Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.34

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

bhārāvatāraṅāyānye bhuvo nāva ivodadhau sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṅa jāto hy ātma-bhuvārthitaḥ [SB 1.8.34]

[break] [01:18]

"Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much aggrieved, and that Brahmā, who is Your son, prayed for You, and so You have appeared to diminish the trouble."

Prabhupāda:

bhārāvatāraṅāyānye bhuvo nāva ivodadhau sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṅa jāto hy ātma-bhuvārthitaḥ [SB 1.8.34]

So Brahmā's another name is Ātma-bhū. He is born from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṅu without the help of Lakṣmī. Lakṣmī was there; she was massaging on the lotus feet of the Lord. But the Lord did not take help of Lakṣmī, and He gave birth to Brahmā. Therefore Brahmā's another name is Ātma-bhū, "born from the father directly, without taking the help of the mother." So another name is Svayambhū. Brahmā's another name is Svayambhū.

svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapila kumāraḥ manuḥ prahlādo bhīṣma janaka balir vaiyāsakir vayam [SB 6.3.20]

[Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.]

Out of the twelve authorities of śāstra, Brahmā is the origin, and he has been explained as Svayambhū, Ātma-bhū, like that.

So this is the Supreme Personality's omnipotency. He does not require the help of another woman to beget child. Even Brahmā, he has given birth to so many children, not through woman but from his different parts of the body. So this we cannot conceive, because we are materially impeded. We cannot understand this is possible. So possibility and impossibility does not depend on our understanding. We have to take knowledge from the authority. Here, in the Vedic literature, we understand that Brahmā was born directly from the father. So we have to accept it. That is called Vedic knowledge. You cannot argue. That is possible. That is omnipotency. All potencies are there.

So Brahmā was approached by the earth, mother earth. She felt overburdened by the sinful activities of the demons. So Brahmā approaches Nārāyaṅa, er, Viṣṅu. Not directly he can see, but he can stand on the bank of the ocean of milk, and from there he can submit his petition. And Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṅu gives His order. So once upon a time, when the whole world was overburdened—this is the history of Kṛṣṅa's birth—so the earthly planet approached Brahmā to appeal to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṅu to have His incarnation to diminish the burden of the world. The world is, of course, it is very heavy. We can understand there are so many oceans and so many big, big hills, besides your skyscraper building, and certainly the whole lump of matter is very heavy. But not only this planet, but many other planets, even the sun planet. It is heavier by fourteen hundred thousand times. Still, they are floating in the air by... Why? Because Kṛṣṅa enters in each of them.

In each of them... Gām āviśya..., dhārayāmy aham ojasā [Bg 15.13], Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "I enter into each planetary system, each universe, and by My power I hold it. It is floating." Why it is floating? Because Kṛṣṅa is there. The atheist may not believe it, but it is a fact. It is a fact. How? Just like an animal or a man, while he is living, he can float in the air or in the water. That everyone has seen. But if the man is dead, it will not float; it will fall down. Is it not a fact? So why it is floating? Because a very small particle of Kṛṣṅa's spiritual potency is there. That is living entity. Big, big... An elephant, he can also float in the water, and the horses, elephant, and what to speak of man? This is practical. Because a small particle of the Supreme is there within this body... Dehino 'smin yathā dehe [Bg 2.13].

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

Very small particle. How much small? One ten-thousandth part of the top of the hair. So small. It has got so power that it can hold the whole body floating in the air. Air... There are very, very big, big birds, they are floating in the air; very, very big eagle. They fly from one planet to another. Their resting place is... They start from one planet, and they go and rest in other planet. And they lay their eggs while flying. That eggs also become a bird simply by air cohesion. That's all.

Devotee: Friction.

Prabhupāda: Friction, yes. So there are so, so big, big arrangement in the kingdom of God. So it is not very difficult for Him to give birth to Brahmā or to float this whole universe or the planets in the air. We shall have to apply our intelligence by comparative study. So if it is possible to float a big body... There are many big bodies. The whale fish, it is as big as a ship; still, it is floating. Why? That small particle of spiritual entity is there, therefore it is floating. Then, if the Supreme Person enters into a big lump of matter, why it will not float? What is the reason? At least I try to understand in this way. Am I wrong or right? What is your opinion? Eh? [chuckles] No, it is...

So this is called faith. This is called faith. Unless you have got faith, you cannot understand what is Kṛṣṅa. Ādau śraddhā. Śraddhā: "Yes, Kṛṣṅa can make anything possible." That faith we must maintain. That is the basic. That has been explained by Kṛṣṅadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, what is faith. Faith means complete conviction. Śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya [Cc Madhya 22.62]. That is faith. Viśvāsa. If I say something, and if you believe cent per cent, that is called faith. That is called faith. Not that "It may be," or not. No. So śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa. Viśvāsa means faith. How? What kind of faith? Sudṛḍha niścaya: firm faith, without any doubt. Niścaya. And what is that faith? Kṛṣṅe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya. If one is surrendered to Kṛṣṅa, then his all duty is done, finished. He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate [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.]

As Kṛṣṅa has nothing to do—He has got so much potency that things are done very automatically—similarly, if you faith, have faith in Kṛṣṅa, kṛṣṅe bhakti kaile sarva-karma, then everything will be done automatically. Kṛṣṅa will do for him. So what is the difficulty there?

So this big, big lump of matter, earthly planet, they are actually not heavy, but it becomes heavier when there are demons. Demons means material activities. If there is spiritual activity, it remains very light. And if there is too much material activity and materialistic person, it become heavier and troublesome. So such time became possible, and therefore the earthly planet went to Brahmā to appeal to Viṣṅu to take His incarnation. So somebody said that bhārāvatāra..., tāraṅāya, avatāraṅāya, to diminish the burden. Burden. Just like a bad son is a burden of the father. This has been explained by Cāṅakya Paṅḍita, that a stupid son... Ko 'rthaḥ putreṅa jātena yo na vidvān na bhaktimān: "What is the use of getting a son who is neither learned nor a devotee? Useless." Ko 'rthaḥ putreṅa jātena: "Such kind of son, what is the use?" The son who is not a devotee... Two things are required: the son should be a devotee or a learned. Without being learned, nobody can become devotee. If one becomes devotee, he's learned also. But sometimes materially learned, not devotee, it happens. So if one is neither learned nor devotee, what is the use of such son? The example is given, kāṅena cakṣuṣā kiṁ cakṣuḥ pīḍaiva kevalam: "If you have got one eye, cataract, you cannot see, but it is always troublesome." Unless you get it operated, it is simply troublesome. In many places it is said, Cāṅakya Paṅḍita, ko 'rthaḥ putreṅa jātena. Varam eko guṅī putro na ca mūrkha-śatair api: "If you get one son very qualified, that is preferred. What is the use of having many sons and all of them are rascals and fools?" Na ca mūrkha-śatair api.

So as a father becomes perplexed when there are rascal sons, similarly, when there are increase of rascal population the world becomes overburdened. Therefore it is called... It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, varṅa-saṅkara. Varṅa-saṅkara. Now the whole world is practically full of varṅa-saṅkara. First of all, there is no division of varṅas. 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.]

According to quality, it can be done. But people are not interested. They want hodgepodge. Therefore they are suffering. They cannot systematically do anything. So when the system of varṅa and āśrama is destroyed... Just like in Western countries there is no such thing as varṅa and āśrama. Therefore the varṅa-saṅkara, the hippies... That is varṅa-saṅkara. The varṅa-saṅkara... In the Bhagavad-gītā... If the varṅa-saṅkara increases, strīṣu duṣṭāsu varṅa-saṅkaro vibhavate. When women become polluted, no fixed-up husband—that is pollution for a woman; no chaste, no chastity—then this varṅa-saṅkara will come out. And when the world is overpopulated by varṅa-saṅkara, it will become a burden. Therefore it so became, atheist, varṅa-saṅkara, demons. So it was unbearable by the earthly planet. And it is said, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham [Bg 4.7]. Therefore mother earth went to appeal, "Please come and save me. I am very much overburdened." Therefore it is said, bhārāvatāraṅāya: "diminish."

So five thousand years ago Kṛṣṅa came to kill some of the demons. Not all of them were demons. But next time when Kṛṣṅa will come, it will be only demons. Only demons. Kalki avatāra. What is that stotra? Keśava dhṛta-kalki-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. So at that time Kṛṣṅa will not preach Bhagavad-gītā. Kalki avatāra will simply come to cut the throat only. That will be the preaching. That will be preaching. Mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavālam [Daśāvatāra Stotra 10], karālam. Karālam means death personified. Mleccha-nidhane. Mleccha means meat-eaters. Those who are meat-eaters, fish-eaters, they are mlecchas. Mleccha-yavana, they are called, according to Vedic... So people are becoming meat-eaters nowadays. I have... There is no secrecy. Formerly, at least in India, the meat-eaters used to eat meat very secretly. We had seen in our childhood, if somebody will meat-eat, it was not allowed within the house. They, formerly, rich men, they used to keep Muslim servants as the caretaker of the horse or the carriage driver. So in the astabal [horse stable] they would secretly cook some meat, and the so-called Babu, zamindar, will eat. It was not allowed. And those who are not rich men—poor men, śūdra class—they would go to Kālī-ghāṭa and get one goat, sacrifice there, and cook there and eat, then come back. Meat-eating was not at all allowed. The higher caste, especially the brāhmaṅas, they would never touch. Still in some provinces, in Maharashtra provinces, in Madras... Of course, they are now taking.

So meat-eaters means mleccha. So now that is increasing, meat-eaters. So when wholesale population will be meat-eaters, mleccha, they'll not understand anything about spiritual matter—"Why it is forbidden?" Because the meat-eaters, they cannot understand anything about spiritual matter. It is very difficult. Vinā paśughnāt. Parīkṣit Mahārāja said,

nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhi chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt ka uttamaśloka-guṅānuvādāt virajyeta pumān vinā paśughnāt [SB 10.1.4]

This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra is possible by a person who is nivṛtta-tarṣa. Nivṛtta-tarṣa. Nivṛtta means finished. Brahmaṅy upaśamāśrayam. We have to finish this material business before we can understand spiritual thing. If one has got still inclination for material things, it is useless waste of time for him to understand, try to understand what is spiritual thing. So nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. Actually the holy name of Lord can be chanted by a person like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who has no other desire, material desire. But those are not like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, they may take it. Bhavauṣadhi. If he chants, then gradually he'll be released from this material disease. For them, this is the chance. Actually it is meant for liberated person like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Then why we are chanting? We are chanting—ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam [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.]

This is the process of cleansing the mirror of the heart. Mirror, when it isto cleanse our heart, to cure the material disease.

So it is actually relished by the liberated person, but those who are diseased like us, they can chant and gradually cure the material disease. This is the basic principle of chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṅa. Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. Upagīyamāna, it is chanting. Why? Bhavauṣadhi. It is the medicine of this bhava-roga. What is that bhava-roga? Bhava-roga... Bhava means you pick up, means take your birth and again die. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg 8.19]. This is our disease. This is called saṁsāra. All these rascals in the material world, they are simply getting one body and again... Vāsāṁsi jīrṅāni yathā vihā... [Bg 2.22]. When it is useless, no more cannot be used, then you get another body according to the price you pay. Just like when your garment is old, you purchase another garment. So you can purchase very good garment or not very good garment, as you pay price. Similarly, to get a different type of garment or this body, you'll have to pay price. Price. If you are in higher status of consciousness, then ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ [Bg 14.18]:

[Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.]

you get your body in the higher planetary system where the comforts are thousands and thousand times better than this.

We can understand that, that the material comforts in the Western country are better than in this country. Similarly, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ: we can go to the higher planetary systems; we get more duration of life. Just like Brahmā has got very, very long, millions and millions of years to our calculation. Just like the insect who comes, attacks us at night. Their duration of life? That night only. Within the night they are born, they have sex life, and they beget children and increase the population, and as soon as the night finished, all finished. They have got also duration of life. And if you say to them that "There is another animal called man. This night is only twelve hours, and he has got day, another twelve hours. In this way, one month. In... Thirty days. And then..." He becomes surprised: "How it is possible?" Similarly, when we calculate the age of Brahmā, we become astonished: "How such millions and millions of years...?" Because we, in comparison to Brahmā, we are like insect.

So this is scientific. This world is relative. This is relative world. According to your position, you get. The time is also relative. What is present..., past, present, future for you, that is not past, present, future for others. So what is past, present for Brahmā, that is not past, present, future for us. Everything is relative. And in the creation of Kṛṣṅa there are so many relativities. Therefore it is called relative world. Time is eternal, but on account of our relative birth and death, we make our own past and present. Otherwise, time is eternal. Therefore, for Kṛṣṅa, there is no such thing as past, present and future. Because He is He, He's time eternal. Therefore He knows everything. Vedāham. Just like you know, present, everything—there is no past; there is no future—similarly, for Kṛṣṅa there is no such, past and future. Therefore He could say that "Formerly, millions and trillions of years ago," according to Arjuna's calculation, "I spoke this Bhagavad-gītā to sun-god." He did not believe it, because he is relatively calculating past and present. But Kṛṣṅa is not within that past and present. Therefore Kṛṣṅa said that "Both you, you and Me, we appear many times." Bahūni me vyatītāni. "And you were also. But you forget, because you have got past, present, future. I have no such thing. Therefore I remember."

So in this way, if people become irreligious or not spiritual, the burden of the world becomes heavier, unbearable. That you can understand. I have already explained. This body, this body, you weigh it. Say, it is one man, fifty seers or something like. But as soon as it will be dead, the burden will be..., the weight will increase. Is it not? What do you think? The weight will increase. Not the same weight. So, so long people are materialistic, the burden will increase. And so long people are spiritualistic, there will be no burden.

So bhārāvatāraṅāya anye bhuvo nāva ivodadhau. Just like if there is a boat, then you can cross over the sea or the river with the help, so when you are Kṛṣṅa conscious, then you can cross over the sea of nescience very easily. Bhuvo nāva iva udadhau, sīdantyā bhūri-bhāreṅa. Bhūri-bhāreṅa, very heavily burdened. So she was lamenting, "My Lord, save me." So the conclusion is that if people become simply atheistic or materialistic... Materialistic means atheistic. And then the weight of the earth, or any planet, will increase and the situation will degrade, and everyone will be unhappy and there will be restlessness. And at that time, Kṛṣṅa comes. He says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati [Bg 4.7].

So at the present moment, the actually it is overburdened by the material activities. So Kṛṣṅa has descended already. Kṛṣṅa has descended already. Nāma-rūpe kali-kāle kṛṣṅa avatāra. Kṛṣṅa has taken His incarnation in the form of Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra. So if people take to it, chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra, the present situation of the world can be favorable for our living, and atmosphere will change. Therefore the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is meant for this purpose, to give people relief from all these burdens so that they can peacefully live, understand the value of life and become spiritualized, so they live peacefully in this life and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the mission of Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya... [end]