The Ultimate Gain In Life

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.5-6
November 11, 1973, New Delhi


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Prabhupada:

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]

Yayatma suprasidati. Everyone is seeking after happiness. Atyantika-duhkha-nivrttih. The struggle for existence is to minimize miserable condition of life and increase enjoyment. We the living entities, we are part and parcel of God. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. Jiva-bhuta, jivas, all jivas, living entities, they are part and parcel of Krsna, or God. When we speak of "Krsna," means God. God has got many thousands of names, but this one name is chief. Krsna means "the all-attractive." Krsna attracts everyone. Or one who attracts everyone, He is God. God cannot be attractive for some men or some living entities, and not for others. By His opulence, by His richness, by His power, by His beauty, by His knowledge, by His renunciation, by His reputation, God is all-attractive.

So all these opulences you will find in Krsna.

aisvaryasya samagrasya
viryasya yasasah sriyah
jnana-vairagyayos caiva
sannam bhaga itingana

Bhaga. Bhaga means opulence. Just like we sometimes speak bhagavan. That comes from this word bhaga. Similarly, bhagavan. Bhagavan means the owner of all opulences. That is called bhagavan. There are now nowadays so many bhagavans, but they are not owner of all opulences. Maybe partly. But God means, bhagavan means samagrasya. Samagra means complete. One rich man can claim that "I am owner of so many crores." Another can claim, "No I have got one or two more crores more than you." Others may say... So on, so on, so on, go on. But nobody can claim that "I am the owner of all opulences." But in the Bhagavad-gita, you will find, Krsna claims, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. Sarva-loka-mahesvaram, "The supreme proprietor of all the lokas." That is admitted by the sastra.

In the Brahma-samhita it is said, isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Isvara means controller or the powerful man who controls. Take for example the president or the king. So there are many isvaras, or controllers. You are also isvara; I am also isvara. Because you also control at least your family members or some animals. So this controlling capacity is there in everyone because we are part and parcel of Krsna. But we are not supreme controller. We are controller of some entities, but we are controlled also by something superior. Therefore we are not absolute controller. We are relative controller. But about Krsna, it is said, isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Paramah means supreme. He controls everyone or everything, but He is not controlled by anyone. That is isvarah paramah. We are isvara, we control in our jurisdiction, but we are also controlled by somebody. Just try to understand. But in Krsna's life you'll find that He controls everyone, but He is not controlled by anyone. Therefore He is called isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1].

He has got His form. God has got His form. The Mayavadi philosophers, they think the Absolute Truth is impersonal. Sunyavadi. No. Absolute cannot be zero or impersonal because controller, controller must have brain. Without brain, how he can control? And as soon as you have got brain, you have got other limbs of the body to carry out the order of the brain. So as soon as you have got senses, as soon as you have got sense organs, as soon as you have got brain, as soon as you have got activities, you are a person. This is the conclusion of the sastra. Therefore the absolute controller cannot be impersonal. By our practical life we see, government. "Government" is an impersonal word, but at the end of the government, there is a governor or president, a person. A person is required, who will apply his brain. So how is that that without brain the whole cosmic manifestation it is controlled? That is not very reasonable. And that is not according to sastra.

According to sastra, the Absolute Truth is explained in the Bhagavad-gita as tattva. Tattva means truth. So Srimad-Bhagavatam says that tattva-vit, "One who knows the tattva, truth..."

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
[SB 1.2.11]

"Those who are actually knower of the Absolute Truth, they know that the Absolute Truth is manifested in three features: impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma, antaryami or the Supersoul..." As Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that in each body there is a soul, ksetra-jna. Idam sariram ksetram ity abhidhiyate. The body... I am not this body, but I know it is my body. Therefore I am ksetra-jna and the body is ksetra. And Krsna says that ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata. That sarva-ksetresu bharata, in every body, that manifestation of God, or Krsna, is called Paramatma, or Supersoul. So the Supersoul and the soul, both of them are sitting on this body. It is compared with a tree. Just like on the tree two birds sitting, friendly birds. One is eating the fruit and another is simply witnessing. Upadrasta-anumanta.

So this is the science. So human life is meant for understanding this science. This is the ultimate science. Athato brahma jijnasa. Human life is not meant for wasting like cats and dogs, simply eating, sleeping, mating. That is not human life. At the present moment they are simply engaged in these four principles of bodily demands of life -- how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sense gratification and how to defend. Unfortunately, we have become less than the animals because the animals, they have no problem. Even the birds... Out of all living entities, 8,400,000 of forms, the human forms are only 400,000. The majority of the living entities, they are in different forms.

jalaja nava-laksani
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam

There are aquatics, there are insects, there are birds, beasts, trees, plants, then human being, by evolution process. So they have no problem. You can see, in the early morning, these parrots, they are dancing, chirping, and they have no problem. Immediately they will go to some tree and they will find out some little fruit. They will eat. Their eating problem... There is no eating problem. There is no sleeping problem, and there is no sex life problem also. Along with them, there is opposite sex. And they defend in their own way. So these are not actually problems. These are already settled up according to your body. That is the verdict of the sastra. Tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa. According to your body, your eating problem, your sleeping problem, your sense gratification problem and defending problem are already settled. That is the verdict of the sastra. Your real problem is, as our Panca-dravida Maharaja explained, how to solve the problem of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is your problem.

Therefore in the human society, there is some system of religion, how to solve these problems. But people in this age, they have become so misled, misguided, that they are not taking care of the real problem, but they are very much engaged in the temporary problems which are already solved. We are simply mismanaging them. So how to make solution of the problems of life, that means is called dharma. Dharma means the regulative principle which is given to the human society by God. I have already explained many times. Just as the law is given by the state for regulative principles of life, similarly dharma is also regulative principle to the human society. And just to make his life successful. What is that successful life? Successful life means a human being has come to this human form of life through the evolutionary process. Now he should make such arrangement that next life he may be free from this repetition of birth and death, at least, or he may go to other planets, higher standard of life. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita,

yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutani yanti bhutejya
yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam
[Bg. 9.25]/DIV>

That is the human life. You prepare yourself for higher standard of life or to make a permanent solution of your miserable condition of life, namely birth, death, old age and disease. This is required. This is human business, or dharma.

So how you can attain that dharma? Dharma means the occupational duty. Dharma is not a sentiment. Practically, nowadays people have taken dharma, religious means..., "religion" means a kind of faith. But that is not the description of the Vedic sastra. Faith we can change. Today you are Hindu. Tomorrow you can become Muslim. Or today you are Muslim. Tomorrow you can become Christian. You can change your faith. But that is not religion. Change of faith or accepting some faith, that is not religion. Religion means which you cannot change. Even if you become from Hindu to Muslim or from Muslim to Christian, that your occupational duty, you cannot change. Take, for example, suppose you are a government servant. You are serving in the secretariat. But tomorrow you become Hindu or Muslim or Christian. But do you mean to say that your service in the government will be changed also? No. That will continue.

So real business means we have to serve somebody. That is explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Our real business, our real occupation, is to serve Krsna, God. That is our... That service spirit, because we have forgotten God, or Krsna, we are serving somebody else. That is called maya. We have to serve. Nobody can say... In this meeting there are so many ladies and gentlemen. Nobody can say that "I do not serve anyone. I am free." That is not possible. You must have to serve. And that service is called dharma. Just like salt is salty taste, sugar is sweet taste. The sweet taste is the dharma of sugar. The pungent taste of chili, that is the dharma. It cannot change. If sugar is salty, you do not accept. "Oh, this is not sugar." Similarly, living entity has got a permanent occupational duty. That is service. That service is being carried on in different names: "service of the family," "service of the country," "service of the community," "service of the nation," "service of the humanity," so many names. But there is service. But this service cannot be complete unless the service goes up to the transcendental loving service of Krsna. That is perfection of service. And that is called dharma. Try to understand what is dharma.

So here Suta Gosvami was answering the question of Saunakadi Muni in Naimisaranya. They inquired that after the departure of Krsna... Krsna came -- paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam, dharma-samsthapanarthaya [Bg. 4.8]. So their inquiry was that "After departure of Krsna, the protection of dharma, how it is being maintained, or under whom, where it has gone?" So... "And what is actually dharma?" So here it is explained, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah. Para means superior. Not this religion, Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, or there are so many other religions. That is also dharma. That is temporary. But paro dharma means permanent dharma, eternal dharma, or sanatana-dharma. That is called para. Para means superior. So sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. Adhoksaja. Adhoksaja means God. Adhah. Adhah means cut (curbed?) down. Aksaja means direct perception. Adhoksaja. You cannot understand God by direct perception. You have got your eyes, but if you want to see, "Where is God? Show me," that is not immediately possible. You have to prepare your eyes to see God. So therefore God's another name is Adhoksaja. Adhah-krta-aksajan jnanam yatra(?). Not by direct perception you can understand God.

So here it is mentioned... Adhoksaja means you cannot perceive the Supreme Absolute Truth by your sense perception. You have to learn it by sruti, by hearing. Hearing is also experience, by hearing.

sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]

This is the process, hearing. If you simply hear about God, then you will see God by hearing. That is... Because there is a cloud of dirtiness within our heart. Unless that dirtiness is cleansed, we cannot perceive God. Therefore this process of chanting Hare Krsna mantra is described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ceto-darpana-marjanam: [Cc. Antya 20.12] "cleansing the mirror of heart." Just like unless you cleanse the mirror which is full of dust, you cannot see your face very nicely; similarly, unless you cleanse your heart very nicely, or in other words, unless your heart is cleansed of all sinful reaction, you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said,

yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
[Bg. 7.28]

They can see God, one who is fully washed of all sinful reaction of life. That can be done very easily. That can be done very easily. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
[Bg. 18.66]

Everyone in this material world, we are suffering the sinful reaction of our past life or this life. That is a fact. But Krsna says that "I can give you protection from all reaction of sinful life if you surrender unto Me."

So to become free from sinful life, there is only simple method: if you surrender to Krsna. That is the beginning of bhakti. Yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Bhakti life begins when you fully surrender unto the lotus feet of God. That is the bhakti life. So here it is said that it does not matter whether you are a Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Buddhist. It doesn't matter. Your system of religion is first class if you can develop your general love for Krsna or God, Adhoksaja. That is the test. You may advertise yourself or I may advertise myself, "I am a great religious person," but the test is how much you have learned to love God, how much you have advanced in that process.

So here in this verse it is said that sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. Then what will be my profit? Suppose I simply love God. I love. The loving propensity is there in me. I love some boy. I love some girl. I love my country. I love my family. I love my society. I love my country. The loving propensity is there. There is no doubt. Everyone, even cats and dogs, because he is living entity, he has got that loving propensity. A tiger also loves its cubs. But this love, when it will be applied to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is the perfection of life. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. What kind of love? Ahaituki. To love God not for any other reason, that "God will give me some wealth, God will give me this, God will... I shall take from God this." No. Ahaituki, no cause, that "Because I am in want of some money, therefore I shall go to church or temple or love God." No. Ahaituki. Just like people generally go there like that, "O God, give us our daily bread." Well, why you are asking God for daily bread? Daily bread is already given to everyone, even birds and bees. Your bread is also there. But people do not know that "My bread is already there. Why I shall bother God for daily bread? Let me learn how to love God." God is giving us so many things without asking. God is giving us light, God is giving us water, God... Bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhih... Everything He is giving you, without which cannot live. And He will not give us our bread?

So Bhagavad-gita says they are also pious, even one goes to God for asking something for some material profit. Catur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukrtino 'rjuna. Sukrtina. Sukrtina means they are pious. Just the opposite number, duskrtina, they'll never go to God. Just like the Communists. They will say, "What is this nonsense God? We shall produce our food. We shall produce our happiness." They are called duskrtina. Duskrtina means sinful. Actually, they do not know that without sanction of God, you cannot get anything. So at least, one who accepts this power of God and goes to God for asking bread or something, money or something else, they are pious. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Sukrtino 'rjuna. But those who do not go at all, do not care for God, they are called duskrtina. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15].

So to love God is the ultimate... Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said prema pum-artho mahan: "The supreme gain of life is how to be situated in the platform of loving service to the Supreme Person, God." That is actual perfection. That is described here. Ahaituky apratihata. Apratihata means this love cannot be checked. If you love somebody here in this material world, then if you have no money, the exchange of love will be hampered. But this love of God cannot be hampered. If you want to love God, there is no material impediments. Ahaituky apratihata. It cannot be checked. You may be the poor of the poorest of the poor; still you can love God. That Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Patram, a little leaf or a little water or little flower or little fruit. Patram puspam phalam toyam. If you offer to Krsna, "My Lord, My Krsna, I am very poor man. I cannot give You anything. But I have collected a little fruit, little flower, little water. So I have come to offer You," Krsna says, "Yes," tad aham asnami, tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah. He is not hungry, but He wants your love. He wants your love. That is... Therefore He comes, personally He comes. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanih [Bg. 4.7].

What is that dharmasya glanih. When people forget how to love God, that is dharmasya glanih? Not that other. So He comes to teach, and ultimately He teaches... In the middle He also teaches, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is God's teaching, that "You simply think of God." Man-manah. Mad-bhaktah, "Become devotee of God, worship God." Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. You are coming here. Here is God. You are offering obeisances. It will go to your credit. Yes. This is called ajnata-sukrti. Those who are coming here, taking part in this aratrika ceremony, dancing or offering some respect, everything goes to your credit. Everything will go to your credit. In this way... Just like if you make bank balance, one rupee, one rupee, one rupee, sometimes you will see, "It is now 100,000 rupees." Similarly, we are giving chance all over the world, opening this Radha-Krsna temple, giving them chance to chant the glories of the Lord. That means it is going to their credit. If they take it immediately, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], that is very nice. But if he cannot, this chance will never go in vain. This is Krsna consciousness movement. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje, ahaituki [SB 1.2.6]. And anyone can join. There is no question. Krsna is not meant for the Hindus or Indians. This is a mistake. Now, the Westerners, the Europeans, Americans, they understand. They do not know that "Why should we accept Krsna? He is Indian. He was Hindu." No. Krsna is for everyone. Just like the sun. The same sun, it rises, first of all rises in India, then gradually goes to Europe. Does it mean the European sun and the Indian sun, they are different? No, the one sun. Similarly, God is one for everyone. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-yonisu kaunteya. Sarva-yonisu means 8,400,000 species of forms. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayo yah [Bg. 14.4]. There are as many forms. Tasam mahad yonir brahma aham bija-pradah pita. He says aham, "I am. I am the seed-giving father." Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. "Every living entity, they are My part and parcel, as the sons, daughters, they are part and parcel of the father." Therefore in some religion God is addressed as the supreme father. Actually, He is supreme father.

So as it is our duty to enjoy the property of the father, similarly, it is our duty to love the supreme father. That is Krsna consciousness movement. And it cannot be checked. Ahaituky apratihata. Yayatma suprasidati. Suprasidati. Everyone is wanting peace of mind. Atma. Atma means body, atma means mind, atma means the soul. Yayatma suprasidati. Suprasidati. Prasidati means "becomes satisfied," and su means "very much." So unless you learn this art, how to love God, you cannot be happy. This is the fact. The sooner you make business, finish this business... How to learn? Now this chance is in this human form of life. You can learn. And the method is very plain, especially in this age. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,

kaler dosa-nidhe rajann
asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet

Simply by chanting Krsna's name, this Hare Krsna maha-mantra, mukta-sangah, he becomes free from all the contamination of this age, mukta. Param vrajet. He goes to the supreme abode, back to home, back to Godhead. You can see. It is not story. These European and American boys and girls, how they are feeling, how they are dancing. Yayatma suprasidati. Unless they are feeling satisfaction, how they can dance with me? They cannot. They are not dogs and cats, that I have taught them that "You dance like this to make some money." No. They are dancing in ecstasy of love. Yayatma suprasidati. Otherwise what money I have got to bribe them? I am poor Indian. No. They have developed this ecstatic love of Godhead. Even Christian priests admit that "These boys, these girls, were our boys. Now... When they were Christians, they did not come into the church. They did not care. Now these boys are mad after God."

So this Krsna consciousness is there in everybody. It is not an artificial thing. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is stated, nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sadhya... (end)