"Self Attraction-Dirty Or Divine"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.25
Vrndavana, August 6, 1974

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Nitai: Translation: "Once only, by their permission, I took the remnants of their food, and by so doing, all my sins were at once eradicated. Thus being engaged, I became purified in heart, and at that time the very nature of the transcendentalist became attractive to me."

Prabhupada:

ucchista-lepan anumodito dvijaih
sakrt sma bhunje tad-apasta-kilbisah
evam pravrttasya visuddha-cetasas
tad-dharma evatma-rucih prajayate

Very simple process of awakening Krsna consciousness. This atma-rucih... Atma-rucih means attraction for the self, or soul. There are atma. Atma means sometimes this body. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. Gross materialists, they think that "I am this body." That is also atma-rucih. They are busy to maintain this body, to decorate this body, to feed this body, to satisfy the senses of the body. This is also atma-rucih, because the body is also called atma. So this is another atma-rucih, materialist. Then atma means mind also, mental speculation, very much busy in mental speculation. That is also atma-rucih. And the, the topmost atma-rucih, topmost means that is real atma-rucih, to be attracted by the self or Superself. That is atma-rucih.

So our business is to awaken that Supreme atma-rucih. That is Krsna consciousness. Supreme atma-rucih, supreme atma. Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. You can take in different platform different kinds of attraction, but when our attraction is in Krsna, that is supreme. So... Just like for bodily comforts, there are so many scientists, physiologists, biologists. They are trying to understand the constitution of the body. They are busy. And similarly, mental speculators, philosophers, they are also busy. Similarly, the ultimate atma-rucih if we want to know, then we should be busy with such persons who are engaged in that type of atma-rucih. That is called sadhu-sanga. Sangat sanjayate kamah. As you associate, so your desires become, I mean to say, attached.

So here it is said that dvijaih..., ucchista-lepan anumodito dvijaih. Dvijaih, the brahmana... And the supreme brahmana is the devotee, krsnaika-sarana. So Narada Muni, in his previous birth, he was engaged in washing the dishes, eating the foodstuffs left by the dvijaih, by the brahmanas. In this way he infected their disease. As in ordinary material sense if you eat the remnants of foodstuff of a diseased fellow, then you infect that disease. Therefore sometimes when there is a patient suffering from tuberculosis, it is strictly separated from the family to another room or another house so that... It is very infectious. Cholera is very infectious. Smallpox is very much infectious. There are many infectious disease. So as you infect this material disease by eating the foodstuff left by a diseased fellow, similarly, if you eat the remnants of foodstuff left by a Vaisnava you become Vaisnava. This is infection. So we should voluntarily accept this infection. The other infection we should avoid, but this infection we shall welcome. But the process is the same. Param drstva nivartate. You can refrain from the lower class of infection simply by infecting yourself with the higher class, or transcendental class of infection.

So Narada Muni, he was a small boy. It was not possible for him to study Vedanta or philosophy. He was not even educated. But still, simply by eating the remnants of foodstuff left by the devotees, dvijaih, he became so exalted. The explanation is given there that evam pravrttasya visuddha-cetasah. "Because I was engaged in this service, gradually my heart became cleansed." Visuddha-cetasah. Cetasah means heart. So actually, Krsna consciousness is there. As it is stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta, nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti. Because we are part and parcel of Krsna... Just like father and son. However there may be misunderstanding, but if the father and son come together and their affectionate dealing is begun, immediately original relationship is revived. It does not take much time. Similarly, we are already related with Krsna because Krsna says, mamaivamso jiva-bhutah: [Bg. 15.7] "All living entities, they are My part and parcel." Aham bija-pradah pita: "I am the seed-giving father." So how this relation can be broken? That is not possible. That is already there eternally.

Therefore it is said in the Caitanya-caritamrta, nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti. Nitya-siddha means eternally perfect. It is not that we are artificially acquiring this krsna-bhakti. No, it is not artificial. It is natural. This is actual fact. So we are simply... Because our present, in the present material condition, our heart is covered with so much garbage of different types of body... Just like all of a sudden something comes to your mind. It has no connection. Just like a bubble, comes out. Because so many dirty things are reserved on account of our material conditional life for millions and millions of years. Anadi karama-phale padi' bhavarnava-jale. Anadi, we cannot... Anadi means... Adi means the creation. So before this creation. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. We are in this material contamination not that in this millennium -- before that. Just like millennium after millennium. Narada Muni was speaking his life before this millennium. So anadi. Anadi means creation. But not only one creation, several creations, we are forgotten, or we are in this material world. Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha... We are searching after material comfort, material comfort, sense gratification, in so many ways. So anadi karama-phale padi' bhavarnava-jale, taribare na dekhi upaya. In this way we are going.

So consciousness is there, but the dirty things contaminated life after life, that is accumulated. We have to cleanse this. That is called visuddha-cetasah. Visuddha-cetasah. Just like infection of disease can be also disinfected by injection, by vaccine, similarly if you take this vaccine, or antiseptic... What is that called? Countering? Counteracting?

Devotee: Inoculation? Inoculation or...

Prabhupada: So many. There are different terms. So this is the process. We are eternally related with Krsna, nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti, and we're eternally very affectionate and obedient servant of Krsna. That is our position. Somehow or other, it is covered. So that garbage that's covering has to be moved. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. This is the process of cleansing the mirror of the heart. Mirror, when it is covered by dust you cannot see your face nicely. But as soon as it is nicely brushed and cleansed, you see exactly what you are. Similarly, this Krsna consciousness movement means cleansing the heart of all the dirty things that is accumulated life after life. It is not an artificial thing, we are learning to become devotee of Krsna. We are already devotee of Krsna, but we have forgotten, or the consciousness is covered. Now, by this process, devotional process, especially by kirtana, by chanting, glorifying the holy name of the Lord, the cleansing process is accelerated. Very soon it takes place.

Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet. This is the facility of this age, Kali-yuga. This is the only facility. In Kali-yuga you cannot perform meditation or perform big, big sacrifices, as they are mentioned in the Vedas. Or you cannot perform even Deity worship very nicely. There are so many flaws. Everything is very difficult. And charity... And there are so many. Samena damena danena tyagena. So where is the money I shall...? There is no money even to feed me. I am eating... This morning I do not know what shall I eat in the evening. This is the position at the present moment. Prayenalpayusah, kalav asmin yuge janah. The life is also very short duration, and so many disturbances. Not only disturbance of the Kali-yuga, but the disturbance by the government also, by the demigods. There is scorching heat, there is severe cold. And ati-vrsti, sometimes more than we want, there is rainfall. Sometimes there is no rainfall. And in this way there is scarcity of foodstuff. Anavrstya durbhiksa, and taxation. These are the disturbances. So many. One side, taxation by the government, another side, by nature there is scarcity of food and there is scarcity of rain.

So these are stated in the Bhagavatam. Durbhiksa, anavrstya durbhiksa-kara-piditah. People will be so much disturbed. It is already disturbed. Gacchanti giri-kananam. They'll leave their home, their family, and go to the forest, go to the hills, disgusted. So this is the Kali-yuga symptoms. So how one will clean the heart? He cannot sit even peacefully for a moment. Disturbed always. Disturbed in the mind, anxiety, full of anxiety. How it will be possible to meditate? This is all nonsense. This is not possible. In Kali-yuga meditation is not possible. The so-called meditation is a farce. Those who are trying to meditate... Therefore you don't see any improvement in their life. They're making a formal meditation, but they remain what they are. Don't improve anything. That is not possible.

So therefore in this age it is recommended that

krte yad dhyayato visnum
tretayam yajato makhaih
dvapare paricaryayam
kalau tad dhari-kirtanat

Simply chant Hare Krsna. That is the only way. There is no other method. There are methods, but you cannot perform it. You are so condemned. "You" means we also, everyone. We are so condemned and the age is so condemned that it is very, very difficult. It is not possible. And another process is this, as Narada Muni says, ucchista-lepan anumodito dvijaih. To serve the devotees, a pure devotee. If you serve some way or other, you contaminate his quality. Tad-dharma. Sakrt bhunje. One side is apasta-kilbisah. Kilbisah means the sinful reaction of life. To reduce the reaction of sinful life. Because unless we are sinful, we cannot remain within this... A prisoner means a criminal. As soon as you find a person in the prisonhouse you should understand that he's a criminal. That criminality may be of different degrees, that is another thing, but he's a criminal. Similarly, anyone, beginning from Brahma down to the germ in the stool, they're all sinful. All sinful. People will be surprised that "Brahma is also sinful?" Yes. Brahma has also desired that "I shall be the supreme creature within this brahmanda, whole universe." A little or more.

So anyone who has got this desire that "I shall enjoy in this material world," he's a sinful man. That is sinful. Because suppose something your, something belongs to you, and if I desire, "How I shall take this, possession of this thing?" is not that criminal? Something belongs to somebody, and if you make a plan to possess that thing, is it not criminal? So actually, Krsna is the bhokta. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the proprietor, sarva-loka. Not a single plot of land belongs to you. Isavasyam idam sarvam. Actually Krsna is the proprietor of everything, He is the enjoyer of everything. Then why I shall desire to enjoy and own the property? This is criminal. This is criminal. That may be in small portion. That is going on. The ant is also struggling for existence to possess a grain of sugar, and somebody is trying to possess some state, and somebody is trying to possess the whole universe. But the status of mentality is the same. So this mentality means criminality. This mentality: "How I shall become enjoyer? How I shall possess this?" Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare. He forgets. When one forgets that Krsna is the enjoyer, Krsna is the proprietor, as soon as he forgets and tries to become himself the enjoyer or himself the proprietor, immediately maya captures.

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare
nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare

"Yes, come one. Now come under my jurisdiction. Not there, here." This is the position.

Therefore we living entities, we are described, tatastha. Tatastha means marginal. Actually, we are spirit soul, our position in the spiritual world, but we are sometimes fallen down in this material world on account of our desire to enjoy. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy, not His manufactured philosophy... This is the actual position. He, when He instructed Sanatana Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami put before Him the question that "I was a minister and I am a brahmana, I'm very learned. They say, of course, that I am panditaji. But actually I do not know what is my position. Actually I am fool number one. I do not know what is my position. These innocent people, they call me I am panditaji, I am minister, I am this, I am that, and I accept that I am that. But actually I do not know what I am." That is the position everywhere. You ask any prime minister that "You are prime minister, but actually what you are? Will you remain prime minister forever?" He or she cannot answer this question. Or they evade this question. But this is really the question, athato brahma jijnasa. One should try to understand "What I am?" but they do not rea... They do not inquire, neither they are interested. So foolish persons, they may be prime minister in this life, next life a dog. They don't care. But this is not life. Athato brahma jijnasa. One should inquire and purify himself.

So this purificatory process, here it is very simple. Try to take shelter of mahat-pada-rajo-'bhisekam. Vina mahat-pada-rajo-'bhisekam. It is stated by Prahlada Maharaja, naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim. Urukrama. Urukrama means Krsna, whose activities are very, very great. Just like Krsna lifts the mountain. It is called urukrama. Urukrama means his power is very, very great. Foolish persons accept a rascal as Bhagavan, but we are not so rascal. We accept Krsna, Bhagavan, Urukrama. He can lift when... He can pick up the mountain, and immediately, He can keep on His finger. We want this kind of God. Not making like this and a grain of gold. (laughter) We are not so fool. We want this kind of God, Krsna, Urukrama. So how this Urukrama, one can surrender? Naisam matis tavad urukrama anghrim. Anghrim means this leg. How one can be attached? Now, what is the use of taking shelter of Krsna's lotus feet? Because these misgivings, this garbage of different types of desires, will be finished. So how it is possible? Niskincananam mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam. So long one does not take the dust of the lotus feet of a devotee who is niskincana, who has nothing to do with this material world... But he's exalted in Krsna consciousness. Unless you do that, there is no possibility. Mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam.

So here Narada Muni is doing that. Mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam. Therefore by eating the remnants of foodstuff left by them, by washing their dishes, by washing their feet... Everyone can do. Therefore this association is required. If one associates with devotee, pure devotee, and somehow or other gives service, one another, to the spiritual master, to the Vaisnava, automatically he becomes purified. Automatically. Without any study of Vedanta, without any... Simply by sincere service to the devotee. Evam pravrttasya. If one is engaged in this way, visuddha-cetasah, he becomes gradually cleansed of the dirty things accumulated in the heart. And tad-dharma evatma-rucih. And the saintly person and devotees, what is their business? The business is atma-rucih, taste for Krsna consciousness. Prajayate. Automatically he will develop.

Therefore every one of us, the members of Krsna consciousness, should remain purified always by the regulative principles given and chanting so that everyone is Vaisnava and everyone is serving everyone. In this way the association will purify the whole stock of their (indistinct). This is the process.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.25 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974