740425 - Lecture Hindi - Tirupati

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740425LE-TIRUPATI - April 25, 1974 - 46:09 Minutes

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

kāmasya nendriya prītir

lābho jīveta yāvatā

jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā

nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ

(SB 1.2.10)

Translation: "Life's desires should never be aimed at gratifying the senses. One should desire to live only because human life enables one to inquire about the Absolute Truth. This should be the goal of all works."

Prabhupāda: You'll be able to translate?

Devotee: Myself prabhu?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Anyone who can translate.

kāmasya nendriya prītir

lābho jīveta yāvatā

jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā

nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ

(SB 1.2.10)

We have been discussing . . .

(Translated from Hindi into English)

Hare Kṛṣṇa! In human life dharma, artha, kama, moksa, ordinary people desire this only. To execute dharma and get some economic benefit out of it. In the ordinary sense if someone goes to the temple, just like to this Balaji temple, they come with some economic desires. Wealth is required because to live life everyone certainly needs some wealth. But from that wealth that we get one should not only gratify his senses.

Therefore the scriptures instruct, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kāmasya nendriya prītir, kama does not mean that we have now got a lot of wealth and now we engage in sense gratification. This is not correct. Kāmasya nendriya prītir lābho jīveta yāvatā, by the grace of the Lord, whatever is possible by our qualification, whatever we get to be satisfied in that. According to Vedic dharma, there are four divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. The business of a brāhmaṇa is paṭhana, pāṭhana, yajana, yājana, dāna and pratigraha. paṭhana, pāṭhana, yajana, yājana, a brāhmaṇa should become learned, acquire knowledge of the Vedas nicely, and explain it to others, this is called paṭhana, pāṭhana, to teach and explain to others. The ksatriyas livelihood is through the collection of taxes. A ksatriya accepts for his livelihood 25% of the production yielded by the citizens.

That is why it is said, kāmasya nendriya prītir, brāhmaṇa, and kṣatriya and vaiśya specially earn a lot of money, generate a lot of income and spend that in sense gratification, that is not correct. Nowadays in Kaliyuga specially everybody is engaged in how to earn maximum money and to engage it sense gratification, this is going on. For this reason nowadays in this world everyone has lot of wealth but no one is happy. For this reason, if we have some wealth, someone snatches it away, they increase the price of what they are selling, today one price tomorrow another price, everyone is disturbed.

So one should not indulge in sense gratification, but by the grace of Lord if one is rightly engaged and leads a good life, it is not a question of eating less or more, no. The scriptures say, yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati (BG 6.17), live your life as per your necessities but to hanker for more money, more money, engage it in sense gratification, that is not correct.

That's why the scriptures instruct, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. jīvasya means not only Hindus, Muslims, Christians, but all should engage in tattva-jijñāsā. That is why in the Vedanta-sutra it is said athāto brahma-jijñāsā, this human form of life which he has got after many many births, bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29), many, after wandering in 840000 species of life, you get this human form of life. So in this human form of life one should engage in tattva-jijñāsā.

(aside) Why are these people leaving?

Translator replies: They are outsiders. They come and go!

Śrīla Prabhupāda continues,jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ.

Everyone is engaged and busy in his activities of earning money, livelihood but it is not correct that we earn lots of money and then enjoy and engage in sense gratification. This tattva-jijñāsā activity can be done only in human form of life because in all other forms of life like dogs or cats or other animals, they cannot do tattva-jijñāsā.

tattva-jijñāsā means knowledge and renunciation. By knowledge only we can do tattva-jijñāsā. And now remains that what is tattva-jijñāsā. What is tattva? To whom should we go and enquire about this? These are all the questions which arise. That's why the Vedic scriptures instruct, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12) that to inquire about tattva one must approach a guru.

And the symptoms of a guru are also stated, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12), the symptom of a guru is that he understand the Para-brahman and all other things and can explain it. That's why it is said in the Eleventh Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta

jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ

brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

(SB 11.3.21)

guru, to accept him as guru, to understand him by his symptoms, by the instructions of the scriptures, just like the Bhagavad-gītā states that evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2), so knowledge about the Lord was given by the Lord Himself, first to sun god, sun god spoke this to his son Manu, and Manu Maharaja spoke this to Iksvaku and in this way through disciplic succession guru comes.

The symptoms of a guru are given by Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakura,

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-

trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam

prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

The symptoms of a guru are that the entire material world, this material world is like dāvānala, in which everything is burning. The meaning of dāvānala is the forest fire which happens, no one goes to ignite the fire in the forest, it happens automatically.

So the topic of guru we will sing a bit, you all please listen.

Srila Prabhupada leads the Sri Gurv astakam prayers with the devotees responsively.

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-

trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam

prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

mahāprabhoḥ kīrtana-nṛtya-gīta-

vāditra-mādyan-manaso rasena

romāñca -kampāśru-tarańga-bhājo

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-

śṛńgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau

yuktasya bhaktāḿś ca niyuñjato 'pi

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda-

svādv-anna-tṛptān hari-bhakta-sańghān

kṛtvaiva tṛptiḿ bhajataḥ sadaiva

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra-

mādhurya-līlā guṇa-rūpa-nāmnām

prati-kṣaṇāsvādana-lolupasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai

yā yālibhir yuktir apekṣaṇīyā

tatrāti-dākṣyād ati-vallabhasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair

uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ

kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo

yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi

dhyāyan stuvaḿs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaḿ

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

So this is the philossophy, tattva-jijñāsā, to understand tattva one must approach a guru and Visvanath Chakravarti has given the symptoms of a guru in these eight verses. So the first symptom of a guru is that he delivers the disciple from this forest fire of material existence. That tattva-vit guru, one who knows everything, as it said in the Bhagavad-gītā,

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

The meaning is that the guru should be tattva-darśi, because one who has seen the truth (tattva), only he can explain the truth to others. So that tattva-vit guru, what does he explain, that is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

(SB 1.2.11)

The tattva-vit guru, the seer of the truth, he knows that the tattva is advaya jñāna and one whom someone says Brahman, formless Brahman, someone says Paramatma and someone says Bhagavan. So in the scriptures the tattva or truth is called advaya jñāna, which means that the substance is the same, but is understood by different persons according to their capacity to understand. First one has to understand tattva and then later on tat tvam asi. One who has not understood the tattva, what is he going to understand tat tvam asi? That's why it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that substance called truth, tattva, those who are jñānīs they think it is formless, and the yogis understand it as Paramatma, and the devotees understand the truth to be Bhagavan.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

Those who want to undertand the truth with their material intelligence their run is till the impersonal Brahman, not any further. Because one can get the knowledge about the truth, from one who is the seer of the truth. But if we reach only upto the impersonal formless Braman in search of the truth so that means our knowledge is not complete.

Therefore those who think themselves to be jñānīs, understand impersonal Brahman to be the truth, till they don't understand Bhagavan Vāsudeva, his knowledge is incomplete. So these impersonalists, brahmajñānīs do a lot of austerities for many many births, try for many births, when he acquires complete knowledge then he understands Bhagavan Vāsudeva.

So that is why it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19), this jñānī sampradaya, those who consider themselves to be jñānīs, actually they do not understand the Lord. Therefore his knowledge is not complete. His knowledge becomes complete only after doing austerities for many many births, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. When his knowledge is perfected then, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Then he understands that Bhagavan Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa is all in all and he surrender unto His lotus feet.

So that is why, time is up now, you all are also busy, tomorrow if I get a chance I will explain this tattva to all of you in detail.

Now please offer your pranams to Govinda. (Srila Prabhupada sings Brahma-samhita prayers verse 29-32)

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Please repeat.

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

All of you repeat.

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-

lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam

lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam-

barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam

kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī-

ratnāṅgadaṁ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam

śyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti

paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti

ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Hare Kṛṣṇa! (end)