Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.5

Prabhupāda: [leads singing of Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava] [prema-dhvani] Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [devotees offer obeisances]

Prabhupāda: [hums] Wait. Yes.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṅa-sampraśno yenātmā suprasīdati [SB 1.2.5]

Prabhupāda: Very good. Thank you. Yes? [more devotees chant]

Now, word meaning.

Pradyumna: [leads chanting of synonyms]

munayaḥ—of the sages; sādhu—this is relevant; pṛṣṭaḥ—questioned; aham—myself; bhavadbhiḥ—by all of you; loka—the world; maṅgalam—welfare; yat—because; kṛtaḥ—made; kṛṣṅa—the Personality of Godhead; sampraśnaḥ—relevant question; yena—by which; ātmā—self; suprasīdati—completely pleased.

[11:54]

Translation: "O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Kṛṣṅa and so are of relevance to the world's welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So questioning about Kṛṣṅa and answering the question is kṛṣṅa-kathā. So here it is recommended that if we are constantly engaged in kṛṣṅa-kathā about Kṛṣṅa, talking about Kṛṣṅa, questioning about Kṛṣṅa, then ātmā suprasīdati. We are hankering after peacefulness of our heart, peacefulness of our atmosphere. So here it is recommended that simply by inquiring about Kṛṣṅa and taking answer of the question, both the questioner and the answer-giver, both will be pleased. Yenātmā suprasīdati.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered, yāre dekha, tāre kaha kṛṣṅa-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128].

[Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.]

The world is like the blazing fire in the forest. So this kṛṣṅa-kathā, this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, will give them relief. Yenātmā suprasīdati. And the Sūta Gosvāmī said, "Your question is very pious question, sādhu, because it is about Kṛṣṅa."

The question was that "After the departure of Kṛṣṅa..." Dharmaḥ kam... What is that? Śaraṅaṁ gataḥ? Hmm? Kāṣṭhām... What is this verse? Kṛṣṅe sva-dhāmopagate...

brūhi yogeśvare kṛṣṅe brahmaṅye dharma-varmaṅi svāṁ kāṣṭhām adhunopete dharmaḥ kaṁ śaraṅaṁ gataḥ [SB 1.1.23]

This is the inquiry. The answer is given there, that "Your inquiry..." Kṛṣṅa comes for reestablishing the principles of religion. Religion means the order set by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is religion: "You do like this." Just like king's..., king orders, or the government orders, "Do like this." Do's and does not, do not's. Do's and do not's. So that is dharma. If you follow the do's and do not's given by Kṛṣṅa, that is religion. You cannot manufacture religion. That is bogus.

So munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam [SB 1.2.5]. "These questions..." Just like our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is the same: it is simply questioning about Kṛṣṅa and hearing the answer. It is loka-maṅgalam. Anywhere this vibration will go on, there will be all auspicity. Loka-maṅgalam. Kṛṣṅa-sampraśno yenātmā suprasīdati. Another feature is Kṛṣṅa is all-attractive; therefore, talks about Him is also attractive. In our Kṛṣṅa book there are so many topics about Kṛṣṅa, janma karma 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.]

about His birth, about His transference from real father's house to another foster father, then the attack by the demons upon Kṛṣṅa, Kaṁsa. All these activities, if we simply study and hear the kṛṣṅa-sampraśnaḥ, then we are liberated. Without any doubt, our liberation is guaranteed, simply by hearing about Kṛṣṅa.

Kṛṣṅa therefore comes, so many activities. Na māṁ karmāṅi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā [Bg 4.14].

[There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.]

Kṛṣṅa says that He has nothing to do. What He has to do? But still, He's killing so many demons, He's giving protection so many devotees. Because He has come to reestablish what is religious principle, so by His personal activities He establishes. Otherwise, Kṛṣṅa has nothing to do. He's ātmārāma, Kṛṣṅa. He is self-satisfied; He has nothing to do. But to teach us He comes. In this way we should live. From the very beginning of His childhood.

Read the purport.

Pradyumna: "As it is stated hereinbefore, in the Bhāgavatam the Absolute Truth is to be known, so the questions of the sages of Naimiṣāraṅya are proper and just because they pertain to Kṛṣṅa, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth. In Bhagavad-gītā the Personality of Godhead says that in all the Vedas there is nothing but the urge for searching after Him, Lord Kṛṣṅa. [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.]

Thus the questions that pertain to Kṛṣṅa are the sum and substance of all the Vedic inquiries.

"The whole world is full of questions and answers. The birds..."

Prabhupāda: Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Atha, "Now this is the time for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." "This is the time" means this human form of life. Animals cannot inquire. Therefore Vedānta-sūtra says, atha, athāto brahma jijñāsā: inquire about the Absolute Truth. Brahmā..., brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11].

[Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.]

The ultimate Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṅa, the person. Paramātmā is plenary expansion, and Brahman is impersonal effulgence. So if one understands Kṛṣṅa by question and answer, then he understands the other three features. But simply by understanding the impersonal feature, Brahman effulgence, one cannot understand Kṛṣṅa. Neither by understanding or seeing the Paramātmā one can understand Kṛṣṅa.

To see the Paramātmā is the business of the yogīs. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ [SB 12.13.1].

[Sūta Gosvāmī said: Unto that personality whom Brahmā, Varuṅa, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada-kramas and Upaniṣads, to whom the chanters of the Sāma Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogīs see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and becoming fully absorbed in thoughts of Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon—unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead I offer my humble obeisances.]

Yoginaḥ, the yogīs, they are trying to see Kṛṣṅa or Viṣṅu within their heart by meditation. Meditation means this. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ. And the jñānīs they want to stop these material varieties, make it impersonal, and merge into the existence of Brahman effulgence. But devotees, they do not, neither of them, neither they even want to be transferred to the Vaikuṅṭhaloka. They are satisfied in any condition life, provided they have got the opportunity to serve Kṛṣṅa. That is their mission.

Hmm. Then?

Pradyumna: "The whole world is full of questions and answers. The birds, the beasts and men are all busy in the matter of perpetual questions and answers. In the morning, the birds in the nest become busy with questions and answers, and in the evening also, the same birds come back and again become busy with questions and answers. The human being, unless he is fast asleep at night, is busy with questions and answers. The businessmen in the market are busy with questions and answers, and so also, the lawyers in the court and the students in the schools and colleges. The legislators in the parliament are also busy with questions and answers, and the politicians and the press representatives are all busy with questions and answers.

"Although they go on making such questions and answers for their whole lives, they are not at all satisfied. Satisfaction of the soul can only be obtained by questions and answers on the subject of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is our most intimate master, friend, father or son, and object of conjugal love. Forgetting Kṛṣṅa, we have created so many objects of questions and answers, but none of them are able to give us complete satisfaction."

Prabhupāda: Therefore, materialism means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṅa. Otherwise, there is no other existence as material. Just like in dream. In dream, some way or other we create an atmosphere. But actually, there is no different atmosphere. But by our brain, hallucination, we create something. So created in dream, we have got experience, everyone, "I am the worker. I am doing this. I am flying. I am going there. I am riding the car. I am working. I..." "I" is there. This "I," false ego, is there. Ahaṁ mameti [SB 5.5.8].

So forgetting Kṛṣṅa, when we concentrate only "I" and "mine," that is material. That is material. Material [indistinct] separated. When I create, when we forget Kṛṣṅa, when I create "I" and "mine," that is material. Make it clear.[?] Otherwise, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [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.]

Everything is Kṛṣṅa's energy. Kṛṣṅa is spiritual, therefore His energy is also spiritual. But in the spiritual energy there is the possibility of forgetting Kṛṣṅa. That is called material.

So if we remember Kṛṣṅa, that is not material. A man [indistinct], stone, wood, brick and constructs a big, high skyscraper building; that is material. But the same stone, same wood, same cement, you construct a very nice temple of Kṛṣṅa, that is spiritual energy. Now, the question is how the woods and stone, which is matter, becomes spiritual. Is not that the question?

We say one man is constructing big skyscraper building with woods and stones, we say this is materialism. But they can also challenge you that "You are also interested in woods and stones and constructing a big church or temple. Why is your idea spiritualism?" Now, you can compare. This is spiritualism means in this stone and earth and woods you remember Kṛṣṅa, "I am constructing something for Kṛṣṅa." Therefore it is spiritualism.

So the conclusion is when we forget Kṛṣṅa, that is materialism. And when we constantly remember Kṛṣṅa, that is spiritualism. The materialist means they are thinking of sense gratification. All these big, big buildings were constructed in your country, Edinburgh. The idea was that "We shall show something opulent that we are very great nation. We have got nice buildings, nice churches, nice roads." Puffed up. Everyone wants to be puffed up before his friends and relatives. So this is materialism.

But the same thing done for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṅa, that "We shall construct this temple for Kṛṣṅa's inhabitation. We shall construct this building for providing the devotees of Kṛṣṅa so that they may be able to chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra without any disturbance..." It appears the same thing, karma and bhakti, but bhakti is always in relation with Kṛṣṅa and karma is always in relation with sense gratification.

Therefore the things, the ingredients, is originally spiritual because it is Kṛṣṅa's energy. But ahaṁ mameti, when we try to impose our proprietorship, that is materialism. Materialism means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṅa. Otherwise, there is no materialism; everything is spiritual.

Hmm. Then?

Pradyumna: "Kṛṣṅa is our most intimate master, friend, father or son, and object of conjugal love. Forgetting Kṛṣṅa, we have created so many objects of questions and answers, but none of them are able to give us complete satisfaction. All things but Kṛṣṅa give temporary satisfaction only, so if we are to have complete satisfaction we must take to the questions and answers about Kṛṣṅa. We cannot live for a moment without being questioned or without giving answers.

Because the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam deals with questions and answers that are related to Kṛṣṅa, we can derive the highest satisfaction only by reading and hearing this transcendental literature. One should learn the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and make an all-around solution to all the problems pertaining to social, political or religious matters. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Kṛṣṅa are the sum total of all things."

Prabhupāda: Now let us discuss, question and answer, "How political situation can be improved by Kṛṣṅa consciousness?" Can anyone answer? Who will answer this question? Yes?

Pradyumna: If the head of the country, if the commander-in-chief of the army and the rulers and the person who dispenses justice are all devotees, they can clearly make a plan or arrangement of government so that people are informed what their real welfare is.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Pradyumna: So that people are informed what their real welfare is, what the real goal...

Prabhupāda: What is that real welfare?

Pradyumna: To be... To render service to Kṛṣṅa and to serve Kṛṣṅa, and to see that everything in the country is used in Kṛṣṅa's service. If the government does that, then it becomes a Kṛṣṅa conscious government.

Prabhupāda: [to the other devotees] So, is it all right?

Revatīnandana: Also, if the leaders become Kṛṣṅa conscious, then they can stop the institutions of vice, which prevent the people from understanding Kṛṣṅa consciousness. They can shut down the slaughterhouses and [indistinct]. Then their propaganda will be understood and people will become more Kṛṣṅa conscious.

Pradyumna: With a future of Kṛṣṅa consciousness there wouldn't be any more political maneuvering, because the leaders would be willing to accept advice from the learned sages and brāhmaṅas and devotees. There wouldn't be any [indistinct] politics, and there would be understanding from the scriptures.

Prabhupāda: This is social improvement, er, political improvement. What is the social improvement?

Revatīnandana: The social improvement would be that when the people become Kṛṣṅa conscious under good leadership, then they would be satisfied. Then they would simplify the lives of the people; everyone would become happy, and [indistinct].

Prabhupāda: The basic principle is that yenātmā suprasīdati. Social... Yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṅa-sampraśno yenātmā suprasīdati. Every householder... Everyone is dissatisfied. There is no, I mean to say, peaceful atmosphere between the husband and the wife, the son and the father. We remain, of course, together. But everyone is of different opinion.

In your country it is very practically experienced: nobody agrees with nobody. Everyone has got his own opinion. So if Kṛṣṅa center... Even in Kṛṣṅa center we are having different opinions, because we are accustomed to live like that. But actually, if we are serious about serving Kṛṣṅa, then there cannot be two opinions. One opinion: how to serve Kṛṣṅa.

So in family life, if we introduce this arcā-vigraha-sevā... Every family can keep Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa vigraha, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's photo vigraha, and as we are, whatever we are doing, center is Kṛṣṅa, similarly, everyone can do that. That will solve all social problems—social problems, philosophical problems, economic problems. Economic problems, practically there is no economic...

Just like in London they are throwing away tons of tomato into the sea. That is our creation. God has given sufficient to eat, but because there is strike, we have created a problem. So if one is Kṛṣṅa conscious, what will be strike? Strike means they want money—more money, more money. There is no end. When I first came to America, in New York, there was strike of the transport men. All transport stopped—the subway, the bus, everything. People became so much in difficulty.

So without being Kṛṣṅa conscious, there is no end of sense gratification. Nobody knows. But Kṛṣṅa conscious person, they are satisfied. The... Even still in India, you'll find this satisfaction by Kṛṣṅa consciousness. A poor man, practically very meager income, but he's satisfied. He's satisfied in this way: he thinks, "Kṛṣṅa has given me this much. I must be satisfied. Kṛṣṅa has given me this much. Why shall I...?" And that is also recommendation of the śāstra, that tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ [SB 1.5.18]. We should not waste our time for improving our economic position. That is already settled up.

So "Whatever Kṛṣṅa will do, that is all right. Let me utilize my valuable time of this human form of life in chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa." People will not agree to this. But actually, if anyone wants peace of the mind, yenātmā suprasīdati, then this process should be adopted. This is practical also. There are many saintly persons; they do not try where to go, where to take money or where to eat. They're busy in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. "If Kṛṣṅa sends some food, I shall eat. Otherwise, it doesn't matter. I shall starve." They have got that determination, strict. They do not go anywhere, but Kṛṣṅa sends him everything.

Just like Bilvamaṅgala. He was not going anywhere. He was living in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṅa personally was coming to give him some milk. He became blind; he could not see. So Kṛṣṅa would come just like a boy. "Bilvamaṅgala, I think you are hungry. Will you take some milk?" Oh, he was very glad. "All right, You give me a little milk." Next day He will come. Then he would ask, "Who is this boy? I cannot see. He comes and gives me milk daily."

Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham [Bg 9.22].

[But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form-to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.]

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "Unto the devotee who is completely dependent upon Me, I carry personally whatever he needs." Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13]. That one person is supplying all the necessities of all the living entities. That is God. God is not beggar. God fulfills everyone's necessities, practically. That is... People are unhappy by so-called economic development. Everyone is competing. They have no satisfaction. Without God, godless civilization has created unnecessary competition. But if people become God conscious, he'll be satisfied. Yenātmā suprasīdati. The very basic principle of devotional service will make one happy.

Then? [indistinct comment by devotee] All right, have kīrtana. [devotees offer obeisances]

[sings:] ...yenātmā suprasīdati. So the outsiders, they do not come in morning? No. Eh?

[40:14]

[kīrtana] [prema-dhvani]

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [devotees offer obeisances]

[kīrtana] [obeisances] [end]