24--Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.16, Paris, 1975

Pradyumna: [devotees chant responsively]

kaḥ- who; va- rather; bhagavataḥ- of the Lord; tasya-His; punya-virtuous; sloka-iḍya-worshipable by prayers; karmanaḥ- deeds; suddhi-kamaḥ- desiring deliverance from all sins; nav-not; srnuyat-does hear; yasaḥ- glories; kali-of the age of quarrel; mala-apaham-the agent for sanctification.

[01:23]

Translation: "Who is there not willing to take to the business of hearing the virtuous glories of the Lord if he at all desires to get deliverance from all vices in this age of quarrel?"

Prabhupada: So, suddhi-kamaḥ. Suddhi-kamaḥ means "purification." Just like if a man is diseased, he must be desirous of getting out of the disease. That is sanity. Or if a man is diseased, "Ah, let the disease go on," that is insanity. So every one of us should be desirous of being free from the contamination of this material world on account of our false ego, that "I can enjoy."

This material disease is there, this body. This body is the symbol of our material disease. Just like one leper: there are so many sores on the body; it is diseased. One can understand "Here is a leper, diseased." Similarly, this body, however beautiful it may be, it is the symptom of our diseased condition. That they do not know. They are identifying with this diseased body as myself: "I am." "I am this," "I am American," "I am Englishman," "I am this," "I am that." Those who are intelligent, those who have actually known that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," they desire how to get out of it. That is suddhi-kamaḥ, purification. Existentional purification, suddhi-kamaḥ. There are some philosophers they advertise… Existentional?

Devotee: Existentialism. Existentialist.

Prabhupada: So that is existentionalism; they do not know what is their theory or philosophy. But everyone should desire for existentional purification. That is required.

So the method is very simple. What is that? Srnuyat: they simply hear. You haven't got to do anything. Just like sometimes the psychiatrist, they called their patient and sit down and talk something. So here also the same thing, psychiatrist method. They can come to our place, this center, and patiently hear. Then your disease, this material disease, will be cured. You haven't got to do anything. You simply come here, sit down, and hear. This simple method. You don't require to practice the yogic gymnastics. That is not required. Simply you give-God has given you this ear-submissively give aural reception to the words of Srimad-Bhagavatam. That's all. This Srimad-Bhagavatam we are reading. Simply if you hear you will be purified. This hearing process is purifying. Chanting Hare Krsna mantra is purifying. Srnuyat. Special stress has been given here, srnuyat. What is the meaning of srnuyat? "Does hear."

So,

Bhagavataḥ Whose Yasaḥ? Yasaḥ means "reputation." Whose reputation? Visnu. Sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ [SB 7.5.23]. Visnu's reputation-not that Mr. Nixon's reputation and Mr. Such-and-such reputation. No. Yasaḥ bhagavataḥ-God's, Krsna's, Visnu. Because God is absolute, Visnu is absolute, so His reputation is also God. As soon as you hear reputation of God, you will immediately become in contact with God, and that contact with God will make you purified. Just like contact with fire makes you warm, warmer, and gradually, when you are very much warm, then you become fire. This example I have given many times: Iron rod, put into the fire, it becomes warm, warmer, warmest, then at last red. That means it has acquired the quality of the fire. When the iron rod is red, you touch anywhere, it will burn. That is not…, no more iron rod; there is fire. Similarly, this example is very nice: if you constantly keep yourself in touch with the Absolute, then you will become absolute, nondifferent. It appears that the iron rod is different from the fire, but because the iron rod has acquired the quality of fire, it acts as fire. At that time no more material. Even if you have got this material body, it is no more material; it is spiritual.

So these are not stories; they are facts. If it is possible materially to acquire the quality of fire simply being touched with it, how much spiritually it is possible, just imagine. So simply srnuyat, go on hearing, go on hearing-everything will come out. Your whole existence will be... That is existentional purification. Not only purification-acquiring the quality of the purest:

Krsna is pavitram paramam, ultimate pure. So this is so nice thing, this Krsna consciousness movement. Just realize yourself, practice it, and you also touch those who are fallen. Just like electricity: if I am electrified and if I touch somebody, he becomes electrified. If he touches somebody, electrified. So we want to electrify, then if we touch somebody else, he will be electrified. Therefore here it said, suddhi-kamaḥ. Akamaḥ.

So moksa-kama and akamaḥ, they are suddhi-kamaḥ. And sarva-kamaḥ means karmi: there is still desire. Just like yesterday I was quoting the sloka from Srimad-Bhagavatam spoken by Prahlada Maharaja:

Sarva-kama. The grha-vrata, the karmis, they have got so many desires up to the end of life. There is no end of desire. [Aside: Call, call] Up to the end. When he is dying he has some desires still to fulfill. Just like I told you many times the story. A friend, he was dying, and requesting the doctor, "Doctor, can you not give me?" He died at the age of fifty-four-not very old man-so "I have got some plan. If I could live four years more, then I could have completed. Can you not give me this last four years?" Just see the desire. Eh? Four years after, even if he lives for four years more, where he is going, that he does not know, but he is busy to fulfill his plans here. Just see. This is because of maya. He does not know. "I am fulfilling my plan." Just like so many politicians. In our country, Jawaharlal Nehru, up to the point of death, could not give up politics. Gandhi, unless he was killed by somebody, he could not give up politics.

Because everyone is thinking that "Without me, there will be chaos. So let me finish, let me finish." Such fools: the Gandhi, Nehru, or this Hitler or Napoleon Bonaparte, they came and go, went away, but these things are going on. [laughs] Not that everything is topsy-turvy in the absence of Napoleon, Gandhi or Nehru. No. Prakrteḥ kriyamanani [Bg 3.27].

"Material nature is taking care of, you nonsense. Why you are so bothered?"Prakrteḥ kriyamanani, everything nature is doing. Gunaiḥ karmani sarvasaḥ, everything is being done. You cannot change. A little bit. Materially there is no possibility to change your destiny. Just like yesterday we were talking, not the blade of grass moves without the desire. Everything is planned already, according to the body. You cannot change. But spiritually you can. That advantage you have got. Spiritually you can change. Materially you cannot change. Materially you think that "If I work hard, I shall be better off, earning more money and become happy." No! Even if you get artificially money, you will never be happy. The standard of happiness is already fixed up. Either you get money or you do not get money, it does not matter materially. That is already fixed up. Deha-yogena dehinam.

Deha yogena. This is a great science, but these rascals they do not know. Deha yogena. As soon as you get a particular type of body, your standard of happiness and distress is fixed up. That is called destiny. That is called destiny. You cannot change it. That is not possible. You cannot change the hog-not eating stool. He must eat, because he has got the body of stool eating. But for a human being there is a chance that by the strength of spiritual advancement you can change everything. That is possible. Materially you cannot change, but spiritually you can change. Therefore the Bhagavata says:

Distress and happiness by the action of material nature-in due course of time everything will come and go. Just like seasonal change, it is already fixed up. Such and such months is meant for winter; you cannot change. Such and such months are meant for summer; you cannot change. Nature is not under your control. Nature is under the control of Krsna. But if you take shelter of Krsna, Krsna can make summer into winter, winter into summer. That is Krsna's power. He can do. He is all-powerful, omnipotent. But you cannot do. By your so-called scientific advancement, you cannot do.

Therefore the simple method is suggested here is that anyone who is desirous of becoming purified, desirous of existentional purification, he must hear the reputation, the fame, the name of Bhagavata, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are actually reading every day in the morning newspaper the name and fame of so many rascals. Name and fame yes: Mr. Such-and-such spoke like this; He went to such-and-such place; he may have wanted to make some peace with Russia or China; this, that. This is newspaper! Just turn your habit from this rascaldom to hear about Bhagavata, nityam bhagavata sevaya. [SB 1.2.18]. Then your life will be perfect. You have to hear from Krsna. What is that verse? I forget now. In the Second Canto. "There are many things to be heard":

Srotavyadini. Srotavyadini means hearing, subject matter for hearing. Srotavyadini rajendra. Sukadeva Gosvami is advising Pariksit Maharaja, "My dear king, there are many subject matters for hearing, because he proposed 'Now I am at the point of death, what is my duty? What shall I hear about? What shall I do?' " That was his question. "So he was devotee of Krsna, so do you think I shall simply hear about Krsna?" This was his question. So the guru is confirming that "Yes, your, this question is very nice."Variyan esa te prasnaḥ, "Your glorious question, that you want to hear about Krsna." [SB 2.1.1] Otherwise,

"My dear King, there are million types of subject matters for hearing. So whose?"

Such persons who have no vision to see atma-tattvam, self-realization-persons who are not interested in self-realization-they have got many subject matters for hearing. Just like you are here; you are listening because you are interested in self-realization. Otherwise there are millions of persons in Paris city, but they are not interested for self-realization. No. They are interested how to get money, how to have nice apartment, how to have a nice wife or husband, how to have nice children. That's all. Grha-vratanam. This is called grha-vrata. Grha-vrata and grhastha, I have explained several times. Grha-vrata means they also live in the apartment; we also live in the apartment. But ours is called asrama. Asrama means we have connection with the Supreme. That is called asrama. Their idea is that decorating, furnishing this room, furnishing my wife, furnishing for my children, decorating, that is ultimately. If I am…Kutumba-bharana. Daksyam kutumba-bharana. In this age, a person will be considered as very successful if he can provide his family very comfortably. He will be considered daksa-very expert. That is very expert: "Oh, he has got nice apartment, he has got nice wife," "Oh, she has got nice husband," this much. They do not know any more. They are, in India, mollar dauḍa musjid, [Bengali proverb] that Muslim mullah is going very swift. So one man asked him, "Mullahji, where are you going so swiftly?" Mullahji said, "Up to the mosque, that's all. Up to the mosque." His swiftness. Similarly, all our, these activities is going on in this small street they are driving at eighty miles speed, brrrrr. What is the purpose? Decoration of the apartment. Ask him, "Why you are so busy?" "No, I have to decorate my apartment," that's all. [laughter] Grha-vratanam. And they have got many things to hear, varieties [indistinct]: "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?"

So what is their aim?

But the rascal does not find…, does not see that "These soldiers cannot protect me. They will also die. They will also be victimized by the laws of nature, I have seen my father was protecting-he was soldier in my childhood. He is gone. Now I am thinking my son is my soldier; he will also go, I will also go. Who will give me protection?" Nobody can give protection. The example is just like you are flying in the air. Suppose there are seven, eight or one dozen aeroplanes flying together, but if your plane is in danger, no other plane can save you. You have to protect yourself. If you are expert pilot, then you can save yourself. If you think, "There is another aeroplane is going with me; it will save me," that is not possible. Birds, birds, they are going in flock, but if one bird is in danger, the other birds cannot save it. You have to save yourself. Similarly, we are thinking, "Here is my brother, here is my soldier, here is my countryman, here is my this…" But nobody can save you. You have to save yourself. Nobody can save you. This is the actual philosophy of life. We are thinking… But if you take shelter of Krsna, He can save you, because He is all-powerful.

Therefore it is recommended here,

Kali-malapaham is used here because we are all in this Age of Kali, and it is full of dirty things, full of dirty, na saucam. Full of dirty things means full of asuras, demons. They do not know what is: na saucam napi cacaro tesu vidyate [Bg 16.7], in the Bhagavad-gita. They do not know how to behave; neither there is cleanliness, internally or externally. This is the position.

The purport?

Pradyumna: "This Age of Kali is the most condemned age on account of its quarrelsome features. The Age of Kali is so much saturated with vicious habits of the fallen people that on a slight misunderstanding there is great fight. Persons who are engaged in the pure devotional service of the Lord, without any desire for self-aggrandizement, and free from the effects of fruitive actions and dry philosophical speculations, can only get out of these estrangements of the complicated age. The leaders of the people are very much anxious to live in peace and friendship, but they have no information of the simple method of hearing the glories of the Lord."

Prabhupada: We are suggesting, Krsna conscious people, that everyone attain for peace and prosperity, tranquility. The United Nations is created for that. They are simply wasting their time. They are hearing so many things, but if we say, "Now why don't you hear for a few days Srimad-Bhagavatam?" "No, no, no." They will never agree. They are simply hearing some rascal is speaking for three days, and we hear, all the members will hear, Parliament. But if we request them, "Sir, you are hearing so many things. Why don't you hear for a few days Srimad-Bhagavatam?" "We are secular." Secular. Name of God or God's words-immediately purchase.

Pradyumna: "On the contrary, such leaders of the people are against the process of ventilating the glories of the Lord. In other words, the foolish leaders want to deny completely the very existence of the Lord. In the name of secular state, such false leaders are enacting various plans every year." [break]

Prabhupada: From the time immemorial they are simply seeking after the future. But that future never came. But still they are hoping against hope that "Future we shall make it."

Pradyumna: "But they have no eyes to see to such failure in the attempt of peace and friendliness. Here is the hint to get out of the hurdle. If you want actual peace in life and friendliness, you must open the road to understand the Supreme Lord Krsna and glorify Him for His virtuous activities as they are depicted in the pages of the Srimad-Bhagavatam." [end]