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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.8–9 , New Vrindavan , 1969-05-24

Prabhupāda: [indistinct] ...you have no tilaka.

Devotee: Oh. Sorry, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda:

om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave-namaḥ

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.]

śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

[When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?]

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate
gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

[O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.]

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari
vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye

[I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.]

So Vyāsadeva is submitting himself to his spiritual master, Nārada Muni, that "Yes, what you say is right, that I have tried to understand the Absolute Truth through your grace, and I have tried to explain also the Absolute Truth in so many books—Vedas, Purāṇas, Upaniṣads, Vedānta-sūtra—but still I am not happy. So what is the defect in me?"

So nārada uvāca, Nārada replied,

bhavatānudita-prāyaṁ
yaśo bhagavato 'malam
yenaivāsau na tuṣyeta
manye tad darśanaṁ khilam

[Śrī Nārada said: You have not actually broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless.]

The whole scheme should be to satisfy the Lord. This is the secret of success. Tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭam. If God, or Kṛṣṇa, is satisfied, then whole world is satisfied. The modern civilization is lacking this knowledge. Asuric civilization, demonic civilization, what to speak of satisfying God, they are denying the existence of God. And they want peace and happiness.

I remember there was a speech by Archbishop of Canterbury. He said that "You people, you want kingdom of God without God." That is our policy—Rāvaṇa's policy. Rāvaṇa's policy was kingdom of God without God. Kingdom of God means everyone is prosperous, happy in every respect. That is considered as kingdom of God so far materially considered. So Rāvaṇa wanted. He was materialistic. His capital was almost gold.

Every house was, I mean to say, wrapped with gold. Svarṇa-laṅkā. Svarṇa-laṅkā means at that time Rāvaṇa's kingdom, the Ceylon, modern Ceylon, was covered with gold everywhere. Very rich. Very, very rich. It is said that in Rāvaṇa's room, moon was rising. That means there was electricity at that time also, or similar lights. So the descriptions are very nice. It was very prosperous and rich country. And the policy was without God. Material civilization means like that, without God.

So the result was... What was the result? That everything became vanquished. Whole Rāvaṇa's kingdom with his family, with his everything, finished. Māre kṛṣṇa rākhe ke rākhe kṛṣṇa māre ke.

[If Lord Kṛṣṇa protects a person, who can kill him? And if Kṛṣṇa desires to kill someone, who can protect him?]

If Kṛṣṇa protects, nobody can kill him, and if Kṛṣṇa kills, nobody can protect him. So Rāmacandra, Lord Rāmacandra, killed him. He was a great devotee of Lord Śiva, Rāvaṇa.

Generally, the demons are devotees of Brahmā, Śiva. Generally. They don't like Viṣṇu, because there is restriction. Viṣṇu worship does not mean unrestricted sense gratification. No. In other worship there is allowed. "All right. You... Whatever you do."

Therefore, generally, people do not take to Viṣṇu worship. Vaiṣṇava, you'll find very small number of men, they are really pure Vaiṣṇava. So Rāvaṇa was a great devotee of Lord Śiva, but when Rāmacandra, Lord Viṣṇu—Rāmacandra is also Viṣṇu—He wanted to kill him, Lord Śiva could not save him.

There are many stories about him, that when Rāvaṇa was on the actual battlefield, he was praying Lord Śiva. Generally, one who worships some demigod or somebody, he remembers. And Pārvatī, the wife of Lord Śiva, was insisting that "Your devotee is in so great danger, and he is repeatedly calling you to help him. And why you are not going? You are sitting?"

The Lord Śiva said, "Now he is destined to die. Lord Rāmacandra has come to kill him. Nobody can save him." That is the fact. Rākhe kṛṣṇa māre ke māre kṛṣṇa rākhe ke. If Kṛṣṇa gives protection to somebody, nobody can kill him. And if Kṛṣṇa kills somebody, nobody can give him protection, whatever he may be.

So we are... Our business should be, the whole business should be, how to please the Supreme Lord. And in the Bhagavad-gītā there is a very simple formula how to please the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa says,

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati

[Bg. 18.68]

[For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.]

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ

[Bg. 18.69]

[There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.]

Kṛṣṇa said that "A person who is taking the risk and trouble of preaching this confidential philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā, as it is..." Paramaṁ guhyam, very confidential. Confidential means that the last instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, simply to surrender unto the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa, is not understandable by ordinary men. Even great scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan, he denies.

Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

[Bg. 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

One who has taken the attitude of becoming a demonic, however learned he may be, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. His learning, his knowledge, has been taken away by māyā. And āsuraṁ bhāvam, na māṁ prapadyante. They will never surrender. This is the sign of demon. They will never surrender.

They will be killed, they will go to hell, they will accept all the thing, but still, if you ask him that "You surrender to..." "No." That is demonic. Therefore one who surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, or God, is very fortunate. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

One who surrenders, he's not ordinary man. He is greater than all scholars, all philosophers, all yogīs, all karmīs. Topmost man, one who surrenders. Therefore it is very confidential. So our teaching, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is, is a process of teaching people how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or God. That's all. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says this is a confidential... Nobody will accept. But one who takes the risk, "Please, surrender..."

So when you go to preach, you know the preachers are sometimes attacked. Just like Nityānanda Prabhu was attacked by Jagāi-Mādhāi. And when Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, killed... So a preacher has the risk. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "These field workers who are engaged in preaching this Bhagavad-gītā as it is, they are very, very dear to Me. Very, very dear to Me." Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ [Bg. 18.69].

[There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.]

"There is nobody dearer to Me than that person who preaches this confidential truth to the people."

Therefore if we want to please Kṛṣṇa, we have to take this risk. Kṛṣṇa, guru. My spiritual master took this risk, preaching work, and he inspired us also to do that preaching work. And we are also imploring you to take this preaching work. So this preaching work, however, I mean to say..., I mean to say, poorly we do...

Poorly—it is not poor, but suppose I am not very much educated. Just like this boy. If I send him for preaching work, he is not very educated now. He's not a philosopher. He's not a scholar. But he can also preach. He can also preach.

Because our preaching is not very difficult thing. If we go from door to door and simply request people, "My dear sir, you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." And if he's little advanced, "Please try to read Teachings of Lord Caitanya. It is very nice. You'll be benefited," these three, four words will make you a preacher.

Is it very difficult task? [chuckles] You may not be very learned, very good scholar, very good philosopher. You simply say..., go, and door to door: "My dear sir, you are very learned man. For the time being, you stop your learning. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Just like Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī did. He said, dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya [Caitanya-candrāmṛta].

[Taking a straw between my teeth and falling at your feet a hundred times, I humbly submit, "O great personality, please give up all mundane knowledge that you have learned and just submit yourself at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu."]

The preaching method he is teaching. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya. He wrote one book, Caitanya-candrāmṛta, "The Moonlight of Lord Caitanya," in Sanskrit. He belonged to southern India. And his nephew became one of the Gosvāmīs. When Lord Caitanya was staying at his home, he was at that time householder. Later on he took sannyāsa and became Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.

At that time Gopāla Bhaṭṭa... Actually, their family title was Bhaṭṭa, Bhaṭṭācārya. Bhaṭṭācārya is given title to the very learned brāhmaṇa. Cakravartī, Bhaṭṭācārya—these are brāhmaṇa's title who are very learned, very influential. So Bhaṭṭācārya. So at that time Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was little boy. So Lord Caitanya stayed with this Veṅkaṭa, Veṅkaṭanātha. His name was Veṅkaṭa. Later on he became Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.

So that boy became influenced, and he wanted to go with Lord Caitanya. He was sannyāsī. He was traveling. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised him that "Your father and mother are still living. So you can come to Me later on."

He was boy, only sixteen years old. So this boy, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, he, after the death of his father and mother, he went to Lord Caitanya, and He accepted him. And He handed over in charge of Rūpa Gosvāmī, that "You treat this boy as your younger brother." And he also became one of the six Gosvāmīs.

The six Gosvāmīs... Rūpa Gosvāmī is the..., is the head actually. But Sanātana Gosvāmī, being his elder brother, he was treating him as his spiritual master. So Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Jīva Gosvāmī.

These six Gosvāmīs, they have given immense literature. And all of them established one temple in Vṛndāvana. You have seen, Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja, the Rādhā-Ramaṇa temple. Rādhā-Ramaṇa temple, that is Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī's.

So that Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī [is] teaching us how to preach. In this age, simply by fighting, argument, it is very difficult to preach. Better to become humble and meek. Just like Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī is teaching us: dante nidhāya tṛṇakam. In India there is a system to become humble.

If you take one blade of grass in your..., between your lips and approach somebody, it is to be understood that you are approaching with great humbleness. Therefore he said, dante nidhāya tṛṇakam. Tṛṇakam means blade of grass. Dante means teeth. Padayor nipatya: "And falling down on your feet."

Kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā: "And flattering you hundred times, 'My dear sir, you are so great. You are so big. You are so learned. You are so rich. You are so beautiful,' and everything," although he may be not.

So dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca. Śatam. Śatam means "Hundred times flattering, I have come to you to say something." "Why you are so humble? What is the... What do you want to talk? " "No, I am..."

He sādhavaḥ. "You are very religious man. You are very upright man, sādhavaḥ. Very honest man, saintly man. Yes. But I request you that whatever you learned, please forget. That is my request."

Sakalam eva vihāya dūrād caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam. "You just try to submit yourself on the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. By His mercy you'll find that," kaivalyaṁ narakāyate, "you'll find that to become one with the Supreme, it will appear to you just like hell."

To merge into the Supreme, that is the highest ambition of the impersonalist. But if you submit yourself to the lotus feet of Caitanya-candra, then you'll find that this conception is just like hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Naraka means hell. You'll find kaivalyam, to become one.

And tridaśa-pūrākāśa-puṣpāyate. Tri-daśa-pūra means the planets, higher planets where demigods live. Thirty-three million demigods, there are at least thirty-three million planets. Tri-daśa-pūrākāśa-puṣpāyate. They are just like phantasmagoria. The exact analogy of phantasma..., equivalent word in Sanskrit of phantasmagoria, "which has no actual existence," is called ākāśa-puṣpa, "flower of the sky."

There is no flower in the sky, but you can say. Or in common Bengali words, "eggs of the horse." Now, horse never gives eggs, but there are words like that. [chuckles] Just like Vivekananda has manufactured: daridra-nārāyaṇa. How Nārāyaṇa can be daridra? So it is something like horse eggs. You see?

So these words are very... Tri-daśa-pūrākāśa-puṣpāyate. By the grace of Lord Caitanya you'll find to merge into the effulgence, to become one with the Supreme, will be considered as hell, actually. If you ask any pure devotee, "Do you want to merge into the existence, impersonal Brahman?" he'll deny. If he has got little Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he'll deny, that "What is this merging? This is hellish. We want to dance with Kṛṣṇa. Why shall I merge and lose my existence, individuality?"

And karmīs, they are trying to be elevated in the higher planets. Just like they are trying to go to the higher planets by sputniks, similarly, there are ritualistic ceremony. Yānti deva-vratā devān [Bg. 9.25].

[Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.]

By performing all the ritualistic ceremonies, sacrifices, you can elevate yourself to the higher planet: yānti deva-vratā devān. That is another method. And this method also, another method, they want to go direct by machine. But that tendency is there everywhere, that "We may go to this sun planet, moon planet, this planet."

But Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he says, [chuckling] "Oh, you are trying to go to other, higher planets by your karma, by his work? Oh, this is just like horse egg. Huh? Why should you bother yourself?" Horse egg means it has no substance. As like there is no existence of horse egg, similarly, even if you attain that higher planetary system, what do you gain by that? You don't gain anything, because the four principles of material existence will continue there also.

Birth, death, old age and disease, you cannot stop. You may live for a greater period—that is possible in higher planets. But if you are simply satisfied only by living a bigger span of life, is that very success? Just stop death. That is success. To become very strong in body, that is not success.

But either you become strong and weak, you have to die. There is no, I mean to say, excuse, because you are a strong man you will not die. Or because you are rich man you will not die. Because you are... No. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says it is just like ākāśa-puṣpa, phantasmagoria.

So this is karmī, jñānī. Jñānī wants to merge, and karmī wants higher level, higher standard of life. That is karmī's business. Karmīs give in charity just to acquire pious result out of it, so that after death he can be elevated to the Svargaloka, heavenly planet.

So Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says, "But by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, this ambition to be elevated in higher planetary system will appear to be as phantasmagoria." Ākāśa-puṣpāyate. And this is karmīs' ambition, the jñānīs' ambition.

Then yogīs. The yogīs' ambition is siddhi, or eight kinds of success. A yogī can become lighter than the cotton swab. He can become smaller than the atom. Aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, siddhi, īśitā, vaśitā. There are so many yogic perfection. And that is, of course, perfection. Nobody... It is not very easily gone to that perfectional stage. Generally, people try by practicing yoga to control the senses and the mind. That is general practice.

So Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says that durdānta indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. Why you should be afraid of your senses? Why you are so much busy to try to control the senses? The senses become... How? Why not controlled? He says that senses are just like serpents. Durdānta indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī.

These senses are just like snakes. Snakes are always dangerous, because as soon as he touches like this, immediately death. Poisonous snake. You cannot distinguish who is not poisonous. Therefore snake is always horrible. Just like the other day you found out one snake in the brahmacārīs' house.

So Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says, "Yes, snake is very fierce and horrible. But if you know that the snake has no poison, his poison teeth has been broken..." Snake has also use for human being. There are expert snake charmer who take the snake and take out the poisonous teeth, and that poison is used for so many medicinal purpose. So poison is also used for human benefit if one knows.

So Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he said these indriyas, the senses, are just like snakes. Our senses are acting just like snakes. It is, as soon as it touches, there is some danger. Sense gratification means you are creating some danger, some future danger. That's all. We should always remember.

All our troubles and miseries are due to sense gratification. They are always troublesome. The yoga system means yoga indriya-saṁyama. Yoga means controlling the senses. That is the first principle.

So Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī said that "Yes, it is admitted that the senses are just like snakes. But if you break the poisonous teeth, then there is no danger. There is no... They have no more fears." A snake without poison, a child may be afraid of, "There is a snake."

But if a man knows that "This snake is here, but there is no poisonous teeth, it is broken," then there is no question of fearfulness. Otherwise, it is ordinary, insignificant..., just like reptile, something, or worm, or microbes.

So he said... So that means he answers to the jñānīs, to the yogīs, to the karmīs: durdānta indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta. Protkhāta, extracted. The teeth is extracted. Protkhāta. Protkhāta. Daṁṣṭrāyate. Daṁṣṭra means teeth. Taken away. So there is no cause of...

Durdānta indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate. Everyone is facing the problem of material world, so many problems. But if you take shelter of Lord Caitanya, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Lord Caitanya means Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam [SB 11.5.32].

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

Lord Caitanya means Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then viśvaṁ pūrṇa, you'll find there is no problem. The world is very happy place. A devotee finds a very nice place. Just like here in New Vrindaban, those who are karmīs, oh, they'll find, "Oh, it is a nonsense place." You see? "There is no amenities, modern amenities. There is so much trouble. There is no nice bathroom. There is no water supply." But devotees, they are finding, "Oh, it is very nice place."

So just you... Similarly, widely you take, all the karmīs, they are faced with so many problems. But a devotee, those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they have no problem. Viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate. And vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate. And for them, all these big, big men may be very big to others, but for the devotees they're just like worms and germs and ordinary flies.

Just like we sometimes criticize big men. Hmm? So on what strength? That strength is because we have taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Otherwise, any ordinary man can criticize. Just like the Consulate General in San Francisco, he was speaking to me that "Swāmījī, you have called Maharishi rascal?" "Yes. Yes. I may have called. What is that?" So the people..., a man who is worshiped by so many people we call rascal? On what strength? The strength is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

We can prove that he is rascal. I am not speaking; Kṛṣṇa is speaking. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ [Bg. 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

Mūḍha means rascal. So I am repeating Kṛṣṇa's word. Anyone who does not surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, he is rascal. So we can quote from Bhagavad-gītā. If somebody brings case against us, so we can freely say that "I am not speaking. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā. You just bring libel case against Bhagavad-gītā. Why you are troubling me?" [laughter]

Bhagavad-gītā says anyone who does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ mām... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ: he's not only rascal, he's the lowest of the mankind. And if you say, "Oh, he is very learned scholar." Oh, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ [Bg. 7.15]: his knowledge has been taken away by māyā. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Simply he's defying God. Kṛṣṇa means God. "I am God," that is asuric.

So for a devotee, there is no need of controlling senses. It automatically becomes controlled. Just like we have taken the vow we are not going to eat anything except kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Oh, the sense is already controlled. There is no question of asking a devotee, "You don't drink, don't this, don't this, don't this."

So many don'ts. Simply by accepting kṛṣṇa-prasādam, all don'ts there, already there. And it becomes very easier. Others, if one is requested that "You don't smoke," it will be very difficult job for him. For a devotee, he can give up at any moment. He has no problem.

Therefore the same example, that these senses are very strong undoubtedly, as strong as the snake. But if you break the poison teeth, the poison teeth, then it is no more fierceful. Similarly, if you engage your senses in Kṛṣṇa, no more controlling; it is already controlled. Protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate. [Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5]:

[For a devotee, the pleasure of merging into the existence of Brahman is considered hellish. Similarly, he considers promotion to heavenly planets just another kind of phantasmagoria. The yogīs meditate for sense control, but for the devotee the senses appear like serpents with broken teeth. The whole material world appears joyful for a devotee, and even great personalities like Lord Brahmā and Lord Indra are considered no better than insects. Such is the position of a devotee who has received but a small glance of the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Unto this most magnanimous personality I offer my respectful obeisances.]

And the whole world is problem for ordinary persons, but to us it is not problem. Because we see everything Kṛṣṇa's. If there is problem, it is Kṛṣṇa's problem. Why my problem? Kṛṣṇa can know how to solve problem. So we have no problem practically. Kṛṣṇa's problem. Kṛṣṇa will see to it. Just like Arjuna was, I mean to say, encouraged that nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin [Bg. 11.33]

[Therefore get up and prepare to fight. After conquering your enemies you will enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācin, can be but an instmment in the fight.]

"You don't worry about your victory. I have already arranged." So we should have such faith and conviction and let us try. Let us do very sincerely and seriously. Then everything Kṛṣṇa will do. I haven't got to do anything.

Just like our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is improving. Kṛṣṇa giving us all facilities. We have no power, but we are trying to discharge the duty sincerely. Then it is everything. There is no problem. Viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate. And vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate. And when a person is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, he knows what is what.

He knows what this learned scholar is. He knows what is this. Vidhi-mahendra. What to speak of ordinary scholars and big men, vidhi... Vidhi means Lord Brahmā, and mahendra means the king of heaven. So they are also treated as ordinary human being or ordinary living entities. They are not given any importance. "Well, as..."

Ābrahma-bhuvana-stham. Ābrahma. For a devotee, as Brahmā is also living entity, a small ant is also living entity, all Kṛṣṇa's parts and parcels; they have no quarrel with anybody. As Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel, we offer respect to everyone.

So not that they are amazed with the greatness of a living entity. He thinks that his greatness is due to Kṛṣṇa's favor. Because Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ tat tad eva mama tejo 'ṁśa-sambhavam [Bg. 10.41].

[Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.]

Nobody can become great unless... Just like the sunshine. The sunshine, what is the sunshine? It is simply a partial reflection of Kṛṣṇa's brahma-jyotir. Similarly anyone who is great in the estimation of this material world, there is some Kṛṣṇa's favor. That's all. Yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ tat tad eva mama tejo 'ṁśa-sambhavam.

Just like in the Brahma-saṁhitā, we are giving respect to all the demigods. We are giving respect to Lord Śiva, we are giving respect to Durgā, we are giving respect to Gaṇeśa, we are giving respect to the sun-god. They are very big demigods, Lord Śiva or Durgā, Gaṇeśa and Brahmā and...

We don't disrespect. We give respect even to the ant; why not to Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā? They should have their due respect. But that does not mean we consider them as the Supreme Lord. That is the mistake of the karmīs and the impersonalists. No. We know that nobody can be greater than or equal to Kṛṣṇa, or viṣṇu-tattva, Nārāyaṇa.

yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ
brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ
samatvenaiva vīkṣeta
sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam

[Cc. Madhya 18.116]

[“’A person who considers demigods like Brahmā and Śiva to be on an equal level with Nārāyaṇa is to be considered an offender, or pāṣaṇḍī.’”]

It is said in the Vaiṣṇava Tantra that anyone who, I mean to say, considers on the equal level Nārāyaṇa with such great demigods like Brahmā and Śiva, brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ, such big demigods, sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam. He becomes pāṣaṇḍī.

Pāṣaṇḍī means atheist. Atheist will compare that the Supreme Lord and other demigods are on the equal footing. No. They are never. Nobody can be greater or equal with the Supreme Lord. Therefore, vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate...

viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate
yat kāruṇya-katākṣa-vaibhavavatāṁ taṁ gauram eva stumaḥ

[Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5]

[For a devotee, the pleasure of merging into the existence of Brahman is considered hellish. Similarly, he considers promotion to heavenly planets just another kind of phantasmagoria. The yogīs meditate for sense control, but for the devotee the senses appear like serpents with broken teeth. The whole material world appears joyful for a devotee, and even great personalities like Lord Brahmā and Lord Indra are considered no better than insects. Such is the position of a devotee who has received but a small glance of the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Unto this most magnanimous personality I offer my respectful obeisances.]

These things happen simply by little merciful glance by Lord Caitanya upon us. Simply if Lord Caitanya approves our activity, "Well, this man is doing nice," oh, then you get all the success. Simply if He approves. Yat kāruṇya-katākṣa-vaibhavavatāṁ taṁ gauram eva stumaḥ.

Therefore our point was how to please the Supreme Lord. This is the way. If you want to please Kṛṣṇa, you spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the point Nārada is pointing out to Vyāsadeva, yathā dharmādayaś cārthā muni-varyānukīrtitāḥ. Muni-varya. Muni-varya means he was the greatest of all thoughtful men. Muni. Muni means those who are thoughtful, and varya means the greatest.

So he says, yathā dharmādayaś cārthā muni-varyānukīrtitāḥ: "As you have described in all the Vedas and Upaniṣads about religiosity or economic development or the procedure of sense gratification or merging into the Supreme, in that way you have not described the glories of the Lord. You have given more importance to the material activities."

Just like in the Vedas there are ritualistic ceremony of performing great sacrifices. What is the meaning of that sacrifice? That means you get a very opulent position in your next life or in this life. So people are attached to such thing. Veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ [Bg. 2.42], Bhagavad-gītā, you'll find.

[Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.]

People are very much attracted by these ritualistic ceremony. Not only the followers of the Vedas; in every religion, if you perform some ritualistic ceremony, oh, they are very much attracted. And if you simply say, "Let us chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," they will not be very much attracted.

So veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ. So we should not be like that. Our business is how to glorify the Supreme Lord, how to glorify Kṛṣṇa. Then all success is there. That will be instructed by and by, by Nārada Muni to Vyāsadeva.

yathā dharmādayaś cārthā
muni-varyānukīrtitaḥ
tathā vāsudevasya
mahimā hy anuvarṇitaḥ

[Although, great sage, you have very broadly described the four principles beginning with religious performances, you have not described to such an extent the glories of the Supreme Personality, Vāsudeva.]

Na tathā. Na tathā vāsudevasya mahimā hy anuvarṇitaḥ. "You have taken much trouble about these ritualistic performances in the Vedas and other literatures, but you have not taken much trouble to describe the glories of Vāsudeva." Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

"Although in the Bhagavad-gītā you have seen that everything is Vāsudeva...," vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ vāsudeva-paraṁ jñānam [SB 1.2.28],

[In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please Him. Yoga is for realizing Him. All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by Him only. He is supreme knowledge, and all severe austerities are performed to know Him. Religion [dharma] is rendering loving service unto Him. He is the supreme goal of life.]

"But still you have not described about..., much about Vāsudeva." Na tathā vāsudevasya mahimā hy anuvarṇitaḥ. "You have not described very nicely about the glories of Vāsudeva."

All right. [end]