‘A Devotee Always Feels Compassion
for Others’ Distress”
“When Lord Jesus Christ presented himself, for instance, he was greatly
afflicted by the miserable conditions of the people. Regardless of which coun-
try or sect they belong to, all Vaisnavas, or devotees—any people who are
God conscious, or Krsna conscious—are thus compassionate... .”

Today I shall speak to you about the glorification of the holy name of
God. This was discussed between Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva
Goswami in connection with a brahmana who was very fallen and ad-
dicted to all kinds of sinful activities but was saved simply by chanting the
holy name. This is found in the Sixth Canto of the Srimad-Bhdagavatam. .

The universal planetary systems are very nicely explained in the Fifth
Canto of the Srimad-Bhdgavatam. Within the universe there are some
planets which are hellish. Actually, not only the Bhdgavatam but all
religious scriptures contain descriptions of hell and heaven. In the
Srimad-Bhagavatam you can find out where those hellish planets are and
how distant they are from this planet, just as you can obtain information
from modern astronomy. Astronomers have calculated how far the moon
is from here and what the distance is between this planet and the sun;
similarly, the Bhadgavatam contains descriptions of the hellish planets.

We have experience of different atmospheric conditions even on this
planet. In the Western countries near the North Pole, the climate is dif-
ferent than in India, which is near the equator. Just as there are dif-
ferences in atmosphere and living conditions on this planet, similarly
there are many planets which have different atmospheres and conditions
of life.

After hearing a description of the hellish planets from Sukadeva
Goswami, Pariksit Maharaja said,

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