Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.5

Anantarām Śāstrījī: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [chants verse, with devotee repeating] [break]

sva-pāda-mūle patitaṁ tam arbhakaṁ vilokya devaḥ kṛpayā pariplutaḥ utthāpya tac-chīrṣṅy adadhāt karāmbujaṁ kālāhi-vitrasta-dhiyāṁ kṛtābhayam [SB 7.9.5]

Dayānanda: [chants synonyms; devotees repeat]

[01:40]

Translation: "Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, when He saw Prahlāda Mahārāja fallen down at the end of His lotus feet, He became very much ecstatic in affection towards His devotee, and immediately raising him, placed His lotus hand upon the head, because His hand is always ready to create fearlessness of all His devotees."

Prabhupāda:

sva-pāda-mūle patitaṁ tam arbhakaṁ vilokya devaḥ kṛpayā pariplutaḥ utthāpya tac-chīrṣṅy adadhāt karāmbujaṁ kālāhi-vitrasta-dhiyāṁ kṛtābhayam [SB 7.9.5]

So kāla, kāla means death. Kṛṣṅa, He is life and death also. Bijo 'ham sarva-bhūtānām [Bg 7.10]:

[O son of Pṛthā, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.]

from Him all living entities come out, or in Him every living entity exists. At the same time, Kṛṣṅa says, mṛtyu ahaṁ sarva-haraś ca: He is death also. So for the nondevotees He is death, and for the devotees He is life. These are the contradictory qualifications of the Supreme Lord. Death and life are two opposite things, viruddha, and Kṛṣṅa is both of them. So He adjusts, viruddha; opposite things coincide into one thing. That is Kṛṣṅa. We cannot adjust opposite things to be one.

So, sva-pāda-mule patitaṁ. Lord Brahmā, as soon as asked Prahlāda Mahārāja to pacify the Lord, he immediately fell down at His lotus feet, sva-pāda-mule patitaṁ tam arbhakaṁ. Just like we are sometime extraordinarily happy, pleased, when a small child offers his obedience. So naturally, when Prahlāda Mahārāja, a small boy, five years old, and he fell down at the lotus feet of the Lord, He became very much pleased. So not only for Prahlāda Mahārāja; anyone in this material world who offers his obeisances before the Deity, don't think it is useless. It is taken into account. Therefore Kṛṣṅa advises, if you cannot do anything, you do four things: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

"At least come before Me," just like we do. We come in the temple and offer our obeisances. It is so easy to go back to home, back to Godhead. It is not very difficult task at all. If you cannot do anything—if you cannot read books, if you cannot understand philosophy, if your behavior is not on the standard—still, if you simply offer your obeisances before the Deity, you make progress. You make progress. Undoubtedly. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu you will find it that this worshiping method—come to the temple, offer obeisances, just like these boys, they are playing mṛdaṅgas, they are playing cymbals, dancing—every item is taken into account. Every item. Not that it is going futile. No. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness, that is bhakti-mārga, sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt [Bg 2.40].

[In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.]

Simply by playing on the cymbal, on the khol, taking little caraṅāmṛta... Everything in detail there is in the Nectar of Devotion, you have read.

So the foolish persons, they do not take care. They think they are very much advanced, they have no need to attend ārati or to play on the mṛdaṅga or cymbal. But that is not fact. So many items are there given by the ācāryas. If not this, you do this, you do that, you do that—hundreds of items. Take any one of them and you'll be benefited. This is arcana-mārga. There are many foolish person, they make propaganda, "There is no need of going to the temple." That is another rascaldom. Because if you come to the temple, you get so many facilities to make advance in spiritual life. This is our mission. We are opening..., spending so much money for opening gorgeous temple. It is not new thing. This is very, very old, coming by paramparā system. There are many thousands of temples in India, very old, five thousand, three thousand years old. Why? The ācāryas wanted to give facility to the common man to enter into spiritual life. That is the idea.

It is not childish. Rather, the so-called meditation is childish. You cannot... If you do not know what is God, how you can meditate upon Him? Meditation mean dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino [SB 12.13.1].

[Sūta Gosvāmī said: Unto that personality whom Brahmā, Varuṅa, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada-kramas and Upaniṣads, to whom the chanters of the Sāma Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogīs see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and becoming fully absorbed in thoughts of Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon—unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead I offer my humble obeisances.]

The yogīs perform meditation. Why? To concentrate their mind on the Viṣṅu form. You'll find some pictures that everyone is depicted with the Viṣṅu form in the core of the heart. That is real yoga, indriya-samyamaḥ. Real yoga means indriya-samyamaḥ. Our senses are so much disturbed, agitated always. So if you can control your sensory organs to your, I mean, employ them in the matter of understanding God: yoga indriya-samyamaḥ.

Real purpose of yoga is to control the senses. Very, very difficult. Even five thousand years ago, when Arjuna was being instructed on the yoga system, concentrating the mind, fixing up the mind on Kṛṣṅa, or Viṣṅu, the same thing, so Arjuna said, "My dear Kṛṣṅa, it is very difficult." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṅa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham [Bg 6.34]. "It is not possible, for me at least." Yes, those who are busy, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas. Brāhmaṅa may be able. Not nowadays brāhmaṅa; those who are actually brāhmaṅa, because they practice samaḥ, damaḥ, satyam, śaucam, controlling the mind, controlling the senses, brahmacārī. They can do that. But the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas, they cannot, because they have not practiced samaḥ, damaḥ. But at the present moment in this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is śūdra, nobody is brāhmaṅa, by the caste system or by birthright. Śudra. Kalau śūdra sambhavaḥ. So in this age, how to concentrate the mind upon Kṛṣṅa, this practice: chanting.

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalaṁ kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā [Cc Ādi 17.21]

[In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.]

In Kali-yuga it is very, very difficult to control the mind, to practice meditation. So there is no use of practicing the so-called meditation. Meditation was possible in the Satya-yuga. 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.]

That is also Viṣṅu, dhyāyataḥ. To meditate upon Lord Viṣṅu, that was possible in the Satya-yuga. It is not possible in the Kali-yuga. Kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt. Kali-yuga, this is, even the child, amara vidya manitah. Beginning from the child, a small child, one year old, they are taking part. Practically you can see. They are taking flower, offering. It is imitation, but the effect is there, the same. Either you imitate or you do real—effective. Just like if you touch fire, either knowingly or unknowingly, it will act. It will act. Similarly, sv-alpam apy dharmasya: either this child, the children, they imitate the elderly person, the offering flower, taking prasādam, offering obeisances, they're as good as their father and mother. This is devotional service.

Abhaya. Abhaya means it doesn't vanquish. There is no expenditure; it is increasing. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam [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.]

These transcendental activities, transcendental bliss, increases, ānanda ambudhi. Ambudhi means ocean. We have seen ocean, but it does not increase, although it is a very big, vast mass of water. Still, when you go to the beach for hundreds year, it does not increase. Ānandāmbudhi, the material world, not vardhanam; it is fixed up. When we walk on the beach we are confident that although the Pacific Ocean is a great, vast mass of water, but we are certain it cannot come up to this. It is limited by the order of God: "You cannot go beyond this." So there is no vardhanam. The temporary ebb tide and flow tide, that is another thing, but actually āpūryamāṅam acala-pratiṣṭham. But in the spiritual world, the ocean of transcendental bliss increases. Therefore it is said that ānandāmbudhi vardhanam.

So these little boys who are taking to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, mahā-bhāgavata, he is also playing the part of a child, immediately falling down; so these children who are here, even imitation, it will not go in vain. Kṛṣṅa is so kind, as it is said here, sva-pāda-mūle-patitaṁ tam arbhakaṁ. Although they are innocent children, but when they're offering obeisances to Rādhā-Mādhava it is of value, "Yes, very good." It is going to their credit. It is not bad. Some may think that these boys are brought here and their life is being spoiled; they are not being educated in the modern way; they're simply chanting, dancing and offering... But that is the real education. Tan manye adhitam uttamam, Prahlāda Mahārāja. Śravaṅām kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyām [SB 7.5.23],

[Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṅu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṅa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.]

the devotional service. Tan manye adhītam uttamam. They are being first-class educated, these boys, they, simply by chanting and dance. Don't be disturbed, that "My child is not being educated." What is this education? This education, this bodily concept of life, it is not education. That "I am this body," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṅa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am white," "I am black," this education, the whole world this education is going on, nationalism, in the name of nationalism, communism, socialism. They are all bodily concept of life. That is not education. That education is useless, because this kind of education will not stop the process of birth, death, old age and disease. They may be technical education, temporary, some bodily comfort, but this is not taken as education. Real education is brahma-jijñāsā, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is real education. What I am, that is brahma-jijñāsa. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. When he comes to the conclusion that he is not this body, he is spirit soul, that is real education.

So the bhakti-mārga is so nice that they are simply staying on the Brahman platform, brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Sa guṅān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Who? Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṅa bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate [Bg 14.26].

[One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.]

So our program, this program, anyone who may come here, he is educated how to understand brahma-bhūyāya. That is education. This is not education, the technical education. Nowadays they are very much fond of technical education. That is temporary. That is not education. Electrician comes—suppose the power has failed, and he manipulates and brings the power—that is technical education. But real education is different. That is to understand the ātma-tattvam. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām [SB 2.1.2].

[Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.]

Those who are fully absorbed in family life, gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām, they are apaśyatām ātma-tattvam. They cannot see what is real life, what is the goal of life. So here we see Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down immediately. That is real education. Brahmā asked him, "You just try to pacify," immediately he fell down. And Kṛṣṅa immediately became compassionate, sva-pāda-mūle patitaṁ tam arbhakaṁ vilokya.

The Māyāvādīs, they say God has no eyes, but here it is said vilokya. How you can say without eyes He can see? But His seeing is different, paśyaty acakṣuḥ. He has no eyes like us. What is our..., what is the value of our eyes? As soon as there is no light, you cannot see. But Kṛṣṅa can see always, either there is light or not. That is the difference. Therefore when in the Vedas it is said that He has no eyes, means He has no this material eyes, which is limited. So here it is said vilokya. Just like we are offering obeisances, the children are offering obeisances to the Lord. Don't think that "Here is Deity made of metal. How He can see?" No. This is rascaldom. He can see. That is His eyes. Either you present Him in material element or in any way, He can see in all circumstances. Therefore it is called... Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, tad aham aśnāmi: "I eat." What it that? Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aśnāmi [Bg 9.26].

[If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.]

"I eat." The rascals, they cannot see how Kṛṣṅa is eating what is offered to Him, but He says, "Yes, I eat." So what is that eating? But you have..., you have got so imperfect eyes, you cannot see how the Lord is eating, but He is eating. These things are clearly... Here it is specifically mentioned, vilokya devaḥ kṛpayā pariplutaḥ, ecstatic, "Oh, how he is nice, this boy."

So in this way we have to understand Kṛṣṅa, the Lord, devaḥ, how He is working transcendentally. That is paśyaty acakṣaḥ, acakṣuḥ, śṛṅoti, akarṅaḥ. His hearing, His seeing, His eating is different from us. Therefore it is said, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti [Bs 5.32]. If we offer at His lotus feet something, He eats. He can eat with His leg. Therefore how His eating process can be equal to us? Therefore there are two contradictory: paśyati, acakṣuḥ; śṛnoti, akarṅaḥ. This is to be understood. Not that He is impersonal. His personality is different from our personality. We cannot eat with our leg, but Kṛṣṅa can eat with..., by His leg. He can see by His leg. He can hear by His finger. This is called aṅgani yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti [Bs 5.32]. He is perfect. In this way you have to understand Kṛṣṅa.

So as soon as we come in touch with Kṛṣṅa by devotional service, then we become abhayam, no more fear. And so long we are in the material world, bhayam. So Kṛṣṅa's another name is Abhaya. Bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana abhaya-caraṅāravinda re. Abhaya. His name is Abhaya. So if you come in touch with Kṛṣṅa by devotional service, then there is no more fear. Everyone is afraid. But those who are devotees of Kṛṣṅa, nārāyaṅa-parāḥ, nārāyaṅa-parāḥ na kutaścana bibhyati [SB 6.17.28],

[Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṅa, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.]

he is not afraid.

[recording speeds up due to discharging battery]

Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was not afraid—the Lord has appeared. He was put into so many difficulties by his father, but he was never afraid. Abhayam. If you become in touch with Kṛṣṅa, then the opposite. In this material world, bhayaṁ, bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt [SB 11.2.37]. [indistinct] means if we understand there is something else other than Kṛṣṅa, then there is bhayam. [indistinct] But if we are firmly convinced that there is nothing but Kṛṣṅa, tan [indistinct] brahma, there is no worry. So we have to understand like that... [break] [end]