Prabhupāda: So this Sūta Gosvāmī, the speaker, is congratulating the assembly on account of their inquiring about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ. Yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ: "You have inquired on a very nice subject matter, about Kṛṣṇa and about dharma." Yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ, bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam. "This kind of question is very auspicious for everyone." When we inquire about Kṛṣṇa and we speak about Kṛṣṇa, we are both benefited.
So he was very glad when he was questioned about Kṛṣṇa and about dharma, because those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, they know that Kṛṣṇa appeared for two purposes. One purpose is dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, for reestablishing religious principles. And paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8), to give protection to the sādhu. Sādhu means those who are devotees of God. They are called sādhu. And the nondevotees, they are called duṣkṛtām. Duṣkṛtām means those who are always engaged in sinful activities. They are called duṣkṛtām. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām.
So two purposes. Kṛṣṇa's appearance is meant for two purposes. So the question was that:
- brūhi yogeśvare kṛṣṇe
- brahmaṇye dharma-varmaṇi
- svāṁ kāṣṭhām adhunopete
- dharmaḥ kaṁ śaraṇaṁ gataḥ
- (SB 1.1.23)
"Kṛṣṇa appeared for reestablishing the religious principles, but after His disappearance, who has taken charge for this department?" That was their question. So Sūta Gosvāmī is congratulating them, that "This question is very auspicious," loka-maṅgalam. Loka means this world, and maṅgalam means auspicious.
So first of all he is explaining what is dharma. Dharma is translated in English as "religion," but actually, it does not convey the real import of dharma. As I have many times explained in these meetings, that dharma means some particular characteristic which you cannot change. That is called dharma. Dharma does not mean a particular type of faith. Faith is different. Faith is followed blindly or by social custom or something else. Faith is different. But dharma, either you change social custom, country, time, space, it cannot be changed. That is dharma.
So that dharma is enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya: "For the matter of reestablishing the principles of dharma." There is difference of understanding between dharma and religion, although the Sanskrit word dharma is translated into English as religion. Religion, in the dictionary, it is explained as faith, but dharma is different.
Dharma you cannot change. In whichever condition you are, you have to follow the special characteristic. And that I have already explained. That special characteristic is that every living entity is engaged in service for others. Every living entity. Human being, birds, beasts, animal—every living entity is giving service to somebody else. That is dharma.
Therefore, Bhāgavata is explaining the nature of dharma, what is dharma. It is said here, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6): "That is first-class religion which teaches how to render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead." That is first-class religion. There is no consideration of which type of dharma, or faith, you are following. It doesn't matter. You may become a Christian, you may become a Muhammadan, you may become a Hindu, or whatever.
There are many religious sects or faiths all over the world. But our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, which is called bhāgavata-dharma . . . bhāgavata-dharma means relationship with God and execution of our duties in that relationship. That is called bhāgavata-dharma.
First of all we must know what is God. Then we must know what is our relationship with God. Then, as soon as relationship is known, then what is our duty? Just like if you are admitted in some institution or in some office . . .
(break) . . . is our relationship.
So everyone, every religion, accepts "God is great," sum total definition. That's a fact. God is great. And we are minute, small. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). God says, Kṛṣṇa says that, "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel." Part and parcel means . . . we can understand very easily. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. Everyone can understand it. So we are part and parcel of God. Take the whole body of God, the virāṭ-mūrti, or the gigantic universal form. In whichever you like, you take. So every one of us is part of that universal body. Mamaivāṁśaḥ. So the same example: the finger or the one piece of hair, whatever you take, it is the part and parcel of the body. Whole combined together, it makes the body.
Similarly, we all living entities in different forms . . . there are 8,400,000's of forms. All together, every one of us—not only human being, but also animals, beast, birds, trees, plants, insect, everyone—they are all part and parcel of the Supreme, just like the hair, a piece of hair, is also part and parcel of the body. When one hair is picked up, you feel pains and pleasure. When the finger is pinched, you feel pains and pleasure—because they are part and parcel.
Now, this is our relationship with God: part and parcel. God, or Kṛṣṇa, is the whole, and we are part and parcel. Then what is our duty? If this relationship is accepted, then what is the duty of the part and parcel? The duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole. Anyone can understand. This finger is part and parcel of my body, so as the body desires, the finger is working. I desire the finger may work here like this; immediately works.
So there is no difficulty to understand what is our duty. Our duty is to serve the supreme whole. But we have manufactured so many duties. This service is there. Everyone is engaged in some sort of service, but the program of service, they are different. Somebody is thinking that "I must render service to my nation." Another is thinking that, "I must render service to my society." Another is thinking, "I must render service to my family." So either you take family-wise or bodily-wise or society-wise or community-wise or national-wise or humanity-wise, they are all imperfect unless it is extended up to the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa. Then it is perfect.
Any service you do . . . service you have to render, either to your personal body or to your family or to your society or to your community, or to the human nation or to the whole humanity. Service everyone is en . . . or in the office. That is our characteristic: we render some service. Therefore the Bhāgavata says that "That is complete service." Our dharma means the characteristic duty. That duty is to render service.
So Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ (SB 1.2.6): "That type of service is first class, transcendental." There are two kinds of services: para and apara. In Sanskrit para means transcendental, and apara means material. Spiritual or material. Because we have two understanding: matter and spirit. Everything is material or spiritual, mundane or transcendental. So here Bhāgavata says, paro dharma. Paro dharma means spiritually. Material dharma—temporary.
Just like if you feel yourself as part and parcel of the American nation, if I feel myself as part and parcel of Indian nation, this is not para, this is apara, because your relations with America or an Indian's association with India is temporary. You may remain America . . . American, say, for hundred years. Not so much. Generally, fifty, sixty, seventy, utmost hundred years.
Then, after hundred years, as soon as your body is changed, even his human form of body, he may not be American—he may be Chinaman. Or if not human form of body, then we may become something else—Gods or dogs also. There is no guarantee, because after you give up this body you are completely under the grip of material nature.
The material nature will award you a particular type of body according to your work. So as soon as the body is changed, the whole atmosphere is changed. You are no longer American. You are no longer Indian. You are something else. Therefore your characteristic of rendering service to the nation, that is not permanent. That is temporary, apara. Apara means temporary, inferior.
But because you are soul, spirit soul, part and parcel of God, you have got a particular duty. That is eternal duty. That eternal duty is described here, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja, this Sanskrit word, is applicable to this Absolute Truth. Akṣaja, adhokṣaja. Akṣaja means experimental knowledge, things which you can perceive by your present senses. Just like you can touch. You can understand a thing by touching, if it is hard or soft, liquid or solid. You can smell, you can hear—so many sensual activities. So things which you can perceive by your sensual activities, they are called direct knowledge or knowledge by experiment. But which is beyond your experiment, that is called adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means beyond your sense perception.
So God's another name is Adhokṣaja, means beyond our perception. You cannot understand God by directly seeing or by directly smelling or by directly hearing or by directly tasting or touching. It is not possible at the present moment, unless you are spiritually advanced, unless our seeing power is rectified, our hearing power is modified. In this way, when our senses are purified, then we can hear about God, we can see God, we can smell God, we can touch God. That is possible.
To training in that science, how to see God, how to hear God, how to touch God by your senses, that is possible. That science is called devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So therefore, Bhāgavata says: "That is first-class religious system by which you can develop your dormant service attitude for God." That is first-class religion.
Now everyone can test which one is first-class religion, because by the result of such activities one will be able to render service to the Supreme. When you render service to somebody, unless you understand something about him, you cannot render service. That is not possible. You cannot render service in the air. You must have some understanding that, "Here I am actually rendering service." That is realization. If I say that, "You do something like this, blindly," you cannot do it for long time. On my request you can do it for some time, but unless you understand why you are doing, whether you are deriving any benefit out of it, you cannot prolong that activities.
Therefore the religion or the process of transcendental activities by which one can render service to the Supreme Lord, that is first-class religion. This is the definition given by Bhāgavata. Don't try to understand "This is Christian religion," "This is Hindu religion," "This is Muhammadan religion," or "This is something other," but try to understand whether that process of religion is teaching you how to love God. That is the test. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6).
Bhakti means rendering service. So when one learns how to render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, direct service, then that is the ultimate goal of religious principles. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, Lord says, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66): "You give up all types of religious principles." Sarva-dharmān. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: "Simply just surrender unto Me." Because this is religion. Anything which does not teach how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or God, that is not religion. Therefore I said in the beginning, there is some difference of meaning between religion and dharma. Religion and dharma. Religion is a faith, but dharma is the original characteristic of the living entity.
And here Kṛṣṇa says that, "You give up all types of faiths." Because we have created so many faiths within this world. According to time, circumstances, country, atmosphere, everything, we have got different faiths. But Kṛṣṇa says it is not the question of faith, it is the question of actual relationship. Because every living entity is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and the duty of part and parcel is to render service to the whole—therefore Kṛṣṇa came to establish this type of religion, this first-class religion, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So any religion.
Now, you should understand Kṛṣṇa as God. When we speak of Kṛṣṇa . . . last week I explained that if there can be any name of God . . . there are many thousands of names of God. Somebody says: "God has no name." Yes, God has no particular name because, as I explained, God's name is ascertained according to His activity. Just the other day I explained, God appeared as the son of Nanda Mahārāja, so He is called son of Nanda. That is another name, Nanda-nandana.