Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.45 – January 29, 1971, Prayāga

710129SB-PRAYAGA [31:18 Minutes]

Kama means lust, and lobha means greediness

Devotee: [introducing recording] Morning lecture, 29th January, 1971, Magha-mela, from Srimad-Bhagavatam. [break]

Prabhupada: [mahgalacarana prayers]

[Sanskrit] Here Sridhara Swami gives his comments that the whole situation of Ajamila for falling down from the standard of pure brahmanism was due to his becoming a husband of illicit wife, or a prostitute. That is the commentation.

So in the society, prostitution is so dangerous. It is clearly stated here that,

Dasyaḥ patiḥ means one who is husband of a prostitute or one who keeps a prostitute. And to keep a prostitute means garhya-karma. Garhya means abominance, and karma means activities. As soon as one associates with a prostitute, immediately he becomes addicted to abominable activities, and that is the beginning of falldown.

According to this formula, the system of arranged marriage of the boys and the girls is recommended, although that is not the guarantee; real thing is association. But still, when the boys and girls are grown, up it is a custom in Hindu society to get them married so that they may not fall prey to the prostitute or illicit sex life. That is very dangerous, such falling down. That is clearly stated here. Sridhara Swami says, [Sanskrit] Sva-dara. Sva means calm; dara means wife. So there is regulative principles how to remain husband and wife peacefully.

So Ajamila broke those regulative principles; therefore he fell down from the standard of a real brahmana. But still, sadyo vimukto bhagavan-nama grhnan. Although he was so much in abominable condition, still offenseless chanting of the holy name of God is so powerful that he also became relieved from the hellish condition of life.

The conclusion is that in order to counteract all our sinful activities on account of fruitive activities, karma-nibandha, mumuksatam tirtha-padanukirtanat.

Actually, those who want to get a relief from the entanglement of fruitive activities, for them there is no other better way than the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended that,

So long you are in this material world, it is very difficult to avoid karma-nibandha. Willingly or unwillingly, we shall be entangled in karma-nibandha, or the resultant action of our activities, and therefore sometimes we may commit actions which are abominable and become subjected to the resultant action.

So here it is recommended that nataḥ param karma-nibandha-krntanam mumuksatam. So mumuksatam, those who are desirous of getting salvation, or liberation, for them this is the best way. What is that best way? Tirtha-padanukirtanat. Tirtha-pada. Just like here is tirtha, Prayaga.

Tirtha-pada means the lotus feet of Krsna, where thousands of tirthas are there. Mahat-padam, tirtha-padam: these are the terms which are used in connection with the lotus feet of Krsna. Another tirtha-pada means the lotus feet where great saintly persons take shelter. So tirtha-pada, uttamasloka-all these terms are applicable to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So the conclusion is, the best way of getting out of the clutches of material existence is to tirtha-padanukirtanat. Anu. Anu means always; kirtanam, chanting. That is the best way. Our Krsna consciousness movement recommends this process, that you chant Hare Krsna always. Then everything will be gradually adjusted. Na yat punaḥ karmasu sajjate mano. The advantage of chanting is… This is the advantage: that the mind is not attracted by material activities.

This is very nice statement. But if you remain engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord, tirtha-padanukirtanat, always, twenty-four hours, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends, kirtaniyaḥ sada hariḥ -sada.

Sada means always-samane svapane: the practice will be so perfect that when you are sleeping, when you are dreaming, you should not forget this chanting. That is process. If you practice, it is possible that when you are sleeping you will chant, because mind is not inactive even when you are sleeping. So if you become practiced up to the mind and intelligence platform of your life, then even when you are sleeping, even when you are dreaming, you will be chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare.

And if this perfection is attained, then in the coma stage of life also, even if you cannot speak at the time of death, internally you will be able to chant Hare Krsna mantra, and that will guarantee your transferring from this material world to the spiritual world. That is the process.

And why we are active?

If you keep yourself always on the stage of the modes of goodness, then there is no chance of your being attacked by the other two modes, namely rajas tamas. There are three qualities, modes of material nature, you know it. Out of these three, if you simply stick to the..., the modes of goodness nature, then there is no possibility of falling down to the other two modes. And material activities means to be attracted by these two qualities.

As it is stated in other places,

When you are attracted by the other two qualities, namely rajaḥ, the modes of passion, and tamaḥ, the modes of ignorance-tada rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ-the resultant actions of passion and ignorance is lust and greediness.

If you are not attracted by these qualities… To be very greedy, to be lusty; therefore we have to control our propensities for eating more. This is rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ: you can eat, but if you eat more than what you require, that is greediness. That is the result of rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ. So you should be very careful. We should eat whatever...

Atyaharaḥ. This is the instruction of Rūpa Gosvami. Aharaḥ means eating; ati means great or in greater quantity. That is against bhakti.

Laulyam. Laulyam-greediness.

So our… We should understand how we are making progress by chanting. You can, anyone, can examine himself, "Whether I am being attracted by these two qualities, namely rajas-tamas, the passion of…, the modes of passion and modes of ignorance." Tada rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ. So because the resultant action of chanting Hare Krsna mantra without offense is that mind will not be attracted by these two material qualities, that is the test.

In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, pratyaksavagamam dharmyam [Bg 9.2]. In other methods of self-realization, namely karma, jnana, yoga, you are not able to test whether you are actually making progress. But bhakti-yoga is so perfect that you can practically examine yourself whether you are making progress or not.

Exactly the same example, as I have repeated several times, that if you are hungry, and when you are given eatables, you can understand yourself how far your hunger is subsided and how far you are feeling strength and nourishment. You haven't got to ask anybody else. Similarly, you are chanting Hare Krsna mantra, and the test is whether you are actually making progress is if you know whether you are being attracted by these two lower qualities of material nature, namely the modes of passion and modes of ignorance. And what, what is the result of this attraction? Kama-lobha.

Kama means lust, and lobha means greediness. So if you can protect yourself from these two qualities by the strength of chanting Hare Krsna mantra, then,

Then your consciousness will be existing without being contaminated by these three qualities: ceta etair anaviddham. So there are three qualities. If you are not attracted by these lower-grade qualities, then naturally you are situated in the higher-grade qualities, the sattva-guna. As soon as it… The test of sattva-guna is also there. Test of sattva-guna means you will be always in jolly mood. That is the test of sattva-guna. You will never be morose; you will be always jolly. Evam prasanna-manaso.

Prasanna-manaso means your mind is always jolly. That is the test of sattva-guna. Whether you are in sattva-guna or in rajo-guna, you can test yourself. If you are situated in rajo-guna and tamo-guna, then you will be attracted by lust and greediness. And if you are situated in sattva-guna, then you, your mind will be always jolly. That is nearer to the brahma-bhūta stage.

And this is very easily accessible by the method of practicing this bhakti-yoga system. Therefore we shall, we shall be very much, I mean to say, determined to prosecute this system of bhakti-yoga system. The beginning of bhakti-yoga system every day is the mahgala-aratrika. Mahgala means auspicious. If you perform this mahgala-aratrika nicely, then your routine work of the day begins very nicely.

So you should be very much careful about it. Not that it has become a hackneyed engagement. If you feel like that, then gradually it will be lost. If you feel like that. But if you feel that "Here is a routine work, duty, so that I keep fit myself in the devotional service..." Therefore these things are introduced. If you cannot take responsibility of these different items of devotional service, that means you are lacking. These are the tests. Pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. Pratyaksa means directly. There is no question of purity. Purity or not, it is practical.

But it is not very difficult. Su-sukham, very pleasant. Now, to perform the mahgala-aratrika with musical instruments, chanting, dancing before the Deities, nicely dressed-is it not very nice? But one who is in contamination of the other two qualities, passion and ignorance, for them, these things are not attractive.

So these are all practical. We should be very much careful to prosecute. Unless we prosecute the routine work of devotional service… It is called vaidhi-bhakti. Vaidhi… From viddhi, the word comes viddhi-regulative, regular principles. Vaidhi-bhakti. We should not jump over at once raga-bhakti. There are two stages of bhakti: vaidhi-bhakti and raga-bhakti. Raga-bhakti means spontaneous. Spontaneous. There is no question of pushing one, that "You do this. You do this." No. Automatically he becomes so much attached to devotional service that he automatically does. That is raga-bhakti.

But you cannot have raga-bhakti immediately unless you perform the vaidhi-bhakti. Vaidhi-bhakti means to follow the rules and regulation as they are prescribed in the scripture. The scripture is our Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu; we have translated into English, Nectar of Devotion. The everything is there.

So if we take care of these regulative principles, the idea is that everyone should be very serious. It is a very serious engagement, forging[?] the whole problem of material existence. So we should not be lacking. Although,

Whatever you have done, it will be never lost. My Guru Maharaja use to say-he was stressing on this point-that "Do not wait for another birth. Finish this business in this birth." That was his recommendation. Although, whatever you are doing, it will never be lost. Suppose you have to do one hundred points. If you have finished fifty points, sixty points, that will never be lost.

That's a fact. But why should you wait for another thirty or forty points, another life? That is botheration. One…, everyone should be very serious that in this life we shall finish this hundred points or do some service and return back to Krsna, back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much. [devotees offer obeisances]

Prabhupada: [Hindi]

Guest: [indistinct] …the bhakti-yoga.

Prabhupada: Bhakti-yoga is never finished. It is eternal.

Devotee: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: It is not material thing, that it begins and finishes. Is it clear? It never finishes.

Devotee: If you say that it…

Prabhupada: It increases.

Devotee: …attains to the platform of spontaneous.

Prabhupada: Yes, when it comes to the spontaneous stage, that is perfection, that you..., nobody has to push you or learn you, "Oh, mahgalacarana. Please come. Please come." When you automatically do it, that is spontaneous. And so long you have to be pushed, you have to be pushed very vigorously.

Just like a child: A child walks. So long the child does not walk freely, the mother, father takes the hand, "Please walk like this, walk like this." But when the child walks spontaneously, there is no need of assistance by the parents.

Similarly, so long you are in the viddhi-marga, the spiritual master has to ask you, "Do this. Do that. Do that." But when you come to the spontaneous platform, there is no need of pushing. You do automatically, naturally, because the sense is there. The same example: the walking capacity of the child is there, so in the beginning it has to be held little long, that's all.

Education-anything you take-when a child is given education, he is forcibly sent to the school. But when he takes it seriously, that child comes out very successful in examination and passes the M.A. examination, another Ph.D. [indistinct]. The parents or teacher hasn't got to push you. That is spontaneous stage.

So you have to come to the spontaneous stage. Until you come to that, you have to follow strictly the viddhi-visaya, the regulative principle. Otherwise, devotional service has no end. It is eternal. The only stage is viddhi and raga. Raga means spontaneous attraction.

Devotee (2): Is that stage covered? Is that stage characterized by the mode of goodness?

Prabhupada: It is above goodness. That is called suddha-sattva. Goodness means sat, sattva-guna. And the transcendental stage is suddha-sattva. Sattvam visuddham, existence completely pure. In the material stage, although you are in the platform of goodness, sometimes you may be attracted with other two qualities; therefore it is not completely pure.

Just like Ajamila. Ajamila was a brahmana by following the regulative principles, but he fell down, attracted by the other two qualities, raja and tama. So in this material world, although we are on the platform of goodness, there is chance of falling down. And when you are in the transcendental stage, which is called suddha-sattva, that is the stage of devotional service. Then you do not fall down. Your situation is very secure. [break]

Devotee: [aside to tape] The last lecture was recorded at Magha-mela, the morning of the 29th, 1970, January..., 1971 January. [end]