Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.18

Pradyumna: [chants verse]

tam āpatantaṁ sa vilakṣya dūrāt kumāra-hodvigna-manā rathena parādravat prāṅa-parīpsur urvyāṁ yāvad-gamaṁ rudra-bhayād yathā kaḥ [SB 1.7.18]

[00:32]

Translation: "Aśvatthāmā, the murderer of the princes, seeing from a great distance Arjuna coming at him with great speed, fled in his chariot, panic-stricken, just to save his life, as Brahmā fled in fear from Śiva."

Prabhupāda:

tam āpatantaṁ sa vilakṣya dūrāt kumāra-hodvigna-manā rathena parādravat prāṅa-parīpsur urvyāṁ yāvad-gamaṁ rudra-bhayād yathā kaḥ [SB 1.7.18]

So here is one reference that Lord Brahmā was pursued by Lord Śiva when Brahmā was running after his beautiful daughter. So similarly here, Aśvatthāmā, he knew that Arjuna is coming to kill him, so he was running very swiftly. Āpatantaṁ sa vilakṣya dūrāt. From distant place, when he saw that Arjuna was coming... So dehātma-buddhi. This is the distinction between person in bodily concept of life and person who is liberated from the bodily concept of life. So when Durvāsā Muni cursed or wanted to kill... What is the king?

Devotee: Ambarīṣa Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. So Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a devotee. Unnecessarily he was harassed by Durvāsā Muni. But because Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a pure devotee, advanced, he was not afraid of being killed. He was not afraid. There are many instances. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was attempted to be killed by his father so many times, but he was never afraid. Although he was five-years-old boy, but he was not afraid.

So that is the distinction between an advanced devotee and ordinary man. Dhīras tatra na muhyati [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.]

Death means changing of the body. So there is nothing to be very much afraid of, but one is afraid of death because at the time of death the tribulation, the miserable condition of the body, is very, very severe—so much severe that one cannot remain. He has to give up this body. Just like sometimes out of disappointment, too much suffering, one commits suicide—death. So death means very, very painful, as much as birth is also very, very painful.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa presents, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyadhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg 13.9].

[Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.]

One who is intelligent enough, he should always keep before him the sufferings of birth, death, old age and disease in front. [aside:] You can..., side. Birth, death, old age and..., they are very suffering condition, but if one is advanced devotee, he's not afraid of. Nārāyaṅa-parāḥ 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.]

Nārāyaṅa-parāḥ, he's never afraid of. Death is coming, that's all right. What is the wrong there, provided he knows that "After giving up this body, I am going to Kṛṣṅa"? Dhīras tatra na muhyati. He's dhīra. One who is dhīra, he's not afraid of.

So we have to become dhīra. Then we shall not be afraid of death. Unless we are dhīra... There are two classes of men: dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means one who is not disturbed even though there is cause of disturbances. One may not be disturbed when there is no cause of disturbances. Just like we are not, now, at the present moment, we are not afraid of death. But as soon as we find there is earthquake, and we are afraid of this building may fall down, the cause of disturbances, then we become very much disturbed—sometimes screaming. So one who is not disturbed, even there is cause of disturbance, he is called dhīra. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. This is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā. We have to become dhīra from adhīra. But this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is so nice that adhīra can be dhīra. This is the profit of this movement. Kṛṣṅotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra. Kṛṣṅotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau [Śrīnivāsa Ācārya].

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are always engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṅa and dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Caitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe.]

This Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is pleasing to both the classes of men, namely the dhīra and the adhīra. It is so nice. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau. This was introduced by Caitanya Mahāprabhu and followed by the six Gosvāmīs. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.

So this is the movement how to make an adhīra dhīra. Everyone is adhīra. Who is not afraid of death? Who is not afraid of...? Of course, they are too much agnostic, they forget. But there is suffering. We can see how one suffering at the time of death. There are some men dying... Nowadays it has become a very common..., coma. One is lying in the bed for weeks, two weeks, crying; the life is not going, those who are very, very sinful. So there is great pain at the time of death. There is great pain at the time of birth, and there is pain when you are diseased, and there are so many pains when you're old. The body is not strong. We suffer in so many ways, especially rheumatism and indigestion. Then blood pressure, headache, so many things. Therefore one should be trained up how to become dhīra. These things, disturbances, make us adhīra, and we should be trained up to dhīra. That is spiritual education. One has to know it, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṅa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ [Bg 2.14]. These sufferings, mātrā-sparśāḥ, tan-mātra. On account of the senses, sense perception, we suffer. And the senses are made of material nature. So one has to become above the material nature, then he can become dhīra. Otherwise, one has to remain adhīra. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau.

So Aśvatthāmā became very much disturbed. Tam āpatantaṁ sa vilakṣya dūrāt kumāra-hā. Hā, from hananam, killing. So he is described here not as Aśvatthāmā; kumāra-hā, one who killed the five boys of Draupadī, kumāras, boys. Boys are called kumāra. Prahlāda Mahārāja has said kaumāra. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha [SB 7.6.1]. So from the childhood... Because here, kumāra-hā. They were innocent boys, they were killed. So we do not know, whether I am a kumāra or I'm old man, there is no certainty of death. Any moment death can take place. Not that "I am now kumāra, I can play. When I shall become old man, I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṅa." This is not a very good policy. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "No. Immediately." Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha. Therefore the children, those who are actually dhīra, Vaiṣṅava, they should give education to the children. What education? Not this so-called technical education or smoking education, drinking education and so many rascal education. This is not education. Education means bhāgavata education: to understand God. That is wanted. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Education should be given in such a way that the student should be very, very inquisitive. Inquisitive what about? Inquisitive about Brahman, not about this body. The body is matter, and the spirit soul is Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is human life. One should be inquisitive to know about spiritual life, what is spirit soul. That is the first education.

But where is that education? There is no such education. Prahlāda Mahārāja teaches that immediately, from the beginning of life, as soon as one is four or five years old, he should be educated about Brahman. That is called brahma-jijñāsā. Beginning. That is wanted. And for him there is need of guru. One who is inquisitive or serious about inquiring about Brahman, he requires guru. Guru is not a fashion. Guru is necessity. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ 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.]

Tad-vijñānam. Tad-vijñānam means spiritual education. For material education there is no need of guru. You keep... Guru, of course required, but guru means to inquire about spiritual subject matter. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21].

[Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.]

Uttamam. Uttamam means udgata-tamaṁ yasmāt. Tamam means darkness. This world is darkness. Everyone, we know that this material world is dark. And because it is dark there is need of the sunshine, there is need of the moonshine, there is need of electricity, there is need of fire. Because it is constitutionally dark. And the Vedic injunction is tamasi mā: "Don't remain in darkness." Jyotir gama: "Go to the light." And our Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kavirāja Gosvāmī, he gives what is that light:

kṛṣṅa—sūrya-sama, māyā haya andhakāra yāhāṅ kṛṣṅa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra [Cc Madhya 22.31]

[Kṛṣṅa is compared to sunshine, and māyā is compared to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness. As soon as one takes to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, the darkness of illusion (the influence of the external energy) will immediately vanish.]

That light is Kṛṣṅa. And anything which is not Kṛṣṅa... Kṛṣṅa is everything, but to make a general division, māyā, that is andhakāra.

So we should not remain in māyā. We should remain always in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Then our life is successful. Otherwise, we shall continue the life of darkness, uttamam. Udgata. Tama, darkness. You have to pass over this darkness. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām [SB 10.14.58].

[For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf's hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṅṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.]

Here in the dark... Just like in the darkness if you walk, in every step there is danger. Every step there is danger. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām. If you want to avoid this dangerous life in darkness, then you must take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Kṛṣṅa—sūrya-sama, māyā haya andhakāra. Māyā is andhakāra. Yāhāṅ kṛṣṅa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra. The sūrya, as soon as there is sunshine, the darkness automatically goes away. So if you keep Kṛṣṅa always in view in your brain, within your heart... Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayoḥ [SB 9.4.18].

[Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord's temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṅa or about Kṛṣṅa. He engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's temples and Kṛṣṅa's places like Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord's devotees, he engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasī offered to the Lord, and he engaged his tongue in tasting the Lord's prasāda. He engaged his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before the Lord, and all his desires in serving the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He engaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material desires.]

If you simply keep Kṛṣṅa within the heart... Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ [Bg 9.34]. Kṛṣṅa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Then your life is safe. Otherwise, in the darkness there is always danger in every step. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām.

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṅya-yaśo murāreḥ bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām [SB 10.14.58]

This is the version of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Take shelter of Kṛṣṅa. Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam. Pada-pallavam, lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, yaśo murāreḥ. Murāri is Kṛṣṅa. One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet, which is compared with a boat, plavam, then he has nothing to fear from this material ocean of darkness. And this place, this material world, which is darkness, and where there is danger, step by step... Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām. Teṣām, for them, it is not for them. It is for the persons who want to remain in the darkness. And one who does not want to remain in darkness, for him, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21]. He has to take shelter of the bona fide guru.

If you are serious about not remaining in darkness, as it is said in the Vedas, tamasi mā jyotir gama. If you take this instruction of Vedas... Vedic instruction you have to take. Otherwise you'll suffer. That is Vedas. Why Veda is there? To give you intelligence. Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṅa bhuli' gela ataeva kṛṣṅa veda-purāṅa karila [Cc Madhya 20.117].

[Forgetting Kṛṣṅa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy [māyā] gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence.]

These rascals, anādi-bahirmukha jīva, bereft of Kṛṣṅa consciousness, jīva, they do not know when they have forgotten Kṛṣṅa. Anādi. Anādi means even before creation. Before creation. Long, long period. So anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṅa bhuli' gela ataeva kṛṣṅa veda-purāṅa... What is the meaning of these Vedas and Purāṅas? To remind us about Kṛṣṅa. So how we'll understand Vedas and Purāṅas? Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21]. You have to go to the guru. Why? Jijñāsuḥ śreya... If you want to know the real life, then you have to go to guru. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Then what is the sign, what is the symptom of such guru where I shall get real information? That is also stated: jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam, śābde pare ca niṣṅātam. One who is fully aware of the transcendental science or words, śabda, śabda-brahma... Śabda-brahma means Vedic literature. One is completely in awareness of Vedic knowledge, śābde pare ca niṣṅātam... Niṣṅātam means one has taken a dip in the ocean of this Vedic literature. Niṣṅātam. And what is the result? Śābde pare ca niṣṅātaṁ brahmaṅy upaśamāśrayam [SB 11.3.21.

The Supreme Brahman... Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Brahmaṅi, either of them. But Bhagavān is the best. Or, if you cannot approach Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Brahman is also. Because if one is in Brahman, he has a chance to make further progress.

But in Kali-yuga it is very difficult to go very slow. Therefore Kṛṣṅa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the śāstras, they are giving directly in touch with Kṛṣṅa. Step by step, it is very difficult. So that is the special gift in this age. That is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in this age there is a special gift. What is that special gift? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṅasya. Kalau... In this age this world is full of faults, but there is one facility: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṅasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet [SB 12.3.51].

[My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.]

One can become liberated and go back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is there to take kṛṣṅa-kīrtana very easily. We have got report from Europe, in Yugoslovikia people are chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra even there, in Yugoslovikia. That is a Communist country, is it not? What is that place?

Harikeśa: Yugoslavia

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Harikeśa: Yugoslavia

Prabhupāda: Yugoslavia. They are taking very nice part in chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. So as Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, that there is no question of language difficulty. Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra is so nice that any part of the world or any part of the universe you can go and chant, and it will be appreciated. There is no need of language difficulty. So take this Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, chant yourself, preach all over the world. Everyone will be happy, and there will be no more fearfulness from death. Dhīras tatra na muhyati [Bg 2.13].

No more death.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]