Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.42

Anantarām Śāstrījī: [chants mantras] Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.42 [chants verse; Prabhupāda and devotees respond]

ko nv atra te 'khila-guro bhagavan prayāsa uttāraṅe 'sya bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoḥ mūḍheṣu vai mahad-anugraha ārta-bandho kiṁ tena te priya-janān anusevatāṁ naḥ [SB 7.9.42]

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṅa: [chants synonyms; devotees respond]

[05:32]

Translation: "O my Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are the original spiritual master of the whole world. Your special interest in managing the affairs of the universe is to deliver the fallen souls who are engaged in Your devotional service. You are already the friend of all suffering humanity, and I think You will show Your causeless mercy upon persons like us, who are engaged in Your service."

Prabhupāda:

ko nv atra te 'khila-guro bhagavan prayāsa uttāraṅe 'sya bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoḥ mūḍheṣu vai mahad-anugraha ārta-bandho kiṁ tena te priya-janān anusevatāṁ naḥ [SB 7.9.42]

So Kṛṣṅa is bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoḥ. Everything which is going on—creation, maintenance and also annihilation—the original cause is Kṛṣṅa. When there is need of creation, the cause is Kṛṣṅa. When there is need of maintenance, the cause is Kṛṣṅa. Everything, the cause is Kṛṣṅa. And there is annihilation—the cause is Kṛṣṅa. So sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya [Bs 5.44],

[The external potency Māyā who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgā, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself.]

although it is being done... Sṛṣṭi means creation; sthiti means maintenance; pralaya means destruction. These things are going on in the material world. Everything is created. Just like your body, my body, it is created at a certain date. There is history. And it will maintain, say, utmost, for fifty, sixty or hundred years. It will never be eternal. Because it is created, it cannot be eternal. Anything created cannot be eternal. So this sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana is actually being done by Kṛṣṅa, whatever way. But because we cannot see Kṛṣṅa in the background, we see only the wonderful activities of the nature. Nature is working not independently—by the direction of Kṛṣṅa. Mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram [Bg 9.10].

[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.]

Whatever is going on by the wonderful activities of nature... People are amazed by seeing the wonderful activities of nature. But behind these activities there is the direction of the Supreme Personality. Therefore Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva is addressed here, bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoḥ.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "We are suffering in this way, and we are praying to You to stop this suffering. So it is not very difficult task for You." Ko nv atra te 'khila-guro bhagavan prayāsa. Suppose if I ask you to do something for me, you may say, "That is very difficult task. I have no time to do this." So it may be difficult for an ordinary man. Actually it is a very difficult task, because Prahlāda Mahārāja, in a previous verse he prayed, hanteti pāracara pīpṛhi mūḍham adya [SB 7.9.41]. Mūḍham adya: "Give me shelter." So Kṛṣṅa may think... Kṛṣṅa does not think, but from our side we may suppose like that, that... Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings that śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya-prabhu, dayā koro more: "Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kindly give me Your mercy," dayā koro more. "Why I shall give My mercy to you? You are so sinful. You are so fallen. My mercy is not meant for you." But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura reminds, patita-pāvana-hetu, tava avatāra: "Sir, I am the most fallen. There is no doubt about it. But You have specially come to deliver persons like us." Śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya-prabhu dayā koro more, tomā vinā ke dayalu, jagata saṁsāre. Actually we are hankering after favor of some big man and small man. That is going on. That is material world. But if we seek favor from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so that is very nice. Instead of going here and there, if we... We want favor. There is no doubt. But others cannot favor us. That is the point. They have started so many humanitarian institutes to favor the suffering humanity, but it is not possible. They cannot. They cannot do it. It is false attempt, because...

There are so many instances. Suppose the father and mother, they are always ready to show favor to their children. There is no doubt about it. But does it mean if one has got very good and rich and able father and mother one can be happy, the children can be happy? No. That is not so. Bālasya neha śaraṅaṁ pitarau nṛsiṁha [SB 7.9.19]. That is also Prahlāda Mahārāja's statement, that "Simply because there is kind father and mother, therefore the children will be happy? No. That is not possible." So actually, if the child is destined to suffer, the good father-mother cannot give him shelter. That is not possible. Suppose one is condemned by the court to be punished, capital punishment, to be hanged. The father-mother may be very big man or rich man. If he pleads in the court, "Sir, whatever you want, I'll give. Kindly do not condemn my son to be hanged," that cannot be checked. This is not possible. Nobody can show favor against the will of the Supreme.

So best thing is to ask favor... Śuddha, śuddha-bhakta, those who are... [aside:] He's sleeping. You don't sleep and sit front. So therefore we should not ask favor. We can ask favor from anyone, but we must know that nobody can favor us unless it is sanctioned by the Supreme Person. We must always know. Not that because one is very, in a very superior position, he can favor me. No, he cannot favor you unless it is sanctioned by the Supreme. Suppose we approach sometimes a rich man to favor us with some contribution, membership fees. But that rich man cannot favor us unless it is sanctioned by Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is there within himself, and if He says that "You give him this money," the man will give us. So we shall not be sorry. Suppose we go somewhere and he did not favor us. We should not be sorry. We should know that Kṛṣṅa did not dictate him. He is not so fortunate now; therefore Kṛṣṅa did not dictate him. So there is nothing to be sorry. This should be our principle. Because without Kṛṣṅa's sanction...

So here, ko nu atra te akhila-guro bhagavan prayāsa. So everyone requires some extra endeavor to favor us, but Kṛṣṅa does not require. That is Kṛṣṅa. He can do anything He likes. He does not depend on others. Others depend on Kṛṣṅa's sanction, but Kṛṣṅa does not require anyone's sanction. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said bhagavan prayāsa. Prayāsa is advised not to take, especially for the devotees. One should not take up some business which requires very hard endeavor. No. We should take up only simple things which is possible. Of course, a devotee takes the risk. Just like Hanumān. He was servant of Lord Rāmacandra. So Lord Rāmacandra wanted information of Sītādevi. So he did not consider, "How I shall go to the other side of the sea, Laṅka?" He simply, believing in Lord Rāmacandra, "Jaya Rāma," jumped over it. Rāmacandra had to construct a bridge. Of course, that bridge is also wonderful because these monkeys were bringing stone, and they are throwing on the sea, but the stone was floating. So where is your law of gravitation? Eh? Stone floats on the water, it cannot be done by the scientists, yes. But Lord Rāmacandra desired; a stone became floating. Otherwise how many stones we shall throw in the sea that it will come to the level of becoming a bridge? Oh, it was not possible. It was possible—everything was possible—but Rāmacandra, Lord Rāmacandra, wanted, "Let it be simplified. So let them bring the stone and it will float. Then we shall go." So without stone He could go, but He wanted some service of the monkeys. There were many monkeys. Baro baro badare, baro baro peṭ, laṅka diṅgake, mata kare het. There were many other monkeys, but not exactly capable like the Hanumān. Therefore they were also given some chance that "You bring some stone. You cannot jump over the sea like Hanumān, so you bring stone, and I will ask the stones to float."

So Kṛṣṅa can do anything. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti [Bs 5.32]. He can do anything. We cannot do without His favor. So Prahlāda Mahārāja requests that "If You kindly become merciful upon us, it is not a great task for You, because You can do whatever You like. Because You are the cause of creation, maintenance and destruction, so it is not difficult for You." Besides that, mūḍheṣu vai mahad-anugraha ārta-bandho. Generally, those who are ārta-bandhu, friend of the suffering humanity, they specially show favor to the mūḍha, to the rascals. Kṛṣṅa comes for that purpose, because every one of us, we are mūḍhas. Duṣkṛtino. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

Normally we, because we are sinful, because we are mūḍhas, we do not surrender to Kṛṣṅa. Na māṁ prapadyante. Anyone who does not surrender to Kṛṣṅa, He is classified as duṣkṛtina, mūḍha, narādhamā, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. It is not at all possible to become independent of Kṛṣṅa's will. That is not possible. Therefore those who are trying to work independently, without Kṛṣṅa's favor, they're mūḍha, all rascals. They will not accept what Kṛṣṅa says, and they are trying to establish some law without Kṛṣṅa. "There is no need of God." This is the... Most scientists, they say like that. "Now we have got science. We can do everything." They are mūḍhas. It is not possible. Independently you cannot do without Kṛṣṅa's favor.

So best thing is that always try to seek favor of Kṛṣṅa. And you cannot seek Kṛṣṅa's favor directly. That is also another point. Kiṁ tena te priya-janān anusevatāṁ naḥ. You cannot jump over to Kṛṣṅa without the favor of His devotee. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. You cannot seek favor of Bhagavān directly. That is another foolishness. You must go through the servant of Kṛṣṅa. Gopī-bhartur pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc Madhya 13.80].

[I am not a brāhmaṅa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.’]

This is our process. We don't approach Kṛṣṅa directly. We must begin our service to the Kṛṣṅa's servant. And who is Kṛṣṅa's servant? One who has become the servant of another Kṛṣṅa's servant. This is called dāsa-dāsānudāsa. Nobody can be independently servant of Kṛṣṅa. That is another foolishness. Kṛṣṅa never accepts anyone's service directly. No. That is not possible. You must come through the servant of the servant [Cc Madhya 13.80]. This is called paramparā system. As you receive knowledge by the paramparā system... Kṛṣṅa spoke to Brahmā, Brahmā spoke to Nārada, Nārada spoke to Vyāsadeva, and we are getting this knowledge. Just like Kṛṣṅa... Bhagavad-gītā was spoken by Kṛṣṅa to Arjuna.

So if we give up the process of understanding as Arjuna did, then you'll never be able to understand Kṛṣṅa, or God. That is not possible. You have to take up the process which Arjuna accepted. Arjuna also said that, that "I am accepting You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because Vyāsadeva has accepted, Asita has accepted, Nārada has accepted." The same thing. We have to understand Kṛṣṅa. We cannot understand directly. Therefore these rascals who are trying to understand Kṛṣṅa directly by interpretation, they are all rascals. They cannot understand Kṛṣṅa. May be very big man, so-called. Nobody is big man. They are also sa vai... No, what is that? No, no. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ [SB 2.3.19]. Puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. These big, big men who are so much eulogized by some rascals, all these big, big leaders, what they are? Because they are not devotee of Kṛṣṅa, they cannot lead. They simply will mislead. Therefore we take them all rascals. This is the criterion. Take this one criterion. Anything you want to learn from somebody, first of all you see whether that somebody is a devotee of Kṛṣṅa. Otherwise don't take any lesson. We don't take any lesson from a person, "perhaps," "maybe," like this. No. We don't want such scientist or mathematician. No. One who knows Kṛṣṅa, one who is devotee of Kṛṣṅa, one who is overwhelmed in ecstasy simply by hearing Kṛṣṅa, you take lesson from them. Otherwise all rascals.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]