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Prabhupada:
(tvad-virya-gayana-) mahamrta-magna-cittah
soce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyartha- maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43] Here is a verse spoken by Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja you know, a great devotee of Krsna. From the very beginning of his life he was a great devotee. From the womb of his mother, he was a great devotee. It is possible. When his mother was pregnant, the demigods... There was fighting between the demigods and the demons. And while his mother was pregnant, she was being dragged, taken by Indra under custody, and on the way Indra was met by Narada Muni. Narada Muni objected, "What is this that you are dragging a pregnant woman? What is this?" Indra explained that "Because she is the wife of Hiranyakasipu, a demon with whom we have just finished our fighting, she (he?) has gone away. So we are taking this lady under our custody so that as soon as she gives birth to a child, we will immediately kill so that the demonic descendants will be no more." Narada replied that "This child is not a demon. He is a great devotee maha-bhagavata. So do not do this. Better give this lady under my custody. I shall take care of her, and you can go." So Narada Muni is the spiritual master of all demigods, so he immediately accepted the words of the great sage Narada. Not only accepted, but they offered their respects by bowing down to the child who was in the womb of his mother. A Vaisnava, it doesn't matter whether he is a child or in the womb of his mother, he's respectful. Just like Krsna, when He was in the womb of His mother, Devaki, the demigods also offered their prayers and obeisances you know, garbha-stuti, that is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
So the Vaisnava and the Lord are equally respected, even by the demigods. A Vaisnava is not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, advaya-jnana. In the material world, there is difference between the master and the servant. But in the spiritual world, the servant is as much respectful as the master. That is spiritual world. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. Vaisnava means that to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said like that. We don't want...as the Mayavadi philosophy, they want to become God, at once. No. Nobody can become God, that is not possible. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that jivera 'svarupa' haya-nitya krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. The real identity of living entity is eternal servant of the Lord, Krsna dasa. In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly explained, mamaivamso jiva-bhuta [Bg. 15.7]. In the Bhagavad-gita or any Vedic literature, there is no such mention that the jiva is as good as the Supreme Lord. It is never stated. Amsa, minute particles.
Just like the sun and the sunshine. Sunshine is combination of minute luminous molecular parts. There are finer atomic parts, lumination, combined together, that is called sunshine. That minute particle, shining minute particle is never equal to the sun. Similarly, jiva is minute particle of the supreme sun, Krsna. Mamaivamso jiva-bhuta [Bg. 15.7]. So as the small molecular particle, shining particle in the sunshine cannot become the sun, similarly, the molecular particle of the Supreme Soul, the jivatma, is never equal to the Supreme Lord. The another name of the Supreme Lord is asama-urdhva. Asama. Asama means never equal. What to speak of ordinary living entities, in the sastra it is stated that even Lord Brahma, Lord Siva cannot be equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the injunction.
yas tu narayanam devam
brahma-rudradi-daivataih samatvenaiva vikseta sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam [Cc. Madhya 18.116] If anyone thinks that Narayana, Krsna, or Visnu... They're all visnu-tattva, bhagavat-tattva, Rama. If somebody thinks that Narayana is as good as Lord Siva or Lord Brahma, sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam, he becomes a pasandi.
So this human form of life is meant for realizing our relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is the mission of this human form of life. So our duty in this human form of life is to realize our original relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prahlada Maharaja says... There is a stotra offered by Prahlada Maharaja. When Prahlada Maharaja's father, Hiranyakasipu, was killed by Lord Nrsimhadeva, He was very angry. Because this Hiranyakasipu, although father of Prahlada Maharaja, he persecuted him in so many ways. The only fault was that he was a devotee. That is the nature of the demoniac world. Even one's son becomes a devotee and if the father is demon, then he'll be angry. That was actually happening. So Prahlada Maharaja, Vaisnava, he is speaking to the Lord, naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyah, "My dear Lord," para. Para means He is transcendental, not of this material world. Udvije, "I am not anxious." Because everyone is anxious. In this material world, everyone is always anxious, either in peace or war, it doesn't matter. In peace, so-called peace, there is no peace. Actually, it is a place for struggle for existence with maya. So there cannot be any peace.
So everyone is full of anxiety. That is also explained by Prahlada Maharaja that sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat [SB 7.5.5]. When his father... After all, father and son, the relationship is very affectionate. So even though father was not happy that his son was growing to be a great devotee, still one day he called his son, "My dear son, what best thing you have learned from your teachers?" So Prahlada Maharaja is answering. He knew that his father was a demon, so he is addressing directly. Tat sadhu manye asura-varya dehinam. Asura-varya. "My dear father, you are the best of the asuras." Asura-varya. Varya means the best. "My dear father," tat sadhu manye asura-varya dehinam. "I think," dehinam, "for the living entities who have accepted this material body..."
There are living entities who do not accept this material body. They are in the spiritual world. Their number is greater than the number of the living entities within this material world. They are called nitya-siddha. Eternally perfect. And here in this material world, the living entities are called nitya-baddha. Nitya-baddha means eternally conditioned. Therefore, Prahlada Maharaja says, tat sadhu manye asura-varya dehinam. Dehinam means in this material world. We are not this deha, this body. We are dehi, only accepting. Just like I am not this shirt. I am different from this shirt. This is called self-realization. Aham brahmasmi, I am spirit soul. That is jnana. So long I am identifying with this body, then my..., I am in ignorance, I am a go-kharah. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke, sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. But unfortunately, these people are going under the identification of this body. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am white," "I am black," "I am learned," " I am fool," " I am rich," "I am poor." All these designations are our ignorance. Therefore, Prahlada Maharaja says dehinam. Anyone who has accepted this body, tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam. Because the living entity, although spirit soul, he has accepted this material body, asat. Asat means which will not exist. This body will not exist, but we forget that. This is the most wonderful thing in this material world. Everyone is dying every moment, still one who is living, he thinks that he will live forever. That is the most wonderful thing.
So our position is in ignorance and, therefore, we are always full of anxiety. Just like this war between India and Pakistan (indistinct), the anxiety is not yet over, it is going on. There may be another war. So in this material world you cannot be free of anxiety, that is not possible. Sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat [SB 7.5.5]. Asad-grahat means because we have accepted something which is temporary, not permanent... Take for example this body... Therefore, we must be always full of anxieties.
So Prahlada Maharaja advised that "The best thing which I have learned is that you should give up this material world." Tyaktva... Grham andha-kupam atma-patam vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. "My dear father, I have learned this best thing," that tyaktva... Grham andha-kupam. "This world, material world, which is just like a dark well..., if a man is thrown into this dark well as he is in this precarious condition of life, similarly, anyone who is in the material world, he is put in the dark well. Therefore, somehow or other, we have to get out of this and," vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5], "we shall accept the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari." The father became very much angry. Murkhaya upadesa hi prakopaya na santaye, if you give good instruction to a murkha, to a foolish person, he will be angry. He will not rectify himself, but he will be angry (indistinct).
So Prahlada Maharaja was (indistinct) the great devotee in the world. There are many descriptions of his characteristics and activities. In Bhagavata, Prahlada-caritra is everyone knows. So when his father was killed, he said, naivodvije para deva duratyaya vaitaranyah. Duratyaya. Duratyaya means (it is) very difficult to cross over this ocean of nescience, material world. It is very difficult. We do not know how we have been put into this ocean of nescience. We are traveling, going through eight million four hundred thousand species of life. Sometimes in different species of life in different types of planets and different types of body, we are passing through. We do not know that. We know, we know even in this life we can understand that I have passed over so many bodies. I had my childhood body, I had my boyhood body, I had my youthhood body, now I have got a different body which is old man's body. Similarly, I shall give up this body and I will have to accept another body by the laws of nature. Tatha dehantara-praptir. As we are changing our body even in this present life, similarly, after giving up this body, I have to accept another body. Tatha dehantara praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. But the problem is what kind of body I am going to have in my next life. That is to be thought over.
Therefore, there is no guarantee. And this time I may have so very nice body in a very aristocratic family. Next life it may be the same aristocratic standard or in the higher planetary system in heavenly body, and it may also be that I can get the body of a cat and dog. Therefore, it is very essential that we should be prepared for the next body. Because after we will give up this body, and our pains and pleasure is according to the body. That is also the statement of Prahlada Maharaja, sukham aindriyakam daitya deha-yogena dehinam, we get a standard of happiness or distress. Take for example only happiness, forget about distress. So Prahlada Maharaja says, sukham aindriyakam daitya deha-yogena dehinam. One who has got his body in the Khatau's family or any nice family, so his standard of happiness is already fixed up according to the body. He has got a body in such family or in such species of life, so his standard of life is also fixed up according to his karma-yogena. Jantur dehopapattaye. Karmana daiva-netrena jantur deha upapattaye [SB 3.31.1]. Karmana, by our act. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sri [SB 1.8.26]. By pious activities, one can get these four things: birth in high family, rich family, brahmana family, cultured family, janma; aisvaryariches, opulence; srutaeducation; and sribeauty.
So I say to my American and European disciples always that your nation, American nation, you have got your birth in a very rich nation or rich family. In America, every family is rich because there the poorest man earns monthly not less than four to five thousand of rupees, according to our (indistinct). The poorest man. And what to speak of the richest man. So janma, aisvarya, sruta, sri, these things are achieved out of pious activities. Therefore, in the Vedas, the karma-kanda vicara, performing great sacrifices, they are mentioned. (Sanskrit) Performing yajna. In order to keep ourself happy within this material world, we have to perform yajna. That we are forgetting. There is no yajna performance. Therefore, as we are forgetting to live according to the direction of the Vedas, we are meeting with so many dangerous ways of life. Take for example, in our country, 20 years ago, there was no fight between Punjab and Bengal. Now because we are advanced, we have got independence, now the fighting is between Punjab and Bengal. This kind of advancement we are making, and we have to face such calamities more and more if we forget performance of yajna.
yajna-sistasinah santo
mucyante sarva kilbisaih bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pacanty atma-karanat [Bg. 3.13] Everything is explained there. So unfortunately, we are forgetting our Vedic culture and we are very much puffed up as if we are advancing. This is not advancement. We learn many industrial houses, commercial houses, they have contributed enough lumps of money to the war fund, defense fund. What for? To burn the money in gunpowder, that's all. But they are not prepared to burn the money in sacrifice. So you have to meet all these calamities more and more. This is the fact. You cannot avoid. The law of nature, the law of God is there. You may deny the existence of God, but the God's agency, Durga-devi, Candi, is there. Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga [Bs. 5.44]. Durga, the Goddess Durga, the material energy, she is working under the direction of Krsna. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita,
So Krsna also says, daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14], the same thing. As Krsna says, mama maya duratyaya, similarly, Prahlada Maharaja also says duratyaya, it is very difficult to supplant the laws of nature. If you don't act according to the direction... Veda means knowledge. So in the Vedas, they are giving direction how to live. Even if you want to be materially prosperous, you have to follow these rules and regulations. And if you want to get out of this material world, these are the rules and regulations. Otherwise, we have to meet always... Already there are calamities. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi [Bg. 13.9], the calamities of birth, the calamities of death, the calamities of old age, the calamities of disease, they are already there. And above that, the calamities of war, pestilence, famine, earthquake, and so many other things.
So we are passing through, but we are not aware how to avoid it, how to become free from this life of anxiety. That is being described by Prahlada Maharaja. He says that "For me, my Lord, I am not at all anxious. I am completely free from all these calamities." Just see. He was a boy of five years old only, but he is confident that he is not subjected to the calamities. Duratyaya-vaitaranyah. Why? Tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah [SB 7.9.43], "Because I have learned to fulfill my heart by glorifying Your wonderful activities." Kirtanam. Kirtanam means to describe or to sing the glorious activities of the Lord, that is called kirtanam. Kirtanam does not mean always that we have to chant or sing with musical instrument. I am speaking to you Srimad-Bhagavatam, this is also kirtanam. So we have to accept this principle, kirtanam, always. This kirtanam is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Every one of us, never mind, this happiness is already fixed up. When you are born in this family, your standard of happiness is already fixed up. Don't bother. The time which you have got, valuable time, save it for becoming Krsna conscious. That is required. (indistinct) Don't bother always for further happiness, further happiness, further happiness. Happiness already is standard (?). This is,
tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah tal labhyate duhkha vad anyatah sukham kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa [SB 1.5.18] The standard of happiness and distress. Just like this morning I was walking in the (indistinct). I saw some poor men, they were taking bath in the pit and washing their cloth. So I told them that he is also living in Bombay and here are other gentlemen, so why they could not become like them? The opportunity is open for every one of us. So why one man is like this and one man is like that? That is destined, that is called destination. Kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa. The standard of happiness and standard of distress will be there according to karma. Therefore, our duty is not to be disturbed by this so-called happiness and distress. We should save time and must advance in Krsna consciousness. Tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah [SB 7.9.43]. Simply always thinking of the wonderful activities of the Lord.
So Prahlada Maharaja says that "For personally I have no anxiety, because I have learned the art how to become happy. I have learned the art, always thinking of Your glorious activities." There are so many glorious activities of Krsna, so we can think of. If you take a flower, you can think of glorious activities of Krsna. How artistically, how nicely the flower is made. You cannot say it is made by nature. It is made by Krsna. Krsna says mayadhyaksena prakrtih [Bg. 9.10]. Prakrti, nature, is producing, that's all right, but under the direction of Krsna. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. Just like your mill is running. A common man cannot see where is Mr. (first name) Khatau, but it is going on under your direction, that's a fact. Similarly, everything is going on under the direction of Krsna. If we understand this fact, that is Krsna consciousness. So while drinking water, we can remember Krsna. Krsna says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi suryayoh [Bg. 7.8], "The taste of the water I am." So we are drinking water several times in a day. As soon as we drink water, we can remember immediately, "Oh, Krsna, how nice Krsna. He has given us this nice water, tasteful water. This is Krsna." This is Krsna consciousness.
So we have to practice this Krsna consciousness, we have to teach others to become Krsna conscious, and that requires huge amount of energy. We should be prepared. This is India's gift. The people are taking all over the world. Unfortunately, I am trying single-handed, nobody is cooperating in India. They will throw millions of dollars in the gunpowder, but not for this Krsna consciousness movement. It is very important movement. Every philosopher, every scientist should come forward, try to understand this movement, and do the needful. That is my request. Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/7/9/43/visakhapatnam/february/22/1972 Previous: Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.42 -- Mayapur, March 22, 1976 Next: Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.43 -- Calcutta, March 23, 1976
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