760331 - Lecture SB 07.05.23-24 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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760331SB-VRNDAVAN - March 31, 1976 - 17:30 Minutes

Prabhupāda: So our Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma temple is known as angrez temple. So, it is full with angrez now.

Devotee: Haribol. (pause)

Prabhupāda:

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau

bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā

kriyeta bhagavaty addhā

tan manye 'dhītam uttamam

(SB 7.5.23-24)

So the nine different processes of devotional service. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father to say something from whatever he had learned. He considered that what he had learned from his spiritual master was the best of all teaching, whereas what he had learned from the, learned about diplomacy from his material teachers, Sanda and Amarka, was useless.

So the education at the present moment throughout the whole world is Sanda-Amarka education. For a devotee such kind of education has no value. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Everyone is being educated how to live comfortably with reference to the comforts of the body. This is not education.

Real education is to understand oneself, self-realization, and with that purpose one should make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that beginning with śravaṇam. As we are hearing, without śravaṇa there is no beginning of spiritual education. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido (SB 3.25.25). That śravaṇa, hearing also, should be accepted from devotee, from real devotee.

Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī recommended that a brāhmaṇa, he wrote something about Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and there were so many discrepancies. So Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī was not at all satisfied with such writings. He chastised the brāhmaṇa, that "You cannot write."

So unless one is self-realized, there is practically no use writing about Kṛṣṇa. This transcendental writing does not depend on material education; it depends on the spiritual realization. You'll find, therefore, in the comments of Bhāgavatam by different ācāryas, even there are some discrepancies, they are accepted as ārṣa-prayoga. It should remain as it is.

So Sanātana Gosvāmī therefore said, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtaṁ, śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam (Padma Purāṇa): "One who is not Vaiṣṇava, from him one should not hear hari-kathāmṛtaṁ." Hari-kathā. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is hari-kathā, and it is amṛta, nectarean. But if it is recited or explained by some avaiṣṇava, one should not hear. It is forbidden.

The example is given, sarpocchiṣṭaṁ yathā payaḥ (Padma Purāṇa). So professional reciters or one who speaks and writes for living means, it is strictly prohibited. Na vyākhyām upayuñjīta (SB 7.13.8). One should not make Bhāgavata recitation as a means of livelihood. That is, the process is not accepted. So śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). You should hear from Vaiṣṇava, at least one who is trying to become Vaiṣṇava, not professional man. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42).

So the test of advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is that one should be detestful, lose attachment to the material things. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja did not like the material education from Sanda and Amarka. He very plainly said to his father that "What I have heard from my spiritual master, Nārada Muni . . ." Spiritual master means Nārada Muni or his representative. Therefore we should follow the Nārada Pañcarātra instructions, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). According to Nārada Pañcarātra, one should be free from all designation. Just like you boys from America and Europe, you have forgotten your designation. Therefore you are advanced, and people are very much praising that "How these Europeans, Americans have become nice devotee." They do not know that they are no longer Americans or Europeans; they are devotees, Kṛṣṇa's servant. This is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam.

So long we shall think that "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am African," there is no possibility of advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This teaching we have got from the greatest authority, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said that "I am not a brāhmaṇa; I am not a kṣatriya; I am not a vaiśya; I am not a śūdra; neither I am a brahmacārī or gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. I am simply servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa," gopī-bhartur pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80).

So the more we advance in the matter of becoming designationless, no designation . . . sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. So long we have got upādhis, designations, there are many desires, material desires. But we have to become zero about these material desires. Karma, jñāna, yoga, they are all material desires. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī-sakali 'aśānta' (CC Madhya 19.149), because they are in the material world. The karmīs, they are in the material world. The jñānīs, they are simply trying to get out of the material world, but their attempt will be failure because they do not catch up the real spiritual work. Real spiritual work is Kṛṣṇa. And yogīs, they are after demonstrating magic and get cheap popularity. So they are also in the material world—karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs. Only pure devotees, they are in the spiritual world. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. That is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa:

māṁ ca 'vyabhicāriṇi

bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

So as soon as you engage yourself in pure devotional service without any material desire, without any material designation, immediately you are liberated. Svarūpena avasthiti (SB 2.10.6). That is real situation of our constitutional position. So long we are not engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, that is our opposite number of life, not real life. Real life is when you are fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always engaged. That is life. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam.

So to be fixed up in that spiritual life we should always engage ourself, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam of whom? Viṣṇu. Of Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. Even not of any other demigods, what to speak of ordinary beings. We are engaged in śravaṇaṁ kīrtana from the morning. We take a newspaper and we read what the politician says, what so many nonsense things. We waste our time. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8).

We should increase our taste for hearing and chanting about Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. That engagement you have fully in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. So stick to these two books, or Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Caitanya-caritāmṛta is still far advanced.

So anyway, we should always engage ourself twenty-four hours. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31, Siksastam verse 3). Here it said, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. Sadā means twenty-four hours. We shall mold our life in such a way that . . . if somebody says, "How it is possible? We have got other business. How it is possible to simply engage in śravaṇaṁ kīr . . .?" Therefore smaraṇam. Whatever you are hearing, you should remember it. That is very easy.

Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). And always engage in serving. Just like śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau (Gurvastakam 3). If you have no engagement, simply cleanse this temple. Tan-mandira-mārjana. That is also service. That is also service. Pāda-sevanam. Arcanaṁ vandanam. Then actually worshiping, decorating, vandanam, offering prayer, dāsyam, sakhyam. In this way remain always engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Then you are to be considered the most learned.

That is the recommendation of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Tan manye adhītam uttamam. "In my mind, in my decision, persons who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness fully, they are to be understood as the first-class advanced in education." And this material education . . . of course, we are going to open the gurukula. Our aim is not how to make the students a big grammarian. No. That is not our purpose. How to make him fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the aim of this gurukula.

In the gurukula description there is nothing, such thing as how to make the student a big grammarian or . . . generally they take Sanskrit education, first grammar, and it is recommended that one should read at least for twelve years grammar. Actually this is the fact. Sanskrit grammar is very difficult, and unless one reads regularly for twelve years . . . but that is another thing. If one is well versed in grammar he can read all the Sanskrit literatures. That is another thing.

But our aim is not that, to read Sanskrit literature. No. Our aim is how to mold the life to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. Those who are contemplating to organize our, this gurukula, they should stress on this point as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, tan manye adhītam uttamam: "He is first-class educated." Who? Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam (SB 7.5.23). We want to teach that. There is no question of economic problem, that one has to become learned to get some service in some big school or college and get some big salary. This is not our aim. Our only aim is how to mold the life of the children to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So this is the summary given by Caitanya . . . Prahlāda Mahārāja. We should follow his instruction.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. (end)