Pradyumna: Translation: "The subject of the departure of the sons of Paṇḍu for the ultimate goal of life, back to Godhead, is fully auspicious and is perfectly pure. Therefore anyone who hears this narration with devotional faith certainly gains the devotional service of the Lord, the highest perfection of life." [SB 1.15.51]

Prabhupada: Yaḥ; sraddhayaitad bhagavat-priyaṇam. Bhagavat-priyaṇam. There is a common word in English, "If you love me, love my dog." That is very important. So bhagavat-priyaṇam, one who is very dear to Krṣṇa, if you love such person, then Krṣṇa is more pleased. Krṣṇa is more pleased. Bhagavat-priyaṇam.

There is a version in the Puraṇas, Devi Puraṇa. Parvati was asking questions to Lord Siva, and Lord Siva was replying. This is the process at home. The wife is supposed to inquire from the husband about spiritual advancement of life, and the husband must be competent to reply all the questions of wife. That will keep relation very nice. Sravaṇaṁ kirtanam [SB 7.5.23]. That is bhakti. So Parvati was asking... Because according to Vedas, there are so many demigods. Viṣṇu is sometimes taken, but Viṣṇu is not... Brahma, Viṣṇu, Mahesvara. They are the principal deities. So the inquiry was "Which worship is the best? Viṣṇu, or Lord Siva, or Brahma or Candra?" There are so many demigods. Sometimes they are misunderstood that all of them are Gods. No. They are called demigods. God is one. That is... Originally, God is Krṣṇa. Isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; [Bs. 5.1].

So the inquiry was, "There are so many gods. So which worship is the best?" So Lord Siva replied,

aradhananaṁ sarveṣaṁ
viṣṇor aradhanaṁ param
tasmat parataraṁ devi
tadiyanaṁ samarcanam

Means "My dear wife, Devi..." Wife is addressed "Devi," not by name. The husband should address the wife, "Devi." They must be like devi. Devi means goddess. And the wife must address the husband as "lord." This is the system. So he replied, "Devi, aradhananaṁ sarveṣam. There are many kinds of recommendation. 'If you want this, you worship this God. If you want this, you worship...' " These are described in the Bhagavatam. "So of all different types of worship, the worshiping of Lord Viṣṇu is the best," he said. Aradhananaṁ sarveṣaṁ viṣṇor aradhanaṁ param. And again he said, tasmat parataraṁ devi: "There is still better worship." What is called? What is that? Tadiyanaṁ samarcanam: "To worship the devotee of Viṣṇu, Vaiṣṇava." Tadiyanaṁ samarcanam. That is the best. First of all he said, viṣṇor aradhanaṁ param: "That is the supreme." Then again he said, tasmat, "From that," tasmat parataram, "still better," tadiyanaṁ samarcanam, "to worship the devotee of God." So this is very simple method. You cannot approach God. It is not very easy thing. But God's representative, God's devotee, on behalf of God, who is canvassing, tadiyanam—that worship is better. Tadiyanaṁ samarcanam.

Therefore here it is said that bhagavat-priyaṇam. These Paṇḍavas... Why one should be interested in the Paṇḍavas' activities, Arjuna's fight with his brothers? There are so many other people, they are fighting with their brother, with their enemies. Why we are not recommended to hear about that thing? Why the Battle of Kurukṣetra? Because Arjuna is there, tadiyanam. We are not interested in any battlefield stories. Why we should be interested? There are so many cats and dogs fighting. So we are not interested. But why we are interested in the Bhagavad-gita, Battlefield of Kurukṣetra? Tadiyanaṁ samarcanam. Because there is Arjuna. He is fighting. So to worship God is very good, but to worship the devotee of God is still very good. This is the... That is also admitted in the Bhagavad-gita, na ca tasman manuṣyeṣu kascin me priya-krttamaḥ; [Bg. 18.69]. Krṣṇa says, yo maṁ mad-bhakteṣu. "Now, this Bhagavad-gita... Anyone who is preaching this Bhagavad-gita..." Na ca tasman manuṣyeṣu kascin me priya-krttamaḥ;. Bhagavat-priyaṇam. Priya-krt. Priya means dear, very dear. So Krṣṇa said that na ca tasman manuṣyeṣu: [Bg. 18.69] "Anyone who is preaching the message of Bhagavad-gita to the suffering people of the world," Krṣṇa says, na ca tasmat priya-krt "nobody is dearer to Me than him."

So how to become very dear to God? Don't try to see God. Even if you see... You can find God everywhere if you have got eyes to see. But the real business is not to see. God wants to see you, what you are working for God. That He wants to see. To see God is not very difficult business. Anyone with eyes to see, he can see God. But to be seen by God, do something by which you can draw the attention of God and He can see you, "Oh, here is My devotee," that is wanted. Let God see you! Don't try to see God. That is foolishness. Let God see you. This is our philosophy. My Guru Maharaja used to say that, that "Don't try to see God, but try to do something so that God can see you." This is the philosophy. And whom God will see? As soon as... Just like any business firm, any man who is working very sincerely, it comes to the notice of the master, "Oh, this man is doing very nice." That is wanted. That is wanted. So a devotee is not very much anxious to see God. God is there. Simply... And one who has become devotee, he always sees God. Premañjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ; sadaiva [Bs. 5.38]. Sadaiva, twenty-four hours he sees. That is not very difficult job. But do something so that God will see you, "Oh, here is... Here is My devotee."

So He... Therefore here it is called, yaḥ; sraddhayaitad bhagavat-priyaṇam. The Paṇḍavas were so dear to Krṣṇa. So it is better to hear about the Paṇḍavas than to hear about Krṣṇa. To hear about Krṣṇa, people may be very much inclined, but the sastra says, "To hear about the devotees of Krṣṇa is still better." Therefore in the...You chant daily, yasya prasadat. Sakṣad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktaḥ; **. The spiritual master, it is said that "He is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Sakṣad-dharitvena samasta-sastraiḥ;. Ukta, "said." Sakṣad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhiḥ;: ** "It is not only said, but it is accepted by sadbhiḥ;, those who are actually advanced in spiritual life, sadbhiḥ;." Why? Why the spiritual master should be accepted as directly as the Supreme God? Kintu prabhor yaḥ; priya eva tasya. This priya, again, priyaṇam: "Because he is very, very dear to Krṣṇa." Not that because he is worshiped as Krṣṇa, therefore he thinks himself Krṣṇa and declares, "Now I am Krṣṇa." No. Kintu prabhor yaḥ; priya eva tasya. This priya. Priya is word. So therefore try to become priya of Krṣṇa. Do, act in such a way that Krṣṇa can understand that you are very dear to Him.

And the very simple thing is that ya idaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhasyati. This confidential service, preaching of Bhagavad-gita... What is that? Bhagavad-gita preaching essence: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Simply go and preach. This very thing. Krṣṇa says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji maṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is Krṣṇa's desire. Preach to the world, "Just be Krṣṇa conscious." Man-manaḥ;. "Just become Krṣṇa's devotee." Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji. "Just worship Krṣṇa." Mad-yaji mam... "Just offer your obeisances to Krṣṇa." Four words. Then you become a preacher. It is not very difficult to become a preacher and to become a spiritual master. How? Very simple thing. Go and speak what Krṣṇa says. That's all. You have nothing to manufacture, Dr. Frog. There is no need of manufacturing. We are very safe because we don't manufacture. We simply repeat, parrotlike, what Krṣṇa has said. That's all, finished. Krṣṇa says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "Let aside everything. Just become My devotee, surrendered soul." So we are preaching that. We don't make compromise. Therefore all people are against me. Because "This man simply says, 'Krṣṇa.' " But I cannot say anything more. That's all.

So to become priya, very dear to Krṣṇa, is very easy. That is siddhi, perfection. Labdhva harau bhaktim upaiti siddhim. Perfection, highest perfection: to become dear to Krṣṇa. That's all. You become dear to Krṣṇa. That is your perfection, highest perfection, supreme perfection. So such easy thing, and such highest perfection. Why people should not accept this? And it is practical. It is... Just last night I was talking with Srutakirti that this church, nobody was coming. Therefore they were obliged to sell it off, and we purchased. So the church is the same, building is the same, and you are all Americans. But you did not come before, so that it was to be sold. Now everywhere it is packed up. Why? Because Krṣṇa is there. This is practical. This is practical. There is no question of enviousness. It is practical. In Boston one Christian priest said frankly that "These boys, girls, they are our boys, our girls. Either coming from Christian group or Jew's group, they are, after all, Americans. So they did not care for anything about God. Now they are mad after God. What is this?" This is practical. There is no question of competition. It is practical. Because they are trying. They are trying. Our only business is, "Just become dear to Krṣṇa." That's all. Krṣṇa consciousness movement means "You are trying to be dear to so many things." Somebody is trying to be dear to his father, to his mother, or to his family, children, or country, community, society, nation. Everyone is trying to be dear. "I will do such and such thing for you. Please give me vote. Please make me president." They are trying. And after all, the president also is not dear, neither people is not dear. The real fact becomes disclosed after a few days when the, what is called, face covering, aḥ;, mask, is over. That's all.

So this kind of trying to become dear is no use. It is simply waste of time. So if you try to become dear to Krṣṇa, that is siddhi. That is perfection. You are trying to become dear to so many objectives. At last, to become dear to a dog, ferocious dog. He does not say anything to the master. That means the master has become dear to him. So we are trying to become dear to somebody. That is our desire, dormant desire. But that is being misplaced. We do not know where to become dear. That we do not know. That is Krṣṇa. If you become dear to Krṣṇa, that is the highest perfection. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Manuṣyaṇaṁ sahasreṣu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Siddhi, this siddhi, perfection. Out of millions and millions of persons, one is interested to become perfect. Because this world is imperfect. So everyone is imperfect, all of us. So neither they do know what is perfection.

But here is described, here is perfection. What is that perfection? Yaḥ; sraddhaya etad bhagavat-priyaṇaṁ paṇḍoḥ; sutanam iti samprayaṇaṁ srṇoti. Srṇoti. You simply hear about the Paṇḍavas. Practically the whole Vedic literature, the Puraṇas, the Mahabharata especially, those were narrations... The Vedic knowledge... Vedic knowledge, directly, it is very difficult to understand. Just like in the Vedanta-sutra. The sutra, the code words are there. Athato brahma jijñasa: "Now it is the time for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." This is sutra, code word. But that is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: in narration. This is brahma-jijñasa. The whole Srimad-Bhagavatam is brahma-jijñasa. Athato brahma jijñasa. Only this code is being... Therefore Bhagavata begins, janmady asya yataḥ; anvayad itaratas cartheṣv abhijñaḥ; sva-raṭ [SB 1.1.1]. Because Vedanta-sutra says, "The Absolute Truth is that supreme source of everything." So Bhagavata begins from that word, janmady asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1], explaining, explaining.

So Puraṇa means supplementary to the Vedas, to explain the knowledge. That is Puraṇa. Mahabharata. Mahabharata is also explanation of the Vedic knowledge, but through history. Because Vyasadeva found it that directly to understand Vedic knowledge will be difficult for three classes of men. Trayi na sruti-gocara. Stri-sudra-dvija-bandhunaṁ trayi na sruti-gocara [SB 1.4.25]. Trayi. Trayi means Vedas, dealing with the three guṇas. Traiguṇya-viṣaya vedaḥ;. In the Bhagavad-gita, traiguṇya-viṣaya vedaḥ;. Trayi. There are three subject matters in the Vedas. The first subject matter is to know God and what is my relationship with God. This is the first subject matter. Then second subject matter is that what is the ultimate goal of life, and the third subject matter is how to attain it. To know God, my relationship with God, and what is my ultimate goal of life, and how to attain it—these three subject matters are Vedic knowledge. That is everywhere. Another subject matter is... Trayi, means Veda is dealing with this material world. There is spiritual knowledge in glance.

Therefore Vyasadeva, after compiling all Vedic literatures, so many Puraṇas, so many Upaniṣads, Vedanta philosophy and four Vedas, but he was not satisfied. He was not satisfied. So when Narada Muni, his spiritual master, came, he inquired that "Why you are not satisfied?" So Vyasadeva said, "My dear sir, yes, as you say, I have done so many activities. I have written so many books. But still, I don't feel any satisfaction. So I do not know why it is. You can direct me. You are my spiritual master." So he said that "You have done, you have labored so hard in writing so many books, but you have not glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Simply ordinary dealings with man to man, how to deal, dharma, artha, kama, mokṣa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Adi 1.90], how to make people religious, how to develop economic position, how to satisfy senses, how to go to heavenly planet to enjoy more—these things you have described. But you have not described about yena atma samprasidati, by which your atma, your soul will be satisfied. That you have done nothing." You have read in the First Canto, jugupsita-dharma. "You are diverting the attention of the people to the dharma, artha, kama, mokṣa, never to the bhakti. Then in future, if people are advised, 'Come to the bhakti platform, not on the platform of this dharma, artha, kama, mokṣa, catur-varṇyam—they will not take it. So whatever you have done, it is not very good. Better simply try to explain about Bhagavan." That is Bhagavata. That is Bhagavatam.

Bhagavatam means... Bhagavata. Bhagavata means the Supreme Lord, and Bhagavatam means about Him, or about His devotees. That is bhagavata. Because a devotee is called bhagavata. This is book bhagavata, and a devotee is person bhagavata. So according (to) our Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult, the Bhagavata should be studied from the person bhagavata, not from the professional reciters. No. Therefore Svarupa Gosvami... One... Because when Caitanya Mahaprabhu was present at Jagannatha Puri, many people used to come, present so many literatures, so many commentaries, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu will not hear them unless it is passed by His secretary Svarupa Damodara. First of all Svarupa Damodara Gosvami will see whether it is written properly, according to siddhanta. Then he will allow. That was the business. So one brahmaṇa came. So there was many discrepancies in his writing. So Svarupa Damodara chastised him that "You do not know how to write. Why you have attempted this?" So he said, bhagavata paḍa giya bhagavata sthane(?): "If you want to know about Bhagavata, Srimad-Bhagavatam, then you study Srimad-Bhagavatam from a person bhagavatam, whose life is Bhagavatam. From such person, if you read, if you understand Bhagavata, then you will benefit." It is not a scholarship. Because you know, "ungwang,"(?) that is not the qualification. Bhagavata should be studied from the person whose life is Bhagavata. This is the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's personal secretary.

So here it is said, yaḥ; sraddhaya. And what is that sraddha?

tac chraddadhana munayo
jñana-vairagya-yuktaya
pasyanty atmani catmanaṁ
bhaktya sruta-grhitaya
[SB 1.2.12]

Bhaktya sruta-grhitaya. You can realize. God realization is possible by a person who is faithful. Tac chraddadhanaḥ;. And what is that faith? That faith is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta: sraddha-sabde visvasa kahe sudrḍha niscaya [Cc. Madhya 22.62]. One who has been firmly convinced... What is that conviction? Krṣṇa says,

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvaṁ sarva-papebhyo
mokṣayiṣyami ma sucaḥ;
[Bg. 18.66]

One who has got firm faith in declaration, that "If I become devotee of Krṣṇa, if I fully surrender to Krṣṇa, then all perfection is there," this is called faith. This is called faith. Not flickering faith: "Let me adopt this Krṣṇa consciousness movement, and when there is opportunity, let me go to some rascal who has appeared as Bhagavan." That kind of faith will not help. That will not help. Sraddha-sabde visvasa kahe sudrḍha niscaya. That is sraddha [Cc. Madhya 22.62], firm faith. It cannot be changed at any cost, at any circumstance. That is called firm faith. If that firm faith is not obtained, then we are still on the imperfection platform. But when there is firm faith, sraddha, sraddhaya...

Now, if anyone accepts that Paṇḍava... These Paṇḍavas, five brothers, son of Maharaja Paṇḍu, they are very, very dear to Krṣṇa. And they are as good, or sometimes better than Krṣṇa. Because Lord Siva, authority... There are twelve authorities. Lord Siva is one of the authorities. Svayambhur naradaḥ; sambhuḥ;. Sambhu [SB 6.3.20]. Sambhu is authority. He says that tasmat parataraṁ devi tadiyanaṁ samarcanam: "Better worship... Krṣṇa worship, Viṣṇu worship is good, but still better worship is to worship the krṣṇa-bhaktas." Because he is very dear to Krṣṇa. Kintu prabhor yaḥ; priya eva tasya. Why spiritual master is very dear to Krṣṇa? Because his only anxiety is how Krṣṇa will be known all over the world. That's all. He has no ambition, pounds, shilling, pence. He only wants to know, only wants to see that everyone is devotee of Krṣṇa and they are happy.

Thank you ver