Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.34 Devotee: bharavataranayanye bhuvo nava ivodadhau sidantya bhuri-bharena jato hy atma-bhuvarthitah “Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much aggrieved, and that Brahma, who is Your son, prayed for You, and so You have appeared to diminish the trouble.” Prabhupada: So Kuntidevi is describing different statements of different persons why Krsna appeared. Somebody says that He appeared on the request of Devaki and Vasudeva. Somebody says He appeared on the request of Brahma. So there is bhuri-bhara, bhuri-bhara. It is said: bharavataranayanye bhuvo nava ivodadhau. Bhuva, this world becomes overburdened. Overburdened. As soon it becomes overburdened, there must be a war, pestilence, famine, epidemic and finish. This is natural. Overburdened. Nature’s law. This is called… In economics there is some law. So why the world becomes overburdened? The earth planet… Not only earth planet. There are many millions of other planets also. They are bearing big, big mountains, big, big oceans. Why it become overburdened? Yes. First of all, you have to consider how this planet is floating in the air. It is floating in the air as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, gam avisya. Because Krsna enters within this… Krsna. Just like He enters within the atom. So He’s the spirit, Supreme Spirit. So because the Supreme Spirit is within, therefore it is floating. Not that weightlessness. Weight is there, very heavy weight. Just like you can test. This body will float in the water so long you are living. And as soon as the spirit soul goes, then immediately the body goes down. The law of gravity acts. The so-called law of gravity. This is an example. A child, so long it is living you can take in one hand. But as soon as the child is dead, it becomes heavier. That is natural. So everything is lighter as soon as it is spiritually advanced or there is spirit. Similarly when we’ll be spiritually advanced, then there will be no impediment. Now we cannot fly in the air, but when you are free from this body, your spirit soul, within a second you can go to the Vaikunthaloka. It is so light. Within a second. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. So the conclusion is when the world becomes overloaded with the demons, nondevotees, it become disturbed, becomes… The mother earth feels load, very much load. So at that time, Krsna comes. Therefore it is said: bhara-avataranaya, just to unload. And bharavataranayanye. Somebody says: bhuvo nava ivodadhau. Just like if a ship or boat is overloaded, it is very dangerous. It can be drowned at any moment. So sidantya bhuri-bharena. So mother earth was overloaded and she approached Brahma on account of overloading of these demons. She was feeling too much uncomfortable. And Brahma is the chief living being within this universe. So when there is need, others approaches Brahma, and Brahma approaches Visnu to reduce the overburden. Then He takes His incarnation, and that is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, abhyutthanam adharmasya [Bg. 4.7]. Abhyutthanam adharmasya. “When the principles of religiosity becomes increased, at that time, I appear.” Krsna says. Just like take for example, when there are too much criminals in the state, unlawful, lawlessness, the state becomes overburdened, disturbed, overburdened. At that time the administrators are puzzled what to do. Similarly when the world is overburdened by atheists, demons, nonbelievers, the world becomes overburdened. Otherwise things will go on nicely. Just like in the state, if people abide by the laws nicely, then it is very easy to administer. Things are going on very nicely. But if people become criminals, it becomes a overburden to the state administrators. So such thing happens because this is material world. And the demons and the demigods, they are always there, existing. But when the demonic power becomes increased, then the world becomes overburdened. Sidantya bhuri-bharena jato hy atma-bhuvarthitah, atma-bhu. Atmabhu is Brahma’s name. He’s directly born of the Supreme Soul, Visnu. He’s not born as usually we do from the womb of mother. So Brahma was born from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Visnu. Therefore his another names is Atmabhu. Svayambhu, Svayambhu. These are different names of Brahma. Svayambhur naradah sambhuh [SB 6.3.20]. These are the… Brahma is one, one of the authorities. He’s also mentioned in the list of authorities, dvadasa-mahajana. Twelve authorities. svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh prahlado janako bhismo balir vaiyasakir vayam [SB 6.3.20] We have to follow the mahajana, great authorities. If we want to be in knowledge of everything, then the Vedic instruction is that: tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigaccet [MU 1.2.12] One has to approach guru. So guru means authority. So there are, originally… Original guru is Krsna. As Krsna is teaching to Arjuna. Similarly He also taught Brahma. Tene brahma hrda adi-kavaye. That is the statement in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas ca arthesu abhijnah svarat [Bhag. 1.1.1]. That should be the subject matter of research work. Where is the original source of creation? Janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. From where janma, sthiti and pralaya is taking place. That we have got experience. Janma, we have taken our birth at a certain date. This body is born. The sthiti. We stay. This body will run on for some years, ten years, twenty years, fifty years, according to the body. Then it will be finished. So wherefrom this body came and where, after finishing, where it goes? There are so many scientific laws, conservation of energy. So who is that conservation or the source of energy? That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. There is source. It is not blind. Just like these rascals think it has come out of nothing. How something can come out of nothing? There is no proof but they claim like that. Therefore they are blind. No. Bhagavata says: janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas carthesu abhijnah. The original source from whom everything has come and in whom everything is existing and within whom everything will enter. Yato va imani bhutani jayante. These are the Vedic instructions. So what is the nature of that thing wherefrom things are coming, emanating, things are existing, and again, after being finished, it is entering? Prakrtim yanti mamikam. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says: “The prakrti enters into Me.” So they do not know. So what is that source? Therefore Bhagavata says that that supreme source is: janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas carthesu abhijnah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. Abhijna means completely conscious. Jna, jna means knowledge. So abhijna. Abhi means specifically jna. Not like our knowledge. We do not know. We have no sufficient knowledge wherefrom I have come, where I shall go after death. That we do not know. Therefore we are not abhijna. But the supreme source is abhijna. He’s not a stone, void. No, how He can be? Such a nice creation. Everyone can appreciate this created cosmic manifestation, how it is nicely working. The sun is rising exactly in time. Without any division even 1/10,000 part of a second. The moon is rising, the seasons are changing. In the season, the fruits and flowers coming. So in this way the whole cosmic manifestation is going on, very orderly, systematically. Everyone can understand that. So unless there is some abhijna, very clever brain who knows everything, how it is created? But they say that it has come out of nothing. What is this nonsense? Can such thing come out of nothing? Is that very good reasoning? No. Bhagavata says no. lt is coming from the person who is abhijna, very experienced. And that abhijnah tene… Janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas carthesu abhijnah tene [Bhag. 1.1.1]. Tene means He broadcasted knowledge. To whom? Adi-kavaye. Adi-kavaye, the original creature. So Brahma is the original creature. Therefore he has got contact with the original source. He has got the original source. How he receives knowledge? Because we have got understanding that we get knowledge from another person when we are face to face. But Brahma was alone. How he got the knowledge? That is explained in the Bhagavatam: tene brahma hrda. Hrda means through the heart. Because the Supreme Person, Paramatma, is also within the heart. So although Brahma was alone, he was getting the knowledge, dictation from the Supreme. Tene brahma. Brahma means knowledge. Brahma means Veda. The Vedic knowledge was given to him first. Tene brahma hrda. The Vedic knowledge is given to everyone because Krsna is in everyone’s heart. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. He’s sitting in everyone’s heart. But one must be qualified to receive the knowledge. Krsna is helping us from within. He is giving us knowledge. From within, without also. So without, He’s spiritual master. And within He’s Supersoul, caitya-guru. In this way, we are getting knowledge. So Brahma is getting knowledge from Krsna and Brahma is distributing Vedic knowledge. Therefore he’s authority. We, we belong to the Brahma-sampradaya. Our, this Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sampradaya… There are four sampradayas. One from Brahma, one from Sri, Laksmi, one from Sambhu, Lord Siva, and one from Kumara. Kumarah kapilo manuh. So there are four Vaisnava sampradayas. So we have to approach the authoritative representative of Brahma, Krsna. Then we can get the real knowledge. Therefore this earth personified approached Brahma. Bhuvarthitah jatah. So Brahma prayed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead that: “This is the position of the world. So it is now overburdened with demons.” So Krsna comes: yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati (bharata) abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham [Bg. 4.7] He appears. This is the process. So somebody says Krsna appeared on the request of Brahma when he prayed for His appearance on account of overburden, weight of the world. So Krsna came. And you have seen our Krsna Book, how much He’s engaged in killing the demons. In killing the demons. So Krsna says that: “I come down, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya [Bg. 4.8], to kill the demons.” So killing business is there. Krsna. Although His killing and protecting the same thing. Because He’s absolute. But the killing business is there. Therefore Krsna has, the Narayana has got two hands, club and disc. That is for killing the demons. And two hands, conchshell and lotus flower. That is for the devotees. The devotees are protected. Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. Krsna is bugling with His conchshell that: “My devotees will not be vanquished.” And the lotus flower is the symbol of blessing. lt is in the hands of Laksmiji also sometimes, blessing. So somebody says that Krsna appeared for this purpose, somebody says Krsna appeared for this purpose, but the real conclusion is that Krsna appeared for His own pleasure. Not, not being bound by any cause. Krsna is fully independent. Just like we take our birth being bound by the cause of our karma. Krsna does not come being bound up by somebody’s request or by His karma. He comes out of His free will. Atma-mayaya. It is said atma-mayaya. He’s not compelled by another’s maya. Just like we are compelled by the energy of Krsna, external energy, this material energy. We are compelled to take birth. Krsna does not take birth in such condition. Atma-mayaya. Not by the… Because maya is under the control of Krsna. So how maya can control Krsna? One who thinks that Krsna is also like us, controlled by maya, they are called mudhas. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11] Read the purport little. Pradyumna: “Brahma, or the first living being born just after the creation, is the direct son of Narayana. Narayana, as Garbhodakasayi Visnu first of all entered the material universe. Without spiritual contact matter cannot create.” Prabhupada: This is the beginning of creation. Those who are finding out the original cause of material creation, they should know this fact, that creation takes place when there is spirit soul. That means living. The matter is not created. Matter is created by the spirit soul. Not the soul is created by matter. This is rascal theory, that this living condition, living force, living energy which we have got, it is created by material condition. This is Buddhist theory. At the present moment, the whole world is going on on this Buddhist theory. That under certain condition the matter develops living force. No, that is not. Actually the fact is: upon the living force, matter increases. That we can understand very easily. Apart from our knowledge within the womb of mother, how the body develops, we can see if a child is born, he grows, his body develops. But if the child is born dead, no spirit soul, it will not develop. Everyone knows that. Therefore the spirit is the basis of development of matter. Not that by development of matter spirit grows. No. That’s not a fact. This is… Everyone knows. Why a dead child does not grow? Because the spirit is not there. A tree grows so long there is life in it. A small seed of banyan tree, you sow in the soil and pour water favorably, then it grows. Because the spirit soul is there. But if somehow or other… Take for example you take one grain and fry it in the fire. If you sow it, it will not grow. Because the spirit soul is not there. Therefore they are searching after what is the original cause of creation. The original cause of creation is the spirit soul as everything is growing. Matter is growing, developing on account of the spirit soul. Similarly the whole universe is growing on account of presence of Garbhodakasayi Visnu. Creation. Go on. Pradyumna: “This principle was followed from the very beginning of the creation. The Supreme Spirit entered the universe and the first living being, Brahma was born on a lotus flower grown out of the transcendental abdomen of Visnu.” Prabhupada: Now… Just like sometimes we see. Take for example Brahma. He grew from the lotus flower. So one can say this lotus flower is matter. No. The lotus flower has grown from the navel of Visnu, the original cause is Visnu. If you take the lotus flower as matter, then it has also grown from the spirit. This is the beginning. The spirit soul is the basis of creation. What is the difficult to understand? We can see practically. Unless there is spirit soul, there cannot be… Just like this body, your body, my body, even elephant’s body… It has grown. It has grown because the spirit soul is there. As soon as the spirit soul is not there, there will be no more growth, no more growth and the body will be heavy. Due to the spirit soul within the body, the body is light. You can make an experiment. You just have a weight of a dead body and of a living body. You will find difference. What is the difference. Where is our scientist? Svarupa Damodara: Well, the difference is, is the living body, there is a spirit soul. And in the dead body, has spirit soul. Prabhupada: No, you, it, find the difference that the dead body is more weight. Why? Why? Because the spirit soul is not there. These are experimented even by the scientists. So the, the, this world is floating in the air because the spirit soul is within it. Therefore it is floating. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Gam avisya. “I enter and dharayamy aham ojasa.” So as soon as the spirit soul will be off, everything will be destroyed. The destruction of this cosmic manifestation is like that. Go on. Pradyumna: “Visnu is therefore known as Padmanabha. Brahma is known as Atmabhu because he was begotten directly from the father without the contact of Mother Laksmiji. Laksmiji was present just before Narayana engaged in the service of the Lord, and still, without contact with Laksmiji, Narayana begot Brahma.” Prabhupada: This is all-powerful. Krsna is omnipotent. When we want to beget a child, we require the help of a wife. I cannot beget a child alone. Of course, there are some instances, but generally this is not possible. But Krsna, Lord Visnu, produced Brahma without taking the help of His wife, Laksmi. She was present there. That is called omnipotency. He’s not dependent on anything. That is all- powerful. Try to understand. We say God is omnipotent. Here is the instance of omnipotency. That if I want to beget a child I must marry a wife, but Krsna, Visnu, even in the presence of wife, without taking her help, He produced Brahma. This is omnipotent. Go on. Pradyumna: “That is the omnipotency of the Lord. One who foolishly considers Narayana like other living beings should take a lesson from this.” Prabhupada: Yes. Therefore in the sastra it is forbidden, that don’t compare with Narayana. Don’t be on equal footing with Narayana. It is not possible. But the rascals, big, big swamis, they are exclaiming that: daridra-narayana. Narayana has become daridra. Manufactured word. Where is this word daridra-narayana in the sastras? But they have manufactured. That Narayana has become daridra and He has come to my door to beg. Narayana is the master of Laksmi, sahasra-sata-laksmi, and He has now become daridra, poverty stricken. These foolish things are going on. Therefore sastra says: yas tu narayanam devam brahma-rudradi-daivataih samatvenaiva vikseta sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam These rascals says that Narayana, Brahma, Siva, and all other, so many demigods, I, you, everything is equal, all, all the same, on the level. This is rascaldom. Narayana is asamordhva. Nobody can be equal or greater than Him. Just like Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita: mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. “There is no more superior thing above Me.” Neither equal to Him, asamordhva. Asama, asama means no equal, and na urdhva. Everyone is down. That is the position. Aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. So these are all foolish theories that with Narayana everyone can be equal. The lack of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge. That is not… Therefore sastra has forbidden: “Don’t do this. Don’t equalize anyone, even Brahma and Rudra.” Brahma, Visnu, Rudra, Lord Siva, they are actually sitting on the same platform. Still Visnu is the Supreme. Nobody should equalize Brahma, Rudra even. What to speak of others? So if one does so… Yas tu narayanam devam brahma-rudradi-daivataih samatvenaiva vikseta, equalize, sa pasandi. This is the meaning of pasandi. Pasandi means nonbeliever, atheist, demon. That is called pasandi. Go on. Pradyumna: “Narayana is not an ordinary living being. He is the Personality of Godhead Himself, and He has all the potencies of all the senses in all parts of His transcendental body. An ordinary living being begets a child by the intercourse of sex and he has no other means to beget a child other than the one designed for him.” Prabhupada: Yes. Generally take birth from the vagina. But Narayana is all-powerful. He begets a child from the navel. This is all- powerful, omnipotency. Why? Why it is so happened? That is Narayana. Every part of the body has got every potency. That is explained in the Brahma-samhita: angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti. Angani, the different parts of the… That is spiritual body. The different parts of the body of Krsna or Narayana has got all the potencies. Just like I can see with my eyes, but Krsna can eat also with His eyes. So the foolish rascal people will say that: “You are offering Krsna foodstuff, but where He has eaten? lt is lying there. He has not eaten.” He does not know, the rascal, that Krsna by seeing can eat also. Angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti pasyanti panti kalayanti. Just like the washerman who refused to supply cloth in Mathura, Krsna immediately cut his head with his hand. You know the story. So how it is possible to cut one’s head with the hand? That is called omnipotency. Read little more. Pradyumna: “But Narayana, being omnipotent, is not bound to any condition of energy. He is complete and independent to do anything and everything by His various potencies.” Prabhupada: That is explained in the beginning of Bhagavad, Srimad-Bhagavatam: abhijnah svarat. Svarat means He’s not dependent to anyone. He is self-sufficient. Everything. That is God. Nowadays there is so many incarnation of God, but as soon as there is some toothache immediately: “Ooooonh, doctor, give me… Save me, save me. Save me, save me, save me, save me.” You are God. You save yourself. Why you have come to doctor? So these rascals are going on. So it is very difficult to preach Krsna consciousness. The whole world is overburdened by these rascals and demons. So atom, atom bomb is waiting for them. Yes. It will be finished. All the demons will be finished. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, April 26, 1973