Room Conversation About 10th Canto

Prabhupāda: They are taking Hindi books like hotcakes.

Abhirāma: But he's complaining...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Abhirāma: ...that they're not arriving. [break]

Prabhupāda: We can work little. [break] ...here and sit down. [break] ...is the spelling of your name Avirāma or Abhirāma?

Abhirāma: When you initiated me, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you, at least in the letter, it was spelled Avhi, Avhi. But generally you call me Abhi.

Prabhupāda: Avirāma means without tiresomeness.

Hari-śauri: Without what?

Abhirāma: Tiresomeness. [laughs] And abhi?

Prabhupāda: And abhirāma means always chanting Rāma.

Abhirāma: Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the initiation letter you said that it means one who is affectionate to Rāma.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Always chanting.

Abhirāma: I should be always chanting.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is a nasty world. [devotees chuckle] The only safety is to take shelter of Rāma. Harer nāma harer nāma... [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.]

Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [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.]

When there are so many material inconveniences... Tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā [Cc Ādi 17.31]. Very nasty world.

Yaśodānandana: Amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.

Abhirāma: That Abhirāma, that is the associate of Mahāprabhu? That is different.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Abhirāma: There is one associate of Mahāprabhu, Abhirāma.

Prabhupāda: Both may be, Abhirāma or Avirāma. Both carries meaning. Abhirāma is better. [break] ...you can give...

Abhirāma: He's going to come just where I am, Śrīla Prabhupāda. He's going to sit just here. [break]

Pradyumna: This is verse number 44. It says,

evaṁ sammohayan viṣṅuṁ vimohaṁ viśva-mohanam svayaiva māyayājo 'pi svayam eva vimohitaḥ [SB 10.13.44]

Prabhupāda: Word meaning?

Pradyumna: Evam—thus, in this way; sammohayan...

Prabhupāda: Yes. He wanted to mystify Kṛṣṅa and His companions. He himself became mohitaḥ.

Pradyumna: Bewildered?

Prabhupāda: Yes. And that means Kṛṣṅa's mystic power more than him.

Pradyumna: Here it's said, sammohayan viṣṅum. Viṣṅum—the all-pervading Lord Kṛṣṅa. So Viṣṅu [Sanskrit]. Vimoham—He who can never come under illusion, Viṣṅu, vimoham.

Prabhupāda: Vimoham, yes.

Pradyumna: [Sanskrit]

Prabhupāda: He cannot be mystified.

Pradyumna: Viśva-mohanam...

Prabhupāda: He is mystifying the whole universe.

Pradyumna: Svayaiva māyayā—by his own mystic power?

Prabhupāda: He became mystified, Brahmā.

Pradyumna: Ajo 'pi.

Prabhupāda: Instead of defeating Kṛṣṅa, he became defeated.

Pradyumna: Svayam eva vimohitaḥ—he himself became bewildered.

Prabhupāda: Each word clear?

Pradyumna: Yes. Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Then the meaning will be clear. In this way, if we finish one verse, and that is complete. Is that not?

Pradyumna: Yes. Then I..., I made some notes from these ṭīkās. I can read?

Prabhupāda: No, the word meaning finished?

Pradyumna: Word meaning finished, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Then translation.

Pradyumna: I'll read this anuvāda.

Prabhupāda: Read the Bengali.

Pradyumna: [Bengali—Brahmā to kariyā viṣṅur]

Prabhupāda: Brahmā... Bhagavān... Brahmā wanted to bewilder Kṛṣṅa, who is bewildering the whole universe.

Pradyumna: Viśva...

Prabhupāda: Do you follow?

Pradyumna: Yes. [Bengali—Viṣṅur to hailena]

Prabhupāda: The... This... Mama māyā duratyayā [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.]

The whole universe is under His mystic power, and Brahmā wanted to mystify Him. The result is that on the contrary, Brahmā himself became mystified. It is clear?

Pradyumna: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: "I wanted to kill you, but you kill me." This is the position. [laughs] So these scientists and other philosophers, they want to overcome the mystic power of Kṛṣṅa, challenging Kṛṣṅa, "What is God? We can do this. We can do that." The more they are doing this, they are more implicated and suffering. This is the position.

Pradyumna: [aside:] It's recording all right. It's recording all right. Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I was just seeing if it was recording all right.

Prabhupāda: The instruct is we should not try to overcome Kṛṣṅa.

Pradyumna: In such? We should not...?

Prabhupāda: Try to overcome Kṛṣṅa. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅam [Bg 18.66]. We should surrender unto Him instead of endeavoring to surpass Him.

Pradyumna: Then Viśvanātha Cakravartī, tataś ca brahmā moha samūdra varte nipapātā ityāḥ evam iti. In previous verse it said Brahmā was ciraṁ dhyātvā sa ātma-bhūḥ. He could not understand.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Pradyumna: So tataś ca brahmā moha samūdra varte nipapātā ityāḥ.

Prabhupāda: Instead of defeating Kṛṣṅa, he became defeated. He could not understand what He was doing.

Pradyumna: Then he says samohayan...

Prabhupāda: Brahmā is the chief person within this universe. He became so much bewildered, what to speak of so-called scientists and philosophers. We should not make such attempt. The best thing is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅam [Bg 18.66]. We should give up all our teeny efforts to defy the arrangement of Kṛṣṅa. Better whatever arrangement He is proposing, do like this. This is Bhagavad-gītā. That will make us happy. Is this clear?

Pradyumna: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. [plays last portion of tape back] Then it says samohayan vatsa-bāla-steyena [Sanskrit to manaha]. So samohayan vatsa-bāla-steyena, "By stealing the vatsa and bālas," mohayitum upakramamāṅaḥ... Viśvanātha Cakravartī says, "Just beginning to try to make him illusioned." [Sanskrit to mohitah]

Prabhupāda: I have already explained that.

Pradyumna: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Instead of bewildering Kṛṣṅa, he became defeated.

Pradyumna: [Sanskrit—mohitasyāpi to mityarthaḥ]

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is going on. As we are trying to defeat the arrangement of Kṛṣṅa, we are becoming implicated in Kṛṣṅa's māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā duratyayā [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.]

It cannot be. And better... Mām eva ye prapadyante [Bg 7.14]. Anyone who agrees to surrender to the instruction of Kṛṣṅa, māyām etāṁ taranti, he is liberated. He is free from kṛṣṅa-māyā. Just like government force you cannot overcome. First of all there are laws, then there is police power, then there is military power—one after another. What is the use of trying to overcome government power? This is, is... So...

Pradyumna: [Sanskrit—na tu to iti]

Prabhupāda: Yes. He became defeated by his own attempt.

Pradyumna: [Sanskrit—māyayāḥ to ca]

Prabhupāda: In the next verse it is clear that Kṛṣṅa can't be defeated by any kind of mystic power.

Pradyumna: And there's one on this same verse. Sanātana Gosvāmī says one thing.

Prabhupāda: Vaiṣṅava-toṣaṅī?

Pradyumna: Yes. Vaiṣṅava-toṣaṅī. [Sanskrit—sammohayan to ityataḥ] Desiring to...

Prabhupāda: Actually, Brahmā came to bewilder Kṛṣṅa, and everyone is... Actually we see: even little power, with scientific knowledge, they are trying to defy, "What is God?" And Brahmā, who is the chief person within the universe, he will become such bewildered, and there is astonishment. And this is the position of conditioned soul.

Pradyumna: [Sanskrit—evam to sam-śabdaḥ]

Prabhupāda: Sammohita means?

Pradyumna: He says, sammohana. So what is this sam? Sam-śabda tad... [Sanskrit]

Prabhupāda: Samyak.

Pradyumna: Sam is there, so, but he cannot... Samyak mohana kṛṣṅa. So why is it there? [Sanskrit tad to eva] According his abhiprāya was there, but not actually doing.

Prabhupāda: His purpose was to mystify Kṛṣṅa, but he himself became mystified.

Pradyumna: And he has a note on the word viṣṅu. Viṣṅum iti sarva vyāpa kaṁ māyā tasya [Sanskrit—to bhava].

Prabhupāda: Viṣṅu, the whole material world... Brahmā is one of the portion. There are... Aṅḍāntara... How many universes? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṅḍa-nāthāḥ [Bs 5.48].

[Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṅu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṅu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṅu is the portion of portion.]

Nāthāḥ, plural number. So there are innumerable universes, and this Brahmā is a teeny four-headed. That was exhibited in Dvārakā when Kṛṣṅa called for Brahmā. So what he can do to bewilder Kṛṣṅa? That is not possible. You pick up the idea.

Pradyumna: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Then it will be nice purport.

Pradyumna: And there's one interesting note, Vīrarāghavācārya. He says in the verse there is svayaiva māyayā. So he says, svayaiva māyayā iti anena sva-śarīraka paramātmā māyayā iti vivakṣitam. Paramātmā, in his sva-śarīraka paramātmā māyayā, paramātmā, in his own body, had...

Prabhupāda: Upendra can give me little honey in my mouth.

Abhirāma: Śrīla Prabhupāda? I can give you the honey?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's... Avirāma, "always working."

Pradyumna: Śrīla Prabhupāda, would you like to do the next verse?

Prabhupāda: If you like. Otherwise, make this verse correctly. Then take up the next.

Pradyumna: Yes. Everything was very nicely explained, Śrīla Prabhupāda, very...

Prabhupāda: Pick up the words. Set up in right place. It will be nice. In this way, slow but sure. Then, even in this condition, I can help you. There is no question of hurrying. Finish one verse, husband and wife, one day. And make it everything clear. Eh?

Pradyumna: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Vīrarāghavācārya, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī. We are just trying to explain their idea. We are teeny.

Pradyumna: I think your commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will go down in history as one of the most..., one of the best commentaries. It will go down.

Abhirāma: Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Let us try for that. [takes honey] Hmm... Therefore I said "Upendra," [laughter] because it is solidified.

Abhirāma: I'll bring liquid. Most of that honey is solidified.

Prabhupāda: Why? He knows how to liquidify. [long pause]

Jayādvaita: You were saying that we should do one verse in one day, Śrīla Prabhupāda? And do it thoroughly?

Prabhupāda: Then I think you can do it very nicely. Yes.

Jayādvaita: Yes. Each purport will be very rich that way.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayādvaita: It will be very much appreciated.

Prabhupāda: Or you bring one morning one, like that. There is no need of being hurry. Hmm?

Jayādvaita: No.

Prabhupāda: You can discuss amongst yourselves. Pick up the right word and place. Then it will be very nice.

Abhirāma: Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Bās. No more want.

Abhirāma: It wasn't good?

Prabhupāda: Not bad. We shall see tomorrow. Give me little water. And with some wet handkerchief...

Abhirāma: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: In this way let us pull on. Fight between māyā. Hmm. [temple bell rings 4 times] Hmm. [break] Sit up for a while and chant beads. [end]