book is there

[kailasa]

TRANSLATION

 

O Vidura, we have heard that Brahmä had a daughter named Väk who was born from his body and who attracted his mind toward sex, although she was not sexually inclined towards him.

 

PURPORT

 

Balavän indriya-grämo vidväàsam api karñati (Bhäg. 9.19.17). It is said that the senses are so mad and strong that they can bewilder even the most sensible and learned man. ...

 

*******

 

Every living entity is fallible. Only Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Brahmä is fallible, what to speak of others, demigods. Brahmä was attracted by seeing the beauty of his daughter. Lord Çiva was fallible when he saw the beauty of Mohiné-mürti. So what to speak of others. And Indra, Candra, they are all fallible. Only Kåñëa is infallible. All others fallible.

 

Everyone in this material world has come with these lusty desires and greediness. Even demigods like Lord Çiva, Lord Brahmä... The Lord Brahmä became lusty after his daughter. And Lord Çiva became so mad after Mohiné-murti. So what to speak of us insignificant creatures. So lusty desire is there. That is material world.

 

*******

 

The highest perfection of religious life is to attain to the stage of unqualified devotional service of the Lord without any cause or without being obstructed by any kind of worldly obligation. Bali Mahäräja was determined to give up everything for the satisfaction of the Lord, and he did not care for any obstruction whatsoever. He is the grandson of Prahläda Mahäräja, another authority in the devotional service of the Lord."

 

A pure devotee is neither happy nor distressed over material gain and loss, nor is he very much anxious to get a son or disciple, nor is he distressed by not getting them. If he loses anything which is very dear to him, he does not lament. Similarly, if he does not get what he desires, he is not distressed. He is transcendental in the face of all kinds of auspicious, inauspicious and sinful activities. He is prepared to accept all kinds of risks for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.

 

"My dear Vyäsa, even though a devotee of Lord Kåñëa sometimes falls down somehow or other, he certainly does not undergo material existence like others [fruitive workers, etc.] because a person who has once relished the taste of the lotus feet of the Lord can do nothing but remember that ecstasy again and again."

 

-If who will repeat that of a words of the spiritual teacher, what in it ritvika? In this sense all turns out ritvika - we repeat only another's words you see? Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura, and after that Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

 

"A bona fide spiritual master does not mention anything not mentioned in the authorized scriptures."

 

kibä vipra, kibä nyäsé, çüdra kene naya

yei kåñëa-tattva-vettä, sei ’guru’ haya

 

A person may be a brähmaëa or a çüdra or a sannyäsé, but if he happens to be well versed in the science of Kåñëa, then he is fit to become a spiritual master. (Cc. Madhya 8.128) The qualification, then, of a spiritual master is not to be a qualified brähmaëa, but to be well versed in the science of Kåñëa.

 

However expert one may be, he can never describe the glories of the Lord adequately. Nonetheless, those engaged in glorifying the activities of the Lord should try to do so as far as possible. Such an attempt will please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya has advised all His followers to go everywhere and preach the message of Lord Kåñëa. Since this message is essentially Bhagavad-gétä, the preacher’s duty is to study Bhagavad-gétä as it is understood by disciplic succession and explained by great sages and learned devotees. One should speak to the general populace in accordance with one’s predecessors—sädhu, guru and çästras.

 

Lord Brahmä is the guru of Närada Muni, who is the guru of Vyäsadeva, and Vyäsadeva is the guru of Madhväcärya. Thus the Gauòéya-Mädhva-sampradäya is in the disciplic succession from Närada Muni. The members of this disciplic succession—in other words, the members of the Kåñëa consciousness movement—should follow in the footsteps of Närada Muni by chanting the transcendental vibration Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. They should go everywhere to deliver the fallen souls by vibrating the Hare Kåñëa mantra and the instructions of Bhagavad-gétä, Çrémad-Bhägavatam and Caitanya-caritämåta. That will please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can spiritually advance if one actually follows the instructions of Närada Muni. If one pleases Närada Muni, then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Håñékeça, is also pleased (yasya prasädäd bhagavat-prasädaù). The immediate spiritual master is the representative of Närada Muni; there is no difference between the instructions of Närada Muni and those of the present spiritual master. Both Närada Muni and the present spiritual master speak the same teachings of Kåñëa, who says in Bhagavad-gétä (18.65–66)

 

All mantras should be received through the authorized guru, and the disciple must satisfy the guru in all respects, after surrendering at his lotus feet. In the Padma Puräëa it is also said, sampradäya-vihénä ye manträs te niñphalä matäù. There are four sampradäyas, or disciplic successions, namely the Brahma-sampradäya, the Rudra-sampradäya, the Çré sampradäya and the Kumära-sampradäya. If one wants to advance in spiritual power, one must receive his mantras from one of these bona fide sampradäyas; otherwise he will never successfully advance in spiritual life.

 

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu wanted everyone to become a guru and preach the instructions of Kåñëa everywhere from Bhagavad-gétä, Çrémad-Bhägavatam, the Puräëas, Vedänta-sütra and similar Vedic literatures.

 

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu therefore advised everyone to become a guru-devotee and preach Kåñëa consciousness (yäre dekha, täre kaha ‘kåñëa’-upadeça). That is the easiest way to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By such preaching, the preacher becomes satisfied, and those to whom he preaches are also satisfied. This is the process of bringing peace and tranquillity to the entire world.

 

Ämära äjïäya guru haïä tära’ ei deça (Cc. Madhya 7.128). One should become a guru and spread Kåñëa consciousness all over the world, simply by preaching the teachings of Bhagavad-gétä.

 

Kåñëas tu bhagavän svayam: Kåñëa is the Supreme Lord, the original Lord. Prahläda Mahäräja is our guru, and Kåñëa is our worshipable God. As advised by Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, guru-kåñëa-prasäde päya bhakti-latä-béja. If we can be successful in getting the mercy of Prahläda Mahäräja and also that of Nåsiàhadeva, then our Kåñëa consciousness movement will be extremely successful.

 

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu therefore says:

 

brahmäëòa bhramite kona bhägyavän jéva

guru-kåñëa-prasäde päya bhakti-latä-béja

 

If one is fortunate enough to transcend all this so-called goodness and badness and come to the platform of devotional service by the mercy of Kåñëa and the guru, his life becomes successful. In this regard, one must be very bold so that he can conquer these enemies of Kåñëa consciousness. Not caring for the good and bad of this material world, one must boldly propagate Kåñëa consciousness.

 

Significant in this verse are the words jïänäsim acyuta-balaù. Jïänäsim, the sword of knowledge, is given by Kåñëa, and when one serves the guru and Kåñëa in order to hold the sword of Kåñëa’s instructions, Balaräma gives one strength.

 

In this age of Kali, people cannot follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore the Lord Himself takes the part of Çré Kåñëa Caitanya to teach personally how to become Kåñëa conscious. He asks everyone to follow Him and to become a guru to deliver the fallen souls of Kali-yuga.

 

yäre dekha, täre kaha ‘kåñëa’-upadeça

ämära äjïäya guru haïä tära’ ei deça

 

“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Çré Kåñëa as they are given in Bhagavad-gétä and Çrémad-Bhägavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.” (Cc. Madhya 7.128)

 

Following the same process, the Kåñëa consciousness movement is teaching the principles of Bhagavad-gétä as it is, without deviation, all over the world. If the fortunate people of this time accept the instructions of Lord Kåñëa, they will certainly be happy in Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s mission. Caitanya Mahäprabhu wanted everyone, at least in India, to become a preacher of this mission. In other words, one should become a guru and preach the Lord’s instructions all over the world for the peace and prosperity of humanity.

 

One should definitely understand this. In Caitanya-caritämåta it is said that the guru is the manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, according to all the evidence given by the çästra and by the practical behavior of devotees, one must accept a guru.

 

The guru does not manufacture a new process to instruct the disciple. The disciple receives from the guru an authorized process received by the guru from his guru. This is called the system of disciplic succession (evaà paramparä-präptaà imaà räjarñayo viduù). This is the bona fide Vedic system of receiving the process of devotional service, by which the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased.

 

The original guru is Vyäsadeva because he is the speaker of Bhagavad-gétä and Çrémad-Bhägavatam, wherein everything spoken relates to Kåñëa. Therefore guru-püjä is known as Vyäsa-püjä. In the final analysis, the original guru is Kåñëa, His disciple is Närada, whose disciple is Vyäsa, and in this way we gradually come in touch with the guru-paramparä.

 

Similarly, following in the footsteps of Çré Arjuna, who is a personal devotee of the Lord, one should accept the supremacy of Lord Kåñëa, as supported by Vyäsa, Devala, Asita, Närada and later by the äcäryas Rämänujäcärya, Madhväcärya, Nimbärka and Viñëusvämé and still later by the greatest äcärya, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu. Where, then, is the difficulty in finding a guru?

 

If one is sincere he can find the guru and learn everything. One should take lessons from the guru and find out the goal of life.

 

One should surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (daçävatära) and learn from Him about the spiritual world and the goal of life.

 

Sikña-guru does not mean he is speaking something against the teachings of the diksa-guru. He is not a siksa-guru.

 

Even though somebody by mistake ..., the book is there.

[kailasa]

Those who are righteous in performing devotional service but who are not pure can attain the planetary system of the polestar, or Dhruvaloka, where Dhruva Mahäräja is presiding.

 

Anyone, however, preaching the mission of the Lord in the line of the Brahma-sampradäya is always dear to the Lord, and the Lord, being satisfied with such a preacher of the authorized bhakti cult, shakes hands with him in great satisfaction.

 

The knowledge, perfect knowledge, is coming from Kåñëa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if we receive that knowledge in cool head and assimilate, then our knowledge is perfect. Just like we are preaching this Kåñëa consciousness movement. This is perfect knowledge. If you inquire whether I am perfect or my disciples who are preaching this Kåñëa conscious movement, they are perfect, we may be imperfect. We are imperfect. We accept we are imperfect. But we are distributing the perfect knowledge. Kindly try to understand.

 

From a bona fide spiritual master you receive knowledge, because he will present as he has received from his spiritual master. He’ll not adulterate or manufacture something. That is the bona fide spiritual master. And that is very easy. To become spiritual master is not very difficult thing. You’ll have to become spiritual master. You, all my disciples, everyone should become spiritual master. It is not difficult. It is difficult when you anufacture something. But if you simply present whatever you have heard from your spiritual master, it is very easy. If you want to become overintelligent, to present something, to interpret something, whatever over you have heard from spiritual master you can make some further addition, alteration, then you’ll spoil whole thing. Then you’ll spoil whole thing. Don’t make addition or alteration. Simply present as it is. Therefore, we have begun Bhagavad-gétä As It Is. Don’t try to become over spiritual master. Then you’ll spoil. Remain always a servant of your spiritual master and present the thing as you have heard. You’ll be spiritual master. This is secret. You should know it. Don’t try to become overintelligent. That will spoil.

 

So there is a disciplic succession. And the äcäryas, they’re authorities. Our process of knowledge is very simple. We take it from the authority. We don’t speculate. Speculation will not help us to come to the real knowledge. Just like when we are in difficulty, in legal implication, we go to some authority, lawyer.

 

There is no use, speculation. Suppose I am in difficulty in some legal implication. I simply speculate, “I shall be free in this way and that way.” That will not help.

 

Prabhupäda: .. Svarüpa-siddhi means when he is actually liberated, he understands what is his relationship with Kåñëa. That is svarüpa-siddhi. Sakhya...

Prabhupäda: That automatically comes when there..., he is liberated, not before...

 

Prabhupäda: “...after you, who will take the leadership?” And “Everyone will take, all my disciples. If you want, you can take also. (laughter) But if you follow. They are prepared to sacrifice everything, so they’ll take the leadership. I may, one, go away, but there will be hundreds, and they’ll preach. If you want, you can also become a leader. We have no such thing, that ‘Here is leader.’ Anyone who follows the previous leadership, he’s a leader. ‘Indian,’ we have no such distinction, ‘Indian,’ ‘European.’

 

Prabhupäda: Yes. (laughs) “Everyone, all my disciples, they are leaders. As purely as they follow, they become leader. If you want to follow, you can become a leader. You are Indian. But you don’t want.” I told them that.

 

Jévera svarüpa haya nitya-kåñëera däsa. Constitutionally, every living entity is a servant. He’s serving eternal servant of Kåñëa. If he does not serve Kåñëa, then he will have to become servant of mäyä. That’s all. His servitude, servantship, will not go. Òheìki svarga gele sva-dharmän. (?) Òheìki. Just like a òheìki, you do not understand. The husking machine. Say, a typewriter. So if you send the typewriter to the heaven, what does it mean? It is to be worked as typewriter. Does it mean because it has gone to heaven, the work has changed? No. The work will continue. Either in this hell or heaven, typewriter will kat, kat, kat, kat. That’s all. Similarly, our position is servant.

 

As stated before, a pure devotee of the Lord has nothing to do with mundane religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, or salvation, nor is he concerned whether his standard of material existence is the highest or the lowest. To him, heaven and hell are of equal value. He is not afraid of going to hell for the service of the Lord, nor is he glad to live in heaven without the service of the Lord. In any circumstance his consciousness is fixed on the Lord’s lotus feet, whose beauty defies the most beautiful lotus flower of the mundane world.

 

When his guru asked him why he had done this, Rämänuja said that if the mantra was beneficial, then he wished to give it to everyone, even at the risk of going to hell. This mood is reflected in Lord Caitanya and His saìkértana movement: “Not considering who asked for it and who did not, and who is fit and who is unfit to receive it, Caitanya Mahäprabhu distributed the fruit of devotional service”

 

*********

 

utsanna-kula-dharmäëäà

manuñyäëäà janärdana

narake niyataà väso

bhavatéty anuçuçruma

 

Translation: “O Kåñëa, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell.”

 

Saïjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief.

 

PURPORT

While observing the situation of his enemy, Arjuna stood up on the chariot, but he was so afflicted with lamentation that he sat down again, setting aside his bow and arrows. Such a kind and soft-hearted person, in the devotional service of the Lord, is fit to receive self-knowledge.

 

Saïjaya said: Seeing Arjuna full of compassion, his mind depressed, his eyes full of tears, Madhusüdana, Kåñëa, spoke the following words.

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the value of life. They lead not to higher planets but to infamy.

 

*********

 

Yasya deve parä bhaktir yathä deve tathä gurau, tasyaite kathitä hy arthäù. Kåñëa is there; guru is there. Why should you manufacture your own way? If you are sincere, Kåñëa will dictate from within.

 

Prabhupäda: That’s all. Kåñëa is within you. He’ll give you. As soon as you become a pure devotee, all dictation will come from within. And besides that, Kåñëa is helping, inside and outside. Outside is spiritual master; inside Kåñëa Himself. Where is the difficulty? Simply you have to become sincere. That’s all. Everything is there.

 

That is a... Bhaktyaikayeçam, äbhajet tam bhaktyaikayeçaà guru-devatätmä: “He is the Supreme Lord, He is the Supersoul, and He is the supreme spiritual master.” In this way. He’s the supreme spiritual master within you. As soon as you will take to devotional service, He’ll give you dictation, “You do this.” What dictation? To go to hell? No. Buddhi-yogaà dadämi tam. In the Bhagavad-gétä: “I give him intelligence.” Why? What for? Yena mäm upayänti te: “By which he can come back to Me.” That buddhi-yogam. He’ll help you. If you think something...

 

That is Våndävana tértha. Kurvanti térthäni. A devotee, a pure devotee, can make any hell a tértha, a holy place. That is devotee.

 

So... don’t lean. You’ll feel sleep. Just like sit my Guru Mahäräja. Show the picture. Be... Become my Guru Mahäräja. Yes. That sitting is the yogäsana. I am gone to hell. (laughter) You are young men. You learn from my Guru Mahäräja.

 

...A learned person doesn’t speak birth.” Representing himself as very advanced or something. “Okay, you become Brahman, but we think that that is hell. That is no better than hell for us. And that is the liberation that the demons get. So we are satisfied to chant Kåñëa’s name, and we never want to become one. We would rather go to hell, because in hell we can chant Hare Kåñëa, but in the Brahman we cannot chant.”

Prabhupäda: Staunch adherent. (break)

 

A very advanced devotee does not think himself advanced. He is always very humble.

 

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu accepted sannyäsa from the Bhäraté-sampradäya, and thus He considered Himself a lower sannyäsé than Prakäçänanda Sarasvaté. To remain distinct from Vaiñëava sannyäsés, the sannyäsés of the Mäyävädi-sampradäya always think themselves to be situated in a very elevated spiritual order, but Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, in order to teach them how to become humble and meek, accepted Himself as belonging to a lower sampradäya of sannyäsés.

 

When one is actually advanced in ecstatic love of Kåñëa, he does not try to advertise himself. Instead, he endeavors more and more to render service to the Lord.

 

The präkåta-sahajiyäs sometimes criticize pure devotees by calling them philosophers, learned scholars, knowers of the truth, or minute observers, but not devotees. On the other hand, they depict themselves as the most advanced, transcendentally blissful devotees, deeply absorbed in devotional service and mad to taste transcendental mellows. They also describe themselves as the most advanced devotees in spontaneous love, as knowers of transcendental mellows, as the topmost devotees in conjugal love of Kåñëa, and so on. Not actually knowing the transcendental nature of love of God, they accept their material emotions to be indicative of advancement. In this way they pollute the process of devotional service. To try to become writers of Vaiñëava literature, they introduce their material conceptions of life into pure devotional service. Because of their material conceptions, they advertise themselves as knowers of transcendental mellows, but they do not understand the transcendental nature of devotional service.

 

“I do not mind My personal distress. I only wish for the happiness of Kåñëa, for His happiness is the goal of My life. However, if He feels great happiness in giving Me distress, that distress is the best of My happiness.

 

PURPORT

 

Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura says that a devotee does not care about his own happiness and distress; he is simply interested in seeing that Kåñëa is happy, and for that purpose he engages in various activities. A pure devotee has no way of sensing happiness except by seeing that Kåñëa is happy in every respect. If Kåñëa becomes happy by giving him distress, such a devotee accepts that unhappiness as the greatest of all happiness. Those who are materialistic, however, who are very proud of material wealth and have no spiritual knowledge, like the präkåta-sahajiyäs, regard their own happiness as the aim of life. Some of them aspire to enjoy themselves by sharing the happiness of Kåñëa. This is the mentality of fruitive workers who want to enjoy sense gratification by making a show of service to Kåñëa.

 

“Kåñëa is My life and soul. Kåñëa is the treasure of My life. Indeed, Kåñëa is the very life of My life. I therefore keep Him always in My heart and try to please Him by rendering service. That is My constant meditation.

Antya 20.59

 

“My happiness is in the service of Kåñëa, and Kåñëa’s happiness is in union with Me. For this reason, I give My body in charity to the lotus feet of Kåñëa, who accepts Me as His loved one and calls Me His most beloved. It is then that I consider Myself His maidservant.

Antya 20.60

 

“Service to My lover is the home of happiness and is more sweet than direct union with Him. The goddess of fortune is evidence of this, for although she constantly lives on the heart of Näräyaëa, she wants to render service to His lotus feet. She therefore considers herself a maidservant and serves Him constantly.”

 

These statements by Çrématé Rädhäräëé show the symptoms of pure love for Kåñëa tasted by Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu. In that ecstatic love, His mind was unsteady. Transformations of transcendental love spread throughout His entire body, and He could not sustain His body and mind.

Antya 20.62

 

The pure devotional service in Våndävana is like the golden particles in the River Jämbü. In Våndävana there is not a trace of personal sense gratification. It is to advertise such pure love in this material world that Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu has written the previous verse and explained its meaning.

Antya 20.63

 

Thus overwhelmed by ecstatic love, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu spoke like a madman and recited suitable verses.

Antya 20.64

 

The Lord had formerly composed these eight verses to teach people in general. Now He personally tasted the meaning of the verses, which are called the Çikñäñöaka.