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Excerpt from lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.18
New Vrindaban, June 22, 1969
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Submitted by Krpa.
Narada is astonished, What kind of hypnotism you do, I do not know. In spite of being placed in so much inconveniences, the Pandavas love for You has increased. This is Krishna consciousness. The pure devotees, if they are put into difficulty they take it, Oh, it is Krishna's grace.
Prabhupada: So our duty is as, I mean to say, indicated by Narada Muni. Our only duty is how to achieve full Krishna consciousness. Other things, there is no need of trying. Actually, I have seen that in India... Everywhere the same case. A person without any education, even without any, practically illiterate... I have seen so many merchants, he cannot sign even his name. In Calcutta I've seen practically a Marwari, merchant. He, he cannot... He has deposited money in the bank. Simply he can sign his own name with great difficulty. So he's canvassing, "Will you kindly write here..." That means the check to be paid to the gentleman, he cannot write. He's asking somebody's help, "You write the name of the person whom I can pay." And he'll simply sign. If he writes something wrong, he'll have to accept. If he writes his own name... (laughter) So that man is earning millions of dollars. You see? And I have seen also very educated medical man, England-returned, M.R.C.P I am speaking from my practical experience. So he goes to a hospital, big doctor, but I have seen in his house. He had not even a good utensil at home. He's so poor in spite of so much education and highly qualified, England-returned doctor.
So the statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam that tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham. You don't try for so-called economic development. You cannot have more than what you are destined to get. It is already settled up. This, this living entity... You see different grades of standard of living condition. So they're according to the past karma, daivena, daiva-netrena, karmana. So you cannot change that. That nature's law, you cannot change. Why you have got varieties of life, varieties of position, varieties of de...? It is destined. Visayah khalu sarvatah syat. Visaya, these material enjoyment-means eating, sleeping, mating and defending-these... Only standard is different. I am eating something, you are eating something. Maybe, in my calculation, you are eating not very good. In your calculation I am not eating very good. But the eating is same. You are eating. I am eating.
So in the material world the standard of happiness, taking the basic principle, it is all the same. But we have created, "This is good standard. That is bad standard. This is very nice. This is very bad." Caitanya-caritamrta says, dvaite bhadrabhadra sakali samana. In the material world, "This is good," "This is bad"-actually, it is the same thing. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah: it is due to the skin that we are sometimes feeling warm and sometimes feeling cold. The material nature is the same.
Similarly, our feelings of happiness and distress is just like feeling the warmth and, I mean to say, chilly cold. Due to the skin, due to this body. Actually, there is no happiness in the material world. Krishna says, duhkhalayam asasvatam: "This place is full of misery, full of misery." Now, how you can make it happy? Caitanya-caritamrta also says that dvaite bhadrabhadra sakali samana. In this material world it is our mental creation: "This is happiness. This is distress." Actually, it is all distress. After all, we have to die. After all, we have to finish this business. So what is happiness or distress? Bhagavata also says that "Don't bother yourself to make yourself happy by working day and night without trying for Krishna consciousness. This is simply waste of time." There is no question of happiness in this material world. If you actually want to be happy, anandamayo 'bhyasat, if you want to be placed in real happiness, that is Krishna consciousness. Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhyate.
So this chance we have got in this human form of life. I can execute the business of Krishna consciousness very nicely. In other form of life I cannot do that. Even if I try, it is not possible. That the dog cannot because it is not a human being. But we can because we are... So why should we lose this chance? Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta.
na vai jano jatu kathancanavrajen mukunda-sevy anyavad anga samsrtim
smaran mukundanghry-upaguhanam punar
vihatum icchen na rasa-graho janah
Krishna consciousness is so nice that, if once adopted, he'll not degrade like ordinary man. This is stated here clearly. Na vai jano jatu kathancanavrajen mukunda-sevy anyavat. Anyavat, others, as they have become a tool in the hands of material nature, a Krishna conscious person, because he has surrendered to Krishna, he is not under the jurisdiction of the material nature. Mam eva ya prapadyante mayam etam taranti. So whole stress is being given that "You take, you preach Krishna consciousness. If some way or other..." The whole, the three verses, are stressing that "Even if he falls down, there is no harm. Preach to take Krishna consciousness." Caitanya Mahaprabhu also says like that, yare dekha tare kaha Krishna-upadesa: "Whomever you meet, you simply try to make him convinced or to preach him the importance of Krishna consciousness." That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's... Some way or other, if he takes to Krishna consciousness, then his life become successful. Yad uktam yatra kva va abhadra abhud amusya kim yad upavadayiti mukunda-sevi jana kadacit kathancana kujanim kato'pi samsrtim na vrajet na viset.(?) Sridhara Svami says, mukunda-sevi. Mukunda, Krishna's another name is Mukunda. Muk, muk. Muk means liberation, mukti. So... And ananda. So Krishna can give you liberation from this distressful, miserable condition of material existence and give you transcendental pleasure. Therefore His another name is Mukunda. So mukunda-sevi. Sevi means one, he's engaged in the service of Mukunda, or Krishna, Sridhara Svami says that mukunda-sevi va jana kadacit kathancana kujanim gato 'pi samsiddhin na vrajet.(?) Even a Mukunda-sevi, by chance... There is chance. Every...
Just like Bharata Maharaja. He began Krishna consciousness, but by chance he, at the time of death, he was too much affectionate with a deer cub and he become a deer in the next life. So although it is degraded life, still, he did not forget that "For this reason I have become now deer." So he was very cautious. He was keeping company... Just like here. We have got dogs. They are keeping company with devotees. That is very nice. His dog life also becoming perfect. It may be some pious man. Somehow or other, it has become dog. Now he has... Krishna has given them the association of the devotees. He's eating prasadam. He's chan... He's hearing, chanting. He's giving some service to the devotees. So they are not in vain. They are not in vain. No. They, they're acquiring.
So mukunda-sevi. Similarly, anyone who has taken to Krishna consciousness, even if he falls down... Generally, he does not, but even, taking for accepted that he, somehow or other, he fallen, still, he'll not have to suffer like others. Just like here, the animals, under the protection of the devotees, at least he has no fear of his life. No devotee will kill. Here the cows, the horse, the dog, they're assured of their life. Therefore they're not like ordinary dogs. They're not ordinary cows. Therefore it is said, Sridhara Svami says, mukunda-sevi, even if he's degraded, he's not degraded as ordinary man. He's not degraded as... Mukunda-sevi na vrajet anga, anyavat kevala karma nisthavat iti vaidharma nistha.(?) Just like other karmis. They are, according to their karma, they're given birth in a specific species of life. So their case, a devotee's case, is different. So kuto ityataha mukundanghry-upaguhanam alinganam punah smaran vihatum necchet yathan jana asad graha rasena na grhyate.(?)
Just like we see sometimes... The other day, the boy, Jayarama, he went away. Again he came. We have got experience that many boys, they go away. But they cannot find out... Just like I received many letters from Jayagovinda when he was India, in India, that he's missing the company of devotee-Godbrothers. He's missing. So there is a feeling. Anyone who has associated in Krishna consciousness, I mean to say, association, he cannot forget. Rasa-graho janah. Here it is stated that smaran mukundanghry-upaguhanam punar vihatum icchen na. Vihatum means "to give up." He may fall down by maya's influence for time being, but he cannot give it up. This is the sign. He cannot give... Just like... The example is given: just like hot sugar juice. It is very nice. Because it is hot, one is feeling uncomfortable to take it, but because it is sweet, it cannot give way. Hot sugar juice.
Similarly, this Krishna consciousness is so nice that if somebody, being..., becomes attracted by some kinds of maya's, I mean to say, influence, still, he does not like to give up this Krishna consciousness like others. This is the specific qualification of a Krishna conscious person. Smaran mukundanghry-upaguhanam punah. One who has chanted Hare Krishna, he cannot give it up. Cannot give it up. He has to come again. This life or next life, Krishna will not leave him. Krishna... Once surrender sincerely, "Krishna, I am Yours," Krishna will never leave him. He will protect you. But if he had become little stronger, then there is no question of falling down. Rasagra rasena grhyate vasi kriyate.(?) Krishna vasi kriyate. Vasi kriyate means hypnotized. It is so nice that one becomes hypnotized. Otherwise, why the boys are working so hard? They are... (laughter) They're all qualified. They can earn money outside. In your country sufficient money is paid for work, but they are hypnotized here. (laughter)
So Krishna is so nice. Yes. He's the all-attractive. He hypnotizes His devotee in spite of... Just like the Pandavas. The Pandavas, they were Krishna's friends. Arjuna was friend. All the brother... Arjuna was very intimate friend, but other brothers, four brothers, they were also Krishna's friend. And Kunti, the Pandavas' mother, she happened to be the aunt of Krishna. So they were well, mean, established in relation with Krishna. But as a result, they were banished for twelve years. They lost the game, so they were banished. And their wife, Draupadi, was insulted. Not... They could not insult her, but they tried to insult her. They tried to make her naked in the assembly. And they lost their kingdom, and they were banished for twelve years.
So Narada met Krishna. His devotee, he could speak Krishna with little criticism, "My dear Sir, Krishna, by becoming Your devotee the Pandavas are very happy. They have lost their kingdom. Their wife is insulted. And now they are banished for twelve years. So it is very good thing. (laughter) But the wonderful thing I see, now, in spite of all these inconveniences, they have increased their love for You." So Narada, he is astonished, "What kind of hypnotism you do, I do not know. (laughter) In spite of being placed in so much inconveniences, their love for You has increased." That is the position of Pandavas. This is Krishna consciousness. Tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamanah. The devotee, pure devotee, if they are put into difficulty they take it, "Oh, it is Krishna's grace. It is Krishna's grace." Tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam. They take it in this way, "Krishna, I was to suffer hundred times more than this due to my bad activities in my past life, but You are giving me a little out of it. So it is Your grace." So devotee never takes any...
Therefore narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati: "One who has become narayana-parah, Krishna conscious, he's never afraid of any condition of life." Bhagavad-gita also, Krishna says, yasmin sthito na duhkhena vicalyate: "If one is situated in Krishna consciousness, then he's never disturbed." Gurunapi duhkhena: "If he's put in the severest type of difficulty, he's never..." Just see the Pandavas. That is the effect of Krishna consciousness.
Therefore Narada is trying to convince Vyasadeva that "You preach Krishna consciousness. Whatever you have so..., so far written books, they have been useless. Now you write something, by reading which, one will become immediately Krishna conscious." Sadyo hrdy avarudhyate. In the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that "Srimad-Bhagavatam is so nice that simply by reading, immediately one can capture the Supreme Lord within his heart." Sadyo hrdy avarudhyate susrusubhis tat-ksanat. Tat-ksanat means immediately, provided if he's little willing. That's all. Susrusu. That is the word.
So our whole program is that Krishna is very kind, always kind upon us, but we have to become little willing to take Krishna's favor. That... What is the example? My Guru Maharaja 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, Krishna says that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. So we have to do that. Simply to surrender unto... Then everything is there. That is the only. Because... Now the rope is there. Now we have to capture. Now, if you don't use your independence to catch it, then how can you expect to be lifted? That much you have to do. Because you have got... You are living. You are not a dead stone. You have got the independence. Therefore you have to capture, and Krishna will do everything. Then Krishna will do everything. Simply you have to capture, that "Krishna, from this day I am Yours. Whatever You like, You do."
Just like Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, manasa deho geho, jo kichu mora, arpilun tuwa pade, nanda-kisora. Krishna's another name is Nanda-kisora. Krishna has thousands and thousands of names, but this word, Krishna, is the original name, the exact name, "all-attractive." So here Nanda-kisora. Nanda-kisora means the young boy of Maharaja Nanda, Nanda-kisora. So Bhaktivinoda Thakura addressing, "My dear Nanda-kisora, young boy of, young child, or young son of Nanda Maharaja," manasa deho geho, "my mind, my body, my family," manasa deho geho jo kichu, "whatever I think 'This is mine...' " Because we are conditioned souls, "my," "I," and "mine," this is our disease. "So whatever I am thinking 'It is mine'... First of all, 'This body's mine,' or 'The home, the family, that is mine.' " So manasa deho geho, jo kichu... "Whatever I have got in my possession, now I am surrendering unto You." Arpilun tuwa pade nanda-kisora. This is surrender. "So I am giving unto You my family, my home, my body, my mind, everything." Arpilun tuwa pade nanda... "Now, whatever You like, You do." That is very nice song. So we have to do that. Then Krishna will take care. That's all. The same example: you simply have to capture the rope. Then you'll be lifted immediately.
So, so here it is said that a Krishna conscious person, even if he is fallen down, he is not so degraded. Sridhara Svami, here, herewith quotes a verse from Bhagavad-gita. It is nice.
yatate ca tato bhuyah samsiddhau kuru-nandana
purvabhyasena tenaiva hriyate hy avaso 'pi sah
Just like so many boys and girls come to our association just like somebody forcing him, forcing him, "You just remain in this association." That is Krishna's grace. That means in their past life they had been Krishna conscious. Some way or other, it was not being fulfilled. Now again the chance is being given. That is stated in Bhagavad-gita, that yatate ca tato bhuyah samsiddhau. The percentage up to which he finished in his last birth, that is not lost. That is there, fifty percent or forty percent, thirty percent, whatever one executed in the last birth. Now next, this birth, unwillingly or by force, by Krishna's force, he'll have to accept again Krishna consciousness.
Just like Bilvamangala Thakura. I think I have several times spoken about Bilvamangala Thakura. So Bilvamangala Thakura, he raised himself in his previous life to the bhava-bhakti. Bhava-bhakti means always feeling for Krishna. That is the prior stage of loving Krishna, bhava-bhakti. So he, in his previous life he was raised, but somehow or other, he fell down. But it is assured, sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto 'bhijayate: "Even such Krishna consciousness person falls down, he is given chance to take birth in nice brahmana family or suci, pure family, and rich family."
So Bilvamangala Thakura was very rich man. He was born in a very rich brahmana family. And he was addicted to prostitute. By some way or other, he had some inclination like that. So he could not finish Krishna consciousness. He fallen down. But at a opportune moment he got again the Krishna consciousness. How is that? The incidence is that he was performing the sraddha ceremony of his father, but he had a girlfriend, prostitute. So he wanted to go there very quickly. So somehow or other he finished. And he wanted to go there. But on the road he found that it was very heavily raining and he had to cross the river. So he did everything. And he... The prostitute was... She thought that "Bilvamangala is not coming today. It is very..., so much raining."
So when she saw that Bilvamangala is at the door, she was astonished. She said, "Bilvamangala, how did you come here in this rainy, torrents of rainy...?" So he disclosed everything that how he catched one dead body in the river, then he crossed the river, then he jumped over the wall. So she was astonished, and she simply said, "Oh, this much affection if you would have with Krishna, how you would have been... Your life would have been nice." Immediately it was... "Oh, Krishna...?" Immediately, he left everything.
Immediately he left everything and went to Vrndavana. He is... So Krishna is so nice. Just at the right point He will remind. Yatate ca tatah. Here, in the Bhagavad-gita, yatate ca tato bhuyah samsiddhau kuru-nandana, purvabhyasena. He was accustomed, so immediately reminded, immediately.
So these are the, I mean to say, facilities for Krishna consciousness. And this is the only business one should take. All other things, simply waste of time. That is the instruction of Narada. Narada is the spiritual master within, spiritual master of the whole Vaisnava sect. So he's giving the right direction, that "Don't try for anything else. Don't think that you'll be happy this way or that way. Never... Whatever happiness or distress..." (coughing) Where is water?
So example is given here that tal labhyate duhkhavat. Nobody expects a calamity or distress, but sometimes calamity overcomes us. Similarly, you should not, I mean to say, try for any artificial happiness. Whatever Krishna gives you, be satisfied. That was the basic principle of Vedic civilization. Nobody was trying to make any artificial economic development. No. The whole history of India is like that. They were satisfied, "All right..." Even now the mass of people... In 1942 there was famine. People were dying. Still, they were..., "All right. Krishna has given us. God has given us." That was the mentality. So our main business is how to improve Krishna consciousness. We should not divert our attention in any other material condition of improvement. That is actually not improvement. It is simply illusion, that "I am making improvement." What improvement? Suppose you are earning now, say, five hundred dollars per month. If you earn, say, five million dollars, so then what? Will you eat more than four capatis? (laughter) You'll eat the same four capatis. And you'll occupy the same six feet bed. You may acquire the whole property of West Virginia, (laughter) but you'll have to lie down on six feet. (laughter) That's all. And you'll have to eat four capatis.
So this is maya. This is maya, "I am improving." What you are improving? You'll not be taller. You'll not be great eater, nothing of the sort. Whatever you have already, you'll have so the same thing. You see?
So tad eva bhagavad-lila pradhanarena anuvarnaya; ity uktam bhakti-bhavam ka ca kasya lila iti apeksama ilam bhagavan eva satu asmad iti araha.(?) So Narada Rsi, Narada Muni says, "You just try to describe the glories of Krishna." And what is that? The question may be, "Then how shall I glorify Him?" He says, idam hi visvam bhagavan ivetarah: "You study everything and dovetail with Krishna." Idam: "This world, this cosmic manifestation..." Idam jagat. Jagat means this cosmic manifestation, idam, this, bhagavan... "It is Krishna." That means, "Try to preach or try to teach the people in general that everything belongs to Krishna, everything is manifestation of Krishna's energy." But not impersonalism. If... The impersonalists' view is that if everything is Krishna... That is the... That is their material way of thinking. Just like if you take a big paper and, I mean to say, cut into pieces and the pieces are distributed, strewn over, then the original paper is lost. So their theory is, "If Krishna is everything-Krishna has expanded in this world, in cosmic manifestation-then Krishna has no form, separate form." That is their theory. But the Vedic injunction is: "No, it is not like that." Purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate: Krishna is so full that even Krishna expands million times, still, He's the same thing, Krishna. That is Krishna. Krishna is person. And even He expands, Krishna, in many ways... Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. This is the fine philosophy. One has to understand how Krishna, in spite of His being a person-He's person, without any doubt-He has expanded in so many universes, so many manifestations. Yes.
So I was... This morning, while I was walking, I was talking with Devananda that how Krishna expands. It is common sense affair. Just like a small seed in a fruit-that seed you sow, it becomes a big tree. And from that big tree, again millions of fruits come out. And again from that, each fruit, there are millions of trees. We can see the potency. Even in our material existence we see so much potencies in everything. Why not Krishna's potencies? We see the sunshine, the potency of the sun. The sunshine is spread all over, and everything is existing on the sunshine. Even the sunshine has got the so much potency. That we can experience. And how much potential is Krishna, who is the creator of the sun also. Yac caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam raja samasta-sura-murtir asesa-tejah. So we have to study like that everything. Everything is Krishna's expansion. Just like the fire. Fire is situated in one place, but here... Just like here there is a fireplace. But if there is fire, the heat will be experienced up, up, upstair, and here and that other side. Similarly, Krishna, although He's person, He's situated... Goloka eva nivasati. He's enjoying there in Goloka Vrndavana. By His energy, He is expanded. This is simple truth. Anyone, any man with common sense, he can experience.
So Vyasadeva is teaching Narada Muni, idam visvam bhagavan. Isvarad prapanca na prthak.(?) This world is not different from Krishna, na prthak. Prthak means different. The world is not... But that does not mean Krishna has lost His personality. This is the difference between Mayavada philosophy and Vaisnava philosophy. Mayavada philosophy is: "If the whole cosmic creation is God, then where is God again separately?" That is their poor fund of knowledge. That is God who, expanding Himself in so many ways, still He remains as He is. That is God. Otherwise, how He is God? It is material thing. If by expanding, He loses His identity, then it is material. In the material sense, that we experience.
The same example: you take one big paper and cut into pieces and throw it. The original paper is lost. That is material. But in the Isopanisad we hear that purnasya purnam adaya purnam idam purnam adah purnam purnat udacyate, purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate. Just like when Krishna was sporting on this earth as cowherd boy, Brahma became doubtful, "How is that? Krishna has become a cowherds boy here?" So he wanted to test whether He's Krishna. So he, he sifted all the cows and cowherds boys from the pasturing ground, and again he saw that millions times the same cows, boys and cowherd, cows and cowherd boys, are present there. So that is Krishna. He can expand. Brhatvad brhannatvad. Brahman means He can expand unlimitedly. And He can shrink also to the minute. Just like we are very minute. We are also part and parcel. And this cosmic manifestation is also part and parcel of Krishna. Therefore He's called param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan.
So in this way we have to study to become Krishna conscious. The, everything is there. Simply we have to become little serious. Then we can understand what is this world, what is Krishna, what we are, how they have expanded, how this world is created, everything. All answers are there. It is not a sentiment, that we are accepting something by sentiment. All reasons, all philosophy, arguments, are there.
We shall discuss by and by. Thank you very much. (end)
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