720322 - Lecture SB 01.01.01-2 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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720322SB-BOMBAY - March 22, 1972 - 52:13 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

. . . dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ

satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi

(SB 1.1.1)

So Śrīla Vyāsadeva, our first predecessor in the disciplic chain of guru-paramparā. There is guru-paramparā. There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas: one is called Brahma-sampradāya, the other is called Rudra-sampradāya, the other is called Śrī-sampradāya, and Nimbārka-sampradāya, or Kumāra-sampradāya. So we belong to the Brahma-sampradāya. Brahmā's disciple and son also, Nārada; his disciple, Vyāsadeva; and his disciple is Mādhavācārya; and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu belongs to this Mādhavācārya-sampradāya. His spiritual master was Īśvara Purī, and Īśvara Purī's spiritual master was Mādhavendra Purī. This Mādhavendra Purī happened to be in the disciplic succession of Mādhavācārya; therefore we, coming down from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are known as Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya.

So here, Śrīla Vyāsadeva is offering his respect to the Absolute Truth, satyaṁ paraṁ. We sometimes find in our government paper, "satyaṁ eva jayate." That is nice, but there are relative truth and there is Absolute Truth. Here Vyāsadeva is offering his obeisances to the Absolute, which include everyone. All relative truths are included within the Absolute Truth, summum bonum. So Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on this point that Śrī Vyāsadeva is offering obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of all emanation: janmādy asya yataḥ. That senscient, abhijñaḥ, and svarāṭ, fully independent.

So our independence is hampered by māyā. We want to be independent, but actually we are not independent. We are dependent on the dictation of māyā:

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

We falsely think that we are independent, but we are not independent. We are completely under the clutches of māyā: prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. We are acting under the influence of the modes of nature. Some of us are working under the influence of goodness, some of us are working under the influence of passion, and some of us are working under the influence of ignorance. But the paraṁ satyam, the Supreme Lord, He is not under the influence of any modes of material nature. Therefore it is expressed here, dhāmnā svena nirasta-kuhakaṁ: He is completely independent, and there is no influence of māyā. There is no influence. Nirasta-kuhakaṁ.

Here it is illusion. We are living under the influence of material nature, but we are thinking that we are independent. This is kuha, illusion. This is called māyā. And so long we do not understand this defect of our materialistic way of life, that is called defeat. Whatever we are doing, that is defeat. We are not conquering, but we are being defeated by the exigency of the material energy, which is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).

So we are all under the influence of māyā, illusion. Ahaṁ mameti, janasya moho ayam (SB 5.5.8). Ayam, this feature of our life: ahaṁ, "I am independent, and whatever I have created, that is mine," this is illusion. Janasya moho ayam. These are all explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in different places. So our author of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vyāsadeva, he says, "Just aim your objective to the Absolute Truth, satyaṁ paraṁ, not to the relative truth." Here everything is in relative truth, for the time, but it appears to be truth. But actually it is not truth. Śrīdhara Svāmī comments in this connection: satvanam savac svadu bhutendriya devata rupa amrisa satvam jasya sattvatoya mithyā savovi satvavat pratitayate.

Actually there is no truth, but because there is truth in the Absolute, and it is reflection of His energy, therefore it appears like truth. But actually it is not truth. Jasya sattvatoya mithyā savovi satvavat pratitayate. This is mithyā creation, illusion. Just like this body—your body, my body. It is created at a certain point, it will exist for a certain days, and it will have some by-products, and then it will dwindle and then it will vanish. Now once this body is vanished, I am not going to get again this body. It is not possible. Even if I get a human form of body next life, it is not exactly like this. Therefore this body, although it appears to be truth, it is not truth; it is temporary. We don’t say false. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they say it is false; but we say not false, but temporary. But our existence is eternal, that is truth. Our . . . na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre, na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin (BG 2.20). These are described in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Therefore our objective should be how to reach the Absolute Truth, because we are now in entanglement in this relative truth for the time being. We get a body for a few years—maybe for ten years or for a hundred years or for millions of years. Just like we get information from the Bhagavad-gītā that the duration of life in the higher planets, that is described: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). We cannot calculate even one day's duration of Brahmā, it is so long; but it is also limited. There is death. Brahmā is also dying. He is not immortal, but we are—as spirit soul—we are immortal: na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. That is our position. Therefore we should aim to the satyaṁ paraṁ, not to the relative. That is the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi. Now the next verse, Vyāsadeva is describing:

dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ

vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam

śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ

sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate . . .

sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate 'tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt

(SB 1.1.2)

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so nice that if one hears Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the very beginning, and from realized soul, or anyway, if he hears from the very beginning, nityaṁ. Not that Bhāgavata-saptāha—this is professional. There is no mention that Bhāgavata should be studied or heard only for saptāha. We don’t find anywhere in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There are big, big comments on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, just like Śrīdhara Svāmī, Vīrarāghava Ācārya, Vijaya-dvaja, Rupa . . . Sanatāna Goswāmī, Jīva Goswāmī, Visvanātha Cakravāti Ṭhakūra, Prabhudhīni, Vallabhācārya—there are at least eight very authoritative commentaries on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but we don’t find anywhere that Bhāgavata-saptāha should be observed. We don’t find. I do not know how it came into existence, this Bhāgavata-saptāha reading. But actually Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so vast and great study that even one verse cannot be completed in seven years, what to speak of studying the whole Bhāgavata in seven days. That is not possible.

This verse, the first verse, janmādy asya yato, this is taken from the Vedānta-sūtra. So the whole Vedānta philosophy is there in one verse. So Bhāgavata should be heard from . . . Grantha Bhāgavata should be heard from the person bhāgavata. During Caitanya Mahāprabhu's days, when He was living in Jagannātha Purī, many people used to go and recite before Him many poetry and many other things, but it was to be passed first of all by His secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara. Unless Svarūpa Dāmodara hears from the person and he recommends, "Yes, this poetry can be heard. This commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can be heard," Caitanya Mahāprabhu will not hear. That was the system.

So one brahmin, he wrote something about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and he described Jagannātha, Lord Jagannātha, as made of wood. So the secretary of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he was very much dissatisfied, and he chastised him, that brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa, of course, was very sober; he accepted the chastisement. Then there was compromise, and at that time Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī asked him that "If you want to know Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, then you must study Śrīmad-Bhāgavata from the person bhāgavata." Bhāgavata paro giya bhāgavata sthāne. There are two bhāgavatas. Bhāgavata . . . one Bhāgavata is this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam book; another bhāgavata is the pure devotee, pure devotee of Lord. He is person bhāgavata, and this is Grantha Bhāgavata. So Svarūpa Dāmodara recommended that "If you want to study Bhāgavata, then you must study from a realized pure devotee." Pure devotee means:

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

(Brs 1.1.11)

That is pure devotion. By reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam one should not expect some remuneration for his livelihood. That is not Bhāgavata. One who preaches Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for the satisfaction of the Lord, he is pure devotee. In other words, one should not make a professional business of Bhāgavata recitation. That is not allowed. No ācārya will allow. That is not the practice. Therefore here it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra. Kaitava means chalana, cheating. Any kind of religion, pseudo-religions, pretentious religion—projjhita. Projjhita. Śrīdhara Svāmī says, prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa ujjhita. So completely rejected, anything.

Now what is this dharma? People, generally, they are interested in four principles of spiritual advancement. Actually, that is not spiritual advancement: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. Catur-varga. They are called catur-varga. So when it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra, Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on this point: artha mokṣavāṁś ca api nirastham. Those who are desiring after mokṣa, nirbheda-brahmānu-sandhana, to become one with the Supreme—that is called mokṣa. That is generally understood.

Mokṣa, liberation, means to become free from this material contamination and become one with the Supreme. That is the objective of the jñānī-sampradāya. Jñānī-sampradāya . . . without becoming jñānī, nobody can understand what is spiritual life. That is a fact. But generally we mean . . . jñānī means persons who are trying to merge into the existence of Brahman effulgence, jñānī-sampradāya. Sometimes they are called vedāntī, vedāntī-sampradāya. But here it is said dharmaḥ projjhita. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. That mokṣa, to merge into the existence of the Supreme, that is also rejected. Those who are after merging into the existence of the Supreme, they are not proper candidates for studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. (break)

This kaitava has been explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī as that mokṣavāṁś ca api artha nirastham, simply devotional service. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends:

na danaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ

kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye

mama janmani janmanīśvare

bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

(CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4)

Now danaṁ, janaṁ, sundarīṁ kavitāṁ—these are the aspirations of the karmīs. Karmīs, they want riches, opulence, material opulence, danaṁ, janaṁ: good family, good following, good factory, good office, many followers, good riches, at home—nice wife, nice children. These are the aspiration of the karmīs. Karmīs want to be happy within this material world: śriyaiśvarya-rupeśaḥ (SB 1.2.27). They want beauty, they want money, they want material happiness. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that na danaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye: "I do not want this."

A pure devotee will not aspire after these material opulences, because they are the subject matter for the karmīs. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu again says, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. Janmani janmani means repetition of birth. The jñānīs, they do not want repetition of birth. They want to finish this repetition of birth and merge into the Brahman effulgence. That is the jñānī, jñānīs' objective. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu refuses. Janmani janmani means that He does not say that, "Stop My repetition of birth and death." That is not the aspiration.

So a devotee is not aspirant like the karmīs or like the jñānīs. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167): there should be no tinge of jñānī's philosophy, there should not be any tinge of karmī's philosophy—that is not pure devotion. That is called vaidha, not śuddha. Śuddha-bhakti, unadulterated devotion, means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ. There should be no aspiration except to serve Kṛṣṇa: mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī. This is pure devotion.

Therefore here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo (SB 1.1.2). Chala-dharma, which is not pure devotion, that is completely thrown away in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. By reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, if one aspires after material opulence or if one aspires after spiritual emancipation to merge into the existence of Brahman effulgence, that is not pure devotion. That is rejected: dharmaḥ projjhita. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa is rejected. Dharmaḥ projjhita-atra kaitavo paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ. This subject matter is for the paramo nirmatsarāṇā.

Nirmatsarāṇā means, Śrīdhara Svāmī says, matsaratā parā utkarṣaṇam asahanam. If one is making . . . rising materially, becoming advanced, that is our business within the material world. Even my brother is materially opulent, I am not very much satisfied, I am envious: "Oh, my brother has expanded his business so much; I could not. He has accumulated so many crores of rupees, I could not." So this is material existence, matsaratā. Here it is said, nirmatsarāṇāṁ. Nirmatsarāṇāṁ means those who are not envious.

That means they are in the transcendental position, in the Vaikuṇṭha position. In the Vaikuṇṭha world there is also competition. Everyone is trying to serve Kṛṣṇa more, so there is competition. But there is no matsaratā; there is no enviousness. If I see somebody is worshiping Kṛṣṇa, serving Kṛṣṇa more than me, then I shall think, "Oh, he is so nice that he is serving Kṛṣṇa more than me." Not . . . it is not matsaratā, it is appreciation. It is not matsaratā.

So in the Vaikuṇṭha world there is appreciation, and in the material world there is enviousness. The same thing when turns into Vaikuṇṭha quality, it becomes a different thing; it is not matsaratā. That is appreciation, "Oh, he is so nice." Just like Rādhārāṇī. Rādhārāṇī . . . nobody can be topmost devotee. Kṛṣṇa anayārādhyate. Rādhārāṇī means who is worshiping Kṛṣṇa, the most topmost service. Amongst the gopīs—the gopīs are serving Kṛṣṇa—there is no comparison. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā (Caitanya-manjusa). Vrajavadhū, these damsels, these cowherd girls, as they worship Kṛṣṇa there is no comparison in the world. There is no devotee of Kṛṣṇa as the gopīs:

gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau sadā

(Śrī Sad-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 4).

The Gosvāmīs, they are simply praising the gopīs: "Oh, how they are serving Kṛṣṇa." That was their business:

gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau sadā.

It is stated in the Śrīnivāsācārya's appreciation of the Gosvāmīs' activities:

tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat

bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau

gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau sadā

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

(Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 4)

These Gosvāmīs, vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau: Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī—raghu-yugau, two Raghus. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau—Jīva Gosvāmī and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. These six Gosvāmīs were direct disciples of Lord Caitanya. So they left their home, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ. These two Gosvāmīs, Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, were big ministers of the government, and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was the only son of his father, and uncle, the biggest zamindar, landlord, of that time.

So they left everything, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ. Because they were so rich and aristocratic, their associates were maṇḍala-pati—big, big men. Maṇḍala-pati means big, big influential men who can control many, many persons. So they gave up the association. How? Tucchavat: "Oh, it is very insignificant. What is the use of this association?" Then what they become?

tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat

bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau

(Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 4)

They accepted kaupīna and kantha, the loincloth—very minimum demands of the body. To become sannyāsī and sādhu means to minimize the material demands. So they minimized. According to circumstances, they minimized. Kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Why? Now, dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā: the general mass of people, they are suffering for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and to educate them, to enlighten them, karuṇayā, out of compassion. Not that Rūpa Gosvāmī or Jīva Gosvāmī or Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha, they took this dress of mendicant for fulfilling the belly. No. They minimized. That should be the process—minimizing material demands, tūrṇam.

tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat

bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau

(Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 4)

Accepted very humble life. Then there is another problem. If a very rich man all of a sudden takes to this life of sannyāsa or mendicant, it is very difficult for him to live. We have practically seen it. You know in Calcutta there was Mr. C. R. Das, Gandhi's disciple, next to Gandhi. So he was earning at that time fifty thousands of rupees. He was a lawyer. The Gandhi's non-cooperation movement, there was boycott of British court.

So C. R. Das said to Gandhi that, "I earn fifty thousand of rupees. You take this money. Why you are asking me to stop practicing in the court?" Gandhi said: "No. I want you, not your money." So the Congress resolution was there, so he gave up his practice. He gave up his practice, but because he was spending fifty thousand of rupees per month and he had no money, he could not live for one year. He died very soon. That we have seen. In our boyhood we saw.

So from materialistic point of view, if one all of a sudden comes down to the lowest position, it is very difficult for him, unless he is very spiritually sound. So there is no need of abruptly changing. There is no . . . that is the instruction. But these Gosvāmīs, they were so advanced—not only advanced; they had another engagement. They left their ministership—that's all right—took the position of a mendicant. But how they lived very nicely?

That is this: gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur sadā—because they were always merged into the ocean of transcendental bliss which was enjoyed by the gopīs. They are always thinking of the gopīs' behavior with Kṛṣṇa: how the gopīs were thinking at home when Kṛṣṇa was out for taking care of the cows, and the gopīs at home, they were thinking, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa's foot, so soft, and He is walking on the stones, and how much He is feeling pain." In this way they were thinking and crying at home. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They were ordinary cowherd girls, not educated, not born of brāhmaṇa's families, not student of Vedānta—nothing of the sort—but they were absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa. That is gopī-bhāva: always thinking of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was sannyāsī; He was strictly following the rules and regulations of the sannyāsī. Even devotees, women, could not come before Him very near. They would offer their respect from a distant place, He was so strict. But He is appreciating: ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā (Caitanya-manjusa). This is the test, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu appreciating some women's activities in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. So they were not ordinary women; they were expansion of Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency:

ānanda-cin-māyā -rasa-pratibhāvitābhis

tābhir ya eva . . .

goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto

(Brahma-saṁhitā 5.37)

They are Kṛṣṇa's expansion. Rādhārāṇī is Kṛṣṇa's expansion, pleasure potency. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktiḥ (CC Adi 1.5). Kṛṣṇa is Parabrahman, and we, in this material world, in order to taste brahma-sukha—itāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā (SB 10.12.11)—braham sukha, we give up all material pleasures. Great saintly person, sannyāsīs, they give up all material pleasures in order to have a little taste of brahma-sukha. And Kṛṣṇa is Parabrahman.

He is Brahma Himself, Parabrahman, the Supreme Brahman. Do you think that Parabrahman is enjoying some material happiness by mixing with ordinary girls? Do you think like that? For understanding Brahman, partial effulgence of Kṛṣṇa, these materialistic persons are giving up all material pleasures, and the Supreme Parabrahman, does He enjoy any material pleasure? No. We misunderstand.

Therefore without understanding Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the beginning, if we jump over all of a sudden to the rāsa-līlā, or the Kṛṣṇa's dealings with the gopīs, we misunderstand. I refer this very fact before you because in any . . . in various places we have been asked by big philosophers, scientist, that "Why Kṛṣṇa had His līlā with the gopīs?" They think it . . . (indistinct) . . . and actually that is the fact. If you don’t understand Kṛṣṇa, if you don't understand what is gopī and what is Rādhārāṇī, and if you all of a sudden jump over Kṛṣṇa's līlā with the gopīs, surely you will misunderstand. So that is not recommended.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara, said that, "If you want to study Bhāgavata, you must go to a living bhāgavata, not to the professional reader." Then you will not understand. Then you go on reading Bhāgavata or hearing Bhāgavata for not only seven days but seven millions of years, still you will not be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. And Vyāsadeva has devoted nine cantos. We are reading just on the first chapter of the first canto. He has devoted nine cantos just to make you understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That is also mentioned in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā:

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

To understand Kṛṣṇa as Absolute Truth, it is not very easy task. You have to understand it through scientific knowledge given by the realized soul, not jumping over or Bhāgavata-saptāha. No. That is not recommended. Bhāgavata recommends, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Why for seven days? Nityaṁ. You will find here, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā

bhagavaty uttama-śloke

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

(SB 1.2.18)

These are recommendation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. You are hearing Śrī Kṛṣṇa's words about Kṛṣṇa or from Kṛṣṇa. There are two kinds of Kṛṣṇa's words: one is Bhagavad-gītā, spoken by Kṛṣṇa directly, and another this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is spoken of Kṛṣṇa, about Kṛṣṇa. So they are two kṛṣṇa-kathās.

So Bhāgavata says, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. When we are anxious to hear about Kṛṣṇa, sva-kathāḥ, not others' kathā. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, not that śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ for any other. No. Viṣṇu. Here also Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. When Kṛṣṇa is within you, when He sees that you are very serious to know about Him, sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ . . . because if you simply hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, you acquire immediately the result of pious activities simply by hearing. And if you stick to that hearing, then Kṛṣṇa understands that now you are serious about hearing about Him, then He helps:

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ stho . . .

(SB 1.2.17)

Kṛṣṇa hṛdy antaḥ stho vidhunoti abhadrāṇi: all dirty things He will cleanse. He will help you, cleanse you. In this way, as we become advanced, our heart becomes cleansed, then we understand Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise we misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. That is our misfortune.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

Kṛṣṇa is friend, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ, but He is a special friend for the satām, those who are devotees. Suhṛt satām. He is friend of everyone, but He is a special friend for the devotee.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

In this way, if we stick to the hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam properly, then gradually the dirty things in our heart will be cleansed.

So when it is almost cleansed—not completely cleansed: naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu. Naṣṭa-prā . . . abhadra means these three material modes of nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. They are all abhadra because they are material. So we have to cleanse ourselves from this material contamination. That is called naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu. So naṣṭa-prāyeṣv means that when we are cleansed of the modes of ignorance and the modes of passion—when these two things are clean—it is called naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu.

But the modes of goodness, that is also abhadra. You have to transcend the modes of goodness also. Just like people—they are nice people, pious people—they are attached to do some welfare activities in this world. But according to spiritual advancement of life, that goodness is also abhadra. You have to become pure, simply inclined to serve Kṛṣṇa.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ

(CC Madhya 19.167)

Ānukūla, simply how Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. That business. Just like gopīs: the gopīs were not sacrificing . . . were not performing big, big sacrifices or any philanthropic work, opening schools or hospitals or this or that. They were simply after Kṛṣṇa. That is their qualification. That is called sudha-sattva: sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva (SB 4.3.23), above goodness. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends, ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā (Caitanya-manjusa): "There is no better worship than what was conceived by the gopīs."

But they are not ordinary, material things. Therefore we should not misunderstand the gopīs' activities with Kṛṣṇa as ordinary dealings of young boys and girls. They are different things. Cinmāyā, ānanda-cinmāyā-rasa (Bs. 5.37). That is ānanda-cinmāyā-rasa, not jaḍa-māyā, not this gross material rasa. This sex life is gross material rasa. But the dealings of gopīs and Kṛṣṇa, they are not ordinary, material rasa; they are cinmāyā-rasa.

ānanda-cinmāya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis

tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayābhiḥ

(Bs. 5.37)

The gopīs are expansion of Kṛṣṇa's feature, Kṛṣṇa's āhlādinī potency, pleasure potency expansion. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that this subject matter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is meant for paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ, pure devotee, who are above all enviousness. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vāstavam vastu vedyaṁ atra (SB 1.1.2). If you want to understand real reality, not false reality, shadow reality, then you will understand in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vāstavam vastu vedyaṁ atra. Vedyaṁ vāstavam atra. Vāstava means vastu—from vastu, vāsta.

So vāsta means Kṛṣṇa's energies, so Kṛṣṇa's energy's pleasure potency, vāstavam vastu vedyaṁ atra. And śivadaṁ. That is śivadaṁ—auspicious, everything auspicious. If you try to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the proper source, then it is śivadaṁ, maṅgalam—auspicious. And the result? Tāpa-trayonmūlanam. Tāpa-traya. In this material world we are suffering threefolds of miserable conditions of life: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika and ādhidaivika. That will be unmūlanam, uprooted. Tāpa-trayonmūlanam.

Then: Śrīmad-bhāgavate mahāmuni-kṛte. This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not an ordinary book. Just like we write books—some fiction, some novel, some drama. There are thousands and thousands of writings like that. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not like that. Śrīmad-bhāgavatam mahāmuni-kṛte: it is written by the mahāmuni, Vyāsadeva, after his mature experience. After reading all the Vedas, all the Vedic literatures, Purāṇas, even Vedānta-sūtra, he was not happy. Then under the instruction of Nārada he took up writing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, simply describing the glories of the Lord. Therefore it is said this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not an ordinary book. It is written by Vyāsadeva in his liberated condition, mahāmuni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair. Then what is the use of reading other Vedic literature? This is the essence of Vedic literature.

That will be explained: nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ idam (SB 1.1.3). Nigama means Vedas. The tree, the tree . . . you get a tree to get the fruit, so it is said that it is nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ, ripened fruit. That will be explained.

(break) . . . greatest contribution of Vyāsadeva. It is meant for the persons who are paramahaṁsa, paramo nirmatsarā. And if you want to learn real reality, so you will get it from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So we are trying to serve you to our best capacity. Please cooperate with us. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)