Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.22
New York, April 14, 1973
Devotee:
namah pankaja-nabhaya
namah pankaja-maline
namah pankaja-netraya
namas te pankajanghraye
"My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus, and whose feet are engraved with lotuses."
Prabhupada: Lord's feet, there are flags, lotus flowers, chariot. These are the symbolic representations. God is person, but His personality is distinct from our personality. So these specific marks are there on His lotus feet. And pankaja-nabhaya, another meaning, pankaja-nabhaya means originally a lotus stem came out from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Visnu, and Brahma was born in that lotus flower, the origin of creation. So Krsna's all parts of the body, as reference to the pankaja. Pankaja means lotus flower. Panka means mud, and ja means generate. Pankaja, the lotus flower, is so important. Still, it is generated from mud. So Krsna likes pankaja very much, lotus flower. So if we see lotus flower, we can immediately remember Krsna. If... Just like if you love your child, if you see any garment, a small ship, shoes or any play things, immediately you remember your child: "Oh, this is my child's shoes. This is my child's playing things. This is my garment." So it is the custom of love.
If you actually love God, Krsna, then you can remember Him at any time, always, always. There is no difficulty. Here Kuntidevi describes pankaja, with reference to lotus flower. And Krsna describes Himself in the Bhagavad-gita, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "I am the taste of the liquid." So Krsna can be remembered by tasting water. Even those who are drinking... If he thinks that "This taste of drinking is Krsna," he will one day come out a great saintly person. Such a nice thing, Krsna consciousness, if you have cultivate Krsna consciousness, if you follow the description given by the sastras. So I can request that even the drunkards that "You can become Krsna conscious." The drunkard, what to speak of others? Because Krsna says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "I am the taste of the liquid." Generally, liquid, water is taken. So liquor is also liquid. Liquor is bad because it creates intoxication. Otherwise, it is made from sugar, molasses, molasses with sulphuric acid fermented, so far I know. We were in the chemical line. Molasses fermented with sulphuric acid and then distilled. That is called spirit, or liquor. So thing is, nothing is bad, but because if a thing creates bad effects, then it is bad. Then it is bad. So I shall request even the drunkards... In your country, there are many drunkards. There is no scarcity. So if you'll kindly remember when drinking wine that this nice taste of drinking is Krsna... Just begin with it. You'll come out one day a saintly person, Krsna conscious. It's so nice, practical.
So Krsna is available, any circumstance, if we want to catch Him. That's all. Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. He's... If one is actually very serious to search out Krsna, Krsna is everywhere. Andantara-stha-paramanu-
Therefore we are teaching in our Dallas children simply to learn Sanskrit. We have nothing to do anything else. They are not going to be technologists, or servant of everyone. No. We want some generation who can preach Krsna consciousness. So if they learn simply English and Sanskrit, they will be able to read this book, and that is sufficient. We don't want anything. All informations are there. Throughout the whole world, whatever knowledge is there, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, everything is there. There is literature, there is poetry, there is philosophy, there is religion, there is love of Godhead, there is astronomy. Everything is there. Srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam. Vidya bhagavatavadhih. If one simply reads this Srimad-Bhagavatam, his education is the topmost. Vidya bhagavatavadhih. There is something topmost, ultimate. So for education, vidya, this Srimad-Bhagavatam. If one studies Srimad-Bhagavatam, he is well versed in every subject matter.
So we want to create a new generation in your country so that in the future there'll be fluent speaker in Srimad-Bhagavatam and preach all over the country, and your country will be saved. This is our program. We have come here not to exploit your country, but to give you something substantial. This is Krsna consciousness movement. So read Bhagavatam, pronounce the verses very nicely. Therefore we're repeating. You hear the records and try to repeat. Simply by chanting the mantra, you'll be purified. Simply by chant... Even you do not understand a single word of it, simply if you chant, this vibration has got such power. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. If you simply chant and vibrate this verse, these verses, these slokas, it is punya-sravana-kirtanah. There is, there is no question of understanding. Punya-sravana. Punya means pious, and sravana means hearing, and kirtana means chanting. One who is chanting this verse, and one who is hearing this verse, he is becoming pious automatically. Pious. To become pious one has to endeavor so much, do this, do that, but if you simply hear these verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita.
Therefore, as a rigid principle, in every temple there should be class for hearing and chanting. Without hearing and chanting, to become leader it is impossible. You can, you can become leader in the material world, but not in the spiritual world. Sravana-kirtana kare...
mali hana kare sei bija aropana
sravana-kirtana-jale karaye secana
[Cc. Madhya 19.152]
Bhakti-lata-bija. It is a seed of developing your original consciousness. Just like in the seed there is potency, in a small seed, mustardlike, but if you sow it, in due course of times it comes out a big banyan tree. As much potency in that seed... Where is that scientist? Just prepare a seed in which there is a big, gigantic banyan tree. Where is your science? But that is not possible. Krsna says, bijo 'ham sarva-bhutanam: "I am that seed." So anyone can appreciate. Suppose you... The banyan seed, you have seen the fig fruit. There are hundreds and thousands of seeds. And each seed, there is a banyan tree. Each seed. If you simply study a fig of banyan tree, you can study the whole cosmic manifestation. If you simply think over... This is a small seed, insignificant. And there are millions of seeds like that, millions of fruits. And each seed containing the potency of fructifying into big banyan tree. So who has made it? How much His brain is sharp that He has made it? It is, it is, it is done by brain. It has not come out automatically. This is rascaldom. Whatever... What is coming, rascaldom... No. There is brain. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. The Vedanta-sutra says that everything is coming from Him, coming from His brain. Big brain. Krsna has got big brain. We haven't got such brain. Still we rascals, we claim that "I am as good as Krsna. I am God." What nonsense. You are God? You cannot create anything.
So this Krsna consciousness movement is so nice. Here Kuntidevi, a great devotee, is giving us opportunity to become Krsna conscious: simply concentrating your mind on lotus flower. That's all. Lotus flower. As soon as you see a lotus flower, you will immediately think of namah pankaja-nabhaya. "Oh, Krsna's navel is just like lotus flower. From the navel of Krsna there was a stem of lotus flower, and from that lotus flower, Brahma came out. And Brahma created this universe. This universe means so many planets, so many seas, mountains and cities, motorcars, everything. Within that lotus flower, the beginning is..." Namah pankaja-nabhaya. And namah pankaja-maline. So such wonderful lotus flower which contains the seedling of the whole universe... That is not only one. Pankaja-maline. Just like here is a garland. There are so many flowers. So Krsna is not so poor that simply producing one lotus flower, He's finished. No. There is a garland of lotus flowers, big garland. Or as many lotus flowers as you want. This is God. Yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah [Bs. 5.48]. Unlimited. Everything is unlimited. Krsna's creation... We are very much concerned with one planet, this, but Krsna's creation is unlimited number of planets. As you see unlimited number of hairs on your head; you cannot count. Can you count how many hairs are there? This is Krsna's creation. You cannot count. So what to speak of this hair -- anything you take. You take one tree: unlimited number of foliages. You cannot count. Similarly, unlimited number of planets, unlimited number of universes, everything unlimited. Therefore He is unlimited. Namah pankaja-nabhaya namah pankaja-maline namah pankaja-netraya. Krsna's eyes are compared with the petals of lotus flower. Alola-candraka-lasad-
So if you simply think only one verse, as it is explained here, and the pankaja, lotus, in reference with Krsna's body, you can meditate the whole life how Krsna is beautiful, how Krsna is wise, how Krsna's creation, how... This is meditation. Thinking of Krsna. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. Yoginah means... Yogi means he's always thinking of Krsna. Mat-parah. That is yogi. These rascals are not yogi, thinking something impersonal and being harassed. Kleso 'dhikataras tesam avyaktasakta-cetasam [Bg. 12.5]. They are simply, they are simply laboring, adhikatarah, more and more. They cannot get anything substantial. Therefore after meditation: "Come on, give me cigarette. Come on. My throat is now dried up. Give me cigarette." That is not meditation. Meditation means, this is: namah pankaja-netraya.
So if you think of Krsna always, satatam cintayanto mam, "always thinking of Me," yatantas ca drdha-vratah, and endeavoring to advance in Krsna consciousness with vow, then we have to remain purified. Because Krsna is purified. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. You cannot approach Krsna impurified. But if you think of Krsna always, in this way, meditate upon Krsna, then you'll be purified. Punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. That meditation can be possible by hearing and chanting. Then thinking will automatically come. That is the process of Krsna consciousness. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam [SB 7.5.23]. Smarana means remember. If you chant and hear, then remembrance will automatically come. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam. Then you will be engaged in worshiping His lotus feet. Arcanam. Then you'll be engaged in arcanam, the temple worship; vandanam, offering prayers; dasyam, you'll engage yourself as servant; sakhyam, you'll become friend of Krsna; atma-nivedanam, and surrender everything to Krsna. This is the process.
So each and every verse you should chant very perfectly, nicely, meditate upon it. That is the process of progress, advancement in spiritual life. We should get all these verses by heart, and chant, and offer prayer to the Lord, vandanam. Vandanam. These are meant for such purpose.
namah pankaja-nabhaya
namah pankaja-maline
namah pankaja-netraya
namas te pankajanghraye
Everything is Krsna's, with reference to pankaja.
Thank you very much. (end)
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