Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.1–2 – March 22, 1972, Bombay

720322SB-BOMBAY [52:28 Minutes]

Prabhupada:

So Srila Vyasadeva, our first predecessor in the disciplic chain of guru-parampara. There is guru-parampara. There are four Vaisnava sampradayas: one is called Brahma-sampradaya, the other is called Rudra-sampradaya, the other is called Sri-sampradaya, and Nimbarka-sampradaya, or Kumara-sampradaya. So we belong to the Brahma-sampradaya. Brahma's disciple and son also, Narada; his disciple, Vyasadeva; and his disciple is Madhavacarya; and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu belongs to this Madhavacarya-sampradaya. His spiritual master was Īsvara Puri, and Īsvara Puri's spiritual master was Madhavendra Puri. This Madhavendra Puri happened to be in the disciplic succession of Madhavacarya; therefore we, coming down from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we are known as Madhva-Gauḍiya-sampradaya.

So here, Srila Vyasadeva is offering his respect to the Absolute Truth, satyam param. We sometimes find in our government paper, "satyam eva jayate." That is nice, but there are relative truth and there is Absolute Truth. Here Vyasadeva is offering his obeisances to the Absolute, which include everyone. All relative truths are included within the Absolute Truth, summum bonum. So Sridhara Svami comments on this point that Sri Vyasadeva is offering obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of all emanation: janmady asya yataḥ. That senscient, abhijnaḥ, and svarat, fully independent.

So our independence is hampered by maya. We want to be independent, but actually we are not independent. We are dependent on the dictation of maya:

We falsely think that we are independent, but we are not independent. We are completely under the clutches of maya: prakrteḥ kriyamanani gunaiḥ karmani sarvasaḥ. We are acting under the influence of the modes of nature. Some of us are working under the influence of goodness, some of us are working under the influence of passion, and some of us are working under the influence of ignorance. But the param satyam, the Supreme Lord, He is not under the influence of any modes of material nature. Therefore it is expressed here, dhamna svena nirasta-kuhakam: He is completely independent, and there is no influence of maya. There is no influence. Nirasta-kuhakam.

Here it is illusion. We are living under the influence of material nature, but we are thinking that we are independent. This is kuha, illusion. This is called maya. And so long we do not understand this defect of our materialistic way of life, that is called defeat. Whatever we are doing, that is defeat. We are not conquering, but we are being defeated by the exigency of the material energy, which is explained in the Bhagavad-gita: daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg 7.14].

So we are all under the influence of maya, illusion. Aham mameti, janasya moho ayam [SB 5.5.8]. Ayam, this feature of our life: aham, "I am independent, and whatever I have created, that is mine," this is illusion. Janasya moho ayam. These are all explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam in different places. So our author of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vyasadeva, he says, "Just aim your objective to the Absolute Truth, satyam param, not to the relative truth." Here everything is in relative truth, for the time, but it appears to be truth. But actually it is not truth. Sridhara Svami comments in this connection: satvanam savac svadu bhutendriya devata rupa amrisa satvam jasya sattvatoya mithya savovi satvavat pratitayate.

Actually there is no truth, but because there is truth in the Absolute, and it is reflection of His energy, therefore it appears like truth. But actually it is not truth. Jasya sattvatoya mithya savovi satvavat pratitayate. This is mithya creation, illusion. Just like this body-your body, my body. It is created at a certain point, it will exist for a certain days, and it will have some by-products, and then it will dwindle and then it will vanish. Now once this body is vanished, I am not going to get again this body. It is not possible. Even if I get a human form of body next life, it is not exactly like this. Therefore this body, although it appears to be truth, it is not truth; it is temporary. We don't say false. The Mayavadi philosophers, they say it is false; but we say not false, but temporary. But our existence is eternal, that is truth. Our… Na hanyate hanyamane sarire, na jayate mriyate va kadacin [Bg 2.20]. These are described in the Bhagavad-gita.

Therefore our objective should be how to reach the Absolute Truth, because we are now in entanglement in this relative truth for the time being. We get a body for a few years-maybe for ten years or for a hundred years or for millions of years. Just like we get information from the Bhagavad-gita that the duration of life in the higher planets, that is described: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduḥ [Bg 8.17].

We cannot calculate even one day's duration of Brahma, it is so long; but it is also limited. There is death. Brahma is also dying. He is not immortal, but we are-as spirit soul-we are immortal: na hanyate hanyamane sarire. That is our position. Therefore we should aim to the satyam param, not to the relative. That is the instruction of Srimad-Bhagavatam: satyam param dhimahi.

Now the next verse, Vyasadeva is describing:

The Srimad-Bhagavatam is so nice that if one hears Srimad-Bhagavatam from the very beginning, and from realized soul, or anyway, if he hears from the very beginning, nityam. Not that Bhagavata-saptaha-this is professional. There is no mention that Bhagavata should be studied or heard only for saptaha. We don't find anywhere in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. There are big, big comments on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, just like Sridhara Svami, Viraraghava Acarya, Vijaya-dvaja, Rupa…, Sanatana Goswami, Jiva Goswami, Visvanatha Cakravati Thakūra, Prabhudhini, Vallabhacarya-there are at least eight very authoritative commentaries on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, but we don't find anywhere that Bhagavata-saptaha should be observed. We don't find. I do not know how it came into existence, this Bhagavata-saptaha reading. But actually Srimad-Bhagavatam is so vast and great study that even one verse cannot be completed in seven years, what to speak of studying the whole Bhagavata in seven days. That is not possible.

This verse, the first verse, janmady asya yato, this is taken from the Vedanta-sūtra. So the whole Vedanta philosophy is there in one verse. So Bhagavata should be heard from… Grantha Bhagavata should be heard from the person bhagavata. During Caitanya Mahaprabhu's days, when He was living in Jagannatha Puri, many people used to go and recite before Him many poetry and many other things, but it was to be passed first of all by His secretary, Svarūpa Damodara. Unless Svarūpa Damodara hears from the person and he recommends, "Yes, this poetry can be heard. This commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam can be heard," Caitanya Mahaprabhu will not hear. That was the system.

So one brahmana, he wrote something about Srimad-Bhagavatam, and he described Jagannatha, Lord Jagannatha, as made of wood. So the secretary of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was very much dissatisfied, and he chastised him, that brahmana. The brahmana, of course, was very sober; he accepted the chastisement. Then there was compromise, and at that time Svarūpa Damodara Gosvami asked him that "If you want to know Srimad-Bhagavata, then you must study Srimad-Bhagavata from the person bhagavata." Bhagavata paro giya bhagavata sthane. There are two bhagavatas. Bhagavata… One Bhagavata is this Srimad-Bhagavatam book; another bhagavata is the pure devotee, pure devotee of Lord. He is person bhagavata, and this is Grantha Bhagavata. So Svarūpa Damodara recommended that "If you want to study Bhagavata, then you must study from a realized pure devotee."

Pure devotee means,

That is pure devotion. By reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam one should not expect some remuneration for his livelihood. That is not Bhagavata. One who preaches Srimad-Bhagavatam for the satisfaction of the Lord, he is pure devotee. In other words, one should not make a professional business of Bhagavata recitation. That is not allowed. No acarya will allow. That is not the practice. Therefore here it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra. Kaitava means chalana, cheating. Any kind of religion, pseudoreligions, pretentious religion-projjhita. Projjhita. Sridhara Svami says, prakrsta-rūpena ujjhita. So completely rejected, anything.

Now what is this dharma? People, generally, they are interested in four principles of spiritual advancement. Actually, that is not spiritual advancement: dharma, artha, kama, moksa. Catur-varga. They are called catur-varga. So when it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra, Sridhara Svami comments on this point: artha moksavams ca api nirastham. Those who are desiring after moksa, nirbheda-brahmanu-sandhana, to become one with the Supreme-that is called moksa. That is generally understood.

Moksa, liberation, means to become free from this material contamination and become one with the Supreme. That is the objective of the jnani-sampradaya. Jnani-sampradaya… Without becoming jnani, nobody can understand what is spiritual life. That is a fact. But generally we mean…, jnani means persons who are trying to merge into the existence of Brahman effulgence, jnani-sampradaya. Sometimes they are called vedanti, vedanti-sampradaya. But here it is said dharmaḥ projjhita. Dharma, artha, kama, moksa. That moksa, to merge into the existence of the Supreme, that is also rejected. Those who are after merging into the existence of the Supreme, they are not proper candidates for studying Srimad-Bhagavatam. [break]

This kaitava has been explained by Sridhara Svami as that moksavams ca api artha nirastham, simply devotional service.

Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends,

Now danam, janam, sundarim kavitam-these are the aspirations of the karmis. Karmis, they want riches, opulence, material opulence, danam, janam: good family, good following, good factory, good office, many followers, good riches; at home, nice wife, nice children. These are the aspiration of the karmis. Karmis want to be happy within this material world: sriyaisvarya-rupesaḥ [SB 1.2.27]. They want beauty, they want money, they want material happiness. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that na danam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye: "I do not want this."

A pure devotee will not aspire after these material opulences, because they are the subject matter for the karmis. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu again says, mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi. Janmani janmani means repetition of birth. The jnanis, they do not want repetition of birth. They want to finish this repetition of birth and merge into the Brahman effulgence. That is the jnani, jnanis' objective. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu refuses. Janmani janmani means that He does not say that "Stop My repetition of birth and death." That is not the aspiration.

So a devotee is not aspirant like the karmis or like the jnanis. Therefore Rūpa Gosvami says, anyabhilasita-sūnyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc Madhya 19.167]: There should be no tinge of jnani's philosophy, there should not be any tinge of karmi's philosophy-that is not pure devotion. That is called vaidha, not suddha. Suddha-bhakti, unadulterated devotion, means anyabhilasita-sūnyam. There should be no aspiration except to serve Krsna: mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki. This is pure devotion.

Therefore here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo [SB 1.1.2]. Chala-dharma, which is not pure devotion, that is completely thrown away in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. By reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, if one aspires after material opulence or if one aspires after spiritual emancipation to merge into the existence of Brahman effulgence, that is not pure devotion. That is rejected: dharmaḥ projjhita. Dharma, artha, kama, moksa is rejected. Dharmaḥ projjhita-atra kaitavo paramo nirmatsaranam. This subject matter is for the paramo nirmatsara.

Nirmatsara means, Sridhara Svami says, matsarata para utkarsam asahanam. If one is making…, rising materially, becoming advanced, that is our business within the material world. Even my brother is materially opulent, I am not very much satisfied; I am envious: "Oh, my brother has expanded his business so much; I could not. He has accumulated so many crores of rupees; I could not." So this is material existence, matsarata. Here it is said, nirmatsaranam. Nirmatsaranam means those who are not envious.

That means they are in the transcendental position, in the Vaikuntha position. In the Vaikuntha world there is also competition. Everyone is trying to serve Krsna more, so there is competition. But there is no matsarata; there is no enviousness. If I see somebody is worshiping Krsna, serving Krsna more than me, then I shall think, "Oh, he is so nice that he is serving Krsna more than me." Not… It is not matsarata; it is appreciation. It is not matsarata.

So in the Vaikuntha world there is appreciation, and in the material world there is enviousness. The same thing when turns into Vaikuntha quality, it becomes a different thing; it is not matsarata. That is appreciation: "Oh, he is so nice." Just like Radharani. Radharani… Nobody can be topmost devotee. Krsna's anayaradhyate. Radharani means who is worshiping Krsna, the most topmost service. Amongst the gopis-the gopis are serving Krsna-there is no comparison. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhū-vargena ya kalpita [Caitanya-manjusa]. Vraja-vadhū, these damsels, these cowherd girls, as they worship Krsna there is no comparison in the world. There is no devotee of Krsna as the gopis:

The Gosvamis, they are simply praising the gopis: "Oh, how they are serving Krsna." That was their business:

It is stated in the Srinivasacarya's appreciation of the Gosvamis' activities:

These Gosvamis, vande rūpa-sanatanau raghu-yugau: Rūpa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami-raghu-yugau, two Raghus. Vande rūpa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau-Jiva Gosvami and Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. These six Gosvamis were direct disciples of Lord Caitanya. So they left their home, tyaktva tūrnam asesa-manḍala-pati-srenim. These two Gosvamis, Sanatana Gosvami and Rūpa Gosvami, were big ministers of the government, and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was the only son of his father, and uncle, the biggest zamindar, landlord, of that time.

So they left everything, tyaktva tūrnam asesa-manḍala-pati-srenim. Because they were so rich and aristocratic, their associates were manḍala-pati-big, big men. Manḍala-pati means big, big influential men who can control many, many persons. So they gave up the association. How? Tucchavat: "Oh, it is very insignificant. What is the use of this association?"

Then what they become?

They accepted kaupina and kantha, the loincloth-very minimum demands of the body. To become sannyasi and sadhu means to minimize the material demands. So they minimized. According to circumstances, they minimized. Kaupina-kanthasritau. Why? Now, dina-ganesakau karunaya: the general mass of people, they are suffering for want of Krsna consciousness, and to educate them, to enlighten them, karunaya, out of compassion. Not that Rūpa Gosvami or Jiva Gosvami or Sanatana Gosvami, Raghunatha, they took this dress of mendicant for fulfilling the belly. No. They minimized. That should be the process-minimizing material demands, tūrnam.

Accepted very humble life.

Then there is another problem: if a very rich man all of a sudden takes to this life of sannyasa or mendicant, it is very difficult for him to live. We have practically seen it. You know in Calcutta there was Mr. C. R. Das, Gandhi's disciple, next to Gandhi. So he was earning at that time fifty thousands of rupees. He was a lawyer. The Gandhi's non-cooperation movement, there was boycott of British court.

So C. R. Das said to Gandhi that "I earn fifty thousand of rupees. You take this money. Why you are asking me to stop practicing in the court?" Gandhi said, "No. I want you, not your money." So the Congress resolution was there, so he gave up his practice. He gave up his practice, but because he was spending fifty thousand of rupees per month and he had no money, he could not live for one year. He died very soon. That we have seen. In our boyhood we saw.

So from materialistic point of view, if one all of a sudden comes down to the lowest position, it is very difficult for him, unless he is very spiritually sound. So there is no need of abruptly changing. There is no… That is the instruction. But these Gosvamis, they were so advanced-not only advanced; they had another engagement. They left their ministership-that's all right-took the position of a mendicant. But how they lived very nicely?

That is this: gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhur sada-because they were always merged into the ocean of transcendental bliss which was enjoyed by the gopis. They are always thinking of the gopis' behavior with Krsna: how the gopis were thinking at home when Krsna was out for taking care of the cows, and the gopis at home, they were thinking, "Oh, Krsna's foot, so soft, and He is walking on the stones, and how much He is feeling pain." In this way they were thinking and crying at home. This is Krsna consciousness. They were ordinary cowherd girls, not educated, not born of brahmana's families, not student of Vedanta-nothing of the sort-but they were absorbed in thought of Krsna. That is gopi-bhava: always thinking of Krsna.

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He was sannyasi; He was strictly following the rules and regulations of the sannyasi. Even devotees, women, could not come before Him very near. They would offer their respect from a distant place, He was so strict. But He is appreciating: ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhū-vargena ya kalpita [Caitanya-manjusa]. This is the test, that Caitanya Mahaprabhu appreciating some women's activities in relationship with Krsna. So they were not ordinary women; they were expansion of Krsna's pleasure potency:

They are Krsna's expansion. Radharani is Krsna's expansion, pleasure potency. Radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktiḥ He is Brahma Himself, Parabrahman, the Supreme Brahman. Do you think that Parabrahman is enjoying some material happiness by mixing with ordinary girls? Do you think like that? For understanding Brahman, partial effulgence of Krsna, these materialistic persons are giving up all material pleasures, and the Supreme Parabrahman, does He enjoy any material pleasure? No. We misunderstand.

Therefore without understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam from the beginning, if we jump over all of a sudden to the rasa-lila, or the Krsna's dealings with the gopis, we misunderstand. I refer this very fact before you because in any…, in various places we have been asked by big philosophers, scientist, that "Why Krsna had His lila with the gopis?" They think it [indistinct]. And actually that is the fact. If you don't understand what is Krsna, if you don't understand what is gopi and what is Radharani, and if you all of a sudden jump over Krsna's lila with the gopis, surely you will misunderstand. So that is not recommended.

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's secretary, Svarūpa Damodara, said that "If you want to study Bhagavata, you must go to a living bhagavata, not to the professional reader." Then you will not understand. Then you go on reading Bhagavata or hearing Bhagavata for not only seven days but seven millions of years, still you will not be able to understand Krsna. And Vyasadeva has devoted nine cantos. We are reading just on the first chapter of the first canto. He has devoted nine cantos just to make you understand what is Krsna.

That is also mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavad-gita:

To understand Krsna as Absolute Truth, it is not very easy task. You have to understand it through scientific knowledge given by the realized soul, not jumping over or Bhagavata-saptaha. No. That is not recommended. Bhagavata recommends, nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Why for seven days? Nityam. You will find here, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,

These are recommendation of Srimad-Bhagavatam: srnvatam sva-kathaḥ krsnaḥ. You are hearing Sri Krsna's words about Krsna or from Krsna. There are two kinds of Krsna's words: one is Bhagavad-gita, spoken by Krsna directly, and another this Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is spoken of Krsna, about Krsna. So they are two krsna-kathas.

So Bhagavata says, srnvatam sva-kathaḥ krsnaḥ. When we are anxious to hear about Krsna, sva-kathaḥ, not others' katha. Sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ, not that sravanam kirtanam for any other. No. Visnu. Here also Srimad-Bhagavata says, srnvatam sva-kathaḥ krsnaḥ. When Krsna is within you, when He sees that you are very serious to know about Him, sva-kathaḥ krsnaḥ... Because if you simply hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, punya-sravana-kirtanaḥ, you acquire immediately the result of pious activities simply by hearing. And if you stick to that hearing, then Krsna understands that now you are serious about hearing about Him; then He helps:

Krsna hrdy antaḥ stho vidhunoti abhadrani: all dirty things He will cleanse. He will help you, cleanse you. In this way, as we become advanced, our heart becomes cleansed, then we understand Krsna. Otherwise we misunderstand Krsna. That is our misfortune.

Krsna is friend, suhrdam sarva-bhūtanam, but He is a special friend for the satam, those who are devotees. Suhrt satam. He is friend of everyone, but He is a special friend for the devotee.

In this way, if we stick to the hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam properly, then gradually the dirty things in our heart will be cleansed.

So when it is almost cleansed-not completely cleansed: nasta-prayesv abhadresu. Nasta-pra… Abhadra means these three material modes of nature: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. They are all abhadra because they are material. So we have to cleanse ourselves from this material contamination. That is called nasta-prayesv abhadresu. So nasta-prayesv means that when we are cleansed of the modes of ignorance and the modes of passion-when these two things are clean-it is called nasta-prayesv abhadresu.

But the modes of goodness, that is also abhadra. You have to transcend the modes of goodness also. Just like people-they are nice people, pious people-they are attached to do some welfare activities in this world. But according to spiritual advancement of life, that goodness is also abhadra. You have to become pure, simply inclined to serve Krsna.

Anukūla, simply how Krsna will be satisfied. That business. Just like gopis: the gopis were not sacrificing…, were not performing big, big sacrifices or any philanthropic work, opening schools or hospitals or this or that. They were simply after Krsna. That is their qualification. That is called sudha-sattva: sattvam visuddham vasudeva [SB 4.3.23], above goodness. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends, ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhū-vargena ya kalpita [Caitanya-manjusa]:

"There is no better worship than what was conceived by the gopis."

But they are not ordinary, material things. Therefore we should not misunderstand the gopis' activities with Krsna as ordinary dealings of young boys and girls. They are different things. Cinmaya, ananda-cinmaya-rasa [Bs 5.37]. That is ananda-cinmaya-rasa, not jaḍa-maya, not this gross material rasa. This sex life is gross material rasa. But the dealings of gopis and Krsna, they are not ordinary, material rasa; they are cinmaya-rasa.

The gopis are expansion of Krsna's feature, Krsna's ahladini potency, pleasure potency expansion. Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam says that this subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam is meant for paramo nirmatsaranam satam, pure devotee, who are above all enviousness. Paramo nirmatsaranam satam vastavam vastu vedyam atra [SB 1.2.2]. If you want to understand real reality, not false reality, shadow reality, then you will understand in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Vastavam vastu vedyam atra. Vedyam vastavam atra. Vastava means vastu-from vastu, vasta.

So vasta means Krsna's energies, so Krsna's energy's pleasure potency, vastavam vastu vedyam atra. And sivadam. That is sivadam-auspicious, everything auspicious. If you try to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam from the proper source, then it is sivadam, mahgalam-auspicious. And the result? Tapa-trayonmūlanam. Tapa-traya. In this material world we are suffering threefolds of miserable conditions of life: adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. That will be unmūlanam, uprooted. Tapa-trayonmūlanam.

Then: Srimad-bhagavate mahamuni-krte. This Srimad-Bhagavatam is not an ordinary book. Just like we write books-some fiction, some novel, some drama. There are thousands and thousands of writings like that. Srimad-Bhagavatam is not like that. Srimad-bhagavatam mahamuni-krte: it is written by the mahamuni, Vyasadeva, after his mature experience. After reading all the Vedas, all the Vedic literatures, Puranas, even Vedanta-sūtra, he was not happy. Then under the instruction of Narada he took up writing Srimad-Bhagavatam, simply describing the glories of the Lord. Therefore it is said this Srimad-Bhagavatam is not an ordinary book. It is written by Vyasadeva in his liberated condition, mahamuni-krte kim va parair. Then what is the use of reading other Vedic literature? This is the essence of Vedic literature.

That will be explained: nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam idam [SB 1.1.3]. Nigama means Vedas. The tree, the tree… You get a tree to get the fruit, so it is said that it is nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam, ripened fruit. That will be explained.

[break] …greatest contribution of Vyasadeva. It is meant for the persons who are paramahamsa, paramo nirmatsara. And if you want to learn real reality, so you will get it from Srimad-Bhagavatam.

So we are trying to serve you to our best capacity. Please cooperate with us. Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. [end]