental agitation, pride, and belligerence. So this is exactly what this sixth canto
is teaching us. If you want to be a mixed devotee, no problem. Krishna will reciprocate with your
desire. He will give you whatever you want, but you please know what you are asking for. You're
asking for enmity, anxiety, mental agitation, pride, and belligerence. This is what is coming:
anxiety, mental agitation, pride, distress due to loss.

And that's an inevitable result, which, you know, the sixth canto is explaining to us. This is what
you get. You'll get, you know, 'mercy,' quote-unquote, mercy of the Lord. You'll get His portion, His
anugraha. You'll get what you want, but with it, you will get anxiety, pride, cruelty in the heart, so
many other things, unwanted things which will come together with it. Therefore, you know, don't
ask for this. Please ask for pure devotional service. And therefore, the essence of the sixth canto
of Shrimad Bhagavatam is in these four verses, which Britrasura pronounces on this battlefield.
And that's the essence of the purity of love.

'Let me become dasanudas of your padamula. Let my mind always remember your qualities, O
Lord of my life, O somebody who is completely ruling my life. Let me always remember your
qualities, granitavak, and glorify this by my words. Karma karo to kaya, and let my body do some
service to you.' He says, 'I don't want anything. I don't want Naka pristam. I don't want this
position on the higher planetary [Music] systems, on the planet of Lord Brahma, Naka pristam. I
don't want the position in the Heavenly planets. I don't want the only thing which I want. I want
[Music] to be serving at your lotus feet.'

And then, the main verse of these four verses, what's happening with this verse, it's very
important for us to understand because, again, this is how Shrimad Bhagavatam reveals what
was in the heart of Ritrasura, the purity of his love. He says, 'I don't want anything. I only want to
serve. I want not even to serve you. I want to become the servant of the servant.' And then, he is
trying to express in this 26th verse, to find the words, how to express the purity of his love. What
is his love? And he does not come to the ideal expression immediately. He just feels this
attachment within the heart, and he gives three consecutive comparisons, metaphors, how I love
you. Not even how I love you, how I want to love you, manure of induction. How my mind wants
to love you. So he doesn't say myself; he says my mind. How I want to see you because, he says,
when he says my mind, why he says my mind, why he doesn't say I want to love you? Because
when I say I want to love you, there is a certain artificiality in it. This is more or less an intellectual
position: 'I want to love you in this and that way.' But he says, 'My mind wants to see you in this
way.' It basically means he says that there is a natural affection within my mind. This is what is
happening within my mind; it is attached. How it is attached? It is attached as much as a little
baby bird is attached to a mother bird, the bird which doesn't have the wings to fly. Therefore, his
paksa, his wings, is not really born yet. And he's completely helpless. And Ritrasura says, how
this little helpless bird, baby bird, is waiting for his mother, completely dependent on the mother,
and waiting for a little worm which the mother will bring in her beak and give to her. And by
saying that, this is what it is. I'm, you know, I'm a huge Vritrasura. In Mahabharata, it's said that
he was 500 yojanas high and 300 yojanas in his waist, so he was huge. And he says, 'Here I am,
my dear Lord. I am a little baby bird, and I'm totally dependent on you.' But then, he says, 'No, it's
not a very good comparison because this baby bird only wants the worm, not the mother herself.'
And therefore, he gives the second comparison, like a little cow, a little baby calf, wants to have
stanyam, the udder of his mother cow, to nourish himself, to give. And, you know, that's a better
comparison because the mother cow may go out on the fields for long, long, long hours, and then
the baby calf is waiting for her and always thinks only about her, not about anyone else. And he
just wants to reciprocate with her and to taste her love. But then, he says, 'No, no, this is not a
good comparison either because, when the calf grows up, he more or less forgets his mother. I
want to depict my relationship with the Lord on a level of complete purity.' And therefore, he
gives the third comparison. A young bride or young wife is waiting at home, and her husband is
far away, and she's waiting and waiting and waiting, and she can't, she cannot find solace in
anyone else. She always thinks about the Lord. So basically, what Britrasura is describing is how
he always thinks about the Lord, and that's the description of love. What love means: love means
I always think about the one whom I love, and I always think about how we meet with each other
and what I will do. And ultimately, he's satisfied with this third comparison. You know, the
husband will come home after long, long travels, and I will come, and I will embrace him, and I
will serve him, and I will feed him, and I will caress him, and massage his feet, and everything
else. And that's how he is, how Sukadeva Goswami is describing his love. And that's in the
middle, as I said, in the middle of the battle, when Indra is about to kill him. And he preaches to
Indra first, and he says, 'Oh, Indra, you know, why don't you believe in the words of Lord Vishnu?
The Lord Vishnu wants you to kill me. He gave you this vajra. Kill me, kill me, kill me.' And then, all
of a sudden, he forgets about Indra, he forgets about everything else. It's the moment of
complete silence. And in this silence, he tells these stories, these prayers, these four prayers.
And in the last prayers, he says that, 'Actually, ah, I don't even deserve to be with you. If I want to
ask you something, give me the friendship of your devotees. Let my mind be only attached to
your devotees, and I don't want to have anything else, any other attachment: attachment to my
body, to wife, to children, to anything else. I just want to be attached to you and to the service of
your devotees.' So that's the culmination, and that's exactly why this is the characteristic of
Shrimad Bhagavatam. Because in this very graphic example, it shows what does it mean to have
pure love, what and how glorious it is to have pure love, and how rare it is to have pure love, and
how inglorious it is to have some sort of mixed relationship with the Lord, and how many
problems it creates.

And then, of course, naturally, after that, you know, then the twelfth canto is his glorious death of
Vritrasura. And for one year, Indra is working hard to cut off his arm and head, and, you know, it's
really, and but Vritrasura is already long before, he is in the spiritual world. And then, Lord Indra is
afflicted by sinful reactions, how this personified sin is chasing him, and he's hiding and trying to
understand how he's fallen. You know, it started from a little offense of his guru and went to this
Maha-aparadha to the pure devotee of Vritrasura. [Music] The story is there. And in one sense,
King Chitraketu's story to a greater extent belongs to the next canto. I will explain this when we
describe the summary of the seventh canto. But the essence of this story is how pure devotion
can come within our heart. Because it's not enough to glorify the pure devotion. It's also very
important to understand how the pure devotion, where it's taken from, where it's coming from,
and how one can develop pure devotion. And then, of course, Mother Parvati curses King
Chitraketu to become Vritrasura. And he accepts very nonchalantly, very peacefully, the curse of
Mother Parvati. And Lord Shiva glorifies the pure devotion of Chitraketu. And then the last two
chapters are also very instructive, as I said, because the 18th chapter, 'Deity Vows to Kill King
Indra,' and the 19th chapter, 'Performing the Punvasana Ritualistic Ceremony,' is again a futility of
all these rituals which are based on devotion, but at the same time, do not constitute pure
devotion. But also, there is another very important teaching in these chapters, especially in
chapter number 18, 'Deity Vows to Kill King Indra.' That's the rivalry which is always there
between the mixed devotees. Mixed devotees, and this is what we, unfortunately, can see within
ISKCON, so much rivalry. You know, 'I'm better, no, I'm better than. My guru is better, no, my guru
is better, this and that.' So that is depicted in Shrimad Bhagavatam itself. If you are a pure
devotee, no envy, no rivalry. You just, you know, the only thing which you want to just encourage
others, you know, like Vritrasura encourages Indra, 'Do your devotional service. Kill me, do it, you
know, no rivalry.' They're right there in the battlefield. One wants to kill, and Vritrasura feels
absolutely no enmity, with no rivalry. He's just happy, and he says, 'You know, just remember,
Lord Vishnu himself gave you this benediction, so remember about this benediction and kill me.'
But then, when it comes to relationship with other mixed devotees, oh no, it's not so, it's not so
peachy, it's not so nice. So there is some rivalry here. And Deity wants to kill Indra, Indra wants to
kill the, you know, fetus in her womb, and ultimately, you know, he cuts the feathers into 49 kinds,
and there are 49 Maruts, different demigods, which will ultimately help her. So it has, ultimately, a
good end, happy end. But nevertheless, the thing is that, you know, the mixed devotion does not
bring you peacefulness and does not bring you even friendship. Mixed devotion will never end up
in cooperation.

Therefore, Prabhupada said, "Your love towards me will be proven by the way you cooperate with
each other because cooperation means love; cooperation means pure love. And when there is no
pure love, there will be rivalry, there will be all kinds of competition, there will be all kinds of
problems." That's the message of the sixth Canto. Therefore, the sixth Canto is extremely
important for us to understand that pure devotional service is something which we should strive
for. We should be very careful about different sprouts of mixed tendencies which we will try to
remove from the very beginning. So that's my little message today in our seminar on the sixth
cant of Srimad Bhagavatam. What is the point of it? Thank you very much.

So, this was yet another session which makes us reflective, contemplative. But today's session
was pretty much good, you know, you hit the nail on the head and brings about a kind of mirror
that Iskcon goes through your exposition in front of us. So, thank you again for this wonderful
session. We have a lot to contemplate upon, reflect upon, and most importantly, practice. We will
now go to the questions that we have.