Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Appearance Day, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.24

Devotee: In the morning of the 15th February '71. Appearance day of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.

Prabhupāda: [Chants Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava] [prema-dhvani]

[10:10]

etāvatālam agha-nirharaṅāya puṁsāṁ saṅkīrtanaṁ bhagavato guṅa-karma-nāmnām vikruśya putram aghavān yad ajāmilo 'pi nārāyaṅeti mriyamāṅa iyāya muktim [SB 6.3.24]

[Therefore it should be understood that one is easily relieved from all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name of the Lord and chanting of His qualities and activities. This is the only process recommended for relief from sinful reactions. Even if one chants the holy name of the Lord with improper pronunciation, he will achieve relief from material bondage if he chants without offenses. Ajāmila, for example, was extremely sinful, but while dying he merely chanted the holy name, and although calling his son, he achieved complete liberation because he remembered the name of Nārāyaṅa.]

So we have concluded this verse, that Yamarāja says that the holy name of the Personality of Godhead, Bhāgavata, not only His name, but also His activities and His qualities. These qualities... Last night, somebody was discussing with me saguṅa and nirguṅa. Saguṅa means, according to their version, or a standard version, saguṅa means the material quality. They worship saguṅa-rūpa. Saguṅa means forms of this material world. Sādhakānāṁ hitārthāya brāhmaṅa-rūpa-kalpanaḥ.[?] Kalpanaḥ.

According to Māyāvādī school, the Absolute Truth is imperson. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām, adhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām [Bg 12.5].

[For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progrese in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.]

Say, for meditation, it is very difficult to meditate on impersonal feature. Therefore, they artificially think like that: "I am the whole. I am moving the star, I am moving the moon." Or some color display is taking place. Artificially. This meditation is artificial. Therefore, they do not get any result. Simply waste time, and they remain the number one debauch, as they are.

So this kind of meditation... Because they will not put any form... "The Brahman is impersonal." So how they can think of any form? It is very difficult to adjust. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām [Bg 12.5]. They want to meditate upon impersonal Brahman, but it is very troublesome. Because Brahman is not impersonal, but force, they want to make Brahman imperson.

So in order to mitigate this troublesome position, some of their ācāryas, Śaṅkarācārya, has said that "You imagine a form. There is no real form, but you imagine some form." And he has recommended five forms. The first form is Durgā, Śakti. The second form is Sūrya, the sun, sun-worshiper. And the third form is Gaṅeśa, and the fourth form is Śiva, and the fifth form is Viṣṅu. Of course, these are the different stages of spiritual development.

Durgā... Durgā means the material power, energy. So when a person is in the lowest stage of material existence, he realizes some power. That's a fact. The scientists also, they realize some power, there is some power in the material world. They go on searching after what is the ultimate power, but they cannot find it out. That is not possible. But they accept that there is some power, nature's power. So that is the stage of śakta stage, Durgā worship.

Then, power... Just like modern scientists, they also have gone to the power of the sun. That power, another power. That power is sun, and that is called saura, worshiping the sun. Just like there is a Parsi community in India. Fire worship is recommended in the Vedas. So that powerful sun, sun-god, they worship the sun. That is the stage of saura, saura stage.

And then, next is the power vox populi, the power of the votes. That is the stage of Gaṅapati. Gaṅa... Gaṅa means the number of people. Just like in nationalism they are counting upon the power. In this way, they realize some sort of power, I mean to say, moving force or the soul. That is the stage of... They say, śivo 'ham. Śivo 'ham. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is the stage of śaiva.

And when they expand that, that "This power, this spiritual power, soul, is all over, all-pervading, impersonal Brahman," that is... They, sometimes they accept Viṣṅu. Viṣṅu means all-pervading. But their realization of Viṣṅu is impersonal.

When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was discussing with Rāmānanda Rāya what is the process of elevation, sādhya, sādhana, what is the ultimate objective, Rāmānanda Rāya quoted a verse from the Viṣṅu Purāṅa that,

varṅāśramācāravatā puruṣeṅa paraḥ pumān viṣṅur ārādhyate... nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṅam [Cc Madhya 8.58]

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṅu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṅa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varṅas and āśramas.’]

The beginning of real human civilization is observance of the institute of four varṅas and four āśramas. That is the beginning of civilized life. Otherwise, it is not civilized life; it is crude, uncivilized life, where there is no varṅāśrama, where there is no division of society according to work and quality and āśrama, spiritual life division.

So Rāmānanda Rāya recommended this verse, that this is the process to satisfy the Supreme Lord Viṣṅu. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that eho bāhya āge kaha āra, "This is external. If you know something more, better than this, you say." Why He said? There is the version, viṣṅur ārādhyate. Does it mean that He is rejecting Viṣṅu worship? No, He's not rejecting.

Because generally, they, these impersonalists, Māyāvādīs, they also worship sometimes Viṣṅu, these five demigods and God. But their idea is that ultimately imperson. The impersonal takes the form by the help of this material world. The formation takes place simply in the material. That is their opinion. Therefore they say, call, saguṅa. Saguṅa-upāsanā.

Just try to understand this. Saguṅa-upāsanā means when Brahman takes a form He takes a form from this material help. Just like we take a form, we spiritual entities. We also take a form, transmigration of the soul according to karma. I create a certain type of mentality, and that continues throughout my life. And at the time of death, because I have got a certain type of mentality, man mentality or god mentality or dog mentality or fly mentality, any kind of... There are so many. So I have to take a certain type of body.

So that body I have to take not by my whim. Daivena. Daiva-netreṅa: by the decision of higher authorities. Daiva, generally it means the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His agents. He has got many. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8].

[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Nothing is equal to Him or greater than Him. He acts in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels, which are all simultaneously differently situated by His unlimited, variegated potencies. Each potency acts quite naturally in sequences, providing Him full knowledge, power and pastimes.]

So the material agent is Durgā. So I create a mentality by my association with this material world.

There are three kinds of qualities: sattva-guṅa, rajo-guṅa, tamo-guṅa. So one of them or mixed, I will have to accept, because I am associating. Just like—it is not difficult—if you associate with the hippies, you will become hippie. If you associate with the hippies, you will become hippie. If you associate with the Vaiṣṅava, you become Vaiṣṅava. That is practical. So similarly, if you associate with tamo-guṅa... One of the features of tamo-guṅa is laziness and sleepy. I am against so much sleeping because it is tamo-guṅa. It is a manifestation of tamo-guṅa. So this is the feature of tamo-guṅa.

And the features of rajo-guṅa is very active, but for sense gratification. Just like ordinary persons, they are very active. They rise also early in the morning, they work very hard, but the whole plan is for sense gratification. That's all. That is rajo-guṅa. And sattva-guṅa means they are silent, they are sober, they know what is what, and they try for spiritual advancement. That is sattva-guṅa.

So you can understand whether a man is in sattva-guṅa or a man is in rajo-guṅa or a man is in tamo-guṅa by the symptoms of his behavior. So as we associate with different types of guṅas we develop a certain type of mentality that continues, and if it continues up to the point of death, then certainly we'll have to accept a body influenced by these guṅas.

Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ karmāṅi sarvaśaḥ [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

Yasmāt, these guṅaiḥ. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ. According to the association of guṅa, or quality, prakṛti gives you a certain type of body. The body is given by prakṛti, by nature. Therefore, nature is called mother, Durgā.

Just like we develop this body exactly from the mother's womb. The father gives the seed, but the bodily ingredients, that is... Just like mother is developing her body, similarly, she is developing the child's body also, by eating, by the secretion, by development of the secretion, air. Air is solidifying the secretion. It is becoming gradually muscles, skin, bone, as it is becoming harder and harder. A very nice factory is going on. That is also by nature. And nature is working by the order of Kṛṣṅa. Therefore, ultimate cause is Kṛṣṅa.

So this bodily development given by the nature is also adduced to the body of Kṛṣṅa. That is Māyāvādī philosophy. Māyāvādī philosophy means they accept Kṛṣṅa as God, but He has assumed a body which is given by this material nature, as it is given to us. That is their policy. They count Kṛṣṅa an ordinary man, on the same level. But that is not a fact.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa condemns this philosophy, 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 appear as a human being, therefore these rascals consider that I am ordinary man." The rascals, mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍhāḥ means rascals, gādhāḥ, asses. Their designation is given by Kṛṣṅa as asses, rascals.

And Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore said, māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa [Cc Madhya 6.169].

[Śrīla Vyāsadeva presented the Vedānta philosophy for the deliverance of conditioned souls, but if one hears the commentary of Śaṅkarācārya, everything is spoiled.]

Because these commentaries, comments by the Māyāvādī school, is simply rascaldom. And if one hears such commentary by the Māyāvādīs, the result will be he'll be doomed. Doomed means forever... Forever, no; for very, very long time he'll not be able to understand actual his relationship with Kṛṣṅa. Therefore he's doomed. And because he is not able to understand his relationship with Kṛṣṅa, he is called rākṣasa or asura. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ.

That is also condemned in Kṛṣṅa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

You'll find amongst them very, very learned men, very, very good scholar. They can quote... Intelligent men. Because their Māyāvādī commentary, they can utilize, and Kṛṣṅa gives them intelligence also, that "You misuse this verse in this way because you want..." Tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān [Bg 16.19]. Kṛṣṅa is sitting within the heart of everyone.

So Māyāvādī philosopher wants to kill God, or Kṛṣṅa. Or nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi, they want to make Kṛṣṅa as zero or Kṛṣṅa as nirākāra. So Kṛṣṅa also gives them intelligence, "Yes, you just put forward this logic, that logic, that logic, and you prove." That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca [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.]

Mattaḥ, "Through Me, from Me, all remembrance or memorization takes place."

So Māyāvādī wants to prove that the ultimate truth is nirākāra, or impersonal. So Kṛṣṅa gives you intelligence: "Yes, you put this forward. Put forward this logic, this logic, that logic." Similarly, Kṛṣṅa gives... There is a Bengali proverb that how God works, that one man, a householder, is praying to God, "My dear Lord, there may not be any theft case, burglary, in my home this night. Please save me." So one man is praying a prayer like that, praying like that. Another man is praying, the thief, "My dear Lord, this night I shall commit burglary in that house. Please help me to get something." Now, what is Kṛṣṅa's position? [laughter]

Kṛṣṅa is everyone's heart. So Kṛṣṅa has to satisfy so many prayers. The burglar and the thief and the householder—so many prayers. So Kṛṣṅa's adjustment... But He's still... That is Kṛṣṅa's intelligence, how He adjusts. He gives everyone freedom. And everyone is given facilities, but still He's in botheration.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa advises to his devotees that "Don't plan anything. You rascal, you nonsense, you don't give Me trouble. [laughter] Please surrender unto Me. Just go under My plan; you'll be happy. You are making plan, you are unhappy; I am also unhappy. I am also unhappy. [laughter] So many plans are coming daily, and I'll have to fulfill." But He's merciful. If a... Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs... [Bg 4.11].

[All of them—as they surrender unto Me—I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.]

So except the devotee of Kṛṣṅa, everyone is simply giving Kṛṣṅa trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble. Therefore, they are called duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina, most miscreant, the miscreants. Don't make any plan. Accept Kṛṣṅa's plan. That will be simply giving trouble to Kṛṣṅa. Therefore, a devotee does not pray even for his maintenance. That is pure devotee. He doesn't give trouble to Kṛṣṅa even for his bare maintenance. If he has no maintenance, he'll suffer, fasting; still, he'll not ask Kṛṣṅa, "Kṛṣṅa, I am very hungry. Give me some food." Of course, Kṛṣṅa is alert for His devotee, but a devotee's principle is not to place any plan to Kṛṣṅa. Let Kṛṣṅa do. Simply we have to do according to the plan of Kṛṣṅa.

So what is our plan? Our plan is, Kṛṣṅa's says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ [Bg 18.66].

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. So our plan is the same thing. We are simply canvassing for Kṛṣṅa, that "You become Kṛṣṅa conscious." We have to show our example, how we are becoming Kṛṣṅa conscious, how we are worshiping Kṛṣṅa, how we are going on the street for vibrating Kṛṣṅa's name, transcendental name.

Now we are distributing Kṛṣṅa's prasādam. As far as possible, our business is to induce persons how he becomes Kṛṣṅa conscious. That's all. For that reason, you can make your plan, because that is Kṛṣṅa's plan. But that should also be sanctioned by Kṛṣṅa. Don't make your own manufactured, concocted plan. Therefore, to guide you, a Kṛṣṅa's representative required. That is spiritual master.

So there is a huge plan and huge scheme. Therefore we have to follow the footsteps of the mahājanas. As it is stated here, that dvādaśaite vijānīmo dharmaṁ bhāgavataṁ bhaṭāḥ. He said that "We, the selected mahājanas, representatives of Kṛṣṅa, we know what is bhāgavata-dharma, what is Kṛṣṅa dharma." Dvādaśa. Dvādaśa. The dvādaśa means twelve names, already mentioned: svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ... [SB 6.3.20].

[Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.]

I have explained. So Yamarāja said, "Only we, these twelve men, representatives of Kṛṣṅa, we know what is bhāgavata-dharma."

Dvādaśaite vijānīmaḥ. Vijānīmaḥ means "we know." Dharmaṁ bhāgavataṁ bhaṭāḥ, guhyaṁ viśuddhaṁ durbodhaṁ yaṁ jñātvāmṛtam aśnute. "We know." Therefore it is advised, 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.]

These mahājanas, as they have prescribed, that is the real way for understanding Kṛṣṅa, or spiritual service[?]. So we are following the Brahma-sampradāya, the first, Svayambhū. Brahmā. Brahmā, then Nārada; from Nārada, Vyāsadeva. In this way, Madhvācārya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in this way.

So today, because we are following the footsteps of Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, so this is, today is his appearance day. So we should honor this tithi very respectfully and pray to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī that "We are engaged in your service. So give us strength, give us intelligence. And we are being guided by your servant." So in this way we have to pray. And I think in the evening we shall distribute prasādam. Not at noon. In the evening there will be some... So many audience come. So they can be distributed prasādam, and some of the members who can come from Bhatikara, they can be also invited. So arrange for this.

And at twelve o'clock, we offer puṣpāñjali. That puṣpāñjali mantra, it should be beginning... It should begin from the beginning. Not... You were singing, śrī-vārṣabhānavī-devī. There are two other lines. Why do you forget that?

Haṁsadūta: Śrī-vārṣabhānavī-devī...

Prabhupāda: No. Before that, there are two other lines. What is that?

Haṁsadūta: Namo oṁ viṣṅu-pādāya kṛṣṅa-preṣṭhāya bhūtale śrīmate bhaktisiddhānta-sarasvatīti nāmine.

Prabhupāda: Why do you forget them? Yes. So you can chant this mantra and offer puṣpāñjali flower. And we shall together offer flowers. Actually, the worship is..., that is my duty. But sagoṣṭhī. Now I'll have to offer my respect with my spiritual family members, sagoṣṭhī. That is called sagoṣṭhī. Just like Vyāsadeva says, dhīmahi. He's offering prayer sagoṣṭhī, with all his followers and disciples. That is the process.

So this flower offering will be done at twelve, and I think feasting will be in the evening. And after offering this puṣpāñjali, we can take our usual food. But the feasting may be done in the evening. Make like that. Because some audience, some members, visitors come, they should be given. And you can ask that Baka... Baka, his name is Baka?

Yamunā: Poddarji.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Poddarji...

Gurudāsa: Bunka. Radhe-Shyam Bunka.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Radhe-Shyam. And some others. And we can... You can invite... Dr. Rao is not... His brothers and his wife, and anyone we have made friends in the meantime, some of them.

Haṁsadūta: Prabhupāda, where should we place the picture?

Prabhupāda: On there.

Haṁsadūta: This big picture. On the altar? Or next to the altar?

Prabhupāda: Just so there is space.

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: Prabhupāda? Where shall we serve the people?

Prabhupāda: Oh, there are so many places.

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: Downstairs and... Not in these rooms.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: Not in these rooms.

Prabhupāda: Why not this room?

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: Yes?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: And when shall it be served? After the ārati?

Prabhupāda: After ārati and little talk, that's all.

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: Then we serve prasādam. And how many men would you say we should prepare for? One hundred?

Prabhupāda: That you make arrangement. You know how many people are coming. Why you are asking me?

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: So ordinary prasādam at noontime and feasting prasādam...

Prabhupāda: Feasting means purī and halavā and a vegetable and a chutney. That's all. Four things. Make simple.

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: And Prabhupāda? Do you want us to offer feast to your Guru Mahārāja at noontime? A special plate of feast?

Prabhupāda: Not a special plate. The process is that whatever we offer to the Deity, that is offered to guru. And guru offers to his guru. In this way goes to Kṛṣṅa. We don't directly offer Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa. No. We have no right. Neither He accepts in that way.

The pictures of the ācāryas, why there are? Actually, one has to offer the plate to his guru, and he'll offer his guru, he offers his guru, his guru. In this way it will go to Kṛṣṅa. That is the process. You cannot directly approach Kṛṣṅa or other subordinates to Kṛṣṅa. That is not possible.

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: So may we offer you a special feasting?

Prabhupāda: As you do, that is all right. The process is this. Not you or you. That is the process. Then all right? [end]