Transcendental Goodness
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.24
Vrndavana, November 11, 1976
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Pradyumna: "The Vedas are my eternal,
transcendental sound incarnation. Therefore the Vedas are sabda-brahma. In this
world, the brahmanas thoroughly study all the Vedas, and because they assimilate
the Vedic conclusions, they are also to be considered the Vedas personified. The
brahmanas are situated in the supreme transcendental mode of nature,
sattva-guna. Because of this they are fixed in mind control, or sama; sense
control, dama; and truthfulness, or satya. They describe the Vedas in their
original sense, and out of mercy, or anugraha, they preach the purpose of the
Vedas to all conditioned souls. They practice penance, or tapasya, and
tolerance, titiksa, and they realize the position of the living entity and the
Supreme Lord, anubhavah. These are the eight qualifications of the brahmanas.
Therefore among all living entities no one is superior to the
brahmanas."
Prabhupada:
dhrta tanur usati me purani
yeneha sattvam paramam pavitram
samo damah satyam anugrahas ca
tapas titiksanubhavas ca yatra
[SB 5.5.24]
So the meaning is clearly described in the translation. So the brahmanas, why they are accepted as the supreme in the human society? On account of these qualities. We have discussed this point, that either brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, especially dvijottama... The brahmanas are called dvijottama. Dvija-srestha. Atah pumbhir dvija-srestha. Dvija means twice-born, one birth by the father and mother and the other birth by Vedic knowledge and spiritual master. Twice-born. So the dasa-vidha-samskara, purificatory processes... Samskarad bhaved dvijah. Unless one undergoes the purificatory process, he cannot be called twice-born. Janmana jayate sudrah: "By birth everyone is a sudra, fourth-class man." Practically we see that children, they are sent to school. Why they are sent to school? Because by birth he is foolish, abodha-jatah. There is no knowledge. Therefore he should be sent to school, as he makes progress, to colleges, to learn higher, higher. This is the material arrangement.
The same arrangement for spiritual education... Not that by birth, because one is born of a brahmana family, he remains a brahmana although he becomes less than sudra. No. There must be education. The twice-born, he must approach the spiritual master. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. Just like the Sattva Satyakama, Jabala-Satyakama Upanisad. The boy approached Gautama Muni that "Kindly accept me, your disciple. Initiate me." Formerly, without becoming a brahmana specially, they were not initiated. So in those days all the families were very pure. Therefore born of a brahmana father is understood that he has got the training of a brahmana. That is a facility. Sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrastah sanjayate [Bg. 6.41]. By pious activities or by practice of bhakti-yoga, if one has not completed, yoga-bhrasta, one who falls down from the yoga practice, such person is given another chance to take birth in a nice family, a brahmana family or a rich mercantile family. The brahmana family is rich in knowledge, and the ksatriyas and the vaisyas, they are rich in opulence, wealth, material riches. And sudras, they are not rich either in material wealth or in knowledge. Therefore they are called sudras.
So this bhakti-yoga or any yoga... Real yoga, or the first-class class yoga, is bhakti-yoga. Yoginam api sarvesam. There are many yogis. Out of them, the bhakta-yogi... Yoginam api sarvesam mad-gata antaratmana [Bg. 6.47]. Without becoming a bhakta-yogi, nobody can think of Krsna always. That is not possible. Satatam kirtanyanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah. The bhakti-yoga we are teaching in this Krsna consciousness movement twenty-four hours' engagement. Superficially we engage from four o'clock in the morning till ten o'clock at night, and that is resting time. But when one is advanced in devotional service, while sleeping he also serves Krsna. That means twenty-four hours, satatam. That depends on Because in sleeping you also dream, so what we do during daytime we dream at night. So if one is cent percent engaged in Krsna's service, naturally he'll dream also at night. I have seen one of our intimate relative. He was a businessman, selling cloth. So in dream also he was quoting price of cloth. So that is natural. That is not unnatural. Therefore we have to practice. At the time of death, somehow or other, if we quote the price of Krsna, then our life are successful. Therefore we should practice: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. If we practice Krsna, then naturally it is expected that at the time of death we remember Krsna. Then immediately we are transferred to the Krsnaloka, immediately. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. Immediately. There is no doubt about it. Simple thing, but it requires practice.
Therefore, to practice Krsna consciousness we have to practice other things. That is the position of sattvam paramam pavitram. That is called suddha-sattva. Sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam, there is a verse. Pure goodness. Pure goodness means there is only Vasudeva. Vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]. That is pure sattva, when there is no other conception, simply Vasudeva. Vasudeva is the platform. Just like Vasudeva was the father of Krsna. When Krsna appeared, Vasudeva was the father. So suddha-sattva is Vasudeva. Vasudeva means there is no contamination of ignorance or passion, simply sattva-guna. Tato rajas tamo bhava kama-lobhadayas ca ye, ceta etair anaviddham. When your mind and consciousness will not be contaminated by the modes of ignorance and passion, that is suddha-sattva. That is suddha-sattva. That is spiritual platform, vasudeva. Then Vasudeva will beget Krsna. Sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam. So if we purify our existence, another Krsna comes or Krsna's devotees come. They come in suddha-sattva. Sattvam paramam pavitram. Then naturally there is samo damo titiksa arjavam jnanam vijnanam astikyam [Bg. 18.42]. Naturally there is brahmana behavior. And when one becomes brahmana, pure, no material contamination, then bhakti appears, after becoming brahmana or brahma-bhutah, not material platform. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. In the material platform, jiva-bhutah. But in the spiritual platform, brahma-bhutah.
So aham brahmasmi: "Yes, I am already Brahman because my constitutional position is part and parcel of Parabrahman." Krsna is Parabrahman. Param brahma param dhama pavitram [Bg. 10.12], pavitram paramam, this same thing, pavitram paramam. So naturally, because we are part and parcel of the pavitram paramam, Parabrahman, we are also the same thing, a small particle, amsa. Mama amsa. Amsa and amsi. A small grain of gold, by quality it is gold, not that because it is small, it is something else. It is the same thing. Similarly, we are also pavitram, pure, but that small can fall down sometimes and becomes apavitra. So we are just like sparks of fire, so so long we are in the fire, this quality of the spark is also fire. It is also illuminating. It is also has got the quality of burning power, small quantity. But when the spark falls down from the fire it becomes extinguished, the fiery quality. That is our position. We have fallen down from the quality, and we have to revive it. Just like a person becomes diseased. Diseased is not his permanent position. That is a temporary infection. But it can be cured. If one likes, he can cure his disease and again he can become healthy. Similarly, we are fallen somehow or other. "Somehow or other" means the reason is as soon as we become independent, we deny to serve Krsna, but we deny to serve Krsna -- we want to become independent. Then immediately we are forced by the illusory energy to come under her and work under her direction. We are born servant, jivera svarupa haya-nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It is made for the purpose of serving me. This is the purpose. But when it is diseased When it cannot serve the body, then it is diseased. Similarly, our constitutional position is to serve Krsna. Jivera svarupa haya-nitya-krsna-dasa. That is real life. And when you don't serve Krsna or deny to serve Krsna, that is diseased condition. And that is called maya. Krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare, pasate maya tare japatiya dhare.
So we have to cure our disease. This disease means... Krsna consciousness movement means purification of our diseased condition, infectious condition. It is not anything artificial. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sradhya kabhu naya. Not that by artificial means, as they are making propaganda in Europe and America that we are brainwashing... It is not that by some means or by some artificial, what is called, hypnotism, we are making these European or American boys, girls krsna-bhakta. No. It is there already, krsna-bhakti. Otherwise why they should take to Krsna? They have got their other, I mean to say, worshipable. There is Jesus, Jesus Christ, and others. Mostly they are coming from Christian family. Why they should agree to worship Krsna? No, it is there already. It is not that because they are born in Europe and America they are different from Krsna's relationship. No.
Krsna claims, aham bija-pradah pita. Krsna has relationship not only in the human society, in animal society, in bird society, in plant society, in insect society, in demigod society. Aham bija-pradah pita, sarva-yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4]. He doesn't claim that "I am interested with the Indians," or "the Hindus" or "the brahmanas," or "this." No. He claims all forms of body. So therefore these foreigners, so-called foreigners, they have got already relationship with Krsna. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti. Every living entity has got relationship with Krsna. Krsna says, mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. How they can be separate? It is not possible. But they forgot it. And this Krsna consciousness movement is to revive their original consciousness. Sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye... "Oh, I am Krsna's." As soon as this consciousness comes, he becomes perfect. It is already there. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sradhya kabhu naya, sravanadi.
And this revival of original consciousness can be executed by hearing, sravanam kirtanam. It is possible. Therefore we stress on the point of sravanam kirtanam. And actually it is happening. When I went to New York there was no Krsna-bhakta at all, a single man. So how so many Krsna-bhaktas have come out? By this same process,
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nive...
[SB 7.5.23]
This is bhakti process. So anywhere, in Africa also, in the village of Africa, when our Brahmananda goes there, the big, big Africans with earrings, big, big earrings, very tall, almost naked, they also dance, "Hare Krsna." So this is practical. Nitya-yukta krsna-bhakti.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given this opportunity that simply by chanting... Caitanya Mahaprabhu has not manufactured it. It is mentioned in the sastra. No other... Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not introduce anything by manufacturing, just like nowadays these rascals do. There is no question of manufacturing. Whatever is there already in the sastra, indication, we have to follow. Yah sastra-viddhim utsrjya vartate... Otherwise there is no success. Krsna also said sastra. Krsna is also the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He refers to the Brahma-sutra. Brahma-sutra-padais caiva hetumadbhir viniscitam. So we cannot go beyond the sastra. We must follow. So in the sastra it is said, in the Kali-yuga people are so fallen, they cannot be persuaded to so many rules and regulation, but kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet [SB 12.3.51]. Simply that is special facility for these fallen... You chant Hare Krsna regularly and you become liberated from the material contamination. And as soon as you become liberated, brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati, samah sarvesu bhutesu [Bg. 18.54]. We have no distinction that "Here is American," "There is European," "Here is Indian," "Here is African." No. Samah sarvesu, even animals. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. Then bhakti begins. That is practical.
So that is suddha-sattva. Samo damo satyam anugraha. The brahmana's business is anugraha, to be just like Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja is unhappy for others. Soce tato vimukha-cetasa maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan: [SB 7.9.43] "I am thinking of these rascals. They are making so many gorgeous arrangements, big, big skyscraper, big, big roads, and thousands of motorcars." Maya-sukhaya. "They will enjoy this life for fifty years, sixty years, thirty years, and making big, big arrangement." Maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan: [SB 7.9.43] "I am thinking of these rascals, that they forget the real business, what is the problem of life. They are busy in erecting, constructing big, big skyscrapers." Not only now, formerly also the vimudhan, the rascals... Visesa mudha. Krsna says, mudha. Na mam prapadyante mudha. And Prahlada Maharaja stresses more, vimudhan, first-class mudhas. Yes. Vimudhan. So anyone who does not take to Krsna consciousness and is busy in other business, he's a vimudhan. Don't remain a vimudhan. Become intelligent. Krsna ye bhaje sei bada catur. Be the first-class intelligent man and be Krsna conscious.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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