Your Qualification--Renouncing

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.11
Geneva, June 2, 1974

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada


Nitai: Translation: "My uncle, you must have visited Dvaraka. In that holy place are our friends and well-wishers, the descendants of Yadu, who are always rapt in the service of the Lord Sri Krsna. You might have seen them or heard about them. Are they all living happily in their abodes?"

Prabhupada:

api nah suhrdas tata
bandhavah krsna-devatah
drstah sruta va yadavah
sva-puryam sukham asate

So Yudhisthira Maharaja, after meeting Vidura, the first inquiry was about the family of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. He was always thinking of Krsna. Now, because he has come back home by touring different places of pilgrimage... Dvaraka is also one of the celebrated place of pilgrimage. So he expected that "Vidura must have gone to Dvaraka. And when he had gone to Dvaraka, he must have some news from Krsna's place."

So Krsna is the friend, most intimate friend of the Pandavas. Therefore he says, nah. Nah means "our." Suhrdah. Suhrdah, this word, "always thinking of others' good." That is called suhrdah. The heart is not contaminated. Hrdah means "heart," and su means "very good." So Krsna says also that suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. And here Yudhisthira Maharaja confirms, nah suhrdah. Actually, Krsna is suhrt. Suhrt means well-wisher. As the father is the well-wisher of the sons or intimate friend, well-wisher... Here in the material world, although I may be your well-wisher, you may be well-wisher, but there is some interest. Unless there is some interest for my personal benefit, I cannot become your suhrt. This is material suhrt. But spiritual suhrt is different. Spiritual suhrt means everyone is suffering for want of spiritual consciousness, Krsna consciousness. Therefore attempt should be made so that everyone becomes Krsna conscious. That is spiritual suhrt.

We are now entangled. Actually, our position in this material existence is not very good. Everyone sees it practically. Still, they want to adjust, "Let us make it good. Let us make it good." That is called punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30], again and again chewing the chewed. Just like generally a father, especially here in India, he wants that his son may be well-situated. Therefore we don't get Indian youth very much, because the father and mother settles them. What is that? Get them married and give them some earning capacity, either by service or business. So he becomes satisfied, "This is the end of life." Grhamedhi. Just "Now I am married. It is my duty to stick to the grha and enjoy senses, that's all." Grhamedhi. Sacrifice for Krsna, brahmacari, sannyasi... Sannyasis have become rogues. And there is no brahmacari nor vanaprastha. Therefore it is very difficult to get Indian workers. They have no... Your qualification is -- I told in the beginning -- that you have got a renouncing spirit. That is a great qualification. Tyaga. Renunciation is opulence also. Krsna, six opulences. One of the opulence is renunciation. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah, jnana-vairagya. Vairagya means renunciation. You have enough of this material enjoyment. You have enjoyed. Or you have seen that there is no actually profit. Therefore you are in a spirit... That is natural. That is natural. If one has enjoyed very much, the next stage will be renunciation. This is natural. So because you have got a renouncing spirit, you are understanding or taking Krsna consciousness very nicely, at least, very eagerly. Jnana-vairagya. That is required. This vairagya then... I therefore sometimes like these hippies because they have a spirit of renunciation. That is very good position. Simply they require jnana, or knowledge. Then their life will be successful. To bring one to the platform of renunciation, that is a very difficult job. Especially when one has got nice wife, nice home, nice bank balance, it is very, very difficult.

So there is a version by Krsna that one who is anxious to take Krsna consciousness, but he is entrapped by this binding -- nice wife, nice children, nice home, nice bank balance -- so Krsna, in order to give them, give such devotee, facility, He takes away. Harisye tad-dhanam sanaih. Yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih. Just like he did with the Pandavas. The Pandavas were devotees, but at the same time, they were king. There was attachment. So therefore Krsna took away their everything -- their kingdom, their wife, their position, their honor -- test him, and still, they did not give up Krsna. Therefore they came out victorious. So Krsna sometimes tests His..., that how much one devotee is. He forcibly makes him renounced in order. That is Krsna's special favor.

So this vairagya-jnana, it is required. We were discussing last night also, vita-raga-bhaya-krodha [Bg. 4.10], these things are required. Unless one becomes completely, what is called? Averse?

Yogesvara: Detached.

Prabhupada: Detached: "So what is this nonsense material life?" That's a very good qualification. If one understands this perfectly -- "This is all rubbish, this material enjoyment" -- it is a great qualification. Akincana. Akincana. Akincana means do not possess anything material. Akincana-gocara. Kunti, Kunti, Queen Kunti, when she was receiving Krsna, she said, "My dear Krsna, You are akincana-gocara. You are realized by a person who has no material possession. And You have given us now so much material possession. How we can understand You?" That was... Kunti was regretting that "When we are in distress, You are always with us. Now You have given us kingdom and everything. Now You are going away to Dvaraka. What is this, Krsna? Better let us go again to that distressed condition so that You remain with us." Akincana-gocara. Krsna is akincana-gocara. Anyone who wants to enjoy material life, it is not possible to become fully Krsna conscious. This is very secret.

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Bhagavad-bhajana, to become devotee, Krsna conscious, is meant for niskincanasya, one who does not possess anything in the material world. That does not mean he should be poverty-stricken. No. He should know it fully that "Nothing belongs to me; everything belongs to Krsna. I am simply His servant, that's all." This is called akincana. If I think that "Keeping Krsna in front, let me possess some material things," that is another cheating. That is not... Akincana. You should be fully conscious, that "Everything belongs to Krsna and nothing to us." Then Krsna becomes your suhrt. He takes charge, how your benefit will be there, ultimate. Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami [Bg. 10.10]. Priti-purvakam. This is very great determination, that "Krsna, I simply want You, nothing, anything else. Nothing."

Na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taught this philosophy repeatedly. Niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajana. Bhagavad-bhajana means He Himself become niskincana. He was Krsna Himself, most opulent. Tyaktva surepsitah, sudustyaja-surepsita-rajya-laksmim [SB 11.5.34]. Caitanya Mahaprabhu had the most beautiful wife, goddess of fortune, Visnu-priya, Laksmi-priya. But for the benefit of the whole world, although He is Krsna, He showed us the example. At the age of twenty-four years, He took sannyasa. He was not unhappy in His home. He had His very affectionate mother and... (aside:) Some fly... Affectionate mother and most affectionate wife, beloved wife. But still, it is very difficult to renounce the affection of mother and love of wife. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu did it. (aside:) The fly is still disturbing. So tyaktva sudustyaja. Therefore in the Bhagavata it is said, sudustyaja, very difficult to give up. Tyaktva sudustyaja-surepsita-rajya-laksmim [SB 11.5.34]. And rajya-laksmim, such nice beautiful wife, desired even by the demigods. Such a nice wife, He gave up.

Tyaktva sudustyaja-surepsita-rajya-laksmim dharmistha arya-vacasa yad agad aranyam [SB 11.5.34]. Agad aranyam. Aranyam means, going to the forest means, to take sannyasa. Going to the Himalaya does not mean or going to the forest does not mean that he should actually go there. One should give up this family affection, and dedicate the whole life for Krsna's service. That is really going to the forest. Not that unnecessarily. It may be beneficial for person, for his personal self. But real renunciation is to have no more interest in so-called limited jurisdiction of family, social, international, national, but the whole interest is for Krsna. That is real renunciation. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Renunciation does not mean give up this world. That I was explaining. Our philosophy is not the jagat is mithya. Why jagan mithya? We don't say that. Jagat is fact. It may be temporary, but it is a fact. Now, so long we have got this jagat, let us utilize it for Krsna. That is renunciation. We cannot say this microphone is mithya. So long the microphone is in my possession, let it be used for Krsna's service. This is renunciation. Everyone using this microphone, these modern machines, for his personal gain. But we are not using for personal gain. We are traveling all over the world, spending so much money, jet plane, and this plane, just to push Krsna consciousness as much as possible. This is renunciation, not that sitting one place doing nothing and become Krsna conscious. Then there will be fall down. Don't imitate Haridasa Thakura. That is not possible. You must work.

So to such person, Krsna is suhrt. Suhrt. Here it is said, api nah suhrdas tata, uncle, bandhavah krsna-devatah. Krsna-devatah means one who has accepted Krsna as the worshipable Deity. He is called krsna-devatah. There are so many demigods. They have taken to worship. The Roman were worshiping demigods. The India, in India they also worship demigods. That will not make you happy. Antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam. To take some benediction from the demigods, although people go there, kanksantah karmanam siddhim yajanta iha devatah. People are very much attached to enjoy this material world. So they worship Durga, Kali, or Lord Siva. Kanksantah karmanam siddhim. They get immediately some material benefit. But tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam. What you will do with some temporary material benefit? That is the instruction of Krsna. Don't be attracted by the temporary material benefits. Just try for permanent eternal benefit. Go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the... That is the... What you will do? Suppose you become king. How long you will remain king? Or there are so many dangers. Sometimes the kings are beheaded. King Johann(?) was beheaded. So material position is always tiltering, tilting. Yes. There is no fixed position. It will end. Therefore Krsna says, antavat tu phalam tesam. Antavat means it will end, today or tomorrow or hundred years after. It will end. So why should you... You are eternal. Why should you hanker after these things which will exist for some few years? You are eternal. Accept the eternal position. That is Krsna consciousness movement. Eternal position.

So for that eternal position, you have to make krsna-devatah, Krsna as the worshipable Deity. Krsna is eternal, and if you fix up your service to Krsna, then Krsna will accept you as servant. Naturally, you become eternal. There is a very nice story. Nice story not, a fact. Savitri-Satyavan. Savitri-Satyavan. This, I mean to say, incidences are mentioned in the sastras to give us lesson. Savitri was a very chaste devoted woman. Savitri. In India, to the woman, in order to become very chaste and devoted to husband, they observe the ritualistic ceremony to worship Savitri Satyavan. So Savitri was in love with a boy who was destined to die on the marriage date, but still, she married. She knew that "As soon as I will be married, on the same day, my husband will die." So she pleased the Yamaraja. After the death... The husband died, but she pleased the Yamaraja so much so that Yamaraja was ready to give her some benediction. So Yamaraja said, "What benediction you want?" "Now, as woman, I wish that may be a son of mine, from me." "All right, you will get a son." Then again she said that "If you are taking away my husband, how I will get my son?" So her husband was made alive. So indirectly... So krsna-devatah. If you actually want to be eternally blissful, take to krsna-devatah. Or there is no need of praying for "Make me immortal." No. If you accept krsna-devatah, then automatically... Just like the benediction was that "You... Yes, you will get a son." Automatically her husband was made alive. So krsna-devatah.

So Yudhisthira Maharaja asking that "Did you see them, the Yadu families, who have Krsna as their worshipable Deity?" Drstah sruta va yadavah. Yadu. Yadavah is plural number. Sva-puryam sukham asate: "Whether they are happy in their home,"sva-puryam, sva-puri, "Dvaraka?" So in this way Krsna consciousness means always thinking of Krsna. And make Krsna the friend. Krsna says that suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. Actually, Krsna is the only friend, and He is sitting in everyone's heart. He is so nice friend that He is simply trying to induce us to turn our faith towards Krsna. He is coming as avatara, incarnation. He is giving us advice from within. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. He's such a nice friend. Although we have left Krsna, Krsna has not left us. Here He is living with Me within my heart to give me advice, "Please come back." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg. 18.66].

So Krsna is so nice friend. He is such a nice friend that even to the enemy He gives the greatest benediction. Just like Putana. Putana came to kill Krsna, smearing poison on her breast. But Krsna gave her promotion on the motherly platform. Krsna is so grateful that "This demon might have come to Me to poison Me, but I have sucked her breast. She has become My mother. Therefore she must get the position of My mother." Krsna is so grateful. If you give little service to Krsna sincerely, Krsna will never forget you. And He's so powerful. If Krsna becomes your friend and Krsna remembers you, then what you want more? Just imagine. So Krsna... Here it is said, krsna-devatah. fix up your mind in Krsna and be happy.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.11 -- Geneva, June 2, 1974