SPD09-05 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.7, September 5, 1972, New Vrindavan
SPD09-05
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.7,
September 5, 1972, New Vrindavan
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.7,
September 5, 1972, New Vrindavan
[06:31] [Pradyumna:] Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya.
[06:46] Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto One, Chapter Two, text 7. [leads chanting of verse]
[06:51] vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty asu vairagyam jnanam ca yad ahaitukam .
[09:01] [Prabhupada:] Anyone else? Any ladies?
[09:11] So yesterday we were discussing the..., what is the first-class religious system.
[09:26] Sa vai pumsam paro dharmaḥ yato bhaktir adhoksaje .
[09:32] The test is, people are very much enthusiastic to fight,
[09:41] "My religion is better." "I am Hindu. Our religion is very good."
[09:50] Somebody says, "No, we are Christian, we are.... Our religion is very good."
[09:55] Somebody Muhammadan. This fighting is going on.
[10:01] In European history there was fight, crusade, between religious group.
[10:09] In our country, in India, there was fight between Hindus and Muslims.
[10:17] So what is the meaning of this fight?
[10:24] Actually, when one is God conscious, he knows God,
[10:32] then where is the chance of fighting?
[10:40] Yasya deve para... Because one should be... If actually one is God conscious,
[10:55] yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana . The Vedic literature gives us information
[11:05] that actually if one is a devotee of God...
[11:11] God is one. God cannot be two. It is not that Hindus have got one God
[11:19] and Christians have got another God. No. God cannot be two.
[11:27] Then there cannot be any competition of Gods: "I am God."
[11:33] Just like nowadays it has become a fashion, so many gods,
[11:38] rascals, are coming, "I am God." He says, "I am God," "I am God,"
[11:44] "I am God." Now how many Gods are there? No. God is one, eko brahma dvitiya nasti.
[11:55] That is the Vedic injunction. Just like the sun. Sun is one,
[12:05] from our practical example. You cannot say that "This is American sun"
[12:19] and "This is Indian sun," or "It is African sun." Sun is one.
[12:27] See, if a creation of God is one, and it is so powerful...
[12:36] Sun is one of the creation of God. There are millions of suns.
[12:42] We can see one only. So if one sun created by God can do so much work,
[12:53] can distribute so much heat and light, just imagine how much powerful
[12:59] is the creator of the sun. This is common sense.
[13:09] So we get information from Bhagavad-gita... [aside:] Rūpanuga, you can come here.
[13:21] Aham sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvam pravartate
[13:32] Aham sarvasya prabhavaḥ. Whatever we see, whatever there is,
[13:42] they are all emanation from God. That is the verdict of Vedanta-sūtra also.
[13:50] Simple. If you want to know what is God, the Vedanta-sūtra informs us very,
[13:59] in two words, very simple, "God, or the Absolute Truth, is that who is the
[14:11] source of everything." Janmady asya yataḥ .
[14:17] The original source from whom everything is coming, He is God.
[14:28] Very simple definition. Anyone can understand. If you find out...
[14:36] That is our enqu... Philosophy means to enquire, athato brahma jijnasa. To enquire.
[14:46] Now this life, this human form of life, is especially meant for enquiring
[14:53] about the Absolute Truth. In animal life we cannot do. There are big, big animals,
[15:03] tigers and lions and elephants, and big, big trees also, they are also living entities.
[15:12] Big, big whale fish within the ocean, very gigantic. Big, big mountains. Mountains,
[15:22] they have got also life. But they cannot enquire about God. That is not possible.
[15:36] You can enquire about God in this human form of life. That's all.
[15:42] Therefore in any civilized society, there is an enquiry of God,
[15:48] that is called religion. One may be... Or in degrees there may be different.
[15:59] Just like in India, they are also making inquiry. Not now; not at the present moment.
[16:09] They have given up. But hundreds and thousands of years ago. Not thousand;
[16:21] even two hundred years ago, India was so inquisitive about enquiring about God.
[16:32] Even one Chinese gentleman, he has written one book, philosophical, that is
[16:39] recommended-I forgot the name, title of the book-that is studied in New York University
[16:47] in the religion class. In that book he has written that "If you want to know about God,
[16:55] if you want to know about religion, then you must go to India." Yes. That's a fact.
[17:03] Because in no other country the great sages and saintly person engaged themselves
[17:12] so seriously about understanding God. Therefore the Vedanta-sūtra is there.
[17:23] So we should know that God is one. God is not different.
[17:31] There cannot be any competition of God.
[17:39] There cannot be any superior truth than God. Therefore God is called the great.
[17:48] God is called the Absolute. So religion means, first-class religion means,
[17:58] how the followers have developed the understanding of God.
[18:03] That is first-class religion. Not that how many animals we can sacrifice
[18:13] or how many times we can... So many rituals and so many other things
[18:19] are there in every religion. But the..., we have to test by the result, phalena pariciyate.
[18:31] Everything... Just like we have studied so much, a scientific man, but there is examination.
[18:41] If one passes the examination, then it is understood that he has studied nicely.
[18:48] That is our common sense. In school, colleges, everywhere.
[18:54] If I cannot pass the examination, and if I advertise myself, "Oh, I have studied this,
[19:00] I have studied that," then what is the value of that? Suppose a man is doing business.
[19:08] So if we see that by doing business he has acquired some money,
[19:12] he has become rich, then we can understand that he is successful businessman.
[19:18] But if he, he is a poor man, and he says, "I have done this, I have done that,
[19:24] I have done that," you can say so, but we want to know by the result. Phalena pariciyate.
[19:33] That is a Sanskrit version. But we have to understand by the result, phalena,
[19:40] what result you have got: what the value of your examination paper you have...,
[19:48] how much mark you have received. Similarly, we can declare ourself very religionist,
[19:58] great religionist, follower of great religion, but what is this? What is...?
[20:03] How much you have developed your sense of God consciousness? How much
[20:09] you have learned to love God?
[20:16] Just like in your Western countries, Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for God's...
[20:28] Can... He was charged that he was preaching something blasphemy.
[20:36] But he was a devotee of God. He, he preached to the people that "There is kingdom of God.
[20:45] You love God and go to the kingdom of God." Simple truth. That is the actual business
[20:53] of human life. This human life is meant for understanding God,
[21:02] because we are part and parcel of God and we have forgotten.
[21:07] Just like the same thing, I have given several times example: a person,
[21:14] he belongs to a rich father, but somehow or other he has left home and
[21:21] he is loitering. In your country this example is very applicable. So many boys,
[21:29] they have left their rich father, rich family, and lying down on the street.
[21:38] I have seen. Why? Maybe some reason. But he is not expected to lie down on the street,
[21:48] because he has got rich father, at least rich nation, your American nation.
[21:55] Similarly, when we become puzzled and confused and want to live independently of God,
[22:05] the richest father... Who can be richer than God? God means the richest.
[22:13] No one can be richer than Him. That is another definition of God.
[22:18] Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasaḥ sriyaḥ,
[22:25] jnana-vairagyayos caiva sannam iti bhaga gana .
[22:31] Bhaga, bhaga means fortune, one who is opulent with six kinds of fortunes.
[22:40] We can understand it very well. Just like in our, in this material world, if one man
[22:48] is very rich, he's attractive. Everybody speaks about him. Even he is a nonsense
[22:57] number one, if he has got money, everyone will speak about him.
[23:03] At least in this age it is going on. Nobody considers of anything,
[23:08] but if somehow or other one becomes very rich, he becomes a popular figure.
[23:16] So God must be richest. Here, within this material world, we can claim,
[23:24] "I am richer than that," but somebody is richer than me. I cannot claim that
[23:30] "Nobody is richer than me." That is not possible. We shall find out less rich
[23:38] than me, and we can find out more rich than ourselves. Two things we can.
[23:47] But when you come to God, you will find nobody is richer than Him.
[23:53] Therefore God is called great, "God is great." Similarly, not only in riches,
[24:00] aisvarya, sa samagrasya, viryasya, in power also. Aisvarya, sa samagrasya,
[24:09] viryasya yasasaḥ, in reputation also, in fame. Just like everyone, it may be
[24:21] you belong to some religion, I belong to..., but everyone knows that God is great.
[24:25] That is reputation. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasaḥ, and sri-sri means
[24:33] beauty. God is the most beautiful. Just like, see Krsna here, you have got Krsna's
[24:45] figure here, how beautiful He is. God must be. He is young, always.
[24:54] An old man cannot become beautiful. That is stated in the Brahma-samhita:
[25:10] That is the description of... Adyam purana, He is the original person,
[25:15] the oldest of all, but He is nava-yauvanam, just like a beautiful boy, say sixteen
[25:22] or twenty years old. So that is beautiful, the most beautiful. And the most wise, jnanam.
[25:36] Nobody can be wiser than God. These are the description given by Parasara Muni,
[25:43] father of Vyasadeva. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasaḥ sriyaḥ, jnana-vairagya :
[25:52] and at the same time, renounced.
[25:56] Now God has created this universe. God has created the cosmic manifestation,
[26:03] innumerable universes. But He is not interested in it. He is interested because
[26:11] He has created, He has given us facility to live here, but He is not coming here to enjoy this.
[26:18] He has got better. Or He doesn't care for all these opulences.
[26:24] That is another qualification of God. So this human form of life is meant for
[26:35] understanding God and scientifically, with full knowledge. That is described in the
[26:43] Srimad-Bhagavatam. Therefore we are preaching this Bhagavata discourse.
[26:48] In the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam, what is the nature of God?
[26:53] That has been described, janmady asya yataḥ anvayad itaratas ca
[26:59] arthesu abhijnaḥ svarat . God, God is cognizant. He knows everything.
[27:09] He is a sentient being, not like a dead stone. If God is not sentient being,
[27:17] if God is not a person, how so many powerful persons, sentient persons,
[27:24] coming from Him? If the father is not intelligent, how the sons and daughters
[27:30] can become intelligent? A dog cannot give birth to an intelligent person.
[27:38] A person who is intelligent, he can give birth to intelligent children.
[27:43] This our practical experience. Therefore this description of God,
[27:50] aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasaḥ sriyaḥ. We should try
[27:55] to understand what is God. If you can find out a person who is superior in everything-
[28:02] in wealth, in strength, in beauty, in fame, in knowledge, in renouncement-
[28:11] He is God. Don't capture any fourth-class God. If you are intelligent,
[28:20] try to understand what is the meaning of God, and try to understand.
[28:27] So here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is said that that is first-class religion.
[28:36] What is that? Which gives opportunity to the followers how to love God.
[28:44] Why should we not? If God is great, if our father is so great, why should we not love?
[28:53] We flatter somebody here having a, say, a few millions of dollars. We flatter. And who
[29:02] is the richest of all, we should not love Him? Why? What is the reason? And actually
[29:17] necessities of life to all living entities, beginning from the ant to the elephant.
[29:26] So why not to us? We have dedicated our whole life for the service of God,
[29:32] so God is giving food to the ant, to the elephant, why not to us?
[29:39] So don't think that you will starve in God consciousness. You will never starve.
[29:46] You go on with your duty, loving God and preaching love of God,
[29:53] you will always be opulent. Be sure. A ordinary man, if you work for him,
[30:04] he gives you salary, good salary. And we are working for God,
[30:09] we don't all get salary? How is that? [laughter] We must get.
[30:16] If you are really lover of God, worker for God, don't think of your economic condition.
[30:33] He personally supplies whatever necessities are there. Just like a father,
[30:40] some small[?] child who is completely dependent on the parents,
[30:43] the parents look after the comfort. The child does not ask the parent,
[30:49] because he cannot speak also. So he is simply depending on God,
[30:54] simply depending on parent. Simply, if you simply depend on God,
[30:59] there is no question of your economic problem. Be sure. It is a common sense.
[31:11] So there is scarcity of devotees of God at the present moment.
[31:17] People have rejected God. Somebody is saying, "God is dead."
[31:22] Somebody is accepting a rascal as God. Somebody is declaring himself as God.
[31:28] No. Try to understand God scientifically and become a devotee, a lover of God,
[31:35] your life will be successful. That is Krsna consciousness movement. It is not that
[31:42] "my God," "your God," "this religion," "that religion." God is one and religion is one.
[31:49] What is that religion? Love of God. That's all. There is no other, second religion.
[31:57] This is the religion. Therefore God comes and says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66].
[32:06] This is religion. Don't be after so-called religion.
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