Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.6.1

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

rājovāca, na nūnaṁ bhagava ātmārāmāṅāṁ yoga-samīrita-jñānāvabharjita-karma-bījānām aiśvaryāṅi punaḥ kleśadāni bhavitum arhanti yadṛc-chayopagatāni [SB 5.6.1]

[03:47]

Translation: "King Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī: My dear Lord, for those who are completely pure in heart, knowledge is attained by the practice of bhakti-yoga, and attachment for fruitive activity is completely burned to ashes. For such people, the powers of mystic yoga automatically arise. They do not cause distress. Why, then, did Ṛṣabhadeva neglect them?"

Prabhupāda:

rājovāca, na nūnaṁ bhagava ātmārāmāṅāṁ yoga-samīrita-jñānāvabharjita-karma-bījānām aiśvaryāṅi punaḥ kleśadāni bhavitum arhanti yadṛc-chayopagatāni [SB 5.6.1]

So ātmārāmāṅām, ātmārāmāṅām, self-satisfied. There are two kinds of men: ātmārāma and apaśyatām atmā-tattvam [SB 2.1.2],

[Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.]

one who does not know what is the soul and what is the business of the soul. Apaśyatām atmā-tattvam. Ātma-tattvam... First of all, one has to understand that "I am not this body. I am ātmā, soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi." Then we fix up our business. If I do not know what I am... Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu: grāmya-vyavahāre paṅḍita, satya kari māni āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni [Cc Madhya 20.100].

[I do not know what is beneficial for me or what is detrimental. Nonetheless, in ordinary dealings people consider me a learned scholar, and I am also thinking of myself as such.]

This is going on. So-called learned philosophers, scientist, educationist—people call them learned scholars. But Sanātana Gosvāmī refused to accept. He said, grāmya-vyavahāre kahaye paṅḍita satya kari māni. That is our nature. Just like a beggar comes, he gives his blessing, "Sir, you become king. You become opulent. You...," so on, so on. So he thinks, "Now this beggar is blessing me. I may be... It may be I become a king. 'All right, you take some rupees.' " So this is not... They do not know atmā-tattvam. They think that "This beggar's blessing will make me happy." No. One should know atmā-tattvam and act accordingly.

That atmā-tattva begins after being liberated.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate param [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.]

That is atmā-tattvam. One should know simply understanding ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am not this body; I am a spirit soul." That is also knowledge, at least, than the karmīs. Karmīs, they have been described by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura as mūḍhas, asses. They do not know what is the aim of life, simply working. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ [SB 2.3.19]. So in śāstra, the human being who has no knowledge of atmā-tattva, such person is compared with four kinds of animals. Śva, śva means dog. Viḍ-varāha, viḍ-varāha means the pig. You have seen in Vṛndāvana so many pigs are loitering, searching after stool. Śva-viḍ-varāha uṣṭra. Uṣṭra also you have seen. They are so foolish that the thorny herbs..., and the tongue is cut, and there is blood oozing out, and the blood is tasted with the thorns and he thinks, "I am eating very palatable things." He's eating thorn, but because it is mixed up with his own blood, the foolish animal is thinking it is very tasteful. So these animals have been selected to compare with the human being if they are apaśyatām atmā-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām.

śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṅāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ apaśyatām atmā-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām [SB 2.1.2]

[Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.]

That is a person, one who does not know atmā-tattva. And one who knows atmā-tattva and the business of atmā-tattva, they are called ātmārāma, ātmārāma, enjoying.

Unless we become ātmārāma, there is no possibility of happiness. Just like these Gosvāmīs. They were very opulent ministers, but they were not happy. They resigned from the post, tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śreṅīṁ sadā tuccha-vat, because there was no happiness. And what they adopted? They adopted the life of a mendicant. Tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śreṅīṁ sadā tuccha-vat bhūtvā dīna-gaṅeśakau karuṅayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau [Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 4].

[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 kicked off all association of aristocracy as insignificant. In order to deliver the poor conditioned souls, they accepted loincloths, treating themselves as mendicants, but they are always merged in the ecstatic ocean of the gopīs' love for Kṛṣṅa and bathe always and repeatedly in the waves of that ocean.]

For doing good to the others they accepted kaupīna-kanthāśritau. So it is not a business of imitation, that "I am following the principles of Rūpa Gosvāmī." That is not so easy to become a Rūpa Gosvāmī, ātmārāma. They were busy, very busy in transcendental activities. Simply to give up the family life or big post and come to Vṛndāvana and live cheaply by begging some cāpāṭi and become Rūpa Gosvāmī, that is not ideal. You should follow Rūpa Gosvāmī, their footprints. Tyaktvā tūrṅam-aśeṣa-maṅḍala. First of all, Rūpa Gosvāmī, their giving up family life was meaningful. But if somebody, out of poverty, he comes to Vṛndāvana to solve the cāpāṭi problem, [laughter] that is not Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Rūpa Gosvāmī, they were engaged—nānā-śāstra-vicāraṅaika-nipuṅau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṅau. They were simply thinking, "How these rascals will be benefitted by Kṛṣṅa consciousness?" That is what..., their business, lokānāṁ hita-kāriṅau. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān [SB 7.9.43]. Prahlāda Mahārāja was anxious not for himself. Naivodvije para duratyayā-vaitaranyas tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ. "My Lord, personally I have no problem. It is finished." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi. Dhruva Mahārāja also said the same thing. A devotee, for personal... Because they are ātmārāma. They have no business for personal satisfaction. They are completely satisfied, ātmārāma. But they have got another dissatisfaction: that seeing men like us engaged in sense gratification and working whole day and night like dogs and pigs, so they are very much anxious. Tato vimukha-cetasa. "Without Kṛṣṅa consciousness, they are working so hard day and night like asses and pigs and dogs." They are very much anxious for this, "How to stop this foolish person from this unnecessary trouble?" Unnecessary trouble. That Ṛṣabhādeva has already instructed us in the beginning, that "Don't spoil your life working so hard like hogs and dogs. No, this is not good." Na sādhu manye. "This is not good." But they are thinking... Now it is advertised that "Work hard. Work hard." And the people have come to the stage of pulling ṭhelā and rickshaw, and still, they have to work hard. This is the position. Because they do not know what is..., how to become ātmārāma. That is the difficulty.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is to teach people how to become ātmārāma. When one becomes ātmārāma, then yoga-samīrita-jñānam. Bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, if one takes to bhakti-yoga, then automatically the atmā-jñāna, atmā-tattva jñāna, becomes developed. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ [SB 1.2.7].

[By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṅa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.]

Simply if you engage yourself in the devotional service of Vāsudeva... Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṅa, the son of Vasudeva. Another meaning of Vāsudeva: "who is all-pervading." Sarvatra vasate iti vāsudevaḥ. God is everywhere. Aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham.

eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṅḍa-koṭiṁ yac-chaktir asti-jagad-aṅḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṅḍāntara-stha paramāṅu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam aham... [Bs 5.35]

[He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.]

That is Vasudeva feature of Kṛṣṅa. He is, as Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṅu, aṅḍāntara-stham, within this universe. And paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61].

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

So this Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṅa, if we engage ourself in devotional service, that is yoga. Yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ, Kṛṣṅa says. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ [Bg 7.1]. That is real yoga, mad-āśrayaḥ. "Under Me, or a person who has taken shelter in Me, mad-āśrayaḥ." Mad-āśrayaḥ means either... It is not possible to take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa directly. That is not possible. You have to take shelter of a person who has already taken shelter of the lotus feet of... That is mad-āśrayaḥ. So that yogam... So this ātmārāma. These Gosvāmīs, Prahlāda Mahārāja, they are ātmārāma. Their karma-bīja is fried. What is said? Ava-bharjitāni. Even if you pour water, no, it is finished.

So those who are ātmā-rama, those who have taken to the bhakti-yoga, their karma-phala is finished. Karmāṅi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs 5.54].

[I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who burns up to their roots all fruitive activities of those who are imbued with devotion and impartially ordains for each the due enjoyment of the fruits of one's activities, of all those who walk in the path of work, in accordance with the chain of their previously performed works, no less in the case of the tiny insect that bears the name of indragopa than in that of Indra, king of the devas.]

They are not... The devotee may be observed that he's also engaged in ordinary work. He's also printing books and selling them and maintaining maṭhas and temples. "So he is also doing business." No, that is not business. That is bhakti. Sometimes bhakti appears to be like ordinary karma, but it is not karma. It is karma in this way, that the same peas, it looks like peas, but if you sow it, it will not produce anymore. Bharjitāni. Ava-bharjitāni. Yajñārthe karmaṅo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ [Bg 3.9].

[Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṅu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.]

If you work for Kṛṣṅa, it appears to be ordinary work, but it is not ordinary work. It is not the cause of bandhanaḥ. But if you work for Kṛṣṅa, there is no more karma-bandhanaḥ. Karmāṅi nirdahati ca kintu ca bhakti-bhājām. All others... Yas tv indragopam mahā indra... There is a germ, it is called indragopa. From indragopa to that Indra the king of heaven, everyone is bound up by the laws of karma. Everyone is bound up. But a bhakta is not bound up. How he can be bound up? Because as soon as he surrenders to Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa gives him assurance, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg 18.66]. Immediately finish...

So we can become immediately liberated. Liberated means who has no karma-bandhana, no resultant action. Ava-bharjitāni. That is liberation. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [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.]

Devotee, he may seem, it may appear, that he is also dying, but his death and ordinary death is different. Here—tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9]; and others—they are dying 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.]

There is a difference. Karmī... It appears that karmīs... People may say, "A karmī is dying and bhakta is dying. What is benefit?" No. He's not dying, but he is dying or giving up this body for living forever. And the nondevotees, he is dying to accept another body. That is the difference. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. So if you remain a minister, a president or some very big man, but if you are not a devotee, then you have to accept another body. Karmaṅā daiva netreṅa [SB 3.31.1].

[The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body.]

You have to... Daiva-netreṅa, by superior management, superior administration, you'll be judged what kind of karma you have done. Although you are minister, but you have done..., acted like a hog, like a dog, then you have to accept the body. Karmaṅā daiva-netreṅa jantor dehopapatti. But that we do not know. They do not believe. At the modern days they do not believe that there is next life and it is conducted by the laws of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ sarvaśaḥ... [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.]

Kāraṅaṁ guṅa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma yoniṣu [Bg 13.22]. Why there are difference of birth? One is king, another is dog; one is tree, another is worm. They are all living entities, part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayoyaḥ [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.]

They are all part and parcel. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg 15.7]: "They are all My part and parcel." Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṅi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati: they're struggling in this material nature because conducted by this mind and indriyas.

So we have to give up this. Ātmārāma means we have to give up for good the dictation of the mind. Then you are liberated. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha-guṅanuvarṅane [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.]

This is Ambarīṣa Mahārāja's example. All devotees, they have no other desires. Vaikuṅṭha. Prahlāda Mahārāja also says, tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ [SB 7.9.43]: "I am simply engaged in describing the powerful activities of Your Lordship." That should be our life. If you stick to this point, then we shall not speak anything except glorifying the Supreme Lord. If we make that point fixed up, we shall not talk foolishly. Simply vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha-guṅanuvarṅane. We shall use our legs to go to the temples. We shall use our eyes to see the Deity, how nicely He is decorated, and appreciate. We shall use our hand in cleansing the temple, in playing the instruments, khol, karatāla, for chanting. So, ear for hearing Kṛṣṅa's pastimes, nose for smelling the flower offered to Kṛṣṅa... In this way, hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc Madhya 19.170].

[Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.]

When you engage your senses, hṛṣīkeśa sevanam... The senses are not yours, because this body is given by Kṛṣṅa through the agency of māyā. You wanted this thing. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61].

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

He knows what you are wanting because He is constantly seeing you. He is sitting within your heart, the same tree, two birds. One bird is I am, the individual soul; another bird is Kṛṣṅa. So He knows, and He is giving us, giving me the facility.

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati bhrāmāyān sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā [Bg 18.61]

He knows what I am desiring, and He is asking māyā, "Give him this body."

So in this way, if we remain entrapped in the laws of material nature, then it is not good. Na sādhu manye yata atmāno yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ [SB 5.5.4]. This practice we should give up: mano-dharma, mental concoction. We should immediately accept Kṛṣṅa's instruction and be situated in atmā-dharma. That is ātmārāma. Kṛṣṅa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekāṁ śaraṅam vraja [Bg 18.66].

Thank you very much. [end]