People may not misunderstand. Just like we give identification by giving the name of father, mother, similarly, Kṛṣṇa's identification is that He is son of Vasudeva or son of Nanda Mahārāja, friend of Śrīdāmā, Sudāmā, lover of Rādhārāṇī. In so many ways He has got hundreds of thousands of names. So people who protest that God cannot have any name... They say that God cannot have any name. Yes, we agree with them. God cannot have any name. Or God has so many names, how we'll address Him? The śāstra says that He has got many names, but the chief name is Kṛṣṇa. In the Atharva Veda it is said. Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī, Vasudeva. Those who are very much strict to understand everything on the evidence of Veda, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has given them quotation from Vedas, that "In the Vedas, Kṛṣṇa's name is there, His father's name is there." Like that.
Hundreds and thousands (Lectures, SB)
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Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the last contribution of Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is the original compiler of all Vedic literature. So he wrote so many books—all the Vedas, four Vedas, 108 Upaniṣads, eighteen Purāṇas, Mahābhārata. Rāmāyaṇa was compiled before, by Vālmīki. And in Mahābhārata there are 100,000 verses. Similarly, all these books, hundreds and thousands of verses. And the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam contains eighteen thousand verses. So in this way, Vyāsadeva compiled all these books for benefit of the people in this age of Kali. Unfortunately, people are not interested in these literatures. What to speak of other people, even our Indians are not interested. They are making research work, but what is already there by mature research work of Vyāsadeva, they are not interested. That is the misfortune of India. So Vyāsadeva summarized all the Vedic literature in the Vedānta-sūtra. Veda means knowledge; anta means end.
Therefore they are bhukti-kāmīs. Bhoga, material enjoyment. This is called kāmīs. They perform big, big sacrifices, but the goal is "How I shall be elevated to the heavenly planets, Svargaloka. And I shall enjoy there the urvaśīs, nice women, and the nandana-kānana, nice gardens." Actually, in higher planetary systems, the standard of living is very, very high-hundreds and thousands of times better than this planet. Living duration, duration of life, is very great.
So the bhuktīs, they are bhukti-kāmīs. That is kāma. And when they are unable to satisfy the senses by this material enjoyment, they are mukti-kāmīs. That is also kāma. Void. The Buddha philosophy. Mukti, vacant. Mukti, of course, not void. The same thing, in a different name, "Merge into the effulgence of Brahman, and stop my individuality." That is also voidness, zero. I make myself zero. This is another explanation of nirvāṇa, voidism. "Finish everything. You are suffering from fever.
There is no difference. So you may profess any religion. That doesn't matter. You may become Christian, you may become Hindu, you may become Buddhist, you may become Sikh or anyone. There are hundreds and thousands of types of religion. It doesn't matter. But the test is whether you have learned to love God. That is all right. Then it is all right.
That is explained. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). If you have learned to love God, then it doesn't matter what type of religion you are following. The Bhāgavata is very liberal. It does not say it, "If you follow Hindu religion or if you follow this type of religion, then you will understand God." No. Any religion, it doesn't matter. But the test is whether you have advanced in loving God. But if we see that instead of loving God, you are loving something else which is not God... Of course, God is everything. That is another thing. Without God, there cannot be anything. But still, there is the central point. It is described in the Bhagavad-gītā that because everything is the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but everything is not God... That is explained.
You can enquire about God in this human form of life, that's all. Therefore in any civilized society, there is an enquiry of God, that is called religion. One may be, or in degrees there may be different. Just like in India, they are also making inquiry. Not now, not at the present moment. They have given up. But hundreds and thousands of years ago. Not thousand, even two hundred years ago, India was so inquisitive about enquiring about God. Even one Chinese gentleman, he has written one book, philosophical, that is recommended—I forgot the name, title of the book—that is studied in New York University in the religion class. In that book he has written that if you want to know about God, if you want to know about religion, then you must go to India. Yes, that's a fact. Because in no other country the great sages and saintly person engaged themselves so seriously about understanding God. Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra is there.
Find out God. Without God, without the spirit, nothing material can develop. Just like we have got experience, just like father and mother, they unite, there is secretion in the womb. But if there is the spiritual spark... (break) ...becomes pregnant. If the spiritual spark is not there, you can have sex life hundreds and thousands of, but... Therefore the theory, the fact not theory, that unless a spiritual spark enters into the matter, the matter cannot develop. At least we can experience that as soon as the spiritual spark is out of the lump of matter, big elephant, it is dead, finished. Therefore the Vedic injunction that aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35), this big universe is developed because the Karanasaya..., the Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu has entered within this (indistinct).
So the materialistic person, they read the newspaper, but we read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is the difference. We are also reading. They are also reading. So nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ, śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2). Śukadeva Gosvāmī said to Parīkṣit Mahārāja, "My dear king, there are many hundreds and thousands of topics for the materialistic person." Sahasraśaḥ. Sahasraśaḥ means thousands, and that is a fact. So many novels, so many fiction, so many so-called philosophy, newspaper, cinema paper, this paper, that paper, so many. Sahasraśaḥ.
Certainly there is meaning, there is importance of this dhāma. But still, if it is not possible to come here, you can create Vṛndāvana anywhere, provided you are a pure devotee and you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offense. Just like we have got our New Vrindaban. This year we have seen practically how these American boys and girls, hundreds and thousands, always who are remaining, not less than five to seven hundred... And for one week continually, in Janmāṣṭamī, we observed Janmāṣṭamī festival. Actually it was as good as this Vṛndāvana, because the chanting of the holy name was going on and hearing about Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was going on. There was tulasī plants, devotees, śrī-vigraha. Everything was there. So actually, it was replica of Śrī Vṛndāvana.
Without artha, without money, how we can live? That is also explained here, nārthasya dharmaikāntasya kāmo lābhāya hi smṛtaḥ. You require money, that's all right, but not for sense gratification, not for going to the cinema. Here in Bombay city, people are earning money, lots of money, but we see there are lots of cinemas advertised, and people go there—there are hundreds and thousands of cinema houses—and spend their money. They're standing for three hours, four hours to take a ticket for going to the cinema. Therefore actually those who are going to be religious for getting relief from this hard struggle for existence, for them arthasya, you require some artha, money... Nārthasya dharmaikāntasya. If you are actually religious, then your artha should not be spent for sense gratification. Na tasya dharmaikāntasya kāmo lābhāyo hi smṛtaḥ. Kāmaḥ means sense gratification. It should be properly utilized, if you have got money, that you should be properly utilized, not for sense gratification-wine, women, and hotel, and cinema. No.
We have to satisfy our tongue, our senses, but not for indriya prītiḥ. We should eat for living nicely, not for palatable dishes. So many animal killing, unnecessary. Why? Kṛṣṇa has given you so many nice thing—rice, wheat, sugar, milk, fruit, flower, vegetable, and with milk you can get ghee, and you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparation and offer to Kṛṣṇa and take it. Why should you kill so many animals and maintain slaughterhouse for the satisfaction of the tongue? Therefore here it is said, kāmasya, we have some demand for maintaining the body, but not for sense gratification. Kāmasya nendriya prītiḥ. Na indriya prītiḥ. Indriya prītiḥ, if you cannot satisfy your tongue by so many preparation... Hundreds and thousands of preparation can be made from these ingredients-grains, vegetables, fruits, flowers and milk and sugar. Actually we still, in Hindu family, they are preparing so many nice foodstuff.
And we are plural number, nityānām, cetanānām. So the... We are plural number, living entities. But He is singular number. Why? What is the difference between these two nityas and two cetanas? God is not dead stone. God is like you and me. He is a living entity, but the chief living entity, singular number. Just like we have got leader. There are many hundreds and thousands of followers, but there must be one leader. You follow any cult, you have to accept one leader. Either you follow this philosophy, that philosophy, it doesn't matter. But you have to follow a leader. But Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader, leader of the leaders.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjayaḥ (BG 7.7). Leaders there are, gods are, there are. God means controller. There is controller always. So there are many gods. Anyone is god, because he is, somehow or other, he is a controller; a leader also. But we are meaning the supreme leader, the supreme controller. That is Kṛṣṇa. Leader you have to accept.
Because none of us are expert. There must be śruta-gṛhitaya. We must hear about Kṛṣṇa also. Two things must go on parallel lines. If simply speculation goes on, that will not help us, and if simply ringing the bell goes on, and then that will not... That is not. There are temples, many hundreds and thousands, but nobody goes, because there is no śruti, śruta-gṛhitaya. People say, "What is there? They're simply ringing the bell, that's all." So two things must go on: bhaktyā, śruta-gṛhitaya. There must be devotional service, discharge of devotional service as they are prescribed in the śāstra, as they are guided or ordered by the spiritual master—that will go on—at the same time we have to hear, namanta eva, śruti vak-manobhiḥ. In this way, if we live our life, athāto brahma jijñāsā, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā, if you try to understand the Absolute Truth, this is the process. If we follow, then our life is a success.
Kṛṣṇa has given so many nice things. Produce. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Kṛṣṇa never says, māṁsād bhavanti bhūtāni, matsyād bhavanti bhūtāni. Never says. Annād. Anna, anna. Anna means food grain. Produce sufficient food grain. So the... In the village side you go, hundreds and thousands of acres of land is lying vacant. Nobody is interested. Now they are interested (in) opening slaughterhouse. Kill the poor animals and eat, but don't produce food grain. The whole world, this rascaldom is going on. I have traveled over many countries, all over the world. In Africa there are so much vacant land. In Australia there are so much vacant land. But nobody is producing food grains. They, they have kept some cattles, these cows. They are automatically maintained. There is grass. And when they are fatty, take them and send to the slaughterhouse and eat. But the land is lying vacant. The land is lying vacant.
We are now in hazy conclusion, what is our position. We do not know. We do not know what is God, what I am, what is our relationship. Everyone is speculating. There are, therefore, there are so many parties. The jñānī party, the yogi party, the karmī party. Generally... and within each and every party there are hundreds and thousands of parties. So when one actually becomes free from the knot, or the knot is cut off, the attachment for material desires is cut off, at that time, he can understand what is his position, what is his position.
Therefore two things must go on in parallel lines. One side, a person should cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness and, another side, he should try to give up all the unwanted things. That will help him. You cannot continue both the things. Just like when a person is diseased, he's given medicine. At the same time, he has to act, not to take this, not to take that. That is the way of treatment.
He taught us like that. And these rascals, they're declaring: "I am God. I am Kṛṣṇa." "I am God, I am Kṛṣṇa."
So only the rascals will follow such rascals. A man is known by his company. God has become so cheap. God, they, there are incarnation, there are hundreds and thousands of incarnation, but to accept that incarnation, we have to follow the direction of the śāstra. The śāstra, in every incarnation is described there, His symptoms are described there. When Rāmacandra is described, He is... What did He do, that is also given there. Even Lord Buddha's activities are there in the śāstra—He's accepted an incarnation. Kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati. Lord Kṛṣṇa's, Lord Balarāma. Everything is described there—Lord Caitanya. So we have to accept one incarnation with reference to the description given in the śāstra. Not that any rascal comes and he becomes incarnation and we accept. No. There are incarnations. That is a fact. As it is said: deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu, hundreds and thousands of incarnations.
After a few days, so many trees will fall, all the leaves will fall down. Again in April, immediately, millions of leaves will grow, immediately, all. If you have to manufacture these leaves, one after another, and set up in the tree, just see, how much difficult it will be. But by the laws of nature, by God's energy, immediately, within a few days, millions of trees are getting their leaves again and millions of trees, they are falling. Millions of fruits are coming out. Similarly, all this cosmic manifestation came into existence simply by the will of God. Not that... Just like in season, there are hundreds and thousands and millions of fruits. You haven't got to create each fruit. When the season is there, the fruits are all ready, immediately. Similarly, when God says, "Let there be creation," millions of planets, immediately created. That is God. Not that cheap God, "I am God." In your country they come, and you become cheated. We don't accept such cheap God. We want this God. Simply by His will, millions of universes are created.
By nature, there is arrangement, foodstuff. The cows, the other animals, they are eating grass. There is profuse growth of grass. So they are not eating your nice foodstuff, sandeśa, rasagullā. You are making sandeśa, rasagullā from the milk which they deliver. They are eating grass and delivering you nice foodstuff, milk. And from the milk, you can make hundreds and thousands of nice, nutritious, full of vitamin foodstuff. But no. We are so fool that instead of utilizing the milk, we are utilizing the blood. You see?
These rascals, the scientists, they do not know that milk is nothing but transformation of the blood. That everyone knows. So if you want to... That is nature's way, by God's will, that a cow gives forty pounds, fifty pounds milk daily, but it does not drink. Although it is her milk, no, it gives you, human society: "You take. But don't kill me. Let me live. I am eating only grass." Just see. And the civilized men killing them, killing them. And they want peace. Just see the fun.
That means intelligence is strength, not this bodily. Buddhir yasya balaṁ tasya. Anyone who has got intelligence, he has got strength. Just like by intelligence, they have discovered the nuclear weapon. By dropping a nuclear weapon hundreds and thousands of soldiers can be killed. There is no more need of maintaining a huge army. So many men now released. Those who have got atomic bomb... At least, I know in Russia, they know, "We have got atomic bomb. What is the use of maintaining such a huge army? Let them work for other production."
So it is intelligence, that work. So how much intelligence has got God, we can imagine. If we, our teeny brain, we are so intelligent... But unfortunately the rogues, having got a brain from God, they are denying God. Just see. The rascal does not consider that "I am working with my brain. That's nice. I have got a very good brain."
We are already experiencing. Now a new law has been passed in India that nobody can keep property more than five to seven lakhs of rupees. So people's incentive to earn money is now being cut down. Formerly it was freedom that you can earn your money as much as you like. Now if you think that "I will earn money, hundreds and thousands of money," but what is the use? The government will take away. That means you will be lazy. The economic development will be checked. Because one who works so hard for economic development because he is under the inspiration that "The more I earn, I will be able to enjoy more." But when this impression is given that "More we earn, it will be taken by government, and I will not be able to enjoy it," naturally he will not work.
So there are so many difficulties. But these difficulties will increase. It will not decrease. They are making so many plans to minimize the difficulties. But actually, because they are fools and rogues, they cannot make anything improvement.
That is mahātmā. That is explained in the Bhagavad... So we, the people gave a title, this Gandhi, a politician. His business was how to get independence politically. He was given the title mahātmā. So this mahātmā, when there was meeting, hundreds of thousand people gathered. But no... Actually, there are persons in India who are called sādhus, sādhu-samāja. A great number. Not, I mean to say, a small number. They are three million in India still. There is statistics. Three millions persons who are in renounced order of... Sādhu, they are called sādhu. They do not come. So these three millions mahātmās, those who are engaged, they may be, some of them may be impersonalists, some of them may be yogis, some of them are devotees. That doesn't matter, because they are also engaged in understanding the Absolute Truth. The impersonalist, they're in the beginning stage, but they are not materialists. They are not materialists.
We are trying to adjust things according to the dictation of māyā, that we shall be able to stop our struggle for existence in this way and that way. That is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). If you make some plan... You can make plan, but that plan will never be successful. This is the... By false understanding we may make hundreds and thousands of plan to be happy in this material world. That is not possible. This is therefore called sammohito, bewildered. Yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. Ātmānam, himself, he is thinking that he is a material product. Tri-guṇa. Sattva, rajas, tamo-guṇa. Somebody is thinking, "I am very good man. I am very honest man. I am very qualified man." That is also false identification. And somebody is thinking, "I can do this. I can do that. I am so powerful. Who is equal to me?" Passion. That is also māyā's dictation. And somebody is lazy, sleeping, does not understand anything—tamo-guṇa. That is also tri-guṇātmakam, within this tri-dhāma.
We were discussing this verse yesterday. Anartha. This anartha means this material civilization. There is no need, and still we have accepted it. That is called anartha, meaningless. So there are hundreds and thousands of anarthas, as it is stated that śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2). Sahasraśaḥ means thousands and thousands. Because we have created anartha, unnecessary necessities of life, therefore we have to know, we have to learn, we have to teach so many unwanted... Just like there is a problem now, especially in the Western countries, unwanted population. They do not want, but it is increasing. Similarly, unwanted necessities. This is called anartha. Simple thing. Just like we require some food. That is essential. We cannot live without taking food. That is not possible. So Kṛṣṇa is giving very simple formula, that annād bhavanti bhūtāni. If there is sufficient quantity of anna, or eatables, then people become very nice, well-satisfied, either animal or man. If he can eat sufficiently, he's satisfied. So annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Bhavanti means flourish. He becomes healthy, he becomes strong, and he can think nicely, he can work nicely.
Kṛṣṇa says, "My devotee, with affection," yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry. Kṛṣṇa has not come to you for accepting your offering because He is hungry. No. He is not hungry. He is self-complete, and in the spiritual world He is served, lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam, He is served by hundreds and thousands of goddess of fortune. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind, because if you are seriously lover of Kṛṣṇa, He is here to accept your patraṁ puṣpam. Even you are the poorest of the poor, He will accept whatever you can collect—a little leaf, a little water, a little flower. Any part of the world, anybody can secure and offer to Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa, I have nothing to offer You, I am very poor. Please accept this." Kṛṣṇa will accept. Kṛṣṇa says, tad aham aśnāmi, "I eat." So main thing is bhakti, affection, love.
Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).
So vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, this is not main business. For killing the demons, one cyclone wind is sufficient. If Kṛṣṇa orders Varuṇa that "You make a heavy cyclone in this quarter," hundreds and thousands of demons will be killed within a second. So this is not the purpose, for... He does not come for killing. But because killing business is another business, when He comes to protect the devotees, so He automatically, there are some demons: "Kill them also." Just like you go somewhere. Now, your not business to purchase something, but when you see, "Oh, it is nice. It is cheap price. All right, purchase it." So you did not go to a friend's place to make some business, but when you see, sometimes you do that. Similarly, it is not Kṛṣṇa's business. That, Kṛṣṇa has got many, many agents. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44).
As much potency in that seed... Where is that scientist? Just prepare a seed in which there is a big, gigantic banyan tree. Where is your science? But that is not possible. Kṛṣṇa says, bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām: (Bg 7.10) "I am that seed." So anyone can appreciate. Suppose you... The banyan seed, you have seen the fig fruit. There are hundreds and thousands of seeds. And each seed, there is a banyan tree. Each seed. If you simply study a fig of banyan tree, you can study the whole cosmic manifestation. If you simply think over... This is a small seed, insignificant. And there are millions of seeds like that, millions of fruits. And each seed containing the potency of fructifying into big banyan tree. So who has made it? How much His brain is sharp that He has made it? It is, it is, it is done by brain. It has not come out automatically. This is rascaldom. Whatever... What is coming, rascaldom... No. There is brain. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The Vedānta-sūtra says that everything is coming from Him, coming from His brain. Big brain. Kṛṣṇa has got big brain.
It is said, if you chant thousand times Lord Viṣṇu's name, then the result is equal to once chanting Lord Rāma's name... I forget that, to recite that verse. But the purpose is this that... Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma is recommended to be chanted by common man. But śāstra says that after chanting one thousand of Lord Viṣṇu's name—there are hundreds and thousands of names—it is equal to if you chant once Lord Rāma's name. Similarly, if you chant three times Lord Rāma's name, then it is equal to once chanting Kṛṣṇa's name. So we understand or not understand, if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, the result is there. Without any offense, if we chant, then the result is... Once chanting of Kṛṣṇa's name is so powerful that immediately the chanting makes you free from all kinds of reaction of sinful activities. Eka kṛṣṇa-nāme yata pāpa hare, pāpī haya tata pāpa kari bare nare(?). The pāpīs, they are very much expert in committing sinful activities, but Kṛṣṇa, this holy name, once chanted, is so powerful that this expert sinful man cannot commit so many sinful activities. This is there. So some way or other, if we offenselessly chant Hare Kṛṣṇa name, it is so powerful.
He can be everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-ca... So that Paramātmā, or the Supersoul, is equal with Kṛṣṇa. Not anything else equal with Kṛṣṇa, but the Paramātmā is equal with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore by His expansion, He agreed to become son of Devakī, and there may be hundreds and thousands of Devakī, devotees. He is unlimited. His devotees are unlimited. Their demands are unlimited.
So everything is Kṛṣṇa's unlimited. So therefore all-unlimited means Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive. That is the real name of God, if God can be given one name. Because God has no name, but His names are given according to His activities. Then how to concentrate in one name? That one name is Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive. That is the real name of Kṛṣṇa.
So in Calcutta also, the... There are so many jute mills and factories on the riverside. All the night soil, they are thrown into the Ganges. So still the Ganges is so powerful that it keeps clear. Hundreds and thousands people, still they take bath in the Ganges, and they keep very good health, those who are taking bath regularly in the Ganges. And cities and towns, there must be a river. In India, you'll find, all the important cities in India, they are on the bank of the Ganges, on the bank of the Yamunā, on the bank of the Narmadā, Kṛṣṇā, Kāverī, like that, all the important cities. And Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that "Don't go to a town and city where there is no river and where there is no friend and there is no temple. Don't go to that city. If there is no river, no friend and no temple, then that is... A great city is a great forest." So that is forbidden.
So Govinda..., so what is the business of Govinda? Now, go-dvija-surārti-harāvatāra (SB 1.8.43). Surārti, go. This demonic world is the greatest enemy of cows. Just see how they are maintaining hundreds and thousands of slaughterhouse. Hundreds and thousands of slaughterhouse. Innocent animals, giving you milk, the most important foodstuff. Even after death, it is giving you its skin for your shoes, and you are so rascal that you are killing. And you want to be happy in this world. You see? How sinful they are! They have no consideration that this animal... Why cow protection is so much advocated? Because it is very, very important. Therefore... There is no such injunction that "You don't eat the flesh of the tiger." You can eat. Because those who are meat eaters, those who are meat eaters, they have been recommended to eat the flesh of goats or other lower animals—sometimes dogs also, they eat, or the hogs—you can eat.
He should be enthroned on the kingdom of whole world." Formerly Bhāratavarṣa meant this whole planet, not this small tract of land. Now it is called India. But the Bhāratavarṣa means the whole planet, this planet. There was one flag. Up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit there was one flag, not like at present there are hundreds and thousands of flags. You Americans, you know. In New York, when we pass through that United Nation building, we see so many flags are there. They are united, but everywhere the flag is increasing, disunited. Not like that. Actually, by monarchy, the pious king, there was unity all over the world. All over the world. And in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra it was a family fight, so all the kings of different parts of the world, they joined this side or that side. That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. So... But still, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira did not like that so many people would be killed for the sake of enthroning him, but Kṛṣṇa desired. Kṛṣṇa desired.
The whole time is wasted. When they will think of "No, the people are suffering for want of food. The people are suffering for unnecessary increase of price, although things are available in the black market. How to manage this?" That is the duty of the government first. But nobody is caring. Hundreds and thousands of people are starving, unemployment, but they are getting their fat salary, and they are satisfied. Bring income tax and divide amongst themselves, that's all.
So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not that type of king. Therefore he is known as Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, most pious king. So he was now sorry, and prabodhito 'pi, prabodhito 'pi. He was trying to pacify Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, "Don't be sorry. It is done for the sake of good cause for establishing dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, so don't be sorry," but still, he could not be pacified. Śucārpitaḥ. Śucā means distress. He was so much distressed within his mind that he could not be satisfied.
Sometimes we do not think that. So why, from material point of view, if the body does not belong to me, why shall I commit so many sinful activities for others?
So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is repentant that pārakyasyaiva dehasya bahvyo me 'kṣauhiṇīr hatāḥ: "Many hundreds and thousands of soldiers, horses, elephants, men we have killed." Akṣauhiṇī, there is a calculation 64,000 elephants, 64,000 horses and 64,000, like that. Exactly I cannot, but some of the items are 64,000. Chariots. One... Nowadays it is called exactly? A group of soldiers? What is called?
Still, although we are put into this prison house, all these rebelled souls, this prison house, this material world, is only one fourth of Kṛṣṇa's creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Ekāṁśena. The three-fourths part of His creation is the spiritual world. Just imagine, this ekāṁśa. Ekāṁśa means not only this one universe. There are many hundreds and thousands of universes like this. This is one of them. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that this universe is just like a mustard seed in the bag of mustard seeds. You just imagine in a bag how many mustard seeds you can pack. Unlimited. You cannot count. Mustard seed within a bag, two and a half mounds weight. Can you count? No, it is not possible. Similarly all these universes, material universes, each of them is compared with a mustard seed, and this universe which we experience is one of the mustard seeds within the bag of mustard seeds. And all these material universes combined together, aggregate, is one fourth creation of Kṛṣṇa.
Being a mahājana, it is the duty of Yamarāja to preach the cult of devotion to the people of the world as Nārada, Brahmā and other mahājanas do. But Yamarāja is always busy in his plutonic kingdom, punishing the doers of sinful acts. Yamarāja is deputed by the Lord to a particular planet some hundreds of thousands of miles away from this planet." That is mentioned. He has got a different planet, where the criminals are taken away after death, and he gives the judgment, what kind of body he will have. And not like the theosophists' thinking, "Now I have got human body. It is permanent settlement." No, that is not permanent settlement. According to one's work... Work means all sinful acts. Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, anyone who acts, he acts sinfully. There is no doubt of it. Because he is acting for sense gratification, and sense gratification means almost 99.9% all sinful activities. Duṣkṛtinaḥ. It is very risky job. Unless you act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). This is the stringent law of the nature, that you have to act only for Yajña, for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu.
This is the stringent law of the nature, that you have to act only for Yajña, for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. Otherwise, you will be entangled. And who is serving Kṛṣṇa? Nobody is serving Kṛṣṇa. So everyone is being entangled. This is the material world.
(reads:) "Yamarāja is deputed by the Lord to a particular planet, some hundreds of thousands of miles away from the planet of earth, to take away the corrupt souls after death and convict them in accordance with their respective sinful activities. Thus, Yamarāja has very little time to take leave from his responsible office of punishing the wrongdoers. There are more wrongdoers than righteous men. Therefore Yamarāja has to do (more) work than other demigods who are also authorized agents of the Supreme Lord. But he wanted to preach the glories of the Lord, and therefore, by the will of the Lord, he was cursed by Maṇḍūka Muni to come into the world in the incarnation of Vidura and work very hard as a great devotee."
The story is that Yadu-vaṁśa, the dynasty of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa had 16,108 wives, and each wife had ten sons, and each son had another ten sons. In this way the whole family was composed of hundreds and thousands of men, Yadu dynasty. And when Kṛṣṇa came, so to assist Him, all these demigods, they came to help Him, līlā. Just like if you play something dramatic, you require so many assistants, so when Kṛṣṇa comes, those who are devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they also come to assist Him. Somebody becomes His father, somebody His mother, somebody His friend, somebody His wife, somebody His son, some grandson, like that. So when Kṛṣṇa wanted to depart from this planet, He wanted to take away all others also along with Him. So these are simply material, external causes. Actual fact is Kṛṣṇa, as He went away, He wanted to take all the associates under different pleas.
Pradyumna: "The most part of our ignorance is our identifying this material body with the self. Everything in relation with the body is ignorantly accepted as our own. Doubts due to misconceptions of 'myself' and 'mine,' in other words, 'my body,' 'my relatives,' 'my property,' 'my wife,' 'my wealth,' 'my country,' 'my community' and hundreds of thousands of similar illusory contemplations, cause bewilderment for the conditioned soul."
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is our ignorance. Just like this example is given in the śāstra that the river waves are flowing, water is flowing, and by the combination of the waves many straws come together at one time, and, after some time, again they are distributed, thrown here and there. We have got everyone experience. Similarly, in this material world everyone of us we have gathered together like the straws. Actually we are under the waves of the material nature. So, when we gather together, we make a community that "We are Americans," that "We are Indians," that "We are this," "We are that," "We are family..." That is exactly like that. By chance we meet together; again, by the waves of the nature, we are separated. No more son, no more country, no more... Everything's finished. This is going on. But so long we've gathered together, we take it very seriously. We forget that at any moment we'll be kicked out of this gathering. That is ignorance. They do not try to understand what is our real position.
Nowadays the trade is that you take as much milk as you can, and then kill the animal and sell the flesh to other countries. That is going on. No. Go-rakṣya. Go-rakṣya. Cow protection is very, very essential in human society because it gives the milk, the miracle food. You can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparation, all not only delicious, but brain-maintaining. You can get good brain. Therefore go-rakṣya, cow protection is especially recommended, not that animal protection. If you want to eat meat, you can eat many other animals. There are. But don't eat the cows. This is Vedic civilization. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Paricaryātmakaṁ kāryaṁ śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam. And those who are neither brāhmaṇa... They have no brain to become brāhmaṇa or to become kṣatriya or vaiśya, they are called śūdras. And śūdra's business is to serve the other upper three classes, laborer, worker classes, and satisfied with some service.
Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. If you request that "Now my age is, say, seventy-eight years." If I request somebody that "I will give you millions of dollars, make my life seventy-seven years," that is not possible. Not seventy-seven years, even a moment. Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that every moment of life is so valuable that you cannot get back it even offering hundreds and thousands and millions of dollars. That is not possible.
So if that moment is wasted for nothing, just imagine what is your loss. A thing which you cannot get back by paying millions of dollars, if that is lost unnecessarily, so how much loss you are suffering just imagine. This is material calculation. Why we keep some valuable things, some jewel, very carefully? Because we know, "If I lose this jewel, I will lose so much money." Similarly, we should always consider that. The modern civilization, rascal civilization, they do not know how to utilize life.
I mean, the flesh of pig. Just like the Hindus, they do not eat the flesh of cow, similarly, this flesh of pig is hārāma. So he did not mean Rāma. He wanted to say, "Condemned. This boar is condemned, hārāma." But he got the result of chanting hā rāma, hā rāma, "O my Lord Rāmacandra." He got the result.
So the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa... There are hundreds and thousands of names of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So any name, if you chant, you get the result. That is the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. The person, Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His name, they are identical. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's, this is instruction. If we chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, that is not different. That is Kṛṣṇa absolutism. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's form here, they are not different. Kṛṣṇa's form can give you the same result as He can do being personally present. That is Kṛṣṇa's absolutism. So nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ.
So who is maintaining them? Who is there? Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Even if within your room, there is a little hole, sometimes you'll find thousands of ants coming out. Have you got this experience? And who is feeding them? Who is supplying them food? They are living within that hole, millions, and hundreds and thousands of ants, but they're also eating, they're also sleeping, they have got their wife, they have got their children. But who is supplying food? So in this way, if you analyze that everything is being maintained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is real understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how Kṛṣṇa is great, or God is great. So that is a real civilization of life, to understand, to appreciate, to appreciate the greatness of God. That is real civilization.
So, there is a process how to appreciate, how to become qualified to appreciate, and that system is called varṇāśrama-dharma, to divide the whole human society into four classes of men: the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra.
Again this verse (repeats again with devotees). So we discussed which verse? Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2). This verse we discussed yesterday, that "Those who are materialistic persons, they have got hundreds and thousands of topics," and, although we are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because we are in the material world, sometimes we have to deal with many unnecessary talks. But mind that our unnecessary talks and others' unnecessary talks are not the same, because we sometimes talk unnecessarily, but the aim is Kṛṣṇa. Just like Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.
"Because you are best of the kings." Generally, people are not interested. Or course, in those days, everyone was interested. But he was the most interested-rājendra. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇām (SB 2.1.2). Nṛṇām means ordinary human beings, mostly engaged in the bodily concept of life or mental speculation, nṛṇām. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ, they have got hundreds and thousands of subject matters because they are not conversant with the ātma-tattva. But those who are interested in real ātma-tattva, they are busy in understanding... Not understanding. Busy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So that, our aim is how to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. And to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, the examples are the Gosvāmīs. Just like śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha, śrī-jīva gopāla-bhaṭṭa dāsa-raghunātha gosvāmīs. We are followers of the Gosvāmīs. But these Gosvāmīs are not these titular gosvāmīs. You should understand. The titular gosvāmīs are different. They are making a profession of gosvāmī.
So the purpose was that this material world is only a manifestation, exhibition, of one-fourth energy of Kṛṣṇa. And within this material world, there are so many universes. And each and every universe, there are so many planets. So this is one of the planets, in which we are living. And in this planet, there are so many cities-Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Delhi, Paris, London, and so many, hundreds and thousands. And each and every city, there are newspapers. And each newspaper is publishing three, four editions daily. So this is the most insignificant planet. Still, there are so many news to hear. Therefore it is said here, śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ: (SB 2.1.2) "Millions and millions, subject matter for hearing." This is a fact. Every paper is publishing three, four editions daily, especially in the Western countries. So if they have got so much news in the material world in this insignificant planet, just imagine how much news are there in the three-fourths' manifestation of His energy.
Paśyan means although he is seeing every day, every moment. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was quested by Yamarāja, "What is the most wonderful thing in this world? Can you say?" Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira immediately replied. What is that? Ahany ahani bhūtāni gacchantīha yamālayam: "Every moment, every second, every day, every night, there are so many hundreds and thousands of living entities, they are going to the temple of death, or dying." Ahany ahani bhūtāni gacchantīha yamālayaṁ śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti. "But one who is living, he is thinking that 'I will not die. I will live for good.' That is the most wonderful thing in this world." Nobody is taking experience that "I will have to meet death. And what is next after death? What I was before my birth? Why I am here? Why I am struggling so hard? I want to be happy. I want to be peaceful. Why there is no peace? Why there is no happiness? Why these things? Why I am put into this...?" These are called ātma-tattvam. These are called brahma-jijñāsā. If a man is not enlightened to this point of inquiring of this, "What? What I am? Wherefore I am come? What is this world? What is this body? Why I am getting old? Why I am getting diseased?" So many "whys" there are. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. But they are pramatta, they are mad after the struggle for existence, although they know nothing will exist, it has come just like a flash, and it will end like a flash. Then what is the actual platform of my life, my living condition? They do not inquire. They do not inquire.
So for them, these foolish persons, those who are not seeing the actual position, constitutional position of the soul and the future of the soul, for them there are many topics, unlimited. Śrotavya, sahasrāni, hundreds and thousands. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). This śloka we have discussed. And what is their subject matter of discussion? The subject matter is that nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ (SB 2.1.3). At night they sleep or indulge in sex life, and in daytime, divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā, and the daytime is wasted, "Where is money? Where is money." And if he gets money, "How to purchase this thing for that boy? How to purchase for my wife and for my brother?" Kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā. "Purchase this. Where is milk? Where is rice? Where is...?" In this way we are wasting time, although this human form of life is meant for Brahman realization.
Kṛṣṇa says, "Give me patraṁ puṣpam, vegetables, flowers, grains, milk." So you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparations from these article, and you take the remnants of foodstuffs of Kṛṣṇa, that is human life. Not to eat kadarya, kadarya, nasty things. That is not human life. So if you continue to eat all the kadaryas, then you get ultimately the body of a hog, no discrimination even for stool. That is the laws of nature.
Bhārata. We are all inhabitants of Bhāratavarṣa, but as we lost our culture, it became divided. Now it is divided into so many countries: "This is India," "This is France," "This is Germany," "This is this," "This is this." But formerly, the whole planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. One culture, Vedic culture, one flag. Now they have increased hundreds and thousands of flags. So actually, if you want United Nations, unity, then you must take this culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, again to become Bhārata. That will save the situation.
This one culture means politically, one flag; religiously, one God, Kṛṣṇa; and to understand Kṛṣṇa, one scripture, Bhagavad-gītā; and one work, one work: simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So this is oneness. And if you want at least to become free from all fearful condition, then you should always memorize or remember: Whom? Sarvātmā. Sarvātmā means one who is the living force of everyone. He is called sarvātmā. There is living force. I have got living force, you have got living force, everyone.
So this is the defect of modern civilization, that the whole society is being governed by cats and dogs, actually. So how there can be any peace and prosperity? It is not possible. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ.
Blind man leading other blind men. If one has eyes to see, he can lead hundreds and thousands of men, "Please come along with me. I shall cross the road." But if the man leading, he is himself blind, how he can lead others? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. So Bhāgavata, there is no comparison. There cannot be. It is transcendental science. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Īśa-tantryām, these blind leaders, they are bound up by the laws of material nature, and they are giving advice. What advice they can give? Then? Go on.
If the money is given in charity to a non-brāhmaṇa without brahminical qualification, the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated brāhmaṇa, even then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brāhmaṇa, the money is returned a hundred and thousand times, and if the money is given to a veda-pāraga, one who has actually realized the path of the Vedas, it is returned by unlimited multiplication.
The ultimate end of Vedic knowledge is to realize the Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). There is guarantee of money being returned if given in charity regardless of the proportion. Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life for returning home back, to Godhead. Mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate.
Consequently there are many problems multiplied by various plans of modernized man. The plans for solving the problems of society have only aggravated the troubles. Even if it is possible to prolong life more than 100 years, advancement of human civilization does not necessarily follow. The Bhāgavatam says that certain trees live for hundreds and thousands of years. At Vṛndāvana there is a tamarind tree. The place is known as Imlitala, which is said to be existing since the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the Calcutta Botanical Garden there is a banyan tree said to be older than 500 years, and there are many such trees all over the world. Svāmī Śaṅkarācārya lived only 32 years, and Lord Caitanya lived 48 years.
One may doubt that trees have life because they do not breathe, but modern scientists like Bose have already proved that there is life in plants, so breathing is no sign of actual life. The Bhāgavatam says that the bellows of the blacksmith breathe very soundly, but that does not mean that the bellows has life.
Consequently there are many problems, multiplied by various plans of modernized man. The plans for solving the problems of society have only aggravated the troubles. Even if it is possible to prolong life more than one hundred years, advancement of human civilization does not necessarily follow. The Bhāgavatam says that certain trees live for hundreds and thousands of years. At Vṛndāvana there is a tamarind tree (the place is known as Imlitala) which is said to have existed since the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the Calcutta Botanical Garden there is a banyan tree said to be older than five hundred years, and there are many such trees all over the world. Svāmī Śaṅkarācārya lived only thirty-two years, and Lord Caitanya lived forty-eight years. Does it mean that the prolonged lives of the abovementioned trees are more important than Śaṅkara or Caitanya? Prolonged life without spiritual value is not very important. One may doubt that trees have life because they do not breathe. But modern scientists like Bose have already proved that there is life in plants, so breathing is no sign of actual life. The Bhāgavatam says that the bellows of the blacksmith breathes very soundly, but that does not mean that the bellows has life.
Repeat it. (Devotees say the verse.) So aśītim means eighty. Aśītiṁ caturaḥ. Caturaḥ means four. So eighty-four. Eighty plus four means eighty-four. Lakṣāṁs. Lakṣāṁs means hundreds of thousand. So eighty-four hundreds of thousands. Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu. Jīva-jāti. This is different species of living entities. Jīva-jāti. The hog species, the ass species, the dog species, just like they have got species. Jīva-jātiṣu. So in different species of living entities, they are counted, eighty-four hundreds of thousands, or 8,400,000. Bhramadbhiḥ. Bhramadbhiḥ means transmigrating, wandering one after another. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. There are 900,000 species within the water.
That is the duty of a pure devotee who has actually heard about them from the perfect sources. Many want to speak something to others, but because they are not trained to speak on the subject matter of Vedic wisdom they are all speaking nonsense, and people are receiving them with no sense. There are hundreds and thousands of sources for distributing mundane news of the world, and people of the world are also receiving it. Similarly, the people of the world should be taught to hear the transcendental topics of the Lord, and the devotee of the Lord must speak loudly so that they can hear. The frogs loudly croak, with the result that they invite the snakes to eat them. The human tongue is especially given for chanting the Vedic hymns and not for croaking like frogs. The word asatī used in this verse is also significant. Asatī means a woman who has become a prostitute. A prostitute has no reputation for good womanly qualities.
That is the duty of a pure devotee who has actually heard about them from perfect sources. Many may want to speak something to others, but because they are not trained up to speak on the subject matter of Vedic wisdom, they are all speaking nonsense, and the people are receiving them with no sense. There are hundreds and thousands of sources for distributing mundane news of the world, and people of the word are also receiving them. Similarly, the people of the world should be taught to hear the transcendental topics of the Lord, and the devotee of the Lord must speak loudly so that they can hear. The frogs loudly croak, with the result that they invite the snakes to eat them. The human tongue is especially meant for chanting the Vedic hymns and not for croaking like the frogs. The word asatī used in this verse is also significant.
So why God should be restricted to beget only one son? I asked this question in church to some Christian priest, that "God is limited or unlimited?" He said, "Unlimited." "Then why you are restricting, limited one son?" He could not answer. You know that? Why you are limiting? He is unlimited. The ordinary person can beget hundreds of thousands. Why God, unlimited, He should be restricted to one son? The interpretation should be... Anyway, that Tulasī dāsa says that if he is devotee, then he is son. Otherwise it is urine. The God has begotten many sons... Just like... The only worthy son was Jesus Christ—you can interpret it like that—because he was giving service to the Lord, to the father. He brought the message of father.
So our interpretation is like that, not that God has got only one son, but he is the only worthy son. All are mut. Anyone who is not God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, mut put(?). Then? Read the purport.
So similarly, some time before, some hundreds and thousands of years, Kapiladeva appeared, devahūti-putra Kapiladeva. His father's name is Kardama Muni. So after Kapiladeva's birth, when He was grown up... That is the system of Vedic civilization. When children are grown up, the father retires. He takes sannyāsa, or goes out of home simply for cultivating spiritual life, not that throughout the whole life, rot in this material world, no. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. That is the injunction of the śāstra. We have got eight kinds of āśrama, er, four kinds of āśrama and four kinds of varṇas. So the... Formerly they used to follow very strictly. So Kapiladeva's father, Kardama Muni, after the son was grown up, he left his home, giving in charge of his wife. The wife was given in charge of the grown-up boy, not that the boy was in charge of the..., no. So that incident, that narration, is stated in this part.
Similarly, we also, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, mamaivāṁśo jīva... (BG 15.7), we want ānanda. So ānanda cannot be in impersonalism, or voidism. That is not possible. Ānanda means varieties. When you get varieties of foodstuff, made of the same ingredient—same, I mean to say, grains, or milk and sugar—but we can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparations... At least, hundred preparations, and we enjoy: this is peṛā, this is baraphi, this is kṣīra, this is rābṛi, this is dahi, and so many things. So variety is required. Variety is required. So therefore the last word of tattva-jñāna is to understand Kṛṣṇa, who is full of variety.
So here Kapiladeva is tattva-mārga, tattva-mārga-agra-darśanam. So Kapiladeva is the incarnation of Supreme Personality of Godhead. He would explain to His mother. That we shall read from the next verse, what is tattva and how we can approach the tattva-jñāna and how we can enjoy. Not that simply dry speculation. Dry speculation.
Just like in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated, cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). Now, apart from Brahma-saṁhitā, we have heard, devotees have heard, that Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana used to go with His cowherd boyfriends in the pasturing ground. So hundreds and thousands of devotees are there in Vṛndāvana. They have not seen, but they have heard. They have not practically seen, but they have heard only. And they have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa with His boys, cowherd boys, or gopī friends. So a devotee can see and hear and immediately realize Kṛṣṇa. That is possible because he has developed love. Premāñjana-cchurita.
Unless one is advanced in kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot see. He cannot understand. There is another verse in the Śrīmad... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). So these blunt senses...
Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam. There is a feather of peacock, asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam, His complexion is like black cloud but very, very beautiful. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam, kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya. He is so beautiful that more attractive than many, many hundreds and thousands of Cupid. Kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham bhajāmi (Bs. 5.30). This is the Govinda's description. There are so many descriptions.
So this is spiritual varieties. Material varieties cannot give us full satisfaction. Therefore you want change. Change, another change, another change. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Here in the material world we are simply chewing the chewed. Once chewed and thrown it away, again somebody is coming chewing. So spiritual variety is not like that. Spiritual varieties is ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. The more you are attached to spiritual variety, it is just like ocean.
Although this Kali-yuga is full of faulty things, everyone is embarrassed with so many difficulties, still, very easy metho..."
This is spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī after describing the faults of Kali-yuga. There are many, many hundreds and thousands of faults. People will suffer. They are all described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. People's intelligence, bodily strength, mercifulness—everything will be reduced. And so many things are described. Some of them are very prominent even at the present moment. Just like in the Kali-yuga, it is stated lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam: "People will think by keeping long hairs they will become beautiful." Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. So that is very visible now, especially in the Western countries. They keep very long hairs. Dāmpatye ratim eva hi: "Marriage, husband and wife, they will be simply by agreement." Nowadays that is happening. You go to a marriage-maker and agree, and marriage is finished. Not like before.
If we hear about Kṛṣṇa...Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. You remain in your position. Don't change. Either you are brāhmaṇa or śūdra or gṛhastha or sannyāsī, it doesn't matter. But you hear about Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. This is the first-class process.
So we are opening hundreds and thousands... Not thousands, we have opened about 102 centers all over the world. But we want to open thousands. But we are in need of assistance. But nobody is coming. Anyway, the Europeans, Americans, some of them have joined. Still, we required many thousands because Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma: He wants to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement not in this city or that city but nagarādi grāma. Just like here we have opened a center in Gandhigram. But in Bombay such hundreds and thousands centers can be opened. It is so big city. Similarly, there are other cities. It is required. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.
So the sun planet is also material planet like this earthly planet, but it is made of fire. Just like there are so many things we have got experience. There is water, sea. There also, living being, aquatics. They are not dying. But if you are thrown into the water, you will die. But that does not mean that in the water there is no living being. There is. There are hundreds and thousands. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. We are the men population. We are only 400,000. And in the water there are 900,000's, aquatics. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁś... Everything is there is the śāstras. So... But you cannot live within the... You have got a separate body. Similarly, these so-called scientists, they are thinking that nobody can live in the sun planet. "There is no life." That is wrong. They have got a separate type of body—they can live in the fire. That is the information. There is also towns. There is also palaces. Everything is there. But they are made of fire. We cannot understand that. In the fire you cannot live. In the water you cannot live. But there are living entities. Just like you see in the beach there are crabs.
So on the day of ceremony, so he went to the forest again and called Dīnabandhu dādā, and He gave him a small pot of dahi, yogurt, a small pot. Oh, he was a child. He did not know. And the..., he brought it to the teacher, "Now, this is my contribution. My Dīnabandhu brother has given. So you take." "The hundreds and thousands of people will be given foodstuff and this much dahi?" He became very angry. He became angry, he did not care, and the pot fell down, and the yogurt also fell down. But after some time, when he came, he saw that although the yogurt has fallen down, the pot is full. Then he again dropped it; again it is full. He dropped it; again it is full. Then he could understand it is spiritual. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). You take the whole thing; still, the whole thing is there. That is Kṛṣṇa. Not that because you have taken something, one minus one equal to zero. No. In the spiritual world, one minus one equal to one. And one plus one equal to one.
Then once he went to London, so he saw that the servant is not there. The paṇḍita says, "Where is your servant?" He says, "What is the use of servant? I have no, nothing to do. I do it personally." "No, no. I wanted that an Englishman should be your servant." So he has to pay for it. This is an example. I have got hundreds and thousands of servants who I haven't got to pay. This is spiritual relationship. This is spiritual relationship. They are serving not for being paid. What I have got? I am poor Indian. What can I pay? But the servant is out of love, spiritual love. And I am also teaching them without any salary. This is spiritual. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya (Īśo Invocation). Everything is full.
So if you accept Kṛṣṇa as your son, as your friend, as your lover, you will never be cheated. So try to accept Kṛṣṇa. Give up this false illusory servant or son or father or lover. You'll be cheated. You'll be cheated. If you love your son with your heart and soul, that very son will may be someday your most veritable enemy. Yes.
It is all recommended by the ācāryas, big, big ācāryas. Just like Rāmānujācārya. He established hundreds of temples all over India, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa temple especially, the Rāmānuja-sampradāya. Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's sampradāya established hundreds of temples of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Big, big ācārya. Do you mean to say they did mistake? As some people of our India, they say, "There is no need of worshiping in the temple." No. Why not need? Ācāryopāsanam, that is recommended, jñāna. Ācārya... Ācāryas, they have established temples, many hundreds of thousands of temples, of Viṣṇu mandira.
So this should be worshiped. Otherwise you cannot... Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). If you do not follow ācāryas, then...
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.
The disciple inquired from the guru, "Why you are crying, sir?" "Now I have finished everything. I have given you everything. I have given you everything; therefore I am now finished." That is not spiritual. That is material. I have got hundred rupees. If I pay you hundred rupees, then my pocket is empty. But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Kṛṣṇa can make hundreds of thousands and millions of Kṛṣṇa; still, He is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. The potency is never exhausted. That is called pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation).
The Absolute Truth is that where all varieties are there, variety. Although He is one, but still, varieties are there. Otherwise wherefrom the varieties come? Everything, all varieties. You see in the material world how many varieties are there. You take one bunch of flower. You will find, if you study minutely, how many hundreds and thousands of varieties of thorns, varieties of twigs, and color, and everything is there, variety. How these varieties are coming? The Vedānta replies, "From the Absolute Truth, varieties." Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Supreme Absolute Truth has got so many varieties of energies. For each and every variety, particular, finer craftsmanship, there is different energy. They are working. Just like we require to present some varieties a specialist, so Kṛṣṇa Himself has got all the special varieties of energy, and they are working in such a nice way as svābhāvikī. He hasn't got to learn it. Svābhāvikī. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Jñāna, knowledge.
So by spiritual sound, you can become immediately in touch with the spiritual world, and gradually you become in touch with the Supreme Lord. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya (SB 12.3.51).
Kṛṣṇa has got so many expansions. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Kūrma, Vāmana, so many, hundreds of thousands. But Kṛṣṇa is the...
- rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan
- nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu
- kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.39)
The original person, the Supreme Lord-kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28)—He also comes. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu, Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, that is Kṛṣṇa's expansion, incarnation. They also come, and Kṛṣṇa also come. Kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yaḥ. He is the Supreme Person, pumān. Pumān means the puruṣa, the enjoyer, the proprietor. That is Kṛṣṇa. So immediately you can be in touch with Kṛṣṇa by vibrating this sound, Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is so potent. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). The name of Kṛṣṇa is cintāmaṇi, transcendental.
Very easy solution is given by Lord Kṛṣṇa: annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce foodgrains. Why you are going to produce tools and implements and... Of course, we do not condemn. But at the sacrifice of producing foodgrains, we simply open big, big tire factory. When I go to Delhi I see, from Vṛndāvana, hundreds and thousands persons are coming from the village on cycle to go to the tire factory, Goodyear tire factory. So now eat tire instead of getting food grains. So this is misdirected civilization. Kṛṣṇa does not say that you produce tire tube. Kṛṣṇa says annād bhavanti bhūtāni: "You produce anna." This is practical solution. We have therefore started in Europe and America farming. And they are very happy. In our latest Back to Godhead the description is published about our farm in France. We have got a very palatial building. We have named it New Māyāpur. What is the place?
If a man is hungry, he can give some food. That will give him some temporary benefit. But if you give him knowledge how to earn his livelihood, that is better gift. So people are suffering for want of knowledge. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving knowledge to the whole world. Not only that, we are giving prasādam also, hundreds and thousands of people. We are not that simply we are giving knowledge, but we are giving, we are inviting everyone, "Come, live with us peacefully, take Kṛṣṇa prasādam and be Kṛṣṇa conscious." This is our movement. That's all? One more.
So in this way, varieties of life, beginning from the insects and the aquatics, animal, up to the point of Lord Brahmā. But they are all within this material world. It does not mean because the Gandharvas, Siddhas, they have got higher standard of life and power hundreds and thousands times more than our power, do not think that they are liberated persons. They are not liberated person. They are all conditioned soul. Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino arjuna. All these conditioned soul, according to karma, they are getting different types of body. One has got the body of an ant, and one has got the body of Brahmā, Lord Brahmā. But that is not our aim. Our aim is how to avoid this material body. For that purpose, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not that "I have got now the body of an ant. Let me get the body of Brahmā or Indra or in a Siddhaloka." This is not gain.
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.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanam: "I don't want money." Just the opposite. Everyone wants money. He says, "No, I don't want money." Na dhanaṁ na janam: "I don't want many men to..., as My followers." Just see opposite. Everyone wants. The politicians, the yogis, the swamis, everyone wants, "There may be hundreds and thousands of my followers." But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No, I don't want." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). "Neither I want very nice, beautiful, obedient wife." Then what You want? Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī: "Life after life, let me remain a faithful servant of Your Lordship." This is Vaiṣṇava. He doesn't want anything. Why he will want? If he becomes servant of Kṛṣṇa, then what does he want? Suppose if you become servant of a very, very big man, then what is the question of your want? This is intelligence. Any servant of any big man, he is bigger than his master. Because he is given Master is given so many varieties of food.
Just like in our society we teach, "No illicit sex." This is sadācāra. "No gambling. No drinking or intoxication." This is sadācāra, gentleman, how to become gentleman. If one is prostitute-hunter, drunkard, meat-eater, gambler, he's not even a gentleman, what to speak of becoming a devotee and philosopher? Impossible. Those who are addicted to these bad habits, in their hundreds and thousands of life they will never be able to understand what is God. The door is locked for them. So naṣṭa-sadācāra. As soon as you become illicit sex hunter, prostitute-hunter, addicted, then you will lose your sadācāra. All good behavior finished. Naṣṭa-sadācāra. Why? Dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-duṣitaḥ. On account of association with the prostitute, one will lose all his good qualities.
In this way the next stage is, as soon as he lost all sadācāra, then his profession became bandy-akṣaiḥ kaitavaiś cauryair garhitāṁ vṛttim āsthitaḥ. Bandy-akṣaiḥ. Just like it is very common thing, nowadays especially, that as soon as you find somebody solitary:
Well, you chant any other name, but it must be God's name. Then it will be effective. Just like immediately chanted "Nārāyaṇa." Not that one has to chant "Kṛṣṇa." "Nārāyaṇa" will do. "Govinda" will do. Must be God's name, because God and God's name... There are sahasra, one thousand Viṣṇu-stotra. God has many names, hundreds and thousands. So any name you prefer, you chant, you'll get result. This is the perfect... God, factually, He has no name. How many names you will remember? But His names are given according to His activities. Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is the best name. Why? That Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." This name can attract everyone. This is the most perfect. Although God has many names, out of many names the Kṛṣṇa name is mukha or the primary.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has introduced Kṛṣṇa name, kṛṣṇa-varṇam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's identification is given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kṛṣṇa-varṇam, kṛṣṇam varṇa iti, iti kṛṣṇa-varṇam (?). He is always chanting "Kṛṣṇa."
Diśo vitimira. Timira means darkness, and vi means without. Wherever they will be present... Therefore, in the spiritual world everyone has got the spiritual effulgence, so whole planet is full of effulgence. Just like one example is here in this material world, the sun. There there are living entities. They are also all light because their body is made of fire. And many hundreds and thousands and millions of people with the fiery body, they are living. Therefore you will find always sun fiery, light. Just like you can see from distance a big city. The light is coming out. Is it not? In the night you see a big city, and you are in the village, you will find a big light is coming. So that is artificial, electric light. But in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka normally, regularly, their body is light.
We have got one example to learn: the sun planet. Everything is fiery there. Don't think that there is no life. Just like they are concluding, "In this moon planet there is no life." No. Every planet is full of living entities, either in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka or in this material world. Sarva-gaḥ sthanur acalo 'yam. Living entities are everywhere. Therefore we cannot believe that these people went to moon planet, because they say there is no living entity. That is not possible. That is not possible.
So your imagination, imaginology, and we have our mythology. So we have got some evidence, but you have no evidence. At least we have got some support of the books. But what you have got? You are simply imagining, "I think," "I believe." What is this nonsense? What is your proof? Everyone is saying "I believe." Hundreds and thousands... And what is correct? Everyone... At least, we have got something correct. We don't say "I believe." This is not our process of knowledge. We, Kṛṣṇa conscious person, we never say "I believe." No, we immediately quote from the śāstra.
Here is the statement, śruti-pramāṇam. According to Vedic civilization, evidence, is śruti, Vedas. If you say something and if you give evidence, proof from the Vedic literature, then it is perfect. No such nonsense things: "I believe," "We believe," "Perhaps," "Maybe." No. Such foolish things are not accepted.
Tri-sandhya. This tri-sandhya, early in the morning, midday and in the evening. So every sandhya is witness. Sandhya, ahani, day and night together, whole day, twenty-four hours, ahani. Ahany ahani lokā gacchanti yama-mandiram. This ahani. Every day hundreds and thousands of living entities are dying. Śeṣaḥ sthitam icchanti kim aścaryam ataḥ param. Still, one who is not dead, he is thinking, "I'll not die. I'll remain." This is the wonderful thing, most wonderful thing. Everyone should be prepared for death. Death is inevitable. So diśaḥ, and ten directions: north, south, east, west, the four corners, eight, and up and down. They are ten directions. Where you'll go? Everywhere there is witness. You cannot escape. Kaṁ kuḥ svayam. What is kaṁ kuḥ?
Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām. Four things. And what is the result? Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ: (BG 18.65) "Without any doubt, you'll come back to Me." What do you want more? That Kṛṣṇa is so nice.
So spread this movement all over your country. Your country is... By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, everything is there. And the first qualification is that you are not poverty-stricken. So take the instruction of Kṛṣṇa and be happy. Open similar temples all over your country. Your country is not poor. You can establish such temples, hundreds and thousands. And similarly assemble, hear Kṛṣṇa's instruction, and see how happy you'll become.
And that is possible. Just like in the śāstra it is stated that those who want to remain naked, they are punished in the next life to become tree, that "You wanted to be naked. Now you stand naked." The trees, they do not dress; neither they have the opportunity. Nobody goes to dress them. So they stand naked for so many hundreds and thousands of years. This punishment is awaiting. Human being is not supposed to be naked. That is civilization. They must cover. But if one wilfully does not cover, becomes as dull as the tree, then he gets the next body as tree. This is punishment. Otherwise, wherefrom all these living entities are coming? They have no calculation. They are thinking that "I shall remain in this human form of beautiful body and in opulent..." No, changing. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change your body according to the decision of superior authority, daiva-netreṇa. We should always remember it.
Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ. And everyone is unfortunate. They have no fixed, I mean to say, arrangement, even for the bare necessities of life. What the animals, birds and beasts, they have got arrangement, they believe in that, but our human society, because we are so advanced, there are so many hundreds and thousands of men, there is no fixed purpose of life. Even in your rich country we see such men without any purpose, without any aim of life. So they are called manda-bhāgyāḥ, most unfortunate. Most unfortunate. Manda-bhāgyāḥ and upadrutāḥ. Over and above that, they are always disturbed. This is the condition of life.
So those who are saintly persons or those who are following the path of Yamarāja... Yamarāja is mahājana. As Yamarāja knows, anyone who follows the mahājana... Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We cannot ascertain what is our aim of life, so we have to follow these mahājanas. Yamarāja is mahājana.
There is another Bengali verse, eka hari-nāme, yata pāpa hare, pāpī haya tata pāpa, karibāre nahe:(?) "Once chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa's name, it has so potency, so much potencies that it can vanquish millions and millions of sinful reaction that so much a sinful man cannot commit." A sinful man can commit hundreds of thousands of sinful activities, but the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that a sinful man will be unable to commit so many sins as the name can vanquish simply by chanting once offenselessly. This is the conclusion.
So therefore Yamarāja said that "The devotees are protected from the Yamadūtas by the men of Yamarāja." Mattaś ca, martyān atha sarvataś ca. Therefore a devotee has nothing to fear. He is protected from the attack of enemies, from the attack of Yamadūtas. How is that? There are many hundreds and thousands of instances—Prahlāda Mahārāja, Haridāsa Ṭhākura... But don't think that a devotee will not have enemies. A devotee may have anything. Oh, he may be attacked by enemies. He may be attacked with severe type of diseases and so many things. But he will be protected. That is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee. A nondevotee is neglected. That is stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja, that people may discover so many antibiotics or antiseptics for giving protection, or "anti—" measures, but unless he is given protection by Kṛṣṇa, all those "anti—" devices will not protect, help him. That is certain. Therefore we should take protection only of Kṛṣṇa.
Simply I shall..." That is not possible. That is not possible. But actually, if anyone can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra offenselessly and in devotion and love... There the first thing is love—not force—love, what is called automatically, spontaneous. Spontaneous. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, he said that "How I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in one tongue? If I had hundreds and thousands of tongues, then I could chant and relish what is Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." That is a different stage. We should not imitate. But actually this is a fact, that simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you can get relief from all kinds of performances, ritualistic ceremonies. That is the point stressed by Śrīdhara Svāmī.
That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy." And actually it is so. By a little inconvenience, immediately he's rectified.
So Yamarāja says, naiṣāṁ vayaṁ na ca vayaḥ prabhavāma daṇḍe. Atas tān nopasīdata samipan api na gacchat.(?) Śrīdhara Svāmī says, "Do not try to go their vicinity even, what to speak of going directly before them. Where they are sitting, don't go hundreds of thousands years away's time." Vayaḥ kālo 'pi na prabhavati. Then the Yamadūtas can say that "We may not go, but the time factor will act on them." So that is also, "No. There is no question of time factor for them." Such are the facilities. Now, Yamarāja is a mahājana. We have to take his statement, how devotees are stated. Kṛṣṇa says summarily that "I'll give you protection." And how they are protected you have to learn from the mahājana. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Then next question will be: "Then what is our business? Where to go? Suppose they're all devotee?"
For example, throughout the whole world there are so many breweries manufacturing liquor. Especially in the Western countries you will find so many, the advertisement, liquor advertisement, whiskey advertisement, cigarette advertisement. And what to speak of slaughterhouse? There are many, many hundreds and thousands of slaughterhouse. And innocent animals are being killed all over the world unnecessarily. People can live with food grains. That is allowed for the all living entities. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "Simply by growing food grains, both the animals and the man, they can live very happily." And you can grow food grains very easily. I have seen in the Western countries, they are growing food grains for the animals, and the food grains are eaten by the animals, and the animal is eaten by man. They are producing food grains. What is the statistics that the animal eating food grains, the same time, the same amount food grains can be eaten by so many men?
He cannot provide even a shelter to his wife, who is coming, who is the princess of a very great king, Mahārāja Dakṣa. So why this difference? And whereas persons who are devoted to Viṣṇu, who is the master of everything, goddess of fortune..." Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). Not only one goddess of fortune, but many hundreds and thousands of goddess of fortune is serving Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu in the spiritual planet. "So the devotee of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, they appear to be poorer than the devotees of Lord Śiva, who is less than a poor man. Why this contradiction?"
So the contradiction was answered by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, not personally. He took authority. What is that authority? He said immediately, "My dear king, this answer I shall not give you, but a similar answer was put forward by your grandfather, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, to your other grandfather, Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa also happened to be grandfather of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
Bīja means seed. So hundreds and thousands and millions of living entities are rotating in many places in the kingdom of God, both material and spiritual. There are so many planets, and each planet there are so many countries, towns, cities, life, varieties of... So the living entity is circumambulating in different kinds of species of life, different kinds of countries, places, planets. That is their material business. So in this way, while traveling, if he meets by chance a devotee of God, Kṛṣṇa, and if he gets that seed... Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona... That is obtained fortunately. Fortunately. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Fortunate, this very word is used, fortunate. Nobody can capture the seed of God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But it is very... It is meant for the fortunate. So all right, he may be fortunate, but devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa and God, they are trying to make others fortunate. They are approaching, canvassing. So if anybody is intelligent, he catches up. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that mali hana sei bija kara aropana. Now, suppose you have got the seed of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, now it is your duty to become a gardener. How?
"My dear friends. Don't play. Sit down. Sit down." Why? "A very important subject matter, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, bhāgavata-dharma."
Dharma, there are many dharmas. Especially nowadays there is Hindu dharma, Mussulman dharma or Christian dharma, or Sikh dharma, Arya dharma, this dharma, hundreds and thousands. But in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is declared, dharmo projjhita-kaitavo atra, atra śrīmad-bhāgavate: "In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all rascaldom, cheating type of religion, is kicked out." This is bhāgavata-dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma means bhagavān, bhāgavata-śabda. From bhagavān the word bhāgavata has come. So bhāgavata-dharma means relationship with God, Bhagavān. Therefore you will see in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is Bhagavad-gītā means the dharma or the religious principle preached by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is bhāgavata-dharma. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
So therefore it is very important. In the Bhāgavata in another place it is said, tūrṇaṁ yateta anumṛtya pateta yāvat nihśreyasāya. The same thing repeatedly. Here Prahlāda Mahārāja also says that durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam. First of all you have to consider that we have got this human form of life after many, many hundreds and thousands, millions, 8,400,000... (break) Durlabham. So therefore it is, although temporary... Everyone knows that "I'll not live forever." But even though it is temporary, adhruvam, not eternal, it is arthadam. It is said, arthadam. Whatever little life you have got, you can attain perfection. This is the advantage. You can attain perfection.
So birth of Kṛṣṇa has to be understood. And who can understand? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye: (BG 7.3) "Out of many thousands of men"—sahasra means thousands; thousands, many thousands, means many hundreds of thousands men—"one is interested for spiritual advancement of life." Kaścid yatati siddhaye. Siddhaye means "perfection." Not all men are interested. "What is perfection, nonsense? Let us eat, drink, be merry, enjoy. Don't care for perfection. This is perfection. We are eating, sleeping, mating, that's all. Who knows what is going to be happened after death? Who can..." They don't care. This is the position of general population. So out of that rascal population, one may be intelligent enough, "What is the aim of life? What I am? Why I am suffering? Why suffering is imposed upon me? I want to be happy. Why happiness is not there? Why it is simply temporary?" So many things, questions.
Sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām. Just this morning we were discussing about mosquito. The mosquito is so tiny, a little slap, immediately finished. But he has got all the facilities of sense enjoyment. We have to study nature in this way. You'll find so many different varieties of insects come in light. In your country it is not so, but in our country, tropical climate, hundreds and thousands of varieties of insects, they come. There are eleven hundred thousand varieties of insects. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ. Kṛmayo means insects. They are one million and one hundred thousand varieties. How many you have seen? But there are so many. So you'll find they have got all equipment for sense gratification. Even the smallest, full-stop-like insect. So we were discussing about the mosquito. The mosquito, as soon as he sits down, any part of your body, immediately he injects his, that nozzle, and within a second sucks the blood.
Just like at night we dream something, so this is also another kind of dream, because this is concrete dream, and at night we see abstract dream. The quality is dream. Sometimes we are in abstract dream, and sometimes we are in concrete dream. This is also dream. We do not know how many lives we have passed before this, hundreds and thousands and millions. "Oh, sometimes I have been a cat." Oh, that is now dream. Sometimes I might have been a dog. Not might have been, because the evolution is there. We are coming by evolutionary process from aquatics to vegetable life, from vegetable to, I mean to say, reptile life, then, from bird's life, then beast's life, then uncivilized life. Then we have come to the civilized form of life under the grip of nature. So we have passed so many status of life. So they have become now dream. If somebody says, "Oh, forty millions of years before, you were a tree," so will you believe it? It is dream. But actually I was, by nature's law.
They appeared completely dried up. There is no more. But as soon as there are drops of rain, oh, again it becomes green. Because the seed is there. So if you want to wipe out the seed of this material existence, then Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that tatropāya-sahasrāṇām. There are maybe..., there may be many hundreds and thousands of process for wipe out, not wipe out, just to bring you to some transcendental position, forgetfulness of your material existence. There may be. But Prahlāda Mahārāja says that sahasrāṇām ayaṁ bhagavatoditaḥ. The method of Kṛṣṇa consciousness described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yad īśvare bhagavati yathā yair añjasā ratiḥ, this can give you the wiping-out method. If you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the seed of material existence will be completely stopped. Because there will be no... It is very practical.
He is nitya-siddha. Therefore immediately he developed the transcendental symptoms, aṣṭa-siddhi. Aṣṭa-siddhi, you have read in The Nectar of Devotion. So the ecstasies Ekāgra-manasā. Ekāgra-manasā, "with full attention." For us to bring that full attention may take hundreds and thousands of years, full attention. But Prahlāda Mahārāja, immediately. Immediately. Five-years-old boy. Because he is nitya-siddha. Always we should remember that we cannot imitate. "Now, Prahlāda Mahārāja has immediately ekāgra-manasā, and I shall become also." No. That is not possible. May be possible, but that is not the way.
Just like in our country, perhaps you know, there was a poet, Rabindranath Tagore. He got many distinction from the Oxford University. He got... He never went to school but he got the title "doctor," "Doctor Rabindranath Tagore." And if you think that "I shall also get doctorate without going to school," that is foolishness.
The Māyā, Durgādevī, is sufficiently powerful to kill any demon within a second. There is no difficulty. Simply by ordering Māyā... Or Māyā does not wait the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. She can understand what the Lord wants. Simply little indication, she can kill hundreds and thousands of demons in one stroke. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya. She can do that.
So it is not the business of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to come to take this botheration. But why Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva appeared? He appeared... One thing is that mat-prāṇa-rakṣaṇam. This is one business. Another business was this. What is that? Sva-bhṛtya-ṛṣi-vākyam ṛtaṁ vidhātum. Sva-bhṛtya. Brahmā is bhṛtya, servant of Kṛṣṇa. So he did something very, I mean to say, obnoxious by offering all the benediction to Hiraṇyakaśipu. He was a very cunning materialist.
At that time the aṣṭi, the seed, disappears. A tree is manifestation, so this is example of sad-asat. Aṣṭi, the seed, disappears, and the tree is manifest. So the creation of God is like that. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). Bīja, aṣṭi, or seed, He is the root cause of everything. One seed, a small seed, grain, and hundreds of thousands trees coming out of it, and in each tree there are millions of fruits, and each fruit, there are hundreds and thousands of seeds. Again, from the seed, the same creation, hundreds and thousands, millions and millions. This is God's intelligence, how from one source so many varieties are coming out. Again, when annihilation takes place, they again go into the original seed, Kṛṣṇa. Yānti māmikam, it is said. It's coming out.
They do not like because they are in different bhāva. But we are trying to change that bhāva. The bhāva must be there. The whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to purify the bhāva. Bhāva. That is stated here. Pariśuddha-bhāva. We are not negativating everything. We are simply changing from material bhāva to spiritual bhāva. That's all. Here is a big building, but there are many other hundreds and thousands of big building in this district or in this country. But here the bhāva is changed. The bhāva is changed. In your country there are many big, big skyscraper buildings. In comparison to those buildings, this is nothing. But still, you have come, spending thousands of dollars here, to change the bhāva. That is the... That is required. Otherwise you American boys and girls, you have no business to come here to see this big building. No. To change the bhāva, that requires. That is very important thing.
Then the jihvā will be controlled. Here the jihvā is so formidable, the first jihvā is mentioned. So if you can control your tongue, then you can control your belly also. Because without control of the tongue... If you lock up, that "I shall not accept anything except prasādam," so if you go on the street and if you see hundreds and thousands of restaurant, you'll not be allured. "No more chop cutlet, finished, because I cannot take anything without being offered to Kṛṣṇa." So automatically it becomes controlled. If we take this vow, that "I shall not eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa..." Naturally Kṛṣṇa does not take any chop cutlet, so you cannot offer it. Kṛṣṇa personally says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). So you have to prepare foodstuff for Kṛṣṇa from patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ, nothing else. Although He can eat... Kṛṣṇa can eat fire also or anything, all devour. But Kṛṣṇa prescribes for us that "You can give Me this in bhakti, with devotion and faith, then you'll be benefited."
Therefore we should be very much strictly follower of the Vaiṣṇava principle. Vaiṣṇava's only business is how to deliver these fallen souls. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He appeared as a Vaiṣṇava. The business is to deliver. Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvat (SB 11.5.34). He was born in a very nice brāhmaṇa family, very beautiful body. Everyone liked Him. By His command He could gather hundreds of thousands of people in one night to make civil disobedience movement. He was so popular when He was only twenty or twenty-one years old, and He had His beautiful wife, very affectionate mother, very good position in the society, and still, He gave up everything. Why? Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvat, that "If I do not deliver these fallen souls entrapped in māyā, then who will do it?" So that is for this purpose, Kṛṣṇa comes. For this purpose, Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes, the same purpose, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa vimūḍhān. "These rascals, they have forgotten You and making plan to be happy." So everyone. Kṛṣṇa also comes.
They come and go, make propaganda and go away, but temples remain and it is worshiped. Now the temples are increasing all over the world. Instead of stopping people to go to the temple, the temples are increasing. For centuries, for..., there was no temple in Europe and America. Now there are hundreds and thousands of temples. So it will increase. You cannot stop Kṛṣṇa's glories. You cannot stop Kṛṣṇa's supremacy. That is not possible. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). So that cannot be. Therefore it is sure and certain that if you work very sincerely for Kṛṣṇa to spread His message, the message of Bhagavad-gītā, there cannot be any check. It is not possible. Ahaituky apratihatā. Apratihatā means it cannot be checked by any material condition. You go on with your duty sincerely. There will be no power to check your progress. That is, Prahlāda Mahārāja says. But endeavor must be there, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says.
So we are followers of mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186).
Aśītim means eighty. Aśītiṁ caturas. Caturas means four. So eighty-four. Eighty plus four means eighty-four. Lakṣam. Lakṣam means hundreds of thousands. So eighty-four hundreds of thousands. Aśītiṁ caturāṁś caiva lakṣāṁs tān jīva-jātiṣu. Jīva-jāti, this is different species of living entities, jīva-jāti, the horse species, the ass species, the dog species. Just like they have got species, jīva-jātiṣu. So in different species of living entities they are counted eighty-four hundreds of thousands, or 8,400,000. Bhramadbhiḥ. Bhramadbhiḥ means transmigrating, wandering, one after another. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. There are 900,000 species within the water, then trees, plants... In this way passing through different species of life, the living entity, jīva-jātiṣu, jīva-jātiṣu, in different species of life, he is transmigrating one after another, one after another.
| Page Title: | Hundreds and thousands (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 10 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=104, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 104 |