Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.11

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

api naḥ suhṛdas tāta bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ dṛṣṭāḥ śrutā vā yadavaḥ sva-puryāṁ sukham āsate [SB 1.13.11]

[break] [02:45]

Translation: "My uncle, you must have visited Dvārakā. In that holy place there are our friends and well-wishers, the descendants of Yadu, who are always rapt in the service of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa. You might have seen them or heard about them. Are they all living happily in their abodes?"

Prabhupāda:

api naḥ suhṛdas tāta bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ dṛṣṭāḥ śrutā vā yadavaḥ sva-puryāṁ sukham āsate [SB 1.13.11]

So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, after meeting Vidura, the first inquiry was about the family of Kṛṣṅa. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. He was always thinking of Kṛṣṅa. Now, because he has come back home by touring different places of pilgrimage... Dvārakā is also one of the celebrated place of pilgrimage. So he expected that "Vidura must have gone to Dvārakā. And when he had gone to Dvārakā, he must have some news from Kṛṣṅa's place."

So Kṛṣṅa is the friend, most intimate friend of the Pāṅḍavas. Therefore he says, naḥ. Naḥ means "our." Suhṛdaḥ. Suhṛdaḥ, this word, "always thinking of others' good," that is called suhṛdaḥ. The heart is not contaminated. Hṛdaḥ means "heart," and su means "very good." So Kṛṣṅa says also that suhṛda sarva-bhūtānām [Bg 5.29].

[The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.]

And here Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja confirms, naḥ suhṛdaḥ. Actually, Kṛṣṅa is suhṛda. Suhṛda means well-wisher. As the father is the well-wisher of the sons or intimate friend, well-wisher... Here in the material world, although I may be your well-wisher, you may be well-wisher, but there is some interest. Unless there is some interest for my personal benefit, I cannot become your suhṛda. This is material suhṛda. But spiritual suhṛda is different. Spiritual suhṛda means everyone is suffering for want of spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Therefore attempt should be made so that everyone becomes Kṛṣṅa conscious. That is spiritual suhṛda.

We are now entangled. Actually, our position in this material existence is not very good. Everyone sees it practically. Still, they want to adjust, "Let us make it good. Let us make it good." That is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṅānām [SB 7.5.30],

[Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Kṛṣṅa are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both.]

again and again chewing the chewed. Just like generally a father, especially in India, he wants that his son may be well situated. Therefore we don't get Indian youth very much, because the father and mother settles them. What is that? Get them married and give them some earning capacity, either by service or business. So he becomes satisfied, "This is the end of life." Gṛhamedhi. Just "Now I am married. It is my duty to stick to the gṛha and enjoy senses, that's all." Gṛhamedhi. Sacrifice for Kṛṣṅa, brahmacārī, sannyāsī... Sannyāsīs have become rogues. And there is no brahmacārī nor vānaprastha. Therefore it is very difficult to get Indian workers. They have no...

Your qualification is—I told in the beginning—that you have got a renouncing spirit. That is a great qualification. Tyāga. Renunciation is opulence also. Kṛṣṅa, six opulences. One of the opulence is renunciation. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ, jñāna-vairāgya [Viṣṅu Purāṅa 6.5.47].

[Full wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation—these are the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]

Vairāgya means renunciation. You have enough of this material enjoyment. You have enjoyed. Or you have seen that there is no actually profit. Therefore you are in a spirit... That is natural. That is natural. If one has enjoyed very much, the next stage will be renunciation. This is natural. So because you have got a renouncing spirit, you are understanding or taking Kṛṣṅa consciousness very nicely, at least, very eagerly. Jñāna-vairāgya, that is required. This vairāgya then... I therefore sometimes like these hippies, because they have a spirit of renunciation. That is very good position. Simply they require jñāna, or knowledge. Then their life will be successful. To bring one to the platform of renunciation, that is a very difficult job. Especially when one has got nice wife, nice home, nice bank balance, it is very, very difficult.

So there is a version by Kṛṣṅa that one who is anxious to take Kṛṣṅa consciousness, but he is entrapped with this binding—nice wife, nice children, nice home, nice bank balance—so Kṛṣṅa, in order to give them..., give such devotee facility, He takes away. Hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ. Yasyāham anugṛhṅāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ [SB 10.88.8].

[The Personality of Godhead said: If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another.]

Just like He did with the Pāṅḍavas. The Pāṅḍavas were devotees, but at the same time they were king. There was attachment. So therefore Kṛṣṅa took away their everything—their kingdom, their wife, their position, their honor—test him, and still, they did not give up Kṛṣṅa. Therefore they came out victorious. So Kṛṣṅa sometimes tests His..., that how much one devotee is, He forcibly makes him renounced in order. That is Kṛṣṅa's special favor.

So this vairāgya-jñāna, it is required. We were discussing the last night also, vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodha [Bg 4.10],

[Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.]

these things are required. Unless one becomes completely..., what is called? Averse?

Yogeśvara: Detached.

Prabhupāda: Detached: "So what is this nonsense material life?" That's a very good qualification. If one understands this perfectly—"This is all rubbish, this material enjoyment"—it is a great qualification. Akiñcana. Akiñcana. Akiñcana means do not possess anything material. Akiñcana-gocara. Kuntī, Kuntī, Queen Kuntī, when she was receiving Kṛṣṅa, she said, "My dear Kṛṣṅa, You are akiñcana-gocara. You are realized by a person who has no material possession. And You have given us now so much material possession. How we can understand You?" That was... Kuntī was regretting that "When we are in distress, You are always with us. Now You have given us kingdom and everything. Now You are going away to Dvārakā. What is this, Kṛṣṅa? Better let us go to again to that distressed condition so that You remain with us." Akiñcana-gocara. Kṛṣṅa is akiñcana-gocara. Anyone who wants to enjoy material life, it is not possible to become fully Kṛṣṅa conscious. This is very secret.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya [Cc Madhya 11.8]. Bhagavad-bhajana, to become devotee, Kṛṣṅa conscious, is meant for niṣkiñcanasya, one who does not possess anything in the material world. That does not mean he should be poverty-stricken. No. He should know it fully that "Nothing belongs to me; everything belongs to Kṛṣṅa. I am simply His servant, that's all." This is called akiñcana. If I think that "Keeping Kṛṣṅa in front, let me possess some material things," that is another cheating. That is not... Akiñcana. You should be fully conscious that "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṅa and nothing to us." Then Kṛṣṅa becomes your suhṛda. He takes charge, how your benefit will be there, ultimate. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakaṁ dadāmi [Bg 10.10].

[To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.]

Prīti-pūrvakam. This is very great determination, that "Kṛṣṅa, I simply want You, nothing, anything else. Nothing."

Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa [Cc Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4].

[O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.]

This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught this philosophy repeatedly. Niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajana. Bhagavad-bhajana means He Himself became niṣkiñcana. He was Kṛṣṅa Himself, most opulent. Tyaktvā surepsitaḥ, sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīm [SB 11.5.34]. Caitanya Mahāprabhu had the most beautiful wife, goddess of fortune, Viṣṅu-priyā, Lakṣmī-priyā. But for the benefit of the whole world, although He is Kṛṣṅa, He showed us the example. At the age of twenty-four years, He took sannyāsa. He was not unhappy in His home. He had His very affectionate mother and...

[aside:] Some fly...

Affectionate mother and most affectionate wife, beloved wife. But still, it is very difficult to renounce the affection of mother and love of wife. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu did it.

[aside:] The fly is still disturbing.

So tyaktvā sudustyaja. Therefore in the Bhāgavata it is said, sudustyaja, very difficult to give up.

[aside:] The fan.

Tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīm. And rājya-lakṣmīm, such nice beautiful wife, desired even by the demigods. Such a nice wife, He gave up.

Tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṅyam [SB 11.5.34]. Agād araṅyam. Araṅyam means, going to the forest means, to take sannyāsa. Going to the Himalaya does not mean or going to the forest does not mean that he should actually go there. One should give up this family affection and dedicate the whole life for Kṛṣṅa's service. That is really going to the forest. Not that unnecessarily. It may be beneficial for person, for his personal self, but real renunciation is to have no more interest in so-called limited jurisdiction of family, social, international, national, but the whole interest is for Kṛṣṅa. That is real renunciation. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Renunciation does not mean give up this world. That I was explaining. Our philosophy is not the jagat is mithyā. Why jagan mithyā? We don't say that. Jagat is fact. It may be temporary, but it is a fact. Now, so long we have got this jagat, let us utilize it for Kṛṣṅa. That is renunciation. We cannot say this microphone is mithyā. So long the microphone is in my possession, let it be used for Kṛṣṅa's service. This is renunciation. Everyone using this microphone, these modern machines, for his personal gain. But we are not using for personal gain. We are traveling all over the world, spending so much money, jet plane and this plane, just to push Kṛṣṅa consciousness as much as possible. This is renunciation, not that sitting one place doing nothing and become Kṛṣṅa conscious. Then there will be falldown. Don't imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. That is not possible. You must work.

So to such person, Kṛṣṅa is suhṛda. Suhṛda. Here it is said, api naḥ suhṛdas tāta, uncle, bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ. Kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ means one who has accepted Kṛṣṅa as the worshipable Deity. He is called kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ. There are so many demigods they have taken to worship. The Romans were worshiping demigods. The India, in India they also worship demigods. That will not make you happy. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām [Bg 7.23].

[Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.]

To take some benediction from the demigods, although people go there, kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṅāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ [Bg 4.12]. People are very much attached to enjoy this material world, so they worship Durgā, Kālī, or Lord Śiva. Kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṅāṁ siddhim. They get immediately some material benefit. But tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām. What you will do with some temporary material benefit? That is the instruction of Kṛṣṅa. Don't be attracted by the temporary material benefits. Just try for permanent, eternal benefit. Go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the... That is the... What you will do? Suppose you become king. How long you will remain king? Or there are so many dangers. Sometimes the kings are beheaded. King John was beheaded. So material position is always tiltering, tilting. Yes. There is no fixed position. It will end. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām [Bg 7.23]. Antavat means it will end, today or tomorrow or hundred years after. It will end. So why should you... You are eternal. Why should you hanker after these things which will exist for some few years? You are eternal. Accept the eternal position. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. Eternal position.

So for that eternal position, you have to make kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ, Kṛṣṅa as the worshipable Deity. Kṛṣṅa is eternal, and if you fix up your service to Kṛṣṅa, then Kṛṣṅa will accept you as servant; naturally, you become eternal. There is a very nice story. Nice story not; a fact. Sāvitrī-Satyavān. Sāvitrī-Satyavān. This, I mean to say, incidences are mentioned in the śāstras to give us lesson. Sāvitrī was a very chaste, devoted woman. Sāvitrī. In India, to the woman, in order to become very chaste and devoted to husband, they observe the ritualistic ceremony to worship Sāvitrī-Satyavān. So Sāvitrī was in love with a boy who was destined to die on the marriage date, but still, she married. She knew that "As soon as I will be married, on the same day, my husband will die." So she pleased the Yamarāja. After the death... The husband died, but she pleased the Yamarāja so much so that Yamarāja was ready to give her some benediction. So Yamarāja said, "What benediction you want?" "Now, as woman, I wish that may be a son of mine, from me." "All right, you will get a son." Then again she said that "If you are taking away my husband, how I will get my son?" So her husband was made alive. So indirectly... So kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ. If you actually want to be eternally blissful, take to kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ. Or there is no need of praying for "Make me immortal." No. If you accept kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ, then automatically... Just like the benediction was that "You... Yes, you will get a son." Automatically her husband was made alive. So kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ.

So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja asking that "Did you see them, the Yadu families, who have Kṛṣṅa as their worshipable Deity?" Dṛṣṭāḥ śrutā vā yadavaḥ. Yadu. Yadavaḥ is plural number. Sva-puryāṁ sukham āsate: "Whether they are happy in their home," sva-puryām, sva-purī, "Dvārakā?" So in this way Kṛṣṅa consciousness means always thinking of Kṛṣṅa. And make Kṛṣṅa the friend. Kṛṣṅa says that suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām [Bg 5.29].

[The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.]

Actually, Kṛṣṅa is the only friend, and He is sitting in everyone's heart. He is so nice friend that He is simply trying to induce us to turn our face towards Kṛṣṅa. He is coming as avatāra, incarnation. He is giving us advice from within. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66].

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

He's such a nice friend. Although we have left Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa has not left us. Here He is living with me within my heart to give me advice, "Please come back." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam.

So Kṛṣṅa is so nice friend. He is such a nice friend that even to the enemy He gives the greatest benediction. Just like Pūtanā. Pūtanā came to kill Kṛṣṅa, smearing poison on her breast. But Kṛṣṅa gave her promotion on the motherly platform. Kṛṣṅa is so grateful that "This demon might have come to Me to poison Me, but I have sucked her breast. She has become My mother, therefore she must get the position of My mother." Kṛṣṅa is so grateful. If you give little service to Kṛṣṅa sincerely, Kṛṣṅa will never forget you. And He's so powerful. If Kṛṣṅa becomes your friend and Kṛṣṅa remembers you, then what you want more? Just imagine. So Kṛṣṅa... Here it is said, kṛṣṅa-devatāḥ. Fix up your mind in Kṛṣṅa and be happy.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]