Bhaktivaibhava Swami

[Guest guest]

Live from Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir!

 

March 24, 2005

Verse: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.13.28

Speaker: HH Bhaktivaibhava Swami

__

 

athodicim disam yatu svair ajnata-gatir bhavan

ito 'rvak prayasah kalah pumsam guna-vikarsanah

 

TRANSLATION: Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without

letting your relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will

diminish the good qualities of men.

 

--Can you hear me? Is it not too loud? Shanti, Shanti!( Large crowds in the

temple)

 

PURPORT: One can compensate for a life of frustration by becoming a dhira,

or leaving home for good without communicating with relatives, and Vidura

advised his eldest brother to adopt this way without delay because very

quickly the age of Kali was approaching. A conditioned soul is already

degraded by the material association, and still in the Kali-yuga the good

qualities of a man will deteriorate to the lowest standard. He was advised

to leave home before Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was

created by Vidura, his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would

fade away due to the influence of the age which was fast approaching. To

become narottama, or a first-class human being depending completely on the

Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, is not possible for any ordinary man. It is stated

in Bhagavad-gita (7.28) that a person who is completely relieved of all

taints of sinful acts can alone depend on the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, the

Personality of Godhead. Dhrtarastra was advised by Vidura at least to become

a dhira in the beginning if it were impossible for him to become a sannyasi

or a narottama. Persistently endeavoring on the line of self-realization

helps a person to rise to the conditions of a narottama from the stage of a

dhira. The dhira stage is attained after prolonged practice of the yoga

system, but by the grace of Vidura one can attain the stage immediately

simply by willing to adopt the means of the dhira stage, which is the

preparatory stage for sannyasa. The sannyasa stage is the preparatory stage

of paramahamsa, or the first-grade devotee of the Lord.

 

(Srila Prabhupada ki jai. Invocatory prayers. Repeats verse and

translation.)

 

 

So here in the Sanskrit we have the word "vikarsanah", which means to

diminish, to reduce, something less, deteriorating, it has many meanings. We

find a similar verse in the 12th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

 

tatas canu-dinam dharmah satyam saucam ksama daya

kalena balina rajan nanksyaty ayur balam smrtih

 

This nankysati, has the same meaning, it means to deteriorate, to diminish.

In the beginning, this age of Kali, in that verse it is described day after

day, and this we can practically experience how almost day after day society

degrades. The remaining few good qualities are also being diminished. They

are being mentioned here: dharma, religiosity, religion, that will diminish.

In the name of religion, so many questionable activities are going on in

society. The true understanding of religion will also diminish. What is

factually religion? Nowadays even theologians are holding debates over the

term religion. No clear understanding at all.

 

Then satyam, truthfulness; cleanliness, saucam; ksama, tolerance; daya,

mercy. It is described that "kalena balina rajan", Maharaj Pariksit, by the

force of time of this age of Kali, all these things are deteriorating.

"Ayuh" means life span. Life span also diminishes. Then balam, physical

strength diminishes. And smrtih means memory, remembrance. That will also

diminish. In the age of Kali people do not even remember they are wearing

spectacles on their noses. "Where are my glasses?On your nose.Oh!" The

age of Kali, even small things we do not remember. The length of our memory

will also diminish.

 

Once I read an article that fish supposedly have only 1, 2, 3 seconds of

memory and then they forget. That's why fishes in the aquarium, sometimes

you can see they bump with their nose against the glass. Then they notice of

course and move a little bit back, and then they do it again. And again they

look something is wrong, move back and again, boom, boom, boom. The memory

is short, they can't remember one second ago something was wrong.

 

Human beings also. At least some time ago society had the tendency to learn

from the past. But nowadays things are drastically deteriorating. So many

disasters are happening but people do not learn. They forget. After some war

has taken place, everybody is lamenting, "No, not again. No more war." And

after a few years, again war. They don't learn. Memory is so weak.

 

Especially nobody remembers the factual goal of human life. That everybody

has forgotten. This whole material existence, simply means forgetfullness,

ignorance, avidya. Nobody remembers what's the purpose of human life. Just

like every other item in this world has a purpose. Just like this microphone

has a purpose to amplify sound. I cannot use it to smash a nail into the

wall. This would be a misuse. This human form of life is very very delicate.

Our intelligence is much more developed than any other species of life, our

feelings, our sensitivity are very fine and developed. And if we use this

human form of life, so to speak, as a hammer in low sensual activities, we

simply spoil our great fortune of this human form of life. This is the basic

summary of this section of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

 

Yesterday and before the point of detachment was discussed. I thought it was

quite interesting how many different angles are there on understanding the

term detachment. I was thinking at one point that we do not factually preach

detachment to the people. Sometimes we use examples to support our

statements, but per se we do not preach to the people in general about

detachment. They don't understand what it means because there's no

alternative for them. If you just tell them become detached--stop, stop,

stop--then what is left? Materialists tend to think that devotees are

practically dead. "You're not living any more. You don't go to discos, you

don't take drugs, you don't smoke, nothing. What are you doing?"

 

They are not aware of the alternative, the better engagement in Krsna

consciousness. There is a great difference between the terms vairagya, which

means renunciation, and virakti, which means detachment. Vairagya means you

are attached to something and you try to renounce the object of attachment.

This is very very difficult. Just like Srila Prabhupada refers to one verse

of Bhagavad-gita:

 

yesam tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam

te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam drdha-vratah

 

If someone has acted piously in his previous lives and in this life as well,

and he takes up the process of devotional service, then he can perform

bhakti with great determination. He will be very steady in his

determination. Piety refers to the mode of goodness, sattva. Without

goodness, we cannot be steady. Whereas the very symptom of passion means I

have to change, something else, different. I feel this urge to change my

position, my situation. Mode of passion. In other words, I am not satisfied.

The mode of goodness means basically I am satisfied. I feel steady, I can

continue what I am doing.

 

In the verse quoted by Srila Prabhupada here, he explains the necessity of

associating with pure devotees of the Lord. By mere piety in itself, we

cannot come to the platform of pure devotional service. Piety in itself is

not the cause of bhakti, pure devotional service. Only bhakti is the cause

of bhakti. And Srila Prabhupada makes this very clear in the purport that

those pure devotees who carry bhakti in their heart, they can give bhakti or

pure devotional service to others. That's why Srila Prabhupada emphasized

this point of the necessity of associating with the pure devotees. That is

piety of course in itself.

 

Just like Srila Prabhupada. "Punya-karmanam", He created our punya, our

piety, in all of us. Most of us, we didn't have any piety whatsoever,

especially in Western countries. Where is the piety? Everybody was more or

less engaged in impious, abominable activities. But by Srila Prabhupada's

merciful glance on those who were pious and those were not pious, that great

fortune had been created by Srila Prabhupada, that we could somehow take up

this process of devotional service.

 

This is also explained by Baladeva Vidyabhusana in his own purport to the

same verse. He explains, "Do we find ever devotion to the Lord in any one?"

He points to the fact that Krsna Himself says in the Gita that everybody is

born into delusion. Everybody is born in ignorance, there cannot be any

piety. So he raises this question, do we find ever devotion to the Lord in

any one in this world? Those living beings who have received the merciful

glance of topmost pure souls, they have all their sinful reactions

destroyed, as stated in the srutis. And that verse which is being quoted now

by Baladeva Vidyabhusana, that same line Srila Prabhupada also quotes in his

own purport to that verse. The quotation is "The personal servants of Lord

Visnu wander this world to purify the conditioned souls. Those who receive

such mercy become firm in their vows and gain determination."

 

How magnificent Srila Prabhupada was. He created that great fortune to be

engaged in devotional service. So we do not really preach to people to

become detached, renounced. We just inspire them, we request them to take up

this process of devotional service, Krsna consciousness. Just engage in

Krsna consciousness, and that preaching anyone can do. You don't have to be

90 years old to effectively preach that people should become detached. Even

a child. . . Srila Prabhupada was proud of Sarasvati, the daughter of

Malati. He was very proud. She was six years old, small girl, she was

preaching. She would walk straight up to people and ask this question: "Do

you know who Krsna is?" Some of them, "No". She replied, "The Supreme

Personality of Godhead." And then she walked away.

 

So Prabhupada appreciated, he made the point this is perfect preaching,

nothing added nothing subtracted, no speculation. (chuckles) "Who's Krsna?"

"I don't know.The Supreme Personality of Godhead." Bas. That's all,

perfect preaching. Even a child can do it. And that invokes the desire for

devotional service. Then that person perhaps wants to know more: "How come a

child knows something I don't know, it's embarrassing." And then secretly

finds out little more about what does it mean Supreme Personality of

Godhead.

 

Many many times these philosophical terms were quite unusual for us. Like I

myself, before Krsna consciousness, I could never understand the term "modes

of material nature". What does this mean, the modes of material nature. But

now we understand. So just be explaining something about Krsna consciousness

it can be very basic but people in general don't know, and then they want to

find out what does this mean, what do you mean by this, by that. And in this

way they feel encouraged, this is punya, "punya sravana kirtana," just by

sitting and hearing. This great fortune Srila Prabhupada created in

thousands and thousands of people. And still he's creating because his

teachings are being distributed profusely. Srila Prabhupada's books are

being distributed, and he creates this punya in everyone, that piety of

simply listening to the message of Godhead, Bhagavad-gita, the message of

Krsna consciousness. That itself is piety. And that kind of piety in the

association of devotees will lead one to the process of pure devotional

service. And then detachment, virakti, automatically, spontaneously

develops. There is no need to isolate that endeavour to become detached. It

is an automatic process. That verse we also find:

 

bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir

anyatra caisa trika eka-kalah

prapadyamanasya yathasnatah syus

tustih pustih ksud-apayo 'nu-ghasam

 

It is explained that even great sages sometimes have difficulty controlling

the senses. And their endeavour to control the senses can never be as

perfect as those who are engaged in the service of the Supreme Personality

of Godhead. That translation refers to the verse:

 

yat-pada-pankaja-palasa-vilasa-bhaktya

karmasayam grathitam udgrathayanti santah

tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo 'pi ruddha-

sroto-ganas tam aranam bhaja vasudevam

 

And then the verse before it is explained that bhakti or devotional service,

the direct experience of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and then

virakti, detachment from all those things which are not related to Krsna

consciousness--these three occur automatically as one engages in pure

devotional service. And the example of the process of eating is given. If we

eat we experience pleasure--of course if we eat something nice, we feel

pleasure immediately--and nourishment will be there, and mitigation of

hunger will also be there. . . . We just have to eat and everything else

follows, satisfaction, nourishment, everything comes.

 

We just have to request people to engage in devotional service and for this

we have to tax our brains how to lead people to accepting Krsna

consciousness. That requires intelligence. But once they engage in

devotional service then these three experiences will spontaneously occur.

 

Bhakti is directly compared to satisfaction. And that so many devotees, I

think everybody who practices Krsna consciousness must have this experience

that it is very pleasurable, very satisfying. I think it's important that

devotees never lose their appreciation for Krsna consciousness, for the

association of devotees, for Srila Prabhupada's movement, for Srila

Prabhupada teachings. We should never lose our appreciation. Countless

sastric statements confirm how elevated this unique and elevated this very

process of Krsna consciousness is that we practice. And it is not so easy to

attain either. The proof is that still so many people don't take to Krsna

consciousness. Somehow we received that fortune, Srila Prabhupada created

that fortune for everyone, but our particular individual fortune is that we

took to it somehow. Just by giving a little concentration, some hearing to

what is this Krsna consciousness, immediately such great fortune,

"punya-karmanam".

 

So Srila Prabhupada here has given us this wonderful process. Age is no

disqualification, very young or very old are not disqualifications, or one's

social status is also no disqualification. It doesn't matter what our

conditional situation might be, we can engage in devotional service due

Srila Prabhupada's mercy. He created the society in such a way that

everybody can be somehow engaged in devotional service.

 

Just the other day I read something really wonderful in Caitanya Bhagavat,

our ISKCON translation, in the purport of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

Thakur. This story was related to Suklambara Brahmacari. He was a very

simple devotee of Lord Caitanya. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired one day to

eat rice at the house of Suklambara Brahmacari. But he felt completely

disqualified, he felt so fallen, he said "No I cannot cook for you, if I

touch the rice everything becomes contaminated, impossible!" He consulted

the other Vaisnavas, and they encouraged him "No, no, no, no, what a great

fortune! You should accept. Somehow cook the rice without touching it, if

you really feel like this."

 

So he somehow managed to cook the rice without touching it. Also at first he

was boiling scented water, then in that scented water he was boiling the the

rice, and then he was adding banana stalks--that's how you pronounce it?

Yes? Banana stalks and banana flowers and then supposedly the rice would

become very tasteful. Caitanya Mahaprabhu of course accepted that rice and

glorified the taste, and then all the many other associates of Mahaprabhu

all took rest. There was on Vijaya Das. He was also taking rest and while

everyone was resting, Caitanya Mahaprabhu laid his hand on the chest of

Vijaya Das. So as soon as Caitanya Mahaprabhu's arm touched his body, he had

this amazing vision. All of a sudden he saw a bright effulgence, more bright

than thousands of suns. Then he visualised a gigantic golden arm extending

all the way up to Brahmaloka and even extending the coverings of the

universe. And this golden arm was decorated with jewels and rings and so

many things. So when he saw this he just fainted.

 

Meanwhile Caitanya Mahaprabhu woke up and He was concerned what happened to

Vijay Das, he's lying there unconscious. And he mentioned to the other

devotees present that it might be due to his ecstasy because he is a great

devotee of Ganga-devi. Perhaps he was meditating on Ganga-devi and was

overwhelmed with ecstasy. But when he awoke, when he came back to his

external consciousness, by Caitanya Mahaprabhu's touch, then he again

remembered that wonderful vision, and he again wanted to shout. . . what he

wanted to shout?

 

Devotees: Gauranga.

 

Maharaja: We practiced for some days: Gauranga!

 

Devotees: GAURANGA!

 

Maharaja: He wanted to shout, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately covered

his mouth (laughter) so he couldn't speak. So He indicated, "Be quiet, don't

say anything." And after that he was so affected by that wonderful

overwhelming vision, that he just wandered like a madman. It is described

that for seven days he was wandering throughout Nadia just like a madman.

And then after seven days he gradually returned to his normal consciousness.

So in that section there's one very nice verse which explains the same point

that a devotee does not require any material qualifications whatsoever to

attain the mercy of the Lord. . . in that section the mercy of Caitanya

Mahaprabhu. And that verse is, I'll try to remember the Bengali:

 

Dhane jane panditye cetana nahi haya

Bhakti rase bhasa prabhu sarva-sastre gaya ???

 

Is that correct? In all the sastras, it is confirmed that one cannot attain

the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by wealth, by having a lot of followers,

panditye, by learning not possible, only by pure devotional service. Then

one can attain the mercy of the Supreme Lord. There is another very nice

verse, similar to that verse which is a quotation which we find by one South

Brahmana in the Padyavali. This verse is saying the same thing, it is a very

nice verse.

 

yadasya caranam dhruvasya ca vayor api jnanam gajendrasya ha (?)

kubjaya kim nama rupam kintu dhanam (the same meaning, this dhanam in that

verse refers to Sudama brahmana) sudamnam vamsa koh vidurasya (?)

yadava-pater ? paurusam bhakta tusyati kevala naksa gunaya bhaktibhir

madhava (?)

 

In that verse it is explained that there was one hunter killing animals and

somehow his name was Dharma. So did this hunter Dharma possess any piety.

Did age disqualify the five year old Dhruva? Did Gajendra possess any

learning? Was Kubja very beautiful? Did Sudama Brahmana possess any wealth?

Did Vidura have any social status? Did this disqualify Vidura. Then the King

of the Yadavas, was he disqualified by his prowess? The verse says no, all

these material disqualifications do not disqualify one from the process of

pure devotional service. Madhava, Lord Krsna, is not pleased by material

qualities. He is only pleased by the attitude of pure loving devotional

service.

 

So I think we can stop at this point. Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Are there any

questions? I can try to answer. You can use the microphone.

 

Question: You can explain that by ordinary piety we cannot achieve bhakti

since piety in itself is not a cause of bhakti but only by the association

of pure devotees. Can you please explain what that association means, how do

we associate with the pure devotee.

 

Answer: Can you hear the question? What this association of a pure devotee

means? That is first of all in many places. . . in Madhurya-kadambini

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur makes very clear this point that bhakti can

only be the cause of bhakti. There's no other cause for bhakti, devotional

service.

 

So that association with the pure devotees. . . there are different verses

describing that. The dust of the lotus feet, the water which washed his

lotus feet, and of course hearing. Srila Prabhupada used to stress hearing.

That's the most important association with the pure devotee, to hear. Then

again, repeating this point, in most of our cases, this was our great

fortune that somehow, we were ready to hear, to receive the message and the

teachings of Srila Prabhupada. Or even only the glance. If the pure devotee

just glances on someone this can also cause devotional service to sprout, to

begin. There is no limitation. By seeing, by thinking of a pure devotee, by

hearing from a pure devotee, by taking remnants of their prasadam, anything.

By remembering him. That all can cause that desire to engage more and more

in pure devotional service.

 

That's why the preachers of Krsna consciousness are so eager to give Srila

Prabhupada to the masses of people. We don't have any faith in whatever

qualities we may have. But Srila Prabhupada is that very person whom

Baladeva Vidyabhusana refers to, a personal associate of the Lord who is

wandering throughout the world with only this one business, and this is to

benefit, to bring people back to the lotus feet of Krsna. That's the only

purpose they have.

 

That's why we are so eager to give Srila Prabhupada to the people, associate

with Prabhupada in the form of his teachings, his books, the songs he was

singing. Such beautiful songs. I remember in Germany we used to distribute

the double album of Srila Prabhupada with the bhajans, about two LP's(?) in

one which we distributed very enthusiastically. And then Srila Prabhupada

when he heard that we were distributing, he was amused. He was asking, "Do

German people like this Bengali tune?" (laughs) He was little concerned

whether they like it. Amazingly, I asked a lot of people whom I had

distributed to when I met them another day and remembered someone, "Did you

listen to this record?" And they said "It is very far out." (laughter) Many

told me it is something, it is not the musical style, . . . it is something

completely from another world, they told me.

 

So anything, Srila Prabhupada's videos. . . now Yadubara has this wonderful

project now. I don't know the English word, when movies are very old then

there's this special software that it looks nice again. Anyway, so he goes

through all the film and video footage of Srila Prabhupada and he's cleaning

and editing everything very nicely. He got a very competent person now to do

the whole editing work. He has literally thousands of interviews about Srila

Prabhupada. persons. So he will bring everything on DVD's in high class

quality with all the interviews of Srila Prabhupada's disciples, anyone who

met Srila Prabhupada. . . so everything will produced on DVD's in high class

quality. So we will have this great fortune in the future to have the

association of Prabhupada in this way.

 

So, the microphone? I am not going overtime? Maybe last question.

 

Question by Prahlada Nrsimha Das: You were mentioning how Srila Prabhupada

left his words, his videos, his personality, etc. personally I see the most

powerful point of Srila Prabhupada is that he left in his followers, his

disciples. How to find purity in his followers. . . ? How can someone be so

blind not to see Prabhupada's qualities in his followers?

 

Answer: Oh, I see. How can someone be so blind to not see Prabhupada's

working through his disciples and followers? Yes, I have the same question.

We both have the same question. (laughter) We need someone to answer, we

have the same question. I don't know the answer. I don't know someone cannot

see that how Srila Prabhupada through our society, through his followers to

continue to benefit the entire world. Not only world, the entire universe.

(sounds of Bengali women ululating in background). Confirmed. (laughter) We

cannot see. Srila Prabhupada purifies the entire universe. And who knows

where Srila Prabhupada is now? Perhaps still in this universe continuing

somewhere, or he might travel to another universe spreading.

 

Prahlada Nrsimha Prabhu: I know where Srila Prabhupada is.

 

Maharaja: Where is Srila Prabhupada?

 

Prahlada Nrsimha: In the heart of his disciples.

 

Maharaja: In the heart of his disciples, Srila Prabhupada ki JAI! Srila

Prabhupada is in the heart of his disciples, in the heart of all those who

follow him. He is in his books--that Srila Prabhupada personally used to

say, "As long as you distribute my books I will continue to live. This is

where Srila Prabhupada is, he's right there in his books. We just have to

give them to the people and preach, Srila Prabhupada will continue

preaching. So I would like to stop here. Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Hare

Krsna. (applause)