Nitai: "Such a sadhu engages in staunch devotional service to the Lord without deviation. For the sake of the Lord he renounces all other connections, such as family relationships and friendly acquaintances within the world."

Prabhupada:

mayy ananyena bhavena
bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye drḍham
mat-krte tyakta-karmaṇas
tyakta-svajana-bandhavaḥ;
[SB 3.25.22]

This is the explanation of the last version of Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. We have got so many obligations. As soon as we take birth—human being, not cats and dogs—we are immediately indebted to so many persons: devarṣi-bhutapta-nrṇaṁ pitṝṇam [SB 11.5.41]. We are indebted to the demigods. The body, the material body, which we have got, it is running by the direction of the demigods. There are different demigods controlling different parts of the body. So that means as soon as we get a body, we become indebted to the demigods. Then, when we are educated, we take knowledge. Then we become indebted to the great sages, saintly persons, who have given us all the directions how to live comfortably, sinlessly. Then devarṣi-bhuta. Bhuta, ordinary, general living beings. Just like we are taking milk from the cows, service from the bull, from the horse, from the ass—even cats and dogs. So we are also indebted to them. Devarṣi-bhuta-apta. Relatives. We get so many help from relatives. Bhuta-apta. Devarṣi-bhutapta-nrṇam. General public. Devarṣi-bhutapta-nrṇaṁ pitṝṇam [SB 11.5.41]. And the forefathers. So a rṇi we are immediately. But if we renounce everything for the sake of Krṣṇa, then we are not rṇi, or indebted. That is the injunction of the sastra.

devarṣi-bhutapta-nrṇaṁ pitṝṇaṁ
na kiṅkaro nayam rṇi ca rajan
sarvatmana yaḥ; saraṇaṁ saraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihrtya kartam
[SB 11.5.41]

So Krṣṇa also says, all sastra says, that our only obligation is to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if we take to that process, then we are no more obliged to anyone. We are free. That is really freedom. How it is done? That is the almighty God's power. He can do that. Just like we have got practical experience. If a man is condemned to death, nobody can save him by law. But if the president or the king excuses him, then he is saved. That we have got practical experience, king's mercy or the president's mercy. So if you actually surrender your everything, your life... Praṇair arthair dhiya vaca. We can sacrifice our life, our wealth... Praṇa, artha... We can sacrifice the intelligence. Everyone is intelligent. If he sacrifices... This is called yajña. If you sacri... You have got some intelligence. Everyone is intelligent how to make his sense gratification very nice. Even an ant knows how to gratify his senses. So you have to sacrifice that. Don't gratify your senses, but try to gratify Krṣṇa's senses. Then you are perfect. Then you are perfect.

That you have to learn from the sadhu. Because it is recommended in the..., that sa eva sadhuṣu krtaḥ;. As much we are trying to gratify our senses and we have become attached to this material world—prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pasam. We are becoming more and more entangled. The same thing, if we do for a sadh u or Krṣṇa... Sadhu-guru-krṣṇa. Sadhu-sastra-guru. So sadhu is representative of Krṣṇa. Or Krṣṇa directly... Sadhu will never say that "You serve me." Sadhu will say, "Serve Krṣṇa." Therefore we have to approach Krṣṇa through sadhu. Not directly. That is not... That is confirmed by Vaiṣṇava acarya, Narottama dasa: chaḍiya vaiṣṇava-seva nistara payeche keba. You cannot directly approach Krṣṇa. You have to go through the media, the transparent via media of his representative.

Therefore Krṣṇa Maha... Sadh...

ei rupe brahmaṇḍa bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krṣṇa-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija
[Cc. Madhya 19.151]

Caitanya Mahaprabhu says to Rupa Gosvami that we are wandering in this way, brahmaṇḍa, whole universe. There are different types, or forms, of body, 8,400,000. And there are millions and trillions of planets, up and down. Oṁ bhur... Bhur bhuvaḥ; svaḥ;. Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka. Then Tala, Atala, Vitala, Patala, Rasatala... There are so many planetary systems. Caturdasa-bhuvana. This universe is called fourteen different planetary systems, and we are wandering in these different planetary systems. If we are pious, then we are promoted to the higher planetary system, Svargaloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Brahmaloka, Satyaloka. There are so many... Siddhaloka. And if we are impious, then we are downtrodden. We go down more and more. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthaḥ; [Bg. 14.18]. If you are situated in sattva-guṇa, then you are promoted to the higher planetary system: adho gacchanti tamasaḥ;. Jaghanya-guṇa-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasaḥ;. If you are infected with tamo-guṇa, then you go down, down, down, down. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rajasaḥ;. And if we are infected by the modes of passion, then we keep ourselves in the middle. But Krṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gita, abrahma-bhuvanal lokaḥ; punar avartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16]. Even if you go to the highest planetary system—it is called Brahmaloka—where the duration of life is very, very long... That is described in the Bhagavad-gita: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ; [Bg. 8.17].

So the... Sadhu. We are to take shelter of sadhu. Sadhu-guru. The same thing. Guru means sadhu. A sadhu... One... Sadhu means the devotee of the Lord. If one is not sadhu, then he cannot become guru. And sadhu means... This is the description given. What is that? Mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye drḍham. He's sadhu. Not that anyone with a saffron cloth and having a long beard. That is not sadhu. Sadhu means the devotee of the Lord. That is his first qualification. Krṣṇa says, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak. The same thing. As it is, Kapiladeva says, mayy ananyena bhavena. Kapiladeva is also Krṣṇa, incarnation of Krṣṇa. The same thing. The Bhagavad-gita, Krṣṇa svayam says, bhajate mam ananya-bhak. Ananya, "not being deviated." Mam ekam, "only unto Me." This is ananya-bhava. Not that sometimes take from here something, take from here something, whatever is available. Those who are after material concessions, they go different demigods: take something from Siva, take something from Durga, take something from Kali, take this, that, that. So many, there are different demigods. Especially Goddess Durga, Lord Siva and Gaṇesa and Surya, they are... And Viṣṇu. The Viṣṇu worship is the best. Aradhananaṁ sarveṣaṁ viṣṇor aradhanaṁ param. That is said by Lord Siva to Goddess Parvati. Parvati asked Lord Siva, "What is the best type of worship?" There are so many. It is amongst the demigods. So Lord Siva advised, aradhananaṁ sarveṣaṁ viṣṇor aradhanaṁ param. "My dear Parvati, amongst all kinds of different types of worship, Viṣṇu worship is the best." And then again he said, tasmat parataraṁ devi: "And there is still better worship." What is that? Tasmat parataraṁ devi tadiyanaṁ samarcanam. Then... "Viṣṇu worship is the best. And more than that: to worship Vaiṣṇava." Tadiyanaṁ samarcanam.

So therefore... Here also the same thing: sa eva sadhuṣu krtaḥ;. Begin. The spiritual life begins from the association of sadhu, or devotee. You cannot progress a pinch only without the mercy of sadhu. Naiṣaṁ ma... Prahlada Maharaja said like that:

naiṣaṁ matis tavad urukramaṅghriṁ
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthaḥ;
mahiyasaṁ pada-rajo-'bhiṣekaṁ
niṣkiñcananaṁ na vrṇita yavat
[SB 7.5.32]

His father, Prahlada Maharaja's father asked—after all, he's son—"My dear son, Prahlada, how you became so much advanced in Krṣṇa consciousness?" Although he was demon, still, he was inquisitive. So Prahlada Maharaja said, "My dear father..." He used to address his father as asura-varya, "the best of the asuras." Tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya. Asura-varya. Asura means demon, and varya means "the best," variyan. So he... Because he asked that "How you have advanced in Krṣṇa consciousness, Prahlada? What is the process?" After all, he was a learned scholar. He inquired out of joking or something like that. So Prahlada Maharaja plainly said, matir na krṣṇe parataḥ; svato va: "My dear asura-varya father, this Krṣṇa consciousness..." Na matiḥ;. Matir na krṣṇe. "One cannot get Krṣṇa consciousness," matir na krṣṇe parataḥ;, "by the instruction of others, or guru." Parataḥ;. Svataḥ;, "by speculating oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by assembly, conference. For them..." Who? Who are they? Grha-vratanam. Grha... Matir na...

matir na krṣṇe parataḥ; svato va
mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam
adanta-gobhir visataṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ; punas carvita-carvaṇanam
[SB 7.5.30]

"This class of men, punaḥ; punas carvita-carvaṇanam..." Punaḥ; punas carvita-carvaṇanam means sense gratification. We can see in the Western countries how they are, everywhere, how they are attached to sense gratification. Punaḥ; punaḥ;... The same thing. Just like sex life. Everyone has sex life. Still, they are not satisfied. And... Our country it is not yet introduced, but they go to see naked dance. The same thing which he sees every night, he goes to see by paying some fees. This is called punaḥ; punas carvita-carvaṇa, "chewing the chewed." This class of men... Punaḥ; punas carvita-carvaṇanam [SB 7.5.30], matir na krṣṇe parataḥ; svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam. And grha-vrata means those who have made their determination that "We shall remain in this material world, or in this family life, and we are not prepared to accept any other thing."

The Vedic principle is that you remain family life for some time, not for all the days. Pañcasordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. As soon as you're fifty years old, you must give up family life. Compulsory. Therefore we have got... Vedic religion means varṇasrama-dharma: brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa, and brahmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaisya, sudra. So for brahmaṇa, the four asramas are compulsory. He must become a brahmacari. Then from brahmacari he becomes grhastha. Then from grhastha he must become vanaprastha. Then he must become a sannyasi. But when he becomes a sannyasi, that is the... Tyakta-karmaṇas tyakta-svajana-bandhavaḥ;. Tyakta-karmaṇaḥ;. So long we are in this material world we have to work. Karma. Karma means to gain some profit. Karma, akarma, vikarma. Vikarma means against the law. Just like ordinary laws. If you are working honestly, business or karma, that's all right. But if you do something wrong, then you are punishable. So karma and vikarma. Vikarma is punishable. Karma you can do. You ripe (reap) your own fruit by working. You become big man, you become rich man, and you become poor man also, by your karma. If you cannot handle your business nicely, then you become poor man. And if you can handle your business nicely, you become rich man. That is karma. Karma means you have to enjoy the result, fruitive result. That is called karma. And vikarma means punishable, papa. And akarma means you do something, but you are neither punishable nor rewardable. It is rewardable, practically. And that is bhakti, or satisfying Krṣṇa. There is no result. There is result; ultimate result is go back to home, back... But the material... Materially, if you expect some material profit by becoming a devotee, that is not possible. That is not possible. Maṁ ca yo 'vyabhicareṇa bhakti-yogena sevate [Bg. 14.26]. Then you become above all the resultant action of karma.

So tyakta-karma. Sannyasi means tyakta-karmaṇas tyakta-svajana-bandhavaḥ;. You cannot give up karma if you live with your relatives, svajana, and bandhavaḥ;, society, friendship and love. If you live, then you cannot give up karma. You have to do, either karma or vikarma. But if you become sannyasi, then you become akarma. Whatever you do, it is for Krṣṇa, and there is no reaction. Yajñarthe karmaṇo 'nyatra karma-bandhanaḥ;. Karma is bandhanaḥ;. Vikarma is bandhanaḥ;, but akarma is not bandhanaḥ;. Bandhanaḥ; means bondage. So we have to act for Krṣṇa. Yajñarthe. Yajña means Krṣṇa. Yajña means Viṣṇu. But people... Prahlada Maharaja said, na te viduḥ; svartha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: [SB 7.5.31] "These ordinary men, they do not know that their ultimate destination of life is to go back to Viṣṇu, go back to home, back to Godhead." Na te viduḥ;. Why they do not know? Durasaya. Their hope is dur, very, I mean to say, what is called?

Nitai: Hardy?

Prabhupada: No. Durasaya means which cannot be fulfilled. You can hope something, you can... But it is hoping against hope. It will never be fulfilled. That is called durasa. Durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninaḥ;. Persons who are trying to become happy by adjustment of this bahir-artha, external energy, or the material energy, they do not know that happiness cannot be achieved without approaching Viṣṇu, or God. They do not know it. Na te viduḥ; svartha-gatiṁ hi... Everyone is thinking, "I must first of all see my own interest." That's all right. But what is your interest, that you do not know. First of all try to understand what is your interest. But that you do not know. Because you are thinking falsely that "By adjustment of this material atmosphere I shall be happy." Everyone is trying. Nationally, individually, collectively, everyone is trying. But it is not possible. Daivi hy eṣa guṇamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. It will be frustration. Therefore it is called bahir-artha-maninaḥ;.

So why they are attempting this process, which will meet with frustration? That is also said: adanta-gobhir visataṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ; punas carvita-carvaṇanam [SB 7.5.30]. Because they cannot control their senses, adanta... Adanta-gobhiḥ;. Go means indriya, senses, and adanta means uncontrolled. Adanta-gobhir visataṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ; punas carvita-carvaṇanam [SB 7.5.30]. So in this way we are being baffled in so many ways. The only rescue is Krṣṇa. Therefore it is said, ananya-bhavena, mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye drḍham. That is wanted. Drḍha-vrata. That is stated in Bhagavad-gita. You'll find parallel passages, the same thing. Because Krṣṇa, or God, cannot say anything contradictory. Whatever He has said... Therefore Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary study of spiritual life. If you can understand Bhagavad-gita, then you can begin Srimad-Bhagavatam. If you have not understood Bhagavad-gita, it is useless. You cannot understand Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Just like Bhagavad-gita ends with the assertion of the Lord: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Sarva-dharman. We have created so many dharmas. But dharma cannot be so many. Dharma is one. Or religious system... What is that, religious system? The all religious system, the author of religion, author of religion... Just like author of law is government, similarly author of religion is God, Krṣṇa. Dharmaṁ tu sakṣad bhagavat-praṇitam [SB 6.3.19]. You cannot manufacture dharma, just like you cannot manufacture law at your home. That will be not feasible. That will be not useful for anyone. You can make thousands of laws: "I think this should be done..." That is the fashion now. Everyone thinks in his own way. That is not philosophy. That is not law: "I think..." "We think..." No. You cannot think. What is your value? You are imperfect. Your senses are imperfect. How you can think perfect things? No, that is not possible. Therefore we have to...

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

You have to take knowledge from the tattva-darsi, one who has seen the truth. Otherwise, you'll be frustrated. Similarly religion. Religion you cannot manufacture: "This is our religion. This is this religion, that religion, that religion." So that is not religion. Religion is this: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim. This is religion. Anything else, that is cheating. That is not religion.

Therefore if one can understand Bhagavad-gita perfectly and he takes to this system of religion, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], then he can understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because where Bhagavad-gita is ended, Srimad-Bhagavatam begins from that point. Because in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the introductory verses, Vyasadeva says, dharmaḥ; projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaraṇam [SB 1.1.2]. "This, this Srimad-Bhagavatam is not ordinary type of religious system, because from this Bhagavatam, kaitava, cheating type of religion, is completely swept away, kicked out, thrown away." Dharmaḥ; projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. And upon this the great commentator Sridhara Svami, he says, atra mokṣa-vañcha api nirasta. Because we know dharma-artha-kama-mokṣa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Adi 1.90]. So Sridhara Svami says that dharmaḥ; projjhita... Because people are becoming religious for mokṣa, liberation. So Sridhara Svami says that up to the end of mokṣa-vañcha, desire for liberation, that is also rejected. The... Because mokṣa is also not our ultimate goal of life. Mokṣa means to get relief from the material bondage. But if you do not get engagement of spiritual life, then mokṣa is also cheating because you'll fall down again.

I have repeatedly said that cure of disease is all right, but after curing, if you are not engaged in your healthy activities, then means, that means that your disease is again, will be relapsed. The sastra says therefore, aruhya krcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ; patanty adhaḥ; [SB 10.2.32]. One sometimes, after practicing much severe austerities and penances, he can approach the Brahman, paraṁ padam, that is Brahman realization, or Brahmaloka. Patanty adhaḥ;. But from there also you will fall down. Why? Anadrta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ;. Because they did not care to worship the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Mayavadis, the impersonalists, they fall down. Because they cannot stay. It is not possible. Simply impersonal effulgence, Brahman effulgence, you cannot stay. You can... That example I have given many times, that you can go very high in the sky by your very powerful sputnik and airship, but if you have no place to stay there, then you'll come back again. You'll come back again. Similarly, you can go to the Brahman effulgence, but within the Brahman effulgence, there are Vaikuṇṭha planets, or the spiritual world, there is Vaikuṇṭha planet. If you have no place to stay in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, then you'll come down again to this material world.

Therefore ananyena bhavena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye drḍham. Drḍha-vratam.

ananyas cintayanto maṁ
ye janaḥ; paryupasate
teṣaṁ nityabhiyuktanaṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahamy aham
[Bg. 9.22]

Ananyas cintayantaḥ;. Simply thinking of Krṣṇa. That will help you. Ananya-bhavena. This is sadhu. These are de... Sadhu. In the previous verse also, there were several descriptions:

titikṣavaḥ; karuṇikaḥ;
suhrdaḥ; sarva-dehinam
ajata-satravaḥ; santaḥ;
sadhavaḥ; sadhu-bhuṣaṇaḥ;
[SB 3.25.21]

This is the beginning of sadhu. Because to come to this stage, ananya-bhavena bhakti-yogena, you have to tolerate so many things. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Ananya-bhavena yogena. He was simply thinking of Narayaṇa. How much trouble he had to undergo, even by, offered by his father. So we should be very much... Titikṣavaḥ;. The matter... This material nature will not give you freedom so easily. It will not give so much freedom... Daivi hy eṣa guṇamayi mama... mam eva ye prapadyante [Bg. 7.14]. If you become strong enough to capture the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, then mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam... Then maya will give you, "No, he's very strong. I cannot any more keep him under my clutches." So that is ananya-bhavena. That is described. Ananyena bhavena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye drḍham, mat-krte. For the sake of Krṣṇa, one can give up everything. That is ananya-bhava. The first-class example is the gopis. They gave up everything. Their family, their relatives, their husband, their sons, their father, their prestige, their honor—everything sacrificed, simply for Krṣṇa. That is the highest perfection. That is not possible for ordinary... But we can, if we follow the gopis' way of loving Krṣṇa, then...

Just like the Gosvamis. They used to... Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhur vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau. It is possible if we follow the Gosvamis. The Gosvamis were minister, minister of Nawab Hussain Shah in the Bengal government in those days. Sanatana Gosvami and Ru..., very, mean, prime, finance minister, chief minister, very important ministers, and they gave up everything, everything. Tyaktva turṇam aseṣa-maṇḍala-pati-sreṇiṁ sada tuccha-vat. By their determination to worship Krṣṇa they gave up everything. Tyaktva turṇam aseṣa-maṇḍala-pati-sreṇi... Maṇḍala-pati means very big, big leaders. When one is minister, certainly he is connected with so many big, big men. So they were actually connected with them, but they gave up, sada tuccha-vat, as most insignificant thing. And what was their next adoption? Now, tyaktva turṇam aseṣa-maṇḍala-pati-sreṇiṁ sada tuccha-vat bhutva dina-gaṇesakau karuṇaya kaupina-kanthasritau. Kaupina, a, simply a loincloth and underwear, kaupina-kanthasritau, and one quilt. That's all. Minimum. Minimum necessities of the body. But how they lived? They were so big men. How they adopted such life and lived? Because if a man, rich man, adopts immediately renunciation, that affects his material condition of life. That we have seen. Just like in Bengal, C.R. Das, he had fifty thousand rupees' income in those days, and he gave up everything and joined Gandhi's movement. He died within one year, because he could not tolerate. So without spiritual engagement, one cannot give up this material engagement. That is the real fact. One must... Tyaktva turṇam aseṣa-maṇḍala-pati... They gave up this material enjoyment. That's all right. How they lived? Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhuḥ;. They dipped into the ocean of the transcendental loving affairs of the gopis with Krṣṇa. That was their asset. Therefore they lived very peacefully and very happily.

So we have to... We, we cannot simply give up. As it is said that tyakta-karmaṇaḥ;, give up everyone, engagement, and tyakta-svajana-bandhavaḥ;,... You'll become mad if you give up all these things, unless you have got staunch faith in Krṣṇa. Then you cannot give up. It is not possible. Paraṁ drṣṭva nivartate [Bg. 9.59]. If you find Krṣṇa's association is so nice, then you can very easily give up your opulent position, svajana, bandhavaḥ;, family, business and everything. If you... That requires sadhu-saṅga, sadhu-saṅga [Cc. Madhya 22.83], to associate with sadhu, devotees. Then you can develop such thing when day will come you'll be able to give up everything and you become liberated person, quite fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. Unless you are completely free... If you have got a tinge of attachment for material enjoyment, Krṣṇa will give you chance: "All right, you enjoy. You enjoy, to the fullest extent." Because we have come to this material world for enjoying sense gratification. Krṣṇa bhuliya jiva... That is called maya, illusory. It is not enjoyment. It is simply struggle. But one who comes to the senses, that "This is simply struggle. Life after life, there is no enjoyment," then he can become a devotee of Krṣṇa. So that requires knowledge, association of sadhu, devotee. That is being explained by Kapiladeva.

Thank you very much. Hare Krṣṇa. (end)

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