So Bhāgavata indicates tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovida means one who is actually intelligent, not the mūḍhāḥ, rascals, actually one who is intelligent. He should try to solve the problems which is not possible to be done even if you travel over all the spaces up to the highest planet. Upary adhaḥ. Upary adhaḥ means upside all planets and downside all planets. There are millions of planets. If you travel... But these problems... Just like your fortune will go with you in your head. You may go to moon planet, but this head will go with you. Yadi yao bhaṅge kaphala yabe saṅge.(?) You cannot change. If you have to attempt anything for real progress, then this is real progress. What is that? To know the Supreme Absolute Truth, which is manipulating all activities. That is real progress.
Kovida means
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Therefore śāstra says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovida means very intelligent person, expert. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). These are the signs, symptoms of knowledge, wiseness. And another place Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. Everyone is born fools and rascals, and he's acting in foolishness and rascaldom. Therefore whatever he is doing this is his defeat. This is his defeat. Actually, if we think very cool-headed... Suppose whole life I have earned so much money, bank balance, skyscraper building, everything, but if my next life I become a cat or dog or rat... There is possibility. Because if I am not destined to enjoy... Because this life I have committed so many sinful activities, I am not going to have very comfortable life. But I have got attraction for my building which I have constructed with so many efforts. Nature will allow you to live in that building again next life, maybe as a cat, dog or a rat.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So this is called knot. In so many ways, they are tied up. So actually, if anyone is kovida... Kovida. Here it is used. What is the meaning of kovida? "Intelligent." Kovida means intelligent. So intelligent persons should see to it. Just like it is a little, little intelligent. Just like we can see when the advertisement, we can immediately understand, "What is this nonsense advertisement? He's smoking, and it is cool?" So contradiction. You'll find contradiction everywhere. Because they are not intelligent, they are thinking intelligent. But anyone who is intelligent, they can understand what is the trick.
Therefore this is the process, yad-anudhyāsinā, you have to take one knife. This is knife. What is that? Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). This is knife. If you want to get rid of this entanglement of material existence, one body after another, then this is the only instrument by which you can unknot the knot and come out of the entanglement. Chindanti. This very word is used, chindanti: "It cuts." Chindanti kovidās tasya. Kovida means very intelligent person. Unless one is very intelligent, he cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not our manufactured words. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). So our test is if anyone is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is either of these: duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ, māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ. This is our conclusion. You may say it is very sectarian, but Kṛṣṇa says. What can I do? (laughter) Kṛṣṇa says.
Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. There is another verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kovidaḥ. Kovidaḥ means very intelligent person. He should work for that purpose. What is that? Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Now we have invented so many instruments for flying in the space. Upary adhaḥ means very upward, fifty thousand miles up, and again down, you can travel. But the real goal of your life is not to be achieved in that way. Bhramatām upary adhaḥ. Suppose if you reach the moon planet or sun planet... There are so many planets higher and higher, bigger and bigger. That is not your goal of life. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Your goal of life is that which you cannot achieve even by traveling the whole space. What is that? That goal of life is to search out God and your relationship with God. Because you are part and parcel of God, and somehow or other, you have been entrapped by this material atmosphere, and you are not happy. Nobody is happy. If one says that "I am happy," he must be a crazy man or he must be speaking lie. Nobody is happy. How you can be happy? Because we are always full of anxiety. That is our condition.
So Nārada Muni is advising Vyāsadeva, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovida means intelligent, expert. One who knows things as they are, he's called kovida. So one who is intelligent, he should try to achieve that thing which is not available—na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ—which is not available even by wandering up and down. This we have already explained in the last meeting, that according to our karma, we are being sometimes elevated to the very high position, and sometimes we are being degraded to become an insignificant creature like ant. This is going on. (baby crying in background) (aside:) This boy... She, she can go to the... Yes. This is very disturbing child.
Just like we are sit down. We are sitting down and inquiring about Kṛṣṇa. This is life. And what is this life? Working day and night like the ass? No. That is not life. Therefore Bhāgavata says your life should be engaged for this purpose: tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovida means intelligent. Then: "How my economic problem will be solved?" The answer is: tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. You are after happiness. Are you after distress? "No, sir." Why distress comes upon you? You are not anxious for distress, calamities. Why do they come upon you? Similarly, so far your happiness is also concerned, that will also come upon you. Because your life, according to your karma, is mixed up with some portion of happiness, some portion of distress. If the distress comes without any invitation, the happiness also will come without invitation. Without any invitation. Because you are destined already that so much happiness, so much distress you will have. Destined.
Yathā hi sūtyām abhijāta-kovidāḥ. Here is another important word. So yathā, as he was foretold, sūtyā. Sūtyā means in the maternity condition, maternity home or maternity room, sūtyā. Still, the system is current in India that when a lady is going to give birth to a child, she is offered a separate room where the child will take birth and all taken care. Nowadays they are sending in the hospital. That is another thing. But the system is when the delivery is imminent, then one room is selected. That is called sūtikā-ghara, or sūtikā room. That is referred here, sūtyā, means, sūtyā, as soon as the child is born, sūtyā, in that maternity room, immediately, abhijāta-kovidāḥ... Abhijāta-kovidāḥ means... Kovidāḥ means expert learned scholars, and abhijāta, they will immediately make horoscope and tell about this newly born child, what is going to happen in his life in future. That is called astrologer. It is called jāta-karma, reformation.
Just like in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We have got more than one hundred centers. And one center... We were just reading from the statement of Nava Bhārata Times how they are well managed. But we have no business. We have no source of income. That is the only source of income—Kṛṣṇa's shelter. Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam. Therefore śāstra says that "You take shelter of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa comes also to say the same truth. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He never said that "You do this and do that. Then I shall give you for your maintenance." No. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "Not only I shall give maintenance, but I shall protect you from the resultant action of sinful life." So much assurance is there. So śāstra also says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovida means intelligent, very intelligent person. So what should he try for? Tasyaiva hetoḥ: to get shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Human life should only endeavor how to get in touch of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That should be the only one business.
So those who are believer in the śāstras, believer in the Supreme Lord, they believe in destiny also. Therefore śāstra says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). We should try for advancing our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our main business. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido. Kovidaḥ means very expert. He should try for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not for material advancement. This is civilization. That is, we have already discussed. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). If you think that, "If I work very hard, then I shall improve my position," that is not possible. Your position is already fixed up. Then shall I not try for my happiness? Yes. That is replied in the śāstra. Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. You do not try for distress of life, why does it come? You do not ask God, "Please give me distress." Nobody asks, but why distress comes? Similarly, if you do not pray for happiness, if you have got happiness in your destiny, it will come, as the distress comes. Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. So don't be misled by so-called happiness and distress. It is already fixed up. Simply try for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real business.
Our life is to regain our spiritual consciousness, revive our spiritual existence. And for this purpose we must endeavor. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovidaḥ means one who is intelligent. Otherwise, those who are not intelligent, they think that "I have got this life. I shall enjoy sense gratification," and "There is no life after death." Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), but these rascals will say, "No, there is no life." So therefore Kṛṣṇa has said, "Mūḍhas, rascals, they do not accept what I am speaking in this Bhagavad-gītā." Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamaḥ (BG 7.15). They got the chance of understanding Kṛṣṇa, but they do not know. And the so-called rascal leaders, they are also misleading them, that "There was no Battle of Kurukṣetra. There was no instruction like that. It is all mythology, and we can utilize it for our political purposes but it has no value. I can interpret in my own way; you can interpret in your own way. Actually, this instruction has no value." Yata mata tata patha. "You can interpret in your own way; I can interpret..." In this way things are going on. This is the position.
Bhāgavata says that this is not a problem. You are thinking of maintaining your wife and children. Oh, that is already arranged. As this is arranged for the animals, for the birds, for the beasts, to have a wife and enjoy sex life and beget some children, then why not for you? You are advanced human being. Then Bhāgavata says that tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. One who is intelligent, one who knows things as they are, he is called kovidaḥ. Kovidaḥ means very expert. So Bhāgavata advising the most intelligent man that tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ: "If you are intelligent, then you should try for advancing your Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Why? Na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ: (1.5.18) "Because this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so valuable and rare that if you travel all over the space by your sputnik or something else, you cannot get this Kṛṣṇa consciousness anywhere." Na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so very valuable that I shall simply devote my life only for attaining or achieving this end of life? Then what about my economic problem?" The Bhāgavata says, tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā: "My dear friend, because you are a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, so your economic problem is already solved."
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: ...kovida. Kovida means very intelligent person, not rascals, fools. Kovida, very expert. Kovida. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta: "He should endeavor for that thing." What is that "that thing"? Na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adaḥ: "Which is never happened to be achieved, although in different forms of life I have traveled in different planets, transmigration, but I could not get that." So in this human form of life, tasyaiva hetoḥ, which I did not get in so many lives... That means Kṛṣṇa. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Uparyadaḥ. Upari means higher planetary system; adaḥ, down planetary system. "Then? Simply I shall work for that purpose? Then what about my belly?" People are always... Whole world is embarrassed how to fulfill the belly. Huh? That economic question, this question, that question, philanthropism, this "ism," that "ism." The whole thing is centered round this belly. So one may question, "Then all things should be stopped?" Yes, all things will be stopped. Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "Then the problem... How shall I eat? How shall I become happy?" So śāstra says, tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kalenā sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā. You are trying for getting happiness, satisfaction, but you do not try for distress. So why the distress comes?
Indian man: Automatically.
| Page Title: | Kovida means |
| Compiler: | Rishab, Serene |
| Created: | 30 of Oct, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=13, Con=1, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 14 |