Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.29 – October 9, 1974, Māyāpur

Krishna's Loving Impartiality

Nitai: "O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and are so misleading. You have no specific object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial."

So Kuntidevi is clarifying the matter that people may think that Krsna was partial to the Panḍava family and He was envious to the Kurus because He always took part on behalf of the Panḍavas. That has been described. So just like worldly men, we, we make some friends and we make some enemies. To somebody we are envious, and to somebody we are very friendly. This is material nature. The material nature means to become envious, generally. And if somebody satisfies my sense gratification, then he's friend. That is also temporary. As soon as the sense gratification process is disturbed, then again envious. The real nature is enviousness. So Kuntidevi says that "Because You are playing the part of human being, and it appears that You are partial to somebody and You are envious to somebody, this is viḍambanam; this is Your misleading. Actually You are not like that. Actual... But because You are playing the part of the ordinary human being-not ordinary, but as human being-so Your dealing like that appears that You are, to some..., to somebody You are very partial and somebody You are inimical." But that is not the fact. People cannot understand Krsna because Krsna can be understood by the devotee only.

So further she explains, na yasya kascid dayitaḥ. Dayita means favorable. Na yasya kascid dayitaḥ asti karhicid dvesyas ca yasmin. And nobody is envious. The Bhagavad-gita also confirms, samo 'ham sarva bhūtesu na me dvesyo 'sti kincana [Bg 9.29].

Krsna is, as we discussed the other day... Just like the sun is equal to everyone, but we are not able to take the sunshine equally. Somewhere the sun is covered with cloud. Someone is sitting within the dark room. In this way, we are unable to take the sunshine equally. But sun is distributing equally. Na hi harati jyotsna candras canḍala-vesmani. There is the... Canakya Panḍita says, canḍala-vesmani. Canḍala means untouchable, the dog-eaters. In the Vedic conception, the dog-eaters are untouchable. Actually they should be untouchable. Meat-eaters are untouchable, especially... There are different kinds of meat-eaters. Some eat the goats, some mutton, some cows, some hogs and some dogs. Just like the Hindus: they eat goats, but they do not eat cows. Some religious conception. And the Muhammadans, they use..., eat cows, but they do not eat pigs. Harama. The Muhammadans say, "To eat pig is harama." So everyone has got some distinction. But the canḍalas, they eat everything, up to the dogs. We have seen in Korea, and in China also, they eat dogs. Here in India, Assam side, there are dog-eaters. So there are different kinds of flesh-eaters. And you'll find in Ayurvedic dravya-guna, there are so many different types of meats and fleshes described, and the eating such flesh, what benefit or harm is there, that is described. So formerly, how they were analyzed.

So Krsna, although He's playing the part of human being, His activities are transcendental. Na mam karmani limpanti na me karma-phale sprha [Bg 4.14]. That is the distinction between Krsna and ourself. He is killing. He has killed so many demons; from the very childhood His one side is killing-Pūtana killing, Aghasura, Bakasura, this asura, that asura, then Kesi, and so many asuras He killed. But His killing and our killing is not the same. Na mam karmani limpanti. And in the Īsopanisad is..., apapa-viddham. That is Krsna. If we imitate Krsna... We cannot imitate. Therefore our business is to follow the words of Krsna, not to imitate Him. That is suicidal. We shall follow the instruction of Krsna as He is giving in the Bhagavad-gita. But if we become so rascal to imitate His rasa-lila, then we'll go to hell. But the Mayavadis, they sometimes do that. That... In the Bhagavata it is forbidden, that "Imitation of this..." Idam ca visnoḥ. What is that verse, vraja..., no, that...? That "These pastimes of Lord Krsna, who is Visnu, with the gopis, they should not be..., not only they should be imitated, they should not be thought even within the mind, that 'We can also do like that.' " It is forbidden.

Then the question was... Pariksit Maharaja questioned this: "Krsna, He came to establish religious principles." Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata tadatmanam srjamy aham [Bg 4.7]. Paritranaya sadhū..., vinasaya ca duskrtam, dharma-samsthapanarthaya [Bg 4.8]. "So why Krsna did this act?" Because it is forbidden to mix with others' wife or daughter. Without being married, according to Vedic culture, no man or woman can mix very intimately. That is even in the ordinary dealings. Matrvat para-daresu. Canakya Panḍita said that "Except your wife, all women are your mother." This is panḍita. Who is a panḍita, learned? Now,

This is the description of panḍita. Panḍita... And in the Bhagavad-gita, the panḍita is described: panḍitaḥ sama-darsinaḥ [Bg 5.18]. This is panḍita. Nowadays it has become the custom that unless you have got a university degree, either you may be in knowledge..., mayaya apahrta-jnanaḥ, you are not recognized as a panḍita. But in the Vedic scripture, the panḍita is different person. Anyone... This is the moral instruction by Canakya Panḍita.

He is giving the description of panḍita in three ways: "One who sees all women except his wife as mother-he is panḍita. One who takes others' money as garbage on the street-he is panḍita. And one who sees everyone, even to the ant, like himself, that 'If I..., if somebody pin, pricks pin on my body, I get, I suffer. I feel pain. So why shall I give pain even to an ant?' " Atmavat sarva-bhūtesu.

In a higher sense... Just like Vaisnava. Vaisnava, Prahlada Maharaja, he is feeling for... Para-duḥkha-duḥkhi. This is Vaisnava's business, because a Vaisnava, when he comes to become Krsna conscious, he can understand that "What I was previously and what I am now." Actually one is... He's happy. He feels that... Yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tataḥ [Bg 6.22].

"So why these people should suffer without Krsna consciousness?" That is samaḥ sarvesu bhūtesu. Therefore preaching required. He preaches. Kanistha-adhikari Vaisnava, he remains compact in temple worship, that's all, to show the Deity and get some money and fill up the belly. My Guru Maharaja condemned this process. Of course, it is condemned in this sense, that those who are thinking that "I have got this temple. Let people come here out of sentiment and they'll pay, and it will be a source of income for my filling up belly..." This is most condemned. My Guru Maharaja used to say that thakura dekhaiya payasa rojagara karara ceye, rastaya jharu diya jivika uparjana kara bhala. One should be honest. He should work for getting some money. Just like Arjuna. Krsna never said that "Arjuna, you sit down. I am your friend. I shall do everything for you. You sleep." No. Arjuna was a ksatriya. He should fight. That was the instruction of... So kanistha-adhikari is different. And madhyama-adhikari, they feel for others, that...

And uttama-adhikari, they have no such distinction. They see, "Everyone is engaged in Krsna's service. That is all right." But madhyama-adhikari has to make distinction. Krpa upeksa. He is very kind to the innocent, but those who are envious, he does not care for them. Those who are envious, he does not care for them. He rejects them: "Let them become envious," these madhyama-adhikari. And isvare, unto the Supreme Lord-prema. They learn how to love Krsna and how to make friendship with Krsna's devotee. So this is madhyama-adhikari and kanistha-adhikari, uttama-adhikari. There are different types of devotees-not all the same-according to the stages.

So atmavat sarva-bhūtesu. A Vaisnava feels for others. A Vaisnava understands that "Those who are not Krsna conscious, those who have forgotten Krsna, they are rotting under the spell of maya. Let us do something for them." That is Vaisnava. Just like Prahlada Maharaja said, naivodvije para duratyaya, duratyaya-vaitaranyaḥ [SB 7.9.43]: "I am not afraid of the indefatigable vaitarani." It is said in the sastra that you have to cross the vaitarani before going to the spiritual world. So Prahlada Maharaja said that "I am not afraid of this vaitarani. It is very easy." Tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittaḥ [SB 7.9.43]: "Because I know simply by glorifying Your Lordship, I am..., I can do that." Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam .

That is quite possible. Param vijayate sri-krsna-sahkirtanam. So a pure Vaisnava like Haridasa Thakura can simply chant. Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised anyone, especially His confidential devotees... Just like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami: he was advised that "You chant and don't eat very palatable food. Don't dress yourself very gorgeously." This instruction... But the chanting. Everyone was advised, whoever went to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that "You chant."

So Prahlada Maharaja said that "I know..." Tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittaḥ. "I can... I have no problem, because I have understood what is the value of chanting Your holy name. But I have got another business." What is that? Soce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ: "I am simply concerned with these rascals who are not Krsna conscious." Soce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ: "They are busy that maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimūḍhan [SB 7.9.43]. These rascals, for maya-sukha, temporary material happiness, they have made very, very gorgeous arrangement," very, very big, big skyscraper building and very, very nice road, very, very nice car, and nice dress, nice this, nice nightclub, this club-simply for maya-sukhaya. "This happiness is temporary. Still, they have forgotten Krsna, which will make their life successful and happy. They do not know." Maya-sukhaya bharam. Bharam means humbug, humbugism. Maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimūḍhan [SB 7.9.43]. "Those who have arranged like that, these rascals," soce, "I am lamenting for them." This is Vaisnava. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhi. Krpambudhir yas tam aham prapadye [Cc Madhya 6.254].

So because you are preacher-you are being trained up to become preacher, especially in the Western countries-so it is your duty. I have several times requested you that "You American people, you are fortunate. Janmaisvarya-sruta-sriḥ [SB 1.8.26]. You have got the four things. Now, because these people are misusing these four material gains simply for sense gratification, maya-sukhaya..." Maya-sukhaya means sense gratification. Maya... "They should be delivered from these clutches of maya, and they should take to Krsna consciousness." That is preaching. Preaching is required. That is the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, certainly He took His birth here, but He did not remain here. He did not remain here. He could have remained here very easily. His influence was very great. He was known as Nimai Panḍita, very learned scholar, everyone knew. And He was very respectful. Otherwise, how He could gather 100,000 people in one day to go to the Kazi's house? That means He was very influential. But still, He... There was good wife, young wife, most affectionate mother. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu could stay at His birthplace very nicely, without any difficulty. And what will be difficulty? He's Krsna Himself, Narayana Himself, and there was Laksmi. But still, to show the example personally, apani acari prabhu jivere sikhaya, He left home, He took sannyasa, and He preached.

So preaching is so important. And Krsna also says that,

So Krsna also, He was playing the part of ordinary human being, but He was, in His own life, He was demonstrating how Krsna comes here, what for He comes, why He took part in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. These things are to be understood. Unless we understand these things-why Krsna came, why He took part in the battlefield, and there are so many other things ordinarily done-then, if we simply take Krsna as ordinary human being... Mūḍha, avajananti mam mūḍha manusim tanum asritam... [Bg 9.11].

Because He's playing the part of human being, if somebody derides, mūḍha, then it is viḍambanam-he'll be cheated. That is explained here: tavehamanasya nrnam viḍambanam. Viḍambana. They cannot understand. The devotees can understand. Kunti could understand that "Although Krsna is playing the part of human being, He is for everyone's good. He simply presents. As enemy or as friend, it is beneficial." Either He is playing the part of enemy or as friend, it is the same thing because He is absolute. In the absolute world there is no such thing: "This is good; this is bad." Everything good in the absolute world. Krsna's killing is as good as Krsna's saving. It is the same thing.

So Kunti could understand. The devotees can understand. So He has no partiality. Nobody should misunderstand that Krsna has got partiality. No. This partiality and enimity, friendliness, these are material, duality. Here we cannot understand good unless there is bad. Therefore it is called relative world. We cannot understand father unless there is son. We cannot understand good man unless there is bad man. So these things, duality or relative world, they should exist in this material world. Therefore in order to approach to the spiritual world, one should become above this duality. Above this duality. This duality means the intermixture of the modes of material nature, traigunya. The Sanskrit word is traigunya. So Krsna advised Arjuna, nistraigunyo bhavarjuna. Traigunya-visaya veda nistraigunyo bhavarjuna [Bg 2.45]. So how one can become above these nistraigunya, er, traigunya? You... Simply by devotional service, unalloyed devotional service. Anyone who is...

So we should be Krsna conscious, always engaged in His... [break] [end]