Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.47
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Detroit, June 13, 1976

Devotee: (leads chanting, etc.) Translation: “Just as springtime in the present indicates the nature of springtimes in the past and future, so this life of happiness, distress or a mixture of both gives evidence concerning the religious and irreligious activities of one’s past and future lives.”

Prabhupada:

vartamano ’nyayoh kalo gunabhijnapako yatha evam janmanyayor etad dharmadharma-nidarsanam

By the symptoms of birth, one can understand, of course, through abhijna, those who are abhijna. And the word is used gunabhijna, jnapakah. Gunabhijna, gunabhijnapako yatha. By the gunas, one can—guna means quality—one can understand the past and future. Still in India there is an astrological system, it is called Bhrgu-samhita. According to that Bhrgu-samhita, the astrologer can say what the man was in the past and what he’s going to be in future. And present also.

So, generally we can understand from the sastra that according to guna—sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna—those who are in sattva-guna, they are going higher planetary system; rajo-guna, in the same platform; tamo-guna, going down. So the human endeavor should be how to increase the sattva-guna quality of the man. That is the duty of all guardians. State, king, government, everyone should. If you do not make such attempt to elevate your dependent towards the sattva-guna platform, simply lamenting, what will do good to you? “Our position is this, now it is uncontrollable, the things are going bad, there are problems.” Yes, problem must be there. Because the aim of life should be known. They do not know. The modern civilization, they do not know what is the aim of life, how life is going on, eternally, how it is implicated, how to entangle. So many things are there, it is a great science.

So the Krsna consciousness movement is trying to establish this science. Our real mission is how the human society will be happy. That is the duty of all saintly persons. The, according to our parampara system… Just like the Gosvamis, Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami. They were very exalted personalities, minister in government. Still, they resigned from the service and joined Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement. That is the history. All the direct disciples of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they were very big personalities. Just like Rupa, Sanatana. They were minister. Then Bhatta Raghunatha, Dasa Raghunatha. Raghunatha Dasa, he was coming, more than minister. His father and uncle were the biggest zamindar, landlord, in those times. And he was the only son of the father and the uncle. Huge estate, beautiful wife, everything—he left and joined this movement, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s. Similarly, Gopal Bhatta Gosvami, he also coming from a very aristocratic brahmana family in South India. And Sri Jiva Gosvami, the nephew of Rupa Gosvami, in the learned circle, still, in Bengal, they say such a big scholar and philosophy, there was none, and nobody expects a similar philosopher and learned scholar in the future. He was such a big personality, Jiva Gosvami. Big, big Mayavadis, they were afraid of Jiva Gosvami’s logic and argument to establish the Vaisnava philosophy.

So it is not… This Krsna consciousness movement is for very intelligent, high-class, fortunate persons. Because they are going to guide the destiny of the human society. Nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau lokanam hita-karinau. Their only endeavor is how people will be happy. This is their real mission. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore asked to “Take this mission and go village to village, town to town, and spread My mission.”

prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

So you young Americans, you have taken a very great mission, and the system we have introduced, to go in the vans, buses and village to village, town to town. And if you keep strictly on the principles and chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra, then your mission will be successful. There is no doubt about it.

So vartamano ’nyayoh kalo, there are three different features of time—past, present, and future. So those who are learned scholars, from one point, they can calculate what is the past and what is the future. Evam janmanyayor etad dharmadharma-nidarsanam. There is astrology, there are experienced persons, they can say what was the past, what will be the future, this is one side. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement is, even without any knowledge of the past, without any knowledge of the future, if you take the present opportunity, then your life is successful. The present opportunity is that in this age, Kali-yuga, Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Anarpita-carim cirat karunaya… What? Anyone knows this verse?

anarpita-carim-cirat karunayavatirnah kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandana

Saci-nandana. This is Rupa Gosvami’s blessings, that “Within your heart, let Saci-nandana be seated.” Sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah. Then everything will be adjusted. He has appeared for this cause (indistinct). Anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam. He is personally, Krsna personally is giving Krsna. Namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah [Madhya 19.53]. These are the verses composed by Rupa Gosvami, that “Here is most munificent incarnation. Because He’s giving Krsna. Not only Krsna—Krsna- prema, love of Krsna, what was very, very difficult to understand.” Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yayati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. To understand Krsna is not so easy, but Krsna Himself is giving Himself: “Take Me.” That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So future, past, present, future, whatever it has been, our past, or what is present, it doesn’t matter. But if you take to Krsna consciousness movement, then our present and future, both are bright, undoubtedly.

So we should take the instruction of the Gosvamis, Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami… Vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau. Krsnotkirtana-gana-nartana-parau premamrtambho-nidhi dhiradhira-jana-priyau priyakarau nirmatsarau. Nirmatsarau, this movement, there is no distinction. No matsarata. Matsarata means to be intolerant for other’s advancement. Nobody’s… This is material nature. Nobody wants that his friend or his son, or, of course, the father likes, the son is increasing in opulence, he likes, but sometimes he does not like. So this world is full of envy. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement is for the paramahamsa, who is not envious. Paramo nirmatsaranam satam vastavam vastu vedyam atra. Nirmatsara, when one is not envious of others. That is called nirma…, Because in the material world, everyone is envious of another person. That is the nature. Therefore there is so much fight. Everyone is envious. Nation is another nation’s against, envious, even person to person, brother to brother, family to family, community to community. Everywhere, matsarata. Para-utkarsanam asahanam (indistinct). Matsarata means one cannot tolerate other’s flourishing condition. Immediately envious. But this system, Krsna consciousness, is meant for paramo nirmatsaranam. One who has learned this art not to become envious. Tolerant. That is the qualification of saintly persons. Kind. Tin… Hm? What is that? Titiksavah karunikah. Those who are preachers, they should be titiksava. Titiksava means titiksa, tolerance. There will be so much insult, inconveniences, against party, everything. We have to tolerate. Titiksavah karuna. At the same time, we have to distribute the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Titiksavah karunikah. Suhrdah sarva-bhutanam, and friend of everyone, there is no distinction. Friend of everyone. Ajata-satravah. By their action they’ll not create any enemy. Ajata-satravah santah, peaceful. Ajata-satravah santah sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah. These are the decoration of sadhus, saintly persons. Titiksavah karunikah. I think this sloka is there in the Kapila’s teaching to His mother. Titiksavah karunikah, ajata-satravah santah, sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah.

So, so far the Kali-yuga is concerned, the future is very dark. There, everything is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The future of this Kali-yuga, as it will advance, Kali-yuga… We have only passed five thousand years out of thirty-two hundred thousands of years. We have only passed five thousand years, and the miserable condition, situation, will degrade more and more, more and more. So if you have to take again birth in this material world, then we’ll have to suffer more and more. Best thing is that let us finish our business of Krsna consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead, so that we haven’t got to come again to this nonsense material world. That is wanted. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. This should be the aim of life, that we are not going to take advantage of this so-called advance of material civilization. We have no business. Ara nare vaka (indistinct). We should make it a determination that we have enough of this material civilization; we are not any more concerned about it. We are interested in Krsna, how to go back to home, back to Godhead, Krsna. This should be the determination. And if we think, “Let me taste this also and taste that also…” In Bengal it is said durakhai tanakakai (indistinct). Not like that.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has warned very seriously:

niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya param param jigamisor bhava-sagarasya visayinam sandarsanam atha yositam ca ha hanta hanta visa-bhaksanad apy asadhu

For a person who is going back to home, back to Godhead, he should be niskincana. Niskincana means no more any material necessities. Niskincana. Niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanomukhasya. One side, this is nirvana, finished. And the other side positive. Negative side, no more material, and positive side, Krsna. Bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. How to go back to home, back to Godhead to serve Krsna—this is one side. And one side—nil, we don’t want any more anything. Niskincana. For such a person, visayinam sandarsanam atha yositam ca. For such a person, if he has become captivated by the material attraction, means money and material comforts… Woman and material comforts. This is material civilization. Everyone is after woman. Woman or men, the… It is not that woman means the form of woman and man is the form of man. Woman means enjoyable and man means enjoyer. So here in this material world everyone is enjoyer. Everyone is enjoyer. Not only the man thinks “I shall enjoy the woman,” the woman thinks, “I shall enjoy the man.” The spirit is now to become enjoyer, Therefore sometimes the living entity is described as purusa. Actually every living entity is prakrti. Prakrti means enjoyable. So everyone is to be enjoyable by Krsna. But thinking, “I am enjoyer.” That is maya. So everyone is thinking of enjoying this material world. Visayinam atha yositam ca. Visayinam sandarsanam atha yositam. So for any person who is serious about going back to home, back to…, for them these things are abominable, more than drinking poison. This is the verdict of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

So we have… This is the idea. So we must be serious. It is not that in one day we, all of us, we become paramahamsa. That is not possible. Don’t try to imitate, but follow the rules and regulation with vow that “This life I shall go back to home, back to Godhead, with determination.” Then Krsna will give you intelligence. That is promised by Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita. Tesam nityabhiyuktanam bhajatam pritih, satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami… If you are serious, then Krsna is within everyone’s heart, He’ll give you intelligence. But we must be very serious. Then past, present, future will be clear before us, and because Krsna is personally directing, buddhi-yogam dadami. So what knowledge is wanting there when Krsna…? In another place Krsna says,

tesam evanukampartham aham ajnana-jam tamah nasayamy atma-bhavastho jnana-dipena bhasvata [Bg. 10.11]

For a sincere devotee, Krsna says: “To show him special favor, even though he is rascal, I’ll make him intelligent.”

Thank you very much. (end)