730625 - Lecture SB 01.10.11-12 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730625SB-MAYAPUR - June 25, 1973 - 38:12 Minutes

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgo

hātuṁ notsahate budhaḥ

kīrtyamānaṁ yaśo yasya

sakṛd ākarṇya rocanam

tasmin nyasta-dhiyaḥ pārthāḥ

saheran virahaṁ katham

darśana-sparśa-saṁlāpa-

śayanāsana-bhojanaiḥ

(SB 1.10.11-12)

(break)

sat-saṅgāt—by association of pure devotees; mukta-duḥsaṅgaḥ—freed from bad materialistic association; hātum—to give up; na utsahate—never attempts; budhaḥ—one who has understood the Lord; kīrtyamānam—glorifying; yaśaḥ—fame; yasya—whose; sakṛt—once only; ākarṇya—hearing only; rocanam—pleasing; tasmin—unto Him; nyasta-dhiyaḥ—one who has given up his mind unto Him; pārthāḥ—the sons of Pṛthā; saheran—can tolerate; viraham—separation; katham—how; darśana—seeing eye to eye; sparśa—touching; saṁlāpa—conversing; śayana—sleeping; āsana—sitting; bhojanaiḥ—dining together.

Translation: "The intelligent, who have understood the Supreme Lord in association with pure devotees and have become freed from bad, materialistic association, can never avoid hearing the glories of the Lord, even though they have heard them only once. How, then, could the Pāṇḍavas tolerate His separation, for they had been intimately associated with His person, seeing Him eye to eye, touching Him, conversing with Him, and sleeping, sitting and dining with Him?"

Prabhupāda:

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido

bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ

taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani

śraddhā ratir bhaktir prasīdati

(SB 3.25.25)

Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅga. Sat means devotees, and asat means nondevotees. Even in moral instruction of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he advises: tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita adv . . . although he was a politician, a great politician, still, a learned brāhmin and knowing all moral instruction, he gives this advice: tyaja durjana-saṁsargam.

This is the crucial point of advancement in human life. Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam: "Try to avoid." Not try; must. You must avoid the association of the materialistic persons. Materialistic person means those who are after money and woman. That's all. They are materialistic. Those persons, simply hankering after money and woman, they are materialistic.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised to associate with this class of men, hankering after money and women, it is better . . . death is better, preferred, than to associate. When He was requested to see King Pratāparudra—because he was king, he's supposed to be always in association with money and women—He refused to see him: "No, I cannot see the King." When He refused to see, He quoted one verse: bhava-sāgarasya, niṣkiñcanasya bhava-sāgarasya. Niṣkiñcanasya jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya (CC Madhya 11.8).

People do not know what is bhava-sāgara. They do not know even. But in Vedic literature, this is the first instruction, how to get out of this bhava-sindhu, bhava-sāgara, material ocean. The whole universe is also a ocean. And all these planets, they are called dvīpa. Just like this planet is called Jambudvīpa, Bhārata-varṣa. Actually it is like dvīpa. Nowadays, those who are flying in the sky, they're going from one island to another island, one planet to another planet. So when there is called dvīpa, there must be relative term, the ocean, or the sea. So whole this universe, this planets, they are called dvīpa. Therefore they are floating in the ocean of air. Just like you have got experience. You have got experience of this also, ocean of water. And above water, there is air, ocean of air. Then there is sky.

So bhava-sāgarasya. The whole universe is bhava-sāgara. Sāgara means ocean, or sea. And bhava means repetition of birth and death. Bhava. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), in the Bhagavad-gītā. Once we take birth, we remain here for some time, then we give up this body; we accept another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). We have to . . . so long we are in this material ocean, we have to accept these laws of nature, repetition of birth and death. This is called bhava-sāgara. So we are eternal, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). It requires little intelligence that, "I am eternal. Why I am in this business, accepting one body and again giving up, giving it up? And there is no guarantee what kind of body I'm going to accept next." There is no guarantee. It will be according to your work. We can become an insect, or we can become the demigod. We can become tree; we can become animal—anything, according to our karma. karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1).

So this rascal civilization, they do not understand what is bhava-sāgara, what is bhava. Nothing. They are so rascal. And they're passing on as civilized men. No knowledge. So when one is intelligent actually, then he considers that, "If I am eternal, why should I accept repetition of birth and death?" That is intelligence. But they have given (in) to birth and death—"Never mind." Even university students, they say, "If next life, if I become animal, what is the wrong?" Just see, how much degraded. In Hawaii University, one student said that, "Even if I become an animal, what is the wrong there?" Just see how much degraded the human society has become. They are prepared to become animal, cats and dogs, trees, anything.

So when one comes out of this gross ignorance, how to get out of this bhava-sāgara . . . just like if you are thrown into the water of sea, you may be very expert swimmer, but you don't like to remain there. You want to come out. Similarly, although we may be very expert in changing our body, but still, at the time of death, we don't like it. Nobody likes to die. But he . . . nobody thinks how to stop this death. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). By the destruction of this body, the soul is not dead. It is living. So this is called self-realization. One must be sober to think over that, "If I am eternal, if I do not die after the destruction of this body, and I do not like to die, how to stop it?" This is intelligence: how to stop the repetition of birth and death.

But the human civilization, the so-called human being has become so much degraded, they have no brain even to think over these matters, that how to stop this repetition or if there is any means to stop this repetition of birth and death. They do not . . . they have no knowledge. Still they are going on as human being. They're like animals. Even big, big professors in Europe, they say: "Swāmījī, after death, everything is finished." You see. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Even these plain words, the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, they do not understand. Not only they. Here, also, so many politicians, so many rascals, they take Bhagavad-gītā, but they do not understand. They're busy with politics.

But the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20):

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir . . .

(BG 2.13)

No political leaders teach the people that there is birth after death. Have you heard any politician? But take the Bhagavad-gītā and stands with photograph: "Oh, he's a very great reader of Bhagavad-gītā." But one who understands Bha . . . "He's a rascal." If he understands Bhagavad-gītā, why he's in politics? And even if he's politics . . . these, all these kings, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Kṛṣṇa, they were also in politics. But they know things as they are. That is the difference. Who can be greater politician than Kṛṣṇa? He's giving this instruction: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So in human life, if they do not know what is the process of living condition, how we are changing, how we are accepting birth and death, how to stop it, then what is the meaning of this human being?

So this knowledge can be attained by sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅga means . . . this is sat-saṅga, associating with devotees of the Lord. So sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅgāt mukta-duḥsaṅgaḥ (SB 1.10.11). You cannot make association with two parties. If you want to associate with the devotees, then you have to give up the association of the nondevotees. That will be natural. Just like our these students, although they are very young . . . they are not only young, but coming of very luxurious families in America, Europe. Here, the boys, they cannot even imagine how much luxury they enjoyed. Here, they have no employment, our young men. Mostly unemployed. And in Europe, America, especially in America, there is no question of unemployment. Anyone can go and earn immediately ten dollars. Ten dollars means hundred rupees. He's prepared.

One of my students, Strayādhīśa, he was, morning, he was absent. So I asked him, "Why you are absent?" "No, I required some money, so I went to get some money." "How you got money?" "Now I went to the shoe-brushing shop. So I brushed some gentleman's shoes. I got some money, five dollars." So they know how to earn money. There's no scarcity of money. Even in a hotel, one goes, he washes the dishes—immediately gets ten dollar. So money and woman. So they are enough they enjoy, but now they have given up everything. Why? Due to this sat-saṅga. Due to this sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅgān tattva-duḥsaṅgaḥ. No more. No more association with money and woman. This is so powerful, sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅga is so powerful.

Sat-saṅga means satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvidaḥ (SB 3.25.25). When actually there is sat-saṅga . . . not professional Bhāgavata readers or Bhagavad reader. No. Really realized souls of Bhāgavata, Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, they are called sat. Not for earning livelihood. They are not sat. Those who are, those who are reading Bhagavad-gītā and Bhāgavata for some worldly material gain, they are not sat. They are asat.

Those who are actually reading Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for the satisfaction of Bhagavān, bhagavata, they are sat. So once associating with these sat people, he cannot make anymore association asat. Here is a vivid example: Hṛṣīkeśa. He left our company. He associated with some asat. Asat means nondevotees. Asat, generally, we understand rogues and thieves. But those who are devotees, they're less than rogues and thieves. Those who are not devotees, they're less than rogues and thieves. So he could not associate. It was struggle. At last, he had to leave.

So sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgaḥ. Once you are associated sincerely with devotees, he cannot mix with nondevotees. This is the test. This is the test. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. If once only . . . sakṛt. Here it is said, kīrtyamānaṁ yaśo yasya sakṛd ākarṇya rocanam. If once . . . satāṁ prasaṅgāt, sat-saṅga is so powerful, if one submissively hears from sat-saṅga about the name and fame of the Supreme Lord, immediately it becomes palatable. Sakṛd ākarṇya rocanam.

The same thing is repeated in another place: satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ (SB 3.25.25). If one hears from real devotee, immediately he becomes pregnant. Vīryamāna. Just like if one boy is vīryamāna, as soon as he has sex, the girl must be pregnant. Similarly, those who are vīryamāna, really devotee, by hearing him, one becomes pregnant. Pregnant means he becomes interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is called satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ. Hṛt.

We like from the heart. We like from the ear, very nice to hear. Hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ. Rasāyana means pleasing. As soon as one will hear from satām, then his ear and heart will be pleased: "Oh, it is very nice." Hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ. Taj-joṣaṇāt. And if he again cultivate, if he thinks over, taj-joṣaṇāt, āśu . . . āśu means immediately; apavarga-vartmani, on the path of liberation. Śraddhā bhaktir ratir anukramiṣyati. This is the process. Therefore, sat-saṅga is required.

Now we have opened such a big hall, inviting people to come to take part in the sat-saṅga, but nobody's interested. So therefore if anyone becomes interested, he's very intelligent. He's intelligent because he wants to stop this repetition of birth and death. This is the problem. This problem, the so-called scientists, philosophers, educationists, politician, they have set aside this question. The real problem is to solve the question of birth and death. They do not touch it. They are making plan for economic development and other things. Economic development . . . suppose you become rich man for twenty years or fifty years, utmost, at the present moment. Then you become a cat and dog in next life. Then what is your economic development?

But they do not know that there is life after death. We have to prepare for the next life. karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Then according to my karma, by superior inspection, I'll get next birth. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is plainly spoken: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says: "Simply try to understand My janma. I take birth." Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā. He's aja. Every one of us, aja. Na jāyate na mriyate. We don't take birth, don't die, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa must be aja.

So Kṛṣṇa takes birth. There is Janmāṣṭamī. So if anyone tries to understand why the Aja, the Unborn, takes birth, janma karma . . . and God, Kṛṣṇa, who has nothing to do . . . that is the Vedic information. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8). Why He has to do? Actually He hasn't got to do anything. He has to enjoy only. Just like we see the Deity Kṛṣṇa is not working in the factory as a factory manager. He's enjoying the company of Rādhārāṇī. We have to work. If we enjoy with our so-called Rādhārāṇī, then we'll starve to death. We have to work. But God is not like that. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. These are the informations from Vedas, Upaniṣad, that He has nothing to do. Yes. That is real God. If God has to work, God has to do something, then what kind of God He is?

Here, the so-called imitation God . . . even a rich man, he does not do anything. And why God will work? Therefore God comes. He's aja, unborn. He comes, janma, karma, He works also. Just like Kṛṣṇa, He worked ordinary cowherd's boy. He worked as ordinary politician. He worked as ordinary philosopher, left the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā and so many other instruction, sublime instruction.

So one has to understand that why the Unborn takes birth. One who hasn't got to do anything, why He comes as a human being and works? Janma karma me divyam. These are all transcendental subject matter. These are not ordinary things. Kṛṣṇa's coming, Kṛṣṇa's working, Kṛṣṇa's fighting, Kṛṣṇa's loving, they're all transcendental subject matter. Aprākṛta. So janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. If anyone simply understands this subject matter, why Kṛṣṇa takes birth, why Kṛṣṇa works as ordinary man—these are all transcendental subject matter—then he becomes free. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, about His work, about His birth.

Simply if we can understand. The Bhagavad-gītā is there. You can read, and try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. The result will be, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9): then after giving up this body, he never takes birth in this material world. Punar janma. Punar janma means within this material world. In the spiritual world there is no janma, there is no death. Punar janma naiti. Then where . . .? He's finished? No. Mām eti: "He comes to Me, back to home, back to Godhead." This is perfection.

So anyone who is interested in this highest perfection of life, punar janma naiti mām eti, not to take birth again in this material world, but to go back home, back to Godhead, such person . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu speaks for such person: niṣkiñcanasya jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya, pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya (CC Madhya 11.8). Pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣoḥ. Just like we are on this side of the sea; we want to go the other side of the sea. Similarly this bhava-samudra, we are on this part of the sea, material world. If we want to go to the other side, spiritual world, so we have to become niṣkiñcana. Niṣkiñcana means no more possessing anything material. That is called niṣkiñcana.

If we hanker after possessing material . . . therefore sannyāsa. Sannyāsa means simply possess Kṛṣṇa, no other possession. That is niṣkiñcana. You have to possess something. Suppose you have got something, one copper coin or silver coin. So if you dispossess, if you throw it away, then what is the gain? Whatever you had, gone. But if you throw the copper coin or the silver coin, and if you accept a gold coin, then you are profitted. Then it is profit. So niṣkiñcana, to simply become niṣkiñcana, renounced of everything . . . just like Māyāvādī sannyāsī, they do. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Yes. But brahma satyam, they do not understand what is the actual satya-vastu. That satya-vastu is Bhagavān. They do not search after Bhagavān; simply the light, effulgence of Bhagavān, brahma-jyotir. They are satisfied.

(workers yelling in background)

(aside) What is that, trouble? Stop them.

So there are so many versions about sat-saṅga and asat-saṅga. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises, niṣkiñcanasya pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya sandarśanam atha yoṣitām. (yelling continues in background, louder) They're fighting? Or what . . .?

Pradyumna: Sandarśanaṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca.

Prabhupāda: Ah. Sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca (CC Madhya 11.8). So niṣkiñcana means do not hanker after any more money and women. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu refused to see persons who are after money and woman, because by their association we may be infected. We may be again hankering after. Suppose I have taken sannyāsa, and if I see one gṛhastha having a very faithful and beautiful wife, if I think, "Oh, I left my wife. If I would have possessed, I would have been happy," he's immediately fallen. Because within the mind he's associating with yoṣit. Suppose we go to see some rich man. I see that he has got money, nice motorcar, nice building. If I think, "Oh, I have taken sannyāsa. If I would have possessed all these things, I would have been . . ." then immediately fall down.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu strictly prohibits that if you have become niṣkiñcana, renounced order, with a idea of going forward, bhava-sāgarasya, on the other side of the ocean, then aspiring after money and women is lower than dying, committing suicide. Hā hanta hā hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu (CC Madhya 11.8). If you take poison, that is criminal. Similarly, He says, "A man in renounced order of life, if he's thinking of woman and money, then he's committing suicide more than ordinary suicide." Viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu. Viṣa-bhakṣaṇa. If you drink poison, then you are criminal. If you survive, by law you'll be punished. Perhaps you know it. Anyone attempting to commit suicide, if he survives, by law he'll be punished: "Why you attempted suicide? This is criminal." Similarly, to see, to aspire after women and money by the renounced order people is lower than committing suicide. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's version.

So actually who has associated with sādhu, he cannot make any more association with asādhu. Therefore it is said that sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgaḥ. Mukta-duḥsaṅga. Mukta means completely liberated. Such person, hātuṁ notsahate budhaḥ, such person cannot give up the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Kīrtyamānam. He may try to go away, but he'll not be happy. He'll not be happy. We have seen practically. Some of our boys who have left, they come occasionally. Even he protests externally, internally he understands that he has committed a mistake by associating. Kīrtyamānam. Kīrtyamānaṁ yaśo yasya sakṛd ākarṇya rocanam. The saṅkīrtana, chanting of this holy name, is so pleasing that one cannot avoid it if once he has associated with devotees. This is the position.

Therefore for the Pāṇḍavas . . . of course, the holy name of the Lord and the Lord, they're identical. There is no difference. But still we are chanting the holy name of the Lord, and if the Lord comes personally, how much we shall be engladdened. So we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name, but the Pāṇḍavas, they were practically associating with Kṛṣṇa. So if a person associating with devotees becomes interested in chanting the holy name of the Lord, how much it is impossible . . . how much it is impossible for the Pāṇḍavas to give up His association. Because they are so fortunate that darśana-sparśa-saṁlāpa-śayanāsana-bhojanaiḥ.

They're in intimately friendly terms with Kṛṣṇa, that they're lying together, they're sitting together, they're eating together, always seeing Kṛṣṇa. How they can tolerate His separation? It is impossible. If a . . . satāṁ prasaṅgāt, if a devotee cannot give up this chanting of His holy name, how the person who are actually seeing Kṛṣṇa, associating with Kṛṣṇa, can tolerate separation from Him? This is the purport.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol. (end)