The Only Rescue
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.22
Bombay, November 22, 1974
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Nitai: "Such a sadhu engages in
staunch devotional service to the Lord without deviation. For the sake of the
Lord he renounces all other connections, such as family relationships and
friendly acquaintances within the world."
Prabhupada:
mayy ananyena bhavena
bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham
mat-krte tyakta-karmanas
tyakta-svajana-bandhavah
[SB 3.25.22]
This is the explanation of the last version of Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. We have got so many obligations. As soon as we take birth -- human being, not cats and dogs -- we are immediately indebted to so many persons: devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam [SB 11.5.41]. We are indebted to the demigods. The body, the material body, which we have got, it is running by the direction of the demigods. There are different demigods controlling different parts of the body. So that means as soon as we get a body, we become indebted to the demigods. Then, when we are educated, we take knowledge. Then we become indebted to the great sages, saintly persons, who have given us all the directions how to live comfortably, sinlessly. Then devarsi-bhuta. Bhuta, ordinary, general living beings. Just like we are taking milk from the cows, service from the bull, from the horse, from the ass -- even cats and dogs. So we are also indebted to them. Devarsi-bhuta-apta. Relatives. We get so many help from relatives. Bhuta-apta. Devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam. General public. Devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam [SB 11.5.41]. And the forefathers. So a rni we are immediately. But if we renounce everything for the sake of Krsna, then we are not rni, or indebted. That is the injunction of the sastra.
devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam
na kinkaro nayam rni ca rajan
sarvatmana yah saranam saranyam
gato mukundam parihrtya kartam
[SB 11.5.41]
So Krsna also says, all sastra says, that our only obligation is to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if we take to that process, then we are no more obliged to anyone. We are free. That is really freedom. How it is done? That is the almighty God's power. He can do that. Just like we have got practical experience. If a man is condemned to death, nobody can save him by law. But if the president or the king excuses him, then he is saved. That we have got practical experience, king's mercy or the president's mercy. So if you actually surrender your everything, your life... Pranair arthair dhiya vaca. We can sacrifice our life, our wealth... Prana, artha... We can sacrifice the intelligence. Everyone is intelligent. If he sacrifices... This is called yajna. If you sacri... You have got some intelligence. Everyone is intelligent how to make his sense gratification very nice. Even an ant knows how to gratify his senses. So you have to sacrifice that. Don't gratify your senses, but try to gratify Krsna's senses. Then you are perfect. Then you are perfect.
That you have to learn from the sadhu. Because it is recommended in the..., that sa eva sadhusu krtah. As much we are trying to gratify our senses and we have become attached to this material world -- prasangam ajaram pasam. We are becoming more and more entangled. The same thing, if we do for a sadh u or Krsna... Sadhu-guru-krsna. Sadhu-sastra-guru. So sadhu is representative of Krsna. Or Krsna directly... Sadhu will never say that "You serve me." Sadhu will say, "Serve Krsna." Therefore we have to approach Krsna through sadhu. Not directly. That is not... That is confirmed by Vaisnava acarya, Narottama dasa: chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba. You cannot directly approach Krsna. You have to go through the media, the transparent via media of his representative.
Therefore Krsna Maha... Sadh...
ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija
[Cc. Madhya 19.151]
Caitanya Mahaprabhu says to Rupa Gosvami that we are wandering in this way, brahmanda, whole universe. There are different types, or forms, of body, 8,400,000. And there are millions and trillions of planets, up and down. Om bhur... Bhur bhuvah svah. Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka. Then Tala, Atala, Vitala, Patala, Rasatala... There are so many planetary systems. Caturdasa-bhuvana. This universe is called fourteen different planetary systems, and we are wandering in these different planetary systems. If we are pious, then we are promoted to the higher planetary system, Svargaloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Brahmaloka, Satyaloka. There are so many... Siddhaloka. And if we are impious, then we are downtrodden. We go down more and more. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah [Bg. 14.18]. If you are situated in sattva-guna, then you are promoted to the higher planetary system: adho gacchanti tamasah. Jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah. If you are infected with tamo-guna, then you go down, down, down, down. Madhye tisthanti rajasah. And if we are infected by the modes of passion, then we keep ourselves in the middle. But Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16]. Even if you go to the highest planetary system -- it is called Brahmaloka -- where the duration of life is very, very long... That is described in the Bhagavad-gita: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17].
So the... Sadhu. We are to take shelter of sadhu. Sadhu-guru. The same thing. Guru means sadhu. A sadhu... One... Sadhu means the devotee of the Lord. If one is not sadhu, then he cannot become guru. And sadhu means... This is the description given. What is that? Mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham. He's sadhu. Not that anyone with a saffron cloth and having a long beard. That is not sadhu. Sadhu means the devotee of the Lord. That is his first qualification. Krsna says, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak. The same thing. As it is, Kapiladeva says, mayy ananyena bhavena. Kapiladeva is also Krsna, incarnation of Krsna. The same thing. The Bhagavad-gita, Krsna svayam says, bhajate mam ananya-bhak. Ananya, "not being deviated." Mam ekam, "only unto Me." This is ananya-bhava. Not that sometimes take from here something, take from here something, whatever is available. Those who are after material concessions, they go different demigods: take something from Siva, take something from Durga, take something from Kali, take this, that, that. So many, there are different demigods. Especially Goddess Durga, Lord Siva and Ganesa and Surya, they are... And Visnu. The Visnu worship is the best. Aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param. That is said by Lord Siva to Goddess Parvati. Parvati asked Lord Siva, "What is the best type of worship?" There are so many. It is amongst the demigods. So Lord Siva advised, aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param. "My dear Parvati, amongst all kinds of different types of worship, Visnu worship is the best." And then again he said, tasmat parataram devi: "And there is still better worship." What is that? Tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam samarcanam. Then... "Visnu worship is the best. And more than that: to worship Vaisnava." Tadiyanam samarcanam.
So therefore... Here also the same thing: sa eva sadhusu krtah. Begin. The spiritual life begins from the association of sadhu, or devotee. You cannot progress a pinch only without the mercy of sadhu. Naisam ma... Prahlada Maharaja said like that:
naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam
niskincananam na vrnita yavat
[SB 7.5.32]
His father, Prahlada Maharaja's father asked -- after all, he's son -- "My dear son, Prahlada, how you became so much advanced in Krsna consciousness?" Although he was demon, still, he was inquisitive. So Prahlada Maharaja said, "My dear father..." He used to address his father as asura-varya, "the best of the asuras." Tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya. Asura-varya. Asura means demon, and varya means "the best," variyan. So he... Because he asked that "How you have advanced in Krsna consciousness, Prahlada? What is the process?" After all, he was a learned scholar. He inquired out of joking or something like that. So Prahlada Maharaja plainly said, matir na krsne paratah svato va: "My dear asura-varya father, this Krsna consciousness..." Na matih. Matir na krsne. "One cannot get Krsna consciousness," matir na krsne paratah, "by the instruction of others, or guru." Paratah. Svatah, "by speculating oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by assembly, conference. For them..." Who? Who are they? Grha-vratanam. Grha... Matir na...
matir na krsne paratah svato va
mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam
adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
punah punas carvita-carvananam
[SB 7.5.30]
"This class of men, punah punas carvita-carvananam..." Punah punas carvita-carvananam means sense gratification. We can see in the Western countries how they are, everywhere, how they are attached to sense gratification. Punah punah... The same thing. Just like sex life. Everyone has sex life. Still, they are not satisfied. And... Our country it is not yet introduced, but they go to see naked dance. The same thing which he sees every night, he goes to see by paying some fees. This is called punah punas carvita-carvana, "chewing the chewed." This class of men... Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30], matir na krsne paratah svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam. And grha-vrata means those who have made their determination that "We shall remain in this material world, or in this family life, and we are not prepared to accept any other thing."
The Vedic principle is that you remain family life for some time, not for all the days. Pancasordhvam vanam vrajet. As soon as you're fifty years old, you must give up family life. Compulsory. Therefore we have got... Vedic religion means varnasrama-dharma: brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa, and brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra. So for brahmana, the four asramas are compulsory. He must become a brahmacari. Then from brahmacari he becomes grhastha. Then from grhastha he must become vanaprastha. Then he must become a sannyasi. But when he becomes a sannyasi, that is the... Tyakta-karmanas tyakta-svajana-bandhavah. Tyakta-karmanah. So long we are in this material world we have to work. Karma. Karma means to gain some profit. Karma, akarma, vikarma. Vikarma means against the law. Just like ordinary laws. If you are working honestly, business or karma, that's all right. But if you do something wrong, then you are punishable. So karma and vikarma. Vikarma is punishable. Karma you can do. You ripe (reap) your own fruit by working. You become big man, you become rich man, and you become poor man also, by your karma. If you cannot handle your business nicely, then you become poor man. And if you can handle your business nicely, you become rich man. That is karma. Karma means you have to enjoy the result, fruitive result. That is called karma. And vikarma means punishable, papa. And akarma means you do something, but you are neither punishable nor rewardable. It is rewardable, practically. And that is bhakti, or satisfying Krsna. There is no result. There is result; ultimate result is go back to home, back... But the material... Materially, if you expect some material profit by becoming a devotee, that is not possible. That is not possible. Mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate [Bg. 14.26]. Then you become above all the resultant action of karma.
So tyakta-karma. Sannyasi means tyakta-karmanas tyakta-svajana-bandhavah. You cannot give up karma if you live with your relatives, svajana, and bandhavah, society, friendship and love. If you live, then you cannot give up karma. You have to do, either karma or vikarma. But if you become sannyasi, then you become akarma. Whatever you do, it is for Krsna, and there is no reaction. Yajnarthe karmano 'nyatra karma-bandhanah. Karma is bandhanah. Vikarma is bandhanah, but akarma is not bandhanah. Bandhanah means bondage. So we have to act for Krsna. Yajnarthe. Yajna means Krsna. Yajna means Visnu. But people... Prahlada Maharaja said, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum: [SB 7.5.31] "These ordinary men, they do not know that their ultimate destination of life is to go back to Visnu, go back to home, back to Godhead." Na te viduh. Why they do not know? Durasaya. Their hope is dur, very, I mean to say, what is called?
Nitai: Hardy?
Prabhupada: No. Durasaya means which cannot be fulfilled. You can hope something, you can... But it is hoping against hope. It will never be fulfilled. That is called durasa. Durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. Persons who are trying to become happy by adjustment of this bahir-artha, external energy, or the material energy, they do not know that happiness cannot be achieved without approaching Visnu, or God. They do not know it. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi... Everyone is thinking, "I must first of all see my own interest." That's all right. But what is your interest, that you do not know. First of all try to understand what is your interest. But that you do not know. Because you are thinking falsely that "By adjustment of this material atmosphere I shall be happy." Everyone is trying. Nationally, individually, collectively, everyone is trying. But it is not possible. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. It will be frustration. Therefore it is called bahir-artha-maninah.
So why they are attempting this process, which will meet with frustration? That is also said: adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. Because they cannot control their senses, adanta... Adanta-gobhih. Go means indriya, senses, and adanta means uncontrolled. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. So in this way we are being baffled in so many ways. The only rescue is Krsna. Therefore it is said, ananya-bhavena, mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham. That is wanted. Drdha-vrata. That is stated in Bhagavad-gita. You'll find parallel passages, the same thing. Because Krsna, or God, cannot say anything contradictory. Whatever He has said... Therefore Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary study of spiritual life. If you can understand Bhagavad-gita, then you can begin Srimad-Bhagavatam. If you have not understood Bhagavad-gita, it is useless. You cannot understand Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Just like Bhagavad-gita ends with the assertion of the Lord: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Sarva-dharman. We have created so many dharmas. But dharma cannot be so many. Dharma is one. Or religious system... What is that, religious system? The all religious system, the author of religion, author of religion... Just like author of law is government, similarly author of religion is God, Krsna. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. You cannot manufacture dharma, just like you cannot manufacture law at your home. That will be not feasible. That will be not useful for anyone. You can make thousands of laws: "I think this should be done..." That is the fashion now. Everyone thinks in his own way. That is not philosophy. That is not law: "I think..." "We think..." No. You cannot think. What is your value? You are imperfect. Your senses are imperfect. How you can think perfect things? No, that is not possible. Therefore we have to...
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
[Bg. 4.34]
You have to take knowledge from the tattva-darsi, one who has seen the truth. Otherwise, you'll be frustrated. Similarly religion. Religion you cannot manufacture: "This is our religion. This is this religion, that religion, that religion." So that is not religion. Religion is this: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim. This is religion. Anything else, that is cheating. That is not religion.
Therefore if one can understand Bhagavad-gita perfectly and he takes to this system of religion, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], then he can understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because where Bhagavad-gita is ended, Srimad-Bhagavatam begins from that point. Because in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the introductory verses, Vyasadeva says, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam [SB 1.1.2]. "This, this Srimad-Bhagavatam is not ordinary type of religious system, because from this Bhagavatam, kaitava, cheating type of religion, is completely swept away, kicked out, thrown away." Dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. And upon this the great commentator Sridhara Svami, he says, atra moksa-vancha api nirasta. Because we know dharma-artha-kama-moksa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Adi 1.90]. So Sridhara Svami says that dharmah projjhita... Because people are becoming religious for moksa, liberation. So Sridhara Svami says that up to the end of moksa-vancha, desire for liberation, that is also rejected. The... Because moksa is also not our ultimate goal of life. Moksa means to get relief from the material bondage. But if you do not get engagement of spiritual life, then moksa is also cheating because you'll fall down again.
I have repeatedly said that cure of disease is all right, but after curing, if you are not engaged in your healthy activities, then means, that means that your disease is again, will be relapsed. The sastra says therefore, aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adhah [SB 10.2.32]. One sometimes, after practicing much severe austerities and penances, he can approach the Brahman, param padam, that is Brahman realization, or Brahmaloka. Patanty adhah. But from there also you will fall down. Why? Anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah. Because they did not care to worship the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Mayavadis, the impersonalists, they fall down. Because they cannot stay. It is not possible. Simply impersonal effulgence, Brahman effulgence, you cannot stay. You can... That example I have given many times, that you can go very high in the sky by your very powerful sputnik and airship, but if you have no place to stay there, then you'll come back again. You'll come back again. Similarly, you can go to the Brahman effulgence, but within the Brahman effulgence, there are Vaikuntha planets, or the spiritual world, there is Vaikuntha planet. If you have no place to stay in the Vaikuntha planets, then you'll come down again to this material world.
Therefore ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham. Drdha-vratam.
ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham
[Bg. 9.22]
Ananyas cintayantah. Simply thinking of Krsna. That will help you. Ananya-bhavena. This is sadhu. These are de... Sadhu. In the previous verse also, there were several descriptions:
titiksavah karunikah
suhrdah sarva-dehinam
ajata-satravah santah
sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah
[SB 3.25.21]
This is the beginning of sadhu. Because to come to this stage, ananya-bhavena bhakti-yogena, you have to tolerate so many things. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Ananya-bhavena yogena. He was simply thinking of Narayana. How much trouble he had to undergo, even by, offered by his father. So we should be very much... Titiksavah. The matter... This material nature will not give you freedom so easily. It will not give so much freedom... Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama... mam eva ye prapadyante [Bg. 7.14]. If you become strong enough to capture the lotus feet of Krsna, then mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam... Then maya will give you, "No, he's very strong. I cannot any more keep him under my clutches." So that is ananya-bhavena. That is described. Ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham, mat-krte. For the sake of Krsna, one can give up everything. That is ananya-bhava. The first-class example is the gopis. They gave up everything. Their family, their relatives, their husband, their sons, their father, their prestige, their honor -- everything sacrificed, simply for Krsna. That is the highest perfection. That is not possible for ordinary... But we can, if we follow the gopis' way of loving Krsna, then...
Just like the Gosvamis. They used to... Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-
So we have to... We, we cannot simply give up. As it is said that tyakta-karmanah, give up everyone, engagement, and tyakta-svajana-bandhavah,... You'll become mad if you give up all these things, unless you have got staunch faith in Krsna. Then you cannot give up. It is not possible. Param drstva nivartate [Bg. 9.59]. If you find Krsna's association is so nice, then you can very easily give up your opulent position, svajana, bandhavah, family, business and everything. If you... That requires sadhu-sanga, sadhu-sanga [Cc. Madhya 22.83], to associate with sadhu, devotees. Then you can develop such thing when day will come you'll be able to give up everything and you become liberated person, quite fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. Unless you are completely free... If you have got a tinge of attachment for material enjoyment, Krsna will give you chance: "All right, you enjoy. You enjoy, to the fullest extent." Because we have come to this material world for enjoying sense gratification. Krsna bhuliya jiva... That is called maya, illusory. It is not enjoyment. It is simply struggle. But one who comes to the senses, that "This is simply struggle. Life after life, there is no enjoyment," then he can become a devotee of Krsna. So that requires knowledge, association of sadhu, devotee. That is being explained by Kapiladeva.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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