Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.44

Prabhupāda: Go on.

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

sūta uvāca pṛthayetthaṁ kala-padaiḥ pariṅūtākhilodayaḥ mandaṁ jahāsa vaikuṅṭho mohayann iva māyayā [SB 1.8.44]

[break]

sūtaḥ—Sūta Goswami; uvāca—said; pṛthayā—by Pṛthā (Kuntī); ittham—thus; kala-padaiḥ—by chosen words; pariṅūta—being worshiped; akhila—universal; udayaḥ—glories; mandam—mildly; jahāsa—smiled; vaikuṅṭhaḥ—the Lord; mohayan—captivating; iva—like; māyayā—by mystic power.

[03:37]

Translation: "Sūta Gosvāmī said: The Lord, thus hearing the prayers of Kuntīdevī composed in choice words for His glorification, mildly smiled. That smile was as enchanting as His mystic power."

Prabhupāda: Pṛthayā itthaṁ kala-padaiḥ pariṅūtākhilodayaḥ. Akhilodayaḥ. Akhilodayaḥ, enlightening or enthusing the whole universe. How? Mandaṁ jahāsa: little smile. If Kṛṣṅa is pleased and smiles little, then the whole universe will be pleased. Akhilodayaḥ. Tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭaḥ. If Kṛṣṅa is pleased, satisfied, then the whole universe will be satisfied, because the whole universe means part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa.

[aside:] What is that sound, "kat-kat"?

Devotee: Preparing for the feast. They're preparing for the feast.

Prabhupāda: This should be stopped. Prāṅopahārāc ca yathendriyāṅām [SB 4.31.14].

[As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of the body, simply worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that Supreme Personality.]

Just like the parts of my body, they are indriya, senses. The senses are satisfied, the different parts of my body is satisfied, when there is food satisfaction in the stomach. If your stomach is hungry, then how you can be satisfied? You cannot be satisfied. Even there is various arrangement for your sense gratification, but if you are hungry, then you'll not be satisfied.

So the whole world is dissatisfied because the spiritual hunger is not satisfied. Kṛṣṅa is the central point. So spiritual hunger means... We are, our general propensity is to satisfy our hunger. So Kṛṣṅa is the center; Kṛṣṅa is the root, mūla. Yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ [SB 4.31.14]. Just like watering to the root, you can satisfy the whole tree—the trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruits, everything—if there is water in the root. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa is the root of all creation. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: "Everything is emanating from Me," Kṛṣṅa says. 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.]

Whatever you see, that is coming from Kṛṣṅa. There are so many other words.

What is this world? This world is made of two energies: material and spiritual. Actually it is spiritual, but some portion is material. The same example, that this my body is full of consciousness, sensation, but some parts, just like the nail, there is no consciousness, there is no sensation. If you cut the nail, you won't feel any pain. But just a, a small, I mean to say, one tenth part of an inch, if you come down on the skin portion, immediately there will be sensation and painful, as they're side by side. Therefore, similarly, the material creation and spiritual creation is side by side. The material creation is another part of spiritual creation. Just like the cloud. The cloud is creation of the sunshine, not that the sunshine is creation of cloud. This is the mistake, modern science. By the sunshine, the cloud is created. But when the cloud is created, the sunshine becomes covered. You cannot see the sun.

Similarly, this māyā... Māyā means absence of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. This is māyā, absence of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. When you forget Kṛṣṅa, this is māyā. When we remember Kṛṣṅa, know Kṛṣṅa, there is no māyā. Just like you have experience that you go through the cloud and then come to the sunshine, there is no more cloud. So below the cloud there is darkness, there is... We cannot see the sun. So the sunshine is profuse sunshine. Not that cloud can cover the sunshine. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa is all-pervading. Aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham [Bs 5.35].

[He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.]

Kṛṣṅa is within the universe, within the atoms—everywhere. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61].

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

Every heart, there is Kṛṣṅa. But we cannot see Kṛṣṅa. Simply, somehow or other, we have been covered by the illusion of māyā. That's it. So as soon as we come to the Kṛṣṅa consciousness atmosphere, shining atmosphere, then there is no māyā. Māyā is illusion.

So here Kuntīdevī says, erm, Sūta Gosvāmī says that pṛthayā itthaṁ kala-padaiḥ. Pṛthayā. Kuntī's another name is Pṛthā. His..., her father's name is Mahārāja Pṛthu; therefore she is called Pṛthā, daughter of Pṛthu. So when Kuntī offered prayers to Kṛṣṅa in very chosen, nice words, all the words... Therefore Kṛṣṅa is known, His another name is Uttama-śloka. Uttama-śloka. Because Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme, He should be offered prayer with supreme words and feelings. Supreme words and feelings. The language should not be cheap, or the idea should not be cheap. Just like when we offer prayer to Kṛṣṅa, we follow the path by Lord Brahmā. Brahmā offered this prayer in the Brahma-saṁhitā:

cintāmaṅi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.29]

Each word is full of meaning. Cintāmaṅi, prakara, sadmasu, kalpa, vṛkṣa. So Kṛṣṅa should be offered by chosen words. Uttama-śloka, very nicely arranged.

So such prayers, we can have many. Because many devotees of Kṛṣṅa... Just like Kuntī is offering her prayer. So we can practice how to offer prayer to Kṛṣṅa. Instead of writing ourself, if we, in the beginning, follow the footprints of the great devotees of Kṛṣṅa and follow their principles, taken to heart, how they have spoken, that will be advantageous, because Kṛṣṅa will be pleased. Kṛṣṅa... The Māyāvādī prayers... What is that prayer? Now, call Kṛṣṅa by ill names. That is their prayer. They offer prayer to the Supreme that "You have no eyes. You have no hand. You have no leg. You cannot speak. You cannot..." So many things, all negation. So is that prayer? If I say, "You have no eyes," so in an indirect way it is to call you, "You are blind." If you have no legs, that means you are lame. You cannot hear: you are deaf. You cannot speak: you are dumb. So is that prayer? If I say, "My dear sir, you are blind, you are lame, you have no eyes..."

So these rascals' prayer is like that. He does not know what is the name of the Supreme. "O my dear, You have no legs, You have no hands, You have..." This is not prayer. This is not prayer. Prayer must be description of the Lord about His activities. Just like Brahmā is offering prayer, surabhīr abhipālayantam [Bs 5.29]. "Kṛṣṅa, Govinda, You are so fond of Your surabhi cows, surabhīr, that You are always engaged in taking them to the forest and enjoy with Your cowherds boy." The Māyāvādī will think, "What is this? The God has become a cowherd boy? How it is? He must be very exalted. How it is that He is cowherd boy?"

But he does not know the nature of the Lord. He's free. He loves everyone. He loves His great devotee, He loves the cows, He loves the calves, He loves the trees, fruits, flowers, water, everything, because everything is manifestation of His energy. Just like you love any part of your body. Not that if there is some pain on your head, you take very much care, and when there is pain on your toe, you do not take care. No. You spend as much money for the pain of headache. Similarly, you can spend as much money when there is some pain on the toe. So Kṛṣṅa, being Absolute, there is no such distinction that "Here is head, important, and here is leg, nonimportant." No.

So this caste distinction... Kṛṣṅa says, cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg 4.13].

[According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.]

Just like we have got division of my body. Guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. The head is working nicely because without brain, there is no work. So the working of the head certainly is very important. Similarly, the walking of the leg is also important. So Kṛṣṅa's thinking, taxing the brain or walking, there is no such difference. In our body also there is no such difference.

But because we are in the materialistic world, dual world, we make distinction: this is superior, inferior. But for Kṛṣṅa there is no such thing, "superior," "inferior." Everything is Kṛṣṅa. The Māyāvādī philosopher says that when Kṛṣṅa comes, He accepts a material body. But these foolish people, they do not know that Kṛṣṅa has no material body. For Kṛṣṅa, everything is spiritual. Kṛṣṅa has no material body. It is for us to distinguish between matter and spirit. But Kṛṣṅa, being the original source of everything, He is absolutely spirit. That's all. The Supreme Spirit. He has no such distinction.

The same example, as I have given many times: Just like for an electrical engineer, there is no such distinction that "This is heater" and "This is cooler." Heat and cool, opposite. But the..., for the engineer, electrical engineer, he takes as much importance for the heater, as much for the cooler. So for Him, there is no such distinction, material or spiritual. It is for us. Because we are now in the dual stage, the world of duality, relativity. This world is relativity. We, we cannot work so nicely with material consciousness. But Kṛṣṅa has no such thing. Kṛṣṅa is Absolute. There is no distinction, "material" and "spiritual."

So even we offer Kṛṣṅa prayer with broken languages, because Kṛṣṅa is Absolute, Kṛṣṅa will accept it. Bhāva-grāhī, bhāva-grāhī-janārdana. Janārdana, Kṛṣṅa, sees how much your heart is pure for serving Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa does not see the wording, the grammatical composition of your prayer. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said... When other demigods were afraid of approaching Nṛsiṁhadeva, so Brahmā requested Prahlāda that "You offer prayer." So Brahmā's prayer is very..., Prahlāda Mahārāja's prayer... So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "What prayer I shall offer to the Supreme Lord? Such big, big demigods like Brahmā and others, they are present here.

Even goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, is present here. They are afraid, or they could not offer proper prayers to Kṛṣṅa, Nṛsiṁhadeva, to pacify Him. He's very angry. So everyone is afraid." So Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "I am born in a low family. My father is Hiraṅyakaśipu. So how I can offer prayer? If big, big demigods could not offer prayer and satisfy the Lord, so what I can do?"

This is humbleness of Vaiṣṅava. Vaiṣṅava is so humble. He is induced, he's ordered by Brahmā, that "You offer prayer. Your prayer will be accepted." So then Prahlāda Mahārāja considering that viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṅa-yutād aravinda-nābha-pādāravinda-vimukhāt [SB 7.9.10]: "I can understand this, that Kṛṣṅa is not satisfied by the prayers of a brāhmaṅa who is qualified with twelve nice qualities. Kṛṣṅa is satisfied simply by devotion. I can understand. Because all these big, big demigods headed by Brahmā, they could not... They are asking me. That means Kṛṣṅa will be satisfied simply by bhakti."

That's the fact. That is the fact. Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg 9.26].

[If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.]

Kṛṣṅa says that "A little flower, little water, little fruit—that's all—if somebody offers Me with devotion and love, then I eat." Kṛṣṅa is not hungry. Kṛṣṅa is not hungry. He is self-satisfied, pūrṅa. But if His devotee offers Him something with love and affection, then He accepts. So do not think that "We have made such nice, sumptuous plate for Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa must eat." No. There is no such thing "must." You cannot make Kṛṣṅa must. That is not possible. So Kṛṣṅa will see how much you have love for Him. Then He will accept. Otherwise He'll reject.

Therefore, it is forbidden, those who are nondevotee, those who are not initiated, those who are not chanting regularly, their offering to Kṛṣṅa will not be accepted. We must be very careful. We must know our position, whether I am sincerely following the principles of devotional service. Then Kṛṣṅa will accept. Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. The real thing is bhakti. So either you offer Kṛṣṅa prayers or you offer foodstuff, everything must be along with bhakti, devotion, love. Then Kṛṣṅa will accept.

As Kuntī, Kṛṣṅa..., Kuntī offered prayers. She's a woman. She has not much very learning. But still, whatever she has offered, kala-padaiḥ, according to her, as much, as many nice words could be collected, she has offered. Kala-padaiḥ pariṅūta, worshiped. So worship, for what purpose? Akhilodaye. For the enlightenment of the whole universe. For akhilodaya. By offering prayer to Kṛṣṅa, everything becomes auspicious, akhilodaya. Then Kṛṣṅa... Whatever you speak for Kṛṣṅa, it is applicable. Whatever you speak. Because Kṛṣṅa is everything.

If you say, "Kṛṣṅa is the noblest man," that is applicable. And if you say, "Kṛṣṅa is the greatest thief," that is also applicable. This is absolute. Because He has stolen so..., so much butter, well-known butter thief. So not only that; so many things. If you say, "Kṛṣṅa is the greatest cheater," that is also applicable. And if you say, "Kṛṣṅa is the most benevolent, beneficent," that is also applicable. They're absolute. That is absolute. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]: wherefrom everything is coming.

So these words, what we think, "This is good word; this is bad word," so for Kṛṣṅa there is nothing like that. Kṛṣṅa is Absolute. Rather, what you think bad, that becomes good when it is applied to Kṛṣṅa. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Just like Kṛṣṅa advised Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja that "You go to Droṅācārya and speak him, to tell him that 'Your son is dead.' " Because Droṅācārya will not die unless he hears..., he gets a shock of his son's death. So his sons was living. So unless he gets this shock... So he would not believe anybody. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was the truthful Dharmarāja, Yudhiṣṭhira. So Kṛṣṅa asked him that "You go on and tell this lie, that 'He is..., your son is dead.' " But Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja hesitated: "Oh, I never spoken lies. How can I say it?" You see?

So this was a mistake by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, because the so-called truthfulness or untruthfulness of this relative world is not applicable to Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa has got a plan. If we execute the plan of Kṛṣṅa, that is the highest truth. But we should not imitate unless we are actually ordered to do such thing. Just like Kṛṣṅa was personally asking. So unless we are ordered by Kṛṣṅa or Kṛṣṅa's representative, we cannot violate the morality of this world. That is not possible. It is a great philosophy. It requires little brain to understand. So man nimitte kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ puṅya eva kalpate. So if sometimes we have to do something which is sinful for the sake of Kṛṣṅa, not for others, not for me... For me, even if we do so-called pious activities, that is also impious. And if we do something for Kṛṣṅa which is in the estimation of the world impious, that becomes pious. That is Kṛṣṅa philosophy.

So therefore it is said that vaikuṅṭho. Mandaṁ jahāsa vaikuṅṭhaḥ. Kṛṣṅa is Vaikuṅṭha. Kuṅṭha means anxiety, doubt, kuṅṭha. If you are doubtful, if you are in anxiety, that is called kuṅṭha. And vaikuṅṭha means without that thing, doubtfulness or anxiety. So in other word, whatever you do for Kṛṣṅa, there is no more doubt or anxiety. Vaikuṅṭha. Therefore His name is Vaikuṅṭha. Vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane. There is a verse, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane [SB 9.4.18].

[Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord's temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṅa or about Kṛṣṅa. He engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's temples and Kṛṣṅa's places like Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord's devotees, he engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasī offered to the Lord, and he engaged his tongue in tasting the Lord's prasāda. He engaged his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before the Lord, and all his desires in serving the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He engaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material desires.]

Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he engaged his mind to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayoḥ.

We have different senses. The mind is the center of all senses. Therefore our first business should be always engaging the mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. Always thinking of the lotus feet. Smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṅuḥ [Cc Madhya 22.113].

[Kṛṣṅa is the origin of Lord Viṣṅu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the śāstras should be the servants of these two principles.]

Always. Then everything is all right. Then when you have to talk, vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane, simply talk of Kṛṣṅa, this Vaikuṅṭha. You can talk of Kṛṣṅa about His pastimes with the gopīs. You can talk of Kṛṣṅa about His pastimes when He's killing the Pūtanā, Aghāsura, Bakāsura. Both are the same. Some of the rascals, they decide that to talk of Kṛṣṅa about His embracing the gopīs is very good, and the talk of Kṛṣṅa killing Pūtanā or other demons, that is not good. That is rascaldom. Anything about Kṛṣṅa you talk, vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane. Just like in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are so many description, so many other things, but because it is in relationship with Kṛṣṅa, so each word of Bhāgavatam is value. Each word of Bhagavad-gītā is value. Because there is relation. Similarly, if you dovetail everything in Kṛṣṅa's service, everything is good. Everything Vaikuṅṭha. That is Vaikuṅṭha. Vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane.

So that is our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. We are trying to dovetail everything in connection with Kṛṣṅa. Make Kṛṣṅa center, and all your activities will be spiritual. That is distinction. Sa guṅān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate [Bg 14.26].

[One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.]

As soon as anything is done for Kṛṣṅa, the bhakti... So the beginning you cannot do so, that anything you can dovetail. No. In the beginning you have to learn first of all how to become Kṛṣṅa conscious. You are..., we are in the training period. We are in the training period. We should not imitate: "Oh, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was ordered to speak lies, so let us go on speaking all lies." No, not that. You cannot do so.

First of all, be trained up. For being trained up, you have to follow the regulative principles, the orders of spiritual master. In this way, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau [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.]

When your all parts of your limbs will be engaged in Kṛṣṅa's service, hṛṣīkeṅa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam [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.]

In this way when you are actually advanced, then whatever you do in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, that is good.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]