Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.32

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

yarhi vāva sa bhagavān lokam imaṁ yogasyāddhā pratīpam ivācakṣāṅas tat-pratikriyā-karma bībhatsitam iti vratam ājagaram-āsthitaḥ śayāna evāśnāti pibati khādaty avamehati hadati sma ceṣṭamāna uccarita ādigdhoddeśaḥ [SB 5.5.32]

[break] [04:27]

Translation: "When Lord Ṛṣabhadeva saw that the general populace was very antagonistic to His execution of mystic yoga, He accepted the behavior of a python in order to counteract their opposition. Thus He stayed in one place and lay down. While lying down, He ate and drank, and He passed stool and urine and rolled in it. Indeed, He smeared His whole body with His own stool and urine so that opposing elements might not come and disturb Him." [break]

Prabhupāda: Yarhi vāva sa bhagavān lokam imaṁ yogasyāddhā [SB 5.5.32]. So this is another process of yoga-siddhi: ājagara-vṛtti, ājagara, python, lying down in one place, eating and passing urine, stool, everything. Ājagara-vṛtti. Ājagara, the python, it lies down in one place, big, big python, sometimes covered by the earth, but still, he gets his food. Big, big animals enter into the home of the python. And the python can eat even a full horse, what to speak of other animals. But still, Kṛṣṅa supplies him food. He hasn't got to go anywhere. So sometimes, saintly persons, they sit down in one place. If Kṛṣṅa sends him food he will eat; otherwise he will starve. In our ācārya-sampradāya, Mādhavendra Purī, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, they were doing that. In Vṛndāvana, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, he was blind. He was sitting in one place, and Kṛṣṅa used to come and supply him milk.

So there is no anxiety for maintenance of the body. There is no anxiety. Śāstra therefore says that "Don't spoil your energy for the matter of maintenance of the body. That is already settled up." Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is the Vedic injunction. Nityo nityānāṁ, nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13]. The Supreme Lord is nitya as we are nitya. Nitya means there is no birth and death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. This is our constitutional position. And what is the difference between the two nityas? One is plural number and the other is singular number. The singular number nitya, or Kṛṣṅa, He supplies food to everyone. Or whatever we require, that is already settled up. Therefore we should not spend our energy for maintenance of the body. That is not required. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad brahmatām upary adhaḥ [SB 1.5.18]. Our human energy should be utilized only for that purpose which was not fulfilled in other lives, in the 8,400,000 different species of life, and you are changing, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ [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.]

by nature's law, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ karmāṅi [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

According to guṅa and karma, we are changing our body in 8,400,000's of species and forms. That is... By nature's law it is going on, and the nature's law, according to the body, one has to eat, sleep, and sense gratification and protection. At night we see so many dogs. The whole day they could not get food. At night they are crying. And there are other bodies; they are eating nicely. Even the small birds, they have got food. But this dog, they cannot get food. This is God's arrangement. They are condemned life. Otherwise, others are getting food; why this body is not getting food? The hogs, they are eating stool.

So varieties of life and varieties of position, you cannot change them. That is not possible. So the theory is humanitarianism, daridra-nārāyaṅa-sevā... Sevā... It is not sevā. A poor man, you can have mercy, dayā. That is allowed. Just like we distribute prasādam. That is bāliśeṣu. Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca, prema-maitrī-kṛpa upekṣā [SB 11.2.46]. Kṛpā. Those who are suffering, innocent, they do not know how to get release from the suffering, they are called bāliśa. Just like a child. A child is suffering, he does not know how to get relief; so one should take care. They should be given shelter, they should be given cloth, food. It is the duty of the parents. That is natural. So for the bāliśa, innocent, it is our duty to show them mercy, give them food, give them shelter, give them instruction of Kṛṣṅa consciousness so that he may understand why he is here in this material world, why he is suffering. Ke āmi kene amaya jāre tāpa-traya [Cc Madhya 20.102]. Everyone is suffering threefold miserable condition of life: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika.

So the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is meant for showing mercy to the innocent who are suffering in this material world. That is wanted. It is not daridra-nārāyaṅa seva, that "I am very rich man. I am rich Nārāyaṅa, and therefore I can serve the daridra-nārāyaṅa." There is no question of serving. That is not. No. The fact is everyone is suffering. There is nobody... Because asad-grahāt. 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.]

Anyone within this material world, he is suffering, full of anxieties. Even the birds and beasts, you'll find, they are full of anxiety. Why? Asad-grahāt. Because he accepted this material body, which is asat, which is temporary. Asato mā sad gamaḥ. Therefore Vedic injunction is, "Don't stay in this material existence. Come to the spiritual existence, sat." Oṁ tat sat. This is the civilization—not to keep the people in ignorance and flatter them that "You are making very good advance." There is no advance unless one is interested in spiritual life. There is no... Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ [SB 1.5.18]. In this way we are wandering within this universe in different forms of life, in different planets, in different social positions, in so many varieties.

So this is not our life. Our life is to regain our spiritual consciousness, revive our spiritual existence. And for this purpose we must endeavor. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovidaḥ means one who is intelligent. Otherwise, those who are not intelligent, they think that "I have got this life. I shall enjoy sense gratification," and "There is no life after death." Kṛṣṅa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ [Bg 2.13],

but these rascals will say, "No, there is no life." So therefore Kṛṣṅa has said, "Mūḍhas, rascals, they do not accept what I am speaking in this Bhagavad-gītā." Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamaḥ [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.]

They got the chance of understanding Kṛṣṅa, but they do not know. And the so-called rascal leaders, they are also misleading them, that "There was no Battle of Kurukṣetra. There was no instruction like that. It is all mythology, and we can utilize it for our political purposes, but it has no value. I can interpret in my own way; you can interpret in your own way. Actually, this instruction has no value." Yato mata, tato patha. "You can interpret in your own way; I can interpret..." In this way things are going on. This is the position.

Therefore our movement is being checked in the Western countries, that "This is a brainwash movement." Brainwash movement—that we are injecting some ideas by psychology, mental control, and our people, they are taking to it, and it is spreading like epidemic. How to check it? Therefore they are now taking action how to stop this Hare Kṛṣṅa movement in Europe and America. They are trying. Of course, we are not afraid of this attempt. They will never be successful, rest assured, because we are pushing Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Kṛṣṅa was attempted to be killed from the very beginning of His life. That is the nature of this material world, "How to kill God," "God is dead." This is their attempt. So from the life of Kṛṣṅa we can understand that so many attempts were made by the demons and the rākṣasas to kill Kṛṣṅa, but actually Kṛṣṅa killed them all. So if you are sincere, if you follow the principles and push on this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, nobody can kill you.

Devotees: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: You'll go forward, rest assured. We are not going to be killed. That they are perceiving, that this movement is spreading like epidemic, and the young men of Europe and America, they're taking seriously. Professor Stillson Judah already has given his conclusion that "This movement is not going to stop. It will go on." That's a fact. Kṛṣṅa cannot be killed, neither His movement cannot be killed. Rather, those who are attempting to kill, they will be killed. But we must be very sincere, serious, follow the regulative principle and chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra as you have been taught. Follow this principle boldly, and there is no fear.

So Ṛṣabhadeva is Kṛṣṅa. So He became disturbed while walking on the street. He is not disturbed, but it is instruction that "If you are disturbed, you feel disturbed in this way, so you adopt this way. You sit down." Similarly, if they are disturbing too much, so we can sit down in one place and chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. There is no difficulty. And Kṛṣṅa will send you all necessities. Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham [Bg 9.22].

[But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form-to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.]

He promises. Kṛṣṅa cannot say anything lie. He is perfect. So if there is actually impediments to push on this movement—people disturb too much—never mind. You sit down in one place and still go on preaching. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṅa'-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128].

[Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.]

People will come still in India. Why India? In your country also, if saintly person goes, they come. That is the practice in everywhere. So you can sit down and still preach. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa. Ei deśa means where you are sitting, where you are living, any place. And sit down. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. And... But try to deliver these innocent persons who are suffering.

Everyone is suffering. That should be the motto. Do not sit idly, eat and sleep. No. Either loitering, wandering... I know our men in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, they are bold enough. They have sometimes been, I mean to say, beaten in the airport. But still, they are so straightforward, suffering from the police, from the public. And Ṛṣabhadeva was sometimes bitten on His body, urine, pass urine on His body, so much. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Ṛṣabhadeva. So He is teaching us that for the ultimate benefit of life you prepare yourself to suffer all kinds of tribulations. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given this instruction:

tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā... [Cc Ādi 17.31]

[One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.]

You should not give up your preaching work. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.

If there are tribulations, as Ṛṣabhadeva, He is Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuṅṭha, and He has no suffering. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was beaten in twenty-one bazaars regular with cane because he was Muhammadan, and in those days the Muhammadan kingdom was going on, Pathan ruling. So the Kazi, he saw that one Muhammadan, he has become a devotee of Kṛṣṅa. So he called him so, that "With great fortune you became a Muhammadan, and now you are taking to Hinduism? You are so unfortunate?" So he could understand that "Here is a rascal. What I shall talk with him and argue with him?" He simply said, "Sir, it is... What is the fault there? Just like so many Hindus, they sometimes become Muhammadan, and suppose if I have become a Hindu, then what is the wrong there?" So the Kazi took it very seriously: "Oh, you are answering? All right. Order him that you beat this man in twenty-one..., cane, caning." So Haridāsa Ṭhākura was beaten in public market. The idea was that beating, he would die. But he did not die. Then the, I mean to say, men who were given in charge to beat him, they became afraid that "If this man is not dead, then the Kazi will take us very seriously that we have not beaten him seriously." So they began to flatter him, "Sir, unless you die, we'll be dead. Our life is in great danger." So Haridāsa Ṭhākura made a show of death, and he was brought before the Kazi that "Here, the body is dead."

So sometimes this kind of tribulation are there. Jesus Christ, what was his fault? He was preaching about God, or Kṛṣṅa. That was his fault, and he was crucified. So this is the world. This is the world. As soon as you become... This is māyā's arrangement. Māyā, as soon as she sees that "This man is going out of my hand," she will put so many tribulations, and we have to tolerate them.

tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc Ādi 17.31]

But you cannot stop kīrtana. That is not possible. So you should learn from the... 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.]

learn from the mahājana. Mahājana means the devotees. Mahājana. Mahājana is also addressed in India to the bāṅiyās, means the mercantile class, mahājana. The brāhmaṅa is addressed as paṅḍita, and the kṣatriya is addressed as ṭhākura, and the vaiśyas are addressed as mahājana, and the śūdras are addressed as chaudhuri. This is Indian etiquette. So we are not talking of this bāṅiyā mahājana. Mahājanas are described in the śāstra, twelve mahājana:

svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ prahlādo janako bhīṣmo balir vaiyāsakir vayam [SB 6.3.20]

[Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.]

So they are twelve mahājanas, and we have to follow these mahājanas. The Ṛṣabhadeva is also mahājana, and the greatest mahājana is Kṛṣṅa. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].

[The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities.]

Jana. Jana means life, and mahājana, the supreme person. So mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc Madhya 17.186].

Don't argue unnecessarily. Tarko 'pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā. You cannot come to conclusion by this method or that method. Just try to follow. Sādhu-mārga-anugamanam, ādau gurv-āśrayam sad-dharma-pṛcchā, sādhu-mārganugamanam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.74]. We have to follow the footprints of great saintly persons, devotees, mahājana. Here is Ṛṣabhadeva. But in the Kali-yuga it is not possible to imitate ājagara-vṛtti. It is not possible, because we are already so weak. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ [SB 1.1.10].

[O learned one, in this iron Age of Kali men almost always have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.]

This is our position. We are very unfortunate. Every one of us, we are very bad, mandāḥ, bad habits. So it is not possible to imitate Ṛṣabhadeva or Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Don't imitate, but try to follow. Anusaraṅa. Anukaraṅa is not good. Anukaraṅa means false imitation. That is called anukaraṅa. And anusaraṅa means to follow. Try to follow as far as possible.

So we have got good opportunity to follow Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That is intelligence. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32].

[In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṅa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṅa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.]

There is no need of unnecessarily accepting tribulation, which is impossible in this age when we are so much disturbed. We are already dead, just like animals. Therefore it is a special concession:

kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann hy asti eko mahān guṅaḥ kīrtanād eva kṛṣṅasya mukta-saṅgaḥ param... [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 try to chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra very sincerely, without any offense. Then... It is not possible to imitate or even follow Ṛṣabhadeva's process of self-realization. In the Kali-yuga it is not possible. But as it is recommended in the śāstra, as Ṛṣabhadeva in His another incarnation, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is teaching, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam [Cc Ādi 17.21].

[In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.]

Chant Hare Kṛṣṅa and you will get perfection.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda.