740930 - Lecture SB 01.08.20 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740930SB-MAYAPUR - September 30, 1974 - 33:47 Minutes

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ

munīnām amalātmanām

bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ

kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ

(SB 1.8.20)

(break)

"You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You properly . . . know You perfectly?"

Prabhupāda: Tathā paramahaṁsānām (SB 1.8.20). Kṛṣṇa is realized by qualification, and the qualifications are described here. The first qualification is paramahaṁsa. Paramahaṁsa . . . parama means the best, and haṁsa means the swans. So there are different types of swans. We have seen. Out of them, the white big swan is accepted the best of them. So this haṁsa, or this swan, has got a qualification special, that you offer them milk mixed with water, so the haṁsa, it will take the milk portion and leave aside the water portion. Every animal has got a special qualification. Just like you'll find the lizard, a very plain wall, polished wall, but they'll go very swiftly. You have no science to do that. You cannot do it. The vulture, it goes very high. They have got very small eyes, but they can see from miles away where is some dead body. That is their business.

So everyone has got some special qualification. That is God's gift. The . . . similarly, this is also an animal. It has got the special qualification: they can discriminate what is water and what is milk. So this world is mixed up, spiritual and material things. Just like your body, my body, this is also mixture. Anything is a mixture of spirit and matter. So one who can discern the spirit from the matter, he is called paramahaṁsa. So intelligent man . . . paramahaṁsa, what is the paramahaṁsa? Now, munīnām. Paramahaṁsa . . . muni means very thoughtful. So if you are thoughtful, then you'll be able to discern between matter and spirit. The body is moving, but those who are not muni, thoughtful, they think the body is moving automatically. But actually, that is not the fact. Because the spirit is there, therefore it is moving. So muni, those who are thoughtful, they can understand. Foolish men, they cannot understand. They cannot understand that beyond this body there is another force, which is helping the movement of the body. They cannot understand the Bhagavad-gītā statement, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). That moving force is perpetual, eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). It is not lost after the destruction of the body, but it is transferred to another body. They cannot understand, because they are not muni. The muni means very thoughtful. And how one can become perfect muni? That is also said here: amalātmanām. Amala. Mala means dirty things, and amala, amala means just the opposite, no. Amala, "a" means "no." His heart is cleansed of all dirty things. Such men. Amalātmanām. So these are the qualification. Paramahaṁsa, one must be only spiritually interested, like the swan. He is interested only to drink the milk, not the water. Similarly, one must become paramahaṁsa. One must be interested with spiritual advancement of life, not material. Reject. Reject it.

So these are the qualification to understand Kṛṣṇa. One who is spiritually interested, one who is very thoughtful and one who is cleansed of all dirty things from consciousness or from the mind, these are the qualification when one can understand Kṛṣṇa. These things . . . why these things, indiscrimination, dirty things, they are accumulated within the heart? It is due to our sinful activities. The more we become sinful, the more dirty things will cover our consciousness, and it will be difficult to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam (BG 7.28). One who is freed from the reaction of sinful life . . . yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. Persons who are engaged in pious activities, they do not do anything which is vicious. Therefore they remain pure, without any contamination. Therefore pious activities are recommended. For common men it is recommended in the śāstra that, "You take your bathing in the Ganges." That will make him pious. If he simply takes his bathing daily, regularly, automatically he'll be pious. Or go and see the temple and offer your obeisances. Everything will be taken.

This small boy, he has nothing, no understanding what is Kṛṣṇa, but because he's dancing, because he's chanting, sometimes he's ringing the bell, these are pious activities. Automatically they'll do, so many people. Therefore temple is required. Temple is required. The innocent persons, those who are neophyte, for them, temple worship is essential. By seeing the Deity, by offering obeisances to the Deity, by taking caraṇāmṛta, by ringing the bell, by dancing, by taking little prasādam, by touching the feet of Vaiṣṇava or touching the body of Vaiṣ . . . in this way they're getting piety. This chance is given therefore to the ordinary . . . there is no question of becoming muni in the beginning. How it, one can be? It is not possible. Therefore Deity worship, temple worship, essential for the common, general people. Simply by their coming, visiting and doing something, they'll be pious.

So . . . and other pious activities—to hear about Kṛṣṇa. The sound vibration. Even one does not understand what is spoken here, but Kṛṣṇa . . . just like I am speaking in English. Those who cannot understand English, they do not understand what I am speaking. But in the middle I am talking of Kṛṣṇa. So that Kṛṣṇa hearing is sufficient, "Kṛṣṇa." My Guru Mahārāja, when some article was presented to see whether he approved for publication, he would simply say, or see, how many times he has uttered "Kṛṣṇa" and "Caitanya Mahāprabhu." That's all. If he has uttered in his writing "Kṛṣṇa," "Caitanya," like that, so if he hears that many times he has written, "That's all right. That's all right." It is so nice. And that's a fact.

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo

yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api

nāmāny anantasya yaśo 'ṅkitāni yat

śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

(SB 1.5.11)

Tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavaḥ. Any composition where there is somewhere or sometimes the glorification of the Supreme Lord, any literature . . . tad-vāg-visa . . . janatāgha-viplavaḥ. Such kind of literature is revolutionary. Revolutionary. Viplavaḥ. Viplava means revolution. What kind of viplava? Just like in the revolution one political party gains victory over another political party, or one kind of . . . we understand revolution means political revolution. One kind of political thoughts are overpowered by another kind of political thoughts. That is called revolution. So the English word is revolution, and the Sanskrit word is viplava. So tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavaḥ. If such literatures are presented . . . just like we are presenting. We are not very big scholar. Our . . . we have no such qualification that we can compose very nice literature. There may be so many mistakes or . . . whatever it may be. But it is revolutionary. That is a fact. It is revolutionary. Otherwise, why big, big scholars, professors, university authorities, librarians, they are taking? They are thinking, they know that this literature will revolutionize the whole world. Because there is, in the Western world, there is no such thought. They agree. So why it is revolutionary? Because there is an attempt to glorify Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nothing more. There is no literary career.

So this is accepted. Tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddha . . . śloka. To write Sanskrit śloka, it requires erudite scholarship. There are many, many rules and regulation. It is not that you compose anything and you become a poet. No. There are sufficient rules and regulation one has to follow. Then one can compose. Just like you see, there is meter:

tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ

munīnām amalātmanām

bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ

kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ

(SB 1.8.20)

There is meter. Every śloka, there is meter. So even it is not written to the standard meter, and sometimes there are broken, so still, because there is glorification of the Supreme Lord . . . nāmāny anantasya. Ananta is the Supreme, Unlimited. His names are there. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja accepted. If anantasya, of the ananta, the Supreme, the name is there—"Kṛṣṇa," "Nārāyaṇa," "Caitanya," like that—so śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ. Sādhavaḥ means those who are saintly person. Such kind of literature, although it is written in broken language, they hear it. Hear it. Because there is glorification of the Lord.

So this is the system. Some way or other, we should be attached to Kṛṣṇa. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha (BG 7.1). That is our only business, how we can be . . . it doesn't matter, in broken language. Sometimes . . . there are many Sanskrit, I mean to say, not properly pronounced. Just like we do. We are not very expert. There are many expert Sanskrit pronouncers, the veda-mantra. And we are not so expert. But we try. We try. But the Kṛṣṇa name is there. Therefore it is sufficient. Therefore it is sufficient.

So Kṛṣṇa comes. What is the mission of Kṛṣṇa? That we were talking in this morning. What is the mission of Kṛṣṇa? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). This is the Kṛṣṇa's karma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). We come here, and Kṛṣṇa also comes here. So what is the difference? The difference is we are forced to come here by the laws of nature according to our karma. We do some activities, sinful or pious, mostly sinful. So we create another life, and we are forced to enter into such body. It may be now I am in the human form of body. Next life, according to my karma, I may be forced to enter into the dog's life, dog's body. So we are forced. There is no, I mean to say, choice. I cannot say nature that, "Do not put me into the dog's body. Kindly put me into the king's body." No. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). This decision will be taken by superior authority. You cannot dictate that, "I shall become like that." No, that is not possible. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa.

So we are forced to come here and suffer or enjoy the fruits of our last karma. That is one thing. But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Kṛṣṇa does not come, being forced by nature or for His karma. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). Kṛṣṇa says that He also works, karma, to show example, but He is not affected by the result of the karma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma . . . neither He has got any desire to work for something to gain something. He is full. Why He should try for gaining . . .? We work something. We work to gain something, to make some profit. But Kṛṣṇa hasn't got to do any profit. He is self-sufficient. Whatever He wants, immediately present: omnipotent, omniscient. Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do like that. Therefore why does He come? He has got a different mission. What is that? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. He says: "I come for this purpose: to rescue the sādhus, the devotees, and to cut down the demons." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).

So vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, this is not main business. For killing the demons, one cyclone wind is sufficient. If Kṛṣṇa orders Varuṇa that, "You make a heavy cyclone in this quarter," hundreds and thousands of demons will be killed within a second. So this is not the purpose for . . . He does not come for killing. But because killing business is another business, when He comes to protect the devotees, so He automatically, there are some demons, "Kill them also." Just like you go somewhere. Now, your not business to purchase something, but when you see, "Oh, it is nice. It is cheap price. All right, purchase it." So you did not go to a friend's place either to make some business, but when you see, sometimes you do that. Similarly, it is not Kṛṣṇa's business. That, Kṛṣṇa has got many, many agents. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44).

This durgā power is there. You have seen the picture of Durgā. She has got ten hands and different types of weapons. Now the Durgā-pūjā will be performed. You can see the Durgā deity. So ten hands, the material nature. Ten hands means ten direction: north, south, east, west, and then the four corners, eight, and up and down. So ten directions. So this material nature, Durgā, is controlling the whole universe, ten direction. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā (Bs. 5.44). Ekā. Chāyeva. But how she is working? Not independently. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva. She is working just like shadow. The original body and the shadow body, they are two different. But the shadow body moves if the original moves. So therefore this word is used, chāyeva. This vast power, material nature . . . it is a very powerful . . . sṛṣṭi-sthiti. It can create, it can destroy. At any moment if there is some earthquake, the whole sea water may come and cover the land portion, and within the sea you can see one island has come out. Everyone has got this experience. So sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya. One side, pralaya; one side, creation. So this can be done by the material nature. But how she is working? She is working under the direction of somebody else. That is Govinda. And Govinda also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10): "She is working under My direction."

So . . . so far killing or destroying is concerned, that Durgā power, Kṛṣṇa's power, that is sufficient. That is sufficient. He doesn't require to come to kill the demons. She is engaged. You have seen that Durgā is killing the demon, that asura. You have seen the Durgā's picture? The asura is there and the lion is there, and she has taken a bunch of hair of the asura, and the trident is pushed on his chest, and the lion has captured him. So he is overpowered. So the asura is overpowered, but if the asura makes more attempt to save himself, then there are . . . only two hands are engaged of Durgā to kill the asura—one catching his hair and one the tri-śūla. Only two hands are engaged. But if he shows more power, then there are eight hands more, reserved with different types of weapons. So you cannot overcome the ruling, or the control, of the material nature. That is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). So asura, to kill the asuras, however powerful they may be . . . we have seen. There were so many asuras in this world. There were Lenin, there were Stalin, there were Hitler, there were Hiraṇyakaśipu. So many. But they could not survive. It is not possible. They'll be finished.

So asuras, to kill him . . . paritrāṇāya sādhūn . . . vināśāya . . . to kill the duṣkṛtām, this asuras, Kṛṣṇa does not require to come. He comes only to give protection and pleasure to the devotees. That is His aim. Therefore it is said that paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām. For them, bhakti-yoga-vidhānārtham—for increase their bhakti-yoga. If you are a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, you are in distress by the demons, and if Kṛṣṇa saves you, then you become more, "More I am devotee. More I am devotee." You see. So Kṛṣṇa came so many times. Just like His devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja was in trouble by his father. So He came. Similarly, Vasudeva and Devakī was in trouble by Kaṁsa, therefore He came. So paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). They are sādhus, they are devotee. For them He comes. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. So why He's interested to save him? Now, bhakti-yoga-vidhānārtham, to show to the people that bhakti-yoga is so strong, so nice, that it will protect you from all kinds of dangers. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad . . . svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. If you execute a little of bhakti-yoga, you can be saved from the greatest danger. Bhakti yoga is so nice. Buddhi-yogam imaṁ śṛṇu. These are discussed.

So bhakti-yoga means that no more interested in the material affairs. Bhakti, that is the bhakti-yoga. But he is only interested in Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti-yoga. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āś . . . nothing except Kṛṣṇa.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

(Brs. 1.1.11)

So here Kṛṣṇa comes to teach bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam . . . (BG 18.66). That is bhakti-yoga. When we do not want anything except Kṛṣṇa, that is bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ. Kuntī appeared to be as woman. So woman generally, they are not interested in spiritual matter. That is the fact. Therefore, if they are somehow or other interested . . . that is also accepted. Kṛṣṇa says, striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim (BG 9.32). Striyo vaiśyās . . . these three names, why He has taken specifically? So women, they are not very much interested. Generally. Maybe a special woman. But they are . . . otherwise, they sometimes become devotee. Devotee . . . therefore Kṛṣṇa says, te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. As soon as they become devotees, they also promoted. But generally, they are not interested. The vaiśyas, the mercantile men, they are interested after money. The woman is interested after sense gratification. And śūdra means they are ignorant rascals. Therefore He has mentioned these three names, striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrāḥ. But even they, although they are not interested, even they become interested, te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. Not that even though they become interested, they keep behind. No. On the . . . with the equal force with men, they also promoted.

So Kuntī, out of her humbleness, meekness, she is presenting herself that, "We are woman, striya." But she's not ordinary woman; she's devotee. Similarly, any devotee woman is as good as Kuntī. So out of humbleness, she says, presenting herself as woman, less intelligent, "How we can see You, Kṛṣṇa? You are meant for the paramahaṁsa. You are meant for the bhakti-yogī. You are meant for the great muni. You are so many things . . . you are meant for persons whose heart is cleansed. How we can see You? We are woman." That is her humbleness. She knows perfectly well what Kṛṣṇa is.

So following her footstep, any woman can also understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is ready to be understood by anyone. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ . . . (BG 9.32). Simply we have to follow the path how to appreciate Kṛṣṇa, how to understand Kṛṣṇa, how to see Kṛṣṇa, how to talk with Him, how to walk with Him. These things are there. That is called bhakti-yoga. Where you learn this science of bhakti-yoga—that we have mentioned, Nectar of Devotion, the perfect science of bhakti-yoga. So if one is interested in seeing Kṛṣṇa, then there is no hindrance, there is no block. Anyone. Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. (BG 9.32)

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)