Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.23
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, July 13, 1974

Prabhupada: …Here mother earth, Dharitri, “O Earth.” Earth is being addressed. The whole world is perturbed because the Kali-yuga has begun. Five thousand years ago, when the Kali-yuga began, so all persons were alarmed: “Now the Kali-yuga is begun. So many catastrophes will come in.”

So one instruction is that the earth is addressed, “amba.” Amba means mother. So the earth is also our mother. There are seven kinds of mother: atma-mata guroh patni. Real mother, from whose womb we have taken birth, she is called atma-mata, first mother. Then second mother, the guroh patni. Guru means teacher or spiritual master. His wife, she’s also… Actually, according to strict moral instruction… Why strict? Ordinary. Any woman except his own wife is mother. Any woman. It doesn’t matter whether she is elderly or young. No. That is the way. Still in India, any woman by unknown person, he can address any woman “Mother.” The first relationship is mother. Now they have introduced “Sister,” “Bahinaji.” No, that is not Vedic etiquette. No bahinaji. Bahinaji means sister. Mother. Everyone should be addressed. We should learn this. Except one’s one wife, all women should be addressed as “Mother.” This is civilization. Then there will be no corrupt relation. If you, from the very beginning, you establish your relationship with other women as mother, then there is no question of other relationship.

So here it is instructed. Even the earth is addressed as mother. According to sastra, Dharitri is one of the mothers, seven mothers.

atma-mata guroh patni brahmani raja-patnika dhenur dhatri tatha prthvi saptaita matarah smrtah

There are seven kinds of mother. Real mother, then a spiritual master or teacher’s wife, guroh patni. Brahmani, the wife of a brahmana. Atma-mata guroh patni brahmani raja-patnika. And the queen, the wife of the king. Dhenu, cow; dhenur dhatri, maidservant, nurse. Because it was also formerly the practice, rich man, or mother is not unable to suck breast milk. So they used to employ young girls who has also children. Otherwise there is no milk supplied. So that is also mother. As Krsna took Putana as mother… Putana came to kill Krsna, smearing poison over her breast. And Krsna sucked the milk and her life also. But Krsna took her as (His) her mother. This is Krsna. Krsna did not take the black side. The intention was to kill Krsna, Putana came. But who can kill Krsna? That is not possible. But Krsna thought Himself as obligation, that “I have sucked her breast. So she is My mother. She must be given the position of mother.” So Putana, after being killed, she was given the same opportunity as Mother Yasoda. This is Krsna. Bhava-grahi-janardanah. Any way you serve Krsna, it will be accepted. Not any way. I mean to say, we should serve Krsna according to regulative principle. Still, some way or other, unknowing or knowingly, if you render some service, that is called ajnata-sukrti.

Ajnata means without your knowledge you are advancing in spiritual life. That is called ajnata-sukrti. You do not know. But the system is so nice… Just like our this class is going on. These children, they are dancing, they are offering obeisances, they are offering a flower. They do not know what they are doing, but it will not go in vain. This is Krsna consciousness. These things are becoming assets, one after another. Just like if you keep money in the bank, daily you save, it is increasing your bank balance, similarly, these children, although they do not know what is this class, what is Prabhupada speaking, why we are offering… They are imitating. They are imitating, offering obeisances. We used to do so. Every children, every child does so. So if the mother is a devotee, the child automatically becomes a devotee, without any effort. If the father, mother is devotee… Therefore sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto ’bhijayate. Krsna says that those who are yoga-bhrastah, could not fulfill the whole program of devotional service, some way or other fallen down, so they are given chance, another chance. What is that chance? The chance is he is given a human form of life and born in a devotee’s house, so that from the very beginning of life he will again be in connection with devotional service. So these children, they are not ordinary children. Formerly, they were also devotees. Somehow or other, could not fulfill the whole program. Now Krsna has given the chance to take birth in the womb of a devotee mother so that from the very beginning of life they’re learning devotional service. So the mother, father also should be careful, that “They are Vaisnavas, they have come under my care. So that he may not be spoiled. Let him become a perfect Vaisnava, and his life become perfect.” This is… This is very nice program.

So mother Dharitri, Dharitri is mother. So he’s asking whether mother is lamenting because Krsna… Bhuri-bharavatara-krtavatarasya hareh. After the Battle of Kuruksetra, Krsna disappeared from this earth. Krsna went back to His abode. So Krsna comes here, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. So Krsna appeared to kill so many demons. At that time… Whenever there will be demons, Krsna will come. At the present moment, now, the world is full of demons. Therefore Krsna has come in the form of Hare Krsna.

Devotees: Hare Krsna.

Prabhupada: That is Krsna avatara. Kali-yuge nama-rupe avatara. So don’t think that Krsna, this vibration Krsna, is different from that Krsna. The same Krsna. The same Krsna. If you say that “Why has not come to kill the demons?” that is His great sympathy, mercy, that you are already killed. You see? What another killing? So we are already dead. Therefore we are so fallen that it does not require any more killing. Mercifulness. You see? The demons… Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna, merciful. Papi tapi jata chilo hari-name uddharilo. All the demons, full of sinful activities, they are to be delivered by this weapon, Hare Krsna. Otherwise, killing is going on.

So it is now sympathy. Therefore when Jagai-Madhai insulted Nityananda, immediately Caitanya Mahaprabhu came and wanted to kill them. Nityananda Prabhu reminded, “Sir, You have promised in this, Your incarnation, will not kill.” So then He was satisfied and delivered the demons. Delivered the demons. Nityananda Prabhu is therefore so kind. Nityananda Prabhu is guru. He’s so kind that in spite of being injured by Jagai-Madhai, He delivered them. He requested Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam. There was two sections. One section, sadhu, and one section, demon. That was the idea. Even when Krsna appeared, there were two sections. Now everyone is demon. Then if the killing program is taken, then (Hindi) thagavate gham oja.(?) then everything will be finished. Therefore there is no killing program by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is killing program—it is killing the sinful activities. Papi tapi jata chilo hari-name uddharilo. Simply by chanting. He’ll not be killed, but his activities, sinful activities, will be killed. This is the program.

So the mother earth was lamenting, “Now Krsna has gone. Who will give us protection?” But Krsna gives protection. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca… [Bg. 4.8]. Two, two different duties. To give protection to the sadhus, to the devotees, and to kill the demons. So… Another word is used. Antarhitasya smarati visrsta karmani nirvana-vilambitani. Nirvana-karma. This is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Try to understand seriously. We are here in this life, human form of life. We should not be lazy. Laziness is not required. Karmani. We should be active. What for? Now, nirvana. Nirvana means finishing this material life. That is called nirvana. The Buddha philosophy, they take it nirvana. Their philosophy is nirvana, means to stop the feelings of pains and pleasure. So their philosophy is that the pains and pleasure… Not only their philosophy. We also know. Bhagavad-gita also says. Matra-sparsas tu kaunteya sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah. The, the worldly pains and pleasure—what is due to? It is due to this material body. Matra-sparsah. Matra means the skin. Because we have got this skin, in winter, the water is there, we feel pain, pinching. And because it is summer, the same water—pleasing. So the condition of the skin, according to the season, is changing. Therefore we are feeling pains and pleasure. Otherwise there is no pain, pleasure. Just try to understand. Because we are covered by the skin, therefore we are feeling pains and pleasure. If you become uncovered, free from the skinly covering, then there is no pains and pleasure.

So that is our main business, how to get out of this material body of skins and bones. That is real business. But these rascals, they do not know what is real business. They want to maintain the skin and bone by another skin and bone. That is their program. So it is foolish civilization. They do not what is civilization, what is the aim of life, what we should do. Nothing, no program. Simply just like animals, and kill animals and eat and be merry. And to digest meat, you drink also. One after another. As soon as there is drinking, then there is illicit sex. And so many things complicated. Therefore Bhagavad-gita warns, yajnarthe karmano ’nyatra loko ’yam karma-bandhanah [Bg. 3.9]. You must work. You should not be idle. But yajnarthe, for Krsna. Then you’ll not be implicated. Otherwise, you’ll be implicated. By the grace of maya, you’ll be so implicated that you have got this human form of life, and after giving up this body, you’ll have to accept, according to your karma, one of the 8,400,000 species of life; maybe it may be a tree, it may be a cat, it may be a dog, or it may be something lower grade.

Because in this age our activities are all sinful, lower grade. Therefore you cannot expect higher-grade life. That is not possible. Higher grade life you can get. You can go in the higher planetary systems. You can get long duration of life, better comforts, better nice body. There are arrangement. Svargaloka. Bhur bhuva… Om bhur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi… This is gayatri. There are three lokas: bhur bhuvah svah. So svah, heavenly, they’ve no some information, there is heavenly planet. Actually there is. There are… Svargaloka is not so very comfortable. Above the Svargaloka there is Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Satyaloka, Brahmaloka, like that, seven lokas. So who will go there? Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah. If you are situated in the modes of goodness, then you can be promoted to the higher planetary systems. And madhye tisthanti rajasah, and if you are in the modes of passion, then you’ll remain within this bhur bhuvah svah, three worlds. And jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah, and if you are simply in darkness, you do not know how to enjoy spiritual life or material life, just like cats and dogs, then you are degraded. You take the body of trees, plants, lower animals, insects, worms of the stool, and so many things. So one should know that.

So nirvana. Actually, there is no benefit. Even if I go to the highest planetary system, with very, very long duration of life and material comforts, that is not actual benefit. Therefore Krsna says, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna: [Bg. 8.16] “My dear Arjuna, even if you are promoted to the Brahmaloka, the highest planetary system, still, it is not safe, because the death is there. And if you come to My place, no, there is no more…” That is called nirvana. Our business is to finish this material existence and go back to home, back to… That is real business.

So here the Dharmaraja is lamenting, “On account of absence of Krsna, our real business, nirvana, is being delayed. Therefore, are you lamenting, mother?” So Krsna is so kind that although He’s not present at the present moment, still, in the form of His holy name, He’s present. You can take still advantage of Krsna’s name by chanting this Hare Krsna mantra. You can take. Don’t think that when you chant “Krsna,” this name Krsna is different from the Krsna person. No. They are the same. Nama cintamanih krsnas caitanya-rasa-vigrahah, purnah suddho nitya-mukto ’bhinnatvan nama-naminoh. This is the shastric injunction. Abhinnatvan nama-naminoh. Nama, the holy name of Krsna, and Krsna, they’re not different. Abhinna. Abhinna means not separate. The same. So take advantage of this life, and take advantage of this Hare Krsna mantra, and make your life successful.

Thank you very much. (end)