Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.24

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

te mayy apetākhila-cāpale 'rbhake dānte 'dhṛta-krīḍanake 'nuvartini cakruḥ kṛpāṁ yadyapi tulya-darśanāḥ śuśrūṣamāṅe munayo 'lpa-bhāṣiṅi [SB 1.5.24]

[devotees have a difficult time following a line at a time; Prabhupāda interrupts chanting to instruct Nitāi to separate the words] Separate? [continues leading chanting]

[break] [03:40]

"Although they were impartial by nature, those followers of the Vedānta blessed me with their causeless mercy. As far as I was concerned, I was self-controlled and had no attachment for sports, even though I was a boy. In addition, I was not naughty and I did not speak more than required."

Prabhupāda:

te mayy apetākhila-cāpale 'rbhake dānte 'dhṛta-krīḍanake 'nuvartini cakruḥ kṛpāṁ yadyapi tulya-darśanāḥ śuśrūṣamāṅe munayo 'lpa-bhāṣiṅi [SB 1.5.24]

These are the qualification how to receive favor of the devotee. He was, Nārada Muni, in his previous birth, a boy servant. But boys are generally restless. But Nārada Muni was not restless. Cāpale. What is given there? "Proclivities." Generally, boys are attached to so many different types of playful things. This also becomes possible by association. Just like you are all young men; you have got so many desires, naturally, especially in the Western countries. But you have voluntarily given up not to go to the restaurant, not to go to the club or theater or cinema. These are good qualifications.

So he was a boy, but he gave up all these things. Arbhaka. Arbhaka means not experienced very much. Or almost foolish, ignorant, they are called arbhaka. So although he was a child, he was a boy, but by the association of exalted devotees he also became very sober. Sober. Śuśrūṣamāṅe munayaḥ alpa-bhāṣiṅi. And he was not talking very much. Too much talking unnecessarily is against spiritual advancement of life. Therefore, sometimes those who are very, very talkative, they are ordered by their spiritual master that "You keep silence." Maunī. Maunī-bābā. Somebody, they practice to become always silent. You'll find some of the sādhus, the mendicants, they also keep silence. But they sometimes make this, that, this... And way "onnnnh." That is not good. Silence means don't talk nonsense. Whenever you speak, you speak about Kṛṣṅa. That is real silence. The... "Make a vow that 'I shall not speak anything except topics of Kṛṣṅa,' " that is real silence. Not that to become silent. To become silent... Mind will work. Better chant Hare Kṛṣṅa and hear. There is no question of becoming silent.

Sa vai... There is a verse about Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṅṭha-guṅānuvarṅane [SB 9.4.18].

[Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord's temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṅa or about Kṛṣṅa. He engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's temples and Kṛṣṅa's places like Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord's devotees, he engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasī offered to the Lord, and he engaged his tongue in tasting the Lord's prasāda. He engaged his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before the Lord, and all his desires in serving the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He engaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material desires.]

Manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayoḥ. If you fix up your mind on Kṛṣṅa, naturally these things will be controlled. First of all our mind must be fixed up on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. Always chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, and... Chant and hear. Naturally, with the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa, you will memorize the form of Kṛṣṅa, the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. In this way, if we fix our mind always on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, naturally these good qualities will come. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṅais tatra samāsate surāḥ [SB 5.18.12].

[All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord's external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?]

Bhakti... Unless you have got bhakti... Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ [Bg 9.34]. Who can fix up his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa unless he's a bhakta? Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ.

So these are the primary qualification. And alpa-bhāṣiṅi. Alpa-bhāṣiṅi. Munayaḥ alpa-bhāṣiṅi śuśrūṣamāṅe. At the same time, service must be there. And simply, "I'm chanting, but no, I'm not giving service..." That may be possible for Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was simply chanting 300,000 times. That was possible by Haridāsa Ṭhākura. But if we imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, that "I shall chant only," that is not chanting. You'll sleep only, that's all. That is not possible. It is possible only for the liberated person. Therefore we should not imitate. Our Guru Mahārāja has condemned this. Mana tumi kisera vaiṣṅava, pratiṣṭhāra tare nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava. In Vṛndāvana you'll find there are so many, they imitate. In a secluded place they are chanting, but they cannot give up even smoking bīḍī. You see? So this kind of imitation has no value. Therefore śuśrūṣamāṅe. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

[No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṅa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.]

You must give service to the spiritual master. Spiritual master does not accept any service for his personal benefit, but for Kṛṣṅa's benefit. So this is required, śuśrūṣamāṅe. Dānte 'dhṛta-krīḍanake anuvartini: following the principles. Whatever the sages order, "Boy...," immediately. Śuśrūṣamāṅe. Immediately he carried out. Anuvartini. These are the qualifications.

Cakruḥ kṛpām. Then... Cakruḥ means "did"; kṛpām, "mercy." Naturally... If anyone follows without any hesitation whatever the spiritual master says, naturally he becomes kind. Anyone will become kind; why the spiritual master? Spiritual master is pledged to become kind, but anyone, if you follow, if you obey, then he becomes merciful: "This boy is very nice. He obeys orders. He serves very nicely." That is required. Cakruḥ kṛpāṁ yadyapi tulya-darśanāḥ. Tulya-darśanāḥ. Because saintly person, they have no discrimination that "This man should be shown special favor." They have no such discrimination. They are merciful to everyone. Sama-darśinaḥ. Paṅḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg 5.18].

[The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṅa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste]]

So... But still, although they are equal to everyone, still, one who is very much inclined to render service, especially inclined. Therefore it is said, yadyapi tulya-darśanāḥ. It is not that saintly person is partial, showing somebody special favor and somebody no favor. No. They are open to everyone. Just like Kṛṣṅa, He's open to everyone. Kṛṣṅa says, 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.]

It is not it is meant for only Arjuna. He's open to everyone. Just like sunlight. Sunlight is open to everyone. Everyone can enjoy sunlight. But if you keep your doors closed voluntarily, then what sun will do? Sun is tulya-darśanaḥ.

There is a verse of Cāṅakya Paṅḍita, na hi harate jyotsnaṁ candraś caṅḍāla-veśmani. Caṅḍāla. Caṅḍāla means the low caste, lower than the śūdras—the meat-eaters. Meat-eaters, in India they are called caṅḍāla. So especially pig, pig-eater. Still you'll find in villages, the sweeper class, they capture one pig. They maintain the pigs. They sell as well as they eat. So the living pig they burn into fire. Still, publicly. And it cries like anything, but they are allowed. Publicly they do that. So caṅḍāla-veśmani, that is very polluted, sinful place, but that does not mean that the moonlight is refused there. Moonlight is not refused. Because it is the house of a caṅḍāla, therefore moon does not consider that he should be refused, or sunlight is refused there. No. Sunlight is equally distributed. Na hi harate jyotsnaṁ candraś caṅḍāla-veśmani. Candra means the moon. Similarly, all devotees, or Kṛṣṅa, he's not reluctant; either devotee, Kṛṣṅa's devotee, or Kṛṣṅa is reluctant to bestow the mercy to anyone. Tulya... That is called tulya-darśanāḥ. The mercy is open for everyone.

But still, if one is inclined to give service, śuśrūṣamāṅe, specially. That is not, I mean to say, partiality. That is natural. Just like one man has got his own son, and there are others' sons, others' children also, playing together. If there is danger, the man goes first of all to save his own son. You cannot say, "Oh, you are so partial." No, that is not partial; that is natural. That is natural. Nobody will criticize, that "You did not save others' son; you simply took care of your own son." That is natural. Kṛṣṅa also says, samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ [Bg 9.29].

[I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.]

That's a fact. How Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can be enemy of somebody and friend of somebody? That is not possible. Na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ. "Nobody is My specially favorite, and nobody is My enemy." But, ye tu bhajanti māṁ prītyā: "But a person who has taken devotional service and with love and faith is engaged in devotional service, I am especially inclined to him."

Just like government. Government is not anyone's enemy or anyone's friend, but if anyone gives special service to the government, he is recognized. He is given the title "Sir" or C.I.E. [Companion of Order of Indian Empire], or something like that. These things are natural. This is not partiality. It is not that if government offers anyone special recognition for his service... That is not partiality. Similarly, when Nārada Muni in his previous birth was very sincerely, obediently engaged in the service of the saintly person, they cakruḥ kṛpām, special favor. Unless there was special favor, how immediately after that birth he could become Nārada Muni? Special favor. Everyone is engaged, but this is the special favor. There are many instances like that. But that we should not take, that this special favor is partiality. No. Therefore this word is used, tulya-darśanāḥ.

So if we acquire these qualities... Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

[No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṅa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.]

The main basic principle is śuśrūṣamāṅe, śuśrūṣa, service. So service is very important thing. So śuśrūṣamāṅe munayo alpa-bhāṣiṅi, very grave. One should be very grave and refrain from unnecessary engagement. These things are possible when we detach ourself from the so-called material engagements, that is illicit sex, meat-eating and intoxication and gambling. These are unnecessary things. There is no need of these things, but we are accustomed. We have become accustomed to, on account of bad association. So we should refrain from all these things. This is called dānte. What is the meaning of dānte? Given here?

Devotee: "Having controlled the senses."

Prabhupāda: Having controlled the senses. This is dānte. We have to control these things, then the special favor will be there. [reading purport] "In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says, 'All the Vedas are searching after Me.' Lord Śrī Caitanya says that in the Vedas the subject matters are only three, namely to establish the relation of the living entities with the Personality of Godhead, perform the relative duties in devotional service, and thus achieve the ultimate goal, back to Godhead. As such, vedānta-vādīs..." They have been described veda-vādinī, veda-vādinī, in the previous verse. So "Vedānta-vādīs, or the followers of the Vedānta, indicates the pure devotees of the Personality of Godhead." That is vedānta-vādī, veda-vādī. Veda-vādī means actually one who knows what is the objective of Vedas, they take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. And when Caitanya Mahāprabhu discussed Vedānta philosophy with Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he said that in the Vedānta or Vedas there are three things only: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. He des... All śāstras. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same three things are there: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana [Cc Madhya 20.124].

Sambandha means, "First of all, what is my relationship with God." That is called sambandha. Just like first of all a boy or a girl is to be married. So... That is the Vedic system. The father, mother selects. That is called sambandha. When they fixed up that "This boy will be married with that girl," that is called sambandha. So relationship. Then when the sambandha is established by marriage, when the boy or girl is married, then the sambandha is done. "Now... Now the boy and the girl may remain separately in their respective homes"? No. That is abhidheya. Abhidheya. When they are united by the marriage there must be dealings between them. That is called abhidheya. Abhidheya. Abhidheya means not that "Our now marriage ceremony, relationship is established. Now you, Mr. Such-and-such, you go home, I go home." No. There must be actual activities. The wife should take care of serving the husband, and the husband should take care of the wife. Then the relationship...

Why this relationship? Why these are activities? Now, there is prayojana. What is that prayojana? To get son. Marriage means to get son. That is prayojana. Putrāyate kriyate bhāryāḥ. Bhāryā means wife. One has to accept a bhāryā, a wife, why? Putrāyate. For the matter of getting a son. Why? Why there is necessity of getting a son? Putra-piṅḍa-prayojanam. This is Vedic civilization. Putra. Putra means pun-nāmno narakād yasmāt trāyate iti putra. Pu-tra. Pu means pun-nāmno narakāt. There is a hell which is called pun. So from that hellish condition, one who delivers, trāyate iti tra, therefore he is called putra. This is... Every Sanskrit word has got meaning, root meaning. Putra. Putra-piṅḍa-prayojanam. Putra is required. Why? After death, if by chance the father does not get ordinary life or goes to the hellish condition of life, the son will deliver. Therefore śrāddha ceremony. There is śrāddha... What is that śrāddha ceremony? Śrāddha ceremony means to offer foodstuff to Viṣṅu, and with the prasādam, to the forefathers or father it is offered, so that by eating prasādam, if he is in ghost life or in hellish life, he'll be delivered. This is called śrāddha.

So it is the duty of the son, śrāddha ceremony. And Advaita, Advaitācārya, He was also performing the śrāddha ceremony, and He offered the prasādam, the remnants of foodstuff, to Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was in Śāntipura, and he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra day and night, and when he was to take some prasādam he used to come to Advaitācārya's place and take prasādam there. So one day Haridāsa Ṭhākura asked Advaitācārya that "Why You are giving me prasādam?" Means he presented himself that "I am coming from Muhammadan family, but why You take so much care upon me? You are giving me prasādam, You are taking so much care, You are making a cottage for me. Why? You are one of the leaders of the brāhmaṅa in Śāntipura, all very exalted learned brāhmaṅas, and if You are taking so much care upon me, then they may criticize You, blaspheme You. So I think You should not do this. I don't want that You may be criticized or I may be criticized."

So Advaitācārya said, "No, no, no. I'm not doing anything against the śāstras, so nobody can criticize. I'm doing nothing against the śāstra." So in the śāstras... Jīva Gosvāmī also has given quotation from the śāstra that it doesn't matter from which family a person is coming, but if he's a pure devotee, he should be taken all care, and he should be offered charity, he should be offered prasādam. All care should be taken for him. There is śāstra indication. So Advaitācārya said that "I am doing the right thing. And by feeding you, I am feeding daily many millions of brāhmaṅas by feeding you. By feeding you." These are statement in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So this offering prasādam, the putra, a right putra is meant for offering prasādam to Viṣṅu so that his forefather and father may be delivered. That is the system of putra.

So [reading], "Such vedānta-vādīs or the bhaktivedāntas are impartial in distributing..." This Bhaktivedanta title was given on this vedānta-vādī because in our society there was no Vedānta. So some of the Vaiṣṅavas selected me to get this title Bhaktivedanta. Vedānta means bhakti, understanding bhakti. Because vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg 15.15].

[I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.]

So who can understand Kṛṣṅa unless he has bhakti? So this is the bhaktivedānta. So [reading], "Vedānta-vādī or the bhaktivedāntas are impartial in distributing the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. To them no one is enemy or friend, no one is educated or uneducated, no one is specially favorable, and no one is unfavorable. The bhaktivedāntas see the people in general are wasting time in false sensuous things. Their business is to get the ignorant mass of people to reestablish the lost relationship with the prayojana, lost relationship with the Personality of Godhead. By such endeavor even the most forgotten soul is roused up to the sense of spiritual life, and thus being initiated by the bhaktivedāntas, the people in general gradually progress on the path of transcendental realization. So the vedānta-vādīs initiated the boy even before he became self-controlled and was detached from the childish sporting, etc. But before the initiation, he [the boy] became more and more advanced in discipline, which is very essential for one who wishes to make progress in the line. In the system of varṅāśrama-dharma, which is the beginning of actual life, small boys, five years of age, are sent to become brahmacārī at the guru's āśrama just to learn discipline."

So unless one is disciplined... This is the only qualification, that Nārada Muni was disciplined—so much disciplined that he's a small boy, still, he would not talk anything nonsense. He was so disciplined. So the more we become disciplined... As it is stated in the śāstras, utsāhād dhairyāt niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt [Upadeśāmṛta 3].

[There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅam [SB 7.5.23]—hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṅa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.]

These are discipline. The more we become advanced... And naturally we get the mercy of the spiritual master and Kṛṣṅa. Through the mercy of spiritual... Guru-kṛṣṅa-kṛpā. There must be mercy both of them, guru and Kṛṣṅa. Without guru's kṛpā, one cannot reach Kṛṣṅa, and without Kṛṣṅa's kṛpā, one cannot get a bona fide spiritual master. This is correlative terms. So we should follow the disciplinary methods sincerely under the guidance of spiritual master. Then it will be very, very easy to go back to home, back to Godhead. Nārada Muni... Nārada Muni, next life became Nārada, means he went back to home, back to Godhead. He was promoted in the Vaikuṅṭhaloka. Then in the next creation, to distribute this bhakti-mārga, he took birth as the son of Brahmājī, and his business was to convert only all others to devotional life. You'll find Nārada Muni's name in connection with Vālmīki, in connection with Prahlāda Mahārāja, long, long ago. And still, we are also following Nārada Muni's path, Nārada Pañcarātra. Our method is Nārada Pañcarātra.

So Nārada Muni is the original spiritual master of Vyāsadeva, and from Vyāsadeva our disciplic succession is coming. Therefore guru is representative of Vyāsadeva. On his birthday the ceremony is offered as Vyāsa-pūjā. This is the disciplic succession. So we should try to follow Nārada Muni. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

There are twelve mahājanas, great authorities, of whom, out of the twelve, Nārada Muni is one of them. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ [SB 6.3.20].

[Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.]

Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ. Yes. Is not that the verse? Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilaḥ kumāro manuḥ. So Nārada's name is there, the, one of the mahājanas. So Nārada Muni is mahājana, and he became mahājana on account of his austerity and following the principles. So anyone who follows Nārada, he also becomes mahājana. This is the disciplic succession.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]