Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.1-8
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
New Vrindaban, May 23, 1969

Prabhupada:

…caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

So sage Narada is trying to enliven Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva was learned. Not ordinarily learned. He is the incarnation of God, Narayana. He appeared for spreading Vedic knowledge. Therefore Naradaji, it is stated here, smayann iva. Smayann iva means, smayan means smiling, that “Such a great personality also becomes morose.” After giving so many contribution, literary contribution, still he was not happy. So it is wonderful… So therefore he was smiling. Smayann iva. Devarsih praha viprarsim vina-panih smayann iva. He said,

jijnasitam adhitam ca brahma yat tat sanatanam tathapi socasy atmanam akrtartha iva prabho

Jijnasitam. This is very important thing, jijnasitam. This is the beginning of life actually. Athato brahma jijnasa. Inquisitiveness. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21]. One should search after a guru, jijnasu, one who is inquisitive. That is actually life. Just like animals, they are not inquisitive. They are simply concerned with the four principles of bodily necessities. Eating… Udaram, daksyam kutumba-bharanam. In this age, Kali-yuga, if one can eat sumptuously, he thinks that “All my interest is now fulfilled. I have eaten very nicely today.” That’s all. (chuckles) And daksyam kutumba-bharanam. And if he can maintain a wife and three children, oh, he is Daksa Maharaja. Daksa Maharaja. This is the age of Kali. You see? If one can simply eat and if he’s well-to-do, he can maintain…

And when I was in New York, one old lady, she used to come to my class. Not in Second Avenue. When I first started in 72nd Street. So she had a son. So I asked, “Why don’t you get your son married?” “Oh, if he can maintain a wife, I have no objection.” Just to maintain a wife is a great job in this age. Daksyam kutumba-bharanam. And still we are very much proud that we are advancing. Even a bird maintains a wife, even a beast maintains wife. And human being hesitates to maintain a wife? You see? And they are advanced in civilization? Hm? It is a very horrible age.

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said that don’t waste your time in any way. Simply chant Hare Krsna. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva… [Adi 17.21]. So people are not at all interested in spiritual life. No inquiry. No inquiry. But that is the life, that is human life. Jijnasitam. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21]. One must find out a person, guru, a spiritual master, and inquire from him the problems of life. Just like Sanatana Gosvami. You’ll find in the teachings of Lord Caitanya, he inquired. He was a great minister, and he thought himself that “I am a most third-class man because I do not know what is the aim of my life.” Ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya: “Why I am put into this miserable condition of material existence? I don’t want all these miserable conditions. Still, they are enforced upon me.” So there should be inquiry. But the animal has no inquiry. Just like the goat is standing whole night. Just see. It has no power to inquire, “Oh, why you have put me into this condition?” That is animal life. “All right, suffering is there. All right, disease is there. That’s all right. Death is there, all right. Old age is there, all right.” This is animal life.

Therefore Narada says, jijnasitam adhitam ca. “You are not a fool. You have inquired sufficiently, and you have studied.” Adhitam ca. So it is not that without studying, without inquiry one becomes elevated. No. Jijnasitam adhitam ca brahma. What about, inquiry? Brahman. Athato brahma jijnasa. Ordinary jijnasa, “What is the news today?” this is not jijnasa. Jijnasa means brahma-jijnasa. Jijnasitam adhitam ca brahma yat tat sanatanam. Sanatanam means eternal. We should inquire about our eternal life, eternal blissful life. That is our prerogative. So “You have done all these things.” He had a spiritual master like Narada, and he was himself Vyasadeva. So everything was first class. But still, tathapi, still, socasi, “You are lamenting. You are morose. You are morose, you are unhappy just like you have akrtartha, you have done nothing.” So we have to become krtartha. Krtartha means one who has finished his job, krtartha. The Sanskrit words are very appropriate. People still have to learn so many things from this Vedic literature.

Then Vyasadeva replies, asty eva me sarvam idam tvayoktam. “My dear sir, my dear spiritual master, whatever you are saying, it is all right. I have studied sufficiently. I have inquired sufficiently. I know about Brahman, everything. I have written Vedanta-sutra; still…” Asty eva. Asty eva me sarvam idam tvayoktam. “Whatever you are saying, everything is there in me.” Tathapi natma paritusyate me. “Still I don’t find satisfaction.” Tan-mulam avyaktam. “And what is the cause? That is also I do not know.” Tan-mulam avyaktam agadha-bodham prcchamahe tvatma-bhavatma-bhutam. Bhavatma. Atma-bhutam bhava. “You are the son of Brahma.” Brahma is called atma-bhutam. Brahma is not born of ordinary father and mother. Brahma is born of the Supreme Lord, Supreme atma, Narayana, Garbhodakasayi Visnu. Therefore he is called Svayambhu. Brahma’s another name is Svayambhu. Sa vai bhavan veda samasta-guhyam upasito yat purusah puranah. Now here Narada’s qualification is that “Because you are a great devotee of the original personality of Godhead, purusah puranah.” Sasvatam purusam adyam. Just like Arjuna accepted Krsna, sasvatam purusam adyam. Just like we are singing now, govindam adi-purusam. So purana-purusam. Purana-purusam, the oldest purusa, oldest being. The oldest being is Krsna. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam [Bs. 5.33] These references are all the same, either you take Vedanta-sutra or you, say, take Brahma-sutra or you take Brahma-samhita or Bhagavatam. There is no contradiction, because the same truth is explained in different Vedic literature.

So (Sanskrit commentary:) kim ca yat sanatanam nityam param brahma ca tac ca tvaya jijnasitam vicaritam adhitam adhigatam praptam cety arthah. Atma-bhavah, avyaktam asphutam, he narada. Tva tvam prcchami. Atma-bhavah avyaktam brahma tasya atmano dehodbhutams tam.(?) “So because you are directly from Brahma, therefore I am asking you, what is this?” Sa vai bhavan veda samasta-guhyam upasito yat purusah puranah. Purusah puranah. Purusa, the purusa… God is purusa. God is never female. This is another rascaldom. There are many rascals who think that God is female. “Kali, Goddess Kali is God.” Goddess Kali, how can be God? She is sakti. Sakti. Every Vedic scripture it is said that parasya brahmanah saktih. Everything is energy. So how God can be… That is the impersonalist. He can think of God, imagine, imagine. It is imagination. The Mayavadi theory is that God…, there is no God. The impersonal, there is voidness. You can imagine any form. That’s all. Sadhakanam hitarthaya brahmano rupah kalpanah.(?) Kalpanah means imagination.

So except the satvatas, nobody knows what is God. Satvata means Vaisnava. Nobody knows what is God. They sometimes accept “This is God, this is God, this is God, this is God.” No. God is the original Supreme Person, male, enjoyer. Male is called enjoyer, predominator. Purusah puranah. Paravareso manasaiva visvam srjaty avaty atti gunair asangah. And para. Paravarah. Para means transcendental, and avara, avara means this material, inferior. Avara means inferior. And para means superior. That is explained in Bhagavad-gita. Itas tu me… Bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham buddhir mano eva ca, itas tu me… Apara. Apareyam. This material nature, consisting of earth, water, air, ether, mind, intelligence, ego: eight. This is avara. Avara means inferior. And there is another nature. Paras tasmat tu bhavo ’nyah [Bg. 8.20]. In the Bhagavad-gita you’ll find, there is another nature. That is para. Para. Tasmat. Tasmat means out of this avara, inferior nature, there is another, superior nature, para. The same thing is here also. Paravaresah. But Krsna is isa, the controller of both the energies, the spiritual energy and material energy. Paravaresah.

Paravareso manasaiva visvam srjaty avati. Manasaiva, “simply by thinking.” Just like in the Bible it is said, “Let there be creation.” Immediately there is creation. Manasaiva. We can compare just a very rich man, many assistants, many managers. Just like, take, in your country, Rockefeller or somebody like that. He thinks something to do, business. Simply he orders his secretary, “This should be done,” it is done. Without his personal effort, immediately done. Because why? Because he has got superior energy or power. In the material world… Material world means this monetary strength he has got. So simply by his desire, the secretary arranges everything and everything is nicely done. But he is sitting in his room. If it is possible for a person who is little materially rich, just imagine how much it is possible by God, the Supreme. Simply by willing, everything will be done. He hasn’t got to do anything. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Veda also.

So He has nothing to do. So who is that God? That Krsna. He has nothing to do. He is simply enjoying, playing His flute, and Radharani is serving. Oh, He is not taking a sword and fighting. Why He should fight? He hasn’t got to fight. Then one can say, “Then why He was in the battlefield?” Yes, battlefield He was. He was not to fight there. He was to see the fun, how the fight is going on. He was to give instruction. He was to give, deliver this Bhagavad-gita. He was not fighting. That is God. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. He’s instructing Arjuna, His friend, that “You fight.” By His simple will everything would have been done, fighting would have been finished. He says that nimitta-matram bhava savyasacin. “I have already planned it. If you don’t fight, don’t think that these persons who have assembled here, they will go back home. They are already finished. That plan is already made. Simply you take the credit, that you are Krsna’s friend, you have won the battle. That’s all. I am giving you this chance of taking the credit.” This is God. God hasn’t got (chuckling) to labor and meditate and push nose, and he becomes God. No. God is God. Simply by His will, God. Everything is God. So this bluffing, that by meditation one can become, by silent, becoming silent, one become God, this condition… God is not under any condition. Why God should be under condition?

So therefore it is said, manasaiva visvam srjati. That is God. Simply by willing, “Let there be creation.” Simply that word is sufficient. Immediately perfect. Purnam idam. Purnam idam [Isopanisad, Invocation]. Everything full. Just like see, every planet is complete. Complete. Whatever is needed, there is complete arrangement. Take, for example, in our planet. We require water. The sufficient water is stocked, and the water is evaporated by the sun, and it is stocked again on the hill, reservoir, and from there supply, whole year is being supplied by river, and again it is going to the reservoir. How complete it is. Everything you will find complete. Purnam idam,

purnam adah purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate [Isopanisad, Invocation]

So simply manasaiva visvam srjaty avaty atti. This creation, bhutva bhutva praliyate, the whole creation by the will of the puranah purusah, the Supreme Lord, is coming into existence, manifested, again becoming nonmanifest. Gunair asangah. How it is becoming manifested and nonmanifested? By the interaction of the three material modes of nature. But He is apart from that. Gunair asangah.

tvam paryatann arka iva tri-lokim antas-caro vayur ivatma-saksi paravare brahmani dharmato vrataih snatasya me nyunam alam vicaksva

“So you are a devotee of such Personality of Godhead. You are recognized devotee. Therefore I request you to find out what is the defect in me that after inquiring, after doing so many books and literatures, I am not happy. So you…” The same thing, as Arjuna surrendered to Krsna, that “The disturbance which I am feeling in this battlefield, that can be solved by You only. Therefore I am surrendering unto You as my spiritual master. No more friendly talks. And You just teach me.” So this is the, I mean to say, eternal process. Even Vyasadeva is surrendering to Narada. Such a great scholar. Even Arjuna is surrendering to Krsna. So why? Either you have to surrender to Krsna or Krsna’s representative. Then there is solution. Otherwise there is no solution.

tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam [SB 11.3.21]

One who has taken shelter of the Supreme Lord, upasama, finishing all, I mean to say, material desires… Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19] “Vasudeva is everything.” Sa mahatma. So we have to search out a mahatma, a person who is simply a surrendered soul to Krsna, Vasudeva, and we have to surrender unto him. This is called disciplic succession. Then our problems will be solved. Otherwise, even a personality like Vyasadeva, he has problems. Even a personality like Arjuna, he has problems. So antas-caro vayur ivatma-saksi paravare brahmani dharmato vrataih. Vrataih. Drdha-vrata. Yesam anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam. Any person who has simply acted piety, jananam punya-karmanam te, such person, bhajante mam drdha-vratah.

So to become Krsna conscious, or to become a devotee, is not ordinary thing. One has to finish the business of all sinful reaction. Yesam anta-gatam papam. So long there will be papam, he’ll be hesitating to surrender unto Krsna. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us this Hare Krsna mantra, that all papas will be finished. Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. If one chants Hare Krsna mantra offenselessly, just according to regulation, then he is anta-gatam papam. Anta-gatam. Yesam anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam. (pause)

So Krsna says, yesam anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam. One who has finished all sinful reaction. This can be done. But we have our ten kinds of offenses. Namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih. This Hare Krsna mantra will finish all my sinful reaction, that is a fact. As soon as I chant Hare Krsna, immediately my sinful reaction is finished. But that does not mean that “Because I chant Hare Krsna, then let me, from morning to evening, let me do all kinds of sinful reaction and sinful activities, and I shall chant Hare Krsna, everything will be finished.” Just like in Christian religion there is a faith that confession, weekly confession. That is nice. When you confess your sinful activities before the higher authorities, before the representative of God, Lord Jesus Christ, or God, or Krsna, your sinful activities are finished. That’s all right. But that does not mean that you shall go again, and again commit sinful activities, and again come at the end of the week and finish your business. No. This is not meant. One should be conscious.

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He accepted Jagai-Madhai… They were very sinful. But He simply asked the condition that “From this day no more sinful activities. You accept this, then I accept you.” They promised, “Yes. Whatever we have done, no more.” That should be the… Confess, God can excuse, and that is not difficult job. God can excuse any amount of sinful activity, but after confessing, after being free, if I again commit sinful activities, oh, that is the greatest sin. That is the greatest sin. One should be ashamed of, that “I… God has excused me. Again I shall? So I am so shameless.” But this business is going on. No. That should not be. Namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih.

So we should not think that because we are chanting we can act all kinds of sinful activities. No. The chanting of Hare Krsna will give you protection, but you should not take advantage of. But if by accident or by unintentionally if you commit some, by habit, that is also excused. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak, sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30]. That is accidental. Not that willful sinful activities should be done and it should be neutralized by chanting Hare Krsna mantra. No. Then you are spoiling your time. That should not be done. So yesam anta-gatam papam. So without being freed from sinful activities nobody can take to Krsna consciousness. The method is easy. You can get out of sinful activities. But don’t commit again. If you think that “I shall ignite fire and pour water again,” then what is the use of? Simply waste of time. So that should not be done.

So, paravare brahmani dharmato vrataih. So one should execute Krsna consciousness, dharmatah, in right path, and vrataih. Bhajante mam drdha-vratah. Just like today, ekadasi-vrata. Vrataih. This ekadasi-vrata is required. Just see. Here it is that “You have performed all the vratas.” The purpose of ekadasi-vrata is that today we should not eat much usual food, grains. The actual prescription is fasting. Nirjala-ekadasi. Nirjala means there are many devotees who does not take even water. Water, drinking water, according to sastra, it is taking food… It is drinking of food or no food. We can take both ways. So sometimes drinking of water is excused as upavasa also. But there are many devotees who even…, drink even a drop of water. Whole day and night they fast and observe ekadasi-vrata. And the night is called harivasara. Harivasara means the whole night they would chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama… This is called vrata. Drdha-vrata. Drdha-vrata.

Drdha means very firm, steady. Krsna is so kind that He has given us so many concession. But we should be… Because there are some concession, better we should not take advantage of the concession, but we should be very steady and strong in our conviction and perform devotional service strictly. That is nice. Vrataih. Dharmato vrataih. Paravare brahmani dharmato vrataih snatasya. Snatasya means taking bath. Just like if you… Of course, in your country there is no such thing. But in India they take bath in the Ganges. Completely dip. Just like you sometimes take bath in the ocean. So snatasya. Snatasya. Snatasya means completely taking bath in dharmato vrataih. Fresh, refreshed.

So, me nyunam alam vicaksva: “So you can find out what is the defect in me. Why I am morose?” Then Narada is replying now.

bhavatanudita-prayam yaso bhagavato ’malam yenaivasau na tusyeta manye tad darsanam khilam

He immediately replies that bhavata anudita-prayam yaso bhagavatah amalam. “You have compiled, or you have,” I mean to say, “given so many literatures, but in each and every literature… Just like there are Puranas, eighteen Puranas, and Mahabharata, and Vedas, and Brahma-sutra. You have given so many literatures. But,” bhavatanudita-prayam yaso bhagavato ’malam, “there is no incessant glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Just like Mahabharata. That’s a great epic. But there are politics. So many politics, sociology, fight, this, that, but in the middle there is a little glories of God, Bhagavad-gita. So the book is not full of the glories of the… Krsna is there, but that is a partial representation. Now Narada Muni says that “Not as sidelight. Completely you have to write one book simply glorifying the Supreme Lord. Then you’ll be satisfied.” Not sidelight. Completely. Bhavatanudita-prayam. Here it is said, paravaresa… Anudita-prayam, anukta-prayam. A sidelight. People take… Just like, “All right, yes, we accept God. But we cannot devote our whole time for God. We shall go weekly once or fortnightly once, or one hour in a day, partial. Our business is another. We want to enjoy sense gratification, and we shall go to church or temple just to ask God to supply our ingredients of sense gratification: ‘Oh God, give me this. Give me this. I am poor man. I am this. I am this. I am suffering. I have got some disease.’ ” But still Bhagavad-gita says that they are sukrtina. Because they go to temple or church asking God something, because they are accepting that “There is God who can satisfy our needs,” therefore they are sukrtina. But those who are duskrtina, miscreants, they don’t believe in God. Then where is the chance of asking God, “Please give me this, give me that”? Because they don’t believe in God. Therefore they are duskrtina, atheist. In comparison to such person, those who go to the temple or church, ask something from God, they are better. Because they are accepting. They have at least come to God. Now, gradually, they will be purified, and at a time they will say, svamin krtartho ’smi varam na yace, “No. No more. I have no demand.” What demand? If one gets Krsna, then what is the question of demand? He gets everything. Everything. There is no question of demand. So that stage is perfect. So, (reads commentary) Anudita-prayam anukta-prayam vimalam bhagavad-yaso vina yenaiva dharmadi jnanenasau bhagavan na tusyati(?) Sridhara Svami gives note that if you become a rigid religious person, that does not mean (chuckling) God will be satisfied with you. That is preliminary stage. Dharmartha-kama-moksa. If one religious man… But that is not the qualification. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when He was talking with Ramananda Raya, He, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, inquired what is the aim of life and what is the procedure of achieving that aim. He prescribed this varnasrama-dharma. Because that is the beginning of actual human life, accepting four varnas and four asramas. Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately rejected, eho bahya age kaha ara. These are not very important things. Just see. The whole Vedic civilization is resting on the varnasrama-dharma.

varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman visnur aradhyate pantha nanyat tat-tosa-karanam

That is the statement, that one who is rigidly performing the rules and regulation of these four varnas and asramas… Varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman visnur aradhyate. Simply by following the rules and regulation, varnasrama system, one can worship Visnu. Visnur aradhya… Nanyat tat-tosa-karanam. There is no alternative to satisfy Him. That… This is an authorized statement. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, eho bahya age kaha ara, “This is external. This is not very important thing. If you know something more, that you can say.” Eho bahya age kaha ara. Age kaha ara.

So to become a religious person, to become economically very well- to-do, or to become a salvationist, desiring to merge into the existence, to become one with God, these things are not, I mean to say, very satisfactory to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhaktas tu tosa-bhagavan gaja-yuta paya.(?) If you want to satisfy the Supreme Lord, then you have to accept this path of devotional service. There is no second path. There is no second path. In the Bhagavad-gita also it is said that bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. If one wants to know the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in truth, not fictitiously, then bhaktya. Bhaktya mam abhijanati. Bhaktya mam abhijanati means through devotional service. So here also it is said that bhavatanudita-prayam yaso bhagavato ’malam, “You have not stated very nicely, in devotion, in love, about the transcendental glories of the Lord.” Yenaivasau na tusyeta manye tad… And if Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is not satisfied… Yena eva asau na tusyeta. Asau bhagavan na tusyeta, is not pleased, manye tad darsanam khilam. That is insignificant. That means he hinted that “You are very much proud that you have written Vedanta-sutra. You don’t think by writing your Vedanta-sutra God is pleased. Don’t think so. It is clearly said manye tad-darsanam. “You have done wonderful work in writing Vedanta-sutra, but I think,” tad darsanam khilam, “it is insignificant. It is no…” Because by philosophical speculation, by argument, this or that, it is all…

God is not satisfied because you are very erudite scholar. God is satisfied by the love of gopis. They are not philosophers, they are not even brahmanas, they are not even man. Ordinary village girls, but their devotion for Krsna, oh, there is no comparison. There is no comparison. Therefore Lord Caitanya says, ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-varge… And Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s life was to love Krsna: gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau. This is the Gosvamis. Simply they were trying to come to that stage on which gopis loved Krsna. Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhuh.

So that is the highest stage, how to love Krsna without any motive, without any material profit, without any personal consideration. That, if we can reach that, then yayatma suprasidati, then we’ll be satisfied. Otherwise there is no satisfaction. It is simply useless, waste of time. That’s all.

Thank you very much. (end)