Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.24

Prabhupāda: [leads devotees in chanting]

tasya pravayasaḥ putrā daśa teṣāṁ tu yo 'vamaḥ bālo nārāyaṅo nāmnā pitroś ca dayito bhṛśam [SB 6.1.24]

[01:29]

So he was engaged in maintaining the family. Everyone is engaged like that. Cats and dogs also do that. It is not very extraordinary thing. Sometimes they say, "It is my duty." Yes, it is duty, but the prime duty is to solve the real problems: how to stop mṛtyu, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi [Bg 13.9].

[Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.]

That we forget. Minor duties we take prominent. That is the present situation. They do not know that there is life after death, and according to our karma, we are getting the next life. Just this morning we were discussing. Kṛṣṅa is always ready. Automatically it is going on. Kāraṅaṁ guṅa saṅgo 'sya [Bg 13.22]. As you desire according to the contamination of different modes of material nature, immediately the body's ready. Immediately after death.

So everyone is engaged in so-called duties but forget the real duty. This is called māyā. By the spell of māyā we forget what is the objective of life, what is the aim of life. This is called māyā. We are thinking this is our duty. No. Real duty in the human form of life is here is a chance whether you want to go to back to home, back to Godhead, or again you want to go to hell, the repetition of birth and death. That is your choice. Otherwise why there are so many scriptures, religious system, all over the world? It is not only in India. According to the capacity of understanding, in every civilized human society there is a system called religion. It may be Hindu religion, Christian religion or Buddha religion—these are major religious systems—but the aim is how to make a solution of the problems of life. That is. But because they do not seriously discuss nowadays the religious propensity, tendency of the human society decreases. It has become a also money-making business. The priestly order, they think, "As others make some money by working hard, by professional or by doing some business or working, so we shall also earn some money by showing the church or the temple or the mosque." They have taken it like that.

Therefore people have lost faith in religion. This is the reason. Because those who are in charge of the religious department, the brāhmaṅas, those who are in charge of religion, the priestly order or the maulanas[?] or the brāhmaṅas—they're the same order—their duty is to keep people enlightened in the real mission of life. That is their duty. But if they're also doing the same thing, sense gratification, how long they can cheat others? Therefore people have lost faith in religion. This is the position. But that is not good. Because the system of religion has become polluted, we should not give up religion. That is our prime duty. Karamayi tasya eka bhūṣesya[?]. What is the difference between animal and man? The animal has no religion. They have no religion. Eating, sleeping, sex and defense. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca, sāmānyam etat [Hitopadeśa 25].

[Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.]

This is very easy to understand. The dog is eating; I am eating. Dog is sleeping; I am sleeping. Dog is enjoying sex; I am also enjoying sex. Dog is also afraid; I am also afraid. So what is the difference between dog and me? The only difference is that dog has no religion; I've got religion. So if I give up religion, life of religiosity, then I am equal to dharmeṅa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ.

So this Ajāmila, on account of bad association with prostitute, he lost his character and he became thief, cheater, somehow or other being punished. So in this way, while he was maintaining his children and family, then the time of death came. That will not wait, that "I have not finished my duty, family duty. Please wait few years more." "Oh, that is not possible." So kālo... Atyagāt. Kālo 'tyagān mahān rājann aṣṭāśītyāyuṣaḥ samāḥ [SB 6.1.23]. He became very old, eighty-eight years old, aṣṭaśīti. Aṣṭa means eight; aśīti means eighty-eight. In this way, aṣṭāśītyā āyuṣaḥ samāḥ. So at that time he had ten sons. Tasya pravayasaḥ putrāḥ. He begot so many children, number is ten. So putra, how many? Daśa, ten; ten children he had. Teṣāṁ tu yaḥ avamaḥ. Out of the ten sons, the youngest son, teṣāṁ tu yaḥ avamaḥ bālaḥ, the child, nārāyaṅaḥ nāmnā, he kept the name Nārāyaṅa, Nārāyaṅa dāsa, just like we give name to an initiate. So this is his great fortune. He gave the youngest son the name Nārāyaṅa. Naturally father, mother becomes affectionate to the youngest kiddie. So by way of calling the young child, he was chanting "Nārāyaṅa." So this is very good system, that if you keep the name of your children "Nārāyaṅa," "Govinda," "Kṛṣṅa," "Rāma," then you will get some chance to chanting this Hare Kṛṣṅa. Therefore in India still the system is they keep some name which is with reference to Kṛṣṅa. He has got thousands of names, so you can keep one name so that you have the opportunity of repeating, chanting the holy name of the Lord.

So bālaḥ nārāyaṅaḥ sakṛt, pitroḥ ca dayitaṁ bhṛśam. So he was very dear to the [break] ...parents, innocent child, kala-bhāṣinī, talking broken languages, "mommy," "pappa[?]," that is very sweet. One becomes attached to this voice: "Oh, how my child is talking." Nirīkṣamāṅa tat līlām. And the child is walking, the child is doing something, coming to the mother, capturing. This līlā, this pastime, nirīkṣamāṅaḥ tan līlā mumude, it was very, very pleasing. Jaraṭho bhṛśam. In this way,

bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan bālakaṁ sneha-yantritaḥ bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho na vedāgatam antakam [SB 6.1.26]

He was very busy in enjoying the child's, how you would say, pastimes, and feeding him and taking him. In this way he was very much pleased, "My life is go like this." But the time of death came. Bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho na vedāgatam antakam. Antakam means the last day of life. Antakam means death. So death is called māyā. You are thinking, "Now I have arranged everything. Things are going very nicely. Now I'm very happy." But, all of a sudden, the death comes. That you cannot avoid. All of a sudden. That is... Death is described in the Bhagavad-gītā... What is that death? That death is Kṛṣṅa, ūrdhva. That is stated in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: mṛtyu sarva-haraś ca aham [Bg 10.34].

[I am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience.]

That means when death will come, your all asset, your so-called children, your family, your bank balance, your friends, your country, your leadership, your pride and everything will be taken. That will be taken by Kṛṣṅa. The atheist class, who does not believe in God, he'll see God at the end of life when he cannot do anything. But before that, if he sees God, then his life is saved. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti [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.]

But that they'll not accept. "What is God? I don't care for... There is no God." "All right. Wait. God will come." [laughter] And at that time he said that... The Hiraṅyakaśipu, he always defied the son's, the small child, five-years-old boy. His only fault was he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa. And even the father, what to speak of others, he became saved. So don't think that Kṛṣṅa consciousness will go without any difficulty. There will be so many difficulties. Even your father will be angry. This is the history.

So this father, Hiraṅyakaśipu, he defied God: "Who is God? I am God. Take my [indistinct]." The child said, "My dear father, you are not God." He would never address his father as "father." He addressed him "the best of the asuras." "My dear best of the asuras," tat sādhu manye asura-vārya dehinām. After all, the relationship is father and son. So one day the father took him, "My dear son, what you have learned, the best thing, from your teachers? Tell me." "Yes, I'll tell you." "What is that?" Tat sādhu manye asura-varya. He never addressed "father." "O the best of the asuras." Asura-vārya means "the best of the asura." Tad sādhu manye: "I think that is very good thing." "What is that?" Tad sādhu manye asura-vārya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt [SB 7.5.5].

[Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: O best of the asuras, King of the demons, as far as I have learned from my spiritual master, any person who has accepted a temporary body and temporary household life is certainly embarrassed by anxiety because of having fallen in a dark well where there is no water but only suffering. One should give up this position and go to the forest [vana]. More clearly, one should go to Vṛndāvana, where only Kṛṣṅa consciousness is prevalent, and should thus take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]

"All these people, they're simply full of anxieties." That's a fact. Who's not full of anxieties? Those who are in this material world, who can say, "No, I have no anxiety"? That is not possible. Either you become President Nixon or in the street beggar, there is anxiety. At any moment danger will come. But they are busy.

So the child said, "My dear best of the asura, I think that is the best thing for the persons who have accepted this material body," asad grahā... Why anxiety? The anxiety is because this material body. I am thinking of "I may be hurt." Oh, what's that hurt? The hurt means body. The soul is never hurt. The soul is eternal, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. That they do not know. They think this body, "I'm this body, so I'll be hurt, I'll die, I'll this," and so on and so many. Simply anxiety: "How I shall protect my body? How I shall protect my bodily relationship?" everything in connection with the body. Everything asat. The body's asat, perishable, temporary. So whatever you have got in relationship with this body—my country, my society, my bank balance, my money, my wife, children—everything in the body, they're also temporary. So they are very, very anxiety. Tat sādhu manye.

So "I want to relieve them from this anxiety." What is that? Tad sādhu manye asura-vārya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. Then, what you advise? Hitvātmā-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam. He's fallen in this dark region of black well, this family life, he said. Hitvātmā-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam. Gṛha, we can take this material world, even up to the sky, that is also another bondage. Either in society, or in country, or in this body, or within this material universe—wherever you want—that is andha-kūpam, dark well. So he advises, "Give up this darkness," hitvātmā-pātam, "because it will kill you." In this dark well you'll be killed. Just like the dark well means if we are put into the dark well, you'll be killed. Hitvātmā pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ, vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. That is the first... "You should give up this dark well and go to the forest," vanam. Come to Vṛndāvana. Vanam means forest. We have constructed very nice temple. Come there. And vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. Vanaṁ gato means to come to the forest.

So what is the business? The business is to take shelter of Kṛṣṅa. Then he'll be free from all these things. Vanaṁ gato yad. Otherwise like monkey, descendants of monkey, if you go... The monkeys are in the forest, but they do not take shelter of Hari. So their simply going to the forest is no use. One has to take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. Vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśraya. Therefore Kṛṣṅa has made this Vṛndāvana. Anyone goes there, he gets shelter of Kṛṣṅa's lotus feet, and his life becomes successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]