710201 - Lecture SB 06.03.1-11 - Allahabad

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710201SB-ALLAHABAD - February 1, 1971 - 35:34 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (sings Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka, with devotees singing responsively)

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī

dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau

śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī

dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau

śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

(I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are always engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Caitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe.)

Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau.

The six Gosvāmīs, they are directly recipient of the causeless mercy of Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu; therefore they were empowered to diminish the sinful burden of the world. Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau. When people become too much sinful, the heart becomes overburdened. At that time, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8), the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes.

So Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu, personally Kṛṣṇa, came and empowered His disciples, and they diminished the overburden of this earth.

niśamya devaḥ sva-bhaṭopavarṇitaṁ

pratyāha kiṁ tān api dharmarājaḥ

evaṁ hatājño vihatān murārer

naideśikair yasya vaśe jano 'yam

(SB 6.3.1)

Atyāścaryam etad ity āha, yamasyeti. He ṛṣe, yamasya daṇḍa-bhaṅgaḥ kutaścana kasmāccid api śruta-pūrvo nāsīt. Etad eva etasminn arthe. Yad vā na śruta-pūrvaḥ. Etad yama-dūta-nirākaraṇaṁ cāsīt. Ataḥ sarvasyāpi lokasya saṁśayo vartate taṁ ca tvatto 'nyo na cchinattīti me niścitamataḥ kathayeti śeṣaḥ (Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on (SB 6.3.2)).

The purport of this verse is that Mahārāja Parīkṣit became astonished how it was possible to surpass the order of Yamarāja. Just like in our ordinary experience, if there is a warrant issued by the magistrate, nobody can check it. There is no power by law. The man who is ordered to be arrested, the police force must arrest him, because the warrant order is there.

So similarly, Yamarāja is the police chief on account of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his business is to arrest all the criminals and give them proper punishment. In the atmosphere of the Yamaloka, such sinful persons are taken there and put into the different types of hellish condition of life, and when one is practiced to that, little, immediately a particular type of body is offered, and he begins his karma again with that body.

So in this case, in the case of Ajāmila, there is exception. He was ordered to be arrested by Yamarāja, but Viṣṇudūta released him. In one sense it is unlawful, but Viṣṇudūta or Viṣṇu can do everything; that is the Almighty. Even though in the material world there was no power to check the order, or to stop the order, of Yamarāja, but it was possible only by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

niśamya devaḥ sva-bhaṭopavarṇitaṁ

pratyāha kiṁ tān api dharmarājaḥ

(SB 6.3.1)

So enquiring, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, that after hearing the statements of the assistants, what the Yamarāja, the superintendent of death, reply?

evaṁ hatājño vihatān murārer

naideśikair yasya vaśe jano 'yam

(SB 6.3.1)

yamasya devasya na daṇḍa-bhaṅgaḥ

(SB 6.3.2)

Murārer naideśikaiḥ . . . kim vā . . . kim vārair evaṁ vihatān. Ata eva hatā ājñā (part of Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on (SB 6.3.1)). Murārer naideśikaiḥ means the followers of the order of Murāri, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Murāri, because He killed one demon of the name Mura. So, murāreḥ naideśikaiḥ, the followers of the order of Murāreḥ . . . Murāri. Vaśe jano 'yam. So the janaḥ ayam, this population of this material world, they are under the control of the Yamarāja, and how it was possible that the servant of Murāri could check?

yamasya devasya na daṇḍa-bhaṅgaḥ

kutaścanarṣe śruta-pūrva āsīt

(SB 6.3.2)

Ṛṣe. "My dear ṛṣi," because Sukadev Goswami is a great ṛṣi. He is addressing, "My dear ṛṣi, I have never heard such incidences before." Yamasya devasya na daṇḍa-bhaṅgaḥ. "Whenever Yamarāja has given order of punishment to anyone, it was never baffled. I have never heard like this."

kutaścanarṣe śruta-pūrva āsīt

etan mune vṛścati loka-saṁśayaṁ

na hi tvad-anya iti me viniścitam

(SB 6.3.2)

"It is a great doubt in my mind how it is possible. But that doubt can be disseminated simply by you." Na hi tvad-anya iti me viniścitam. "Besides yourself, nobody can drive away this doubt in my mind."

śuka uvāca

bhagavat-puruṣai rājan

yāmyāḥ pratihatodyamāḥ

patiṁ vijñāpayām āsur

yamaṁ saṁyamanī-patim

(SB 6.3.3)

Bhagavat-puruṣai. By the assistants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the associates, bhagavat-puruṣai. Puruṣa means men, and bhagavat-puruṣa, the men who are engaged in the service of the Vaiṣṇavas, they are also bhagavat-puruṣa. They have no other business than to execute the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So in Vaikuṇṭha there are such devotees, servants of lord. So bhagavat-puruṣai rājan yāmyāḥ pratihatodyamāḥ. Śukadeva Goswāmī . . . yāmyāḥ, the servants of Yamarāja, their attempts were baffled by the bhagavat-puruṣai.

bhagavat-puruṣai rājan

yāmyāḥ pratihatodyamāḥ

patiṁ vijñāpayām āsur

yamaṁ saṁyamanī-patim

(SB 6.3.3)

Saṁyamanī-patim. There are many directors within this world who control the activities, exactly just like the magistrate, the commissioner, the governor. They are called rāṣṭra-pati, rājya-pāla. We hear also saṁyamanī-patim. Those who keep everything in regular way, they are called saṁyamanī.

So Yamarāja is the supreme saṁyamanī-patim. Here in this material world we have experience, many persons who are keeping things in order, they are called saṁyamanī. Saṁyamanī means restriction. Just like the police officer restricts, "You cannot enter this way. You cannot this, that." They are called saṁyamanī-patim. And the Yamarāja is the supreme saṁyamanī-patim, supreme controller of this law and order.

Then the Yamadūtas, after approaching Yamadūta, they being baffled in the matter of being unable to arrest Ajāmila, they returned and immediately enquired from the Yamarāja as follows:

kati santīha śāstāro

jīva-lokasya vai prabho

trai-vidhyaṁ kurvataḥ karma

phalābhivyakti-hetavaḥ

(SB 6.3.4)

Kati santīty ākṣepoktiḥ . . . ākṣepo . . . (part of Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on (SB 6.3.4)). Immediately, they simply are . . . they were under the impression that Yamarāja is the supreme superintendent or supreme controller of the criminal department, but "How is that—we are checked, we are baffled to do our duty?" So therefore they were inquiring, "My dear lord, how many controllers are there? Are you single, or there are many other controllers?" Because they were under the impression, just like alpa-medhasām, the less intelligent, they think that a particular type of demigod is all in all.

Just like here there are so many constables, you are seeing they control the crowd, and the village men, sometimes they think they are the supreme controller. They cannot think that above these constables there are many, many other higher officers, up to the commissioner of police or the minister of law and order and governor. They do not know the constitution.

Here, similarly, the Yamadūtas, they were executing the order of Yamarāja all along. This is the first incident in their life that they were stopped in executing the order. Therefore they are asking, kati santīha śāstāro. Śāstāraḥ. Śāstāraḥ means those who keep things in law and order. This Sanskrit word śāstāraḥ, it comes from the verbal root śās dhātu. So from śās dhātu, sāśana. Śāśana means controlling, govern . . . governing, and from śās dhātu, śāstra. Śāstra means scripture. That is also controlling. But śāstra is meant for gentlemen. But those who are not gentle, for them there is no śāstra, there is śastra. Śastra means weapon.

The police force, the military force, they wear weapon with sword, the bullet, so many; they are called śastra. Śastra, śāstra, śāsana, coming from the same root. And from the same root also, śiṣya. Śiṣya means one who voluntarily accepts the controlling of the principle. Now just see how in Sanskrit one verbal root creates so many words. The Sanskrit grammar is therefore so wonderful. You can create hundreds of words from one root.

So here the word is śāstārah. Śāstārah means who takes the śastra, weapon, and just like the police force, military force they have got weapons and they control—not by book. Those who are gentle, they are controlled by the scriptures, śāstra, and those who are not gentle, they are controlled by śastra. So, śāstāro jīva-lokasya vai prabho trai-vidhyaṁ (SB 6.3.4). Yathā bhavati yad vā trai-vidyaṁ yathā bhavati tathā karma kurvataḥ. Tathaiva karma-phalasyābhivyakti-hetavaḥ kati santīti (part of Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.4).

Now, trai-vidhya. When here in the material world a person is contaminated by either of the three qualities of this material world—the modes of goodness, the modes of passion, the modes of ignorance—they are called trai-vidhyaṁ.

trai-vidhyaṁ kurvataḥ karma

phalābhivyakti-hetavaḥ

(SB 6.3.4)

And according to the association of different qualities of the modes of nature, those who are under the influence of tamo-guṇa, their symptoms are laziness, sleeping. Those who are under the modes of passion, they want to rule over; and those who are under the control of goodness, they, to them everything is revealed in its proper way. But that is called . . . goodness means one who knows things as they are. Ignorance means they do not know things as they are; and passion, they try to control over everything.

So the Yamadūtas enquired whether there are three departments for the three kinds of men.

yadi syur bahavo loke

śāstāro daṇḍa-dhāriṇaḥ

kasya syātāṁ na vā kasya

mṛtyuś cāmṛtam eva vā

(SB 6.3.5)

Santu bahavaḥ ko virodhas tatrāhuḥ, yadīti. Mṛtyur duḥkham amṛtaṁ sukham. Teṣāṁśāstṟṇāṁ vipratipattau te ubhe kasya syātāṁ na kasyāpi . . . pratibandhāt. Aika-matye tu kasya vā na syātām. Evaṁ . . . ekaṁ sukhaṁ kartum icchati duḥkhaṁ cānyaḥ. Aika-matye ca tayoḥ paraspara-kāryānumodanenobhayor api prāpte kasya vā te ubhe api na syāt . . . ity arthaḥ (Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on (SB 6.3.5)).

Now they are suggesting that yadi syur bahavo loke śāstāro daṇḍa-dhāriṇaḥ—if there are many controllers, daṇḍa-dhāriṇaḥ. Daṇḍa, perhaps you know, the king has a rod—what is called? Sceptre?

Devotee: Sceptre.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee: Sceptre.

Prabhupāda: Sceptre. So that is called daṇḍa, daṇḍa-dhāriṇaḥ. Just like police, they have got a daṇḍa. That means the sign of ruler. The king has got a sceptre, the police force has got a revolver or baton, like that. So everyone who is meant for ruling over the persons, they are called daṇḍa-dhāriṇaḥ. Dhāriṇaḥ means one who holds a daṇḍa.

Yadi syur bahavo loke śāstāro daṇḍa-dhāriṇaḥ. "If there are many controller, and many holders of daṇḍa," kasya syātāṁ na vā kasya mṛtyuś cāmṛtam eva vā, "so who is controller of the person about to die, and who is controlled? Who is the controller of the persons who are not to die?"

kintu śāstṛ . . . śāstṛ-bahutve syād

bahūnām iha karmiṇām

śāstṛtvam upacāro hi

yathā maṇḍala-vartinām

(SB 6.3.6) (Śrīdhara Svāmī commentary)

"Now, it may be that there are many controllers, but who is the chief controller, and how his actions are done?" That was their enquiry.

atas tvam eko bhūtānāṁ

seśvarāṇām adhīśvaraḥ

śāstā daṇḍa-dharo nṟṇāṁ

śubhāśubha-vivecanaḥ

(SB 6.3.7)

"So far we know, that you are the only controller," tvam eka. Eka means one. "You are the only bhūtānāṁ of all living entities." Seśvarāṇām adhīśvaraḥ. "Those who accept the control of the supreme controller, you are the chief of them."

seśvarāṇām adhīśvaraḥ

śāstā daṇḍa-dharo nṟṇāṁ

śubhāśubha-vivecanaḥ

(SB 6.3.7)

Śubha means auspicious, and aśubha means inauspicious. "You judge over the auspicious and inauspicious activities of the living entities, and you are therefore supreme controller, daṇḍa-dharo, the holder of the sceptre." In this way they began to address.

tasya te vihito daṇḍo

na loke vartate 'dhunā

caturbhir adbhutaiḥ siddhair

ājñā te vipralambhitā

(SB 6.3.8)

"But at the present moment we think that your power of controlling is now finished, because we were checked in executing our duty by four very nice looking personalities," caturbhir adbhutaiḥ. Adbhutaiḥ means very wonderful. Caturbhir adbhutaiḥ siddhair ājñā te vipralambhitā, that "We have been checked."

Yasmād evaṁśāstṛ-bahutvaṁ na ghaṭate 'tas tvam eka eva śāstā. Śubhāśubhe vivinaktīti tathā (Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on (SB 6.3.7)). "So we know that you are the only controller, but because we have been checked, we have been baffled in executing your order, and some wonderful men, four wonderful men, checked us. Therefore it is to be understood that your control is now over."

nīyamānaṁ tavādeśād asmābhir yātanā-gṛhān vyāmocayan pātakinaṁ chittvā pāśān prasahya te (SB 6.3.9)

"While we are attempting to arrest this person, Ajāmila," nīyamānaṁ, "by your order," tavādeśād asmābhir yātanā, "we were trying to bring him in the yātanā-gṛha." Yātanā-gṛha means cell where punishment is offered. Just like in the prison house there are different types of cells for different kinds of punishment. So, "We were trying to bring him to the control room in order to give him punishment, but we were thus checked."

Vyāmocayan pātakinaṁ chittvā pāśān prasahya te. Yasmād evaṁśāstṛ-bahutvaṁ na ghaṭate (part of Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on (SB 6.3.7)). Vipralambhitā vañcitā. Laṅghitety arthaḥ. Tad evāhuḥ, nīyamānam iti (Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary on SB 6.3.8 and SB 6.3.9). "So we have been baffled, so we think your control is now over."

tāṁs te veditum icchāmo yadi no manyase kṣamam nārāyaṇety abhihite mā bhair ity āyayur drutam (SB 6.3.10)

Now, tāṁs te veditum icchāmo, "Now what is the actual fact? Please let us know." Yadi no manyase kṣamam. If you think . . . this is the way of asking superior some force checked, this is the way, not that challenging, "Please answer me. Please tell me like this."

You find always the Parīkṣit Maharaja or Arjuna or anyone, this is the process of submission. Here the Yamadūtas says, "We want to . . . we wish to learn from you what is the actual fact in this incident, and you can tell me," yadi . . . yadi no manyase kṣamam, "if you think that we can be able to understand."

The purport is that if you put a question to a superior, to your master, so it is not that he is bound to answer it. Because sometimes a particular question is put forward, the answer is not understandable by the questioner, so the superior, the master, may refuse, that "This answer is not to be given to you." For that reason, you cannot demand that "You answer. You must answer." No. This is the way.

In the . . . Parīkṣit Mahārāja also, whenever he put a question to Śukadeva Goswāmī, he very submissively says, "If you think that I am capable of understanding, please answer this question." Arjuna also said like that. Here also the Yamadūtas, they are also putting forward very submissively, yadi manyase kṣamam. Yadi no manyase: "If you think us competent to understand the answer, then please inform."

bādarāyaṇir uvāca

iti devaḥ sa āpṛṣṭaḥ

prajā-saṁyamano yamaḥ

prītaḥ sva-dūtān pratyāha

smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ

(SB 6.3.11)

Now Yamarāja will reply very interesting reply. So before replying, prītaḥ sva-dūtān pratyāha smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ. This is the Vaisnava behavior. As the subordinate puts the question very submissively, similarly, the superior also is not proud, that "I can answer this." No.

He immediately remembers the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and he . . . also begs. Because these answers and questions are not ordinary. They are all authorized. Therefore the master also remembers the lotus feet of the Lord that, "Whatever You help me to speak, I learn." He is not also proud, and they are not disobedient or puffed up, impudent.

This is the process of questioning-answering. The enquirer should be very submissive, and the answer-giver also should always remember the lotus feet, so the right answer can be given. This is the way of spiritual enquiry and spiritual answer. This is called sva-goṣṭhī. Goṣṭhī. Goṣṭhī, this is called sva-goṣṭhī.

Amongst the society, the answers and questions should be dealt in that spirit. The one who is questioning, he should be submissive, not in a challenging mood; and one who is answering, he should remember the lotus feet of the Lord so that right answer can come from Him.

Thank you very much. (end)