Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.10

Santoṣa: [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

kvacin nivartate' bhadrāt kvacic carati tat punaḥ prāyaścittam atho 'pārthaṁ manye kuñjara-śaucavat [SB 6.1.10]

[break] [00:57]

Translation: "Sometimes one who is very alert not to commit sinful acts is victimized by sinful life again. If one atones for the sins after committing them but then repeatedly commits the same sins, his atonement is a useless process. Indeed, it is like the bathing of an elephant, for the elephant fully cleanses itself but then throws dust all over its head and body as soon as it returns to the land."

Prabhupāda:

kvacin nivartate' bhadrāt kvacic carati tat punaḥ prāyaścittam atho 'pārthaṁ manye kuñjara-śaucavat [SB 6.1.10]

Parīkṣit Mahārāja is devotee. He knows what are these material activities. Punaḥ punaś carvita carvaṅānām [SB 7.5.30]. This word is used here, punaḥ. Punaḥ means "again and again." Carvita-carvaṅānām.

matir na kṛṣṅe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ 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.]

This was the statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja, that gṛha-vratānām... Those who have concluded that "We shall live in this material world and become happy here by adjustment," they are called gṛha-vratānām. Or those who have concluded that "We shall live very happily in family life," and trying to be happy, and failure, and again trying, and again trying... This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṅānām. Just like a father engages his son in the same way, the same family life, same business life, same working day and night. But he does not think that "I was a married man. I got children. I have got business. I have got car. Whether I have become happy?" That he does not conclude, that "Again I am engaging my son in the same business? So why shall I be unhappy if my son has joined the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement?" No. He wants, "Please come home and again be doing the same thing. Which I have done and I am frustrated, you do the same thing and be frustrated." [laughter]

This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṅānām. Nobody will advise. His son will become hippie—he will tolerate: "This is modern fashion." And if he joins Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, he is unhappy, because he wants that "My son also be doing the same thing." That is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṅānām. The world is going like that. They are chewing the chewed. We are teaching Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement that "What you will gain by this material way of life? Just try to understand Kṛṣṅa, and then you will get the greatest benefit." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

The all troubles which we are suffering, that is due to our accepting this material body. That they do not know. They do not know except this material body anything. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhātuke, sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13].

[One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.]

So it is Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He is very intelligent devotee. He is criticizing this atonement process—"Whole week I have done all sinful activities, and on Sunday I go to church and pay some fine, and again, from Monday, I begin my business, punaḥ punaḥ, again and again." So this business will not help us, because the..., I may commit some sinful activities, and repenting, I pay some fine or some prāyaścitta, but my heart is not cleansed. That is required. The heart is filled up with all dirty things. What it will give me benefit if formally I give some fine as atonement? Parīkṣit Mahārāja is rejecting this process, "This will not help." And he has given very good example: kuñjara-śaucavat. From nature we can study so many things, very instructive. Kṛṣṅa has made the nature in such a way that any intelligent man, if he studies simply the nature, without going into school or college he becomes a very learned man if he has got the capacity to study nature. So such nature, a natural instance, example, is cited: kuñjara-śaucavat. Kuñjara means elephant. Elephant is a very big animal, and it takes bath in the lake, very nicely washes the body. Then, as soon as he comes on the bank, he immediately takes some dust and throw it over the body. Those who have seen the elephants... This is their nature.

So these people may be very big men, very big animal, but their intelligence is lacking. The intelligence is that "Why I am put into miserable condition of life?" That is intelligence. That intelligence was found in the life of Sanātana Gosvāmī. When he first met Caitanya Mahāprabhu, his spiritual master, the first question was that "I am considered as very learned scholar and very good administrator. I am administrator." Grāmya-vyavahāre kahe paṅḍita, satya kori māni. "And some, my ignorant friends, they call me I am very big man, very learned man." "But," āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni, "unfortunately, I do not know how to get out of this material condition of life. I do not know." So that is the position, everyone. We are big, big scientist, big, big philosophers, big, big statesmen, politician, but I do not know why I am forced to die. Big, big scientists, they are discovering so many things, but he cannot discover something which will stop his death. That is not possible.

So punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṅānām [SB 7.5.30]. We may attempt so many things, but if we do not know how to stop the mental activities which is prone to commit sinful activities... That is our first business. That cannot be done by any other means except Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Except Kṛṣṅa consciousness, it is not possible to control the mind. If you can... It is the business of everyone. If he wants to be the first-class man in the society, brāhmaṅa, the qualification is śamo damas satyaṁ śaucaṁ titikṣva. These are the brāhmaṅa... Śamaḥ means controlling the mind. Even Arjuna, he said to Kṛṣṅa when Kṛṣṅa was teaching him the process of mystic yoga and control the mind... Five thousand years ago Arjuna... A person like Arjuna is not ordinary person. He is talking with Kṛṣṅa. So still he says, "My dear Kṛṣṅa, this is not possible for me. I am a family man and a politician. I cannot control my mind. It is not possible." So nowadays, after five thousand years when Arjuna thought himself incapable of controlling the mind by the so-called yogic process, how it is possible now—this world has so much deteriorated—to practice this meditation and yoga process and control the mind? It is impossible. That is not possible. It is simply humbug. You have to...

Therefore śāstra gives us the instruction, kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṅum [SB 12.3.52].

[Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṅu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra.]

Kṛte mean in the Satya-yuga, when man used to live for one hundred thousands of years. Just like Vālmīki Muni, he underwent meditation for sixty thousands of years, and he attained success. So it was possible, kṛte, in the Satya-yuga. Satya-yuga was the first, beginning of millennium. Satya-yuga exists for eighteen hundred thousand...? Eighteen hundred thousand years, and then Treta-yuga, for twelve hundred thousand years, then Dvāpara-yuga, eight hundred thousands of years. Now it is Kali-yuga, it is four hundred thousands of years. And the duration of life in Satya-yuga was one hundred thousands of years, and in the Treta-yuga it was one thousands of years. No? Ten thousands of years. And in the Dvāpara-yuga one thousand years. And now it is one hundred. That is also not all. So this age is not suitable for yogic meditation. That is not possible. Therefore śāstra gives us instruction that "Self-realization, which was possible in the Satya-yuga by meditation, the same thing was made possible in the Treta-yuga," kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṅuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ, "by performing big, big sacrifices." That is Treta-yuga. And kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṅuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ, dvāpare paricaryāyām: "In Dvāpara-yuga by worshiping the Deity." Therefore in India you will find so many temples, because this is coming from Dvāpara-yuga.

So kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt. In this age, Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and fight and misunderstanding—this is called Kali-yuga—in this age this is the only means: hari-kīrtanāt. The saṅkīrtana movement is hari-kīrtana. Hari-kīrtana... Kīrtana means chanting about the glorification of the Lord, hari-kīrtana. And this is also confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan asti hy eko mahān guṅaḥ kīrtanād eva kṛṣṅasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet [SB 12.3.51]

[My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.]

So this is recommended, and similarly, about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu there is statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ...

kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadaṁ yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]

[In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṅa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṅa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.]

Therefore our first duty is to worship Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We keep the Deity. In the first we offer our obeisances to Caitanya Mahāprabhu along with His associate, and then, Guru-Gaurāṅga... Then we offer Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa or Jagannātha. So because this is the process of Kali-yuga, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ, if you perform this saṅkīrtana, simply this process, as many times as possible before Lord Caitanya, then your success is guaranteed. You don't require anything else. This is recommended: yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ.

So those who are intelligent, they catch up this easy method of self-realization. The more you chant, then the cleansing process of the heart goes on very nicely. Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam [Cc Antya 20.12].

[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]

This is the process of cleansing the mirror of the heart. Mirror, when it isThis is recommended. Ceto-darp... This is the first, because our spiritual life does not begin unless ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam, unless the mirror of the heart is cleansed. But this is the easiest process. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra in ecstasy, the first benefit will be that your heart will be cleansed. Then you can see what is your position, what you are, what is your business. If your heart is unclean, then... So that uncleanliness of heart cannot be cleansed by this process, atonement. That is not possible. Therefore... Parīkṣit Mahārāja is very intelligent. He said, prāyaścittam atho apārtham. Apa, apa means "negative," and artha means "meaning." "It has no meaning." He immediately rejects the prāyaścittam apārtham. "What benefit will be there?" He remains unclean. He does not cleanse his heart, core of heart. In the core of heart he has got all the dirty things: "How I shall cheat, how I shall make black market, how I shall enjoy senses, how I will go to prostitute and drink." These things are packed up. So simply by going to the temple or to the church and make some atonement, it will not benefit. One has to take seriously to this method, saṅkīrtanam. Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-davāgni-nirvāpaṅam [Cc Antya 20.12].

Ceto-, bhava-mahā... The first installment is that you cleanse your heart. The next installment is bhava-mahā-davāgni-nirvāpaṅam. If your heart is cleansed, then you can understand what is your position in this material world. And with a dirty heart, you cannot understand. If your heart is clean, then you can understand that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul. So what I am doing for really for me? I am spirit soul. I am not this body. I am soaping over this body, but as I am, I am starving." This is going on. The material civilization means they are taking care of the body, and no information of the soul which is within the body. This is material civilization. And our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is not so much attention for the body, but full attention for the soul. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness, just opposite.

Therefore they cannot understand this movement. It is completely spiritual movement. It is not material movement. Therefore they sometimes mistake that "Your people are weak in health. They are becoming this and that. They do not eat meat, so vitality is less." Then "We are not concerned with the vitality. We are concerned with the spiritual life." Therefore they sometimes misunderstand. So anyway, people may understand or misunderstand—it doesn't matter. You go on with your kīrtana and make guarantee that there is no material life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda [end]