The Greed of the Lord

June 15, 2003

The Greed of The Lord

A lecture by given Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja on the appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Bhubaneswar,India

When we speak of the advent of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu we should understand what is the cause of the appearance of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. There are two types of causes, external cause and internal cause. The external cause is nama prema pracare yuga dharma pracara.

kali-yuga dharma hoy hari sankirtana

etad arthe abatirna sri sacinandana

Kali-yuga dharma, yuga dharma is hari sankirtana. To fulfill this purpose Sri Sacinandana appears.

ei kaye bhagavate sarva tatva sar

kirtan nimita gaura candra avatara

Sankirtana-ike janakau - He's the father of hari sankirtan. He is Sri Gouranga Mahaprabhu. Kali-yuga sarva dharma hari sankirtan, sarva prakashila caitanya narayana. This is a quotation from Sri Caitanya Bhagavat.

kali yuge sankirtana dharma palibare

abatirne hoila prabhu sarva pari-kare

With all His associates, paraphernalia, His dharma, Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu appears in kali-yuga, especially this kali-yuga, to fulfill this purpose - yuga dharma, nama prema pracara, and prema dharma, the chief result of this hari nama sankirtan is to achieve Sri Krsna-prema and to get Sri Krsna. He is offering and distributing this Krsna-prema freely, indiscriminately.

apamar vitatara brahmara durlabha prema

saba kare yache patita pamara nahi bache

It is very difficult even on the part of lord Brahma to get such prema but Sriman Mahaprabhu gives it freely, indiscriminately. Even patita pamaras, Jagai and Madhai, most degraded, most sinful persons also get it. Therefore He is known as Sri Prema Purusottama Sacinandana Gauranga.

Five thousand years ago Sri Krsna came in His own svarup and in His Kuruksetra-lila. He gave His message in the form of Sri Bhagavad-gita through Sri Arjuna to all mankind. There He gave confidential, more confidential and most confidential instruction. His most confidential instruction is, man-mana bhava mad bhakto, mad-yaji mam namaskuru. That is His most confidential instruction. The concluding instruction is, sarva dharman parityajya, mam-ekam saranam vraja. Giving up all varieties of dharma, just surrender unto Me. He only said this theoretically, He never taught how to surrender practically.

So after winding up His lila after Dvapara-yuga, He went to His own abode, Sri Goloka Vrndavan and because He's the only well-wishing friend of all living entities, suhrdam sarva bhutanam, therefore He is thinking, "I have given confidential, more confidential and most confidential instruction to Sri Arjuna for all mankind, but after Dvarpara-yuga there is Kali-yuga, the most sinful age. Due to an increase of sinful activities the consciousness of the people is most polluted consiousness. All are engaged in sinful activities. They cannot understand what I said, they cannot understand this sri saranagati tattva and I have only said theoretically, I have not demonstrated it practically how to surrender. Therefore I have to go again" So He came again as Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. This is the purpose, this is the reason why He comes.

yuga dharma pravartarmu nama-sankirtana

cari bhava bhakti diya nacamu bhuvana

I'll go and preach this yuga dharma, nama sankirtan and I'll give the four forms of bhakti: dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhurya, (santa is discarded in Sriman Mahaprabhu's line), and make the whole world dance with that bhava bhakti.

apani karimu bhakta bhava angikare

apani acari bhakti sikhaimu sabare

I'll accept bhakta bhava, the mood of a bhakta and I'll teach bhakti. Unless I practice it Myself I cannot teach.

apane na kaila dharma sikhana na yaya

ei ta' siddhanta gita-bhagavate gaya

If I don't practice bhakti, sarangati (surrender) in My own life, I cannot teach it. So His mood is bhakta bhava, the mood of a bhakta. This is the purpose and this is the external cause (bahiranga karanam). Then there is the internal cause (antaranga karanam). The external cause is for others, it is for the people of kali-yuga, kali-yuga jiva. Therefore it is bahiranga, or external. Antaranga is meant for Himself. These two causes are there and then that calling of Sri Advaita Acarya, which I'll speak about tomorrow morning, is there. That is also one of the causes, but the most internal cause is to fulfill the three desires.

radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayarva

svadyo yenadhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah

saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat

tad bhavadhyah samajami saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh

Srila Svarup Damodara Gosvami has said this and this quotation is mentioned by Srila Rupa Gosvami in Sri Lalita Madhava. Three types of desires remain unfulfilled in Sri Krsna-lila. What is radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayarva, what is Srimati Radharani's love? Svadyo yenadbhuta madhurima kidrso va madiyah, what is my rupa madhuri, excellent beauty, My beauty that Srimati Radharani relishes? What is My extra-excellent beauty and how can I relish it? In other words this veti lobhat, three desires, three types of greed developed in the Supreme Lord Krsna. Therefore, saci garbha-sindhau harinduh, to fulfill these three desires, these three types of greed, He appeared from the womb of Sri Sacimata. That is Gaura-avatara.

Here this word lobha, greed, is very, very significant. The Lord has greed. It is quite natural that we have greed. We are greedy persons, materially greedy. This greed of the material world is condemned, it is considered as one of the enemies. In the 16th chapter, 21st verse of Sri Bhagavad-gita you'll find Lord Krsna has said:

tir-vidham narakasyedam

dvaram nasanam atmanah

kamah krodhas tatha lobhas

tasmad etat trayam tyajey

Lord Krsna says, give up these three, kama, krodha, lobha - lust, anger and greed. If you become influenced or affected by these three then you will open your door towards hell, so give up these things. This lobha (greed) is very bad. Those persons who are materially greedy, definitely they suffer. For example, one very small story is there. A greedy boy was in his house when his mother put some nice berries into an earthen pot, like a water pot that has a very narrow opening. The boy developed greed to get some of those berries so he put his hand into the pot and grasped a handful of those berries. When he tried to get his hand out of the pot, it got caught because the opening was so narrow and caused some pain as he pulled but it wouldn't come out so he was crying. This is suffering out of greed. Though he's suffering, he's not allowing any berries to get out. A simple story showing the consequence of greed is suffering. Therefore Bhagavan Sri Krsna in Sri Bhagavad Gita says to give up this greed.

But this greed can be utilised in Sri Krsna's service. This word lobha (greed) is a very ancient word, it is not a modern word. The seed of this greed is also there in Bhagavan and in Bhakta also. So in respect of Bhagavat bhakta, the devotee of the Lord will say, lobha sadhu sange hari katha. How can you utilise this greed? Develop this greed to have more and more sadhu sanga, association of sadhus and hear more and more Sri Krsna katha. Develop this greed, This is very nice greed, this is spiritual greed, transcendental greed. One should not give up this greed. One should develop this greed more and more. The more you develop this greed the more you get spiritual relishment and spiritual advancement. One who is not greedy he cannot make advancement in the spiritual path in this respect. But material greed should be given up, whereas spiritual greed should be developed. Again it is said:

krsna bhakti rasa bhabita matih

kriyanam jadi kutopi labhyate

tatra laulyam api mulyame-kalam

Laulya means 'lobha' (greed). That means from this verse you can understand how the seed of greed is there. The purport is that if you have such spiritual greed you can achieve sri krsna-bhakti-rasa, mellow of sri krsna-bhakti, otherwise if you are devoid of this greed you cannot have it, cannot achieve it. Sadhu sange hari katha. One should develop this greed of having more and more sadhu-sanga and hearing more and more hari-kirtan, hari-katha, than you will make advancement in bhajan-sadhan. Materialistic people don't know the use of this greed, they abuse it, utilising it for material enjoyment, material possessions, they suffer. So when you speak about the advent of Sri Sacinandana Gaura Hari, the Appearance of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, this greed is there.

In the beginning I explained that Sri Krsna developed three types of greed that could not be fulfilled in Sri Krsna-lila, therefore Sri Gaura-avatara. In Gaura-lila those three types of greed are fulfilled. This is very wonderful using this word greed. Has anybody used such word previously? No one has used such word previously. Srila Svarup Damodara Goswami has used it. Therefore Braja-raja-nandana Sri Krsna became Sri Sacinandana Gaura Hari because of the development of this greed. One who is purna brahma, one who has no deficiency, no wanting anything, still He develops greed. Wonderful! Wonderful! He has no deficiency, He is purna brahma, He's self-satisfied, He doesn't want anything, there is no lacking there. Why such greed? Wonderful, so wonderful! One should understand its mystery, what is the tattva behind it? He who is aptakama (self-satisfied), atmarama, who is rasa svarupa purna brahma, who is paramananda-moy, supremely blissful sacidananda-moy, He develops greed. What type of greed and to get what? Very wonderful! Very wonderful! Now you can understand how the seed of this greed gradually develops and the culmination is there in Sri Gauranga svarup. I'll give you an example.

Vaikuntha-dhipati-visnu, He develops some greed. He develops the desire for fighting. He cherishes that 'I'll fight'. When He's Bhagavan the six types of opulences are there completely in Him and one of the opulences is strength or bala. Incomparable strength is there, therefore it is quite natural to develop such desire that 'I'll fight and fulfill this desire, this greed.' Whenever Bhagavan wants to fulfill some desire, His internal energy, potency, Sri Yogamaya creates such an atmosphere. So when this desire developed in vaikuntha-dhipati-narayan to fight, Sri Yogamaya, the internal potency created the circumstances to fulfill that desire.

Another point is that the opponent should be equally strong otherwise one cannot get pleasure in fighting. So who is there? With whom will the Lord fight? Then the question of Jaya and Vijaya, the two doorkeepers who were very strong came. By the desire or will of the Supreme Lord, those two doorkeepers were cursed by the four Kumaras to beome demons for three lives. Sri Yogamaya did it. The first is Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu, the the second is Ravana and Kumbhakarna and the third is Sisupala nd Dantavakra. Three incarnations are there and Lord Visnu-Narayana fought with them and got pleasure in fighting. Ths is the greed of Narayana-Visnu, this is in Srimad Bhagavatam. So this is lobha.

Then came the greed of Lord Nrsimhadev. Lord Nrsimhadev has two types of forms, ugra (fearful) and anugra (peaceful). One is a very fearful form and another is a very peaceful form. After killing Hirasnyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadev is very, very fearful, extremely fearful form and He was dancing, like the tandaba-nrtya of Lord Siva at the time of annihilation. The whole world was trembling seeing such dancing and anger of the fearful form of Lord Nrsimhadev. All the demigods are offering prayers to pacify Him, but it was all null and void. Then they requested Bhakta Prahlad, "You please go and calm down the anger of Lord Nrsimhadev." Prahlad Maharaj is a very dear devotee of the Lord, so Prahlad went there to offer prayers and Lord Nrsimhadev became calm and then His form is a very peaceful form. Then Lord Nrsimhadev put His dear devotee Sri Prahlad, like a son, on His lap. At that time vatsalya prema, parental love and affection developed in Lord Nrsimhadev. Both father and son relish this rasa, mellow. Father relishes, son also relishes by sitting in the lap of the father, so it is reciprocal but the relishing if this mellow of the son is greater than that of the father. One should understand this. So Lord Nrsimhadev developed that greed, "how can I sit in the lap of My father and relish that rasa? In this incarnation My father is a stone pillar, I cannot have it." So He developed that greed. Then all the incarnations after Lord Nrsimhadev came accepting Father and Mother, to fulfill that greed.

Lord Rama also developed greed. Very nice topic you see. Vibhisana and Sugriva are friends of Lord Rama. That means sakhya rasa is there in Rama avatara. But there are two types of sakhya rasa - visrambha and sambhrama sakhya. Sambhrama means with awe and reverence, and visrambha is without awe and reverence - equal. So the sakhya rasa in Lord Rama avatara is the sambhrama sakhya, with awe and reverence. There is no question of visrambha sakhya or equality. In Lord Rama avatara His friends Sugriva and Vibhisana cannot climb onto the shoulders of Lord Rama. They cannot snatch away the food from the mouth of Lord Rama, what to speak of climbing onto the shoulders of Lord Rama. They are afraid if even their leg will touch Lord Rama's body. They are afraid and it will be offensive. This is sambhrama sakhya. That means sakhya rasa with awe and reverence. But affection that the friends think themselves equal with the Lord. There is no question of awe and reverence. If your own leg will touch your own body, is there any agitation? There is no agitation at all because it's your own leg touching your own body, not the leg of a different person. A different person is very cautious. If he comes near, he very cautiously moves. In Sri Krsna-lila you will find this visrambha sakhya. The cowherd boys climb up to the shoulders of Sri Krsna and they snatch away the food from the mouth of Sri Krsna and Sri Krsna snatches away the food from the mouth of the cowherd boys as if equal. The legs of the cowherd boys touch Sri Krsna's body and there is no agitation in Sri Krsna because it's as if it is His own leg, because priya sya sakha is very dear. Therefore there is equality and abhinnam (non-difference). But in Lord Ram avatara this sakhya rasa is not relished. Therefore Lord Rama develops greed for it, 'How can I relish it?' Then it was fulfilled in Sri Krsna avatara.

Also another rasa is there, ie. conjugal mellow, madhurya rasa. In Lord Ram avatara, Lord Rama is maryada purusottama, who very strictly follows Vedic rules and regulations. Never transgresses them at all, eka-patni-dhara. He accepts only one wife, not more than one wife. Very strictly follows. In Lord Rama lila, madhurya rasa - the conjugal mellow is not relished there because when there is a question of union (milan) and separation (viraha) between lover and beloved, the essence of that conjugal rasa is relished in the highest degree. We will find also in Lord Ram lila there is union and separation of Lord Rama and Srimati Sita Devi. Ravana kidnapped Srimati Sita Devi, took Her away. So there is separation. And also to give pleasure and happiness to His citizens He, (Lord Ram) banished Srimati Sita Devi. Separation is there also, but there is no variegatedness in this type of separation. It is not natural, it is forced. So there is no question of relishing the essence of that conjugal mellow.

Srila Rupa Gosvami has mentioned all these things (ie. different types of 'virahas' (separation) in Sri Ujjavala Nilamani. There are many types of virahas (separations) - puraba raga viraha; mana viraha; prema vaicitya viraha, and these virahas or separations are not there in Sri Ram-lila, no. One type of viraha is there, prabasa viraha. You cannot understand but just hear this. This is in Sri Ujjvala Nilamani. It is a big topic and very, very confidential and subtle point. I am not going to explain it (but when some occasion will arise I'll tell you). All these virahas are there in Sri Krsna-lila - this prema vaicitya viraha, purba raga viraha, mana viraha. Therefore Lord Rama develops this greed, how to relish these types of viraha. In Sri Krsna-avatara this greed is fulfilled. The viraha, the separation between lover and beloved is highest platform of prema. On that platform both the nayaka and nayika, lover and belove, relish that mellow in their heart.

Therefore in Sri Krsna-lila, Sri Krsna is Sri Radha kanta. Srimati Radharani is His own wife, (kanta is husband), gopi kanta, (husband of gopis), He's the husband of gopis, He made them the wives of others to relish parakiya rasa. In Lord Rama lila only svakiya rasa is relished. Svakiya means one's own wife, not the relishment of parakiya rasa. Therefore Lord Rama developed that greed. So Sri Krsna made His own wives the wives of others to relish parakiya rasa. Therefore that greed is fulfilled in Sri Krsna lila but remained unfulfilled in Sri Rama lila; therefore Sri Krsna avatara.

In this way, this is how the development of greed gradually turned into incarnation after incarnation of the Lord. Now in Sri Krsna lila these three types of greed are there:

radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso va nayarva

svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah

saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat

tad bhavadhyah samajami saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh

Sri Krsna developed these three types of greed, as I previously mentioned. The first desire (or greed) - What is the Love of Srimati Radharani and how an I relish it? Second desire (or greed) - What is My excellent all-attractive beauty? I cannot relish Myself. So how can I have it? And the third desire (or greed) - What pleasure and happiness does Srimati Radharani get by relishing My all-attractive excellent beauty? How can I have it? These three greeds, these three desires remain unfulfilled in Sri Krsna-lila, therefore Sri Gaura avatara. The fulfillment of three types of desires and greed is antaranga karan, internal cause. Srila Svarup Damodar Gosvami has used this word lobha' meaning, from greed. This word is so significant.

Thank you very much.