"Approaching All-good Absolute"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.44
Los Angeles, May 6, 1973



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada


Devotee: (leads chanting, etc.)

suta uvaca
prthayettham kala-padaih
parinutakhilodayah
mandam jahasa vaikuntho
mohayann iva mayaya

Translation: "Suta Gosvami said: The Lord, thus hearing the prayers of Kuntidevi, composed in choice words for His glorification, mildly smiled. That smile was as enchanting as His mystic power."

Prabhupada: Prthaya ittham kala-padaih parinutakhilodayah. Akhilodayah, akhilodayah, enlightening or enthusing the whole universe. How? Mandam jahasa. Little smile. If Krsna is pleased and smiles little, then the whole universe will be pleased. Akhilodayah. Tasmin tuste jagat tustah. If Krsna is pleased, satisfied, then the whole universe will be satisfied, because the whole universe means part and parcel of Krsna. (aside:) What is that sound? Kat kat.

Devotee: Preparing for the feast. They're preparing for the feast.

Prabhupada: This should be stopped. Pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam. Just like the parts of my body, they are indriya, senses. The senses are satisfied, the different parts of my body is satisfied when there is food satisfaction in the stomach. If your stomach is hungry, then how you can be satisfied? You cannot be satisfied. Even there is various arrangement for your sense gratification, but if you are hungry, then you'll not be satisfied.

So the whole world is dissatisfied because the spiritual hunger is not satisfied. Krsna is the central point. So spiritual hunger means... We are, our general propensity is to satisfy our hunger. So Krsna is the center, Krsna is the root, mula. Yatha taror mula-nisecanena trpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopasakhah. Just like watering to the root, you can satisfy the whole tree -- the trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruits, everything -- if there is water in the root. Similarly, Krsna is the root of all creation. Aham sarvasya prabhavah. "Everything is emanating from Me," Krsna says. Aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. Whatever you see, that is coming from Krsna. There are so many other words.

What is this world? This world is made of two energies, material and spiritual. Actually it is spiritual, but some portion is material. The same example, that this, my body is full of consciousness, sensation, but some parts, just like the nail, there is no consciousness, there is no sensation. If you cut the nail, you won't feel any pain. But just a, a small, I mean to say, one tenth part of an inch, if you come down on the skin portion, immediately there will be sensation and painful. As they're side by side. Therefore, similarly, the material creation and spiritual creation is side by side. The material creation is another part of spiritual creation. Just like the cloud. The cloud is creation of the sunshine. Not that the sunshine is creation of cloud. This is the mistake, modern science. By the sunshine, the cloud is created. But when the cloud is created, the sunshine becomes covered. You cannot see the sun. Similarly, this maya...

Maya means absence of Krsna consciousness. This is maya, absence of Krsna consciousness. When you forget Krsna, this is maya. When we remember Krsna, know Krsna, there is no maya. Just like you have experience that you go through the cloud and then come to the sunshine, there is no more cloud. So below the cloud there is darkness, there is... We cannot see the sun. So the sunshine is profuse sunshine. Not that cloud can cover the sunshine. Similarly, Krsna is all-pervading. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. Krsna is within the universe, within the atoms, everywhere. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Every heart, there is Krsna. But we cannot see Krsna. Simply, somehow or other, we have been covered by the illusion of maya. That's it. So as soon as we come to the Krsna consciousness atmosphere, shining atmosphere, then there is no maya. Maya is illusion.

So here Kuntidevi says, Suta Gosvami says, that prthaya ittham kala-padaih. Prthaya, Kunti's another name is Prtha. His, her father's name is Maharaja Prthu; therefore she is called Prtha, daughter of Prthu. So when Kunti offered prayers to Krsna in very chosen nice words, all the words... Therefore Krsna is known, His another name is Uttama-sloka. Uttama-sloka. Because Krsna is the Supreme, He should be offered prayer with supreme words and feelings. Supreme words and feelings. The language should not be cheap, or the idea should not be cheap. Just like when we offer prayer to Krsna, we follow the path by Lord Brahma. Brahma offered this prayer in the Brahma-samhita:

cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.29]

Each word is full of meaning. Cintamani, prakara, sadmasu, kalpa-vrksa. So Krsna should be offered by chosen words. Uttama-sloka, very nicely arranged.

So such prayers, we can have many. Because many devotees of Krsna... Just like Kunti is offering her prayer. So we can practice how to offer prayer to Krsna. Instead of writing ourself, if we, in the beginning, follow the footprints of the great devotees of Krsna and follow their principles, taken to heart, how they have spoken, that will be advantageous, because Krsna will be pleased. Krsna... The Mayavadi prayers... What is that prayer? Now call Krsna by ill names. That is their prayer. They offer prayer to the Supreme that "You have no eyes, You have no hand, You have no leg, You cannot speak, You cannot..." So many things, all negation. So is that prayer? If I say, "You have no eyes," so in an indirect way it is to call you, "You are blind." If you have no legs, that means you are lame. You cannot hear: you are deaf. You cannot speak: you are dumb. So is that prayer? If I say, "My dear sir, you are blind, you are lame, you have no eyes..."

So these rascals' prayer is like that. He does not know what is the name of the Supreme. "O my dear, You have no legs, You have no hands, You have..." This is not prayer. This is not prayer. Prayer must be description of the Lord about His activities. Just like Brahma is offering prayer, surabhir abhipalayantam [Bs. 5.29]. "Krsna, Govinda, You are so fond of Your surabhi cows, surabhi, that You are always engaged in taking them to the forest and enjoy with Your cowherd boys." The Mayavadi will think, "What is this? The God has become a cowherd boy? How it is? He must be very exalted. How it is that He is cowherd boy?" But he does not know the nature of the Lord. He's free. He loves everyone. He loves His great devotee, He loves the cows, He loves the calves, He loves the trees, fruits, flowers, water, everything, because everything is manifestation of His energy. Just like you love any part of your body. Not that if there is some pain on your head, you take very much care, and when there is pain on your toe, you do not take care. No. You spend as much money for the pain of headache. Similarly, you can spend as much money when there is some pain on the toe. So Krsna, being Absolute, there is no such distinction that, "Here is head, important, and here is leg, nonimportant." No.

So this caste distinction... Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. Just like we have got division of my body. Guna-karma-vibhagasah. The head is working nicely because without brain, there is no work. So the working of the head certainly is very important. Similarly, the walking of the leg is also important. So Krsna's thinking, taxing the brain or walking there is no such difference. In our body also there is no such difference. But because we are in the materialistic world, dual world, we make distinction: this is superior, inferior. But for Krsna there is no such thing, "superior," "inferior." Everything is Krsna. The Mayavadi philosopher says that when Krsna comes, He accepts a material body. But these foolish people, they do not know that Krsna has no material body. For Krsna, everything is spiritual. Krsna has no material body. It is for us to distinguish between matter and spirit. But Krsna, being the original source of everything, He is absolutely spirit. That's all. The Supreme Spirit. He has no such distinction.

The same example, as I have given many times: Just like for an electrical engineer, there is no such distinction that "This is heater" and "This is cooler." Heat and cool, opposite. But the, for the engineer, electrical engineer, he takes as much importance for the heater, as much for the cooler. So, for him, there is no such distinction, material or spiritual. It is for us. Because we are now in the dual stage, the world of duality, relativity. This world is relativity. We cannot work so nicely with material consciousness. But Krsna has no such thing. Krsna is absolute. There is no distinction, material and spiritual.

So even we offer Krsna prayer with broken languages, because Krsna is Absolute, Krsna will accept it. Bhava-grahi, bhava-grahi-janardana. Janardana, Krsna, sees how much your heart is pure for serving Krsna. Krsna does not see the wording, the grammatical composition of your prayer. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said... When other demigods were afraid of approaching Nrsimhadeva, so Brahma requested Prahlada that "You offer prayer." So Brahma's prayer is very..., Prahlada Maharaja's prayer... So Prahlada Maharaja says that "What prayer I shall offer to the Supreme Lord? Such big, big demigods like Brahma and others, they are present here. Even goddess of fortune, Laksmi, is present here. They are afraid or they could not offer proper prayers to Krsna, Nrsimhadeva, to pacify Him. He's very angry. So everyone is afraid." So Prahlada Maharaja said that "I am born in a low family. My father is Hiranyakasipu. So how I can offer prayer? If big, big demigods could not offer prayer and satisfy the Lord, so what I can do?"

This is humbleness of Vaisnava. Vaisnava is so humble. He is induced, he's ordered by Brahma, that "You offer prayer. Your prayer will be accepted." So then Prahlada Maharaja considering that viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad aravinda-nabha-padaravinda-vimukhat: "I can understand this, that Krsna is not satisfied by the prayers of a brahmana who is qualified with twelve nice qualities. Krsna is satisfied simply by devotion. I can understand. Because all these big, big demigods headed by Brahma, they could not... They are asking me. That means Krsna be satisfied simply by bhakti."

That's the fact. That is the fact. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita: yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Krsna says that "A little flower, little water, little fruit, that's all, if somebody offers Me with devotion and love, then I eat." Krsna is not hungry. Krsna is not hungry. He is self-satisfied, purna. But if His devotee offers Him something with love and affection, then He accepts. So do not think that "We have made such nice, sumptuous plate for Krsna. Krsna must eat." No. There is no such thing, "must." You cannot make Krsna must. That is not possible. So Krsna will see how much you have love for Him. Then He will accept. Otherwise He'll reject. Therefore, it is forbidden, those who are nondevotee, those who are not initiated, those who are not chanting regularly, their offering to Krsna will not be accepted. We must be very careful. We must know our position, whether I am sincerely following the principles of devotional service. Then Krsna will accept. Yo me bhaktya prayacchati. The real thing is bhakti. So either you offer Krsna prayers or you offer foodstuff, everything must be along with bhakti, devotion, love. Then Krsna will accept.

As Kunti, Krsna, Kunti offered prayers... She's a woman. She has not much very learning. But still, whatever she has offered, kala-padaih, according to her, as much, as many nice words could be collected, she has offered... Kala-padaih parinuta, worshiped. So worship, for what purpose? Akhilodaya. For the enlightenment of the whole universe. Or akhilodaya. By offering prayer to Krsna, everything becomes auspicious, akhilodaya. Then Krsna, whatever you speak for Krsna, it is applicable. Whatever you speak. Because Krsna is everything If you... Krsna, if you say, "Krsna is the noblest man," that is applicable. And if you say, "Krsna is the greatest thief," that is also applicable. This is absolute. Because He has stolen so, so much better, well-known butter thief. So not only that; so many things. If you say, "Krsna is the greatest cheater," that is also applicable. And if you say, "Krsna is the most benevolent, beneficent," that is also applicable. They're absolute. That is absolute. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita, Vedanta-sutra: janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1], wherefrom everything is coming.

So these words, what we think "This is good word; this is bad word," so for Krsna there is nothing like that. Krsna is absolute. Rather, what you think bad, that becomes good when it is applied to Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness. Just like Krsna advised Yudhisthira Maharaja that "You go to Dronacarya and speak him, to tell him that ‘Your son is dead.' " Because Dronacarya will not die unless he hears, he gets a shock of his son's death. So his son was living. So unless he gets this shock... So he would not believe anybody. Yudhisthira Maharaja was the truthful Dharmaraja, Yudhisthira. So Krsna asked him that "You go on and tell this lie, that ‘He is, your son is dead.' " But Yudhisthira Maharaja hesitated: "Oh, I never spoken lies. How can I say it?" You see?

So this was a mistake by Yudhisthira Maharaja, because the so-called truthfulness or untruthfulness of this relative world is not applicable to Krsna. Krsna has got a plan. If we execute the plan of Krsna, that is the highest truth. But we should not imitate unless we are actually ordered to do such thing. Just like Krsna was personally asking. So unless we are ordered by Krsna or Krsna's representative, we cannot violate the morality of this world. That is not possible. It is a great philosophy. It requires little brain to understand. So man nimitte krtam papam punya eva kalpate(?). So if sometimes we have to do something which is sinful for the sake of Krsna, not for others, not for me... For me, even if we do so-called pious activities, that is also impious. And if we do something for Krsna which is in the estimation of the world impious, that becomes pious. That is Krsna philosophy.

So therefore it is said that vaikuntho mandam jahasa vaikunthah. Krsna is Vaikuntha. Kuntha means anxiety, doubt, kuntha. If you are doubtful, if you are in anxiety, that is called kuntha. And Vaikuntha means without that thing, doubtfulness or anxiety. So in other words, whatever you do for Krsna, there is no more doubt or anxiety. Vaikuntha. Therefore His name is Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. There is a verse, sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. Ambarisa Maharaja, he engaged his mind to the lotus feet of Krsna. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh. We have different senses. The mind is the center of all senses. Therefore our first business should be always engaging the mind on the lotus feet of Krsna, always thinking of the lotus. Smartavyah satatam visnuh. Always. Then everything is all right. Then when you have to talk, vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane, simply talk of Krsna, this Vaikuntha. You can talk of Krsna, about His pastimes with the gopis. You can talk of Krsna about His pastimes when He's killing the Putana, Aghasura, Bakasura. Both are the same. Some of the rascals, they decide that to talk of Krsna about His embracing the gopis is very good, and the talk of Krsna killing Putana or other demons, that is not good. That is rascaldom. Anything about Krsna, you talk, vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. Just like in the Srimad-Bhagavatam there are so many descriptions, so many other things, but because it is in relationship with Krsna, so each word of Bhagavatam is valued. Each word of Bhagavad-gita is valued. Because there is relation. Similarly, if you dovetail everything in Krsna's service, everything is good. Everything Vaikuntha. That is Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane.

So that is our Krsna consciousness movement. We are trying to dovetail everything in connection with Krsna. Make Krsna center, and all your activities will be spiritual. That is distinction. Sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. As soon as anything is done for Krsna, the bhakti... So the beginning you cannot do so, that anything you can dovetail. No. In the beginning you have to learn first of all how to become Krsna conscious. You are, we are in the training period. We are in the training period. We should not imitate: "Oh, Yudhisthira Maharaja was ordered to speak lies, so let us go on speaking all lies." No, not that. You cannot do so. First of all, be trained up. For being trained up, you have to follow the regulative principles, the orders of spiritual master. In this way, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. When your all parts of your limbs will be engaged in Krsna's service, hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], in this way when you are actually advanced, then whatever you do in Krsna consciousness, that is good.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.44 -- Los Angeles, May 6, 1973