Bhakta And Bhagavan

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"Bhakta And Bhagavan"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.3

Los Angeles, May 17, 1973

 

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Pradyumna: Translation: "O sage amongst the brahmanas, Lord Sri Krsna, the

Personality of Godhead, also followed, seated on a chariot with Arjuna. Thus

King Yudhisthira appeared very aristocratic, like Kuvera surrounded by his

companions, the Guhyakas."

 

Prabhupada: So Suta Gosvami, he is explaining in the assembly of learned

brahmanas. The Naimisaranya meeting took place some five thousand or more than

that, at least five thousand years ago. But the, all the members who assembled

there, they were all very learned scholar and brahmanas. Therefore they are

addressed as viprarse. Not only brahmana, but they were rsi. Rsi means saintly

person. They were rajarsi, rajarsi. Saintly person can become, anyone, provided

he lives like a saintly person. It doesn't matter whether he is a brahmana or

ksatriya. Generally, brahmana and ksatriya, the first and second status of the

human society, they can live as good as the saintly persons within the forest or

Himalaya. At home they can live. So another place these brahmanas were addressed

as dvija-sresthah, "best of the brahmanas." A brahmana is already the best man,

but if he becomes a saintly person, then it becomes still more magnified.

 

So in another place these brahmanas were addressed, atah pumbhir

dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah: "You are all brahmana, the topmost of the

human society." There are divisions of the human society. First-class men,

second-class men, third-class men, fourth-class men, that, in the Vedic

civilization. Not that all, all one class. No. Why? There must be a division.

That I have already explained. So the qualified brahmanas, they are first-class

men. The topmost class. And the second-class men, the ksatriyas. And the

third-class men, vaisyas, mercantile, simply "Where to get money?" And they are,

according to Vedic civilization, third-class men. But at the present moment

those who are acquiring money somehow or other, they are first-class men. It

doesn't matter what is his qualification. If he has acquired some money some way

or other, then he is a first-class man. This is Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga

there is no honor for qualification. There is honor for money only. That's all.

 

So it is stated that without money, you cannot get justice even. In the

court of justice, everyone is expected to get proper behavior, but in the

Kali-yuga it is stated (that) even in the court of justice, you cannot get

justice without money. That's a fact. If you have no money, then you cannot

appoint a good lawyer. And sometimes you have to bribe the judge also. This is

the position now. Now in your country so many big, big men have been arrested or

something like that for their dishonesty. So Kali-yuga is so polluted that the

minister is dishonest, the judge is dishonest, and what to speak of ordinary

men. So only thing is that you get money some way or other. Then you can pass on

as a nice gentleman, polished. You keep yourself always polished, and within you

may be full with all dirty things, but if you have got your pockets filled up

with coins and notes, then you are nice. Formerly it was not like that. One must

be qualified. Varnasrama-vibhagasah.

 

Vibhagasah. There must be division. But people are very much anxious to

make classless society, no division. And that is Krsna consciousness society. We

have no such division. Division means under the jurisdiction of the three modes

of material nature. That is division. Otherwise, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya,

sudra, these divisions are calculated when one is under the control of the

material nature. But if you become devotee, the material nature has no more any

control over you. That is the difference between a perfect Krsna conscious

person and a perfect, I mean to say, mundane person. The difference is that a

Krsna conscious, a devotee, is no more under the influence of the three modes of

material nature. But ordinarily, everyone should be..., is -- "he should be"

not.(?) He is under the control. Therefore they are called dvija-sresthah, the

best of the brahmanas. Even a brahmana is also under the control of material

nature. But the same brahmana, when he becomes a Vaisnava, a devotee, he the

best of the brahmanas. Atah pumbhir dvija-sresthah. Or he becomes rsi. Viprarse.

Rathena. Rathena. They were not walking, all these respectable personalities,

brahmanas and bhagavan.

 

Bhagavan api. Here Krsna ... The author could have mentioned the name,

krsna api. No. He's especial: bhagavan api. All others' name is mentioned.

Yudhisthira's name is mentioned. Dhananjaya, Arjuna's name is mentioned. Other's

name is mentioned. But when it comes to the terms of Krsna, He is mentioned as

Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhagavan. This word I have

explained many times. Bhaga means opulence, all fortune. That is called, from

the bhaga, the word bhagya has come. One who is very fortunate person, he is

called bhagyavan. Not this bhaga. So bhaga means opulence, and van means one who

possesses opulences. So Krsna possesses all the opulences, six opulences: all

strength, all influence, all beauty, all knowledge, all -- everything complete.

So Bhagavan means one who has complete opulence, six opulences in complete,

purnam. Purnam idam purnam adah [isopanisad, Invocation]. That is Bhagavan. That

is Bhagavan. There are so many rascal come as incarnation of God, Bhagavan, but

you have to taste whether all the opulences are complete there. Aisvaryasya

samagrasya. First thing is riches. So whether one has got all the riches. Then

he will be Bhagavan. And nobody can say that "I have got all the riches." I may

have something more than your riches, but I cannot say that "All the riches..."

So if you find out somebody, somebody like you or me, and if he possesses all

the riches, all strength, all influence, all knowledge, all beauty -- then He is

Bhagavan. That Krsna possesses.

 

There is no comparison of Krsna's opulences. I have several times given

the example. Say, in the human society there is marriage. So Krsna married

16,800 wives. And for each wife a palace, marble palace, bedecked with jewels,

and the furniture made of ivory and gold, and bed and curtains, they're all made

of silk. So... And the... Not only palace, but also garden attached to the

palace. And the flower trees, parijata flower. The parijata flower was brought

from the heaven. This parijata flower is not visible in this world. From

heavenly planet Krsna brought it. His wife Satyabhama, He requested... He...

Both of them, Satyabhama and Krsna, went to the heavenly planet. So generally

woman, they are after something. So (laughs) (she) requested the husband,

"Krsna, I want this flower.All right." So He gave her one flower. So He also

told, "Why the flower? I shall take the tree so that you'll get flower daily."

So when He was doing so, Indra came. Indra is the king of heavenly planet. "No,

Sir, you cannot do that. (laughter) You cannot take this tree to the lower

planet. No, I cannot allow."

 

And so Krsna said, "No, My wife wants it. I must." That is Krsna.

(laughter) How He is complete, just like a hen-pecked husband (laughter) to

satisfy the wife in every respect. When He plays the part of a child before

mother Yasoda, He plays everything perfectly. When He plays the husband... He

doesn't require any wife or mother. He is Supreme. But when He plays the part of

a husband, He plays it perfectly. The wife may think that "How much my husband

is attached to me!" So she remains very much satisfied. Krsna is not attached to

anyone, but that is Krsna's superexcellence, that although He had to satisfy

16,800..., 108 wives, everyone was satisfied and everyone is thinking that

"Krsna is very much attached to me than His others wife, other wives." This is

Krsna's play.

 

Therefore Bhagavan, full, in every respect, any field of work: fighting,

opulence, household life, renounced life also. If you study the life of Krsna,

you will find everything in complete. Beauty, knowledge. Now Krsna gave us a

little knowledge, which is known as Bhagavad-gita, and five thousand years ago

this knowledge was given, but is still going on, all over the world. In our

movement we sell Bhagavad-gita the most. Is it not? We sell our Bhagavad-gita As

It Is everywhere and in large number. Because it is full knowledge, not partial.

Everything is complete. Can you show any book in the world which has so much

sale and which is so much perfect? There is no book. And I am not..., because we

are Krsna devotees we are eulogizing like that, but any scholar, any

philosopher, any scientist will say like that: "Oh, there is no comparison of

this book." I do not know exactly, but one gentleman told me that Professor

Einstein, he was also reading Bhagavad-gita daily. Hitler was reading. Such,

such big, big men. But I know many scholars, even Muhammadans, they also read

Bhagavad-gita.

 

So that is the test of knowledge, Krsna's knowledge. Therefore Bhagavan.

Just try to understand Bhagavan. Bhagavan is not so cheap that any rascal comes

and he says that "I am Bhagavan. You worship me," and another rascal comes

and... Not like that. Don't take it cheaply. Bhagavan is not ordinary thing. He

must be complete in everything. Aisvaryasya samagrasya. Therefore Krsna, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, is mentioned here, bhagavan api. Api. Why api?

In Sanskrit composition each word has meaning. Api means "Although He is

Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, still, He was going to see

Bhismadeva." So just consider the position of Bhismadeva. He was lying on

deathbed with all these... Of course, the Pandavas, they were their grandson. It

is their duty. But why Krsna should go there? Therefore it is said bhagavan api:

"In spite of His being the Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of God..." He was

also going to show respect. How much great He was, just imagine. And all the

brahmanas, all the sages. That will be mentioned. There will be list of great

personalities who were present.

 

So Bhisma was such a great personality. He is not ordinary man. Just like

when a big person dies, all the selected person of the city, they come to offer

their homage... So here he is not dead, but he is going to die. Because Bhisma

would not die unless he desires, "Now let me die." Then he would die; otherwise

not. So he was lying down on the deathbed, but was expecting to see Krsna at the

last stage. So therefore he was so great. And Krsna was also going.

 

Now you can chant Hare Krsna. (end)