Misc 24 — Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.16, Paris, 1975

Introduction and verse recitation

0:02Bhagavataḥ svasya, puṇya-ślokasya karmaṇaḥ. Śuddhi-kāmo na śṛṇuyād, śuddhi-kāmo na śṛṇuyād, yaḥ kali-malāpaham, yaḥ kali-malāpaham. Bhagavatam.

0:33Of the Lord, of the Lord, svasya, His, puṇya, puṇya, virtuous, virtuous, ślokasya, ślokasya, worshipable by prayers, worshipable by prayers, karmaṇaḥ, karmaṇaḥ, deeds, deeds, śuddhi-kāma, śuddhi-kāma, desiring deliverance from all sins.

0:58Desiring deliverance from all sins. Na, na, na, na śṛṇuyāt, śṛṇuyāt, does he? Of the age of quarrel, malāpaham, malāpa, the agent for sanctification. The agent for sanctification. Translation.

Purifying the body and soul

1:24Who is there not willing to take to the business of hearing the virtuous glories of the Lord if he had all desires to get deliverance from all vices in this age of quarrel? Śuddhi-kāma.

1:41Śuddhi-kāma means the... Just like every man is diseased. He must be desirous of getting out of disease. That is sanity. Or if a man is diseased, "Ah, let the disease go." That is insanity.

2:08So every one of us should be desirous of being free from the contamination of this material world on account of our false ego that I can endure this. Material disease is there, this body.

2:37This body is the symbol of all material disease. Just like one leper. There are so many sores on the body, that is diseased. One can understand, "Here is a leper disease."

2:59Similarly, this body, however beautiful it may be, it is the symptom of our disease condition. But they do not. They are identified with this body as myself. "I am. I am this. I am American. I am Englishman. I am this, that."

3:25Those who are intelligent, those who have actually known that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul," They deserve how to get out of. That is, should be found. Purification, existential purification should be found.

3:51There are some philosophers, they had what, existential... Existentialism. So that existentialism, I do not know what is their theory or philosophy, but everyone should desire for existentiality.

4:17That is... So the method is very simple. What is that? Śṛṇvatāṁ is simply hear. You haven't got to do anything. Just like sometimes the psychiatrists, they call their person and sit down and talk something.

4:48So here also, the same thing, psychiatrist method, that: come to our place, this center, and patiently hear, then your disease, this material disease will be cured. You haven't got to do anything.

5:14Simply come here, sit down and hear. This simple method. We don't require to practice the yogic gymnastics. That is not it.

5:30Simply you give—God has given you this ear—submissively give aural reception to the word of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That's all. This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we are reading. Simply if you hear, then you will purify.

5:53This hearing process is purifying.

Spiritual transformation through hearing and chanting

5:55Chanting Hare Krishna mantra is purifying. Śṛṇvatāṁ, special stress has been given here, śṛṇvatāṁ. What is the meaning of śṛṇvatām? Those who hear. So, śuddhi-kāmasya jaya-kāli-malāpaham bhagavat. Whose yaśa?

6:21Yaśa means reputation. Whose reputation? Viṣṇu. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Viṣṇu's reputation. Not that Mr. Nixon's reputation and Mr. Stalin's reputation. No. Yaśaḥ. Bhāgavata. God, Viṣṇu, Vishnu.

6:52Because God is absolute, Vishnu is absolute. So His reputation is also God. As soon as you hear a reputation of God, you immediately become in contact with God. And that contact with God will make you tapasya.

7:14The contact with fire makes you warm, warmer. And gradually, when you are very much warm, then you become fire. The example I've given many times. Iron rod, put into the fire, it becomes warm, warm, more, and at last red.

7:42That means it has acquired the quality of the fire. When the iron rod is red, you touch anywhere, it will burn. That is no more iron rod. There is fire. Similarly, this example is very nice.

8:04If you constantly keep yourself in touch with the absolute, then you become also. Not different.

8:14It appears that the iron rod is different from the fire, but because the iron rod has acquired the quality of fire, it acts as at that time no more material.

8:31Even if you have got this material body, it is no more material. It is spiritual. So these are not stories, these are facts.

8:43If it is possible materially to acquire the quality of fire simply being touched with it, how much spirituality is possible, just imagine. So simply śravaṇaṁ, kīrtanaṁ. Everything will come out.

9:06Your whole existence will be... That is existence and purification. Not only purification, acquiring the quality of the purest. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. Krishna

9:24is pavitraṁ paramaṁ, ultimate pure. So, this is so nice thing, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Just realize yourself, practice it. And you also touch those who are following. That's electricity.

9:49If I am electricity, then if I touch somebody, he becomes electrified. If he touches somebody, electrified. So we must be electrified, then if we touch somebody else, he'll...

Material illusion and the laws of nature

10:09So therefore here it is said: akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ. So mokṣa-kāma and akāma... Udāra-dhīḥ and sarva-kāma means good men. There they have still desire.

10:45This is, uh, yesterday I was quoting a śloka from the Bhāgavatam: sarva-kāma-dughā mahī, duhuḥ sma prapannāṁ kāmān. They have got so many desires. At to the end of life, there is no end of planning, uh, up to the end.

11:29When he is dying, he has some desire still to fulfill, uh, just like I told you many times the story, a friend. He was dying and requesting the doctor, "Doctor, can you give me..."

11:47He died at the age of fifty-four, not a very old man. "So I have got some plan. If I could live four years more, then I could have completed. Can you not give me this life for four years?" This desire is there. Huh?

12:09Four years after, even if he lives for four years more, where he is going, that he does not know, but he is busy to fulfill his plan here. This is called māyā. He does not know. "I am fulfilling my plans."

12:31There are so many politicians in our country, up to the point of death, could not give up politics. Gandhi, unless he was killed by somebody, he could not give up politics.

12:47Because everyone is thinking that without me there will be chaos. So, uh, "Let me finish. Let me finish." Such big men, Nehru or this Hitler or Napoleon Bonaparte, they came and went away, but the things are going on.

13:15Not that everything has stopped in the absence of Napoleon or Gandhi. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni — the nature is taking care of, you nonsense. Why are you so worried? Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni means everything, nature is doing.

13:34Guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. Everything is being done. You cannot change a little bit. Materially there is no possibility to change a bit. Just like yesterday we were talking: not a blade of grass moves without the designs.

13:54Everything is planned already, according to the body. You cannot change. But spiritually you can change; that advantage you have got. Spiritually you can change. Materially you cannot change.

14:11Materially you think that "If I work hard, I shall be earning more money and become happy." No, even if you get money artificially, you'll never get the— standard of happiness is already fixed up.

14:27Either you get money or do not get money, it doesn't change materially. That is already fixed up. Dehe yogena dehinām. Sukham aikāntikaṁ hi dehinām, dehena deha-yogena. This is a great science.

14:51But this aspect you do not know. Deha-yogena.

14:56As soon as you get a particular type of body, your standard of happiness and distress is fixed; that is called destination, that is called destiny. You cannot change that; it is not possible.

15:14You cannot change the hog's life into eating halavā, because it is not the body of a human being. But for a human being, there is a chance that by this process of spiritual advancement he can change the life.

15:39Very important. Change you can, spiritually. Therefore Bhagavān says, "Śītōṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ," right? This is happening by the action of māyā, and like heat and cold, both of them, everything will come and go.

16:21The seasonal change is already fixed. Such and such months are meant for winter. You cannot change it. Such and such months are meant for summer; you cannot change it. Nature is not under your control.

16:38Nature is under the control of Krishna. But if you take shelter of Krishna, Krishna can make summer into winter. That is Krishna's power. He is all-powerful.

16:55But you are bound by your so-called scientific advancement. We don't have—

17:03a simple method suggested here is that anyone who is desires of becoming purified, desirous of existential purification, which is purification, he must hear the reputation, the chanting, the name of Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of God.

Focusing on subject matters for self realization

17:31We are actually reading every day in the morning newspaper the name and fame of so many dacoits. Name and fame. Yes. Mr. Such-and-such spoke like this. He went to such-and-such place. He made one... This is newspaper.

17:57Turn your habit from this kīrtana to hear about it. Many levels. You have to hear something. Huh? Uh, what is that verse? Well, the second time. There are many things to be heard. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ.

18:36Śrotavyādīni. Śrotavyādīni. Subject matter for hearing. Śrotavyādīni rājendra, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is asking, uh, Parīkṣit Mahārāja: "My dear King, there are many subject matters for hearing."

18:59Because he proposed that "Now I'm at the point of death. What is my duty? What shall I hear about? What shall I do?" That was his question. So, uh, he was the devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So he said, "Simply hear about Kṛṣṇa."

19:20These were his first questions. So the guru is confirming, "Yes, your this question is very nice." Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ, the glory is that you want to hear about Kṛṣṇa.

19:39Otherwise, śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ. Sahasraśaḥ: there are millions types of subject matter for hearing who have no vision to see ātma-tattva, self-realized.

20:19Persons who are not interested in self-realization, they have got many subject matter for you. Just like you are here, you are listening because you are interested in self-realization.

20:37Otherwise, there are millions of persons in Paris City, but they are not interested for self-reality.

20:46They are interested how to get money, how to have nice apartment, how to have nice wife or husband, how to have nice children, uh, that's all. Gṛha-bhūta. This is called gṛha-bhūta.

False security and individual spiritual responsibility

21:03Gṛha-bhūta and gṛhastha I've explained several times. Gṛha-bhūta means that they also live in the apartment. We also live in the apartment. But ours is called āśrama. Āśrama means which has connection with the Supreme.

21:22That is called āśrama. And their idea is that decorating, furnishing this room, furnishing my wife, furnishing, uh, my children, decorating, that is ultimate. Dhakṣaḥ kuṭumba-bharaṇam. And this says

21:43a person will be considered as very successful if he can provide his family very comfortably. He'll be considered as, oh, very expensive. Very, "Oh, he has got nice apartment." He has got nice wife.

22:03Oh, he has got, he has got nice husband. These men, they do not know anymore. They are in India, Mullā dauṛ masjid. The Muslim, Muslim Mullā is going very fast. So one man asked him, "Mullā-jī, where are you going so fast?"

22:29And he's saying, "Up to the mosque." Up to the mosque, the swiftness. Similarly, all our these activities going on, they in this small street, they're driving at 80 miles. What is the purpose?

22:49And the decoration of the apartment. Asking, "Why you are so busy?" "Oh, I have to decorate my apartment." And they have got many things to hear. Where is money, where is money, where is money?

23:15Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca. So, oh, what is that? Divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā. Yeah. Uh, uh, santi pramathya uh, paśyann api na paśyati vināśam. Pramattaḥ praśannatīnāṁ batati vīra holy miśāni viha.

23:57Deha means body, apatya means children, deha-apatya. Kalatra, kalatra means wife. Deha-apatya-kalatra-ādiṣu. And in relationship with his body, wife and children, apa- tyādiṣu: "This is my community, this is my family."

24:21They have been considered as sainya. Sainya means soldiers. That's like a king fights along with soldiers. Similarly, our struggle for existence—we want to live, we want to conquer over the laws of material nature.

24:41This is a fight. So when there is a question of fighting, there must be soldiers. So these, uh, gṛha-vrata, uh, those who are simply attached to this family life, their soldiers are this behalf of the person.

25:01"This body, I am very strong, uh, I have got my good son, I've got my nice wife, and I've got my brother-in-law, I've got my this and that." So they are their soldiers.

25:16Fighting with material nature, struggle for existence, but soldiers— these are the soldiers. But the rascal does not find, does not see that this soldier cannot protect me; they will also die.

25:32They will also all be victimized by the laws of nature as sainya. My father was protecting his soldier in my childhood; he's gone. Now I'm thinking my son is my soldier, he loves to go, I love to go, he'll be protected.

25:50Nobody can be protected. Example is just like you all, you are flying in the air. Suppose there are seven, eight or one dozen aeroplanes flying together. But if your plane is in danger, no other plane can save you.

26:11You have to protect yourself. If you are an expert pilot, uh, then you can save yourself. If you think, "There is another aeroplane is going with me, it will save me," that is okay. Birds, birds are going in flock.

26:29But if the—if one bird is in danger, the other bird cannot save you. You have to save yourself.

26:38Similarly, we are thinking, "You are my brother, you are my soldier, you are my countryman, you are my this," but nobody can save you. You have to save yourself. Oh, nobody can save. This is the actual philosophy of life.

26:58We are thinking, but if you take center of Krishna, He can save because He is all-powerful.

Overcoming the influence of the current age

27:09Therefore it is recommended here: śuddhikāmā nṛṇāṁ svad-ayaḥ-śṛṅkhala- malāpahaḥ. Kali-malāpahaḥ is used there because we are all in this age of Kali, and it is full of dirtiness. Full of dirt.

27:28Na śocan... full of dirty things means full of asuras, demons. They do not know what is na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate.

27:41They do not know how to behave, or neither there is cleanliness internally or externally. This is the position. The purport. This age of Kali is the most condemned age on account of its quarrelsome features.

28:03The age of Kali is so much saturated with vicious habits of the fallen people that on a slight misunderstanding there is great fight.

28:11Persons who are engaged in the pure devotional service of the Lord without any desire for self-aggrandizement and freed from the effects of fruitive actions and dry philosophical speculations can only get out of the estrangements of this complicated age.

28:27The leaders of the people are very much anxious to live in peace and friendship, for they have no information of the simple method of hearing the glories of the Lord.

28:37On the contrary, people, there everyone, they at least peace and the United Nations is created for it. They're simply wasting their time.

28:55They are hearing so many things that if we say, "Oh, why don't you hear for it too, there's some other Bhagavata?" Then remember. They seem to be hearing, and some rascal is speaking for three days and he'll hear.

29:16All the members will hear. Parliament. But if you request them, "So you are hearing so many things. What else is it here?" But if you didn't want to have near, secular, secular, and name of God, of God's word.

29:44On the contrary, such leaders of the people are against the process of ventilating the Lord. Or in other words, the foolish leaders want to deny completely the very existence of the Lord.

29:55In the name of secular state, such foolish leaders are enacting various plans every year. From the time, you know, they're simply sitting after the future. But that future never came. And still they are hoping against hope.

30:15The future, we shall make it. But they have no eyes to see to such failure in the attempt of peace and friendliness. Here is the hint to get out of the hurdle.

30:31If we want actual peace and life and friendliness, we must open the road to understand the Supreme Lord Krishna and glorify Him for His virtuous activities, as they are depicted in the pages of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.