Todays Srimad-Bhagavatam Class Given by A.C Bhacktivadanta Swami Prabhupada "Devotee Is Beyond All Doubts"

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text-050Dedicated to Nitaipada Swami Maharaja!

"Devotee Is Beyond All Doubts"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.22

August 25, 1972, Los Angeles

 

listen

 

 

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Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

 

ato vai kavayo nityam

bhaktim paramaya muda

vasudeve bhagavati

kurvanty atma-prasadanim

 

Prabhupada: (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 Krsna, the Personality of

Godhead, from time immemorial because such devotional service is enlivening to

the self."

 

Prabhupada: 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

hrdaya-granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah. Sarva-samsayah. Samsaya 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.

 

So in this way, this, our Krsna consciousness movement, bhagavata-dharma,

it is not sentiment. We can explain how God created. Sometimes it is, in Bible,

it is said, "God said, 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." But

they cannot explain. Therefore in the modern age, scientifically advanced, they

do not take it. But we can explain. Our bhagavata-dharma can explain how, simply

by desiring, there is creation. So here it is said: chidyante sarva-samsayah.

Chidyante sarva-samsayah. One, by this, following this bhagavata-dharma,

studying from Bhagavata, the ultimate knowledge of everything, one can become

completely doubtless that God is a person, He is sentient, He is the supreme

director, He's the supreme knower, He's the supreme physist, the supreme chemist

-- everything, supreme.

 

Just like Krsna lifted the mountain, giri-bara-dhari. Jaya radha-madhava

kunja-bihari gopi-jana-vallabha giri-bara-dhari. When there was torrents of

rain, Vrndavana was being overflooded, and all the inhabitants became so much

disturbed. They were seeing to, looking to Krsna, because they did not know

anything beyond Krsna. Krsna said, "Yes, I am lifting this mountain. Let it

become a big umbrella of the whole state, or whole village." The atheist will

say these are all stories. No. They're not stories. Because God is supreme, He

is supreme physist, He knows how to make this mountain weightless. He knows the

art. Just like so many gigantic planets are floating in the sky. That is a fact.

Now who is floating? You cannot float even a small thing in the air, but such

gigantic... Not only one, millions and trillions, they are floating. Who has

made it possible, floating? So, God can do that. Therefore He is called

all-powerful, the great.

 

So if Krsna is God, then floating or make this mountain weightless, is it

very difficult task for Him? No. He entered the ocean. Unless He knows the

physical laws how to enter the ocean... It is technique only. Modern scientists,

they are also entering, by machine. They're floating by machine. That is also

physical science. So, if you know the physical science still more perfectly, you

can float in the air without machine, you can enter within the water without

machine, you can lift the mountain without machine. It is a question of perfect

knowledge. (knocking sound) What is that knock, sound?

 

So here it is said that when you are actually advanced in spiritual

knowledge, in devotional service, then chidyante sarva-samsayah. Samsaya means

doubtfulness. Sometimes... Yes. Generally, "Oh, these are stories. Krsna lifted

a mountain." Because atheists say and we say, "Yes, maybe." But no. You must be

firmly convinced, yourself, if you are Krsna conscious, that "Yes, Krsna did

it." It is possible because He knew the physical science very perfectly. He

knows and He, He can know, He can do it. One thing into another. Just like

electrician, he can turn cooler into heater, heater into cooler. Because he

knows the science. You cannot do that. So don't study Krsna thinking yourself as

Krsna, that "I am also Krsna." No. That is the defect. Everyone thinks that frog

philosophy. Frog philosophy, he has got experience of three-feet well, and he

has been informed that there is Atlantic Ocean. He's simply imagining, "How it

is possible? How it is possible?" He is thinking maybe little more, four feet,

five feet, six feet, ten feet, and as soon as ten feet he's burst. Because he

has no more knowledge. But how the three-feet well can be compared with the

Atlantic Ocean? That he does not know.

 

So we are think..., we have got limited energy, creative energy, so-called

scientific knowledge, so-called other knowledge. Limited. Because our senses are

limited. And we are thinking that God may be a little bigger than me, Krsna? But

as soon as it comes to the point that He, He can lift the mountain and the

world, the planet, then they doubt. That is samsaya. But actually, if you are

advanced in Krsna consciousness, you must be free from all doubts. You must know

perfectly well what is Krsna. So that is also possible by devotional service.

Just like Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita: bhaktya mam abhijanati [bg. 18.55].

"If one wants to understand Me perfectly..." Krsna cannot be understood

perfectly, but still, just to drive away our doubts... Because we have got so

many doubts. So that doubts can be also dissipated bhaktya, by bhakti.

 

How? Why not by knowledge? Because there are three ways: karma, jnana,

bhakti. By knowledge, scientific knowledge, Krsna cannot be known. Why bhakti?

Why Krsna is prescribing bhakti? No. By knowledge, so-called knowledge, you

cannot understand Krsna. Therefore the so-called scientists, they are in doubts.

It is not possible. If you think that "I shall speculate. Through knowledge, I

shall understand God," that is not possible. Because God is unlimited; your

knowledge is limited. How you can know God? How the bhaktas -- they are not

scientists, not educated very much -- how they can know? Yes, they can know.

How? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

 

tesam satata-yuktanam

bhajatam priti-purvakam

dadami buddhi-yogam tam...

[bg. 10.10]

 

Dadami buddhi-yogam tam. Tam means "unto Him." Whom? Bhajatam

priti-purvakam. Those who are engaged in devotional service with love and faith.

Because God is within you. You haven't got to search out where is God. Isvarah

sarva-bhutanam, hrdy antah-sthah [bg. 18.61].

 

We have begun this chapter srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah

punya-sravana-kirtanah... [sB 1.2.17]. (aside:) You are sleeping, this boy...

Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah. Anyone who is engaged in

hearing about Krsna... To whom? To Him, not those who are sleeping. Those who

are actually hearing, srnvatam. Srnvatam means hearing, not sleeping. To such

person. Bhajatam priti-purvakam, and engaged in devotional service. Buddhi-yogam

dadami tam, "I give intelligence." It doesn't require... If he's sincere, if

he's actually a devotee, Krsna will help him. Guru-krsna-krpa. Guru is

secondary, another mercy of Krsna. Krsna is helping within and without. That

without help is guru, Krsna's representative. So Krsna is always ready to help

us, and when Krsna is helping us, it is very easy to understand Him. Therefore a

devotee is beyond all doubts. Beyond all doubts. There is no doubt. Not that

blindly we are accepting Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No. We

have got all our arguments, scientific, philosophical, anything. Then we accept

Krsna. That acceptance is nice. That is uttama-adhikari.

 

Kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari. 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-samsayah. Chidyante. They are beyond all doubts.

"Yes, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here is Krsna. 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 Mahaprabhu.

As soon as He saw Jagannatha 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 kavayah. Kavayah means first class. Ato vai kavayo nityam. Perpetually,

eternally. Bhaktim paramaya muda. Devotional service. Transcendental, paramaya.

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 kanistha-adhikari, madhyama-adhikari. So

uttama-adhikari, uttama-adhikari means first class. He's firmly convinced,

"Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Nobody can deviate. He can

convert others to understand Krsna, that He's the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. But nobody can convert him that Krsna is not God. That is not possible.

That is first class.

 

So here it is said: ato vai kavayo nityam bhaktim paramaya muda vasudeve

bhagavati. Therefore those who are actually in the knowledge of Krsna

consciousness, science of God, they're firmly fixed up in the devotional service

of Krsna, Vasudeva. Vasudeve bhagavati. Then what about the third class? The

third class also, if he stick to the devotional service according to the rules

and regulation, vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah... [sB 1.2.7].

Prayojita means "just begun." Janayaty asu vairagyam jnanam ca yad ahaitukam.

Then that devotional service to Vasudeva, Krsna, will gradually help him how to

become vairagya, how to become detached with material attraction, and how to

acquire knowledge about Krsna. Everything will come.

 

So for the kanistha-adhikari, we must stick to the principle. Gradually,

everything will be revealed. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. In

the beginning, because we have got blunt material senses, we cannot understand

what is Krsna, what is Krsna's service. Atah sri-krsna-namadi... What is Krsna'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.

 

Thank you very much. Chant. (end)

SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ OR HEAR THE REST OF THIS CLASS GO TO

 

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Servant,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Jaya Kesava Dasa

 

 

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© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.