19821013 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.19

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on October 13, 1982 at New Tālavana Farm in Carriere, Mississippi. The class begins with a reading from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5th Canto, Chapter 5, Verse 19.

mukam karoti vacalam
pangum langhayate girim
yat-kripa tam aham vande
Śrī gurum dina tarinam

idaṁ śarīraṁ mama durvibhāvyaṁ
sattvaṁ hi me hṛdayaṁ yatra dharmaḥ
pṛṣṭhe kṛto me yad adharma ārād
ato hi mām ṛṣabhaṁ prāhur āryāḥ

idaṁ śarīraṁ mama durvibhāvyaṁ
sattvaṁ hi me hṛdayaṁ yatra dharmaḥ
pṛṣṭhe kṛto me yad adharma ārād
ato hi mām ṛṣabhaṁ prāhur āryāḥ

Translation by His Divine Grace Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svāmī Prabhupāda: My transcendental body [sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha] looks exactly like a human form, but it is not a material human body. It is inconceivable. I am not forced by nature to accept a particular type of body; I take on a body by My own sweet will. My heart is also spiritual, and I always think of the welfare of My devotees. Therefore within My heart can be found the process of devotional service, which is meant for the devotees. Far from My heart have I abandoned irreligion [adharma] and nondevotional activities. They do not appeal to Me. Due to all these transcendental qualities, people generally pray to Me as Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the best of all living entities.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: In this verse the words idaṁ śarīraṁ mama durvibhāvyam are very significant. Generally we experience two energies — material energy and spiritual energy. We have some experience of the material energy (earth, water, air, fire, ether, mind, intelligence and ego) because in the material world everyone’s body is composed of these elements. Within the material body is the spirit soul, but we cannot see it with the material eyes. When we see a body full of spiritual energy, it is very difficult for us to understand how the spiritual energy can have a body. It is said that Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s body is completely spiritual; therefore for a materialistic person, it is very difficult to understand. For a materialistic person, the completely spiritual body is inconceivable. We have to accept the version of the Vedas when our experimental perception cannot understand a subject. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. The Supreme Lord has a body with form, but that body is not composed of material elements. It is made of spiritual bliss, eternity and living force. By the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord can appear before us in His original spiritual body, but because we have no experience of the spiritual body, we are sometimes bewildered and see the form of the Lord as material. The Māyāvādī philosophers are completely unable to conceive of a spiritual body. They say that the spirit is always impersonal, and whenever they see something personal they take it for granted that it is material. In Bhagavad-gītā (9.11) it is said:

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.”

Unintelligent people think that the Supreme Lord accepts a body composed of the material energy. We can easily understand the material body, but we cannot understand the spiritual body. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says: idaṁ śarīraṁ mama durvibhāvyam. In the spiritual world, everyone has a spiritual body. There is no conception of material existence there. In the spiritual world there is only service and the receiving of service. There is only sevya, sevā and sevaka — the person served, the process of service and the servant. These three items are completely spiritual, and therefore the spiritual world is called absolute. There is no tinge of material contamination there. Being completely transcendental to the material conception, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva states that His heart is composed of dharma. Dharma is explained in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66): sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. In the spiritual world, every living entity is surrendered to the Supreme Lord and is completely on the spiritual platform. Although there are servitors, the served and service, all are spiritual and variegated. At the present moment, due to our material conception, everything is durvibhāvya, inconceivable. Being the Supreme, the Lord is called Ṛṣabha, the best. In terms of the Vedic language, nityo nityānām. We are also spiritual. but we are subordinate. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is the foremost living entity. The word ṛṣabha means “the chief,” or “the supreme,” and indicates the Supreme Being, or God Himself.

Thus end the purport of Text 19, Chapter 5, Canto 5 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, translated with purports by His Divine Grace Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svāmī Prabhupāda.

Jayapataka Swami: So here Ṛṣabhadeva is instructing His sons that although His material… His transcendental body looks like a human form, but it is not a material human body. It is inconceivable, it is actually made of spiritual sac-cid-ānanda truth. This is what the impersonalist philosophers as well as materialists can understand is that how God can come to the Earth and appear to be like a human being. And here He explains the mystery for His devotees, that He can come appearing like a human being and actually is not a human being, doesn't have a material body at all. He has a spiritual body which is so versatile, which is so uh, wonderful that it can appear like a human being. It looks just like a human form but actually is made of pure spiritual energy.

Actually, this should not be too difficult to understand, because even in… the materialists are able to create a body just like a human body, although it is not at all. In fact, Walt Disney in his exhibits he has got these uh, robots which are able to walk and talk and speak. They have a Mark Twain and… a Mark Twain, and a Ben Franklin robot as their latest exhibit which is famed for being so real that hardly anyone can tell they are robots at all. They walk on the stage and they speak everything. They cost millions and millions of dollars. Well, if the materialists can make a machine that looks just like a human being and talks then… then you think God can’t have a… a spiritual form that can look just like a human form? If the materialist can do it from a dead… other material thing why can't God do it from a superior energy, an Absolute potency like a spiritual potent? So, they shouldn't try to limit God that, “He cannot come down or that because He comes down then He is just like us. He is another one of the prisoners in this cage.” We are in the material world prisoner, but He is always in the transcendental platform.

Also, sometimes people accuse God of having bad qualities or causing people to suffer because of various… some kind of, they try to infer that He has got some kind of defect for that. But here it’s very clearly said that actually within the heart of the Lord, there is no adharma, there is no irreligion, there is no non-devotional qualities. Actually, whatever the living entities are suffering or enjoying in the dream of this material world is simply due to their own activities.

Somebody wants to cause someone else to suffer, see that’s part of their desire. So, then someone else who deserves to suffer is put in that position so thus everyone is satisfied. There are people here who are not having this type of pure heart. They’d rather… they like people to suffer. They would actually like people to suffer. They have got some grudge against certain people. In fact, if they could catch God they would also even try to make Him suffer, which the demons have shown, they try to catch God. In His incarnation but instead He just kills them. They don’t know who they’re up against. So, this thing is always there. The materialists are very envious of each other and the big materialists they are even envious of God. So therefore, this process of devotional service is so wonderful because what it does, it takes out all the envy from the heart. One should be careful that envy doesn’t re-enter the heart or doesn’t still stay there.

Prabhupāda said that we can dovetail every kind of, we can dovetail every kind of uh, vice with devotional service, like lust, greed, anger, intoxication, madness, but we can’t dovetail envy.

We can dovetail lust, just like one can be very lusty to serve Kṛṣṇa to get something. Just like some of the devotees of Kṛṣṇa were very lusty to serve Kṛṣṇa, that kind of lust actually becomes purified.

Then greed - we can be very greedy to get some nice things for Kṛṣṇa, greedy to get, “Oh, here’s a nice person, if only I could give that soul to Kṛṣṇa's service.”

Anger - Someone is coming and trying to hurt Kṛṣṇa's devotees or the Deity, or create some disturbance, so devotee can become angry to defend Kṛṣṇa, Just like Arjuna was angry to execute Kṛṣṇa's desire on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra.

Intoxication - A devotee becomes intoxicated with love of God. There is a news - artificial systems like drugs or uh, narcotics or alcohol, but simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and feasting on prasādam he is sufficiently intoxicated with transcendental ecstasy, does not need any artificial crutches.

So, then you may know from the nectar of devotion sometimes the devotees, they become so mad with the ecstasy of love for Kṛṣṇa that they actually become illusioned. They would mistake uh, that Kṛṣṇa is in a tree and they hug the tree or something like that. So, so many things are there, but this envy, “Oh, why that devotee is so advanced? Why that devotee has this, or why the…” Just sheer envy where that someone else appears to have something that one doesn't, and then, so one… a person becomes… wants to bring that person down, you see. That aspect someone else has something more than another person, still one should want to bring that person down.

You may want to pull yourself up that is another thing. That is allowed, you can always desire to advance yourself. But not… in the material world this idea is advancing by pulling one person back to advance yourself up. That is not uh…it cannot be dovetailed. Not that… not to hurt someone else. Kṛṣṇa, of course He can dovetail. But for us it’s very difficult to dovetail. Kṛṣṇa can dovetail like, Hiraṇyakaśipu was envious of uh, his son for being a devotee, and so sometimes you could say, “Well, Narasiṁhadeva was envious of Hiraṇyakaśipu.” You see. So, whether you call it anger, enviousness, or whatever, in Kṛṣṇa it is perfect, because it was there to protect His devotee.

If Prahlāda was not connected, then He would have some other person take care of Hiraṇyakaśipu, it was not necessary that He personally do it. He did it to show special favor to His devotees. So, this is the quality of the Lord, He is very kind to His devotees. You can see why devotional service is in His heart. Devotional service is therefore so dear to the Lord, it is so intimate that it is in the Lord's heart.

When Lord Caitanya was showing His Mahā-prakāśa, You know the Mahā-prakāśa? So Mahā-prakāśa means that... Lord Caitanya was always in the mood of a devotee, correct? He is in the mood of a devotee, so we do not generally disturb His mood like that. We do not approach Lord Caitanya that, “Now you are the Supreme Lord.” He goes like, “Oh Viṣṇu Viṣṇu Viṣṇu! I am the servant of Kṛṣṇa, I am the servant of the servant.” like that He is in that mood.

But one time in Śrīvāsa' house, He became in the mood of Kṛṣṇa. His original mood as Kṛṣṇa came out, and uh, that was caused by the worship of uh… Advaita ācārya worshipped His lotus feet by putting tulasī on Them, which Lord Caitanya would never allow because He was always taking the position of a devotee, He would only allow tulasī on His head, and this time Advaita was trying… was telling everyone that actually Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself. So, he put tulasī on Lord Caitanya's lotus feet and Lord Caitanya, He actually assumed His original form as uh, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Supreme Personality of Godhead, and people could see that He was Kṛṣṇa, He was Rāma, He was Varāha, all the doubts were removed in that regard, and for 21 hours there was a non-stop ārati, a big kīrtana. And during that āratī and kīrtana, Lord Caitanya continuously remained in this mood as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He was not in the mood as a servitor, but in the mood as God, Himself.

So that time, He offered, Lord uh… He offered this banana salesman Kholaveca, I think I have told this when I was here before, that He offered a special boon when He brought him over, then He offered that, "You’ve served Me so nicely that I want to give you uh, mystic powers. You take mystic powers." So Kholaveca said, "I don't want any mystic powers. What do I do with mystic powers? I don't want mystic powers."

He says, "Well, you take… you take… you become… I’ll give you a great kingdom, you can be a king with hundreds of servants and fields, and army and the whole works, palace. You’ll be a great king. You take from Me this blessings and be a king." The banana salesman refused, "No, no I do not want to be a king. It is not what I want, I don't want to be a king. It’s nothing."

"You take liberation from birth and death, old age and disease. Take liberation to the spiritual world," He said. "No, No, I don’t want liberation." "Take liberation." "No, no, I don't to."

"What do you want?"

"Lord Caitanya, all I want is that I can see Your laughing smiling face, when You used to come up to me and joke with me as a young brāhmaṇa and steal or pull from me, various vegetables. I want to continually see that beautiful transcendental face, that young… the naughty brāhmaṇa. I want to simply serve You, life after life, you see. Wherever You are I simply want to render service… I want to, wherever You take Your incarnation I want to provide You with all your vegetable, banana, spinach needs, so on. I don't want liberation, I don't want to be a great king, I don't want to use the mystic power. Let me provide You Your vegetables and bananas. Let me serve You, that is all that I want. I just want to render service, I don't want anything else."

So, then Lord Caitanya was very moved by that. So, then He said, "Well, now I want to offer you one thing, which even Lord Brahma and Śiva they don’t normally get very easily. I am going to offer you pure prema, pure love for Godhead. Because of your desire, now I am going to offer you pure love for Godhead, kṛṣṇa-prema.”

And when Lord Caitanya said that and then He benedicted Śrīdhara with pure love for Godhead, which is uh, immortal and which is uh, pure, complete, all the devotees there exploded, "Haribol, Haribol, Haribol! The banana salesman got what even Brahma and Śiva couldn't get all by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,” and the whole place exploded. They were jumping up and down, "Haribol! Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya! Jai Gaurāṅga! Jai Gaurāṅga! Haribol, Haribol!" They were jumping and shouting, they were just… some were fainting, they couldn’t believe it, how Lord Caitanya had benedicted. In this way the kīrtana and ārati was going on like that, 21 hours. One after another Lord Caitanya would bring up the devotees and reveal their original form or give them these benedictions.

Murāri Gupta was brought up. Said, "Murāri Gupta, you are My eternal servitor, what can I give you? Did you know who you are?"

"Murāri Gupta."

He said, "Did you know who I am?" and then He showed, first then, He took the form, suddenly He was Rāmacandra and Nityānanda was Lakṣmaṇa, and there was uh, Sīta also there. Sīta was fanning Him. Lord Caitanya became Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Sīta everyone were there.

All of a sudden Murāri Gupta looked at himself, and he saw that he was Hanumān. When he saw he was Hanumān, and that there was his eternal Lord Rāmacandra, he was so overwhelmed that he fainted on the spot, he became stunned to have that realization that actually his eternal form was that he was Hanumān. He had taken birth in Lord Caitanya's pastimes just to serve his eternal Lord Rāmacandra in His form as Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

You know that Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s the combined form of Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, all in one; They’re all there. All the incarnations are within Lord Caitanya. He is the original form of Kṛṣṇa, in His devotional mood. So, everything, all the incarnations are there, especially Rāmacandra. Lord Caitanya has revealed in His Ṣaḍ-bhuja, six-handed form: Two arms as Rāma, two as Kṛṣṇa and two as Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu.

So, this way one by one, the different devotees, they had their eternal form revealed to the Lord, had all their mysteries revealed. This is also a great mercy that by Prabhupāda's kindness, we are able to render some devotional service even though we are filled with doubts and offenses. (a devotee child says Haribol!)

We can see actually that devotional service is no small thing. Devotional service is so rare, so wonderful, that to actually achieve devotional service is the highest perfection. Somehow in spite of our offenses, in spite of all our defects, Lord Nitāi-Gaura are still allowing us to serve, you see. Why should we become proud, why should we allow ourselves to become swept away by material desires? We have to be very very careful.

It is like getting a jewel. Once you get a jewel you have to be very careful not to get it stolen. There was one devotee he had a nice $1,500 ring, was in Colombia, Australian devotee. Now in Colombia everybody knows that there are a lot of thieves. If you don't know it, now you know it, but this person not only did he go for a walk, but he went in the worst place. He went in some back-slum area under some side of a hill, wearing a $1,500 gold ring, out in the open. So naturally..., even there sometimes there were stories about people getting their arms cut off just to take their Seiko watch or something. Lucky, he did not get anything cut off.

A person came up to him with a gun held it to his head and said, “Give me your ring.” Even then he was hesitating, trying to talk him out of it. He was very attached to the ring. Ultimately, he decided he was more attached to living, so gave him the ring. So just like that, we have a ring, we have a jewel, naturally we are very attached. When he got back his wife was still angry, "How you gave up such a valuable ring?"

"What was the choice I had?" (laughing) "If I would have kept my ring I would have lost my life."

Anyway, this is the situation. You have something valuable you have to protect it. You can’t just walk anywhere, anyplace, and do anything with anybody and expect you are going to come out of it, scot free. Right? There are certain places we just have to be very careful. This material world has got its places in goodness, passion and ignorance. And so, a devotee sometimes they associate with goodness but always avoid passion and ignorance like the plague, because he knows that there I will lose the jewel of bhakti. The devotee avoids all the type of offenses to, in devotional service just like the plague because he knows there I’ll have my bhakti will be stolen away, or somehow it will be polluted or I will be cheated or something. I will be cheated, and I will lose my devotional service.

You must have heard. If you… if you… if you look in some places… you see some places where it’s mentioned that 'amāke vañcita koribe na' (don't do vañcita to me). Do you know the meaning of 'vañcita'? Actually, even I know Bengali, I never looked up this word for a long time. I just don’t… Don't cast me away, or something like that, you know, I never… some years I didn’t bother to look it up. What was the exact meaning of 'vañcita.' Then the more I learnt the language, 'vañcita' means something altogether… 'Vañcita' means cheat.

We pray to Kṛṣṇa, “Don't cheat me. Don't let me be cheated by māyā. When māyā is going to offer me some imitation happiness, some imitation truth, some māyā, it’s illusion. And I will be cheated and instead of taking you by being cheated I am going to go on to take some imitation happiness, some imitation reality. And then later on after so much endeavor and so much effort I will find I was cheated by māyā, where she will somehow, or another delude me into leaving Your lotus feet. And then after who knows how many births, how many millenniums, again I will find myself here again praying to You. I don't want to… I don’t want to go back and be deluded, I just want to stay in Your devotional service. ‘Amāke vañcita koribe na.’ Don't allow me to be cheated. You see, it’s after all Your energy, You can do whatever You like. So please don't cheat me through Your energy. I admit that I committed so many offenses and mistakes and sinful activities but now, I simply want to serve You. Therefore, there is no use in allowing me to be cheated again. I admit I am completely infinitesimal, small. I can be deluded if that is Your desire. Who can overcome Your... Your own potency? But now I have given up all other desires, I simply want to serve You. So, don't let me cheated again. I am very afraid of this cheating.”

Even Prahlāda said to some extent that, “As long as I have Your shelter I am not afraid, but otherwise I am afraid. I am afraid of losing Your shelter because then I will be cheated.” Lose the shelter of Kṛṣṇa then māyā she can cheat us. She is expert. Māyā - what is not. She knows how to present something in one way and it is not that.

But, here Ṛṣabhadeva is saying in His heart is devotional service. If we can render devotional service, just see, that means we will find a place in His heart. You can understand how dear the devotees are to Kṛṣṇa that He is giving them a place in His heart. Devotees serve the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa is so kind he brings them up to His heart. So, then devotees should also be careful after rendering devotional service, after coming up to the heart of the Lord we cannot turn around and forsake Kṛṣṇa. Of course, He is very transcendental. Therefore, He won’t put someone in the heart unless He is sure that the person wants to eternally serve Him. Once you are put there then of course there is no higher perfection, when one is engaged in this intimate service with the Lord.

jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Jayapatākā Swami: Any questions?

Yes!

Devotee: So, Śrīla Ācāryapāda, because we are devotees and we are supposed to follow spiritual lives, question is how can we actually really uh, understand Kṛṣṇa, on one hand through the scriptures, and feel like we are advancing, on the other hand we are doing His work, devotional service and may be it does not allow us enough time to practice revealed scriptures, learning the scriptures. So, how can we be guaranteed this devotional service we can be assured that at the end we’ll be taken back to Kṛṣṇa, even if we do not really have perfect an understanding of His pastimes and activities.

Jayapatākā Swami: Prabhupāda gave me a service of building Māyāpur and then at that time day and night we had two shifts of construction we were working - 600 people working under us - three devotees. So then I went up to Prabhupāda and said I just want to take out two hours a day for reading books, because I am not getting any chance to read, so I want to take out.

Prabhupāda got angry at me and said, "You think there is a difference between serving and building my project and reading my books? You see any difference?" (laughter)

"No."

"Then? Then?"

"Hare Kṛṣṇa"

That’s it. Of course, the point is that while somehow or other I still managed to squeeze out half hour here there something. It takes some desire. This idea that we have to stop our service to read… actually, if we really go through our schedule, cut down, or even… you know, cut down on all the little times that we were wasting our…whatever. If we really go through the schedule we can squeeze out some time every day. And if there is really so much service that uh, needs to be done, well, that is also a shelter. That protects us. We have to see, if that much emergency service we have to do.

There was a big emergency in Māyāpur. Of course, Prabhupāda generally tells everyone we should read for an hour a day. But if we attend two classes that is also reading. If we are hearing a class that is also reading, it is not that one is not reading. We are hearing the Bhāgavatam every day. In addition to that we can get time for reading, we have to just really economize. That way if we have a desire that we want to do our service so quickly and so perfectly so that we can get little time for reading, not little more time for sleeping or little more time for gossip… as soon as there’s a little time, we all start to gossip, or we do something else.

We have more taste sometimes for prajalpa, for other things, but if we actually tried to squeeze out the time then when we have a little time we immediately sit down and read. So that is very good, we don't want to have a lot of spare time. How much can we read anyway? We can only read as much as we serve. Service creates in us an appetite for reading. So that way if you are competing with your time to do as much service then even do it more efficiently by which you can fit in a little more time for reading, you see. Then it will be difficult for māyā to catch you.

In the spiritual world there is sevya, sevā and sevaka. There is the served, the service and the servitor. The process, the person… Everything is the, the person served, the process of service and the servant these three items are completely spiritual therefore the spiritual world is called Absolute. There is no tinge of material contamination there. We just have to see if our… if we can keep our consciousness in the service then there is no problem. If our consciousness is becoming agitated we need some special instructions, then we have to discuss with authorities. As long as the consciousness is good, one doesn’t have to think that well, just by serving you are not going to get where you want to go, because actually this service is completely pure.

Rather, just like Pra… I don't chant more than 16 rounds. First, I will chant 16 rounds then I will read. Then after I complete what I consider enough reading then I will chant more than 16 rounds, you see. My priority is, first finish my rounds then read. Sometimes devotees chant 20 rounds, 30 rounds. Not always, but sometimes they chant more rounds. My next priority after rounds is reading. Then after that then more rounds sometimes if I have more time.

So, in this way, somehow or another we have to adjust everything without actually reducing. We should not reduce, we should think how to further increase. If there is so much service that you have no time for reading and if… if… if you are so expert that you are also not giving any time for māyā in your day, well then you are still safe. And of course, you are attending class, so some reading is there, that is also reading. Not that Prabhupāda did not think this was reading. Then you can further become expert or arrange to engage other devotees who may not be as fully engaged and squeeze out a little time for reading. Our goal is not to reduce service, but somehow fit everything in, increasing, as far as possible. And if that can’t be done with one's own service then you try to train some other people to take up more responsibility. Make more devotees, train them up, is that alright?

Devotee: Yes.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Haribol.