Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.17 Dayananda: “O the great Supreme, in every type of body, either in the heavenly planet or in the hellish planet, there are pleasing and not pleasing circumstances on account of combination and separation. But both of them are very, very regrettable position, as if burning in the fire. Although there are many remedial measures to get out of the miserable condition of life, but in the material world any such counteraction is more miserable than the miserable condition itself. The only remedial measure, I think, therefore, is to be engaged in Your service. Kindly instruct me in that way.” Prabhupada: yasmat priya apriya-viyoga-samyoga-janma-sokagnina sakala-yonisu dahyamanah duhkhausadham tad api duhkham atad-dhiyaham bhuman bhramami vada me tava dasya-yogam Prahlada Maharaja, previous verse, he said, “I am very much afraid of this material existential condition, duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. Now he’s describing what is the different phases of such suffering yasmat, on account of this material existence. When we come to this material world there are connection with so many persons. Bhutapta-pitrnam, nrnam. As soon as we come down from the womb of the mother, there are so many relatives, friends, bhuta-apta, pitr, bhutapta bhutapta, rsi, pitrnam nrnam. We become connected. But some of them are dear and some of them are not very friendly—enemies. This is the condition in the material world. Nobody can say that “I am situated in a very nice condition. Everyone is my friend. No enemy.” It is not possible. That is the nature of this material world, that you come in contact with so many persons, animals, and suppose your forefathers… It is described, bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam. So we get connections. This is the way of nature. But not all of them are friendly. Even one is friendly today, tomorrow he can become enemy. This is the condition. So yasmat priyapriya-viyoga-samyoga-janma. Viyoga-samyoga-janma. As soon as one child is born, he is separated from the former life, and he is connected with another new life, new body, viyoga-samyoga. Maybe the former body was very pleasing, and this body is not very pleasing, degraded. That is possible. Dehantara-praptih. It is not that you’ll always get a body very pleasing. But the illusory energy is so strong, even one gets the body of a pig, he thinks, “It is very nice.” This is called praksepatmika-sakti. Maya has got especially two energies: avaranatmika and praksepatmika. Generally maya keeps us covered with illusion, and if one is little enlightened, wants to get out of the clutches of maya, there is another potency of maya, who is that praksepatmika. Suppose one thinks, “Now I shall become Krsna conscious. This ordinary material consciousness is so disturbing. Let me become Krsna conscious.” So maya will say, “What you will do with this? Better remain in material consciousness.” This is called praksepatmika-sakti. Therefore sometimes some man comes in our society; after staying for days, he goes away. This is praksepata, thrown away. Unless he’s very sincere, he cannot stay with us; he’ll be thrown away. So Prahlada Maharaja said that these two positions—somebody is pleasing, and somebody is not pleasing—it is going on perpetually. Not that “If I change my this body, this process will also stop.” No. So long you have got this body in the material world, you’ll have these two processes. Somebody will be your friend, and somebody will be your enemy. Yoga-samyoga-janma. So as soon as there are enemies, there is lamentation, anxiety. Sokagnina. Such lamentation is just like fire of lamentation. Sokagnina sakala-yonisu. If you think that only the human society such things are there—somebody’s enemy, somebody’s friend—no. In any society, any yoni… You have seen in the even in the sparrows, the bird society, they are also fighting. You have seen it. They are also mixing very intimately, again fighting, So either you take birds… Or dogs. They are famous for fighting. So this is going on: somebody very dear, somebody inimical and fighting between them. Sakala-yonisu dahyamanah. You cannot get escape by avoiding one society and go to the other society. That is not possible. Thus fire of disagreement, enmity and friendship, it will go on, not only here, even in the heavenly planet. In the heavenly planet there is fight between the devas and asuras. The asuras are envious of the devas, and devas are also envious of the asuras. Everywhere. Even King Indra, he has got enemies although he’s very opulent. We want to go to the heavenly planet for enjoying the opulence of that atmosphere, but there is also the same thing. (aside, coughing:) Water. So you cannot avoid it, Prahlada Maharaja says. So we can try to counteract. Just like in this material world there are so many attempts to mitigate. Just like the United Nation. They have formed the United Nation formula to mitigate—no more fighting, no more war, no more enmity. This is an attempt. Enmity is there; otherwise why there is proposal of United Nations? Because we are disunited, therefore the counterproposal is “Let us become united.” So he says, “To organize such thing is also very difficult and troublesome.” “Although it is remedial measure, let us settle our misunderstanding”—it is very good proposal. But to settle up this misunderstanding is more troublesome. You have got experience. When you make some agreement with other party, he proposes something, you propose something. So although the agreement is a remedial measure, but come to the agreement is very, very difficult. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says this remedial measure, ausadha, is still more troublesome. When there was enmity, that is troublesome. Just like when there is some disease, something—you have got a boil in your body—it is painful, but when you take the remedial measure, surgical operation, it is still more painful, still more. You have to take anesthetic, chloroform, because it is more painful. So anywhere there is fight, there is enmity, and if you want to settle up, it is more troublesome. So duhkhausadham tad api duhkham. The remedial measure is more troublesome than the disease, than the painful condition. Duhkhausadham tad api duhkham atad-dhiyaham. Atat. Atat means untruth, flickering, not… Atad-dhiyaham. We do not know what is our identification. Misunderstanding. Dehatma-buddhi. Asad-grahat. Atat, asat, the same thing. We have accepted this body, identifying this body, on account of this. If you are on the spiritual platform, then there is no trouble, there is no misunderstanding. If we understand properly by education or knowledge that “You are also part and parcel of Krsna. I am also part and parcel of Krsna. Our real position is to serve the Lord,” so if we serve that, then there is no misunderstanding. If we be engaged in Krsna’s service, there cannot be any misunderstanding. Otherwise, if we work on the platform of this body, material body, there must be misunderstanding. Atad-dhiyaham. Bhuman: “My Lord, the great,” bhramami, “in this way I am wandering life after life, changing the body, changing the situation, and in different situation, different mentality, but there is no peace. There is no happiness, simply changing the body.” Bhuman bhramami vada me tava dasya-yogam: “In this way I am wandering throughout the whole universe. Now please engage me in Your service.” So this is the right prayer, that unless you engage yourself in the service of Krsna, you’ll never get peace. This is a fact. We can discover so many plans and remedial measures, and that will not help us. Only solution is to surrender to Krsna. Krsna gives this nice advice: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66]. That will cure your all disease. And this mentality comes by practical experience after many, many births, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyante [Bg. 7.19], when one understands properly that without becoming Krsna conscious, without being servant of Krsna, there cannot be peace or happiness. Jnatva mam santim rcchati. Krsna says. Everything is directly said. Bhoktaram. Why we fight one another? I am thinking that “I shall enjoy this. I shall become the leader.” And another party says, “No, no, I shall become the leader. I shall enjoy this.” So there is fight. But if we understand that “Either you or me, we are not enjoyer; we are servant. The enjoyer is Krsna,” then there will be something. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29]. We are trying to become friend of another friend. “My dear friend, I shall help you in this way. You are in trouble.” So he can help, but there will be misunderstanding. Again the friend will be enemy. So there cannot be any peace. But if we all agree that Krsna is the friend, real friend… Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. Krsna, if He’s not our friend, why He’s coming down on this platform where we are living in rotten condition? He’s great friend, Dina-bandhu. His name in Dina-bandhu. Who is very, very poor in heart, He becomes very great friend, dina-bandhu, and advises him. Buddhi-yogam dadami tam. He’s always friendly. Krsna is never enemy. But still, we create enmity. We become demon with Krsna. That is the trouble. So it requires to become fortunate. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kono bhagyavan jiva guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija [Cc. Madhya 19.151] In this way we are wandering throughout the universe, because unless we become Krsna conscious, unless we have taken fully shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna, there is no stoppage of this repetition of birth and death, neither there is any peace or happiness. We must know this from all angles of vision and stick to Krsna consciousness very rigidly. Then we shall be happy. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja requests Lord Nrsimhadeva that “I have tried life after life to get peace and become happy and friendly, but I have failed. Now, Krsna…” Prahlada Maharaja says, vada me tava dasya-yogam: “Because I am now convinced that without Your becoming servant, there is no more chance for peace and prosperity of this troublesome world.” Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Mayapur, February 24, 1976