Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.51

[Poor recording]

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṅa: "The great saint Nārada Muni said: Being pacified in this way by the devotee Prahlāda Mahārāja with prayers offered from the transcendental platform, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva gave up His anger. Being very kind to Prahlāda, who was lying prostrate, offering obeisances, the Lord spoke as follows."

Prabhupāda:

śrī-nārada uvāca etāvad varṅita-guṅo bhaktyā bhaktena nirguṅaḥ prahrādaṁ praṅataṁ prīto yata-manyur abhāṣata [SB 7.9.51]

So Nṛsiṁhadeva was very angry. Everything is natural. If somebody becomes angry, it takes some time to get out of the anger. So Nṛsiṁhadeva was very, very angry because His devotee, Prahlāda, was so much treated ill by his father, it became intolerable. [indistinct] children, they naturally attract the affection of the elder [indistinct]. So whatever we see in our dealings within the material world, the same things are there in the spiritual world. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. This affection of the Lord, of the superior person to the inferior children, is natural. So wherefrom this affection comes? It comes from the Supreme Lord. Everything. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante [Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1].

[The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born.]

Whatever you see in this material world, same prototype of things are there in the spiritual world. Then what is the difference? The difference is, here everything is polluted, but in the material world..., er, in the spiritual world, there is no influence of the material qualities. Nirguṅa. This is nirguṅa. Here everything is... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

Guṅaiḥ karmāṅi is here.

We should understand what is the difference between material and spiritual. Here in this material world, everything is polluted. But it is [indistinct] polluted. Why? Sattva-guṅa, rajo-guṅa, tamo-guṅa. Out of these three guṅas, sattva-guṅa is the best. If one is situated in sattva-guṅa, then there is chance of being promoted to the stage of nirguṅa. The tamo-guṅa is the ignorance state, and ignorance, foolish [indistinct], can be found in animals. This is tamo-guṅa. Pāpa-yoni, this is tamo-guṅa. Then if one is fortunate, he can be situated in the rajo-guṅa. Rajo-guṅa, at least there is some material interest [indistinct]. So... But above that, there is sattva-guṅa, to understand things as they are. In this way, when you get good scope for understanding of things as they are—not falsely studying and speculating, but proper [indistinct]—that is called sattva-guṅa, prakāśa. Just like darkness at night, you cannot see anything. That is tamo-guṅa. Then in between the darkness and sunlight, there is a period, darkness, early in the morning, it is not completely illuminated, but the darkness is not gone. The [indistinct] That is the mode of passion. Everyone gets up early in the morning and begins his work. And in the sunshine, one can work very nicely; he can see how nature is situated, how things can be done. Similarly, one who is dominated by the tamo-guṅa, he is like animal. He is like animal. But taking this body as self, this is tamo-guṅa. Sa eva go-kharaḥ. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṅape tri-dhātuke [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 at the present moment we see that 99.9 percent, they are all in tamo-guṅa, because they are taking this body as self. Anyone goes any part of the world, ask him, "Who are you?" He will say, "I am the material body. I am Mr. such and such," "I am Russian" or "I am German," "I belong to this family" and so on, "this nation"—all the body[?]. That is our [indistinct] experience. Nobody knows that he is not this body. This is tamo-guṅa. And few may be trying to speculate that he is not this body; he is something else. That's a fact. But because on account of being influenced by the tamo-guṅa, he cannot understand [indistinct]. And we have to come to the stage of nirguṅa, even there will be no sattva-guṅa. Here sattva-guṅa, the mode of goodness, is sometimes not [indistinct]. They are attracted by the lower qualities, by the rajo-guṅa and tamo-guṅa mixed. It becomes mixed. But if you want to become devotee, then you have to overcome even this mixed quality of sattva-guṅa, rajo-guṅa, tamo-guṅa. You have to come to the platform of nirguṅa: no more influenced by the material qualities. That is the bhakti stage, nirguṅa. Therefore, here it is said, bhaktyā bhaktena nirguṅaḥ.

So bhakti is the only platform which is nirguṅa, and from that platform you can please the Supreme Lord. Here it is clearly said, prahrādaṁ praṅataṁ prīto. You cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the material platform of rajo-guṅa, tamo-guṅa, sattva-guṅa. That is not possible. You have to come to the platform of bhakti. Bhaktyā mām... And who can come to the platform of bhakti? One who is bhakta. Not the others, namely karmī, jñānī, yogī. No. They cannot. It is not possible. Therefore it clearly says here, bhaktyā bhaktena. The same thing is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṅa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

If you want to understand the Supreme Lord, tattvataḥ, in truth, not in your imagination... "God may be like this, God may be like that," these are all speculation. God, the Supreme Being, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṅaḥ [Bs 5.1].

[Kṛṣṅa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.]

Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti [Bg 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

Vāsudeva is the origin of everything. This knowledge, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti. Nothing else. That conclusion can be achieved when you are nirguṅa, not saguṅa.

So in the spiritual world, it is not void, not impersonal; it has everything exactly like this. There are [indistinct], there are trees, houses, everything. Cintāmaṅi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam [Bs 5.29]. Surabhīr abhipālayantam. Prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa. This kalpa-vṛkṣa, there is tree, but it is not like this tree. A different, kalpa-vṛkṣa. From this tree, whatever you want you can get it. That is called kalpa-vṛkṣa. In the material world, because it is covered by the three guṅas, you can get the mango from the mango tree and orange from the orange tree, not that any tree you have grown you get both the mango and the orange. That is not possible. That is there in the spiritual world. Just like if I ask you, "Please bring me a glass of water," you can give me. If I ask you, "Please bring me this little [indistinct]," you can give me. That means because you are spirit soul, whatever I ask from you, you can give me. Spirit soul. Whatever I order, you can supply because you are spirit soul. So the spiritual platform, you can get everything, whatever you want. So there is no need of working for something. As soon as you desire, the things are there. That is called nirguṅa. Nirguṅa does not mean it is zero. That is the Māyāvādī philosophy. They have no conception of the nirguṅa. Nirguṅa prakoshi[?], it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṅa is always nirguṅa. He is not within anything of this material world. But fools and rascals, they cannot understand. They say that God is impersonal; when He comes He takes the help of material energy and gets a body, material body. This is their philosophy. No. Kṛṣṅa says that "I appear...," sa guṅān ātma-māyayā.

These Māyāvādīs, they cannot understand what is ātma-māyayā. Personality, ātma-māyayā. Ātma-māyayā means spiritual. He does not appear in the material form. Those who are rascals and less intelligent, mūḍhās, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam... [Bg 9.11].

[Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.]

"Because I come exactly..." He is also... His form is like man. Dvibhuja, muna visa[?]. Kṛṣṅa has two hands and Nārāyaṅa has four hands. Kṛṣṅa is always carrying His flute; this is Kṛṣṅa's līlā, form.

veṅuṁ kvaṅantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam kandarpa-koṭi-kaminīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ govindam ādi... [Bs 5.30]

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.]

Veṅuṁ kvaṅantam. It is not that I just imagine the God's form with a flute. No. It is confirmed in the Vedic literature: veṅuṁ kvaṅantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam asitām... This is His original form. It is not the imagination of the Māyāvādīs. No. But they do not know; they cannot understand. God's form can be understood by the devotees only. It is... Kṛṣṅa is not exposed to anyone except His devotee. Therefore, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

Kṛṣṅa clearly says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. And these bhaktas, Kṛṣṅa says, "This bhakta who has fully surrendered unto Me with full knowledge, not blindly," vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti [Bg 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

When one has come to this platform that Vāsudeva is everything, sarvatma vāsudevyā, simply by worshiping Vāsudeva, you can worship everyone, all the demigods. There is no need of worshiping anyone else. Mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66], only Kṛṣṅa. This is Vāsudeva.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is such qualified devotee. Therefore, by his prayer the Lord immediately became pleased. Prītaḥ. Prītaḥ. As soon as one is satisfied, naturally he will come out of his angry mood. This is natural. Prītaḥ yata-manyur abhāṣata. And we can speak very nicely when we are not disturbed in mind or we are not in angry mood. In this way, Prahlāda Mahārāja was accepted. He was accepted not [indistinct], especially by his prayer, which is nirguṅa. So we should always remember that nirguṅa means without any material qualities. Material quality is saguṅa, "with the material qualities." So nirguṅa means without any material qualities. So karma, jñāna and yoga, they are all material qualities. Only bhakti is spiritual. Even in that bhakti, if you bring in karma, jñāna or yoga, then it is mixed; it is not pure. Therefore, Rūpa Gosvāmī gives definition of bhakti, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11].

[One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṅa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.]

Anyābhilāṣitā means no more jñāna and yoga. If you want to be profited, bhakti-yoga, show some yogic wonders... The yogīs, they [indistinct] some kind of wonders. If one thinks that because being a bhakta I shall also show some wonderful thing, then it is not nirguṅa; it is saguṅa. If you take it that "I shall become a devotee. I shall get all the material comfort," that is the desire of the karmīs, [indistinct]. This is mixed up. So long you are mixed up, you will get whatever you desire. Kṛṣṅa is quite competent to satisfy you in that service. It is not very difficult thing for Him. If becoming a bhakta, if you want some material comfort, it is not at all difficult for Kṛṣṅa; He can give you. But you are cheated. By your asking for material comfort from Kṛṣṅa, God, by exchange of service, you can get the material comfort, more than you get [indistinct], then you must know you are cheated. You are not cheated by Kṛṣṅa, but you cheat yourself. Kṛṣṅa is sarva-[indistinct]. Whatever you want, He will give you. If you want to be cheated, He will cheat you. This is God. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham [Bg 4.11].

[All of them—as they surrender unto Me—I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.]

"If you want to be cheated, I will cheat you. If you don't want to be cheated, I will not cheat you." This is [indistinct] doctrine.

So don't try to be cheated. That will spoil the [indistinct]. Don't ask anything from Kṛṣṅa. Simply you have to give everything to Kṛṣṅa, then that is bhakti. Don't try to take from Kṛṣṅa in exchange of your service. He can give you immediately. That is not difficult for Him. But don't do that. Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered, "Prahlāda, you take one benediction. You take." Dhruva Mahārāja also, he was pure devotee. Dhruva was offered that "If you want the largest kingdom than Brahmā, I will create it, the polestar.[?] You go there, you will enjoy." So he was then very regretful, that "How foolish I was. I came to offer my respects to the Supreme Lord for some material exchange." He became very regretful. He said, "My Lord, whatever I was asking, it was my ignorance. Now I don't want." Svāmin kṛtārtho'smi varaṁ na yāce [Cc Madhya 22.42].

[[When he was being blessed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Dhruva Mahārāja said:] ’O my Lord, because I was seeking an opulent material position, I was performing severe types of penance and austerity. Now I have gotten You, who are very difficult for the great demigods, saintly persons and kings to attain. I was searching after a piece of glass, but instead I have found a most valuable jewel. Therefore I am so satisfied that I do not wish to ask any benediction from You.]

"It was a mistake that I wanted some material benediction from You." This is pure, nirguṅa. This is nirguṅa. As soon as there is some demand, that is saguṅa; that is not pure. Simply avyabhicārī bhakti. Not mixed with jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam [Cc Madhya 19.167].

[When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṅa favorably, as Kṛṣṅa desires.]

Not covered by jñāna and karma and yoga. Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī, sakali 'aśānta' [Cc Madhya 19.149].

[Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṅa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.]

Bhukti and mukti, they want some material profit. So Kṛṣṅa gives. And mukti, liberation, they are wanted by the jñānīs, to become free from this material botheration and become one with God. This is also another demand, jñānī. So bhukti-mukti—mukti, they want mukti. A devotee doesn't want mukti or bhukti. [Sanskrit] One who is actually devotee, he doesn't care whether he is placed in the heaven or hellish planets. He simply wants to serve Kṛṣṅa, never mind where he [indistinct], not even heaven or hell. The same thing: because a devotee does not live either in hell or heaven, he lives in Vaikuṅṭha always. He doesn't care for hell and heaven. Just like Kṛṣṅa, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe [Bg 18.61].

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

He also lives within the core of the heart of the pig who is eating stool. But does it mean that Kṛṣṅa is in the stool? No.

So nirguṅa. We have to remain nirguṅa. Then it is bhakti, and by that bhakti you can please Kṛṣṅa. That is called prema-vilāsa. The devotee is eager to please the Lord as He wants. [prati-vanita?] When you are eager to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṅa, that is called vilāsa. And when you want to satisfy your senses, that is called kāma. That is difference between kāma and vilāsa. So here within the material world, all activities are going on as kāma. You can expand. First of all you are satisfied by satisfying your senses. Just like a small child: you give you him something eatable, and immediately he puts it in his mouth. This is satisfaction. He wants to satisfy his senses. When he grows up, he may distribute that eatable to his other brother and sisters. So this does not mean you have changed the quality of sense gratification. It is very [indistinct]. In the material world we see sometimes you are working for your family. But if you work for the nation, you become a very great man. But what is the basis? The basis is sense gratification. Very big, big politicians, they work for the nation, sacrifice their life, but that exalted politician, it is not nirguṅa; it is saguṅa. You can expand, expand, expand—unless you come to the point of satisfying the senses of Kṛṣṅa, you are saguṅa. And when you live to satisfy the sense of Kṛṣṅa, that is nirguṅa, that is [indistinct]. In that state, you can satisfy Kṛṣṅa and your life is successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda! [end]