720528 - Lecture SB 02.03.10 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720528SB-LOS ANGELES - May 28, 1972 - 47:10 Minutes

Prabhupāda: What is the time now?

Devotees: Seven minutes past seven.

Prabhupāda: So make it correct. Give. Where is? Come.

Who has made the caraṇāmṛta? Eh? Who has made caraṇāmṛta?

Devotee: She is not here, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Who is he? Who is she? I want to know.

Devotee: Tell her to come out of the kitchen . . .

Prabhupāda: (to girl devotee) Why you have no responsibility? You have added salt instead of sugar. Why?

Girl devotee: I didn't read the . . .

Prabhupāda: No. You shouldn't make anymore. One responsible should make it. Somebody, give him charge. This is great mistake. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Where is Pradyumna? Chant.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Verse number ten, page 134.

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā

mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ

tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena

yajeta puruṣaṁ param

(SB 2.3.10)

Prabhupāda: Next. That's all right. Now, word meaning.

Pradyumna:

akāmaḥ—one who has transcended all material desires; sarva-kāmaḥ—one who has the sum total of material desires; vā—either; mokṣa-kāmaḥ—one who desires liberation; udāra-dhīḥ—with broader intelligence; tīvreṇa—with great force; bhakti-yogena—by devotional service to the Lord; yajeta—should worship; puruṣam—the Lord; param—the supreme whole.

Translation: "A person who has broader intelligence, who may be full of all material desire or may be without any material desire, and who also desires liberation, by all means must worship the Supreme Whole, Personality of Godhead."

Prabhupāda: Hm. So this is our conclusion. There are three classes of men, human being. Not with hands and legs—actually human being, those who know what is the purpose of life. The purpose of life, the first basic principle of our life is that we have come here, in this material world, for becoming master, lording it over the material nature. Although we cannot do it, that is our desire. They are called sarva-kāmaḥ. There is no limit of desires. Anyone, you find out ordinarily in this world, you ask him, "What is your ultimate desire?" There is no limit. Therefore he's called sarva-kāmaḥ. Pralayāntam upāśritam. Till the time of death, there is desire.

A dying man, he is also desiring. I have seen it practically. One gentleman in Allahabad, he was contemporary, of our age. He was dying at the age of fifty-four years, and he was crying, and he was requesting the doctor—he was very rich man—"My dear doctor, can you not give me at least four years' life so I could finish my program?" The nonsense, what is your program? You see? I have seen it.

(aside) Don't move leg like that.

So therefore they are called sarva-kāmaḥ. There is no end. He does not know . . . he's going to die, and he thinks that doctor can prolong his life. Is it possible to prolong life? Not for a second even. When you are destined to die, you must die. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). This death is Kṛṣṇa. You cannot defy Kṛṣṇa; that is not possible. Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyur aham, sarva-haraś ca.

Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja's father: he was so proud, and he was confident, "Now I have taken benediction from Brahmā, I'll live forever." So he was very much proud. Just like the karmīs, they also think, "When there will be disease and there will be point of death, I shall take care very nicely. There are so many good physicians. I shall call them, and they will give me life." So this is demonic. You cannot protect yourself by so-called science, physician or power. It is not possible. Because the death is Kṛṣṇa.

Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, all, many demons, they thought it that, "We shall live forever." So anyone who is thinking like that, he's a demon. He cannot stop death. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. Kṛṣṇa . . . if you don't give to Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will appear just like Nṛsiṁha-deva, and He will take away everything from you and kill you. That's all. Now who can challenge? Who is there who can challenge Kṛṣṇa? No, nobody can. That is Kṛṣṇa.

So the sarva-kāmaḥ . . . so up to the end of life . . . all these politicians, we have seen: Gandhi, in our country—Jawaharhal Nehru. He was attacked, heart attack, several times, and doctor says: "Within a week you'll have to go away." Still, he was going to the hillside to recoup his health. And when he was on the point of death, he was brought to New Delhi and died. So up to the point of death he was thinking that, "I must remain a prime minister; otherwise the whole thing will be lost. In my absence, if I am not on the seat, then everything will be lost." This is māyā.

Gandhi was thinking like that. He agitated his political movement against the British rule. So Britishers went away. I requested him that "Now you have got sva-rājya, and you are so respectable in the world, you take this propaganda to preach Bhagavad-gītā." No. He will still stick to these politics—unless he was killed. He was killed, you know. So this is the propensity, sarva-kāmaḥ. There is no end of their desires. No end. They are called sarva-kāmaḥ.

So here it is recommended, akāmaḥ. Just the opposite. Akāmaḥ, niṣkiñcana. They have finished all these nonsense, material desires. Vaiṣṇava. Just like you have taken sannyāsa. It is supposed that you have finished all your material desires. This is called akāmaḥ, just the opposite. And the other side, sarva-kāmaḥ: there is no end of desire, material desires. So Vyāsadeva recommends, "All right, you may be sakāmaḥ . . ." Sakāmaḥ means without end of any desires. Full of desires.

(break) . . . and between these, there is another . . .

(break) . . . mokṣa-kāmaḥ. So sakāmaḥ, sarva-kāmaḥ, karmīs, those who are working very hard, just like animals. Animals are meant for working hard. But now, men are being educated to work like animals. Animals. There is no end. So they are called karmīs.

Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa has designated these animals, these karmī animals, who are working very, very hard, just like hogs and dog, they have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍhāḥ, rascal, foolish. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has explained why they are mūḍhāḥ. These karmīs, they want some eating, sleeping, mating. But why so much hard work? Now, eating, sleeping, mating . . . just see the birds; they are free.

They don't work at night, at least. But human being, day and night. Night also, night duty: "I shall get some more money." So there is no end. How they can be happy? They are simply thinking of, that "I shall work very hard, and I shall get money and enjoy my senses." Then where is the question of happiness? The karmīs cannot have happiness, because their method is to work hard. How they can be happy?

Similarly, jñānīs, mokṣa-kāmaḥ. After being disgusted that, "I worked so hard throughout my whole life. I could not get peace. Therefore it is false," jagat mithyā. Mithyā means false. This is Śaṅkarācārya philosophy. Jagat mithyā. Mithyā means false. Brahmā satyam: "Now let me search out where is Brahman and become one with Him." That is also another labor. Speculating . . . they have to interpret all these Vedic literature to make God dead, void, impersonal, nullified.

So they have to gather their arguments. That is another labor, hard labor. So they are also working hard. Yogīs, they want to show some magic: "I can walk on the water. I can fly in the air without any airship. I can go this planet, that planet." Yogīs can do that. They have got this magical power. "I can create immediately gold." And if you can show these magical feats, immediately you get so many . . .

But that kind of yogī also very rare to be found, and now, in your country, yogī means who can show some gymnastic, that's all. So they are also working hard, because they have got kāma. The yogī, he wants to be very popular by showing magic. Because general people, they cannot walk on the water. But if somebody can walk on the water, oh, millions of people immediately go to the Pacific Ocean to see. So therefore they want siddhi. Actually, there are yogīs in Siddhaloka, without any flying machine they can go from one planet to another. Durvāsā Muni, he went. Within a year, he came back. He went to Vaikuṇṭha planet, yogī, great yogī.

He saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, but he was not excused. He went to beg pardon so that he may be saved from the sudarśana-cakra. So he went to Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā and all big, big demigods: "Please save me. The sudarśana-cakra is after me." So everyone said, "We are unable to do anything. You can go to Lord Viṣṇu." So he went to Lord Viṣṇu, he saw Him, he talked with Him. And Lord Viṣṇu also said that "I cannot do anything. You must go to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja and fall down on his feet and beg his pardon. Then you can be saved." So this is the position.

And Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a devotee. He did not know anything. He was simply depending on Kṛṣṇa. So just see who is powerful, that . . . even the yogīs are not so powerful as the devotees. Why? Because fully to Kṛṣṇa. Fully surrendered means, "If Kṛṣṇa likes, He will save me; otherwise, I don't try for myself. I have to simply serve Kṛṣṇa. That's all." And Kṛṣṇa takes charge of your saving. And when Kṛṣṇa wants to kill . . . just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, ordinary . . . not ordinary, but a simple boy, and how much torturing was going on upon him by his father. But he was saved by Kṛṣṇa. Ultimately, when it was intolerable, then He appeared and killed the rascal.

So therefore devotees are akāmaḥ. They don't have any desires. Even in greatest danger, they do not ask Kṛṣṇa. That is pure devotion, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). So Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that:

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī—sakali 'aśānta

kṛṣṇa-bhakta—niṣkāma, ataeva 'śānta'

(CC Madhya 19.149)

Śānta means peaceful. Who is peaceful? Only kṛṣṇa-bhakta, devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He is peaceful. Others? No. They cannot be peaceful. Why? Now, there is demand. The karmī is wanting to lord it over this material world. The jñānī is wanting to become one with God. The yogī is wanting some wonderful power. So there is wanting. It may be of different category, but there is demand. But akāmaḥ, he has no demand. That's all. He doesn't want anything from Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching is: na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4): "I don't want. I don't want money, I don't want followers, I don't want nice wife." These things are wanted by the materialist. A devotee simply wants, "Give me the chance of serving You." That's all. Hare Kṛṣṇa: "Hare, Rādhārāṇī; Kṛṣṇa, Lord, You are both present here. Kindly give me the chance to serve You." That's all. This is akāmaḥ. So akāmaḥ, they have no other business; simply to serve Kṛṣṇa. Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4): "My dear Lord, I don't want anything. But give me this facility, that I may be engaged in Your service." That's all. (pause)

So Bhāgavata recommends that "Even though you are a fool number one, you are demanding from Kṛṣṇa sarva-kāmaḥ or mokṣa-kāmaḥ, still, you worship Kṛṣṇa. Don't go to other demigods." Because . . . we have seen the list of demigods. If you want . . . the prescription is there: "If you want this, you worship this deity. If you want this, you worship this deity." But they are all kāmas. In the Bhagavad-gītā these kāmī, these lusty persons, have been condemned. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.20). Hṛta-jñānāḥ, lost of all intelligence. That means rascal. In good language it is hṛta-jñānaḥ, one who has lost his intelligence.

So hṛta-jñānāḥ is explained by Viśvanātha Cakravartī: naṣṭa-buddhayaḥ. Naṣṭa-buddhayaḥ, no intelligence. No intelligence. So why no intelligence? Now, that is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām (BG 7.23). The benediction they get from the demigods . . . just like it is recommended, we have read it, that if you want beautiful wife, you worship Umā. If you want very strong sexual power, then you worship Indra. So the prescription is there. But they are foolish. Why foolish? Suppose you get very beautiful wife and very strong sex power, then how long you will enjoy it? Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām. It will end—five years, ten years. Even in living condition, if you have become old, seventy years, eighty years old, then what you will do with beautiful wife? There will be no more sex power. Vṛddhasya taruṇī-bhāryā. Vṛddhasya . . . these are useless. When one has become old, to have a young wife is troublesome for him.

So therefore we should not desire anything material. They're all temporary. It will finish. It will finish. Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the same . . . Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja says, kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura. Anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, takes the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, he is the perfect intelligent man. He is the perf . . . so here it is recommended that, "You fools, you rascal . . ." Akāmaḥ sarva-kāmaḥ . . . eh, sarva, not akāmaḥ. Sarva-kāmaḥ, mokṣa-kāmaḥ. "You are all rascals." Therefore Vyāsadeva is advising, "All right, even though you are rascal, you are full of desires, you are full of becoming one with the Supreme, still, you worship," yajeta puruṣaṁ param, "the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, you do that." That is the recommendation. Don't go to others.

Now, the question is that bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). One must be free from all kinds of desires. That is pure bhakti. Now, it is recommended here that sarva-kāmaḥ, mokṣa-kāmaḥ, "Those who are desiring for all material opulences, those who are desiring for becoming liberated . . ." so they are not anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. They have desires. So how they can be bhakta? How they can be devotee? Because devotee is pure, he has no . . . akāmaḥ. Why it is recommended? The recommendation is there also for demigods. That is freedom. The śāstra is giving you all freedom: "If you like, you do this." But ultimately gives his instruction . . . just like Kṛṣṇa, He has spoken so many things, jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, karma-yoga. But at the end He says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śara . . . (BG 18.66). "You give up all these nonsense. Simply surrender unto Me." That is the ultimate instruction

So that means śāstra gives you freedom, at the same time gives you chance. Śāstra is not . . . just like we are free, and the state laws are there, and we are free to violate it or to abide by it. Similarly, all the śāstras, everything is there. And the freedom is also there. Not, I mean to say, the ultimate freedom, but there is freedom, small freedom. We can make our choice. Here also the same thing. Vyāsadeva is giving list that, "If you want this, you worship this demigod." Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). But if you are intelligent, udāra-dhīḥ . . . udāra-dhīḥ, very intelligent. Then, in spite of, despite all your desires, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. You go to Kṛṣṇa, puruṣaṁ param.

Who is puruṣaṁ param? Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna accepted: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). All paramam, Supreme. Puruṣam, "You are the Supreme Person." The same thing, puruṣaṁ param. The Brahmā-saṁhitā: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). This param, supreme, superlative, is Kṛṣṇa, in every respect. He's the supreme power, puruṣottamam. Uttamam. Nobody greater than Kṛṣṇa. So here it is recommended that "Even if you have got desires . . ." All kinds of desire. There are varieties of desires. Even you want jñāna-siddhi, yoga-siddhi, karma-siddhi, or dhyāna-siddhi, simply go to Kṛṣṇa. That's all.

Yat karoṣi, yaj juhoṣi, Kṛṣṇa also says. Yat karoṣi: you want to do something. This is all activities. Either you are karmī, jñānī or yogī, there are activities. The meditation, so-called meditation, that is also another activity, mental activity. So why it is recommended like that, that how . . .? They are not devotees. They are sarva-kāmaḥ. If they go to worship Kṛṣṇa, that is . . . there is facility. Just like Dhruva Mahārāja: Dhruva Mahārāja, he was sarva-kāmaḥ. He wanted material happiness. He was insulted by his stepmother. He determined that, "I shall have such kingdom which even my father also did not enjoy. My father's wife has insulted me. I shall show him there." This kind of determination were there, that "I shall show him."

So it was sarva-kāmaḥ. When Nārada approached Dhruva Mahārāja and informed him, "My dear boy, you are a prince; you are so delicate. You cannot accept these troubles of living in the jungle. It is very, very difficult. Great, great sages, they could not. You better go home. And when you get old, when time will be ripe, you can come. Now you go home." So he was a son of Kṣatriya. He was so determined. He said: "My dear sir, I thank you for your instruction. But I'm so rascal, I cannot accept." Just see. "I am kṣatriya. Your this brahminical instruction will not be accepted by me. So if you can give me any mantra by which I can see the Supreme Lord, just talk of that. I want to see Him." Yes.

Then Nārada Muni saw, "Oh, he's so determined, he's not going back." Then he gave him: oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. "Chant this." And he saw Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, within six months. He was so determined. And . . . but when Kṛṣṇa offered him, "Now, you ask Me whatever you like. You can take from Me. You have undergone such severe austerities. You can take." So he was sorry. "Oh . . ." Now, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42): "My dear Lord, I have no more any desire. I don't want anything. I have got everything. Not only everything; more than everything. I have seen You. So I don't want anything."

You see? This chance is there. Even with your kāma, desires, you execute devotional service, make connection with the Supreme Lord, a time will come, you'll become akāmaḥ, no more . . . a time will come. Therefore it is recommended. Not that sarva-kāmaḥ goes to Kṛṣṇa and simply bothers Him, "Give me this, give me this." No. Let him talk like that, "Give me this, give me that," Kṛṣṇa will see to that. But by devotional service, if he comes in contact with Kṛṣṇa seriously, then time will come, he will become akāmaḥ. Therefore it is recommended. Not that it is advised that you go to Kṛṣṇa and ask all nonsense from Him. That is not pure devotion. Pure devotion is akāmaḥ—nothing. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jaga . . . (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4).

So it is recommended here only that a devotee, even he's foolish in the beginning, to ask from Kṛṣṇa all material facilities. Still, when he's engaged in devotional . . . when he comes to the perfectional stage, or when he comes in contact with a pure devotee, he gives up all this nonsense, and as a pure devotee he simply engages himself without any return, without any profit, in the service of the Lord.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

(kīrtana) (Prabhupāda plays gong) (end)