Maharajas and Maha rascals

Maharajas and Maha rascals

Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.28
Vrndavana, November 15, 1976

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Pradyumna: "Sukadeva Gosvami said: Thus the great well-wisher of everyone, the Supreme Lord, Rsabhadeva, instructed His own sons. Although they were perfectly educated and cultured, He instructed them just to set an example of how a father should instruct his sons before retiring from family life. Sannyasis, who are no longer bound by fruitive activity and who have taken to devotional service after all their material desires have been vanquished, also learn by these instructions. Lord Rsabhadeva instructed His one hundred sons, of whom the eldest, Bharata, was a very advanced devotee and a follower of Vaisnavas. In order to rule the whole world, the Lord enthroned His eldest son on the royal seat. Thereafter, although still at home, Lord Rsabhadeva lived like a madman, naked and with disheveled hair. Then the Lord took the sacrificial fire within Himself, and He left Brahmavarta to tour the whole world."

Prabhupada:

evam anusasyatmajan svayam anusistan api loka-anusasanartham mahanubhavah...

 [SB 5.5.28]

Here the important point is about monarchy. There are different types of government, of which monarchy is the most prominent style. Formerly everywhere, all over the world, the monarchy was prevalent. Even up to date some of the countries, they are maintaining monarchy but only in name actually. The monarch has no power. So monarchy is good so long the king is as ideal as Bharata Maharaja, Rsabhadeva, Maharaja Yudhisthira, Maharaja Pariksit, Lord Ramacandra. That is the perfect type of monarchy. We have description of Rama-rajya. We have got the word nowadays. They sometimes use Rama-rajya party, but without Rama. This is their policy. Where is that Rama? When Lord Ramacandra returned from the forest, His brother, Bharata, was ruling as a saintly person. But as soon as the eldest brother came back, He entreated that "Now You sit down on the throne." But He first of all tested what kind of people in generally there are in the Ayodhya. So when He understood that all the citizens, they are strictly following the varnasrama-dharma, then He agreed to accept the throne.

So both ways. The king should be ideal, as here it is, paramahamsa. Mahanubhavah. So, and the praja should be also strictly following varnasrama dharma. Then this world will be happy. Otherwise it is not possible. Not one sided. "The king is not good. Dethrone him. Kill him," and some rascals and fools in the name of democracy, they occupy the seat. What benefit will be there? The whole thing has to be changed, the prajas and the king. The advantage of democracy is there. By votes you can elect somebody as president. One has to follow the principle, monarch, one man on the head of the government. It may be a monarch or it may be a president -- it doesn't matter -- but there must be one chief executive officer on the head. That you cannot avoid. That is essential. Therefore if we do not have an ideal president or ideal king on the head and the prajas also, the citizens, they do not follow the varnasrama, then there cannot be any peace.

The peace formula is given in the Bhagavad-gita, that,

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhrdam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim rcchati
 [Bg. 5.29]

This is the peace formula. People should know that who is ultimately the proprietor. We are claiming the proprietorship of this land, but we are not proprietor actually. Actually the proprietor is Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He said, sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. Unfortunately we are claiming God's property as our own. That means we are thieves. There is United Nation to formulate peace of the world, but truly speaking, it is an assembly of thieves and rogues. How there can be peace? The people must be trained up to know who is the proprietor. If the United Nation immediately accepts that this whole planet is the property of God and we are simply sons of God, not only human being but also the animals, the trees, the plants... There are 8,400,000 different forms of living entities, and Krsna claims, aham bija-pradah pita: [Bg. 14.4] "I am the seed-giving father." And we, all living entities, we are sons of the supreme proprietor. Let us enjoy the father's property without encroaching upon other's share. Isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1]. Tena tyaktena bhunjitha ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam.

But they will not accept it. They will artificially create some assembly of rogues and thief and pass resolution for fifty years but no peace. They want to be united, but flags are increasing daily. We have seen in New York the flags are increasing. Actually, during Maharaja Pariksit's time there was one flag only, and people were controlled by the Pandava kings all over the world, and they were peaceful. During the battle of Kuruksetra, it was a family fight, so all the people of the world, they joined this side or that side. The Bharatavarsa means under the name of Bharata Maharaja, who is mahanubhavah... He is not ordinary person. Bharatam parama-bhagavatam bhagavaj-jana-parayanam. Bhagavaj-jana. He is the follower of devotees, bhagavaj-jana. Bhagavaj-jana and hari-jana, the same thing. Hari means Bhagavan, and here it is stated, bhagavaj-jana, and hari-jana, the same thing. But nowadays hari-jana means if somebody comes and presents himself as hari-jana, immediately we understand he must be a chamar or bhangi.

So this is the position. Hari-jana means persons like Narada, Vyasa, Asita, like that, the personal servant of Krsna. By rubber-stamp -- "hari-jana..." In Bengali it is said, kana chela nama padma locana (?): "One son is blind, and the father has given the name 'lotus-eyed.' " So that you can do out of affection. A blind child you can call "lotus-eyed," that is your business. But lotus-eyed means something else. Very beautiful eyes, then you can say "lotus-eyed." So this is going on. I want some political aims, so I stamp the chamars and bhangis as hari-jana. That's all. That you can call for your political purpose. But hari-jana does not mean that. Here it is, a example of hari-jana, parama bhagavatan. Parama bhagavata means the highest stage of devotees. Kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari, and then uttama-adhikari. He is parama-bhagavata. He has no enemy. Kanistha-adhikari, he worships the Deity, but he does not know how to do good to others, neither he knows who is devotee. In the kanistha-adhikara, in the lower stage of devotional service, one cannot distinguish. But he should be engaged fully in Deity worship so that gradually he will develop his maha-bhagavata stage. And madhyama-adhikari means he knows how to make others hari-jana, or devotee.

isvare tad-adhinesu
balisesu dvisatsu ca
prema-maitri-krpa upeksa
yah karoti sa madhyamah

He not only worships the Deity wholeheartedly... That is prema. Isvare prema. But beyond that, tad adhinesu -- he knows how to respect the devotees, tad adhinesu, isvara adhinesu. That means other devotees. Then he becomes madhyama-adhikari. If he simply takes care of the Deity worship and if he does not offer respectful behavior to another devotee, he is kanistha-adhikari. He is in the lower stage. So isvare tad adhinesu. He must see that "Here is a devotee." He must have power to see that "Here is a devotee."

So how to deal with devotee? Maitri: to make friendship with him. Isvare prema. And to the devotees, friendship; not with others, friendship. Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised. When He was asked by a grhastha devotee how to behave like a Vaisnava, what is the behavior of a Vaisnava, He immediately answered that the standard Vaisnavism is asat-sanga-tyaga, -- ei vaisnava-acara: [Cc. Madhya 22.87] "He must give up the company of asat, nondevotees." Asato ma sad gamah. Don't associate with nondevotee. If you want to make progress, don't associate. Associate does not mean to talk with a nondevotee is association. No. That we have to do. As gentlemen, as devotee, we can. But not intimately. Associate means dadati pratigrhnati bhunkte bhojayate caiva, guhyam akhyati prcchati ca. These are intimate relationship, dealing: giving something to your friend, accepting something from your friend, feeding your friend, accept food from him, and disclose your mind to your friend, and understand his mind. Sad-vidham priti-laksanam. So with devotee we should deal in six ways, sad-vidham priti. Isvare prema tad-adhinesu maitri. This is friendly behavior. And krpa balisesu. Those who are innocent, does not know what is God or what is our relationship with Him, but they are not atheist -- they do not know -- to such persons, krpa, daya. Isvare tad-adhinesu balisesu. And there is a class, dvisat, sura-dvisat, simply atheist. As soon as they hear the name of God, Krsna, they become angry. Just like Hiranyakasipu. Innocent child, five years old, Prahlada Maharaja, because he learned from Narada Muni even from the womb of his mother how to become a devotee and from the birth he was a devotee and his father did not like, Hiranyakasipu. Not only he did not like, he was prepared to kill his child in so many ways. That is atheism. Atheists are so much averse, sura-dvisat. They are envious. So to such person the madhyama-adhikari cannot preach because it is useless waste of time. If one is innocent but not envious we can preach there. That will be, I mean to say, fruitful. If we go to atheist and you go on speaking, he will never accept it. So don't waste your time in that way. That is nama-aparadha. But because we have not so much power that we can convert an atheist to become theist or devotee of God That requires special power.

So maha-bhagavata means he is above the madhyama-adhikari. He does not see anyone nondevotee. He sees everyone devotee. He sees all living entities existing in Krsna, and he sees Krsna is living within the heart of everyone. That is maha-bhagavata. What is that verse? Sarva... Mayi pasyati. Yo mam... He is maha-bhagavata. He is maha-bhagavata. He is broad-visioned. Everything. Maya tatam idam sarvam [Bg. 9.4]. In everything He sees Krsna, Krsna's hand, Krsna's energy. Actually that is the fact. What is this microphone? This is also Krsna because what is this? This is made of this material gross matter. Bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva [Bg. 7.4]. Bhumi... From earth the iron comes, the aluminium comes, the wood comes. So this is combination of bhumir apo analo vayuh, Krsna's energy. Therefore it is Krsna. Sakti saktimatayor abheda. There is no difference between sakti and saktimat. Saktimat is Krsna, and sakti, the manifestation of His energy, of, I mean to say, gross energy Prakrtir me bhinna astadha. Bhinna... Just like I am speaking, and this is recorded in the tape recorder, but when replayed, you will find that I am speaking. But I am not there. Bhinna prakrtir astadha. This is bhinna, originally coming from Krsna, but it is an energy where you cannot find Krsna directly. But it is Krsna's energy.

The maha-bhagavata knows that, that although this material world is a world of forgetfulness of Krsna... Material world means when you forget Krsna. Here you will find cent percent people, they have forgotten Krsna. They do not care to know Krsna, neither they have got any relationship with Krsna. Therefore it is material world. Here the nature is how to forget Krsna. There is a verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam: isad apetasya viparyayo 'smrtih. That is called maya. Maya means viparyayo 'smrtih. Everything is in relationship with God, but he, the rascal atheist, he'll say, jagad ahur anisvaram [Bg. 16.8], there is no isvaram. This is materially This is material world, forgetfulness. Viparyayo 'smrtih.

So the devotee's business is how to enlighten him to come to the point of Krsna consciousness, real smrti. So this is Krsna consciousness movement, means it is an endeavor to bring the rascals and fools and atheists to the platform of Krsna consciousness, the most, I mean to say, important welfare activities in the human society. So that Bharata Maharaja was therefore... He had the power. He had the power to control how to bring the citizens to Krsna consciousness. Therefore he was selected to become the king, not a rascal by vote and come to the become president and you become happy. That is impossible.

Thank you very much. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.28 -- Vrndavana, November 15, 1976

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