Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.24

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [break]

dhṛtā tanūr uśatī me purāṅī yeneha sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram śamo damaḥ satyam anugrahaś ca tapas titikṣānubhavaś ca yatra [SB 5.5.24]

[break] [01:14]

Translation: "The Vedas are My eternal, transcendental sound incarnation. Therefore the Vedas are śabda-brahma. In this world, the brāhmaṅas thoroughly study all the Vedas, and because they assimilate the Vedic conclusions, they are also to be considered the Vedas personified. The brāhmaṅas are situated in the supreme transcendental mode of nature, sattva-guṅa. Because of this they are fixed in mind control, or śama; sense control, dama; and truthfulness, or satya. They describe the Vedas in their original sense, and out of mercy, or anugraha, they preach the purpose of the Vedas to all conditioned souls. They practice penance, or tapasya, and tolerance, titikṣa, and they realize the position of the living entity and the Supreme Lord, anubhavaḥ. These are the eight qualifications of the brāhmaṅas. Therefore among all living entities no one is superior to the brāhmaṅas."

Prabhupāda:

dhṛtā tanūr uśatī me purāṅī yeneha sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram śamo damaḥ satyam anugrahaś ca tapas titikṣānubhavaś ca yatra [SB 5.5.24]

So the meaning is clearly described in the translation. So the brāhmaṅas, why they are accepted as the supreme in the human society? On account of these qualities. We have discussed this point, that either brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, especially dvijottama... The brāhmaṅas are called dvijottama. Dvija-śreṣṭhā. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā. Dvija means twice-born, one birth by the father and mother and the other birth by Vedic knowledge and spiritual master. Twice-born. So the daśa-vidha-saṁskāra, purificatory processes... Saṁskarād bhaved dvijaḥ. Unless one undergoes the purificatory process, he cannot be called twice-born. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: "By birth everyone is a śūdra, fourth-class man." Practically we see that children, they are sent to school. Why they are sent to school? Because by birth he is foolish, abodha-jātaḥ. There is no knowledge. Therefore he should be sent to school, as he makes progress, to colleges, to learn higher, higher. This is the material arrangement.

The same arrangement for spiritual education. Not that by birth, because one is born of a brāhmaṅa family, he remains a brāhmaṅa although he becomes less than śūdra. No. There must be education. The twice-born, he must approach the spiritual master. 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.]

Just like the Sattva Satyakāma, Jabala-Satyakāma Upaniṣad. The boy approached Gautama Muni that "Kindly accept me your disciple. Initiate me." Formerly, without becoming a brāhmaṅa specially, they were not initiated. So in those days all the families were very pure. Therefore born of a brāhmaṅa father is understood that he has got the training of a brāhmaṅa. That is a facility. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate [Bg 6.41].

[The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.]

By pious activities or by practice of bhakti-yoga, if one has not completed, yoga-bhraṣṭa, one who falls down from the yoga practice, such person is given another chance to take birth in a nice family, a brāhmaṅa family or a rich mercantile family. The brāhmaṅa family is rich in knowledge, and the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas, they are rich in opulence, wealth, material riches. And śūdras, they are not rich either in material wealth or in knowledge. Therefore they are called śūdras.

So this bhakti-yoga or any yoga... Real yoga, or the first-class class yoga, is bhakti-yoga. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. There are many yogīs. Out of them, the bhakta-yogi... Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gata āntarātmanā [Bg 6.47].

[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.]

Without becoming a bhakta-yogī, nobody can think of Kṛṣṅa always. That is not possible. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ [Bg 9.14].

[Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.]

The bhakti-yoga we are teaching in this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, twenty-four hours' engagement. Superficially we engage from four o'clock in the morning till ten o'clock at night, and that is resting time. But when one is advanced in devotional service, while sleeping he also serves Kṛṣṅa. That means twenty-four hours, satatam. That depends on... Because in sleeping you also dream, so what we do during daytime we dream at night. So if one is cent per cent engaged in Kṛṣṅa's service, naturally he'll dream also at night. I have seen one of our intimate relative. He was a businessman, selling cloth. So in dream also he was quoting price of cloth. So that is natural. That is not unnatural. Therefore we have to practice. At the time of death, somehow or other if we quote the price of Kṛṣṅa, then our life are successful. Therefore we should practice: Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg 8.6].

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.]

If we practice Kṛṣṅa, then naturally it is expected that at the time of death we remember Kṛṣṅa. Then immediately we are transferred to the Kṛṣṅaloka. Immediately. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

Immediately. There is no doubt about it. Simple thing, but it requires practice. Therefore, to practice Kṛṣṅa consciousness we have to practice other things. That is the position of sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram. That is called śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vāsudeva-śabditam [SB 4.3.23], there is a verse. Pure goodness. Pure goodness means there is only Vasudeva. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti [Bg 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

That is pure sattva, when there is no other conception, simply Vasudeva. Vasudeva is the platform. Just like Vasudeva was the father of Kṛṣṅa. When Kṛṣṅa appeared, Vasudeva was the father. So śuddha-sattva is Vasudeva. Vasudeva means there is no contamination of ignorance or passion; simply sattva-guṅa. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye, ceta etair anāviddham [SB 1.2.19].

[As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.]

When your mind and consciousness will not be contaminated by the modes of ignorance and passion, that is śuddha-sattva. That is śuddha-sattva. That is spiritual platform, vasudeva. Then Vasudeva will beget Kṛṣṅa. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. So if we purify our existence, another Kṛṣṅa comes or Kṛṣṅa's devotees come. They come in śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram. Then naturally there is śamo damo titikṣa ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānaṁ āstikyam [Bg 18.42].

[Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness—these are the qualities by which the brāhmaṅas work.]

Naturally there is brāhmaṅa behavior. And when one becomes brāhmaṅa, pure, no material contamination, then bhakti appears, after becoming brāhmaṅa or brahma-bhūtaḥ, not material platform. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [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.]

In the material platform, jīva-bhūtaḥ, but in the spiritual platform, brahma-bhūtaḥ.

So ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "Yes, I am already Brahman because my constitutional position is part and parcel of Paraṁ-brahma." Kṛṣṅa is Paraṁ-brahma. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ [Bg 10.12],

[Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.]

pavitraṁ paramam, this same thing, pavitraṁ paramam. So naturally, because we are part and parcel of the pavitraṁ paramaṁ, Paraṁ-brahma, we are also the same thing, a small particle, aṁśa. Mama aṁśa. Aṁśa and aṁśi. A small grain of gold, by quality it is gold, not that because it is small, it is something else. It is the same thing. Similarly, we are also pavitram, pure, but that small can fall down sometimes and becomes apavitra. So we are just like sparks of fire, so, so long we are in the fire, this quality of the spark is also fire. It is also illuminating. It is also has got the quality of burning power, small quantity. But when the spark falls down from the fire it becomes extinguished, the fiery quality. That is our position. We have fallen down from the quality, and we have to revive it. Just like a person becomes diseased. Diseased is not his permanent position. That is a temporary infection. But it can be cured. If one likes, he can cure his disease and again he can become healthy. Similarly, we are fallen somehow or other. "Somehow or other" means the reason is as soon as we become independent, we deny to serve Kṛṣṅa. But we deny to serve Kṛṣṅa—we want to become independent—then immediately we are forced by the illusory energy to come under her and work under her direction. We are born servant, jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṅa-dāsa [Cc Madhya 20.108-109]. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It is made for the purpose of serving me. This is the purpose. But when it is diseased... When it cannot serve the body, then it is diseased. Similarly, our constitutional position is to serve Kṛṣṅa. Jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṅa-dāsa. That is real life. And when you don't serve Kṛṣṅa or deny to serve Kṛṣṅa, that is diseased condition. And that is called māyā. Kṛṣṅa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare, pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare [Prema-vivarta].

[When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called māyā, or illusion.]

So we have to cure our disease. This disease means... The Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement means purification of our diseased condition, infectious condition. It is not anything artificial. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṅa-bhakti śrādhya kabhu naya. Not that by artificial means, as they are making propaganda in Europe and America that we are brainwashing... It is not that by some means or by some artificial, what is called, hypnotism, we are making these European or American boys, girls kṛṣṅa-bhakta. No. It is there already, kṛṣṅa-bhakti. Otherwise why they should take to Kṛṣṅa? They have got their other, I mean to say, worshipable. There is Jesus, Jesus Christ, and others. Mostly they are coming from Christian family. Why they should agree to worship Kṛṣṅa? No, it is there already. It is not that because they are born in Europe and America they are different from Kṛṣṅa's relationship. No.

Kṛṣṅa claims, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. Kṛṣṅa has relationship not only in the human society, in animal society, in bird society, in plant society, in insect society, in demigod society. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya [Bg 14.4].

[It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.]

He doesn't claim that "I am interested with the Indians or the Hindus or the brāhmaṅas or this." No. He claims all forms of body. So therefore these foreigners, so-called foreigners, they have got already relationship with Kṛṣṅa. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṅa-bhakti. Every living entity has got relationship with Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg 15.7]. How they can be separate? It is not possible. But they forgot it. And this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is to revive their original consciousness. Śravaṅādi-śuddha-citte karaye... [Cc Madhya 22.107]:

[Pure love for Kṛṣṅa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.]

"Oh, I am Kṛṣṅa's." As soon as this consciousness comes, he becomes perfect. It is already there. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṅa-bhakti śrādhya kabhu naya, śravaṅādi. And this revival of original consciousness can be executed by hearing, śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam. It is possible. Therefore we stress on the point of śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam. And actually it is happening. When I went to New York there was no kṛṣṅa-bhakta at all, a single man. So how so many kṛṣṅa-bhaktas have come out? By this same process,

śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nive... [SB 7.5.23]

[Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṅu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṅa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.]

This is bhakti process. So anywhere, in Africa also, in the village of Africa, when our Brahmānanda goes there, the big, big Africans with earrings, big, big earrings, very tall, almost naked, they also dance, "Hare Kṛṣṅa." So this is practical. Nitya-yukta kṛṣṅa-bhakti.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given this opportunity that simply by chanting... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has not manufactured it. It is mentioned in the śāstra. No other... Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not introduce anything by manufacturing, just like nowadays these rascals do. There is no question of manufacturing. Whatever is there already in the śāstra, indication, we have to follow. Yaḥ śāstra-viddhim utsṛjya vartate... Otherwise there is no success. Kṛṣṅa also said śāstra. Kṛṣṅa is also the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He refers to the Vedānta-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitam [Bg 13.5]. So we cannot go beyond the śāstra. We must follow. So in the śāstra it is said, in the Kali-yuga people are so fallen, they cannot be persuaded to so many rules and regulation, but 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.]

Simply that is special facility for these fallen... You chant Hare Kṛṣṅa regularly and you become liberated from the material contamination. And as soon as you become liberated, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu [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.]

We have no distinction that "Here is American," "There is European," "Here is Indian," "Here is African." No. Samaḥ sarveṣu, even animals. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then bhakti begins. That is practical.

So that is śuddha-sattva. Śamo damo satyaṁ anugraha. The brāhmaṅa's business is anugraha, to be just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja is unhappy for others. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān [SB 7.9.43]: "I am thinking of these rascals. They are making so many gorgeous arrangements, big, big skyscraper, big, big roads, and thousands of motorcars." Māyā-sukhāya. "They will enjoy this life for fifty years, sixty years, thirty years, and making big, big arrangements." Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: "I am thinking of these rascals, that they forget the real business, what is the problem of life. They are busy in erecting, constructing big, big skyscrapers." Not only now; formerly also the vimūḍhān, the rascals... Viśeṣa mūḍha. Kṛṣṅa says mūḍha. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍha. And Prahlāda Mahārāja stresses more: vimūḍhān, first-class mūḍhas. Yes. Vimūḍhān. So anyone who does not take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and is busy in other business, he's a vimūḍhān. Don't remain a vimūḍhān. Become intelligent. Kṛṣṅa ye bhaje sei baḍa catur. Be the first-class intelligent man and be Kṛṣṅa conscious.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]