Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.27–34

Prabhupāda: [japa]

sa evaṁ vartamānaḥ ajñaḥ mṛtyu-kāla upasthite matiṁ cakāra tanaye bāle nārāyaṅa-āhvaye [SB 6.1.27]

[When the time of death arrived for the foolish Ajāmila, he began thinking exclusively of his son Nārāyaṅa.]

So Ajāmila, at the point of his death, just remembered his youngest son, who was named Nārāyaṅa. So the Nārāyaṅa, very name, has got the full potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṅa. That is the secret of this nāma-saṅkīrtana movement. By chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṅa, you immediately contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Nāma cintāmaṅiḥ kṛṣṅaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ [Cc Madhya 17.133].

[The holy name of Kṛṣṅa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṅa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṅa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṅa Himself. Since Kṛṣṅa’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṅa’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa Himself are identical.]

Nāma, the Lord's name, is not material; it is spiritual. The sound is Brahman, śabda-brahma. Vedic sounds, they are śabda-brahma. They are not material sound. So nāma cintāmaṅiḥ, spiritual. Kṛṣṅa... Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa's name, there is no difference. Nāma cintāmaṅiḥ kṛṣṅaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ.

Rasa, the transcendental mellows. Every one of us is searching after some mellow, some pleasure from everything. Kṛṣṅa is the reservoir of all pleasures, rasa-vigraha, fully personified. Wherever there is Kṛṣṅa, there is rasa, a transcendental mellow, enjoyment, relishable. Very Kṛṣṅa presence.

For instance, that..., when in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra fighting was going on between Kṛṣṅa and Bhīṣma, so both of them... Kṛṣṅa, of course, did not touch any weapon, because He promised. But Grandfather Bhīṣma was very severely piercing Kṛṣṅa's body with arrows, and Kṛṣṅa was enjoying. That is the relationship between Kṛṣṅa and His devotee.

Kṛṣṅa can be worshiped, Kṛṣṅa can be loved, by any capacity. The gopīs loved Kṛṣṅa out of seemingly lust, lusty desires, and Śiśupāla remembered Kṛṣṅa out of anger. Kāmāt krodhād bhayāt.

And Kaṁsa remembered always Kṛṣṅa out of fear. And of course they were not devotees. Devotees means they should be always favorably disposed to Kṛṣṅa, not inimical.

But Kṛṣṅa is so kind, even somebody is disposed to Him in an inimical attitude, he also gets salvation. For example, Kaṁsa, Dantavakra, Śiśupāla, Hiraṅyakaśipu, Rāvaṅa—they were not friendly. Still, because they thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, consciousness were there, but it was unfavorable.

Bhakti means favorably. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānuśīlanam [Cc Madhya 19.167].

[When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṅa favorably, as Kṛṣṅa desires.]

Favorably. That is bhakti. And pratikūlyena, just in the opposite way, thinking of Kṛṣṅa in inimical way, that is also accepted by Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is so kind. Anyone who thinks of Kṛṣṅa always, he is the greatest yogī. So even the enemies who think of Kṛṣṅa always, although unfavorably, he becomes a yogī, because thinking of Kṛṣṅa.

Therefore the result of yogic performances are achieved by the inimical personalities. In the impersonal Brahman effulgence, not only the highly learned scholars who are trying to attain brahma-jñāna, they enter, but also the enemies who are unfavorably thinking of Kṛṣṅa, they also enter into that spiritual kingdom, impersonal effulgence, nirviśeṣa-brahma-jyoti. Therefore a devotee's position is different from the jñānī's, impersonalist's, because the destination which is achieved by the jñānīs is also achieved by the enemies of Kṛṣṅa. So that is not a very high position.

Therefore devotees' position is very exalted. They do not... They go through the impersonal effulgence of Brahman, but they are not attracted. They are attracted in the Vaikuṅṭha planets, Goloka Vṛndāvana planets, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead lives eternally with His associates.

So the effect of chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṅa was immediately visible in the person of Ajāmila. Although he was so much sinfully absorbed, because he uttered the name of his boy, whose name was Nārāyaṅa,

dūre krīḍanakāsaktaṁ putraṁ nārāyaṅāhvayam plāvitena svareṅoccair ājuhāvākulendriyaḥ [SB 6.1.29]

[Ajāmila then saw three awkward persons with deformed bodily features, fierce, twisted faces, and hair standing erect on their bodies. With ropes in their hands, they had come to take him away to the abode of Yamarāja. When he saw them he was extremely bewildered, and because of attachment to his child, who was playing a short distance away, Ajāmila began to call him loudly by his name. Thus with tears in his eyes he somehow or other chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṅa.]

At the time of death, especially those who are full of sinful activities, they become too much agitated how to save himself, how to enter into another body. It is a very painful situation. The painful situation becomes so acute that no more the living entity can live in this body. Just like sometimes it happens, when a person becomes too much painful, he commits suicide. He does not want to live within this body. But he does not know that is another sinful activity. You cannot commit suicide. That is another criminal action.

So at the time of death... Of course, those who are devotees, their position is different. People may say, "The devotee is also dying, and the nondevotee, sinful man, is also dying. What is the difference?" So there is much difference. The example is given: just like a cat catching a rat in his mouth, and at the same time carrying his cubs in the mouth.

You see... Superficially, we can see that the same mouth is being used, but one is feeling comfortable being carried by the mother, and another is feeling the death knell. Similarly, at the time of death, the devotee's feeling that they are being transferred to Vaikuṅṭha, whereas the ordinary sinful man is feeling that the Yamarāja, the dūtas, the constables of Yamarāja, are dragging him to the hellish condition of life.

So one should not conclude simply by seeing that he is dying. No. The process is different. Janma karma ca me divyam [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

As Lord Kṛṣṅa's appearance and disappearance are all spiritual, transcendental, they are not ordinary things, similarly, Lord Kṛṣṅa's devotee, His representative, who is sent to this material world for preaching the glories of Lord Kṛṣṅa, their appearance and disappearance is also like Kṛṣṅa's.

Therefore, according to Vaiṣṅava principles, the appearance and disappearance of Vaiṣṅava is considered all-auspicious. Therefore we hold festivals. Just like yesterday we had the disappearance day of His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Goswami Prabhupāda. So we offered our respects and observed a festival. Āvirbhava, Tirobhava. Tirobhava [CB Madhya-khaṅḍa 20.099].

[Although the Vedas describe the Lord's “appearance” and “disappearance,” there is actually no end to His pastimes.]

Actually, the living entity has no birth or death, and what to speak of Kṛṣṅa or His devotee. Kṛṣṅa is the chief living entity of all living entities. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].

[The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities.]

He is also a living entity. Sometimes the atheist class of men say, "God is dead." The rascals, they do not know that even a small living entity does not die.

How Kṛṣṅa can be dead, or God can be dead? Mūḍhā. Therefore these classes of men are described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍhā, rascals. They do not know anything; still, they pose themselves as very learned and utter something which is neither good for them nor for the public.

So in this way, dūre krīḍanakāsaktaṁ putraṁ nārāyaṅāhvayam [SB 6.1.29]

[Ajāmila then saw three awkward persons with deformed bodily features, fierce, twisted faces, and hair standing erect on their bodies. With ropes in their hands, they had come to take him away to the abode of Yamarāja. When he saw them he was extremely bewildered, and because of attachment to his child, who was playing a short distance away, Ajāmila began to call him loudly by his name. Thus with tears in his eyes he somehow or other chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṅa.]

plāvitena svareṅa, very appealing voice, he began to ask his youngest son, "Please come here. I am dying." He was very much afraid of the three Yamadūtas, who were..., who came there to drag him.

niśamya mriyamāṅasya mukhato hari-kīrtanam bhartur nāma mahārāja pārṣadāḥ sahasāpatan [SB 6.1.30]

[My dear King, the order carriers of Viṣṅu, the Viṣṅudūtas, immediately arrived when they heard the holy name of their master from the mouth of the dying Ajāmila, who had certainly chanted without offense because he had chanted in complete anxiety.]

Kṛṣṅa is so kind. As soon as He heard that "This man is chanting 'Nārāyaṅa' at the time of his death," immediately He sent His assistants, Viṣṅudūtas, to give him shelter. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt [Bg 2.40].

[In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.]

The mahato bhayāt... This man, this Ajāmila, is fallen into great calamity. The Yamadūtas, the assistants of the superintendent of death, Yamarāja, has come there to drag him. So mahato bhayāt. It was a great, fearful, dangerous place. But simply by uttering "Nārāyaṅa" he was saved.

So that practice is required. Simply by... Mahato bhayāt. Here it is also said, niśamya mriyamāṅasya mukhato hari-kīrtanam. The hari-kīrtana is so glorious. If anyone at the time of death, mriyamāṅa, mriyamāṅa, one who is just dying... In a Bengali proverb it is said, parable, bhajan koro sādhan koro murte jānle haya: "Whatever you do, spiritual activities, they will be tested at the time of death." All your chants that you are practicing, this will be tested at the time of death. If you can remember Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, hari-kīrtana, at the time of death, then you are successful.

So Kṛṣṅa is so kind that immediately after hearing that the dying man was chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa or Nārāyaṅa, the same thing... Bhartur nāma pārṣadāḥ [SB 6.1.30].

[My dear King, the order carriers of Viṣṅu, the Viṣṅudūtas, immediately arrived when they heard the holy name of their master from the mouth of the dying Ajāmila, who had certainly chanted without offense because he had chanted in complete anxiety.]

The nārāyaṅa-sena, the assistants of Lord Nārāyaṅa, they are also looking like Nārāyaṅa. They have also got four hands. In the Vaikuṅṭha planets the residents are also exactly of the same feature of Nārāyaṅa. Just like in this planet the king and the citizens have the same feature of body—two hands, two legs...

[break] By the same bodily feature.

There are five kinds of mukti, liberation: sārūpya, sālokya, sāmīpya, sārṣṭi. Sārṣṭi liberation is not accepted by the devotees... Not sārṣṭi; sārūpya. And those who are devotees of Kṛṣṅa, they do not accept any one of these liberations. Although, by the mercy of Kṛṣṅa, they are elevated to the planet Goloka Vṛndāvana, but from their part they do not wish any kind of liberation.

They simply want to serve the Lord. And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that "I may take birth in a family as an ant where there are devotees," because in the house of a devotee, the ants also, by eating the remnants of the foodstuff of the devotee, becomes liberated. A devotee's position is so great, a pure devotee. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11].

[One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṅa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.]

vikarṣato 'ntar hṛdayād dāsī-patim ajāmilam yama-preṣyān viṣṅudūtā vārayām āsur ojasā [SB 6.1.31]

[The order carriers of Yamarāja were snatching the soul from the core of the heart of Ajāmila, the husband of the prostitute, but with resounding voices the messengers of Lord Viṣṅu, the Viṣṅudūtas, forbade them to do so.]

The Yamadūtas, the constables of Yamarāja, they were dragging Ajāmila to take him to the planet where Yamarāja is there. And as soon as he uttered the holy name of Nārāyaṅa, immediately Lord Nārāyaṅa's assistants came, and with grave voice they said, "What are you doing? Stop! You cannot take this man to the Yama-mandira." Ojasā. Ojasā, with great gravity they said.

ūcur niṣedhitās tāṁs te vaivasvata-puraḥsarāḥ ke yūyaṁ pratiṣeddhāro dharma-rājasya śāsanam [SB 6.1.32]

[When the order carriers of Yamarāja, the son of the sun-god, were thus forbidden, they replied: Who are you, sirs, that have the audacity to challenge the jurisdiction of Yamarāja?]

The assistants of the Yamarāja, Yamadūtas, saw that they are very beautiful, and their bodily features are very attractive, because they are coming from Vaikuṅṭha, with four hands. So immediately they got some respectful attitude and inquired that "Who are you, that you are trying to interrupt in the administration of Yamarāja? It is not possible. You cannot... Nobody has ever interrupted with the administration of Yamarāja, so we are surprised. Who are you?"

Ūcur niṣedhitās tāṁs te vaivasvata-puraḥsarāḥ. Vaivasvata-puraḥsarāḥ. Yamarāja is also the son of Manu; therefore his assistants are called vaivasvata-puraḥ. Ke yūyaṁ pratiṣeddhāro dharma-rājasya śāsanam: "Who are you? You have appeared before us as opposing party," pratiyuddhāraḥ.

Warriors, they have got opposite party to fight. So they expected there will be fight, because they are determined to take away Ajāmila to the Yama-mandira, whereas the Viṣṅudūtas, they forbade, "Oh, you cannot take them. You cannot take him. Stop."

Kasya vā kuta āyātāḥ kasmād asya niṣedhatha: "Who are you, my dear sirs? Why you are forbidding us? What is the purpose of this forbidding?"

kasya vā kuta āyātāḥ kasmād asya niṣedhatha kiṁ devā upadevā vā yūyaṁ kiṁ siddha-sattamāḥ [SB 6.1.33]

[Dear sirs, whose servants are you, where have you come from, and why are you forbidding us to touch the body of Ajāmila? Are you demigods from the heavenly planets, are you sub-demigods, or are you the best of devotees?]

They saw that they were not ordinary men. With four hands. Because within this universe, four hands..., only Lord Brahmā has got four hands. Nobody has got four hands. But they were four-handed. So they understood that "They are not ordinary living entities. They must be some extraordinary demigods or some upadevatā, almost like demigods."

Siddha-sattamāḥ: "Or you are coming from the Siddhaloka." There is a planet which is called Siddhaloka within this universe. In the Siddhaloka they have got full perfection of life, as sometimes the yogīs can demonstrate. In the Siddhaloka, for going from one planet to another planet there is no need of vehicles, no need of aeroplane. They can fly themselves in the sky.

Sometimes we have seen pictures—a beautiful man and woman with wings. That is, of course, imagination. Maybe. We have not seen the inhabitants of the Siddhaloka, but we find it from Vedic scriptures that they can fly in the sky without any help of aeroplane or similar machine. They travel from one planet to another by yoga-siddhi. As the yogīs can transfer themselves from one place to another without any difficulty, similarly, the inhabitants of Siddhaloka, they can fly in the sky.

[aside:] What is that?

Yamunā: In Siddhaloka there are angels? That means angels?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

[break] There are many different types of human being. So, the Caranas, the demigods, the Siddhas... Don't think that in every planet you can find out the same bodily features. There are different bodily features. So in Siddhaloka they have got the same bodily features, but their powers are far, far greater than ours. Siddha-sat...

Now they are describing,

sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ kirīṭinaḥ kuṅḍalino lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ [SB 6.1.34]

[The order carriers of Yamarāja said: Your eyes are just like the petals of lotus flowers. Dressed in yellow silken garments, decorated with garlands of lotuses, and wearing very attractive helmets on your heads and earrings on your ears, you all appear fresh and youthful. Your four long arms are decorated with bows and quivers of arrows and with swords, clubs, conchshells, discs and lotus flowers. Your effulgence has dissipated the darkness of this place with extraordinary illumination. Now, sirs, why are you obstructing us?]

"You are so beautiful-looking that all of your eyes are just like lotus petals." Sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ: "And you are very nicely dressed with yellow colored garments and ornaments," and kirīṭinaḥ, "with helmet," kirīṭinaḥ kuṅḍalinaḥ, "earrings, nice earrings, nice jewels, helmets," kirīṭinaḥ kuṅḍalino lasat-puṣkara..., "and with nice flower garlands." This is the description of the inhabitants of Vaikuṅṭhaloka. There is no hat-coat-pant. [chuckles] They are dressed in a different way.

All right. [indistinct]

[break] There are five kinds of devotees, liberation. Any one.

[pause] There are varieties in the spiritual kingdom also, the five kinds of liberation, any one of them. Māyāvādī philosophers, they know only one kind of liberation, sāyujya-mukti, to merge into the existence of brahma-jyoti. That much they know. Or they know... They prefer this kind of liberation, to become with the Supreme. That is taste. But devotees, they do not like. They want to keep their individuality.

Yamunā: [indistinct] angels in that [indistinct] different angels?

Prabhupāda: So the angels... The Siddhaloka is not in the spiritual world. It is in the material world. But they are highly qualified. But that Siddhaloka is not in the spiritual world. That is within the material world.

Revatīnandana: You said that the pictures they draw of the men with wings, that is not bona fide pictures?

Prabhupāda: No. The statement in the Vedic literature—that they can fly. Now one can draw some picture, because they have idea that without wings, how one can fly? That may be. That is their idea. But Nārada can fly everywhere. He has no wings. He can travel both in the spiritual and material world, but he has no wings.

Mālatī: Is it true he has the same body in the spiritual world and when he comes into the material world?

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is Nārada's facility. He has got the benediction that he can travel anywhere, without any restriction. Even some of the yogīs... Durvāsā Muni, he also went to the spiritual world, saw Lord Viṣṅu. And Arjuna also went to the spiritual world with Kṛṣṅa.

So, not that this material body cannot be transformed into spiritual body by the supreme will of the Lord. Anything can be changed. We think that this is stereotyped; it cannot be transformed. No. That's not the fact. By the supreme will, anything can be changed into anything.

Revatīnandana: I have a question. One of my prabhus told me that you once said that your Guru Mahārāja said that Jesus Christ was a śaktyāveśāvatāra. Is that correct?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because he said it, it must be correct. Muhammad also, śaktyāveśāvatāra. Śaktyāveśāvatāra means a living entity is especially empowered to preach the glories of the Lord. Lord Buddha is also śaktyāveśāvatāra. They are not ordinary human being. They are especially empowered personalities.

Devotee (1): Lord Buddha is not an incarnation?

Prabhupāda: Incarnation. Avatāra means incarnation.

Devotee (1): So that means incarnation also?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Śaktyāveśāvatāra means incarnation with special power.

Revatīnandana: It's stated in the Bhāgavatam that there are two kinds of incarnations. One is a plenary portion, and the other is an empowered living entity. They're both incarnations.

Devotee (1): I thought that Lord Buddha was supposed to be incarnation of Viṣṅu.[?]

Prabhupāda: Not viṣṅu-tattva. They are not viṣṅu-tattva. There are jīva-tattva and viṣṅu-tattva. The jīvas are sometimes... Just like Lord Brahmā. He is also not viṣṅu-tattva. Lord Śiva is between viṣṅu-tattva and jīva-tattva. So powers, energies of the Lord exhibited in different categories.

The viṣṅu-tattva is full of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Others, they are not full. And Kṛṣṅa is the fullest, ṣoḍaśa-kalāḥ. Kṛṣṅas tu bhagavān svayam. Ete cāṁśa, aṁśa. Aṁśa means partially present in Kṛṣṅa. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṅas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28].

[All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.]

Revatīnandana: In this picture in the [indistinct] book, Nāradajī is asking questions of Lord Brahmā. I was thinking that Nārada has actually an all-spiritual body, and Brahmā has a material form, material body. And yet Nārada appears to Brahmājī to ask questions from him as spiritual master. How is that?

Prabhupāda: Brahmājī also enters the spiritual kingdom at the time of annihilation, with his persons.

Revatīnandana: Does he undergo a change of body at that time?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That automatically takes place. Just like Hiraṅyakaśipu's son is Prahlāda. It doesn't matter. And spiritual body, material body, that can be changed. [break]

Revatīnandana: It will all be one thing[?], spiritual into material or material...

Prabhupāda: Material means when the consciousness is not Kṛṣṅa. That is material. The same example, that iron rod, if kept to the fire, gradually it becomes warm, warmer, and at last it becomes red. When it is red, it is no longer iron; it is fire.

Similarly, by spiritual association, your body gradually becomes spiritualized. And at the perfection stage, there is no more material activities, simply the activities of the fire. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

māṁ cāvyabhicāriṅi- bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate sa guṅān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate [Bg 14.26]

[One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.]

The whole body becomes supplemented with Brahman effulgence. It is not for everyone, and those who are very, very much spiritually advanced, their body becomes like that. Therefore a Vaiṣṅava ācārya's body is never burned. It is entombed. They worship the body. But that is spiritual body.

Devotee (2): It is never burned?

Prabhupāda: No. [end]