Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.3
Los Angeles, December 31, 1973
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Take a testLos Angeles, December 31, 1973
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Pradyumna: Translation: "Maharaja
Pariksit, after having selected Krpacarya for guidance as his spiritual master,
performed three horse sacrifices on the banks of the Ganges. These were executed
with sufficient rewards for the attendants. And at these sacrifices, even the
common man could see demigods."
Prabhupada: Now, people say that "Why we do not see the demigods?" So the answer should be, "Where is your sacrifice, horse sacrifice?" The demigods, they are not so cheap. Just like the king or the president. Does he come anywhere, who is a cheap common man? No. Where the kings or the demigods or a great sage like Narada Muni will come, that place also must be worth coming there.
So there were interplanetary system. Just like Arjuna went to the heavenly planet, similarly, in such sacrifices, if it was arranged by great kings like Maharaja Pariksit and others, Maharaja Yudhisthira, then the demigods, invited, they would come. Not only they would come, but all common men could see. Therefore it is said here, yatraksi-gocarah, deva yatraksi-gocarah. We are much proud of seeing everything, but we should wait for being qualified to see. Not that whimsically I want to see, "O God, please come before me. I want to see." God... God is there just suitable for your seeing power. God is very kind. Here He is present in the temple. And you go on seeing. Then you will realize that He is God.
So God or demigod, everyone can be aksi-gocarah, within the purview of your vision, provided you are qualified. This is the process. These rascals say, "Can you show me God?" But what power you have got to see? First of all gain that qualification. Then you will see. God is everywhere. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayan.
So at the present moment, we want to see God, but we do not acknowledge that we are not qualified. How we can see? If I cannot see even an ordinary president... By my whims I want to see the president or the such and such big officer. You cannot see unless you are qualified. So how you can see God? That is not possible. You have to qualify yourself. Then you will see God. Aksi-gocarah. Aksi-gocarah means, just we are seeing -- you are seeing me, I am seeing you -- similarly, you will see the demigods or God, provided you are qualified.
So Maharaja Pariksit was so exalted king that by his invitation, the demigods would come and public could see. That was possible. That is stated here. He was so, I mean to say, exalted king, he could invite. And the kings also were invited. Just like Maharaja Yudhisthira went. That was interplanetary exchange. That is now not... You cannot go by the sputniks to the heavenly planet. The moon planet is also one of the heavenly planet. Or the other planets. They are all heavenly planets. Urdhvam. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah. When you are competent, fit, for going there, then you can go there. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah, bhutejya yanti.. [Bg. 9.25]. You can go, but you must be qualified, pitr-vratah, deva-vratah. Similarly, you can go to Krsna also if you are krsna-vratah. Mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam. What to speak of going to other planets, if one is qualified, if one is pure devotee, Krsna says, "He also comes to Me." So this exchange of going and coming is not difficult, provided a person is qualified. Not a cat and dog can go. That is not possible.
So another important point is... Ajaharasva-medhams trin, three times. The asvamedha-yajna is so expensive that the king of heaven, Indra, he executed the asvamedha-yajna seven times. So Maharaja Prthu was also going to complete seven times. So there was some, I mean to say, competition. The Indra would not allow him to complete seven times. Otherwise he would become equal with him. So amongst the kings, not only in this planet, but in other planets also, the asvamedha-yajna was performed by very, very powerful rich kings, not ordinary kings. It is very expensive job. Because it is stated, bhuri-daksinan, and vast amount of money required for distribution in charity. Then you can perform asvamedha-yajna. Similarly, there is gomedha-yajna. Asvamedha-yajna was to send the horse with flag, that "Such and such king is the emperor of the whole world." So if some king in some state, he does not agree that "He is emperor," he will capture the horse, "I don't agree, I don't accept." Then there will be fight, "You have to accept." In this way there will be sacrifice.
So Maharaja Pariksit was the emperor of the whole world, whole this planet. So he performed three times. Now, that means three times he challenged, "If there is any dispute, any objection of my becoming emperor?" This is asvamedha-yajna. "If you have got any objection, then I will make you obliged to accept me. Otherwise, if you accept, that's all right. You remain in your state. Give me tax." This is the... So this is very expensive job. Formerly one king performed this asvamedha-yajna, and bhuri-daksinan. He gave in daksina... Daksina means in charity. Just like you give daksina to your spiritual master for initiation, similarly, here also, it is said, saradvatam gurum krtva. Everything must be executed under the guidance of a guru, not whimsically, "Oh, I have got my own idea, I have got my own God. I can do whatever I like." This is simply waste of time. Yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that "Anyone who does not follow the instruction of the sastra, how things should be done," sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah, "does things whimsically," na sukham savapnoti, "he will never get happiness." Yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah, na sukham sa...
So everything should be done according to sastra. And the sastra should be guided by acarya, guru. Acarya means one who knows what is there in the sastra. He practices in his life and teaches the disciple. He is called acarya. Acarya is not a whimsical thing. He must know. Therefore Pariksit Maharaja appointed acarya, saradvatam. He is the brother of Dronacarya. Dronacarya was also acarya, but he was military acarya. And here he was acarya for Vedic rituals, acarya. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva [MU 1.2.12]. Gurum krtva. In order to do things very rightly, you must appoint... Just like if you are going to the court to file some suit, do it very nicely. You have to appoint a very good lawyer. Similarly, these Vedic principles, the Vedic rituals, they should be performed under the direction of acarya, guru, not whimsically. So therefore this kind of sacrifices are forbidden in this age, in this age.
That was discussed between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Chand Kazi, the Muhammadan magistrate of Nadia. He, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, challenged the Kazi, Muhammadan, that "What is your religion, that you eat your father and mother?" This was the challenge by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What is that, father, mother? Now, mother, your cow is your mother. You drink milk of cow. And the bull is your father. Because without bull, without the cow and bull being united, there is no milk. So how is that you are eating your father and mother? It is a great challenge. Actually those who are meat-eater, beef-eater, they are killing their father and mother and become implicated in sinful life. Therefore we say no meat-eating. No meat-eating. If you become implicated in sinful life, how you can be happy? There must be nature's punishment. Just like if you infect some disease, nature must punish you. You must suffer from the disease. You cannot get out. It is not possible. Karanam guna-sango 'sya. Why there are so many varieties of life? Why not one class of men, all President Nixon? (laughter) Why not? Why there is bum in the Bowery Street? In your country I am saying. Why there are arrangement of first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class, fifth-class men? Or animals, or trees? Everything is there. Why?
That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Karanam guna-sango 'sya. As you have infected yourself with a particular type of modes of nature, you will get a body. That's all. If you have infected to get the body of a dog, you must be infected. People who are keeping dog, that means he is being infected by the germs of dog. Next life he will become a dog. He is infected. What he will think at the time of death? If he has got a beloved dog, he will think of... Somebody... In your country, they bequeath great, I mean to say, wealth, for the dog. That means at the time of death, at the time of death he is thinking of his beloved dog. So he must be a dog. So all his wealth goes to the dog and he goes to become a dog. This science is unknown to the rascals. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death, your position of the mind will create the next body. This is the science. So if you create your the position of the mind, Krsna conscious, then you will get a body like Krsna, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. This is Krsna consciousness movement, that "Why you shall love dog and cats? Love God, Krsna, and you get the next body like Krsna." Sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1]. This is Krsna consciousness movement, how to think of Krsna at the time of death. Then your life is successful.
So that has to be practiced. Sada tad-bhava-bhavitah [Bg. 8.6]. If you always chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, that means you remember Krsna always. So there is chance, ninety-nine percent chance, that at the time of your death you will think of Krsna and your life is successful. Very simple method. Make always your mind absorbed in Krsna. Naturally at the time of death you will think of Krsna. Mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam iti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. Such person, Krsna conscious person, who knows Krsna... If you think of Krsna, naturally you know of Krsna. You know of Krsna. Krsna is within your heart. So if you think of Krsna, then gradually you become Krsna-ized. Just like you put the iron rod in the fire. Gradually it becomes fire. Warm, warmer, warmer, then red-hot. When it is red-hot it is fire. Whenever you touch, it will burn immediately. Similarly, if you think of Krsna, the same example... Touching fire. So Krsna will purify you. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. Just like you are being purified by hearing about Krsna daily. Otherwise why you are coming here? We have no money to bribe you to come here. You are feeling, becoming Krsna-ized; therefore you are coming.
So this is the process, simple process. You simply be engaged in Krsna consciousness. Then you become Krsna-ized, purified. And as soon as you become purified, you understand Krsna. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam. "You understand Krsna" means Krsna becomes revealed. Just like something is covered, you try to move the covering. You see the goal. Similarly, by your constant endeavor to become Krsna conscious, Krsna will reveal to you, "Yes. You are so anxious to see Me? Here I am. Here I am. Yes." You will see Krsna. So how this is possible? Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-
So the asvamedham gavalambham sannyasam pala-paitrkam [Cc. Adi 17.164]. This was explained by..., why asvamedha-yajna is forbidden in this age. In this age no sacrifice is possible. There is no money. There is no guru. Guru means who can conduct the sacrifices. First of all there is no means. Even one can conduct, there is no means. It requires huge amount of money. Here it is said that bhuri-daksinan. Bhuri means an unlimited amount. Bhuri means very great. So there is no money. Neither there is expert brahmana also who can conduct such sacrifices, because they must chant the Vedic mantra so perfectly that even a horse or a cow is put into the fire, he will come out with a new life. That is the test. This Chand Kazi, Muslim magistrate, he also challenged Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "What is your this religion? You are eating your father and mother?" Directly. Not that He was talking with a magistrate, He should be a little respectful. No. In spiritual matter, everything spoken frankly, no compromise. Just like we say, "You are not a Krsna conscious person. Then you are a rascal. That's all." You may be the president. That doesn't matter. But because you are not Krsna conscious, you are rascal. There is no compromise, "Oh, here is a big man. How he is speaking." We see everywhere. So many scientists come. I say, "You are rascal. You are demon." (laughter) I say it. And they tolerate. I prove that he is a rascal. I prove that he is a rascal, he is a demon. Then he tolerates, "Yes." We have got sufficient strength to prove, any materialistic man, to prove that he is a rascal. That is possible. Vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate: "If one is practically a devotee of Lord, he doesn't care even personalities like Vidhi." Vidhi means Lord Brahma. Vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate. Kitayate means such great personalities are taken by perfect devotee as ordinary insect. As ordinary insect has no value, similarly, anyone, however great he may be in this material world, if he is not God conscious, he is no better than the insect. Because it has no value. Because he does not know that he is going to become a dog next life. He loved a dog very much, and he bequeathed his all property to the dog, but he is going to become himself a dog. Therefore he's a rascal. What is his intelligence? He got some money. There are many instances in (your) country. They bequeath the whole wealth to the dog. Is it not?
Devotees: Yes.
Prabhupada: So how much rascal he is, that? And if you go that "Give us some money for advancing Krsna consciousness," "No, no, we are not interested in religion. I am interested in dog." So how much rascal he is, that. Just imagine.
So everyone is a rascal. Everyone is rascal. How we so boldly say that everyone is? Because Krsna says. We are Krsna-ite. We have to follow. Just like a small child follows the talkings of his father and mother, so similarly, we learn from Krsna. Krsna says,
na mam duskrtino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana
asuram bhavam asritah
[Bg. 7.15]
Krsna says. So we have learned from Krsna. So we test. What is the test? Na mam prapadyante. He does not surrender to Krsna. So such person, what he is? Now, duskrtina, sinful. Meritorious sinful, that when merit is applied for sinful activities, you can do it very nicely than the ordinary man. A scientist discovers some method of stealing, how to break the treasury of the bank. So that does not mean... Because he is doing scientifically, stealing, that does not mean he is not a thief. He is a thief. How you can say, "Oh, he has done it very scientifically"? (laughing) The law will say, "You are rascal. You are thief. You must be punished." So these so-called educated scientists, philosophers, what they are doing? They are simply doing mischief. Therefore they are duskrtina. Duskrtina. Mudha. Mudha means rascal. Ass. Because nobody knows what is the aim of life. They're exactly like the ass. He does not know what is his interest. Unnecessarily he is carrying three tons of cloth of the washerman. Therefore he is called ass. His gain is a little morsel of grass. He can get grass anywhere. Still, he is thinking, "I am obliged to this washerman. Because he is supplying me grass, therefore I must have three tons of cloth on my back." This is ass. This is ass. He has no interest. Not a single cloth belongs to him, and he is carrying, oh, three tons of cloth. Therefore the ass. Ass means one who does not do know his interest, and he works unnecessarily and wastes his time.
So everyone in this material world, he does not know what is the aim of life. Unnecessarily he is making plan, this plan, that plan, this plan, that plan. And all plan is being frustrated by the laws of nature. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. Every plan will fail. And those who are plan-making persons, they are all rascals. They do not know that what kind of plan should be made. The plan should be made that everyone should be God conscious. Then every plan will be successful. Otherwise all, everything will fail.
So these sacrifices are forbidden in this age, Kali-yuga, because there is no expert brahmana who can conduct the sacrifices, neither people have got any means. Now, so far bhuri-daksinan, so there was one king. He performed this sacrifice, and by the grace of Lord Siva, he got the information of a golden mountain. So golden mountain, he collected enough gold from that mountain, and in the sacrifice he made everything made of gold, everything. So he distributed utensils. That is the system, that to the brahmana who attends the sacrifice, they are given money, utensils, cloth, bedding. Because brahmanas, they do not care for material possessions. They are simply engaged in Brahman consciousness, God consciousness. Therefore it is the duty of the ksatriyas and the vaisyas to give them in charity so many things, so that they may not feel any want of material necessities. They do not beg. So this king, he arranged for distributing to the brahmanas so many golden utensils that when they were given to the brahmana, each and every brahmana, some of them thought, "What is the use of such load?" This is brahmana. So after coming out from the sacrificial arena, they threw away. "Throw! Who will carry such a load?" Just see. This is brahmana. A big load of gold they neglected. They threw it away. "I don't want it. This king has given. All right, take. But I will throw away." (laughing) This is brahmana, yes. He doesn't care for all these things. Brahmana's another par..., is yajana yajana dana pratigraha. He accept charity, huge quantity, and next moment he spends or throw it away. That's all. Again poor man. That is brahmana. Again collect money. Spend it for Krsna consciousness. That is brahmana. That is brahmana. So bhuri-daksinan. Those... In very long, long years ago this was done.
So when Maharaja Yudhisthira was in need of money for performing this asvamedha sacrifice, so he asked his brothers, assistants, "Now we have spent all our money in this Battle of Kuruksetra. You know the expenditure of battle. So I require money. So where is the money?" So when Krsna saw that Arjuna and Maharaja Yudhisthira is is very much perplexed to secure money, so he asked his friend Arjuna, "You can go there, near Himalaya. There is huge stock of gold utensils, and formerly they threw it away. You can go and collect. Bring it." So immediately he went, and he collected all the thrown utensils of gold, and enough money was collected. Therefore Arjuna's another name is Dhananjaya. Dhananjaya means "who has conquered, securing wealth." Dhana means wealth. Dhananjaya.
So this is sacrifice. This is sacrifice. But it is not possible. Asvamedham gavalambham [Cc. Adi 17.164]. This is forbidden. Here, at the present moment, the yajna is sankirtana. Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah. Here at the present moment this yajna is recommended. This is recommended in the sastra, not manufactured.
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah
[SB 11.5.32]
This is the process of yajna in this age. What is that? Now, krsna-varnam tvisa akrsnam. The God's incarnation, that is incarnation, not a manufactured incarnation. There must be reference to the sastra. So what is the incarnation? Pracchanna-avatara. In this Kali-yuga the incarnation is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is stated in the sastra, krsna-varnam, krsna
varnayati: "He is simply chanting ‘Krsna,' although He is Krsna Himself." Krsnam-varnam tvisakrsnam. Therefore He has hidden Himself. His bodily color is more Krsna, but golden. That is also stated. Krsna has got four colors. Suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krsnatam gatah. When Gargamuni made the horoscope of Krsna, that "This child has three other colors, suklo raktas tatha pitah. He had His color. Red color and white color and now..., and yellow color. Now He has assumed black color." Suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krsnatam gatah. So therefore His name was Krsna. So Krsna has another color. Pita. Pita-varna-gaurah. That is Lord Caitanya. Therefore tvisa akrsna: "Bodily complexion, not krsna." Such Krsna, chanting Krsna... Krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam [SB 11.5.32]. Followed by many devotees, Caitanya Mahaprabhu. At least followed by Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadadhara Prabhu, like that. So this is the description of the incarnation of God in Kali-yuga. Pracchanna-avatara. There is another avatara, Kalki.
So krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam. To such God the method is to sacrifice. The sacrificing method is yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah. Su-medhasah. Medha means brain substance. Those who have got good brain substance, such persons worship this Lord by the yajnaih sankirtanaih. So that we are doing here. Here is krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam [SB 11.5.32], Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu. Therefore our first obeisance is to Him, then Krsna. This is the process of Krsna consciousness.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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