Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.22

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [chants verse]

arjuna uvāca kṛṣṅa kṛṣṅa mahā-bāho bhaktānām abhayaṅkara tvam eko dahyamānānām apavargo 'si saṁsṛteḥ [SB 1.7.22]

[02:35]

Translation: "Arjuna said: O my Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa, You are the almighty Personality of Godhead. There is no limit to Your different energies. Therefore only You are competent to install fearlessness in the hearts of Your devotee. Everyone in the flames of material miseries can find the path of liberation in You only."

Prabhupāda:

arjuna uvāca kṛṣṅa kṛṣṅa mahā-bāho bhaktānām abhayaṅkara tvam eko dahyamānānām apavargo 'si saṁsṛteḥ [SB 1.7.22]

Saṁsṛta. This material world is called saṁsṛti, continuously suffering. That we cannot understand. This is called ignorance, continuously suffering. They are thinking, "We are very happy," but this material world means continuously suffering. So one living entity is dying, and his gross body is left, and the subtle body—mind, intelligence, ego—carrying him in another body through the semina of the father to the womb of the mother. Then it is placed, and the body again forms, and when the body is formed, then he comes out. And within the womb of the mother there is so much suffering, we know that. Many times we have discussed. And coming, from the very moment the child is crying. There is inconveniences, so many things he cannot express. In this way, within the womb there is suffering, out of the womb there is suffering. Then growing, child or baby or boy, there are so many sufferings. Then young man—suppose he becomes family man—then earn for the family. That is also suffering. Then old man, disease, inability, many, many thoughts, that is also suffering. And again death is suffering. At the time of death nobody knows what will happen.

Recently one of our Godbrothers has died. He was suffering that he... Some glucose food was being supplied through the nose, and with that... What is called? Taking out the...? That also another suffering. Forcibly taking out the urine, cannot speak anything. So this is suffering. This is called saṁsṛti. We are so foolish we do not know that this material existence is suffering. They are simply struggle for existence. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṅi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg 15.7]. Simply a struggle. There is no happiness. But these foolish persons, they do not know that there is suffering and how to stop this suffering. That is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-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.]

Intelligent persons should always keep in view that "These are my real sufferings." Not that "Temporary I have got some misunderstanding with some friend, or temporary I do not get some nice food, and therefore suffering." These sufferings are extra, but real suffering is this—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

So suffering and suff... Therefore material existence is called saṁsṛti. Saṁsāra. So therefore we read every day from the Gurvaṣṭaka, saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka. This saṁsāra, this material existence, is just like dāvānala. Dāvānala means forest fire. Forest, in the forest nobody goes to set fire, but it takes place automatically. Even if you don't want, it will come. This is saṁsāra. In your country, nice city, New York City, but every moment there is fire—dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung. Why? Very nice city, big city, big roads, big..., but there is suffering. Who wants this fire? But government has to make arrangement for fire brigade, and because it is great nation, very prosperous nation, there is very constantly, very frequently, there is fire. Frequently. You won't find such fire in India, at least. We have no such experience that every moment there is fire brigade. Is it not? I am exaggerating? Huh? You see. We have got so many cities in India, but we don't have such arrangement that constantly, twenty-four hours, dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung-dung. At least we haven't got. Less suffering, because we are not so advanced. The more materially you become advanced, the more suffering. Daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā [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.]

These rascals, they do not know. Saṁsṛti. Therefore here we see just tvam eko dahyamānānām apavargo 'si saṁsṛteḥ. This is Kṛṣṅa. Arjuna is mahājana. He is mahājana. He's directly Kṛṣṅa's friend. He knows what is Kṛṣṅa. Therefore he submitted that "Kṛṣṅa, it is perplexity. I do not like to fight, and You are asking me repeatedly to fight. So it is very awkward position. I cannot understand." Kārpaṅya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ. "I have been infected with kārpaṅya-doṣa, and kṣatriya, I am in the battlefield. It is my duty to fight, but I am declining." That is kārpaṅya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ. "My nature, svabhāva, is to fight, but I am avoiding this. So therefore my position is not good, I can understand. Therefore," śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam [Bg 2.7],

[Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.]

"I accept You as my spiritual master. You... I am surrendered, prapannam. You kindly instruct, śādhi mām." This is beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. So Arjuna knows that for this saṁsṛti, for this suffering of the material world, only Kṛṣṅa is the savior. Only Kṛṣṅa. Tvam ekaḥ, "Only You. Not anybody else." Nobody can. And He also, Kṛṣṅa also says, mām ekam. "Rascal, mām ekam." This same eka. Arjuna says tvam ekaḥ and Kṛṣṅa says mām ekam. The same purpose. This is to be learned, that eka, "Only Kṛṣṅa." Kṛṣṅaika-śaraṅam. That is wanted. Simply take shelter of Kṛṣṅa. That will save you from this saṁsṛti.

Apavarga. Pavarga and apavargo. A means "not," and pavarga is the process of suffering here in this material world. Different stages of suffering is called pavarga. The first thing is pa. This is pa, pha, ba, bha, ma—pa-varga. This is called pa-varga. There are five vargas in Sanskrit grammar: ka-varga, ca-varga, ṭa-varga, ta-varga and pa-varga. Those who know, I mean to say, Sanskrit grammar, they will understand. So pa-varga means these five alphabets, pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. So our sufferings... First of all, labor: pariśrama. Pa. You cannot get anything in this material world without laboring. That is not possible. Just like we have got this nice temple. How we have got it? Laboring. We have to collect the stone, we have to collect this brick, we have to... If I cannot work personally, then I have to engage laborer. So this temple is not by accident, automatically, by chunk it has come. No. There must be labor, pariśrama. That is pa. Then pha. Pha, in the English you can say "frustration." Or in Sanskrit the phena, in English word is foam. When you work very hard, everyone, you know, there is foam. We have generally seen, in animals there is foam, in horse. The hard labor, very hard labor, the foam comes. So first of all, pariśrama, hard labor, then foam. Pa, pha. And ba. Ba means vyarthatā, frustration. Despite so much hard labor, still frustration. Now our leaders are advertising that "Work hard. Work hard." "Sir, I am working so hard that I am working like an ass, like an animal, and I am tired. Still I have to work hard?" "Yes." This is saṁsṛti. They are not satisfied that human being, Indians, are working just like an ass, pulling ṭhelā, ricksha, and still they're requesting work hard.

So this is called vyarthatā. You work hard, hard, hard, still you'll not be successful. You'll have to work hard. That is called pa, pha, ba. And bha, bha means fearfulness. Just like the animal is working so hard, and still he's afraid: "The master may whip." "You are not working?" Phut! Phut! He has to work still. Bhaya. So that fearfulness is everywhere. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṅām [Hitopadeśa 25].

[Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.]

The ox and bull, they are afraid of the driver, and we are afraid of our leader, of our government, of our so-called master and so on, so on, so on. That you cannot avoid. That is not possible. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt [SB 7.5.5].

[Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: O best of the asuras, King of the demons, as far as I have learned from my spiritual master, any person who has accepted a temporary body and temporary household life is certainly embarrassed by anxiety because of having fallen in a dark well where there is no water but only suffering. One should give up this position and go to the forest [vana]. More clearly, one should go to Vṛndāvana, where only Kṛṣṅa consciousness is prevalent, and should thus take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]

Because we have accepted this material body, we have to be always remain in anxiety. You cannot avoid. So pa, pha, ba, bha, and at last, ma. Ma means mṛtyu: frustration and die. And again pa, again begin with pa. This is going on. This is called saṁsṛti, repeatedly pa, pha, ba, bha, ma; pa, pha, ba, bha, ma.

So if you take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, then this pavarga—pa, pha, ba, bha, ma—will be counteracted. Not otherwise. Not otherwise. It is not possible. Therefore he says dahyamānānām. "We are suffering. Not that to this brahmāstra we are suffering, but the world is so made that there is suffering only." Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, viṣaya-viṣānale dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. Jwale means this dahyamānānām. Jwale means ablaze, fire. So this saṁsāra-viṣānale, it is not ordinary fire. Viṣāna: fire from poison. It is more infectious: poisonous fire. Just like the atomic energy: there is heat, but what is that heat? It is called..., radiation and... So many things. So viṣānale. Saṁsāra-dāvānala. Saṁsāra-dāvānala is dāvānala, and at the same time that anala, the fire is coming out of poison.

Saṁsāra-viṣānale dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. We are always anxiety, full of anxiety. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Even big, big Vaiṣṅava kings, they also retired. Just like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he was always engaged in devotional service. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha [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.]

—still, he retired. Still, he retired. After this incidence with Durvāsā, then he divided the property to his sons and he retired. Although he was the most exalted Vaiṣṅava, such a great Vaiṣṅava that because he was put into difficulty by Durvāsā Muni, Kṛṣṅa showed His brilliance and glories in such a way that Durvāsā Muni was attacked by sudarśana-cakra, and for fear of life... Even there is fear, Durvāsā Muni, a great yogī... There is no comparison of his yogic mystic power. Immediately, for the sake of his life, to protect his life, he went all over the universe for protection. And when he could not get the protection, he went to Lord Brahmā, "Kindly give me protection." He refused: "No, it is not possible. The Lord is angry with you, and He has sent the sudarśana-cakra. It is not in my power to give you protection." Then he went to Lord Śiva. He also refused. And at last he went to Viṣṅu. Just see how powerful yogī he was: he could go personally from this planet to the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, and there, from there, Śivaloka. Then from there, Vaikuṅṭhaloka. Just see his power, mystic power. But still, because he committed offense at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṅava, he could not be given any protection. Vaiṣṅava-aparādha is so severe. A person so powerful that by his will he could go anywhere, by yogic power he can do so. Yogic power..., even there are many yogīs, they take bathing in four places every morning. They take bathing at Jagannātha Purī, at Rāmeśvaram, at Hardwar and Jagannātha Purī. Four dhāma, they take bathing. By four o'clock they finish. They can go. There are still such yogīs. So similarly by the yogīs, by their aṅimā-siddhi, laghima-siddhi..., they are called. They can go within a second. They can catch up the beams of the sun and go to the sun planet. This is yoga. Not that "Give me some dollars, I'll show you some yoga." They do not know what is yoga. Yoga is so powerful, yogic power.

So such a big yogī, Durvāsā Muni. Still, he was in trouble. Jñānīs, yogīs, nobody is free from the trouble. Only the bhaktas. Take this; see the example. When Durvāsā Muni created a demon to kill the king, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, and he was coming to attack, but Ambarīṣa, although he was a devotee, he had no such yogic power to counteract. He thought, "All right, it is Kṛṣṅa's desire if some demon is coming to kill me. All right, let him kill." He stood fixed up in that position, because he's surrendered. Mārobi rākhobi jo icchā tohārā. That is surrender. "I have surrendered to You. If You like to kill me by this demon, that's all right. Welcome. Why not? Because I am culprit, so You want to kill me through this demon, let me kill... Let him kill." So he stood up. He was not afraid of his life. But Durvāsā Muni, when Kṛṣṅa..., Viṣṅu sent this sudarśana-cakra, immediately the demon was killed, and he was after Durvāsā Muni, such a great yogī. But he was afraid: "Oh, now there is no protection." He fled, here from here, here from there, there, there, then to Brahmā, to Lord Śiva. And at last to Viṣṅu. Just see how much he is afraid of his life.

And the Vaiṣṅava is not afraid of his life. There is no fearfulness. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca [Hitopadeśa 25].

These things are problems of this material world. A Vaiṣṅava has no problem. He knows that "If Kṛṣṅa can give food to the elephant down to the ant, so Kṛṣṅa will give me food. So why shall I endeavor for it? When Kṛṣṅa gives, I shall eat. That's all. If He does not give, I shall starve. What is the wrong there?" This is Vaiṣṅava. He's not afraid. He has no problem of āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca [Hitopadeśa 25].

No. So far maithuna is concerned, it is completely rejected. Bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya apahinoti kāmam [Cc Antya 5.48]. This is Vaiṣṅava. Vaiṣṅava means as he makes progress in devotional service, these material lusty desires become vanquished: No more. Finished. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anya... [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 sign. Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmani..., tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ [Śrī Yāmunācārya]. This is Vaiṣṅava. When one will spit of sex enjoyment, that means he has attained the Vaiṣṅava stage. Otherwise not yet. That is the test. Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt, tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame. Because nārī-saṅgame, sex with nārī, that is the highest pleasure of this material world. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ 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.]

Very abominable happiness, maithunādi. It is kaṅḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham. It is entailed with so many sufferings. Either illicit or legal, there is suffering.

So this is saṁsāra. This is the key of saṁsāra, to keep one packed up, compact in these material desires. So, so many things are there, apavarga. But Kṛṣṅa is the only means. When one is attracted by Kṛṣṅa, Madana-mohana... Madana means lusty desires. And Kṛṣṅa, Madana-mohana, He is so attractive that one forgets lusty desires. Therefore His name is Madana-mohana. So if you don't contact with Madana-mohana, then you'll be suffering madana-dahana. Dahana means this, dahyamānānām, always suffering the blazing fire of lusty desires. Unless you become Kṛṣṅa conscious, you'll have to suffer. Therefore it is said, dahyamānānām apavargo 'si: "You are the apavarga."

So Arjuna is surrendered soul. When he felt that temperature of brahmāstra or radiation of the atomic weapon, nuclear weapon... So devotee has no other... Kṛṣṅa kṛṣṅa mahā-bāho bhaktānām abhayaṅkara [SB 1.7.22]: "Our only shelter is Your lotus feet." Abhaya-caraṅāravinda re. Bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana-abhaya-caraṅāravinda re. So if you take shelter of Kṛṣṅa's lotus feet, then abhayaṅkara, no more fear. No more fear. And so long you do not do it, then saṁsṛti. Therefore Arjuna says, tvam eko dahyamānānām apavargo 'si abhayaṅkara.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]