SB 07.09.12 tasmad aham vigata-viklava isvarasya... cited

Expressions researched:
"nico jaya guna-visargam anupravistah" |"puyeta yena hi puman anuvarnitena" |"sarvatmana mahi grnami yatha manisam" |"tasmad aham vigata-viklava isvarasya"

SB Canto 7

SB 7.9.12, Translation and Purport:

Therefore, although I was born in a demoniac family, I may without a doubt offer prayers to the Lord with full endeavor, as far as my intelligence allows. Anyone who has been forced by ignorance to enter the material world may be purified of material life if he offers prayers to the Lord and hears the Lord's glories.

It is clearly understood that a devotee does not need to be born in a very high family, to be rich, to be aristocratic or to be very beautiful. None of these qualifications will engage one in devotional service. With devotion one should feel, "God is great, and I am very small. Therefore my duty is to offer my prayers to the Lord." Only on this basis can one understand and render service to the Lord. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55):

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti

yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ

tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā

viśate tad-anantaram

"One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja decided to offer his best prayers to the Lord, without consideration of his material position.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that nīco 'jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ. Guṇa, these three qualities... yasmād bhavān bhaktir utmāsmadaṁ nīco vigata gata-sankasyan mahimanam sajatrena samanu samsara anuvarṇayāmi ajānato 'pi stuti-karaṇe hetum āha (?). "Although I do not know..." Because the demigods have requested Prahlāda Mahārāja that "You try to pacify Narasiṁhadeva, Lord Narasiṁhadeva, Nṛsiṁha-deva." So when you go to Kṛṣṇa, or any other form of Kṛṣṇa, God, we offer prayers, but "I do not know how to make prayer. I do not know how to write. I do not know how to glorify." So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that ajānato stuti-karaṇe, yenaiva mahimna anuvarṇitena avidyayā saṁsāra-anupraviṣṭaḥ pumān śuddhyet, tathā hi tan mahi anasya tataḥ ṣoḍakasya abavaditartha(?). In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is explained that if you begin this chanting, then automatically you'll be purified and you'll be able to offer prayers in purification. That system will automatically help you. So there is no question that you shall hesitate. There is no question of hesitate. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore recommended,

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

(CC Adi 17.21)

Kalau, kalau, in this age, you cannot find a man perfectly purified or this, anyway. That is not possible. Therefore you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and that will help you, the process of purification. Therefore this is the only system at the present moment that one can be purified completely simply by chanting. Completely. Complete purification means to be situated in pure spiritual life. That is complete purification. Yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ. Śuci means purified. The brāhmaṇa—not this caste brāhmaṇa, but actually, those who are brāhmaṇa, qualified brāhmaṇa—they are called śuci, purified, purified.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 18, 1968:

tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya

sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīsam

nīco 'jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ

pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena

(SB 7.9.12)

So the prayer... For offering prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you do not require any high qualification. It doesn't matter. You can offer your prayer from any standard of life. Not that you have to become a very learned man, very scholarly man, and you have to present your prayers in a very nicely selected words so that poetry, rhetoric, prosody, everything is there, metaphor. Nothing required. Simply you have to express your feelings.

So what is that real feeling? One must be aware of his position; then one can express his feeling. Feeling should be very sincere and automatic. And what is our position? That has been taught by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us how to pray. He says in His prayer, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Jagadīśa: "O My Lord of the universe." Jagat-īśa. Jagat means universe and īśa means Lord. So it does not matter whether you are Hindu or Muslim or Christian or anyone. It does not matter. But you must know that there is a supreme controller of this universe. How can you deny it? Therefore this word has been used very nicely by Caitanya Mahāprabhu: Jagadīśa. Jaya jagadīśa hare. It is universal. Now if you think that "My father is jagadīśa," that is your conviction, but jagadīśa is meaning the Supreme—no controller there. Everyone is controlled. As soon as you see that somebody is controlled, he cannot be the Supreme. So to find out the jagadīśa... The Brahma-saṁhitā gives us information who is Jagadīśa. And who is that Jagadīśa, or the Supreme? The Brahmā says, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Jagadīśa, īśa, the same word, īśvara. Īśa means controller. So every one of us is controller to some extent. If somebody has nothing to control, he keeps one cat or dog to control: "My dear cat, please come here." He is thinking, "I am controller." And sometimes we find the dog controls the master. Actually, nobody is controller. Everyone is controlled. But we forget the situation. This is called māyā. Therefore we refuse to accept any controller of this universe, because as soon as we accept some controller, then we'll have to account for our sinful activities. As soon as there is a government, then we shall be responsible for our unlawful activities. But our position is that we want to continue our sinful activities. As such it is very good to deny any controller. That is the basic principle of godlessness. Why these rascals, they deny there is no God, God is dead? Because they want to continue their rascaldom without any restriction. That is the basic principle, they deny. But do you mean to say that denying the God, the God will die or God will..., there will be no God? No. There is a nice Bengali proverb, śakuni svape garu more nā. Śakuni means the vulture. The vulture wants some dead carcass of animal, a cow especially. So for days together they do not get it, so it is cursing some cow, "You die." So does it mean that by his cursing the cow will die? Similarly, these vultures, śakuni, they want to see God is dead. At least, they take pleasure, "Oh, now God is dead. I can do anything nonsense I like." This is going on. Śakuni is cursing, the vulture is cursing the cow.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 18, 1968:

Here Prahlāda Mahārāja is trying to offer his prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya mahi gṛṇāmi. Mahi. Mahi means glorious. His glorious activities. Don't you think His activities are glorious? If... A modern scientist has manufactured one what is called sputnik, and we are advertising in the paper, "So nice sputnik. It is flying in the air and it's going..." And the Supreme Personality has created not only a childish sputnik, but millions and trillions of planets, they are flying in the air. So is not it glorious? But the rascals will say, jagan mithyā: "This world is false." Why it is false? There are so much brain in manufacturing this world, and is it false? Suppose if you decorate this temple and invite some friend, if he says, "Oh, this is all false," is it not decrying or insulting you? You decorate this temple so nicely, you prepare very nice foodstuff, and he says, "Oh, this is all false." Why? That means he has no appreciation. He's prosaic, he's dull, he's a rascal. So therefore devotees, they appreciate, "O God, O Kṛṣṇa, how nice You are. How nicely You have manufactured these trees, these flowers, the sky, the planets, the sun, the moon." And he becomes overwhelmed with joy: "Oh, my God is so great." And the rascal says it is false. (chuckles) You see how much rascaldom? False. Is it false? If you want to construct one building, you have to work hard your whole life, and if I say "It is false," how much insulted you are. So they do not know, they have no idea what is God. Yes.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:

tasmād ahaṁ mahi gṛṇāmi vigata-

viklava īśvarasya yathā manīṣam

nīco jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ

pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena

(SB 7.9.12)

This is the prayer of Prahlāda Mahārāja, a great devotee of Lord. So he has described that although he was born of an atheistic family, but still, Kṛṣṇa, or God, does not take account of a devotee, in which family he belongs. Kṛṣṇa does not take account, God does not take account of the family of breeding. He's equally kind to everyone. You have seen the picture, that Kṛṣṇa is loving both the calves and as well as the gopīs. In the spiritual platform, there is no such distinction that one is on the higher level or one is on the lower level. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). In the Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, it is said that those who are actually learned, they have no such distinction. Although in material consideration, according to the body, there is distinction, in the spiritual platform there is no such distinction. Kṛṣṇa therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Anyone, it does not matter in which family he belongs to, if he takes shelter unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, never mind what he is. He may be a man, he may be a woman, he may be a śūdra, he may be a brāhmaṇa or he may be black or he may be white. Everyone can approach to the highest platform of devotional service. It is open field.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja, therefore, taking courage, that the material qualifications are not assets to approach God, but it is only devotional service, service attitude. "Kṛṣṇa, or God, I love You. I can sacrifice You... I can sacrifice everything for You." Just like Lord Jesus Christ. He sacrificed even his life. The gopīs, they also sacrificed everything for Kṛṣṇa. This is wanted. The degree of sacrifice, the degree of attachment is taken into consideration by God, not any material opulence. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is encouraged. Tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam: "Therefore I shall try to offer my prayers according to my capacity." It is not that because one does not know Sanskrit or a particular type of language and he cannot pray very nicely with poetic simile, metaphors... These things are not required. Simply you have to open your feelings of love of Godhead. Then He's pleased. It does not depend on the particular type of language or poetic ideas. No. There is one verse in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that,

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo

yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api

nāmāny anantasya yaśo 'ṅkitāni yat

śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

(SB 1.5.11)

It is said that a verse written in broken language... Suppose a person, a great devotee, is writing some prayers for God, but he has no idea of the rhetorical or prosodic method, the system of poetry. He has no such idea, but he is simply expressing his feeling. But if that feeling is correct, even the language is broken... There are many examples. Just like a child, he prays mother, parents, simply by crying. It has no language, but the mother understands what is the feeling of the child. It is the feeling that is taken into consideration, not the language. So Prahlāda Mahārāja very much encouraged, that tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava.

So without any doubt, īśvarasya, of the Lord, sarvātmanā, wholeheartedly, without any reservation, if I say, "My dear God, my dear Kṛṣṇa, from today I surrender unto You. Please protect me," this very language, this very feeling will give you all protection. It is so nice. He does not require to be very learned man. In the spiritual platform there is no such consideration. Tasmād ahaṁ vigata...īśvarasya sarvātmanā. So the qualification is, without any reservation—"So much for God, so much for my sense gratification," there is reservation. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same thing is ordered by Kṛṣṇa: sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Don't divide your energy, that "So much energy for God, so much energy for māyā, or matter." No. Sarvātmanā. Fully. Then whatever energy you have got, that is sufficient to approach God. It doesn't matter what you are. Sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam. Yathā manīṣam means "as far as it is possible by me." Nīco ajayā, "although I am born low," guṇa visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ, "but as soon as the vibration of Lord's name will enter unto me, so I am, I may be qualitatively very low..." Just like there are three qualities. Someone may be in the quality of goodness, someone may be in the quality of passion, someone may be in the quality of darkness, or ignorance. But Kṛṣṇa, or God, is transcendental to all qualities, because He's Supreme Spirit. We are also transcendental to all qualities, but at the present circumstances we are under the clutches of this qualitative existence. Somebody is very good man, somebody is very passionate man, somebody is ignorant fool. These are all qualitative representation of this material world. But as soon as you come to the platform of God, you transcend all the qualities. All the qualities. There is no such distinction, "good man," "bad man," "this man" or "that man." In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated,

māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi

bhakti yogena yaḥ sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

Anyone who is engaged in unalloyed devotional service to the Lord, without any reservation—avyabhicāriṇi, not adulterated, simply pure love of Godhead, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167), favorably—how God will be pleased. With this feeling, if one is engaged in devotional service, māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi bhakti yogena yaḥ sevate... If anyone is engaged in that way, then what is his position? Sa guṇān samatītyaitān (BG 14.26). There are three qualities of the material nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. He at once transcends. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). Immediately he is spiritually identified. Immediately.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Mayapur, February 19, 1976:

Dayānanda: "Therefore, although I am born in a demonic family, even still, without any doubt, I may offer prayers to the Lord as far as possible by me. Any person who is engaged in offering prayer and hearing glories of the Lord becomes purified from the material condition of life."

Prabhupāda:

tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya

sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam

nīco 'jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ

pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena

(SB 7.9.12)

This verse is given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu in another distinct form, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam (CC Antya 20.12). It doesn't matter where I am born. That is not important thing. Nīco, even one is very lowborn by breaks of nature... Nobody can guarantee where he'll take his birth. Karmaṇā daiva netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). I'll have to take my birth according to my fruitive activities, controlled by nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). We are all completely under the control of the laws of material nature, guṇa-visarga. So according to the quality or modes of material nature we associate, we create another body. There are many places this thing has been described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Māyayā, yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni (BG 18.61). Just like that Jumnagar(?) Agarwal, that... He is now in the police custody. Now he is crying, "Save me, save me, save me." But nature's law is very strict. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Once you have committed mistake, immediately nature's law reacts, and it is very difficult to come out of it. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā.

But there is only one way. That is anuvarṇitena, repeatedly chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, repeatedly. That is the only way. Harer nāmaiva kevalam. That is recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). This is the simple... Kali-yuga... This is the only way. Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann hy asti eko mahān guṇaḥ. This is the greatest qualification of Kali-yuga. Great personalities, they very much eulogize Kali-yuga that there is simple method and so sublime: Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one becomes completely purified. Pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena. Anu means repetition, and anu means following the footsteps of authority, spiritual master, anu. Our process is anu. We don't manufacture anything. We simply follow. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Mahājanas. Great personalities, great authorities, that is our process. Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya, āra na koriya mane āśa **. This is the process. The guru-mukha-padma-vākya **, whatever is coming out of the mouth of the spiritual master... Because he'll never speak nonsense. He'll also speak the same thing which he has heard from his guru. That is called anu, anu, following. So this is very easy. We don't manufacture things. What is the use of manufacturing things? We are imperfect; what we can manufacture? Whatever we shall manufacture, that is imperfect because we are imperfect. The modern scientists, they are manufacturing some ideas. I manufacture, and you manufacture some idea. You defeat me; I defeat you. So tarkaḥ apratiṣṭhaḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). In this way—I defeat you; you defeat me—that will not solve the problem. The problem will be solved when we follow the authority. Anuvarṇitena. Then the problems will be...

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Mayapur, February 19, 1976:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja decided, tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya sarvātmanā. Real thing is with heart and soul everything. No reservation. Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa everything, whatever he has got. He says, manasa deha geha, yo kichu mora: "Whatever I have got, no reservation." So what I have got in this material... He said, "I have got this body, material body, lump of matter, and I have got my wife, simply changing from this platform to that platform." Because my business is saṅkalpa-vikalpa. We accept something—"It is very good"—and next time we reject it—"No, it is not good." This is mind's business. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "I have got this lump of body." I am... We are very much proud of possessing, but what we have got? We have got this body and the mind. And with the mind we have created so many things—"This is my house. This is my wife. This is my children." Nobody is your. You have come according to your karma, and they have come according to their karma, and it is a play only that one is father, one is mother, one is son. It is by arrangement of the material nature. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). Everything will be finished in the twinkling of an eye. So actually it has no fact, but we think this is our possession. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that "My possession means some mental concoction and this lump of body." Mānasa deha geha. "So therefore, whatever possession I have got, I surrender unto You." Mānasa deha geha, yo kichu mora. This is surrender. Arpilun tuwā pade, nanda-kiśora.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12-13 -- Montreal, August 20, 1968:

tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya

sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam

(SB 7.9.12)

Prahlāda Mahārāja is submitting that "I do not require to be highly elevated to offer my prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Nobody requires any material acquisition to approach God. We have been discussing this point for the last few days. Simply bhaktyā tutoṣa gaja-yūtha-pāya. Even an elephant or any other animal can also satisfy the Lord. How? Bhaktyā, simply by feelings of love, that's all.

So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he is offering his prayers to the Lord, haha prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-sutā-yuta: "My dear Lord, the son of King Nanda..." Kṛṣṇa's foster father's name was Nanda Mahārāja. So He is very much pleased when He is addressed as "the son of Nanda." (break) He is the original person. He has no father. But He accepts His devotee as His father. He accepts His devotee as mother. He is full in Himself, but still, He awaits the affection of father and mother. This is the beauty of Kṛṣṇa. So He takes pleasure when He is addressed as Nanda-suta, as Rādhā-ramana, like that. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is addressing, "My dear Lord, the son of Nanda," and vṛṣabhānu-sutā-yuta, "and present with the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu..." Rādhārāṇī's father was Vṛṣabhānu. He was also a king. So Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā is combined, and the devotee is addressing, "My dear son of Nanda, You are now united with the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu." Karunā karaha ei bāra: "Now You bestow Your mercy upon this fallen soul." Narottama dāsa kahe. This prayer is offered by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. He is saying for himself, "My dear Lord, don't kick me away." Narottama dāsa kahe, nā ṭheliho rāṅgā pāya: "Don't kick me away. Accept me in the service of Your lotus feet." Tomā bina ke āche āmāra: "I have no other shelter than Yourself." This is the sum and substance of all prayers. If you submit to the Lord that "I have no other shelter than Yourself," then He takes at once charge of you. But if you think that "My dear Lord," or "My dear God, I come to You for my daily bread, and as soon as You give me my daily bread, my business is finished with You..." No. That is also very good, but this is not love. This is business. The Kṛṣṇa wants lover not for any business.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12-13 -- Montreal, August 20, 1968:

Prahlāda Mahārāja said, nīco 'jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena. Now, God is so kind that He is giving you light, air, everything that you require for your existence. Either you give Him thanks or you do not give Him thanks, the supply will be there. But somebody says, "Then what is the use of giving Him thanks?" The use is for yourself. What is that? Prahlāda Mahārāja said, pūyeta yena pumān anuvarṇitena: "If I give thanks to Lord, then I become purified." God does not wait for your thanks. He has already created. But if you give thanks, then you become purified. What is that purification? The purification is that gradually you become liberated from the influence of the materialistic modes. There are three modes of material nature. Somebody is in the modes of goodness; somebody is in the modes of passion; somebody is in the modes of ignorance. But in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, māṁ cāvyabhicāriṇi bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate: "Anyone who is engaged in transcendental loving service," sa guṇān samatītyaitān (BG 14.26), "he transcends the influence of these modes of material nature, and" brahma-bhūyāya kalpate, "he becomes Brahman realized." We are already Brahman, but we have to realize. And as soon as you realize... Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as we realize Brahman, immediately we become anxiety-less, prasannātmā.