Srimad Bhagavatam & Seven Siddha Dehas

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

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Did you know that not less than 7 siddha dehas are clearly described in the Srimad Bhagavatam? Yes, it’s absolutely true—confirmed by the highest authority: the Bhagavata, which is the topmost, perfect shastra pramanam, amala Purana and the Pāramahaṁsa-saṁhitā.

Whether one is a Sri Krishna krpa-patra or a spiritually perfected bhakta sadhaka, he/she WILL ATTAIN a beautiful and divine siddha svarupa or SIDDHA DEHA. By the mercy of Sri Guru and Bhagavan Sri Krishna, the following personalities attained siddha dehas and went eternally to the spiritual sky:

1. BALAK NARADA MUNI

evaṁ kṛṣṇa mater brahman, nāsaktas yāmal ātmanaḥ

kālaḥ prādurabhūt kale, taḍit saudāmanī yathā

“O Brahmin Vyasa! Giving up all material attachments, I focused my pure mind completely on Sri Krishna and gave up my material body. Instantly, without any time interval at all, I received my spiritual body (siddha deha), like lightning flashing simultaneously with lightning.

prayujyamāne mayi tāṁ, śuddhāṁ bhāgavatīṁ tanum

ārabdha karma nirvāṇo,  nyapatat pāñca-bhautikaḥ

“Having been awarded a transcendental body befitting an associate of Bhagavan Sri Vishnu, my material body made of five material elements and my karmas fell away.” (SB 1.6.27-28)

Sridhar Swami tika:

The verse word prayujyamāne means that the siddha deha was personally brought by Bhagavan Sri Vishnu [from Vaikuntha] and given or awarded to Narada Muni at death.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti tika:

Previously, after once giving His sakshad darshana to the boy sadhaka, Narada Muni, Bhagavan Sri Vishnu disappeared and spoke invisibly from the sky (akash vani), saying, “O Narada, when you give up this body of low birth, you will become My associate.” (SB 1.6.23)  Here in verse 28, Sri Vishnu fulfills His promise as Narada Muni simultaneously gives up his material body and receives the spiritual body, siddha deha.

2. YUDDHISTHIRA & PANDAVAS

“Hearing the arrangements of Sri Krishna and the proper situation of the Yadu family, without others knowing, Yudhiṣṭhira fixed his mind on attaining Krishna’s abode.” (SB 1.15.32)

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti tika:

 The word svah in this verse (SB 1.15.32) usually refers to the celestial heavens, but here it means the spiritual realm of Vaikuntha, as proven four chapters later (SB 1.19.20), which says, “sadyo jahur bhagavat pārśva kāmāḥ, “The Pandavas attained Krishna’s abode in the spiritual sky.”

3. PUTANA RAKSHASI

Just see the inconceivable and most astonishing compassion of Bhagavan Sri Krishna! A baby-killing, blood-sucking witch came to kill Him, yet Sri Krishna mercifully gave Putana a spiritual body as a nursemaid [dhatri] assistant to Yashodamaya in Goloka Vrindavana.

aho bakī yaṁ stana kāla kūṭaṁ, jighāṁsa yāpāyayad apy asādhvī

lebhe gatiṁ dhātry ucitāṁ taton yaṁ, kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema

Sri Uddhavji said, “O! The most evil Pūtanā, intent on killing Krishna, offered her poisonous breast to Krishna, yet she attained the position of a nurse in the spiritual world. Who else can be as merciful as Bhagavan Sri Krishna? Thus I surrender to Krishna!” (SB 3.2.23]

4. THE PERFECTED SADHAKA

Here Bhagavata describes the Vishnu/Krishna premi-sadhaka (anuragi Vaisnava) who experiences ecstatic symptoms of divine love just before leaving the material body to attain Vaikuntha and a spiritual form, siddha deha.

yac ca vrajanty animiṣām ṛṣabhānuvṛttyā, dūre yamā hy upari naḥ spṛhaṇīya śīlāḥ

bhartur mithaḥ suyaśasaḥ kathanānurāga, vaiklavya bāṣpa kalayā pulakī kṛtāṅgāḥ

Sri Brahmaji said, “The dedicated followers of Bhagavan Sri Vishnu have transcended the rules and regulations (dura yama) of yoga meditation and other austerities and even surpassed us. Possessing the most excellent qualities, they cry incessantly due to their intense attraction for Hari-katha and then enter Vaikuntha [which means attaining a siddha deha].” (SB 3.15.25)

5. BALAK DHRUVA MAHARAJA

Immediately on the spot, by the inconceivable shakti of Sri Vishnu, Balak Dhruva’s human body underwent transfiguration and became a spiritual body in this most amazing chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam.

Parīt yābhyarcya dhiṣ ṇyāgryaṁ, pārṣadāv abhivandya ca

iyeṣa tad adhiṣṭhātuṁ, bibhrad rūpaṁ hiraṇ mayam

“Before boarding the transcendental Vaikuntha airplane, Balak Dhruva circumambulated and worshiped it; offered respects to the Vishnu parshads (associates); and assumed a golden form. Then that plane delivered him to Dhruvaloka, an outpost of Vaikuṇṭha within the material atmosphere.” (SB 4.12.29)

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti tika:

Balak Dhruva worshipped the Vaikuntha airplane by offering flowers dipped in chandan while saying “Bhagavad vimānāya namaḥ.”

6. AJAMILA THE SINNER

After 80 years of grossly sinful life, the Brahmin Ajamila was saved from hell by Bhagavan Sri Vishnu. Then he went to Haridvar tirtha to perform intense Vishnu bhakti bhajana. At death, he got a siddha svarupa [siddha deha] and liberation to Vaikuntha.

hitvā kalevaraṁ tīrthe, gaṅgāyāṁ darśanād anu

sadyaḥ svarūpaṁ jagṛhe, bhagavat pārśva vartinām

“After seeing the Vishnuduttas [messengers of Bhagavan Sri Vishnu], Ajamila gave up his body at Haridvara by Ma Ganga, and immediately attained a spiritual body as an associate of Bhagavan Sri Vishnu.”

Śrīnātha Cakravartī (Mahaprabhu parshad and Sri Advaita Prabhu shishya) said, the verse word SADYA means a seamless transfer; it occurred immediately without any break.

mmgd:

The Sanskrit word meanings in this verse are crystal clear.

Sadya; immediately Ajamila got it i.e. siddha deha.

Sva-rūpam; means his own individual spiritual form i.e. the siddha deha or “the siddha svarupa” as Sri Rupa Gosvami describes it in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu.

Jagṛhe; means Ajamila adopted or assumed it.

Bhagavat-pārśva-vartinām; means Ajamila attained a spiritual body as an associate of Bhagavan Sri Vishnu i.e. samipya-mukti.

 7. GAJENDRA THE ELEPHANT

A couple of kids, a fiendish witch and a fallen papi Brahmin all got the mercy of Sri Krishna and attained spiritual bodies, siddha dehas, in the spiritual realm. Now just observe how the line of divine krpa extends even to beasts, as Sri Vishnu liberates a suffering jungle elephant.

yaṁ dharma-kāmārtha-vimukti-kāmā, bhajanta iṣṭāṁ gatim āpnuvanti

kiṁ cāśiṣo rāty api deham avyayaṁ, karotu me 'dabhra-dayo vimokṣaṇam

Hati Gajendra prayed, “Persons desiring dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa worship Bhagavan Sri Vishnu/Krishna, attain assorted material benedictions, the treasure of prema and a spiritual body too. May that unlimitedly merciful Bhagavan Sri Vishnu/Krishna also liberate me from samsara and give me an imperishable spiritual body [deham avyayaṁ], siddha deha.” (SB 8.3.19)

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti tika:

Devotees having material desires also serve Sri Krishna. They desire dharma, kāma, artha and liberation which they get by worshipping Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Besides that,  they also receive the most cherished goal of Krishna prema.

The Bhagavata says, “Bhagavan Sri Vishnu certainly gives the objects desired by His devotees. However, He gives them in such a way that the devotee, after enjoying them, will not ask for them again. Even though they don’t desire them, Sri Krishna lovingly gives His lotus feet to such motivated worshipers. (SB 5.19.27)

Bhagavan Sri Vishnu gives the desired material objects, and also gives them a spiritual body as He did with Dhruva and others. Thus Sri Vishnu is unlimitedly merciful.

mmgd: The siddha deha that Gajendra prayed for here was attained in the next chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam. This is a very very important point for sadhakas of bhakti. Following Gajendra’s example of intentionally praying to Sri Krishna for a siddha deha, we too should pray to Sri Krishna to kindly and mercifully reveal our personal siddha dehas.

However, unlike Gajendra, who seeing his life about to end in the jaws of the crocodile of death, prayed once at death to attain a siddha deha, sincere sadhakas SHOULD PRAY EVERDAY to Sri Krishna to please reveal their individual and beautiful siddha dehas right here and right now.  

gajendro bhagavat sparśād, vimukto 'jñāna bandhanāt

prāpto bhagavato rūpaṁ, pīta vāsāś catur bhujaḥ

“Because Bhagavan Sri Vishnu directly touched Hati Gajendra, the elephant was totally freed from ignorance and samsara. Gajendra attained the Vaikuntha liberation of svarupya-mukti, i.e. the same transcendental bodily features as Sri Vishnu with four hands and a brilliant yellow dress.” (SB 8.4.6.)

Conclusion:

Can anyone imagine the tremendous power, beauty and sweetness of bhakti in any form, be it karma/jnana mishra bhakti, shuddha-bhakti or even deceitful devotion masking murderous intents? Disregarding all mixed motives, Bhagavan Sri Vishnu/Krishna kindly purifies His worshipers, humbly fulfills their material desires, and gives them eternal spiritual forms in Vaikuntha even if they aren’t desiring them.

Children, sinful Brahmins, sincere sadhakas, prakrta-bhaktas, murderous witches and even beasts like elephants—all get the mercy and attain the spiritual sky by the infinite, divine compassion of Sri Vishnu/Krishna.

“O Sri Krishna, remembering all these success stories of Srimad Bhagavatam, I too hope one day to receive a drop of Your mercy, the embrace of Your love, and a spiritual form too. Please, O Sri Krishna, please, O please, don’t neglect this one piteously crying in Your divya dhama!” (concept from madan-gopal blogspot)

Sri Krishna krpa ki jai! Jaya Jaya Sri Radhe! 

Pure Love Only By Mercy

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

 To Srila Rupa Goswamipada, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spoke a very beautiful verse describing the relation between mercy and love divine. Let’s look at it and dive into the ocean of truth:

  brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva,

guru krishna prasade PAYA bhakti lata bija

“All living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.” (Caitanya-caritamrta 2.19.151; trans. Srila Prabhupada)

   Comment: Please clearly read this most important verse, a main pillar in the house of Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada translates the Bengali verb paya as receive. The word paya means to receive or to get something, which means that that something IS NOT INSIDE OF ONE.

   The word PAYA clearly means, as Srila Prabhupada states, that something is received or gotten from an outside source. In this case it means one receives or gets the seed of bhakti or pure love of God, Krishna prema, from an outside source, namely Bhagavan Sri Krishna or Sri Guru, or a combination both as Srila Prabhupada states. In other words, neither Krishna bhakti nor its development to bhava or its culmination as Krishna prema is within the heart of any conditioned soul in this material world.

    The conclusion is that if a jiva is very fortunate, however, he may RECEIVE OR GET BHAKTI FROM SRI KRISHNA OR SRI GURU. Then by purely hearing, chanting and remembering Sri Krishna’s beautiful sweet names, forms, qualities and pastimes that seed of bhakti will sprout, and grow into the tree of bhava producing the sweet tasty fruits of Krishna prema.

   In other words, mercy gives bhakti, and that bhakti grows and develops by more mercy. Then by a rare and extraordinary ingress of mercy that bhakti becomes bhava and then quickly blossoms into prema, pure love of Krishna.

From this essential verse of Krishna consciousness we can understand the absolute importance and necessity of Sri Guru in our lives and the supreme role of mercy. Thus without the mercy of Sri Krishna and Sri Guru no one in the entire universe can ever attain pure love of Krishna, the sweetly fulfilling taste of Krishna prema.

Jai Jai Sri Radhe! 

  

Srila Prabhupada Glorifies Rasa Lila

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

You will be surprised to know that way back in 1969, Srila Prabhupada glorified the hearing of rasa lila, and even encouraged it in the right circumstances. His Divine Grace even went so far as to say that conditioned souls, which means everyone on this planet, “SHOULD HEAR THE RASA LILA.” Please do the needful after deeply reflecting on the following statements Srila Prabhupada made in his Kåñëa Book printed in 1969.

In chapter 33 of Kåñëa Book, Srila Prabhupada said:

“One who actually hears the rasa-lila will become completely freed from the lusty desire of sex life.

“The conditioned soul should hear the rasa-lila dance from an authorized spiritual master, who is in the disciplic succession, and is always engaged in Krishna consciousness. When a person hears the rasa-lila in this way, the effect will be sure: he will be elevated to the highest position of spiritual life.” (Krishna Book, Srila Prabhupada)

In the 1970’s, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples made sure that every day no matter what happened, they would read the Krishna Book without fail. May those days come again. And may all my friends dive deep into the ocean of pure spiritual nectar called Krishna Book.

Beautiful Boons of Bhagavatam

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

Just by casually hearing/reading about Sri Krishna’s wonderful, sweet pastimes depicted in the Srimad Bhagavatam, you will attain four amazing blessings, even without desiring such priceless gifts.

Moreover, the inner peace and heart’s satisfaction you’ll feel by hearing the Srimad Bhagavatam will soon make you “fall in love with Bhagavata”, as you hanker to hear/read it every day, nityam bhagavata sevaya (SB 1.2.15).

But how does it all happen? As you hear/read the Srimad Bhagavatam, you will automatically acquire higher knowledge which will subdue your lower material nature and remove your miseries. You won’t even realize how this is happening—a magical transformation of YOU.

An extraordinary inner joy and satisfaction will arise in your heart like a rich sweet aroma coming from a field of blossoming roses. This new found joy will make you detached from material sense objects, and non-devotional people and places, even without trying for it.

You, the former materialist, have now become a spiritualist—a seeker of life’s essence, God’s love. And with your Bhagavata treasures of a peaceful mind and a happy heart, you will move quickly along the path of Krishna prema bhakti. 

As Bhagavan Sri Krishna says in Gita (18.54): “A spiritualist—free from grief and hankering—sees all equally and soon attains My pure love!”  

To summarize, let’s see the four great treasures of hearing/reading the Srimad Bhagavatam:

1) You acquire divine knowledge and peace to subdue your lower nature.

2) Delight fills your mind to dispel your gloom and despair.

3) Your joy brings easy detachment from material sense objects/people.

4) You attain a state of liberation leading you to life’s goal of Sri Krishna prema bhakti.

So my dear friends of loving faces!

May you all dive deeply into the fathomless, beautiful, exciting, fulfilling, romantic, wisdom-filled, purifying and blissful ocean of immortal nectar ambrosia named "The Srimad Bhagavatam!”

Grantha Raja, Amala Purana, 

Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!

Jai Jai Sri Radhe!