Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.22.20 – August 9, 1976, Tehran

Anyone who knows the science of Krsna, he can become guru

Parivrajakacarya: [chanting verse]

Pradyumna: [chants synonyms, etc.]

[02:09]

Translation: "The highest authority for me is the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom this wonderful creation emanates and in whom its sustenance and dissolution rest. He is the origin of all prajapatis, the personalities meant to produce living entities in this world."

Prabhupada: Read the purport.

Pradyumna: Purport: "Kardama Muni was ordered by his father, Prajapati, to produce children. In the beginning of creation the Prajapatis were meant to produce the large population which was to reside in the planets of the gigantic universe. But Kardama Muni said that although his father was Prajapati, who desired him to produce children, actually his origin was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, because Visnu is the origin of everything; He is the actual creator of this universe, He is the actual maintainer, and when everything is annihilated, it rests in Him only. That is the conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam. For creation, maintenance and annihilation there are the three deities Brahma, Visnu and Mahesvara, or Siva, but Brahma and Mahesvara are qualitative expansions of Visnu. Visnu is the central figure. Visnu, therefore, takes charge of maintenance. No one can maintain the whole creation but Him. There are innumerable entities, and they have innumerable demands; no one but Visnu can fulfill the innumerable demands of all the innumerable living entities. Brahma is ordered to create, and Siva is ordered to annihilate. The middle function, maintenance, is taken charge of by Visnu. Kardama Muni knew very well, by his power in progressive spiritual life, that Visnu, the Personality of Godhead, was his worshipable Deity. Whatever Visnu desired was his duty, and nothing else. He was not prepared to beget a number of children. He would beget only one child, who would help the mission of Visnu. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, whenever there is a discrepancy in the discharge of religious principles, the Lord descends on the surface of the earth to protect religious principles and to annihilate the miscreants.

"Marrying and begetting a child is considered to liquidate one's debts to the family in which one is born. There are many debts which are imposed upon a child just after his birth. There are debts to the family in which one is born, debts to the demigods, debts to the Pitas, debts to the rsis, etc. But if someone engages only in the service of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, who is actually worshipable, then even without trying to liquidate other debts, one becomes free from all obligations. Kardama Muni preferred to devote his life as a servant of the Lord in paramahamsa knowledge and to beget a child only for that purpose, not to beget numberless children to fill up the vacancies in the universe."

Prabhupada: So the purpose of marriage is explained here. Putrarthe kriyate bharya putra-pinḍa-prayojanam. For the purpose of one or two nice children one should marry, not for sense gratification. This is the Vedic purport of marriage. So in our Krsna consciousness movement we allow marriage on this principle, not for sense gratification. All the chief devotees of Lord Caitanya... Or even Lord Caitanya Himself, He married twice. So marriage is not prohibited, but everything should be under regulative principle according to the law. Then either one is sannyasi or a married man or a brahmacari, it doesn't matter.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu stressed, ye krsna-tattva-vetta, sei 'guru' haya [Cc Madhya 8.128]. He never said that the sannyasis should be guru and not the grhasthas. He says, ye krsna-tattva-vetta, sei 'guru' haya. Anyone who knows the science of Krsna, he can become guru. And that guru... Caitanya Mahaprabhu says everything very simplified:

Sarva desa, or ei desa, wherever you are living, it doesn't matter. Just like our Atreya Rsi, he's grhastha, he's living in Iran, Tehran, but it doesn't matter. If he speaks krsna-katha, then he's guru. It is very simple thing. We should not speak beyond what is spoken by Krsna. Take Bhagavad-gita and try to preach the principles, speak whatever is spoken in the Bhagavad-gita. Then it doesn't matter whether you are a grhastha or sannyasi or brahmacari. You become guru.

So our mission, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, Krsna consciousness, the same mission as Caitanya Mahaprabhu: yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. This krsna-upadesa I have translated into "Krsna conscious," how to make people Krsna conscious. This is our mission. On this principle, either grhastha or vanaprastha or sannyasi, everyone can take part. Yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei 'guru' haya. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was taking instruction from Ramananda Raya. He was grhastha, not even brahmana. So he was hesitating, that "Caitanya Mahaprabhu is coming from a very exalted brahmana family, and sannyasa," and Ramananda Raya was grhastha, not even brahmana. How he could teach Him or give Him instruction? He was hesitating. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in order to favor him, He said, "It doesn't matter. Don't hesitate."

By his practical life, He was asking. Generally, questions are asked to the superior person, and the superior person answers. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although He was superior in everything, He was asking Ramananda Raya to answer. He made Haridasa Thakura-he was Muhammadan by birth-namacarya, the acarya of spreading Hare Krsna maha-mantra. These are the wonderful activities. Sanatana Gosvami, he practically become Muhammadan. Why practically? Absolutely. He was rejected by the brahmana society because he was minister, he was mixing with the Muhammadans and everything. He was eating with them. So the brahmana society rejected him. The name was also changed, Sakara Mallika. Nawab Hussain Shah's very confidential man. Nawab Hussain Shah was keeping Sanatana Gosvami as his representative in everything. The government was being managed by him. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted them, and they became the Gosvamis, Sanatana Gosvami.

So in this movement, no such consideration, who is who. Anyone who takes to Krsna consciousness, he is first class, that's all. So our principle should be how to make people Krsna conscious, God conscious. Then our mission will be successful. Either as grhastha, as a vanaprastha, as sannyasi, it doesn't matter. Philosophy, the truth, should be preached. Everyone will be happy. That is Krsna consciousness.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada. [end]