Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.30 Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.) Tatra tatra pura-gramakara-kheta-vata-kharvata-sibira-vraja-ghosa-sartha-giri-vanasramadisu anupatham avanicarapasadaihparibhuyamano maksikabhir iva vana-gajas tarjana-tadanavamehana-sthivana-grava-sakrd-rajah-praksepa-puti-vata-duruktais tad aviganayann evasat-samsthana etasmin dehopalaksane sad-apadesa ubhayanubhava-svarupena sva-mahimavasthanenasamaropitaham-mamabhimanatvad avikhandita-manah prthivim eka-carah paribabhrama. “Translation: Rsabhadeva began to tour through cities, villages, mines, countrysides, valleys, gardens, military camps, cow pens, the homes of cowherd men, transient hotels, hills, forests and hermitages. Wherever He traveled, all bad elements surrounded Him, just as flies surround the body of an elephant coming from a forest. He was always being threatened, beaten, urinated upon and spat upon. Sometimes people threw stones, stool and dust at Him, and sometimes people passed foul air before Him. Thus people called Him many bad names and gave Him a great deal of trouble, but He did not care about this, for He understood that the body is simply meant for such an end. He was situated on the spiritual platform, and, being in His spiritual glory, He did not care for all these material insults. In other words, He completely understood that matter and spirit are separate, and He had no bodily conception. Thus, without being angry at anyone, He walked through the whole world alone.” Prabhupada: So tatra tatra pura-gramakara-kheta-vata-kharvata and so on, so on. This is Sanskrit language. By combining words with the process of sandhi and samasa, one word can be as long as three miles. So for ordinary person it is very difficult to combine together. So it is for the learned scholars. But we must understand the purport. Rsabhadeva is parivrajakacarya. This is called parivrajakacarya. We have heard this name, parivrajakacarya. Sannyasi’s third stage is parivrajakacarya, and the fourth stage is paramahamsa. Kuticaka, bahudaka, parivrajakacarya, and then paramahamsa. So avadhuta. We have already understood, avadhuta: no conception, no bodily conception, completely. There is a song, deha-smrti nahi yara, samsara kahan tara. If one is completely free from the bodily conception of life, as it is shown practically by Rsabhadeva—people are spiting (spitting on him), calling him by ill names, and sometimes passing urine—he doesn’t care. This is the example. Apani acari prabhu jiveri sikhaya. By imitation, it is not possible. We’ll learn more and more about His body, how it was completely spiritual. Na jayate na mriyate va. In other place the spiritual body is nainam dahati pavakah. The… No weapon can cut it, no fire can burn it. These descriptions are there. So what is that thing? It is definition by negation. We cannot understand in our present state what is that spirit soul. Although we can perceive that there is something—in the absence of that something, this body is nothing but a lump of matter. That we get experience every day. But we cannot see what is that. Therefore atheist class or the persons with poor fund of knowledge, they deny the existence. They cannot see. But they cannot answer that why the body is no more working, what is that thing which is absent? They have tried to explain in so many ways how that something… But they could not practically explain. We have to understand it by the sruti process, Vedic knowledge. That is real understanding. And understanding from the right person, Krsna or His representative. And it has to be understood simply by hearing. There is no other process. You cannot see; it is so small particle. Kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca [Cc. Madya 19.140]. So in these material eyes we cannot see even the spiritual spark within the body. How you can see the Supreme Spirit? It is not possible. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. These blunt senses cannot see. But we can perceive. This much concession is there, and one can become completely free from bodily conception of life. That is… Here is the example by Rsabhadeva. There are many. In the yogic process, anima-siddhi… Yogis, those who have attained some perfection in the yoga process, you can put him into locked room but he’ll come out. That is called anima-siddhi. Very small, the spirit soul, he’ll come out. Anima, laghima, prapti, siddhi, there are eight kinds of… He can do that. There was one sannyasi, Trailinga Swami in Benares. He was sitting on the road naked. The police objected. So several times he was taken and put into the police custody, but he came out. Again he was sitting. This is yoga-siddhi. Then he was allowed—“Hopeless.” They cannot be locked up. That is yoga-siddhi, not merely showing some gymnastic process. No. One must be… That yoga-siddhi, it is not possible in this age because people are not expert to practice this yoga system. Therefore Arjuna denied, “No, no, no. Krsna, it is not possible for me to practice this yoga system. It is impossible for me.” So five thousand years ago he said, “Impossible,” but we are daring to make it possible. That is not very good. Better, as Krsna says… To encourage Arjuna, Krsna said that “Don’t be discouraged because you cannot practice this yoga system. Here is the best process.” What is that? Yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantar-atmana: [Bg. 6.47] “If you simply think of Me, then you are the best yogi.” So everything will be perfectly executed—yoga, jnana, karma, and many other processes—if you become Krsna conscious. That is the real purpose. If you come to the platform of Krsna consciousness, then everything is perfect. Even if you cannot execute yoga, jnana, karma perfectly, still you are perfect. Still you are perfect. But the central point is that we must be absorbed always in thinking of Krsna within the core of our heart. Satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah [Bg. 9.14]. Simply you should remain Krsna conscious twenty-four hours, even in sleeping. That is the perfect stage. But we have to practice. It is not simply words. But it can be practiced; it is not impossible. The practice Krsna is recommending, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru: [Bg. 18.65] “Always think of Me.” Our, this temple worship… Mad-yaji mam namaskuru. And “Always think of Me.” This class, this kirtana, this prasada distribution and offering obeisances, worshiping, so many—sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam [SB 7.5.23]—take any one of them or all of them. Be perfect in that particular process. Try to become, at least. Krsna will help you. Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. If you try your best, Krsna will give you strength. Krsna is always ready to help you, provided you want to take his help. He is ready. He has come to help you. Otherwise what is the use of Krsna’s coming here and canvassing, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg. 18.66]? That is for our interest. You surrender to Krsna or not surrender, it doesn’t matter to Krsna. Krsna does not depend on your service. He is completely perfect. He can create millions of servants like you in a moment. So why does He require your service? Why He should canvass for your service? His service is not suffering for want of you. But it is your interest to surrender to Him. It is your interest. This Krsna wants to see, that you surrender to Him and become perfect and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Krsna’s mission. So this Krsna consciousness movement is the same mission: to canvass. dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya (sic) kaku-satam krtva caham bravimi he sadhavah sakalam eva vihaya durad caitanya-candra-carane kurutanuragam This is our mission, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. Why Prabodhananda Sarasvati is requesting, caitanya-candra-carane kurutanuragam: “You just become inclined to serve the lotus feet of Caitanya”? Because He’s Krsna personally, and He has come to teach us how to approach Krsna. That is Caitanya Krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah. Srila Rupa Gosvami, he understood. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, he understood. vairagya vidya-nija-bhakti-yoga-siksartham ekah purusah puranah sri-krsna-caitanya-sarira-dhari krpambudhir yas tam aham prapadye [Cc. Madya 6.254] If we understand Krsna through Caitanya Mahaprabhu… Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that “You become guru.” How? Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128] Don’t change, don’t alter. You simply try to preach what Krsna has said. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction. If you follow this instruction… Don’t make any addition and alteration of your so-called learned scholarship That will not help you. You must present Bhagavad-gita as it is. Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. There is everything, very easily done, provided we follow parampara system. So our Krsna consciousness movement should be pushed on very humbly. trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. adi 17.31] Kirtaniya. This preaching means kirtana, not that simply with mrdanga we can have musical kirtana. No. Preaching is also kirtana. Abhavad vaiyasaki-kirtane. Vaiyasaki, the son of Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami, he simply described Srimad-Bhagavatam and became perfect. Abhavad vaiyasaki-kirtane. Sri-visnu-sravane pariksit. Pariksit Maharaja simply listened; he became perfect. And Sukadeva Gosvami simply described. That is also kirtana. So this is also kirtana. As Prabodhananda Sarasvati teaching us, he sadhavah sakalam eva vihaya durad caitanya-candra-carane kurutanuragam: “You are sadhu, best person, noble, but this is my request.” This is humbleness. If you say, “Oh, you are a karmi, you are a mudha…” Actually he’s a mudha, but don’t… In the beginning, if you say, then there will be no opportunity to speak. He is a mudha, that there is no… Working like hogs and dogs day and night for sense gratification, certainly he is mudha, karmi. Similarly, jnani, they are simply speculating. That logic, kaka-taliya nyaya: “Whether the crow first of all sat down on the palm fruit; then the palm fruit fell down? Or the palm fruit fell down; therefore the crow could not sit on the palm fruit?” Logic. One pandita said, “No, no. First of all, the palm fruit fell down, and the crow wanted to sit down on it, so he could not.” Now another pandita says, “No, no. The palm fruit was there, and because the crow sat down on it, it fell down.” Now this is logic. They are wasting time speculating. Kaka-taliya nyaya. Kupa-manduka-nyaya. There are. So that will also not help. They are presenting themself as big scholar. No. Mayayapahrta-jnana. Simply wasting time. Simply wasting time. They are so-called jnani, but mayayapahrta-jnana— there is no knowledge, Vedanta. Big, big Vedanti. Krsna said, the supreme authority, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah vedanta-krt vedanta-vid ca aham [Bg. 15.15] Now they do not care for Krsna, and they are Vedanti. What kind of Vedanti? Nonsense. So this will not help. We have to preach… But if we say directly that “You are all mudhas, mayayapahrta-jnana, and duskrtina,” they will be angry. Because satyam bruyad na bruyat satyam apriyam. You have to speak the truth very cautiously. Otherwise they will be angry. Murkhayopadeso hi prokapaya na santaye: “If you give good instruction to a rascal, he’ll be angry.” Therefore Prabodhananda Sarasvati is teaching us how we should present our case. Dante nidhaya trnakam: “Sir, I have come to you, taking this grass in my teeth.” This is a symbolic representation of becoming very humble in India. They take a grass. Dante nidhaya padayor nipatya: “And I am falling down on your feet.” Kaku-satam krtva: “And I am flattering you. You are very grand. You are very nice. You are very learned. You are so on, so on.” If you flatter, people become puffed-up. So, dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya kaku-satam krtva caham: “I have one submission.” “What is that?” No… He sadhavah: “You are a great learned sadhu. My one request is that whatever you have learned, please forget. Whatever nonsense you have learned, please forget. This is my submission.” “I have learned so many things, and I have to forget? Then what I have to do?” He sadhavah sakalam eva vihaya durat caitanya-candra-carane kurutanuragam: “You just submit yourself to Caitanya-candra. Then everything will be perfect.” So our preaching is like that. Sri krsna caitanya prabhu nityananda. Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasahv. This process is adopted not by rascals. Su-medhasah, those who have got good brain, they will take it. So very simple thing, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is approved by the acaryas, by big, big scholars. So you have no fear of falling down. So take Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s first mercy, and then preach Krsna consciousness. You’ll be successful. It is not possible nowadays to imitate Rsabhadeva. Just like the Jains, they imitate that. What their imitation…? Not a single Jain up till now has become perfectly in the renounced order of life. So they say so. It was imitated by one king in the South India, and he is the originator, propounder of the Jainism. They say. But you cannot imitate Rsabhadeva. That is not possible in this age. Better try to follow the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Krsna. Your life will be perfect. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Vrndavana, November 17, 1976