Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

vaṁsaṁ kuror vaṁsa-davagni-nirhrtaṁ
saṁrohayitva bhava-bhavano hariḥ;
nivesayitva nija-rajya isvaro
yudhiṣṭhiraṁ prita-mana babhuva ha
[SB 1.10.2]

Translation: "Suta Gosvami said: Lord Sri Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the maintainer of the world, became pleased after reestablishing Maharaja Yudhiṣṭhira in his own kingdom and after restoring the Kuru dynasty, which had been exhausted by the bamboo fire of anger."

Prabhupada: The two words, vaṁsaṁ kuroḥ;... Vaṁsa means dynasty of the Kurus. Another word, vaṁsa-davagni. Vaṁsa means bamboo. So this dynasty is like bamboo. One bamboo, automatically, many bamboos grow side by side. So this dynasty also grows like that. One man, one woman, united, they beget children. They beget children. In this way, dynasty expands. So the expansion of dynasty and the bamboo growing, practically the same thing. Bamboo, they are also living entities, and another thing is davagni, forest fire, davagni. The bamboos, when they collide by air, there is heat. Electricity is generated, and the fire takes place. That is the cause of forest fire. Nobody goes to set fire in the forest. Nowadays, of course, in your country they are doing like that. But generally the forest fire takes place by this collision of the bamboos. So this world is like that. Therefore we sing, saṁsara-davagni. Saṁsara-dava... What is that?

Devotees: Saṁsara-davanala-liḍha-loka **.

Prabhupada: Ah. Saṁsara-davanala-liḍha-loka **. So this world, you may try to keep yourself very peaceful, silent, but there will be set fire automatically, the nature. Because the natural law is that it will not allow you to live peacefully. That is not possible. Just like in prison house, it is not that you will go to the prison house and live very peacefully. No. Because prison house is meant for the criminals.

So anyone who is in this material world, they are criminals. They are all criminals. Why?

krṣṇa-bahirmukha haña bhoga vañcha kare
nikaṭa-stha maya tare japaṭiya dhare
(Prema-vivarta)

As soon as... Our business is to serve Krṣṇa. We are constitutionally made like that. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krṣṇa-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. So these rascals, nitya-krṣṇa-dasa, eternal servant of Krṣṇa, when he forgets Krṣṇa, "Why shall I serve Krṣṇa? I shall become Krṣṇa," that is maya. As soon as you forget the service of the Lord... That is your business, because we are part and parcel of Krṣṇa. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. The finger's business is to carry out my order. I say, "Finger, come here." It comes immediately. I say, "Finger come here," it comes immediately. That is the business of the part and parcel of the body. I desire the leg now should go upstairs: the leg immediately goes. Similarly, we being part and parcel of Krṣṇa, our only duty is to carry out the order of Krṣṇa. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66].

So as soon as we forget our duty or we want to imitate... Just like these Mayavadis, they want to imitate Krṣṇa. They want to become Krṣṇa. Nobody can become Krṣṇa. These rascals, they think that by mystic yoga process one can become God. Simply rascaldom. Nobody can become God. God is never made. God does not become. God is always God, not that one is not God, and he becomes God by some mystic yogic power. This theory is going on amongst the Mayavadis, that by the mystic yoga practice, one can become God. So we don't want such cheap God. They may become God, so-called God, but we are concerned with the real God, Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa, when He was three months old, He was God. He did not practice any mystic yoga to kill Putana. Svabhaviki jñana-bala-kriya ca. God's intelligence, power, is natural. Although Krṣṇa was on the lap of mother Yasoda like a little baby, but the full potency of God was there. Svabhaviki jñana-bala-kriya. How to kill Putana, how to kill Aghasura, Bakasura, Krṣṇa knows perfectly. All the Krṣṇa's friends, they were entering within the mouth of Aghasura. Krṣṇa is observing, "Now My all friends have entered the mouth of the Aghasura, and how to kill this demon?" The last, He entered. And at the end of the throat, He began to expand Himself. Just see how He knows to do His business. Svabhaviki.

Krṣṇa was a boy also, little boy. Nobody taught Him how to kill this Aghasura, Bakasura. But He knows. Svabhaviki jñana-bala-kriya ca. He expanded Himself within the throat, and the demon was choked up, and he died. Similarly, the Kesi demon came as a horse and Krṣṇa pushed His hand within the mouth of the horse. If you want to control horse, you have to control his mouth. Horse is controlled by the mouth. Therefore you have seen the harnesses are fit, fixed in the mouth, and the driver controls the mouth, and the horse goes. So Krṣṇa was a boy. How He knew it that "This demon has come in the shape of a horse. So if I have to control him, I will have to control his mouth." So He pushed His hand within the mouth of the horse, and the horse felt just like an iron bar and hot iron. So he died. Similarly, when Krṣṇa fought with that bull, what is that asura?

Devotees: Ariṣṭasura.

Prabhupada: He knew that to control the bull you have to control the horns. So He took up the horns and killed him. This is svabhaviki, natural. He knows everything.

So here it is said that prita-mana isvaraḥ;. Isvaro prita-mana babhuva, "Isvara became pleased." Isvara is always pleased. He is never displeased. But when He sees that people are devotees, people are acting as part and parcel of Him, He is more pleased. That is bhakti. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. How God is pleased, that you can understand by discharging devotional service. Whether God is pleased or not pleased, how you can understand? Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvataḥ; [Bg. 18.55]. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ; [Brs. 1.2.234]. You cannot understand what is God, what is Krṣṇa. Generally, all people, they do not know what is God. And what to speak of understanding whether God is pleased or not pleased. They do not know what is God. This is the position of the world. They do not know what is God, neither there is any education to understand, although the human life is meant for understanding God. That is human life. Athato brahma jijñasa. The animal life, their inquiries are... In the morning... Just like birds, they chirp, "Where we have to go now to find out our food? Where we shall eat today? Where we shall go?" That is their questions and answers. Similarly, we also, human beings, we go to the share market, "What is the value? What is the price of this commodity? What is the price of that commodity? " For eating purpose. Not these questions. Athato brahma jijñasa. The human life should be engaged in inquiring about Brahman. "What is the Absolute Truth? What is my position in relationship with the Absolute Truth? What is my duty towards the Absolute Truth? What is my ultimate aim of life?" These questions must be discussed. Perhaps these questions are being discussed by the Krṣṇa consciousness movement and no other movement. They do not know. The Mayavadis, they deny the existence of God. They become themselves God.

So the fact is that we have to see that isvara, the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is prita-mana. That is gopis'... The gopis' life is like that. They want to see Krṣṇa always, prita-mana, satisfied. That is our Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇava philosophy, how to see Krṣṇa prita-mana. That is our business. Here in the material world, everyone is trying to see himself, "How much satisfied I am?" Prita-mana. He is... Everyone is trying to become happy himself. Just... Bhakti-marga, or the path of devotional service, is just the opposite, to see how much Krṣṇa is prita-mana, satisfied.

So here it is stated that vaṁsaṁ kuror vaṁsa-davagni-nirhrtam. When everything was finished... Krṣṇa knows how to kill the demons, setting fire. Just like you... Some way or other, if there is fire in the forest, automatically, so many trees, so many animals, so many other things, they become devastated, burned into ashes. So Krṣṇa, by the policy of Krṣṇa, all the demons were brought together in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and set them... The fire was set, fighting, and they died. When Arjuna was hesitating to fight, Arjuna was at last informed that "Why you are hesitating? It is all My plan. You fight or don't fight, it doesn't matter. These people are not going back home. They will die here." Nimitta-matraṁ bhava savyasacin: "You just become only a nimitta, an immediate cause. Everything is arranged. But if you fight, you get the credit. I want to see My devotee gets the credit. Everything I am doing." Everything actually. Just like this Krṣṇa consciousness movement is quickly spreading all over the world within four, five years. Is it my credit? No. It is credit of Krṣṇa. But because I tried to do this business, people automatically giving me the credit. They say, "Swamiji, you have done wonderful." I have done nothing wonderful. It is Krṣṇa's business. Krṣṇa-sakti vina nahe nama-pravartana. Without Krṣṇa's strength, nobody can spread. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta.

Similarly, Krṣṇa is always ready to help us, provided we are also ready to cooperate with Him. If we cooperate with Him, what Krṣṇa desires, if we want to do little, immediately Krṣṇa will help you. If you work one percent, Krṣṇa will help you ten percent. Again, if you work one percent, Krṣṇa will help you another ten percent. But the cent percent credit you get, by the help of Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa gives you intelligence. Teṣaṁ satata-yuktanaṁ bhajataṁ priti-purvakam, buddhi-yogaṁ dadami tam [Bg. 10.10]. If you are engaged satatam, twenty-four hours, without any other engagement... Sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66], giving up all other nonsense business... Sarva-dharman. Simply if you are engaged in Krṣṇa's business... Priti-purvakam, with love. Not as hackneyed: "Oh here is the duty, chanting of Hare Krṣṇa. All right, Harekrṣṇaharekrṣṇaharekrṣṇa..." (Prabhupada chants very quickly and indistinctly) Not like that. With priti, with love. Chant every name, "Hare Krṣṇa," and hear. Here is Krṣṇa; here is Radharaṇi. That kind of chanting, quality. Not "Harekrṣṇaharekrṣṇakrṣṇakrṣṇaharehare..." Not like that. Not like that. Priti.

Teṣaṁ satata-yuktanaṁ bhajataṁ priti [Bg. 10.10]. That priti is required. That is the essential quality. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. Real thing is bhakti. Krṣṇa is not hungry that you will give Him some good food and He will eat it, never mind in which you can give. "Oh, here is puri, halava. Krṣṇa must eat." Krṣṇa is not hungry for your puri, halava. But if there is bhakti, if there is love, then He eats. Tad aham asnami: "Then I eat if there is bhakti, love." "Krṣṇa, what can I do for You? I am so teeny, You are so great. Still, I have tried to do something. If You kindly eat." This is mantra. Real mantra is that not so many formalities of mantra. Krṣṇa does not say, "One who offers Me with the Vedic mantras..." Never says. Krṣṇa says bhaktya, "with devotion."

So others may criticize you, that "These American Vaiṣṇavas, they do not know how to do this, how to do that." Let them criticize. But Krṣṇa says bhaktya. "You remain perfect devotee." Then your life is perfect. Krṣṇa does not say that the Indian devotee who discriminates between touchable and untouchable and big, big paṇḍitas or deva-gosvami, not dasa-gosvami... Krṣṇa does not discriminate like that. Krṣṇa says bhaktya, yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Krṣṇa wants to see how much sincere devotee you have become. That is His business. Krṣṇa does not see, "Oh, whether you are coming from brahmaṇa family or sudra family, this family or...?" No. Therefore in the sastras it is forbidden: vaiṣṇave jati-buddhiḥ;. Vaiṣṇava does not belong to the material caste. He is transcendental, because He is rendering service to Krṣṇa on the transcendental platform. He is not in the material platform. Catur-varṇyaṁ maya srṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhagasaḥ; [Bg. 4.13]. That is guṇa. These brahmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaisya, sudra, they belong to the category of the three guṇas: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. But those who are pure devotees, they are transcendental to these three guṇas. Sa guṇan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate. They transcend. They do not belong to these guṇas. No. Maṁ ca yo 'vyabhicareṇa bhakti-yogena se... [Bg. 14.26]. Anyone who is engaged in devotional service, avyabhicareṇa, without any deviation, just to the rules and regulations, just to the standard, then immediately, sa guṇan samatitya etan, the plural number... All these guṇas, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa... He is above brahmaṇa. Vaiṣṇava is above brahmaṇa.

So this world is creation of Krṣṇa. Mattaḥ; sarvaṁ pravartate. Aham adir hi devanam [Bg 10.2]. So we may think that Brahma created this universe, but not..., that is not the fact. Krṣṇa said, aham adir hi devanam: "I am prior to all the demigods." He is the origin of the demigods. Aham adir hi devanam. Mattaḥ; sarvaṁ pravartate. Everything emanates from Him. So therefore Krṣṇa's name is bhava-bhavana. Bhava-bhavana. This world is called bhava-saṁsara, bhava-saṁsara. Bhava means become. There is another nature, spiritual world, that is not bhava, that does not become. It is always existing, nitya. Nitya-loka. Vaikuṇṭha-loka. But this material world is called bhava. Bhava-saṁsara. Bhava means it appears and again disappears. Everything here—just like your body, my body—it has appeared at a certain date and it will disappear at a certain date. Similarly, the whole universal body also, it has appeared at a certain date and it will disappear at a certain date. So bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. It becomes manifested, again it becomes disappeared. Therefore it is called bhava-saṁsara. But still, although it is temporary, the arrangement is so nice, purṇam adaḥ; purṇam idaṁ purṇat purṇam udacyate.. [Isopaniṣad, Invocation]. Everything is complete. It is not false.

The Mayavadis, they say this world is false. We don't say that. Why it is false? It is perfectly created by Krṣṇa. Why I discredit Krṣṇa, "Oh, it is false"? No. It is not false. It is reality, provided you know how to utilize it. When you think that you are the enjoyer of this world, that is false. You are not the enjoyer. Enjoyer is Krṣṇa. That is reality. Bhoktaraṁ yajña-tapasaṁ sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. Then it is reality. As soon as you think, "This is mine. This is my ahaṁ mameti... [SB 5.5.8]." Ahaṁ mameti, "I am this body, and anything in relationship with this body is mine," that is moha. But as soon as you come to the understanding... (creaking sound in background) What is that?

Brahmananda: Bullock cart.

Prabhupada: All right. So bhava-bhavana. Krṣṇa... This world is created by Krṣṇa, and He wants to see it is properly maintained. And who will maintain? His own representative. Not the demons. Therefore king is supposed to be a representative of Krṣṇa. He will maintain this world properly. A Vaiṣṇava, he knows how to utilize everything for Krṣṇa. The aim of this creation is giving these conditioned souls another chance for liberation. That is the purpose. When the whole world is annihilated, then all the living entities again enter into the body of Maha-Viṣṇu. Then, when there is again creation, then the living entities again come out, according to their past position. We do not accept this rascal theory, Darwin's, that from lower-grade life they... There is a promotion like that, but in the creation everything is there. All the 8,400,000 species, they are all there. Although the gradations are there. So according to the past karma, karmaṇa daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1], everyone comes out again, gets a different type of body, and begins his work. Again another chance. "Yes. You come to the point of human understanding. Try to understand your relationship with Krṣṇa and get yourself liberated. Go home, back to home, back to..." If you lose this opportunity—this creation is made for that purpose—then again you remain. Again, when everything is annihilated, you remain in dormant stage, millions of years. Again you become created.

So there is a great science. Everyone should try to understand what is the responsibility of human life. And to teach this responsibility, to keep men, the human society, in their responsibility, a good king is required like Maharaja Yudhiṣṭhira. Therefore king is supposed to be the representative of God. So after killing these demons, Kuru, kuror vaṁsa-davagni-nirhrtaṁ saṁrohayitva bhava-bhavano hariḥ; nivesayitva nija-rajya isvaro yudhiṣṭhiram...

When He saw, "Now Maharaja Yudhiṣṭhira is situated on the throne for the control of the world," He..., prita-mana babhuva ha, He became satisfied: "There is My real representative, and he will work nicely."

So these two things are going on. Those who are trying to capture the governmental power for his personal ambition, they will be killed. They will be killed. This way or that way, they will be killed. And persons who are taking responsibility for maintenance of the government as representative of Krṣṇa, they will be blessed by Krṣṇa, and Krṣṇa will be pleased. So at the present moment, the so-called democracy,... Nobody is representative of Krṣṇa. Everyone is demons. Everyone is a demon. So how you can expect peace and prosperity under this government? This is not possible. If you want... We have got to think politically also, because after all, all living entities are part and parcel of Krṣṇa, and Krṣṇa wants their welfare so that they may come back to home, back to Godhead.

So it is the duty of the Vaiṣṇava to see that people are gradually educated to Krṣṇa consciousness. So perhaps it would be better if we can..., we also capture political power. As there are many parties, Communist party, Congress party, this party, that party, so there must be one Krṣṇa's party. Why not? Then people will be happy, if Krṣṇa's party comes to the governmental post. Immediately there will be peace. In India, in India there are so many slaughterhouses. There are... It is said that ten thousand cows are being killed everyday, in the land were one cow was being attempted to be killed, immediately Maharaja Parikṣit took his sword, "Who are you?" In that land, now ten thousand cows are being killed every day. So you expect peace? You expect prosperity This is not possible. Therefore if some day Krṣṇa's representative takes the governmental power, then he will immediately stop all these slaughterhouses, all these brothels, all these liquor houses. Then there will be peace and prosperity. Bhuta-bhavana, Krṣṇa will be pleased, "Here is My representative."

So there are so many things to understand from Srimad-Bhagavatam, full knowledge, all knowledge, as it is required by the human society. So we have to study from all angles of vision, not simply by sentiment. This is Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Thank you very much. (end)

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