Devotee:

namaḥ; paṅkaja-nabhaya
namaḥ; paṅkaja-maline
namaḥ; paṅkaja-netraya
namas te paṅkajaṅghraye
[SB 1.8.22]

"My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus, and whose feet are engraved with lotuses."

Prabhupada: Lord's feet, there are flags, lotus flowers, chariot. These are the symbolic representations. God is person, but His personality is distinct from our personality. So these specific marks are there on His lotus feet. And paṅkaja-nabhaya, another meaning, paṅkaja-nabhaya means originally a lotus stem came out from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Viṣṇu, and Brahma was born in that lotus flower, the origin of creation. So Krṣṇa's all parts of the body, as reference to the paṅkaja. Paṅkaja means lotus flower. Paṅka means mud, and ja means generate. Paṅkaja, the lotus flower, is so important. Still, it is generated from mud. So Krṣṇa likes paṅkaja very much, lotus flower. So if we see lotus flower, we can immediately remember Krṣṇa. If... Just like if you love your child, if you see any garment, a small ship, shoes or any play things, immediately you remember your child: "Oh, this is my child's shoes. This is my child's playing things. This is my garment." So it is the custom of love.

If you actually love God, Krṣṇa, then you can remember Him at any time, always, always. There is no difficulty. Here Kuntidevi describes paṅkaja, with reference to lotus flower. And Krṣṇa describes Himself in the Bhagavad-gita, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: [Bg. 7.8] "I am the taste of the liquid." So Krṣṇa can be remembered by tasting water. Even those who are drinking... If he thinks that "This taste of drinking is Krṣṇa," he will one day come out a great saintly person. Such a nice thing, Krṣṇa consciousness, if you have cultivate Krṣṇa consciousness, if you follow the description given by the sastras. So I can request that even the drunkards that "You can become Krṣṇa conscious." The drunkard, what to speak of others? Because Krṣṇa says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "I am the taste of the liquid." Generally, liquid, water is taken. So liquor is also liquid. Liquor is bad because it creates intoxication. Otherwise, it is made from sugar, molasses, molasses with sulphuric acid fermented, so far I know. We were in the chemical line. Molasses fermented with sulphuric acid and then distilled. That is called spirit, or liquor. So thing is, nothing is bad, but because if a thing creates bad effects, then it is bad. Then it is bad. So I shall request even the drunkards... In your country, there are many drunkards. There is no scarcity. So if you'll kindly remember when drinking wine that this nice taste of drinking is Krṣṇa... Just begin with it. You'll come out one day a saintly person, Krṣṇa conscious. It's so nice, practical.

So Krṣṇa is available, any circumstance, if we want to catch Him. That's all. Teṣaṁ satata-yuktanaṁ bhajataṁ priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. He's... If one is actually very serious to search out Krṣṇa, Krṣṇa is everywhere. Aṇḍantara-stha-paramaṇu-cayantara-sthaṁ govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami [Bs. 5.35] **. He is within this universe, not only within the... He's within your heart. He's within the atom even. So it is not difficult to find Him out, but you must know the process, how to find Him out. And this process is very simple. And the process we are distributing by the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to everyone, without any charge. The process is chant Hare Krṣṇa. As soon as you chant Hare Krṣṇa, immediately you understand Krṣṇa. As soon as you see the lotus flower, if you hear this verse... This Sanskrit verse is meant for understanding ourself. It is not for simply selling our books. Every one of you... We are repeating this verse again and again so that you are expected to chant these mantras. Not that the book is kept... "I'm very learned scholar." What kind of learned scholar? "If I find the book, then I can speak." That is not scholarship. You must chant.

Therefore we are teaching in our Dallas children simply to learn Sanskrit. We have nothing to do anything else. They are not going to be technologists, or servant of everyone. No. We want some generation who can preach Krṣṇa consciousness. So if they learn simply English and Sanskrit, they will be able to read this book, and that is sufficient. We don't want anything. All informations are there. Throughout the whole world, whatever knowledge is there, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, everything is there. There is literature, there is poetry, there is philosophy, there is religion, there is love of Godhead, there is astronomy. Everything is there. Srimad-bhagavatam amalaṁ puraṇam. Vidya bhagavatavadhiḥ;. If one simply reads this Srimad-Bhagavatam, his education is the topmost. Vidya bhagavatavadhiḥ;. There is something topmost, ultimate. So for education, vidya, this Srimad-Bhagavatam. If one studies Srimad-Bhagavatam, he is well versed in every subject matter.

So we want to create a new generation in your country so that in the future there'll be fluent speaker in Srimad-Bhagavatam and preach all over the country, and your country will be saved. This is our program. We have come here not to exploit your country, but to give you something substantial. This is Krṣṇa consciousness movement. So read Bhagavatam, pronounce the verses very nicely. Therefore we're repeating. You hear the records and try to repeat. Simply by chanting the mantra, you'll be purified. Simply by chant... Even you do not understand a single word of it, simply if you chant, this vibration has got such power. Srṇvataṁ sva-kathaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; puṇya-sravaṇa-kirtanaḥ; [SB 1.2.17]. If you simply chant and vibrate this verse, these verses, these slokas, it is puṇya-sravaṇa-kirtanaḥ;. There is, there is no question of understanding. Puṇya-sravaṇa. Puṇya means pious, and sravaṇa means hearing, and kirtana means chanting. One who is chanting this verse, and one who is hearing this verse, he is becoming pious automatically. Pious. To become pious one has to endeavor so much, do this, do that, but if you simply hear these verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita.

Therefore, as a rigid principle, in every temple there should be class for hearing and chanting. Without hearing and chanting, to become leader it is impossible. You can, you can become leader in the material world, but not in the spiritual world. Sravaṇa-kirtana kare...

mali haña kare sei bija aropaṇa
sravaṇa-kirtana-jale karaye secana
[Cc. Madhya 19.152]

Bhakti-lata-bija. It is a seed of developing your original consciousness. Just like in the seed there is potency, in a small seed, mustardlike, but if you sow it, in due course of times it comes out a big banyan tree. As much potency in that seed... Where is that scientist? Just prepare a seed in which there is a big, gigantic banyan tree. Where is your science? But that is not possible. Krṣṇa says, bijo 'haṁ sarva-bhutanam: [Bg 7.10] "I am that seed." So anyone can appreciate. Suppose you... The banyan seed, you have seen the fig fruit. There are hundreds and thousands of seeds. And each seed, there is a banyan tree. Each seed. If you simply study a fig of banyan tree, you can study the whole cosmic manifestation. If you simply think over... This is a small seed, insignificant. And there are millions of seeds like that, millions of fruits. And each seed containing the potency of fructifying into big banyan tree. So who has made it? How much His brain is sharp that He has made it? It is, it is, it is done by brain. It has not come out automatically. This is rascaldom. Whatever... What is coming, rascaldom... No. There is brain. Janmady asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1]. The Vedanta-sutra says that everything is coming from Him, coming from His brain. Big brain. Krṣṇa has got big brain. We haven't got such brain. Still we rascals, we claim that "I am as good as Krṣṇa. I am God." What nonsense. You are God? You cannot create anything.

So this Krṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice. Here Kuntidevi, a great devotee, is giving us opportunity to become Krṣṇa conscious: simply concentrating your mind on lotus flower. That's all. Lotus flower. As soon as you see a lotus flower, you will immediately think of namaḥ; paṅkaja-nabhaya. "Oh, Krṣṇa's navel is just like lotus flower. From the navel of Krṣṇa there was a stem of lotus flower, and from that lotus flower, Brahma came out. And Brahma created this universe. This universe means so many planets, so many seas, mountains and cities, motorcars, everything. Within that lotus flower, the beginning is..." Namaḥ; paṅkaja-nabhaya. And namaḥ; paṅkaja-maline [SB 1.8.22]. So such wonderful lotus flower which contains the seedling of the whole universe... That is not only one. Paṅkaja-maline. Just like here is a garland. There are so many flowers. So Krṣṇa is not so poor that simply producing one lotus flower, He's finished. No. There is a garland of lotus flowers, big garland. Or as many lotus flowers as you want. This is God. Yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-aṇḍa-nathaḥ; [Bs. 5.48]. Unlimited. Everything is unlimited. Krṣṇa's creation... We are very much concerned with one planet, this, but Krṣṇa's creation is unlimited number of planets. As you see unlimited number of hairs on your head; you cannot count. Can you count how many hairs are there? This is Krṣṇa's creation. You cannot count. So what to speak of this hair—anything you take. You take one tree: unlimited number of foliages. You cannot count. Similarly, unlimited number of planets, unlimited number of universes, everything unlimited. Therefore He is unlimited. Namaḥ; paṅkaja-nabhaya namaḥ; paṅkaja-maline namaḥ; paṅkaja-netraya [SB 1.8.22]. Krṣṇa's eyes are compared with the petals of lotus flower. Alola-candraka-lasad-vanamalya-vaṁsi [Bs. 5.31].

So if you simply think only one verse, as it is explained here, and the paṅkaja, lotus, in reference with Krṣṇa's body, you can meditate the whole life how Krṣṇa is beautiful, how Krṣṇa is wise, how Krṣṇa's creation, how... This is meditation. Thinking of Krṣṇa. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ; [SB 12.13.1]. Yoginaḥ; means... Yogi means he's always thinking of Krṣṇa. Mat-paraḥ;. That is yogi. These rascals are not yogi, thinking something impersonal and being harassed. Kleso 'dhikataras teṣam avyaktasakta-cetasam [Bg. 12.5]. They are simply, they are simply laboring, adhikataraḥ;, more and more. They cannot get anything substantial. Therefore after meditation: "Come on, give me cigarette. Come on. My throat is now dried up. Give me cigarette." That is not meditation. Meditation means, this is: namaḥ; paṅkaja-netraya.

So if you think of Krṣṇa always, satataṁ cintayanto mam [Bg. 9.14], "always thinking of Me," yatantas ca drḍha-vrataḥ;, and endeavoring to advance in Krṣṇa consciousness with vow, then we have to remain purified. Because Krṣṇa is purified. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhama pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. You cannot approach Krṣṇa impurified. But if you think of Krṣṇa always, in this way, meditate upon Krṣṇa, then you'll be purified. Puṇya-sravaṇa-kirtanaḥ; [SB 1.2.17]. That meditation can be possible by hearing and chanting. Then thinking will automatically come. That is the process of Krṣṇa consciousness. Sravaṇaṁ kirtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ; smaraṇam [SB 7.5.23]. Smaraṇa means remember. If you chant and hear, then remembrance will automatically come. Sravaṇaṁ kirtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ; smaraṇaṁ pada-sevanam. Then you will be engaged in worshiping His lotus feet. Arcanam. Then you'll be engaged in arcanam, the temple worship; vandanam, offering prayers; dasyam, you'll engage yourself as servant; sakhyam, you'll become friend of Krṣṇa; atma-nivedanam, and surrender everything to Krṣṇa. This is the process.

So each and every verse you should chant very perfectly, nicely, meditate upon it. That is the process of progress, advancement in spiritual life. We should get all these verses by heart, and chant, and offer prayer to the Lord, vandanam. Vandanam. These are meant for such purpose.

namaḥ; paṅkaja-nabhaya
namaḥ; paṅkaja-maline
namaḥ; paṅkaja-netraya
namas te paṅkajaṅghraye
[SB 1.8.22]

Everything is Krṣṇa's, with reference to paṅkaja.

Thank you very much. (end)

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