741006 - Lecture SB 01.08.26 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

741006SB-MAYAPUR - October 06, 1974 - 43:52 Minutes

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir

edhamāna-madaḥ pumān

naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai

tvām akiñcana-gocaram

(SB 1.8.26)

(break)

Translation: "My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of material progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling."

Prabhupāda:

janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir

edhamāna-madaḥ pumān

naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai

tvām akiñcana-gocaram

(SB 1.8.26)

Akiñcana. Akiñcana means na kiñcana. Kiñcana means "something." So na kiñcana means "One who has nothing to possess." He is called na kiñcana. Or one who is fully convinced that, "Nothing belongs to me," he is akiñcana. Here, in the material world, it is just the opposite. Everyone is thinking that, "I have got something." I have seen long, long ago, maybe fifty years ago in Howrah station—I was going somewhere—so one man, his luggage was the half-burned some fuel wood and some rejected things. He was carrying as luggage half-burned fuel wood. He thought that, "This is my possession. I have saved this." So he was taking to his home. That means everyone, even though it is very insignificant, still, everyone thinks that, "I have got something." This is the material disease.

So this is the illusion. Therefore śāstra says, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). How a man becomes entangled in this material world, everything is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam. This material world means sex attraction, mithunī-bhāva. The man is searching after woman, woman is searching after man. This is material life—in human life, in bird's, beast's . . . just these sparrows—they are trying to make some nest on this chandelier to enjoy sex and lay eggs. Therefore they require some place. The basic principle is sex. First of all sex life, then other necessities. First of all, seeing, man and woman. Then, when they unite, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). When they unite and they get children, then the hard knot of heart—"She is my wife. She's (He's) my husband. We cannot separate . . ." Hard knot. Hṛdaya-granthi. Already there is attraction. Now this attraction becomes more and more tight after unity. Then we require a place to live together, "Home, sweet home." Yes, very sweet. (chuckles) The whole day and night, work. And this is moha. He is working hard day and night. There is not a single's moment leisure, and still he's, "Sweet home." This is illusion.

So ataḥ gṛha. As soon as a man and woman or a male-female, either bird, beast or human being or demigods, everyone . . . then he requires home, gṛha, then land to produce food, gṛha-kṣetra, then children. Gṛha-kṣetra. Because when a man is married, the social life, if he has no children, that is means vacant home. Putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has said, vidyā hīnaṁ jīvanaṁ śūnyam: "One who is not educated, his life is zero." Vidyā hīnaṁ jīvanaṁ śūnyam. And diśaḥ śūnyā deha abāndhavāḥ: "And if you want to go to some foreign place, if that place is not a holy place . . ." Because according to Vedic system, they go on touring to see holy places, tīrtha-sthāna, or to a friend's house. "So if you are going to some foreign countries, if there is no friend and no devatā, then it is useless." Diśaḥ śūnyā deha abāndhavāḥ. Or putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam: "You are married, but you have no children. That is also vacant, zero." Putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam. Sarva-śūnyā daridratā: "But if you are poor, then everything is zero." Your vidyā is zero, your home is zero, and your friend is zero, because nobody will care you.

So real point is putram. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta. Suta means putra. And according to . . . (aside)(referring to birds) Drive them. So required. Married life requires children. Otherwise, it is vacant. So Bhāgavatam says that ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam (SB 5.5.8) that, "I possess . . ." In another place it is said that we are thinking very secure, "I have got a nice body, stout and strong. I take daily exercise in the morning and I keep myself fit." Ataḥ . . . that verse is . . .? The . . .? Deha-kalatrādi. "I have got good wife." Sainya means ātma-sainya, su, asatsu, ātmā . . . we are thinking, "I am in the family life. I am very happy. I am very secure. I have got my good wife, I have got my good children, and so many things. I have got good bank balance. So I am secure." So śāstra says, pramattaḥ tasya nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati.

Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu. I was forgetting. Deha and apatya. Deha means this body, and apatya means children. Dehāpatya-kalatra. Kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣu (SB 2.1.4). Just like when a king fights, he has got some soldiers, similarly, our life in this material world is simply fighting. There is always some danger. Just like Kuntī says, vipadaḥ santu śaśvat tāḥ (SB 1.8.25). It is simply full of dangers. So when there is danger, we have to fight. That is material life. That is called struggle for existence. So how we are fighting? Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣu (SB 2.1.4). This is our soldier. "I have got a good body, strong body, and I have got my children, my grown-up boys. I have got very good wife." Ādi. This is the ādi. This is beginning of thinking, "I have got . . ." Kiñcana. This is kiñcana, "I have got something." Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu. They are considered as ātma-sainya: "They are my soldiers. Whenever I am sick, they will help me. If I go out, then who will help me? If I leave my home, then if I fall sick, who will take care of me? No, no. I am not going out of home." Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣu. That is my soldier. We are fighting with the soldier, accompanied by soldier.

Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api (SB 2.1.4). Asat: they will not stay. I have got experience. Everyone has got . . . my . . . I was children, you were children. Now, I had father to take protection or other relative, friend. But now they are gone. Asatsu. Everything is finished. So these soldiers, either as father or son, the father is finished, the son will be . . . also will be finished. Asatsu api. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api, pramatto teṣāṁ nidhanam. These soldiers will be killed. Teṣāṁ nidhanaṁ, paśyann api na paśyati. He knows; he has got experience. Still, he is blind that, "These soldiers will not be able to give me protection. When death will come, they'll not be able. But my real miserable condition is birth, death and old age and disease. So when I fall sick, they can help. They're eager to help. But real help they cannot give me." One should understand that. Ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api. They will be killed. Real protection is Kṛṣṇa. That we do not know.

So, so long we possess all these things . . . that is explained here: janma, aiśvarya, śruta, śrī. These are good material possessions: to born in high family, aristocratic family, or brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family. These were considered high parentage, heritage. Nowadays, everyone is śūdra. That is another thing. Nobody can be proud of his birth. So janma and aiśvarya. If we possess land, home and children, wife, bank balance, that is called aiśvarya. Janmaiśvarya-śruta. And education. "I am philosopher. I am scientist. I am this, poet." So education. That is called śruta. Śruta. Especially Vedic knowledge, śruti. So janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ. And śrī, beauty. So unless one is very happy or born in good family; unless one . . . he cannot have bodily beauty. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna, edhamāna-madaḥ (SB 1.8.26). The more we possess these things, then we become intoxicated. It is already illusion. Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). So that illusion becomes more and more stronger. And that is called madaḥ.

So they are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the position at the present moment. Everyone is trying that, "I must have a good position in the society." People will say: "Oh, his house is very nice." Or everyone is trying to be educated to acquire money. In the Western countries, these are very prominent, janmaiśvarya-śruta. They are not very much interested about the janma, but aiśvarya, śruta, they are interested, and śrī. So everywhere, more or less, that is the . . . so these are disqualification for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the materially, they are very good qualification, advancement of material civilization. But here Kuntī says, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ pumān, naivārhati (SB 1.8.26): "He does not desire." Na eva, naiva, arhati.

Therefore the Vedic civilization is voluntary giving up. Voluntary giving up. Big, big king, Mahārāja Bharata, the emperor of the whole world, Bhārata-varṣa—therefore it is called Bhārata-varṣa—at the age of twenty-four years, he gave up his kingdom, his young wife. There are many, many instances. So to become voluntarily akiñcana, "I have nothing. I don't possess anything." Here in this material world, everyone is trying to possess more—more wealth, more education, more beauty, more family prestige, aristocracy. This is materialism. And spiritualism means just the opposite. Therefore people are not attracted to spiritualism. I have told you that I was thinking when I was dreaming that "Guru Mahārāja is asking me to come out," and I was going . . . did I say this story? Yes. So I was afraid: "Oh, I have to give up my family. And I become . . . I have to become sannyāsī? And I have to go behind my Guru Mahārāja? No, no, it is horrible." I was thinking. But he forced me to it. He is so kind that he forced me, somehow or other. That is mercy. I can understand now that how much merciful was my Guru Mahārāja that he forced me to take this life.

So therefore it was enquired by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja . . . there is a verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that . . . this question was raised by Parīkṣit Mahārāja to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. So "Your Honor, we see just the opposite thing, that one who is devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, the wife . . . the husband of the goddess of fortune, they become gradually poorer." Because a Vaiṣṇava, generally, they remain humble and poor, brāhmaṇa also. "Whereas the worshiper of Lord Śiva . . ." Lord Śiva means . . . at least, he voluntarily accepts all poverty. His wife is Durgā-devī, so powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā (Bs. 5.44). She can make a new universe, she is so powerful. But this couple, Lord Śiva and Pārvatī, they have no house even to live. They live under the tree—so poor, no residential house even. "So when one becomes devotee of Lord Śiva, he gets material opulence. He becomes rich. He gets good wife. He gets all material opulences. And when one becomes the devotee of Viṣṇu, the husband of goddess of fortune, he becomes poor. Why this contradiction? This is contradiction. The worshiper of the Lord of goddess of fortune is becoming poorer, and the worshiper of the vagabond, who has no house even, lives underneath a bael tree—that is also not very good—and his devotee becomes so opulent materially. So why this difference?" These are statement. I have stated several times.

So Śukadeva Gosvāmī said to Parīkṣit that, "This very question was raised by your grandfather, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, to Lord Kṛṣṇa, and what He replied I'll say." So in that connection he gave quotation of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira . . . Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, by hint, asked Kṛṣṇa that, "We are Your friend, and why we are put into such tribulations that we have lost our kingdom? We are now living in the forest. Our wife is insulted. Why?" So the reply was that yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ (SB 10.88.8). Means . . . Kṛṣṇa said that, "When I make one especially favored, then I take away all his riches to make him niṣkiñcana." Niṣkiñcana means one becomes almost poverty-stricken. Nobody cares for him. Then he becomes fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says:

hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-sutā-juta

koruṇā karoho ei-bāro

narottama-dāsa koy . . . koruṇā

nā ṭheliho rāṅgā pāy

tomā bine ke āche āmāra

This position is very nice, niṣkiñcana. "I have lost everything. I am now not cared by my family, my friends. So everything I have lost. Therefore I am forced to come to You, surrender. So don't kick me, kick me out. Please give me shelter, because I have no other shelter." Tomā bine ke āche āmāra: "There is nobody else to take my care except Your Lordship." This is called niṣkiñcana.

So actually that is the position. So long we shall think that, "For my protection, this arrangement is there for my protection. This arrangement is there," that is not niṣkiñcana. Niṣkiñcana means when I'll think . . . I'll be actually under the understanding that, "I have no other protection except Kṛṣṇa," and then I fully surrender, that is the best qualification for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore it is said, naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai tvām, "Unto You." "Who are You?" Akiñcana-gocaram: "You can be understood only by a person who has lost everything." Who has lost everything. That . . . the Kuntī's purpose was that "When we lost everything, You were with us. And now we have got kingdom, we have got prestige, we have got so many things, now You are going away to Dvārakā?" So tvām akiñcana-gocaram.

So this is Kuntī's realization. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ . . . (SB 1.8.26). Therefore for spiritual advancement, if one is interested, they should not be too much attached to material things if you want to advance in spiritual life. Janmaiśvarya . . . because this will be entanglement. The more and more we shall think, "This is mine. This is mine." Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This is illusion. Nothing belongs to him, but by illusion he will think, "This is mine. This is mine." Just like we have got this nice, grand building in this district. If we think, "This is my building" or "My building," then there will be mishap. My Guru Mahārāja said, personally. He said that, "When we were living in a rented house, if we could collect two hundred, three hundred rupees . . . we were living very nicely at Ultadanga. And since then—J. V. Datta has given us this marble palace, Gauḍīya-Maṭha—there is friction between our men: 'Who will occupy this room? Who will occupy that room? Who will be proprietor of room?' " Tīrtha Mahārāja . . . Kuñjabābā was giving one tablet that, "This is . . ." Everyone is planning in different way. So Guru Mahārāja said . . . he was personally instructing me that, "If I could sell this marble of this temple and secure some money, and if I could print some books, that would have been better. That would have been better."

Therefore I am so much after books. If we forget our position—if we become pound-shilling man, property man—then Kṛṣṇa will be finished, because Kṛṣṇa is akiñcana-gocara. Therefore we should always remember that we possess this nice house not for our comfort, but people will come, because they are not accustomed . . . if we would have invited people, "Come and sit down on this Māyāpur ground," no, there was no possibility. Therefore we must possess Kṛṣṇa's temple very nice so that people will come, and we shall preach. That is philosophy, not that because we have got this nice house, therefore we should be very much attached. Attachment must be there—for Kṛṣṇa's service. The temple must be very cleansed. The establishment must be very nice. What for? For attracting devotees. This is the purpose. Not for our personal benefit. That is the way. My Guru Mahārāja introduced these big, big palaces, temple. That is the contribution of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Because the Gosvāmīs, they worshiped Kṛṣṇa in a different method—going to Vṛndāvana, living underneath the tree, and one night underneath one tree, next night, next tree. This vairāgya is not possible for the Western people. Therefore we require this building. That is the contribution. Unless they live comfortably, it is not possible. And we have to preach all over the world.

So nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255). For Kṛṣṇa's . . . therefore you'll find in India, there are many very big, big, costly temples, not personal house. You'll never find, all over India. You go and see. They have spent lots of money for temple. That was the Oriental civilization. Even the Muhammadans, they would construct very costly mosque, but they would live in huts. That was the intention. One . . . when . . . whenever one is a little bit rich, he'll find out how to spend it for Kṛṣṇa, not for his sense gratification. Just like this Madana-mohana temple was constructed by a big merchant. He approached Sanātana Gosvāmī, "Sir, what can I do for you? I want to serve you." So Sanātana Gosvāmī said, "My Madana-mohana . . . I am living underneath the tree, and my Madana-mohana is hanging. So if you can, you can construct a temple for Madana-mohana." Similarly, Mahārāja Mansingh approached Rūpa Gosvāmī. They never constructed big, big temple for their own living purpose, but Kṛṣṇa's purpose. That is the way. For Kṛṣṇa we must have everything very gorgeous and first class, but not for me. That is akiñcana. Personally we should not possess anything, simply for Kṛṣṇa.

So that attitude should be maintained, because here it is said, tvām akiñcana-gocaram (SB 1.8.26). And Caitanya Mahāprabhu also, He said that niṣkiñcanasya. Here it is called akiñcana. And the same thing in different way, niṣkiñcana. Akiñcana. "A" means negation, and "na" means negation. Niṣkiñcana. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Bhagavad-bhajana, to advance in spiritual life, to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's devotional service, that is the aim of life. That is the purpose of human form of life. So for him, he should always remain niṣkiñcana. Niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya (CC Madhya 11.8). So therefore Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī, he remained niṣkiñcana. And his disciple, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, he also remained niṣkiñcana although he possessed so many temples, because nothing was for his personal . . . but for Kṛṣṇa.

So one may question that, "Your Guru Mahārāja was sitting on the ground in a municipal lavatory . . ." Because he did not like that, "Anybody should disturb me," he was sitting by the side of municipal lavatory. Because so many people will come for darśana and āśīrvāda, he did not like it. He did not like to be disturbed by these āśīrvāda. You see? "They will not take any spiritual instruction. They are thinking that, 'Here is a saintly person, and he'll bless me. So I have got now one thousand; I'll tell ten thousand.' That's all. Therefore they come. They do not come to take any spiritual instruction. Therefore it is botheration. It is botheration." So Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja did not like this botheration. He was sitting by the side of a municipal lavatory so that "These rascal will not come out of the bad smell and will not disturb me." You see?

So Mahārāja Maṇīndrānandī, he was one of the . . . he had organized one saṅkīrtana festival. So he came to Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja and to invite him. So after many requests, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja said, "Mahārāja, you have got many tenants. You are Mahārāja. Why you are trying to make me your tenant? Because you are rich man, you also want . . . as your tenants carries your order, so you also want me. So why you are . . .?" "No, sir, no. You are my lord. Whatever you say, I shall carry out." "Will you carry out?" "Why not?" So he said that, "Don't go home. Sit down here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." He fled away. (laughs) You see. So he was very humorous also, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī, that "If you are so obedient, then I ask you, 'Don't go home. Better give up your dress and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa here.' "

So he was akiñcana. So similarly . . . just like Rāmānanda Rāya. He was gṛhastha, very opulent, governor. He is also akiñcana because nothing was possessed by personal, everything for Jagannātha. This is the distinction. On one side, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and one side, Rāmānanda Rāya. And Rāmānanda Rāya is the most confidential devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although he's a gṛhastha, because he is akiñcana, as akiñcana as Rūpa Gosvāmī. So we have to become akiñcana. Akiñcana. Then we shall realize Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is said, akiñcana-gocaram: "You are understandable only by a person who does not possess so-called material opulence." So we should always remember that whatever we are trying for material . . . it is all for Kṛṣṇa, nothing for us, so that people may . . . big, gorgeous temple means people will be attracted to come here, and we'll distribute Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. The aim is some way or other to turn them, to convert them into Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you remain akiñcana. And if we think that, "We have got now very big house. We shall live comfortably and sleep comfortably," then na gocaram, then Kṛṣṇa will not be realized. Then that comfort will be realized only, not Kṛṣṇa. Akiñcana-gocaram. We should always remember this. This is . . . Kuntī devī is saying, tvām akiñcana-gocaram (SB 1.8.26).

And Caitanya Mahāprabhu said also, niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya (CC Madhya 11.8). Bhagavad-bhajana, devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, if one is interested, he should not desire anything material possession. Material . . . anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajano . . . and bhagavad-bhajana, why required? Now, pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya. We are rotting in this material world. We have to cross over the nescience ocean and go to Vaikuṇṭha. That is bhagavad-bhajana. Bhagavad-bhajana does not mean to increase our material possessions. That is dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41). These are material things. People become religious to increase their economic condition better, dharma artha, generally. They want to . . . just like there are so many so-called saintly person, they advertise that, "If you give me one, I shall give you ten." Magic, gold manufacturing, or some cloth, and they get more . . . people are after them. But akiñcana. We have nothing to give. So they do not come to us.

So Kṛṣṇa is akiñcana-gocara. We should always remember that, that if we desire to be materially happy, and if we think, "Some material possession and prestige in the society and becoming a learned scholar . . . I shall be getting more and more adoration from the society. I'll be a big man," then Kṛṣṇa will be finished. Kṛṣṇa will be finished. Kṛṣṇa is akiñcana-gocara. That is the instruction of this verse. Naivārhaty abhidhātum. These persons, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna (SB 1.8.26), increasing material opulence, they does not . . . they do not deserve approaching Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will be approached by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, when he says, tomā bine ke āche āmāra (Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura): "I have no other alternative than to take shelter at the lotus feet of Your Lordship. Please give me." We should always remember this. Then we shall be able to make progress in spiritual life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (end)