Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.12-15
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971

Prabhupada: …his position. And from his statements any sane man will understand also his position. Don’t claim that “I am God. I am Supreme.” Just try to understand what is your position. Most insignificant position. How do you claim that you are God?

So Yamaraja says, (reads Sanskrit commentary) ko ’sau yatra yasmin vittam otam protam urdham urdhva tiryak tanti tu tatavat yasya tu amsabhyo brahma-visnu-rudrebhyasya trtiyadaya bhagavan tu yasya ca bhase loka vartase nasi nasikayam prota bali madhyam iva vastu.(?) So, before claiming oneself as the Supreme, one should consider how he is the Supreme. There are different controllers. And the supreme controller, as is explained by Yamaraja, is one who creates this cosmic manifestation, maintains, and again annihilates. He is the supreme cont… And this is confirmed by Bhagavad-gita, that this prakrti, or the nature, is not working independently. The scientists take it, a platform, that the nature is doing out of its own accord. That is not a very scientific proposal. Anyone knows that nothing takes place automatically unless one living force adjusts the materials. The house does not come automatically, although the ingredients are there. It has to be handled by a living entity, and then the house is appearing as one of the product of this material world. Similarly, we have to consider that this big cosmic manifestation is not creation of blunt material energy. No. That is not possible. There must be. How one can deny God? There is no possibility of denying God.

So Yamaraja is explaining that “He is above me, the supreme controller, and He is the…, He is such controller that He creates, He maintains, and He annihilates also.” We become so much harassed even for creating a family and maintaining them. We have become so much harassed. And foolishly we claim that we are the Supreme Personality of Godhead who creates the whole cosmic manifestation. And Brahma, Visnu, Mahesvara, the directors of creation department, maintenance department, and annihilation department… Annihilation also required. That annihilation is one of the business of Krsna, or God, for this material world. Not in the spiritual world. There is no annihilation. Here it is required. Sometimes, because everyone has come here to lord it over the material nature, so there must be an ultimate situation when it becomes intolerable, and therefore Krsna has to annihilate, finish. That is kalki-avatara.

mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavalam dhumaketum iva kim api karalam kesava dhrta-kalki-sarira jaya jagadisa hare

Mleccha. When people become mlecchasMleccha means not following the Vedic principles. Those who are following the Vedic principles, they are classified guna-karma-vibhagasah, in four divisions. And beyond these four divisions, who are less than sudras, they are called mlecchas and yavanas and candalas. Their behavior is so abominable that they cannot be accepted as civilized man. Civilized man, not by so-called material advancement. Civilized man is this four division of society—brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, and sudras. That is civilized society. Where there is no such division, everyone is a sudra, that is not a civilized form of society. At the present moment the whole world is… [break]

Draksye tan-nabhita-susta-maya sattva-pradhana api kim tato me. Anye ca ye vrsyasi yo maresa bhrgradayah sprsta-rajas-tamasya sapta-pradhana…, draksye hi tam na viduh sprsta-maya sattva-pradhana api kim tato ’smi.(?) Bhrgv-adayah. There are seven rsis headed by Bhrgu: Bhrgu, Vasistha, Atreya, like that. There are seven great rsis. The seven planets you see on the northern side, they are supposed to be their abodes, bhrgv-adayah, centering Dhruvaloka, the polestar. You have seen the seven stars? What is called?

Devotee: It’s called the Little Dipper. Seven-star formation?

Prabhupada: Yes. Like that.

Devotee: Box and then one thing going up?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee: That’s the Dipper.

Prabhupada: No, no. Seven star in the northern pole, center being the polestar. It is moving whole night.

Guest: Saptarsi-mandala.

Prabhupada: Saptarsi-mandala, yes. That saptarsi-mandala is the abode of great seven rsis. So here it is said, Yamaraja says, “Even the seven rsis…” They are controlling the affairs, like the demigods, and they are brahmanas amongst the demigods, the great sages. The demigods, some of them are brahmanas, some of them are ksatriyas, exactly in the same way. So this bhrgv-adayah rsis, they are brahmanas. Sattva-guna-pradhanah. Sattva-pradhanah. They are standing on the modes of goodness. So… And they are visva-srjo ’maresah. Amara. Amara means the demigods. They are supposed to be amara in our calculation. Just like Brahma. We cannot calculate his duration of life. His duration of life is so long that it is beyond our calculation. Therefore they are sometimes called amara. Amara means immortal. Although none of them are immortal, but… Just like in comparison to a germ or… What is called in our, in Diwali, during? What is that, that worms? They generate in the night, in the evening, and at the end of the night, finished. During… We call deoyali-poka in Bengali. What do you call in Hindi? You have not seen?

Devotee (1): Glowworms.

Prabhupada: No, no. Glowworm is different. They…, small. They generate in the evening, lots of. They come, attack the light.

Guest: Patanga.

Prabhupada: Patanga. And many millions gather, and in the morning finished. Within that period their birth, death, marriage, and children—everything finished. Now, for them, suppose such patangas, whose life is only, say, twelve hours, within that hours they finish all business. So if they are told that “You are doing so much, but there is another, man—this night is only twelve hours; similarly, another twelve hours, day; similarly, another such thirty days makes a month; such twelve months makes a year; and such hundred years they live,” so they will be surprised: “How is that?” Similarly, we are surprised also when we hear about Brahma. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17]. Actually in the higher planet our six months is equal to their one day. Just like when the sputniks were thrown in the outer space, they circulated the whole world in one hour, twenty-five minutes. One hour, twenty-five was all. They circulated three times within one hours, twenty-five minutes. Such a speed. Now actually, in our calculation the whole world can be circumambulated in twenty-four hours. But that is reduced to one hour, twenty-five. That is admitted by Einstein. This is called relative, relativity, according to the speed. Just like when you travel by airplane from here to London it takes, say, about nine hours. That is relative, relative to the force. Similarly, everything is relative. We are thinking that Brahma’s duration of life is so great, but it is also hundred years. But it is… You will understand very nicely. You can explain. According to our calculation they are immortal. Just like according to calculation of the patanga, our life is immortal. You see. They will calculate, “Oh, these human beings are immortal.” But none of them are immortal. So we call them immortal, the demigods. Amaresah.

So amaresah, they are the bhrgv-adaya-rsis, great rsis, or Indra, Candra, and so many demigods. They are looking after the management of this universe. Bhrgv-adayah. But they are also attacked, contaminated, by these qualities of ignorance and passion and goodness. Some of them are in goodness; some of them are in passion; some of them in ignorance. They are not free. The proportion may be… Because their duration of life is greater, far, far greater than ours, the proportion may be different, but they are not free. That is stated here. Nobody is free. Anye ca ye visva-srjo ’maresa bhrgv-adayo ’sprsta-rajas-tamaskah. Sprsta, they are also contaminated. Nobody… Unless one is completely free from this contamination, nobody is allowed to enter in the spiritual kingdom. Suddha-sattva. Suddha-sattva means…Even one is situated in that sattva-guna, he is not completely pure. Sometimes the other two qualities, ignorance and passion, may attack.

Therefore Yamaraja says, yasyehitam na viduh: “They also tried to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such great personalities whose duration of life is so long, who are so advanced in the modes of goodness, they also try to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Na viduh: “But they could not do so.” And what to speak of us? It is said also that Ananta, He has got unlimited faces, Anantadeva…You have seen the picture, Visnu… Holding over the head of Visnu is Ananta. Ananta-sayya. So Ananta, He has ananta hoods and ananta mouth and… Ananta means unlimited. And He is trying to chant the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead unlimitedly in unlimited time. Still, it is unfinished. Still, it is unfinished. So yasyehitam na viduh. Why? If they are so much advanced, why they cannot? Sprsta-mayah: “They are also contaminated by maya.” Sprsta-mayah. Sattva-pradhanah: “Their position in the platform of goodness, on the quality of goodness, that is very prominent, but they are not free from the contamination.” Just like in this, our experience, a first-class brahmana, he is supposed a first-class man. But still there is contamination. At least this contamination is there: “Oh, I am a brahmana. I am brahmana. I am greater than all others. I am learned, and I know all the Vedas. I know what is what. I understand Brahman. Because brahma janatiti brahmanah, so he knows. So all these qualities, first-class brahmana, but still he is contaminated because he is proud: “I am this. I am this.” That is material identification. That is… He is not free from the material identification. And this proud, this pride, when increases, then there is falldown, which has caused this falldown of the brahmanas of this age. Unnecessarily they became pride and tried to dominate over the other classes. And they saw… Gradually they degraded in their qualities, and they saw, “Why this class of men…” That is being protested still—who are known to be brahmanas, they should go over everyone. “We are also qualified.” Therefore, instead of cooperation there was misunderstanding, and the whole structure of Vedic society became dismantled. The whole Vedic society. They are simply now proud: “I am brahmana. I am ksatriya.”

But according to our Bhagavata school or the Vedanta school… Bhagavata is the Vedanta, you should always remember. Bhasyam brahma-sutranam **. It is the right commentary on the Brahma-sutra, Vedanta. So the falldown takes place not only of the brahmanas, but also of the ksatriyas, vaisyas, and the sudras. How the falldown takes place?

ya esam purusam saksad atma-prabhavam isvaram na bhajanty avajananti sthanad bhrastah patanty adhah

When these classes of men forget that we are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as soon as they neglect… Always remember: being parts and parcel, our duty is to serve the Supreme. The same example: the finger, hand, being part and parcel of body, is always engaged in the service of the whole. So these brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras, they are also parts and parcels, the same position. Brahmana is the head, ksatriya is the arm, vaisya is the belly, and the sudras… But everything is required. If you want to keep up your body in sound condition of… Any part of the body is important. Comparatively, the head is most important. But other parts, you cannot say they are not important. But when there is competition, that “I am the most important. You are nothing,” or “I am something. You are nothing,” in this way we forget to serve the whole, and that becomes the cause of our falldown. Na bhajanty avajananti. Gradually, by their degradation, they forget service of Krsna. Simply they fight for their position. Then they fall down their position. Sthanad bhrastah patanty adhah. They are no more brahmanas or ksatriyas; they are all rascals. One who forgets the service of the Lord, in spite of His appearing in a brahmana family or a ksatriya family, he is rascal. He is nothing. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunah. All these gunas… Guna-karma-vibhagasah. All the gunas are lost.

So Yamaraja says… It sometimes takes place in the great. Just like Bhrgu Muni. There was meeting, “Who is the greatest, the three deities, Brahma, Visnu, Mahesvara?” So Bhrgu Muni was deputed to test. And he purposefully kicked on the chest of Visnu. So the so- called brahmanas, they take pride: “Oh, our community man was able to kick.” Even in Tulasi Dasa’s Ramayana that is very… But no brahmanas should discuss. The kicking on the chest of Visnu, that was a different matter. But the so-called brahmanas are very much proud that “We are so great that we can kick on the chest of Visnu.” They described this incident very proudly, nonsensically. Bhrgv-adayah. Bhrgu is considered to be great rsi. But Yamaraja says—he is mahajana, he is authority—that “They are also contaminated.” That Bhrgu dared to kick on the chest of Visnu, being contaminated by the brahminical… “I am so great. I can do that.” So when such great personalities like Bhrgu Muni, Parasara Muni, er, I mean to say, Vasistha, and Atreya, they are so much contaminated, what to speak of others? How they will understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by mental speculation? They will conclude naturally, “Imperson.” That’s all. It is not possible for them. Only the devotees, they can understand what is the actual identification of the Absolute Truth. Yasyehitam na viduh sprsta-mayah sattva-pradhana api kim tato ’nye. What others can do it.

So yasya ca lila durvibhavya ity aham iti vadyam. Na sprstam rajas-tamam ye iti tam abhyehi pretam cestitam va na viduh.(?) Although they are freed from the contamination of the lower-grade qualities, still they could not understand, although there is possibility. There is possibility. Sattva-guna-pradhanah. The brahmanas…, it is for the brahmanas. By quality, they can understand to some extent. Brahma janati iti brahmanah. He has to become Vaisnava. Simply brahminical qualification will not help him. That is the greatest qualification within this material world. But still, he has to surpass that… Just like postgraduate. The brahmanas may be graduate. Others, they are not graduate. They are, say, ISA matriculate, like that. But even the brahmana has to become… That is also stated. Sat-karma-nipuno viprah, nipuna, mantra-tantra-visaradah. A brahmana, his qualification is that he knows what is his business. And that business is sat-karma. Sat-karma means a brahmana has to become very learned. Pathana. He must be a serious student of Vedic religion. That is first qualification. Veda-pathad bhaved viprah. And he has studied all these Vedic literatures, and he remains a fool, that is… Immediately he is disqualified. So pathana-pathana. Not that he would simply take advantage of the knowledge without distributing it. Therefore a brahmana’s business is to distribute the knowledge. Just like yesterday we saw. There is a small school. That’s a very nasty condition. But this is the business of the brahmanas. In the village a brahmana would sit down and the village boys and girls would come there to learn from him, and they will bring some presentation. That will be his livelihood. A brahmana hasn’t got to go anywhere to seek his livelihood. So therefore pathana-pathana. He should be himself very learned scholar, and he should try to make others also like him.

Pathana-pathana yajana-yajana. He should also worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he should try to induce others to come to that position. Pathana-pathana yajana-yajana dana-pratigraha. The brahmana is offered donation. That is the system. But he not should keep it for his personal… As soon as he gets donation, he spends for some service of the Lord. Even a brahmana gets one lakh of rupees, next morning he is still a beggar because he does not keep anything for tomorrow. Everything depending on Krsna, and he spends money like that. Pathana-pathana yajana-yajana dana-pratigraha. The brahma\ na is, I mean to say, allowed. A brahmana is allowed to take charity from others—a sannyasi and a brahmana. No other is allowed. Nowadays it is come, daridra-narayana. Daridra. “The poor man become Narayana; therefore he should be served.” This nonsensical theory has come up by some nonsense. But actually a qualified brahmana should be given charity. A sannyasi, Vaisnava, should be given charity. That is sattvika charity. And rajasika charity means to open hospital, schools. These are rajasika charity. And tamasika charity means without any discrimination, a Bowery man given one rupee and immediately purchase a bottle of wine. So this is tamasika charity. By tamasika charity, one is degraded.

So sastra says, sat-karma-nipuno vipro mantra-tantra-visaradah. He is not only… A brahmana, qualified brahmana, is expert in these six kinds of businesses, but he should be very much expert in chanting the Vedic mantras, hymns, mantra-tantra-visaradah, very expert. And even he is expert in such way, if he is avaisnava, if he has no tendency for rendering devotional service to the Lord, avaisnavo gurur na sa syat, he cannot be a guru. Even without… Even with all the qualifications, if he is avaisnava… You will find, there are many brahmanas, they are smartas. They are called smarta, means they are under conclusion that “If we do nice Vedic…, perform nice Vedic rituals, then our duty is finished. These devotees, they are chanting. They are less intelligent class of men. They do not, cannot do anything. They have taken to this process.” So therefore he is avaisnava. Just like Ramananda Raya. He was accompanied by very, very learned men, learned brahmanas. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when he met Caitanya Mahaprabhu and both of them embraced and were crying in ecstasy, the brahmanas, the smarta-brahmanas, they could not understand that “Why this great personality, governor…? He is so great and simply by embracing a sannyasi he is crying. And why this sannyasi… It is understood that He is coming from a brahmana family. And He has taken such a great personality. Why He is crying by embracing Ramananda?” They could not understand. And as soon as Lord Caitanya saw that the smartas are puzzled, He stopped. He stopped. Perhaps you know this incidence. So the smartas, they cannot understand the… Smarta, jata-gosai. The smartas, to pull on their business, so they have become gosvamis. But actually they are not devotees. So these gosvamis will go to a devotee, and one who is willing to accept a spiritual master. Then they will offer different kinds of mantras: “You want to worship Krsna? All right. I will give you Krsna mantra. You want to worship Kali? I will give you kali-mantra.” This way the business is going on.

So that sort of qualification is not very good qualification. One should be actually a surrendered soul. That will make him qualified. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam. Here it is said, sprsta-mayah. Even such qualified brahmanas, they are also sprsta-mayah, contaminated by the touch of maya, maya-grasta. He is not free. But Krsna says, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. Only a fully surrendered soul to Krsna is able to get out of the contamination of maya. Therefore such surrendered soul can understand what is Krsna, not others. Not others.

yam vai na gobhir manasasubhir va hrda gira vasu-bhrto vicaksate atmanam antar-hrdi santam atmanam caksur yathaivakrtayas tatah param

Tan maya-mohitam, mohitad na jananty ity uktam.

So the conclusion is that naham prakasah sarvasya yogamaya-samavrtah [Bg. 7.25]. Krsna says, “I am not revealed to everyone.” Yogamaya. Therefore very few persons can understand what is Krsna. Krsna does not reveal Himself. Those who are devotees… Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. Those who are actually devotees, dedicated the life and everything for Krsna, for them only, Krsna reveals: “Yes, I am like this.” Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. Those who are twenty-four hours engaged in the devotional service—not as a routine, but with faith and love—bhajatam priti-purvakam. Not that official. Official, he cannot understand. But one who is serving the Deity with love and faith, to him only, Krsna will reveal and He will give intelligence. Krsna is very intelligent. Krsna ye bhaje… Only intelligent men can worship Krsna.

So here it is said, yam vai na gobhir manasasubhir va hrda gira vasu-bhrto vicaksate. (reads commentary) Tan maya-mohitad na jananty ity uktam, avased tata tasya ityahayam iti. Gobhir indriyair cittena na vicaksata na pasyanti.(?) So gobhih, by sensual gymnastic or mental speculation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be understood. There are many mental speculator, just like Aurobindo Ghosh. So he speculated. He understood that there are activities even after liberation, but he could not understand Krsna, so hard it is. Others, the so-called sannyasis, just like Ramatirtha or Vivekananda, they could not approach even, in the modern age. And the Aurobindo, he approached up to the Brahman liberation, but he could not approach to the understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is… Arjuna says also in the Bhagavad-gita, “It is very difficult to understand Your personality.” Everyone becomes… The other day in the Mela, Magha-mela, one Gangeshvarananda, retired high court judge, he said that “This is the first time, Swamiji, that we are hearing from you on solid basis about the Personality.” The whole world, nirvisesa-sunyavadi… Nirvisesa… Means the impersonalists and voidists, that’s all. They have no understanding what is Personality of Godhead. Gobhir indriyair hrda cittena na vicaksate. One cannot, a gobhih, by exercise of the senses. Gobhih and indriyair hrda, heart also, meditation. The jnanis, the speculators, they are speculating by sensual activities, and the yogis, they are trying to find out the Supreme within the heart, cittena. So na pasyanti: “But they cannot see.” They cannot see. So jnanis, the yogis, they cannot understand. Although they are trying for it, they cannot understand. It is clearly said, hrda gira vasu-bhrto vicaksate. Yad vaca nabhud dhrtam yan manah manute ityadi sruteh.(?) And he is giving recitation from the Vedas: yad vaca nabhud dhrtam yan manah manute ityadi sruteh. Avann manasa-gocarah.(?) He is beyond the reception of mental speculation or philosophical topics.

(reading commentary) Atmanam jivanam atmanam drastaram yam akrte rupani caksur yatha karmabhut na jananti. Tatah param akrte nayam prakasakam nahi pramattah pranmanasya visaya iti bhavam. Evam bhuta paramesvara mad-anyasyeti purvenaiva sambandhah.(?) So he is trying to explain about his master, that it is not very easily understood. That was the point of Yamaraja to his assistants, that “People like you, they think that Yamaraja… I am the supreme. But that’s not a fact. The fact is I am also controlled by another supreme master.” And how to know him he is describing. He is describing that, “It is not possible to know Him in this way. It is not possible in this way. Even great sages and rsis, they could not understand in this way. Yam evaisa vrnute… Nayam atma pravacanena labh… This is Vedic injunction. Simply by talking, becoming a very nice speaker or lecturer. you cannot understand the Supreme. Nayam atma na medhaya. Because you have got very nice brain, therefore you will be able to understand—no. Na medhaya. Nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya na. Then how? Yam evaisa vrnute tena labhyah. “Only such person who is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can understand.” He can understand. Otherwise, nobody can understand. So therefore our business should be how to get His favor. And that favor, that is very easy to understand, that if you surrender to a person, then you can get his favor; otherwise not. This is process of understanding the Supreme Personality. [break]

Nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna srutena. These are Vedic injunctions. Bahuna srutena. Sruti means education. Not by medha, brain, and not by education, not by lecturing, but simply by surrendering. Or… Surrendering, or simply by the mercy, by the causeless mercy of the Lord. By… His causeless mercy to this age is simple. Immediately says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg. 18.66], sarva-guhyatamam: “The most confidential part of My instruction is this, that you simply surrender unto Me.” Sarva-dharman. Sarva-guhyatamam. What is that verse? Maharaja, you can say? Sarva-guhyatamam. No, no. In the Bhagavad-gita. Before this sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66], there is another verse. Where is the Bhagavad-gita? Not English. I want original Sanskrit. Sarva-guhyatamam bhuyah. Sarva-guhyatamam bhuyah srnu me paramam vacah: “The most confidential instruction, just try to understand.” (Hindi) “Surrender unto Me.” They cannot understand: “Why shall I surrender?” But it is the most confidential instruction. Those who cannot understand Bhagavad-gita, they will put forward, “Why should we surrender? Krsna has said about jnana, about karma, about yoga. Why not these processes?” But he does not know that is the ultimate process. The jnana, yoga, may help one to come to that point, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan [Bg. 7.19], after many many births, but that is not the direct process. The direct process is sarva-guhyatamam bhuyah srnu me paramam vacah isto ’si: “I am disclosing this most confidential part of My instruction unto you,” isto ’si, “because I love you.” Isto ’si me drdham iti. “Because I am confident that you are My confidential friend.” Drdham iti tato vaksyami te hitam: “Therefore I am disclosing this to you.”

Krsna does not say everyone that sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66], only to a selected devotee. Because unless one is very highly elevated devotee, he cannot accept this proposition. He is puffed up with his material, contaminated life. That’s all. “I am this. I am that. I am this. I am that. Why shall I surrender?” Actually they forgot. Dr. Radhakrishnan says, “This is sophistry, that Krsna is demanding like that.” He is proud of his becoming a great philosophy, but he does not know he is a fool number one. He comments on the Bhagavad-gita in a different way. That he does not know. Therefore he is surprised: “How this gentleman, Krsna, is asking to surrender? I am so proud. I am so learned.” But this is the only process. What is that? He again explains it: man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. The same thing which was instructed in the Ninth…

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi satyam te pratijane priyo ’si me [Bg. 18.65]

Priyo ’si me: “Because you are My very dear friend, you have fully surrendered unto Me, therefore I am speaking to you.” Then He says,

sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah [Bg. 18.66]

These three verses are the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad-gita, sarva-guhy

So people do not understand, and they read Bhagavad-gita daily. And they are very much proud: “I am reading Bhagavad-gita daily.” If anyone actually reads Bhagavad-gita, then he will be Krsna conscious. It is meant for that purpose. But they do not read actually. They simply make a show. Neither do they understand what is Bhagavad-gita. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. Is that all right? So we have to preach in that spirit.

What is the next program? (end)