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Bhagavata means . . . God is called Bhagavan. Bhagavat, the original word is bhagavat, and one who has got intimate relation with bhagavat, he is called bhagavata

Expressions researched:
"Bhāgavata means . . . God is called Bhagavān. Bhagavat, the original word is bhagavat, and one who has got intimate relation with bhagavat, he is called bhāgavata"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

One has to surrender himself to His representative, bhāgavata. Bhāgavata means . . . God is called Bhagavān. Bhagavat, the original word is bhagavat, and one who has got intimate relation with bhagavat, he is called bhāgavata.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be developed unless one takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee. This is these words, Prahlāda Mahārāja's remark. In other words, unless one comes in contact with a pure devotee, Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be developed. It is not possible. Therefore here it is recommended by Sūta Gosvāmī that jīvañ chavo bhāgavatāṅghri-reṇuṁ na jātu martyo 'bhilabheta yas tu. Reṇu. Reṇu means dust.

If one does not try to secure the dust of the lotus feet of bhāgavata . . . bhāgavata means pure devotee of the Lord. One bhāgavata is this book Bhāgavata, another bhāgavata, the person bhāgavata. Who lives on the book Bhāgavata, he is person bhāgavata. Two kinds of bhāgavata. So we have to learn Bhāgavatam from the living bhāgavata.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara, he advised one brāhmin. One brāhmin wrote something about Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There were many poets and writers used to come and visit Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was at Jagannātha Purī, and they would present some writings, but these writings would not be presented before Caitanya Mahāprabhu unless it was sanctioned by His secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara. That was the system. So one brāhmin, he wrote one poetry that . . . the purport of the poetry was that "Jagannātha is Kṛṣṇa. But He cannot move. He's wooden Kṛṣṇa. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also Kṛṣṇa, but He is moving Kṛṣṇa." That means he distinguished between Jagannātha and Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

So this is not siddhānta. This is not conclusion of the śāstra. Śāstra conclusion is the Deity and Kṛṣṇa, the same. There is no difference. We have many times explained this. Deity, the worshipful Deity in the temple, is not different from Kṛṣṇa. So Svarūpa Dāmodara did not approve of the poetry to be presented to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. At that time he chastised him, that "You do not know the conclusion, and you dare to write some poetry. Don't do this." And he said, bhāgavata para giya bhāgavata-sthāne: "If you want to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then you go and study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the pure devotee. Then you'll understand. Otherwise, you'll write all these nonsense." Bhāgavata para giya bhāgavata-sthāne. So one bhāgavata . . . the two bhāgavatas. You study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from living bhāgavata. So if one does not take or does not surrender unto the living bhāgavata, he cannot understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Many scholarly, learned, Sanskrit scholar, they cannot understand Bhāgavatam. I have seen many scholar scholars, they cannot understand Bhāgavata. Sanskrit scholar, they will read, but they will not be able to understand. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā also. If anyone studies Bhagavad-gītā from scholarly point of view, A-B-C-D, he'll not understand. Kṛṣṇa therefore said that, "Arjuna, I shall speak the lessons of Bhāgavata unto you because you are My very dear friend and you are My devotee." Kṛṣṇa did not want to speak Śrīmad . . . Bhagavad-gītā to a scholarly student. No. These books are not to be understood by mundane scholarship. That is not possible, all the Vedic śāstras. All the Vedic śāstras.

There is a big commentary on Bhagavad-gītā by a great scholar and political leader, Lokmanya Tilak. So one of his devotee . . . he's also politician. When I was in London in 1968 . . . so he has got a society there. They're preaching the Tilak's political view, like that. He has got a . . . so he came to see me, and he was very much eulogizing Lokmanya Tilak, that he has written his big commentary, Karma-yoga. So he wanted to invite me in talk on Tilak's great task. So I told him that, "Tilak does not understand Bhagavad-gītā." So immediately he was surprised. Then we had a talk, and I convinced him that, "Tilak was a politician, maybe a big scholar, but that does not mean he can understand Bhagavad-gītā."

Bhagavad-gītā is understood by devotee. He may be illiterate; it doesn't matter. Still . . . as Caitanya Mahāprabhu certified the illiterate brāhmin who was reading Bhagavad-gītā in Raṅganātha temple . . . you know the story. The brāhmin was illiterate. His guru ordered him that "You read Bhagavad-gītā daily, eighteen chapters." So he could not refuse the order of Guru Mahārāja; so he was taking the book and simply seeing. So those who knew that he was illiterate, they were criticizing, "Well, brāhmin, how you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" He could not answer, because he knew that "I am illiterate. I do not know."

Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw this fun and approached him, "Well, brāhmin, what you are reading?" So he could understand that this Caitanya Mahāprabhu has not come to criticize him, "He's serious." So he informed Him, "Sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gītā, but I am illiterate. I am illiterate, but my spiritual master has ordered to read. So what can I do? I have taken this book and moving these pages, that's all. What can I do? Actually I cannot read."

Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "But I see you are sometimes crying." "Yes, sir, I sometimes cry." "Why?" "Now, because as soon as I take this book in my hand and I see the picture that Lord Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot of Arjuna, I cry. 'Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has taken the service of His devotee. He should have been seated on the chariot—Arjuna should have driven the chariot—but He's driving the chariot and Arjuna is sitting on the seat. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind and beloved that He can serve His devotee. It is the duty of the devotee to serve Him, but He's so kind and affectionate that He serves His devotee.' So as soon as I think of this—Kṛṣṇa's magnanimity—I cry."

Then immediately, Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced him that, "You are . . . your reading of Bhagavad-gītā is perfect, because you have understood the essence of the Bhagavad-gītā." The scholars, they will say . . . when Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), the scholars will say, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa the person, it is to the impersonal Brahman which is within Kṛṣṇa." They cannot conceive that the Supreme Absolute Truth can become a person.

They cannot conceive. Such a huge cosmic manifestation is created by a person like us, resembling like us, two hands, two legs—their poor brain cannot accommodate. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā. Mūḍhāḥ, "Fools and rascals," avajānanti, "deride at Me, thinking Me as ordinary man." Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ: "He does not know what is the transcendental potency behind Me." Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ.

So the Māyāvādīs and poor fund of knowledge, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa unless he becomes a devotee. And how he can become a devotee? That is stated here: bhāgavatāṅghri-reṇum. One has to surrender himself to His representative, bhāgavata. Bhāgavata means . . . God is called Bhagavān. Bhagavat, the original word is bhagavat, and one who has got intimate relation with bhagavat, he is called bhāgavata.

Page Title:Bhagavata means . . . God is called Bhagavan. Bhagavat, the original word is bhagavat, and one who has got intimate relation with bhagavat, he is called bhagavata
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-09-02, 11:47:57
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1