Våndävana
We are looking from Canto 6, YamaräjaInstructs His Messengers and we are looking to verse 22nd, is it?
oà namo bhagavate väsudeväya
oà namo bhagavate väsudeväya
oà namo bhagavate väsudeväya
etävän eva loke ’smin
puàsäà dharmaù paraù småtaù
bhakti-yogo bhagavati
tan-näma-grahaëädibhiù
It’s like Bhagavad-gétä, lyric is like Bhagavad-gétä, it’s beautiful, anuñöup [caëòa?], it is known as. It is a very devotional lyric, you know?
yä niçä sarva-bhütänäà
tasyäà jägarti saàyamé
yasyäà jägrati bhütäni
sä niçä paçyato muneù
(BG 2.69)
This is Bhagavad-gétä.
etävän eva loke ’smin
puàsäà dharmaù paraù småtaù
bhakti-yogo bhagavati
tan-näma-grahaëädibhiù
etävän—this much; eva—indeed; loke asmin—in this material world
This gives us the first line. This is how we should try to understand the çlokas. In the first line there are three words and the meanings are given by Çréla Prabhupäda very clearly in the word to word equivalents. So you try to understand. etävän—this much; then eva means indeed; loke asmin—in this material world. Once you understand the meaning…those who are from Bhäratavarñaor those who are staying in Våndävana, they all belong to Bhäratanow. It doesn’t matter if you are here two days, doesn’t matter, it has an electrifying effect in Våndävanathat immediately you are electrified and you speak about Kåñëa. This is the transcendental touch. This bhümiis not an ordinary bhümi, it doesn’t belong to this planet. We are very fortunate to be here. Those who are here, please make best of your stay before you go away to the western or eastern wherever you have come from. So this is the way to get into the verses. Unless you realize the meaning of the words it would be very difficult for us to discuss about the verse. This much, etävän, you try to repeat four, five times and it will be with you. eva means certainly, you know, indeed. loke asmin—in this material world. We are in this material world so we can understand this loke ’sminand then you go on repeating etävän eva loke ’smin, etävän eva loke ’smin. And this is how you pick up the two words. Those who are from Våndävana,or any part of Bhäratavarña,they have got a special facility because our languages are very near to Sanskrit so many times there are familiar words, we can learn within no time.
Repeat after me; etävän eva loke ’smin, this much, indeed, in this material world. Now we go to the second line; puàsäà, of the living entities, dharmaù, the religious principles, paraù, transcendental, småtaù, recognized. In this material world, for the living entities, definite principles of the religion are recognized and they are paraù, they are transcendental. They don’t belong to this planet. The dharmic principles, the religious principles, they don’t belong to this planet and that’s why they are known as paraù. Our bodies are the material bodies. We belong to this planet with our body but our soul is not material. apareyam itas tv anyäà, prakåtià viddhi me paräm ( BG 7.5).
Our prakåti, the prakåtiof our soul is paräm, it is transcendental and that’s why it is not affected by the material turbulations, we should not be affected at all. Paraùword we should always remember. Please repeat again; puàsäà, of the living entities, dharmaù, the religious principles, paraù, transcendentaland småtaù, this should be recognized. The meaning of the recognition is that we don’t forget. We recognize our bank balance. Never forget, if somebody wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you, “hey how much do you have in the state Bank of India?” “Five thousand, three hundred and ninety three, including paisaalso.” Because we have recognized it and we have so really engrossed in it. Instead of engrossing in the material assets, maybe it is the wife, husband or children or this or that, nothing… you can’t do anything. You cannot do. Falsely we think that, “I am maintaining my family. I’m maintaining my health, no you can’t do, you cannot do, it is not in your hands. The thing which is not in your hand, don’t take the credit unnecessarily. Çréla Prabhupädasays that we want to lord it over, “These are my five children, this is my one wife, or 1st wife or 2nd or 3rd or 4th.” I don’t know, but this way we identify ourselves. We recognize with the material things and as soon as you recognize, småtaù, as soon as you recognize with the material things you have to accept the miseries because there are two sides of the coin; one is the material side, it appears very good, you know? Bank balance appears very nice, but the other side is a misery and that you have to take the whole thing.
Suppose we are driving a car and I’m alone there so I want only one wheel and one seat but I cannot take one wheel and one seat. As soon as you take out the car you have to draw out the whole paraphernalia; four wheels, one extra wheel then four seats, five seats and then you go out. So as soon as you identify yourself with the material things, the whole paraphernalia has to go with you. And this we don’t understand. So småtaù, please remember this. Recognize. Instead of recognizing the temporary material things, it is advised in Çrémad-Bhägavatamand all our scriptures that we should recognize the paraù, the transcendental Absolute Truth. And as soon as you go to Him; na yatra çoko na jarä na måtyur (SB 2.2.27), there is no çoka, there is no lamentation, no jarä, there is no old age. If you don’t want to get old then day and night, continuously you have to be with Çréla Prabhupäda’s books. This is the medicine. What is it called? Shilajit. ÄyurvedicShilajit, do you know Shilajit? That is the perspiration of the mountain, the mountain is also the living entity and it perspires and those who can recognize, they go to the mountain after summer season and they will find the perspiration and they make a very nice medicine out of that perspiration. In Äyurvedic, it is known as Shilajit. It cannot help you. Even Shilajit, it is helpless because everything depends to what extent you recognize the transcendental Absolute Truth. To that extent you will have good health. Immediately from your face it is revealed how much you are recognizing the Transcendental Truth. So please, we cannot hide these things. It’s always revealed on our faces. To come to this point, bahünäà janmanäm ante( BG 7.19),bahünäà,after so many births, bahünäà just to assemble here we don’t know how many births we have performed pious activities. I don’t know really, and that’s why we’re lucky to assemble in this hall. This is paraù. Please remember this. Then we go to the 3rd line.
bhakti-yogaù—bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, bhagavati—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (not to the demigods) Are you alright? Please with a loud voice
bhakti-yogaù—bhakti-yoga, or devotional service,bhagavati—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (not to the demigods);tat—His; näma— the holy name; grahaëa-ädibhiù—beginning with chanting.
Translation by Çréla Prabhupäda. Çréla Prabhupädaki jaya! Please repeat. Repeat it loudly.
Devotional service, beginning with the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is the ultimate religious principle for the living entity in human society.
Purport by Çréla Prabhupäda, please hear.
As stated in the previous verse, dharmaà bhägavatam, real religious principles, are bhägavata-dharma, the principles described in Çrémad-Bhägavatam itself or in Bhagavad-gétä, the preliminary study of the Bhägavatam. What are these principles? The Bhägavatam says, dharmaù projjhita-kaitavo ’tra: [SB 1.1.2] in Çrémad-Bhägavatam there are no cheating religious systems. Everything in the Bhägavatam is directly connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Bhägavatam further says, sa vai puàsäà paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokñaje: [SB 1.2.6] the supreme religion is that which teaches its followers how to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the reach of experimental knowledge. Such a religious system begins with tan-näma-grahaëa, chanting of the holy name of the Lord (çravaëaà kértanaà viñëoù smaraëaà päda-sevanam [SB 7.5.23]). After chanting the holy name of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy, one gradually sees the form of the Lord, the pastimes of the Lord and the transcendental qualities of the Lord. This way one fully understands the situation of the Personality of Godhead. One can come to this understanding of the Lord, how He descends into the material world, how He takes His births and what activities He performs, but one can know this only by executing devotional service. As stated in Bhagavad-gétä, bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti: [Bg. 18.55] simply by devotional service one can understand everything about the Supreme Lord. If one fortunately understands the Supreme Lord in this way, the result is tyaktvä dehaà punar janmanaiti: [Bg. 4.9] after giving up his material body, he no longer has to take birth in this material world. Instead, he returns home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate perfection. Therefore Kåñëa says in Bhagavad-gétä (8.15):
mäm upetya punar janma
duùkhälayam açäçvatam
näpnuvanti mahätmänaù
saàsiddhià paramäà gatäù
“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogés in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.”
oà ajïäna-timirändhasya
jïänäïjana-çaläkayä
cakñur unmélitaà yena
tasmai çré-gurave namaù
çré-caitanya-mano-’bhéñöaà
sthäpitaà yena bhü-tale
svayaà rüpaù kadä mahyaà
dadäti sva-padäntikam
mükaà karoti väcälaà
paìguà laìghayate girim
yat-kåpä tam ahaà vande
çré-guruà déna-täraëam
mükaà karoti väcälaà
paìguà laìghayate girim
yat-kåpä tam ahaà vande
paramänanda-mädhavam
he kåñëa karuëä-sindho
déna-bandho jagat-pate
gopeça gopikä-känta
rädhä-känta namo ’stu te
tapta-käïcana-gauräìgi
rädhe våndävaneçvari
våñabhänu-sute devi
praëamämi hari-priye
And then all Vaiñëavaswe should pay obeisances to.
väïchä-kalpatarubhyaç ca
kåpä-sindhubhya eva ca
patitänäà pävanebhyo
vaiñëavebhyo namo namaù
çré-kåñëa-caitanya
prabhu-nityänanda
çré-advaita gadädhara
çréväsädi-gaura-bhakta-vånda
hare kåñëa hare kåñëa
kåñëa kåñëa hare hare
hare räma hare räma
räma räma hare hare
It’s very easy, very easy to understand. Çrémad-Bhägavatamis puräëam amalaà. In 12th canto it is very nicely described that how we should approach this scripture. And if you follow the instructions given by KåñëaHimself then it becomes very easy to understand this scripture
çrémad-bhägavataà puräëam amalaà yad vaiñëavänäà priyaà
yasmin päramahaàsyam ekam amalaà jïänaà pari géyate
tatra jïäna-viräga-bhakti-sahitaà naiñkarmyam äviskåtaà
tac chåëvan su-paöhan vicäraëa-paro bhaktyä vimucyen naraù
The beginning of the devotional service is from the unflinching faith in the existence of the Supreme Absolute Truth,which we doubt very much. Kali-yuga, you know? Saàçayaùeverywhere , it is doubtful, completely doubtful. Somehow or the other we are all in Kåñëa’s dhama, it’s a great fortune to recite Kåñëa’s names on this transcendental land. You should completely drive away the doubts from your mind. Complete, eradicate, just brush it off. There is no place to doubt. How can you doubt the Personality of Godhead, who has created this body, you know? And how much complicated machinery it is, you know? Every second of the moment, since last…when we were in the womb of the mother and it was only 3 months since then our heart is working. Is there any authority in the world, are there any scientists who can make the heart like this. They wanted to prepare the heart and the brain particularly because our brain is a nice computer. There is no need of any button here, there is no plug, you eat kitchari and computer works. You computer will never work with the kitchari and we are very proud, such a big thing we have and then we, “he he he he he he.” Go on. And this computer is automatic and it starts from the 3 months in the womb of the mother and it is with you, there is no need of repairing at all because if we repair it, it goes out of order, we can not meddle with the brain. No, can’t do that. Such a complicated machinery, Kåñëamaintains by His energy, by the external energy. Have we the capacity, in any way can we compete with the Absolute Truth? And we are doubting, “there is no Kåñëa, he he he he.” [laughs] And we are breathing His air, which is His energy; bhümir äpo ’nalo väyuù, khaà mano buddhir eva ca [BG 7.4]. bhümiùäpaù, we are drinking His water, we are taking snänawith the water, “ha he han han, I have a great reservation, I can’t see Kåñëa.” Because you are thinking you cannot see you cannot relate with Kåñëa. Even the mürti, the mürtiis KåñëaHimself. We are very many times accused that we are worshipping the statues, you know. Those who call mürtis statues, they are themselves statues. And I’ll tell you one thing; what is statue worship. Here also we may have so many statues, not in Våndävana, I don’t see but maybe in Delhi or Matura.
In London there is a statue of Churchill standing like this, you know, since last maybe 25 years. And it’s a nice square in Parliament Square. Thousands of cars are going, the poor fellow is inhaling the fumes all the time. Then he has his friends; pigeons. They come and sit on his head and the shoulders and put nice decoration, gawd. And if he’s very dirtythen the municipal sweeper comes with the sweeper brush and come on, “boom boomie boomie boomie.” And nobody looks at him, he has to tolerate the rain, cold, snow, whatever it comes, he has to tolerate. That is statue worship. For our mürtis, see how we have palatial buildings. Has anybody a sitting hall like this? And we don’t do anything, we chant; Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. And we are the owners of this hall. We don’t do much, we don’t do much. This is for our mürti. The meaning of the mürti, the translation was completely wrongly given and forced upon our brain by our Britishers guests. They were here guests for 300 years. And they were unpaid guests. We paid that time. And this is how they tried to destroy our own culture by giving us the wrong translations. Mürti doesn’t mean statue or idol. Mürti means deity, transcendental form of the Lord. And that mürti has so much capacity that millions of people are coming and going and having the darçana. Who are inviting them? That is äkarñaëa, He attracts. If it is a stone, or wood, or oil paint or whatever it is, has it any capacity to attract? Frankly speaking this is a stone, but a mürtiis carved according to the descriptions of the scriptures. And because it is a mürtinow, it is no more stone. If it would have been an ordinary stone we might have thrown it out, or if you take a picture of Kåñëaor any pastimes, frankly speaking that picture is nothing but an ordinary paper. If they would not have been the association of Kåñëawith that paper we would have thrown that paper away. The same way, if your life does not have any association with the Supreme Absolute Truth, it is to be thrown away. It will be rejected by anybody and everybody. But if you carry Kåñëawith you constantly, continuously; teñäà satata-yuktänäà, bhajatäà préti-pürvakam, [BG 10.10] this is the condition; teñäà, you have to worship Him and how? Satata-yuktä, always. You arrange your activities in this way then you will not forget Him for a single second and your life will be completely, highly elevated.
Just to utter His names…we want to have the communion with the Lord, but we don’t follow the process. Communion with the Lord, by the transmission of the transcendental sound of mahä-mantra-Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. This is non-different from the complete spirit, whole spirit, Kåñëa. As soon as you utter Kåñëa’s names, Kåñëais with you. It’s non-different. This is the completely perfect method to approach the Lord. Don’t create unnecessary doubts because of the three modes of material nature;
tribhir guëa-mayair bhävair
ebhiù sarvam idaà jagat
mohitaà näbhijänäti
mäm ebhyaù param avyayam
(BG 7.13)
He says in Bhagavad-gétä clearly; tribhir guëa-mayair bhävaiù, These bhävas, which are forced upon us by the three modes of material nature; sattva, raja and tama, the mode of goodness, mode of passion and mode of ignorance. Sarvam idaà jagat, the whole universe is suffering from three modes of material nature and the result is;mohitaà näbhijänäti, they’re illusioned, they don’t know mäm ebhyaù param avyayam, that, “I’m the transcendental Absolute Truth, they don’t know.” And then the concomitant effect is the pride, we are very proud of our situation. We find out anything, that I have a shaved head, so I am very proud, what is this bush. I’m very proud of it. Pride clings anywhere.
You know, there were three ladies, mätäjis, and even now we were in Gujarat in the village and girls and mätäjis, they go to the well or tap and fill the water in the jars, you know? So those ladies were going to fetch the water and they were talking together because that was the only free time for them, they have to do hard work, you know? So, one started that, she said to the rest of the two that, “My husband has a so nice hand writing, he writes like a pearl and he can read and even a small child can read.” The other one was envious, she said, “Forget about your husband! My husband, such a nice hand writing that if he writes, he can only read, nobody else can read.” She was proud. See how the pride clings. The first lady was a bit better that she said that her husband’s handwriting are very nice so that he writes, he can read and anybody can read. But the second one was very proud, she said, “What is your husband nonsense if everybody reads? If my husband writes he can only read, nobody else can read.” The third one jumped, “Forget about both of you,” she said, “your husbands are wretched! My husband, if he writes, neither he can read or nobody else can read.” She was very proud.
This is how there is no point in being proud but these three modes of material… impelled by the three modes of material and befooled by the material identification. We should remember these three modes of material nature. We’re impelled by them, it is a force. You may be in the mode of ignorance and you act in the mode of ignorance. Impelled by the modes of material nature and in addition to it, befooled by the material identification that I am such and such, [grunts] my wife is such and such and my wife is very beautiful. She may be very ugly but everybody sees his wife, “very beautiful” or her husband, “very beautiful.” We somehow or the other train our eyes, if I go to the mirror my face may be like a monkey but even then I will just, “oh, how nice grey hair is here and how nice wrinkles are here, very nice. [laughs] And he comes out, he is very proud because he has seen in the mirror. This is how we are befooled by the material identification which never remains same. Never, never. Cala jivana yauvana, cala means always changing, always changing. We were 2 years old, we were 5 years old, we were 10 years old, now youth, maybe gliding down again, so, cala jiva yauvanam. Cala cala idam sarvam, whatever is there is completely changing every moment. Every moment of the time we are completely changing and it is very nicely described in the 11th chapter…11th canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam that, this is nitya pralaya, always there is devastation. Always there is devastation but we don’t see that. We only see when there is a change, when this black hair goes to grey hair then we see, “oh that’s it. I’m getting old now.” This is how. And in the beginning we want to hide those grey hairs. I had a few in the beginning, grey hairs, you know? I was trying to hide it, putting some oil here and there. Then the time came whenI couldn’t hide so I combed my hair so nobody could see that there were grey hairs. And then when it was whole grey then I shaved off and became a devotee. [laughs]