760706 - Lecture CC Madhya 20.101 - Washington D.C.

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

760706CC-WASHINGTON DC - July 06, 1976 - 26.29 Minutes

Pradyumna: . . . te vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting, etc.)

kṛpā kari' yadi more kariyācha uddhāra

āpana-kṛpāte kaha 'kartavya' āmāra

(CC Madhya 20.101)

Translation: (02:11) "Out of Your causeless mercy, You have delivered me from the materialistic path. Now, by the same causeless mercy, please tell me what my duty is."

Prabhupāda:

kṛpā kari' yadi more kariyācha uddhāra

āpana-kṛpāte kaha 'kartavya' āmāra

(CC Madhya 20.101)

So service of Kṛṣṇa is not idleness. There are different methods of spiritual realization, especially jñāna and yoga. That is all right. But actual process of self-realization is service. If you speculate to know about God . . . you can do so, but after knowing God, if you do not know what God desires you to do, then such kind of knowledge is simply waste of time. That is, you may . . . of course, that is not real knowledge. Real knowledge is to—that will be explained—to be induced to give some service to the Lord. In the beginning, this is called śānta-rasa, to understand the greatness of God: "God is great."

So we can discuss about the greatness of God, but next stage is that "God is so great, why not let me render some service unto the Supreme, the great?" That is one step forward. Simply to know "God is great, and I am engaged in my own occupational duty," there is no symptom of love. Symptom of love means when one is eager to render some service to the beloved. That is love. Simply I love you and you love me, formality, but there is no service, that is not real love. Real love begins, as it is stated in the śāstra, dadāti pratigṛhṇāti, to give something to the lover, to the beloved, and to take something. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate (Upadeśāmṛta 4): to accept some eatables from your beloved, and offer him something for eating. Bhuṅkte bhojayate. Guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. And you disclose your mind—there is no secrecy between the lover and the beloved—and the other party also discloses. In this way, love becomes manifest. And our business in this human life, as recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, premā pumartho mahān. The highest achievement of life is to be situated on the loving platform with God. That is the highest perfection.

We are, in the material world, we are also busy loving somebody. That is our whole business. Unless one has got family affection, love for wife, children, he cannot work. That is the impetus for economic development. It is admitted by big, big economists. A family man is responsible. Because he has got responsibility to maintain the wife, children, therefore he works hard. That is impetus. So love is there. Unless there is love, you cannot work. That is not possible. So this is material way of life. So from the morning till night,

śīta ātapa bāta variṣaṇa

e dina jāminī jāgi re

viphale sevinu, kṛpaṇa durajana

capala sukha-laba lāgi' re

There is a song, the devotee is singing that śīta ātapa bāta variṣaṇa. Śīta means severe cold, winter season, snow falling. That is called śīta. And scorching heat. You have no experience of scorching heat. In India we have got 110 degree, 20 degree, and I think Middle East, there is 35 degree, 135. Here you have got less 50 degree in winter. So some way or other there is always trouble. This material world means we must suffer trouble. Either scorching heat or pinching cold or blast or adhidaivika, adhyātmika. These things should be discussed. But still we go to work. Why? Only for love. That is the only cause. I love my children, I love my wife, or I love my country, my society. Love is there. But this love is not giving me satisfaction. We are disappointed. As I, yesterday, I cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi. For his country's love he did so much. He wanted Hindu-Muslim unity, and he wanted nonviolence. In this way he was organizing. But the world is so ungrateful that instead of unity of Hindu-Muslim, in India we experienced complete partition, Hindustan and Pakistan. So he was baffled. And so far nonviolence is concerned, he was killed by violence. So he died very disappointed.

To everyone . . . this is giving the best example, typical example. Everyone, we are attached to the love of this material world, but we are all disappointed. From everyone's experience, you will find. Everyone is disappointed. Both sides, the lover and the beloved, both sides. You have got very good experience in this country. They marry, again they are divorced, because disappointed. So this is going on. Therefore our love has to be reposed to Kṛṣṇa. That is the recommendation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, premā pumartho mahān. Pumartho. We want some achievement in this life. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Achieve love of Godhead. That is the best . . . (indistinct) . . ." Premā pumartho mahān. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose, how we can develop our love for Kṛṣṇa. The love is already there, but it is misplaced. Misplaced. Somebody is loving somebody, somebody is loving somebody, but it is misplaced. Real love, if it is executed for the service of the Lord, then our life is successful.

So this Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was minister, he was not ordinary person. Very intelligent. So . . . not that now he has retired, he has nothing to do. He does not ask, "Please give me instruction how I shall sit down idly and meditate and sleep, snoring." He does not say. He said that āpana-kṛpāte kaha 'kartavya' āmāra. Something tangible to be done. Not that this so-called meditation. Meditation will automatically be there. If you do, if you sacrifice your life for serving Kṛṣṇa, you will always remember Kṛṣṇa. You will always remember Kṛṣṇa. Just like you are taking so much trouble, going place to place to give one book to somebody. Why? Because you love Kṛṣṇa, and you are thinking if this gentleman takes one book, never mind, small or big, he'll read at least one page about Kṛṣṇa. So you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That is meditation. Not that simply sit down at a place. The real meditation is how to think of Kṛṣṇa. That is real meditation. I am thinking of some light or some sky, like that—they are not meditation; they have manufactured now. Because they have no connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so they think these are the meditation—some light, some sky, some vacant. No. Some tangible thing, we should be always. That tangible thing is Kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, Kṛṣṇa's activities, Kṛṣṇa's desire, how to fulfill it, that is wanted. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So Sanātana Gosvāmī is begging. You know Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was instructed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu for two months. And he was given responsibility to go to Vṛndāvana and develop Vṛndāvana. Before Sanātana Gosvāmī went there, it was field. Because Kṛṣṇa's līlā was there. For five thousand years it became a vacant field only. Nobody knew where is Vṛndāvana. It is Sanātana Gosvāmī, he went there and he excavated. He constructed the first temple in Vṛndāvana, Madana-Mohana temple. You have seen who have gone to Vṛndāvana. So these responsibilities he took after listening Him continually for two months. This is Sanātana śikṣā we are studying. This is required. This is required. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, the perfect meditation, perfect yogī, is he who always thinks of Kṛṣṇa.

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

He is first-class yogī. Who? "Who is always thinking of Me," Kṛṣṇa says. Always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Always thinking, "How I shall preach Kṛṣṇa's words, Kṛṣṇa's message?" The Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission and Kṛṣṇa's mission is the same. Only the difference is that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He's ordering. Because He's God, He has the position to order you, everyone. Everyone is servant, and He is the supreme master; therefore He is ordering, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So you give up all other occupational duties, simply engage yourself to serve Him. This is His order. But people misunderstood it because they are not trained up. Therefore Kṛṣṇa again came as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to distribute Kṛṣṇa.

namo mahā-vadānyāya

kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te

kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-

nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

(CC Madhya 19.53)

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says the same thing, yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). He does not say, "I have manufactured something. You take it." No. He said you take up seriously what Kṛṣṇa has said, yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa.

So every ācārya . . . Sanātana Gosvāmī is ācārya, direct disciple of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is taking shelter. He has already taken; therefore he said, kṛpā kari' yadi more kariyācha uddhāra. He's already, he knows. Because he met Caitanya Mahāprabhu when he was minister, and he got the inspiration that "I must resign from this post, my ministership. I must join Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement," then that determination, he is already liberated. That determination. Therefore he says, "I know it is not very easy thing. I was minister, I was in a very good position." Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. He was minister. Naturally, his associates were very, very exalted person. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati, big, big leaders, big, big merchants, big, big industrialists or something like that; very, very big men. They are called maṇḍala-pati. One who has control over many people, he is called maṇḍala-pati. So who will have control unless he is very big man? So about these Gosvāmīs it is said, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. They gave up such position, exalted position, tucchavat: "Eh. Insignificant. What is this? There is no meaning of this." He was not madman, but he gave up. He understood that these exalted posts . . . they are hankering after, they are trying to capture the big, big post, materialistic persons, laboring so hard, spending so much money. And he already possessed that position, and out of his own, or the inspiration by Kṛṣṇa, he resigned it. The master, the Nawab Shah, was unwilling to give him release. He was not . . . he became very, very sorry, that "If Sanātana Gosvāmī resigns, then my empire will be ruined. I was so confident that he is managing. Now he's going to resign, the whole responsibility will be mine." So he became very much disturbed. He arrested him: "No, you cannot resign; then I'll keep you arrested." So many things happened. But still he resigned and he came to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Therefore he knows that to take away from this māyā's bondage, it is already Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy. Otherwise it was not possible. Therefore he said, kṛpā kari' yadi more kariyācha uddhāra (CC Madhya 20.101): "I know that it is due to Your mercy that I have been able to give up such position, māyā's position, as Your man. So now order me what is my duty." This is devotee, you see? Not that "Now I am free from family life, I have no responsibility. Now I shall take prasādam and sleep." No. That is not. (laughs) You must be hundred times more active than in your family life. That is devotional service. Of course, it is not pride, but take from example of my life. I was retired in Vṛndāvana, and at seventy years old I thought that it was to be done: "Nobody did it. Let me try." So I came to your country. Today is the tenth anniversary. (devotees cheer) So at least from material calculation, if I would not have taken that risk . . . when I was coming, my friends and others said, "This man is going to die." "Never mind," I thought. "Death will come. Let me try." So this activity must be there. That is the begging of Sanātana Gosvāmī, that he said, āpana-kṛpāte kaha 'kartavya' āmāra: "What shall I do?" Doesn't matter what is your age, young man or old man. You must execute the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, paramparā, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and your guru. That is real life of devotional service, to take some responsibility for working and execute it to your best capacity.

In this connection, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has explained in connection with the verse,

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir

ekeha kuru-nandana

bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca

buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām

(BG 2.41)

So in this connection, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura said that "My only duty is to execute the order of my spiritual master. I do not mind whether I am going to hell or going back to home. No. My only life and soul is to execute the order of my spiritual master." He has explained like that. So devotional service is great responsibility, to execute the order of the superior. Then our life is successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! (end)