Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.18

[Govindam prayers playing] [Prabhupāda sings along]

Prabhupāda: [sings Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava] [indistinct] Mṛdaṅga. [prema-dhvani] Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to Śrī Guru and Gauranga. [devotees offer obeisances]

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Text number 18.

[leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī [SB 1.2.18]

[By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.]

Prabhupāda: Ladies. Ladies. [Līlāvatī chants] Very good. [more ladies chant] That's all. Word meaning?

Pradyumna: [leads chanting of synonyms]

naṣṭa—destroyed; prāyeṣu—almost to nil; abhadreṣu—all that is inauspicious; nityam—regularly; bhāgavata—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or the pure devotee; sevayā—by serving; bhagavati—unto the Personality of Godhead; uttama—transcendental; śloke—prayers; bhaktiḥ—loving service; bhavati—comes into being; naiṣṭhikī—irrevocable.

[13:30]

Translation: "By regularly hearing the Bhāgavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So here it is said bhāgavata-sevayā, not bhagavān-sevayā. Bhagavān is Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and bhāgavata means in relation with Bhagavān, who has got relationship with Bhagavān. So here it is recommended bhāgavata-sevayā, not bhagavān-sevayā. The idea is that you cannot approach Bhagavān, God, directly. That is not possible. First of all, you have to serve bhāgavata, the devotee bhāgavata.

There are two kinds of bhāgavata: book Bhāgavata and devotee bhāgavata. So in the Śiva Purāṅa, there was a question by Pārvatī to Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva and Pārvatī, husband and wife. Pārvatī means the material nature. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā [Bs 5.44].

[The external potency Māyā who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgā, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself.]

Durgā-devī.

Durgā-devī is in charge of this material world. It is called durga, durga, just like fort. And the superintendent of this fort is Durgā. You cannot go out of this fort; you are imprisoned. Such Durgā-devī, who is so powerful energy—she can create, annihilate, maintain, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana—she is always sitting by the side of her husband, Lord Śiva, and questioning about spiritual enquiries. Just see. Such powerful deity is also ignorant about spiritual life. So the husband, Lord Śiva, is Vaiṣṅava, and she's always asking, and sitting down underneath a bael tree. She can create so many universes, but for her, no building; only underneath a tree.

So the question was, "Which worship is best?" So Lord Śiva replied, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṅor ārādhanaṁ param [Padma Purāṅa]: "My dear Pārvatī, of all methods of worship, Viṣṅu worship is the topmost." There are many demigods' worship, even Lord Śiva's worship, but Lord Śiva says, "Viṣṅu worship is the best." Then he says again, tasmāt parataraṁ devi: "My dear Devi, better than that Viṣṅu worship is tadīyānāṁ aradhanam." Tadīya.

Tadīya means those who are in relationship with Viṣṅu, tadīya. Just like His devotee, tadīya. Tulasī-vṛkṣa. Tulasī is tadīya. Or temple tadīya, preaching tadīya. Tadīyānāṁ samarcanam. This is bhāgavata. So Lord Śiva recommends that "Of all methods of worship, Viṣṅu worship is the best, and better than Viṣṅu worship is to worship His devotee or things in relationship with Him." Tadīyānām, that is bhāgavata.

Here it is also said, tadīyānām, bhāgavata-sevayā. This book bhāgavata, spoken by the devotee bhāgavata, this should be taken very seriously daily. Otherwise you..., we do not understand what is Bhagavān. Therefore it is recommended here, nityam, daily, or constantly, twenty-four hours. We have to mold our life in such a way that twenty-four hours, not a single moment leaving aside, we should be engaged in bhāgavata-sevayā, in the service of Lord's relationship.

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, the spiritual master, tulasī-devī, the temple, the preaching, the books—these are all bhāgavata. So nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu. If we engage ourself in this bhāgavata-sevayā... Just like we are doing daily, trying to read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, discussing amongst ourself, this is bhāgavata-sevayā. Nityam, daily, regularly. By this process, when the dirty things within the heart, naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu...

Abhadra means dirty things, inauspicious things. What is that inauspicious thing? Inauspicious things means the heart disease for sense enjoyment; this is inauspicious. Different varieties, abhadreṣu. There are three modes of material nature. And multiply it three, mix it again, it becomes nine, and again multiplied, nine by nine, it becomes eighty-one. So these, this... Originally the three...

Just like three color, yellow, red and blue. These three colors, you mix... Those who are artists, those who know the color display, simply you mix three colors in different way, and it becomes varieties of color. So our heart disease, dirty thing, varieties of sense enjoyment. Varieties. So heart is full with varieties of sense enjoyment. Therefore by nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, by daily, regular worshiping Bhāgavatam, we become free from the dirty things.

In the previous verse we have read that śṛṅvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṅaḥ puṅya-śravaṅa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ stho abhadrāṅi [SB 1.2.17].

[Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.]

We have got abhadrāṅi, so many inauspicious things, within our heart. This can be cleansed simply by hearing the message of Kṛṣṅa from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from Bhagavad-gītā, from the lips of devotees. In this way, when almost the dirty things are cleared off... Not all. As soon as all dirty things are cleared off, then we are liberated soul. Immediately love of God, the original consciousness. You become mad, just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu:

yugāyitaṁ nimiṣeṅa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṅa me [Cc Antya 20.39, Śikṣāṣṭaka 7]

[O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.]

"Feeling separation of Govinda." How? "One moment is equal to twelve years," yugāyitam. One yuga means twelve years, one moment appearing. Sometimes we have got experience, if we want to see something, it is called expectant psychology. I am expecting something, somebody, that my friend or my lover is coming. So on the door, if there is "koot," "Oh, you have come? No, no. He has not come." The one moment is twelve years. Such kind of separation, when we feel for Kṛṣṅa, that means all dirty things are over.

And something for Kṛṣṅa, something for sense enjoyment, that means still the dirty things are there. But the more we engage our time, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, the dirty things becomes cleansed, gradually. Just like when you are hungry, you are given foodstuff, you eat. The more you eat, your hunger is satisfied. You'll feel strength, you feel satisfaction.

Similarly, the more you advance in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, you feel comfortable, released from the material discomforts. In this way, naṣṭa-prāyeṣu, gradual process. So naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā [SB 1.2.18].

[By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.]

Not all cleansed, but prāya, say, seventy-five cleansed. At that time, you become fixed-up in devotional service, naiṣṭhikī.

There are different stages of devotional service. That I have explained several times. First of all, śraddhā, sādhu-saṅga, bhajana-kriyā, anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. When anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt, all unwanted things are finished, at that time, niṣṭhā, firm faith. So bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. So, so long there are dirty things, our faith and devotion in Kṛṣṅa is not very fixed up, sometimes we deviate, we go away. But then naṣṭa-prāyeṣu, when seventy-five percent of the dirty thing are cleansed, then our faith in God becomes fixed up. Bhagavaty uttama-śloke.

Uttama, uttama means udgata-tama. This material world is tama, ignorance, darkness. And Kṛṣṅa is beyond this material world; therefore He is called para. Para means transcendental. So uttama-śloka. So when we offer our prayers to Kṛṣṅa, they are not ordinary words. Therefore those who are not liberated soul, they cannot offer prayers actually. We have to repeat the prayers offered by liberated soul, not by ordinary man, because he is not yet uttama, he is not yet in the transcendental platform.

Therefore we don't allow songs which are not sung by liberated soul like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. They are liberated soul. We don't allow any literature which is not given by liberated soul. Literatures, they are always following Vedic principles. Vedas, the original transcendental literature, and any literature which is produced under the guidance of Vedic literature, that is also nice. That is perfect.

Therefore whenever we write something, we give immediately Vedic evidence. We give some Sanskrit verse. This means that we are not manufacturing ourself. What we have heard from the paramparā system, from higher authorities, we are presenting simply in our own language, and the evidence is this Vedic verse. This is perfect literature.

So whimsically, we cannot write any poetry for Kṛṣṅa. That is not possible. That will create havoc. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says,

śruti-smṛti-purāṅādi- pāñcarātrikī-vidhiṁ vinā aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101]

[Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṅas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.]

Any devotional sentiment which is not supported by Vedas, śruti... Śruti means Veda, and smṛti means corollary to the Veda, or things which are written in corroboration with the Vedic ideas. That is called smṛti. Just like Bhagavad-gītā is smṛti. Bhagavad-gītā, the purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is the same as the Vedas, but it is not directly Veda; therefore it is called smṛti. Śruti-smṛti-purāṅādi. The Purāṅas, there are eighteen Purāṅas. Purāṅādi means Rāmāyaṅa, Mahābhārata also. Śruti-smṛti-purāṅādi-pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā.

Pañcarātra-vidhi, given by Nārada Muni for worshiping the Deity. We are worshiping the Deity under the pañcarātra-vidhi. So Rūpa Gosvāmī says that "Any devotional service which has no reference with śruti, smṛti, purāṅa, pañcarātra, that is simply a disturbance. Simply disturbance, creating disturbance." We cannot manufacture. Sometimes we are questioned, "Can we do this? Can we do that?" Of course, it is good. But there is no need of manufacturing some idea. Whatever idea is already there, follow strictly.

So bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. That fixed-up bhakti is required, not oscillating: sometimes this side, sometimes that side. So this can be possible, fixed up devotional service, by nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, regularly worshiping the bhāgavata-grantha and the devotee bhāgavata. Because without hearing about God authentically, how we can fix up?

So we should hear, śṛṅvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṅaḥ. Sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṅaḥ [SB 1.2.17].

[Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.]

Kṛṣṅa's word is given by Kṛṣṅa. Just like Bhagavad-gītā. Sva-kathāḥ means "His own words." So this is bhāgavata. And sva-kathāḥ, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also sva-kathāḥ. The Purāṅas also, sva-kathāḥ. Because all these books are given by Vyāsadeva.

Vyāsadeva is incarnation of Kṛṣṅa. So that is also sva-kathāḥ. So we have to hear about Kṛṣṅa which is given by Kṛṣṅa. Bhagavad-gītā is given by Kṛṣṅa, and Bhāgavata and other Purāṅas and Vedic literature given by Kṛṣṅa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa. And the method is taught by Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Prabhu. So therefore, everything is Kṛṣṅa's: Kṛṣṅa directly, Kṛṣṅa as Vyāsadeva, Kṛṣṅa as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, devotee. So we have to follow this.

śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Kṛṣṅa is teaching how to approach Kṛṣṅa. That is bona fide. We cannot take any other method. This is the authorized method. The, the person concerned, He is teaching how to worship Kṛṣṅa, how to become devotee. Kṛṣṅāya kṛṣṅa-caitanya-nāmne. Rūpa Gosvāmī said, "Lord Caitanya, You are Kṛṣṅa, but You have appeared as Kṛṣṅa Caitanya."

Kṛṣṅāya kṛṣṅa-caitanya-nāmne. Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te [Cc Madhya 19.53].

[O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṅa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṅa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.]

"You are distributing love of Kṛṣṅa." How it is possible for ordinary man? "But Kṛṣṅa..., because You are Kṛṣṅa, simply You are in the name of Kṛṣṅa Caitanya. So therefore You can distribute. Your thing, You can distribute."

So,

śṛṅvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṅaḥ puṅya-śravaṅa-kīrtanaḥ hṛdy antaḥ stho abhadrāṅi vidhunoti suhṛt satām [SB 1.2.17]

[Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.]

Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu. A little, maybe; not all. There may be some habitual. But still, even there are some flaws in the beginning, if we fix up our devotion to Kṛṣṅa... That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā:

api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ [Bg 9.30]

[Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.]

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṅaśyati [Bg 9.31]

[He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.]

So in the beginning we must be sincere, very sincere, to follow the rules and regulation. But due to our past habits, if there is some flaw, that is excused. Not intentionally. Because I am habituated to something, and I am, although engaged in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, my past habits sometimes becomes manifest. So Kṛṣṅa says, "All right, you try your best. It will be rectified." Kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā. Kṣipram means "Very soon you'll be dharmātmā, perfect, religious." Kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati: "And you'll be elevated to the eternal platform of peace and tranquillity."

Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṅaśyati [Bg 9.31]: "If one is sincere devotee, he'll be not lost. He'll make progress." But if there is any ulterior motive, then he'll be lost. Māyā is there. The māyā, just like shadow and light, they're side by side. A little crossing the marginal line between shadow and light, you are in the darkness. Similarly, a little crossing of the marginal line from the darkness to light, you are in light.

So Kṛṣṅa and māyā are side by side. As soon as you forget Kṛṣṅa, or as soon as you want to utilize Kṛṣṅa for your sense gratification, it is immediately māyā, darkness. And as soon as you want to serve Kṛṣṅa, immediately it is light. So if we keep ourself on this side, light side, always serving Kṛṣṅa, then there is no possibility of our being in contact with māyā.

daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg 7.14]

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

This māyā is very strong. The same example yesterday we are giving: the sun, little deviation, the whole world, universe, becomes frozen, and little deviation, the whole universe becomes ablaze. This is the position, very... Therefore our position is marginal. We are called marginal energy. We may be dark side or in the light side.

So Kṛṣṅa consciousness means to keep always in the light side. If we always think of Kṛṣṅa, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, then we shall keep ourself on the light side. And as soon as we think of sense gratification, immediately we are on the dark side. So our... We should be very cautious that we may not fall down on the dark side. We can keep ourself in the light side by nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, simply studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, try to understand, chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. Twenty-four hours be engaged in this way, you'll be on the light side.

Read the purport.

Pradyumna: "Here is the remedy for eliminating all inauspicious things within the heart which are considered to be obstacles in the path of self-realization. The remedy is the association of the bhāgavatas. There are two types of bhāgavatas, namely the book Bhāgavata and the devotee bhāgavata. Both the bhāgavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them can be good enough to eliminate the obstacles.

A devotee bhāgavata is as good as the book Bhāgavata because the devotee bhāgavata leads his life in terms of the book Bhāgavata, and the book Bhāgavata is full of information about the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also bhāgavatas. Bhāgavata book and person are identical.

"The devotee bhāgavata is a direct representative of Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead, so by pleasing the devotee bhāgavata one can receive the benefit of the book Bhāgavata. Human reason fails to understand how by serving the devotee bhāgavata or the book Bhāgavata one gets gradual promotion on the path of devotion. But actually these are the facts explained by Śrīla Nāradadeva, who happened to be a maidservant's son in his previous life. The maidservant..."

Prabhupāda: There is another Vedic evidence:

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23]

[Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.]

To... Vedic literature, the meaning becomes revealed to a person who has got unflinching faith in God and the spiritual master. Just like Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, he was illiterate, but he became the spiritual master of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī. So the purport of the Vedic literature becomes revealed to a person who has got unflinching faith in God and spiritual master.

Go on.

Pradyumna: "The maidservant was engaged in the menial service of the sages, and thus he also came into contact with them. And simply by associating with them and accepting the remnants of foodstuff left by the sages, the son of the maidservant got the chance to become the great devotee and personality Śrīla Nāradadeva. These are the miraculous effects of the association of bhāgavatas. And to understand these effects practically, it should be noted that by such sincere association of the bhāgavatas one is sure to receive transcendental knowledge very easily."

Prabhupāda: So our principle should be not to disassociate ourself from the devotees. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore sings, tāṅdera caraṅa-sebi-bhakta-sane bās, janame janame mor ei abhilāṣ [Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7]: "I desire birth after birth to serve the ācāryas and to live with devotees."

So our this association, Society's, is giving these two opportunity: you serve the purpose or the orders of the ācāryas and live with devotees. Then you will be secure in devotional service. Tāṅdera caraṅa-sebi-bhakta-sane bās. Bhakta-sane bās is very important thing. Even there is little inconvenience, still we should stick to live with the devotees. Then we shall be profited.

Go on.

Pradyumna: "The result is that he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord. The more progress is made in devotional service under the guidance of the bhāgavatas, the more one becomes fixed in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.

The messages of the book Bhāgavata, therefore, have to be received from the devotee bhāgavata, and the combination of these two bhāgavatas will help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Chant now Hare Kṛṣṅa. [break]

[44:35]

[kīrtana] [Prabhupāda plays gong]

Prabhupāda: [prema-dhvani] Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrī Guru and Gauranga. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]