Canto 1, Chapter 6

Conversation between Narada and Vyasadeva

As they were leaving, those bhakti-vedäntas, who are very kind to poor-hearted souls, instructed me in that most confidential
subject which is instructed by the Personality of Godhead Himself.

SB 1.5.30

jïänam—knowledge; guhyatamam—most confidential

So what do we understand by ‘most confidential’?

That something is right in front of us and yet we still can’t see it because we are not yet qualified to and we don’t want to.
Only when my service both externally and internally, is COMPLETELY free from all my tendencies for karma and jnana
will I ‘GET IT’ or ‘SEE IT’.

We don’t see this philosophy AS IT IS but as we are.

Purport “In the Bhagavad-gétä the Lord says that long, long before the instruction was imparted to Arjuna the same was
instructed to the sun-god, and that in course of time the same instruction, being wrongly handled and being broken, was again
instructed to Arjuna because he was the Lord's perfect devotee and friend. Therefore, the instruction of the Lord can be
understood by the devotees only, and no one else.”
32-40: Narada advises Vyasadeva

32-36: Process of karma yoga

SB 1.5.33

O good soul, does not a thing applied therapeutically cure a disease which was caused by that very same thing?
PURPORT
An expert physician treats his patient with a therapeutic diet. For example, milk preparations sometimes cause disorder of the
bowels, but the very same milk converted into yogurt and mixed with some other remedial ingredients cures such disorders.
Similarly, the threefold miseries of material existence cannot be mitigated simply by material activities. Such activities have to
be spiritualized, just as by fire iron is made red-hot, and thereby the action of fire begins. Similarly, the material conception of
a thing is at once changed as soon as it is put into the service of the Lord. That is the secret of spiritual success. We should
not try to lord it over the material nature, nor should we reject material things. The best way to make the best use of a bad
bargain is to use everything in relation with the supreme spiritual being. Everything is an emanation from the Supreme Spirit,
and by His inconceivable power He can convert spirit into matter and matter into spirit. Therefore a material thing (so-
called) is at once turned into a spiritual force by the great will of the Lord. The necessary condition for such a change is to
employ so-called matter in the service of the spirit. That is the way to treat our material disease and elevate ourselves to the
spiritual plane, where there is no misery, no lamentation and no fear. When everything is thus employed in the service of the
Lord, we can experience that there is nothing except the Supreme Brahman. The Vedic mantra that "everything is Brahman"
is thus realized by us.
 om namo bhagavate tubhyam
vasudevaya dhimahi
pradyumnayaniruddhaya
namah sankarsanaya ca

Let us all chant the glories of Vasudeva along with His plenary expansions Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Sankarsana.

SB 1.5.37

Text 39
Narada experienced three gifts:
1. Transcendental knowledge
2. Mystic opulences
3. Intimate loving service
 Are we not ‘rotting’???

Çréla Vyäsadeva and his representatives are pure in thought due to their spiritual enlightenment, fixed in their vows due to
their devotional service, and determined to deliver the fallen souls rotting in material activities.

SB 1.5.13

The Lord desires, as He has directly said in the Bhagavad-gita, that all conditioned souls, rotting in the kingdom of material
energy, come back to Him by giving up all engagements in the material world. This is the most confidential part of knowledge.

SB 1.5.31

1. We shed 500,000 million skin cells every hour (0.085 grams every hour)
2. 69-88 precent of all household dust is composed of shedding skin.
3. We sweat 500ml every hour and quickly smell as it is broken down by bacteria all over our body
Canto 1, Chapter 6: Conversation between Narada and Vyasadeva

1-4:
Vyasadeva inquires into Narada’s life

5-19:
The Lord’s appearance to Narada

20-27:
The Lord instructs Narada

28-33: 34-36:
Narada’s full perfection Narada concludes and departs
Questions
1.Explain the meaning of ‘sad-dharma-prccha’.
2.Analyse the import of Narada’s mother been bitten by a serpent.
3.What general principles can be drawn from Narada’s failed attempt to see the lord a second time?
4.What was Narada muni’s ‘material taint’?
5.Why did the Lord withdraw Himself from the vision of Narada?
6.Explain the following statement “ That the Personality of Godhead was not seen but only heard does not make
any difference”.
7.Describe the life of a sincere devotee of the Lord after his initiation as exemplified by Narada muni.
8.Describe five of Narada’s transcendental body and activities.
9.What purport if the ‘freedom’ purport?
10. Give your understanding of the following statement from Srila Prabhupada “All the mysteries of
transcendental realization are duly experienced by Närada Muni himself, and therefore by hearing such an
authority one can have some idea of the results of devotional life, which are hardly delineated even in the
original texts of the Vedas.”
Chapter 6
1.One must inquire from the spiritual master (second principle from NOD regarding the 64 items) 6.2
2.The Lord arranges whatever is necessary to remove all and every obstacles from the devotees journey
back to Him. The devotee also knows this and sees all material reverses as the Lord’s hand in their
life. 6.6-10
3.There is no mechanical way or means to see the Lord, only when the Lord is pleased does He reveal
Himself. 6.19
4.To search for the Lord in the lonely forest is considered in the mode of goodness. 6.21
5.To increase Narada’s desire to see the Lord and by that hankering remove any remaining material
desires. 6.22
6.There is no difference in identity between the Lord directly and His name. The sound form of the
Lord is also the full manifestation of the Lord and so by the sound of the Lord’s name, He is fully
present as much as He would be if He appeared directly before us. 6.25
7.Takes very seriously the chanting of the glories of the Lord, travels so others can hear, desire to only
go BTG, never envious of anyone, not proud, and preaches according to their capacity. 6.26
8. fully absorbed in thinking of Kåñëa and who therefore had no attachments, being completely freed
from all material taints, travels everywhere, singing constantly, fixed in unbroken DS.
9.6.37
 1-4:Vyasadeva inquires into Narada’s life

Vyasadeva, like any real disciple, is full of questions for his spiritual master.

“But superconsciousness of the supramind on the spiritual plane is as good as the spirit soul and is
never annihilated.”

SB 1.6.4p

Narada had a desire to join the BV but did not due to his external dharma and waited till
Krsna made the arrangements.
 5-19: The Lord’s appearance to Narada

SB 1.6.5

Çré Närada said: The great sages, who had imparted scientific knowledge of transcendence
to me, departed for other places, and I had to pass my life in this way.
PURPORT
In his previous life, when Näradajé was impregnated with spiritual knowledge by the grace
of the great sages, there was a tangible change in his life, although he was only a boy of five
years. That is an important symptom visible after initiation by the bona fide spiritual
master. Actual association of devotees brings about a quick change in life for spiritual
realization. How it so acted upon the previous life of Çré Närada Muni is described by and
by in this chapter.
 5-19: The Lord’s appearance to Narada

6-10: Accepting reverses in life nicely and seeing the Lord’s hand in everything.

SB 1.6.10

I took this as the special mercy of the Lord, who always desires benediction for His devotees, and so
thinking, I started for the north.
PURPORT
Confidential devotees of the Lord see in every step a benedictory direction of the Lord. What is
considered to be an odd or difficult moment in the mundane sense is accepted as special mercy of
the Lord. Mundane prosperity is a kind of material fever, and by the grace of the Lord the
temperature of this material fever is gradually diminished, and spiritual health is obtained step by
step. Mundane people misunderstand it.
11-14: Narada’s travelling life as a mendicant.

15-19: Narada’s vision of the Lord and his losing that vision.

“Each and every part of the body or senses has its particular function. After seeing the Lord, all the
senses become fully awakened to render service unto the Lord because in the liberated state the senses
are fully efficient in serving the Lord.”

SB 1.6.17p
How the Lord gradually manifests Himself to the devotee attaining prema
1.His beauty
2.His fragrance
3.His pleasing voice
4.His tenderness
5.His taste
6.His generosity
7.His compassion
SB 1.6.19 Discussion

I desired to see again that transcendental form of the Lord, but despite my attempts to concentrate upon
the heart with eagerness to view the form again, I could not see Him any more, and thus dissatisfied, I was
very much aggrieved.

PURPORT
There is no mechanical process to see the form of the Lord. It completely depends on the causeless mercy of
the Lord. We cannot demand the Lord to be present before our vision, just as we cannot demand the sun to
rise whenever we like. The sun rises out of his own accord; so also the Lord is pleased to be present out of
His causeless mercy. One should simply await the opportune moment and go on discharging his prescribed
duty in devotional service of the Lord. Närada Muni thought that the Lord could be seen again by the same
mechanical process which was successful in the first attempt, but in spite of his utmost endeavor he could
not make the second attempt successful. The Lord is completely independent of all obligations. He can
simply be bound up by the tie of unalloyed devotion. Nor is He visible or perceivable by our material senses.
When He pleases, being satisfied with the sincere attempt of devotional service by one depending
completely on the mercy of the Lord, then He may be seen out of His own accord.
20-27: The Lord instructs Narada
Texts 21 and 22

O Närada, [the Lord said,] I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me
anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and who are not completely free from all material
taints can hardly see Me. O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to
increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed
from all material desires.

Does the Lord give special mercy and then take it away from the beginning devotee?

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, then remove the shining lamp
of knowledge increasing the darkness born of ignorance.

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of
knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.
 28-33: Narada’s full perfection

Bhagavati’s question:

In this verse Narada explained that 'Having been awarded a transcendental body befitting an associate of the
Personality of Godhead, I quit the body made of five material elements..."

It is my understanding that we always have a transcendental spiritual body, it is just covered by this material body - like a
hand in a glove. So, how do I have to understand this statement of Narada.?

Srila Prabhupada using modern ‘techy’ terms??

He is a liberated spaceman….6.31
As soon as a pure devotee engages himself in the pure devotional service of hearing,
chanting and remembering the name, fame and activities of the Lord, at once He becomes
visible to the transcendental eyes of the pure devotee by reflecting Himself on the mirror of
the heart by spiritual television…6.33
 34-36: Narada concludes and departs

Sri Narada-Pancaratra
Sri Narada-Pancaratra is a Vaisnava literature that was compiled by Srila Vyasadeva. It deals with ve
branches of transcendental knowledge and was spoken by Lord Siva to the great sage Narada. Another name
of this literature is Jnanamritasara. The ve types of knowledge described in this book are;
knowledge of the Absolute Truth,
knowledge of liberation
knowledge of devotional service
knowledge of mystic yoga
and knowledge in the mode of ignorance.

Narada bhakti sutra

fi
fi
1. What was Narada muni’s name in his life as a demigod?
Upabarhana

2. What role did Narada muni play in speeding up Krsna’s apperance?

He tells Kamsa that any of the childern of Devaki could the Lord.

3. What role did Narada muni play in one of the marriages of Krsna?

He described to Rukmini Krsna’s beauty and glories thereby she falls in love with Him.

4. In the BG, when Krsna says he is Narada, what ________ among _________ is he?

In the BG, when Krsna says he is Narada, what sages among the demigods…

5. What age was Narada when he heard from the Bhaktivedanta’s?

5

6. What analogy does Narada use to describe his death to Vyasadeva as the maidservants son?

I met with death just as lightning and illumination occur simultaneously

7. Who was it that cursed Narada that he could not stay in any one place?
Prajapati Daksa

8. What pastime in Vrndavan that Narada muni is part of can be compared to something
Srila Prabhupada did?
The naked sons of Kuvera and SP at the Morning ranch

9. In the song about Narada muni ‘Narada muni bhajaya vina’, what names of the Lord is it said he is always chanting?

Radhika-ramana

10. In which canto of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavatam, is Narada muni mentioned the most - texts and purports?

Canto 4 - 268 mentions, then Canto 10 - 245

11. Narada muni is always accoapamied by his vina. But what is his vina called?
Tumburu

12. Who is Narada muni in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes?

Srivasa Pandita
 Connections between Narada Muni and Srila Prabhupada

1. Both cursed to travel constantly and not stay in any one place.
2. “He likes to hear’. Just as Narada liked to hear the sages, Srila Prabhupada
liked to hear his spiritual master.
3. In relation to books especially the Srimad Bhagavatam.
4. Spreaders of the Holy Name.
5. Delivers of the fallen (Morning star ranch, the fallen hippies, special
protection for women)
6. Deity worship.
 Connections between Narada Muni and Srila Prabhupada
After the program, Swamiji sat in a chair by the exit as the few members of the audience were leaving. A
respectable-looking couple introduced themselves, and Swamiji sat up very straight with folded palms and
smiled. Brahmänanda's mother was present, and Swamiji was very cordial toward her. But in general the
devotees were depressed at the small turnout. "I'm sorry, Swamiji. We invited you here and almost no one
came," Räya Räma apologized. But Prabhupäda raised his eyebrows and said, "No one? You did not see
Närada? You did not see Lord Brahmä? When there is chanting of Hare Kåñëa, even the demigods come to
participate."

Actually at that Unitarian church only five people came, outsiders, and the devotees apologized. I heard this
later. They apologized to Prabhupada that they had not arranged a better program. And Prabhupada said, “Oh, I
did not feel it was empty, that nobody came.” He said, “Didn’t you see Lord Shiva was there, Lord Brahma was
there, Narada Muni was there? They were all engaged in dancing in the kirtan. I thought it was very successful.”

Dinadayadri: During an ecstatic kirtan in the Los Angeles temple Srila Prabhupada was laughing. Afterwards a
devotee asked why he had been laughing and Prabhupada said, "I was laughing to see Narada Muni." The
devotee said, "Narada Muni?" "Yes, Narada Muni was there." "What was Narada Muni doing?" Prabhupada said,
"He was laughing." The devotee said, "Why was he laughing?" "He was laughing when he saw the mlecchas and
chandalas dancing and chanting Hare Krishna."