Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.32

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

śrī bhagavān uvāca devānāṁ guṅa-liṅgānām ānuśravika-karmaṅām sattva evaika-manaso vṛttiḥ svābhāvikī tu yā animittā bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī [SB 3.25.32]

[break] [02:15]

"Lord Kapila said: The senses are symbolic representations of the demigods, and their natural inclination is to work under the direction of the Vedic injunctions. As the senses are the representatives of the demigods, so the mind is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The mind's natural duty is to serve. When that service spirit is engaged in devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, without any motive, that is far better even than salvation."

Prabhupāda:

devānāṁ guṅa-liṅgānām ānuśravika-karmaṅām sattva evaika-manaso vṛttiḥ svābhāvikī tu yā animittā bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī [SB 3.25.32]

Bhakti is transcendental even to mukti. People generally consider dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90].

[Any person who desires the fruits of the four principles religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, at the end, liberation, should engage himself in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for worship of His lotus feet yields the fulfillment of all of these.]

In the beginning, dharma; artha, economic development; kāma, sense gratification; then mokṣa, merging into the supreme one. But bhakti is above that. Siddher garīyasī. It is above mukti. Mukti is not very much important thing for a bhakta. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura says,

bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā yadi bhagavan syād daivena phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate 'smān dharmārtha-kāma samaya-pratīkṣāḥ [Kṛṣṅa-karṅāmṛta 107]

[If I am engaged in devotional service unto You, my dear Lord, then very easily can I perceive Your presence everywhere. And as far as liberation is concerned, I think that liberation stands at my door with folded hands, waiting to serve me-and all material conveniences of dharma [religiosity], artha [economic development] and kāma [sense gratification] stand with her.]

This is the experience of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. He was a South Indian brāhmaṅa, very rich brāhmaṅa. But by bad association or something like that, he became a very staunch prostitute hunter. So he engaged all his income, money, everything after one prostitute. Her name was Cintāmaṅi. So it is a very nice story. I am briefly describing. So one night... Every night he was to go to that prostitute, and one night it was very terribly raining. So the prostitute thought, "Now this night Bilvamaṅgala is not coming. It is terribly raining." But Bilvamaṅgala went there, crossing the river, and the door was closed. He jumped over the door, catching a snake. In this way, very dangerously, he reached the prostitute's house. And the prostitute was astonished, that "How in this condition you could come here? Oh, you are so much attracted by this skin. If this much attraction you would have to Kṛṣṅa, how it would have been nice for you." So immediately he left the prostitute's house and went to Vṛndāvana.

The fact is in his previous life he executed devotional service up to bhāva-bhakti. So his Cintāmaṅi, that prostitute, became his guru, remind that "You are so much fond of prostitute. If this attraction would have been to Kṛṣṅa, how much successful you would have..." So it acted, and he left to Vṛndāvana and lived for seven hundred years. So he has a book, Kṛṣṅa-karṅāmṛta, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. That is recommended by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for reading, Kṛṣṅa-karnāmṛta. So in that book he writes, bhaktis tvayi bhagavan yadi sthiratarā syāt: "If we have got fixed-up devotion unto You, my Lord, Bhagavān," then daivena sphalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ, "then very easily we can see Your form," kiśora, divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ, "Your divine form," kiśora-mūrtiḥ, "very young boy." Kṛṣṅa is always kiśora. Kṛṣṅa's another name is Kiśora. Kiśora-mūrtiḥ. Kiśora means kaiśora, before marriage, before..., eleventh to sixteenth year. This is called kiśora age. So kiśora-mūrtiḥ. Kṛṣṅa is always kiśora-mūrtiḥ. So by devotional service, one can see the kiśora-mūrtiḥ of Kṛṣṅa very easily. Bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā yadi bhagavan syāt: "If it is possible, then very easily we can see You."

When Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura was in Vṛndāvana, he voluntarily plucked out his eyes. Because he was very much fond of seeing beauty of woman, so he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." So he personally plucked out his eyes. He was... When he was going to Vṛndāvana, still he became attracted by a woman, and therefore... That woman, of course, was a very rich merchant's wife. So she told her husband that "This man is coming after me. What to do?" So that merchant received him. "Oh, he's saintly person. All right, you serve her..., serve him." So Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura came to his senses. He said, "Mother, you give me the pins of your hair. So I am so much after the beauty of woman, so let me pluck out the eyes." So he made voluntarily blind. So he could not see, but still, Kṛṣṅa was coming in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṅa is always in Vṛndāvana. So He was supplying milk. So divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ, he practically realized through bhakti. Therefore he wrote by his personal experience, bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā yadi bhagavan syād daivena phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ. And so far dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa [SB 4.8.41],

mokṣa, muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān: "Mukti is not very important thing. She is always standing at my service," mukulitāñjali, "with folded hands, Mukti: 'My dear sir, what can I do for you?' " This is mukti's position.

So a devotee is not very much anxious for mukti because a devotee is always mukta. He is already mukta. Why should he... Suppose if you have got millions of dollars, why should you hanker after ten rupees? So bhakti is such a nice thing. But what is that bhakti? That bhakti is animittā bhāgavatī. That bhakti should be animittā, not with a motive that "I shall go to the temple and serve Kṛṣṅa for this purpose." Kṛṣṅa can fulfill any purpose you desire. It is not very difficult for Him, because He is almighty, full with all opulences. So if you want something, material happiness, from Kṛṣṅa, it is not very difficult for Kṛṣṅa. He can give you mukti even. But to ask from Kṛṣṅa anything else than bhakti is foolishness. That is foolishness. My Guru Mahārāja used to give this example: just like if you go to a rich man and he says, "Now, whatever you like, you can ask from me. I shall give you," then if you ask him that "You give me a pinch of ash," is that very intelligent? Similarly, to... There is a story, that one old woman in the forest... I think it is in Aesop's Fable or somewhere. So she was carrying a big bundle of dry wood, and somehow or other, the bundle fell down. It was very heavy. So the old woman became very much disturbed, "Who will help me to get this bundle on my head?" So she began to call God, "God, help me." And God came: "What you want?" "Kindly help me to get this bundle on my head." [laughter] Just see. God came to giving benediction, and she wanted to "Give this bundle again on my head."

So we are doing the same thing. When we go to God we ask Him, "Kindly give me the bundle on my head. My family become..., may happy. I may have a large amount of money to enjoy material things." We ask that. That is our foolishness. Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us, therefore, that actually, if you want something from God, that should be only begging for His service. This Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra means addressing God, "Kṛṣṅa," "Hare," and His energy Harā, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī or Lakṣmījī, Hare: "O this internal potency of Kṛṣṅa..." Harā is Kṛṣṅa's internal potency. The external potency is Durgā, and the internal potency is Rādhārāṅī. Jaya Rādhe. So this is daivī-prakṛti. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ [Bg 9.13].

[O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.]

The devotees, they take shelter of the daivī-prakṛti, Rādhārāṅī, Lakṣmījī. They worship, therefore, Vaiṣṅava, Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṅa, Sītā-Rāma, the first of all the energy. The energy. So this Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra is first addressing the energy, the internal energy, potency, of Kṛṣṅa. Hare. From Harā to Hare. That is the sambodhana. So Hare Kṛṣṅa: "O Rādhārāṅī, or Lakṣmī, or Sītā, and Kṛṣṅa, or Rāma, or Nārāyaṅa"—the same thing. Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, addressing Them, "O my Lord, O my Lord's energy."

So when you address somebody, you want to ask something. So if they reply, "Yes, why you are calling?" then we're calling, "Please engage me in Your service." This is the prayer, not that "Give me money" or "Give me beautiful wife" or "many followers." This is material hankering. Everyone wants some prestigious position, lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā, some material profit, lābha, and prestigious position so that people will give him salaam, minister, president, and to become very famous, historically very famous. These are material hankerings. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye [Cc Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4].

[O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.]

We don't want. This is animittā bhakti. Nimittā, for some certain reason, if you become a bhakta, then you are not a śuddha-bhakta. You are a viddha-bhakta, a polluted bhakta. Pure bhakti is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11], zero.

[One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṅa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.]

Material hankerings, anything material hankering, should be void.

The void philosophy, nirvāṅa, that indicates that you should completely finish these material desires. That is Lord Buddha's philosophy, nirvāṅa. Nirvāṅa means material desires, to make it void, no more. Lord Buddha said up to that. Because the people who were following him, they were not so expert, advanced; therefore he did not say what is after giving up every desires. Because desireless it cannot be. Desires... People say that "You become desireless. Give up your all desires." That give up all desires means you give up your material desires. Because you cannot be desireless. Then you are dead body. But we are eternal living entity. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. We are getting different types of body on account of different desires. So I become desireless of this habit; then I desire another habit. So that is going on.

So desireless is not possible. Desirelessness means you have to purify your desire. Don't desire anything except the service of Kṛṣṅa. That is desirelessness, animittā. Animittā bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī. If you come to that position... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu, teaching us, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye, mama janmani janmanīśvare... [Cc Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]. He says, janmani janmani, "birth after birth." That means He does not require even salvation, because salvation means apunar bhava-janma, no more janma, no more birth. No more birth—there are two kinds of no more birth. For the Māyāvādīs, or impersonalists, they want to stop birth, to merge into the existence of the Supreme, brahma-nirvāṅa. Brahma-nirvāṅa... The Buddha philosophy teaches nirvāṅa, devoid of all material desires, that much. He does not give any more. Śaṅkarācārya gives further, more, that brahma-nirvāṅa, that "You become desireless of this material world, but you enter, merge into Brahman." That is called brahma-nirvāṅa. And the Vaiṣṅava philosopher says that "You make null and void all your material desires, enter into Brahman and be engaged in the service of the Lord." This is called bhakti. So brahma-nirvāṅa is also siddhi, but more than that siddhi is to be engaged in the service, Brahman service.

That service is not ordinary service. The service to the Lord is not to be calculated as equal to this material service. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they cannot understand it. But Kṛṣṅa says personally that this devotional service is in the transcendental platform, Brahman service. Therefore He says, māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṅa bhakti-yogena yah sevate. This bhakti-yoga, one who is actually employed, engaged in pure devotional ser..., animittā, without any motive, without any material purpose, that is real spiritual service.

māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṅa bhakti-yogena yah sevate 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.]

Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. That service is on the Brahman platform.

So some people, they do not know that there is another platform of service or another platform of activities, which is called Brahman activities. Because those who are grossly in the bodily concept of life, they have no information there is Brahman, or soul, within this body. So mukti means to deliver that Brahman from this material encagement. But actually, if you don't give him engagement... Because actually the soul is working. That everyone can appreciate. We are very active. "Oh, I am prime minister," "I am president," "I am Birla," "I am Śrīla...," and so many things. That's all right. But is... That prime minister is this body or the soul? Because as soon as the soul is out of the body, what is the value of this prime minister's body? It is no more useful—finished. That we do not understand. Actually, the soul is working in different capacities. Either as prime minister or Lord Brahmā, King Indra, or the cat, or dog, or the insect, the soul is working in different atmosphere, in different body.

So the perfection of these activities, of the soul, that he has got already indriyas... We are acting with our hands, legs, ears, eyes, nose, everything, karmendriya. Ten kinds of activities are being performed by the senses, and there are five kinds of sense objects, tanmātra, fifteen, and the eight elements material—earth, water, fire... So fifteen and eight, twenty-three, and the soul, this is twenty-four. That is the subject matter of Sāṅkhya philosophy, how these twenty-four different items are combined together and work. This is the study of Sāṅkhya philosophy. Yesterday we talked about sāṅkhyam. Tattvāmnāyaṁ yat pravadanti sāṅkhyam. So there is material Sāṅkhya philosophers. They simply satisfied, simply studying these twenty-four types of elements. But the real Sāṅkhya philosophy, as propounded by Kapiladeva, that is bhakti. That is... He has said, bhakti-vitāna-yogam. The activities of the spiritual field, that is Sāṅkhya philosophy, not of the material fields. In the material field you will find these twenty-four kinds of elements analyzed, but beyond these twenty-four there is soul, and the soul is acting. That is called spiritual activities, or bhakti-yoga.

So because it is transcendental to material activities, therefore in the bhakti-yoga there is no such desire for material benefit, animittā. Therefore it is said, animittā. Here all activities are done for some material profit. Nobody is... Even the so-called political leaders sacrifice everything. That's all right. But everything is for material benefit. Even in our country, a big man like Mahatma Gandhi, he sacrificed everything—his family, his profession. And many other leaders. But what for they were working? They were working for some material benefit, that's all, not for any spiritual benefit. So that is not transcendental activities. That is material activities, expanded material thoughts. Somebody is working for his family or somebody is working for himself, like animals, the cats and dogs, they work for himself. And human being, they're little advanced: they work for family, for wife, children, or, further extended, for society, for community, for nation. You can expand, even international. They are all material activities, nimittā, simply expanded, expanded. Suppose if you steal for yourself and if you steal for your family or if you steal for your community, that stealing is there. Because you are stealing for greater family, that does not mean that you are not a thief.

There was a story, Alexander and the thief. The Alexander arrested one thief, big dacoit, plunderer. So when he explained, "My dear sir, Alexander, so what is the difference between you and me? I am also plunderer; you are also plunderer. I am a small plunderer; you are a big plunderer. So where is the difference in quality?" So Alexander the Great, he was very sensible. He released him: "Yes, there is no difference." So to become a big thief, big plunderer, does not mean that he is advanced. Similarly, our sense, for personal sense gratification or my family's sense gratification or for my nation's sense gratification—that is sense gratification; that is not spiritual activity. That is material activity.

So long you will have desire for sense gratification, localized or expanded, the quality does not change. The quality will change when this sense gratification will be transferred to Kṛṣṅa, not sense gratification for me, for my family, for my society, for my nation, or for my species. Just like there are many philanthropists. They are busy doing welfare activities for the human race, but they are not interested for the benefit of the animal race. "Animal race should be slaughtered, and human race shall eat." This is their philosophy. But we have already discussed Kapiladeva's philosophy, suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. The animal has got also body; we have also got body. But a Vaiṣṅava is not only a friend to the human society, but he is friend to the animal society also, the bird society, tree society, every society. A Vaiṣṅava does not like unnecessarily a tree should be cut down. That is Vaiṣṅava philosophy. A Vaiṣṅava does not like to trample over an ant. That is Vaiṣṅava philosophy. Sarva-dehinām. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṅikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām [SB 3.25.21].

[The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.]

We have already discussed this verse.

So how this can be possible? This suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām is possible when one has surrendered himself to the Supreme Being. On His account, because he has surrendered to the Supreme Being, he is friend to all living being. Artificially you cannot. Artificially you select some section, the poorer section, and worship him like Nārāyaṅa, and you call him daridra-nārāyaṅa. But a devotee, if he has got vision of Nārāyaṅa, he will see the daridra-nārāyaṅa, the rich Nārāyaṅa, the chāga-nārāyaṅa and the every Nārāyaṅa, 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]]

Why a section should be called Nārāyaṅa? If you have got such broader vision that you are seeing Nārāyaṅa in everything, then what the rich man has done? He is also Nārāyaṅa. And the goat has... He is also Nārāyaṅa. The cow, he is also Nārāyaṅa. Then you should... If you have such broader vision that you see everywhere Nārāyaṅa, then why should you specify a section, daridra-nārāyaṅa?

So it is not possible. So long one is not a devotee, one who is not on the transcendental platform, this equal vision is not possible. It is crippled, all crippled. Therefore bhakti-yoga should be animittā, ahaitukī. These words are used. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, ahaitukī [SB 1.2.6].

[The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]

"I am serving Kṛṣṅa..." The devotee is serving Kṛṣṅa not with any purpose; just to satisfy Him, not any purpose my profit—Kṛṣṅa's profit. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. I... Several times we have repeated. Arjuna, on his own account, he was not willing to fight. "No, no, Kṛṣṅa, I will not fight. The other side, they are my relatives, my brother, my nephews. No, no, I cannot kill them." But when he understood that "Kṛṣṅa wants this fight," he said, "Oh, yes, I shall do." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava [Bg 18.73].

[Arjuna said, My dear Kṛṣṅa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.]

So this is bhakti, that we have to do anything for pleasing Kṛṣṅa. That is called animittā, "no condition." Ahaitukī. Ahaitukī means no condition or animittā, no reason. Everything should be done for Kṛṣṅa.

So animittā bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī. That is better than siddhi. Siddhi means self-realization or Brahman realization. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says also. What Kṛṣṅa says and what Kapiladeva says, they are the same thing. Therefore here it is also said, bhagavān uvāca. And in the Bhagavad-gītā also you will find, bhagavān uvāca. Never said kṛṣṅa uvāca or kapila uvāca, because They are Bhagavān. So those who are self-realized soul, who know what is Bhagavān, so instead of speaking kapiladeva uvāca, he says, Vyāsadeva says... Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is compiled by Śrīmad Vyāsadeva. So as Bhagavad-gītā also, it was heard by Arjuna, it was released to Sañjaya, and then, from Sañjaya heard Vyāsadeva, and he made it recorded in writing in Mahābhārata... So he says, bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān uvāca means that is the perfect version. There is no mistake. If some ordinary man says, there will be so many defects and cheating, because ordinary person has no perfect knowledge. He may be very, very advanced scholar, but that does not mean he is perfect. Perfection is different thing. Perfection means there should be no mistake, no illusion, no cheating and no imperfections of the senses. That is perfection. And therefore it is said here, bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān is all-perfect. Therefore we should take knowledge from Bhagavān or one who speaks according to the version of Bhagavān. We should not hear anybody else. That is imperfect.

So our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement on this principle. We are speaking not anything manufactured by us. That is not our business. Because how we can manufacture? We are defective. We are deficient, imperfect. What is the use of my philosophy? What is the use of my thinking? Generally they say, "I think," "In my opinion." He does not think that "I am a rascal. I have no value of my opinion." He thinks that he is something very big. No. Because our senses are imperfect, whatever knowledge we have gathered by our sense speculation, that is imperfect. That cannot be perfect. Therefore we have discussed already, tattva āmnāyam. We have to receive knowledge from disciplic succession, tattva. Then we will understand the truth. Tattvām. This subject matter we have discussed already, āmnāyam, evaṁ paramparā, that we should not manufacture knowledge. We should take knowledge from the perfect. Just like here it is said, bhagavān uvāca. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, bhagavān uvāca. If we follow this āmnāya system, then we become guru.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said who is guru. He asked everyone to become guru. His mission is that people are suffering all over the world for want of this Kṛṣṅa consciousness, or God consciousness. That's a fact. So He is advising everyone, especially those who are born in India,

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra [Cc Ādi 9.41]

[One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.]

That is His mission. He is requesting every Indian, every Indian, because they have got the facility for understanding what is Bhagavad-gītā, what is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, what is Vedas. They have got this opportunity. Therefore He says, janma sārthaka kari': "You have taken your birth in India. You make your life successful by taking advantage of these scriptures, and then assimilate the knowledge and preach all over the world." They are in darkness. That is being repeatedly said. But we are not taking advantage of. We are so misfortunate. We are misguided by the so-called leaders that we are neglecting this valuable literature which is spoken by Bhagavān. We are talking of some nonsense. That is our misfortune. So we have to take knowledge from Bhagavān and spread it all over the world. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... So He says that "You become guru." He says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā [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.]

"By My order." Don't become a so-called guru, manufactured guru. "You become guru by following My instruction." Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā.

Guru means who follows the predecessor, authorized predecessor. He is guru. Not that everyone is guru. So therefore we have to follow the superior order. Then we become guru, not that by cheating others we become guru. No. That is cheater. That is not teacher. Guru means who is following the superior order. The superior order is Kṛṣṅa or His representative. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṅa. He is ordering, āmāra ājñāya, "By My order," guru hañā, "you become guru." "Sir, it is very difficult to become guru. I have no education. I have no culture. I am not born in a very high family. I am very low." A devotee always thinks like that. He never thinks that "I have become very great man." Just like Caitanya-caritāmṛta, author of, he says, purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha [Cc Ādi 5.205]. Purīṣa, purīṣa means stool, and there are worms in the stool. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta author is saying that "I am lower than the worms in the stool." That is Vaiṣṅava conception. Tṛṅād api sunīcena. He is very humble. He never says, "Oh, I am the Supreme. I have become God." A most rascal, foolish. So that is not... Therefore we have to follow. If we actually want to become guru, there is necessity of many thousands of gurus to teach this cheated public. But how to become guru? That is... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya: "By My order." "What is Your order, Sir?" Now, yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṅa'-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. Then you become guru. You simply advise people to follow Kṛṣṅa's instruction. Then you become guru.

So that is our mission. This Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is that we are simply trying to convince people what Kṛṣṅa has said, that's all. We are not manufacturing anything. So that is our business. Kṛṣṅa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

We are training our disciples, "Just always think of Kṛṣṅa, chant Hare Kṛṣṅa and become Kṛṣṅa's devotee, offer Him prasādam, dress Him nicely." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī: "Worship Me." Worship Kṛṣṅa, the same thing. Kṛṣṅa says, "Worship Me"; we are saying, "Worship Kṛṣṅa." Kṛṣṅa says, "Surrender unto Me"; we are saying, "Surrender to Kṛṣṅa." So we have no difficulty. To become a guru there is no difficulty, provided we repeat the same thing as Kṛṣṅa says. And if you say something more or less, then you are not a guru. Very simple thing. Very simple thing.

So that is advised here, animittā bhāgavatī, bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ. You cannot manufacture the ways of bhakti. Bhāgavatī, what is advised by Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṅītam [SB 6.3.19].

[Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great ṛṣis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyādharas and Cāraṅas.]

You cannot manufacture a line of dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṅītam. Dharma is the law given by the Supreme Lord. You cannot manufacture, "This dharma, that dharma, this dhar..." No. Dharma is one. Dharma cannot be different. Dharma means to abide by the orders of God. This is dharma. But if you do not know God, if you do not know what is order, then you must manufacture something rubbish and fight amongst yourself. That is not dharma.

Therefore Bhāgavata says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]:

[Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṅa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.]

"All cheating types of dharma is rejected and kicked out from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Dharmaḥ projjhita. Projjhita, prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṅa ujjhita, just like you collect all dust and throw it. Similarly, this Bhāgavata-dharma is not a cheating dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma means in relation with the Supreme Lord. Bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ. Bhakti can be applied only to Bhagavān. Bhakti means the business between Bhagavān and bhakta. That is bhakti. If there is no Bhagavān, then where is bhakti? And where is bhakta? If Bhagavān is zero, then where is bhakti? Bhakti means the transaction between Bhagavān and bhakta. Just like here, the Bhagavān is there, and bhaktas are there, and the transaction is dressing the Bhagavān, feeding the Bhagavān, chanting the Bhagavān's name, calling people to hear about Bhagavān, to publish books about Bhagavān. This is bhakti, bhakti-bhāgavatī, simply in relation with Bhagavān, no other business, animittā, without any material desire. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11].

There is no touch even of jñāna. Jñāna means speculation. And trying to understand the Absolute Truth by his men... [break]

jñānaṁ me parama-guhyaṁ yad vijñāna-samanvitam sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca gṛhāṅa gaditaṁ mayā [SB 2.9.31]

[The Personality of Godhead said: Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully.]

These are the instruction of Lord Brahmā..., Lord Kṛṣṅa to Brahmā. Sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca. Aṅga, this bhakti-aṅga, this śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅaṁ pāda-sevanam [SB 7.5.23],

[Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṅu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṅa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.]

these are different, I mean to say, branches, or not actually branches, different phases or features of bhakti, to hear just like we are hearing and chanting. I am speaking, chanting; you are hearing. This is bhakti. Śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam. What we are chanting and hearing? Viṣṅu, not any other one. No. Viṣṅu. Viṣṅu. Śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ. You cannot say any other demigod. No. That is material. That is material. If you try to hear about some great person or demigod, that is material. But when you hear and talk about Viṣṅu, that is bhakti. This is bhakti, different processes. Śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅaṁ pāda-sevanam [SB 7.5.23].

So in this way we have to execute, as it is said, animittā bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ [SB 3.25.32], which is siddher garīyasī... [break] [end]