Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7th Canto

Prabhupāda: [indistinct] ...how to make progress in bhakti-yoga, or bīja-nirharaṅam. I have explained several times bīja-nirharaṅam [SB 7.7.28]. There is bīja, the propensity for lording it over the material nature, resources, that is the bīja of materialistic life—how to become a very great personality within this material world. The bhakti-yoga is just the opposite. Here everyone is trying to become greater than the other.

But bhakti-yoga is so nice, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc Madhya 13.80].

[I am not a brāhmaṅa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.’]

Dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ, servant of the servant of the servant of the servant. The more you become servant of the servant, the more you advance. And here, in this material, the more you become greater than your friend, then you are [indistinct]. That means more you become implicated.

More... Just like the same example: the more you increase your temperature, you are facing death. Certain temperature is required, 98 degree. But if you simply increase your temperature, "Oh, it is very nice," then at 107 degree you finish. So this material improvement means meeting death. Let us come to the point. The nationalism is competition which nation is greater. Now they have manufactured atomic bomb. That means finishing point they have come to.

So bīja-nirharaṅam. This propensity we should always remember, that "I shall be greater than him. I shall overlord him." Just like my Godbrothers: the propensity is that "Oh, he has become greater than us," therefore they are very envious. Their propensity is to become, but they could not; therefore envious. This is materialism. There is no spiritual sense here.

In the material..., spiritual world, if somebody is greater in service, other, they appreciate, "How great he is, how he has advanced in Kṛṣṅa's service. We could not do it," the Rādhārāṅī's spirit. Why Rādhārāṅī is worshiped by the devotees? His [Her] spirit is like that. If anyone, She finds a nice devotee of Kṛṣṅa, She immediately recommends to Kṛṣṅa, "How nice this devotee. He can render better service than Me. Please accept him."

This is spiritualism. This is spiritualism. Who can give better service than Rādhārāṅī? She is so great that She is captivating Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa captivates Madana, Cupid. But Rādhārāṅī captivates Kṛṣṅa. How great She is. Rādhe jaya jaya mādhava-dayite. We pray always,

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṅamāmi hari-priye

The most dear, most beloved by Kṛṣṅa, is Rādhārāṅī, and She is so humble. As soon as a humble devotee approaches Rādhārāṅī by glorifying Kṛṣṅa, immediately She accepts, "Oh, how great he is. He is doing greater service than Me." That is mahā-bhāgavata's darśana. Mahā-bhāgavata sees that everyone is engaged in service; therefore he has no discrimination. But don't imitate like that.

So bīja-nirharaṅam, the bīja, you should always understand. Material bīja means the propensity to rule over this material world better or greater than others. That is materialism. And therefore, Kṛṣṅa's first condition is that "You give up all this nonsense. Please surrender unto Me." There begin [indistinct]. And Prahlāda Mahārāja said, bīja-nirharaṅam, bhakti-yoga. The more one advances in bhakti-yoga, he is become humbler, because he has nothing to do with this material world.

Suppose a devotee is addressed by ill names. What does he care for it? Or if he is addressed by some good names. What does he care for it? One should be callous to all these so-called good names and bad names, because we do not belong to this material world. If I say that "I am so great. I am this, I am brāhmaṅa, I am..." So what shall I do, taking this brahmanism or greatness of this material world? Bīja-nirharaṅam, yoga. This bhakti-yoga is called killing or impoting[?] the seed of ruling over this material world.

So the beginning is guru-śuśrūṣayā, we have explained, by service to the spiritual master with love, bhaktyā, not officially. Officially doing something and internally doing something, that will not be successful. Actually, with brain and with love and affection, service.

guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā sarva-labdhārpaṅena ca [SB 7.7.30]

Sarva-labdhārpaṅena. Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on the sarva-labdhārpaṅena means sarveṣāṁ sādhyanam ātmanena. Sādhya means respect. Whatever highest respect you have got, that should be offered to the spiritual master. Sarva-sādhya-ātmanena. Then tat-pādāmburuha..., tat-pādāmburuha-dhyānāt..., tat-pādāmburuha-dhyānāt tat liṅga ārhaṅa ādi. Īkṣa ārhaṅa ādi. So the linga. Linga means the form, the Deity. Tat-pādāmburuha-dhyānāt. Always meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa.

This Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma... As soon as we hear this sound, immediately we remember the form of Kṛṣṅa. Immediately we concentrate on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. This chanting is perfect. But I am chanting and I am thinking of and planning something else, that is aparādha. But that does not mean we shall stop. But we should try, abhyāsa-yoga, we should try to make it our habit, by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, we should immediately remember the form, quality, pastimes of Kṛṣṅa.

Tat-pādāmburuha-dhyānāt. The lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, dhyānāt, that is meditation. Tat-pādāmburuha-dhyānāt tal-liṅgekṣārhaṅādibhiḥ. To come to the temple... Deity worship is meant for that purpose, just to see the form of Kṛṣṅa so that we may remember. Always, twenty-four hours, we can see. It is not idol worship.

The rascal atheists, they can say like that, but our process is this. Guru-sevā, offering all respect to guru, and always thinking of Kṛṣṅa's lotus feet, seeing His forms in the temple, worshiping Him as they are described, as they are prescribed in the śāstras, this is the process. Tal-liṅgekṣārhaṅādibhiḥ. Tasya liṅgānām mūrtinām īkṣaṅa, īkṣaṅam ca arhaṅam ca ādi yeṣām bandhanādinam tasya[?].

So this is one of the process, that not only one should serve the spiritual master with faith and love, but he should always think of Kṛṣṅa. The Māyāvādī philosophy is..., they say that "You think of the spiritual master, he is God." That is Māyāvādī. Just like we have been in Surat, there is some Rāma Mandir without Rāma. This is rascaldom. They have placed their photo of spiritual master, but no Deity. This is Māyāvādī.

Ours is not like that. Ours is side by side. Not only spiritual master, his spiritual master, his spiritual master—along with the Deity. Tat liṅgam, we are calling[?] the form. So tasya liṅgānām mūrtinām. Liṅga means mūrti. The liṅga is sometimes... Some liṅga is also... Just like śrī-liṅga, pūr-liṅga, the feminine gender, masculine gender. So here liṅga also means the mūrti, the form. Liṅga means, whether he is a puruṣa, or he is a woman or man, or his form. Liṅgānām mūrtinām.

Mūrtinam īkṣaṅa. Īkṣaṅa means seeing. Therefore, the Deities should be very nicely decorated; the temple should be very much cleansed, all-attractive. People may come and immediately become attracted with the Deity, īkṣaṅam, with devotion. That is the system of temple worship. Unclean temple worship or no decoration, no flower, this is useless. If you want to introduce temple worship, that should be properly done so that any man who comes immediately become attracted with the form, īkṣaṅam.

That facility should be given to the ordinary man. If he comes and he hears the chanting, the kīrtana, the bell sound, the karatāla sound, in this way gradually he becomes attracted. As we have seen, many students come in this way. They live and they become devotee. So these chances should be given. These chances should be given, according to śāstra, according to Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction. Tat liṅga īkṣa arhaṅa-ādibhiḥ.

hariḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu bhagavān āsta īśvaraḥ iti bhūtāni manasā kāmais taiḥ sādhu mānayet [SB 7.6.32]

Another thing is harīḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu bhagavān ananta īśvaraḥ. So we should practice to see every man as the temple, every man, every living entity, because Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Antaryāmī, or Paramātmā, is residing with every living entity. So in higher status, a devotee sees everybody as temple of God, because the God is there. So this should be also practiced. As we respect a temple or a church, similarly, we should give respect to all living entities.

Harīḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu bhagavān ananta īśvaraḥ. Bhagavān ananta. If some foolish person says how God can be in every..., within everybody? No, He is ananta, He is unlimited. He can be. That is His omnipotency.

Bhagavān ananta īśvaraḥ, iti bhūtāni manasā kāmais taiḥ sādhu mānayet. In this way, we should offer respect to everyone. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says, amāninā mānadena: give respect to everyone, and for yourself don't expect any respect. One may insult you, don't mind, but you give respect to others. Just see how bhakti-yoga is perfect.

Evaṁ nirjita-ṣaḍ-vargaiḥ kriyate bhaktir īśvare [SB 7.6.33]. This practice will gradually enhance your devotion, at the same time your strong senses eager to enjoy this material world will be cut down. That is called breaking the poison teeth of the serpents, sense serpents. Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate [Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5]. For a devotee, there is no danger from the senses, because his senses are engaged in the service of the Lord. So he is the greatest yogī.

Yogī means who are trying to control the senses. That is by practice, by mechanical practice, that's all. But here there is no mechanical practice. Here it is factual activity how to control the senses. Hṛṣīkeṅa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc Madhya 19.170].

[Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.]

Hṛṣīka means the senses. The senses are engaged in the service of the Lord. If one thing is already engaged, it cannot be..., especially when one is engaged in the service of the Lord, he cannot be dragged to the service of māyā. Therefore, that is sense control.

Sense you cannot extinguish. The living entity, you must have your senses. Living means you have got your senses. But they should be purified. They are now engaged in the service of māyā, and now, by bhakti-yoga process you have to purify and engage the senses in the service of the Lord—the eyes and hands, the legs, the tongue, the ear, all the senses. The eyes, instead of seeing very beautiful woman, see Kṛṣṅa, Rādhārāṅī. That sense perception is there, but it is spiritualized. The tongue wants go to restaurant and eat meat and drink wine, but engage the tongue in eating prasādam, that is control. That's all.

So controlling, not that stop, lock up the tongue. Everything, every sense. Sex life. All right, if you can beget child to take care to raise him a Kṛṣṅa conscious, all right, have children. This is our sense control. Not artificially stopping them. No question of stopping. But utilize it for Kṛṣṅa's service. That is bhakti. That is bīja-nirharaṅam. You will never like to control over. Being controlled by the Supreme Lord, you will feel so much satisfaction that you will never like to control over; that is materialism.

evaṁ nirjita-ṣaḍ-vargaiḥ kriyate bhaktir īśvare vāsudeve bhagavati yayā saṁlabhyate ratiḥ [SB 7.6.33]

In this way, when he is fully engaged in the service of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṅa, at that time he is fully satisfied; he is no more disturbed.

niśamya karmāṅi guṅān atulyān vīryāṅi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni yadātiharṣotpulakāśru-gadgadaṁ protkaṅṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyati [SB 7.6.34]

In this way, as he makes advance in spiritual life, then simply by niśamya karmāṅi guṅān atulyān, simply by hearing about Kṛṣṅa's pastimes, immediately he will be filled up in ecstasy and he will cry. These are the symptoms.

Niśamya karmāṅi guṅān atulyān, vīryāṅi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni. Vīryān līlā: "Oh, Kṛṣṅa is killing so many demons, Kṛṣṅa is dancing with gopīs, Kṛṣṅa is playing with His cowherd boys, Kṛṣṅa is going there," this is līlā, smaraṅam. The Kṛṣṅa book reading means remembering all these activities of Kṛṣṅa. Simply go on reading Kṛṣṅa book repeatedly, you are in the perfect stage of transcendental position. Simply read our Nectar of Devotion. Līlā, atulyān.

Niśamya karmāṅi guṅān atulyān, vīryāṅi līlā-tanubhiḥ kṛtāni, yadātiharṣotpulakāśru-gadgadam [SB 7.7.34]. Pulakasru, in ecstasy. Pulaka is trembling and faltering voice and tears coming down, perspiring, these are called aṣṭa-sāttvika-vikāra [Cc Antya 14.99]. Protkaṅṭha udgāyati rauti nṛtyati.

yadā graha-grasta iva kvacid dhasaty ākrandate dhyāyati vandate janam muhuḥ śvasan vakti hare jagat-pate nārāyaṅety ātma-matir gata-trapaḥ [SB 7.6.35]

[reading Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary] Nirjita sāmyam kāma krodha lobha moha mada mātsa jana indriyāṅi nirvā varga jay bhagavat rathe liṅga saha[?]. The symptoms of advancement, these are stated here. [break] [end]