Chapter Two from the book Secret Truths of the Bhāgavatam, 2nd edition by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja

 

If you hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then tat-kṣaṇāt – immediately, without delay – Kṛṣṇa will enter your heart and be controlled.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so powerful and sweet. It is not bitter like quinine (a medicine for malaria patients). Other medicines may be somewhat bitter, but the medicine of Bhāgavatam is not. It is like nectar. The nectar of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam may not appear sweet initially; it may even appear somewhat bitter, but afterwards, its real quality of sweetness manifests. It is actually very sweet and very powerful.

I have explained the essence of the first śloka, the maṅgalācaraṇa (auspicious invocation) of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and I explained its five different meanings. Now, we will begin with the essence of the second śloka. After that, we will explain the third śloka and beyond.

dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ
vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam
śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ
sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate ’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.2)

[Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.]

Mahāmuni Śrīla Vyāsadeva wrote many Purāṇas. He put the Gītopaniṣad (Bhagavad-gītā) within the Mahābhārata. He divided the Vedas into four, and he also compiled Brahma-sūtra, in which he presented high-class truths. But still, he was not satisfied. Nārada Ṛṣī, therefore, came and suggested to him, “Totally surrender to Kṛṣṇa and enter a state of trance. Then you will realize something by which you will be satisfied. Otherwise, it will not be possible.” Vyāsadeva heard the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in a trance,* and after that, he wrote it down.

Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra  [In this Bhāgavata Purāṇa, all types of cheating religion, which are covered by fruitive intention, are completely rejected]. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the last book written by Śrīla Vyāsadeva. In all of his other scriptures, like the Purāṇas, Mahābhārata, and Brahma-sūtra, he expounded so many truths and histories, but he did not explain the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are very powerful and sweet; they have no adulteration. In all other Purāṇas, there is some adulteration. For example, one Purāṇa states that in Goloka Vṛndāvana, Śrīmatī Rādhikā became angry and cursed Śrīdāmā, who in turn cursed Her, and because of this, they both had to come to this world. This cannot be. It is impossible.

Some statements in certain Purāṇas imply that there are impurities in Goloka Vṛndāvana, like quarrel, anger, and lust, but this is only to arouse the curiosity and interest of the general people. The intelligence of such people is not very high; therefore, Vyāsa only presented all these mixed (adulterated) ideas to them. In the Purāṇas, he made many statements just for beginners, which are not true to the fullest extent, just as Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja made certain statements for beginners. For advanced devotees, he said something else. In this way, we should try to reconcile all apparently contradictory statements.

Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra. In other Purāṇas, the histories of Hariścandra, Dhruva, Prahlāda, and Citraketu Mahārāja are given, but the purport of these histories is not clear. For example, Hariścandra was engaged in karma (pious action). He thought that worldly truths were real truths. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also describes this history but simultaneously states that the only truth is transcendental reality. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vyāsadeva clearly explains what can lead us to Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Some other Purāṇas discuss the worship of materialistic gurus and relatives. They state, for example, that a wife should worship her husband even if he is not a devotee. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam never cheats us in any way. It directly states:

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt
pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt
daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān
na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.18)

[One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.]

What is the meaning of na sa syāt (one should not)? If a guru is not really a guru, if he cannot give love and affection to Kṛṣṇa, you should reject him. Such a guru may think, “All these disciples are my property, and I will enjoy their property. They have no connection with Kṛṣṇa. Their connection is only with me.” That guru is wretched, not a real guru. He should at once be rejected, just as Bāli Mahārāja rejected his guru. There are so many examples of this in śāstra.

A husband is not a husband if he is not actually helping his wife in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; that wife should reject such a husband. If a wife is not helping her husband in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or if a husband is not helping his wife in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they should at once be rejected. If a son is not helping his father in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he should be rejected as a son; there should be no relationship. If others help us in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are guru, husband, wife, daughter, son, father, or friend. Otherwise, you should reject them.** This must be the root of all relationships. If you consider some compromise in this regard, you will be deprived of Kṛṣṇa. This has all been clearly explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The gopīs are the most superior devotees in the world, and all disregarded their husbands. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains all these truths. It never says anything to cheat us.

Nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ means that only those who are free from envy, duplicity, hypocrisy, and all other impurities can understand the statements in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu means ‘the real truth or reality.’ Who is vāstavam vastu? Kṛṣṇa Himself is advaya-jñāna-para-tattva. Nothing exists without having some relationship with Him. No one is independent but Him. Still, He sometimes becomes dependent. On whom? On the Vrajavāsīs, the gopīs, and especially on Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

Śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ. Ultimately, there is no need to read. Simply by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa will at once be controlled. He will be bound to enter the heart of a devotee who has honour for hari-kathā and the firm faith that whatever is written in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is true to the fullest extent. All that is required is this honour and faith.

There is yet another condition for understanding Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: one should not offend Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the bhāgavata. There are two kinds of bhāgavatas: bhakta-bhāgavata (the pure devotee) and grantha-bhāgavata (the Vedic scriptures). Never offend, either. If you hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with honour, Kṛṣṇa will at once enter your heart and be controlled. The śloka says, ‘at once,’ ‘very quickly.’ Do not disbelieve Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Sūta Gosvāmī, or Vyāsadeva. How will that come about quickly? Kṛṣṇa knows. He will immediately enter your heart and never leave. You can practice with your heart and activities by hearing with firm faith and honour. Kṛṣṇa must come. He is bound to come.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.3)

[O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.]

Nigama-kalpa-taror means that all the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Śrutis, Mahābhārata, and Rāmāyaṇa combined are like a transcendental desire tree, a kalpataru. On that tree, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the sweetest fruit of all. If you suck the root of a tree, you will find there is no sweet taste. If you suck the leaves or the branches, also you will get no sweetness. Even if you suck on the tree’s raw green fruits, still no sweetness will be there. Only when the fruit has matured, or fully ripened, and been bitten by some cuckoo birds or parrots, whose fragrance has attracted them, will it be so tasteful.

All the Vedas and Upaniṣads are like these other parts of the tree. You can serve those śāstras, hear them, and follow them, but you will find no sweetness. In all the Purāṇas, there is no such sweetness, not even in Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. Furthermore, even if you read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam alone, you will not experience any sweetness. Why? Because the parrots and cuckoo birds have not touched it. There is a substance in the beaks of parrots, and when injected into a fruit, it makes the fruit more tasteful. That is why it is said, “yāha, bhāgavata paḍa vaiṣṇavera sthāne – if you want to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you must approach a self-realized Vaiṣṇava and hear from him” (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 5.131).

So many devotees are reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śaṅkarācārya also read it, and all his sannyāsīs read it. Māyāvādīs also read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Without doing so, their business cannot advance, and they cannot get followers, money, respect, and praise. It is for these reasons that they read it. They are very, very learned, and they can explain hundreds of meanings for one word, as Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya did. They know more than we do. But actually, they do not understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam at all. Why? Because they do not hear from a realized Vaiṣṇava who is rasika (who can taste rasa) and bhāvuka (who has bhāva, transcendental emotion).

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has come from Kṛṣṇa through the guru-paramparā. Who is Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī? He is the parrot of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. He has seen and tasted all the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa with his own eyes, with his senses, and with his intelligence. Anyone who has not read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with a pure rasika and bhāvuka bhāgavata in this line cannot really explain it. That nectar will not come to him. If one has not come in line with this process, if one has not read or heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in this disciplic line and has not become rasika and bhāvuka, he can neither touch [the real meaning of] Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam nor explain it. He can utter the words, and there is no harm in that. In other words, he can give some explanations, but the fruit will not be like that which Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī gave to Parīkṣit Mahārāja and others.

There are some devotees like Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī who have read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with their gurudeva, and they are rasika and bhāvuka, but still, they cannot explain it fully. Why? When they explain certain portions, they immediately remember Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and faint. They become unconscious and unable to speak. If Kṛṣṇa Himself were to try to explain it, He would be the first person to faint. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for example, could not explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; therefore, He sometimes wanted to hear it from Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita. And if Rādhikā were to hear even the first words of the first chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam – janmādy asya yato – what would happen? She would remember Kṛṣṇa and at once faint. She also cannot explain it.

Gadādhara Paṇḍita also was always weeping, but because Mahāprabhu desired to hear from him, Yogamāyā arranged that he would not faint. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa may give special mercy as They gave to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Just before entering Their aprakaṭa-līlā, They ordered him, “You should remain in this world. We are going, but you should stay here for some time. We are giving you special mercy so you can explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to everyone. You will not faint when doing so. There may be a chance that you will fall unconscious when you remember Me or Rādhikā while speaking Brahmāra-gīta, rāsa [-līlā], or other such pastimes. Do not utter the names of Rādhikā and Me directly in those parts. Try to subdue your feelings. Special mercy will come from Us, enabling you to explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; otherwise, it will be difficult for you. Very difficult.”

If one is not rasika, he cannot explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the very form of rasa. Vrajendranandana is rasa-svarūpa (the embodiment of transcendental relationships). Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, also, is rasa-svarūpa.

So this is a very high subject. We can explain a semblance, an ābhāsa, of this topic. You can imagine that if the semblance is like this, then how powerful it is when rasika and bhāvuka bhaktas like Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Śrīla Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explain Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If you have read Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta, then you can imagine something of this; otherwise, you cannot. This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is like a very high-class transcendental treasure, more valuable than cintāmaṇi, desire-stone. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam cannot be compared even with cintāmaṇi. Those who try to compare the two are foolish. For the benefit of those who have no taste for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvāmī has stated in the Tenth Canto:

nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād
bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt
ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt
pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.1.4)

[Glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is performed in the paramparā system, that is, it is conveyed from the spiritual master to disciple. Such glorification is relished by those no longer interested in the false, temporary glorification of this cosmic manifestation. Descriptions of the Lord are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing repeated birth and death. Therefore, who will cease hearing such glorification of the Lord except a butcher or one who is killing his own self?]

Those who think only about worldly problems and thus give up hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from any devotee in the line of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Śrīla Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, and others who have left behind all worldly desires, are like butchers.

They are worse than butchers. They are committing suicide and are thus butchers of their souls. In this context, ‘butcher’ does not only mean a killer of animals. It also means a killer of one’s self. The entire future [progress] of such a person is blocked. Hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in this process is the only mahā-auṣadhāt, great medicine, panacea, for this world. Hearing it will not go in vain. Although it is medicine, it is sweet like nectar. It has also been stated:

nṛ-deham ādyaṁ su-labhaṁ su-durlabhaṁ
plavaṁ su-kalpaṁ guru-karṇadhāram
mayānukūlena nabhasvateritaṁ
pumān bhavābdhiṁ na taret sa ātma-hā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.20.17)

[The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a very rare achievement. This human body can be compared to a perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as the captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to cross the ocean of material existence must be considered the killer of his own soul.]

While the human body, which permits one to attain all benefits in life, is obtained automatically in due course, it is a rare facility that may be likened to a dependable boat. The guru is the navigator, and I [Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in the form of His instructions] am the favourable winds that propel it on its course. Considering this, one who does not use this human life to cross the ocean of repeated birth and death is verily the killer of his own soul.

Although this has been stated many times in many śāstras, we remain worldly, like butchers cutting our souls. We think it is very good to cut ourselves but not to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Do not be like this.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.3)

[O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.]

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī brought the Bhāgavatam from Goloka Vṛndāvana. He was the special parrot of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and therefore, he knows so many things. If he were a parrot of Kṛṣṇa, he could not have known the heart of Śrīmatī Rādhikā and how much happiness She feels in meeting with Kṛṣṇa. This parrot is always with Her, and he knows everything that happens.*** Rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā. He knows Kṛṣṇa’s four types of mādhurīs, sweetness. Because he is the servant of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, he knows how sweet and beautiful Kṛṣṇa is. Unlike Kṛṣṇa, that parrot also knows the happiness tasted by Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Kṛṣṇa wants to taste what Śrīmatī Rādhikā tastes, and that is why He had to steal Her heart. But this parrot does not need to steal because he always serves Her. He knows everything. He is rasika, and he is bhāvuka. He knows more than Kṛṣṇa, and this is why Kṛṣṇa deputed him to remain in this world and manifest the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Try, therefore, to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with great care, great honour, and firm faith that “I do not need to do anything for my departure from this world. I need not worry about mukti (salvation), and I need not worry about how I will achieve bhakti. Everything will come automatically by hearing.” Kṛṣṇa has promised, “In the form of hari-kathā, I enter the heart of the devotees and manage everything.” He is so powerful. Therefore, you need not worry.

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has said that you should hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam throughout your whole life. He has not said that you should read it. Did he say anywhere that you should read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Never. By reading, it will not come; we should hear. And this is true of harināma also. First, you should hear śravaṇam, then chant kīrtanam, and so on. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also advises us to first listen to hari-kathā, and then we will be mature enough to explain it. Otherwise, our explanation will be like zero.

Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī heard the question of all the ṛṣis:

tatra tatrāñjasāyuṣman
bhavatā yad viniścitam
puṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyas
tan naḥ śaṁsitum arhasi

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.9)

[Please, therefore, being blessed with many years, explain to us, in an easily understandable way, what you have ascertained to be the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general.]

bhūrīṇi bhūri-karmāṇi
śrotavyāni vibhāgaśaḥ
ataḥ sādho ’tra yat sāraṁ
samuddhṛtya manīṣayā
brūhi bhadrāya bhūtānām
yenātmā suprasīdati

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.11)

[There are many varieties of scriptures, and in all of them there are many prescribed duties, which can be learned only after many years of study in their various divisions. Therefore, O sage, please select the essence of all these scriptures and explain it for the good of all living beings, that by such instruction their hearts may be fully satisfied.]

The ṛṣis requested, “Tell us the essence of all the scriptures, the Vedas, Upaniṣads, and also Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. By following them, our ātmā, our soul, will be satisfied and happy.”

There is a deeper meaning to yenātmā suprasīdati. Ātmā here refers to the ātmā of all ātmās, Kṛṣṇa Himself. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied and pleased, then the whole world is pleased. We should try to please Kṛṣṇa, then our soul will automatically be happy. If you do everything to please yourself and your soul, then Kṛṣṇa cannot be pleased, and you cannot. The best process is to please Kṛṣṇa by all your activities. Then you will see that your ātmā is happy and others’ ātmās are also happy. Now, Sūta Gosvāmī is saying:

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6)

[The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]

The highest pursuit for all humanity is śuddha-bhakti – to please Kṛṣṇa, the transcendent Lord Adhokṣaja, by all one’s efforts of body, mind, and soul. Such uttamā-bhakti must be performed without any desire for self-gain or break [being devoid of karma and jñāna] to satisfy the self fully.

Certainly, the most elevated paro-dharma, transcendental religion, is to serve Adhokṣaja. Who is Adhokṣaja? He who is beyond the material senses. He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, Vrajendranandana Śyāmasundara. Perform causeless, uninterrupted bhakti to Him. Do not be like this: “Oh, in the morning, I did some bhakti, and after that, I went to my job, and I forgot all these things. When I returned in the evening, I again remembered something: oṁ… bhūr… bhuvaḥ. Klīṁ… kṛṣṇāya… svāhā.” After that, you take prasāda and begin to yawn. Bhakti should be an uninterrupted flow, like a stream, always flowing like the Ganges river. This is high-class bhakti.

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
śrama eva hi kevalam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.8)

[The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labour if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.]

The main purpose of varṇāśrama-dharma is to simplify the life of a person who is performing his natural occupational duty so that he has sufficient time to hear hari-kathā. However, if an attraction for hari-kathā is not inspired, then all the religious activities he performs in accordance with varṇāśrama-dharma will be so much useless labour.

Suppose you are chanting, remembering, sometimes worshipping, and sometimes doing your three sandhyās (gāyatrī-mantras), but you have no taste for hearing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa from mahābhāgavatas. In that case, quite suddenly, you may stop chanting. If you are worshipping, your worship may stop. If you are serving your gurudeva and devotees, that may also stop easily if you do not hear hari-kathā. You will become weak very soon and think, “I should return to my home and marry. We will make money, get a golden Deity, serve all devotees, always read Bhāgavatam, and give classes.” Instead, however, you will become weak. You may even leave Kṛṣṇa consciousness forever.

Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ [The duties executed by men that do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead]. Those who have very firm faith in hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can taste something. Try to create taste. How will it come? It comes by hearing, hearing, hearing. If you have no taste in chanting the holy name, continue chanting and hearing Kṛṣṇa’s glories; then it will come. But you will have to be in a high-class association. If that association is lacking, you cannot develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You will be weak and think, “We have very big problems. When Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja was here in this world, we were so happy and enthusiastic, doing this and that. But when he left, big problems came. So many sannyāsīs fell down, and brahmacārīs also left.”

I think that most of you were brahmacārīs during the time of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja. But when he left, you became weak. You married and had children and made a saṁsāra (household) of Gītā.**** All of you may also be thinking, “Śrīla Mahārāja is present with us now, and we are very inspired to perform devotional service, but after he departs, what will happen? The same thing will happen to us that happened to the disciples of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja.” Do not think like this.

We, also, were serving our gurudeva [Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja]. Like Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, he departed from this world, but we are still here doing devotional service. So try to be like us, always chanting and remembering with firm faith. I am not a high-class Vaiṣṇava, but I have so much firm faith due to hearing hari-kathā from our guru-varga. Just as animals never worry about the future, you also do not worry. Have faith, not in problems, in what gurudeva has given in your heart. He has given everything, but now you must protect it, make it sprout, and nourish it. You will then see that everything is all right and there is no problem.

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī told the story of Nārada. Without the help of a transcendental, elevated guru, no one can develop in bhakti. A guru who has not internally served his gurudeva, who is not inspired and steadfast, and who has no faith cannot help his disciples. Therefore, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī first related the life history of Nārada. Nārada was the son of Brahmā, being born from his throat. In the throat, there are words; in this case, transcendental words. Nārada is, therefore, the manifestation of the word. What word? Śabda-brahma. Śabda-brahma is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Nārada has, therefore, been called bhakti-avatāra, the incarnation of devotion. In a previous life, Nārada was born in a low-class [poor] family; his mother used to clean here and there [to support them]. When he was only five years old, the four Kumāras – Sananda, Saṇaka, Sanātana, and Sanat-kumāra – along with many ṛṣis, came to the village where he lived with his mother. He used to serve them with great honour. They would order him, “Oh, bring my loṭā, bring my kaupīna and my kamaṇḍalu. You may come with me when I bathe in the river.”

By good fortune, one day, Nārada took some remnants of the prasāda left on the leaf plates of those ṛṣis. What was the result?

bhakta-pada-dhūli āra bhakta-pada-jala
bhakta-bhukta-avaśeṣa, — tina mahā-bala

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 16.60)

[The dust of the feet of a devotee, the water that has washed the feet of a devotee, and the remnants of food left by a devotee are three very powerful substances.]

The dust of the devotees’ lotus feet, the water that washes their feet, and the remnants of their prasāda are very powerful.

You should have firm faith in this. Even if you are chanting and reading Bhāgavatam a lot, it will not help you much. You will greatly benefit if you receive the remnants of any high-class Vaiṣṇava. Remnants are of two kinds: the nectar of hari-kathā and the nectar of prasāda. Other powerful substances are the dust of the lotus feet of the Vaiṣṇava and the water that has washed his feet. One must serve these with honour. Do not try to forcibly take a Vaiṣṇava’s footdust, jokingly quarrelling and wrestling with him and throwing him flat on the ground.

Try to be like Nārada. He had become very near and dear to saintly persons. When his mother, who was an attachment to him, quickly died after being bitten by a snake, he left home. In his trance [meditation], he easily saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord advised him, “You should continue hearing, chanting, remembering, and speaking hari-kathā to all. A day will come when death arrives, but you will not die. You will place your feet on the head of death.” This came to pass, and Nārada attained his siddha-deha (spiritual body), which is always present, even within the gross and subtle body. He realized his transcendental form, and in that form, he travelled everywhere, sometimes within this world, sometimes to Goloka Vṛndāvana, sometimes to the abode of Nārāyaṇa, and here and there.

Without guru we cannot progress. But that guru should not be like a Kali-yuga guru. We are the property of Kṛṣṇa, so guru should bring us to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is guru. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states that bhakti should not be like the bhakti of Dhruva. There was some defect in him. You know that the exalted devotee Nārada initiated Dhruva. He initiated Prahlāda Mahārāja, and he also initiated Citraketu Mahārāja. But these three disciples were in different categories. Even if the guru wants to give the same thing to all – Goloka Vṛndāvana, service to Kṛṣṇa – if the disciple has no past impressions, that guru cannot give it. He wants to give it, but the disciple cannot take it. Dhruva Mahārāja had no past impressions. Although he performed severe austerities for six months, and although he was ultimately able to live without air and water, he did not have previous impressions from association with high-class devotees. Therefore, Nārada could not give him the purest bhakti.

Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja, Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wanted to give all these things, and that is why Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura began nagara-saṅkīrtana and nāma-haṭṭa. Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja also began in this way, but he could not give his disciples the pure devotion to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to give. Even Caitanya Mahāprabhu could not give this to Kālā Kṛṣṇadāsa. He was with Kālā Kṛṣṇadāsa in South India, but He could not give him this high class of devotion. The recipient requires sufficient impressions from this birth and also from previous births. If you neglect to associate with high-class Vaiṣṇavas and realize all these truths, then gurudeva will not give it. Even though gurudeva wants to give this bhakti, and he can do anything, he will not deviate from the process. That is why Nārada could not give it to Dhruva. That is why Dhruva is still in Dhruva-loka and not in Goloka Vṛndāvana.

In the history of Devahūti and Kapiladeva, Kapiladeva told His mother:

satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido
bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ
taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani
śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.25.25)

[In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin.]

In the assembly of pure devotees, powerful discussions illuminate my heroic deeds, which become a rejuvenating tonic for both the ears and the heart. Hearing these narrations quickly advances one on the path of emancipation from ignorance. First, he develops faith (śraddhā) in Me, then rati (the sprout of pure love), and finally, he experiences the awakening of prema-bhakti, pure devotional service.

It is also stated in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.54):

‘sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

[The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.]

If one is in sādhu-saṅga for even a moment, it will not go in vain. But this [association] should be taken with honour and firm faith. Otherwise, there will be no effect. No effect.

Bharata Mahārāja was a very advanced Vaiṣṇava and was just about to attain rati (the stage of bhāva). He had crossed niṣṭhā-bhakti and also the stage of ruci, relishing the holy name and hari-kathā. He had become very renounced and had entered the stage of āsakti. He left his home, wife, children – everything.  He came to a very dense forest and lived alone there, chanting and remembering. But what happened? He became attached to a deer who was drowning in the river. He took pity on that baby deer. This is called mercy in the mode of goodness. Devotees should be merciful but not attached. Bharata Mahārāja was correct in being merciful, but he became attached, and thus his attachment to Kṛṣṇa diminished. Soon, he died, and [at the time of death], remembering only that deer, he became a deer. He was most careful during his second birth and his third.

Therefore, you should also be careful about this. Even at a high stage, there is a chance of falling down. You may be chanting and remembering, but because you are still full of anarthas you still have no taste (ruci), and there is so much chance of falling. We should, therefore, always be in elevated association. If Bharata Mahārāja had been with Nārada, he would not have continued in this world for three lives. But he did not have such an association. Try, therefore, even at the stage of niṣṭhā or ruci, to always be in the association of advanced devotees.

What is the essence of this story told by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Parīkṣit Mahārāja when he was going to die? Śukadeva said, “You came here, having given up your son and all kinds of attachment, and therefore, I am telling you hari-kathā. You should not be like Bharata. You should not give a moment to other attachments.” At the time of death, Bharata remembered a deer and also became a deer. Similarly, if one has many dogs and is very attached to them, one will certainly be a dog in his next life. No one can avoid this. If one has any worldly attachment, one may become a serpent, tiger, deer, horse, and so on. A man may even become a very beautiful lady, although previously he was in a male form, and he will be very lusty. If a lady remembers a male person, she may become like that male, and she will be very lusty. It may be like that. One may also become a donkey because donkeys are very lusty. One may become a donkey, monkey, dog, and so on. So do not be attached.

From the beginning, try always to chant and remember Kṛṣṇa, but not Kṛṣṇa alone. If you remember only Kṛṣṇa, you may merge into Him like the Māyāvādīs do. We should remember Kṛṣṇa with His devotees. If your gurudeva has given you a particular ideal, try to follow that. He wants to give so many things, and he does give them, but if the disciple has no association, he may not fully understand and follow. Gurudeva gives him everything in the gopāla-mantra and kāma-gāyatrī, but the disciple is not qualified to know what he is being given. If the disciple is always in the association of high-class, exalted Vaiṣṇavas, he will realize all these things.

Such Vaiṣṇavas can make you realize what is in the gopāla-mantra. It was given to Brahmā by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Kāma-gāyatrī was also given to him. By these mantras, one can enter Goloka Vṛndāvana. More than remembering Kṛṣṇa, we should remember Yaśodā or gopīs like Rūpa Mañjārī and others; then we can serve Kṛṣṇa in that same way. There are so many things to say on this subject. We must follow Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, which is why we are called rūpānugas. We say in the Jaya-dhvani, “rūpānuga-guru-varga kī jaya,” but we do not know what rūpānuga is. We should try to know by questioning, “What is rūpānuga? What is rāgānuga? What is rāga? What is śraddhā? What is niṣṭhā? What is ruci? What is āskti, rati, prema, sneha, māna, praṇaya, rāga, and anurāga?” Then, we will know about all these stages of bhakti. We may read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but if we do not have proper association, we cannot attain anything. Therefore, satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido.

We can learn so many things from Bharata-carita (the life history and character of Bharata Mahārāja). In his third birth, Bharata was very renounced. He became a brāhmaṇa, but at the same time, he seemed like a madman, although he was not actually mad. He always remembered Kṛṣṇa and never associated with worldly persons. It is doubtful, however, if he received the kind of bhakti that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to give: anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau (Śrī Caitanyacaritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.4).

You are so lucky, more than Bharata Mahārāja and others. You are so fortunate to have come at this time, just after Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But we are so unfortunate that we do not want to follow the process. We want to take gold, worldly reputation or other things from Vaiṣṇavas, but not their high-class love and affection for Kṛṣṇa.

Bharata Mahārāja never attained this love. He received so much advanced knowledge, but did he receive a drop of love for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa conjugal? He never even heard about it. He never had the chance. Citraketu Mahārāja was also an elevated Vaiṣṇava, as was Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda used to see Kṛṣṇa here, there, and everywhere, but did he have any ānugatya (guidance) from the gopīs? Did he have any taste or greed for attaining the mood of the gopīs’ love [for Kṛṣṇa]? He never had that greed because he had no association with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers.

Do not neglect or misuse this time, otherwise you will be like butchers – killers of your very self. Always be detached and try to utilize your time properly. In the absence of good association, if you are sincere and pray to Kṛṣṇa, who is so merciful, He will at once arrange everything. You can pray to Nityānanda Prabhu, who is more merciful than anyone, “Oh, please manage this. Please give me the association of rasika devotees so that I can hear Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Be merciful. I depend on You. I am giving my whole heart to You.” If you firmly believe in Nityānanda, He will surely manage everything.

* In a lecture in Maui, Hawaii, May 1999, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja explained this as follows: Although this book, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, came from Vyāsadeva, he is not the original author. Who is the author? No one in this world is the author; even Kṛṣṇa is not the author. Where did it come from? From the heart of Kṛṣṇa Himself. This book is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. It is the embodiment of Kṛṣṇa Himself. Vyāsadeva has not compiled it; he received it in a trance. It is transcendental, having come from Goloka Vṛndāvana. The pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are not separate. They descended into the heart of Vyāsadeva. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is therefore called samādhi-bhāsya, trance language.

** Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja has explained that ‘reject’ means to not give your heart to one who is not a devotee. It does not mean to abandon one’s duty to one’s family members. But if someone actively opposes one’s endeavours in bhakti and obstructs one’s practices, that person can be rejected.

*** In a lecture in Maui, Hawaii, in May 1999, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja explained that Śrīmati Rādhikā dearly loves Her parrot. Sometimes, She takes him in Her left hand and gives him pomegranate seeds or rice and milk. Caressing him, She says, “O parrot, can you repeat after Me, ‘Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa’?”
Then, in the same tune as Rādhikā, the parrot says, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!”

**** Gītā-saṁsāra tells the story of a devotee who sought material solutions to the difficulties he faced in living alone and preaching Bhagavad-gītā instead of seeking the advice of his guru. Consequently, he again became entangled in material existence.

Source: Purebhakti.com

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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)