Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.14 Prabhupada: Just like vi is short e and the ga is long a, so it should be long. Vigiyamana priya-karma gayati, like that. Devotees: Vigiyamana priya-karma gayati. Prabhupada: Vi is short, vi. And when it comes to gi, vigiyamana priya-karma gayati. Devotees: Vigiyamana priya-karma gayati. Prabhupada: In the English also there is long e. Yes. Go on. Next. Pradyumna: “The goddess of fortune in her transcendental form is engaged in the loving service of the Lord’s lotus feet, and being moved by the black bees, followers of spring, she is not only engaged in variegated pleasure—service to the Lord, along with her constant companions, but also she is engaged in singing the glories of the Lord’s activities.” Prabhupada: So this is not impersonal, the actual description of the spiritual world, all personal varieties. There are the bees, there are goddess of fortune, and followed by her associate, and there is service and so many things, all opulences, sri. Srir yasya. Aisvaryasya sriyah yasasah. The definition of the Lord is given that He’s full of beauties. In the Brahma-samhita also, Laksmi. And not only one, all of them are laksmis. The associates of Laksmi, the maidservants of Laksmi, they are also laksmis. They are not ordinary women, just like Radharani is the chief gopi and all Her young girl friends, they are also gopis. They are of the same category. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhih. They are all expansion of Krsna, pleasure potency. So this is the information of the Vaikunthaloka or Goloka Vrndavana. So one should take advantage of this life. What we are gaining here by attachment? What we shall get here? The all rascaldom. There is nothing substantial. Therefore one should little risk, that “If there is some chance of entering such a immortal, eternal kingdom of God, why should I not take chance?” You should take chance at all risk in this life to enter into the nitya-lila, nitya-lila, eternal pastimes of the Lord. That is advised by Narada Muni to his disciple Vyasadeva: “What you are writing, all these nonsense books? You…” What is called? Jugupsitam. Jugupsitam. He instructed Vyasadeva that “Whatever literatures you have produced…” Means up to that time he produced Vedanta-sutra. He wrote up to Vedanta-sutra, which is considered to be the topmost philosophical thesis in the world, Vedanta-sutra, all over the world, the Vedanta philosophy. So he finished that Vedanta-sutra. Still, he was not happy. And his spiritual master Narada chastised him, “What nonsense books you have written?” First of all he was not happy, so Narada came, and he asked him that “Why you are not happy? You know everything, but why you are not happy?” So he submitted, “Yes, my master, I know everything, and I think I have done everything, writing all these books. But still, I am not happy. So why I am not happy, that you can tell because you are my master.” So, “Yes, I can tell you.” And then he said that “You have labored so much for writing all these nonsense books, but you have not said anything of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore you are unhappy. Therefore I advise you that now you write one book which is simply the transaction of the Supreme Personality, nothing else, nothing of this material world, sacrificing, this religious, and this unreligious, ‘this is good, this is bad,’ nothing of the sort. Simply write about the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Then you will be happy.” Then he wrote Srimad-Bhagavatam. And when he wrote, began writing Srimad-Bhagavatam, he writes in the beginning, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra: [SB 1.1.2] “All these cheating type of religious system, I kick it out, this ism, that ism. I kick out all them. It is this book, especially meant for paramo nirmatsaranam satam, those who are simply paramahamsas. It is meant for them. It is not for the ordinary men. I have kicked out all the so-called religious system, dharma artha kama.” People are very much Nowadays they are not even for dharma or artha. They are simply kama, sense gratification. Sense gratification because every one of us, we come here for sense gratification. The spirit soul is originally spiritual spark.“ Why he has come here?”—this question is sometimes raised. That is answered. We are reading. Atma-mayam rte rajan. It is a maya. We cannot enjoy. It is maya. We have created. “Can I not enjoy like Krsna? Can I not become God?” This is maya. This is maya. Therefore we are reading this verse, atma-mayam rte rajan parasya… What is that? Devotees: Parasyanubhavatmanah. Prabhupada: Parasyanubhavatmanah. The spiritual, spirit soul has no other business than to serve the Supreme Lord, but creating an illusion, he has come here, svapna-drastur ivanjasa, just like creating a mentality and sleeping: “Oh, I have become king.” That is not king. That is simply svapna, false. So this material world is simply a nightmare, that’s all, hallucination. Atma-mayam. It is nothing but a hallucination, but we have become so fool, we want to stick to it. We want to stick to it. In spite of so many instructions, so many literatures, still we want. The maya is so strong. Atma-mayam rte rajan parasyanubhavatmanah. Therefore one should take little risk in order to enter into the eternal life, blissful life. One should take a little risk. That is advised by Narada. And the same instruction, while he was giving, that First of all he said, “All this nonsense, that jugupsitam: They are abominable. Because you are writing books, dharma artha kama moksa, so later on You are authority, Vyasadeva. People will stick to this. And if even Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66], ‘You give up all this nonsense, you simply surrender,’ they will not hear because you are writing so many nonsense books.” He chastised him like that. Jugupsitam, this very word. Jugupsitam. “You are authority, so you have done such, so many nonsense books.” He wrote Mahabharata, he wrote Astadasa-Purana, he wrote, I mean to say, Upanisad, and after all, Vedanta-sutra, all these books which are so highly recognized all over the world. Still, that was condemned, “But you have written all these nonsense books.” Jugupsitam. “Because you are authority, they will stick to it.” “Oh, here is.” Because in Upanisad the negating, that negation, negation of the material form… Therefore it is described in an impersonal form. These nonsense are sticking to that impersonal form. Impersonal— there is no form. Really, Veda says, apani-pada javano grahita: “The Supreme Absolute Truth has no legs, has no hands, but He accepts whatever you offer.” Now, how He accepts? He has no hand; then how He accepts? But they have no brain. They have no brain. When it is said that “He has no hand,” it is said that “He has no hand like you.” When he says that “He has no leg,” it means that “He has no leg like you.” If he has no hand, then how Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham asnami bhakty-upahrtam: “If I accept them”? If He is far away within the Goloka Vrndavana, goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma [Bs. 5.37], but He has got such a hand—although He is living in Goloka Vrndavana, far, far away, He will immediately Whatever you offer, He will take. That kind of hand, not your three feet hand. If somebody offers me downstairs, “Prabhupada, take this flower,” but I am here. How can I take? But He can take. He can take. That is called apani-pada javano grahita pasyaty acaksuh. He can see. His eyes are not like this, that beyond this wall I cannot see anything. He can see everyone, what you are doing nonsense. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. As witness, He is seeing. He is within your heart. How you will hide it? Anumanta upadrasta. The Upanisad also it is stated that He… The two birds are sitting on the same tree, the jivatma and paramatma. The one bird is eating forbidden fruit, and the other bird is seeing. So He is seeing. But how He is seeing? The Veda, the Vedic literatures, apasyati. Therefore sees. Apasyati means see. But you said, acaksuh. He has no eyes. How He sees? That is His eyes. He has no eyes like you, a three feet distance, that’s all, finished, your eyesight. He can see. From many thousands and millions of miles away He can see. So it is the distinction. When it is stated, impersonalism, He is not a person like us. Krsna says, avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam: [Bg. 9.11] “Because I come here to be visible to the rascals, instead of taking advantage of this visibility, they are describing, nirakara. Mudha, rascals. I come here personally and still they say nirakara, impersonal. Mudha, rascals, fools, asses.” So anyone who does not know, rascals, fools, asses, they say God is nirakara. No. God is sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1] He has got His abode. He has got His maidservants, His wives. Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam [Bs. 5.29]. He has got His pastimes. Surabhir abhipalayantam. Here you have got a hobby to keep dogs, “gow, gow, gow!” And Krsna has no hobby? He has got hobby, to keep cows. Surabhir abhipalayantam [Bs. 5.29]. You have imitated that hobby, and instead of keeping cows, they are keeping, “how!, how!,” dogs. That is your capability, a nonsense which is untouchable. Dog is untouchable according to Vedic literature, and they are being kept. And cows? Killed. And cruelty to animals means not to be cruel to the cats Not cats. Yes, cats and dogs. And for the cows, “Oh, there is no question of cruelty. He has no soul. Kill him.” This is your civilization, Dog civilization. You see? You keep dogs, “gow! gow! gow!”, and if somebody comes to your home, to your country, you also make “gow! gow! gow! Why you have come?” Immigration department. “Please go out. Please go out.” This is civilization. The Vedic civilization is… Therefore India was open to everyone: “Come on. Come here.” Therefore they entered as friend, and they conquered. Because India was open. “Yes, you are guest. Come on. You learn here.” Lord Jesus Christ also went there to learn. So they kept open everything. Para-upakara. Still, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said… Whatever is done is done. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is speaking when it was already conquered by the Mohammedans, the Pathans, but still He said, “Those who have taken birth in India, they must do this para-upakara, do good to others.” He never said, “Don’t allow anyone.” The Mohammedans have come. He did not care whether Mohammedans comes or Christians come. He knew that “Indian culture is so strong, these rascals cannot do anything. They will come here and plunder for some years and then go away. That’s all. So let them do that. But your culture, Indian culture, is so great that you should distribute.” Bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara: [Cc. Adi 9.41] “Anyone who has taken birth in India, he should first of all make his life successful and distribute this knowledge all over the world.” That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. We are engaged in that mission. We don’t care for these dogs and cats. So therefore it is such a great thing that we should take little risk. That is That is not risk, but if one thinks that it is risk It is not risk. Narada Muni advises, tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah [Bhag. 1.5.17] This is… “You Write books on this principle, that they are sticking to their so-called religious principle, so if anyone giving up his own religious system or occupational duty…” Religion means this sva-dharma. Sva-dharma means that the whole human society is divided into four classes—brahmanas, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra—in different names maybe: intelligent class, administrative class, mercantile class, and laborer class. It may be in different names, but these four classes, division, is there all over the world in different names. So sva-dharma means, intelligent class means they are interested in philosophy, in religion, in uplifting the human society to the proper position. That is intelligent class. And administrator class means they are interested in giving protection to the people. Now it is under nationalism. And give them protection from the enemies, from thieves, from rogues. That is the duty of the ksatriya. Ksat. Ksatta means injury, and tra means one who protects or liberates. “One who protects a human being from being hurt by others”—that is called ksatriya. And brahmana means one who knows Brahman, the Absolute Truth. And vaisya means those who know visampati, the economic problem. And sudra means laborer. So each word has got meaning. So everyone has got his particular type of occupation, either as intelligent class of men, or as the administrator class of men, or as vaisyas, traders, or merchants, or as a laborer. Everyone has got. So Narada Muni advised, tyaktva sva-dharmam: “You give up all these occupational duties according to the modes of nature. Tyaktva. You take immediately shelter of Krsna.” Krsna, as Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66]. Sarva-dharman means all kinds of this dharma: brahmana’s dharma, or the ksatriya’s dharma, or the… Give up all this. Then? Mam ekam saranam. So Narada also says that same thing. That is the characteristic of devotee. What the Lord says, the devotee will say. He will not make any addition, alteration, and amalgamate and comment. No. He will say the same thing. Krsna says that “You surrender unto Me, giving up all your occupational duty.” Narada also says that “Suppose one gives up his occupational duty and surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer [Bhag. 1.5.17], “takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality.” All right. It is very good. “But I am afraid if I fall down.” Narada says “It is all right.” Bhajann apakvo. While you are discharging your devotional service even being immature you fall down, it doesn’t matter even if you fall down. Bhajann apakvo ’tha. Apakva means nonmature. Patet tato yadi. He falls down from the path of devotional service. Yatra kva va abhadram abhud amusya kim: “What is the loss there?” And those who are sticking to their occupational duty… Ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah, “If one, one sticks to his occupational duty, but he does not surrender to Krsna, does not take to devo…, what does he gain?” Here one who takes to Krsna consciousness and falls down, for him, he says, “What is inauspicity there?” That means there is auspicity still, although he has fallen. And one who is sticking to his original occupational duty but does not take to Krsna consciousness, what does he gain? This is the advice. What does he gain? “Oh, I am sticking to my own principles.” What is your nonsense principle? After your death, after this body all principle will be finished. That’s all. And you could not take the opportunity of taking to Krsna consciousness. So what is your gain? And this man who has taken to Krsna consciousness, rejecting all so-called occupational duties and religious principles, he gains. There is no inauspicity because he had fallen. Why? Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrastah sanjayate. At least it is guaranteed that you get next life a human form of life and in a very well-to-do condition, either in rich family or in the family of a very high class brahmana or Vaisnava. So therefore he is not losing anything. And the other man who is sticking to his own occupational duty and does not take to Krsna consciousness, he is losing everything because after this body nobody knows where he is going. Either going to be a cat or dog or tree or where, he does not know. So it is so nice thing. Here is the opportunity. We get the opportunity, Laksmi. How Krsna is served. Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam [Bs. 5.29] If by trying in one life, I am getting the chance of entering into Krsna’s kingdom to have eternal, blissful life, if I reject it, how much unfortunate I am. Even if you fall down. But there is a chance of becoming immediately being transferred. But even there is no chance, even there is not fully completed, even it is failure, still it is said “It is auspicious,” because the next life guaranteed a human form of life. And for the ordinary karmi, what is next life? There is no information. Yam yam vapi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram. He can become a tree, he can become cat, he can become a demigod. Not more than a demigod. That’s all. And what is the demigod? They get some opportunity in the higher planetary system and again fall down. Ksine punye punar martya-lokam visanti. After the bank balance, the punya, pious activity, resultant action of pious activities is finished, again come down. A-brahma-bhuvanal lokan punar avartino ’rjuna: “Even if you go to the Brahmaloka where Brahma lives, whose calculation of one day we cannot calculate; even if you go there, then they will come back.” Mad-dhama gatva punar janma na vidyate. “But if you come to Me, then there is no more coming down here.” This is the opportunity of Krsna consciousness. tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah [Bhag. 1.5.17] tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary-adhah tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa You should read all this. You don’t read. In the first volume of Bhagavata these things are explained. But I don’t think you read all these things. Do you read? So if you don’t read, then you will feel restless: “Oh, let me go from Japan to India, from India to Japan.” You are restless because you don’t read. I am laboring so hard for you, but you don’t take advantage. Don’t take advantage of eating and sleeping. Take advantage of these books. Then your life will be successful. My duty—I have given you so valuable things, day and night trying to convince you, each word to word. And if you don’t take advantage of this, then what can I do for you? All right. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Melbourne, April 13, 1972