Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.7.30-31 Prabhupada: sangena sadhu-bhaktanam isvararadhanena ca So Prahlada Maharaja is recommending how to begin bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, the first beginning is adau gurvasrayam, as Rupa Gosvami recommends. Adau gurvasrayam, the beginning, first beginning is to accept a bona fide spiritual master. Adau gurvasrayam, . Sad-dharma-prcchat. So it is not that official accepting a spiritual master, but one should be very much inquisitive to understand about eternal duty or eternal activities. Sad-dharma. Sat means eternal, and dharma means characteristics. Eternal characteristics. What is that eternal characteristics? With this body, we change our characteristics. That is not eternal characteristics. Just like a human body. The standard of living of a human being and the standard of living of an animal, different. As the body changes, the standard of living also changes. Therefore, they are not eternal. They are not eternal. Everyone is trying to live, struggle for existence, but these living conditions are different, according to the body. The body is made according to his destination of happiness and distress by superior authority. I cannot say that I will have such-and-such body my next life. But in one sense, if I am intelligent, I can prepare my next body. I can prepare my body to live in certain planets, in certain societies. Even you can go to the higher planets. And if I like, I can prepare my body to go to the abode of Krsna, Goloka Vrndavana. That is the function. Human body is meant for that intelligence, that what kind of body I shall have in my next life? Just like a student educates himself with an ambition that “When I am grown up I shall have this standard of life. I shall become a high court judge, I shall become a military man, I shall become a very good businessman.” As there are different ambitions, similarly, for your next life also you can maintain different ambitions. That is in your hands. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, yanti deva-vrata devan [Bg. 9.25], if you are ambitious to elevate yourself… Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet, that is an ambition. But they are trying to fulfill the ambition wrongly. That is not the way, that we manufacture some machine and by force we enter into the moon planet. That is not possible. You have to undergo certain rules and regulations so that after quitting this body you are allowed to get a particular type of body suitable for a particular type of planet. yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah bhutani yanti bhutejya mad-yajino ’pi yanti mam [Bg. 9.25] Those who are desiring to enter into the higher planetary system where demigods live, Candraloka, Suryaloka, Indraloka, Varunaloka, Vayuloka, Brahmaloka, Dhruvaloka, Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, there are different millions of…, vibhuti-bhinnam. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40] In the brahmajyoti of Krsna, there are innumerable planets. The spiritual portion, there are innumerable Vaikunthas. Vaikuntha means… Kuntha means anxiety. Where there is no anxiety, simply pleasure, that is our life. Here also we want a very happy life without any anxiety. That is our tendency. We try to make a very nice comfortable house, a very good bank balance, all secure so that I can live there very comfortably. That competition is going on. But that is not possible here. Here samsara-davanala. This samsara, it is meant for suffering. Davanala, just like forest fire. Nobody sets in the forest fire, but it takes automatically. So however you may try to live here comfortably, happily, peacefully, eternally, it is not possible. That is the difference between this temporary material manifestation and eternal, eternal Vaikunthaloka, spiritual world. So this Krsna consciousness movement means to prepare a body, next life, by approaching Krsnaloka. Krsnaloka, Vaikunthaloka, innumerable there are. This material manifestation of universes, here also there are innumerable universes. The one universe we are seeing or one solar system we are seeing, but there are innumerable solar systems. That is admitted by modern science also. So all these innumerable solar systems or brahmandas or universes, they form only one third manifestation of God’s creation. Only one third. Ekamsena sthito jagat. But the Vaikunthaloka is three-fourth part. That is stated in the sastras. So Prahlada Maharaja says to his demonic friends that “Stop this life in this material world.” Bija-nirharanam. We are in this material world simply by different desires. We are creating different desires, our material ambition. So Prahlada Maharaja says, “Stop this.” But stopping this…, people think that stopping this, then where is our next life? That they do not know. That is the difficulty. But we get information from sastras, we get information from Bhagavad-gita that “The place where you go and do not return back, that is My place.” Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. Again, Krsna says that tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. There is a process. The process is simply to understand Krsna. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah, not knowing superficially, “Oh, Krsna is a historical person. Some five thousand years ago, He took birth as the son of Devaki,” like that. Everyone knows—at least every Indian knows—and they observe Krsna’s birthday. That is beginning. But Krsna is the Supreme Absolute Truth, He is the origin of everything, He is the cause of all causes, that is not known. That one has to know. The brahmajyoti, impersonal jyoti is bodily effulgence. The brahmajyoti is resting on Krsna. Brahmano aham pratistha, Krsna says. Just like the illumination in this room, prakasa, is resting on this bulb. Although the illuminating light is spread all over this room, that is not original. The original is the bulb. Similarly, and from the sastra we find, yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam, tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam [Bs. 5.40]. That brahma ananta asesa-bhutam, unlimited. Yasya prabha. This brahmajyoti is only effulgence of Krsna. Therefore, we have to understand what is Krsna. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate, Bhagavata says. The Absolute Truth is one, that is Krsna, advayam(?), but He is known in different features, brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti. One who is trying to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth by dint of his sensual knowledge, by , I mean to say, exercising different knowledge, neti neti, they can approach up to the impersonal Brahman. And those who are yogis, those who are trying to find out the Absolute Truth within this body, they can realize up to Paramatma. Brahmeti paramatmeti. And those who are on the highest planet, on the supreme platform of understanding, tattvatah, they realize that the Supreme Absolute Truth is the person, exactly a person like us. Just like in the Bible it is said, “Man is made after the form of God.” Not that God is made after the form of man. Somebody imagines that his formation of Krsna is a painting of an artist who by imagination they have painted very nice form of Krsna, very good- looking. No, that’s not the fact. Krsna is originally vibhus(?) Syamasundara. We get this information from Brahma-samhita. premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti yam syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.38] He is Syamasundara. But He can be seen not by exercising our brain, our senses, our mind. He can be seen only by developing our dormant love for Krsna. Premanjana-cchurita, not by other ways. Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita, bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55] By devotion, by love one can understand Him, not by sensual exercise or mental exercise, no. He does not say that “By jnana, by cultivation of knowledge I can be known.” No. He never says that cultivation of yoga. Yoga, by cultivation of knowledge, by cultivation of yoga you can understand Krsna partially, not fully. Just like by cultivation of knowledge you realize Krsna’s bodily effulgence, brahma-jnana. That is (?). Brahma-jnana means Krsna is sac-cid-ananda vigrahah [Bs. 5.1], the original form of eternity, bliss, and knowledge. So Brahman realization means eternity realization. And Paramatma realization means cit, or knowledge. But God realization, Krsna realization means sac-cid-ananda. Anandamayo ’bhyasat. The Supreme Lord is by nature full of bliss. You will see, therefore, Krsna always blissful. Krsna has no anxiety. Krsna is killing a very big, big demon and He is taking pleasure and smiling. You have seen all these pictures in our Krsna book, how He is killing the Aghasura, Bakasura, Dhenukasura, Kesi, and so many asuras. Just like a child is playing with toys. And similarly, He is enjoying with His cowherd boyfriends, with girlfriends, gopis, with His mother, everywhere Krsna you will find anandamayo. Anandamayo ’bhyasat. Krsna is never morose or full of anxiety. Why? Why God should be full of anxiety? Krsna, you will never find that He is in meditation. Whom He will meditate? He is the Supreme Personality of God Himself. You will find Lord Siva is in the pose of meditation, but you will never find Krsna in meditation. Therefore, He is the Supreme Lord. And He says personally that mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. “Dhananjaya, Arjuna, just take it from Me. There is no other superior authority than Me.” And that’s a fact. So when Krsna was present on this planet, He showed that nobody in the history of the world is superior than Krsna. He showed as much as possible you can understand. Otherwise, still He has got immense power, unlimited power. So the point is Prahlada Maharaja is trying to convince his demon… The demons cannot understand that the God can be a person. That is demoniac. They cannot… Because they cannot understand, the difficulty is a demon tries to understand God, comparing with him. Dr. Frog, that the story of Dr. Frog. Dr. Frog is trying to understand Atlantic Ocean comparing with his three-feet well, that’s all. When he is informed that there is Atlantic Ocean, he’s simply comparing with his limited space. It may be four feet, or it may be five feet, it may be ten feet, because he is within the three feet. His friend informed, “Oh, I have seen a reservoir of water, vast water.” So that vastness, he is just conjecturing, “How much the vastness may be? My well is three feet, it may be four feet, five feet,” now he is going on. But he may go on millions of millions of…, it is still it is greater. That is another thing. Therefore, atheistic persons, demons, they think in their own way that God, Krsna may be like this, Krsna may be like this, Krsna may be like this. Generally they think that Krsna are I(?). How they say? Krsna is not great. They do not believe that God is great. He thinks that God is as good as I am, I am also God. This is demonic. So this demonic principle, Prahlada Maharaja is trying to demolish this demonic mentality of his friends that “Don’t try to be falsely puffed up to understand God. Take the process of bija-nirharanam yogah.” This material world means we have got a seed of ambition that I want to become greater than everyone. I want to be the greatest businessman, I want to be the greatest personality, I want to be the greatest leader, the greatest, greatest, greatest, and there is comp… Everybody is trying to be greater than his friend so therefore, there is competition. But in Vaisnava philosophy… Actually that is the philosophy, because we cannot be greater or greatest. Mattah parataram. Nobody can be greater than God or equal to God, that is not possible. Even if he is Brahma, Lord Siva, or any other. Therefore, sastra says that anyone who thinks such demigods, paratena. Yas tu narayanam devam, there is a verse like that, anyone who thinks Narayana equal to Brahma or Lord Siva, then he…, that type of thinking is called pasandi, sa pasandi bhaved dhruvam(?). Pasandi means atheist. Never, that is also one of the ten offenses in chanting Hare Krsna mantra, you know that. One of the offense is when you think that any name will be as good as harer nama. No. Otherwise, why sastra says harer nama harer nama, three times stressing? Nama, Holy Name means harer nama, not any other name. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam [Adi 17.21]. There are many foolish persons, they say, “No, any name. You chant Durga’s name, you chant Kali’s name, you chant Siva’s name, you chant Krsna’s name, they’re all the same. But no, they’re not all the same. That is pasandi. That is pasandi. Krsna or God is supreme. If I say, suppose somebody is sitting here with his subordinate servant. And if I say, “For me, you are all the same.” So the master who is sitting, he will be insulted. Similarly, anyone who thinks that the Supreme Lord and the demigods are on the equal footing, that is offense. Therefore, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu warned that don’t hear the interpretation of the Mayavadis. Mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva nasa(?). Anyone who tries to understand Mayavada philosophy, misunderstands, not understands, misunderstands, his future is doomed. Doomed means he will never be able to enter into this bija-nirharanam, nirharanam yogah. There are different kinds of yoga. This yoga is called bija-nirharanam yogah. Prahlada Maharaja says, bija-nirharanam yogah pravahoparamo dhiyah. Now he is recommending that how this bija-nirharanam yogah can be practiced. The first important thing is guru-susrusaya. Susrusaya means you have to satisfy the spiritual master, guru. Now suppose you are very big man and you have to serve a spiritual master. Therefore, you cannot serve any third-class man or anyone. You must be satisfied that here is a person I can render my service. I can accept as subordinate and I can… Therefore, what is that guru? Bhagavad-gita also says, tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. Pariprasnena. Pariprasnena means inquiry. Adau gurv-asrayam, sad-dharma-prccha. To accept a guru means to inquire from him about spiritual life, about transcendental situation. Not that fashion, “Oh, I have met a guru and he lives 300 miles away, I have no connection, no call for him(?).” No. Why the… The student should be very much inquisitive to learn, because accepting a guru is necessary for a person who is very much inquisitive to learn about the spiritual world. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam. Those who are not inquisitive to learn about the spiritual world, to learn about God, they need not keep a guru as a fashion, there is no need. tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasu sreya uttamam sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam [SB 11.3.21] So the Vedas and all Vedic literature… Vedic literatures and Vedas, they are all the same, they are called sruti and smrti. So, they recommend that if you…, tad vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12] If you are actually you are anxious to learn that transcendental science, then you should accept, you should approach a bona fide spiritual master. Prahlada Maharaja also says the same thing, guru-susrusaya. Guru means heavy, or superior. So you can satisfy superior by your service, not by challenging, that is not possible. Guru-susrusaya. Guru-susrusaya bhaktya. And what kind of susrusaya? Bhaktya. Just like a paid servant, he is also engaged in satisfying the master very nicely, very faithfully, but there is no bhakti. Why? Because he is after the money the master pays. He does not serve the master, but he serves the money. He is thinking always that “I am getting so much money from this person. If I don’t satisfy him, then I may be dismissed. So I will have no money.” But here it is said bhaktya. Bhaktya means without any, I mean to say, material concern. Bhakti is applicable in the spiritual world. Bhakti is transacted, the business of bhakti is transacted in the spiritual world. Or where there is devotional service, there is spiritual world, there is no material world. So guru-susrusaya bhaktya sarva-labdharpanena ca. So it is very difficult (indistinct). Just like Bali Maharaja gave everything, everything. Sarva-labdharpanena, labdha means profit. So one should be prepared to sacrifice all profit, all gain to the spiritual master. I had one Godbrother, Professor Sannyal, he showed example. Of course, amongst our students there are many. They have dedicated their life, and what to speak of anything, everything. That is the process here, sarva-labdha arpanam. Arpanam means delivering, “Sir, I have got this. Here you are, you take this.” Then susrusaya. So serve him with devotion, with faith, and giving him everything. Guru-susrusaya bhaktya sarva-labdharpanena ca, sangena sadhu-bhaktanam. And in association with sadhu. Sadhu means those who are engaged fully, fully in the Krsna’s devotional service. Sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30]. Api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak. Ananya-bhak, without any deviation. Those who are engaged in the service of Krsna, he is sadhu. It is not simply by changing dress. Sadhu means sadhavah sadhu-bhusanam. Sadhu means honest, sadacari, good character. But the ultimate aim(?) is, as Krsna recommends, that api cet suduracaro bhajate mam ananya…, not that one has to adopt all these sadacara. That is secondary. But if one is staunchly devoted to Krsna, he is sadhu. Not exactly that he has to observe all the rules and regulations because by practice… Just like these European and American students, sometimes they cannot adopt to the principles of sadacara, as it is recommended. But that doesn’t matter. Because they have devoted, they have sacrificed their life for Krsna, they are sadhu. One has to (indistinct). They should be given the respect of a sadhu because they have no other business than Krsna. That is recommended from Krsna. So this Krsna conscious society is the society of sadhus. Sangena sadhu-bhaktanam, sadhu-bhaktanam isvararadhanena, and side by side there should be arcana, Deity worship, isvararadhanena, the rules and regulation, how to worship. So one has to accept the spiritual master, try to satisfy him, giving everything to the spiritual master, and in the association of sadhu and bhakta and isvararadhanena. So this Krsna consciousness movement is comprising all these items. Therefore, it is bona fide, authorized. Thank you very much. [break] Devotee (1): …Krsna knows everything we’re thinking and He knows exactly when each of us will give up the material body, does that mean that everything is predestined? Devotee (2): Krsna knows everything in the past and everything in the future, so can we say it is predestined? Prabhupada: Yes, so long within these material laws, it is predestined, but according to karma. Karmana daiva-netrena. You are doing work, you are acting, and that is being supervised by the superior authorities. And you get a type of body that this living entity has worked in this way, he should get this type of body. Therefore, it is predestined. Karmana daiva-netrena. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. That is being automatically done because a materialistic person is associating with different types of the modes of material nature. So he is forming a certain type of body, sattvic, rajasic, tamasic. Therefore, it is predestined. But karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam [Bs. 5.54], those who are engaged in devotional service, they are not under karma. Their destiny is being prepared by Krsna. Even though they are supposed to be doing ordinary work, but because he has surrendered to Krsna, his destiny is being manufactured by Krsna Himself, not by this material nature. He is not under these material laws. Therefore, he is called mukta, liberated. mam ca yo vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26] Anyone who is engaged fully, cent per cent, unalloyed devotional service, he is already Brahman. He is not under the material conditions. Sa gunan samatityaitan, these gunas, the sattva-guna, raja-guna, tamo guna, he has already surpassed, he has already transcended. Sa gunan samatityaitan [Bg. 14.26], he is already on the platform of Brahman. Brahma-bhuyaya kalpate. Kalpate, this word is used. Although you find that he is working within this material world, but actually he has become already Brahman. Brahma-bhuyaya kalpate. So any pure devotee, anyabhilasita-sunyam [BRS 1.1.11], without any desire than to serve Krsna, simply one who has dedicated his life for Krsna, he is already on the Brahman stage. So he is not under this destiny-making material world. The destiny-making effect is in the material world everywhere working, so you are (indistinct) your head. Devotee (2): Suppose Krsna knows in so many millions of births I’ll have made a… Prabhupada: Not suppose Krsna knows. Devotee (2): He knows. Prabhupada: Yes. Devotee (2): But then the individual, he cannot by his efforts or something… Prabhupada: But Krsna point is that you… Your point is Krsna knows your destiny, is that (indistinct)? Devotee (2): That’s correct. Prabhupada: But He can change your destiny. That is Krsna’s power. Nobody can change, but He can change. Krsna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami. Suppose your life is full of sin, sinful actions. So your destiny is already there. But Krsna says aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami, “I shall give you protection.” So He can change what you (indistinct). You haven’t got to undergo the result of your destiny. Brahma-samhita also says, karmani nirdahati ca bhakti-bhajam. Bhakti-bhajam, those who are engaged in devotion, they are karmani nirdahati. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Mombassa, September 12, 1971