When Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India in a big temple, Raṅganātha temple, He went to see the Deity, and He saw one brāhmaṇa was reading Bhagavad-gītā. And people were joking him, "Oh, Mr. brāhmaṇa, how you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" Because they were the neighbors, they knew that this brāhmaṇa was illiterate and he was studying Bhagavad-gītā. So they were joking. But the brāhmaṇa did not care them. He was taking the book and in his own way he was reading. Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw this incident, He came to the brāhmaṇa. So He asked the brāhmaṇa, "My dear brāhmaṇa, what you are reading?" So he could understand "This persons is not joking with me; He is serious." So he explained, "My dear sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gītā. Unfortunately, I am illiterate. I do not know even the alphabets." "Why you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" So he said that, "My spiritual master knows that I am illiterate, but still, he has asked me to read Bhagavad-gītā. What can I do? Therefore I have taken this book. I am seeing simply. I do not know how to read." "Oh, that's all right. You cannot read. But I see that you are crying. How you are crying if you are not reading?" "Yes, I am crying. Of course, there is cause." "What is that?" "As soon as I take this Bhagavad-gītā, I remember Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is sitting as driver and Arjuna is hearing. I have heard the story. I know something of the instruction but cannot read. So as soon as I take this book, this picture comes before me and I simply think, 'Oh, how Kṛṣṇa is nice that He has become a charioteer of His devotee. He is so great. Still, He has accepted a menial service of His devotee.' This gives me so much pleasure that I cry." Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced him, "Your Bhagavad-gītā reading is perfect. You have taken the essence."
Joke (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"joke"
|"joked"
|"joker"
|"joker's"
|"jokers"
|"jokes"
|"joking"
|"jokingly"
|"jokings"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
There is a story of Jaḍa Bharata. Jaḍa Bharata, a brāhmaṇa boy whose name was Jaḍa Bharata. He was formerly the emperor of this world. His name was Mahārāja Bharata. And by his name now India is called Bhāratavarṣa. Formerly this whole planet was named as Bhāratavarṣa. Before that, this planet was named as Ilāvṛtavarṣa, long, long years, millions of years before. But Jaḍa Bharata, he also lived ātma-rati, self-satisfied. In the beginning of his spiritual life he left this world, a very young age. When he was only twenty-four years old he left his wife, children, and kingdom. It is not joke. An emperor with beautiful young wife, small children, and palace—he left everything. There are many instances like that.
Kṛṣṇa says that "In the beginning I explained this science of Bhagavad-gītā to the present predominating deity of sun planet, whose name is Vivasvān." Do you think that Kṛṣṇa is playing joke or speaking something lie, that he said to Vivasvān, the present presiding deity? No, that is not possible. Actually He has spoken. And Kṛṣṇa... One... Others may think of Kṛṣṇa... Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Rascals and fools may think of Kṛṣṇa as ordinary man, but in India the great ācāryas, just like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—practically these ācāryas are guiding the whole destiny of the Hindu world—they have all accepted Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So whatever Kṛṣṇa is speaking, that is right.
Now, Kṛṣṇa is, at least in this material world, in this planet, everyone knows Kṛṣṇa. Who is such a person who is so famous all over the world? Especially since we have started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, anywhere we go, they chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." As soon as they see us, our men, jokingly or seriously they chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." When I was first coming to Nairobi from London, the plane stopped at Athens at twelve o'clock at night. So we got down and was in the public room, and some young men, immediately they began to chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," at twelve o'clock. (laughter) So Kṛṣṇa is so famous at twelve o'clock in Athens even. Who is such a person within this world? This is Bhagavān. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ. Yaśaḥ mean reputation. He is so reputed. Anywhere Kṛṣṇa is known.
Just like there are some people, they create some avatāra, and they say, "This avatāra is better than Kṛṣṇa"—immediately rejected. Immediately. He must know his value. This was... Caitanya Mahāprabhu said svāmī, Śrīdhara Svāmī, so he also sarcastically remarked, svāmī nā māne yei jana veśyāra bhitare tāre kariye gaṇana. Svāmī means husband also. So if some woman says that "I don't care for my husband," Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "Then he's a prostitute. She is a prostitute." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You cannot disregard svāmī. Not that... They were very friendly, so you can take it as friendly, jokingly, that "You are so proud that you are disregarding Śrīdhara Svāmī. Then you are no better than prostitute."
If you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, what is the use of your studying Vedānta and Vedas? It is useless. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). So don't try to understand Kṛṣṇa in that way. Generally, they understand Kṛṣṇa very easily—they are called sahajiyās—that "Kṛṣṇa was a young boy, and He was joking with the gopīs and dancing with the gopīs, and that is Kṛṣṇa. We can imitate also. We can do also." This kind of understanding means he's a rascal; he's a fool. That is, of course, Kṛṣṇa's, one of the pastimes. But that is not this ordinary young boy and young girl's pastime. That is cinmaya. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. That is ānanda-cinmaya-rasa.
We are praying here goddess of fortune, "My mother, Goddess of Fortune, give me some fortune." They are... The goddess of fortune is afraid if Kṛṣṇa may reject. Just like Rukmiṇī. When Kṛṣṇa was joking with her, she thought, "Maybe Kṛṣṇa is going to leave me." Immediately fainted. Immediately fainted. That is the goddess of fortune. So humbly, so fearfully, they are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. What Kṛṣṇa's service we can give? What we are? We are nothing. Insignificant. So why Kṛṣṇa accepts our service? Why He comes in His arcā-mūrti to accept our service? Just to induce you how to serve Him, bhakti. That is wanted.
When gopīs were in danger, incessant rain in Vṛndāvana, He immediately lifted the whole Govardhana Parvata. Immediately showed: "Here is, I am. I am God. I can give you protection." Giri-bara-dhārī. One side, gopī-jana-ballabha, just like ordinary boy He is pleasing the gopīs by His joking behavior, but that does not mean He is not God. So one imitates the joking behavior of Kṛṣṇa, but one cannot imitate lifting the Govardhana Hill. That is not possible.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
In Calcutta there was a big man. You have heard. Mr. C. R. Das, Gandhi's lieutenant, he gave up his practice. In those days he was..., fifty years ago he was earning fifty thousand rupees. So that is not joke. So he became mendicant. All Gandhi's followers, they became mendicant. Without becoming mendicant, you cannot do any welfare activities. That is the Vedic process, sannyāsa. So but he could not live. After giving up his job as a lawyer, he could not live for more than one year, because he was living very opulently and all of a sudden he became a mendicant. He could not tolerate. That we have seen. But here we see that the Gosvāmīs, they were also very big men, ministers, but how they lived? Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau, gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī. Gopī-bhāva.
Arjuna was advised that "Why you are lamenting for your old grandfather? Better kill him. He will get a new body. He will get a new body." Of course, it was spoken jokingly because grandfather... So, but the fact is that. Fact is that, that the, after the old body... Just like we have got several types of body: babyhood to childhood, child to boyhood, youth-hood, old body. Then after this, he is... Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). When we give up this body as dress, old and rotten, we get another. This is going on. But this is anartha. Anartha means unnecessarily we are undergoing this change of body. Anartha.
This morning time, in every house, you can go. Either they are sleeping or they are drinking bed tea, without washing mouth, and all the germs are going within the tea, and they are being infected within the intestines, and they are getting so many diseases. But they will not understand. But here, and the bhakti-yogam, everyone rises early in the morning and then washes himself, takes bath, becomes cleansed, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, read book. This is bhakti-yoga. Automatically everything will be... Hygienic principle, health question, economic question, and social, political—everything will be solved. It is not joking. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6).
So we have to become associate of Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna became. Always with Kṛṣṇa-eating with Kṛṣṇa, sitting with Kṛṣṇa, talking with Kṛṣṇa, joking with Kṛṣṇa, fighting with Kṛṣṇa—everything Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Not a single moment. Therefore Kṛṣṇa certifies, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: (BG 4.3) "My dear Arjuna, you are very dear to Me." Naturally if Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇa, sitting with Kṛṣṇa, talking with Kṛṣṇa, consulting with Kṛṣṇa, joking with Kṛṣṇa, eating with Kṛṣṇa, so why he should not be very dear? Kṛṣṇa, does He remain with anyone unless he is very dear? So bhakto 'si priyo 'si me sakhā ceti.
We do not like to see such ugly avatāra. We kick on their face, this avatāra. This is not avatāra. Avatāra must be mentioned in the śāstra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was talking with Sanātana Gosvāmī, so Caitanya Mahāprabhu described about avatāra. So just to make a little joke, because they are personal devotees... So he knew that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the avatāra. Still, he inquired from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "How we shall know one avatāra?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Why? It is all mentioned in the śāstra." So avatāra should be understood from the śāstra, not by jugglery or magic. This is rascal.
The taxation. One side, I am suffering—no food; another side—whatever money I have got, it will be taken by taxation. Now see what is your position. The position will be people will become mad, so much troubled. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam. People will be so much harassed that voluntarily they'll give up their family, home, and go to the forest, hopeless. This will be done. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a joke, is a jugglery. It is the only remedy if you want to save yourself. Otherwise, you are doomed. Don't take it, I mean to say, as a joke. It is a fact.
Deha and apatya. Apatya means sons. "Oh, I have got so many nice sons, very earning, very obedient; therefore Yamarāja will not touch me." No, no. That is not possible. There is a very joking story in Bengal, gaye gum akale jam care na(?). Gu means stool. So one intelligent person, he thought, "I shall be free from the touch of Yamarāja by one tactics." What is that? "Stool is very obnoxious. Nobody comes to stool. So let me smear my body, whole body with stool so that Yamarāja will not come and touch me." Gaya muk gum akale jam care na(?). This is another pramatta. That crazy fellow, that he is thinking "By keeping myself dirty and obnoxious, Yamarāja is gentleman, he'll not come and touch me." This is another pramatta.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very strict about women. In His family life also, He never played any joke with women. He was very joking. But all, all with men. He never played any joke with women. No. Perhaps only once He played joke with His wife, Viṣṇu-priya. When Śacīmātā was searching after something, she, He simply played a joking word: "Maybe your daughter-in-law has taken it." That is the only joking we find in His whole life. Otherwise, He was very strict. No woman could come, when He was sannyāsī, could come near Him to offer obeisances. They would offer obeisances from a distant place. But He says: ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇā yā kalpitā. He says that there is no conception of worshiping better than what was conceived by the vraja-vadhūs.
Just like in Bengal they say, jokingly, ghoṛā ḍim. Ghoṛā ḍim means a ghoṛā, a horse, never gives eggs. It is fantastics. It is not possible. Similarly, these heavenly planets, for a Vaiṣṇava, is ghoṛā ḍim. They don't care for it. It is no fact. So kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūra ākāśa-puṣpāyate. Karmīs, they want to go to the heavenly planet. This is the sarcastic remark upon the karmīs. And kaivalyaṁ narakāyate, a sarcastic remark upon the jñānīs.
Kṛṣṇa is enjoying varieties. He is living in the cintāmaṇi-dhāma. There are surabhī. He's tending, tending the cows, and He's playing with the cowherd boys. He's making jokes with the gopīs. He is enjoying the company... Varieties. He's becoming the son, dependent son of mother Yaśodā. So Kṛṣṇa is variety. Without variety, there cannot be enjoyment. So therefore variety of instruction also. So that is given by the spiritual master. "You do this," "You do that," "You do this," "You do that," because Kṛṣṇa is not one-sided. So as confidential representative of Kṛṣṇa, we have to follow the instruction of the spiritual master.
Just like when you are out of diseased condition, all your healthy symptoms are revealed, manifest. It doesn't require to bring them separately, to bring them separately. It is already there. Because every living entity is part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa, he has got all the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa, very minute quantity. The Gosvāmīs have analyzed: seventy-eight percent. Not in full, but in minute quantity. It is not joke. Seventy-eight percent of the qualities of Kṛṣṇa is there in living entity. And Kṛṣṇa means all-good; they're all good qualities.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very strict about asso... Even in His gṛhastha life He was very strict. He would not play any joke with any woman except His wife. And that also, once He joked with His wife, not with any other woman. So He was so strict. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's opinion is that sandarśanaṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu (CC Madhya 11.8). Viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam, to mix very intimately with the viṣayīs. Viṣayī means those who are very much fond of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. They are called viṣayī. They have no other business.
Kṛṣṇa wanted that before His going away, all these demigods, they must also return. "Return" means this body must be killed. But who will kill them? That was the plan of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is... Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He is planning. He made this plan. So what is that? One of them made a false pregnancy with a stone on the belly wrapped with cloth, and another boy or another man, he went to a ṛṣi that "Sir, can you tell what is child in the womb of this woman?" She is not woman, she is man. So the saintly person could understand that "These people have come to joke me." So he immediately cursed—vipra—that "Yes, what is there in the womb, that will be the cause of destroying your whole family." So when they were cursed, the came to their senses: "What you have done?" So actually, it was a stone. So they began to rub the stone so that there will be no existence of the stone.
So this chance should be given. Let them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, either willfully, or jokingly, or any way, let him chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the movement. Let him chant once, let his tongue utter this transcendental vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa, his life will be successful. It is such nice movement. You haven't got to do anything. Simply you come here and see Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, you will be benefited. It is very easy. Su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). And once you get the impression of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa for meditation, and if you increase, then life, you are success. Life is successful. Because as soon as you become little inclined to see Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa within your heart, that means you have developed His love.
Just like the South Indian brāhmaṇa. As soon as he opened his... He was illiterate, he could not read Bhagavad-gītā. But his Guru Mahārāja said that "You shall read every day eighteen chapters of Bhagavad-gītā." So he was puzzled, that "I'm illiterate, I cannot... All right, take me the..., the Bhagavad-gītā." So he was in a Rāmaṇatha temple. He took the Bhagavad-gītā and went like this. He could not read. So his friends who knew him, they were joking, "Well, brāhmaṇa, how you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" He did not answer because he knew that his friends are "Joking me because I do not know... I'm illiterate." But when Caitanya Mahāprabhu came, he was also puzzled, "Brāhmaṇa, you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" He said, "Sir, I am illiterate. I cannot read. It is not possible. But my Guru Mahārāja ordered me to read.
Lord Nārāyaṇa personally came out to settle up. "So this you have been cursed; it cannot be withdrawn. You have to go. But after going in the material world, if you treat Me as your enemy, then in three births you will be liberated and you will come back. But if you treat Me as my friend, then it will take seven, seven births." So decided, "We shall become Your enemy, Sir." So therefore this Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, they are Jaya-Vijaya, and they appeared to be very strong enemy. To become enemy of Kṛṣṇa, that is not also joke. He has to fight with Kṛṣṇa. It is not ordinary thing. No ordinary man can fight. So Vaiṣṇava commentation is that when Kṛṣṇa wants to fight, the fighting is not possible in the spiritual world.
This maithuna, maithuna means sex life. Eating, sleeping, and sex life, and defending. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. So this is now inquiry. Now, if this inquiry is taken scientifically, "Is there sex after death?" it is not joking, if it is taken seriously, so people should be informed that "Yes, there is sex after death. Why there is no sex? Because there is life after death. You get another body. Maybe a god's body, demigod's body, or dog's body, you'll get another body, according to your own work. And as soon as you get body, these four things are there: eating, sleeping, sex, and defending."
One may be very responsible officer, like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, the emperor. It is not joke. But still his mind is absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa. Sai vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor. There is another example Rūpa Gosvāmī gives, that a woman who has got an extra lover besides the husband. So she's always thinking of that lover although she's busy with household affairs. Para vyasaninanina(?). That means if you want somebody very seriously, you can think of him always, twenty-four hours, in spite of your being engaged in so many duties. It is possible.
I went to America. I had forty rupees. Now I have got more than forty lakhs. (laughter) Yes. It is fact. Our American property, it is not forty lakhs-forty crores. So it is not joke. If you want to earn money and if you have got little brain, you can earn money in America like anything. That's a fact.
Asura means demon, and varya means "the best," varīyān. So he... Because he asked that "How you have advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Prahlāda? What is the process?" After all, he was a learned scholar. He inquired out of joking or something like that. So Prahlāda Mahārāja plainly said, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā: "My dear asura-varya father, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness..." Na matiḥ. Matir na kṛṣṇe. "One cannot get Kṛṣṇa consciousness," matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ, "by the instruction of others, or guru." Parataḥ. Svataḥ, "by speculating oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by assembly, conference.
I will recite one story in this connection, that one brāhmaṇa in South India, in Raṅganātha temple, he was reading Bhagavad-gītā. And he was illiterate. He did not know neither Sanskrit nor any letter, illiterate. So the people, neighborhood, they knew that "This man is illiterate, and he is reading Bhagavad-gītā." He is opening the Bhagavad-gītā, "Uh, uh," like that he was. So somebody was joking, "Well, brāhmaṇa, how you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" He could understand that "This man is joking because I am illiterate." So in this way, Caitanya Mahāprabhu also happened to be that day in the Raṅganātha temple, and He could understand that "Here is a devotee." So He approached him and He asked, "My dear brāhmaṇa, what you are reading?" So he could also understand that "This man is not joking." So he said, "Sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gītā. I am trying to read Bhagavad-gītā, but I am illiterate. So my Guru Mahārāja said that 'You must read eighteen chapters daily.' So I have no knowledge. I cannot read.
Just like Rukmiṇī-devī. She is Lakṣmī-devī, and she was always afraid of Kṛṣṇa, that "He may not leave me away," always afraid. Sometimes Kṛṣṇa was joking with Rukmiṇī-devī, "My dear Rukmiṇī-devī, rāja-kanyā, you are the daughter of a king, and you, it was better you could have married Śiśupāla. I am simply a cowherd boy." In this way, husband and wife, joking. Kṛṣṇa was joking. And Lakṣmī, Rukmiṇī-devī, became so afraid that immediately she fainted, that "Kṛṣṇa is now finding out the way to give me up." This is called lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29).
The devotees are simply trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is trying to maintain His devotees. This is oneness, not that we lose our individuality. Individual... Without individuality, there is no ānanda. If we are sitting together, the oneness is the process of service, that's all. But there are joking. They are cutting jokes. There are some varieties of food. That is ānanda. Varieties are there. That is ānanda. But they are for one purpose: satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is oneness, not that we have become amalgamated.
Just like if you put a one single paisa in the bank deposit, that is your money. It will be never lost. And when it becomes a lump sum, the bank asks you to... Credit you get, one hundred rupees or similar... Similarly, bhakti-yoga is so nice that whatever you acquire, intentionally or unintentionally, even if you neglectfully chant Hare Kṛṣṇa by imitating others, by joking others, it will have effect.
As I was explaining aquatics, 900,000, then trees. As the water dries, the vegetation comes. You have got experience. That is the nature's process. And after vegetation, then the flies, insects, moving, up to trees and plants, not moving. Then they move—flies, grasshoppers. And they turn into birds again, very freely flying. And there are many, many big birds in the sky, eagles. Some of the eagles, you have got experience. There are monkey-eating eagles. They capture the monkey. And there are eagles elephant-eating. (laughter) We get all this information. Elephant, they will capture elephant and take it away. (laughter) Just imagine. It is no joking. This is a fact.
Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was cursed by a boy brāhmaṇa that within seven days he'll be bitten by a snake and he'll die. The brāhmaṇas were so powerful. So brāhmaṇa is not joke. In Kali-yuga there is no such brāhmaṇa. So this Viśvamitra Muni came to Mahārāja Daśaratha to request that "Send your sons Rāmacandra and Laksmana to kill these demons." Kṣatriyas' business is... Kṣat. Kṣat means injury. If somebody is injuring your body, it is the duty of the government to save you: "Why unnecessarily you are injuring this...?" Just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja, when he was going... And some person was śūdra in the dress of the king. He was trying to kill a cow. Immediately Parīkṣit Mahārāja took his sword: "Who are you, rascal, you are trying to kill a cow in my kingdom?" That is kṣatriya.
In this material world everyone is struggling to survive. But who is surviving? That way, materialistic way of life will not help you to survive. That is prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Nature is so strong that you must die. "I am very strong." You may be very strong, that's all right. There is a, I mean to say, joking story that one man thought how to avoid death—Hiraṇyakaśipu. So he thought that the Yamarāja is the superintendent of death, he comes to take. So I shall make such policy that he may not come to me. What is that policy? "Bring some stool. I shall smear over my body, and out of bad smell he will not come." So he began to smear stool on his body at the time of death. So this is going on. They are making body very stout and strong so they will survive. Nobody will survive, sir, unless he is Kṛṣṇa conscious.
We should not fall down from the standard of Vedic culture. If you are actually serious about stopping this... Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This is struggle for existence. In this material world everyone is struggling to survive. But who is surviving? That way, materialistic way of life, will not help you to survive. That is... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Nature is so strong that you must die. "I am very strong." You may be very strong, that's all right, but you must. There is a, I mean to say, joking story that one man thought, "How to avoid death?" Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu.
You'll read in the story of Rukmiṇī, the prime Lakṣmī of Lord Kṛṣṇa. One day Kṛṣṇa was a little joking, and she took it very seriously, and she immediately fainted. So much respect. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa might be thinking of leaving me." So she fainted immediately. So much sambhrama. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ (Bs. 5.29). These are the statements of scripture. And when Kṛṣṇa was actually present on the planet, He showed it, how much He is respectfully served by His sixteen thousand wives, and how much comfortably He kept all of them in different palaces, and expanding Himself into sixteen thousand forms. That is God.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that even people joke with us, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," it goes to his credit, even joking. When this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement was started by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, at that time India was under Pathan rule, Muhammadan kingdom. So the constables, they were requested to "Arrest these chanters." The brāhmaṇas, the smārta brāhmaṇas, because Caitanya Mahāprabhu preached that "Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra you will be liberated," so the smārta brāhmaṇas, they thought it very dangerous because their profession will be lost.
Now, it is very nice conclusion. He says, the Viṣṇudūta says, sāṅketyam. Sāṅketyam means "simply by indication." Sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyam, "or by joking." Sometimes people joke us, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Haribol." That is... That has also its effect, pārihāsyam. Sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ vā stobham, "or with devotion and reverence," stobhaṁ helanam eva vā. Or helanam means "without giving any importance, if one chants." Helanam eva vā vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam. Vaikuṇṭha means Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa. Vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ. But even in such way one chants the holy name, then it can vanquish immediately many millions of sinful reactions.
If somebody jokes... Sometimes they do that. "Hare Kṛṣṇa" means he is not seriously chanting, but he is trying to joke the other party who is engaged in chanting. And that is also good, pārihāsya. During Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time, the Muslims, they used to joke the Hindus, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." So the practice made them chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And the police officer was informed by the constables that "These Hindus are chanting 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.' " The police officer asked him, "Then why you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa?" By imitating, they became practiced to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is so nice, even joking, symbolic. Sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ stobham. Or prema. Helanam eva vā. Without any care, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," any way, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then vaikuṇṭha-nāma grahaṇam aśeṣa agha-haram. Agha. Agha means sinful activities.
Kṛṣṇa is also very kind. If you chant seriously, without offense, even the mental condition at the time of death is disordered, Kṛṣṇa will help you how to chant without any offense. So we must... The only qualification is that we must be very sincere. Even by symbolic chanting, by joking, if one can get the benefit, why not do it carefully? Why not do it carefully? What is the wrong there? Be serious and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very carefully in order to get success of life at the time of death.
Sāṅketyam. You keep your children's name just like he kept, Nārāyaṇa. He actually became delivered because he kept his son's name Nārāyaṇa. Sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyam. Joking. Sometimes they joke: "Oh, these people are chanting 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa,' " and they joke also, "Hare Kṛṣṇa!" sometimes seriously, sometimes joking. So joking, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa—that is taken to their credit, although he is joking; he is not serious. Sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ stobham. Sometimes we make fun. To complete one sentence sometimes we, "Hari," "Kṛṣṇa," we add it. So that is also accepted. And then helanam eva vā. Helanam eva vā. Just like sometimes in the Western countries there is propaganda, as it was in Germany. Now they are going in Japan: "These Hare Kṛṣṇa people are very bad." But he's chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. While saying that "Hare Kṛṣṇa people are very bad," but the "Hare Kṛṣṇa" is chanted. The helanam eva vā. And that is going to their credit. Although they are going to say Just like "Rāma chor nāhe," and somebody heard, "Nāhe Rāma chor." So "Rāma chor," but because he uttered the name Rāma, even he says, "Rāma chor," he gets the benefit. Sometimes they joke, "Kṛṣṇa is Mākhanchor." So he is accusing "chor," but because he is chanting "Kṛṣṇa" he is getting the benefit.
Just like here, these boys. If you insult, he doesn't care for it because he is child. Or if you praise him, he does not think himself very much puffed up. This is child's nature. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was in that position. He didn't care. His father wanted to chastise him in so many ways. He didn't care. He (was) always thinking, "He is my father. He is joking. That's all." This is simplicity. This is simplicity. This simplicity is very valuable. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was in that position.
Although we are Brahmā, Lakṣmī, all right. So real duty is yours." This is little joking. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is prepared, "All right," either for his father or for everyone. That is Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava does not consider that "I have to pray to Kṛṣṇa for my father, for my mother." No. Vaiṣṇava is ready to offer prayer... Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He is always unhappy, seeing these fallen conditioned souls unhappy. Other... Vaiṣṇava personally, he has no unhappiness. Naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyāḥ. That will be explained.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Although Kṛṣṇa is not conquerable, but He likes to be conquered by His devotee. That is the position. Just like He willingly placed Himself to be conquered by Mother Yaśodā, to be conquered by Rādhārāṇī, to be conquered by His friends. Kṛṣṇa became defeated and He has to take His friend on the shoulder. Practically sometimes we see that a king keeps a joker amongst his associates, and sometimes the joker insults the king, and the king enjoys. The joker sometimes... Just like there is a famous joker, Gopāla Bon, in Bengal. So one day the king asked him, "Gopāla, what is the difference between you and an ass?" So he immediately measured the distance from the king. He said, "It is three feet only, sir. The difference is only three feet." So everyone began to laugh. And the king enjoyed that insult. Because sometimes it is required.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
I have several times recited this narration, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was traveling in South India, He saw that one brāhmaṇa was reading Bhagavad-gītā, and his neighbors, they knew it that "This brāhmaṇa is illiterate and he does not know even what is ABCD, and still he's reading Bhagavad-gītā." So they were joking, sometimes criticizing him. The brāhmaṇa, of course, he was reading as far as possible. What possible? So Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw the fun and approached the brāhmaṇa, "Oh, My dear brāhmaṇa, what you are reading?" He understood that "Here is a sincere person. He's not joking me. He's simply inquiring." So he said, "My dear Sir, I am illiterate. I do not know even the alphabets. But my Guru Mahārāja asked me to read every day eighteen chapters of Bhagavad-gītā. So what can I do? I have taken this Bhagavad-gītā in pursuance of my spiritual master. I am simply seeing the cover and trying to understand what is there." Now he's illiterate.
Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was very intelligent; he was minister. He could understand that "Lord is observing my blanket. That means He doesn't like that I should have such valuable blanket on my body." So he thought that "I should give up this blanket."
- eta cinti' gelā gaṅgāya madhyāhna karite
- eka gauḍīya kānthā dhuñā diyāche śukāite
Thinking this, he went to the bank of the Ganges and he saw one, another vairāgi. He had a torn clothing, and he, after washing it, he gave it for drying. So Sanātana Gosvāmī went there and asked him, "Please take this blanket and kindly give me your, that torn clothing." So that man thought that he's cutting jokes with him, that he wants to exchange such a nice blanket. So he said, "Sir, you appear to be very good gentleman. You should not cut joke with me in this..." Then Sanātana Gosvāmī, "No, I am not cutting joke with you. I am really serious. Please exchange this. You take my, this valuable blanket, and give me that torn clothing." And after taking that torn clothing, when he appeared before Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very much pleased.
Impersonal realization of Brahman, that is not also a joke. It may be impersonal, but that position is very high. That is accepted. That Vaiṣṇavas, or the personalists, they also accept, "Oh, their position is very high." But the difficulty is that Bhāgavata says, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (SB 10.2.32). Although they come to the almost nearer, but, anādṛtaḥ patanty adhaḥ. Anādṛta, because they have no shelter. Just like... It is not joke. If you go up by a sputnik some few hundreds and thousands of miles, that is not joke. That is not to be ridiculed. But the danger is that if you do not have shelter, then you come down. If you have no shelter, then what is the use of going up? That shelter is Kṛṣṇa, that supreme abode or Vaikuṇṭhaloka, kingdom of God.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Our proposition is that artificially you do not try to make equality. That will be failure. It is already failure. Now how you can...? Just like I have seen in London, woman police. So woman police, so I was joking with her, "If I capture your hand and snatch you, what you will do? You are policeman. (laughter) You will cry simply. So what is the use of your becoming policeman?" Policeman requires bodily strength. If there is some hooligan, you can give him one slap or catch him, but what the woman will do? So we say that be practical. Artificial equality will not endure. We are equal, undoubtedly, because we are all spirit souls. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prā... (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, within this body, there is the spirit soul. That we have to understand first of all.
General Lectures
Kṛṣṇa cannot be purchased. His name is Ajita. He cannot be conquered, but His devotee can purchase Him, can conquer Him. Just like you have seen the pictures in our Back to Godhead about Bhīṣma, that it was just joking, but he knew that "Arjuna cannot be killed because he is very dear friend of Kṛṣṇa. So these people are requesting me to kill Arjuna. So I shall show my capacity of fighting." And actually Arjuna became perplexed. Bhīṣma wanted to see that Kṛṣṇa shall have to break His promise for His devotee. "I know I shall not be able to kill Arjuna, but at least I shall see that Kṛṣṇa has broken His promise."
Just like a small child has got full faith in his mother: "My mother is there. There is no danger." Confident. I have seen it. Everyone. I have got... I'll narrate one practical experience. In Calcutta, in my younger days, I was traveling in tram, and my youngest son, he was with me. He was only two years old, or two or two and a half years old. So the conductor, out of joke, asked him, "Give me your fare." So he first of all said like this: "I have no money." So the conductor said, "Then you get down." He immediately said, "Oh, here is my father." (makes some gesture) (laughter) You see. "You cannot ask me to get down. My father is here." You see? So this is the psychology. If you have approached Kṛṣṇa, then even the greatest fear will not agitate you. That is a fact. So such a thing is Kṛṣṇa. Try to achieve this greatest boon, Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa is within you. He is sitting within your heart as a friend, not as an enemy. Kṛṣṇa is always your friend. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). You are searching out friends to talk with, to joke with, to love. Kṛṣṇa is sitting there for that purpose. If you love Kṛṣṇa, if you make friendship with Kṛṣṇa, if you love Kṛṣṇa, then your life will be successful. You haven't got to search out any other friend. The friend is already there. Either you are a boy or a girl, you will find a nice friend within yourself. That is yoga system, when you realize this friend.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw that he was reading Bhagavad-gītā with transcendental ecstasy. He therefore approached him, "My dear brāhmaṇa, what you are reading?" The brāhmaṇa could understand that this gentleman, or this sannyāsī—Caitanya Mahāprabhu at that time was a sannyāsī—He was not joking. He was serious. So he informed Him, "My dear sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gītā, but I am illiterate. My Guru Mahārāja asked me to read Bhagavad-gītā a few chapters daily, although he knew that I am illiterate. So I am trying to read Bhagavad-gītā, but I cannot actually read it."
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Therefore this is the conclusion—that if you put children in right association, they will go rightly, and if you put them in wrong association, they will go wrongly. They have no independent psychology.
Śyāmasundara: Perhaps his one contribution was that he said that behavior must be understood in terms of a person's whole life history, in the total...
Prabhupāda: That is why in our Vedic system it is forbidden that even a small child, before that small child, the husband and wife should not joking. They should not talk jokingly.
| Page Title: | Joke (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Rishab, Serene |
| Created: | 22 of Dec, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=54, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 54 |