Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.16
Los Angeles, January 11, 1974
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Take a testLos Angeles, January 11, 1974
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Pradyumna: Translation: "Maharaja
Pariksit heard that out of His causeless mercy Lord Krsna, or Visnu, who is
universally obeyed, rendered all kinds of service to the malleable sons of Pandu
by accepting posts ranging from chariot driver to president to messenger,
friend, night watchman, etc., according to the will of the Pandavas, obeying
them like a servant and offering obeisances like one younger in years. When he
heard this, Maharaja Pariksit became overwhelmed with devotion to the lotus feet
of the Lord."
Prabhupada: So this is the exchange of love between the Lord and the devotee. It is not Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead... He's master, the Supreme, but we may not calculate the master and the Supreme by our material experience. Just like in our material experience we see the master is always master and the servant is always servant. But in the spiritual world, sometimes the master is the servant also. This is called Absolute, Absolute world. Here there is distinction between master and the servant, but in the spiritual world there is no such distinction. Sometimes the servant is rendering service to the Lord, and sometimes the Lord is serving to the master. Just like Krsna, when He was playing with His friends, so they were sporting, and in the sporting there is defeat and victory. So if some of the friends would become victorious, then the challenge was that one who will be defeated, the victorious person will ride on his shoulder. That was the challenge. So when Krsna became defeated, the other boys, they rose up and got up on the shoulder of Krsna, and Krsna had to carry them.
So although Krsna is master, but He became a servant. Just like Krsna, when He was playing as a child of mother Yasoda, so He was taken with stick, "Krsna, if you become again very naughty, then see the stick." So Krsna used to cry. There are very nice verses in the Kunti's prayer, that "The whole universe is afraid of Krsna, and Krsna is afraid by the stick of mother Yasoda." (laughter) Just see. This is Krsna. This is spiritual world. When Krsna was a little boy playing, Nanda Maharaja, father of Krsna... Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, they are foster father and mother. Real mother, father, is Vasudeva and Devaki. So Nanda Maharaja came within the house and saw little Krsna, "Yes." He was playing. So Nanda Maharaja challenged Yasodamayi, "Your Krsna can do something work." "Oh, yes, why not? He can do anything." Immediately Yasoda-mata, mother Yasoda, ordered Krsna, "Just carry the wooden slipper of Your father and go there." So Krsna immediately took the slipper on His head and brought it to Maharaja Nanda. Then Nanda Maharaja said, "Oh, your Krsna is very good. Come on, come on, come on." These were, that, the childhood pastimes of Krsna was enjoyed by the foster father and mother.
Therefore all the sages were surprised that "What pious activities this mother Yasoda did that Krsna is completely under her control? Completely." The supreme controller. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Krsna is the supreme controller. There is no controller of Krsna. Krsna, the Supreme Lord, govindam adi-purusam, He is the original person. So who can be His father and mother? He is the father of everyone, the supreme father. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayo yah [Bg. 14.4]. Krsna says, "In all species of life, as many forms as there, I am the seed-giving father of all of them." So nobody can be Krsna's father. Nobody can be controller of Krsna. Nobody can be master of Krsna. Krsna is the Supreme. Mattah parataram nanyat: [Bg. 7.7] "Nobody is superior than Me." But He accepts inferior position out of love. If you love Krsna... The Mayavadi philosophers, they are very much eager to become one with Krsna, merge into the existence of Krsna. That is their perfection. And Vaisnava philosophy is: "What is there becoming one with Krsna? We want to become father of Krsna." This is Krsna philosophy. "Why I shall be one with my son? We want to become master of Krsna." Just like gopis. Gopis were addressing Krsna with very slanting language, but Krsna enjoyed that. That is service to Krsna. Krsna... Everyone worships Krsna as the Supreme. So sometime Krsna becomes disgusted, that "Everyone is coming, simply offering Me respectful obeisances. Nobody comes to chastise Me." So who can chastise Krsna? His devotee. Therefore a devotee who comes to the position of chastising Krsna, he is more liked by Krsna. That is Krsna's position.
So here, about the Pandavas it is described that Krsna accepted sarathyam. Krsna's another name is Partha-sarathi. Partha. Arjuna's name is Partha. Partha means "the son of Prtha." Kunti's another name is Prtha. Kunti's father's name was Prthu, so Kunti's name was Prtha. Therefore Arjuna's name was Partha. And because Krsna served as the chariot driver of Krsna, His another name is Partha-sarathi. So it is a fact that God has no name. Sometimes some philosopher says that "God has no name." That is fact. But why God has so many names? These names are calculated according to His pastimes. Just like Krsna is known as Devaki-nandana. Because He appeared as the son of Devaki, therefore His name is Devaki-nandana. By the action. Krsna is known as Yasoda-nandana. Because Krsna acted as the son of mother Yasoda, His name is Yasoda-nandana. Krsna's name is Radha-ramana. Because Krsna enjoyed with Radharani, therefore His name is Radha-ramana. Krsna's name is Govinda. Because He gave pleasure even to the cows, therefore His name is Govinda. Or Krsna gives pleasure to every sense; therefore His name is Govinda. There are so many thousands and millions of names of Krsna. Actually, His name is calculated in relationship with devotee. That is Krsna's name. And there are devotees in all fields of life, amongst human beings, among demigods, among plants, amongst trees, among animals, among insects. Everywhere, Krsna has got His relationship. So therefore the supreme name of the Lord is Krsna. Krsna means all-attractive. That is the meaning. (aside:) Please sit down properly. Krsna's name is... This is the supreme name, Krsna, "All-attractive." He can attract everyone.
So this statement, that "God has no name," that is fact, but He has got His name in relationship with His activities with devotees. So Krsna worked as sarathi, as it is stated here, sarathyam. He acted as the chariot driver of Arjuna. Therefore Krsna's name is Partha-sarathi. So Krsna did all these things. He acted as a chariot driver. He acted as the president of the assembly. Not that He is eternally chariot driver. Eternally servant is the human being or the living entities. Eternally master, that is. In Vaikuntha, in the spiritual world, there is equality with God and the living entities. They enjoy on equal level. But everyone knows that "Here is the Supreme." That is spiritual world. When Krsna drives the chariot, Arjuna does not forget, that "He is my chariot driver." He knows that "Krsna is the Supreme. But He is so kind, He has accepted the post of my chariot driver." This is spiritual sense. And sometimes, by the influence of yoga-maya, Krsna also forgets that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the devotee also forgets that he is eternal servant of Krsna. That is the action of yoga-maya.
So this Krsna consciousness movement, there are so many things to learn. And when practically one learns everything -- not everything; as far as possible, perfection -- then his position is janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Anyone who learns about Krsna, His janma... He has no father, but He is accepting a father. Therefore janma. Janma means birth. When there is birth, there must be father and mother. So when Krsna takes His birth, appears, as a son, so there must be father and mother. But who can be His father and mother? His devotee. Because His business is with the devotees; with no other else. When He wants father and mother, the devotee must be father... Even when He wants some enemy, the devotee will become His enemy, what to speak of father and mother. Therefore He is all-attractive. He is as much attractive to His father and mother, similarly, He is attractive to the small calf. You have seen the picture. Krsna is embracing. Krsna is not simply embracing Radharani or the gopis. He is embracing the insignificant animal, calf. Therefore He is all-attractive. And when the calf goes to Krsna... This is described in the Krsna book, how all the cows and calves were so much, I mean to say, attached to Krsna. That is Vrndavana. Everyone is attached to Krsna. It doesn't matter whether he is human being or plant or trees or water or animal or the land or the flowers or the fruits. Whatever there is, they are all attracted to Krsna.
So similarly, if we become attracted to Krsna... We are attracted to... Actually we love Krsna. That is the fact. But we have forgotten it. We are under illusion. Just you analyze yourself. Why we love this body? It is very easy to understand. Because the soul is there. Does anybody love a dead body? Is there any instance, a dead body is loved and embraced and taken into the room and kept it? Nobody cares. Throw it. Or burn it. So the body is not a lovable object. But because the soul is there within the body, therefore we love this body. This house, if it is vacant, nobody will come. But because there is Krsna or because there are devotees of Krsna, so many people come. Not that this house is lovable. Similarly, you analyze. You love this body. You work so hard day and night to keep this body fit. Why? Because the proprietor of the body, soul, is there. Then the love transfers from body to the soul. Then why do you love the soul? Because it is part and parcel of Krsna. Therefore we love the soul. So ultimately, the love goes to Krsna. This is natural feeling of love between Krsna, or God, and between living entities, but the maya is interrupting the relation. It is called illusion. The process of interruption is called illusion. Otherwise, we, every one of us, we love Krsna. Everyone of us. You analyze. You see that ultimately goes to Krsna.
Therefore in the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti: "The loving attitude of the living entity towards Krsna is nitya-siddha." That is eternally fact. Not that we are preaching this Krsna consciousness movement, artificially we are creating some situation that a person may love Krsna. No. That is not. That is not fact. We are cleansing the process which has covered our Krsna-bhakti. Sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya. The love for Krsna is there automatically. Everyone loves. But it is now covered by maya. So sravanadi-suddha-citte. Just like when you become diseased... Actually your position is, normal position is, that you can eat nicely, you can sleep nicely, you can talk nicely. That is healthy life. But when you cannot eat nicely, when you cannot sleep nicely, you cannot have sex life nicely, you take the help of a physician. The physician helps you, not that artificially he is creating some machine in you so that you can eat. The eating process is already there. You (are) competent to eat. But it has been disrupted by another influence. That is called maya. Similarly krsna-bhakti, or our love for Krsna, is eternally fact. Some way or other, it has been interrupted by the influence of maya, and we have to cleanse this. Or, as the physician cures the disease, so this maya, maya, means an illusion, means it is not a fact. Just like you cannot eat -- this is not a fact. You can eat, but something has come between you and your healthy life. That is disease. So not to become Krsna conscious is disease. To become Krsna conscious is healthy. That is real health. Not to become Krsna conscious, to become a demon, that is disease.
So our process is to cure the disease, not that we are enforcing something by some artificial means. That is not possible. That is not possible. Otherwise, in the foreign countries... Now, for Krsna there is no foreign country, because He is the proprietor everywhere. But people think that "Krsna is a foreign name, and He is Indian, Indian God," like that. But actually that is not for... Just like you cannot say the sun, "This is American sun and this is Indian sun or this is African sun." Sun is one. Similarly, God is one. There cannot be two Gods, American God or Indian God or African God. God is one. But when God consciousness comes into, I mean, awakening, then we can understand what is God. Therefore in the Bhagavata there it is said, atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. By our these diseased senses, blunt senses... Diseased means blunt condition. So atah sri-krsna-namadi. Simply I speak, "Krsna is God," and you hear, it will not be appreciated. It will not be appreciated. "Eh, why Krsna God?" You will make so many protests. So... But actually, Krsna is God.
So Krsna... Atah sri-krsna-namadi. Not only Krsna, to accept Krsna as God, to hear about His name also. Just like we are chanting Hare Krsna, Krsna's name. So this name, Krsna's form, Krsna's quality, Krsna's pastimes, Krsna's entourage, atah sri-krsna-namadi... Namadi means "beginning from name." Nama adi. Adi means beginning. So we can understand Krsna from the name. When name is perfectly chanted, then the form, the pastimes, the quality and all other things in relation to Krsna becomes revealed. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. But these blunt senses cannot appreciate what is Krsna. Then how it will be appreciated? Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. When we engage our tongue... Krsna consciousness begins from the tongue, not from the eyes. Some rascals want to see Krsna. They will see that Guru Maharaj(-ji). You see? Such rascals will see that so-called Krsna. But to see real Krsna, one has to purify the eyes, purify the senses. Not that anyone comes, "I am Krsna," and I can see and become perfect. No. Sevonmukhe. And how the senses will be purified? By sevonmukha, by rendering service. For many, many thousands of years, if one is engaged in the service of Krsna, then one day there is chance of understanding what is Krsna. Krsna is not so easy thing. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau [BRS. 1.2.234]. Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita: manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Krsna seeing is not so easy. Manusyanam sahasresu. Out of many millions of people. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. To siddha, to become siddha, is not that "I go on doing all nonsense work, I become perfect man." No, no. Tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca, tyagena satya-saucabhyam [SB 6.1.13]. This is a process, how to become perfect. The rascals cannot become perfect. These are the process. One has to undergo austerity, penance, brahmacaryena, completely cessation from sex life, brahmacaryena. Not that any rascal doing everything and he has realized Krsna, he has seen Krsna. These are all rascaldom.
Krsna is param pavitram. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. So to go to Krsna, one requires to be perfectly purified. Just like without becoming fire, you cannot enter into fire. If your body is not fire, as soon as you enter fire, you will be burned. But you take another fire and push into the fire, there is no reaction. There is no reaction. Just like to live within the water, you must have a particular type of body so that living within the water, you will not be infected. Just like a human being, if he artificially enters into the water, for few hours he can remain. That is also with great difficulty. He will feel bodily pain. But the fishes within the water, they are living very peacefully, happily, for hundreds of years. So this is real fact. You cannot enter into an atmosphere without being fit for living in that atmosphere. Is it very difficult to understand? Because they are going to the moon planet, why they are coming back? Because they have no arrangement to make the body fit to live there.
So God's creation is like that. You cannot by force enter into any atmosphere unless you become fit to live there. That is God's creation. By force you cannot live within water. By force the fish cannot live on the land. You'll die. Similarly, by force you cannot enter into the moon planet. Therefore they are frustrated. It is not possible. Similarly, without being Krsna-ized, you cannot understand what is Krsna, you cannot associate with Him. That is the process of Krsna consciousness, to become perfectly Krsna-ite, as good as Krsna. That is purification process. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Nirmalam. Nirmalam means purification. Now we are sa-malam. We have got so many dirty things with us. So one has to become nirmalam. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam. First business is to become free from the designation. If you think yourself that "I am American," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Indian," "I am black," "I am white," these are all designation. So sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam, when you become transcendental to all designation, when you come to the platform to understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54], then you become happy.
So long we are with designations, we are not happy. To become designationless means feeling complete happiness. That is the test. If you simply artificially say that "I am not identifying with this body," that is fact. But real identification with..., identification with the body will be realized when you don't feel pains and pleasure. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam, hrsikena. When your senses will be purified in that way, without any designation, then you can begin devotional service.
sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa-
sevanam bhaktir ucyate
[Cc. Madhya 19.170]
Hrsika. Hrsika means the senses. Hrsikesa. Hrsikena hrsikesa. Hrsika means the senses, and hrsikesa. Hrsika isa. One who knows Sanskrit, the sandhi, hrsikesa. Because Krsna is the master of the senses, so when our senses will be... Krsna is purified, the most purified, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam [Bg. 10.12], transcendental, completely purified. So unless you are also completely purified, how you can touch Krsna? This is common sense reasoning. Therefore Krsna realization is not so easy. (aside:) You just train them how. This is not the process. Then you shall sit down backside. And before the Deity it should not be done. From the childhood it should be trained up.
So this is called purification, to learn how to sit down before the Deity, how to talk before the Deity. So everything should be learned. There are seva-aparadha, sixty-four kinds of offenses in the service. So we have to become offenseless. Then Krsna will accept your service. Not by making a show. Krsna will accept your service when you are sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. Automatically there will be. As soon as you're purified, automatically Krsna will appear, immediately. Krsna will ap... Krsna is there. Therefore premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-
So when you love Krsna, automatically you love other thing. But at the present moment, we do not love Krsna, only the other things. But love is there. Just like to keep the tree quite fitness, you have to pour water in the root. But if you simply you give up the watering to the root, if you simply water the leaves, twigs, and the branches, then what you will get? Naturally there will be declination of the tree, automatically. If you do not give food to the stomach and if you supply food to the eyes, to the ears, to the... Then what will be your health? Similarly, so long we do not love Krsna, then whatever those so-called love we are showing to the society, friendship and love and country and community, they are all futile. Therefore, in spite of so much advancement of so-called civilization, there is no love between one another. You try to love Krsna. Then everything will be perfect.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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