Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.43 Nitai: “(The yogis, equipped with) transcendental knowledge and renunciation and engaged in devotional service for their eternal benefit, take shelter of My lotus feet, and since I am the Lord, they are thus eligible to enter into the kingdom of Godhead without fear.” Prabhupada: jnana-vairagya-yuktena bhakti-yogena yoginah ksemaya pada-mulam me pravisanty akuto-bhayam Akuto-bhayam. Here in this material world—simply bhayam, only fearfulness. Nobody is safe here. At any moment the life may be finished. Nobody can guarantee. Padam padam yad vipadam. In the sastra it is said that here in this material world there is danger in every step. You are walking very nicely, and sometimes suppose there is a skin of plantain, and you slip, and your leg may be broken. Padam padam. Even walking, even sitting—heart failure. So there is no guarantee. Any moment, we can die. And it is therefore called mrtyu-loka, “The place where death is,” I mean to say, “sure.” “As sure as death.” People give surety example: “As sure as death.” As nobody can avoid death, it is sure. You may be very strong and stout in your health and go on exercising on the beach daily, but you can die any moment. There is no guarantee. But everyone wants akuto-bhayam: “There may not be… I must be very safe and sound in every respect, in my social position, so far my health is concerned, anything.” Everyone wants that security. But there is no security. That is called struggle for existence. There is no security, and the rascals are struggling to get security. How it is possible? If this place is meant for that purpose, padam padam yad vipadam, then how you can get security? This is foolishness, mudha. There is no possibility of security; still, they are making security in this way, that way, this way, that way, that way. Therefore Krsna says, manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah: [Bg. 15.7] “All these living entities…” Krsna does not say that “I am for the Hindu living entities or the Indian living entities.” Where it is in Bhagavad-gita? Why the foolish men take it that Krsna Hindu, Krsna Indian? Krsna says that suhrdam sarva-bhutanam: “I am friend of all living entities,” sarva-bhutanam. Not only human society, but animal society, the plant society, the aquatic society, there are so many living entities. Ananta-koti. Sa anantyaya kalpate. The living entities, there is no limit. There are so many quantities. And Krsna says that suhrdam sarva-bhutanam jnatva mam santim rcchati: “When one understands that I, Krsna, is the friend of everyone…” Krsna, when says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], He does not say to Arjuna. He says to all living entities, without any exception. Sarva-bhutanam. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. This is position of Krsna. So by giving up Krsna… We have now given up Krsna. We are canvassing. This Krsna consciousness movement, we are canvassing everyone, every door, “Please come to Krsna.” This is our business. But they will not come. They have forgotten Krsna or they have rejected Krsna. This is the position. Therefore they are always in fearfulness position, always fearful. Bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat. This is certain(?). When there is fear? When one understands there is something else than Krsna, then he is fearful. Then he is fearful. Dvitiyabhinivesatah. Dvitiya means forgetfulness of Krsna. “I am Krsna’s eternal servant. I am Krsna’s eternal part and parcel, son, or most intimate relationship.” Aham bija-pradah pita, Krsna says. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4], Krsna says. There are so many forms of life, 8,400,000. But Krsna claims aham bija-pradah pita, “I am the seed-giving father of everyone.” So where is Krsna Hindu or Indian? Where it is stated? Why people take like that? That is not fact. Therefore they are in the fearful condition of life, always afraid, “What will happen next?” Sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat. Asad-grahat. People have taken something which is asat. The Vedic instruction is asato ma sad gama: “Don’t remain in the asat, in the untruth. Come to the Truth.” So at the material world we have forgotten Krsna, and we are situated in the asat, which is not truth. Therefore there is bhaya, fearfulness. Just like a child, if he is forlorn by the father and mother, then he is always in fearful condition, crying on the street, “Where is my father? Where is my mother?” This is our position. So if you want to be not fearfulness, no more fear, abhayam sattva-samsuddhih, if you become out of fearfulness then you have to take shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna. Therefore Krsna is begging. Because we are Krsna’s sons or we have got very intimate relationship with Krsna and we have given Him up and we have forgotten Him, therefore we are suffering. So Krsna, being father, Krsna, being friend of everyone, He comes, and He canvasses, and at last He says, “You rascal,” sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam… [Bg. 18.66], aham tvam sarva-papebhyah. “You are rotting here by repeatedly committing sinful life. Therefore you are changing from one body to another, and this is your material condition.” Bhutva bhutva praliyate. “You are thinking… When you are a human being or American, you are thinking, ‘Now I am in very good position,’ but next moment you can become a dog, you can become an insect.” Tatha dehantara-praptih. But the rascals, they do not know. They, he’s thinking, “I am secure.” And although he is fearful, he is thinking secure. This is called maya. He is always fearful. Still, he is thinking that he is secure. This is called maya. So actually, if you want to become secure, then you have to take to this yoga system, jnana-vairagya-yuktena. It is said, jnana-vairagya-yuktena bhakti-yogena yoginah. Yogis. Yogis means bhakti-yogi, not these gymnastic yogi. Therefore the yogis… Of course, to concentrate the mind under some mechanical process… Therefore, those who are under too much under the concept of bodily concept of life, for them, this hatha-yoga is recommended, because they know simply this body. “So all right, you make exercise in this way. You practice this asana. You sit down like this. You see like this. You think like this.” In this way there is a mechanical process to control the mind and senses. That is gymnastic part of the yoga system. But real process is to concentrate the mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. The yogi’s business is, by controlling the mind, focus it toward Krsna or Lord Visnu. That is real yoga system. So as soon as you focus your mind upon Krsna or Visnu, that is bhakti-yoga. Either you do it by meditation or do it twenty-four hours by practical application of your activities for Krsna, that is called bhakti-yoga. And that is called samadhi. Even if you are going to some place for Krsna’s business, to see the police commissioner or going to the court for some degree or…, because you are doing— you are concentrating your mind on Krsna—that is called yoga, bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga is so, so easy. Yat karosi yaj juhosi yad asnasi, yat tapasyasi kurusva mad-arpanam. The result should be given to Krsna. After working so hard day and night… People are working so hard day and night, but the result, they are enjoying. And a bhakti-yogi, the same thing—they are also working day and night, but the result is for Krsna. This is the difference between bhakti-yogi and ordinary karmis. Therefore ordinary karmis, they cannot understand that the bhaktas are on the transcendental platform. They think, “They are like us. By sentiment, they are chanting and dancing.” No. That is not. It is bhakti-yoga. And that is based on jnana and vairagya. One cannot be bhakti-yogi without jnana and vairagya. It is not a sentimental thing; it is based on pure knowledge. What is that pure knowledge? Pure knowledge means “I do not belong to this material world. I am spirit soul. Aham brahmasmi. Therefore my business is to serve the Supreme Brahman, or Parabrahman.” Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. Arjuna agreed to serve Krsna. Why? Because he understood Krsna, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan, sasvatam purusam: purusam [Bg. 10.12], the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not impersonal. Impersonal feature is one of the features of Krsna. But Krsna factually is the Supreme Person, vekti.(?) That is called jnana. And without this knowledge, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15], by studying all the Vedas and Vedantas, if one cannot understand what is the nature of Krsna, what is actually Krsna, then he is not in perfect knowledge. Ajnana. Therefore Krsna says, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Who surrenders to Krsna? Unless one is fully in knowledge, “What is Absolute Truth, what I am, what is my relationship with the Absolute Truth…” That is called knowledge. And if one understands that “Krsna is my eternal master. He is my eternal father. I am not this body. I am also the same thing as Krsna, spiritual…” Mamaivamsah. “I am part and parcel of Krsna. If Krsna is gold, then I am also gold. But Krsna is gold mine; I am gold earring, that’s all.” This is knowledge. Jnana-vairagya-yuktena. And when one comes to this knowledge, then he becomes reluctant to this material attachment. That is called vairagya. Just like you boys and girls who have joined this movement. You have understood to some extent that “We didn’t require this material opulence. We want Krsna.” So the idea that we don’t want this material opulence, that is called vairagya. And why you want Krsna? Because Krsna is your eternal master, eternal father. That is called jnana. Jnana-vairagya-yuktena. Not sentimental. We must know very clearly what is Krsna— that is jnana—what is my relationship with Krsna—that is jnana— and what is my duty to Krsna—that is jnana. And as soon as you know all these things—what is Krsna, what you are, what is your relationship, and what is your duty—then naturally you become reluctant to these material activities. That is called vairagya. So jnana-vairagya-yuktena bhakti-yogena. How this jnana and vairagya can be awakened? The jnana is there, but it is now covered. Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sadhya kabhu naya. It is stated in the Caitanya…, that my relationship with Krsna is nitya-siddha. Nitya-siddha means it is eternal; it is not artificial, not that we accept Krsna as my master or father or like this, artificially. This is eternal fact. But by forgetting Krsna, I am suffering. This is your fact. So if we want to be free from this fearfulness, sada samudvigna-dhiyam… That is the Prahlada Maharaja’s advices. Prahlada Maharaja was asked by his father, “My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers?” So he said, tat sadhu manye ’sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5] That is the best thing. He said tat sadhu manye asura-varya dehinam. Anyone who has accept this material body… This is asat. It will not stay. But we have accepted this body. But we are so foolish that we do not know that “I am not this body; I am separate from this body. Somehow or other, I am not entrapped or encaged in this body.” Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, tat sadhu manye ’sura-varya dehinam. Dehinam. Dehi means… Dehinam means one who has accepted this material body. And Vaisnava is suhrdah sarva-dehinam. Kapiladeva has said. A Vaisnava who is in connection with Krsna, his business is to go door to door and canvass everyone, “My dear sir, you are not this body. You are wasting your time only under the concept of body. You are Krsna’s. You become Krsna’s servant.” This is Krsna consciousness movement. “My dear sir, you are not this body. You are not American. You are not Indian. You are not brahmana. You are not sudra. You are not cat. You are not dog. You are part and parcel of Krsna, and you serve Krsna.” This is Krsna consciousness. That’s all. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s advice. Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128] It is not very difficult. You haven’t got to become very learned scholar to become guru. Guru’s business is to give the right information. That is guru. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, amara ajnaya guru hana: “Every one of you become guru.” “Oh, I am not a learned man,” or “I am this, I am that, how can I become guru?” Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “No, it is very easy thing.” yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa [Cc. Madhya 7.128] Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa. “You become guru simply by advising everyone the instruction which Krsna has given.” That’s all. You become guru. It is not at all difficult thing. But if you want to cheat others that you are Bhagavan, you are this and that, you are yogi, you are very powerful, and “I am God,” then you will cheat, because you are neither God. You are less than a dog. You are falsely claiming that you are God. That is not your position. You are servant of God, that is your position. That is real jnana. Therefore Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that don’t talk all nonsense thing. Simply say the real thing. And what is the real thing? That is explained by Krsna: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66] You take this mission, “My dear sir, you give up everything nonsense. You simply surrender to Krsna.” Then you become guru. Is it very difficult to become guru? No. But we shall not take this business. We shall talk all nonsense and become guru and incarnation and God and so on, so on, and cheat others and cheat oneself. This is going on. Otherwise, to become guru is not at all difficult. Simply you surrender yourself to Krsna. You become abhayam sattva-suddhih. You become fearless, “Yes, I am now under the protection of Krsna. I have no more fear. I don’t care for anyone. I simply take to Krsna.” Akuto-bhayam. Akuto-bhayam. This is said by Kapiladeva also, all sastra says like that, and Krsna also says the same thing in the Bhagavad-gita. Bhaktya mam abhijanati: [Bg. 18.55] “If you want to know Me, then it is through bhakti, not your so-called jnana and karma and yoga.” You will never be able to understand. You will never be able to understand. Naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya [Bg. 7.25] You will be simply covered by yoga-maya. This is not possible. Bhakti means surrender. So without surrendering to Krsna, you cannot understand. Krsna reserves the right not being exposed to the fools and rascals. He is simply for the devotees. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. He never said, “By jnana mam abhijanati, by karma mam abhijanati, by yoga mam abhi…,” no. He rather says, yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantar-atmana sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yuktatamo matah [Bg. 6.47] “He’s the first-class yogi who is always thinking of Me.’ And who always thinks of Krsna unless he is a devotee? Therefore you cannot understand Krsna without becoming a devotee. In the beginning of Bhagavad-gita He says to Arjuna, bhakto ’si priyo ’si me: “I am talking to you the same old system of yoga, Bhagavad-gita, because you are My devotee.” So if you actually want liberation or fearlessness, no more fear, and if you want actually to become immortal, no more birth, death, old age, and disease, then you have to accept the words of Krsna. As He says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66] That is bhakti. That is bhakti. So you have to take. Here it is, same thing is said: jnana-vairagya-yuktena bhakti-yogena. Unless you have got full knowledge, jnana, and vairagya, full renunciation… “No more material life.” This is called renunciation. And no more sense gratification. Material life means sense gratification. Everyone is working so hard day and night. Why? For sense gratification. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Grhamedhi, those who have accepted this body or the society or the family or the nation, all this grha… It is called grha. Or grhamedhi, those who are attached to all these things, grhamedhi. Their only happiness: yan maithunadi, sexual intercourse, that’s all. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham. Very insignificant, very abominable combination of man and woman. And they are working so hard day and night. That is the only pleasure. So vairagya means when you will be detestful to this sex pleasure. That is called vairagya. “No more.” Yad-avadhi mama cetah krsna-padaravinde. That is possible only when you are perfectly Krsna conscious. Otherwise it is not possible. Therefore Krsna’s name is Madana-mohana, and the material is madana-dahana. In the material world everyone is suffering by the piercing arrow of Cupid, man or woman. The Madana, Cupid, is piercing the arrow to man and woman, and the woman is mad after man, and man is mad after woman. But when you see Krsna actually, then you see Madana-mohana. Then there will be no more suffering of the piercing arrow of the Cupid. That is called akuto-bhayam, no more fear. No more fear. Now you become fearless. And when… If you want to become fearless, akuto-bhayam, then Krsna says that, Kapiladeva says, pravisanty akuto-bhayam. He enters, bhakti-yogena, when one is actually in bhakti-yoga, full knowledge, and vairagya, renunciation of the material world, then he is able to enter. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. Krsna says in the Bhagavad, tato mam tattvato jnatva. In this way, when one understand what is Krsna in truth, that is called knowledge. Jnana-vairagya-yuktena. Tato mam tattvato jnatva visate tad-anantaram. He is allowed to enter into the spiritual kingdom, not before that. Not before that, without bhakti. And bhakti, by bhakti, you will automatically attain the stage of jnana-vairagya. Just like if you take one very nice digestive pill, so whatever you have eaten, even stone, it will be digested. It will be digested. Similarly, as soon as you take to bhakti immediately your gross and subtle body is digested. You will live in the spiritual body. Sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. Brahma-bhuyaya means that spiritual body. We are already Brahman—aham brahmasmi—but it is covered by the material body, the gross body, ksitir apam tejo marud vyoma: fire, water, earth, air, like that, and mano buddhih ahankara, the subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego. So we are covered by this subtle body and gross body. This is our impediment. But the… By karma-yoga you try to get out of this gross body. By jnana-yoga you try to get out of this subtle body. But bhakti-yoga—you directly you cross over this subtle body and gross body. You are immediately situated in the spiritual body. Jnana-vairagya-yuktena. Sa gunan samatityaitan [Bg. 14.26]. So long you are in the subtle body and gross body, then you are suffering under the three modes of material nature. The body is created by the three modes of material nature according to… Karanam guna-sango ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. We get different types of body on account of association with these material modes of nature, sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. But if you are situated in the devotional service of the Lord, you immediately become on the platform of brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54], immediately. Aham brahmasmi—this is simply theoretical. That is theoretical knowledge, that “I am brahma.” But when you are actually in devotional service, then that is practical. You are no more in the material platform. You are on the Brahman platform. brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54] So by situated, being situated on the spiritual platform, automatically you achieve your original status, constitutional position, brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54] Then you are able to enter into the kingdom of God, or the spiritual world. Tato mam tattvato jnatva. Here also it is said, pravisanty akuto-bhayam. Pravisanti. You have to enter. You are not destroyed. Just like we are pravisanti in different types of body in material existence, tatha dehantara-praptih, so when you are free from this material contamination, then you pravisanti in the spiritual world. The pravisanti is there. In the material world you are pravisanti from one body to another, and you are suffering. So long you get this body, you must suffer. Either you get the king’s body or the cobbler’s body or ant’s body or dog’s body, to accept material body means suffering. There cannot be akuto-bhayam. Unless you enter in the spiritual world with your spiritual body, there is no question of akuto-bhayam. So that akuto-bhayam is possible when you are practiced to bhakti-yogam. vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah janayaty asu vairagyam jnanam ca yad ahaitukam [SB 1.2.7] If you engage yourself in the devotional service of Vasudeva, Krsna, Vasudeva, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, if you enter, then vasudeve bhagavati. Vasudeva means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhakti-yogah prayojitah [SB 1.2.7] If you apply yourself, engage yourself in bhakti-yoga, then janayaty asu vairagyam, cause and effect. As soon as you engage yourself in devotional service of Vasudeva under the direction of sastra and spiritual master, then janayaty asu vairagyam. As you are practically experiencing that since you have come to Krsna consciousness movement you have no more interest material activities no more interest, that is vairagya. You are simply meant for service of Krsna. That is jnana. In this way, if you want actually to be fearless and enter into the spiritual life, or spiritual kingdom, back to home, back to Godhead, then you have to accept this bhakti-yoga process, and it is very easy, and then you become fearless, and your life is successful. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bombay, December 11, 1974