Nitai: Translation: "My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of material progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling."
Prabhupada:
janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir
edhamana-madah puman
naivarhaty abhidhatum vai
tvam akincana-gocaram
Akincana. Akincana means na kincana. Kincana means "something." So na kincana means "one who has nothing to possess." He is called na kincana. Or one who is fully convinced that "Nothing belongs to me," he is akincana. Here, in the material world, it is just the opposite. Everyone is thinking that "I have got something." I have seen long, long ago, maybe fifty years ago in Howrah station. I was going somewhere. So one man, his luggage was the half-burned some fuel wood and some rejected things. He was carrying as luggage half-burned fuel wood. He thought that "This is my possession. I have saved this." So he was taking to his home. That means everyone, even though it is very insignificant, still, everyone thinks that "I have got something." This is the material disease.
So this is the illusion. Therefore sastra says, ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam. Janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. How a man becomes entangled in this material world, everything is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam. This material world means sex attraction, mithuni-bhava. The man is searching after woman; woman is searching after man. This is material life, in human life, in bird's, beast's... Just these sparrows -- they are trying to make some nest on this chandelier to enjoy sex and lay eggs. Therefore they require some place. The basic principle is sex. First of all sex life, then other necessities. First of all, seeing, man and woman. Then, when they unite, pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim ahuh. When they unite and they get children, then the hard knot of heart -- "She, my wife. She's (He's) my husband. We cannot separated..." Hard knot. Hrdaya-granthi. Already there is attraction. Now this attraction becomes more and more tight, after unity. Then we require a place to live together, "Home, sweet home." Yes, very sweet. The whole day and night, work. And this is moha. He is working hard day and night. There is not a single moment leisure, and still, he's: "Sweet home." This is illusion.
So atah grha. As soon as a man and woman or a male-female, either bird, beast or human being or demigods, everyone... Then he requires home, grha, then land to produce food, grha-ksetra, then children. Grha-ksetra. Because when a man is married, the social life, if he has no children, that is means vacant home. Putra-hinam grham sunyam. Canakya Pandita has said, avidyam jivanam sunyam: "One who is not educated, his life is zero." Avidyam jivanam sunyam. And disah sunya abandhavah: "And if you want to go to some foreign place, if that place is not a holy place..." Because according to Vedic system, they go on touring to see holy places, tirtha-sthana, or to a friend's house. "So if you are going to some foreign countries, if there is no friend and no devata, then it is useless." Disah sunya abandhavah. Or putra-hinam grham sunyam: "You are married, but you have no children. That is also vacant, zero." Putra-hinam grham sunyam. Sarva-sunya daridrata: "But if you are poor, then everything is zero." Your vidya is zero. Your home is zero. And your friend is zero because nobody will care you.
So real point is putram. Ato grha-ksetra-suta. Suta means putra. And according to... (aside about birds?) Drive them. So required, married life requires children. Otherwise, it is vacant. So Bhagavata says that ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam, that "I possess..." In another place it is said that we are thinking very secure: "I have got a nice body, stout and strong. I take daily exercise in the morning and I keep myself fit." Atah... That verse is...? The...? Deha-kalatradi. "I have got good wife..." Sainya means atma-sainya, su, asatsu, atma... We are thinking, "I am in the family life. I am very happy. I am very secure. I have got my good wife, I have got my good children, and so many things... I have got good bank balance. So I am secure." So sastra says, pramattah tasya nidhanam pasyann api na pasyati. Dehapatya-kalatradisu. I was forgetting.
Deha and apatya. Deha means this body, and apatya means children. Dehapatya-kalatra. Kalatra means wife. Dehapatya-kalatradisu atma-sainyesu. Just like when a king fights, he has got some soldiers, similarly, our life in this material world is simply fighting. There is always some danger. Just like Kunti says, vipadah santu sasvat tah. It is simply full of dangers. So when there is danger, we have to fight. That is material life. That is called struggle for existence. So how we are fighting? Dehapatya-kalatradisv atma-sainyesu. This is our soldier. "I have got a good body, strong body, and I have got my children, my grown-up boys. I have got very good wife." Adi. This is the adi. This is the beginning of thinking, "I have got..." Kincana. This is kincana, "I have got something." Dehapatya-kalatradisu. They are considered as atma-sainya: "They are my soldiers. Whenever I am sick, they will help me. If I go out, then who will help me? If I leave my home, then if I fall sick, who will take care of me? No, no. I am not going out of home." Dehapatya-kalatradisv atma-sainyesu. That is my soldier. We are fighting with the soldier, accompanied by soldier.
Dehapatya-kalatradisv atma-sainyesv asatsv api. Asat. They will not stay. I have got experience. Everyone has got... My... I was children; you were children. Now, I had father to take protection or other relatives, friends. But now they are gone. Asatsu. Everything is finished. So these soldiers, either as father or son, the father is finished; the son will be, also will be finished. Asatsu api. Dehapatya-kalatradisv atma-sainyesv asatsv api, tesam pramatto nidhanam. These soldiers will be killed. Tesam pramatto nidhanam pasyann api na pasyati. He knows; he has got experience. Still, he is blind, that "These soldiers will not be able to give me protection. When death will come, they'll not be able. But my real miserable condition is birth, death and old age and disease. So when I fall sick, they can help. They're eager to help. But real help they cannot give me." One should understand that. Atma-sainyesv asatsv api. They will be killed. Real protection is Krsna. That we do not know.
So, so long we possess all these things... That is explained here, janma, aisvarya, sruta, sri. These are good material possessions: to born in high family, aristocratic family, or brahmana family, ksatriya family. These were considered high parentage, heritage. Nowadays, everyone is sudra. That is another thing. Nobody can be proud of his birth. So janma and aisvarya. If we possess land, home and children, wife, bank balance, that is called aisvarya. Janmaisvarya-sruta. And education. "I am philosopher. I am scientist. I am this, poet." So education. That is called sruta. Sruta. Especially Vedic knowledge, sruti. So janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhih. And sri, beauty. So unless one is very happy or born in good family, unless one..., he cannot have bodily beauty. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir edhamana, edhamana-madah. The more we possess these things, then we become intoxicated. It is already illusion. Grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaih. So that illusion becomes more and more stronger. And that is called madah.
So they are not interested in Krsna consciousness. That is the position at the present moment. Everyone is trying that "I must have a good position in the society." People will say, "Oh, his house is very nice." Or everyone is trying to be educated to acquire money. In the Western countries, these are very prominent, janmaisvarya-sruta. They are not very much interested about the janma, but aisvarya, sruta, they are interested, and sri. So everywhere, more or less, that is the... So these are disqualification for Krsna consciousness. In the material world they are very good qualification, advancement of material civilization. But here Kunti says, janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir edhamana-madah puman, naivarhati: "He does not desire." Na eva, naiva, arhati.
Therefore the Vedic civilization is voluntary giving up, voluntary giving up. Big, big king, Maharaja Bharata, the emperor of the whole world, Bharatavarsa. Therefore it is called Bharatavarsa. At the age of twenty-four years, he gave up his kingdom, his young wife. There are many, many instances. So to become voluntarily akincana, "I have nothing. I don't possess anything." Here in this material world, everyone is trying to possess more -- more wealth, more education, more beauty, more family prestige, aristocracy. This is materialism. And spiritualism means just the opposite. Therefore people are not attracted to spiritualism. I have told you that I was thinking when I was dreaming that "Guru Maharaja is asking me to come out, and I was going..." Did I say this story? Yes. So I was afraid: "Oh, I have to give up my family. And I become... I have to become sannyasi? And I have to go behind my Guru Maharaja? No, no, it is horrible." I was thinking. But he forced me to it. He is so kind that he forced me, somehow or other. That is mercy. I can understand now that how much merciful was my Guru Maharaja that he forced me to take this life.
So therefore it was enquired by Yudhisthira Maharaja... There is a verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that... This question was raised by Pariksit Maharaja to Sukadeva Gosvami. So "Your Honor, we see just the opposite thing, that one who is devotee of Lord Visnu, the wife, the husband of the goddess of fortune, they become gradually poorer." Because a Vaisnava, generally, they remain humble and poor, brahmana also. "Whereas the worshiper of Lord Siva..." Lord Siva means..., at least, he voluntarily accepts all poverty. His wife is Durga devi, so powerful. Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-
So Sukadeva Gosvami said to Pariksit that "This very question was raised by your grandfather, Maharaja Yudhisthira, to Lord Krsna, and what He replied I'll say." So in that connection he gave quotation of Krsna. Krsna said to Maharaja Yudhisthira... Maharaja Yudhisthira, by hint, asked Krsna that "We are Your friend, and why we are put into such tribulations that we have lost our kingdom? We are now living in the forest. Our wife is insulted. Why?" So the reply was that yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih. Means... Krsna said that "When I make one especially favored, then I take away all his riches to make him niskincana." Niskincana means one becomes almost poverty-stricken. Nobody cares for him. Then he become fully surrendered to Krsna. Just like Narottama dasa Thakura says, ha ha prabhu nanda-suta, vrsabhanu-suta-juta, koruna karoho ei-baro, narottama-dasa koy..., koruna..., na theliho ranga pay, toma bine ke ache amara. This position is very nice, niskincana. "I have lost everything. I am now not cared by my family, my friends. So everything I have lost. Therefore I am forced to come to You, surrender. So don't kick me, kick me out. Please give me shelter because I have no other shelter." Toma bine ke ache amara: "I... There is nobody else to take my care except Your Lordship." This is called niskincana.
So actually that is the position. So long we shall think that "For my protection, this arrangement is there for my protection. This arrangement is there...," that is not niskincana. Niskincana means when I'll think, I'll be actually under the understanding that "I have no other protection except Krsna," and then I fully surrender, that is the best qualification for Krsna consciousness. Therefore it is said, naivarhaty abhidhatum vai tvam: "Unto You." Who are You? Akincana-gocaram: "You can be understood only by a person who has lost everything, who has lost everything." Then the Kunti's purpose was that "When we lost everything, You were with us. And now we have got kingdom. We have got prestige. We have got so many things. Now You are going away to Dvaraka?" So tvam akincana-gocaram.
So this is Kunti's realization. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir edhamana-madah... Therefore for spiritual advancement, if one is interested, they should not be too much attached to material things if you want to advance in spiritual life. Janmaisvarya... Because this will be entanglement. The more and more we shall think, "This is mine. This is mine." Aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. This is illusion. Nothing belongs to him, but by illusion, he will think, "This is mine. This is mine." Just like we have got this nice, grand building in this district. If we think, "This is my building" or "My building," then there will be mishap. My Guru Maharaja said. Personally he said that "When we were living in a rented house, if we could collect two hundred, three hundred rupees... We were living very nicely at Ultadanga. And since then -- Jayavidatta has given us this marble palace, Gaudiya-Matha -- there is friction between our men. ‘Who will occupy this room? Who will occupy that room? Who will be proprietor of room?' " Tirtha Maharaja... Kunjababa was giving one tablet, that "This is..." Everyone is planning in different way. So Guru Maharaja said... He was personally instructing me that "If I could sell this marble of this temple, and secure some money, and if I could print some books, that would have been better. That would have been better."
Therefore I am so much after books. If we forget our position, if we become pound-shilling man, property man, then Krsna will be finished, because Krsna is akincana-gocara. Therefore we should always remember that we possess this nice house not for our comfort, but people will come because they are not accustomed. If we would have invited people, "Come and sit down on this Mayapura ground," no, there was no possibility. Therefore we must possess Krsna's temple very nice so that people will come, and we shall preach. That is philosophy, not that because we have got this nice house, therefore we should be very much attached. Attachment must be there -- for Krsna's service. The temple must be very cleansed. The establishment must be very nice. What for? For attracting devotees. This is the purpose, not for our personal benefit. That is the way. My Guru Maharaja introduced these big, big palaces, temple. That is the contribution of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, because the Gosvamis, they worshiped Krsna in a different method -- going to Vrndavana, living underneath the tree, and one night underneath one tree, next night, next tree. This vairagya is not possible for the Western people. Therefore we require this building. That is the contribution. Unless they live comfortably, it is not possible. And we have to preach all over the world.
So nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. For Krsna's... Therefore you'll find in India, there are many very big, big, costly temples, not personal house. You'll never find all over India. You go and see. They have spent lots of money for temple. That was the Oriental civilization. Even the Muhammadans, they would construct very costly mosque, but they would live in huts. That was the intention. One... When... Whenever one is a little bit rich, he'll find out how to spend it for Krsna, not for his sense gratification. Just like this Madana-mohana temple was constructed by a big merchant. He approached Sanatana Gosvami: "Sir, what can I do for you? I want to serve you." So Sanatana Gosvami said, "My Madana-mohana... I am living underneath the tree, and my Madana-mohana is hanging. So if you can, you can construct a temple for Madana-mohana." Similarly, Maharaja Mansingh approached Rupa Gosvami. They never constructed big, big temple for their own living purpose, but Krsna's purpose. That is the way. For Krsna, we must have everything very gorgeous and first class, but not for me. That is akincana. Personally we should not possess anything, simply for Krsna.
So that attitude should be maintained because here it is said, tvam akincana-gocaram. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu also, he said that niskincanasya. Here it is called akincana. And the same thing in different way, niskincana. Akincana."A" means negation, and "na" means negation. Niskincana. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Bhagavad-bhajana, to advance in spiritual life, to be engaged in Krsna's devotional service, that is the aim of life. That is the purpose of human form of life. So for him, he should always remain niskincana. Niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. So therefore Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji, he remained niskincana. And his disciple, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, he also remained niskincana although he possessed so many temples, because nothing was for his personal..., but for Krsna.
So one may question that "Your Guru Maharaja was sitting on the ground in a municipal lavatory..." Because he did not like that "Anybody should disturb me," he was sitting by the side of municipal lavatory. Because so many people will come for darsana and asirvada, he did not like it. He did not like to be disturbed by these asirvada. You see? They will not take any spiritual instruction. They are thinking that "Here is a saintly person, and he'll bless me. So I have got now one thousand. I'll take ten thousand." That's all. Therefore they come. They do not come to take any spiritual instruction. Therefore it is botheration. It is botheration. So Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja did not like this botheration. He was sitting by the side of a municipal lavatory so that "These rascal will not come out of the bad smell and will not disturb me." You see? So Maharaja Mahindranandi, he was one of the... He had organized one sankirtana festival. So he came to Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja and to invite him. So after many requests, Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja said, "Maharaja, you have got many tenants. You are Maharaja. Why you are trying to make me your tenant? Because you are rich man, you also want... As your tenants carries your order, so you also want me. So why you are...?" "No, sir, no. You are my lord. Whatever you say, I shall carry out." "Will you carry out?" "Why not?" So he said that "Don't go home. Sit down here. Chant Hare Krsna." He fled away. (laughter) You see. So he was very humorous also, Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji, that "If you are so obedient, then I ask you, ‘Don't go home. Better give up your dress and chant Hare Krsna here.' "
So he was akincana. So similarly... Just like Ramananda Raya. He was grhastha, very opulent, governor. He is also akincana because nothing was possessed by personal; everything for Jagannatha. This is distinction. On one side, Rupa Gosvami, and one side, Ramananda Raya. And Ramananda Raya is the most confidential devotee of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although he's a grhastha, because he is akincana, as akincana as Rupa Gosvami. So we have to become akincana. Akincana. Then we shall realize Krsna. Therefore it is said, akincana-gocaram: "You are understandable only by a person who does not possess so-called material opulence." So we should always remember that whatever we are trying for material..., it is all for Krsna, nothing for us. So that people may... Big, gorgeous temple means people will be attracted to come here, and we'll distribute Krsna's prasadam. The aim is some way or other to turn them to convert them into Krsna consciousness. Then you remain akincana. And if we think that "We have got now very big house. We shall live comfortably and sleep comfortably," then na gocaram, then Krsna will not be realized. Then that comfort will be realized only, not Krsna. Akincana-gocaram. We should always remember this.
This is... Kunti devi is saying, tvam akincana-gocaram. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu said also, niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Bhagavad-bhajana, devotional service to Krsna, if one is interested, he should not desire anything material possession. Material... Anyabhilasita-sunyam [BRS 1.1.11]. Niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajano... And Bhagavad-bhajana, why required? Now, param param jigamisor bhava-sagarasya. We are rotting in this material world. We have to cross over the nescience ocean, and go to Vaikuntha. That is bhagavad-bhajana. Bhagavad-bhajana does not mean to increase our material possessions. That is dharmartha-kama-moksa. These are material things. People become religious to increase their economic condition better, dharma artha, generally. They want to... Just like there are so many so-called saintly persons. They advertise that "If you give me one, I shall give you ten." Magic, gold manufacturing, or some cloth and they get more... People are after them. But akincana. We have nothing to give. So they do not come to us.
So Krsna is akincana-gocaram. We should always remember that, that if we desire to be materially happy, and if we think, "Some material possession and prestige in the society and becoming a learned scholar... I shall be getting more and more adoration from the society. I'll be a big man," then Krsna will be finished. Krsna will be finished. Krsna is akincana-gocara. That is the instruction of this verse. Naivarhaty abhidhatum. These persons, janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir edhamana, increasing material opulence, they does not, they do not deserve approaching Krsna. Krsna will be approached by Narottama dasa Thakura when he says, toma bine ke ache amara: "I have no other alternative than to take shelter at the lotus feet of Your Lordship. Please give me..." We should always remember this. Then we shall be able to make progress in spiritual life.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.26 -- Mayapura, October 6, 1974
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