Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.23
Dayānanda: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Seventh Canto, Ninth Chapter, twenty-third verse. [chants verse and synonyms, Prabhupāda and devotees respond]
Prabhupāda: [corrects pronunciation of Sanskrit]
[06:28]
Dayānanda: Translation: "My dear Lord, people in general want to be elevated to the higher planetary system for long duration of life, opulence, enjoyment. I have seen all of them through the activities of my father. When my father was very angry and laughing sarcastically upon the demigods, immediately they fell down simply by seeing the movements of his eyebrows. Such my father is now finished within a moment."
Prabhupāda:
dṛṣṭā mayā divi vibho 'khila-dhiṣṅya-pānām āyuḥ śriyo vibhava icchati yāñ jano 'yam ye 'smat pituḥ kupita-hāsa-vijṛmbhita-bhrū- visphūrjitena lulitāḥ sa tu te nirastaḥ [SB 7.9.23]
So this is experience, dṛṣṭā... Everyone has experience what is the situation of this material world. Every day we have seen big, big leaders, ministers. Just like in the history of the world there were so many big, big men—Hitler, Napoleon, this Churchill, Gandhi, Nehru. But all their powers, position, in one minute it becomes vanquished. There is no question... They are so proud, they do not believe in God, but when the death comes, they cannot argue anything. The death orders, "Immediately vacate"—finished. You have to vacate. At that time their power, opulence, position—nothing can help. So Kṛṣṅa says, therefore... The atheist class of men who do not believe in God, decry the authority of God, for them... Of course, everyone dies, but for them, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham [Bg 10.34]:
[I am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience.]
Kṛṣṅa comes as death and takes away everything in their possession. But foolish persons, they do not see still. God says, Kṛṣṅa says, that "This death I am." Still they'll not. And it is a fact. When Kṛṣṅa comes as death, as Hiraṅyakaśipu, he was atheist, did not believe in God, but when God, Nṛsiṁhadeva came, then he was vanquished, everything, within a second. Nirastaḥ. Sa tu te nirastaḥ.
So we have to see like that, the omnipotency, the power of Kṛṣṅa, how it is working. But the difficulty is that we are so foolish, paśyann api na paśyati. Although we are having daily experience, still, we do not see. This is the position.
dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ...asatsv api pramatta tasya nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati [SB 2.1.4]
[Persons devoid of ātma-tattva do not inquire into the problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction.]
We are making our plan that "I shall be happy in this way. I have got this body, so let me make this body very strong, go in the beach and run on the beach to make the body very strong." There are so many other methods to keep the body very strong. Deha, apatya, maintain the children very nicely. Dehāpatya-kalatra, wife, decorate the wife very nicely. "In this way I shall be happy. Let me keep my body fit, let my children grow very nicely, wife be decorated with ornaments, with sārī, and I will see and will be happy." No. You cannot remain. Even if you arrange like that, you cannot remain. Kṛṣṅa says, "One day I shall come as death, and not only I shall take you out of the scene, but I shall take away all your possessions." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham [Bg 10.34].
[I am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience.]
So Prahlāda Mahārāja, although a child only, but because he is devotee, he experienced. He's experienced that "My father was so strong that even the denizens of heavenly planets—Indra, Candra, Varuṅa and others—they are all afraid of Hiraṅyakaśipu. If by austerity, penance, he got so much power that even the chiefs of the higher planetary system, they were afraid of..." Vijṛmbhita-bhrū. "Hiraṅyakaśipu will stare his eyes and move his eyebrow. The other demigods, they'll be afraid, such powerful." Ye asmat pituḥ. Ye, the chiefs of the higher planetary system, they have got very long duration of life. In the higher planetary system, everyone has got hundred years maximum period of life, but as I was explaining, everything is relative. The ant's hundred years of life is not equal to my hundred years of life. It is relative. Similarly, the demigods' hundred years of life is not equal to our hundred years of life. Everything relative—speed. Just like when the sputniks... In the beginning the sput..., sputniks were in the outer space. Generally, to go around the world, it takes twenty-five hours. But because the speed was greater, so the sputnik surrounded the whole world in one hour, twenty-five minutes.
So in the higher planetary system, the time, everything, is relative. This is relative world. So these demigods, their one day equal to our six months. Our six months equal to their one day. Such one day, then thirty days, one month; then twelve months, one year. Such ten thousand years, their duration of life. Such ten thousand years. So just imagine what is their duration of... Āyuḥ. And so far strength is concerned, that, the Indra is in charge of thunderbolt, so when Indra throws the thunderbolts to scatter the cloud, we have experience how terrible sound it is. So they have got so long duration of life, strength, administrative power and so many things. Still, they were afraid of Hiraṅyakaśipu, still. In spite of possessing so much big, big possessions, akhila-dhiṣṅya-pānām āyuḥ śriyo vibhava, and everyone, icchati, everyone desires, "If I could live so many years like Brahmā." Everyone is aspiring. Therefore they want to be promoted to the higher planetary system for which they perform yajña to be promoted. In this life they struggle, the karmīs. They struggle to become prime minister and Birla and this and that. And again, for the next life, they make provision. Therefore they want to give some charity, yajña-dāna-ta... Yajña, performing yajña. Yajña-dāna-ta... Tapasya. Hiraṅyakaśipu also underwent severe type of austerity, and he got benediction from Brahmā that "You'll not be killed by any man, any demigod, any animal. You'll not be killed in the sky or the water or the land," so many ways. But Brahmā did not give him the benediction of becoming immortal. He first of all wanted, "Make me immortal." So "That is not possible, because I am..., myself is not immortal. How can I give you?" So he took indirectly how to become immortal. And by austerity he got all these powers so that even the demigods were afraid of him.
But Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "Such a big, powerful demon as my father, he is also finished in one minute." One minute. And therefore... Ye asmat pituḥ. The demigods were afraid of; very much afraid. Therefore when he was killed everyone became very pleased. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "Nobody is unhappy on account of death of my father." He said, modeta sādhur api vṛścika-sarpa-hatyā [SB 7.9.14]: "My father was exactly like scorpion and snake, so killing of such animal, living entity, is pleasing to everyone, even sādhu." Even bhaktas, they also become pleased. They do not want anyone is killed or anyone is done something harmful. Bhakta never desires. But they also take pleasure when the vṛścika, the scorpion, and the snake is killed. You have got experience. There was a snake in my bathroom. So you all sādhus became very alert to kill it, [laughter] although you are sādhu. So that is natural. When there is snake, there is no question of sādhu or asādhu. "Kill him." Sādhur api, very nice. Modeta sādhur api vṛścika-sarpa-hatyā.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is Vaiṣṅava. He could understand that "Everything in this material world, even the possession of my father, will be finished. There is no doubt. So what is the use of possessing such thing which will be finished?" Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṅaḥ [Bg 2.18]. This is intelligent person decision, that "Everything in this material world—this body, or anything in relativity with this body—will be finished." Kṛṣṅa says and the devotees know it. Therefore they do not want anything of this material possession. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us to develop that mentality. "Don't want anything material possession. It is... However it may be long duration, but it will be finished. But you are eternal. Nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṅaḥ [Bg 2.18]. You are the owner of this body. You are eternal." So we should be searching after eternal happiness, eternal life, eternal engagement. That is success of life. And if we hanker after temporary things, that is not very good intelligence. Therefore bhakti means when one is convinced that "Anything of this material world cannot make me happy." That is... That conviction is the beginning of pure devotion. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11].
[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.]
You have to make zero everything material. That can be possible as we advance in Kṛṣṅa consciousness.
Then 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.]
You haven't got to... The jñānīs, yogīs, they try to detach from this material things by speculation, by knowledge. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. By speculating, jagan mithyā, "This world is false. Brahman, ātmā, spirit soul is satya, the truth," they do. But it is not possible. Simply by speculating, it is not possible. You have to engage yourself in bhakti.
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu 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.]
These are the processes to reach the platform of bhakti, devotion. But if you do not stick to the devotional platform, you'll fall down. However you may try to become detached from material things, unless you are fully engaged in bhakti, then by bhakti you'll be able to realize God realization. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg 18.55].
[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]
Simply by bhakti one can understand. And as soon as one understands Kṛṣṅa, then viraktir anyatra syāt [SB 11.2.42]. Then you'll be detached. Yad avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravinde nava-nava-dhāma... When our pleasure exchange will be done between Kṛṣṅa and ourself, then we shall be detached. Otherwise not. Otherwise it is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā duratyayā [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.]
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is realizing that anything material possession, it has no value. It may have some value temporary, but there is risk also. For some temporary enjoyment there is so many risk. The enjoyment... The highest enjoyment in the material world is sex. So for some temporary happiness we may enjoy sex, but there are many, what is called, after-results that is not very happy. Yan-maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45].
[Sex life is compared to the rubbing of two hands to relieve an itch. Gṛhamedhīs, so-called gṛhasthas who have no spiritual knowledge, think that this itching is the greatest platform of happiness, although actually it is a source of distress. The kṛpaṅas, the fools who are just the opposite of brāhmaṅas, are not satisfied by repeated sensuous enjoyment. Those who are dhīra, however, who are sober and who tolerate this itching, are not subjected to the sufferings of fools and rascals.]
After-result is very bad. Either illicit sex or legal sex, the after-result is not good. There are so many aftereffects. Even if you live... Of course, that is the Vedic training, that dharmāviruddho-kāmaḥ [Bg 7.11],
[I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bhāratas [Arjuna]]
sex life not against Vedic injunction. Vedic injunction is that "Do not waste your semina unnecessarily. Only you have sex life for begetting nice children, good population," that much order. So even it is done according to the Vedic principle, still, there are so many sufferings—you have to take care of the children; you have to educate them; you have to see that they are well raised. So many. So that is also botheration. But if you can remain brahmacārī, oh, you avoid this botheration.
Devotees: Jaya! Jaya Prabhupāda!
Prabhupāda: So tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṅā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ [SB 7.9.45]. Either illicit sex or legal sex, there are many, many sufferings. But those who are kṛpaṅa, miser... Miser means one who cannot use the benefit he has got, this human form of life. They know there are so many aftereffects. Na tṛpyanti. They are not satisfied. Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṅā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ kaṅḍūtivan manasijaṁ viṣaheta-dhīraḥ [SB 7.9.45].
So the whole Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is how to become dhīra, selflessness. Then life is successful. And anyway, don't be involved, entangled, with these material things. There are... This morning we were calculating that there are as many atoms, so many living entities are also there. Sāṅkhya, saṅkhyatanam, the word. Sāṅkhya. Sāṅkhya means "number." As many numbers of atoms are there, so many number of living entities are there, and there is struggle here. So in this human life the chance is how to get out of this material atomic combination and go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the chance. So we have to follow the examples of Prahlāda Mahārāja, and there are... He's mahājana. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc Madhya 17.186].
[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]
Let us try to follow Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction and make our life successful.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda! [end]
