Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.1-3
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, May 22, 1972

Prabhupada: Where is Pradyumna? Book? Begin.

Karandhara: Ramesvara?

Pradyumna: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. (leads chanting)

sri-suka uvaca evam etan nigaditam prstavan yad bhavan mama nrnam yan mriyamananam manusyesu manisinam

brahma-varcasa-kamas tu yajeta brahmanah patim indram indriya-kamas tu praja-kamah prajapatin

devim mayam tu sri-kamas tejas-kamo vibhavasum vasu-kamo vasun rudran virya-kamo ’tha viryavan

Prabhupada: So, anyone else? That’s all right. So in this way, if you chant ten times, you’ll get it by heart. It is not difficult. So we are giving this diacritic mark, English transliteration, only for this purpose—so that you can chant, you can vibrate these mantras. So practice. Here you hear, and in your leisure time, you practice. If you chant these mantras anywhere, you’ll be honored. Sanskrit language is so nice. And direction, everything is there: purport, word meaning, and translation. So we are taking so much trouble in writing books not for simply making market. It is for you to read. Not that simply we go and sell books, and that … If the customer says, “You read it first of all,” then what you will say? You’ll say, “No, I cannot read. I can sell only.” (laughter) (Prabhupada laughs.) Then what will be your position, if you say like that? “I can sell; I cannot read.” Anyway, then? Word meanings? (Pradyumna reads synonyms.) So these are kama, these material desires.

Somebody is wanting wealth, somebody is wanting beauty, somebody is wanting strength, somebody something else. All these are…the beginning from brahma-varcasa-kamas tu. And ultimately, they want to merge into the brahmajyoti. So up to that point, everything that we want—that is material—and that is lust. Therefore it is said kama. The…just the opposite word of kama is prema, love.

So in the material world there cannot be prema. Prema means love. The prema is only possible in the spiritual world. Here, what is going on as love, that is not love, that is lust. A boy loves a girl, a girl loves a boy. That is not love, that is lust. As soon as there is some disturbance in lusty affair, they divorce. So therefore that is not love. So we should note it, that so-called love is bogus in this material world. Love cannot be possible. This very word love, prema, is specially reserved for Krsna. Prema pum-artho mahan. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s preaching, that the highest perfection of life is to evoke one’s dormant love for Krsna.

The love is there. It is reserved for Krsna, but due to our foolishness, we are distributing that love in so many ways, up to the dog. This is called illusion. We do not know where to apply love. If you see, all these words is touched with the word kama, kama. Kama means lust. There is no question of love. And love … Prema and kama is described in Caitanya-caritamrta. What is prema and what is… prema and kama. Atmendriya-priti-vancha tara bali kama. Kama. What is lust? Atmendriya-priti, to satisfy one’s own senses. That is kama. Here, a boy and girl love. They say “love,” but no, it is not love. The boy wants to satisfy his senses, and the girl wants to satisfy her senses. That’s all. Therefore, atmendriya-priti-vancha. Everyone is trying to satisfy her own senses. That is kama. Lust. And then, what is prema? Krsnendriya-priti-iccha dhare prema nama. When the same propensity is transferred for satisfying Krsna’s senses… just like gopis.

The superexcellence of gopis is due that they wanted to satisfy Krsna. They dressed very nicely because they thought that “Krsna become very pleased seeing us nicely dressed.” Not that … In this material world, a woman or a girl dress very nicely just to attract the opposite sex for his sense gratification. That’s all. So everyone, all this description is given there: brahma-varcasa-kama, virya-kama, then vasu-kama. Devim mayam tu sri-kamah. Sri. (aside) You can stand near the wall. Others may not… Sri means beauty. In the Durga-puja, Devi-puja, they ask… After offering Mother Durga all sorts of paraphernalia, then they puspanjali, they pray favor, dhanam dehi rupam dehi balam dehi. Dehi dehi. Dehi means “give me.” After puja… Therefore it is called puja. Puja, just like in business circle, if you want to take some business from a big merchant, so you satisfy him, flatter him, and sometimes invite him in hotel and give him nice dinner.

In this way, after he is satisfied, “Sir, if you kindly give me this contract.” (laughter) “Or if you give me this post.” The ultimate aim is his post and contract, not to satisfy the person. No. He’s spending some money for his own sense gratification. Similarly, all these pujas… The demigod puja, that is for his sense gratification. That’s all. Krsna, therefore, condemns this: kamais tais tair hrta-jnana yajante anya-devatah. This very kama. These words, kama, kamas, kama, kama. So Krsna also says… So you won’t find any difference between Bhagavad-gita , or Srimad-Bhagavatam, or any Vedic literature. It is to be understood through proper channels. So all these kamas have been condemned by Krsna. Kamais tais tair hrta-jnana yajante anya-devatah. The persons who go to worship other demigods like Devi, Maya, Durga, Siva, or Indra, Candra, so many … There are 33, I mean to say, crores. One crore equal to?

Devotee: Ten million.

Prabhupada: Ten million, and thirty-three. Just see. There are so many demigods, and so many desires also. So they are not prohibited. Everything is there in the Bhagavata, that “If you want this particular…” Kanksantah karmanam siddhim yajanta iha devatah. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: “Those who want quick success in fulfilling some material desires, they worship the demigods.” The Mayavadi, Shankarites, they have made a hodgepodge. They have made so much blunder in understanding the Vedic conclusion. Misleading, simply. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has especially warned that “Anyone who hears about the Mayavada commentation, he’s doomed. He’s gone forever, lost.” He will have no understanding, either this way or that. The Vedas, they give us information of the demigods, but they are not imagination. And neither Krsna is imagination. The Bhagavata is giving this direction; Bhagavata means Vyasadeva is giving direction that “If you want this profit, then worship this demigod.”

So he’s playing childish, foolish things? He’s giving some wrong information? Imagination? What business he has got to do that? But these Mayavadi rascals will say that “the demigods are also maya, Krsna is also maya, everything is maya.” Therefore we call them Mayavadi, everything maya. Krsna-bhakti is maya. They say it is good for raising oneself to the platform of impersonalism. Their process is that you, if you want to go higher platform, you take one staircase and get on it, and then throw it away. Because you don’t require to come down again. That is their philosophy. So you take any means, the Ramakrishna Mission also says like that. Yata mata tata patha. “You can worship brahma-varcasa, you can worship Devi-maya; you can worship Vasun; you can worship Rudra; you can worship anyone; ultimately, you become one with the Supreme.” Most misguiding. Here it is… But if you want this particular thing, then you worship this. In the Bhagavad-gita also, it is confirmed, yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah [Bg. 9.25].

Demigod worshipers will go to the demigods. There are different planets, 33 crores of demigods, and there are thirty-three crores of planets also. The moon planet, according to Vedic literature, that is also one of the planets belonging to the demigod Candra. It is one of the higher planets. So this is the list. If you want something particular… if you want to merge into the effulgence, brahmajyoti, then you worship… Yajeta brahmanah patim. Brahmanah. Brahmanah means also Vedas, sabda-brahma. Tene brahma hrda, in the Bhagavata, beginning. Brahma means this sound, transcendental sound of knowledge. That is Veda. So there is Upanisad. So Upanisad, they generally, those who are scholars in Upanisad, they want to become one with the… So that is not a very difficult thing. Anyone can do that. There is a process, but we Vaisnavas, we do not accept that suicidal policy. We want to keep our individuality, not merge. We don’t want to finish our identity.

Our real identity is eternal servant of Krsna. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. So we want to keep that identity, and we want to serve Him eternally. Eternally means, now we are in this material world, we are being trained up how to serve Krsna. This Deity worship—this is training. The same thing will continue when you go to Vaikuntha or Vrndavana. The same way we shall personally serve. Here, Krsna… This is also personally. But due to my imperfectness, I cannot see Krsna in His actual spiritual form, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Therefore Krsna has assumed a form which you can approach. It is for your facility. And Krsna, in any form He appears, He is transcendental. Either this form or that form. Nama cintamanih krsnas caitanya-rasa-vigrahah. Everything. That is Krsna’s specialty. He can appear… Just like if you have got a photograph of some of your friend, so you cannot derive the benefit of directly meeting him. But in Krsna’s form, if you have a Krsna’s photograph, it is as good as Krsna.

That is the difference. You can get the same benefit from the photograph picture of Krsna as you get benefit by directly meeting Him. Therefore, meeting this photograph Deity of Krsna is as good as Krsna. Advaya-jnana, nonduality. Here in this material world there is duality, but in the spiritual world, there is no such duality. Brahma-varcasa-kamas tu yajeta brahmanah patim, indram, indram indriya-kamah. Indriya means senses. Those who are too much lusty satisfy simply… The most important indriya is the genital, sex. So for them, it is recommended that “You worship Indra.” Indra, the demigod, he is number one sexually inclined demigod. He has got eyes, eyes over all his body. Sata-caksumsi. These eyes were originally vagina. He was cursed by Gautama Muni that “You are so fond of vagina that I curse you that you get all over your body vagina only.” Then, when he surrendered, he began to cry that “It will be very much, I mean to say, abominable for me.”

Then he asked, offered, that “These vagina may be turned into eyes.” Therefore his body is full of eyes. Sata-caksumsi. So those who are too much lusty, lover of the vagina, they may worship Indra. This is the recommendation. Everything is there. If you want vagina instead of Krsna, all right, do it. You have it. So unfortunately, if our student falls a victim of vagina instead of Krsna, that is very regrettable. Then better he worship, instead of Krsna, let him worship Indra. That is the Bhagavata direction. Indram indriya-kamas tu praja-kamah prajapatin. Praja, many children, dynasty. Just like aristocratic family. One is working very hard to establish a family. In England, it is very prominent, “Lord family, Duke family.” And where the rascal is going himself, he does not know. But he’s establishing a family, Lord family. Praja-kamah. People want that son, grandson, great grandson, his son, his son, the family will be filled up with so many … In India especially, the karmis, they want like that.

Sry-aisvarya-prajepsavah. Sri, beauty, beautiful women. Sri, aisvarya, wealth, and praja. Praja means many children. They are spending their whole time earning money, amass money, huge bank balance. Then his sons are married, the same thing. He begotten so many children by sex. So he’s giving indulgence to his sons, “All right, you also take this sex indulgence and produce many children.” Prajepsavah. And then, grandchildren are also, “You also take another. You also produce children.” So they are called prajepsavah. They want, they are happy to see that he has got many children. Just like Dhrtarastra. He has got… He had hundred sons, and the hundred sons had another hundred sons. So he was after “How this kingdom should be mine, sons’ land?” That is the cause of Kuruksetra war. So prajepsavah, praja-kamah. So…so there are so many kamas, desires. Different people, different kama. Therefore they are all hrta-jnanah. Anyone who is impeded by this kamas, they are less interested [intelligent].

Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah [Bg. 7.20]. Hrta-jnana means one who has lost intelligence. They are captivated by this kind of lusty things. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Praja-kamah, those who want children, great-grandchildren… In Bengali there is a proverb, nati nati svarge vati(?). Nati means grandson, and grandson’s grandson. Therefore, “I am living, my son is living, my grandson is living, his son is living, his son is living,” in this way, up to seventh generation, if one sees, then immediately he goes to heaven. These are the conception of the materialistic person, that “If I can see a grandson of a grandson, then my life is successful.” (laughter) And he’s working hard for that purpose. They are called praja-kamah. Praja means many sons in the family. That is considered very aristocrat. Praja-kamah prajapatin. Devim mayam tu sri-kamah. Sri means beauty. If you want to become very beautiful, either man or woman, then you worship Durga. Srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktih.

Tejas-kamo vibhavasum. Vibhavasum. There are Vasus, eight kinds of Vasus. So you can worship one of the Vasus. If you want to be very influential person, like Mr. Nixon, then you worship Vibhavasum. Vasu-kamo vasun rudran. Vasu means “wealth.” If you want wealth, riches. So list is there, but Krsna says, “This will not make you happy, My dear friend. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. You kick off all this nonsense! You just surrender unto Me.” That is Krsna’s instruction. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Because He’s the Supreme, He’s giving supreme advice. But there are other persons. To regulate them… Because… These they are called yajnas. Saha-yajnah prajah srstva. There is little touch of devotion, indirectly. Because if you want to worship Indra, you must worship at the same time Narayana. That is the system. Narayana-sila will be there. Because the benediction you want from the particular type of demigod, he cannot give independently.

When he takes permission from Narayana, that “He is after this benediction from me, and he’s worshiping me. So shall I give him this benediction?” So with His order … Because, after all, isavasyam idam sarvam, everything means Krsna’s property. How? Suppose somebody is cashier in our institution. He’s getting a thousands of dollars in his custody. So he cannot distribute without being sanctioned. That is not good. So he must take the superior sanction, that “Shall I give him?” Similarly, all these demigods, they cannot give you anything directly. With the permission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead … Mayaiva vihitan hi tan. That benefit which they derive from the demigod, that is ordained by Krsna, Krsna says. When the demigod appeals to Krsna that “This person is hankering after this thing, and he’s worshiping me,” so just to keep the position of the demigod, Krsna says “All right, give him.” Because the demigods are servant of Krsna. So one has approached the servant of Krsna.

To keep the position of the servant, Krsna orders, “Yes, you give.” Just like Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu took benediction from Brahma. So many things. “I shall not die at daytime, I shall not die at night, I shall not die on land, I shall not die on water.” In this way, all definitions by negation. Brahma said, “Yes.” Now, to keep the words of Brahma, Krsna is so kind… Brahma is servant. He appeared in such a way that all the prayers of Hiranyakasipu was not touched. Hiranyakasipu said that “I shall not die by any man or any animal or any demigod.” So He appeared in Nrsimha-murti, who is neither animal nor man nor demigod. You cannot define. Then Hiranyakasipu prayed for that “I shall not die in daytime, at night.” Yes. So Hiranyakasipu was killed in the sandhya, between the junction of day and night. Just in the evening. You cannot say it is day, neither it is night. In this way, Krsna kept all the words of Brahma, and still killed him. That is Krsna.

That is Krsna. That you may be very intelligent to avoid Krsna or the laws of Krsna, but Krsna is more intelligent. He will also cheat you. Because you wanted to cheat Him, so He will also cheat you in such a way that (is) beyond your imagination. Yes. That is Krsna. You cannot excel Krsna. You have to be always under Him, even your cheating process. This is Krsna. So take shelter of Krsna and be happy. Thank you. (end)