Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.5 [partially recorded] – March 25, 1972, Bombay

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.5
[Partially Recorded]
-
March 25, 1972, Bombay

720325SB-BOMBAY [13:21 Minutes]

The jurisdiction of Durga

Prabhupada: ...for your kindly participating in this great movement coming from India. So we are discussing the answer given by Sūta Gosvami to the saintly persons, brahmanas, who assembled at Naimisaranya to have a discourse on Srimad-Bhagavatam.

So when the question was there that after departure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, from this planet to His abode. That we have already described, what is Krsna's abode. Krsna's abode is there in the spiritual world. Just like we have got various types of planets within this universe, and there are innumerable universes, and in each and every one of them there are millions and trillions of planets. This is only one-fourth manifestation of Krsna's creation, including all these universes. That is stated in the Srimad Bhagavad-gita:

This whole material world is one-fourth manifestation of one-fourth energy of Krsna. The three-fourths energy is exhibited in the spiritual world. Here, the living entities in all these universes, they are very minority. Just like in the prison house you cannot expect the majority of the population. The majority of population is outside the prison house. Only a few number of criminals, they are in the prison house. Similarly, all these living entities who are within this material world... It is called durga. Durga, durga means fort, and the superintendent of this durga is called Durga, durga-sakti:

This is the jurisdiction of Durga. So mostly the living entities, three-fourth of the living entities, they are in the spiritual world. They are called nitya-mukta. They do not come within this material world. And the living entities who come within this material world, they are called nitya-baddha, ever-conditioned. Ever-conditioned means before the creation they were conditioned: bhūtva bhūtva praliyate [Bg 8.19]. So Krsna's opulence is unlimited, ananta. Therefore His another name is Ananta. Advaitam acyutam ananta. There is… This is the description of the Brahma-samhita:

He is advaita. Advaita means He is not different from anything, because anything we see, that is energy of Krsna: parasya brahmanaḥ sakti tathaiva akhilam jagat. In the Visnu Purana 1.22.53] it is said,

Akhilam jagat: all these universes are exhibition of the energy of Krsna, just like the fire can distribute its heat and light from one place. The example is the sun: the great fire, the greatest fire within this universe, it is distributing the heat and light from one place. You can see, everyone, the sun globe. It is lying in one corner of this universe. Although the sun globe is fourteen hundred times…, fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth, still you can see that it is lying in one corner.

So this is Agni. We require heat and light; therefore Krsna has given us the heat and light. So as we can see the sun globe is situated in one place, still its heat and light is distributed throughout the whole universe, similarly, Krsna is living in His own abode, sva-dharma, but His energies are being distributed all over: ekamsena sthito jagat.

Therefore Krsna says that,

We do not know how much powerful, omnipotent is Krsna. Without knowing His power, we treat Him as ordinary person-maybe very big person or great person. No. That is our poor fund of knowledge. Avajananti mam mūḍha, param bhavam ajananto [Bg 9.11]. Such persons, such mūḍhas, they do not know what is Krsna. Therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg 7.3]. Siddha means one who is factually in knowledge of everything. He is called siddha. And yatatam api siddhanam kascin: there are many jnanis, yogis, they are called siddhas, but out of many millions of such siddhas, one may or may not understand Krsna. Therefore He says, avajananti mam mūḍha…, param bhavam aja.

So here Sūta Gosvami says, munayaḥ sadhu prsto 'ham: "Oh, your question is welcome." Sadhu. When there is something very glorious, we welcome by saying, "Sadhu, sadhu," "It is very nice, very nice," sadhu. Amongst the learned scholar, Vedic scholar, when they approve something they say, "Sadhu, sadhu," "Very good." So when Krsna question was asked by the audience, "After departure of Krsna, the knowledge and dharma," dharma jnana… These two things are very essential things in the human society.

Without dharma and without jnana it is animal society. Jnana means to know, self-realized, what I am. That is jnana. And after jnana there is dharma. Dharma means occupational duty. If you do not know what is your constitutional position, then how your occupational duties can be ascertained? Therefore dharma-jnana-adibhiḥ saha. So that is jnana. When we understand that we are part and parcel of Krsna, we are eternal servants of Krsna, that is jnana. And after having this jnana in full, then our dharma-actual dharma-begins.

So Krsna directly says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66]. This surrender unto Krsna is dharma. Other things, which does not teach how to surrender to Krsna, that kind of dharma is called kaitava-dharma, cheating dharma. Therefore Bhagavata says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitava atra: all cheating type of religious principles are completely rejected. Cheating type, kaitavo, this very word. And Sridhara Svami comments on this that liberation, moksa-vancha, to become one with the Supreme, that is also another type of cheating. Why it is cheating, that is explained. We have discussed all these points.

Now here Sūta Gosvami says that "Your question about Krsna is very, very nice. It is welcome." Why it is very, very nice? Munayaḥ sadhu prsto 'ham, bhavadbhir-by you; loka-mahgalam. If Krsna questions and answers are discussed simply, all over the world, everything will be nice, peaceful, loka-mahgalam. People are anxious for peace, tranquility, all over the world, but they do not know how to establish it. That secret… [break] [end]