"A Devotee's Desire"

8 Feb 77 , Mayapura

Prabhupada: One-hundred-third birth anniversary. So this is formal, one-hundred-third or, or, or -second. It is eternal. It is eternal. Just like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has described, nitya-lila. Nitya-lila means it is going on. Just like just now it is eleven o'clock. This eleven o'clock, and when it becomes twelve o'clock noon, it does not mean that eleven o'clock is passed. Eleven o'clock is existing somewhere. In India it is eleven o'clock, somewhere else it is ten o'clock, and when in India it will be twelve o'clock that eleven o'clock will be somewhere else. Therefore one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, you take, that is going on. It is not that one is finished. That is material calculation. Material calculation, this body we have got. When this body will be finished it is finished forever. It will never come. Tatha dehantara-praptir. In the spiritual world there is no such thing as finished. Nitya-lila. Nitya-mukta. We have to understand that. In the material world, one minute's lost, it is lost forever. Canakya Pandita has given us instruction from the material point of view,

ayusah ksana eko 'pi
na labhyah svarna-kotibhih
sacen nirarthakam nitah
ka ca hanis tato 'dhikah

Ayusah ksana eko 'pi. Suppose I shall live fifty years or hundred years maximum. So out of them, one moment lost, it will be never returned. From our birth, when a child is born we ask the parents when the child is born. The parents say, "This child was born in the morning, ten o'clock." So if the child is born at ten o'clock and I am asking at eleven o'clock, the one hour life of the child lost. Eleven o'clock means child has already died one hour out of his one hundred years.

So for Vaisnava it is not like that. It is not like that. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. This is material calculation: one hour lost, two hours lost, body's life is transient..., it is losing one moment, one hour. But spiritual life is different. Nityah sasvato yam, na hanyate hanyamane sarire. So, as Krsna comes, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata tadatmanam srjamy aham [Bg. 4.7]. Krsna is eternal, but still, He appears. The same example. Just like the sun is in the sky but we see in the morning it appears; in the evening it retires. That is defectness of our eyes. Actually the sun is always there. So similarly Vaisnava, as Krsna comes, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir. Similarly, a Vaisnava means the confidential servant of Krsna, he also comes for some purpose by the order of the master. So their life and Krsna's life, it is same. There is no question of past, present, future. Nityah. Nityah sasvato 'yam, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. So they are the same thing as the appearance and disappearance of sun. And Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, our master, spiritual master, he also came in this world to execute some mission of life or mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So he executed it, and when it was required, he left this place and went to another place to do the same business. Just like the sun rises at six o'clock and seven o'clock there is six o'clock in another place, and it is eight o'clock another place. It is going on. Nitya-lila.

So we have nothing to lament for disappearance. We should simply remember his activities. That is Vaisnava -- you cannot understand the activities of the Vaisnava, but they come, any Vaisnava comes, for some particular mission. Prahlada Maharaja,

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas
tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah
soce tato vimukha-cetasa (indriyartha-)
maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan
[SB 7.9.43]

Prahlada Maharaja said to Nrsimhadeva, "My Lord, I have nothing to grieve, because wherever I shall sit down, glorifying Your activities, I immediately become merged into the ocean of nectarine. So I have nothing to grieve. But one thing I am sorry, I am in grief for these vimudhas." Vimudhan. Mudha means rascal, and vimudhai, particularly rascals. Every living being within this material world, they are mudhas because they are forgetting their relationship with Krsna. Mudho nabhijanati mam param avyayam. This is mudha. All living entities more or less, we are all mudhas, particularly vimudhan, because there are different types of living entities. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa vimsati krmayo, species of life.

So the evolution is going on. When we come to this stage of human form of life, here is a chance to get out of this evolutionary process. This is the chance. Asatim, caturam caiva brahma jiva-jatesu. In the Padma Purana the evolutionary theory...Not theory. It is fact. Darwin's evolutionary theory it may be, but in the Vedic literature the evolutionary theory it is existing since very, very, millions of... It is not crazy fellow's evolutionary theory. It is fact. So in this evolutionary theory, fact, we see that the, bahunam janmanam ante, bahunam sambhavan [Bg. 7.19]. After many, many evolution, millions of years, we get this chance of human being, to become human being. In this human form of life, if we still remain a mudha, then we are vimudhan. Vimudhan means, vi means visesa. Here is chance. And Krsna personally is giving his instruction to the human being. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is the chance. But still, we are not accepting. Therefore vimudhan. Mudha, the cats and dogs, they cannot understand. If we give instruction to the dog, "My dear dog, chant Hare Krsna..." But a human being, either he may be known to Krsna or not known to Krsna, he can be trained up. Just like in your country, in Europe and America, they did not know even what Krsna. But since we have started this movement, Krsna consciousness movement, you have become so many devotees of Krsna. That is possible because human being. They can be trained up. So in spite of all these facilities for the human being, if he's not trained up to Krsna consciousness, then he is vimudha. He does not take the advantage. Na mam... This human form of life, he is classified as duskrtina, mudha, naradhama, mayayapahrta-jnanah [Bg. 7.15]. He's described. He must be either of these categories. So things have degraded so low that India they're asking what is God. This is Kali-yuga. In India, where Krsna comes personally, where Lord Ramacandra comes, where Lord Buddha comes, where Caitanya Mahaprabhu comes, in that country now young men are asking, "What is God?" This is Kali-yuga.

So we should not remain vimudha. We should become intelligent. And to make us intelligent, Krsna comes, Krsna's devotees come, some messenger comes. And Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is one of the messengers of Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu to preach Krsna consciousness. And not only he preached, but he trained up many disciples to preach this Krsna consciousness all over the world. So by his grace we are also endeavoring to do something. This is called parampara system. So we should take advantage of this Vaisnava mission. As Caitanya... Prahlada Maharaja said, they are very anxious. Vaisnava means para-duhkha-duhkhi. Krpambudhir yas tam, aham prapadye [Cc. Madhya 6.254]. Para-duhkha-duhkhi. Vaisnava... Our Guru Maharaja Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he is Vaisnava, cent percent Vaisnava. And he was para-duhkha-duhkhi. This is Vaisnava. He criticized nirjana bhajana. He has personally written one song, mana tumi kisera vaisnava. Nirjanera ghare pratisthara tare, tava hari-nama kevala kaitava. Mana tumi kisera vaisnava. He has in long song... Pratistha... Vaisnava means he doesn't want any material profit or material opulence or material reputation. He doesn't want. This is... But in the material world everyone is busy for three things -- material profit, material reputation, and material adoration. This is not Vaisnava's business. Vaisnava never cares for all these things. Vaisnava is always thinking how to do good to the suffering humanity. Lokanam-hita-karinau. About Six Gosvamis it is said, nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau lokanam hita-karinau tri-bhuvane manyau saranyakarau. This is Vaisnava. Nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau. In the sastra everything is there. Just like Srila Rupa Gosvami has given us Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu to understand what is bhakti. We have tried to translate it into English, the Nectar of Devotion. So, why? Rupa Gosvami was the minister in the government of Hussain Shah. Very opulent position. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tucchavat bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau. They resigned the high post of ministership and joined Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu for pushing on and on this Krsna consciousness movement. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tucchavat bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau.

So Vaisnava means para-duhkha-duhkhi. They are simple thinking...There are so many politicians and humanitarians and so many. But nobody knows how to do good to others. Nobody knows. They do not know. The real fact is, as Krsna explains Himself, that

asraddadhanah purusa
dharmasyasya parantapa
mam aprapya nivartante
mrtyu-samsara-vartmani (sic:)
[Bg. 9.3]

This is the real suffering of the humanity. I especially speak humanity because in the human form of life one can actually understand what is the position, what is the value of life. The value of life one should understand that we are in the cycle of birth and death. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. Once we take birth and again we die. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi duhkha-dosanu-darsanam [Bg. 13.9]. So one should be intelligent to understand that I am eternal. I learn from Bhagavad-gita and Vedic literature that aham brahmasmi: "I am eternal." Why I am dying? This is intelligence. This is intelligence. Otherwise cats and dogs. A dog, a cat, does not know why he is dying. Neither he knows that he is eternal. But a human being can take information from the sastra that he is eternal and he does not die on the destruction of the body. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Krsna is giving this information. Tatha dehantara. This is our real unhappiness. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. But if we are kept in darkness about this and simply we become busy with some superficial things, bahir-artha-maninah. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnu, durasaya. It is durasaya. So all these leaders, the political leaders, they do not know what is the value of life. The durasaya, with some hope which will never be fulfilled, they are busy with that. Therefore a Vaisnava is para-duhkha-duhkhi. He knows what is the real suffering of humanity and he tries to estab...Sad-dharma-samsthapakau. Nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau. Real dharma means occupation. Dharma does not mean that you believe in something. That is the description in the..., "a faith." Faith is different thing. But real dharma means the occupational duty. Just like government law. Government law. If you go on the street, you'll find "Keep to the left." There is no question of faith. You must keep on the left; otherwise you are criminal, you'll be punished. That is dharma. The real meaning is this, that dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19], The laws given by God. That is the simple definition of dharma.

So if we don't accept the dharma, then we'll be punished. That is stated in the Bhagavata. Dharmasya asya. Asraddadhanah. "If I have no faith in the words of God..." Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. Krsna is saying, "If you do not become devotee, if you do not think of Krsna, then you will not get Krsna." Remain continuously, birth after birth, forgetful of Krsna, that is very dangerous. What is that danger? Nivartante mrtyu-samsara-vartmani: again you'll be in the cycle of birth and death, birth and death, birth and death. Not that today you are Indian; you shall get the birth again as Indian. No. Today you may be Indian, prime minister; tomorrow you may be a dog in some other country. They do not know these laws.

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

You are not independent. Nobody is independent. Today you maybe something; tomorrow you may be something. But you must search out your real life. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. That intelligence is given by the Vaisnava. Therefore Vaisnava has got a very great responsibility. My Guru Maharaja pointed out, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura,

mana tumi kisera vaisnava?
pratisthara tare, nirjanera ghare,
tava hari-nama kevala (kaitava)

Formerly people used to know that "If I take a mala and sit down in a secluded place..." Of course, that is good; that is not bad. But the real business of Vaisnava is not for himself, but for others. Just like the example given by Rupa Gosvami: nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma samsthapakau lokanam hita-karinau. Lokanam-hita-karinau, not personal hita-karinau. Personal hita-karinau is not high-class Vaisnava. "I shall become liberated. Let me give up everything and sit down." Sometimes that is also good, but sometimes we take it to get cheap adoration from innocent public that "Here is a Vaisnava. He sits down." No. My Guru Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he was not that type of Vaisnava. That is his special gift. He wanted every one of his disciples to go and preach the cult of Krsna consciousness. Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted. Here we are in the Caitanya Mahaprabhu's country, birthplace. We should remember. Caitanya Mahaprabhu of course asked every Indian to take His mission. At least Bengalis should take Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu...What is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission?

amara ajnaya guru hana, tara ei desa
yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa
[Cc. Madhya 7.128]

Even if you cannot go outside, it doesn't matter. Wherever you are, either you are here in Nabadwip or in Calcutta, anywhere, so you become a guru. Don't remain a rascal. You become a guru. "Now, how can I become a guru? I am not very educated." No! You don't require to be very highly educated rascal. Simply repeat Krsna consciousness as Krsna said. You become guru. Unfortunately we don't care for Krsna's instruction. We are busy with this ism, that ism, that ism. So we should remember -- I don't wish to take much time -- Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he took Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction very seriously, and he wanted his disciple to do. Bhaktivinoda Thakura also wanted that, and Bhaktisiddhanta... This Mayapur is meant for this purpose, to spread Krsna consciousness movement all over the world as it was desired by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama sarvatra pracara. So the beginning is there. We are preaching all over the world and you, my dear friends from Europe and America, you have taken this Krsna consciousness movement. Again I shall repeat the same logic. Andha-pangu-nyaya. Andha means blind and pangu means lame. Both of them are useless. Andha cannot see, he cannot walk, and the lame man cannot walk. Andha can walk but cannot see. And the lame man can see but cannot walk. Now let them both combine together. So the whole world is suffering for want of Krsna consciousness or spiritual life. If American money and Indian culture mix together, the whole world will be benefited. That is my ambition. Take Indian culture and help with American money. The whole world will be happy. Andha-pangu-nyaya. If the andha is taken on the shoulder... If the pangu is taken on the shoulder of the andha, then the lame man can give direction.

So actually this logic is coming to be true, there is now agitation. People are feeling the pressure of this movement, and in Europe and America there is opposing party. But don't be afraid. Take this Krsna consciousness movement very seriously. It is not a national movement or some social movement. It is the movement to uplift the position of the whole human society. So that was the mission of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Somehow or other we are taking it little seriously. Let all the Americans, Indians, especially young men... Don't misunderstand these Europeans and Americans C.I.A. Don't be mad, crazy fellow. They have taken Krsna consciousness. They have nothing to do with politics. And you also, young men, you also join on the basis of Krsna consciousness and do something philanthropic for the whole human society. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Mayapur, February 8, 1977