760220 - Lecture SB 07.09.13 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

760220SB-MAYAPUR - February 20, 1976 - 20.53 Minutes

Śāstrījī: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (chants verse, with Prabhupāda and devotees repeating) (break)

sarve hy amī vidhi-karās tava sattva-dhāmno

brahmādayo vayam iveśa na codvijantaḥ

kṣemāya bhūtaya utātma-sukhāya cāsya

vikrīḍitaṁ bhagavato rucirāvatāraiḥ

(SB 7.9.13)

Dayānanda: Translation: "O my Lordship, all the demigods headed by Lord Brahma, they are all Your sincere servants, situated in transcendental position, and they are not like us, my father, the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, the demon. Your appearance in this fearful form is Your pastime for Your own personal pleasure, and such incarnation is always for the good and protection of the universe."

Prabhupāda: "Like my father"? Udvijantaḥ is not described here, the meaning of udvijantaḥ?

Dayānanda: "Udvijantaḥ—on account of Your fearful appearance they are all afraid."

Prabhupāda: Udvijantaḥ, Kya artha. What is the meaning? "Disturbing," huh? It has to be corrected.

sarve hy amī vidhi-karās tava sattva-dhāmno . . .

sarve hy amī vidhi-karās tava sattva-dhāmno

brahmādayo vayam iveśa na codvijantaḥ

kṣemāya bhūtaya utātma-sukhāya cāsya

vikrīḍitaṁ bhagavato rucirāvatāraiḥ

(SB 7.9.13)

So, distinction between deva and asura. Brahmādayaḥ, beginning from Brahmā . . . Lord Brahmā is the supreme prajā-pati. From him, marīcy-ādi, ṛṣayaḥ, all great ṛṣis, they were born. Then from them, other demigods—Indra, Candra, Varuṇa . . . so these devas, they are not like the asuras, disturbing elements. That is the difference between the asura and deva. The asura will create a situation which is very, very disturbing to the whole human society. And when there are so many asuras, disturbing elements, at that time the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes down, descends, in His incarnation. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).

So Prahlāda Mahārāja, trying to pacify the Lord that, "This, Your incarnation, is for the benefit of Your servants, vidhi-karāḥ (SB 7.9.13)." Vidhi-karāḥ means servant. Vidhi-kṛt. Vidhi means law and order, and one who executes the law and order, they are called vidhi-karā. So all the demigods, they are appointed by the Supreme Lord to execute the law and order. Because this material world is a chaotic condition, therefore there is necessity of law and order. In the spiritual world there is no such thing. In spiritual world everyone knows that, "The Lord is our master, and we are all servants." That is spiritual world. And material world means that, "Why there should be one master? We are all master. Why you are searching after one God? Don't you see? All we are gods, loitering in the street, especially the poor god, daridra-nārāyaṇa." This is all material conception. Lord is one, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, declares, in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7): "There is no more superior authority than Me." In many places . . . Asamordhva. Asama, nobody can be equal with God, neither anybody can be higher than Him. That is God. So God is one. There cannot be two Gods. Then there is no meaning of God. Now they manufacture God. In every street, every lane, there is a God.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that, "All these big, big demigods, they are Your servants." Vidhi-karās tava sattva-dhāmnaḥ (SB 7.9.13). "You are in transcendental position, and we are all servants." Ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya. This is said by Caitanya-caritāmṛta author.

ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya

yāre yaiche nācāya, se taiche kare nṛtya

(CC Adi 5.142)

Master is one: Kṛṣṇa. There cannot be two master. The master can expand Himself as masters. That is another thing. The master is one. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (BS 5.33). Ananta-rūpam. The master can expand Himself in many, many thousands and millions of forms, but they are advaita. They are not different. Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He married 16,108 wives, so He expanded Himself also into 16,108 forms, Kṛṣṇa. But those expansions, 16,000 expansions, they are one, the same Kṛṣṇa. This is to be understood. Kṛṣṇa may expand Himself in so many forms, but still they are the same. In another place it is exemplified, dīpārcir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya (BS 5.46). Just like one candle original, and a second candle, a third candle, a fourth candle . . . you light up many millions of candles, but they are of the same potency. The candle power is not reduced because we have ignited so many candles from the original. No. Advaitam, acyut . . . Pūrṇasya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Even though Kṛṣṇa expands Himself in millions and millions and forms, still, all of them are the . . . of the same potency. That is called sattva-dhāmnaḥ. So there are different types of expansion of Kṛṣṇa. They are called vibhinnāṁśa, svāṁśa. Kṛṣṇa expands Himself svāṁśa. That is viṣṇu-tattva. That is advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam (BS 5.33). Then vibhinnāṁśa: mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhutaḥ (BG 15.7). Jīva also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa, but we are vibhinnāṁśa, separated forms. And svāṁśa, viṣṇu-tattva, that is one. So in this way we have to understand Kṛṣṇa's expansion.

So, Sarve hy amī vidhi-karāḥ (SB 7.9.13). These vidhi-karāḥ, they are not svāṁśa; they are vibhinnāṁśa. Brahmā and other demigods and we, we are of the same category. Not that because one has become Brahmā, so he is equal to the Supreme Lord. No. That is not possible. Śiva-viriñci-nutam (SB 11.5.33): "The Supreme Lord is worshiped even by Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva." Nobody can be equal. This Māyāvāda philosophy that in whichever form you worship the Lord, they are all the same—no, they are not same. Therefore here it is said: vidhi-karāḥ, brahmādaya, "They are all your servants, vidhi-karāḥ." Vidhi-karāḥ means who executes the order of the Supreme Lord. That is devatā. And one who wants to become one or equal with the Supreme Lord, they are asuras. They always create disturbance. At the present moment there are so many asuras. Everyone is defying the supremacy of the Supreme Lord. Everyone is trying to become God. Therefore the whole world is in chaotic condition. If we want to adjust this chaotic condition, then we require the incarnation of God. That is already there. Nāma-rūpe kali kāle kṛṣṇa-avatāra (CC Adi 17.22). This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa in the form of name. There is no difference. The saṅkīrtana movement which was inaugurated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu . . . and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself. So abhinnatvād nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). So this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is not different from Kṛṣṇa or Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So if we take shelter of this holy name of the Lord, Hare Kṛṣṇa, then we shall be saved. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). We shall become sādhu simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).

We are all sādhus, actually, originally, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, but in contact with māyā we have become asādhu. Sādhu means who are pure devotees. Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. That is sādhu. Otherwise there is no sādhu. The so-called sādhu, they are not sādhu. Sādhu means bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ, bhajate mām ananya-bhāk (BG 9.30). So by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, even the lowest of the mankind, narādhamā, he can become a sādhu. "What is evidence how one can become sādhu simply by chanting?" Yes. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, pāpī tāpī yata chilo, harināme uddharilo tāra sākṣi jagāi and mādhāi. Just see how Jagāi-Mādhāi became sādhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu introducing this saṅkīrtana movement, He is making everyone sādhu. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Everyone is becoming sādhu. Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk.

So this avatāra, nāma-rūpe avatāra, there is no difference. Nāma-cintāmaṇiḥ-kṛṣṇaḥ caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). The nāma is also vigraha, another form of the Lord, rasa-vigraha. So if we take shelter of this avatāra, rucy-avatāraiḥ . . . 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. And that can be done only by pushing on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Otherwise, it is not possible. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam-bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇam . . . Śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā. The ultimate benefit of life is compared with the moon. So spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness means spreading the moonlight. Therefore we have named this temple Śrī Māyāpur-candrodaya. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Gaura-Hari, Māyāpur-cand . . . Caitanya-candra. Caitanya-candra anurāga. The Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, this, kurutānurāga. Caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāga. Caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāga. Sādhava sakalam eva vihāya durāt caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam. This is the instruction of Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, one of the great devotees of Lord Caitanya. So they are of the same, I mean, opinion. There is no difference, opinion, between the modern devotee and the old devotee—a devotee is devotee—as there is no difference between modern gold or old gold. Gold is gold. So we should take the path of devotional service, following Prahlāda Mahārāja, and his prayers, his instructions are so valuable that even simply by reciting this Prahlāda Mahārāja's stotra, this stotra . . . this prayer of Prahlāda Mahārāja is very, very important. You read it carefully and try to understand. Even the most wretched demon can become a great devotee.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)