Qualifying To Dance With Krsna

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.12
November 18, 1973, New Delhi


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Prabhupada:

tac chraddadhana munayo
jnana-vairagya-yuktaya
pasyanty atmani catmanam
bhaktya sruta-grhitaya
[SB 1.2.12]

We have been discussing the instruction of Suta Gosvami, what is the purpose of life. Jivasya tattva-jijnasa. The only business of the human being is to inquire about the Absolute Truth, tattva-jijnasa. And that tattva has been explained in the previous verse:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
[SB 1.2.11]

So the Absolute Truth is one. There is no doubt about it. But according to our angle of vision, we appreciate the Absolute Truth in different ways, although the Absolute Truth is one. Somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, and somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as localized Paramatma, Supersoul, and somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the last word, Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the matter of understanding the Absolute Truth.

So our Gosvami Bhavananda has explained about the Absolute Truth, Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Bhagavan iti. But who is Bhagavan? That has been also explained. Bhagavan means sad-aisvarya-purna, complete in six opulences. He is Bhagavan. Bhaga means opulence. Just like we say bhagyavan. This bhagyavan word comes from bhaga. Bhaga bhavarthe sri-karna(?), bhagya. And van is vatup, asty arthe vatup(?). If somebody possesses something, this affix vat or mat is used. So bhagavan means one who has opulences. So Bhagavan, Krsna, when He was present on this planet, nobody could excel His opulences. That's a fact. Everyone knows. People want to enjoy. That is natural tendency, the association of woman. Here also we see that very, very rich men, they want to associate with nice, beautiful woman. In the Western countries I have seen. In Paris there are many clubs. So the club business is to go and enjoy the association of nice beautiful woman. So everyone knows it. So tendency is there. That is also richness. So that richness I have already explained. Here in the material world the same thing is represented pervertedly, not in actual position. Therefore we are frustrated.

So there are two kinds of philosophers. The mental speculators, empiric philosophers, they therefore reject that this should be zero. Here the association of woman is so abominable that it should be rejected. But they have no information that this association of woman and man is so, I mean to say, opulent in the spiritual world. Otherwise how Krsna is associating with the gopis? Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari. Gosvamis, the six Gosvamis, about their life, they are described by Srinivasa Acarya, tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat. Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami were ministers in the government of Nawab Hussein Shah, most opulent. So naturally the minister must have association with big, big zamindars, lords, aristocratic family. But about them it is said, when they joined Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement, resigning from their ministership, so that is described by Srinivasa Acarya, tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim. Mandala-pati means big, big zamindars, aristocrats. So tyaktva, gave up their association. Just like we flatter here. If we can mix with a very big rich man, we consider very fortunate. But these Gosvamis, they gave up, tyaktva turnam asesa, not only one, two. Because they were ministers, everyone is coming to flatter him, all big, big zamindars. But he gave up that association. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat. Tuccha means very insignificant. Then what they became? Bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau. Dina-ganesakau, just to show favor to the poor souls, dina-ganesakau. Gana. Gana means people in general. So just to show them favor, accepted the life of a mendicant. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau. Kaupina-kantha. That is the last stage of sannyasa, paramahamsa stage: a loin cloth and an underwear, kaupina-kanthasritau.

But we have got practical experience that if somebody from very exalted post becomes a renouncer, he cannot tolerate that. We have seen it. In Calcutta there was a big man. You have heard. Mr. C. R. Das, Gandhi's lieutenant, he gave up his practice. In those days he was..., fifty years ago he was earning fifty thousand rupees. So that is not joke. So he became mendicant. All Gandhi's followers, they became mendicant. Without becoming mendicant, you cannot do any welfare activities. That is the Vedic process, sannyasa. So but he could not live. After giving up his job as a lawyer, he could not live for more than one year, because he was living very opulently and all of a sudden he became a mendicant. He could not tolerate. That we have seen. But here we see that the Gosvamis, they were also very big men, ministers, but how they lived? Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau, gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari. Gopi-bhava. They were living simply by thinking of the ecstatic love of gopis. Gopi-bhavamrta. That is compared with an ocean. As the ocean is beautiful, constant flowing of waves, similarly, the ocean of bliss of the gopis relationship with Krsna, these Gosvamis were always absorbed in that. Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhur vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau. So Krsna's opulence, Krsna's dealings with the gopis, they are not ordinary things.

ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.37]

He got His pleasure potency. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. The Supreme Absolute Truth is the reservoir of all pleasure. Anandamayo 'bhyasat.

So Brahman realization, Paramatma realization and Bhagavan realization. If you realize Bhagavan, then you realize Brahman and Paramatma. Just like if you have got one lakh of rupees, ten rupees or fifty rupees are already there within, similarly, if you understand Krsna, Bhagavan, then you understand automatically what is Brahman and what is Paramatma. But if you simply stick to Brahman realization or Paramatma realization... The jnanis, they are interested in Brahman realization, and the yogis, they are interested in... [break] ...realization cannot be continued if you do not realize the other two things, namely Paramatma and Bhagavan. Cit and ananda. Simply realization of sat, om tat sat, will not satisfy you because you are part and parcel of the sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Vigraha means form. So you are also form. Because you are part and parcel of the form, therefore you have got a form. The form may be different in the material world. Krsna therefore claims all forms. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayo yah [Bg. 14.4]. Sarva-yonisu. There are different, 8,400,000 forms of living entities, and Krsna claims, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayo yah, "As many forms are there," tasam mahad yonir brahma aham bija-pradah pita, Krsna says, "I am the seed-giving father."

So Krsna is father for all living entities. They are simply struggling here in this material world under different desires, and therefore they are getting transmigrating from one body to another, and in this way they are wandering within this material world. That is their real disadvantageous position. Therefore Krsna says the real problem is janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam. This is the real problem. Whole spiritual process should be executed to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is real problem. So Krsna therefore comes, that "Why you are rotting in this material world?" Manah sasthani indriyani prakrti-sthani karsati. "Why you are struggling so hard?" For ananda. Everyone is struggling for ananda, but he does not know whether ananda is there. Anandamayo 'bhyasat. Krsna, the Supreme Absolute Truth, He is the reservoir of ananda Therefore you will see Krsna's picture always in ananda. Wherever you see Krsna... Krsna is in the battlefield, still, He is smiling, ananda. He is not morose. Arjuna is morose. But He is not morose. Because he is anandamayo 'bhyasat.

So everything is there. The pleasure which we are hunting here within this material world, everything is there, full, full ananda. You can enter into the anandamaya-lila. That He practically demonstrates in Vrndavana. He is playing with His cowherd boyfriends, He is dancing with the gopis, He is playing as a child to His father and mother Yasoda. He has got conjugal love with Radharani. Everything is there. Therefore here it is said, tac chraddadhana munayo jnana-vairagya-yuktaya, pasyanti [SB 1.2.12]. You can see all this anandamaya-lila, atmani, within yourself. How? Tac chradda, chraddadhanah. Sraddha. This sraddha means... I have already explained many times. It is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta, sraddha-sabde visvasa kahe sudrdha niscaya. This is called sraddha, when you firmly believe. Sraddha-sabde visvasa kahe sudrdha. Without any shaking. Not shaking platform. Firmly. What is that? Krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya. If you become a devotee of Krsna, then all perfection is there. This is called sraddha. Because Krsna says at the last stage of His instruction in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Saranam vraja: "Voluntarily you surrender unto Me. Then I take charge of you." Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah. "There is no question of considering. Do it immediately." That Krsna says.

So if one accepts this principle, then that is called sraddha. Here it is said... Because after Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavata was written... So one who accepts Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead by understanding Bhagavad-gita as it is, not by malinterpretations, as it is, then that is called sraddha. Sraddadhana munayah. As soon as you become a surrendered soul, then you become one of the munis, great-minded, wide-minded, muni, mahatma. Munayah. And why kind of sraddha? Now, jnana-vairagya-yuktaya. Two things must be there -- jnana and vairagya. I have already explained that actually our aim of life, human life, is to acquire knowledge and vairagya. Simply talking of knowledge is useless. There must be vairagya also. Therefore Sripada Sankaracarya, he never liked simply talking. "First of all become a sannyasi." That was his propaganda. "Then you talk." So jnana-vairagya. One who is actually jnani, he must be vairagi. Vairagi means vigata-raga. We are not ragi. Raga means attachment. We are materially attached, and when you become actually jnani, then you should be materially detached. That is called jnana-vairagya-yuktaya. Tac chraddadhana munayo jnana-vairagya-yuktaya, pasyanty atmani catmanam [SB 1.2.12]. Atmani, within his mind and within his self, he sees the Paramatma. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. Perfect yogi always sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead within himself.

Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti, yam syamasundaram [Bs. 5.38]. The question was, "Why Krsna is black?" But that black is described in the Brahma-samhita, syamasundara. Here one who is black, nobody likes to see, naturally. But Krsna is black, at the same time the most exquisitely beautiful. That we cannot adjust. In another place it is said, asitambuda-sundarangam. Asitambuda-sundarangam. Asitambuda-sundarangam. His body is just like black cloud. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniya. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniya. We understand Kandarpa, the Cupid, as very beautiful, but if you millions of Kandarpas act together to increase the beauty, that is also not comparable with Krsna's beauty. So these contradictory terms cannot be understood unless one has got the ointment of love of Godhead. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. Anjana. Anjana we understand, a kind of ointment. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti [Bs. 5.38]. So the first beginning is sraddha, tac chraddadhana munayah. Adau sraddha. If you have got this faith... This is the...Bhagavad-gita is just to create the preliminary faith to understand God. That is the only... That is Bhagavad-gita.

Because we do not know. We cannot understand God with these blunt senses. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. The present senses, they are simply after material gratification. So how they can understand Krsna? That is not possible. Therefore it is said, jnana-vairagya-yuktaya. You can understand after jnana. Jnana means brahma-bhuta, one who understands aham brahmasmi: "I am not this material body; I am spirit soul." So brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. Now we are designated by this bodily relationship: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brahmana," "I am ksatriya," "I am black," "I am white," "I am strong," "I am weak," "I am fatty," "I am thin," so many. These are all designation. So one has to become free from the designation. That is jnana. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Upadhi. This upadhi. The bodily conception of life is called upadhi.

So sarva upadhi, when you become completely freed, no more thinking like American, Indian, brahmana, sudra, no... "I am eternal servant of Krsna." Gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave His identification in this way: "I am not a brahmana, I am not a sudra, neither I am a king, neither I am a vaisya, neither I am a sannyasi. I am nothing of this." Because this material designation, varna-asrama. Four varnas, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, and four asramas, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. So anybody must be within these eight categories. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that "I don't belong to any of these categories." Naham vipro na ca nara-patir na ca yatir va. Then what you are? Gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. "Gopi-bhartuh, the maintainer of the gopis, gopi-bhartuh, and the master of the gopis, Krsna, pada-kamalayoh, lotus feet -- I am His servant, dasa, and his servant, his servant, his servant, his servant, his servant, his servant, in this way servants' servant." The more you become servants of servant, then you are liberated. Here this material world they want master. He is master: "I am his master, I am his master, I am his master." They are trying to become master. It is just the opposite -- to become servant. This is Vaisnava philosophy, how to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant, oh, hundred times servant. Because this philosophy is understood by becoming a servant, not by becoming a master. That you will not. That is called jnana-vairagya-yuktaya. Because so long wants to become a master, he is still in ajnana because he cannot be master. How he can be master? Real master is Krsna. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. How you can be master? Can you become more than Krsna? He is sarva-loka-mahesvaram.

So this is jnana, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu enunciates, not to become master or God, to become servant of the God. Not only servant, but servant, servant, servant, servant, hundred times downward. Then you become perfect. That is the demand of Krsna, that you first of all become servant. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66]. Because that is your real position. Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms it. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. This is our position. This is jnana. Anyone who is claiming other that this is not in knowledge. He is ajnana. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita -- I have several times repeated -- bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19]. After many, many births trying to become the master, when actually he becomes jnanavan, then jnanavan mam prapadyate. This is the sign, when he surrender to Krsna. That is real knowledge. That knowledge is not sentiment. Because bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19]. After experiencing many, many births that "I am the master, I am God, I am this, I am that," so when he actually jnanavan, mam prapadyate, vasudevah sarvam iti.. [Bg. 7.19]. When he understands, "Oh, Vasudeva, Krsna, is the origin or everything," that is real jnana. That is real jnana.

Therefore it has said, jnana-vairagya-yuktaya. Then you have to become vairagi to your puffed up consciousness that "I am master, I am God, I am this, I am that." No. That is called jnana and vairagya. Jnana-vairagya-yuktaya. And again it is confirmed, bhaktya. As soon as the bhakti word is used, there is no question of becoming master. Bhakti is used via media between Bhagavan and bhakta. The dealings of Bhagavan and bhakta is called bhakti. Bhakti, bhaja-dhatu. Bhaja-dhatu sevayam. Sevayam. Seva mean there is a sevaka and there is a master, sevya, one who is worshiped and one who serves. Then the process is called bhakti. Here it is also said, bhaktya. What kind of bhakti? Bhaktya sruta-grhitaya. Sruta, by hearing sruti, or Vedas. Completely on the basis of Vedic knowledge, that bhakti, not sentimental. Sentimental bhakti is also there, because the acceptance of Krsna is there. Therefore there is some value. But real bhakti, Sri Jiva Gosvami has commented that bhakti based on understanding of Vedanta-sutra is perfect, on the basis of jnana, knowledge, and vairagya. That is... And Krsna has also said, brahma-sutra-padais caiva hetumadbhir viniscitaih [Bg. 13.5]. Brahma-sutra means Vedanta-sutra.

So actually the Vedanta-sutra, everything is bhakti. But unfortunately, people have taken Vedanta in a different way, after the Sariraka-bhasya. But all the acaryas, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, they have all, they have commentated on the Vedanta-sutra. So Vedantist does not mean simply the Mayavadis. Actually Vedantists are the devotees. Because veda anta. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the last word. The last word is bhagavan. That is Vedanta. Here it is said, brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. If you understand by studying Vedanta simply Brahman realization, that is not perfect. If you understand Paramatma realization by studying Vedanta, that is also not perfect. When you come to understand Bhagavan, that is perfect. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. By studying Vedanta or all Vedic literatures, if you do not understand Krsna, then srama eva hi kevalam.

vasudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogah prayojitah
janayaty asu vairagyam
jnanam ca yad ahaitukam
[SB 1.2.7]

These things are required, jnana and vairagya. That is very easily achieved. Vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah. If bhakti-yoga is adopted unto the Supreme Personality of God, Vasudeva, then very soon janayaty asu... Asu means very soon. Jnana-va iragyam ahaitukam.

The example you can see. These European and American boys and girls, how they have become vairagi? They have got immense opportunity for material enjoyment. Material enjoyment means money and woman. That is the standard of material enjoyment. So these boys, these girls, they have got enough. The money is thrown on the street. And woman is loitering on the street. You can pick up as many as you like. You see. That is the Western countries. But they have left everything. That is vairagya Why? Jnanam. They have obtained the real knowledge. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. As Bhavananda Maharaja said. They are firmly fixed up. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam, "Let us sacrifice our life for Krsna." That is real jnana and vairagya. Bhaktya. This is to be understood, bhaktya. Because without bhakti, there is no admission in the kingdom of God. That is not possible. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas casmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram
[Bg. 18.55]

Visate means enter. One is admitted in the spiritual world... Paras tasmat tu bhavah anyah. There is spiritual world. There is another world. Paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah [Bg. 8.20]. That sanatana-dhama you cannot enter without being a bhakta. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. Those who enter that spiritual world, Brahman, nirvisesa-brahman, because they are lacking in bhakti, they again falls down.

That is stated in the Bhagavata. Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adhah anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah. Ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah [SB 10.2.32]. There are certain persons, they are thinking, "Now I have become liberated." Ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninah. Vimukta-maninah means "thinking that they have become liberated." But avisuddha-buddhayah, their intelligence is not yet clear. So what is the result? Suppose one realizes Brahman realization. He is not mukta? Yes, he is mukta. That's all right. But the intelligence is not yet purified. Why? Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah [SB 10.2.32]. After undergoing sever austerities and penances, they rise up to the Brahmaloka, param padam. Patanty adhah, again falls down, again falls down. Why? Anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah. Just like the impersonal sky. You can go in the sky with your seedy airplane, but if you don't get a shelter in any planet, you will have to come again. Just like this moon planet–goers, going and coming. Why don't they stay there? So it doubtful whether they are going.

So anyway, this is the position of the nirvisesa-vada. Because they do not enter in one of the Vaikuntha planets... Because they are not bhaktas, they are not admitted. Without being bhakta, nobody is allowed to enter into the Vaikuntha planets. Just like here in the sky there are millions and millions of planets, similarly, in the brahmajyoti there are also millions and millions of planets. They are called Vaikunthaloka. But in those Vaikunthalokas only bhaktas are admitted, not the nondevotees. They can go to the Brahmaloka. Brahmaloka is combination of the spirit souls. But spirit soul means part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, who is anandamaya. So they do not get that ananda. They simply are elevated to the position of eternity. But eternity without ananda. Just like you just imagine: suppose you are given a very nice place. You are ordered that "You live here eternally, but don't allow nobody else. You can live alone." How long you will live? Because as a living entity, as part and parcel of Krsna, you want ananda. So ananda, you require society, friendship and love. That is ananda. That is not impersonalism. That is personalism. So unless you enter to the personal activities of Krsna, there cannot be ananda. There cannot be. Unless you are qualified to dance with Krsna or to play with Krsna, to become father of Krsna, mother of Krsna, and enjoy the anandamayam, ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhih, you cannot be happy. Therefore aruhya krcchrena. The brahma-pada, the Supreme, param padam, it is called param padam... Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adhah [SB 10.2.32]. Adhah. They fall down. Therefore we see sometimes, big, big sannyasis, brahma satyam jagan mithya, they give up this world, take sannyasa, but after some time they come to politics, to sociology. Why? If the jagat is mithya, why you are interested in politics and sociology an welfare acts? That means anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah: He could not get ananda without being in touch with the lotus feet of Krsna. Therefore they come this ananda. Ananda. Aruhya krcchrena. This is practical.

So simply Brahman realization is not perfect. Simply Paramatma realization is also not perfect. When you realize Bhagavan, then you realize Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan simultaneously. That is ananda. That is ananda. That is available as it is. Pasyanty atmani catmanam bhaktya sruta-grhitaya. Sruta-grhitaya, hearing. Therefore Rupa Gosvami says,

sruti-smrti-puranadi-
pancaratra-vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktir
utpatayaiva kalpate
[BRS 1.2.101]

One who does not understand the bhakti philosophy through sruti, through Veda, smrti... Just like Bhagavad-gita is smrti. Sruti-smrti-puranadi [BRS 1.2.101], and Narada-pancaratra. Without reference to these books of knowledge, if one becomes a so-called devotee, that is not accepted by Rupa Gosvami. Here also it is said, bhaktya sruta-grhitaya. Sruta-grhitaya, knowledge, full knowledge, through Vedas, bhaktya, with devotion. Dry Vedic knowledge makes you impersonalist, only a partial realization. Therefore bhakti must be there. Bhakti means without any result or karma and jnana. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [BRS 1.1.11]. People are interested with dharma, artha, kama, moksa. But Bhagavata says that above that, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. Here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam... Dharma, artha, kama, moksa, they are cheating, because they are not giving directly the devotional service to the Lord. Dharma, artha, kama, moksa. Therefore Vyasadeva says, dharmartha-kama-moksa, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam vastavam vastu vedyam atra [SB 1.1.2].

So if we want to understand the real reality, vastava-vastu, that is Krsna, then this is the process. What is that?

tac chraddadhana munayo
jnana-vairagya-yuktaya
pasyanty atmani catmanam
bhaktya sruta-grhitaya
[SB 1.2.12]

You have to receive through the channel of parampara system, bhakti. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. Parampara. Adau gurvasrayam. Therefore we have to accept a guru who is coming in the parampara. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is parampara. Because the parampara was lost, Krsna again said Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna. So as Arjuna understood, if you understand Bhagavad-gita as Arjuna understood, if you understand Krsna, then your understanding of Krsna is perfect. And if you invent some imaginary meaning, then you are srama eva hi kevalam, waste of time. So don't do that. Try to understand Krsna as He is, as He speaks Himself about Himself, that "I am like this." What is the difficulty? If Krsna says, if God says, "I am like this," why you are manufacturing ways and means to understand God, uselessly wasting time? God is giving His name, God is giving His address, God is giving His activities. Everything is there. Why don't you understand God? Why you are researching? This is called srama eva hi...

dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam
[SB 1.2.8]

So don't waste time in searching out what is God. God is canvassing you, "I am God, here." Bhaktya sa... Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65].

So this Krsna consciousness movement is not a manufactured way. It is simply the standard. Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. We are preaching this philosophy. It is not difficult. Anyone can do it. Anyone can do it. It is not that I am playing something wonderful. What Wonderful? They talk about this, that I have done something wonderful. I do not know any wonderful thing. I only know to present Krsna as He is. That's all. This is the secret. So anyone can understand Krsna as He is from Bhagavad-gita or from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Why do they search out? Why they should invent some means? This is useless waste of time.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.12 -- Delhi, November 18, 1973

Real Dharma--It's Not Karma

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.9-10
November 14, 1973, New Delhi


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Prabhupada:

dharmasya hy apavargyasya
nartho 'rthayopakalpate
narthasya dharmaikantasya
kamo labhaya hi smrtah

kamasya nendriya-pritir
labho jiveta yavata
jivasya tattva-jijnasa
nartho yas ceha karmabhih
[SB 1.2.10]

What is the aim of life? This is described here, dharmasya hi apavargyasya. The human life begins when he accepts religion. That is the beginning of human life, and that is the difference between human life and dog's life. The dog is engaged always for eating, sleeping, sex life and defending. The hog is also engaged always searching after where is food. Although the food is stool, he is busy. And as soon as his body is little strong by eating stool, immediately sex life, without any distinction whether it is mother or sister or daughter. It doesn't matter. This is hog's life, by nature's example.

Therefore sastra says that ayam deha,

nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
[SB 5.5.1]

This human form of life, deha-bhajam... The cats and dogs and hogs, they have also accepted a body. And the trees, the plants, the insects, the birds, beasts -- everyone has got body, material body. Karanam guna-sango 'sya. I have explained it. According to the infection of the modes of material nature, one is getting a type of body, nature's way. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani. The same example: if you contaminate some disease, you'll have to suffer or you'll have to accept that disease. So similarly, this is the nature's way. If you are associating with a certain type of quality of the material nature, you are preparing your body for that purpose.

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

We are very much proud of our body. "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am prime minister," "I am this," "I am that." The dog is also very much proud. "I am greyhound," "I am this bulldog," "I am this." Yes. Everyone is proud, however nasty body he may live. The hog is also very proud. Although he is eating stool and living in a very filthy place, but if you want to drag him from that place, he will, "Che che che, no, no, I don't want... I am very happy here." There is a story in the Bhagavata that once Brahma was cursed and he become a hog in this world. No, Indra. Because Indra was very offending, so he was cursed. He became a hog. So Brahma thought that "In the absence of Indra the kingdom of heaven is not managed very nicely, so let me go an bring him again, excuse." So when he came, he asked the hog that "Come with me." "Where?" "To the heaven." "Oh, I cannot go. I have got my responsibility. I gave got my responsibility. I cannot go."

So this is the position. Everyone is very happy. This is called maya's influence. Unless a hog feels happy, how he can live in this abominable life? This is called praksepatmika-sakti, covering. If one man knows or..., that "I was king in my previous life. Now I have become a poor cobbler" or something like..., then he will become mad. So therefore he forgets. Death means forget. Because the living entity does not die. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. There is no death. Death means forgetting everything of my past life. That's all. Just like we forget. At night, when we dream, we accept another body, and we forget this body. And in the daytime we forget the night dream body and accept this body. We have got daily experience. So death means forgetting the past life. Otherwise, there was past life. That's a fact. But as we forget daily night body in the daytime and day body at nighttime, so similarly, we are changing our body according to the infection of the quality or material nature, and we are entangled in this material world. Although we are part an parcel of Krsna, God, or we ar sons of God, but unfortunately, we have come in contact of this material modes of nature. This is going on.

Therefore Krsna comes. Krsna is the father of everyone. He canvasses, "My dear children, why you are rotting in this material world? Come back."

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
[Bg. 18.66]

This is the message of Bhagavad-gita. So dharma means to understand my relationship with God. That is dharma. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Just like a good citizen means who knows the relationship with the state. That is good citizenship. Bad citizenship means who doesn't care for the state. That is criminal. They are put into the prison house. So similarly, the living entities, they are part and parcel of God. But when they are not ready or prepared to abide by the laws of God, they are put into this material world. Beginning from Brahma, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16], they are rotating in this way. So dharma means to abide by the laws of God. Just like good citizen means to abide by the state laws. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19].

So here it is said, dharmasya hy apavargyasya. Apavarga and pavarga. This material life is pavarga. Pa-varga means... Those who are acquainted with grammar... There are vargas, ka-varga, kha-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga. Similarly pa-varga. Pa-varga means pa, pha, ba, bha, ma, five. So pa represents parisrama, labor, hard labor. This material world, you have to work. Either you are human being or a hog or dog or cat, it doesn't matter. You have to work. And very severe work so that foam will come within your mouth. Pha. Then pa, pha, ba. Ba means vyarthata, baffledness. And bha means bhaya, always fearful, "What will happen next? What will happen next?" And in this way, ma -- mrtyu, marana. This is called material life. There is no more gain, simply pa pha ba bha ma. That's all. This is material life. And apavarga means just the opposite, to nullify this pavarga business.
So here it is said, dharmasya hi apavargyasya. Religion means to how to get out of these pavargas. That is dharma. Bhagavata says, dharmasya hy apavargyasya na arthah arthaya upakalpate. Generally, people go to church, to temple, for some material benefit. Therefore sastra says, "No, no. Dharma is not meant for that purpose." People have become materialistic more and more because, just like in our country, "If you want economic development, then why you should go to temple?" The communist theory is also like that, that "If you want material happiness, why you are going to church and accepting, ‘O God, give us our daily bread'? The bread, you manufacture. You just work for it." In one side, it is good. But this is also fact, that without God's mercy, you cannot get even bread. Although bread you can manufacture, but the ingredients of the bread, the wheat, that is not in your hand. You cannot manufacture in the factory. That is in the hand of prakrti, nature, and prakrti is working under the control of the Supreme Lord. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. So it is prakrti's business to control food supply when people become godless. That is prakrti's business. Because prakrti... These statements are there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the story of Maharaja Prthu. So prakrti said that "Because people have become godless, demons, I have restricted my supply." Therefore everything depends on the mercy of the Lord.

So therefore dharma means to abide by the laws of God -- that is dharma -- so that you can get our of the entanglement of this pavarga. Dharmasya hy apavargyasya na artha upakalpate. Not for economic development. Don't go to the church, can't go to the temple for your economic development. Although in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, artah artharthi jnani jijnasuh, catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtino 'rjuna: "Four kinds of men, those who are arta, distressed, artharthi, in need of money, they come to Me." That is also good. But that is not the meaning of dharma. Dharmasya hy apavargyasya. You have to execute religious system only to get out of the entanglement of this pavarga. That is the purpose. Dharmasya hy apavargyasya narthah arthaya upakalpate. Not for economic development. In our Vedic literature you will never find these things, that economic development. Of course, the economic development, in the sastra there are, in the Vedic literature, to sacrifice. Yajnarthe karmano 'nyatra. Yajnad bhavati parjanyah parjanyad anna-sambhavah [Bg. 3.14]. That is there. But that is not the purpose. Real purpose is how to get out of the entanglement of pavarga. Dharmasya hy apavargyasya na arthaya upakalpate. Then you can say, "We require some money." Yes. You require none. That's all right. Economic development, there is need. So therefore it is said, na arthasya dharma ekantasya kamo labhaya hi smrtah, that you require money. Because you have got this body, you have got to gratify your senses. That is right. But not for sense gratification, only for sense gratification. No. Dharmasya na arthasya, arthasya. The money which you get, that is not meant for sense gratification. Dharmaikantasya. Actually who is religious, who is interested in religion, for him, this economic development, getting money, is not meant for sense gratification. Narthasya dharmaikantasya kamo labhaya hi smrtah.

But we have got demands of our body. What to do? Kamo labhaya. The kama is there, demands of the senses. So therefore it is said, kamasya nendriya-pritih. You can get the supply of the necessities of your senses as much as you require. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: yuktahara-viharasya yogo bhavati siddhih. Yuktahara. You should eat what is actually needed by you. Don't eat more. A human being, there is... Certainly we are eating. But we are eating... A Krsna conscious person eats krsna-prasadam. Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Our business is to eat... We don't say that you are vegetarian and nonvegetarian. Vegetarian or nonvegetarian, it does not make very much difference. Ye pacanty atma-karanat bhunjate te tv agham papah. If you eat only for yourself, for sense gratification, it doesn't matter whether you are vegetarian or nonvegetarian. You are simply eating sinful results of your life. Ye pacanty atma-karanat, yajnarthe karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah [Bg. 3.9].

So our business is, so far we are concerned, Krsna conscious people, we are not advocates of vegetarian and nonvegetarian. Of course, vegetarianism is very good, even for health's sake. But we do not take vegetables even if it is not offered to Krsna. That is our principle. If Krsna said that "You give Me nonvegetarian diet," then we can eat also. But Krsna does not say. Krsna says, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. So we are preparing so many nice foodstuffs with this patram puspam phalam toyam. We can prepare many, many hundreds of preparation of this patram puspam phalam toyam, and we can offer Krsna and then take prasadam. That is all right. The human life is not meant for sense gratification. Sense gratification -- my food is Krsna prasadam. Why shall I go to restaurant? And this is tapasya. Eating is not stopped, but don't eat anything which is not krsna-prasadam. That is Krsna consciousness. If you, for satisfaction of your tongue, you get money and satisfy your tongue, that is forbidden. It is said that kamasya na indriya-pritih. You have demand. You have to, demand of the body. You have to eat something. You have to sleep somewhere. You must have some sense gratification. You must protect yourself from attack of others. That is all right. But don't do all these things for sense gratification. This is the injunction of the sastra.

Just like Arjuna fought. Arjuna fought not for sense gratification. He fought for satisfying Krsna. Because Arjuna, first of all, he was trying to satisfy his senses. He said to Krsna, "My dear Krsna, they are all my relatives. The other side: my grandfather, my brothers, my nephews, my son-in-laws. Oh, how can I fight with them?" This consideration was for sense gratification. He was thinking that "In this way I shall be satisfied." Personally. But there was no question of satisfying Krsna. But when he understood that his business was to satisfy Krsna, then he agreed. Krsna inquired, "Whether you have now decided to fight or not?" He said, "Yes." Nasto mohah smrtir labdha: "I have now got back my memory, and my moha, illusion, is now lost." Karisye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73]. "I shall fight." So this fighting was service to Krsna. It is not sense gratification. Rather, when he was trying to become nonviolent, very good man, not to fight, sacrifice for the other party, that was sense gratification.

This is the distinction between bhakti and karma. Karma is sense gratification, and bhakti is satisfying the Lord. The same thing. Therefore people cannot understand what is the difference between a bhakta and a karmi. Karmi is satisfying his own senses, and the bhakta is satisfying Krsna's senses. There must be some sense gratification. But when you satisfy Krsna, that is called bhakti. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Hrsika means senses, purified senses. That I explained the other day, that

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa-
sevanam bhaktir ucyate
[Cc. Madhya 19.170]

Bhakti does not mean stop your work. Bhakti does not mean sentimental fanaticism. That is not bhakti. Bhakti means to engage all your senses for the satisfaction of the proprietor of the senses. That is called bhakti.

Therefore Krsna's name is Hrsikesa. Hrsika means senses. And hrsika isa, He is the controller of the senses. Actually, our senses are working not independently. We can understand it. Krsna is directing. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca [Bg. 15.15]. Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca. A scientist is working because Krsna is helping him, not that he is independently working. That is not possible. But he wanted in that way. Therefore Krsna is giving him facilities. But actually, Krsna is working. These are explained in the Upanisads. Without Krsna working, without seeing, without Krsna's seeing, you cannot see. Just like the sunshine is explained in the Brahma-samhita.

yac-caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam
raja samasta-sura-murtir asesa-tejah
yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

Therefore, sun being one of the eyes of Krsna, because the sun rises there, because sun is seeing, therefore you are seeing. You cannot see independently. You are so much proud or you eyes. What is the value of your eyes if there is no sunlight? You cannot see. Even this electricity, that is derived from sun. So actually when Krsna sees, you can see. That is the position.

So our senses... In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, sarvatah pani-padam tat. Sarvatah pani-pada... Everywhere Krsna has His hands and legs. What are that? My hands, your hand, your leg -- that is Krsna's. Just like if somebody says I have got branches all over the world. So those branches are working on the management of the supreme person. Similarly, Krsna also. Krsna is therefore called Hrsikesa, Hrsikesa. So business is... Bhakti means when we engage our hrsika, our indriyas, our senses, in the service of the proprietor of the senses. That is our perfect life. That is our perfect... But as soon as we desire to use our senses for the gratification on the senses, that is called karma. That is called material life. So therefore, for a bhakta there is nothing material. That is isavasyam idam sarvam. The bhakta sees that everything belongs to Krsna. Isavasyam idam sarvam yat kinca jagatyam jagat, tena tyaktena bhunjitha. Everything belongs to Krsna. Therefore whatever Krsna gives us... Just like a master. Master allots something to the servant, "You can enjoy this." That prasadam. Prasade sarva-duhkhanam hanir asyopaja... This is the life. If you become Krsna conscious, if you understand that "Everything belongs to Krsna, even my hands and legs, they also belong to Krsna, all the parts of my body, they belong to Krsna, then it should be used for Krsna," that is called bhakti.

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
[BRS 1.1.11]

That Krsna did, er, Arjuna did. He wanted to satisfy his senses by not fighting, but he agreed after hearing Bhagavad-gita that "Yes, Krsna is the Supreme Person."

aham sarvasya prabhavo
mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam
budha bhava-samanvitah
[Bg. 10.8]

These things are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gita. That is the preliminary study of spiritual life. And if we are actually convinced of the teachings of Bhagavad-gita, then we surrender to Krsna. Krsna wants that. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That He wants. When we actually take to this process, this is called sraddha. Sraddha. That has been explained by Kaviraja Gosvami, what is the meaning of sraddha.

sraddha-sabde visvasa kahe sudrdha niscaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya

This is called sraddha. Sraddha means firm faith. What is that firm faith? Firm faith means that... Krsna says that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66]. When you take this conclusion, "Yes, by surrender to Krsna, by surrendering unto the lotus feet of Krsna, everything is done very nicely," this is called sraddha. And the more you increase this sraddha, the more you become perfect.

This is the Krsna consciousness movement, beginning with this sraddha. Adau sraddha. If you don't believe... You are reading Bhagavad-gita three hundred years but don't believe that "I have to surrender to Krsna," then what is the use of reading Bhagavad-gita? All these rascals, they are reading Bhagavad-gita but they have no concern with Krsna, forget Krsna. This is reading of Bhagavad-gita useless waste of time. Useless waste of time. If you do not understand the meaning of Bhagavad-gita, why you are...? Srama eva hi kevalam. That has been explained in the previous verse.

dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam
[SB 1.2.8]

If you do not understand Krsna, if you do not surrender to Krsna, then you are simply wasting your time. There is no meaning of writing big, big comments on Bhagavad-gita, uselessly waste you time and waste others' time. This is the real point, sraddha. Krsna said, by surrendering to Krsna everything will be done. Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami. So if one has no sraddha, faith, on this instruction of Krsna, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji, then there is no use, simply waste of time.

If we come to this point, adau sraddha... This is called sraddha. Then the next stage is adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. If one has..., one is convinced that "Surrendering to Krsna, my all business will be perfect," this is called sraddha. Then we have to seek out who are engaged in Krsna consciousness, sadhu-sanga. Sadhu means Krsna conscious person. Sadhu does not mean having a big beard and nice dress or saffron-colored dress. That is not sadhu. Sadhu is described in the Bhagavad-gita, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak, sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30]. That is sadhu, who has no other business than to serve Krsna. He is sadhu. He is sadhu because he has accepted the principle, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg. 18.66]. Sadhur eva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah [Bg. 9.30]. You cannot say, "Oh, he has got some bad principle in his life. Although he is worshiping Krsna wholeheartedly, but he has got some defect." Therefore Krsna says, api cet su-duracarah. Even if he has got so many defects of his life, because he has dedicated his life for Krsna's service, sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30]. So if you have got sraddha that by surrendering to Krsna your all purpose of life will be practical or fruitful, then you have to associate with such persons who are engaged in the service of Krsna, sadhu-sanga. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. Therefore our this movement is called International Society for Krsna Consciousness.

So actually, one by one, as people are coming to the association of the society, automatically he is becoming Krsna conscious. That is practical. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. This is sadhu-sanga. Sadhu-sanga does not mean to associate with some saffron-colored men. Sadhu-sanga means to associate with Krsna conscious person. This is sastra. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu... This is Rupa Gosvami's direction, that if you want to develop your love for Krsna, this is the process. Because real purpose of life is not dharma, artha, kama, moksa. And that will be explained here. Jivasya tattva-jijnasa. What is the Absolute Truth? What is the aim of life? Then this is the process. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya. Practically we have seen. These boys and girls, Europe and America, they first of all came to me, and they associated, abided by my orders. Then automatically they wanted to be initiated. We are doing that. Every day we are initiating some new devotees. So this is called bhajana-kriya. You'll be automatically anxious. If one associates with sadhu, then he will be automatically anxious to accept bhajana-kriya, initiation. Then you have to rise early in the morning, you have to offer mangala-arati, you have to do this, you have to do that. Twenty-four-hours program is there. That is called bhajana-kriya. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat. Anartha means useless habits. Just like one smokes. It is useless habit. By bad association one becomes a smoker, one becomes a drunkard, one becomes a meat-eater, one becomes a gambler. These are anarthas. So everyone in this age, everyone is associated with these anarthas. But if he takes to krsna-bhajana, bhajana-kriya, then anartha-nivrttih syat. Practically you can see. These boys and girls, they are no more meat-eaters, they are no more taking any intoxicants, they are no more gambler. No more illicit sex hunters. No. Everything stopped. This is our prin... This is called mukti. This is called mukti. As soon as you get rid of these bad sinful activities, you are mukta. That is called mukti. And after mukti, tato nistha, then we have got firm conviction: "Yes, Krsna consciousness is the only business." Tato nistha, tato rucih. Then you increase your taste. Tato nistha athasaktih. Then you become attached to Krsna.

That is the beginning of Krsna consciousness, bhakti-yoga. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. When you increase your attachment for Krsna... That is required. Increase... You have got attachment for your family, for your body, for your society, for your country, everything. That's all right. But you have to convert them. You have to increase attachment for Krsna. That is called bhakti-yoga.

mayy asakta-manah partha
yogam yunjan mad-asrayah
asamsayam samagram mam
yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu
[Bg. 7.1]

Krsna says in the Seventh Chapter, in the beginning.

So everything is there. If we actually want to make our life perfect, the directions are already there in our... We have got the Vedic knowledge, treasurehouse of spiritual knowledge, and the Bhagavad-gita is the gist, is the summary. Gitopanisad. It is called Upanisad. If you simply study Bhagavad-gita as it is, without foolishly interpreting it... That will spoil. Don't interpret. Just like you are given paramanna, or ksira. Everyone knows what is ksira, milk and rice cooked together with sugar, very nice foodstuff. But if you add with it several grains of sand, it becomes useless. You can add it, simply a few grains of sand -- we spoil Bhagavad-gita. Therefore Sri Sanatana Gosvami has advised how to save yourself from this rascaldom. He says, avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam, sravanam naiva kartavyam. Putam hari-kathamrtam. Hari-katha. Krsna is speaking Bhagavad-gita; therefore it is called hari-katha, krsna-katha. So Sanatana Gosvami says, "If it is uttered by avaisnava, who is not a devotee, he is a professional man, so-called scholar and politician, don't hear it. Don't hear it." Avaisnava: "Because he is not a Vaisnava." Avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-katha. Hari-katha means Krsna's words. They are very purified. That's all right. But sravanam naiva kartavyam. Why? Because sarpocchistam yatha payah. Just like milk. Milk is very good food, but if it is touched by the tongue of a serpent, it becomes poison. If you eat that kind of milk, your life will be finished. Similarly, our only request is that don't try to read Bhagavad-gita commented by unauthorized so-called scholars or politicians. Simply read Bhagavad-gita as it is. Simply accept what Krsna says. Then you will be benefited.

Krsna says, dharma-ksetra. Not Krsna says. Sanjaya uvaca. Dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre. No. Dhrtarastra uvaca. Dhrtrastra says,

dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre
samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavas caiva
kim akurvata sanjaya
[Bg. 1.1]

He is asking his secretary. He was blind man. So he was asking his secretary, "My dear Sanjaya, after my boys, mamakah, and pandavah, the sons of my younger brother Pandu, samaveta yuyutsavah, they assembled for fighting in the dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre... [Bg. 1.1]." Dharma, kuru-ksetra is still there. Everyone knows. And it is dharma-ksetra. Everyone knows. Then where is the difficulty to understand dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra mamakah pandu? But if you foolishly interpret, "Dharma-ksetra means this, and kuru-ksetra means that, and pandavah means that," you spoil the whole thing. That is going on. Otherwise there is no difficulty. Dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samaveta yuyutsavah [Bg. 1.1]. Actually, it is historical fact, Mahabharata. There was fight between two cousin-brothers. They, "No. Pandava means this and this. Kuru-ksetra means this and... This means this." In this way, things are being spoiled. So we are misled in that way. Actually, if we read Bhagavad-gita as it is, as a devotee... Because without being devotee, nobody can understand Bhagavad-gita. Because in the Bhagavad-gita in so many places it is stated, bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. Bhaktya, only through devotion, only becoming a devotee, you can understand Krsna. Otherwise you cannot. Naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah: [Bg. 7.25] "I am not exposed to anyone." Yoga-maya-samavrtah. "Only bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]."

So this is the way. And this life is meant for that purpose. That is the advice of the Vedas. Vedais ca sarvaih... [break] So Arjuna is inquiring from Krsna, and He says, janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. So Bhagavad-gita is real Vedanta. And if one understands Bhagavad-gita as it is, he is really Vedantist. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the last word. So last word of knowledge is Krsna. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. If one does not understand Krsna and does not surrender to Krsna, he is simply uselessly wasting his time. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavata it is said, kamasya nendriya-pritih. Kamasya nendriya-pritir labho jiveta yavata [SB 1.2.10]. Simply take so much as you will need, not for sense gratification. That is the process. Don't take more, don't take less. Yuktahara-viharasya. Sastra does not advise you that you starve, unnecessarily you starve. No. Krsna has condemned one who unnecessarily starves. You take foodstuffs. But don't take anything which is forbidden. Take krsna-prasadam. Patram puspam phalam toyam. Don't try to satisfy your senses. The senses will be satisfied. There are so many varieties of food, krsna-prasadam. That you will... These Europeans and Americans, they used to take meat. Now if you give them, bribe that "You take again meat..." Because they have learned to cook so many nice foodstuffs. Ask any one of them. Param drstva. Param drstva. When you get better thing, nivartate, then you give up which is not very good.

So this bhakti-yoga, Krsna consciousness, is so nice that if you take it very seriously, if you enter into the mystery of this bhakti-yoga... It is not all mystery, it is very open. Then naturally, param drstva nivartate. And that is required. Vairagya.

vasudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogah prayojitah
janayaty asu vairagyam
jnanam ca yad ahaitukam
[SB 1.2.7]

We have discussed this verse. So our only request is that don't take this Krsna consciousness movement as some sentimental religious propaganda. No, no. It is not religious. It is scientific. It is to save the human society from gliding down to the abominable condition. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. Bhagavata says, adanta-gobhih. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Adanta. The verse is: matir na krsne paratah svato va. Matir na krsne paratah svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam. Those who are grha-vrata, means simply materialistic or simply this life, this body, "I am this body, and the offsprings of this body, they are my kinsmen. I have to maintain them," or expanding: "They are my kinsmen, they are my family men, they are my nation," this is called grhamedhi. So such grhamedhi, matir na krsne, they cannot understand what is Krsna consciousness. Matir na krsne paratah svato va.

Paratah means by instruction or superior persons. Paratah. Svatah, by reading himself. Mitho 'bhipadyeta, or holding big, big meeting. They cannot understand. Why? Because grha-vrata. Grha-vratanam. What is the business of grha-vrata? Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. By being unable to control the senses, creating another body. Another body, the sense gratification. Either as god or demigod or as dog or as hog or as human being, as tree or insect. The business is ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. Punah punah. The same thing he is doing. He does not know the real business is how to get out of this entanglement of pavarga, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. He does not know. There is no science, there is no education. There is only education in the Bhagavad-gita. Therefore you have to, if you want to save the world, if you want to save the human civilization, you have to make to this proposition of Bhagavad-gita, learn it scientifically, and make your life successful.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973

Toward Perfect Peace Of Mind

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6
November 12, 1973, New Delhi


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Prabhupada: ...visvaksena-kathasu yah. (aside:) What is that sound? Notpadayed yadi ratim srama eva hi kevalam. Yesterday we discussed the verse,

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]

One gentleman was talking with me in my room how there can be perfect peace of mind. That we discussed yesterday. Yaya atma suprasidati. Prasidati means satisfied, fully satisfied. And suprasidati. Farther, specifically prasidati. How?

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]

This is the process, to develop our love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So we do not know. We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be done or love cannot be executed only one, personally. There must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me. So as soon as there is question of love, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love. Prema. Prema pum-artho mahan. So we have got this loving propensity, to love somebody, to love my family. First of all, love begins from family -- father, mother, brother, sister. Then you extend your love to your society, to your community, then to your nation. Or you can extend to the international. You can expand. But what is the end? You can expand yourself, but unless you come to the point of loving the Supreme Person, you cannot have tranquillity or peace of mind. That is the secret. Just like watering the tree. You can water, pour water on the leaves, on the branches, on the twigs, on the flowers, each and every one very particularly. But if you forget to water on the root, then everything is spoiled. Time is spoiled.

This is the sastra's direction. Yatha taror mula-nisecanena trpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopasakhah. Very practical example. Just like watering, pouring water on the root of the tree, automatically you please the branches, the twigs, the leaves, the flowers, the fruits and everything. Immediately the watering energy is transformed to every part of the tree. It is practical. There is no argument. And another example is given. Pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam. You give food to the stomach, and the energy will be distributed to all the parts of your body. If you want to serve separately, two sweetmeats to the two eyes and two sweetmeats to ears, in this way, it will be simply useless waste of time. Simply one sweetmeat, if you put into the stomach, and immediately you will feel some energy which will be enjoyed by your eyes, by your ears, by your nose, your hands, your legs, your hair, everything. This is the process.

So we have manufactured so many types of love except God. This is our defect. As soon as there is the name of God, "Oh, you go to Calcutera.(?) Not here." This is the position. People are so much avers. And our sastra says that when you forget God or when you are not religious... Religious means to become devotee of God. That is religion, very simple thing. Religion does not mean the ritualistic ceremonies, that "My religion, the ritualistic is this. In your religion the ritualistic is this." That may be different according to time, according to the men, according to the country, climate. That may be little different. Just like we are eating. Somebody is eating, somebody, somebody is eating something, somebody is eating. But the eating process and to derive the benefit by eating is the same everywhere. There is no difference. So you may profess any religion. That doesn't matter. You may become Christian, you may become Hindu, you may become Buddhist, you may become Sikh or anyone. There are hundreds and thousands of types of religion. It doesn't matter. But the test is whether you have learned to love God. That is all right. Then it is all right.

That is explained. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. If you have learned to love God, then it doesn't matter what type of religion you are following. The Bhagavata is very liberal. It does not say it, "If you follow Hindu religion or if you follow this type of religion, then you will understand God." No. Any religion, it doesn't matter. But the test is whether you have advanced in loving God. But if we see that instead of loving God, you are loving something else which is not God... Of course, God is everything. That is another thing. Without God, there cannot be anything. But still, there is the central point. It is described in the Bhagavad-gita that because everything is the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but everything is not God... That is explained. Maya tatam idam sarvam jagad avyakta-murtina. Krsna says that "I am expanded in My impersonal feature everywhere. But I am not there." It is very simple to understand. Just like the sunshine. The sunshine is expanded all over the universe. But if you are in the sunshine, you cannot say that "I am in the sun planet." No, that is not. Sun planet is 93,000,000's miles away. But the sunshine is not different from the sun. That is also fact. But still, you cannot say, because the sunshine has entered in your room, you cannot say that "I am in direct connection with the sun-god or the sun planet." No.

This is called acintya-bhedabheda philosophy: "simultaneously, inconceivably, one and different." So everything is God. That is a fact. And still, everything is not God. That is also fact. So we have to understand this philosophy. Everything is God. Without God's energy... The same thing, that the whole material world is existing on the sunshine. All scientists know it. But at the same time, the sunshine is different and nondifferent from the sun. Similarly, whatever we are experiencing, that is energy of God. Brahmanah saktih. These are energies of God, tathedam akhilam jagat, the whole creation, cosmic manifestation. But when there is question of love, you have to find out the origin of this energy. That is Krsna.

Krsna says,

aham sarvasya prabhavo
mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam
budha bhava-samanvitah
[Bg. 10.8]

When one understands that everything is coming... That is the Vedanta-sutras. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Athato brahma jijnasa: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." And what is that Brahman, brahma-jijnasa? Immediate answer is janmady asya yatah: [SB 1.1.1] "Brahman, or the Absolute Truth, is that from which or from whom everything has emanated." That answer is there, the meaning of Brahma-sutra, in the Bhagavad-gita. Because we have (to) find out what is that Absolute Truth, wherefrom everything is emanating, everything has come into existence. The answer is there in the Bhagavad-gita. Aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. One who knows this secret... Aham sarvasya prabhavah: "I am the origin of everything." Mattah sarvam pravartate: "Everything emanates from Me. Everything comes from Me." Iti matva: "One who has understood this fact," iti matva bhajante mam, "then he engages himself in the service of the Lord." Why? Budhah: "They are actually in understanding." And budha bhava-samanvitah. "Oh, Krsna is the origin." That is repeated in another place. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Not easily. To actually, to understand Krsna... In another place it is said,

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

"Out of many thousands of people, millions of people," sahasranam... Sahasranam means many thousands times of thousands. So a man tries to become siddha. Siddha means perfect. What is that perfection? The perfection means to stop this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is perfection. This is perfection. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanu...

Everyone is trying to be perfect. The whole struggle of existence is going on all over the world, how to become perfect. So that perfection ideal is different of different persons. Somebody is thinking that "If I have a nice bungalow and a nice bank balance and nice wife and children and family, then my life is perfect." Somebody is thinking that "If I can make my country very happy in comparison to other countries, then it is happy..." So there are different types of perfection. But actual perfection is... They do not know. That is indicated, that I am... Because I have been described, I am the soul. I am not this body. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe [Bg. 2.13]. Within this body there is the dehi. Dehi means the proprietor of this body. So that dehi, he is, tatha dehantara-praptih, he is changing from one body to another. One body... Just like we have got experience in this life also, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. As we are changing, past and present, therefore after this body is annihilated, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20], I am not annihilated; I take another body. That body... What kind of body? That will depend on my work. Just like we become diseased. As we infect certain type of disease, we suffer from that disease. This is practical. Nature's law is there. If you infect some disease, you will have to suffer from that disease. Similarly, as we are creating our mentality by different types of activities, our next life will be according to that mentality. This is the law of nature.

But we do not know. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Actually, prakrti, nature, is pulling us according to our desire, or according to our... The desire is contamination, the mental contamination. And we are creating different types of body. So our real suffering is the transmigration from one body to another. That we do not know. There is no scientist... But it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, tatha dehantara-praptih. You have to accept. And that is explained in other places, in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Karmana daiva-netrena jantur deha upapatti [SB 3.31.1]. As you are creating the situation... In the Bhagava d-gita it is also stated, yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of your death, the situation which you have created, it will carry you. Because mind is there. Mind is subtle. Intelligence is subtle. That mind, intelligence and ego. The subtle body is there. The gross body is lost. But the subtle body will take you to another gross body. It will take to the womb of another mother. And according to your karma, the mother's..., by the mother's help you will get a body, and duly you will come out and begin your work. This is nature's process. It is going on.

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

Ahankara. But one who is puffed up with false ego, that "I am this," "I am that," "I am big man," "I am small man," but he does not know how prakrti is working... You may be very big man in this life. That does not mean that you will remain a big man in the next life. You may be bigger or you may be smaller, according, karmana, what you are doing. The same example: Suppose you are prime minister, but if you have contaminated some disease, you must suffer. It is not that nature will excuse you, "Oh, you are prime minister. You have infected this disease, and you will not suffer." No. You have to.

So it is the question of creating the mind, the intelligence. Therefore if you constantly keep yourself, your mind, absorbed in Krsna, then you get next time, next life, a body like Krsna, which means sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Krsna's body is not like us. But we think that Krsna is like us. That is also condemned in the Bhagavad-gita: avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. "The rascal fools, they think Me as ordinary human being." They, all the big, big acaryas of our country, Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, many, many big, big stalwarts, they have accepted, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Are they fools that they are worshiping a human being? Are they fools, so big, big scholars, stalwarts? No. Only the fools consider that Krsna is ordinary human being. He comes to give us lesson what is actually God. God is Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Therefore it is His mercy that He comes before us to show what is actually God. But Krsna says, avajananti mam mudha manusim... [Bg. 9.11]. Somebody says, "Well, God, why God will come? He is so big. Why He will come?" But why He will not come? If He is so big, why you restrict Him not to come? If He is very big, is it under your laws that He will not come? If He is very big, then He has the freedom to come. You cannot restrict.

Therefore Krsna says, sambhavamy atma-mayaya: [Bg. 4.6] "Under My own laws I come." Not that by your laws. Just like as we go somewhere, sometimes we are put into the prison house, not by my personal law, by the law of the state. Similarly, this is a prison house. This whole universe, material universe, is a prison house. There is no freedom. We are thinking that we are free, but actually, nobody has got freedom. A little contamination of disease, immediately you are diseased. Where is your freedom? If you eat a little more than you can digest, immediately there is disease. So where is your freedom? So therefore we are called conditioned soul. Prakrteh kriyamanani. Prakrti is taking care of. In another place Krsna says,

isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya
[Bg. 18.61]

The maya has given this vehicle, this body, and we are put into this. And Krsna, or Isvara, or the Paramatma, is also within this body. So as you wanted in your past life, Krsna has given you through the agency of maya a type of body, and you are moving according to your desire. This is called karmana daiva-netrena. Therefore we have to understand this subtle knowledge.

But in the modern educational system, there is no such thing, although the Bhagavad-gita is there and it is the property of India, at least... Because it was spoken, the science of Bhagavad-gita... It was spoken long, long ago -- that is stated in the Bhagavad-gita -- in the sun planet.

imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave 'bravit
[Bg. 4.1]

Everything is there. How important this Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness movement means we are not manufacturing anything by our fertile brain. No. We don't create anything. We simply repeat, but we try to explain for modern understanding. That's all. Otherwise there is no question of manufacturing. Because nobody can manufacture the perfect knowledge, because we are all imperfect. Our senses are imperfect. However we may be learned, but the senses are imperfect. Therefore we cannot give perfect knowledge. Perfect knowledge can be received from higher authorities. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita (it is) said,

evam parampara-praptam
imam rajarsayo viduh
sa kaleneha mahata
yogo nastah parantapa
[Bg. 4.2]

As soon as the process of receiving perfect knowledge is lost, then the original purpose is lost.

So it becomes sometimes lost. When the parampara system... Just like nowadays, everyone is proud of reading Bhagavad-gita, but he interprets in his own way. Everyone is at liberty to interpret Bhagavad-gita as he likes. That is the modern proposal. So there are 664 editions of Bhagavad-gita. Everyone is commenting in his own way. I have heard that there is one doctor, some rele(?). He has interpreted Bhagavad-gita as the talks between a patient and a physician. You see? So this is going on. Everyone whimsically, he is interpreting. Sometimes in our country also, we see that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to interpret Bhagavad-gita as nonviolence. It is very difficult to prove, because Bhagavad-gita is spoken in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. (laughs) So how you can prove nonviolence? So it is a difficult job. So that is not the process of understanding Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita is to be understood, as our Swamiji immediately talked, that it has to be received from the parampara system.

So Krsna said to Arjuna that at the present moment the parampara system is now lost. Yogo nastah parantapa. Sa kaleneha yogo nastah parantapa. "It is the parampara system has been lost because there have been so many interpretation, wrong interpretation. Therefore I am selecting you to make again parampara." Bhakto 'si sakha ceti. "Why You are entrusting me? I am not a Vedantist. I am not a sannyasi. I am not very learned scholar. I am military man. So why You are trying to give the instruction of Bhagavad-gita unto me?" This question may be raised. Because Arjuna was a family man. He was not a sannyasi, neither he was a Vedantist. A military man is not expected to become a Vedantist. Ksatriya, he knows how to fight. And Krsna says that "I will speak to you." Why? Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: "You are My dear friend. Therefore I shall tell you." So this is the process of understanding: you have to become dear friend of Krsna. Then you will understand Bhagavad-gita. Otherwise, for thousands of years you may go on reading Bhagavad-gita; you will not learn even a word of it. That is the secret. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2].

So our business is... We are teaching Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam as it is spoken by the authorities. We don't add anything or subtract anything. Krsna says man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is the process. Man-manah: "You always think of Me." And we say, "Chant Hare Krsna." Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama... If you chant somebody's name, your friend's name or your relative's, immediately you remember the person. It is not very difficult. If you hear in the telephone somebody speaking, as soon as you hear the voice, you can understand, the other side, the person is there. So the chanting process means to always think of Krsna, twenty-four hours. Caitanya Mahaprabhu advises kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. adi 17.31]. And what is the benefit? The benefit is, because Krsna is the supreme pure, you become purified. Just like if you remain with the fire, you become warm, warmer, warmer, warmer. Just like in the fire you put one iron rod. It becomes warmer, warmer. At the end the iron rod becomes red-hot. And when it is red-hot, it is no more iron rod; it is fire. You touch everywhere; it will burn. The same process. If you remain with Krsna always, you get Krsna's quality. You have got the quality because you are part and parcel of Krsna. If Krsna is gold, you are part and parcel of Krsna; therefore you are also gold. But at the present moment, as the gold is covered by dirt, at the present moment we are spirit soul, we are part and parcel of Krsna, as good as Krsna, but we have been covered by this material body. Therefore we have to take out ourself from this material body. That is called siddhi, that is called perfection.

So manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Nobody knows how to become perfect. They are struggling very hard to become perfect individually, socially, nationally. But how they can be perfect? They do not know what is perfection. This is perfection. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. If you do not take another material..., and do not accept another material body, this is the final..., that is perfection. That is perfection. That is the injunction of the sastra: na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum, gurur na sa syat pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat. These are the injunction of the sastra. "Don't try to become a guru or don't try to accept a so-called guru." Who? Who cannot save you from this repetition of birth and death. This is the injunction. Not that "Guru has given me some mantra. I am now a poor man. I become very rich man." No. That is not. Real purpose of life -- how to get out of this repetition of birth and death. That is wanted.

So that is very simple method. If you become Krsna conscious, if you develop Krsna consciousness, you understand... By Krsna consciousness means you understands what is Krsna. Otherwise, if we superficially try to understand Krsna, we will understand Krsna is an ordinary human being. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sukadeva Gosvami is remarking. When Krsna is playing with the cowherds boys, he is describing, ittham brahma-sukhanu...

ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya
dasyam gatanam para-daivatena
mayasritanam nara-darakena
sakam vijahruh krta-punya-punjah
[SB 10.12.11]

"These boys who are playing with Krsna, they are ordinary cowherd boys." Krta-punya-punjah. Krta-punya-punjah means they acquired volumes of the result of pious activities. Now they have been allowed to play with Krsna. And who is this Krsna? Ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya. This boy Krsna, He is the target of the brahma-sukha, brahma-sukhanubhutya. He is the worshipable Lord of the devotees. Dasyam gatanam para-daivatena. And mayasritanam nara-darakena. Those who are mayasrita, within the clutches of maya, they are thinking He's an ordinary boy. But He is not an ordinary boy. So by Krsna consciousness, by constantly thinking of Krsna, as Krsna advises, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], if you dovetail your whole life to these principles, thinking of Krsna, man-manah, to become devotee of Krsna, mad-bhakta, mad-yaji, to worship Krsna and to simply... If you cannot do anything, either four or one if you can do... If you simply come and offer your obeisances to Krsna, you are getting the benefit. Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. The navadha-bhakti, sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam [SB 7.5.23]. In this way, if you remain touched with Krsna, that is the perfection. Some way or other you remain touch with in Krsna. These are the process. Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh. Visnu and Krsna are the same. You have to hear.

But people do not know the science, neither this science is taught in any school, college or university. But although the science is there, it is so neglected. Although it is the culture of India, the best culture of India, but unfortunately, we are bereft of this. This is our position. So we are making little our teeny effort, how to make people happy. Our only business is to make people happy. We have no other desire. We don't say that "You give us some money in exchange of your Krsna consciousness." No. That is not our business. We are not merchants. We are spreading this Krsna consciousness free of charge. We are engaged servant of Krsna. Krsna will provide us. Krsna will provide us. Krsna says, yoga-ksemam vahamy aham, tesam nityabhiyuktanam [Bg. 9.22]. Those who are engaged in the service of Krsna, they have no problem. There is no problem because Krsna is their protector. So one must have... Now you will be surprised to know that our this Krsna consciousness movement, our monthly cost is eight lakhs of rupees, all over the world. But Krsna is providing us. We have got simple a few books and we are selling. You will be surprised. We are selling 30-to 40,000 rupees per day. So we have no problem. Because we believe. If I serve to a ordinary man, he gives some salary. He gives some food. And we are engaged in service of Krsna, we shall starve? No. We have got that confidence.

So our only request is that it is a great science. Don't neglectfully take it. It is the real problem of life. We say that you live peacefully, happily, but don't risk your life. Don't risk your life. Just like a man is living very nicely, very good post, very good money, but if he is doing something criminal, then what is his next life? He is put into jail. Just like in America, Mr. Nixon. He was president, everything. Now everything is at risk. So we say that you become Nixon, you become prime minister, you become everything. We don't say... You make your profit, like that. But don't risk your life. That is our proposition. If after this life you are prime minister, you are very big man, and next life, if you become a dog, then what is the profit of your life? Srama eva... That is explained here:

dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam
[SB 1.2.8]

You do your work, duty. Dharma means duty. You are very dutiful. Do your duty nicely, but see by executing your duty whether you are developing your love for Krsna. That is the criterion. If it is not done so, if you are in the blindness, then it is said that notpadayed yadi ratim. If you do not become attracted by Krsna or Krsna consciousness, then, srama eva hi kevalam, simply you are wasting time.

So our propaganda is that do everything, but don't waste your time. Make improvement. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah [Bg. 9.25]. Just like by evolutionary process you have come to this human form of body, you can make farther improvement. You can do to other planets. There are many, many other planets where thousand times better standard of life is there. We cannot go. We are so conditioned. Although we are seeing all the planets, the sun planet, moon planet... They are trying to go to the moon planet, but that's a failure. So you cannot go in that way. There is process: yanti deva-vrata devan. If you want to go there, then deva-vrata, you have to worship that deva. Similarly, if you worship Krsna, you can go to the Goloka Vrndavana planet. Mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam. So if you have to prepare your next life, so why not prepare to go back to Krsna, yad gatva na nivartante [Bg. 15.6], wherefrom you haven't got to come back again to accept a material body? Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. These thing are there in the Bhagavad-gita. Why don't you study and understand? They are very good, good scholars, but they do not know what is next life. They are so good scholar, they are reading Bhagavad-gita three hundred times, but they do not know what is the next life. This is their study.

So this verse is very important. It is quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Dharmah svanusthitah. Dharma means... I do not wish to take your more time. Dharma means your occupational duty. Dharma means it is a fanaticism. That is not. That is not the meaning of dharma. The meaning of dharma, in English, it is called "religion." And religion is a kind of faith. So faith may be wrong or right. That is not dharma. Dharma means your constitutional position and duty. That is called dharma. Just like the other day I explained. Just like chili should be pungent, sugar must be sweet, this is the idea. Water must be liquid. A stone must be solid. This is the dharma. You cannot say "liquid stone." No. That is not dharma. As soon as you say "stone," it must be solid. As soon as you say "water," it must be liquid. So this liquidity and water, the liquidity is the dharma of water. The solidity, or dharma... Similarly, we have got a dharma. We are forgotten now what is our dharma. The dharma is... Here it is stated, dharmah svanusthitah pumsam vis... [SB 1.2.8]. How to awaken our consciousness to understand Krsna, that is real dharma. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. This is the description of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

So there is no question of the created dharma. Therefore Bhagavata says, dharmah projjhita-kaitavah atra: "Cheating type of dharma is completely rejected." Real dharma is to know our relationship with God. Our relationship with God is that He is the Supreme Prabhu, the Supreme, and we are anu.

nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam
eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman

That is our relationship. God is also a person like us. We are also persons. Nityanam, cetananam. We are also living entities, and God is also a living entity, a person. But what is the difference? The difference is God is maintaining everyone, and we are being maintained. That is the difference. We are all persons. Just like father in the family. Father is also a person, and the children, they are also persons. But what is the difference? The father maintains. Similarly, we are all children of God, children of Krsna. He is the maintainer. So what is our duty? To feel obliged. That is our duty. That is dharma. Not that you manufacture some dharma, type. Real dharma is you try to understand what is your relationship with God and then act accordingly. Your life is perfect. Therefore Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. You have to understand Krsna tattvatah, in truth. Then as soon as you understand Krsna in truth... That is the real criterion. If you do not understand Krsna in truth, simply superficially, then that is not perfection. That is not perfect knowledge. [break] ...parampara. Then your life is perfect. Tyaktva deham punar janma [Bg. 4.9]. That is perfection, if you, if after giving up this body, no more accepting material body. You go back to home, back to God, in your spiritual body. You have got your spiritual body. That is within this body. Just like within this garment or within your coat, your real body is within the coat, so this body is just like coat, and the subtle body is just like shirt. And as a gentleman is within the coat and shirt, real body, similarly, the spiritual body is within this material gross body and subtle body. If you can get out of this material gross and subtle body, you realize, then you go back to home, back to Godhead. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam... [Bg. 15.6]. Everything is there.

Therefore our request is that you read Bhagavad-gita, try to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is. Don't interpret in a foolish way. Everything is clear. There is no need of interpretation. The foolish people simply unnecessarily interpret. Everything is clear. Where is the difficulty to understand when Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru... [Bg. 18.65]? But one scholar is saying, "Yes, this is not to Krsna the person." Krsna says that "You become My devotee," and the scholar says, "It is not to Krsna." This is interpretation. This is going on, simply misleading people. You take Bhagavad-gita as it is and try... (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973

The Ultimate Gain In Life

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.5-6
November 11, 1973, New Delhi


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Prabhupada:

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]

Yayatma suprasidati. Everyone is seeking after happiness. Atyantika-duhkha-nivrttih. The struggle for existence is to minimize miserable condition of life and increase enjoyment. We the living entities, we are part and parcel of God. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. Jiva-bhuta, jivas, all jivas, living entities, they are part and parcel of Krsna, or God. When we speak of "Krsna," means God. God has got many thousands of names, but this one name is chief. Krsna means "the all-attractive." Krsna attracts everyone. Or one who attracts everyone, He is God. God cannot be attractive for some men or some living entities, and not for others. By His opulence, by His richness, by His power, by His beauty, by His knowledge, by His renunciation, by His reputation, God is all-attractive.

So all these opulences you will find in Krsna.

aisvaryasya samagrasya
viryasya yasasah sriyah
jnana-vairagyayos caiva
sannam bhaga itingana

Bhaga. Bhaga means opulence. Just like we sometimes speak bhagavan. That comes from this word bhaga. Similarly, bhagavan. Bhagavan means the owner of all opulences. That is called bhagavan. There are now nowadays so many bhagavans, but they are not owner of all opulences. Maybe partly. But God means, bhagavan means samagrasya. Samagra means complete. One rich man can claim that "I am owner of so many crores." Another can claim, "No I have got one or two more crores more than you." Others may say... So on, so on, so on, go on. But nobody can claim that "I am the owner of all opulences." But in the Bhagavad-gita, you will find, Krsna claims, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. Sarva-loka-mahesvaram, "The supreme proprietor of all the lokas." That is admitted by the sastra.

In the Brahma-samhita it is said, isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Isvara means controller or the powerful man who controls. Take for example the president or the king. So there are many isvaras, or controllers. You are also isvara; I am also isvara. Because you also control at least your family members or some animals. So this controlling capacity is there in everyone because we are part and parcel of Krsna. But we are not supreme controller. We are controller of some entities, but we are controlled also by something superior. Therefore we are not absolute controller. We are relative controller. But about Krsna, it is said, isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Paramah means supreme. He controls everyone or everything, but He is not controlled by anyone. That is isvarah paramah. We are isvara, we control in our jurisdiction, but we are also controlled by somebody. Just try to understand. But in Krsna's life you'll find that He controls everyone, but He is not controlled by anyone. Therefore He is called isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1].

He has got His form. God has got His form. The Mayavadi philosophers, they think the Absolute Truth is impersonal. Sunyavadi. No. Absolute cannot be zero or impersonal because controller, controller must have brain. Without brain, how he can control? And as soon as you have got brain, you have got other limbs of the body to carry out the order of the brain. So as soon as you have got senses, as soon as you have got sense organs, as soon as you have got brain, as soon as you have got activities, you are a person. This is the conclusion of the sastra. Therefore the absolute controller cannot be impersonal. By our practical life we see, government. "Government" is an impersonal word, but at the end of the government, there is a governor or president, a person. A person is required, who will apply his brain. So how is that that without brain the whole cosmic manifestation it is controlled? That is not very reasonable. And that is not according to sastra.

According to sastra, the Absolute Truth is explained in the Bhagavad-gita as tattva. Tattva means truth. So Srimad-Bhagavatam says that tattva-vit, "One who knows the tattva, truth..."

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
[SB 1.2.11]

"Those who are actually knower of the Absolute Truth, they know that the Absolute Truth is manifested in three features: impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma, antaryami or the Supersoul..." As Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that in each body there is a soul, ksetra-jna. Idam sariram ksetram ity abhidhiyate. The body... I am not this body, but I know it is my body. Therefore I am ksetra-jna and the body is ksetra. And Krsna says that ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata. That sarva-ksetresu bharata, in every body, that manifestation of God, or Krsna, is called Paramatma, or Supersoul. So the Supersoul and the soul, both of them are sitting on this body. It is compared with a tree. Just like on the tree two birds sitting, friendly birds. One is eating the fruit and another is simply witnessing. Upadrasta-anumanta.

So this is the science. So human life is meant for understanding this science. This is the ultimate science. Athato brahma jijnasa. Human life is not meant for wasting like cats and dogs, simply eating, sleeping, mating. That is not human life. At the present moment they are simply engaged in these four principles of bodily demands of life -- how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sense gratification and how to defend. Unfortunately, we have become less than the animals because the animals, they have no problem. Even the birds... Out of all living entities, 8,400,000 of forms, the human forms are only 400,000. The majority of the living entities, they are in different forms.

jalaja nava-laksani
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam

There are aquatics, there are insects, there are birds, beasts, trees, plants, then human being, by evolution process. So they have no problem. You can see, in the early morning, these parrots, they are dancing, chirping, and they have no problem. Immediately they will go to some tree and they will find out some little fruit. They will eat. Their eating problem... There is no eating problem. There is no sleeping problem, and there is no sex life problem also. Along with them, there is opposite sex. And they defend in their own way. So these are not actually problems. These are already settled up according to your body. That is the verdict of the sastra. Tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa. According to your body, your eating problem, your sleeping problem, your sense gratification problem and defending problem are already settled. That is the verdict of the sastra. Your real problem is, as our Panca-dravida Maharaja explained, how to solve the problem of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is your problem.

Therefore in the human society, there is some system of religion, how to solve these problems. But people in this age, they have become so misled, misguided, that they are not taking care of the real problem, but they are very much engaged in the temporary problems which are already solved. We are simply mismanaging them. So how to make solution of the problems of life, that means is called dharma. Dharma means the regulative principle which is given to the human society by God. I have already explained many times. Just as the law is given by the state for regulative principles of life, similarly dharma is also regulative principle to the human society. And just to make his life successful. What is that successful life? Successful life means a human being has come to this human form of life through the evolutionary process. Now he should make such arrangement that next life he may be free from this repetition of birth and death, at least, or he may go to other planets, higher standard of life. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita,

yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutani yanti bhutejya
yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam
[Bg. 9.25]/DIV>

That is the human life. You prepare yourself for higher standard of life or to make a permanent solution of your miserable condition of life, namely birth, death, old age and disease. This is required. This is human business, or dharma.

So how you can attain that dharma? Dharma means the occupational duty. Dharma is not a sentiment. Practically, nowadays people have taken dharma, religious means..., "religion" means a kind of faith. But that is not the description of the Vedic sastra. Faith we can change. Today you are Hindu. Tomorrow you can become Muslim. Or today you are Muslim. Tomorrow you can become Christian. You can change your faith. But that is not religion. Change of faith or accepting some faith, that is not religion. Religion means which you cannot change. Even if you become from Hindu to Muslim or from Muslim to Christian, that your occupational duty, you cannot change. Take, for example, suppose you are a government servant. You are serving in the secretariat. But tomorrow you become Hindu or Muslim or Christian. But do you mean to say that your service in the government will be changed also? No. That will continue.

So real business means we have to serve somebody. That is explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Our real business, our real occupation, is to serve Krsna, God. That is our... That service spirit, because we have forgotten God, or Krsna, we are serving somebody else. That is called maya. We have to serve. Nobody can say... In this meeting there are so many ladies and gentlemen. Nobody can say that "I do not serve anyone. I am free." That is not possible. You must have to serve. And that service is called dharma. Just like salt is salty taste, sugar is sweet taste. The sweet taste is the dharma of sugar. The pungent taste of chili, that is the dharma. It cannot change. If sugar is salty, you do not accept. "Oh, this is not sugar." Similarly, living entity has got a permanent occupational duty. That is service. That service is being carried on in different names: "service of the family," "service of the country," "service of the community," "service of the nation," "service of the humanity," so many names. But there is service. But this service cannot be complete unless the service goes up to the transcendental loving service of Krsna. That is perfection of service. And that is called dharma. Try to understand what is dharma.

So here Suta Gosvami was answering the question of Saunakadi Muni in Naimisaranya. They inquired that after the departure of Krsna... Krsna came -- paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam, dharma-samsthapanarthaya [Bg. 4.8]. So their inquiry was that "After departure of Krsna, the protection of dharma, how it is being maintained, or under whom, where it has gone?" So... "And what is actually dharma?" So here it is explained, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah. Para means superior. Not this religion, Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, or there are so many other religions. That is also dharma. That is temporary. But paro dharma means permanent dharma, eternal dharma, or sanatana-dharma. That is called para. Para means superior. So sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. Adhoksaja. Adhoksaja means God. Adhah. Adhah means cut (curbed?) down. Aksaja means direct perception. Adhoksaja. You cannot understand God by direct perception. You have got your eyes, but if you want to see, "Where is God? Show me," that is not immediately possible. You have to prepare your eyes to see God. So therefore God's another name is Adhoksaja. Adhah-krta-aksajan jnanam yatra(?). Not by direct perception you can understand God.

So here it is mentioned... Adhoksaja means you cannot perceive the Supreme Absolute Truth by your sense perception. You have to learn it by sruti, by hearing. Hearing is also experience, by hearing.

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

This is the process, hearing. If you simply hear about God, then you will see God by hearing. That is... Because there is a cloud of dirtiness within our heart. Unless that dirtiness is cleansed, we cannot perceive God. Therefore this process of chanting Hare Krsna mantra is described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ceto-darpana-marjanam: [Cc. Antya 20.12] "cleansing the mirror of heart." Just like unless you cleanse the mirror which is full of dust, you cannot see your face very nicely; similarly, unless you cleanse your heart very nicely, or in other words, unless your heart is cleansed of all sinful reaction, you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said,

yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
[Bg. 7.28]

They can see God, one who is fully washed of all sinful reaction of life. That can be done very easily. That can be done very easily. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
[Bg. 18.66]

Everyone in this material world, we are suffering the sinful reaction of our past life or this life. That is a fact. But Krsna says that "I can give you protection from all reaction of sinful life if you surrender unto Me."

So to become free from sinful life, there is only simple method: if you surrender to Krsna. That is the beginning of bhakti. Yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Bhakti life begins when you fully surrender unto the lotus feet of God. That is the bhakti life. So here it is said that it does not matter whether you are a Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Buddhist. It doesn't matter. Your system of religion is first class if you can develop your general love for Krsna or God, Adhoksaja. That is the test. You may advertise yourself or I may advertise myself, "I am a great religious person," but the test is how much you have learned to love God, how much you have advanced in that process.

So here in this verse it is said that sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. Then what will be my profit? Suppose I simply love God. I love. The loving propensity is there in me. I love some boy. I love some girl. I love my country. I love my family. I love my society. I love my country. The loving propensity is there. There is no doubt. Everyone, even cats and dogs, because he is living entity, he has got that loving propensity. A tiger also loves its cubs. But this love, when it will be applied to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is the perfection of life. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. What kind of love? Ahaituki. To love God not for any other reason, that "God will give me some wealth, God will give me this, God will... I shall take from God this." No. Ahaituki, no cause, that "Because I am in want of some money, therefore I shall go to church or temple or love God." No. Ahaituki. Just like people generally go there like that, "O God, give us our daily bread." Well, why you are asking God for daily bread? Daily bread is already given to everyone, even birds and bees. Your bread is also there. But people do not know that "My bread is already there. Why I shall bother God for daily bread? Let me learn how to love God." God is giving us so many things without asking. God is giving us light, God is giving us water, God... Bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhih... Everything He is giving you, without which cannot live. And He will not give us our bread?

So Bhagavad-gita says they are also pious, even one goes to God for asking something for some material profit. Catur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukrtino 'rjuna. Sukrtina. Sukrtina means they are pious. Just the opposite number, duskrtina, they'll never go to God. Just like the Communists. They will say, "What is this nonsense God? We shall produce our food. We shall produce our happiness." They are called duskrtina. Duskrtina means sinful. Actually, they do not know that without sanction of God, you cannot get anything. So at least, one who accepts this power of God and goes to God for asking bread or something, money or something else, they are pious. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Sukrtino 'rjuna. But those who do not go at all, do not care for God, they are called duskrtina. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15].

So to love God is the ultimate... Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said prema pum-artho mahan: "The supreme gain of life is how to be situated in the platform of loving service to the Supreme Person, God." That is actual perfection. That is described here. Ahaituky apratihata. Apratihata means this love cannot be checked. If you love somebody here in this material world, then if you have no money, the exchange of love will be hampered. But this love of God cannot be hampered. If you want to love God, there is no material impediments. Ahaituky apratihata. It cannot be checked. You may be the poor of the poorest of the poor; still you can love God. That Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Patram, a little leaf or a little water or little flower or little fruit. Patram puspam phalam toyam. If you offer to Krsna, "My Lord, My Krsna, I am very poor man. I cannot give You anything. But I have collected a little fruit, little flower, little water. So I have come to offer You," Krsna says, "Yes," tad aham asnami, tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah. He is not hungry, but He wants your love. He wants your love. That is... Therefore He comes, personally He comes. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanih [Bg. 4.7].

What is that dharmasya glanih. When people forget how to love God, that is dharmasya glanih? Not that other. So He comes to teach, and ultimately He teaches... In the middle He also teaches, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is God's teaching, that "You simply think of God." Man-manah. Mad-bhaktah, "Become devotee of God, worship God." Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. You are coming here. Here is God. You are offering obeisances. It will go to your credit. Yes. This is called ajnata-sukrti. Those who are coming here, taking part in this aratrika ceremony, dancing or offering some respect, everything goes to your credit. Everything will go to your credit. In this way... Just like if you make bank balance, one rupee, one rupee, one rupee, sometimes you will see, "It is now 100,000 rupees." Similarly, we are giving chance all over the world, opening this Radha-Krsna temple, giving them chance to chant the glories of the Lord. That means it is going to their credit. If they take it immediately, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], that is very nice. But if he cannot, this chance will never go in vain. This is Krsna consciousness movement. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje, ahaituki [SB 1.2.6]. And anyone can join. There is no question. Krsna is not meant for the Hindus or Indians. This is a mistake. Now, the Westerners, the Europeans, Americans, they understand. They do not know that "Why should we accept Krsna? He is Indian. He was Hindu." No. Krsna is for everyone. Just like the sun. The same sun, it rises, first of all rises in India, then gradually goes to Europe. Does it mean the European sun and the Indian sun, they are different? No, the one sun. Similarly, God is one for everyone. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-yonisu kaunteya. Sarva-yonisu means 8,400,000 species of forms. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayo yah [Bg. 14.4]. There are as many forms. Tasam mahad yonir brahma aham bija-pradah pita. He says aham, "I am. I am the seed-giving father." Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. "Every living entity, they are My part and parcel, as the sons, daughters, they are part and parcel of the father." Therefore in some religion God is addressed as the supreme father. Actually, He is supreme father.

So as it is our duty to enjoy the property of the father, similarly, it is our duty to love the supreme father. That is Krsna consciousness movement. And it cannot be checked. Ahaituky apratihata. Yayatma suprasidati. Suprasidati. Everyone is wanting peace of mind. Atma. Atma means body, atma means mind, atma means the soul. Yayatma suprasidati. Suprasidati. Prasidati means "becomes satisfied," and su means "very much." So unless you learn this art, how to love God, you cannot be happy. This is the fact. The sooner you make business, finish this business... How to learn? Now this chance is in this human form of life. You can learn. And the method is very plain, especially in this age. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,

kaler dosa-nidhe rajann
asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet

Simply by chanting Krsna's name, this Hare Krsna maha-mantra, mukta-sangah, he becomes free from all the contamination of this age, mukta. Param vrajet. He goes to the supreme abode, back to home, back to Godhead. You can see. It is not story. These European and American boys and girls, how they are feeling, how they are dancing. Yayatma suprasidati. Unless they are feeling satisfaction, how they can dance with me? They cannot. They are not dogs and cats, that I have taught them that "You dance like this to make some money." No. They are dancing in ecstasy of love. Yayatma suprasidati. Otherwise what money I have got to bribe them? I am poor Indian. No. They have developed this ecstatic love of Godhead. Even Christian priests admit that "These boys, these girls, were our boys. Now... When they were Christians, they did not come into the church. They did not care. Now these boys are mad after God."

So this Krsna consciousness is there in everybody. It is not an artificial thing. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is stated, nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sadhya... (end)