Spiritual Life Means Joyfulness

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.20
October 31, 1972, Vrndavana



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

evam prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
[SB 1.2.20]

"Thus established in the mode of goodness, the man rejuvenated by loving service to the Lord gains liberation from material association, or mukti, and comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead."

Prabhupada:

evam prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
[SB 1.2.20]

So the Absolute Truth is scientific knowledge. It is not sentiment -- "I accept somebody as God by votes." That is not bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam. One must know what is the definition of God. It is not that somebody comes forward with a long beard and says, "I am God," and we rascals accept him as God. No, not like that. It is vijnanam. Vijnana means science. Without scientific knowledge, one cannot understand what is God. Bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam. And who can understand this vijnana, this scientific knowledge? Mukta-sangasya. One who is liberated from the contamination of the three modes of material nature, he can understand.

Those who are contaminated with tamo-guna, rajo-guna, they can create their own God. There are different types of "God" also. In one sense everyone is God. God means the controller. So everyone is to some extent a controller. But as I have explained several times, real controller means who is not controlled by others. That is God. If I am controlled by the material nature, daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya... [Bg. 7.14]. Birth, death, old age and disease, if I am controlled by these conditions of nature, then how I can become God? God is never controlled. Therefore one who can understand God must be free from the contamination of this material nature. Mukta-sangasya.

This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:

brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]

When one has realized Brahman, prasannatma, prasannatma, brahma-bhutah prasannatma... Here also it is said, evam prasanna-manasah. The same thing you will find everywhere. There cannot be any contradiction. Prasanna-manasa and prasannatma, the same thing. So how one can become prasannatma or prasanna-manasa? That is described here. Bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah. Evam prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah [SB 1.2.20]. If you accept bhagavad-bhakti-yoga, devotional service to the Lord, you shall be prasanna-manasa. You shall be always feeling jolly. If I am not jolly, if I am not prasanna-manasa, that means maya has attacked me. A bhagavad-bhakta shall never be aprasanna, not joyful. Always joyful. If he is actually in contact with Krsna, how he can become morose? No. If he is morose, if he is unhappy, that means maya has attacked him. This is the test.

Therefore Rupa Gosvami says, utsaha. We shall be always enthusiastic. But we cannot become enthusiastic artificially. There must be bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. Just like these visitors in the temple, see how much enthusiastic they are. They are rising early in the morning, going to take bath in the Yamuna, and they are visiting so many temples, especially this Damodara temple, because it is Damodara month. And from five o'clock or before that, three o'clock, they are enthusiastic. They are not sleeping very nicely. That means lack of bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. It is maya. So you must be very careful. Test. If we cannot rise early in the morning, that means we are under the clutches of maya. This is the test.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says,

jiv jago jiv jago gauracanda bole
kota nidra jao maya-pisacira kole

Sleeping is very dangerous. It is to be understood that I am under the clutches of maya, the more we sleep, because the symptom of tamo-guna is laziness and sleep. This is the symptom of tamo-guna, laziness and sleeping. And symptoms of rajo-guna -- very active, but just like monkey. Monkeys are very active, but all injurious. Wherever they will sit, they "Gata-gata-gat-gat-gat." Not a single moment they are inactive, but all foolishness. That is passion. And goodness means knowledge. So in the previous verse it is described how to come to the platform of goodness. When one comes to the platform of goodness, then he becomes prasanna-manasa, because he is not attacked by the modes of ignorance and passion, means laziness, sleep and foolishly active. Foolishly active is more dangerous than less active. Because if one is dangerous, it is better not to become very much active, because... Just like this monkey. You will find always very active, but nobody likes them. As soon as a monkey comes, everyone drives them away: "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

Therefore we should not be lazy and sleepy, at the same time not foolishly active. We must come to the real standard of life, goodness. Then we can begin our devotional service. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:

brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]

After being brahma-bhuta, after understanding clearly aham brahmasmi, one can take to transcendental loving service of the Lord, not before. Before, if we take bhakti-yoga... Of course, we shall become gradually brahma-bhuta also... Bhakti-yoga is so nice that it does not depend on any condition. Ahaituky apratihata. Apratihata means not under any condition. You can begin, in whichever position you are, you can begin immediately. You can begin hearing about Krsna from any point. Sravanam kirtanam. It doesn't matter. And if you follow strictly the bhagavad-bhakti-yoga process, then automatically you are situated above goodness. Sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26].

Anyone who has taken seriously devotional service... Vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah, janayaty asu vairagyam [SB 1.2.7]. Liberation means knowledge and detachment. Knowledge, full knowledge means that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, and my bodily activities are not congenial for my ultimate goal of life. I must engage myself in spiritual activity." This is called jnana and vairagya. When one knows that he is not body, then why should he work hard day and night for maintaining this body? That is knowledge. And karmis, they are trying to maintain this body. Sometimes karmis also take to bhakti-yoga. Not bhakti-yoga, so-called bhakti. But their aim is how to maintain this body nicely. That is also accepted. Akamah sarva-kamo va moksa-kama udara-dhih [SB 2.3.10]. Because if you take to bhakti-yoga even for maintaining this body nicely, that is also very nice, because gradually, due to the influence of bhakti-yoga, you will come to the platform of mukta, mukta-sanga. Bhakti-yoga is so strong.

Therefore sastra recommends that either you are karmi, either you are jnani, either you are yogi, you take to devotional service. Your all desires will be fulfilled. That is the injunction.

akamah sarva-kamo va
moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajeta purusam param
[SB 2.3.10]

This is the recommendation. It is all-inclusive. If you have got desire like the karmis or the jnanis or the yogis, you take to bhakti-yoga. Bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah. You will become prasanna-manasa. You will be engladdened. You will come to the platform of joyfulness. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. Spiritual life means anandamaya. There is no displeasure. Always ananda. That is spiritual life. Spiritual life means ananda, and material life means anxiety. You can distinguish. If you are always put into anxiety, that is material life. And if you are always jolly, that is spiritual life. Anandamayo 'bhyasat.

So here it is, the same thing. Because one has taken to bhakti-yoga, he must be prasanna manasa, very joyful. If you are full of anxiety, how you can understand the science of God? That is not possible. So evam prasanna manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah [SB 1.2.20]. By execution of bhakti-yoga you come to the platform of transcendental bliss, prasanna-manasa. Transcendental, spiritual life means eternal, blissful life of knowledge. That is spiritual platform. And material life means temporary life of miserable condition. Temporary life of miserable condition. That is material life. And spiritual life means eternal, blissful life of knowledge. This life is temporary, but when we are transferred to our spiritual life that is eternal. Sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1].

We are also part and parcel of sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Vigraha means form. Sac-cid-ananda does not mean impersonal. That is foolishness, another foolishness. Ananda cannot be impersonal. You can make experiment. Suppose if you are put into a big room without any man coming there, so you cannot feel very comfortable for long time. You will feel lonely. You shall try to come out. Just like we have got experience. Everyone has got experience, when we rise very high in the sky, but we cannot remain in that condition more than, utmost, eight to ten hours. Then we become very restless. Although it is very high in the sky, but we cannot remain in that way. Therefore sastra says,

...aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
[SB 10.2.32]

One who does not take shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna, he may rise up very high by austerity and penance, but he cannot remain in that position. He may give up artificially this material world, jagan mithya, but he has to come down again to this mithya jagat and open schools and hospitals, because he cannot remain in that impersonal way. That is the experience. All so-called brahmavadi, they say that "We have become liberated" but not liberated. That is simply concoction, vimukta-maninah. They think like that. Actually they are not liberated. Avisuddha-buddhayah. Without being liberated, when one speaks that "I have become liberated," that means avisuddha-buddhayah: the intelligence is not clear. He does not know what is liberation. Liberation means prasanna-manasa, full of joyfulness, that is liberation. Evam prasanna-manasah, bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam. Tattva means truth. You have to understand Bhagavan in truth.

So that, to understand in truth, that is a science. That is not sentiment. Vijnana. In another place Krsna says, to advise Brahma, catuh-sloki-bhagavata, jnanam... In the Bhagavad-gita also. Jnanam sa-vijnanam. Jnanam me parama-guhyam yad vijnana-samanvitam. The jnanam me parama-guhyam, the knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very, very confidential. Jnanam me parama-guhyam yad vijnana-samanvitam. It is not sentiment. It is full of scientific knowledge. So when we understand the truth, the Absolute Truth, scientifically, that is called bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam. That bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam is understandable by a person who is liberated. One who is very busy, anxious with politics, sociology, humanitarianism, one who is very busy always in politics, how he can become interested or how he can understand bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam? That is not possible.

Therefore these are the tests to understand. A politician may pose himself that he is very advanced in spiritual life, but when we see that he is more interested in politics than in Krsna, then we can understand what is his position. These are the tests. Or politics or sociology or anything, a pure devotee is always interested how Krsna would be satisfied. Just like Arjuna. Of course, when one is interested in that way, all other things, subordinate things, they come within. Just like Arjuna was a great devotee of Krsna, but at the same time he was a politician also. So, but the first interest is to become Krsnized, how to satisfy Krsna, not that "For political purpose I love Krsna." No. You love Krsna, and your all problems, political, social and other things, will be solved. This is Krsna consciousness. You don't require to attempt for political reason and make Krsna consciousness secondary. Therefore we say that if people, not all, if some percentage of the whole population of the world become Krsna conscious, then all the problems of the world will be solved. We don't expect that cent percent people will be Krsna conscious, but simply a few percent, say five per cent. If the people of the whole population, they become Krsna conscious, then the face of the world will change -- isavasyam idam sarvam -- because if the leaders, they understand Krsna consciousness and act accordingly, the others will follow. Yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah. Itarah janah, common men, follows the leaders.

So evam prasanna-manasah. How to become happy mood of life, that is described here. Bhagavat-bhakti-yogatah. One has to take to Krsna consciousness. And mukta-sangasya, bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam mukta-sangasya jayate. Nobody can understand Krsna unless he is liberated from the influence of the modes of material nature. You can read the purport.

Pradyumna: "In the Bhagavad-gita (7.3) it is said that out of many thousands of ordinary men, one fortunate man endeavors for perfection in life. Mostly they are conducted by the modes of passion and ignorance, and thus they are engaged always in lust, desire, hankerings, ignorance and sleep. Out of many such manlike animals, there is actually a man who knows the responsibility of human life and thus tries to make life..."

Prabhupada: So human being in the modes of ignorance and passion, they are animals. They are not considered as human being. They are animals. Rajas-tamo-bhavah, kama-lobhadayas ca ye. So actually a person is considered to be human being when he comes to the platform of goodness or he acquires the quality of a bona fide brahmana. Then he is considered as human being. Go on.

Pradyumna: "...and thus tries to make life perfect by following the prescribe duties. And out of such many thousands of persons who have thus attained success in human life, one may know scientifically about the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna."

Prabhupada: Yes. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Because we are coming from animal by the evolutionary process... According to sastra, it is said that... The Darwin's theory says from monkey. That is also fact, that after monkey the living entity comes to the human form. Somebody says after lion. Somebody says after cow. So from the animals, we, the human form is developed. So unless that human body also reformed, so he remains animal. That reformation required, samskara, reformation, enlightenment, cultural life. That cultural life culminates when one actually becomes a brahmana, Vaisnava. That is real cultural life. Not by birth but by cultivation of knowledge, education, advancement, spiritual knowledge, one comes to the platform of brahmana.

So manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. This is the platform of siddhi. But nobody is interested to become a brahmana, qualified. Everyone wants to become a sudra. Kalau sudrah sambhavah. Especially in this age nobody is interested. Just like we are asking people to take to Krsna consciousness and give up the habit of illicit sex life and intoxication and gambling and meat-eating, and people laugh, that "What is this? This is the life. If we give up these things..." Especially in the Western countries, they think it is denying the primary necessities of life. They say. Some of my students, they left our association because they could not follow these principles. They are complaining that "Prabhupada is denying the primary necessities of life." Therefore it is said, manusyanam sahasresu [Bg. 7.3]. It is very difficult to give up these four bad habits. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. But this is the path of perfection. But they are not interested in perfection. They want to rot as hogs and dogs in this world. That is their purpose. And therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. Nobody is interested to become brahmana. They are interested to become dogs and hogs. That is their interest.

Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. And yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. It is not that coming to the platform of a qualified brahmana, one can understand Krsna. That is also not. Still, you have to go farther. Brahma-bhuta. Brahma janati iti brahmanah. Brahmana can understand Brahman. He can understand that he is also part and parcel of Brahman. But that understanding is not sufficient. He has to go further, to become a Vaisnava, to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, as person. Vaisnava means to understand the Absolute Truth as person, not imperson. In the brahmana state, even they understand Brahman, that is impersonal view. But one has to go far above. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. One has to make progress from the Brahman platform to Paramatma platform, then to the Personality of Godhead understanding. Therefore Krsna says, yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. Somebody is trying to come to the platform of brahma-bhuta stage. That is called siddha state. But yatatam api siddhanam kascid vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]. So they also cannot understand Krsna. Krsna can be understood only by this process, bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah.

evam prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
[SB 1.2.20]

One has to become liberated from the brahminical stage also. Then he can understand Krsna.

So Krsna understanding is not so easy. It is very difficult. Krsna says. But by the grace of Krsna, because He wanted to distribute Himself, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving us Krsna freely... Krsna-prema-pradaya te [Madhya 19.53]. Rupa Gosvami says that namo maha-vadanyaya. Krsna was also not so liberal. He simply asked us, "Surrender," but He did not distribute Himself. But in the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu He distributed Himself: "Take Me, take Me, take Me. Without any price, take Me." This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna, and He has come in the form of Caitanya, Krsna Caitanya, to distribute Himself. Therefore He is recognized, namo maha-vadanyaya, "the most munificent." No other incarnation, even Ramacandra or Bhagavan Krsna, they were not so liberal. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so liberal. Papi tapi jata chilo hari-name uddharilo. They distributed Himself through the chanting of Hare Krsna mantra.

So these Krsna consciousness movement, the Westerners, they are understanding Krsna. It is very, very difficult subject matter. But because we are trying to understand Krsna through Caitanya Mahaprabhu, therefore it has become easy. Otherwise it is very difficult subject. Otherwise Krsna Himself said, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati sidd... [Bg. 7.3]. It will take... But as we are fallen, Krsna is also as much liberal also, this age. So if we still, you do not take advantage, then how much unfortunate we are, we can consider.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.20 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972