Prabhupada's lecture - Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.44 - Mayapura, October 24, 1974


So anyone who is being educated, anyone who is engaged in research work for the benefit of the whole human society... Idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā ca buddhi-dattayoḥ [SB 1.5.22]. Or somebody is giving in charity, opening hospital, schools, or other good, good purposes. Ca buddhi-dattayoḥ. So why they are doing that? What is the purpose? The purpose is avicyutaḥ arthaḥ. Avicyuta means infallible, and artha means purpose. Avicyutaḥ arthaḥ kavibhir nirūpitaḥ. It is ascertained, the purpose. Why one should be engaged in research work? Why one should be engaged in getting good education? Why one should perform charity, or why one should be intelligent? This is higher-class activities. So what is the purpose? The purpose, it is said, kavibhir nirūpitaḥ: "By high-class scholars, they have ascertained." What is it? Yad uttama-śloka-guṇānuvarṇanam: [SB 1.5.22] "God is to be worshiped simply by glorifying Him by the best words, uttama-śloka." Not that "My dear God, You have no eyes. You have no leg. You have no hand. You have no mouth." What is this? It is the indirect way of insulting God.

If one man has no eyes, then what he is called? He is called blind. So if one man has no legs, he is called lame. So similarly, if we worship God that "You are blind. You are lame. You are headless. You are brainless," what is this worship? Similarly, this kind of worship-daridra-nārāyaṇa, "Nārāyaṇa is daridra"—is just like that. No. Here Kuntī says that kala-padaiḥ, Kala-padaiḥ, "by chosen words." Just like if you worship some superior, when you give foodstuff to your spiritual master, superior, you find out the best, selected foodstuff, not that anything, worst: "You eat it. If you don't like, don't eat. I don't mind." No. This is the way of worship. When you worship superior, and who can be more superior than Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead? He's the Supreme, Absolute Truth. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13).

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Last newsletters

Friday, August 30, 2024
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.3 — Los Angeles, May 17, 1973 So in another place these brāhmaṇas were addressed, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ: "You are all brāhmaṇa, the topmost of the human society." There are divisions of the human...
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.2 — Los Angeles, May 16, 1973 Just like some of you are suffering from cough. Now there has been some hygienic law disregarded. So I have caught cold and cough. So why shall I deride upon it? It must be created either you say...
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.52 — Los Angeles, May 14, 1973 Therefore, spiritual education begins from this body. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, dehino 'smin yathā dehe [Bg. 2.13]. Asmin dehe, in this body there is the spiritual spark who is the...
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.49 — Māyāpura, October 29, 1974 So in this way, you are all indebted. You cannot take any service from anyone without being indebted. You cannot take. You must be... So we are becoming entangled, complicated with indebtedness....