Bhagavad-gītā 2.40

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

nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt [Bg 2.40]

[break]

[01:10]

Translation: "In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear."

Prabhupāda: So we have explained yesterday, buddhi-yoga. Buddhi-yoga means bhakti-yoga. So, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Bhakti-yoga, begun, some way or other, it has got great effect. There is story that in the Deity room, a lamp was burning. You know oil lamp has to be watched. Sometimes the wick has to be pushed. So the lamp was almost going to be extinguished. In the meantime, a rat came there. He thought that it is something eatable. So he touched with mouth the wick, and it became pushed. Simply by that action he got salvation. Just try to understand. Because he gave some service to the Deity.

So there are many instances. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Kṛṣṅa consciousness business is so nice that whatever you do sincerely, it will never be lost. Permanent. Either you execute one percent, two percent, fifty percent. If you can finish hundred percent, then next life, sure you are going to Kṛṣṅa. But even if you are unable to finish the whole course, still, whatever you have done, that is permanent credit. That will never be lost.

The similar passage is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, while Nārada Muni was instructing Vyāsadeva for writing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So he said this verse:

tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṅāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ [SB 1.5.17]

[One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything.]

Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṅāmbujaṁ hareḥ. This dharma means according to social and spiritual position, somebody is brahmacārī, somebody is householder, somebody is vānaprastha, somebody is sannyāsī; somebody is brāhmaṅa, somebody kṣatriya, somebody's vaiśya, somebody's śūdra. This is Vedic division of social and spiritual life. So each position has got different types of occupational duties. These are mentioned in the Bhāgavata. Brāhmaṅa has got to do: śamaḥ damaḥ śaucaṁ titikṣā. Kṣatriya: śauryaṁ vīryaṁ yuddhe cāpalāyanam. In this way, there are some prescribed duties. But these are all material consideration. People cannot even follow systematically the material system so that you can live peacefully so long you are in this material world. The modern civilization is so condemned. They do not know even how to live peacefully. If these divisions are there, four divisions: brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, it will be very systematic. People will be automatically enlightened.

That is real human civilization. If the society, human society, does not at all adopt this system of social life, there cannot be any peace. Still, in India, although it is fallen so much, in the interior village you'll find the social divisions are maintained and they live very peacefully. Very peacefully. Those who have gone into the interior village, they have seen. And everyone can elevate himself to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Sva-karmaṅā tam abhyarcya [Bg 18.46]. It is not that because one is śūdra or one is gṛhastha, vānaprastha, he cannot. No. For Kṛṣṅa worship, for everyone the door is open. That is explained here. Even if you think that "If I take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, join this international movement, I will be deviating from my real duty," so that also you can do. What is your real duty? This is temporary duty. Suppose you are a very nice brāhmaṅa or nice kṣatriya, nice businessman, nice politician. Your career will be lost, if you think, by joining this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, your career will be lost—don't think like that. It is still profitable. Even if you give up whole career and simply join Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, then your life is success. That is being stressed. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya.

So Nārada Muni says, tyaktvā sva-dharmam. Sva-dharmam means one's prescribed occupational duties. So long we have got this body, we have to do something. Without doing something we cannot live. The material world will not allow you, that you cannot do anything and you'll be provided. No. Whatever you may be, you may be President Nixon or ordinary man in the street, everyone has to do something. That is not possible. There is a verse in the Viṣṅu Purāṅa, tṛtīya-śaktir iṣyate [Viṣṅu Purāṅa 6.7.61, Cc. Madhya 6.154].

[The internal potency of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṅu, is spiritual, as verified by the śāstras. There is another spiritual potency, known as kṣetra-jña, or the living entity. The third potency, which is known as nescience, makes the living entity godless and fills him with fruitive activity.]

Here the situation, material situation, is so stringent that without working, you cannot live. You'll die. There is an example in the Hitopadeśa: na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. Suptasya siṁhasya. Siṁha means lion. If the lion thinks that "I am so powerful animal, king of the forest. Why shall I work?" No. Therefore it is said that if he does not work, then he'll have to starve, even though he's a lion. Because he may be lion, but if he sleeps, that "I am king. Let me sleep and my food will come automatically in my mouth," that is not possible. This is the example. Very good example. Na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. A lion is sleeping. If he does not work, he'll also starve. He'll also starve. And what to speak of cats and dogs.

So this is not possible. Therefore, there is sva-dharma. Sva-dharma means, you are in brahminical quality, your work is this. You are in martial spirit... One who is intelligent, for him, studying Vedas, understanding the philosophy, preaching for the good of the society, train them, guide them, this is brāhmaṅa's business. Brāhmaṅa is not going to work in the factory. That is not brāhmaṅa's business. But in modern civilization, everyone should go to factory, never mind whether you are brāhmaṅa or śūdra or a... This is the mistake. Therefore, if I am not fit for a certain thing and if I am engaged in that business, that will be failure. That will be failure. For a particular type of business, occupation, one must have particular type of brain. So therefore this is division. Not that everyone is of the same type. You cannot find. There is not...

Because the world is being conducted by the three modes of nature, you cannot find all men of the same category. There must be intelligent class of men, there must be martial spirit, administrative class of men, there must be business-minded men. There must be śūdras; they do not know anything, they want to serve only, master. So therefore scientifically it is divided. Mukha bahu rupadebhyo[?]. Just like in your body you find scientifically it is designed by God or Lord Brahmā: "This is brain department, this is arms department, this is belly department, this is leg department." All of them required. You cannot avoid any one of them. This is called sva-dharma. One must be fixed up to his own position. That is the real perfect social system.

Now here it is said, tyaktvā sva-dharmam. This is material division. The spiritual is different. So far... I am combination of matter and spirit; so far my body is concerned, there is division. But when I come to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, it is not like that. That is simply for everyone. Either he's externally a brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, American, Indian, black, white, it doesn't matter. That is bodily. When you come to the spiritual platform, that is one. Because spirit is one.

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]]

There is..., in the spiritual platform we are one. Then the business is also one—to serve Kṛṣṅa. That is spiritual.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu... mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām [Bg 18.54]

[And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.]

So when you come to the bhakti platform, that is simply to satisfy Kṛṣṅa. In the material platform, everyone is to satisfy his own whims. That is the difference. So if you give up your material activities, tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṅāmbujaṁ hareḥ, and, by sentiment or by canvassing or by seeing that "These people are Kṛṣṅa conscious people. They are very nice. They are chanting in the street, let me join," somehow or other, if you come in contact, then...

[tape distortion]

I think one of our students joined, he was going to business and seeing the chanting, dancing in the street, he immediately joined. Who is that? I think Dhruva?

Devotee: Devanātha.

Prabhupāda: Devanātha, yes. And he joined immediately. So this is nice. This is nice. Tyaktvā sva-dharmam—he was meant for something else, but he joined Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṅāmbujam. All right, you have joined Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, that's all right. Execute it nice, make progress. But not progress—tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṅāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo 'tha [SB 1.5.17].

[One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything.]

If he could not execute properly, he could not chant sixteen rounds, he could not observe the rules and regulation or for sometimes he could execute and then again, he became slackened... Just like sometimes we see some of our student falls down.

So Nārada Muni says, bhajann apakvo 'tha. His execution of devotional service could not be completed; somehow or other, it was checked, it was obstructed, and he falls down again in the clutches of māyā. Falls down. There is possibility. Māyā is very strong. Māyā is very strong. At any moment we can fall down. Therefore we have to keep ourselves very much vigilant, strong, strong. Strength, the spiritual strength is the chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra and following the rules and regulation. Then māyā cannot. 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 keep yourself strictly to the principles of bhakti-yoga, māyā's father[?] also will not be able to do anything. No.

So here it is said, bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi. Yadi, not always. If sometimes one falls down, without... Then, yatra kva vā abhadram abhūd amuṣya kim. Then what is the loss there? He's not a loser. Still he's gainer. Because for the time being, whatever he has done sincerely, serving Kṛṣṅa, that is credited forever, eternally. It will be never lost. Mind that. Do sincerely, and you'll be never lost. 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.]

Kṛṣṅa says, "My dear Arjuna, you declare it, that none of My devotees will ever be vanquished. I'll give you protection." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg 18.66].

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

So do it sincerely. Don't think that "Even if I fall, there is no loss." No, don't think like that. Why I shall fall? I've taken to Kṛṣṅa's shelter, why shall you give it up? This is my life. But even if you fall down, that is also said, so there is no loss. There is no loss because, suppose if you have executed fifty percent, fifty percent you could not do; you fall down again... In another place it is also said, yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate [Bg 6.41].

[The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.]

Yoga-bhraṣṭa: falling down from devotional service, he gets next chance again. He gets birth in very good family, rich family, and pure family, brāhmaṅa family, so that again he'll be given chance: "Now, you begin again." These are explained, you'll find.

Therefore, Nārada Muni says that even if he is, for the time being, failure, then there is no loss. But on the other hand, ko vā artha āptaḥ abhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ. Suppose one is very nicely executing his occupational duty, he's a businessman, very routine work, doing business, making profit, and everyone appreciates his routine work. Even if he does so... Or he is a very nice brāhmaṅa, nice kṣatriya, so he has done his duty very nicely, but he has not taken to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, śāstra says, what he has gained? What he has gained? In many places it is confirmed in Bhāgavata, that,

ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṅāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṅam [SB 1.2.13]

[O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.]

Take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness means the way how you can please the Supreme Lord. But if by executing your so-called occupational duty of the body, if you do not take care of taking to Kṛṣṅa consciousness or pleasing the Supreme Lord, then you have no gain. You are simply working for nothing, wasting your time. You are thinking that "I'm doing my duty very nicely. I'm a brāhmaṅa, I'm doing my duty," "I am businessman doing my duty," "I'm scientist, I am..." Actually, you are not doing your duty. Your real duty is to take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That you have forgotten. Therefore Nārada Muni says, ko vā artha āptaḥ abhajatām. One who is not taken to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, not engaged in devotional—abhajatām. So what does he gain?

In another place the Bhāgavata says, śrama eva hi kevalam:

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ notpādayed ratiṁ yadi śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]

[The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.]

Śrama eva hi kevalam. One man is doing his duty, his occupational duty as a brāhmaṅa or a kṣatriya or a businessman or a student or anyone. He's doing very nicely. But doing all these activities, if he could not awaken his dormant Kṛṣṅa consciousness, dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ... Viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ means just like you have come here to hear about Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Otherwise, why you have come here? You have come here hearing me or anyone discussing śāstra. So this is required. You may do anything as your occupational duty, but the real life is that you have to awaken your dormant Kṛṣṅa consciousness, become eager to understand about Kṛṣṅa. That is main business.

So therefore it is said that after doing your duties very nicely, but you have no taste for understanding Kṛṣṅa, viṣvaksena... Another name of Kṛṣṅa is Viṣvaksa. Kathāsu. Kathāsu means "message." Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu, notpādayed ratim yadi [SB 1.2.8]: if you do not awaken your attachment for hearing about Kṛṣṅa, kṛṣṅa-kathā... That is our main business, Caitanya Mahāprabhu—kṛṣṅa-kathā. 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.]

This is our mission.

We have to simply speak about Kṛṣṅa all over the world. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṅa'-kathā, 'kṛṣṅa'-upadeśa. So if one is not interested in kṛṣṅa-kathā, in the topics of Kṛṣṅa, then śāstra says, śrama eva hi kevalam. Whatever rightfully or sincerely he's doing on the material bodily concept of life, it is śrama eva hi kevalam. Simply he's wasting time. Now it is very difficult to understand this philosophy. If we go to a very nice businessman or politician or scientist, if we say, "Sir, have you got any interest in Kṛṣṅa consciousness?" "No, why shall I do it? I don't want." Then if I say, "You are wasting your time, sir," will he accept? But this is the position, actually. He's simply wasting his time. Śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8].

[The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.]

Therefore the conclusion is, try to execute Kṛṣṅa consciousness somehow or other. Even whatever you have finished, that is your lasting credit. Don't be neglectful. Tyaktvā sva-dharmam. Svalpam apy asya—this is the most important line in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya. This occupational duty, Kṛṣṅa consciousness... There are many examples. Just like Ajāmila. Ajāmila, it is very nice example in the śāstra, Ajāmila, the story of Ajāmila. He was a son of a brāhmaṅa, and he was very nicely trained up, brahmacārī, and when he was young, he was married also. So he was very faithful to his wife, father, mother, and executing the duties of a brāhmaṅa. But one day he went to collect some flowers for worshiping Deity; his father was old, he was helping. So, in the meantime, he saw a śūdra woman and man, they were embracing and kissing one another. So he became sexually agitated. There is that possibility. Therefore there is restriction of intermingling of woman and man. Because as soon as one falls a prey to the sex desire, then his whole career may be spoiled. May be spoiled. But if he is strongly in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, there is no such chance.

But this brāhmaṅa Ajāmila, he saw. Naturally, he was young man, and the woman also played some trick. So later on he became a victim of that woman. She was a prostitute. And then he forgot his father and mother, his wife, everything, home, everything forgotten. So he became addicted to that prostitute, and to maintain he became a thief, rogue, burglar, drunkard, anything, someway or other bring money, bring money, bring money. You see? So he was doing that. In this way his life was spoiled. And he begot ten children in that prostitute's womb. So the last child... Naturally the last son, the youngest son becomes very father's pet. So he was taking care of the son, and his name was Nārāyaṅa. That is the system of Vedic..., children are given..., Nārāyaṅa dāsa. Just like we give name, spiritual name.

So when he was old enough, he was going to die out of disease. His so-called prostitute wife neglected. She went away. So the Yamadūtas, the servants of the Yamarāja, they came to take him, because he was the greatest sinner, sinful number one. So he has to go to Yamarāja for punishment. So they came, and he was very much afraid. He was seeing..., one can see vicious, I mean to say, forms of the Yamarāja. So he was crying. So because he was pet to that youngest child Nārāyaṅa, he thought, "My son, this Nārāyaṅa, can save me." He chanted, "Nārāyaṅa!" Oh, this "Nārāyaṅa" immediately gave him consciousness that "What this Nārāyaṅa can help me? If Nārāyaṅa, whom in my younger days I worshiped, He can save me." Immediately.

Immediately Nārāyaṅa-sena came here, "Yes." Just see. Svalpam api. Because in the childhood he served Nārāyaṅa for a few days or few years, he was remembering Nārāyaṅa, "If that Nārāyaṅa can save me." So Nārāyaṅa actually saved him, Nārāyaṅa. Ante nārāyaṅa-smṛtiḥ [SB 2.1.6].

[The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.].

At the time of death, somehow or other if you can remember Nārāyaṅa, Kṛṣṅa, your life is successful. Therefore practice, practice, while you are strong, while you are in good life, practice how to remember Nārāyaṅa, Kṛṣṅa, always.

Therefore Kulaśekhara, Mahārāja Kulaśekhara, he has written his Stotra-mālā, very important. In the first stotra he said:

kṛṣṅa tvadīya-pada-paṅkaja-pañjarāntam adyaiva viśatu me mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ prāṅa-prayāṅa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ kaṅṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṅaṁ kutas te [Mukunda-mālā-stotra 33]

[My Lord Kṛṣṅa, I pray that the swan of my mind may immediately sink down to the stems of the lotus feet of Your Lordship and be locked up in their network; otherwise at the time of my final breath, when my throat is choked up with cough, how will it be possible to think of You?]

He's thinking, "My Lord, Kṛṣṅa, now I am strong. Kindly give me the chance to die immediately. Give me the chance. Because now I can remember. But if I die in the natural way, when I am too old, it may be that kapha-pitta, because this is the body of tri-dhātuka, kapha, pitta, vāyu, so my throat will be choked up by mucus, and I may be unconscious, I may not be able to chant at the time of death Your name. So now I am strong, please immediately give me death."

So this is the secret of success. Somehow or other, if you can remember Kṛṣṅa, ante nārāyaṅa-smṛtiḥ [SB 2.1.6].

[The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.].

Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke [Bg 8.6].

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.]

This is the way. So there is chance. If we execute Kṛṣṅa consciousness sincerely, if you execute till it is finished, then it immediately—tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya [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.]

If not, even if you have finished certain percentage, still there is chance of perfection, it is such nice thing. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt [Bg 2.40].

[In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.]

Thank you very much, Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]