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Business of the mahatma

Expressions researched:
"business of the mahatma" |"business of mahatma"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

SB Canto 1

And the mahātmā, being kind upon these poor souls, they deliver the same knowledge as Kṛṣṇa gives. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam.. [Bg. 18.66]. This is guru's business.

Lecture on SB 1.5.30 -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974, Purport: Unfortunately, it has become a fashion now to interpret Bhagavad-gītā in their own foolish way and mislead the public. This I have repeatedly spoken in many places, that in the Western countries so many swamis and yogis, they went there. For the last, at least, one hundred years. One hundred years, from India many swamis and yogis had been... Still they are going. But they could not turn even a single person to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not a single person. Throughout the whole history of these hundred years of swamis going to the Western countries, but could not turn even a single soul to understand Kṛṣṇa. This is a fact. It is not that I am very proud. No. The truth must be spoken. Why they could not do so? The defect was that they did not say what Kṛṣṇa said directly. They said their own words. They manufactured their own philosophy.

Here the, I mean to..., saintly persons, the mahātmās, gamiṣyantaḥ, when they were going, they confidentially said what was spoken by Kṛṣṇa directly. This is the secret of success. Try to understand. Anvavocan gamiṣyantaḥ kṛpayā dīna-vatsalāḥ. Guru, or mahātmā, they are very merciful, merciful in this way that they know how a person can be elevated to the topmost platform of knowledge, and they can give him. And this is not very difficult. It is said here that yat tat sākṣād bhagavatoditam. This is mercifulness. A guru's business is to deliver the same message as Kṛṣṇa said. Then he's dīna-vatsala. Otherwise, if he says something else, he's a cheater. He's not guru. He must be, to the suffering humanity, being kind upon them. Dīna-vatsala. Dīna means very poor, poor in knowledge. At the present moment, the... Not only at the present moment, always. Those who are in the material world, they are very, very poor. Very, very poor. Gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām. Because their mind is very crippled. They are thinking that this duration of life—say, fifty years or twenty years or utmost seventy, or hundred years—this is everything. That's all. Therefore they are very poor. Their expansion of knowledge is very, very meager. And it is the business of the saintly persons to be kind upon them, that "This is not the life. You are thinking, making adjustment to live for fifty years or hundred years very comfortably, or even next life..." Karmīs, they also take consideration of the next life, to be promoted in the heavenly planet or other higher planetary system. But still, they are poor. Poor. Because they are lacking in the knowledge of eternal life, full of knowledge and blissfulness. That they do not know. Sac-cid-ānanda life. So it is the business of the mahātmā to enlighten them to the real platform of life. Kṛṣṇa says personally,

mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

[Bg. 8.15]

This is real life, to go back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Mām upetya. If you go back to home, back to Godhead, that is saṁsiddhiṁ paramām. That is the highest perfection of life. But generally... Generally, almost... Why generally? Almost everyone. Ninety-nine point nine percent people, they want to become happy within this material world. Therefore they are poor, very, very poor. And the mahātmās, they give the knowledge that "This is not life. This is a temporary platform." Aśāśvatam, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg. 8.15]. This is confidential knowledge. You are trying to be happy... Suppose Brahmā. He lives for many millions of years. Still, it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg. 8.15]. That life is also temporary. What is millions of years' duration of life in comparison to the eternal life? So beginning from Brahmā down to the small ant, whoever is within this material world, it is to be understood their understanding is very poor. And the mahātmā, being kind upon these poor souls, they deliver the same knowledge as Kṛṣṇa gives. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam.. [Bg. 18.66]. This is guru's business. Do not manufacture anything. There is no question of... There is no need of manufacturing anything. Simply you speak to the suffering humanity the same thing which Kṛṣṇa says. Sākṣād bhagavatā uditam. This is the business of guru. It is clearly said.

But vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa ma... [Bg. 7.19]. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ [Bg. 9.13]. Daivī. Daivī means spiritual, spiritual energy. He is in the spiritual energy, not this material energy. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Spiritual energy. And what is the symptom of being in the spiritual energy? Bhajanti: always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So they are mahātmā.

Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974: So anyone who is on the karmī field, he is not jñānī. He is not jñānī or mahātmā. Then who is mahātmā? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante [Bg. 7.19]. After working uselessly for many, many lives like cats and dogs, trees and plants and like that, evolution, when one works for understanding the ultimate goal of life, jñānī... So jñānīs also cannot understand immediately that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal of life. They cannot understand, although it is stated that vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15]. Through the studies of Vedas, what knowledge one should achieve? When one achieves the knowledge that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, that is, I mean to say, perfection of Vedic study. But these so-called jñānīs, they are simply bookworms, simply reading Vedas, four Vedas. And they say, "We are concerned with Vedas. We are not concerned with Kṛṣṇa." So... Just like the yājñika-brāhmaṇa. Yājñika-brāhmaṇa, they were interested in the Vedas, but their wives were interested with Kṛṣṇa. So they got perfection. So in this way, jñānīs... Karmīs are rejected. Karmīs are useless. And jñānīs, when they cultivate knowledge, not in one life... Because immediately they will not accept that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal. They are surprised, "How Kṛṣṇa? He was a cowherd boy, playing with the cows and calves. He can be...? This is māyā." Therefore they are called Māyāvādī. They cannot understand. They cannot understand what is the position of Kṛṣṇa, although they are studying Vedas.

So the jñānīs, who actually... No, I mean to say, jñānīs, they also immediately come. Therefore they have to try to come to this position of understanding Kṛṣṇa, many, many, births, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante [Bg. 7.19], not in one birth. They will have to take birth. Their so-called liberation is not possible, because if you have to take birth, then where is your liberation? There is no liberation. Liberation means no more accepting birth in this material world. That is called liberation. So Bhagavad-gītā says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān. Those who are cultivating knowledge, so there is no mukti. Because they have to take birth again. So in this way, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19], when he actually comes to the knowledge point, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Then vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19]. This is mahātmā, when he understands that Kṛṣṇa is the... Because the perfection of knowledge means to know the ultimate source, athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1], from where everything is emanating. But they do not know. The scientists, philosophers, they do not know. They are simply speculating. That's all. Actually, they do not know. But when one knows, then he is perfect. And what is that knowledge? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19]. That is mahātmā. Again, it is further explained.

Then what is the business of mahātmā? He... Suppose he understands, surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Then what is his business? Simply knowing and surrendering will do? No. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ [Bg. 9.13]. Engaged in service. Not that "I have understood Kṛṣṇa. Let me sit down and sleep now." He is not mahātmā. But vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa ma... [Bg. 7.19]. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ [Bg. 9.13]. Daivī. Daivī means spiritual, spiritual energy. He is in the spiritual energy, not this material energy. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Spiritual energy. And what is the symptom of being in the spiritual energy? Bhajanti: always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So they are mahātmā.

SB Canto 6

Their business is to preach that "Don't keep yourself within this material world. Come to the spiritual world." This is the business of mahātmā.
Lecture on SB 6.2.16 -- Vrndavana, September 19, 1975: On the whole, the conclusion is that anyone who is in this material world, he is a sinful man. Anyone. Otherwise he would not have gotten this material body. Just like anyone who is in the prison house, you can conclude that he is a sinful, criminal man. You do not require to study one after another. Because he is in the prison house you can conclude that "Here is a criminal." Similarly, anyone who is in the material world, he is a criminal. But not the superintendent of jail. You cannot conclude, "Because everyone is in the jail, criminal, therefore the superintendent of jail, he is also criminal." Then you are mistaken. Those who are conducting these sinful men to take them back to home, back to Godhead, he is not criminal. His business is how to release this rascal from this prison house and take him back to home, back to Godhead. So mahad-vicalanaṁ nṛṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasāṁ. Gṛhiṇāṁ. Gṛhi means anyone who is living within this body or anyone who is living within this material world. It is a compact thing. So they are very poor-hearted. They do not know what is the value of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum [SB 7.5.31]. So instead of enlightening them, if mahāt or mahātmā, they keep them in the darkness, that is a great disservice. They must be enlightened. Their business is to preach that "Don't keep yourself within this material world. Come to the spiritual world." This is the business of mahātmā. Mahad-vicalanaṁ nṛṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām. They are very poor knowledge, mūḍha. They have been described as mūḍha, duṣkṛtina. All these men are engaged in sinful activities on account of their ignorance. If you say, "No, how you can say they are in ignorance? There are so many universities. They are passing M.A.C., D.A.C., doctor, Ph.D., and still they are ignorant?" "Yes." "How?" Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā: "The so-called knowledge is taken away by māyā." Otherwise why they are sticking to this material world? If you become enlightened, then you must know that this material world is not for our habitation. We must go back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is preaching that "This is not your home. Don't try to be happy here." Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Bahir, the external energy. They are thinking that "Materially, if we make some arrangement..." Some of them are trying to be happy by scientific improvement or some of them are trying to go to the heavenly planet, and some of them are trying to become this, that, but they do not know that real happiness is to go back to home, back to Godhead. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum [SB 7.5.31]. They do not know that. So this is very important movement, that we are giving them hint and education how to go back to home, back to Godhead.
Page Title:Business of the mahatma
Compiler:Sharmila
Created:23 of Dec, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=3, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:3