Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.1–2

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

varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ [SB 2.1.1]

[Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. The answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.]

śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṅāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām [SB 2.1.2]

[Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.]

[02:24]

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja questioned to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "What is my duty? Now I am going to die within seven days, what is my duty?" So he inquired about Kṛṣṅa, because Parīkṣit Mahārāja, born in a Vaiṣṅava family, Arjuna's grandson... Pāṅḍavas, they are Vaiṣṅavas and devotee of Kṛṣṅa, so from the childhood he had the opportunity to worship Kṛṣṅa. He was playing with Kṛṣṅa Deities, so naturally he was inclined to hear about Kṛṣṅa. So he inquired, "What is my duty? Shall I simply hear about Kṛṣṅa, or something else?" So on hearing this question, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is congratulating him, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ [SB 2.1.1]: "Oh, your question is very wonderful, very welcome," varīyān. Varīyān means "very welcome."

[aside:] What I have given, varīyān?

"Glorious," yes. "Glorious praśnaḥ, because you have inquired about Kṛṣṅa."

So varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa [SB 2.1.1]: "My dear king, this question is all-auspicious for all the people of the world." If we simply inquire about Kṛṣṅa or hear about Kṛṣṅa, even though we do not understand, but that vibration of "Kṛṣṅa"... Just like we are chanting "Hare Kṛṣṅa." We may not understand what is meaning of Hare Kṛṣṅa, but still, because it is transcendental sound, it is auspicious. Wherever you chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, they may hear or they may not hear, it is auspicious for them.

So we are sending our men for street saṅkīrtana. It doesn't matter whether people are eager to hear it or not, but it is auspicious. It will create an atmosphere which is very, very congenial to the human society. That should be our principle. Not that because we are chanting, nobody is taking care, we shall not be disappointed. Our this saṅkīrtana movement is so nice that simply by chanting, the vibration will create an auspicious atmosphere, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ [SB 2.1.1].

Now you can practically see, those who are old members... So I began in this New York in that storefront simply by chanting. So I did not bribe you American boys and girls to come after me. This is the only asset was chanting. That Tompkinson, this Brahmānanda Swami, he first came to dance with my chanting. [laughter] He and Acyutānanda, that was the first dancing of our Kṛṣṅa conscious movement. [laughter] Yes. And I had no mṛdaṅgas. That was a..., what is that?

Devotee: [indistinct] drum.

Prabhupāda: Drum, little drum. So I was chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa for..., from two to five, three hours, and so many boys and girls were coming and joining, and there was first photograph in the Times, New York Times, they appreciated, and people also appreciated. So this chanting, the beginning was only chanting. There was no..., nothing more. At that time there was no program of prasāda distribution. That, later on it came.

So we should always be confident that this chanting is not a vibration of this material world. This is not vibration of material world. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana [Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura]. It is imported from the spiritual world. It is completely spiritual. Otherwise how it is possible? Sometimes the so-called yogīs, they say that chanting...

In Bombay there is a so-called rascal, he says, "The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra and chanting of Coca-Cola is the same." He is such a rascal. He does not know that this is not a vibration of this material world. But one who has no knowledge, they think that "What is the meaning of this chant, 'Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa'?" But they can practically see that we can go on chanting day and night, still we shall not become tired, but any other material name you take, after chanting three times you will feel tired. That is the proof. You can go on chanting day and night, you will never feel tired. So these people, poor people, they have [no] brain to understand.

Anyway, the chanting is so auspicious, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given His benediction, ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṅam [Cc Antya 20.12].

[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]

We are suffering in this material world because we are not cleansed of our understanding or of our heart. The heart is not cleansed. So this chanting will help us to cleanse the heart.

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.]

Chanting is so nice that as soon as you take to chanting, or hear about Kṛṣṅa—the chanting is also hearing about Kṛṣṅa—so immediately the cleansing process begins, ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanaṁ [Cc Antya 20.12]. And as soon as our heart is cleansed, bhava-mahā-davāgni-nirvāpaṅam, then we become freed from the blazing fire of this material existence.

So chanting is so auspicious, therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja here, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa [SB 2.1.1]. In another place also, Śukadeva Gosvā..., Sūta, Sūta Gosvāmī said, yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṅa-sampraśno yayātmā suprasīdati [SB 1.2.5]. When the great saintly persons in the Naimiṣāraṅya inquired about Kṛṣṅa, he replied like that. Yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṅa-sampraśnaḥ: "Because you have inquired about Kṛṣṅa, it will cleanse your heart, yenātmā samprasīdati. You will feel a very transcendental bliss, comfort, within your heart."

So varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitam [SB 2.1.1]. Loka-hitam. Actually, our this movement is the prime welfare activities to the human society, loka-hitam. It is not a business. Business means my hitam, my benefit only. It is not. It is Kṛṣṅa's business. Kṛṣṅa's business means Kṛṣṅa is for everyone; therefore Kṛṣṅa's business is meant for everyone. We therefore welcome everyone. There is no distinction. "Come here and chant," loka-hitam. And a sādhu, a saintly person, should always think of loka-hitam.

That is the difference between sādhu and ordinary man. Ordinary man, he thinks only of himself, or expanded himself, for family, for community, for society, for nation. These are all expanded selfishness. Expanded. When I am alone, I am thinking of my benefit only. When I am little grown up, I think of my brothers and sisters. And when I am little advanced, I think of my family. Little advanced, I think of my community. Little advanced, I think of my country, my nation. Or I can think of the whole human society, internationally. But Kṛṣṅa is so big that Kṛṣṅa includes everyone. Not only human society, animal society, bird society, beast society, tree society—everything. Kṛṣṅa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā [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.]

"I am the seed-giving father of all these forms." There are 8,400,000 different kinds of forms. Kṛṣṅa claims, "They, all of them, are My part and parcel living entities, but they are now covered by different dress only. But they are living entities." This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness vision. Therefore one who is actually Kṛṣṅa conscious, paṅḍita, paṅḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ... [Bg 5.18].

[The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṅa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste]]

Paṅḍitāḥ, he does not see the outward dress; he sees the living entity encased in this particular type of body. So he has no concern with the body. Therefore a sādhu always think of everyone's benefit. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī. Of the Gosvāmīs it is said, lokānāṁ hita-kāriṅau tri-bhuvane mānyau [Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 2].

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Thus they are honored all over the three worlds and they are worth taking shelter of because they are absorbed in the mood of the gopīs and are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa.]

Because they were benefactor for all kinds of living entities, therefore they were honored tri-bhuvane, in three worlds. Tri-bhuvane. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṅau. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṅaika-nipuṅau.

A sādhu's business is for the benefit of all living entities. A sādhu does not like to cut even a tree, because he knows, "Here is a living entity. He is standing here for many years by his karma, and he has to continue this for many years more. So he cannot avoid this, because it is nature's law." Just like if you are put into prison for six months, nobody can save you, nobody can make you less..., one day less than six months.

So we get our particular type of body, we have to remain in that body for a certain period by the laws of nature. So by cutting the body, the living entity does not die; but because we check the continuation of his period, therefore we become sinful. You cannot cut even a tree without Kṛṣṅa's purpose. Without Kṛṣṅa's purpose we cannot kill even an ant, we cannot cut even a tree, then we shall be liable to punishment. So a sādhu sees that "Here is also a living entity." Paṅḍitāḥ sama-dar...

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṅe gavi hastini śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṅḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg 5.18]

[The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṅa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste]]

Paṅḍita does not make any discrimination that "Here is an animal, here is a man." No, he sees, "The animal is also part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. He has got a different body. And the man also, he is also a part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa, he has got a different body. Karmaṅā, according to one's karma, he is put into different type." So loka-hitam.

Now, this kṛṣṅa-sampraśnaḥ, this question and answer about Kṛṣṅa, if we simply hear, that is recommendation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir [SB 10.14.3].

[Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.]

You remain your position, but you try to hear about Kṛṣṅa. That is recommended. Simply you come in this temple and try to hear about Kṛṣṅa, sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ... That will purify. Kṛṣṅa-kīrtana, Kṛṣṅa's name, is so powerful, simply if you hear "Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa," you become purified. You become purified.

Therefore it is said, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa, ātmavit-sammataḥ [SB 2.1.1]. Ātmavit. It is not that I am only eulogizing. Ātmavit-sammataḥ. All great personalities who is self-realized, ātmavit. Ātmavit means one who knows ātmā. General people, they do not know ātmā. But ātmavit means one who knows ātmā, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul. I am not this body," and one who is well acquainted about this ātma-tattva.

So unless one becomes aware of this ātma-tattva, whatever he is doing, he is being defeated. They are seeing... Generally people, they are thinking that "I am now constructing this big skyscraper building. I am successful. I have become Rothschild, I have become Paul." That is not ātma-vit. Ātma-vit... Because he is materially opulent, that does not mean ātma-vit. That subject matter will be discussed in the next verse, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2].

[Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.]

One who cannot see his ātma: gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. They are compact in this materialistic way of life, gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Their condition is very...

Actually, this is the position of the whole world. They are not ātma-vit. They do not inquire ātma-tattvam; therefore they are less intelligent. Therefore I say that we..., our propaganda is to make people more intelligent. They might not have taken it very nicely. They thought that "This poor svāmī has come to make us intelligent." But actually that is the fact. That is the fact. This is not intelligence, that bodily concept of life, "I spoil my whole life for bodily comforts, and then after giving up this body, I become a cat and dog." Then what is that intelligence? Is that very good intelligence?

Actually it has happened. I do not wish to discuss. Our Godbrother, Śrīdhara Mahārāja, says... He was speaking from a paper that one of our great politician, very..., in India, he has now become a dog in Sweden. It is published. There were inquiries about some prominent men in India, and he has answered, and one of the answer is, "Such-and-such politician, he is now one of the two dogs of a gentleman in Sweden." You see?

So this time, in this life I may become very big man, or big politician, big diplomat, big businessman, but next life, after your death, it is your big..., your greatness of this material will not help you. That will depend on your work. And nature will offer you a certain type of body, you'll have to accept. Of course you will forget. That is the concession given by nature. Just like we do not remember what we had been in our past life. If I remember that... Suppose I was a king in my past life, now I have become a dog, then how much suffering it will be. Therefore by nature's law one forgets. And death means this forgetfulness. Death means this forgetfulness.

So this is a great science. People do not know it. Our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is very scientific, authorized, so our business is to enlighten people as far as possible, and at the same time we must remain enlightened. We may not be again covered by the darkness of māyā. That we should be... That you can keep yourself very fit not to be covered by the māyā. 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.]

If you very strictly adhere to the principle of Kṛṣṅa consciousness, then māyā will not be able to touch you. That is the only remedy. Otherwise māyā is always looking after the opportunity, loophole, how she can capture you again. But if you remain strictly in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, māyā will not be able to do anything. Mām eva ye prapadyante.

Daivī hy eṣa guṅa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā. It is very difficult to get out of the clutches of māyā. It is very difficult. But Kṛṣṅa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg 7.14]: if one is strictly adherent to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa always...

[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.]

Therefore our this program is twenty-four hours thinking of Kṛṣṅa. Satatam. Satataṁ cintayo kṛṣṅa. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc Ādi 17.31].

[One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.]

These are the recommended. So if we simply think of Kṛṣṅa... If you cannot do anything, simply think of Him. That is the highest meditational perfection.

So always chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, be in touch with Kṛṣṅa in so many ways, then you are secure. Māyā will not be able to touch you. And if we can some way or other pass our days, and at the time of death we remember Kṛṣṅa, then the whole life is successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]