721017 - Lecture SB 01.02.06 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

721017SB-VRNDAVAN - October 17, 1972 - 44:20 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

ahaituky apratihatā

yayātmā suprasīdati

(SB 1.2.6)

"The supreme occupation, dharma, for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendental Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self."

This has been proved divertedly edited. Actually, devotional service rendered to the Supreme Lord not for my satisfaction—but rendering devotional service to the Lord, the self is automatically satisfied. If I make a motive that, "I shall render service to the Lord so that I will be very much satisfied . . ." No. No. That, that becomes motivated, that "I will be satisfied," that is the first consideration. There should be no motive at all. I may be satisfied, not sati . . . that is not my business. But still, I'll have to serve the Lord.

That is the teachings of Lord Caitanya. Āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām marma-hatāṁ karotu vā (CC Antya 20.47). "Either You embrace or You trample me down or," marma-hatāṁ karotu vā, "make me brokenhearted," adarśanāt . . . every devotee aspires to see the Lord. That is natural. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "It doesn't matter. Whether I see Kṛṣṇa or not, it doesn't matter. He may not be present before me for millions of years and make me brokenhearted."

If I aspire to see Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa does not come, naturally I become sorry, brokenhearted. But even one is brokenhearted, still, he should not stop devotional service. Not that "I have served Kṛṣṇa for so many days, or so many years, and Kṛṣṇa did not come. Oh, what is the use of it?" No, not like that. One should be confident that . . .

Just like Mukunda. Mukunda, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's class friend and devotee, so he was attending many jñānī, karmī, yogī . . . he was going everywhere. Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very much displeased, just to show example that we should not be hodgepodge: "This is also good, this is also good. Everything is same." No. This is hodgepodge. One must be fixed up in devotional service. That is wanted. So when Mukunda was going here and there, Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him the name khaḍajāṭhiyā beṭā. So He stopped him, that "He should not come before Me. Stop him." So nobody can induce . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very soft, kusumād api, softer than the flower, but harder than the thunderbolt. When He used to be very hard, then, then He become thunderbolt. Nobody can induce Him. But naturally, He is very soft-hearted.

So Mukunda was standing outside in every day's meeting, and he was asking other devotees, "I'll not be able to see Lord Caitanya anymore?" So they asked Caitanya Mahāprabhu that, "You have forbidden Mukunda to come before You, but he's asking only if there will be any opportunity in the future to see You." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "Yes, after three hundred millions of years he can see Me." So the devotees informed Mukunda, "Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that after three hundred millions of years, He'll be able to see you." He began to dance: "Oh, that's nice. That's nice."

Āśā-bandhaḥ samutkaṇṭhā nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ (CC Madhya 23.18-19). This is the sign of pure, advanced devotee. He's never disappointed. Ahaitukī. There is no motive. "My Lord is there. My duty is to serve." That's all. "Whether I shall be benefited, whether my senses will be satisfied, gratified," these are conditions. These are not pure devotion. Don't make any condition. Unconditional. That is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Without any motive, without any condition, when we love Kṛṣṇa, that is first-class religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Para and apara. Apara means "inferior," and para means "superior." Just like there are two energies of Kṛṣṇa: para and apara, inferior and superior. So paro dharmaḥ means superior, the occupational duty in superior energy.

Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Daivīṁ prakṛtim. Mahātmā, one who is broad-minded, or greater souls, they are under the control of daivī-prakṛti. Daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. And what is the symptom? Bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ: they have no other motive than to render service to the Lord. That's all. This is the symptom of mahātmā. No motive, no gain, no exchange. Simply to serve the Lord. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Any kind of desire, even liberation. No. But if one is pure devotee, liberation will be at his door. He . . . what he has got to ask for liberation? He's already liberated. He hasn't got to ask for liberation. This is explained by Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura: muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān. If one is pure devotee, then liberty . . . yes, liberation is standing before the devotee with folded hands: "My dear sir, what can I do for you?" That is the position.

muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān

dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa samaya-pratīkṣāḥ

(Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 107)

And people are very much busy for religiosity, dharma; artha, economic development; kāma, sense gratification; and . . . dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa, liberation. People are generally, human society, there must be religious system. And they take to religious . . . generally, people take to religious system for some material gain. Generally. Ārto arthārthī jijñāsur jñānī. Those who are distressed, those who are in need of money, they go to temple, worship the Lord. They're also pious. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtinaḥ (BG 7.16). They're pious.

So . . . but that is not pure devotion. Pure devotion is described here, that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is first class. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. You can adopt any means. There are different kinds of religious system all over the world. You can become Hindu, you can become Muslim, you can become Christian, you can become something else. But the test is how much you have learned to love God. That's it. Not that "I am Hindu. I have got such a big tuft and so much tilaka, and I take bath daily in the Yamunā, Ganges. I am strictly vegetarian," and so on, so on, so on. But the result? "I am simply attached to my family." That's all. (laughter) Finished.

Mulla daud masjid. (A clerk will not run further than the mosque.) (proverb) "I am doing all things, but my center of gravity is my family." Gṛhamedhī. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Gṛhamedhī, those who are attached only to the home life, their happiness is sex. That's all. And in order to protect that sense enjoyment, they take to dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, CC Adi 1.90); everything, whatever you call . . . but this thing must be there.

Just like when I presented this my Easy Journey to Other Planets, so one scientist friend . . . not scientist, he was a librarian. So he read this book and he said: "So we cannot come back again?" (laughter) Just like they are going to the moon planet, and they must come back again. The aeronautics, they go very high, the Russians, by their sputnik, and they see, from up, "Where is Moscow?" (laughter) This was published in the paper. Actually, his attachment is Moscow.

So similarly, generally, people, they show religiosity so that they may get some money, economic development, and by money they can satisfy their senses. And when they are baffled in satisfying their senses, they want to merge into the existence of God. This is dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. When he is dissatisfied with sense gratification, kāma—dharma, artha, kāma—then he says, "This is all false. Now I shall merge into the body of Kṛṣṇa or in the effulgence." But they do not know that this type of desiring, that "I shall merge into the existence of God," that is also kāma, because he's desiring something. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said:

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī—sakali aśānta

kṛṣṇa-bhakta—niṣkāma ataeva śānta

(CC Madhya 19.149)

Bhukti means kārmīs. They want sense gratification. Whatever they do, the center is yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. Therefore they are bhukti-kārmīs. Bhoga, material enjoyment. This is called kārmīs. They perform big, big sacrifices, but the goal is "How I shall be elevated to the heavenly planets, Svargaloka. And I shall enjoy there the urvaśīs, nice women, and the nandana-kānana, nice gardens." Actually, in higher planetary system, the standard of living is very, very high—hundreds and thousands of times better than this planet. Living duration, duration of life, is very great.

So the bhuktī, they are bhukti-kārmī. That is kāma. And when they are unable to satisfy the senses by this material enjoyment, they are mukti-kārmī. That is also kāma. Void. The Buddha philosophy. Mukti, vacant. Mukti, of course, not void; the same thing, in a different name, "Merge into the effulgence of Brahman, and stop my individuality." That is also voidness, zero. I make myself zero. This is another explanation of nirvāṇa, voidism. "Finish everything. You are suffering from fever. All right, I cut your throat. So your fever is gone? You also gone, finished." This is called śūnyavādi, "Make everything zero. Why you are suffering from fever? The best means is that cut your throat and become happy."

So bhukti, mukti, that is also desire. Bhukti, mukti and siddhi. Siddhi-kārmī, yogīs, aṣṭāṅga-yoga, and aṣṭa-siddhi: aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti-siddhi, īśitā, vaśitā, like that. Aṇimā, aṇu, you can become very small. Not these yogīs. Actually those who are in perfectional yoga, they can become like that, smaller than the smallest. So aṇimā, laghimā, you can become lighter than the lightest. You can fly in the air. They go, by touching the beam of the sun, moon, they can go. They are trying to go to the moon planet by artificial, material weapons, material means, but those who are yogīs, they can catch up the beam of the moon and go. This is called . . .

Mahimā. You can become very big, heavy. Mahimā. Just like Hanumān, he jumped over this ocean. That he, means, he assumed a big body so, so that one leg here, one leg there. He can jump. That is called mahimā-siddhi. Prāpti: you can get anything you like at any time. Prāpti-siddhi. So many things. Sometimes they do not like the devotees because the devotees, they cannot show this magic. They do not like that within four years, five years, the whole world should be chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. That is not magic. But if he can jump over a river, that is a magic. That is magic. The other side of the magic they have no eyes to see.

So the yoga-siddhi, that is magic. But devotee can show better magic, but they do not bother their time for yoga practice. That is bhakta. Because he's under the care of the supreme magician, Kṛṣṇa. So if there is need of magic, Kṛṣṇa will show. Why he should bother? Just like a small child is dependent on his father. Father is rich man. So he says to his father, "Father, I want this." That is very costly. So he doesn't require to get the money. The father is there. He'll get the money. "All right, take it."

So that is the facility for the devotees. A devotee is under the care of the Yogeśvara. Yatra yogeśvara hariḥ. If you can catch up the hand of Yogeśvara Hari, then you can show wonderful magic, which no magician, no yogīs can display. That is the position of devotee. They do not care for practicing yoga to show some magical feats. Neither they require it. Neither they want it. Because devotee's position is āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā (CC Antya 20.47). "Whatever You like, You can do." That's all. He has no desire.

Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. Aśānta means where they can get peace? They have to work for it. The karmīs, they have to work for it. The jñānīs, they have to cultivate for that. The yogīs, they have to practice. But bhakta has nothing to do. Therefore it is first class. Without doing anything, he will show magic. This is the first class.

Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is first class. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. If you have got unflinching faith in the Supreme, Adhokṣaja . . . Adhokṣaja means beyond the perception of the senses. Adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛta akṣajaṁ jñānaṁ yatra. Our knowledge, our activities, they are sensual. I can jump, but jumping requires two legs, sense organs. So adhokṣaja means you cannot realize the Supreme by sensual activities. That is not possible. Therefore His name is Adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛta akṣajaṁ jñānaṁ yatra tattvataḥ.

So one has to become . . . if one becomes a devotee, ahaituky apratihatā, such devotional service can never be checked. It is not conditional, "If I am very learned, then I can read Vedānta philosophy, then I can understand what is the Absolute Truth." So that is checked. "If I am not very nice Sanskrit scholar, then I, I cannot become a Vedānti." That is conditional. But bhakti is not conditional. Not that because you are not a Vedānti, not that because you are a very not rich man . . . not that. Bhakti is unconditional. Ahaituky apratihatā. They're . . .

just like class of men they say: "First of all let us enjoy this world. Then we shall think of bhakti, God, later on." That is the general public; they say like that. But no. Bhakti is not that conditional, that you finish your business of sense gratification, then you become bhakta. No. Become bhakta immediately. Immediately. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1).

If one is intelligent, he should begin devotional service immediately. As soon as he gets the information that devotional service is the perfect type of religion, he should take immediately, without waiting. Ahaituky apratihatā. It is not that, "I am conditioned by so many things. I cannot take to bhakti just now." No. Ahaituky apratihatā. Apratihatā. Without any check, without any hindrance, you can adopt bhakti.

In another place . . . of course, we shall come to that.

vāsudeve bhagavati

bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ

janayaty āśu vairāgyam . . .

(SB 1.2.7)

It is not that vairāgya . . . because human life is meant for vairāgya and jñāna. Vairāgya. We are attached to this material world. So perfection of life is how to become detached from this material world. That is called vairāgya. For vairāgya, this process of renunciation, sannyāsa, is advised, according to the Vedic system. First of all he's trained up as a brahmacārī, just to know the relationship, perfect education. Then he's allowed to become a gṛhastha. Then he's to accept vānaprastha, then accept renunciation. This is gradual step.

The real purpose is renunciation, give up your attachment for this material world. Because that is my bondage. So long I shall try to enjoy maybe a fractional percentage, still, I'll have to accept this material body. It may be a small ant's body, but because the desire is that "I shall eat one grain of sugar," he has to take this body. Therefore one should be anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), completely no desire for material desire, or material enjoyment. Then we can enter. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167).

Jñāna. Jñāna has been especially mentioned because the jñānīs, they are contaminated by the desire of merging into the existence of God. Therefore one should give up this desire. Karmīs, they are for sense gratification; jñānīs, for merging into the existence. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Ānukūlyena. Anukūla means favorable. What Kṛṣṇa wants, you serve Him. Service means that. Service does not mean "I want something and you give me something." No, that is not service. Service means, "What I want, you must give me. That is service. If I say, "Please give me a glass of water," and if you bring a glass of milk, you can say: "Sir, milk is better than water." No. That is not service. I want water now; you must give me water. That is service.

Therefore my Guru Mahārāja did not approve the parties . . . they are called gaurāṅga-nāgarī. They accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, but they pose Him, "Kṛṣṇa is enjoying with gopīs." No, that is called gaurāṅga-nāgarī-bhāva. No. Kṛṣṇa has appeared now as devotee. So you must help Him how He can become a best devotee. Not that pose Him into Kṛṣṇa position. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu came in Vṛndāvana, so many people called Him, "You are Kṛṣṇa. You are Viṣṇu." He was doing this (gesticulates), "Don't say like this. Don't say like this," to warn future generation who would like to become Kṛṣṇa's avatāra, so-called avatāra.

So . . . so these are siddhāntas, that one should be simply serving, engaged in the service of the Lord—favorably, not unfavorably—what He wants. So in this age . . . not only in this age, in all the ages, Kṛṣṇa wants that all these bewildered living entities who have come here to enjoy material happiness, they should be given the information that this is not very nice plan for the living entities, to enjoy material enjoyment. The best plan is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That will save him.

This is the necessity for all the ages, especially in this age. Therefore if you can educate people to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, that is the best service. That is the best service to Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena. Because Kṛṣṇa wants it. Kṛṣṇa wants it. Personally He says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. And He comes again as devotee, as Lord Caitanya, He's teaching how to serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is teaching how to serve Kṛṣṇa.

So both of Them are asking . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also asking:

āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa

yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa

(CC Madhya 7.128)

Kṛṣṇa says: "This is My upadeśa, this is My instruction: 'You surrender unto Me.' " And Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "You surrender unto Kṛṣṇa." So if we follow both the Kṛṣṇas, that is the best service. You simply go . . . yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Simply preach this Bhagavad-gītā, instruction of Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any nonsense commentary. Bhagavad-gītā says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). You say that, "Give up all nonsense engagement. You simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa." That is the best service. And nobody can check you. Ahaituky apratihatā. You have no desire. Your business is to serve Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa says that "You do this." So you do it.

What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. The business is very simple. "My dear sir, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious." That's all. You are a good preacher. It doesn't require much education. Simply if you go . . . then other things will come automatically, if you sincerely serving Kṛṣṇa. If you simply say this very thing, "My dear sir, you are a very nice man . . ." That is, that is the instruction given by Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. He . . . (break)

So it is very dangerous. I have to give up everything? (laughter) You, you . . . therefore you came so humbly? What is purpose? Yes, this is our . . . it is not difficult. You satisfy him by flattering him, by falling down on his feet, and everything you do, but . . . (break) . . . request him, "Please give up all nonsense. Simply take shelter of Kṛṣṇa." Then you are a good preacher.

And there is no check. Nobody can check. If you go to somebody and if you say that, "You become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, surrender unto Him," so you haven't got to . . . He'll not be angry. He may take it or not take it. But your business is finished. Kṛṣṇa will recognize. It is not that you will be successful everywhere. Because it is demonic age. But you, more you become yourself sincere, you'll be successful everywhere, because it is demoniac age. But you, more you become yourself sincere, you'll be successful. Because Kṛṣṇa will see that you are successful.

Your business is to become a sincere devotee of Kṛṣṇa. And without any expecting, ahaitukī, any success or failure, you do your duty, and you will see, Kṛṣṇa will see that you are successful. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Ahaituky apratihatā. And you will feel satisfied. Yayātmā suprasīdati. As soon as you'll see, "Oh, I have done something for Kṛṣṇa . . ." Devotee does not feel it, but when he sees that another man has become devotee, he becomes very satisfied. Yayātmā suprasīdati.

So this is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is explained in two lines in the Bhagavad . . . Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

ahaituky apratihatā

yayātmā suprasīdati

(SB 1.2.6)

You can read this purport.

Pradyumna: "In this statement, Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī answers the first question of the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya. The sages asked him to summarize the whole range of revealed scriptures and present the most essential part, so that fallen people, or the people in general, might easily take it up. The Vedas prescribe two different types of occupation for the human beings. One is called the pravṛtti-mārga, or the path of sense enjoyment, and the other is called the nivṛtti-mārga."

Prabhupāda: So both things are there, pravṛtti-mārga, nivṛtti-mārga. Because all the living entities who have come in this material world with a pravṛtti, with an intention to enjoy this material world. Therefore they are regulated: "All right, you want this material enjoyment?" Material enjoyment means eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is material enjoyment. Eating, first-class eating, first-class sleeping, first-class sex, sexual intercourse, and first-class defending. So Vedic injunction is "All right, you want sex life?" "Yes, sir. For this purpose I have come here." "All right, you get your sex life by marriage, not like cats and dogs." This is called pravṛtti-mārga. He has got the intention, but he's being regulated so that one day he'll become nivṛtti-mārga.

There are two ways: nivṛtti-mārga and pravṛtti-mārga. Pravṛtti-mārga means he has got intention, desire for material enjoyment. So he's regulated, "Do like this," so that he may come to the point of nivṛtti-mārga. Nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānām (Manu-saṁhitā). Everyone has got these desires. That is pravṛtti. But when he stops this pravṛtti, that is his great achievement. Not that to increase. When he stops. That is great achievement.

So the Vedas, why one should follow? Just like Vedas says you marry. People will argue, "What is the difference of sex life marrying or not marrying? Why it is Vedas?" No. They do not know the purpose of the Vedas. The purpose of Vedas is to gradually to bring him to the point of nivṛtti. Nivṛtti, he has to make. When he has got a slight desire for material enjoyment, he'll have to accept another body. Therefore nivṛtti is required. But one cannot come to the point of nivṛtti all of a sudden. Therefore Vedic injunction is gradually bring him to the nivṛtti-mārga.

Then?

Pradyumna: "The path of enjoyment is inferior, but the path of sacrifice for the supreme cause is superior. The material existence of the living being is a diseased condition of actual life."

Prabhupāda: This pravṛtti-mārga is a diseased condition. Diseased condition means you have to remain. Just like if you are suffering from fever, doctor has prescribed you that, "Don't take any solid food." But if you take, you'll increase your fever. That's all. If you have come here for sex life, if you increase your sex life, then you'll be bound up by the material laws. Again accept . . . if you want to increase your sex life, nature will give you facility: "All right, you become a hog. You can have sex life without any discrimination." The hog has no discrimination, mother, sister. So nature will give you that facility. "You want sex life? All right, you get. Un . . . without any hindrance, take it."

Therefore the sādhana-bhajana means to come to the point of nil. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. These Gosvāmīs, they conquered over nidrā, āhāra. Nidrā means sleeping, āhāra means eating, and vihāra means sex. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. You have to conquer. The more you conquer over these things, the more you are advanced. Because you have to make it nil altogether. Then you are eligible to go back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore we train our students: "No illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, no meat-eating"—the nivṛtti-mārga.

All right. Have kīrtana.

Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa (break) (end)