Vrndavana--Devotees Of Radha
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.1
Delhi, November 4, 1973
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Pradyumna: (leads chanting,
etc.)
sri-suka uvaca
variyan esa te prasnah
krto loka-hitam nrpa
atmavit-sammatah pumsam
srotavyadisu yah parah
[SB 2.1.1]
Translation: "Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists."
Prabhupada: So Sukadeva Gosvami arrived at the point of death of Maharaja Pariksit. Maharaja Pariksit was cursed by a brahmana boy that he would die within seven days, bitten by a snake. Just imagine how the brahminical culture was so powerful that even a boy born in a brahmana family... He was only ten or twelve years old... When he heard that his father was insulted by Maharaja Pariksit by garlanding him with a dead snake... His playmates informed him that "Your father has been insulted in this way." So he retaliated that "Within seven days this snake will bite the king and he will die."
So when it was fixed up... Maharaja Pariksit was also very powerful. He could retaliate the brahmana's cursing, but he did not do it. He accepted, "Yes." Therefore Lord Siva said, narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati: "When one is devotee of Narayana, he is not afraid of anything." Narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati. He was cursed that "Within the seven days you'll die." So he was not afraid. "That's all right." So he prepared himself, and many learned scholar, saintly person, kings, even demigods, all approached because he was the emperor of the world, and he was going to die. So many big, big stalwart people... Even Vyasadeva, he was present there. And Pariksit Maharaja said, "Now what is my duty? You are all big men, present here. I am going to die. Now what is my duty?"
This is very important question, that... We are working very hard in this material world, but we are not preparing ourself for death, which is a "must" fact. Everyone must die. The modern civilization, they are afraid of death, but they do not know how to counteract death. This is the modern civilization. But there is process. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna informs us that our real problem of life is death -- birth, death, old age and disease. Birth is the beginning and then, one who has taken birth, he must die. Yavat, yavaj jananam tavan maranam. But if one does not take birth, then he does not die. This is the actual problem. Why we have to take birth? People do not know even that there is again life after death. And Bhagavad-gita's first instruction is tatha dehantara-praptih.
dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptih...
[Bg. 2.13]
As we are changing our body in this life from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then old man, then we give up this body, Krsna says that similarly, as I was a child, now I have got a different body, similarly, when I give up this body, I'll get another body. Tatha dehantara-praptih.
The people do not even know that there is dehantara-praptih, again we have to accept another body. They do not care for it. And there are so many varieties of body. Just like if we are sitting here, so many ladies and gentlemen, each one of us has got a different type of body. Nobody's body is similar exactly to the other body. This is a fact. We can see. So why we have got different types of body? That we do not try to understand. Not only human body, but there are other bodies also. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. We have got bodies in the water, we have got bodies on the land, the tree life, the plant life, the insect life, the birds' life, the beast life, the human form of life... Amongst the human beings there are different varieties -- some American, some Indians, some others. So why they are different bodies? What is that science? Why there are different types of bodies?
The different type of body is due to our different karma and different mentality. That we do not know. But Pariksit Maharaja, although he is king... Nowadays the king and president, they are sure that "I am Prime Minister" and "I am President. My position is secure," because he is prime minister. This is the difficulty. The big, big men, they think that "My position is secure," "I am prime minister," "I am Rahis," "I am Birla," "I am big man, so my position is secure." But Pariksit Maharaja did not think like that. Although he was the emperor, most powerful king, Pariksit Maharaja, he did not think that "I am secure. Because I am emperor of the world, I am secure." No. He immediately become alert: "Oh, I will have to die within seven days. So I must prepare." This is the problem. We do not know whether we are going to die within seven seconds, because there is no guarantee, whereas Pariksit Maharaja had at least seven days' guarantee that he will die after seven days. But so far we are concerned, we can go on the street. There may be any accident. I can die immediately. There are, so many deaths are taking place. The death is sure, and when it will take place, that nobody knows.
Therefore we should take lesson from Maharaja Pariksit that what we are going to prepare for our next life. That is human life. Otherwise it is animal life. The cats and dog, they do not know "What is my next life." They think that... They do not know anything. So if a human being does not know, "What I am preparing for the next life?" he is no better than cats and dogs. That is the statement of the sastra. It is not my statement.
yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah
[SB 10.84.13]
Go-kharah. Go means cows and khara means ass. So anyone who has got this concept that "I am this body," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brahmana," "I am ksatriya," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fat," "I am thin," "I am this," "I am that," this is atma-buddhi, dehatma-buddhi. Yasyatma-buddhi... One should know that "I am not this body." That is real knowledge. That is real knowledge. But nobody knows that. Everyone thinking. The fighting is going on all over the world. Just like Israel and the, what other the party?
Devotee: Arabs.
Prabhupada: (laughs) They are thinking that they are this body, and they are fighting. And everywhere it is going on: "I am this body." Cats and dogs are fighting. So actually, we are not this body. That is knowledge. Therefore Bhagavad-gita begins when Arjuna was thinking in terms of his body that he was declining to fight in terms of body. "Krsna, they are my family members, my brothers, my grandfather, my nephews. How can I kill them?" So therefore Krsna, when Arjuna accepted Krsna as his spiritual master... Sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam: "Krsna, now we are talking like friends, but that will not make a solution, because friendly talking useless waste of time. Let us talk seriously. So I accept You as my spiritual master." Sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam. "Now you teach me."
So this is the process of taking lessons. Just like Maharaja Pariksit also trying to take lesson from the learned saintly persons there. At last it was settled that "Whatever Sukadeva Gosvami will say, that will be accepted. That will be accepted." So therefore Sukadeva, after being questioned by Maharaja Pariksit, Sukadeva Gosvami is answering, variyan esa te prasnah [SB 2.1.1]. He inquired. Pariksit Maharaja inquired. He was a devotee of Lord Krsna from the very beginning. Because Pandava family, they were all Krsna's devotee, so Pariksit Maharaja also was a devotee from his childhood. He was worshiping the Deity of Krsna. That was his plaything. Just like Mirabai had krsna-murti. So those who are born devotees, their inclination is to... That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita, sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto 'bhijayate. Devotees, from the childhood, they get chance of worshiping Krsna or to become Krsna conscious. So Pariksit Maharaja was a devotee of Krsna. So he inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami, "Whether I shall now fully devote myself in Krsna consciousness?" And therefore the answer was from Sukadeva Gosvami, variyan esa te prasnah [SB 2.1.1]. "Yes, it is very nice, glorious. You are thinking of Krsna." Variyan esa te prasnah. Then?
Pradyumna: Krto loka-hitam nrpa.
Prabhupada: And loka-hitam: "My dear king, this prasna, this question, is not only good for you, but it is good for the whole world." Loka-hitam. Loka-hitam. So the Krsna consciousness movement is like that. It is not a whim that "I went to the Western countries because I love Krsna, so I wanted to preach it." No. Loka-hitam. As soon as Krsna consciousness movement was started in the Western countries, immediately they took it. Took it. Because it is loka-hitam. It is actually beneficial. All these young boys and girls from America and Europe, why they are seriously taken? I have not bribed them, neither I have any money to pay them. But they have taken because it is loka-hitam. because it is loka-hitam. And what is the next word?
Pradyumna: Sammatah, atmavit-sammatah.
Prabhupada: Atmavit-sammatah. Atmavit means self-realized souls. Tattvavit or atmavit.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
[SB 1.2.11]
Atmavit, self-realized person, transcendentalist, they are not interested with these material affairs. Atmavit.
So there are three kinds of atmavit or tattvavit. Some of them are brahmavit, some of them are paramatmavit, and some of them are bhagavadvit. Those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth through knowledge, by dint of their own knowledge, that is called brahmavit. They can approach up to the impersonal Brahman. And those who are yogis, trying to understand the Absolute Truth by meditation -- dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1] -- they are paramatmavit. And those who are devotees, they are bhagavadvit, or bhagavata. They are called bhagavata. So there are three classes of transcen..., vit, but everyone accepts this. atmavit-sammatah. We should accept something which is agreed by the atmavit, not ordinary person. Now it has become a fashion that you manufacture any way of thinking of self-realization, that is accepted. No. Whether it is accepted by atmavit? Whether it is accepted by the Vedic culture? Then it is true. Otherwise you cannot manufacture. Therefore all over the world there are so many religious principles because they have been manufactured by some men. Actually, religion cannot be manufactured. Religion is, according to Vedic culture, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharma, it should be given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like law is given by the state, government. You cannot manufacture law. That is not possible. If you manufacture some law that "I have manufactured this law," that "I will follow this law, my law," that will not help you. You must follow the law given by the government. Similarly, religion means the religion which is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the atmavit, those who are actually self-realized, they accept that religion, not any manufactured religion.
Therefore from the Bhagavata we can understand that dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra: [SB 1.1.2] cheating type of religious system is kicked out from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Projjhita, swept off. We don't find that... Paramo nirmatsaranam satam vastavam vastu vedyam atra. This Bhagavata system is meant for the paramo nirmatsaranam. Matsarata. Matsarata. It is explained by Sridhara Svami. Para utkarsa asahanam.(?) When a man cannot tolerate his friend or other man is rising more than him, he becomes envious. This is the material world. Even my brother becomes greater than me, I becomes envious. Either in richness or any way, competition. So... But this Bhagavata-dharma is different thing. Paramo nirmatsaranam. A devotee is never envious of another devotee. If one friend or Godbrother or brother increases in devotion, the other devotee, he is not envious. He simply thanks him, "Oh, my brother," "my sister," or "my father," like that, "he has advanced in so much devotion. I could not do. So how I can follow him?" This is Vaikuntha conclusion. Just like in the material world, everyone is envious. If I become richer than you, then you become envious, that "Oh, how this man has become richer? We are in the same business." So this is material. There is no appreciation.
But in the Vaikuntha world there is comparative devotional service. Just like Radharani and the gopis. They are on the same status, but the gopis know that "Radharani is the better worshiper than us." Therefore their only business is how to take Radharani and join with Krsna. This is Vaikuntha understanding. They are not envious that "Krsna loves Radharani so much," and they are envious. No, no, not at all. They want it that "Krsna loves Radharani so much, and Radharani loves..." They simply try to join Them. And they are happy, "Oh, Krsna and Radharani is now joined together." That is their happiness. This is Vaikuntha appreciation. Here in the material world, suppose there are competition. "Oh, this girl has got such a nice lover. Then let us break it." This is material. But Vaikuntha, there is everything. Everything, varieties. But that variety is concentrated on Krsna. That is called atma-sammatah. Atmavit-sammatah. Atmavit, self-realized, those who are actually on the transcendental spiritual platform. That must be approved.
So the Krsna consciousness movement is approved. It is not a manufactured thing, whimsical thing. It is approved. Just like Arjuna said to Krsna that,
param brahma param dhama
pavitram paramam bhavan
purusam sasvatam divyam
adi-devam ajam vibhum
[Bg. 10.12]
Krsna, You are the Parabrahman, Parabrahman. Not that Krsna may say... Or anyone can say, "Oh, Krsna and Arjuna are friends. Therefore Arjuna has eulogized his friend, ‘Parabrahman.' " No. Krsna..., Arjuna said, "It is not that simply because I am appreciating you... You are appreciated, you are approved by Devala, Asita, Vyasa and Narada." That is called atmavit-sammatah. Atmavit. Vyasadeva, Narada, Devala, Asita, all the great sages, they accept. Similarly, at the present moment we have got four acaryas -- even take five acarya -- Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, they all approve, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Even Sankaracarya, he is this impersonalist, still, he has commented on his Bhagavad-gita, sa bhagavan svayam krsnah: "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So Krsna is approved. And because Pariksit Maharaja wanted to talk about Krsna, the whole Bhagavata is full of krsna-katha. That is the beginning. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami said, atmavit-sammatah. And what is the next one?
Pradyumna: Srotavyadisu yah parah.
Prabhupada: Srotavyadisu yah parah. Now we have got to hear so many things. Now what we are doing in this world, in big Delhi city? In the morning we get a bunch of paper to hear about so many advertisements, so many political struggle, and so many things, all useless waste of time. But in our country it is how many pages newspaper nowadays? But in the Western countries, oh, such huge, a big bag. You see? So many, you see? So there are so many things to hear. They are nonsense. Therefore we say srotavyadisu yah parah. This is the... Now, if there had been some political meeting, oh, many hundreds of people would have come to hear. But because we are talking of Krsna, nobody is here. Although it is the srotavyadisu yah parah, it is the supreme subject matter to hear. This is the position. This is the position of the material world. They have lost interest even to hear about the transcendental life, what is this life, what is next life, how we can improve, how, where we are going. Nothing. Simply like cats and dogs they are working hard. Therefore sastra says, nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. Vid-bhujam. Vid-bhujam ye. Vid-bhujam. Vid-bhujam means the hogs, the pigs who are eating stool. They are also working very hard for finding out the stool, "Where there is stool? Where there is stool? Where there is stool?"
So Rsabhadeva warned, "My dear sons, this life, this human form of life, is not meant for working so hard simply for eating, sleeping, mating and defending." Then what it is meant for? Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet. "My dear boys, just try to become austere. Just tapasya." Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some difficulties. Not difficulties. Just like in our Society we say, "No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling." But in the Western countries, these things are daily affair. But they have given up. But they have not..., have died. All these boys and girls who have taken up Krsna consciousness movement, they have given up. No illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication. They do not drink even tea, coffee. They do not smoke even cigarette. This is tapasya, little tapasya. [break]
Everything is there. But we have become so unfortunate, led by rascal and fools leaders, that we are missing the opportunity of this human form of life where we can solve all the problems of life, and the indications are there, here in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is yare dekha tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, that amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa, yare dekha tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, that "I give you order. You, every one of you become a spiritual master." "Oh, I have no qualification. How can I become spiritual master? It requires high knowledge, Sanskrit understanding." "No, you don't require anything. Simply you speak krsna-upadesa." What is krsna-upadesa? Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. You simply go door to door and say, "Please surrender to Krsna." Then you are spiritual master. I have done this. What I have done? I have gone to your country to say this thing, that "Here is Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You surrender; you become perfect." That is being done.
So it is not very difficult to become spiritual master. Simply you have to become very serious and sincere to the service of Krsna. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami, variyan esa te prasnah: [SB 2.1.1] "Oh, it is very nice." Loka-hitam: "It will be beneficial to the whole human society."
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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