I remember in, long ago, about sometimes in 1936, my eldest son in Bombay - he was in school - he stood first. So his class friends became envious that "Here is a boy, he is coming from Bengal, and he has stood first." They wanted to fight with him

Expressions researched:
"I remember in . . . long ago, about sometimes in 1936, my eldest son in"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The Vaikuṇṭha consciousness is that if your neighbor, if your brother is prosperous or progressive, then one should think, "Oh, he's so nice that he has served God so nicely. God is so pleased upon him that he is making so nice progress." That is Vaikuṇṭha consciousness. And material consciousness is that "Oh, he has advanced so much. Oh, let me check him." This is material. That is going on. The whole world, enviousness. I remember in, long ago, about sometimes in 1936, my eldest son in Bombay—he was in school—he stood first. So his class friends became envious that "Here is a boy, he is coming from Bengal, and he has stood first." They wanted to fight with him. My son came and complained to me that "This is the position." Just see. Children even, envious. You see. That means this is the nature of this world. If you prosper, then your brothers and your neighbors, your friends, will be envious.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971:

Pradyumna: "Churches, mosques or temples are now practically vacant. Men are more interested in factories, shops and cinemas than in religious places which were erected by their forefathers. This practically proves that religion is performed for some economic gain. Economic gains are needed for sense gratification. Often when one is baffled in the pursuit of sense gratification he takes to salvation and tries to become one with the Supreme Lord. Consequently, all these states are simply different types of sense gratification.”

"In the Vedas, the above-mentioned four activities are prescribed in the regulative way so that there will not be any undue competition for sense gratification. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is transcendental to all these sense gratificatory activities. It is purely transcendental literature, which can be understood only by the pure devotees of the Lord who are transcendental to competitive sense gratification. In the material world there is keen competition between animal and animal, man and man, community and community, nation and nation.”

"But the devotees of the Lord rise above such competition. They do not compete with the materialists, because they are on the path back to Godhead, where life is eternal and blissful. Such transcendentalists are nonenvious and pure in heart. In the material world everyone is envious of everyone else, and therefore there is competition. But the transcendental devotees of the Lord are not only free from material envy . . ."

Prabhupāda: Therefore this bhāgavata-dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is meant for persons who are not envious. Paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). Nirmatsara. Matsaratā. Matsaratā means to become intolerant when his neighbor is prosperous. That is called matsara. Everyone is envious. If his neighbor, if his brother, if his friend becomes more prosperous than himself, he becomes envious. This is material nature. Similarly, in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, if we become envious, "Oh, my Godbrother, oh, he has become so popular. He is making so much progress. So put some impediments towards his progressive path," this is also material.

The Vaikuṇṭha consciousness is that if your neighbor, if your brother is prosperous or progressive, then one should think, "Oh, he's so nice that he has served God so nicely. God is so pleased upon him that he is making so nice progress." That is Vaikuṇṭha consciousness. And material consciousness is that, "Oh, he has advanced so much. Oh, let me check him." This is material. That is going on. The whole world, enviousness.

I remember in . . . long ago, about sometimes in 1936, my eldest son in Bombay—he was in school—he stood first. So his class friends became envious that, "Here is a boy, he is coming from Bengal, and he has stood first." They wanted to fight with him. My son came and complained to me that, "This is the position." Just see. Children even, envious. You see. That means this is the nature of this world. If you prosper, then your brothers and your neighbors, your friends, will be envious.

So this bhāgavata-dharma is not for such envious persons. Therefore it is stated here, paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām (SB 1.1.2). Not for the envious persons. The envious persons—that means materialists—they will not be able to understand what is spoken in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate (SB 1.1.2). So our process is, because we are envious by nature, therefore we have to cleanse our heart. Therefore we have to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very rigidly, regularly. Then our this enviousness, the dirty things, will be over, and we shall be able to understand what is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the graduate study. Those who are interested in God, for them, this is graduate study. The entrance study is Bhagavad-gītā. Just like you pass your entrance examination, matriculation examination, then you are entered into college, then you become graduate; similarly, after reading Bhagavad-gītā, you are allowed to enter into the understanding of God.

Because in the Bhagavad-gītā the ultimate instruction is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). There are discussion of the yoga, karma, jñāna, bhakti . . . everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. But ultimately the last instruction is that, "This is the secret of success, My dear Arjuna," guhyatamam. "You simply surrender unto Me, and I shall give you all protection." Mā śucaḥ, "Don't bother." This is required. This is the beginning of God consciousness. So unless we have finished nicely the study of Bhagavad-gītā or unless we have accepted this proposition of God that "You surrender," there is no entrance in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is bhāgavata-dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma means one who has at least understood what is God. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu begins His teaching where Kṛṣṇa ended. Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the same Personality of Godhead. As Kṛṣṇa, He demanded . . . because God can demand like that. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "You just surrender unto Me."

What God can say? God cannot say that, "You jump over My head." God can say like that, "You surrender." That is God's word. God cannot allow you that you jump over His head. You can jump over His head, but that requires great advancement of love for God. That is another thing.

Just like the cowherd boys, they are jumping over Kṛṣṇa. That position . . . you can also have, but after kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. After amassing many lives' simply pious activities, you can have that post.