This verse we were discussing last Friday. The subject matter is that we are trying to transfer our activities from the material platform to the spiritual platform. That is the whole idea. So material platform, as I have already explained to you several times, material platform means viṣayāḥ, viṣayḥ. Viṣayāḥ means four things: āhāra, nidrā, bhaya, maithuna—eating, sleeping and defending and mating. These are called viṣayāḥ. The materialistic way of life means these four things: eating, sleeping, defending and mating—sense gratification. But if we want to go to the spiritual platform, then these bodily demands, at least for the present, we have to regulate. We cannot enjoy material life without any restriction and at the same time, we can stand on the spiritual platform. That is the whole thing. The difficult problem is that: we want to be spiritualists by speculation only. That is the whole tendency. People are much interested in philosophical speculation without any practical life. In the modern world it is said, yaśo 'rthe dharma-yajanam. This is the symptom of this age. Yaśaḥ arthe. I want to associate with some organization, spiritual, just for the sake of name: "Oh, I am attached to that, such big organization." But, so far my life is concerned, it is as it is. As it is. I have seen that... I don't wish to name that particular... In some yoga institute, I have seen the members, they come. They hear, and they are hearing and coming for the last ten years. But unfortunately, they have not learned even the preliminary instruction of yoga.
Responsively (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
That's all right? Yes. The Ninth Chapter is the most confidential knowledge. Śrī bhagavān uvāca, (devotees repeat)... All right, you repeat. Idaṁ (devotees repeat) tu te guhyatamaṁ pravakṣyāmy anasūyave. Idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ pravakṣyāmy anasūyave, jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitam, jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitaṁ yaj jñātvā mokṣyase aśubhāt, yaj jñātvā mokṣyase 'śubhāt. (Recites verse responsively with devotees). Śrī bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān, the Supreme Being, Bhagavān. In your English dictionary the word God is explained as "the Supreme Being." "Supreme Being" means who is great, greater, or the greatest, of all other beings. We are beings. We are individual persons. It is not very difficult to understand. Every one of us, individual. We think individually. We dress individually. We have got our egotism, individual. Everything... I don't agree with you; you don't agree with me. Voluntarily sometimes we agree. That means every one of us has individuality. This is called being, "I am."
Similarly, God is also being like us, but He is Supreme Being. That is the difference between God and me. I am also being, you are also being, but we are not Supreme Being. We are under some control. But God is not under control. He is the controller, but He is never controlled. (aside:) Make it louder. That is explained in the Vedic literature, the definition of God. The definition of God is given there, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. The Supreme Being is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). And He is... Vigraha means He has form. He is person, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. But His person, His form, is different from our form, our present form. Our present form, as we have got the material tabernacle, that is temporary. Your form, my form, this is changing. We are not existing in the same form.
Brahmānanda: ...lation: "Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death." Responsively: "Again there are those..." (break)
Prabhupāda: ...ing... (break) ...and it is said clearly that you don't expect the general mass of people to be conversant with spiritual... (break) ...they must preach. Anyebhyaḥ. Hm, what is that? Read the first line.
Brahmānanda: Anye tv evam ajānantaḥ.
Prabhupāda: Ah. Anye tu ajānantaḥ. Generally, people, they do not know what is the value of spiritual knowledge. Mūḍha. They have been called as mūḍha. And duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina means always engaged in sinful activities. If you do not have Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your eating, sleeping, or walking, whatever you are doing, it is all sinful. All sinful. You do not know how you are becoming responsible for killing so many ants while you are walking. You are walking. You do not know... We have seen, so many ants are loitering on the street, and you are killing. That means you are responsible. You cannot kill even a single ant.
So therefore, unless you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever you are acting in your daily life, it is sinful. And you are becoming complicated, involved. This is the... Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). This world is so made that in every step you are creating some dangerous position. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām. This material world is like that.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Prabhupāda: No, no. Oh, yes.
Pradyumna: (responsively) "...the sages; ūcuḥ—said; tvayā—by you; khalu—undoubtedly; purāṇāni—the supplements to the Vedas with illustrated narrations..."
Prabhupāda: Supplements. Because Vedic language is so difficult... It is sometimes very difficult to understand. So Purāṇa, another meaning of Purāṇa means supplement. So they are explanation of the Vedic knowledge in a supplementary way by taking references from the history, from the life of great saints and sages. So they are addition, addendum. Go on. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that the Purāṇas are not Veda. That is not the fact. Here in the Bhāgavata says the Purāṇa is part of the Vedas. As Upaniṣad is part of Vedas... It is written in simplified language so that those who are less educated, less having brain substance...
Now, this Mahābhārata is especially written... Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means the history of greater India. Mahā. Mahā means greater. Bhārata. Bhārata means India, Bhārata-varṣa. Mahābhārata, greater India. Or at that time the whole world was Bhārata-varṣa. Therefore greater India, history in Mahābhārata is there. So Mahābhārata especially was written for three classes of men. What are those? Strī, śūdra, dvija-bandhu. Strī means woman, śūdra means worker class, and dvija-bandhu means persons who have taken their birth in higher caste, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, but they're degraded. They could not keep up their standard of culture. Just like at the present moment. They are introducing themself as brāhmaṇa, but degraded. Actually, they are not brāhmaṇa-degraded. Dvija-bandhu, friends of brāhmaṇa. Just like if I am son of a high-court judge, unless I am qualified to become a high-court judge I cannot say myself, "I am high-court judge." No. Simply by becoming the son of high-court judge, one does not become a high-court judge. He must have the qualification. So when one is simply proud of his high parentage, he is called dvija-bandhu.
Prabhupāda: Yes, go on, you have no book? (another devotee leads chanting)
Pradyumna: (devotees chant word meanings responsively:) saḥ—that; vai—certainly; puṁsām—for mankind; paraḥ—sublime; dharmaḥ—occupation; yataḥ—by which; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; adhokṣaje—unto the Transcendence; ahaitukī—causeless; apratihatā—unbroken; yayā—by which; ātmā—the self; suprasīdati—completely satisfied.
Translation: "The supreme occupation, or dharma, for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self."
Prabhupāda:
- sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
- yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
- ahaituky apratihatā
- yayātmā suprasīdati
- (SB 1.2.6)
Ātmā, ātmā means this body, ātmā means the mind also, and ātmā means the soul, and, above that, the Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). So yayā ātmā suprasīdati. Su means very much. Not only prasīdati but suprasīdati, very much. Everyone. The body becomes satisfied, the mind becomes satisfied, the soul becomes satisfied, and the Supreme Paramātmā, He also becomes satisfied. So that is called paro dharmaḥ. Paro dharmaḥ means... Paraḥ means superior, and dharmaḥ means occupational duty. Everyone has got occupational duty. It doesn't matter, either you are a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. Everyone has got occupational duty. That is human society. Human society means when the society is divided into these eight divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Varṇāśrama-dharma. That is Vedic civilization.
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
- tasmād ekena manasā
- bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ
- śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca
- dhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca nityadā
- (SB 1.2.14)
- (devotees chant responsively)
Prabhupāda: Where is Nandarāṇī?
Devotee: She's in the kitchen, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: All right. Go on. Any other ladies? (woman chants) That's all. So read the word meaning.
Pradyumna: (reads synonyms) Translation: "Therefore devotees should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān, who is their protector."
Prabhupāda: So tasmāt. Tasmāt, "therefore." It is continuation of the last verse. What was the last verse?
Prabhupāda: Now, you editor, I think it has to be correct. Tvā means "You." It is not "although." Read.
Nitāi: (reads translation responsively with devotees) "Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of material nature. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all."
Prabhupāda:
- namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam
- īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param
- alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām
- antar bahir avasthitam
- (SB 1.8.18)
So Kuntī is the aunt, pisimā, aunt of Kṛṣṇa. Vasudeva's sister, Kuntī. So when Kṛṣṇa was going back to Dvārakā, after finishing the Battle of Kurukṣetra and establishing Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne, His mission... His mission was that Duryodhana should be thrown out, and Yudhiṣṭhira must sit down on the throne. Dharma, Dharmarāja.
Again repeat the first mantra. (devotees repeat the first mantras and Śrīla Prabhupāda sings the second with them) The first one again repeat. (repeats) The meaning of this mantra, that I offer my humble obeisances to Lord Nṛsiṁha, who is the source of bliss to Prahlāda, but hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ. But his father Hiraṇyakaśipu, on his chest the nails of His finger is just like chisel cutting the stone. The same Personality of Godhead is prahlāda āhlāda-dāyine. Āhlāda means pleasure. For Prahlāda... Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇāhlāda, prahlāda. A devotee is, being always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, naturally he is in blissfulness. Still more, when he meets or associates with his Lord, still more blissfulness. That is the position of the theist devotee. Whereas the atheist nondevotee, he's always feeling like a strike of the chisel, like what do you call? Stone cutting chisel. Nakha. Nakhālaye. Simply by the nails of His finger. All right. Where is that book? Now this Bhāgavatam. Yes. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (with devotees-begins with chanting of verses S.B. 2.1.1 through 2.1.10) Then text number 11. (chanting responsively)
Prabhupāda: Where are those books? These small books? (pause) My spectacles? Nobody's here? Where is Nanda Kumāra? Sleeping? As soon as there is opportunity, sleep. (laughter) (japa) Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **, one has to conquer over sleeping, eating, and sense enjoyment. Nidrā, nidrā means sleeping. Āhāra means eating or collecting more, collecting. Eating, sleeping, and vihāra, sense gratification. Vijitau, the Gosvāmīs, they conquered over this.
Devotee: He said he's making the kacaurīs.
Prabhupāda: Hm. Rājya-kāmo manūn devān nirṛtiṁ tv abhicaran yajet, kāma-kāmo yajet som ... No, not this. Dharmārtha uttama-ślokam (devotees chant responsively) tantuḥ tanvan pitṟn yajet, rakṣā-kāmaḥ puṇya-janān, ojas-kāmo marud-gaṇān Hm. Repeat, repeat again. (devotees chant śloka) So, word meaning?
Pradyumna: Translation: "One should worship Lord Viṣṇu or His devotee for spiritual advancement of knowledge, and for protection of heredity and advancement of the dynasty one should worship the different demigods."
Prabhupāda: Hm. Other line is not translated. Hm. Then?
Pradyumna: Purport?
Prabhupāda: Hm.
Nitāi: "...service, dissolves the subtle body of the living entity without separate effort, just as fire in the stomach digests all that we eat." (devotees chant responsively:) Na—never; eka-ātmatām—merging into oneness; me—My; spṛhayanti—they desire; kecit—any; mat-pāda-sevā—the service of My lotus feet; abhiratāḥ—engaged in; mat-īhāḥ—endeavoring to attain Me; ye—those who; anyonyataḥ—mutually; bhāgavatāḥ—pure devotees; prasajya—assembling; sabhājayante—glorify; mama—My; pauruṣāṇi—glorious activities. (translation:) "A pure devotee, who is attached to the activities of devotional service and who always engages in the service of My lotus feet, never desires to become one with Me. Such a devotee, who is unflinchingly engaged, always glorifies My pastimes and activities."
Prabhupāda:
- jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ
- nigīrṇam analo yathā
- (SB 3.25.33)
- naikātmatāṁ me spṛhayanti kecin
- mat-pāda-sevābhiratā mad-īhāḥ
- ye 'nyonyato bhāgavatāḥ prasajya
- sabhājayante mama pauruṣāṇi
- (SB 3.25.34)
So jarayaty āśu yā kośam. Kośam means covering. We have got, the spirit soul has got two kinds of covering. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehinaḥ, the proprietor or the occupier... Proprietor is not actually. The occupier. I have several times explained that this body, gross and subtle, both the bodies... Just like shirt and coat covering of the body, similarly, there are two kinds of covering of the body: subtle body and gross body. The gross body is made of earth, water, fire, air, sky, and the subtle body is made of mind, intelligence, and ego.
Pradyumna: (chants SB 5.5.1 responsively)
Prabhupāda: Go on.
Pradyumna: All verses?
Prabhupāda: Yes, eight verses.
Pradyumna: (continues responsive chanting—break)
Prabhupāda: ...nice instruction by Ṛṣabhadeva. Ṛṣabhadeva was incarnation of God. He was instructing His sons before retirement. So he's instructing nāyaṁ dehaḥ, this body, deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Deha-bhājām means one who has accepted this material body. Actually this body has no existence. It is simply a covering, therefore it is called māyā. Everyone, we have got experience, that at night we forget this body. We act in a different body in dream. At night we feel there is no existence of this body, and at night, dreaming, we get another body, walking in a different place, creating in a different situation, acting in a different body. It is a fact, every day, every night, we see it like this. And during the daytime we forget that night body. So actually we are possessing the gross body and the subtle body. When we act on the subtle body, the gross body is no longer existing, and when we work in the gross body, the subtle body is not existing. But I am existing. I am existing both in the subtle body and gross body. This day's body is also a dream, but we are so foolish that we do not understand it. Mad, we are mad after. Therefore this subtle body and gross body, and their vanishing at daytime and night's time, the cats and dogs cannot understand. But a man, if he has got cool brain, he can understand.
Prabhupāda: (devotees chant responsively)
- rāja uvāca
- nivṛtti-mārgaḥ kathita
- ādau bhagavatā yathā
- krama-yogopalabdhena
- brahmaṇā yad asaṁsṛtiḥ
- (SB 6.1.1)
- pravṛtti-lakṣaṇaś caiva
- traiguṇya-viṣayo mune
- yo 'sāv alīna-prakṛter
- guṇa-sargaḥ punaḥ punaḥ
- (SB 6.1.2)
- adharma-lakṣanā nānā
- narakāś cānuvarṇitaḥ
- manvantaraś ca vyākhyāta
- ādyaḥ svāyambhuvaḥ yataḥ
- (SB 6.1.3)
- priyavratottānapador
- vaṁśas tat-caritāni ca
- dvīpa-varṣa-samudrādri
- nady-udyāna-vanaspatīn
- (SB 6.1.4)
So yesterday we talked about Parīkṣit Mahārāja. So he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy. So he prepared himself for death. What was the preparation? That he left immediately his kingdom and the kingdom was divided among his sons. He was young man, not very old, but he understood, "Now, within seven days, I will have to die." So immediately he left home and went to the bank of the Ganges. He was situated... His capital was what is now called New Delhi. Formerly it was known as Hastināpura. The another name of Hastinā..., New Delhi, is there still, and there is a very, very old fort. They say that this fort belonged to the Pāṇḍavas, Mahārāja Parīkṣit. They are keeping just like in Rome they are keeping old buildings. So apart from historical reference... So Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was king, emperor of the world. So he was preparing for dying. Many, many, from all over the world, saintly persons, kings, even some demigods from other planets, they came to see him.
Prabhupāda: (devotees chant responsively:) Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
- rajovaca
- pravṛtti-mārgaḥ kathita
- ādau bhagavatā yathā
- krama-yogopālabdhena
- brahmaṇā yad asaṁsṛtiḥ
- (SB 6.1.1)
So we have discussed the last two days what is the aim of life. So this whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is diverting the aim of life. There are two ways. Our present position, the aim of life is sense gratification. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Material life means sense gratification, as much as possible. And the central point of sense gratification is sex life. Yan maithunādi. Maithuna means sexual intercourse. This is the machine to keep the living entity bound up under the condition of material nature. We are conditioned by the material nature. We are thinking we are free. We are not free. That is not the fact. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "You are thinking that you are free, whatever you like, can do, enjoy sense gratification—but under condition. You are not free."
Prabhupāda: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Six, Chapter One, verse number twenty-five. (recites the Sanskrit verse responsively with devotees.)
- sa baddha-hṛdayas tasminn
- arbhake kala-bhāṣiṇi
- nirīkṣamāṇas tal-līlāṁ
- mumude jaraṭho bhṛśam
- (SB 6.1.25)
So the youngest child was very dear. Everyone sneha. Sneha is, another meaning of sneha is oil, liquid. So sneha means affection. So this sneha word is used that there is a liquid, how you say, goes to down. Liquid does not go up. Slow. Similarly, we have got some affection, the affection goes to the lowest. Therefore father and mother's affection generally goes to the youngest. So here also Ajāmila, although he's a cheat, he's a rogue, he's a thief, he has learned all the bad quality, but still the sneha, the affection, that is not lost. So this is natural. Similarly, we have got a natural feeling for Kṛṣṇa. If you study thoroughly, that is called meditation, that "Whom I love." Say for the first time, I love my body. If there is some danger I try to protect myself from the danger. That means I love my body. So the next question will be: "Then why don't you love a dead body?" Suppose your wife or husband, you love, because the husband and wife is in the body, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). So I love the body because the spirit soul is there. This is right conclusion. Otherwise who is going to love a dead body? Nobody. Now if wife's husband has died, son has died, he's crying. You can say that "Why you are crying?" "Oh, my son is gone, my husband is gone." "Nobody gone. It is lying here." "No, no, no. He's not." So after death we understand that this dead body is neither my husband nor my son. Late experience. But in the beginning there is no such experience. That is called illusion. He's understanding that this dead body is not neither my father, nor my husband, nor my son. He's different from. That is practical example. Otherwise why not take the dead body of your husband or son and keep it? No. That is not possible.
So, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, First Chapter, text number twenty-six. (chants verse responsively with devotees)
- bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan
- bālakaṁ sneha-yantritaḥ
- bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho
- na vedāgatam antakam
- (SB 6.1.26)
So this is the general way of life. Everyone is engaged in these material activities, and the basic principle of material activity is gṛhastha, family life. Family life, according to Vedic system, or anywhere, is responsible life to maintain the wife, children. Everyone is engaged. They think this is the only duty. "To maintain the family, that is my duty. As comfortably as possible. That is my duty." One does not think that this kind of duty is performed even by animals. They have got also children, and they feed. What is the difference? Therefore here the word used is mūḍha. Mūḍha means ass. One who is engaged in such duties, bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan. Prapiban. Prapiban means drinking, and bhuñjānaḥ means eating. While eating, while drinking, khādan, while chewing, carva casya raja preya (?). There are four kinds of eatables. Sometimes we chew, sometimes we lick up, (Sanskrit) sometimes we swallow, and sometimes we drink. So there are four kinds of foodstuff. Therefore we sing catuḥ vidhā śrī-bhagavat-prasādāt. Catuḥ vidhā means four kinds. So we offer to the Deities so many foodstuffs within these four categories. Something is chewed, something is licked up, something is swallowed. In that way.
It is up to you. Parāvaratvam. He does not discriminate. You discriminate. There are many persons, they come to Vṛndāvana, and whatever they have earned throughout the whole life, so they give everything to the wife and children and make contract that "I am going to Vṛndāvana. You send me at least two hundred rupees for my expenditure." "And what about two lakhs and crores?" "Oh, that is yours. The two lakhs and crores, what I have earned, that is for you, my dear children, my dear wife, and you give me two hundred for God. So I am going to Vṛndāvana." So Kṛṣṇa is very intelligent: "All right, I am also for you two hundred. (laughter) I am also for you two hundred." Ye yathā mām... This is the meaning, real meaning. Ye yathā māṁ prapadya... Kṛṣṇa is for you. It is called... What is called the exact word? Responsive cooperation. "If you have surrendered to Me cent percent, then I respond cent percent. If you have surrendered twenty-five percent, then I respond twenty-five percent." This is the position.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja knows it, that naiṣā parāvara-matir bhavato: "You have no such thing as discriminating." So one may say that "I may... I am foolish, I may not surrender to Kṛṣṇa cent percent, but why He is not kind cent percent?" So that is Kṛṣṇa's discrimination. Why He should? He can... He can become cent percent, but He does not do so. That means Kṛṣṇa is sentient; He is not impersonal. Don't think that whatever you are doing, Kṛṣṇa cannot see. In the Deity room, if you think that "This Deity is made of brass. Whatever nonsense I can do, He does not see," no, He can see everything. Añgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti paśyanti pānti kalayanti. He sees. You rascal, you do not know how Kṛṣṇa sees. You think that "He has these brass-made eyes. He cannot see. I can do all nonsense with..." No.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Chanting. You simply hear. When you say "Hare Kṛṣṇa," you try to hear the very sound, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." That's all. Nothing more. This is meditation. Your tongue and your ear should be engaged in sounding this transcendental vibration, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." Best meditation. This is also accepted in Bhagavad-gītā: the best meditation. You don't keep your mind elsewhere. You keep your mind on the chanting. "Hare Kṛṣṇa," and hear. So this is responsive. When I was chanting, you were hearing; when you were chanting, I was hearing. So it is exchange. I hear your chanting, you hear my chanting. This is the process. So there is no possibility of thinking anything else. Best and the easiest type of meditation. Fully.(?) Factual. You at once become on the transcendental plane. Therefore we feel dancing. You see? So practice it and you'll see how spiritually you are making advancement. And it is very simple. When you are walking on the street, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is not tax. There is no expenditure. There is no loss. But the gain is very great. Why don't you try it? If without any loss, without any expenditure, you gain something, the supermost sublime thing, spiritual realization, why don't you try for it? We are not asking any money. We are not asking $250 for paying for hearing. No. It is freely distributed. Please take it and try it. Make an experiment. There is no business here. You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and try to hear the sound, that's all. Nothing more. (break)
So one expansion is vaibhava at Vṛndāvana, and another expansion was made by Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā when He was grown up and He was obliged to marry sixteen thousand wives, sixteen thousand wives. He had actually... Because the kṣatriyas, the administrator, the royal family, royal class, they are allowed to marry more than one wife, not other class. Because they were rich, they were royal, kingly order, they had sufficient means. They could maintain many wives with the same comforts. So they were allowed; not others, not the poor brāhmaṇas or others. No. So Kṛṣṇa's father had sixteen wives, and one of the wives' name was Devakī, and Kṛṣṇa happened to be her son, Devakī. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa's father, Vasudeva, had sixteen wives. He was also Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa similarly had three or four wives, eight wives, yes. But He got information, prayer, application, prayer application, from sixteen thousand girls who were kidnapped by a demon, Narakāsura. And they sent application to Kṛṣṇa, "Please save us." So Kṛṣṇa is always responsive to His devotee, so He went to save the girls. He killed that Narakāsura and rescued those all sixteen thousand girls.
Initiation Lectures
Each time, when I say "svāhā" three times, you'll..., Little bit. (devotees chant responsively)
- oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā
- sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā
- yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ
- sa bahyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ
- nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
- śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
- Svāhā. Vande aham śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalam... (ceremony continues-kīrtana) (end)
Bring that. Mix it. Mix it. Yes, mix it. (oṁ apavitraḥ recitation-fire sacrifice) Offer. Svāhā. Take. Everyone, you also take, little, little, some. Vande aham... (recites maṅgalācaraṇa and prayers again, with devotees repeating) Now take one banana. Give him one. Yes, you take one. He'll give. Hayagrīva. Give Hayagrīva one. Give me one. Yes. Now turn(?) down. Yes. (chants namo brahmaṇya-devāya prayer three times) Just put slowly. (chants Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra responsively with devotees two times) Now bow down.
- nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
- śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
(devotees offer obeisances) Chant govinda jaya jaya, gopāla jaya jaya. (kīrtana-Prabhupāda recites Gāyatrī to Hayagrīva during kīrtana) (prema-dhvanī by Śrīla Prabhupāda) All glories to the married couples. Now distribute prasāda. (break) ...in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness every function is happy?
Prabhupāda: ...rādhā śrīla govinda-devau preṣṭhālībhiḥ sevyamānau smarāmi. (devotees chant responsively) Śrīmān rāsa-rasārambhī vaṁśī-vaṭa-taṭa-sthitaḥ karṣan veṇu-svanair gopīr gopīnāthaḥ śriye 'stu naḥ. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. All right. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Give me your beads. (japa) Begin from here. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Then take next. In this way you'll come this side. You don't cross this. Again begin here, and come to this. Such sixteen rounds must be done every day. Your spiritual name is Chandanācārya dāsa. Chandanācārya. C-h-a-n-d-a-n-c-h-a-r-y-a dāsa. Chandanācārya, a great preacher of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So you are servant of that. You have to preach very nicely. Bow down.
- nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
- śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
(devotees repeat responsively) Now chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy. Take this. (japa) You could not secure like that? This is all right. (japa) Put in your bag and do... (japa) Begin from here, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Next. In this way come to this point, again like that. And where is that chart, the ten kinds of offenses and the regulative principles?
So this is very nice. One should take it very seriously. One should try to understand it seriously. Your life will be sublime. The meaning of this namo apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthām—any condition. We don't make any condition. There is no condition. Why shall we...? Anyone can accept. Sarvāvasthām, any position. There are two position only, contaminated or uncontaminated. That's all. So supposing everyone is contaminated. That's all right. The medicine is there. You make immediately uncontaminated. So sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā. It doesn't matter what is your position. You take simply to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, your life will be sublime. That is the initiation. Now chant.
Vande ahaṁ śrī guru... (devotees chant responsively) (break) So one finish, then next, then next. Each Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. In this way you come this side, again begin from this side, other side. And there are ten kinds of offenses, try to avoid. And four principles you know? Four regulative principles you know? What is that?
Prabhupāda: No, no.
- nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
- śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
- (devotees chant responsively) (break)
Kṛṣṇabhāmini: No meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That's all. So what is your name?
Kṛṣṇabhāmini: Inez.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Kṛṣṇabhāmini: Inez.
Prabhupāda: Spelling? Is there any name Indumati?
Devotee: Yes.
Prabhupāda: There is? Indira?
Devotee: Yes.
"He's first-class yogi." You don't require to labor and pay somewhere some five dollars, ten dollars, and practice this gymnastic. No. It is not possible. And as soon as you come out, you'll again engage yourself in all nonsense activities. No. The first-class yoga system is to keep yourself always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then it is always, you are pure. No contamination of this material world can touch you, and you are first-class yogi. All right. (chants fire sacrifice prayers responsively with devotees) Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Prabhupāda: (Devotees chant prayers responsively) Chant. (devotees chant) Names? (japa)
Devotee: Serge?
Prabhupāda: You know the rules? What is that?
Devotee: No meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no gambling.
Prabhupāda: Thank you. Your name is Śuklāmbara. Śuklāmbara was a great brahmacārī devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You are servant of Śuklāmbara. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
(Another devotee is called; sounds like Carla) (japa) Kaumudī. Do you know the rules and regulations? Yes, tell. (devotee recites rules) So, your name is Kaumudī dāsī. Kaumudī is a nice flower liked by Kṛṣṇa. (japa)
Next. What is your name? You know the rules and regulations? What is that? (devotee recites rules) Hm. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So your name is Rūpa-mañjarī dasi. There are different gopīs. The assistant gopīs is mañjarīs. So Rūpa-mañjarī, you, this maidservant of Rūpa-mañjarī.
Come on. (another devotee is called) What are the rules? (devotee recites rules) Hm. Thank you. Brahmaṇya-tīrtha dāsa. (japa)
Devotee: Will? Will McLoughlin.
Prabhupāda: Chant the mantras first. Then I shall tell you all. Then after that you can perform sacrifice. (break) (maṅgalacaraṇa chanted responsively) (japa) (break) All right. The rules and regulation.
Devotee: (repeats four rules in background.)
Prabhupāda: How many rounds do you chant?
Devotee: I do sixteen a day.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Sixteen rounds. So your name is Akulānanda. Akula means incomparable, and ānanda means blissfulness. So Kṛṣṇa is Akulānanda.
Devotee: John Swindler.
Prabhupāda: Akulānanda dāsa brahmacārī.(aside:) He's brahmacārī? (japa)
Devotee: Pyāri-caraṇa.
Prabhupāda: Hm? Pyāri-caraṇa? (devotee spells name) What are the rules and regulations?
Bhakta John: No intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling, no illicit sex life, and chant at least sixteen rounds a day.
Prabhupāda: And no intoxication, also. So your name is Pyāri-caraṇa. Pyāri is another name of Rādhārāṇī. So caraṇa means lotus feet. So Pyāri-caraṇa dāsa. So you are servant of the lotus feet of Rādhā.
Devotee: Jayarāma. Harold? Harold Miller? (japa)
Prabhupāda: No. Come one. First Bhavānanda come. You also come. Chant this mantra: Etām... (devotees chant this mantra responsively with Prabhupāda.) No. Stand up. Etām.... Stand up.
- etāṁ sa āsthāya parātma-niṣṭhām
- upāsitāṁ pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ
- ahaṁ tariṣyāmi duranta-pāraṁ
- tamo mukundāṅghri-niṣevayaiva
(Śloka is chanted responsively two more times) Come on. Whose this is? Yours? Give that garland. Come on. Give him garland.
Devotee: Haribol!
Prabhupāda: Yes. Stand up. So... So the purport of this verse, etāṁ sa āsthāya, this sannyāsa order I am accepting. Why? Etāṁ sa āsthāya parātma-niṣṭhām. Just to fix up my mind steadily on the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, parātma-niṣṭhā. My only life is meant for serving the Supreme Lord, original Nārāyaṇa, not daridra-nārāyaṇa. That is my iṣṭhā. Etāṁ sa āsthāya parātma-niṣṭhā. You... If we serve the Supreme Nārāyaṇa, the daridra-nārāyaṇa is automatically... There is no such word as daridra-nārāyaṇa. The poor souls, they can be served automatically. Just like taror mūla-niṣecanena tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ. If the root is watered, then the trunk and branches and the twigs and the flowers, automatically... Prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇām. Prāṇopahārāc. Just like offering foodstuff to the stomach. Then every indriya, every sense is satisfied. Two, two examples are given. One may argue, "Suppose I am watering. That is also nice. I water to the root, I water to the leaf also." The injunction is that there is no necessity of watering the leaves. You simply water the root. But if you argue that "What is the harm...? Suppose I... Root, offer water to the root, as well as to the leaves and twigs." Just like somebody says, "All right. Why we shall only worship Kṛṣṇa? Why not other demigods?" although it is not necessary. But the next example is given that, prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇām. Just like offering foodstuff to the stomach, the senses automatically become healthy, then now, if you say, in the same way... Just like offering to the root as well as to the leaves, that "Yes, I shall offer foodstuff to the stomach as well as to the ears and eyes." Then what the result will be? The result will be that your eyes and ears will be stopped functioning. Therefore this very example is given. This, this is not required at all.
Prabhupāda: You go on with your mantra. You can perform bathing ceremony. (chants Brahma-saṁhitā and Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā ślokas responsively for installation of Gaura-Nitāi Deities) That's all. Now what is next? (break) What are the regulative principles?
Initiate: No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, (pauses) no eating meat.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (laughter)
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Mitrātmaja dāsa.
Prabhupāda: Your name is Mitrātmaja. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Randy prabhu?
Prabhupāda: Oh, he is not shaven-headed? You have not shaven your head? Why you have not shaven your head?
Randy: Umm, because I have a full-time job. I work in a company.
Prabhupāda: Hmm? What is that full-time job?
Mādhavānanda: He's working at a very responsible job.
Wedding Ceremonies
Prabhupāda: (devotees chant responsively:)
- oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā
- sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā
- yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ
- sa bahyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ
- śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu
Yes, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (japa) (devotees chant responsively:)
- oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā
- sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā
- yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ
- sa bahyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ
- śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu
(japa) That is that... That mantra? Thank you.
Govinda dāsī: There's more if you want to give more. I didn't know what you had in mind, so I made two, three of each.
Prabhupāda: Three? You have got three? (responsively:)
Prabhupāda: And Śyāma dāsī, you say that "I promise I shall serve you to my best capacity throughout my life."
Śyāma dāsī: I promise that I will serve you to my best capacity throughout my life.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now you change your garland. All right. So somebody go and bind this cloth. Yes. Some girl may do that. Yes. (chuckling) Yes. Now chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So, it is very nice combination.
Devotee: Kīrtana?
Prabhupāda: Yes. You can take photograph of this nice picture. Come here in the front. (kīrtana) (responsively:)
- oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā
- sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā
- yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ
- sa bahyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ
- śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu
- vande 'ham... lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca
svāhā, svāhā, svāhā
(chants fire sacrifice prayers with oblation after each) Now stand up with one banana each.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Hand. Now you can sit comfortably. (devotees chant japa) Now take, you know, little, little, everyone. When I say "svāhā" three times, very little, little take. We'll have to continue. (responsively with devotees:) Namaḥ apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthām... No, why you are not chanting? (devotees were responding softly, now more loudly) ...gato 'pi vā yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bahyābhyantara-śuciḥ. Śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu śrī viṣṇu. (continues prayers for fire sacrifice). Why not take a group photo of these newly married couples? It will be nice.
Guest: That'd be great. It'd be beautiful. Sure.
Himāvatī: Should they go behind or should they turn around?
Prabhupāda: As you like.
Guest: Could the wife be seated and the husband in back of her?
Prabhupāda: Just like they are sitting, left and right.
Guest: ...if we had a better place to...
Prabhupāda: (continues chanting) Svāhā svāhā svāhā. So you want to take just now or after finishing this?
Satsvarūpa: Prabhupāda, he wants a couple there, a couple there, and a couple behind you.
General Lectures
So the symptom of a devotee is always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And Kṛṣṇa is sitting in everyone's heart. As soon as He sees that "This particular living entity is very much interested in Me," teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam (BG 10.10). Immediately dictate from within that "You do like this, you do like that." What is that dictation? Yena mām upayānti te. That dictation is favorable for advancing towards Kṛṣṇa. That dictation is favorable to advance towards Kṛṣṇa. Why does He say...., why does He do like that? That is His special favor. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- teṣām evānukampārtham
- aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
- nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-(stho)
- jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā
- (BG 10.11)
This is Kṛṣṇa's business. Responsive cooperation. As you advance, as you try to serve Kṛṣṇa sincerely, sevonmukhe ji jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. We cannot realize Kṛṣṇa or God by mental speculation or by material advancement. We have to render service to Kṛṣṇa. Then Kṛṣṇa will be pleased and He will give you dictation from within how we can make advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And that is the successful life of human form of existence.
| Page Title: | Responsively (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 26 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=32, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 32 |