Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.3 Nitai: “Therefore please precisely describe all the activities and pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is full of self-desire and who assumes all these activities by His internal potency.” Prabhupada: yad yad vidhatte bhagavan svacchandatmatma-mayaya tani me sraddadhanasya kirtanyany anukirtaya So the speaker and the audience. sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23] These are the nine different processes of devotional service, devotional life. The beginning is sravanam kirtanam. This is the beginning of… sraddadhanasya, and one must be very eager or sincere to hear, sraddadhanasya. Sraddha. Then it will be successful. In the Bhagavad-gita also it is stated, satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah namasyantas ca mam bhaktya nitya-yukta upasate [Bg. 9.14] So we have to speak, or chant, about the holy activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is simply by, if we hear… Just like abhavad vaiyasakih kirtane. Sri-visnoh sravane pariksit. This Bhagavata was… (buzzing sound) …was recited by Sukadeva Gosvami, and it was heard by Pariksit Maharaja. So although there are nine processes… sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam [SB 7.5.23] You hear about Krsna. Krsna and Visnu, the same. Krsna is the origin of visnu-tattva, and Visnu is expansion of Krsna. So when we speak of Visnu, the origin of Visnu is Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, aham adir hi devanam: “I am the origin even of the devas. The most important devas are Brahma, Visnu, Mahesvara. Creation, in the beginning of creation, Brahma, Visnu, Mahesvara. From Visnu, Brahma is born; from Brahma, Lord Siva is born. And they take charge of the three modes of material nature. Brahma… Visnu takes the charge of sattva-guna, and the Lord Brahma takes the charge of rajo-guna, and Lord Siva takes the charge of tamo-guna. But in the creation, before the creation, when there was no Brahma, no Siva, there was Krsna. Therefore Krsna says, aham adir hi devanam. All the devas, demigods, or living entities, they are created after this cosmic manifestation is created. Therefore in the Vedas it is said, “In the beginning there was no Brahma, no Siva. Only Narayana asit.” Eko narayana asit. That Narayana is also another plenary expansion of Krsna. Therefore Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. So we have to learn from the sastra that Krsna is the origin, Bhagavan. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [Bhag. 1.3.28]. All the visnu-tattvas, all the incarnations, they are plenary expansion of Krsna, and… Or expansion of the expansion. Thousands and thousands. Millions. Just like there are waves in the ocean and the river, similarly there are incarnations, many thousands. Saktyavesa-avatara, guna-avatara, svayam avatara… Many avataras. They are described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. So all these avataras are svacchandatma. There is no cares and anxiety. Just like if we organize a business or some management, we have got so many anxieties. Even he’s a managing director or proprietor or the supreme person in some establishment, he has got so many anxieties. He’s not very happy. Although he’s sitting in his room without any disturbance, but because he has to manage, the brain is working, “How to do this? How to do that? How to manage that affair?” He’s always full of anxiety. This is material nature. In the material world you cannot be without any anxiety. That is not possible. Asad-grahat. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja, when he was asked by his father, “My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers? Will you explain to me,” so Prahlada Maharaja immediately replied, tat sadhu manye ’sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat: “Yes, I have learned the best thing is that these materialistic persons, who have accepted the asad-vastu…” Sat and asat. Sad gama asato ma: “Don’t keep yourself in the asat; go to the sat.” Om tat sat. That is the Vedic injunction. So… Material world means asad-vastu. Asad-vastu means not good or which will not stay. Asat. Sat means which exists, and asat means not existing. So in the material world nothing will exist. It exists for some time, temporary. The Mayavadi philosopher says that brahma satyam jagan mithya. We Vaisnavas, we do not say mithya, because God, or the Supreme Brahman, is truth, so there can be anything untruth from the truth. That is not possible. Just like if you prepare something from gold, an earring, that earring is also gold. You cannot say it is something else. So yato va imani bhutani jayante. That is the Vedic instruction. Janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. So Supreme Absolute Truth is that from whom, or from which, everything has emanated. So if everything has emanated from the Absolute Truth, it cannot be untruth. How it can be untruth? It may be temporary. Therefore we Vaisnava philosophers, we do not accept this jagat as the Mayavadi philosopher says, jagan mithya. No, we don’t say mithya. We say jagat is also satyam. Because the jagat has emanated from the Supreme, therefore it is not mithya, but it is temporary. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita. The material nature is temporary. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. It comes into existence and stays for some time. Then it is again annihilated. But it is not mithya. We don’t say mithya. And it can be utilized for the Supreme Truth. This is Vaisnava philosophy. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate. Our Vaisnava philosophy is we don’t take anything as mithya. We take it as truth, but we don’t use it for purpose of which is not truth. The material purpose is not true, but spiritual purpose is true. Therefore anything, you use it for the ultimate truth, Absolute Truth, that is realization of truth. This is Vaisnava philosophy. anasaktasya visayan yatharham upayunjatah nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate This is the instruction given by Srila Rupa Gosvami. And on the other side, prapancikataya buddhya hari-sambandhi-vastunah mumuksubhih parityago vairagyam phalgu kathyate Mumuksubhih. Mumuksubhih means those who are aspiring after mukti. Those who are aspiring after mukti. Because when one is disgusted with these material engagements—sada samudvigna-dhiyam—they want to destroy this. Mithya. But the Vaisnava says that prapancikataya buddhya hari-sambandhi-vastunah. Everything has got relation with the Supreme Person or the Absolute Truth. Just like this microphone. It is made of metal. But what is metal? It is another form of earth. So Krsna says, bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca, bhinna me prakrtir astadha. It is His energy. So His energy… He is the source of energy. So energy, how it can be untrue? That is not untrue. We don’t say that “This metal has no connection with Krsna.” Yes, it has connection. Because it is production of His own energy. So… Just like this material world, this cosmic manifestation, is the production of the sunshine. The sun and the sunshine—you cannot say the sunshine is false and the sun is true. That is not nice philosophy. If the sun is true, then the sunshine is also true. So we don’t say that this jagan mithya. No. It may be temporary, but it is not mithya. Therefore our Gosvamis, they instruct, or Krsna also instructs that everything belongs to Him. Therefore everything should be utilized for His purpose. That is wanted. So this creation is made, or emanation from Bhagavan, but He’s svacchandatma, He has no anxiety. If we want to create something, if we want to construct a building, creation, or anything, a factory, a machine, we have to go through so many anxieties, “How to make it successful?” But Krsna’s creation, or God’s creation, is not like that. Just like see. Krsna is standing before you. He has no anxiety. He is very pleasantly with His consort, Srimati Radharani, and enjoying playing on His flute. There is no anxiety. That is God. If God has got anxiety, then what class of God He is? No. So that anxietyless God you’ll find in Krsna. The demigods… Take any demigod, even Lord Brahma. He’s also anxiety. He’s meditating. And… Lord Siva is dancing with his trisula. He has got something to do, to annihilate. He has got anxiety. Goddess Kali. She’s also standing with sword and so many things. So they have got activities. Durga, she is engaged in so many activities. But Krsna, you’ll find always svacchandatma, always peaceful. Krsna, when He’s engaged in killing some demons, that Krsna is different from the original Krsna. That is Vasudeva Krsna. That is Vasudeva. Krsna personally does not go anywhere. Padam, padam ekam na gacchati. Giving up Vrndavana, He does not go even step away. That is original Krsna. And other things, other activities which are done by Krsna, that is Vasudeva Krsna. From Krsna: Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. Then from, again Sankarsana: Narayana. Again, from Narayana, the dvitiya catur-vyuha. Then Visnu, Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu, Ksirodakasayi… In this way, there is system how Krsna expands. Ekam bahu syam. Krsna can expand Himself in many, many forms. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca [Bs. 5.33] He’s the adi-purusa. Govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. Brahma says. Brahma is not adi-purusa. Brahma says, govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami. So Krsna is the adi-purusam. And He has got many expansions. Advaitam acyutam anadim. Anadir adih. He has no beginning, but He is the beginning of everything. That is called anadir adih. He has no beginning, but He is the beginning of everything. That advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. And He has expanded Himself in so many forms. We are also Krsna’s form, but we are vibhinnamsa. And svamsa and vibhinnamsa. The visnu-tattva is bhagavat-tattva, adi-purusam, personal expansion, and we are energy expansion. We are also energy. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim param, jiva-bhutam maha-baho. So jiva, prakrti expansion. Para-prakrti expansion. So Krsna is always svacchandatma. He has no anxiety. Svacchandatma atma-mayaya. Yad yad vidhatte bhagavan svacchandatma. Whatever… Even if He’s killing a demon, there is no anxiety. That is Krsna. Even if He’s killing, He has no anxiety. Svacchandatma. That is also, I mean to say, confirmed in the Vedic language. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate, na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. So He has nothing to do personally. His energies act. Then try to understand why Bhagavan is attributed with the word svacchandatma. Because… Just like a big man. He wants to do something. He simply says to his secretary, “This thing must be done.” He does everything. And he is quite confident that “I have told my secretary, and it will be done.” So secretary is a person’s sakti, energy. Similarly, if an ordinary man within this world has so much energies or secretaries to act, so just imagine, although Krsna is Jagadisvara, He’s managing the whole universe… He’s managing. There is brain. The foolish men, they say there is no brain. No, there is brain. But we do not know who is the brain. That is our foolishness. But if we take information from the sastra, we can understand what is that brain. That brain is explained in the Bhagavad-gita: mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram hetunanena kaunteya jagad viparivartate [Bg. 9.10] So behind this material energy… Material energy, just like we see, there is cloud, there is thundering sound, there is rain. And from the rain, there is crops, there is food grain. Then we eat those food grains. Annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah. Then, yajnad bhavati parjanyo yajnah karma-samudbhavah [Bg. 3.14] These things are already stated. Everything, the origin is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yajna. Yajnah karma-samudbhavah. Yajna means we have to satisfy the Supreme Person. That is called yajna. And this process can be executed when the human society is very regulated. Regulated means there must be division of these varnas and asramas. Varna means four varnas: brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra. And four asramas: brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. They have got their respective duties. So unless the human society is divided into these eight scientific divisions and everyone acts according to his position, there cannot be any peace in the world. That is called varnasrama. Varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman, visnur aradhyate… The ultimate goal is to satisfy the Lord, Supreme Lord Visnu. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. But the foolish people, they do not know. Their ultimate interest is how to satisfy Visnu. Visnur aradhyate. So when there is dharmasya glanih, then Lord Visnu, or Krsna, by His incarnation or personally, He comes. Therefore it is said, yad yad vidhatte bhagavan. But because He comes to paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8], He has no anxiety. Svacchandatma. And He does by His own internal potency. He does not take anyone’s help. That is Krsna. That is Bhagavan. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. He has got so varieties of energies that everything is done very correctly and perfectly. na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca Svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya. Everything is being done perfectly. So there are activities. Those who are impersonalists, they cannot understand. They cannot understand what is the Personality of Godhead. Nabhijanati mam ebhyah param avyayam. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, tribhir gunamayair bhavaih, mohitam. Because they are covered by the influence of three kinds of material modes of nature, one cannot understand what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Naham prakasah sarvasya yogamaya-samavrtah [Bg. 7.25]. But He reveals Himself to the devotees. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. So our business is to understand Krsna tattvatah, in truth, not superficially. Then our life is successful. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Not superficially. Try to understand Krsna in truth. Therefore here it is said that tani me sraddadhanasya kirtanyany anukirtaya. Anukirtaya. Anukirtana means don’t manufacture. Anu means following. Therefore the bhagavat-tattva, or Bhagavan, can be understood by the parampara system. Anu. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. Rajarsayah. Formerly, the kings, they were raja, at the same time great saintly persons, rsi. They were not ordinary this king, Nawab Shah, engaged in drinking and dancing. No. They were all rsis, all rsis. Up to Maharaja Pariksit they were trained up in such a way. Although it was monarchy, one man’s control, but that man is not ordinary man. They were called nara-deva. Nara-deva means Bhagavan in the form of a human being. A king was worshiped therefore, because they were rajarsi. Imam rajarsayo viduh. Bhagavan says, Krsna says. Unless the kings, the government head, does not know what is the purpose of this life, what is the purpose of this material world, then how he can rule nicely? It is not possible. He has no purpose. He does not know what is the aim of life. Just like they think that eating, sitting…, eating and sleeping and sex life and then die. They’re like animal life. This is not human life. Human life must know what is the aim of life. That they do not know. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah [SB 7.5.31]. These foolish people, they are trying to be happy—durasaya. Durasaya means the hope will never be fulfilled. That is called durasaya. Bahir-artha-maninah. Bahir-artha-maninah. These external… Here is called atma-mayaya. But there is another maya. This maya is external maya, external energy. That is this material world. They are trying to be happy in this material world by adjusting material things. That is called durasa. It will be, never be fulfilled. Therefore in the history we see, there have been so many material leaders, but they died simply working hard. They could not make things very properly adjusted. There was Napoleon, there was Hitler, there was Gandhi, there was Nehru, there were so many leaders. But nobody could adjust. This is not possible. That is durasa. Durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. Because they do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is to understand Visnu. And people are going on. na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te ’pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah [SB 7.5.31] Andha. Andha means blind man. If one blind man is trying to lead other blind men, then what is the benefit? The leader is blind and the follower is blind. Then there will be no result. They do not know… Isa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah. They are tied. They are tied hands and legs by isa-tantra, by the regulative principles of the nature. So one has to learn from the sastra. daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14] The prapadyante means bhakti-yoga. So the sravanam kirtanam is the beginning of bhakti-yoga. Therefore he says, tani me sraddadhanasya kirtanyany anukirtaya. Anukirtaya: “Just speak to us by following the parampara system.” Anu. Anu means following. Anu means always, and anu means following. Anu-gamana, anu-karana. Anu-karana means imitation. Anu-gamana means follower and go. So here, anukirtaya. First of all you must know from the authorities what is the truth. Then you speak. Don’t speak nonsense. It will not help you or your followers. That is called anukirtaya. So one has to learn how to describe the Absolute Truth, Bhagavan, how He’s acting, how He’s merciful, how He is so kind to the living beings that He comes personally. He’s more anxious to give us education, enlightenment what is the goal of life. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7] And He leaves the literature, He leaves His devotee, He leaves His follower, the parampara system. Take advantage of this. This Krsna consciousness movement is meant for giving the whole human society this advantage of understanding what is the Absolute Truth. It is not a bogus thing. It is actually this anukirtaya. Anukirtaya. We are not manufacturing our philosophy. There is no business. Why shall I try for…, unnecessarily waste our energy for manufacturing? There are so many things to be learned which is already there in the Vedic literature. Just try to learn and distribute it. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara janma sarthaka kari’ kara para-upakara [Cc. Adi 9.41] That is being attempted. Anyone who has taken birth in this land of Bharatavarsa, it is his duty to make his life successful by taking advantage of this Vedic literature. But we are not taking advantage of Vedic literature. We are going to learn technology. That is our misfortune. Technology is silpa-karma. Just like an artistic man. That is not real education. Real education is how to solve the problems of life, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam. That is education. So this education, this transcendental education, is to enlighten people how to become relieved from this entanglement of material life, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bombay, November 3, 1974