So formerly, when there was fight between two kings, it is on the principle that who is giving good protection to the citizens, not for personal profit. Who is able to give good protection, life, security for life and property, he should become king. So these persons, this Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his sons, they were jealous. How they could give protection to the citizens? They are themselves jealous. Just like nowadays, all these politicians, they are jealous. They cannot give any protection to the citizens. They are simply interested with their party politics. They have no time even to think how to give nice protection to the citizens so that they may feel happy always that "We have got good government. There is no cause of anxiety. We have got sufficient food, sufficient protection, sufficient opulence, everything sufficient." That is good government.
No anxiety (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"Without any anxieties"
|"anxiety-less"
|"anxietyless"
|"anxietylessness"
|"free from all anxieties"
|"free from all material anxieties"
|"free from anxieties"
|"free from anxiety"
|"free from any food anxiety"
|"free from the anxiety"
|"free from the ordinary anxiety"
|"free from this anxiety"
|"free from this artificial anxiety"
|"free from unnecessary anxiety"
|"freed from all anxieties"
|"freed from all anxiety"
|"freed from all material anxieties"
|"freed from all material anxiety"
|"freed from all the anxieties"
|"freed from anxiety"
|"freed from material anxiety"
|"freedom from all anxieties"
|"freedom from all anxiety"
|"freedom from the anxieties"
|"no anxieties"
|"no anxiety"
|"no cares and anxieties"
|"no cause for anxiety"
|"no cause of anxiety"
|"no mental anxieties"
|"no mental anxiety"
|"no mental anxiety"
|"no more anxieties"
|"no more anxiety"
|"no more any anxiety"
|"no more any anxiety"
|"no more doubt or anxiety"
|"no more in anxiety"
|"no more material anxiety"
|"no necessity for anxiety"
|"no need for anxiety"
|"no need for your anxiety"
|"no need of anxiety"
|"no question of anxiety"
|"no such anxiety"
|"no such thing as anxiety"
|"no very much anxieties"
|"without anxieties"
|"without anxiety"
|"without any anxiety"
|"without any frustrations, anxieties"
|"without cares and anxieties"
|"without disturbance or anxiety"
|"without fear and anxiety"
|"without personal anxiety"
|"without this anxiety"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
In spite of all the property of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa doesn't care for this material world. He is busy in the spiritual world. Rādhā-mādhava kuñja-bihārī. He's busy in Vṛndāvana. He has many servants. Just big man has got many secretaries, servants, they look after, similarly, in this material world. His representatives—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara—they are managing the affairs of this whole universe. But He's enjoying in Vṛndāvana. Jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-bihārī. He has no concern. He doesn't care what is happening here. But it, it does not mean that He doesn't care, but He has no anxiety how the things are being managed. When it is mismanaged, then sometimes Kṛṣṇa comes in His Vāsudeva form. Not the original Kṛṣṇa. Original Kṛṣṇa never leaves Vṛndāvana. Padam ekaṁ na gacchati. He's always in His abode.
So the kingdom was so nice. We have got description from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, many. The monarchy was so nice that because they were trained up, rājarṣi... They were not ordinary kings. They were as good as great sages and great saintly person. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Kṛṣṇa said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa said to the sun-god Vivasvān. And so He said, "The sun-god transferred the teaching to his son Manu, and Manu transferred the teaching to Mahārāja Ikṣvāku." Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). In this way, the point is that the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā was especially taught to the royal order because they would know. They should know. Because a king is supposed to be representative of God, nara-deva. King is addressed as nara-deva. Even in 500 years ago when Sanātana Gosvāmī was minister of Nawab Hussein Shah... Sanātana Gosvāmī wanted to resign. He wanted to join Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. So when the Nawab understood that Sanātana Gosvāmī... His name was Dabir Khas. He changed his name. So he said, "No, you cannot resign. Then my whole kingdom will be topsy-turvied. I completely depend, dependent on you." So Sanātana Gosvāmī said, "My, Your Majesty, I am no more able to serve you. Kindly excuse me." Then the Nawab said that "Then I shall punish you. I am Nawab. I am king." So Sanātana Gosvāmī said, "Yes, you can punish me because you are representative of God." He never protested "Oh, you are Mohammedan, I am this, Hindu or..." No. He accepted him, that "You can punish me." So the idea is that formerly the monarch, the king, was actually representative of God. They used to rule in such a nice way that nobody was unhappy. During Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's ruling, reign, you will find in the Bhāgavatam that people were so happy that they had no anxiety. Not only they were free from all anxieties, but they had not to bear even scorching heat or shivering cold. No. So they were so happy
Prabhupāda: Yes. I am not happy here.
Woman: Yes, I know.
Prabhupāda: I shall be very happy to return to my Vṛndāvana, that sacred place. "But then why you are...?" Now, because it is my duty. I have brought some message for you people. Because I am ordered by superior, my spiritual master, that "Whatever you have learned, you should go to the Western countries, and you must distribute this knowledge." So in spite of all my difficulties, all my inconveniences, I am here because I am in duty. I, I... That is my personal convenience, if I go and sit down at Vṛndāvana, I shall be very comfortable there. And I'll be, I'll have no anxiety, nothing of the sort. You see? But I have taken all the risk in the old age because I am in duty-bound. I am in duty-bound. So I have to execute my duty in spite of all my inconveniences. That is the idea.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. Dehinām means "of those who have accepted this material body, for them." And what is their condition? Now, dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Dehinām, one who has accepted this material body, his conditional life is always full of anxiety. Not that, that we are always in want. Even in your duty. Just like our Captain sāheb is here. I have seen in the ship he has got very serious duty in the ocean. He's always consulting the chart and the latitude, longitude, which side the ship is going. That is anxiety because so many lives, so many property, is under his control. Any, a slight mistake, would play havoc. We do not know. I was asking the Captain sāheb, "Where you are going?" But I do not know. I see simply vast of water. But he has got responsibility. He knows the thing. So any responsible officer... Any responsible... Your President Johnson, he's also full of anxiety. I am also full of anxiety. You are also full of anxiety. Even a, a small bird, you'll find... You give a small bird some grains. You'll see like this: "Is there enemy? Somebody's coming. Somebody's killing me." So full of anxieties. This is the condition. This is the condition. So you cannot, you cannot be free from the anxiety, dehinaḥ.
So we can get free from all anxieties as soon as we are surrendered to Hari. That is the whole system of spiritual knowledge. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tathā kim. If you accept from the very beginning this principle, that "I must surrender unto the Supreme Lord," then there is no other necessity of prosecuting your spiritual knowledge. That is the final solution of life. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tathā kim. Tapasya means penances, accepting penances for spiritual realization. Now, one who has accepted the worship of the Supreme Lord, he has no more anything to do for spiritual realization. He has realized. And nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tathā kim. And undergoing so much severe penances, if one does not understand what is God, then whole thing is spoiled. Tapasā tathā kim. Whole penances is spoiled because he could not reach to the ultimate goal. So ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tathā kim, nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tathā kim. Antar-bahir yadi haris tapasā tathā kim. One who has achieved that knowledge, that he can see within himself and outside always the Supreme Lord, he has no more necessity of any penance. And after undergoing all sorts of penances, if I cannot realize that God is within me and God is without everywhere, then all my penances are spoiled. You see? These are very nice
In this material nature, everything is annihilated. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Here, just like your body is produced at a certain date by the father and mother, and it will be finished at a certain date, similarly, this whole cosmic manifestation, this material world, innumerable universes, they have been produced at a certain date and they will be finished at a certain date. Everything will be finished. But there is another nature, where the planets are everlasting. They are called Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Vaikuṇṭhaloka, vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha yasmāt. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Here we are full of anxieties—"What will happen next?" Fearful always. When my death will take place? What will be the political situation? What shall I eat? Where shall I sleep? Always full of anxieties. Anyone—bird, beast, animal, human being—full of anxieties, because the material world is like that. You have to be full of anxieties. But there is another world, where there is no anxiety. That is called Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha, vigata-kuṇṭha, kuṇṭha means anxiety.
If you prepare yourself... Just like in childhood, boyhood, if you prepare yourself, nicely educated, then you get nice job, nice situation, you will be happy. Preparation for the next life. Similarly, if you prepare yourself in this life for going back to home, back to Godhead, then where is perplexity? There is no perplexity. "I am going to Kṛṣṇa I am going back to home, back to Godhead. Now I will have not to change material body. I will have my spiritual body. I shall now play with Kṛṣṇa, dance with Kṛṣṇa, eat with Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Prepare yourself for the next life. Don't be... The man, dying man cries because maybe he is dreaming next life, horrible life. Because according to karma... Those who are very, very sinful, they cry, because they see horrible scenes at the time of death, and he is going to accept some type of body... But those who are pious, those who are devotees, they are dying without any anxiety. They are dying. The death may take place...
So practically there is no death. Death means changing the body. We have already discussed this point. Now... But that janma, that birth, oh, it is stated here that it is a bondage. Janma-bandha. Bandha means bondage. Practically there is similarity in English. It is called bandha. And in English, bond. There is similarity of sound. Janma-bandha. So this janma, so long, so long your mind will be absorbed in the activities of this material world, you are sure to take birth again. So that activities, by intelligence, have to be purified in such a way that it will not affect you. It will not affect you. That is the tactics. This tactic... So we should be very serious. We should be very serious that many, many lives, many, many lives we have passed, but there was no opportunity to get out of this tribulation of birth, death, old age and diseases. Now here is a chance. Here is a chance in the human form of life. So every intelligent man should take advantage of it, and you can get assistance from these authorized books of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. And also expert advice, knowledge. So we should not miss this opportunity. And then the question is, "Suppose my, after this, after quitting this body, the present body, I don't get janma. Then what is happening to me?" It is al... That is also stated here. Janma-vi..., janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ padaṁ gacchanty anāmayam. Anāmayam. Āmayam. Āmayam means contamination. Āmayam, contamination. So this contaminated life, as soon as we give up this contaminated life, then our promotion is in the uncontaminated atmosphere, anāmayam. Anāmayam. Anāmayam means Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means where there is no anxiety. I think about this anxiety we explained to you in our last meeting.
Just like in our contaminated state we become diseased. What is disease? As soon as you contaminate or infected by some impure thing you become diseased. Similarly, our this disease, material disease, birth, death, old age, they are some kind of disease. Otherwise, I am spirit soul, I am pure, as pure as God because I am part and parcel of God. Due to my impurities of this material body I am suffering. So if you purify your existence then you get the quality in complete pureness of God. You become happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), you become jolly. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as you purify yourself and become identified with the existence of God, immediately you become joyful, no anxiety. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). So you have to purify your existence. If you keep your body impurified, then how you can relish the purified consciousness? So you have to do it. Go on.
So if you want to be free of anxieties... Nobody can say that "I am already free of anxiety" unless he is a madman. A madman will say, "I have no anxiety." But no sane man will say that "I am free of anxiety." This is material life. So if you want to become free of anxieties, then you come to the spiritual life. That is the only remedy. Harim āśrayeta. Accept the lotus feet of God. That is the mission of God. God comes Himself. God sends His son or devotee or servant. The same thing. That religion may be different. That is not very important.
We are aspiring after rāma-rājya. Why rāma-rājya? What is the difference between rāma-rājya and this rājya? There is difference. Rāma-rājya means responsible government. Even during the time of Lord Rāmacandra, one brāhmaṇa's son died. So he went to the king to challenge that "What kind of king you are that in the presence of the father the son is dying?" This is responsible government. Responsible government means that a son cannot die before the presence of father. In the Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time also, there was no anxiety, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, adhyātmika. These are stated in the śāstra. They were so free, so, I mean to say, carefree. There was no care, no anxiety. Everyone was happy. You'll find in the Bhāgavatam. As soon as there was enemy attack in the Dvārakā city, immediately the kings, royal family, Kṛṣṇa's family, Pradyumna, His son, and others, immediately go out of the city and combat with the enemies. This was the system. People were very carefree. No care, no anxiety. That is the duty of the government. And how to keep the citizens carefree? That you require authorized instruction. That instruction is Bhagavad-gītā
It is very difficult to overcome this māyā, but the formula is very simple. That is also stated in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, that daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). This māyā, this illusion, is very strong to overcome or to surpass. It is not easy. Māyā is capturing you in so many ways. Just like the last moment, at the last moment, when you are very wise, you understand your spiritual position, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am Brahman, I am not matter. I am not matter, I am spirit soul." But even at this stage, that "I am Brahman," there is action of māyā. What is that action of māyā? By realizing himself, "I am Brahman," he is thinking that "I am the Supreme Brahman." That means he's still in ignorance. Still in ignorance. He's not the Supreme Brahman.
Therefore Bhagavad-gītā, it is explaining very nicely, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). First thing is when you are actually Brahman realized, or you have realized your identification that you are not matter, you are spirit, the first symptom is prasannātmā, you become immediately joyful, without any anxiety. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). There is no lamentation, there is no hankering.
Just like every state is supposed to be welfare state. Every citizen of that state should be happy, should be prosperous. There should be no anxiety. I do not know if every state is taking care of the citizens in that way. People are always full of anxieties. They are creating situation that everyone is full of anxiety. This material world is made so that it is full of anxiety. Whoever is in the material world... Even the bird, you will see, when it is taking some grains, he is also full of anxiety. He is looking like this and that, "Oh, somebody is coming or killing me." So this is the nature.
So human society, human society is so arranged that the people, the members of the human society, should be free from all anxiety. Therefore we require good citizens, good father and mother, good system of government, and pious, virtuous, cooperation between God and nature. Everything will be helpful for my spiritual realization, for my self-realization. If I am full of anxiety, how can I make progress in spiritual realization? It is not possible. Therefore it is the duty of the state, duty of the father, duty of the teacher, duty of the spiritual master to give chance to the small children to develop in such a way that he becomes fully realized spiritual soul at the end and so that his miserable life in the material existence is over. That is the responsibility.
Just like when you chant Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, actually the fact is Kṛṣṇa is dancing on your tongue by sound vibration. Kṛṣṇa is not away. It is stated in the scriptures, nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭhe. He is addressing Nārada, Nārada, a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He is explaining to Nārada, nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭhe yogināṁ hṛdayeṣu ca. The yogis, the mystic yogis, they try to find out the Supersoul within themself. That is the yoga system. Yoga, actual yoga system, is to concentrate the mind, to focus the mind on the Supersoul. That is yoga system. So Kṛṣṇa says that nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭhe. In the scriptures we find that kingdom of God, that is called Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha yatra. Kuṇṭha means anxieties. The place where there is no anxieties, that is called Vaikuṇṭha. So Kṛṣṇa says that nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭhe yogināṁ hṛdayeṣu ca: "My dear Nārada, do not think that I am staying in the Vaikuṇṭha, in the kingdom of God only, or in the heart of the yogis only. No." Tat tat tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ: "Wherever My devotees sing or chant the glories of Me, I stand there. I go there."
If we consider... When I am taking my food, if I think, "Oh, this nice foodstuff is sent by Kṛṣṇa. He has kindly sent me this foodstuff." So I think of Kṛṣṇa. So that taking of foodstuff in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is yoga-yukta. That is called yoga-yukta. That is yoga. Always thinking in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called yoga-yukta. Yoga-yukto muni. Muni. Muni means one who is thoughtful, he's called muni. So one who is always thoughtful of Kṛṣṇa, such person, yoga-yukta, yoga-yukto munir brahma na cireṇādhigacchati. He, very soon, he becomes situated in his Brahman conception of life. And as soon as you are situated in Brahman conception of life, then immediately your effect will be brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). You'll be joyful. Your material moroseness will go at once. At once. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati. You'll be free from all anxiety. You'll be free from all... And there will be no demand for your sense satisfaction. You'll feel yourself full. "Oh, I am full. I have nothing to demand." Such stage will come.
People want. That is their natural, just like these children. When they see that boys and girls are dancing, the children also dancing. Automatically. This is spontaneous, this is life. And that is our real life in the spiritual world. There is no anxiety. Simply people are dancing and chanting and eating nicely. That's all. There is no factory, there is no labor, there is no technical institution. There is no need. These are all artificial. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta says. The, every living entity, God is ānandamaya, full of bliss and pleasure, and we are part and parcel of God, we are also the same quality. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. So our whole process is to join the supreme ānandamaya, Kṛṣṇa, in His dance party. That will make us actually happy. Here we are trying to be happy by artificial means. And we are becoming frustrated. But if you actually be situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply you revive your original position, joyful, simply joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. These are the Vedānta. Because our nature is ānandamaya.
If you want to be a yogi at home, then your other engagement should be moderate. You cannot engage for earning your living very heavily and at the same time you can become a yogi. No, that is not possible. That is not possible. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya. You should eat very moderately, you should gratify your senses very moderately, your work should be anxietyless, you should not dream more, and you should not be awake. These are the rules. Then yoga process will be successful.
- yadā viniyataṁ cittam
- ātmany evāvatiṣṭhate
- nispṛhaḥ sarva-kāmebhyo
- yukta ity ucyate tadā
- (BG 6.18)
Any person, any living entity, man, beast or animal or birds, always anxious. This is material disease. So if you are always full of anxiety, where there is question of peace? You go, I go in the street, I say, "Beware of dog." They are living in a very nice house, but full of anxieties. Somebody may not come. Let there be dog. You see? "Beware of dog." "No trespassers." That means although living in a nice cottage, very nice, but full of anxieties. Full of anxieties. Sitting in an office, very nice good salary, always thinking, "Oh I may not lose this office." You see? You see? American nation, very rich nation,... defense, defense force, everything. Always anxious. "Oh, the Vietnams may not come here." You see? So who is free from anxiety? Therefore the conclusion is if you want peace without anxiety, then you have to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other alternative. It is practical. Just try to understand.
Now, after hearing the details of yoga system, how to sit down, how to keep the body straight, how to keep the eyes half-closed and how to see the uppermost part of the nose without diverting your attention, and in secluded place, in a sacred place, alone—all this paraphernalia is described for performing perfect yoga system. Now, Arjuna, after hearing everything from Kṛṣṇa, he is replying.
- arjuna uvāca
- yo 'yaṁ yogas tvayā proktaḥ
- sāmyena madhusūdana
- etasyāhaṁ na paśyāmi
- cañcalatvāt sthitiṁ sthirām
Now, Arjuna said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, the details which You have..., not very details, but a summary of yoga system which You have prescribed and You ask me to follow, I think it is very difficult for me on account of my agitated mind." Cañcalatvāt. Cañcalatvāt means agitated mind. We must always remember that we are in a circumstances, material circumstances, where every time, every moment, our mind is agitated. We are not in a very comfortable situation. We are thinking that "This situation will save me for further anxieties of my mind," but when I reach to that point I feel that the anxieties have increased. It has not decreased, because the nature of the material world is like that, you cannot be free from anxiety. That is the nature. So we are simply trying to make a solution of our anxieties by different method, but the place is that, that it is not possible to make a solution of anxieties.
Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Śucīnām means very pious family, righteous family. Just like in India we have got the brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family. High family. Very... Their mode of life is very high standard, clean and righteous, pious, so many things. So śucīnām and śrīmatām. Śucīnām, such pious family you'll find many in India. And śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means rich. So rich family we'll find in your country, America. So that person who is coming again, he is born in a rich family or in pious family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. One who was not successful in executing the yoga perfectly, he again... That means to have one's birth in a rich family means he has no anxiety for his bread. He's happy. Now he can happily execute the yoga process. Or in a pious family automatically the yoga process of transcendental life is there. So he can begin also there. That is chance. Those who are born in such family, in righteous family or rich family, they should take instruction from Bhagavad-gītā, that this is a chance given by God to execute our spiritual life, not for sense enjoyment increasing, "Because I have got so much money, oh, let me enjoy senses more, I mean to say, acutely."
Nowadays they are facing a scarcity of food. The solution is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "Bhūtāni, all living entities, both animal and man, they can live very nicely without any anxiety provided they have got sufficient food grains." Now what is your objection to this? This is the solution. Kṛṣṇa says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni. So it is not utopian; it is practical. You must have sufficient food grain to feed the human being and the animal, and everything will be peaceful immediately. Because people, if one become hungry, he is disturbed. So give him food first of all. That is Kṛṣṇa's injunction. Is that very impossible, impractical? No. You grow food more and distribute. So much land is there, but we are not growing food. We are growing or busy in manufacturing tools and motor tires. Then now eat motor tires. But Kṛṣṇa says that "You grow anna." Then there is no question of scarcity.
Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the maheśvaram, the supreme owner of all the planets." So actually Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman. He's not only Brahman, but Para-brahman. That is accepted. Kim adhyātmam. Ātmā. Ātmā means this body, ātmā means this self, ātmā means the mind. But Arjuna is asking, "What is the real meaning of ātmā?" Ātmā means the soul. You are also ātmā. I am also ātmā. Every one of us, the minute particle, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kim karma. This karma means to work. That is material. Working is required in the material world. Without working, you cannot get anything. Here you have to maintain your body and soul together. Therefore you have to work. So work can be divided in different ways, but one has to work. One may work as a brāhmaṇa, one may work as a kṣatriya, one may work as a vaiśya or a śūdra. So work is there. Without working... The just opposite, without working, without any endeavor, you can live eternally—that is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Vaikuṇṭha means without any anxiety. Here we are full of anxieties.
A man who is liberated, his signs are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. His first symptom is that he's very happy. One who is liberated, his first symptom is that you'll never find him morose. He is happy. Prasannātmā. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. He has no anxiety. "Oh, this thing I haven't got. I have to secure this thing. This bill I have to pay. Oh, this I have to do." So many anxieties. We are full of anxieties. So he has no anxieties. And then does it mean, because he has no anxieties, he is very rich man? No. Not necessarily. He has no anxiety. Then he has no lamentation. He does not think, "I am poor." Why he should think poor? Poor, when I think that "I am this material, some, I am a part of this material world, I haven't got this possession, material possession," then I think, "I am poor" or "rich." But one who is liberated from the material conception of life, then he has nothing to do, what he's possessing, what he's not possessing. He has nothing to do. That is liberation. If one is free from the material conception of life, then factually, either he possesses or not possesses, he has nothing to do with them. Therefore he's prasannātmā, he's joyful: "Oh. I have nothing to lose, nothing to gain. I am completely separate from here." This is liberation.
If one is actually intelligent, he should not wait for many, many births. If he believes in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the statement of Bhagavad-gītā, then, immediately after hearing this verse, that bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate, he should immediately surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
That is, that Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings,
- mānasa deho geho jo kichu mor
- arpiluṅ tuwā pade nanda-kiśor
This is surrender. Mānasa deha geha. We have got our, this mind. Mind is the center of creative force. Therefore we have to surrender, first of all, our mind to Kṛṣṇa, just like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja did. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). He set example that he, first of all, he surrendered his mind unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor, and vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane, and he engaged his talkings simply on the matter of describing Vaikuṇṭha. Kṛṣṇa's another name in Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, from that moment you become free from all anxieties; therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Vaikuṇṭha
When you understand doubtlessly that God is the proprietor of everything, then you'll be liberated and freed from all, I mean to say, anxieties and miseries.
So it is our interest to know God. We are always full of anxieties. Nobody is free from anxieties. Nobody's free from miseries of this material world. And here is the process. And Bhāgavata confirms it: na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). We are making progress, but we do not know what is the ultimate goal of progress. That we do not know. Na te viduḥ.
Everyone can prepare the foodstuff and offer to Kṛṣṇa and then take it, and then with family members or with friends you can sit down and chant before the picture of Kṛṣṇa,
- Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
- Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
and live a pure life. Just see the result. If every home, every person, takes to this principle of understanding Kṛṣṇa, it will become... The whole world will become Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means where there is no anxiety. Vaikuṇṭha. Vai means without, and kuṇṭha means anxiety. This world is full of anxiety. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Because we have accepted this temporary existence of material life, therefore we are always encumbered with anxiety. Just the opposite thing is there in the spiritual world, where the planets are called Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means without anxiety.
We want to be free from anxieties. Everyone is trying to get himself free from anxieties, but he does not know how to get out of this anxiety. This taking shelter of intoxication is no use to get oneself free from anxieties. It is a drug. It is oblivion. Sometimes, for sometimes we forget everything, but again when you come to your consciousness the same anxieties and same thing are there. So this will not help you.
If you want to be free from anxieties and if you want actually life eternal with bliss and knowledge, then this is the process. This is the process. You have to understand Kṛṣṇa. Here it is clearly stated that na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ (BG 10.2). Nobody can understand. But there is a way. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). This is a process
Abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ. This is possible when you are situated on the platform of knowledge. This is knowledge, that "I am spirit soul. I am falsely identifying myself with this body. The body is the source of my all suffering and entanglement." This is knowledge. Then, when we try to give up the ignorance of bodily concept of life, then we become gradually liberated.
First of all abhayam. Abhayam means we are always afraid. We are always agitated, anxiety, because I am thinking, "I am this body." But if you are completely realized that you are not this body, you are something else, spirit soul, then I am immediately free from anxieties. That is called abhayam, no more fear, no more anxiety. Because everyone is ultimately afraid of being killed. But if he understands fully that he is not this body, then killed or not killed, he is not any attached to this body
When you become free from this material designation, brahma-bhūtaḥ stage, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that is a stage, neutral stage. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. Means you become free from the material anxieties. Material life means śocati, kāṅkṣati. Always people want something, and whatever he has got, if he has lost, he laments for something. This is our material life. But when you come to the Brahman platform, na śocati na... This is the first qualification—no more lamentation, no more hankering. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Then sarveṣu bhūteṣu, every living entity, he can... He knows that every living entity is the son of Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4), Kṛṣṇa says. So why shall I distinguish between this person to that person? Everyone is Vaiṣṇava. That is mahā-bhāgavata. Mahā-bhāgavata does not see any distinction. He sees everyone.
Demon means materialistic person, who are simply busy for these temporary bodily comforts. They do not know anything else. The body is material. Therefore all these activities for comforts of the body... That is demon, more or less. So cintā... the demons, they are anxiety. Everyone has anxiety, but their anxiety, aparimeyām. Just like ordinary man he has got some anxiety: "How to maintain my family? How to get some money to maintain family?" like that. But the demons, they are unmeasurable, unlimited. You'll find big, big businessmen. They have got very, very long project, "How to do this? How to do this? How to increase this factory? How to make it world-renowned?" and so on, so on, so on. There is no limit of anxiety. Cintām aparimeyāṁ ca. Unlimited means they have no idea of future life, they do not believe, mostly, at the present moment. Formerly they used to believe, even these asuras.
If you want to go back to home, back to Godhead, which is known as Kṛṣṇaloka, Vaikuṇṭhaloka... Vaikuṇṭhaloka means... Kuṇṭha means this anxiety, and vaikuṇṭha... Vigata-kuṇṭha. Vigata means without. There is no more any anxiety. That is Vaikuṇṭhaloka, spiritual world. Material world is kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety, full of anxiety, and Vaikuṇṭha means there is no anxiety. Everything is freedom. Sac-cid-ānanda. Vaikuṇṭha life means sac-cid-ānanda. Kṛṣṇa's body is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Not only Kṛṣṇa's body, anyone who lives in the spiritual world, his body is spiritual body, and spiritual body means sac, cit, ānanda. Sat means eternal. Spiritual body never annihilates. The material body annihilates. Every one of us, we have got now material body. It will annihilate. But in the spiritual world, when you have got spiritual body, it does not annihilate. Eternal. Eternal life. And cit means knowledge. So in this material body we have no knowledge. Even if we have got..., now imperfect knowledge, limited knowledge. But in the spiritual life you have got full knowledge. That is spiritual life.
Why should I give me away to the animal life? Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. Viṣaya means the four necessities of material life. That is called viṣaya. Viṣaya, four nece... What are the four necessities? That so long we have got this material body, we have to eat. We cannot starve. That is not possible. So similarly, we have to take rest, sleeping, and similarly, we have to enjoy or give satisfaction to our senses, and similarly, we have to defend. This is called viṣaya. So śāstra says that this..., viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt: "In any form of life you'll get full facilities for the bodily necessities of life, full facilities." Just see the birds and bees. They have no anxiety for maintaining the body or fulfilling the necessities of life. Early in the morning they are not anxious. They dawn and they chirp and they fly to somewhere, in any tree, and the fruit is there. A little fruit, that is sufficient. And that is eating. And sleeping? Any tree, they'll sit down on the top and sleep. So eating, sleeping... And mating? The other sex is born along with the bird. At least two eggs are there, one male, one female. So he has no anxiety for sex, he has no anxiety for eating, he has no anxiety for sleeping, and defense everyone knows. All birds, beast, knows how to defend himself. The bird's on the ground, eating something, as soon as it sees some danger, immediately go up. That is his defense.
So śāstra says, therefore, that "These four necessities of life, you'll get, any form of life. Any insignificant form or very important form, it doesn't matter. You'll get all... This is arranged." You have no anxiety for that. Kṛṣṇa has given you. Just like even if you are put into the jail life, prison life, for these things government has arranged already. In the jail life there is eating, sleeping, arrangement. So for these things we should not be very much anxious. That is human life. Simply he has to see intelligently, things, how things are going on
Just like you are sitting here, so many boys and girls in different dress. Some is dressed in black coat or some in white coat or red coat. If I ask you what you are, if you say "I am black coat," or somebody says, "I am white coat," that is not your identification. Similarly, we living entities, we are neither American or Indian nor African nor Englishman. We are all spirit soul. That is our position. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is perfect knowledge. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am spirit soul. When you come to this understanding, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170), then your position will be different from this material understanding. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Prasannātmā means jubilant. You'll find all our boys and girls, they're always jubilant. Unless they are jubilant, they cannot dance in this way. It is not dancing dogs. They are not dancing dogs. They're feeling jubilant, and therefore they are dancing. This is the position of brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Prasannātmā, unless one is very satisfied he cannot be jubilant. He should be morose, he cannot dance, he cannot chant. That's a fact. So this is sign of brahma-bhūtaḥ. Without any material designation. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you study carefully you'll understand everything. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). How one is jubilant? When one is freed from all anxieties. What are these anxieties? Anxieties mean if I lose something, then I will lament, and if I haven't got anything, something, then I hanker after it.
So far we are concerned, we have no business, we have no profession. We do not know what we shall eat tomorrow. Or in the evening. We are in such a position. But we have no anxiety. You can see practically. We have no anxiety that "what shall I eat in the evening, what shall I eat tomorrow, there is no bank balance, there is no money." No. There is no anxiety. We know certain that as soon as we go, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will send us everything. That is actually a fact. If you study our activities, you'll see practically it is so. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. We have no hankering, no lamentation. Suppose we have got thousand dollars, and somebody takes away. It happens so. Somebody comes and mixes with us and takes away some money. So we are not very much sorry for that. We think: Kṛṣṇa gave us, and Kṛṣṇa has taken away. It doesn't matter.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Prahlāda Mahārāja said that children should be taught about religious principle, especially Bhāgavata dharma. What is dharma and Bhāgavata dharma? Bhāgavata dharma means the dharma of the soul, and ordinary dharma means the dharma of this body. Generally we understand the varṇāśrama-dharma, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā śṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: (BG 4.13) the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, and the śūdras, brahmacārī, gṛhasta, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. So actually this is our..., Vedic principle is varṇāśrama-dharma. So this varṇāśrama-dharma is in relationship with this body. But we are not this body. Dehāntaraṁ prāp..., we are changing our body. So sometimes we may become a śūdra, sometimes we may become brāhmaṇa—that is change. But when you come to the platform of the soul, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), that dharma, when it begins, the dharma of the soul, that is called bhāgavata-dharma, because when one is, uh... I mean, in the platform, on the platform of understanding soul, that is called brahma-jñāna, ātmā-jñāna. So when one comes to the platform of brahma understanding, that is called brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: (BG 18.54) when you come to that platform, understanding of the soul, then you become joyful, free from material anxiety
When mind is engaged at the lotus feet of the Lord... As it is stated in the Śrīmad-..., sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor (SB 9.4.18). When the mind is fixed up in the lotus feet of the Lord, then the words are used, the vibration of the tongue used... Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Then the words are utilized for describing about the spiritual world. The spiritual world is called Vaikuṇṭha. There is no kuṇṭha, anxiety. That is spiritual world. When you become spiritualized, brahma-bhutaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). There is no more kuṇṭha. This is the sign of becoming brahma-bhūtaḥ. At the present moment we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. Manaḥ saṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Therefore our struggle for existence is with the mind and the six senses. But when your existence is spiritualized, then brahma-bhūtaḥ, you have no more anxieties. That is the sign. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na Prasannātmā means na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54)
The real aim of life is how to get satisfaction, full, complete satisfaction. And that satisfaction, complete satisfaction, can be achieved only by prosecution of devotional service. There is no other method. If you want to be happy, free from all cares and anxieties, then you have to engage yourself in devotional service of the Lord. That will make you free from all material anxieties and all material miseries. We are all seeking after that position, how to become completely happy. Our whole struggle for existence... Anyone, in any place, any country, they are all struggling for existence, either human being or animal or birds or beasts, how to become happy. This happiness of the mind, ātmā, is only possible when we are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the only remedy. There is no other alternative.
If you can develop such for love for God, without any cause, without being checked, without being stopped for any material reason, then you will feel suprasīdati, all satisfaction. No more anxiety, no more dissatisfaction. You will feel the whole world full of pleasure. Viśvaṁ pūrṇaṁ sukhāyate.
Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Prasannātmā means joyful stage, no more anxiety. We are full of anxiety on account of our material conception of life, unnecessarily. So many leaders came and gone. So long they were living, they were always concerned. In our country... Just like Mahātmā Gandhi, he came, big leader. Or in other countries, Churchill came or Hitler came. So long they were living, they were always anxiety, full of anxiety, fighting with one another. Now they are not existing. What is the loss there? But unnecessarily they were busy, that "Without me, my country will be finished, and this will be vanquished." Unnecessarily.
So therefore we require to be brahma-bhūtaḥ, then prasannātmā. Then, because our only business is to see that "I am happy. I have no anxiety," that we are searching after, every one of us. So that anxietylessness is possible when we come to this stage:
- sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
- yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
- ahaituky apratihatā
- yayātmā suprasīdati
- (SB 1.2.6)
There is a nice instruction by Prahlāda Mahārāja, a great devotee, boy devotee. And he was, from his boyhood, childhood, from his mother's womb, he became a devotee by the grace of Nārada Muni. That is the history. Now, he, he was five-years-old boy, and his father was too much materialistic. And he wanted that his son should be great politician, economist, and so on, so on, just like the materialists want. But the boy, he's a devotee. So father did not like the idea. So one day he called his boy, "My dear boy, come on." He came. A small boy. "Sit down on my lap. All right, my dear boy, will you kindly tell me what you have learned, the best thing in your school?" "Yes, my dear father, I shall tell you." So he said like this, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt, hitvātma, hitvā ātma-pātaṁ gṛham anda-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad-dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). "My dear father..." He's addressing his father, "O the best among the materialists." Now, he's not afraid. His father was very powerful, and there is a story. We shall narrate one day. Now, today is... Very shortly I am giving some instance... So he says, "My dear father, you are the greatest of the materialists, but to my opinion that is the best thing if people should give up this materialistic life and devote himself for searching out God, then he'll be free from the anxiety which is due to him due to his material connection."
Those who are in the platform of goodness, they worship nārāyaṇa-kalāḥ śāntāḥ, Nārāyaṇa and His expansions. In the spiritual world, there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets. As we have got experience within this material world, within this universe, there are innumerable planets, similarly there is another sky. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That sky is eternal. This sky is not eternal. It is created. It has got a date of creation, and it will be annihilated at a certain date. So beyond the sky there is another sky, which is called paravyoma, or sanātana, eternal sky. And in that sky there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha hy asmāt. There is no anxiety.
Harim āśrayeta. Unless we take shelter under the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, Hari, so long we shall be full of anxiety. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to bring everyone under the shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, so that they may become free from all anxieties. This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Otherwise, unless one comes under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot be free of anxiety. That is not possible. Therefore it is explained here that rajas-tamaḥ-prakṛtayaḥ. Those who are on the platform of the modes of goodness, brāhmaṇa platform, satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam āstikyaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam. This, these are the qualities of brāhmaṇa. Not that because one is born of a brāhmaṇa father, he will be brāhmaṇa. No. Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). He must have the qualities of brāhmaṇa and must act as a brāhmaṇa. Then he'll be accepted as brāhmaṇa. Otherwise he'll be called brahma-bandhu, dvija-bandhu. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhu. Strī, woman, śūdra and dvija-bandhu.
So there was such a time because Pṛthu Mahārāja's father was a demon. He stopped all religious activities. Therefore people became demonic, and there was restriction of food supply. Then Pṛthu Mahārāja made arrangement, and there was sufficient foodstuff. Dugdhemām oṣadhīr viprās tenāyaṁ sa uśattamaḥ. Since Pṛthu Mahārāja arranged the whole society to be religious, to be God conscious, everything become beautiful. This can be done even now. If people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, the whole world will become beautiful, Vaikuṇṭha, without any anxiety. That is possible. Because that is nature's law.
So transcendental life means to understand the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth can be understood perfectly only through devotional service. There is no other way. There is no other way. In every scripture, Vedic scripture, this is announced. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, the same thing confirmed: evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). When, by discharging devotional service, one will be prasanna-manasaḥ, very jolly mood, always jolly... Bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ mukta-saṅgasya jāyate... Unless one is freed from material anxiety, unless one is spiritually joyful, he cannot understand what is the science of Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. So therefore we have to cultivate this devotional service. Then our ultimate goal of life, to understand the Absolute Truth, our relationship with Him, that will be perfectly done.
Suppose if somebody is assured that now, henceforward you haven't go to do anything, everything will come automatically, naturally one becomes prasannātmā, very jolly. I am free from the anxieties. Because this material world means full of anxieties, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām, that is material world. And when you come to the spiritual platform, there is no anxiety, no na śocati na kāṅkṣati. That is anxiety-free. So anxiety-free does not mean you haven't got to do anything. Your material life is purified, sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we become free from the designation, "I am this body, therefore I am American, I am Indian, I am the father of this family, so I have got my wife, I have got my children," so many things, this is material relationship, so...
If you neglectfully chant, still there is success, but it will take some time. And if you chant very carefully, following the rules and regulations, then your success in this life is guaranteed. So we can make our choice, because always Kṛṣṇa gives us the chance to make our choice. Yathecchasi tathā kuru: (BG 18.63) "Whatever you like, you can do." So my request... It is my duty because you have accepted me as your spiritual master. So I am repeating my spiritual master's order that "Don't wait for another life." That is a very risky, another life. Maybe I am given the chance of taking my birth in a good brāhmaṇa family or a rich family, but there is chance of again being spoiled. As we see, there are so many rich men's sons. They have got all the opportunity of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. They have no economic problem. Father's property, immense property he has got. So he can, he has no anxiety for economic problems. That is a chance.
Śāstra says śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. That is wanted. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. If you take this process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then you'll be free from all these disturbances. You'll be free. It is not pride, but it is a fact. Just like in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we have got so much expenditure. In New York we are spending twelve lakhs of rupees alone per month. Now, we have got... This morning I was calculating. We have got 25 lakhs of rupees expenditure per month all over the world. But we have no anxiety. That is practical. We have no anxiety. One man who has got to spend 25 rupees, he has got anxiety. But we have to spend 25 lakhs of rupees, but we have no anxiety. Because we have taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Mā śucaḥ, Kṛṣṇa says. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, ahaṁ tvāṁ mokṣayiṣyāmi sarva-pāpebhyaḥ (BG 18.66). "Oh, Kṛṣṇa will take care of me in such a way?" "Yes." "Oh, let me consider." Mā śucaḥ. There is no consideration. You do it immediately. Mā śucaḥ. Why mā śucaḥ? If you... Kṛṣṇa is unable to feed you? Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Why you talk of nonsense, population? There is no question of population. But if you are sinful, if you are godless, then however restrictive means you take... What is that? Sterilization? You have to starve. There is no question of diminishing the population. It is a question how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Otherwise, everything will be finished.
So don't take it very lightly. Take it seriously. Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa has come, avatāra, and His instruction should be followed. Then we'll be happy. Everything is there in Kṛṣṇa's instruction for our benefit. But because we are rascals, mūḍha, duṣkṛtina, narādhama, we have no knowledge, we refuse to accept. This is our qualification.
The kṛṣṇa-bhajana is not so easy thing. Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpam. One who is completely free from the reaction of pāpa, he cannot (can) take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But in the ordinary way, karma... According to karma... Just like you are working to earn some money, businessman, karma. So ordinary way you have to work very hard day and night to get some money. Suppose if you want one lakh of rupees or one crore of rupees, you have to work for it. But there is another way. Suppose one rich man gives you, that "You haven't got to work. Take this one lakh of rupees or one crore of rupees. You take it." That is another way. Ordinary way to accumulate crores of rupees, it may not be possible in your life. But if some friend or some rich man becomes kind upon you and delivers you, "Take it," you can get it immediately, without any hard labor. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme rich man, supreme rich being, is offering you, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām... (BG 18.66). "You haven't got to do anything. Come on. You surrender unto Me, and I give you immediately liberation." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. There is no anxiety.
Violence is also one of the qualifications of God. Especially in political matters, when the kṣatriyas are dealing, there is always violence. Without violence, kṣatriya has no meaning. Kṣat, kṣat means injury. Trāyate. Kṣatriya's duty is to save the citizen from being injured by others. That is kṣatriya. Even an animal. Animal..., just like this Kali was trying to kill cow. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was on his tour. He saw that a black man was trying to kill a cow. So immediately he took his sword, "Who are you, rascal? You are trying to kill a cow in my kingdom?" That is kṣatriya's duty. Kṣatriya's duty is to give protection from injury for the safety of the citizen. The citizen must feel safety, that "We have got such a nice king. There is no fear of anything." It is said in the Bhāgavatam there was no anxiety. The citizens should feel so much safe, that "We have such a nice king that we have no danger at all. Not being injured, not our property being stolen or injustice given." That is the real government—when the citizens will feel completely safe. That requires kṣatriya. Not these cāmāra, bhangis, and śūdras voted and become the president and minister. That will not be successful. That is not possible. There must be trained-up kṣatriyas, then there will be good government. Trained.
These Kṛṣṇa consciousness persons, they have no problem, economic problem. Everything is sufficiently supplied by Kṛṣṇa. In Los Angeles, the neighbors, they are very envious, that "You do not work. You have no anxiety. You have got four cars. You are eating so nicely. How is that?" They inquire from our devotees. That is the actually the fact. We are spending so much money, we have got so many centers. The calculation is about $70,000 we are spending. Who is supplying? Somehow or other, we are getting. So there is no problem. You simply become sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa. Everything is there. This is the test. They are envious of us that we do not work. Still, we have got so much. "So why don't you come and join us?" That they will not do. "You come with us, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." "No, no, no. That I cannot do." All right, then work with your trucks: whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. They have made their own position dangerous and others' position also. They say... At any moment, there may be accident. This is the civilization. Nonsense. This is not civilization. Civilization means calmness, peace, prosperity, śānti. In peace and prosperity one should be Kṛṣṇa conscious always.
So we are giving this chance to everyone. We have constructed this big building, or constructing more and more—why? To give this chance to everyone. Please come here. Chant, join Hare Kṛṣṇa kīrtana, take prasādam and do your best, whatever talent you have got, easily, not very overburdened. If you know something to do, do it for Kṛṣṇa. Everyone knows. Everyone has got some talent. So that talent should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. And if you think that "No, I shall chant simply," all right, you chant. But don't sleep in the name of chanting. That... Don't cheat. That cheating is not good. If you think that you can chant like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, then you simply chant. We shall supply you food. There is no anxiety. But don't try to cheat. You must be engaged. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Of course, if we can chant twenty-four hours, that is very good. But that is not possible. We are not so highly elevated. We must do something for Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa's another name is Vaikuṇṭha, or God's another name is Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha hy asmāt. Therefore spiritual world is called Vaikuṇṭha. And the material world is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). It is not Vaikuṇṭha. You cannot even walk without anxiety. Just like we were walking on the street, and the leg slipped. So we should be very much careful even in walking. Beginning from your morning walk, you are full of anxiety. But Vaikuṇṭha means no anxiety, no anxiety. That is spiritual world. We must understand what is Vaikuṇṭhaloka, and what is Jaḍaloka.
Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Asat. The spiritual world is called sat. Oṁ tat sat. So we should transfer ourself to the spiritual world. Asato mā gama, sad gama. Asato mā sad gama. This is the Vedic injunction. "Don't keep yourself in this asat." Asat means bad. Asat means which will not exist. That is called asat. Asad-grahāt. So because we have accepted this asat, grahāt, with very great eagerness, that "We shall become very happy; we shall live here very happily," therefore there is all... Actually there is no happiness. Suppose if you get some money all of a sudden, actually this is also asat, because when you did not get money, you were anxious to get it, and as soon as you get it, how to preserve it? "Shall I keep it in the bank? Because it is black market. Then there will be income tax. Then what I shall I do?" Another anxiety. Another anxiety.
So asad-vastu, in any way you want to enjoy, it will give you always anxiety. And if you go to the sad-vastu... Asato mā sad gama. If you go to sat, then that is Vaikuṇṭha. That is called Vaikuṇṭha, no more anxiety. This is... Therefore this very word is used, Vaikuṇṭha.
So Vaikuṇṭha, Kṛṣṇa's name, and Kṛṣṇa's place... Therefore, as Kṛṣṇa is Vaikuṇṭha, without any anxiety—Kṛṣṇa has no anxiety—similarly, Kṛṣṇa's place is also without any anxiety. Kṛṣṇa's activities, hearing Kṛṣṇa, that is also without anxiety. If we want to be anxietyless, then we should hear about Kṛṣṇa.
So if the government or the chief of the executive power, the king, is just to the point, dharmeṇa, as it was said, "Abiding by the religious principles, ruling over the country," then everything, even natural elements, they become cooperative. They must become cooperative. What is nature? Nature is also another energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So the nature is also working under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
- sūyate sa-carācaram
- hetunānena kaunteya
- jagad viparivartate
- (BG 9.10)
So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, the cooperation was so complete that everyone was free from anxiety, disease, calamities, natural disturbance.
Indian: It will take two years.
Prabhupāda: Just see.
Indian: To pass education, takes two years' time.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Two years' time. So this is the... This body is made of three dhātu, and misadjustment of these three things... If the mucus is increased, the other two decrease. In this way disturbance is created, and that is the cause of disease. Ādhayo vyādhayaḥ. So if people remain completely in hygienic principle, as they are prescribed in the śāstras, just like rise early in the morning, take bath, evacuate and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra... If you follow the rules and regulation, then there will be no anxiety, no disease. People become crazy when he is full of anxieties or disease. If he is happy in every respect, then he does not become crazy, he does not become enemy. If everyone is satisfied, then where is the chance of becoming your enemy or my enemy? Everyone is satisfied
So in Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, the government, the government was responsible also to keep people peaceful, without any anxiety. That is government. Without any anxiety. And now the government means full of anxieties. You do not know how to sleep peacefully at night. You have to keep watchmen, just see, enemies are coming or not, with torchlight. You see. This is our position, full of anxieties. Even we cannot sleep at night peacefully. This is government. And here you see, compare the government—no anxiety, no anxiety. Just compare. So what is the use of this rascal government? The rascal government must be there because we are rascals. You cannot complain against the government. Because we select. It is the days of democracy. We elect our representative. So why you should, I mean to say, blame the government? You have created the government. You have sent your representative, a rascal, another big rascal. You are rascal, and another big rascal, you have voted; so how you can expect good government? You send only big rascals. That's all.
So just compare the present governmental situation and the time... A king is supposed to be responsible for the citizen's peaceful life, no anxiety, no disease. Ādhayo vyādhayaḥ. That is king. Just like one brāhmaṇa approached Lord Rāmacandra that "In the presence of father the son has died. You are responsible. There must be something wrong in Your kingdom." His son died. That is natural, that son lives, father dies. This is natural death. "And what is this? The father is living and son is dying?" So king was so much responsible, even the death must be systematic. There should be no anxiety. There should be no disease. There should be no scarcity, no famine, no natural disturbance. This is government. This is government. Just try to understand the ideal government during Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time. Not only Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, all the kings. Rājarṣayaḥ. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. They were all great ṛṣis, although they were kṣatriyas. Brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya, they used to guide the general people. The high caste means who would guide the people nicely. The brāhmaṇa by their Vedic knowledge, perfect knowledge, paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. By high learning, they would... They were not interested for capturing the government. No. They had no time. But there was consulting body. Even Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja's time, there was consulting body, all the kings. The brāhmaṇas and the ṛṣis, they would form a consulting body and give advice to the king: "My dear king, do like this.' And they will abide. Just like head. Head. Head gives the instruction to the arms. Not the arm gives instruction to the head. Head. Brain. Mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ.
So there is necessity of the śūdras and there is necessity of the brāhmaṇa. There is necessity of the kṣatriya. Everyone is required to do, to function, in his particular position. Then the society will be nādhayo vyādhayaḥ kleśāḥ. No more anxiety and no more disease. Everyone is peaceful, cool-minded, cool-brained. Then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa without any disturbance and go back to home back, to Godhead.
So this word hṛt-tāpa upaśamāni... Hṛt means heart, and tāpa means miseries or burning, heat. Tāpa means burning heat. If there is fire and there is heat, sometimes it is intolerable. So hṛt-tāpa means the burning fire blazing within the heart. So that is always. Anyone who is in this material world, he has got this disease, burning fire within the heart, anyone. That means severe anxiety, everyone. Even a small bird, he is also full of anxiety. You give him some grains. It will come. It will eat. At the same time, it will look this way, that way, this way, full of anxiety. Although there is food, he is eating, still, there is anxiety, "Somebody may come, kill me." So everyone is full of anxiety. That is the material nature. Nobody can say "I have no anxiety." That is not possible. If he says like that, he is a liar. That is not possible. Is anyone here who can say that he or she has no anxiety? Of course, when you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no anxiety. That is the distinction. Anxiety there is, but to relieve this anxiety one has to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise not. You cannot get relief
So spiritual life means anxiety-less. This is the difference between material life and spiritual life. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is described what is spiritual life. As soon as you are identified with the Absolute Truth, Brahman, then symptoms will be prasannātmā, jubilation: "Oh, I do not belong to this material world. I belong to the spiritual world. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Why should I suffer so many things?" That is jubilation. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). The prasannātmā means na śocati na kāṅkṣati. He has no lamentation, no hankering. Here people are always full of anxieties because they have got hankering, "I want this. I want that." And there is lamentation. What they possess, if it is lost, they cry, "Oh, my things are lost." And what they do not possess, they hanker. So their anxiety is there, either he possesses or not possesses. This is material anxiety. If you have no money, then you will hanker after money, "How to get money, how to get money, how to get money?" And when you get money, then how to utilize it, how to, where to keep it, in the bank, or in the house, or who will take away? Somebody will take away. So where is anxiety-less? You possess or not possess, the real disease is anxiety. So when one becomes brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), self-realized, identified with the Absolute Truth, then he has no more anxiety. This is the best education, when you become anxiety-less. That is perfection of education.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "The best education is that which makes one anxiety-free." That is best education. Now where is that education? Is there any education throughout the whole world, in so many universities, especially in your country there are nice, very, very... Rather, they have created so much anxieties that the boys, they are frustrated. They are giving up everything, becoming hippies. Where is anxiety-less? They increase anxiety. Increase anxiety. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. "My dear father, the best of the asuras, I think that anyone who has accepted this material body is full of anxieties." Asad-grahāt. Asad-grahāt means..., asat means temporary. Because he has accepted a body which is temporary, he is full of anxieties. That is the real problem. We, if we want to be anxiety-less, no anxiety, then we have to refuse to accept this material body. Otherwise there is no possibility. All anxieties are due to this material body. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5).
So this chance should be given. Let them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, either willfully, or jokingly, or any way, let him chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the movement. Let him chant once, let his tongue utter this transcendental vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa, his life will be successful. It is such nice movement. You haven't got to do anything. Simply you come here and see Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, you will be benefited. It is very easy. Su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). And once you get the impression of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa for meditation, and if you increase, then life, you are success. Life is successful. Because as soon as you become little inclined to see Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa within your heart, that means you have developed His love. Just like if you love somebody, you want to close your eyes and see his face, his..., your child, or your lover. Similarly, as soon as you practice this, how to see, meditate upon Kṛṣṇa, that means you develop. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). Then gradually it will increase, and you will be perfect. It is very easy. This process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so easy, and so pleasant, anyone can take. There is no difficulty. And if you become Kṛṣṇa consciousness, completely, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, bahu anudhyānam, always, anudhyānam, thinking of Kṛṣṇa, thinking of Kṛṣṇa—anyone can do it—then you become perfect. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). That is the problem. Our, what is that problem? Problem is that we are full of anxiety. Why you are full of anxiety? Because you have accepted this material body. So if you stop accepting material body, there is no anxiety. That can be done by vāsudeva-anudhyānam, constantly thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
Vaikuṇṭha-caraṇāmbujam. Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. And God's another name is Vaikuṇṭha. If you take shelter of the lotus feet of God, Kṛṣṇa, then you become without anxieties. This is the only. Everyone is full of anxiety. Even a bird, even a beast, even a small ant, what to speak of our position. The material world is such, we must be full of anxieties. That is explained also. Asad-grahāt. Because we have accepted something flickering as shelter. If you accept something which is not permanent, which is tiltering... In a boat suppose which is tiltering, at any moment you will be drowned.
So you cannot be free from anxiety. But if you accept a strong, very big ship, you are assured that "I will not be drowned." Similarly, we are accepting this shelter, that shelter, that shelter, that shelter, avoiding the shelter of God. Therefore we are full of anxiety. If you want to become free from anxiety, then here is the prescription, vaikuṇṭha-caraṇāmbujam, take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
So our principle is that Kṛṣṇa should be accepted as the leader because Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader. Eko bahū..., nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Leader means he must... Just like father. Father is the leader of the family. And why father is the leader? Because he earns, he maintains the children, wife, servant, and establishment; therefore naturally, he's accepted the leader of the family. Similarly, you accept the President Nixon as the leader of your country because in dangerous time he gives direction, in peace time he gives direction. He's always busy how to make you happy, how to make without any cares, anxiety. This is duty of the President. Otherwise, why you select one President? Any man can live without any President, but no, it is required.
So this is our civilization. At night also, we waste our time, and in daytime also, we waste our time. How? Now nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night, we sleep. Everyone sleeps. The dogs sleeps, the cat sleeps. We may sleep in a very nice apartment, skyscraper building, and the dog may sleep on the street, but the pleasure of sleeping is the same. It does not mean that because you are sleeping in a very nice apartment, a skyscraper building, your sleep is better than the dog's sleeping? How it is sleep... Sometimes you may dream something very ferocious, and the dog may sleep without any agitation, sound sleep. Sometimes you have to take tranquilizer pill for sleeping. So impartially studying, your sleep is not as nice as dog's sleep. Is it not? The dogs sleep without any anxiety. And I go to sleep with so many anxieties that the sleeping is disturbing unless I take one pill. At least, in America we have seen. In your country, in Paris, you do not? You sleep without pill? Is it? That's a good credit. Anyway, every one of us, we sleep at night. And another, our, means, advantage is that at night we enjoy sex life. Sleep or sex life. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena. Vyavāyena means sex. Vyavāya.
Deha means body, and apatya means children. Apatya. So those who are family men... Those who are not family men, their question is different. They are not even human beings. Ordinarily, the Vedic process is that first of all you try to remain without family, alone. Be independent, no cares, no anxieties. You can lie down here, or whatever you can eat, that's all. But be spiritually advanced. That is called brahmacārī life. Brahmacārī means... Brahma means Absolute Truth. And cārī means who is, whose business is only with Brahman, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, with spiritual advancement of life. That is called brahmacārī. And he has no interest with anything material. He's, at least, educated in that way, that "Actually, you have no interest with these material things. You are, you should be interested only for your spiritual advancement. This is the opportunity."
So if you want freedom from this fearfulness or this material existence... Material existence means struggle for existence. This is material. Everyone has struggle: "I want to stay. I want to..." In your country there has been so much fight, the French Revolution and so many fighting, fighting between the Protestant and the Catholic. And your Napoleon Bonaparte, he also fought. So fighting, this is called struggle for existence. Everyone wants to exist, and he has to fight. At least, we have to fight with the winter season. If there is no fighting, so at least there must be fighting with the winter season or summer season. Without fighting, you cannot stay. Without fighting, you cannot stay. That is called struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. You must be fit. This is called material world. And spiritual world means there is no fight; simply friendship, that's all. This is spiritual world. Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means "anxiety," and vaikuṇṭha means "without anxiety."
So here is the solution, that if you want to be saved from this chaotic condition of life, if you want to be free from all anxieties, then your business is śrotavyaḥ: "You hear about the supreme controller, Kṛṣṇa." And for hearing about the supreme controller we have got eighty books like that. Not one, two, three, four-eighty books. So if you are actual intelligent, if you are actually scientist, if you are actually philosopher, read these books. That is called śrotavyaḥ. Hear about the supreme controller. Not that simply God is there. Just try to understand how God is there. That you will find in this literature. There is no other literature throughout the whole world. You will find here. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca. Not only hearing like dull. As soon as hear, if you are... Then you spread this knowledge. Kīrtitavyaḥ: "My dear sir, there is God. God is like this. I have heard from the authority." That is called kīrtitavyaś ca, preaching. First of all hearing. Without hearing, how you will preach? So this is called śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23), another name. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca. And smartavyaḥ. As soon as you become expert hearer and expert, I mean, chanter, then you will remember always, smartavyaḥ, as is here. And as soon as you will always remember Kṛṣṇa, then there is no more fear, finished. That is life.
Now India become independent. So India was one. Now there are two: Pakistan and India. So there was one flag; now it is two. And gradually, it will increase to four. So when I pass that United Nations building, I simply see the flags are increasing. Instead of increasing the peace movement, the flags are increasing, that's all. So this sort of bluffing blind leaders cannot make happy the human society. This is the only solution: to push on Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, love of Godhead. Everyone will be happy, the human society. Viśvaṁ pūrṇaṁ sukhāyate. Whole universe will be just like Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means without anxieties. The material civilization means full of anxiety, full of anxiety.
So these things are not there. There they do not require to keep a dog, neither there is dog. You see? Just to make an idea what is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Because vaikuṇṭha means without anxiety. Vaikuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety, and vaikuṇṭha means without anxiety. So if you have no anxiety, what is the use of keeping dog for making "Gow! Gow!"? You have no anxiety. Just like in Japan the practice is... Generally they say that there is no thief.
So we have to learn from the śāstra that Kṛṣṇa is the origin, Bhagavān. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). All the viṣṇu-tattvas, all the incarnations, they are plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa, and... Or expansion of the expansion. Thousands and thousands. Millions. Just like there are waves in the ocean and the river, similarly there are incarnations, many thousands. Śaktyāveśa-avatāra, guṇa-avatāra, svayam avatāra... Many avatāras. They are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So all these avatāras are svacchandātmā. There is no cares and anxiety. Just like if we organize a business or some management, we have got so many anxieties. Even he's a managing director or proprietor or the supreme person in some establishment, he has got so many anxieties. He's not very happy. Although he's sitting in his room without any disturbance, but because he has to manage, the brain is working, "How to do this? How to do that? How to manage that affair?" He's always full of anxiety. This is material nature. In the material world you cannot be without any anxiety. That is not possible. Asad-grahāt.
So this creation is made, or emanation from Bhagavān, but He's svacchandātmā, He has no anxiety. If we want to create something, if we want to construct a building, creation, or anything, a factory, a machine, we have to go through so many anxieties, "How to make it successful?" But Kṛṣṇa's creation, or God's creation, is not like that. Just like see. Kṛṣṇa is standing before you. He has no anxiety. He is very pleasantly with His consort, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and enjoying playing on His flute. There is no anxiety. That is God. If God has got anxiety, then what class of God He is? No. So that anxietyless God you'll find in Kṛṣṇa. The demigods... Take any demigod, even Lord Brahmā. He's also anxiety. He's meditating. And... Lord Śiva is dancing with his triśūla. He has got something to do, to annihilate. He has got anxiety.
Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself in many, many forms. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). He's the ādi-puruṣa. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. Brahmā says. Brahmā is not ādi-puruṣa. Brahmā says, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. So Kṛṣṇa is the ādi-puruṣam. And He has got many expansions. Advaitam acyutam anādim. Anādir ādiḥ. He has no beginning, but He is the beginning of everything. That is called anādir ādiḥ. He has no beginning, but He is the beginning of everything. That advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). And He has expanded Himself in so many forms. We are also Kṛṣṇa's form, but we are vibhinnāṁśa. And svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. The viṣṇu-tattva is bhagavat-tattva, ādi-puruṣam, personal expansion, and we are energy expansion. We are also energy. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho (BG 7.5). So jīva, prakṛti expansion. Parā-prakṛti expansion. So Kṛṣṇa is always svacchandātmā. He has no anxiety. Svacchandātmā ātma-māyayā. Yad yad vidhatte bhagavān svacchandātmā. Whatever... Even if He's killing a demon, there is no anxiety. That is Kṛṣṇa. Even if He's killing, He has no anxiety
Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān, viṣṇur ārādhyate... (CC Madhya 8.58). The ultimate goal is to satisfy the Lord, Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). But the foolish people, they do not know. Their ultimate interest is how to satisfy Viṣṇu. Viṣṇur ārādhyate. So when there is dharmasya glāniḥ, then Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, by His incarnation or personally, He comes. Therefore it is said, yad yad vidhatte bhagavān. But because He comes to paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8), He has no anxiety. Svacchandātmā. And He does by His own internal potency. He does not take anyone's help. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is Bhagavān. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has got so varieties of energies that everything is done very correctly and perfectly.
Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhā (Bs. 5.40). Vasudhā means planets or globes. This earthy planet is called vasudhā. Aśeṣa, not one, but aśeṣa, unlimited. Aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti. Vibhūti means each planet is saturated with different types of atmosphere. Just like the moon planet. The scientist says that it is below zero, two hundred degrees. It is very cold. That's a fact. Because it is very cold, therefore the shining from so much distance in the evening—we feel very comfortable. Not in the sunshine. God's arrangement is so nice. You require both. The sunshine also you require, and the moonshine also you require. If simply there is sunshine, then you die. And if there will be simply moonshine, then you will also die. Both.
But there is another planetary system. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6). There is another..., paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20), another nature where, yatra, na tad bhāsayate sūryaḥ, there is no need of sunshine, there is no need of moonshine. Because the each planet is svayaṁ-jyoti. Here we have got one planet, the sun planet, jyoti. But there, in the Vaikuṇṭha, all the planets, Vaikuṇṭha planets... Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Here, in this planet, you are full of anxiety. And if you are transferred to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, there is no anxiety. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) simply ānanda, no anxiety.
So there are innumerable forms and innumerable names, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33), but they are all one. There is no difference, advaita. This is the conception of spiritual understanding, because these forms, each form, has got a separate planet. Just like here in this material world, each demigod has got a separate planet. The demigod Candradeva... He is also demigod. So he has got a separate planet which is called Candraloka. Similarly Sūryaloka, Varuṇaloka, Vāyuloka, Indraloka, many. There are hundreds and thousands of demigods, and they have got their different planets. Similarly, the Lord in the spiritual world has got multiforms, and the each and every form is the predominating Deity of the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The spiritual planets are called Vaikuṇṭha planets. The material planets, they are not Vaikuṇṭha; they are kuṇṭha. Here, in these planets, anyone living, he is always full of anxiety, kuṇṭha. In the Vaikuṇṭha planets there is no such thing as anxiety. That is the difference between the spiritual and material planets. Vaikuṇṭha planets means without any anxiety. Here everyone is full of anxiety, whatever he may be. He may be Lord Brahmā or he may be Mr. Ant, small, very insignificant. Everyone is full of kuṇṭha. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Samudvigna, fully anxious, "What will happen next? What will happen next? How things will go on?" This anxiety. He may be very rich man or very poor man. The anxiety must be there. Why? Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt: (SB 7.5.5) "Because they have accepted this material body."
So Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Saṅkarṣaṇa, or other Viṣṇu form, or the living entities who are living there in those Vaikuṇṭha planets, they have no anxiety. There is no anxiety, neither there is influence of this māyā, neither there are the activities of the three modes of material nature. That is called spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭhaloka. They are free. Neither there is birth, death, old age, and disease. These things are absent. Everyone is full of transcendental bliss. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature they are ānandamaya, always jolly. And here also, in this material world, when we become free from this material concept of life, bodily concept of life, when we are fully aware of the thing that "I am not this material body; I am spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi," he also becomes jolly because he acquires the spiritual quality. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. That is the sign. Prasannātmā. Na śoc... Prasannātmā. What does it mean, prasannātmā? Na śocati na kāṅkṣati: (BG 18.54) "There is no hankering, and there is no lamentation." Then it is possible to see everyone on the equal level. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu.
So every senses you can engage in Kṛṣṇa's service. Just we have got senses, ten senses, and the mind. So mind engaged in Kṛṣṇa, legs engaged for going to the temple, hands engaged for cleansing the temple, nose engaged for smelling the flower offered to Kṛṣṇa or tulasī offered to Kṛṣṇa, tongue to taste Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, hear Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra—in this way, you can engage all the senses. There is no need of education. There is no need of passing M.A., Ph.D. You practice this simple yoga system. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). Ambarīṣa Mahārāja used to do that. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. You have to talk, but don't talk nonsense. But you engage your talking about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means without any kuṇṭha, without any anxiety. Other talking, you will have so many anxieties because that is not vaikuṇṭha talking. But if you engage your talking on the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is talking. Kṛṣṇa is not dumb, deaf and dumb, nirākāra.
So this is... If we simply do these things, that vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane, this Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, description of Vaikuṇṭha, the transcendental life where there is no anxiety... That is Vaikuṇṭha. So Vaikuṇṭha... God's name is also Vaikuṇṭha. In southern India they say, Veṅkateśvara. That is apabhraṁśa of Vaikuṇṭheśvara. They say Veṅkateśvara. But Vaikuṇṭheśvara. Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual world, and the master of the Vaikuṇṭha, He is called Veṅkateśvara or Vaikuṇṭheśvara. So in this way we can train up ourself. Keep your mind always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Then you become gradually the first-class yogi. You don't require to make any exercise. The everything will be done automatically. Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. As you concentrate your mind on Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, immediately you become qualified to talk with Kṛṣṇa immediately. That is said by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam (BG 10.10).
So simply you have to train your mind. Man-manā bhava..., this, the prescription. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśaya. Kṛṣṇa says that "You, this practice," mām evaiṣyasi, "you will come to Me." Asaṁśaya. Kṛṣṇa says, "There is no doubt about it." So why don't you do that? Train your mind, always Kṛṣṇa conscious, and the method is simple. You do not require much education or university degree—nothing of the sort. Simply man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: you just become devotee of Kṛṣṇa and always think of Him. Where is the difficulty? You can walk on the street and remember Kṛṣṇa. Is there any tax? No, the government will not ask you for any income tax, sales tax, that "You are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." They may do so. The time is coming. (laughter) They may say, "The Hare Kṛṣṇa people must be taxed three times because they are chanting and doing nothing." The Communist government will do that. So never mind. The tax will be sent by Kṛṣṇa. (laughter) You haven't got to bother. Still, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22), Kṛṣṇa says. You believe in Kṛṣṇa. Then every problem is solved. We have no problem if we simply follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction. Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 10.10). Even they tax for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will bring the money. We are getting that practically. So you know the history, how this land was purchased. There was no money, but Kṛṣṇa sent money and everything was done nicely. So there is no anxiety, provided we are purely Kṛṣṇa conscious, without any other desire.
Suppose we are taking shelter, child is taking shelter of the father, mother, or the citizens is taking shelter of the state, of the government. So one has to to take shelter of something else for protection, for security. But they are not actually security. Therefore we are always full of anxiety. You may be a citizen of a great state like United States of America. But you are not without any anxiety because that shelter is not sufficient. That will not stay. Just like recently in America they had to dethrone Mr. Nixon because they were not free from anxiety. So you cannot become free from anxiety by taking shelter of anything material. That is not possible. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Asat and sat. Sat means eternal, and asat means temporary. So we are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We are not annihilated after the annihilation or destruction of this body. Therefore we have to take shelter of the eternal. Then we'll be happy. And so long we shall take shelter of the temporary thing, asat, this material world, material society, friendship, love, state, community, nation—anything you take, they are not permanent—so you cannot be happy. But if you take shelter for security at the lotus feet of the Supreme, then you are actually secure.
What is this foolishness? Why should you pay the electric bill? Go there and live there. There is no need of... Na yatra... Na tad bhāsayate. It is... The spiritual world is not lighted by the sun, moon. Na tad bhāsayate sūryaḥ. Because everyone is effulgent, every planet is effulgent, so therefore there is no need of these things. There is no ignorance. There is no scarcity. There is no miserable condition. That is called Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata kuṇṭha yasmād iti vaikuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha, anxiety. Here every man, even the richest man is full of anxiety. Your president, he is the richest person in this country, and he is the third richest man in the world, somebody. But do you think he is without anxiety? No. That is not possible. That is not possible.
So Vṛndāvana is viśokān, vigata-śoka. There is no anxiety. If anyone comes to the Vṛndāvana and chants Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, he will have no disturbance. Still thousands and thousands of people are here, they do not like to go away from Vṛndāvana because it is so pleasing and anxiety-less, viśokān. But if you have got another, ulterior motive, then that is a different... Then māyā will capture even in Vṛndāvana. That is also going on. That is also going on. There are... We do not wish to criticize them, but that is also going on. So bhakti, therefore, should be without any material intention.
First-class devotion without any motive. So the sages said that if you execute the prescribed duties of the humankind, then ultimately you will be elevated to the planet where there is no anxiety and you will be liberated, provided you keep yourself without any contamination of this material world. That can be done. That is also given by Rūpa Gosvāmī.
- anāsaktasya viṣayān
- yathārham upayuñjataḥ
- nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe
- yukta-vairāgyam ucyate
If we want to be aloof from the contamination of this material world, then everything, whatever we use, whatever we need, it must be in relation with Kṛṣṇa. Then we can keep ourself aloof from the contamination. That is the liberated condition. That means you are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. If you always be engaged in the service of the Kṛṣṇa, then you are above this material world, uncontaminated. But if you have got any material intention, then again you are under the clutches of māyā. We should always remember it.
So this is going on. Therefore it is recommended mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes, if you want to become free from all anxieties. First of all this material world means anxiety. We are put... We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Why we are sent to this material world? Icchā-dveṣa sammutthena, sarge yānti parantapa, because we wanted to enjoy life independent of God, or Kṛṣṇa. This is the disease. We are not independent. If there is no rain and there is no food grain, what your independence will do? No. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14), very practical. That if you want to be happy, either animal or man, bhūtāni, then you produce anna, food grains sumptuously. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And there must be sufficient rain for producing sufficient food grains. Yajñād bhavanti parjanyaḥ, and you perform yajña, there will be regular rainfall.
So we do not know that we are now living conditional life, virupa, which is not my svarūpa. This is the science that svarūpa can be perceived, can be realized. That is described in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūta. Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), spiritual realization, that is also not svarūpa. That is the beginning of self-realization.
- brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
- na śocati na kāṅkṣati
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
- (BG 18.54)
That is svarūpa. After Brahman realization, when one is perfectly free from all material anxieties, that is beginning of svarūpa. And then the conception of equality, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Those who are learned, they have no such distinction that "I am Indian," "You are American," "You are Bengali," "I am Andhra," and this... No. This is all virūpa, all virūpa. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). We have several times explained, we have to be free from all these designation. That is svarūpa, designationless.
So there is no anxiety for maintenance of the body. There is no anxiety. Śāstra therefore says that "Don't spoil your energy for the matter of maintenance of the body. That is already settled up." Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is the Vedic injunction. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). The Supreme Lord is nitya as we are nitya. Nitya means there is no birth and death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is our constitutional position. And what is the difference between the two nityas? One is plural number and the other is singular number. The singular number nitya, or Kṛṣṇa, He supplies food to everyone. Oh, whatever we require, that is already settled up. Therefore we should not spend our energy for maintenance of the body. That is not required.
So if we become vairagī... Vairagī means no attachment for this material world. How to become completely free from all our attachment of this material world, that is being exemplified by Ṛṣabhadeva. He doesn't take care even of the body. Although He is Vaikuṇṭha-puruṣa... How comfortably He lives in Vaikuṇṭha-loka. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ (Bs. 5.29). We are expecting, "One woman or wife will look after my comforts," but there Kṛṣṇa is taken care of by hundreds and thousands of women. And who are they? Lakṣmī. They're all goddess of fortune, not ordinary women. Lakṣmī has two features: māyā and the goddess of fortune, the same Lakṣmī according to position. Just like a government has got two departments: criminal department and civil department. So the government is the same, but there are two departments. This māyā is criminal department, and Vaikuṇṭha is civil department. Vaikuṇṭha means there is no anxiety, and māyā means always anxiety. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Because we accepted the jurisdiction of māyā, they are asad-grahāt. Asato mā sad gamaḥ. Therefore the Vedic instruction is, "Don't remain in this asat." Oṁ tat sat. "Go to the real life." Jyotir gama. "Don't remain in the darkness." This is Vedic instruction.
So next... (reading) "In this age of Kali people are overwhelmed by the modes of passion and ignorance. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva incarnated Himself to deliver them from the clutches of māyā." God has no business to come here. He is Vaikuṇṭha-pati. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha-yasmād. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. In the spiritual world there is no anxiety,. and the material world, it is full of anxiety. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-gṛhāt. On account of accepting this false, temporary material world, we are always full of anxiety, and Vaikuṇṭha world, kingdom of God, is just opposite: no anxiety. Why there should be anxiety? Here we have got the fear of birth, death, old age and disease, and in the spiritual world there is no such thing, birth, death, old age and disease. And everything is complete there. There is no fight between one person to one person. In this way, the description is there. The summary is that there is no jurisdiction for the three modes of material nature. It is above the jurisdiction. That is Vaikuṇṭha world.
So long we are in the jurisdiction of three modes of material nature, up to that time we shall disagree with one another and there will be trouble. Therefore the Vaiṣṇava religion is meant for the peaceful person. No trouble. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). Those who have come to the stage of seeing everyone on the equal terms... Equal terms means spiritually. That we invite everyone. There is no discrimination. We don't care for the designations. We invite everyone to leave aside the designation and come in your original form and be Kṛṣṇa conscious and be happy, for which we are prepared to take all kinds of incon... There is no inconvenience, but suppose in the old age I am traveling all over the world. People think that I have taken some hardship. But for Kṛṣṇa's sake, even it is hardship... Actually, there is no hardship. But even it is hardship, we should take it. Para-upakāra. People are in ignorance, they are suffering, and it is especially India's business to release them from this material suffering and give them information about the Vaikuṇṭha world, the world of no anxiety. And try to train them in different ways. That is the real welfare activity in the human society.
Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "My dear Lord, I'm not very much anxious for my deliverance." Because Māyāvādī philosophers, they are very much, I mean to say, careful, that "My salvation may..., may..., may not be interrupted. If I go to preach, and in association with others, if I fall down, then my business will be finished." So they do not come. Only Vaiṣṇava comes at the risk of their falldown. They do not fall down, but they go even to the hell to deliver. So Prahlāda, this is Prahlāda Mahārāja's admission. He says that na udvije: "I'm not very much anxious or perturbed because I am living in this material world." Naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyāḥ. Vaitaraṇyāḥ means this hellish condition of life, how to cross the river of hellish condition of life. So "I have no anxiety for that." Why you are not anxious? Now, he says, tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ: (SB 7.9.43) "Because some way or other, I have been trained to be always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore I have no anxiety." There is a confidence. One who is purely in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's confident that next life he's going to Kṛṣṇa. So if we simply carefully execute our Kṛṣṇa conscious regulative principles, it is sure, actually. In the Bhagavad-gītā that is stated.
Then Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "There is only one anxiety for me." Just see. He has no anxiety for himself, but he has still anxiety. What is that? Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa. "I am anxious. I am anxious for these persons who are not persons..., who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is my anxiety. For me, I have no anxiety. But I am thinking of these persons who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious." Why they are not Kṛṣṇa conscious? Now, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: (SB 7.9.43) "These rascals, they have created a civilization, a humbug civilization, (laughter) for temporary happiness." Māyā-sukhāya. Actually, this is the fact, humbug civilization.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "These vimūḍhān, these materialistic persons, these rascals..." He has exactly used this word, vimūḍhān. Mūḍha I have already explained several times in connection with Bhagavad-gītā. Mūḍha means rascals. And here Prahlāda Mahārāja uses another nice word with addition, "vi." Vimūḍhān. Vi means viśeṣa, "particularly." The vimūḍhān... Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahataḥ: "They have created unnecessary burden on their shoulder simply for temporary happiness." Temporary happiness. Therefore, in the Vedic civilization, a sannyāsa, renounced order of life, is recommended for prosecuting spiritual life absolutely without any anxiety. If one can execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness in family life, that's very good.
A Vaiṣṇava is not only interested for his own benefit. His own benefit is already done as soon as he has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. He has nothing else desire over. Everything is finished, protected by Kṛṣṇa. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaś... (BG 9.31). But they work in the human society on behalf of Kṛṣṇa so that they may be happy, peaceful, and make progress in spiritual life. That is Vaiṣṇava's duty. Otherwise Vaiṣṇava has nothing to ask. Kṛṣṇa knows how to help him, how to give him all protection. So he has no anxiety. His only anxiety is śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). Vaiṣṇava is anxious to see that these rascals who has forgotten completely his relationship with God, Kṛṣṇa, and making gorgeous arrangement for living fifty years only, although he is eternal He is not making any eternal arrangement. "I shall live here for fifty years or sixty years as an American or as an Indian.
So this father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, he defied God: "Who is God? I am God. Take my (indistinct)." The child said, "My dear father, you are not God." He would never address his father as "father." He addressed him "the best of the asuras." "My dear best of the asuras," tat sādhu manye asura-vārya dehinām. After all, the relationship is father and son. So one day the father took him, "My dear son, what you have learned, the best thing, from your teachers? Tell me." "Yes, I'll tell you." "What is that?" Tat sādhu manye asura-varya. He never addressed "father." "O the best of the asuras." Asura-vārya means "the best of the asura." Tad sādhu manye: "I think that is very good thing." "What is that?" Tad sādhu manye asura-vārya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). "All these people, they're simply full of anxieties." That's a fact. Who's not full of anxieties? Those who are in this material world, who can say, "No, I have no anxiety"? That is not possible. Either you become President Nixon or in the street beggar, there is anxiety. At any moment danger will come. But they are busy.
So Yamadūtas, they came to take him. Now the Viṣṇudūta... Evaṁ te bhagavad-dūtā. So Bhagavad-dūtā... Bhagavān is not alone, without any followers. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka Bhagavān is there in His innumerable forms. There are innumerable Vaikuṇṭhalokas, and in each and every planet there is innumerable devotees. He is not alone. Advaitam acyutam anantam ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). So Yamadūtas As the Yamarāja has got his adherent order-carriers, similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka there are so many order-carriers. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka there is no a single person who is not a devotee. That is Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means... Kuṇṭha means anxiety, and vigata-kuṇṭha iti vaikuṇṭha. There is no anxiety. And the material world means anxiety: "What will happen? What will happen." Even the sparrow, you will see. You give them some grain, they are eating, but they are looking this way, that way: "If somebody is not coming to kill me?" Everyone—full of anxiety. That we are forgetting, that we are trying to remain in this material world very happy, but that is not possible. Anxiety, full of anxiety.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, hitvātma-ghātaṁ gṛhaṁ andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśyrayeta. He was asked by his father what was the best thing he had learned. So he said, "I have learned this best thing." What is that? Hitvātma-ghātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta: (SB 7.5.5) "This is the first-class thing." What is that? "Now, giving up this gṛha andha-kūpaṁ, gṛhastha life." They are thinking very happy, husband, wife, living together, enjoying. But that is grha andha-kūpam. Andha-kūpam means if you are thrown into the dark well, it is like that. Of course, those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, that is different thing. But ordinarily, the so-called household life means to be in the darkness, in the dark well. Gṛhānda-kū..., hitva: "One should give up." Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, when one is fifty years old, above that, he must give up family life. No more. Then sannyāsa. Not that up to the point of death one should remain a gṛhastha. No. If he wants to become free from anxiety, that is... Otherwise anxiety. Tat sādhu maye asura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Dehinām, one who has accepted this material body, he must be always restless with anxiety. This is the... Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). You cannot avoid it.
Rājarṣayaḥ. Formerly the king was responsible, responsible king. Responsible government means responsible king. So what is the responsibility of the king? The responsibility that all the citizens, all the inhabitants of the state, they should live very comfortably and develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the responsibility of the king. He has to see that everyone is free from anxiety, everyone is feeling secure, everyone has no disease, no mental anxiety, and in peaceful condition they are executing bhāgavata-dharma. That is real dharma, bhāgavata-dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma means to understand the science of God. That is Bhāgavata. And it is advised, kaumāram ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha. Kaumāra, from the very boyhood, childhood, one should be instructed and educated about bhāgavata-dharma.
Just like a child is sleeping on the lap of his mother, feeling secure, completely secure, that "I am on the lap of my mother..." Naturally a child, when it is on the lap of it's mother, he is quite comfortable, silent, feeling very secure. So in that position if the mother kills the child... It is like that, that prajā and the king... The prajās... Prajā means the citizens, subjects. They should be feeling so much secure that "We are under good government. There is no disturbance." Just like during the government of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, they were so secure that even they had no very much anxieties. "Our king is there." The world is full of anxieties, miseries, and difficulties. So the good government means when the subjects, citizens, feel secure from all such things.
So helanam eva vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇaṁ aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ. So some way or other, if we are engaged in chanting the Vaikuṇṭha-nāma Vaikuṇṭha-nāma. Vaikuṇṭha is Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. Vigata-kuṇṭhād yasmād iti vaikuṇṭha. Here in the material world you are always filled up with kuṇṭha, anxieties. And if you go to Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, then there is no more kuṇṭha, full freedom without anxiety. Because even if you realize yourself that you are part and parcel of Para-brahman, when you realize Brahman yourself, not this body, immediately you become jolly. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). There are many sannyāsīs who are brahmavādī. So as soon as they feel "Ahaṁ brahmāsmi," they are no more in anxiety of this material world. And if you increase that—Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān That simple Brahman realization, it is knowledge that "I am not this, but I am that." Neti. But that knowledge will not be sufficient. You have to make progress further because we are by nature ānandamāya. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. Our nature is to search after ānanda. So simply Brahman realization will not give you ānanda.
Prabhupāda: So many understanding, experience. Just like we have got so many experiences in different types of body.
Haṁsadūta: He doesn't know his position.
Prabhupāda: No. That position, unless he goes to a spiritual master, tad-vijñānarthaṁ sa gurum evābhiga... (MU 1.2.12), how can he know? Just like a diseased man, he'll say he does not know what is his disease, but as soon as he goes to a physician, he says, "My dear sir, you are suffering from this disease." Just like Arjuna. Arjuna, he was suffering from this material disease, he was thinking about his relationship with this body and Kṛṣṇa treated him, that "You are not this body." Similarly, everyone wants to be treated, that he is not body, he's spirit soul. Then he'll understand his real position. At that time, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Oh, as soon as he understands, "Oh, I am spirit soul, I have got a spiritual kingdom," so many things, then brahma-bhūtaḥ prasanna, he has no more any anxiety for this material condition of life. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). He has no more any anxiety, no more any desire.
So a gṛhastha, of course, required to accumulate some money because he's living with family, but so far brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsī is concerned, they should not keep any money. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so strict that his personal servant, one day he was taking after eating a little, what is called, myrobalum (indistinct), haritaki. So one day he was giving myrobalum (indistinct) and Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "Where you got this myrobalum (indistinct)?" So he said, "I kept it from yesterday." "Oh, you are stocking?" He immediately criticized him. "You are stocking? This is not good." So this principle... Of course, even if we do not stock, don't think that we'll starve. Kṛṣṇa has provided. But we should be depending on Kṛṣṇa. There is no anxiety. Actually, there is no anxiety. We have experienced this. I was alone for many years, but not a single day I was starving. No. There was food.
That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father, "My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers? Will you kindly explain?" So he answered immediately, tat sādhu manye: "To my opinion, my dear father, that is very nice thing." What is that? Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ asad-grahāt sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Dehinām means those who have accepted this material body. There are many millions and millions, unlimited number of liberated souls in the spiritual world. They have not accepted this material body. We are conditioned souls. So Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that "For those who have accepted this material body, and due to acceptance of this material body, they are always full of anxiety..." Nobody can say that "I am freed from all anxiety," beginning from a person lying on the street, up to..., go to the President Johnson. Ask everybody, "Are you free from material anxiety?" Everyone says, "No." Everyone has got some problem. That is material existence. So sometimes, when we are disgusted with this material life, we want to forget, forget all the things.
We should always remember that this material life is our diseased condition. It is not our healthy life. Because as spirit soul, we are healthy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature we are joyful. There is no question of our being morose, unhappy, diseased. No. Spiritual life, spirit as it is, it is The constitution is blissful, full of knowledge and eternal. That is spiritual life, actual, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). So we are not actually, I mean to say, constitutionally, we are unhappy. Our happiness is our life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. In the Vedānta-sūtra, you'll find that this verse, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. As God is full of joy, similarly, we are also part and parcel of God; we are also full of joy. So we have to treat ourself, how to go that platform of joyfulness. That is explained in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). You can simply become joyful, without any anxiety. When? Brahma-bhūtaḥ: when you understand yourself, when you understand your spiritual existence.
"Anyone who takes to this business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness..." Māṁ ca yo avyabhicāreṇi bhakti. Avyabhicāreṇi means without any material contamination, pure devotional service: "The Supreme Lord is my Lord. I am His eternal servant. My business is to serve Him, nothing more." This is called pure devotion. Either you call Kṛṣṇa or Jehovah, or whatever name you like, you give, but God is one. So if you simply become to this consciousness, that "I am eternal servant of God, and my business is to serve God..." And in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God, there is other service. Just like we are giving this service. Kṛṣṇa consciousness we are spreading, why? It is not a business. But because we have established our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God, we want to propagate it. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not mean to be aloof from this material world, but his activities are different. He is not in that activity which will create anxiety. Here we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Oh, there is no business. We don't expect anything from you. But if you accept it, then our mission is nice. If you don't accept it, so there is no anxiety
Those who are desiring to enter into the higher planetary system where demigods live, Candraloka, Sūryaloka, Indraloka, Varuṇaloka, Vāyuloka, Brahmaloka, Dhruvaloka, Bhūr, Bhuvar, Svar, there are different millions of..., vibhūti-bhinnam. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). In the brahma-jyotir of Kṛṣṇa, there are innumerable planets. The spiritual portion, there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭhas. Vaikuṇṭha means... Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Where there is no anxiety, simply pleasure, that is our life. Here also we want a very happy life without any anxiety. That is our tendency. We try to make a very nice comfortable house, a very good bank balance, all secure so that I can live there very comfortably. That competition is going on. But that is not possible here. Here saṁsāra-dāvānala. This saṁsāra, it is meant for suffering. Dāvānala, just like forest fire. Nobody sets in the forest fire, but it takes automatically. So however you may try to live here comfortably, happily, peacefully, eternally, it is not possible. That is the difference between this temporary material manifestation and eternal, eternal Vaikuṇṭhaloka, spiritual world.
Brahma-jñāna means Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), the original form of eternity, bliss, and knowledge. So Brahman realization means eternity realization. And Paramātmā realization means cit, or knowledge. But God realization, Kṛṣṇa realization means sac-cid-ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Supreme Lord is by nature full of bliss. You will see, therefore, Kṛṣṇa always blissful. Kṛṣṇa has no anxiety. Kṛṣṇa is killing a very big, big demon and He is taking pleasure and smiling. You have seen all these pictures in our Kṛṣṇa book, how He is killing the Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Dhenukāsura, Keśī, and so many asuras. Just like a child is playing with toys. And similarly, He is enjoying with His cowherd boyfriends, with girlfriends, gopīs, with His mother, everywhere Kṛṣṇa you will find ānandamayo. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "For all the proprietors of the body"—that means for everyone who has accepted this material body, all living entities—"that is the best thing." What is that? Sadā samudvigna-dhiyṁ. And anyone who has accepted this material body, his symptom is that he is full of anxieties. This is the disease. To get this body, material body, means to remain always full of anxieties. Either you become the first-class, I mean to say, executive head, President Johnson, or an ordinary man in the Bowery Street—everyone is full of anxiety. Not only human society but also bird society, beast society—everyone. Anyone who has got this material body, he's full of anxiety. But we want to get free from anxieties. That is our aspiration.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja suggests the remedy, how to become free from anxieties. He says hitvātma-ghātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ. Ātma ghāṭam. Ātma means the soul, and ghāṭam means killing. Hitvātmā-ghāṭam gṛham andha-kūpaṁ. Andha-kūpa means blind well. Blind well... I do not know whether you have got experience. In India there are several old wells on the paddy fields and they are covered with grass. Nobody can understand that there is a well underneath this, underneath this grass. And if by mistake one comes there, he falls down, say hundred feet down. And it is covered with grass. Even if he cries, "Please save me, save me," who is going to save him? Sometimes cow and animals and men fall down in that way. If he's fortunate enough, somebody comes and rescues. Otherwise, generally, there is no rescue. Who is going to know that there is a man or there is an animal? So hitvātmā-ghāṭam andha-kūpaṁ.
How that prasannātmā is manifested? Everything is there. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. Śocati means lamentation, and kāṅkṣati means hankering. These two things will disappear. Śocati, if we lose something, then we lament, "Oh, I have lost so much money. I have lost my son. I have lost my service," and so many things. And kāṅkṣati, kāṅkṣati means, "I haven't got this; I want this; I haven't got this." These two kinds of diseases makes us always full of anxieties. Why you are anxious? For these two things, Śocati and kāṅkṣati. Lamentation for the loss and hankering after which we do not possess. Prahlāda Mahārāja says that if somebody wants to get free from this anxiety... And this anxiety is due to asad-grahāt. Asad-grahāt means for accepting this temporary body. Asat. Asat means temporary, that will not exist.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja suggests the remedy that if anyone wants to get free from anxieties... Because the anxiety is sure and certain for everyone who has got this material body. But if he wants to get free from it, then hitvātma-ghāṭam gṛham andha-kūpaṁ, the so-called atmosphere of material happiness, he should give up, and vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5), and go to the forest and accept the lotus feet of Hari, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The same instruction is everywhere. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same instruction is there: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). The one word is that unless and until we take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no, I mean to say, possibility of our getting free from the anxiety of material existence.
When one is very advanced in knowledge, brahma-bhūtaḥ... Brahma-bhūtaḥ means one who has understood the Brahman, the Supreme. And a brāhmaṇa means brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ, one who has advanced to such knowledge. Therefore in India it is said that a brāhmaṇa is addressed as paṇḍitajī. Not paṇḍitajī like our late Jawaharlal Nehru. Paṇḍitajī means one who knows Brahman. Therefore brāhmaṇa's title is paṇḍita. And a kṣatriya's title is ṭhākura saheb, mahārāja. Not mahārāja-ṭhākura saheb. And a vaiśya's title is sethjī, and a śūdra's title is chowdari. There are respectable terms for the different classes of men. So this bhakti, it is not simply sentiment, but it is to understand actually what is God. It is science of God. Otherwise how it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā that brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā? One who has understood the Supreme, the Absolute, he is called brāhmaṇa, brahma-bhūtaḥ. And the symptom is that... How can I understand that he is a brāhmaṇa and has understood Brahman? The immediate answer is brahma-bhūtaḥ. The test is, one who is completely in knowledge of Brahman, the symptom will be prasannātmā: he will be always cheerful. There is no question of anxiety for him. That is brahma-bhūtaḥ. Prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). There is no lamentation; there is no desire. That is brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. There is no desire.
Formerly the brāhmaṇas, real brāhmaṇas, they refused to take any charity from others, even up to this date, because according to Vedic system, when charity was to be given, it is to be given to the brāhmaṇas or the sannyāsīs. That is real charity. Datavyam. They should be given. Because they are always engaged in Brahman, therefore charity given to a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī goes to Brahman. That is the idea. At the present moment the advertisement is daridra, daridra-nārāyaṇa: "Charity should be given to the daridra, or the poor." But the Vedas, why they recommended that charity should be given to the brāhmaṇas? And the brāhmaṇas, they do not require. They are so satisfied, but still, people persisted: "The brāhmaṇas should take some charity," because the idea is, if the brāhmaṇas accept the charity, that money goes directly to Brahman, or God. That is the idea. So brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). When one is situated in that position, that he has no lamentation, no demand, no anxiety, that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ stage.
In other place also in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Now what is siddhi, perfection? Siddhi means this perfection, brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. No hankering, no lamentation. That is called siddhi, perfection. This hankering and the full of anxiety, this is materialistic. This is materialistic. In comparison to other animals... They have no anxiety, but human being, they have advanced a type of civilization that everyone is in anxiety, always full of anxiety. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says in another place that this anxiety is due to acceptance of the false, material civilization. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). They have accepted a type of civilization which is asat. Asat means which will not exist. Therefore they are always full of anxiety.
This verse we have been discussing. (aside:) You can open. So vipra. Vipra means one who is fully conversant with Vedic knowledge. He is called vipra. For spiritual elevation there are gradual evolutionary stages. So vipra stage is just before becoming a qualified brāhmaṇa. That is called vipra. The first stage, by birth everyone is śūdra. Śūdra means affected by the miseries of this world. He is śūdra. Śocati. The material condition is full of anxiety, so anyone who is full of anxiety, he is śūdra. This is the... So if you analyze the present society, that who is not anxiety, full of anxiety, oh, nobody will say that "I am not full of anxiety." "I have got so many anxieties." So that means he is a śūdra. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ: "In this age, everyone is śūdra." That is concluded. A brāhmaṇa is not afraid. He is not anxious because he is dependent on God. He knows that "I have surrendered unto God completely, and He is all-powerful. Therefore I have no anxiety." Just like a small child, he has no anxiety. Why? Because he is completely dependent on the parents. He knows confidently that in any danger, "Oh, my mother is there." As soon as he feels there is some danger, "Mother!" That's all. Finished. Similarly, one who is completely confident that "The supreme father is there. He will protect me, give me protection," so he has no anxiety
Kṛṣṇa advised in the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna, that... Because the topic was on the body, so Arjuna said, "Accepting that the soul is immortal and it never dies, still, if some relative dies, we feel pain. Is it not a fact?" Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, it is a fact." Even if I know that my son is dead, my son is not dead. The soul of my son is departed from this body to another body. So there is no cause of anxiety. He has got another body, but still, I feel, "Oh, my son...," for the body, because I am accustomed to love my son by the body. So this concession should be allowed. If somebody is crying, that does not mean he is a fool, but it is material affection. So Kṛṣṇa advises that this kṣānti, titikṣa, toleration. How toleration? Śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Just like we tolerate there is severe cold. There is no use fighting and howling, "Oh, there is so much cold, so much cold, so much." You have to tolerate. You cannot fight.
So it is for me. We are always suffering with anxiety. Beginning from President Johnson down to the small ant, or beginning from the greatest living creature, Brahma, down to the ant, everyone is anxious. That is material consciousness. And to become free from anxiety is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So if you want to be benefited, what is that benefit? The benefit is to become anxiety-less. That's all. Just like this little child, he is anxiety-less because he is confident that there is his father, his mother, and they will protect him. He doesn't care for anybody. He is free. So that is the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not that you shall become a foolish, but the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that you will be happy. You will be happy in the feeling, "There is my protector. There is my protector."
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: "My dear Lord from the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where there is no anxiety, my mind is extremely sinful and lusty. It is sometimes so-called happy and sometimes so-called distressed. It is full of lamentation and fear and always anxious to get more and more money. In this way my mind has become most polluted. It is never satisfied, and therefore I am very fallen and poor. In such a status of life, how will it be possible for me to discuss Your activities?"
Prabhupāda:
- naitan manas tava kathāsu vikuṇṭha-nātha
- samprīyate durita-duṣṭam asādhu tīvram
- kāmāturaṁ harṣa-śoka-bhayaiṣaṇārtaṁ
- tasmin kathaṁ tava gatiṁ vimṛśāmi dīnaḥ
- (SB 7.9.39)
This is our position. This material world and the spiritual world, the difference is very nicely explained here. One place is no anxiety; in another place it is simply full of anxiety. This is the difference. (aside:) Ask them.
A devotee who is always absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa and His activities... We are therefore presenting Kṛṣṇa and His activities. This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. All these books which we are distributing and publishing, what is this? This is Kṛṣṇa and His activities, that's all. Tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna. So if you simply read our books very carefully, then immediately this disease of heart palpitation, anxiety, will cease because on account of the dirty things, product of this tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa... That is disturbing us. We are covered by the tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, rajas-tamaḥ. So rajas-tamaḥ means greediness and lusty desires. This is rajas-tamaḥ. So we have to... If we actually want to become free from anxieties, then we have to learn how to kill this, or how to avoid this anxiety due to rajas-tamo bhāvaḥ (SB 1.2.19).
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "For personally I have no anxiety, because I have learned the art how to become happy. I have learned the art, always thinking of Your glorious activities." There are so many glorious activities of Kṛṣṇa, so we can think of. If you take a flower, you can think of glorious activities of Kṛṣṇa. How artistically, how nicely the flower is made. You cannot say it is made by nature. It is made by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ (BG 9.10). Prakṛti, nature, is producing, that's all right, but under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Just like your mill is running. A common man cannot see where is Mr. (first name) Khatau, but it is going on under your direction, that's a fact. Similarly, everything is going on under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. If we understand this fact, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Unless one is spiritually realized, he cannot see equally everyone. Then samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. Then one can become real devotee of the Lord, after surpassing the brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. So this bhakti line is not so easy. But by Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy we have installed the Deity here in your country. You are very fortunate that Caitanya Mahāprabhu has come to your country to teach you how you become free of all anxieties. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Everyone is full of anxiety, but everyone can be freed from all the anxieties if he follows the path chalked out by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And what is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction? Very simple.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Pradyumna: "This eternal engagement in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life, free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. Generally..."
Prabhupāda: Bhakti-rasa is better than liberation, mukti. Because generally the Māyāvādī philosophers, jñāni-sampradāya, they consider mukti means to merge into the spiritual existence, Brahman. Brahma-sayujya-mukti, to, to merge into the impersonal Brahman effulgence of the Absolute. They consider it, that is the highest. And the Buddha philosophers, they think to make all these activities zero, śūnyavādī. Dismantle. Because on account of this combination of matter, earth, water, fire, air, ether, this body's made, and the body is subjected to pains and pleasure on account of this mixture.
Pradyumna: "...in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life, free from anxieties, and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa."
Prabhupāda: Yes. People generally think that liberation is the ultimate goal or the full achievement. But liberation is a very insignificant thing in the presence of devotional service. Therefore Bhāgavata says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra. Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). Mokṣa means liberation. So Bhāgavata says that dharma artha kāma mokṣa, they are thrown away from the study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And Śrīdhara Swami confirms it: atra mokṣa-vāñcāḥ-paryantaṁ nirastam. A devotee is above the point of liberation.
Pradyumna: (reading:) Nectar of Devotion. "This eternal engagement in bhakti-rasa can be understood by a serious student upon studying The Nectar of Devotion. Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to bring a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Generally, neophyte devotees are anxious to see Kṛṣṇa, or God, but God cannot be seen or known by our present materially blunt senses. The process of devotional service as it is recommended in The Nectar of Devotion will gradually elevate one from the material condition of life to the spiritual status, wherein the devotee becomes purified of all designations."
Prabhupāda: Yes. The process of seeing God... Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136)]. Just like a person suffering from some disease, his eyesight is blocked. He has got the eyesight to see, but on account of some cataract disease, he cannot see. Similarly God is there, and I can see Him also. But the cataract of illusion is covering via media between God and me.
Mādhavānanda: "It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā that after Brahman realization, when one is freed from material anxieties and can see every living entity on an equal level, he is eligible to enter into devotional service.
"As has been stated before, there..."
Prabhupāda: "When one is free from material anxiety." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). That is the stage of free from anxieties. If I've got some anxieties for maintaining or some way or other, any anxieties, he cannot perfectly chant kīrtana. But even though one is full of anxieties, if he takes to kīrtana, then ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), his unclean heart becomes cleansed, and the more the heart becomes cleansed, he becomes anxiety-less. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. Unless our dirty heart is cleansed by the chanting process... By the chanting process, the dirty heart or consciousness or mind will be cleansed. This is the formula given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. So long we are in dirty heart, dirty, polluted mind, there is no question of anxiety-less.
The process is one must be free from anxiety. And how one can become free from anxiety unless one is realized Brahman soul, realized soul, brahma-bhūtaḥ? There are one after another. So evaṁ prasanna-manaso. Without being anxiety-less, nobody can understand the science of God. This is the verdict of Bhagavad, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. One who has executed the process of bhagavad-bhakti according to the rules and regulations, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23), he'll be prasanna-manaso. The same thing, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54).
"When one is freed from material anxieties..." This is the process. Therefore we have started this society. People may take advantage of it, and he becomes free from all anxieties. Simply Kṛṣṇa consciousness will make him anxiety-less. Otherwise there is no question. Because anxiety means asad-grahāt. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Those who are materially inclined, asat, sad gamaḥ, asato mā. That is the Vedic injunction. Don't keep yourself in the asad. Asad means material, "which will not exist." That is called material. Sad-gamaḥ. And sat means which is spiritual. So, so long one is in asat, asat grahāt, implicated, involved in material things, there is no question of... Therefore viṣaya... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned us not to be involved in viṣaya. Viṣaya means material things, money, woman. They are called viṣaya.
Bhavānanda: "One must know that he is finite and that the Lord is infinite. Thus it is not possible to actually become one with the Lord even if one aspires for this."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Simply desiring... Tvayy aviśuddha-bhāva. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Māninaḥ. Maliya (Hindi) Ne. Not like that. Go on.
Bhavānanda: "Therefore anyone who has any desire or aspiration for satisfying his senses by becoming more and more important, either in the material sense or in the spiritual sense, cannot actually relish the really sweet taste of devotional service. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has therefore compared possessing these bhukti (material) and mukti (liberation) desires with being influenced by the black art of a witch. In both cases, one is in trouble. Bhukti means material enjoyment, and mukti means to become freed from material anxiety and to become one with the Lord.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So there is another world. That information is given here. Māyātīte vyāpi. Vyāpi means very extensive. This whole material world is one-fourth of Kṛṣṇa's expansion, one-fourth. And that Vaikuṇṭhaloka is three-fourths. So therefore it is called vyāpi. Vyāpi means very extensive. We cannot calculate even this material existence. It is only one-fourth. Now, how it will be possible for us to calculate the vyāpi vaikuṇṭha-loka? Vyāpi-vaikuṇṭha-loka. Vaikuṇṭha means... Vi means without, and kuṇṭha means anxiety. So Vaikuṇṭhaloka means there is no anxiety. There is no anxiety.
Here we are full of anxieties in this material... Even big, big businessman, who has got enough money, you'll find he is in anxiety. He's always thinking, "How this business will go on? How this, maintain so many men?" So I have seen it that our printer, Dai Nippon, the president, when we, for the temporary, we stopped our business, he was full of anxiety. Yes. Now they have agreed to reduce ten percent more than any printer. Why? He was full of anxiety. (laughter) This is the fact. So don't think that very big, big businessman or one who has got enough money, he has no anxiety. Anxiety there should be. This is the place of anxiety, kuṇṭha. Prahlāda Mahārāja pointed it out that tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5).
So everyone is anxiety in this material world, māyā. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to take a person or all of them from this māyā to Vaikuṇṭha. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to save the living entity from anxiety and bring him to the platform of no anxiety. That is the difference, from anxiety to no anxiety. That is the greatest gift to the human society. Everyone is full of anxiety because he is in this material world. He must be full of anxiety. So here the information is given, māyātīte vyāpi-vaikuṇṭha-loke: "There is another atmosphere, another nature, where there is no anxiety, no anxiety."
Kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayanatam. Here we are keeping cows, but no milk-anxiety. Thousands of rupees' spending, and no milk, powdered milk. You see? This is the position, full of anxiety, always. So you cannot be free from anxiety in this loka. Therefore in this life, in human form of life, you can understand by cultivating knowledge from the śāstra, from guru, from saintly persons, "What is the position? What I want? Why I am full of anxiety? How it can be mitigated?" So therefore this information is given vaikuṇṭha-loka, back to home. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāmaṁ paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6).
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose. Increase Kṛṣṇa consciousness and there will be no more kuṇṭha, no more anxiety. People are trying to be anxiety-less, and that is only possible by this movement. Put always in touch with Kṛṣṇa. And the method is very simple—Hare Kṛṣṇa. That all. If you keep yourself in touch with Hare Kṛṣṇa... We have already been known as Hare Krishna people all over the world, Hare Krishna people. So increase this population, Hare Krishna people, and it will be Vaikuṇṭha.
Sri Isopanisad Lectures
"The Personality of Godhead, although fixed in His abode, is more swift than the mind and can overcome all others running. The powerful demigods cannot approach Him. Although in one place, He has control over those who supply the air, rain. He surpasses all in excellence." This is also confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā: goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Kṛṣṇa, although He is always in Goloka Vṛndāvana, He has nothing to do. He is simply enjoying in the company of His associates, the gopīs and the cowherds boy, His mother, His father. Free, completely free. And those who are associates, they are still more free. Because when the associates are in danger, Kṛṣṇa has got some anxiety how to save them, but the associates, they have no anxiety. "Oh, there is Kṛṣṇa." Just see. (chuckles) The associates, they have no anxiety. Any, anything happening, you will read in the Kṛṣṇa book—so many dangers. The boys, along with Kṛṣṇa, they used to go every day with their calves and cows and play in the forest on the bank of the Yamunā, and Kaṁsa will send some demon to destroy them. So you have seen, you will see also pictures. So they'll enjoy simply because they are so much confident. That is spiritual life. Avaśya rakṣibe kṛṣṇa viśvāsa pālana. This strong faith, that "Any dangerous condition, Kṛṣṇa will save me," this is surrender.
Festival Lectures
So our only request is, with folded hands and begging you, so many flatterings, we simply request... Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ pādayor nipatya. This is our process. We are not very violent pushing. Now, you see our procession came, so many, for three hours. There was no violence. And the police department of your country, they very much appreciate because they have got experience whenever there is some procession, there is violence. "Window-breaking crowd," they say. But these people are not win-breaking crowd. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... You have already accepted it, this movement, your so many young men. So we request. This is another occasion to invite you. So our only request is that you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and you will feel very much happy. There will be no anxiety. And then you can do your work. It doesn't matter what you are doing. But chanting of this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra will make you more and more happy, free from material anxieties, and if we continue this process, then everything will be clearly understood about spiritual life, and very easily we shall be able to go back to home, back to Godhead.
Unless you come to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, you cannot get real pleasure. If you want to dance and get pleasure, don't dance independently. Dance with Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be happy. The dancing is there, but dancing without association of Kṛṣṇa... Just like here, in our temple, we are also eating, but we are eating the remnants of foodstuff left by Kṛṣṇa. That is real pleasure. It is not that we are stopping eating. We are not stopping eating. We are not dry philosophers. Kṛṣṇa baro doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay, swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi. All over the world we are eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam, and we have got good experience. At least ten thousand men and women, they are taking Kṛṣṇa prasādam, but we have no anxiety. We have no anxiety. A family consists of a few members. They are full of anxiety how to maintain the family. And we are maintaining a family of ten thousand men. We have no anxiety. Just see practically. We have no anxiety. We require thousands and thousands of rupees for maintaining Europe, America, a costly affair. But because we are under the shelter of Nityānanda Prabhu, Balarāma, we have no anxiety. That means material life means anxiety. You cannot avoid anxiety if you lead a material life. Then you will be anxious.
That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction. He was asked by his father, "My dear son, what you have learned, the best thing from your teachers?" So he replied, "My dear father..." He never said, "My dear father"; He said, "My dear best of the asuras." Asura-varya. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). The whole human society is suffering, at least suffering from one disease—anxiety. Ask anybody. Take one small ant and take the big elephant; take the President of United States or take one street beggar. Ask him, "Whether you are free from anxiety?" Nobody will say, "No." "I am full of anxiety." That's a fact. So why they are anxiety, in, full of anxiety? That Prahlāda Mahārāja had replied, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. Because we have taken asad-vastu, that will not exist... Everything, whatever you have got... Our, this body will not exist. And this is the main platform of our existence. In the material world, so long the body is there, you exist.
Initiation Lectures
So brāhmaṇa qualification is truthfulness, cleanliness, satyaṁ śaucam. Sama, equilibrium of the mind, without any disturbance, without any anxiety. Satyaṁ śaucam śamo dama. Dama means controlling the senses. Śamo dama titikṣa. Titikṣa means tolerance. So many things in the material world will happen. We have to practice to tolerate. Tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. Kṛṣṇa says, "You have to learn tolerance. The sukha-duḥkha, happiness, distress, they will come like seasonal changes." Just like there is sometimes rain, there is sometimes snowfall, sometimes scorching heat. How you can fight? It is not possible. Try to tolerate. That's all.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to transfer oneself to that Kṛṣṇa planet, and the process is given very easy in this age. In this age of quarrel and dissension and disagreement, there are so many symptoms of this fallen age. So there is no other alternative. You cannot execute the process of meditation or sacrifice or temple worship. They cannot be executed very nicely because the circumstances are different. Therefore kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Therefore in this age, there is no other alternative process for getting out of these material clutches. Simply, the simple process, I mean to say, offered by Lord Caitanya. It is not Caitanya's manufacture; it is authorized from Vedic śāstras, that we have to realize ourself, our destination of life, our mission of this human form of life simply by this process, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And we initiate persons for this mantra. Initiation means beginning. Not that immediately after initiation one becomes perfect. And this marriage ceremony also... Perhaps it is a new thing I have introduced, that I take part in the marriage ceremony of my disciples. Actually, I do it because I want to see them, I mean to say, without any anxiety. Because so long there will be anxiety, one cannot execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness very nicely.
If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offense, then immediately the stage will be that you are freed from all material anxieties. That is the test. How I am advancing in chanting will be tested how far you are free from material anxieties. That's all. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-māha-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). Then real life begins. So long you are perturbed by material disturbances, you should know that your spiritual life has not begun. This is confirmed in everywhere. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54).
Bhagavad-gītā says, "When one is Brahman realized..." Brahman realized means one who understands that "I am not this body. I am pure spirit soul, eternal servitor of Kṛṣṇa." Simply understanding that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul," is not enough. That is not sufficient knowledge. Of course, that is good. That is just on the marginal step between matter and spirit. But you have to transcend completely this material existence and come to the platform of spiritual understanding. So for that purpose you have to go further after Brahman realization. Brahman, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). If you are actually Brahman realized, the symptom will be that you are always joyful, no anxiety. Anxiety, why...? Everything is very nicely discussed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
In the morning we are now having class, describing about the nature of Vaikuṇṭha world, how it is constituted, what kind of population there are, how they live, how the Supreme Personality of Godhead is living with goddess of fortune. These things we are discussing in the morning from seven to eight. So those who are interested may come. There is a Vaikuṇṭha world. Vaikuṇṭha. Vigata kuṇṭha yasmād. Vigata means gone; kuṇṭha means anxiety. Vigata. Here everything is full of anxiety. This is not Vaikuṇṭha. This is kuṇṭha, anxiety. Sada samudvigna-dhiyām. Samudvigna. Samudvigna means full of anxiety. Everyone, even a bird, he is also not peaceful. If he has comes to take some food from the ground, the bird sees this way, that way, that way. Kuṇṭha, always anxiety: "Is not one coming to kill me?" Therefore you will find the birds doing like this, anxiety. No anxietyless, nobody. Either human being, animal, birds, beasts, everyone. Therefore is called kuṇṭha jagat, full of anxiety. But there is another world, where there is no kuṇṭha. Everyone is free. Some of us trying to become free from all kinds of anxieties, but that is not possible here. We can become free from all kinds of anxiety when we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness; otherwise it is not possible.
General Lectures
First thing is by chanting your misconception of life will be cleared. At the present moment I am thinking that "I am this body," and therefore, because my body is born in this land, therefore I am thinking, "I am American." And because I happened to take my birth in a certain family, so I am thinking, "I am Christian" or "Hindu." But all these things are designations. When we clear the misconception of my life, then I can understand that I am pure soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. The Vedic language says that "I am spirit soul." And as soon as you understand, then brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). As soon as you realize yourself as soul, then you become immediately free from all anxieties, prasannātmā. Prasannātmā means jolly. Spiritual life means natural joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).
Prabhupāda: Yes. When you see your body you think that "This is my finger, this is my hand, this is my head, this is my chest, this is my leg." You see simply you will find, "This is my, this is my, this is my." But if you try to find out "Then what is I?" then you will find out. That is called self-realization. We are simply now engrossed with things "my," but we do not know what is "I." The identification of myself or I with this body is wrong. The identification of I with the mind is also wrong. The identification of I with intelligence is also wrong. When you actually come to the platform of spiritual understanding, then you understand that "I am neither this body, neither the senses, neither this mind, nor intelligence, but I am spirit soul." That is called brahma-jñāna, or Brahman realization. And the symptom will be, as soon as you are actually in self-realization, you will feel happy. You will have no anxiety. That is the test. Just like when you're free from disease, then there is no pain. Similarly, when you actually realize that you are spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, then the symptom will be that there will be no anxiety and no lamentation and no bereavement or no so-called, I mean to say, happiness.
Student (7): How can you be sure?
Prabhupāda: Here is the surety. As soon as you see that you're free from all anxiety, then it is sure that you have realized yourself.
Student (7): Well how can you be sure you're free from all anxiety if you're incapable of perceiving happiness? And to perceive happiness, you...
So if you take to this movement, if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, then this impure consciousness will be purified and you will know what you are. Just like Brahmānanda said that it is the process of cleansing the mind, cleansing the mind from all dirty things. And as soon as you are cleansed of all dirty things, then your material anxieties are immediately over. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
- na śocati na kāṅkṣati
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
- (BG 18.54)
Brahma-bhūtaḥ means as soon as you come to the platform of your spiritual understanding, then immediately you get free from all material anxieties. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. You are no more hankering after any profit, neither you are very sorry when there is a great loss. Then you can see everyone on the equal level, and then your relationship or your lost relationship is again established with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then your real life begins.
This Bhagavad-gītā is the science of God. Just like in your Christian Bible or any other scriptures, Muhammadan or Christian or Jews or Buddhists... So ahaṁ brahmāsmi means that "I am spirit soul," this realization. As soon as this realization is there, then the other things immediately follow. What is that? Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Immediately one becomes cheerful. So long we have got this bodily concept of life, we cannot be cheerful. Full of anxiety. And as soon as we understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," the next moment you will be cheerful. There will be no anxiety.
I am full of anxiety because on account of this bodily concept of life. Just like one man has got very costly motorcar, and he is running the car on the street. He is very careful so that there may not be any accident in the car, the car may not break. So much anxiety. But a man who is walking on the street, he has no such anxiety. Why the man in the car is so anxious? Because he has identified himself with the car. If the car, if there is any accident to the car, if the car breaks, he thinks, "I am gone. Oh, my car is gone." Although he is different from car, he thinks like that due to identification, false identification.
So that transcendental platform is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). As soon as one is situated in that Brahman platform, he is free from all anxieties immediately. Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains that brahma-bhūtaḥ situation, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Immediately. So the brahma-bhūtaḥ platform, which we have to ascend after so much qualification, so much understanding, so much practice of yoga, dhyāna, meditation, can be achieved in this age by the blessings of Lord Caitanya simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Simply by chanting. Caitanya Mahāprabhu... As I have explained, that one has to lift himself to the platform of brahma-bhūtaḥ stage, when one is free from all anxieties.
Liberation means there is no more anxiety. In the conditioned state we are always full of anxiety, and the liberated state... Just like when a man is attacked with fever, he's always suffering. As soon as the fever is gone, he is liberated. Similarly, the material concept of life, when we are freed from the material concept of life, that is the beginning of our liberation. Actually, liberation will be maintained by liberated activities. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like a man is suffering from some disease, so he cannot act freely. But when he is out of the disease, then he can act freely. To get out of the disease does not mean that there will be no activity. The Buddha philosophy and the Māyāvāda philosophy say that after liberation, activity stops. But this Vaiṣṇava philosophy says no. After liberation real activity begins.
Now we are, everyone, searching after some standard of life where we will have no anxiety. That is the aim of everyone. Why we are struggling? We are trying to approach a certain point. Just like two parties playing on football, they are, each one of them, trying to approach the goal. That is victory. So everyone is trying to gain something, according to different position, according to different idea. Not everyone is searching after the same thing. Somebody searching after material pleasure, somebody searching after intoxication, somebody is searching after sex, somebody is searching after money, somebody is searching after knowledge, somebody is searching after so many things. But there is one thing. If we can get that, attain to that perfection, then we shall be satisfied and we shall say that "We do not want anything." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). There are many instances. So there is like that, and that is Kṛṣṇa. If you can simply understand Kṛṣṇa, then your knowledge is perfect, you understand everything. You understand science, you understand mathematics, you understand chemistry, physics, astronomy, philosophy, literature, everything. It is so nice.
The Manu-saṁhitā, the law of Vedas, Manu, the master of the humankind, Manu... Manu is the father of the mankind. So he has got his lawbook. That Manu-saṁhitā lawbook is still followed in India so far as the Hindus are concerned. So in that book Manu-saṁhitā, it is stated, na striyaṁ svatantram arhati. He gives the law that woman should not be given independence. Then? What should be the life? The life should be so long she's not married, she must live under the guidance, dependent on the parents. And as soon as she is married, she should live dependent on her husband. And when the husband is gone out... Because according to Hindu system, the husband does not remain at home for all the days, till death. No. When children are grown up, he gives up wife and children and becomes a sannyāsī, just like I have become. I have my children, I have my grandsons, I have my wife still exist... But I have given up all connection. So how my wife is being maintained? Oh, she has got grown-up children. So there is no anxiety. So dependence is not bad if there is dependence on the proper place. No father neglects to look after the comforts of an unmarried girl, of his unmarried girls and boys.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a stage after liberation. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brahma-bhūtaḥ means "I am now free from all material anxieties." That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Just like a person suffering prison life for years together, and if he is given freedom, "Now you are free," how much delight he'll feel. "Oh, now I am free." You see? So that is the stage of brahma-bhūtaḥ. Prasannātmā, joyful, immediately. And what is the nature of joyfulness? Na śocati. Even in the great loss, there is no lamentation. And big profit, there is no jubilation, or there is no hankering. That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Equipoised.
So spiritual education—first to understand "What I am," then "What is God," "What is this world." "What is our interrelation," then "What is God's position," "What is my position," "How I shall deal with God"—these things are spiritual education, and human life is meant for that purpose. The nature gives chance to the living entity, this developed consciousness of human being, in order to understand these things. And if he is fortunate enough to understand that he is spirit soul, he is Brahman, then the Bhagavad-gītā gives definition of such man that brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: (BG 18.54) as soon as he comes to the understanding of spiritual platform, then he becomes joyful, immediately—freed from all anxieties. Joyfulness means freed from all anxiety. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). He has no more any hankering and no more lamentation. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu... And he sees everyone on the spiritual platform, equally. And then the life of devotion, service to the Lord, begins.
Anyone who simply understands what is Kṛṣṇa, then his privilege is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: (BG 4.9) "He does not take any more birth in this material world." Then where does he go? Mām eti: "He comes to Me." Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Even if you don't serve Him, but Kṛṣṇa is so attractive. As soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, then you have to serve Him. You see? It is so nice. That is successful life. This is not successful life. This is unsuccessful life, laboring whole life, and he does not know where he is going. Next life, what is, whether cat or dog or animal or this or that, he does not know. He's in the darkness. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). The same repetition of same foolishness and uncontrolled senses, he does not know where he is going. Just like unbridled horses. The man does not know "Where the horses are dragging me, either in the hell or heaven? I do not know." But the horses are not controlled, under his con..., simply running, high speed. That these motorcars are running this way and that way. They do not know whether they will reach their destination. Any, at any point, they may be striking each other and finished. This is not successful life. Successful life means one should have peaceful life, with great hope, future hope, without any disturbance. What is successful life? Even a man is not secure. He does not know when he goes to his office whether his household things are taken away by some thief. You see? Where is success? Successful life means he must feel secure that the government is taking care of everything. That is successful life. He has no cares and anxieties. He's simply developing his spiritual life. That is successful life.
Now, you are American people, supposed to be the richest country. Oh, you have also many anxieties. You are (not) free from anxieties. You are also afraid of China or Russia or somebody else. So how you can be free from anxiety? That is yoga system. If you actually practice yoga system... Yoga system, the whole Bhagavad-gītā is yoga system. It is said in the Fourth Chapter that imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). The Lord says that "This yoga system I first of all spoke to the sun-god." Imaṁ vivasvate. Vivasvata means... The sun-god's name is Vivasvān. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam, vivasvān manave prāhuḥ: (BG 4.1) "And Vivasvān, he explained this yoga system to his son Manu." Now, if we calculate the age of Manu, it comes to some millions. At least forty millions of years before, it was spoken.
Just like if you have got the medicinal bottle, the direction and dose is on the label, that "Two tablets thrice in a day, after meals," like that. But if you take the tablets according to your own whim or somebody who does not know how to use that medicine, without consulting the physician, then you may be in dangerous position. You will not get the result. That is sure and certain. But you may meet some dangerous position. Similarly, so far Bhagavad-gītā is concerned, the prime standard book of yoga system, if you want to learn something from Bhagavad-gītā about the peace and prosperity and anxietylessness of your life, then you have to take this medicine of Bhagavad-gītā according to the dose prescribed in the Bhagavad-gītā, not outside.
Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). As soon as one becomes elevated to the platform of spiritual realization, self-realization, immediately he will be free from all anxieties. Material life means full of anxieties. However great you may be, you are always full of anxieties. But if you come to the platform of spiritual realization, immediately you become free from anxieties. This is the test. Simply by advertising that you have elevated to the highest platform stage by taking some drugs or medicine or this way or that way... No. The result will be practical that you will immediately feel joyful. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). And what is the symptom of joyous life? No more hankering, no more lamenting.
Arjuna is surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'ham māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, so long I was speaking with You just as friends. Now I surrender unto You as Your student, as Your disciple. You become my spiritual master and teach me properly." This is the process. Arjuna is exampling himself that he's accepting Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, teacher. And then Kṛṣṇa began to teach the Bhagavad-gītā, and he changed his decision, and he was freed from all anxieties. This is spiritual life. So this spiritual realization is easier than any kind of material realization because we are not meant for material realization. We are meant for spiritual realization, the human form. So that we should take advantage of. That is the mission of human form of life. If we miss this, then we are committing suicide.
Last meeting we have been describing the symptoms of mahātmā, great soul. So the first symptom is that he is equal to everyone, sama-cittāḥ. And the next qualification is praśāntā. Praśāntā means pacified. He's not disturbed by any material anxiety. And why a great soul should be disturbed by material anxieties? Because he has no material desire. Anyone who has got material desire, he is full of material anxiety. But one who has no material desire, one who lives only for serving Kṛṣṇa, naturally he has no anxieties. Praśāntā. There is another verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam quoted by Yamunācārya, that he says, bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ.
Śrī Yamunācārya says, "My dear Lord," bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ, "when I shall be fully engaged in Your service?" This is the process of being freed from all anxiety. Just like this child. This child is restless. He's going here, going there. But if the child is given some engagement, toy, which he likes, then she will remain there pacified and will not disturb anyone. That is natural. Similarly, we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. So long we are not again linked up with His service, with His... So long we are not again reestablished in our lost relationship with Kṛṣṇa, we shall remain restless. That is our natural condition.
So, so long we shall travel on the chariot of the mind, mano-ratha, then there is no question of our being freed from anxiety. Therefore we have to give up this chariot of mind. The chariot of mind will not give us satisfaction. We have to transcend the mental state, the intellectual state. The philosophers, they are intellectually trying to be happy. That also we have to transcend. We have (to) come to the spiritual platform, brahma-bhūtaḥ. And not only come to the spiritual platform, we must have spiritual engagement. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have got engagement. We are not only satisfied that "I am spirit," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. No. There must be duties of the Brahman. The Brahman must be engaged.
Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). If actually one has realized Brahman, then he should be free from all anxieties. Prasannātmā. Prasanna means joyful. Because all our anxieties are due to this identification of this body—"I am Englishman," "I am Indian," "I am this," "I am that." Therefore I am..., we are always anxious, anxiety. Even the cats and dogs, they are also anxious for their body, protection. As in nationwise, everyone is anxious, "Oh, let them... Russians, they may not come." The Russians thinking, "Here... Yes. They may not come." Oh, should be... Oh, wars and peace.(?) All anxiety! Advancement, so-called nonsense advancement is increasing anxiety. That's all. But brahma-bhutaḥ means no anxiety. That is the first stage. That is the first stage, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā.
So there are certain processes, regulative processes. If you follow those processes, then automatically you become a lover of Kṛṣṇa. Just like one process: this chanting. You go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and you'll find very soon you become a lover of Kṛṣṇa. Just like the boy. Here is our Tamāla Kṛṣṇa. He says that "I was attached to drug habit, to intoxication habit, meat-eating. Now my attachment is now changed. I am now for Kṛṣṇa." So automatically he has become pure. It is so nice. Therefore I asked him to read that paper because that is practical experience. No more, no more they feels any inconvenience, those who have given up even smoking, tea-taking, coffee-taking, meat-eating. Because these practices are very common thing in your country. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so wonderful that for years together they are no more taking tea, coffee, smoking, meat, everything; they don't feel any inconvenience. They are happy, quite happy, in taking simple Kṛṣṇa prasāda. Similarly, in so many ways you'll be freed, and that is brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: (BG 18.54) no more anxiety. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, even if he does not eat for three days, he'll not feel unhappy. These are practical.
So if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the first result will be that you will understand your real constitutional position, for which many great mystics, sages and saints are meditating, "What I am?" That, I mean to say, procedure of spiritual realization will be the first installment, your profit. You'll understand that ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am not matter, I am spirit soul." And as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, as soon as one is self-realized, that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am not this body, I am spirit soul. I am part and parcel of the Absolute Truth." This realization is called Brahman realization. And as soon as you come to the platform of Brahman realization, then the result will be brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). You'll be joyful. You'll be free of all anxieties. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. That is the sign. It is not that simply... I may advertise that I am self-realized, but my behavior will show whether I am self-realized or not. Everything is stated in the Vedic literature, that a brahma-bhūtaḥ person, a self-realized person, the symptom of the self-realized person is that he is joyful. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Without any anxieties. This materialistic life means full of anxiety always. And spiritual life means without this anxiety. Just the opposite.
We are all parts and parcel of the Supreme. This is only dress. It does not mean because I am in this saffron colored dress and you are in black coat or green coat, there is difference between you and me. We are all human beings. Similarly, we have to understand that this body is our dress only. Because we have got a different dress, a black dress or white dress or Indian dress or American dress, that does not mean we are different. When we can feel in that way, when we are trained in that way, that is called sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). He is freed from all designations. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam. That time he becomes purified, nirmalam. So long I have got identification that "I am this," "I am that," "I am that..." Simply when I shall understand that "I am part and parcel of God," that means, that status of mind is called nirmalam, without any contamination. And when you are in that status of life... That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. This is called brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Brahma-bhūtaḥ means self-realization. And the symptom will be prasannātmā, joyfulness, without any anxiety.
So there are stages. One has to learn this from authoritative sources. Then it is possible to become... But our movement, this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, is so nice that what was possible after many, many births, you can get it within a few weeks. That is a fact. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra as we are doing, then you'll understand. Very quickly your self-realization, your freedom from designation, your mental concoction, everything will be cleared off, and there will be no more anxiety. So we request everyone. We are not charging anything. We are not saying that "I shall give you some mantra. You pay me fifty dollars and it is private." No. It is open, without any charge. Anyone can. These boys, American boys and girls, they are chanting. Similarly, you can also chant. There is none Indian, but they are nicely chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You can also chant. There is no fee. You just make an experiment on how you become free from this designation. So our request is that everything will be complete if you take to this chanting: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. And there is no very strict rules, regulation. You can chant anywhere, either in this room or outside the room or on the road, street, bus. Wherever you find opportunity, you chant simply Hare Kṛṣṇa and see the result.
The Lord says that "If you surrender unto Me, giving up all other things, then I'll take charge of you." Ma śucaḥ. "There is no question of anxiety."
Just now one of my students was speaking to me before coming to this that somebody was asking him, "How you are free from all anxieties?" They see. One priest, and... As I was traveling from Hawaii to..., no, from Los Angeles to Hawaii, one gentleman—he is a priest—he asked me, he began to talk in the airplane for at least half an hour. He said, "Swamiji, how is that your disciples look so bright faces?" Yes, they are bright faces. One priest in Boston, he regretted, he issued regret that "These boys, they are our boys, they are mad after God but we could not give them." So this is practical. Why practical? Because we are following the principles.
After Brahman realization, after being freed from this material contamination, when one becomes actually happy, prasannātmā, na śocati na kāṅkṣati, no anxiety, at that time, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. And He especially mentions,
- bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
- yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
- tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
- viśate tad-anantaram
- (BG 18.55)
This material world is one-fourth manifestation of God's creation, and the spiritual world is three-fourth manifestation of... (break) ...which is known as brahma-jyotir. There are millions and trillions of Vaikuṇṭha planets. Vaikuṇṭha planets... Vaikuṇṭha, Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha yasmād. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Just like within this material world we are full of anxieties. Similarly, when you..., when we go to the spiritual world there is also planet like this, but there is no kuṇṭha, there is no anxieties.
Everyone has blazing fire within the heart. That is the proof of material existence. Nobody is without anxieties. That blazing fire means anxieties, always. Everyone has got anxieties. Even the small bird, he has got anxiety. You give the small bird some grains to eat, he'll eat it. But he's not very peacefully eating. He'll see this way, that way, "If somebody's coming to kill me?" Yes. This is material existence. Everyone... Even President Nixon, he's also full of anxieties, what to speak of others. Even Gandhi, in our country, he was full of anxieties. All politicians, they're full of anxiety; although they hold very exalted post, still the material disease, anxiety, is there. So if you want to be anxiety-less, without any anxiety, then you must take shelter of the guru, or the spiritual master, and the test is that by the instruction of guru, by following the instruction of guru, you will be anxiety-less. This is the test.
Prabhupāda: We are living. You can see practically. We have got more than one hundred centers, and we are maintaining at least ten thousand men, just like these Europeans. And you have seen our opulence. We are advertised as fabulously rich. You can see here also. We have got at least four cars here. Who has got four cars? Don't you see how we are living?
Guest (5): Sir, what I meant... Supposing...
Prabhupāda: No. Your question is that... We are living very opulently because we are surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. That is point. So if you come to us you will also live very opulently. Surrender. Do that by practical seeing. We have no anxiety. Do you know what is our expenditure? In New York we are spending twelve lakhs of rupees per month. Only in New York. Similarly, in Los Angeles we have got huge expenditure. And our income is also, daily, five lakhs. You can see. Take our account. Audit. People do not touch as soon as one hears, "Oh, it is a religious group." And we are selling religious books, this Bhāgavata and Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, six lakhs of rupees daily. Can you imagine?
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has cash value. Even in Los Angeles, outsiders, they are surprised: "How these people live in such a nice house, eat such nicely, and have so many cars, and they have no anxieties, although they do not work, they have no business?" So what can be more cash value than this?
Devotee: And no bills for psychoanalysis.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Everything is there, but still they do not work, and these rascals, they work the whole day and night, and still they are not happy. What more cash value we can expect than Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Prabhupāda: Authentic means reality. What is that? Authenticity means reality?
Śyāmasundara: It means being free from guilt, being free from anxiety, being always resolute in purpose.
Prabhupāda: So reality... I see this is reality, that I don't wish to die but there is death. Authenticity means how to live without death. That is all. Is it not?
Prabhupāda: That is nice. The reality is... Then you have to concern... Just like when you are diseased, when you are in the trouble, some implication of legal matter, then you go to the lawyer, how to get out of it. When you are diseased, when you are troubled, you go to the physician. Similarly, if you are actually eager to get out of the anxiety, then you have to go to somebody who knows that Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, "Simply by knowing Me," tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). "You should simply try to understand Me." Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. "Anyone who knows Me, how I appear, what I do, what is My function," that means anyone who knows Kṛṣṇa, "then after living in this body, he does not take birth again." And if there is no birth, there is no death, there is no disease, there is no trouble. As soon as there is birth there must be... Anyone who has taken birth, he must die. That is the law. Anywhere. Anything which is born must die, must get old, must be diseased. Anything, even you take material things—this machine—it has got a date of birth, and there will be a death when it will stop functioning. And it is getting older. That is the law. But here is Kṛṣṇa says that "You can stop death, simply by understanding Me." And if you stop birth, punar janma, then you stop other things. Because death is there, then there is birth, but if there is no birth, there is no death. You have to think like that, that these are the problems of anxiety: birth, death, old age, and disease. So here Kṛṣṇa says that you can stop your birth. Punar janma naiti: no more birth. Then I can stop all other things. Because as soon as there is birth, the other things are there. But if there is no birth, the other things are not there. That makes you anxietyless. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness is required. This is the condition to solve all anxieties.
Śyāmasundara: He says this anxiety is evidence of finitude.
Śyāmasundara: If one is finite, then there is automatically anxiety.
Prabhupāda: But the..., we want to be anxietyless. That means we are infinite, according to that philosophy.
Śyāmasundara: Yes.
Anxiety is there when I think that I am finite. Just like when I think that Mr. Bhatiwalla(?) is trying to get us out, then we are in anxiety. And if we know that there is no such thing, we can live here... So we want to live infinitely. When that is disturbed, there is anxiety. Therefore it appears that we are infinite. But we have been put into finite condition. That is the cause of anxiety. Now, therefore, the intelligent person should try to come to the platform of infiniteness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). There are many others... There are many devotees, just to avoid this birth, death, old age, many have attained success. These things are stated in Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore the conclusion is it will become anxietyless to have infinite life. One must (indistinct) Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is the conclusion. And there is no question of avoiding. If you avoid, then you..., it must be remain entangled. It is a question of must. You must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness if you actually... Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that, that when he was asked by his father what is the best thing he had learned, he said this is the best thing: that he should give up this materialistic way of life and take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is the best thing. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. Dehinām means those who have accepted the material body. For them. And dehinām, one who has accepted this body, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5), because he is eternal, but he has accepted something which is not eternal, asat. It is limited. He is unlimited, but he is entrapped by something which is limited. Therefore, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Just like we have got our own land in Māyāpur, so we can go and live there. There is no question of Bhatiwalla. But we won't go there. We have accepted this apartment. Therefore we must change it. Is it not? We are paying three thousand rupees—still anxiety, because we know at any moment he can be a trouble and kick out. So asad-grahāt. It is not your place you have accepted. Similarly, because you have accepted this material body, then there must be anxiety. Anyone, he may be Mr. Nixon, or he may be Mr. Ayub Khan, or a man in the street, or an ant, or Brahma, or anyone, because he has accepted asad-grahāt, this body, it is not exist; he must be in anxiety. This is knowledge. Therefore you have to learn knowledge from authorities-Prahlāda Mahārāja. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, recommends, that you should give up this, this way of life. Hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam. This acceptance of body is just like to fall down in a dark well, blind well. So one should give it up. How give it up? How it can go? Harim āśrayeta: just take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. So that is the meaning. That means Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You give up this material consciousness. Material consciousness means how I shall live, how I shall eat, how I shall sleep, how I shall enjoy my senses, how I shall defend. This is material existence. This is material existence. And spiritual existence means I take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, He is my protector, I am (indistinct). This. (Sanskrit). To have firm faith that I have taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, He is giving me protection. I have no anxiety. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are giving that. So take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and become anxietyless. That's all. That is our propaganda. "Come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be free from all anxiety." That's all.
Śyāmasundara: He says that when we have thoughts and ideas, that their intention is always directed towards some object, but anxiety has no intended object. If I am anxious about something, or address something, it is not real because there is no object toward which it is directed.
Prabhupāda: Yes. When you have no objective, that anxiety is very troublesome. Therefore we have got also anxiety: how to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. You are also thinking that "Whether I have chanted sixteen rounds or not? Whether I am deviating from my duties to become (indistinct)?" There is anxiety, but we have got an objective. But others, they have no objective, and full of anxiety.
Prabhupāda: Anxiety shall continue so long as you are in material condition. You cannot be free from anxiety in your conditioned life.
Śyāmasundara: It is because we desired something and we were always frustrated by that desire?
Prabhupāda: Frustration must be there, because you do not desire the right thing.
Śyāmasundara: His idea is that once I understand that whatever I choose, I have to be responsible for that, then I become full of anxiety because I am always thinking I have to choose right in order to enjoy something. If I choose wrongly, I must suffer. I am responsible both ways. So he says this feeling of responsibility makes me always dreading and anxious about the future.
Prabhupāda: Yes. The responsibility is there, certainly, but why you do not take the responsibility of transferring yourself in a safety place where you will have no anxiety? It may be you do not know where is a safety place. But why don't you ask somebody who knows it? Why you are becoming disappointed? As you say that we have got responsibility, why, as a responsible man, so search out somebody who can say you about the safety place where there is no anxiety. We can give. That is called Vaikuṇṭha: no anxiety. Vaikuṇṭha means no anxiety. There is a place.
Śyāmasundara: But their idea is that if the means of production are owned by the people, that this condition, this social condition, will wither away.
Prabhupāda: That was perfect in Vedic system, that you... The land is supposed to belong to the government or to the king. The king gives you the land that "You make production and give me tax, one-fourth. That's all." So there is no question of profit. If you have produced one kilo, give one-fourth kilo to the king as tax. That is real social system. Actually, according to our Vedic system, everything belongs to God and the king is supposed to be representative of God to manage things. So for his managerial work he requires some money. Therefore I have taken some land for my livelihood. So whatever production is there, I pay one-fourth to the king for management. This is nice system. As soon as the tax is realized in terms of pound, shillings, pence, whole difficulty arises. I have produced ten mounds of rice and out of that one-fourth I give to the government or to the king. So I have no anxiety. If I produce twenty mounds, I give one-fourth. If I produce ten mounds, I give one-fourth. If I don't produce I don't give. This is perfect system.
Śyāmasundara: This Mao Tse Tung believes in using a constant ideological struggle as an accepted...
Prabhupāda: No, no. This ideology has no struggle. Whatever is produced, you pay one-fourth. There is no question of struggle. If I have to pay some fixed tax, ten rupees, for this land I have secured, but if I don't produce, I have no ten rupees, there is struggle. Where I get this ten rupees? Then I have to take loan from somebody else. That brings(?) my anxiety. But if this system is accepted, then I, if I produce, I give you one-fourth; if I don't produce, I have no anxiety. That is perfect system.
Śyāmasundara: His idea is that the constant ideological propaganda, you have to remind the people of the fears behind the practice. If there is risk,(?) something, you have to remind them.
Prabhupāda: But why this is a constant struggle for ideological? You accept this ideal. So there is no anxiety. If I produce, I pay. If I don't produce, I don't pay. Is it not better?
Śyāmasundara: The idea is...
Prabhupāda: Why I shall develop an ideological perfection by conflict, by struggle, by talking in the parliament, and talking to the leaders, and... Make this simple method that whatever you produce, you give me one-fourth. That's all.
Purports to Songs
This is a song which a devotee is praying and asking his mind, bhajahū re mana. Mana means mind. Because, at the present moment, our mind is the driver, and this body is just like a car... In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This body is a car made of this material nature. The living entity, what is said, "I," I am now seated on this car prepared by the nature, material nature. And the driver is the mind. And the driver is not in my control. The driver is taking me anywhere he likes. You see? I am... Personally, I am not able to drive. I have engaged one driver, which is called the mind, and this body is the car, and the mind is carrying me like driver anywhere it likes. So therefore the proprietor, I, I am, I am requesting the driver... When I am helpless, so I am requesting, "My dear mind," bhajahū re mana, "my dear mind..." Mana means mind. "You kindly worship Lord Kṛṣṇa." Śrī-nanda-nandana. Śrī-nanda-nandana means Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Vasudeva, and He was accepted by Nanda Mahārāja as his, what is called? Son who is accepted from others? So he, he was His foster father. So he's reques... "I am requesting that you worship Lord Kṛṣṇa who is abhaya-caraṇa." Abhaya-caraṇa means He's the fearless shelter. If we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then we become free from all anxieties.
Yugala-pīriti means conjugal love. And another he sings that viṣaya chāḍiyā kabe śuddha ha'be mana. This mind, so, so, so long the mind is too much absorbed in materialistic thought, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Vṛndāvana. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says: viṣaya śuddha kabe śuddha ha'be mana. When my, my mind will be completely purified, being freed from material anxieties and desires. Then I shall be able to understand what is Vṛndāvana, what is conjugal love of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and then my spiritual life will be successful.
So this song was sung by Govinda dasa. Govinda-dāsa-abhilāsa re. What is his desire? Abhilāsa means desire. Bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana: "My dear mind..." Because mind is our friend and enemy. If you train the mind, then mind is your best friend. And if you cannot train your mind, then will be your bitterest enemy. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). Therefore mind has always to be engaged on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then mind automatically will be controlled and will become friend. So Govinda dasa is expressing his desire: "My dear mind, you just be engaged in devotional service of Nanda-nandana." His..., he does not say Kṛṣṇa. He says Nanda-nandana. If we address Kṛṣṇa directly, that is not very pleasing, but if we say Kṛṣṇa: Nanda-nandana, Yaśodā-nandana, Devakī-nandana, Pārtha-sārathi—in relationship with His devotee—then He becomes more pleased. So bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana. Why Śrī-Nanda-nandana? Now, abhaya-caraṇāravinda re. If you take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, Nanda-nandana, then you'll have no more anxiety, fear.
- samāṣritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
- mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
- bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
- padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām
- (SB 10.14.58)
This is Bhagavat-darśana. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām. This material world, padaṁ padam means step by step there is danger. So one who takes shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ samāṣritā, for him there is no more danger. Abhaya-caraṇāravinda re. How it is possible to take complete shelter of Kṛṣṇa, which is fearlessness, no anxiety, vaikuṇṭha? Durlabha manava-janama sat-saṅge. This is possible if you associate with devotees.
| Page Title: | No anxiety (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | SunitaS, Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 22 of Jul, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=192, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 192 |