This material body is foreign. I am spiritual. I am spiritual, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But because I wanted to lord it over the material nature, Kṛṣṇa has given me this body. Daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). He is giving you body. He is giving the body of Brahmā, He is giving you the body of ant. As you desire. As you desire. If you want the body of a tiger, Kṛṣṇa will give you. If you want the body of a hog, He will give you. If you want the body of Brahmā, He will give you. If you want the body of a demigod, He will give you. If you want the body of American, He will give you. Englishman, He will give you. Indian, He will give you. That is Kṛṣṇa. He is so kind. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Just like a son disobedient to the father, but he wants to enjoy something. Still, father giving him, "All right, you take money, and enjoy." Father is so kind. "You become free. Whatever you like, you can do. You take some money." This is our concession.
Very kind (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So it is very difficult to control it." So he says, tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati: "The tongue is very greedy and very difficult to be controlled. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has given us one weapon." What is that? Kṛṣṇa baṛo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay, swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi: "Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Therefore He has given us His remnants of foodstuff." So if we make this promise, that "I shall not take anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," then your tongue will be controlled. And in the śāstra it is said that you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Not only Kṛṣṇa, even His name you cannot understand with these imperfect senses.
Give him milk." (laughter) Just see how much this... I want something, and I am given something else. That is a fact. Why the child is crying? He is feeling uncomfortable. Then, in this way, I grow. Then I do not want to go to school. I am forced to go to school. Yes. At least, I was like that. (laughter) I never wanted to go to school. And my father was very kind. "So all right. Why you are not going to school?" I would say, "I will go tomorrow." "All right." But my mother was very careful. Perhaps if my mother would not have been little strict, I would not have gotten any education. My father was very lenient. So she used to force me. One man would take me to school. Actually, children do not want to go to school. They want to play. Against the will of the children, he has to go to school. Then there is examination, not only going to school.
That is required. That is spiritual vision. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. Therefore a devotee is first-class paṇḍita. A devotee. Because he's sama-darśinaḥ. Sama-darśinaḥ means he's feeling for others. A Vaiṣṇava... Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī, kṛpāmbudhir yaḥ. Vaiṣṇava is very kind-hearted, merciful, because he feels for others. He feels for others in this sense that he knows what he is. He sees every living entity as part and parcel of God: "Now, here is a part and parcel of God. He would have gone back to home, back to Godhead, and danced with Him, and lived very nicely, eternally, blissfully. Now he's rotting here as a hog, or as a human being, or as a king. The same thing. It is for few years only." So a devotee therefore tries to take him out of this illusion. Therefore, he's called para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He's actually feeling others' distressed condition. Not these political leaders or social... What they can do? They make their own fortune. That's all.
So why should you give pain to others? That is Lord Buddha's theory. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam. He denied that: "I don't accept Vedas." Because in the Vedas there is sometimes recommendation, not for killing, but for giving rejuvenation to an animal. But killing, in that sense, is there for sacrifice. But Lord Buddha did not accept even animal killing in sacrifice. Therefore, nindasi. Nindasi means he was criticizing. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaṁ sadaya-hṛdaya darśita. Why? He was so kind and compassionate. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. God is very kind, very compassionate. He does not like. But when there is necessity, He can kill. But His killing and our killing is different. He's all good. Anyone killed by Kṛṣṇa, he immediately gets salvation. So these thing are there.
That... Now, why you should have to perform yajña? That is obligatory, not that you are very kind to prepare your foodstuff and offering to Kṛṣṇa. It is very kind. No. It is for your interest. It is for your interest. Why? Now, annād bhavanti bhūtāni. You have to eat. Can you say that "Without eating, I shall continue my life?" No. That is not possible. You have to eat.
Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. If you want to exist, if you want to maintain your body and soul together, then you have to take anna. Anna means foodstuff, or anna means grains, natural food. Generally, anna means foodstuff, and another technical meaning of anna—anna means grains, which is produced from the land for eating of the human being.
Sādhu, one who is called sādhu... Sādhu means titikṣavaḥ. Titikṣavaḥ means very tolerant, very tolerant, very much tolerant. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ. At the same time very kind-hearted. We find these two characters in the life of Lord Jesus. He was very much tolerant, at the same time kind to the people in general. You see? So titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. And he is friend. A sādhu is friend of all living entities. He is not only friend of the human kind. He is friend of the animals. He is friend of the trees. He is friend of the ants, worms, reptiles, serpents—everyone. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. And ajāta-śatru. And because he is friend of everyone, he has no enemy. But unfortunately the world is so infidel, even to such a sādhu there is enemy.
It is also our appreciation. Just like Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Here, of course, in the temple or anywhere, Kṛṣṇa is there, but we have no appreciation. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is very kind to appear in this age as holy name so that we can very easily approach Kṛṣṇa simply by chanting. But we have got many misgivings. Otherwise, so many people there are, they inquire "What is God?" And if you say, "Here is God," they won't believe you. It is their appreciation. But God is there in His name, Kṛṣṇa. So one has to prepare the receptive process. Otherwise, God is here. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. Tat-paratvena nirmalam (Bs. 5.38). Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11). Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Now I want to see Kṛṣṇa, but I want to keep my identity as member of this family or member of this nation or father of this child or husband of this wife.
You have got very good example of Lord Jesus Christ, a great saint, or sādhu also. He was, of course, more than sādhu. Now, just see his behavior, how much tolerant he was. He was being crucified and he was praying God, "O Lord, forgive these people, what they are doing." That, this is the significance of sādhu. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ. For their personal sake, they're always very tolerant, but they are very kind to all people, all living entities, very kind. In spite of their all disadvantages, they try to give something, real knowledge, to the people in general. Kāruṇikāḥ. And suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. And a sādhu is not a friend of a particular class, particular community or particular country. No. A sādhu, a saint, is he who is friend of all, not only of human being, even of animals and less than animals. These are the qualification of sādhu. Ajāta-śatravaḥ.
And they have no enemies. Or they are not anyone's enemy. Everyone's friend. Enemy, of course, even the greatest man, you will find some enemy. This is the nature of this world. Even the most perfect man will have some enemy.
Similarly, we living entities, we have got a specific qualification: the eternal attitude to serve others. So that, how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how to give up our material engagement in different designations—this science and this truth is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8).
The sādhu... In the Bhagavad-gītā, in the last meeting, I have described to some extent what is the qualification of a sādhu. Sādhu means saintly person. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām (SB 3.25.21). He's tolerant, he's very kind to everyone, and he's friend to all living entities. He has no enemy, or he is nobody's enemy. And he's peaceful. These are some of the qualification. There are twenty-six qualification in detail. But these are some of the qualification. And in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find the description of a sādhu, saintly person, is given by the Lord Himself.
It is so nice. Because you will understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, and here it is said, janma karma ca me divyaṁ ye jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). It is explained. The people who are reading Kṛṣṇa book very seriously, and tries to understand Kṛṣṇa, he will understand. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. As soon as he begins reading Kṛṣṇa book with a little faith and adherence, Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). As soon as Kṛṣṇa is within your heart so when you read Bhagavad-gītā or Kṛṣṇa book with little seriousness, then Kṛṣṇa understands, "Now he is serious to understand me." He's with the.... You haven't got to search out Kṛṣṇa, He's already within you. Simply you have to become little serious. "Kṛṣṇa, kindly give me knowledge so that I can understand." Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. If you are serious devotee, if you are in love with Kṛṣṇa, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10).
The nose should be engaged for smelling the flower which is offered to Kṛṣṇa, or the tulasī. In this way, when you engage all your senses, the legs should be utilized for coming to this temple to see Kṛṣṇa. Not to going to the cinema rascal. Then your life will be successful. You'll understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He says teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām (BG 10.10), if you engage all your senses for understanding Kṛṣṇa with devotion and faith, prīti-purvakam, with love, the love is the basic principle of understanding Kṛṣṇa.
But you will develop your love. The love means, just like it is said, dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You are coming into the temple if you give something, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. Little things. "Kṛṣṇa, I have brought You. I could not bring any very costly thing, but I've collected these patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. Kṛṣṇa is pleased, tad aham aśnāmi.
And he knows everything. Similarly, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. He has got many multi-potencies. One of them is this pleasure potency. Pleasure potency...
He also wants pleasure. So when Kṛṣṇa wants... Kṛṣṇa is Paraṁ Brahman. He cannot enjoy anything material. He has to create the source of enjoyment by His own spiritual potency. That is Rādhārāṇī. So Rādhārāṇī is described in the śāstra: rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmād (CC Adi 1.5). That is Kṛṣṇa's hlādinī-śakti. She gives pleasure to Kṛṣṇa. So She is very kind. And today is Rādhāṣṭamī. If we pray to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī... Therefore in Vṛndāvana you'll see. They are first of all glorifying, "Jaya Rādhe!" Everywhere you'll hear. "Jaya Rādhe."
He was formerly governor of Bengal during British period, and in our childhood, when we were college student, in boyhood, I saw him. He is very interest in India philosophy. He's a Scotsman but very interested. Lord Rolandcey. So that Lord Rolandcey, he was very kind enough to become the president of that society my Godbrother organized in London. So Lord Rolandcey and that, my Godbrother, is talking. So Lord Rolandcey asked him, "Well, Swamiji, can you make me a brāhmaṇa?" "Yes, why not? Yes, why not? You can become a brāhmaṇa." "So what are the conditions?" My Godbrother said, "The preliminary four conditions." "What are these conditions?" "Now, striya-sūnā-pāna-dyūta yatra pāpaś catur-vidhāḥ: (SB 1.17.38) You cannot have any illicit connection with woman, you cannot have any intoxication habit, you cannot indulge in gambling or unnecessary sporting, and you cannot live on animal food." Lord Rolandcey replied, "It is impossible. It is impossible."
There was no books. And there was no need of noting down. The merit was so perfect that simply by hearing from guru, he would understand everything.
But in the Kali-yuga because gradually we are losing the potency of our brain, therefore we require in writing books. Vyāsadeva was very kind. He knew that in the Kali-yuga there will be no sharpened brain. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). They are made by nature; by the influence of Kali-yuga, they are all mandaḥ, very slow or very bad, mandaḥ. Sumanda-matayaḥ, and they have got, manufactured some ideas, sumanda-matayaḥ, which is not standard to the Vedic ideas. Manda-bhāgyāḥ, and unfortunately, they cannot accept. Manda-bhāgyāḥ.
Kṛṣṇa is accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all the śāstras. Vyāsadeva, He writes, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). In the Brahma-saṁhitā, Brahmā writes, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Kṛṣṇa personally says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7).
Madhudviṣa: "A bona fide spiritual master is by nature very kind towards his disciple, and therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquiries becomes perfect."
Prabhupāda: Perfect. This is the perfect way. Hm. Go on.
Madhudviṣa: Thirty-five: "And when you have thus learned the truth you will know that all living beings are My parts and parcels, that they are in Me and are Mine (BG 4.35)."
So this can be done simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply by developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Divyam, this word is used, divyam. So we are to undergo austerities, penances for this divyam, for transcendental life, divyam. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1), little tapasya. In the Kali Yuga we cannot perform very severe... Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He has given us different opportunity for elevating to our transcendental life in different ages. In this age, because we are so fallen and so limited, and so badly associated, that it is very difficult to undergo severe austerities and penances. We cannot go into the forest. We cannot perform yoga systems very nicely. We cannot perform yajñas. We cannot worship the Lord in temple very nicely. So many difficulties. Therefore śāstra has given us concession: kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt.
That is māyā. It is up to you. Therefore you create māyā. Kṛṣṇa does not create. A man is hanged. Does it mean that the high-court judge who orders that "This man should be hanged," the high-court judge is enemy of that man he's hanging? No. He has created his situation that he should be hanged. God is very kind to everyone, but we have created situation so that we suffer. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1)—by our own work and under the supervision of the Supreme. Just like in the state you create some criminal activity. Under the supervision of the government you are punished. All right. (break)
Just perform tapasya for realizing Kṛṣṇa. Tapo divyam. Otherwise, Hiraṇyakaśipu, he also performed tapasya. What was that tapasya? He performed severe tapasya, so much so that the whole universe became perturbed and Brahmājī came to see, "What do you want?" "No, I am performing tapasya for becoming immortal. So if you make me immortal, it will be very kind of you." He said, "I am myself not immortal. How can I make you immortal? That is not possible." So the idea is he also performed tapasya, but that tapasya was for material gain. But that is not tapasya.
Tapasya means to undergo voluntarily some inconveniences of this body. Because we are accustomed to enjoy bodily senses, and tapasya means voluntarily to give up the idea of sense gratification. That is tapasya. Tapasya. Just like Ekādaśī. Ekādaśī, one day fasting, fortnight. That is also tapasya. Or fasting in some other auspicious day. That tapasya is good, even for health, and what to speak of advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Therefore a devotee is taught to address all his contemporaries as "Prabhu, my dear sir, my dear lord." That is the position of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are not heartless. They are very submissive.
There are six, twenty-six qualifications of a factual devotee of the Lord. They are very kind. They are very obedient. They are sober, economic, everything, all good qualifications. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). One, if he becomes the devotee of the Lord, all good qualities automatically will develop because he is good. By nature a living entity is the perfect good, but due to the contamination of the lust, he has become vicious. He has become vicious. By nature he's not vicious; he's perfect. Because he's part and parcel of the gold, he's gold. By outward covering he has become something nonsense.
Therefore Bhāgavata instructs you that you just try to offer your respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Truth. That is your perfection of life. Satyaṁ damaḥ. Anartha-viṣaya-śrotrāder niyamānam.(?) Damaḥ. Damaḥ means to control the senses. Anartha. Now you are sitting here. It is very kind of you. But you could go to a cinema house or hear from, I mean to, world noise by television or, say, something like... It is simply waste of time. So you have to control your senses in such a way that every moment should be utilized for your spiritual cultivation of life. You should not allow the senses to enjoy anything which is against the cultivation of spiritual life. That is called damaḥ, control.
You can eat. You can go to a restaurant and have very palatable dishes of meats and so many things. But you have to control it: "No. I shall not eat all this nonsense. I shall eat only kṛṣṇa-prasādam."
And if you want, you wanted a body like hog, to eat stool, all right, take this body." Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). Whatever you want, Kṛṣṇa is witness. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So He is noting down your desires. And He's giving you opportunity.
Just like if somebody is kind upon me... Just like our Kārttika is very kind. He has given me this room. If I say: "Kārttika, this room does not suit me. Give me that room." "Yes, you come in. Yes, you come in." This is a question of love and affection. So Kṛṣṇa is so affectionate to the living entity, whatever he wants, He's giving him. "Come on. Take it."
Therefore we find so many varieties of body. Why so many varieties of body? Because the living entity wants a particular type of apartment. "If this type of apartment would have been given to me I would have been very much happy." "All right. You take this" So... But the owner of the apartment is Kṛṣṇa.
And Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). "A leaf, a flower, fruit and liquid, milk or water, all these things, within these categories, whatever a devotee offers Me in love and devotion, I eat." Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry. Neither He is dependent on your supply of foodstuff. No. But still, Kṛṣṇa has become your guest. Just like you have brought Kṛṣṇa here. He is very kind. Because you are devotees, you want to serve Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa has come in your temple in a form which you can very easily serve. Kṛṣṇa does not require your service, but He is so kind that He is accepting your service. You are bathing the Deity, you are dressing the Deity, offering flowers, garland, and whatever preparation you can make, you are offering Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa has accepted your service in a form which you can handle. That is His energy.
Otherwise that is also ignorance. So two things are there, daivī sampad and āsurī sampad. Āsurī sampad means more and more entanglement and bondage within this material world. And daivī sampad means your freedom from material world.
So first of all we must decide what we want. Whatever you want, you will have. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. If you want to remain bound up by the laws of material nature within this material world... Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). As we contaminate the different material modes of nature, we get different situation of life, different forms of body, different circumstances. Kṛṣṇa has arranged everything very accurately. His arrangement is very perfect. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). When He does something, He desires only. By His desires, the energies are there. Immediately the energy works. Just like you have got some energy. If you desire, immediately it begins to work. You have got experience. Similarly, we have got limited number of energies, and Kṛṣṇa has got unlimited number of energies.
They are all sinful. They are, who are cooking for themself without offering to the proprietor, to the master, they're all sinful. Therefore our program is to eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam, the foodstuff, remnants of foodstuff, left by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. If you offer something to Kṛṣṇa, He eats the offering. It is not that He's not eating. He is eating but at the same time keeping it for you as it was offered. He's not like us. If you give me something to eat, I'll finish the whole plate. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. (laughter) Kṛṣṇa... The atheist will say that He has not eaten. No, He has eaten. And that is Kṛṣṇa.
That is stated in the Vedas, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Kṛṣṇa, expanding Himself into millions, still, He remains a Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa. It is not that material thing. If you take a material thing, anything, if you divide it into millions portion, then original form is finished.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
The best example is Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa heard that the eighth son of his sister, Devakī, would kill him. Since that time, he became attracted to Kṛṣṇa. "Oh, somebody's coming in the name Kṛṣṇa, as my sister's eighth son. So He will kill me. So let me kill my sister, the source of Kṛṣṇa." So he first of all wanted to kill his sister. That is due to attraction of Kṛṣṇa. He was very kind to his sister. After the marriage of his sister he was taking very jubilantly his sister and his brother-in-law in a chariot, and he was personally driving, because Devakī happened to be younger sister of Kaṁsa. Naturally, everyone has got some love for younger brother and sister. So he was affectionate. Although he was a nondevotee demon, still, natural attraction one cannot avoid. Just like a tiger. Tiger is killer of everyone. But still, the tiger and the tigress have got affection for the cubs. That is natural. So he had the natural attraction for his sister, but when he heard that his sister would be the killer of him, he immediately wanted to kill his sister.
Then, when he's in love for God, he cannot do without it. Automatically he will rise early in the morning, automatically he'll do everything. It is simply the question of time to arrive to that ripened stage.
So this is the process. That we are serving here Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is also very kind. Because if Kṛṣṇa in His spiritual form, He is present... Of course, there is no difference. For Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference, material and spiritual, because everything is spiritual ultimately. But still, taking it accepted that we cannot see spiritual form at the present moment. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Because our senses are not blunt, we cannot see the spiritual form of Kṛṣṇa at the present moment. Therefore because we cannot see Kṛṣṇa with your present eyes, because we cannot serve Kṛṣṇa with our present hand, therefore Kṛṣṇa appears in a way so that we can see, we can touch. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can appear in any way.
People are suffering. This is Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava takes so much trouble to speak to the rascals and dulls about God consciousness. Why? Out of compassion. They are very compassionate. "Oh, so many people are suffering for want of knowledge. Let me try to give them some knowledge." Karuṇayā. This is Vaiṣṇava's qualification. He is very kind. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ (SB 3.25.21). Just like Lord Jesus Christ. He was being crucified. Still, he was saying, "My father, they do not know what they are doing." Is it not? He is so much compassionate that "These rascals do not know what they are doing, rascals. Still, I request You to forgive them." This is Vaiṣṇava. Personally he is suffering, but he is still compassionate. There was an article recently, that Jesus Christ, although he was crucified, he did not die. Yes. He went to Kashmir. Some historical references are there. So actually, when he was representative of God, son of God, how these rascals could kill him? It was a show only.
So "the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, by His attractive features, by attraction of His bodily beauty, by attraction of His opulence, by attraction of His pastimes, so many things..." Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive. And one who is all-attractive, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the meaning of "Kṛṣṇa."
Similarly, "Govinda." That also has meaning. Go means cow, go means senses, and go means land. So in these three features Kṛṣṇa can be applied. He gives pleasure to the senses; therefore He's Govinda. He's very kind to the cows; therefore He's Govinda. He is the proprietor of all land; therefore He's Govinda. So in this way "Govinda" means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, "Kṛṣṇa" means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, if you have got any word which means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you can chant.
Of course, sometimes to become very rich, janmaiśvarya (SB 1.8.26), they become very proud. They do not come to Kṛṣṇa. So sometimes Kṛṣṇa shows the mercy to turn His devotee into poverty-stricken position. Yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ (SB 10.88.8). That... Therefore somebody is afraid of coming to Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is also very kind. When you become actually a devotee, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22), there will be no scarcity. Whatever you want, it will come. It will come. So this is the position. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching, educating, all over the world. There is no distinction. There is no distinction. Don't think that "These Europeans, Americans, they are mlecchas and yavanas. They cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is only meant for the brāhmaṇas or kṣatriyas." They are brāhmaṇa. Caṇḍālo 'pi dvija-śreṣṭho hari-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ. Anyone who becomes a devotee, he is better than a brāhmaṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). It doesn't matter wherever he is born. Pāpa-yonayaḥ.
Similarly, if we actually want our contact with the Absolute Truth, then we have to go through Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has many forms. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta-rūpam. So... Because nothing is but Kṛṣṇa, everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy, the process is... To contact the Absolute Truth means Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa here says... Not Kṛṣṇa. Vyāsadeva says, through Sūta Gosvāmī, that "Kṛṣṇa is very kind, very friendly to the suhṛt satām." Satām. Satām means devotees. He is very intimately in friendship with devotees. Kṛṣṇa's another qualification is bhakta-vatsala. Here it is also said, suhṛt-satām. Satām means devotees. He is friend of everyone. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). Without Kṛṣṇa being friend of everyone, nobody can live for a moment. You are... Kṛṣṇa is protecting everyone, supplying food to everyone.
He must have his eternal body. But purposefully, to enjoy this material world, the living entity has accepted a material body. Not only once, but it is going on continually, one after another. As I am accumulating material desires in this life... Just like I have got this body according to my desires in the last life, similarly, whatever we are desiring in this life, that will be fulfilled in the next life. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. As we desire, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa is so kind that if you want a tiger's body, Kṛṣṇa will give you. If you want a demigod's body, Kṛṣṇa will give you. If you want a body like Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will give you. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). Whatever you want, especially in this human form of life, whatever you desire, Kṛṣṇa will give you chance. It may be very unpalatable, but this is a fact. We have heard from authorities.
Suppose a foolish boy is trying to touch fire. Father says, "Don't do it." In spite of that, if the foolish boy does it, his hand is burned. So father is not responsible. He says, "Don't do it." But the child does it out of ignorance and suffers. Similarly the sanction of God is there as we persist on it. "I want this. I want this." As a child sometimes cries and the mother is obliged to sanction, similarly, God is very kind. If we persist on doing something, He gives us sanction. But the result you have to suffer or enjoy. Go on.
Upendra: "One who knows these plenary features of the Personality of Godhead knows also Him (Godhead) properly and thus the knower becomes freed from the material conditions of birth, death, old age and diseases as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. In this śloka the subject matter of Mahā-Viṣṇu is summarized. The Mahā-Viṣṇu lies down in some part of the spiritual sky by His own free will and thus He does lie on the ocean of kāraṇa from where He glances over His material nature and the mahat-tattva is at once created.
So unless you stop, you break these four pillars, how you can think of God? God is not so cheap. The rascal says, "You can do whatever you like. I give you... I push your eyes and you see God. You push your nose, you see God." You see? These nonsense things are going on. But God is not so cheap. He is cheap, very cheap. He is very kind. But we want to remain sinful. Therefore we cannot see God. Arjuna addressed Kṛṣṇa, paraṁ dhāma paraṁ brahma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. "You are the most pure." So how you can approach God with sinful life? That is not possible. That is simply bogus thing, that you keep your sinful life, at the same time you want to see God, you want to talk with God. That is not possible.
So this point is that if the population of the world becomes sinful, demonic, then nature will not supply you sufficient food. She will diminish. We have got experience. In India we have seen, some years there is overproduction of mango. People... Very cheap. Everyone can purchase.
Surfboard? Yes. (laughter) So if you increase your engage..., "How I shall be swimming and enjoy this sport all day and night?" then Kṛṣṇa will give you the body of a fish. (laughter) Yes. He is very kind. And you will very nicely live in the sea, always swimming without any difficulty. Every life. As you increase your propensity for a certain type of activities, nature is ready immediately: "Take this body. Why you are anxious? Take this body." Similarly, if you become anxious to have a body like Kṛṣṇa, that is also ready. Now it is your choice. If you like, you take the body of a fish, or if you like, you take the body of sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), eternal, blissful knowledge.
So we are trying to give that body. Not a fish body, cat's body, dog's body. That we have experienced, past life. We have got this life now to make discretion, to make choice, what kind of body we are going to get next.
"Here is your house. Please come." So that is the way of material creation. There was no need of this material creation. Some rascals questioned that "Why God has created this miserable world?" But you wanted, therefore God has given you. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. You wanted such a thing. The same example, the prison house. The prison house, government is not canvassing, "Please, you all gentlemen and ladies, come here." No. You are going. You are going. Similarly, this material world is created for you because you wanted it. And here you cannot expect..., as you cannot expect in the prison house to live very comfortably... Because after all, it is prison house. There must be tribulation so that you may not come again. You cannot expect that prison house will be very comfortable and you live forever.
Therefore he said that "I don't care for your Vedas." Just like Lord Jesus Christ rebelled against the whole Testament. He formulated his own testament, New Testament. Similarly, Lord Buddha also, he rejected Vedas and He presented his own philosophy: ahiṁsā, nonviolence. Ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ. Because he was very kind upon on the poor animals. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam. Paśu-ghātam means animal killing. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam. Śruti-jātam. Śruti means Veda. So in the Vedas, although there are, in particular cases, there are animal sacrifice... That is also very restricted. But we cannot say that there is no animal sacrifice. There is in some cases. So Lord Buddha, nindasi, He decried, "No, I don't accept your Vedas." Therefore Buddha religion is different from Vedic religion, because he rejected Vedas. And the Vedic followers, because he rejected Vedic principles, Vedic followers said that he, "You are nāstika." Nāstika means unbeliever.
Then another junction, youthhood; then another junction, old age. This is the nature's way. There must be three periods of anything material.
So this Kali-yuga has already begun. So in the beginning sandhyā, junction, Lord Buddha's description is given already. Lord Buddha will cheat the atheist class of men. God is very kind. So sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24). Those who are atheists, just to bewilder them: "Yes, there is nothing after death, it is all zero, but you worship me," Lord Buddha said. "Yes, sir, we shall worship you." So the only business, God's business is, "This rascal may some way or other worship Me." Because they are rascals. So here Lord Buddha by policy induced them to worship Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha is incarnation of God. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra. His philosophy is "No, there is no God, but you worship me." But the policy is to worship God. But they do not know. They are thinking that "We are worshiping somebody, some great soul," but he does not know that he is God, incarnation of God.
"Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so nice that simply by reading, immediately one can capture the Supreme Lord within his heart." Sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt. Tat-kṣaṇāt means immediately, provided if he's little willing. That's all. Śuśrūṣu. That is the word.
So our whole program is that Kṛṣṇa is very kind, always kind upon us, but we have to become little willing to take Kṛṣṇa's favor. That... What is the example? My Guru Mahārāja used to give a very nice example. I remember. Just like here is a well. Somebody has fallen down; he's crying, "Please get me out! Get me out! Get me out!" Now, if somebody drops a, a, I mean to, tight, strong rope and asks him, "All right, you catch this rope tightly. I'll get you out," and if he says, "No, that I cannot do," then how he'll be saved? That much endeavor he must have, to catch the rope. Then he'll be lifted immediately. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
- jñānaṁ guhyatamaṁ yat tat
- sākṣād bhagavatoditam
- anvavocan gamiṣyantaḥ
- kṛpayā dīna-vatsalāḥ
- (SB 1.5.30)
Translation: "As they were leaving, those bhakti-vedāntas, who are very kind to poor-hearted souls, instructed me in that most confidential subject which is instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself."
Prabhupāda:
- jñānaṁ guhyatamaṁ yat tat
- sākṣād bhagavatoditam
- anvavocan gamiṣyantaḥ
- kṛpayā dīna-vatsalāḥ
So yesterday we have been discussing the symptoms of guru and the symptoms of disciple—who is actual disciple and who is actual guru. It is stated by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura,
- sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
- uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ
- kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
- vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **
So guru's position is very exalted. Exal... Why exalted? Because he is the confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. One... Suppose you want to do some business and..., with some firm, and a representative comes to transact business, naturally, one tries to satisfy that representative so that the business can be done very fairly. This is natural psychology.
One can be strictly engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness when he's free from all sinful activity. Otherwise not possible. Of course, Kṛṣṇa is very kind. If you are engaged in kṛṣṇa-bhakti sincerely, if by mistake you commit some sin, that can be excused. But if you purposefully commit sinful activities, you'll never get Kṛṣṇa's approach. That is a great... Nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. That is very great offense, that I am a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and... Just like the Christian people go to church, that "I am a devotee of Christ. I can do any nonsense, and on Sunday I shall go, I shall admit, 'Yes, my Lord, I have done this.' " "All right. Excused." Then? Then I'll do again tomorrow." This is not wanted. That is pāpa-buddhiḥ, that "Somehow or other let me be atoned today, and from tomorrow I shall begin my business. And again I shall come Sunday."
Similarly, in other place, the sinful activities, if you commit that sinful activity in Vṛndāvana, then it will be thousand times increased. So we have to be very careful.
So Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣa..., bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam. If we act impiously, we have to suffer. But for a devotee, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). Karmāṇi nirdahati. Others, for sinful activities, they will have to continue, but if a devotee is in sinful activities, in one life it is finished. But don't take this concession. We should be very much careful not to commit. So we shall have to increase our madness for harer guṇākṣipta-matir bhagavān bādarāyaṇiḥ. And bādarāyaṇi, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, is also addressed as Bhagavān. If one is mad after Bhagavān, he's as good as Bhagavān. Harer ākṣipta. One who is mad after Bhagavān, he's as good as Bhagavān.
That is right. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). He's so powerful, for Him there is no wrong. He's never wrongdoer.
Therefore devotees, they do not expect that "Kṛṣṇa will always be very kind upon me. He may be harsh, but that is also good." Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's devotee, even he is harsh, he is unkind, so-called unkind, it is also good. Just like Nārada Muni cursed the Yamalārjuna. What is that? Their name? The Kuvera's sons? They were cursed to become tree, but what was the result? The result was that although they became trees they were fortunate enough to see Kṛṣṇa personally. So God or His devotee, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa devotee, you should always take that they're always good. God is good. And the devotee is good. Either we see that He's merciful... He's always merciful. Therefore devotees never take anything as not merciful.
Kṛṣṇa was present in the battle of Kurukṣetra, only the five Pāṇḍavas, just like, and their mother Kuntī, they could understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And few others. So even though Kṛṣṇa was present, somebody took Him as ordinary human being. Avajā..., avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam. Because He was very kind to the human society, He came personally. Still, because they had no eyes to see Him, they could not see. Therefore Kuntī says, alakṣyam, "You are not visible, although You are antaḥ bahiḥ, sarva-bhutanam." Not that antaḥ bahiḥ of the devotee—everyone. Everyone's heart Kṛṣṇa is situated, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe. Pointing out, hṛd-deśe, here in the heart, Kṛṣṇa is there. Now, therefore, meditation, yoga principle, is how to find out Kṛṣṇa within the heart. That is called meditation.
We should not remain mūḍha-dṛśā. We should follow the mahājanas and the sādhus, śāstra. And they recommend... The most important process is śravaṇam. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If we don't hear about Kṛṣṇa, then how we'll make advance? We have to hear. My Guru Mahārāja was very kind upon me because I was very much interested to hear him. That you know. I hear him. I did not understand him, actually. In the beginning I could not understand him. He was speaking in so high philosophical way that it was not... Still, I wanted to hear him. That was my only qualification.
So the... It is the process. During lecture time, if we don't care to hear or we do other things or take rest, that is not very good sign. We should be very much careful. Then we shall remain mūḍha-dṛśā. Naṭo nāṭyadharo yathā. We have taken the vow to see Kṛṣṇa or to understand Kṛṣṇa. We should be very, very serious and do the needful.
And uttama-adhikārī, they have no such distinction. They see: "Everyone is engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. That is all right." But madhyama-adhikārī has to make distinction. Kṛpā upekṣā. He is very kind to the innocent, but those who are envious, he does not care for them. Those who are envious, he does not care for them. He rejects them: "Let them become envious," these madhyama-adhikārī. And īśvare, unto the Supreme Lord-prema. They learn how to love Kṛṣṇa and how to make friendship with Kṛṣṇa's devotee. So this is madhyama-adhikārī and kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, uttama-adhikārī. There are different types of devotees, not all the same, according to the stages.
So ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. A Vaiṣṇava feels for others. A Vaiṣṇava understands that "Those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, those who have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, they are rotting under the spell of māyā. Let us do something for them." That is Vaiṣṇava.
Struggle for existence in this life. Suppose I am struggling, I am thinking, "If I could have possessed the strength of an elephant or a tiger, I would have been successful." Then next life he gets the body of lion, tiger, or elephant. Nature will give. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Whatever you want, He will give you, up to mukti. The Māyāvādī philosophers... Mukti means to merge into the existence of Brahman. Kṛṣṇa will give you very easily. But He is very strict to give you bhakti. That is His special... Because to the bhaktas, Kṛṣṇa, although the Supreme, He becomes within the grip of the bhaktas. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Adurlabha. For bhakta He becomes, He becomes controlled by the bhakta. The topmost bhakta is Rādhārāṇī. So although Kṛṣṇa is the īśvaraḥ paramaḥ, the supreme controller, He is controlled by Rādhārāṇī, because She is bhakta. Nobody can excel Her devotion, Her service. In sixty-four ways... These are described in the Bhakti-rasa..., Nectar of Devotion, how Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī excels in Her devotional service, everyone, everyone. There are stages, different. Just like the Pāṇḍavas, they are also bhaktas.
So they were called dāsī-putra. By legal significance, they were not inheritor. So Vidura was born like that. He was not born of the queen, but of the maidservant. But his elder brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra liked him very much. He got him raised—he was younger—very nicely. He got him married and gave him sufficient property. He was very kind upon him. And therefore Vidura was also very much obliged to his eldest brother, and he was always giving him good advice, and a great devotee.
So on this account of family dissension, he left home. And after the battle of Kurukṣetra, when everything was finished, so still, he had affection for his eldest brother, "My dear brother, now everything is finished, your all sons, for whom you intrigued so much. And you are still living, I mean, shamelessly. Because you treated Pāṇḍavas, your nephews, very badly—you wanted to kill them in so many ways—you fell. Then there was battle. So your sons and grandsons all finished.
As Rāmacandra, He fought with Rāvaṇa, and as Nṛsiṁha-deva, He fought with Hiraṇyakaśipu, and as Kṛṣṇa, He fought with Yamarā..., er, Kaṁsa.
So similarly, Vidura also, he thought that "I am always busy in this magisterial work, simply to punish. I have no chance to preach." So Kṛṣṇa is very kind to His devotee. So He gave the chance to preach. So this was the arrangement, that he was cursed by Maṇḍūka Muni, came down to this material world. That is also material. Yamarāja's planet is also in the material world. Therefore he was given the chance of preaching. (reads:) "He is transcendental to such divisions of mundane society, just as the Personality of Godhead assumes His incarnation as a hog, but He is not hog." If somebody thinks that He has come as a hog, playing the part of a hog, that is not the fact. Even though assumes the... (reads:) "
So īśvara, the Supreme Lord, is there. Now He's giving chance, "You living entity, you did not surrender to Me. You wanted to enjoy this material world. So you take this chariot and take this driver and go on." This is going on. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). "Whatever you want, you do it. But you'll never be happy." That is the point. "You can do whatever. I will give you chance. I'll give you." Just like you want a Rolls Royce car. "All right, it is." If you want this car, "All right." So you are changing this car. Sometimes you are carried by the doggish cars, sometimes goddish car. These are all cars, but we are different from the car. We wanted to sit down in a certain car, so Kṛṣṇa is giving us the chance. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni (BG 18.61). Yantra means car or machine. It is very easy to understand. So this is going on because we are identifying with the car.
Therefore it is said here, yatrākṣi-gocarāḥ, devā yatrākṣi-gocarāḥ. We are much proud of seeing everything, but we should wait for being qualified to see. Not that whimsically I want to see, "O God, please come before me. I want to see." God... God is there just suitable for your seeing power. God is very kind. Here He is present in the temple. And you go on seeing. Then you will realize that He is God.
So God or demigod, everyone can be akṣi-gocarāḥ, within the purview of your vision, provided you are qualified. This is the process. These rascals say, "Can you show me God?" But what power you have got to see? First of all gain that qualification. Then you will see. God is everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayān... Even He is within the atom. Therefore one who is not competent to see God, he is advised to see God in different way in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ: (BG 7.8)
And gosvāmī has to become very dear to all classes of men. There are two classes of men: dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means one who has controlled the senses, and adhīra means one who could not. Gosvāmīs are very kind to all classes of men. Dhīradhīra-jana-priyau. So how you can...? How the gosvāmī can be...? When six Gosvāmīs were here in Vṛndāvana, they were so popular to the whole people. Even in this Vṛndāvana dhāma, the village people, if they had some quarrel with husband and wife, they would to go Sanātana Gosvāmī, "Sir, there is some disagreement between us. You settle up." And Sanātana Gosvāmī will give his judgment, "You are wrong." That's all. They will admit. Just see how the popular they were. Sanātana Gosvāmī would give decision among their family quarrel also. So dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. These ordinary men, they were not saintly persons, but they were devoted to Sanātana Gosvāmī.
He says especially yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. He must be devotee. He is not hungry that He has come to your temple to eat. No. He is giving food to all the living entities. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That one Kṛṣṇa is giving all the necessities of life to all the living entities. So what we can offer? We cannot offer anything. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Still He is very kind. He comes before you as you can handle Him, as you can dress Him, as you can wash Him, you can touch His lotus feet. Kṛṣṇa is giving you chance. It is very difficult to approach Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has appeared in your temple and He is accepting. According to the rules and regulation, if you offer, He will accept.
This is the process of Deity worship. If you have no such feelings that "Here is Kṛṣṇa personally present and He has given me the chance, in a way by which I can approach Him," and if I think, "He is stone, He is wood, I can do anything, He cannot speak," then He will be, you will worship only stone and wood, not Kṛṣṇa.
We have installed the Deity exactly under the direction of the previous ācārya, and therefore the Deity is personally present, Kṛṣṇa. As He is present everywhere, sarva-bhūta-guhāvāsam, similarly, He can live in many millions of temples simultaneously and live at the same time Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa's omnipotency. So Kṛṣṇa, being very kind, He has appeared in our various temple. So we should very careful that "Here is personally present Kṛṣṇa. Here is... Personally, Rādhārāṇī is there. Personally, Lord Caitanya is there, Lord Jagannātha is there." But He is keeping Himself is such a way that you can handle in any way. Even if you commit some mistake, He does not protest. But we should not commit any mistake. That is our duty. We should not create such thing as it is offensive. Therefore the direction is there in the śāstra that "You do like this. Do like this; there will be no offense." And offenseless service will make you more and more advanced in spiritual life.
So here Devahūti is requesting Bhagavān Kapiladeva that "I am in this illusion, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), by false conception of life. Kindly You dissipate this illusion because You are my guru." Yaḥ avagrahaḥ ahaṁ mameti iti etasmin yojitas tvayā: "You can say that 'How I am engaged in these material activities...' " That is also, the chance is given, the opportunity is given by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). If you want Kṛṣṇa to give you material advantages, He'll give you. Take it. And if you want from Kṛṣṇa again revival of your spiritual life, then He will give you. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Just like a kind father, he says sometimes, "My dear boy, you don't do this." But if the boy, if the son persists, "All right, you can do it at your risk." This is going on. This is going on.
So there are many instances. A devotee had to suffer many sufferings, but they did not take it very much severely. They tolerated. And a devotee is educated to tolerate.
Therefore, in the sādhu's symptoms, beginning, that titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ (SB 3.25.21), they, a devotee, suffers; at the same time, he is very kind to these conditioned soul, how to elevate them, how to make them Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is kāruṇikāḥ. These are the very primary features of a devotee's life. People put him into suffering in so many ways, but he does not give up his job. His job is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that others may become happy. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "My Lord, I have no suffering. I have no suffering because I know the art, how to become happy." Tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ (SB 7.9.43). The same thing is described here: śṛṇvanti kathayanti. So Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "I know how to become happy."
And if you think, when Kṛṣṇa says that "You surrender unto Me. I will give you protection"... So because we are foolish, we think Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because we are mūḍhas, rascals, we think that Kṛṣṇa is a person like us. Mānuṣīm. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He comes to be visible by us exactly in the same way as we are. Mānuṣīṁ tanum. But we think, when Kṛṣṇa comes, "Oh, He is a man. He is a man like us. God is different." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Because we are mūḍhas. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ.
So they do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore when Kṛṣṇa demands, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), we foolish people, we think, "Oh, it is too much. Kṛṣṇa is so proud that He is commanding us that 'You surrender unto Me.' Oh, I am not so fool. I am not going to do that."
And if we are under spiritual nature, then... Asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ. Raso vai saḥ, labdhānandī. Then we get blissful life, eternal blissful life. That is our selection. Either you be under spiritual nature or you be under material nature. That we have got, little independence, as you like. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa said. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. If you want to remain in the material nature and enjoy so-called material sense gratification, then you can have it.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is explained,
- yānti deva-vratā devān
- pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
- bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
- yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām
- (BG 9.25)
If you want to remain in this material world, bhūtejyā, worshiper of the material energy... Just like we are at present engaged: we are worshiper of the material energy, or Durgā. Worshiper of the material energy.
What is their happiness? The happiness is sex. That's all. That has been described as tuccham, most abominable. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8).
So we are not aware what is the aim of life. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He therefore comes. He came just before the beginning of this Kali-yuga, the most fallen age, and left for us the Bhagavad-gītā. And then, after Him, after His departure... It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, "After departure of Kṛṣṇa from this planet to His own abode, the principle of religion and knowledge, where it is kept?" So the answer is: "It is kept in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Adhunā udita. So Kṛṣṇa is nondifferent from Bhagavad-gītā as it is spoken by Him personally, and He is also represented by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, sound representation. So we should take the advantage of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
God has not made. He does not make any distinguish. He says the plain truth, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). He is saying to everyone. So if we do not do—we have got little independence—then we are in this miserable condition of life.
So these miseries of the society, that is not creation by God. God is very, very kind to everyone. Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ (BG 9.29). Nobody is Kṛṣṇa's, or God's, enemy; nobody is Kṛṣṇa's friend. But one who wants to serve Kṛṣṇa as friend, his consideration is different. "Oh, here is a willing servant." That is bhakti. Bhakti means willingness. Śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, mādhurya. These are the different development of bhakti. First of all, in the material stage, we are defying, "Oh, what is..." That is asuric. "What is God? We are doing everything." A big swami lectured in America, and he was advocating, "Why you are giving credit to God?
You'll inherit your father's... That's a fact. But suppose a father has got on the table one thousand dollars. If you take it without his permission, if you think that "It is my father's money," but by law you become a criminal. Your father can prosecute you criminally. That is the state law. Even it is your father's money, even your father is very kind, but if you take your father's money without his permission, then you are a criminal. And what to speak of others?
Similarly, we are all sons of God. That's a fact. Kṛṣṇa says,
- sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
- mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
- tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
- ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
- (BG 14.4)
Aham. Kṛṣṇa says that "All these living entities in 8,400,000's of species..." He doesn't mean that only human being. The animals, the birds, beasts, trees, everything—all living entities—they are all sons of God.
Vaiṣṇava is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He knows very well that "If something harmful is done to me, I am unhappy, so why should I commit the same thing to others?" So But in spite of his conviction that he should not fight, still, when Kṛṣṇa insisted up to the point that "Your this mercy upon them will not act because it is already My plan that they will have to die. So you have become very kind, but you cannot surpass My plan. That is not possible. I have come here..." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). "That is My true mission: to save the devotees and to annihilate the nondevotees. So here I have brought them all together in this battlefield, and it will be finished."
I shall recite one historical incident from the Purāṇas. There was a hunter in Prayāg. Prayāg you know, in Allahabad. So he was hunting in the forest indiscriminately. So Nārada Muni was passing through the jungle and he was very compassionate to see the animals being half-dead and half-killed by the hunter. Nārada Muni, being Vaiṣṇava, he was very kind to all living entities, so he went to the hunter whose name was Mṛgāri. So the Mṛgāri thought that "This saintly person is coming to me for some deerskin," so he said, "Sir, don't disturb in my business. If you want deerskin I shall give you. Please get out of my activities for the present." Nārada Muni said that "I have not come here to ask for deerskin, but I simply ask you that if you want to kill the animals, you kill them total. Why you are killing half?" The hunter said, "What is the difference between killing whole and killing half?"
So at the time of death he was crying, "Kamahatti, Kamahatti shares." Kamahatti shares at that time was very popular to the people. So at the time of his death the result will be that he might have taken his birth as a rat in the Kamahatti mill. It is possible. At the time of death, whatever you think, that will carry you to a type of body. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). Anyone whoever begs from Kṛṣṇa any any benefit, any type of benefit required from Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa gives him: "All right. You are thinking like rat, so you become a rat. You are thinking like a tiger; you become a tiger. You are thinking like a devotee, you become a devotee. You are thinking of Me, please come to Me." That's all. Simple truth.
Otherwise, the progress will be checked. Kṛṣṇa will not leave you. Just like the Ajāmila. The progress was checked, but because he did not do it willfully, therefore Kṛṣṇa was giving him opportunity. As soon as possible, again capture him. Because he did not do anything willfully. First of all, this is the condition, circumstantial. Therefore Kṛṣṇa was very kind. He gave him the son, "Call him. You have affection for your son? All right, chant 'Nārāyaṇa' by calling your son." This opportunity was given. So for his sinful activities he saw fierceful features of these order-carriers, or Yamadūta. That is going on. If one is not offender, then he has no chance even to see the Yamadūta. But because willfully or nonwillfully he was engaged in sinful activities, associating with the prostitute, and for maintaining the prostitute he was planning so many sinful activities, cheat and take others' money and enjoy, for that reason, he had to see. And if he remains pure, he hasn't got to see. This is the difference.
Doctor: Very kind of you.
Prabhupāda: Yes. You are now curing physical disease, but when you take up curing material, I mean to say, spiritual disease... Yes. Try to bring all people to the normal spiritual life. All their suffering is due to abnormal spiritual life, all suffering. Because, I was discussing with my disciples just now, nature's law is so subtle and so acute, that a little violation will be punished immediately. You know. You are medical man. Little violation will immediately subjected to the punishment. This is God's law. There is a word in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Uru. Uru means very strong and dāmni means rope. Just like if you are tied up with a strong rope, hands and feet, as you are helpless, our position is like that. This very word is used, uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Na te viduḥ... And such baddha, conditioned souls, they are declaring freedom: "I don't care for anyone. I don't care for God." How much foolishness. Just like sometimes naughty children, they are also bound up. Yaśodāmayī also bound up Kṛṣṇa.
Neti neti: "I am not this; I am not this; I am not this." But they are not siddhas. Siddhas, when they will understand that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19), when they will understand Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa is everything," sa mahātmā, that mahātmā, not this ordinary mahātmā, "Nārāyaṇa, namo nārāyaṇa..." He is ordinary. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Very rare mahātmā. Who is? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā: (BG 7.19) "Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything." That is siddha. Siddha. And again, yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3).
So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very kind that without considering whether he is a siddha or viddha or anything else—"Let them take Kṛṣṇa-prema."
The śūdras are meant for obeying the orders of the master. So sometimes it happens; the master says, "You do this, you do that," which is not very good. The servant has to act. So the intelligent brāhmaṇa says, "My dear Lord, I have served the senses in so many ways, even though abominable. But, I find, still they are not satisfied, and neither the senses are very kind to me. Because I have served so faithfully, still they are dictating and I am doing." This is my position. So now I have got good sense, that if I am destined to serve, then why not Kṛṣṇa? Why shall I serve the senses? If my position is to serve..." (aside:) Don't do that. "If my position is to serve, and by serving the senses I am going to the darkest regions of darkness, oh, why shall I serve the senses?"
So bhagavad-dūta. The bhagavad-dūta means they are in right constitutional position. So you all become bhagavad-dūta, bhagavad-dūta, messenger of God. That is perfection of life.
This is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa never takes the bad side. Kṛṣṇa takes always the bright side. Pūtanā, although she came to cheat Kṛṣṇa, but how Kṛṣṇa will cheat? Kṛṣṇa thought that "I have sucked her breast, so she is My mother. She should go to the same place where Yaśodāmayi is going." This is Kṛṣṇa.
So we should always remember that Kṛṣṇa is very, very kind, and a slight devotional service to Him will please Him, and therefore He is begging, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). What you will give to Kṛṣṇa? He is self-sufficient. But if you give something to Kṛṣṇa, your life becomes successful.
So that is the behavior of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sometimes He becomes very strong. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram andha-yoniṣu: (BG 16.19) "Those who are envious, I keep them constantly in the darkest region of hellish life." So Kṛṣṇa is very kind, but if He is angry, He is very hard also. Now, one may say, "Why God should be angry?" No, God is angry also; otherwise wherefrom this anger comes if God is not angry? Janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) everything is coming from the Absolute Truth. If God is not angry, then wherefrom this anger comes? Because He is the original source of everything. So everything is there, but His activity and our activity is different. If Kṛṣṇa is angry... Just like He becomes angry and He kills so many demons. But all of them got liberation. Therefore His anger and our anger is not the same.
Brain will be falling. So hardly there is possibility of chanting Your holy name. The best thing is: now I am feeling healthy. My whole system, physical system, is quite fit. Let me chant and die immediately." This is desire of the devotee.
So we should keep ourself... 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.
Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
These boys who have come to me, and they have become so nice devotee, because they are not gṛha-vrata. They have no interest with this material world. That is their first-class qualification. Therefore they have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If anyone wants to make his economic position developed by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, don't do that. There is no possibility. Of course, Kṛṣṇa is very kind. If anyone wants... Just like Dhruva Mahārāja wanted to develop his economic condition. Kṛṣṇa gave him. Kṛṣṇa gives. He is very kind. But that is not the purpose of developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be pure, simply to serve the Lord.
He was thinking that "This father, this brother or this grandfather, or this teacher will save me." But when he understood that "Nobody can save me except Kṛṣṇa," then he said, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava: (BG 18.73) "Oh, I shall satisfy You. Whatever You will say." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. First of all he was trying to satisfy his senses, and when he understood Bhagavad-gītā nicely, he agreed to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa.
So constitutionally we are all servant for satisfying senses. So when instead of satisfying our false senses, this material body, sense of this material body, if we try to satisfy the spiritual senses of Kṛṣṇa, that means our liberation. That we have to learn. Prahlāda Mahārāja is teaching that philosophy. We are trying to follow the same philosophy. We are very glad that you come and favor us. So it is very kind of you.
Now if there is any question you may ask.
Prabhupāda: Yes. You dance with Kṛṣṇa, you eat with Kṛṣṇa, talk with Kṛṣṇa, you enjoy with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will kiss you also. (laughter) Kṛṣṇa is very kind to everyone, either you love Him as a lover, either you love Him as your son, either you love Him as your friend, or you love Him as your master. In whichever way you like you can love, and Kṛṣṇa will respond. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). In the Bhagavad-gītā you will see Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who loves Me in different ways or different type," so Kṛṣṇa also loves reciprocating that way. If somebody Kṛṣṇa..., loves Kṛṣṇa as enemy, Kṛṣṇa also gives him salvation in that way also. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Yes.
Guest (2): Swamijī, I think this man's question needs a little bit more clarification. He was asking how do we know what Kṛṣṇa dictates, by what authority. How do we know how we can serve Kṛṣṇa? Is that your question? How do we know how we can serve Kṛṣṇa?
How can a person who is most affectionate to his family, the core of his heart being always filled with their pictures, give up their association? Specifically, a wife is always very kind and sympathetic and always pleases her husband in a solitary place. Who could give up the association of such a dear and affectionate wife? Small children talk in broken language, very pleasing to hear, and their affectionate father always thinks of their sweet words. How could he give up their association? One's elderly parents and one's sons and daughters are also very dear. A daughter is especially dear to her father, and while living at her husband's house she is always in his mind. Who could give up that association? Aside from this, in household affairs there are many decorated items of household furniture, and there are also animals and servants. Who could give up such comforts?
Then it is not pure. Na sādhu manye yato ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa deha. As soon as you bring in material desires, then you have wasted your time, because you'll have to get a body. Your desire will be fulfilled. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmi (BG 4.11). If you want to fulfill some desire by bhakti, Kṛṣṇa is very kind: "All right." But you have to take another body. And if you are pure, simply, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). This is wanted, pure devotee.
Therefore we advise everyone to become a pure devotee. Pure devotee... This is the example, mahā-bhāgavata. This five-years-old boy, he had no business except to satisfy, to become a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So this very qualification, pure devotee, makes one mahā-bhāgavata. But there are stages. The mahā-bhāgavata from the very birth, that is called nitya-siddha. They are eternally siddha, perfect. They come for some purpose.
Tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram yoniṣu (BG 16.19). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, Kṛṣṇa said, dviṣataḥ krūrān. Dviṣataḥ, those who are envious upon Vaiṣṇava and Viṣṇu, the more dangerous position is to be envious of a Vaiṣṇava. Viṣṇu aparādha can be excused, God is very kind. But He never excuses Vaiṣṇava aparādha. That is His vow.
So because He was very angry, therefore, all the Brahmas and other demigods offered Him prayer, "Sir, be pacified, the demon is now killed, now You can become peaceful," but they could not satisfy. Hiraṇyakaśipu after killing He was so roaring in anger. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was pushed on, "My dear Prahlāda," all the Brahmas and other demigods, that "you pacify your master. We have failed." Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "When these big, big stalwart demigods have failed, they are situated in sattva-guṇa, in the modes of goodness, and they offered so nice prayers, they failed.
Suppose if you go to see a friend who is multimillionaire. Now, if you offer him, suppose, three apples or four bananas, or such like, so what is that in comparison to his wealth? That is nothing. But he's pleased still. "Ah, you are my friend. You have brought some fruits. That's nice." So Kṛṣṇa is... When we offer our service, He's very kind to accept. He says that patraṁ pus... Only thing is devotion. That He accepts. Bhāva-grāhī janārdanaḥ. What is your feeling? How you are feeling for Kṛṣṇa? Therefore, in the noontime I was saying that you should feel, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is seated down. Oh, no. He should not be. He cannot sit for long time. It must be finished." That feeling... Bhāva-grāhī janārdanaḥ. Kṛṣṇa accepts our feeling. Just like this little child, if she comes before me with some little fruit like this, that is nothing for me. But the feeling is nice. "Oh, you have brought this? Nice. Very good." So bhāva-grāhī janārdanaḥ: "Janārdana, Kṛṣṇa, He accepts the feeling."
Every avatāra, every incarnation of Kṛṣṇa is very pleasing. Because Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure, therefore His avatāra... Just like Nṛsiṁha-deva, although He is very ferocious to asuras... They are disturbed. They are disturbing elements and they are disturbed. But Prahlāda Mahārāja is not disturbed. He's peaceful. So Lord's incarnation, either He is very ferocious or He's very kind, for the devotees there is no disturbance. Devotees are not disturbed, and the asuras are disturbed. So take shelter of the holy name of the Lord. Then disturbing condition of this material world will not touch you.
Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. There is a blazing fire. That is the duty, that is the business of... Vande guroḥ śrī caraṇāravindam. How to extinguish the blazing fire of this material world—that is the duty. Every devotee, every pure soul, duty is how to extinguish the blazing fire.
Even if you go to the Brahmaloka, from down, Pātāla, up to Brahmaloka... You can go there if you want. Kṛṣṇa is very, very kind. He has given you chance because you wanted to come here and enjoy material world. Kṛṣṇa says, "All right, go." So beginning from Brahmā down to the insignificant worm in the stool, they are coming down and going up, coming down. This is going on. This is called saṁsāra-cakra, cycle of birth and death. That is going on perpetually. And they do not know what to do. You have to die. You get one form of life, enjoy it, either as human being or as hog, pig, cat, dog, or demigod. Whatever you wanted, you have got it, desire. Now enjoy. But after some time you have to die. But actually your position is not to die. You are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: "The great saint Nārada Muni said: Being pacified in this way by the devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja with prayers offered from the transcendental platform, Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva gave up His anger. Being very kind to Prahlāda, who was lying prostrate, offering obeisances, the Lord spoke as follows."
Prabhupāda:
- śrī-nārada uvāca
- etāvad varṇita-guṇo
- bhaktyā bhaktena nirguṇaḥ
- prahrādaṁ praṇataṁ prīto
- yata-manyur abhāṣata
- (SB 7.9.51)
So Nṛsiṁha-deva was very angry. Everything is natural. If somebody becomes angry, it takes some time to get out of the anger. So Nṛsiṁha-deva was very, very angry because His devotee, Prahlāda, was so much treated (indistinct) by his father, it became intolerable. (indistinct) children, they naturally attract the affection of the elder (indistinct). So whatever we see in our dealings within the material world, the same things are there in the spiritual world. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1).
So Kṛṣṇa is very kind, "All right, you become tree. What can I do?" Kṛṣṇa is always ready to give you all facilities. Now it is up to you to make your choice whether you are going to dance with Kṛṣṇa or you want to become naked tree standing for ten thousands of years. That is your choice. A living entity has got this independence. Just like Kṛṣṇa asking Arjuna, yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). "I have spoken to you about things as they are. Now it is up to you to make your choice. Whatever you like, you can do." So Kṛṣṇa is so merciful, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante... (BG 4.11). If you want from Kṛṣṇa that you want to become a tree, so it is not very difficult for Kṛṣṇa to make you a tree. He's all-powerful. He can do that. But if you want, "Kṛṣṇa I want to be with You personally," that also Kṛṣṇa can give you. So now make your choice. This is the human form of life. The animal cannot. The śāstras, the messages are not for the animals. It is for the human beings. Therefore don't spoil your life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
That's all. Because after death you are in the hands of nature. You cannot dictate that "Give me this and that body." No. That you have to prepare in this life. If you prepare yourself in this life to go back to home, back to Godhead, you go back to home, back to Godhead. If you prepare your, this life as a crocodile, then you become a crocodile. So God is very kind. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). So it is your business to what kind of body you are going to get next. Just like the example I was giving last night. That we are staying in this room, and suppose after a month we have to give it up. So we must find out another apartment. It may be better or it may be lower. There is no guarantee. But if we can arrange, we can better apartment than this. And if we cannot, we may go to hellish apartment. This is the way. But for the devotee, at least it is guaranteed that he gets next life as a human being. Not only human being, but in the family of a devotee, or in the family of rich man. These alternatives are there. Then?
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Prabhupāda: ...they'll be very, very kind to reveal themselves to you, and your path for liberation will be open.
Thank you very much. (break)
Acyutānanda: We can understand how Śrī Advaita Ācārya is the servant of Lord Caitanya, but how is Maha Viṣṇu and the Viṣṇu-catur-bhuja, how do They serve Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: They are serving already Kṛṣṇa. Why don't you see? Sṛṣṭi-tattva. Kṛṣṇa wanted the creation, and They were the agents to serve Kṛṣṇa. They are creating. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). They're serving already. All right.
At the time of death, if we simply remember Kṛṣṇa, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). That is the highest perfection of life, simply to remember Kṛṣṇa. That is also the statement in the... If we can consciously remember Kṛṣṇa: "Whatever was possible for me, I have tried to execute. Now this is the last day; You do whatever You like. That's all." But Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He will at once take you back to home, back to Godhead. Ante nārāyaṇa smṛti. This is the highest perfection of life. Therefore we have to practice Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. By practicing sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6), this is required. Always think, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Kṛṣṇa advises "Always think of Me." Where is the difficulty? We have to think of something. We cannot keep our mind vacant. That is not possible. So make it a point, that think of Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Think of Kṛṣṇa, and if you chant, if you engage your tongue, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," and if you hear, then everything is compact in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So here it is said, hīnārthādhika-sādhakaṁ śrī-caitanyam. (break) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very kind to the fallen souls. His special mission is to reclaim the fallen souls. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Reclaim the fallen souls means in this age of Kali, almost 99.9%, they are all fallen. Their qualification is mandāḥ. Mandāḥ means they do not know that the human life is meant for qualifying oneself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, spiritual consciousness. They do not know. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). Even one is interested about spiritual consciousness, they accept some bogus theory. So many yogis, swamis, all bluffer, they will take care. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo. Because Kali-yuga, they are already sophisticated, bewildered, and these people come to cheat, they fall the prey of these cheaters. Sumanda-matayo.
Everything you will find this. So prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. This ahaṅkāra, that "I am independent," this ahaṅkāra is making you obliged to accept different types of body in different condition of life within the universe. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu is mahā-vadānyāvatāra. He is very, very kind incarnation. Rūpa Gosvāmī accepted Him, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). So He teaches, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Under this avidyā-karma-saṁjñā trītīyā śakti, material energy, we are wandering throughout the whole universe. (aside:) This child should be moved. So ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva. So one who takes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, becoming happy, more and more happy. Karma-bandha. Narottama bhāgyavān jīva. Not the dur-bhāgyavān, jīva. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā (SB 1.1.10). Those who are unfortunate, they cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says. Kono bhāgyavān jīva. Kono means somebody. That is also not all.
Even if you do any nonsense, still, you have to follow the rules and regulation of the government. So Vedas means that we conditioned souls who have come here in this material world to become an imitation Kṛṣṇa, enjoyer... Because Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer, and we are all here imitation enjoyers, imitation... Frogs. Frog's philosophy. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He has given you all facility: "All right, you enjoy. You build up. You construct skyscrapers and again break it and again do it. Do it and waste your time." So He gives us facility. He supplies us materials: "All right, you take material." Because He has no scarcity, pūrṇam, He is complete, so whatever you go on taking, you take, you build and break and keep it again. Dig earth and make high buildings, and again break it and fill it up. This is your business. Go on doing that and waste your valuable time. Your life is meant for realizing your self, self-realization, and get out of this material entanglement. But if you want to waste in that way, well, Kṛṣṇa will give you all facilities. Waste. This is going on.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
The story is, the hunter, a hunter was killing in the forest many animals, because hunter's business is to kill. So, I am speaking very shortly. The story and the picture you will find in Back to Godhead recently published. And Nārada, because he is Vaiṣṇava, he is lover of Kṛṣṇa, when he was passing on the path in the forest, he saw that many half-dead animals are in torture, flapping. So, he was very kind. "Oh, who has done this mischief, these poor animals?" So he searched out the hunter, and he went there. The hunter asked me, "Oh, why you are disturbing my business?" So Nārada said, "My dear hunter, I have come to beg something from you." So hunter thought that "This mendicant is a beggar, so he might have come to me to beg some skins, or deer skin or tiger skin." So he said, "All right, please, let me do my business. I shall give you skins, whatever you like." Nārada said, "No, no, I don't want anything from you. I have come to request you something." "What is that?" "How, if you are killing animals, why don't you kill them all at once?
Festival Lectures
Atheist is so unkind, cruel, that he is prepared to kill his own son, beloved son, five years old. That is atheism. And theism, the father who tortured him so much. So after the death of his father, he's praying to Nṛsiṁha-deva, "Please excuse my father." This is theism. So that is the difference between Kṛṣṇa consciousness and ordinary consciousness. They're very kind, everyone. Vāñcha kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca. You utter this prayer, krpa-sindhubhya eva ca. Vaiṣṇava is the ocean of mercy. There is no end. As you cannot, I mean to say, draw all the waters from the ocean, it is not possible. Similarly, a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee, ocean of mercy. You can draw from it as much mercy as you like; still, it is full.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is the symbolic representation of Vaiṣṇava. So try to be not imitator, but follower. Don't try to imitate: "Oh, Prahlāda Mahārāja was thrown into boiling oil. Let me try, fall into the boiling oil." No. That is imitation. Just first of all you become like Prahlāda Mahārāja, then that will be possible.
So we living entity, we desire. "Man proposes; God disposes." God is very kind. Whatever you desire, He will fulfill. Although He says that "This kind of material desires will never satisfy you," but we want. Therefore God supplies us, Kṛṣṇa, different types of body to fulfill our different desires. This is called material, conditional life. This body, change of body according to desire, is called evolutionary process. By evolution we come to the human form of body through many other millions bodies. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. We pass through 900,000 species of form in the water. Similarly, two million forms as plants, trees. In this way, by nature's way, nature brings us into this human form of life just to develop or awaken our consciousness.
Factually we are being thieves. We cannot be happy in such a condition. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He provides us with all these objects of enjoyment, as we like them. But we can achieve a far happier state, not only for ourselves but for the whole human kind, if we realize that Kṛṣṇa, who is the supreme source of all the attractive objects that we are enjoying, is a person who is ready to receive as His loving servants the moment we want to surrender all our false ideas of ownership and come back to the spiritual platform.
So Lord Kṛṣṇa for this reason has appeared. He wants to call the conditioned souls back to Godhead. He wants us to realize that He is the source of the whole universe, He is the owner of the universe, He is the supreme enjoyer, the supreme knower of everything, and that we are always welcome to associate with Him by the grace of His devotees, by the grace of a spiritual master.
And when Kṛṣṇa understands... Because Kṛṣṇa knows everything, whatever we are willing, whatever we are doing. He is the Paramātmā; He's sitting within our hearts as witness. Anumanta upadṛṣṭā. Upadṛṣṭā means simply observing what we are doing, and what we are desiring. So as we desire, Kṛṣṇa is very kind, He gives us facility. We have many times explained. Therefore, we have got varieties of bodies to enjoy this material world. So when Kṛṣṇa sees that a living entity is very anxious to understand Him or to revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Kṛṣṇa gives him all opportunity, especially by manifesting Himself as the spiritual master. Antar bahiḥ. The spiritual master is therefore Kṛṣṇa's manifestation-Kṛṣṇa's mercy manifestation to help a person to develop his Kṛṣṇa consciousness. From within He's helping. Therefore, He's called caitya-guru, and from without, He sends His representative to help how to become advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So in 1936, he was to pass away by 31st December. So I do not know... Out of my own accord, I wrote him one letter that "Guru Mahārāja, you have got many disciples. Some of them are directly serving you. I could not do so. I am a householder. So if you give me some direct service to you, it will be very kind of you." So he replied that letter, that "You try to preach in English language. Then the persons who will be instructed by you and both yourself will be benefited." Again, he said the same thing which he ordered me in 1922 at the first sight. Then there... He passed away 1936, 31st December.
Then there were other Godbrothers. I consulted him that "Guru Mahārāja said like this. What can I do?" So they also encouraged me. I was writing. There was a paper, Harmonist. Then, by their desires, I started this Back to Godhead in 1944. That was also started on his advent day, this advent day. Back to Godhead was started. Yes.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is present here. You worship Him. It is not very difficult. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanam (SB 11.5.32). You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and whatever you can, offer Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is very kind. He does not take offense. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa worship is little difficult. We have to worship Him with great awe and veneration. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu has voluntarily come to deliver the fallen souls. Little service, He will be satisfied. He will be satisfied. But do not neglect. Because He is very kind and compassionate, that does not mean we should forget His position. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So we should offer Him very great respect, and as far possible... But the advantage is that Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not take any offense. And to worship Him, to please Him, is very easy. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ.
Prabhupāda: Miami. So I see your temple is the best.
Devotees: Jaya! Hari bol!
Prabhupāda: So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very kind. Parama karuṇa, pahū dui jana. Two Lords, Nitāi-Gauracandra, Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, They are very kind, you see? They have appeared just to reclaim the fallen souls of this age. So They are more kind than Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He is also very kind. He comes to deliver. But Kṛṣṇa demands that first of all surrender. Caitanya Mahāprabhu even does not demand surrender. He is so kind. (voice choking) So take shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and be happy. Thank you very much.
Initiation Lectures
Just like this boy has got the symptom to become a brāhmaṇa, to be Vaiṣṇava. Just like in the Jabala Upaniṣad. This, by symptoms, he was accepted brāhmaṇa, a small boy like this. Satyakaṁ Jabala. Satyakam. He went to Gautama Muni: "My dear sir, will you initiate me?" Just like this boy can ask us. Oh, he was very kind: "Oh, yes. Very nice boy. What is your father's name?" "Oh, I do not know." "Oh, just ask your mother. Go." Mother says, "I do not know whose son you are." He came back. "What your mother says?" "Oh, Mother says she does not know who is my father." "Oh, you are brāhmaṇa. Oh, you are brāhmaṇa. Come on. I shall initiate you." He was so truthful. That is real symptom of brāhmaṇa, satya, śama. He does not disclose that "I do not know." Everyone will try to hide if he does not know his father's name. But here is a boy, "Oh," he said, "Oh, you are brāhmaṇa. Come on. I shall initiate you." This is lakṣaṇa, symptom. "Such a truthful boy. Never mind what he is born, how he is born." This system is not new.
So if you constantly keep yourself associated with Kṛṣṇa by chanting this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, then just imagine how you are being easily purified simply by this process, chanting, jihvādau, engaging the tongue in chanting. And your tongue wants very palatable dishes to taste. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He has given you hundreds and thousands of palatable dishes, remnants of foodstuff eaten by Him. You eat. In this way, if you simply make it a determination that "I shall not allow my tongue to taste anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa, and I shall engage my tongue always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa," then all perfection is within your hold. All perfection. Two simple things: Don't eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Our Kṛṣṇa prasādam are so variegated, nice varieties... The variety is the mother of enjoyment. How much enjoyment you want with your tongue? You can have simply by eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam.
Wedding Ceremonies
Just like we work in some big establishment, and if we can satisfy our immediate boss, that is the satisfaction of the whole company. You haven't got to see whether all the members of the company have become satisfied. Simply the immediate boss under which you are working, if he is satisfied, then you know the company is satisfied because he will submit the report of his work. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He is helping you in different ways. He is within your heart. Kṛṣṇa is within your heart. Antaryāmī. Caitya-guru. And is presenting Himself as spiritual master both ways, externally, internally. He is trying to help you. And when you are actually taking the advantage of that help, and if you are engaged with love and affection in the transcendental service of the Lord, then you can talk with God from within. God is within you. You haven't got to find out God in so many places. Anywhere you can sit down.
General Lectures
If you want to get yourself warm, then you have to associate with fire, not with water, not with air. Similarly, if you want to spiritualize your vision, if you want to spiritualize your action, if you want to spiritualize the whole constitution of your existence, then you have to associate with the supreme spirit. And that supreme spirit is very kind because He is everything. That we have already explained. Everything is interrelated with the Supreme; therefore He is interrelated with sound also. So by God's inconceivable potency, He can present before yourself in sound incarnation. That is His potency. That is His potency. He can do that. And therefore this name, Kṛṣṇa, and the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference.
So our, this sound representation of the Supreme Lord constantly will make us... Just like our association with the fire, the, I mean to say, iron rod's association with the fire makes the rod equally qualified, exactly—not equally qualified, but almost the quality of burning it gets—similarly, by our constant association with Lord... Lord is not only incarnation in a sound form.
He is still my teacher." It was very kind of him that he received him as a teacher, not as contemporary. So even that Dr. Radhakrishnan, he is also studying this Bhagavad-gītā very, I mean to say, profoundly. You know your Professor Einstein. Oh, he was a profound, I mean to say, student of this Bhagavad-gītā. Hitler was a great student of Bhagavad-gītā. So many, in all the countries. There are so many Muhammadans in India, oh, they are devout student of Bhagavad-gītā. I know one Dr. Inrai(?) of Allahabad University. Oh, he is so devoted to Lord Kṛṣṇa that on the birthday of Lord Kṛṣṇa he must write one nice article and publish in the paper. So this instruction, that mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ... (CC Madhya 17.186). We cannot have the knowledge of the Absolute Truth simply by argument or simply by philosophy or simply by big brain or speaking power. No, no. All these things will not do. Simply we have to follow the great authority.
So Kṛṣṇa is very kind, as I have already explained. Two spiritual identities, namely the ātmā and the Paramātmā, are there within your heart. The Paramātmā is giving you direction. Paramātmā is giving you direction. What kind of direction? Because I wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa, He sometimes gives me direction that "Yes, you forget like this." And anyone who wants to remember Kṛṣṇa, to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness, He helps you also. This is Kṛṣṇa. Why? Because we are parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is fully independent. That is also explained here-abhijñaḥ svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means fully independent. The Absolute Truth, the Supreme Person, is fully independent. Not only conscious, abhijñaḥ, but He is independent.
So therefore to save ourself from degradation, to save our, this life ... We are actually, we are all eternal, but because we don't want Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we want animal consciousness, tree consciousness, animal consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind: "All right, you become tree. What can I do?" Kṛṣṇa is always ready to give you all facilities. Now it is up to you to make your choice whether you are going to dance with Kṛṣṇa or you want to become naked tree standing for ten thousands of years. That is your choice. A living entity has got this independence. Just like Kṛṣṇa asking Arjuna, yathecchasi tathā kuru: (BG 18.63) "I have spoken to you about things as they are. Now it is up to you to make your choice. Whatever you like, you can do." So Kṛṣṇa is so merciful, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante... (BG 4.11). If you want from Kṛṣṇa that you want to become a tree, so it is not very difficult for Kṛṣṇa to make you a tree. He's all-powerful.
After destruction of this body, actually we are not going to die. Our subtle body—the mind, intelligence and ego—that is, that is working. As it, the subtle body, works during my sleeping position, similarly, this body may be, gross body may be annihilated, but my subtle body carries me to another gross body as I desire. Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, is very kind. As we desire, He gives us opportunity. Any kind of body, any kind of enjoyment we want, He gives us the opportunity: "All right, you take this body. And you wanted to enjoy like this. All right, you enjoy." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. He is sitting in everyone's heart as the Supersoul, and even if we forget, He reminds: "My dear living entity, you wanted to do this; now you do it." So this is the process going on. But unfortunately, there is no educational system throughout the whole world about the activities of the soul, how he is working in different evolutionary process, what is his ultimate goal of life, wherefrom he's coming, where he's gone, what is the relation.
We have come to serve God, His purpose. God is very kind upon every one of us. He comes Himself. He comes. He sends His son. He sends His devotee to reclaim. As I was explaining that in the material condition of life we have been changing from one body to another, this is not very good condition of life. Nobody wants to die, but he is forced to die. Nobody wants to take birth, but he is forced to take birth. Nobody wants to become old man, but he becomes old man. And nobody wants to become diseased, but he is forced to take some disease. This is our condition. Now this human form of body is a chance to understand what is our real inconvenience—birth, death, old age, and disease—and to think of whether there is any way out of this entanglement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is practically Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind upon the conditioned soul. He is trying to elevate them to the real platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness again and again. But we are so stubborn, we are trying to forget Kṛṣṇa again and again. This is going on. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is... Especially He is instructing to the Indian people. He is saying to the Indian people, bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in Bengal, you know, in the district of Navadvīpa, about sixty-four miles from Calcutta, northern side. So His life and precepts are there. We have translated many books.
He knew how to fight. That's all. He's not a Vedantist; he is not a brāhmaṇa; he is not a sannyāsī. He is gṛhastha, householder. He appeared on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra for fighting on political reasons. So he knew all this business. But he utilized his talent in fighting art for Kṛṣṇa. He did not want to fight. As a Vaiṣṇava, he is very kind. He said that "My brothers, my cousins, certainly they have insulted my wife. They have taken my kingdom by gambling and so many devices. I know that. Still, because they are my brothers, I don't wish to kill them." This is Vaiṣṇava's attitude. But Kṛṣṇa, His business is yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). When there is injustice, it must be faced with fighting. That is Kṛṣṇa's version. So Arjuna, as a Vaiṣṇava, did not like to fight. But Kṛṣṇa, as the supreme mediator... That is also good for everything. Whatever Kṛṣṇa does, that is..., "God is good." There is nothing bad.
And he is seated there, and in this way he is wandering in different species of life and different planets for different times. That is going on. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). So if we stop this business, if we hear Kṛṣṇa-sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66)—then our life is successful. Otherwise we shall continue to change this yantra, one yantra to another, another, another. This is going on. So practically the soul is not locked up, but intentionally he wants some position. And Kṛṣṇa is very kind. God is very kind. He is giving the opportunity: "All right, you want like this? Do it like that."
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Yes. Providence desires only good. The man, the living being, is in this material world on account of his imperfect will. God is very kind that even though he is willing imperfectly to enjoy this material world God is giving him a directed facilities. Just like a child wants to play in certain way, still the child is guided by some nurse, or some servant by, engaged by the parent. So our position is like that. We have come to this material world to enjoy, giving up the company of God. So God has allowed him, "All right, you enjoy and experience. When you will experience that this material enjoyment is not good, then you will again come back." So He is guiding the enjoyment of the living being, especially of the human being so that he may again come back to home, back to Godhead. And nature is the via media agent, under the instruction of God. So if he (is) too much addicted to misuse the freedom, then he is punished, and that is also according to his desire. It is not God's desire that a human being become a pig, but he develops such mentality to eat everything.
Prabhupāda: "My wife has kicked me. I am so fool. So I shall make suicide by drowning in the water." He was crying and remembering the goddess of learning, that "I am so foolish, my dear mother Sarasvatī. You did not favor me, so I shall kill myself." With great lamentation he was going to die. At that time, Sarasvatī became very kind and she appeared, "Kālidāsa, why you are drowning this way?" "My mother, this is my position. I have been insulted by my wife because I am a fool." "All right, from henceforward you shall be very learned." "Oh, but I do not know..." "No, whatever you say, it will be all right." He got this benediction from mother Sarasvatī. He came back, then he was knocking the door. The wife said, "Who are you?" He replied, hastigrati vada viśeṣaṇa (?), "Somebody who can speak very learnedly." Then whatever he was replying, he became, by the grace of Sarasvatī, he became highly learned scholarly speaking.
Prabhupāda: His character is transcendental character, not like the material character. Āprakṛta. It is said, just like bhakta-vatsala, He is very kind to His devotee. This kindness is, is one of His characteristic. Similarly, He has got unlimited qualities, and according to that transcendental quality He is sometimes described, but all those qualities are permanent. Whatever qualities and character we have got, they are minute manifestation of God's character, because we have got character also. That is only a minute manifestation of God's character. He is the origin of all character. That is described in the śāstras. He has got also mind, He has got also feelings, He has got also sensation, He has got senses, sense perception, sense gratification. Everything is there. That is unlimitedly, and we, being part and parcel of God, we possess in minute quantities all the God's quality. Actually our characteristics, qualities are simply atomic manifestation of God's quality. The original qualities are in God.
| Page Title: | Very kind (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Mayapur, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 30 of Oct, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=112, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 112 |