In this quotation from the nine sages who were instructing Mahārāja Nimi, māyā is defined as "forgetfulness of one's relationship with Kṛṣṇa." Actually, māyā means "that which is not." It has no existence. Thus it is false to think that the living entity has no connection with the Supreme Lord. He may not believe in the existence of God, or he may think that he has no relationship with God, but these are all "illusions," or māyā. Due to absorption in this false conception of life, man is always fearful and full of anxieties. In other words, a godless concept of life is māyā. One who is actually learned in the Vedic literatures surrenders unto the Supreme Lord with great devotion and accepts Him as the supreme goal. When a living entity forgets the constitutional nature of his relationship with God, he is at once overwhelmed by the external energy. This is the cause of his false ego, his false identification of the body with the self. Indeed, his whole conception of the material universe arises from this false identification with the body, for he becomes attached to the body and its by-products. To escape this entanglement, he has only to perform his duty and to surrender unto the Supreme Lord with intelligence and devotion and with sincere Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Nine Yogendras
Expressions researched:
"Nine Yogendras"
|"The nine Yogendras are liberated souls"
|"nava-yogendras"
|"nine great learned sages"
|"nine great sages"
|"nine paramahamsas"
|"nine sages"
|"the saintly sons of Rsabha"
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
O Vidura, after the departure of Brahmā, Kardama Muni, having been ordered by Brahmā, handed over his nine daughters, as instructed, to the nine great sages who created the population of the world.
SB Canto 4
It is useless to condemn a great personality like Lord Śiva, and this is being stated by his wife, Satī, to establish the supremacy of her husband. First she said, "You call Lord Śiva inauspicious because he associates with demons in crematoriums, covers his body with the ashes of the dead, and garlands himself with the skulls of human beings. You have shown so many defects, but you do not know that his position is always transcendental. Although he appears inauspicious, why do personalities like Brahmā respect the dust of his lotus feet and place on their heads with great respect those very garlands which are condemned by you?" Since Satī was a chaste woman and the wife of Lord Śiva, it was her duty to establish the elevated position of Lord Śiva, not only by sentiment but by facts. Lord Śiva is not an ordinary living entity. This is the conclusion of Vedic scripture. He is neither on the level of the Supreme Personality of Godhead nor on the level of the ordinary living entities. Brahmā is in almost all cases an ordinary living entity. Sometimes, when there is no ordinary living entity available, the post of Brahmā is occupied by an expansion of Lord Viṣṇu, but generally this post is occupied by a greatly pious living entity within this universe. Thus Lord Śiva's position is constitutionally higher than that of Lord Brahmā, although Lord Śiva appeared as the son of Brahmā. Here it is mentioned that even personalities like Brahmā accept the so-called inauspicious flowers and the dust of the lotus feet of Lord Śiva. Great sages like Marīci, Atri, Bhṛgu and the others among the nine great sages who are descendants of Brahmā also respect Lord Śiva in such a way because they all know that Lord Śiva is not an ordinary living entity.
SB Canto 7
In the process of worshiping the Deity it is sometimes enjoined that one worship the Deity within the mind. In the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, it is said, "All persons can generally worship within the mind." The Gautamīya Tantra states, "For a sannyāsī who has no home, worship of the Deity within the mind is recommended." In the Nārada-pañcarātra it is stated by Lord Nārāyaṇa that worship of the Deity within the mind is called mānasa-pūjā, One can become free from the four miseries by this method. Sometimes worship from the mind can be independently executed. According to the instruction of Avirhotra Muni, one of the nava-yogendras, as mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one may worship the Deity by chanting all the mantras. Eight kinds of Deities are mentioned in the śāstra, and the mental Deity is one of them. In this regard, the following description is given in the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa.
SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)
The nine Yogendras are liberated souls who travel freely to the planets of the demigods, the perfected mystics, the Sādhyas, the heavenly musicians, the Yakṣas, the human beings, and the minor demigods such as the Kinnaras and the serpents. No mundane force can check their free movement, and exactly as they wish they can travel as well to the worlds of the sages, the angels, the ghostly followers of Lord Śiva, the Vidyādharas, the brāhmaṇas and the cows.
King Videha (Nimi) understood that the nine sages were exalted devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, overjoyed at their auspicious arrival, he offered them suitable sitting places and worshiped them in a proper way, just as one would worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Overwhelmed by transcendental joy, the King humbly bowed his head and then proceeded to question the nine sages. These nine great souls glowed with their own effulgence and thus appeared equal to the four Kumāras, the sons of Lord Brahmā.
Śrī Nārada said: O Vasudeva, when Mahārāja Nimi had thus inquired from the nine Yogendras about devotional service to the Lord, those best of saintly persons sincerely thanked the King for his questions and spoke to him with affection in the presence of the members of the sacrificial assembly and the brāhmaṇa priests.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has placed the verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam quoted in text 52 (kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam (SB 11.5.32)) as the auspicious introduction to his Bhāgavata-sandarbha, or Ṣaṭ-sandarbha. He has composed this text (81), which is, in effect, an explanation of the Bhāgavatam verse, as the second verse of the same work. The verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was enunciated by Karabhājana, one of the nine great sages, and it is elaborately explained by the Sarva-saṁvādinī, Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary on his own Ṣaṭ-sandarbha.
CC Madhya-lila
“Examples of śānta-bhaktas are the nine Yogendras and the four Kumāras. Examples of devotees in dāsya-bhakti are innumerable, for such devotees exist everywhere.
“Examples of śānta-bhaktas are the nine Yogendras and the four Kumāras. Examples of devotees in dāsya-bhakti are innumerable, for such devotees exist everywhere.
The nine Yogendras are Kavi, Havi, Antarīkṣa, Prabuddha, Pippalāyana, Āvirhotra, Draviḍa (Drumila), Camasa and Karabhājana. The four Kumāras are Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanat-kumāra and Sanātana. The servant devotees in Gokula are Raktaka, Citraka, Patraka and so on. In Dvārakā there are servants like Dāruka, and in the Lord's pastimes in the material world there are servants like Hanumān.
“"When the living entity is attracted by the material energy, which is separate from Kṛṣṇa, he is overpowered by fear. Because he is separated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the material energy, his conception of life is reversed. In other words, instead of being the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes Kṛṣṇa"s competitor. This is called viparyayo "smṛtiḥ. To nullify this mistake, one who is actually learned and advanced worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his spiritual master, worshipful Deity and source of life. He thus worships the Lord by the process of unalloyed devotional service."
This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.37). It is an instruction given by Kavi Ṛṣi, one of the nine saintly personalities called the nine Yogendras. When Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa's father, asked Devarṣi Nārada in Dvārakā about devotional service, it was mentioned that previously King Nimi, who was the King of Videha, was instructed by the nine Yogendras. When Śrī Nārada Muni discoursed on bhāgavata-dharma, devotional service, he indicated how a conditioned soul can be liberated by engaging in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. The Lord is the Supersoul, spiritual master and worshipable Deity of all conditioned souls. Not only is Kṛṣṇa the supreme worshipful Deity for all living entities, but He is also the guru, or caittya-guru, the Supersoul, who always gives the living entity good counsel. Unfortunately the living entity neglects the Supreme Person's instructions. He thus identifies with the material energy and is consequently overpowered by a kind of fear resulting from accepting himself as the material body and considering paraphernalia related to the material body to be his property. All types of fruitive results actually come from the spirit soul, but because he has forgotten his real duty, he is embarrassed by many material consequences such as fear and attachment. The only remedy is to revert to the service of the Lord and thus be saved from material nature's unwanted harassment.
“"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, expanded as Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha."
This is a prayer from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.29) spoken by Karabhājana Muni when he was questioned by Mahārāja Nimi, the King of Videha, about the incarnations in specific yugas and their method of worship. Karabhājana Muni was one of the nine Yogendras, and he met the King to inform him about future incarnations.
“"Those who are advanced and highly qualified and are interested in the essence of life know the good qualities of Kali-yuga. Such people worship the Age of Kali because in this age one can advance in spiritual knowledge and attain life"s goal simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.’
This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.36) spoken by the great sage Karabhājana Ṛṣi, one of the nine Yogendras. The sage was informing Mahārāja Nimi about the people's duty to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to different processes in different yugas.
“‘An intermediate, second-class devotee shows love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is friendly to all devotees and is very merciful to neophytes and ignorant people. The intermediate devotee neglects those who are envious of devotional service.
This is also a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.46). This statement was made by the great sage Nārada while he was speaking to Vasudeva about devotional service. This subject was originally discussed between Nimi, the King of Videha, and the nine Yogendras.
"By offering oblations with ghee, one satisfies the demigods. By studying the Vedas, one performs brahma-yajña, which satisfies the great sages. Offering libations of water before one's forefathers is called pitṛ-yajña. By offering tribute, one performs bhūta-yajña. By properly receiving guests, one performs nṛ-yajña." These are the five yajñas that liquidate the five kinds of indebtedness—indebtedness to the demigods, great sages, forefathers, living entities and common men. Therefore one has to perform these five kinds of yajñas. But when one takes to the saṅkīrtana-yajña (the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra), one does not have to perform any other yajña. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada Muni made a statement about the systematic performance of bhāgavata-dharma in connection with statements previously made by the nine Yogendras before Mahārāja Nimi. The sage Karabhājana Ṛṣi explained the four incarnations of the four yugas, and at the end, in this verse (text 141), he explained the position of Kṛṣṇa's pure devotee and how he is absolved of all debts.
“In the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is a full description of the devotional service of the nine Yogendras, who rendered devotional service because they were attracted by the Lord's transcendental qualities.
“"The nine Yogendras entered Lord Brahmā"s association and heard from him the real meaning of the topmost Vedic literatures, the Upaniṣads. Although the Yogendras were already conversant in Vedic knowledge, they became very jubilant in Kṛṣṇa consciousness just by listening to Brahmā. Thus they wanted to enter Dvārakā, the abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In this way they finally achieved the place known as Raṅga-kṣetra.’
“If those who are attached to demigod worship fortunately associate with the devotees, their dormant devotional service and appreciation of the Lord's qualities gradually awaken. In this way they also engage in Kṛṣṇa's devotional service and give up the desire for liberation and the desire to merge into the existence of impersonal Brahman.
The four Kumāras (Catuḥsana), Śukadeva Gosvāmī and the nine Yogendras were absorbed in Brahman realization, and how they became devotees is described herein. There are three kinds of impersonalists—the mumukṣu (those desiring liberation), the jīvan-muktas (those liberated in this life) and the prāpta-svarūpas (those merged in Brahman realization). All three types of jñānīs are called mokṣākāṅkṣīs, those desiring liberation. By associating with devotees, such people give up the mumukṣu principle and render devotional service. The real cause for this change is the association of devotees. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant to attract all types of men, even those who desire things other than the Lord's devotional service. Through the association of devotees, they gradually begin to render devotional service.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.28), Vasudeva, the father of Kṛṣṇa, asks Nārada Muni about the welfare of all living entities, and in reply Nārada Muni quotes a passage from Mahārāja Nimi's discussion with the nine sages. "O holy sages," King Nimi said, "I am just trying to find the path of well-being for all living entities. A moment of association with holy men is the most valuable thing in life, for that moment opens the path of advancement in spiritual life." This is also confirmed elsewhere in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.25). By associating with holy persons and discussing transcendental subject matters with them, one becomes convinced of the value of spiritual life. Very soon, hearing of Kṛṣṇa becomes pleasing to the ear and begins to satisfy one's heart. After receiving such spiritual messages from holy persons or pure devotees, if one tries to apply them in his own life, the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness naturally develops in faith, attachment and devotional service.
Nectar of Devotion
If this injunction is followed, then all other rules and regulations will automatically fall into line. All other rules and regulations should be treated as assistants or servants to this one basic principle. The injunctions of rules and regulations and the resultant reactions are mentioned in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Chapter, verses 2 and 3. Camasa Muni, one of the nine sages who came to instruct King Nimi, addressed the King and said, "The four social orders, namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdras, have come out of the different parts of the universal form of the Supreme Lord as follows: the brāhmaṇas have come out from the head, the kṣatriyas have come out from the arms, the vaiśyas have come out from the waist, and the śūdras have come out from the legs. Similarly, the sannyāsīs have come out from the head, the vānaprasthas from the arms, the gṛhasthas from the waist and the brahmacārīs from the legs."
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
In other words, after returning to the Yamunā, Akrūra saw Balarāma turned into Śeṣa Nāga and Kṛṣṇa turned into Mahā-Viṣṇu. He saw the four-handed Supreme Personality of Godhead, smiling very beautifully. He was very pleasing to all and was looking toward everyone with a merciful glance. He appeared beautiful with His raised nose, broad forehead, attractive ears and reddish lips. His arms, reaching to the knees, were very strongly built. His shoulders were high, His chest was very broad, and His neck was shaped like a conchshell. His navel was very deep, and His abdomen was marked with three lines. His hips were broad and big, resembling those of a woman, and His thighs resembled the trunks of elephants. The other parts of His legs, the joints and lower extremities, were all very beautiful, the nails of His feet were dazzling, and His toes were as beautiful as the petals of the lotus flower. His helmet was decorated with very valuable jewels. There was a nice belt around His waist, and He wore a sacred thread across His broad chest. Bangles were on His hands, and armlets on the upper portion of His arms. He wore bells on His ankles. He possessed dazzling beauty, and His palms were like lotus flowers. He was further beautified by the different emblems of the viṣṇu-mūrti—the conchshell, club, disc and lotus flower—which He held in His four hands. His chest was marked with the particular signs of Viṣṇu, and He wore fresh flower garlands. All in all, He was very beautiful to look at. Akrūra also saw His Lordship surrounded by intimate associates like the four Kumāras—Sanaka, Sanātana, Sananda and Sanat-kumāra—and other associates like Sunanda and Nanda, as well as demigods like Brahmā and Lord Śiva. The nine great learned sages were there, and also devotees like Prahlāda and Nārada and the eight Vasus. All were engaged in offering prayers to the Lord with clean hearts and pure words. After seeing the transcendental Personality of Godhead, Akrūra immediately became overwhelmed with joy and great devotion, and all over his body there was transcendental shivering. Although for the moment he was bewildered, he retained his clear consciousness and bowed down his head before the Lord. With folded hands and faltering voice, he began to offer prayers to the Lord.
Lectures
General Lectures
Our movement is a spiritual movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is beyond brain. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu parā buddhir (BG 3.42). So there are different platforms and status of consciousness. Bodily consciousness means sensual consciousness. Above that, there is mental consciousness, speculative, philosophical, poetic. Above that, intellectual consciousness. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness—above intellectual consciousness.
So the recommendation is... That was a topic between Mahārāja Nimi and great sages called nine sages, navayogindra. Nava means nine. Yogindra means mystic yogis. So they were talking, and Mahārāja Nimi questioned the different incarnations in different ages. And Camasa Muni was replying. In that replying, he said that in the Kali-yuga, in this age... This age called Kali-yuga. This Kali-yuga has begun about five thousand years ago. So he said, "In the Kali-yuga the process of self-realization is saṅkīrtana movement." Saṅkīrtana. Saṅkīrtana means bahudhā, bahubhir militvā. When congregational chanting is done, that is called saṅkīrtana. So in this age the saṅkīrtana movement is recommended. There is no question of what is your religion, what is my religion. Everyone can join in this saṅkīrtana movement, without any discrimination. That is the recommendation. Yajñair saṅkīrtana. This is also yajña, sacrifice. You are sacrificing some time, your valuable time, in joining with us to perform the saṅkīrtana movement. That is a sacrifice. And sacrifice means to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yajña. Yajña is the name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yajñārthāt karma anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. Whatever you have to act, you have to act on the basis of pleasing the Supreme Lord.
| Page Title: | Nine Yogendras |
| Compiler: | MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 20 of Oct, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=7, CC=11, OB=4, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 23 |