Krishna's Service-Absolute Delight
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.38
Bombay, December 7, 1974
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Nitai: "The Lord continued: My dear
mother, devotees who receive such transcendental opulences are never bereft of
them; neither weapons nor change of time can destroy such opulences. Because the
devotees accept Me as their friend, their relative, their son, preceptor,
benefactor and the Supreme Deity, they cannot be deprived of their possessions
at any time."
Prabhupada:
na karhicin mat-parah santa-rupe
nanksyanti no me 'nimiso ledhi hetih
yesam aham priya atma sutas ca
sakha guruh suhrdo daivam istam
[SB 3.25.38]
So here is explained that how spiritual life is eternal and without any destruction. Here in the material world, whatever we have, it is destructible. It will be destroyed. Today one is my son, so tomorrow the son may be destroyed. But if you accept Krsna as your son, He will never be destroyed. That is the difference. Here whatever opulence we have got... We may have family, friend, sons, daughters, and so many things we possess. We enjoy life in the varieties of representation. Ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. Here we aspire after having good apartment, good house, grha, ksetra, possession, property. Ato grha-ksetra-suta, children; apta, friend; vitta, riches. We possess here. But this possession is illusion, janasya moho 'yam, because it will not stay. This grha... Either the grha will be destroyed or -- I am the inhabitant -- I will be destroyed. There will be separation. Here nothing is permanent. Grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaih. Therefore it is illusion. We do not understand it. We take this, permanent, and Krsna, not permanent. But that is not the fact.
The fact is that Krsna is permanent, but Krsna's material energy is not permanent. Therefore it is said, santa-rupe, "My dear mother," na karhicin mat-parah. Mat-parah. Mat means Bhagavan. Bhagavan is speaking, mat-parah. Whenever... As in the Bhagavad-gita also there are many words, mat-parah, or plural number, mat-parah, the same thing. So here also, Kapiladeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says, mat-parah -- means "My devotees. My devotees who have taken Me as his son, friend, lover, master..." There are so many rasas: santa-rasa, dasya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vatsalya-rasa, madhurya-rasa, in so many. Those rasas, or mellows, are represented here in the material world in a temporary way. Here we have got the same rasa: I love my son. I love my friend. I love my husband. There is love, but this is all temporary. But if you transfer this love to Krsna either as your master or the Supreme or as friend or as your son or as your lover or husband, it will never be destroyed. That is permanent settlement. This is to be understood. But the Mayavadis, they cannot understand. They think that in the spiritual world there is no more such relationship as master, friend, or father and son, or beloved and the lover. There is no such thing.
But here in the sastra we see that that is real life. This is not real life. It is shadow. In the Bhagavad-gita in the Fifteenth Chapter it has been described as shadow. Urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham asvattham prahur avyayam [Bg. 15.1]. Asvattham. We have got experience of banyan tree. It is very durable. It stands for many, many hundreds of years. Therefore this material world has been compared with the asvattham, asvattham tree, very durable and very expansive. It goes on increasing, increasing. That is very nicely described in the Fifteenth Chapter. So it is called urdhva-mulam. Urdhva-mulam means... Here we have got experience: the tree has got its roots underneath, down. But this material world, which is compared with the asvattha tree, the root is upside and the branches downside. That means it is shadow. We can experience of this tree, urdhva-mulam. The root upside and the branches downside, we have got experience. Where it is? In the shadow. If you stand on the bank of a river or reservoir of water and if there is any tree by the side of that reservoir of water, you will find the shadow, urdhva-mulam. The root upside and the branches downside. Exactly the same tree, but it is shadow. It has no fact; it is simply shadow. Many places it has been compared with the mirage, mirage in the desert. Just like in bright sunshine in the desert you will find that there is water. So the thirsty animal, they think there is water. They jump over it, and the animal runs after the water, and the water also goes away, goes away, goes away. Sometimes we have got also experience. In bright sunshine on the street we find exactly a shadow of water, but there is no water. Tejo-vari-mrt, amrsa. In the Bhagavata it is stated: tejo-vari-mrt, amrsa. Sometimes in the water we see land, and on land we can see water. This is called maricika, or mirage.
Similarly, actual life... Our life means we are enjoying some rasa, some relationship. I enjoy in the family with my children. There is some rasa. They are calling me "father." I am enjoying. Or somebody is calling me as "son." I am enjoying. Some woman is calling me "husband." I am enjoying. Some woman I am calling, "wife." Some person I am calling "servant," and he is calling me... These relationship we enjoy. But this enjoyment is shadow. This is not real enjoyment. We have no information. This enjoyment can be achieved in the similar way with Krsna.
Krsna therefore comes in person just to teach us how you can enjoy with Krsna the same relationship. You can-Krsna-accept your master as the Supreme. You can accept Krsna as your friend. You can accept Krsna as your son, vatsalya-rasa, just like mother Yasoda. Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, Vasudeva or Devaki, they are all devotees. Nobody can become the father or mother of Krsna, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is not possible. He is the supreme father. Aham bija-pradah pita. He is everyone's father. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4]. Therefore those who are not Krsna conscious, those who do not know how our relationship can be established with Krsna, they ask that "Who is the father of Krsna? If Krsna is the father of everyone, then who is the father of Krsna?" That is natural question. Because we are thinking Krsna like us. But the sastra says that He is the father of everyone, but nobody is His father. Anadir adih, govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. Anadi. Anadi means He has no beginning. Just like we have beginning from our father. Our life begins from our father. The father begets the child, and the birth is the beginning of our life. Similarly, we think that Krsna is also child of Vasudeva and Devaki; therefore He has the beginning.
But Krsna is not like that. In the Bhagavata it is described about the Krsna's birth. Krsna appeared as Narayana, Catur-bhuja, before Vasudeva and Devaki. But Devaki, because previously her seven sons were killed by Kamsa, so Devaki immediately prayed to the Lord that "This time You have appeared as the Supreme Lord Visnu. Now immediately Kamsa will kill You. Formerly my so many sons appeared as human child. They were killed. And Kamsa is searching after killing God, Krsna, the Supreme Lord. Now You have appeared, exactly four-handed Narayana. Immediately You will be killed." That is affection. That is called yoga-maya affection. "So kindly You appear as ordinary human child." This is the description in the Bhagavatam about Krsna's birth. So He did not appear immediately as a human child. He appeared first of all as the four-handed Narayana. Then, on the request of the father and mother, He became a child. This picture we have got in our Krsna book.
So that is the position of Krsna. Krsna is the father of everyone. That is said in Bhagavad-gita.
sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]
The material world, the material nature is the mother of living entities. Just like to give birth to a child there is necessity of father and mother. So Krsna says that "I am the bija-pradah pita." So He is everyone's father. But we may ask, "Then who is His father?" His father is devotee. When He accepts anyone as His father, that father is His devotee. That is said here that karhicin mat-parah, yesam aham priya atma sutas ca. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is loved by the devotee as their son, as his son. Sutas ca. Somebody loves Krsna as his son.
The Vasudeva and Devaki, in their previous life they underwent severe austerities. After their marriage, they immediately were not anxious to beget child. They went to the forest and began practicing austerity and penances, severe, some hundreds of years. Then Krsna appeared that "What do you want? Why you are undergoing so much severe...?" "No, we want a son like You. Then we enter into the family life." So Krsna said that "Where is another Krsna?" Because God is one. "So if you want a son like Me, then I will have to become your son. There is no competitor." God has no competitor. God is one. Ekam brahma dvitiyam nasti. This is the... Krsna therefore says, mam ekam. Mam ekam. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg. 18.66]. Krsna is one, but Krsna can expand. That is Krsna. The Mayavadi philosophers say that "If Krsna has become everything, then where is Krsna? Krsna is finished." This is Mayavadi philosophy. That is materialistic idea. Just like you big piece of paper and you tear it into small pieces and throw it; then the paper has no existence. The paper is finished. But Krsna is not like that. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca [Bs. 5.33]. He has expansion, many, many thousands, many, many millions. Just like Krsna says, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Krsna is situated in everyone's heart, and there are many millions and trillions of heart. Not only human being, there are animals, there are trees, plants, aquatics, fishes, so many. Anantyaya, sa anantyaya kalpate. There is no counting of the living entities. They are so... And the Paramatma, Krsna's another feature, He is everywhere. That does not mean the same materialistic idea that "If Krsna has entered so many millions of heart, then where is existence of Krsna?" This is called Mayavada, nirvisesa, "Now Krsna is finished." No. Krsna is not finished. Krsna still remains. That is the Vedic injunction. Purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate [Iso Invocation]. We read this Vedic mantra; still, we think Krsna is finished. "Because He has entered so many hearts of living entity, therefore Krsna is finished. There is no more." That is nirakaravada.
But that is not the Vedic version. Vedic version is that not only Krsna's incarnation, but even if Krsna, the full, cent percent God, if He is distributed or if He distributes Himself in many millions of form, still, He is there in the same strength. Just like if you take some blood, my energy, out of my body, then after taking some quantity, my body becomes weak. Because so much energy is taken away. But the Vedas says, purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate [Iso Invocation]. The balance is purna. That is Krsna. You take full strength. Krsna is sad-aisvarya-purna, almighty. So you take Almighty, and in millions and millions of units -- still the Almighty. That is Krsna. So we have to understand Krsna in that way. And if we can understand Krsna... Janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. This tattva you will understand from the Vedic literature, what is tattva. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam [SB 1.2.11]. So Krsna is never diminished.
There is a little story, very interesting. So one poor boy, he was student in a school, and the teacher's annual ceremony of father's death would be held. So he requested all his student, "What you will give me, contribution?" Formerly the teacher was not taking any salary. But whatever he wanted, the students will bring either from parents' house or by begging. That was the system. The teacher would not charge anything. A brahmana cannot be..., charge anything. Generally, the brahmanas were teachers. That is one of the profession of the brahmana. Everyone must have livelihood. So brahmana livelihood is pathana pathana. He must become a learned scholar, and he will make others also learned scholar. That is brahmana's business. Pathana pathana yajana yajana dana pratigrahah. Sat-karma. Six kinds of profession for the brahmanas. And ksatriya's profession is to give protection to the citizen and levy some tax, twenty-five percent, not more than that. Whatever is income your, give twenty-five percent to the ksatriya king. That's all. That includes sales tax, this tax, that tax, so many tax, income tax. All finished. You give twenty-five percent. And if you have no income, no tax. Not like that even you have no income, "No, last year you gave so much tax. You must give it. Otherwise your property will be sold." Not like that. So that is ksatriya's income. Similarly, vaisya's income, krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam [Bg. 18.44], agriculture, cow protection, and if there is excess foodstuff, then he can sell, make trade. And sudras, they will simply help.
So this teacher, the original story, the teacher asked the student for... Somebody said, "I will contribute this cloth," somebody said, "I'll rice," somebody said something, something, something. There was one poor student, he had no means. He was very poor. So when he was asked, so he replied that "I cannot say anything without asking my mother." "All right, you ask your mother and tell me tomorrow." So he asked, "My dear mother, all my class friend has promised the teacher to contribute this, that, this, that. So my turn is there. What shall I promise?" The mother said, "My dear son, we are so poor, we cannot give anything. But if Krsna gives, He is dina-bandhu, the friend of the poor. So if He gives something to you, you can promise." "Oh, where is Krsna? What is His name?" "Now, His name is Dinabandhu, friend of the poor." "Where He is?" "I understand that He is in the forest." So he went to the forest and called, "Dinabandhu brother, Dinabandhu brother, where You?" He began to cry. So Krsna came. When a devotee is very much eager to see Him, Krsna comes. He very is kind. So "Why you are asking?" "My mother... You are Dinabandhu?" "Yes." "So this is my condition, sir. What can I promise?" So He said that "You promise that you will supply yogurt, dahi. You will supply dahi." So he was very much satisfied. And he came to the teacher that "My Dinabandhu brother, dada, He will supply dahi, or yogurt, for whatever you require." "Oh, that's nice. Very good."
So on the day of ceremony, so he went to the forest again and called Dinabandhu dada, and He gave him a small pot of dahi, yogurt, a small pot. Oh, he was a child. He did not know. And the..., he brought it to the teacher, "Now, this is my contribution. My Dinabandhu brother has given. So you take." "The hundreds and thousands of people will be given foodstuff and this much dahi?" He became very angry. He became angry, he did not care, and the pot fell down, and the yogurt also fell down. But after some time, when he came, he saw that although the yogurt has fallen down, the pot is full. Then he again dropped it; again it is full. He dropped it; again it is full. Then he could understand it is spiritual. Purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate [Iso Invocation]. You take the whole thing; still, the whole thing is there. That is Krsna. Not that because you have taken something, one minus one equal to zero. No. In the spiritual world, one minus one equal to one. And one plus one equal to one. That is called advaya-jnana. There is no duality. Plus and minus, they are two things. But in the spiritual world, either plus or minus, the same. That is to be understood. That is called Absolute, advaya-jnana.
So if you love Krsna, there will be no destruction like the material things. Either you love Him as your master... Here master, so long you are serving, the master is pleased. And the servant is pleased so long you are paying. But in the spiritual world there is no such thing. If I cannot serve under certain condition, then master is pleased. And the servant also -- the master does not pay -- he is also pleased. That is called oneness, Absolute. That is... This example is here. There are so many students in this institution. We are not paying anything, but they will do everything for me. This is spiritual relationship. That pandita Jawaharlal Nehru, when he was in London, his father gave him, the Motilal Nehru, three hundred rupees for keeping a servant. Then once he went to London, so he saw that the servant is not there. The pandita says, "Where is your servant?" He says, "What is the use of servant? I have no, nothing to do. I do it personally." "No, no. I wanted that an Englishman should be your servant." So he has to pay for it. This is an example. I have got hundreds and thousands of servants who I haven't got to pay. This is spiritual relationship. This is spiritual relationship. They are serving not for being paid. What I have got? I am poor Indian. What can I pay? But the servant is out of love, spiritual love. And I am also teaching them without any salary. This is spiritual. Purnasya purnam adaya [Iso Invocation]. Everything is full.
So if you accept Krsna as your son, as your friend, as your lover, you will never be cheated. So try to accept Krsna. Give up this false illusory servant or son or father or lover. You'll be cheated. You'll be cheated. If you love your son with your heart and soul, that very son will may be someday your most veritable enemy. Yes. This is the world. The wife you love so much, but the wife may be someday so great enemy that she can kill you for her own interest. There are so many instances. So if you want to have real... The Mayavadi philosophers, they are afraid of having such relationship again. Because they have got bitter experience of this material world, they want to make it zero -- no more relationship, no more son, no more daughter, no more lover, no more master. "Because we have got very bitter experience of these things, I am disgusted with these things. I will make it zero." But that is not the fact. The fact is that if you make the same relationship with Krsna, it will never become zero; it will be enthusiastic more and more. Anandambudhi-vardhanam, it is said. Ambudhi, ambudhi means sea. This morning we were walking. The sea cannot come, overflood, under certain extent, limitation. That is called... We have no experience the sea is increasing. No. But in the spiritual world, anandambudhi, the ocean of spiritual bliss, is increasing. Here the anandambudhi -- I have got some relationship with my father, with my wife, with my husband, with my master, but it will decrease by and by. The relationship is personal interest. "If you pay me, I will serve you." "If you serve me, then I will pay you." This is relative term, duality. But in the absolute world it is something different.
Therefore here it is said that na karhicin mat-parah santa-rupe, yesam aham priya atma sutas ca sakha guruh. You can establish your relationship in so many way. There is no question of making it zero. Because that is reality. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter, it is stated, "the shadow of the tree." The shadow of the tree has got the branches, fruit, leaves. Everything is there. But it is nonreality. The real reality is up in the spiritual world. And that is shadow. Urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham [Bg. 15.1]. That is very practical example in the world. Urdhva-mulam. The real mula is up. Therefore we sometimes find that the lowest abominable thing is the highest there. Because the opposite. You see the upside of the tree down, but the upside is there. Therefore the rasas, there are so many mellows, and the parakiya-rasa... Parakiya-rasa means love without marriage. That is called parakiya-rasa. Therefore you will find the parakiya-rasa... Krsna's loving affairs with the gopis without marriage, that is called parakiya-rasa. Parakiya-rasa is the highest, topmost relishable spiritual bliss. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita. Krsna displayed everything so to attract us, that "You are captivated by this material jada-rasa, material rasa." There is rasa; otherwise why a man is working so hard to maintain the family? Unless there is some ananda, why he is taking? Nobody is taking so much hard responsibility for others. But children, wife, family, they take. There is... Unless there is some ananda, how he can take? So the relationship has got ananda. But this ananda is flickering, illusion. Ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam [SB 5.5.8]. This is moha. It will not stay; it is temporary, illusion.
So don't be attached to this illusion. Tamasi ma. Tamasi means ignorance. In ignorance, if you accept somebody as son or wife or friend, that is darkness. It is not actual fact. It is ignorance. Tamasi ma jyotir gama: "Go to the light." Have real friendship, real fatherhood, real lover, real beloved, real son. So if... And another point is that a devotee, real devotee, he doesn't want to be the son of God. He wants to be the father of God. Why? The father means he will simply give to the son. And son means he will simply take. So just like in the Christian philosophy it is said, "O God, give us our daily bread." This is one philosophy. That's a fact. God is giving. Eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. God is feeding everyone. That's a fact. But a devotee does not want to take anything from God. He does not worship God for his daily bread. One who asks daily bread from God, they are pious, but they are not devotees.
catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukrtino 'rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi
jnani ca bharatarsabha
[Bg. 7.16]
Krsna says there are four kinds of beginners of devotional service, four kinds. What are..., who are they? Artah. Artah means one who is distressed; artha-arthi, one who is in want of money; arto ar...jijnasuh, one who is searching after knowledge; and jnani, and wise man. So out of these, arto and artharthi, they are low-grade worshiper. Those who are jnani and jijnasuh, they are higher grade. Generally, they are lower grade. But they are not pure devotees.
Pure devotees, as we have explained yesterday, they do not want anything from God. Even liberation they do not want, what to speak of this material... Therefore the philosophy of becoming the father of Krsna is very perfect. Because one hasn't got to ask like the son asks from the father, "Father, give me this, give me this." Because devotee want..., doesn't want to ask anything from. Then how he can become son? Son business is to ask from father. Therefore they do not aspire to become the son of Godhead, but they aspire to be father of God. This is perfection-Nanda Maharaja, father, Vasudeva, father. Krsna will always ask. Just like Krsna is always asking to suck the breast of mother Yasoda. Always demanding. And if she refuses, He'll create disturbance. And mother Yasoda is always thinking that "If I do not feed Krsna nicely, He'll die." This is love. This is love. Therefore it is said that yesam aham priya atma sutas ca. The devotee accept Krsna as suta, as son, not as father. Father means exacting.
So in this way, if we actually establish... Establish means reestablish. It is already established. We have got different types of relationship. That is called svarupa-siddhi. Svarupa-siddhi. When you are perfect in spiritual life, you will understand what is your relationship with Krsna automatically. That is called svarupa-siddhi. You have got original relationship with Krsna. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti. Caitanya-caritamrta. That is a... Just like you are son of some gentleman. That is a fact. It is not that the son becomes father or father becomes son. No. The son is son; the father is father. Similarly, we have got an eternal relationship with Krsna, either as father, or as lover, or as servant, like that. So that is self-realization. When you will be perfect in love, in loving Krsna, then in what status of life you will love, that you will under... That will be revealed. That is called svarupa-siddhi. So svarupa-siddhi is not something artificial. When one becomes perfectly spiritually realized, then he understands what is his relationship with Krsna and he begins his service in that relationship as father, as friend, as guru, or as servant, like that.
So this relationship is eternal. So instead of being attached to this temporary relationship... Somebody thinking that "I have to serve my father and mother. That is my first duty." That's all right. First of all you select who is your father and mother. Now we have got a certain living entity as your father. Again, as you change body, your father may be somebody else. Today you have got a father, human being, and tomorrow you may have a father who may not be human being. You have to accept a dog as your father, or a cat as your father. So your father is changing with the change of your body. So first of all select who is your father. This dog is your father? The man is your father? The cat is your father? Who is your father? The tree is here. The seed is your father? Then you become devotee of father. But that we cannot do. Therefore Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam: [Bg. 18.66] "You accept Me as your son, as your friend, as your master. Then you will be happy."
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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