Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.10 – April 24, 1974, Hyderabad

Father I must have it. Give me

Prabhupada: So, "All glories to the assembled devotees" means including the children also. Krsna conscious movement is so nice that even children-without any knowledge of Vedanta and big, big philosophy-simply by attending the performance of devotional service, even a child's life can be glorious without any education. That is, we are explaining in this statement of Sūta Gosvami: ahaituky apratihata [SB 1.2.6].

Apratihata means you cannot check anyone. It doesn't matter what he is. He may be a grown-up man or a small child; he may be educated, not educated; civilized or uncivilized. Even man or animal, everyone can take part in Krsna consciousness movement, bhakti-yoga. This word is very important, that ahaituky apratihata. Apratihata means "without any obstacle." Because this Krsna consciousness is meant for the soul, not for the body. So far body is concerned, there is…, according to our past karma it is destined.

Prahlada Maharaja says that here in this material world, we are after sense pleasure, everyone: birds, beasts, animals, aquatics, human beings-even the demigods. Anyone who is within this material world, he is concerned with the gratification of the senses in different degree; but, in any means, sense gratification. Therefore, we are given, by the laws of nature… Not…, nature is not independent, but is superior order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead as Paramatma is sitting in everyone's heart. Īsvaraḥ sarva-bhūtanam hrd-dese [Bg 18.61]. Specifically mentioned, it is within the heart, hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati. So "I am also there, and the Supersoul is also there." So the Supersoul's business is to witness, anumanta upadrasta [Bg 13.23]. That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita. The Supersoul is simply observing what I am doing. And He is the supreme witness, upadrasta. And anumanta. As I desire-not according to my desire, but because I desire-I have been given the freedom to desire. But without the sanction of the Supersoul, I cannot do anything. Just like a child. A child is persistent, crying, "Father I must have it. Give me." Father does not like to give him that undesirable thing, but because the child persists in crying, making disturbance, sometimes father says, "All right. You take." That is father's mercy: "Oh, why this child is crying? Let him have it, that's all." We have got practical experience, so I may recite that, in my younger days, when my eldest son was only two years and half, so he was trying to catch the table fan. The table fan was moving. So I was requesting, "No, don't touch." But he insisted, as child. So one of my friends was sitting; he said that "Make it slow and allow him to touch it." So I did it, and the child touched it, and there was in the finger tang! Then I asked him to again touch: "No, no!"

This is the process. Krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare [Prema-vivarta]. We, all living entities, we have come here within this material world to enjoy, to lord it over the material nature. It is going on. Everyone can understand, that what is this markets? If you go to [indistinct], very busy quarter, though what is the business there? The business is that everyone wants to enjoy this world to the full satisfaction. Either you call it industry or trade or business or high court, what is the aim? The aim is that "I want to enjoy." This is individually. To take it nationally, statewide, one state wants that "My men, let me extend that sense gratification." First of all individual sense gratification, then extended: "My family, my son, my grandson, they will enjoy, make such arrangement." This is nature. And then you extend it, from family-wide to community-wide, from community, national-wide. Then international also, that we human beings, we should combine together and send all the animals to the slaughterhouse and eat them-the combined effort. What is that? "We shall enjoy." This is going on. Krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare, pasate maya [Prema-vivarta]. This is maya. This disease has to be cured. That requires knowledge, and religiousness. That required.

So this Krsna consciousness movement means to train people to come to his original constitutional position. What is that? Every living entity is part and parcel of God. Therefore the duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole. The part and parcel cannot enjoy individually or independently. That is not possible. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It has to enjoy at a certain post. Not that a finger will catch up some rasgulla and enjoy it. That is not possible. It must go through the stomach. The rasagullas will be caught and put into the mouth. It must go to the stomach, and the stomach will digest it, and the energy will be distributed-not only to this finger, but other fingers, other parts of parts of the body. This has to be learned. That is called yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6].

We are discussing that point. And this Krsna consciousness movement is so nice that immediately everyone comes into ecstasy, and he wants to serve Krsna. So this temple or Deity worship, arcana, it gives chance to the people to take part in serving Krsna. Just like this child is dancing, it is taken into account of his devotional service; it is not in vain. Anyone who comes here, who hears, who rings some bell or dance or offer obeisances… You'll find all these descriptions is there in our Nectar of Devotion. Krsna is so kind. Anyone who comes before Him and renders a little service,

Little service, out of these nine varieties of devotional service. One, two, three, or just one-he is profiting. This is called ajnata-sukrti. Without knowledge, some balance of spiritual life is developed. Just like we collect money, four annas, four annas. Just like home saving. Say you can put it four hundred, five hundred, one rupee-one day you'll see it is fifty rupees. So this is called ajnata-sukrti. Without sukrti, without being purified, without being pious, nobody can approach God. That is not possible. Catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtino 'rjuna [Bg 7.16].

This very word is used by Krsna. Sukrti means those who are…, whose background is pious. And those who are duskrtinaḥ… Two words are being used: one sukrti and one duskrti. Krti, krti, this word is used, one is very expert. So the "expert" word is there, krti, but dusand su. There are men who are very expert, but some of them employing their expertness in sinful activities, and some of them employing their expertness in pious activities. That is the difference. You can apply your brain in two ways: this way or that way. But those who are applying their brain for pious activities, they can be devotees, and those who are applying their brain for impious activities, they cannot. That is not possible.

So this Deity worship is open for everyone so that, knowingly or unknowingly, anyone who is coming here, he is becoming pious. Krta-punya-punjaḥ . Because Krsna worship, or God worship, is not possible for persons who are sinful. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

Drḍha-vrataḥ: firm determination. That kind of devotional life is possible only when one is completely free from the resultant action of sinful activity. Yesam tv anta-gatam. Anta-gatam: one who has finished. We are suffering and enjoying, in this life. So what we are enjoying, that is due to our pious activities in the past. Just like in our daily business, if you have to take some money from somebody, that is your income; and if you have to pay somebody, that is your expenditure. Two things are going on. You cannot expect here, in this material world, simply income. There must be expenditure. So two things, they are known as sukha and dukha. Sukha means "happiness" and dukha means "distress." So as Prahlada Maharaja says, that this sukha and dukha, happiness and distress, is already destined. As soon as I get a certain type of body, my life's happiness and distresses are fixed up. That's all. You cannot change it. That is called destiny. But the atma, although within, encaged within this body, is always separated, apart from. Just like I can give you so many examples, that a dog, the body is dog's body; it must live as dog. But even a dog can be made a devotee. It doesn't matter. Because he has got the body of a dog it does not mean that he cannot be made a devotee. It can be trained. As you train the dog how to bite others at night, so you can train the dog also how to become devotee. Therefore this is training. This child is being trained up. From the beginning of his birth he's in the association of devotees.

So if it is possible for one child, many thousands and millions of children can be taught in the devotion. What is the difficulty? But there is no chance. There is no chance. The Bhagavata says that if you cannot train your children to become free from birth and death, don't beget. Pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mrtyum [SB 5.5.18]. That is contraceptive. Don't beget child or go enjoy sex, sense gratification, and use some contraceptive method. No. The determination should be that "I am a human being, so I must have a child who must be a human being." What is that human being? Toh, jivasya tattva-jijnasa [SB 1.2.10].

Here it is, I have discussed with you last night. Tattva-jijnasa. Everyone should be interested to inquire, athato brahma-jijnasa, or tattva-jijnasa: What is the aim of life? What is the Absolute Truth? So children should be educated also from the very beginning. This little child, he, she can also distinguish what is Krsna, what is maya. If she is offered something which is not interest…, not in connection with our Krsna consciousness movement, she says, "It is maya," "He is karmi." Like that. She has learned all these words. Of course, she is child, but if training is there… Fortunately, in our childhood also we got a good father; we were also trained. So this is wanted: jivasya tattva-jijnasa [SB 1.2.10].

Anyone can be trained. It is not that because one who is born in India and in the family of a brahmana, therefore he can be trained in Krsna consciousness, not others. No. That is not a fact. Anyone can do, any part of the world. Krsna does not say that "Only the Indians are My very beloved living entities," or "The brahmanas are the beloved entities." Krsna does not say. Krsna says,

"In all species of life, including animals, aham bija-pradaḥ pita: the material nature is the mother, and I am the seed-giving father." Krsna claims. So Krsna is for everyone. We have impressed this philosophy to the Westerners, and they have taken it. So that Krsna is neither Indian nor Hindu. Krsna is God. He is for everyone. God is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian. God is God. And anyone who wants to approach God, he must also forget himself that he is Hindu, he is Muslim, he is Christian, he is this and that.

One has to become purified by being freed from all these designations, that "I am this. I am…" These designations are regarding reference with this body. It has nothing to do with Krsna consciousness, God consciousness. Therefore Sūta Gosvami says,

Samprasidati. Samyak rupena prasidati. Fully satisfied. If we want full satisfaction, sarvatma… Just like if you take bath in the river or in the sea, it is very refreshing. You cannot have such refreshing feeling while taking bath in a tub of water. If you just jump in the river, sarvatma-snapanam. So when you become Krsna conscious, then yayatma samprasidati. Sam means, "fully." Simply by coming to Krsna consciousness, one becomes fully satisfied. Yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijnatam bhavati [Munḍaka Upanisad 1.3]. And if you simply understand Krsna, then you understand everything. Yasmin tuste jagat tustam. If you have satisfied Krsna, then the whole world is satisfied. These are the principles.

So everyone can train. It is not very difficult thing. At home, everyone can train himself, the family members, the children, to Krsna consciousness. What is the difficulty? We are practically seeing: this child is dancing. You can also teach your children to dance in the presence of Deity. You can also establish Deity like this. And you can also offer prayer; you can also chant; you can also dance. In the evening, if you perform this sacrifice… Sacrifice means you sacrifice your time without going to the cinema. If you dance at home with children, wife, then your life becomes successful. What is the difficulty? And anyone can do. Anyone can do. Krsna does not say that only Hindus will do, or the Indians will do. Never. Krsna says,

We may think the others are born in abominable families, low caste. That's all right, so far society is concerned. But Krsna does not say that those who are born in so-called low-caste families or other families, they cannot worship Him. Krsna says,

Papa-yoni, the lower caste. That is in Sanskrit word called papa-yonayaḥ. Because when one is pious he gets birth in very rich family, in pious family, and when one is not pious, he gets an impious family, poor family. That is according to karma. But Krsna says that even though one is born in impious family, papa-yoni, he can also come to Him. Krsna does not say that "Only persons who are born in pious families, rich families, he will come to Me." No.

So Krsna consciousness is open for everyone; therefore ahaituky apratihata. So this verse we were discussing yesterday, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. Life should be devoted for inquiry about the Absolute Truth: athato brahma-jijnasa. In the Vedanta-sūtra it is mentioned, brahma-jijnasa: to inquire about the Absolute Truth. The same thing is expressed here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: jivasya tattva-jijnasa. Tattva and brahma, there is no difference. Brahma jijnasa. That should be the life. Athato brahma-jijnasa, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. The whole formula is, as it is explained by Sūta Gosvami, that we are working hard day and night. That's a fact; everyone knows. But our aim of life should be fixed up. There is no question of stopping the work. The aim of life should be… That is the instruction of all the Vedas. The aim of life is missing. In the modern civilization, the aim of life is missing. What is that aim? Na te viduḥ svartha-gatim hi… Na te viduḥ svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Svartha-gati: our aim of life, svartha-gati. Svartha means our interest, "self interest," and gati means "progress." So we are advancing, we are making progress, but where the progress will end? That is Visnu. But people, they do not know. Na te viduḥ svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. They do not know it; but for what they are working so hard?

That is also explained, that

ahir-artha, the external. External means… You can say the material world or this body, these are external, bahir. Bahir means "external." So…, or the material energy, bahirahga sakti; that is called material energy. Krsna has got many energies: parasya, vividhaiva saktir. Parasya saktir vividhaiva srūyate [Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8]. He has got multi-energies. They have been divided into three by expert scholars and acaryas. They are called antarahga-sakti, bahirahga-sakti and tatastha-sakti. So tatastha-sakti: we, we living entities.

We are prakrti; we are energy of Krsna. We are not Krsna. Although energy and the energetic are not different, still, energy is not the energetic. This example I give you many times, that there is the sun and the sunshine. Sunshine is the energy of sun, but when the sunshine enters your room, you cannot say that sun has entered. Neither you can say the sun has not entered. Therefore simultaneously one and different. When the sunshine enters your room, it is to be taken as accepted the sun has entered; but still the sun has a different position.

So the energies, there are mainly three energies of Krsna: the material energy, the spiritual energy and the marginal energy. The marginal energy, we are. We are called marginal because we have to live under the energy, another superior energy. Just like if you work in the office, you have to work under the superintendent, not independently. Similarly, our marginal position is that we can live under the guidance of the material energy or we can live under the guidance of the spiritual energy. To live under the guidance of spiritual energy is our actual life. And to live under the guidance of material nature, that is called maya, false. Therefore we are marginal; we can make our choice. Yathecchasi tatha kuru [Bg 18.63]. We can act according to our choice. Krsna gives freedom. When Arjuna was taught Bhagavad-gita and Krsna asked him, "Now what do you want to do?" [break] [end]