Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6 in Hindi [translated]

Prabhupāda:

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
[SB. 1.2.6]

Yesterday we discussed about this śloka. Paro-dharma. According to English dictionary, dharma is refered to as faith, a kind of faith, belief. Some say, we believe in Hindu dharma, some say, we believe in Muslim dharma, but dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ. [SB. 6.3.19] Dharma is law given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like God has given this world, the sun, the moon, the sky and many other objects. So whether you believe or not believe the creation will remain. Similarly, whether you believe or not the real dharma will prevail. You cannot manufacture. That is not possible. Just like the laws of the king, whether you believe or not, you have to accept. If you say “I don’t believe in that. I don’t trust the ordinance.” You don’t do it. [chuckles] But if you act wrongly you will be punished. Similarly, Yamarāja has confirmed in the sixth canto,

dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ
na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ
na siddha-mukhyā asurā manuṣyāḥ
kutaś ca vidyādhara-cāraṇādayaḥ
[SB. 6.3.19]

Yamarāja is explaining this to his messegers when they could not bring Ajāmila before Yamarāja. They knew that Yamarāja is Dharmarāja or the knower of religious principles, and this irreligious man has committed so much sinful activities and why was he pardoned? What happened? So they inquired about dharma. “Mahārāja, what is dharma?” In reply to this Yamarāja had said, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ [Bg. 6.3.19] Whatever the Supreme Personality of Godhead orders that is dharma. dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ na vai vidur ṛṣayaḥ, even the big, big sages don’t know. dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ. [Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117].

Even the big, big sages, forget about you and me, big, big sages also do not know. And the big, big demigods like Brahma, lord Siva, Indra, Candra, Varuṇa and others, exalted demigods also do not know. Na siddhā-mukhyā, big, big, personalities who have attained perfection, the best of such personalities do not know also. Na siddhā-mukhyā asurā, the demons and the human beings, none of them know it. kutaś ca vidyādhara-cāraṇādayaḥ, then how can the ordinary Vidyādharas and Caraṇas understand? The science of dharma is known to the Supreme Lord’s representatives. Therefore śāstra declares, dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117]. The path of religion followed by the Mahājanas or exalted personalities, as they have demonstrated, that is dharma. And who are those Mahājanas, that is also revealed by him.

svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ
kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ
prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
balir vaiyāsakir vayam
dvādaśaite vijānīmo
dharmaṁ bhāgavataṁ bhaṭāḥ
guhyaṁ viśuddhaṁ durbodhaṁ
yaṁ jñātvāmṛtam aśnute
[SB. 6.3.20-21]

If a person somehow or other understands dharma, yaṁ guhyaṁ durbodhaṁ viśuddhaṁ, it is very difficult to understand, durbodhaṁ yaṁ jñātvā, by knowing, what one achieves? Amṛtam aśnute. Then he is liberated from his present condition of dieing. Now our present condition is mortal. This body is already dead. So long the ātmā, the living entity, soul is within it the body functions. Actually it is a lump of matter. We are forced to accept it. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate. [Bg. 8.19]

We accept one body, live in it for a while and jump, “I have got this body, I got an Indian body. I got an American body” Similarly the dog is also thinking “I got a dog body.” The monkey thinks “I got a monkey body.” So, one who considers the body as self, know for certain that he is also like a dog and a monkey. Sa eva go-kharaḥ.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
[SB. 10.84.13]

One who considers the body as self, this is going on all over the world, he is no better than a cow or an ass. Animal. Go means cow and kharaḥ means ass. Sa eva go-kharaḥ. Therefore a person who understands the actual dharma as it is stated here, guhyaṁ viśuddhaṁ [SB. 6.3.21] Viśuddha means it is not mundane. Anything material is impure. And because it is impure it gets lost. Whereas viśuddha means, that which is not going to be lost. Ātmā or the spirit soul. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. [Bg. 2.20]

He is pure. The body is not pure. In order to purify the body one has to cultivate dharma. Therefore this dharma, varnāśrama-dharma is called dharma. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacāri, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, because we are now in an impure state and to regulate it or to become purified this division in human society is required. By giving up this system one continues to remain impure. He is not purified.

Therefore according to Vedic civilisation it is our primary duty to follow the varnāśrama-dharma. One who does not understand varnāśrama principles and does not endeavor for it he continues to remain impure. Life after life he accepts one body, works for some time and then dies to accept another body. This coming and going. The cycle of birth and death, that is his impure state. Therefore śāstra says, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvaṁ [SB. 5.5.1]

The human life is meant for purifying the existence. It is not that sometimes one receives a monkey body, sometimes a demigod body and jumps up and down for some time and die. Again accept another body. No, this is not human life. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā: “Now one should inquire about Brahman.” [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.1] This human form of life is meant for understanding what is Brahman. That’s why Ṛṣabhadeva, before retiring, instructed His sons. He had one hundred sons. Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva was instructing them, “My dear sons, ayaṁ deha.” nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye. [SB. 5.5.1]

My dear sons, this body, ayaṁ deha, nṛloke, in the human society. Everyone receives a body. A dog gets, a monkey gets, a human being gets, a tree gets and a fly gets the body. Everyone receives the body. But especially this body, human body which you have got in this human society, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate, to labor hard simply for sense gratification, nā arhate, is not good.

The modern civilisation, as they advertise, “Hard labor.” You see this signboard nowadays. Now people have started pushing hand carts, pulling ricksaws, still they want hard work. This is education. To push hand cart and to pull ricksaw, is ithis the duty of the human beings? That is the work of an ass, of an animal. First of all they brought the human society to such a low class and on top of it they demand hard work. Work harder. What kind of civilisation is that? sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB. 10.84.13] *It is simply ass and hog civilisation.

The śāstra says that it is hog civilisation. What is the hog civilisation? To work hard whole day and eat stool. It is searching after where is stool, where is stool whole day. And when it finds stool it eats to full satisfaction and becomes fat. When it is fat it goes for sex. Therefore the śāstra forbids working hard only for sense gratification. That is not the duty of human life. nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ. [SB. 5.5.1] This is pig civilisation. Is that human civilisation? The human civilisation is meant for purifying, dharmaṁ viśuddhaṁ śuddhaṁ guhyaṁ durbodhaṁ. [SB. 6.3.21] It is hard to understand, but to purify the existence is the only duty. tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam [SB. 5.5.1] The happiness that you want is not available in this world. Happiness means unlimited happiness. The real happiness is that which is never destroyed.

ramante yogino ’nante
satyānande cid-ātmani
iti rāma-padenāsau
paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate
[Cc. Madhya 9.29]

This is the explaination of the word “Rāma.” Rāma means to relish unlimited happiness. This is in the śāstra. So Yamarāja also said the same thing that to purify the existence, durbodhaṁ, though it is difficult to understand, hard to realize, durbodhaṁ, but if somehow or other you understand once what is dharma then what do you gain? Yaṁ jñātvāmṛtam aśnute. [SB. 6.3.21] You attain immortality. This is called dharma. That’s why the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends personally in this world. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati [Bg. 4.7]

When does the Supreme Lord appear? Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati [Bg. 4.7] When people don’t understand this dharma, viśuddham, yaṁ jñātvāmṛtam aśnute, and manufacture dharma based on mental speculation. I manufactured Hindu dharma, you made Muslim dharma, Chirstian dharma, Buddhism dharma, Jain dharma and many others. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam clearly says that we not interested in such dharmas. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra. [SB. 1.1.2]

We are not interested in these cheating religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ. [SB. 6.3.19] We are interested in that. We are not interested in cheating dharma. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ‘tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ. [SB. 1.1.2] One who becomes religious he automatically becomes nonenvious. The whole world is full of matsaratā or enviousness. Śrīdhara Svami has explained it like this: parā utkarṣaṇam asahanam iti matsaratā. To not be able to tolerate others’ prosperity is called enviousness. And the real religion is meant for, paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ. vāstava vastu vedyam atra. [SB. 1.1.2]

Whenever there is a declination of this dharma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead incarnates. The word “Glāni” means that which is not actual dharma but it goes on in the name of dharma. To cheat others, kaitava, kaitava means cheating. So in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam all cheating religions have been swept away by broom. Projjhita, prakṛṣṭa rūpeṇa ujjhita. Just like when we sweep our room we sweep away all the dirts from the room. That same dharma has been instructed in the Bhagavad-gītā, otherwise what is the need for the Supreme Lord to speak? sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. [Bg. 18.66] In the beginning the Supreme Lord said, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8]

In order to re-establish the principle of religion I incarnate in every yuga. That same Supreme Lord says, sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66] All these dharmas that we have discovered, Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, the Supreme Lord does not come to protect such dharmas. The Lord has no interest in that. The Lord’s interest is in the real dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ [SB. 6.3.19] Whenever there is a declination in the religious principle given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead He descends. Just like the government takes interest when you violate the state laws.

The government takes interest. They come, they chastise you, and they make you understand. But if you manufacture some law at home and then break it, the government has no interest in that. In the same way, when the Supreme Lord appears to establish dharma that is not Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Jain dharma or anything like that. Not all these dharmas. They have been addressed in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam as kaitava dharma or cheating religion. The real dharma is yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. [SB. 1.2.6]

The real dharma is that by which you develop devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead Adhokṣaja. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. [SB. 1.2.6] That the Supreme Lord instructs, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, [Bg. 18.66] so who will surrender unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa? Unless one is a devotee why would he surrender at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord? He won’t like to do it, though he says so. They say they would give up everything and surrender to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.

The so called learned persons say like “There are other Gods as well, our God is such and such.” Nowadays Gods are being manufactured. “They are also God. Why only Kṛṣṇa?” They say like that. “You are extremely sectarian, you only accept Kṛṣṇa and not anyone else.” This is going on. Actually Kṛṣṇa alone is God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. [chuckles] And all others are thieves. They don’t know anything.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
[Bg. 7.3]

Is it an ordinary thing to understand God? You create so many religions and so many Gods! No. it is not so cheap. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself descends. What is God? Whether He is formless or has a form? Whether He is a human being or an ass? He personally comes before you and reveals Himself. But foolish people consider Him to be and ordinary man like themselves. avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [Bg. 9.11]

Because He comes in a human like form and enacts pastimes, the Supreme Lord comes as Rāma, He comes as Kṛṣṇacandra, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes as per the scriptural prediction. The system of dharma that They establish, that should be accepted. Otherwise it will be useless labor. Therefore it says, [aside:] water. [Drinks water.]

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
śrama eva hi kevalam
[SB. 1.2.8]

Which dharma do you practice? I practice Hindu dharma. What dharma do you follow? I follow Brāhmaṇa dharma. You? I follow Muslim dharma. You? I practice Buddhisam. You? I follow Jain dharma. You take each and every person and ask like this you will find they all follow their respective religion according to the rules and regulations of their dharma. For us, Hindus, going to the temple, some go to Mosque, some go to some other place. So it says, dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ [SB. 1.2.8] they practice their respective religion nicely.

Puṁsāṁ, viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ notpādayed ratiṁ, they practiced dharma very rigidly but, Viṣvaksena, is another name of the Supreme Lord, they have no attraction for Him. If you ask these dharmadhvajis who merely bear the flag of dharma, what is dharma, ask them what is God. Their answer will be, “Can anyone define God? He is formless.” [chuckles] Actually they have no substance, thoroughly hollow. And our dharma, the Bhāgavat-dharma, if someone asks us we will immeadiatly tell him, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. [SB. 1.3.28]

We have got His address, Vṛndāvana, His father’s name is this. What do you want more? This is dharma. Everything is described explicitly. If you ask others they will reply, “Is He something to be told? He is impersonal and so on, so on.” Therefore the sages have said that you might have cultivated dharma very nicely but do not know what is God then, notpādayed yadi ratiṁ śrama eva hi kevalam [SB. 1.2.8] You simply worked hard and gained nothing. By cultivating dharma, because, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB. 6.3.19], the compiler of dharma, just like we follow government laws, we know that Indira Gandhi is the prime minister, she passed the laws, we know that. Similarly, the meaning of dharma is to know the laws of God. If we do not the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His laws then what will you gain by following Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma? śrama eva hi kevalam. There is no use of it. Another place it says,

śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho
kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate
nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām
[SB. 10.14.4]

The actual point is not understood, what is the purpose of dharma? Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje [SB. 1.2.6] The Supreme Lord says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. [Bg. 18.55] If one does not understand devotional service and does not understand the Supreme Lord, for them its says that by following the cheating dharmas a person gets nothing but the hard labor of following it. Therefore śāstra says,

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
[SB. 1.2.7]

In the human life two things are to be acquired. One is knowledge and the other is detachment. That is the purpose of dharma. That will be explained. So knowledge and detachment. Knowledge, I am this body—this is ignorance. And knowledge means I am not this body, ahaṁ brahmāsmi or I am spirit. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. [Bg. 18.54] The benefit of rendering service to Vāsudeva is janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ. [SB. 1.2.7] And jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam [SB. 1.2.7] When I will understand that I am not this body then I will lament that I have simply worked hard whole life for nothing. He is embarrassed. When one comes to know that I am not this body that is the actual knowledge. When the Supreme Lord explained to Arjuna, the first thing He instructed is that,

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
[Bg. 2.11]

You are lamenting for this body, it is not befitting a wise person. nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. [Bg. 2.11] This is Vedic civilisation. Somehow or other you maintain your body. It is not that one should neglect the body. You must collect or work hard as much as needed to maintain your bodily neccesseties. Simply working hard whole day for the body like a hog is not proper. That is forbidden in the śāstra. nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān, [SB. 5.5.1] just to work hard for the body is not good for even a hog does that. This dharma is taught. This is Vedic dharma. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo. [Bg. 15.15] So try to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. [SB. 1.2.6] The same thing is confirmed in another place, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ. [SB. 1.2.7] Yet in another place, in regard to Ajamila story it is said,

kecit kevalayā bhaktyā
vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ
aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena
nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ
[SB. 6.1.15]

By executing devotional service unto Vāsudeva,

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
[SB. 1.2.7]

our attachment for this material world will turn into detachment. That is the symptom of devotional service. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhava viraktir anyatra syāt. [SB. 11.2.42] Why should we be so interested in things that don’t belong to us? You are not this body. So to work hard whole day like a hog or an animal is not reasonable. Rather we should inquire about Brahman. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā. [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.1] [“Now one should inquire about Brahman.”]

That is the injunction of the śāstra. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. [SB. 11.3.21] Whoever is inquisitive about this subject matter, he requires a guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam [SB. 11.3.21] Inquire about the ultimate truth, the ultimate truth is ātma or soul. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām [SB. 2.1.2] This is spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. When Mahārāja Parikṣit said to him, “Mahārāja, I only have seven days of life left. Kindly tell me what should I hear, what should I do?” So, at that time Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied,

śrotavyādīni rājendra
nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ
apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām
[SB. 2.1.2]

The attached householders who have nothing else to do except maintaining their families, they are called gṛhamedhi. And gṛhastha is different. Gṛhastha-āśrama. Just like the sages have āśrama, the sannyāsī-āśrama, brahmacārī-āśrama, similarly gṛhastha is also an āśrama. Although one lives in the company of wife, children and so on, the purpose is how to achieve the Supreme Lord. That is called gṛhastha. And those whose intention is not like that they are known as gṛhamedhi. Then who is a gṛhamedhi? apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ. [SB. 2.1.2] One who does not know about the science of self he is gṛhamedhi. What is his business?

dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv
ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api
teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ
paśyann api na paśyati
[SB. 2.1.4]

That is the symptom of gṛhamedhi. He thinks, he has a house, he has a healthy body, good children, beautiful and obedient wife, dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu, he thinks that these things will save me. Ātma-sainyeṣu, just like one fights along with his soldiers, so such a person thinks that these people are my soldiers. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu, he does not think that they will all be destroyed. All the soldiers will be dead. Then who will protect me? That he doesn’t understand. dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api [SB. 2.1.4] He knows well that all of them will be finished. Still he depends on them.

He doesn’t understand what is God, what is soul. Such a person is called pramatta or mad. Pramatta tasya nidhanaṁ paśyan api na paśyati. [SB. 2.1.4] Just like a mad man, he sees a person lying on the street badly injured, hit by a vehicle, but he doesn’t care at all. He doesn’t even consider something has happened. Sometimes a crazy man lies down on the road. Pramatta tasya nidhanaṁ paśyan api na paśyati. These things should delibrated. The real dharma should be inquired about. The Supreme Personality of Godhead personally comes and instructs us that the real dharma is to surrender unto My lotus feet. sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]

That will benefit you. ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ [Bg. 18.66] So the purpose of human life should be to cultivate that dharma. This is because without dharma one remains an animal. One must follow dharma. But what is dharma that should be understood. And that dharma is, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. [SB. 2.1.4] To develop devotional service to the Supreme Lord, to re-establish our broken relationship with the Supreme Lord means, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, [SB. 1.2.7] that should be our goal. It is not so easy and at the same time, it is very easy. If you ask somebody that give up all religion and surrender to Lord Vāsudeva, he becomes angry. He doesn’t accept it. The point is the same. He may not accept today but if he continues to discuss real dharma and becomes knowledgeable some day then he will understand. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]

He has to do the same thing but only after many many births. Now he doesn’t understand. The Supreme Personality of Godhead comes and requests, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ [Bg. 18.66], Vāsudeva Himself, but he is callous. But if one is actually wise and keeps inquiring about what is dharma, what is the Supreme Lord, what is the purpose of life then one day, after many lifetimes, he will understand that, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ bahūnāṁ janmanām. [Bg. 7.19]

So who is intelligent? If to surrender unto Lord Vāsudeva after many births is my goal of life then why should I waste many births to do that? This is called intelligence. The Supreme Lord is coming and adulating you, don’t I take it? Why do I wait for many lifetimes? That is intelligence. Therefore the author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta said, Kṛṣṇa ye bhaje se baḍa catura. One who worships Kṛṣṇa, he is most intelligent. All others are fools and asses.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. That’s all.

Devotee:
If any of you have any question you may ask. Any doubt or solution?

Indian man:
Could you explain kaitava-dharma in little more detail?

Prabhupāda:
Kaitava means there is no gain, cheating. So why do you want to get involved in cheating?

Indian man:
What about fruitive activities? Sometimes we have desires. “O Hanumānjī, please fulfill this desire of mine, O Lord, kindly fulfill my desire and I will worship You like that? Is that also kaitava?

Prabhupāda:
Ahaitukī apratihatā. [SB. 1.2.6] Therefore it says, ahaitukī, that I will worship the Supreme Lord to fulfill my desire that is business. [chuckles] You give me this much money then I will do that work.

Indian man:
If I offer 31 paisa worth of Prasāda then my such and such work will be done.

Prabhupāda:
That is business. That is not bhakti.

Indian man (2):
It is said,

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
[Bg. 7.16]

In that ārto is there who wants to get relief from distress. Arthārthī is there who wants to get his business flourished.

Prabhupāda:
such persons have been addressed as i. They are pious. They are not bhaktas or devotees. [chuckles] They are pious because somehow or other they have approached God. Just like, by coming to you one is certainly rewarded. Similarly even if you have got material desires, you worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By doing that your desires will be fulfilled and you will also attain bhakti. In the śāstra it is stated,

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruṣaṁ param
[SB. 2.3.10]

Three kinds of persons are there, those with material desires, those devoid of material desires, and those who desire liberation. Karmī, jñānī, yogī, bhakta. Karmīs are full of material desires. Jñānīs also have material desire. They want salvation. To become one with God. They also have want. Karmīs want material happiness. Dhanam dehī, rūpaṁ dehī, rūpavatī bhāryaṁ dehī, yaśo dehi—give me wealth, give me beauty, give me beautiful wife, give me fame. And jñānīs, when they are fed up with these things, having had wealth, ministership, and so on, but did not get any happiness. Then they say, forget all this, Brahma satya jagan mithyā. [Brahman is reality and this world is false]

They also have desire. Now let me be merged in the existence of God. Mukti. To become one with God. The yogis also want the eight mystic perfections. Aṇimā, laghimā, garimā, prāpti, īśitva, vaśitva, and show some magic. They want these mystic perfections. And akāma does not want anything. He is bhakta. Therefore the author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta has written that, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī-sakali ‘aśānta’ [Cc. Madhya 19.149] Those desirous of material enjoyments or karmīs, those desirous of liberation or jnanis, and those desirous of mystic perfections or yogīs, they are all restless. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī-sakali ‘aśānta’. [Cc. Madhya 19.149]

Indian man:
The bhaktas also want bhakti. They too…

Prabhupāda:
No. That is ordinary. Bhakti, there is eternal relationship between the devotee and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. mamaivāṁśo jīva- bhuta, [Bg. 15.7] That is service. Just like the hand’s business is to render service to the body. Not to demand anything. That is general understanding. In the same way, it is the constitutional duty of the living entity to serve the Supreme Lord. When he gives up the Lord’s service and engages in maya’s service, that kind service he must ask the Lord to be relieved of. Kindly free me from this service. We are now entangled in māyā’s service, so we must pray to be released from that.

ayi nanda-tanūja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
[Śikṣāṣṭaka 5]

I have fallen into the ocean of material existence.

kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya
[Śikṣāṣṭaka 5]

I am your eternal servant. By forgetting You I have fallen into the material ocean and struggling, kindly accept me keep me as a particle of dust at Your lotus feet. This kind of prayer is must for that is his business. And to become bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī, is certainly getting entangled into illusion. Therefore he must remain agitated. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī-sakali ‘aśānta’ [Cc. Madhya 19.149] But if he approaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead for bhukti, mukti, or siddhi, then one day he too will achieve devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Just like Dhruva Mahārāja, as you were saying, catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ, [Bg. 7.16]

Dhruva Mahārāja went to the Jungle to worship the Supreme Lord in order to attain a whole kingdom. But Nāradajī explained that “Dear son, why are you so angry? You are a small boy. You were insulted in front of your father and mother.” He pacified nicely. But Dhruva mahārāja said “No. I don’t want to hear all this. Tell me if there is any way then tell me. I will have darśana of the Supreme Lord and ask from Him what I want.” So he got darśana of the Supreme Lord. When he got darśana of the Lord and the Lord asked him “Dear son, take whatever you want.” He replied, svāmin kṛtārtho ’smi varaṁ na yāce. [Cc. Madhya 22.42]

Now I am fully satisfied. What boon do I need? So this is the benefit. If one approaches the Supreme Lord with desires like bhukti, mukti, or siddhi, and when he receives the Lord’s mercy then he no longer wants any of those things. I don’t want any of these things. svāmin kṛtārtho ’smi, I am fully satisfied simply by Your darśana. Kācaṁ vicinvann api divya-ratnaṁ. I was searching for a peace of glass, but now I have got diamond. What more do I want? Kācaṁ vicinvam api divya ratnam svāmin kṛtārtho’smi [Cc. Madhya 22.42]

yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
[Bg. 6.22]

[“Gaining this, one thinks there is no greater gain.”]

When a person attains the lotus feet of the Lord then everything else appears to him as insignificant. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha vat. [Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 4] The Gosvāmīs were ministers, but they left everything as insignificant. Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. [Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 4] They completely renounced everything and became beggars. Kaupīna-kanathās. These are the considerations. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. [Bg. 2.59]

By receiving the superior pleasure one automatically rejects the inferior mundane pleasure as insignificant. Therefore all the śāstras recommend that even if you have got desire for bhukti, mukti, or siddhi, you worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And for the devotees there is no question, he will worship the Supreme Lord at any cost.

Indian man:
Mahārāja, Kindly shed some light on meditation.

Prabhupāda:
First of all meditation is not possible to practice in Kali-yuga. Kṛte yad dhyā yato viṣṇu. [SB. 12.3.52] Kṛta yuga means Satya-yuga. So that time practicing of dhyāna, dhāraṇā, prāṇāyāma, āsana etc was possible. But now it is not possible.

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
[SB. 12.3.52]

The meditation prominently based on the chanting the holy name of Hari is the best form of meditation. Yoginam api, [Bg. 6.47] meditation is meant for the yogis. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino [SB. 12.3.1] The yogīs undergo meditation. The Supreme Lord says,

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
[Bg. 6.47]

One who always meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, he is the best yogī. By chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one remembers the Supreme Lord and as such he is the topmost yogī. There is no superior meditator than him.

Indian man (3):
What if one meditates on the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda:
That’s what I am saying. You will be the biggest yogī.

Indian man (4):
What is the suitable time for chanting….

Prabhupāda:
No. Niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. [Śikṣāṣṭaka 2]“My Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, in Your holy name there is all good fortune for the living entity, and therefore You have many names, such as “Kṛṣṇa” and “Govinda,” by which You expand Yourself. You have invested all Your potencies in those names, and there are no hard and fast rules for remembering them. My dear Lord, although You bestow such mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by liberally teaching Your holy names, I am so unfortunate that I commit offenses while chanting the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment for chanting.” There is no hard and fast rule. Go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa all the time. It’s wide open.

Indian man:
Gaudajī, any question?

Indian man:
People are by nature attached. And according to your instructions, you promote detachment. Those attached to pravṛtti-mārg too attain God. Would you call it pravṛtti-mārg or nivṛtti-mārg?

Prabhupāda:
I started my lecture with, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo [SB. 1.2.6] Para-dharma means nivṛtti- marg. And pravṛtti-mārg is not para-dharma. It is apara-dharma. What we are discussing is para-dharma. sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. [SB. 1.2.6] There are two kinds of dharma. Pravṛtti-mūla and nivṛtti-mūla. Pravṛttir eṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahāphalām [Manu-saṁhitā 5.56] So the path of nivṛtti should be adopted.

Indian man:
Bhakti does not believe in pravṛtti-mūla.

Prabhupāda:
No. Bhakti is not pravṛtti-mūla, it is nivṛtti-mūla. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt. [SB. 11.2.42] You will be detached.

Indian man:
Mahārājajī, attachment for the Supreme Lord is nivṛtti-mūla. Attachment for the Lord cannot be pravrtti-mūla.

Indian man (4):
Attachment itself is indicative of pravṛtti.

Prabhupāda:
No. Attachment must be there. When attachment for insignificant things is converted to attachment for superior things, that is real rāga or attachment. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. [Bg. 2.59]

Indian man:
Mahārājajī, is it not possible that the path of jñāna spoken in the Vedanta has been mixed with bhakti and presented? Tried to make a synthesis between pravṛttimula and nivṛttimula?

Prabhupāda:
Yes. That is called devotional service mixed with jñāna. But pure devotional service is beyond jñāna.

Indian man:
Just like Ajāmila, he was not a devotee. He was in pravṛtti-mūla.

Prabhupāda:
No. Ajāmila became a pure devotee. When he uttered the name of the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, he became a pure devotee. There is no difference between the Lord and His holy name. Just like the Supreme Lord says,

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi
[Bg. 18.66]

He became liberated from all sinful reactions.

Indian man:
Jñānī has his own glories.

Prabhupāda:
A devotee is already a jñānī or knowledgeable. He is never a fool. [laughs] After surpassing the stage of jñāna, bhakti begins. This conception that the devotees are foolish and the jñānīs are very intelligent itself is foolishness. [chuckles] This is because without having proper knowledge devotional service cannot develop. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19] To surrender at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord is bhakti. But who does that? One who has cultivated knowledge for many lifetimes and become fully jñānavān, then he does it. So that is bhakti.

Indian man:
Mahārājajī, What is the definition of ananyatā?

Prabhupāda:
Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]

This is ananya. There is no need of jñāna and karma in that. That is pure devotional service. ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā [Cc. Madhya 19.167] This is the topmost form of bhakti. It is above jñāna. brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati [Bg. 18.54] This is the platform of jñāna. Brahma-bhūta. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Such a person has neither any interest in worldly affairs nor any desire. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu [Bg. 18.54] He sees everyone equally. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. [Bg. 18.54] Having achived that stage one attains bhakti. Devotional service is not ordinary. After becoming fully wise one becomes a bhakta. That they think the devotees are mostly foolish is absurd. They are jñānavān! But foolish people think them to be fools. [chuckles] Because, the Supreme Lord says,

teṣām evānukampārtham
aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy
[Bg. 10.11]

The Supreme Lord says that I personally remove the ignorance of the devotees. Then how he remains ignorant? Who can be more intelligent than a person whose ignorance the Supreme Lord personally takes charge of destroying? An ordinary jñāni is a mental speculator. What knowledge does he have? And for devotees the Supreme Lord Himself says, teṣām evānukampārtham. He bestows mercy. “They don’t know. Let Me explain.” Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo. [Bg. 15.15]

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is sitting in everyone’s heart. He supplies knowledge. Who is more knowledgeable than he who acquires knowledge from the Supreme Lord? Therefore only when he attains knowledge from the Supreme Lord he understands that vāsudeva sarvam iti. [Bg. 7.19] or Lord Vāsudeva is everything. Sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. [Bg. 7.19] Such a person is in full knowledge.

Indian man:
Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. [Bg. 18.55] Only by bhakti can he know who am I? Does he come to know the Supreme Lord by bhakti or after knowing Him he begins bhakti?

Prabhupāda:
Simply by bhakti he understands the Supreme Lord and…

Indian man:
And after understanding he performs bhakti.

Prabhupāda:
…he engages in bhakti. Therefore, for the devotees, the endeavor and the result of the endeavor are same. They are one and the same thing. Sādhana and sādhya or the process of attaining the goal and the goal are same.

Indian man:
Mahārājajī, knowledge is unfathomable. It has No limit. So how can one know that he has acquired knowledge?

Prabhupāda:
Knowledge is unfathomable for he who has not approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For him it is insurmountable. And one who has approached the Supreme Lord, and understood, vāsudeva sarvam iti, such a knowledgeable person is extremely rare. That’s why. That kind of jñāni who understands, janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ. [Bg. 4.9] He has reached the limit of knowledge. Otherwise knowledge is unfathomable.

Indian man:
Mahārājajī, kindly explain in brief the contribution of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to us. What were His special characteristics?

Prabhupāda:
His speciality is that when Rūpa Gosvāmī had darśana of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and offered obeisances to Him, this is what he said. namo mahā-vadānyāya [Cc. Madhya 19.53] This is His speciality. Who is addressed as magnanimous? One who is charitable. Contributor. Munificent. One who gives charity in abundance. Such a person is called vadānya. Do you understand or not? Rūpa Gosvāmī prays to Caitanya Mahāprabhu as, namo mahā-vadānyāya. Not only vadānya but mahā-vadānya. This is the special characteristic of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Why? Kṛṣṇa prema pradāyate. [Cc. Madhya 19.53] You are distributing Kṛṣṇa-prema freely without discrimination. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s unique characteristic. Namo mahā-vadanyāya Kṛṣṇa-prema. People don’t even know who Kṛṣṇa is and He is distributing love of Kṛṣṇa. “Here, take it.” This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s speciality.

Indian man:
Mahārājajī, the first verse of Caitanya-aṣṭaka, [Śikṣāṣṭaka] ceto-darpaṇa mārjanam, I would like to hear your explanation from your lotus mouth.

Prabhupāda:
Yes. Actually our real problem is that our hearts are filled with dirts accumulated since many, many lifetimes. That has to be cleansed. So the influence of Hari-saṅkīrtana is such that the first thing that occurs is that cleansing. The impurities that are cleansed by austerities, cultivation of knowledge, practice of mystic yoga performed in many, many births, is cleansed by this Hari-kīrtana, paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa saṅkirtanaṁ. [Śikṣāṣṭaka 1] kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet [SB. 12.3.51]

As it is stated in the śāstra that simply by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord all the dirty things that are filled in the heart becomes destroyed. This is the first instalment of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ [Śikṣāṣṭaka 1] When the heart is thus cleansed, then bhava-mahā-dāvāgni, the blazing fire of material existence, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate, [Bg. 8.19] accept one body and struggle for existence, take another body, another body, this blazing fire will be extinguished. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ. Then the ultimate goal of life, śreya, śreya means bhakti, śreyaḥ sṛtiṁ bhaktim, [SB. 10.14.4] is developed. Just like the moon shine, beginning from the first day of the waxing moon to the full moon day it gradually develops, similarly, the illumination of bhakti also gradually develops. In this way one relishes all kinds of happiness. This paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa saṅkirtanaṁ. [Śikṣāṣṭaka 1] is the ultimate conclusion. That the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa’s Holy name alone is all glorious and all victorious.

Devotees:
Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]