760222 - Lecture SB 07.09.15 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

760222SB-MAYAPUR - February 22, 1976 - 25.47 Minutes

Śāstrījī: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse; Prabhupāda and devotees chant responsively) (break)

nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayānakāsya-

jihvārka-netra-bhrukuṭī-rabhasogra-daṁṣṭrāt

āntra-srajaḥ-kṣataja-keśara-śaṅku-karṇān

nihrāda-bhīta-digibhād ari-bhin-nakhāgrāt

(SB 7.9.15)

Dayānanda: (leads responsive chanting of synonyms)

Translation: "My Lord who is never conquered by anyone, certainly I am not at all afraid of Your very ferocious mouth, tongue, bright eyes like the sunshine, movement of Your eyebrows, very pinching, sharp set of teeth, garland of intestines, hands soaked with blood, fixed-up-high ears, Your tumultuous sound which causes the elephants to go away to a distant place, and Your nails, which are meant for killing Your enemies. Undoubtedly I am not afraid of them."

Śāstrījī: Bhrukuṭī rabhasa. Bhrukuṭī rabhasa.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Śāstrījī: Bhrukuṭī rabhasa . . . (indistinct Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Rabhasa Aap kya sune. (What did you hear?) "Movement." Yes. So:

nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayānakāsya-

jihvārka-netra-bhrukuṭī-rabhasogra-daṁṣṭrāt

āntra-srajaḥ-kṣataja-keśara-śaṅku-karṇān

nihrāda-bhīta-digibhād ari-bhin-nakhāgrāt

(SB 7.9.15)

So, nārāyaṇa-paraḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati(SB 6.17.28). This is the sign of pure devotee. Others, they are afraid of the fierceful appearance of Narasiṁha-deva, but Prahlāda Mahārāja says that, "I am not afraid." He was a child of five years old. So others were very, very afraid, even could not approach the Lord to pacify Him, and Prahlāda Mahārāja was not afraid.

So . . . there is a description of different features of the body of Nṛsiṁha-deva—description of the face, the ear, the mane and the nails, everything, very, very fearful. But the nails, the significant word is here: ari-bhit nakhāgrāt. Ari-bhit. Ari means enemy, and these nails are meant for piercing the chest of the enemy, not of the devotee. Ari-bhit nakhāgrāt. Everything is fierceful to the enemy, to the demons, but to the devotees they're all beautiful. They are pleasing. That is the difference between the Personality of Godhead and material personality. Everything . . . God is all-good. Even God appears in such fierceful attitude, it is beautiful to the devotees. God's stealing . . . this is abominable, stealing, in this material world. But in the spiritual world, that stealing by Kṛṣṇa is worshipable. Makhana-chora, butter thief. The devotees like that, "Kṛṣṇa should come to my house and steal my things, butter." That is the pastime of Vṛndāvana-līlā. Kṛṣṇa would go to every house and steal butter, and they would be very much pleased that, "Kṛṣṇa has come to steal here." They would come, a formally complaint lodged before Yaśodāmayī, and Kṛṣṇa would be afraid. But these things are very, very enjoyable. Kṛṣṇa is being chastised by Yaśodāmayī, and still, he's thinking . . . she's thinking, "Whether Kṛṣṇa has become very much afraid?"

This is called Vṛndāvana-līlā. The love for Kṛṣṇa is so strong that whatever Kṛṣṇa does, that is beautiful. And the spiritual world, what is condemnable in this material world, that is very worshipable in the spiritual world. Spiritual world, the love is parakīya-rasa. Parakīya-rasa. Here in this material world, if you create some relationship with other's wife, that is very condemnable. But in the spiritual world, the loving affairs between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa is the same, is like that. Kṛṣṇa is making loving affairs with other's wife. So therefore sometimes, without understanding Kṛṣṇa, if one tries to understand the loving affairs of Kṛṣṇa with gopīs, they misunderstand. They think that, "Kṛṣṇa is woman-hunter, and Kṛṣṇa is making love with other's wife and daughter." They do not know.

So, here the fierceful attitude, very, very fierceful, that is very pleasing to Prahlāda Mahārāja. He said: Nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayānakāsya, "Your face is very fearful to the enemies, but it is very beautiful to me." Everything. Nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayānakāsya jihvā. Everything fierceful . . . in the next verse Prahlāda Mahārāja will say that, "This fierceful attitude of Your Lordship is not at all fearful to me, as it is fearful to me this material existence." That he will explain, next verse. Trasto 'smy ahaṁ kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra-saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāṁ praṇītaḥ. This material world is very, very fierceful to the devotees. They are very, very much afraid of. This is the difference. Materialistic persons, they are thinking, "This world is very pleasing. We are enjoying. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." But the devotees, they think, "It is very, very fierceful. How soon we shall get out of it?" My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This material world is not fit for living for any gentleman." He used to say: "No gentleman can live here." So these things are not understood by the nondevotees, how much pinching this material world is. Duḥkhāla. . . Kṛṣṇa says it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam(BG 8.15). That is the difference between the devotee and nondevotee. The duḥkhālayam, they are trying to adjust how to make it sukhālayam. That is not possible.

So unless one becomes detestful of this material world, it is to be understood that he has not yet entered in the spiritual understanding. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). This is the test of bhakti. If one has entered the domain of devotional service, this material world will be not at all tasteful for him. Virakti. No more. Āra nāre bapa (Caitanya-bhagavata Madhya 13.225). The Jagāi-Mādhāi, too much materialistic, woman-hunters, drunkard, meat-eater . . . so these things have become now common affairs. But it is very, very fearful for the devotees. Therefore we say: "No intoxication, no illicit sex, no meat-eating." It is very, very fearful. But they do not know. Mūḍhaḥ nābhijānāti. They do not know it. They indulge it. The whole world is going on on this platform. He does not know that he is creating a very, very fierceful situation by indulging in these sinful activities.

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

tapasā brahmacaryeṇa

śamena damena vā

tyāgena śauca . . .

yamena niyamena vā

(SB 6.1.13)

This is called advancement of spiritual life, tapasā. The first thing is tapasya, voluntarily rejecting this so-called comfortable situation of material world. That is called tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa. And to execute that, tapasya, the first thing is brahmacarya. Brahmacarya means to avoid sex indulgence. That is called brahmacarya.

tapasā brahmacaryeṇa

śamena damena vā

tyāgena śauca śaucabhyāṁ

śamena damena vā

(SB 6.1.13)

These are the . . . therefore you'll find, all transcendentalists, they are practicing tapasya very, very severely. That is required. The human life is meant for tapasya. That is human life. Human life is not meant for living like cats and dogs. That is not human life. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). To live like cats and dog is not meant for the human life. Human life is meant for tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). We have to execute tapasya, austerity. Why? Now, to purify our existence. This present existence is not purified; therefore we have to meet death. Otherwise we are eternal, "Why should we meet death?" This question does not arise at all. The modern civilization, they do not care for death. This is another daring. Death . . . they never question that, "We are eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). "Why I shall meet death?" But this question does not arise for . . . they think, "Death? We can finish everything." This is called mūḍha. They do not know things are there, what it should be. They do not know that.

So in order to know all this transcendental subject matter, it is recommended, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12): "One must approach to the proper guru to understand this subject matter." And that is success of human life. Otherwise, to live like cats and dogs—sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13), cows and asses, animal life—this is not civilization. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an attempt, however small it may be, to bring back the human society to real civilization. It is not ordinary movement. They are not civilized. Mūḍha. This is a civilization of rascals and fools. But to bring them back to knowledge, that is civilization. That civilization is spiritual life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life is meant for spiritual life, not for material life like cats and dogs. This is not required. This is Vedānta philosophy, athāto brahma jijñāsā. One must try to learn what is the ultimate source of everything, not that theorizing or, what is called, imagining something. Take knowledge from the right source, brahma-vidyā, the Vedic knowledge, and try to understand the situation, what is Brahman, what you are. We are also Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. These things are to be known. And when we neglect to understand these things, that means we are going to the wrong way of life. The wrong way of life can be allowed up to the animal life. Out of 8,400,000 forms of life, the animal life, 3,000,000 types of animal life, by evolutionary process we come to the human life. Now we should inquire about spiritual life. That is civilization. Without spiritual life, without inquiring the spiritual life, it is animal life, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).

So try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And spiritual life means to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual life. Kṛṣṇa comes to explain Himself. And hear from Him and understand Him as He says. Then, as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa, or God, is very difficult to understand.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yayati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

To understand God, to understand Kṛṣṇa, is not very easy job; very, very difficult job. Therefore we don't find anyone is interested in Kṛṣṇa. Anywhere you go, all over the world, you make a statistic-nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa. Is it not a fact? Out of millions of. Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu, "Out of millions." That's a fact. Nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. So therefore, to understand Kṛṣṇa is not very easy job. But by the grace of Kṛṣṇa you can understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. That is Kṛṣṇa, great. You take. And again Kṛṣṇa is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to show us the way how to understand Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu means Kṛṣṇa Himself, present to teach us how to understand Kṛṣṇa.

So Kṛṣṇa is so kind: He is coming Himself. He's teaching Bhagavad-gītā. Again He is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as devotee, to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). He's not only teaching Kṛṣṇa but love of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, when He personally came, He did not teach how to love Him. He simply asked, "You rascal, surrender to Me." That's all. "You are all rascals. You have forgotten Me. I am the Supreme. You are searching after so many wrong things. You have created so many so-called occupational and religious duties, but these are all useless." That much. But again Kṛṣṇa came to teach people how to love Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī offers his respect to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadanyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53): "You are not only giving Kṛṣṇa but giving love of Kṛṣṇa." That is very rare thing. Prema pumārtho mahān. People are after dharma, after kāma, mokṣa, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: "No. Above this, there is fifth perfection. That is prema, Kṛṣṇa-prema." Prema pumārtho mahān.

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

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! Prabhupāda. (end)