Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.23

Nitāi: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [devotees repeat]

yathā hṛṣīkeśa khalena devakī kaṁsena ruddhāticiraṁ śucārpitā vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṅāt [SB 1.8.23]

[break] [02:06]

"O Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses and the Lord of lords, You have released Your Mother Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaṁsa, and myself and my children from a series of constant dangers."

Prabhupāda:

yathā hṛṣīkeśa khalena devakī kaṁsena ruddhāticiraṁ śucārpitā vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṅāt [SB 1.8.23]

So Kṛṣṅa... Actually, Kuntī is presenting the characteristics of Kṛṣṅa. He is transcendental, puruṣaṁ prakṛteḥ param. Then He is person. In so many ways, he..., she has already described. Now... That is identification. Now Kṛṣṅa's activities. Because we have to know Kṛṣṅa... Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma me divyam [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.]

His birth and His activities, both of them are transcendental, not material, because He is puruṣaṁ prakṛteḥ param [SB 3.26.8]. He is the person beyond this material nature, who is not a created being of this material nature. That we should understand. Puruṣaṁ prakṛteḥ param. The original creator.

That means Kṛṣṅa existed before the creation. Because He existed before the creation, therefore His activities, His form, His qualities, they're not material. Prakṛteḥ param. But He comes upon this earth or in this material world. His activities are to save the devotees and to kill the demons, simultaneous. That we have already explained. His real activity is to give protection to the devotees. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was very much disturbed by the demon Hiraṅyakaśipu. So give him protection, He appeared as Nṛsiṁhadeva. Similarly, here Kṛṣṅa appeared. Why? To give relief to Devakī and Vasudeva, the Pāṅḍavas. They were in very great danger by kaṁsena khalena, envious demon Kaṁsa. And similarly, the Pāṅḍavas were also in difficult by the envious Dhṛtarāṣṭra and company, his sons.

So Kṛṣṅa comes—paritrāṅāya sādhūnām [Bg 4.8].

[In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.]

That is His mission. So how He saved the honest devotees, that is being described by Kuntī. This is studying of Kṛṣṅa, about His transcendental activities. You have to know how He takes birth and how He acts. If you study these two things of Kṛṣṅa's appearance, then you become liberated. These two things only: that why does He come, how does He come, how He acts, what is His position. His position is prakṛteḥ param. He is not a living being like us. We are not prakṛteḥ... Although we are prakṛteḥ param, but at the present moment we are under the clutches of prakṛti. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ karmāṅi sarvaśaḥ [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

We... Just like a person in the prison: He is also a citizen. He's not meant for living in the prison; he is actually meant for living outside the prison. But some way or other, he has come in contact with the criminal department and is put into the prison. Similarly, usually, the citizens and the king or the president, they are not inhabitants of the prison house. Similarly, we, along with Kṛṣṅa, as Kṛṣṅa is prakṛteḥ param, similarly, we are also prakṛteḥ param, but we have got the aptitude to fall down in the prakṛti.

Kṛṣṅa hasn't got that aptitude. He's a master. Just like "King can do no wrong." This is the British Constitution. You cannot accuse the king in any way, neither you can judge. That is British Constitution. Similarly, Kṛṣṅa, as it is stated in the Īśopaniṣad, apāpa-viddham [Īśo mantra 8]. He cannot be criminal like us. He's above. He cannot be charged with any criminal charges. Apāpa-viddham. Pāpa does not touch Him. Although it appears that He is doing something which is pāpa, but that is not pāpa. We have to understand Kṛṣṅa's position. Prakṛteḥ param. That is... That means prakṛteḥ param. He is not subjected to any sinful life. Therefore His name is Acyuta. Rathaṁ sthāpaya..., sthāpaya me acyuta [Bg 1.21].

[Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see who is present here, who is desirous of fighting, and with whom I must contend in this great battle attempt.]

Acyuta means "one who does not fall."

The... We fall down, we, because we are very small, spiritual spark, and Kṛṣṅa is the whole fire. And the fire and the spiritual..., fire, sparks from the fire, their quality—the same: they can burn. As the big fire can burn, similarly, the small spark, if it falls down on your cloth, that portion, it will immediately burn. It will become back..., black. So the quality is the same. But when it falls down, its burning quality becomes extinguished. We have got practical experience. Burning quality becomes extinguished. So when we fall down from the spiritual world—we come to the material world—our spiritual quality becomes extinguished. That we have to revive. That we have to revive.

That is stated by Kṛṣṅa in Bhagava..., vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā [Bg 4.10].

[Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.]

When we become purified, again we revive our spiritual quality, then mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ: "Then he comes back to My nature." That is back to home. This is the process. It is not very difficult, because Kṛṣṅa says bhāvam, "many." "Many" means it is not difficult. Not that... Because we, by nature, we are spiritual, simply extinguished... Just like a lamp is extinguished. You can burn it immediately with a real matches, not false. You can burn it. The capacity is there. Similarly, our spiritual qualities are there already. It is permanent. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That Brahman quality is already there. It is not to be attained. Simply this non-Brahman covering has to be removed.

That is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam [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.]

That covering is designation. We are thinking, "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṅa," "I am śūdra," "I am this," "I am that." These are covering. Actually I am ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Kṛṣṅa is also Para-brahman. Brahman... By quality, He is Brahman; we are also Brahman. But He is Para-brahman. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].

[The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities.]

He's singular number; we are plural number. That is the Vedic instruction. He is the singular number eternal, and we are plural number eternal. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. He is singular number living entity, and we are plural number living entity. Therefore in the dictionary you'll find, this Oxford Dictionary, "the Supreme Being." God means "the Supreme Being." He's a being. He's not a stone. He's a living being. Even the dictionary accepts. He's not a stone, dead stone. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, janmādy asya yataḥ: "The Supreme Absolute Truth is the original source of all creation." Janmādy asya yataḥ. Everything that we see, matter and life, everything comes from Him. But whether He is matter or life? That is explained: Yes, He is life. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca abhijñaḥ [SB 1.1.1]. He is life because He knows. So who knows? A dead stone cannot know. Unless one is a living being, he cannot know.

Therefore it is said that anvayād itarataś ca abhijñaḥ. How does He know? Now, svarāṭ. Because to know means we require some master, some teacher... But because He is the Supreme Being, He does not require any teacher. Svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means independent. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni [Bg 7.26]. He knows everything automatically. That is the difference between God and ourself. Just like Kṛṣṅa said that "I spoke this philosophy to the sun-god," and Arjuna became doubtful: "What Kṛṣṅa is saying? He is my contemporary. I do not know how He knows." So he questioned that "Kṛṣṅa, how can I believe You, that You spoke this, this philosophy to the sun-god millions and millions of...?" So Kṛṣṅa explained, "Yes, at that time, you were also there because you are My constant friend. But the difference is you have forgotten; I have not forgotten. That is the difference." Svarāṭ. Abhijñaḥ.

We are not fully abhijñaḥ. We do not know. I claim, "These hairs, my hairs, my head." But I do not know how many hairs are there. So many things. The nail is coming from my body; I do not know how it is coming. I am eating foodstuff; I do not know how it is being turned into blood and other secretions, and it is being transferred through the veins, through the pipes, here and there, and so many mechanical machine. It is machine. It is going on. But this machine is not my creation. This machine is created by this material nature. This machine is manufactured in the womb of mother. According to my karma, I enter into a particular type of mother's womb, and this machine is made by the prakṛti, by the nature. Just like this flower. There is machine. The seed will fructify, and a particular type of flower from the seed will come, because the machine is like that. Just like typewriter machine you can type, but typewriter machine, you cannot go. That you have to accept the motorcar machine. This is also machine. That... Similarly, there are different types of machine, and from that machine, this body is coming out. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā [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.]

Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61]. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Kṛṣṅa is situated everyone's heart." And He's studying the inclination of the living entity, that he wants to enjoy this material world like this. So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8].

[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Nothing is equal to Him or greater than Him. He acts in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels, which are all simultaneously differently situated by His unlimited, variegated potencies. Each potency acts quite naturally in sequences, providing Him full knowledge, power and pastimes.]

He hasn't got to do anything personally. He orders the material nature, "This living entity wants to enjoy like this. Give him the..., this machine." So you get this machine. We have got this machine. A living entity, he does not discriminate of eating; whatever he gets, he eats. So Kṛṣṅa says that "He wants to eat everything. So give him this machine, hog's body, so that there will be no discrimination." "He wants to remain naked. All right. Give him this body for five thousand years, standing naked as tree." The life was meant for understanding Kṛṣṅa, but he is cultivating the culture of naked civilization, how to become naked. "So all right, next time you'll remain naked for many thousands of years, standing in one place as tree." This is going on. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ [Bg 15.15].

[I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.]

So we have to understand the activities of Kṛṣṅa. He's not dull-headed, nirākāra. Why nirākāra? He is acting in so many ways, and who acts in different ways unless He's a person? This is the conclusion. Unless He's a person, how He can act in so many different ways, according to circumstances? Just like we are receiving so many letters from different centers. So unless I am a person, how can I give direction? It is not a dull stone. So Kṛṣṅa is not dull stone. Therefore we have to study Kṛṣṅa's activities. And if we can study Kṛṣṅa's activities, if we can understand Kṛṣṅa's birth and activities, janma karma me divyam [Bg 4.9], immediately we become liberated.

[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.]

So these books, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, are there, and many other books, Purāṅas and others. They are simply describing the activities of Kṛṣṅa so that you can understand Kṛṣṅa. That... There is a verse in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: anādi bahirmukha jīva nāhi jñāna, kṛṣṅa..., means, "From since a very, very long time, he has forgotten Kṛṣṅa." Just like anyone you can ask, in this country even, and what to speak of others, that "Do you know Kṛṣṅa?" So you'll find so many, I mean to say, major portion people, will say, "No, we do not know what is Kṛṣṅa." Just like our Śyāmasundara's daughter, Sarasvatī. She preaches, "Do you know what is Kṛṣṅa?" Even one knows, because he [she] is child: "No, no. I do not know." "Oh, Supreme Personality of Godhead," she will say. She is so intelligent. She will say. So similarly, we can do. We can do Kṛṣṅa's service like this. Even a child can do. You go. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṅa-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. That becomes... You becomes spiritual master. If you take this vow, that "I'll preach only Kṛṣṅa," then you are spiritual master. You become spiritual...

yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṅa'-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa [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.]

Just like that child, Sarasvatī, is preaching, "Do you know Kṛṣṅa?" He says, "No." "He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Simply say like that, "He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," and "Chant His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṅa." If you do this, then you are preacher; you are spiritual master. It is so nice.

You don't require to become very... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṅa-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. He does not say that you become a learned Vedic scholar. That is the goal of Vedic scholarship. If you simply know that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then your Vedic study finished—you are M.A., doctor of Kṛṣṅa philosophy, simply if you know this. You may not know in details, but if you simply believe, firmly convinced, that "Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is my master. He is my savior," in this way, if you accept, then you become perfect, and you become liberated.

So here one thing is specifically mentioned, that muhur vipad-gaṅāt. Muhuḥ means twenty-four hours, or always, almost twenty-four hours. Muhuḥ. Muhuḥ means "again and again, again and again." So vipat. Vipat means "danger." And gaṅa, gaṅa means "multi"; not one kind of danger but different kinds of danger. So the muhur vipad-gaṅāt, who is suffering? Now, Kuntī. And who else is suffering? Now, Devakī. Devakī is the mother of Kṛṣṅa, and Kuntī is the aunt of Kṛṣṅa. Both of them not ordinary women. To become mother of Kṛṣṅa or to become aunt of Kṛṣṅa, it is not ordinary thing. It requires many, many lives' tapasya. Then one can become mother of Kṛṣṅa. So they were also suffering muhur vipad-gaṅāt, always vipat. Although Kṛṣṅa was their very, very easily obtain..., obtainable personality, mother, but still... Devakī gave birth to Kṛṣṅa, but the danger was so horrible that she could not keep her son. It has to be immediately transferred. Just see how much vipat. How much vipat. The mother of Kṛṣṅa could not keep her son on the lap. Every mother wants, but because there were kaṁsena khalena, she could not keep. And to the Pāṅḍavas, Kṛṣṅa was constant companion. Wherever there are Pāṅḍavas, Kṛṣṅa is there. Kṛṣṅa... Draupadī is in danger. She was to be naked by the Kurus, Duryodhana, Duḥśāsana. The Kṛṣṅa supplied cloth. So for a woman in the assembly of so many men, if she is to be naked, it is the greatest danger. It is the greatest danger, and Kṛṣṅa saved. Similarly, Kuntī was saved... The dangers will be described in the later verses. She says, vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho [SB 1.8.23]: "I was released from so many dangerous position—not only myself, but along with my sons."

So fact is that even Kuntī or Devakī, so intimately connected with Kṛṣṅa, but they had to face so many dangers, so what to speak of others? What to speak of others, ourself? So when we are danger, we are in danger, we should not be discouraged. We should take courage that even Kuntī and Vasudeva and Devakī, they were also in danger, although they were very, very intimately connected with Kṛṣṅa. So we should not be disturbed by the dangers of this material world. If we are actually Kṛṣṅa conscious, we should face the danger and depend on Kṛṣṅa. Avaśya rakhibe kṛṣṅa viśvāsa pālana [Śaraṅāgati]. This is called surrender, that "I may be in danger, but Kṛṣṅa... I have surrendered to Kṛṣṅa. He must save me." Keep this faith. Don't be disturbed when you are in danger, because this world is such... Padaṁ padaṁ vipadām [SB 10.14.58].

[For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf's hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṅṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.]

Every step there is danger. Just like we are walking on the street—immediately there is some pinprick, thorn. And by pinprick of that thorn, it may become a boil; it may become dangerous. So even by walking on the street, by talking on the street, by eating our food, there... And in English it is said, "There is many dangers between the cup and the lip."

So you should always remember that this material world is simply full of dangers. If you think that "We are very safe; we are very expert; we have made this world very happy," then you are fool number one. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām [SB 10.14.58]. But if you take shelter of Kṛṣṅa, these dangers are nothing. That Kuntī will say, that vimocita. Vimocita means released from the danger. Aham. Sahātmajā: "With my..."

So this is the study of Kṛṣṅa, that if you become Kṛṣṅa conscious, a sincere servant of Kṛṣṅa, don't be agitated by the dangerous condition of this material world. You simply depend on Kṛṣṅa, and He'll save you.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]