Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.15

Anantarām Śāstrījī: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse; Prabhupāda and devotees chant responsively] [break]

nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayānakāsya- jihvārka-netra-bhrukuṭī-rabhasogra-daṁṣṭrāt āntra-srajaḥ-kṣataja-keśara-śaṅku-karṅān nihrāda-bhīta-digibhād ari-bhin-nakhāgrāt [SB 7.9.15]

Dayānanda: [leads responsive chanting of synonyms]

[03:47]

Translation: "My Lord who is never conquered by anyone, certainly I am not at all afraid of Your very ferocious mouth, tongue, bright eyes like the sunshine, movement of Your eyebrows, very pinching, sharp set of teeth, garland of intestines, hands soaked with blood, fixed-up-high ears, Your tumultuous sound which causes the elephants to go away to a distant place, and Your nails, which are meant for killing Your enemies. Undoubtedly I am not afraid of them."

Śāstrījī: Bhrukuṭī rabhasa. Bhrukuṭī rabhasa.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Śāstrījī: Bhrukuṭī rabhasa. [Bengali about a synonym]

Prabhupāda: Rabhasa [Bengali], "movement." Yes. So,

So, nārāyaṅa-paraḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati [SB 6.17.28].

[Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṅa, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.]

This is the sign of pure devotee. Others, they are afraid of the fierceful appearance of Narasiṁha-deva, but Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "I am not afraid." He was a child of five years old. So others were very, very afraid, even could not approach the Lord to pacify Him, and Prahlāda Mahārāja was not afraid.

So there is a description of different features of the body of Nṛsiṁhadeva—description of the face, the ear, the mane and the nails, everything, very, very fearful. But the nails, the significant word is here: ari-bhit nakhāgrāt. Ari-bhit. Ari means enemy, and these nails are meant for piercing the chest of the enemy, not of the devotee. Ari-bhit nakhāgrāt. Everything is fierceful to the enemy, to the demons, but to the devotees they're all beautiful. They are pleasing. That is the difference between the Personality of Godhead and material personality. Everything... God is all-good. Even God appears in such fierceful attitude, it is beautiful to the devotees. God's stealing... This is abominable, stealing, in this material world. But in the spiritual world, that stealing by Kṛṣṅa is worshipable. Makhana-chora, butter thief. The devotees like that "Kṛṣṅa should come to my house and steal my things, butter." That is the pastime of Vṛndāvana-līlā. Kṛṣṅa would go to every house and steal butter, and they would be very much pleased that "Kṛṣṅa has come to steal here." They would come, a formally complaint lodged before Yaśodāmayī, and Kṛṣṅa would be afraid. But these things are very, very enjoyable. Kṛṣṅa is being chastised by Yaśodāmayī, and still, he's thinking..., she's thinking, "Whether Kṛṣṅa has become very much afraid?"

This is called Vṛndāvana-līlā. The love for Kṛṣṅa is so strong that whatever Kṛṣṅa does, that is beautiful. And the spiritual world, what is condemnable in this material world, that is very worshipable in the spiritual world. Spiritual world, the love is parakīya-rasa. Parakīya-rasa. Here in this material world, if you create some relationship with other's wife, that is very condemnable. But in the spiritual world, the loving affairs between the gopīs and Kṛṣṅa is the same, is like that. Kṛṣṅa is making loving affairs with other's wife. So therefore sometimes, without understanding Kṛṣṅa, if one tries to understand the loving affairs of Kṛṣṅa with gopīs, they misunderstand. They think that "Kṛṣṅa is woman-hunter, and Kṛṣṅa is making love with other's wife and daughter." They do not know.

So here the fierceful attitude, very, very fierceful, that is very pleasing to Prahlāda Mahārāja. He said, nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayānakāsya: "Your face is very fearful to the enemies, but it is very beautiful to me." Everything. Nāhaṁ bibhemy ajita te 'tibhayānakāsya jihvā. Everything fierceful... In the next verse Prahlāda Mahārāja will say that "This fierceful attitude of Your Lordship is not at all fearful to me, as it is fearful to me this material existence." That he will explain, next verse. Trasto 'smy ahaṁ kṛpaṅa-vatsala duḥsahogra-saṁsāra-cakra-kadanād grasatāṁ praṅītaḥ. This material world is very, very fierceful to the devotees. They are very, very much afraid of. This is the difference. Materialistic persons, they are thinking, "This world is very pleasing. We are enjoying. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." But the devotees, they think, "It is very, very fierceful. How soon we shall get out of it?" My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This material world is not fit for living for any gentleman." He used to say. "No gentleman can live here." So these things are not understood by the nondevotees, how much pinching this material world is. Duḥkhāla... Kṛṣṅa says it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg 8.15].

[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]

That is the difference between the devotee and nondevotee. The duḥkhālayam, they are trying to adjust how to make it sukhālayam. That is not possible.

So unless one becomes detestful of this material world, it is to be understood that he has not yet entered in the spiritual understanding. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt [SB 11.2.42].

[Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things—these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating.]

This is the test of bhakti. If one has entered the domain of devotional service, this material world will be not at all tasteful for him. Virakti. No more. Āra nāre bapa[?]. The Jagāi-Mādhāi, too much materialistic, woman-hunters, drunkard, meat-eater... So these things have become now common affairs. But it is very, very fearful for the devotees. Therefore we say, "No intoxication, no illicit sex, no meat-eating." It is very, very fearful. But they do not know. Mūḍhaḥ nābhijānāti. They do not know it. They indulge it. The whole world is going on on this platform. He does not know that he is creating a very, very fierceful situation by indulging in these sinful activities.

So to get out of these habits, it requires tapasā, tapasya.

tapasā brahmacaryeṅa śamena damena vā tyāgena śauca... yamena niyamena vā [SB 6.1.13]

[To concentrate the mind, one must observe a life of celibacy and not fall down. One must undergo the austerity of voluntarily giving up sense enjoyment. One must then control the mind and senses, give charity, be truthful, clean and nonviolent, follow the regulative principles and regularly chant the holy name of the Lord. Thus a sober and faithful person who knows the religious principles is temporarily purified of all sins performed with his body, words and mind. These sins are like the dried leaves of creepers beneath a bamboo tree, which may be burned by fire although their roots remain to grow again at the first opportunity.]

This is called advancement of spiritual life, tapasā. The first thing is tapasya, voluntarily rejecting this so-called comfortable situation of material world. That is called tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṅa. And to execute that tapasya, the first thing is brahmacarya. Brahmacarya means to avoid sex indulgence. That is called brahmacarya.

tapasā brahmacaryeṅa śamena damena vā tyāgena śauca śaucabhyāṁ śamena damena vā [SB 6.1.13]

These are the... Therefore you'll find, all transcendentalists, they are practicing tapasya very, very severely. That is required. The human life is meant for tapasya. That is human life. Human life is not meant for living like cats and dogs. That is not human life. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye [SB 5.5.1].

[Lord Ṛṣabhadeva told His sons: My dear boys, of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one's heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.]

To live like cats and dog is not meant for the human life. Human life is meant for tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva [SB 5.5.1]. We have to execute tapasya, austerity. Why? Now, to purify our existence. This present existence is not purified; therefore we have to meet death. Otherwise we are eternal. "Why should we meet death?" This question does not arise at all. The modern civilization, they do not care for death. This is another daring. Death... They never question that "We are eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. "Why I shall meet death?" But this question does not arise for... They think, "Death? We can finish everything." This is called mūḍha. They do not know things are there, what it should be. They do not know that.

So in order to know all this transcendental subject matter, it is recommended, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12]:

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

"One must approach to the proper guru to understand this subject matter." And that is success of human life. Otherwise, to live like cats and dogs—sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13],

[One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.]

cows and asses, animal life—this is not civilization. So our this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is an attempt, however small it may be, to bring back the human society to real civilization. It is not ordinary movement. They are not civilized. Mūḍha. This is a civilization of rascals and fools. But to bring them back to knowledge, that is civilization. That civilization is spiritual life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life is meant for spiritual life, not for material life like cats and dogs. This is not required. This is Vedānta philosophy, athāto brahma jijñāsā. One must try to learn what is the ultimate source of everything, not that theorizing or, what is called, imagining something. Take knowledge from the right source, brahma-vidyā, the Vedic knowledge, and try to understand the situation, what is Brahman, what you are. We are also Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. These things are to be known. And when we neglect to understand these things, that means we are going to the wrong way of life. The wrong way of life can be allowed up to the animal life. Out of 8,400,000 forms of life, the animal life, 3,000,000 types of animal life, by evolutionary process we come to the human life. Now we should inquire about spiritual life. That is civilization. Without spiritual life, without inquiring the spiritual life, it is animal life, sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13].

So try to understand this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. And spiritual life means to understand Kṛṣṅa. That is spiritual life. Kṛṣṅa comes to explain Himself. And hear from Him and understand Him as He says. Then, as soon as you understand Kṛṣṅa, your life is successful. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṅa, or God, is very difficult to understand.

manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yayati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ [Bg 7.3]

[Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.]

To understand God, to understand Kṛṣṅa, is not very easy job; very, very difficult job. Therefore we don't find anyone is interested in Kṛṣṅa. Anywhere you go, all over the world, you make a statistic: nobody is interested in Kṛṣṅa. Is it not a fact? Out of millions of. Kṛṣṅa says, manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu, "Out of millions." That's a fact. Nobody is interested in Kṛṣṅa. Manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu. So therefore, to understand Kṛṣṅa is not very easy job. But by the grace of Kṛṣṅa you can understand Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is explaining Himself. That is Kṛṣṅa: great. You take. And again Kṛṣṅa is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to show us the way how to understand Kṛṣṅa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu means Kṛṣṅa Himself, present to teach us how to understand Kṛṣṅa.

So Kṛṣṅa is so kind: He is coming Himself. He's teaching Bhagavad-gītā. Again He is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as devotee, to become a devotee of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te [Cc Madhya 19.53].

[O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṅa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṅa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.]

He's not only teaching Kṛṣṅa but love of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa, when He personally came, He did not teach how to love Him. He simply asked, "You rascal, surrender to Me." That's all. "You are all rascals. You have forgotten Me. I am the Supreme. You are searching after so many wrong things. You have created so many so-called occupational and religious duties, but these are all useless." That much. But again Kṛṣṅa came to teach people how to love Kṛṣṅa. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī offers his respect to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadanyāya kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te [Cc Madhya 19.53]: "You are not only giving Kṛṣṅa but giving love of Kṛṣṅa." That is very rare thing. Prema pumārtho mahān. People are after dharma, after kāma, mokṣa, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No. Above this, there is fifth perfection. That is prema, Kṛṣṅa-prema." Prema pumārtho mahān.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is the topmost education, culture. Those who have come to Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, they should seriously take it and try to understand Kṛṣṅa. Their life will be successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! Prabhupāda. [end]