Pradyumna:

parikṣito 'tha rajarṣer
janma-karma-vilapanam
saṁsthaṁ ca paṇḍu-putraṇaṁ
vakṣye krṣṇa-kathodayam
[SB 1.7.12]

"Suta Gosvami thus addressed the rṣis headed by Saunaka: Now I shall begin the transcendental narration of the Lord Sri Krṣṇa and topics of the birth, activities and deliverance of King Parikṣit, the sage amongst kings, as well as topics of the renunciation of the worldly order by the sons of Paṇḍu."

Prabhupada: (aside:) The flies are disturbing, how we are...

parikṣito 'tha rajarṣer
janma-karma-vilapanam
saṁsthaṁ ca paṇḍu-putraṇaṁ
vakṣye krṣṇa-kathodayam
[SB 1.7.12]

This Srimad-Bhagavatam is another Puraṇa, history. We have already explained. So sometimes a class of devotees known as sahajiya, they say that "What we have got to do with the narration of Kurukṣetra battle?" They immediately jump to the krṣṇa-lila, directly with the gopis. And Krṣṇa's activities in other field, they think it is useless. But that is not the fact. Anywhere Krṣṇa is acting, that is transcendental—the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, historical references, description, so superficially it appears that what a devotee has got to do with this battlefield? But battlefield or no battlefield, wherever there is Krṣṇa, that is transcendental. This has to be understood. Otherwise, Sukadeva Gosvami, why he should indulge in describing how Uttara's pregnancy was saved by Krṣṇa, how the brahmastra was thrown by Asvatthama? So Sukadeva Gosvami is liberated person. Why he should indulge in these material things? No. Those who are advanced, they know that Krṣṇa's dancing with the gopis, that lila and Krṣṇa's playing as the leader of the battlefield of Kurukṣetra is the same. It is all transcendental. One should not make any distinction between the two. Saṁsthaṁ ca paṇḍu-putraṇaṁ vakṣye krṣṇa-kathodayam. Paṇḍu-putraṇam, the paṇḍu-putras, or the Paṇḍavas, son of Paṇḍu, they're all devotees. Even their political affairs, because there is connection with Krṣṇa, it is krṣṇa-katha. Those who are with poor fund of knowledge [break]

...directly taking shelter of Krṣṇa or to take shelter of a pure devotee who is under the shelter of Krṣṇa. Mad-asrayaḥ;. So if one takes shelter of a pure devotee... Just like electricity: the powerhouse is far away, but the power is coming. Suppose your body is electrified, and if I touch, then my body immediately becomes electrified. And if somebody touches me, then other's body. This is electric. Similarly, one who is pure devotee, he's authorized by Krṣṇa, he's electrified.

So if one takes shelter of a pure devotee, then he becomes purified. Yad-apasrayasrayaḥ; sudhyanti. That is the statement given by Sukadeva Gosvami. How the caṇḍalas can become purified? The example I have already stated. Then at the end, Sukadeva Gosvami says, prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ;. This is the supreme transcendental power of Viṣṇu. He can do. Sometimes they say that unless the body is changed, how a caṇḍala can become purified? Yes, body is changing. Because we do not know how the body is changing... Krṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gita, tatha dehantara-praptiḥ;. Dehantara-praptiḥ;. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaraṁ yauvanaṁ jara tatha [Bg. 2.13], like that. Tatha means "like that." Dehantara-praptiḥ;. So these are dehantara. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaraṁ yauvanaṁ jara. This is dehantara. Every moment we are changing our body. This is dehantara. Krṣṇa says, the greatest authority. How you can say that there is no dehantara? He has dehantara. Suppose in my childhood I am born in a caṇḍala family, but if by initiation, by taking shelter of a pure devotee, I become initiated, so dehantara is there, going on. So if I take initiation seriously, so in the next dehantara... Suppose yesterday I was a caṇḍala. Now by this time there is dehantara, and if I am purified by initiation... So this argument... Dehantara, is already there. Scientifically, in modern understanding, and on the authority of Krṣṇa's statement, dehantara is going on. Not that somebody was European or... We take Europeans as mlecchas or yavanas. Yes, he was yesterday mleccha and yavanas, but he has changed his body, and after changing if he's initiated, then dehantara. Sudhyanti, he's purified. Sudhyanti.

So how this is possible, if we cannot understand... Because Lord Viṣṇu's energy is inconceivable. Inconceivable, acintya. Srila Jiva Gosvami has discussed. Unless you accept acintya-sakti of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you cannot understand. You have to accept. It is acintya, inconceivable, by us. But it is not inconceivable by the advanced devotees. Or anything being executed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is not inconceivable by Him. Svabhaviki jñana-bala-kriya ca. He's so perfect in knowledge that what we are thinking inconceivable, that is very, very easily done with full knowledge by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So what is inconceivable by us, it is not inconceivable by Him. Therefore we have to learn it from,

tad viddhi praṇipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadekṣyanti te jñanaṁ
jñaninas tattva-darsinaḥ;
[Bg. 4.34]

We cannot understand directly. It is not possible. So we have to approach tattva-darsi. Just like Sukadeva Gosvami, tattva-darsi. He says sudhyanti. Yes, he's purified. Although he is born of kirata-huṇandhra-pulinda-pulkasaḥ;, caṇḍala. Caṇḍalo 'pi dvija-sreṣṭho hari-bhakti-parayaṇaḥ;. So it is inconceivable by us how a caṇḍala can be dvija-sreṣṭha, more than a brahmaṇa. It is inconceivable by me. But when we get a statement of the authorities like Sukadeva Gosvami, and above that, Krṣṇa... Because the conclusion of Krṣṇa and the conclusion of pure devotee like Sukadeva Gosvami, they are the same. Just see here. Krṣṇa says maṁ hi partha vyapasritya ye 'pi syuḥ; papa-yonayaḥ; te 'pi yanti paraṁ gatim [Bg. 9.32]. So unless one is purified, how he can go to paraṁ gatim? And Sukadeva Gosvami also says the same thing. Kirata-huṇandhra. Papa-yoni. They are papa-yoni. Sudhyanti prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ;. Simply we have to go through the process; otherwise everything is possible. That is the omnipotency of Krṣṇa.

We use this word "omnipotency," but we do not know actually what is that omnipotency. Omnipotency means He has got diverse energies. That is omnipotency. And we do not know by which energy He's acting in a particular case. But this is a fact, that His energy is working. And He says also in the Bhagavad-gita directly, mayadhyakṣeṇa prakrtiḥ; suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. Mayadhyakṣeṇa, "Under My supervision prakrti is acting." So how prakrti is directed, how Krṣṇa is directing prakrti to make a nice flower... Just like here, they're painting flower on the wall. It takes so much time, so much arrangement. Still, it is not as good as a natural flower. Here you have painted one rose flower, and here are roses. There is art also, and here is art also. Without art, without artistic sense, how this nice thing, beautiful thing, can come in? You'll find a beautiful flower bloom in a plant, you appreciate it. And don't think, as the rascal says, "By nature it has come automatically." No. The same energy as you are taking, you are applying your energy to paint a flower on the wall with your paints and brushes... But Krṣṇa is also doing that, but His energy is so inconceivable that we cannot see how He's working. But He's working. Otherwise why Krṣṇa says, mayadhyakṣeṇa prakrtiḥ;: [Bg. 9.10] "Prakrti is working under My direction"? Is it a bluff? No. Actually prakrti is acting under His direction.

It is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhita,

srṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka
chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga
icchanurupam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sa
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.44]

So prakrti. Icchanurupam api yasya. That prakrti, Durga, is acting under the direction of Govinda. Icchanurupam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sa govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami **. The direction is there. Direction is there actually. But because we cannot conceive how in this plan the direction of the Supreme Lord is there so that a nice flower is coming with so beautiful feature. But direction is there we should know. In ordinarily we say sometimes that "Not a blade of grass moves without the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So everything is going on under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Don't think that it is taking automatically. There is no such thing as automatical. But the direction is so quick, so sufficient and so perfect. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jñana-bala-kriya ca [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. Automatically, immediately. There are so many machines we have. Just like the computer. There is machine working, but it is so minute that simply by pushing one button, so many things immediately done. This is a material machine, manufactured by a human being. And how much perfect the machine of Krṣṇa will be, just imagine.

So this material nature is nothing but machine. It is not God. Those who are with poor fund of knowledge, they are taking directly this material nature as working. No. Material nature has no power to act. It is dull. The same example, the computer. It is a very nice machine, but it cannot work automatically unless an expert pushes the button. So material nature cannot do anything. It is Krṣṇa's direction. So in everywhere there is Krṣṇa's direction. One who has got the eyes to see, for him, krṣṇa-kathodayam. Whatever he sees, he remembers Krṣṇa.

sthavara-jaṅgama dekhe na dekhe tara murti
sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphurti
[Cc. Madhya 8.274]

One has to become advanced devotee to understand how Krṣṇa's direction is going on. They can understand. Don't think that things are taking place automatically. Therefore even in reverse condition a devotee does not see that "This thing is happening without direction of Krṣṇa." Even if he is in an adverse condition, he does not feel any pain, because he knows that "This adverse condition is also under the direction of Krṣṇa. So I am fully surrendered to Krṣṇa. Why I shall take this adverse position as not mercy of Krṣṇa? It is also mercy of Krṣṇa." Tat te 'nukampaṁ su-samikṣamaṇo bhuñjana evatma-krtaṁ vipakam [SB 10.14.8]. A devotee is not disturbed by adverse condition. He takes that this is a gift of Krṣṇa. Tat te anukampam. "It is Krṣṇa's mercy. Although I am put into difficulty, it is Krṣṇa's mercy."

So anyone who takes in that way, mukti-pade sa daya-bhak: his going back to home, back to Godhead, is guaranteed. Because he takes everything as Krṣṇa's mercy. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja was so much chastised by his father. You know how he was put into difficulty so many ways. But he was taking, "This is Krṣṇa's mercy." He did not take otherwise. So in this way wherever... Everywhere there is Krṣṇa's hand, so what to speak of this battlefield or any other thing. So we should not take otherwise, that "This the best part and this is the lowest part." No. Wherever there is Krṣṇa directly. Krṣṇa is everywhere, but we cannot see. But at least in Mahabharata, in Srimad-Bhagavatam, in Krṣṇa's dealing with the Paṇḍavas, the Krṣṇa's hand is there. That is Krṣṇa's desire. [break] ...it is not like that. One who is advanced, one who is actually in knowledge, they will take krṣṇa-kathodayam. Wherever Krṣṇa's katha is there, it is as good as any other. That is the way of... Thank you very much. (end)

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