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730428SB.LA
Devotee:
srnvanti gayanti grnanty abhiksnasah
smaranti nandanti tavehitam janah ta eva pasyanty acirena tavakam bhava-pravahoparamam padambujam [SB 1.8.36] "O Krsna, those who continuously hear, chant and repeat Your transcendental activities, or take pleasure in other's doing so, certainly see Your lotus feet, which alone can stop the repetition of birth and death."
Prabhupada: So in the previous verse it is explained
that: bhave 'smin klisyamananam. Anyone who has come to this material word, bhave, in this material world, asmin, in this, klisyamananam, they are all working very hard or taking trouble very much like ass, work, klisyamananam. He cannot bear the so much burden. Still he's loaded with so much burden. That is klisyamananam. If you, if you can bear some load, that's all right. But if you cannot, if it is overloaded, then it is very difficult to go on. So in the previous verse it was suggested that sravanam smaranam arhanam. To get out of this troublesome life, klisyamananam avidya-kama-karmabhih... They have created kama-karmabhih, kama, lusty desires, desireful. They have created work, heavy work. Therefore klisyamananam, always in trouble. So to mitigate that trouble, the recommendation is: smarana smaranam arhanam.
So Krsna comes to introduce the system by which one can get relief from this continuous, troublesome life. Therefore Krsna says: yada yada hi dharmasya glanir, glanir bhavati [Bg. 4.7]. Just like you suffer when you create some disturbance in the law. Then you suffer. We haye got experience. If we violate the state laws, then you have to suffer. Similarly, religious, religion means God's laws. They do not know. "Religion means faith." Faith, you may have faith something. I may have faith something. I may believe you or you may not believe me. That is not religion. Religion "I do not believe in God." Just like this big mission, they say; "You can manufacture your own way." Yata mata tata patha. "Whatever you think right, that is right." This is their philosophy. But that is not science. I am a madman. Whatever I am thinking, that is all right? How it is? Two plus two equal to four, it is science. If I believe, no, two plus two equal to five, or two plus two equal to three No. So dharmasya glanir bhavati means there is codes, laws of God. When you violate that laws of God, that is called dharmasya glanir, dharmasya glanir. Glanir means deviation, discrepancy. So we are suffering by violating the laws of God. Just like we suffer by violating the laws of the state, similarly as soon as we violate the laws of God, we're subjected to so many tribulations. Now how to get out of it? That is bhakti-yogam. So Krsna comes to take you out from this position, dharmasya glanir, and that is ... The process is, Krsna recommends that: "You do this," and if you take it, then you'll be delivered, you'll get relief. And that is sravanam kirtanam visnoh, bhakti-yoga.
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23] Tan manye adhitam uttamam. Prahlada Maharaja said one who is engaged in these activities, sravanam kirtanam visnoh, hearing and chanting. Hearing means to hear about somebody else, his activities, his form, his quality, his entourage, so many things. If I want to hear about you, you must have some activities, just like history. We hear about history. What is the history? History means the record of activities of different persons in different ages. That is history. So as soon as there is the question, hearing, then the next question will be to hear what? Or what about? What is the subject matter? So that is said: Visnu. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh. The activities of Lord Visnu or Lord Krsna. That is hearing. Not that hearing the news in the newspaper, not that sort of hearing. Brahma-jijnasa. These things are statement in the Vedas. Inquiry about Brahman. Hearing about Brahman. Just like here, we are also hearing and chanting. What is the subject matter? The subject matter is Krsna. We are not hearing here any market report. What is the price of this, what is the price of this share or that share. No. We are hearing about Krsna. And when there is question of hearing, there must be speaking or chanting. So we are speaking and chanting about Krsna. That is bhakti. Simply always be engaged in hearing and chanting about Krsna. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh.
Then further. As soon as you become expert in hearing and chanting, then the next stage is smaranam. Smaranam, thinking of. Anything you speak or hear, later on you contemplate, you meditate, smaranam. So smaranam is the third stage. First of all, one must begin with hearing, sravanam. Otherwise, what about, meditation? Therefore we must first of all hear about the subject matter of meditation. If you do not know the subject matter of meditation, where is the question of meditation? And that is chanting. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. About Lord Visnu. Actually yoga meditation means to see the form of the Lord, four-handed visnu-murti within the heart. That is real meditation. Now these rascals, they have manufactured so-called meditation. That is not meditation. Meditation means to see the form of the Lord within your heart. Because in, in the heart there is the Lord. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. So by controlling all the senses. The senses are very restless. They are going this way and that way, this way and that way. Mind is going this way, that way. So by this astanga-yoga system, by sitting posture, by controlling the breathing, by modes of different posture of seeing, so many things there are. The real thing is to control the mind and concentrate it on the form of Visnu. That is the real thing. That is called samadhi. Pratyahara samadhi. So astanga-yoga means to come to this point of smaranam, smaranam, arcanam. This is arcanam.
Just like we are worshiping the Deity. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marjanadau **. Sri vigraha, the Deity worship. Aradhanam, aradhanam, worshiping. Sri-vigraha aradhanam. Sri-vigraharadhanam. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya. Nitya, daily. Not that aradhana after one week or one month. No. Nitya, twenty-four hours. So you should have such program for worshiping the Deity that you may be engaged twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya, nitya-nana, nitya-nana-srngara, dressing, decorating. Daily, new dress, or twice new dress, or four times new dress. As much as you can. Srngara. This is called srngara. Krsna is opulent, the most opulent enjoyer. And we should supply. We should supply by which He can enjoy. Just like if somebody gives me a new dress, so I say: "Oh, it is a new dress. Very nice." So that is my enjoyment. Similarly if you satisfy Krsna daily a very gorgeous dress. Just like today I see it is very nice. This kind of dress should be supplied to Krsna. First-class clothing, first-class. Everything first-class. No third-class thing for Krsna. All first-class. The gopis must be first class, the dress must be first-class, the eating foodstuff must be first-class, the sitting place must be first-class, more than first-class. That is called: sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marjanadau **. Cleansing the temple as clean as glass, always. Everyone remarks this that our temples are very clean. Yes. Temple means must be very clean. The more you cleanse the temple, the more your heart becomes cleansed. This is the process. The more you dress Krsna, you become satisfied. At the present moment, we are accustomed to see my dress. "How costly dress I have got, I become satisfied..." No. When by dressing Krsna you'll feel satisfied, that is spiritual satisfaction. That is spiritual satisfaction.
Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marjanadau, yuktasya bhaktams ca niyunjato 'pi **. So this is the business of the spiritual master, yuktasya, to engage them always. Vande guroh sri-caranaravindam. Such guru, spiritual master, I am offering. This is Gurv-astaka. So here it is said: srnvanti. Kunti-devi ... The first business is srnvanti. One must be eager to hear. Lesson, everything is hearing. You go to school, college. What purpose you pay the school fee, college fee? For hearing. You hear from the learned professor, teacher, you sit down and you get knowledge. The first thing is srnvanti. Therefore a devotee is always engaged in hearing about Krsna, srnvanti. That is devotee's business. Tavehitam. Those who are cultivating Krsna consciousness, their first business is hearing. So srnvanti gayanti. And if you actually, you have heard about Krsna, then next business will be to chant, gayanti.
Just like our preachers are going from here to interior parts of the village. Why? What is the purpose? For gayanti., for preaching, for chanting. So that they may get the opportunity of hearing. Giving the opportunity to the people for hearing. That is gayanti. And grnanti, and takes seriously. Abhiksnasah. Abhiksnasah means twenty-four hours, without any stop, always. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore recommends: kirtaniyah sada harih. One should be engaged twenty-four hours in chanting. That is the business of Krsna conscious men. Hearing, chanting, sravanam kirtanam. Either all the items or take to one item. Simply hearing. Just like Pariksit Maharaja did. Pariksit Maharaja did not do any other things. He sat down tight before Sukadeva Gosvami and went on hearing, hearing, hearing for seven days. And then his life is finished. So anyone or all of them. If you simply hear, without doing anything. Simply sit down in the temple and whenever there is talk of Bhagavad-gita, Bhaga..., you go on hearing. Bas. Even if you do not understand, please hear. That's all. That vibration, that mantra vibration will help you. Understanding is not very important thing. There may be so many fools and rascals, they do not know grammar, do not know Sanskrit. No, there is no need of...
Apratihata. Bhakti is apratiha... Nothing can check the progress of bhakti. So simply you have to adopt the process. The process is hearing. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was criticized by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya in the beginning. He was, Caitanya Mahaprabhu was son of Jagannatha Misra, and Jagannatha Misra ... Jagannatha Misra and Jagannatha Misra's father-in-law, that means Caitanya Mahaprabhu's grandfather, grandfather, Nilambara Cakravarti, he happened to be class friend of Sarvabhauma's father. That means Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya comes on the level of His father. So he asked that: "You are a boy, twenty-four years old only. You have taken sannyasa. It is very difficult to keep sannyasa because there are so many attractions for the young man. So you hear Vedanta-sutra." This, the hearing. So hearing. So hearing's so important. Even amongst the Mayavadi school, they hear Vedanta-sutra. We also hear, but we hear, hear real Vedanta-sutra. Because they falsely interpret, their hearing is spoiled, but we don't interpret. We hear actually. Krsna says that "I am the Supreme." We accept it. That is hearing. And if you interpret, "Oh, Krsna means this, Kuruksetra means this," that mean you're spoiling your time. Why this, that? As it is, hear as it is. Then the...
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked to hear Vedanta. You know. And He was hearing. And Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was going on speaking, reciting Vedanta-sutra. But He was simply hearing and then He was not asking any questions. So Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya asked that: "My dear boy, You are hearing, but You are not asking anything. What is this? You cannot understand? Or what is the reason that You are silent?" He said: "Yes, I'm understanding. But I am silent because you are explaining in a different way. Therefore I am simply hearing the verses of Vedanta-sutra. I am not hearing you." Indirectly ... Of course, He was offering respect. Indirectly, he said that: "You are explaining the meaning foolishly." He said later on that: "I see, I hear the verses just like sunshine. But you are explaining just like covering cloud. This is your explanation." Sun is ... Nobody requires any lamp to see the sun. Everyone can see. But if it is covered by the cloud, it is very difficult to see. So this Mayavada interpretation is, explanation, means covering the real meaning. That's all. They do so like that. They'll never accept the direct meaning. Kuruksetra dharmaksetra... Even big, big political leaders. They will cover: "Kuruksetra means this, dharmaksetra means this." No. Hearing should be ... Our policy is hearing the original, as it is. Then it will be effective.
Sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. Visnu should be heard as He is. Grnanty abhiksnasah smaranti. The same, meditation, remembering, smaranti nandanti. Nandanti means he becomes jubilant, pleasure, reservoir of pleasure, nandati. Nandana means pleasing. Nandanti... Who? Tava ihitam janah. Those who are cultivating Krsna consciousness, their business is srnvanti, srnvanti gayanti grnanty abhiksnasah. This is the program, everywhere. We have to hear about Krsna, we have to speak about Krsna, we have to deal about Krsna. Simply There are so many activities in relationship with Krsna. We have to adopt everything. Then such persons, sa eva pasyanty, ta eva pasyanty. "By this process one day will come that he will see You." Ta eva pasyanty. And what is that vision? When you see God, Krsna, then what is the effect? The effect is: bhava pravaha uparamam. Bhava pravaha. Pravaha means current. Now we are going on. Caitanya, Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that: mayara vase yaccho bhese.
Just like there is very, mean, forcible currents in the river, and if some animal is thrown in that, he'll be washed away. So we are being washed away by the currents one after another, of this material nature. Just like you have seen the big, big waves in the Pacific Ocean. Similarly, because we are under the grips of the material nature, prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27], so we become under the influence of the three modes of material nature, and the, by the current of such material nature, we are being washed away, washed away. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura says: mayara vase yaccho bhese. "You are being washed away, carried away, by the currents." The currents also described. The first current is hunger. The second current is thirst. Similarly another current, janma mrtyu, birth, death, old age. These are all currents. These are different currents of the material nature. We become hungry, we become thirsty. We become overwhelmed with regret, soka moha, illusion, then birth, death, so many currents. We are being carried away. I am spirit soul. I am put into the material ocean, and the currents, currents are carried away. So here, if you be engaged, srnvanti gayanti abhiksnasah, twenty-four hours, then the current, upasanam, uparamam, the current will stop. No more you'll be carried away by these material current. Bhava pravaha uparamam. Where? Padambujam. "Your lotus feet. Your lotus feet." One how has learned how to see Krsna's lotus feet and offer a little tulasi and sandalwood pulp, his, this current will stop. This current of material life will stop.
There is another nice verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: samasrita ye pada-pallavam-plavam. Just like in the current... The currents are in the ocean. So if you get a nice boat. then you can cross over the currents very nicely. So it is recommended: samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam. You have seen the lotus petal. That is also just like boat. Is it not? Like small boat, imitation. So if you get the help of the pada-pallavam, the lotus feet of Krsna, bhavam, then by that petal boat, bhavambudhir, this great ocean of birth and death, vatsa-padam, it becomes just like the water contained in the hole created by the hoof of a calf. Vatsa-padam. You have no experience, but in India, during rainy season, the roads become muddy and the cows and the calves go. They have got holes created, and there is some water. So such vatsa-padam water, you can jump over, at a time, one dozen. So similarly, this great ocean of bhavambudhir, birth and death, although it is very great for others, for a devotee, it becomes like that hole. He can jump over one dozen at a time. Bhavambudhir vatsa-padam param padam. Then, by that way, he attains the param padam, the supreme abode. Then what about this world? Now this world is padam padam yad vipadam [SB 10.14.58]. It is simply full of dangers at every step. Na tesam, not for the devotees. This is not a, this not the place for the devotees. This is for the persons who are suffering, klisyamananam. Therefore Kunti-devi is suggesting "This is the medicine for your suffering." Take it and be happy. Thank you very much. (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/1/8/36/los_angeles/april/28/1973 Previous: Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.35 -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1973 Next: Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.36 -- Mayapura, October 16, 1974
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