View source for Bhagavata means great devotee, first-class devotee

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[[Category:Bhagavata Means]]
[[Category:Great Devotees of God]]
[[Category:First-class Devotees of God]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SHARMISTHA]]
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<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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Bhāgavata means great devotee, first-class devotee, bhāgavata. Pāṇḍaveya. How he became bhāgavata? Because son and grandson, all in the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was the grandson of Arjuna. So Arjuna was Kṛṣṇa's friend, he was bhāgavata. So unfortunately, Arjuna's son died in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. He was also bhāgavata.
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[[Vanisource:720531 - Lecture SB 02.03.14-15 - Los Angeles|720531 - Lecture SB 02.03.14-15 - Los Angeles]]
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Rājā means king. Bhāgavataḥ. Bhāgavata means great devotee, first-class devotee, bhāgavata. Pāṇḍaveya. How he became bhāgavata? Because son and grandson, all in the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was the grandson of Arjuna. So Arjuna was Kṛṣṇa's friend, he was bhāgavata. So unfortunately, Arjuna's son died in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. He was also bhāgavata. He was Subhadrā's son. Arjuna . . . Kṛṣṇa's sister, the Subhadrā, who is sitting here with Jagannātha, so Subhadrā's son was Abhimanyu, but he died in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, sixteen years old. But fortunately, his wife, Uttarā, was pregnant. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was within the womb of Uttarā, so he was saved. All others died. So pāṇḍaveyaḥ, "coming in the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas." Therefore bhāgavataḥ.

Mahā-rathaḥ: at the same time, he could fight thousands of warriors, mahā-ratha. A Kṣatriya who alone can fight with another thousand Kṣatriyas, he's called mahā-ratha. So it does not mean to become bhāgavata means . . . to become devotee, one has to stop all other activities. No. Here it is called mahā-ratha. Mahā-ratha means a great commander.

So a great commander can also become bhāgavata, a great merchant can become also bhāgavata, and a great Brāhmin, learned scholar, he can also become bhāgavata. There is no restriction. Not that simply one who is Vedāntist, who is very learned scholar, he can become bhāgavata. No. The social system was so nice that everyone could become bhāgavata. The Brāhmin could become bhāgavata, a Kṣatriya could become bhāgavata, a Vaiśya could become bhāgavata, or a Śūdra could also become a bhāgavata. Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyāḥ. Kṛṣṇa says personally, "Never mind whether he's woman or a Śūdra or a Vaiśya," te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim, "all of them can go back to home, back to Godhead." How? Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.32 (1972)|BG 9.32]]). "Simply he has to take shelter of Me seriously. That's all. Never mind what he is." Te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim.

So this Parīkṣit Mahārāja, in his childhood he was bāla-krīḍanakaiḥ krīḍan. He was playing with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. That is the advantage of getting birth in a Vaiṣṇava family. Just like some of our children, they are playing with Jagannātha, they are playing with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. In India that Sarasvatī, Śyāmasundara's daughter, she offers ārati and brings the ārati for me. I take. Yes. (chuckles) So learning. Just as child, mother is offering obeisance, and the child is doing. We used to do that. We got this opportunity of good father and mother. We were trained up. Similarly, you can also train up your children. Then your becoming father and mother is perfect. Otherwise, the dogs and cats and hogs, they also beget children. They're more expert. A hog can beget children twice in a year, and each time, more than one dozen.

So you cannot compete with that. It is not possible. (laughs) Sometimes you beget two children twice, but that is not competition. The competition is that you make your children God conscious. Give them. They're playing with Kṛṣṇa. At our New Vrindavan, D-D-D (Dvārakādhīśa), he was given by his father toys. I was present. And he did not touch the toys. He said, "It is māyā." (laughter.) Yes. "It is māyā." So everything should be taught from childhood. That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha ([[Vanisource:SB 7.6.1|SB 7.6.1]]). So in the . . . from the very beginning there is no teaching, there is no God consciousness, then what will be the result? You may send in a very decorated university, but the result will be hippies. That's all. You cannot expect anything more. You cannot expect.

So teach them from the very beginning how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then you'll find nice population, beautiful population, peaceful atmosphere, social condition very nice, systematic, everyone is happy. And with, in happiness, they're all chanting, Kṛṣṇa conscious. Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, every house there is dingling of bells, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." (laughter) Make Vaikuṇṭha. That is my request. Teach from the very beginning of life. Just like bāla-krīḍa. Bāla-krīḍanakaiḥ krīya ([[Vanisource:SB 2.3.15|SB 2.3.15]]). By playing, he's becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. So in our Dallas you go. Make all these . . . save all these children, those who have come to your shelter. It is the duty of the father and mother. It is the duty of guardian to save the dependents from the impending danger of death, repeated birth and death. So if you cannot save these children, then it is useless. Save them.
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