740317 - Lecture SB 02.01.02 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740317SB-VRNDAVAN - March 17, 1974 - 36:25 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

śrotavyādīni rājendra

nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ

apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ

gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām

(SB 2.1.2)

Material world means apaśyatām ātma-tattvam, one who has no enquiry or vision of the ātmā. Ātmā, paramātmā. Ātma-tattvam. Tattvam means "in truth." Ātmā means this body also. Ātmā means the mind also. Ātmā means the soul also. So in the present material world they are interested in understanding ātmā the body. The medical science, physiology, biology, they are studying the science of the body. And some of them are studying the science of mind, psychology—thinking, feeling and willing. But nobody is studying the deepest meaning of ātmā: soul. There is no science. Throughout the whole world there are schools and colleges and universities to study the physiology, psychology, biology, sociology, so many things. But there is no university, school, college throughout the whole world to understand the soul. Is there any? Eh? You have come from all parts of the world. Is there any school, college or institute to study what is the soul? They have no information even. Even Russia is so proud of scientific advancement, falsely, but they have also no . . . they are thinking that the body finished, everything is finished. That's all. This is going on. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape. Ātmā I have already explained. Ātmā means body, mind. But one who is thinking ātmā only this body, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13), in this bag of three elements, kapha-pitta-vāyu, he's go-kharaḥ, he's ass. He's rascal.

So therefore it is said, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2): one who cannot see ātma-tattva, the science of soul, they are busy only in this material body. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. So gṛhamedhi and gṛhastha. Gṛhastha is good. Gṛhastha is interested in ātma-tattva. Just like our students, although they are gṛhastha, they are interested in ātma-tattva. They are not gṛhamedhi. But those who are not interested in the science of soul, ātma-tattva, but they are interested only in the science of body and mind, they are gṛhamedhi. Gṛhamedhi. They are not gṛhastha. So my point is that our philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy, is meant for understanding ātma-tattva.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti . . .

(SB 1.2.11)

We are interested in that tattva, that ātma-tattva, soul, ideal.

So to understand this ātma-tattva one has to become just the opposite number of these materialistic person. The materialistic person, they are interested only in sense gratification, materialistic person. Or mental speculation. They are materialistic. There are so many big, big so-called sādhus, saintly person, simply busy on mental speculation. They are not perfect. And those who are busy in understanding the bodily concept of life, they are also materialistic. The difficulty is that these, these materialistic person, in different forms, they are accepted as the leader. They are accepted as leader, as politician, as sociologist, as philosopher, mental speculator, or so-called incarnation of God, and magician, yogīs, so many things. They are leading the whole society at the present moment. Therefore people are in chaotic condition.

So for them Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that they have many subject matter to hear. Śrotavyādīni. Nṛṇām, śrotavyādīni rājendra (SB 2.1.2). The Parīkṣit Mahārāja is addressed here as rājendra, the best of the kings. Rājendra, rāja, he was king, rāja. But indra means the best. Best of the . . . because he was listening Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam at the point of his death, therefore he's addressed especially rājendra, "Because you are best of the kings." Generally, people are not interested. Or course, in those days, everyone was interested. But he was the most interested—rājendra. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇām (SB 2.1.2). Nṛṇām means ordinary human being, mostly engaged in the bodily concept of life or mental speculation. Nṛṇām. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ, they have got hundreds and thousands of subject matter because they are not conversant with the ātma-tattva. But those who are interested in real ātma-tattva, they are busy in understanding . . . not understanding. Busy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So that our aim is how to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. And to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, the examples are the Gosvāmīs. Just like śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha. Gosvāmīs. We are followers of the Gosvāmīs. But these Gosvāmīs are not these titular gosvāmīs. You should understand. The titular gosvāmīs are different. They are making a profession of gosvāmī. Real gosvāmī means the six Gosvāmīs. How one can become interested in ātma-tattva, that example is given by the six Gosvāmīs, śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha. When we speak that these gosvāmīs who are indulging in all sinful activities, that does not mean the Gosvāmīs . . . Gosvāmīs cannot take in sinful activities, take part in sin . . . that is not possible. But still, there are so many so-called gosvāmīs who are taking in sinful activities—still, they are being passed as gosvāmī. So we do not mean . . . when we speak of gosvāmī, we mean the six Gosvāmīs and their followers.

So Vṛndāvana, in Vṛndāvana, those who will remain here to . . . especially to guide this temple, they must be followers of the six Gosvāmīs. So where is our Gurudāsa? He is not present? Why? He is busy? Very busy? Where?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He told me that Yamunā's feeling a little sick . . .

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yamunā's feeling sick tonight. Went to see how she was.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Anyway, so these six Gosvāmīs, we have to follow. Now, this is . . . not śrotavyādīni rājendra . . . (SB 2.1.2). We are not interested with this bodily concept of life and . . . although we have got this body, but we, we do not think that body is all in all, mind is the . . . mental speculative . . . no. The Gosvāmīs, they are described, how the Gosvāmīs, six Gosvāmīs. First gosvāmī, the first qualification is sense control. Vāco vegaṁ krodha-vegam udara-vegam upastha-vegam manasa-vegam (NOI 1). In this way, six kinds of vega, urge. Urge for talking, vāco vegam; krodha, or anger; mind; the belly, stomach; and then genital. They are forcing. They are forcing. Material life means these six senses are forcing us to remain in the material . . . but a gosvāmī means one who has control over these six urges of the senses. Etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ (NOI 1). As soon as one is practiced to control the urges of the senses, then he becomes a gosvāmī. That is the first definition of gosvāmī. Etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ. Being forced by the urges of these six senses . . . and there are so many people, they are being criminally charged, police inquiries, and still, they are gosvāmīs. So this is not good. Gosvāmī should be very ideal. We have given title "Gosvāmī." You must be very ideal. Ideal is there—six Gosvāmīs.

So we should be distinct from the so-called gosvāmīs. Those who will remain in Vṛndāvana, esp . . . everywhere. Everywhere is Vṛndāvana. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa's temple, Kṛṣṇa's saṅkīrtana, that is Vṛndāvana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that, "My mind is always Vṛndāvana." Because He's always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is there—He's Kṛṣṇa Himself—just to teach us. So similarly, anywhere you live, if you are actually follower of the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), then that is Vṛndāvana. Wherever you live. Do not think that, "Because in Melbourne we have got a temple, the Melbourne Deities are here, so that is not Vṛndāvana." That is also Vṛndāvana. If you worship the Deity very rigidly, follow the rules and regulation, so wherever you do, that is Vṛndāvana. Especially this Vṛndāvana dhāma, where Kṛṣṇa actually appeared. So this is Vṛndāvana, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Here, those who will manage this institution, they must be first-class gosvāmī. This is my proposition. Not gṛhamedhi. Not gṛhamedhi. Gosvāmī. As . . .

Because this place was excavated by the Gosvāmīs, ṣaḍ-gosvāmī. Sanātana Gosvāmī came here, Rūpa Gosvāmī came here. And then other Gosvāmīs—Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī—all joined together for executing the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—to write books about Kṛṣṇa, His pastimes, His līlā; very, I mean to say, highly spiritual understanding books they wrote. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. This is the business of the Gosvāmīs, the symptoms. The first symptom is, kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. They were always busy, kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana means . . . just like we perform kīrtana with khol, karatāla, this is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. And to write books, that is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. And to read books, that is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Not that simply this kīrtana is kīrtana. If you write books about Kṛṣṇa, if you read books about Kṛṣṇa, if you talk about Kṛṣṇa, you think of Kṛṣṇa, you worship Kṛṣṇa, you cook for Kṛṣṇa, you eat for Kṛṣṇa—so that is kṛṣṇa-kīrtana.

Therefore gosvāmī means twenty-four hours engaged in kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, in this way or that way. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. How? Premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī: because they were merged into the ocean of kṛṣṇa-prema. Unless we have got kṛṣṇa-prema, love for Kṛṣṇa, how we can remain satisfied simply in the business of Kṛṣṇa? That is not possible. Those who have not developed love for Kṛṣṇa, they cannot be engaged twenty-four hours in the business of Kṛṣṇa. We should consider that . . . we should save time always to be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa business. The period we sleep, that is wasted. That is wasted. So we shall try to save time. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Hari is another name of Kṛṣṇa. Sadā, twenty-four hours. Actually, the Gosvāmīs used to do. They are our example. They were sleeping not more that two hours or utmost three hours. So nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. They conquered over. This is gosvāmī. They conquered over these things. What is that? Nidrāhāra. Nidrā, āhāra, vihāra. Vihāra means sense enjoyment, and āhāra means eating or collecting. Generally, eating, āhāra. And nidrā. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Conquered. That is gosvāmī. Not that out of twenty-four hours, thirty-six hours sleeping. (laughter) (laughs) And at the same time, passing on as gosvāmī. What is this go . . .? Go-dāsa. They are go-dāsa. Go means senses, and dāsa means servant.

So our policy should be, instead of becoming servant of the senses, we have to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is gosvāmī. Because unless you conquer over, senses will always ask you, "Please eat, please sleep, please have sexual intercourse. Please have this, please have this." This is material life. This is material life: subjected to the dictation of the senses. That is material life. And one has to become . . . Gosvāmī means the mind is dictating, "Please eat more, please sleep more, please have sexual more, please have defense fund more." So this is materialism. Defense fund means to keep money. That is defense fund. So . . . so this is materialism. The spiritualism means, "No. That is no." Nidrāhāra. The senses dictating, "Do this, do that, do that," and you have to become so strong that you'll rightly reply, "No, this is not." Then gosvāmī. This is gosvāmī. And that gṛhamedhi, gṛhastha—appearing like the same. But gṛhastha means no dictation of the sense. Then you become gosvāmī. Then, as Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, gṛhe vā banete thāke hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke. Hā gaurāṅga, "Always chanting Nitāi-Gaura or thinking of Nitāi-Gaura," such person, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says . . . gṛhe vā . . . "He may be a sannyāsī, or he may be a gṛhastha. It doesn't matter. Because he is absorbed in the thought of Nitāi-Gaura." So narottama māge tāṅra saṅga, "Narottama is always desiring to associate with such person." Gṛhe vā banete thāke, hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke, narottama māge tāṅra saṅga. Narottama is always desiring the society of such person.

Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. And gosvāmī has to become very dear to all classes of men. There are two classes of men, dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means one who has controlled the senses, and adhīra means one who could not. Gosvāmīs are very kind to all classes of men. Dhīradhīra-jana-priyau. So how you can . . .? How the gosvāmī can be . . .? When six Gosvāmīs were here in Vṛndāvana, they were so popular to the whole people. Even in this Vṛndāvana dhāma, the village people, if they had some quarrel with husband and wife, they would go to Sanātana Gosvāmī, "Sir, there is some disagreement between us. You settle up." And Sanātana Gosvāmī will give his judgment, "You are wrong." That's all. They will accept. Just see how the popular they were. Sanātana Gosvāmī would give decision among their family quarrel also. So dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. These ordinary men, they were not saintly person, but they were devoted to Sanātana Gosvāmī. Therefore their life was successful. Because they would abide by the orders of Sanātana Gosvāmī, therefore they were also liberated. They may be personally wrong, but they abided by the Sanātana Gosvāmī. And Sanātana Gosvāmī was kind to them. This is the Gosvāmī. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau.

So you can become dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. Adhīra, those who are ordinary men, you can also call them, give them prasādam, treat them very nicely, "Just hear Hare Kṛṣṇa. You come here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take prasāda." They'll be your . . . under your control. They'll be under your control. And as soon as they become under your control, they make advance. Immediately. Because under the Vaiṣṇava, if he agrees to abide by, he becomes . . . that is called ajñāta-sukṛti. Because he offers you . . . just like when we walk, they say—"Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya Rādhe." That is the method of offering respect. So if these ordinary people offer respect to the Vaiṣṇava, they becomes advanced. So you must be Vaiṣṇava. Otherwise why they will offer you respect? Respect cannot be demanded. It must be commanded. By seeing you, they will give you respect. Then dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. This is gosvāmī. Automatically they'll offer respect. So unless you become perfectly clean and Vaiṣṇava, pure Vaiṣṇava . . . automatically they'll give you respect. You haven't got to . . . just like sometimes we see a person, by seeing us, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is not that at the spot we are asking them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but automatically they are chanting. So that means we have to keep ourself so clean, nice Vaiṣṇava, gosvāmī, that people will offer you respect. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau.

Nirmatsarau. Nirmatsarau means they were not en . . . Vaiṣṇava is not envious. Vaiṣṇava's only business is to see people, how they will . . . (break) . . . let them go to hell. This is Prahlāda Mahārāja's philosophy. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). The whole world is suffering from the material disease, and they are always unhappy. So let us preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They should try to save at least one man. That was the version of my Guru Mahārāja that, "I have got so many temples and buildings. If by selling all these buildings, if I can save one man from this material disease, then my mission will be successful." He used to say like that. So that is gosvāmī. They are trying, always trying, how to save. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Just like Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, writing Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, quoting from so many Vedic literature, giving evidence. Because formerly people would take it as truth when it is proved by the version of the Vedic literature. Nowadays, they have become more and more rascal. They would not take any evidence. They will take evidence of their only senses. If they like, they will accept. If they do not like, they will . . . formerly, the society was not so much degraded. They, as soon as you give evidence from the Vedic literature, they would accept.

So these Gosvāmīs therefore were making research from the Vedic literature—from thePurāṇas, from the Vedas, from the Vedānta-sūtra and Upaniṣad, like that, Mahābhārata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Sāma Veda, Ṛg Veda. You'll find in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu evidences . . . nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. What is the . . . what was the purpose? The purpose was to establish real religious principle. If actually Gosvāmī principles were followed strictly and real gosvāmīs would preach, then there would not have continued the so-called religious system, or increase the so-called . . . because any religious system which . . . that is the verdict of Bhāgavata. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, ahaituky apratihatā (SB 1.2.6). Religion means by following the system one will become a great lover of God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is religion. Then why this system of religion is going on, maintaining slaughterhouse? That means the . . . there was no attempt to preach sad-dharma, real dharma. Therefore, in the name of religion they are maintaining thousands of slaughterhouse. You see? It is asad-dharma. Asad-dharma. But the . . . they studied. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu . . . they wrote so many books just to establish what is real religion. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Why? Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. They were simply doing welfare activities for the people in general, lokānām. For everything. They . . .

Without following the principles, religious principles . . . the human life is given a chance by the nature that, "In this life you make a solution of this birth and death," janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So these rascals do not know that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi is actually problem. They are simply trying to solve so many temporary problem. They do not know the real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Therefore, following the real religious principle means sad-dharma. That is lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, the greatest benefit to the human society—to stop their repetition of birth and death. That is the greatest . . . that is the business of the Gosvāmīs. Not this, this party or that party, capitalism and Communism, this "ism," that . . . what they will derive? You may follow capitalism or Communism or this "ism," that "ism"; after death, you'll be immediately under the grip of material nature, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). "Now all your so-called rascal nationalism go to hell. You become a dog. Finish." That is nature's course. You have treated your life like cats and dogs. You did not take advantage of your human life. Now nature will give you, "All right, again you become cats and dogs." Punar mūṣiko bhava. They do not know. They do not know the secret science of nature. You may be a very great leader, prime minister, now. Next life you are going to be a dog in Scandinavia. (laughter) You see?

But how can you check it? What is your power? Suppose by nature . . . there are so many lives. Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So you have to accept another body. Now, that is not in your hand, how to accept. That is . . . that will depend on your nature, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa, and nature will give you the suitable body. So if you waste your time in this human form of life like cats and dogs, then you are going to get . . . otherwise, wherefrom the cats and dogs are coming? They are coming . . . vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). We are changing this body. So why you deny that in your next time you cannot become dog? No. That is your theory. But nature's law is different from your theory. You rascal, what do you know? You learn from the authorities. So the Gosvāmīs' business is to do . . . how to save these people, these rascals, from this repetition of birth and death.

So there are so many description of the Gosvāmīs. These eight ślokas of Śrīni . . . kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau. Because they were nirmatsarau, pūjitau, they were worshiped by everyone. Pūjitau. Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantāra . . . and because they received the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they were able to lessen the burden of this material world. Bhārāvahant . . . vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. So if you simply study these eight verses of the Gosvāmīs . . . vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. In Vṛndāvana they lived, and they set the examples. And if you follow their footstep, then your life will be successful. So, so many others, the so-called gosvāmīs, have become envious about us, but if you become one of them, then your life is not very . . . you just try to follow the real Gosvāmīs and make your life as gosvāmī. Then people will adore you. Śrī-caitanya-guṇānuvarṇana-vidhau. The verses, we have translated? This kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau . . .?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi . . .

Prabhupāda: Bhuvo bhārāvahantāra . . . no.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śraddhā-samṛddhy-anvitau.

Prabhupāda: Śrī-gaurāṅga-guṇānuvarṇana-vidhau śraddhā-samṛddhy-anvitau. Eh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Pāpottāpa-nikṛntanau tanu-bhṛtām . . .

Prabhupāda: Pāpottāpa-nikṛntanau tanu-bhṛtām . . .

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Govinda-gānāmṛtaiḥ.

Prabhupāda: Govinda-gānāmṛtaiḥ. These were the symptoms of gosvāmī. You study this. I want at least twenty-five men to live here, to become ideal follower of these Gosvāmīs. Then see how you'll be adored, how you'll be respected, how you'll be ideal. That I want.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)