Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.14-16
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
San Francisco, March 24, 1967

Prabhupada:

tasmad ekena manasa bhagavan satvatam patih srotavyah kirtitavyas ca dhyeyah pujyas ca nityada

This verse we have been discussing in last meeting. In order to understand that Absolute Truth, it is the duty of everyone to hear, srotavyah kirtitavyas ca, and chant; and dhyeyah, means meditating or remembering, dhyeyah; and pujya, and worshiping; nityada, regularly. Whom? Bhagavan satvatam patih, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all righteous persons. He’s master of everyone, but the devotees, they especially recognize that Lord is the master of everyone. And the demons, they do not care for God, and God also do not care for them. Let them do their own work and ripe (reap) their own fruit. God does not take responsibility for the demons, but He takes responsibility for the devotees.

Therefore it is the duty of the devotee to hear. The hearing process is Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam. And kirtitavyas ca, and narrate also. Unless one narrates or unless one speaks, one cannot hear. So the two process are going on. Somebody is hearing and somebody is chanting. And then when hear and chant, there must be meditation. If we attentively hear, then there must be meditation. And pujya. Puja means worship. The simple process of worship in this age is this performance as we are doing—chanting, hearing, and offering some fruits, flowers, and showing this candle. This is simple, that’s all. There are… According to Vedic literature there are many parapher…, sixty-four items for worshiping. That is not possible in this age. So this is all right.

So this process will make you understand the Absolute Truth. You just follow this principle ekena manasa, with one attention, without diverting your attention to any other subject matter. If you follow this principle, ekena manasa, to hear, to chant, to think of and to worship… This simple process. This is the injunction of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

yad-anudhyasina yuktah karma-granthi-nibandhanam chindanti kovidas tasya ko na kuryat katha-ratim

What is the benefit of this process? The benefit of this process is karma-granthi-nibandhanam. Karma-granthi-nibandhanam chindanti. Chindanti means cut off. What is that, cut off? There is a knot of our activities. Without performing this ceremony, or without following these instructions, to hear, chant, think and worship, we cannot be out of the great knot of our material activities. So long we are engaged in material activities, we are just acting one after another just like filmspool. We have seen film—one picture after another, one picture, one picture one… There are hundreds and thousand and millions of pictures. Similarly, for my past activities I am now in this picture. So my present activity is making another picture forward. Just like in my past activities I created this body. Similarly, by my present activity also I am creating my next body. So this transmigration of soul is going on. But if you adopt this process of Krsna consciousness, then karma-granthi-nibandhanam chindanti. This knot, one after another, this will be cut off.

So if it is so nice… Bhagavata says yad-anudhyasina. Simply by following this procedure, yad-anudhyasina yuktah, being engaged, karma-granthi-nibandhanam, the spool of the result of our activities one after another, chindanti, is cut off. Kovidah, if an intelligent man is there, tasya ko na kuryat katha-ratim. Why an intelligent man should not engage himself in hearing about the topics of Krsna? Is there any difficulty? If by this simple process you can cut off the eternal… Not eternal. Without any tracing of history… When my, this spool of fruitive activities has begun, we do not know. The result is that I’m simply transmigrating from one body to another. If this is stopped now, now if I get in my next body my eternal life, eternal knowledge and eternal bliss, why I shall not accept this? Kovida. Any intelligent man, why he shall not accept this process?

Karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam [Bs. 5.54]. There is a very nice verse in the Brahma-samhita. It is said there that,

yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.54]

“I worship, I offer my respectful obeisances unto Govinda.” Why? Because He cuts off my entanglement in these material activities. He cuts off. (thumping sound) What is this sound?

Devotee: Maybe next door.

Prabhupada: Oh. So, and for others? Only the devotees entanglement of fruitive activities cut off, and what about the others? That is said, yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma.

Now there are living entities of different grades. There is one living entity, it is very small, microscopic bacteria. It’s name is indra. Don’t think that bacteria was unknown in the past. The bacteria’s also were known. In the Vedic literatures they were known. So there is one… They have got different names. Not that simply they say “bacteria.” So one bacteria is called indra-gopa. It is very small. It is to be seen by microscope. So Brahma-samhita says that beginning from this indra, the indra-gopa bacteria, up to the Indra… Another Indra is, he is called the heavenly king. His name is also Indra. This bacteria is called indra-gopa, and the other Indra, who is king of the heaven, he is called Indra. So Brahma-samhita says beginning from this Indra up to that Indra… Beginning from that bacteria up to the king of heaven, yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma, everyone is enjoying or suffering according to his own activities. Gopam aho sva-karma-bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti [Bs. 5.54]. Bandha, the same thing, nibandhanam. According to the knot of fruitive result, everyone is enjoying or suffering. Karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam. But one who is engaged in Krsna consciousness and devotional service, his karma-nibandhana is cut off. Karmani chindanti.

So this is the benefit of being Krsna conscious, that whatever we are acting in our past life, and according to that we have got this body… Either impious or pious, whatever you have done, that’s all right. Don’t think that because we are doing some pious activities we shall be out of the bondage of fruitive activity. No. That is also not possible. I have several times explained that if we do pious activity, then the result will be that we shall be able to get our birth in a very nice family, aristocratic family, rich family, pious family, big family. These are the results. Janma. Or janma aisvarya. Janma means high birth. A very rich man, born in a rich family or high family, that means automatically he becomes a rich man. Janmaisvarya-sruta, or somebody becomes very highly or great learned man, sruta. And sri; sri means beauty. Or one becomes very beautiful. So these things are obtained by righteous activities. And similarly by acting impious activities we become very ugly, we become fool, we are born in a very low family or animal family and we become very poor. These are the results of different activities.

Now why… One may say, “If I get next life in a very rich family and becomes very rich man and becomes very learned man, very beautiful man, why shall I not take this opportunity?” But intelligent man says that “Even if I get such opportunities, the material miseries are there.” It is not that because a child is born of a very rich family, he hasn’t got to go into the womb of his mother and suffer the consequence. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. The distress of birth, death, disease and old age equally there, either you become born in a very high family or either you born in a very low family, either you’re born in India or you are born in America. This suffering, the four kinds of sufferings are everywhere. Not only India and America, they are in this planet, but even if you go to the moon planet or if you go to the sun planet. Abrahma-bhuvanal lokah. Even the highest planet. The modern scientist says that if we want to go to the highest planet it will take forty thousands of years. No. Four hundred thousands of years. Something like that they say. By sputnik.

So anywhere you go… Lord Krsna says abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna [Bg. 8.16] That repetition of birth and death, that will continue. Therefore intelligent person, those who are intelligent, they will take it up: “Oh, why shall I continue this birth and death process? Why not have my eternal life?” If I am, by constitution, if I am eternal, if I am constitutionally blissful and if I am eternally full of knowledge, now I am covered by this material nature, why not take up this process so that this karma-bandhana, this continuous birth and death of transmigration of myself from one place to another, that should be stopped? The Bhagavata says therefore that yad-anudhyasina yuktah karma-granthi-nibandhanam. If one can surpass this chain of birth and death, why an intelligent man should not take up this process of Krsna consciousness?

What is that Krsna consciousness? Just we are demonstrating. We are hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, we are hearing Bhagavad-gita and chanting, hearing and chanting. Then we are thinking of. Unless you think of… Because whatever we hear and chant, naturally we have to think of. And pujyas ca, and offering a little flower and a little fruit and offer our respect to the Supreme Lord Krsna. He is here. So is there any difficulty? So Bhagavata says, “Who will not take up this process? Forget what you are. Take this process and you will be relieved of repeated birth and death.” Karma-granthi-nibandhanam. Chindanti kovidas tasya ko na kuryat katha-ratim. Who is such a fool who will not do this? Or which intelligent man will not do this? It is very nicely put. Which intelligent man will not do this? Rather, who is such a fool who will not do this.

So,

susrusoh sraddadhanasya vasudeva-katha-rucih syan mahat-sevaya viprah punya-tirtha-nisevanat

Now this mentality, to have some attraction to hear about Vasudeva… Vasudeva-katha means Krsna, to hear about Krsna. Krsna has many activities. In the world there are many scriptures— undoubtedly they accept God. But there is no information of God’s activities. That is the difference between Srimad-Bhagavatam and other scriptures. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna is speaking about Himself personally, and Srimad-Bhagavatam also speaking about Krsna spoken by Vyasadeva. Practically the subject matter is the same. In the Bhagavad-gita the Supreme Personality of Godhead speaking Himself, and in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the compiler, the author, Vyasadeva, he is speaking of Krsna. So krsna-katha. This is full of krsna-katha. These two important Vedic literature is full of krsna-katha. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu… We are worshiping Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is supposed to be… He is incarnation of Krsna. So He also advised everyone, yare dekha tare kaha krsna-katha. Tare kaha krsna-katha. He said that,

yare dekha tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]

He said that each and every one of you, whoever met Lord Caitanya, or whoever is in the chain of disciplic succession of Lord Caitanya, he’s advised by the Lord that “You become a spiritual master.” How? “Under My order. I give you order that you become a spiritual master.” And, then… “I am a fool.” “No. You are not fool. You have simply to say krsna-katha.”

These two krsna-katha—you have nothing to manufacture. You haven’t got to tax your brain by meditation, by speculation. Everything is there. You have simply to place, submit, “Here is krsna-katha. Here is Bhagavad-gita and here is Bhagavata. Just please hear.” That is your business. You need not become a very learned speculator. Just like there are so many books simply full of speculation. You haven’t got to do that. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving very simple formula. Yare dekha tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Krsna-upadesa means instruction of Krsna— instruction given by Krsna or instructions spoken about Lord Krsna. If you do this then you become a spiritual master.

So it is there. Simply we have to hear. Suppose if you are illiterate, you cannot read Bhagavad-gita. Or… Of course, many of you, you do not know Sanskrit language, so you cannot read, but there are English translation. But you can hear. Bhagavan, the Lord, has given you the chance of hearing. You have got God-gifted ear. If you can attentively hear, you’ll learn everything. Formerly, of course, people were very intelligent. Simply by hearing. They need not take any note or need not read any book, but simply by hearing. So srotavyah. Therefore in the Bhagavata it is recommended first thing that you have to hear. Simply by hear. And if you think, you become a spiritual master and you distribute this knowledge.

susrusoh sraddadhanasya vasudeva-katha-rucih syan mahat-sevaya viprah punya-tirtha-nisevanat

Now this mentality for hearing krsna-katha, how it is developed? That is also susrusoh. You must be very sincere, susrusoh. And you must be inquisitive to hear. Susrusoh. One who is very eager to hear, he can become, in future, the spiritual master. Susrusoh sraddadhanasya, with faith. Vasudeva-katha-rucih. Ruci means taste and vasudeva-katha means Krsna, the topics of Krsna.

I am speaking of you of my personal experience how this eagerness of hearing is a very important thing. When I first met my spiritual master in 1933… Not… I met him first in 1922. Then for several years I was out of Calcutta and I could not meet him. Again next meeting was in 1933. So at that time I was simply inquiring from other disciples of my spiritual master. At that time I was not spiritual master, I mean to say, disciple. “So when His Holiness will speak?” So this information was noted by my spiritual master, and he was pleased to accept me immediately, that “This boy is very nice. He’s very inquisitive to hear. He does not go away.”

So this is a very good qualification. One who becomes inquisitive to hear, so susrusoh. Susrusoh means one who is very inquisitive to hear; at the same time, to render service. These two qualifications. Susrusoh. Sraddadhanasya, with faith. Vasudeva-katha-rucih. For him the taste for hearing krsna-katha is very easy. And syan mahat-sevaya. And this is also can be possible if we are fortunate enough to come in contact of a great soul, mahat-seva. Mahat means great. And if we serve him, if we want to please him, mahat-sevaya viprah: “My dear brahmanas,” he was addressing, punya-tirtha-nisevanat. And punya-tirtha. There are many sacred places. They are called punya-tirtha. There are two kinds of sacred places. Just like if you go to a place… Just like in Vrndavana or Kankhara(?). In India there are… In the Christian also you have got your sacred place. The Muhammadans they have got their sacred place, Medina, Mecca. You have got your Jerusalem. Similarly, these, those who are followers of Vedic principles, they have got their several places, sacred places. One… Some of you who have visited India might have seen Hardwar, Kankhar(?), Lakshmanjhula, Prayaga, Vrndavana, and Ramesvaram. There are many places.

So by serving these sacred places… To serve these sacred places means to… There are many good souls, great souls. So if you can find out such great souls, they are making their performances there. So if you find out some good, I mean to say, transcendentalist, and if you hear from him, then your process of life may be changed. So punya-tirtha-nise… Or sometimes such persons, they travel all over the world also. So if you come in contact with such person and if you hear, then the vasudeva-katha-rucih is developed. Then your tendency for hearing about Krsna and Vasudeva will develop. This is the true thing, that you must be very much eager. And when you are eager, Krsna will send you. Krsna is within you. As soon as He understands that “Here is a person who actually wants transcendental elevation,” He makes you contact with such person. Such persons are all over. They are in the world. It is not rare. Of course, in this age it is very rare. But if we are sincere, if we are eager…

tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te [Bg. 10.10]

In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that Krsna, or the Supersoul is situated within your heart. He’s not very away long, long distant. He’s just within yourself, sitting within you. You are also sitting in the heart and the Supreme Lord also as Supersoul, He is sitting there. You are sitting there two, just like friends. That is stated in the Upanisad, that two friends, two birds, sitting on the same tree. So this body is the tree, and you are sitting. So as soon as we are sincere, we are eager to develop our spiritual consciousness, He gives us opportunity. Buddhi-yogam. That is buddhi-yoga. Intelligence He gives. What for? Yena mam upayanti te: by which one can attain perfection in understanding the Supreme Lord. This is given by Him. So we have to become serious and very eager. Unless you become eager… God wants to see you, that how much you are eager. So with the development of our eagerness and sincerity to have our knowledge in spiritual understanding, God will help us.

So susrusoh sraddadhanasya vasudeva-katha-rucih syan mahat-sevaya. Mahat-seva means if you, by chance, you get in contact of a great personality, great soul who knows Krsna science, you just try to please him. Therefore we, every day in the morning, we sing yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **. By pleasing such great soul, the spiritual master, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah, to please him means to please God. Because he is representative of God. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ’pi **. If we cannot please such representative, bona fide representative of Krsna, then there is no hope. There is no hope of our spiritual advancement. Therefore the first duty in the morning is that dhyayan stuvams tasya yasas tri-sandhyam. We have to remember about his glories and we have to offer our respectful obeisances unto him three times at least in a day, or tri-sandhyam. Tri-sandhyam means… In the morning, when the night is being passed, day is beginning, that is first sandhyam, junction. And then when the sun is on the meridian, that is also another junction, and when the day is passing and night is beginning, that is another junction.

So it is the duty of the student to offer respect to the bona fide spiritual master three times respect. So serve, mahat-seva, because that will, I mean to say, help me in making advance in spiritual knowledge. Syan mahat-sevaya viprah punya-tirtha-nisevanat. And also by visiting sacred places. So it is not always possible to visit sacred places. It may be very distant place. But when you get chance of a bona fide spiritual master, a great soul, if you try to please him, to satisfy him, that will make you eligible to have taste for krsna-katha, on the topics of Krsna.

Thank you very much. Any question?

Devotee: Swamiji?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee: Should one offer his respects to his spiritual master wherever he is at the first time,(?) or should he go to where the spiritual master is to offer his respects?

Prabhupada: What do you say? I do not follow. What is that?

Devotee: Should a disciple go to his spiritual master directly to offer the respects at least three times, or offer them where he is?

Prabhupada: Well, if it is possible to go to him directly, that should be taken chance. But if he’s not, it is not possible, then his picture or his idea should be offered respect. Yes. But if he’s directly available, one should avail of that. Any other question? All right. Let us have kirtana. You are following the same verse from the book? Yes. (end)