Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.49
Los Angeles, December 26, 1973
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Take a testLos Angeles, December 26, 1973
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Pradyumna: Translation: "Vidura,
while on pilgrimage, left his body at Prabhasa. Because he was absorbed in
thought of Lord Krsna, he was received by the denizens of Pitrloka, where he
returned to his original post."
Prabhupada: This Vidura was Yamaraja. So he was cursed by one muni to go down and take birth in sudra family. Yamaraja was very exalted post, but still... Yamaraja means the superintendent of death. There is Pitrloka, Yamaloka, different planets. And where each planet is situated, how many miles, yojana... The Sanskrit is called yojana. Yojana means eight miles. So how many yojana is one planet situated from another planet, that is all described in the Bhagavata, Fifth Canto.
So there is a Pitrloka, Yamaloka. Just like the moon planet, we are trying to go there, but there are different lokas, planets, and you can go, not by the sputnik, by force. No. You'll have to qualify yourself. Just like to come to your country, to take the permanent visa, I had to qualify in so many ways, the immigration department, not by force. Even in this planet, you cannot enter any country without being permitted. How you can enter other planets? Simply by force? No, that is not possible. You have to qualify yourself. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Yanti deva-vrata devan [Bg. 9.25]. A person can go to the planets of the demigods, devan. There are many demigods: Indra, Candra, Varuna, Vayu. Brahmaloka, Prajapatiloka, Siddhaloka -- they are in the higher planetary systems. This is... We are now situated in the middle, Bhurloka. It is called Bhurloka. Above this, there is Bhuvarloka. Above that, Svarloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Satyaloka, like that, urdhvaloka. They are higher planetary... Then middle. And then lower planetary system. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah. If you develop sattva-guna, the quality of goodness, then according to your degree of goodness, you get promoted to the higher planets. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha madhye tisthanti rajasah [Bg. 14.18]. If you are in the passion modes, then you stay here in this middle planetary system. And jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah. Those who are in the most abominable condition of life, adho gacchanti, they go down. Not only the down planetary system, but even to the animal kingdom, the beasts, birds, trees, plants, aquatics. You have to go.
After all, you have to change this body. Change... This is... Bhagavad-gita says, tatha dehantara-praptih. As we are changing this body from childhood, from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood... This is practical. You are not the same body as you had your body in the womb of your mother. That body is gone. Now daily changing; every moment we are changing body. Advancing age means I am changing body, you are changing body. So it is very easy to understood that we are changing our body. But I know, you know, every one of us, that "I had such and such body." You remember that you had a child's body. You were playing like that. When you see another child, you say, "Oh, I was also a child like him, and I was doing like this." But where is that body? That is gone. Now you have got another body. This example is given in the Bhagavad-gita. So as you are changing body, tatha dehantara-praptih, similarly, after giving up this body, you have to accept another body. This is the logic, and any sane man can understand.
So we have become so rascal that we do not believe in the transmigration of the soul. Actually, I am...Presently I can understand that "I had such and such body; now I have transmigrated to this body." How I have done, that is not known to you or me. That is called acintya. Perceptive. Just like the child is changing body, and you saw one child on the lap of his mother. So after few years, you come. You cannot recognize the same child who has grown up: "Oh." The mother says that "This is such and such." "Oh, you have become so grown up." So things are taken imperceptibly. That is going on by the subtle laws of nature. It is a great science, but there is no discussion of this science in any university of the whole world. And they are advancement of knowledge. They are claiming advancement of knowledge. What knowledge you have got? You do not know what you are, and you are advancement in knowledge.
Therefore Sanatana Gosvami, who was prime minister of Nawab Hussein Shah, when he approached Caitanya Mahaprabhu, his first proposition was that, gramya-vyavahare pandita, tai satya mani: "My dear Sir, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, some neighboring people, they call me, I am a very learned scholar." Gramya-vyavahare. "In ordinary behavior, they call me, I am very learned scholar. But I do not know what I am, I am such a scholar." This is the submission. This is called submission. Everyone is puffed up, that "I know. I know everything. So there is no need of going to a guru." This is the method to approach a guru, spiritual master: surrender, that "I know so many rubbish things which are useless. Now kindly teach me." This is called submission. Just like Arjuna said, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam. When there was argument between Arjuna and Krsna, and when the matter was not solved, then Arjuna submitted to Krsna, "My dear Krsna, now we are talking as friends. No more friendly talking. I accept You as my spiritual master. Kindly teach me what is my duty." That is Bhagavad-gita.
So one has to learn. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. This is the Vedic injunction, that what is the value of life? How it is changing? How we are transmigrating from one body to another? What I am? I am this body or beyond, something? These things are to be inquired. That is human life. Athato brahma jijnasa. This inquiry should be made. So in this Kali-yuga, without any knowledge, without any inquiry, without any guru, without any book, everyone is God. That's all. This is going on, fool's paradise. So this will not help. Here, about the Vidura... He also...
viduro 'pi parityajya
prabhase deham atmanah
krsnavesena tac-cittah
pitrbhih sva-ksayam yayau
He... I was talking about Vidura. Vidura was Yamaraja. So a saintly person was brought before Yamaraja for punishment. So when the saintly person inquired from Yamaraja, that "I am... I don't remember that I have committed in my life any sin. Why I have been brought here for judgment?" So Yamaraja said that "You do not remember. In your childhood you pricked one ant with a needle through the rectum, and she died. Therefore you have to be punished." Just see. In childhood, in ignorance, because he committed some sin, he has to be punished. And we are willingly, against the principle of religion that "Thou shalt not kill," we have opened so many thousands of slaughterhouse, giving a nonsense theory the the animal has no soul. Just see the fun. And this is going on. And we want to be in peace. Therefore your Senate house has issued some injunction order, that on the 30th of April, 1974, there will be a mass prayer. Who will explain it? Just explain. What is that?
Karandhara: Well, one senator made a resolution that on April 30th there would be a national observance of prayer because of the state of the nation's moral decay.
Prabhupada: Oh. So you might have seen that. It is good that at least the managers of the state, they are coming to their sense, but this sentiment will not help. One must be serious. The sinful activities, as we have forwarded or manifested, that no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. But I think they will not agree to this the state. And what prayer will do? No. God is not so foolish that you go on doing all nonsense, and simply by prayer you become out of it, punishment. No. That is not possible. Therefore I am speaking of the Viduras.
So that saintly person accepted to be punished by Yamaraja, but he also cursed him, that "Because in my innocence I committed some sin, you are punishing me in this way, so I also curse you that next life you will have to become a sudra. Because you have no intelligence of a brahmana or ksatriya." So Vidura became a sudra. Sudra means he was born by a king, he was begotten by king, but his mother was sudra, maidservant. That was the system, that when a king is married, the father of the princess also gives so many girls to go with the princess, as maidservant. And sometimes the maidservants also gave birth. So they are called dasi-putra. Such son could not claim to the throne, but were provided, dasi-putra. So Vidura's history was like that. He was a dasi-putra, brother, a step-brother, not exactly step-brother, but brother, of Maharaja Dhrtarastra. But he was a very saintly person, because formerly, in the previous life, he was Yamaraja. So he was not ordinary man. So he cultivated spiritual consciousness. Now, after leaving this body, he returned again, pitrbhih sva-ksayam yayau. He again returned to his original post. Temporary, he got the life of a sudra; again he returned back by his pious activities. Similarly, there are many narrations in the Puranas. Sometimes Indra, the king of heaven, he was also cursed by Brhaspati to become a hog in this planet.
So there are many incidences by cursing, by accident. Even by accident, you have to accept a body which you do not desire. So that is, just like Bharata Maharaja. Bharata Maharaja, he was the king of this planet, and at the age of twenty-four years, very young age, young wife, young children, kingdom of the whole planet, he left everything. He went to the forest for cultivating spiritual advancement. But one day he saw that a deer was drinking water in front. In the meantime there was a roaring of a lion, and the deer was pregnant. She gave birth to a calf and she fled away. So Bharata Maharaja saw the little calf is dying. He picked up and kept and it became..., it began to growing. So he had some little affection, just like we have got affection for cubs of dog and others. So one day, that little calf did not return in the evening, and he went to search out on the hill, and accidently he fell down, and next life he became a deer. Yes.
This is the science. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. In the Bhagavad-gita you will find. "At the time of death, as you are thinking, you will be carried to such body." This is the example. Just like this Bharata Maharaja, such an exalted person, he had to become a deer. But because he was spiritually advanced, although he became a deer, he was living with the saintly persons. Where saintly persons were sitting, he was sitting down there. He was eating the flowers and leaves which the saintly persons left after worship. In this way, he had to wait for one life, and the next life, he became a son of a nice brahmana. So because he was remembering this different birth, he became very grave and silent. He was not talking with anyone. So it is very dangerous to contaminate. So he was known as Jada Bharata. This story you will find the the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
So just try to understand that death is there. You have to die. You may declare yourself, "I am very dependent. I don't care for God or anyone," but God will not excuse you. You have to die. You will see God in the form of death. Just like Hiranyakasipu, he is seeing. Prahlada says, "My dear father, why don't you accept God?" "Who is God? I don't care for your God. You rascal boy, you are chanting Hare Krsna." So God... The atheist may declare like that, "There is no God," but he will see God as death. That is compulsory. There is no excuse. So at the time of death, the mentality which you have created by practice, sada tad-bhava-bhavitah [Bg. 8.6], will act. This Hare Krsna movement, this Krsna consciousness movement, is simply educating people so that at the time of death one can remember Krsna. That's all. This simple... And if he is fortunate enough to do this, immediately he is transferred to the Krsnaloka. Immediately, within a second. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9].
So why we should waste our time thinking so many nonsense things? Why not think of Krsna, how beautiful He is, standing here with Radharani? If we come here and take this impression, and simply think of Him, our life is perfect. This is Krsna consciousness. What is the difficulty and what is the loss? If you gain such big profit simply by thinking of Krsna, why should you lose this opportunity, this human form of life? A cat cannot be educated. A dog cannot be educated. If I teach a dog, "My dear dog, please think of Krsna," he is animal; it is not possible. But a human being, although at the present moment he is like a dog, but he can be trained to become a human being and think of Krsna. That is possible. So we should take the opportunity. Bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19]. This life is gotten after many, many births. We do not know. We have forgotten. This is the opportunity. And here is the proof, sastra, that krsnavesena tac-cittah.
How Yamaraja, Vidura, returned to his place? Now, krsnavesena tac-cittah. He was fully absorbed in Krsna thought. Not only Krsna, you can go to Krsnaloka or any loka you desire. The yogis, they also can do that. Yoga practice. But that is not possible in this age. The so-called yoga practice going on are simply bluff. Real yoga practice means one becomes so perfect that he will not die natural death. He will die when he likes. He will not be forced to die. When he thinks, "Now I am fully prepared. Now I shall leave this planet. I shall go to such and such planet, such and such loka," he will be immediately transferred. That is yoga practice. So that practice is not possible. Therefore still in India you will find many yogis are there. They come to Kumbha-mela -- that will be held in the month of February -- from distant places. And you will see, just like young men, but some of them are three hundred years old, four hundred years old. Still. How they are preparing themself? They think, a yogi thinks that "Now I am not prepared. There may be mistake. I am not prepared to enter such and such planet." So that concession is given there by the yogic practice. Just like you appear for an examination. Unless you are fully prepared, you are certain that "I must pass," you do not appear. Similarly, the yogis, unless one thinks that "I am fully competent to enter such and such planet," he does not give up this body.
But that practice may be successful for one or two persons. Generally, it is not successful. But this Krsna consciousness, bhakti-yoga system, is so easy and perfect that if you simply think of Krsna, and if you become perfect as to think of Krsna at the time of death, then immediately you are transferred to the Krsnaloka. Or any loka you like. Not only Krsnaloka, any loka. If you desire to go to heavenly planet, to Brahma planet, to Satyaloka, Maharloka, Janaloka... Many thousands and millions of planets are there. Or even if you want to go beyond this material world, to the Vaikuntha planet, Krsna planet, Goloka planet, you can go there. This is the science. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah [Bg. 9.25]. People... Just like they are very much anxious to go to the moon planet. And what is this nonsense moon planet? It is also a material planet. Actually if you go moon planet, you can live for ten thousands of years. That is the statement in the sastra. But after ten thousand of years you have to die. So if you go to any planet, within this material world, the four material, I mean to say, problems, namely birth, death, old age, and disease, will follow you. You may live in one planet. Just like we are allowed to live on this planet utmost hundred years, not more than that. Or the ant is allowed to live for six hours. Or another fly is allowed one moment. There are different varieties of... Or Brahma is allowed to live for millions of years. So according to the different types of body, we are allowed to live under certain duration of life. But nobody can be immortal here. That is not possible. That is possible when you transfer yourself to the spiritual world, Vaikunthaloka. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. That is possible. So this Krsna consciousness movement is teaching, educating people in such a way not only he goes to the spiritual world, but he goes to the highest planet of the spiritual world, Goloka Vrndavana, where Krsna is there. Where Krsna is there.
So viduro 'pi parityajya prabhase deham atmanah. Deha, parityajya deham. So we give up this body. I am not lost; I am transferred to another body. We give up this body. Just like I give up one kind of dress; I take another kind of dress. Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya [Bg. 2.22]. These are all stated in the Bhagavad-gita. As we change our dress, similarly, we change our body. And this way, transmigration is going on. So this human life should be engaged in such knowledge and cultivation of knowledge, that after leaving this body, we are not going to accept another material body, but we be transferred directly to the spiritual world, and we are situated in one the spiritual planets, as I desire. There are many millions of spiritual planets also. So far we are concerned, we are concentrating our mind to be transferred to the spiritual world, in the highest topmost planet there, Krsna-loka, Goloka.
cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.29]
This is the description of the Goloka Vrndavana planet in the Brahma-samhita. The first description is, "That planet is made of cintamani gems." Cintamani gem means... If you get by chance imitation cintamani gem, you can turn iron into gold. That is cintamani gem. So these things are there. One may believe or not believe, but we believe because we believe in the sastra. So we have no botheration.
So there is Goloka Vrndavana planet, Krsnaloka, and Vaikunthaloka. There are... As there are different grades of lokas, planets... Here also, in this material world, there is one planet which is called Siddhaloka. Siddhaloka means there the inhabitants (are) automatically perfect in all yogic practice. Yogic practice means... If you become perfect in yogic practice, you can fly in the air without any instrument. Anima laghima prapti isita vasita. There are eight kinds of siddhi. You are sitting here. If you want such and such thing from London, you can get immediately. This is called siddhi, prapti. You can become the smaller than the smallest. You can be packed up in a box. We have seen it. And you'll come out. In Bose's circus, Calcutta, in our childhood, we saw this yogic practice. A man was tied up, hands and legs, put into a bag. The bag was sealed up, again put into a box. The box was locked and sealed. And the man again came out. We have seen. So yogic practice is such... Yes. Prapti siddhi anima. You can become the smaller... There was a saintly person in Benares, Trailanga Baba. So he was practiced to sit naked in the public road. So government objected that "You cannot sit naked here." So he did not speak. So he was arrested and taken to the custody and put into the jail. He again came out. He again came out.
So these are yogic, I mean to say, perfection. Anything you like... The most perfect yogi can create even one planet. They become so powerful. But still, that is all material power. That is not spiritual power. The real spiritual power is that you give up this body, you give up this material world, go to the spiritual world, go back to home, back to Godhead. That is your perfection, and that is very easily obtained by this Krsna consciousness attitude.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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