Prabhupada: We are talking of Prahlada Maharaja's prayer. He was thinking himself unfit for offering prayers to the Lord. But still, because he was requested by the great demigods headed by Lord Brahma and others, he thought that material qualification, namely high parentage, riches, beauty, bodily strength, yogic power, all of them are not qualification for becoming a devotee or qualified to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

...that is animal life. There is no beginning of spiritual life. Spiritual life begins when one understands that he is not this body. Brahma-bhutah, brahma-bhuth. So long one identifies with the body, he is jiva-bhutah. Jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat [Bg. 7.5]. And when one realizes aham brahmasmi, "I am Brahman..." But unfortunately Mayavadi philosophers, they take it aham brahmasmi means "I am the Supreme Brahman." No. Brahmasmi means "I am spirit soul." Spirit soul is Brahman, and the Supreme Brahman is different. Supreme Brahman, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12], that is Krsna, Visnu-tattva. So unfortunately these Mayavadi philosophers, they accept brahmasmi means "I am the Supreme." We are not the Supreme. We are subordinate. So long this knowledge lacks, one is not completely in knowledge. Krsna says, therefore, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Amongst the persons who are realized themselves as Brahman, as spirit soul, they also, after trying many, many births, that means they are not muktas, that is still baddha, conditioned. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. Not ordinary person; those who are wise. Wise means those who are in the spiritual platform to understand his position as spirit soul, not this body, such persons, after many, many births surrenders to Krsna. That is the ultimate knowledge. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate, vasudevah [Bg. 7.19]to make it clear morevasudevah sarvam iti. Vasudeva, Krsna, is the Supreme. He is everything.

So yoga, yoga, this bodily practice, that if I am not body, then what shall I get by bodily exercise? Bodily exercises can help me little, but that is not spiritual platform. The (indistinct), kundalini, these are to the bodily concept of life. Actually, to tell the truth, those who are too much bodily absorbed, that "I am this body," for them this yoga practice is recommended. Not for the intelligent man. Because one who identifies himself with this body, he is not very intelligent. But because such persons are not very intelligent, for them this bodily exercise of yoga, astanga-yoga, is recommended. Not for the intelligent person. Intelligent person, they take immediately to the devotional service, immediate. Just like Krsna..., Lord Caitanya begins immediately spiritual life, and He instructs Sanatana Gosvami, jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. This is spiritual life. You... From the very beginning, you take it for granted that "I am eternal servant of Krsna. I am not this body. Neither I have anything to do in relationship with this body." Because as soon as I identify with my body, then the family relation, the society relation, the national relation, the country relation, so many things in relationship with the body we accept as truth. But that is not truth. As soon as the body finishes, everything finishes. Therefore, Prahlada Maharaja says, yoga is also not helpful for approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Everything is prakrti. The jivas, they have been described as prakrti. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim param. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna says that these material elementsearth, water, air, fire, mind, intelligence, egothey are bhinna me prakrti astadha [Bg. 7.4]. Prakrti. He is purusa. Prakrti means female. So they are also energy, energy. Just like here, try to understand, the karmis, unless they have got a wife, they cannot work, they are not very enthusiastic. Therefore, according to the karmis, when the boy is developed, immediately the parents get him wife for him. Otherwise he will be dull, he cannot work. Energy, sakti. If one has got good wife, then he gets energy to work. Therefore, prakrti, she is called prakrti, energy. Similarly, this is a fact. Krsna has got also energy, the original purusaRadharani, energy, prakrti. Krsna is engladdened in the presence of Radharani. That is nature. Similarly, a man, he becomes energized if he has got a good wife or good mother. This is the history of the whole world. Any great man in this world, you will find that behind him he has got a good wife or good mother. Prakrti, energy. That energizes. In our country how we have seen many persons. Just like Sad Guru Das Bannerjee, (indistinct), they had very good mothers, and they became very great men. Similarly, we saw one Englishman, Lord Wellington, he had a very intelligent wife and he became great man. So this prakrti is energy. By the energy of one woman, one becomes very great. That is the material arrangement. Not only material, in the spiritual world also the same thing. Just like Krsna is energized in the presence of Radharani, in the presence of Radharani. Krsna is called Madana-mohana and Radharani is called Madana-mohana-mohini. So the law is the same. But here in this material world, everything is perverted. Perverted. Therefore, we do not get the real energy. There is frustration, there is confusion. So we have to come to the real platform. Disease, diseased person... A diseased person, there are nice eatable things, enjoyable things, but he cannot eat, he cannot taste it, diseased person. Liver function is not working; therefore, he cannot taste it.

So this spiritual life means to come to the original position where everything will be tasty, everything will be tasty. Radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad ekatmanav api deha-bhedam gatau tau [Cc. Adi 1.5]. Then we can understand what is spiritual life, what is spiritual love. So... But the material things cannot help us. That is the statement of..., naradhanaya hi bhavanti parasya pumso. Parasya pumsah. Not this material personparasya. He is transcendental purusa, not purusa like us. Today this life I have got a dress of a purusa, next life I can get a dress of a female. Because here all are living entities, they are prakrti. Actually they are prakrti, but they are falsely dressed as purusa. Falsely dressed. Jiva-bhutam maha-baho [Bg. 7.5]. They are superior, superior energy, superior prakrti, but they are not purusa. So the Mayavadi theory that by salvation means he becomes one with the Supreme. One with the Supreme, how it is possible? The Supreme is purusa and I am prakrti. There must be difference between purusa and prakrti. The prakrti cannot..., a female cannot artificially become a male. That is not possible. And because we are trying artificially to become the supreme male, therefore, that is maya. That is maya. Maya means which is not fact. Ma-ya, it is false. So falsely we are trying to be purusa, enjoyer. This whole world is struggling to become purusa, enjoyer, everyone. Nation-wide, society-wide, they are trying to be purusa.

So, therefore, these material qualities will not help us to become..., to approach the Supreme Brahman. How? Bhaktya tutosa bhagavan gaja-yutha-paya. Gaja-yutha-paya, the Gajendra, he was in danger. But although it was animal, but by simple devotional service, he satisfied the Supreme Lord and he was saved. And another thing is that we should not think that opposite, as it is said, dhana jana, dhanabhijana-rupa-tapah-sruta. Now Prahlada Maharaja says that material wealth is not sufficient qualification to become a devotee to approach the Lord. Does it mean if we become poor then we can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead? No. That is also not a qualification. In material sense, this dhana..., dhana, riches, it is relative. A poor man has got, say, ten rupees, he is thinking, "Oh, I am very rich man." And a rich man to our consideration, another man, he has got ten lakhs of rupees, he is thinking, "I am poor man because I have no ten crores of rupees." So it is not the money which makes one rich. Because it is a status of mental concoction. The poor man, he hasn't..., he gets one paise, two paise, he sometimes he gets ten rupees, he thinks, "I am very rich man." And another man, he earns one lakh, two lakhs at a time. So unless he comes to ten crores of rupees, he does not think himself rich man. So which one is rich and which one is poor? It is very difficult to ascertain.

So the fact is that bhakti does not depend on such poverty or richness. That is to be understood. It is not that the poverty-stricken man will be a great devotee. No. That is also not a qualification. And it is also not a qualification that a very rich man can become devotee. No. Therefore, Caitanya Mahaprabhu suggests... Not the suggestion of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it is in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. Sthane sthitah. You remain in your place, it doesn't matter. In your consideration whether you are rich or poor, it doesn't matter. You remain in your position. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam. You simply give your oral reception. What is that oral reception? San-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam. San-mukharitam: those who are devotees, from their mouth you try to understand the glories of the Lord. This is the first-class qualification. Not that to become rich or poor. Richness or poverty is no hampering. Because spiritual life is so great, so sublime, that is this ahaituki hata. No material thing can check your spiritual progress. The only qualification you require, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted when he was talking with Ramananda Raya, he was prescribing one after another different processes. Karma, jnana, yoga, dhyanavista, bhakti, so many things, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu was denying one after another, eho bahya age kaha, "This is not. This is external." He began from the varnasrama-dharma, because that is the beginning of civilization.

So these things, people think that these riches or yogic power or bodily strength or influence, these are qualification. They are not actually qualification, neither they are disqualification if provided. But the difficulty is, one who is rich, one who is very powerful, one who is very influential, he thinks, "What shall I do by hearing about Krsna? I have got everything, I am so powerful, I am so rich." That is the disqualification. If he simply agrees to hear about Krsna, then it is all right. We, according to Gosvamis, we don't say that riches, wealth, is a disqualification. But it must be engaged in the service of the Lord. Nirbandhe krsna sambandhe yukta vairagyam ucyate. Just like Ramananda Raya, he was very rich man, he was governor, but he always engaged himself in Krsna's service. He was one of the most confidential servants and devotee of Lord Caitanya. So the conclusion is that richness or aristocracy, they are not qualification and they are not disqualification also, provided we agree to hear about Krsna from the right source. This is the conclusion.

Then he says, viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad aravinda-nabha-padaravinda-vimukhat svapacam varistham. Viprad, brahmana, dvi-sad-guna, a brahmana not by birth but with quality. Guna-karma-vibhagasah. That is sastra. Sastra means, Lord Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. A brahmana or a ksatriya or a vaisya or a sudra or a brahmacari or a grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasi, they are divided according to the quality. According to the quality. Never says janma. Quality. So here also it is said viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad. Dvi means double, twice, and sad means six, then means twelve. Twelve kinds of qualities a brahmana meets. The twelve kinds of qualities are also mentioned here. (reads from Sridhara Swami commentary:) Evam bhaktyeva kevalaya hari (indistinct) sambhavati tukta idanim bhaktim vina na kincit tosa (indistinct) dvisat (indistinct) guna (indistinct) varistham manye. Even a brahmana, unless one is qualified by the twelve prescribed qualities in the sastra, he cannot be accept..., he cannot be accepted as brahmana. Sridhara Swami says that even though one is qualified with all those good qualities which indicates that one is brahmana... Prahlada Maharaja also says that, viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad. Even though he is qualified, but he is not a devotee. Generally, those who are very highly qualified brahmana, they are very proud, and they do not become a devotee, generally. "Oh, devotion, this is for poor man. This is for those who are not highly educated, for them. They are chanting, dancing." They criticize like that. But actually that is not the fact. Jiva Gosvami was the most learned scholar. Rupa Gosvami was most learned scholar. All the... Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, the most learned scholars. His one description of the Bhagavata sloka. What is that sloka? Atmaramas ca munayo. He explained in sixty-four ways to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was very proud of his knowledge. He was a great scholar, Brhaspati. He is considered to be incarnation of Brhaspati, the learned scholar of heaven. And still, when he argued with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu about Vedanta-sutra, he was defeated. He was defeated and then he became His disciple. Similarly, Caitanya Mahaprabhu had talks with Prakasananda Sarasvati, another Mayavadi sannyasi scholar. So He also explained Vedanta-sutra.

So it is not that this devotional line, disciplic succession, they are necessarily very poor in knowledge. They are full in knowledge. One many not be personally very learned, but because we follow the disciplic succession, the conclusion given by the learned scholars like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Rupa Gosvami, Jiva Gosvami, therefore, we follow the conclusion, therefore we are also learned. Because we do not follow any other path, we follow mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186], we follow Jiva Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami. Therefore, we are called Rupanuga Vaisnava. Vaisnava, who are followers strictly. My Guru Maharaja is described, rupanuga-viruddha-apasiddhanta-dhvanta-harine. Rupanuga-viruddha. There are certain principles given by Srila Rupa Gosvami. Just like Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, he is giving the definition of bhakti.

So the Gosvamis have given their principles, especially for general public in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. We have translated this book into Nectar of Devotion. So our business is everything is there, we have to follow. And my Guru Maharaja is described as rupanuga-viruddha-apasiddhanta-dhvanta-harine. He was strictly to follow the rupanuga principle. Rupanuga principle, Srila Rupa Gosvami directs in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, "You somehow or other engage people in Krsna consciousness." Yena tena prakarena manah krsne nivesayet, sarve vidhi-nisedha syur etayor eva kinkara. Just like in Europe and America, some of our friends criticize that "Swami Maharaja, he is not doing this, not doing that." We are doing everything, but our main business is just to induce them to Krsna consciousness. That is the secret. You have to induce them. Then even there is some discrepancies in the rules and regulation, it does not matter. Rupa Gosvami says, sarve vidhi-nisedha syur etayor eva kinkara. First of all, we must be Krsna conscious somehow or other. We must find out. It can be changed according to country, climate, and circumstances. But the result, we have to see by the result whether one has become Krsna conscious. That is wanted. That is wanted. Then we say that this is the rule: you don't do this, we don't do this. In the beginning we have many difficulties. Because their behavior, their culture, everything just opposite. Just opposite. How you can expect everything to the right point? That is not possible. So we have to find out means how he becomes Krsna conscious. That is my first business. So that is the secret.

So Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami followed strictly the Rupa Gosvami. Just like Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami introduced that a sannyasi should go for begging alms in motorcar. In motorcar. They should live in palatial buildings. Now if in this age if we follow that rupanuga... Srila Rupa Gosvami used to live underneath a tree, and if we say now we shall also imitate..., just like there are many babajis in Vrndavana, they are imitating, a small loincloth but doing all nonsense. So imitation is not required. Real thing is required. How, what is the purpose of Gosvami? They say that yena tena prakarena manah krsne. Somehow or other first of all engage him in Krsna consciousness. That is my Guru Maharaja's gift. He first of all started that there is no need of going to Vrndavana and imitate the Gosvamis. Live in big, big cities, in big, big palatial houses, but preach Krsna consciousness. People may understand. Give chance to the people how they will understand Krsna consciousness. He opened many centers. Similarly, in big, big cities. So we are doing that. And because we are following strictly the principles of Rupa Gosvami, rupanuga, therefore it is somehow or other coming out very successful. The Krsna consciousness movement should be pushed according to the rupanuga principle.

So here it is said, manye... Here it is said, viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad aravinda-nabha-padaravinda-vimukhat svapacam varistham. Prahlada Maharaja recommends. Svapacam, sva means dog. Dog..., pacati, those who eat dog's flesh, they are considered very low born. There are different kinds of flesh eaters. In the Ayurveda-sastra, they are called, those who are eating the flesh of dog, they are called svapaca. Those who are eating the flesh of cows, they are go-kaga(?), mamsaga(?), these are so many. But in the Manu-samhita it is said that if one eats the flesh of cow, he is called go-kaga(?), if one eats the flesh of dog, he is called svapaca, if one eats the flesh of this..., he is given description. But one who eats fish, he eats all the fleshes. matsaga-sarva-mamsaga(?). If anyone eats fish, he eats all kinds of fleshes.

Devotee (1): Fish?

Prabhupada: Fish, yes. Fish is abominable according to Manu-samhita. matsaga-sarva-mamsaga, tasmat matsa vivarjet(?). Therefore, even you can eat the flesh of cow, but don't eat fish. That is the stricture in the Manu-samhita. Because if you are eating dog's flesh, then you are sinful in the matter of dog's flesh only. But if you eat fish, then you become sinful of eating all kinds of flesh. Matsaga-sarva-mamsaga(?). These are the strictures. Of course, we have nothing to do with these dog-eaters or fish-eaters or cow-eaters. We are concerned with Krsna prasadam. We are interested in eating Krsna's prasada. If Krsna says that "Give Me dog or give Me cow flesh," we shall give and eat. But not before that. So we have no quarrel with these fish-eaters or cow-eaters. We are concerned that Krsna says patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If He likes, He can eat everything. Because when Yasoda-mayi suspected that Krsna has eaten earth and the boys, His playmates, were accusing Him, "Mother Yasoda, your son has eaten earth." And Krsna denied, "No, mother, I have not eaten." She did not believe. "All right, open Your mouth, I want to see." So when Krsna opened, she saw all the universes within. So, therefore, what is the question of this flesh or that flesh? Everything is there. Krsna, because He is all powerful, if He likes He can... But He does not, He does not. So He says, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. Krsna is giving. Krsna is all powerful, He can do everything. He has no restriction. If He is restricted, then He is not God. He can do anything, but He does not do so because He is teaching us. You cannot say that Krsna can eat this, therefore we can give everything. No. Krsna says, patram puspam phalam toyam. You can give vegetable, flowers, grains, milk, and we take that. So we have no quarrel with that.

Svapaca. Svapaca means the dog-eaters. The dog-eaters, they are considered to be the most abominable. The dog-eaters are there still. We have received report from our Hong Kong center that there is regular dog-eaters, and I am going there in Hong Kong. (laughter) But we are not concerned with the dog-eaters. But here Prahlada Maharaja says... Dog-eaters were there (indistinct) millions of years ago. All kinds of people are there always. It is not that now somebody has developed. No. Everything is perpetually existing. We don't believe in Darwin's theory, evolution. Everything is... But sometimes the dog-eaters are very less, and sometimes the dog-eaters are very great. Sometimes the cow-eaters are very great, and sometimes... But everything is there. First-class, second-class, third-class men, asura and devata, they are all existing, always existing. Otherwise how Prahlada Maharaja mentions svapacam varistham? Svapaca means dog-eaters, that during his time, millions and millions of years ago, there were dog-eaters. Otherwise how he says? So all classes of men are existing always, and everyone has got chance to become a devotee. Otherwise how Prahlada Maharaja says svapacam varistham? The dog-eater is better than the brahmana with twelve qualifications. Viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad. Vipra means real vipra, qualified, not the so-called birthright vipra. But he said dvi-sad-guna-yutad, a brahmana who is actually qualified with the twelve gunas. These gunas are mentioned here, Sridhara Swami. He says, (reading from commentary:) dharmasya sattvam ca damas (indistinct) titiksa anasuya yajnasya danam ca dhrti sutam ca vratani dvadasa brahmanas. He is quoting from sastra, this is brahminical twelve qualifications. What is that? He must be religious; he must be truthful; he must be controlling the senses; he must be controlling the mind; he should not be envious; he must be very intelligent; he must be very tolerant, titiksa; anasuyahe is not envious; yajnasya, he must engage himself always in sacrificing, yajnasya; danam cahe must be charitable; and dhrti, he must be very powerful memory he must have; and then srutasya, very learned scholar; sutam ca, vratani he must be endowed with vows, "I must do it," vratani; dvadasa brahmana. These are the twelve qualities of brahmana.

So here Prahlada Maharaja says viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad: that brahmana who is qualified with these twelve kinds of high qualities, this is guna-yutad. But if he is not a devotee, aravinda-nabha-vimukhat, he does not like to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead as worshipable, better than this kind of brahmana is a svapaca Vaisnava. Why? The reason is given there that padaravinda-vimukhat svapacam varistham manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitartha-pranam punati sa kulam na tu bhurimanah. This svapaca, if he becomes a devotee, he is qualified to deliver his whole family. But not the brahmana who is so proud, he cannot deliver himself, what to speak of his family, because he is proud with these qualification. But a Vaisnava... Just like it was in case of Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja did not ask anything for his personal benefit, but he was so kind, he asked some benediction from the Lord for his father. This is Vaisnava. He was so much tortured by his father, but still he remembered that "After all, he is my father. So I pray something for my father." He did not ask anything for himself. He prayed at last, "My dear Lord, my father was a great offender at Your lotus feet. If You will kindly excuse him." So Nrsimhadeva said, "My dear Prahlada, not only your father, your father's father, his father, his father, all are delivered because you are in the family." So that is the quality of a devotee. He can deliver all the members of the family, sa kulam. Sa kulam means with all the members. Pranam punati sa kulam na tu bhurimanah. And the proud brahmana who is qualified with all these qualities, he cannot deliver himself. But a svapaca, a dog-eater, if he is a devotee, he can deliver all his family. These are the Vaisnava qualifications. So if one becomes Vaisnava in a family, he is giving the best service to the family. Unfortunately, if somebody comes within our society, the father, mother become disturbed, "Oh, he is going to be a Vaisnava. Let him become a Naxalite, that's all right. But why he should become a Vaisnava?" Immediately disturbed. We have got experience, you see. But he does not know that any boy who becomes a Vaisnava, who is strictly following the Vaisnava principles, he is doing the..., he is giving the best service to his family. Here Prahlada Maharaja says, and it is confirmed by Lord Nrsimhadeva.

So these are the advantage of become Krsna conscious and Vaisnava. So, therefore, Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended that we may remain in different position of social and other status of life, but if we give our submissive oral reception to the teachings of Krsna, krsna-katha, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, then our life is successful. Thank you very much. [break]