760216 - Lecture SB 07.09.09 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

760216SB-MAYAPUR - February 16, 1976 - 31.12 Minutes

Śāstrījī: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (chants verse, with Prabhupāda and devotees repeating)

Dayānanda: (chants synonyms; devotees chant responsively)

manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas-

tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ

nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁso

bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya

(SB 7.9.9)

Translation: (02:58) "Prahlāda Mahārāja continued to offer his prayers as follows: I consider that a person who is possessed of all riches, born in an aristocratic family, by bodily luster and by beauty, by austerity, by education, by expert activities, by effulgence, by influence, by bodily strength, historical activities, intelligence and mystic yoga power, by all these qualifications, nobody can worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but simply by devotional service as it was done by Gajendra. Thus the Lord was satisfied upon him."

Prabhupāda:

manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas-

tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ

nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁso

bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya

(SB 7.9.9)

So bhagavad-bhakti is not dependent on any material possession. Material possession, the description is fully given here. If one is very rich, dhana, he cannot think that "I can become a devotee of the Lord," because Hiraṇyakaśipu possessed the riches of the whole universe, but he could not become a devotee. So this is misconception, that "Because I am very rich," "I am very beautiful," "I am very intelligent," "I am a great scholar," "I am very prestigious person," and so on, so on . . . there are so many things. But Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "No. Nothing of these items can help you to be promoted to the transcendental platform of devotional service. Nothing. Only bhakti." And Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). He never said that by karma, by jñāna, by yoga. Nothing. There are four things for elevation: karma, jñāna, yoga and, lastly, bhakti. Bhakti is the ultimate goal. Karma, you cannot become perfect if it is not mixed up with bhakti. That is called karma-yoga. Jñāna itself is useless unless it is added with bhakti. That is called jñāna-yoga. Similarly, haṭha-yoga . . . every yoga . . . everything is yoga: karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, haṭha-yoga. But yoga means connection, link-up with the Supreme. Then it is karma-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, jñāna-yoga. When this yoga becomes completely pure, then—without karma, without jñāna, without mystic power—that is called pure yoga.

So that pure yoga means love of Godhead: "Kṛṣṇa is my Lord; I am Kṛṣṇa's servant," this much understanding, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, so my life is for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore all my activities should be simply directed for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa." This is called pure yoga. And therefore Kṛṣṇa says that,

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gata antarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

There are many types of yogīs, but the yogī who is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare . . .

Devotees: . . . Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So they are first-class yogīs. Even they are . . . Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was first-class yogī because he was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa, and he was not afraid of his father's punishment, chastisement.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja analyzes that "These things cannot help you." If you think that "I am very rich man. I can purchase God . . ." Generally they think so, that by riches one can purchase God. Then dhana abhijana. Abhijana means aristocratic family, big connection with big, big men. That is called abhijana. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpa Gosvāmī was minister. So he was connected with very big, big family. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. This Rūpa Gosvāmī gave up this aristocratic position. Because he was minister, his connection with big, big zamindars, big, big businessmen, big, big Nawabs, he could not mix with ordinary men. But he gave up everything. The same example, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, abhijana—"These are useless." So Rūpa Gosvāmī gave example, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-sreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat (Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 4). Tucchavat: "Eh . . . it has no value, insignificant." Gave up. The same line . . . this is called disciplic succession. Many millions of years, the Prahlāda Mahārāja said that abhijana: "By these things you cannot achieve the platform of devotional service." And many, many millions of years after, so Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī also showed the same example, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-sreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. This is called paramparā system. Not that millions of years ago Prahlāda Mahārāja, what he did, that is now gone; now something new should be introduced. No, it cannot be changed even millions of years after. This is called paramparā system. Kṛṣṇa said, "Millions of years ago I spoke this Bhagavad-gītā yoga process to sun god." Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham (BG 4.1). The same aham, Kṛṣṇa, He spoke millions and trillions of years ago to sun god. So nothing new. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a new, manufactured method. No. It is the oldest.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja also, the same, same thing, abhijana, rūpa. Rūpa means personal beauty. "I am very beautiful that Kṛṣṇa will be attracted." Kṛṣṇa has many, many thousands of beautiful wives and friends. In Vṛndāvana He had many, many beautiful girlfriends, the gopīs. And in Dvārakā He had many, many beautiful queens, 16,108, count—Lakṣmīs. They are all goddess of fortune. That is Kṛṣṇa. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi (BS 5.29). Kṛṣṇa, He's not after beauty, but beauty is after Him. That is Kṛṣṇa. Not Kṛṣṇa is after beauty. The materialistic person, they think that Kṛṣṇa was so much fond of beautiful woman. No, no. That is not the fact. The beautiful women were after Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful . . . kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ (BS 5.30). Kandarpa. Kandarpa means Cupid. We have heard the name of Cupid, very beautiful, attractive. But He is kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya viśeṣa-śobhaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Kṛṣṇa does not want any beauty for His satisfaction. He's self-satisfied. But devotees, beautiful devotees, rich devotees, aristocratic devotees, perfect devotees, they are after. That is . . . He's self-satisfied. He doesn't require anything. These . . . just like when these foolish people read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and it is said that Kṛṣṇa had sixteen thousand wives, queens, so they think that an ordinary man, one who keeps more than one wife, he is considered to be very lusty. No, no. That is not the fact.

Kṛṣṇa . . . these sixteen thousand wives, how they became wives? You know the story, that many beautiful, sixteen thousand beautiful, I mean to say, king's daughters were kidnapped by the asura. What is the name of that asura? Bhaumāsura? No?

Devotee: Bhaumāsura

Prabhupāda: Yes. So they prayed to Kṛṣṇa that "We are suffering, kidnapped by this rascal. Please save us." So Kṛṣṇa came to rescue them, and the Bhaumāsura was killed and all the girls were made free. But after freedom they were still standing there. So Kṛṣṇa asked them, "Now you can go home to your father." They said that "We are kidnapped. We cannot be married." In India still that rule is there. If one girl, young girl, goes out of home for one day or two days, nobody will marry him. Nobody will marry him. He's considered to be spoiled. This is still the Indian system. So they were kidnapped for so many days or so many years, so they appealed to Kṛṣṇa that "We'll not be accepted either by our father, neither anybody will agree to marry." Then Kṛṣṇa understood that "Their position is very precarious. Although they are released, they cannot go anywhere." Then Kṛṣṇa . . . He's so kind, bhakta-vatsala. He inquired, "What you want?" That . . . they said that "You accept me; otherwise we have no other means to stay." Kṛṣṇa immediately: "Yes, come on." This is Kṛṣṇa.

And not that His sixteen thousand wives was concentrated in one camp. He immediately constructed sixteen thousand palaces. Because He has accepted as wife, he must be maintained as His wife, as His queen, not that "Because they have no other means, they have come to My shelter, I can keep them any way." No. Most respectfully as queen, as Kṛṣṇa's queen. And again He thought that "The sixteen thousand wives . . . so if I remain alone, one figure, then My wives cannot meet Me. Everyone has to wait for sixteen thousand days to see the husband. No." He expanded Himself into sixteen thousand Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa. The rascals, they accuse Kṛṣṇa as woman-hunter. It is not like you. You cannot maintain even one wife, but He maintained sixteen thousand wives, in sixteen thousand palaces, and in sixteen thousand expansion of form. Everyone was pleased. This is Kṛṣṇa. We have to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Don't try to imitate Kṛṣṇa. First of all try to understand Kṛṣṇa.

So then again, tapa. Yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyā na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat (BG 18.5). In the human society this is very essential, that one must perform yajña. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, dāna. Just like a brahmacārī, he must perform yajña. Then gṛhastha, he must give in charity. And who will give charity? Now they cannot maintain even family. And where is the question of charity? The gṛhastha must give in charity. Yajña, dāna and tapaḥ. And those who are vānaprastha and sannyāsī, they should practice tapasya, austerities. Yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyā na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat. Because you have taken sannyāsa, you cannot give up these things, yajña-dāna-tapaḥ. It must continue. You cannot say, "We have given up everything. We have given up these things also." No. Kṛṣṇa therefore said, yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyā pavanāni manīṣiṇām (BG 18.5). Even if you think that you have become very great saintly person, still, you cannot give up this yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyā.

So tapaḥ. And śruta. Śruta means education. Education means Vedic education, not this electrical education. No, that is not education. Nowadays they have taken education, technology as education. That is not education. If I become an expert electrician, that is not education. Education, paṇḍita, the Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, even in the lower stage of life, ordinary life, he said who is educated, paṇḍita. He said,

mātṛvat para-dāreṣu

para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat

ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu

yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ

(Cāṇakya-śloka 10)

This is education. Where is that education? Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu: all women mother. Where is that education? There is no education. Therefore in this age practically everyone is a mūḍha, not educated. He does not know how to look upon woman. Woman should be looked as mother. Still in India, a unknown woman should be addressed, "Mother." They have introduced now in the northern India, bahinjī. No, this was not the etiquette. "Mātājī." This is Indian culture, not bahinjī. This has been introduced now. No. Mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā (SB 9.19.17). Woman's connection with man is as mother, as sister or as daughter. No other relationship. This is Indian culture.

mātṛvat para-dāreṣu

para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat

ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu

yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ

(Cāṇakya-śloka 10)

This is culture. This is called śrauta.

And tejaḥ, ojasā. Ojasā means strength. Just like kṣatriya, they are tejaḥ. A kṣatriya cannot tolerate that a man is being tortured before him. No, he'll take immediately. Why man? Even animal. Even animal. Just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He saw that one cow was being attempted to be killed. Immediately he took his sword. And in the modern civilization, even in a city like New York, if a man is killed before one man, nobody will take care. Nobody will take care. Is it not? "Let him be killed. I am going in my own way." So this is not civilization. There is no brāhmaṇa. There is no kṣatriya. There is no vaiśya. Simply all śūdras. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. So you cannot be happy under the government of the śūdras. That is not possible. Must be tejaḥ. Government must be very, very powerful. Even, say, not more than hundred years ago, the Kashmir king was so powerful that there was no stealing in the state, on the whole state. There was no stealing. There was no thief. That is government. In the . . . at night I have to become concerned that thief may come, a burglar may come, so . . . that is not the government. One should lie down very freely: "The government is there." That is called tejaḥ, kṣatriya.

Tejaḥ, then prabhāva, influence, and bala, bodily strength. Pauruṣa. Pauruṣa means one who has achieved many wonderful things. They are called pauruṣa. So nowadays there are many persons who are very . . . they have done so-called achievement. Just like this atom bomb. It is also atom bomb, but what for, this purpose? The purpose is to kill. That is not prabhāva. Prabhāva means to do good to others, influence. Prabhāva, pauruṣa and buddhi, intelligence. So buddhi means not how to cheat you. That is not buddhi. Buddhi means to know what is your problem of life and endeavor for solving this problem. This is called buddhi. Therefore bhakti-yoga is known as buddhi-yoga. Buddhi-yoga. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find this word buddhi-yoga. What is that buddhi-yoga? Buddhi-yoga means yena mām upayānti te, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam (BG 10.10). That is buddhi-yoga.

Intelligence means to know how to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is intelligence, not that intelligence how to cheat you, how to get some money, hook and crook. That is not intelligence. That intelligence I see I was . . . Hari-śauri, I was explaining that, that even ant, a small ant, as soon as there is a drop of sugar juice, immediately, within a second, hundreds of ants will come: "Here is a drop of sugar juice." This is nature's study. This kind of buddhi-yoga or buddhi, intelligence—how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex and how to defend—even in the ant there, this buddhi-yoga is there. That is not buddhi-yoga. To endeavor too much for the āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca (Hitopadeśa), that is not considered buddhi. That buddhi, intelligence, is there even in the ant, a small ant. The real buddhi-yoga is how to be engaged in devotional service of the Lord. That is buddhi-yoga. How to become first-class devotee of Kṛṣṇa, that is called buddhi-yoga. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te. That is buddhi-yoga. How to go back to home, back to Godhead, that is buddhi.

So this ordinary buddhi will not . . . everyone has got intelligence. Even the ant has got intelligence. We study sometime: the sparrow, he has got intelligence. But the perfect intelligence is there when one is in bhakti-yoga, is searching after athāto brahma jijñāsā (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.1). When one is searching after the Absolute Truth, that is buddhi-yoga. Buddhi-yoga. Here is also yoga. Na ārādhanāya. This ordinary material buddhi, material wealth, material beauty, these things are not competent to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Na ārādhanāya. Nārādhanāya bhavanti: "These are useless."

So don't be disappointed that "Because I am poor, I cannot become devotee." Everyone can become devotee, ā-bāla-vṛddha-vāṇītaḥ (SB 10.16.15). Even the children. Just see how the children, they are dancing, they are chanting, they are offering obeisances. That is bhakti-yoga. Apratihatā. "Because they are children, they cannot become a devotee"—it is not that, the fact. Everyone can become devotee, provided he is properly guided. That is required.

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

ahaituky apratihatā

yena ātmā samprasīdati

(SB 1.2.6)

So gaja-yūtha-pāya. Here it is . . . even the elephant, he also become a great devotee. Even a monkey, Hanumānjī, he became a great devotee. He's not even human. So therefore bhakti is apratihatā. It cannot be checked in any condition. In any condition you become bhakta - simply if you learn from the authorities how to do it. That greatest authority is Kṛṣṇa. He says, "I'll give you intelligence," buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. "I'll give you." How? Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). If one is working under the direction of the spiritual master with love and faith, then Kṛṣṇa from within, as caitya-guru, the guru within the heart, He'll help you, and He'll send you bona fide guru to help you externally. So both ways you'll be helped, and you'll become Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)