"Satsanga...Asatsanga"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.11-12
Mayapura, June 25, 1973

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada


Devotee: (leads chanting, etc.)

sat-sangan mukta-duhsango
hatum notsahate budhah
kirtyamanam yaso yasya
sakrd akarnya rocanam

tasmin nyasta-dhiyah parthah
saheran viraham katham
darsana-sparsa-samlapa-
sayanasana-bhojanaih

"The intelligent, who have understood the Supreme Lord in association with pure devotees and have become freed from bad, materialistic association, can never avoid hearing the glories of the Lord, even though they have heard them only once. How, then, could the Pandavas tolerate His separation, for they had been intimately associated with His person, seeing Him face to face, touching Him, conversing with Him, and sleeping, sitting and dining with Him?"

Prabhupada:

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido
bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah
taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani
sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati

Satam prasangat. Sat-sanga. Sat-sanga. Sat means devotees, and asat means nondevotees. Even in moral instruction of Canakya Pandita, he advises: tyaja durjana-samsargam bhaja sadhu-samagamam. Canakya Pandita ad... Although he was a politician, a great politician, still, a learned brahmana and knowing all moral instruction, he gives this advice: tyaja durjana-samsargam.

This is the crucial point of advancement in human life. Tyaja durjana-samsargam. Try to avoid. Not try; must. You must avoid the association of the materialistic persons. Materialistic person means those who are after money and woman. That's all. They are materialistic. Those persons, simply hankering after money and woman, they are materialistic. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised to associate with this class of men, hankering after money and women, it is better..., death is better, preferred, than to associate. When He was requested to see King Prataparudra... Because he was king, he's supposed to be always in association with money and women. He refused to see him: "No, I cannot see the King." When He refused to see, He quoted one verse: bhava-sagarasya, niskincanasya bhava-sagarasya. Niskincanasya jigamisor bhava-sagarasya.

People do not know what is bhava-sagara. They do not know even. But in Vedic literature, this is the first instruction, how to get out of this bhava-sindhu, bhava-sagara, material ocean. The whole universe is also a ocean. And all these planets, they are called dvipa. Just like this planet is called Jambudvipa, Bharatavarsa. Actually it is like dvipa. Nowadays, those who are flying in the sky, they're going from one island to another island, one planet to another planet. So when that is called dvipa, there must be relative term, the ocean, or the sea. So whole, this universe, this planets, they are called dvipa. Therefore they are floating in the ocean of air. Just like you have got experience. You have got experience of this also, ocean of water. And above water, there is air, ocean of air. Then there is sky. So bhava-sagarasya. The whole universe is bhava-sagara. Sagara means ocean, or sea. And bhava means repetition of birth and death. Bhava. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. In the Bhagavad-gita, once we take birth, we remain here for some time, then we give up this body; we accept another body. Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. We have to... So long we are in this material ocean, we have to accept these laws of nature, repetition of birth and death. This is called bhava-sagara. So we are eternal, nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. It requires little intelligence, that "I am eternal. Why I am in this business, accepting one body, and again giving up, giving it up? And there is no guarantee what kind of body I'm going to accept next." There is no guarantee. It will be according to your work. We can become an insect, or we can become the demigod. We can become tree; we can become animal -- anything, according to our karma. Karmana daiva-netrena.

So this rascal civilization, they do not understand what is bhava-sagara, what is bhava. Nothing. They are so rascal. And they're passing on as civilized men. No knowledge. So when one is intelligent, actually, then he considers that "If I am eternal, why should I accept repetition of birth and death?" That is intelligence. But they have given (in) to birth and death -- "Never mind." Even university students, they say, "If next life, if I become animal, what is the wrong?" Just see. How much degraded. In Hawaii University, one student said that "Even if I become an animal, what is the wrong there?" Just see how much degraded the human society has become. They are prepared to become animal, cats and dogs, trees, anything.

So when one comes out of this gross ignorance, how to get out of this bhava-sagara... Just like if you are thrown into the water of sea, you may be very expert swimmer, but you don't like to remain there. You want to come out. Similarly, although we may be very expert in changing our body, but still, at the time of death, we don't like it. Nobody likes to die. But he... Nobody thinks how to stop this death. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. By the destruction of this body, the soul is not dead. It is living. So this is called self-realization. One must be sober to think over that "If I am eternal, if I do not die after the destruction of this body, and I do not like to die, how to stop it?" This is intelligence, how to stop the repetition of birth and death. But the human civilization, the so-called human being has become so much degraded, they have no brain even to think over these matters, that how to stop this repetition or if there is any means to stop this repetition of birth and death. They do not..., they have no knowledge. Still they are going on as human being. They're like animals. Even big, big professors in Europe, they say, "Swamiji, after death, everything is finished." You see. Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. Even these plain words, the first instruction of Bhagavad-gita, they do not understand. Not only they. Here, also. So many politicians, so many rascals, they take Bhagavad-gita, but they do not understand. They're busy with politics.

But the first instruction of Bhagavad-gita, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20],

dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir...
[Bg. 2.13]

No. No. Political leaders teach the people that there is birth after death. Have you heard, any politician? But take the Bhagavad-gita and stands with photograph: "Oh, he's a very great reader of Bhagavad-gita." But one who understands Bha... "He's a rascal." If he understands Bhagavad-gita, why he's in politics? And even if he's politics... These, all these kings, Maharaja Yudhisthira, Krsna, they were also in politics. But they know things as they are. That is the difference. Who can be greater politician than Krsna? He's giving this instruction: dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara, tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. So in human life, if they do not know what is the process of living condition, how we are changing, how we are accepting birth and death, how to stop it, then what is the meaning of this human being?

So this knowledge can be attained by sat-sanga. Sat-sanga. Sat-sanga means... This is sat-sanga, associating with devotees of the Lord. So sat-sanga. Sat-sangan mukta-duhsangah. You cannot make association with two parties. If you want to associate with the devotees, then you have to give up the association of the nondevotees. That will be natural. Just like our, these students, although they are very young... They are not only young, but coming of very luxurious families in America, Europe. Here, the boys, they cannot even imagine how much luxury they enjoyed. Here, they have no employment, our young men. Mostly unemployed. And in Europe, America, especially in America, there is no question of unemployment. Anyone can go and earn immediately ten dollars. Ten dollars means hundred rupees. He's prepared. One of my students, Trayadhisa, he was, morning, he was absent. So I asked him, "Why you are absent?" "Now I required some money, so I went to get some money." "How you got money?" "Now I went to the shoe brushing shop. So I brushed some gentleman's shoes. I got some money, five dollars." So they know how to earn money. There's no scarcity of money. Even in a hotel, one goes, he washes the dishes -- immediately gets ten dollars. So money and woman. So there enough they enjoy, but now they have given up everything. Why:. Due to this sat-sanga. Due to this sat-sanga. Sat-sangan mukta-duhsangah. No more. No more association with money and woman. This is so powerful, sat-sanga. Sat-sanga is so powerful.

Sat-sanga means satam prasangan mama virya-samvidah. When actually there is sat-sanga... Not professional Bhagavata readers or Bhagavata reader... No. Really realized souls of Bhagavata, Srimad Bhagavad-gita, they are called sat. Not for earning livelihood. They are not sat. Those who are, those who are reading Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavata for some worldly material gain, they are not sat. They are asat. Those who are actually reading Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam for the satisfaction of Bhagavan, bhagavata, they are sat. So once associating with these sat people, he cannot make anymore association asat. Here is a vivid examples: Hrsikesa. He left our company. He associated with some asat. Asat means nondevotees. Asat, generally, we understand rogues and thieves. But those who are devotees, they're less than rogues and thieves. Those who are not devotees, they're less than rogues and thieves. So he could not associate. It was struggle. At last, he had to leave.

So sat-sangan mukta-duhsangah. Once you are associated sincerely with devotees, he cannot mix with nondevotees. This is the test. This is the test. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat. If once only... Sakrt. Here it is said, kirtyamanam yaso yasya sakrd akarnya rocanam. If once... Satam prasangat, sat-sanga is so powerful. If one submissively hears from sat-sanga about the name and fame of the Supreme Lord, immediately it becomes palatable. Sakrd akarnya rocanam. The same thing is repeated in another place: satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah. If one hears from real devotee, immediately he becomes pregnant. Viryamana. Just like if one boy is viryamana, as soon as he has sex, the girl must be pregnant. Similarly, those who are viryamana, really devotee, by hearing him, one becomes pregnant. Pregnant means he becomes interested in Krsna consciousness. This is called satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah. Hrt. We like from the heart. We like from the ear. Very nice to hear. Hrt-karna-rasayanah. Rasayana means pleasing. As soon as one will hear from satam, then his ear and heart will be pleased: "Oh, it is very nice." Hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah. Taj-josanat. And if he again cultivates, if he thinks over, taj-josanat, asu... Asu means immediately. Apavarga-vartmani, on the path of liberation. Sraddha bhaktir ratir anukramisyati. This is the process. Therefore, sat-sanga is required.

Now we have opened such a big hall, inviting people to come to take part in the sat-sanga, but nobody's interested. So therefore if anyone becomes interested, he's very intelligent. He's intelligent because he wants to stop this repetition of birth and death. This is the problem. This problem, the so-called scientists, philosophers, educationists, politician, they have set aside this question. The real problem is to solve the question of birth and death. They do not touch it. They are making plan for economic development and other things. Economic development... Suppose you become rich man for twenty years or fifty years, utmost, at the present moment. Then you become a cat and dog in next life. Then what is your economic development? But they do not know that there is life after death. We have to prepare for the next life. Karmana daiva-netrena. Then according to my karma, by superior inspection, I'll get next birth. And in the Bhagavad-gita it is plainly spoken: janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Krsna says, "Simply try to understand My janma. I take birth." Ajo 'pi sann avyayatma. He's aja. Every one of us aja. Na jayate na mriyate. We don't take birth, don't die, because we are part and parcel of Krsna. So Krsna must be aja.

So Krsna takes birth. That is Janmastami. So if anyone tries to understand why the Aja, the Unborn, takes birth, janma karma... And God, Krsna, who has nothing to do... That is the Vedic information. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Why He has to do? Actually He hasn't got to do anything. He has to enjoy only. Just like we see the Deity Krsna is not working in the factory as a factory manager. He's enjoying the company of Radharani. We have to work. If we enjoy with our so-called Radharani, then we'll starve to death. We have to work. But God is not like that. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. These are the informations from Vedas, Upanisads, that He has nothing to do. Yes. That is real God. If God has to work, God has to do something, then what kind of God He is? Here, the so-called imitation Gods, even a rich man, he does not do anything. And why God will work? Therefore God comes... He's aja, unborn. He comes, janma, karma, He works also. Just like Krsna. He worked ordinary cowherd's boy. He worked as ordinary politician. He worked as ordinary philosopher, left the instruction of Bhagavad-gita and so many other instructions, sublime instructions.

So one has to understand that why the unborn takes birth. One who hasn't got to do anything, why He comes as a human being and works? Janma karma me divyam. These are all transcendental subject matter. These are not ordinary things. Krsna's coming, Krsna's working, Krsna's fighting, Krsna's loving, they're all transcendental subject matter. Aprakrta. So janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. If anyone simply understands this subject matter, why Krsna takes birth, why Krsna works as ordinary man -- these are all transcendental subject matter -- then he becomes free. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Simply by understanding Krsna, about His work, about His birth. Simply if we can understand. The Bhagavad-gita is there. You can read and try to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is. The result will be, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Then after giving up this body, he never takes birth in this material world. Punar janma. Punar janma means within this material world. In the spiritual world there is no janma, there is no death. Punar janma naiti. Then where...? He's finished? No. Mam eti: "He comes to Me, back to home, back to Godhead." This is perfection.

So anyone who is interested in this highest perfection of life, punar janma naiti mam eti, not to take birth again in this material world, but to go back home, back to Godhead, such person... Caitanya Mahaprabhu speaks for such person: niskincanasya jigamisor bhava-sagarasya, param param jigamisor bhava-sagarasya. Param param jigamisoh. Just like we are on this side of the sea. We want to go the other side of the sea. Similarly this bhava-samudra, we are on this part of the sea, material world. If we want to go to the other side, spiritual world, so we have to become niskincana. Niskincana means no more possessing anything material. That is called niskincana. If we hanker after possessing material... Therefore sannyasa. Sannyasa means simply possess Krsna and no other possessions. That is niskincana. You have to possess something. Suppose you have got something, one copper coin or silver coin. So if you dispossess, if you throw it away, then what is the gain. Whatever you had, gone. But if you throw the copper coin, or the silver coin, and if you accept a gold coin, then you are profited. Then it is profit. So niskincana, to simply become niskincana, renounced of everything... Just like Mayavadi sannyasis. They do... Brahma satyam jagan mithya. Yes. But brahma satyam, they do not understand what is the actual satya-vastu. That satya-vastu is Bhagavan. They do not search after Bhagavan; simply the light, effulgence of Bhagavan, brahmajyoti. They are satisfied. (yelling in background) (aside:) What is that, trouble? Stop them.

So there are so many versions about sat-sanga and asat-sanga. Caitanya Mahaprabhu advises niskincanasya param param jigamisor bhava-sagarasya sandarsanam atha yositam. (yelling continues in background, louder) They're fighting? Or what...?

Devotee: Sandarsanam visayinam atha yositam ca.

Prabhupada: Ah. Sandarsanam atha yositam visayinam atha yositam ca. So niskincana means do not hanker after any more money and women. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see persons who are after money and woman, because by their association we may be infected. We may be again hankering after. Suppose I have taken sannyasa, and if I see one grhastha having a very faithful and beautiful wife, if I think, "Oh, I left my wife. If I would have possessed, I would have been happy," he's immediately fallen. Because within the mind, he's associating with yosit. Suppose we go to see some rich man. I see that he has got money, nice motor car, nice building. If I think, "Oh, I have taken sannyasa. If I would have possessed all these things, I would have been...," then immediately fall down. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu strictly prohibits that if you have become niskincana, renounced order, with a idea of going forward, bhava-sagarasya, on the other side of the ocean, then aspiring after money and women is lower than dying, committing suicide. Ha hanta hanta visa-bhaksanato 'py asadhu. If you take poison, that is criminal. Similarly, He says, "A man in renounced order of life, if he's thinking of woman and money, then he's committing suicide more than ordinary suicide." Visa-bhaksanato 'py asadhu. Visa-bhaksana. If you drink poison, then you are criminal. If you survive, by law you'll be punished. Perhaps you know it. Anyone attempting to commit suicide, if he survives, by law he'll be punished: "Why you attempted suicide? This is criminal." Similarly, to see, to aspire after women and money, by the renounced order people, is lower than committing suicide. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's version.

So actually who has associated with sadhu, he cannot make any more association with asadhu. Therefore it is said that sat-sangan mukta-duhsangah. Mukta-duhsanga. Mukta means completely liberated. Such person, hatum notsahate budhah, such person cannot give up the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Kirtyamanam. He may try to go away, but he'll not be happy. He'll not be happy. We have seen practically. Some of our boys who have left, they come occasionally. Even he protests externally, internally he understands that he has committed a mistake by associating. Kirtyamanam. Kirtyamanam yaso yasya sakrd akarnya rocanam. The sankirtana, chanting of this holy name, is so pleasing that one cannot avoid it if once he has associated with devotees. This is the position.

Therefore for the Pandavas... Of course, the holy name of the Lord and the Lord, they're identical. There is no difference. But still we are chanting the holy name of the Lord, and if the Lord comes personally, how much we shall be engladdened. So we are chanting Hare Krsna, Krsna's name, but the Pandavas, they were practically associating with Krsna. So if a person associating with devotees, becomes interested in chanting the holy name of the Lord, how much it is impossible, how much it is impossible for the Pandavas to give up His association. Because they are so fortunate that darsana-sparsa-samlapa-sayanasana-bhojanaih. They're in intimately friendly terms with Krsna, that they're lying together, they're sitting together, they're eating together, always seeing Krsna. How they can tolerate His separation? It is impossible. If a..., satam prasangat, if a devotee cannot give up this chanting of His holy name, how the persons who are actually seeing Krsna, associating with Krsna, can tolerate separation from Him? This is the purport.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.11-12 -- Mayapura, June 25, 1973