Nitai: Translation: "Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devaki, the son of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vrndavana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses." [SB 1.8.21]

Prabhupada: So in the last verse, it is..., it has been explained by Kunti that Krṣṇa is meant for the paramahaṁsa, muni, very, very exalted persons; they can understand Krṣṇa, bhakti-yoga-vidhanartham, because such learned persons, such exalted persons, they can only understand what is bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga is the topmost yoga. There are different kinds of yogas: karma-yoga, jñana-yoga, dhyana-yoga, haṭha-yoga, many others. Yoga means "contact" or "having connection." So bhakti-yoga means directly connection with Krṣṇa, or God. That is bhakti-yoga. Other yogas, they are not directly connected.

Karma-yoga... Yoga means connection with Krṣṇa, or God, but when there is the word karma-yoga, it is adulterated. It is not pure yoga. Karma-yoga means,

yat karoṣi yad asnasi
yaj juhoṣi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam
[Bg. 9.27]

That is karma-yoga. Whatever you doing... In the beginning one cannot take to pure bhakti-yoga. Therefore karma-yoga is recommended: "Never mind whatever you doing. In that position you can become a devotee." Karma-yoga, that is. People are interested with different types of work. So therefore Krṣṇa says, yat karoṣi. "Never mind whatever you are doing." So how it becomes karma-yoga? Now, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam: "You give it to Me." Suppose you are doing business, and you are earning lots of money. So Krṣṇa says, "All right, go on. You are attached to business. You go on doing that. But the money earned out of your business, you give it to Me." This is karma-yoga, not that you earn money and spend for your sense gratification. That is not karma-yoga. The rascals, they are saying this is karma-yoga. For sense gratification they are using, and that is karma-yoga. No. That is not karma-yoga. Here is karma-yoga: "It doesn't matter, whatever you are doing, but the ultimate result, you give it to Me."

In another place, Krṣṇa says, karmaṇy evadhikaras te ma phaleṣu kadacana: "You can go on. You can go on with your business, but don't expect the fruit of the business." Ma phaleṣu. He indirectly says, "The fruit should be given to Me." Ma phaleṣu kadacana: "Don't expect the fruit." Suppose you grow a nice mango tree, and there will be fruit, nice fruit. So according to Bhagavad-gita, it is said, ma phaleṣu kadacana: "You don't take the fruits." "Oh? Such a nice mango tree I have nourished in so many years. Now the fruit is there, and Krṣṇa says, ma phaleṣu kadacana: 'Don't take the fruit.' Then who will take the fruit? It is will rot? It will fall down on the ground, and it will rot?" No. The idea is "You don't take, but you give it to Me." This is karma-yoga. It is not that it should be wasted. So that is karma-yoga. So those who are karmis, very much attached to material activities, for them, this karma-yoga is recommended. Some way or other, be connected with Krṣṇa. It is not so meant... It is very great achievement that you work hard earn money and give it to Krṣṇa. That is a great sacrifice. So by karma-yoga, also, you can satisfy...

Because the main business is to satisfy Krṣṇa. Ataḥ; pumbhir dvija-sreṣṭha varṇasrama-vibhagasaḥ;. Varṇasrama. There are four varṇas and four asramas: brahmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasi. So these are the scientific divisions of civilized society. Unless there are these divisions, it is a chaotic condition; it is not very satisfactory. That is happening. Nowadays, there is no scientific division of the human society. Therefore there are so many chaotic conditions. So actual human civilization begins when we accept these eight departmental management of the society. That is human society. Otherwise it is animal society. So... So according to Vedic civilization, every department, division, has got a particular duty.

The brahmaṇa, their duty is how to practice to control the mind, to control the senses, samo damas titikṣa, to be tolerant, to be very simple, simple living, not very gorgeous living. Whatever is absolutely necessary, a brahmaṇa will accept, not more than that. That is simplicity, simple living, high thinking. So this is brahmaṇa's... Samo damas titikṣa arjavam. And then jñanam. Jñanam means to understand what is what. People are all in ignorance rascals. The brahmaṇa should not be rascal. Therefore brahmaṇa is given the title paṇḍita. Still in India they say, brahmaṇa-paṇḍita. Brahmaṇa must be a paṇḍita, a learned. A brahmaṇa rascal is not brahmaṇa. You are... "What you are?" "I am brahmaṇa." "What do you do?" "Now, I pull ṭhela." So that is not brahmaṇa. Brahmaṇa means paṇḍita. He must be a learned man. Paṭhana-paṭhana yajana-yajana dana-pratigraha. These are the brahmaṇa's occupational duty. He must be learned scholar himself, and he would try to make others also learned scholar, paṭhana-paṭhana, not that "I know." If you know something better, means very valuable, you must distribute it. Otherwise, in Sanskrit language they are called jñana-khala: "miser in knowledge." One who has got knowledge... Just like in the modern world, if one is scientifically advanced, he gives the knowledge to others. He goes from university to university and speaks about the new invention. So similarly, brahmaṇa means that he must have full knowledge and he must distribute the knowledge, not that keep it for himself, reserved: "Nobody should know it." No. Paṭhana-paṭhana. So jñanaṁ vijñanam.

Similarly, everyone has got particular type of business. Kṣatriya has got; vaisya has got. So yat karoṣi, whatever you are doing, you must do it for Krṣṇa's satisfaction. Krṣṇa's satis... If you have got some knowledge, you distribute the knowledge for Krṣṇa's satisfaction. How you can do that? Whatever knowledge you have got, you try to describe Krṣṇa. Kavibhir nirupitaḥ; yad uttama-sloka-guṇanuvarṇanam [SB 1.5.22]. This is the first-class distribution of knowledge. Whatever you know, you try to explain Krṣṇa by that knowledge. Just like our Dr. Svarupa Damodara. He's a scientist, and now he is trying to explain Krṣṇa through his scientific knowledge. Similarly, if you are a medical man, you can explain also Krṣṇa through medical science. If you are engineer, you can explain also Krṣṇa through engineering. Krṣṇa can be explained. But the person who is explaining, he must be intelligent. Because Krṣṇa is everything, so simply we must have the intelligence how to explain engineering and come to the conclusion of Krṣṇa. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was doing that. He was teaching grammar. So when there was question of dhatu, He was explaining Krṣṇa. So the students, some of the students, they did not like that explanation. So therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had to wind up His school because they did not like.

So Krṣṇa can be... Krṣṇa is everything. Simply one must have sufficient knowledge how to see Krṣṇa through everything. That is maha-bhagavata. Sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphurti. Whatever he sees, Krṣṇa, because actually Krṣṇa is everything. So there..., bhakti-yoga is so nice that that is the perfect yoga. And Krṣṇa confirms it:

yoginam api sarveṣaṁ
mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo maṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ;
[Bg. 6.47]

The first-class yogi is he who is always thinking of Krṣṇa. The same way... If you are a medical man, if you think of Krṣṇa, how to prove that Krṣṇa is the best physician or Krṣṇa is the best surgeon through medical science, if one thinks like that, and if he tries to do it, he is first-class yogi even though he is a medical man. Similarly, everyone can become the first-class yogi if he takes to Krṣṇa consciousness.

Now, the question is that some of the rascals, they take Krṣṇa as a black man. (aside.) Who is talking? Black man. Some, one government officer, I think, some rascal... His name is Mr. Anand. He has described Krṣṇa that "He was a black aborigine, and He became very powerful some way or other, and people worship Him as God." It was published in a government magazine. So there are so many rascals. Sometimes Krṣṇa... Means those who are demons, to defy Krṣṇa, that "This Krṣṇa is a crow" or "This Sri Krṣṇa is a black man" or "Krṣṇa is sudra..." Krṣṇa means so many things. Krṣṇa... Sudras, they are also krṣṇa, called. The brahmaṇas are called sukla, and the... So in this way, the rascal demons, they want to describe Krṣṇa in their own way so that Krṣṇa devotees may be unhappy, and that is their pleasure.

Therefore, to teach these rascals, Kunti is pointing out, krṣṇaya vasudevaya: [SB 1.8.21] "You rascal, you don't take Krṣṇa otherwise. I am speaking of Krṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva, Vasudeva." Just like to identification in the court, if you give your name, then you must give the father's name, your village, your district, like that. That is identification. So therefore Kuntidevi is pointing out: "It is no other Krṣṇa. The Krṣṇa whose father's name is Vasudeva, whose mother's name is Devaki, whose father's name is Nanda Maharaja, whose mother's name is Yasodamayi. That's all." When that Vallabha Acarya... He wrote some essays and books, The Meaning of Krṣṇa. The Meaning of Krṣṇa. And he went to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he wanted some eulogization that he has so many meanings of Krṣṇa. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "No, no, I know Krṣṇa's name, only two or three. That's all." He said, "I know Krṣṇa is the son of Yasodamayi, Yasodanandana. Krṣṇa means the boy who sucked the breast of mother Yasoda. I know that."

So here also, nanda, nanda-nandanaya... He (she) says, nanda-gopa-kumaraya [SB 1.8.21]. Kumara. Kumara means "who is not married." So Krṣṇa remained in Vrndavana up to sixteen years. Therefore He remained always kumara, Nanda-kumara, Nanda-nandana. Here it is explicitly said, Nanda-gopa. And who was Nanda? That is also explained. Nanda means that leader of the cowherds men or he was king, Nanda Maharaja. King does not mean always one has to become a king of very big kingdom. No. Anyone who possesses... Still in India, anyone who possesses some land, he is called king, raja. He is called raja, the zamindar, one who possesses some land, in..., especially in the up-country. So Nanda Maharaja, because he possessed some land... He was well-to-do, rich man. Because... (aside:) Where is water? He possessed cows and grains. Formerly, a man... Still now, also... Actually that is rich, riches. Gavaya dhanavan, one who has got many cows, he is to be considered as rich man. Dhanyena dhanavan. One who has got large quantity of food grains, he is dhanavan. Nowadays one who has got a bunch of paper, he is considered... And the paper is nothing. As soon as the government is failure, then the thousand-dollar note and hundred-dollar notes, it will have no value.

So actual, actual value, to keep cows, to have food grains or gold, jewelries, these are the signs of richness. But Kali-yuga is so cruel that if you have got gold, if you have got jewels, then government will take away. Dasyu-dharmabhiḥ;. Formerly there were ordinary plunderers, thieves. Now, according to Srimad-Bhagavatam, the government will be composed of organized thieves. That is meant: dasyu-dharmabhiḥ;, rajabhiḥ;. Government officer means organized thieves in every country. That will be the situation. So you cannot keep now. You have to be satisfied with these papers. That's all.

So Nanda Maharaja was rich because he possessed nine lakhs of cows, not... And Krṣṇa had to take care of. Although Krṣṇa was Nanda Maharaja's son, king's son, still He had to go... When He was young, five, six years old, He had to take care, not only Krṣṇa, but all His friends. That was the system. Small boys, they would take care of the calves, and after sixth year, they would take care of the cows. So in this way, fifteen, sixteen years, they would pass. Then they would... They may go to school, but the ordinary vaisyas... Nanda Maharaja happened to be vaisya, not kṣatriya. His father, Krṣṇa's father, was Vasudeva. He was kṣatriya. His uncle, Kaṁsa, he was kṣatriya. He belonged to the kṣatriya family because born as the son of Vasudeva, but because He was transferred in His..., just after His birth to Nanda Maharaja, so in the boyhood, in childhood, he remained a vaisya.

Actually Krṣṇa is neither vaisya nor sudra nor kṣatriya nor brahmaṇa. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prakrteḥ; param. That has been described by Kunti. Prakrteḥ;? No. Namasye...? What is the beginning?

Devotee: Namasye puruṣaṁ tvadyam.

Prabhupada: Ah. Namasye puruṣam... What is that verse?

Devotee: Adyam.

Prabhupada: Adyam.

Devotee: Tvadyam.

Prabhupada: Tva. Tva means "You." So isvaraṁ prakrteḥ; param. He is beyond the jurisdiction of this material world, prakrteḥ; param. So He is neither brahmaṇa... This brahmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahma..., they are these material designations. They are not actually fact. So, as Krṣṇa is not belonging to this material world... He belongs to the spiritual... Prakrteḥ; param. Paras tasmat tu bhavaḥ; anyaḥ; [Bg. 8.20]. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, para. Para means "another," or "the superior." Paras tasmat tu bhavaḥ; anyaḥ;. In the Bhagavad-gita you'll find that... You are seeing this material world up to the sky. Your vision is up to the sky, although you do not know what are these planets, how they are existing. You have no knowledge. But still, at least, you can get experience that this universe is covered by this round sky, and within this universe there are so many planets.

So... So Krṣṇa does not belong to these planets or this material sky. He belongs to the paravyoma. Again paravyoma means sky. And para means the superior, or spiritual. Therefore Krṣṇa does not... Krṣṇa belongs to everything because everything is Krṣṇa's, but He has got His special abode. That is Vaikuṇṭha, Goloka Vrndavana. That is situated in the spiritual sky, not in this material sky. A... In the material sky, the, that Goloka Vrndavana is there, replica, just Vrndavana, where we go. When Krṣṇa comes... Just like government, the governor or the king, when he is on tour in every city he has got a special house. What is that house called?

Devotee: Embassy.

Prabhupada: Now... Just like... Similarly when Krṣṇa comes in this universe, He comes there, in Vrndavana, in Mathura, in the Dvaraka. So... But the real... But there is no difference between that Vrndavana, Goloka Vrndavana, and this Vrndavana.

So these things are to be understood. Krṣṇa is para. Paras tasmat tu bhavaḥ; anyaḥ; [Bg. 8.20]. In the Bhagavad-gita we get this information. There is another nature exactly like this. But these so-called scientists, they are so ignorant, they cannot estimate that there is another nature, there are spiritual planets... This... They do not know even how many planets are there, how they are situated, how they are inhabited. They think simply this planet is full of living entities; in other planets, there is no living entity. But that is not the fact. Every planet, every planet is full with living entities. Even in the sun planet, moon planet. So this is a subject matter we have discussed many times. So Kunti has already pointed out that Krṣṇa is isvara and He's beyond the jurisdiction of this material world. That Krṣṇa, when He comes here... Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati [Bg. 4.7]. He comes. Tadatmanaṁ srjamy aham. He comes. Then how He comes? He comes as the son of Vasudeva. Krṣṇaya vasudevaya [SB 1.8.21]. Vasudeva, vasudevaya. His name... Because He comes as the son of Vasudeva, therefore He is called Vasudeva. Vasudevaḥ; sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhaḥ; [Bg. 7.19]. If one knows that this Vasudeva is everything, then he is the most exalted mahatma.

So these things are to be understood. That is Krṣṇa consciousness. And if we remain fool... No. Everything is there. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in Bhagavad-gita, everything is there about Krṣṇa. Anyone can understand if he's little intelligent. And as soon as you understand Krṣṇa, then you are liberated person.

janma karma me divyaṁ
yo janati tattvataḥ;
tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mam eti so 'rjuna
[Bg. 4.9]

So why should you not understand Krṣṇa? Everything is given there. Why you should...? At least, the intelligent class, the Americans and Europeans, they are very intelligent materially. They have proved their intelligence. Why not spiritually? If they are materially intelligent, brain is there, you can utilize it either for material purpose or... Now, so far, you have done for material purposes. You have done enough, so many machineries and so many things. But there is no happiness. You take to..., apply your brain and intelligence to understand Krṣṇa. Then your life is successful. That I have said many times, that you American boys or American people, you are fortunate, so many ways. How? Now, because you have got the result of pious activities.

What is the result of pious activities? Janmaisvarya-sruta-sri [SB 1.8.26]. You have... You were born in very rich nationality, in America. You were born of rich fathers. Nobody is poor; poverty is unknown there. I have studied. If, by voluntarily, one becomes poverty-stricken, that is another... But actually there is no poverty, so far I have studied. That is result of pious activities. To take birth in poor family, low family, is the result of sinful activities. So because you are born in rich nationality, rich family, that is good sign. Janmaisvarya. And opulence. You don't care for money. Money is nothing for you. This... We, we, we take money so carefully. But you spend money without any... So these are the results... Janmaisvarya-sruta. Education. And sri, beauty. These are ... So now you utilize this. Because one is fortunate if he gets all this opportunity, so you take this opportunity and utilize it for understanding Krṣṇa. Then your life is successful.

And I am hoping also that if you take to Krṣṇa consciousness, and... It was the duty of the Indians. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, that

bharata-bhumite haila manuṣya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]

Of course, I am Indian, so I have tried my best to give you this Krṣṇa consciousness. It was the duty of the Indians to preach this cult. But even they are not doing, so you can take up, and for the benefit of the human society, you simply preach about Krṣṇa. Krṣṇaya. We are speaking of this Krṣṇa, not that Krṣṇa, the "aborigine-Krṣṇa" or "the black Krṣṇa." "No, krṣṇa means black." No, Krṣṇa means many things. Krṣṇa means also attractive. Does not mean... Kala-Krṣṇa does not mean that He's black. He's... "Your Krṣṇa is black." Yes, my Krṣṇa is black, but at the same time all-attractive. So many beautiful gopis all became attracted. So many queens all became attracted. So this blackness of Krṣṇa is not this ordinary. Therefore in the Brahma-saṁhita it is said that kandarpa-koṭi-kamaniya-viseṣa-sobham [Bs. 5.30]. Krṣṇa's blackness is not ordinary blackness. Asitambuda-sundaraṅgam. Although He's blackish like the black cloud, but sundara, very, very beautiful. How much beautiful? Kandarpa-koṭi-kamaniya-viseṣa-sobham [Bs. 5.30]. He's so beautiful that if you bring millions and millions of Cupids... Cupid is supposed to be very beautiful. Still, He will surpass. So Krṣṇa... Syamasundaram. Syama means black, and still, very, very beautiful. That is the understanding of Krṣṇa.

So therefore to understand Krṣṇa perfectly, Kunti is pointing out that Krṣṇa who is the son of Vasudeva, that beautiful Krṣṇa, that Syamasundara Krṣṇa... Krṣṇaya vasudevaya [SB 1.8.21]. Then Vasudeva may be... There may be Vasudevas. Then mother's name also. Devaki-nandanaya: "That Krṣṇa is born of Devaki and Vasudeva, not others." Then there cannot be any mistake. If both the father's and mother's name... And again, he's (she's) pointing out: nanda-gopa-kumaraya: "That Krṣṇa who was carried to Vrndavana, and He remained as foster son of Maharaja Nanda." And then he (she) says, govindaya, govindaya, that "He was a cowherd boy, played as a cowherd..." Govinda. Go means cows, and go means indriya, senses. So He was pleasure to the cows. The cows were very much pleased with Krṣṇa. As soon as Krṣṇa will call them, they will immediately come.

And this govinda word is explained in the Brahma-saṁhita in so many ways. Govindam. Therefore this reference is given there, govinda. What is that...?

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]

Govinda is not ordinary thing. That Govinda... Which Govinda? Now, this material energy, Durga, who is working so wonderfully... Srṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktiḥ;. She has... This material energy has got so much power that it can create, it can destroy, it can maintain, so much power. But don't think that this material energy is working independently. And then how is...? How she is working? Chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga [Bs. 5.44]. Just she is working just like shadow. The... Then what is the reality? Govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami **. So we are worshiping that person who is the original director of this material... Because we are captivated by the three guṇas of material energy, we think this material energy, material world, is everything, because we are foolish. Nabhijanati mam ebhyaḥ; param avyayam. Tribhir guṇamayair bhavaiḥ;. They have been captivated by the three material... They cannot understand that behind this, there is Krṣṇa.

So this govinda word can be explained in so many ways. Krṣṇa can be... You can try to explain this verse year after year. Still, it cannot be ended. It is so nice verse. But you... We should try to understand Krṣṇa. There are so many ways to understand Krṣṇa. Some way or other, simply if you understand that Krṣṇa is isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; [Bs. 5.1], that much, that Krṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead—if you are convinced on this subject matter—then your life is successful.

Thank you very much. (end)

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