Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.16
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Mayapur, February 23, 1976

Dayananda: Grasatam: “overpowered by other conditioned souls.”

Prabhupada: “Power”? “Other conditioned”? Grasatam? Grasatam means “taken over.” Is it not?

Devotee: Grasatam: “taken.”

Prabhupada: “Taken over.” There is some word. Pranitah. [break]

Dayananda: “O my Lordship, You are so kind upon the fallen souls. O the most powerful, insurmountable by anyone else, on account of my resultant action of activities, I have been put into the association of asuras, and therefore I am very much afraid of my condition of life within this material world. Of course, if You become very pleased upon me, I am waiting for that moment when You will call me to take shelter under Your lotus feet, which is the ultimate goal of life for being liberated from this conditional life.”

Prabhupada:

trasto ’smy aham krpana-vatsala duhsahogra-samsara-cakra-kadanad grasatam pranitah baddhah sva-karmabhir usattama te ’nghri-mulam prito ’pavarga-saranam hvayase kada nu

So Prahlada Maharaja was not afraid of the fierceful features of Lord Nrsimhadeva. He was not fearful. But question may be asked, “You are not afraid of anything? You are seeing so fierceful appearance, nrsimha-murti. Everyone is afraid. And even Lord Brahma; Lord Siva; goddess of fortune, Laksmi; and other demigods—everyone is afraid of, but you say that ‘I am not afraid of Your, this horrible feature.’ ” Naham bibhemy. This verse we have discussed, “I am not afraid.”

So the question may be that “If you are not afraid of this fearful appearance of Me, then that means you are not afraid of anything?” The answer is, “Yes, I am afraid. Yes, I am afraid.” What is that? (sic:) Trasto ’ham aham krpana-vatsala duhsahogra-samsara-cakra-kadanad: “I am afraid of this material existence, not this, Your fearful…” This fearful appearance is fearful for the asuras, duskrtina. When Krsna comes, He has got two business: paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. So those who are duskrtam or duskrtinah… These words are used in the Bhagavad-gita: na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante [Bg. 7.15]. So anyone who is in this material world, he is a duskrti. Krti means very meritorious. Krti yasya sa jivati. Meritorious, krti. But duskrti. Here in this material world there are many, many persons, very meritorious, big, big philosophers, scientists, politicians, very meritorious. But their merit is being used for sinful activities. Just like a thief. He has got merit, but his merit is being used for stealing. So that is called duskrti. And sukrtina, just the opposite is sukrtina. Sukrti means one is acting or utilizing his merit for sukrti. Sukrti means the way by which one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called sukrti. Ajnata-sukrti. This temple means to give chance to the people in general, ajnata-sukrti. Anyone who will come to this temple where the Deity is there, and even by imitating others, if one offers obeisances to the Lord, that is taken into account. That is not useless, because Krsna says, mad-yajinah. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is Krsna’s desire. He gives the four principles, that “Always think of Me,” man-mana, “and become My devotee,” mad-bhakta, mad-yaji, “worship Me,” and mad-yajino Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru: [Bg. 18.65] “Just offer little obeisances. These four principles will deliver you from this bondage of material existence and,” mam evaisyasi asamsaya, “without any doubt, you’ll come back to Me.” So, so simple thing. It is not at all difficult. This child, he can do this. Old man can do this. Learned man can do this, without any knowledge. Even an animal can do it. Very simple. Bhakti-yoga is very simple. Therefore, somehow or other, if somebody comes into the temple, and even by imitating one offers obeisances… We have seen so many people. Our devotees are offering obeisances. They also think that “It is the etiquette. Let me do that,” by association. Therefore it is recommended, sadhu-sanga. Sadhu-sanga. Simply by association, one can be delivered. Samsara-cakra-kadanat. It is so nice thing.

Unfortunately they’ll not associate with sadhu. Sat-sanga chadi’ kainu asate vilasa, te-karana lagila mora karma-bandha-phansa. Narottama dasa Thakura sings that “I have given up sadhu-sanga.” Sat-sanga, sadhu-sanga. Satam-prasangat mama virya-samvido bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah. If you discuss message of Krsna amongst the sadhus, satam prasangat, then it becomes very palatable. Satam prasangat. Not professional or asadhu. Asadhu is condemned. Sanatana Gosvami has strictly forbidden. Avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam-hari-kathamrtam, sravanam na kartavyam. He has strictly forbidden. Those who are not Vaisnavas, professional, for money’s sake they recite Bhagavata, any, anything. They want money. Sometimes they may recite Bhagavatam. Sometimes they flatter you. Sometimes they read other book also. They want money. Such kind of association will not help you. Satam prasangat. That is the same thing, Narottama dasa, sat-sanga chadi’ kainu asate vilasa, te karane lagila mora karma-bandha-phansa. This karma-bandha-phansa, the Sanskrit is samsara-cakra-kadana. The Bengali is karma-bandha-phansa, entanglement in work and resultant action of That is going on. The samsara-cakra means one after another. This life is going on, and we are creating the resultant action of our karma, and according to the process, we get another body. Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. You have to accept another body by the laws of nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Karanam guna-sango ’sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. As you associate, so you get your next body. There are 8,400,000 different forms of body. Krsna says, tatha dehantara-praptih: “You’ll get another body.” He doesn’t say that “You will get this body after…” Just like this Darwin’s theory. They say, “After this body, this body. After this body, this body.” That is when the evolution takes place in the lower species of life, nature’s law. But when you come to the human form of life you have got your responsibility. Wherever you want, you can go.

That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah bhutejya yanti bhutani mad-yajino ’pi yanti mam [Bg. 9.25]

Now you select where you want to go. If you want to go to the higher planetary system, you can go. Then take shelter of the demigods. Worship Indra, Candra, Varuna. They are trying to go to the moon planet, but one cannot go there unless he’s qualified to go there. Deva-vratan. There is prescription how you can go to the Candraloka. In karma-kandiya vicara, fruitive activities, if one executes fruitive activities very nicely, he’s promoted to the Candraloka. He gets there life for ten thousands of years, and he’s given opportunity of drinking soma-rasa. So this is samsara-cakra, not that if you go to the higher planetary system you become happy. No. That is not possible. Krsna says,

a-brahma-bhuvanal lokan punar avartino ’rjuna yad gatva na nivartante tad dhamam paramam

Even if you go to the Brahmaloka, from down, Patala, up to Brahmaloka… You can go there if you want. Krsna is very, very kind. He has given you chance because you wanted to come here and enjoy material world. Krsna says, “All right, go.” So beginning from Brahma down to the insignificant worm in the stool, they are coming down and going up, coming down. This is going on. This is called samsara-cakra, cycle of birth and death. That is going on perpetually. And they do not know what to do. You have to die. You get one form of life, enjoy it, either as human being or as hog, pig, cat, dog, or demigod. Whatever you wanted, you have got it, desire. Now enjoy. But after some time you have to die. But actually your position is not to die. You are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20] Destruction of this body does not mean your destruction. This is samsara-cakra. I am getting different opportunities, different bodies, to fulfill my material desires. This is going on. This is called samsara-cakra-kadanat. Prahlada Maharaja, a devotee, is afraid, very, very afraid. He is not afraid of the lion or the elephant or the tiger or the snake. No. He’s not afraid of these. But he’s afraid of this repetition of birth and death. That is called samsara-cakra. Is it not botheration? Any sane man will understand how much botheration it is. Just like I am now old man. There are so many inconveniences. And in this way every old man will die, and if he’s fortunate enough, if he has done something, he may be promoted to the higher planetary system, or if he has tried for Krsna consciousness, he may go back to home, back to Godhead. So why one should bother here in this material world, changing body, one after another? This is called samsara-cakra-kada…

So the ordinary person, they cannot understand what is the difficulty. As soon as I die I enter into the womb of a mother according to my karma. The mother may be a lady dog or lady pig or lady such and such, because the body will be manufactured within the womb of the mother. Karmana daiva-netrena jantor dehopapatti. Upapatti means getting one type of body. So that type of body is given by the mother, and the seed is given by the father. Yatha bijam yatha yoni. So we take a form. This is going on. So a devotee should be very very much afraid of this repetition of birth and death. Samsara… This is Prahlada Maharaja… To follow the footprints of Prahlada Maharaja, one should be very, very afraid. And the whole process of Vedic civlization, especially devotional service, is how to avoid this samsara-cakra-kadana. Everyone should be very, very afraid of. Foolish persons… “Where angels dare not, the fools rush in.” They think, “What is that? I shall die.” Now it has come to the stage that in your Western countries, if we say like this, that “Next life you may become a dog,” university student, they say, “What is the wrong if I become a dog?” They are not afraid. They think, “If I become a dog, then I’ll be free to have sex on the street without any restriction. This is the facility. Because being a human, I have got so much restriction, and if I become a dog, then there will be no restriction. I’ll have… I’ll be very free to have sex anywhere.” So this is the education. In Hawaii, when I was lecturing, one student said, “No, what is the wrong, Swamiji, if I become a dog?” You see? Bah!

So people have fallen so much. But we should not be like that. Those who have taken to Krsna consciousness… Of course, a Krsna conscious person is never afraid of any species of life—provided there is Krsna consciousness continuing. That’s all. That is wanted. We are not afraid of becoming a dog, provided I can remember Krsna. This is our position. Just like Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, kita janmaobi, iccha yadi tora. Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, “I don’t mind if I am born as a kita, or an insect, but kindly give me the chance that I become an insect in the house of a devotee. Then I’ll get chance again. Because a devotee will eat. I’ll be able to take a little grain left by the devotee. That is my satisfaction.” So a Vaisnava is not afraid of to becoming in the form of any species of life, provided he simply… That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s prayer, mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi. Na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye. A devotee does not aspire of being born in a very rich family or getting very nice wife and many controlling power, much controlling power. They do not want. Mama janmani… Neither a devotee wants (to) stop birth and death, because he has no desire. That is called akami. A devotee has no desire to fulfill. Therefore Caitanya-caritamrta kaj says,

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali ‘asanta’ krsna-bhakta niskama ataeva ‘santa’

Niskama, no desire. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [BRS 1.1.11]—this is devotee, no desire. “As You…” As Krsna likes. Simply how to take charge of serving the lotus feet of Krsna.

Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says, prito ’pavarga-saranam hvayase kada nu: “My Lord, You are apavarga-saranam.” This is very important word, apavarga. Pavarga and apavarga. Pa means just the opposite, and pavarga, here in this material world, we are in the pavarga. Pa means parisrama, laboring. Here you cannot get food without any labor. Just see. These laborers here, they have come. Whole day they are working. But if I say that “Why you are working so hard? Come here, live here, take little prasadam, and make progress in Krsna consciousness,” nobody will come. Nobody will come. “No, no. I am very happy here.” This is pa, parisrama. They… Sometimes we are accused that we’re escaping labor, we are parasites, we are dependent on the society. We are not dependent on the society; we are dependent on Krsna. Yoga-ksemam vahamy aham [Bg. 9.22]. Krsna is supplying us this nice building, nice food, nice opportunity. Not only one—we have got hundreds of buildings like that, without any labor. We are not working like these laborers. Just see. I went to your country with forty rupees, and now I have got forty crores of worth, property. So I did not work like them. (laughs) Yes. The people are bringing money. Krsna is sending money, daily one to five lakhs of rupees. So this is Krsna consciousness. Why one should work? Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [Bhag. 5.5.1]. Vid-bhujam, the stool-eaters, they will work hard. Human life is not meant for Take Krsna’s shelter. Krsna will supply everything. Yoga-ksemam vahamy aham [Bg. 9.22]. Tesam nityabhiyuktanam yoga-ksemam vahamy.

So this pa means working hard, parisrama. And pha means foam, phenam. If you work very hard… You have seen sometimes the horse. They are having foams in the mouth. So we have to work so hard in this material world that sometimes foam comes. Yes. We become thirsty. We require some drinking because the tongue becomes dry, the lips become dry, and sometimes, the pa, pha… And ba—still, we are disappointed, vyarthata. And bha—we are always fearful, bhaya. And ma—after this, mrtyu, death. After so working hard, after always being fearful, being baffled and so on, so on, still, you cannot live here; you must die. This is called pavarga. In Sanskrit grammar, there are vargas: ka-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga, pa-varga. So pa-varga means pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. So material life means these five kinds of difficulties; at last—death. Ma means mrtyu. But if you take shelter of Krsna, then you are saved. Therefore Krsna is described as apavarga-saranam. If one wants to nullify this pavarga, then he must take shelter of Krsna. Aham tvam sarva… Because we are working hard why? According to our sinful activities, we are put into the situation, working very hard. Without working, we cannot get our food. So Krsna is apavarga-saranam. If you want apavarga, if you want to nullify these five kinds of pa, pha, ba, bha, ma, then you must take shelter of Krsna.

So Krsna is always kind, but when He sees that you are very eager to go to Krsna, He calls. He calls. Just like He explained to Arjuna, “My dear Arjuna, because you are My very dear friend,” sarva-guhyatamam, “I am just disclosing the most confidential part of knowledge.” Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] “This is the most confidential part of knowledge. Don’t be entangled with this pavarga. Take shelter of Me.” So this is calling Arjuna. So Prahlada Maharaja expecting, “When the Lord will call me?” That is real mercy. You cannot call God, or Krsna, “Please come to me and save me.” Krsna is not your servant; He does not agree to be your servant. But when He’s pleased, He says, He calls you, “Please come and surrender unto Me.” Therefore we must expect, “When the master will call me?” Don’t try to see God, but act in such a way that God will call you, “Please come here.” That is wanted. That is bhakti, not that “O God, please come. I will see you.” Why God will come to see you? He is very busy. What you have done that you want to see God? If you say, “O Indira Gandhi, please come here. I’ll see you,” she will come? Be qualified, and she will see you. Similarly, don’t try… This is not bhakti. Nacia nacia aire gopala.(?) No. Gopala is not anyone’s servant that He’ll come dancing and dancing. You be qualified, and He’ll see you. He’ll call you, “Yes, come back. Come back home, back to home, back to Godhead.” Be qualified. (aside:) Why you are standing? Stand. Yes.

So this is Prahlada Maharaja’s instruction. Everyone should be anxious how Krsna will call him back to home, back to Godhead. And that is done, that is possible, when you are engaged in service. Otherwise it is not po… Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. You cannot ask God to come and He will see you. No. When you are sevonmukha, fully in service, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau… That service begins from jihva, from the tongue. Ta’ra madhye jihva ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, ta’ke jeta kothina samsare. Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “It is very, very difficult to control the tongue.” Therefore the tongue should be engaged in service of the Lord, beginning from the tongue. If you can control the tongue, then you can control your belly, then you can control your genital, and then you become jitendriya. So we have to become jitendriya. Indriya means the senses. They are given to us for material enjoyment, just like the hog is also given the tongue to taste stool. Not your tongue. Your tongue is meant for tasting prasadam, not stool. Your tongue is meant for chanting, not eating stool. So you have to control this. Then there will be possibility of getting the shelter of apavarga-saranam. The repetition of birth and death Everyone should be afraid of the samsara-cakra-kadanat.

Then one may ask that… Then… Just like sometimes foolish persons, they say that “Krsna, God, has kept me in this way. According to His desire, I am now in this position because nothing can happen without His desire.” This argument they say. That is another rascaldom. So Prahlada Maharaja clears, therefore, that baddhah sva-karmabhih: “It is not desired by You. I have created this situation.” Baddhah sva-karmabhih. I have been put into this condition by my own work, sva-karmabhir. Baddhah sva-karmabhir usattama. You cannot overcome this resultant action of your karma. You must suffer. The same example: just like if you infect some contaminous disease, you must suffer, similarly, we are creating karma and we are suffering. Baddhah sva-karmabhih. My work. Sastra does not say that you steal. Nobody says. Neither sastra says, nor the moral codes say, nor the law, government law, say that “You can steal whatever you like.” No. Everybody says… The government says, “Don’t steal.” The sastra, scriptures, they also say, “Don’t drink. Don’t steal. Don’t do this. Don’t.” All forbidden. But I steal. So that is sva-karmabhih. There is forbidding everywhere, but still, I steal. Then whose fault it is? It is government’s fault or my fault? If I kill, I’ll be hanged. “Thou shall not kill.” Lord Christ says, “Thou shall not kill.” But if I kill, then I must suffer. But they say, give some false argument, “Lord Christ says, ‘Thou shall not kill’ and if I kill, Christ has taken the contract that whatever sinful activities we do, he will excuse.” This is Christian document. They say that “Our Christ is so kind that whatever sinful activities we do, he will suffer for us.” Is it not? This is Christian theory. Just see foolishness. “You do something, and I suffer for that.” No. You have to suffer. You have done something wrong; you must suffer. This is the real philosophy, sva-karmabhih usattama te ’nghri-mulam pritah apavarga-saranam.

So we are very much entangled in this material world. One should be very much afraid. Prahlada Maharaja says… Prahlada Maharaja was not afraid of Nrsimha-murti, but he is very much afraid of this material existence. It is really very, very fearful. People do not know the seriousness of material existence, and they continue and waste their, the chance, human being. Human form of life is a chance to rectify, but they do not care. Therefore the Krsna consciousness movement is so important. Everyone, door to door, a devotee has to go and teach them that “You are leading a very, very irresponsible life. Be responsible to your consciousness and be a devotee of Krsna. That will save you.”

Thank you very much. (end)