760613 - Lecture SB 06.01.47 - Detroit

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

760613SB-DETROIT - June 13, 1976 - 25.11 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting, etc.)

vartamāno 'nyāyoḥ kālo

guṇābhijñāpako yathā

evaṁ janmānyayor etad

dharmādharma-nidarśanam

(SB 6.1.47)

Translation: (02:02) "Just as springtime in the present indicates the nature of springtimes in the past and future, so this life of happiness, distress or a mixture of both gives evidence concerning the religious and irreligious activities of one's past and future lives." (break)

Prabhupāda:

vartamāno 'nyāyoḥ kālo

guṇābhijñāpako yathā

evaṁ janmānyayor etad

dharmādharma-nidarśanam

(SB 6.1.47)

But . . . (break) . . .the symptoms of birth, one can understand, of course, through abhijñā, those who are abhijñā. And the word is used guṇabhijñā jñāpakaḥ. Guṇābhijñā, guṇābhijñāpako yathā. By the guṇas, one can—guṇa means quality—one can understand the past and future. Still in India there is an astrological system, it is called Bhṛgu-saṁhitā. That Bhṛgu-saṁ . . . According to that Bhṛgu-saṁhitā, the astrologer can say what the man was in the past and what he's going to be in future. And present also.

So, generally we can understand from the śāstra that according to guṇa—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa—those who are in sattva-guṇa, they are going higher planetary system; rajo-guṇa, in the same platform; tamo-guṇa, going down. So the human endeavor should be how to increase the sattva-guṇa quality of the man. That is the duty of all guardians. State, king, government—everyone should. If you do not make such attempt to elevate your dependent towards the sattva-guṇa platform, simply lamenting, what will do good to you? "Our position is this. Now it is uncontrollable, the things are going bad, there are problems." Yes, problem must be there, because the aim of life should be known. They do not know. The modern civilization, they do not know what is the aim of life, how life is going on, eternally, how it is implicated, how to entangle. So many things are there; it is a great science.

So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to establish this science. Our real mission is how the human society will be happy. That is the duty of all saintly person. They, according to our paramparā system . . . Just like the Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, they were very exalted personalities, minister in government. Still, they resigned from the service and joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. That is the history. All the direct disciples of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they were very big personalities. Just like Rūpa, Sanātana—they were minister. Then Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha, Dāsa Raghunātha. Raghunātha Dāsa, he was coming, more than minister. His father and uncle were the biggest zamindar, landlord, in those times. He was the only son of the father and the uncle. Huge estate, beautiful wife, everything—he left and joined this movement, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's. Similarly, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, he also coming from a very aristocratic brāhmaṇa family in South India. And Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, the nephew of Rūpa Gosvāmī, in the learned circle, still, in Bengal, they say such a big scholar and philosophy, there was none, and nobody expects a similar philosopher and learned scholar in the future. He was such a big personality, Jīva Gosvāmī. Big, big Māyāvādīs, they were afraid of Jīva Gosvāmī's logic and argument to establish the Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

So it is not . . . This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for very intelligent, high-class, fortunate persons, because they are going to guide the destiny of the human society. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. Their only endeavor is how people will be happy. This is their real mission. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore asked to "Take this mission and go village to village, town to town, and spread My mission."

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma

sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma

(CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)

So you young Americans, you have taken a very great mission, and the system we have introduced, to go in the vans, buses, and village to village, town to town. And if you keep strictly on the principles and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then your mission will be successful. There is no doubt about it.

So vartamāno 'nyayoḥ kālo, there are three different features of time—past, present and future. So those who are learned scholars, from one point they can calculate what is the past and what is the future. Evaṁ janmānyayor etad dharmādharma-nidarśanam. There is astrology. There are experienced persons, they can say what was the past, what will be the future, this is one side. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement is, even without any knowledge of the past, without any knowledge of the future, if you take the present opportunity, then your life is successful. The present opportunity is that in this age, Kali-yuga, Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared. Anarpita-cariṁ cirāt karuṇayā . . . What? Anyone knows this verse?

anarpita-carīṁ-cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam

hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ

sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandana

(CC Adi 1.4)

Śacī-nandana. This is Rūpa Gosvāmī's blessings, that "Within your heart, let Śacī-nandana be seated." Sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandanaḥ. Then everything will be adjusted. He has appeared for this cause. Anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam. He is personally . . . Kṛṣṇa personally is giving Kṛṣṇa.

namo mahā-vadānyāya

kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te

kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-

nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

(CC Madhya 19.53)

These are the verses composed by Rūpa Gosvāmī, that "Here is most munificent incarnation, because He's giving Kṛṣṇa. Not only Kṛṣṇa—kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, what was very, very difficult to understand." Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yayati siddhaye (BG 7.3). To understand Kṛṣṇa is not so easy, but Kṛṣṇa Himself is giving Himself: "Take Me." That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

So future, past, present, future, whatever it has been, our past, or what is present, it doesn't matter. But if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, then our present and future, both are bright, undoubtedly. So we should take the instruction of the Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī . . . Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priyakarau nirmatsarau. Nirmatsarau. This movement, there is no distinction. No matsarata. Matsarata means to be intolerant for other's advancement. Nobody's . . . This is material nature. Nobody wants that his friend or his son, or . . . Of course, the father likes the son is increasing in opulence. He likes. But sometimes he does not like. So this world is full of envy. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement is for the paramahaṁsa, who is not envious. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vāstavaṁ vastu vedyam atra. Nirmatsara (SB 1.1.2), when one is not envious of others. That is called nirma . . . Because in the material world, everyone is envious of another person. That is the nature. Therefore there is so much fight. Everyone is envious. Nation is another nation's against, envious, even person to person, brother to brother, family to family, community to community. Everywhere, matsarata. Para-utkarṣaṇam asahanam. Matsarata means one cannot tolerate others' flourishing condition. Immediately envious.

But this system, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is meant for paramo nirmatsarāṇām: one who has learned this art not to become envious. Tolerant. That is the qualification of saintly persons. Kind. Tin . . . Hmm? What is that? Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikaḥ. Those who are preachers, they should be titikṣava. Titikṣava means titikṣa, tolerance. There will be so much insult, inconveniences, against party, everything. We have to tolerate. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇa. At the same time, we have to distribute the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikaḥ. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām: and friend of everyone. There is no distinction. Friend of everyone. Ajāta-śatravaḥ: by their action they'll not create any enemy. Ajāta-śatravaḥ santaḥ: peaceful. Ajāta-śatravaḥ santaḥ sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. These are the decoration of sādhus, saintly person. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikaḥ. I think this śloka is there in the Kapila's teaching to His mother. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikaḥ, ajāta-śatravaḥ santaḥ, sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇā (SB 3.25.21).

So, so far the Kali-yuga is concerned, the future is very dark. There, everything is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The future of this Kali-yuga, as it will advance, Kali-yuga . . . We have only passed five thousand years out of thirty-two hundred thousands of years. We have only passed five thousand years, and the miserable condition, situation, will degrade more and more, more and more. So if you have to take again birth in this material world, then we'll have to suffer more and more. Best thing is that let us finish our business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead, so that we haven't got to come again to this nonsense material world. That is wanted. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). This should be the aim of life, that we are not going to take advantage of this so-called advance of material civilization. We have no business. Āra nare vaka. We should make it a determination that we have enough of this material civilization; we are not any more concerned about it. We are interested in Kṛṣṇa, how to go back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. This should be the determination. And if we think, "Let me taste this also and taste that also . . ." In Bengal it is said durakhai tanakakai. Not like that.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned very seriously:

niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya

pāraṁ param jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya

viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca

hā hanta ha hanta viṣa-bhakṣanād apy asādhu

(CC Madhya 11.8)

For a person who is going back to home, back to Godhead, he should be niṣkiñcana. Niṣkiñcana means no more any material necessity. Niṣkiñcana. Niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanomukhasya. One side, this is nirvāṇa, finished; and the other side positive. Negative side, no more material, and positive side, Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. How to go back to home, back to Godhead to serve Kṛṣṇa—this is one side. And one side, nil—we don't want any more anything. Niṣkiñcana. For such a person, viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca (CC Madhya 11.8). For such a person, if he has become captivated by the material attraction, means money and material comforts . . . woman and material comforts. This is material civilization. Everyone is after woman. Woman or men, the . . . It is not that woman means the form of woman and man is the form of man. Woman means enjoyable and man means enjoyer. So here in this material world everyone is enjoyer. Everyone is enjoyer. Not only the man thinks "I shall enjoy the woman," the woman thinks, "I shall enjoy the man." The spirit is how to become enjoyer. Therefore sometimes the living entity is described as puruṣa. Actually, every living entity is prakṛti. Prakṛti means "enjoyable." So everyone is to be enjoyable by Kṛṣṇa. But thinking "I am enjoyer," that is māyā. So anyone is thinking of enjoying this material world, viṣayiṇāṁ atha yoṣitāṁ ca . . . Viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitām. So for any person who is serious about going back to home, back to . . . for them these things are abominable, more than drinking poison. This is the verdict of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

So we have . . . This is the idea. So we must be serious. It is not that in one day we, all of us, we become paramahaṁsa. That is not possible. Don't try to imitate, but follow the rules and regulation with vow that "This life I shall go back to home, back to Godhead, with determination." Then Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. That is promised by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prītiḥ, satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakaṁ dadāmi . . . (BG 10.10). If we are serious, then Kṛṣṇa is within everyone's heart, He'll give you intelligence. But we must be very serious. Then past, present, future will be clear before us, and because Kṛṣṇa is personally directing, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi. So what knowledge is wanting there when Kṛṣṇa . . .? In another place Kṛṣṇa says,

teṣām evānukampārtham

aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ

nāśayāmy ātma-bhāvastho

jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

(BG 10.11)

For a sincere devotee, Kṛṣṇa says: "To show him special favor, even though he is rascal, I'll make him intelligent."

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. (end).