Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.48 Māgha-melā

Devotee: [introducing recording] Thirty-first January, 1971, Prayāga.

Prabhupāda: [sings Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka with devotees responding]

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau kṛṣṅotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau kṛṣṅotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau [Śrīnivāsa Ācārya]

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are always engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṅa and dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Caitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe.]

[break] The conclusion is:

na vai sa narakaṁ yāti nekṣito yama-kiṅkaraiḥ yady apy amaṅgalo martyo viṣṅu-loke mahīyate [SB 6.2.48]

[Because this very confidential historical narration has the potency to vanquish all sinful reactions, one who hears or describes it with faith and devotion is no longer doomed to hellish life, regardless of his having a material body and regardless of how sinful he may have been. Indeed, the Yamadūtas, who carry out the orders of Yamarāja, do not approach him even to see him. After giving up his body, he returns home, back to Godhead, where he is very respectfully received and worshiped.]

That one who is engaged in chanting the holy name, for him this is the special facility. What is that? It is guaranteed that he'll never go to the hellish condition of life. That is guaranteed. He's not degrading to the lowest stage of life, in animal life, or a life of ignorance, lower-born of human life, but he will gradually make progress. And it is also guaranteed that the Yamadūta, the servants of Yamarāja, will never come to see him or he will never see them. They will be out of sight. This is the result.

And, yajñati ananyalo mattaḥ: although this material existence is always inauspicious, a person who is engaged in chanting the holy name, he is always living in the Viṣṅu-loka. He's not living in this material world. That we have several times explained, that if you chant without offense, yatra ananyalo mad-bhakta tatra tiṣṭhāmi, so immediately you create a Vaikuṅṭha-loka, because Kṛṣṅa is coming. When Kṛṣṅa is coming, Viṣṅu is coming; wherever Kṛṣṅa goes, that is Vaikuṅṭha. Just like it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61].

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

So Kṛṣṅa, or the Supreme Lord, is living everyone's hearts. So there are cats, dogs and hogs—they are also living beings, living entities—so Kṛṣṅa is living in their heart also. But that does not mean He is living with the hog in the abominable condition. He has His own Vaikuṅṭha. Wherever He goes is Vaikuṅṭha. Similarly, when one chants, that chanting… There is no difference between the holy name and Kṛṣṅa. And Kṛṣṅa says that "I live there where My pure devotees chant." So when Kṛṣṅa comes, when Kṛṣṅa is on your tongue, how you can live in this material world? It is already Vaikuṅṭha, provided your chanting is offenseless.

Anyway, in the beginning it may not be offenseless; still, the chanting has got so much power. Kṛṣṅa-karṣiṅī. Kṛṣṅa-karṣiṅī. There are several qualification of devotional service; one of them is kṛṣṅa-karṣiṅī—attracting Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa attracts everyone, but devotional service attracts Kṛṣṅa.

mriyamāṅo harer nāma gṛṅan putropacāritam ajāmilo 'py agād dhāma kim uta śraddhayā gṛṅan [SB 6.2.49]

[While suffering at the time of death, Ajāmila chanted the holy name of the Lord, and although the chanting was directed toward his son, he nevertheless returned home, back to Godhead. Therefore if one faithfully and inoffensively chants the holy name of the Lord, where is the doubt that he will return to Godhead?]

This is the last conclusion, that Ajāmila actually did not mean to chant the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but some way or other his son's name was Nārāyaṅa, he called his son. The name is so powerful that even without aiming or objecting to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because the name was there, therefore ajāmilo 'py agād dhāmam: he was promoted to the spiritual kingdom. Kim uta śraddhayā gṛṅan: then what to speak of such persons who are actually trying to chant the holy name without any offense.

This is the conclusion, that Ajāmila never meant that he was going to chant the name of Nārāyaṅa actually, but he was calling his son, whose name was Nārāyaṅa. That means it was almost neglectfully done. So even by neglectfully doing or chanting, the holy name has got so much power, and what to speak of others who are very faithfully and, hmm, observing the rules and regulation without any offense, those who are chanting—what to speak of them? That is the thing.

Similar instance is there in the Nṛsiṁha Purāṅa: one mleccha, yavana…, from it appears the mleccha-yavana was at that time also, because the mleccha-yavana is Muslims; they hate the animal hog. They call it hara. Hara means "abominable." So one boar attacked him, and while he was dying he called this abominable "haram, haram," that simply ha-ram means "O Rama." So although he did not mean it, but it became "O Rama," and he was immediately promoted to the spiritual kingdom. So that is the power of chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. Iti srimad-bhagavate maha purane paramahamsa sangita [indistinct] ajāmilam vakhyana

So this is the second chapter of the history of Ajāmila's activities. Now we are going to the third chapter: rājovāca. Then after hearing this incident, Mahārāja Parīkṣit is inquiring from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, because the talk was between Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Parīkṣit inquired about the different types of hellish condition of life and how they could be avoided. So in question…, in answer to that question, this Ajāmila itihasa, history, was spoken. Now again the king was inquiring. Rājovāca—the king inquired:

niśamya devaḥ sva-bhaṭopavarṅitaṁ pratyāha kiṁ tān api dharmarājaḥ evaṁ hatājño vihatān murārer naideśikair yasya vaśe jano 'yam [SB 6.3.1]

[King Parīkṣit said: O my lord, O Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Yamarāja is the controller of all living entities in terms of their religious and irreligious activities, but his order had been foiled. When his servants, the Yamadūtas, informed him of their defeat by the Viṣṅudūtas, who had stopped them from arresting Ajāmila, what did he reply?]

Viṣṅudutta [indistinct] yama mukhena grhetam tritiyadyaya arambhamtatra jagatāṁ yamarājam yatra sarvam asasukham iti pratap kim tatra grksati naisamyati [?]. So the conversation between the servants of the Yamarāja and the servants of Viṣṅu, in order to confirm the statement by the authority, Yamarāja, this third chapter is enunciated.

Yamarāja is one of the twelve authorities. It is said that we have to follow the footsteps of authorities—mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117 quoted in Cc. Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

It is very difficult to find out the real path how to realize perfection of life, but it is advised that if you simply follow the footsteps of the great personalities, authorities, or their representatives, then you will be led to the perfectional stage. Mahājana.

Tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ [Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117 quoted in Cc. Madhya 17.186]: if you try to approach the perfectional stage of spiritual life, you cannot do it simply by arguing, tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ. You can argue very nice, but somebody may come who can argue better than you. Another may come better than you. So there is no end of arguing.

This is not the process to understand the transcendental subject. There is no profit. The Vedas says, therefore, you should approach an authority, tad vijñārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

If you are actually serious about understanding the transcendental knowledge, then you must approach an authority, representative of the authority. So, tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥśrutayo vibhinnā.

Mr. Trivedi, he inquired that "Why not the Upaniṣads?" He has no knowledge that Upaniṣads are different from Bhagavad-gītā. They're not different. The Upaniṣads, they're a part and parcel of the Vedas, and in the Upaniṣads also the aim is Kṛṣṅa. But they are meant for the impersonalist and all less…, poor..., persons with poor fund of knowledge. So in the Upaniṣads it is stated aiming at the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but it is trying to convince the reader that the personality of God is not exactly the personality as we are.

This portion is very elaborately stated in the Upaniṣad. But in the beginning it is accepted that Īśa, or the Supreme Lord, He is the proprietor of everything. He's everywhere. He's everywhere pervading: īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ. Everywhere there is the authority of Īśa, the supreme controller.

īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā [Īśo mantra 1]

[Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.]

Because everything is property of the supreme controller, īśā, therefore tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā.

You require something to keep up your body and soul together. You should accept the prasādam, whatever is offered and allotted to you by Him. Don't encroach upon others' property. This is the first instruction, accepting the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And in the last verse of Īśopaniṣad it is said, "My dear Lord, Your effulgence may be wound up so that I can see You properly, I can offer my respects, I can see Your real face."

So the impersonalists, they are amazed with the glaring effulgence of the rays emanating from the transcendental body of Kṛṣṅa. But those who are intelligent, they say that "Please wind up this effulgence. Because of this effulgence I cannot see You properly."

Just like to see the sun glow, sometimes you have to use a certain class of glass to avoid the effulgence. If you see through that glass, you can properly see. It is…, this class of glass is used. I do not know whether it is used in your country, but when there is eclipse in the sun we use such kind of glass to see how much the sun is already covered by the eclipse.

So this impersonalist, they are, I mean to say, amazed simply by this glaring effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So they think that Upaniṣad is impersonal. No. Upaniṣad [is not] impersonal. It is… Just like Vedanta. The impersonalist explain in that way, in their own way. Otherwise it is not impersonal. Similarly, Upaniṣads also, not impersonal. But it is not this material process. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature.

Just like Kṛṣṅa says Himself, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [Bg 9.11]:

[Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.]

"Because I have appeared on this planet exactly like a human being, these mūḍhās, these rascals, those who cannot understand what is the Personality of Godhead, they deride." They think because Kṛṣṅa is a person, therefore He is inferior to Brahman effulgence. Their theory is the Brahman is the ultimate: impersonal Brahman is the ultimate Absolute Truth, but when Brahman comes as incarnation, He accepts a material body.

Therefore Dr. Radhakrishnan says that it is not to the person Kṛṣṅa but to the unborn within Kṛṣṅa. He's ignorant of the fact that Kṛṣṅa does not accept any material body. He comes as He is. Sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā [Bg 4.6].

[Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.]

He is not forced to accept. We living entities, we are forced to accept a certain kind of body, because we are controlled by the devī māyā, by the external energy. Kṛṣṅa is not controlled by the external energy; the external energy is controlled by Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is māyābhiḥ and we are [indistinct]. That is the difference.

But these people with poor fund of knowledge, without going…, without trying to understand the transcendental science through proper channel, they mistake that Kṛṣṅa accepts a material body or Lord Rāmacandra accepts a material body. No. That is not the fact. They do not know that Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa's body is not different. They are the same: adjneya[?].

So here it is enquired, niśamya devaḥ sva. So the question, Yamarāja… Whatever has been said here, this is to be confirmed by the mahājana, the authority. Whatever you do, if it is sanctioned by the authority, then it is all right. So Yamarāja is one of the authorities, so we are explaining, tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥśrutayo vibhinnā.

Śrutayo vibhinnā means those who are not actually conversant to the Vedic knowledge, they think that Upaniṣad is different and Bhagavad-gītā is different. But actually that is not. All Upaniṣads, all Vedas, they are aiming on the target: Kṛṣṅa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaṁ [Bg 15.15].

[I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.]

But they are…, it appears there is difference; Upaniṣad is different. That is not the fact. Śrutayo vibhinnā [Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117 quoted in Cc. Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

Therefore there are sometimes misled. They think this Upaniṣad states something else, and Bhagavad-gītā states something else. No. There is… Because it is not studied through the eyes of the authority, it appears like that. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaṁ [Bg 15.15]. So śrutayo vibhinnā, for persons with poor fund of knowledge. Śrutayo vibhinnā.

Nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam [Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117 quoted in Cc. Madhya 17.186]: and a philosopher, a thoughtful man, he is not a thoughtful man if he does not disagree with another thoughtful man. This is the material world. Scientist also. One scientist establishes one theory; another scientist, if he can refute such theory, then he becomes big. Similarly, philosophers also.

One philosopher theorizes something; another philosopher, if he can refute such theories, then he becomes [indistinct]. Nāsāv muni yasya. A muni and a thoughtful philosopher… The idea is you cannot get the truth from the so-called philosophers and the scientists, because they always disagree. Nāsāv muni yasya mataṁ na.

Therefore the truth is very confidential, dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ [Cc Madhya 17.186]. Very confidential. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. You have to follow the track or footsteps of great authorities. And the great authorities will be stated later on in this chapter, who are the great authorities. And if you simply follow their path…

Just like we are following authorities, Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya. Madhvācārya. And Madhvācārya, in the line of disciplic succession, Madhvācārya was from Vyasadeva; and from Madhvācārya, Mādhavendra Purī—not directly; through many other disciplic succession. And Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī; Īśvara Purī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu; Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the six Gosvāmīs. The six Gosvāmīs, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says,

rūpa-raghunātha-pade hoibe ākuti kabe hāma bujhabo se jugala-pīriti [Lālasāmayī Prārthanā 4]

[When shall I be very much eager to study the books left by the Six Gosvāmīs? One has to learn of the conjugal loving affairs of Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa through the teachings of these Six Gosvamīs.]

Without following the Gosvāmīs, who are expert, directly instructed by Lord Caitanya, nobody can understand what is rādhā-kṛṣṅa-līlā. It is not possible. Persons who try to understand rādhā-kṛṣṅa-līlā directly, because it appears the dealings of young man and woman, they like it very much. Instead of studying other pastimes of the Lord, they go directly to the rādhā-kṛṣṅa-līlā, and the result is they're misled, and they become sahajiyā.

So we have to approach Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa through the teachings of Lord Caitanya, through the teachings of six Gosvāmīs—then it will be perfect knowledge. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [devotees offer obeisances] [end]