710819 - Lecture SB 01.01.03 - London

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

710819SB-LONDON - August 19, 1971 - 39:31 Minutes

Pradyumna: . . . vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ

śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam

pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam

muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

(SB 1.1.3)

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . next anyone? Anyone? All right. Now word meaning.

Pradyumna: Nigama—the Vedic literatures; kalpa-taroḥ—the desire tree:

(break) Galitam—fully matured; phalam—fruit; śuka—Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the original speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; mukhāt—from the lips of; amṛta—nectar; drava—semisolid and soft and therefore easily swallowable; saṁyutam—perfect in all respects; pibata—do relish; bhāgavatam—the book dealing in the science of the eternal relation with the Lord; rasam—juice (that which is relishable); ā-layam—until liberation, or even in a liberated condition; muhuḥ—always; aho—O; rasikāḥ—those who are full in the knowledge of mellows; bhuvi—on the earth; bhāvukāḥ—expert and thoughtful.

Pradyumna: Translation: "Know, O thoughtful men, that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the mature fruit of the tree of Vedic literature. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this nectarean fruit is all the more relishable by liberated souls."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the ripened fruit of Vedic literature. Nigama-kalpa-taru. Kalpa-taru. We have no experience of kalpa-taru within this material world, but in the spiritual world there is kalpa-taru. Kalpa means desire, and taru means tree. Here you can get from a mango tree mango, not any other fruit. But in the kalpa-taru . . . the description of kalpa-taru is there in the Brahma-saṁhitā: cintāmaṇi kalpa-taru.

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-

lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam

lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.29)

There is Kṛṣṇa's planet. That planet is made of touchstone. We do not know whether anyone has got experience of this touchstone, but there is a touchstone which you touch on iron, it becomes gold. Touchstone. So in the spiritual world there are also houses like these trees, like this; there are cows, and the gopīs, Kṛṣṇa. So their description is given in the Brahma-saṁhitā. We should not think that we have imagined something artistic and created a Kṛṣṇa. No. It is completely supported by Vedic literature, Brahma-saṁhitā.

So in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is clearly stated about Kṛṣṇa's place, original place. This is also Kṛṣṇa's place. That is also Kṛṣṇa's place. But here, because we are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are accepting this place as material. Just like king, he possesses all the places of the country. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-loka-maheśvaram.

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

(BG 5.29)

If anyone wants happiness, śānti, peace, then he must know these three things. What is that? That Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer of everything. Kṛṣṇa says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram. You can perform yajña, you can perform austerities, penances, but the result should be enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When you come to that consciousness, that "I am working hard and am earning so much money . . ."

Everyone is thinking that, "I must enjoy. Why others?" That is the materialistic way of thinking. But we are trying to change the consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that . . . that you earn as much as you like, but the enjoyer should be Kṛṣṇa, not you. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not very difficult thing to understand. The only . . . we have to change the account. That's all. Everyone . . . the karmīs, they are working so hard, day and night. The ultimate aim is that he will enjoy; he'll satisfy his senses. Therefore he's working so hard. The Bhāgavatam therefore says:

nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke

kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye

(SB 5.5.1)

"Simply for sense gratification we should not work so hard, because these things are done by even hogs and dogs."

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that we have to change the account, not for sense gratification. Because real proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. When I think, "I am proprietor, I am enjoyer," that is illusion. That is illusion. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). So in the cintāmaṇi-dhāma (Bs. 5.29), Kṛṣṇa's abode, everything is there, but the account is different.

That is spiritual world. Here the account is different. Is everything there, but everyone is trying to enjoy for himself. There is competition. I am enjoyer, you are enjoyer—therefore there is competition. Individually, man to man, family to family, society to society, nation to nation, there is always competition. But this competition will stop as soon as there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness that, "I am not proprietor. We are not proprietor. Kṛṣṇa is proprietor." That's all. That is the means of śānti.

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām

(BG 5.29)

These three things, if we understand properly, that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer, bhoktā—He's friend also. Kṛṣṇa is so nice friend that . . . īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, is situated in everyone's heart as friend. That is stated in the Upaniṣads.

Two birds are sitting on one tree as friend. One bird is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other friend is simply witnessing. He is friend, He's supreme friend, not so-called friend. Actually He's our supreme friend. He's always trying to get us back to home, back to Godhead. Not only He's sitting within our hearts, but He's descending as Kṛṣṇa.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata

abhyutthānam adharmasya

tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

(BG 4.7)

He comes and canvasses. What is that canvassing? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "Why you are engaged in so many so-called occupations? You simply surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi.

But we are so engulfed in matter that we cannot take the advice of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa again comes as a devotee, Lord Caitanya. Lord Kṛṣṇa said that, "You surrender unto Me." Same Kṛṣṇa came as devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktākhyaṁ bhaktāvatāraṁ namāmi bhakta-śaktikam.

pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ

bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam

bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ

namāmi bhakta-śaktikam

(CC Adi 1.14)

Lord Caitanya's prayer.

So Kṛṣṇa is always trying. He's coming Himself as Lord, the Supreme Lord, He's coming as a devotee, He's sending His representative simply to canvass to come to the cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa (Bs. 5.29), where there is eternal happiness, desire trees . . . therefore this Vedic literature . . .

What is the purpose of Vedic literature? Veda means knowledge. Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda-vido jñānam. Anything from which you get knowledge, that is called Veda. So from the Vedas we have to acquire the supreme knowledge. Therefore it is called Vedānta. Vedānta means . . . we have got so many different types of knowledge, but what is the ultimate knowledge? That is called Vedānta.

Ultimate knowledge means to inquire about the Supreme. We are getting knowledge . . . we are inquiring, "What is the newspaper today? What has happened?" That is also knowledge. But that is not ultimate knowledge. Ultimate knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Ultimate . . . Vedānta means to know the Supreme Absolute Truth. That is ultimate knowledge. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ.

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo

mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca

vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo

vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

(BG 15.15)

People are after so-called Vedāntists, but they do not know Kṛṣṇa, so-called Vedāntist. But one who is actually Vedāntist, he knows Kṛṣṇa. Therefore sometimes ago some of these Vaiṣṇavas, they gave me this title, Bhaktivedanta. Bhaktivedanta means ultimate understanding of Vedānta is bhakti, not to become impersonalist.

So here it is stated, nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam (SB 1.1.3). All the Vedas, they are summarized in the Vedānta-sūtra. You have heard the name of Vedānta-sūtra. So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra. Therefore from the very beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the first aphorism of the Vedānta-sūtra is there, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). In the Vedānta-sūtra the first quote is, athāto brahma jijñāsā, "Now we have to inquire about Brahma, the Absolute Truth." That is the business of human being. Because in other life other than the human form of body, we have simply passed our time in the matter of bodily necessities of life, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam.

āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca

sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām

(Hitopadeśa)

The bodily necessities of life . . . the animals, they have also bodily necessities of life—āhāra, eating; nidrā, sleeping and bhaya, fearing or defending and maithuna, sexual intercourse. So the cats and dogs, they have got all these functions, and the human being has also the same functions. It may be little polished, but the function is the same. Then what is the extra business of this human form of life?

If you are simply engaged in these four principles of life—eating, sleeping, sex life and defending, or fearing—then what is the difference between a man and a dog? There is no difference. The only difference is athāto brahma jijñāsā. A man can come here in this temple and he can inquire about Kṛṣṇa, or the Absolute Truth. That is the difference.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are giving chance to everyone to come and inquire about Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Or, in other words, the whole activities of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is Vedānta life. Vedānta life. Anyone who is inquiring about Kṛṣṇa, inquiring about the Absolute Truth . . . now there are different stages of inquiring about the Absolute Truth. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

(SB 1.2.11)

The Absolute Truth is one, but according to our understanding, some are accepting the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, some of them accepting the Absolute Truth as the localized Paramātmā, and some of them are understanding the Absolute Truth as Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to understand the Absolute Truth as the ultimate issue. That means to understand the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Person.

Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is describing the Absolute Truth in the beginning, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya (SB 1.1.1). Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva. He appeared as the son of Vasudeva. But spiritually, unless one becomes on the position of vasudeva, nobody can understand Vāsudeva. Vasudeva is the name of śuddha-sattva, pure goodness.

Not contaminated goodness. Here in this material world there are three types of status: goodness, passion and ignorance. So ignorance and passion, they're simply material. The symptom of ignorance and passion is greediness and lust. Above this greediness and lust there is another platform, which is Vedānta platform—to understand everything clearly. That is called goodness.

Now pure goodness means one has to transcend even this material platform of goodness, because in the material platform of goodness there is possibility of being contaminated by the other two qualities, namely passion and ignorance. Sometimes it becomes mixed up. The material type of goodness is just like a pure brāhmaṇa—satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā—with all the good qualities: truthfulness, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, full of knowledge, tolerance and knowledge . . . knowledge means about the Supreme. These are brahminical qualifications. But sometimes these brahminical qualifications also become contaminated by the other two qualities, passion and ignorance. It has been experienced.

At the present stage also, we see that many persons who are coming from the brahminical family, but they have been contaminated by the other two qualities, passion and ignorance. So there is possibility. In the material goodness there is possibility of being attacked with the other two qualities and thereby fall down. But when you transcend the material platform of goodness and come to this transcendental platform of goodness, then you cannot fall down. That is called sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. That sattva, that existence of pure goodness, is called vasudeva.

In that pure transcendental platform of goodness you can understand Vāsudeva. That means in that status of life, Vāsudeva is born . . . because Vāsudeva is already there, you simply realize Him. Vāsudeva . . . īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Vāsudeva is already there within your heart, but you simply realize it by placing yourself in the pure consciousness, pure platform.

So this can be done simply by our discussion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore it is said here, nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3). It is the mature fruit of Vedic knowledge. And śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam. This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was written by Vyāsadeva. And it was spoken for the first time by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, his son.

He wrote this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam under the instruction of his spiritual master, Nārada, and he taught his son, beloved son, Śukadeva Gosvāmī that, "You preach. I am writing; you preach." That is the duty of the student. The spiritual master writes, and it is a duty of the disciple to preach. And if the student is also as pure as the spiritual master, then it becomes very nice. Śuka-mukhāt. Śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam.

The . . . another explanation of this verse is that any fruit ripened in the tree, it is already very nice, very sweet. If you take an unripe fruit from the tree and keep at your home, it also ripens, but it is not so tasteful. If it is ripened in the tree and you take it, then it is very tasteful. I think you have got this experience. Again, if that fruit is cut by the lips or by the beaks of the parrot, which is called śuka, it becomes still more tasteful.

Similarly, this fruit, the ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is already very tasteful because it is the ripened fruit, but it has been tasted by the lips of Śukadeva Gosvāmī; therefore it is still more tasteful. Drava-saṁyutam. Therefore it is recommended, pibata bhāgavatam, "Now, this ripened fruit, just taste it," pibata, "drink it." Pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam.

When we eat something, we taste its rasa, the juice. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Kaunteya, My dear Arjuna, I am the taste of the water." Everyone, when he's thirsty, he wants, "Give me water, give me water." Because there is a taste in the water which will immediately quench your thirst. So we enjoy everything because there is some taste. That is called rasa. Anything we do.

Just like a man, he's working very hard day and night. What for? For maintaining his family, his children and wife. So unless there is some rasa, some taste, he cannot work so hard day and night. There is some flavor in maintaining the family with hard labor. And sometimes we see therefore one who has no family, one who has no family affection, he does not work so hard. He doesn't care to work. This is practical. Therefore in the Vedic civilization the family life is recommended unless one will become confused, hopeless, because he has no taste for the family life. So everything there is some rasa, taste. Without that taste, nobody can live.

Now here it is recommended, śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam. Here is a taste which you can enjoy up to the end of your life or up to the point of liberation. Because life is meant for getting liberated from this painful material existence. That is life. Everyone is trying to get out of the painful situation. That is struggle for existence. But they do not know what is the ultimate life, free from all painful activities. That is called liberation. The whole Vedic civilization is based on this point, how to get liberated and enjoy eternal happiness.

ramante yogino 'nante

satyānande cid-ātmani

iti rāma-padenāsau

paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate

(CC Madhya 9.29)

Rāma. Rāma, this word, comes from ramaṇa, ram, ram-dhātu, "enjoyment." Just like here in this material world they are also engaged in ram, ramaṇa, but that is sex life. That's all. That is sex life. That is also ramaṇa. But there is another ramaṇa, that is Rāma. If you take the shelter of Rāma, that is real happiness. Ramante yoginaḥ anante. Those who are yogīs . . .

Yogīs means transcendentalists. Those who are aspiring after spiritual perfection, they are called yogīs. So the preliminary yoga system that is practiced generally . . . haṭha-yoga, aṣṭāṅga-yoga, that is preliminary. Nobody gets perfection even in the preliminary yoga system. And what to speak of further progress.

So the bhakti-yogī, those who are engaged in this bhakti-yoga system . . . māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate. That is yogī. This yoga system:

māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

Kṛṣṇa says: "If you take to this bhakti-yoga system . . ." What is that bhakti-yoga system?

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

(SB 7.5.23)

So if you take to this bhakti-yoga system, avyabhicāreṇa . . . avyabhicāreṇa means without any deviation; strictly on rigid principles. Māṁ ca yaḥ avyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate. One who is engaged in the service of the Lord by accepting the bhakti-yoga system, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26), he immediately becomes transcendental to the three material qualities, namely the sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. And that is called mukti. Mukti does not mean that when you become liberated you'll have got so many heads or so many legs. No. Mukti means svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6), to be situated in one's original, constitutional position. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So this verse recommends that pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam. Rasam ālayam. Ālayam, laya. Laya means "to merge." We are also merged into this material world. Just like your body, my body is material. But I am the soul, you are the soul. I am merged into this material . . . but because I am spirit, although I am merged, I am not getting happiness.

Just like if you are put into the Atlantic Ocean, you merge, but because you are not the living entity of the water, you cannot be happy. You cannot be happy. That merging is there. You have to merge into the spiritual existence; then you'll be happy. That is bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam (SB 1.1.3).

Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances) (end)