741112 - Lecture SB 03.25.12 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

741112SB-BOMBAY - November 12, 1974 - 38:05 Minutes

(sound of fireworks in background)

Nitāi: (leads chanting of verse, etc.) (devotees repeat)

maitreya uvāca

iti sva-mātur niravadyam īpsitaṁ

niśamya puṁsām apavarga-vardhanam

dhiyābhinandyātmavatāṁ satāṁ gatir

babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śobhitānanaḥ

(SB 3.25.12)

(break)

"After hearing of His mother's uncontaminated desire for transcendental realization, the Lord thanked her within Himself for her questions, and thus, His face smiling, He explained the path of the transcendentalists, who are interested in self-realization."

Prabhupāda:

iti sva-mātur niravadyam īpsitaṁ

niśamya puṁsām apavarga-vardhanam

dhiyābhinandyātmavatāṁ satāṁ gatir

babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śobhitānanaḥ

(SB 3.25.12)

So transcendentalists, those who are advanced in spiritual life, when they hear some question from persons to understand about spiritual life, they become very happy. Those who are transcendentalist, they are not interested in these worldly talks. That is very disgusting to them. They avoid such company who talks nonsense about these worldly affairs. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised His disciples, grāmya-kathā nā kahibe (CC Antya 6.236). Grāmya-kathā. Grāmya means pertaining to the village, society, neighborhood. People are interested in talking the grāmya-kathā. Grāma, from grāma, grāmya. Just like the newspaper. This newspaper is full of grāmya-kathā. There is no spiritual understanding. The whole newspaper . . . here we have got four, five, ten pages newspaper, and in USA they have got bunch, one load of newspaper, full of grāmya-kathā. There was an estimation that the New York Times required, to publish one day's publication, to kill so many trees. Because the paper is now in scarcity. Why? Because they're killing the trees and making this grāmya-kathā newspaper, bunch of. Useless. They are making profit.

Na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśaḥ. The devotees, bhāgavata, they say, na yad vacaś citra-padam (SB 1.5.10). Very nicely spoken, figuratively, metaphorically, ornamentally, citra-padam. Na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśaḥ pragṛṇīta karhicit. But there is no sense of kṛṣṇa-kathā. There are two kinds of kathās: grāmya-kathā and kṛṣṇa-kathā. So any literature which is very nicely presented from literary point of view, metaphorically, figuratively, but there is no glorification of the Supreme Lord—na tad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo na pragṛṇīta karhicit, tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasāḥ (SB 1.5.10)—that is like the place for pleasure of the crows. Even in the birds' society there are crows and there are swans. You'll find the crows are interested in a place where filthy things are thrown out, all nasty things are thrown out. The crows will come and they will enjoy there. By nature. But the swans will not come. The white swans, they'll require very nice, clear water, with lotus flower in a garden, and birds are chirping. They're interested there. Similarly, there are men crowslike, and there are men swanlike. That is nature's division.

So na tad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo pragṛṇīta karhicit, tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasāḥ. Mānasāḥ means those who live in the mānasa-sarovara. In Bombay I don't find any such place, but even in Western countries, especially in London, there are many nice parks, very clear water. And in America also. Wherever these Europeans have settled. In Sydney, Australia, there are many nice parks with water. Formerly, in India also, in old Dvārakā, Mathurā, the parks were there. Parks are necessary for cleansing the mind. So the fact is that as there are classes of birds which are called crows and there are classes of birds which are called swans, white swans . . . "Birds of the same feather flock together." That is an English proverb. The crows will mix with crows, and the swans will mix with swans. Therefore the devotees are swans, and the most advanced devotee is called haṁsa, paramahaṁsa. Paramahaṁsa. So those who are haṁsas, they are not interested in the matter for the crows. Therefore a haṁsa, a paramahaṁsa, when he hears a question from a person about transcendental, uttamam, śreya uttamam . . . tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreyam uttamam (SB 11.3.21), a person who is interested to enquire about the transcendental subject matter, kṛṣṇa-kathā, then the person who is questioned, he becomes very glad.

Therefore Kapiladeva, when she . . . when He heard from His mother so many nice questions, "How to be delivered from this material bondage, envelopment?" . . . sammoha.

atha me deva sammoham

apākraṣṭuṁ tvam arhasi

yo 'vagraho 'haṁ mametīty

etasmin yojitas tvayā

(SB 3.25.10)

This verse we have discussed. "I have taken shelter unto You . . ." This is the process. The mother is not ordering the son. It doesn't matter whether he is son or somebody else; when one is interested in uttama . . . tasmād jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Śreya and preya, there are two things. Śreya and preya. Just like children, they like to play. That is called preya, preya. Very nice. But śreya means go to school and take education for future improvement of life. That is called śreya. So human being should be interested in śreya, not in preya. That is not human life. Preya means immediately gives me some sense pleasure, "Oh, it is very nice." No. That is human life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. We require these things. We require to eat something for maintaining the body. But not that we shall be accustomed to eat very palatable things. No. That is not good. Bhāla nā khāibe bhāla nā paribe (CC Antya 6.236). Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised His disciples, "Never eat very palatable foodstuff. Never talk these village talks." Ordinary novel, literature, newspaper, He forbade.

Fortunately, in our Society there is no newspaper. You may be surprised that, "How is that, in modern age, especially these Europeans and Americans, they do not take any interest in newspaper?" In their country, if one does not get newspaper, it is horrible. It is horrible. Newspaper is so popular in the Western countries. There are so many newspapers, and each newspaper is publishing three, four times editions. But they are selling. But you'll find that these boys, these Americans boys who have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they have kicked out newspaper. No more newspaper. Because there is no kṛṣṇa-kathā, they don't like to read it. This is called bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). This is the test. We do not know what is the happening daily. It is . . . it does not matter, newspaper. It is a waste of time. Better that time read some literature like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. You'll be benefited. Why you should waste the valuable time of your life?

So Kapiladeva was very glad. Iti sva-mātur niravadyam īpsitam. The mother, when He saw the mother is interested only for spiritual advancement . . . Niravadya. Niravadya, uncontaminated. Avadya. Niravadya, īpsitaṁ niśamya, "after hearing the question . . ." What, what sort of question? Puṁsām apavarga-vardhanam. To answer to this question means "One who will hear these answers which I shall give, that is very, very congenial for liberation." Apavarga. This material world is called pavarga, and to nullify it is called apavarga. Pa and . . . pavarga means pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. This is called pa-varga. In the letter arrangement, there is ka-varga, ca-varga, ṭa-varga, ta-varga . . . five vargas. And pa-varga. The material life is called pa-varga. Pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. Pa means pariśrama, simply laboring. And so much labor, now pha, there is phena, foam. You'll find in the horses, hard labor, there is foam. We have sometimes foam, dry throat. That is pha. Pa, pha, ba. Ba means . . . bha means bhaya, and ba means vyartha. Vyarthav means futile. Why they are laboring so much? Big, big men, they have no time. Big, big businessmen . . . I have seen in New York, big, big businessman, no time even to eat. Simply eating a dry bread and cup of tea. But he is working very hard, day and night. Pa-varga, pha-varga and ba-varga. Ba-varga means . . . ba means vyarthatā. And bha means always fearful, bhaya. In this way, pa, pha, bha and ma. Ma means maraṇa, mṛtyu. Finish. Pa to ma. Pa means beginning with pariśrama, and ma means mṛtyu. So this is material life, pavarga. So if you want to nullify this, that is called apavarga.

So here it is called apavarga-vardhanam: how to increase interest in liberation. People have become so dull, they do not understand what is the meaning of liberation. They do not understand. Just like animal. He . . . if an animal is informed that, "There is liberation," what he will understand? He will not understand. It is not possible for him. Similarly, at the present moment, the human society has become exactly like animals. They do not know what is meaning of apavarga or liberation. They do not know. But time was there when people understood that this human life is meant for apavarga. Apavarga—to cease from the business of pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. That is called apavarga-vardhanam. So the questions made by Devahūti and the answers, which will be given by Kapiladeva, that is apavarga-vardhanam. That is wanted. This is the instruction of the whole Vedas. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ (SB 1.5.18). For apavarga everyone would try. Everyone should try his best. "And what about my maintenance?" To maintenance, the śāstra never gives any stress that, "You try for maintenance." The śāstra says: "It will come. It is already there. It will come." But we have no such faith that, "God is given . . . giving food to the animals, to the birds, to the beasts, to the trees, everyone, and why He shall not give me? Let me engage my time for apavarga." They have no faith. They have no such education. Therefore good association required. Not the crows' association, but swans' association. Then this sense comes.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means they are creating a society of swans, not of crows. Not of crows. The crows are not interested. They are interested in that left-out, I mean to say, garbage. They are interested. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām. Just like we throw away . . . after eating, we throw away the leaf. There are some remnants of foodstuff, and the crows come, the dogs come. They are interested. They will not say . . . a sane man will not go there. But these crows and dogs will go there. So this world is like that. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām. Chewing the chewed. Just like you chew one sugarcane and throw it on the street. But if somebody comes again to chew it, then he's a fool. He must know, "The juice has been taken away from that sugarcane. What shall I get by chewing?" But there are animals like that. They want to chew again.

So our this material society means chewing the chewed. A father gives education to his son to earning livelihood, gets him married and settles him, but he knows that "This kind of business, earning money and marrying, begetting children, I have done, but I am not satisfied. So why I am engaging my son in this business?" This is called chewing the chewed. Chewing the same thing. "I have not been satisfied with this business, but why I am engaging my son also?" The real father is he who does not allow his son to taste the chewing the chewed. That is real father. Pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum (SB 5.5.18). This is real contraceptive. A father . . . a man should not desire to become a father, a woman should not desire to become a mother, unless they are fit to save the children from the impending clutches of death. That is the duty of father and mother.

And how one can be saved? The saved means if the father and mother together gives education to the son about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he can be saved. The father's, mother's duty is . . . the same, apavarga-vartmani. Apavarga-vartmani: to give education in such a way that no more pavarga. No more pariśrama, no more phena, no more bhaya, no more vyarthatā, no more maraṇa. That is called apavarga-vardhanam. This is here real human life—human society cultivating knowledge in such a way that apavarga-vardhanam, gradually we are going forward for liberation. That is human civilization. Otherwise it is cats' and dogs' civilization. The same thing: punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Again eating, mating, sleeping . . . that's all. Fearing and dying. This is general process. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Eating, sleeping and sex life, and defending and dying. So this is . . . under these regulations the dogs and cats are there.

But the human life is meant for other purposes besides this. Of course, we have got this body, we have to maintain it. It is not that we should neglect. In our Society we don't advise that you should neglect your body. But don't unnecessarily be engaged simply for maintaining the body.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

Janeṣv abhijñeṣu. Just like we are reading this literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They are very abhijña. Kapiladeva . . . Devahūti is asking from Kapiladeva because He's abhijña, He knows very well how to liberate. So people who are not interested, janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ . . . the animals are not int . . . here, in this temple, the human being are expected to come here, not the animals. Cats and dogs, they cannot come here. So anyone who does not take advantage of the instruction of abhijñaḥ, they are simply cats and dogs. They are not human being.

Here we have got, in India especially, so nice literature, Vedic literature. Essence of Vedic literature—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam (SB 1.1.3). It is recommended that nigama means Vedas. Nigama is compared with a tree. Nigama-kalpa-taru. Kalpa-taru means desire tree. From the Vedas you can take all kinds of education, knowledge. Therefore it is called kalpa-taru. So as of the tree there are fruits and ripened fruit . . . just like mango tree. There are fruits, green mango and ripened mango. The ripened mango is very interesting. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the ripened mango of the desire tree of Vedic knowledge. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ śuka-mukhāt. And everyone knows that the . . . if the ripe fruit in the tree is tasted by the parrot, it becomes twice tasteful. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī, śuka-pakṣī. Śuka means parrot. He's speaking. Śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam, pibata bhuvi bhāvukāḥ rasam ālayam (SB 1.1.3). These are the recommendation. So people are not interested. It is a great regret, matter of regret, that in India, where these literatures are available, where the sages and saintly persons left for us such nice literature, vidyā-bhāgavatāvadhi, the limit of all education, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they are not interested. They are interested in some other, Marx literatures, Karl Marx literature, not Bhāgavatam. This is the India's misfortune.

So anyway, if somebody's interested, it is his fortune, because such kind of instruction as they are available in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā, they are apavarga-vardhanam, apavarga-vardhanam. Niśamya puṁsām avaparga-vardhanam. Puṁsām, for the people in general. Apavarga-vardhanam, dhiyā . . . dhiyā abhinandya. When actually a person advanced in spiritual knowledge, somebody comes to him to enquire . . . because it is the system. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Tad-vijñānārthaṁ gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is the instruction. So when a person comes to a transcendentalist to inquire about śreya uttamam—uttamam means transcendental subject matter—he becomes very happy. He becomes very happy. One who hears very attentively about the spiritual subject matter, the spiritual master becomes very happy. So Kapiladeva became very happy by seeing His mother so eager to understand about the spiritual subject matter. Therefore, dhiyā abhinandya, thanked her, "O My dear mother, thank you very much. You are so interested in the subject matter." Because people are not interested. But when He saw that the family, head of the family, His mother, was interested, He became very happy, and therefore abhinandya, thanked her, "Yes, thank you, mother." Why? Now, ātmavatāṁ satāṁ gatiḥ: "You are asking the subject matter to know from Me which is approved by the ātmavatām."

Ātmavatām means self-realized person. Self-realized . . . without self-realized person, nobody can inquire about uttamam, śreya uttamam. Everyone is interested the immediate pleasing things. Immediate pleasing things. "I want to taste something which is very tasteful to my tongue. Never mind whether it is not eatable or eatable . . ." Just like hogs and pigs, they have got a taste to eat stool, and they like it. They like it, immediately. Everyone have, I think, in India, they have got experience. When they go to pass stool in the field, the hog is waiting to taste. They are so much addicted. Similarly, we have become to taste anything and everything, like hog. There is no discrimination. There is no restriction. Because they have no tapasya. Tapasya, when you are engaged . . . and this subject matter, spiritual realization, means tapasya. Tapasya. But it has been made easy by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Very easy. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam, paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12). Little tapasya. Just spare little time and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This much tapasya, we are not ready. Etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is more interested to get us in the apavarga-vartmani, in the path of liberation. And He has given very simple method: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Still . . . nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. And to practice this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, there is no hard-and-fast rule. Niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. Any time suitable you can chant, and you get perfection. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. This much little trouble, austerity, or whatever you call. But we have no interest. Being contaminated by this material . . . this Kali-yuga . . . etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam, misfortune, durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ. "I have no attraction."

So therefore Kapiladeva or His representative, when he sees somebody is little interested, he becomes very glad and thanks him, "Thank you very much." Because people are not interested. So Kapiladeva, when He saw His mother interested, He thanked within. Not openly, but within the mind, "Thank you, mother. You are so interested." So dhiyā abhinandya ātmavatāṁ satāṁ gatiḥ. The process, the questions which she put, that is ātmavatāṁ satām. Not ordinary persons. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ (SB 3.25.25). Kṛṣṇa-kathā becomes interesting in the association of satām ātmavatām, those who are interested in self-realization, those who are devotees. Satām means devotees. Ātmavatāṁ satāṁ gatiḥ: their path. Then He begin . . . babhāṣa. He began to talk. And because He was very glad, īṣat-smita, smiling: "Thank you, mother. You are so much interested. So I shall speak." And because He is incarnation of God, Kapiladeva, naturally, young boy, He . . . śobhita ānanaḥ. His face became very beautiful. To answer this question, He became very beautiful. Naturally He's beautiful, and when He smiled, being very much pleased with the question of mother, He became very much beautiful. Śobhitānana.

So similarly, Kṛṣṇa also becomes very . . . Kṛṣṇa and Kapiladeva, no difference. So Kṛṣṇa also becomes very beautiful. He's already beautiful, but when a devotee serves Him, a devotee comes to Him, He also becomes very beautiful. A devotee, when with his heart and soul, serves Kṛṣṇa in dressing Him, in feeding Him, in giving Him flower, He becomes smiling. And if you can get Kṛṣṇa once smiling upon you, your life is fulfilled.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. Haribol. (end)