SPD13-05 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.1–2, April 6, 1973, New York
SPD13-05
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.1-2,
April 6, 1973, New York
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.1-2,
April 6, 1973, New York
[00:44] [Prabhupada:] Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. [devotees repeat]
[01:11] [leads chanting of verse] Variyan esa te prasnaḥ krto loka-hitam nrpa, atmavit-sammataḥ pumsam srotavyadisu yaḥ paraḥ [SB 2.1.1].
[02:22] Srotavyadini rajendra nrnam santi sahasrasaḥ, apasyatam atma-tattvam grhesu grha-medhinam [SB 2.1.2].
[03:07] So Pariksit Maharaja questioned to Sukadeva Gosvami, "What is my duty?
[03:19] Now I am going to die within seven days, what is my duty?"
[03:30] So he enquired about Krsna, because Pariksit Maharaja, born in a Vaisnava family,
[03:42] Arjuna's grandson... The Panḍavas, they are Vaisnavas and devotee of Krsna,
[03:52] so from the childhood he had the opportunity to worship Krsna.
[03:57] He was playing with Krsna Deities, so naturally he was inclined to hear about Krsna.
[04:08] So he enquired, "What is my duty? Shall I simply hear about Krsna, or something else?"
[04:19] So on hearing this question, Sukadeva Gosvami is congratulating,
[04:27] variyan esa te prasnaḥ: "Oh, your question is very wonderful, very welcome,"
[04:35] variyan. Variyan means "very welcome." [aside:] What I have given, variyan? "Glorious," yes.
[04:53] "Glorious prasnaḥ, because you have enquired about Krsna."
[05:01] So variyan esa te prasnaḥ krto loka-hitam nrpa: "My dear king, this question
[05:13] is all-auspicious for all the people of the world." If we simply enquire about Krsna or hear
[05:26] about Krsna, even though we do not understand, but that vibration of "Krsna"... Just like
[05:35] we are chanting "Hare Krsna," we may not understand what is meaning of Hare Krsna,
[05:42] but still, because it is transcendental sound, it is auspicious. Wherever you chant Hare Krsna,
[05:52] they may hear or they may not hear, it is auspicious for them. So we are sending our men for
[06:02] street sahkirtana. It doesn't matter whether people are eager to hear it or not, but it is auspicious.
[06:13] It will create an atmosphere which is very, very congenial to the human society.
[06:22] That should be our principle. Not that because we are chanting, nobody is taking care,
[06:29] we shall not be disappointed. Our this sahkirtana movement is so nice that simply by chanting,
[06:42] the vibration will create an auspicious atmosphere, variyan esa te prasnaḥ.
[06:52] Now you can practically see, those who are old members... So I began in this New York
[07:01] in that storefront simply by chanting. So I did not bribe you American boys and girls to come
[07:13] after me. This is the only asset was chanting. That Tompkinson, this Brahmananda
[07:20] Swami, he first came to dance in my chant. [laughter] He and Acyutananda, that was the first
[07:29] dancing of our Krsna conscious movement. [laughter] Yes. And I had no mrdahgas.
[07:39] That was a... What is that?
[07:42] [Devotee:] [indistinct] drum.
[07:43] [Prabhupada:] Drum, little drum. So I was chanting Hare Krsna for from two to five, three hours, and so many boys
[07:53] and girls were coming and joining, and there was first photograph in the Times, New York Times,
[08:03] they appreciated, and people also appreciated. So this chanting, the beginning was only chanting.
[08:12] There was no..., nothing more. At that time there was no program of prasada distribution.
[08:21] That, later on it came. So we should always be confident that this chanting is not a vibration
[08:35] of this material world. This is not vibration of material world. Narottama dasa Thakura says,
[08:42] golokera prema-dhana hari-nama-sahkirtana. It is imported from the spiritual world.
[08:52] It is completely spiritual. Otherwise, how it is possible? Sometimes the so-called yogis,
[08:59] they say that chanting... In Bombay there is a so-called rascal, he says, "The chanting of Hare
[09:07] Krsna mantra and chanting of Coca-Cola is the same." He is such a rascal. He does not know
[09:17] that this is not a vibration of this material world. But one who has no knowledge,
[09:24] they think that "What is the meaning of this chant, 'Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna'?"
[09:29] But they can practically see that we can go on chanting day and night, still we shall not become
[09:38] tired. But any other material name you take, after chanting three times you will feel tired.
[09:48] That is the proof. You can go on chanting day and night, you will never feel tired.
[09:57] So these people, poor people, they have no brain to understand.
[10:03] Anyway, the chanting is so auspicious, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given His
[10:12] benediction, ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam .
[10:22] We are suffering in this material world because we are not cleansed of our understanding
[10:32] or of our heart. The heart is not cleansed. So this chanting will help us to cleanse the heart.
[10:42] Srnvatam sva-kathaḥ krsnaḥ punya-sravana kirtanaḥ
[10:47] hrdy antaḥ stho abhadrani vidhunoti suhrt satam .
[10:52] Chanting is so nice that as soon as you take to chanting, or hear about Krsna-
[11:00] the chanting is also hearing about Krsna-so immediately the cleansing process begins,
[11:08] ceto-darpana-marjanam. And as soon as our heart is cleansed,
[11:14] bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam, then we become free from the blazing fire of
[11:20] this material existence. So chanting is so auspicious, therefore Pariksit Maharaja here...,
[11:31] Sukadeva Gosvami says, variyan esa te prasnaḥ krto loka-hitam nrpa.
[11:40] In another place also, Sukadeva Gosva..., Sūta, Sūta Gosvami says, yat krtaḥ krsna-samprasno
[11:50] yayatma samprasidati [SB 1.2.5]. When the great saintly persons in the Naimisaranya enquired about
[11:59] Krsna, he replied like that. Yat krtaḥ krsna-samprasnaḥ: "Because you have enquired about
[12:07] Krsna, it will cleanse your heart." Yenatma samprasidati. "You will feel a very transcendental bliss,
[12:18] comfort, within your heart."
[12:22] So, variyan esa te prasnaḥ krto loka-hitam. Loka-hitam. Actually, our this movement
[12:31] is the prime welfare activities to the human society, loka-hitam. It is not a business. Business
[12:42] means my hitam, my benefit only. It is not. It is Krsna's business. Krsna's business means
[12:51] Krsna is for everyone; therefore Krsna's business is meant for everyone. We therefore welcome
[12:59] everyone. There is no distinction. "Come here and chant," loka-hitam. And a sadhu, a saintly
[13:09] person, should always think of loka-hitam. That is the difference between sadhu and ordinary
[13:19] man. Ordinary man, he thinks only of himself, or expanded himself, for family,
[13:31] for community, for society, for nation. These are all expanded selfishness. Expanded.
[13:42] When I am alone, I am thinking of my benefit only. When I am little grown up,
[13:47] I think of my brothers and sisters. And when I am little advanced, I think of my family.
[13:54] Little advanced, I think of my community. Little advanced, I think of my country, my nation.
[14:01] Or I can think of the whole human society, internationally. But Krsna is so big that Krsna
[14:15] includes everyone. Not only human society, animal society, bird society, beast society,
[14:22] tree society-everything. Krsna says, aham bija-pradaḥ pita [Bg. 14.4]: "I am the seed-giving father of
[14:30] all these forms." There are 8,400,000 different kinds of forms. Krsna claims, "They, all of them,
[14:44] are My part and parcel living entities, but they are now covered by different dress only.
[14:52] But they are living entities." This is Krsna consciousness vision.
[14:58] Therefore one who is actually Krsna conscious, panḍita, panḍitaḥ sama-darsinaḥ... [Bg. 5.18].
[15:06] Panḍitaḥ, he does not see the outward dress; he sees the living entity encased in this
[15:15] particular type of body. So he has no concern with the body. Therefore a sadhu always
[15:24] think of everyone's benefit. Just like Rūpa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami. Of the Gosvamis
[15:32] it is said, lokanam hita-karinau tri-bhuvane manyau . Because they were benefactor for all
[15:46] kinds of living entities, therefore they were honored tri-bhuvane, in three worlds. Tri-bhuvane.
[15:55] Lokanam hita-karinau. Nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau. A sadhu's business is for the
[16:02] benefit of all living entities. A sadhu does not like to cut even a tree, because he knows,
[16:14] "Here is a living entity. He is standing here for many years by his karma, and he has to
[16:23] continue this for many years more. So he cannot avoid this, because it is nature's law."
[16:33] Just like if you are put into prison for six months, nobody can save you; nobody can make
[16:41] you less..., one day less than six months. So we get our particular type of body, we have to
[16:51] remain in that body for a certain period by the laws of nature. So by cutting the body,
[17:01] the living entity does not die, but because we check the continuation of his period,
[17:10] therefore we become sinful. You cannot cut even a tree without Krsna's purpose.
[17:19] Without Krsna's purpose we cannot kill even an ant, we cannot cut even a tree,
[17:26] then we shall be liable to punishment. So a sadhu sees that "Here is also a living entity."
[17:37] Panḍitaḥ sama-dar... Vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva sva-pake ca
[17:44] panḍitaḥ sama-darsinaḥ.
[17:47] Panḍita does not make any discrimination that "Here is an animal, here is a man." No. He sees,
[17:53] "The animal is also part and parcel of Krsna. He has got a different body. And the man also,
[18:03] he is also a part and parcel of Krsna, he has got a different body. Karmana, according
[18:10] to one's karma, he is put into different type." So loka-hitam.
[18:18] Now, this krsna-samprasnaḥ, this question and answer about Krsna, if we simply hear,
[18:29] that is recommendation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sthane sthitaḥ sruti-gatam tanu-vah-manobhir [SB 10.14.3].
[18:38] You remain your position, but you try to hear about Krsna. That is recommended.
[18:48] Simply you come in this temple and try to hear about Krsna, sthane sthitaḥ sruti-gatam tanu-vah...
[18:58] That will purify. Krsna-kirtana, Krsna's name, is so powerful, simply if you hear "Krsna, Krsna,
[19:08] Krsna, Krsna, Krsna," you become purified. You become purified. Therefore it is said, variyan
[19:16] esa te prasnaḥ krto loka-hitam nrpa, atmavit-sammataḥ. Atmavit.
[19:23] It is not that I am only eulogizing. Atmavit-sammataḥ. All great personalities who is self-realized,
[19:36] atmavit. Atmavit means one who knows atma. General people, they do not know atma.
[19:46] But atmavit means one who knows atma, aham brahmasmi, "I am spirit soul. I am not this body,"
[19:55] and one who is well acquainted about this atma-tattva. So unless one becomes aware of this
[20:04] atma-tattva, whatever he is doing, he is being defeated. They are seeing... Generally people,
[20:15] they are thinking that "I am now constructing this big skyscraper building. I am successful.
[20:22] I have become Rothschild. I have become Ford." That is not atma-vit. Atma-vit... Because
[20:34] he is materially opulent, that does not mean atma-vit. That's a subject matter will be
[20:42] discussed in the next verse, apasyatam atma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2]. One who cannot see his atma:
[20:51] grhesu grha-medhinam. They are compact in this materialistic way of life, grhesu grha-medhinam.
[21:00] Their condition is very... Actually this is the position of the whole world. They are not atma-vit.
[21:08] They do not enquire atma-tattvam; therefore they are less intelligent. Therefore I say that we...,
[21:18] our propaganda is to make people more intelligent. They might not have taken it very nicely.
[21:28] They thought that "This poor svami has come to make us intelligent." But actually that is
[21:35] the fact. That is the fact. This is not intelligence, that, bodily concept of life, "I spoil my whole
[21:46] life for bodily comforts, and then after giving up this body, I become a cat and dog."
[21:54] Then what is that intelligence? Is that very good intelligence? Actually it has happened.
[22:01] I do not wish to discuss. Our Godbrother, Sridhara Maharaja, says... He was speaking
[22:07] from a paper that one of our great politician, very, in India, he has now become a dog in Sweden.
[22:18] It is published. There were enquiries about some prominent men in India, and he has answered,
[22:29] and one of the answer is, "Such-and-such politician, he is now one of the two dogs of a
[22:37] gentleman in Sweden." You see? So this time, in this life I may become very big man, or
[22:50] big politician, big diplomat, big businessman, but next life, after your death, it is your big...,
[23:00] your greatness of this material will not help you. That will depend on your work, and nature
[23:08] will offer you a certain type of body; you'll have to accept. Of course, you will forget.
[23:16] That is the concession given by nature. Just like we do not remember what we had been in our past life.
[23:26] If I remember that suppose I was a king in my past life, now I have become a dog,
[23:36] then how much suffering it will be. Therefore by nature's law one forgets.
[23:44] And death means this forgetfulness. Death means this forgetfulness.
[23:51] So this is a great science. People do not know it. Our Krsna consciousness movement is very scientific,
[24:00] authorized, so our business is to enlighten people as far as possible, and at the same time
[24:10] we must remain enlightened. We may not be again covered by the darkness of maya.
[24:17] That we should be... That you can keep yourself very fit not to be covered by the maya.
[24:34] principle of Krsna consciousness, then maya will not be able to touch you.
[24:39] That is the only remedy. Otherwise, maya is always looking after the opportunity, loophole,
[24:47] how she can capture you again. But if you remain strictly in Krsna consciousness,
[24:55] maya will not be able to do anything. Mam eva ye prapadyante. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi
[25:01] mama maya duratyaya. It is very difficult to get out of the clutches of maya. It is very difficult.
[25:09] But Krsna says, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te: if one is strictly
[25:19] adherent to the lotus feet of Krsna, always... Therefore our this program is twenty-four hours
[25:28] thinking of Krsna. Satatam. Satatam cintayo krsna. Kirtaniyaḥ sada hariḥ . These are the
[25:39] recommended. So if we simply think of Krsna... If you cannot do anything, simply think of Him.
[25:45] That is the highest meditational perfection. So always chant Hare Krsna mantra,
[26:00] be in touch with Krsna in so many ways, then you are secure. Maya will not be able to touch you.
[26:09] And if we can some way or other pass our days, and at the time of death we remember Krsna,
[26:19] then the whole life is successful.
[26:22] Thank you very much. Chant Hare Krsna.
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