SB 01.02.22 ato vai kavayo nityam... cited

Expressions researched:
"ato vai kavayo nityam" |"bhaktim paramaya muda" |"kurvanty atma-prasadanim" |"vasudeve bhagavati"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.2.22, Translation and Purport:

Certainly, therefore, since time immemorial, all transcendentalists have been rendering devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, with great delight, because such devotional service is enlivening to the self.

The speciality of devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is specifically mentioned herein. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the svayaṁ-rūpa Personality of Godhead, and all other forms of Godhead, beginning from Śrī Baladeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna and Nārāyaṇa and extending to the puruṣa-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras, līlā-avatāras, yuga-avatāras and many other thousands of manifestations of the Personality of Godhead, are Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa's plenary portions and integrated parts. The living entities are separated parts and parcels of the Personality of Godhead. Therefore Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa is the original form of Godhead, and He is the last word in the Transcendence. Thus He is more attractive to the higher transcendentalists who participate in the eternal pastimes of the Lord. In forms of the Personality of Godhead other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva, there is no facility for intimate personal contact as in the transcendental pastimes of the Lord at Vrajabhūmi. The transcendental pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa are not newly accepted, as argued by some less intelligent persons; His pastimes are eternal and are manifested in due course once in a day of Brahmājī, as the sun rises on the eastern horizon at the end of every twenty-four hours.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Los Angeles, August 25, 1972:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

ato vai kavayo nityaṁ

bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā

vāsudeve bhagavati

kurvanty ātma-prasādanīm

(SB 1.2.22)

Prabhupāda: (interrupts devotees chanting verse) The word, not "vay", it is vai. (chanting resumes)

Pradyumna: Translation: "Therefore all transcendentalists have been rendering loving service with great delight to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, from time immemorial because such devotional service is enlivening to the self."

Prabhupāda: So "therefore." The word is "therefore." "Therefore" means after concluding something, then we say "therefore." When we talk, when we argue, when we come to the conclusion, then we say "therefore." Or when our argument is strong, then we say "therefore." So this "therefore" means that one is firmly convinced. As it is described in the previous verse, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Saṁśaya means doubtfulness.

Now this morning we were talking with our scientist friend whether the ultimate source of everything... First of all, the conclusion is that everything is, are, relatively situated here. Just like some gentleman, he is son of another gentleman, relative. Then his father is also son of another gentleman. So our... this world is relative depending one thing upon another. Nobody is self-independent. This is going on. Then... So find out the original source of everything, that original source, whether it is sentient or insentient? The conclusion is original source must be sentient. Because in this, our experience, experimental knowledge, we see something matter and something living. I am seeing here is a small ant and here is a big stone. The big stone is insentient. It cannot move. For millions of years you wait, whether the stone will move—you cannot see. No, it will not move. Because it is insentient. Whereas a small ant, it is going. You just check its marching. It will struggle. It will struggle this way, this way, this way. And ultimately you have to give way. This is sentient. Therefore sentient is superior.

There are two things within our experience: one, matter, not sentient; and another sentient. So this... Now, I am seer. Or sometimes I control both these things. But I am not supreme controller. But I can observe that there are two things, sentient and insentient, and I am observing. So, for the time being, I am superior of both the sentient and nonsentient. So the conclusion is the ultimate source of everything, ultimate knower, ultimate analyzer, must be a sentient. It cannot be insentient. That is experimental knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Los Angeles, August 25, 1972:

Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī and uttama-adhikārī. There are three stages of devotees-lower class, middle class and first class. The first-class devotee is without any doubt. The third-class devotee, he's accepting, he's accepting: "Here is God," that's all. But he has many doubts. The second class, he, although he has got doubts, he's accepting on the authority of Vedas. That is second class. And the first class, he knows perfectly well that "Here is God." That is the, the sarva-saṁśayaḥ. Chidyante. They are beyond all doubts. "Yes, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here is Kṛṣṇa. In this temple here is, my Lord is standing. He has very kindly, mercifully, He has come to accept my service." That is first-class devotee. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As soon as He saw Jagannātha in the temple, immediately fainted. "Here is My Lord; I was searching after."

So there are stages. So those who are first class... Here it is stated ato vai kavayaḥ. Kavayaḥ means first class. Ato vai kavayo nityam. Perpetually, eternally. Bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā. Devotional service. Transcendental, paramayā. The devotional service... For the third-class devotee, the devotional service is also third class. And the, although third class, first class, second class, we are distinguishing, it is not ordinary material first class, second class... Even in the spiritual world there is such divisions. The same division. Just like in the light, in the sunlight, there is division: the sunshine, the sun globe, and the sun-god. There are three divisions. It is not that because you are in the sunshine you know what is the sun globe or what is sun god. That is another stage. Similarly, just to become a devotee on the devotional service, there are stages. Stages. That is kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī. So uttama-adhikārī, uttama-adhikārī means first class. He's firmly convinced, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Nobody can deviate. He can convert others to understand Kṛṣṇa, that He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But nobody can convert him that Kṛṣṇa is not God. That is not possible. That is first class.

So here it is said: ato vai kavayo nityaṁ bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā vāsudeve bhagavati. Therefore those who are actually in the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, science of God, they're firmly fixed up in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeve bhagavati. Then what about the third class? The third class also, if he stick to the devotional service according to the rules and regulation, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ... (SB 1.2.7). Prayojita means "just begun." Janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam. Then that devotional service to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, will gradually help him how to become vairāgya, how to become detached with material attraction, and how to acquire knowledge about Kṛṣṇa. Everything will come.

So for the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, we must stick to the principle. Gradually, everything will be revealed. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). In the beginning, because we have got blunt material senses, we cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa's service. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi... What is Kṛṣṇa's chanting of name. We are thinking that this is chanting, just like we chant so many vibrations, this is also like that. We cannot understand. But if we take up all this devotional service in right earnestness to serve the Lord, then everything will be gradually revealed. That is required. But if we become slack in following the rules and regulations, then we remain the third class. We cannot raise ourself to the second class, first class position. Therefore all doubts remain. This is the position.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.:)

ato vai kavayo nityaṁ

bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā

vāsudeve bhagavati

kurvanty ātma-prasādanīm

(SB 1.2.22)

Translation: "Therefore all transcendentalists have been rendering loving service with great delight to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, from time immemorial because such devotional service is enlivening to the self."

Prabhupāda:

ato vai kavayo nityaṁ

bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā

vāsudeve bhagavati

kurvanty ātma-prasādanīm

Bhaktim ātma-prasādanīm. Devotional service is ātmā, means self, or mind also, even body... Ātmā means the body, the mind and the self also. So ātma-prasādanīm means if you want to satisfy your mind, if you want to satisfy your self, or even you want to satisfy your body... We are living in three stages: bodily concept of life, mental concept of life and spiritual concept of life. Those who are grossly in ignorance, they are thinking in terms of bodily concept of life; those who are little more advanced, they are thinking in terms of mental or psychological concept of life; and those who are still more advanced, they are thinking in terms of spiritual concept of life. The spiritual concept of life, as it is described before: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). Tattvam means truth. The truth is spirit, not this matter. Matter is truth, subordinate to spirit. On the basis of spirit, the matter grows, just like our body has grown on the basis of our spiritual existence.

So spiritual realization is the ultimate goal of our life. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. We have discussed these verses previously. This human form of life, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā... Jijñāsā, about the truth, inquiry about the truth, that is the main business of the living entity. But lower than human being—animals, birds, beasts, trees, aquatics, insects—they have no privilege to inquire about the Absolute Truth. It is in the human form of life one can inquire about the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So when one is actually inquisitive about the Absolute Truth, he realizes three transcendental subject: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11).

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972:

So the spirit soul has got immense power, immense power. That is only fragment of Kṛṣṇa, part and parcel. Now, just you can imagine what is the power of Kṛṣṇa. A..., a small, fragmental portion of Kṛṣṇa... Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). The living entity, he has got so much potencies. And what potency Kṛṣṇa has got, who is full of spiritual potency? So actually if we want to be happy, as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we must join Him. That is our value. This example I have given several times, that a small screw of a machine has got immense value when it is attached with the machine. The same small screw, when it is detached from the machine, it has no value. Not even a farthing. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. Our value is in full when we join Kṛṣṇa, when we dovetail our activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then it is valuable. Otherwise the so-called progress is simply illusion. There is no progress. It is simply illusion. Ato vai kavayo nityaṁ bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā.

Therefore if we actually want happiness, pleasure, then we must dovetail our activities, devotional service, with Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeve bhagavati kurvanty ātma-prasāda... It is for your interest. It is not for Kṛṣṇa's interest. Kṛṣṇa can create millions of living entities like you. He doesn't require your service. He's complete. But if you want your satisfaction, then vāsudeve bhagavati, bhaktiṁ kurvanty ahaitukīm. Then you have to dovetail yourself in devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. That is intelligence. Otherwise foolish, ignorance, illusion.