Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.6 Prabhupada: (devotees repeat) Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Six, Chapter One, verse number six. (devotees repeat) adhuneha maha-bhaga yathaiva narakan narah nanogra-yatanan neyat tan me vyakhyatum arhasi Adhuna—“just now”; maha-bhaga—“O the most fortunate.” Pariksit Maharaja is addressed as maha-bhaga. Maha means great, and bhaga, the same bhaga from the word bhaga, bhaga. Bhagavan and bhagyavan, maha-bhaga—these terms are applicable to the very, very great fortunate, opulent. Actually Bhagavan, this word, is applicable to Krsna. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita, you will find, whenever Krsna is speaking, Vyasadeva has written, sri bhagavan uvaca. Real Bhagavan is Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Everyone has got little fortune, opulence, but nobody is comparable with Krsna. Therefore in the sastra it is said, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: “Real Bhagavan is Krsna,” The supreme controller. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. But if one has got little favor of Krsna, he is called bhagyavan, not Bhagavan; bhagyavan, fortunate. The word is coming from the same bhaga. I have several times explained. Bhaga means richness, bhaga means influence, bhaga means bodily strength, bhaga means knowledge, bhaga means beauty, and bhaga means renunciation. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah. And bhaga means reputation, fame. So these are the symptoms of bhaga. So Pariksit Maharaja, although nobody can be equal to Krsna… Bhagavan means asamaurdha. Nobody is equal to Him; nobody is greater than Him. That is Bhagavan. I am fortunate, you are fortunate, but we have got many equals and many greater than. But when you reach somebody where you find nobody is equal to Him and nobody is greater than Him, that is real Bhagavan. This is a logical conclusion, who is Bhagavan. Nowadays so many rascals they write, “Bhagavan.” Bhagavan. That is blasphemy. If Bhagavan likes, such persons should be punished. But Bhagavan excuses. That is another thing. So Bhagavan is Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Nobody should try to become equal to Him. That is not possible. So here Sukadeva Gosvami is addressed as maha-bhaga. Maha means great, and bhaga means fortunate. Because he is very fortunate, he is describing Srimad-Bhagavatam. Again Bhagavatam, the same word bhaga comes. Bhagavat. Bhagavat. Vat, this word, is used when the meaning is “possessing.” Asty arthe vatup. Bhagavan, bhagyavan and bhagavat. Bhagavat means one who has power to possess the Supreme Lord. He is called bhagavata. There are two kinds of bhagavata: one is grantha-bhagavata and one is person bhagavata. A devotee, he is called bhagavata, and the book in which the pastimes or characteristics of Bhagavan is described, that is called Bhagavata. So this Srimad-Bhagavata… Sri means beauty. Again vat. Bhagavat, Srivat. Sri means very beautiful. So every sloka you’ll find very, very beautiful. Five thousand years ago these verses were written. There is no comparison. Nobody can write such verses even up to date. It was written by Vyasadeva, Veda-vyasa. So maha-bhaga yatha eva narakat narah. So this is Sixth Canto. In the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam there is description of the hellish condition of life. According to the… Just like there is punishment according to criminality, similarly, there is punishment by nature’s law. According to impious life, there is punishment. So people do not care for impious life. That is misfortune. No knowledge. Impious or vicious activities are done out of ignorance. Just like a person commits some criminality without knowing the laws, government laws. Ordinarily, just like in your country, “Keep to the right.” If you drive your car on the left side, immediately you become a criminal. So in our country the car is driven on the left side. In this country the car is driven on the right side. So if some Indian gentleman says that “I am accustomed to drive on the left side. So what is wrong there?” “No, this country’s law is ‘right side.’ You know or do not know, whatever may be in your country, because you have driven your car on the left side, you are criminal.” So ignorance is no excuse. In the law court if you say, “Sir, it was not known to me,” so that does not mean that you will be excused. Similarly, knowingly or unknowingly, if you do something, sinful act, then you are immediately criminal. You’ll be punishable. It doesn’t matter whether you know or not know. Just like fire. This child, if he touches the fire, the fire will not excuse. There is no consideration, “Sir, here is a little child. He does not know this fire is burning.” But as soon as he touches, it will burn. This is nature’s law. You infect some disease knowingly or unknowingly, it doesn’t matter, but the disease will be manifest. Suppose you have infected smallpox infection, contamination. Then it will be manifest. So this education is lacking now. They are… Everyone is thinking that he’s independent, he can do whatever he likes. That is not possible. Then you’ll be punished. Nature’s law is so strict, stringent. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. You cannot escape the stringent laws of nature. Little discrepancy… Suppose you can eat eight ounce. If you eat nine ounce, then you will have to starve for three days. There is no excuse. “Why you have eaten more than eight ounce?” The nature says… Just like we require salt in our foodstuff, everyone. But if the salt is little more, it is useless. And if the salt is little less, that is also useless. It must be exactly to the quantity. So nature’s law is like that. People, if they simply study nature’s law, he becomes a learned scholar. There is no need of going to school, college. But if he sees how nature is working… You can see this flower. Every flower is so beautiful, nicely constructed symmetrically. You’ll find two flowers, the small fiber coming out exactly in the same way. There is no question of accident. There is no question of accident. They are also being manipulated by the laws of nature. And what is the laws of nature? The laws of nature is acting under the supervision of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The nature is instrument. Just like any machine. Take typewriter machine. The typewriter machine or any machine, working very nicely, but the machine is not working nicely. The man, the person who is typing, he is doing nicely. There may be wonderful machine, computer, but there must be one actor, one manipulator. So the, this nature is an instrument only. The actually worker is Krsna. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita: mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. But these rascals, they are praising the machine. They have no information that who is the person, what is the brain behind this machine. That is ignorance. That is the difference between the so-called scientists and devotee. A devotee knows that all these wonderful things which are happening, behind this thing there is Krsna. And Krsna says—we believe that. And that’s a fact. If you paint a very nice flower, how much labor you require. Still, it cannot be so beautiful as the natural flower. So don’t think the natural flower has come accidentally. No. It was done by the machine manipulated by Krsna. That is Krsna understanding. It is confirmed in the sastra, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. Para, the Supreme, His energies are multi-energies. They are acting the same way the machine is working. You can see potency or the power of a person. Just like you see airplane: the pilot is sitting there, pushing one button. Immediately the turning, such a huge machine is turning, simply by putting button. So this is an arrangement of energy. Similarly, the whole material world is working by putting the button, pushing the button. Don’t think it is going on automatically or accidentally. These are all rascaldom. There is hand in everywhere. So narakat narah. We should always remember that if we commit some sinful activities there is punishment. That has been described in the previous chapter, Fifth Canto. Therefore Pariksit Maharaja… That is Vaisnava. Pariksit Maharaja is Vaisnava. He is very unhappy that so many living entities, they are rotting in this naraka, hellish condition of life. So he is asking, adhuneha maha-bhaga yathaiva narakan narah nanogra-yatanan neyat tan me vyakhyatum arhasi “I am very sorry that so many living entities are suffering. So if there is any way to give them relief?” That is Vaisnava. And avaisnava sees another person is suffering; he doesn’t care: “Let him suffer.” We have come to that state. I heard from one of my disciples that here, in New York, if somebody is killed on the road, nobody will care. Is it a fact? Devotee: Yes. Prabhupada: So we have come to that stage of civilization. But Pariksit Maharaja, simply by hearing from Sukadeva Gosvami that “A person, if he commits sinful activities, he suffers like that,” he is not seeing; he is compassionate: “How such person can be delivered?” This is the inquiry, that “They are suffering for some sinful activities. How they can be saved?” This is Vaisnava. Vaisnava means para-duhkha-duhkhi. Vaisnava is unhappy by seeing others’ unhappiness. He has no unhappiness. Personally he has no unhappiness. Nityananda Prabhu, He is… Ha ha prabhu nityananda, premananda sukhi, krpabalokana koro, ami boro duhkhi. Nityananda means… Nitya means eternally; ananda means happy. So Nityananda has no unhappiness, but He was passing on the street, there was a crowd, and Nityananda Prabhu inquired, “Why there is so much crowd?” So somebody informed that “There are two brothers, Jagai and Madhai, and they are very fallen souls, although they were born in brahmana family, very nice, rich family. But being addicted to drinking and prostitution, they have become now rogues, thieves, this way. So they are disturbing the whole neighborhood.” So Nityananda Prabhu considered, “So these two brothers are so fallen? So why not deliver them first?” This is Nityananda Prabhu. “Then My Lord…” Nityananda Prabhu considered Caitanya Mahaprabhu as His master. So “My master’s name will be famous. Because the master’s propaganda is ‘Chant Hare Krsna,’ so if I can induce these two brothers to chant Hare Krsna, they will be saved. So why not try?” This is Nityananda Prabhu, that para-duhkha-duhkhi. He is happy personally, but because He knows that “These drunkards, woman-hunters, prostitute-hunters, will suffer very, very severely, so why not deliver them?” This is Nityananda Prabhu, Vaisnava. Vaisnava, you will find so many others also. In your country there is Lord Jesus Christ. When he was being crucified, still he was saying, “My Lord, excuse them. They do not know what they are doing.” This is Vaisnava. They are not unhappy, and they can tolerate any unhappy position. But they are… Therefore they come to deliver so many fallen souls. So here Pariksit Maharaja, out of compassion, he inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami, “These persons, they are rotting in the naraka. Is there any means to deliver them?” That he’s saying. Nana ugra-yatana. Ugra-yatana. These are described. We find also, there are many persons, they are suffering ugra-yata. Ugra means severe, severe punishment. There are living entities, they are suffering so many ugra-yatana. So this Krsna consciousness movement means to save people from the severe punishment of materialistic life. This is Krsna consciousness movement. Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement, Krsna’s movement, is to save. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. Tadatmanam srjamy aham. Krsna said. Krsna also very compassionate: “Whenever there is discrepancies, people put themselves in great suffering. Maya will not excuse. Nature will not excuse. At that time I come to deliver them, to give them instruction, ‘Why you are suffering in this way? Do this way.’ ” Krsna says, “Accept this philosophy.” What is that? Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru: [Bg. 18.65] “Always think of Me, become a devotee of Me.” Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji: “Worship Me and offer little obeisances unto Me.” Four things. It is not difficult. Just like a child, he is offering obeisances, he is offering a flower. This is bhakta. And he is thinking of… Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam. Even a child can do. Where is the difficulty? And Krsna assures, “If you do these four things,” man-mana bhava mad, mam evaisyasi asamsayah [Bg. 18.65], “without any doubt you’ll come back to Me.” And people are not agreeing even to do these simple things. Still, the Krsna consciousness movement is there to teach people how to become devotee and save from the greatest sufferings of hellish condition of life. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Honolulu, May 7, 1976