Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.22.21

Prabhupāda: Spectacles. Spectacles.

Pradyumna: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 22 text 21.

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting, etc.]

maitreya uvāca sa ugra-dhanvann iyad evābabhāṣe āsīc ca tūṣṅīm aravinda-nābham dhiyopagṛhṅan smita-śobhitena mukhena ceto lulubhe devahūtyāḥ [SB 3.22.21]

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Translation: "Śrī Maitreya said: O great warrior Vidura, the sage Kardama said this much only and then became silent, thinking of his worshipable Lord Viṣṅu, who has a lotus on His navel. As he silently smiled, his face captured the mind of Devahūti, who began to meditate upon the great sage."

Prabhupāda: Purport?

Pradyumna: "It appears that Kardama Muni was fully absorbed in Kṛṣṅa consciousness because as soon as he became silent, he at once began to think of Lord Viṣṅu. That is the way of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Pure devotees are so absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṅa that they have no other engagement; although they may seem to think or act otherwise, they are always thinking of Kṛṣṅa. The smile of such a Kṛṣṅa conscious person is so attractive that simply by smiling he wins so many admirers, disciples and followers." [break]

Prabhupāda: 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.]

There is one instance of Kṛṣṅa consciousness, how the devotee does not lose a single moment without thinking of Kṛṣṅa. Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām [Bg 9.14].

[Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.]

Kīrtaniyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc Ādi 17.31].

[One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.]

This instruction we get. So, sadā tad bhāva-bhāvitaḥ [Bg 8.6].

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.]

If you practice like that, then there is chance of being transferred to Kṛṣṅa just after leaving this body. So somehow or other you should be absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṅa. We get all these examples from authorities. Just like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he was emperor, very responsible man. But sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor: he kept his mind always on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor [SB 9.4.18]. So although great emperor, so responsibility, still it was possible for him to keep his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. In South India there is a class of professional dancer. They take a big jug on the head and without any..., what is called? Bira?

Dayanānda: Cloth, cap, ring.

Prabhupāda: Yes, ring. It is kept as it is. The head is shaved, but they are so practiced to keep the balance that the pot does not fall down. It remains exactly. This is an art—they will dance, and the pot on the head will never fall down, keeping the balance. So by practice it is possible. There are many professional vendors, they keep their basket on the head, and taking a child, going and canvassing, "We have got this fruit." It never falls down. They are keeping the balance. So this is a crude example that everything can be done by practice. One may be very responsible officer, like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, the emperor. It is not joke. But still, his mind is absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṅa. Sai vai manaḥ kṛṣṅa-padāravindayor. There is another example Rūpa Gosvāmī gives, that a woman who has got an extra lover besides the husband, so she's always thinking of that lover although she's busy with household affairs. Para vyasaninanina[?]. That means if you want somebody very seriously, you can think of him always, twenty-four hours, in spite of your being engaged in so many duties. It is possible.

So we have to practice this Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Here, in this material world, we have to work. Without work, you cannot maintain even your family, your body. That is not possible. Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṅaḥ [Bg 3.8].

[Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. A man cannot even maintain his physical body without work.]

Kṛṣṅa says, Arjuna, that without karma you cannot maintain even your body. So you have to work. Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṅaḥ. And this material world means you have to maintain by working. And spiritual world means na tasya kāryam kāranam ca vidyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8].

[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Nothing is equal to Him or greater than Him. He acts in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels, which are all simultaneously differently situated by His unlimited, variegated potencies. Each potency acts quite naturally in sequences, providing Him full knowledge, power and pastimes.]

There is nothing to work, as Kṛṣṅa has nothing to work. He is simply enjoying. What is called? The children have got... What is called?

Devotee: Swing?

Prabhupāda: Ah, swing, swing. So Kṛṣṅa is enjoying, and Kṛṣṅa's associates are enjoying. They have nothing to work. That is spiritual world. Cintāmaṅi prakara sadmasu kalpa vṛkṣa [Bs 5.29]: that is a different world. There is no material body; therefore there is no need of the material body. That is a different world. But in this material world we have to work. Tṛtīyā-karma-samjñaṅya avidyā-karma-samjñānya tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate [Cc Madhya 6.154].

[The internal potency of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṅu, is spiritual, as verified by the śāstras. There is another spiritual potency, known as kṣetra-jña, or the living entity. The third potency, which is known as nescience, makes the living entity godless and fills him with fruitive activity.]

This material world means you have to work and adjust things for your maintenance. That you cannot escape. But still, we have to become Kṛṣṅa conscious.

So things are to be adjusted as it is prescribed by great authorities. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta you'll find the regulative principles. That is called Vaiṣṅava-smṛti. So here we cannot live without working, and still we have to become always Kṛṣṅa conscious. This art, to understand and to practice, is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. Then in spite of my being engaged in so many so-called material things... Because a devotee has nothing to do with material things. Even if he works for maintenance of the body, that is not material. Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, who was magistrate. But it is not for a magistrate to write so many books—siddhānta-pūrṅam. So he was in a different, transcendental platform. So that is possible, the mind being absorbed in Kṛṣṅa's thought, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ [Bg 9.14],

[Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.]

tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca [Bg 10.9].

[The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.]

That is possible by practice. Here Kardama Muni is a living example. And there are many other examples, that we can remain fully Kṛṣṅa conscious in spite of being engaged in so-called material activities. That is possible.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]