Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.1
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Mayapur, February 10, 1977

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

sri-narada uvaca evam suradayah sarve brahma-rudra-purah sarah nopaitum asakan manyu-samrambham sudurasadam

Translation. “The great saint Narada Muni continued: The demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and other great demigods, dared not come forward before the Lord, who at that time was extremely angry.”

Prabhupada: Anymore? Translation? Oh, you have done. Read the purport. Purport.

Pradyumna: Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung in his prema-bhakti-candrika, ‘krodha’ bhakta-dvesi jane: anger should be used to punish a demon who is envious of devotees. Kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya—lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride and envy—all have their proper use for the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotee. A devotee of the Lord cannot tolerate blasphemy of the Lord or His other devotees, and the Lord also cannot tolerate blasphemy of a devotee. Thus Lord Nrsimhadeva was so very angry that the great demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva and even the goddess of fortune, who is the Lord’s constant companion, could not pacify Him, even after offering prayers of glorification and praise. No one was able to pacify the Lord in His anger, but because the Lord was willing to exhibit His affection for Prahlada Maharaja, all the demigods and the others present before the Lord pushed Prahlada Maharaja forward to pacify Him.

Prabhupada: So, in the material world, kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, and matsarya, these things are condemned. And for a sadhana, (?) means a neophyte devotee, he is advised to give up these low grade habits—kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya. But people may question, “Wherefrom these lowgrade qualities came? Kama is low grade, admitted, but wherefrom it came?” In the Vedanta-sutra we get the reply, janmady asya yatah: [Bhag. 1.1.1] “Everything that we experience, it comes from God.” So… (aside:) You stand that side. You are standing. They can stand.

So without the original source, even these low grade things, wherefrom it comes? It comes from God. Just like adharma, irreligiosity, is described as the back side of God and religiosity is described as the front side of God. So there is no difference between front side and back side—Absolute. God is absolute any way. Even apart from God’s body, even in our body, we do not make any distinction. Suppose if there is some trouble, if there is some boil here in the front side and if there is some boil in the back side, does it mean I shall not take care of the back side boil? I shall take care of it, I shall have treatment for it. I cannot neglect the back side boil because it has come out from the back side. There is no such reason.

So these bad habits, kama krodha—kama means lust; krodha means anger—so if they are also coming from God, then how we can neglect it? How we can reject it? So there is no need of rejecting. That is the Narottama dasa Thakura’s… You cannot reject. That is not possible. As you are a living being, there must be kama, krodha, lobha, moha, matsarya. You cannot reject it. You cannot make it zero. That is impersonalism. But it has its proper use. That you have to know. Unless you know the proper use of everything, everything… Proper use means it must be used for Krsna. Then it is proper use. Otherwise it is misused. There is no such thing as bad. Everything is good when it is used for Krsna. That is the difference between material and spiritual. Spiritual, everything is good, and material, everything is bad. You cannot make any distinction. When a thing is used materially it is bad. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said, dvaite bhadrabhadra sakali samana. Dvaite—means in this world of duality—everything is bad. They have invented some artificial meaning, “This is good, this is bad,” but actually everything is bad in the material world. There is nothing good. And just the opposite: in the spiritual world, everything is good.

The other day I was giving the example that Krsna is thief also. Makhanah-cora. And there is still in Remuna, Ksirah-cora. Ksirah- cora. He’s famous, “The thief who stolen condensed milk.” So this chori means stealing is there in Krsna. Does it mean that it is bad? No. It is good. Because it is connected with Krsna, it is good. Otherwise how people are worshiping a thief? And when it is used materially, when I steal something for my sense gratification, I am beaten with shoes. Then this is the distinction. Anything, bad or good, they are coming from Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. Aham-sarvasya prabhavah: “I am the origin of everything.” So anything coming from Krsna, how it can be bad? It cannot be bad. Absolute. Krsna says personally, and Vedanta says, janmady asya yatah: [Bhag. 1.1.1] “Absolute Truth is that from where everything is coming.” So the lust is also coming from Krsna. We find lusty desire among the gopis, among Krsna. But Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends, ramya kacid upasana vrajavadhu kalpita: “There is no better mode of worship than it was conceived by the vrajavadhu, damsels of Vraja, Vrndavana, parakiya-rasa.” But in the material world Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so strict about woman that once upon a time there was singing of woman in the Jagannatha temple, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu was running fast: “Oh, how nice singing is going on in the temple. Let Me go and hear.” Then Govinda, His personal servant, checked Him: “My dear Sir, this singing is done by woman.” “Oh? It is woman? Govinda, you have saved My life.” Just see. And the same Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended about the gopis who loved Krsna as paramour: ramya kacid upasana vrajavadhu-vargabhir ya kalpita. Just see the distinction. The same business is there, but it is all spiritual.

Therefore Absolute, everything is variegated, blissful. They do not understand. The sahajiya means the blissful dealings, transcendental, spiritual dealings of gopis and Krsna, they take it as material. Therefore they are condemned. They are… It looks similar, but it is not the same, thing. One is gold; one is iron. A polished iron, a golden thing, golden color, does not mean it is gold. “All that glitters is not gold.” So we should not mistake. Therefore one who cannot distinguish the spiritual lust and the material lust, they should avoid very strictly. They have no spiritual realization. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has strictly avoided. In His kirtana He never described the pastimes of Krsna, His dealings with gopis. That we mark in the Caitanya-caritamrta. Eighteen years He lived in Jagannatha Puri. Every night there was kirtana, but there was no lila-kirtana you’ll find, no lila-kirtana. Hare Krsna, that’s all. No lila. But does it mean that Caitanya Mahaprabhu avoided lila-kirtana? No. He enjoyed it with very, very confidential devotees like Ramananda Raya, Svarupa Damodara, like that. Not for the… Because so long we are in the lower stage of devotion we shall misunderstand. They are doing that. You’ll find that the rascals who have no idea about Krsna, they are very much fond of painting Krsna’s picture dealings with the gopis, because they take it that it is just like we deal with young men or woman, it is something like that. So that is a great mistake. They should not. Then they will become sahajiya. Very strictly prohibited. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam Sukadeva Gosvami has warned that one should not even dream like that, that “Krsna’s dealing with gopis is just like our dealing with woman.” No. It ms completely different. Therefore we have to understand Krsna. Vyasadeva has devoted nine cantos to understand Krsna, and then, in the Tenth Canto, he has put the gopis’ dealings with Krsna. That is also beginning from twenty-ninth chapter.

So we should always know this, that lust is coming from Krsna, but His lust, this lusty desire, and our lusty desire in the material world, they are not the same. So Narottama dasa Thakura advises, kamah krsna-karmarpane. We have got lusty desires, but it should be utilized for Krsna. Just like we are very much anxious to fulfill our lusty desires. So if we turn our lusty desire for serving Krsna, we should be equally enthu… (end)