Prabhupada:
ayam hi
sruta-sampannah
sila-vrtta-gunalayah
dhrta-vrato mrdur dantah
satya-van
mantra-vic chucih
gurv-agny-atithi-vrddhanam
susrusur
anahankrtah
sarva-bhuta-suhrt sadhur
mita-vag anasuyakah
[SB
6.1.56-57]
These are qualifications of the most exalted person. In
the society the brahmana is the topmost division of human society, not by caste
or by birth but by qualification. These things are spoken about Ajamila. These
are ajamila-upakhyana, the history of Ajamila. Ajamila, although he was a very
well trained brahmana boy at the beginning of his life, but later on, on account
of bad association he became the most sinful man in the world. But at the end of
his life he chanted the holy name of Narayana, not meaning Narayana the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, but his youngest son's name was Narayana. He called the
holy name of Narayana, calling his son. He did not know that he is chanting the
holy name of Narayana, and still, he got salvation. That is the purport of this
history, that the holy name of God, Narayana, Krsna, Rama... There are many
names of the Lord. Namnam akari bahudha. He has got thousands of names, and you
can chant any one of them, either Krsna or Rama, Govinda, Narayana, like that.
So you get the result.
So here the example is that
Ajamila, although he had forgotten Narayana, but on account of his chanting the
holy name of Narayana, although he meant his son, it was effective. We have to
understand like this. Somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of the Lord,
knowingly or unknowingly, it will have its effect. Just like you touch fire
knowingly or unknowingly, it will burn; similarly, if you chant Hare Krsna
maha-mantra knowingly or unknowingly, it will be effective on your life.
Therefore we see it practically that in the Western countries, although they did
not know who is Narayana or Krsna... It is dictionary, the English dictionary,
there is statement, "Krsna is the name of Hindu god." So, but nobody is
consulting dictionary for chanting Hare Krsna. But the sastra says that somehow
or other, if you chant the holy name of God, then you gradually become purified.
Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. So this
history of Ajamila's life is described in the Srimad Bhagavatam to show the
importance of chanting the holy name of God. That is the purpose.
So the Ajamila later on became a
great sinful person. Therefore he was to be taken to Yamaraja. But because he
chanted at the end of his life "Narayana," he became purified from all sinful
activities. So the order-carriers of Narayana came to deliver him, save him from
the hands of the Yamaduta. So the Yamaduta is describing the history of Ajamila
in the past, how he was in the beginning. Because he was the son of a brahmana,
his father trained up the brahmana boy like a brahmana. So as such, he got this
training. What is that? Ayam hi sruta-sampannah: "This boy got training to
become expert in Vedic knowledge." Sruta-sampannam. Sruta means Vedic knowledge,
and sampannah means finished. Within twelve years a brahmana's son is supposed
to finished all the studies of Vedas, vyakarana, grammar. That was education.
From five years he is trained up. He goes to... Nowadays also, the children are
sent to school at five years age, but the mode of education, different.
Formerly, within twenty years a student, a brahmacari, was trained up with all
these qualifications, as it is described. What is that? The first is
sruta-sampannah, "expertly aware of Vedic knowledge." Ayam hi sruta-sampannah,
sila, sila-vrtta-gunalayah. Sila means suddhacara, cleansing. Because brahmana's
qualification is samo damo satam. What is that? Samo damo... Tapo satyam.
Cleanliness. So this is also trained up, how to become clean, to rise early in
the morning, take bath, wash mouth, feet. Guna-sampannah. Then take to
mangala-aratika. In this he was also trained up. Ayam hi sruta-sampannah
sila-vrtta-gunalayah. Guna means sad-guna, this samo damo titiksa arjava, jnanam
vijnanam astikyam. These are gunalayah, reservoir of all good qualities.
Dhrta-vrata. These things not occasionally but regularly, dhrta-vrata. "I must
rise early in the morning" -- that is called dhrta-vrata, vow. "I must do it."
Dhrta-vrato mrduh, mild, gentleness. This is human life, not to live like cats
and dogs. That is not human life. Real human life, the picture is here. One must
be trained up to all these qualifications. Just like nowadays we send our boys
to school, college, for being trained up as a technician, formerly the boys were
sent for education... These are the effects of education.
Education means to become human
being. Canakya Pandita, he also, although he was a politician, but brahmana, he
also says who is educated, pandita. The brahmana is known as pandita. So what is
the sign of pandita? He has summarized,
matr-vat para-daresu
para-dravyesu
lostra-vat
atma-vat sarva-bhutesu
yah pasyati sa
panditah
Pandita means matr-vat para-daresu: "to accept all women
as mother," para-daresu. Dara means wife, and para means others'. Except his own
wife, he should treat all women outside, taking them as mother. Therefore, still
in Hindu society, every woman is addressed by an unknown man, "mother." It
doesn't matter if a person is unknown. He can speak with another woman,
addressing him first..., addressing her first, "mother," "mataji." Then nobody
will be offended. This is the etiquette. That is taught by Canakya Pandita.
Matr-vat para-daresu. Woman should be addressed as "mother." And para-dravyesu
lostra-vat: and others' property should be accepted as some pebbles on the
street -- nobody cares for it. If some pebbles, some stones, are thrown on the
street, nobody cares for it. Garbage. So nobody should touch others' property.
Nowadays the education is how to make friendship with others' wife and how to
take away others' money by tricks. This is not education. The education is here:
Matr-vat para-daresu para-dravyesu lostra-vat, atma-vat sarva-bhutesu.
Sarva-bhutesu: in all living entities... There are 8,400,000 different forms of
living entities. The grass is also a living entity, and Brahma is also a living
entity. So a pandita accepts everyone as living entity, and he deals with
them-atma-vat: "What I feel, pains and pleasure, I must deal with others by the
same sentiment." Therefore modern days' nationality means human being. But
actually the animals, they are also national. National means one is born in the
same country according to their definition. The "national" word is never found
in the Vedic literature. This is modern invention. So here atma-vat
sarva-bhutesu. It doesn't matter whether one is national or outsider national.
Sarva-bhutesu. Here is also... It is said, sarva-bhuta-suhrt. Suhrt, friend,
well-wisher, sarva-bhuta. Why I shall think only well for my relatives or my
family members? That is krpana, miser. A broad-minded brahmana should be engaged
for doing good to all, everyone.
Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's
mission is prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama. Caitanya Mahaprabhu never
instructed that "You should limit your preaching within your society or within
your country." He is asking, prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama: "As many
villages and towns are there on the surface..." (aside:) That's all right. Don't
be disturbed. Sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama. This is the mission. This is
Vedic knowledge. Sarva-bhuta-suhrt. You should become... (pause)
Devotee:
(indistinct)
Prabhupada: Why you are speaking?
They can come inside. So we should be engaged, sarva-bhuta-hite ratah. Everyone
should be taken as friend. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29]. This is the
qualification of an advanced Krsna conscious person. So this
qualification...
ayam hi
sruta-sampannah
sila-vrtta-gunalayah
dhrta-vrato mrdur
dantah...
Dantah means self-control. Santa, danta. Santa means how
to become self-controlled, not to become disturbed by the senses. These are
training for a first-class human being. But there is no class human... Nowadays
it is said "classless." First class and last class, all one. This is the modern
philosophy. But that is not very scientific proposal. The scientific proposal is
that there is first class man and there is tenth class man, but everyone can be
utilized for the ultimate goal of life. That is classless. And that means
everyone can become Krsna conscious. It doesn't matter whether by his
qualification he is first class or last class. Krsna consciousness is
transcendental. First class, last class is considered in the material world. But
so long one is not on the platform of Krsna consciousness, for him this training
is required to become a first-class man. And for a Krsna conscious person, if he
simply becomes Krsna conscious, then automatically he becomes a first-class man.
This is the secret of success. Kevalaya bhaktya vasudeva-parayanah, dhunvanty
agham niharam iva bhaskarah. It is said, dhunvanti Every sinful reaction becomes
washed away if one becomes vasudeva-parayanah, kevalaya bhaktya. All these
qualities can be attained by a devotee automatically. Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty
akincana sarvair gunair tatra samasate surah [SB 5.18.12]. Sarvair gunaih, all
good qualities As it said, gunalayah, the reservoir of all good qualities. This
can be attained, this stage can be attained, only by training in Krsna
consciousness.
So about Ajamila, the Yamadutas,
they said, "We know that this man Ajamila was fully qualified before."
Dhrta-vrato mrdur dantah satya-van: truthful, never speaks untruth. Satya sama
dama, satya. Or satya-van means param satyam dhimahi. Param satyam is Krsna,
Vasudeva. Who is only speaking about Krsna, the Supreme Truth, he is called
satya-van. He does not speak anything... Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31].
He is simply glorifying. If one's life is dedicated to preach about Krsna, then
he is also satya-van. He does not speak anything else. So our, these Krsna
conscious members, they are simply trained up to go and speak about Krsna.
Therefore they are satya-van. They do not speak anything else. They do not waste
their time by speaking anything which has no relation with Krsna. That is
satya-van. Satya-van mantravit. Mantravit means Vit means one who knows, and
mantra means Vedic hymns. Mantravit. So therefore Hare Krsna maha-mantra... Hare
Krsna, this chanting, is called maha-mantra. So if anyone chants Hare Krsna,
then he is not only mantravit but he is maha-mantravit because the Hare Krsna
chanting is called maha-mantra. Mantravit. Mantravit and suci. Suci means
brahmana, and muci means non-brahmana.
There are two words still current
in the Hindu society: suci and muci. Muci means cobbler, dealing with skin. "I
am this skin," "I am white skin," "I am black skin," "I am American skin," "I am
Indian skin" -- this understanding means muci. And muci is skin expert. "This is
cow skin. This is goat skin. It is lamb skin." This is... He is called muci,
skin expert. Modern technology has given the title "tannery expert." So this
"tannery expert," if you become tannery expert, then you are muci. So there is a
Bengali proverb, muci haya suci haya, yadi krsna bhaje. Every one of us, we are
all tannery expert and we have created so many "isms" on the basis of becoming a
tannery expert. Therefore they are called muci. So muci haya suci haya. And suci
means brahmana, pure. He has no such sense of becoming a tannery expert. He is
brahmana, brahma-vit. One who knows Brahman, he is called brahmana. He is suci.
He is not more tannery expert. So therefore, it is said, if from the muci
platform if you want to become suci, really brahmana, purified, then you have to
take to Krsna conscious. Muci haya suci haya, yadi krsna bhaje. If one becomes
Krsna conscious, then from the platform of becoming a muci, one becomes suci.
Therefore we have no caste distinction because our process is to elevate the
muci to the platform of suci, this Krsna consciousness movement. Actually that
is the fact. We are unnecessarily becoming tannery expert. That is not the aim
of life. The aim of life is to become suci, to become brahmana, or the person
who is aware of Brahman. Brahma janati iti brahmanah. This is the philosophy.
But nobody is interested to become a brahmana. Everyone is interested to remain
a muci and tannery expert. That is not the aim of life. So this is training.
Muci haya suci haya. One can be trained up to become a suci from the platform of
muci. And even though one is born of a suci family, if by practice he is not
Krsna conscious, then he automatically becomes a muci. Suci haya muci haya, yadi
krsna tyaje. If one gives up Krsna consciousness, even though he is born in a
brahmana family or even though he has practiced brahmanism, still, on account of
his not accepting Krsna consciousness, he is accepted as muci. Suci haya muci
haya, yadi krsna tyaje. And muci haya suci haya, yadi krsna bhaje: if one is
Krsna conscious, then he is suci. This is.
So this Ajamila became suci,
brahmana. Then guru, agni. Guru, the spiritual master; agni, the fire; and
atithi. Atithi means uninvited guest, hospitality. If somebody comes at your
home without your invitation, he is called atithi. Tithi means particular time
and date. But a person arrives at your home without any invitation on particular
time and date, he is called atithi. Atithi-satkara. This is also one of the
items of Vedic culture. Atithi-satkara. So the sannyasis especially, they are
begging from door to door. So they have no fixed up program in which door he
will go on which date. No. Anywhere they approach. Therefore atithi means
generally the brahmacari and the sannyasa. Brahmacari is also begging alms from
door to door, and a sannyasi also allowed, but door to door does not mean that
he would collect more than is necessity. But he does not cook. A sannyasi goes
to a pure householder's life, er, home, because generally in a brahmana's house
or ksatriya or vaisya... But not to a sudra. This is restriction. Why? Because
the three upper classes, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, especially the brahmana --
they are considered the topmost -- they have got Visnu worship at home. Still in
all brahmana's family, ancestral salagrama-sila is worshiped in a brahmana
family. So also in ksatriya family also. So these sannyasis go to a brahmana
family because it is known fact the brahmanas are engaged in worshiping
Visnu.
Brahmana means Vaisnava. Brahmana
means pandita. Therefore two words are used along with the word brahmana:
brahmana-vaisnava, brahmana-pandita. Sruta-sampannah. The first qualification is
sruta-sampannah. He must be learned scholar in Vedic... Vedic knowledge means
sruti. So that is the first qualification. Ayam hi sruta-sampannah. So therefore
brahmana is pandita. Without becoming a pandita, how one can become brahmana?
Sruta-sampannah. Sruta-sampannah, then guru, agni, very respectful to spiritual
master, agni, the fire... Because a brahmana has to make fire sacrifice every
day. Guru, agni, and atithi. Atithi is a sannyasis. They are coming to a
brahmana's house for one capati. They don't want more. They are called
madhu-kari. Madhu-kari means madhu... Madhu is collected by drops, not in lump.
The, what is called, bees? Honey bees? What is called? No, honey, and bees, what
is called? Madhumaksi? Bumblebees. Yes. So they collect a drop -- from this
flower, drop; that flower, drop; that flower, drop. In this way they make a big
honeycomb. So a brahmanas and ksatriya, er, sannyasis, although they are meant
for collecting, they do not collect heavy at a place. Little. Because they are
collecting not for his sense gratification. He is collecting for satisfying
Krsna. So everyone is given chance, that "You give little. You give little. You
give little," and whole thing is engaged in Krsna's service. And just like here
we have got the container of flour and container of rice. So although we are
feeding two hundred men daily, still, it can be collected by musti. Everyone,
grhastha, can come and place one musti attar. That is not difficult for him. He
has got children, family. He is consuming five kilos of attar daily. Out of
that, little, if it is put into the temple, he does not feel any burden.
Therefore the collection... Sannyasi, brahmacari collects little, little, little
from everywhere. That is called madhukari, exactly following the footsteps of
madhukara, bumblebees.
So they are very... Householder,
this is meant for the householder especially. This is ideal householder, that
guru, agni, atithi, vrddhanam. Old man also should be taken care of. Nowadays
the philosophy is coming: "mercy-killing." "Old men should be killed to show him
mercy." Because he is burden in the society, the communistic theory "Old man
does not do anything and simply eats; therefore to show him mercy he should be
killed." "Mercy-killing." Just see the philosophy: "Killing is mercy." But this
is going on. "Mercy-killing." Is that? "Mercy-killing"? What is
that?
Brahmananda: They kill someone
for that person's benefit.
Prabhupada: Benefit. So the man
killer, will he take that benefit? If somebody comes that "I shall kill you for
your benefit," that he will be afraid of. But he is philosophizing,
"mercy-killing." This is going on. So one should be respectful also to the old
men. According to Vedic knowledge, brahmana, old men, child, woman, and cow --
they have no fault. They are free. They are not within this jurisdiction of law.
So therefore cow-killing, brahmana-killing, woman-killing, and
elderly-person-killing, they are accepted as the great sinful activities. So
gurv-agny-atithi-vrddhanam susrusur anahankrtah. Anahankrtah, not with any pride
or puffedness, anahankrtah, very humbly. Sarva-bhuta-suhrtam. This is the most
exalted qualification, to become well-wisher of all living entities, not that we
open hospitals for the human being and we send the cows to the slaughterhouse or
poor animals should be slaughtered. That is not suhrt sarva-bhutanam. That is
partiality and it has no meaning. If you become envious to other living entities
and if you become friend of particular living entity, that is not good
qualification. Suhrdah sarva-bhutanam. Sarva-bhutah-suhrt sadhu. He is sadhu.
Sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah. These are the qualification of a sadhu. Suhrdah
sarva-bhutanam. Sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah. Everything is described in the Vedic
literature, all description.
So this Ajamila's past
qualification is described in this, that he was well qualified brahmana, well
trained, because these qualification became manifested in his life. Then his
degradation began.
ekadasau vanam yatah
pitr-sandesa-krd
dvijah
adaya tata avrttah
phala-puspa-samit-kusan
[SB
6.1.58]
dadarsa kaminam kancic
chudram
saha-bhujisyaya
[SB 6.1.59]
That, this, we may describe later on and how degradation
begins even to exalted person, as described, Ajamila. So the degradation began
-- dadarsa, he saw on the way... Kaminam kancic chudram. Chudram, these
male-female behavior... Nowadays, not so much in India, but in the Western
countries it is very usual thing -- a young man is embracing another young woman
or kissing. So there is no fault. But according to Vedic civilization, this is
fault because it will give chance to others. Nowadays in picture they are also
shown to enthuse others to become lusty, and that is the beginning of his
falldown. But there is no restriction. The young men, they are seeing daily in
the cinema, on the road, in their school, college. But this Ajamila, although he
was so exalted a brahmana, simply by seeing one sudra... Sudra means who has no
training, fools, rascals. So he was embracing another woman, and that became
attractive to this Ajamila, and then he wanted to do the same thing and he
became degraded. This will be described later on.
Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase =>
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.56-57 -- Bombay, August 14,
1975
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
