Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.5

Delhi, Nov. 8, 1973

Audio for this lecture: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/731108sbdel/
Prabhupada Radio: https://prabhupadaradio.com

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

tasmād bhārata sarvātmā
bhagavān īśvaro hariḥ
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca
smartavyaś cecchatābhayam
[SB 2.1.5]

Prabhupāda: [indistinct]

tasmāt---for this reason; bhārata---O descendant of Bharata; sarvātmā---the Supersoul; bhagavān---the Supreme Personality of Godhead; īśvaraḥ---the controller; hariḥ---the Lord, who vanquishes all miseries; śrotavyaḥ---is to be heard; kīrtitavyaḥ---to be glorified; ca---also; smartavyaḥ---to be remembered; ca---and; icchatā---of one who desires; abhayam---freedom.

[03:18]

Translation = "O descendant of King Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries must hear, glorify and also remember the Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior from all miseries."

Prabhupāda:

tasmād bhārata sarvātmā
bhagavān īśvaro hariḥ
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca
smartavyaś cecchatābhayam
[SB 2.1.5]

Icchatā abhayam. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is giving instruction to Mahārāja Parīkṣit what is to be done at the point of death. We have already discussed this point, that we must know the responsibility of our next life. Just like a child is given education for the next life, to become youthful, to get into higher education, admission. Then a youth is given higher education for better life in future. That is natural. Everyone is expecting future prospect. Similarly we, every one of us, we are changing our body exactly the same way as the child is changing his body to boyhood, the boy is changing his body to youthhood, the youth is changing his body to old body. Similarly, after old age, there is next stage is death.

So after death, what is the proposal? That they do not know. And practically we are experiencing that although I am changing body---I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man, now I am old man---so there was past and future in every stage. Similarly, in this stage as I am remembering my past life---I can remember, you can remember---I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man; I was doing like this. Everything I remember. Even if I forget, I had my past life, and again I expect my future life. Past, present and future. Why the future should be zero? We have experienced so long, both past, present and future. Why in this old age I shall be future-less, void, there is no life after death? That is the foolishness. That we are not preparing.

Those who are not preparing, they are engaged in various topics.

śrotavyādīni rājendra
nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ
apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām
[SB 2.1.2]

They have created a life of material enjoyment, and therefore they have many things to hear, śrotavyādīni. So many newspaper, magazines, books, fictions, simply for wasting time. There is no discussion in those literatures about future life. None of these literature. Take any literature of the modern world, there is no discussion about the future life. But the future life is there. You cannot deny it. The future life is there. But there is no discussion.

Therefore these rascals have been described as apaśyatām ātma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2]. These rascal, they do not see what is the future. They do not believe in future. Big, big professors, big, big politicians, they do not believe even that there is life after death. And why there is no life after death? We are experiencing that life after life... Just like this child's activities at the present moment will not be the same when she will get another body as young woman. That will be different activity. So according to our change of body we have got different engagements. A child talks all foolish things; nobody cares for it. But the same child, when he gets another body, if he talks foolish, then he will be called, "Oh, you are so fool, you are talking like this." Because the body has changed.

So body is changing, that's a fact. But apaśyatām ātma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2], one who does not know that the spirit soul is eternal and changing body, they are blind, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam. They are simply engrossed in this bodily concept of life. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Compact, encaged in this body, encaged in society, encaged in nationalism, encaged in religion, encaged in ideas, philosophy. But there is no question of discussing about the soul. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam.

So for them, these foolish persons, those who are not seeing the actual position, constitutional position of the soul and the future of the soul, for them there are many topics, unlimited. Śrotavya, sahasrāni, hundreds and thousands. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ [SB 2.1.2]. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam. This śloka we have discussed. And what is their subject matter of discussion? The subject matter is that nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ [SB 2.1.3]. At night they sleep or indulge in sex life, and in daytime, divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā, and the daytime is wasted, "Where is money? Where is money." And if he gets money, "How to purchase this thing for that boy? How to purchase for my wife or for my brother?" Kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā. "Purchase this. Where is milk? Where is rice? Where is...?" In this way we are wasting time, although this human form of life is meant for Brahman realization. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. They have forgotten that. They have forgotten that.

Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī is reminding that... And they... Of course, at the end of life, at the time of death, one must do it. But not only at the end of life. One must practice from the beginning of life. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja said, kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha [SB 7.6.1]. This prescription given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī:

tasmād bhārata sarvātmā
bhagavān īśvaro hariḥ
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca
smartavyaś cecchatābhayam

This is bhāgavata-dharma. This is bhāgavata-dharma: everything in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dharma means bhāgavata-dharma. Otherwise that is not dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharma means to understand God, our relationship with God, and how to work in that relation. That is dharma. Sambandha, prayojana. Sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu prescribes this. The whole Vedic civilization is based on this, that you must know what is your relationship with God. It doesn't matter whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Buddhist. A civilized man must have some religious process. That is all over the world.

Now we are giving up. We are giving up. Everyone is giving up. Therefore dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ [Hitopadeśa]. Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ... When we give up the religious principle... Religious principle means to abide by the law of God. That is religion. But we do not know what is God and what is His order. We forget it. So at the present moment, dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ, it is a civilization of cats and dogs, not human being, because they have given up dharma.

But the śāstra says that this human life is meant for understanding God, nothing else. Other things are already arranged. You are harassed by the problems of eating, sleeping, mating, but there is no such question. Eating arrangement is there. Even the birds and bees, they are confident. They have no office-going, they are not lawyers, engineers, politicians, to earn their bread, but the bread is ready for them, even for the beast, birds, so they are confident. So this is not problem. Real problem is to understand God. And what will the benefit by understanding God? Then the problem of your birth, death, old age and disease will be solved. That is the real problem. We are undergoing repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. These problems can be solved simply by understanding what is God. This is the solution.

That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā = janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti... [Bg. 4.9]. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti. This is the solution. Janma karma me divyam. Kṛṣṇa says, God says, that "If you try to understand Me, what is My position, why I descend, what is My activity, what is..." That is described here, śrotavya. You have to understand. How you will understand? By hearing. God has given you the ear. If you simply hear, if you simply hear...

There is no question of education. It is not that one who is not educated, he will not understand what is God. He will understand, because the ear is there. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23] = Viṣṇu, of Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you hear. Therefore we are opening so many branches, just to give people the chance of hearing. And as soon as you perfectly hear, the next position will be to glorify. Just like these European, American boys = First of all they heard. Now they are preaching. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Because they have perfectly heard, therefore they are very enthusiastic. They are going all over the world. They are preaching.

And so śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca. If one has actually heard, known about God, then next stage will be he will be very much enthusiastic to speak to others. That is preaching. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyaḥ. Smartavya means remembering. Unless you remember what is God, what is His form, what is His quality, what is His pastimes, what are His activities, what are His entourage---everything about God---if you hear... Just like if you hear Bhagavad-gītā, you understand everything, what is God. And that is our only duty.

I have seen in this Delhi near Jawarmal Street, the small Muhammadan boys, they are reading Koran. That is very good. From childhood they should learn, learn about God. And that is recommendation in Bhāgavata. Prahlāda Mahārāja said that kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān [SB 7.6.1]. Kaumāra, from the beginning of life, children should be engaged. Therefore we have opened the Gurukula, Dallas. The small children, four years, five years old, they are hearing about Kṛṣṇa, about God. They are chanting about Kṛṣṇa, they are rising early in the morning, attending maṅgala-ārātrika. Anyone goes there... Even the education superintendent came to visit our temple, he was astonished that "How these children are happy. How children, they are being educated."

So this is to be introduced. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavat..., durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. This human form of life is durlabham. Durlabham, very rare to achieve. It is not so easily obtained. We have to pass through evolutionary process, 8,400,000 species of life, aquatics... Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati [Padma Purāṇa]. We have to pass through aquatics, animals in the water, then trees, plants, then insects, birds, beasts. After all, we get this human form of life, especially civilized form of life, with some idea of religion. If we do not utilize it... Religion means to understand God. That is religion. In religion, a godless religion, where there is no conception of God, that is not religion. That is called cheating religion = in the name of religion, but there is no conception of God. That is not religion.

Then here it is said that śrotavyaḥ bhagavān hariḥ. If you do not know who is Bhagavān, if you do not know who is Hari, if you do not know who is Īśvara, then what you will hear about Him? That is the problem. Those who are after God, they make God nirākāra. "There is no ākāra. There is no form." God is the origin of all forms, but the poor God has no form. Just see. This is the conclusion. He is the origin of all forms, yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante, from whom everything is coming out. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. Everything... We have also come from God. We are also claimed as sons of God. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ [Bg. 14.4]. There are 8,400,000 species of life, and they have got forms. They are sons of God. So where is our experience that a son who has got a form, his father is impersonal, no form? Where you have got this experience? If the son has got form and the father is formless, how it can be? What is the reason? Where is the argument?

But they are concluding like that. I am the son of my father, so my father has got a form, I have got a form, his father has got form, his father has got form. Even if we do not see the tenth generation, up to, whether it was form or formless, but it is supposed that he must have a form. So similarly, if you ultimately go to the supreme father, then how it is formless? No. Formless is not the actual realization of God. That is the beginning. That may be beginning. To realize the energy of God, that is formless. Just like the sun. The sunshine is formless, but the sun globe is not formless, or the person, the predominating deity within the sun globe, he is not formless. The sunshine is formless. So this formless realization... Just like the sun. Sun is also light. Sun is also heat. The sunshine is also light, sunshine is also heat. But this heat and light, energy of the sun, they are not actually the sun. It is only the energy.

This is described in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, that,

eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat
[Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.22.52]

Just like a fire is there in one place, in a particular localized place, but it expands in heat and light, similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is there. He is person. That is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā = goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ [Bs. 5.37]. That is God. Although He is everywhere present by His energy, it does not mean that He is lost, He has lost His personality. No. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate [Īśo Invocation]. He is so perfect and complete. Just like you take the example of the sun. For millions and millions of years, unlimited temperature, light and heat is coming out, but still, it is the same. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate. Similarly, God is so perfect, so complete, that unlimited number of suns and energies... We are also energy. We sons of God, we are also energy. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā:

apareyam itas tu
viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
[Bg. 7.5]

Prakṛtiṁ parām. This material world is aparā-prakṛti, and prakṛti, nature or energy, this is inferior energy, the matter, dull matter. But apareyam. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ [Bg. 7.4], earth, water, air, fire, they are inferior energy of the Lord. But there is another, superior nature. That is described. Apareyam. These energies, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ, earth, water, air, they are inferior. There is another, superior. What is that? Jīva-bhūtām, these living entities, mahā-bāho, yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat, who are controlling now.

This Delhi city is important. Why important? Because the jīva-bhūta, the living entities, they are handling this material---cement and stone and wood and so many other material things--- and they are constructing buildings. And therefore the importance of this Delhi city is there. If all the people, all the living entities, leave this Delhi city, it is not even one-farthing worth. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat [Bg. 7.5]. In Calcutta, in 1942, when there was bombing and all Calcutta was vacated, a house at that time which was rented at two hundred rupees, they were asking, "Give me twenty-five rupees," because the living entities vacated. Similarly, the importance of this material world is there because we living entities are there. And we have come here. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha [Prema-vivarta 6.2]. All the living entities, they have come into this material world to enjoy material enjoyment. Therefore this material world has value. Otherwise, if all the living entities go back again, back to home, back to Godhead, this matter has no value.

So we are also prakṛti. We are also energy of God. And because we are trying to utilize the resources of matter, therefore material things have got value. Otherwise, it has no value--- zero. But our business is, that is stated here, that because we are now entangled with this matter... The matter is not our business. Our only business is how to get out of the matter. That is our real business. If you want that business, then the prescription is here. What is that? Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca. Unless you hear, how you can understand your position? When you understand God, Kṛṣṇa, and you understand that you are part and parcel of God, or Kṛṣṇa, then you can understand your position = "Oh, we are part and parcel of God." Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person, ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇam, full of all opulences. Just like a mad son loitering in the street, when he understands with good brain that "My father is so rich, so powerful, and why I am loitering in the street like a madman? I have no food, no shelter. I am going from this door to door and begging," then he comes to his consciousness. That is called brahma-bhūta [SB 4.30.20] stage. "Oh, I am..., I am not this matter. I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God. Oh." That is consciousness.

This consciousness we are trying to arouse. This is the best welfare service to the people, to awaken his lost consciousness. He is foolishly thinking that "I am of the material product, and I have to adjust my things in this material world." This is the foolishness. Actual intelligence is that he is Brahma-bhūta, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am part and parcel of God. God is supreme Brahman. I am, being part and parcel..." Just like part and parcel of the gold, gold mine, small, it may be small earring, it is also gold. Similarly, the small particle of seawater is also the same quality, salty. Similarly, we, being part and parcel of God, we have got the same qualities. Qualitatively, we are one. Why we are hankering after loving? Because there is love in Kṛṣṇa. We are worshiping here Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Originally there is love. Therefore we, being part and parcel of God, we are also trying to love. A man is trying to love another woman, woman is trying to love another man. This is natural. This is not artificial. But it is perverted in the material covering. That is the defect.

When we are free from this material covering, then we are qualitatively ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12], as jolly... As Kṛṣṇa is dancing always... Kṛṣṇa you will never find... You have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa, He is fighting with the Kāliya serpent. He is dancing. He is not afraid of the serpent. He is dancing. As He is dancing with the gopīs in rāsa-līlā, similarly, He is dancing with the snake. Because He is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. He is ānandamaya, always jolly. Always. You will see Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa... Just like in Kurukṣetra the fighting is going on. Kṛṣṇa is jolly. Arjuna is morose because he is living entity, but He is not morose; He is jolly. That is the nature of God. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. This is the sūtra, in the Brahma-sūtra, that "God is ānandamaya, always jolly, always cheerful." So you can become also cheerful when you go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our problem.

Therefore how we can go there? The first thing is we must hear. Śrotavyaḥ. Just try to hear what is God, what is His kingdom, how He acts, how He is cheerful. These things are to be heard. Śravaṇam. Then as soon as you are convinced, "Oh, God is so nice," then you will be eager to demonstrate or to broadcast this news to the whole world. This is kīrtanam. This is kīrtanam.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]

This is life. This is life. Otherwise, talking nonsense, taking a newspaper in the morning, and "This party has done like this, this man has declared war, that man has defeated this," these are simply waste of time. Simply waste of time. If we waste our time, then we are not preparing for the next life.

The actually human form of life is meant for preparing for the next body. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. If we actually serious about our life, to get free from the all the problems of life, then this is the only medicine. What is that? Tasmād bhārata sarvātmā bhagavān īśvaro hariḥ, śrotavyaḥ [SB 2.1.5]. One has to hear. It is not very difficult. But people have become so rascal, so foolish, they will not hear. They will not hear. We are requesting. We have not manufactured anything. It is all authorized, authorized books, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, Vedic literature. We are simply inviting them. Now where is there, I mean to say, sectarianism? If we say to you, either you are Hindu or Muslim or Christian, if we say that "Please hear about God," where is sectarianism? Where is sectarianism, "Your life is meant for...," if we preach that "Your life is meant for hearing"?

Now, we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you don't accept Supreme Personality of God Kṛṣṇa, then what is your Supreme Personality of Godhead you present. Then you compare who is actually Supreme Personality of Godhead. What is the meaning of Supreme Personality of Godhead? Why you are taking? Why you are taking sectarian? Kṛṣṇa claims, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4]. All forms of life. Not only human forms of life, even animal forms of life, vegetable forms of life, aquatics. They are all... Actually that is the fact. We are not this form. We are not this body. But according to our mentality, by nature's law we are getting a particular type of body.

Actually, I am spirit soul. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā [Bg. 2.13]. Just like I am developing my ideas, youthful ideas, I am getting youthful body. I am developing childish ideas, getting childhood body. So as you develop, Kṛṣṇa, or God, has given you full freedom. You have come to this material world to enjoy. Now you make your plan of your enjoyment. God will give you a particular type of body and you enjoy. Just like the hog, he is enjoying. He is enjoying. What he is enjoying? Enjoying stool. It is very good for him enjoyment. But it is not for enjoyment for you. You'll..., that, "Oh, what a nasty animal it is. It is eating stool." But he is enjoying.

So this is the business of God, thankless task. Everyone wants to enjoy life in a different way, and he has to find out a particular type of body. In the human form of body you cannot eat stool. Your mouth, your hands, your legs are differently made. So for eating stool, you must have a particular type of body, mouth, taste, tongue, everything different. Then you will enjoy stool. A tiger, his body is different because he wants to enjoy fresh blood from another animal. So he has got a different type of body. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, nānā joni sadā phire kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare, kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare [Prema-bhakti-candrikā]. We get different types of body and we eat different types of all nasty things. Nasty things. Because we have got a particular type of body. But actual human body is that Kṛṣṇa conscious body. As Kṛṣṇa says,

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi...
[Bg. 9.26]

Kṛṣṇa says, "Give me patraṁ puṣpam, vegetables, flowers, grains, milk." So you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparation from these article, and you take the remnants of foodstuffs of Kṛṣṇa, that is human life---not to eat kadarya, kadarya, nasty things. That is not human life. So if you continue to eat all the kadaryas, then you get ultimately the body of a hog, no discrimination even for stool. That is the laws of nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

Prakṛti, nature, will give you chance, "All right, you want this?" Mind. You are creating... Mind is the creating force. So if you create a certain type of body, next life you get a body. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ [Bg. 8.6].

So similarly, if we are going to create another body by thinking and feeling and willing in this life, why not get a body like Kṛṣṇa? That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Think of Kṛṣṇa. Think of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa's advice. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. Kṛṣṇa wants that you come back home, but you have to get the body. How you can get the body? Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. You simply think of Kṛṣṇa. Don't think of the hog or hoglike animals. You think of Kṛṣṇa. You have to think something. Why not think Kṛṣṇa, so nice figure, no..., so attractive figure? So śrotavyaḥ, and thinking. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. The... Hear also. Unless you hear about Kṛṣṇa, how you can become...? How your mind can be absorbed if you do not know what is Kṛṣṇa?

So Kṛṣṇa is describing Himself, kṛṣṇa-kathā. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is therefore kṛṣṇa-kathā. Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-kathā, kṛṣṇa-upadeśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. This is the mission. What Kṛṣṇa says, you just preach; you become spiritual master. That is not very difficult. Everyone can become spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa's speaking is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. You simply repeat what Kṛṣṇa says, you become spiritual master. It is not very difficult. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām; you simply say that "You become devotee of Kṛṣṇa." Where is the difficulty? No difficulty. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhaktaḥ; you say, "You become Kṛṣṇa's bhakta." Actually we are doing that. We are not doing any miraculous thing. People say that "Swāmījī, you have done miracles." But what miracles I have done? I am simply repeating Kṛṣṇa's words. That's all. So everyone can do that. Everyone can take this matter very seriously---his life will be successful; he will make others successful. It is so nice thing.

Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, tasmād sarvātmā bhagavān. You must speak about Bhagavān. You must know what is Bhagavān, that Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. There are many Bhagavāns. That's all right. Or incarnation of Bhagavān. But Bhāgavata says, ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Particularly says that "All the incarnations are described," but at the end, the Bhāgavata points out that "There are so many Bhagavāns..." That's all right. Not so many; I mean not everyone. Not pantheism, not like that. Bhagavān has got innumerable incarnations. They have been described, but particularly pointing out that "Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. And Kṛṣṇa also says in Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg. 7.7] = "My dear Dhanañjaya, I am the Supreme. There is nobody superior to Me." Aham ādir hi devānām [Bg. 10.2] = "I am the origin of all the devas." Devas means principle devas, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. So Kṛṣṇa is the origin of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. And what to speak of others. Aham ādir hi devānām. And so many things there are.

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
[Bg. 10.8]

One who understands that "Here is Supreme Personality of Godhead," he is budha, he is in knowledge. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ.

So that bhāva required. Unless we understand what is God, what is His nature, how He acts, what is our duty, what is our relationship, then we are nothing better than cats and dogs, simply..., śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi [SB 2.1.2], simply talking, talking, talking, and reading and reading, but no understanding of God. This is useless life, cats' and dogs' life. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is saving people from becoming cats and dogs just to make them human being.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

[break]

Prabhupāda: Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. But people did not take it very seriously. Therefore Kṛṣṇa came as a devotee in the form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach people how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. This is the... Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya is also Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Person, He demanded that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, but people did not take it very seriously. Therefore He again came, how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Just like some servant is massaging your legs, but you do not like it. You sometimes take his leg, "You do like this, do like this, do like this." So that master has not become servant, but he's teaching how to massage. Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but He is teaching rascals like us how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. This is the difference.

British man: No. What I'm trying to ask is that if the Vedic scriptures were written about five thousand years ago...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

British man: ...then how is it just only five hundred years ago somebody came to impart what was written five thousand years ago?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati [Bg. 4.7]. As soon as it becomes too much deteriorated, then Kṛṣṇa comes Himself or sends His representative to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It may be five thousand years or five lakhs of years or five days. That doesn't matter. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya. Whenever there is discrepancy. It doesn't matter. It does not depend on the historical dates. When there is necessity. When there is necessity. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata. At that time. So although Kṛṣṇa consciousness was introduced five thousand years ago by Kṛṣṇa Himself, but it deteriorated so much...

[break] Give up your material activities and engage yourself in spiritual activities. That is mukti. Just like a man in diseased condition, he is acting. He is also acting. He is also passing stool, passing urine, eating, eating something, lying down, talking. He has got activities. But that activities and when he is free from the disease, that activity is different. Similarly, if you change your activity, you can become mukta even in this life. That is mukti, real mukti. Muktir hitvānyathā-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ [SB 2.10.6]. If you give up your diseased conditional activities... Just like these boys who are in Kṛṣṇa..., they are muktas, because they are not interested with any material activities. They are not interested to read in the morning any newspaper. No. They cannot waste their time in that way or take part in politics. No. They are simply interested in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and reading these books. Therefore they are muktas. They are all liberated. Because hitvānyathā-rūpam. Other people, they are reading newspaper, doing all nonsense; but they are not interested. The anyathā-rūpam. That is material business. Svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ [SB 2.10.6]. Svarūpa means jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Every living entity is eternally kṛṣṇa-dāsa.

So if you give up these material activities and engage yourself in Kṛṣṇa's service, you are mukta. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.

māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
[Bg. 14.26]

It is confirmed. So anyone who is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is mukta. For them there is no demand for mukti. Muktir mukulitāñjali sevate 'smān. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura = "The mukti is standing before me with folded hands, 'What can I do for you?' " Because he is bhakta. So for a bhakta there is no such demand, mukti. Means they are muktas already. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī [Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]. Because He's mukta. There may be again birth, but a devotee takes birth for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not for any other business. Therefore he is mukta. Jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate. Īhā yasya harer dāsye [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.187].

So mukti is not very difficult thing. If you cent percent engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness business, you are mukta. That is mukti. That is the verdict of the śāstra. Mukti does not mean that I have got now one head, I will get four heads. No. This one head is sufficient, but it must be engaged for Kṛṣṇa. That is it.

Guest (1) [Indian man]: Hundred percent.

Prabhupāda: Hundred percent, yes. That's all. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31]. This is mukti. Any other question.

Guest (2): Yes. I have very many questions to ask.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's nice. But you cannot assimilate all the answers in one day. That is not possible. You see? You have many questions, but ask in many days, not in one day. Otherwise you will get indigestion. [laughter] You will not be able to... Simply you go on questioning, questioning, and don't take anything, that is no use. Take... Make one question. Try to understand. Adopt it in life. Then make another question. Don't take all the answers at a time and become suffering in dysentery. No. [laughter] Don't do that. That's all right. You cannot take one month's food in one hour. Can you take? So that's all right. Gradually. Your questions are nice, but don't take the answers all in a day. That will be not good. If you understand very easily, then you will forget very easily.

Guest (2): That is natural. Yes.

Prabhupāda: Natural, you see. If you understand little with difficulty, then you will forget also with difficulty. This is the way. So any other question? After this question-answer?

[49:54] [kīrtana]

Prabhupāda: [prema-dhvanī]

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! [end]

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Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.2 [Significance of Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka]

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.2 [Significance of Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka]

Vṛndāvana, March 17, 1974

Audio for this lecture: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/740317sbvrn/
Prabhupada Radio: https://prabhupadaradio.com

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

śrotavyādīni rājendra
nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ
apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām
[SB 2.1.2]

Material world means apaśyatām ātma-tattvam, one who has no enquiry or vision of the ātmā. Ātmā, paramātmā. Ātma-tattvam. Tattvam means "in truth." Ātmā means this body also. Ātmā means the mind also. Ātmā means the soul also. So in the present material world they are interested in understanding ātmā the body. The medical science, physiology, biology, they are studying the science of the body. And some of them are studying the science of mind, psychology---thinking, feeling and willing. But nobody is studying the deepest meaning of ātmā: soul. There is no science. Throughout the whole world there are schools and colleges and universities to study the physiology, psychology, biology, sociology, so many things. But there is no university, school, college throughout the whole world to understand the soul. Is there any? Eh? You have come from all parts of the world. Is there any school, college or institute to study what is the soul? They have no information even. Even Russia is so proud of scientific advancement, falsely, but they have also no... They are thinking that the body finished, everything is finished. That's all. This is going on. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape. Ātmā I have already explained. Ātmā means body, mind. But one who is thinking ātmā only this body, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke [SB 10.84.13], in this bag of three elements, kapha-pitta-vāyu, he's go-kharaḥ, he's ass. He's rascal.

So therefore it is said, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2] = one who cannot see ātma-tattva, the science of soul, they are busy only in this material body. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. So gṛhamedhi and gṛhastha. Gṛhastha is good. Gṛhastha is interested in ātma-tattva. Just like our students, although they are gṛhastha, they are interested in ātma-tattva. They are not gṛhamedhi. But those who are not interested in the science of soul, ātma-tattva, but they are interested only in the science of body and mind, they are gṛhamedhi. Gṛhamedhi. They are not gṛhastha. So my point is that our philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy, is meant for understanding ātma-tattva.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti...
[SB 1.2.11]

We are interested in that tattva, that ātma-tattva, soul, ideal.

So to understand this ātma-tattva one has to become just the opposite number of these materialistic person. The materialistic person, they are interested only in sense gratification, materialistic person. Or mental speculation. They are materialistic. There are so many big, big so-called sādhus, saintly person, simply busy on mental speculation. They are not perfect. And those who are busy in understanding the bodily concept of life, they are also materialistic. The difficulty is that these, these materialistic person, in different forms, they are accepted as the leader. They are accepted as leader, as politician, as sociologist, as philosopher, mental speculator, or so-called incarnation of God, and magician, yogīs, so many things. They are leading the whole society at the present moment. Therefore people are in chaotic condition.

So for them Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that they have many subject matter to hear. Śrotavyādīni. Nṛṇām, śrotavyādīni rājendra [SB 2.1.2]. The Parīkṣit Mahārāja is addressed here as rājendra, the best of the kings. Rājendra, rāja, he was king, rāja. But indra means the best. Best of the... Because he was listening Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam at the point of his death, therefore he's addressed especially rājendra, "Because you are best of the kings." Generally, people are not interested. Or course, in those days, everyone was interested. But he was the most interested---rājendra. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇām [SB 2.1.2]. Nṛṇām means ordinary human being, mostly engaged in the bodily concept of life or mental speculation. Nṛṇām. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ, they have got hundreds and thousands of subject matter because they are not conversant with the ātma-tattva. But those who are interested in real ātma-tattva, they are busy in understanding... Not understanding. Busy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So that our aim is how to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. And to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, the examples are the Gosvāmīs. Just like śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha. Gosvāmīs. We are followers of the Gosvāmīs. But these Gosvāmīs are not these titular gosvāmīs. You should understand. The titular gosvāmīs are different. They are making a profession of gosvāmī. Real gosvāmī means the six Gosvāmīs. How one can become interested in ātma-tattva, that example is given by the six Gosvāmīs, śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha. When we speak that these gosvāmīs who are indulging in all sinful activities, that does not mean the Gosvāmīs... Gosvāmīs cannot take in sinful activities, take part in sin... That is not possible. But still, there are so many so-called gosvāmīs who are taking in sinful activities; still, they are being passed as gosvāmī. So we do not mean... When we speak of gosvāmī, we mean the six Gosvāmīs and their followers.

So Vṛndāvana, in Vṛndāvana, those who will remain here to..., especially to guide this temple, they must be followers of the six Gosvāmīs. So where is our Gurudāsa? He is not present? Why? He is busy? Very busy? Where?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He told me that Yamunā's feeling a little sick...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yamunā's feeling sick tonight. Went to see how she was.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Anyway, so these six Gosvāmīs, we have to follow. Now, this is... Not śrotavyādīni rājendra... [SB 2.1.2]. We are not interested with this bodily concept of life and... Although we have got this body, but we, we do not think that body is all in all, mind is the..., mental speculative... No. The Gosvāmīs, they are described, how the Gosvāmīs, six Gosvāmīs. First gosvāmī, the first qualification is sense control. Vāco vegaṁ krodha-vegam udara-vegam upastha-vegam manasa-vegam [NoI 1]. In this way, six kinds of vega, urge. Urge for talking, vāco vegam; krodha, or anger; mind; the belly, stomach; and then genital. They are forcing. They are forcing. Material life means these six senses are forcing us to remain in the material... But a gosvāmī means one who has control over these six urges of the senses. Etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ [NoI 1]. As soon as one is practiced to control the urges of the senses, then he becomes a gosvāmī. That is the first definition of gosvāmī. Etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ. Being forced by the urges of these six senses... And there are so many people, they are being criminally charged, police inquiries, and still, they are gosvāmīs. So this is not good. Gosvāmī should be very ideal. We have given title "Gosvāmī." You must be very ideal. Ideal is there---six Gosvāmīs.

So we should be distinct from the so-called gosvāmīs. Those who will remain in Vṛndāvana, esp... Everywhere. Everywhere is Vṛndāvana. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa's temple, Kṛṣṇa's saṅkīrtana, that is Vṛndāvana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "My mind is always Vṛndāvana." Because He's always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is there---He's Kṛṣṇa Himself---just to teach us. So similarly, anywhere you live, if you are actually follower of the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], then that is Vṛndāvana. Wherever you live. Do not think that "Because in Melbourne we have got a temple, the Melbourne Deities are here, so that is not Vṛndāvana." That is also Vṛndāvana. If you worship the Deity very rigidly, follow the rules and regulation, so wherever you do, that is Vṛndāvana. Especially this Vṛndāvana dhāma, where Kṛṣṇa actually appeared. So this is Vṛndāvana, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Here, those who will manage this institution, they must be first-class gosvāmī. This is my proposition. Not gṛhamedhi. Not gṛhamedhi. Gosvāmī. As...

Because this place was excavated by the Gosvāmīs, ṣaḍ-gosvāmī. Sanātana Gosvāmī came here, Rūpa Gosvāmī came here. And then other Gosvāmīs---Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī---all joined together for executing the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu---to write books about Kṛṣṇa, His pastimes, His līlā; very, I mean to say, highly spiritual understanding books they wrote. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. This is the business of the Gosvāmīs, the symptoms. The first symptom is, kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. They were always busy, kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana means... Just like we perform kīrtana with khol, karatāla, this is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. And to write books, that is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. And to read books, that is also kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Not that simply this kīrtana is kīrtana. If you write books about Kṛṣṇa, if you read books about Kṛṣṇa, if you talk about Kṛṣṇa, you think of Kṛṣṇa, you worship Kṛṣṇa, you cook for Kṛṣṇa, you eat for Kṛṣṇa---so that is kṛṣṇa-kīrtana.

Therefore gosvāmī means twenty-four hours engaged in kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, in this way or that way. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. How? Premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī: because they were merged into the ocean of kṛṣṇa-prema. Unless we have got kṛṣṇa-prema, love for Kṛṣṇa, how we can remain satisfied simply in the business of Kṛṣṇa? That is not possible. Those who have not developed love for Kṛṣṇa, they cannot be engaged twenty-four hours in the business of Kṛṣṇa. We should consider that... We should save time always to be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa business. The period we sleep, that is wasted. That is wasted. So we shall try to save time. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31]. Hari is another name of Kṛṣṇa. Sadā, twenty-four hours. Actually, the Gosvāmīs used to do. They are our example. They were sleeping not more that two hours or utmost three hours. So nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. They conquered over. This is gosvāmī. They conquered over these things. What is that? Nidrāhāra. Nidrā, āhāra, vihāra. Vihāra means sense enjoyment, and āhāra means eating or collecting. Generally, eating, āhāra. And nidrā. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Conquered. That is gosvāmī. Not that out of twenty-four hours, thirty-six hours sleeping. [laughter] [laughs] And at the same time, passing on as gosvāmī. What is this go...? Go-dāsa. They are go-dāsa. Go means senses, and dāsa means servant.

So our policy should be, instead of becoming servant of the senses, we have to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is gosvāmī. Because unless you conquer over, senses will always ask you, "Please eat, please sleep, please have sexual intercourse. Please have this, please have this." This is material life. This is material life = subjected to the dictation of the senses. That is material life. And one has to become... [sic:] Gosvāmī means the mind is dictating, "Please eat more, please sleep more, please have sexual more, please have defense fund more." So this is materialism. Defense fund means to keep money. That is defense fund. So... So this is materialism. The spiritualism means, "No. That is no." Nidrāhāra. The senses dictating, "Do this, do that, do that," and you have to become so strong that you'll rightly reply, "No, this is not." Then gosvāmī. This is gosvāmī. And that gṛhamedhi, gṛhastha---appearing like the same. But gṛhastha means no dictation of the sense. Then you become gosvāmī. Then, as Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, gṛhe vā banete thāke hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke. Hā gaurāṅga, "Always chanting Nitāi-Gaura or thinking of Nitāi-Gaura," such person, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says... Gṛhe vā... "He may be a sannyāsī, or he may be a gṛhastha. It doesn't matter. Because he is absorbed in the thought of Nitāi-Gaura." So narottama māge tāṅra saṅga: "Narottama is always desiring to associate with such person." Gṛhe vā banete thāke, hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke, narottama māge tāṅra saṅga. Narottama is always desiring the society of such person.

Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. And gosvāmī has to become very dear to all classes of men. There are two classes of men = dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means one who has controlled the senses, and adhīra means one who could not. Gosvāmīs are very kind to all classes of men. Dhīradhīra-jana-priyau. So how you can...? How the gosvāmī can be...? When six Gosvāmīs were here in Vṛndāvana, they were so popular to the whole people. Even in this Vṛndāvana dhāma, the village people, if they had some quarrel with husband and wife, they would go to Sanātana Gosvāmī, "Sir, there is some disagreement between us. You settle up." And Sanātana Gosvāmī will give his judgment, "You are wrong." That's all. They will accept. Just see how the popular they were. Sanātana Gosvāmī would give decision among their family quarrel also. So dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. These ordinary men, they were not saintly person, but they were devoted to Sanātana Gosvāmī. Therefore their life was successful. Because they would abide by the orders of Sanātana Gosvāmī, therefore they were also liberated. They may be personally wrong, but they abided by the Sanātana Gosvāmī. And Sanātana Gosvāmī was kind to them. This is the Gosvāmī. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau.

So you can become dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. Adhīra, those who are ordinary men, you can also call them, give them prasādam, treat them very nicely = "Just hear Hare Kṛṣṇa. You come here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take prasāda." They'll be your..., under your control. They'll be under your control. And as soon as they become under your control, they make advance. Immediately. Because under the Vaiṣṇava, if he agrees to abide by, he becomes... That is called ajñāta-sukṛti. Because he offers you... Just like when we walk, they say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya Rādhe." That is the method of offering respect. So if these ordinary people offer respect to the Vaiṣṇava, they becomes advanced. So you must be Vaiṣṇava. Otherwise why they will offer you respect? Respect cannot be demanded. It must be commanded. By seeing you, they will give you respect. Then dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. This is gosvāmī. Automatically they'll offer respect. So unless you become perfectly clean and Vaiṣṇava, pure Vaiṣṇava... Automatically they'll give you respect. You haven't got to... Just like sometimes we see a person, by seeing us, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is not that at the spot we are asking them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but automatically they are chanting. So that means we have to keep ourself so clean, nice Vaiṣṇava, gosvāmī, that people will offer you respect. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau.

Nirmatsarau. Nirmatsarau means they were not en... Vaiṣṇava is not envious. Vaiṣṇava's only business is to see people, how they will... [break] ...let them go to hell. This is Prahlāda Mahārāja's philosophy. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān [SB 7.9.43]. The whole world is suffering from the material disease, and they are always unhappy. So let us preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They should try to save at least one man. That was the version of my Guru Mahārāja, that "I have got so many temples and buildings. If by selling all these buildings, if I can save one man from this material disease, then my mission will be successful." He used to say like that. So that is gosvāmī. They are trying, always trying, how to save. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Just like Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, writing Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, quoting from so many Vedic literature, giving evidence. Because formerly people would take it as truth when it is proved by the version of the Vedic literature. Nowadays, they have become more and more rascal. They would not take any evidence. They will take evidence of their only senses. If they like, they will accept. If they do not like, they will... Formerly, the society was not so much degraded. They, as soon as you give evidence from the Vedic literature, they would accept.

So these Gosvāmīs therefore were making research from the Vedic literature---from the Purāṇas, from the Vedas, from the Vedānta-sūtra and Upaniṣad, like that, Mahābhārata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Sāma Veda, Ṛg Veda. You'll find in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu evidences... Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. What is the..., what was the purpose? The purpose was to establish real religious principle. If actually Gosvāmī principles were followed strictly and real gosvāmīs would preach, then there would not have continued the so-called religious system, or increase the so-called... Because any religious system which... That is the verdict of Bhāgavata. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, ahaituky apratihatā [SB 1.2.6]. Religion means by following the system one will become a great lover of God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is religion. Then why this system of religion is going on, maintaining slaughterhouse? That means the..., there was no attempt to preach sad-dharma, real dharma. Therefore, in the name of religion they are maintaining thousands of slaughterhouse. You see? It is asad-dharma. Asad-dharma. But the..., they studied. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu... They wrote so many books just to establish what is real religion. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Why? Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. They were simply doing welfare activities for the people in general, lokānām. For everything. They...

Without following the principles, religious principles... The human life is given a chance by the nature, that "In this life you make a solution of this birth and death," janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg. 13.9]. So these rascals do not know that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi is actually problem. They are simply trying to solve so many temporary problem. They do not know the real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Therefore, following the real religious principle means sad-dharma. That is lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, the greatest benefit to the human society---to stop their repetition of birth and death. That is the greatest... That is the business of the Gosvāmīs. Not this, this party or that party, capitalism and Communism, this "ism," that... What they will derive? You may follow capitalism or Communism or this "ism," that "ism"; after death, you'll be immediately under the grip of material nature, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1]. "Now all your so-called rascal nationalism go to hell. You become a dog. Finish." That is nature's course. You have treated your life like cats and dogs. You did not take advantage of your human life. Now nature will give you, "All right, again you become cats and dogs." Punar mūṣiko bhava. They do not know. They do not know the secret science of nature. You may be a very great leader, prime minister, now. Next life you are going to be a dog in Scandinavia. [laughter] You see?

But how can you check it? What is your power? Suppose by nature... There are so many lives. Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ [Bg. 2.13]. So you have to accept another body. Now, that is not in your hand, how to accept. That is..., that will depend on your nature, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa, and nature will give you the suitable body. So if you waste your time in this human form of life like cats and dogs, then you are going to get... Otherwise, wherefrom the cats and dogs are coming? They are coming... Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya [Bg. 2.22]. We are changing this body. So why you deny that in your next time you cannot become dog? No. That is your theory. But nature's law is different from your theory. You rascal, what do you know? You learn from the authorities. So the Gosvāmīs' business is to do..., how to save these people, these rascals, from this repetition of birth and death.

So there are so many description of the Gosvāmīs. These eight ślokas of Śrīni... Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau. Because they were nirmatsarau, pūjitau, they were worshiped by everyone. Pūjitau. Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantāra... And because they received the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they were able to lessen the burden of this material world. Bhārāvahant..., vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. So if you simply study these eight verses of the Gosvāmīs... Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. In Vṛndāvana they lived, and they set the examples. And if you follow their footstep, then your life will be successful. So, so many others, the so-called gosvāmīs, have become envious about us, but if you become one of them, then your life is not very... You just try to follow the real Gosvāmīs and make your life as gosvāmī. Then people will adore you. Śrī-caitanya-guṇānuvarṇana-vidhau. The verses, we have translated? This kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau...?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi...

Prabhupāda: Bhuvo bhārāvahantāra... No.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śraddhā-samṛddhy-anvitau.

Prabhupāda: Śrī-gaurāṅga-guṇānuvarṇana-vidhau śraddhā-samṛddhy-anvitau. Eh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Pāpottāpa-nikṛntanau tanu-bhṛtām...

Prabhupāda: Pāpottāpa-nikṛntanau tanu-bhṛtām...

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Govinda-gānāmṛtaiḥ.

Prabhupāda: Govinda-gānāmṛtaiḥ. These were the symptoms of gosvāmī. You study this. I want at least twenty-five men to live here, to become ideal follower of these Gosvāmīs. Then see how you'll be adored, how you'll be respected, how you'll be ideal. That I want.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]

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Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.1–4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.1–4

New York, April 10, 1969

Audio for this lecture: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/%C5%9Br%C4%ABmad-bh%C4%81gavatam-2114-690410/
Prabhupada Radio: https://prabhupadaradio.com

Prabhupāda: Feeling all right?

Devotees: Jaya!

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa

Prabhupāda: Mantra?

Devotees: Oṁ namo bhaga...

Prabhupāda: Not this. First of all, Īśopaniṣad. Yes. Īśopaniṣad.

oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ
pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya
pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate

[Īśo Invocation]

[The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.]

īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ
yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

[Īśo mantra 1]

[Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.]

kurvann eveha karmāṇi
jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ
evaṁ tvayi nānyatheto 'sti
na karma lipyate nare

[Īśo mantra 2]

[One may aspire to live for hundreds of years if he continuously goes on working in that way, for that sort of work will not bind him to the law of karma. There is no alternative to this way for man.]

That's all. That's all. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Now oṁ namo bhagavate, chant.

Devotees: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.

Prabhupāda: Yes?

[Prabhupāda leads devotees in chanting SB 2.1.1–5]

varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ
kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa
ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ
śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ

[SB 2.1.1]

[Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. The answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.]

śrotavyādīni rājendra
nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ
apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām

[SB 2.1.2]

[Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.]

Chant.

nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ
vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ
divā cārthehayā rājan
kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā

[SB 2.1.3]

[The lifetime of such an envious householder is passed at night either in sleeping or in sex indulgence, and in the daytime either in making money or maintaining family members.]

dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv
ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api
teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ
paśyann api na paśyati

[SB 2.1.4]

[Persons devoid of ātma-tattva do not inquire into the problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction.]

Chant independently.

Again. Yes.

Prabhupāda: Again from the beginning, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.

So Gargamuni, you can read where you left yesterday.

Gargamuni: Page one: "Similarly, in the Second Canto, the post-creation cosmic manifestation is described. The different planetary systems are described in the Second Canto as different parts of the universal body of the Lord. For this reason, the Second Canto can be called 'The Cosmic Manifestation.'

"There are ten chapters in the Second Canto, and in these ten chapters the purpose of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the different symptoms of this purpose are narrated. In the first chapter the glories of chanting are described, and the process of meditation on the universal form of the Lord by the neophyte devotees is hinted.

"In the first verse Śukadeva Gosvāmī replies to the questions of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who asked him about one's duty at the point of his death. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was glad to receive Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and he was proud of being a descendant of Arjuna, the intimate friend of Kṛṣṇa.

Personally, he was very humble and meek, but he expressed his gladness that Lord Kṛṣṇa was very kind to the sons of Pāṇḍu, or his grandfathers, especially his own grandfather, Arjuna. And because Lord Kṛṣṇa is always pleased with His family, therefore at the verge of Mahārāja Parīkṣit's death, Śukadeva Gosvāmī was sent to help him in the process of self-realization.

"Mahārāja Parīkṣit... "

Prabhupāda: Yes, this is confirming the statement of Caitanya-caritāmṛta that guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc. Madhya 19.151].

["According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.]

Two things required, guru and Kṛṣṇa, to advance in the spiritual realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So here it is..., Kṛṣṇa is pleased in the family of the Pāṇḍavas. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was going to die. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was grandson of Arjuna, and he was also a devotee. So therefore, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, a bona fide spiritual master is sent to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Guru-kṛṣṇa.

When one is sincere, then Kṛṣṇa is sitting within everyone. As soon as He sees that "Here is a sincere soul. He's seeking after Me," so He manifests Himself out externally as spiritual master. The spiritual master is therefore representative of Kṛṣṇa. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Two things. Without being representative of Kṛṣṇa, nobody can become spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana [Antya 7.11]

["The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Unless empowered by Kṛṣṇa, one cannot propagate the saṅkīrtana movement.]

Without being empowered by Kṛṣṇa, nobody can preach, nobody can become a spiritual master.

So here, Śukadeva Gosvāmī sent by Kṛṣṇa on the verge of his death. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. This opportunity is obtained by a very fortunate person. Because the living entities are wandering within this universe, packed up, from one planet to another, from one species life to another species of life. In this way he is wandering.

He is not fixed up. Today I am American or Indian, tomorrow or next birth, I do not know what is going to happen to me. But this body for good will be finished. I'll never get this body. I'll get another body. Maybe a demigod's body or a tree's body or a plant's body or animal's body—I must get another body.

So the living entity is wandering in this way, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni [Bg. 2.22].

[As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.]

Just like we change our dress from one dress to another, similarly, we are changing different positions by the influence of māyā. Māyā is forcing me. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi [Bg. 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

As soon as I am desiring something, immediately my body is formed. Immediately a particular type of body begins to form, and as soon as I am mature to change, my next body I get according to my desire. Therefore we should always desire Kṛṣṇa. Then from this life, the Kṛṣṇa-approaching body, or the spiritual body, will be formed.

The more you become sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa, the more your body becomes Kṛṣṇa-ized, electrified. Therefore advanced Kṛṣṇa conscious person is considered to have a spiritual body. The same example, as I have given several times: just like iron rod.

You put into the fire, it becomes warmer, warmer. The more it is connected with fire, it becomes warm, warm, warm. And at last it becomes red hot, so that at that time, if that iron is touched to any other thing, it burns. It does not act as iron; it acts as fire.

Similarly, by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, continuous chanting, you will make your body spiritualized. At that time, wherever you go, wherever you touch, he'll be spiritualized. Similarly, the iron... Without being spiritualized, without being red hot, if you touch, it will not act. So every one of us, those who have come to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, expected to preach in the future and to become a spiritual master also in the future. But first of all you must spiritualize yourself; otherwise it is useless.

So kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe [Cc. Antya 7.11].

["The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Unless empowered by Kṛṣṇa, one cannot propagate the saṅkīrtana movement.]

Without... Just like without being red hot, you cannot burn any other thing, similarly, without being fully spiritualized, you cannot make others spiritualized. Therefore we have to follow the paramparā system. The disciplic succession, as we get the knowledge, as we get the power, as we get the instruction, so we have to follow. That will help me to spiritualize myself. And when you are spiritualized... You'll have to wait for that time. Then, wherever you will preach, the result will be there.

So by the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī has reached Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Therefore at the verge of Mahārāja Parīkṣit's death, Śukadeva Gosvāmī was sent to help him in the process of self-realization. Without spiritual master's help, nobody can become self-realized. Our Vaiṣṇava philosophy does not allow that you shall become self-realized by your own endeavor.

Just like other schools, they think, Buddha school, that by meditation... I do not know whether in Buddha school the spiritual master is accepted. But our Vaiṣṇava school, without acceptance of spiritual master, there is no possibility of self-realization. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja.

Then, [reading] "Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa from his childhood, so he had natural affection for Kṛṣṇa, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī could understand his devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he welcomed the question about his duty, because the king hinted that worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate function of every living entity. Śukadeva Gosvāmī welcomed this suggestion and said, 'Because you have raised the question about Kṛṣṇa, your question is most glorious.' "

The next śloka is varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ [SB 2.1.1].

[Please let me know what a man should hear, chant, remember and worship, and also what he should not do. Please explain all this to me.]

Śukadeva Gosvāmī welcomed the praśna, the question about Kṛṣṇa, and that we shall discuss next day. [end]

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Srila Prabhupada speaks on: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.1

Los Angeles, June 30, 1970

Audio for this lecture: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/%C5%9Br%C4%ABmad-bh%C4%81gavatam-211/
Prabhupada Radio: https://prabhupadaradio.com

Prabhupāda:

varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ
kṛto loka-hitam nṛpa
ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ
śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ

[SB 2.1.1]

This is a verse, the first verse, the first chapter of Second Canto Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Śukadeva Gosvāmī came to the scene when Mahārāja Parīkṣit was on the verge of his death. So he was perplexed what to do at the time of death. That is the critical position of our life: we may be very proud of our knowledge of our acquisitions—education, wealth, riches, so many things make your material acquisitions—but the critical time is death, because whatever you have acquired by dint of your bodily labor you have to leave them aside, and you have to open a second chapter of your life.

Therefore death is a critical point. People do not understand it, neither is there any educational system what is after death. That is the deficiency of the modern civilization: they do not know what is after death. Somebody will say that when this body is finished, everything is finished; there is no more life. Somebody will say, "Yes, there is life."

Now, taking these two statements as not identified, not verified, suppose if there is no life after death, that is all right. Then why you are so busy in this life for making provision? Why you are thinking of your family, why you're thinking of your state, of yourself? You are making good bank balance, making will so that "My sons and future generations will live peacefully..." If your this body is temporary and finished after death, then why are you so anxious about your nation, of your society, of your family? Why you are wasting your times? That is the question. But if you think that there is life after death, then what provision you are making for that? These are the questions.

So far Vedic knowledge is concerned, life is not a sport; it is continuation. We learn it, this rudimentary knowledge is given in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā, that na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin [Bg. 2.20]: "My dear Arjuna, the living entity is never born, neither he dies." The death and birth is of this body, and your journey is continuously... Just like you change your dress, similarly you change your body; you get another body. Therefore if we follow the instruction of ācāryas, or authorities, then there is life after death.

And how to make provision for the next life? Because this life is preparation for the next life. There is a Bengali proverb, it is said, bhajan koro sādhan koro murte jānle haya. The purport is that you may be very proud of your advancement of knowledge, material or spiritual, but everything will be tested at the time of your death, because you are going to another stage.

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was cursed by a brāhmaṇa. He offended the brāhmaṇa somehow or other. That was not an offense; an accident. Anyway, he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy that "Within seven days you will meet with death." So he left his kingdom and entrusted the whole state to his sons, and he came out of home. He sat down on the bank of the Ganges, and because he was emperor, so many great sages, saintly persons, all assembled there that the king was going to die within seven days, "So we must meet and give him words of solace." So the question was, "What is now my duty? So long I was not aware of my death..." Of course, everyone is aware of his death. Death is... "As sure as death." But under the influence of māyā, we think that we shall live.

That is another wonderful thing. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was asked by Yamarāja, "What is the most wonderful thing in this world?" So he replied, "The most wonderful thing is this, that every moment millions of living entities are dying, but one who is living, he thinks that 'I will not die.' " I will die. Everyone will die. but "I will not die. No." This is the most wonderful thing. But death is "As sure as death."

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was given seven days' notice, that he will die within seven days. But so far we are concerned, we have no even seven minutes' notice. We do not know at any moment we can die; therefore how much careful we should be. That is real knowledge: how much we must care to be careful; what is our duty before the next death comes. Death will come.

Bhāgavata says that labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte [SB 11.9.29]: "My dear human being, you have got this body after many many evolutionary changes, from aquatics up to this civilized form of body." Labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte. "After many, many births you have got this valuable body, human form of body." Mānuṣyam artha-dam: this body, human body, can give you the highest profit. Highest. In other body you cannot have, but in this body you can profit very highly.

And what is that profit? Niḥśreyasāya. The Bhāgavata says that you try in this body for your highest benefit. Don't be encumbered by the present necessities of body. You just try for the highest benefit of your life. In many places these descriptions are there. In another place it is stated,

tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ
[SB 1.5.18]

You are trying to go up and down. You're trying to go to the moon planet, sun planet, very high, or you may try to go down. But there is one thing that you cannot get by simply traveling up and down, bhramatām upary adhaḥ. You should try for that thing: tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido, na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ. Simply by traveling up and down you cannot get that. And what is that? Niḥśreyasāya, the highest benefit. And what is that highest benefit? The highest benefit is to stop your birth and death and to go back to home, back to God. That is wanted.

Devotees: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: That you can have in this life. So therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was learned, very highly elevated king, very pious king, so he called for all the sages to assemble and give him advice, "Now what is my duty? I am now at the point of death."

So somebody recommended something, somebody recommended something else. There are many opinions in this world. Similarly, amongst the philosophers, amongst the religionists, amongst the transcendentalists there are many opinions. But by chance Śukadeva Gosvāmī was present, so everyone agreed that "Whatever Śukadeva Gosvāmī will recommend, my dear King, you accept, because he is liberated person."

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja enquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī because Parīkṣit Mahārāja belonged to the families of the Pāṇḍavas. He is the grandson of Arjuna; therefore they are Kṛṣṇa conscious, naturally they are Kṛṣṇa conscious family. So he enquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī that "Is it not my duty to hear about Kṛṣṇa only at the present moment?" He enquired. He was confident that "My duty is now to concentrate my mind fully on Kṛṣṇa. At least I have got this chance of seven days' living. So long I was engaged in state management, kingdom management, family affairs, society, so many things, but at this point of death I think I should fully concentrate my mind in Kṛṣṇa."

So when he said like that, Śukadeva Gosvāmī was very glad, because he is also Vaiṣṇava, he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. So he thanked him and he eulogized him, and therefore he says this verse: varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitam nṛpa [SB 2.1.1], "My dear King, your question is very nice," varīyān. Varīyān means excellent, superexcellent. Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ. "Your question...," praśnaḥ means question, "superexcellent, and you have done it for the benefit of the whole human society, because you have made this question and I shall answer, so in future the human society will hear and they will be benefited."

So similarly, this answer which will be given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that is not meant for only Parīkṣit Mahārāja, who was on the verge of death; it is meant for everyone, because every one of us is on the verge of death. That you should know. We do not know when the death overcoming us, so everyone, even a child. Don't think that "Oh, I am young man. I am only twenty years old. I have nothing to do about Kṛṣṇa." No. You are also needed..., you must always know that death is just like waiting upon your head; at any moment you can be finished.

That is the instruction of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that if you want to be a karmī, then you should always think that "I shall live forever." But if you want to be a transcendentalist, a seeker of perfection of knowledge in spiritual understanding, then you should always think that "I am going to death next moment." "I am going to die next moment." If a karmī thinks like that, that "I shall die," then he will be discouraged. "Then why am I working so hard?" Eh? Just like Arjuna said. Arjuna took the position of a karmī when he was advised by Kṛṣṇa to fight. He saw that "I have to fight with my brothers and my grandfather and my nephews. Then after killing them, if I get the victory and get the kingdom, then what do I profit?"

This is karmī's view. They want some profit to enjoy personally; therefore if they think that "I am going to die next moment," then their karmī activities will be stopped. Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that "You think that you shall live forever," although it is false, just to give him impetus. But those who are transcendentalist, those who are after going back to home, back to Godhead, they should be serious, and they should know that "I am going to die at any moment."

So, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ, Parīkṣit Mahārāja is thanked by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that "My dear King, you have put a nice question," and loka-hitam, loka hitam, "it is very beneficial to the human society." Ātmavit-sammataḥ. Why it is beneficial to the human society? Because this kind of praśnaḥ, or question, is approved by the ātmavit. Ātmavit, the self-realized person.

There are many questions and many answers, but the question and answer put by the self-realized person, that is first class. Therefore he says that "Your question is ātmavit-sammataḥ, approved by the self-realized persons," and puṁsāṁśrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ, "and it is the sublime subject matter for hearing." Sublime, the highest, the topmost, the supermost subject matter, because there are...

We are always hearing. You have come here to hear something. Or if you go to some other political organization, there also you will hear. If you go to some scientific organization, there also you will hear. If you go to your school, your college, you will hear, because hearing is our process to acquire knowledge. Ah. So he says, śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ: there are many subject matters for hearing, but this kind of hearing is the supermost, and it is approved by the self-realized person, and it is beneficial to the human society.

Then he said,

śrotavyādīni rājendra
nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ
apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām

[SB 2.1.2]

This each and every word of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is full of meaning. If one word is explained, it will take three hours. That much time we haven't got. We have to describe everything very shortly. So he says, "My dear King, there are many subject matters for hearing, and..." But he says that many subject matters for hearing for whom? Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ: those who are blind for self-realization.

For them there are many things, subject matter for hearing, ātma-tattvaṁ apaśyatām. Ātma-tattvaṁ means the subject matter of self-realization. Apaśyatām, one who has not seen the difference between Kṛṣṇa conscious person and ordinary person, is that the ordinary person does not see what is the aim of his life, but a Kṛṣṇa conscious person knows what is the aim of his life. That is the difference.

Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ [SB 7.5.31], that is also explained. Ordinary person, they do not know what is actual their self-interest. Everyone is busy, self-interested. Either individually or socially or communally or nationally, everyone is self-interested. Without self-interest, nobody works. But what is that self-interest the human society does not know.

That is explained in the Bhāgavatam: na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ. They have lost the view of their self-interest. Why? Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ: they have got a false idea of becoming happy in this material world. They cannot be happy, but still they are hoping, hoping against hope [indistinct].

So many organizations are being manufactured, even the highest organization, the United Nation, to make the human society happy, but they have failed, because they do not know what is the aim of human life. Na te viduḥ, they do not know, svārtha-gatiṁ, self-interested way. Why? Durāśayā. Durāśayā means an expectation which will never be fulfilled. They do not know it.

They are all after searching for peace and prosperity, but there is no possibility of peace without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That they do not know. There is no possibility, definitely. Any man can come, and we can challenge that there is no possibility of peace and prosperity without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That they do not know. Therefore it is said durāśayā, the expectation, the hope which will never be fulfilled.

Bahir-artha-māninaḥ: attracted by the external feature. This material world is the external features of God. It is called māyā, illusion. It is compared with the mirage in the desert. Just like in the desert the animal sees there is water and he runs after the water. And as he runs, the water also advances, the animal also advances, and at the time when he becomes fatigued and tired, he dies. So similarly, by material advancement of knowledge we are simply after that mirage water in the desert. Where is water in the desert? It is simply illusion.

Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ. Therefore those who are not searching after Viṣṇu, or those who are not serious about becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, or God conscious, they are simply after like that, mirage water in the desert. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās. Then what about these leaders? Everyone has got some leader—this political leader, that political leader; that religious leader, that philosophical leader, scientist leader—so many. They are leading common men.

So Bhāgavata says, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ [SB 7.5.31]. These leaders, they are blind, and they are trying to lead other blind men. So what is the result? If your eyes are opened, then you can talk of other blind men, "Please come along with me. I shall cross the road." But if you are yourself blind, then how you can lead other blind? So the leaders, the blind men leaders, they are leading other blind men, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ, although the leaders and the led, both are tightly knot by the laws of nature. This is the position.

Therefore here it is specifically said that subject matter for hearing, there are many. Many for whom? Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ, those who are blind for self-realization, gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Gṛheṣu means in household affairs, and gṛha-medhinām. Gṛhamedhī... There are two words in the Vedic literature: one is called gṛhamedhī, and another is called gṛhastha. Gṛhastha means householder, and gṛhamedhī means living in the house, but his aim is sense gratification. And gṛhastha means... Gṛhastha is also an āśrama.

According to Vedic civilization there are four..., eight divisions, varṇāśrama: four varṇas and four āśramas. Four varṇas means division of social order: the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdras. Similarly, there are four orders of spiritual advancement: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. The spiritual advancement division is called āśrama. So gṛhastha āśrama means one will live with family—husband, wife, children—but their aim is Viṣṇu. So he is gṛhastha. It doesn't matter, sannyāsa āśrama, just like we have accepted sannyāsa āśrama, so aim is Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, if one lives as gṛhastha with family living...

It depends on one's choice. If you like, if you think that accepting sannyāsa āśrama you will be better to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you accept it. Don't accept it is simply to make a show. But if you think that "If I live within family members, oh, that will help me more in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," then live in that way. There is no obligation that you have to become a sannyāsī or you have to become a brahmacārī, then you can realize. No. Any platform, if your aim is Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, that is your self-interest.

Guest: [indistinct]

Prabhupāda: That is your self-interest. But they do not know what is their self-interest. So either he becomes a sannyāsī or a gṛhastha, it is all useless, because his aim is missing. Therefore we should have the aim. What is the aim? The aim is Viṣṇu, and one who has accepted this fact, that "My life will be perfect when I become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious," they are called ātmavit, one who knows the importance of himself.

So here... [break] ...that is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā:

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām

[Bg. 2.41]

Those who are fixed up... One who is fixed up that "This is the aim of my life," his business is one, ekā. And one who is not fixed up, avyavasāyinām, one who has no definite aim of life, bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca, he is manufacturing different types of knowledge: "This knowledge will satisfy this, this knowledge will satisfy this, this knowledge will satisfy..." No. No knowledge will satisfy you so long you are blind to see your self-interest.

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja…, er, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, apaśyatām gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Here he has used this very word gṛhamedhī. Gṛhamedhī means just like in the ordinary sense, at the present day a householder means his aim is that "I should have a nice apartment, I should have a nice car, and I should have a nice bank balance. My wife should be very nicely dressed, my children should be nicely educated, and...," oh, in this way simply. But what is the aim of life he does not know. He is called gṛhamedhī.

But one who knows that "The dressing of my children or my wife, or having a good apartment or having a car, these are superfluous. My aim is how to achieve the highest perfection of life and becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious," that is gṛhastha. He may be had with family and children, but his aim being fixed up on Viṣṇu, he is gṛhastha, gṛhastha āśrama. That family life is also āśrama.

Just like this temple, you can call it is āśrama, similarly, any person living with family but the aim is how to understand Kṛṣṇa, he is a gṛhastha. And one who is missing that point, simply thinking how to materially become happy—that is not possible, but he is after that; that māyā, illusion—he is called gṛhamedhī. Therefore that very word is used here, gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām.

So what is the business of gṛhamedhī? That is explained here:

nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ
vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ
divā cārthehayā rājan
kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā

[SB 2.1.3]

[indistinct]. Those who are blind to their self-interest, or those who have not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, those who do not know what is the aim of life, their business is like this. What is that? The business is that nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ. At night they sleep or have sex pleasure. That's all. This is night's business. Because there are two things: day and night. So night's business is sleeping and sex enjoyment, and vyava, vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ, and daytime, "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?"

Guest: [indistinct]

Prabhupāda: Fly your motorcar this way, this way and that way; find out where is money. All right, get this money, then stop. "No," he says. Divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā. And as soon as he gets money, then immediately there is list for to purchase for my wife or to purchase for my children for to purchase for this, store, going to the store.

So this is day's business and night's business; then where is the opportunity for self-realization? If you spoil your day and night like this, then where is the possibility of self-realization? Where you get time? This is the business of gṛhamedhī.

But a gṛhastha, who is Kṛṣṇa conscious from the very beginning of his life, even from the death, at four o'clock he is anxious how to perform maṅgala-ārati. You see? And immediately he goes to the Deity room with children, with husband or wife, and cleanses the Deity room very nicely and changes the dress of the Deity and offers flowers, because at six o'clock there will be immediately kīrtana. So just after rising from the bed his business becomes Kṛṣṇa, and the whole day and night, up to 10 o'clock, he is engaged in this way. So what he will dream at night: simply Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Haribol! Haribol!

Prabhupāda: Therefore his business is twenty-four hours Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and the gṛhamedhī is simply engaged in day and night how to satisfy the senses. That is the difference between gṛhamedhī and gṛhastha. Just try to understand these two words. Gṛha means house. House, what is house? These four walls and a ceiling. That's all. So we are also we are also living. This room is now called sanctuary, because you are talking about Kṛṣṇa, and you can make it a drinking club also. The room is the same, but when the business is different it is called sanctuary, and when the business is different it is called a brothel.

So to remain as gṛhastha, as householder, is not condemned, but it should be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Just like in our Society there are..., some of them are gṛhasthas, some of them are brahmacārī, some of them... Like that. There are four āśramas. There is nothing condemned, because the aim is Kṛṣṇa. If the aim is Kṛṣṇa, then your life, your interest is all right. If the aim is not Kṛṣṇa, then you're losing the opportunity of this human form of life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda! [end]

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