720502 - Lecture SB 02.09.06-14 - Tokyo

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

720502SB-TOKYO - May 02, 1972 - 36:29 Minutes

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verses) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

. . . upāśṛṇod dvir-gaditaṁ vaco vibhuḥ

sparśeṣu yat ṣoḍaśam ekaviṁśaṁ

niṣkiñcanānāṁ nṛpa yad dhanaṁ viduḥ

(SB 2.9.6)

niśamya tad-vaktṛ-didṛkṣayā diśo

vilokya tatrānyad apaśyamānaḥ

svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya vimṛśya tad-dhitaṁ

tapasy upādiṣṭa ivādadhe manaḥ

(SB 2.9.7)

divyaṁ sahasrābdam amogha-darśano

jitānilātmā vijitobhayendriyaḥ

atapyata smākhila-loka-tāpanaṁ

tapas tapīyāṁs tapatāṁ samāhitaḥ

(SB 2.9.8)

tasmai sva-lokaṁ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ

sandarśayām āsa paraṁ na yat-param

vyapeta-saṅkleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṁ

sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir puruṣair abhiṣṭutam

(SB 2.9.9)

pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ

sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ

na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer

anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ

(SB 2.9.10)

śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ

piśaṅga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ

sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi-

praveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ

(SB 2.9.11)

pravāla-vaidūrya-mṛṇāla-varcasaḥ

parisphurat-kuṇḍala-mauli-mālinaḥ

(SB 2.9.12)

bhrājiṣṇubhir yaḥ parito virājate

lasad-vimānāvalibhir mahātmanām

vidyotamānaḥ pramadottamādyubhiḥ

savidyud abhrāvalibhir yathā nabhaḥ

(SB 2.9.13)

śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ . . .

Prabhupāda: (correcting pronunciation)

śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ.

Pradyumna:

karoti mānaṁ bahudhā vibhūtibhiḥ

preṅkhaṁ śritā yā kusumā . . .

Prabhupāda: (correcting pronunciation) karānugair.

Pradyumna:

. . . karānugair

vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī

(SB 2.9.14)

śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ

karoti mānaṁ bahudhā vibhūtibhiḥ

preṅkhaṁ śritā yā kusumākarānugair

vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī

(SB 2.9.14)

śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ

karoti mānaṁ bahudhā vibhūtibhiḥ

preṅkhaṁ śritā yā kusumākarānugair

vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī

(SB 2.9.14)

Prabhupāda: (explaining pronunciation)

Just like vi is short i and the gā is long a, so it should be long. Vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī, like that.

Devotees: Vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī.

Prabhupāda: Vi is short, vi. And when it comes to gi, vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī.

Devotees: Vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī.

Prabhupāda: In the English also there is long i. Yes. Go on. Next.

Pradyumna: "The goddess of fortune in her transcendental form is engaged in the loving service of the Lord's lotus feet, and being moved by the black bees, followers of spring, she is not only engaged in variegated pleasure-service to the Lord, along with her constant companions, but also she is engaged in singing the glories of the Lord's activities."

Prabhupāda: So this is not impersonal. The actual description of the spiritual world, all personal varieties. There are the bees, there are goddess of fortune, and followed by her associate, and there is service and so many things, all opulences, śrī. Śrīr yasya. Aiśvaryasya yaśasaḥ śri. The definition of the Lord is given that He's full of beauties.

In the Brahmā-saṁhitā also, Lakṣmī. And not only one; all of them are Lakṣmīs. The associates of Lakṣmī, the maidservants of Lakṣmī, they are also Lakṣmīs. They are not ordinary women, just like Rādhārāṇī is the chief gopī, and all Her young girlfriends, they are also gopīs. They are of the same category. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). They are all expansion of Kṛṣṇa, pleasure potency.

So this is the information of the Vaikuṇṭhaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana. So one should take advantage of this life. What we are gaining here by attachment? What we shall get here? The all rascaldom. There is nothing substantial. Therefore one should little risk that, "If there is some chance of entering such a immortal, eternal kingdom of God, why should I not take chance?" You should take chance at all risk in this life to enter into the nitya-līlā, nitya-līlā, eternal pastimes of the Lord.

That is advised by Nārada Muni to his disciple Vyāsadeva: "What you are writing, all these nonsense books? You . . ." what is called? Jugupsitam. Jugupsitam. He instructed Vyāsadeva that, "Whatever literatures you have produced . . ." means up to that time he produced Vedānta-sūtra. He wrote up to Vedānta-sūtra, which is considered to be the topmost philosophical thesis in the world, Vedānta-sūtra, all over the world, the Vedānta philosophy. So he finished that Vedānta-sūtra. Still, he was not happy.

And his spiritual master, Nārada, chastised him: "What nonsense books you have written?" First of all he was not happy, so Nārada came, and he asked him that, "Why you are not happy? You know everything, but why you are not happy?" So he submitted, "Yes, my master, I know everything, and I think I have done everything, writing all these books. But still, I am not happy. So why I am not happy, that you can tell, because you are my master." So, "Yes, I can tell you."

And then he said that, "You have labored so much for writing all these nonsense books, but you have not said anything of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore you are unhappy. Therefore I advise you that now you write one book which is simply the transaction of the Supreme Personality, nothing else, nothing of this material world—sacrificing, this religious, and this unreligious, 'This is good, this is bad,' nothing of the sort. Simply write about the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Then you will be happy." Then he wrote Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

And when he wrote, began writing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he writes in the beginning, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2): "All these cheating type of religious system, I kick it out, this ism, that ism. I kick out all them. It is this book, especially meant for paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām, those who are simply paramahaṁsas. It is meant for them. It is not for the ordinary men. I have kicked out all the so-called religious system, dharma artha kāma."

People are very much . . . nowadays they are not even for dharma or artha; they are simply kāma, sense gratification. Sense gratification, because every one of us, we come here for sense gratification. The spirit soul is originally spiritual spark. "Why he has come here?"—this question is sometimes raised. That is answered. We are reading. Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan. It is a māyā. We cannot enjoy. It is māyā. We have created. "Can I not enjoy like Kṛṣṇa? Can I not become God?" This is māyā. This is māyā. Therefore we are reading this verse, ātma-māyām ṛte rājan parasya . . . what is that?

Devotees: Parasyānubhavātmanaḥ.

Prabhupāda: Parasyānubhavātmanaḥ. The spiritual . . . spirit soul has no other business than to serve the Supreme Lord, but creating an illusion, he has come here, svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā, just like creating a mentality and sleeping: "Oh, I have become king." That is not king. That is simply svapna, false.

So this material world is simply a nightmare, that's all, hallucination. Ātma-māyām. It is nothing but a hallucination. But we have become so fool, we want to stick to it. We want to stick to it. In spite of so many instructions, so many literatures, still we want. The māyā is so strong. Ātma-māyām ṛte rājan parasyānubhavātmanaḥ.

Therefore one should take little risk in order to enter into the eternal life, blissful life. One should take a little risk. That is advised by Nārada. And the same instruction, while he was giving that . . . first of all he said: "All this nonsense, that jugupsitam, they are abominable. Because you are writing books, dharma artha kāma mokṣa, so later on, you are authority, Vyāsadeva, people will stick to this. And if even Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66), 'You give up all this nonsense, you simply surrender,' they will not hear, because you are writing so many nonsense books."

He chastised him like that. Jugupsitam, this very word. Jugupsitam. "You are authority, so you have done such, so many nonsense books." He wrote Mahābhārata, he wrote Aṣṭadaśa-Purāṇa, he wrote, I mean to say, Upaniṣad, and after all, Vedānta-sūtra, all these books which are so highly recognized all over the world. Still, that was condemned: "But you have written all these nonsense books." Jugupsitam. "Because you are authority, they will stick to it, 'Oh, here is.' "

Because in Upaniṣad the negating, that negation, negation of the material form . . . therefore it is described in an impersonal form. These nonsense are sticking to that impersonal form. Impersonal—there is no form. Really, Veda says, apāni-pāda javano grahitā (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.18): "The Supreme Absolute Truth has no legs, has no hands, but He accepts whatever you offer." Now, how He accepts? He has no hand; then how He accepts? But they have no brain. They have no brain. When it is said that "He has no hand," it is said that "He has no hand like you." When he says that "He has no leg," it means that "He has no leg like you."

If He has no hand, then how Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad aham aśnāmi bhakty-upahṛtam (BG 9.26): "I accept them"? If He is far away, within the Goloka Vṛndāvana, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātmā (Bs. 5.37), but He has got such a hand, although He is living in Goloka Vṛndāvana, far, far away, He will immediately, whatever you offer, He will take. That kind of hand, not your three-feet hand. If somebody offers me downstairs, "Prabhupāda, take this flower," but I am here, how can I take? But He can take. He can take. That is called apāni-pādo javano grahitā paśyaty acakṣuḥ. He can see. His eyes are not like this, that beyond this wall I cannot see anything. He can see everyone, what you are doing, nonsense. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. As witness, He is seeing. He is within your heart. How you will hide it? Anumantā upadraṣṭā (BG 13.23).

The Upaniṣad also it is stated that He . . . the two birds are sitting on the same tree, the jīvātmā and Paramātmā. The one bird is eating forbidden fruit, and the other bird is seeing. So He is seeing. But how He is seeing? The Veda, the Vedic literatures: apaśyati. Therefore He sees. Apaśyati means sees. But you said, acakṣuḥ, He has no eyes. How He sees? That is His eyes. He has no eyes like you, a three-feet distance, that's all, finished, your eyesight. He can see. From many thousands and millions of miles away He can see.

So it is the distinction. When it is stated impersonalism, He is not a person like us. Kṛṣṇa says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11): "Because I come here to be visible by these rascals, instead of taking advantage of this visibility, they are describing nirākāra. Mūḍhā, rascals. I come here personally, and still they say nirākāra, impersonal. Mūḍhā, rascals, fools, asses."

So anyone who does not know, rascals, fools, asses, they say God is nirākāra. No. God is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). He has got His abode. He has got His maidservants, His wives. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). He has got His pastimes. Surabhīr abhipālayantam''. Here you have got a hobby to keep dogs, "Gow, gow, gow!" And Kṛṣṇa has no hobby? He has got hobby—to keep cows. Surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). You have imitated that hobby, and instead of keeping cows, they are keeping "Gow! Gow!" dogs.

That is your capability, a nonsense which is untouchable. Dog is untouchable according to Vedic literature, and they are being kept. And cows? Killed. And cruelty to animals means not to be cruel to the cats . . . not cats. Yes, cats and dogs. And for the cows, "Oh, there is no question of cruelty. He has no soul. Kill it." This is your civilization, dog civilization. You see? You keep dogs, "Gow! Gow! Gow!" and if somebody comes to your home, to your country, you also make "Gow! Gow! Gow! Why you have come?" Immigration department. "Please go out. Please go out." This is civilization.

The Vedic civilization is . . . therefore India was open to everyone: "Come on. Come here." Therefore they entered as friend, and they conquered. Because India was open. "Yes, you are guest. Come on. You learn here." Lord Jesus Christ also went there to learn. So they kept open everything. Para-upakāra. Still, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said . . . whatever is done is done. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is speaking when it was already conquered by the Muhammadans, the Pathans, but still He said, "Those who have taken birth in India, they must do this para-upakāra, do good to others."

He never says: "Don't allow anyone." The Muhammadans have come. He did not care whether Muhammadans comes or Christians come. He knew that "Indian culture is so strong, these rascal cannot do anything. They will come here and plunder for some years and then go away. That's all. So let them do that. But your culture, Indian culture, is so great that you should distribute." Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41): "Anyone who has taken birth in India, he should first of all make his life successful and distribute this knowledge all over the world." That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. We are engaged in that mission. We don't care for these dogs and cats. (laughter)

So therefore it is such a great thing that we should take little risk. That is . . . that is not risk, but if one thinks that it is risk . . . it is not risk. Nārada Muni advises:

tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer

bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi

yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ

ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ

(SB 1.5.17)

This is . . . "You write books on this principle, that they are sticking to their so-called religious principle, so if anyone giving up his own religious system or occupational duty . . ." Religion means the . . . this sva-dharma. Sva-dharma means that the whole human society is divided into four classes—Brāhmin, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, Śūdra—in different names maybe: intelligent class, administrative class, mercantile class and laborer class. It may be in different names, but these four classes, division, is there all over the world in different names. So sva-dharma means, intelligent class means they are interested in philosophy, in religion, in uplifting the human society to the proper position. That is intelligent class.

And administrator class means they are interested in giving protection to the people. Now it is under nationalism. And give them protection from the enemies, from thieves, from rogues. That is the duty of the Kṣatriya. Kṣat. Kṣatta means injury, and tra means one who protects or liberates. "One who protects a human being from being hurt by others"—that is called Kṣatriya. And Brāhmin means one who knows Brahman, the Absolute Truth. And Vaiśya means those who know visampati, the economic problem. And Śūdra means laborer. So each word has got meaning. So everyone has got his particular type of occupation, either as intelligent class of men, or as the administrator class of men, or as Vaiśyas, traders, or merchant, or as a laborer. Everyone has got.

So Nārada Muni advised, tyaktvā sva-dharmam: "You give up all these occupational duties according to the modes of nature. Tyaktvā. You take immediately shelter of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). Sarva-dharmān means all kinds of this dharma: Brāhmin's dharma or the Kṣatriya's dharma or the . . . give up all this. Then? Mām ekaṁ śaraṇam. So Nārada also says that same thing.

That is the characteristic of devotee. What the Lord says, the devotee will say. He will not make any addition, alteration, and amalgamate and comment. No. He will say the same thing. Kṛṣṇa says that "You surrender unto Me, giving up all your occupational duty." Nārada also says that "Suppose one gives up his occupational duty and surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead," tyaktvā sva-dharmam caraṇāmbujaṁ harer (SB 1.5.17), "Takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality." "All right. It is very good. But I am afraid if I fall down."

Nārada says: "It is all right." Bhajann apakvo. "While you are discharging your devotional service, even being immature you fall down, it doesn't matter even if you fall down." Bhajann apakvo 'tha. Apakva means nonmature. Patet tato yadi: he falls down from the path of devotional service. Yatra kva vā abhadram abhūd amuṣya kim: "What is the loss there?" And those who are sticking to their occupational duty . . . ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ, "If one, one sticks to his occupational duty, but he does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, does not take to devo . . . what does he gain?"

Here, one who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and falls down, for him, he says: "What is inauspicity there?" That means there is auspicity still, although he has fallen. And one who is sticking to his original occupational duty but does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, what does he gain? This is the advice. What does he gain? "Oh, I am sticking to my own principles." What is your nonsense principle? After your death, after this body, all principle will be finished. That's all. And you could not take the opportunity of taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So what is your gain? And this man who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, rejecting all so-called occupational duties and religious principles, he gains. There is no inauspicity because he had fallen.

Why? Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate (BG 6.41). At least it is guaranteed that you get next life a human form of life, and in a very well-to-do condition, either in rich family or in the family of a very high class Brāhmin or Vaiṣṇava. So therefore he is not losing anything. And the other man, who is sticking to his own occupational duty and does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is losing everything, because after this body nobody knows where he is going. Either going to be a cat or dog or tree or where, he does not know.

So it is so nice thing. Here is the opportunity. We get the opportunity, Lakṣmī. How Kṛṣṇa is served: lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). If by trying in one life, I am getting the chance of entering into Kṛṣṇa's kingdom to have eternal, blissful life, if I reject it, how much unfortunate I am. Even if you fall down. But there is a chance of becoming immediately being transferred. But even there is no chance, even there is not fully completed, even it is failure, still it is said, "It is auspicious," because the next life guaranteed a human form of life.

And for the ordinary karmī, what is next life, there is no information. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). He can become a tree, he can become cat, he can become a demigod. Not more than a demigod. That's all. And what is the demigod? They get some opportunity in the higher planetary system and again fall down. Kṣīṇe puṇye punar martya-lokaṁ viśanti. After the bank balance, the puṇya, pious activity, resultant action of pious activities is finished, again come down.

Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokan punar āvartino 'rjuna: "Even if you go to the Brahmaloka where Brahmā lives, whose calculation of one day we cannot calculate, even if you go there, then they will come back." Mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. "But if you come to Me, then there is no more coming down here." This is the opportunity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer

bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi

yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ

ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ

(SB 1.5.17)

tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatām upary-adhaḥ

tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ

kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā

(SB 1.5.18)

You should read all this. You don't read. This is in the first volume of Bhāgavata these things are explained. But I don't think you read all these things. Do you read? Hmm? If you don't read, then you will feel restless: "Oh, let me go from Japan to India, from India to Japan." You are restless because you don't read. I am laboring so hard for you, but you don't take advantage.

Don't take advantage of eating and sleeping. Take advantage of these books! Then your life will be successful. My duty—I have given you so valuable things, day and night trying to convince you, each word to word. And if you don't take advantage of this, then what can I do for you?

All right.

Devotees: All glories to . . . (end)