Madhya19.139

TEXT 139

keśāgra-śateka-bhāga punaḥ śatāṁśa kari

tāra sama sūkṣma jīvera ’svarūpa’ vicāri

SYNONYMS

keśa-agra—from the tip of a hair; śata-eka—one hundred; bhāga—divisions; punaḥ—again; śata-aṁśa—one hundred divisions; kari—making; tāra sama—equal to that; sūkṣma—very fine; jīvera—of the living entity; sva-rūpa—the actual form; vicāri—I consider.

TRANSLATION

"The length and breadth of the living entity is described as one tenthousandth part of the tip of a hair. This is the original subtle nature of the living entity.

Madhya19.140

TEXT 140

keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya

śatāṁśa-sadṛśātmakaḥ

jīvaḥ sūkṣma-svarūpo ’yaṁ

saṅkhyātīto hi cit-kaṇaḥ

SYNONYMS

keśa-agra—of the tip of a hair; śata-bhāgasya—of one hundredth; śata-aṁśa—a hundredth part; sadṛśa—equal to; ātmakaḥ—whose nature; jīvaḥ—the living entity; sūkṣma—very fine; sva-rūpaḥ—identification; ayam—this; saṅkhya-atītaḥ—numbering beyond calculation; hi—certainly; cit-kaṇaḥ—spiritual particle.

TRANSLATION

" ’If we divide the tip of a hair into a hundred parts and then take one of these parts and divide it again into a hundred parts, that very fine division is the size of but one of the numberless living entities. They are all cit-kaṇa, particles of spirit, not matter.’

PURPORT

Madhya19.141

TEXT 141

bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya

śatadhā kalpitasya ca

bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeya

iti cāha parā śrutiḥ

SYNONYMS

bāla-agra—the tip of a hair; śata-bhāgasya—of one hundredth; śata-dhā—into one hundred parts; kalpitasya—divided; ca—and; bhāgaḥ—minute portion; jīvaḥ—the living entity; saḥ—that; vijñeyaḥ—to be understood; iti—thus; ca—and; āha—have said; parā—chief; śrutiḥ—Vedic mantras.

TRANSLATION

" ’If we divide the tip of a hair into one hundred parts and then take one part and divide this into another one hundred parts, that ten-thousandth part is the dimension of the living entity. This is the verdict of the chief Vedic mantras.’

PURPORT

The first three padas of this verse from the Pañcadaśī Citradīpa (81) are taken from the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (5.9).

Madhya19.142

TEXT 142

sūkṣmāṇām apy ahaṁ jīvaḥ

SYNONYMS

sūkṣmāṇām—of the minute particles; api—certainly; aham—I; jīvaḥ—the living entity.

TRANSLATION

" ’Among minute particles, I am the living entity.’

PURPORT

The living entity is one with and different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As spirit soul, the living entity is one in quality with the Supreme Lord; however, the Supreme Lord is bigger than the biggest, and the living entity is the smallest of the small. This quote is the third pada of a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.16.11).

Madhya19.143

TEXT 143

aparimitā dhruvās tanu-bhṛto yadi sarva-gatās

tarhi na śāsyateti niyamo dhruva netarathā

ajani ca yan-mayaṁ tad avimucya niyantṛ bhavet

samam anujānatāṁ yad amataṁ mata-duṣṭatayā

SYNONYMS

aparimitāḥ—unlimited in number; dhruvāḥ—eternals; tanu-bhṛtaḥ—who have accepted material bodies; yadi—if; sarva-gatāḥ—all-pervading; tarhi—then; na—not; śāsyatā—controllable; iti—thus; niyamaḥ—regulation; dhruva—O Supreme Truth; na—not; itarathā—in another manner; ajani—have been born; ca—and; yat-mayam—consisting of which; tat—that; avimucya—without giving up; niyantṛ—controller; bhavet—may become; samam—equal in all respects; anu-jānatām—of those who follow this philosophical calculation; yat—that; amatam—not conclusive; mata-duṣṭatayā—by faulty calculations.

TRANSLATION

" ’O Lord, although the living entities who have accepted material bodies are spiritual and unlimited in number, if they were all-pervading there would be no question of their being under Your control. If they are accepted, however, as particles of the eternally existing spiritual entity-as part of You, who are the supreme spirit whole-we must conclude that they are always under Your control. If the living entities are simply satisfied with being identical with You as spiritual particles, then they will be happy being controllers of so many things. The conclusion that the living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are one and the same is a faulty conclusion. It is not a fact.’

PURPORT

This verse, which is also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.30), was spoken by the personified Vedas.

Madhya19.144

TEXT 144

tāra madhye ’sthāvara’, jaṅgama’--dui bheda

jaṅgame tiryak-jala-sthalacara-vibheda

SYNONYMS

tāra madhye—among the living entities who are conditioned within the material world; sthāvara—immovable; jaṅgama—movable; dui bheda—two divisions; jaṅgame—among the living entities who can move; tiryak—the living entities who can move in the air (the birds); jala—or living entities who can move within the water; sthala-cara—living entities who can move on land; vibheda—three divisions.

TRANSLATION

"The unlimited living entities can be divided into two divisions-those that can move and those that cannot move. Among living entities that can move, there are birds, aquatics and animals.

PURPORT

Madhya19.145

TEXT 145

tāra madhye manuṣya-jāti ati alpatara

tāra madhye mleccha, pulinda, bauddha, śabara

SYNONYMS

tāra madhye—among all such living entities; manuṣya-jāti—entities born as human beings; ati—very; alpatara—small in quantity; tāra madhye—among the small quantity of human beings; mleccha—uncivilized men who cannot follow the Vedic principles; pulinda—unregulated; bauddha—followers of Buddhist philosophy; śabara—the lowest of men (the hunter class).

TRANSLATION

"Although the living entities known as human beings are very small in quantity, that division may be still further subdivided, for there are many uncultured human beings like mlecchas, pulindas, bauddhas and śabaras.

Madhya19.146

TEXT 146

veda-niṣṭha-madhye ardheka veda ’mukhe’ māne

veda-niṣiddha pāpa kare, dharma nāhi gaṇe

SYNONYMS

veda-niṣṭha-madhye—among persons who are followers of the Vedas; ardheka—almost half; veda—Vedic scriptures; mukhe—in the mouth; māne—accept; veda-niṣiddha—forbidden in the Vedas; pāpa—sins; kare—perform; dharma—religious principles; nāhi—not; gaṇe—count.

TRANSLATION

"Among human beings, those who are followers of the Vedic principles are considered civilized. Among these, almost half simply give lip service while committing all kinds of sinful activities against these principles. Such people do not care for the regulative principles.

PURPORT

The word veda means “knowledge.” Supreme knowledge consists of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead and our relationship with Him and acting according to that relationship. Action in accordance with the Vedic principles is called religion. Religion means following the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are the injunctions given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Āryans are civilized human beings who have been following the Vedic principles since time immemorial. No one can trace out the history of the Vedic principles set forth so that man might understand the Supreme Being. Literature or knowledge that seeks the Supreme Being can be accepted as a bona fide religious system, but there are many different types of religious systems according to the place, the disciples and the people’s capacity to understand.

Madhya19.147

TEXT 147

dharmācāri-madhye bahuta ’karma-niṣṭha’

koṭi-karma-niṣṭha-madhye eka jñānī’ śreṣṭha

SYNONYMS

dharma-ācāri-madhye—among persons who actually follow the Vedic principles or religious system; bahuta—many of them; karma-niṣṭha—attracted to fruitive activities; koṭi-karma-niṣṭha-madhye—among millions of such performers of fruitive activities according to Vedic principles; eka—one; jñānī—wise man; śreṣṭha—the chief.

TRANSLATION

"Among the followers of Vedic knowledge, most are following the process of fruitive activity and distinguishing between good and bad work. Out of many such sincere fruitive actors, there may be one who is actually wise.

PURPORT

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that the word karma-niṣṭha refers to one who aspires to enjoy the results of his good work and pious activity. Some followers of Vedic principles offer everything to the Absolute Truth and do not aspire to enjoy the results of their pious actions. These are also considered among the karma-niṣṭhas. Sometimes we see pious men earn money with great hardship and then spend the money for some pious cause by opening public charities, schools and hospitals. Whether one earns money for himself or for the public benefit, he is called a karma-niṣṭha. Out of millions of karma-niṣṭhas there may be one who is wise. Those who try to avoid fruitive activity and who become silent in order to merge into the spiritual existence of the Absolute Truth are generally known as jñānīs, wise men. They are not interested in fruitive activity but in merging into the Supreme. In either case, both are interested in personal benefit. The karmīs are directly interested in personal benefit within the material world, and the jñānīs are interested in merging into the existence of the Supreme. The jñānīs maintain that fruitive activity is imperfect. For them, perfection is the cessation of work and the merging into the supreme existence. That is their goal in life. The jñānī wants to extinguish the distinction between knowledge, the knower and the aim of knowledge. This philosophy is called monism, or oneness, and is characterized by spiritual silence.

Madhya19.148

TEXT 148

koṭi-jñāni-madhye haya eka-jana ’mukta’

koṭi-mukta-madhye ’durlabha’ eka kṛṣṇa-bhakta

SYNONYMS

koṭi-jñāni-madhye—out of many millions of such wise men; haya—there is; eka-jana—one person; mukta—actually liberated; koṭi-mukta-madhye—out of many millions of such liberated persons; durlabha—very rare; eka—one; kṛṣṇa-bhakta—pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

TRANSLATION

"Out of many millions of such wise men, one may actually become liberated [mukta], and out of many millions of such liberated persons, a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is very difficult to find.

PURPORT

Madhya19.149

TEXT 149

kṛṣṇa-bhakta--niṣkāma, ataeva ’śānta’

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī--sakali ’aśānta’

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇa-bhakta—a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa; niṣkāma—actually desireless; ataeva—therefore; śānta—peaceful; bhukti—of material enjoyment; mukti—of liberation from material activities; siddhi—of perfection in yogic performance; kāmī—those who are desirous; sakali—all of them; aśānta—not peaceful.

TRANSLATION

"Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa 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.

PURPORT

The devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa has no desire other than serving Kṛṣṇa. Even so-called liberated people are full of desires. Fruitive actors desire better living accommodations, and jñānīs want to be one with the Supreme. Yogīs desire material opulence, yogic perfections and magic. All of these are lusty (kāmī). Because they desire something, they cannot have peace.

The peace formula is given by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā:

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

If one can understand that the only supreme enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa, one will perform all kinds of sacrifices, penances and austerities in order to attain Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Being, the proprietor of all the material worlds; therefore throughout the entire universe He is the only enjoyer and beneficiary. He is the only friend who can actually do good to all living entities (suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām). If one understands Kṛṣṇa, he immediately becomes desireless (niṣkāma) because a kṛṣṇa-bhakta knows that his friend and protector in all respects is Kṛṣṇa, who is able to do anything for His devotee. Kṛṣṇa says, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: “O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” Since Kṛṣṇa gives this assurance, the devotee lives in Kṛṣṇa and has no desire for personal benefit. The background for the devotee is the all-good Himself. Why should the devotee aspire for something good for himself? His only business is to please the Supreme by rendering service as much as possible. A kṛṣṇa-bhakta has no desire for his own personal benefit. He is completely protected by the Supreme. Avaśya rakṣibe kṛṣṇa viśvāsa pālana. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that he is desireless because Kṛṣṇa will give him protection in all circumstances. It is not that he expects any assistance from Kṛṣṇa; he simply depends on Kṛṣṇa just as a child depends on his parents. The child does not know how to expect service from his parents, but he is always protected nevertheless. This is called niṣkāma (desirelessness).

Although karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs fulfill their desires by performing various activities, they are never satisfied. A karmī may work very hard to acquire a million dollars, but as soon as he gets a million dollars he desires another million. For the karmīs, there is no end of desire. The more the karmī gets, the more he desires. The jñānīs cannot be desireless because their intelligence is unsound. They want to merge into the Brahman effulgence, but even though they may be raised to that platform, they cannot be satisfied there. There are many jñānīs or sannyāsīs who give up the world as false, but after taking sannyāsa they return to the world to engage in politics or philanthropy or to open schools and hospitals. This means that they could not attain the real Brahman (brahma satyam). They have to come down to the material platform to engage in philanthropic activity. Thus they again cultivate desires, and when these desires are exhausted, they desire something different. Therefore the jñānī cannot be niṣkāma, desireless. Nor can the yogīs be desireless, for they desire yogic perfections in order to exhibit some magical feats and gain popularity. People gather around these yogīs, and the yogīs desire more and more adulation. Because they misuse their mystic power, they fall down again onto the material platform. It is not possible for them to become niṣkāma, desireless.

The conclusion is that only the devotees who are simply satisfied in serving the Lord can actually become desireless. Therefore it is written: kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma. Since the kṛṣṇa-bhakta, the devotee of Kṛṣṇa, is satisfied with Kṛṣṇa, there is no possibility of falldown.

Madhya19.150

TEXT 150

muktānām api siddhānāṁ

nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ

sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā

koṭiṣv api mahā-mune

SYNONYMS

muktānām—of persons liberated or freed from the bondage of ignorance; api—even; siddhānām—of persons who have achieved perfection; nārāyaṇa—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; parāyaṇaḥ—the devotee; su-durlabhaḥ—very rare; praśānta-ātmā—completely satisfied, desireless; koṭiṣu—among many millions; api—certainly; mahā-mune—O great sage.

TRANSLATION

" ’O great sage, out of many millions of materially liberated people who are free from ignorance, and out of many millions of siddhas who have nearly attained perfection, there is hardly one pure devotee of Nārāyaṇa. Only such a devotee is actually completely satisfied and peaceful.’

PURPORT

Madhya19.151

TEXT 151

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

SYNONYMS

brahmāṇḍa bhramite—wandering in this universe; kona—some; bhāgyavān—most fortunate; jīva—living being; guru—of the spiritual master; kṛṣṇa—of Kṛṣṇa; prasāde—by the mercy; pāya—gets; bhakti-latā—of the creeper of devotional service; bīja—the seed.

TRANSLATION

"According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.

PURPORT

When we speak of brahmāṇḍa, we refer to the whole universe, or to the cluster of many millions of universes. In all universes, there are innumerable planets and innumerable living entities upon those planets in the air and in the water. There are millions and trillions of living entities everywhere, and they are engaged by māyā in suffering and enjoying the results of their fruitive activity life after life. This is the position of the materially conditioned living entities. Out of many of these living entities, if one is actually fortunate (bhāgyavān), he comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone’s heart, and if one desires something, Kṛṣṇa fulfills one’s desire. If the living entity by chance or fortune comes in contact with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and wishes to associate with that movement, Kṛṣṇa, who is situated in everyone’s heart, gives him the chance to meet a bona fide spiritual master. This is called guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to bestow His mercy upon all living entities, and as soon as a living entity desires the Lord’s mercy, the Lord immediately gives him an opportunity to meet a bona fide spiritual master. Such a person is fortified by both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master. He is helped from within by Kṛṣṇa and from without by the spiritual master. Both are prepared to help the sincere living being become free from this material bondage.

How one can become this fortunate can be seen in the life of Śrīla Nārada Muni. In his previous life he was born of a maidservant. Although he was not born into a prestigious position, his mother was fortunately engaged in rendering service to some Vaiṣṇavas. When these Vaiṣṇavas were resting during the Cāturmāsya period, the boy Nārada took the opportunity to engage in their service. Taking compassion upon the boy, the Vaiṣṇavas offered him the remnants of their food.

By serving them and obeying their orders, the boy became the object of sympathy for the Vaiṣṇavas, and, by the Vaiṣṇavas’ unknown mercy, he gradually became a pure devotee. In the next life he was Nārada Muni, the most exalted of Vaiṣṇavas and the most important guru and ācārya of Vaiṣṇavas.

Madhya19.152

TEXT 152

mālī hañā kare sei bīja āropaṇa

śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana

SYNONYMS

mālī hañā—becoming a gardener; kare—does; sei—that; bīja—seed of devotional service; āropaṇa—sowing; śravaṇa—of hearing; kīrtana—of chanting; jale—with the water; karaye—does; secana—sprinkling.

TRANSLATION

"When a person receives the seed of devotional service, he should take care of it by becoming a gardener and sowing the seed in his heart. If he waters the seed gradually by the process of śravaṇa and kīrtana [hearing and chanting], the seed will begin to sprout.

PURPORT

To live with devotees or to live in a temple means to associate with the śravaṇa-kīrtana process. Sometimes neophyte devotees think that they can continue the śravaṇa-kīrtana process without worshiping the Deity, but the execution of śravaṇa-kīrtana is meant for highly developed devotees like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who engaged in the śravaṇa-kīrtana process without worshiping the Deity. However, one should not falsely imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura and abandon Deity worship just to try to engage in śravaṇa-kīrtana. This is not possible for neophyte devotees.

The word guru-prasāda indicates that the spiritual master is very merciful in bestowing the boon of devotional service upon the disciple. That is the best possible gift the spiritual master has to offer. Those with a background of pious life are eligible to receive life’s supreme benefit, and to bestow this benefit, the Supreme Personality of Godhead sends His representative to impart His mercy. Endowed with the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master distributes the mercy to those who are elevated and pious. Thus the spiritual master trains his disciples to render devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called guru-kṛpā. It is kṛṣṇa-prasāda, Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, that He sends a bona fide spiritual master to the deserving disciple. By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, one meets the bona fide spiritual master, and by the mercy of the spiritual master, the disciple is fully trained in the devotional service of the Lord.

Madhya19.153

TEXT 153

upajiyā bāḍe latā ’brahmāṇḍa’ bhedi’ yāya

’virajā’ ’brahma-loka’ bhedi’ ’para-vyoma’ pāya

SYNONYMS

upajiyā—being cultivated; bāḍe—increases; latā—the creeper of devotional service; brahmāṇḍa—the whole universe; bhedi’-penetrating; yāya—goes; virajā—the river between the spiritual world and the material world; brahma-loka—the Brahman effulgence; bhedi’-penetrating; para-vyoma—the spiritual sky; pāya—attains.

TRANSLATION

"As one waters the bhakti-latā-bīja, the seed sprouts, and the creeper gradually increases to the point where it penetrates the walls of this universe and goes beyond the Virajā River between the spiritual world and the material world. It attains brahma-loka, the Brahman effulgence, and, penetrating through that stratum, it reaches the spiritual sky and the spiritual planet Goloka Vṛndāvana.

PURPORT

A creeper generally takes shelter of a big tree, but the bhakti-latā, being the creeper of spiritual energy, cannot take shelter of any material planet, for there is no tree on any material planet that the bhakti-latā creeper can utilize for shelter. In other words, devotional service cannot be utilized for any material purpose. Devotional service is meant only for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sometimes men with a poor fund of knowledge maintain that bhakti can be applied to material things also. In other words, they say that devotional service can be rendered to one’s country or to the demigods, but this is not a fact. Devotional service is especially meant for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it is beyond this material range. There is a river, or causal ocean, between the spiritual and material natures, and this river is free from the influence of the three modes of material nature; therefore it is called Virajā. The word vi means vigata (completely eradicated), and rajaḥ means “the influence of the material world.” On this platform, a living entity is completely free from material entanglement. For the jñānīs who want to merge into the Brahman effulgence, there is brahma-loka. Bhakti-latā, however, has no shelter in the material world, nor has it shelter in brahma-loka, although brahma-loka is beyond the material world. The bhakti-latā increases until it reaches the spiritual sky, where Goloka Vṛndāvana is situated.

THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://causelessmercy.com/Madhya19.4.htm