750915 - Lecture SB 06.02.13 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

750915SB-VRNDAVAN - September 15, 1975 - 19:55 Minutes

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, Second Chapter, verse number thirteen. (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

athainaṁ māpanayata

kṛtāśeṣāgha-niṣkṛtaṁ

yad asau bhagavan-nāma

mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt

(SB 6.2.13)

(break) (02:17)

Prabhupāda:

athainaṁ māpanayata

kṛtāśeṣāgha-niṣkṛtaṁ

yad asau bhagavan-nāma

mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt

(SB 6.2.13)

The most important word here is mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt. Ordinarily there are discrimination of nāma, nāmābhāsa and nāmāparādha. Śuddha-nāma, pure name; nāmābhāsa, almost pure; and nāmāparādha, chanting the holy name with aparādha. There are ten kinds of offenses, that nāma . . . Nāmnād . . . Out of the ten kinds of offenses, the most offensive chanting is nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. One aparādha is guror avajñā. If we neglect the orders of guru and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then it is aparādha, offense. Guru-avajñā śruti-śāstra-nindanam. The Vedic literature, whatever injunction is there, if I don't obey or I decry—"Oh, there are many . . ., so many rules. It is not possible"—śruti-śāstra nindanam. Nāma artha-vāda. We interpret in our own way about the nāma. And to consider the holy name of Viṣṇu and other names equally potent, that is nāmāparādha. And nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. And because one is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, he thinks, "Even if I do something sinful, it will be counteracted," that is aparādha. And to instruct to a person who has no interest in hari-kīrtana, that is also aparādha. So we should not be very much interested to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness if one is not very much interested. But tactfully, if you can, just try to give him a book. In this way there are ten kinds of offenses. We have discussed many times, and I think all of you know it.

So here it is said, mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt. Because at the time of death he has uttered "Nārāyaṇa," so now there is no question of offense. There is no question of. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā that yeṣāṁ tu anta-gataṁ pāpam: by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one gradually becomes free from all sinful reaction. Yeṣāṁ tu anta-gataṁ. Te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 7.28). And the proof is, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,

anta-kāle ca mām eva

smaran muktvā kalevaraṁ

yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ

yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

(BG 8.5)

If at the time of death one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then he is glorious. Nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ. Here is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāsty atra. Anta-kāle: "At the time of . . ." I have several times said, the test will be examined at the time of death. They say in Bengal, bhajan koro pūjān koro murte jānle haya.(?) Your austerity, penances, chanting of the holy name, all these things . . . Just like there is examination. Before promotion to the higher class, one is examined in the school, and the . . ., if the marks are sufficient, then he is promoted. So our promotion will depend at the time of death, where we are going. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). We are going to change our . . . Death means we are going to change our body. So this change of body will be decided at the time of death. It is already decided what kind of body we are going to get, but the final decision will be taken at the time of death. That is said by Kṛṣṇa. So how the test . . . You . . . Everyone can understand. If at the time of death one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, then you know certainly that he has gone to Vaikuṇṭha. There is no doubt about it. Anta-kāle. And even there is aparādha, that is not taken into consideration, because at the time of death he has uttered. This is special consideration. Anta-kāle.

Here it is said, yad asau bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt. Sama means samak, "perfectly." "Now he is quite fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. So you do not touch him. He is completely free." So if we are serious about our life, the method is very easy. The prescription is man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Where is the difficulty? We are now serious. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and hear Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then mind is fixed up. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). Our business is to fix up my mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. So this Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting, will help us. As soon as we chant, we hear. It is not that simply by seeing Kṛṣṇa you become perfect. By hearing Kṛṣṇa also. This is also another sense. We gather knowledge from different senses. Suppose there is a good mango. So when you say, "Let me see how the mango is," but you are seeing. No, this seeing is imperfect. You take little portion of the mango and taste it; then you can understand. So experience is gathered from different senses. Why you are giving stress only on seeing? This is foolishness. Just like you can . . . Even if you do not taste—the mango seller may not allow you to taste—but you can smell. By smelling, you can understand whether the mango is good or bad. After all, you have to get experience.

So why we should stress upon seeing Kṛṣṇa? That is most foolish proposal. You have other senses. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to be perceived by you by other senses. What is that? If you hear Kṛṣṇa, then you must know there is Kṛṣṇa. There is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not different from His name, from His form, either form or name or quality or paraphernalia, anything. He is Absolute. There is no duality. Anything you perceive, that is Kṛṣṇa. This Kṛṣṇa temple is also Kṛṣṇa. So we have no sufficient knowledge how to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to be understood by us in so many ways. So the Kali-yuga, therefore, name is so important. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). This formula should be seriously taken.

Kṛtāśeṣa agha-niṣkṛtam. Aśeṣa. Unlimited amount or unlimited number of sinful activities are already finished. So the Yamadūta forbade them that "Don't touch him. He is not fit for going to Yamaloka, but he is fit for going to Viṣṇuloka." Bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṇaḥ. The most important thing is how to become successful, at the time of death chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This should be there. Bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṇaḥ. That will be the perfection of life. Then they explain,

sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ vā

stobhaṁ helanam eva vā

vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam

aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ

(SB 6.2.14)

Sāṅketya. Just like sometimes on the street some outsider, seeing you, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa only by the symbolic, sāṅketya. Because they see: "They have got tilaka, kaṇṭhī." Therefore these things are required. Don't become immediately paramahaṁsa—no tilaka, no kaṇṭhī and no bead bag. This is not good. Sāṅketya, so that others may understand, "Here is a Vaiṣṇava. Here is a Kṛṣṇa devotee." And if he is simple, he'll chant "Hare Kṛṣṇa." This chance should be given. Therefore it is necessary, how people can utter. That chanting may save him from the greatest danger.

Therefore it is said, sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyam. If somebody jokes . . . Sometimes they do that. "Hare Kṛṣṇa" means he is not seriously chanting, but he is trying to joke the other party who is engaged in chanting. And that is also good, pārihāsya. During Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time, the Muslims, they used to joke the Hindus, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." So the practice made them chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And the police officer was informed by the constables that "These Hindus are chanting 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.' " The police officer asked him, "Then why you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa?" By imitating, they became practiced to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is so nice. Even joking, symbolic, sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ stobham. Or prema. Helanam eva vā. Without any care, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," any way if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then vaikuṇṭha-nāma grahaṇam aśeṣa agha-haram (SB 6.2.14). Agha. Agha means sinful activities.

So, so nice thing, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, some way or other, if we can take it very seriously, then our life will be successful at the end of life if we can chant. Therefore Yamunācārya says . . . Not Yamunācārya; Kulaśekhara Mahārāja. He was also emperor.

kṛṣṇa tvadīya-pada-paṅkaja-pañjarāntam

adyaiva viśatu me mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ

prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha vāta pittaiḥ

kaṇṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṇaṁ kutas te

(MM 33)

He is praying, "My Lord, now I am healthy. I am quite conscious. So this time, if I absorb my mind in Your lotus feet and die, it is very good. It is very good because in the natural time of death, the three elements—kapha, vāta—they'll be dismantled, and there will be different sounds, and mind will be distracted, 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.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end).