Friday, May 10, 2013

Impossible to Be Independent




Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.42
Mayapur, March 22, 1976

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Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
 
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Pusta Krsna: "O my Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are the original spiritual master of the whole world. Your special interest in managing the affairs of the universe is to deliver the fallen souls who are engaged in Your devotional service. You are already the friend of all suffering humanity, and I think You will show Your causeless mercy upon persons like us, who are engaged in Your service."

Prabhupada:

ko nv atra te 'khila-guro bhagavan prayasa
uttarane 'sya bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoh
mudhesu vai mahad-anugraha arta-bandho
kim tena te priya-janan anusevatam nah
 [SB 7.9.42]

So Krsna is bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoh. Everything which is going on -- creation, maintenance, and also annihilation -- the original cause is Krsna. When there is need of creation, the cause is Krsna. When there is need of maintenance, the cause is Krsna. Everything, the cause is Krsna. And there is annihilation -- the cause is Krsna. So srsti-sthiti-pralaya, although it is being done... Srsti means creation; sthiti means maintenance; pralaya means destruction. These things are going on in the material world. Everything is created. Just like your body, my body, it is created at a certain date. There is history. And it will maintain, say, utmost, for fifty, sixty or hundred years. It will never be eternal. Because it is created, it cannot be eternal. Anything created cannot be eternal. So this srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana is actually being done by Krsna, whatever way. But because we cannot see Krsna in the background, we see only the wonderful activities of the nature. Nature is working not independently -- by the direction of Krsna. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. Whatever is going on by the wonderful activities of nature... People are amazed by seeing the wonderful activities of nature. But behind these activities there is the direction of the Supreme Personality. Therefore Lord Nrsimhadeva is addressed here, bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoh.

So Prahlada Maharaja says that "We are suffering in this way, and we are praying to You to stop this suffering. So it is not very difficult task for You." Ko nv atra te 'khila-guro bhagavan prayasa. Suppose if I ask you to do something for me, you may say, "That is very difficult task. I have no time to do this." So it may be difficult for an ordinary man. Actually it is a very difficult task, because Prahlada Maharaja in a previous verse, he prayed, pantheli paracara piprhi mudham adya. Mudham adya: "Give me shelter." So Krsna may think... Krsna does not think, but from our side we may suppose like that, that... Just like Narottama dasa Thakura sings that sri-krsna-caitanya-prabhu, daya koro more: "Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, kindly give me Your mercy." Daya koro more. "Why I shall give My mercy to you? You are so sinful. You are so fallen. My mercy is not meant for you." But Narottama dasa Thakura reminds, patita-pavana-hetu, tava avatara: "Sir, I am the most fallen. There is no doubt about it. But You have specially come to deliver persons like us." Sri-krsna-caitanya-prabhu daya koro more, toma vina ke dayalu, jagata samsare. Actually we are hankering after favor of some big man and small man. That is going on. That is material world. But if we seek favor from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so that is very nice. Instead of going here and there, if we... We want favor. There is no doubt. But others cannot favor us. That is the point. They have started so many humanitarian institutes to favor the suffering humanity, but it is not possible. They cannot. They cannot do it. It is false attempt because... There are so many instances. Suppose the father and mother, they are always ready to show favor to their children. There is no doubt about it. But does it mean if one has got very good and rich and able father and mother one can be happy, the children can be happy? No. That is not so. Balasya neha saranam pitarau nrsimha. That is also Prahlada Maharaja's statement, that "Simply because there is kind father and mother, therefore the children will be happy? No. That is not possible." So actually, if the child is destined to suffer, the good father-mother cannot give him shelter. That is not possible. Suppose one is condemned by the court to be punished, capital punishment, to be hanged. The father-mother may be very big man or rich man. If he pleads in the court, "Sir, whatever you want, I'll give. Kindly do not condemn my son to be hanged," that cannot be checked. This is not possible. Nobody can show favor against the will of the Supreme.

So best thing is to ask favor... Suddha, suddha-bhakta, those who are... (aside:) He's sleeping. You don't sleep and sit front. So therefore we should not ask favor. We can ask favor from anyone, but we must know that nobody can favor us unless it is sanctioned by the Supreme Person. We must always know. Not that because one is very, in a superior position, he can favor me. No, he cannot favor you unless it is sanctioned by the Supreme. Suppose we approach sometimes a rich man to favor us with some contribution, membership fees. But that rich man cannot favor us unless it is sanctioned by Krsna. Krsna is there within himself, and if He says that "You give him this money," the man will give us. So we shall not be sorry. Suppose we go somewhere and he did not favor us. We should not be sorry. We should know that Krsna did not dictate him. He is not so fortunate now; therefore Krsna did not dictate him. So there is nothing to be sorry. This should be our principle. Because without Krsna's sanction...

So here, ko nu atra te akhila-guro bhagavan prayasa. So everyone requires some extra endeavor to favor us, but Krsna does not require. That is Krsna. He can do anything He likes. He does not depend on others. Others depend on Krsna's sanction, but Krsna does not require anyone's sanction. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said bhagavan prayasa. Prayasa, is advised not to take, especially for the devotees. One should not take up some business which requires very hard endeavor. No. We should take up only simple things which is possible. Of course, a devotee takes the risk. Just like Hanuman. He was servant of Lord Ramacandra. So Lord Ramacandra wanted information of Sitadevi. So he did not consider, "How I shall go to the other side of the sea, Lanka?" He simply, believing in Lord Ramacandra, "Jaya Rama," jumped over it. Ramacandra had to construct a bridge. Of course, that bridge is also wonderful because these monkeys were bringing stone and they are throwing on the sea, but the stone was floating. So where is your law of gravitation? Eh? Stone floats on the water. It cannot be done by the scientists, yes. But Lord Ramacandra desired; a stone became floating. Otherwise how many stones we shall throw in the sea that it will come to the level of becoming a bridge? Oh, it was not possible. It was possible, everything was possible, but Ramacandra, Lord Ramacandra, wanted, "Let it be simplified. So let them bring the stone and it will float. Then we shall go." So without stone He could go, but He wanted some service of the monkeys. There were many monkeys. Baro baro badare, baro baro pet, lanka dingake, mata kare het. There were many other monkeys, but not exactly capable like the Hanuman. Therefore they were also given some chance that "You bring some stone. You cannot jump over the sea like Hanuman, so you bring stone, and I will ask the stones to float."

So Krsna can do anything. Angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti. He can do anything. We cannot do without His favor. So Prahlada Maharaja requests that "If You kindly become merciful upon us, it is not a great task for You, because You can do whatever You like. Because You are the cause of creation, maintenance and destruction, so it is not difficult for You." Besides that, mudhesu vai mahad-anugraha arta-bandho. Generally, those who are arta-bandhu, friend of the suffering humanity, they specially show favor to the mudha, to the rascals. Krsna comes for that purpose because every one of us, we are mudhas. Duskrtino. Na mam duskttino mudhah prapadyante. Normally we, because we are sinful, because we are mudhas, we do not surrender to Krsna. Na mam prapadyante. Anyone who does not surrender to Krsna, He is classified as duskrtina, mudha, naradhama, mayayapahrta-jnana. It is not at all possible to become independent of Krsna's will. That is not possible. Therefore those who are trying to work independently, without Krsna's favor, they're mudha, all rascals. They will not accept what Krsna says, and they are trying to establish some law without Krsna. "There is no need of God." This is the... Most scientists, they say like that. "Now we have got science. We can do everything." They are mudhas. It is not possible. Independently you cannot do without Krsna's favor.

So best thing is that always try to seek favor of Krsna. And you cannot seek Krsna's favor directly. That is also another point. Kim tena te priya-janan anusevatam nah. You cannot jump over to Krsna without the favor of His devotee. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **. You cannot seek favor of Bhagavan directly. That is another foolishness. You must go through the servant of Krsna. Gopi-bhartur pada-kamalayor dasa-dasa-dasanudasah. This is our process. We don't approach Krsna directly. We must begin our service to the Krsna's servant. And who is Krsna's servant? One who has become the servant of another Krsna's servant. This is called dasa-dasanudasa. Nobody can be independently servant of Krsna. That is another foolishness. Krsna never accepts anyone's service directly. No. That is not possible. You must come through the servant of the servant [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. This is called parampara system. As you receive knowledge by the parampara system... Krsna spoke to Brahma, Brahma spoke to Narada, Narada spoke to Vyasadeva, and we are getting this knowledge. Just like Krsna... Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krsna to Arjuna.

So if we give up the process of understanding as Arjuna did, then you'll never be able to understand Krsna, or God. That is not possible. You have to take up the process which Arjuna accepted. Arjuna also said that, that "I am accepting You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because Vyasadeva has accepted, Asita has accepted, Narada has accepted." The same thing. We have to understand Krsna. We cannot understand directly. Therefore these rascals who are trying to understand Krsna directly by interpretation, they are all rascals. They cannot understand Krsna. May be very big man, so-called. Nobody is big man. They are also sa vai... No, what is that? No, no. Sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih samstutah purusah pasuh [SB2.3.19]. Purusah pasuh. These big, big men who are so much eulogized by some rascals, all these big, big leaders, what they are? Because they are not devotee of Krsna, they cannot lead. They simply will mislead. Therefore we take them all rascals. This is the criterion. Take this one criterion. Anything you want to learn from somebody, first of all you see whether that somebody is a devotee of Krsna. Otherwise don't take any lesson. We don't take any lesson from a person, "Perhaps," "Maybe," like this. No. We don't want such scientist or mathematician. No. One who knows Krsna, one who is devotee of Krsna, one who is overwhelmed in ecstasy simply by hearing Krsna, you take lesson from them. Otherwise all rascals.

Thank you very much. (end)
 
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.42 -- Mayapur, March 22, 1976
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. 

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