760223 - Lecture SB 07.09.16 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

760223SB-MAYAPUR - February 23, 1976 - 40.10 Minutes

Śāstrījī: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (chants verse, Prabhupāda and devotees respond) (break)

trasto 'smy ahaṁ kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra-

saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāṁ praṇītaḥ

baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama te 'ṅghri-mūlaṁ

prīto 'pavarga-śaraṇaṁ hvayase kadā nu

(SB 7.9.16)

Dayānanda: (chants synonyms, devotees respond) rastaḥ—threatened; asmi—I have so become; aham—I; kṛpaṇa-vatsala—O my Lord, who is so kind upon the fallen souls; duḥsaha—intolerable; ugra—very powerful; saṁsāra-cakra—the cycle of birth and death; kadanāt—from such miserable condition of life; grastām . . .

Prabhupāda: Grasatām.

Dayānanda: Grasatām—"overpowered by other conditioned souls." (devotees repeat)

Prabhupāda: "Power?" "Other conditioned?" Grasatām? Grasatām means "taken over." Is it not?

Hrdayānanda: Grasatām: "taken."

Prabhupāda: "Taken over." There is some word. Praṇītaḥ.

Dayānanda: (continues with synonyms:) praṇītaḥ—being so thrown into such association; baddhaḥ—bound up; sva-karmabhiḥ—the course by my own resultant action of activities; uśattama—O the great insurmountable; te—Your; aṅghri-mūlam—root of Your lotus feet; prītaḥ—being pleased upon me; upavarga-śaraṇam . . .

Prabhupāda: apavarga-śaraṇam.

Devotee: apavarga-śaraṇam.

Dayānanda: apavarga-śaraṇam—the shelter of Your lotus feet; which is meant for liberation from this horrible condition of material existence; hvayase—Your Lordship will call me; kadā—when; nu—indeed.

Translation: (03:39) "O my Lordship, You are so kind upon the fallen souls. O the most powerful, insurmountable by anyone else, on account of my resultant action of activities, I have been put into the association of asuras, and therefore I am very much afraid of my condition of life within this material world. Of course, if You become very pleased upon me, I am waiting for that moment when You will call me to take shelter under Your lotus feet, which is the ultimate goal of life for being liberated from this conditional life."

Prabhupāda:

trasto 'smy ahaṁ kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra-

saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāṁ praṇītaḥ

baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama te 'ṅghri-mūlaṁ

prīto 'pavarga-śaraṇaṁ hvayase kadā nu

(SB 7.9.16)

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was not afraid of the fierceful features of Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva. He was not fearful. But question may be asked, "You are not afraid of anything? You are seeing so fierceful appearance, nṛsiṁha-mūrti. Everyone is afraid. And even Lord Brahmā; Lord Śiva; goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī; and other demigods—everyone is afraid of, but you say that 'I am not afraid of Your, this horrible feature.'" Nāhaṁ bibhemy. This verse we have discussed, "I am not afraid."

So the question may be that "If you are not afraid of this fearful appearance of Me, then that means you are not afraid of anything?" The answer is, "Yes, I am afraid. Yes, I am afraid." What is that? Trasto 'ham ahaṁ kṛpaṇa-vatsala duḥsahogra-saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād: "I am afraid of this material existence, not this, Your fearful . . ." This fearful appearance is fearful for the asuras, duṣkṛtina. When Kṛṣṇa comes, He has got two business: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). So those who are duṣkṛtām, duṣkṛtināḥ . . . These words are used in the Bhagavad-gītā: na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante (BG 7.15). So anyone who is in this material world, he is a duṣkṛti. Kṛti means very meritorious. Kṛti yasya sa jīvati. Meritorious, kṛti. But duṣkṛti. Here in this material world there are many, many persons, very meritorious: big, big philosophers, scientists, politicians, very meritorious. But their merit is being used for sinful activities. Just like a thief: he has got merit, but his merit is being used for stealing. So that is called duṣkṛti. And sukṛtina, just the opposite is sukṛtina. Sukṛti means one is acting or utilizing his merit for sukṛti. Sukṛti means the way by which one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called sukṛti. Ajñāta-sukṛti.

This temple means to give chance to the people in general, ajñāta-sukṛti. Anyone who will come to this temple where the Deity is there, and even by imitating others, if one offers obeisances to the Lord, that is taken into account. That is not useless, because Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājinaḥ. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is Kṛṣṇa's desire. He gives the four principles, that "Always think of Me," man-manā, "and become My devotee," mad-bhakta, mad-yājī, "worship Me," and mad-yāji . . . Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65): "Just offer little obeisances. These four principles will deliver you from this bondage of material existence and," mām evaiśyasi asaṁśaya, "without any doubt, you'll come back to Me." So, so simple thing. It is not at all difficult. This child, he can do this. Old man can do this. Learned man can do this, without any knowledge. Even an animal can do it. Very simple. Bhakti-yoga is very simple. Therefore, somehow or other, if somebody comes into the temple, and even by imitating one offers obeisances . . . We have seen so many people, our devotees are offering obeisances, they also think that "It is the etiquette. Let me do that," by association. Therefore it is recommended, sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Sādhu-saṅga. Simply by association, one can be delivered. Saṁsāra-cakra-kadanāt. It is so nice thing.

Unfortunately they'll not associate with sādhu. Sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa, te-kāraṇa lāgila mora karma-bandha-phāṅsa. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings that "I have given up sādhu-saṅga." Sat-saṅga, sādhu-saṅga. Satāṁ-prasaṅgāt mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ (SB 3.25.25). If you discuss message of Kṛṣṇa amongst the sādhus, satāṁ prasaṅgāt, then it becomes very palatable. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Not professional or asādhu. Asādhu is condemned. Sanātana Gosvāmī has strictly forbidden, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ-hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam (Padma Purāṇa). He has strictly forbidden. Those who are not Vaiṣṇavas, professional, for money's sake they recite Bhāgavata, any, anything. They want money. Sometimes they may recite Bhāgavatam. Sometimes they flatter you. Sometimes they read other book also. They want money. Such kind of association will not help you. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. That is the same thing, Narottama dāsa, sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa, te kāraṇe lāgila mora karma-bandha-phāṅsa. This karma-bandha-phāṅsa, the Sanskrit is saṁsāra-cakra-kadanā. The Bengali is karma-bandha-phāṅsa, entanglement in work and resultant action of. That is going on. The saṁsāra-cakra means one after another. This life is going on, and we are creating the resultant action of our karma, and according to the process, we get another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). You have to accept another body by the laws of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). As you associate, so you get your next body. There are 8,400,000 different forms of body. Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ: "You'll get another body." He doesn't say that "You will get this body after . . ." Just like this Darwin's theory. They say, "After this body, this body. After this body, this body." That is when the evolution takes place in the lower species of life, nature's law. But when you come to the human form of life you have got your responsibility. Wherever you want, you can go.

That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni

mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām

(BG 9.25)

Now you select where you want to go. If you want to go to the higher planetary system, you can go. Then take shelter of the demigods, worship Indra, Candra, Varuṇa. They are trying to go to the moon planet, but one cannot go there unless he's qualified to go there. Deva-vratān. There is prescription how you can go to the Candraloka. In karma-kāṇḍīya vicāra, fruitive activities, if one executes fruitive activities very nicely, he's promoted to the Candraloka. He gets there life for ten thousands of years, and he's given opportunity of drinking soma-rasa. So this is saṁsāra-cakra, not that if you go to the higher planetary system you become happy. No. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa says,

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokān

punar āvartino 'rjuna

yad gatvā na nivartante

tad dhāmaṁ paramam

(BG 8.16)

Even if you go to the Brahmaloka, from down, Pātāla, up to Brahmaloka . . . You can go there if you want. Kṛṣṇa is very, very kind. He has given you chance because you wanted to come here and enjoy material world. Kṛṣṇa says, "All right, go."

So beginning from Brahmā down to the insignificant worm in the stool, they are coming down and going up, coming down. This is going on. This is called saṁsāra-cakra, cycle of birth and death. That is going on perpetually. And they do not know what to do. You have to die. You get one form of life, enjoy it, either as human being or as hog, pig, cat, dog or demigod. Whatever you wanted, you have got it, desire. Now enjoy. But after some time you have to die. But actually your position is not to die. You are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Destruction of this body does not mean your destruction. This is saṁsāra-cakra. I am getting different opportunities, different bodies, to fulfill my material desires. This is going on. This is called saṁsāra-cakra-kadanāt. Prahlāda Mahārāja, a devotee, is afraid, very, very afraid. He is not afraid of the lion or the elephant or the tiger or the snake. No. He's not afraid of these. But he's afraid of this repetition of birth and death. That is called saṁsāra-cakra. Is it not botheration? Any sane man will understand how much botheration it is. Just like I am now old man. There are so many inconveniences. And in this way every old man will die. And if he's fortunate enough, if he has done something, he may be promoted to the higher planetary system, or if he has tried for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he may go back to home, back to Godhead. So why one should bother here in this material world, changing body, one after another? This is called saṁsāra-cakra-kadanāt.

So the ordinary person, they cannot understand what is the difficulty. As soon as I die, I enter into the womb of a mother according to my karma. The mother may be a lady dog or lady pig or lady such and such, because the body will be manufactured within the womb of the mother. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantor dehopapatti (SB 3.31.1). Upapatti means getting one type of body. So that type of body is given by the mother, and the seed is given by the father. Yathā bījaṁ yathā yoni. So we take a form. This is going on. So a devotee should be very, very much afraid of this repetition of birth and death. Saṁsāra . . . This is Prahlāda Mahārāja . . . To follow the footprints of Prahlāda Mahārāja, one should be very, very afraid. And the whole process of Vedic civilization, especially devotional service, is how to avoid this saṁsāra-cakra-kadanā. Everyone should be very, very afraid of. Foolish persons . . . "Where angels dare not, the fools rush in." They think, "What is that? I shall die." Now it has come to the stage that in your Western countries, if we say like this, that "Next life you may become a dog," university student, they say, "What is the wrong if I become a dog?" They are not afraid. They think, "If I become a dog, then I'll be free to have sex on the street without any restriction. This is the facility. Because being a human, I have got so much restriction, and if I become a dog, then there will be no restriction. I'll have . . . I'll be very free to have sex anywhere." So this is the education. In Hawaii, when I was lecturing, one student said, "No, what is the wrong, Swāmījī, if I become a dog?" You see? Bah!

So people have fallen so much. But we should not be like that. Those who are taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . Of course, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is never afraid of any species of life—provided there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness continuing. That's all. That is wanted. We are not afraid of becoming a dog, provided I can remember Kṛṣṇa. This is our position. Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, kīṭa janmāobi, icchā yadi tora. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, "I don't mind if I am born as a kīṭa, or an insect, but kindly give me the chance that I become an insect in the house of a devotee. Then I'll get chance again. Because a devotee will eat, I'll be able to take a little grain left by the devotee. That is my satisfaction." So a Vaiṣṇava is not afraid of to becoming in the form of any species of life, provided he simply . . . That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's prayer, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). A devotee does not aspire of being born in a very rich family or getting very nice wife and many controlling power, much controlling power. They do not want. Mama janmani . . . Neither a devotee wants stop birth and death, because he has no desire. That is called akāmī. A devotee has no desire to fulfill. Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaj says,

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali 'aśānta'

kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva 'śānta'

(CC Madhya 19.149)

Niṣkāma, no desire. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11)—this is devotee, no desire: "As You . . ." As Kṛṣṇa likes. Simply how to take charge of serving the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, prīto 'pavarga-śaraṇaṁ hvayase kadā nu: "My Lord, You are apavarga-śaraṇaṁ." This is very important word, apavarga. Pavarga and apavarga. Pa means just the opposite, and pavarga, here in this material world, we are in the pavarga. Pa means pariśrama, laboring. Here you cannot get food without any labor. Just see, these laborers here, they have come. Whole day they are working. But if I say that "Why you are working so hard? Come here, live here, take little prasādam and make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," nobody will come. Nobody will come. "No, no. I am very happy here." This is pa, pariśrama. Pariśrama. They . . . Sometimes we are accused that we're escaping labor, we are parasites, we are dependent on the society. We are not dependent on the society; we are dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Kṛṣṇa is supplying us this nice building, nice food, nice opportunity. Not only one—we have got hundreds of buildings like that, without any labor. We are not working like these laborers. Just see: I went to your country with forty rupees, and now I have got forty crores of worth, property. So I did not work like them. (laughs) (laughter) Yes. The people are bringing money. Kṛṣṇa is sending money, daily one to five lakhs of rupees. So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why one should work? Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām, the stool-eaters, they will work hard. Human life is not meant for . . . Take Kṛṣṇa's shelter. Kṛṣṇa will supply everything. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy.

So this pa means working hard, pariśrama. And pha means foam, phenam. If you work very hard . . . You have seen sometimes the horse, they are having foams in the mouth. So we have to work so hard in this material world that sometimes foam comes. Yes. We become thirsty. We require some drinking because the tongue becomes dry, the lips become dry, and sometimes the pa, pha . . . And ba—still, we are disappointed, vyarthata. And bha—we are always fearful, bhaya. And ma—after this, mṛtyu, death. After so working hard, after always being fearful, being baffled and so on, so on, still, you cannot live here; you must die. This is called pavarga. In Sanskrit grammar, there are vargas: ka-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga, pa-varga. So pa-varga means pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. So material life means these five kinds of difficulties; at last—death, ma, means mṛtyu. But if you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then you are saved. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is described as apavarga-śaraṇaṁ. If one wants to nullify this pavarga, then he must take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva . . . Because we are working hard why? According to our sinful activities, we are put into the situation, working very hard. Without working, we cannot get our food. So Kṛṣṇa is apavarga-śaraṇaṁ. If you want apavarga, if you want to nullify these five kinds of pa, pha, ba, bha, ma, then you must take shelter of Kṛṣṇa.

So Kṛṣṇa is always kind, but when He sees that you are very eager to go to Kṛṣṇa, He calls. He calls. Just like He explained to Arjuna, "My dear Arjuna, because you are My very dear friend," sarva-guhyatamam, "I am just disclosing the most confidential part of knowledge." Sarva-dharmān parityajya māṁ ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "This is the most confidential part of knowledge. Don't be entangled with this pavarga. Take shelter of Me." So this is calling Arjuna. So Prahlāda Mahārāja expecting, "When the Lord will call me?" That is real mercy. You cannot call God, or Kṛṣṇa, "Please come me and save me." Kṛṣṇa is not your servant; He does not agree to be your servant. But when He's pleased, He says, He calls you, "Please come and surrender unto Me." Therefore we must expect, "When the master will call me?" Don't try to see God, but act in such a way that God will call you, "Please come here." That is wanted. That is bhakti, not that "O God, please come. I will see You." Why God will come to see you? He is very busy. What you have done that you want to see God? If you say, "O Indira Gandhi, please come here. I'll see you," she will come? Be qualified, and she will see you. Similarly, don't try . . . This is not bhakti. Nacia nacia aire gopāla.(?) No. Gopāla is not anyone's servant that He'll come dancing and dancing. You be qualified, and He'll see you. He'll call you, "Yes, come back. Come back home, back to home, back to Godhead." Be qualified. (aside:) Why you are standing? Stand. Yes.

So this is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction. Everyone should be anxious how Kṛṣṇa will call him back to home, back to Godhead. And that is done, that is possible, when you are engaged in service. Otherwise it is not po . . . Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234). You cannot ask God to come and He will see you. No. When you are sevonmukha, fully in service, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau . . . That service begins from jihvā, from the tongue. Tā'ra madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, tā'ke jetā koṭhina saṁsāre. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "It is very, very difficult to control the tongue." Therefore the tongue should be engaged in service of the Lord, beginning from the tongue. If you can control the tongue, then you can control your belly, then you can control your genital, and then you become jitendriya. So we have to become jitendriya. Indriya means the senses. They are given to us for material enjoyment, just like the hog is also given the tongue to taste stool. But not your tongue. Your tongue is meant for tasting prasādam, not stool. Your tongue is meant for chanting, not eating stool. So you have to control this. Then there will be possibility of getting the shelter of apavarga-śaraṇaṁ, the repetition of birth and death. Everyone should be afraid of the saṁsāra-cakra-kadanāt.

Then one may ask that . . . Then . . . Just like sometimes foolish persons, they say that "Kṛṣṇa, God, has kept me in this way. According to His desire I am now in this position, because nothing can happen without His desire." This argument they say. That is another rascaldom. So Prahlāda Mahārāja clears, therefore, that baddhaḥ sva-karmabhiḥ: "It is not desired by You. I have created this situation." Baddhaḥ sva-karmabhiḥ. I have been put into this condition by my own work, sva-karmabhiḥ. Baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama. You cannot overcome this resultant action of your karma. You must suffer. The same example: Just like if you infect some contaminous disease, you must suffer; similarly, we are creating karma and we are suffering. Baddhaḥ sva-karmabhiḥ. My work. Śāstra does not say that you steal. Nobody says. Neither śāstra says, nor the moral codes say, nor the law, government law, say that "You can steal whatever you like." No. Everybody says . . . The government says, "Don't steal." The śāstra, scriptures, they also say, "Don't drink. Don't steal. Don't do this. Don't . . ." All forbidden. But I steal. So that is sva-karmabhiḥ. There is forbidding everywhere, but still, I steal. Then whose fault it is? It is government's fault or my fault? If I kill, I'll be hanged. "Thou shall not kill." Lord Christ says, "Thou shall not kill." But if I kill, then I must suffer. But they say, give some false argument, "Lord Christ says, 'Thou shall not kill' and if I kill, Christ has taken the contract that whatever sinful activities we do, he will excuse." This is Christian dogma. They say that "Our Christ is so kind that whatever sinful activities we do, he will suffer for us." Is it not? This is Christian theory. Just see foolishness. "You do something, and I suffer for that." No. You have to suffer. You have done something wrong; you must suffer. This is the real philosophy, sva-karmabhiḥ uśattama te 'ṅghri-mūlaṁ prītaḥ apavarga-śaraṇaṁ.

So we are very much entangled in this material world. One should be very much afraid. Prahlāda Mahārāja says . . . Prahlāda Mahārāja was not afraid of Nṛsiṁha-mūrti, but he is very much afraid of this material existence. It is really very, very fearful. People do not know the seriousness of material existence, and they continue and waste their, the chance, human being. Human form of life is a chance to rectify, but they do not care. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so important. Everyone, door to door, a devotee has to go and teach them that "You are leading a very, very irresponsible life. Be responsible to your consciousness and be a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That will save you."

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (end).