Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.) "Translation: King Parikṣit asked Sukadeva Gosvami: My dear Lord, for those who are completely pure in heart, knowledge is attained by the practice of bhakti-yoga, and attachment for fruitive activity is completely burned to ashes. For such people, the powers of mystic yoga automatically arise. They do not cause distress. Why, then, did Ṛṣabhadeva neglect them?"

Prabhupada:

na nunaṁ bhagava atmaramaṇaṁ yoga-samirita-jñanavabharjita-karma-bijanam aisvaryaṇi punaḥ; klesadani bhavitum arhanti yadrc-chayopagatani
[SB 5.6.1]

So atmaramaṇam, atmaramaṇam, self-satisfied. There are two kinds of men: atmarama and apasyatam atma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2]—one who does not know what is the soul and what is the business of the soul. Apasyatam atma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2]. Atma-tattvam... First of all, one has to understand that "I am not this body. I am atma, soul. Ahaṁ brahmasmi." Then we fix up our business. If I do not know what I am... Sanatana Gosvami approached Caitanya Mahaprabhu: gramya-vyavahare paṇḍita, satya kari mani apanara hitahita kichui na jani. This is going on. So-called learned philosophers, scientist, educationist—people call them learned scholars. But Sanatana Gosvami refused to accept. He said, gramya-vyavahare kahaye paṇḍita satya kari mani. That is our nature. Just like a beggar comes, he gives his blessing, "Sir, you become king. You become opulent. You...," so on, so on. So he thinks, "Now this beggar is blessing me. I may be... It may be I become a king. 'All right, you take some rupees.' " So this is not... They do not know atma-tattvam. They think that "This beggar's blessing will make me happy." No. One should know atma-tattvam and act accordingly.

That atma-tattva begins after being liberated.

brahma-bhutaḥ; prasannatma
na socati na kaṅkṣati
samaḥ; sarveṣu bhuteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]

That is atma-tattvam. One should know simply understanding ahaṁ brahmasmi, "I am not this body; I am a spirit soul." That is also knowledge, at least, than the karmis. Karmis, they have been described by Visvanatha Cakravarti Ṭhakura as muḍhas, asses. They do not know what is the aim of life, simply working. Sva-viḍ-varahoṣṭra-kharaiḥ; saṁstutaḥ; puruṣaḥ; pasuḥ; [SB 2.3.19]. So in sastra, the human being who has no knowledge of atma-tattva, such person is compared with four kinds of animals. Sva, sva means dog. Viḍ-varaha, viḍ-varaha means the pig. You have seen in Vrndavana so many pigs are loitering, searching after stool. Sva-viḍ-varaha uṣṭra. Uṣṭra also you have seen. They are so foolish that the thorny herbs..., and the tongue is cut, and there is blood oozing out, and the blood is tasted with the thorns, and he thinks, "I am eating very palatable things." He's eating thorn, but because it is mixed up with his own blood, the foolish animal is thinking it is very tasteful. So these animals have been selected to compare with the human being if they are apasyatam atma-tattvaṁ grheṣu grha-medhinam.

srotavyadini rajendra
nrṇaṁ santi sahasrasaḥ;
apasyatam atma-tattvaṁ
grheṣu grha-medhinam
[SB 2.1.2]

That is a person, one who does not know atma-tattva. And one who knows atma-tattva and the business of atma-tattva, they are called atmarama, atmarama, enjoying.

Unless we become atmarama, there is no possibility of happiness. Just like these Gosvamis. They were very opulent ministers, but they were not happy. They resigned from the post. Tyaktva turṇam aseṣa-maṇḍala-pati-sreṇiṁ sada tuccha-vat. Because there was no happiness. And what they adopted? They adopted the life of a mendicant. Tyaktva turṇam aseṣa-maṇḍala-pati-sreṇiṁ sada tuccha-vat bhutva dina-gaṇesakau karuṇaya kaupina-kanthasritau. For doing good to the others they accepted kaupina-kanthasritau. So it is not a business of imitation, that "I am following the principles of Rupa Gosvami." That is not so easy to become a Rupa Gosvami, atmarama. They were busy, very busy in transcendental activities. Simply to give up the family life or big post and come to Vrndavana and live cheaply by begging some capati and become Rupa Gosvami, that is not ideal. You should follow Rupa Gosvami, their footprints. Tyaktva turṇam-aseṣa-maṇḍala. First of all, Rupa Gosvami, their giving up family life was meaningful. But if somebody, out of poverty, he comes to Vrndavana to solve the capati problem, (laughter) that is not Rupa Gosvami.

Rupa Gosvami, they were engaged—nana-sastra-vicaraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthapakau lokanaṁ hita-kariṇau. They were simply thinking, "How these rascals will be benefitted by Krṣṇa consciousness?" That is what, their business, lokanaṁ hita-kariṇau. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja, soce tato vimukha-cetasa. Soce tato vimukha-cetasa maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimuḍhan [SB 7.9.43]. Prahlada Maharaja was anxious not for himself. Naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittaḥ;. "My Lord, personally I have no problem. It is finished." Svamin krtartho 'smi. Dhruva Maharaja also said the same thing. A devotee, for personal... Because they are atmarama. They have no business for personal satisfaction. They are completely satisfied, atmarama. But they have got another dissatisfaction: that seeing men like us engaged in sense gratification and working whole day and night like dogs and pigs, so they are very much anxious. Tato vimukha-cetasa. "Without Krṣṇa consciousness, they are working so hard day and night like asses and pigs and dogs." They are very much anxious for this, "How to stop this foolish person from this unnecessary trouble?" Unnecessary trouble. That Ṛṣabhadeva has already instructed us in the beginning, that "Don't spoil your life working so hard like hogs and dogs. No, this is not good." Na sadhu manye. "This is not good." But they are thinking... Now it is advertised that "Work hard. Work hard." And the people have come to the stage of pulling thela and rickshaw, and still, they have to work hard. This is the position. Because they do not know what is..., how to become atmarama. That is the difficulty.

So this Krṣṇa consciousness movement is to teach people how to become atmarama. When one becomes atmarama, then yoga-samirita-jñanam. Bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, if one takes to bhakti-yoga, then automatically the atma-jñana, atma-tattva jñana, becomes developed. Vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ; prayojitaḥ; [SB 1.2.7]. Simply if you engage yourself in the devotional service of Vasudeva... Vasudeva means Krṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva. Another meaning of Vasudeva: "who is all-pervading." Sarvatra vasate iti vasudevaḥ;. God is everywhere. Aṇḍantara-stha-paramaṇu-cayantara-stham.

eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ
yac-chaktir asti-jagad-aṇḍa-caya yad-antaḥ;
aṇḍantara-stha paramaṇu-cayantara-sthaṁ
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam aham...
[Bs. 5.35]

That is Vasudeva feature of Krṣṇa. He is, as Garbhodakasayi Viṣṇu, aṇḍantara-stham, within this universe. And paramaṇu-cayantara-stham. Isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. So this Vasudeva, Krṣṇa, if we engage ourself in devotional service, that is yoga. Yogaṁ yuñjan mad-asrayaḥ;, Krṣṇa says. Mayy asakta-manaḥ; partha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-asrayaḥ;. That is real yoga, mad-asrayaḥ;. "Under Me, or a person who has taken shelter in Me, mad-asrayaḥ;." Mad-asrayaḥ; means either...It is not possible to take shelter of the lotus feet of Krṣṇa directly. That is not possible. You have to take shelter of a person who has already taken shelter of the lotus feet of... That is mad-asrayaḥ;. So that yogam... So this atmarama. These Gosvamis, Prahlada Maharaja, they are atmarama. Their karma-bija is fried. What is said? Ava-bharjitani. Even if you pour water, no, it is finished.

So those who are atma-rama, those who have taken to the bhakti-yoga, their karma-phala is finished. Karmaṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam [Bs. 5.54]. They are not... The devotee may be observed that he's also engaged in ordinary work. He's also printing books and selling them and maintaining maṭhas and temples. "So he is also doing business." No, that is not business. That is bhakti. Sometimes bhakti appears to be like ordinary karma, but it is not karma. It is karma in this way, that the same peas, it looks like peas, but if you sow it, it will not produce anymore. Bharjitani. Ava-bharjitani. Yajñarthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ; [Bg. 3.9]. If you work for Krṣṇa, it appears to be ordinary work, but it is not ordinary work. It is not the cause of bandhanaḥ;. But if you work for Krṣṇa, there is no more karma-bandhanaḥ;. Karmaṇi nirdahati ca kintu ca bhakti-bhajam. All others... Yas tv indragopam maha indra... There is a germ, it is called indragopa. From indragopa to that Indra the King of heaven, everyone is bound up by the laws of karma. Everyone is bound up. But a bhakta is not bound up. How he can be bound up? Because as soon as he surrenders to Krṣṇa, Krṣṇa gives him assurance, ahaṁ tvaṁ sarvapapebhyo mokṣayiṣyami; immediately finish...

So we can become immediately liberated. Liberated means who has no karma-bandhana, no resultant action. Ava-bharjitani. That is liberation. Tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Devotee, he may seem, it may appear, that he is also dying, but his death and ordinary death is different. Here—tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]; and others—they are dying tatha dehantara-praptiḥ; [Bg. 2.13]. There is a difference. Karmi... It appears that karmis... People may say, "A karmi is dying, and bhakta is dying. What is benefit?" No. He's not dying, but he is dying or giving up this body for living forever. And the nondevotees, he is dying to accept another body. That is the difference. Tatha dehantara-praptiḥ;. So if you remain a minister, a president or some very big man, but if you are not a devotee, then you have to accept another body. Karmaṇa daiva netreṇa [SB 3.31.1]. You have to... Daiva-netreṇa, by superior management, superior administration, you'll be judged what kind of karma you have done. Although you are minister, but you have done, acted like a hog, like a dog, then you have to accept the body. Karmaṇa daiva-netreṇa jantor dehopapatti. But that we do not know. They do not believe. At the modern days they do not believe that there is next life and it is conducted by the laws of nature. Prakrteḥ; kriyamaṇani guṇaiḥ; sarvasaḥ;... [Bg. 3.27]. Karaṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma yoniṣu [Bg. 13.22]. Why there are difference of birth? One is king, another is dog; one is tree, another is worm. They are all living entities, part and parcel of Krṣṇa. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayoyaḥ; [Bg. 14.4]. They are all part and parcel. Mamaivaṁso jiva-bhutaḥ;: [Bg. 15.7] "They are all My part and parcel." Manaḥ; ṣaṣṭhanindriyaṇi prakrti-sthani karṣati. They're struggling in this material nature because conducted by this mind and indriyas.

So we have to give up this. Atmarama means we have to give up for good the dictation of the mind. Then you are liberated. Sa vai manaḥ; krṣṇa-padaravindayor vacaṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇanuvarṇane [SB 9.4.18]. This is Ambariṣa Maharaja's example. All devotees, they have no other desires. Vaikuṇṭha. Prahlada Maharaja also says, tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittaḥ;: [SB 7.9.43] "I am simply engaged in describing the powerful activities of Your Lordship." That should be our life. If you stick to this point, then we shall not speak anything except glorifying the Supreme Lord. If we make that point fixed up, we shall not talk foolishly. Simply vacaṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇanuvarṇane. We shall use our legs to go to the temples. We shall use our eyes to see the Deity, how nicely He is decorated, and appreciate. We shall use our hand in cleansing the temple, in playing the instruments, khol, karatala, for chanting. So, ear for hearing Krṣṇa's pastimes, nose for smelling the flower offered to Krṣṇa... In this way, hrṣikena hrṣikesa sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. When you engage your senses, hrṣikesa sevanam... The senses are not yours, because this body is given by Krṣṇa through the agency of maya. You wanted this thing. Isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. He knows what you are wanting because He is constantly seeing you. He is sitting within your heart, the same tree, two birds. One bird is I am, the individual soul; another bird is Krṣṇa. So He knows, and He is giving us, giving me the facility.

isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantraruḍhani mayaya
[Bg. 18.61]

He knows what I am desiring, and He is asking maya, "Give him this body."

So in this way, if we remain entrapped in the laws of material nature, then it is not good. Na sadhu manye yata atmano yam asann api klesada asa dehaḥ; [SB 5.5.4]. This practice we should give up. Mano-dharma. Mental concoction. We should immediately accept Krṣṇa's instruction and be situated in atma-dharma. That is atmarama. Krṣṇa says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇam vraja [Bg. 18.66].

Thank you very much. (end)

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