No Gentleman Can Live Here

Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.15 Mayapur, February 22, 1976 download  flash player   Take a test Dayananda: "My Lord who is never conquered by anyone, certainly I am not at all afraid of Your very ferocious mouth, tongue, bright eyes like the sunshine, movement of Your eyebrows, very pinching sharp set of teeth, garland of intestines, hands soaked with blood, fixed-up-high ears, Your tumultuous sound which causes the elephants to go away to a distant place, and Your nails which are meant for killing Your enemies. Undoubtedly I am not afraid of them." Devotee: (Sanskrit and Bengali) Prabhupada: (Bengali), "movement." Yes. naham bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayanakasya- jihvarka-netra-bhrukuti-rabhasogra-damstrat antra-srajah-ksataja-kesara-sanku-karnan nihrada-bhita-digibhad ari-bhin-nakhagrat  [SB 7.9.15]

So, narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati [SB 6.17.28]. This is the sign or pure devotee. Others, they are afraid of the fierceful appearance of Narasimhadeva, but Prahlada Maharaja says that "I am not afraid." He was a child of five years old. So, others were very, very afraid, even could not approach the Lord to pacify Him, and Prahlada Maharaja was not afraid.

So there is a description of different features of the body of Nrsimhadeva, description of the face, the ear, the mane and the nails, everything, very, very fearful. But the nails, the significant word is here -- ari-bhit nakhagrat. Ari-bhit. Ari means enemy, and these nails are meant for piercing the chest of the enemy, not of the devotee. Ari-bhit nakhagrat. Everything is fierceful to the enemy, to the demons, but to the devotees they're all beautiful. They are pleasing. That is the difference between the Personality of Godhead and material personality. Everything... God is all-good. Even God appears in such fierceful attitude, it is beautiful to the devotees. God's stealing... This is abominable, stealing, in this material world. But in the spiritual world, that stealing by Krsna is worshipable. Makhana-chora, butter thief. The devotees like that "Krsna should come to my house and steal my things, butter." That is the pastime of Vrndavana-lila. Krsna would go to every house and steal butter, and they would be very much pleased that "Krsna has come to steal here." They would come, a formally complaint lodged before Yasodamayi, and Krsna would be afraid. But these things are very, very enjoyable. Krsna is being chastised by Yasodamayi, and still, he's thinking, she's thinking, "Whether Krsna has become very much afraid?" This is called Vrndavana-lila. The love for Krsna is so strong that whatever Krsna does, that is beautiful. And the spiritual world, what is condemnable in this material world, that is very worshipable in the spiritual world. Spiritual world, the love is parakiya-rasa. Parakiya-rasa. Here in this material world, if you create some relationship with other's wife, that is very condemnable. But in the spiritual world the loving affairs between the gopis and Krsna is the same, is like that. Krsna is making loving affairs with other's wife. So therefore sometimes, without understanding Krsna, if one tries to understand the loving affairs of Krsna with gopis, they misunderstand. They think that "Krsna is woman-hunter, and Krsna is making love with other's wife and daughter." They do not know.

So here the fierceful attitude, very, very fierceful, that is very pleasing to Prahlada Maharaja. He said, naham bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayanakasya: "Your face is very fearful to the enemies, but it is very beautiful to me." Everything. Naham bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayanakasya jihva. Everything fierceful... In the next verse Prahlada Maharaja will say that "This fierceful attitude of Your Lordship is not at all fearful to me, as it is fearful to me, this material existence." That he will explain, next verse. Trasto 'smy aham krpana-vatsala duhsahogra-samsara-cakra-kadanad grasatam pranitah. This material world is very, very fierceful to the devotees. They are very, very much afraid of. This is the difference. Materialistic persons, they are thinking, "This world is very pleasing. We are enjoying. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." But the devotees, they think, "It is very, very fierceful. How soon we shall get out of it?" My Guru Maharaja used to say that "This material world is not fit for living for any gentleman." He used to say. "No gentleman can live here." So these things are not understood by the nondevotees, how much pinching this material world is. Duhkhala... Krsna says it is duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. That is the difference between the devotee and nondevotee. The duhkhalayam, they are trying to adjust how to make it sukhalayam. That is not possible.

So unless one becomes detestful of this material world, it is to be understood that he has not yet entered in the spiritual understanding. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42]. This is the test of bhakti. If one has entered the domain of devotional service, this material world will be not at all tasteful for him. Virakti. No more. Ara nare bapa (?). The Jagai-Madhai, too much materialistic, woman-hunters, drunkard, meat-eater... So these things have become now common affairs. But it is very, very fearful for the devotees. Therefore we say, "No intoxication; no illicit sex; no meat-eating." It is very very fearful. But they do not know. Mudhah nabhijanati. They do not know it. They indulge in. The whole world is going on on this platform. He does not know that he is creating a very, very fierceful situation by indulging in these sinful activities.

So to get out of these habits, it requires tapasa, tapasya.

tapasa brahmacaryena
samena damena va
tyagena sauca...
yamena niyamena va
 [SB 6.1.13]

This is called advancement of spiritual life. Tapasa. The first thing is tapasya, voluntarily rejecting this so-called comfortable situation of material world. That is called tapasya. Tapasa brahmacaryena [SB 6.1.13]. And to execute that tapasya, the first thing is brahmacarya. Brahmacarya means to avoid sex indulgence. That is called brahmacarya.

tapasa brahmacaryena
samena damena va
tyagena sauca saucabhyam
samena damena va
 [SB 6.1.13]

These are the... Therefore you'll find, all transcendentalists, they are practicing tapasya very, very severely. That is required. The human life is meant for tapasya. That is human life. Human life is not meant for living like cats and dogs. That is not human life. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. To live like cats and dog is not meant for the human life. Human life is meant for tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet sattva [SB 5.5.1]. We have to execute tapasya, austerity. Why? Now, to purify our existence. This present existence is not purified; therefore we have to meet death. Otherwise we are eternal. "Why should we meet death?" This question does not arise at all. The modern civilization, they do not care for death. This is another daring. Death... They never question that "We are eternal." Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. "Why I shall meet death?" But this question does not arise for... They think, "Death? We can finish everything." This is called mudha. They do not know things are there, what it should be. They do not know that.

So in order to know all this transcendental subject matter, it is recommended, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [MU 1.2.12] "One must approach to the proper guru to understand this subject matter." And that is success of human life. Otherwise, to live like cats and dogs -- sa eva go-kharah: [SB 10.84.13] cows and asses, animal life -- this is not civilization. So our this Krsna consciousness movement is an attempt, however small it may be, to bring back the human society to real civilization. It is not ordinary movement. They are not civilized. Mudha. This is a civilization of rascals and fools. But to bring them back to knowledge, that is civilization. That civilization is spiritual life. Athato brahma jijnasa. This human life is meant for spiritual life, not for material life like cats and dogs. This is not required. This is Vedanta philosophy, athato brahma jijnasa. One must try to learn what is the ultimate source of everything, not that theorizing or, what is called, imagining something. Take knowledge from the right source, brahma-vidya, the Vedic knowledge, and try to understand the situation, what is Brahman, what you are. We are also Brahman. Aham brahmasmi. These things are to be known. And when we neglect to understand these things, that means we are going to the wrong way of life. The wrong way of life can be allowed up to the animal life. Out of 8,400,000 forms of life, the animal life, three million types of animal life, by evolutionary process we come to the human life. Now we should inquire about spiritual life. That is civilization. Without spiritual life, without inquiring the spiritual life, it is animal life. Sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. So try to understand this Krsna consciousness movement. And spiritual life means to understand Krsna. That is spiritual life. Krsna comes to explain Himself. And hear from Him and understand Him as He says. Then, as soon as you understand Krsna, your life is successful. This is Krsna consciousness movement.

Krsna, or God, is very difficult to understand.

manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yayati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascid vetti mam tattvatah
 [Bg. 7.3]

To understand God, to understand Krsna, is not very easy job; very, very difficult job. Therefore we don't find anyone is interested in Krsna. Anywhere you go, all over the world, you make a statistic: nobody is interested in Krsna. Is it not a fact? Out of millions. Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu, "Out of millions..." That's a fact. Nobody is interested in Krsna. Manusyanam sahasresu. So therefore, to understand Krsna is not very easy job. But by the grace of Krsna You can understand Krsna. Krsna is explaining Himself. That is Krsna, great. You take. And again Krsna is coming as Caitanya Mahaprabhu to show us the way how to understand Krsna. Caitanya Mahaprabhu means Krsna Himself, present to teach us how to understand Krsna. So Krsna is so kind: He is coming Himself. He's teaching Bhagavad-gita. Again He is coming as Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as devotee, to become a devotee of Krsna. Krsna-prema-pradaya te [Cc. Madhya 19.53]. He's not only teaching Krsna but love of Krsna. Krsna, when He personally came, He did not teach how to love Him. He simply asked, "You rascal, surrender to Me." That's all. "You are all rascals. You have forgotten Me. I am the Supreme. You are searching after so many wrong things. You have created so many so-called occupational and religious duties, but these are all useless." That much. But again Krsna came to teach people how to love Krsna. Therefore Rupa Gosvami offers his respect to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te: [Cc. Madhya 19.53] "You are not only giving Krsna but giving love of Krsna." That is very rare thing. Prema pumartho mahan. People are after dharma, after kama, moksa, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, "No, above this, there is fifth perfection. That is prema, Krsna-prema." Prema pumartho mahan.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is the topmost education, culture. Those who have come to Krsna consciousness movement, they should seriously take it and try to understand Krsna. Their life will be successful.

Thank you very much. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.15 -- Mayapur, February 22, 1976

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Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975

"Who Can Conquer God"

22 Feb 75 , Caracas


Prabhupada: This evening we were discussing with some learned psychiatrist to solve the problems of the world. So we have tried to convince them that the problems of the world are due to ignorance of our spiritual life. So this body... Indriyani parany ahuh. This body means combination of different senses. This body means we have got hands, legs, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, genital, rectum. All these different parts of the body are working. So these senses are working under the leadership of the mind, and the mind is activated by intelligence, and behind the intelligence there is soul. That is stated in the Srimad Bhagavad-gita:

indriyani parany ahuh
indriyebhyah paro manah
manasas tu para buddhih
buddhes tu ya param sah

So we have to take information from authoritative scriptures. So the body is made of five material elements: earth, water, air, fire and ether. So mind is still finer than the ether, and intelligence is still finer than the mind, and the soul is still finer than the intelligence. So generally, we are on the bodily platform. They are called karmis. Bodily platform means that everyone is working for the bodily comfort. Bodily comforts means how to eat nicely, how to sleep nicely, how to have sex nicely and how to defend nicely. So these activities are there also in the animal life. Then, above these activities, there is mental activities. So the bodily activities are visible in the animal kingdom also, but mental activities, they are lacking. So the human being can tackle the mental activities, which is called psychology, the science of thinking, feeling and willing. So when still we go further, intellectual platform, how the mind should be utilized? So if we can intellectually utilize the mind, then we can approach the spiritual platform.

So this spiritual platform, to reach, requires gradually process of cultivation, and there is no difficulty to reach the spiritual platform. But first of all, the training of the mind is practiced by the yoga system. Yoga means to control the mind. Our mind at the present moment, being too much attached to this body, it is busy in bodily comforts. Therefore the real yoga system is to divert the mind towards God, to control the mind from material engagement and divert it to spiritual engagement, or bhakti-yoga. The bhakti-yoga practice are in different nine spheres, that,

sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]

This means that first of all we have to hear about God from authorized persons. Then kirtanam. Kirtanam means glorifying the activities of God. Then there are other. These two items are very important, and there are other items also. Smaranam-smaranam means meditation. Vandanam means offering prayer. So smaranam vandanam dasyam arcanam. Arcanam, Deity worship. There are other items also. In this way there are nine items. So if one is interested to understand God, then he must take all these items or some of them or at least one of them.

So the most important item is sravanam, or hearing. If you do not do anything else, if you simply sincerely hear about God, then gradually you will be God conscious. That is also true in the material science. The students go to the school, college, and hear from the professor, and gradually he becomes learned in that subject matter. Especially in this age, sravanam, or hearing, is very, very important. We are therefore opening different centers in different parts of the world, and they are being given the chance of this bhakti-yoga system, sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam [SB 7.5.23], like that. So all these devotees present here, they are not Indians. I have not brought them from India; neither I have bribed them here. But by hearing only, they are now coming to God consciousness and devotees. Therefore this sravanam item, or hearing item, is very, very important. So if you all, ladies and gentlemen present here, take advantage of hearing about God from this institution, you will also become God conscious. We have got many sense organs, out of which the aural sense, or the hearing sense, is very important. Therefore, for spiritual understanding, we have to use this ear. So therefore the Vedic literature is called sruti. Sruti means to receive the knowledge by hearing. So our process, or the Vedic process, is that... Satam prasangan mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah [SB 3.25.25]. If one lends his aural reception of spiritual knowledge through the authorized person, devotee, then he relishes taste in spiritual life. And when you cultivate that stage, then, gradually, he becomes a devotee, he understands what is God.

Another place, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Brahma recommends,

jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva
(jivanti) san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam
sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir
ye prayaso 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyam

The fact is God is called Ajita -- nobody can conquer Him. But any person who gives up this process of mental speculation -- that means "God may be like this. Perhaps God is like this. Perhaps this, perhaps this..." This is called mental speculation. We have to give up this mental speculation. Jnane prayasam means endeavor in mental speculation should be given up. One should submissively approach the spiritual master. Jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva. Namanta eva means submissively offering respect, obeisances. And after that, if you hear from the self-realized soul, jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva san-mukharitam. San-mukharitam means self-realized soul. From his mouth one has to hear. Bhavadiya-vartam. In this way, although God is never conquered by anyone else, still, this man, who has adopted this process, he will conquer God someday. And who can conquer God? Only the devotees. Just like in Vrndavana, the gopis, the cowherd boys, mother Yasoda, father Nanda and all of them, even the cows and calves, they conquered God, Krsna. So this is the science of God, and we have got all these books translated into English, and other things are being translated in other languages. So we shall request you to understand, to hear about God. Then some day will come -- you will understand what is God, what is your relationship with Him, and you will act accordingly. Then your life will be successful.

So the boys and girls who are now being initiated, they are entering the path of understanding God in this way. So there are some regulative principles. I think you have explained to them that no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. God is pure. He is the purest. Therefore if we want to approach God, we must be pure. Just like without high temperature, nobody can enter into the fire, similarly, God is the topmost temperature. We must acquire that temperature; then we can enter into the kingdom of God. So if you want to increase the temperature, you cannot pour water again on it. Just like if you have got wet wood, you cannot burn it very nicely, but if you collect dry wood, you can ignite very easily. So our material life is now saturated with all kinds of sins. The four pillars of sinful life are these: illicit sex, meat-eating and intoxication and gambling. So if we stop these voluntarily, this is called austerity, austerity, tapasya. Austerity means voluntarily accept some painful condition. So those who are habituated to all these things, namely illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling, to give up these habits, it may become little painful in the beginning. But if you practice and pray to Krsna that He will help, it is not difficult to give up these habits. And as soon as you give up this wetting process, the sinful life, then immediately you become fifty percent purified to approach God. Then, by chanting Hare Krsna mantra, you make further, further, more and more progress. And when you are completely free of all sinful reaction, then you understand God and you love him. In the contaminated stage, you are trying to love so many things, but you are frustrated. So if you can love God, then you will never be frustrated and your loving desires will be fulfilled. That is Krsna consciousness movement. We are teaching all our students how to love God. That's all right.

So now you can go with your other function. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975