We belong to the Brahmā-Madhva-Gauḍīya-Sampradāya. Everybody respects Ādi-guru Brahmā. The lines of Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇusvāmī, and Nimbāditya all have some connection with Brahmā. But our sampradāya is especially called the Brahmā-Madhva-Gauḍīya-Sampradāya. The twelve Mahājanas are the forefathers of this sampradāya.
svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ
kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
balir vaiyāsakir vayam
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.20
Śrī Dharmarāja said, “Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four kumāras, Lord Kapila the son of Devahūti, Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and I myself know the real religious principles.”
The twelve Mahājanas have all spiritual power. Without the help of Śiva Ṭhākura, Ādi-guru Brahmā, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī, which way will you go? The Mahājanas are our guardians. They are the storehouses of Śrī Hari’s mercy. They will shower us with their mercy according to their desire.
All the Mahājanas met Dharmarāja and said, “Mahārāja, you inflict punishment on all the jīvas. You are well-aware of the karma the conditioned souls have performed. The conditioned souls are envious of each other. They also compete and challenge each other. They neglect, hate, and insult each other if their unbridled desires of name and fame are hindered. They try announcing their ‘greatness’ to everyone. They try cheating each other so much.”
Yama Mahārāja (Dharmarāja) replied, “The conditioned souls try enjoying their senses at every moment. Therefore, they commit various types of sins and offenses. They are bound by many anarthas and offenses. What can I do to help them? Although I have been punishing them since millions of years, they still cannot be corrected. A conditioned soul suffers in 8.4 million species of lives. As a matter of great fortune, he enters one of the four hundred thousand human species of lives; yet, his suffering is not mitigated even there. The conditioned souls are sent to hell to undergo more suffering.
“The conditioned souls unnecessarily give pain to everyone around them. They argue, torture, and taunt each other. They have no love or respect for each other. They have no desire for service. They clap their hands in joy on seeing others suffer. Therefore, what can I do? Although I have been punishing these conditioned souls since time immemorial, they never seem to change. They only continue engaging themselves in sinful activities.”
The twelve Mahājanas then thought how they can secure the well-being of all the conditioned souls. They thought, “Who will take the sin of all the conditioned souls? Who is kind enough?”
Dharmarāja was asked, “What can be done?”
He replied, “We must do our best to cleanse the jīvas of their sins and anarthas and empower them. Then it is possible for the jīvas to change. They will understand their faults. Then they will desist from causing pain to others.”
The jīvas cannot stop themselves from disturbing others; they cannot control themselves. They only collect undesirable tendencies. Although parents and guru look after their child and disciple for many years—they are berated by their child or disciple when they discipline or chastise them.
The child or the disciple says, “I have nothing to do with you!” But they don’t know who their real well-wishers are. The government gives pension to the helpless—but the recipients of this pension only use the money to intoxicate themselves. They misuse the money and facilities given by the government because of their bad nature. Although Hari, Guru, and Vaiṣṇavas give you many opportunities, you use everything in the wrong way.
Therefore, Dharmarāja said, “Oh Mahājanas! All of you should think about the welfare of the jīvas and pray to Lord Viṣṇu.”
The twelve Mahājanas then prayed to Lord Viṣṇu for a solution to help the jīvas.
Viṣṇu told the Mahājanas, “I have sent all the holy rivers like the Gaṅgā and Yamunā, to help the residents of this world. I have also arranged for Ekādaśī-devī’s help. Many demigods and goddesses have also been assigned to this task. But the conditioned souls never listen to guru.”
Therefore, Keśavadeva said, “I will start a vrata to teach the jīvas. The jīvas will also follow this vrata with Me. I will turn Myself into a Śālagrāma and the jīvas will continuously offer Tulasī leaves and water to Me. Thus, by rendering such services, they will be cleansed of all the sins they have collected since time immemorial. By drinking caraṇāmṛta and honoring prasāda, the jīvas’ intelligence will become pure. They will not do any more nonsense. Their senses will be strong and good intelligence will preside over them.”
Once, as Bhīṣma-pitāmaha lay on the bed of arrows, Kṛṣṇa came to see him along with the Pāṇḍavas and their wife, Draupadī. Kṛṣṇa told the Grandsire, “Bhīṣma-pitāmaha, you are going to leave this world soon. The Pāṇḍavas are very sad. They have nobody in this world; please advise them.”
When Bhīṣma-pitāmaha started speaking, Draupadī started laughing.
The Grandsire inquired, “Why are you laughing Draupadī?”
“Now you are giving us advice and teaching us. But where was your advice when Duryodhana and his brothers tried disrobing me in the royal assembly?”
Bhīṣma-pitāmaha gravely replied, “I was eating the food offered by Duryodhana and Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Man is the servant of wealth, wealth is not the servant of man. They were maintaining me. They gave me food, water, and lodging. My intelligence was defeated because of accepting what these sinful people had to offer. Now, I haven’t eaten or drank anything since many days. The arrows have made my body completely devoid of their blood. Now I am clean and at peace.”
viṣayīra anna khāile malina haya mana
malina mana haile nahe kṛṣṇera smaraṇa
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 6.278
When one eats food offered by a materialistic man, one’s mind becomes contaminated, and when the mind is contaminated, one is unable to think of Kṛṣṇa.
Although Bhīṣma’s body was pierced by many arrows, our minds are pierced by the arrows of innumerable desires.
Bhīṣma-pitāmaha said, “I have especially become clean by drinking the water of the Gaṅgā. All of you should listen to me now. Following Kṛṣṇa’s order, I will speak something. Draupadī, I am not the advisor. I am only trying to follow Kṛṣṇa’s order. By following His order, I will get bhakti. Conversely, by not following His order, I will become useless.”
There was a lady in the forest who would always pick flowers. Her son would also pick flowers and collect wood. The lady would give the flowers and wood to the temple or the brāhmaṇas. The ṛṣis would then give her some fruits in the afternoon after they had finished their fire-sacrifices. One day, when her son was picking flowers, he was bit by a snake and he died immediately.
Meanwhile, a hunter saw what the snake did. He caught the snake and put it in an earthen pot. He took the dead boy on his shoulders and came to the residence of the old lady. When the lady saw the lifeless body of her son, she started to bitterly weep.
The hunter asked her, “Should I kill this snake?”
“Will my boy be brought to life by killing this snake?”
“No.”
“Then no need to kill it.”
“But it will bite someone else. It is better to kill this wretched creature.”
Yet the lady said, “No. Don’t kill the snake. By killing it will my son come back to life?”
When the hunter was unrelenting, the snake said, “Why did I bite only this lady’s son? I didn’t bite anyone else before. Kāla (time personified) inspired me to bite this boy, for his time was due.”
Then Kāla appeared and said, “I didn’t order you to bite the boy. This boy’s karma bit him.”
The old lady thought, “I am a widow. I had nothing except my son. And now I have lost him as well. Soon I will also leave this body. So, why should the snake be killed? Everyone has to taste the fruits of their karma.” The snake was then released.
Vṛndā-devī has appeared as a divine plant, Tulasī Mahārānī. By worshiping her, the anarthas and sins you have collected since millions of lives will be cleared away. You will be untouched by sin by watering Tulasī-devī. The same stands true when you offer bhoga with Tulasī leaves. Anything you take independently will only result in accumulated sin. Yet if you offer everything first with the leaves of Tulasī, then Vṛndā-devī herself will purify you.
Śiva Ṭhākura, one of the twelve Mahājanas, said, “We should especially help those who worship Śālagrāma and Vṛndā-devī.”
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “I will speak hari-kathā to those who conduct their worship this way.”
Śiva Ṭhākura also said, “I will take the poison away from their hearts, making them free of all anarthas.”
Svayambhū Brahmā said, “I will make their bodies pure. I will give them more chances to become detached from their bodies.”
Everyone is attached to their bodies from the time of birth. If you are no longer attached to your body, you will become a liberated soul. Then you will not be affected by the forces and desires of your senses. Jaḍa Bharata was never attached to his body. Lomaharṣaṇa Ṛṣi was never attached to his body.
So Brahmā said, “I will help rid the conditioned souls of attachment to the body.”
Nārada Ṛṣi said, “I will always be present in the assembly of the devotees. I will do nāma-saṅkīrtana and purify the atmosphere. And the desire to do harināma-saṅkīrtana will automatically increase there.”
The four kumāras said, “We will turn everyone into yogīs. They will no longer be controlled by their senses. They will constantly be absorbed in thoughts about Parabrahma. We will make them into brahmacārīs. Their senses will not disturb them anymore.”
Kapiladeva said, “I will give saṅkhya-jñāna, pure knowledge.”
Manu said, “Since I have created human beings, I know the process of maintenance. I will teach them the process of maintaining their souls as well as their bodies.”
Prahlāda Mahārāja said, “I will help everyone become tolerant and patient, and engage them in bhakti from their childhood.”
Janaka Mahārāja is a rājarṣi (the best of saintly kings). Although he has a family, he is above everything. He is above māyā. He said, “I will teach them jaiva-dharma, the religion of the soul.”
Bali Mahārāja belonged to a demon family; yet, he was the best of devotees. “I will teach them the process of self-surrender––making one’s desires one with the Lord’s.”
Hearing all these commitments, Yamarāja became very happy and said, “I will liberate anyone who takes shelter of and follows the Mahājanas.”
All the Mahājanas promised to help anyone who worships Vṛndā-devī especially during this month of Vaiśākha. Therefore, by worshiping and watering Śālagrāma and Vṛndā-devī, all the Dvādaśa Mahājanas will help you. You will always be protected.
[CC-by-NDNC Bhakta Bandhav]