750301 - Lecture CC Adi 07.01 - Atlanta

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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750301CC-ATLANTA - March 01, 1975 - 40:44 Minutes

Nitāi: (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

agaty-eka-gatiṁ natvā

hīnārthādhika-sādhakam

śrī-caitanyaṁ likhyate 'sya

prema-bhakti-vadānyatā

(CC Adi 7.1)

(break) (00:20)

"Let me first offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is the ultimate goal of life for one bereft of all possessions in this material world and is the only meaning for one advancing in spiritual life. Thus let me write about His magnanimous contribution of devotional service in love of God."

Prabhupāda:

agaty-eka-gatiṁ natvā

hīnārthādhika-sādhakam

śrī-caitanyaṁ likhyate 'sya

prema-bhakti-vadānyatā

(CC Adi 7.1)

So Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī is writing Caitanya-caritāmṛta. In each chapter he composes a new verse offering his obeisances to the Lord. In this Seventh Chapter of Ādi-līlā he also offers his respect. He began his writing of Caitanya-caritāmṛta when he was as old as ninety years old in Vṛndāvana by the order of the Vaiṣṇavas and confirmed by Śrī Madana-mohana. So this is the process. One should not be writing in spiritual subject matter without being authorized by some superior authority. It is not ordinary writing. The writing on spiritual subject matter is authoritative. By the order of superior authority, one can write. It is not speculation. Therefore he said that śrī-caitanyaṁ likhyate asya: "By the order of superior authority, I am trying to describe Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu." And what is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Prema-bhakti-vadānyatā. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is preaching prema, means love of Godhead. That is the only necessity to understand in human form of life. Premā pumartho mahān.

There are other necessities for those who are not devotees. Those necessities are dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, CC Ādi 1.90). Generally, in the material world everyone is necessity of gratifying his senses. So sometimes, under the cover of religiosity, they want to satisfy senses. The same thing . . . just like one goes to church or temple to mitigate some material necessities. Just like the Christians go to the church for meeting the problems of bread; similarly, the Hindus or the Muslim, everyone goes to church, temple or mosque to pray something material: "God, I am very distressed. Kindly get me relief from this distressed condition," or "God, I am in need of money. I am very poor. Kindly give me some money," or any other, "I am now implicated in war." Just like Churchill, he introduced that everyone should go and pray for victory. So England was also praying for victory, and Germany was also praying for victory. (laughter) So, (chuckles) God is perplexed. (laughter) The thief is praying to God that "This night, I may steal without any hindrances." And the householder is praying, "My Lord, thief may not come here and steal my goods." And God has to adjust everything. So just imagine how much busy is God. (laughter) There are millions and trillions of living entities. Each one of them, if they are at all interested in God—not all—so they are praying. Everyone is praying, "God, give me this benediction. Give me this benediction."

So this is not pure devotional service. For some material profit one should not become a religious person or devotee of God. Of course, it is better than the person who is not at all interested in God. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtinaḥ arjuna (BG 7.16). Unless one is pious, he cannot approach God. So one should be pious and without any motive, not only pious. Pious is the first condition, who can approach God; otherwise he does not. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). These classes of men, duṣkṛtina, miscreants, always committing sinful activities, duṣkṛtina; and mūḍha, rascals, fools; and narādhamāḥ, lowest of the mankind; māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, whose knowledge has been taken away by māyā—such demonic person do not surrender to God. But pious man who has got background, pious activities, such person, when they are distressed, they approach God. They know that God is friend of all living entities. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29).

Actually, He is the friend. As friend, He is living with the soul as Supersoul. That is stated in the Vedas, that two birds are sitting on the same tree. The tree, this is the tree. This body is tree, and one bird is the individual soul, and the other bird is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Supersoul. So God is always accompanying the individual soul to turn him back to home, back to Godhead. He is so nice friend. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. So if we want peace, then we should understand that "Here is my friend, the supreme friend." Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. "He is guiding me. So why I am praying to Him for some benefit? He knows my necessities. He will supply if it is required. Why shall I bother Him with prayers granting something, 'Please give me this, give me this'?" There is no necessity. God is omniscient. He knows. And He says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I know the necessities of My devotees, and I supply them." Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Two things are there: one thing, to possess something which we do not have; and we want to protect what we have got. So Kṛṣṇa says, "Both the things. I give protection of My devotee, whatever he has got, and I supply him whatever he hasn't got." Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). He is supplying everyone, but especially to the devotees. That is his special job.

Here Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very, very magnanimous. He is, without asking, He is offering the best benefit, kṛṣṇa-prema, the best objective. Our objective of life should be to understand God. If we, in this life, if we simply understand what is God and what is my relationship with, and begin to act like that, then also our life is successful. Even if we cannot finish the whole job or we fall down from the platform of devotional service, still we are not loser. Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer patet tato yadi bhajann apakvaḥ atha (SB 1.5.17). This devotional service is the process. Requires some time to fulfill the whole job and become perfect. But even becoming . . . before becoming perfect one falls down, he is not loser. The service is so transcendental that whatever you have done, that is your asset. And if you stop, so that is not good, but even if you stop, whatever you have done already, that is your permanent asset. This is the benefit of devotional service. Material thing, if you cannot do it perfectly well, whatever you have done, that is all lost. But in spiritual, whatever you have done—one percent, two percent, three percent, as you have done—that is not lost.

Therefore the śāstra says that those who are not devotees, what is their profit? Even they are doing their duties very nicely, what is the profit? Because he remains under the stringent laws of nature. Suppose this life I have done my duty as a politician very nicely, but the next life I become a dog, then what is the benefit? What is the benefit? To become next life as a dog or god, that will not depend on you; that will depend on the nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). It is being automatically done. Two plus two equal to four. Similarly, whatever we are doing, we are preparing for the next life. Karmaṇa. Simply material nature has to give you a post: "Now you have done like this. Take this post." You cannot deny. You cannot say, "No, no, I don't like this post." No, you have to take it. So for the karmīs, even they have done their so-called duties very perfectly well, what is the profit? There is no profit, because we are under the control of material nature. But the devotees, whatever little service they have done, that is permanent asset. That is not controlled by nature. That is controlled by God.

And He says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate (BG 6.41). Bhraṣṭaḥ means one who is fallen from this devotional service. So for them also, it is guaranteed a human life. Not only human life, but in very good family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. Śucīnām means by perfectly well behaved, cleansed family, brāhmaṇa family. Śucīnām. Śuci means very clean. So you are becoming all brāhmaṇas. You must remain always very clean. Śucīnām. That is called śuci. And muci means unclean, cobbler. Śuci and muci. So don't become muci. (laughter) Yes. Uncleanliness is muci, cobbler. They are dealing always with skin, and bad smell, and no bathing. So in our country muci, the cobbler, is taken as the lowest of the mankind, narādhamāḥ, because their business is when the cow dies, so the mucis are prepared to take away the dead cow or bull. They eat the flesh, and they take out the skin and the bones for their business. Muci prepare shoes. He gets the skin for nothing, without any payment. He doesn't have to invest his capital, and he nicely cleanses it, tans, and then prepares shoes and sell in the market, so get the money. And the muci class, they eat this flesh, meat. But they are given the opportunity when the cow is dead, not by slaughterhouse. That is not in the Vedic scripture. The dead animal, you can eat. Those who are fond of eating fish and meat, they can eat when the animal is dead. Not killing. That is not very good thing. So the muci class, their business is to take the dead . . . after all, everyone will die. The animal will die also. Even if we keep the cows, don't kill, it will die. So some cow is dying here, some cow is dying there. Just like the vulture, they eat dead body. So dead body must be there. So they have no scarcity of dead bodies. They can find out dead body. They go three miles above to find out where is the dead body. So that is also sense gratification.

So in this way there are classes, śuci and muci. Śuci is the first-class cleansed internally and externally human being, and the muci means the low class, very unclean, eating the dead meat, cows and bulls. So Kṛṣṇa says, "Even one is fallen, he gets his birth in the family of śuci." Śucīnām. Just like in our society there are small children. You see their behavior. They are coming, offering flower, offering obeisances. That means they are not ordinary children. They have got the opportunity to take birth in the family of Vaiṣṇava, father Vaiṣṇava, mother Vaiṣṇava. And he is getting the opportunity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning of life. This is called śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41). So if one is fallen from devotional service, he is offered again the opportunity to take birth in the human society. And not only ordinary human being, but devotee, very cleansed, or, next to that, very rich family. These are the two opportunities for the fallen devotees, and what to speak of those who are not fallen. Just imagine. Those who are not fallen, they go directly. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately they are transferred to the spiritual world after giving up this body. And those who are fallen, they are not immediately transferred, but they are given the chance again for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness and being transferred, transferred to the spiritual world.

Because one who takes birth in the family of Vaiṣṇava and pure brāhmaṇa, he gets the chance again. Just like these children are getting chance again—deity worship, offering to the Vaiṣṇava obeisances, offering some flower, dancing, chanting. He is again getting the opportunity. Although he was fallen in his last birth, that fallen is not so serious. He has got again human body, and he has got chance to be associate with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And rich man . . . rich man means . . . everyone is embarrassed with the maintenance of body. So if one is not embarrassed . . . to take birth in rich family means he has nothing to think of maintenance. Just like one of our devotee, Mr. Alfred Ford, he is the great-grandson of Mr. Henry Ford. He has given us one big house in Honolulu. The boy came to see me, very nice boy. So this is śrīmatāṁ gehe, born in rich family, and he has got the opportunity to give something for the service of the Lord. So either you are born in rich family or in poor Vaiṣṇava family, you are not loser. So we should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and try to introduce it very nicely, and even though we fall, there is no loss. The human life is guaranteed and in very good family. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So here it is said, hīnārthādhika-sādhakaṁ śrī-caitanyam. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very kind to the fallen souls. But His special mission is to reclaim the fallen souls. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Reclaim the fallen souls means in this age of Kali, almost 99.9%, they are all fallen. Their qualification is mandāḥ. Mandāḥ means they do not know that the human life is meant for qualifying oneself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, spiritual consciousness. They do not know. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). Even one is interested about spiritual consciousness, they accept some bogus theory. So many yogīs, svāmīs, all bluffer, they will take care. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo. Because Kali-yuga, they are already sophisticated, bewildered, and these people come to cheat, they fall the prey of these cheaters. Sumanda-matayo. Anyone who is preaching something else other than God consciousness, he is a cheater. He is a cheater. Sumanda-matayo. Because real progress of life is to become God conscious. That is the real progress. And without God consciousness, the so-called yogīs, so-called meditation . . . what is this meditation? What is the profit? Simply some bogus propaganda. It has no value.

Real progress of life is to know what is God and what is my relationship with Him and how to act in that relationship. That is real life. But they do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know it. They think, "By this yoga practice, I shall be perfect, my material condition will improve," and so on, so on. They have got their own theories and . . . but that is not progress of life. There are many rich men, many karmīs. Without practicing yoga they are having material comforts. So spiritual life does not mean that one is improved in material, conditioned life. Spiritual life means spiritual advancement. But people take it that "Take to religion means to give impetus to our material life." Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, CC Ādi 1.90). And when they are disgusted, they want mokṣa. Mokṣa means to become one with the Lord.

So these things are going on. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to save all these fallen souls. Hīnārtha. Hīnārthādhika-sādhakam. The more one is fallen, he is the better candidate for accepting the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, patita-pāvana-hetu, tava avatāra: "My Lord, You have incarnated to reclaim the fallen." Patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra, mo sama patita prabhu, nā pāibe āra: "If that is Your mission, then I am the most fallen. So my claim is first to receive Your favor. Because Your mission is to show favor to the fallen, so I am the most fallen. So kindly accept me." In this way he has sung. And that is stated here, hīnārthādhika-sādhakaṁ śrī-caitanyam.

So (reading) "A person in the conditional stage of material existence is in an atmosphere of helplessness. But the conditioned soul, under the illusion of māyā, or the external energy, thinks that he is completely protected by his country, society, friendship and love, not knowing that at the time of death none of these can save him." This is called māyā. But he does not believe. Under the illusion of māyā, he does not also believe that what is the meaning of saving. Saving. Saving means saving oneself from this repetition, cycle of birth and death. That is real saving. They do not know. (reading:) "The laws of material nature are so strong that none of our material possessions can save us from the cruel hands of death." Everyone knows it. And that is our real problem. Who is not afraid of death? Everyone is afraid of death. Why? Because any living entity, he is not meant for dying. He is eternal; therefore birth, death, old age and disease, these things are botheration for him. Because he is eternal, he does not take birth, na jāyate; and one who does not take birth, he has no death also, na mriyate kadācit (BG 2.20). This is our actual position. Therefore we are afraid of death. That is our natural inclination.

So to save us from death . . . that is the first business of humankind. We are teaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement for this purpose only. That should be the purpose of everyone. That is the śāstric injunction. Those who are guardians . . . the government, the father, the teacher, they are guardians of the children. They should know it, how to give protection to the world's . . . Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta mṛtyum (SB 5.5.18). So where is this philosophy, all over the world? There is no such philosophy. This is the only, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, which is putting forward this philosophy, not whimsically but from authorized śāstra, Vedic literature, authorities. So that is our request. We are opening different centers all over the world for the benefit of the human society, that they do not know the aim of life, they do not know that there is next life after death. These things they do not know. So we are trying to educate them that "There is next life undoubtedly, and you can prepare your next life in this life. You can go to the higher planetary system for better comfort, material comfort. You can remain here in a secure position." Secure means this material life. Just like it is said,

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā

mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām

(BG 9.25)

So you can prepare yourself for better life in the heavenly planets or in a better society in this world or to go to the planets where ghost and other wretches are controlling. Or you can go to the planet where Kṛṣṇa is there. Everything is open to you. Yānti bhūtejyā bhūtāni mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. Simply you have to prepare yourself. Just like in youth life they are educated—somebody is going to be engineer, somebody is going to be medical man, somebody is going to be lawyer and many other professional man—and they are preparing by education; similarly, you can prepare for your next life. This is not difficult to understand. But they do not believe in the next life, although it is very common sense. But actually there is next life, because Kṛṣṇa says, and we can understand the philosophy by a little intelligence that there is next life.

So our proposition is that "If you have got to prepare yourself for the next life, then why don't you take the trouble of preparing for going back to home, back to Godhead?" This is our proposition. You can prepare yourself to go to hell or heaven. That doesn't matter, because that is also temporary. Kṣīṇe puṇye punar martya-lokaṁ viṣanti (BG 9.21). After you have finished . . . just like you may go to jail or to somewhere else. When your visa or time is finished, then you are free from such life. Similarly, even if we go to the heavenly planet, when the resultant action of our pious activities are finished, then again we are turned down here. So in this way sometimes higher planetary, sometimes lower planetary, we are traveling. Therefore our best business is: "Why not go back to home, back to Godhead?" Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mam (BG 9.25): "Anyone who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he comes to Me." So why not go to Kṛṣṇa? Then the question will be: "What is the benefit of going to Kṛṣṇaloka? What is the difference between going to heavenly planet or any other planet and going to Kṛṣṇa?" The difference is, any planet you go, you are under the four material regulation, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9): birth, death, old age and disease. But if you go to Kṛṣṇa . . . yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). If you go to Kṛṣṇa, then you don't get any more chance to come down and take a material body. You can live there eternally blissful life of knowledge. That is the difference.

So any intelligent man should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, cultivate the Kṛṣṇa conscious business and go back to home, back to Godhead, for eternal life. This mission we are preaching all over the world, because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted it. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to deliver the fallen souls from the clutches of māyā and take them back to home, back to Godhead. As Kṛṣṇa came, He also . . . His mission was this. Bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam ādigacchati (BG 4.10). Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma (BG 15.6). He is also giving information, "You come to Me. Live there eternally, with bliss and knowledge. Why you are rotting in this material world?" So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has come with the same mission. His mission is not different from Kṛṣṇa, because He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. So His mission is to offer prema, bhakti. Prema-bhakti-vadānyatā. That is His magnanimity. Śrī Kṛṣṇa did not offer prema. That is also prema, the preliminary condition. He said, "Surrender." Surrender means beginning of prema. Unless I have got love for you, why shall I surrender to you? So that is the beginning of love, surrender. So He demanded so much.

But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so kind and magnanimous that in course of His chanting and dancing, He embraced everyone and gave him kṛṣṇa-prema. That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's magnanimity. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has offered his prayer to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53): "People cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, and You are giving love of Kṛṣṇa." If you don't know anybody, how you can develop love for him? So just imagine how much magnanimous is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is giving such a nice process - chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, be purified - immediately you become free from this material bondage and begin your loving service to Kṛṣṇa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's gift. So therefore the author is writing that agaty-eka-gatiṁ natvā . . . (break) (end)