Tuesday, July 27, 2010
"Appearance Day Of Srimati Radharani"
5 Sept 73 , London
Prabhupada: ...yajno danam tapas caiva pavanani manisinam. There are four stages of spiritual life. The brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. For brahmacari, yajna. Yajna means to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman, visnur aradhyate [Cc. Madhya 8.58]. The whole scheme...
(aside:) I thinking I am feeling very hot. I have to take off... In another place it is said, yajnarthat karmanah anyatra karma-bandhanah [Bg. 3.9]. (Prabhupada's clothing is being taken off; it sounds like his sweater.) That's all right. That's all right. Keep it now.
So brahmacari, in the beginning of life... Brahmacari means beginning of life, student life. They must be trained up how to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the first training. The brahmacari is trained up to rise early in the morning and offers fire sacrifice, then studies of Vedas, then sankirtana. There are so many routine work for brahmacari. So this must be executed. And for grhastha-dana, charity. Grhastha must be prepared or trained up to give charity. And who will accept the charity? The charity will be accepted by the brahmacari and sannyasa. Not the vanaprastha. Brahmacari will accept charity on behalf of the spiritual master. And a sannyasi will accept charity only for his maintenance. That's all. The grhastha cannot accept charity. But a grhastha-brahmana, he can accept charity, but he will not, I mean to say, accumulate money by taking charity. Whatever he gets, he must spend. Then dana-pratigraha. Pratigraha means accept. But he cannot keep in bank a bank balance. He must, whatever extra he has got, he must immediately give in charity. Then he can accept, a grhastha-brahmana, accept charity. There is a proverb in Bengali, that "A brahmana, even if he gets one lakh of rupees, one hundred thousands of rupees, still he is a beggar." Because he will not keep it. He will not keep it for... He will immediately distribute it in charity. Therefore he is called in Bengali lakh take baundigi. (?) It doesn't matter he gets one lakh of rupees contribution, but still he remains a beggar. Because immediately he will distribute. So these things are very important things. Yajna-dana-tapah. And for sannyasi and vanaprastha-tapasya. Tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1]. Tapasya means accepting voluntarily all kinds of inconveniences, voluntarily.
Now, the material activities are that we are trying to avoid inconveniences. Material life is. But spiritual life means to execute tapasya, austerity, penance, even at the risk of all inconvenience. This is called tapasya. So Krsna says, yajna-dana-tapah, karyam na tyajyam. You can give up your family life, but you cannot give up this yajna-dana-tapah. That you cannot, at any circumstances. These things must be continued. Yajna-dana-tapah na tyajyam karyam eva tat. Karyam means "must," "you must perform." The Mayavadi sannyasis, karma-tyagi, they do not work. Their principle is always study Vedanta philosophy, and whatever they require, a little, they will beg, taking alms from grhasthas, and live and follow the strictly the principles of austerity. They are very strict. Those who are really Mayavadi sannyasi, not false, they follow strictly three times taking bathing. Even in severest cold they must. They lie down on the floor and always read Vedanta and Sankhya philosophy. But in spite of all these austerities, they do not approve the worship of Deity, the transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because they are impersonalist, they do not worship.
So sastra says that ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah: [SB 10.2.32] "So these people, although they are thinking of themself as liberated, they have become liberated..." The Mayavadi sannyasis address amongst themselves: namo narayana. "Namo narayana" means every one of them has become a Narayana. This is their philosophy. And from this namo narayana principle, Vivekananda Swami has manufactured the word "daridra-narayana." So Narayana has become very cheap thing for them. Everyone has become Narayana; everyone has become God. Just like the rascal God is now in the hospital. God is under operation. (laughter) A "guruji" God. So they have no shame even that "If I am God, I cannot cure my bodily pains, what kind of God I am?" But these rascals will proclaim that they are God, and there is set of rascals, they will accept, "Oh, here is God." Vivekananda also said that "Why you are finding out God? Don't you see, so many gods are loitering in the street?" So God has become a funny thing for them. No. We do not accept such God. Our God is different. Our God is:
yas tu narayanam devam
brahma-rudradi-daivataih
samatvenaiva vikseta
sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam
[Cc. Madhya 18.116]
Our Narayana -- that is real Narayana, exalted -- we cannot even compare with that supreme Narayana with such demigods like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, what to speak of these rascals. Yas tu narayanam devam brahma-rudradi-daivataih, samatvena vikseta. Any person, rascal, if he thinks that Narayana is equal to Lord Brahma or Lord Siva... There are Mayavadis. They say "Any demigod is as good as Visnu. You can worship any demigod. It doesn't matter. You..." Because their ultimate understanding is that the Absolute Truth is impersonal, and you can imagine any form. It doesn't matter. You ultimately reach that impersonal, merge into the impersonal.
This is their philosophy. But that is not the fact. The ultimate issue of the Absolute Truth is Krsna, Bhagavan. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. Absolute Truth is realized in three phases: first of all impersonal Brahman, then localized Paramatma, and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. The Absolute Truth is described as Bhagavan, and there are many expansions of Bhagavan. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Ananta-rupam. Krsna has expansion, millions and trillions. Just like as Paramatma. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Not only He resides in everyone's heart, but in every atom also. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.35] **. So Krsna has got many expansions. But they are all one. Advaitam acyutam. Just like you have got experience that the sun, if you have got millions of pots, the sun is reflected; you will find millions of suns, but although the sun is one, but we see that millions of suns are there in millions of pots. This is the understanding. God is one, but He can expand Himself in millions and millions. There is no question of counting. Unlimited, but still, one. Advaita. Acyuta. The Mayavadi philosophy is that because God has expanded Himself in so many, all-pervading, therefore he is finished. He is finished. Just like material conception. You take any big paper and make it into pieces and then throw it -- the original paper is lost. There is no more existence. That is Mayavadi philosophy. Mayavadi philosophy means because God is all-pervading, therefore He has no form. He has finished His form. There cannot be any form. And this is material conception. This is not spiritual conception. Spiritual conception is purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate [Iso Invocation]. If Krsna is the complete, supreme, so even He expands Himself in millions and trillions of complete forms, still, He is complete. Still, He's complete. This is conception of Krsna. So therefore avyaya. Avyaya means acyuta, avyaya. Acyuta means He does not fall. It is not like that, that in my bank I have got one hundred pounds; if I take one, two, three, four, five in this way, one hundred finished, my bank balance is finished. It is not like that. Krsna is so complete that immediate forms may be expanded from Him; still, He is complete. Purnasya purnam adaya. These verses you have already read in the Isopanisad.
So that is the conception of Krsna. So unless you, from the very beginning you practice yajna, or if you are a grhastha, give in charity, and when you take sannyasa, you undergo tapasya, how you will understand this philosophy? It is not possible. In the Kali-yuga, however, this yajna is not possible. As there are ritualistic yajna, sacrifice as recommended in the Vedas, that is not possible. It is very expensive. You have to acquire so much ghee and grains and so many other things. Feed so many, daily, people. It is very difficult task to perform the ritualistic yajna. Therefore Krsna has made easy. What is that? Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah. That is recommended in Srimad-Bhagavatam:
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah
[SB 11.5.32]
This is the process of performing yajnas. Yajna-dana-tapah. What is that yajna? Krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam. Krsna-varnam. Varna means category. Just like brahmana-varna, catur-varna. Varna means class. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. As Krsna said. So krsna-varnam: in the category of Krsna. So krsna-varna. Or "One who is describing Krsna," varnayati. Krsnam varnayati iti krsna, iti krsna-varna. Either belonging to the category of Krsna... He is not belonging to the category of the jiva soul. He belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, krsna-varna. Or chanting always the holy name of Krsna. Krsna-varnam tvisa akrsnam. Means He is Krsna... Because He belongs to the category of Krsna, therefore He is Krsna. But we have got conception, Krsna is blackish. Yes, that's a fact. Asitambuda-sundarangam. Asita. Asita means black. Asitambuda. So black cloud. Ambuda means cloud. Asitambuda-sundarangam. His complexion is like blackish cloud, but very, very, very, very beautiful. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniyam. He is so beautiful that many millions of Cupid cannot be compared with Him, although He is black. So here the same Krsna, krsna-varnam, although He belongs to the same category of Krsna, tvisa, by complexion, akrsna. Akrsna. Akrsna means "not Krsna." So it may be any other color. It may be... There are so many colors.
So akrsna. He's not krsna, not blackish. So there may be... But no. There are fixed colors for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sukla, suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krsnatam gatah. When Krsna was born at Nanda Maharaja's place, or Krsna appeared then,... So according to Vedic system there is jata-karma. As soon as child is born, immediately horoscope is made and according to horoscope his name is given. There are dasa-karma. Dasa-karma. So one of these is at the birth, that before the child is begotten, there is one samskara, garbhadhana-samskara. Similarly, after the child is born, then another samskara, jata-karma-samskara. So there are so many samskaras. Samskarad bhaved dvijah: By following the samskara, purificatory process, one becomes brahmana. The upanayana-samskara, the sacred thread samskara. So when Krsna was having the jata-karma-samskara by Gargamuni, the priest of Vasudeva... He was sent to Nanda Maharaja to perform the Krsna's jata-karma. So he was a learned astrologer. He said, "Nanda Maharaja, your this son formerly had three other colors: suklo raktas tatha pita. He was of white color, He was of red color, He was of yellow color." Idanim krsnatam gatah. "Now He has appeared in blackish color." Idanim krsnatam gatah. So krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam [SB 11.5.32]. Tvisa means by complexion He is not black. Then He must be either of the three-white, red and yellow.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu's color is yellowish golden color. Therefore it is said, "He is Krsna, but now He has appeared in golden complexion." Krsna-varnam tvisa akrsnam. And sangopangastra-parsadam. "He is always surrounded by His associates." Anga, upanga. Anga means personal, and upanga means expansion of the expansion, which is called kala. The first expansion is called avatara, and when there is another avatara from avatara, that is called kala. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan [Bs. 5.39]. Very scientific analysis in the sastra. Not that any rascal comes, "I am God." This is not acceptable. We have to understand sastra-vidhi, as sastra it is said. So about Sri Cai... Because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so many rascals have imitated: "Well, this Nimai Pandita, if He can become avatara, then why not Gadadhara Pandita?" This Ramakrishna, his name was Gadadhar Chatterjee. So he was also imitation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Where is the reference in the sastra? So far Caitanya Mahaprabhu is concerned, there are so many innumerable references, in Mahabharata, in Bhagavata, in Purana, in Upanisad. Therefore we accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not by rascal's vote that "Let us vote this man is God; then he becomes." So krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam [SB 11.5.32]. He associated with other devotees -- Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, then Gadadhara Prabhu and Srinivasa. Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. Whenever Caitanya Mahaprabhu is present, there are so many devotees. Gaura-bhakta-vrnda. So sangopangastra-parsadam. This is the incarnation of Kali.
So yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah [SB 11.5.32]. Those who have got brain substance, not dull, filled up with cow dung, they cannot understand what is the sankirtana-yajna. But sastra says, yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah: "Those who have got nice brain substance, they can perform this yajna, sankirtana-yajna." Then it fulfills the injunction of the Bhagavad-gita, yajna-dana-tapah-karma. So for this sankirtana movement, sankirtana-yajna, in this age, before the Deity of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and associated (with) Nityananda, Advaita, others... If not all, at least Nityananda or Gadadhara. Gaura-Gadadhara or Gaura-Nityananda, or all of them, five. Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda. You have got Panca-tattva? No picture here? It was there.
Devotee: When... Revatinandana Swami takes with him travelling.
Prabhupada: Oh, all right. So Gaura-Nityananda is here. That's all right. So this is the yajna. So yajna-dana-tapah-karma na tyajyam. You cannot give up in any stage of life, but because the yajnas mentioned in the Vedas it is not possible to perform in this age Kali-yuga because they are mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10]. In this age people may advertise themselves they are making very good progress. They are all unfortunate, disturbed. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagyah. Manda-bhagyah means unfortunate. And upadrutah, always disturbed. This is the position of the people in this age. How they can perform the Vedic ritualistic ceremony? It is not possible. So this is the yajna. So yajnaih sankirtanaih, you keep Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and perform yajna, the sankirtana-yajna before Him, and you become all perfect. So easy. So easy. Because you cannot give up yajna. But in this age, Kali-yuga, people are so unfortunate, so rubbish, that it is not possible to perform the Vedic ritualistic yajna. That is not possible. Therefore Krsna has given you the opportunity that you can perform. Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. Krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih [SB 12.3.52]. Makha means yajna. That was performed in the Treta-yuga. And in the Satya-yuga, meditation. In the Dvapara-yuga, Deity worship. Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. In the Kali-yuga, simply by kirtanad eva krsnasya [SB 12.3.51]. And this is the sastra's injunction.
So I am very pleased that you are keeping this center nicely in our own standard by performing yajna, by sankirtana, and today is Radhastami. You perform. Our yajna is sankirtana, and Srimati Radharani is the pleasure potency of Krsna. Radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau, sri-caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam [Cc. Adi 1.5]. When Krsna... Krsna is one. Ekam advitiyam. But eko bahu syat. He can expand Himself. So when He wants to enjoy, so the pleasure potency is manifested from His personal body. That pleasure potency is Radharani. Radharani is not ordinary living entity. Radharani is Krsna's personal pleasure potency. Hladini-sakti.
So just today is the appearance day of hladini-sakti. So if you want to please Krsna... Because our business is to please Krsna. Hari-tosanam. Our this movement is hari-tosanam. Samsiddhir hari-tosanam. Atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah. Varnasrama-vibhagasah. Svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]. Not only our. This is the aim. In the Bhagavad-gita it is also said, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. The whole Vedic literature is meant for searching out Krsna and to satisfy. So Krsna personally comes to give you the information. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam: [Bg. 18.66] "You rascal, you give up all these engagements. Simply you surrender unto Me."
And what about other demigods? There are so many demigods. What we have to do? Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah [Bg. 7.20]. "This demigod is worshiped by persons who have lost all intelligence." Hrta-jnana. Hrta-jnana means nasta-buddhayah, one who has lost of the intelligence. There is no need. Simply mam ekam. That is the instruction of Bhagavad... That is the sastra instruction. Visnur aradhyate pantha nanyat tat-tosa-karanam. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti. This is Rg Veda mantra. Actual aim of life is to satisfy Lord Visnu, and Krsna is the origin of visnu-tattva. And He is pleased through Radharani. Therefore we don't keep Krsna alone. No. Radha-Krsna. First Radharani. So that day is today. First you have to worship Radharani. If you go through Radharani...
Therefore in Vrndavana you will see all devotees, they will address one another, "Jaya Radhe." Still. Because they know that "If Radharani is pleased, if I can please Radharani..." Radharani is presented, the original pleasure potency, always absorbed in thought of Krsna. So anyone who comes before Radharani to serve Krsna, oh, She becomes so pleased, "Oh, here is a devotee of Krsna." She immediately recommends, "Krsna, oh, here is a devotee. He is better than Me." This is Radharani. I may be a, not devotee. I may be most fallen rascal. But if I try to reach Krsna through Radharani, then my business is successful. Therefore we should worship Radharani first. That is our business. Instead of offering directly one flower to Krsna, you just put it in the hands of Radharani: "My mother Radharani, Jagan-mata, if you kindly take this flower and offer it to Krsna." "Oh," Radharani says, "Oh, you have brought a flower?" Krsna said, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26], but don't try to offer Krsna directly. Just offer through Radharani. It will be very much appreciated by Radharani.
So this is our philosophy, to please Krsna through Radharani, and just today is the auspicious day of Radharani appearance. So we should offer puspanjali and pray to Radharani that "Radharani, kindly be merciful and tell about me to Your Krsna. To Your Krsna. Krsna is Yours." Krsna, Radha-Krsna. Krsna is not independent. Krsna is Radharani's property. So you have to approach Krsna through Radharani. That is, today is the auspicious day. Worship Radharani very nicely and be happy.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
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"Appearance Day Of Srimati Radharani"
5 Sept 73 , London
Prabhupada: ...yajno danam tapas caiva pavanani manisinam. There are four stages of spiritual life. The brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. For brahmacari, yajna. Yajna means to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman, visnur aradhyate [Cc. Madhya 8.58]. The whole scheme...
(aside:) I thinking I am feeling very hot. I have to take off... In another place it is said, yajnarthat karmanah anyatra karma-bandhanah [Bg. 3.9]. (Prabhupada's clothing is being taken off; it sounds like his sweater.) That's all right. That's all right. Keep it now.
So brahmacari, in the beginning of life... Brahmacari means beginning of life, student life. They must be trained up how to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the first training. The brahmacari is trained up to rise early in the morning and offers fire sacrifice, then studies of Vedas, then sankirtana. There are so many routine work for brahmacari. So this must be executed. And for grhastha-dana, charity. Grhastha must be prepared or trained up to give charity. And who will accept the charity? The charity will be accepted by the brahmacari and sannyasa. Not the vanaprastha. Brahmacari will accept charity on behalf of the spiritual master. And a sannyasi will accept charity only for his maintenance. That's all. The grhastha cannot accept charity. But a grhastha-brahmana, he can accept charity, but he will not, I mean to say, accumulate money by taking charity. Whatever he gets, he must spend. Then dana-pratigraha. Pratigraha means accept. But he cannot keep in bank a bank balance. He must, whatever extra he has got, he must immediately give in charity. Then he can accept, a grhastha-brahmana, accept charity. There is a proverb in Bengali, that "A brahmana, even if he gets one lakh of rupees, one hundred thousands of rupees, still he is a beggar." Because he will not keep it. He will not keep it for... He will immediately distribute it in charity. Therefore he is called in Bengali lakh take baundigi. (?) It doesn't matter he gets one lakh of rupees contribution, but still he remains a beggar. Because immediately he will distribute. So these things are very important things. Yajna-dana-tapah. And for sannyasi and vanaprastha-tapasya. Tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1]. Tapasya means accepting voluntarily all kinds of inconveniences, voluntarily.
Now, the material activities are that we are trying to avoid inconveniences. Material life is. But spiritual life means to execute tapasya, austerity, penance, even at the risk of all inconvenience. This is called tapasya. So Krsna says, yajna-dana-tapah, karyam na tyajyam. You can give up your family life, but you cannot give up this yajna-dana-tapah. That you cannot, at any circumstances. These things must be continued. Yajna-dana-tapah na tyajyam karyam eva tat. Karyam means "must," "you must perform." The Mayavadi sannyasis, karma-tyagi, they do not work. Their principle is always study Vedanta philosophy, and whatever they require, a little, they will beg, taking alms from grhasthas, and live and follow the strictly the principles of austerity. They are very strict. Those who are really Mayavadi sannyasi, not false, they follow strictly three times taking bathing. Even in severest cold they must. They lie down on the floor and always read Vedanta and Sankhya philosophy. But in spite of all these austerities, they do not approve the worship of Deity, the transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because they are impersonalist, they do not worship.
So sastra says that ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah: [SB 10.2.32] "So these people, although they are thinking of themself as liberated, they have become liberated..." The Mayavadi sannyasis address amongst themselves: namo narayana. "Namo narayana" means every one of them has become a Narayana. This is their philosophy. And from this namo narayana principle, Vivekananda Swami has manufactured the word "daridra-narayana." So Narayana has become very cheap thing for them. Everyone has become Narayana; everyone has become God. Just like the rascal God is now in the hospital. God is under operation. (laughter) A "guruji" God. So they have no shame even that "If I am God, I cannot cure my bodily pains, what kind of God I am?" But these rascals will proclaim that they are God, and there is set of rascals, they will accept, "Oh, here is God." Vivekananda also said that "Why you are finding out God? Don't you see, so many gods are loitering in the street?" So God has become a funny thing for them. No. We do not accept such God. Our God is different. Our God is:
yas tu narayanam devam
brahma-rudradi-daivataih
samatvenaiva vikseta
sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam
[Cc. Madhya 18.116]
Our Narayana -- that is real Narayana, exalted -- we cannot even compare with that supreme Narayana with such demigods like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, what to speak of these rascals. Yas tu narayanam devam brahma-rudradi-daivataih, samatvena vikseta. Any person, rascal, if he thinks that Narayana is equal to Lord Brahma or Lord Siva... There are Mayavadis. They say "Any demigod is as good as Visnu. You can worship any demigod. It doesn't matter. You..." Because their ultimate understanding is that the Absolute Truth is impersonal, and you can imagine any form. It doesn't matter. You ultimately reach that impersonal, merge into the impersonal.
This is their philosophy. But that is not the fact. The ultimate issue of the Absolute Truth is Krsna, Bhagavan. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. Absolute Truth is realized in three phases: first of all impersonal Brahman, then localized Paramatma, and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. The Absolute Truth is described as Bhagavan, and there are many expansions of Bhagavan. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Ananta-rupam. Krsna has expansion, millions and trillions. Just like as Paramatma. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Not only He resides in everyone's heart, but in every atom also. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.35] **. So Krsna has got many expansions. But they are all one. Advaitam acyutam. Just like you have got experience that the sun, if you have got millions of pots, the sun is reflected; you will find millions of suns, but although the sun is one, but we see that millions of suns are there in millions of pots. This is the understanding. God is one, but He can expand Himself in millions and millions. There is no question of counting. Unlimited, but still, one. Advaita. Acyuta. The Mayavadi philosophy is that because God has expanded Himself in so many, all-pervading, therefore he is finished. He is finished. Just like material conception. You take any big paper and make it into pieces and then throw it -- the original paper is lost. There is no more existence. That is Mayavadi philosophy. Mayavadi philosophy means because God is all-pervading, therefore He has no form. He has finished His form. There cannot be any form. And this is material conception. This is not spiritual conception. Spiritual conception is purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate [Iso Invocation]. If Krsna is the complete, supreme, so even He expands Himself in millions and trillions of complete forms, still, He is complete. Still, He's complete. This is conception of Krsna. So therefore avyaya. Avyaya means acyuta, avyaya. Acyuta means He does not fall. It is not like that, that in my bank I have got one hundred pounds; if I take one, two, three, four, five in this way, one hundred finished, my bank balance is finished. It is not like that. Krsna is so complete that immediate forms may be expanded from Him; still, He is complete. Purnasya purnam adaya. These verses you have already read in the Isopanisad.
So that is the conception of Krsna. So unless you, from the very beginning you practice yajna, or if you are a grhastha, give in charity, and when you take sannyasa, you undergo tapasya, how you will understand this philosophy? It is not possible. In the Kali-yuga, however, this yajna is not possible. As there are ritualistic yajna, sacrifice as recommended in the Vedas, that is not possible. It is very expensive. You have to acquire so much ghee and grains and so many other things. Feed so many, daily, people. It is very difficult task to perform the ritualistic yajna. Therefore Krsna has made easy. What is that? Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah. That is recommended in Srimad-Bhagavatam:
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah
[SB 11.5.32]
This is the process of performing yajnas. Yajna-dana-tapah. What is that yajna? Krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam. Krsna-varnam. Varna means category. Just like brahmana-varna, catur-varna. Varna means class. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. As Krsna said. So krsna-varnam: in the category of Krsna. So krsna-varna. Or "One who is describing Krsna," varnayati. Krsnam varnayati iti krsna, iti krsna-varna. Either belonging to the category of Krsna... He is not belonging to the category of the jiva soul. He belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, krsna-varna. Or chanting always the holy name of Krsna. Krsna-varnam tvisa akrsnam. Means He is Krsna... Because He belongs to the category of Krsna, therefore He is Krsna. But we have got conception, Krsna is blackish. Yes, that's a fact. Asitambuda-sundarangam. Asita. Asita means black. Asitambuda. So black cloud. Ambuda means cloud. Asitambuda-sundarangam. His complexion is like blackish cloud, but very, very, very, very beautiful. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniyam. He is so beautiful that many millions of Cupid cannot be compared with Him, although He is black. So here the same Krsna, krsna-varnam, although He belongs to the same category of Krsna, tvisa, by complexion, akrsna. Akrsna. Akrsna means "not Krsna." So it may be any other color. It may be... There are so many colors.
So akrsna. He's not krsna, not blackish. So there may be... But no. There are fixed colors for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sukla, suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krsnatam gatah. When Krsna was born at Nanda Maharaja's place, or Krsna appeared then,... So according to Vedic system there is jata-karma. As soon as child is born, immediately horoscope is made and according to horoscope his name is given. There are dasa-karma. Dasa-karma. So one of these is at the birth, that before the child is begotten, there is one samskara, garbhadhana-samskara. Similarly, after the child is born, then another samskara, jata-karma-samskara. So there are so many samskaras. Samskarad bhaved dvijah: By following the samskara, purificatory process, one becomes brahmana. The upanayana-samskara, the sacred thread samskara. So when Krsna was having the jata-karma-samskara by Gargamuni, the priest of Vasudeva... He was sent to Nanda Maharaja to perform the Krsna's jata-karma. So he was a learned astrologer. He said, "Nanda Maharaja, your this son formerly had three other colors: suklo raktas tatha pita. He was of white color, He was of red color, He was of yellow color." Idanim krsnatam gatah. "Now He has appeared in blackish color." Idanim krsnatam gatah. So krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam [SB 11.5.32]. Tvisa means by complexion He is not black. Then He must be either of the three-white, red and yellow.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu's color is yellowish golden color. Therefore it is said, "He is Krsna, but now He has appeared in golden complexion." Krsna-varnam tvisa akrsnam. And sangopangastra-parsadam. "He is always surrounded by His associates." Anga, upanga. Anga means personal, and upanga means expansion of the expansion, which is called kala. The first expansion is called avatara, and when there is another avatara from avatara, that is called kala. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan [Bs. 5.39]. Very scientific analysis in the sastra. Not that any rascal comes, "I am God." This is not acceptable. We have to understand sastra-vidhi, as sastra it is said. So about Sri Cai... Because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so many rascals have imitated: "Well, this Nimai Pandita, if He can become avatara, then why not Gadadhara Pandita?" This Ramakrishna, his name was Gadadhar Chatterjee. So he was also imitation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Where is the reference in the sastra? So far Caitanya Mahaprabhu is concerned, there are so many innumerable references, in Mahabharata, in Bhagavata, in Purana, in Upanisad. Therefore we accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not by rascal's vote that "Let us vote this man is God; then he becomes." So krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam [SB 11.5.32]. He associated with other devotees -- Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, then Gadadhara Prabhu and Srinivasa. Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. Whenever Caitanya Mahaprabhu is present, there are so many devotees. Gaura-bhakta-vrnda. So sangopangastra-parsadam. This is the incarnation of Kali.
So yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah [SB 11.5.32]. Those who have got brain substance, not dull, filled up with cow dung, they cannot understand what is the sankirtana-yajna. But sastra says, yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah: "Those who have got nice brain substance, they can perform this yajna, sankirtana-yajna." Then it fulfills the injunction of the Bhagavad-gita, yajna-dana-tapah-karma. So for this sankirtana movement, sankirtana-yajna, in this age, before the Deity of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and associated (with) Nityananda, Advaita, others... If not all, at least Nityananda or Gadadhara. Gaura-Gadadhara or Gaura-Nityananda, or all of them, five. Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda. You have got Panca-tattva? No picture here? It was there.
Devotee: When... Revatinandana Swami takes with him travelling.
Prabhupada: Oh, all right. So Gaura-Nityananda is here. That's all right. So this is the yajna. So yajna-dana-tapah-karma na tyajyam. You cannot give up in any stage of life, but because the yajnas mentioned in the Vedas it is not possible to perform in this age Kali-yuga because they are mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10]. In this age people may advertise themselves they are making very good progress. They are all unfortunate, disturbed. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagyah. Manda-bhagyah means unfortunate. And upadrutah, always disturbed. This is the position of the people in this age. How they can perform the Vedic ritualistic ceremony? It is not possible. So this is the yajna. So yajnaih sankirtanaih, you keep Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and perform yajna, the sankirtana-yajna before Him, and you become all perfect. So easy. So easy. Because you cannot give up yajna. But in this age, Kali-yuga, people are so unfortunate, so rubbish, that it is not possible to perform the Vedic ritualistic yajna. That is not possible. Therefore Krsna has given you the opportunity that you can perform. Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. Krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih [SB 12.3.52]. Makha means yajna. That was performed in the Treta-yuga. And in the Satya-yuga, meditation. In the Dvapara-yuga, Deity worship. Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. In the Kali-yuga, simply by kirtanad eva krsnasya [SB 12.3.51]. And this is the sastra's injunction.
So I am very pleased that you are keeping this center nicely in our own standard by performing yajna, by sankirtana, and today is Radhastami. You perform. Our yajna is sankirtana, and Srimati Radharani is the pleasure potency of Krsna. Radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau, sri-caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam [Cc. Adi 1.5]. When Krsna... Krsna is one. Ekam advitiyam. But eko bahu syat. He can expand Himself. So when He wants to enjoy, so the pleasure potency is manifested from His personal body. That pleasure potency is Radharani. Radharani is not ordinary living entity. Radharani is Krsna's personal pleasure potency. Hladini-sakti.
So just today is the appearance day of hladini-sakti. So if you want to please Krsna... Because our business is to please Krsna. Hari-tosanam. Our this movement is hari-tosanam. Samsiddhir hari-tosanam. Atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah. Varnasrama-vibhagasah. Svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]. Not only our. This is the aim. In the Bhagavad-gita it is also said, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. The whole Vedic literature is meant for searching out Krsna and to satisfy. So Krsna personally comes to give you the information. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam: [Bg. 18.66] "You rascal, you give up all these engagements. Simply you surrender unto Me."
And what about other demigods? There are so many demigods. What we have to do? Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah [Bg. 7.20]. "This demigod is worshiped by persons who have lost all intelligence." Hrta-jnana. Hrta-jnana means nasta-buddhayah, one who has lost of the intelligence. There is no need. Simply mam ekam. That is the instruction of Bhagavad... That is the sastra instruction. Visnur aradhyate pantha nanyat tat-tosa-karanam. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti. This is Rg Veda mantra. Actual aim of life is to satisfy Lord Visnu, and Krsna is the origin of visnu-tattva. And He is pleased through Radharani. Therefore we don't keep Krsna alone. No. Radha-Krsna. First Radharani. So that day is today. First you have to worship Radharani. If you go through Radharani...
Therefore in Vrndavana you will see all devotees, they will address one another, "Jaya Radhe." Still. Because they know that "If Radharani is pleased, if I can please Radharani..." Radharani is presented, the original pleasure potency, always absorbed in thought of Krsna. So anyone who comes before Radharani to serve Krsna, oh, She becomes so pleased, "Oh, here is a devotee of Krsna." She immediately recommends, "Krsna, oh, here is a devotee. He is better than Me." This is Radharani. I may be a, not devotee. I may be most fallen rascal. But if I try to reach Krsna through Radharani, then my business is successful. Therefore we should worship Radharani first. That is our business. Instead of offering directly one flower to Krsna, you just put it in the hands of Radharani: "My mother Radharani, Jagan-mata, if you kindly take this flower and offer it to Krsna." "Oh," Radharani says, "Oh, you have brought a flower?" Krsna said, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26], but don't try to offer Krsna directly. Just offer through Radharani. It will be very much appreciated by Radharani.
So this is our philosophy, to please Krsna through Radharani, and just today is the auspicious day of Radharani appearance. So we should offer puspanjali and pray to Radharani that "Radharani, kindly be merciful and tell about me to Your Krsna. To Your Krsna. Krsna is Yours." Krsna, Radha-Krsna. Krsna is not independent. Krsna is Radharani's property. So you have to approach Krsna through Radharani. That is, today is the auspicious day. Worship Radharani very nicely and be happy.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
For higher quality audio, you may purchase the MP3s/CDs from www.Krishna.com
Prabhupada: ...yajno danam tapas caiva pavanani manisinam. There are four stages of spiritual life. The brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. For brahmacari, yajna. Yajna means to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman, visnur aradhyate [Cc. Madhya 8.58]. The whole scheme...
(aside:) I thinking I am feeling very hot. I have to take off... In another place it is said, yajnarthat karmanah anyatra karma-bandhanah [Bg. 3.9]. (Prabhupada's clothing is being taken off; it sounds like his sweater.) That's all right. That's all right. Keep it now.
So brahmacari, in the beginning of life... Brahmacari means beginning of life, student life. They must be trained up how to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the first training. The brahmacari is trained up to rise early in the morning and offers fire sacrifice, then studies of Vedas, then sankirtana. There are so many routine work for brahmacari. So this must be executed. And for grhastha-dana, charity. Grhastha must be prepared or trained up to give charity. And who will accept the charity? The charity will be accepted by the brahmacari and sannyasa. Not the vanaprastha. Brahmacari will accept charity on behalf of the spiritual master. And a sannyasi will accept charity only for his maintenance. That's all. The grhastha cannot accept charity. But a grhastha-brahmana, he can accept charity, but he will not, I mean to say, accumulate money by taking charity. Whatever he gets, he must spend. Then dana-pratigraha. Pratigraha means accept. But he cannot keep in bank a bank balance. He must, whatever extra he has got, he must immediately give in charity. Then he can accept, a grhastha-brahmana, accept charity. There is a proverb in Bengali, that "A brahmana, even if he gets one lakh of rupees, one hundred thousands of rupees, still he is a beggar." Because he will not keep it. He will not keep it for... He will immediately distribute it in charity. Therefore he is called in Bengali lakh take baundigi. (?) It doesn't matter he gets one lakh of rupees contribution, but still he remains a beggar. Because immediately he will distribute. So these things are very important things. Yajna-dana-tapah. And for sannyasi and vanaprastha-tapasya. Tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1]. Tapasya means accepting voluntarily all kinds of inconveniences, voluntarily.
Now, the material activities are that we are trying to avoid inconveniences. Material life is. But spiritual life means to execute tapasya, austerity, penance, even at the risk of all inconvenience. This is called tapasya. So Krsna says, yajna-dana-tapah, karyam na tyajyam. You can give up your family life, but you cannot give up this yajna-dana-tapah. That you cannot, at any circumstances. These things must be continued. Yajna-dana-tapah na tyajyam karyam eva tat. Karyam means "must," "you must perform." The Mayavadi sannyasis, karma-tyagi, they do not work. Their principle is always study Vedanta philosophy, and whatever they require, a little, they will beg, taking alms from grhasthas, and live and follow the strictly the principles of austerity. They are very strict. Those who are really Mayavadi sannyasi, not false, they follow strictly three times taking bathing. Even in severest cold they must. They lie down on the floor and always read Vedanta and Sankhya philosophy. But in spite of all these austerities, they do not approve the worship of Deity, the transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because they are impersonalist, they do not worship.
So sastra says that ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah: [SB 10.2.32] "So these people, although they are thinking of themself as liberated, they have become liberated..." The Mayavadi sannyasis address amongst themselves: namo narayana. "Namo narayana" means every one of them has become a Narayana. This is their philosophy. And from this namo narayana principle, Vivekananda Swami has manufactured the word "daridra-narayana." So Narayana has become very cheap thing for them. Everyone has become Narayana; everyone has become God. Just like the rascal God is now in the hospital. God is under operation. (laughter) A "guruji" God. So they have no shame even that "If I am God, I cannot cure my bodily pains, what kind of God I am?" But these rascals will proclaim that they are God, and there is set of rascals, they will accept, "Oh, here is God." Vivekananda also said that "Why you are finding out God? Don't you see, so many gods are loitering in the street?" So God has become a funny thing for them. No. We do not accept such God. Our God is different. Our God is:
yas tu narayanam devam
brahma-rudradi-daivataih
samatvenaiva vikseta
sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam
[Cc. Madhya 18.116]
Our Narayana -- that is real Narayana, exalted -- we cannot even compare with that supreme Narayana with such demigods like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, what to speak of these rascals. Yas tu narayanam devam brahma-rudradi-daivataih, samatvena vikseta. Any person, rascal, if he thinks that Narayana is equal to Lord Brahma or Lord Siva... There are Mayavadis. They say "Any demigod is as good as Visnu. You can worship any demigod. It doesn't matter. You..." Because their ultimate understanding is that the Absolute Truth is impersonal, and you can imagine any form. It doesn't matter. You ultimately reach that impersonal, merge into the impersonal.
This is their philosophy. But that is not the fact. The ultimate issue of the Absolute Truth is Krsna, Bhagavan. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. Absolute Truth is realized in three phases: first of all impersonal Brahman, then localized Paramatma, and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. The Absolute Truth is described as Bhagavan, and there are many expansions of Bhagavan. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. Ananta-rupam. Krsna has expansion, millions and trillions. Just like as Paramatma. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Not only He resides in everyone's heart, but in every atom also. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.35] **. So Krsna has got many expansions. But they are all one. Advaitam acyutam. Just like you have got experience that the sun, if you have got millions of pots, the sun is reflected; you will find millions of suns, but although the sun is one, but we see that millions of suns are there in millions of pots. This is the understanding. God is one, but He can expand Himself in millions and millions. There is no question of counting. Unlimited, but still, one. Advaita. Acyuta. The Mayavadi philosophy is that because God has expanded Himself in so many, all-pervading, therefore he is finished. He is finished. Just like material conception. You take any big paper and make it into pieces and then throw it -- the original paper is lost. There is no more existence. That is Mayavadi philosophy. Mayavadi philosophy means because God is all-pervading, therefore He has no form. He has finished His form. There cannot be any form. And this is material conception. This is not spiritual conception. Spiritual conception is purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate [Iso Invocation]. If Krsna is the complete, supreme, so even He expands Himself in millions and trillions of complete forms, still, He is complete. Still, He's complete. This is conception of Krsna. So therefore avyaya. Avyaya means acyuta, avyaya. Acyuta means He does not fall. It is not like that, that in my bank I have got one hundred pounds; if I take one, two, three, four, five in this way, one hundred finished, my bank balance is finished. It is not like that. Krsna is so complete that immediate forms may be expanded from Him; still, He is complete. Purnasya purnam adaya. These verses you have already read in the Isopanisad.
So that is the conception of Krsna. So unless you, from the very beginning you practice yajna, or if you are a grhastha, give in charity, and when you take sannyasa, you undergo tapasya, how you will understand this philosophy? It is not possible. In the Kali-yuga, however, this yajna is not possible. As there are ritualistic yajna, sacrifice as recommended in the Vedas, that is not possible. It is very expensive. You have to acquire so much ghee and grains and so many other things. Feed so many, daily, people. It is very difficult task to perform the ritualistic yajna. Therefore Krsna has made easy. What is that? Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah. That is recommended in Srimad-Bhagavatam:
krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah
[SB 11.5.32]
This is the process of performing yajnas. Yajna-dana-tapah. What is that yajna? Krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam. Krsna-varnam. Varna means category. Just like brahmana-varna, catur-varna. Varna means class. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. As Krsna said. So krsna-varnam: in the category of Krsna. So krsna-varna. Or "One who is describing Krsna," varnayati. Krsnam varnayati iti krsna, iti krsna-varna. Either belonging to the category of Krsna... He is not belonging to the category of the jiva soul. He belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, krsna-varna. Or chanting always the holy name of Krsna. Krsna-varnam tvisa akrsnam. Means He is Krsna... Because He belongs to the category of Krsna, therefore He is Krsna. But we have got conception, Krsna is blackish. Yes, that's a fact. Asitambuda-sundarangam. Asita. Asita means black. Asitambuda. So black cloud. Ambuda means cloud. Asitambuda-sundarangam. His complexion is like blackish cloud, but very, very, very, very beautiful. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniyam. He is so beautiful that many millions of Cupid cannot be compared with Him, although He is black. So here the same Krsna, krsna-varnam, although He belongs to the same category of Krsna, tvisa, by complexion, akrsna. Akrsna. Akrsna means "not Krsna." So it may be any other color. It may be... There are so many colors.
So akrsna. He's not krsna, not blackish. So there may be... But no. There are fixed colors for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sukla, suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krsnatam gatah. When Krsna was born at Nanda Maharaja's place, or Krsna appeared then,... So according to Vedic system there is jata-karma. As soon as child is born, immediately horoscope is made and according to horoscope his name is given. There are dasa-karma. Dasa-karma. So one of these is at the birth, that before the child is begotten, there is one samskara, garbhadhana-samskara. Similarly, after the child is born, then another samskara, jata-karma-samskara. So there are so many samskaras. Samskarad bhaved dvijah: By following the samskara, purificatory process, one becomes brahmana. The upanayana-samskara, the sacred thread samskara. So when Krsna was having the jata-karma-samskara by Gargamuni, the priest of Vasudeva... He was sent to Nanda Maharaja to perform the Krsna's jata-karma. So he was a learned astrologer. He said, "Nanda Maharaja, your this son formerly had three other colors: suklo raktas tatha pita. He was of white color, He was of red color, He was of yellow color." Idanim krsnatam gatah. "Now He has appeared in blackish color." Idanim krsnatam gatah. So krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam [SB 11.5.32]. Tvisa means by complexion He is not black. Then He must be either of the three-white, red and yellow.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu's color is yellowish golden color. Therefore it is said, "He is Krsna, but now He has appeared in golden complexion." Krsna-varnam tvisa akrsnam. And sangopangastra-parsadam. "He is always surrounded by His associates." Anga, upanga. Anga means personal, and upanga means expansion of the expansion, which is called kala. The first expansion is called avatara, and when there is another avatara from avatara, that is called kala. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan [Bs. 5.39]. Very scientific analysis in the sastra. Not that any rascal comes, "I am God." This is not acceptable. We have to understand sastra-vidhi, as sastra it is said. So about Sri Cai... Because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so many rascals have imitated: "Well, this Nimai Pandita, if He can become avatara, then why not Gadadhara Pandita?" This Ramakrishna, his name was Gadadhar Chatterjee. So he was also imitation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Where is the reference in the sastra? So far Caitanya Mahaprabhu is concerned, there are so many innumerable references, in Mahabharata, in Bhagavata, in Purana, in Upanisad. Therefore we accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not by rascal's vote that "Let us vote this man is God; then he becomes." So krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam sangopangastra-parsadam [SB 11.5.32]. He associated with other devotees -- Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, then Gadadhara Prabhu and Srinivasa. Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. Whenever Caitanya Mahaprabhu is present, there are so many devotees. Gaura-bhakta-vrnda. So sangopangastra-parsadam. This is the incarnation of Kali.
So yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah [SB 11.5.32]. Those who have got brain substance, not dull, filled up with cow dung, they cannot understand what is the sankirtana-yajna. But sastra says, yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah: "Those who have got nice brain substance, they can perform this yajna, sankirtana-yajna." Then it fulfills the injunction of the Bhagavad-gita, yajna-dana-tapah-karma. So for this sankirtana movement, sankirtana-yajna, in this age, before the Deity of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and associated (with) Nityananda, Advaita, others... If not all, at least Nityananda or Gadadhara. Gaura-Gadadhara or Gaura-Nityananda, or all of them, five. Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda. You have got Panca-tattva? No picture here? It was there.
Devotee: When... Revatinandana Swami takes with him travelling.
Prabhupada: Oh, all right. So Gaura-Nityananda is here. That's all right. So this is the yajna. So yajna-dana-tapah-karma na tyajyam. You cannot give up in any stage of life, but because the yajnas mentioned in the Vedas it is not possible to perform in this age Kali-yuga because they are mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10]. In this age people may advertise themselves they are making very good progress. They are all unfortunate, disturbed. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagyah. Manda-bhagyah means unfortunate. And upadrutah, always disturbed. This is the position of the people in this age. How they can perform the Vedic ritualistic ceremony? It is not possible. So this is the yajna. So yajnaih sankirtanaih, you keep Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and perform yajna, the sankirtana-yajna before Him, and you become all perfect. So easy. So easy. Because you cannot give up yajna. But in this age, Kali-yuga, people are so unfortunate, so rubbish, that it is not possible to perform the Vedic ritualistic yajna. That is not possible. Therefore Krsna has given you the opportunity that you can perform. Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. Krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih [SB 12.3.52]. Makha means yajna. That was performed in the Treta-yuga. And in the Satya-yuga, meditation. In the Dvapara-yuga, Deity worship. Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. In the Kali-yuga, simply by kirtanad eva krsnasya [SB 12.3.51]. And this is the sastra's injunction.
So I am very pleased that you are keeping this center nicely in our own standard by performing yajna, by sankirtana, and today is Radhastami. You perform. Our yajna is sankirtana, and Srimati Radharani is the pleasure potency of Krsna. Radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau, sri-caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam [Cc. Adi 1.5]. When Krsna... Krsna is one. Ekam advitiyam. But eko bahu syat. He can expand Himself. So when He wants to enjoy, so the pleasure potency is manifested from His personal body. That pleasure potency is Radharani. Radharani is not ordinary living entity. Radharani is Krsna's personal pleasure potency. Hladini-sakti.
So just today is the appearance day of hladini-sakti. So if you want to please Krsna... Because our business is to please Krsna. Hari-tosanam. Our this movement is hari-tosanam. Samsiddhir hari-tosanam. Atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah. Varnasrama-vibhagasah. Svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]. Not only our. This is the aim. In the Bhagavad-gita it is also said, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. The whole Vedic literature is meant for searching out Krsna and to satisfy. So Krsna personally comes to give you the information. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam: [Bg. 18.66] "You rascal, you give up all these engagements. Simply you surrender unto Me."
And what about other demigods? There are so many demigods. What we have to do? Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah [Bg. 7.20]. "This demigod is worshiped by persons who have lost all intelligence." Hrta-jnana. Hrta-jnana means nasta-buddhayah, one who has lost of the intelligence. There is no need. Simply mam ekam. That is the instruction of Bhagavad... That is the sastra instruction. Visnur aradhyate pantha nanyat tat-tosa-karanam. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti. This is Rg Veda mantra. Actual aim of life is to satisfy Lord Visnu, and Krsna is the origin of visnu-tattva. And He is pleased through Radharani. Therefore we don't keep Krsna alone. No. Radha-Krsna. First Radharani. So that day is today. First you have to worship Radharani. If you go through Radharani...
Therefore in Vrndavana you will see all devotees, they will address one another, "Jaya Radhe." Still. Because they know that "If Radharani is pleased, if I can please Radharani..." Radharani is presented, the original pleasure potency, always absorbed in thought of Krsna. So anyone who comes before Radharani to serve Krsna, oh, She becomes so pleased, "Oh, here is a devotee of Krsna." She immediately recommends, "Krsna, oh, here is a devotee. He is better than Me." This is Radharani. I may be a, not devotee. I may be most fallen rascal. But if I try to reach Krsna through Radharani, then my business is successful. Therefore we should worship Radharani first. That is our business. Instead of offering directly one flower to Krsna, you just put it in the hands of Radharani: "My mother Radharani, Jagan-mata, if you kindly take this flower and offer it to Krsna." "Oh," Radharani says, "Oh, you have brought a flower?" Krsna said, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26], but don't try to offer Krsna directly. Just offer through Radharani. It will be very much appreciated by Radharani.
So this is our philosophy, to please Krsna through Radharani, and just today is the auspicious day of Radharani appearance. So we should offer puspanjali and pray to Radharani that "Radharani, kindly be merciful and tell about me to Your Krsna. To Your Krsna. Krsna is Yours." Krsna, Radha-Krsna. Krsna is not independent. Krsna is Radharani's property. So you have to approach Krsna through Radharani. That is, today is the auspicious day. Worship Radharani very nicely and be happy.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
For higher quality audio, you may purchase the MP3s/CDs from www.Krishna.com
Monday, July 26, 2010
"At Bharati Vidya Bhavan"
18 Oct 73 , Bombay
Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) Sriman Nandaji, Ladies and Gentlemen, this scarcity of Krsna consciousness was felt long, long ago. When, before starting this movement, I tried to approach many friends in India... Sometimes I think I approached late Mr. Munshi also, when he was governor in U.P. I requested that everyone may contribute a son from the family so that I can convert him an actual brahmana. Because the education at the present moment is creating sudras. Actually, there are two kinds of dharmas: pasu-dharma and manava-dharma. Pasu-dharma means eating, sleeping, sexual intercourse, and defending. This is pasu-dharma. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhih naranam. Eating, this is essential. Try to understand what is dharma. Dharma means which you cannot give up. Dharma does not mean you accept this dharma today and tomorrow another dharma. That is not dharma. Dharma means the natural characteristic. Just like sugar is sweet. That is its dharma. And chili is hot. That is its dharma. A snake bites. That is his dharma. Water is liquid. That is its dharma. Stone is solid. That is its dharma. You cannot change. So what is the dharma of the living entities, or the human being? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has enunciated the dharma of the human being: jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. This is dharma, that every living entity is eternally servant of Krsna. He cannot give it up. If he does not serve Krsna, then he will have to serve maya. Service is there. Nobody can say that "I don't serve anyone." Is there anybody who can say boldly that "I do not serve anyone?" You must serve. That is your dharma. Either you become a Christian or a Muslim or a Hindu or this or that, your real characteristic is that you have to serve. That service attitude, when it is misunderstood, it is applied to maya, and we are not happy. When it is applied to Krsna, then we are happy. Service you must render. That is your position. You cannot become master. Even the politicians, they promise, "I shall give you such and such service. Please give me vote." So the service is promised, because we have to serve.
So this definition given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that jivera svarupa haya krsna nitya-dasa: "The real, original characteristic of the living entity is to serve Krsna." That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says, mamaivamso jiva-bhutah: [Bg. 15.7] "All these living entities, they are My parts and parcels." Just try to understand. What is the duty of the parts and parcel? Suppose this finger -- they are the parts and parcel of my body. What is the duty of the finger? The finger has to catch the foodstuff or prepare the foodstuff and put into the mouth. The finger cannot enjoy; it has given to the stomach. Similarly, if we are parts and parcel of Krsna, we cannot enjoy anything directly without giving Krsna. That is our duty. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. So Krsna also said in the Bhagavad-gita, dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge.
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham
[Bg. 4.7]
So what for Krsna comes? Does he come to establish Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma or Christian dharma? If Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why He should be interested in particular type of dharma, Hindu dharma, Christian dharma or Muslim dharma? No. Therefore after giving instruction throughout the whole Bhagavad-gita, at last says Krsna, "The most confidential part of My instruction, Arjuna," sarva-guhyatamam, "is this: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]." This is dharma. If you are not surrendered soul to Krsna, or God, your dharma has no meaning. It is useless. And where the definition of dharma is given by Krsna at the last stage of His instruction of Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, if one can catch up this point, then he begins bhagavata-dharma. Bhagavata-dharma.
Prahlada Maharaja said, kaumaram acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha. Kaumara, from the very beginning of childhood, one should be taught about dharma, especially bhagavata-dharma, the relationship with God. Similarly, in other place it is said,
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yenatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]
Yena atma suprasidati. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo [SB 1.2.6], highest type of religious system, yato bhaktir adhoksaje, by which one can learn how to love God -- that is dharma. Anything else, that is not dharma. That is pasu-dharma. Nandaji has invented a very nice word, manava-dharma. So manava-dharma means what is the distinction between manava and pasu. That distinction is that a man eats, an animal eats; a man sleeps, an animal sleeps; a man has got sexual intercourse, animal has got sexual intercourse; a man also tries to defend, an animal also tries to defend. So these four principles of dharma, bodily necessities of life, is equal to the man and the animal. If you manufacture very nice palatable dishes for eating, that does not mean you are advanced in civilization. No. It is eating. So what is the difference between manava-dharma and pasu-dharma? Manava-dharma means what Krsna teaches -- sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is manava-dharma. Except this, anything, that is pasu-dharma. That is pasu-dharma. Therefore Bhagavata says, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo atra: [SB 1.1.2] "All cheating type of dharma is kicked out from this bhagavata-dharma."
So actually, if we are interested in manava-dharma, we should take instruction from the authorities. Don't try to manufacture dharma. That is not possible. You cannot manufacture. Dharmam tu saksat bhagavat-pranitam. Dharma means the codes given by God. That is dharma. Just like law means given by the state. You cannot manufacture law at your home. That is not possible. Nobody will care for that. Nobody will care for that. Just like on the street we have got the law, "Keep to the left." So if you say, "Why not go to the right?" you will be immediately arrested. You are criminal, because it is law by the state. By your consideration, where is the difference between going... In some countries, in England... England is "Keep to the left," India. America is "Keep to the right." So this may be changed in different countries and different laws, but law means which is given by the state. Similarly, dharma means which is given by God. You cannot manufacture dharma. That will not be applicable. So therefore Krsna says, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "I descend." Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. What is that glanih? When one forgets Krsna, or God, and manufacture his own religion, pasu-dharma, he cannot be happy. That is not possible. Just like if you make your own laws, you cannot be happy. You must obey the laws of the state. Similarly, what is the law of God? That is dharma. Dharmam tu saksat bhagavat-pranitam. Dharma cannot be manufactured by any man or any demigod or any saintly person or... No. The dharma is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which He says as the last instruction in the Bhagavad-gita. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. And actually it is happening all over the world. Since we have presented this dharma, to serve Krsna, it is working very wonderfully. We have got branches all over the world, and you will find... Some of the samples you will see, those who are chanting Hare Krsna mantra, these Europeans, Americans, Canadians -- we have got even branch in Iran also -- Muhammadans, Christians, African. Everyone is taking to this dharma, this Krsna consciousness movement.
Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu enunciated, ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam. There is a conflagration of flame all over the world on account of godless civilization, this nonsense civilization. We have to stop it. Then you will be happy. You cannot become happy without God. That is not possible. Therefore if you actually interested to spread dharma, you take the principles of Bhagavad-gita, standard, Bhagavad-gita as it is. Don't try to interpret in a fashionable way: "This means that, that means that." No. "Krsna" means Krsna. Krsna means... Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya: [Bg. 7.7] "My dear Dhananjaya, there is no more superior authority than Me." You have to accept that. Krsna says, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te. You have to accept that. Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. You have to accept that. Then you will be able to... You will be successful. Otherwise it is useless waste of time. Srama eva hi kevalam. Srama eva hi kevalam.
dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed ratim yadi
srama eva hi kevalam
[SB 1.2.8]
You can execute your so-called dharmas, but if it does not help you to understand what is God, then it is useless waste of time. It is useless waste of time. Srama eva hi kevalam. So actually, this Bharata-varsa is the land of dharma. Even some Communist Chinese gentleman, he has written a book... That is recommended in the New York University. He says that "If you want to know about dharma, you must go to India and learn there." We have got so facility. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,
bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara paropakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]
Anyone who has taken birth as a human being in the land of Bharata-varsa, first of all let him become perfect and distribute the knowledge all over the world. That is paropakara.
So I shall request that there is great need of this Krsna consciousness movement all over the world. It is only one man's attempt. If persons like Nandaji and others, living persons... Yad yad acarati sresthah lokas tad anuvartate [Bg. 3.21]. Nandaji is one of the srestha-vekti of India. He was minister in the Central government. Now he is out of office. But the man is the same. I was very glad when I received the literature. I thought, "At least one man in India is thinking that India is so much downfallen." So I was very much encouraged. Otherwise I was very much discouraged that there is no human being in India, because they have forgotten Krsna, forgotten God. Now I see there are still. So I shall request Nandaji that take the standard method as prescribed in the Bhagavad-gita. Then you will be successful. Not only Nandaji -- anyone. The example is already there. I am preaching all over the world Bhagavad-gita as it is. There is no fashionable interpretation. No. As it is. And how they are being accepted. So why not in this country? And in this country Krsna consciousness is natural. It is not artificial. From the birth of a man, (he) is Krsna conscious. Artificially he is being cut down, "Forget Krsna." This nonsense dharma should be stopped. Take Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is being accepted all over the world. Why not in India? Why you present competitors of Krsna? Don't do this. Take this instruction of Bhagavad-gita, that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. You will be successful. If you manufacture something, you will never be successful. I tell you. So anyone. The standard is there, the instruction is there, everything is there. Why should we try to manufacture something new? Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. That is our process. Tarko 'pratisthanam. Simply by argument, you cannot reach the confidential part of dharma. Srutayo vibhinna. And if you study Vedas, that is also..., Sama, Yajur, Rg, Atharva, you will be puzzled. So, nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam. He is not a philosopher or a muni who cannot give a separate theory.
So these things are going on. Therefore how to know what is the purpose of dharma? That is stated that dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. Just follow, try to, mahajana. Who can be better mahajana than Krsna? Is there anybody in this world still now better than Krsna, who can give good instruction, more beneficial than Krsna? No. There is not. So take this principle, Bhagavad-gita as it is, the instruction of Gita, instruction of Krsna, and try to follow. It will be successful not only in India, all over the world. That is my practical experience.
Thank you very much. (applause) [break] (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Lecture at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan -- Bombay, October 18, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
For higher quality audio, you may purchase the MP3s/CDs from www.Krishna.com
Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) Sriman Nandaji, Ladies and Gentlemen, this scarcity of Krsna consciousness was felt long, long ago. When, before starting this movement, I tried to approach many friends in India... Sometimes I think I approached late Mr. Munshi also, when he was governor in U.P. I requested that everyone may contribute a son from the family so that I can convert him an actual brahmana. Because the education at the present moment is creating sudras. Actually, there are two kinds of dharmas: pasu-dharma and manava-dharma. Pasu-dharma means eating, sleeping, sexual intercourse, and defending. This is pasu-dharma. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhih naranam. Eating, this is essential. Try to understand what is dharma. Dharma means which you cannot give up. Dharma does not mean you accept this dharma today and tomorrow another dharma. That is not dharma. Dharma means the natural characteristic. Just like sugar is sweet. That is its dharma. And chili is hot. That is its dharma. A snake bites. That is his dharma. Water is liquid. That is its dharma. Stone is solid. That is its dharma. You cannot change. So what is the dharma of the living entities, or the human being? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has enunciated the dharma of the human being: jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. This is dharma, that every living entity is eternally servant of Krsna. He cannot give it up. If he does not serve Krsna, then he will have to serve maya. Service is there. Nobody can say that "I don't serve anyone." Is there anybody who can say boldly that "I do not serve anyone?" You must serve. That is your dharma. Either you become a Christian or a Muslim or a Hindu or this or that, your real characteristic is that you have to serve. That service attitude, when it is misunderstood, it is applied to maya, and we are not happy. When it is applied to Krsna, then we are happy. Service you must render. That is your position. You cannot become master. Even the politicians, they promise, "I shall give you such and such service. Please give me vote." So the service is promised, because we have to serve.
So this definition given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that jivera svarupa haya krsna nitya-dasa: "The real, original characteristic of the living entity is to serve Krsna." That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says, mamaivamso jiva-bhutah: [Bg. 15.7] "All these living entities, they are My parts and parcels." Just try to understand. What is the duty of the parts and parcel? Suppose this finger -- they are the parts and parcel of my body. What is the duty of the finger? The finger has to catch the foodstuff or prepare the foodstuff and put into the mouth. The finger cannot enjoy; it has given to the stomach. Similarly, if we are parts and parcel of Krsna, we cannot enjoy anything directly without giving Krsna. That is our duty. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. So Krsna also said in the Bhagavad-gita, dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge.
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham
[Bg. 4.7]
So what for Krsna comes? Does he come to establish Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma or Christian dharma? If Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why He should be interested in particular type of dharma, Hindu dharma, Christian dharma or Muslim dharma? No. Therefore after giving instruction throughout the whole Bhagavad-gita, at last says Krsna, "The most confidential part of My instruction, Arjuna," sarva-guhyatamam, "is this: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]." This is dharma. If you are not surrendered soul to Krsna, or God, your dharma has no meaning. It is useless. And where the definition of dharma is given by Krsna at the last stage of His instruction of Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, if one can catch up this point, then he begins bhagavata-dharma. Bhagavata-dharma.
Prahlada Maharaja said, kaumaram acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha. Kaumara, from the very beginning of childhood, one should be taught about dharma, especially bhagavata-dharma, the relationship with God. Similarly, in other place it is said,
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yenatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]
Yena atma suprasidati. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo [SB 1.2.6], highest type of religious system, yato bhaktir adhoksaje, by which one can learn how to love God -- that is dharma. Anything else, that is not dharma. That is pasu-dharma. Nandaji has invented a very nice word, manava-dharma. So manava-dharma means what is the distinction between manava and pasu. That distinction is that a man eats, an animal eats; a man sleeps, an animal sleeps; a man has got sexual intercourse, animal has got sexual intercourse; a man also tries to defend, an animal also tries to defend. So these four principles of dharma, bodily necessities of life, is equal to the man and the animal. If you manufacture very nice palatable dishes for eating, that does not mean you are advanced in civilization. No. It is eating. So what is the difference between manava-dharma and pasu-dharma? Manava-dharma means what Krsna teaches -- sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is manava-dharma. Except this, anything, that is pasu-dharma. That is pasu-dharma. Therefore Bhagavata says, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo atra: [SB 1.1.2] "All cheating type of dharma is kicked out from this bhagavata-dharma."
So actually, if we are interested in manava-dharma, we should take instruction from the authorities. Don't try to manufacture dharma. That is not possible. You cannot manufacture. Dharmam tu saksat bhagavat-pranitam. Dharma means the codes given by God. That is dharma. Just like law means given by the state. You cannot manufacture law at your home. That is not possible. Nobody will care for that. Nobody will care for that. Just like on the street we have got the law, "Keep to the left." So if you say, "Why not go to the right?" you will be immediately arrested. You are criminal, because it is law by the state. By your consideration, where is the difference between going... In some countries, in England... England is "Keep to the left," India. America is "Keep to the right." So this may be changed in different countries and different laws, but law means which is given by the state. Similarly, dharma means which is given by God. You cannot manufacture dharma. That will not be applicable. So therefore Krsna says, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "I descend." Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. What is that glanih? When one forgets Krsna, or God, and manufacture his own religion, pasu-dharma, he cannot be happy. That is not possible. Just like if you make your own laws, you cannot be happy. You must obey the laws of the state. Similarly, what is the law of God? That is dharma. Dharmam tu saksat bhagavat-pranitam. Dharma cannot be manufactured by any man or any demigod or any saintly person or... No. The dharma is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which He says as the last instruction in the Bhagavad-gita. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. And actually it is happening all over the world. Since we have presented this dharma, to serve Krsna, it is working very wonderfully. We have got branches all over the world, and you will find... Some of the samples you will see, those who are chanting Hare Krsna mantra, these Europeans, Americans, Canadians -- we have got even branch in Iran also -- Muhammadans, Christians, African. Everyone is taking to this dharma, this Krsna consciousness movement.
Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu enunciated, ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam. There is a conflagration of flame all over the world on account of godless civilization, this nonsense civilization. We have to stop it. Then you will be happy. You cannot become happy without God. That is not possible. Therefore if you actually interested to spread dharma, you take the principles of Bhagavad-gita, standard, Bhagavad-gita as it is. Don't try to interpret in a fashionable way: "This means that, that means that." No. "Krsna" means Krsna. Krsna means... Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya: [Bg. 7.7] "My dear Dhananjaya, there is no more superior authority than Me." You have to accept that. Krsna says, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te. You have to accept that. Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. You have to accept that. Then you will be able to... You will be successful. Otherwise it is useless waste of time. Srama eva hi kevalam. Srama eva hi kevalam.
dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed ratim yadi
srama eva hi kevalam
[SB 1.2.8]
You can execute your so-called dharmas, but if it does not help you to understand what is God, then it is useless waste of time. It is useless waste of time. Srama eva hi kevalam. So actually, this Bharata-varsa is the land of dharma. Even some Communist Chinese gentleman, he has written a book... That is recommended in the New York University. He says that "If you want to know about dharma, you must go to India and learn there." We have got so facility. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,
bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara paropakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]
Anyone who has taken birth as a human being in the land of Bharata-varsa, first of all let him become perfect and distribute the knowledge all over the world. That is paropakara.
So I shall request that there is great need of this Krsna consciousness movement all over the world. It is only one man's attempt. If persons like Nandaji and others, living persons... Yad yad acarati sresthah lokas tad anuvartate [Bg. 3.21]. Nandaji is one of the srestha-vekti of India. He was minister in the Central government. Now he is out of office. But the man is the same. I was very glad when I received the literature. I thought, "At least one man in India is thinking that India is so much downfallen." So I was very much encouraged. Otherwise I was very much discouraged that there is no human being in India, because they have forgotten Krsna, forgotten God. Now I see there are still. So I shall request Nandaji that take the standard method as prescribed in the Bhagavad-gita. Then you will be successful. Not only Nandaji -- anyone. The example is already there. I am preaching all over the world Bhagavad-gita as it is. There is no fashionable interpretation. No. As it is. And how they are being accepted. So why not in this country? And in this country Krsna consciousness is natural. It is not artificial. From the birth of a man, (he) is Krsna conscious. Artificially he is being cut down, "Forget Krsna." This nonsense dharma should be stopped. Take Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is being accepted all over the world. Why not in India? Why you present competitors of Krsna? Don't do this. Take this instruction of Bhagavad-gita, that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. You will be successful. If you manufacture something, you will never be successful. I tell you. So anyone. The standard is there, the instruction is there, everything is there. Why should we try to manufacture something new? Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. That is our process. Tarko 'pratisthanam. Simply by argument, you cannot reach the confidential part of dharma. Srutayo vibhinna. And if you study Vedas, that is also..., Sama, Yajur, Rg, Atharva, you will be puzzled. So, nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam. He is not a philosopher or a muni who cannot give a separate theory.
So these things are going on. Therefore how to know what is the purpose of dharma? That is stated that dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. Just follow, try to, mahajana. Who can be better mahajana than Krsna? Is there anybody in this world still now better than Krsna, who can give good instruction, more beneficial than Krsna? No. There is not. So take this principle, Bhagavad-gita as it is, the instruction of Gita, instruction of Krsna, and try to follow. It will be successful not only in India, all over the world. That is my practical experience.
Thank you very much. (applause) [break] (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Lecture at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan -- Bombay, October 18, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
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Sunday, July 25, 2010
"Sunday Feast__The Higher Science"
21 May 72 , Los Angeles
Prabhupada: What is the sound? Hm? You'll play mrdanga, I'll sing. (sings Jaya Radha-Madhava. Prema-dhvani) So this is the true picture of God: Jaya radha-madhava. Jaya radha-madhava kunja-vihari. He is simply enjoying, Radha-Madhava. You have seen the picture, Radha-Krsna. So eternally engaged in enjoyment, in the association of the gopis. Gopi-jana-vallabha. And His only business is how to please the gopis. Just like here, in this material world, the young boy who loves a young girl, he tries to please the girl always. This is natural. Because originally, the same thing is there in God. It is a pleasure. It is a pleasure for the male to please the female counterpart. That is originally created. Radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir ahladini-saktih. These Radha-Krsna love affairs is the originally there. Radharani, the female counterpart, is the manifestation of ahladini-sakti, pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has got many potencies. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. God, God means with His potencies. Just like ordinarily, we are part and parcel of God, a minute particle; still, we have got so many potencies. Every man, every living entity... Not only man, the animals also, they have got various potencies, creative energy. So you just imagine how much creative energies and potencies are there in God. This is the understanding. If I am a little portion, part and parcel of God, I have got so much potencies... "I" means the human being. Or even animal. There are many animals, they have got... Just like a bird. He can fly in the sky without any mechanical arrangement. He has got the potency. You cannot. If you want to fly in the sky, then you have to make some machine. But a small insect, he is flying very freely, without any mechanical... You cannot make such a small machine like an insect. That is not. But God has given him potency, although he's a very insignificant small ant, insect, he can very freely fly. You cannot live within the water. If you want to live within the water, you have to make so many arrangements, submarine and this and that, so many things. But a small fish, he doesn't care even the ocean. Playing. A small fish. When I was walking on the beach of Hawaii, what is that animal with many le...?
Devotees: Crab.
Prabhupada: Crab. So, when we were walking, they were flying towards the sea. They have got instinct, or reason, that "Somebody's coming. He may kill me. So let me have shelter of the Pacific Ocean." The crab is not going this side, to the forest, because he knows certain that "The forest cannot give me shelter; the Pacific Ocean can give me shelter." This is the psychology. I never seen the crab is going this side, forest side. It is going to the Pacific Ocean side. And, so far as I am concerned, as soon as the waves are coming, I am going away from the ocean. Although I am a human being, I cannot take shelter of the Pacific Ocean, because I have not the potency.
So in this way you have to study. We are samples of God, part and parcel. Just like you take little sample from the Pacific Ocean, a drop of water. You can taste it, and it is salty. You can understand the whole water is salty. Similarly, living entities, they are sample of God, small, very small. You can create one sputnik or jet plane, and you take so much credit, "Oh, I am flying in the sky." But why don't you give the credit to God, who is plying, flying millions of sputniks in the sky? Not small; with so many mountains, seas, houses, trees, plants, and so many things. You can see so many things. The sun planet, the moon planet and others, so many other pla... Kotisu vasudhadi vibhuti-bhinnam. In each and every universe, there are millions of planets. Kotisu, vasudhadi. Vasudha means planet.
yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-
kotisv asesa-vasudhadi vibhuti-bhinnam
tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.40]
The brahmajyoti, yasya prabha, is the bodily effulgence of God, Krsna, Govinda. So on that effulgence, jagad-anda-koti, there are innumerable universes. It is not very difficult to understand. Just like you see, in the sunshine innumerable planets are floating. So what is the difficulty to understand that there is a shining effulgence from the body of God, Krsna, and in that shining effulgence, innumerable universes are floating? What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. It is most scientific proposal.
So these are the potencies of God. Not that I can show some magic and immediately I become God. Just see the magic, real magic of God. Don't accept cheap God. God must show godly magic. Just like we are showing little magic, floating some airplane or sputnik or jet in the sky. We are taking so much credit, so much credit that scientists are declaring, "There is no God. I am God, because I have made this airplane." And what is your airplane in comparison to these planets? So intelligent person, they will give more credit to God than to these scientists or philosophers. Because he can see the potencies, how much potency is there. So He has many potencies. In the Vedic literature we can understand, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. In the Vedas, Upanisad: na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. God has nothing to do personally. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. Nobody is found equal to him or greater than Him. Nobody. That is God. If somebody is competitor, one God competitor, another God competitor... Just like nowadays it has become a fashion to become God, and there are competitions between one "God" and another. But actually, nobody can compete with God. That is God. Na tasya sama. Sama means equal. Adhikasya, or greater. That means greater. That means everyone subordinate. Everyone subordinate. Everyone is lower than God. He may be very powerful, but nobody can be equal or greater than God. That is the Vedic information. Na tasya sama adikasya drsyate. We don't find... They are also, great saintly persons, they're researching that who is the greatest personality. Greatest personality. So by research work by great saintly persons, especially by Lord Brahma... He is the first creature within this universe. So he has found by his spiritual advancement and research work that Krsna is the greatest. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. He gives his decision: "The greatest personality is Krsna." Just like we are sitting, so many ladies and gentlemen here. We can analyze who is the greatest here. So, say, for arguing, you can accept that "You are the greatest." But I am not the greatest. I have got my spiritual master. He has got his spiritual master. He has got a spiritual master. In this way, we go up to Brahma. Brahma is the original spiritual master within this universe, who gave us the Vedic knowledge. He's therefore called forefather, er, grandfather, pitamaha. But he's also not independent. In the Vedanta-sutra or Bhagavata it is said that Brahma... He's the first creature. There was no other any other living entity when he was created first. So if I say that he also got knowledge from others, then the argument may be, "Who is the next person to give him knowledge?" So therefore Bhagavata says, "No. He received knowledge from Krsna." How? "From the heart." Tene brahma hrda. Hrda. Because God, Krsna, is sitting in everyone's heart -- your heart, my heart, everyone. And He can give you instruction. His name is therefore Caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means who gives conscience and knowledge from within. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto: [Bg. 15.15] "In everyone's heart I am sitting." Hrdi, "within the heart"; sannivisto, "I am sitting there." Sarvasya. Not only you and me, even animals insects, birds, beasts, Brahma, everyone. Sarvasya. All living entities. So sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah: "from Me"; smrtir jnanam apohanam ca, "remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." Forgetfulness also. If you want to forget God, God will give you intelligence that you can forget God forever. He's so kind. Whatever you want, He will give you intelligence, "Do like this."
So there are two things. There are two living entities. One is trying to forget God, and another is trying to remember God. That's all. There are two kinds of people, or men. Men, not the animals. Animals cannot understand what is God. It is the business of human beings. So if you want to know God sincerely, seriously, then God is within yourself. He'll give you intelligence how you can know Him. But if you want to forget God, challenge God, "There is no God. God is dead," then He'll give you such intelligence that you'll always think that there is no God, that God is dead, like that. He'll give some arguments. There are so many atheists, they are also putting their arguments. So wherefrom the argument comes? It comes from God, that "You take this argument and forget God forever." Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. Vedic knowledge means to understand God. That's all. One who has understood God, he has studied all Vedas. Finished. And one who has not understood God, simply studying this literature, that literature, that scripture, then he's simply wasting his time. That's all. Because (the) ultimate knowledge is God. If one cannot understand what is God after so much education, then Bhagavata says, srama eva hi kevalam: [SB 1.2.8] "It is simply labor, labor, waste of time." Simply waste of time. There is no education. Education, knowledge, means ultimately to understand, to know what is God. Actually; not fictitiously, vaguely. So there are many classes of men who have no understanding of God. Some of them are saying, "God is dead," or "God is impersonal," "There is no God," "Zero," "I am God," "You are God," so many things. All these people do not know what is God; therefore there are different theories. Therefore, somehow or other, if you can understand God, then your life is successful. Somehow or other. Because this human life is especially meant for understanding God. Athato brahma jijnasa. The Vedanta-sutra... You have heard the name of Vedanta. Vedanta means... Veda means knowledge, and anta means ultimate. The ultimate knowledge. Therefore, Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam: [Bg. 15.15] "The ultimate purpose of reading Vedas is to know Me."
So who can read Vedanta philosophy? A very learned scholar he must be, at least, he must be very learned scholar in Sanskrit. He must have sufficient brain substance to understand what are these Vedanta-sutras. Because everything is there in a small aphorism. Just like the first aphorism of Vedanta-sutra is athato brahma jijnasa. In three words: atha, atah, brahma, jijnasa. Four words. So it contains volumes of philosophy. The next aphorism is janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Janma, adi, asya, yatah. "From whom," asya, visvasya, "of this universe, cosmic manifestation." From where this cosmic manifestation has come, and where it rests, and where it will dissolve. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. In this way, Vedanta-sutra means, gives you the whole purpose of Vedas, knowledge, in small code words. So to understand these code words, one must have very big brain, or very highly standard educational qualification. Then... All the acaryas, those who are controlling Vedic civilization, like Sankaracarya, Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, they have all written their commentaries on the Vedanta-sutra. Because unless one explains Vedanta-sutra, he'll not be accepted as an authorized acarya. He's not... Not that anyone can become acarya. He must give explanation of the Vedanta-sutra, prasthana-traya. There is system. So ultimately, Vedanta-sutra, as Krsna says, vedais ca sarvaih. Sarvaih means including Vedanta-sutra. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. "I am to be understood." Why? Vedanta-krt vedanta-vit ca aham. Vedanta-krt, "I am the compiler of Vedanta-sutra." Vedanta-sutra was compiled by Vyasadeva. He is incarnation of Krsna, Dvaipayana Vyasa. So therefore, it is compiled by His incarnation, so it is compiled by Him. Because His incarnation, He is the same. So vedanta-krt means Veda..., compiler of the Vedanta, and the compiler of the compiler of the Vedanta is vedanta-vit, one who knows Vedanta. Because I have written some book, so I know what is the purpose of writing my book. You cannot know. My purpose you cannot know.
There is a small instructive story in this -- not story, fact -- in this connection. In Calcutta there was a great dramatist. He was very well known, government officer. He wrote one book, Shah Jahan. That is very famous book for theatrical play. So in that Shah Jahan, means the king emperor Shah Jahan, the... Practically, the name which is given on the book, the hero title, he's the hero. So one of the friends of Mr. D. L. Raya, he inquired from Mr. Raya that "In your book Shah Jahan, the actual hero is Aurangzeb. Why you have given the title Shah Jahan?" He could not understand it. So I'm just trying to explain that the purpose of the book must be known to the author, not others. So the author replied, "My dear friend, the actual hero is Shah Jahan, not Aurangzeb." Although the Shah Jahan book is full of the activities of Aurangzeb, the fact is that Shah Jahan was the emperor. He had many, four or five sons, and his wife died, Mumtaz, at an early age. You have seen, those who have gone to India, you have seen the Taj Mahal building. That building was constructed in the memory of that Mumtaz by Shah Jahan. He spent all his money for constructing that building. So it is one of the seven wonders of the world. So that Shah Jahan lost his wife at an early age. She (he) was very fond of his wife. And because, affectionate father, he did not very much chastise his sons, and he spent all his money in constructing the memory of his wife, so when the sons grew up, the third son, Aurangzeb, came out very crooked. And he made a plan how to usurp the empire. He killed his elder brother and other brothers. He arrested his father, Shah Jahan. So this is the book subject matter, Shah Jahan. So whole activities. But the author says that "Aurangzeb is not the hero; hero is Shah Jahan." Then he explained why. "Now, because Shah Jahan was living, sitting in the Agra Fort as a prisoner, and all the reactions of Aurangzeb's activities, killing of his other sons, usurping the empire, that was beating on his heart; therefore he was suffering. He is the hero."
So this is an example. The author of a book knows very well what is the purpose of that book. That is my statement. Similarly, this Vedanta-sutra was compiled by Vyasadeva, or Krsna's incarnation, or Krsna Himself. So He knows what is Vedanta-sutra. So if you want to understand Vedanta-sutra, then you must understand Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. Krsna says also that by studying all the Vedic literature, one has to understand Krsna. And He also confirms... And Vyasadeva explains Vedanta-sutra in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because He knew that "Vedanta-sutra, being authoritative version of Vedic literature, so many rascals will comment in different way. Therefore I must leave..." That was also done under the instruction of Narada. He wrote personally a commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. That is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhasyayam brahma-sutranam vedartha paribrmhitam. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the right commentary by the author Himself. And the vedartha paribhrmhitam the purpose of Vedas, the scheme of Vedic literature, is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. So this human life..., athato brahma jijnasa, means, the Vedanta-sutra says, that "This life, this human life, is meant for understanding God." Brahma-jijnasa. At least, not understanding, at least inquiring, jijnasa. Jijnasa means inquiring.
So where the inquiry should be made? If I want to inquire about God, shall I go to the storekeeper or drug shop or a motor shop? No. Tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. If you want to know the transcendental science, then you must find out a guru. That is injunction. Jijnasuh sreyah uttamam. Gurum prapadyeta. Tasmad prapadyeta gurum jijnasuh sreyah uttamam. If you are actually inquisitive to understand higher science, uttamam... Uttama means higher. These are not higher sciences, how to earn some money. Earn some money, and eat something, and sleep, and have some sex life, and die -- this is not higher science. This is not higher science. Higher science is brahma-jijnasa, to inquire about Brahman. That is higher science. This science, earning money and fulfilling the hungry belly, this science the birds and beast also know how to do it. It does not require much education. There is no scientific education how to enjoy sex life. Everyone knows how to do it. Similarly, there is no need of scientific education, how to eat or how to find out your food. The birds and beast, they are also finding out, and are they also eating. So these are not higher sciences. The higher science is to inquire, athato brahma jijnasa, to inquire about God, the Supreme. And that can be done by the human being, not by others. Not the cats and dogs. So if we do not give education of this higher science to the human society, if we keep them dumb about this, or if we make secular state, prohibitive injunction to understand God, then it is an animal society. It is an animal society. So such things happen sometimes.
So there is a narration of King Vena. The King Vena happened to be an atheist king. So because that... The reason is given that his mother was the daughter of an atheist king. Naranam matur laksanam. It is a scientific fact that a son inherits the quality of the mother, and a daughter inherits the quality of father. So the King Vena's mother inherited the quality of her father, and the Vena, King Vena, inherited the quality of grandfather, or mother. So he was atheist king, atheistic. When he become king... He was very powerful, strong, but atheist. So when he became king, because he was very powerful, he declared by drum beating... What is that?
na yastavyam na datavyam
na hotavyam dvijah kvacit
iti nyavarayad dharmam
bheri-ghosena sarvasah
[SB 4.14.6]
Bheri-ghosena means by sound of bugle. Formerly, when there was some declaration by the king, by the government, one should go in the marketplace and, the government men, and take a drum and one bugle, and they'll declare, "This is the law from this day." That's all. No more gazette. So, this is the old system. Somewhere it's still existing. So the Vena king declared that "These are all nonsense." What is this? Na yastavyam: "No more worship of God, no more sacrifice." Na datavyam: "No more charity. Stop all this!" Na datavyam na hotavyam: "No more offering oblations to the fire, sacrifice." Dvijah kvacit iti. This business was meant for the brahmanas; therefore, dvija, he's restricting the brahmanas that "Don't do all this nonsense anymore." Dvijah kvacit. Iti nyavarayad dharmam: "In this way he stopped all religious activities." Bheri-ghosena sarvasah.
So formerly, the king was controlled by saintly persons, by priestly order. They would give the king advice. The Vedic society is divided into four classes of men. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. According to quality and work, there are four divisions of men: The brahmana, the intelligent class of men; the ksatriyas, the administrative class of men, the martial class of men; and the vaisyas, the productive class of men; and the sudras, the worker class of men. That is still existing in a different name, but the difficulty is, the classification is not made according to quality and work. That was the actual position of classification. Nowadays, a sudra is on the government. A person who is a nonsense number one, he has no knowledge, he is on the head of the government. The things have been topsy-turvied. A person on religious category, he's advocating something, oh, it is not to be uttered. Homosex. You see? He's advocating homosex. Just see. These has been topsy-turvied. The four classes of men are there, still. But the third-class, fourth-class man is taking the place of first class. And the first-class man is kicked out, "Go out. Don't talk of God." This is the position at the present moment. The classes are there. That is natural. There must be some first-class men, there must be some second-class men, there must be some third-class men, there must be some fourth-class men. But the difficulty is that the fourth-class man is taking the position of first-class man, and the first-class man is being kicked out. Therefore there are so many problems in the society. Guna-karma-vibhagasah. First-class man must be acting first class. But he's acting as last class, but he is posed in first class. Things have been topsy-turvied. So it is the duty of the government to find out the first-class man and employ him for first-class business, first-class activities. And what is that first-class activity? The first-class activity is athato brahma jijnasa. That is first-class activity. Otherwise, it is fourth-class activity. If the human society is not divided into right order, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. And it is the duty of the government to see that the first-class man is employed in first-class activities, the second-class man is engaged in second-class activities. Then the government will be nice. Now here, the Vena Maharaja, he's on the head of the administration, royal king. Now he is advising, "Reject religion. No more charity, no more sacrifice, no more worship. Stop all this nonsense." Then what is the condition of the society? So that is being done.
So it will take some time to explain about these activities of first-class, second-class, third-class men. It is a great science. So we shall try to explain, one after another. You please come on Sunday. I shall hold this class. For the time being, excuse me.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
For higher quality audio, you may purchase the MP3s/CDs from www.Krishna.com
Prabhupada: What is the sound? Hm? You'll play mrdanga, I'll sing. (sings Jaya Radha-Madhava. Prema-dhvani) So this is the true picture of God: Jaya radha-madhava. Jaya radha-madhava kunja-vihari. He is simply enjoying, Radha-Madhava. You have seen the picture, Radha-Krsna. So eternally engaged in enjoyment, in the association of the gopis. Gopi-jana-vallabha. And His only business is how to please the gopis. Just like here, in this material world, the young boy who loves a young girl, he tries to please the girl always. This is natural. Because originally, the same thing is there in God. It is a pleasure. It is a pleasure for the male to please the female counterpart. That is originally created. Radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir ahladini-saktih. These Radha-Krsna love affairs is the originally there. Radharani, the female counterpart, is the manifestation of ahladini-sakti, pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has got many potencies. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. God, God means with His potencies. Just like ordinarily, we are part and parcel of God, a minute particle; still, we have got so many potencies. Every man, every living entity... Not only man, the animals also, they have got various potencies, creative energy. So you just imagine how much creative energies and potencies are there in God. This is the understanding. If I am a little portion, part and parcel of God, I have got so much potencies... "I" means the human being. Or even animal. There are many animals, they have got... Just like a bird. He can fly in the sky without any mechanical arrangement. He has got the potency. You cannot. If you want to fly in the sky, then you have to make some machine. But a small insect, he is flying very freely, without any mechanical... You cannot make such a small machine like an insect. That is not. But God has given him potency, although he's a very insignificant small ant, insect, he can very freely fly. You cannot live within the water. If you want to live within the water, you have to make so many arrangements, submarine and this and that, so many things. But a small fish, he doesn't care even the ocean. Playing. A small fish. When I was walking on the beach of Hawaii, what is that animal with many le...?
Devotees: Crab.
Prabhupada: Crab. So, when we were walking, they were flying towards the sea. They have got instinct, or reason, that "Somebody's coming. He may kill me. So let me have shelter of the Pacific Ocean." The crab is not going this side, to the forest, because he knows certain that "The forest cannot give me shelter; the Pacific Ocean can give me shelter." This is the psychology. I never seen the crab is going this side, forest side. It is going to the Pacific Ocean side. And, so far as I am concerned, as soon as the waves are coming, I am going away from the ocean. Although I am a human being, I cannot take shelter of the Pacific Ocean, because I have not the potency.
So in this way you have to study. We are samples of God, part and parcel. Just like you take little sample from the Pacific Ocean, a drop of water. You can taste it, and it is salty. You can understand the whole water is salty. Similarly, living entities, they are sample of God, small, very small. You can create one sputnik or jet plane, and you take so much credit, "Oh, I am flying in the sky." But why don't you give the credit to God, who is plying, flying millions of sputniks in the sky? Not small; with so many mountains, seas, houses, trees, plants, and so many things. You can see so many things. The sun planet, the moon planet and others, so many other pla... Kotisu vasudhadi vibhuti-bhinnam. In each and every universe, there are millions of planets. Kotisu, vasudhadi. Vasudha means planet.
yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-
kotisv asesa-vasudhadi vibhuti-bhinnam
tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.40]
The brahmajyoti, yasya prabha, is the bodily effulgence of God, Krsna, Govinda. So on that effulgence, jagad-anda-koti, there are innumerable universes. It is not very difficult to understand. Just like you see, in the sunshine innumerable planets are floating. So what is the difficulty to understand that there is a shining effulgence from the body of God, Krsna, and in that shining effulgence, innumerable universes are floating? What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. It is most scientific proposal.
So these are the potencies of God. Not that I can show some magic and immediately I become God. Just see the magic, real magic of God. Don't accept cheap God. God must show godly magic. Just like we are showing little magic, floating some airplane or sputnik or jet in the sky. We are taking so much credit, so much credit that scientists are declaring, "There is no God. I am God, because I have made this airplane." And what is your airplane in comparison to these planets? So intelligent person, they will give more credit to God than to these scientists or philosophers. Because he can see the potencies, how much potency is there. So He has many potencies. In the Vedic literature we can understand, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. In the Vedas, Upanisad: na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. God has nothing to do personally. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. Nobody is found equal to him or greater than Him. Nobody. That is God. If somebody is competitor, one God competitor, another God competitor... Just like nowadays it has become a fashion to become God, and there are competitions between one "God" and another. But actually, nobody can compete with God. That is God. Na tasya sama. Sama means equal. Adhikasya, or greater. That means greater. That means everyone subordinate. Everyone subordinate. Everyone is lower than God. He may be very powerful, but nobody can be equal or greater than God. That is the Vedic information. Na tasya sama adikasya drsyate. We don't find... They are also, great saintly persons, they're researching that who is the greatest personality. Greatest personality. So by research work by great saintly persons, especially by Lord Brahma... He is the first creature within this universe. So he has found by his spiritual advancement and research work that Krsna is the greatest. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. He gives his decision: "The greatest personality is Krsna." Just like we are sitting, so many ladies and gentlemen here. We can analyze who is the greatest here. So, say, for arguing, you can accept that "You are the greatest." But I am not the greatest. I have got my spiritual master. He has got his spiritual master. He has got a spiritual master. In this way, we go up to Brahma. Brahma is the original spiritual master within this universe, who gave us the Vedic knowledge. He's therefore called forefather, er, grandfather, pitamaha. But he's also not independent. In the Vedanta-sutra or Bhagavata it is said that Brahma... He's the first creature. There was no other any other living entity when he was created first. So if I say that he also got knowledge from others, then the argument may be, "Who is the next person to give him knowledge?" So therefore Bhagavata says, "No. He received knowledge from Krsna." How? "From the heart." Tene brahma hrda. Hrda. Because God, Krsna, is sitting in everyone's heart -- your heart, my heart, everyone. And He can give you instruction. His name is therefore Caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means who gives conscience and knowledge from within. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto: [Bg. 15.15] "In everyone's heart I am sitting." Hrdi, "within the heart"; sannivisto, "I am sitting there." Sarvasya. Not only you and me, even animals insects, birds, beasts, Brahma, everyone. Sarvasya. All living entities. So sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah: "from Me"; smrtir jnanam apohanam ca, "remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." Forgetfulness also. If you want to forget God, God will give you intelligence that you can forget God forever. He's so kind. Whatever you want, He will give you intelligence, "Do like this."
So there are two things. There are two living entities. One is trying to forget God, and another is trying to remember God. That's all. There are two kinds of people, or men. Men, not the animals. Animals cannot understand what is God. It is the business of human beings. So if you want to know God sincerely, seriously, then God is within yourself. He'll give you intelligence how you can know Him. But if you want to forget God, challenge God, "There is no God. God is dead," then He'll give you such intelligence that you'll always think that there is no God, that God is dead, like that. He'll give some arguments. There are so many atheists, they are also putting their arguments. So wherefrom the argument comes? It comes from God, that "You take this argument and forget God forever." Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. Vedic knowledge means to understand God. That's all. One who has understood God, he has studied all Vedas. Finished. And one who has not understood God, simply studying this literature, that literature, that scripture, then he's simply wasting his time. That's all. Because (the) ultimate knowledge is God. If one cannot understand what is God after so much education, then Bhagavata says, srama eva hi kevalam: [SB 1.2.8] "It is simply labor, labor, waste of time." Simply waste of time. There is no education. Education, knowledge, means ultimately to understand, to know what is God. Actually; not fictitiously, vaguely. So there are many classes of men who have no understanding of God. Some of them are saying, "God is dead," or "God is impersonal," "There is no God," "Zero," "I am God," "You are God," so many things. All these people do not know what is God; therefore there are different theories. Therefore, somehow or other, if you can understand God, then your life is successful. Somehow or other. Because this human life is especially meant for understanding God. Athato brahma jijnasa. The Vedanta-sutra... You have heard the name of Vedanta. Vedanta means... Veda means knowledge, and anta means ultimate. The ultimate knowledge. Therefore, Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam: [Bg. 15.15] "The ultimate purpose of reading Vedas is to know Me."
So who can read Vedanta philosophy? A very learned scholar he must be, at least, he must be very learned scholar in Sanskrit. He must have sufficient brain substance to understand what are these Vedanta-sutras. Because everything is there in a small aphorism. Just like the first aphorism of Vedanta-sutra is athato brahma jijnasa. In three words: atha, atah, brahma, jijnasa. Four words. So it contains volumes of philosophy. The next aphorism is janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Janma, adi, asya, yatah. "From whom," asya, visvasya, "of this universe, cosmic manifestation." From where this cosmic manifestation has come, and where it rests, and where it will dissolve. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. In this way, Vedanta-sutra means, gives you the whole purpose of Vedas, knowledge, in small code words. So to understand these code words, one must have very big brain, or very highly standard educational qualification. Then... All the acaryas, those who are controlling Vedic civilization, like Sankaracarya, Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, they have all written their commentaries on the Vedanta-sutra. Because unless one explains Vedanta-sutra, he'll not be accepted as an authorized acarya. He's not... Not that anyone can become acarya. He must give explanation of the Vedanta-sutra, prasthana-traya. There is system. So ultimately, Vedanta-sutra, as Krsna says, vedais ca sarvaih. Sarvaih means including Vedanta-sutra. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. "I am to be understood." Why? Vedanta-krt vedanta-vit ca aham. Vedanta-krt, "I am the compiler of Vedanta-sutra." Vedanta-sutra was compiled by Vyasadeva. He is incarnation of Krsna, Dvaipayana Vyasa. So therefore, it is compiled by His incarnation, so it is compiled by Him. Because His incarnation, He is the same. So vedanta-krt means Veda..., compiler of the Vedanta, and the compiler of the compiler of the Vedanta is vedanta-vit, one who knows Vedanta. Because I have written some book, so I know what is the purpose of writing my book. You cannot know. My purpose you cannot know.
There is a small instructive story in this -- not story, fact -- in this connection. In Calcutta there was a great dramatist. He was very well known, government officer. He wrote one book, Shah Jahan. That is very famous book for theatrical play. So in that Shah Jahan, means the king emperor Shah Jahan, the... Practically, the name which is given on the book, the hero title, he's the hero. So one of the friends of Mr. D. L. Raya, he inquired from Mr. Raya that "In your book Shah Jahan, the actual hero is Aurangzeb. Why you have given the title Shah Jahan?" He could not understand it. So I'm just trying to explain that the purpose of the book must be known to the author, not others. So the author replied, "My dear friend, the actual hero is Shah Jahan, not Aurangzeb." Although the Shah Jahan book is full of the activities of Aurangzeb, the fact is that Shah Jahan was the emperor. He had many, four or five sons, and his wife died, Mumtaz, at an early age. You have seen, those who have gone to India, you have seen the Taj Mahal building. That building was constructed in the memory of that Mumtaz by Shah Jahan. He spent all his money for constructing that building. So it is one of the seven wonders of the world. So that Shah Jahan lost his wife at an early age. She (he) was very fond of his wife. And because, affectionate father, he did not very much chastise his sons, and he spent all his money in constructing the memory of his wife, so when the sons grew up, the third son, Aurangzeb, came out very crooked. And he made a plan how to usurp the empire. He killed his elder brother and other brothers. He arrested his father, Shah Jahan. So this is the book subject matter, Shah Jahan. So whole activities. But the author says that "Aurangzeb is not the hero; hero is Shah Jahan." Then he explained why. "Now, because Shah Jahan was living, sitting in the Agra Fort as a prisoner, and all the reactions of Aurangzeb's activities, killing of his other sons, usurping the empire, that was beating on his heart; therefore he was suffering. He is the hero."
So this is an example. The author of a book knows very well what is the purpose of that book. That is my statement. Similarly, this Vedanta-sutra was compiled by Vyasadeva, or Krsna's incarnation, or Krsna Himself. So He knows what is Vedanta-sutra. So if you want to understand Vedanta-sutra, then you must understand Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. Krsna says also that by studying all the Vedic literature, one has to understand Krsna. And He also confirms... And Vyasadeva explains Vedanta-sutra in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because He knew that "Vedanta-sutra, being authoritative version of Vedic literature, so many rascals will comment in different way. Therefore I must leave..." That was also done under the instruction of Narada. He wrote personally a commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. That is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhasyayam brahma-sutranam vedartha paribrmhitam. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the right commentary by the author Himself. And the vedartha paribhrmhitam the purpose of Vedas, the scheme of Vedic literature, is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. So this human life..., athato brahma jijnasa, means, the Vedanta-sutra says, that "This life, this human life, is meant for understanding God." Brahma-jijnasa. At least, not understanding, at least inquiring, jijnasa. Jijnasa means inquiring.
So where the inquiry should be made? If I want to inquire about God, shall I go to the storekeeper or drug shop or a motor shop? No. Tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. If you want to know the transcendental science, then you must find out a guru. That is injunction. Jijnasuh sreyah uttamam. Gurum prapadyeta. Tasmad prapadyeta gurum jijnasuh sreyah uttamam. If you are actually inquisitive to understand higher science, uttamam... Uttama means higher. These are not higher sciences, how to earn some money. Earn some money, and eat something, and sleep, and have some sex life, and die -- this is not higher science. This is not higher science. Higher science is brahma-jijnasa, to inquire about Brahman. That is higher science. This science, earning money and fulfilling the hungry belly, this science the birds and beast also know how to do it. It does not require much education. There is no scientific education how to enjoy sex life. Everyone knows how to do it. Similarly, there is no need of scientific education, how to eat or how to find out your food. The birds and beast, they are also finding out, and are they also eating. So these are not higher sciences. The higher science is to inquire, athato brahma jijnasa, to inquire about God, the Supreme. And that can be done by the human being, not by others. Not the cats and dogs. So if we do not give education of this higher science to the human society, if we keep them dumb about this, or if we make secular state, prohibitive injunction to understand God, then it is an animal society. It is an animal society. So such things happen sometimes.
So there is a narration of King Vena. The King Vena happened to be an atheist king. So because that... The reason is given that his mother was the daughter of an atheist king. Naranam matur laksanam. It is a scientific fact that a son inherits the quality of the mother, and a daughter inherits the quality of father. So the King Vena's mother inherited the quality of her father, and the Vena, King Vena, inherited the quality of grandfather, or mother. So he was atheist king, atheistic. When he become king... He was very powerful, strong, but atheist. So when he became king, because he was very powerful, he declared by drum beating... What is that?
na yastavyam na datavyam
na hotavyam dvijah kvacit
iti nyavarayad dharmam
bheri-ghosena sarvasah
[SB 4.14.6]
Bheri-ghosena means by sound of bugle. Formerly, when there was some declaration by the king, by the government, one should go in the marketplace and, the government men, and take a drum and one bugle, and they'll declare, "This is the law from this day." That's all. No more gazette. So, this is the old system. Somewhere it's still existing. So the Vena king declared that "These are all nonsense." What is this? Na yastavyam: "No more worship of God, no more sacrifice." Na datavyam: "No more charity. Stop all this!" Na datavyam na hotavyam: "No more offering oblations to the fire, sacrifice." Dvijah kvacit iti. This business was meant for the brahmanas; therefore, dvija, he's restricting the brahmanas that "Don't do all this nonsense anymore." Dvijah kvacit. Iti nyavarayad dharmam: "In this way he stopped all religious activities." Bheri-ghosena sarvasah.
So formerly, the king was controlled by saintly persons, by priestly order. They would give the king advice. The Vedic society is divided into four classes of men. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. According to quality and work, there are four divisions of men: The brahmana, the intelligent class of men; the ksatriyas, the administrative class of men, the martial class of men; and the vaisyas, the productive class of men; and the sudras, the worker class of men. That is still existing in a different name, but the difficulty is, the classification is not made according to quality and work. That was the actual position of classification. Nowadays, a sudra is on the government. A person who is a nonsense number one, he has no knowledge, he is on the head of the government. The things have been topsy-turvied. A person on religious category, he's advocating something, oh, it is not to be uttered. Homosex. You see? He's advocating homosex. Just see. These has been topsy-turvied. The four classes of men are there, still. But the third-class, fourth-class man is taking the place of first class. And the first-class man is kicked out, "Go out. Don't talk of God." This is the position at the present moment. The classes are there. That is natural. There must be some first-class men, there must be some second-class men, there must be some third-class men, there must be some fourth-class men. But the difficulty is that the fourth-class man is taking the position of first-class man, and the first-class man is being kicked out. Therefore there are so many problems in the society. Guna-karma-vibhagasah. First-class man must be acting first class. But he's acting as last class, but he is posed in first class. Things have been topsy-turvied. So it is the duty of the government to find out the first-class man and employ him for first-class business, first-class activities. And what is that first-class activity? The first-class activity is athato brahma jijnasa. That is first-class activity. Otherwise, it is fourth-class activity. If the human society is not divided into right order, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. And it is the duty of the government to see that the first-class man is employed in first-class activities, the second-class man is engaged in second-class activities. Then the government will be nice. Now here, the Vena Maharaja, he's on the head of the administration, royal king. Now he is advising, "Reject religion. No more charity, no more sacrifice, no more worship. Stop all this nonsense." Then what is the condition of the society? So that is being done.
So it will take some time to explain about these activities of first-class, second-class, third-class men. It is a great science. So we shall try to explain, one after another. You please come on Sunday. I shall hold this class. For the time being, excuse me.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
For higher quality audio, you may purchase the MP3s/CDs from www.Krishna.com
Saturday, July 24, 2010
"Divinity, Demon & Devotee"
27 May 72 , Los Angeles
Prabhupada: So today, appearance day of Lord Nrsimhadeva. Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared on this Nrsimha Caturdasi on account of His devotee, Prahlada. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, abhyutthanam adharmasya [Bg. 4.7]. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam, sambhavami yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8]. The Lord appears with two purposes. Paritranaya sadhunam: just to give protection and rescue the devotees, and to kill the demons, vinasaya ca duskrtam. So Prahlada Maharaja, five-years-old boy, his only fault was that he was Krsna conscious. He was devotee of Krsna. That was his only fault. And the father was so unkind to a child, even five years old. He could not excuse, "Oh, let this boy do whatever, chanting Hare Krsna." No. The demons are so much against God consciousness that even at his home he would not allow his own child to become God conscious. This is demoniac civili... So you'll find many critics, many enemies, because you are making progress in Krsna consciousness. So the demons are always against this Krsna consciousness movement. That is the whole history. Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he was crucified. What was his fault? He was preaching God consciousness, that's all. This society is so cruel. So Prahlada Maharaja was tortured in so many ways. The torturing methods, I think you will find as you will see in today's picture, how Prahlada Maharaja was tortured.
So one day, Hiranyakasipu... After all, he was his son. Affection was there. So one day, Hiranyakasipu asked the boy,
prahradanucyatam tata
svadhitam kincid uttamam
kalenaitavatayusman
yad asiksad guror bhavan
[SB 7.5.22]
So he asked his son, "My dear son, what you have learned? The best thing, what you have learned from your teachers, so you kindly let me know." So Prahlada Maharaja informed that "I have learned like this." What is that?
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
iti pumsarpita visnau
bhaktis cen nava-laksana
kriyeta bhagavaty addha
tan manye 'dhitam uttamam
[SB 7.5.23-24]
Tan manye 'dhitam uttamam: one who is engaged in the matter of hearing about Visnu, sravanam kirtanam visnoh. We are engaged in hearing and talking and chanting about so many things non-Visnu. Just like you'll find thousands of, millions of different types of magazines sold in your country, in all countries. Some of the magazines are sex literature, some cinema literature, some this literature, that... So many different types. There is one paper I have seen, "Diabetes Literature." There are many patients of diabetes, so they have formed a society, "Diabetic Society." I have seen it. (laughter) And there are many diabetic patients, they are being hoaxed, that "You pay two dollars per year, and you get all information how to protect yourself from diabetes disease." So in America two dollars is nothing, but it is collecting millions and millions of dollars, Diabetic Society. Diabetic magazine. So that sort of hearing and chanting is not needed. We are not interested in all these magazines, because we are followers of Prahlada Maharaja. He's our acarya. He's guru. Prahlada Maharaja's guru is Narada, and Narada is also our guru. Narada is guru of Vyasadeva. So we are a branch, but the original guru is Narada, Brahma-sampradaya. So Prahlada Maharaja is also a disciple of Narada Muni.
So he teaches that sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. We have to hear and talk and chant about Visnu. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam. To remember Him always, to worship His lotus feet, pada-sevanam. Arcanam, temple worship, to keep the Deity nicely worshiped, offer foodstuff, arati, this is called arcanam. Vandanam, offering prayers. Just like we offer prayer, govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. These are prayers. There are so many prayers. Kesava-dhrta buddha-sarira, kesava-dhrta narahari-rupa. These are all prayers. This is also part of devotional service.
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam...
[SB 7.5.23]
Arcanam vandanam dasyam. To be always in service of the Lord, dasyam; sakhyam, to make friendship with Him, to consider Krsna as your friend. He says... Even if I do not say that He's my friend, He says, "I am friend of everyone." Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29]. He's friend of everyone. We don't want His friendship, but He wants our friendship. He wants us to go back to home, Godhead; we don't want. So He is more anxious to take us, exactly like the father is more affectionate than the son. That's a fact. So He's the supreme father. So He wants that we may be happy, and therefore He comes to show us. He sends His representative, son. He leaves behind Him books so that we may go back to home, back to Godhead. So, sakhyam. He's always sitting with me, within my heart. I am in the heart, and Paramatma is also within the heart as friend to give me advice that "Why you are bothering in this material world? Please come back to home, back to Me." This is going on. Sakhyam atma-nivedanam. Atma-nivedanam means fully surrendered. So there are examples of devotees who, sarvatma-nivedanam. Just like Bali Maharaja. He gave everything to Krsna, even his body, everything, whatever, his kingdom, money, everything.
So Prahlada Maharaja says, iti pumsarpita visnau bhaktis cen nava-laksana. All these items means hearing. Hearing about Visnu, chanting about Krsna, giving everything to Visnu, offering prayers to Visnu, offering arcana, temple worship, Visnu. In this way Prahlada Maharaja summarizes that "Anyone who is doing like this, everything about Visnu..." iti pumsarpita visnau bhaktis cen nava-laksana, "this nine kinds of different devotional services," kriyeta bhagavatay addha, "directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead," tan manye 'dhitam uttamam, "I think he is the best learned man in the world. He is the most learned." Tan manye 'dhitam. "He has studied everything very nicely." Actually, that is the fact. Jnana, knowledge Knowledge means to know Krsna, God, and the Vedic injunction is, yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijnatam bhavanti. If you understand the Supreme Lord, then you understand everything. You haven't got to study differently different subject matters. Just like we sometimes talk of science, of astronomy, economics, politics. We talk sometimes. But we are not going to, or we didn't study all the subject matter separately. But in course of our studying Krsna consciousness, we know something of everything. So Prahlada Maharaja says, tan manye adhitam uttamam: "One who is engaged in these nine kinds of devotional services directly..." So Prahlada Maharaja recommends, kriyeta bhagavaty addha tan manye 'dhitam uttamam.
nisamyaitat suta-vaco
hiranyakasipus tada
guru-putram cedam rusa
prasphuritadharah
As soon as he heard, "Oh, what this nonsense boy is speaking?" he became so angry that sphuritadharah. When one becomes angry, his lips vi..., I mean to say, jumps. What is called? Quiver, yes. So he became so angry that it is said, sphuritadharah. (He) immediately called his teacher. He's king... Because he thought, "The rascal teachers, they have taught him like this. I have entrusted the boy to the teachers, to brahmanas, and they have taught this Krsna consciousness. So call him. Otherwise, how is that this small boy, five years old only, he's talking just like a great saint? So call his teacher!"
brahma-bandho kim etat
te vipaksam srayatasata
asaram grahito balo
mam anadrtya durmate
Hiranyakasipu became bitterest enemy of Visnu because his brother Hiranyaksa, he was killed by Visnu taking the shape of Varaha. You know the story. Since then, Hiranyakasipu was bitterest enemy. "Oh, He has, Visnu has killed my brother. So He is my greatest enemy." So he won't hear anything about Visnu. Any Visnu devotee, he will punish him, even his own son. That was his policy. So he immediately called him, the teachers, and addressed him,
brahma-bandho kim etat te
vipaksam srayatasata
asaram grahito balo
mam anadrtya durmate
So here... Teachers are generally brahmanas. Not generally. To become teacher is the business of the brahmanas. Brahmana means they have got six kinds of... Everyone must have livelihood. This material world is that you must work; otherwise you cannot get your livelihood. That is the law, whatever you may be. So the brahmanas' means of livelihood, six things: pathana pathana yajana yajana dana pratigraha. Pathana means he must be a very learned scholar, study the Vedic literature, and must teach others also. That is brahmana's business. And in that way, whatever the disciples bring, that is his income. No salary, no contract, that "If you pay me hundred dollars or five hundred dollars weekly, then I can teach you." No. There is no such contract. Teaching is free. It is the business of a brahmana to give free education to everyone. Now, it is the... Just like in our institution, I am your teacher, but there is no such contract that you have to pay me. But you pay me more than anything. So pathana pathana, that is the means of livelihood of brahmana. And ksatriya, they are kings. They can levy tax of the citizens because they are giving protection from being hurt by others. Ksatriya means one who gives protection (to) a man being hurt by others. That is the real root meaning. Ksatriya. And vaisya means they should, krsi-goraksya-vanijyam, they should engage themselves in producing foodstuff, foodgrains, krsi, protect cows. Especially goraksya. As the king is meant for giving protection to the man, similarly, a vaisya is supposed to give protection to the cows, or they keep cows and produce milk products. They are vaisya. And sudra, simply service. So these are the different types of employment of different kinds of social order. And a king, the king has to see that everyone is employed. Not that hundreds of people are unemployed, and government has to give welfare, subsidy. Not like that. The king's duty is that everyone is independently earning his livelihood. That is king's duty.
So here the teachers are addressed here brahma-bandho. Brahma-bandho means a person who is born by a brahmana father but is not acting as a brahmana. He's called brahma-bandho, dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu, one who is born of a, actually born of a brahmana father, but he's not acting as a brahmana. So Hiranyakasipu addressed the teachers brahma-bandho, not brahmana. "Because you are untrustworthy. I gave you, I entrusted you with my son to be taught, and you have taught him this Krsna consciousness. So against my will..." He says practically, brahma-bandho kim etat te vipaksam srayatasata: "I entrusted my child for being educated by you, and you have instigated him to speak in favor of my enemy, Visnu? Visnu is my enemy. How is that?" Asaram grahito balo mam anadrtya durmate. "This rascal boy, he does not care for me, and he has learned this Krsna consciousness, and you have taught him. How is that?"
santi hy asadhavo loke
durmaitras chadma-vesinah
tesam udety agham kale
rogah patakinam iva
"So I think these demigods who are followers of Visnu, they are coming in disguise and poisoning my son by teaching Krsna consciousness, and you did not take care of him. So what is this?"
Then the teachers replied,
na mat-pranitam na para-pranitam
suto vadaty esa tavendra-satro
naisargikiyam matir asya rajan
niyaccha manyum kad adah sma ma nah
They said, "My dear King, don't think we have taught him like this. It is not... I know, it is not our duty to teach him against your will. But his Krsna consciousness is not due to our teaching; neither somebody is coming in disguise and teaching him." Na mat-pranitam na para-pranitam. "He is neither taught by us, nor by anyone else." Suto vadaty esa tavendra-satro. Indra-satro. The enemy... The Hiranyakasipu is the enemy of the demigods; therefore he is addressed as Indra-satro. As he addressed the brahmana, brahma-bandho, so they retaliated also, that "You are enemy of the demigods." Naisargikiyam, "By nature he is doing that. We try to forbid him. We try to stop him chanting Hare Krsna, but still he's doing." Matir asya rajan niyaccha manyum kad adah sma ma. "You don't be angry upon us. We never did it." So... "He is, by his own nature he chants, he preaches, he's doing all this."
gurunaivam pratiprokto
bhuya ahasurah sutam
na ced guru-mukhiyam te
kuto 'bhadrasati matih
Then he again asked his son, "Now I understand that your teacher has not taught you all these things. You rascal, where you have learned all this Krsna consciousness?" (laughter) Abhadra. Kuto abhadrasati matih: "Wherefrom you got this rascal wisdom? Tell me." So this is the position, you see. Even father becomes enemy.
Now, Prahlada Maharaja is replying. Prahlada Maharaja is replying,
matir na krsne paratah svato va
mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam
adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
punah punas carvita-carvananam
[SB 7.5.30]
"My dear father, don't be afraid. It is not a thing to be taught." Matir na krsne. "Nobody can become Krsna conscious," matir na krsne parato, "being taught by others," matir na krsne paratah svato va, "or by mental speculation or thinking oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by making conference meeting, religious meeting, conference." No. Three things. One thing is to learn Krsna consciousness by speculative method, self-realization. Just like so many people are very much interested that "Why shall I go to a guru? I can realize myself. I shall meditate." So that is called svatah. And paratah means by others' instruction. And mitho, mitho means by assembly. So who? Now, grha-vratanam. If one is grha-vrata... There are two things: grhastha and grha-vrata, or grhamedhi. "So those who are grha-vrata..." because he is pointing out his father's position, that he's grha-vrata. He has no other business. He simply wants to get money, hiranya. Hiranya means gold, and kasipu, a nice apartment. That's all. So he says that grha-vratanam, "If one makes it his point to remain in a comfortable home life, for him, either by speculation or by teaching or by meeting, he'll never develop Krsna consciousness." Grha-vratanam. Then what is their position? Now, adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram: "They are unable to control their senses, and as such, they are entering into the darkest region of material existence." Punah punas carvita-carvananam: [SB 7.5.30] "Their only business is chewing the chewed." They have no other ways. Grha-vratanam, those who want to be happy materially, actually they are chewing the chewed. Material happiness means sex life, ultimate, utmost, topmost happiness. So people are simply trying to, how to utilize this sex life in so many ways, in pictures and in... I do not wish to discuss. In dancing, in club, in so many ways. Because they cannot control the senses. The same thing, same thing, the same sex life in different way. Sometimes a naked dance, sometimes in this way, sometimes in that way. Therefore it is called punah punas carvita-carvananam. I have heard that some people go to Florida and they spend fifty thousand dollars per week for organizing naked dance. So naked woman he has seen so many times, but still he spends more money to see it in a different way. That is called punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30], "chewing the chewed."
So persons who are too much attached to sense gratification, and they have made it their conclusion that "We shall be happy within our family life or this social life..." Vidyapati sings, tatala saikate vari-bindu sama suto-mita-ramani-samaj(?). Our society means... Society, friendship, and love. There must be woman, must be children, suto-mita-ramani-samaje. So there is some pleasure, undoubtedly. Otherwise, why people are working so hard to stick to this position? Vidyapati sings that tatala saikate vari-bindu sama suto-mita-ramani-samaj(?). There is undoubtedly some pleasure, but that pleasure is so insignificant that it can be compared: a drop of water on the desert. Desert, if you want to utilize desert to make it a garden or productive field, you have to pour water. The whole ocean water you have to pour there. Now, if somebody says, "All right, you want water. Now take this one drop water," then what it will do? Similarly, our heart is hankering after so many things. We are hankering... Actually we are hankering after Krsna, but we do not know. We are trying to satisfy our hankering in so many ways in material life. Actually we are hankering after Krsna. Just like a small child, it is crying. It cannot express, but it is wanting the mother's breast feeding. So you cannot stop him crying unless it is transferred to the mother. Similarly, actually we love Krsna. That is a fact. Because we love Krsna... Therefore you, who did not hear even the name of Krsna, say, four or five years ago, why you after so much Krsna? This is the proof, that actually we are after Krsna. This Krsna consciousness movement is being accepted in Western countries by the younger generation. Why? Because every one of us, we love Krsna. But it is now covered by maya. We have to simply take out the covering, maya; then we are Krsna conscious.
That is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta,
nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti 'sadhya' kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya
That Krsna consciousness is not an artificial thing, that we are making some propaganda on Krsna consciousness, publishing some books, magazines, and our preachers are going place to place. No, there are so many propaganda is going on. But they are not so effective. And our, what means we have got to make propaganda? We simply make this propaganda, "Please chant Hare Krsna." That's all. Of course, we do sincerely. So if we propagate sincerely and seriously, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered, yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna' upadesa... [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. We must be sincere. Then, if we canvass, "Please chant Hare Krsna," it will be effective. It will be effective. The business is not very serious or very difficult. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'... "Anyone you meet, you simply request him about hearing about Krsna." So... But if one is so much covered by materialistic enjoyment, it takes little time. It takes little time. Otherwise, automatically there is love for Krsna, and sravanadi-suddha-citte...
Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says, sravanam. If we hear about Krsna constantly, through realized souls, not professional -- if we hear, satam prasangan mama virya-samvido [SB 3.25.25] -- then automatically, our dormant Krsna consciousness come out. So Prahlada Maharaja says, therefore, that "Those who are determined to become happy within this material world, they cannot be raised to Krsna consciousness either by personal teaching or by making conference or by mental speculation." That is not possible, because he is determined. So our duty is that we should know that in the materialistic way of life we shall never be happy. This is called knowledge. And vairagya. So this vairagya and knowledge is not so easy. Prahlada Maharaja says, adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram: it is not possible. That means he assures his father, "Don't be worried. You will never be Krsna conscious. (laughter) Because your only aim is to stick to home and money and women. Therefore rest assured, you'll not be ... It is not that a person like you will be raised to Krsna consciousness." Then? How you have done? The next question should be: Why they are sticking to this materialistic way of life?
That is answered by Prahlada, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. "These persons, those who are so much materially attached, they do not know the ultimate goal of life is Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu." That is actually the ultimate goal of life. We are here in this material world, forgetting Krsna, to enjoy, to lord it over the material nature. Everyone is trying to become the lord, master of material... That is struggle. Nobody can become lord or master of this material world. But that struggle to become master, they are taking it happiness. They are taking it happiness. That is the nature of persons who are influenced by the modes of passion. They'll work hard, and that will, they will take it is very good, pleasing. Because they do not know that the... Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah [SB 7.5.31]. They are hoping against hope to become happy within this material world. That is the whole history. Take the history, any history, modern history. There are so many empires: the Roman Empire, the Carthaginian Empire, the Greek Empire, the British Empire recently, Hitler's Nazism, and so many. For some time they become very powerful. Just like Hiranyakasipu, he's now very powerful. He's thinking, "Nobody can..." Now today he'll be killed. Kesava-dhrta narahari rupa is coming. So this demonic civilization will never be successful. That's a fact. But they are so fool, they do not see even historical evidences. So many empires failed. The Roman Empire failed, the British Empire failed. Still, somebody is trying to create another empire, another, different empire. Just like your President Nixon, he's trying to influence all other nations under his control. Why? Of course, I should not speak all these things. There may be criticism. But that is the way, going on. That is the way. We can understand. We can understand politics, economics, everything, but we do not bother about. But our aim is that this way of life, to increase materially happiness, it will never be successful. That is our conclusion. We are not fools that we have given up everything for advance in Krsna consciousness. Because we know that this, this way we shall never be happy. It is not possible.
That is explained by Prahlada Maharaja. These rascal people who are so much materially attached... Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita,
bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam
tayapahrta-cetasam
vyavasayatmika buddhih
samadhau na nigacchati
[Bg. 2.44]
Those who are too much attached, bhoga, material enjoyment, aisvarya, material opulence ... Bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam tayapahrta-cetasam. Persons whose heart has been misled by this kind of civilization, they cannot take to Krsna consciousness. Therefore to become too much materially opulent is a disqualification for attaining Krsna consciousness. It is a disqualification. Because they don't care. Just like in our temple, not very rich men, they are coming, because they (say,) "What is this nonsense, Krsna consciousness? We have got everything. These boys, they haven't got to eat anything; therefore they are chanting Hare Krsna on the street. That's all." They think like that. "They're needy. All right, they are needy. Give them some money." That's all. They don't like to take anything from us because the same business, matir na krsne paratah svato va. They'll never understand, because their aim is grha-vratanam. They want to be happy... Although they are seeing there is no happiness, they never can be happy, still... This is called punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30], chewing the chewed. One, the sugarcane, is chewed by somebody. It is thrown away. And if somebody else comes and chew it again, what juice he will have it? So punah punas carvita... Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Durasaya ye durasaya visaya vasi (reads Sanskrit commentary) tantraya karanam te hi visnum na viduh. Tatra hetu svasminn eva arthe purusartha yesam tesam gatim gramyam. Na tu te 'pi guru pati syat visnu jnasyasi tatra bhak bahir visaye bahavo yesam te bahir arthas tann eva guru tena mantra silam yesam te.
So one who is fixed up in this conclusion, that "We shall become happy with this materialistic way of life," they cannot take to Krsna consciousness. And they do not know also that our ultimate goal of life is Krsna, Visnu. Then why it is so? Now, andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah [SB 7.5.31]. They have become blind. They are blind themselves, and they are also led by blind leaders. The leaders, at the present moment, leaders, they say that "Why you are going to church? Why you are going to temple? If you want your bread..." Just like in Christian religion you go to church, "O God, give us our daily bread." But the atheist class, they are propagating, "For bread, why you are going to church? You make industry, you make business, and you get bread." But actually... We were just talking that there are so many unemployment. Our Karandhara prabhu was... No. Who was talking? Syamasundara. Syamasundara said that the computer... What is called, computer? It can do thousands of men's business. So they have discovered this machine. That means thousands of men will be unemployed. That is actually happening in your country due to so many machines. Now, take for example, formerly... You have seen the picture, Krsna, Vrndavana picture, Krsna's father transferring Krsna. They were going on bullock carts, no motorcar. You have seen the picture. So formerly, transport was bullock carts. The cows and the bulls, the bulls were employed for agricultural purpose, for drawing the carts. So there was no necessity of motorcar. Now you have got motor, motor-tractor. You don't want the bullocks. Therefore kill them. How you can utilize them? Therefore you must have slaughterhouse to kill them. And as soon as you kill them, then you have to eat them. So this is the, I mean to say, entanglement. If you kill, then you become responsible for being killed. The subtle laws...
Therefore, without knowing our ultimate goal of life is Visnu, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum... [SB 7.5.31]. That is our interest. The human form of life is offered by nature after so much evolutionary process. Just to understand Visnu, God, this is the only business. But instead of attending our real business, we are trying to be happy in other ways. Then you can say that "If we are engaged in real business, then how the economic question will be solved? We have to work." That's all right, you work. But work simple. Why you have invented so much botheration? Work is there. If you have cows and if you have got land, then you till the land, get grains, and there is milk, there is fruit, there is flower. Anywhere, you can live peacefully. Whole economic question is solved. And because we have forgotten, we have missed the real point, that our life is meant for God-realization. We are simply increasing botheration. Punah punas carvita. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah. The leaders are blind; we are also blind. So they are advising that "If you want to solve your economic problem, why you are going to church? Why you are going to temple? Come here, increase business, industry. Take loan and start business." That's all. This is going on. But actually, the more we are trying to mislead this people... Because they are thinking it is all right. They are... That the social condition is becoming more and more grave. That's a fact. We are trying to solve one problem, but many other problems are coming because we do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. Because we are missing the real point.
Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah [SB 7.5.31]. These rascals, they are thinking that by so-called economic development, by exploiting material resources, we shall be happy. That is not possible. The best example your country has given. You have exploited the material resources, and other countries are also following, but where is the happiness? Instead of happiness, there is "hippyness." (laughter) So still, they have no eyes to see that "Where we are going?" Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. Because we cannot control our senses, we are driving, we are being pushed towards the darkest region of material existence, very hard to leave. Darkest region means that we are going to become animals next life. Because this is animalistic civilization. Nature gave us the opportunity to realize God, but God-realization is meant for human being. The human being, if he does not realize God, he's simply engaged in animalistic way of life -- eating, sleeping, mating -- then nature will call, "All right, sir, again become animal." Punar musiko bhava: "Again become a mouse." You know this story? Punar musiko bhava. There is a story. There is a very nice story. One rat, mouse, he came to a saintly person. Everyone comes to saintly person for some blessing, you see. Real blessing they don't want. Some material blessing. Real blessing, Krsna, they don't want. If you give him some blessing that "You become very rich man and..." These... they'll be very much pleased. are all very well, this. So this mouse also came and begged the saintly person, "Sir, I am in difficulty. If you give me some blessing?"
"What is that?"
"The cat chases after me always. I'm very unhappy."
"So what do you want?"
"Now, if you make me a cat, then I can get relief from this."
"All right, you become cat." So he became cat.
So after few days, again he comes. "Sir, again I am in trouble."
"What is that?"
"The dog is chasing me." (laughter) Don't laugh, hear seriously. "Dog is chasing me."
"All right, then, what do you want?"
"Now, make me a tiger."
"All right, you become a tiger."
So when he became a tiger he was staring on the saintly person like this.
So he asked, "Why you are staring upon me? You want to eat me?"
"Yes."
So he again curses, punar musiko bhava: "Again you become mouse. Again you become mouse."
So that is our position. We are advanced in civilization. Now we want to kill God. So we are again going to be uncivilized, to remain in the forest and to remain naked. Actually, they are practicing that: nature's life. So again they are going to be aborigines. And that is being practiced. They are going to the forest, they remain naked. So actually, punar musiko bhava: "Again become mouse." Civilized human being means God conscious, happy life, no trouble, no enviousness, everything happy, no hard labor. Why hard labor? Everything is there. You just employ your little intelligence, you get sufficient food by grains, by fruits, by flowers, milk. There is no difficulty if we remain in our own way. So that is the difficulty, that we do not know that our ultimate goal of life is God-realization. Then God has got all arrangement. You cannot produce fruits and grains in factory. They are given by God. Why? That "You eat them and be Krsna conscious, chant Hare Krsna." But we don't want that. We want slaughterhouse, unnecessarily. Actually, if you go to the store... There are so many stores. How many stores are selling only meat? It is not possible. Ninety-nine percent fruits, vegetables, grains you are taking, and maybe a little percentage of meat. So why you cannot give up this little percentage? If you think that meat is very palatable, why don't you live on meat? Russia is also trying like that. That has become the fashion. In Moscow, it was very difficult to find out nice grains. With great difficulty Syamasundara used to spend two hours daily to secure these things.
So this is the problem. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durassaya ye bahir-artha maninah [SB 7.5.31]. They are trying to be happy by the arrangement of these material activities. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te 'pisa-tantryam. They do not know that the material nature is so strong that you cannot get out of it unless you are prepared to suffer more and more. If you take to natural life and live peacefully and take to Krsna consciousness, that is your real life. And if you simply increase botheration and problems, then you'll have to suffer. That is the position of modern civilization. Actually, superficially we see that material advancement of material science, people have got so many machines, so many facilities. But actually, they are in trouble. Just like I gave you one example: the computer machine. It can work for thousands of men. So thousands of men means the thousands of men must be unemployed. And especially in your country, they are taking advantage of this machine because the salary is If you want to pay to the worker, a big, big salary. So they want to save. They are taking machine, and they think they will save money, so many workers. But the workers are becoming unemployed. The government has to give them welfare. The government will tax. That's all. (laughter.) Government will not give money, welfare, from government's pocket. The government will increase your taxation. So you are..., you stop payment by importing some machine, now you have to pay that money to the government. This is called entanglement. This is a crude example. I don't say that you stop all this business, but the material world is like that. You want to solve something; instead of solving, you'll create so many problems. This is material life. Because our life is not meant for solving problems and creating problems. Our life is meant for understanding God. Then everything is all right. But that you have given up.
na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum
durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah
andha yathandhair upaniyamanas
te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah
[SB 7.5.31]
They do not know that you cannot go an inch beyond the stringent laws of material nature. That is not possible.
Then the next question is that how... People are not interested in Krsna consciousness, and then, they are misled by blind leaders. So how, what is the solution? That is Prahlada Maharaja saying,
naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam
niskincananam na vrnita yavat
[SB 7.5.32]
Therefore one has to take shelter of a pure devotee. That is the only solution. He says, naisam matis tavad urukramangrhim. The beginning was that "They are not interested in Krsna consciousness." Then how to become Krsna conscious if that is the solution? Then Prahlada Maharaja says, naisam matis tavad: "So long one does not approach a pure devotee," mahiyasam niskincananam, "great personalities, who has no more any material interest," niskincana, "and takes the dust of his lotus feet on the head..." Naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim: "So long one does not approach such personality, there is no possibility of becoming Krsna conscious." Naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim. As soon as one approaches the pure devotee and takes the dust of his lotus feet and puts it on his head, immediately, anartha apagamah, he'll be freed from all this nonsense. That means he'll forget this idea that "Materially we can advance." This is the process. So we have to approach a niskincana, who has nothing to do with this material world. His only ambition is to serve more Krsna. And if somebody approaches him and takes the dust of his lotus feet, then he can understand. Mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam niskincananam na vrnita yavat. (aside:) Our time is over? All right.
So in this way Prahlada Maharaja talked with his father, and the father became more angry. Instead of taking the lesson ... Murkhaya upadesa hi prakopaya na santaye. If you teach lesson to a foolish person, he'll be simply angry. He'll not take your lesson. How it is so? Payah-panam bhujanganam kevalam visa-vardhanam. If you keep a snake and if you want to make friendly behavior with him, that, "My dear snake, don't bite any more. I'll give you milk and banana. You eat here and stay here nicely," he'll not... His poison will increase, and one day he will... There is a story in the Hitopadesa: one day, one... The same thing. So payah-panam bhujanganam kevalam visa-vardhanam. So these are lessons, stories. So his father, Hiranyakasipu, became more and more angry. So one day... Because after all, son and father... The son was simple boy. So one day he said, "Prahlada, I shall now kill you. I shall see how your Krsna saves you." So immediately, Prahlada was seeing to the pillars of the hall. He was king. So Hiranyakasipu asked him, "Is your God, Krsna, in the pillar?" He said, "Yes, sir. Yes, my father, He is there." So immediately, with anger he broke the pillar and Nrsimhadeva came out.
Now we can honor Him. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
For higher quality audio, you may purchase the MP3s/CDs from www.Krishna.com
Prabhupada: So today, appearance day of Lord Nrsimhadeva. Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared on this Nrsimha Caturdasi on account of His devotee, Prahlada. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, abhyutthanam adharmasya [Bg. 4.7]. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam, sambhavami yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8]. The Lord appears with two purposes. Paritranaya sadhunam: just to give protection and rescue the devotees, and to kill the demons, vinasaya ca duskrtam. So Prahlada Maharaja, five-years-old boy, his only fault was that he was Krsna conscious. He was devotee of Krsna. That was his only fault. And the father was so unkind to a child, even five years old. He could not excuse, "Oh, let this boy do whatever, chanting Hare Krsna." No. The demons are so much against God consciousness that even at his home he would not allow his own child to become God conscious. This is demoniac civili... So you'll find many critics, many enemies, because you are making progress in Krsna consciousness. So the demons are always against this Krsna consciousness movement. That is the whole history. Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he was crucified. What was his fault? He was preaching God consciousness, that's all. This society is so cruel. So Prahlada Maharaja was tortured in so many ways. The torturing methods, I think you will find as you will see in today's picture, how Prahlada Maharaja was tortured.
So one day, Hiranyakasipu... After all, he was his son. Affection was there. So one day, Hiranyakasipu asked the boy,
prahradanucyatam tata
svadhitam kincid uttamam
kalenaitavatayusman
yad asiksad guror bhavan
[SB 7.5.22]
So he asked his son, "My dear son, what you have learned? The best thing, what you have learned from your teachers, so you kindly let me know." So Prahlada Maharaja informed that "I have learned like this." What is that?
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
iti pumsarpita visnau
bhaktis cen nava-laksana
kriyeta bhagavaty addha
tan manye 'dhitam uttamam
[SB 7.5.23-24]
Tan manye 'dhitam uttamam: one who is engaged in the matter of hearing about Visnu, sravanam kirtanam visnoh. We are engaged in hearing and talking and chanting about so many things non-Visnu. Just like you'll find thousands of, millions of different types of magazines sold in your country, in all countries. Some of the magazines are sex literature, some cinema literature, some this literature, that... So many different types. There is one paper I have seen, "Diabetes Literature." There are many patients of diabetes, so they have formed a society, "Diabetic Society." I have seen it. (laughter) And there are many diabetic patients, they are being hoaxed, that "You pay two dollars per year, and you get all information how to protect yourself from diabetes disease." So in America two dollars is nothing, but it is collecting millions and millions of dollars, Diabetic Society. Diabetic magazine. So that sort of hearing and chanting is not needed. We are not interested in all these magazines, because we are followers of Prahlada Maharaja. He's our acarya. He's guru. Prahlada Maharaja's guru is Narada, and Narada is also our guru. Narada is guru of Vyasadeva. So we are a branch, but the original guru is Narada, Brahma-sampradaya. So Prahlada Maharaja is also a disciple of Narada Muni.
So he teaches that sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. We have to hear and talk and chant about Visnu. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam. To remember Him always, to worship His lotus feet, pada-sevanam. Arcanam, temple worship, to keep the Deity nicely worshiped, offer foodstuff, arati, this is called arcanam. Vandanam, offering prayers. Just like we offer prayer, govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. These are prayers. There are so many prayers. Kesava-dhrta buddha-sarira, kesava-dhrta narahari-rupa. These are all prayers. This is also part of devotional service.
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam...
[SB 7.5.23]
Arcanam vandanam dasyam. To be always in service of the Lord, dasyam; sakhyam, to make friendship with Him, to consider Krsna as your friend. He says... Even if I do not say that He's my friend, He says, "I am friend of everyone." Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29]. He's friend of everyone. We don't want His friendship, but He wants our friendship. He wants us to go back to home, Godhead; we don't want. So He is more anxious to take us, exactly like the father is more affectionate than the son. That's a fact. So He's the supreme father. So He wants that we may be happy, and therefore He comes to show us. He sends His representative, son. He leaves behind Him books so that we may go back to home, back to Godhead. So, sakhyam. He's always sitting with me, within my heart. I am in the heart, and Paramatma is also within the heart as friend to give me advice that "Why you are bothering in this material world? Please come back to home, back to Me." This is going on. Sakhyam atma-nivedanam. Atma-nivedanam means fully surrendered. So there are examples of devotees who, sarvatma-nivedanam. Just like Bali Maharaja. He gave everything to Krsna, even his body, everything, whatever, his kingdom, money, everything.
So Prahlada Maharaja says, iti pumsarpita visnau bhaktis cen nava-laksana. All these items means hearing. Hearing about Visnu, chanting about Krsna, giving everything to Visnu, offering prayers to Visnu, offering arcana, temple worship, Visnu. In this way Prahlada Maharaja summarizes that "Anyone who is doing like this, everything about Visnu..." iti pumsarpita visnau bhaktis cen nava-laksana, "this nine kinds of different devotional services," kriyeta bhagavatay addha, "directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead," tan manye 'dhitam uttamam, "I think he is the best learned man in the world. He is the most learned." Tan manye 'dhitam. "He has studied everything very nicely." Actually, that is the fact. Jnana, knowledge Knowledge means to know Krsna, God, and the Vedic injunction is, yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijnatam bhavanti. If you understand the Supreme Lord, then you understand everything. You haven't got to study differently different subject matters. Just like we sometimes talk of science, of astronomy, economics, politics. We talk sometimes. But we are not going to, or we didn't study all the subject matter separately. But in course of our studying Krsna consciousness, we know something of everything. So Prahlada Maharaja says, tan manye adhitam uttamam: "One who is engaged in these nine kinds of devotional services directly..." So Prahlada Maharaja recommends, kriyeta bhagavaty addha tan manye 'dhitam uttamam.
nisamyaitat suta-vaco
hiranyakasipus tada
guru-putram cedam rusa
prasphuritadharah
As soon as he heard, "Oh, what this nonsense boy is speaking?" he became so angry that sphuritadharah. When one becomes angry, his lips vi..., I mean to say, jumps. What is called? Quiver, yes. So he became so angry that it is said, sphuritadharah. (He) immediately called his teacher. He's king... Because he thought, "The rascal teachers, they have taught him like this. I have entrusted the boy to the teachers, to brahmanas, and they have taught this Krsna consciousness. So call him. Otherwise, how is that this small boy, five years old only, he's talking just like a great saint? So call his teacher!"
brahma-bandho kim etat
te vipaksam srayatasata
asaram grahito balo
mam anadrtya durmate
Hiranyakasipu became bitterest enemy of Visnu because his brother Hiranyaksa, he was killed by Visnu taking the shape of Varaha. You know the story. Since then, Hiranyakasipu was bitterest enemy. "Oh, He has, Visnu has killed my brother. So He is my greatest enemy." So he won't hear anything about Visnu. Any Visnu devotee, he will punish him, even his own son. That was his policy. So he immediately called him, the teachers, and addressed him,
brahma-bandho kim etat te
vipaksam srayatasata
asaram grahito balo
mam anadrtya durmate
So here... Teachers are generally brahmanas. Not generally. To become teacher is the business of the brahmanas. Brahmana means they have got six kinds of... Everyone must have livelihood. This material world is that you must work; otherwise you cannot get your livelihood. That is the law, whatever you may be. So the brahmanas' means of livelihood, six things: pathana pathana yajana yajana dana pratigraha. Pathana means he must be a very learned scholar, study the Vedic literature, and must teach others also. That is brahmana's business. And in that way, whatever the disciples bring, that is his income. No salary, no contract, that "If you pay me hundred dollars or five hundred dollars weekly, then I can teach you." No. There is no such contract. Teaching is free. It is the business of a brahmana to give free education to everyone. Now, it is the... Just like in our institution, I am your teacher, but there is no such contract that you have to pay me. But you pay me more than anything. So pathana pathana, that is the means of livelihood of brahmana. And ksatriya, they are kings. They can levy tax of the citizens because they are giving protection from being hurt by others. Ksatriya means one who gives protection (to) a man being hurt by others. That is the real root meaning. Ksatriya. And vaisya means they should, krsi-goraksya-vanijyam, they should engage themselves in producing foodstuff, foodgrains, krsi, protect cows. Especially goraksya. As the king is meant for giving protection to the man, similarly, a vaisya is supposed to give protection to the cows, or they keep cows and produce milk products. They are vaisya. And sudra, simply service. So these are the different types of employment of different kinds of social order. And a king, the king has to see that everyone is employed. Not that hundreds of people are unemployed, and government has to give welfare, subsidy. Not like that. The king's duty is that everyone is independently earning his livelihood. That is king's duty.
So here the teachers are addressed here brahma-bandho. Brahma-bandho means a person who is born by a brahmana father but is not acting as a brahmana. He's called brahma-bandho, dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu, one who is born of a, actually born of a brahmana father, but he's not acting as a brahmana. So Hiranyakasipu addressed the teachers brahma-bandho, not brahmana. "Because you are untrustworthy. I gave you, I entrusted you with my son to be taught, and you have taught him this Krsna consciousness. So against my will..." He says practically, brahma-bandho kim etat te vipaksam srayatasata: "I entrusted my child for being educated by you, and you have instigated him to speak in favor of my enemy, Visnu? Visnu is my enemy. How is that?" Asaram grahito balo mam anadrtya durmate. "This rascal boy, he does not care for me, and he has learned this Krsna consciousness, and you have taught him. How is that?"
santi hy asadhavo loke
durmaitras chadma-vesinah
tesam udety agham kale
rogah patakinam iva
"So I think these demigods who are followers of Visnu, they are coming in disguise and poisoning my son by teaching Krsna consciousness, and you did not take care of him. So what is this?"
Then the teachers replied,
na mat-pranitam na para-pranitam
suto vadaty esa tavendra-satro
naisargikiyam matir asya rajan
niyaccha manyum kad adah sma ma nah
They said, "My dear King, don't think we have taught him like this. It is not... I know, it is not our duty to teach him against your will. But his Krsna consciousness is not due to our teaching; neither somebody is coming in disguise and teaching him." Na mat-pranitam na para-pranitam. "He is neither taught by us, nor by anyone else." Suto vadaty esa tavendra-satro. Indra-satro. The enemy... The Hiranyakasipu is the enemy of the demigods; therefore he is addressed as Indra-satro. As he addressed the brahmana, brahma-bandho, so they retaliated also, that "You are enemy of the demigods." Naisargikiyam, "By nature he is doing that. We try to forbid him. We try to stop him chanting Hare Krsna, but still he's doing." Matir asya rajan niyaccha manyum kad adah sma ma. "You don't be angry upon us. We never did it." So... "He is, by his own nature he chants, he preaches, he's doing all this."
gurunaivam pratiprokto
bhuya ahasurah sutam
na ced guru-mukhiyam te
kuto 'bhadrasati matih
Then he again asked his son, "Now I understand that your teacher has not taught you all these things. You rascal, where you have learned all this Krsna consciousness?" (laughter) Abhadra. Kuto abhadrasati matih: "Wherefrom you got this rascal wisdom? Tell me." So this is the position, you see. Even father becomes enemy.
Now, Prahlada Maharaja is replying. Prahlada Maharaja is replying,
matir na krsne paratah svato va
mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam
adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
punah punas carvita-carvananam
[SB 7.5.30]
"My dear father, don't be afraid. It is not a thing to be taught." Matir na krsne. "Nobody can become Krsna conscious," matir na krsne parato, "being taught by others," matir na krsne paratah svato va, "or by mental speculation or thinking oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by making conference meeting, religious meeting, conference." No. Three things. One thing is to learn Krsna consciousness by speculative method, self-realization. Just like so many people are very much interested that "Why shall I go to a guru? I can realize myself. I shall meditate." So that is called svatah. And paratah means by others' instruction. And mitho, mitho means by assembly. So who? Now, grha-vratanam. If one is grha-vrata... There are two things: grhastha and grha-vrata, or grhamedhi. "So those who are grha-vrata..." because he is pointing out his father's position, that he's grha-vrata. He has no other business. He simply wants to get money, hiranya. Hiranya means gold, and kasipu, a nice apartment. That's all. So he says that grha-vratanam, "If one makes it his point to remain in a comfortable home life, for him, either by speculation or by teaching or by meeting, he'll never develop Krsna consciousness." Grha-vratanam. Then what is their position? Now, adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram: "They are unable to control their senses, and as such, they are entering into the darkest region of material existence." Punah punas carvita-carvananam: [SB 7.5.30] "Their only business is chewing the chewed." They have no other ways. Grha-vratanam, those who want to be happy materially, actually they are chewing the chewed. Material happiness means sex life, ultimate, utmost, topmost happiness. So people are simply trying to, how to utilize this sex life in so many ways, in pictures and in... I do not wish to discuss. In dancing, in club, in so many ways. Because they cannot control the senses. The same thing, same thing, the same sex life in different way. Sometimes a naked dance, sometimes in this way, sometimes in that way. Therefore it is called punah punas carvita-carvananam. I have heard that some people go to Florida and they spend fifty thousand dollars per week for organizing naked dance. So naked woman he has seen so many times, but still he spends more money to see it in a different way. That is called punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30], "chewing the chewed."
So persons who are too much attached to sense gratification, and they have made it their conclusion that "We shall be happy within our family life or this social life..." Vidyapati sings, tatala saikate vari-bindu sama suto-mita-ramani-samaj(?). Our society means... Society, friendship, and love. There must be woman, must be children, suto-mita-ramani-samaje. So there is some pleasure, undoubtedly. Otherwise, why people are working so hard to stick to this position? Vidyapati sings that tatala saikate vari-bindu sama suto-mita-ramani-samaj(?). There is undoubtedly some pleasure, but that pleasure is so insignificant that it can be compared: a drop of water on the desert. Desert, if you want to utilize desert to make it a garden or productive field, you have to pour water. The whole ocean water you have to pour there. Now, if somebody says, "All right, you want water. Now take this one drop water," then what it will do? Similarly, our heart is hankering after so many things. We are hankering... Actually we are hankering after Krsna, but we do not know. We are trying to satisfy our hankering in so many ways in material life. Actually we are hankering after Krsna. Just like a small child, it is crying. It cannot express, but it is wanting the mother's breast feeding. So you cannot stop him crying unless it is transferred to the mother. Similarly, actually we love Krsna. That is a fact. Because we love Krsna... Therefore you, who did not hear even the name of Krsna, say, four or five years ago, why you after so much Krsna? This is the proof, that actually we are after Krsna. This Krsna consciousness movement is being accepted in Western countries by the younger generation. Why? Because every one of us, we love Krsna. But it is now covered by maya. We have to simply take out the covering, maya; then we are Krsna conscious.
That is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta,
nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti 'sadhya' kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya
That Krsna consciousness is not an artificial thing, that we are making some propaganda on Krsna consciousness, publishing some books, magazines, and our preachers are going place to place. No, there are so many propaganda is going on. But they are not so effective. And our, what means we have got to make propaganda? We simply make this propaganda, "Please chant Hare Krsna." That's all. Of course, we do sincerely. So if we propagate sincerely and seriously, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered, yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna' upadesa... [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. We must be sincere. Then, if we canvass, "Please chant Hare Krsna," it will be effective. It will be effective. The business is not very serious or very difficult. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'... "Anyone you meet, you simply request him about hearing about Krsna." So... But if one is so much covered by materialistic enjoyment, it takes little time. It takes little time. Otherwise, automatically there is love for Krsna, and sravanadi-suddha-citte...
Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says, sravanam. If we hear about Krsna constantly, through realized souls, not professional -- if we hear, satam prasangan mama virya-samvido [SB 3.25.25] -- then automatically, our dormant Krsna consciousness come out. So Prahlada Maharaja says, therefore, that "Those who are determined to become happy within this material world, they cannot be raised to Krsna consciousness either by personal teaching or by making conference or by mental speculation." That is not possible, because he is determined. So our duty is that we should know that in the materialistic way of life we shall never be happy. This is called knowledge. And vairagya. So this vairagya and knowledge is not so easy. Prahlada Maharaja says, adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram: it is not possible. That means he assures his father, "Don't be worried. You will never be Krsna conscious. (laughter) Because your only aim is to stick to home and money and women. Therefore rest assured, you'll not be ... It is not that a person like you will be raised to Krsna consciousness." Then? How you have done? The next question should be: Why they are sticking to this materialistic way of life?
That is answered by Prahlada, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. "These persons, those who are so much materially attached, they do not know the ultimate goal of life is Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu." That is actually the ultimate goal of life. We are here in this material world, forgetting Krsna, to enjoy, to lord it over the material nature. Everyone is trying to become the lord, master of material... That is struggle. Nobody can become lord or master of this material world. But that struggle to become master, they are taking it happiness. They are taking it happiness. That is the nature of persons who are influenced by the modes of passion. They'll work hard, and that will, they will take it is very good, pleasing. Because they do not know that the... Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah [SB 7.5.31]. They are hoping against hope to become happy within this material world. That is the whole history. Take the history, any history, modern history. There are so many empires: the Roman Empire, the Carthaginian Empire, the Greek Empire, the British Empire recently, Hitler's Nazism, and so many. For some time they become very powerful. Just like Hiranyakasipu, he's now very powerful. He's thinking, "Nobody can..." Now today he'll be killed. Kesava-dhrta narahari rupa is coming. So this demonic civilization will never be successful. That's a fact. But they are so fool, they do not see even historical evidences. So many empires failed. The Roman Empire failed, the British Empire failed. Still, somebody is trying to create another empire, another, different empire. Just like your President Nixon, he's trying to influence all other nations under his control. Why? Of course, I should not speak all these things. There may be criticism. But that is the way, going on. That is the way. We can understand. We can understand politics, economics, everything, but we do not bother about. But our aim is that this way of life, to increase materially happiness, it will never be successful. That is our conclusion. We are not fools that we have given up everything for advance in Krsna consciousness. Because we know that this, this way we shall never be happy. It is not possible.
That is explained by Prahlada Maharaja. These rascal people who are so much materially attached... Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita,
bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam
tayapahrta-cetasam
vyavasayatmika buddhih
samadhau na nigacchati
[Bg. 2.44]
Those who are too much attached, bhoga, material enjoyment, aisvarya, material opulence ... Bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam tayapahrta-cetasam. Persons whose heart has been misled by this kind of civilization, they cannot take to Krsna consciousness. Therefore to become too much materially opulent is a disqualification for attaining Krsna consciousness. It is a disqualification. Because they don't care. Just like in our temple, not very rich men, they are coming, because they (say,) "What is this nonsense, Krsna consciousness? We have got everything. These boys, they haven't got to eat anything; therefore they are chanting Hare Krsna on the street. That's all." They think like that. "They're needy. All right, they are needy. Give them some money." That's all. They don't like to take anything from us because the same business, matir na krsne paratah svato va. They'll never understand, because their aim is grha-vratanam. They want to be happy... Although they are seeing there is no happiness, they never can be happy, still... This is called punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30], chewing the chewed. One, the sugarcane, is chewed by somebody. It is thrown away. And if somebody else comes and chew it again, what juice he will have it? So punah punas carvita... Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Durasaya ye durasaya visaya vasi (reads Sanskrit commentary) tantraya karanam te hi visnum na viduh. Tatra hetu svasminn eva arthe purusartha yesam tesam gatim gramyam. Na tu te 'pi guru pati syat visnu jnasyasi tatra bhak bahir visaye bahavo yesam te bahir arthas tann eva guru tena mantra silam yesam te.
So one who is fixed up in this conclusion, that "We shall become happy with this materialistic way of life," they cannot take to Krsna consciousness. And they do not know also that our ultimate goal of life is Krsna, Visnu. Then why it is so? Now, andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah [SB 7.5.31]. They have become blind. They are blind themselves, and they are also led by blind leaders. The leaders, at the present moment, leaders, they say that "Why you are going to church? Why you are going to temple? If you want your bread..." Just like in Christian religion you go to church, "O God, give us our daily bread." But the atheist class, they are propagating, "For bread, why you are going to church? You make industry, you make business, and you get bread." But actually... We were just talking that there are so many unemployment. Our Karandhara prabhu was... No. Who was talking? Syamasundara. Syamasundara said that the computer... What is called, computer? It can do thousands of men's business. So they have discovered this machine. That means thousands of men will be unemployed. That is actually happening in your country due to so many machines. Now, take for example, formerly... You have seen the picture, Krsna, Vrndavana picture, Krsna's father transferring Krsna. They were going on bullock carts, no motorcar. You have seen the picture. So formerly, transport was bullock carts. The cows and the bulls, the bulls were employed for agricultural purpose, for drawing the carts. So there was no necessity of motorcar. Now you have got motor, motor-tractor. You don't want the bullocks. Therefore kill them. How you can utilize them? Therefore you must have slaughterhouse to kill them. And as soon as you kill them, then you have to eat them. So this is the, I mean to say, entanglement. If you kill, then you become responsible for being killed. The subtle laws...
Therefore, without knowing our ultimate goal of life is Visnu, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum... [SB 7.5.31]. That is our interest. The human form of life is offered by nature after so much evolutionary process. Just to understand Visnu, God, this is the only business. But instead of attending our real business, we are trying to be happy in other ways. Then you can say that "If we are engaged in real business, then how the economic question will be solved? We have to work." That's all right, you work. But work simple. Why you have invented so much botheration? Work is there. If you have cows and if you have got land, then you till the land, get grains, and there is milk, there is fruit, there is flower. Anywhere, you can live peacefully. Whole economic question is solved. And because we have forgotten, we have missed the real point, that our life is meant for God-realization. We are simply increasing botheration. Punah punas carvita. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah. The leaders are blind; we are also blind. So they are advising that "If you want to solve your economic problem, why you are going to church? Why you are going to temple? Come here, increase business, industry. Take loan and start business." That's all. This is going on. But actually, the more we are trying to mislead this people... Because they are thinking it is all right. They are... That the social condition is becoming more and more grave. That's a fact. We are trying to solve one problem, but many other problems are coming because we do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. Because we are missing the real point.
Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah [SB 7.5.31]. These rascals, they are thinking that by so-called economic development, by exploiting material resources, we shall be happy. That is not possible. The best example your country has given. You have exploited the material resources, and other countries are also following, but where is the happiness? Instead of happiness, there is "hippyness." (laughter) So still, they have no eyes to see that "Where we are going?" Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. Because we cannot control our senses, we are driving, we are being pushed towards the darkest region of material existence, very hard to leave. Darkest region means that we are going to become animals next life. Because this is animalistic civilization. Nature gave us the opportunity to realize God, but God-realization is meant for human being. The human being, if he does not realize God, he's simply engaged in animalistic way of life -- eating, sleeping, mating -- then nature will call, "All right, sir, again become animal." Punar musiko bhava: "Again become a mouse." You know this story? Punar musiko bhava. There is a story. There is a very nice story. One rat, mouse, he came to a saintly person. Everyone comes to saintly person for some blessing, you see. Real blessing they don't want. Some material blessing. Real blessing, Krsna, they don't want. If you give him some blessing that "You become very rich man and..." These... they'll be very much pleased. are all very well, this. So this mouse also came and begged the saintly person, "Sir, I am in difficulty. If you give me some blessing?"
"What is that?"
"The cat chases after me always. I'm very unhappy."
"So what do you want?"
"Now, if you make me a cat, then I can get relief from this."
"All right, you become cat." So he became cat.
So after few days, again he comes. "Sir, again I am in trouble."
"What is that?"
"The dog is chasing me." (laughter) Don't laugh, hear seriously. "Dog is chasing me."
"All right, then, what do you want?"
"Now, make me a tiger."
"All right, you become a tiger."
So when he became a tiger he was staring on the saintly person like this.
So he asked, "Why you are staring upon me? You want to eat me?"
"Yes."
So he again curses, punar musiko bhava: "Again you become mouse. Again you become mouse."
So that is our position. We are advanced in civilization. Now we want to kill God. So we are again going to be uncivilized, to remain in the forest and to remain naked. Actually, they are practicing that: nature's life. So again they are going to be aborigines. And that is being practiced. They are going to the forest, they remain naked. So actually, punar musiko bhava: "Again become mouse." Civilized human being means God conscious, happy life, no trouble, no enviousness, everything happy, no hard labor. Why hard labor? Everything is there. You just employ your little intelligence, you get sufficient food by grains, by fruits, by flowers, milk. There is no difficulty if we remain in our own way. So that is the difficulty, that we do not know that our ultimate goal of life is God-realization. Then God has got all arrangement. You cannot produce fruits and grains in factory. They are given by God. Why? That "You eat them and be Krsna conscious, chant Hare Krsna." But we don't want that. We want slaughterhouse, unnecessarily. Actually, if you go to the store... There are so many stores. How many stores are selling only meat? It is not possible. Ninety-nine percent fruits, vegetables, grains you are taking, and maybe a little percentage of meat. So why you cannot give up this little percentage? If you think that meat is very palatable, why don't you live on meat? Russia is also trying like that. That has become the fashion. In Moscow, it was very difficult to find out nice grains. With great difficulty Syamasundara used to spend two hours daily to secure these things.
So this is the problem. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durassaya ye bahir-artha maninah [SB 7.5.31]. They are trying to be happy by the arrangement of these material activities. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te 'pisa-tantryam. They do not know that the material nature is so strong that you cannot get out of it unless you are prepared to suffer more and more. If you take to natural life and live peacefully and take to Krsna consciousness, that is your real life. And if you simply increase botheration and problems, then you'll have to suffer. That is the position of modern civilization. Actually, superficially we see that material advancement of material science, people have got so many machines, so many facilities. But actually, they are in trouble. Just like I gave you one example: the computer machine. It can work for thousands of men. So thousands of men means the thousands of men must be unemployed. And especially in your country, they are taking advantage of this machine because the salary is If you want to pay to the worker, a big, big salary. So they want to save. They are taking machine, and they think they will save money, so many workers. But the workers are becoming unemployed. The government has to give them welfare. The government will tax. That's all. (laughter.) Government will not give money, welfare, from government's pocket. The government will increase your taxation. So you are..., you stop payment by importing some machine, now you have to pay that money to the government. This is called entanglement. This is a crude example. I don't say that you stop all this business, but the material world is like that. You want to solve something; instead of solving, you'll create so many problems. This is material life. Because our life is not meant for solving problems and creating problems. Our life is meant for understanding God. Then everything is all right. But that you have given up.
na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum
durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah
andha yathandhair upaniyamanas
te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah
[SB 7.5.31]
They do not know that you cannot go an inch beyond the stringent laws of material nature. That is not possible.
Then the next question is that how... People are not interested in Krsna consciousness, and then, they are misled by blind leaders. So how, what is the solution? That is Prahlada Maharaja saying,
naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam
niskincananam na vrnita yavat
[SB 7.5.32]
Therefore one has to take shelter of a pure devotee. That is the only solution. He says, naisam matis tavad urukramangrhim. The beginning was that "They are not interested in Krsna consciousness." Then how to become Krsna conscious if that is the solution? Then Prahlada Maharaja says, naisam matis tavad: "So long one does not approach a pure devotee," mahiyasam niskincananam, "great personalities, who has no more any material interest," niskincana, "and takes the dust of his lotus feet on the head..." Naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim: "So long one does not approach such personality, there is no possibility of becoming Krsna conscious." Naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim. As soon as one approaches the pure devotee and takes the dust of his lotus feet and puts it on his head, immediately, anartha apagamah, he'll be freed from all this nonsense. That means he'll forget this idea that "Materially we can advance." This is the process. So we have to approach a niskincana, who has nothing to do with this material world. His only ambition is to serve more Krsna. And if somebody approaches him and takes the dust of his lotus feet, then he can understand. Mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam niskincananam na vrnita yavat. (aside:) Our time is over? All right.
So in this way Prahlada Maharaja talked with his father, and the father became more angry. Instead of taking the lesson ... Murkhaya upadesa hi prakopaya na santaye. If you teach lesson to a foolish person, he'll be simply angry. He'll not take your lesson. How it is so? Payah-panam bhujanganam kevalam visa-vardhanam. If you keep a snake and if you want to make friendly behavior with him, that, "My dear snake, don't bite any more. I'll give you milk and banana. You eat here and stay here nicely," he'll not... His poison will increase, and one day he will... There is a story in the Hitopadesa: one day, one... The same thing. So payah-panam bhujanganam kevalam visa-vardhanam. So these are lessons, stories. So his father, Hiranyakasipu, became more and more angry. So one day... Because after all, son and father... The son was simple boy. So one day he said, "Prahlada, I shall now kill you. I shall see how your Krsna saves you." So immediately, Prahlada was seeing to the pillars of the hall. He was king. So Hiranyakasipu asked him, "Is your God, Krsna, in the pillar?" He said, "Yes, sir. Yes, my father, He is there." So immediately, with anger he broke the pillar and Nrsimhadeva came out.
Now we can honor Him. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
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