690618 - Lecture SB 01.05.14 - New Vrindaban, USA

Lectures by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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690618SB-NEW VRINDAVAN - June 18, 1969 - 48:58 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers)

ñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave-namaḥ

śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale

svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate

gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari

vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca

kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo

vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare

hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

tato 'nyathā kiñcana yad vivakṣataḥ

pṛthag dṛśas tat-kṛta-rūpa-nāmabhiḥ

na karhicit kvāpi ca duḥsthitā matir

labheta vātāhata-naur ivāspadam

(SB 1.5.14)

Now we are discussing instruction of Nārada to his disciple, Vyāsadeva. Such a learned scholar, Vyāsadeva. He's known as Vedavyāsa, the authority on all Vedic literature. And he's supposed to be incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, exalted position. Still, he requires the instruction of a spiritual master.

That is the way of Vedic way. Avaroha-panthā, āroha-panthā. Āroha-panthā means inductive process: to know from here, from the lower status to the higher status, speculative method, or ascending process. And avaroha-panthā is deductive process, getting knowledge from higher authorities. So our Vedic understanding is to receive knowledge from the authorities. That is perfect knowledge.

There are three kinds of processes to receive knowledge: pratyakṣa, aitihya and śabda. Pratyakṣa means by direct perception, experimental knowledge. And aitihya, or anumāna, anumāna, hypothesis, "It may be like this," "Perhaps like this." Just like modern scientists say, "Perhaps it is like this." That is called anumāna, hypothesis. And another process is śabda-pramāṇa, śruti-pramāṇa. Śabda means sound vibration, and śruti means aural reception. So out of three processes, the śabda-pramāṇa, or receiving vibration, sound vibration from authorities by aural reception, that is considered to be the perfect.

So Nārada Muni says . . . before this, Nārada Muni has advised Vyāsadeva that, "In order to release all these conditioned souls, you just describe the wonderful activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Simply by hearing . . . uttama-ślokasya guṇānuvādāt. Uttama-śloka. Uttama-śloka means the Supreme Lord who is described by transcendental literature or very fine, scholarly language. He's called Uttama-śloka. Uttama-ślokasya urukramasya. "That will save all conditioned souls from being implicated in the clutches of māyā."

Now, Vyāsadeva has already described . . . he has made many purāṇas, eighteen purāṇas. So there is mention of God's activities. Just like in Mahābhārata he has put this Bhagavad-gītā. So Nārada Muni says that:

pṛthag dṛśas tat-kṛta-rūpa-nāmabhiḥ

tato 'nyathā kiñcana yad vivakṣataḥ

(SB 1.5.14)

"If you do not exceptionally, exclusively describe simply the pastimes of the uncommon activities of the Lord, the other way, as you have given as a sidelight, as you have described Bhagavad-gītā, the activities of Kṛṣṇa as a sideline, not . . ."

Actually, the whole Mahābhārata is full of activities of Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa is only a scene in the Mahābhārata. He's speaking in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.

So Nārada Muni says: "That sort of description will not be very much congenial, because the people are not steady. Their anxiety . . . their mind is disturbed in so many ways, exactly like a boat moving in the tossing of the waves of the sea. So this sort of understanding of God will not give them much benefit. You describe completely on the pastimes, on the activities of the Supreme Lord. That will give people release from these material clutches."

So the next verse says . . . Vyāsadeva may say that, "Sir, I have already compiled so many books, eighteen purāṇas, Mahābhārata, even Vedānta-sūtra. So are they not sufficient literature to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" So in reply to that, Nārada says:

jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ

sva-bhāva-raktasya mahān vyatikramaḥ

(SB 1.5.15)

Sva-bhāva-raktasya mahān vyatikramaḥ. Sva-bhāva-raktasya means by nature. Just like Vedic scripture says, "By nature every living entity has a propensity for sex life, for intoxication." Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantoḥ. Jantoḥ means living entities. Nitya. So long he is in contact with this material world, he has got a natural propensity for sex life and intoxication. Vyavāya means sex life, and āmiṣa means meat-eating. Āmiṣa, meat-eating. Sex life, meat-eating and madya-sevā. Madhya-sevā means intoxication, drinking liquor.

It is not unnatural. To drink wine or liquor or to eat meat and to have free sex life, that is the desire of all conditioned souls. Therefore, sva-bhāva-raktasya, "by nature." Nobody is taught in the educational institution how to drink, or how to eat meat or how to enjoy sex life. Natural. That is natural. Sva-bhāva-raktasya. "And if these things you describe as dharma, as religious principles, then they are doomed."

Just like a man is addicted to commit theft. He has got a habit of stealing. And if I say: "Stealing is very nice art. You can go on with you . . . with it," then where is the reformation? There is no question of . . . he, he's already addicted. So it is encouragement. So similarly, in the dharma-śāstra . . . just like in Mahābhārata there is . . .

(aside) Where is that "cut-cut" noise? Don't make that sound.

Just like in marriage ceremony. Marriage ceremony . . . of course, in your country, the marriage ceremony is different. In India still, the people spend as much as possible in the marriage ceremony—millions of dollars. If one man is rich, he'll spend for his son's marriage or daughter's marriage. That is a great credit, "Oh, this man is very rich man. He's spending so much money." So there are so many religious performances, ritualistic performances. You have to spend money, so you must find out so many performances. So they have all these in the śāstras.

So Nārada Muni says that, "What is this, marriage ceremony? The marriage ceremony is to allow the boy and the girl for legitimate sex life. That's all. So that propensity he has already got. And what is the use of making such propaganda and spending so much money?" Very practical proposition. But in the śāstras there are. Similarly, drinking or meat-eating. According to Vedic śāstra, meat-eating is not allowed by purchasing from the slaughterhouse. No. They . . . there is motive. The marriage ceremony or the meat-eating, the so much ritualistic performances, there is motive. What is that motive? Motive is restriction.

Just like the same example, marriage—the real idea is to restrict the boy and the girl to one woman and one man. That is the idea, main idea. If he's not married, then he will be just like cats and dogs. So idea is very good. But Nārada Muni says: "After all, you're coming to the point of sex life. So why so much propaganda?"

Similarly, for meat-eating there is also sanction in the śāstras, tāmasika-śāstra, not sāttvika. There are three divisions of śāstra—sāttvika, rājasika and tāmasika. Those who are meat-eaters, cannot give up meat-eating, for them, the prescription is, "Alright, you can eat meat, but you have to sacrifice one goat, but not cow." The . . . for sacrifice the animal is recommended: goat. So you can, I mean to say, cut throat of a goat in the presence of Goddess Kālī and you can eat. There are so many prescriptions. But that is also restriction, that Kālī-worship is one day in a month, on the dark moon day. What is called, dark moon? Amāvasyā. Full moon and . . .? Eh?

Devotees: New moon?

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. When there is . . . on that particular . . . there is no moon in the sky.

Devotee: The dark of the moon.

Prabhupāda: It is called dark moon, yes. So that Kālī-pūjā is recommended on the dark moon day. The . . . that is one day in a month. Similarly, according to marriage life, the sex life is also allowed one day in a month. The whole thing is restriction. Similarly, drinking wine also, there is Devī-pūjā. That is also once in a year, or something like that. The whole point is restriction. But after all, this is drinking and mating and meat-eating.

So Nārada Muni says that, "You have described these things for which a man has got natural propensity in a religious form. So it is jugupsitam. This is most abominable." Just see. Even the restricted system of marriage, drinking and meat-eating described in the śāstra, that is also condemned by Nārada. Jugupsitam. Jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ: "You are the leader of the śāstras. You are writing śāstras. People will follow you." Just like in Vedic . . . Vedas, there is recommendation of sacri . . . in the sacrifice, animal-killing, but that animal-killing is not killing. This . . .

There was a discussion between Lord Caitanya and Chand Kazi, the Muhammadan magistrate. That story perhaps you know, that He started civil disobedience movement. And the brahmins of Navadvīpa, they complained to the Muhammadan man . . . at that time, Bengal was being governed by the Pathans, Muhammadans, and so there was Muhammadan magistrate called Kazi Saheb.

So the brahmins, they lodged complaint to the Kazi Saheb that, "This boy, Nimāi Paṇḍita, He has started one movement, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and people are being enthused, excited, to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and He is making propaganda that "Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, you'll get all perfection."

So the brahmins thought that "If this boy makes propaganda and popularize this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, then, oh, what about ourself?" They were priestly class. "Then how we will live?" So they lodged complaint to the Chand Kazi that, "He's doing something against our Vedic ritual. It is not Hindu religion. And . . ." Of course, he was Muhammadan magistrate, but after all, he was meant for giving justice to the people. So when big brāhmiṇs complained, he took action and he sent some constables to warn the followers of Lord Caitanya that "You are disturbing. You are disturbing, this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting. You cannot do this. There is complaint."

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was informed that, "The Chand Kazi has warned us not to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. What shall we do?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "Don't care. Go on chanting. Go on chanting." So then, when the magistrate saw that they have not stopped, then he sent some constables and government police force, who broke their mṛdaṅgas and dispersed the crowd. So this information was given to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and He said, "All right, then we shall," I mean to say, "issue this civil disobedience."

So He called for many thousands of people. He was very popular. This incidence shows that even He was at that time sixteen-years-old boy, He was so learned, Nimāi Paṇḍita, that He defeated a great scholar, and at the same time, He was very popular, because by His simple calling, many hundred thousands of people gathered with mṛdaṅgas, and they began kīrtana in the street and went to the house of that Kazi.

So at that time Kazi thought that, "This is a mass movement. So my order will not be . . . there will be some disturbance." So he came to his senses. Then he wanted to make some compromise with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And first of all there was some discussion, because he was also very learned scholar, Chand Kazi, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also very learned scholar.

So first of all he compromised, Chand Kazi, "Nimāi, You are a boy, and in our village relationship You are just my nephew because Your grandfather, Your mother's father, I call him 'Cācā.' " Cācā means uncle. "So, in that sense, Your mother is my sister. So You are my nephew. Why You are so angry upon Your uncle?" So He said: "Yes, My dear uncle, I have come My uncle's house to be received very nicely, but you went upstairs. Why? I am very glad that you have come down." In this way, the things were . . .

Then He first of all asked Chand Kazi, "Yes, My dear uncle . . ." He was maternal uncle, māmu . . . māmu or māmā. Māmā means maternal uncle. "My dear māmā, Uncle, what is your religion, that you eat your father and mother?" That was His challenge, first. Well, What sort of religion you have got?" He said: "What You say? We eat our father . . .?" "Yes, because you eat cows. So cow gives you milk. She's your mother. You drink milk and kill your mother. And the bull, she (he) helps you in agricultural . . . producing grains, just like father gives you grain to eat. So you are killing your father and mother. How is that?"

So Chand Kazi was also very learned scholar. He said: "Well, this cow-killing is also recommended in Your Vedas, because there is cow sacrifice." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied . . . now, we should know it that the animal sacrifice, according to the Vedic scripture, that is not killing. That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

He said that, "In the previous time, this cow sacrifice was actually being done. That's all right. But that was not for killing. That—to give the cow, the old cow or bull, a new life. By the power of mantra, just to give evidence of the Vedic mantras, the brahmins would sacrifice a cow, old cow or old bull, in the fire and give . . . give him, again, new life. That was . . .

"Now, in this age, there is no such powerful brahmin who can chant the mantras rightly and give again rejuvenation, another new life. It is not possible. Therefore in the śāstras, these sort of sacrifices are forbidden."

aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ

sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam

devareṇa sutotpattiṁ

kalau pañca vivarjayet

(CC Adi 17.164)

So there was nice discussion, and the compromise was that, "No more Your saṅkīrtana movement will be checked by my men."

So the point is that although in the Vedic scripture there is recommendation that animal sacrifice allowed, but that is not meant for killing. That is giving a new life. So when this animal sacrifice was going on simply for eating, simply for eating . . . just like in a particular Mission they say that, "We are devotees of Goddess Kālī." Their real mission is to eat meat. Therefore they have become devotees of Goddess Kālī. But actually, these sacrifices were not meant, as explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for killing the animals. That was to test the power, the strength, of the Vedic mantras.

So Lord Buddha's movement was therefore started . . . when people began to eat meat like anything on the plea of Vedic sacrifice, so Lord Buddha, at that time—Lord Buddha means he's also incarnation of Kṛṣṇa—he appeared to stop this animal killing. That is the prayer of Lord Buddha we sing:

nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaṁ

sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam

keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare

(Śrī Daśāvatāra-stotra 9)

The buddha-śarīra . . . just like we offer prayer to Nṛsiṁhadeva:

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-śṛṅgaṁ

dalita-hiraṇyakaśipu-tanu-bhṛṅgam

keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

(Śrī Daśāvatāra-stotra 4)

Similarly, there is prayer for Lord Buddha also, that that prayer is: nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam, "Although in the Vedic literature there is recommendation for animal sacrifice, you are forbidding, 'No, this should not be done.' " Therefore Buddhism is not Vedic religion, because he was against this Vedic sacrifice. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśi . . . his main business was to stop this animal killing, but people wanted to give evidence from the Vedas. Therefore he said: "I don't care for your Veda." Veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya came, and he drove away the Buddhists from the land of India. That's a long history.

So this sacrifice, this animal killing, that is also forbidding, that . . . Nārada Muni said that, "Why you have bothered your head in that, that way, that you have made this, this is a type of religion?" Jugupsitam: "This is abominable." Jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ: "You are authority, and if you recommend animal sacrifice, they will take it. They have got already natural tendency, and they will accept it, 'This is the religious process.' And when they will be forbidden by other, saner persons, they'll not care for it. So it is jugupsitam. It is abominable."

jugupsitam dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ

sva-bhāva-raktasya mahān vyatikramaḥ

(SB 1.5.15)

"It's a great mistake you have done." Yad-vākyato dharma itītaraḥ sthitaḥ: "They'll accept you authority, and they'll be steady in that assertion, in that conviction."

And na manyate tasya nivāraṇam: "And if you say . . ." Just like in other religious principles, if we say that, "Don't eat meat . . ."

I had some conversation with some Christian priest. They put forward this argument, "Why should we not eat? Our Christ took flesh. And why should we not? We must." They say like that. But Christ said that, "You should . . . we shall not kill." So they cannot give any proper explanation why they kill. So in every religion . . . in Muhammadan religion, there . . .

So if . . . if this killing process or this drinking process, or this, which a man has got natural, that is excited under the name of religion, then Nārada says: "Then when actually they will be forbidden for higher elevation of life, they'll not accept it. Therefore your description in the śāstras of all these nonsense, jugupsitam, is abominable." Jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ sva-bhāva-rakta . . . "The natural tendency, this. You should not incite them more and more."

Here it is said that patṛka viruddham eva. It is against . . . jātam ita jugupsitam. Jugupsitaṁ nindaṁ kāma karmādi. Jugupsitam. Śrīdhara Svāmī gives notes, nindam: abominable; kāma karma . . . kāma karma means that fruitive result. You do, act something, and you want to enjoy the fruit. That is called kāma karma. Karma, akarma, vikarma.

There are three kinds of activities. First karma is prescribed duties. And akarma means to do act, but the result is not enjoyable by you. And there is vikarma. Vikarma means doing against. So this kāma karma . . . people are engaged in ritualistic ceremony for receiving some result for sense gratification. That is nindam. That is abominable. Nindam.

Sva-bhavata eva raktasya ragina puruṣasya dharma-kṛte, dharmārtham anuśāsas tataḥ mahān vyatikramaḥ: "So this is not good for you. It is most abominable." Kutaḥ iti utaḥ yasyeti vākyataḥ ayaṁ mukhya dharma: "Because they will accept it as authority, and they will think this is religion." They will not make further progress. They will stick to that principle. So therefore it is abominable. Yatasya kāma karmadi anyayena tattva-jñānena kriyamānāya.

Tattva-jñānena. When they'll be advised higher truths . . . just like those who are addicted to killing process under the shadow of religious rights, if they are said that "You don't kill. This is not good. After all, this living entity is as good as you are. As you are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God, similarly, this cow, or this animal, is also part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, but he has got a different dress only. That does not mean that you should kill . . ." If these things are instructed for higher elevation of life, they will not accept. They will not accept. They will say, "Oh, my religion says this. So I must do it." Tasya nivāraṇaṁ janaḥ.

Raktasya karma nivāram nivāraṇaṁ samatam etad na manyate kintu pravṛtti mārgam anuviyukta veṣan tada vidhi kalpa vidhi: "Because he has got already natural tendency. And if he is . . . there is sanction by religiosity, ritualistic, religious process, then he will stick to it. So you have not done very nice work." That is . . . na manyate tasya nivāraṇaṁ janaḥ. Vicakṣaṇo 'syārhati vedituṁ vibhor ananta-pārasya nivṛttitaḥ sukham: "Because actually, if anyone wants real happiness, that happiness is not by gratifying your senses."

In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said that sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). Real happiness, that is not perceived by this gratification of these material senses. So nivṛttitaḥ. One has to cease from this material sense gratification, and then he can enjoy the real happiness, which is transcendental to sense enjoyment. That is . . . that is the instruction.

In the . . . in the Padma Purāṇa also there is a verse, ramante yogino 'nante (CC Madhya 9.29) "Those who are yogī . . ." Yogī means transcendentalist, not the so-called yogī. Those who have contacted the Absolute Truth, they are called yogī. So yoginaḥ, actual a yogī, ramante, they enjoy. They also enjoy. Why they are, I mean to say, undergoing so much austerities and penances and regulative principles? Because they are trying for being elevated to the real platform of happiness.

So ramante yogino 'nante. Everyone is hankering after happiness, either materialistic or spiritualistic. But the difference is that materialistic . . . materialistic persons, they are satisfied with temporary happiness, and those who are transcendentalist, they are also seeking happiness, that is real happiness, spiritual happiness, eternal happiness. Therefore it is stated in the Padma Purāṇa that ramante yogino 'nante. Anante means unlimited happiness. They enjoy unlimited happiness. Ramante yogino 'nante.

And satyānande. And that is real happiness. Happiness does not mean it is for few minutes. No. Happiness should continue, eternally. One should be situated in that happiness so that other, temporary happiness will not attract him. So ramante yogino 'nante satyānande cid-ātmani. Cit, cit means that he's full of knowledge. That is not in ignorance. This material happiness is in ignorance, and spiritual happiness is śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means pure goodness.

In the material world there are three stages: ignorance, passion and goodness. The goodness platform is very nice in the material world, but there is another platform, which is called śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddham, viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam.

That is transcendental platform, and in that platform you can understand God. God is Vāsudeva, and in the vasudeva platform . . . so ramante yogino 'nante satyānande cid-ātmani. That is cid-ātmani. Cit means knowledge; ātmani means self. In that platform. Iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate (CC Madhya 9.29). This is the description, this is the meaning of the word rāma. Rāma, this word, comes from ramante, ram. Ram-dhātu. Ram means enjoyment. And rāma means the full of pleasure. If you contact with Rāma, or Kṛṣṇa, the absolute attractive, then you are placed in the absolute platform for eternal enjoyment.

Enjoyment is the goal of everyone's life. But the difference is that the materialist is trying to hanker after flickering enjoyment, and the transcendentalist, they are hankering after the spiritual enjoyment, or eternal enjoyment. Enjoyment . . . ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because the enjoyment is our life. We cannot be void. That is not possible.

Therefore the impersonalists . . . about impersonalists this Bhāgavata version is that although they rise up almost to the spiritual platform, but because they cannot enjoy . . . impersonalists means there is no enjoyment. There is simply light, a life of knowledge. But simply knowledge will not make me happy. I must enjoyment. I must have enjoyment. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), because my nature is to enjoy. That enjoyment cannot be done in the impersonal or void philosophy. That is not possible.

Therefore Bhāgavata says, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ: "If somebody thinks that he has become liberated after undergoing the process of impersonal philosophy and austerities and penances . . ." The impersonalists, they also practice severe penances to attain to that Brahman stage. That is also nice thing.

But they cannot stay there, because there is no enjoyment. Therefore, as I was saying the other day, that many sannyāsīs, they say that, "This world is false; Brahman is truth." So in spite of their rising to that platform of Brahman understanding, they again come down.

That is described in the Bhāgavatam, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (SB 10.2.32) "After undergoing severe penances and austerities, they may rise to the Brahman platform but again falls down." Why falls down? Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: "Because they do not enjoy Your association." They have neglected the association of Kṛṣṇa and company. Therefore they have no, I mean to say, shelter.

The same example can be explained: just like if you go on a plane or sputnik very high, very high, that is void, all side void. If you go very high, 25,000 miles up, you'll see void. But that, there you cannot stay. You can travel for many years in that void, but if you don't take shelter in a planet, then you'll come back again to this planet. Similarly, the impersonalist, they cannot stay in their impersonal understanding. Simply they suffer some trouble. Kleśa . . . Bhagavad-gītā says, kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). Those who are attached, those who are attached to that impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth, they undergo greater trouble.

We transcendentalist, we personalist, we also, from the materialistic point of view, we are . . . our standard of living is not very opulent. We lie down anywhere. We are . . . our dresses are not so clean. Our rooms are not clean. So from the materialistic point of view, somebody comes, he says, "Oh. How wretched these people are living!"

That is also another kind of austerity they have adopted. But that is pleasing. Even they are in so-called wretched condition, they are happy. They are happy. So they're in both ways. But those who are simply attached to the impersonal feature, their trouble is more painful. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So vicakṣaṇo 'syārhati vedituṁ vibhoḥ. So one has to cease. One has to make a stop of this material enjoyment. Then one can approach to the spiritual enjoyment. You cannot enjoy spiritual life if you stick to the materialistic way of . . . therefore we have got so . . . a little restriction, that "You cannot do this." Although those who are addicted to this life, this restriction is sometimes painful, but it is required.

Unless . . . just like to cure your disease, you have to follow some regulative principle of, prescribed by the physician, similarly, in order to cure yourself from this material disease, you have to accept. Nivṛtti. Nivṛttitaḥ means ceasing this process of material life. Nivṛttitaḥ sukham, pravartamānasya guṇair anātmanas tato bhavān darśaya ceṣṭitaṁ vibhoḥ.

So how it can be achieved, nivṛtti, ceasing this materialistic way of life? So Nārada Muni says that, "You simply describe the activities of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa, and by hearing simply the activities of Kṛṣṇa, one will be very easily able to cease from this materialistic way of life." Caitanya Mahāprabhu also recommended that people should be given chance to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or kṛṣṇa-kathā.

Kṛṣṇa-kathā means speaking or, I mean to say, narration about Kṛṣṇa. So Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also recommended that "Let them be situated in their own position. There is no necessity of changing his position. Give him chance. Give him chance to hear. Then gradually . . ." Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12). So our attempt is . . . we are opening so many branches. The idea is that people should get chance of hearing about the Supreme Lord, either by chanting this mahā-mantra or . . . this is also chanting. What I am speaking before you from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā, that is also chanting. This is also kīrtana. Kīrtana means describing. So you can describe the glories of the Lord either by musical instruments or by chant, singing, or you can describe the glories of the Lord by reading from authoritative scripture. Both of them are called kīrtana.

This, this Bhāgavata reading is also described as kīrtana by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane. Kīrtane. It is called kīrtana. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtana (SB 7.5.23). The process is śravaṇa and kīrtana, hearing and chanting. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he attained salvation and perfection simply by hearing. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī attained salvation and perfection simply by chanting. This chanting means describing the glories of the Lord from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So he says:

pravartamānasya guṇair anātmanas

tato bhavān darśaya ceṣṭitam

(SB 1.5.16)

"People are so much entangled by the modes of material nature. So in order to get them free from this entanglement, you show the path. Simply let them hear. Let them give aural reception to the wonderful activities of the Lord. That activity . . ." Because absolute . . . Kṛṣṇa is Absolute Truth. So Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's activities are the same, because it is absolute; it is not duality.

In the material world, myself and my activities are different. But it is the . . . this world is dual world. But in the absolute world, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's quality, Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's fame, they're all Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's associates, they're all Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is cowherds boy. So Kṛṣṇa and the cows, they're all Kṛṣṇa. That we have to learn. They're not different from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, they're all Kṛṣṇa. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37).

So we have to understand that. So any way if we try to associate, simply by chanting or hearing, that means we are associating with Kṛṣṇa. And the more we associate with Kṛṣṇa, the more we become purified. Just like more you remain with the fire, you become warmer, warmer, warmer. And one day you become so warm you exactly like fire.

The example I have given that if you put a iron rod in the fire, it becomes warm, warmer, warmest, and then it becomes red. And when it is red, it is no longer iron; it is fire. Similarly, simply by chanting and hearing you spiritualize yourself. So a day will come when this material body also will be fully spiritualized. The . . . that fully spiritualized means there will be no more material activities; simply these spiritual activities will be there.

So Nārada Muni is instructing Vyāsadeva, and we shall discuss next meeting. Thank you very much. (end)