Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.11-13 Prabhupada: (mangalacarana) It is very nicely decorated. Yes. Buddhi-yogam dadami tam. This is the result of sincere devotion. Just like when you give me massaging, I say, “Do like this,” similarly, when one is engaged in Krsna’s service, from within He dictates, “Do like this. Do like this.” So our business is how Krsna will accept our service. This verse we have already discussed, that naivatmanah prabhur ayam nija-labha-purnah. He does not require any ser…, anyone’s service because He’s complete. There is no want. Unless He’s perfect, how He can be Supreme? The perfect means… We have got so many wants because we are imperfect. Especially in this material condition, we have got so many demands, wants, because we are living in an atmosphere which is imperfect. But Krsna is perfect, purnam. Purna-brahma. Purna-brahma. Another name of the Absolute Truth is Purna-brahman. Brahman means the greatest, the great and the greatest. And purna, purna means complete. Greatest. Now, in our idea, because we are very teeny, we can see this Pacific Ocean before us—“the greatest.” But even in comparison to the universe, it is not even a drop of water. In comparison to the universe there are millions and trillions of Pacific Oceans floating in the sky. So what is this Pacific Ocean in comparison to the universe? Therefore it is not greatest. But to our idea, we are thinking it is the greatest. This is called relative truth. This is scientifically truth, Professor Einstein’s theory, relativity. We think something very great or greatest according to our capacity of understanding. We are very teeny, so we think that this Pacific Ocean, the greatest. The frog philosophy. Everyone is thinking that his understanding is the greatest. He has no idea that how greatest God is. We say “God is great,” but we do not know how great He is. This Pacific Ocean is an insignificant drop of water within this universe, this material universe. And this universe is also… Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that this universe is just like a, a small mustard seed in the bag of mustard seeds. If you take one bag of mustard seeds, you cannot count how many there are. Is it possible? If you take a bag of grains, is it possible to count how many grains are there? Caitanya Mahaprabhu has compared this universe… One of His devotees, Vasudeva Datta… That is the attitude of devotee. He requested Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “My dear Lord, You have kindly come to deliver the fallen souls. Please fulfill Your mission. Take away all the souls, conditioned souls of the universe. Don’t leave them, not a single. Please take them away. And if You think that they are not eligible or some of them are not eligible, then please transfer their sinful reaction upon me. I shall go on suffering. But You take away all of them.” Just see the attitude of a devotee. “You take them all.” So Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to smile. Now, Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “Vasudeva, do you think that if I take away all the conditioned souls of the universe, the whole universe, if I take, do you think that it is finished, the business is finished? This universe is nothing but just like a mustard seed in a bag of mustard seeds. So even if I take all the conditioned souls of this universe, there are so many universes, other. What about that?” This is discussed in the… So, so our idea of greatest is very imperfect. We do not know how great is God. We simply say that “God is great” and speculate like the frog philosopher, “He may be one inch greater than me. All right, ten inches greater than me. Or ten feet greater than. Ten miles greater than,” like that. Similarly, if God is so great, then what service we can offer Him? So this statement is very nice. Prahlada Maharaja says that “My Lord Krsna is nija-labha-purnah.” If He’s so great… Suppose if you go to see a friend who is multimillionaire. Now, if you offer him, suppose, three apples or four bananas, or such like, so what is that in comparison to his wealth? That is nothing. But he’s pleased still. “Ah, you are my friend. You have brought some fruits. That’s nice.” So Krsna is… When we offer our service, He’s very kind to accept. He says that patram pus… Only thing is devotion. That He accepts. Bhava-grahi janardanah. What is your feeling? How you are feeling for Krsna? Therefore, in the noontime I was saying that you should feel, “Oh, Krsna is seated down. Oh, no. He should not be. He cannot sit for long time. It must be finished.” That feeling… Bhava-grahi janardanah. Krsna accepts our feeling. Just like this little child, if she comes before me with some little fruit like this, that is nothing for me. But the feeling is nice. “Oh, you have brought this? Nice. Very good.” So bhava-grahi janardanah: “Janardana, Krsna, He accepts the feeling.” So we have to purify our feelings. That is Krsna consciousness: “How I can serve?” And if we purify… Purify means purification will be done by Him. We cannot purify. Purification will be done by Him. Simply we have to become purified feelings, that “I must serve Krsna very nicely.” Then He will give facilities, He will give you intelligence, He will give you everything. Janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. In the Fifteenth Chapter, fifteenth verse, you’ll see, Krsna says that “I am sitting in everyone’s heart.” Sarvasya: not only human beings, all living entities. Not only living entities, even in atom, within the atom, He is present there. Sarvasya. Sarvasya means everything, the Supersoul. Sarvasya ca aham, Krsna. Krsna says, “I,” hrdi, “in the heart.” When it is called hrdi, that means living entity. Without living entity, there cannot be any heart. Without this body, no, there cannot be any heart. Dead body. The heart is dead. So sarvasya ca aham hrdi. Hrdi means “in the heart.” Sannivistah: “I am situated. I am sitting there.” And mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca [Bg. 15.15]. Because He is sitting there, therefore all kinds of remembrance, smrti, knowledge and forgetfulness. These things are functions of the mind. You remember something, you gather some knowledge, and sometimes you forget. “Let me think. Oh, yes, I forgot, yes.” That’s a function of the mind. So that forgetfulness is also due to Krsna because He’s sitting there. He’s guiding. If you want to forget Krsna, He’ll give you opportunity of maya that you can…, you’ll never remember Krsna. You’ll forget for good. And that is His kindness. “You want to forget Me? All right. I give you so much facility that you’ll never be able to remember Me.” Therefore the staunch atheist, however you argue with him, however you defeat him… Matir na krsne parato svato va. They cannot. They will not. Because Krsna is arranging within: “Forget. Don’t accept it. Don’t accept it.” So this is going on. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. So for the nondevotees, He’s giving facilities to forget. And for the devotees, who are sincerely seeking Krsna’s favor, Krsna’s service, He’s giving memorization: “Yes, you do like this. Do like this.” Why does He so? That is also explained, ye yatha mam prapadyante: “As you want Me… If you want Me, to forget, I give you facility to forget. And if you want Me, to serve, I give you facility to serve.” That is neutrality. That is God. The rascal says, “Why God has made one devotee and another nondevotee?” No. Not God has made. You wanted to become nondevotee? He has made you nondevotee: “All right, you become rascal number one nondevotee.” And if you want to be devotee? “All right, I’ll make you first-class devotee.” That is God. Whatever you want, you get facility. So this is very nice. Simply if we have actually understood our relationship with Krsna, and if we try to serve Him sincerely, then Krsna will give you all facilities. He’ll give you intelligence. Now, today is, this decoration is so nice that… Of course, such kind of decoration is made in India. But if some devotee comes from India he’ll see, “Oh, it is very nice. How they have done.” How? It is possible because Krsna is everywhere. Krsna is not for the Indians or for the Americans. He’s for everyone. Anyone who desires to serve Him, He’ll give him intelligence. This is the philosophy. We have to become serious, that “Krsna, give me intelligence so that I can serve You very nicely.” Oh, Krsna will give you intelligence. And: “Krsna, give me facility so that I can forget You.” “All right. You again forget.” That is also stated in the Sixteenth… Tan aham dvisatah kruran ksipamy ajasram andha-yonisu: “Those who are envious, asuric, demons, I put them in such abominable life that they’ll never be able to understand Me.” That is the greatest punishment. For a living being, if he forgets God, Krsna, in any condition of life, it is the greatest punishment. They’re thinking that “We are happy without this nonsense God consciousness, Krsna consciousness.” They are the most condemned, most condemned. I think Lord Jesus Christ has said like this, “If anyone gains the whole world and forgets God and self, then what does he gain?” In the Bhagavata also it is said, parabhavas tavad abodha-jatah. We… Everyone is born fool. Just like this child. The child… Everyone knows that child is a fool. Everyone knows. So if the child commits some mistake, does some wrong thing, nobody takes care of him. “Child. He’s a fool.” Or animal. If the cat comes and immediately gets up on the throne, sit down, so we take it is our fault that we allowed the cat, but we don’t take the cat as offender because it is fool, animal. You see? But if you go and sit down there, then everyone will be: “Oh, you are so rascal that you are going to sit down there?” So human being is so responsible. If he remains fool, then he loses the chance of life. He should not remain… Why these books are here? This Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Vedanta-Sutra, and so many nice books there are. Why? Just to make us advanced in knowledge. So we should not try to remain in foolish condition. And if we try to become elevated, Krsna will give us facilities. He is… So Prahlada Maharaja says—we have already discussed about this— that it doesn’t require any qualification. To pacify, to please, to satisfy the Lord, you don’t require any pre-qualification: oh, you have to pass your examination in the university, or you have to become a rich man like Rockefeller or Ford, or you have to become this or that… No condition. Ahaituky apratihata. If you want to love Krsna, there is no check. There is no check. The road is open. Simply you have to become sincere. That’s all. Then Krsna will clear the way. And if there is no sincerity, then Krsna’s maya is there. He’ll always, she’ll always put some stumbling block: “Not this, not this, not this.” So Prahlada Maharaja decided that “Although I am a child, I have no education, I have no studies of the Vedas, and born of atheistic father, lowborn, so all bad qualification… So God is worshiped by intellectual persons, offering Vedic hymns, and brahmanas, highly cultured. So I have no such qualification. But still, all these demigods who are so highly elevated in their position, they have requested me. That means God can be pacified even by me. Otherwise how they recommend? So whatever qualification I have got, whatever intelligence I have got, I may offer Krsna.” Therefore our, this Krsna consciousness movement is like this, that whatever qualification you have got, that is sufficient. You begin with that qualification. Because real qualification—your feeling of service. That is real qualification. So you develop that feeling, not your external qualification, beauty, wealth, knowledge, this, that, no. These things have no value. They are valuable if they are employed in Krsna’s service. If you are very rich man, if you employ your wealth in Krsna’s service… (aside:) You cannot sit like that? Yes. It is all right. But there is no need that you have to become very wealthy. Then you can serve Krsna. So Prahlada Maharaja says, nico ajaya guna-visargam anupravistah puyeta yena puman anuvarnitena. Now, one may question that Prahlada is born of impure father. This is argument. Prahlada is not impure, but it is an argument’s sake, born of low father, or low family, or one, so many, so many things they may say. But Prahlada Maharaja says that “If I begin simply glorify the Lord, then I shall be purified.” If I chant the purification… This Hare Krsna mantra is the process of purification. Not that I’ll have to purify otherwise and then take to Hare Krsna mantra. No. You begin chanting. Then it is purified. You’ll be purified. Begin chanting. In whatever condition you are, that doesn’t matter. Actually I began my, this Krsna consciousness movement—not that they came in a very purified condition. That we, every one of you, know, that those who came to me, they, according, they have been trained from childhood… According to Indian standard, they do not know even the hygienic principles. What is the question of purification? You see. In India the system is from childhood, a child is trained to take bath, to wash teeth in the morning. Yes. And I remember. When my second son was about four years old, so before breakfast, I used to ask him, “Show me your teeth.” So he’ll sh…, “Yes.” “All right, you have washed your teeth. That’s all right. Then you are allowed to take breakfast.” So this training there are. But here, in this country, the training… Of course, there are somewhere, but not very strictly. So that doesn’t matter. Chant Hare Krsna. Begin Hare Krsna. Then everything will come. Everything will come. So Prahlada Maharaja says that nico ’jaya guna-visargam anupravistah. Guna, these three qualities… yasmad bhavan bhaktir utmasmadam nico vigata gata-sankasyan mahimanam sajatrena samanu samsara anuvarnayami ajanato ’pi stuti-karane hetum aha (?). “Although I do not know…” Because the demigods have requested Prahlada Maharaja that “You try to pacify Narasimhadeva, Lord Narasimhadeva, Nrsimhadeva.” So when you go to Krsna, or any other form of Krsna, God, we offer prayers, but “I do not know how to make prayer. I do not know how to write. I do not know how to glorify.” So Prahlada Maharaja says that ajanato stuti-karane, yenaiva mahimna anuvarnitena avidyaya samsara-anupravistah puman suddhyet, tatha hi tan mahi anasya tatah sodakasya abavaditartha(?). In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is explained that if you begin this chanting, then automatically you’ll be purified and you’ll be able to offer prayers in purification. That system will automatically help you. So there is no question that you shall hesitate. There is no question of hesitate. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu has therefore recommended, harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Adi 17.21] Kalau, kalau, in this age, you cannot find a man perfectly purified or this, anyway. That is not possible. Therefore you chant Hare Krsna, and that will help you, the process of purification. Therefore this is the only system at the present moment that one can be purified simply by chanting. Completely. Complete purification means to be situated in pure spiritual life. That is complete purification. Yah smaret pundarikaksam sa bahyabhyantarah sucih. Suci means purified. The brahmana—not this caste brahmana, but actually, those who are brahmana, qualified brahmana—they are called suci, purified, purified. So this purification, how it is done? Now, yah smaret, “one who remembers,” pundarikaksam, “Krsna, always,” sa bahya, means “externally,” and abhyantaram, “internally,” suci, “purified.” So if you chant Hare Krsna always, either loudly or silently or within yourself, mind, if you chant, so there is no question of impurification. It is… You remain always in, what is called, antiseptic stage, or prophylactic stage. Purification is there simply by remembering Krsna. Yah smaret pundarikaksam sa bahyabhyantarah sucih. There is another verse. The purport of that verse is that simply by pronouncing this transcendental vibration, one becomes so purified that immediately he becomes eligible to operate sacrificial, ritualistic ceremonies. Now, sacrificial, ritualistic ceremonies, in the Vedas, priestly, that is, that work is, I mean to say, allotted to the brahmana class. Now, Jiva Gosvami has discussed this verse in this way, that “Even a candala, a persons in the family of dog-eaters, if he chants the holy name of the Lord, he becomes so purified that immediately he becomes eligible to operate sacrificial, ritualistic ceremony.” So Jiva Gosvami has commented in this connection that a boy, a child born in the brahmana family, in order to accept him as real brahmana… He’s born in a pure family. That’s all right. But there are other ceremonies, reformatory ceremonies, and this thread ceremony is also one of the ceremonies. So even taking birth in the brahmana family, he has to undergo the ceremonies to come to the stage of a pure brahmana. But here chanting of holy name is so powerful that he does not require even dependence on those ceremonies. Immediately he becomes. Unless a person… A boy is born in a brahmana family, but unless he’s educated, unless he’s purified, he cannot be allowed to perform the sacrificial ritual, rites. That means he’s dependent on these other processes. So…, but here a devotee who is chanting without any offense, he becomes immediately purified without depending on the other purificatory process. These things are discussed. Now, Prahlada Maharaja begins his prayer, according to his capacity. So he first of all begins, brahmadayo vayam iva isa na, na ca udvijantah. He says, “My dear Lord, here all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, they are very nice people. They are not disturbing elements like us. Because we, I am born of the demon family.” The demons are always disturbing. Their business is to nullify the existence of God. Therefore they’re always disturbing. If there is a certain class of citizens, if they are simply after agitation that “This government is useless,” that means they are disturbing. There are so many parties. They make agitation: “Oh, this government is nothing. We require a new government.” Therefore in your country the communist movement has been statewise declared, “It is illegal.” But in other countries the communist group will always decrying, “Oh, this government is nonsense. This government nonsense.” So as the Communist Party is always disturbing element to the government, similarly, the demons, the atheist class of men, they’re always disturbing to God. How they can gain the benediction from God? They simply disturb Him. And there are different kinds of demons, different classes of demons. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Duskrtinah. Duskrtina means… Krti means very intelligent, and… What is that word, if a man does something wonderful? Genius? Genius? Yes. So the genius, duskrtina, “wrong genius.” That means the materialistic persons, scientists, they’re genius. They have discovered very wonderful machine, wonderful things. They are genius, but duskrtina, not for the welfare of the human society but for condemning the human society. Just like the same example, as I have given several times, that a, the person who has discovered this nuclear weapon, atomic bomb, he’s certainly genius. He has got nice brain, that simply egglike bomb, if you throw, immediately the whole island of Hawaii will be finished. Just like you dropped your atomic bomb on the other side, Japan, Hiroshima… They attacked your Pearl Harbor, and the retaliation was atom bomb on Hiroshima. So these are politics. So this invention of atomic bomb, certainly it requires good brain. But Bhagavad-gita says that this genius, or this brain, intelligence, has been used… (aside:) Stop that. …has been wrongly used. So the materialistic class of men are undoubtedly very, very intelligent, but their intelligence is being used wrongly. Duskrtinah. Duskrtinah mudhah. Mudhah. Mudha means rascal, ass. So by their discoveries, by their materialistic activities, atheistic activities, they’re simply disturbing, simply disturbing. That’s all. They do not know that, that “I am discovering these material things.” If we discuss, we can prolong so many things. Just like in India, when we were children, I saw one advertisement by the Remington typewriter machine company that “This machine has given emancipation to the woman class because they have found some job for typewriting.” In this way they were advertising. But actually does it mean that because there are so many typewriting machine discovered, the women are emancipated? Rather, they have become dependent. Instead of being dependent at home, they have to go and become a secretary of a third-class person, and unless he gives job, his (her) life is in precarious condition. So is that emancipation? But it was advertised as emancipation. Similarly, whatever material advancement we are making in the name of facility, emancipation, we are simply bungling the whole affair, disturbing. They do not know that. Life is so simple. Of course, it is not acceptable at the present situation. Therefore our only remedy is that whatever situation is there, you simply chant. Everything will be adjusted. But this atheistic way of life, this materialistic way of life, is always disturbing. That you should know. Disturbing to whom? To the Supreme. Just like the more they become materially advanced, they’ll decry, “Oh, there is no God. I am God. We don’t care for God. Why you are clamoring for God?” What…? That is their business, simply to decry God. Therefore they are… So Prahlada Maharaja says, “My dear Lord, we belong to that class because we belong to the demon family, so but these demigods, they are not like that.” This is the first… Brahmadaya vayam iva isa na ca udvijantah: “Just like us, we rascals, demons, we simply disturb You, they are not like this.” Ksemaya bhutaya bhutatma-sukhaya casya vikriditam bhagavato ruciravataraih. Sarve hy ami vidhi-karas tava sattva-dhamne, brahmadaya… The vidhi-kara. Vidhi-kara means these demigods are in charge of… Just like Brahma. Brahma is in charge of the creation. Visnu, God Himself, has taken charge of maintenance. Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman. I can employ any engineer to construct a nice building for my family, but that engineer cannot take charge of the maintenance of my family. Is it possible, that if I ask any engineer that “You have now constructed a very nice house for my family. Also you take charge of maintaining”? “No, sir, I cannot do that.” Immediately. “How can I take charge of your family? Now I have created. You have paid me. That’s all.” So maintenance cannot be taken by anyone except by God. Therefore this material world is being operated in three departmental qualities: sattva, raja, tama. Sattva is maintenance. Sattva means goodness. Goodness is maintenance. And raja means activity. Without activity, there cannot be any creation in this material world. If you want to construct something, there must be activity. Raja means activity. And tama means darkness. So these, these qualities are working. These qualities are working. Now, in your country, by the rajo-guna you have created so many things, a nice country, very nicely operating. But another side: the confusion is there, the hippies. You see? Future hope of the country is very dark. You see? It will spoil the whole thing if the country’s not alive to the situation. This is another way of protest. Just like in Europe there are, in Russia there is communist, so this is another way of… So these qualities will work because this material world—one side, goodness; another side, darkness; another side, activity. This is going on. So as there are so many departments of activities, all these demigods, they are in charge of, director, director in chief. So brahmadayah. Brahma is in charge of something. Indra is in charge of something. The demigods, they’re officers. They have no information. They say, “It is nature, nature, nature, nature.” No nature. They are department, department. Indra is in charge of this cloud, how cloud is conducted, how rain falls there, and he’s in charge of… Water department, like that. Just like moon. Moon is in charge of lighting at night. Sun is in charge of lighting in daytime. Because it is darkness. The whole world is darkness. So these demigods… Similarly, Lord Siva is in charge of destroying, tamo-guna. When there will be necessity of destroying this whole thing… Because this world is like that. Everything that is created, that must be destroyed. Your body is being created from the father and mother. Now it is being maintained. So creation and maintenance, and then a time will come—it will be destroyed. So these, these three departments are there. So for creative department of this material world, Lord Brahma; for maintenance department, Lord Visnu Himself; and for destruction, Lord Siva. These are the guna avataras, three, trinity. One is creating, one is maintaining… So Prahlada Maharaja says, brahma, sarve hy ami vidhi-karas tava sattva-dhamno: “They are all Your servants. These demigods, they are appointed servants, and they are not disturbing like us. And Your incarnation is specially meant for them, specially meant…” Because Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8] Actually He incarnates to protect these, I mean to say, faithful persons who are devoted to Krsna. That is His main business. And vina… And the sideways side, I mean to say, killing all these demonic per… Just like Hiranyakasipu, he’s demon, and Prahlada is devotee. Lord Nrsimha’s appeared for two business: for killing Hiranyakasipu and giving protection to Prahlada. So Prahlada Maharaja says that “Actually Your appearance, Your incarnation, is meant for these devotees, these demigods.” Demigod means devotee. There are two classes of men in the world. One class is demigod. Who are demigod? Those who are Vaisnavas, they are demigods. Demigod does not mean that something extraordinary. Anyone who is Vaisnava, devotee of the Supreme Lord, he is demigod. That is the statement of Vedic literature. Visnu-bhakto bhaved daivah. Daiva. Daiva means devata or demigod. Asuras tad-viparyayah. And those who are atheistic demons, they are just the opposite. They are never devotee. So there are two classes of men in this world. Sometimes the number, or the proportion, may be greater, this side or that… But in this material world there is never… The proportion of the demigods, or Vaisnavas, is never greater. They are very few always. You cannot expect that the whole world, whole population of the world, will become Vaisnava. That is not possible. Mostly they are demons, atheistic. So Prahlada Maharaja first of all appeals to the Lord that “My dear Lord, Nrsimhadeva, Your appearance is for their protection. Now You have killed the demon, my father. Now Your business is finished. Now You become pacified, satisfied, because You have no other, no other cause for being angry.” Because Nrsimhadeva was groaning in anger, and the demigods were afraid to approach Him, so Prahlada Maharaja first appeals to Him, “My dear Lord, there is no need of any more groaning. You become satisfied because Your appearance is for the protection of these demigods. They are not disturbing to You.” In this way he begins his prayer, very nice, simple, a child, although there is no question of Vedanta philosophy. The simple truth. The simple truth. But it is very nice. We shall go on. So he isa ami udvijanto vibhranta sarve brahmadayah sattva-murtes tava vidhi-karah. “Another thing is, now, they are very peaceful by nature. But by Your this fierceful appearance, they have become, I mean to say, fearful. So because Your incarnation is for them, now You become pacified so that they may also become pacified.” Brahmadayah sattva-murteh. Sattva-murte. They are… Sattva-murte means devotees. “All, they are devotees,” sakta-murte. Tava vidhi-kara niyoga-karta: “And they are Your faithful servant. They are Your faithful servant. They are demigod. They are not disturbing.” In this way… So to glorify the devotees of the Lord is more pleasing to the Lord. Krsna says, mad-bhaktah pujyabhyadhikah. If we… Just like we say, nanda-nandana, ayi nanda-nandana. We don’t say…, Caitanya Mahaprabhu does not say directly, “O Krsna.” He says, “O the son of Nanda.” Krsna is very much pleased. Just like Nanda Maharaja is supposed to be maintainer of Krsna, so He takes pleasure when His devotee’s names is there. Just like we say, “Radha-Krsna.” Radha- Krsna. So Radha’s name is first. Why? Nobody can be better devotee than Radharani. So as soon as Radha’s name is there, Krsna is more pleased. So that is the way. So if we glorify the devotees, the character of the devotees, before the Lord, He’s more pleased than to glorify Himself, He directly. So “They are Your most obedient servant, and they are all devotees.” Sattva, bhakta eva nanv eva bhayam ca asuram eva vaidha-bhavah: “They are not just like enemies. We are Your enemies.” He’s taking always himself… This is another sign of devotee. He is not… He is more than the demigod. He has, he’s so elevated, but still, he’s personifying himself with the atheistic class because he’s born in that, from that father. That is humbleness. That is… He’s not actually so. Just like Haridasa Thakura. Haridasa Thakura, because he was born in a Muhammadan family, he would go… Caitanya Mahaprabhu transferred Himself to Jagannatha Puri after taking sannyasa. So he requested Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “My dear Lord, You are going to Jagannatha Puri. What will be my fate?” “Oh, you also come there. You live with Me.” So Haridasa Thakura also went to Jagannatha Puri, but because he was born in a Muhammadan family, the priest class, they would make howling, “How this Muhammadan is entering?” So he never entered the temple. Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him just an apartment where He was living, just by the side. And every morning Caitanya Mahaprabhu was coming to see him. So, so it does not mean… If a humble devotee thinks that “I am the lowest. I am untouchable, this way,” that does (not) mean he is out of the touch of God. But this humbleness is very good, just like Prahlada Maharaja, always identifying himself that “I am the son of atheist father. So these demigods, they are not disturbing elements like us.” So bhakta kintu sadaiva tava ruciraiva avatara-visesam kriya kriyanam asya visvasya ksemadi na tu padanaya: “Now, due to Your fierceful attitude, the demigods and others, they have been, become afraid. But actually Your incarnation is for their maintenance. Therefore You pacify Your anger because You have appeared for them. If they are, become fearful on account of Your appearance, then You should be pacified. Otherwise, they are very much perturbed.” Now Prahlada Maharaja will explain his attitude, whether he was afraid or not. These things will be explained very nicely in our next meeting. Thank you very much. [break] …Prahlada Maharaja. And Krsna has said in the Bhagavad-gita, asuranam prahlado ’smi: “Amongst the demons, I am Prahlada.” His grandson, also, he became also great devotee, Bali, Bali Maharaja. The Vamanadeva went to Bali Maharaja. He was also great devotee. And this Bali Maharaja is the grandson of Prahlada Maharaja. They are demonic family. So amongst the demons, many devotees came out. So to become devotee does not depend on that particular family, this or that. No. Anyone can become devotee. (sound of child running in background) Now she is feeling freedom, expressing freedom. Don’t express. Then you’ll be again put into. No more. Oh! All right. (running continues) Everyone wants freedom. Yes. Don’t touch. Don’t touch, please. Any other question? Hm. Mam hi partha vyapasritya ye ’pi syuh papa-yonayah. That is declared in the Bhagavad-gita. Anyone who goes to Krsna, he can attain the highest perfection of life. It does not depend that what family, what heritage, what country, what nation, what color, what education. No, nothing. Simply one has to become willing devotee of Krsna. That’s all. Just like the, yesterday, they came? So they did not come. They’re not willing to become devotee. They want to become God—by intoxication. You see? This nonsense theory is killing so many persons. Artificially intoxication, forgetting his present ex… Just like sleeping, one forgets, and he becomes a God. Oh, it is very dangerous theory. This is going on. And as soon as one is said that “You become God’s servant,” “Oh, again servant?” But he’s actually servant of intoxication. That will continue. But as soon as he’s requested that “You become servant of Krsna,” “Oh, this is nonsense. They are old-type people. We have invented something new, to become servant of sex and intoxication.” And if somebody says, “Yes, it is all right. You go on with this. Simply meditate for fifteen minutes and you’ll actually realize that you are God…” This is asuric. This is asura. Asuras will never accept that there is separate… (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Hawaii, March 24, 1969