760809 - Lecture SB 03.22.20 - Tehran

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

760809SB-TEHRAN - August 09, 1976 - 12.54 Minutes

Parivrājakācārya: (chanting verse)

yato 'bhavad viśvam idaṁ vicitraṁ

saṁsthāsyate yatra ca vāvatiṣṭhate

prajāpatīnāṁ patir eṣa mahyaṁ

paraṁ pramāṇaṁ bhagavān anantaḥ

(SB 3.22.20)

Pradyumna: (chants synonyms, etc.)

Translation: (02:09) "The highest authority for me is the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom this wonderful creation emanates and in whom its sustenance and dissolution rest. He is the origin of all prajāpatis, the personalities meant to produce living entities in this world."

Prabhupāda: Read the purport.

Pradyumna: Purport: "Kardama Muni was ordered by his father, Prajāpati, to produce children. In the beginning of creation the Prajāpatis were meant to produce the large population which was to reside in the planets of the gigantic universe. But Kardama Muni said that although his father was Prajāpati, who desired him to produce children, actually his origin was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, because Viṣṇu is the origin of everything; He is the actual creator of this universe, He is the actual maintainer, and when everything is annihilated, it rests in Him only. That is the conclusion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. For creation, maintenance and annihilation there are the three deities Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara, or Śiva, but Brahmā and Maheśvara are qualitative expansions of Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is the central figure. Viṣṇu, therefore, takes charge of maintenance. No one can maintain the whole creation but Him. There are innumerable entities, and they have innumerable demands; no one but Viṣṇu can fulfill the innumerable demands of all the innumerable living entities. Brahmā is ordered to create, and Śiva is ordered to annihilate. The middle function, maintenance, is taken charge of by Viṣṇu. Kardama Muni knew very well, by his power in progressive spiritual life, that Viṣṇu, the Personality of Godhead, was his worshipable Deity. Whatever Viṣṇu desired was his duty, and nothing else. He was not prepared to beget a number of children. He would beget only one child, who would help the mission of Viṣṇu. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, whenever there is a discrepancy in the discharge of religious principles, the Lord descends on the surface of the earth to protect religious principles and to annihilate the miscreants.

"Marrying and begetting a child is considered to liquidate one's debts to the family in which one is born. There are many debts which are imposed upon a child just after his birth. There are debts to the family in which one is born, debts to the demigods, debts to the Pitās, debts to the ṛṣis, etc. But if someone engages only in the service of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, who is actually worshipable, then even without trying to liquidate other debts, one becomes free from all obligations. Kardama Muni preferred to devote his life as a servant of the Lord in paramahaṁsa knowledge and to beget a child only for that purpose, not to beget numberless children to fill up the vacancies in the universe."

Prabhupāda: So the purpose of marriage is explained here. Putrātve kriyet bhāryā putra pinḍa prayojanam. For the purpose of one or two nice children one should marry, not for sense gratification. This is the Vedic purport of marriage. So in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we allow marriage on this principle, not for sense gratification. All the chief devotees of Lord Caitanya . . . Or even Lord Caitanya Himself, He married twice. So marriage is not prohibited, but everything should be under regulative principle according to the law. Then either one is sannyāsī or a married man or a brahmacārī, it doesn't matter.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu stressed, ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya (CC Madhya 8.128). He never said that the sannyāsīs should be guru and not the gṛhasthas. He says, ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya. Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can become guru. And that guru . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu says everything very simplified:

āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra'sarva deśa

yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa

(CC Madhya 7.128)

Sarva deśa, or ei deśa, wherever you are living, it doesn't matter. Just like our Atreya Ṛṣi, he's gṛhastha, he's living in Iran, Tehran, but it doesn't matter. If he speaks kṛṣṇa-kathā, then he's guru. It is very simple thing. We should not speak beyond what is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. Take Bhagavad-gītā and try to preach the principles, speak whatever is spoken in the Bhagavad-gītā. Then it doesn't matter whether you are a gṛhastha or sannyāsī or brahmacārī. You become guru.

So our mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same mission as Caitanya Mahāprabhu: yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This kṛṣṇa-upadeśa I have translated into "Kṛṣṇa conscious," how to make people Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is our mission. On this principle, either gṛhastha or vānaprastha or sannyāsī, everyone can take part. Ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taking instruction from Rāmānanda Rāya. He was gṛhastha, not even brāhmaṇa. So he was hesitating, that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu is coming from a very exalted brāhmaṇa family, and sannyāsa," and Rāmānanda Rāya was gṛhastha, not even brāhmaṇa. How he could teach Him or give Him instruction? He was hesitating. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in order to favor him, He said, "It doesn't matter. Don't hesitate."

kibā vipra, kibā śūdra, nyāsī kene naya

yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya

(CC Madhya 8.128)

By his practical life, He was asking. Generally, questions are asked to the superior person, and the superior person answers. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He was superior in everything, He was asking Rāmaṇanda Rāya to answer. He made Haridāsa Ṭhākura—he was Muhammadan by birth—nāmācārya, the ācārya of spreading Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. These are the wonderful activities. Sanātana Gosvāmī, he practically become Muhammadan. Why practically? Absolutely. He was rejected by the brāhmaṇa society because he was minister, he was mixing with the Muhammadans and everything. He was eating with them. So the brāhmaṇa society rejected him. The name was also changed, Sākara Mallika. Nawab Hussain Shah's very confidential man. Nawab Hussain Shah was keeping Sanātana Gosvāmī as his representative in everything. The government was being managed by him. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted them, and they became the Gosvāmīs, Sanātana Gosvāmī.

So in this movement, no such consideration, who is who. Anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is first class, that's all. So our principle should be how to make people Kṛṣṇa conscious, God conscious. Then our mission will be successful. Either as gṛhastha, as a vānaprastha, as sannyāsī, it doesn't matter. Philosophy, the truth, should be preached. Everyone will be happy. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end).