Lectures
and Other Writings

Guru-purnima and Sanatana Gosvami's Disappearance Day
 A Lecture by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
July 11, 1976
New York
 
krsna-sakti dhara tumi, jana tattva-bhava
 jani' dardhya lagi' puche-sadhura svabhava
(Cc Madhya 20.105)
 
Sanatana Gosvami is guru. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is authorizing him to become
guru. This is the parampara system. Nobody can become a guru all of a
 sudden. Self-made guru--that is not guru. Here Sanatana Gosvami is presented
as the ideal disciple. He is asking, ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya: "Who
am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble?" (Cc Madhya
20.102) This is the process--how to approach a guru, how to ask him
questions. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena: "Just try to learn the truth
by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively." (Bg 4.34)
Pariprasna means to question. That is also required. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu
is authorizing him. Therefore He says, krsna-sakti dhara tumi. Here Krsna,
 Caitanya Mahaprabhu, is authorizing Sanatana Gosvami. Unless he has the
power to receive the instruction, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not going to waste
His time. Sanatana Gosvami has got the power; he is empowered. Krsna
Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is to preach Krsna consciousness all over the
world. So He is empowering Sanatana Gosvami to take this task and spread
Krsna consciousness. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. You will find in
the Caitanya-caritamrta the verse krsna-sakti vina nahe nama pracarana.
Without being empowered by Krsna, nobody can preach the holy name of the
Lord. Krsna-sakti vina nahe nama pracarana. Without getting the power of
attorney . . . Even if one is a qualified lawyer, he must get power of
attorney from his client. Then he can speak. That is the law. Similarly,
 without being endowed with the power of attorney from Krsna,

it is not possible to preach.
 
Because we are preparing ourselves to preach Krsna consciousness, we must be
qualified to get the power of attorney. Sometimes one says, "I will preach."
What you will preach? First get the power of attorney; then preach.
Preaching is not so easy that anyone and everyone can preach without . . .
Krsna-sakti vina nahe nama pracarana. To get that power of attorney one has
to qualify himself--not that the power of attorney is hanging in a tree and
you can take it. No. And how can this power of attorney be achieved? You are
singing daily, guru-puja. Today is Guru-purnima. Especially we should
understand what is the power of attorney.
 
sri-guru-carana-padma, kevala-bhakti-sadma,
vando mui savadhana mate
 
"The lotus feet of the spiritual master are the only way by which we can
 attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and
reverence." This is the beginning. If you want to be a devotee, then you
must approach a spiritual master who has got the power. Savadhana means very
carefully, not whimsically.
 
yahara prasade bhai, e bhava tariya yai,
krsna-prapti haya yaha haite
 
Why should one go to a spiritual master? Yanhara prasade bhai: "My dear
brother, if you get the benediction of the spiritual master . . ." Yanhara
prasade bhai, ei bhava toriya yai. What is that benediction? The benediction
is not "Cure my disease." People do not know, generally. Therefore they are
cheated. The other day in Washington, a lady came with a backache. She came
for curing her leg trouble. That is going on. "So you should approach a
spiritual master? There are so many doctors, hospitals. You go there." "No.
Show me your miracles." And so-called gurus are also cheating like
that--some miracles and he becomes God. This is going on. But the miracle of
spiritual master is yanhara prasade bhai, ei bhava toriya yai. This is the
miracle--no more material existence (ei bhava toriya yai). The real thing is
that one can cross over the ocean of nescience. That is the real gain. That
is the real favor of the spiritual master--not to cure your leg and again
you walk and again you break your leg and again you come. Not like that.
 
Krsna-prapti haya yaha haite. That is spiritual master--one who can give you
 Krsna. Krsna se tomare, krsna dite para, dhai tava pache pache, Bhaktivinoda
Thakura says. "I am seeking after Krsna, O Vaisnava Thakura, my spiritual
master, and Krsna is your property." Krsna is not independent. He is the
property of the devotee. Krsna se tomara, krsna dite para, dhai tava pache
pache. "I am just following you, sir. Because Krsna is your property, if you
like you can deliver Him to me: 'Take immediately.' " It is not flattering;
it is in the sastras. Vedesu durlabha adurlabha atma-bhaktau: "Krsna is
inaccessible to the Vedas but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the
soul." (BS 5.33) You cannot get Krsna by studying all the Vedas. Vedesu
durlabha. Durlabha means it is not possible.
 
athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-
prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi
janati tattvam bhagavan-mahimno
na canya eko 'pi ciram vicinvan
 
"My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your
lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those
who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to
know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years." (SB
10.14.29) One who has gotten a little favor from Krsna, he knows
krsna-tattva. Yat-karunya-kataksa-vaibhavavatam gauram eva stumah (one who
has received the merciful glance of Lord Caitanya). Prabodhananda Sarasvati
composed this verse. Kaivalyam narakayate. Kaivalya means to merge into the
Brahman existence--no distinction, oneness. That is called kaivalya. For a
 Vaisnava, kaivalya is as good as hell (kaivalyam narakayate). No Vaisnava
will say, "Now I am going to merge into the Brahman existence"--no, because
they hate it as hell. Then? Heavenly planets? Tridasa-pur akasa-puspayate.
Tridasa-pur means heaven, where many millions of demigods live. A Vaisnava
considers it as akasa-puspa, will o' the wisp, phantasmagoria. It has no
value. Akasa-puspayate--that means karmis. And jnanis are after liberation,
merging into the Brahman existence, kaivalya. The Vaisnava thinks, "Oh, this
achievement is as good as going to hell." Then? Heavenly planet? Karmis?
They might have pious activities. They want to go to the heavenly planet.
The Vaisnava says, "What is this heavenly planet? It is phantasmagoria. It
has no . . ." Actually it is so.
 
Then yogis? The yogi's main business is to control the senses. That is real
yoga. Yoga indriya-samyamah--controlling the senses so that the mind can be
in a peaceful condition. Then you can apply the mind for meditation. Without
controlling your senses, the mind cannot be controlled. If the mind is
agitated, what is this nonsense meditation? First of all control the mind;
then think of meditation. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa. We have to
meditate with the mind. But if the mind is agitated, where is the question
of meditation? It is all bogus. For a yogi the first business is yama,
niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana--astanga-yoga. Then
one's mind is controlled. Then dhyanavasthita. Then he can remain in trance,
always thinking of Visnu. That is yoga. The first thing is to control the
mind and the senses.
 
That process is also declined by a devotee. He says, durdanta
indriya-kala-sarpa-patali protkhata-damstrayate. The senses are just like
venomous serpents, always agitating. And as soon as one sense touches
another, one's spiritual life is finished. If a serpent touches even a
little, immediately one's life is finished. Similarly, our senses are very
strong, like serpents, uncontrollable. Why is the serpent so dangerous?
Because it has got fangs, poison. But there are Ayurvedic physicians who
know how to extract the poison. They capture snakes and take the poison for
making medicine. It is also used as medicine. And if the poison teeth are
broken, the snake is no longer dangerous. It may have a very big hood, but
if one knows that his poison teeth have been taken away, one is not afraid.
It may be very fearful to children, but an adult who knows that the poison
teeth are no longer there is not afraid. In Bengal it is called visnai
kulama cakra: "No poison, and very big hood."
 
First is kaivalyam narakayate tridasa-pur akasa-puspayate, and then durdanta
 indriya-kala-sarpa-patali protkhata damstrayate. Now visvam sukhayate. This
material world is miserable for everyone. For a devotee it is not at all
miserable. Sukhayate. In this New York City there are so many skyscraper
buildings. See all of them and compare our happiness. See practically. Here
is a skyscraper building, and there are others. Call the residents and ask
them, "Are you happy like us?" We can turn this whole world like that.
Visvam purnam sukhayate. It is possible. Everyone is hankering, working so
hard day and night, and yet there is fire brigade, "gon-gon-gon-gon." It is
going on. [laughter] This is material life. This is not happiness. Here is
happiness. Come here, sit down, and you'll find happiness. It is practical.
So if you expand this Krsna consciousness movement, you'll find whole world full of happiness (visvam purnam sukhayate).
 
How it is possible? Yat-karunya-kataksa-vaibhavavatam gauram eva stumah. It
is possible simply by the mercy glance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If He
simply glances over somebody, the whole thing happens.
 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is empowering Sanatana Gosvami, so we should follow him.
Narottama dasa Thakura says, ei chaya gosani yara, mui tara dasa: "I am
servant of that person who has followed the Six Gosvamis."
 
ei chaya gosani yara, mui tara dasa
tan' sabara pada-renu mora panca-grasa
 
"I am the servant of that person who is a servant of the Six Gosvamis. The
dust of their holy feet is my five kinds of foodstuffs." Narottama dasa
says, "The dust of their lotus feet is my subsistence."
 
So, today is Sanatana Gosvami's birthday? Disappearance. Disappearance and
appearance are the same. It is his disappearance here and appearance
somewhere else. Just like the sunset somewhere is simultaneously the sunrise
somewhere else. A Vaisnava is under the order of Krsna, so he disappears
somewhere and appears somewhere because he is an order-carrier. Krsna says,
"Now go there. Preach Krsna consciousness. Go there." So appearance there,
disappearance here. Therefore they are the same thing.
 
Then,
 
guru-mukha-padma-vakya, cittete koriya aikya,
ar na koriho mane asa
 
"Make the teachings from the lotus mouth of the spiritual master one with
your heart, and do not desire anything else." Now, this is the
determination. We must approach a real guru, empowered guru, who has power
of attorney. Then, if we take his word (guru-mukha-padma-vakya, cittete
koriya, ara na kariho mane)--if you take that up seriously, then your life
is successful. Don't try to manufacture ideas. Don't spoil yourself by
manufacturing ideas. Take the word from him and carry it out. Don't bother
whether you'll be spiritually advanced or not; just take the word of the
spiritual master and carry it out. Then everything is guaranteed.
 
Then,
 
sri-guru-carane rati, ei se uttama gati,
je prasade pure sarva asa
 
"Attachment to the lotus feet of the spiritual master is the best means of
spiritual advancement." You want advancement in spiritual consciousness, but
it is possible only by sri-guru-carane rati. If you keep your faith only in
the lotus feet of your guru, then you'll make advancement. There is no doubt
about it. We have got so many desires, but if we have got strong faith in
the lotus feet of guru, everything will be fulfilled automatically (je
prasade pure sarva asa). "By his mercy all desires for spiritual perfection
are fulfilled."
 
Then,
 
cakhu-dan dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei,
divya jnan hrde prokasito
 
"He who has given me the gift of transcendental vision is my lord birth
after birth. By his mercy, divine knowledge is revealed within the heart."
We are in the darkness of this material existence, and the guru's business
is to open our eyes, to bring us to the light. That is guru--not to keep
people in darkness. Cakhu-dana dila yei janma janma prabhu sei. Prabhu means
master. And divya-jnana hrde prokasito. What is that divya-jnana?
Divya-jnana is that we are all servants of Krsna and our only business is to
serve Krsna. That is divya-jnana. It is not difficult at all. We have become
servants of so many things--servant of society, servants of community,
servant of country, servant of wife, servant of children, servant of dog and
so many. "Now let me become servant of Krsna." This is divya-jnana. Diksa.
The word diksa comes from divya-jnana. That is di, and ksa means ksapayati,
expands.
 
Then,
 
prema-bhakti jaha hoite, avidya vinasa jate,
vede gay jahara carito
 
"From him ecstatic prema emanates; by him ignorance is destroyed." You
should understand this. By the mercy of guru, by the favor of guru, we get
prema-bhakti. First there is vaidhi-bhakti. In the beginning we have to
discharge devotional service according to the rules and regulations of the
sastra, the instruction of the guru, sastra-vidhi.
 
yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya
vartate kama-karatah
na sa siddhim avapnoti
na sukham na param gatim
 
Krsna says, "If one gives up the sastra-vidhim, the vidhi-marga, and
manufactures his own way, he does not get success (na sa siddhim avapnoti)
or happiness (na sukham), what to speak of going back to Godhead (na param
gatim)." When we practice vidhi-marga, we gradually get love of Godhead.
That is the ultimate. Prema pumartho mahan. In India formerly, very small,
minor-aged boys and girls were married-- especially the girl, at ten or
twelve years. How she can love her husband? She does not know. But there is
vidhi-marga. The elders instruct her, "Now give your husband this
refreshment." So she gives. In this way, gradually, she learns, and when she
is grown-up she does not require any instruction; she knows how to serve her
husband. That is prema. But the beginning must be regulative principles.
Vidhi and prema. Prema-bhakti yaha hoite, avidya vinasa yate. Unless we are
free from the nescience of material existence, there is no question of
krsna-prema. The two things cannot go together. Viraktir anyatra ca. If you
actually advance in Krsna consciousness, then naturally you'll be averse to
material enjoyment. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca. Just like if
you are eating, naturally you are satisfying your appetite. So krsna-bhakti
means we are automatically satisfying all our desires. That is krsna-bhakti.
The more we advance in krsna-bhakti, the more we have no more material
desires.
 
Then,
 
sri-guru karuna-sindhu, adhama janara bandhu,
lokanath lokera jivana
 
"The spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the
lord and master of the devotees." Narottama dasa Thakura's guru's name was
Lokanatha Gosvami. Those who have gone to Vrndavana have seen Lokanatha
Gosvami's tomb.
 
Then,
 
ha ha prabhu koro doya, deho more pada-chaya,
ebe jasa ghusuk tribhuvana
 
"O master! Be merciful unto me. Give me the shade of your lotus feet. Your
fame is spread all over the three worlds." We should seek the shelter of the
lotus feet of guru. Then everything will follow. And vede gaya yanhara
carita: "The Vedic scriptures sing of his character." It is not sentiment
that one has to become a very strong devotee of the guru. Therefore
Narottama dasa Thakura says, vede gaya yanhara carita. Not that I am talking
some nonsense. It is sruti-pramana. Whatever we say is supported by Vedic
injunction. Then it is right. Sometimes we challenge big, big scientists and
others. What is our strength? I am not a scientist, so how can I challenge
them? The Veda gaya. We have got evidence from the Vedas. So many people are
thinking that the moon is first. We are challenging, "No, the moon is
second." What is the strength? The strength is Vedic knowledge. We cannot
accept that the moon is first. Vede gaya yanhara carita. Vedic knowledge is
so perfect that you can challenge so many scientists. Yes. If it is not in
accordance to the Vedic knowledge, then we do not accept. If it is not
according to Krsna's instruction, we reject it immediately.
 
na mam duskrtino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana
asuram bhavam asritah
 
"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind,
whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic
nature of demons do not surrender unto Me [Krsna]." (Bg 7.15) As soon as we
see that a man is not Krsna conscious, we immediately group him in four
classes: duskrtina, mudha, naradhama, mayayapahrta-jnana. Finished, that's
all. "No, I am learned, and you are nothing. You have no university degree.
I have got degrees." "Yes, that's all right, but your knowledge has been
taken away by maya. You remain in darkness. Ye timire jeti. You remain in
the darkness." That's all.
 
Sanatana Gosvami is teaching us krsna-sakti dhara tumi, jana tattva-bhava.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is affirming that "You are authorized by Krsna.
Therefore you have come to help Me. My mission is to preach Krsna
consciousness." Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, but He is posing as a
devotee. Therefore He is saying, "By the grace of Krsna you are empowered,
so you have come to Me to help Me. You are inquiring. That is very good on
your part, because jani, you know everything." Dardhya lagi' puche sadhura
svabhava. A sadhu, a saintly person, although he knows everything, still he
 remains very humble and tries to confirm from the higher authorities: "I
think this is right. Is it not right?" He knows it is all right, but still,
he waits for the higher authority to confirm it. This is the relationship
between Sanatana Gosvami and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Study all of this very
nicely and be advanced in Krsna consciousness.
 
Thank you.

Ramananda Raya’s Disappearance Day, part one
A Lecture by Giriraj Swami
May 25, 2008
Houston

Today is an auspicious day in Krsna consciousness. Of course, every day is auspicious in Krsna consciousness. When we first arrived in India, in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada was invited to a program on the lawn of an aristocratic gentleman’s house. Most of us went ahead, and Srila Prabhupada followed with a few disciples. When we arrived, ours hosts told us, “It is very auspicious that you have come today, because today is a holy day.” We had never heard of the holy day and were somewhat doubtful, so when Srila Prabhupada arrived I asked him, “Is it true that today is a holy day?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “For us every day is a holy day; we are Krsna’s servants.”

But today is a special holy day because it is the disappearance day of one of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s most confidential associates, Sri Ramananda Raya. Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself in the mood of Srimati Radharani, with Her bodily luster. Thus Lord Caitanya is the combined form of Radha and Krsna (sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya). And in krsna-lila Ramananda Raya is the gopi Visakha, one of the most confidential associates of both Srimati Radharani and Krsna. Spiritually, Visakha enjoyed a very intimate relationship with both Sri Krsna and Sri Radha.

In His later years, after He toured South India, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu retired to Jagannatha Puri, and He experienced intense separation from Krsna, just like Srimati Radharani did after Krsna left Vrndavana. In that ecstatic mood of separation, He would confide in two very close associates—Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, who in krsna-lila is the gopi Lalita, and Sri Ramananda Raya.

Today we shall read about the first meeting between Lord Caitanya and Ramananda Raya. Lord Caitanya was just beginning His tour of South India. When He arrived in Jagannatha Puri from Navadvipa after taking sannyasa, He went straight to the Jagannatha temple, and as soon as He saw Lord Jagannatha He fainted in ecstasy. He had been in the mood of searching for Krsna, and when He saw Jagannatha He felt that He had found His Lord, for whom He was searching, and fell into a deep ecstatic trance. Eventually, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, the chief appointed pandita in the court of the king, Maharaja Prataparudra, removed Sri Caitanya to his home, and there they had some discussions. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was about to depart on His tour of South India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya suggested that He meet and speak with Ramananda Raya, a most learned scholar and expert in the transcendental mellows of devotional service (bhakti-rasa).

Eventually Lord Caitanya and Ramananada Raya met on the banks of the Godavari. Their meeting is vividly described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. After their initial meeting they decided to meet again in the evening to discuss confidential topics of Krsna. Their discussions, called ramananda-samvada, contain all the truths of Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy (siddhanta) and, with Lord Caitanya’s instructions to Rupa Gosvami (rupa-siksa) and His instructions to Sanatana Gosvami (sanatana-siksa), are most important for understanding Vaisnava siddhanta, both rasa and tattva.

We shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Eight: “Talks Between the Lord and Ramananda Raya.”

TEXT 1

sancarya ramabhidha-bhakta-meghe

  sva-bhakti-siddhanta-cayamrtani

gaurabdhir etair amuna vitirnais

  taj-jnatva-ratnalayatam prayati

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gauranga, is the reservoir of all conclusive knowledge in devotional service. He empowered Sri Ramananda Raya, who may be likened to a cloud of devotional service. This cloud was filled with all the conclusive purports of devotional service and was empowered by the ocean to spread this water over the sea. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself was the ocean of knowledge of pure devotional service.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

In this discussion between Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Caitanya took the position of the student, or questioner, and Ramananda Raya was obliged to take the position of the teacher, or respondent. Ramananda Raya was hesitant, because apart from Caitanya Mahaprabhu being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in terms of the Vedic social system He was a brahmana and a sannyasi, whereas Ramananda Raya, although a most learned scholar and exalted devotee, was a grhastha and was considered a sudra. So it was awkward for him to instruct Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but Mahaprabhu told him, kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya: it doesn’t matter whether one is a brahmana, a sudra, a sannyasi, or whatever; yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya: anyone who knows the science of Krsna is a guru.

We shall read from the beginning of their discussion.

TEXT 56

namaskara kaila raya, prabhu kaila alingane

dui jane krsna-katha kaya rahah-sthane

TRANSLATION

Ramananda Raya approached Lord Sri Caitanya and offered his respectful obeisances, and the Lord embraced him. Then they began to discuss Krsna in a secluded place.

TEXT 57

prabhu kahe,—“pada sloka sadhyera nirnaya”

raya kahe,—“sva-dharmacarane visnu-bhakti haya”

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Ramananda Raya to recite a verse from the revealed scriptures concerning the ultimate goal of life.

Ramananda replied, “If one executes the prescribed duties of his social position, he awakens his original Krsna consciousness.

COMMENT

The original word in the text is sadhya—“the goal of life,” “that which is to be achieved.” Sadhana is the means by which we achieve the goal. Lord Caitanya asked Ramananda Raya to say something about sadhya, the ultimate goal of life, and Ramananda Raya replied by citing different verses.

First, Ramananda Raya quoted a verse from the Visnu Purana:

TEXT 58

varnasramacara-vata

  purusena parah puman

visnur aradhyate pantha

  nanyat tat-tosa-karanam

TRANSLATION

“‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and asrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varnas and asramas.’”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This is a quotation from the Visnu Purana (3.8.9). As stated by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, “The purport is that one can realize life’s perfection simply by satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” This is also confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.13):

atah pumbhir dvija-srestha

  varnasrama-vibhagasah

sv-anusthitasya dharmasya

  samsiddhir hari-tosanam

“O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.”

COMMENT

The goal of all of our activities should be to please Krsna, and in the verse quoted by Ramananda Raya, executing one’s duties according to one’s varna and asrama is recommended. Prabhupada often said that varnasrama-dharma is the beginning of human life. Dharmena hinah pasubhih samanah: without dharma, men are on the level of animals. Why? Because dharma, religious principles, or varnasrama-dharma, occupational duties, regulate the activities of the living being. Without being regulated a person is just like an animal. An animal eats whatever he wants, sleeps whenever he wants for as long as he can, has sex with whomever he wants whenever he can, and defends himself, arranges some shelter for himself, however he can. Even if a man engages his superior, human intelligence in these same activities, he is no better than an animal.

The human being may eat on a nice plate on a nice table, and the animal may eat on the floor of the jungle, but the animal enjoys his eating as much as the human being. The human may sleep on a nice mattress in a nice house, and the animal may sleep on the ground, but when asleep the animal doesn’t know he is sleeping on the ground or the human that he is sleeping on a mattress. Sleeping is the same, and in fact the human’s sleep might be more disturbed than the animal’s, because he has so many worries and anxieties and causes of depression. And the animal might defend himself with his teeth and claws, and the human with sophisticated weapons of mass destruction, but it is the same principle—defending.

Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending are common to human beings and animals. What distinguishes a human from an animal is dharma, following religious principles to become God conscious. Otherwise, there is no difference.

ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca

  samanyam etat pasubhir naranam

dharmo hi tesam adhiko viseso

  dharmena hinah pasubhih samanah

“Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.” (Hitopadesa)

Now, one might question, “You mean to say that all the big leaders of the world—the presidents and prime ministers and scientists and Nobel Prize laureates—if they are not Krsna conscious, God conscious, they are no better than animals?” Srimad-Bhagavatam says that they are just bigger animals. In the jungle the small animals all fear the big animals—respect the big animals—and the Bhagavatam says that those who never engage in krsna-katha, who never hear the glories of the Lord, are just small animals who praise the bigger ones. That’s all.

sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih

  samstutah purusah pasuh

na yat-karna-pathopeto

  jatu nama gadagrajah

“Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels, and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krsna, the deliverer from evils.” (SB 2.3.19)

So, dharma is the beginning of human life, and one should execute one’s duties in varnasrama-dharma for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, Visnu. By that process one advances to the goal of life.

Here, Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are discussing krsna-katha. And after hearing this verse, what does Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu say?

TEXT 59

prabhu kahe,—“eho bahya, age kaha ara”

raya kahe, “krsne karmarpana—sarva-sadhya-sara”

TRANSLATION

The Lord replied, “This is external. You had better tell Me of some other means.”

Ramananda replied, “To offer the results of one’s activities to Krsna is the essence of all perfection.”

COMMENT

Varnasrama-dharma is required, but following the regulations of varnasrama-dharma does not necessarily mean that one will be Krsna conscious. One can follow the rules and regulations, but if one is not in the mood of offering the results of one’s work to Krsna, he will not be Krsna conscious—directly Krsna conscious.

Ramananda Raya next quoted a verse from the Bhagavad-gita (9.27):

TEXT 60

yat karosi yad asnasi

  yaj juhosi dadasi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

  tat kurusva mad-arpanam

TRANSLATION

“‘O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering to Me.’”

COMMENT

Here we are going a step further. One still works according to one’s position in the varnasrama system, but one offers the results of one’s work to Krsna, as Krsna advises in the Bhagavad-gita. That is definitely a further development. And what does Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu say?

TEXT 61

prabhu kahe,—“eho bahya, age kaha ara”

raya kahe,—“svadharma-tyaga, ei sadhya-sara”

TRANSLATION

“This is also external,” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said. “Please proceed and speak further on this matter.”

Ramananda Raya replied, “To give up one’s occupational duties in the varnasrama system is the essence of perfection.”

COMMENT

Ramananda Raya cited two verses in support of this proposal, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu responded:

TEXT 64

prabhu kahe,—“eho bahya, age kaha ara”

raya kahe, “jnana-misra bhakti—sadhya-sara”

TRANSLATION

After hearing Ramananda Raya speak in this way, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Go ahead and say something more.”

Ramananda Raya then replied, “Devotional service mixed with empiric knowledge is the essence of perfection.”

COMMENT

To offer the fruits of one’s work to Krsna is good, but even then one might be attached to one’s work. To give up one’s position in varnasrama-dharma is better because it shows more detachment. But even if one has detachment, one may not have knowledge. So Ramananda Raya went further, including knowledge as part of the means, with reference to a verse from the Bhagavad-gita (18.54).

And what did Lord Caitanya say? “Eho bahya, age kaha ara.” He wanted Ramanandaya Raya to go further. And Ramananda Raya responded.

TEXT 66

prabhu kahe, “eho bahya, age kaha ara”

raya kahe,—“jnana-sunya bhakti—sadhya-sara”

TRANSLATION

After hearing this, the Lord, as usual, rejected it, . . .

COMMENT

He rejected devotional service mixed with empiric knowledge (jnana-misra bhakti).

TRANSLATION (continued)

. . . considering it to be external devotional service mixed with knowledge. He again asked Ramananda Raya to speak further, and Ramananda Raya replied, “Pure devotional service without any touch of speculative knowledge is the essence of perfection.”

COMMENT

Ramananda Raya then quoted an important verse from the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.3):

TEXT 67

jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva

  jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam

sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir

  ye prayaso ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyam

TRANSLATION

Ramananda Raya continued, “[Lord Brahma said:] ‘My dear Lord, those devotees who have thrown away the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth and have therefore abandoned discussing empiric philosophical truths should hear from self-realized devotees about Your holy name, form, pastimes, and qualities. They should follow the principles of devotional service and remain free from illicit sex, gambling, intoxication, and animal slaughter. Surrendering themselves fully with body, words, and mind, they can live in any asrama or social status. Indeed, You are conquered by such persons, although You are always unconquerable.’”

COMMENT

Then Lord Caitanya said, eho haya, “This is it!”—not eho bahya, “This is external.” But even then He added, age kaha ara: “Please speak further.”

TEXT 68

prabhu kahe, “eho haya, age kaha ara”

raya kahe, “prema-bhakti—sarva-sadhya-sara”

TRANSLATION

At this point, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “This is all right, but still you can speak more on the subject.”

Ramananda Raya then replied, “Ecstatic love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the essence of all perfection.”

COMMENT

In the purport Srila Prabhupada says, “In his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura summarizes the conversation up to this point, where Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu says to Ramananda Raya, eho haya, age kaha ara: ‘This is the process accepted in devotional service, but there is something more than this. Therefore please explain what is beyond.’”

The point is that although the verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam describes the process of pure devotional service, in the neophyte stage devotional activities may sometimes appear impure; there may appear to be some material taint in one’s devotional activities. Therefore, although Lord Caitanya said, “You have come to this point of pure devotional service, which I accept as the goal of life and simultaneously the means to achieve the goal,” He also said, “Go further,” because He wanted to make sure that we come to the goal, prema-bhakti.

Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.31) says, bhaktya sanjataya bhaktya: bhakti comes from bhakti. We have come to the point of bhakti, pure bhakti, but bhaktya sanjataya bhaktya—prema-bhakti, or sadhya-bhakti, comes from sadhana-bhakti. Sadhana-bhakti will lead to the goal, but one must stick to the process. If one does stick to the process, he will reach the goal, prema-bhakti.

Now we shall discuss the process of pure devotional service described in the verse cited by Sri Ramananda Raya, because that is a process that each and every one of us can and should follow. It is feasible for every one of us. We shall discuss each word, because each word is important

Jnane here means “for speculative knowledge.” Speculative knowledge almost always leads to an imperfect, impersonal conclusion. Prayasam means “unnecessary endeavor”—it is unnecessary. And udapasya means “giving up completely.” The endeavor for speculative knowledge has absolutely no value for a devotee and should be given up completely. Namantah. In his synonyms, Srila Prabhupada writes, “completely surrendering.” More literally, namanta is translated as “offering obeisances.” Obeisances are an indication of submission and surrender. Once, Srila Prabhupada paraphrased these words: “You should give up the bad habit of speculation and just become submissive.”

San-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam. Bhavadiya-vartam means “discussions related to You [Krsna],” and san-mukharitam means “from the mouths of pure devotees [sat].” We should hear the messages of Godhead from the mouths of truthful devotees, not from professional reciters.

In India there are many professional reciters, and some also tour. Although they may be very popular, hearing from them will not help. People go to them to be entertained, or they may feel that they are performing some pious activity. But what result do they want from such piety? Often they just want to be happy in the material world

Srila Prabhupada spoke of one Bhagavata reciter who would tell his audience, “Srimad-Bhagavatam teaches that you should be happy in family life.” Now, the Bhagavatam is filled with stories of devotees who left their families to realize God, beginning with the speaker of the Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami. He did not remain at home long enough even to have his sacred-thread or other ceremonies. He just walked out of the house, and his father, Srila Vyasadeva, the literary incarnation of Godhead, went running after him into the forest, calling for him, but all he heard was the echoing of his voice in the trees.

yam pravrajantam anupetam apeta-krtyam

  dvaipayano viraha-katara ajuhava

putreti tan-mayataya taravo ’bhinedus

  tam sarva-bhuta-hrdayam munim anato ’smi

“Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that great sage [Sukadeva Gosvami] who can enter the hearts of all. When he went away to take up the renounced order of life [sannyasa], leaving home without undergoing reformation by the sacred thread or the ceremonies observed by the higher castes, his father, Vyasadeva, fearing separation from him, cried out, ‘O my son!’ Indeed, only the trees, which were absorbed in the same feelings of separation, echoed in response to the begrieved father.” (SB 1.2.2)

Sukadeva Gosvami was gone. So, from the very beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam we hear the histories of great devotees who left hearth and home to realize God. All five Pandavas left for the Himalayas. And Maharaja Pariksit gave up his family and kingdom to sit on the bank of the Ganges and hear Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Why did the professional reciter claim that the Bhagavatam teaches that you should remain happy in family life? Prabhupada said that he wanted to get donations from the householders, so he wanted to say something that would please them. Sadhu means “to cut.” We have to hear from the mouths of sadhus (san-mukharitam). Then it will be effective. Srila Prabhupada said—and I saw it myself when I visited a large Bhagavata-saptaha—that immediately after the recitation, everything is as it was. People do not change. After the recitation people light up their cigarettes and talk about what a nice katha they heard. This kind of katha—Bhagavata-saptaha or whatever—will not help. Sanatana Gosvami says, avaisnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamrtam sravanam naiva kartavyam: one should not hear talks about Krsna from a non-Vaisnava. San-mukharitam—one should hear from pure devotees, self-realized souls.

Sthane sthitah means “remaining in their position.” It doesn’t matter if one is a grhastha. One can remain a grhastha—he need not become a sannyasi. That is not the point. One can remain in his position in the varnasrama system (although in natural course one may change his position), because pure devotional service is transcendental. Anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam. It is not limited by any material condition; it cannot be covered by karma or jnana or anything else. It is transcendental. So you can stay in your position, but you must follow the process described here.

In his translation Srila Prabhupada writes, “You should completely follow the principles of devotional service and remain free from illicit sex, gambling, intoxication, and animal slaughter.” Now, we don’t find these words in the Sanskrit. There are different types of translation, which have different names in Sanskrit. In one kind of translation one puts a bit of the purport into the translation, and that is what Srila Prabhupada did here. And I really appreciate it, because one can take this phrase sthane sthitah, “you remain in your position,” to mean, “Oh, I am fine as I am. I was getting worried for a while, but I can stay in my position and do everything the same.” Srila Prabhupada, perhaps anticipating such a response from some readers, qualified the phrase right in the translation. He did not take any chances that a reader would harbor any misconceptions  going into the purport, but in the translation itself he says, “Yes, you can remain in your position, but you must follow the process of devotional service and refrain from illicit sex; gambling (and speculating); intoxicants, including tea, coffee, and cigarettes; and eating meat, fish, or eggs.”

If you do that, you can stay in your position and become Krsna conscious. That is the beauty of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement, the beauty of the bhakti cult, that one can remain in one’s position and execute devotional service in Krsna consciousness. A grhastha can become a pure devotee, and a sannyasi can become a pure devotee. Anyone can become a pure devotee if he or she follows the process. And anyone can follow. So it is very easy. One can remain in his or her position and simply follow. Jivanti means that a devotee who always hears about Krsna will go back home, back to Godhead. He or she must simply follow the regulative principles and remain alive in Krsna consciousness by hearing and chanting about Krsna.

Tanu-van-manobhih. Tanu means “body,” vak means “words,” and mana means “mind.” Our acaryas have explained how these words can relate to other words in the text. The basic meaning is that one should surrender fully, with body, words, and mind, to the topics of Krsna spoken by self-realized souls. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti says that one should offer all respects and obeisances (namantah) with one’s body, words, and mind. With one’s body one can offer obeisances to the Bhagavatam, to the speaker of the Bhagavatam, and to the holy place in which the Bhagavatam is recited. With one’s words one can glorify the Bhagavatam and the speakers of the Bhagavatam, and one can repeat the message and narrations of Krsna. And with one’s mind one can feel reverence for and take pleasure in the topics of Krsna, and one can remember the instructions and pastimes of Krsna. Thus one can be fully engaged with one’s body, words, and mind—not that with our body we sit in the krsna-katha but with our mind we are somewhere else, calculating how much money we have in the bank and if we have enough to make the next payments. It is possible that one’s body could be in the krsna-katha but one’s words or mind could be somewhere else. But if we always engage everything (tanu-van-manobhih), our whole being, in krsna-katha, in Krsna consciousness, that is pure devotional service.

And what is the result? Ye prayaso ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyam. One of Krsna’s names is Ajita, “unconquerable.” Even though Krsna cannot be conquered by any means, He can be conquered by pure devotees who follow this process. That is the conclusion. In other words, they will come to the stage of prema-bhakti, because Krsna is conquered only by prema, the pure love of His devotees.

Srila Sanatana Gosvami explains tanu-van-manobhih (“by body, words, and mind”) in relation to conquering Krsna, who is unconquerable, in three ways. He says that nondevotees can never conquer Krsna. They cannot conquer Him by their physical strength (like Hiranyakasipu), by their verbal expertise, or by their mental power. Despite all their endeavors, the Absolute Truth remains beyond their grasp. But devotees, by engaging fully in devotional service, become perfect in Krsna consciousness, and thus they can conquer Him. Then they can touch His lotus feet with their hands, they can call Him to come with their words, and simply by thinking of Him they can gain His direct audience within their minds.

His Holiness Rtadhvaja Swami told me about a dream he had last night. We have been participating in a japa workshop, and tomorrow will be the last day. In his dream he was chanting Hare Krsna, and Krsna appeared. This is what we say, what our philosophy tells us: nama cintamanih krsnas caitanya-rasa-vigrahah purnah suddho nitya-mukto ’bhinnatvan nama-naminoh—the name of Krsna and Krsna Himself are the same. So, in his dream he was chanting Hare Krsna and Krsna appeared. And in his dream he thought, “Oh, it’s true!” [laughter] This is an example of how Krsna can be conquered by one’s words. If we chant Hare Krsna purely, Krsna comes. He appears. And the pure devotee, the self-realized soul, if he just thinks of Krsna, Krsna appears in his mind—or in person. He remains by the side of His devotee.

Sanatana Gosvami further explains these words in relation to Krsna, that Krsna’s body is conquered because He always remains by the side of His pure devotee, His words are conquered because He always sings the praises of His devotees, and His mind is conquered because He always thinks of His pure devotees. One can completely conquer Krsna by pure devotional service.

In the discussion between Lord Caitanya and Ramananada Raya, this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam marks the beginning of pure devotional service. But the discussion goes further. Lord Caitanya keeps saying, age kaha ara: “Speak more; go further.” Then we come to vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti, and then to santa-rasa, dasya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vatsalya-rasa, and madhurya-rasa. In madhurya-rasa there are many gopis, and among them Srimati Radharani is the foremost. And Srimati Radharani Herself has various developments of ecstatic feelings, culminating in prema-vilasa-vivarta, the height of ecstatic love in separation. When Ramananda Raya came to that point, Caitanya Mahaprabhu covered his mouth with His hand. He said, “This is the limit of the goal of life. Only by your mercy have I come to understand it.”

At the end of their discussions, Ramananda Raya said to Lord Caitanya, “At first I saw You as a sannyasi, but now I see You as Syamasundara, the cowherd boy, and now I see you with a golden luster. Please explain the reason.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was playing the part of a devotee, and for a devotee to be addressed as Krsna or even considered on the same level as Krsna is anathema. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “You are an advanced devotee, and an advanced devotee—a maha-bhagavata—sees Krsna everywhere.”

sthavara-jangama dekhe, na dekhe tara murti

sarvatra haya nija ista-deva-sphurti

“The maha-bhagavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.” (Cc Madhya 8.274)

Then Mahaprabhu quoted a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam that describes the maha-bhagavata, that he doesn’t exactly see the forms of the material world but sees Krsna manifest everywhere.

sarva-bhutesu yah pasyed

  bhagavad-bhavam atmanah

bhutani bhagavaty atmany

  esa bhagavatottamah

“A person advanced in devotional service sees within everything the soul of souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. Consequently he always sees the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes and understands that all things are situated in Him.” (SB 11.2.45, quoted as Cc Madhya 8.275)

Ramananda Raya replied, “Please give up these serious talks. Do not try to conceal Your real form. I know who You are.” Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of His causeless mercy, revealed His combined form of Radha and Krsna (rasaraja and mahabhava). We have a relief on the wall of the temple here that shows Ramananda Raya witnessing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifesting His form as Radha and Krsna. And Ramananda Raya became overwhelmed with transcendental bliss. There are some esoteric explanations of this pastime, in which Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed the confidential truth of His identity—sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya. On occasion He would manifest Himself, but He would always say, “Do not disclose this fact to anyone,” because He was playing the part of a devotee and wanted to maintain His role as a devotee, to fulfill His purpose to show by example how to be a devotee and practice pure devotional service.

Especially in Kali-yuga, people are so fallen and prone to become imitation gods or accept imitation gods that the Lord as Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu hid His identity. He was a channa-avatara, a “concealed incarnation,” as mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Srila Prabhupada told the story of a man in Calcutta who could imitate the barking of different types of dogs. He would hold programs in halls and sell tickets, and people would come to hear his demonstrations. Srila Prabhupada remarked that people would pay money to hear the imitation dog but that real dogs were barking in the street yet no one paid them heed. Similarly, the real God—Krsna—is there, but nobody cares. Yet if some imitation God comes, they flock. Get on a plane and go. Jump in a car and go. That is Kali-yuga.

That is why Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s identity as Radha and Krsna was revealed only to certain select devotees such as Ramananda Raya, and it is by their mercy and by the mercy of Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, who wrote Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, and by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, who translated and presented it to us in a most appropriate way, through parampara, that we are able to enter into these transcendental mysteries and have the opportunity to realize the most confidential service of Radha and Krsna—by their mercy, following in their footsteps.

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Nrsimha-caturdasi
A Talk by Giriraj Swami
April 30, 2007
Dallas

We shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Five, Chapter Eighteen: “The Residents of Jambudvipa Offer Prayers.” Text 8 is the first in the series of prayers recited by Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva, so we shall begin with Text 8 and then proceed to Text 9, the purport to which also refers to Text 8.

Text 8 is a very important prayer, or mantra, and in it many words are repeated twice. When something is repeated twice, it gives great emphasis. For example, one might say, “It is a terrible, terrible thing.” The repetition of “terrible” is for emphasis.

TEXT 8

om namo bhagavate narasimhaya namas tejas-tejase avir-avirbhava vajra-nakha vajra-damstra karmasayan randhaya randhaya tamo grasa grasa om svaha; abhayam abhayam atmani bhuyistha om ksraum.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possess nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world.

TEXT 9

svasty astu visvasya khalah prasidatam

   dhyayantu bhutani sivam mitho dhiya

manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje

   avesyatam no matir apy ahaituki

SYNONYMS

svasti—auspiciousness; astu—let there be; visvasya—of the entire universe; khalah—the envious (almost everyone); prasidatam—let them be pacified; dhyayantu—let them consider; bhutani—all the living entities; sivam—auspiciousness; mithah—mutual; dhiya—by their intelligence; manah—the mind; ca—and; bhadram—calmness; bhajatat—let it experience; adhoksaje—in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the perception of mind, intelligence, and senses; avesyatam—let it be absorbed; nah—our; matih—intelligence; api—indeed; ahaituki—without any motive.

TRANSLATION

May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krsna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The following verse describes a Vaisnava:

vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca

   krpa-sindhubhya eva ca

patitanam pavanebhyo

   vaisnavebhyo namo namah

Just like a desire tree, a Vaisnava can fulfill all the desires of anyone who takes shelter of his lotus feet. Prahlada Maharaja is a typical Vaisnava. He prays not for himself, but for all living entities—the gentle, the envious, and the mischievous. He always thought of the welfare of mischievous persons like his father, Hiranyakasipu. Prahlada Maharaja did not ask for anything for himself; rather, he prayed for the Lord to excuse his demoniac father. This is the attitude of a Vaisnava, who always thinks of the welfare of the entire universe.

Srimad-Bhagavatam and bhagavata-dharma are meant for persons who are completely free of envy (parama-nirmatsaranam). Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays in this verse, khalah prasidatam: “May all the envious persons be pacified.” The material world is full of envious persons, but if one frees himself of envy, he becomes liberal in his social dealings and can think of others’ welfare. Anyone who takes up Krsna consciousness and engages himself completely in the service of the Lord cleanses his mind of all envy (manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje). Therefore we should pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva to sit in our hearts. We should pray, bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimhah: “Let Lord Nrsimhadeva sit in the core of my heart, killing all my bad propensities. Let my mind become clean so that I may peacefully worship the Lord and bring peace to the entire world.”

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given us a very fine purport in this regard. Whenever one offers a prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one always requests some benediction from Him. Even pure (niskama) devotees pray for some benediction, as instructed by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastaka:

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram

   patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

krpaya tava pada-pankaja-

   sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

“O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krsna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick Me up from the ocean of death and place Me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” In another prayer Lord Caitanya says, mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi: “Life after life, kindly let Me have unalloyed love and devotion at Your Lordship’s lotus feet.” When Prahlada Maharaja chants om namo bhagavate narasimhaya, he prays for a benediction from the Lord, but because he is also an exalted Vaisnava, he wants nothing for his personal sense gratification. The first desire expressed in his prayer is svasty astu visvasya: “Let there be good fortune throughout the entire universe.” Prahlada Maharaja thus requested the Lord to be merciful to everyone, including his father, a most envious person. According to Canakya Pandita, there are two kinds of envious living entities: one is a snake, and the other is the man like Hiranyakasipu, who is by nature envious of everyone, even of his father or son. Hiranyakasipu was envious of his little son Prahlada, but Prahlada Maharaja asked a benediction for the benefit of his father. Hiranyakasipu was very envious of devotees, but Prahlada wished that his father and other demons like him would give up their envious nature by the grace of the Lord and stop harassing the devotees (khalah prasidatam). The difficulty is that the khala (envious living entity) is rarely pacified. One kind of khala, the snake, can be pacified simply by mantras or by the action of a particular herb (mantrausadhi-vasah sarpah khalakena nivaryate). An envious person, however, cannot be pacified by any means. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays that all envious persons may undergo a change of heart and think of the welfare of others.

If the Krsna consciousness movement spreads all over the world, and if by the grace of Krsna everyone accepts it, the thinking of envious people will change. Everyone will think of the welfare of others. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays, sivam mitho dhiya. In material activities, everyone is envious of others, but in Krsna consciousness, no one is envious of anyone else; everyone thinks of the welfare of others. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays that everyone’s mind may become gentle by being fixed at the lotus feet of Krsna (bhajatad adhoksaje). As indicated elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam (sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh) and as advised by Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (18.65), man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah, one should constantly think of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. Then one’s mind will certainly be cleansed (ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc Antya 20.12]). Materialists always think of sense gratification, but Prahlada Maharaja prays that the Lord’s mercy will change their minds and they will stop thinking of sense gratification. If they think of Krsna always, everything will be all right. Some people argue that if everyone thought of Krsna in that way, the whole universe would be vacated because everyone would go back home, back to Godhead. However, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that this is impossible because the living entities are innumerable. If one set of living entities is actually delivered by the Krsna consciousness movement, another set will fill the entire universe 

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami          

vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca

   krpa-sindhubhya eva ca

patitanam pavanebhyo

   vaisnavebhyo namo namah

Srila Prabhupada quoted this verse in the purport because it describes a Vaisnava and because Prahlada Maharaja, who recited the prayers that we are reading and discussing, is an excellent example of a Vaisnava.

Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahlada, was a great demon, and he performed such severe austerities that the entire universe became disturbed. Ultimately, Lord Brahma personally came to Hiranyakasipu to ask him what benediction he wanted, so that he would cease his austerities and stop the disturbance within the universe. Hiranyakasipu asked for the benediction to become immortal, but Lord Brahma replied, “I myself am not immortal.” So Hiranyakasipu asked for various boons that he thought would indirectly make him immortal. He asked that he not be killed inside a building or outside. He asked that he not be killed in the day or at night. He prayed that he not be killed on the land or in the sky. He prayed that he not be killed by any human being or animal, demigod or demon, or any other creature. He prayed that he not be killed by any weapon. He asked for such benedictions that he thought would ultimately make him immortal and give him absolute supremacy in the universe. And Lord Brahma agreed to all of the requests: “So be it.”

Hiranyakasipu, in due course, had a son named Prahlada, and Prahlada was a devotee. Earlier, the Lord in the form of Varahadeva had killed Hiranyakasipu’s  brother Hiranyaksa, and Hiranyakasipu was determined to avenge his brother’s death—he actually thought that he could kill Visnu. He knew that Visnu had appeared as Varaha and killed Hiranyaksa. Later, Diti, the mother of Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu, desired a son who would kill Indra, because she thought that Indra, with the help of Visnu, was responsible for the death of her sons.

We know from scripture—sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya—that Visnu is God. So we might consider, “How could anyone imagine that they could kill God?” But if God came into this room and we didn’t recognize Him by the features that are described in the scriptures, we wouldn’t know that He was God, because God looks like a human being. As the Bible says, “God created man in His own image.” God has arms and legs and hands and feet and eyes and ears and a nose and mouth and all the different bodily features we have. His body looks like ours. What distinguishes Him from us is that He has immeasurable potencies. For example, the president of the United States looks like a human being like the rest of us, but he has immense powers (more than some might like). If he wants, he can order the army to invade a country or send the police to arrest a citizen. He looks like us, but we don’t have that power. We might want to do certain things, but we don’t have the power. But he has the power. Still, he looks like one of us.

When someone performs great austerities, he can get great powers. Even demons, if they perform the required austerities, can become very powerful and attain various mystic perfections. So although Lord Visnu has all power and mystic potency, demons can also get powers. And Hiranyakasipu thought that by his austerities and the powers he derived from them and the benedictions he got from Lord Brahma, he could become immortal and conquer the universe. He had created a great disturbance in the universe by performing severe austerities; now he did so by actively waging war against the demigods and conquering their territories.

Now, Hiranyakasipu wanted his son Prahlada to be like him, a great materialist, and he had him educated accordingly. He engaged teachers to instruct the boy to be expert in politics and diplomacy. Although he was a demon, Hiranyakasipu had natural affection for his son. And as parents sometimes ask their children, “What did you learn in school today? What is your favorite subject?” so Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada, “What is the best thing you have learned?” He thought Prahlada would say something cute, something sweet. But Prahlada gave the worst answer imaginable to Hiranyakasipu. He said, “The best thing I have learned is sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam/ arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam”—to hear about and glorify Visnu. Visnu, whom Hiranyakasipu considered to be his worst enemy. Visnu. So Hiranyakasipu became furious, and ultimately he decided to kill Prahlada. He gave the logic that if a part of your body becomes infected, the disease may spread throughout the body and kill you. So even though it is part of your body, you have to amputate it, for the sake of the rest of the body. He thought, “Although Prahlada is my son, he has been infected by the disease of Vaisnavism and we have to cut him out before the disease spreads and finishes us.”

So he tried to kill Prahlada in so many ways, as described in the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and although he was so powerful . . . Hiranyakasipu had conquered over the demigods. He occupied the throne of King Indra and severely ruled over the inhabitants of all the other planets. Except for Brahma and Siva, all the other demigods engaged in his service, offering him obeisances and praise. He was so powerful—but he could not kill Prahlada. He had horrible-looking demons try to pierce Prahlada’s body with tridents. He threw Prahlada beneath the feet of big elephants and in the midst of huge snakes. But no matter what he did, he could not kill him. He hurled him from a mountain top, gave him poison, starved him, and threw heavy stones on him to crush him. Nothing worked—nothing affected Prahlada in the least—and Hiranyakasipu was astonished. He had triumphed over the armies of the demigods, but he could not subdue his five-year-old son.

Finally, after all his efforts had failed, Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada, “From where do you get your power? You know that when I am angry all the planets of the three worlds, along with their rulers, tremble. But you have no fear, and you have exceeded my power to control you. From where do you get your strength?” And Prahlada replied, “I get my strength from the same source as you, from the source of all strength—from God.” Now, that really infuriated Hiranyakasipu, because he thought that he was the source of his own power. That is the demoniac mentality. We think we are the doers—kartaham iti manyate. We think, isvaro ’ham aham bhogi siddho ’ham balavan sukhi: “I am the controller. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect and powerful and happy.” That is the demoniac tendency. Hiranyakasipu didn’t want to hear that he got his power from someone else—least of all from the person to whom Prahlada referred: the unlimited Supreme Lord.

Thus Hiranyakasipu became even more infuriated and more defiant. He said to Prahlada, “If this God of yours is everywhere, why is He not present before me in this pillar? I am going to kill you now, and let us see this God of yours protect you!” Filled with rage, Hiranyakasipu rose from his throne, took up his sword, and with great anger struck his fist against the column. And out of the pillar emerged the wonderful form of Nrsimhadeva. Nrsimha Bhagavan ki jaya!

Nrsimhadeva was unique. He was neither a man nor an animal but had a form that was half lion and half man. And His appearance fulfilled all the conditions of Lord Brahma. He wasn’t a demigod or human being or animal—He wasn’t any creature. Ultimately, He picked up Hiranyakasipu and placed him on His lap and with His nails ripped apart his chest. Now, Hiranyakasipu was extraordinarily powerful, and his chest could withstand the thunderbolt of Indra. No one could pierce his body. He was so powerful. One could throw arrows and all types of weapons at him, and they would bounce off him like nothing. So it was no mean feat to tear open his chest. Yet Nrsimhadeva ripped open his chest with His long nails, tore out his heart, and thus killed this great demon.

Daily, we glorify Lord Nrsimha with the prayer (a line of which was quoted in the purport by Srila Prabhupada):

ito nrsimhah parato nrsimho

   yato yato yami tato nrsimhah

bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimho

   nrsimham adim saranam prapad

Ito nrsimhah means “Nrsimha is here”; parato nrsimho means “Nrismha is also there on the opposite side.” Yato yato yami tato nrsimhah: “Wherever I go, there is Nrsimha.” Bahir nrsimho: “Nrimsha is outside”; hrdaye nrsimho: “Nrsimha is in my heart.” Nrsimham adim saranam prapadye: “I take shelter of Lord Nrsimha, the primeval lord.” He is everywhere.

We also sing:

namas te nara-simhaya

   prahladahlada-dayine

hiranyakasipor vaksah-

   sila-tanka-nakhalaye

Sila-tanka-nakhalaye. Sila means “stone,” as in saligrama-sila; nakha means “fingernails”; and tanka means “chisel.” If you want to break a hard stone, you have to chisel it. So, Lord Nrsimha’s nails were like chisels that cut the chest of Hiranyakasipu—his stonelike heart and chest.

Hiranyakasipu thought that by his own power and intelligence he could become immortal. But his intelligence was not as great as that of Nrsimha, who kept all of Brahma’s boons intact and still was able to kill the demon. Nrsimhadeva assumed this wonderful form—adbhuta means “wonderful”—that was half man and half lion. He sat at the threshold of the palace, which wasn’t inside or outside. He appeared at twilight, which was neither day nor night. And He killed Hiranyakasipu on His lap—not in the sky or on the land. And not with any weapon but with His nails. So He kept all the benedictions intact and still killed him.

Srila Prabhupada explains that however intelligent we are, Krsna is always a little more intelligent. Mother Yasoda tried to bind Krsna with ropes, but no matter how many ropes she tied together, He was always two fingers bigger. She was always just a little short. In the same way, if we try to compete with God—try to outwit God, try to cheat God—we will always fall short. Srila Prabhupada says, “Hiranyakasipu was thinking only of the atomic bomb, how to protect himself from the bomb, but he forgot about the nails.” He made so many arrangements to protect himself, but he neglected to consider the nails. So the conclusion should be “If you can’t fight Him, join Him.” Nrsimham adim saranam prapadye. Just surrender to Nrsimhadeva. Don’t try to compete with Him or fight with Him. That is the background of Prahlada’s prayers.

Now, after Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu, He asked Prahlada to accept some benediction, but Prahlada didn’t want any material benediction, because he was a pure devotee. In today’s verse we find the word ahaituki: without any motive. Prahlada had no material motive, so when Lord Nrsimhadeva asked him to accept some benediction, Prahlada refused. He said, “Why are You trying to tempt me with material allurements? If I were to desire material benefit in exchange for devotional service, I wouldn’t be a servant. I would be like a businessman who wants profit in exchange for service. Lord, I am Your eternal servant, and You are my eternal master. We have no other relationship.” Prahlada asked only that there be no material desires within his heart.

But Nrsimhadeva insisted that Prahlada accept some benediction, and in the end Prahlada agreed: “If You really want me to ask something of You, then I ask that You purify my father.” This shows the exemplary character of Prahlada, who, as Srila Prabhupada said, is a typical Vaisnava. A Vaisnava is the friend of everyone, of all living entities (suhrdah sarva-dehinam). He never becomes the enemy of his enemy. He remains ever the friend of everyone—even his enemies. So even though Hiranyakasipu was so envious—even of his own son—that he tried in so many ways to kill him, Prahlada remained true to his character as a Vaisnava. He thought of his father’s welfare; he wished his father well.

In this prayer to Lord Nrsimhadeva, Prahlada is praying for his father and for all envious people, that they may be pacified. Khalah prasidatam: “May all envious persons be pacified.” As Srila Prabhupada notes, almost everyone is envious. In fact, we come into this material world because we are envious of Krsna. That is why we are here. Thus Srila Prabhupada says, “Almost everyone.” The only exceptions are the pure devotees. Everyone else has some envy. It is like saying, “Almost everyone in the prison is a criminal.” Yes, in principle, all the prisoners are criminal. There may be some staff members who are not, who are there to minister to the inmates, but the prisoners themselves are criminal. So, other than the devotees who are working for the welfare of the fallen souls, everyone is envious. And no one is spared their envy. Hiranyakasipu was envious of his five-year-old son, a pure devotee. Diti was envious of her nephew Indra. She wanted to kill him, or get him killed. No one is spared.

If we want to get out of the bondage of material existence, we have to become free from envy. And how do we become free from envy? By the process of Krsna consciousness. And that is Prahlada’s prayer: bhajatad adhoksaje. Bhaja means to worship and serve. The word bhakti comes from the verbal root bhaj: to serve with devotion. And serve whom? Adhoksaja: Krsna, who is beyond material sense perception. Hiranyakasipu couldn’t see Visnu; the Lord was beyond his sense perception. It was only when He chose to appear to him by emerging from the pillar as Nrsimhadeva that Hiranyakasipu could see Him. Otherwise, only pure devotees can see Krsna. No one else can see Him. He is beyond the perception of the materially contaminated senses, mind, and intelligence of the conditioned souls.

So the process is Krsna consciousness (bhajatad adhoksaje), and as Prahlada has explained, we engage in devotional service in Krsna consciousness by sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam: hearing and chanting about Visnu and remembering Him. As Srila Prabhupada quoted from the Siksastaka, ceto-darpana-marjanam: sankirtana, the chanting of the holy names of the Lord, cleanses the heart. That is the process. And when the heart is cleansed we become peaceful and calm (bhadram).

This process is described in two very important verses from the second chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah

   punya-sravana-kirtanah

hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani

   vidhunoti suhrt satam

“Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (SB 1.2.17)

Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah. When we hear krsna-katha all the abhadrani, all the material desires, all the disturbances within the heart, are cleansed by the Lord Himself, who is sitting within the heart as the well-wishing friend of the truthful devotee (vidhunoti suhrt satam).

And the transcendental sound itself is Krsna. Krsna enters the ear in the form of transcendental sound, and when we are hearing properly, the sound will enter the heart and cleanse it. Krsna in the form of transcendental sound will cleanse the dirty things in the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam).

The next verse explains further:

nasta-prayesv abhadresu

   nityam bhagavata-sevaya

bhagavaty uttama-sloke

   bhaktir bhavati naisthiki

“By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.” (SB 1.2.18)

Bhagavata-sevaya: by serving the person Bhagavata or by serving the book Bhagavata, all that is troublesome to the heart—the same word, abhadrani (abhadra, nasta-prayesv abhadresu)—all that is troublesome, all that is disturbing to the heart, becomes destroyed almost to nil at this stage. So when Prahlada prays that envious persons be pacified (bhadram), he is praying that all the abhadra, the disturbing things, the material desires within the heart, be removed. And the way they can be removed is by Krsna consciousness, by absorbing the mind in Krsna. That process is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita (man-mana bhava mad-bhakto) and in Srimad-Bhagavatam (sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh)—to absorb the mind in Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness, and that will cleanse the heart and make us calm and peaceful. Then, instead of being envious of others and wanting to exploit and dominate them, we will think of their welfare. We want to help them and encourage them in Krsna consciousness.

Our main process, specially given to us in Kali-yuga by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, is sankirtana, the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. But we have to do it in such a way that our minds are absorbed. That is Prahlada’s prayer, that our minds be absorbed in Krsna. So when we chant, we want to hear—we want our minds to be absorbed in the sound of Lord Krsna’s holy name. But when we try practically, what do we find? Is our mind peaceful? Is it absorbed in Krsna’s holy name? Or is it wandering here and there, thinking of different things to control and enjoy, which suggests the mentality described in the Bhagavad-gita and ascribed to demons: isvaro ’ham aham bhogi—“I am the controller; I am the enjoyer”? When we analyze the thoughts we have even while we are chanting—while we are supposed to be chanting and hearing—we find that the underlying principles are “I am the enjoyer; I am the controller.” We are chanting, but we are distracted, thinking, “Oh, I have to do this. I have to do that.” What does that imply? That I think I am the controller. “I have to control all these things. I can’t hear Krsna’s name. I have to control all these things.” And why do we want to control them? Though we may also want to control for Krsna’s service, the tendency is to control for sense gratification. We want to control people and events in certain ways as to make our lives more pleasurable. We want to make arrangements to make our lives more pleasant.

This demoniac tendency that we discussed in relation to Hiranyakasipu is there in us too. As our godbrother Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu often quotes, “We have seen the enemy, and it is us.” [laughter] We are the enemy. It is not out there. We are the enemy—our own bad propensities, our own uncontrolled minds and senses. The problem is not out there. It is right here inside us.

So we have to work hard. We have to endeavor to chant and hear with attention, with feeling. Whenever the mind wanders, we have to bring it back to the sound of Lord Krsna’s holy name. And that is a difficult job. In fact, it is futile exercise on our own strength alone. We need help. We need mercy. We need mercy from Krishna. And Prahlada is helping us. We should be praying, but he is leading us in the prayer. In Text 8 he prayed to Lord Nrsimhadeva in the heart, “Kindly vanquish my demonlike desires. Just as You destroyed Hiranyakasipu, kindly destroy my demonlike desires, kill my bad propensities, and sit on the throne of my heart.”

So we do both: we make our own effort, and we pray for mercy. And when the Lord sees that we are making an honest effort, He is inclined to give His mercy. We don’t just sit back and do nothing and pray for mercy. We have to make an effort. But at the same time, we understand that by our effort alone we cannot be successful; we need the Lord’s help. And when the Lord sees our genuine, sincere, tireless effort, He will be merciful. We mentioned Mother Yasoda. She couldn’t bind Krsna with all the ropes in Vraja, but when Krsna saw her tireless effort to bind Him, He felt compassion for her and allowed her to bind Him. Our acaryas explain that that gap of two fingers by which the ropes were always too short can be covered (1) by our endeavor, our hard labor (parisrama), and (2) by Krsna’s mercy (krsna-krpa). These two elements can cover that distance and make our efforts successful—by Krsna’s grace.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, as quoted by Prabhupada in the purport, explains that whenever a devotee offers a prayer to the Lord, He asks for some benediction. Om namo bhagavate narasimhaya is a prayer, and implicit in the prayer is a request for a benediction. But a devotee will not ask for a material benediction like Hiranyakasipu’s: “Let me become immortal so I can conquer the universe and make everyone my servant.” He will ask for a benediction related to devotional service. And that is not wrong. He just won’t ask for something for his sense gratification; he will ask for something for Krsna consciousness—for his own Krsna consciousness and for the Krsna consciousness of others.

We find the example in the Siksastaka (5):

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram

   patitam mam visame bhavambudhau

krpaya tava pada-pankaja-

   sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

“O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krsna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into this horrible ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.”

This is a very significant verse. Ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram: “I am Your eternal servant.” We are Krsna’s servants—specifically Krsna’s, the son of Nanda. Nanda-tanuja is an intimate term. Tanu means “body” and ja means “born.” Although the Lord is aja, unborn, for the sake of His pastimes in Vrndavana, He appears as nanda-tanuja, He who was “born from the body of Nanda.” It is very intimate. “Yet although I am Your servant [kinkaram], somehow or the other I have fallen into this terrible ocean of birth and death [patitam mam visame bhavambudhau].” Bhava means “to exist” or “to come into being and then to cease to exist.” And visame Prabhupada translates as “horrible.” Literally, visa means “poison.” This material existence is like an ocean of poison. And within this ocean are ferocious aquatics like sharks, who are ready to devour us. These deadly creatures are compared to lust, anger, and greed—always ready to devour us, to finish us. And there are waves in the ocean, terrible waves that are compared to false hopes and anxieties. They are always tossing us around. And there are strong winds—gales and storms—which are compared to bad association. The ocean is bad enough, but it becomes even worse when we are subjected to bad association. Such association acts like strong winds that push us in the wrong direction and may cause us to fall over. And while we are floundering in the ocean, drowning in the sea, we may come across some small pieces of wood and think, “Oh, here is a little piece of wood. Let me grab onto it.” Those insignificant pieces of wood are compared to the processes of karma, jnana, yoga, and so on. They can’t save us.

The only thing that can save us is mercy (tava krpa). Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who uttered these verses called the Siksastaka, prays, “By Your mercy, please pick Me up from this horrible ocean of birth and death and place Me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” It is divine mercy that can save us. And He prays to be an atom at the lotus feet of Krsna. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarks that this indicates that we are all originally part and parcel of Krsna.  Dhuli, literally, means “dust.” Pada-dhuli: “dust of the lotus feet.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu prays, “Please be causelessly merciful to Me. Consider Me, Your eternal servant, a particle of dust at Your lotus feet.”

Someone might question, “Is it proper for a devotee who has taken shelter of the holy name of Krsna to discuss the miseries of material existence?” Well, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu does. So it is not wrong to discuss the miseries of material existence, and it is not wrong to pray for mercy to be reestablished in one’s constitutional relationship with Krsna. Those are things devotees do. And that should be our mood when we chant: that the holy name is Krsna and that we want to reestablish our lost relationship with Him. Thus we want to reestablish our relationship with the holy name—Krsna as the holy name. And our chanting is personal reciprocation with the holy name. When our mind wanders and all these anarthas come up, as they are prone to do, we pray for mercy, “Please save me. I think I am God, the controller, the enjoyer. Please save me from these anarthas.” That is one side of the prayer. The other side is “Please engage me in Your service. Please accept me as Your eternal servant. Please consider me an atom at Your lotus feet, a particle of dust at Your lotus feet.”

And we have another example from Sri Siksastaka (4):

na dhanam na janam na sundarim

  kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye

mama janmani janmanisvare

  bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

“O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife, or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.”

Ahaituki. Again the word ahaituki: “causeless, without any motive for personal gain of any sort.” Pure devotional service is anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Anyabhilasita-sunyam: without any ulterior motive. Jnana-karmady-anavrtam: not covered by karma, jnana, or any other process. In His Siksastaka, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu prays in the mood of pure devotion: na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam. Dhanam means “wealth.” Janam means “followers.” Sundarim means “beautiful women, beautiful wife.” And kavitam means “poetry” or “the flowery words of the Vedas.” Sometimes sundarim is placed with kavitam to mean “beautiful poetry.” Some people think that they can realize God through poetry, music, or art, and they are attached to such subtle, almost heavenly pleasures. They say they can experience God through hearing a symphony, or whatever. So sundarim kavitam: beautiful poetry. And when sundarim is placed with kavitam, then beautiful women, beautiful wife, children, relatives, friends are included in janam. And all of these gains are achieved by pious material activities—karma, in other words. So when He says na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam, He means that He doesn’t want anything that can be achieved by karma. And when He says mama janmani janmanisvare, that birth after birth He wants to be engaged in pure devotional service, He tells us that He does not want even liberation, which is the goal of jnana. In other words, He is not praying for the results of karma or jnana but is asking only for pure devotional service. Such is a pure devotee. And that is what we should be praying for.

But Prahlada is asking not just for himself. He is praying for all living entities. And the same principle applies: we pray, but we also have to work. It is not enough that we sit back and pray, “Please deliver all the living entities in the universe” while we keep busy in eating and sleeping, or even chanting for our own personal benefit. We also have to work for the deliverance of the fallen souls. And that combination of endeavor and prayer will be effective. We find later, in Prahlada’s prayers to Nrsimhadeva in the Seventh Canto (SB 7.9.44):

prayena deva munayah sva-vimukti-kama

  maunam caranti vijane na parartha-nisthah

naitan vihaya krpanan vimumuksa eko

  nanyam tvad asya saranam bhramato ’nupasye

“O my Lord, I see that most saintly persons are interested only in their own deliverance. Not caring for the big cities and towns, they roam in solitary places with vows of silence. They are not interested in delivering others. As for me, however, I do not wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these poor fools and rascals. I know that without Krsna consciousness, without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish to bring them back to shelter at Your lotus feet.”

Prahlada does not have to be concerned about his own liberation, because, as a pure devotee, he is already liberated. Wherever he is, he can always immerse himself in the nectarean ocean of the Lord’s holy names and glories, and feel transcendental bliss. He explains, “For myself I have no anxiety, but I do have one concern. My lamentation (soce) is that people are suffering without Krsna consciousness, and so I am always making plans how to engage them in devotional service.”

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas

   tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah

soce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyartha-

   maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan

“O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. I am quite satisfied to chant Your holy name, because whenever I chant I immediately merge in an ocean of transcendental bliss. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies, and countries. I am simply lamenting for them and devising various plans to deliver them from the clutches of maya.” (SB 7.9.43)

Prahlada Maharaja is one of our acaryas—one of the twelve mahajanas—and he is teaching us by his example. He is thinking how he can deliver the fallen souls, how he can induce the fallen souls to take to Krsna consciousness. At the same time, he is praying to his worshipable deity, Lord Nrsimhadeva, to be merciful to them and deliver them, because he knows that on his own he can’t deliver them—and that on their own they can’t deliver themselves. So, to preach we need the Lord’s mercy. And to practice Krsna consciousness we also need the Lord’s mercy. At every stage, we need the Lord’s mercy. And at the same time, we have to make our own efforts.

In conclusion, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura raises the question, “What if Prahlada Maharaja’s prayer is accepted and everyone becomes Krsna conscious? They all will leave the material universe and go back to Godhead, so what will happen to the universe?”

At the Ardha-kumbha-mela in 1971, I had a rare opportunity to be with Srila Prabhupada in his tent when he was giving darsana, meeting visitors in the afternoon. A man asked him, “What if everyone becomes a devotee—how will the world go on?” And Prabhupada asked me to answer. I don’t remember exactly what I said, maybe something about how will the prison go on if all the prisoners are reformed and released, but I was very attentive to what Prabhupada said after I made my attempt. Srila Prabhupada replied, “It is like asking, ‘What if everyone becomes rich? Who will be the chauffeur?’ Everyone wants to be rich. You can’t argue, ‘What if everyone becomes rich?’ to say that people not try to become rich.” Prabhupada continued, “The problem is not that too many people will become Krsna conscious; the problem is that not enough will become Krsna conscious. Do you think that is a problem—that too many people will become Krsna conscious? That is not the problem. The problem is that not enough will become Krsna conscious.”

Once, one of our godsisters, Jahnava devi dasi, in this mood of thinking of the welfare of every living entity, asked Srila Prabhupada, “When we chant, should we think of the welfare of all living entities?” And Prabhupada replied, “Oh, you can think of all living entities? You just think of Lord Caitanya, and He will think of all living entities.” [laughter] We may desire the welfare of all living entities, but it is not in our capacity to think of all living entities. Even in a family of four, it is hard to think of the welfare of all four at once. So, we can’t think of all living entities. But we can think of Lord Caitanya, and He will think of all living entities. We can pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva, and He will think of all living entities. And we can pray to be a little particle of dust in Their service—a small instrument in Their mission—by Their divine grace.

Hare Krsna.

Nrsimha Bhagavan ki jaya!

Prahlada Maharaja ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

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Preparing for Life’s Ultimate Test
A Talk by Indradyumna Swami
April 23, 2008
Wallingford, Pennsylvania

The subject matter of the verse this evening is obviously death. The verse is certainly not the kind you would expect at a sweet home program like we’re having tonight. But I choose it because I wanted to honor Mother Sangita’s devotional service. Everyone here knows that she is helping te