Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.7 Nitai: “…the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion, and fearfulness.” Prabhupada: yasyam vai sruyamanayam krsne parama-puruse bhaktir utpadyate pumsah soka-moha-bhayapaha In the previous verse we have discussed how to be free from the unwanted association, anartha. Anartha upasamam saksat. Material life means to be involved with so many unwanted things. That is material life. At the present moment, especially in this Kali-yuga, we are very, very much fallen. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10]. Prayena alpa ayusah kalav asmin yuge janah. So this human life is especially meant for cultivating Krsna consciousness, or spiritual understanding of life. Unfortunately, we are very, very slow, manda. Manda means bad, fallen, abominable. The whole population in this age, they are very, very fallen, manda. Why manda? They have advanced so much in material comforts. That is not required. Real requisition is how to develop our spiritual understanding. That is wanted. But they are not interested, manda. Manda means slow or very, very bad. They do not know. People say… Just like you go in European and American cities for chanting Hare Krsna, and especially the Indian gentlemen, they come. They laugh. They say, “What is this? We have rejected the so- called Hare Krsna chanting, and these people have taken and chanting in the street.” They think that… Many students in Europe and America, Indian students I mean to say, they put forward that question to me, “Swamiji, how this Hare Krsna mantra will help us? At the present moment we require technology.” They challenge me. Of course, I reply. This is the position of India. They have given up Hare Krsna. They are working very hard for getting some money for bread. It is said in the sastra that in the Kali-yuga people will have to work so hard, like an ass, to get their morsel of food. We have seen in Calcutta, somebody with sacred thread, he was pulling thela and perspiring. And somebody known to him, he said, Panditji, palale(?), means “I offer my respect to you,” and the thela-wala says, jitalau(?). This is the position. A brahmana is pulling thela; it is working like an ass. Pulling thela is not the business of human being, but although he thinks himself to be a brahmana, he is engaged in pulling thela. This is Kali’s position, manda. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagyah [SB 1.1.10], unfortunate, unfortunate. Therefore Rsabhadeva has forbidden, that “This life, human form of life, is not meant for working so hard like hogs and dogs.” Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [Bhag. 5.5.1] This is the advice. But we are advancing in civilization—to get our food, we have to work so hard. This is condemnation of life. Human life should be very peaceful, and without any hard work we shall get our food and save time for advancing in Krsna consciousness. That is human life, not that for senses gratification we work so hard like an ass. This is called anartha. Anartha means unwanted things. We can see practically. The birds and beasts, they are living very easy and comfortable life without any problem. They rise early in the morning regularly. You have seen. As soon as there is little light, immediately they will rise up and they will talk amongst themselves and go, one tree to another, and he will eat one or two fruits, little fruits, ample fruit. They have no scarcity of food. And live very pleasantly. For eating, sleeping, sex life, they have no problem. These are primary necessities of life. Why there should be problem for these things? But in the human society there is problem. That is called the effect of Kali-yuga. Effect of Kali-yuga means the so-called advancement of material civilization means to become godless, immoral, and they must suffer. That is going on. So we are increasing our anarthas, anarthas, and we are becoming entangled in the cycle of birth and death. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. Once we take a certain type of body, we enjoy or suffer for some time; then again we have to give up this body, tatha dehantara-praptih, and there is no guarantee what sort of body you are going to get. But it is certain that you are going to get a body. And that may be offered to you by the laws of nature. It may be an important, more important body than what we have got just now, or it may be less important. It may be cats and dog or hog, and it may be the body of demigod. That is according to karma. So in this way we are passing our life eternally. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. We get one type of body, and again we give it up. Dehantara-praptih. This is called anartha, anartha. Anartha upasamam. What is that anartha? This is anartha. Why shall I get a new type of body? I am eternal. Nityah sasvato ’yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Why I am getting this temporary body? This is called brahma-jijnasa. Unless a man is awakened to this consciousness, “Why?”—Kena Upanisad—- he is not human being; he is animal. The animal cannot question. The dog cannot question that “Why I have got this dog’s body, and my master has got the human body?” No. He has no such knowledge. But if a human being cannot consider that “I am also an animal, and this dog is also animal. I am situated so comfortably, and the dog is loitering in the street for a little food. Why this condition…?” So sastra says, tatha dehantara-praptih. One should think that “If I get another body, whether I shall get the dog’s body or a human body or demigod’s body?” That is consideration. That is intelligence. Not that “Because I have got this American comfortable body or Indian comfortable body, I should be very much satisfied and do whatever nonsense I think,” no. We are under the grip of the stringent laws of material nature. Karanam guna-sangah asya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. This is human intelligence. One should not be satisfied with this comfortable or so-called educated human body. We should be prepared what we are going to get next. That is real knowledge. Because it is anartha. Anartha means unwanted. “Why shall I get at all any body? I am eternal; I must live eternally.” That is human knowledge. That is called brahma-jijnasa. So Vyasadeva, vidvan. Vidvams cakre satvata-samhitam. He is learned; we are all fools. Yasyam vai sruyamanayam. If we… He has made for us. He is compassionate. Stri-sudra-dvija-bandhunam. Those who are actually advanced brahmana, they take care of. But those who are not brahmanas—stri, sudra, vaisya and dvija-bandhu… Dvija-bandhu means born in higher family, brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya, but does not take care of the real values of life or does not know what is spiritual life. He is called dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means “a friend of a dvija.” He cannot be called the born of a dvija. This particular name is very significant, dvija-bandhu. Just like a son of a high court justice. You can call him the son of the justice, but he is not justice. Similarly, a son born in brahmana family, ksatriya family, higher circle, if he does not act like that, then he should be called according to his qualification. Tat tenaiva vinirdiset yady anyatra vinirdiset [SB 7.11.35]. This is the instruction of Narada Muni. If the son of a brahmana has acquired the qualities of a sudra, then he should be called a sudra, not a brahmana. Unfortunately the…, in India especially, where we have got all the sastras, against the sastras, without any qualification of a brahmana one is claiming to be brahmana. In Maharaja Prthu’s time, he was especially supervising whether a brahmana is engaged in his brahminical activities, whether a ksatriya is engaged in his ksatriya activities. Not that a brahmana is engaged in sudra activities and he should be called a brahmana. That was restricted formerly. So if we want to become free from anartha then we must follow the Vedic way of civilization. Guna-karma-vibhagasah. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhag… [Bg. 4.13]. According… The other day I was suggesting the governor that “Open varnasrama college.” As we are training a medical practitioner and an engineer or any particular type of line, similarly, there must be training school and college where a person or a boy may be educated as a brahmana or as a ksatriya. It is very simple thing. We should not… I was suggesting, “The secular government does not mean that let people do whatever he likes.” No. Yata mata tata patha. No, that is not… A government’s duty is, if anyone is proclaiming himself a Hindu, the government must see that he is acting as a Hindu. If a person is claiming to be Mussulman, he must act as a Mussulman. That is secular government. Secular government may be impartial, but it is not the government’s duty to let the people to be whimsical: “Whatever he likes, he can do.” No. That is not civilization. So we were discussing on this point. So these anarthas will increase as long as we are godless rascals and demons. Therefore here it is suggested, anartha upasamam saksad bhakti-yogam adhoksaje. If you want to be a right gentleman, means according to your position… If you are a brahmana, you should act as a brahmana; if you are a ksatriya, you should act as a ksatriya; if you are a vaisya, you act as a vaisya; and if you are none of them, then you are a sudra. In this way, if we live like a gentleman, then we can make progress further in spiritual advancement. If we live foolishly, whimsically, as we like, yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah, whatever we like, and others engaged, “Yes, whatever you do, it is right,” yata mata tata patha, this is rascaldom. No, you must act according to the sastra. But there may be question that “Whether it is possible now to revive the old cultural position?” Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore not condemned but rejected. When He was talking with Sri Ramananda Raya, so Caitanya Mahaprabhu was putting question, and Ramananda Raya was answering. So in the beginning Caitanya Mahaprabhu enquired from Ramananda Raya, “What is the aim of life?” Sadhya-sadhana. “What is the aim of life and how to achieve it?” So Ramananda Raya, he was a learned scholar and devotee, he prescribed the varnasrama-dharma. He said, “This is the beginning of human life.” And he quoted a verse from the Visnu Purana, varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman visnur aradhyate pantha nanyat tat-tosa-karanam Because our aim of life is to approach Lord Visnu. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. The modern civilization, they do not know it, na te viduh, that what is the aim of life. The aim of life is to satisfy Lord Visnu. This the aim of life. Just like ordinarily, the common citizen, a good citizen, his duty is to abide by the laws of the state. That is called good citizen. And if you do not become a good citizen, then you are put into the prison house, good citizen and bad citizen. Similarly, the aim of human life is to approach Visnu. But the materialistic persons, they do not care for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but they manufacture their own plan with materialistic idea. Durasaya ye bahir-artha… Bahir-artha, the external necessity, that is called bahir-artha. The bahir-artha and anartha is the same thing. Because that is not necessity. We are born under certain laws of the nature. Now instead of trying to improve this… That cannot be improved, because the destiny is there. If you are to enjoy a certain type of happiness, it is there already with your birth. A particular type of body which you have obtained, that is already there. You don’t require to improve it. It will never be improved. So our main business is how to improve in spiritual life. That is required. Materially, but if you improve in spiritual life, then if you have got any desire for material improvement, that will be automatically served. You don’t require to try for it separately. tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa This is the conclusion of the sastra, that “You have got this human form of life. Your only business is how to advance in spiritual consciousness or Krsna consciousness. This is your only business.” But because we are surrounded by so many unwanted things, anartha, we are becoming entangled in the cycle of birth and death and old age and disease in different forms. So we do not know it. Most people, they do not know it. Therefore Vyasadeva, lokasya ajanatah. Because these fools and rascals, they do not know it, therefore he has compiled the satvata-samhita, Srimad-Bhagavatam. And the next, it is recommended, yasyam vai sruyamanayam krsne parama-puruse bhaktir utpadyate pumsah soka-moha-bhayapaha The bhakti-yoga means to become free from these anarthas, unwanted things we have created. Now, how it will be, how we shall become free from the anarthas, that is recommended, yasyam vai sru… “That satvata-samhita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, if we hear regularly…” Yasyam vai sruyamanayam. Simply by hearing. You don’t require to understand even; the hearing is so powerful. That is stated in other place, srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [Bhag. 1.2.17]. Krsna-katha is punya-sravana-kirtanah. If you simply hear and talk about Krsna, you become pious, pious. Even if you don’t understand the Sanskrit or English, simply if we become eager to hear about Krsna, then you become pious. It is so powerful. Therefore it is recommended, yasyam vai sruyamanayam. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. This should be our practice. We are giving this Bhagavata translation all over the world. And you will be surprised that we are selling more than thirty, forty lakhs of rupees per month. This movement is helping the whole human civilization. So yasyam vai… If one purchases… That is our propaganda. Some or other, we are giving one book. This is in the matter of following the footprints of our Guru Maharaja. Our Guru Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, he was publishing one small paper, Dainika(?) Nadiya Prakash in Bengali. And if a brahmacari would go and sell a few copies, he would be very, very glad. He would be very, very glad. And similarly, he advised me also that “If you get some money, publish book.” And he used to say that “This press propaganda, the publication propaganda, is brhad-mrdanga.” So just to satisfy him we are trying to publish this Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Caitanya-caritamrta, very, very authoritative books, in English. And by the grace of Krsna, it is unique in the history that religious book can be sold forty lakhs of rupees per month. It is record-breaking. There is no such instance. Because we are trying to give the opportunity, yasyam vai sruyamanayam. Simply by hearing he will become pious. People are suffering on account of becoming impious. So one cannot understand what is God, what is Krsna, unless he has finished his impious activity. yesam tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam drdha-vratah [Bg. 7.28] This is the principle, that you cannot keep men in their impious activities, at the same time he becomes religious or God conscious. That is not possible. That is not possible. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has prescribed a very easy method to become pious. That is the chanting of Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12] The real disease is within our heart. Hrd-roga-kama. Hrd-roga-kama. We have got a disease, heart disease. What is that? Kama, lusty desires. That is called hrd-roga-kama. So we have to cure this heart disease, hrd-roga-kama. And that will be done simply by chanting and hearing the Hare Krsna mantra. Ceto-darpana-marjanam. The heart is all right, but it is covered by the material dirty things, namely the three gunas: sattva-raja-tamo-guna. But by hearing simply Srimad-Bhagavatam, by hearing chanting of Hare Krsna mantra, you will be purified. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Nasta-prayesu abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Nityam bhaga… If we take this opportunity… We are opening centers all over the world just to give the people this opportunity, nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Anartha upasamam saksad bhakti-yogam. Then, as soon as the heart is cleansed by hearing about Krsna… Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that. Yare dekha, tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. This Srimad-Bhagavatam is also krsna-upadesa because by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, you will be interested in krsna-upadesa, about Krsna. That is also krsna-upadesa, and the upadesa, instruction, given by Krsna, that is also krsna-upadesa. So this is the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that you go and preach and make propaganda about krsna-upadesa. This is Krsna consciousness movement. We are teaching all our men how to spread krsna-upadesa, how to spread Krsna consciousness. Then anartha upasamam saksat. Then all the unwanted things he has contaminated will be finished. Then pure consciousness… Pure consciousness is Krsna consciousness. Pure consciousness means to understand that “I am very much intimately connected with Krsna as part and parcel.” Just like my finger is very intimately connected with my body. Intimate… If there is little pain in the finger, I become so much disturbed because I have got intimate connection with this finger. Similarly, we have got intimate connection with Krsna, and we are fallen. Therefore Krsna also feels little pain, and therefore He comes down. paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8] Krsna is feeling pain. So you become Krsna conscious. Then Krsna will feel pleasure. That is Krsna consciousness movement. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Vrndavana, April 24, 1975