SPD13-03 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.14.44, April 8, 1973, New York
SPD13-03
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.14.44,
April 8, 1973, New York
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.14.44,
April 8, 1973, New York
[00:31] [Pradyumna:] [leads chanting of synonyms] ...atma-bandhuna-own friend, Lord Krsna; sūnyaḥ-void; asmi-I am; rahitaḥ-having lost; nityam-for all time; manyase-you think; te-your; anyatha-otherwise; na-never; ruk-mental distress.
[01:06] Translation: "Or is it that you are feeling empty all the time because you might have lost your most intimate friend, Lord Krsna?
[01:14] O my brother Arjuna, I can think of no other reason for your becoming so dejected."
[01:26] [Prabhupada:] So, Krsna was the intimate friend of Arjuna.
[01:34] Not only to Arjuna; all the Panḍavas.
[01:39] So they cannot tolerate separation from Krsna.
[01:47] This is the sign of Krsna devotees. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that
[02:00] "I have no love for Krsna." That verse, just now I forget. Na prema-gandho 'sti [Cc. Madhya 2.45].
[02:15] "So You have no love for Krsna?
[02:17] You are always crying for Krsna, and still you say that You have no love for Krsna?"
[02:25] "No, I am crying just to make a show.
[02:29] Actually I am not devotee of Krsna." "Why?"
[02:37] "Because, if I could have been a devotee of Krsna, how could I live without Him?
[02:46] I have not died; still that means I have no love." This is the sign of love,
[02:54] that a lover cannot live for a moment without being associated with the beloved.
[03:04] This is a sign of love.
[03:08] So this love, it can be appreciated only between Radha and Krsna
[03:19] or between the gopis and Krsna. Not otherwise.
[03:28] Actually, we do not know what is the meaning of love. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that
[03:44] aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam marma-hatam karotu va adarsana,
[03:52] yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparaḥ [Siksastaka 8].
[04:00] Yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitam,
[04:04] sūnyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me [Siksastaka 7].
[04:09] Govinda-vira. Vira means separation. Meant, Radharani.
[04:18] Caitanya Mahaprabhu was playing the part of Srimati Radharani.
[04:25] Krsna, when He could not understand Himself... Krsna is unlimited.
[04:33] He's so unlimited that Krsna Himself cannot understand.
[04:38] That is unlimited. The unlimited cannot understand about His unlimitedness.
[04:49] Therefore Krsna took the ecstasy of Srimati Radharani, and that is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
[04:59] That picture is very nice. Krsna taking the ecstasy, love of Radharani,
[05:08] appears as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya [Sri Guru-parampara 6].
[05:16] So by worshiping Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, you simultaneously worship Radha and Krsna.
[05:26] Radha-Krsna is very difficult to worship.
[05:35] So what we are worshiping, Radha-Krsna,
[05:40] that is Radha-Krsna in His Narayana form-Laksmi-Narayana.
[05:47] In the beginning we should worship Radha-Krsna in the level of Laksmi-Narayana,
[05:55] with awe and veneration, very strictly following the rules and regulation.
[06:02] Otherwise, Radha-Krsna in Vrndavana, they, the devotees,
[06:09] they do not worship Krsna because He's God, but they worship Krsna...
[06:16] Not worship. He is above worship. It is simply out of love.
[06:23] Just like loving your lover, it does not mean worship;
[06:28] it is spontaneous, heart's business. So that is the Vrndavana position.
[06:37] So even though we are not on the high standard of the Vrndavana level,
[06:45] still, if we do not feel separation of Krsna, then we must know
[06:54] that we are not still perfect devotee of Krsna.
[07:00] That is wanted-feeling separation.
[07:07] Therefore, Yudhisthira Maharaja could understand that Krsna is no longer on this planet.
[07:17] Therefore he saw so many inauspicious symptoms.
[07:23] Now, when Arjuna came back, he was asking, "Why you are so morose?
[07:28] Have you done this? Have you done that? Have you done…" Now he's concluding,
[07:31] "I think your so great moroseness is due to separation from Krsna, as I was feeling."
[07:43] Kaccit presthatama. Presthatama,
[07:47] this is superlative. As in the English language there is positive, comparative and superlative,
[07:56] similarly, Sanskrit. Prestha is positive, prestha para is comparative, and presthatama is superlative.
[08:10] Krsna is the presthatama, beloved in the superlative meaning.
[08:19] Kaccit presthatamena atha. Presthatamenatha hrdayenatma-bandhuna. Atma-bandhu, suhrt.
[08:34] In Sanskrit there are different terms: atma-bandhu, suhrt, bandhu, mitra-
[08:45] they all mean friends, but of different degrees.
[08:50] Different... Mitra means ordinary friend.
[08:55] As we have got "He's my friend," that does not mean he's my intimate friend.
[09:01] The best friend is suhrt. Suhrt means "without any return."
[09:11] If you think of somebody how he will be happy, that is called suhrt.
[09:21] So hrdayenatma-bandhuna.
[09:25] Krsna was always thinking of Arjuna, and that is the relationship.
[09:38] As the devotee always think of Krsna, similarly, Krsna also thinks of the devotee.
[09:47] He thinks more. That is reciprocation.
[09:55] If you think of Krsna twenty-four hours, Krsna will think of you twenty-six hours.
[10:04] Krsna is so kind. If you do some service for Krsna, Krsna will reward you hundred times.
[10:14] But people, they do not want. They think, "What we shall benefit by serving Krsna?
[10:22] Let us serve my dog." You see? This is the misunderstanding.
[10:30] And our attempt is to awaken the dormant love of Krsna.
[10:39] Everyone has got love. The stock of love is there. But it is being misused.
[10:46] They do not know where to place that love so that... Because they do not know,
[10:52] therefore, they're frustrated. Therefore they are frustrated.
[10:59] So, our Krsna consciousness movement is simply to educate people that "You are loving.
[11:10] You are mad after a appropriate lover who can love you also,
[11:17] but that you cannot find out within this material world.
[11:22] That you will find out when you love Krsna." That is our Krsna consciousness.
[11:30] It is nothing very superfluous or concocted.
[11:36] Everyone can understand that "I want to love," hankering.
[11:43] But he's finding frustration because he does not love Krsna.
[11:51] This is going on. Only if you turn your loving spirit to Krsna,
[11:55] then you are fully..., you will be fully satisfied, yenatma samprasi..., suprasidati .
[12:00] We are trying to have peace of mind, full satisfaction.
[12:06] That full satisfaction can be achieved only when you learn how to love Krsna.
[12:15] This is the secret. Otherwise you cannot. Because...
[12:24] Because you want to love and get satisfaction,
[12:29] that is completed when you come to the platform of loving Krsna.
[12:35] So these Panḍavas, they're also on the level of loving Krsna.
[12:43] Everyone is on the platform, but it is the difference of degrees.
[12:50] The same love. Somebody is loving his family, somebody is loving his wife,
[12:54] somebody is loving his society or friendship-
[13:00] society, friendship, they say divinely.
[13:05] But the ultimate, ultimate point of love is when you come to Krsna.
[13:15] Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo . Dharma means duty. That is dharma.
[13:22] Or the characteristic. Dharma does not mean the religious fanaticism. No.
[13:29] That is not the Sanskrit meaning. Dharma means the real characteristic.
[13:37] I have several times explained that the water is liquid.
[13:41] That is the eternal characteristic of water.
[13:45] When water becomes hard, that is not eternal characteristic of water.
[13:53] Water is by nature liquid. Even when water becomes hard, just like ice,
[14:02] the tendency is to become liquid again. Again. Again liquid.
[14:12] So our real position, constitutional position, is to love Krsna.
[14:20] But now we have become hard-hearted not to love Krsna.
[14:24] Just like water become hard, ice, on account of some circumstances, position.
[14:35] When the temperature is very low, the water becomes hard.
[14:42] Similarly, if we do not love Krsna, then our hearts will be harder and harder and harder.
[14:52] Heart is there for love, but why you are so hard-hearted?
[14:57] Why you are so much hard-hearted that we kill another fellow being or another animal-
[15:05] we do not care for it-for my satisfaction of the tongue?
[15:10] Because we have become hard-hearted.
[15:15 Heart… On account of not being a lover of Krsna, we are all hard-hearted.
[15:26] Therefore the whole world is unhappy.
[15:32] But if you hrdayena… Therefore it is said, presthatamenatha hrdayenatma-bandhuna.
[15:40] If you love Krsna, who is our real friend, as Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,
[15:53] So when you actually become a devotee of Krsna,
[15:58] because Krsna's qualities are there within you, although in small quantity,
[16:07] so you also become suhrdam sarva-bhūtanam.
[16:13] Suhrdam sarva-bhūtanam means friend of all living entities.
[16:17] Suhrdam. What is the business of Vaisnava?
[16:23] Vaisnava business is to become compassionate
[16:28] with the persons who are suffering materially. This is Vaisnava business.
[16:35] Therefore Vaisnava's description is,
[16:38] vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca, patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namaḥ.
[16:47] Patitanam pavanebhyo. Patita means "fallen."
[16:53] So all living entities, being fallen in this material condition, they're all suffering.
[17:02] The Vaisnava's sympathy is there.
[17:04] If actually there is any sympathizer for the fallen conditioned soul, he's a Vaisnava.
[17:13] He knows how, why there are suffering.
[17:17] Therefore he wants to give him the information,
[17:20] "My dear friend, you are suffering simply for forgetting your real lover, Krsna.
[17:31] Therefore you are suffering." This is the message, Vaisnava's message.
[17:37] For this message, Krsna comes Himself, as the Supreme Lord.
[17:49] Your loving propensity has been distributed in so many things,
[17:55] but you are not happy, because if you don't love Krsna,
[18:02] whatever you do in the name of so-called love, you'll commit sinful life.
[18:10] Disobedience. For example, if you're disobedient to the state laws,
[18:19] that means your all activities are sinful.
[18:25] You may color it as "This is very nice," but that is not.
[18:30] Nature... Because you are servant of Krsna, jivera svarūpa haya nitya krsna dasa [Madhya 20.108],
[18:37] your eternal position is to serve Krsna.
[18:42] So without this knowledge, whatever service you are going to render to somebody else,
[18:51] that is sinful.
[18:54] There is the same example: if you don't obey the state laws
[18:58] and you become a philanthropist... We have seen in India.
[19:05] In India, when there was independence movement-not only in India,
[19:08] in every country-when there was independence movement,
[19:12] many persons were hanged, condemned to death. But he was a great lover of the country,
[19:25] but on account of his intense feeling for loving his country, he was hanged.
[19:33] Because the law... He disobeyed the government law. Just try to understand.
[19:41] Similarly, if we disobey the supreme government law... That is called dharma.
[19:51] Dharma means the supreme government law.
[20:02] Krsna says, it is very simple thing, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam.
[20:09] Real religion is to surrender to Krsna, or God. That is real religion.
[20:18] Without that point, all religions, they're cheating simply.
[20:23] Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra,
[20:26] Srimad-Bhagavatam begins. Cheating religions.
[20:30] If there is no love of God, that is not the... Simply some ritualistic formula, that is not religion.
[20:44] Just like Hindus go as a ritualistic formula to temple, or the Muslim goes to the mosque,
[20:50] or the Christian go to the church. But they have no love for God.
[20:54] Simply official. Because they have to stamp themselves with some religious mark,
[21:04] "I belong to Hindu religion," "I belong to Christian religion..."
[21:08] That is only for fighting. That's all. Because there is no love.
[21:16] If you are religious, that means you must be God conscious.
[21:21] So if you are God conscious, if I am God conscious, where is the cause of fighting?
[21:27] So that point they're missing. Therefore such kind of religion is cheating religion,
[21:33] because there is no love. So first thing is that we have to learn how to love.
[21:40] Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo . That is first-class religion.
[21:46] Religious system will follow, yato bhaktir adhoksaje,
[21:50] if you know how to love Adhoksaja. When there is question of love,
[21:57] then the next question will be, "Whom shall I love?"
[22:02] Therefore Krsna's another name is Adhoksaja. Adhoksaja means "beyond your sense perception."
[22:12] Here we love something which is within the category, within the jurisdiction of my sense perception.
[22:20] I love a girl or a boy or somebody, my country, my society, my dog, everything,
[22:27] but that is within the jurisdiction of your sense perception.
[22:34] But God is beyond your sense perception, and still you have to love,
[22:42] and that is religion. God is beyond sense perception, but if you love,
[22:50] although He is beyond your sense perception, then you'll realize God.
[22:57] Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.234].
[23:00] Just like we are worshiping here Radha and Krsna.
[23:04] Those who are not lover of Krsna, they think that "These foolish persons,
[23:10] they have brought a doll made of marble and they're simply wasting their time."
[23:20] Because he has no love. He has no love;
[23:25] therefore he cannot appreciate this worship of Krsna, for want of love.
[23:33] And one who is lover of Krsna, just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
[23:38] as soon as He entered the temple of Jagannatha: "Here is My Lord!"
[23:42] He immediately fainted. So what is the difference between the…
[23:50] That is the difference. A lover of God, he can see everywhere God is present.
[24:05] If you are actually a lover of God, then you will see God in every step. Every step.
[24:15] Just like Prahlada Maharaja.
[24:18] Prahlada Maharaja, when he was being attacked by his father,
[24:21] he was looking over the column, pillar,
[24:27] and the father thought that his God might be there in the pillar.
[24:35] So he immediately inquired, "Is your God in this pillar?"
[24:37] "Yes, my father." Immediately broke. To keep the words of His devotee, God came out.
[24:46] So appearance and disappearance of God is for the devotee.
[24:57] God comes for two business: to give protection to the devotee and to kill the demons.
[25:06] So for killing the demons He does not require to come.
[25:11] He has got immense power. Simply by His indication any person can be killed.
[25:21] There is sufficient power, Durga-devi.
[25:26] But He comes for His devotee, because His devotee is very much anxious.
[25:33] He is always seeking protection of the Supreme.
[25:38] So because the devotee will be satisfied by seeing Him, therefore He comes.
[25:43] That is the reason. Because His devotees are always feeling separation, just to give him relief,
[25:53] incarnation of God comes. Pralaya-payodhi jale dhrtavan asi vedam [Sri Dasavatara Stotra 1].
[26:00] Different incarnation come just to give relief to the devotees.
[26:05] Otherwise, He has no business. In India, there is a class of Hindus,
[26:16] they called so, but actually they are known as Arya, Arya-samaj.
[26:22] The Arya-samajis' opinion is, "Why God should come?
[26:27] He's so great, why He should come here?" The incarnation they do not believe.
[26:34] The Muslims also, they do not believe incarnation.
[26:38] They also place the same theory, "Why God should come?
[26:42] Why He should appear like a human being?"
[26:46] But they do not know, neither they can answer this question, why God should not come.
[26:55] They say that God cannot come, but if I put the question, "Why God cannot come?"
[27:03] what is the answer?
[27:06] If God is all-powerful, why you are curtailing this power, that He cannot come?
[27:12] What kind of God is He? God is under your law? Or you are under God's law?
[27:20] So this is the difference between lover of God and the demons.
[27:27] The demons cannot think. They think that "Maybe there is some God.
[27:33] He must be aloof, formless." Because he has got the experience of this form, limited.
[27:44] So therefore Mayavadi philosopher says that when God comes, the impersonal,
[27:50] He takes the form of maya. That is called Mayavada.
[27:57] They actually do not believe in God.
[28:00] Impersonalism, sūnyavada. Nirvisesa-sūnyavadi.
[28:06] Some of them are nirvisesa: "Yes, there may be God, but He has no form."
[28:14] And Mayavadi… Both of them are Mayavadi, sūnyavadi.
[28:20] The Buddhists and the Sahkarites, they do not believe.
[28:41] Lord Buddha came to cheat the atheist. The atheists do not believe in God,
[28:49] so Lord Buddha said, "Yes, you are right, there is no God. But you just try to hear me."
[28:55] But he is God. So this is cheating.
[29:00] "You don't believe in God, but believe in Me." "Yes, sir, I shall believe in you."
[29:09] And we know that he's God. Kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira jaya jagadisa hare
[29:20] Just see maya.
[29:24] So sometimes cheating is required for the less intelligent class of men.
[29:33] But we have not cheated. We are very simple. Why should we cheat?
[29:46] So we say, "Please come here. Here is Krsna, and you simply think of Him."
[29:56] Where is the difficulty? Here is Radha-Krsna, and if you daily see,
[30:04] naturally you will have impression within your mind about Radha and Krsna.
[30:10] So at any place, anywhere, you can think of Radha and Krsna.
[30:14] Where is the difficulty? Man-mana.
[30:18] You chant Hare Krsna. As soon as you chant "Krsna,"
[30:22] immediately you remember the form of Krsna in the temple, nama-rūpa.
[30:29] Then you are hearing about Krsna, you remember about His qualities,
[30:35] His activities, nama, guna, rūpa, lila, parikara, vaisista.
[30:39] In this way, this, you can practice. Where is the difficulty?
[30:46] This is the beginning of practice.
[30:50] Actually Krsna is there, but because I have no eyes to see Krsna,
[30:55] I am thinking, "Here is… Where is Krsna? It is a stone, statue."
[31:00] But he does not know the stone is also Krsna. Stone is also Krsna.
[31:07] Water is also Krsna, earth is also Krsna, air is also Krsna.
[31:13] Without Krsna there is no other existence. That the devotee can see.
[31:20] Therefore, whenever he sees stone even, he sees Krsna.
[31:26] Here the atheist will say that "You are worshiping stone."
[31:31] But they're not worshiping stone, they're worshiping Krsna,
[31:33] because they know that there is no..., nothing else except Krsna.
[31:47] How you can say stone is not Krsna?
[31:51] Krsna says you have to understand Krsna as Krsna says.
[31:56] But Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,
[32:07] "They are Mine." Just like I am speaking. I am speaking, it is being recorded,
[32:16] and we'll replay it, the same sound will come, and you'll know that "Here is our spiritual master."
[32:26] But I am not there. The sound is now different from me.
[32:33] Bhinna. Bhinna means separated. But the, as soon as the record is played, everyone will know,
[32:40] "Here is Bhaktisid…, Bhaktivedanta Swami." If you know. So that requires education.
[32:52] That Krsna... [break]
[32:59] So, ye yatha mam: the more you engage yourself in Krsna's service,
[33:07] the more you can realize Krsna.
[33:10] Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ.
[33:16] So our process is very simple. Simply engage your tongue.
[33:25] Leave aside all other senses. The tongue is very strong.
[33:30] And tongue is our bitterest enemy, and tongue can be your most intimate friend,
[33:39] this tongue. Therefore sastra says that sevonmukhe hi jihvadau:
[33:45] just engage your tongue in the service of the Lord and He will be revealed very nicely.
[33:56] What we do with the tongue?
[33:59] We talk, talk of Krsna. We sing, chant of Krsna. We eat, taste, eat krsna-prasadam.
[34:08] You will understand Krsna. Any foolish person,
[34:13] any uneducated or any position of life, you can use your tongue for Krsna's service.
[34:22] Don't eat anything which is not eaten by Krsna,
[34:26] your tongue becomes your most intimate friend.
[34:30] And don't talk anything except Krsna.
[34:34] If you follow these two principles, Krsna is within your grip.
[34:39] Thank you very much.
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