Nectar of Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad Bhagavatam lectures Volume 7 - part-3

By:  Dama Ghosha Dasa (Seattle, USA)

Lectures, December 26, 1974, Bombay     

So when Krishna comes in touch with prakrti for giving birth of these varieties of forms of life, that is Shiva. Shiva is not different from Krishna, but still, Shiva is not Krishna. This is called inconceivable one and different. The example is given: just like milk and yogurt, dahi. Dahi is not different from milk. It is milk, everyone knows - but it is not milk at the same time. You cannot get the benefit of milk by drinking dahi, or yogurt. Milk is used for different purpose, and dahi is different purpose. When you take too much milk, you get dysentery, and if you go to the physician, he gives you some medicine to take with yogurt, dahi. So dahi or yogurt, is not different from milk, but it is not milk. Similarly, all these demigods, especially Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma... They are the original chief demigods from Vishnu.

 

So these demigods or even we... We are also the same principle, the living entities. Brahma is also in the category of living entities, and Lord Shiva is between the living entities and the Supreme Lord, in between. Therefore you cannot keep Lord Shiva as living entity category, neither Vishnu category. Via media. Ksiram yatha dadhi vikara-visesa-yogat. The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not come directly in touch with this prakrti, but the form by which He touches this prakrti, that is Lord Shiva. Therefore Lord Shiva is not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead; at the same time, he is not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the conclusion. Cesta yatah sa bhagavan. Therefore Lord Shiva's another name is Kala-bhairava. And he is the master of the annihilation. When this whole material creation will be required to be destroyed, it will be done by Lord Shiva. It is created by Lord Brahma, it is maintained by Lord Vishnu, and when it will be destroyed, it will be done by Lord Shiva. Therefore there are three original demigods. So Kala-bhairava, cesta yatah sa bhagavan kala ity upalaksitah. So kala, time factor, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is above these twenty-four ingredients of material elements. It is in between the spiritual element and the material element, via media, that kala. This is the description of kala.

 

Lectures, December 28, 1974, Bombay     

                 

So this position is going on, beginning from one date of creation, millennium, and goes up to the end, kalpanta. The asuric determination is kalpanta. Up to the end of the creation they have no sense that "Again I am going to in the oblivion. Again I am to remain for millions of years in darkness. Then again there will be creation. And again I shall get body." And in one millennium we are changing so many bodies. This is our problem. But there is no education; there is no knowledge. But we find this education, this knowledge, from Vedic literature. Therefore Krishna comes Himself, He teaches Himself Bhagavad-gita personally, and He asks, mudha, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, but still, we are so dull, we cannot take His words, take His instruction, and bhutva bhutva praliyate, and going on, one after another, birth and death. This is going on.

 

Lectures, December 30, 1974, Bombay     

               

If we take this assurance from Krishna, then there is santi. Otherwise there is no santi. That is called sattva-gunam svaccham. "So I am taking to this worship of Deity, but at the same time let me have something privately so that in case of my distress, if Krishna fails to help me, this money will help me." That is not svaccham. Svaccham means clear. Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu advises,

 

niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya

param param jigamisor bhava-sagarasya

sandarsanam visayinam atha yositam ca

ha hanta hanta visa-bhaksanato 'py asadhu

 

So we, of course, we are not so advanced, but we have got many examples of advanced devotees. Still there are in India. You will find in Vrindavana and other places. Actually, they have no means—simply depending. They take their bath in the Yamuna and sit down and chant Hare Krishna. There are still such devotees. But everything is going on.

 

So that is santa, completely depending on God. That is the highest stage of devotional life. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah. There are many stories and many incidences. And that's a fact, that, as it is said by Bhagavan -

 

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam

sarva-loka-mahesvaram

suhrdam sarva-bhutanam

 

Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. He is well-wisher, friend, of everyone. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam jnatva mam santim rcchati. If we actually believe in Vasudeva, Krishna, that "He is friend of everyone. And why He is not my friend?" Everyone means I am included also. So this kind of faith, when there is this faith, then bhagavad-bhakti begins. When we take up this instruction of Krishna very seriously -

 

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja 

vasudevah sarvam iti

sa mahatma sudurlabhah

 

This is the beginning of mahatma. 

 

So these books are there to remind us: ataeva krsna veda-purana padila. Because we have forgotten Krishna, because we have forgotten God on account of restless mind, so we have to make it santa, calm and peaceful. Without becoming calm and peaceful, you cannot understand what is God. Ceta etair anaviddham sthitam sattve prasidati. When our heart will be no more attacked by the sattva-guna and rajo-guna, we come into the platform..., rajo-guna and tamo-guna...Nasta-prayesu abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya. This class is held for understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam. Why? Just to cleanse the heart. Ceto-darpana-marjanam. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Not that we are almost free from all the contamination, but even little washed away... It begins immediately. As soon as you begin hearing and chanting of these literatures or chanting Hare Krishna mantra, immediately the cleansing method begins. And nasta-prayesu abhadresu. Almost cleansed, not that properly, cent percent clean. Nasta-prayesu abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Daily. Not this Bhagavata-saptaha, official. No. Nityam. There is no such thing as Bhagavata-saptaha in any Vedic literature. This is another manufacture, concoction. The Bhagavata says, nityam bhagavata-sevaya: "You have to twenty-four hours be engaged in bhagavata, in the service of bhagavata, the person bhagavata or the book Bhagavata." Bhagavata, there are two kinds of bhagavata. Person bhagavata is the spiritual master, and the book Bhagavata. So there is no difference, because the person bhagavata advises you read Bhagavata. And by reading Bhagavata, you understand what is Bhagavan, what is spiritual master.

 

So in this way -

 

nasta-prayesv abhadresu

nityam bhagavata-sevaya

bhagavaty uttama-sloke

bhaktir bhavati naisthiki

 

This is the process to make the heart cleansed and gradually attain the perfection of complete peacefulness. And that complete peacefulness is the stage for understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

    

Lectures, January 01, 1975, Bombay             

         

…also independence, not that because one is servant, he has no independence. He has got independence. If he likes, he can give up the service of the master and live independently. This is crude example. Similarly, our material contamination means that, when we desire to live without Krishna consciousness: "Why we shall be subservient to Krishna? We shall live independently..." That is going on.

 

Material life means everyone is trying to become victorious in the struggle of existence without God consciousness. That is our material disease. Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare. We may revolt. That independence we have got, little independence, and we can misuse it, that "Why shall I serve Krishna? Let me serve myself." "Let me serve myself" means "Let me serve my different propensities, kama, krodha, lobha, moha, matsarya," like that. My independence means "I will not serve God; I will serve my lusty desires." You cannot become independent. This is a concoction only, that "I will not serve Krishna." But you have to serve. What is that? "Then I serve my lusty desires." Indriya-trpti, indriya-trpti. Yad indriya-pritaye. Simply to…

 

….   Therefore in the Guru-stotra in the morning we recite, ar na koriho mane asa. Is it not? What is that?

 

Devotee: Ar na koriho mane asa.

 

Prabhupada: Ar na koriho mane asa. So that is required. Guru-mukha-padma-vakya...?

 

Devotee: Cittete koriya aikya.

 

Prabhupada: Cittete koriya aikya, ar na koriho mane asa. That is liberation. Otherwise we shall be implicated. And what guru says? Guru says the same thing as Krishna says. That is guru. Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. Krishna also... Guru also says the same thing. That is guru's business, that "You surrender to Krishna and fully be engaged in Krishna's service." So therefore Narottama dasa Thakura advises, "Take this very seriously." Ar na koriho mane asa: "No more. Stop any other desires." Then your life is successful. Ar na koriho mane asa.

 

Lectures, January 03, 1975, Bombay             

 

…is called ghora. Santa-ghora. If you go to some industrial place in a factory, iron factory like Tata's, you will see how they are engaged in ghora activities, horrible activities - after all, you have to eat something - but they have planned a ghora activity, very fierceful, ugra-karma. By nature's way, Krishna has given us everything. You can simply work little. You get food grains. Krishna says like that. Krishna never says that "You open big, big fierceful, horrible industries." You will never find in Bhagavad-gita. For your livelihood, Krishna says very simple method. Annad bhavanti bhutani. Annad. Anna, you produce anna. Why you are planning big, big industries? The oil will come from America through the channel, and the Arabia will refuse to supply oil. There will be power problem, so many things, one after another, one after another. But Krishna does not say that do all these things, ghora. No. He says, annad bhavanti bhutani: "You just produce food grain." And bhavanti bhutani. Bhutani means all living entities, they will be stout and strong by eating. What you want more? Annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah. And if there is sufficient rain, then automatically, then it will be very easy to grow food grains. Parjanyad anna... If there is no parjanya, rain, then your so-called tractor will not help you, or knowledge, agricultural knowledge, will not help you. You will have to depend on Krishna for rains. Parjanyad anna-sambhavah. And yajnad bhavati parjanyah. If you perform yajna, then there will be regular rainfall.