Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.22
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Vrndavana, September 18, 1976

Pradyumna:

arjuna uvaca krsna krsna maha-baho bhaktanam abhayankara tvam eko dahyamananam apavargo ’si samsrteh

“Arjuna said: O my Lord Sri Krsna, You are the almighty Personality of Godhead. There is no limit to Your different energies. Therefore only You are competent to instill fearlessness in the hearts of Your devotee. Everyone in the flames of material miseries can find the path of liberation in You only.”

Prabhupada:

arjuna uvaca krsna krsna maha-baho bhaktanam abhayankara tvam eko dahyamananam apavargo ’si samsrteh

Samsrteh, this material world is called samsrti, continuously suffering. That we cannot understand. This is called ignorance. Continuously suffering. They are thinking, “We are very happy,” but this material world means continuously suffering. So one living entity is dying, and his gross body is left and the subtle body, mind, intelligence, ego, carrying him in another body through the semina of the father to the womb of the mother. Then it is placed, and the body again forms, and when the body is formed, then he comes out. And within the womb of the mother there is so much suffering, we know that. Many times we have discussed. And coming, from the very moment the child is crying, there is inconveniences. So many things he cannot express. In this way, within the womb there is suffering, out of the womb there is suffering. Then growing, child or baby or boy, there are so many sufferings. Then young man— suppose he becomes family man—then earn for the family. That is also suffering. Then old man, disease, inability, many, many thoughts, that is also suffering. And again death is suffering. At the time of death nobody knows what will happen. Recently one of our Godbrothers has died. He was suffering that he… Some glucose food was being supplied through the nose, and with that, what is called? Taking out the…? That also another suffering. Forcibly taking out the urine, cannot speak anything. So this is suffering. This is called samsrti. We are so foolish we do not know that this material existence is suffering. They are simply struggle for existence. Manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. Simply a struggle. There is no happiness. But these foolish persons, they do not know that there is suffering and how to stop this suffering. That is real problem. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam. Intelligent persons should always keep in view that “These are my real sufferings.” Not that “Temporary I have got some misunderstanding with some friend, or temporary I do not get some nice food, and therefore suffering.” These sufferings are extra, but real suffering is this—janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi.

So suffering and suff… Therefore material existence is called samsrti. Samsara. So therefore we read every day from the Gurvastaka, samsara-davanala-lidha-loka **. This samsara, this material existence, is just like davanala. Davanala means forest fire. Forest, in the forest nobody goes to set fire, but it takes place automatically. Even if you don’t want, it will come. This is samsara. In your country, nice city, New York City, but every moment there is fire—dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung. Why? Very nice city, big city, big roads, big—but there is suffering. Who wants this fire? But government has to make arrangement for fire brigade, and because it is great nation, very prosperous nation, there is very constantly, very frequently there is fire. Frequently. You won’t find such fire in India, at least. We have no such experience that every moment there is fire brigade. Is it not? I am exaggerating? Huh? You see. We have got so many cities in India, but we don’t have such arrangement that constantly, twenty-four hours, dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung. At least we haven’t got. Less suffering, because we are not so advanced. The more materially you become advanced, the more suffering. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya [Bg. 7.14].

These rascals, they do not know. Samsrti. Therefore here we see that tvam eko dahyamananam apavargo ’si samsrteh. This is Krsna. Arjuna is mahajana. He is mahajana. He’s directly Krsna’s friend. He knows what is Krsna. Therefore he submitted that, “Krsna, it is perplexity. I do not like to fight, and You are asking me repeatedly to fight. So it is very awkward position. I cannot understand.” Karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah. “I have been infected with karpanya-dosa, and (I’m) ksatriya, I am in the battlefield. It is my duty to fight, but I am declining.” That is karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah. “My nature, svabhava, is to fight, but I am avoiding this. So therefore my position is not good, I can understand. Therefore sisyas te ’ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam. I accept You as my spiritual master. You… I am surrendered, prapannam. You kindly instruct, sadhi mam.” This is beginning of Bhagavad-gita. So Arjuna knows that for this samsrti, for this suffering of the material world, only Krsna is the savior. Only Krsna. Tvam ekah, “Only You. Not anybody else.” Nobody can. And He also, Krsna also says, mam ekam. “Rascal, mam ekam.” This same eka. Arjuna says tvam ekah and Krsna says mam ekam. The same purpose. This is to be learned, that eka, “Only Krsna.” Krsnaika-saranam. That is wanted. Simply take shelter of Krsna. That will save you from this samsrti.

Apavarga. Pavarga and apavargo. A means “not,” and pavarga is the process of suffering here in this material world. Different stages of suffering is called pavarga. The first thing is pa. This is pa pha ba bha ma, pa-varga. This is called pa-varga. There are five vargas in Sanskrit grammar: ka-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga, ta-varga, and pa-varga. Those who know, I mean to say, Sanskrit grammar, they will understand. So pa-varga means these five alphabets, pa pha ba bha ma. So our sufferings… First of all, labor, parisrama. Pa. You cannot get anything in this material world without laboring. That is not possible. Just like we have got this nice temple. How we have got it? Laboring. We have to collect the stone, we have to collect this brick, we have to… If I cannot work personally, then I have to engage laborer. So this temple is not by accident, automatically, by chunk it has come. No. There must be labor. Parisrama. That is pa. Then pha. Pha, in the English you can say frustration. Or in Sanskrit the phena, and English word is foam. When you work very hard, everyone, you know, there is foam. We have generally seen, in animals there is foam, in horse. The, hard labor, very hard labor, the foam comes. So first of all, parisrama, hard labor, then foam. Pa pha. And ba. Ba means vyarthata. Frustration. Despite so much hard labor, still frustration. Now our leaders are advertising that “Work hard. Work hard.” “Sir, I am working so hard that I am working like an ass, like an animal, and I am tired. Still I have to work hard?” “Yes.” This is samsrti. They are not satisfied that human being, Indians are working just like an ass, pulling thela, rickshaw, and still they’re requesting work hard.

So this is called vyarthata. You work hard, hard, hard. Still you’ll not be successful. You’ll have to work hard. That is called pa, pha, ba. And bha, bha means fearfulness. Just like the animal is working so hard and still he’s afraid. “The master may whip.” “You are not working?” Phut! Phut! He has to work still. Bhaya. So that fearfulness is everywhere. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhir naranam. The ox and bull, they are afraid of the driver, and we are afraid of our leader, of our government, of our so-called master and so on, so on, so on. That you cannot avoid. That is not possible. Sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat. Because we have accepted this material body, we have to be always remain in anxiety. You cannot avoid. So pa, pha, ba, bha, and at last, ma. Ma means mrtyu. Frustration and die. And again pa, again begin with pa. This is going on. This is called Repeatedly, pa, pha, ba, bha, ma; pa, pha, ba,bha, ma.

So if you take to Krsna consciousness, then this pavarga—pa, pha, ba, bha, ma—will be counteracted. Not otherwise. Not otherwise. It is not possible. Therefore he says dahyamananam. “We are suffering. Not that to this brahmastra we are suffering, but the world is so made that there is suffering only.” Narottama dasa Thakura sings, visaya-visanale diba-nisi hiya jwale. Jwale means this dahyamananam. Jwale means ablaze, fire. So this samsara-visanale, it is not ordinary fire. Visana: fire from poison. It is more infectious. Poisonous fire. Just like the atomic energy. There is heat, but what is that heat? It is called… Radiation and… So many things. So visanale. Samsara-davanala. Samsara-davanala is davanala, and at the same time that anala, the fire is coming out of poison. Samsara-visanale diba-nisi hiya jwale. We are always anxiety, full of anxiety. Sada samudvigna-dhiyam. Even big, big Vaisnava kings they also retired. Just like Ambarisa Maharaja, he was always engaged in devotional service. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor vacamsi vaikuntha— still, he retired. Still, he retired. After this incidence with Durvasa, then he divided the property to his sons and he retired. Although he was the most exalted Vaisnava, such a great Vaisnava that because he was put into difficulty by Durvasa Muni, Krsna showed His brilliance and glories in such a way that Durvasa Muni was attacked by sudarsana-cakra, and for fear of life… Even there is fear, Durvasa Muni, a great yogi. There is no comparison of his yogic mystic power. Immediately, for the sake of his life, to protect his life, he went all over the universe for protection. And when he could not get the protection, he went to Lord Brahma, “Kindly give me protection.” He refused. “No, it is not possible. The Lord is angry with you, and He has sent the sudarsana-cakra. It is not in my power to give you protection.” Then he went to Lord Siva. He also refused. And at last he went to Visnu. Just see how powerful yogi he was. He could go personally from this planet to the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, and there, from there, Sivaloka. Then from there, Vaikunthaloka. Just see his power, mystic power. But still, because he committed offense at the lotus feet of a Vaisnava, he could not be given any protection. Vaisnava-aparadha is so severe. A person so powerful that by his will he could go anywhere, by yogic power he can do so. Yogic power, even there are many yogis, they take bathing in four places every morning. They take bathing at Jagannatha Puri, at Ramesvaram, at Hardwar, and Jagannatha Puri. Four dhama, they take bathing. By four o’clock they finish. They can go. There are still such yogis. So similarly by the yogis, by their anima-siddhi, laghima-siddhi… They are called. They can go within a second. They can catch up the beams of the sun and go to the sun planet. This is yoga. Not that “Give me some dollars, I’ll show you some yoga.” They do not know what is yoga. Yoga is so powerful, yogic power.

So such a big yogi, Durvasa Muni. Still, he was in trouble. Jnanis, yogis, nobody is free from the trouble. Only the bhaktas. Take this, see the example. When Durvasa Muni created a demon to kill the king, Maharaja Ambarisa, and he was coming to attack, but Ambarisa, although he was a devotee, he had no such yogic power to counteract. He thought, “All right, it is Krsna’s desire if some demon is coming to kill me. All right, let him kill.” He stood fixed up in that position, because he’s surrendered. Marobi rakhobi jo iccha tohara. That is surrender. “I have surrendered to You. If You like to kill me by this demon, that’s all right. Welcome. Why not? Because I am culprit, so You want to kill me through this demon, let me kill. Let him kill.” So he stood up. He was not afraid of his life. But Durvasa Muni, when Visnu sent this sudarsana-cakra, immediately the demon was killed and he was after Durvasa Muni, such a great yogi. But he was afraid. “Oh, now there is no protection.” He fled, here from here, here from there, there, there, then to Brahma, to Lord Siva. And at last to Visnu. Just see how much he is afraid of his life.

And the Vaisnava is not afraid of his life. There is no fearfulness. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca. These things are problems of this material world. A Vaisnava has no problem. He knows that “If Krsna can give food to the elephant down to the ant, so Krsna will give me food. So why shall I endeavor for? When Krsna gives, I shall eat. That’s all. If He does not give, I shall starve. What is the wrong there?” This is Vaisnava. He’s not afraid. He has no problem of ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca. No. So far maithuna is concerned, it is completely rejected. Bhaktim param bhagavati pratilabhya apahinoti kamam. This is Vaisnava. Vaisnava means as he makes progress in devotional service, these material lusty desires become vanquished. No more. Finished. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anya… [SB 11.2.42]. This is the sign. Yad-avadhi mama cetah krsna-padaravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhamani… tad-avadhi bata nari-sangame smaryamane bhavati mukha-vikarah. This is Vaisnava. When one will spite of sex enjoyment, that means he has attained the Vaisnava stage. Otherwise not yet. That is the test. Yad-avadhi mama cetah krsna-padaravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhamany udyatam rantum asit, tad-avadhi bata nari-sangame. Because nari-sangame, sex with nari, that is the highest pleasure of this material world. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45] Very abominable happiness, maithunadi. It is kanduyanena karayor iva duhkha-duhkham. It is entailed with so many sufferings. Either illicit or legal, there is suffering. So this is samsara. This is the key of samsara, to keep one packed up, compact in these material desires. So, so many things are there, apavarga. But Krsna is the only means. When one is attracted by Krsna, Madana-mohana… Madana means lusty desires. And Krsna, Madana-mohana. He is so attractive that one forgets lusty desires. Therefore His name is Madana-mohana. So if you don’t contact with Madana-mohana, then you’ll be suffering madana-dahana. Dahana means this, dahyamananam, always suffering the blazing fire of lusty desires. Unless you become Krsna conscious, you’ll have to suffer. Therefore it is said dahyamananam apavargo ’si: “You are the apavarga.”

So Arjuna is surrendered soul. When he felt that temperature of brahmastra or radiation of the atomic weapon, nuclear weapon… So devotee has no other… Krsna krsna maha-baho bhaktanam abhayankara: “Our only shelter is Your lotus feet.” Abhaya-caranaravinda re. Bhajahun re mana sri-nanda-nandana-abhaya-caranaravinda re. So if you take shelter of Krsna’s lotus feet, then abhayankara, no more fear. No more fear. And so long you do not do it, then samsrti. Therefore Arjuna says tvam eko dahyamananam apavargo ’si abhayankara.

Thank you very much. (end)