Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.34

Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

bhāvayaty eṣa sattvena lokān vai loka-bhāvanaḥ līlāvatārānurato deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu [SB 1.2.34]

Prabhupāda: Another verse. Another verse? This is the last?

Pradyumna: This is the last we have in this chapter.

[leads chanting of synonyms]

bhāvayati—maintains; eṣaḥ—all these; sattvena—in the mode of goodness; lokān—all over the universe; vai—generally; loka-bhāvanaḥ—the master of all the universes; līlā—pastimes; avatāra—incarnation; anurataḥ—assuming the role; deva—the demigods; tiryak—lower animals; nara-ādiṣu—in the midst of human beings.

[01:37]

Translation: "Thus the Lord of the universes maintains all planets inhabited by demigods, men and lower animals, and in His play He assumes the roles of incarnations to reclaim those in the mode of pure goodness."

Prabhupāda:

bhāvayaty eṣa sattvena lokān vai loka-bhāvanaḥ līlāvatārānurato deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu [SB 1.2.34]

So the Supreme Personality of Godhead, līlāvatāra, incarnates in many forms, not only in the human society, but in the demigod society, or lower than human society, the animal society also, tree society. Because as we have forgotten our relationship with Kṛṣṅa, He's always anxious to get us back to home, back to Godhead, so He incarnates Himself in so many forms. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam [Bs 5.33].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.]

He has got ananta-rūpa, unlimited forms. Advaitam acyutam anādi. But all those forms are in essence one. Advaita. That is not different.

Just like rāmādi-mūrtiṣu. The Lord appears as Lord Rāmacandra or as Lord Kṛṣṅa or as Lord Varāha. They are not different. In the material sense a varāha, a hog, is different from the man. Or the man is..., one man is different from another man. But the incarnations of Kṛṣṅa, they are not different. The same thing.

Just like Kṛṣṅa, when He appeared, He, He's Kṛṣṅa when He was so-called three months old, and He was Kṛṣṅa when He was twenty years old. The same Kṛṣṅa. As we find difference that a..., the same man, when he's three months old, he's different from the twenty years old. When his age is twenty years, he's different from his age when his age is three months.

The modern fashion is that they want to become God by meditation, by advancement of mystic power. But that kind of God is not Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa does not become God; He's God always. Others, they try to become God by mystic power. We have heard so many so-called Gods, that "He attained such perfection of mystic power. Now he has become God." That is also another māyā. Nobody can become God. God is God; dog is dog. This is the law of identity. A dog cannot become God, neither God becomes dog.

This is Māyāvāda theory, that at the end the Absolute Truth is void, or impersonal. The Buddhist theory is void and the Māyāvādī theory is impersonal. But our philosophy is that God is originally the Supreme Person. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11].

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

We have discussed this point many times.

Now, here it is said, līlāvatārānurato deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu. God is always anxious to get us back, back to home, back to Godhead. So apart from His incarnations amongst the deva, demigods... Just like Upendra, Lord Vāmanadeva, He appeared amongst the demigods. There are so many other incarnation, demigods. Tiryaṅ... Narādi... Tiryaṅ. God appeared as incarnation of boar, incarnation of horse, incarnation of tortoise.

Keśava dhṛta-kūrma-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. Kūrma śarīra. Keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. There are so many incarnations. Keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare. Keśava dhṛta-vāmana-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare [Daśāvatāra-stotra].

So He has got innumerable incarnations. As I have told you several times, just like the waves of the river, one cannot count, similarly, nobody can count how many incarnations are coming always, incessantly, one after another. So līlāvatārānurato deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu. And amongst the human being, we know Lord Rāmacandra came, Lord Kṛṣṅa came, Ṛṣabhadeva came and Lord Caitanya came.

So Kṛṣṅa is always trying... Because He's the father. Kṛṣṅa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya [Bg 14.4].

[It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.]

Sarva-yoniṣu. There are different species of life, forms of life, because we wanted to enjoy this material world, to utilize the resources of material world. That is our activity, even at the present moment. Always. Everyone is busy how to exploit the resources of material nature. That is advancement of civilization. Advancement of civilization means how to exploit the material resources.

But they do not know. The foolish people do not know that is not advancement; that is entanglement. That is not advancement. This knowledge they are lacking. They do not know what is advancement. Advancement means advancement in spiritual life. That is advancement. We are spirit. In essence we are spirit soul. We have been encaged within this body. Therefore advancement means how to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth and death.

When Viśvāmitra Muni went to Mahārāja Daśaratha to ask for his two sons, Rāmacandra and Lakṣmaṅajī, to take them to the Daṅḍakāraṅya to kill the demon, so at that time, Mahārāja Daśaratha welcomed Viśvāmitra, Viśvāmitra Muni, with these words: aihiṣṭaṁ yad punar-janma-jayāya, yatraṁ punar-janma-jayāya[?].

Aihiṣṭam. Just like if I meet my friend—suppose he's a businessman—so I'll ask you how your business going on nicely. Similarly, Viśvāmitra Muni, he was not a businessman; he was a great saint, and he was living in the forest. So what was the purpose? The purpose was aihiṣṭaṁ yat tat punar-janma-jayāya.

As you are trying to conquer over the repetition of birth, punar-janma-jayāya... The people do not know, at the present moment, that the business is to conquer over the repetition of birth and death, punar-janma-jayāya. They do not know that this can be stopped. Neither they have any idea that there is rebirth. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. Your life is not finished. Your life is not finished simply by finishing... When the, this body is ended, it is not that you are also ended.

This knowledge, there is nowhere throughout the whole world. There are so many big, big universities. That is our lamentation, that what is this education? They do not know how to direct education. In the śāstra it is said that your activity should be conducted in such a way that Kṛṣṅa becomes satisfied. Hari-toṣaṅam. But they do not know what is Kṛṣṅa, what is Hari. And how to satisfy Him, that is another question.

So at the present moment, the whole civilization is a set of rascals only. That's all. There is no education. They do not know. And because they do not know, Kṛṣṅa comes. Just to make these rascal, to inform that "I am...," Kṛṣṅa says, "I am," aham ādir hi devānām [Bg 10.2]. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg 10.8].

[I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.]

Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [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 [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

Canvassing. Canvassing, "My dear sons, why you are rotting in this material world? Please come. You are My beloved son. I do not tolerate, or I do not..., I cannot see that you are suffering." This is Kṛṣṅa's business. He's more kind; He's more anxious to get us back. Therefore He comes personally. Therefore He comes personally.

Then again, when we mistake Him... Kṛṣṅa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]. The rascals, they thought, "Oh, why He's demanding so much? Why He's demanding so much? This is sophistry. Why shall I surrender to You?" That is our position. Kṛṣṅa says that "You surrender. I take charge of you."

Mā śucaḥ, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "I shall give you relief from all difficulties." "No, why shall I?" Just see how much rascals we are. And they are going on as civilized men. All fools, rascals and rogues and thieves. That's all. This is the position. All fools and rascals and rogues. Ajānantaḥ. Ajānantaḥ means rascals, one who does not know. Ajānantaḥ.

Therefore Vyāsadeva made this śāstra, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ajānantaḥ, for these rascals, one who does not know the aim of life. Anartha upaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje [SB 1.7.6]. We are meeting with so many problems of life. These are called anarthas, unnecessary. I am spirit soul; you are spirit soul. We are as good as God. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12]. Our real position is ānanda. Sac-cid-ānanda. So why we are meeting so many problems?

This is due to this body. This is due to this body. Therefore the real culture is, real education is, how to stop this repetition of body. But they do not know. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. He is fully joyful. You'll see always Kṛṣṅa joyful. When He's killing an animal, He's laughing. He's joyful.

You have seen Kṛṣṅa's picture. It is not that it's a problem. You have seen. Kṛṣṅa is killing that Keśī demon, a horse, big horse, just like a child's play. Kṛṣṅa is, I mean to say, fighting with that bull. What is the name of that bull?

Pradyumna: Ariṣṭāsura.

Prabhupāda: Ariṣṭāsura. The attacking with his horns. Kṛṣṅa is just like playing with a toy. That is Kṛṣṅa. So Kṛṣṅa is always anxious to give us enlightenment, that "This is not your life. Why you are rotting in this material world? Come back." In many ways. Deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu. He's coming not only in the human society, but in the animal society also. He's coming in all kinds of...

There are so many societies, aquatics, jalajā nava-lakṣāṅi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati kṛmayo rudra-saṅk... [Padma Purāṅa]. There are so many living entities, 8,400,000, and they have got their own society. As we know, "Birds of the same feather flock together." So that is called society. That is there in the...

You'll find all the ants are together. All the birds are together. All the beasts are together. So we form this animal society or the human society. That is not a new thing. That is a... You'll see all the crows, they will flock together. The crows will not mix with the pigeons. The pigeons will not mix with the crows. That is natural.

So there are so many societies. Deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu. And in every society there is incarnation of God according to their position, according to their language, according to their problems, there is incarnation.

We do not see other incarnations, but we can see the human form of incarnation. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan [Bs 5.39].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who manifested Himself personally as Kṛṣṅa and the different avatāras in the world in the forms of Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, etc., as His subjective portions.]

But from the śāstra we can understand that there are incarnation amongst the lower animals, beasts, birds and everywhere. The purpose is to reclaim the fallen souls.

So not only He incarnates, but He sends His devotee, He comes as devotee. Just like Kṛṣṅa was misunderstood because Kṛṣṅa demanded that "You surrender unto Me." So we misunderstood because we are mūḍhas. The mūḍhas, they do not surrender. Kṛṣṅa says they are... They are very good scholars of Bhagavad-gītā, but they cannot understand these simple things.

Kṛṣṅa is demanding, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66],

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

but he'll not do that. And he is a scholar of Bhagavad-gītā. The simple truth he cannot understand. Neither he can follow. If I am actually follower of Bhagavad-gītā, then Kṛṣṅa says that "You surrender unto Me," then, if I am actually follower, I shall surrender unto Him. That is my business. But no. I shall not surrender. "I am Kṛṣṅa. Why shall I surrender to You?"

Where does he get this information that he has become Kṛṣṅa? Where is that in the Bhagavad-gītā? But they are preaching Bhagavad-gītā reading means "I have become Kṛṣṅa." Where this nonsense ideas they get? I do not know. But we can take them what he is. We can take... As soon as he does not surrender, then I take him..., we take him in three, four classes:

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ [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.]

Because I see this rascal has not surrendered to Kṛṣṅa, he must be one of these groups. What is that? Duṣkṛtina: in the group of sinful life. Duṣkṛtina. Mūḍhāḥ: in the groups of rascals. Narādhamāḥ: in the groups of the lowest of the mankind. "No, they are Ph.D.'s." Māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ. They may be Ph.D.'s, but he's a rascal because māyā has taken his real knowledge.

He does not know Kṛṣṅa. What is the value of his knowledge? Māyayā apahṛta-jñānā āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ. Why this is so? Now, āsuri bhāva, their only business is to discard, kill God. Just like asuras. Just like Kaṁsa: his only business was how to kill Kṛṣṅa. Āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ.

So those who are asuras or the narādhamas, their only business is to..., how to kill Kṛṣṅa. Just like the great scholar is saying, when Kṛṣṅa says that man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65],

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

he's commenting, because he's a great scholar, "Not to Kṛṣṅa." Just see. "Not to Kṛṣṅa." This is going on. They are thinking there is something more exalted than Kṛṣṅa. But Kṛṣṅa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat [Bg 7.7]:

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

"There is nothing more. I am the Supreme."

So I do not know what kind of scholars they are. They are reading Bhagavad-gītā and decrying Kṛṣṅa. This is going on. Therefore our movement is Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We don't follow these rascals, duṣkṛtina, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ. We don't follow them. We follow Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We follow Rāmānujācārya. We follow Madhvācārya. We follow the great authorities—Vyāsadeva. We follow Nārada, Asita, Vyāsa. Because that is the only way to understand. 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.]

You cannot understand Kṛṣṅa. You cannot understand His incarnation. You have to follow the footprints. Then you'll understand who is avatāra. Otherwise, instead of Kṛṣṅa, you will accept another demi-Kṛṣṅa. Somebody will say, "I was Kṛṣṅa." "Oh, he's avatāra." And what is the proof that he was Kṛṣṅa? Why you are so fool? If somebody says... If I say that "I was Kṛṣṅa," so only the fools will take me that I was Kṛṣṅa, now I am dog.

It is not like that. We have to follow the mahājano yena gataḥ. If we want... Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was discussing with Sanātana Gosvāmī, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed according to śāstra:

kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]

[In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṅa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṅa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.]

So these symptoms are Caitanya Mahāprabhu's symptoms. So when Sanātana Gosvāmī was talking Caitanya Mahāprabhu—he was a politician, minister—so he simply inquired from Caitanya Mahāprabhu: "Shall I take it that these symptoms, as we find in the śāstra, is the incarnation of this Kali-yuga?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu understood that "He's catching Me. He's trying to catching Me." So He immediately said, "Oh, don't bother about that thing. We shall talk..." Like that.

Even Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is actually Kṛṣṅa, He avoided to be addressed as Kṛṣṅa. And these rascals, false, they are claiming "Kṛṣṅa." Just see. Kṛṣṅa Himself, in Vṛndāvana... In Vṛndāvana, when Kṛṣṅa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu was present, many devotees used to come and address Him, "My Lord, You are Kṛṣṅa." Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to block His ears: "Don't say like that. Don't say. It is a great offense to address a man as Viṣṅu, as Kṛṣṅa." He taught us like that. And these rascals, they're declaring: "I am God. I am Kṛṣṅa." "I am God, I am Kṛṣṅa."

So only the rascals will follow such rascals. A man is known by his company. So God has become so cheap. God, they, there are incarnation, there are hundreds and thousands of incarnation, but to accept that incarnation we have to follow the direction of the śāstra. The śāstra, in every incarnation is described there, His symptoms are described there. When Rāmacandra is described, He is... What did He do, that is also given there. Even Lord Buddha's activities are there in the śāstra—he's accepted an incarnation. Kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati. Lord Kṛṣṅa's, Lord Balarāma. Everything is described there. Lord Caitanya.

So we have to accept one incarnation with reference to the description given in the śāstra. Not that any rascal comes and he becomes incarnation and we accept it. No. There are incarnation. That is a fact. As it is said: deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu, hundreds and thousands of incarnation. But if we are intelligent, if we are actually well versed in the śāstras, then we should corroborate. Not that anyone comes to become incarnation, we have to accept. No. That is not our business. Sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya [Prema-bhakti-candrikā]. We have to test sādhu, whether sādhus are accepting.

Just like Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is accepted by all the sādhus as Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even Śaṅkarācārya, who's an impersonalist, he says, sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṅaḥ devakī-nandanaḥ. He accepts. And what to speak of other Vaiṣṅava ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya. They all accept. Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepts. Formerly, Vyāsadeva accepted. Nārada accepted. Everyone... Vedas. The other day, when we met Gaṅgeśvarānanda, he quoted so many Vedic passages Kṛṣṅa, about Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So in the Vedas, in the Purāṅas, in the Upaniṣads, and confirmed by great sages, saintly persons, everyone accepts Kṛṣṅa the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then why these rascals cannot find out God? We are giving the name of God, the address of God, the father, God's father's name also, Nanda-nandana, Devakī-nandana. So where is the difficulty to find out? There is no difficulty. But the rascals will not accept. They will continue their rascaldom.

That is the difficulty. Otherwise, it is not at all difficulty to find out where is God. God is neither dead, nor God has become void or impersonal. He's person, dvi-bhuja-muralīdhara, Kṛṣṅa, playing on His flute and jāmuna-tīra-vana-cārī. He is existent always. Adyāpi kare līlāya gaura-rāya, kona kona bhāgyavān dekhibāre pāya[?]. Kṛṣṅa is always existing. Kṛṣṅa's incarnations are always existing, before us. But if we are fortunate enough, we can see; otherwise not.

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya- prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan [SB 10.14.29]

[My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years.]

You cannot manufacture the incarnation of God. You cannot see the incarnation of God provided if you are not blessed by God. Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

[No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṅa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.]

So the fact is that there are innumerable incarnations of God. As it is said here: līlāvatārānurato deva-tiryaṅ-narādiṣu. And we have to accept Him as incarnation not by whims, not by public votes, but... Just like it has become a fashion, if a man is voted, without reference to the śāstra, if some rascals vote that "Here is incarnation of God," we accept. No, we have to accept with reference to the śāstra, symptoms given in the śāstra, and then we shall...

Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu we accept as incarnation of Kṛṣṅa. It is confirmed in the śāstra—in the Upaniṣads, in Mahābhārata, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Everywhere, there are... If you read Caitanya-caritāmṛta, there are so many quotations from the śāstras. Then we accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There are some men here in Vṛndāvana, they do not accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu as incarnation of Kṛṣṅa, but there are... They'll not see. They'll not see to the evidences in the śāstra. They'll blind. They'll make themselves blind.

So any incarnation... We should be very careful that, although there are many thousands and thousands of incarnation of Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, still, when we have to accept somebody or something as incarnation, we must refer to the śāstra. Then it will be right. Otherwise, we shall be misled. That is being done. So many. In the street, in the lanes, there are so many gods. And especially the god, all the gods are going to Western countries. Especially.

Because the Western people are now inclined. Especially after this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, they are, they are... They were prepared. They were hankering after this God consciousness, because they are fed up with this all nonsense civilization. These young boys and girls, they are fed up. They do not want to live like their fathers or grandfathers. They want something better.

So therefore this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is becoming successful. They were looking after such cultural movement, but taking advantage, there are so many rascals are going and even posing himself as incarnation of God. People can be misled. Even in India, there are so many men misled with the incarnation of God. But incarnation of God is not so cheap.

Don't make..., don't accept cheap incarnation of God. Try to understand with reference to the śāstras, with reference to the authority. Then it will be all right. Otherwise, it will be misleading. Don't be misled. That is our request.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]