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… and we shall be very eager there to consider ourselves to be a slave. That is so high. A competition in the conception of the slavery, slave of the slave of the slave. Such high sphere is that. If we have, enough boldness, then, of sacrificing, then we can hope to enter and live in that domain. Sacrifice. Sacrifice to the extreme. And again Hegel comes, ‘Die to live’. It is a very broad thing. Broad and bold and also meaningful. “Die to live. Are you ready to die? Then I can recommend you a land where you can live. Are you bold enough to die? Nothing, nothing worth living here. Have you come, can you come to such conclusion? Every particle is worthless and it is mischievous. Have you come to realise that? Not worth living. This world not worth living at all. So you can easily be ready to die. You will be given the opportunity of living a proper life. After death, life after death. Die to live. And he is for himself, not for you or any ghost like us. He is for himself.”
So dignified. So dignified. Every atom is so dignified. That they all should be regarded with honour. The soil is such. “Do you like that soil to live in?” That soil is such. So dignified soil. To become a slave there. In Milton the opposite statement, “It is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.” Satan’s opinion. Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. But just the opposite: it is better to serve in heaven that reign in hell. The opposite of the satanic doctrine.
Hare Krishna. Gaurahari Gaurahari Gaurahari…
So Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost. Because they lost their faith in sharanagati, surrender, in the truth of surrender. That was disturbed, and they came to live with their freedom and free judgement, Adam and Eve. And they had to come down in the world of calculation of one’s self, individual free will. Own responsibility. Then earn and eat, enjoy. Earn and enjoy, the world we have come. Earn and enjoy. Labour and live. The world of labour and live. And there, without labour, sustenance is to come. When Adam and Eve were in a surrendered position, no labour was necessary. Everything was automatic. Everything automatically. Soul does not require any food to maintain its material body. That is spiritual, eternal body. No necessity of any addition from the outside to keep up the vitality there. Surrender your spiritual life, soul, and then when free choice came, instead of, in place of surrendered stage, then labour and live, enter that world, labour and live. And Satan was at the back, “Why you are a slave? Why you are a slave?” The tree of knowledge.
So Bhagavat has discarded knowledge, “Don’t rely your knowledge.” The tree of knowledge, the fruit was tasted by Adam, or Eve first. First Eve then Adam. Tree of knowledge is dangerous. Brought down to the world of calculation here. Surrender. Good man’s society. Higher society, no deception, no hypocrisy, no conspiracy there. So knowledge, calculation, good, bad, all these are meaningless there. Automatic flow of the goodness in the atmosphere. No doubt, no suspicion, no meanness to cheat one another. So no question of calculation. Everything automatic and flow of goodness is in that atmosphere.
That is the lower part of Vaikuntha. And again higher in Goloka. It is more beautiful, more loving, more sustaining, more sweet, ecstatic. Goloka. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. So practical faith in that sort of life, charm of that sort of life.
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaranaṁ vraja
In Bible the history of fall, and not going up so very expressively. That is vague. The son of God has come to take them again up there. The fall of Adam and Eve, that is very clear. But that one man is taken from this plane to that plane is not such a very explicit, clear history. And who are there, like so many Christ that have full faith in God’s land, God’s action, God’s goodness, they will treat the wealth, the prosperity, the charm of this world of enjoyment, to trample under feet? Die. “I resign all covetable posts in this world, however, a kingship, a leadership, a lover like Romeo, a lover, a beloved like Juliet. All dismissed. I am ready to dismiss all these things, for higher some mystic and unknown. Sweet, sweet life, sweet sweet home. I have finished.”
There was one Bakat Singh. One of the leading anarchists in Punjab. He got capital punishment. Then one gentleman asked him, “The day of your death is drawing near.” He told, “I am very eager to see the afterlife. This life is finished. No charm in this life. It is finished. Eager to see the afterlife.” But that man does not know that afterlife is also similar. The anarchist’s afterlife, what can be very good? Attraction for this mundane, can’t tolerate another’s ownership, kingship. He wants to smash the kingship, the leadership of this material world from another gentleman, has charm for this material world. What afterlife he can have to see, that is very glorious?
ā-viriñchyād amaṅgalam
One is to look after, with very neglected dignity, even the post of the creator of this world. Who can create this world, but he is in relativity of this world, mortal, nasty, the Brahma, who has created, and who is master of this world, but he is in the relativity of this nasty world, his position is also condemnable, what to speak of the ordinary persons.
karmaṇāṁ pariṇāmitvād ā-viriñchyād amaṅgalam
[vipaśchin naśvaraṁ paśyed adṛṣṭam api dṛṣṭa-vat]
(SB 11.19.18)
[“An intelligent person should see that any material activity is subject to constant transformation and that even on the planet of Lord Brahmā there is thus simply unhappiness. Indeed, a wise man can understand that just as all that he has seen is temporary, similarly, all things within the universe have a beginning and an end”.]
You and I, what is our position, meagre. But even the creator of this whole mundane world he is also surrounded with inauspicious reactionary consequence of life.
Then “Shivo ’ham, Shivo ’ham, Shivo ’ham”, next. After Brahma there is Shiva: “Shivo ’ham, do not care for material comfort, independent of material comfort as a soul I can live.” That temperament. “Shivo ’ham: I don’t care for any material achievement, I am sufficient in myself. Atmarama, I am self-sufficient. I don’t require any exploitation of this world. Of any world.” That is marginal position.
But it is so high, and so charming domain over the head of that Shiva: when he comes in connection with that, “Oh, I want to enter as a slave to that holy and magnanimous land. I want to be a member, the lowest member of that land. Even an ant’s position in that noble domain is something to be envied, in Vaikuntha. And then Vaikuntha, over that Goloka, Goloka over that deeper, the most comprehensive and most subtle, all-pervading. Goloka, solid circle. Highest plane ever found. Subtlemost plane ever found. That is the foundation of all different variety of planes we can experience. Goloka. That is beautiful, that is love. Beauty and love, similar things, sweet. Similar things. Beyond power, power-seeking.
This has been definitely brought down for us by Mahaprabhu, Nityananda, Srimad Bhagavatam, the last treatise of Vedavyas, the giver of the greatest magnitude of revealed truth in this world. Revealed truth in different forms. In its greatest magnitude and detailed, given by Vyasadev here, from Badarik Ashram. And the key to that, to the highest cabin (?) was given first to his son Sukadev. And Sukadev he tried to impress the present scholarship of India, the then scholarship, the then scholars of India, with that high ideal in the whole theological world. Sukadev did successfully. And next there was another sitting in Naimisaranya, where 60,000 brahman scholars met there, just before this Kali-yuga, the iron age. And there also, one who heard, who was present in the assembly of Sukadev, and he was srutidhar, that once heard, remembering eternally, that is srutidhar, only once hearing it is recorded final. There was one such peculiar scholar, Suta, Ugrasrava, Ugrasrava, whose aural reception was extraordinary, revolutionarily extraordinary. Once one impression was caught, final. That Ugasrava, sruti, whose hearing is very, very higher degree, highest degree. He was present in that assembly and he caught it and distributed to the sixty thousand brahmanic scholars gathered in Naimisaranya just before the advent of this, beginning of this Kali-yuga iron age and that is Bhagavatam.
And Vyasadev when these four sittings completed, one Narad to Vyasa, second Vyasa to Suka, and third Suka to Pariksit in the scholar’s assembly, and the fourth from Ugrasrava-suta to Saunakadi Rsis. Then with this introduction, three slokas, Vyasadev sent it to the market, Bhagavatam: janmādy asya yato ’nvayāt (1.1.1), dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramaḥ, and nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ. These three poems introduced as introduction, introduced Bhagavatam. One about sambandha jnan, what is what; the second what is the means to the end; and the third, what is the proper conception of the end, of the destination. Three. Where we are, who am I, where am I, what am I, in this way, sambandha jnan. And second abhideya, what is means to my end. And third what is the conception of the proper end of life. Different from all other recommendations from different theological scriptures. This is the speciality of this book, mainly, after liberation, how one can live a dignified life, it is meant for them. They are to, nirmatsaranam satam, they must be free from all jealousy, Vyasadev said. It is meant for those particular saints who are completely free from any trace of jealousy. Nirmatsar. Jealousy means who cannot tolerate higher position of any other than he. That is jealousy. That is the test. At every step you are to feel without prejudice that everything in your paraphernalia holding higher position than you. If you are jealous then you can’t advance a single step there. Jealousy is fully eliminated if you are ready to tolerate that everyone you come across is holding a higher position than you. And you should not mind anything from that. No reaction. If you can tolerate that everything, every dust of that plane is superior, holding superior position to you. All Prabhu, and you are the slave. If you can accommodate yourself in such a way then you will have a very higher place where you can enter and live. But nirmatsaranam satam, not only ordinary saint. The jealousy must be exhaustively eliminated. “Then you can hope to come to study and you will be able to understand what I say, that everything is superior and you are the lowest, then you can have everything there, progress, free, you can freely live there, move. But that temperament, the minimum demand from you is that, and that is finish everything. This demand finishes everything.”
I told that Hiranyagarbha here, sahajiya, from Lalita Prabhu, went to the babaji class.
vaikuṇṭhera pṛthivy-ādi sakala chinmaya
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta: 1.5.53)
Goloka, below Vaikuntha, and there also everything made of spiritual dust. Water— all atoms are spiritual, and that is of higher quality than you soul who wants to enter there. So you are to enter into that domain, and then you can hope to get company of the Narayan-bhakta, and then higher up Goloka Vrndavan. It is not a matter of joke, matter of luxury, so easy. So deserve, then have. No deserve, no having. Only imitation here, plodding in the mud and thinking I am in the divine lake of Radha Kunda.
Nitai Gaura Haribol Nitai Gaura Haribol…
Death means, die to live, death means not only this physical, but mental death, and death of all our ambitious aspiration. Death means, die to live. Living is also wonderful living. Living is also wonderful, strange thing in comparison with the present living. There is living. Living along with all good, all high, all divine, all superior. How happy living. Wherever I am breathing, everything is of higher quality than my own self. How happy. How elevating. But have we such courage, boldness to live there, to die a wholesale death. To die a wholesale death. Of our all experienced life. To be severed from all the valuable things we ever gathered experience of.
Is it possible for us? Not so easy. All the ideals, high ideals we have ever accumulated or come in association to, all given up. Not only our physical acquisition but our mental acquisition, mental prospect ever acquired—all give up. Dissolution of the whole mind, body, and only soul, naked soul to be taken to that land, with the help of so many saints of that calibre. Stranger than dream. Gaurahari, Gaurahari. Stranger than dream. Reality is stranger than dream, fiction. Our standard of prospect should be raised so high. Gaurahari Gaurahari Gaurahari Nitai Gaurahari Nitai Gauraharibol. Self-abnegation.
If we can have some conception of the truth then we will feel that what we aspire after at present is all sinful, nasty. “Why should I be a master of so many?” Gaurasundar… We hate slavery, but we will be able to understand what a dignified position it is to be a slave to such wonderful goodness, to a wonderful master. It is possible, not impossible to peep into that higher position of truth. Gaurasundar, Gaurasundar, Gaurasundar … We will be eager to cast ourselves at the feet of those holy persons.
Nitai Gaura Haribol… Nitai Nitai Nitai…
Mahaprabhu told once in Puri to Sanatan Goswami,
sanātana, deha-tyāge kṛṣṇa yadi pāiye
koṭi-deha kṣaṇeke tabe chāḍite pāriye
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta: 3.4.55)
“Sanatan, if it would have been possible that by giving up this body I can get Krishna, then in a moment I am ready to sacrifice this body crores [ten millions] of times. This body, sacrifice. Die. That is, in a moment I want to invite crores of times death, die to live, crores of deaths I like to invite, welcome, if by doing so I can get my Lord Krishna.”
How standard, what standard. Where is Krishna, of Mahaprabhu’s conception? Die to live. We think die to live, to die means to leave the whole thing, but Mahaprabhu says, “In a moment, ei kṣane, in this moment I am ready to die crores of times, if by the result of that I can get Krishna; but no, Krishna is not so cheap. What benefit is there by physical death? This is to give up a dress, a flesh and bone dress. What charm is there? Something more. Some positive life is there. Not by negative sacrifice, what we all possess, we can go. Not that if we can have a naked body we can go. No. Some positive attraction for that, that is the real thing. Sraddha, sadhu-sanga. Serving tendency, that is the visa. Not passport. Not passport. Any number of passports I can collect, no. Visa is necessary. The sanction of that place. But they are very broadhearted, very generous, very loving, and infinitely resourceful. Infinite resourcefulness is there.
Now England is trying best to oust the foreigners. So long they are liberal; now a party has raised that so many foreigners come to live in England and making the original British people’s life intolerable. So there must be some check over the immigrants.
But that is infinite, no such limitation is there: “All may come, but come with good will. With good will, standard good will you should come, you are all welcome, infinite. But you are to give up all your anti-tendencies of this land, and to keep outside. You come, you come for the interest of us, for the whole country, you come. For the Lord, you come. You are all welcome, very earnestly, affectionately welcome, he is Lord of all of us, not only of a particular section, but he is the Lord of all, a loving Lord, an infinite Lord. His love is infinite, his ways are infinite, everything is infinite. So no possibility that our portion will be lessened if you come and partake into the service, no. Come. We rather want more, more may be engaged his service, we will be happy, more happy, more happy. But service, mind that, mind that, service, for his satisfaction. The criterion. We are all seeking, searching for his satisfaction, not any one of us, if we find that lacking there, then we will turn your enemy. With this idea all can come.”
Radharani says to her anti-group, though it is all a necessary part, “She [Chandravali] does not know how to satisfy Krishna to his heart’s content, then why does she venture to come in very close connection of him?” That is in her company. Harmony means many and one, and gradation. The gradation is of that type, it is mentioned in Chaitanya-charitamrta. “If she can serve more, I shall be aloof. I shall give her nearer to my Lord. But she fails to do service to the highest satisfaction, so what to do, I have to go nearer, because it is for his satisfaction, not for myself.” That is the criterion there. It is very inconceivable to understand. Inconceivable to understand, but still it is there, we find it is recorded in Chaitanya-charitamrta. And in this way the gradation is there, all centre concerned.
And another remark,
pati lāgi’ kailā veśyāra sevā
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta: 3.20.57)
“If to satisfy him, my Lord of heart, I am to serve a lower idea, like a prostitute I am ready for that, if it is for his satisfaction. Whatever is for his satisfaction. Apparently it may be the lowest, but that is the highest. Only one criterion, his satisfaction, and our calculation, good or bad, has no value. Only one criterion, his satisfaction. That is the only one criterion.”
kṛṣṇendriya -prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali ‘prema’
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta: 3.4.165)
And it is drawn up to the highest position among the servitors. All these are very high things, it is good to talk, but to get, it is very, it is very, very, very difficult. One day we may hope to reach that domain, but now we are in the midst of disappointment. “But I do not like this. I don’t feel normal position here, dissatisfaction. Virakti. I do not know whether my aspiration will be realised any day or other, but still I cannot, I cannot connect my faith with any other thing, any other conception but Krishna conception. Because I shall be able to get anything easily in a day or two then I must contact with that—I am not a person to do such contract. No: I may get or I may not get in my eternal quest, eternal search, still I won’t budge an inch from the ideal that my Lord is Krishna in Vrindavan. Krishna in Vrindavan. And Krishna in Vrindavan as the son of Yashoda, as the friend of Subal and others, and as the consort of the gopis and Radharani. I want to have his service and the service of the servants of him. That I adore, welcome. But no kingship, leadership, of any sort of achievement.”
na nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ na cha pārameṣṭhyaṁ
na sārva-bhaumaṁ na rasādhipatyam
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā
samañjasa tvā virahayya kāṅkṣe
(Srimad Bhagavatam: 6.11.25)
[“O my Lord, source of all opportunities, I do not desire to enjoy in Dhruvaloka, the heavenly planets or the planet where Lord Brahmā resides, nor do I want to be the supreme ruler of all the earthly planets or the lower planetary systems. I do not desire to be master of the powers of mystic yoga, nor do I want liberation if I have to give up Your lotus feet.”]
Vrtrasura says in Bhagavatam. “My inner aspiration is after you my Lord.” But Vrtrasura is not speaking here of Lord Krishna, he is speaking of Narayan. But Narayan is also so charming, that, “I can eliminate all these prospects of my future life. I want you my Lord. My heart, my Lord of my heart.” So sweet. Godhead is so sweet. Back to Godhead, back to Godhead, back to Godhead, and God is such, of Krishna conception God, very sweet. Sweetest of all conceptions.