Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.1 – September 5, 1975, Vṛndāvana

ABC's of Degradation & Elevation

Nitai: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

So two parties, Yamadūta and the Bhagavad-dūta. So this human life is the junction, which way to go: to the Yamadūtas or to the Bhagavad-dūtas. There is no three. Two alternative. In the Bible also it is said, "Either you go to hell or go to heaven." Is it not? This is right. Yamadūta means go to hell, and Bhagavad-dūta means go to Vaikuntha. This is the junction.

Now make your selection. So long we are in the lower, animal life, nature is giving chance. Prakrteḥ kriyamanani [Bg 3.27]. Then nature brings you to the platform of human life, developed consciousness, and you can take advantage of the sastra. Anadi bahirmukha jiva krsna bhuli gela, ataeva krsna veda purana karila [Cc Madhya 20.122]

Veda-Purana, why they have been made? It is made for the human being. This is the chance. Veda-Purana is not made for the cats and dogs. They are not supposed to read Veda and Puranas. Similarly, if the human being does not take care of the Veda-Purana, then he is no better than the cats and dogs. Ataeva krsna veda purana karila: to revive our Krsna consciousness. Uttisthata jagrata prapta-varan nibodhata. [Katha Upanisad 1.3.14] This is the Vedic injunction.

So long you were in the lower grade of life it was not possible for you to take the path of Vedas and Puranas. That was not possible. But now, even if getting the human form of life, if you sleep for sense gratification like cats and dogs, then the Yamadūta... Yamadūta.

Krsna nama kara bhai ara saba miche, palaibara patha naya yama ache piche: [O brothers! Chant the holy name of Krsna for there is no escape from Yamaraja who is following you everywhere-Dvija Haridasa. Sri Krsnera astottarasata nama. Text 54]

These are very easily understandable. You cannot avoid Krsna consciousness. That is not possible. If you avoid, then yama ache piche-the Yamadūta will carry you. You can say, "I can do whatever I like. Why you are forcing me to become Krsna conscious? I can do whatever I like. There is no need of your preaching Krsna consciousness. I am independent. I don't believe in the next life." That is the general statement of the rascals and fools. But the fact is different. If you don't take to Krsna consciousness, then Yamadūtas. Then you'll be punished. You cannot avoid. You are completely dependent on Krsna. Krsna is the Supreme, and you are the servant. You have declined to serve Krsna; therefore you must be punished. This is the nature's way. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi [Bg 7.14]. You cannot escape. You can escape the mundane, man-made laws, but you cannot the God-made laws. That is not possible.

So Yamadūtas, they came to take him. Now the Visnudūta... Evam te bhagavad-dūta. So Bhagavad-dūta... Bhagavan is not alone, without any followers. In the Vaikuntha-loka Bhagavan is there in His innumerable forms. There are innumerable Vaikuntha-lokas, and in each and every planet there is innumerable devotees. He is not alone. Advaitam acyutam anadi ananta-rūpam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca [Bs 5.33]. So Yamadūtas... As the Yamaraja has got his adherent order carriers, similarly, in the Vaikuntha-loka there are so many order carriers. In the Vaikuntha-loka there is not a single person who is not a devotee. That is Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha means... Kuntha means anxiety, and vigata-kuntha iti vaikuntha. There is no anxiety. And the material world means anxiety: "What will happen? What will happen?" Even the sparrow, you will see, you give them some grain, they are eating, but they are looking this way, that way: "If somebody is not coming to kill me?" Everyone-full of anxiety. That we are forgetting, that we are trying to remain in this material world very happy, but that is not possible. Anxiety, full of anxiety.

Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, hitvatma-ghatam grham andha-kūpam vanam gato yad dharim asyrayeta. He was asked by his father what was the best thing he had learned. So he said, "I have learned this best thing." What is that? Hitvatma-ghatam grham andha-kūpam vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5].

"This is the first-class thing." What is that? "Now, giving up this grha andha-kūpam, grhastha life." They are thinking very happy, husband, wife, living together, enjoying. But that is grha andha-kūpam. Andha-kūpam means if you are thrown into the dark well, it is like that. Of course, those who are Krsna conscious, that is different thing. But ordinarily, the so-called household life means to be in the darkness, in the dark well. Grha andha-kū..., hitva: "One should give up." Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, when one is fifty years old, above that, he must give up family life. No more. Then sannyasa. Not that up to the point of death one should remain a grhastha. No. If he wants to become free from anxiety, that is... Otherwise, anxiety. Tat sadhu manye asura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam [SB 7.5.5]. Dehinam, one who has accepted this material body, he must be always restless with anxiety. This is the... Duḥkhalayam asasvatam [Bg 8.15]. You cannot avoid it.

So this Krsna consciousness movement, you can take it as a religious movement, bhagavata-dharma. This is the only dharma, bhagavata-dharma. Except bhagavata-dharma, any other dharma, so-called dharma, is cheating. That is not dharma. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Bhagavat-pranitam, therefore Bhagavatam. The word Bhagavata comes from the word bhagavat. Bhavarthe sipan[?]. Bhagavad-bhava iti bhagavata. So religion means what is given by God. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam.

You cannot manufacture religion, nonsense, give this dharma, that dharma, that dharma. No. Dharma is only one. That is bhagavata-dharma. Otherwise there is no dharma. They are all cheating. Aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. The fight between different religious principles, religious followers-"I am Hindu," "You are Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddha," "My religion is better," "Your religion is bad"-these are all not religion. Real religion is bhagavata-dharma. In any other religion there is para-himsa. [envious of others] Para-himsa. In the history you will find many instances. In our country I have seen fight between Hindus and Muslims, and in the history you will find Europe, the Protestants and the Roman Catholics, and the Crusade.

So this kind of religion has no value. Religion means when one understands Krsna, or God, he understands automatically that all living entities are Krsna's part and parcel. Some way or other, they have been put into this maya. Anadi bahirmukha jiva krsna bhuli gela [Cc Madhya 20.117]. They have forgotten. Therefore a devotee tries to bring them back to Krsna consciousness, back to home, back to Godhead. This is devotee. He has no discrimination that "Here is a Hindu," "Here is a Muslim," "Here is a Christian," "Here is an African," "Here is a white," "Here is a black." No. "Everyone is Krsna's part and parcel. Let them revive their Krsna consciousness and be happy." That is religion. All others cheating.

So this Krsna consciousness movement we are pushing on. We have no such distinction. Samaḥ sarvesu bhūtesu. Not that "They are Europeans. They cannot take to this religion." This is in the andha-kūpa, andha. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhaḥ [SB 7.5.31]. Such class of men are subjected to the punishment by the Yamadūta. Otherwise, panḍitaḥ sama-darsinaḥ [Bg 5.18]. Panḍita's duty is to be equal. Krsna says,

Everyone has got the right to go back to home, back to Godhead. Krsna says, ye 'pi syuḥ papa-yonayaḥ: "Never mind he is born in the sinful family. That's all right. But he has got the right to go back to home, back to Godhead." And who will take up the work? If everyone has got the right to go back to home, back to Godhead, and by taking to Krsna consciousness, mam hi partha vyapasritya... Krsna says, "Everyone has got the right." Then who will teach them how to go back to home, back to Godhead? Who is the man? If you say, "No, no, they are untouchable, papa-yoni. They are untouchable. They cannot," so that is not the duty. The duty is, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,

Anyone who has taken birth in India, if he's a man... If he's a dog, if he's a cat, that is another. If he's a man... Manusya janma haila yara. So what is his duty? Janma sarthaka kari. First of all awaken your own Krsna consciousness-you understand Krsna-and then go out, kara para upakara. Because people are in darkness. People are in darkness. They have forgotten Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness meant, not that "I have understood Krsna. Now pack it up in the box and see sometimes: 'Oh, I have become Krsna conscious.' " My Guru Maharaja condemned this. He said, mana tumi kisera vaisnava: "My dear mind, you are thinking that you have become a very good Vaisnava and chanting Hare Krsna, imitating Haridasa Thakura, and smoking biḍi." This imitation has no value. My Guru Maharaja condemned it. He said, mana tumi kisera vaisnava: "What a rascal you are. You are thinking that you are Vaisnava." Nirjanera ghare... What is that? I forget now. Tava hari-nama kevala kaitava. Pratisthara tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nama kevala kaitava: [Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Vaisnava ke. Stanza 1] "My dear mind, you are very much proud of becoming Vaisnava. In a solitary place you are imitating Haridasa Thakura." Nirjanera ghare, pratisthara tare: "Your this solitary chanting of Hare Krsna means that you want cheap popularity-'Oh, he is chanting Hare Krsna.' " That is not possible. You cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura.

So by imitating Haridasa Thakura, keeping connection with woman and doing all nonsense... You cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura. You must work. You must go out for chanting, for preaching. This is the real chanting. Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna' upadesa. This is wanted, Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has never said that "You may imitate Haridasa Thakura, and in a solitary place, 'Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna... Biḍi biḍi, biḍi.' " Not like that. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Go out."

So our request is, you all foreigners, so you have learned something about Krsna consciousness. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's order. Although He expected that every Indian should go out for paropakara, but anyway, some of the Indians, at least one... But you take this mission and go everywhere, in every corner. I am thankful to you. You are already doing that, in Europe and America, [people are] deep asleep. Because people are sleeping under misguidance, and they are becoming candidate for being carried away by the Yamadūta. This is the position of the whole world, Yamadūta. Palaibara patha naya yama ache piche. Yamaduta will not excuse you, however you may be very proud of becoming independent. This is not possible. To save the human civilization, the rascal civilization, that "There is no life after death, and you go on enjoying as much as you like," this wrong civilization is killing civilization. So you save them. You save them. Otherwise, the Yamadūta is there.

Evam te bhagavad-dūta yamadūtabhibhasitam, upadharya. They listened to the words of Yamadūta very carefully, upadharya, not that haphazardously they heard. No. Their reason, their everything, that "This man was like this, and he must be carried to Yamaraja for punishment..." Why punishment? No, to make him purified, it is said. Punishment required. This is nature's law. Just like if you have infected some disease, the punishment is you must suffer for it. The punishment is good. If you have infected some disease, and when you suffer, that means you become purified from the disease. Suffering is not bad; to become purified. Therefore when a devotee suffers, he does not take it ill-ly. He thinks that "I am being purified. I am being purified."

A devotee, when he is in troubled condition, he thinks, "My Lord is so kind that He is purifying me. I am suffering from my past misdeeds. So Krsna is so kind that He is purifying me, giving me little suffering. That's all right. Therefore I must be obliged to Him." And he offers more respectful obeisances to the Lord: "My Lord, You are purifying me." If one lives like this, mukti-pade sa daya-bhak, his liberation is guaranteed.

Daya-bhak. Daya-bhak means just like the son inherits the father's property without any check. Nobody can check. Law is there-"The father's property must be inherited by the son." Similarly, those who are strictly, I mean to say, in Krsna consciousness, despite all kinds of hindrances, his liberation is guaranteed. His liberation is guaranteed. And if he becomes little..., immediately disturbed with little inconvenience, and "What is this nonsense, Krsna con...? Give it up. Let me enjoy," then he is again in the clutches of maya. But if one sticks to Krsna consciousness in spite of all difficulties, then his liberation, going back to home, back to Godhead, is guaranteed. Mukti-pade sa daya-bhak [SB 10.14.8]. This is the statement of the sastra. Daya-bhak means nobody can check it.

So we should be very careful to stick to Krsna consciousness without being agitated or deviated in any circumstances of life. Then we will not be liable to the punishment of Yamadata. That is the incident happening here. Slightly he became Krsna conscious at the end of life and chanted "Narayana"-immediately the Visnu, Bhagavad-dūta came: "Oh, he has chanted Hare Krsna mantra. That's all right. Let him take back home, back to Godhead."

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupada. [end]