"I Have Passed My Life Uselessly"

13 Nov 68 , Los Angeles


Prabhupada: ...introduced by the disciplic succession of Lord Caitanya, and this Narottama dasa Thakura who has sung this hari hari biphale janama gonainu, he's a famous acarya. His compositions are accepted as Vedic truth. So this purport of this song is very nice. He's lamenting, appealing to Hari, the Lord. Hari hari biphale janama gonainu: "My dear Lord, I have uselessly spoiled my life." Biphale means uselessly, and janama means birth, and gonainu means "I have passed." He's representing a common man, as every one of us is simply spoiling our life. They do not know that they are spoiling their life. They are thinking that "I've got very nice apartment, very nice car, very nice wife, very nice income, very nice social position." So many things. These are the material attractions. Grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair. (child crying) (aside:) Stop it. Oh, that's all... The attraction, material attraction, is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam in many ways. In one place it is very nicely summarized what is this material attraction. The basic principle of material attraction is sex. (child crying) Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam [SB 5.5.8]. A man is hankering after another woman, and the woman is hankering after another man. This is the basic principle of material life. Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam. Mithuni-bhavam means sex. Tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim. And when they actually come into sexual life, each one of them becomes too much attracted. Hrdaya-granthim. Granthi means very hard knot: "I cannot leave you." He says, "I cannot leave you. You are my life and soul," and she says, "You are my life and soul." For a few days. (laughs) And then again divorce. You see? But the beginning is there. Basic principle of material attraction is this sex life. This is general. Those who have organized the sex life in social convention in so many ways... The marriage is also another convention to give a very finishing nice touch than the animal. That's all. Just like sometimes it is said marriage is legalized prostitution. So for social convention the marriage is a license, but it is also based on the sex life. But for keep up social life, one has to accept some regulative principle. Therefore sex life like animals and sex life in marriage, there is difference. It is better. That is accepted in civilized world.

So when they're united some way or other, then next demand is nice apartment, grha. The next demand, grha-ksetra, land. Because human civilization is based on land and cow, gavaya dhanavan. Formerly, a person was considered to be rich man by possession of the number of cows, by possession of land, not these papers, this false money. At the present moment, if you have got some printed paper, thousand dollars, they are papers actually. When the government is a failure, it has no value. But actually if you possess some land and cows, the government may fail or not fail, your value is there. That is actual property. Therefore in Sanskrit language it is said gavaya dhanavan. A man is known as rich man by the number of, by possession of the number of cows. That was the mode of civilization in the Vedic age. Grha-ksetra-suta. Suta means children. When you have got apartment, when you have got wife, when you have got..., then next demand is children, suta. Because without children no home life is pleasant. Putra-hinam grham sunyam. A home life is just like desert without children. Children is the attraction of home life. So grha-ksetra-suta apta. Apta means relatives or society. Sutapta-vittaih: and all these paraphernalia are to be maintained on money. Therefore money is required, vittaih. In this way, one becomes entangled in this material world. Janasya moho 'yam. This is called illusion. Illusion. Why illusion? So important things, why illusion? Illusion means that this nice paraphernalia arrangement -- home, life, apartment, wife, children, society, position -- everything is all right, but as soon as this body is finished, everything is finished. You're in a next platform. You do not know what is next platform. The next platform may be a human being or a cat or a dog or a demigod or anything. You do not know. And as soon as you have got a next life, you forget all these things. There is no remembrance what I was, what was my home. Everything is finished. Everything is finished -- flash, just like a bubble. By the thrashing of different waves in the ocean, there are so many bubbles immediately generated, and the next moment they are all finished. Finished. Toye janame punah toye samat (?). In this way the life is going on. The living entity is traveling in many species of life, in many planets. But this human form of life is an opportunity to understand how I am transmigrating from one place to another, one life to another, and simply wasting my time without understanding what is my constitutional position, why I am so much in distress, miseries. These things are to be understood in this human form of life. But instead of understanding my real position, the process of life, we reject everything. Simply I am engaged with the grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaih [SB 5.5.8]. Grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaih, home, society, money, position, everything is all right provided you can utilize it for elevating yourself from these material clutches. Otherwise, if you are simply engaged and captivated by these things, then I am spoiling my life.

So Narottama dasa Thakura, representing ourself, he is lamenting, "My dear Lord, I have spoiled my life. I have simply spoiled my life." Why? This life, this human form of life, manusya-janama paiya, radha-krsna na bhajiya. This human form of life was meant for understanding what is Radha-Krsna and worship Radha-Krsna or Lord, His energy, whatever you call. Hare Krsna or Radha-Krsna, Hare Rama, the same thing, the Lord and His energy. So, "Instead of making contact with Radha-Krsna, I am simply spoiling my life in sense gratification." So he's lamenting, hari hari biphale janama gonainu: "Uselessly I have spoiled my life." Why? What is your lamentation? He says, golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana. This chanting of Hare Krsna, this transcendental vibration is not any material thing. It is imported from the transcendental abode, golokera. Goloka means the transcendental abode of Krsna. Golokera prema-dhana. From there, the transcendental abode of Krsna... Just like the sunshine, wherefrom it has come? From the sun planet. Everyone knows it. Although you cannot go there, it is far, far beyond your reach, but you can understand that the sunshine is coming from the sun globe. There is no doubt about it. Similarly this vibration, this shining, is coming from Krsna, Goloka. Golokera prema-dhana. And prema-dhana means this chanting is in love with Krsna. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana, rati na janmilo kene tay. "I've no attachment for this." Why should one be attached to this? That is explained in the next line: visaya-visanale, diba-nisi hiya jvale. Hiya means heart. Our heart is always burning. Why? In touch with this material sense gratificatory process. No sense gratificatory process is giving me satisfaction. I'm trying this way, that way, this way, that way, that way. You see? Just like people are trying sense gratification in so many ways. They have come to the last point, naked picture, naked dance. What is called? That short, what is called?

Devotee: Miniskirt.

Prabhupada: Miniskirt, yes. (laughs) So because here the basic principle only sex, everyone is inviting, "Yes, come on, sex. Come on, sex." But this way, that way, sex, anyway you enjoy, you cannot be satisfied. That is certain. Because that is not your platform of enjoyment. You are spirit soul. Unless you come to the spiritual platform, these material, any kind of sense enjoyment... Therefore you will never be satisfied. You'll simply hankering after, but there will be no satisfaction. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura says, visaya-visanale. Visaya means these material demands, eating, sleeping, mating, these are called visaya. They are just like poison, fire. So everyone is burning. Visaya-visanale, diba-nisi hiya jvale. Jvale means it is burning, my heart is burning. Tari bare na koinu upay. "But I did not search out the relief, the immediate relief, hari-sankirtana, this chanting. I have no attachment for this. Therefore I have spoiled my life."

Then he says, brajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta hoilo sei. Now, this chanting of Hare Krsna is introduced by Krsna Himself, Vrajendra-nandana. Krsna appeared as the son of Maharaja Nanda in Vrndavana; therefore He is called Vrajendra-nandana, Vrajesa-tanaya. These are names. So this same Vrajendra-nandana, Krsna, has appeared as Sacinandana. The Supreme Personality of Godhead takes pleasure when He's addressed with His devotee's name, with His energy's name. Devotee's also His energy. So He has no father. He is father of everyone. But He accepts some devotee. A devotee wants Krsna as his son; therefore Krsna accepts a devotee as His father. So nobody can become His father but a devotee... Just like this girl, Nandarani, is raising her daughter, always giving service. The child is accepting service from the parents. Her business is only to accept. Torture and accept service. So devotees accept Krsna as son so that Krsna may simply torture them and accept service. That is the policy. Because the devotee want to render service, so this is the best way of service rendering. The child will draw always service. So this conception, fatherhood of the Absolute Truth, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is undoubtedly very good, but there is no service. Father is meant for exacting: "Father, give me this. Father, give me this." And here, the Vaisnava conception, to accept the Supreme as child to render service. Not to accept. No parents accept any service from the child, but he simply gives service.

So anyway, Vrajendra-nandana, the idea of accepting the Lord as son... Maharaja Nanda accepted Krsna as his son, similarly Sacidevi accepted Lord Caitanya as his (her) son. So both of Them are the one. So Narottama dasa Thakura says, "The same Vrajendra-nandana, Krsna, has now appeared as Lord Caitanya, as the son of Saci. And the same Balarama has become Nitai." And what is Their business? The business is papi-tapi jata chilo: "They are claiming all kinds of sinful conditioned souls." Their only business is... Because in this age, Kali-yuga, you cannot find any perfectly pious man or saintly person. Everyone is addicted to so many sinful activities. So papi-tapi yata chilo, hari-name uddharilo. Simply by distributing this chanting, He claimed everyone, however fallen he may be. "Come on, chant Hare Krsna and become delivered." So nice thing. Papi-tapi yata chilo, hari-name uddharila. What is the evidence that He has? Ta 'ra saksi jagai and madhai. Jagai-Madhai, they were two brothers, debauch number one. You see. They were all kinds of sinful affairs. They were drunkards, they were woman hunters, meat-eaters, so many things. And, of course, they were born in a very high brahmana family, but bad association, they became like that. Similarly, at the present age, this human society, although they are coming from the Aryan family, very nice family, but due to association the only environment is there's woman and intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. That's all. So Jagai-Madhai is the specimen sample of this population, and Lord Caitanya delivered them simply by this Hare Krsna. So this chanting process, Hare Krsna, will actually deliver all these fallen souls without any failure. It is not bogus propaganda. Anyone who will take to this chanting process, whatever, you don't consider about his past life. He will become saintly. He will become a pure Krsna conscious person. So papi-tapi yata chilo, hari-name uddharilo, ta 'ra saksi jagai-madhai. The evidence is Jagai-Madhai.

Then he says, ha ha... When he has come to the senses, that "I am eternal servant of Krsna," then he surrenders. This process, the chanting process, will purify our heart, our burning heart, and one will come to the understanding that "I am eternal servitor of the Supreme, Krsna." Then, as soon as he comes to this understanding, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19], "After many, many births when one person becomes actually wise, a man of wisdom, jnanavan' -- jnanavan means wise man -- then what does he do? "He surrenders unto Me," Krsna says. Why? Vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]. "Because Vasudeva, Krsna, is everything." Sa mahatma su-durlabhah: "That kind of great soul is very rare." That is stated in... But Caitanya Mahaprabhu has made easy to become such kind of great soul simply by chanting Hare Krsna. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura, at the end he says, ha ha prabhu nanda-suta, vrsabhanu-suta-juta. Again the suta, the son, son of Nanda, and Radharani, the daughter of Vrsabhanu, They are standing. Krsna... Vaisnava, they do not worship Krsna alone without Radharani. They do not worship Rama without Sita. They do not worship Narayana without Laksmi, because the Lord and the energy must be there. We don't say..., we don't believe that God is without any energy. No. "Hare Krsna." First the energy is addressed, Hara, Hare, then Krsna. So here also, Narottama dasa Thakura prays, "My dear Lord Krsna, You are now present before me with Your internal potency, Your pleasure potency, Radharani. So I am surrendering unto You." Ha ha prabhu nanda-suta. "Don't neglect me because I am so sinful, my past life is so black. Don't neglect me. Please accept me. Don't kick me away. I surrender unto You." This is the purport of this song.

So this instruction should be taken by all of us. The purificatory process is chanting Hare Krsna. And as soon as our heart is purified, we completely become convinced that "The Lord is Supreme. I am His eternal servant. I have forgotten this. Servant, my servitorship is there, but instead of serving the Lord, I am serving my senses. That's all. I have never become the master. I am not master of my sense; I am the servant of my senses. That is my position." So why not becoming the servant of the Supreme instead of serving on the servant of the senses? You cannot become master. Actually, you become master of the senses when you are actually servant of Krsna; otherwise it is not possible. There are two words, gosvami and go-dasa. Persons who are servant of their senses, they are called materialistic go-dasa, and persons who are master of the senses, they are called gosvami. Gosvami. They control the senses. The tongue wants to eat something which is not... "Oh," he controls. "Oh, tongue, you cannot taste these things. It is not Krsna prasada." Therefore he becomes gosvami, master. He does not allow the tongue to eat any nonsense thing except Krsna prasada. He cannot allow his senses, his anything for sense gratification. Only for the service. That is called devotional service. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Bhakti, this devotional service, means when you engage your senses for the satisfaction of the master of the senses. The supreme master of the senses is Krsna. So we are trying to apply the senses for our personal service. This is called maya; this is called illusion. The same senses purified, when they'll be engaged in the service of Krsna, that is perfection. So we are not going to stop the activities of the senses, but senses are being purified for being engaged in the service of the Lord. This is Krsna consciousness.

Thank you very much. So any question? Yes.

Tamala Krsna: Prabhupada, how was it that Lord Jesus was called a son of God? If Krsna is usually the son, how come Jesus was the son?

Prabhupada: Not usually. Krsna is father, that I told you. But He becomes son out of His love. Krsna is father. Krsna's position is father, but He's simply father. So he voluntarily becomes a son also sometimes to taste how to become a son. Son is not His constitutional position. Father is His constitutional position. But He voluntarily accepts to become a son. But who is going to be His father? He is the original father. He is father of everyone. Aham bija-pradah pita. In the Bhagavad-gita says there, sarva-yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4]. "There are millions, 8,400,000 species of life, and I am the father of all these living entities." So who is going to be His father? Nobody is father, but a devotee, when likes, "My dear Lord, I want a son like You," so Krsna accepts, "Where is another son like Me? I'll become your son." That's all. Just like Vasudeva and Devaki. In their previous life they underwent severe austerities. They were married couples, but they had no sex. They were determined that "Unless we get the Lord as our son, we are not having any son." So they went on for many years, many thousands years' austerity. Then the Lord appeared: "What do you want?" "Sir, I want a son like You." "Where can I get another son like Me? I'll become your son." So Krsna, or the Lord, is father of everyone, but He voluntarily accepts to become a son to His devotee. Otherwise His position is always father. Yes.

Madhudvisa: Prabhupada, I read in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Volume Three, that when one becomes a liberated soul, he attains perfect freedom, and even sometimes that freedom is on the same level as Krsna or even more than Krsna.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Madhudvisa: Can you explain that?

Prabhupada: Yes. Just like this Vasudeva, he's more than Krsna. Yasoda, you have seen the picture? Yasoda is binding Krsna.

Madhudvisa: Oh, the little baby. Yes.

Prabhupada: Yes, He has become... The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is, I mean to say, afraid, who is fearful by everyone, Yasoda..., and Krsna has become fearful to Yasoda: "My dear mother, kindly do not bind Me. I shall obey your orders." So Yasoda has become more than God, more than Krsna. The Mayavadi philosophers, they want to be one with Krsna or one with Lord, but our philosophy is to become more than Krsna. (laughter) Why one with Krsna? More than Krsna. And actually He accepts. He makes His devotee more than Krsna. Just like Arjuna and Krsna. Krsna took the part of a driver, and he was the hero of the fight. Actually, Krsna was the hero, but He gave position to His devotee: "You become the hero, I shall become your charioteer." That's all. Don't you see how Arjuna has become more than Krsna? Krsna says, "Arjuna, you are hesitating to fight, but you know that all these person who have assembled in this battlefield, they are not going back. They are already killed. That is My plan. You simply take the credit that you have killed them. That's all." (laughter) That He wants. Just like a father wants a son to see him more than himself. If a father is an M.A., he wants to see his son M.A., Ph.D., or something more. He's satisfied. He'll not tolerate anybody to become more than him, but he'll tolerate if his son becomes more than him. I'm giving you a crude example. Similarly, Krsna, or the Lord, wants to see His devotee more than Himself. That is His pleasure. He takes pleasure in that. So to become a devotee is not ordinary thing. You see. He has got the chance to become more than God. Why equal with God, one with God? No. More than God. Yes. That is our philosophy. Yes.

Jaya-gopala: What is the relationship of the surabhi cow with Krsna?

Prabhupada: They are also... These cows are also devotees, and Krsna is fond of keeping cows, taking care of them. The same love affairs, exchange of love. That's all.

Jaya-gopala: Which...

Prabhupada: Dasya-rasa. Dasya-rasa, servitude. There are different rasas, mellows of relationship with Krsna. Santa, dasya... Just like Vrndavana-bhumi or the trees, the plants, they are serving Krsna silently. And the cows and servants, they are offering superior service. The friends, they are offering service as friend. The gopis, they are... Gopis or the motherly gopis, just like Yasoda and ladies, offer their, loving Krsna as son, and the younger girls, they're loving Krsna as husband, as lover. So in this way in Vrndavana there are different transcendental mellows of loving affairs. So the cows are on the santa, dasya-rasa, giving service, just like master and servant. They are situated in this transcendental humor. But they're all one with Krsna. Nobody is inferior than Krsna, but the relationship is exchange of loving service. That's all.

Nandarani: Is our rasa with Krsna already established? I mean, is it eternal? Or do we, can we attain...

Prabhupada: No. It is already established. You have got eternal relationship. When you become liberated, you realize that your relationship is with Krsna like this. You'll develop that taste, whether in santa-rasa or dasya-rasa or madhurya-rasa or vatsalya-rasa. But that is not to be imitated at the present moment. When we are actually liberated. To come to that stage, the routine work, regulative work, should be followed: chanting, hearing, worshiping, following the regulative principles. In this way, gradually, as we are purified, we come to the pure consciousness, Krsna consciousness. Then at once we understand, "My relationship with Krsna is like this." And you are transferred to the Krsnaloka in that humor.

Dayananda: We could also have a passive relationship with Krsna, like a tree?

Prabhupada: Yes. That will be revealed, how we are related with Krsna. Every relationship is as good as the other. Just like in this material world, everyone's position, he thinks it is very nice. Similarly, in the spiritual, what to speak, they are all equal, but still, one is apprec..., one's aptitude is that "I want to love Krsna in this way." Yes. So he's there in that way. There must be variety. If there is rasa-lila, there must be nice trees, nice field, nice cows, nice Yamuna river. Otherwise how it is, simply if the gopis and Krsnas are there, if the other things are not there? The background must be there. So everything is spiritual. Background is also spiritual. That is creation of Krsna. Eko bahu-syama. Just like a painter paints a picture, he makes a nice background. Similarly, Krsna wants to enjoy, so He has created us in different varieties to supply His pleasure potency. You see. Eko bahu-syama. This Vedic literature says that alone He has many. Why? Just to enjoy. Why? Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). He's by nature joyful, sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. So ananda does not mean that one. No. Variety. Variety is the mother of enjoyment. So that variety, they're all spiritual. Just like the same example: you paint a picture with the same brush and color, but as soon as you make it variety, variegated, it becomes very enjoyable. So we don't say that the varieties created by God is false. No. It is real. How can I say it is false? This flower, it is designed by God so nicely, it is colored so nicely. It has got its use. There is variety. Even there is greenness... There is so many things varieties. There is color display, sometimes a dark red, sometimes it is light red. So nicely created by Krsna, and I shall say it is false? Why it is false? It is Krsna's creation. Let me take it and offer it to Krsna. This is called bhakti. This is called Krsna consciousness. I don't enjoy it; it is Krsna's creation. It must be offered to Krsna. And after offering to Krsna, you'll enjoy. After offering nice prasada, Krsna is full, Krsna is not eating. You'll enjoy. That is Krsna consciousness. Don't reject anything. This tape recorder we don't reject. We don't say, "Oh, it is material. We shall not touch." Bring any scientific invention, we shall engage in the service of Krsna. That's all. (laughter) We don't say it is false. Why? You have applied your brain, you applied your energy to invent such nice machine. Let it be engaged in Krsna's service. Your life will be successful. That's all. The flower from... The tree from which this flower is grown, if this flower is offered to Krsna, his life is successful. So it is so nice program, Krsna consciousness. All round successful. There is no comparison with this program, Krsna consciousness. There cannot be any comparison, neither any rivalry with this conception of philosophy, Krsna consciousness. So try to understand, preach it nicely, and be happy, and let them become happy. So you want to chant something or no?

Tamala Krsna: Well, the neighbors, ah...

Prabhupada: All right. That's all right. We have chanted. Now we can distribute prasada. You distribute. I want to go to the bathroom. [break] "Oh, I don't like this. He may come back." He must be seen as beloved child. First of all he gave him work just like ordinary laborer. He became sick. He's also tasting. That is nice. So tomorrow we must find out some store. (Prabhupada eats)

Tamala Krsna: Prabhupada? I spoke to Purusottama. He is coming here.

Prabhupada: Coming?

Tamala Krsna: Yes.

Prabhupada: That's nice.

Tamala Krsna: Brahmananda said, "Do you know what you are doing to me, Tamala? Now I have to do all the work here." So he said, "But it's all right." (Prabhupada laughs) Number-one man.

Prabhupada: So you may send somebody to help him.

Nandarani: Who is coming? (pause)

Tamala Krsna: Purusottama. He said it was all right because Purusottama can still get a lot of advertisements for Back to Godhead in Los Angeles area.

Prabhupada: Oh, you can.

Devotee: When's he coming?

Tamala Krsna: I'm not sure. Maybe next week. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 13, 1968